It's a long, boring story, but the gist of it is, I'm switching my blogging activities to:
http://blog.illiane.com.
I might still use this for friends-only posts unless, of course, I figure out something else ;)
http://blog.illiane.com.
I might still use this for friends-only posts unless, of course, I figure out something else ;)
I blame it all on Katydid Knits for tagging me with the 6 Word Memoir Meme.
The rules:
How the heck do I squoosh them decades into 6 words? Let 5 years = 1 word? I'm almost to the point where I need an extra word!
But I finally decided: Crafty Alien Finds Friends, Family Afar
... which I figured kinda sorta sums it up, I think.
The 5 tagged people:
The rules:
- Write your own six word memoir.
- Post it on your blog and include a visual illustration if you’d like.
- Link to the person that tagged you in your post and to this original post if possible so we can track it as it travels across the blogosphere.
- Tag five more blogs with links.
- Remember to leave a comment on the tagged blogs with an invitation to play!
How the heck do I squoosh them decades into 6 words? Let 5 years = 1 word? I'm almost to the point where I need an extra word!
But I finally decided: Crafty Alien Finds Friends, Family Afar
... which I figured kinda sorta sums it up, I think.
The 5 tagged people:
Still trying to shake off whatever weird bug I have, I might still have it or have a different strain now - mostly dealing with remnant cough and am now having sniffles. V annoying.
Other update news: bought a serger. Nothing fancy, a Brother serger, 1034D or something, I can't remember the model offhand. I got it from Amazon and it was delivered yesterday and my foggy brain couldn't even handle the instructions for threading and use last night. So it's unpacked but just sitting there, plus I shall need to buy a lot of thread.
Attended Jane Prater's class on Fair Isle at Charlotte Yarn (and I'll link to Jane's blog later; I cannot recall the URL right now - see 'foggy brain') and had an utter blast. The woman is solid fun and inspiration. I could say that she 'taught us fair isle and how to knit backwards' but that was the least of what she did. She taught us that mistakes are okay. She expected us to make mistakes. She let us do as we would, then look at it and see if we were satisfied, and if we weren't, figure out what we would do to fix it. She taught us to learn from our mistakes.
It is a very easy thing to quote .. who was it, Edison?.. who said that each attempt that did not lead to success was not a failure; it was a discovery of another way NOT to do what he was trying to do. I think Dyson (the dude of the much-touted vacuum cleaners - one of which I have and LOVE btw) said the same thing. Yes, it's EASY to spout it, but very few have the skill or the ability to let people experience it for themselves, and learn. I treasure that in my teachers. Everyone should experience a Jane class :)
Edited to add: Jane's Blog, Merely A Suggestion.
Other update news: bought a serger. Nothing fancy, a Brother serger, 1034D or something, I can't remember the model offhand. I got it from Amazon and it was delivered yesterday and my foggy brain couldn't even handle the instructions for threading and use last night. So it's unpacked but just sitting there, plus I shall need to buy a lot of thread.
Attended Jane Prater's class on Fair Isle at Charlotte Yarn (and I'll link to Jane's blog later; I cannot recall the URL right now - see 'foggy brain') and had an utter blast. The woman is solid fun and inspiration. I could say that she 'taught us fair isle and how to knit backwards' but that was the least of what she did. She taught us that mistakes are okay. She expected us to make mistakes. She let us do as we would, then look at it and see if we were satisfied, and if we weren't, figure out what we would do to fix it. She taught us to learn from our mistakes.
It is a very easy thing to quote .. who was it, Edison?.. who said that each attempt that did not lead to success was not a failure; it was a discovery of another way NOT to do what he was trying to do. I think Dyson (the dude of the much-touted vacuum cleaners - one of which I have and LOVE btw) said the same thing. Yes, it's EASY to spout it, but very few have the skill or the ability to let people experience it for themselves, and learn. I treasure that in my teachers. Everyone should experience a Jane class :)
Edited to add: Jane's Blog, Merely A Suggestion.
LOVE!! LOVE LOVE!
The Snowflake Lace socks are done!
I did something scary with the first sock. After making the second one, I decided that the first sock was too short in the foot so I actually took a pair of scissors to the first one and snipped off the toe, so that I could put another repeat of the lace pattern to lengthen it.
It's amazing what you can do to modify things you make yourself :)
In recap:
Pattern: Snowflake Lace Socks
Designer: Melanie Berney
Published in: Magknits
Yarn used: Schachenmayr nomotta Regia Stretch (Uni / Solid)
The Snowflake Lace socks are done!
I did something scary with the first sock. After making the second one, I decided that the first sock was too short in the foot so I actually took a pair of scissors to the first one and snipped off the toe, so that I could put another repeat of the lace pattern to lengthen it.
It's amazing what you can do to modify things you make yourself :)
In recap:
Pattern: Snowflake Lace Socks
Designer: Melanie Berney
Published in: Magknits
Yarn used: Schachenmayr nomotta Regia Stretch (Uni / Solid)
Okay local peeps, are any of you lot closet celtic music fans?
The Chieftains are playing at Belk Theater on Tuesday March 11, one evening only. I'd like to go and it's not hubby's genre. Looking to see if anyone else is interested, before I go get (a) ticket(s).
Any up?
The Chieftains are playing at Belk Theater on Tuesday March 11, one evening only. I'd like to go and it's not hubby's genre. Looking to see if anyone else is interested, before I go get (a) ticket(s).
Any up?
Ever since I started my journey into the knitting, crocheting, spinning and fibery world, I have had the most wonderful opportunities to learn new things, meet interesting people, make new friends and in general have great experiences.
One of those cool people I've gotten to know is
tvini.
When she, Turtlegirl and I jumped into the wacky world of spinning last year,tvini had given me a lovely gift of fiber and in my ultimate disorganization, I had misplaced the information about its exact fiber content. Still, and I'm clinging to hope here, I know it had wool in it and some of the shiny stuff in it was either tencel or silk. It was purdy.
While I'm still not an expert spinner by any means, I have gotten to the point where I'm at least a little more comfortable with what I can get onto my bobbins. In early February, I finally spun up that fiber.
I amazed myself by putting enough thought into it prior to spinning, that I managed to get it to where the yarn changed hues from green to grey to blue, without too, too much barberpole striping. And looking at the results, well, they reminded me oftvini's favorite colors, so what else could I do but name it after her. Here you go - Hints of Heather:
Now.. what to do with it? Why.. howzabout a hat? And hey,tvini's birthday was coming up soon (ok so at THAT point it was coming up..)
I found the Belle Starr hat by Annie Podlesak, written for DK weight, the appropriate amount of yarn, and with a kick-ass story to boot.
The hat pattern was named for Belle Starr, the Bandit Queen. This was the first I'd heard of her, but it would seem that almost everyone I talked to at my knitting group has heard of her. Oh well, blame my non-US origins :) My impression, after reading about Belle Starr, was that she was strong, adventurous, quite the feisty dame, and sounded like a character that wouldn't have been out of place in a Firefly setting. And I always associate Firefly with the person who introduced me to it. Guess who?
Yup. Had to make it.
Don't I look like an upturned flower?
Shhh, I'm blocking..
It was originally supposed to be a surprise but well, I kinda had to nix that because I had to borrowtvini's noggin for a fitting since I didn't think ahead far enough to covertly find out her head size beforehand. I live, I learn. I bound off, and I blocked.
And finally, rather belatedly, I gavetvini her birthday present this past Wednesday.
Here's one of the Internet's nicest ladies, struttin' her stuff:
Oh yeah, baybee!
She was so sweet and wore it all night at knitting, even though she didn't have to, and it was probably overly warm. But it did give me warm fuzzies and I appreciated her gesture very much indeed :) Especially since she's a professional hatter, oi!
But that's the way she is. In the short time that I've known her, she's always impressed me with her spirit, with how grounded she is and with how much of herself she gives to family and friends.
tvini, you're an inspiration to me, and you definitely rock.
One of those cool people I've gotten to know is
tvini.When she, Turtlegirl and I jumped into the wacky world of spinning last year,
tvini had given me a lovely gift of fiber and in my ultimate disorganization, I had misplaced the information about its exact fiber content. Still, and I'm clinging to hope here, I know it had wool in it and some of the shiny stuff in it was either tencel or silk. It was purdy. While I'm still not an expert spinner by any means, I have gotten to the point where I'm at least a little more comfortable with what I can get onto my bobbins. In early February, I finally spun up that fiber.
