On a Mission

05/30 - I have updated the list to show the magazines that have sold so far.

Okay, I do realize those of you that know me are asking yourself when is she NOT on a mission. Well, my new mission is to declutter, destash and reclaim my life (and my house). Over the next couple of weeks, I will be posting several items for sale. These items will include books, magazines (bunches of these), yarn, fiber and equipment. I am going to start with the magazines. Below you will see a list of what I have available. If you are interested in any of these, please let me know. I will accept payment via PayPal and cash (if you are local and we can meet).

$1 each

Bernat – Naturals – Four Seasons

Annie’s Favorite Crochet – August 2006
Shuttle, Spindle, Dyepot – Winter 2007/2008

$2 each

Fashion Knitting – August 1982
Fashion Knitting – June 1997
Fashion Knitting – August 1997
Fashion Knitting – October 1997

Hooked on Crochet – May/June 1999, Issue 75
Hooked on Crochet – July/August 1994, Issue 46

Annie’s Crochet Newsletter – July/August 1986, Issue 22
Annie’s Crochet Newsletter – November/December 1990, Issue 48

$3 each

Creative Knitting – July 2006
Creative Knitting – May 2007
Creative Knitting – July 2007
Creative Knitting – November 2007
Creative Knitting – July 2008
Creative Knitting – March 2009
Creative Knitting – May 2009
Creative Knitting – July 2009

Love of Knitting – Fall 2008
Love of Knitting – Spring 2009
Love of Knitting – Fall 2009
Love of Knitting – Winter 2009
Love of Knitting – Spring 2010

Family Circle Easy Knitting Plus Crochet – Spring/Summer 1998
Family Circle Easy Knitting Plus Crochet – Winter 1998/1999
Family Circle Easy Knitting Plus Crochet – Winter 1999/2000
Family Circle Easy Knitting Plus Crochet – Spring/Summer 2001
Family Circle Easy Knitting Plus Crochet – Holiday 2002
Family Circle Easy Knitting Plus Crochet – Fall 2003

Knit Simple – Winter 2009/2010
Knit Simple – Winter 2008/2009
Knit Simple – Fall 2008
Knit Simple – Spring/Summer 2007
Knit Simple – Fall 2006

Knit.1 – Fall/Winter 2005
Knit.1 – Spring 2007

Knitscene – Special Issue – Fall/Winter 2005

Knit ‘N Style – February 1998
Knit ‘N Style – April 2000
Knit ‘N Style – June 2001
Knit ‘N Style – October 2001
Knit ‘N Style – December 2001
Knit ‘N Style – February 2002
Knit ‘N Style – February 2003 (I have 2 of these)
Knit ‘N Style – December 2003
Knit ‘N Style – June 2006
Knit ‘N Style – August 2006
Knit ‘N Style – October 2006
Knit ‘N Style – June 2007
Knit ‘N Style – August 2007
Knit ‘N Style – October 2007
Knit ‘N Style – December 2007 (I have 2 of these)
Knit ‘N Style – August 2008
Knit ‘N Style – December 2008
Knit ‘N Style – June 2009
Knit ‘N Style – February 2010

Piecework – March/April 2008

Handwoven – September/October 2006
Handwoven – March/April 2007
Handwoven – September/October 2007
Handwoven – January/February 2008
Handwoven – May/June 2008
Handwoven – September/October 2009

Phildar Mailles – No 71
Phildar Mailles – No 141

Pingouin – US05
Pingouin – US07
Pingouin – No 94
Pingouin – No 123 – Spring 1990
Pingouin – No 125 – Summer 1990
Pingouin – No 145 – Fall 1992
Pingouin – Summer 1993

$5 each

Simply Knitting – February 2007, Issue 24 (I have two of these)
Simply Knitting – March 2007, Issue 25
Simply Knitting – Spring 2007, Issue 27
Simply Knitting – May 2007, Issue 28
Simply Knitting – June 2007, Issue 29
Simply Knitting – August 2007, Issue 31
Simply Knitting – December 2007, Issue 35
Simply Knitting – Spring 2008, Issue 39
Simply Knitting – November 2009, Issue 60

