Clouds in My Coffee

Bows and flows of angel hair and ice cream castles in the air 
and feather crayons everywhere I've looked at clouds that way

I'm on my way to pick up the keys to my apartment. This is it.The cusp. The sweet spot. The last moment when dreams about the apartment end and the reality begins.

I despise white walls and yet again I'm renting an apartment so I can't paint. I've grown and moved on from the paintings I made in college. I want to hang new work in the living room.  I want to paint a triptych mural of clouds and hang my black and white cloud photos between.

I've thought of several ways to make and move a mural size painting. Some of them even good ways but with my career and the running of the Midwestern Weaving Convention 2013 I don't see any of them actually getting done.

Throw in that I've dedicated 2012 to using what I have I've come up with a more realistic plan. I have all the squares left from my woodcut printing. I needed 4 for class but I had to buy a sheet of teak paneling so I have at least 10 left. I'll paint clouds on them or even just pain them solid colors in shades of the sky and hang them among photos. This way I can add color photos too.

None of my living room furniture is in any shape to make the move. So I'm going with the Japanese styling for right now. Not things from Japan but the empty rooms with a few great pieces and the use of floor seating. But with brighter colors and maybe a little of 60 kitsch. This photo sums up what I'm going for

I'll knit great lush floor pillows and puffs. Maybe even crochet granny squares. Or I'll finally pull my sewing machine out of the box and sew some seating pads. I'll even weave the fabric from plastic grocery bags. I felt some at KAWS and it's wonderful. I'll pick up a chair and recover it like the photo. Maybe even knitting a slip cover! and I'LL DO IT ALL FOR $15!


It's clouds illusions I recall

I leave in 20 min. The dream has 45 min to go and then it's over and reality sets in.
 

Cotton yarn- in this year of using what I have I went to deep stash. I've been hoarding this yarn as too special to knit. It's Mission Falls 1824 Cotton, the original spinning. Like all nice cotton knitting yarn it's more expensive than gold. I wasn't able to buy anymore that one baby sweater worth until it discontinued. Once it hit the sale bins I snatched up what balls I could find.

Because of that, I have random balls of random colors. I'm finally allowing myself to knit it up. This is the only yarn I haven't packed and I don't know how long it will take me to get everything arranged and unpacked. This might be my only knitting for a while.

Well, except for my knitting in my desk at work.... oh, and my car knitting.... right, and the project in my purse... and my other purse.

05.13.1923 to 05.25.2012

I'm back from Grandma Jay's memorial. It was perfect funeral weather, freezing cold with drizzling rain. We huddled together at the graveside under the awning for warmth.The service was lovely detailing her life dedicated to service to her church, community, and the Temperance Union.

There I learned a few things about her that I didn't know. That the pamphlets about the evil of drinking that came in my birthday cards every year instead of money- she wrote them. I knew that she got published everywhere, anyhow she could. Magazine articles, original recipes in cookbooks, children stories, but it never occurred to me that those were her work too. An over sight on the part of a child looking for cash among the Don't Do Drugs leaflets.

The service was lovely but didn't cover much of her life as I knew it so I'll share a few things here.

She was interested in fairness. So much so that at Christmas we grandchildren all received the same present. Age 5 or 20 it didn't matter. That's how at age 10 I received an AirBake cookie sheet, oven mitts, and a recipe box full of blank cards. This is from the grandma that can't cook. It wasn't so much that she couldn't cook but that she was inventing new recipes to submit to the next contest to possibly win and to have another recipe published. To do that she was inventive and would serve her trials no matter how they turned out. Some were spectacular, so I've been told, but I don't remember them.

It's because of her one size fits all presents that I received a stamp collecting book the next year. One of my cousins wanted it. I enjoyed the soaking of exotic stamps off of letters sent to my parents and the clear sticky tabs. Grandma bought the 50 state bird stamps for each of us and mailed them one at a time on a letter or card. That's something else about her. She liked birding and kept a life birding list.

My brother and I spent a week with her and Grandpa every summer. She didn't play with us but she did tell great stories. The Tumble Fairy and her antics was my favorite. She had a roll of paper attached to a wall. I think it was to feed through her manual typewriter so she never had to stop to put in a new page but to me it was drawing heaven.

She couldn't throw paper away. She had piles and stacks of papers and books next to her favorite chair. The stacks reached as high as the TV tray she kept at her elbow to hold her drink, pens, and highlighters.

