You say it's your Birthday...."
Happy Birthday to me!I'd love to be able to tell you how much I've accomplished on this Birthday of mine, butI'd be lying. I have had a nice relaxing day so far, I've only gone out to get a birthday lunch formyself from pannara bread co. Yum. Even if the lettuce and tomato tried to freeze on the shortjaunt home!Why have I not gone out exploring the yarn shops, craft stores and bookstores?Because it is Freezing out there. The sun is shining brightly and it is 10 degrees F. notfactoring in the wind chill, and the wind is blowing a bit.Just a bit North of Louisville, they closedsome schools because they didn't want the kids standing out in the cold getting frostbite.I feel like I'm living in Alaska again. Of course, they never canceled school in AK because it was only10 degrees outside. In Alaska, everyone had the clothing and outerwear to keep themselves fromfreezing. Everyone wore a warm hat. I even had a face mask, bright red that I wore if I was going to be outin the ice fog. Here in KY we are a little lax in the outerwear area. I had to talk my 13 yr old into wearingsocks with her clogs this morning!Me, I'm layering with Wool. My socks are handknit almost felted to fit mohair and wool, my shoes leather.Yesterday it was a bit warmer and Mariah and I went shopping. My brother gave me a gift card to the bookstore and I went and spent part of it on a really inspiring book called: "Kaleidoscope ideas + projects to Spark your Creativity" by Suzanne Simanaitis. She prints a Zine called the Artitude Zine.
http://www.artitudezine.com/I also have ordered some back issues. A little present for myself.A Zine is short for Magazine. They are small independent publications. There are all kinds of Zines on all kinds of topics.They are interesting. Refreshing. Some are all black and white, put together out of office printer pages.Others are full color with inserts and even ads. All of them are passionate about the topic they cover.I have a few zines on the shelf here and some are almost professionally done, meaning they go to a printer to be copied and bound. I have one that was doneby hand with inserts and is focused on one famous artist. It is wonderful. I admire their creators greatly for their creativity and focus.So I've been surfing the web looking at sites for Zines.Reading, Knitting, and thinking about those words for those S cards that are due in 3 weeks.Sensual, sibilant, silky, spiral, snake, serpent, sunset, silent, shhhh.I'm warm and I'm pretty content, and that's pretty much wonderful.Viki
posted by Viki at
1:17 PM Tuesday, January 30, 2007
Time for comfort
What a busy January we have had.Finally the Lord of the Rings concert is over and Mariah doesn't have practice until 10 p.m. Just ballet 5 days a week. She has new point shoes and they hurt her feet, mostly because they are new.We finally had a few flurries of snow and some cold temps. The wool socks are nice and comfy. I may have to bite the bullet and knit DH another pair.Everyone sent their sick kids into the preschool last week, so I had a cold all weekend.Jordan, my oldest, was sick with a UTI and Last night Mariah came down with strep throat.She goes to the doctor today.My DH is on call all week and he probably would like to stay at work, there may be fewer germs at thehospital than at the house this week. Nah, not really. Hospitals are really germy. In Art news, I finally finished my "I" cards and sent them to the hostess. I really had a hard timegetting into the groove for this project. I ended up with "ink blots" and they did turn out fine, if a bitstark. They get the job done. Now I have 1 month to stress over the letter "S".When I have time to look into techniques I get really excited about mixed media and collage, but I'm not impressed with my efforts. Everything is a learning experience though, so at least I'm growing and learning.I actually spun some yarn on the old Louet last night. I am really hankering for a new wheel.Keep your fingers crossed that Alden Almos gets my wheel done this Spring. I really can't afford another andthe one he is building is paid for, and has been for a few years. ( I ordered it almost 5 years ago)I knit on the FLAK last week and finished an arm! I've picked up the stitches for the other arm but I've been so fuzzy in the head that I haven't knit on it yet. Cold meds will do that to you. My friend Anita,
http://thefiberartist.blogspot.com/ has knit 3 FLAK sweaters in the last year. As well as many other sweaters, shawls and socks. The woman is amazing, she also knows how to put pictures on her blog.I still have to figure that out!Food: In the last week we have had a lot of easy or comfort type food. Chicken stew, Chicken soup, roast chicken, pasta, potatos cabbage and smoked salmon was the most unusual. The children wouldn't eat it of course. Everytime I start cutting back on the meat some of us get sick and I go back to relying on old favorites that are heavy on the chicken. I don't believe that the lack of meat is what causes the illness, in fact, I Know it isn't the reason. I do know that most of my comfort foods are short on Veg and heavy on meat of some sort, usually chicken. I need to find some new comfort foods. If you have any ideas please let me know.Viki
posted by Viki at
9:49 AM Saturday, January 06, 2007
The Letter "I"
