lollipopyarn

Archive for the month “January, 2012”

24 Jan 2012
1 Comment

Stripes?

     Up until now I’ve dyed the same type of stripe – “Nice Girl Stripes“, about 1/2″ (6 rows) wide. 

Devil With A Blue Dress On

     For those of you who have ever dyed self-striping yarn, you know the prewinding process can be a major pain in the patooshca.  

     And that’s assuming you have the room in your studio (house/apartment/doublewide) to even wrap around a couple (or 6) chairs at least 42 (84!) feet apart.

     I happen to have a really cool basement studio that is ginorous.  The family calls it  The LaBOREatory.  There’s all sorts of room to wrap loooong skeins of yarn, and store a gozillion jugs of various dyes.  Plus, my delightful better half installed a flat screen.  Now I can flip between Downton Abbey and the NFL. Yeah, I know, that’s just a bit strange. 

     Anyhoo, per my 5 Yarny Resolutions #4, I’ve decided to venture into new territory.  “Big Bad Stripes” have made their appearance, albeit briefly.  More to come on those.

Bad Kitty

     Also, the “She’s A Little Bit Odd Stripes” are in the works.  Ok, not anytime soon.  See 5 Yarny Resolutions #5.  But later.  Stay tuned.

Posted in dyeing, football, knitting, Uncategorized, yarn and tagged , , , ,
17 Jan 2012
3 Comments

Volunteering – Too Much of a Good Thing?

    Giving back.  It’s something we should all do.  Money, time, whatever.

     I volunteer for a variety of things, but mostly my kids’ school related stuff.  Volunteering makes me feel good.  Warms the cockles of my heart, though I’m not sure what a cockle is, exactly.

    I’m a can do kind of gal.  Give me a job, any project, and not only will it get done, I’ll take it to the next level.  Ratchet it up a notch. Ok, maybe 10 notches.

    But without the drama.  It will just get done.

    So here’s the problem – once you show your stuff, you are toast.    You make it look too easy, so clearly you need more to do.

    The General:  ” Hey, you seem to have that Food Bank project under control, how’s about heading up the March Fundraiser?”

    Me:  “What about Marjorie?”

   The General:  “Well, Marjorie is in charge of the Teacher Box Identification Progam.  She already has soooo much on her plate.  (Yeah, running that label maker can be a real drain.)

   Me: (Thinking) “Marjorie is an idiot.   All she does is whine and moan. ”  

    Bingo!  So who’s the idiot?

    Um, me. 

    So to  hell with the cockles.  Less efficiency, more bitchin’ and moanin’.  Thanks Marjorie.  You are the smart one.

Posted in knitting, Mom Blogs, parenting, Uncategorized, volunteering, yarn and tagged , ,
08 Jan 2012
4 Comments

5 Yarny Resolutions

Kaboom

     2011 was an enormously satisfying year personally and professionally.  I am incredibly blessed to have a terrific husband and 2 healthy, energetic boys.  The Etsy shop  took off faster than you can say Hootenanny, and I have enjoyed immensely keeping up with all the requests and coming up with new colorways.

     That said, there are a few areas where I could stand some serious improvement.  Without further ado, here are my 5 Yarny Resolutions for 2012:

1.  Participate in Ravelry more.

      Confession: I don’t always “get” Ravelry.  Yeah, I can keep track of all my needle sizes, but that still doesn’t mean I actually know where they are.  Plus, I spend so much time dyeing, volunteering, and mothering that there’s barely time for any social media.  Pinterest? Forget it!

     But I had the opportunity to hang out on The Rav one afternoon and found not only a wealth of information, but some fun folks hanging out as well. No convincing needed – this is one cool site.

2. Make time for knitting.

     There’s always a “to do” list.  No more excuses.  KNIT NOW is my new mantra.

3. Go to a show/festival/retreat.

     Too busy. Too many family obligations.  Too many excuses (see #1 and #2 above).  No more.  I will attend SAFF in Asheville, NC.  Maybe Stitches South.  Any other suggestions?

4. Work on new stripe patterns.

      Up until now, always the same old Nice Girl stripes.  Even rows – about 1/2″ wide.  Don’t get me wrong, I love the Nice Girl stripes.  But sometimes a

Beach Baby

girl just wants to be a little bit Bad.  Stay tuned….

5. Build up an inventory.

     Yikes!  Who knew?  Could have sold tons more at Christmas and beyond if I had been prepared.

2012 – Will be a Yarny Year!

Posted in dyeing, knitting, ravelry, resolutions, Uncategorized, yarn and tagged , , , , , ,

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