The pastor and his intern spoke with awe about her bible and how every passage was marked with highlighter. They called it a work of art and dedication. A cousin and I snicked at this. She did read her bible every day and not only was every passage highlighted it was color coded with a key in the front. This book was very important to her.

That's not what made us laugh but that Grandma highlighted everything! The rules of a game? Highlighted. Giving the game as a gift? It would be unwrapped and the rules highlighted before being given to us in case we were to miss the important parts. The cookbook that she gave me and every woman in her family- All highlighted. Words were important to her.

I was given a packet of her photos after the service. I had hoped to get a photo of her. Instead they were all of me. Photos where she had written captions in a journalistic style and even if they had other people in the photo the captions were all about me. She had done this with everyone.

There is so much more to say but words are beginning to fail me. I'll wrap this up with the words she used most of all. "I appreciate you and I love you."

Bento

It's pretty obvious I started this meme only because I wanted to do A is for Apartment so badly. But lets see if i can keep it going. Maybe I can space it so I have M is for Moving.

My lunch box went missing. Not surprising since it was exactly the same as the other 30 employee appreciation insulated lunch bags in the wall of refrigerators at work. 

I was ready for something different. Something smaller and neater and easier to transport. And most importantly easier to pick out from the crowd on my breaks.

I ordered a bento box with my Amazon points. This is my first free purchase. I'm very pleased with it and this is the first time I've ever cashed in points. I'm going to like my Amazon card.

Buffy and Big Bang Theory are the DVDs my brother gave me for Christmas.

He had hand surgery this spring and has been driving out to KU Med 2 times a month for checkups. He scheduled his last appointment for my birthday. I took the day off and he, my dad and I spent the day together.

We ate Indian food and did a little shopping along with the few hours spent at KU Med. At our stop at Half Priced Books my Brother found me season two of Buffy. I'm super excited to watch it although I packed it away today. It will have to wait a bit longer.

Apartment

A is for Apartment.

I've signed a lease! I'm packing and moving. It's a small little place with the second smallest kitchen I've ever seen. The smallest didn't have a stove. This one has a stove and a dishwasher.

It has a bathtub and the bedroom should fit my queen size bed with ease. Most importantly it's close to work. It's the cheapest place I looked at and the neighborhood looks safe enough.

It was a struggle to find this place. I either make too much or too little to rent to. The places that didn't care I didn't care to make an appointment to look at. When the bars on the windows show in the ad photo it doesn't inspire confidence.

I finally found this place when yet another apartment turned me down because of my income amount (this time too high) and I asked them to recommended a place. This one was the suggestion. I kept looking after seeing this kitchen but I came back. Nowhere else was as right.

Aqua nails- an ombre mani. It appears that I now own 5 colors of aqua polish.Enjoy the chips and the polish on the cuticles because I'm cool like that.

While looking for apartments I did have a DE-ja-vou moment. Let me back track to before I was even thinking of looking at apartments.

 The night after we found the french bulldog taking a nap in the street- I dreamed of walking a bulldog and finding the PERFECT apartment. A good friend said I must rent it. That this is The Place. It had colonial styling and patios and a bistro. I wanted to rent it so badly but it was too expensive. End of dream.

When I was driving around looking at apartments I took a wrong turn and ended on another road also full of apartment buildings. I chose an entrance as my turn around spot. Driving in I recognized it from my dream. It had colonial styling and patios and bistro chairs in the quad. The day was a stunningly beautiful day so the sky sparkled and the whole place just glowed. It was also too expensive.

The smallest tiniest studio was a little more than my budget. I thought on it a while since in my dream it was The Place. Maybe it was a sign. But my dream wasn't about the smallest studio and my budget is too tight as it is. Besides, I didn't rent it in my dream.

I'm glad I kept looking since the apartment I leased is bigger and comes in under my budget amount. The other place isn't going anywhere I could rent it later and I dream new dreams every night.

Mmmmmmmm Yarn

I'm joining the blog ABC Saying that out loud maybe the kiss of death. The blogs I read all lost their thread around C. I feel that I can do better than that and it looks like fun. Before I start posting the alphabet I need to give my thank yous for my birthday presents.

Look YARN! I was given yarn! No need to worry about running out. I still haven't bought yarn this year but that is four months of knitting right there. I love yarn.