The letter "I" is brought to you today, by me.Last post I talked about ATC's and the Alphabet swap in which I'm participating.I went to the group files and read about people's likes and dislikes andrealized that using a religious stamp to make a modern day Russian Icon, wasn't going tocut it. I might offend someone, and I really don't want to do that! Seriously.I consider myself spiritual and not really religious. Some of those paintings of Mary and thebaby are beautiful.I thought about Icons in the news and ads of today. Every thing from Angelina J to coca-cola.So I started searching for a modern day Icon on the web. A person that I could create a great bit of art around.I almost settled on Einstein. I love that man. He was so out there, he used to get lost on his way homefrom the college. The campus police routinely took him home when they found him wandering.I may suggest an Einstein swap later.Then I started to simplify. I found some great pictures of Ice on a medical symposium ad to my husband.So I started googling Ice. I found myself searching for pictures of glaciers hidden in a box in my basement from our 3 years in Alaska. I just didn't feel the cards were good enough to send out.I went even simpler. so "I" is for INK or INK Blot. I made ink blot cards today. Easy peasy.Now to add letters and the word Ink or Ink blot. These just might make it into the swap mistress.I've already picked my letter for the second half of the Alphabet swap. I have 2 months to come up withsomething for the letter "S" All ideas are welcome.Knitting Update:One of the women I taught to knit in November finished a scarf for a family member in time for Christmas.How cool is that?!I haven't picked up my sweater that I put down in July, but I will soon. I have still been knitting socks like crazy. I also have been spinning some Merino wool that I have no idea what it will become, I don't often spin with a project in mind. I'm trying to perfect my point of contact spinning, but is hard with the old Louet S10.Viki
posted by Viki at
6:46 PM Wednesday, December 27, 2006
It's been awhile
Finally, a bit of time to just breathe.Christmas has come and gone. The socks were all finished in time for gifting and everyone, even SIL, seemed extremely pleased.My DD2 is in the midst of her first pair of socks. In the new year she would like to knit mittens. For a look at a huge amount of beautiful hand knit latvian mittens go to
http://habetrot.typepad.com/habetrot/She has pictures and a link to the NATO site where there are over 500 mittens archived.DD2 will not be making mittens so intricate, but these are inspiring.I am in an ATC swap. An Alphabet swap, my letter is "I". I have brain stormed with the family over"I" words that have interesting images that I can use to create cards. I need to make at least 13, but I'll probably make extra. The image I am concentrating on is this years Christmas stamp of Mary and Jesus.I want to make a mini Icon ala the Russian icons only updated. I'm having trouble finding enough canceled stamps. You'd think they would be plentiful. I might have to resort to internet images instead.In case you haven't heard of ATC's they are Artist Trading Cards. The cards are the size of baseball cards2 1/2 inches by 3 1/2 inches and must be traded not sold. A good explanation of these little bits of Art can be found at
http://www.cedarseed.com/air/atc.htmlor do a google search.There are a lot of groups online that you can join to trade cards. They have themed swaps. I have participated off and on for over a year. I'm picky about what swaps I join and time is an issue. Of coursesometimes I have something like writers block, I can't seem to do anything creative except knit.To look at some interesting ATC's go look at a few blogs:
http://somethingsublime.typepad.com/http://www.christinemmatcs.blogspot.com/http://somanystars.blogspot.com/and something similar
http://www.soulcollage.com/home/index.phpI hope everyone had a wonderful "Winter Celebration of choice"Our choice is Christmas and it was a good day.This week is for relaxing and recharging the creative juices.Viki
posted by Viki at
9:36 AM Wednesday, November 22, 2006
Knitting
I've been knitting up a storm lately.Mostly socks. Three pair in three weeks. Not bad. Not up to Yarn Harlots challenge of a sock a day, but respectable for knitting while waiting in car pool line and while Mariah dances.I've also finished the Kid Silk Haze scarf for the Louisville Ballet silent auction that is to take place during the Gala on December 2nd. I'm pretty proud of that.I've also been commissioned by another mom to make wristlets for her 2 daughters. She saw me wearing mine and asked and I said yes. I haven't given her a price yet.Today there is no school but there is ballet class. Mariah is missing a shoe. Hopefully it will be found at the ballet center, if not I'll have to buy new. Thank goodness it isn't a pointe shoe that is missing!Tomorrow will be different. Usually Thanksgiving is at Mom's house. She makes the Turkey and potatoes and rolls and I make the dressing/stuffing in the crock pot, the green bean casserole and what ever else she asks me to make. This year it is surprisingly at my brother and SIL's house. What will we do without the leftovers?I'm still making the stuffing and the greenbeans, I just have to transport it 40 minutes away to Indiana, instead of 2 blocks.This will also be the first year in the last 20 that DH isn't making his cranberry salad from his mom's recipe. That is kind of sad.Tonight I'm making a bean soup recipe from the Rachel Ray magazine. I made it a few weeks ago and it is really tasty. She calls it White bean, sausage and kale stew. The kids won't eat it but DH thinks it is fantastic.Just thinking about it is making me hungry.Think I'll listen to a book and knit.Keep me busy and away from food!Vikip.s. Found Mariah's shoe, in the mens dressing room in an open locker. Very strange.She also got to do African dancing instead of modern today. Lots of fun, live music, drums!
