Trying Something Different

Since spring 2013 finally arrived, I thought I'd branch out and try something different.  At first, the thumb was intimidating.  I got it.  It's not so hard after all.  So now, there's going to be wrist warmers on my Etsy site real soon.  

I entered to win yarn for life here at Love of Knitting.

http://ck.upickem.net/r/4XGj78PN3P3?r=119952

Whenever I wonder why it takes so long for me to finish a sweater I realize that it could be the internet.  Today I could have had this sweater finished and start putting it together.  Actually, it could have been finished last weekend now that I think about it.  What's with that?  I get so many e-mails and most aren't even from real people.

Most of them are taunting me to buy yarn, cameras, clothes, and take surveys.  Most of them could be stopped with a simple "unsubscribe".  Sigh....

It's been a wet week here in SE MI.  Our woods are still under water and the driveway was real close to the same condition as the woods.  

Excitement - I joined Costco yesterday.  Sadly, I can't remember the PIN for my debit card so I couldn't go shopping yet.  I'm in the mood for lots of their vegetables and most likely, some other tasty foods as well.  Behavior and control will be in order.  I promise.  Those Krusteaz products were one of the main reasons for joining along with the bags of frozen mixed vegetables that make great pasta salads for the summer.  

MedHelp.

Ever hear of it?  I'm using their site now instead of the one that starts with a W.  The W hasn't been working for me since they changed to the points program years ago.  MedHelp.org is teaching me what I'm not getting nutritionally and there's no "fluff".  The whole site seems to be more geared to the health aspects of healthy eating and how to control food-related issues and conditions.  So far, since I started using their site last week I've managed to lose a pound.  

One pound you say?  That's all?

That's big for me.  Yes, I know I'm not considered overweight, however, I am hovering on the edge of being considered overweight for my age and height.  Since weight has always been a challenge for me since infancy, this is serious for me.  It's not an obsession - it's a real health concern.  If I don't track what I consume, it all sticks to me and the pounds just come right to me.  Sometimes I think that the pounds that other people lose are found by me.  Snack foods, fast foods, sugary treats, high fat foods have never been part of my regime.  Just eating the "right" foods can cause weight gain for me.  In the past 2 months I have gained 5 lbs. using the W site.  I've gained weight on atkins.  Again,  sigh.....

It snowed here today.  That's all I have to say about that.  

Didn't I have a photo of a yellow tulip already this week?  I think so.  
They are so photo-inspiring.  My photographic inspiration has been lacking lately and it could very well be the fault of another committment to a flickr 365 project.  I'm only 4 days behind so far.  Good thing they allow two photos per day so I can catch up.

Knitting

This afternoon a package from DNBY.com arrived on my porch.  Sadly, I'm not the first one home these days so I was busted.  Other packages that arrived in the past few days were a pair of Teva sandals, a pair of Lee jeans, 10 pounds of King Arthur Flour flour (lol), yarn, socks yarn, two vintage pingouin knitting books, and something else that I can't remember.  No cameras or accessories this week.  There is a bid out there on eBay, though, that hasn't ended yet.  There could be hope on that one.  

Friday

It's finally here.  I waited all week for this day.  There's been some excitement around here.  A big fire on Harsen's Island yesterday.  I took photos of the smoke.  Today there's a manhunt going on for a man who abused his girlfriend.  Again, I have photos to go along with that story.  Yep, taking photos while driving.  I don't talk on my phone or text.  I do take photos with my Canon AS4000 IS.  

Now - to my comfy chair for some knitting!  I am just so anxious to make a new sweater.  I'd have a new sweater if I'd just put one of the previously knitted sweaters together.  Darn it all.  

Yes, this is a site about knitting socks.  Spring has officially arrived so that's what is on everyone's mind around here.  maybe not everyone's.  surely that's what's on mine.

there have been some socks finished in the past few weeks.  most of them are tiny socks perfect for tiny feet.  several haven't been listed yet since i'm just so far behind.  we are exiting sock-season, though.  most people haven't figured out yet that any time of year is good for hand knit socks since they breathe so much better than those tight-knit cotton blend socks that we're accustomed to.

that's a tulip up there.  i'm sure you knew that already.  my mom gives the three of us girls a pot of tulips each year.  it's odd that they're always yellow.  maybe there's a reason and i'm not catching on.

a week ago i was assigned to take a class provided by our company.  the meeting location was at detroit metro airport.  on my way there i passed right by the cemetery where my dad's ashes were buried as well as the graves of my grandma and grandpa knoph and an aunt and uncle that i had never met.  the aunt died in infancy and the uncle was killed in his childhood when he was thrown from a horse.  now, my mom is the last of her immediate family.  in december geralee turned 80 so we're thinking there may be hope for the rest of us.  my father, ronald, didn't make it past the age of 56.  two of his brothers died at young ages as well.  one was 52 and the other 62, both passing before my dad.  