Knitting (British) – October 2005, Issue 17
Knitting (British) – January 2006, Issue 20
Knitting (British) – June 2006, Issue 25
Knitting (British) – August 2006, Issue 27
Knitting (British) – November 2006, Issue 30
Knitting (British) – January 2007, Issue 33
Knitting (British) – April 2007, Issue 36
Knitting (British) – May 2007, Issue 37
Knitting (British) – August 2007, Issue 40
Knitting (British) – September 2007, Issue 41
Knitting (British) – October 2007, Issue 42
Knitting (British) – November 2007, Issue 43
Knitting (British) – Christmas Special 2007, Issue 45
Knitting (British) – February 2008, Issue 47
Knitting (British) – March 2008, Issue 48
Knitting (British) – November 2008, Issue 56
Knitting (British) – Winter 2008, Issue 58

Knitter’s Magazine – Summer 2005
Knitter’s Magazine – Summer 2007
Knitter’s Magazine – Fall 2008
Knitter’s Magazine – Winter 2008

Vogue Knitting International – Holiday 2008

Debbie Bliss Knitting Magazine – Fall/Winter 2009

Yarn Forward – February 2009, Issue 9

Here We Go Again

So I have started another habit since I last posted....making cloth dolls. I am currently working on a kneeling pilgrim lady for which I needed to figure out something for hair. Well, knowing that long wool locks would work well, I call the only friend I have that wouldn't think it was odd for asking her if she had any. Of course, she did and she was kind enough to let me have some. I wash them and dyed them with acid dyes.

Knowing that I wouldn't need much for my current doll, I used ecru, gold, chestnut and russet dyes to achieve the colors I was looking for. All of the locks started with ecru. From there, I added the colors to my taste and needs....Much to my amazement, it work. I got what I wanted!

I will post pictures of the doll when I am done, which should be very soon! :0)

Now onto another hair brain idea I am contemplating...spinning paper into yarn. Not going to put anything more out here right now...I will just let you mind wonder on that.

New Start

Today is the start of something new and long lasting (hopefully) - Steve and I took a walk. I want this to become a daily routine for us.

I have to do something about my weight. I have hemmed and hawed and postponed and put off long enough....it is time, so I started with walk around the block today. It's not exciting or revolutionary, it's was just a walk, but it was something. It was something and something is more than the nothing that I was doing.

On a different note...I finished a knitting project yesterday - the hat I have been working on for Stevie. My first knitted hat is complete! Yeah!!! :0) He says he likes, so I hope he is being truthful!

Why?

I am becoming more and more disappointed with how my life has turned out. I look at everyone I have known...great jobs, having kids, finished/finishing school, etc. Then I look at mine...great husband, but nothing much else.

The job hunt thing is really working on me...I don't know how I am going to make it through this.

Pity Party

I am still having the pity party for myself. It is an open invitation, so all are welcome to join me in thought, just make sure to bring your own snacks and drinks!

I am trying my best to hide my depression about this, but it is getting more and more difficult. I find myself lingering in stores because I don't want to go home. What do I have to look forward to there? Nothing. I am not so sure I am going to make it through this.

Trying to Look the Future in the Eyes

I am just about a month removed from my layoff. Since then, we have driven to Maine. We had a few days at Steve's parents and then went up from there. We made it to my mom's last Monday. Steve left to come back down here on Wednesday. I went to my sister's on Thursday. Steve met me and my sister in Lake City on Sunday....

This is the end of my third day of reality since the layoff. I say that because we had the trip to look forward to before....Now, I have nothing but money worries and trying to find a job that I will probably hate and getting more mired down here in Florida. I so want to be up north, somewhere north of Boston, but I have a feeling that will be a dream that will never be realized....

What are my prospects? Nothing. What am I qualified for? Boring, crap jobs.

Official Last Day

Today is the official last day...I had to deliver my signed severance paperwork. It was really difficult to walk in there with my head held high. I am not so sure if I was successful or not. We were planning on heading to Tallahassee today but Stevie wasn't feel good so we decided to stay home.

I am not so sure how I am going to be able staying home all day, every day. All of the little noises the house makes are already driving me crazy. But what can I do? I don't have much of a choice. They didn't give me much of a choice.

I have a lot of anger now about the situation. I just don't understand why it had to be me. My 7 years with the company was nothing compared to the majority of the ladies on my team. However, I have something only one of them has....an agent's license.

How am I going to move on from this? Where am I going to start? Do I sell myself short and look at entry level jobs? Or do I shoot for the stars, using my experience as a jumping board? I just don't know....

Today

As I sit at my soon to be vacated desk, I am having mixed feels about this transition. I am scared and I am relieved. I am cold and I am hot. I am nervous and I am relaxed. One thing I know for sure - I am completely exhausted because of the emotional roller coaster ride I have been on since last Thursday.

