Nana Sadie Rose Totes!

Okay, for those wishing to have more information on the totes, please email me at siameezercat@yahoo.com
I make a medium sized tote and a small one (the pink striped one in front is the smaller size). I'll be happy to answer any questions!

Yahoo Knitting Chicks - here's the first batch of totes! On their way today... 

My Other Baby

This little kitty has been ignored on my blog. Another elderly lady, with a touch of arthritis, she needs my help to get in my lap. She's the original "dumb blonde" of the household, she knows what she knows: she's beautiful! But not overly smart. That's okay, we love her anyway.

Please Mommie UP? 

Calculate THIS! 

Accounting for Meezers

Been sitting at the computer, checking on email and accounting for Nana Sadie Rose - the Meezer decided to assist. Draping herself across the calculator, do you think she's saying it's time to close up shop? Yes, she really is that gorgeous!

Geek Sheep? Me?

Which flock do you follow?

this quiz was made by alanna

You are a -
Geek Sheep!
you're one l33t g33|< 5|-|33p! No one understands a word you're saying, but you don't care. Bespectacled geek by day, fearsome DND warrior by night! Geek power ;)

Well, I kinda like her glasses, but what's a DND warrior?

KALs, New Groups, WOW!

You know, there are a lot of folks who think I'm losing it - DD comes to mind...LOL! But I've just joined the Think Pink KAL, and after reading Mel's blog this a.m., learned about the Yarn Yoga group on Yahoo and joined that, too. I like the idea of swapping (and the price is right, with a $10 maximum). So that makes KRKAL, CKAL, TPKAL, LSKAL. Well four isn't too bad...

Can't help it, knitting consumes me, as does sewing...if I'm not doing one I'm doing the other...but one is more portable (guess?!?) At present I'm trying to finish the scarf from H-E-double hockeysticks...made from Gedrifra Spino and Paton's Brilliant both in a creamy champagne color...the Spino has to be picked out of the knitting row-by-row, which is what makes this a nightmare to knit...it's beautiful and elegant tho'. I'll post a photo as soon as it's done. This one I can work on during work lunch-breaks. I don't dare bring in something too challenging.

Newsy news...

Well, I think the crisis is past at Chicks! Thank you to all who helped with it! And thank goodness, Kitt is staying on, in a new capacity, but with us still! Thanks Melissa, Melanie, and Jennifer!

On to other stuff: I'm joining a Knitted Lace Shawl KAL through Knitter's Review. The button is over there------> on the sidebar. I'm debating the HeartStrings Cascading Hearts Shawl or the possibly the Highland Triangle Shawl from Cheryl Oberle's Folk Shawls. Since I haven't found my yarn yet, I have a bit to decide, especially since I'm still working on the Knit Red KAL and the Clapotis KAL!

Chicks or No Chicks?

I really had hoped to leave this off my blog, but have decided I can't. Yahoo Knitting Chicks has been in crisis since the weekend, over the kind of group it was going to be. A poll was conducted and frankly, the results were less than stellar. Not even as good a voter turnout as when we have a presidential election, which is usually pretty pitiful, in and of itself.

Nonetheless, Chicks will become an "anything goes" group, with a few, very minimal rules.

Now as groups go, this was a minor "growing pain" kind of crisis. It's a big group, and it's a very active group. One-line and trivial posts should be minimized in such a group because if not, mailbox overload occurs (not to mention member burnout!). Of course, the upshot of the poll caused a flaming post by someone who was guilty of multiple emails, and once the flame was posted the member resigned. Member response to the flame was, not surprisingly, SURPRISED! Some felt the flamer shouldn't have been treated so poorly, others (probably the ones who agreed that there was a problem) either stood up for the moderators or kept silent. Silence as we all know is as damning as nay-saying.

So now, there's a chance that the driving force behind Chicks may well resign, herself. Head Chick Kitt is thinking of bowing out. And if that happens, as the lack of posts tonight are certainly evidence of, the group will probably die. Now I hate to see that happen, because it's a wacky, wonderful, caring group of knitters.

But the weekend was incredibly stressful for Kitt, who has a chronic health problem that is aggravated by stress. She doesn't want people to post to her blog, trying to change her mind.

So here's what I'd like to see...a mass mailing to Knitting Chicks from the membership in support of the moderators. If the group matters, the moderators need to know that one person isn't going to sink the ship.

I'll start it off.

Crazy Monday!

Kitt says maybe if I post daily I'll not have the scraggly buttons at the bottom, instead of nicely lined up along the right side as they all used to be...and I know she's inserted the code correctly for the Knitty.com webring, but it's not showing up with the other webrings. Blogger has not been helpful in straightening this out, so if anyone has any advice, let me or Kitt (of Kittnknit) know?