this brings me to my dilemma.  life.  is there enough of mine left to retire from or quit my day job and do something that i have dreamed of doing my entire life - as far back as i can remember anyway.  as an elementary school student i already knew i had to do something in the art field.  photography, architecture, painting, knitting, or sewing were some of my ideas.  then printmaking came along and there were thoughts of working in the advertising field.  there was a job at a local newspaper but i never made it out of the classifieds.  after years of waiting to finish school wayne state university was calling to me once again.  

can i knit socks, sweaters, and an assortment of other accessories and successfully earn money?  I know i can since i've already sold quite a few items over the past hundred years minus a few.  ha!  there are more avenues of self-promotion that i want to try.  time - i need more of it.

speaking of time.  i really need to get back to my knitting.  there are ideas in my head that need to be released in the form of sweaters.  

happy spring!

There is so much yarn in the world that I can't take it anymore!

Really, I am being truthful.  Every day I get e-mails telling me there's yarn available, discounts to be had, free shipping, clearance prices, and more!

What is a knitter to do?

Buy more yarn!

That brings me to yet another problem.  Where will the time come from that will be needed to knit with all of this yarn?  

Someone once suggested that Wills should be written so that these yarns go to a safe place if one outlives their stash.  The anguish begins when it is discovered that one's family does not have another yarn addict within the immediate circle.  

There is still time to convince a daughter or two that they just might want to learn this wonderful art since it did help me through many trying times over the years in my lifetime.

No matter how many people come and go, how many people hurt your feelings, how many people think you are not worthy, the yarn is always there. 

Yarn does not criticize.

Yarn does not cheat on you.

Yarn does not scream, hit, insult.

Yarn does not abandon you.

Yarn does not tell you that you're delusional.

Yarn does not tell you that you will never amount to anything.

Yarn will drive you nuts with all those wonderful colors and textures.  All the sock yarns to keep your feet warm.  All those sweater yarns to keep you cuddly warm or looking fashionably awesome.  

The yarn in the photo above helps women in other lands earn a living.  This one came from Nepal and was purchased through Darn Good Yarns.  It's even more wonderful in person.

Oh.  Heavy sigh.......  

There's more yarn arriving in the next two days - darn eBay........

There's another camera in my collection this week.  Once again, no one outbid me on eBay.  There were actually two winning camera bids this past week, but, that photo will come later.
With all the cameras that I've got around here I need to gather them all up, take inventory photos, and document them.  My insurance company may actually consider them to be collectible - some of them anyway.

Over the past few weeks I've been thinking that there needs to be more time to do everything.  Since I hit the ripe old age of 55 I'm thinking that there may only be just over 20 years left.  My mom reached 80 in December and is still going strong.  My dream is to not have to get up every morning at 4:30 a.m. and head off to an auto plant.  My knitting is nagging me daily.  My Etsy shop is just a small part of what could be done with all this yarn that's accumulating here around me.

That brings me to another problem.  Yarn.  I want all of it.  Last Sunday we went to Mary Maxim and I bought 5 skeins of yarn.  This morning I took a chance and bid on three different yarns.  Darn it all if I didn't win all three of the auctions.  They were all good deals and the winning price, even including shipping, is still lower than buying retail after driving to a location that even sells yarn.  There aren't many near me.

Sourdough bread is driving me nuts.  Have you ever tried making sourdough bread?  If so, got any helpful hints?  On Monday I baked two loaves and messed up before they were even in the oven.  I didn't follow the directions properly and had the raising all backwards.  My final product was two loaves of brick-like bread.  The flavor was good but they sure were hard to cut with my bread knife.  A small chain saw would have been a better idea.

Tomorrow morning I'm going to make sourdough waffles and later in the day I'm going to attempt two more loaves of bread.  One of the books that I've been reading said that one must be able to master the art of regular yeast breads before moving on to sourdough bread.  One author even said wrote that it became an obsession for her until she got it right.  I am beginning to understand that.  

On another front - sock knitting is going well.  The little tiny socks have been piling up and have been listed on Etsy a few days apart so that I have constant new listings.  I'm working on two pairs of socks for a knittalk friend.  One of the yarns gave me trouble but the finished socks are awesome.  The 2nd pair is becoming a challenge due to the yardage of the skein not being the usual length but the weight is over the usual 100 grams.  I was just knitting along thinking that a 6 1/2" cuff would be fine.  Nope.  So, I now need to unknit or 'tink' the first sock to have enough yarn for sock #2.  If this pair was for myself I could imagine that they would end up pushed aside and another project would be in the works.  But, the incentive is that they are not for me, which is an excellent way of keeping oneself from straying from ufo to ufo.  

Hey!  

Spring is on it's way!

