tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-106039582024-03-14T05:05:58.349-05:00The Purl in the Oyster<i>Nicole Rodgers' musings and meanderings on her crafts... and life in general.</i>Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03668499208903994644noreply@blogger.comBlogger444125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10603958.post-16044060692662712042013-01-20T12:23:00.001-06:002013-01-20T12:23:17.358-06:00KAL NoticeTomorrow I will be uploading the first part of the pattern for Eggplant Parmigiana. http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/eggplant-parmigiana That means that the price to join the KAL will be going up to the regular price of $4.99. Last chance to join in at the sale price!Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03668499208903994644noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10603958.post-76537433045628036502013-01-19T09:06:00.001-06:002013-01-19T09:06:36.203-06:00I'm sewing again!!Holy cow did it ever feel good to sit in front of my sewing machine again!! Last weekend I got about a third of the squares cut for my Half-Square Triangle Block of the Month (HST BOM). <br />
<br />
I'm not sure which order this blogger app will post them, so I can't give the descriptions in order, so I'll do it chronologically. <br />
<br />
I took a picture right after I finished the cutting to show the stacks of 4" squares. There's just over 500 there.<br />
<br />
I took another one once I separated out the fabrics since I had cut them 6 layers at a time -- loving my new 60mm rotary cutter! There is nearly a quarter yard of each of the prints. I purchased 2 metres of 108" wide backing fabric to make the background half of each square, and cut 8-10 strips so far. <br />
<br />
I was so happy to be sewing that of course I had to take a pic! I used 4 of each print and ended up with 104 HSTs. Pressing and trimming of them is tedious beyond words!!<br />
<br />
Finally I show my finished square. It's a slight variation of the windmill block from one of the months. This is being donated to the quilting group I belong to and is going into a quilt that will be raffled off. I am very happy with how it turned out, with nearly perfect matching points and am even more enthusiastic about working on my quilt!! <br/><br/><div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-DO6i_xWO_x8/UPq2augimZI/AAAAAAAAAR8/a_qi9PvY8vM/s640/blogger-image-1453242427.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-DO6i_xWO_x8/UPq2augimZI/AAAAAAAAAR8/a_qi9PvY8vM/s640/blogger-image-1453242427.jpg" /></a></div> <br/><br/><div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-RXJJrExpDgs/UPq2bulyjtI/AAAAAAAAASE/Y1qRLitLusY/s640/blogger-image-1929257506.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-RXJJrExpDgs/UPq2bulyjtI/AAAAAAAAASE/Y1qRLitLusY/s640/blogger-image-1929257506.jpg" /></a></div> <br/><br/><div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-Zs5w0AiWEqc/UPq2dNlxyqI/AAAAAAAAASM/0jP7tDRxqcA/s640/blogger-image--1161902055.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-Zs5w0AiWEqc/UPq2dNlxyqI/AAAAAAAAASM/0jP7tDRxqcA/s640/blogger-image--1161902055.jpg" /></a></div> <br/><br/><div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-oLytCyJB2Zo/UPq2eVBf7bI/AAAAAAAAASU/m5ZiCZ1A-cM/s640/blogger-image-2016519287.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-oLytCyJB2Zo/UPq2eVBf7bI/AAAAAAAAASU/m5ZiCZ1A-cM/s640/blogger-image-2016519287.jpg" /></a></div>Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03668499208903994644noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10603958.post-89247509808116206892013-01-09T08:26:00.002-06:002013-01-09T08:26:47.313-06:00Eggplant Parmigiana now available!!I'll have more details later for y'all, but I wanted to quickly announce that the KAL pattern for <i>Eggplant Parmigiana</i> is now available.<br />
<br />
The pattern page is here: <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/eggplant-parmigiana" target="_blank">Eggplant Parmigiana</a><br />
My Ravelry group where the KAL is being hosted is here: <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/groups/nicole-rodgers-designs" target="_blank">Nicole Rodgers Designs</a><br />
<br />
The pattern is currently being offered at the low introductory price of $1.99 until January 21st, 2013. That is when the next "clue" is being released and the price will be the regular price of $4.99.Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03668499208903994644noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10603958.post-37598144492679690392013-01-08T23:10:00.001-06:002013-01-08T23:10:06.845-06:00KAL watching!Sometime tomorrow (January 9th) I will be uploading the first "clue" for the Eggplant Parmigiana pattern. The pre-release price of this pattern is $1.99 CAD. The KAL itself will begin on Monday, January 21st; and the price of the pattern will then increase to $4.99. <br />
<br />
I can't guarantee the exact time it will go live as I have a quilting class in town tomorrow morning and am not sure when I'll be back home. I may have time to set it up in the morning before I leave, but I don't want to make any promises. I will post here with the link once it's all set up. Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03668499208903994644noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10603958.post-876298358869906122013-01-07T20:04:00.001-06:002013-01-07T20:04:56.587-06:00KAL teaser!Here is the yarn I picked up yesterday for the first KAL I've personally hosted in around 8 years. It's Cascade Yarns Heritage Silk in a beautiful eggplant purple colourway. Later this week the details will be posted. In the meantime I'll be over on my couch petting the silky goodness!!! <br/><br/><div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-MvH12L0_MB4/UOt-o8_BtMI/AAAAAAAAARs/cdZFpDHxPB0/s640/blogger-image-1973691332.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-MvH12L0_MB4/UOt-o8_BtMI/AAAAAAAAARs/cdZFpDHxPB0/s640/blogger-image-1973691332.jpg" /></a></div>Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03668499208903994644noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10603958.post-12291823032002405132013-01-04T23:04:00.001-06:002013-01-04T23:04:03.843-06:00Enjoying what you are doingEver since I left my "paycheque" job nearly two years ago, enjoying what I am doing has been my #1 priority. It doesn't just apply to my knitting. I do my best to enjoy everything that life has to offer me now. <br />
<br />
One problem with this is how I get distracted by "ooh shiny!" moments!! I am trying harder to focus, and I think I've been showing improvement in that respect. Going over my Ravelry projects as one example, it appears on the surface that I haven't finished much at all. In actuality, it's simply lack of FO photos that have kept me from changing the status of my projects to completed. I actually have relatively few on the go right now... and that's just how I like it!<br />
