Pics And Chinooks

We had a MASSIVE Chinook blow in last night. About 2 a.m. the ice started falling off our tin roof with resounding thumps.... So that was the end of all sound sleep in my world. I was up in the middle of the night medicating Daughter #1 as I'm pretty sure she's got H1N1 too. Then I sat down and had a look at Blogs Of Note and found a couple of real gems. The first one is called Milkmoon about an ordinary Irish lady who loves her kids and has a sweet blog.... really anyone who uses words like nutter and jaunty have got to be o.k..... anyway she made me cry with the adorable pics of kids and anyone who can see beauty in clothes hanging on a clothes line..... well check her out I'm sure you'll enjoy her blog.

The next blog of note that I enjoyed is called Style Rookie by a young little 13 year old gal who has got to be the cutest and most precocious kid you could come across. But it's really wonderful for an old jaded gal like myself to read about the younger set and really feel the enthusiasm of young whipper snappers like her. It is good to know that some kids out there feel things passionately and try to do something with their passion.... she has the hutspa to make her meaning clear on fashion get enthusiastic enough to not care what her peers think and write about it too. More young people should be like her... or maybe they are but are just too beaten down to talk about the things they like. I really debated about whether I would include this blog in my favorites because my jaded self bore it's ugly head.... I hope this gal continues to feel passionately and I'd hate to follow her blog and note that as she gets older she loses her joi de vive... ( I think I spelled that right?).... anyway... even if you are not into fashion it is good to read her blog just for her cute and humorous attitude.

Anyway... while I write and upload pics the Chinook is blowing steady outside my window. There is no doubt that the animals are enjoying the reprieve from the cooler temps. Water is flowing everywhere and it feels almost like spring. I just really hate the wind because I .... just do. Wind always makes me feel spooked out... I guess. Like a deer in the woods who can't hear because of the wind. I always feel like the wind is something scary.. no matter how much I try to talk myself out of it. Maybe I see all the trees that have turned red from the pine beetle devastation and I think we are going to lose a tree in this wind maybe it is something from way back in my childhood.... well I'm not Freud you know! Anyway... it's windy and I'm not sure I'm liking it.

I made it to Knit Night last night and we had a really good turn out. It sure was nice to see everyone again after missing three (get that 3) whole weeks. Lots of socks were on the go.... a dish cloth and a scarf and a crocheted dress which was lovely and little old me who doesn't have DPNs was not knitting at all but working on the Navajo spindle once again. I have enough spun now for my third sample and will ply today so that I can get on with the next question.

One of the ladies at knit night was admiring the pics I posted a while ago so I thought I would post a few more.... so have a look and see y'all tomorrow.

In Limbo

I'm feeling a bit in limbo this evening. Do I or don't I go to knit night? What if I do have H1N1? Do I want to pass this on? I'm feeling pretty good today and so I'm thinking I will go. Besides I was probably contagious last week...

I'm also feeling in limbo because I just checked all of the blogs that I follow and no one is keeping up their blog..... I've nothing to read..... that means I have to go on an interesting blog hunt again. Let me tell you that it is no small task to find good blogs to follow... I read dozens sometimes before I find one that is worth going back to read again and again. Some of the blogs I land on haven't been updated in two years or more so they don't even get a little read. I enjoy having a look into people's lives. It is more entertaining to read what they want to write about themselves... it's my form of entertainment.What really is cool is when you find a blog about an ordinary person who has some skill in writing about the things that they enjoy.... I hardly ever get sucked into blogs that are written by professionals.... they are stunningly boring.More often than not if it is a recommended blog it sucks. I checked out one blog list for the top 100 read blogs in the world not one was interesting. What in the world are people interested in... it is usually politics this or financial world that.... if I want to read about that stuff I'll look up a news website. No I like peaking in the windows of ordinary people like myself.... people who are just moms and dads... people who talk about their garden or their jobs, or the new hair cut they got or the new car they want.... those are the fun blogs... they tell you a little about other people the world over and it is a little reassuring to know there are other people out there who are living interesting and equally grueling lives. Common and that's just right for me. So take it from me if you make it into my blog list.... wow!

I'm also feeling in limbo because I'm not sure what I want to do next.... well actually that is a lie... I really want to knit my gloves.... but since I don't have enough DPNs then I want to knit my headband.... and since I don't want have enough wool..... I want to knit my Karaoke project..... but I can't find that.... sooo I don't know what I want to do.

There are plenty of things for me to do.... all I have to do is look at the Christmas list to the right and I can see what I should do but are these things thatI want to do..... well you get the drift.

