Naturally Optimistic

Got my desk cleared off (miracle!) Got my lap top, external hard drive & video camera connected so I can FINALLY dump the video from our camera (since AUGUST IS WALKING now!) Can't get the video camera to show up on the computer = can't do ANYTHING. Argh.

Because I am in need of some serious distractions (not really anything new to report, btw), I have become addicted to the website Pinterest in a very short amount of time. It's like having an online "design board" or "idea board." You can create categories & 'pin' different photos, ideas, books, projects, things you love, etc...It's so fun to look through the things that people have pinned (& you can "re-pin" them). I am so inspired to make several things RIGHT NOW which is not at all practical...but like I said a very good distraction. If you're interested - check it out!

Project: Sling Bag Start Date: Fall 2009 (?) Status: Incomplete Using the awesome "Shrek" inspired yarn which I've had since I did a knitting swap back in the fall of 2006 (!), I decided to make this bag for myself. Something I've yet to do! And of course I have yet to finish! I need to finish knitting the strap (not pictured), felt bag & strap, line & make decorative flowers. Ha. At this rate I should be done by 2016. Project: Boyfriend (Husband) Scarf Start Date: November 2010 Intended Completion Date: Christmas 2010 Status: ALMOST completed Whatever made me think I could start such a thick scarf on such small needles in November & be done in December. I guess I AM an optimist. I gave this to Steve for Christmas anyway - on needles - & have worked on it pretty much exclusively at Stitch & Bitch for the past 5 months. I finished a few weeks ago! Whohoo! But I still need to weave in the ends...by NEXT Christmas it will be done for sure.... Project...

I have an idea brewing. It's fun. It's exciting. To want to brainstorm & research & daydream. This hasn't happened for a while. Not sure about the feasibility but it's something I keep going back to.... And it gives me an excuse to plan a wine-fueled brainstorming session with Julie . heh....

I've got all the pieces & started stitching together the rows last night. It's not perfect by a LONG shot but it has a certain "homespun" kind of charm. I've never pieced knitted pieces together before so I guess it's a learning process. I'm excited to have this project finished! Soon!

I did it! I knitted my first sock. The first item of wearable clothing. Whohoooo! There are some *issues* but all in all I think it turned out very well for a first effort. I think I could've made the foot a big longer as it feels as though it doesn't quite fit my heel right...but hey! I'm learning. Now hopefully I can remember how to knit the matching one so I don't end up with a sock-orphan right off the bat.

My New Year's Resolution has finally begun! Good thing there was only one thing on the list this year. Knitting socks! My friend Laura came over last night to help me through the pattern. We are just on the, um, top part of the sock (I don't know the technical term) and haven't made it to the heel, gusset or obviously toe yet, but hopefully we'll be able to get through that part of the pattern tomorrow! It was fun, so far, and hopefully soon I'll have a sock! (then hopefully I will remember how to do it and be able to make a match for it!

Here's how my month of productivity turned out: * paint Dahlia's room (includes patching, sanding, scraping, priming, painting) because it is driving me insane and no little girl should have to live in such a room - Much to my (and especially my mother-in-law's) chagrin, this is still yet unaccomplished....the room has been patched (which was a pain in the ass) & sanded...but as of yet it has not been primed or painted. I'm not sure why I can't get to this project! Hmph. * remove wallpaper in our bedroom. It is HIDEOUS. And apparently impervious to water/fabric softener/vinegar. It's super fun to strip off. I've done maybe 1/4 of this. Not much since the initial push. It's so hard and annoying. I need instant gratification, apparently. It is still hideous. * write in and put the photos in Dahlia's baby book. - well, her book is written in but I have yet to organize the photos. Because I am lame. * get our camcorder figured out and start editin...