Today was nuts - I got up half an hour early to get certain things done that needed doing, and was rudely interrupted by an expoding soy smoothie. So instead of doing the chores I needed to accomplish, I ended up taking a SECOND shower and completely cleaning the kitchen at 6 a.m.

Really not a knitting day for me. Work was typically heavy for a Monday, and of course, we're still trying to get the website up, so a call to PayPal on my lunch hour kept me from doing other errands. I ran most of the errands after work and didn't make it home till after 9! Did manage dinner with my SIL, and that was nice!Ready to crash now, tho' but I may try just one row on Aibhlinn before I turn in.

Oh and a BIG THANK YOU to Chanda and Jen for linking me to the Knitty.com breast cancer supplement - I don't know why I couldn't get my browser to work with it. I know I'll be making at least 2 of the items! Maybe even my first socks - You Knit Chicks ROCK!

Now let's hope Tuesday runs a little SMOOTH-ier!! LOL!

Progress!

It's been a good weekend, all in all. I've spent most of it sewing, only running out to the grocery store yesterday (there is food in the house once again...the kitties are happy, at least). Totes are pouring from my Bernina and I'm finally beginning the Knitting Chicks orders - it will be awhile, yet, ladies, but they're on their way!

But what I'm actually the happiest to report: Aibhlinn is back on the needles and I'm even working a bit on Clapotis, too! Aibhlinn was frogged a week ago, and I just couldn't face it till the end of last week. But I started it and it's really going well (knock wood!). No more stepping stones, instead of lovely diagonal waves. It's swirling nicely, thank you. When I get a little further along I'll post a photo.

Clapotis is being done in the Fair Weather colorway of Caron's Rainbow Dreams. When I started working on Aibhlinn for the Knit Red KAL, it went on the back burner, quickly. I even knitted scarves instead of Clapotis! But last night, after several rows of Aibhlinn, I switched back to Clapotis and it was like coming home to an old friend. I'm making this one for DD, tho' I'm not convinced she loves the colors. I've never understood why someone with such beautiful blue eyes wouldn't want to play them up by wearing blue! {sigh} I guess that's what Mom's do, huh? See our kids in things they wouldn't be caught dead in? Anyway, it'll be next winter before she wears this one.

Otherwise, it was just routine housekeeping stuff this weekend. Even so, I wish there were a day or two more before heading back to work. Wouldn't it be wonderful to be independently wealthy? Oh, maybe I should buy a lottery ticket (I know, you have to play to win, and I never play!).

Enough?

Just Enough is Plenty…

How Much is Enough?

Enough is Enough…

Three phrases that get at the heart of the voluntary simplicity movement, where living a life of meaning and integrity is critical.

How much does someone need? I can’t determine the answer to that question for anyone other than myself. Perhaps an example is appropriate?

For years, I determined that I needed just two phones: a portable to carry from room to room, and a landline for when the portable was being charged. Mind you, the sound quality of the portable was not up to my expectations. It was downright sorry. Then the portable died. And I determined that the life span of that portable was not nearly long enough for me to justify buying another one, especially considering the poor sound quality. So, slowly, I acquired additional landline phones, because I was never in the same room with the phone and voice mail would pick up before I could get the receiver off the hook! I now have 4 landline phones and the only rooms without one are the bathrooms! Then I got another battery for the portable, so while the sound quality is still poor, it’s working again. Five telephones.

But wait, that’s not all…DD was always insisting I needed a cell phone. I protested vigorously. I hate them. They are rude and intrusive. They are dangerous when used behind the wheel of cars. I acknowledge that they are also insurance policies, especially for a woman driving alone. And very convenient when waiting to hear from a doctor. But I did not want to be leashed.

Now,however, there is a slight problem. I am opening a website for my business. And because I have a post office box for the business address, I’ll need to have a phone number on the website (no, I promise, I am not a fly-by-night operation!). But because my business is in my home, I do not want my phone ringing all hours of the day and night. So voice mail will pick up my business calls after a certain time of night. But my family must be able to reach me in the event of an emergency, so now I’ll have a cell phone for them.

How much is enough? Do I need 4 landline phones, a portable phone, and a cell phone? Apparently so. The last laugh is on me.

Obsessions?

Here we are...another Thursday night...time for cogitating and ruminating! This has been a week of recognizing my obsessions all over again. When you smoke, you put up a smoke-screen between yourself and everything else. When you quit, you have to face what smoking allowed you to hide from yourself. I'm approaching 13 months quit, so it's time to face some of those things.

Whenever I find a new interest, that interest consumes me to the exclusion of just about everything else. Sewing and knitting have been my passions for the past several months, and show no signs of letting up! That is a Good Thing, (welcome home, Martha!!). But for years before that, even while I was still smoking, it was voluntary simplicity (yes, I know, it was one more reason I needed to quit long before I did - doesn't mesh well with the philosophy, does it?). So now I find myself returning to old habits. My knitting has propelled me into an area where I'd like to use yarns I truly cannot afford, feeding the Affluenza bug, yarns that really don't mesh with my beliefs (not to mention my allergies!). I am happiest using basic, acrylic yarns, and cottons, knitting profusely and not breaking the bank!