What a week it was.  It all started on Sunday as weeks always do.  Sunday wasn't too bad, if I remember correctly.  At the moment, it's Saturday and I really can't remember what I did last Sunday.
Monday I was scheduled for a 3:15 p.m. dentist appointment to fix two old fillings that were beyond their expected lifespan.  During the day at work, right after lunch, I was walking through the plant and my tongue hit the side of the upper molar and I just about jumped up to the ceiling.  Sometime during my peanut butter and honey sandwich my tooth had cracked in half.
Whoa, did that hurt.
So, the dentist told me he couldn't do anything for that tooth and they set me up with an endodontist appointment for Tuesday morning.
Tuesday rolls around and I receive a call that my appointment is actually in the afternoon.  Oh, the agony goes on.
When I get to the endodontist all the forms get filled out and they call me in.  They take one of those digital x-rays that shows everything and show it on a big screen.  Oh yeah, there's a crack alright.
They can't help me, so,they call the oral surgeon across the street and off I go.
Now, I find someone who can help me.  I've never had a tooth pulled before without being knocked out.  They sure do yank and pull a lot.  
Now, I have a big hole where the molar once was.

Steve's birthday was the following day.  That's where those glasses of water up there come in.  Do you know how hard it is to go to a restaurant the day after a tooth extraction?  Not so easy.

Valentine's day comes next - same thing - a day of yogurt and mushy stuff.

Friday - out for dinner at the local Mexican restaurant.  Oh, the torment.

What to do next?  Implant or bridge, or absolutely nothing?  More to come.
Follow-up appointment a week away.  The other filling will be replaced as well so I don't encounter this fun again.

Black and White Baby Socks by SusansKnittingSocks on Etsy

Black and White Baby Socks by SusansKnittingSocks on Etsy:

'via Blog this'

Yes, I am still around!

Every day I think about posting here and it didn't occur to me that it's been almost two months since I've been here.  

What is with that?

Socks are being knitted.  Lots of socks.  The pair featured above is currently for sale on my Etsy site and can be viewed by clicking one of the photos over there on the right.

Tiny socks are my current endeavor.  After receiving questions asking if there will be tiny socks on my site it was time to get some going.  They're a great way to use those odd balls from the big socks and there are those eBay sellers who love getting rid of theirs.

In other News.  Heavy sigh.....

My truck is back in the body shop once again.  After getting the front end repaired and having a few good months with no "adventures" I was rear-ended on my way home from work a couple weeks ago.  No one was hurt except the vehicles.  So, I had a Dodge Caravan for a week then turned that back in when my old TJ was home after a check up and getting the rims replaced.  The old steel rims just were getting too leaky.

Work front.  

Frustrating.  

That's it.

Buy socks!  Help me give up my day job!

Ah - my campaign slogan - Susan's Knitting Socks to leave the day job - or something like that.  

It's a thought.......

16 More Knitting Days in 2012

 I haven't been here to blog around lately since I've been busy knitting.  That's what I should be doing right now, too.  Really, I have been knitting all day on and off.  It's the Custom Order before Christmas syndrome.  I'm slowing down.  After I finish the pair I'm working on right now, there's 3 more socks to knit and it's back to normal.  

 Three socks you say?  That's right.  A customer is creating something using little socks so she only needed three.  After I knitted the first three she requested three more - aha!  Now, it's 3 pairs of socks.  Just waiting for the ball of yarn to arrive from Annie's.  There was a pattern that I wanted and prefer the heavy-stock paper versions instead of having to print it out myself.  

The three pairs of socks above are also custom orders.  I have actually knitted more than those as one customer ordered a pair in the black and the white.  I have an additional pair of white still for sale on my Etsy site.  

Going forward in 2013 I'm promising myself to take better care of my Etsy finances.  One should not instantly spend every penny that comes in through PayPal or Direct Pay.  Today, I discovered that the Etsy option to print postage labels works real well.  Not only that, I was only .10 off in my estimate on a package travelling to Canada.  I'm getting better with this.

In my early years I was paying more for the shipping than my customers were.  The additional costs weren't rolled into my items, either.  I don't like that when it's done to me, so I don't do it to others.  ;-)

My pricing formula is going to change as well.  I'm going to keep track of the starting weight of the yarn, calculate the per gram price, knit the socks, and calculate price then mark the price up afterwards.  Several pairs of socks have put me in the red as I didn't buy the yarn on eBay or get a special price.

Back to my knitting!  

Happy Saturday and don't stress over those holidays!  They do come around at the same time every year so we shouldn't be surprised.

My Etsy Shop

Hunting Season

Endangered Species

Not really.  Not these critters.

They know where to hide to avoid being future dinners.  Yep, right up with the cabins running through the trees, chewing up the landscape, knocking over fences and chasing small pets.

They've eaten all the acorns from the ground under our trees.  The deer ate just about every plant that surrounded the cabin, except the ones inside the fence.  The last two trips we made we found the fence knocked over.  Maybe we need to hang Caution tape so they'll see it when they're running.

That's a ball of yarn

Go Lions!

My birthday present

Here I am with another new toy to cut into my knitting time.  Nope.  I think it's going to help me out and make me more mobile. 

You know how it is when you go on a trip somewhere and you feel that you need to take your knitting?  Every time we go up north to our recently purchased cabin I have that feeling.  Most of the time I take something that's already in progress and a back-up in case I finish that one.

This last time I decided that we needed an afghan up there.  I don't have one down here so why need one up there?  I bought this yarn a couple years ago - no, way longer than that since I think I stopped there at this little shop when I went to pick up our marriage license after it was signed by the Justice of the Peace and sent back to our county offices.

Steve and I were married October 16, 2005.  

This yarn's been around a while.  Seems like just yesterday.

It happened one morning on my way to work.  Now, I didn't want to go to work so, had I followed my first thoughts I wouldn't have had a collision.  My F250 SuperDuty is really in bad shape now.

Tuesday, October 9th, I was heading out.  I was off on the 8th and had really enjoyed a 3-day weekend.  I left home at 5:40 as usual.  Drove the 1 1/2 miles of gravel road to reach Marine City Highway.  Pulled out, drove about 1 mile, got up to 60 mph and BAM!  Got me a buck.

I didn't want a buck.  Not this kind of buck.  Venison isn't one of my favorite foods and hunting isn't one of my usual hobbies.  Using a SuperDuty isn't recommended, either.  

From what I understand, only the engine is still in the original space.  Everything else was either squished, busted, or simply relocated.  Now, the waiting game.  How much?  The $500 deductible is my responsibility. 

We will see.

I told the body shop man that I want my Blue Oval.  That was pretty much where the grille made contact with the broad side of the buck.  Mr. Buck was in mid-leap when I got him.  Lucky for the car going in the opposite direction he didn't get it since his car was way smaller.  

So, I did get another day off.  Drove Steve to the airport then home for the rest of the day.

Something happened on my way to work last Tuesday.  I was just getting up to speed on 26 Mile Road, aka Marine City Highway, when my F250 SuperDuty had a run-in with a leaping buck.

This is how the SuperDuty looks today.  There's a lot of work that needs to be done here.  From what I understand, so far, this is what's wrong:

Bumper is gone - that was left on the side of the road, both headlights are busted, radiator got smashed by the fan that smashed the fan housing and the shaft for the fan assembly is bent, the grille is gone, the water pump is shot and was pushed up into the hood causing an outward lump, the hood is bent and there's a whole lot more that I can't even remember.

Me?  I'm ok.  The buck lived temporarily.  He was a big buck but only a 6-pointer.

Now I'm having anxiety issues when it comes to driving to work in the morning in the dark.  It gets my heart racing and I just don't want to go out there.

Most likely, I'll get over all that and be OK with driving again.  I just keep seeing the image of that buck as I hit him broadside.  He was in the middle of a leap because he had just missed being hit by the guy going in the opposite direction that I was going in.

What the heck?

So, I listed this pair of little pink and purple socks the other day and had an inquiry almost instantaneously.  Awesome, eh?  Well, they didn't sell yet, but, three other pairs did sell this week.

Me, thinking that maybe I need to branch out into the e-world with my old goDaddy.com-based website ran into a snag.  Turns out my website isn't there anymore.  They have my payments but I have no webpage.  They sent an e-mail that my site is expiring on October 26th and my charge card on record is expired so they cannot auto renew.

I'm keeping it that way.  So, say aurevoir to to www.reddeviltj.com  It's gonna be sad, but, I'll lose my domain, too.  Oh well.

Let's just move on.

So, last night I think that WIX looks good.  I'm trying hard to build an online store site.  Why?  Yep, I asked myself that, too.  So, I spent time trying to figure it out and upload photos.  WIX doesn't want anything to do with any of my sock photos.  So, now there's another website out there connected to me and uses my name as the website.  Should be interesting to see how many people land there and think they're going to look at socks and they see cupcakes.  The template wouldn't let me get rid of the cupcakes and put socks in their places.

Oh, the internet can be such a wonderful place and a frustrating one at the same time.

Expect to see me here more often and I will work harder to list these socks on my Etsy site.  I have several pairs finished and they're just waiting to be photographed.  What's taking me so long?

Got me......

Socks!

This is the latest pair of socks that I've finished and posted on my Etsy site.  In case you don't know which Etsy site that is, it would be here:  

the knitting jeepgirl

The summer has not been kind to my sale of hand knit socks.  Could anyone take a wild guess about why that is?  My bet is the heat.  I'm still wearing mine but that's because they act as insulation and cushion when I'm on my feet all day (well, that's a slight exaggeration) at an auto plant.  

This is the latest listing on my Etsy site which you can access through the link on my blog here.

What else has been happening?  I'm still working and counting the years until I can be a full-time stay-at-home knitter.  My aspiration in life is to make money knitting whether it's for my own business or someone else's.  A couple years ago I attempted the "someone else's" and it didn't go so well.  After I looked back it seems that it was an issue of pattern writing and interpretation.

Have a great Saturday!  

Fires


There have been too many fires this year all over the place.  The news was saying how bad the fires have been in Florida and New Mexico.  If I remember correctly, there's one in Arizona as well.


We had one of our own earlier this spring.  The charred trees are really standing out with the green background now.  I came home from work on a Wednesday to find a sort of haze that I couldn't see through as I was pulling up to the mailbox at the end of our driveway.  Since we always have dirty windshields, I thought the sun was just hitting it at the right angle.


It wasn't a dirty windshield this time although that didn't help matters much.  We were a victim of spontaneous combustion.  The front of our woods between the road and the creek were on fire when I arrived around 4:45 p.m.  I had thought of stopping at the store to pick up a few things but thought I'd rather spend a sunny warm afternoon in April on the porch knitting.


There was no on-the-porch knitting for me that day.


Fire #2


I don't have any photos to show the "after-the-fire" condition of our cabin in the UP.  The DNR is going to send them by e-mail so that we can see what's left.  This time we're victims of the Pike Lake/Duck Lake Fire in the Upper Peninsula.  Our little section of Section 21 on the plat map has been burning for over a week.  


Yesterday's map shows that our land is still burning and they're working on extinguishing it and the rain was helping.


I will share the photos when they arrive.  When I called yesterday they said they didn't have my e-mail address to send them.  They have it now, but, I'm thinking they're rather busy but I'll send a reminder e-mail (which includes my return e-mail address ;-)) tomorrow.

Blackberry Blossoms

There are so many blackberry blossoms in our fields this spring that it could be the best year ever if we get enough rain.  The last time we thought we'd have a banner crop the deer beat us to them.  Guess they can do that since they don't have to go to work every day.  That's when they seem to attack.

I wonder if I can ask for time off this year for the harvest.  Just a thought.

Yesterday afternoon they posted a phone number for those affected by the Duck Lake Fire to call and give the location of their property.  I called.  Now, we wait for the return call.  This afternoon the DNR is having a meeting in Newberry to inform those who can attend what they already know.  In one article they said they have confirmed 70 structures that have been damaged.  The Rainbow Lodge has been totally destroyed.  I've never had the privilege of staying there since we always just stayed at our cabin.  So far, no one has been injured.  No word on any wildlife as well.  

We're five miles back in on the end of a trail which would lead me to believe that no one would drive back that far to look for a cabin.  My feeling is that I need to go for a drive as soon as they say it's safe to see what is left and if we can salvage anything.  Steve thinks that we may be lucky and find the outhouse still standing.  My response to that was it could happen due to the nature of the structure.  Too nasty for even the fire to get near.  

Our cabin was built somewhere in the late 40s or early 50s and had deer hunt documentation written in pencil on one of the walls.  There were some big bucks back then.  The previous owner had also constructed an observatory in the back on the hill.  That was later torn down and left in a pile of bent steel.  We cleaned that up and constructed a tri-level deer blind that resembled a small fire observation tower.  

Blueberries.  They could be bigger and better after this.  After the 2007 Sleeper Fire the blueberries came back the following year bigger and juicier than before.  This year the Paradise Blueberry Festival may be using less local berries due to the fire.  Our 80 acres is just full of blueberry bushes.

Flower Season

Columbines are a difficult flower to capture since they appear to be looking down in a sad way.  With my new camera I can actually sneak up on them and see what I'm getting without having to lay on the ground.  Sony does have some good ideas.

We are progressing in the purchase of our cabin up in Atlanta.  Closing is getting near, however, not soon enough for us to enjoy it this holiday weekend.

Our cabin in the UP may not be there as of this week.  There's a fire that's consuming a 12 mile stretch.  According to the map on the DNR's website, our cabin is inside the red zone.

Luce County Duck Lake Fire

We're hoping that we will be missed as it will be sad to see 80 acres of trees burned.  But, nature does have a way of recovering.  Sometime this summer we'll have to take a road trip when they say it's safe to go back into the woods.  

Yesterday I found out that a dear friend and former co-worker lost a short battle with cancer.  He didn't even tell me he was sick and kept sending those silly jokes that retirees recycle over and over.   

I will miss you Walter Dutz.

Hand Knit Camo socks for Kids

This new pair can be found in my Etsy shop.  I make it real easy for you to get there from here.  Just scroll on over to the left on the side of this blog and you'll see the widget that will get you there.  I love those widgets!

This is one of my favorite photos and I'm thinking that anyone who knows me knows why.  There's a lawn chair, knitting & coffee.  Now, if I could figure out a way to get away with this scenario on a daily basis.  


The countdown to retirement is on but it also makes me feel as if I'm wishing my life away one day at a time.  If I could sell enough socks or win the lottery or have a bag of money drop from the sky I'd be all set.  With all those planes flying over every day you'd think something would fall from the sky.  