And books and candy and gift cards for more yarn.

Thank you! It was a really great Birthday month.

Coffee!

I just had to post today. Look what they installed in the break room at work! We have coffee! Gone is the coffee vending machine dispenser from the 80's that dispensed dirty water for .25 And when I saw dirty water I mean it. The vender didn't keep the powder stocked so coffee ran from tan to clear. They didn't do much business. This new one we buy the packet of grounds for .75 and brew it to order. It even takes bank cards. Sweet.

Fairy Tale Swap

More swappy goodness. This time from bamagr1!

The packages just kept coming from the box. No photos were takes as paper sheds went flying and Ooooo and aaaaaaaah over the contents.

Group shot

A lovely bag that's sewn in such a way that the diagonals makes pockets inside and out. Brilliant! I love it! and the strap is just the right length so that it hangs nicely when I wear it. I super love it!

A flower garden travel mug with coffee and chai tea. One of the tea bags is Spiced Apple Chai. The bag is spiced apple ginger candy. Both cute tie in's to Snow White. I was expecting the regal ginger candy but the apple combination is beyond amazing. The caramel corn is a cleaver way to ship caramel in the heat we've been having. I ate the whole bag in one sitting. That's unlike me but it was sooooo good.

A crochet washcloth and a sheepy magnet. Both are too cute.

Fairy Tale nail polish. I love it!

Mmmmmmmmm malabrigo. In the shade.

In the sun. So tasty I had to show it twice.And after all there are two skeins.

 

Honey!  A hedgehog Hans from Hans-My-Hedgehog !!! and a stone covered basket? Why do I have a stone covered basket? Ok so it could be a wishing well but neither The Six Swans or The Widow's Son has a wishing well... Is it a candle holder?... No, it's flammable. Bamagr1 obviously put a lot of time into it cutting the pcv pipe and it still has the faint scent of industrial strength epoxy glue. Maybe I could fill it with violets as a sweet little bud vase for pixies..... OMG it's for a FAIRY GARDEN!

I'm going to catch a fairy!

I rummaged around my home and gathered the supplies. An aquarium, a bag of potting soil, sand, polished rocks, a few handmade marbles as playthings.

I grab a friend and we go into the back yard where the fairies live and dug up plants, made a sand path, lines it with polished stones, added a bench, the well, marbles to play with.

The trap is ready and baited with the sparkly stones and the pot of honey. It's sitting on the driveway now but a few hours in the arbor should do it.

The trap is set.

What fairy wouldn't want to visit this garden?

It took a few hours but before the rain the trap was sprung. I caught one of the invisible brownies.

After a night inside the brownie decimated the left hand corner with the Queen Anne's Lace, killing it dead. The marbles have been moved around clearly played with and possible thrown in anger. However the violets, woodsorral, and bed of moss is intact.When it's time to clean it's cage I'll plant more woodsorral.

Thank you Bamagr1. The package was an epic win! I love it!

Shakespeare Swap

On Saturday, the day before Easter, I received a small beat up box from the UK.

However, the inside was in pristine condition and everything packed in so tight it couldn't have shifted if it tried.

Wrapped packages kept coming out defying the amount of space in the box. I squeeeeeed when I saw the Easter bunny. The timing is perfect. Again I have to say Easter is even better as an adult. Last year was truffles and this year dark chocolate.

The yummy dark chocolate Easter Bunny posing with the hand crafted shawl pin. The stunning pin came in the mail in a separate box just the day before.


Next is a pencil pouch of the Globe including a pencil with William Shakespeare signature topped with a bust of his head. Reading the signature he has William correct but it looks like he spells his last name 3hwBljre in a handwriting that makes mine look tidy. I love that.

Looking over the pencil pouch they must be playing A Midsummer Night's Dream because on the stage is an actor in green dangling from a rope and one in yellow with an ass head.
Mmmmmmm. More Chocolate! That makes a total of 7 kinds of chocolate in this box. I think that's a record. I know I set a record eating it. The Dark Chocolate and Sour Cherries was especially good.

Magnets with Shakespearean insults on them! Those are going strait to work for the metal wall on my cube. I love them!

A beautiful hand knit wrap in a gorgeous red! Look at all that detail in the stitches!! Just stunning. It took me a while to recognize it as Brandywine Falls. I'm so touched by it. It's so very lovely and is perfect with the shawl pin.