<br />
Last night after I cast off my wrap, I began work on my new cardigan. I had fun doing several gauge swatches, and of course had to get started on it right away! I have no idea how long this particular "oh shiny!" moment will last, but I don't have any other large projects on the horizon for starting anyway. I'll post a couple pictures in the next couple of days once it actually looks like something other than a gauge swatch. Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03668499208903994644noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10603958.post-87114011818546924962013-01-03T21:19:00.001-06:002013-01-03T21:19:12.330-06:00(Nearly) first FO of 2013I just finished casting off my first FO of 2013, a project I've named "Rainbow Wrap". It was a kit I ordered from Mary Maxim last spring, "Shimmering Lights Wrap" and made with their Shimmer yarn. I still need to weave in the ends, and do the washing and blocking, but for all intents and purposes, it's done. <br />
<br />
Overall, I'd have to say that it was an enjoyable knit. Unlike the MM Mohair Glitter yarn I used a year and a half ago (The Mohair Blob in my Ravelry projects), this yarn was a joy to work with. The sequins are spun into the yarn using an embroidery floss-like thread, but the plies don't shift on each other at all. The pattern that came with the kit was fairly easy to follow, and seemed to go really fast since the lace stitches were on both the knit *and* purl sides of the project. Out of the 4 balls of yarn included, there was only 1 knot in the middle of one. However, I *did* notice that the colour repeats weren't always consistent. Occasionally they would reverse themselves or be wound in the ball "backwards". This was inconsequential since the colour shifting was very smooth. Even when changing g balls of yarn it was easy to match up. If I would have done one less pattern repeat on the second half, even the graft at the middle would have been colour matched. <br />
<br />
I will block it over the next couple of days and then get some FO pics posted. I can't wait to wear it!Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03668499208903994644noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10603958.post-32789695232211529812013-01-02T15:34:00.001-06:002013-01-02T15:34:08.636-06:00I'm not being mean. I'm just saying "no".It's not hard to tell that I spent a lot of time on the "Selfish Knitters and Crocheters" forum on Ravelry today. The basic premise of the group is that your (insert crafting type of your choice here) time is your own to choose what to do with, and others shouldn't be telling you what you should or shouldn't be making. <br />
<br />
I am fortunate that a lot of the people I am close to "get it". It keeps me from having to get defensive about what and why I do something. Unfortunately, in this "entitlement" society we live in, this isn't always the case. I do not "HAVE" to make you anything EVER, simply because I have the ability and you have the want. If I choose to make you something, you damn well better appreciate it because I have deemed you knitworthy (or crochetworthy or quiltworthy etc).<br />
<br />
I have people for whom I would knit cobweb weight handspun unicorn hair sprinkled with fairy farts into the most intricate lace wedding ring shawl ever. My DH is one of these people, although the lace shawl simply isn't his style! I also have people I know on the opposite end of this spectrum. They could bring me a flat-bed load of cotton yarn for free, and I wouldn't even spend the 20 minutes to crochet them one of my mindless dish cloths. <br />
<br />
For these reasons, most requests made of me are either ignored or outright denied. Everything I make, I do it because I WANT to. Even my designing fits into this category. I am not expected to keep food on the table or roof over our heads with my designing (or other commissioned work), so I am free to choose what to work on guilt-free. I submit to the design calls that I am interested in, and try to only do my design work when I have the time and brain power to do so. <br />
<br />
My life is much simpler and less complicated this way. Last night I was forcing myself to work on a pair of socks promised to a friend. There is no deadline on these, but I want to get them out of the way so I can work on a few other things. I kept putting the project down to do other things around the house and online. I finally clued in and grabbed my lace wrap to work on that. I managed to knit half a ball of yarn even while spending a bunch of time online because I was HAPPY to have it back in my hands after nearly a month of being put away. <br />
<br />
Life is way too short to be wasted working on things that don't make you happy, especially if that thing isn't absolutely necessary. So go knit (crochet, sew, embroider) something that makes you happy!! Even if it *is* for someone else!!Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03668499208903994644noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10603958.post-38013108279865122152013-01-01T21:58:00.001-06:002013-01-01T21:58:27.255-06:00No regrets!I always try to live my life with no regrets. I usually look before I leap, and take into account that I expect anything I say or do will be made public in perpetuity. I will celebrate my successes and accomplishments. I will try my best to not beat myself up over my defeats and failures. Life is way too short to waste it away saying, "I'm sorry" for everything, so I do what I can to avoid needing to apologize for my (or lack of) behaviour. I think that will be my only resolution this year... To have no regrets. <br />
<br />
I've seen something floating around Facebook the last few days that I think I may try. It's a gratitude jar. You start January 1st with an empty jar. Every time something good, cool, or even remotely noteworthy occurs, you write it on a slip of paper and put it in the jar. At the end of the year you read through all those notes to allow you to be grateful and appreciative of all the great things that happened throughout the year. Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03668499208903994644noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10603958.post-30472375230558717592012-11-02T22:51:00.001-05:002012-11-02T22:51:41.733-05:00You may now commence nail-biting!Much of my brain power in October was used on compiling pattern proposals. There were times I was sure I was going to have grey matter goo seeping out of my ears! But they are all done, and as of 8:33 this morning, all have been submitted!
<br>
<br>Due to the nature of the calls, I can't really reveal too many details. However, I *can* say that three were previous (unsuccessful) submissions, and three are outside of my usual design comfort zone. I am really excited about all of them, and am expecting to know the results by Christmas.
<br>
<br>I really need to get working on the Ontario Corruption pattern, but I'm having a lot of trouble getting it into a format that makes sense. I am still hoping to have it released in December, but we shall see.
<br>
<br>
<br>Until next time,
<br>Nicole =o)
<br>
<br>
<br>Sent from my BlackBerry® powered by Virgin Mobile.Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03668499208903994644noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10603958.post-85688480449287238452012-11-01T19:34:00.001-05:002012-11-01T19:34:35.152-05:00I now have a Ravelry group!Well I've been working on a *ton* of proposals lately. Keep your fingers crossed for me that they are accepted! A couple are reworked previous proposals, and a few are completely original. I'm really excited about them all and I'd love to be able to flesh them out.
<br>
<br>In other news, I've pretty much replaced the various email groups I had sponsored in favour of a new group on Ravelry: <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/groups/nicole-rodgers-designs">http://www.ravelry.com/groups/nicole-rodgers-designs</a> I would like to see a bunch of activity there, and once there is at least 50 members, I will start some knit and crochet-alongs. I think it will be a great place where we can all share what we are working on, and things like that!
<br>
<br>
<br>Until next time,
<br>Nicole =o)
<br>
<br>
<br>Sent from my BlackBerry® powered by Virgin Mobile.Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03668499208903994644noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10603958.post-80712869325963754962012-09-30T21:47:00.001-05:002012-09-30T21:47:32.336-05:00Decision making timeI often hate having to make an *actual* decision. It's so much easier to have others make them for me. Who *really* wants to act like a grown-up all the time anyway? Life was so much simpler when I was five!
<br>
<br>When I was five, I had to go to bed at 7:30, or encounter the wrath of "Mom". At forty-something, I now have to decide for myself what is a reasonable bedtime for getting up at 5:30am.
<br>When I was five, my mother told me what to wear to school, an orange skirt and bright pink top weren't an option. At forty-something, I have to remind myself that an orange skirt and pink top aren't an option... neither is the yellow pants paired with the purple t-shirt.
<br>When I was five, the teacher told me which subject we would be doing at that time. At forty-something, I have to decide what time it is, for knitting, for crocheting, for sewing, for quilting, for designing... and don't forget stuff like housework and such too.
<br>
<br>Being a grown-up sure sucks sometimes! But now that I've had my five-year-old temper tantrum, it's time for me to go decide what, and if I will submit for the two submission calls I'm interested in. Plus I need a swift kick in the arse to get a couple spec proposals prepared and sent in!
<br>
<br>
<br>Till next time,
<br>Nicole
<br>
<br>
<br>Sent from my BlackBerry® powered by Virgin Mobile.Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03668499208903994644noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10603958.post-41788772739990574912012-09-20T08:27:00.000-05:002012-09-20T08:27:18.064-05:00Holy cow it's Thursday!Where did this week go? I think it went into the same hiding spot that the rest of this year has disappeared into! Please tell me that I'm not the only one that feels like this entire year so far has sped by in the blink of an eye.<br />
<br />
I've been "busy" and "not busy" all week it seems. I used a tutorial I found online to design a dress for Melissa. It turned out pretty darned cute if I do say so myself. I'm waiting to hear back from the person that wrote the tutorial, and if she agrees, I'll be posting my own "how-to". I took a ton of photos as I went along so that I could share with you all. I haven't finished off any other projects this week, but I've been making steady progress on everything at least.<br />
<br />
My biggest efforts for the last few days have been business-type ones. As you can see from my blog layout, I've <i>*really*</i> been messing around with the appearance of it. I still can't get it to where it pleases me again. I really liked my old layout and template, but it didn't support any of the dynamic features that I wanted, such as searching posts by tag. I'm also having some trouble with graphics, since I no longer have a graphic artist available. I have an extremely talented daughter that can draw amazingly well, but she doesn't do it on the computer. I have been working "behind the scenes" a ton too. I'm completely revamping my standard pattern layout and such. It will be a fairly involved process since I will be going through each one with a fine-toothed comb and making sure that every little aesthetic detail has been taken care of. My 10 year anniversary as a published designer is coming up, and I'd like to have everything looking really spiffy for the occasion!<br />
<br />
Off to town to get the thread I need for the dress hem, and see what else follows me home today. It's the last day of a sale at the fabric store, and I have two 40% off coupons for the craft store!!<br />
<br />
<br />
Till next time,<br />
Nicole =o)<br />
<br />Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03668499208903994644noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10603958.post-54513971393299156702012-09-19T09:01:00.000-05:002012-09-19T09:01:09.650-05:00Dangit, she's been changing things again!!!I've been playing around with the colour theme a bit again (finally?). I am in the process of completely re-vamping all my patterns and such, and therefore want that scheme to be the same across everything I work on... well at least the items that I have creative control over. I too dislike "new and improved"... it seems that the "old and ordinary" works so much better!<br />
<br />
Please let me know what you think... Are the colour combinations readable and such? Things like that. I *still* need to work on the overall layout and content, but I'm going one baby step at a time. Now that the summer is over, and the kids are back in school, I have no choice but to buckle down and get to work myself!<br />
<br />
<br />
Till next time,<br />
Nicole =o)Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03668499208903994644noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10603958.post-31066300416594120092012-09-14T22:35:00.000-05:002012-09-19T09:05:09.816-05:00(U)FO Friday...Well today's FO isn't my UFO. I was hoping to have the basket weave afghan finished by tonight, but it just wasn't in the cards. I can *partially* blame it on knit night last night... I didn't get to work on the afghan since I was out for the evening! I *am* on the last pair of rows before the three round border, however I have to weave in the ends before I can start that. Well over half the ends were already done, so it won't be *that* bad of an ordeal for me. I'm looking very forward to completing this project, and have already chosen the next UFO to turn into an FO.
<br />
<br />
All is not lost, as I do have an FO to report. The last of the boot sock samples was finished this afternoon!!! The ladies pair, and the first of the men's were washed and are now hanging on their blockers to dry in the bathtub. I only have one men's sized blocker, so the second sock will need to wait until the first one is dry. I have that particular pattern about 75% done, and the editing shouldn't take very long once the photography is finished.
<br />
<br />
I had one of the sproggins at home today, so I wasn't able to "work". I still made sure I was productive though! I finished the sock, and cast on another sample sock for a different design. I went into the craft room today to hunt for some sweatshirt fleece, which was located elsewhere as it turned out. I decided to do a bit of organizing in there since it's mostly been ignored lately. I can get in and out, and locate what I need relatively easily again, so I'm pleased with that progress. Once I located the sweatshirt fleece, and the pants pattern for it, I copied the size I needed, and cut out the pieces to make Alex a pair of sweat pants. I also cut the seams off of 2 out-grown, worn out pairs of jeans, so I can now add denim "inserts" inside the pant legs to help reinforce the knees. Add in some housework, and you have what I'd call a pretty decent day!
<br />
<br />
<br />
Till next time,
<br />
Nicole =o)
<br />
<br />
<br />
Sent from my BlackBerry® powered by Virgin Mobile.Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03668499208903994644noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10603958.post-15291845124632183142012-09-14T00:02:00.001-05:002012-09-14T00:02:31.495-05:00Do you hear voices?No, not *those* kind of voices!!! I am talking about yarn, thread, patterns, fabric, etc that "speaks" to you? I can hear them! =o)<p>While I was in Ontario this past summer, I collected most of the fabrics for my pink ribbon bargello quilt top. I swear Auntie Wendy was right there with me, guiding me to the perfect addition to my stash in each shop. One of the quilts I made this summer makes me smile every time I look at it. For whatever reason, no matter what mood I'm in, it cheers me up. <p>Yarn talks to me too. When I'm choosing which yarn will become my next project, it will often tell me whether or not it wants to become that item. I've been told by many that I'm crazy, but that's something I've been told many times before, and I'm sure that I will hear again many more times... Don't forget, I have SEVEN kids!!!<p>Today I introduced one of my neighbour-friends to *her* fabric voices. She wanted my help in choosing fabrics for two upcoming quilts for her "classes" this fall. The first required 12 fat quarters and a metre for a border and binding. I told her to find a metre cut in her stash that she liked. I spread it out on the table and very quickly placed some of her FQs all around it. Some would immediately be tossed in the "no" pile and others immediately in the "yes" pile. I quite simply, and almost callously, rifled through a few of her bins picking out suitable co-ordinates. When we had about 20 "possibles", I removed the large piece of fabric and haphazardly arranged the FQs on the table. She thought that we'd never be able to figure it all out. I told her to remove the ones that didn't belong. It took her a few (or more) minutes, but finally she had weeded the choices down to the 12 required. The entire process took 15-20 minutes, tops. She had expected it to be an afternoon-long ordeal trying to match up all that fabric. She was very pleased at how it had all turned out... even after I announced to her that she had just learned how to listen to the fabric voices!! This is a woman who has known others before me that said fabric, or yarn, or whatever spoke to them, but adamantly declared that she never heard voices, and thought we were all a few sandwiches short of a picnic!<p>So do you hear voices? If not, maybe you need to open your heart and listen!<p><br>Till next time,<br>Nicole =o)<p>
<br>Sent from my BlackBerry® powered by Virgin Mobile.Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03668499208903994644noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10603958.post-81038926259320721412012-09-12T17:56:00.001-05:002012-09-19T10:19:49.624-05:00What *am* I working on?Anyone who knows me even slightly can attest to the fact that I am *far* from a monogamous crafter. Now that I've added sewing and quilting to my current hobbies, of course that means even *more* WIPs (and the resultant UFOs as well). This year I've been trying to focus better, and I think I've been pretty successful in resisting the urge to start every "Ooh shiny!!" project that tempts me. Of course I still have a multitude of projects, but I'm getting pretty darned good at producing quite a few FOs also.<br />
<h4>
Knitting:</h4>
Knitting is still my favourite pastime, as the callous on my right index finger will attest to. Strangely enough, I only have one project that I'm actively working on, and that's sample socks. I'm getting one done at a time, finishing one before casting on the next. I am halfway down the foot of my current project, and have three more socks to knit for photography purposes. <br />
<h4>
Crocheting:</h4>
I've been crocheting for over 20 years now, so it's inevitable that I would come across some pretty old UFOs. My current "living room" project is my oldest (that I know of) UFO. It's an afghan that I began in 1998 or 1999. I have about 6 more rows to work before doing the edging, so I'm anticipating finishing in the next day or three. My current "travelling" project is another crocheted afghan. It's a plaid design worked in strips and I purchased it as a kit from Herrschners this spring. I have completed over a third of it, and don't expect it will take very long to complete. <br />
<h4>
Quilting:</h4>
I have a large bin of projects ready to quilt, and more ready to "sandwich". I am not too worried about those right now, but I have 3 quilt tops cut and ready to sew. The first one I want to work on is a pink ribbon bargello. It's in honour of Auntie Wendy, whom we lost just over 5 years ago during her third battle with breast cancer. I've put away my sewing machine for a little while so that I can spend my energies on designing and writing. We shall see how long I can resist *that* temptation!!!<br />
Most of all, I'm having fun working a combination of my own designs and OPPs (Other People's Patterns), and in a variety of mediums. Doing that helps in keeping me motivated. I added a bunch of new-to-me yarns to my stash while on vacation this summer so I'm looking very forward to seeing what they want to become. I also increased my fabric stash by 2 over-flowing suitcases, so that will be fun to play with as well!<br />
<br />
Till next time,<br />
Nicole =o)<br />
<br />
Sent from my BlackBerry® powered by Virgin Mobile.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03668499208903994644noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10603958.post-44072172329936362652012-09-11T23:06:00.001-05:002012-09-19T09:05:35.754-05:00Back to school means back to work!Where has the summer gone? For that matter where has the year gone?!! It seems like it was only March a few days ago.