I have declared May the Productivity Month for me because I can't stand all the projects that I have in the works right now. I'm not sure how I'm doing but at least it seems to help if I name it. * paint Dahlia's room (includes patching, sanding, scraping, priming, painting) because it is driving me insane and no little girl should have to live in such a room. * remove wallpaper in our bedroom. It is HIDEOUS. And apparently impervious to water/fabric softener/vinegar. It's super fun to strip off. * write in and put the photos in Dahlia's baby book. * get our camcorder figured out and start editing the FL trip. * edit & sound design my short film (shot last fall!) I think those are my major projects. So far Dahlia's room has been patched, scraped & sanded. I think I might have a little more sanding to do, then priming. My folks are coming up next weekend and my hope would be to have it painted (hahahaha) by then. I don't think that'll happen. ...

Here is a little something I've been working on on the side... It hasn't officially launched yet - so take this as your special EXCLUSIVE (ha!) sneak peek! What do you think?

Finished! The Triplet Baby Blankets...as of last week. These are the last two...the yellow is for Joshua and the green for George. I dragged Steve into a fabric store in Minneapolis with me yesterday. He was a good sport. I tried to make it interactive "ooh - I like this fabric, can you find one that matches in blue....etc" which worked for a while... It was so fun to be in a store with SELECTION. I was nearly freaking out. I spent a lot of money there...but I could easily spend that much every week! I have many Christmas projects to work on...you just might end up with these fabrics under your tree...... You never know.

In an effort to actually, you know, HAVE FRIENDS, I often try inviting people over to do things, have dinner, or go out to do something (okay, not as much on that but some) now and then. 3 weeks ago I decided I would try to invite a large (for me - more than 10) group of women over to get crafty, chatty, have drinks & snacks and you know, socialize. I'm sorely feeling the need for female companionship these days and since I have no "regulars" within a 150 mile radius, what the heck! It also gives me an excuse to make & eat Tastefully Simple's Beer Bread and Bacon Bacon dip. And to make some cards or work on my scrapbook.... The menu - the aforementioned Beer Bread & Bacon Bacon dip, carrots, grapes, pretzels, mini quiches, pumpkin bars, wine, beer, juice, pop, etc. It's a "pot luck" so hopefully others will bring some tasty treats too. The plan - bring your crafty-ness - whether you want to make cards or collages, work on a scrapbook, knit, c...

Okay - these have been done for months and months....but I am trying to finish up the last two. I gave away these two this weekend so I had to take pics before I sent them off! The pink blanket is for my very lovely & adorable niece Hannah. I was finished with this one months before she was born and praying that at least one of the triplets would be a girl! Lucky me!! The blue blanket is for my cousin's cutie-pie son, Gavin. I started this one as a decoy when I taught my sister how to knit while she was on bedrest. Of course I ended up finishing this one months before the trips & Gavin's arrival too....sometimes I'm on schedule. I have a green one (for George) and a yellow one (for Josh) that I am finishing up. Then next on the needles is a lavendar one for Miss Sydney in SoCal (Sam's ultra-preemie - I didn't know there was such a distinction!) and then I'm taking a BREAK from knitting this pattern for a while. I'm getting burnt out but it is my very...

This project was I think April or May's designated project for the " In Stitches Sew-a-long " that I am in...but as usual I'm months behind schedule. Oh well. I made these placemats for my sister Kathy for her birthday in August. I used the pattern in the Amy Butler book IN STITCHES. I used Peltex interfacing (one side fusible) instead of Timtex because that's all the lame fabric store in my town has (don't get me started on the not-so-good fabric selection and poor prices). I did not like that interfacing at all - it just didn't work and the placemats are crinkly sounding! I followed the ironing/steaming directions and it didn't work. I still have enough to make another set of the placemats and I'm not sure what I'll do. Hmph. I also modified the napkins - instead of making reversibles, I just made normal one-sided ones - copied the size on a set I already had. I used a paint chip from the color of Kathy's recently repainted kitchen. It lo...