I have decided that tomorrow afternoon will be spent at a LYS knitting. I am going to give myself a few weeks to recover before I start seriously looking at my future options.

Tomorrow

Tomorrow is the last day of this episode in my life. Well, Thursday officially is, but tomorrow is my last day in the office. I just cannot take the sitting and waiting, so I just decided to go.

This is going to be a difficult transition for me. I don't like change. As a matter of fact, I hate change and I do not adapt well to major changes such as this. All I can say is "we will see".

The support network I have is going to get a major workout from me in the next couple of months while Steve and I toss around the decisions that have to be made now that we are both out of work.

Hope I can walk out as unnoticed tomorrow as I did today, but I doubt that is going to happen.

The Ups and The Downs of 2009

Let's start by saying there haven't been too many ups in 2009. It all started on 1/13, when we found out Steve's job center was closing at the end of March. We had the opportunity to move to OK City, but decided to stay here because of my job. On 1/30, my stepfather passes away. We make it quietly through February. In March, I get pneumonia and Steve's job ends. Little downs happen in April. In May we find out that Steve's dad has an abdominal aortic aneurysm and will have surgery in June. The Friday before the surgery, we find out that Steve's dad's blood counts are too low for the surgery to be done safely, so it is postponed. The doctor's give him a couple of shots to help boost his numbers. A day or two later, he is in the ER throwing up blood because of the medications. All of that gets squared away, so the surgery is delayed until things are better. On July 4, Steve and I are with my mom in Dothan, AL, when my sister calls me to let me know she is taking my dad to the ER with chest pains and shortness of breath. He had to have 3 stints put in. He is feeling much better now. The beginning of August, one of my best friend's mom passes away. The same day, I go to the ER with chest pain (probably from the lack of stress I have experienced this year)...I am admitted (NO, not committed!). I am put through a battery of needle pokes and tests. All turns out well, and I am released two days later.

To continue with the stress free year I have had so far, I find out on Thursday that my position is being eliminated - only my position, no one else. My last day will be Sept 17...but I am hoping I will be able to take my last two vacation days on Wednesday and Thursday.

What to do now? I really want to just take off for a week....Head to Tallahassee for a few days to visit friends that I can never visit when I only have a weekend there. Then head up to Philly to visit with Steve's parents for a few days... But then I think about the money that would cost and how that money will probably be needed for bills...

Being an adult and having adult responsibilities BITES!

So I Haven't Held Up My End of the Deal

The resolutions put forth in a previous post have been failed at and miserably! I have come to realize it is going to take more than just making up my mind to do it...I have to be accountable to an outside, third party. I am going to try to talk S into letting me go to a nutritionist. Once I start with that, I would love to start working with a trainer again. I really got a lot out of working with a trainer previously, but things happened - I had surgery and she moved out of state - so I didn't get to continue with her.

As far as knitting from the stash....Let's talk about something else. :0) I found a really neat app for the iPhone, KnitBuddy. It has a stash feature that allows for pictures of the yarn, fiber content, yarn weight, color, dye lot, number of skeins, yards/meters per skein, ounces/grams per skein, and swatch information. I have taken the time to catalog all of the yarn AND take pictures, so I will have an accurate record of what I have. The app also has functions to list projects, knitting needles and crochet hooks. As with all things, there are pros and cons. My main con for the app is that there is no way (that I know of) to download the information from the phone to the computer. It would be great if they would create a similar program for the computer, so the information could be sync'd. I am trying to get all of the yarn loaded into Ravelry now...This is a CHORE, but I want to do it so I know what I have.

Another resolution I made, but really didn't mention to anyone was about going back to school. I have been looking into it for a while. I finally took the plunge today and applied. I applied to the online degree program with UMass - will probably end up working on an English major. I am hoping they will accept the credits I earned when I went to TCC for a year in the early 90's...not overly positive that will be the case, but I can hope! :0)

Thanks for reading!

Note to Self

NOTE TO SELF: Do not watch tv shows at night about people investigating hauntings! :0)

New Year - New Outlook

I am going to make the same resolution as many will make - being healthy. This will include eating better and exercise. I know this will lead to weight loss and that is one of my goals for the year, but it is not the main one. Being healthy involves so much more than just losing weight. I am going to attempt to be more cognizant of what I eat - limited fast food, more fruits/veggies, less sodas, more water, etc. I just celebrated my 34th birthday and have realized that the more years I let slip by, the more difficult it will be to make the changes that I have to make.

