A New Item for Nana Sadie Rose

I was asked, at the Olde Liberty Fibre Faire two weeks ago, to create a cover for the smallest of Kindles, the Kindle Touch, or Kindle 4. I saw the little critter there at the show and started drooling...somehow I think you might see one wending it's way to me some day before too long, even if I do have a bit of an issue with Amazon. We'll see, as I do have the app on my phone.

Anyway, I digress...here's the "to the specifications of the purchaser" finished product:

I wasn't the least bit surprised that she chose that vintage book fabric!

And because I don't actually have a Kindle to model it for you, I cut out a piece of cardboard to size:

This little case is stiffened and padded to protect the precious electronic device, and is also zippered to secure it. It just drops nicely into your bag.

Hmm...you might want to consider a handbag for it, too! *wink*

Ok, it's not going to part you from much of your hard-earned, book-earmarked cash, either. $15. Plus shipping and sales tax if you're in Virginia.

That's almost as neat as the Kindle Touch itself!

REALLY Angry at Google

I loathe, abhor, and despise the "new gmail," and by extension, I now despise the new Blogger, too.

I'm bailing on my gmail account, because it's impossible for me to use it with my visual disabilities: yeah, how's that Google? You are certainly violating ADA requirements for web accessibility if it's impossible for me to use my account just because my settings have to be at 800x600 in order to READ the screen!! Wonder what would happen if a bunch of us filed suit?

If you want to contact me, folks, for now, use siameezercat@yahoo.com. I'm not in love with their new format either, but it's more friendly and accessible than gmail.

Housekeeping Helper

It's been a weekend of catching up on a bit of housework (not that I do a lot, mind you, but I was really behind). And in changing the bed linens, I always have the best helper in the world:

Yup. The Tonk.

And if you believe he helps? I have a bridge in NY I need to discuss selling to you...

Actually the best part of the weekend was yesterday's events in Grandin Village for Earth Day. I participated in a yoga demo, and otherwise shopped the opening day of the Farmer's Market, visited with some old friends, and purchased a couple of really nice things from area crafters (one was a really nice little - size 5! - pewter and turquoise ring. Sis-in-law and I had shopped the department stores the night before, and there's never anything less than a size 6 there. I've always had small hands, but since the weight loss, I'm back to my tiny size 5)

Anyway, I've got a blog post over on Nana Sadie's Place about the wonderful Swiss Chard I found at the Farmer's Market, so stop on over and visit me, okay?

Best Cat Videos Ever...

Meet Henri The French Existentialist Cat... And Henri Deux. I have laughed myself silly over these since discovering them (thank you Dr. C!!) on Facebook last night. Hope they make your Friday more fun!

Emergency Surgery!

No...not mine.

My Valkyrie Seraphim Shawl
(why yes, that photo IS from before I lost weight)

I decided to wear it to the Roanoke Symphony matinee concert today. As I was sitting and listening to the first 1/2 of the performance, the a/c was on and I was chilly, and went to pull the shawl over my arms a bit, only to have my finger go thru what felt like a lot bigger hole than is normally made in knitted lace. I waited until the intermission, and investigated and sure enough, there was a hole and several stitches had come loose. I took a deep breath and dropped the hem back where it was and went back to the concert. And sat thru an amazing second half. Once the standing ovations for the Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto #2 were complete (it really was excellent), we went back up the aisle, and I stood outside the theatre in the hallway and located the hole, and carefully folded the shawl with the hole on top. The shawl stayed that way on the backseat of the car while we had dinner. Once home, I took safety pins, dpns, crochet hook, and finally needle and thread. As best I can tell, either the stress point of a s1 k2tog psso gave way or (a more likely occurrence) The Tonk was able to take a chomp out of two rows of stitching, because it was clear thru on one strand, and most of the way thru another. I can't imagine when Tonk got it, of course, as it stays in the shawl drawer safely when not in use. But those ends looked bitten, not frayed.

And we all know how much The Tonk dearly LOVES sock yarn? Well, this is premo stuff: Blue Moon Fiber Arts lightweight Socks That Rock! Can you see the two peaks on this photo? The one directly under my index finger (on the left) is the peak that was completely pulled apart:

I was able to form the psso again, but there was no way short of tying a knot in the yarn, that I could pull the other rows into place. Sewing came to my rescue, and I wove black thread back and forth thru the four ends of yarn that were broken/cut, and then thru and back thru several times on the psso.

Does the sewing show? I don't really think so, and it looks pretty close to what it's supposed to look like. It might not be the best way to repair lace, but considering I really didn't want to spend months ripping it back and reknitting it, I think it's satisfactory!
Whew.

Olde Liberty Fibre Faire

Nana Sadie Rose went on the road again yesterday to the Olde Liberty Fibre Faire in Bedford, VA. We set up a bit slower than usual (there were only the two of us, so that might have explained it a bit, plus it was early morning)

Our next door neighbor offered some hangers on the back of her booth, which were very nice to have to show off the new smaller drawstring bags we have available.

We saw a lot of folks and people were very interested in all the accessories Nana Sadie Rose has been adding to her lineup! That's wonderful!

Once the show was done and we were packed up (which also took longer than usual, do you think maybe we're slowing down a might in our "advanced years?" heh.), we hurried off to meet up with Cathy at her new yarn shop:

Just a bit away from the Lions Club where the show was, is the newest yarn shop in the SW corner of the state: The Whistle Stop Yarn Shop. And yes, there's a real, old-fashioned Post Office in the building!!! The boards creek and are a mite uneven as the building is as old as you think it seems. But oh my, a delightful array of choices confront you! I did pick up a small item, but haven't gotten a photo of it, so I'll share that with you later...

After shopping, we headed down to the Olde Liberty Train Station Restaurant for dinner. You can click on the link for dinner and see what I enjoyed for MY meal: The Cranberry Chicken Salad! Oh my. It was wonderful, and enough for two meals, so I brought 1/2 home and had it for lunch today! We also split a Butterfinger Cheesecake slice, and it was a wonderful as you can imagine...

On returning to Roanoke, I was stopped at a sobriety checkpoint, so we were very glad we hadn't had any wine with dinner...I knew the trip back would require me to be in full control of the car, so Diet Coke was the order of the meal!! Please don't drink and drive, folks!

So suddenly, I thought of the perfect quote for my Nana Sadie Rose customers. See what you think:

What Seldom Appears on My Goodreads Shelves

Most of the craft books:
(but they are in my Ravelry library!)

These are sitting and waiting for me to spend time with AFTER the show this weekend. Hope they, and the Nook books (and Kindle books, too, since I have the Kindle app on my iPhone!) will keep me happy for many months, as I have to put a moratorium on spending for reading matter now...but I enjoyed using a bit of my tax refund to purchase these reference materials, that's certain!

Sharing A Contest!! You Will Want to Stop By...

Nature's Cauldron Farm aka Birdsong's CSA business to participate in one amazing contest - WHERE ELSE can you win a pair of indigo hand-dyed, vintage sock machine-made socks??? THERE is the only place I know of.

Birdsong is a good friend, and I'm so enamoured of her area's Fibershed and everyone participating in creating clothing within their own small area! I've been following this with a lot of interest, wishing we'd see it over on THIS coast.

But I'm really delighted to say that I am seeing quite an increase in my community's local food "movement" and how it's growing, so perhaps the fibershed isn't that far off here, too!

Anyway - make sure you stop by Nature's Cauldron and sign up - there's more than one way to enter, so you'll want to participate as much as you can!

Easter Sunday and Other Things...

The day dawned, tho' not so bright and early for me as I was up late last night, but it did dawn in the morning, at least. I rolled out of bed and began my Sunday morning as I love to do:
These Sundays it's Sunday Morning, on CBS, coffee and a cranberry orange muffin, and knitting. This morning was quite a blue morning, not only for the beautiful sky, my blue and white mug, and the blue tweed sock I'm knitting, but also because it brought the news of the death of CBS-60 Minutes anchor Mike Wallace. I was saddened to learn of his death, as he was one my mother always admired, and while, at 93, he has lived one of those proverbial "well-lived" lives, it's still sad to see this era of news reporters leaving us. He came into our living rooms when smoking was accepted practice among (mostly) men, and finally admitted to his battles with depression, helping so many to be able to acknowledge their own private battles with that disease. So farewell, to someone who truly did make a difference in many people's lives. We should all live so well.

Then the phone rang, and it was Dear Daughter informing me they were on their way (I wasn't even dressed yet!). So sure enough they gave me a bit of headway, then she and the three boys arrived (Daddy was home with a still-sleeping little girl). They brought me my "Easter Bucket"
Each one of them had colored an egg specially for me, DGS#3 had done the "purple/pink" one, DGS#2 the red one, and DGS#1 the blue/green one. So there's lunch for this week! :) I'll make egg salad to enjoy on the bagel thins I picked up at the store. (and yes, they didn't forget Nana's love of chocolate, but they didnt' overload me, fortunately...I try very hard not to buy too much of the holiday candy as I don't control the munching of it one bit!)

There was a bit of household chores that needed doing, and of course, with the Olde Liberty Fibre Faire less than a week away, I sewed. Below are two small drawstring bags I made today along with a baglet set including the newest option, the pen/pencil case. I know some of you think this print is busy, but I can't stop myself, I just adore it's happy red/navy/lime green on white argyle!

