New Fiber!

Lookie-loo what I've got for you. Well, for me and you as it turns out.


This is Milk Fiber. It is processed from the casein of milk and is non-wool. I don't have much to add about it now but I am definitely excited about it. More to come soon.

Working, Working, Working....

At least, that's is what I try to believe I am doing. I spent approximately a week long period being ill. It was just a summer cold but being uninsured can make any cold feel longer than it needs to be. Early this month I got started on a custom blanket for my mom. She has several co-worker in various states of pregnancy. When we went to visit my parents back in July she asked me to make three blankets in the same soft materials I made the yellow and white one. She just wanted three blankets, 2 girl blankets and one boy blanket by the end of September. Of course that makes you feel like you have a little time but in reality you don't. So then Mom calls up at the beginning of August and says, "one of the babies is due end of this month." Okay I say... "I will work on the blanket now." Which is fine even though I need more content for the market this month. But guess what? a week later Mom calls up and says. "The baby came early... she was born on Sunday." ARGGHHHHH!!!!!!!!! So now its super crunch time.

But needless to say... I have pics!


I really dig these colors and I am not even a fan of pink. Lovely! =D


I'm a little further along now but technically I said I would be done by Wednesday. Something about talking to my family makes me overestimate my abilities...... Hopefully by Thursday's knitting group. *fingers crossed*

Craft Fail

Everybody makes mistakes.... and that's what CraftFail is for. I just wrote my first post there all about my baby blanket. Read More here and be sure to leave a comment and read other peoples experiences as well.

Blankets, Cookies and Cards

Whew! That baby blanket was one UFO that was quickly becoming a PITA. (uhh, use your imagination.) Now that I have finished that little project I can go back to working on other things, like blog posts. Unfortunately, part two of the war of acronyms will have to continue some time this weekend. Only because the rest of the night and tomorrow is preparing for our son's birthday party on Saturday. Preparing really means unpacking the boxes that stayed in the corner for the last three months because they should have never made it to the house. Plus we have to buy all the party goods tomorrow when I get off from work. Fun Fun Fun!

So on to more fiber related news. Here is the blanket all wet down and blocked to rectangular. I'm a little afraid it will be too small for a baby.


Here's hoping the baby is not ginormous. When I crochet blankets that is usually about how big they turn out. Its probably just nervousness over the size of the knit project.

Now, in non-fiber related news:
I denied my sweet tooth 24 hours of the best peanut butter cookies I have had in a while. I did it all so that I could take pictures for this post. See, just about two weeks ago I got a taste for peanut butter cookies. The only problem is that it couldn't be just any old peanut butter cookie, it had to be that peanut butter cookie. I wanted a cookie with peanuts and big chunks of peanut butter morsels. I wasnt looking for macadamia nuts or those tiny tollhouse morsels and I certainly wasnt looking to bake for myself. (It's been a long time and we have a heater for a stove at the moment.)
Imagine my surprise when I meet Just Bakin' in the Etsy chat room. In the past I never seriously considered buying food from Etsy sellers. Nothing against the sellers but getting my food in the mail was not appealing. The only other item that tempted me was a caramel apple cheesecake but it was local pickup only and I don't live in Alabama.
So I started up a conversation in the chat room asking all the questions. What do you know, this seller can make cookies to custom. Better yet, she made them to my specifications and that makes me extremely happy. I was so happy that even though my husband and I were about to head out to rum errands Wednesday, when the mailman showed up I had to wait. I saw him scanning the package and I didnt want my cookies sitting in no leaky mailbox. Well it turns out he was taking it to the front door. (Now mind you, he watched us come out the door but on his way back out he says... "Oh, y'all live here?" Idiot.)
The presentation on the package was outstanding and she even threw in a sample of chocolate chip cookies. I like the cookies best when they are heated for about 10 seconds but they were definitely good either way.

Last but not least in my guilty indulgences. Really guilty indulgences. Since I don't have money to spend on Etsy it is amazing for me to make two purchases in one weeks time. My second purchase was from hdawnparratt.
This was totally another chat inspired purchase which may only prove to my husband that I am wasting time AND money in the chat rooms. The sea otter card was too adorable and the frog card was the icing on the handmade card cake. The inside is blank but I have no intention of mailing these. I want to find a complementary frame or matboard and hang it on the wall.