Along with the health resolution, I have resolved to knit from my stash and not buy any more yarn...There are exceptions of course. When Steve and I go to visit his family in Philly, I will visit a few little shops up there, so if I find something that is unique, I will allow myself to get it. Other than that, no more yarn or fiber! :0)

There are a few more solutions, more effort to keep house clean, get guest room organized, etc...

The Goings On

Stevie is well on his way to being well...all except for his ankle. We went to an orthopaedist on Thursday and he put Stevie in a boot. The boot reminds me of the foot of a Storm Trooper from Star Wars...but, if it helps him heal, I am all for it! :-)

As mentioned in a previous post, I joined the SCA. I have been to two events so far. The first was over Memorial Day weekend...As if I didn't already know this, Florida is not a good place to have outdoor events from the beginning of May until the end of October. Especially if those events involved layers of clothing and, possibly, full body amour (yes, it was about 90 and there were people fighting in full body amour). J, L, D and I went to the event, Trimaris Memorial Tourney (TMT). J, L and D camped, in a tent, in the heat. I had resevered a room at a little inn in Umatilla. While it was not a 5 star inn, it was air conditioned, a roof and walls!!!! :-) As you can see, I am not the camping type.

On Saturday, we spent most of the day wandering around getting used to not seeing people in modern clothes. I left fairly early because I could not take the heat. On Sunday, the Trimaris Textile Guild had a tea and we were invited. We met several interesting people. I learned a basic naalbinding stitch from a Lady who was kind enough to take the time to show me.

The following weekend was the Summer Arts/Sci event. J and I went to this. L and D had other things going on so they could not accompany us this time. This is a semi-annual event held for people to submit projects and documentation (yes, kinda like a very advanced science project) regarding the items, tools used, methods used, etc. The projects are judged and the winners are given beautiful hand painted scrolls and have the opportunity to take the project to a multi-kingdom event for entry. I was very disappointed in the number of entries that were there. However, I was very impressed by the entries that were there. I am going to have some serious fun in this!!!!

While at the event, I ran into the same Lady who had taught me naalbinding the week before. Once again, she was extermely kind. She gave us a lot of information about the different awards, stations, etc in the SCA. She has been in the SCA since 1992, so she really knows what is going on. I hope this will turn into a friendship. She is truly an amazing and talented person.

One of the fun parts of joining the SCA is creating a persona and coming up with a name. Well, I started with Ascelina Juliana Godwin (my mom was going to name me Julia Asenith before my sister asked if she could name me), but that just didn't really sound like me. Then I thought about reversing the names, Juliana Ascelina...that still doesn't really fit me. So I guess you can say that I am having a type of identity crisis right now...Here are a few names I am considering:

Ederra
Marina
Adriana
Avacyn
Bertha (somewhere in the name - Goddess of Spinning)

I guess I am kinda partial to Kelley! :-) Well, I am off to my first attempts sewing!

Update and Reflections

Stevie and I are doing much better. We are still not 100% and I don't think we will be for a little while yet. This is turning out to be a hard thing to shake.

Reflections: I just finished watching "Miss Austen Regrets". It is a movie that was included with the new version of Sense and Sensibility. It really made me think about the actual woman who wrote the books that have had more than a little part in shaping who I am today. If it weren't for her books and the movies made from them, I doubt I would be the "fiber artist" that I am today (not that what I do is anything very spectacular). In my looking around on the internet for information on the fashions of her time (and more books by female writers from that time period), I discovered tatting...Even though I crocheted at that time, it was tatting that started me on the fibrous pursuit.

I truly hope that she can look down and be happy to see that a life has been so impacted by her labors. Wow, I am really rambling... :-)

The Past Few Days

Well, I have had an awful time of it since last Friday. Stevie was running a fever by the end of the day Friday. Satruday he was still feeling crappy and I was starting with a little cough. By the time I got home from demoing at the fair, I was feeling terrible. About 3 Sunday morning, Stevie woke me up to tell me he didn't feel right. So up we got and headed to the ER. His fever was about 102.3. They gave him some cough syrup and an antibiotic. We get home around 6:30.

About 11:30 Stevie has a really bad coughing spell that causes him to black out. So to the ER we go again...They give him a breathing treatment and an inhaler and send us home. Everything was going "okay" until Monday morning. About 6 AM he was sitting on the edge of the bed getting ready to take the inhaler, when he had another spell. This time he fell off of the bed and hit his head on the wall. I called 911. By the time they arrived (only about 4 or 5 minutes), he was alert again. We took him back to the ER. We were there literally all day. The doctor came in to tell us they were going to release him because they did not have a valid reason to admit him! WHAT???? The man is coughing so hard that he is blacking out, is that not a valid reason?