I amazed myself by putting enough thought into it prior to spinning, that I managed to get it to where the yarn changed hues from green to grey to blue, without too, too much barberpole striping. And looking at the results, well, they reminded me of
tvini's favorite colors, so what else could I do but name it after her. Here you go - Hints of Heather:Now.. what to do with it? Why.. howzabout a hat? And hey,
tvini's birthday was coming up soon (ok so at THAT point it was coming up..)I found the Belle Starr hat by Annie Podlesak, written for DK weight, the appropriate amount of yarn, and with a kick-ass story to boot.
The hat pattern was named for Belle Starr, the Bandit Queen. This was the first I'd heard of her, but it would seem that almost everyone I talked to at my knitting group has heard of her. Oh well, blame my non-US origins :) My impression, after reading about Belle Starr, was that she was strong, adventurous, quite the feisty dame, and sounded like a character that wouldn't have been out of place in a Firefly setting. And I always associate Firefly with the person who introduced me to it. Guess who?
Yup. Had to make it.
Don't I look like an upturned flower?
Shhh, I'm blocking..
It was originally supposed to be a surprise but well, I kinda had to nix that because I had to borrow
tvini's noggin for a fitting since I didn't think ahead far enough to covertly find out her head size beforehand. I live, I learn. I bound off, and I blocked.And finally, rather belatedly, I gave
tvini her birthday present this past Wednesday.Here's one of the Internet's nicest ladies, struttin' her stuff:
Oh yeah, baybee!
She was so sweet and wore it all night at knitting, even though she didn't have to, and it was probably overly warm. But it did give me warm fuzzies and I appreciated her gesture very much indeed :) Especially since she's a professional hatter, oi!
But that's the way she is. In the short time that I've known her, she's always impressed me with her spirit, with how grounded she is and with how much of herself she gives to family and friends.
tvini, you're an inspiration to me, and you definitely rock.Apparently, a tiger managed to get out of his area in the Honolulu zoo and went for a little stroll. He didn't get out of the zoo, just his cage, and nobody was hurt.
Read more here.
That was the zoo a block away from the Waikiki Beach Marriott, where we stayed.
As they reported, nothing bad happened, but ... 'scuse me while I go lay down a bit.
Read more here.
That was the zoo a block away from the Waikiki Beach Marriott, where we stayed.
As they reported, nothing bad happened, but ... 'scuse me while I go lay down a bit.
- Current Mood:
indescribable
This appeared at the top of my GMail window where the feeds appear. I've taken the liberty of highlighting the part that made me do a double-take.
No, no, it's not an ad that Google picks as a result of keywords in my email. Those show up to the right of the email when I have an email open.
I normally see Entertainment clips, news clips, Google tips, Words of the day, quotations, plus the occasional random ad. Wasn't quite expecting to see THAT one.
Who the heck shops for THOSE?? At a discount even!??
No, no, it's not an ad that Google picks as a result of keywords in my email. Those show up to the right of the email when I have an email open.
I normally see Entertainment clips, news clips, Google tips, Words of the day, quotations, plus the occasional random ad. Wasn't quite expecting to see THAT one.
Who the heck shops for THOSE?? At a discount even!??
- Current Mood:
confused
This is kinda out there.
I mean, really?
The last thing that one would expect after one bought $20 worth of tacos is that one would be confronted by someone threatening bodily harm unless one handed over one's cheesy, beany booty.
Of course, WHY one was buying $20 worth of tacos would warrant another blog post altogether.
Maybe a bio-fuel rocket needed to be filled up somewhere..
I mean, really?
The last thing that one would expect after one bought $20 worth of tacos is that one would be confronted by someone threatening bodily harm unless one handed over one's cheesy, beany booty.
Of course, WHY one was buying $20 worth of tacos would warrant another blog post altogether.
Maybe a bio-fuel rocket needed to be filled up somewhere..
- Current Mood:
amused
Spice Tea / Friendship Tea
Spice Tea was introduced to me way back in 1999 or thereabouts by a co-worker at a previous job. Even though we have lost contact, in my heart I thank her to this day. I swear by this recipe for warding off colds and sniffles and the such. Whenever I start feeling icky, this is my go-to drink. It's got good vitamin C content, is yummy, isn't that caffeinated, and the spices give it added oomph, bringing warmth and good fuzzy feelings. Some folks call it Friendship Tea, and I've also heard it be called Russian Tea. I call it Goodness.
You can see from the recipe that it can be a tad sweet. Well, I say, just adjust it according to what you prefer. If you Google it, you'll find any number of variations on a theme. This means you can tweak to your heart's, and tastebuds', content.