posted by Viki at
8:53 PM Friday, November 03, 2006
I teach, I'm a teacher.I don't teach grade school or middle school or highschool or even college.But I teach.It seems I teach at every opportunity. I just can't help myself I pass information along.At ballet, in the bookstore, at the grocery.I teach 3 year olds. They are usually such fun. The potty training is getting to me this year though.One of the other teachers is calling me "pee pee head". That's enough about that. Yuck.The last few weeks I have been teaching knitting.Okay so the women I've been teaching techniques to already know the basic stitches.They are ready to learn to do more than furry scarves and felted bags.The last few weeks have been very SOCK oriented.Try teaching someone how to turn a heel when their primary language is not English.It is difficult at the best of times. Plus her pattern really sucked. So I found her a pattern thatexplained the magic of turning the heel in a way that almost anyone could understand.I met with a few other teachers from the preschool on Monday of this week. Boy the strokes werewonderful. They think I am super intelligent. I fixed many mistakes. Picked up stitches and explained how to read your knitting. They want to do this a few Monday evenings a month so they can pick my brain.Today I am meeting with one of those women to teach her how to knit a Worsted Weight boot sock.She is so excited. She has doubts about her ability to knit a sock, let alone a pair before Christmas.She wants to surprise her husband with socks though so I will do my best to help her. It also helps that sheteaches right across the hall from me and I'll be able to boost her confidence on a regular basis.I have to tell you that a hand knit sock is special. They are warm and wonderful. They have no seams to bother your toes. A hand knit pair of socks knit just for you is a gift of love. After all that work, you give the sock to someone and they Walk on them and Wear Them Out. IF you give a special pair of socks like this to someone you must really love them, or they must be paying you dearly.I usually make socks out of fine sock yarn on size 1 or maybe 2 needles. Knitting a Worsted Weight pair is FAST. Almost instant gratification. I also make both socks at the same time. Yes it takes twice as many needles, but when you are done, you are done.By the way, one of the best descriptions I have read for turning a heel is in Yarn Harlot's book "Knitting Rules!"If you don't know of the Yarn Harlot her real name is Stephanie Pearl-McPhee and she has a blog.
http://www.yarnharlot.ca/blog/ and has written 3 books with another on the way. She is a riot. If you have a lot of time, read her blog from the beginning, you'll be rolling.In case you are interested in knitting socks there are many many free patterns on the web.Here are a few:
http://spinfree.tripod.com/socks/http://www.knittingpatterncentral.com/directory/socks.phphttp://www.knitty.com/ISSUEwinter05/PATTthuja.htmlhttp://mary4169.tripod.com/Easy_Worsted_Socks.pdfhttp://tiajudy.com/putmeon.htmMost of these are patterns for worsted weight yarn. They knit up quick.I'm off to knit on my Wildfoote yarn socks, on size 1 needles, they are not quick, but they are beautiful and will wear like iron.Viki
posted by Viki at
8:16 AM Friday, October 13, 2006
The Lunchbox/Bento Obsession
Okay, I'm a nut. Maybe I'm just a foodie. I love to look at pictures of food and all these creative people getting up at the crack of dawn to make beautiful healthy food for their children is really very inspiring.Run your fingers over to
http://veganlunchbox.blogspot.com/ and go to the archives and start reading.I can't wait for her cook book to come out and I'm not even Vegan. What I find unique about Jennifershmoo's site is that her young son rates his lunch. Jennifer lets us know what he ate and what he liked. I like that. I like that such a young child will try so many different kinds of food too! My hat is off to Jennifershmoo!I teach 3 yr olds. I always repack whatever they don't eat so their mom's will know if they like their lunch or not. Some mom's would rather I just dumped the leftovers, but I feel responsible for letting them know if their kid is eating or not.Personally I wish there were more information out there about food and behavior.My oldest is now 18, but she is still allergic to peanuts and soy products. When she was small if she ate peas she would become a whiney mess within 10 minutes. I have taught kids who after lunch are dazed, they walk around as if they are in a fog, they don't listen and sometimes have mood swings. Were they just tired or did they have a reaction to what they ate for lunch? I'd like to know.Back to the web, I'm busy searching for a pumpkin cookie/granola bar/protein bar that doesn't have peanut or soy in it. I'd like the oldest to be able to eat it too.Viki
posted by Viki at
12:00 PM About Me
Name: Viki
Location: Louisville, Kentucky,
Louisville, KY
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"You say it's your Birthday...."Time for comfortThe Letter "I"It's been awhileKnittingI teach, I'm a teacher. I don't teach grade school...The Lunchbox/Bento ObsessionGrief and a yardsaleSleep and the lack there ofDo you Bento?Archives
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