<br />
<br />
The kids started school last Thursday, and Derek went back to work yesterday, so today is my first "real" day of work since some time in May. My ISP has been extremely "helpful" in making sure I was productive today... my rocket stick isn't working!! I found out after a few calls to their useless customer service line that they are working on the cell tower by my house. There is no tower redundancy out here in the middle of nowhere, so I'm stuck with just my mobile phone (from a different company). Gotta love modern technology!!!
<br />
<br />
Even though it's been quite a while since I have released any new patterns, I *am* still busy designing. My most recent release was on Knit Picks in July, "By the Sea" socks: <a href="http://www.knitpicks.com/patterns/By_the_Sea_Socks__D11821220.html">http://www.knitpicks.com/patterns/By_the_Sea_Socks__D11821220.html</a> I have two more sock patterns in the works, and three finished sock patterns that are currently on hold until I get the results of the design contest they were entered in.
<br />
<br />
I picked up a new hobby this spring, quilting/ sewing. Derek bought me a shiny new sewing machine for Mother's Day, and I've put quite a few miles on that the last few months. Speaking of miles, check out my current tally of yarn consumed!! I have a couple things to add to the meters, but I'm well over 11 km used between knitting and crocheting.
<br />
<br />
I'm trying to decide what to work on next. I've always been an "Oooh! Shiny!!" type of person, so it's hard to stay focused on just one or two things. We shall see what the new school year brings...
<br />
<br />
<br />
Till next time,
<br />
Nicole =o)
<br />
<br />
<br />
Sent from my BlackBerry® powered by Virgin Mobile.Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03668499208903994644noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10603958.post-57689567849988609972012-03-25T21:10:00.001-05:002012-03-25T21:10:50.505-05:00And the hits just keep on comin'...My entire last week has been an exercise in futility from a photography standpoint. As I had posted last weekend, I was building myself a light box to improve the quality of my photographs. My KP-IDP socks were finished, so I could get my pics taken, and have them shipped off before the kids started spring break... or so I thought!<br />
<br />
If there was a mistake that could be made, I made it! My first testing of the light box was with light yellow yarn with a white background. My camera over-compensated, and I ended up with too-dark pictures. My camera is far from the easiest to adjust, but I managed to figure out how to get it to work a bit better. Then I decided to start working on the socks. No matter what I did, they looked HORRIBLE!! Even though my LCD display on my camera seemed okay, when I would get the images loaded on my computer, craptastic would have been an improvement! I spent TWO FULL DAYS playing around with every single setting on my camera for colour, as well as colour correction software on the computer and online. I was crabbing because even my phone got the colour closer than my camera did, or so I thought. I even had a picture of my computer that I sent to my BFF that showed the colour differences... the yarn balls perched on the laptop, with one of the pictures I had taken loaded on the monitor... and even in a tiny picture viewed on a phone, the difference was blatantly apparent.<br />
<br />
It wasn't until Friday that I discovered the real culprit, and no, it wasn't (entirely) operator error. It was my monitor of all things! Like I said, I had been using the leftover balls beside my monitor to try and correct the colour on my images... much easier to try and colour match when you have the actual yarn right beside it! I had heard on Rav that the pictures in the KP catalogue, and the web site weren't all <i>that</i> bad. I went to the site and grabbed a large thumbnail of the yarn I was sent. I loaded it up beside the picture I had taken of my socks, and still had the yarn sitting there in front. Imagine my surprise when I discover that the colour from the KP site nearly matched my photo perfectly, which of course meant that it was nowhere near the actual yarn I had in front of me!<br />
<br />
So that all started the weekend's exercise in futility... trying to fix the colour on my monitor. Many, MANY posts on Ravelry to various forums, plenty of Googling, and tons of playing around with my display settings was my main task this past weekend. All of this to discover that it appears I can not fix my laptop's colour. There is nothing in the control panel that lets me actually adjust it... just some other settings that are either okay (brightness), or I can't fix the way they say (gamma). I am going to have to come up with a series of workarounds for this since a new computer, new second monitor, new imaging software, and the like, simply are not in the budget right now, or for the foreseeable future!!!Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03668499208903994644noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10603958.post-62002811153659000972012-03-18T23:52:00.001-05:002012-03-18T23:52:59.575-05:00No good deed goes unpunishedTruer words have never been spoken, and that was the theme of the day today. It turns out that our last few days of winter are more like what you'd expect from the last days of spring in June. The temps have been in the high teens for a couple days now at least. This means that we're all outside enjoying the beautiful weather and getting a head start on the yard work.