NOW, having said all that, I will commence my rant.
The last time I made this, which was last year, I had used a tub of Tang. You read that correctly, I had a tub o'Tang (minds out of the gutter, pleaseandthankyou) which I bought from BJ's Warehouse Club. You can't buy anything normal-sized at warehouse clubs. I learnt my lesson quickly after I had to disguise the pallet of feminine hygiene product as furniture because I didn't have the space to store it all. Y'know? So not subtle.
But it was comfy.
Anyway, so I ended up making numerous mason jars' worth of Spice Tea mix, which I then gave away as gifts to friends, family, hoarded a few, yada yada, and didn't have to make more until the beginning of this year.
This was when I discovered that the bloody makers of Tang (Kraft %$#@& Foods) had, in their infinite wisdom, changed the freakin' formula to reduce the sugar and calorie count, and replaced it with artificial sweeteners. Among them, sucralose, acesulfame potassium, and Neotame.
NO.
NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, I do NOT want artificial sweeteners in my Tang, you buggers had damn well better PUT THE SUGAR BACK.
I can TASTE the difference in the new Tang and I DO NOT LIKE IT. I didn't ASK for you to put fake puckey into the recipe. If you are THAT concerned about the calorie content, just remove the sugar completely and let ME decide what to put in its place.
IT WASN'T BROKEN! DON'T FIX IT!
I have had to wing it and tweak the recipe to account for the change. I will even go so far as to attempt to locate a substitute for the Tang, I am that mad at the change. Well, I will, whenever I finally get over this freaking bug that I've caught and haven't been able to fully shake, and my brain starts catching up again.
YOU SEE? I can't even fight this bug properly with the new crap Tang. I BLAME THEM!
GIMME MY OLD FAITHFUL BACK!
- 2 cups Tang
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup instant unsweetened tea
- 2 packages unsweetened Wyler's Lemonade mix (½ cup)
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon cloves
Spice Tea was introduced to me way back in 1999 or thereabouts by a co-worker at a previous job. Even though we have lost contact, in my heart I thank her to this day. I swear by this recipe for warding off colds and sniffles and the such. Whenever I start feeling icky, this is my go-to drink. It's got good vitamin C content, is yummy, isn't that caffeinated, and the spices give it added oomph, bringing warmth and good fuzzy feelings. Some folks call it Friendship Tea, and I've also heard it be called Russian Tea. I call it Goodness.
You can see from the recipe that it can be a tad sweet. Well, I say, just adjust it according to what you prefer. If you Google it, you'll find any number of variations on a theme. This means you can tweak to your heart's, and tastebuds', content.
NOW, having said all that, I will commence my rant.
The last time I made this, which was last year, I had used a tub of Tang. You read that correctly, I had a tub o'Tang (minds out of the gutter, pleaseandthankyou) which I bought from BJ's Warehouse Club. You can't buy anything normal-sized at warehouse clubs. I learnt my lesson quickly after I had to disguise the pallet of feminine hygiene product as furniture because I didn't have the space to store it all. Y'know? So not subtle.
But it was comfy.
Anyway, so I ended up making numerous mason jars' worth of Spice Tea mix, which I then gave away as gifts to friends, family, hoarded a few, yada yada, and didn't have to make more until the beginning of this year.
This was when I discovered that the bloody makers of Tang (Kraft %$#@& Foods) had, in their infinite wisdom, changed the freakin' formula to reduce the sugar and calorie count, and replaced it with artificial sweeteners. Among them, sucralose, acesulfame potassium, and Neotame.
NO.
NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, I do NOT want artificial sweeteners in my Tang, you buggers had damn well better PUT THE SUGAR BACK.
I can TASTE the difference in the new Tang and I DO NOT LIKE IT. I didn't ASK for you to put fake puckey into the recipe. If you are THAT concerned about the calorie content, just remove the sugar completely and let ME decide what to put in its place.
IT WASN'T BROKEN! DON'T FIX IT!
I have had to wing it and tweak the recipe to account for the change. I will even go so far as to attempt to locate a substitute for the Tang, I am that mad at the change. Well, I will, whenever I finally get over this freaking bug that I've caught and haven't been able to fully shake, and my brain starts catching up again.
YOU SEE? I can't even fight this bug properly with the new crap Tang. I BLAME THEM!
GIMME MY OLD FAITHFUL BACK!
- Current Mood:
aggravated
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