Back to that knitting.  The sweater that's in the photo was one that I had knit this time last year.  It needed to be sewn together and have the edgings finished.  Guess what, that's been done and now the sweater is sitting here in a wad on the desk to the left of my keyboard.  It's needing something more so a lace lower band or edging might be in the very near future.  I have more of the yarn in the same color but am thinking of an antique white instead.  Also lace cap sleeves keep popping into my head.


Work.  My day job.  Audit.  I'm so exhausted.  Who invented audits and why do we need them?  Is it the same person who invented panty hose and underwire bras?  I don't really like either one of those, either.  


The day went like this:  All but 3 employees were in attendance over the past 24 hours.  We made do by offering overtime.  7:00 a.m. this morning a supervisor from down the hall stops in and asks if we can send someone to mop the rest of his office area.  Not long after that we find out that he has a small leak somewhere.  Nope.  Not small.  Instead it turned out to be a valve that someone left open and the ceiling tiles drop.  Well Kevin.  We mopped your floor.  Auditors arrive.  The questions begin.  Most were directed at me, however, I am not involved in the financial portion of the business.  Redirect to the boss.  Safety questions are asked - however, they don't refer to the documents using their real titles.  Trick questions I'm thinking or maybe they know something I don't.  All were accounted for.  They want copies of my daily audits.  I have one for each day - he asks why I'm missing a couple days.  Hmmm.  I was sick and out of the building for 5 days - could it be those days?  Most likely, but I didn't remember until I walked in the door here after work.  Must have been the trip to the chiropractor shook up some memory cells in the brain.
Back to the audit - out into the building - nothing overly nasty other than the building was built in 1948 and really shows it's age more every day.  We clean it, not fix it.  Cobwebs - yep, they happen when you have holes in your building.  Why would a spider want to stay outside when it's warmer inside.  The mice can just come in and wander back out as they please, too.
Out in the plant - oh no, some debris behind the guardrails.  I pick that up every day when I'm walking but those silly ear plug bags, paper bits, screws, and other assorted items accumulate at the edges with the wind from the big doors and the travelling fork trucks.
Lunch time rolls around and a hose breaks at a major intersection and we have 1" of water.  Fork trucks can create roostertails when they travel.
In the end, we were told we were disappointing, however, the building is cleaner than the last time they were there.
Hey, tomorrow an executive is coming for a visit so I'm sure we'll have roof leaks if it rains, small fires from smoldering cigarettes, ear plug bags, gum wrappers, candy bar wrappers, chip bags and anything else the employees feel like dropping when they don't want to hold on to it until they reach the next trash can.
Oh yes, what can we flush down the toilet?  
I suggested a class for new hires:  Potty Training 101.
They thought I was joking.

Tulips

This is just one of the most awesome photos I've seen yet from one of my old film cameras.  My Kodak APS camera was in my camera bag on the side pocket for quite some time.  When I pulled it out and turned it on to see if the battery was even still working I discovered that I had some film in it with some exposures already taken.


So, what were they?  I finished the roll earlier this month and sent it in.  This is my first favorite on the roll.  Funny part is, these same three tulips came up this year once again and have been the subject of my new Sony a390 dslr.  

New Stuff

My new knitting location - coming soon!

First of all, I'm trying to get used to the changes here at Blogger.  I'll adjust.  Facebook has been messing with me, too.  Why do they do that?  Sometime changes aren't a welcome site when you're just wanting to do what you always did.  ;-)

Speaking of changes!  Our offer on this lovely vacation home was accepted so now let the paperwork begin.  We also have to pass interviews to belong to the association that is connected to this area.  No problem, I say.  That is, unless they have problems with yarn.  Why would they?

We're hoping that we could actually use this as a second home or a semi-retirement home.  I'm ready.  Steve isn't.  But then, I'm older.  

The KnittingJeepgirl

The KnittingJeepgirl:

'via Blog this'

Will we be enjoying this cabin this summer?

We certainly are hoping that we'll be able to come up here on weekends, relax, knit, go for walks, knit, watch the wildlife, knit, photograph wildlife and nature, and knit.

Oh yes, and Steve could go hunting in the fall without having to go sit in a tree at our UP cabin.  If our offer is accepted we'll become land barons here in Michigan.  We'll be spread from down here in SE MI to Atlanta, to Luce County.  We would have a total of 92 acres + 4 lots in Atlanta.  

This weekend we're going to go look at it once again hoping that the offer we submitted yesterday will be accepted.  It's "vintage" but updated and has a cozy feel plus all the windows to watch outside. 

Since we want it I'm not going to share any more details since, like my yarn obsession, more competition might make me irritable. 

One more pair for 2012!

Ever since I said I'd share photos of my finished knits for this year I stopped finishing knits.  Technically, I have two more pairs of socks but we'll get to that in a few minutes.  This pair was a custom-order for the wife of the customer who ordered the last pair in similar shades.  This pair was designed after the DeVry University school logo as that's where she's attending her nursing classes.

