Pffffft

Alas, no pics this time. Yes, I've done some stuff, I've just been too lazy to take pics (and one of the things was a standard diaper cover anyway). I'm not working anymore so I don't really have any excuses. No, I didn't get fired and I didn't quit, it's just that being a temp has this risk...the risk of finishing all of the work and getting found out. I'm sorry, I can't turn it off. I'm either working at maximum, or near-maximum efficiency, or I'm not working. So all the important work was done, the back-burner work too...heck, even the oubliette "we tried to forget it existed" work was completed.

It was nice making an income though.

The rosebush my sweet husband bought me for V-day finally bloomed. It only barely smells like honeysuckle, it mostly just smells overpoweringly rose-musky, and the flowers have thrips. I like the form of the flower but I would have probably picked a different color (it's white) if I had known that "strong honeysuckle fragrance" actually meant "overpowering rose fragrance with slight hint of honeysuckle if you stand across the room from it". I never knew they were thrips before, I had to look up pests on Google to find out what it was. I've seen these creepy bugs on other plants. They've always freaked me out; they're so small you don't see them until you've already trimmed the flower and brought it in and then you look down and think "oh my god there're THINGS in my flower! Eww! Eww!" Of course I did my research, this rosebush is very resistant to the fungal diseases that roses in our area are so vulnerable to getting. And thank goodness too, we've gotten a ton of rain all in one month. I'm really beginning to wonder if we're going to get an entire year's worth of rain all in May.

I've been bummed for a little while, but I don't think it was the job because that was a few weeks ago. Well, maybe in a way. We need for me to be employed but this experience has only driven home the fact that I really don't like working. I like money, and I don't mind working to get it, but it just feels like there isn't any job (that I can get) that will both satisfy me and pay sufficiently. I work best when I feel needed, and it would be great to actually have a job where I felt like I was working somewhere near my potential as well. And I hate applying for jobs. Even when I apply for one that I know I'm truly qualified for nothing happens. If you don't know someone it's like you're wasting your time and I despise going to that much trouble that I could have spent on something productive only to be left wondering..."Did a human being ever even read my resume???"

Oh, yeah, and so I keep trying to think of what I would really want to do. I think I would want to farm, small-scale anyway. Get me some of that naturally-colored cotton, some fiber animals, plant some produce, do some spinning. But I have ZERO experience with this sort of thing. And honestly the really hot weather has always driven me inside.

I am in the weird place. That annoying Dr. Seuss book comes to mind. No, not the good ones, not cat in the hat or green eggs & ham or stars upon thars. It's the one people give you when you graduate, that tries to talk about life or some rubbish. He talks about the "waiting place" in it, probably the single most depressing thing I have ever seen in a Dr. Seuss book, and I feel like I'm there. (Just a note, the single most depressing thing in a Dr. Seuss book is not, overall, too terribly depressing. Just so you know. But it still sucks).


I'm not depressed, I'm not! But this is a mopey post. I'm very sorry. Gotta remember to take some pics.


Lystessa

Last One, Promise! Stitch Markers

So. tired. of. posting. pics. But I must get caught up!

So here we go.

One of the first I made. Purple glass beads.


First sterling silver one I made.


Sterling silver one I made for my spinning teacher.


With Flash.


Another view.


I have this set posted on Etsy. There's some better pics there.



P.S. - If anyone has anything cool to trade for some stitch markers...well, you know how it goes. ;^)

Lystessa

Tons of Spinning Pics

This will be the one to break the computer. Homemade yarn pr0n to follow (does that sound kind of dirty to you)?

Wool dyed with Red Wine & Instant Coffee


Early tries knitted up


Purple Wool Dyed - see the following pics to see it spun


Purple Wool carded and spun with Silk Flecks


Purple spun Thick & Thin


Another shot of Purple Thick & Thin


Heathered Green - Looked crappy until I spun it.


Coarse Alpaca - Felt like spinning human hair!


Blended Natural Wool & Purple Roving


Cotton & Silk Flecks


Blackberry Dyed Wool


My Fave! Merino/Alpaca/Silk blend I got from Winderwood Farm eBay Store . I loved the colors and it feels absolutely amazing. I could roll in it all day.


With Camera Flash


Closeup (Work for the camera, baby!)



Sorry, not feeling too wordy anymore, heh!
Lystessa

Some Baby Stuff

Did you really think you could get away without being forced to see another diaper cover? Mwa-ha-ha-ha!

Oh yeah, and there's some cute booties I made for one of the ladies at work. I made a pair for another woman, but I forgot to get pics. They were very similar but they had stripes instead of lacing detail, and the upper cuffed part was blue instead of black.


Diaper Cover



Booties


Booties - Side View


Booties - Lacing Detail


I can't tell you how tired I am of making booties now, after 2 pairs in a row. And people keep getting pregnant! ;^)

Lystessa

Mama's Socks

I made these for my mother...although I started getting pretty attached to them. Unfortunately, they did indeed fit my mama and she liked them. So, goodbye comfy little socks. In my favorite yarn. From the Thuja pattern in Knitty.










Did I mention, my favorite yarn? *Sigh*
Lystessa

I'm Still Here

Haha, apparently my last post was in February... yeah. I have an excuse though. I got a job at the end of February!
What? You work and keep up with your blog too? Well my little boy won't nap after I'm home until I'm exhausted and useless, and he definitely won't let me do anything involved on the computer. I'm lucky if I can point and click. (And you know I do it. Point and click that is. And I love reading everyone's blog. I wish I had it together enough to keep up with mine. But at least I have Jade D. helping me out so you do occasionally get some content. BTW, love those bags JD!)

And I do still knit. On my breaks at work, that is. And I finally got the pics off the camera, so I have a little show & tell. Prepare to be underwhelmed!


First off, and slightly out of order, I would like to say...
"Happy 1st Birthday, Baby!"


I think he deserved that pretty cake, don't you?




And because I promised ages and ages ago, here he is *awake* in his hat. Unfortunately it was so dark you can't really appreciate how blue his eyes look with it. I did try using the flash but that made his eyes red, heh.





Yup. I have some real content, I just didn't want to stick it all in one post. Think I can do ten posts in one day? ;^)
Oh well, it's not like more than 3 people read this anyway.

Stay tuned for more!
Lystessa

As promised! (Finally.)

Finished projects. Two down, one to go.


The top one is Baby's First Bag of Holding. I used some hideous green acrylic that I inherited from my grandmother and knit a double strand in the round on #13 circulars. I had to use two sets of circulars towards the end of my decreases because my LYS didn't have any #13 DPNs. I crocheted a chain for the drawstring and threaded it through yarn-over eyelets.






The second one is the dice bag I made for my hubby. It's got his army's insignia on it. I did this one on DPNs, but instead of decreasing I just stopped at the desired length and used grafting to seamlessly join the bottom edge. The insignia is done in duplicate stitch.


I have also completed a few items for my niece's baby doll, which I will photograph and post when I have a complete set. I'm almost finished with the jogging suit for my friend's daughter's American Girl doll, which I will also post when it's complete. I forgot to take snaps of the spiderman diaper cover, but it turned out to be too small for my fast-growing boy by the time I finished it so there won't be any action shots -- not with this baby, anyway.

My next big project is a reversable checkers/othello game mat for my nephew -- the first pattern I've designed from scratch. I've also got some more doll clothes on the list. I'm taking a break from diaper covers for the moment, but I've got a few sets of monster booties on the docket for my expectant friends. I've also become enamored of crochet, so I might have a baby blanket or two ready by October, when two babies are due to arrive.

More picture soon! School is almost out!