<br>
<br>One of the many spring tasks around here is giving the truck a good interior cleaning. Winter tends to accumulate a fair amount of flotsam and jetsam in the various nooks and crannies, as well as a healthy layer of dirt over everything. The way the weather has been (mostly) for the last month or so means that I have been putting this off as long as I possibly could. Today was the day where it was finally getting done.
<br>
<br>4 pails worth of cleaning water, a scrub brush, a toothbrush, 2 shopping bags of trash, $3.48 in change, and 3 hours of the doors open and radio playing later, it was nearly complete. I was done in even though the job wasn't completely finished, and as it turns out, so was the truck! About an hour later I tried to start it and the battery was dead. I let the truck sit for several hours before trying it again, to no avail. We ended up borrowing a battery charger from a neighbour, and it's hooked up to the truck now.
<br>
<br>Serves me right for giving the truck a detailing!!
<br>
<br>
<br>Nicole =o)
<br>
<br>
<br>Sent from my BlackBerry® powered by Virgin Mobile.Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03668499208903994644noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10603958.post-71701471348007179732012-03-17T22:55:00.000-05:002012-03-18T08:48:16.954-05:00Light box -- before, and *almost* after<div class="mobile-photo">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-klAuPWavlPg/T2Vc7H0OQOI/AAAAAAAAARA/q4GWHYGUmrQ/s1600/%253D%253Futf-8%253FB%253FSU1HMDA2MzMtMjAxMjAzMTYtMTc0NC5qcGc%253D%253F%253D-788121"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5721081072424206562" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-klAuPWavlPg/T2Vc7H0OQOI/AAAAAAAAARA/q4GWHYGUmrQ/s320/%253D%253Futf-8%253FB%253FSU1HMDA2MzMtMjAxMjAzMTYtMTc0NC5qcGc%253D%253F%253D-788121" /></a></div>
<div class="mobile-photo">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-N0Xzk1xodGg/T2Vc7cfKwXI/AAAAAAAAARM/wPbna7fZav8/s1600/%253D%253Futf-8%253FB%253FSU1HMDA2MzQtMjAxMjAzMTctMTU1Mi5qcGc%253D%253F%253D-789091"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5721081077973041522" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-N0Xzk1xodGg/T2Vc7cfKwXI/AAAAAAAAARM/wPbna7fZav8/s320/%253D%253Futf-8%253FB%253FSU1HMDA2MzQtMjAxMjAzMTctMTU1Mi5qcGc%253D%253F%253D-789091" /></a></div>
I apologize for the phone camera pics, but I think you will get the idea. I wasn't able to get the *exact* supplies I wanted, but what I *did* get should serve my purposes. The finished frame gets a backdrop attached to the cup-hooks, and a translucent sheet draped over the top. Lighting is aimed through the sheet, over and beside the frame to light the "stage" inside. <br />
I gave it a quick test drive shortly after the frame was finished. I will definitely need to work on tweaking my camera. It turns out that I can't change the settings I need to the most, but I should be able to do macro with little difficulty. I also found that using 2 Ott-lites doesn't provide enough light, at least not with the sheet as it is. I will do another test run with wax paper as the "filter" to see how it works. <br />
Once I get it working how I need to, I'll post pics of how everything turned out.Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03668499208903994644noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10603958.post-71599166493237988512012-03-16T09:56:00.000-05:002012-03-16T09:56:16.223-05:00Gonna build me a light box!Well the hands aren't co-operating with knitting like I need them to be, so I have to find <i>other </i>productive things to do with all the deadlines I have coming up soon. A lot of the extras, as I call them, that need working on have been put off for <i>waaaaay </i>too long now. Unfortunately, a good portion of these tasks require me to be able to concentrate fully, and that simply isn't possible when the kids (or Derek for that matter) are home.<br />
<br />
My photography skills need quite a bit of improvement, although I have been doing better with them recently than I had in previous years. I spent nearly a full day last week doing all kinds of research on what I can do to make my pictures better. I simply am not in a place financially where I can justify any kind of professional photographer. I discovered that even with my cheap ~$100 camera, it is possible to take much better photographs than I have been. I downloaded a copy of the full user manual to teach myself how to play with some different settings, but I'll save that for another post.<br />
<br />
What I will be doing today is making myself a light box to take pictures in. What is a light box? Basically it's a box with translucent sides that allows filtered light in to improve the quality of the pictures of the item inside, particularly with macro-type images. One easy DIY version that you can likely make with items you already have is <a href="http://strobist.blogspot.com/2006/07/how-to-diy-10-macro-photo-studio.html" target="_blank">here</a>. Another cool version that uses screen frames can be found <a href="http://www.instructables.com/id/A-2020min-Professional-Quality-Soft-Light-Box/" target="_blank">here</a>. The one that I plan on making is <a href="http://www.pbase.com/wlhuber/light_box_light_tent" target="_blank">here</a>. It uses PVC pipe for the framing, and I plan on purchasing extra piping to be able to adjust the size of the "box". I'm also going to be purchasing a few colours of large poster paper so that I can change the background to best suit the item I'm photographing. I have 2 Ott-lites, a floor and desk version, so I'm basically set for lighting, along with our large dining room window for natural light. I have a tiny, table-top tripod for my camera, but I'm going to look into a floor version as well.<br />
<br />
Wish me luck! I'm heading off into town in the truck with 3 kids, on a Friday with no school... what was I thinking???Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03668499208903994644noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10603958.post-4349232088357320672012-03-13T10:21:00.000-05:002012-03-13T10:21:04.954-05:00The tape measure LIES!!!Yes everyone, it's no longer <i>just</i> the bathroom scale that is a lying, cheating you-know-what. The previously trustworthy tape measure has now been delegated to <i>"the boy who cried wolf"</i> status.<br />
<br />