This school-color themed sock knitting isn't catching on as fast as I would like so I think I'm going to just have to get some yarn in the Wayne State University Colors and Oakland University for myself and my daughters then show them off all over the place.  

 We went out for a walk yesterday morning before the rain came.  Turns out, the rain never came yesterday - it came this morning.  The clouds sure were rather thick, though.  The humidity was as well.  My hair was the perfect humidity indicator by the time I came inside.  It didn't appear as if I had done anything with it earlier.


They say that we may be seeing a freeze tonight and tomorrow night here in St. Clair County.  The trees are blooming and the tulips are showing their buds.  Hopefully, they all survive since I don't have any tarps that will cover 12 acres of sprouting.


I've actually got a project that should be finished sometime today.  If I stop typing and get back to crocheting it could be done by noon.  That's 25 minutes from now.  It could happen.

Once again it's been quite some time since I've been here to my blog.  Do you think it's because we're all spreading ourselves out all over the internet with facebook, twitter, and all that e-mail reading and sending?  I'm thinking that I may have signed up for too many forums.  


This past week I had some excitement here at home.  I came home from work only to find our woods was on fire.  It was chiropractor day and, since my usual route home is closed for construction, I stopped at a store that I normally don't go past.  It's a good thing I didn't get a shopping cart and only bought what I could carry.  Another good thing was that we weren't having the usual windy day that's been plaguing us lately.  The burning was more extensive than I first thought.  I've taken more photos since then and will share them when I get around to uploading them from my camera.


Today I was in the mood to do some laundry.  My first load was one of the blankets that the dog sleeps on.  That didn't go so well.  Turns out the pump for the laundry tub must be clogged or something and it shut down during the spin cycle.  I have a wet floor once again and a tub full of water.  


So, I'll have to bail the water out of the tub so that I can figure out what to do with the pump.  Good thing the sump pump is right there so I only have to tote water 6'.  Wonder what I can wear to work next week while I'm waiting for my husband-repair-all 'round handyman to be able to get to it.  Good thing he did most of the laundry when he took a day off last week.

This rose plant was given to me for Valentine's Day by my husband Steve.  My challenge now is to keep it alive.  There's something about this house that isn't friendly to indoor plants.  I don't know if it's the lighting or the well water, but, just about everything I've tried to go inside has turned brown.
This will be my new challenge.  

Knitting

Yes, there has been knitting going on around here.  For some reason I haven't been able to get anything finished.  I do have another ensemble for the American Girl-sized dolls that I need to take photos of and post in my Etsy shop.  I need to finish the skirt first.  I will be sure to share that with you here when the listing is up.

I'm going to have to put my thinking cap on and actually design something.  Back in my more creative days that wasn't a problem.  I would just pick up the yarn, choose the needles and start knitting.  I'd measure as I go and when it was all done, it fit whoever it was meant for.  So, why are these doll clothes causing me trouble?  I want to design knit leggings.  It's not hard.  The doll isn't that large but she does have an odd shape.  As soon as I finish the hooded cardigan that is on the needles right now I will find myself some yarn and get started.  If I was real smart about it, I'd even take notes so I know what to do next time.  

On-line Forums

Over the years I have joined so many on-line forums that I often forget where I'm at.  If I google myself I will get about 2 pages of locations where I've been.  There are knitting forums, 4 wheel drive, log home, photography, cat, dog, weight loss, and I'm sure I'm missing something - oh yeah, Ford F250.  

Yesterday I had an encounter with another forum member who totally misread what I was sharing and blew up at me.  From what I read later after I stopped responding, she lashed out at the entire group that had left comments on her original post.  It was a "general chit-chat" forum and that's what we were doing.  

The first time that happened to me was back when I volunteered every minute that I was home and awake to knit for charity.  I had suffered an injury at work that was causing severe pain while knitting so I had to back down.  Whoa - I was hit hard electronically and even had to relocate my blog since she had  spammed me on the old one so bad that I couldn't even log in.

My take on the whole thing from yesterday - just knit today.  

I do need to do some work for my paying job but, I might just save that for when I'm at work.  

Finished Project #6

It must appear that I'm just a knittin' fool, eh?  Not really.  I'm just making some simple items for the moment since I'm surrounded by single skeins of sock yarn.  Right now, I'm making a pair of fingerless mitts out of the left-over yarn from that pair of socks up there.  I'll share a photo when they're finished.

In other news.  I discovered a channel on our non-cable/non-satellite TV selections.  CoolTV and they play music videos from the past 20 to 30 years.  Wow, have music videos been around that long?  Damn, I'm getting old.  That brings me to another topic.

Gotye "Somebody That I Used to Know" has gotten stuck in my head since I saw the video yesterday so I had to go to Amazon.com to find him.  I found him.  I've listened to that sock about 10 times today because it's just awesome.  So are the rest of his songs that I downloaded.

