Saturday, April 30, 2011

One day I will wake up and all the righteous people in the world will have been raptured and I will get to stay here and play with all their stuff.

For those of you that may be on the fence on the whole concept of global warming, take a moment to consider the recent outbreak of severe storm systems. In North Carolina we encounter a strong tradition of dangerous thunderstorms from mid april to late October or early November. In the summer the only relief from the constant elevated humidity is your afternoon thunderstorm.




Photo from http://www.nc-climate.ncsu.edu/climate/tornadoes.html


While these storms are occasionally dangerous and could include hail, people do not normally die from them. Once every few years we will have a tornado that will do a little damage, but nothing like this spring. Anybody can believe what ever they want about the science about global warming. All I know is that we used to have a spring before it became full blown summer, and that over a hundred people are dead from a series of storms we would not normally be hit with. I'm just saying, maybe reconsider this whole environment thing. That or prepare for the end of days. Was there a tornado section in the bible?


On a happy note, I love this dog...




I work with Coco's owner and every time I walk past her she cocks her head to the side and is happy to see me. This dog likes me more than my own dogs do. Jerks.

Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Monday, April 25, 2011

You can't eat merino. (I mean you can but I don't think your gastroenterologist would like that very much)

Happy Easter blog friends. Business has been booming, and I have been a busy bee. I have been working on a huge order for Gate City Yarns for some weeks now. I realize more and more that the difference between a real life full size business and my home industry is a lot of extra hands and way more equipment than I can fit into our unventilated kitchen. I found myself motivated to purchase BRAND NEW 12 quart dye pots, and I mean really brand new not just brand new to me. I have been working with them for a few weeks now but I am not sure if they are working out for me. I am developing blotching issues with some of the merino I have been dyeing. I have been working my way through a whole list of possible causes: ph balance, too small of pots, restricted water movement, and foaming among other things. Every time I think I have it figured out and fixed, the next batch will look like I space dyed it. When you make food for a living, if you mess a dish up you just eat it, put what do you do with a bunch of busted wool?



I have also been doing a lot of sewing recently too. I tried to make a super cute box bag like the one I saw on the Cast On blog, but I cut the corners the wrong direction. So now I have a super cute bag that is just strangely shaped. I also made a cozy for my iPad.



While I have been working on one knitting pattern only for the last few months (this is not my style, normally I have three or four patterns I am working on at the same time) I decided to start a pair of boot socks out of some Liberty Wool I have been hiding in the back of the yarn store closet. Liberty Wool is really popular right now, so much so that we have trouble keeping it in the shop. I love the greens in this yarn and have been using guilt to keep myself from knitting it before now. But life is all about moments of weakness and learning to embrace them. I live without a single yarn regret.





Here is a bonus photo of our sad puppy after a bath:




- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Yarn Porn

Today I bring you a collection of photos of my purchases from the yarn sale on Saturday.





This is all the yarn I added to the stash for under twenty bucks.





Lots of sock yarn for U-Socks.







This is my favorite buy, it is a tiny Opal sample ball with tiny matching ball band.







Did I mention the eight skeins of 100% silk La Luz by Fiesta Yarns? 880 yards of silk for $8.00. I can not wait to knit a summer shell or sleeveless top out of this stuff.

Bonus:





And the bonus picture... Little Liza our puppy was clothed by a four year old. I find this hysterical, not to mention the image on the front of the tiny shirt is a kitten wearing bunny ears. Liza is not a fan of graphic T's.

Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Sunday, April 17, 2011

Yarn sale day = stash blowout


Yesterday at my local yarn haunt they had a yard sale type yarn sale. People brought their yarn that they could part with and marked it with prices they would sell it for. They Tina opened the flood gates and let the yarn crazed masses in. Anything you sold of your yarn stash was then given back to you in a gift certificate to the store. What a a genius idea. I unfortunately had to work my other job yesterday, but I did get first crack at all the lovely discount yarns. I have been working slowly over the past year to trim the fat from my yarn stash. I have donated and chosen projects based on what I have on hand. Yes I am am still tempted by yarns here and there and a few of them had filled the spaces I created. All of this aside, it only took $13.75 to reinflate my stash once again to an almost disgraceful level. At least some of it is business yarn. Still no comments on my raccoon problem. I need solutions people, please help.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Friday, April 15, 2011

Dear John Letter

As with every post that occurs more than a few days after my last one, so much has happened. Our chickens are having ups and downs. Last week they went out into the rolling pen in our yard. This pen is just a fenced in court with a nest box that sits on top for the birds to roost in at night. Then I put wheels on the rear of the thing so that when you want to move it you just lift the front end and roll it to a new spot. I built it for under $50, and yes it is a rickety ass P.O.S. but it gets the job done. Well this week we had a visit from the boogyman himself. Turns out we have a raccoon problem. This is not like the raccoon problem that one of our friends has, where the bastard keeps crapping on his roof (this same friend likens his raccoon to a huge pooping dog with wings). No, our raccoon came by and ate three of my chicken friends, halving our populous in a single night. Bastard. B saw it at some point slinking through our neighborhood looking sketchy. So I am publicly announcing it now,

Dear Mister Raccoon,
Do not fuck with me.

Love,
A.

P.S. Do not force me to wear you as a hat.

I think enough said there. Anyway, as the three remaining chickens are back out in the coop after some serious storms and lots of therapy. They are eating bugs and grass and enjoy clucking in the sun. I think they think that the risk is worth it.


Later...

I wrote the first part of this blog and then went outside to take a photo of my happy chickens, only to find one dead and two missing. It seems that I wrote my dear raccoon letter to late. This causes so many problems, besides the very sad passing of my flock. Raccoons are persistent, and once they decide they want something they do not stop. Nothing caged will be safe in our yard. Also we have three (now) dogs, and they sleep inside but what if this jerk raccoon decided to get himself all rabied up and take a stroll through our yard in the middle of the afternoon? The raccoon must go. I will admit I am having fantasies of hunting down that little masked rat, but I do not think I could kill something with thumbs. I also am not sure if it is right to kill something to pay for the lives it has taken. Racky is just being a raccoon, doing hood rat things with his friends. Some man who was visiting work instructed me on how to catch Racky, and by catch he meant use a trap and they set the trap in a river to drown him. Then this man and I discussed if Racky had a soul, which I found myself surprised by since I do not think of myself as a religious person but I was adamant that Racky had rights and a soul. What do you think I should do readers? Should I avenge the loss of my chicks or do I attempt to relocate the bastard? Do I protect my home or do I protect Racky's rights?

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad