Final Countdown

All is well here Chez Wool. I have been sewing like crazy to get ready for the craft fair next weekend. In the last couple of weeks, I have cranked out an average of 5 bags a week. I realize it doesn't sound like too much given that there are 24 hours in a day, but given the following constraints, I think I'm doing pretty damn well.

• I do have full-time employment which guarantees me a paycheck, provided I show up (they are sticklers about this point). Not to mention health insurance. (-8.5 hrs: 15.5 hrs)
• Said employment requires a commute of nearly an hour each way once I factor in dropping off the kiddo at daycare. (-2 hrs: 13.5 hrs)
• Sleep. This one is important as I tend to get a bit, um, grouchy if I don't get my beauty sleep. (-7 hrs: 6.5 hrs)
• After such a restful (*snort*) night's sleep, I must go through my patented beauty ritual in the morning and get the aforementioned kiddo out of bed, into presentable clothes and out the door. (-1.25 hrs: 5.25 hrs)
• Dinner. For some reason certain people in the house do not think fending for themselves is an appropriate strategy for a 5 year old. Where is Darwin when you need him. (-.75 hr: 4.5 hrs)
• Housekeeping. You in the back. Shut. Up. Even using this term loosely, I need to scrape the top layer of crud off the horizontal surfaces of our home at least occasionally. And do some laundry. I draw the line at reusing certain articles of clothing. (-.5 hr: 4 hrs)
• Childcare. Caleb seems to think that he needs to have parental attention every so often. Greedy child. (-2 hrs: 2 hrs)

That leave a whopping 2 hours to check email and do everything that I deem necessary to my sanity. Oh, and sew.

Let's not mention that for some reason every craft store in the area has stopped carrying magnetic snaps in the last 2 weeks. So, yesterday after going to 3 separate stores and calling others, I was searching frantically online trying to find someplace that would be able to ship them to me via 2 day service and still be reasonably priced. Luckily, I found a place, but I feel sick thinking about how much it is costing to have it shipped. Blech!

But, honestly, things are going well. Eric got back his grade for his last rotation and he got an A. He is done with one of the rotations from hell. Only 3 more months before he gets a couple of "easier" rotations.

We were even able to squeeze in an honest-to-goodness, real-live, no kids allowed, date on Saturday. You know, where the restaurant has glass glasses and candles. There are no play structures or cartoon characters involved. Just dinner, a movie and a drink afterward. A very nice time was had by all.

Set up for the show is on Friday. After it ends on Sunday, I am planning on taking a couple of weeks to start researching some of the locations we are looking at for residency. I am both excited and nervous about this next step. It is an awfully big decision to make and we get so little say in where we finally end up. I just hope that we end up someplace family friendly.

See you all next week and hopefully I will be able to do some knitting of my own!

A very good day

I am so excited today. I met up with a local woman who makes handmade soaps and took 26 bars on consigment to sell with my washcloths. I am pretty excited, they smell great and are reasonably priced. I think I will make up a couple of quick drawstring sacks that can accomodate both and sell the sets for $10 bucks. To me it seems like a great end of school year gift for teachers.

And, today I love the mailman (or at least the service he provides) because this arrived at my door bringing yarny p0rn to my home. Thank you Carrie! She custom dyed this lovelyness and I don't think she could have gotten the colors any more perfectly. There is enough variation to provide interest, but not so much that it will obscure a pattern. Now, I just need to find the right pattern!

FO: Shetland Shawl

Just popping in for a very quick update. Any knitting lately has been of the dish cloth variety and I can't imagine that even die-hard knitters are really that interested in yet another pink variegated Grandma's Dishcloth. Even I am bored with them. But they sell, so what's a girl to do? I am also looking for a local person who makes soaps to pair up with the cloths at the craft fair in April. I've found a couple through Etsy and am looking to seeing/smelling the options!

Shetland Triangle is off the needles!

I lovelovelove this pattern and can easily see myself making it again in a variety of weights.





The color is somewhere between the values in the photos. I'm quite happy with how it all came out.

Pattern: Shetland Triangle by Evelyn Clark from Wrap Style by Interweave Press.

Yarn: Rowan Magpie in the Mexico colorway. Sadly, this lovely yarn has been discontinued. It is the same yarn that I used to make Twist.

Needles: KnitPicks Options Size 9

Started: February 2008

Finished: February 2008

I know it is the fir cone pattern, but when I looke at it all I see are candleflames which marry up beautifully with the rich burnt orange color of the wool. It is cozy and airy, lacy but substantial all at the same time.

Now, I just need to know how to wear it without looking like I'm 80 years old!