Well, we did get him admitted and we just came home tonight. I really don't understand why they released him yet, he is still coughing, not quite so hard...but I thought a hospital was where people went to get well. I understand that the insurance companies (yes, I know) dictate to the hospitals what they can and cannot do now, but is that really the right way to do things? Are we really helping ourselves by allowing that game to be played?

I really hate seeing Stevie down like this. I know he hates it too. Hopefully, he will feel much better very very very soon! :-)

Updates

Well, it has been awhile and several minor things have happened...First, I have joined the Society for Creative Anachronism (SCA). Second, I have become an award winning photographer (truly not as glamorous as it sounds). Third, I am going to Maryland for the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival (MDSW).

The SCA is an international organization dedicated to researching and re-creating the arts, skills and traditions of pre 17th-century Europe (this is taken almost verbatim from their website - www.sca.org). With the different types of textile techniques used during those periods, this will be a great experience and will allow me a "reason" to learn to new techniques. I have already taken up one. It is called sprang. I have created a make-shift sprang loom or frame using canvas stretchers and dowels. The loom is warped and that is about as far as I have gotten with that. I have purchased needles for naalbinding, so that is the next on the list. Happily enough, the SCA will have a tent at MDSW. They will be demonstrating these two techniques plus a few others. As if I wasn't already excited enough about going to MDSW just for the fiber experience!!! :-)

Yes, I am now an award winning photographer. Like I said before, it is really not as glamorous as it sounds. I entered six pictures into the Central Florida Fair and four of them ended up with ribbons (two 1st place, one 2nd place and one honorable mention). Here are three of the pictures that were entered.

1st place (this was cropped and enlarged a little bit)

1st place

2nd place (was 2nd to the bee on flower)

Catch Up

Feb 9 & 10, J & I spent the weekend at the Pioneer Florida Museum in Dade City. We were in period dress, sitting on the front porch of a farm house (Overstreet House) that was built in the 1860s and knitting (well, I was crocheting and drop spindling). We took turns walking around to look at the sights and the vendors. While I was out on my little trek, a lady came up to me and ask if I would be willing to let her film me for a commercial they were doing for the museum. I agreed. She said she would see me on the porch around 12:30. Well, as I had finishe my wanderings, I headed back to the Overstreet House. As I was walking back, a man and two ladies stopped me and asked if they could have there picture taken with me. I noticed a familiar accent, so I asked if they were from the Northeast. They said yes, Maine. (hhhmmmmm) The commercial "crew" (the lady from earlier and a guy with a video camera) made it around 2. They filmed me spinning on the drop spindle. I decided to keep spinning for a while after they left, because it seemed to make people ask questions. A group of ladies stopped to chat with me about what I was doing, and, again, I detected the accent. I asked if they were from the Northeast. Guess what the answer was???? Yes, Maine! (AGAIN, hhhmmmm)

The museum has a little house on the grounds where they have spinning, weaving, pine needle basking making, etc. This is where we met a very nice lady that was demonstrating spinning. She was in a little room spinning on an Ashford Traditional that she bought in New Zeland about 20 years ago for $30. In the same room were 3 Great Wheel, some old sewing machines, a Saxony style wheel and several bags of wool.

On Sunday, J disappeared...I found her in the spinning room, spinning on the Great Wheel.

Well, I now have the bug for a Great Wheel. I found one, in Daytona, on Craig's List. Unfortunately, I will not be able to go see the wheel until week after next. :-(

Oh, one more thing about the other weekend...I forgot my camera. Me???? Forget my camera???? How odd!!! :-)

The Term Neglect Comes to Mind

I have been sadly ignoring my little piece of the world wide web...However, that will soon change. I will be writing several posts this week to bring things up to date. :-)

When I Am Happy Something Always Happens To Shoot Me Down :-)

GGGRRRR!!!! I have been knitting a nice, simple garter stitch shawl with some of my hand spun alpaca...I was getting really excited yesterday because I was running out of yarn which meant the end of the shawl was near. Within 10 seconds, the exciting feeling turned to pure disgust...The disgust feeling came when I realized that I had not been increasing for about 18 inches!!!!!!!! ARGH!!!!! This yarn does not frog very well, so I don't know what I am going to do!

On a happier note, we are going to Philly on Thursday!!!