Our neighbor's house is a nice house. By "nice" I mean structurally sound, nice siding, etc. However, since I moved in (it was vacant when I moved in and boy don't I wish for those days!) a renter has moved in (friend of the owner's I guess). This guy is older (60's?) and I think works at a little bar in our neighborhood. He's always doing "weird" things like refinishing boats and cars in his garage (the smell! Ugh! I thought at first he was cooking meth!!...not that I actually know what that would smell like but I have a decent imagination.). There is a crappy old boat in front of his garage in the alley that he's "working on" (not in the past couple of years but still...); for the longest time there was a Saturn back there missing a hood and a quarter panel, etc. Now there's also a semi-cab (I think?) back there? Anyway - the thing is there's a lot of JUNK. Our entertainment center, which we left on the sidewalk with a big...

I have a 1/2 day here at work today so only 1 hour and 20 minutes to go (not that I'm counting...). I have meetings this afternoon regarding *the next big thing* and I wasn't in the mood to be rushed. I need to get some things ironed out before I can really feel comfortable enough to move on to the next phase in my life. :) Weekend update to come. It consisted of getting outside & being active even if it meant freezing my patootie off; sewing; watching movies & drinking wine; family dinner and productive production meeting. Well, maybe that's all the update you need! Happy Monday. And yes, that's said with a tinge of sarcasm. Just a tinge.

I started this scarf for a friend last winter. My intention was to send a care package...last winter. But alas by the time I finished knitting it (it's very long and skinny, to be wrapped around one's neck many many times) it was warm! Then I stashed it away to have it ready for a fall care package. Wouldn't you know...fall rolled around and I couldn't find it! The "gift stash" had disappeared! I'm sure having pre-wedding festivities at my house did not help as I was "hiding" things in closets left and right. Well, after Christmas I found my stash and this scarf. I had to (still) weave in the ends but it was complete. I sent it along to intended recipient with some homemade soup and some gourmet hot chocolate too. I hope it helps get her through this cold winter. The scarf is called a "wavy ribbed" pattern from Better Homes & Gardens. I used a Lion's Brand yarn (so shoot me) with a very natural looking fiber. I liked how it turn...

This is our fabulous main floor bathroom (ie: powder room). The toilet & vanity are BLUE and the walls have some sort of god-awful wall board (Marlite?) on them with green twigs & leaves, the floor *was* this dirty, yellowed, lord-knows-what, and the fixtures are fabulously seventies goldish with garrish lamps. It's a funky addition to the house (oh btw, this is the same bathroom that was NEVER TIED INTO THE SEWER SYSTEM - until we tied it in last year) and it's so great to have a main floor bathroom. It's a good selling point for our house (for when we eventually move) as houses built in 1896 usually didn't have 2 bathrooms - let alone a BLUE TOILET! - oh yeah, that's not pictured....anyway.... We decided that since we re did the hardwood floors and are laying this fabulous vinyl tile in the kitchen and the upstairs bathroom that we should do this little bathroom too. It turned into a bigger project that we anticipated (don't they always) but we got it ...

Why is it that I have creative or productive bursts while I'm sitting here at my desk at work totally bored out of my skull? Is it because I can't do those things right now so it's easy to say I WOULD if I COULD? And then when I get home eat a pot of noodles & butter and lay on the couch? Okay, in my defense, I actually haven't had time to do the noodles/couch thing in a long time but you get the idea. Right now I have a million projects I want to tackle! *At least 3 baby blankets to knit in the next year (all for very special people, naturally) *Clean up the Christmas crap that's all over the craft room *Organize said craft room so I can actually use it *Tackle some sewing projects in the Amy Butler book *Get my scrapbooking supplies/pics organized for the upcoming scrapbooking retreat *Get the stuff in the basement to GoodWill - stat! *Organize basement & front closet *Read! You get the idea! Instead I'm here. The internet is quiet and I'm bore...

Gah! Just realized that I put together a budget for some new...um...gear and didn't include ANY wiggle room for things like shipping, taxes, etc! FUCK. Meeting's in 1 1/2 hours...anyone have any magical formulas for removing taxes from things you have to buy that are fairly expensive? Didn't think so. Dang.