Yarn! The color is Titania's Couch. A beautiful, hand dyed, tonally variegated, forest green BFL silk blend yarn. So very nice. I keep petting it.

Finlay, at tote stamped with the Globe Theater. I love the color. This is when my camera died. It wasn't until I was packing up to take everything inside that I noticed that was the back side of the tote.
The front! More A Midsummer Night's Dream goodness! I love it!!!

Thank you, Marama. What a spectacular package!

I Have No Needles

I've been looking around for projects to cast on. Every time I pick a yarn and a pattern I can't find a needle that will work. I don't even know what projects could be using them . I don't think I have all that many on the go.

It must be gnomes.

Abandonment of Sanity

Needlefingers left the comment

"Idea for Wild Abandon April - cast on projects on every single set of needles you have. If that's not wild and complete abandonment of sanity, I don't know what is."

I like it.

Except that this is my needle case. I'm not sure I have that much yarn.


I pulled out my project bags. Instead, I'll cast on a project for each bag. That way they will be contained when the month is up and the crazy wears off.

Wild Abandon April

Joey turned 15 today. Happy Birthday!

I had a blog post with photos and everything planned and abandoned it for a day of lazing around. I'm now going to bed at 9:40. I'm still at work at 9:40 most nights. This would be like a daytime person going to bed at 4:00 in the afternoon.

What a way to kick off Wild Abandon April!

Super Size Me

Joey is on a second round of antibiotics. The two of us are well versed in the art of medicine taking. I know all the ways to get it in him, he knows all the ways to spit it out again. But this time it's different. He is so small he has to take half a pill. That is nothing new. He is always small. What's different is that instead of a solid pill it's a capsule.

I start by pulling apart the capsule and pouring out the powder. Then is the measuring and dividing. I just eyeball the amount as I make lines with knife. It's all very much like the movies, but instead of Joey eager to get his dose he is completely uninterested in the bitter powder. The next step is mixing it with people food so I can get it in him. So far I've found that nacho cheese and clam chowder works and oatmeal does not, but what works the best, is peanut butter.

So Joey is getting 3 small spoonfuls of peanut butter a day. After only 7 days of this he has gained a noticeable amount of weight. I actually noticed on day 4 and it's just getting worse. While it's no surprise that he is gaining weight what is surprising is how fast it happens.

Buttons

Fall of 2010 my Grandparents (on Mom's side) moved from their home here to down Texas. Since they were moving from a house to a suite they downsized everything they owned. When I was asked what I wanted of theirs right away I knew what I wanted, Grandma's button tin.

There was a bit of a groan when I said that since they had moved houses just a few years before down sizing then too. While everyone was sure that Grandma moved her button tin it was considered doubtful that it could be found.

Here it is. Buttons written on it in red nail polish on a Dixie Mix cake mix tin.

It's crammed full of plastic baggies used in some unknown sorting strategy.

Sumi-e always has to check it out. It smells of age and dust and mystery and fun.

Mmmmmm buttons.
Shell buttons are my favorite. I sorted them to the front. They have a wonderful feel and shimmer a bit in the light. They are also just so very cool.

Used and worn buttons cut from clothes. Each one is a bit of someones life.

A knitting stitch holder and a tatting shuttle. The tin also came with 2 or 3 fine crotchet hooks but I moved them from the tin to my notion box.

This is all I asked for but Mom also picked out a book case for me too. It was built for Grandma by her Grandpa. Just a small solid book case but he took the time to carve stars into it.

I love these two bits of family that shows generations of making things. The love of making in its self and the showing of love through the making, it is as solid at the bookcase and as common place as the buttons, and it is wonderful.

Button Flower

I've started early for the fall hat drive for my LYS. Every November they have a day that if you bring in a child's hat for donation a percentage is taken off of your purchase.

It appears that my inner knitter is not on board with my goal of not buying yarn.

Button-Flower Cloche knit out of scraps of Knit Picks Telemark

The top button is from my button jar. It's a shell button left over from my Ladies February Sweater. The bottom button is a shell button from Grandma's button tin. I don't know what its from but it must have been cut from a garment because its beautifully worn and scuffed and the mother of pearl dulled.

Second Day of Spring

There are so many flowers this year.

With the nice weather, instead of unfolding


as early and late varieties,


they are being dumped on us wholesale.


I don't think phlox is supposed to bloom in March.