It's amazing to me that the very activities that for years were considered a means to save money, are now hobbies to pour money into, hand over fist, simply by virtue of their being fashionable. To paraphrase a friend's signature line (from a sewing list I'm on): I'm going broke saving money sewing! It just doesn't jive with my lifestyle and philosophical proclivities. As much as I missed Martha, I hold her somewhat responsible! It is chic to create, but to do so, we must use the very best materials possible, and the price be hanged...

So my obsessions are going to have to be fed another way. Where my sewing business is concerned, I will not scrimp. My bags are top quality (which also tends to mean top dollar in this day and age). But when it comes to my knitting, since it is mostly for myself and for charity, I will use lower-priced materials, and will save my skin in more ways than one . But there are other ways to cut materials' costs: Freecycle, yard sales, swaps, shopping sales, clipping coupons. All tried and true tightwaddery.

Good ol' Yankee tightwaddery! That's my heritage and my birthright. So I can keep my obsessions as long as I follow those rules. {sigh} Unless, of course, I win the lottery!

What Kind of Classic Pin-Up Are You?

You're Lili St. Cyr!


What Classic Pin-Up Are You?
brought to you by Quizilla

I really don't know who she is, but I agree with the description! Think it goes well with my new avatar! C'est Moi?

Almost Overwhelming!

This has been such an amazing, crazy week! From birthing an idea to seeing it come to pass - KNIT RED Knit Along is a success and I thank you for that! Kitt of Kittnknit has been my right arm in this...creating all the great buttons and tags. The idea for the tags was the brainchild of Kary of www.theknottysheep.com and she was good enough to remind me:

What?? No red in your stash? ... Then donate some cash!

WomenHeart
818 18th Street, NW, Suite 230
Washington, DC 20006

(It's tax deductible, you know!) (Thanks, Kary!)

What do you do with a tag, you say? Well, the tags are for printing out and attaching to your completed red item for giving away, reminding the recipient of the reason you made it, and suggesting they pick up needles to join us. Or perhaps, you know a knitter you think would like to join us in this...why not attach a sticker to a ball of red yarn to help them get started? All it takes is some fun fur and you're on your way...a neat scarf in red to make some woman you know understand that heart disease is her number one killer!

Do take a moment to check out NHBLI and WomenHeart at their websites. These are prime spots to learn all about this disease and what you can do to reduce your risk.
Bless Your Heart!

Knit Red Knit Along!

Come and join us in a knit along to raise awareness of women's heart disease. This illness is the number one killer of women, and since I'm a heart attack and by-pass surgery survivor, I decided I wanted to involve the knitting community in learning more about this killer. Just as "Heart disease doesn't care what you wear," I'm not going to tell you what to knit! You choose - just make it RED! You can read about the Heart Truth campaign at NHBLI , and get more information about heart disease from this terrific site.

As you can see below, I've already started my project for the knit along, knitting Aibhlinn from knitty.com's winter issue. You can make a scarf, you can make a sweater. Make this knit along as challenging or as simple as you'd like! Come join our group on yahoo by clicking the button in my links section. And make sure you check out WomenHeart, the National Coalition for Women with Heart Disease. This is a great resource site for learning about women's heart disease!

Aibhlinn - 13 rows - First time using circulars and the size 7's are hard on my hands...but I'm loving the results of this! 

Introducing...Nana Sadie Rose!

Wow! I've been running a small business called Nana Sadie Rose for awhile now, but recently things have really been hopping! Since I began participating in the Yahoo group "Knitting Chicks" many folks have been introduced to my bags who might otherwise not have known about them. I have Kitt of Kittnknit to thank for this!! Check out her blog to see the bag I made for her...it's a beautiful fabric honoring breast cancer survivors. My website, www.nanasadierose.com, will be under construction for a bit, but soon it will be ready to accept your custom orders as well as handle ready-made sales. I hope you'll visit when we're operational!

I'm so grateful to everyone who has supported me in this effort!

Varia...

Tonight I'm feeling accomplished, distressed, and frustrated all at once. I had to frog Clapotis, and have cast on again on 10.5 needles. The 8's were too small for my hands which kept going into spasm. But I managed the prototype of a knitting needle wrap-I must ALWAYS follow my instincts and not other people's instructions! But it was a learning experience and not a bad one. I also made a prototype of a small purse for a customer. We've had two days off from work due to the weather (10 inches of snow on my car this morning!) and I've gotten a lot done. Just wish i hadn't had to frog...ribbit, ribbit...{sigh}