By the way things are happening in the barnyard. Yesterday Hubby separated out Izzy and put her in with the lambs.... she has been sold to the highest bidder for a lot of bushels of oats.... the lambs will be fattened up for butchering probably in January or February.... Meanwhile Ipwitch, the new ram lamb.... the white one.... is in the paddock with the ewes.... yes... its sex season again!! They are far enough away this year and my desk is facing the other direction so I'm not seeing sex this years but as I had enough o that last year this time I'm quite content to turn my head and live in blissful ignorance.... I just hope that Ipwitch does not shoot blanks! He does appear to have more interest in the grain we feed than the girls... hmmm!

Sorry that last paragraph really doesn't have anything to do with being in limbo does it? Well if we really wanted to stretch we could say that I'm in limbo about Ipwitch being the stud I hope he is.... hmmm.

Perhaps I should get out my $500.00 dollar charka and have a go at that..... yeah maybe that's what I should do.... hmmm.... I wonder are there any blogs about charkas???

A Whole Bunch Of Stuff

Right... just off the spinning wheel and I managed to finish some lovely Karaoke fibre. I bought some of this two years ago in Olds and thought it was lovely. When I had finished spinning it I started knitting a project that I knew I did not have enough fibre for. The idea was to just use what I had and buy more as I needed. I wanted to keep it going. So this year when I went to Olds I discovered that it wasn't going to be so easy since I couldn't find a single person selling the blasted stuff. In came my good friend who is a dealer for Louet. (I really want to name her and give her a little boost to her business but I never name names on my blog....) She had just brought in this new great product and was I interested.... well considering that the new product was Karaoke I was all for it.... For the last few months this fibre has sat in my studio on top of my storage units taunting me and making me really want o spin it.... But I have had other things that I had to do or needed to do.... yesterday I needed a fun spinning day.... so out came my Karaoke. I just finished it and I love the stuff. It has this beautiful creamy colour and spins like silk.... such a divine sheen when it is finished. I spun it in my usual easy Baby Weight (a little lighter than sport weight) 2 ply yarn at about 14 wpi (wraps per inch) and an even 4 tpi (twists per inch). It is very nice even if I do say so myself. I can't wait to knit some more on my project.... I just have to find it first!!! I think it is buried under stuff in the shed.... scary!

I just also finished watching "Band Of Brothers" all I can say is WOW! Pretty awesome and moving TV. I watched with Remembrance Day in my mind.... how could anyone watch this program and not be moved. We had a friend lends us the DVD series and I just couldn't help being totally enthralled. We got rid of TV years ago and only watch now what we want to watch...in the form of movies and DVDs that are TV shows. It has made for a much better life style for us and we feel very strongly on that. Our children are not exposed to adds constantly and so they are less inclined to jump on every band wagon for new and improved products. Christmas is not nearly as commercial and we just find that loosing TV has enriched our relationships as well. We get enough advertising through the computer media. I get more done too. Last year we spent several days in a hotel in Edmonton and spent the four days there remembering how horrible it is to sit in front of the TV with a remote control clicking through channel after channel in the search for something that would be of interest and nothing was good. We ended up watching news and reruns! Well at least while we were in the hotel room... which wasn't too often. But it reinforced our decision to not have TV in our house. Anyway I digress.... I told you this was about a whole bunch of stuff.... If you get the chance to watch this great program I definitely recommend it..... it is not for the faint of heart though as there are some very gruesome depictions of battle situations... including body parts and lots of blood.

I am attempting to sit today to do a little spinning for the level 3 again. I am still working on a better sample for the support spindle. Third try lucky. We'll see.

I have one last item that has been on my mind of late..... for all you bloggers that I follow.... keep blogging.... I miss it when you guys don't write. It is such a disappointment to open your pages and there's nothing new.... (pout!)

Hmmm...again!

Poop!( I don't say words like sh-t online)... I ran out of yarn with only three inches to go.... the great thing is I just have to spin more..... Sh.. I mean Poop!... I have to buy it first.....problem.... maxed out credit card is still maxed out..... rats! Ok plan C.... I just have to wait till payday..... I can do that.... I know I can..... : )










Feeling a little better today but I have a lousy headache..... Chest pains are noticeably better.... woo hoo! Cough is noticeably not as bad....I just have to rest and drink fluids.... I wonder does booze count??? I'm sure Martha Stewart wouldn't agree but I'm thinking a good stiff belt of Rum wouldn't go astray right now. (Hmmm... rum in hot chocolate..... I could get away with that in the middle of the day.... Oh yeah I'm allergic to booze.... D-mn!)

Hi ho, hi ho, I think I'll spin something....

I knew I took up spinning for a reason... oh yeah it was to replace the booze.... ; }

Hmmmm

So finding baby booty patterns for fat yarns seems to be a bust. Plan change......headband ear warmer for fat yarn..... hmm... bust too! I will make my own pattern... ha! So there world of knitting patterns online.... bite me.

Hi ho, hi ho, it's off to work I go.... again!