Kimbra was the female artist in the video with him.  Of course, one artist led to another and I ended up buying her CD, too.  

Gin Wigmore was also featured on CoolTV.  You got it.  I downloaded her CD too.  She reminds me a lot of Amy Winehouse.  I was rather saddened when Amy passed away as I'm a big fan of her's.  I bought her last CD, too.

 Amazon.com is really going to love me.  I did get an Amazon.com charge card so I'm now earning points towards future purchases.

Kindle - will I ever read all the books that I have on that thing?  I downloaded and installed my Kindle reader for my PC so I can sit and knit easier while reading.  It was amazing how much progress I made on my current selection "Whispers from the Ashes" by Patricia Hester.  I now have 12 pages of books to read.

Between all the books and all the yarn I'm not sure I have enough lifetime left.  On TV a week ago they said that the average life expectancy for women is around 80.  That's less than 30 years for me.  I better retire real soon so I can just stay here and read and knit and sit in my yard and watch mother nature and take photos with the 30 cameras that I have.

What to do, what to do?  Oh the frustration of it all.......

No 2 in 2012

Size 12 socks - Custom Order

It felt like it was going to take forever to knit this giant pair of socks.

The first finished item in 2012!

My first finished item of 2012 for my Etsy shop.  I'm also challenging myself to document a year in knitting by sharing photos of all of the items that have been finished.  Now, I'm not saying that all of the finished projects were started in 2012.  There are sweaters right over here behind me that were started in 2010 and still waiting for those finishing touches such as buttons.  

This wool cowl is listed at The Knitting Jeepgirl for $12.50 plus $1.75 for postage.  Once you buy something from my shop I send a coupon code for your next purchase.  

This year I will be listing more socks for kids & adults along with tiny versions for 18" dolls.  I'm also going to be adding fingerless mitts as soon as I figure out a pattern since it will be a first for me.  Cowls, scarves and face cloths will still be featured as well.

Stop by, "favorite" my shop and visit on facebook as well.  

http://www.facebook.com/reddeviltj

'via Blog this'

We had a little bit of flooding this week around here.  This is the view of our neighbor's house from our upstairs window.  Now, I'm watching a movie here on TV and they're flashing this little icon in the upper left hand corner of the screen saying more rain and flooding is on the way.
Woohoo!
Knitting - still knitting the special-order socks. Size 14 feet require really big socks.  I mean REALLY BIG socks.  Seems like I'm knitting forever.  It would go faster if I just plain old stick to it and not keep putting it down for other things.

What time of year is it kids?

Is it the Holiday Season?  That time of year we all look forward to every year but are never ready for it?  

Did you know that Christmas comes the same date every December?  Somehow, we just don't get it.

What are you doing this year?  How are you shopping?  Are you going to support small businesses in your own neighborhood?  How about in your own state?  Even in the U.S. would be a place to start.

Do our kids really need all those electronic gadgets?  If they do, why not have them work for them - you know, like we used to get paid for doing chores around the house so we could buy those frivolous things we didn't need.  We just wanted them.  Was it because our friends had them?  Was it because we saw an ad on TV during cartoons?  

Did our lives really depend on having an Atari?  C'mon now.  Fess up.

I know I am going to buy something from local sellers.  I'm going to start with Etsy.  Start with my own zip code.  Guess what!  There are only two Etsy sellers in my zip code.

Try it:  48064.  Myself and Adana.

I will be shopping on her site.  She makes soap and I'm sure my daughters would love some hand made soap for Christmas.

What else is going on here?  I sold a scarf on Thanksgiving.  I had just realized that it was an expired listing on Wednesday and renewed it.  My last few sales were renewed listings.  

Now, the odd thing is, I've got a football game on TV and I'm home with just the cat & dog.  Neither of them is interested.  What's with that?  Maybe I need to go vacuum.

Vacuum what, you ask?  

Cat & Dog Hair!

Since I keep bragging about all the cameras that I own I should probably share a photo or two every know and then.  Most of the time I just say that another one has arrived without any explanation.  
Over the past couple months we did manage to go out on little one-day adventures.  Each time I took the usual Sony a100 DSLR digital and one of my film cameras.  
This day, we went to the Antique Tractor show in Goodells and the SplitCam came for the ride.
As you can see, it does some wonderful things.  The first time I ran a roll through and took it in for developing I was told that there appeared to be a problem with my camera.  Now, I send little notes along with the film explaining that any wierdness that you may see during developing is supposed to be there.  
When I got the photos back from snapfish.com I thought this one was rather intriguing.  It appears as if "ghost" tractors had been among us.  Creepy, eh?  I love it.


The newest addition to the collection is another Argus C-3 and a pop 9 which has 9 lenses.  Wait, that's only 2.  A Colorsplash now resides here, too.
Stay tuned for more interesting photos.  
Gotta love film!