Stitch It!! Podcast

Episode 20: “Life is like a Box of Chocolates…”

The Garden this week has been tucked in to keep it from harm during the cold!

Interview will be next week. please let me know if you’re interested in being interviewed!!!

On/Off the Needles:
-Sock is nearly done
-Shrug (started, frogged, and started again)
-Monkee status
-Charity blankets
-BarnRaising Quilt from Knitalong: Celebrating the Tradition of Knitting Together for my little man!!!
-Check out Casey at Knitting at Night Podcast it’s awesome!!
-Craft Zine has lots of cool patterns and whatnot. i’m going to sew some reversible wrap skirts!

Babble:
-My Harp Story: Prism 36 by Blevins Harps
-Monkey wears shoes
-Little man says/signs his name
-Little man’s new school

Spinning:
-LOTS of new spinners!!! Lots of wheel questions! I LOVE IT!!!!
-Oiling the wheel, what a difference!!!
-Sock yarn almost done. I’ll share photo’s soon
-Finished my yarn from Butterflygirl designs.

-Fleece has been ordered (well, stephanie knows i want some!) and i’ve been studying.
-Yarnspinner’s podcast has lots of great information
-WSKAL (Wash, Spin, Knit a Long)
-Felted roving….grrrrr

Contest:
Listen to the podcast on how to enter, but this is your prize:

160+ yards, Beaded Worsted weight, 10 wraps per inch, columbia top handspun yarn in “Midnight Dream”

Favorite Thing:
Rodrigo y Gabriela
and as promised, here is the AMAZING YouTube video of their performance on David Letterman:

Holy crap, I just watched it again, and it’s AMAZING……

Everybody needs to start their day. And how you start your day shows you how your day is going to go. A breakfast is a vital part of everyone’s day, and it really does determine your future.

Then there are Champions. Champions eat breakfast every day. Champions need their breakfast to be great, because they need their days to be great.

Theoretically, if you eat a breakfast like a Champion, you too will have a Champion-like day.

I don’t know about you, but I want to be Champion. So I’m eating a Champion-like breakfast.

Hell, even the little Hanna Montana on my cupcake says that i’m a “Secret Star”. Sounds like i’m going to have a Champion-like day!

just don’t tell the littleman. he’s already a champion in my book.

and one extremely goofy little boy.

So the last week, or hell even yesterday, has been sunny and warm with highs in the 70s. last night? it rains, and today we wake up to a cold house, and an even colder and windier day outside. we have a high of 50 today, but with the wind, it feels like 35. it’s cold. too cold for April. too cold for my plants. too cold to play outside. it feels more like November outside…..and what kills me? i know people further north got snow….that’s just plain WRONG.

ahh well…..gives me an excuse to play inside for the day.

today i’m going to get my harp out, dust it off, tune it up and play. i haven’t played my harp in a while. i love my harp. just need to sit down adn remind myself how to play. i’m also looking into getting this “How to Play Harp Beautifully” book and maybe eventually getting the DVD. it’s pricey…but it would be cheaper then lessons. i don’t even know where to find a local teacher anymore. i used to take lessons from an older woman, and it was a treat. i loved her. she gave me lots of music and i just gobbled it up. then i took lessons when we moved from a performance person. she was a little too serious for my liking. i’m not going to perform. i’m not auditioning for orchestras, or applying for college. so i quit lessons with her. i guess at this point in my life, i don’t want the super strict teacher. i just want the one who enjoys teaching, enjoys music, and enjoys sharing that love. so some books and some DVD’s will have to make due for now! i think with my music degree and my ability to play all those other instruments, i should be okay!

i dyed rovings again yesterday…..i managed to felt 2 of them completely. they were thick fiber ropes. how discouraging! and my other rovings are sort of felted. so i’ll just try to make due and spin them up. nothing says “stop dying stuff because you suck at it” like a batch of wasted rovings….i’m going to pick up a salad spinner the next time i go to the store or am over by the goodwill store. i think my frontloader just doesn’t work for spinning out fibers or yarns. too much action….

ho hum…..

i’m gonna go play with the boys upstairs. it’s warmer up there.

happy saturday!

if i even mention cutting my hair off, please slap me upside the head. i’ve been trying (and failing) to grow my hair LONG (down my back long) on and off for about 12 years, and i always spontaneously cut it, and i always regret it.

instead of cutting it all off, i got my hair semi-annual trim on wednesday, and i have to say it looks much happier. and i’m on my way to long hair!!! i will have lord of the rings elf like hair in another 6 months!!!

so yeah….that’s all i got..

1. Regarding the bed: i LOVE my bed. it’s SO comfy. i feel like i’m sleeping in a hotel every time i lay down. it’s really funny how much a mattress can make a difference! i wake up and my body doesn’t hurt! wahoo!

2. i was a good girl this week, and i scheduled appointments for my annual female visit (blech) which i had this morning (blech….i’m glad that’s done with!). i also scheduled an appointment with a dermatologist. i’m super pale. skin cancer has been found in my family. i’m a high risk person to get it myself, so i’m jumping all over it! hopefully it all goes well, and the doctor will support my use of 50spf sunblock on a regular basis. if you are pale, please….embrace it!

3. my monkey is coming along. i finished the front piece, and i’m almost done with the back piece…i can’t even begin to imagine how this guy gets assembled so it resembled a monkey, so i’m taking a leap of faith on this one. let’s hope!

4. i’ve got the mommy itch again….maybe it’s because of my appointment this morning, but seeing pregnant bellies and new babies? awwww….right now, i can’t. we need to get more stable financially and i want to get owen a little more caught up before  i bring another youngin’ into the picture. but for now, i’ll just stare at preggo ladies when they walk by me and sigh longingly. hahahaha

5. the boys are out of the house, i’m going to do a quick clean, and then i’m going to dye up some roving. i hope these batches turn out a bit more colorful. less white….we’ll see!

6. i just finished pride and prejudice by listening along with craftlit.  what an awesome novel…i REALLY want to get my hands on that A&E 5-6 hr movie…so good.

7. Pan’s Labyrinth- if you haven’t seen this, WATCH IT! it’s an amazing movie!!!

Episode 19 is up!

On/Off the Needles:

-CPH is finally done!!!! Quest for a good button is on.

-Fawkes Socks: 1.5 down, .5 to go

-Rusted Root revisited

-Monkey KAL

-Shrug

-Blanket for the little man…Knit? or Crochet?

Babble:

-Fixed roof!!! WAHOOO!!!!!!!

-Job worry

-Inherited traits?

-Story of the Mibs

-Picking boogies, hating veggies, loving fruit, and suckin thumbs

Gardening:
-Needles take a break during the summer, garden get attention

-Tree is coming down, dirt is on the ground, patio is being enjoyed!

-Peonies, Bleeding Hearts, and Dahlia’s. Here’s the Dahlia Cage tutorial.

-Spray painting planters

I’ve been spending time out there, spinning, sipping tea, and listening to audiobooks and podcasts!

Spinning:

-adventures in longdraw technique

-Beaded yarn is done, beautiful, and ready for a contest!!!

-Bamboo and sari/marino in effect!

-I’m spinning up “Bad Robot” superwash marino from Sakinaneedles.com

-Audiobook-along new one starting soon!!! join us!!!!

-Sock yarn struggle

Favorite Thing: Cool Treats!

-Frozen red grapes

-Frozen yogurt tubes

-Low fat Ricotta cheese, splash of vanilla extract, splenda, blueberries/raspberries

-Low fat Ricotta cheese, coacoa powder, splenda, strawberries/raspberries

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We ended up buying a Serta Mattress from Sam’s Club. They had lowered the prices to clear the models out so they could make room for new ones. We ended up with one that has a organic cotton pillow top mattress with breathable latex foam. wha? whatever! who cares!  all i know is that when i lay down on that bed, i want to snuggle in and fall asleep. that’s exactly what i wanted! so, we got the old mattress down in the basement, set up the new bed frame (inherited from my brother), and got the mattress on there. on top of that we bought some really nice sheets which are being washed up as i write.

let me tell you, i’m SO excited about going to bed tonight, it’s ridiculous!

i’ll post back tomorrow with results.  i hope my battery gets charged to the fullest!!!

for now, we’re going to play outside with the little man!

I’m going on a quest. A quest for a new bed. Our mattress has been with us for nearly 7 years, and needless to say, the thing has seen better days. The way money has worked out, we just haven’t been able to afford a new bed. Other things came up first: tires for the car, replacing broken computer parts, Bob’s 1 week vet retreat, gas bills, and groceries. (stupid needing to eat!!)

Unfortunately, It’s now gotten to the point that our bed is an absolute disgrace. We wake up sore and tired, just from sleeping in it. I’m quite certain that I would be better off sleeping on a cement floor.

For months, i was trying to convince ry that we really needed a new bed. he didn’t believe me. it wasn’t until his parents took us to disney in october.  we’d walk ALL day, it was extremely hot and humid for that time of year there (record highs), we were all tired and physically exhausted at the end of the day.  We went to bed. and in the morning? no aches. no pains. no sore back. no arms falling asleep. no feeling like those 8 hours did absolutely nothing. on the contrary. those 8 hours of sleep recharged every ounce of our batteries. we woke up feeling rested, refreshed, and ready to go again, when we should expect to be sore due to our increase in physical activity.

the first night we were at home? the difference was glaring (and painful).

The condition with the mattress is magnified by our bed frame. We just have a normal metal adjustable bed frame (no bells or whistles in this house and head boards are a luxury).  Our bed frame was just fine, until a certain little man and his father decided it’d be fun to jump on the bed. and so they did. a lot. the next thing i know, i’m going to make the bed, and notice that one side of the bed is a little lower…thinking it was just the mattress, i just said “whew…that is one messed up mattress” and made a mental note to save for a new one. I later came to find out, the boys broke one of the legs of the bed. it just took a few weeks to gradually bend all the way. so now? the one corner of our bed is about 6-10 inches lower then the rest. how about that? ry sleeps with his head elevated, and if i roll over towards him at all, i feel like i’m going downhill…oh that’s right…i AM going downhill.

So today, we shop. we shop for a bed that will not make our bodies ache, our muscles sore, and our days feel oh so long. we shop for a bed that will make us feel rested, recharged, and ready to start the day.  we shop for a bed frame that can tolerate a little boy and his daddy being silly gooses before bedtime.

oh, and a queen sized bed would be great! because, let me tell you, sharing a double/full bed with your husband, two cats, and the occasional squirmy two year old? not a lot of breathing room!

i hate mattress stores. they seem like they’re the used car lots of furniture stores. i expect our sales guy to have a bad toupee, a plaid tweed coat, and to be chewing on a toothpick.
let’s hope this will be quick and easy. like pulling off a band aid! so that when i go to bed tonight, i can rest soundly in my new comfy bed.

You are Elizabeth Bennet of Pride & Prejudice! You are intelligent, witty, and tremendously attractive. You have a good head on your shoulders, and oftentimes find yourself the lone beacon of reason in a sea of ridiculousness. You take great pleasure in many things. You are proficient in nearly all of them, though you will never own it. Lest you seem too perfect, you have a tendency toward prejudgement that serves you very ill indeed.

Take the Quiz here!

Dear Self,

If you take a bobbin off your wheel to spin something else, and you go back to that original bobbin at a later time, please remember to put the bobbin on the right way so that when you start spinning you don’t unspin the yarn you made before causing a huge knot/mess to form and some very unlady-like words to fly out of your mouth in front of company. Thank you so much for your cooperation!

Yours truely,

Meghan