Now before you all go commenting about how tape measures can stretch over time, and should be replaced periodically... this is a FOUR INCH DIFFERENCE!!! In less than an hour! Here is what I wrote on the project notes for my <a href="http://ravel.me/nicolethegeek/ks6" target="_blank">While Shrug</a> earlier today:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Grande', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Well I’ve discovered that my measuring tape </span><em style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Grande', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">LIES</em><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Grande', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">!!! I’ve mainly been working on this when I can’t work on socks… Knit Night, travelling back and forth to the airport, things like that. I had measured it a few days ago and had placed a marker at the 40” mark, since I wasn’t quite a 50” yet, and I knew I had to get to 57” before doing the ribbing for the cuff. Yesterday evening, we drove into the city since Derek had a </span><em style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Grande', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">very </em><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Grande', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">early flight this morning. I took advantage of the time and got quite a bit done on the shrug… or so I thought! Measuring on my lap, in the truck, my work was 17” from the marker. When we got to the hotel, one of the first things I did was roll it all out to get a proper measurement. Derek and I checked it, and it was only 53”!!! I have </span><em style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Grande', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">no</em><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Grande', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"> idea how it shrank that much, since I was knitting away for well over an hour of our drive in on it! I placed new markers at 50”, and hopefully the last bit will be done over the next few days or so!</span> </blockquote>
See what I mean? It lies... it totally, and completely lied to me! At least it won't take all <i>that</i> long to finish it up. I've got my fingers crossed that this will be done before Derek gets back home again in 2 weeks. I like having FOs to show him, so that he knows I'm actually <i>finishing</i> things, not just <i>starting</i> them! Besides, I'm enjoying watching my knitmeters increase over there on the sidebar.<br />
<br />
<br />
Nicole =o)Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03668499208903994644noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10603958.post-89613849083893593092012-03-12T17:11:00.000-05:002012-03-12T17:11:33.501-05:00The best part of slow shipping...<h2>
... is that you forget what you ordered, so when it arrives it's all a surprise!!!</h2>
<br />
That happened to me today. I placed an order with Herrschners back on the 29th. I had been waiting for a free shipping offer to place my order for the yarn to finish Derek's Popcorn MAM. That morning I got an email from them announcing a 29% off sale for that day only to celebrate the leap year. I knew that the discount would more than take care of the shipping costs, so off to their web site I went to place my order.<br />
<br />
One item was a given... the yarn I needed for Derek's afghan. Pretty much everything else was optional, so I began the process of putting things in and taking things out of my cart while I made my final decisions for my purchase. I chose two different crocheted sock monkey kits; one was a pair of mint candy-striped regular-sized dolls; the other was a set of 6 ornament-sized dolls. I also ordered an embroidered pillowcase and thread kit to make for Derek's room out at the mines. These had been in my wish list/ shopping cart for some time, and I had planned on adding these to the next order I placed. The rest of what I wanted to order went in and out of my cart so frequently, that I couldn't remember what all there was.<br />
<br />
Today Derek made the trip to our post office at lunch time and came back with a notice card. He asked me if I had ordered anything. I told him, "yes, I told you I ordered the yarn to finish your afghan, remember?" After the lunch break, he went back to pick up my parcel. When he came through the door, he teased that he nearly needed a fork lift to bring it home (referring to a joke I made with my daughters about a very heavy Knit Picks order I had placed with many books). When I saw the size of the box, even <i>I </i>was astonished at how large it was. He asked me what I ordered again... your yarn, and a few other things... He accused me, rightly so, of forgetting what I ordered. I had to agree, but I really didn't think I had ordered <i>THAT </i>much!! At least not enough to fill that box.<br />
<br />
Well, after taking the required photos with my phone to send off to my bff, I opened the box and dived in. It turns out that the box wasn't completely outrageous in size after all. Derek giggled at my reactions as I pulled item after item out of the carton. Of course there was the items I had remembered (or at least <i>half</i> remembered), but the fun part was the items I had completely forgotten about! There was a latch hook kit of a breast cancer ribbon (no explanation necessary to him on that at all!). There was a <i>huge</i> project bag filled with yarn, that I remembered was a crocheted afghan kit. The final item that had both of us puzzled was a plain white box. It wasn't until I began opening that I remembered... it was a crochet thread ball holder! Derek just shook his head and laughed at me.<br />
<br />
In all honesty, the <i>only</i> thing I <i>really</i> needed to justify in any way, shape or form, was the afghan kit. It was the only thing in the order that was completely extravagant as far as I was concerned. The 4 balls of yarn were to be able to finish his afghan in the colours he wanted. The pillowcases were meant to be a surprise for him, as a piece of home in his room at the mine. The sock monkey kits were cute, he knows I can get them finished fast, and were mostly intended for one of the teenagers. The latch hook was simply because it was a pink ribbon item, and even if it's never made, he would never complain about my buying it. The thread holder is to make using my large balls of crochet thread easier, something that I have in vast abundance after cataloguing my stash previously. That leaves us with the afghan kit... I purchased it because I really liked it, knew it would be a relatively fast and easy project, and came with a pattern booklet with 3 other patterns. I justified the cost by showing him the savings on the invoice, and how it nearly covered the cost of the kit.<br />