Yesterday I made more of the small drawstring bags:
and am trying to not stick to only sheep and knitting themes, but also have some florals and such.
I did a bit of crocheting last night, and while I was doing so, the "kids" nodded off together - IN THE SAME BED!
It's really a snug fit, as neither one of them could be said to be within their weight range. In fact, I keep getting asked how I can lose weight so well and the cats don't.

Hmm...Is it always the Mom's fault?

When Pulled in 20 Directions, Start a New Project!

Yup. I know I'm not alone in this. There's way more on my plate than I like having there, so to deal with it, I add in a new project. What's more, I realize that it's highly unlikely that a project with 15 different colors of Caron Simply Soft Solids can possibly be located in just one store, and so I must run to four local stores that carry the brand, hitting three of them twice in two days because of the coupons offering specific discounts on the 6th and the 7th.

No one else does that, do they? *wink*

So of course, this morning in the process of gathering the remaining skeins and a great discounted basket for corralling the skeins whilst crocheting (Yes, I did say the "C" word), I phoned BFF Lynette who suggested that we hit AC Moore (the last stop on my trek) at the same time and then Panera Bread for lunch. I'd had DINNER at the other Panera across town with Sis-in-law the night before during my first fly-by the three stores with Friday's coupons, but heck, I like Panera! So of course, I agreed. And what did that do, but crunch my time a bit more...still you know I truly believe that friends are too important to put on the back burner, and I've been feeling as if Lynette and I don't see anywhere near enough of each other these days.

So upon returning home, I quickly snapped a photo of the yarns in their new basket and dropped everything to run downstairs and pick up the sewing I still have to do for the Old Liberty Fibre Faire next Saturday.

Isn't that basket delightful? As soon as I realized that it coordinated with the yarns, and as such would coordinate with the afghan when it's complete, and that it was also 40% off, I had to get it.

Maybe tomorrow, I'll have photos for you of some of the Nana Sadie Rose wares that are flying off the sewing machine, but I didn't get any pictures taken today. But tonight, after making a really nice (and quick and easy) black bean, corn, rice, and peppers "bowl" meal, I sat down to try my hand at Lucy's Summer Garden Granny Square afghan. And finished these four squares.

Now I've got to get myself into bed, even tho' I'd much rather do another square, but there's still a lot I want to finish before next weekend, so I have to get a little sleep.

Enjoy your Easter tomorrow, if you celebrate it. I'll be enjoying the chocolate! (And peddling my exercise bike to offset the extra calories...)
(((hugs)))

Stash Enhancement!

I know. I said I wasn't going to increase the stash this year. I've not been following my commitment to Ahimsa when it comes to not buying more yarn, that's for sure (tho' yes, I'm doing better on saying "no." That is, where time constraints are concerned...forget about adding to my work-in-process queue - it just keeps getting longer.)

I stopped by Wyrd Sisters tonight and picked up two skeins of Silky Wool XL. They were on sale. And of course, you know what color they were, right? Uh-huh.

And just for good measure, I'll show you what I picked up a week or so ago, the last time I stopped by...let's see that was a Saturday when we talked about our plans for WWKIP day.

Yup. My other favorite color...

Then there's the Caron Simply Soft for the crocheted Granny Square blanket I plan to make...I picked up four skeins tonight, of the 14 colors I need for the thing. That was all Walmart had. I'll check AC Moore and Michael's later...
I keep saying I'm not going to buy another tub to store this stuff in, but unless I have a major stash busting sale (and I might!) I'm going to have no choice.
(sigh)

He Followed Me Home So I'm Keeping Him

The white sheep on the left was part of a holiday Dirty Santa gift from my knitting group...tonight, I was in the grocery store, and wandered past the floral department and he was sitting right there. The perfect companion sheep: The Black Sheep! So of course, he jumped into my cart and insisted on coming home with me.

Working Weekend

Two weeks from yesterday is the Olde Liberty Fibre Faire and you know that means that for all the gorgeous weather we're having, I'm inside, working away on the sewing machine. I did manage to make a few things this weekend, including these lovely Ellie Travel Needlecases


If you think the outsides are interesting, you should see the insides!

I've been working on a lot of other things, too, which haven't managed to be photographed yet, so you'll just have to take my word for it. It's been a busy weekend around here. I suddenly looked up (about 5pm) and noticed I had two furry beasts waiting in close proximity:

I think their tummy alarms went off at the same time.

So of course, we took a break and got dinner. As I was getting my own ready, I happened to look out the front window:

Obviously something decided to burst forth in an abundance of pink since yesterday morning when I took The Meezer for her annual vet visit. The area of that azalea bush that's barely being contained is what the entire bush looked like a mere 36 hours or so ago. What a pop of pink!

We're having an early Easter this year, and I remember years when it was so cold, the sunrise services took place with all the pretty floral dresses hidden under scarves, hats, and mittens...but I think this year, some of that might well be unnecessary. And of course, the flowers are everywhere, and just in time!