Vehicles, Videos, and Knitting

So Hubby and I are thinking about a new vehicle. Our old truck is almost eight years old and has seen better days. I'm stuck home feeling sick with what might be H1N1 Flu and nothing to help me pass time in the way of TV. I want to knit my gloves but am needing a second set of DPNs and so I've been looking up patterns for baby thingies with some pretty fat yarn that I don't have a lot of. Never a dull moment at Nicholsville West Farm.

OK so lets back up.... Hubby and I started looking a vehicles last week and we took out a Ford Focus ZX5.... nice little zippy car but pricey for second hand. They haven't made these babies for a couple of years now and the one we looked at was fully loaded with only 40,000 km on it but the monthly payment would be about the same as a brand new Ford Focus. So x the one we were looking at. Then we took out a Jeep Compass.... nice but not fully loaded and Hubby and I need some serious lessons on driving a standard which I haven't done in twenty years. We will go looking again later in the month. We are in no rush so that is one good thing.

H1N1.... the thing that scares every person half to death.... for days I have been having chest pains and worrying myself half to death that I am on the verge of a heart attack... Along with it I have been having dizzy spells and so I went to see the Doc. I have an ear infection which is being treated but along with it I have been having inhuman fatigue. I can't get through the day with out feeling like my legs are made of jello and the only thing that soothes the chest pain is nice hot lemon and honey.
And on top of it all last night was the full moon..... the werewolf wore it ugly head... I slept all of 1 hour 45 minutes. So today after Hubby and the girls got off to school I turned off the phone and went back to bed. When I finally did get up, I just mugged out in front of the T.V.... Problem..... I have nothing to watch that I haven't already seen half a dozen times. Blah!! So I'm looking up video rental companies on line..... a friend tried out one and gave me the name of it.... I think I will give it a try.... stand by.... I'll let you all know how that goes.

I got 225 metres of fibre plied and washed and dried yesterday for my great jacket commission. Woo hoo!! It looks great. So today I wanted to knit while lying in bed.... this is not easy... you want something light weight and relaxing. Lace gloves that I started last week... ahh perfect..... wait no there's a problem.... I'm up to the finger part and don't have enough DPNs. Order from Knit Picks..... nope... credit card is maxed out..... d-mn! Ok.... plan B. Baby knitting. Booties.... yes that is what I want to make with the lovely pink and blue, and yellow fat yarn that I spun a couple of months ago..... so I am about to embark on a treasure hunt. I need a pattern for baby booties that I can make with nifty fat yarn.... hmmm!

Hi ho, hi ho, it's off to work I go....

Catching Up

I've been spinning a lot this weekend. I wasn't feeling all that great on Saturday. I'm not quite sure what is going on there. I'm told I have an ear infection and have been taking ear drops, anti-biotics, and prednizone to help with keeping the passages open so that they drain. But this is the second week of that and my ear still hurts and my energy level is low.... really low. I've got all I can do to walk up the steps without wanting to lie down and catch my breath when I get to the top. But the weird thing is that I don't really feel sick. I just don't want to do anything. I guess I will get over this eventually. I had a bunch of blood tests done when I went to see the doctor and the only thing that was bad was that my white blood cell count was up which would indicate the ear infection so no worries there but I'll tell you this if it is just an ear infection it is the most stubborn ear infection I've ever had.

What staying home has done has given me an opportunity to spin. I've been working on my jacket commission a lot in the last few days and I'm thinking that I have almost got enough spun for the warp. Woo hoo. I also finished my second sample on the support spindle and have decided that I like the first sample that I did better. So now I'm working on a third sample. If I'm not gone on this one I will pick the best of three and that will be that. Then I will be cabling yarn for my wrist distaff. At some point you just have to cut your losses and go on to the next question because you could be at one question for the whole year. I have too many questions to do that to get level 3 finished in time for June.

Hubby has been cleaning out the shed in an effort to get the windows that have been leaning against the west end of the house since June in out of the elements before the weather has its way with the wood and ruins them so that they are unusable. We are feeling the pinch and though the house remains in limbo we are thinking of getting some more work done this month. Hubby can't do it. I have resigned myself to the fact that I will have to pay someone to finish the work we didn't get done. And so at the end of the month I will hire a fellow to come in and finish the plumbing in the bathroom and put the paneling on the walls in the rest of the house. I will finish the paneling with clear coat myself and the flooring will wait till after Christmas. The counters in the kitchen will wait too. I can see we will be at this until March break.(sigh)

Christmas is coming too and I am beginning to think about Christmas cards which will have to go out by the end of the month and I am beginning to think about Christmas gifts for loved ones and all that. My list grows daily as I try to get everything done that needs doing. With a little less than two months to go I am beginning to feel the pressure of all that needs to be done.

So there you have it.... a little bit of catch up. I am starting a new list to the right "T minus ____ to Christmas". Look out, New Year's here I come.