<br />
All that being said, I <i>really</i> am blessed. I don't <i>need</i> to justify any of it to him at all. He just likes seeing me happy, and knows how my crafting makes me happy. As long as our bills are paid, there's food in the fridge and cupboard, the kids have clothes, there's gas in the truck; it doesn't matter all that much to him where I spend the rest. I guess my biggest obstacle is me! It just kills me that I'm trying to knit and crochet through more than what I buy this year, and that afghan kit alone is just shy of 6000 (yes, SIX THOUSAND) yards!!!Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03668499208903994644noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10603958.post-60348098867199253532012-03-08T17:41:00.001-06:002012-03-08T17:41:04.806-06:00I wonder if my rocket stick is ready??My main internet access is using a mobile rocket stick for my laptop. About two weeks ago, it died on me and I'd only had it for around three months at that point. Now I <i>know</i> I'm an internet addict, but that's just ridiculous for "wearing it out". I spent a good hour or more on the phone with the customer service/ help department before it was finally decided that I needed to go into town to have my stick sent in on warranty repair.<br />
<br />
Now first of all, this all happened the same day as last time I dropped off Derek at the airport. The (normally) three hour drive was extended by less-than-ideal highway driving conditions due to the weather. Plus, I had spent an extra hour or two in town doing some shopping to try and find him a unique luggage tag. I arrived home and was playing along happily when suddenly pages stopped loading. This happens occasionally, and all I do is just disconnect and then reconnect the stick. Even this didn't work, so I tried rebooting, and that didn't fix it either. My next step is to contact the guy that sold it to me, who tells me to call 1-888-ROGERS1 for the customer care department. My next message to him is, "What is that in numbers?" I have a BlackBerry, and there's no letters on the numbers! LOL!! While on the phone with them, I go through my rebooting process again, changing settings in the connection, uninstalling and reinstalling the software... no luck. After finding out that this software is supposed to be compatible with my snail-driven dinosaur in the craft room, I head over there, and once again try hooking up... still no luck. That's when I'm told that I have to take it to the Rogers dealer and have them send it in. I contact <i>my </i>dealer again, and find out that <i>he</i> can't deal with it, that I have to take it to the corporate kiosk... which of course I have no idea where it's located! So after already being stuck in the truck driving for about 8 hours that day, I hop in and dash off to town. Of course it takes forever and three days to get all the paperwork done to send my little stick off, and issue me a temporary loaner. But all is now good in the world again because I "haz interwebs agin".<br />
<br />
We shall now fast forward in this story to Monday afternoon. I get a phone call from the dealer to let me know that my stick is back and ready for pick-up. I politely say "thank you", and hang up. I wasn't worried about going to pick it up right away since I already had plans to run some errands in town the next morning. About an hour later, I'm sitting on the couch happily knitting away on my KP-IDP sock and watching <i>LOTR: The Two Towers</i> on Blu-Ray. My laptop is in its usual spot on the coffee table, screen black from being in sleep mode. I hear a bird chirping noise come from it, and am slightly puzzled since I am off-line. I start checking the various open web pages to see if one of them has an ad on it with sound... still skeptical because I've been off-line for at least an hour, and hadn't heard anything, and there was no way a new ad could have loaded. I finally realize that I had received a text message on my connection manager. I am paraphrasing here, but it basically said that my stick had been repaired and was now ready for pick-up. I shrug it off, since it was an automated message, but still a touch annoyed since I had already been phoned. Around an hour after that, I'm in the kitchen doing something with supper. I hear my phone's ringtone for an incoming email. I check my email folder to find that I had now received an email from Customer Care, telling me that my stick had been repaired and was ready to be picked up. REALLY?!!?? YA THINK?!!? Of course this starts a sarcastic conversation between my BFF and I, which is completely typical in this kind of situation.<br />
<br />
The next day, I prepare all of my shopping lists, and head off into town fairly early so that I would still have the afternoon to do things around the house. I had to leave the house quite early Wednesday morning to pick up Derek, so I wanted to be able to go to bed early without a lot of housework and such on my mind. I mentally planned my route... start at Walmart, go across town to the mall where the Rogers dealer is, Giant Tiger, and finally Sobeys on my way out of town. I wasn't sure if the mall opened at 9:30 or 10:00, so that's why I went to Walmart first. I get to the mall around 10:30 to get my stick back to find out (after standing there for close to half an hour), that they couldn't do the exchange because their computer system was down entirely! I explained that I lived out of town, and it would be at least Thursday or Friday before I could return... and how their automated system was giving me fits about picking up my equipment already. I was also counting on getting my deposit back for planned purchases in the city the next day. Since there was nothing that could be done, I simply resumed my errands with plans to call them before I left town and inquire if their computers were back up or not. It turns out that they were, but again I was stuck driving across the city to get back to the mall once again... and to add insult to injury, I received my $50 deposit back in $5 bills because they hadn't done any business yet for the day and only had their float for change! I finally arrived home much later than I had intended... totally exhausted!<br />
<br />
<br />
Nicole =o)<br />
<br />
P.S.: I have come to the conclusion that Derek being home not only throws my housekeeping routines off, but my blogging routines as well!Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03668499208903994644noreply@blogger.com2