So, that's it for the night. I finished the blanket, I bought some goods that I loved and I have a birthday party to prep for this weekend. (Which is scary since it will be the first time my parents and my husbands parents have meet in a nonformal setting. In fact, his mom was the only one at the wedding so it will be the first time his dad has meet either of my parents. Yea, this is getting scary....)

Soft and Squishy

The last few days I have been working on a baby blanket for a co-worker. I was recommended for the job through word of mouth. I don't actually knit terribly fast but I accepted the work anyway. It's awful funny that I never said how much this was going to cost and she never asked. Not really expecting it to turn out very good in that respect.


The blanket is a knit stitch on size 11, 14 inch straight needles. The LYS owner prefers circulars but I wasn't in budget for that. Really, I wasn't in budget for any of it but I never said that the lady had to buy the yarn before I would start. That doesn't really make sense anyway, she wouldn't know what to get. Also, she was letting me pick the yarn because she is just ready for the grand baby to get here. I got to choose the colors as long as it was neutral to the normal color associations. No pink, no blue, no purple.

This project is so soft and squishy that I hate having to sell it. It is made with Plymouth Yarns "Heaven" which is a 100% nylon yarn. Not inexpensive, just not wool. What I do hate so far is that of the two full skeins I have knit through (total of 5 skeins but I am working on my third now) there have been knots in the last fourth of both skeins. I know that the company wants to minimize waste but when you pay $5/skein for something like 50-75 yards you expect something better. I have Red Heart, I expect that from Red Heart. I do not expect it from the higher end yarns. Blah!

Overall this is an enjoyable and easy project. However, from the last 5-6 years spent as a desk jockey in corporate America, I can't make more than a row before my hand starts to fall asleep. If I try for a second row my hand becomes painfully numb and lacking of proper nerve sensation. So much for ergonomics. I don't even like the corporate peon job, especially since it manages to make what I do like extremely difficult. Great, just great. On the other hand, no pun intended, before I go nutty and quit this job I plan to have my workers comp claim finished out. Preferably where I would never have to file a claim again (third times a charm?)

New Handmade Crafting Site

Hey, I was introduced to this great little crafting site called Art Fire. Its new and in the works and looks to have a lot of potential. There were a lot of other sites that cropped up after Etsy made it "big" but this is the first one that I had a good feeling about. I have even gone the paid membership route because it was a good deal and I didn't want to miss it.
My store will be located at here.

In other more exciting news. I have gotten a new camera! I would take a picture of the new camera with the old camera but my son has somewhat co-opted it for his own picture taking purposes.

Also, I am in the process (or have completed) a trade in which I will no longer have a drum carder but in its place I will own an Ashford Country. Woo! First real (i.e.- wooden) wheel.
Currently in the way of projects: I have started a commissioned blanket knit with Heaven yarn from my LYS. Its so soft and made from nylon. This is for a baby blanket for someones 4th grandbaby! I hope it comes out well. I will upload pictures as soon as I get used to my camera. It's just a bit different taking pictures with this. I don't know all of the idiosyncrasies that come with using a camera for six years.

Now, moving forward I am going to make a strong effort to get back on track. My mom once said a cluttered house is a sign of a cluttered mind. Seriously, you don't want to know what my house looks like (even on a good day.) =D

Check out that new site, I really think it will be worth it. Yea, its in "BETA" but if they stay the course they really will have something going.

Playing with Fire... uh, I meant Fiber!

I finished a little project I set for myself to spin a non-wool yarn. I was pretty excited about it too. Its dyed tussah silk, carded with glitz, bamboo coils and sari silk handspun then plied with a matching nylon thread. Would you believe those are the same colors I dyed this yarn with? It's interesting how different fibers take dyes so differently. I would love opinions, tell me what you think!




This here is something I hope to get posted to the store later tonight. I took bits and pieces of fibers and created a eclectic fiber sampler mix. These are a random selection of fibers from my personal stash intended for the adventurous type. Basically, for those who want to feel touch and try a bunch of fibers but have no intentions of buying several ounces at a time.



Lots of fibers, uncarded bamboo, angora, corriedale, and coopworth to name a few. I'm thinking it will be good for a felter who just needs a few accouterments or a spinner who wants to card bits of color into things. Plus, taking the picture with a basket was cool! (ummm, no basket is not included!=P)