Typhoid Mary up in here.

Okay so I've had a cold since the end of October...of last year. It's not the same cold. It was swine flu and the regular flu and a sinus infection and then another cold and another one and perhaps allergies that I'd never had before but really some terrible sinusitis something or other that never seems to end. I've started referring to myself as Plaguebearer and Typhoid Mary because all the people who work at the company that makes Nyquil? Huge Xmas bonuses this year thanks to how much Nyquil I've been taking for the past year. Thank goodness I can actually stay awake and function on Nyquil because otherwise I'd also be referring to myself as Rip Van Winkle. I hate Nyquil so much at this point that I'm now back to tactics of childhood to avoid taking it. I'm all better! I'll take it later. I'll take it after I destroy all my tastebuds so I don't have to taste something that awful all the way up to my eyeballs any more. MOM NOOOOOOOO!!!!!! I've been through the entire cold and flu aisle trying to find ANYTHING else that works, and I now have nasal steroids (that don't work) and an inhaler (which I'll defend to the death if someone tries to take it) as my new best friends.

I've been sick so long I don't even complain about being sick any more. I thought that was impossible. Instead I complain that I can't leave the house because I'll just get something else atop what I already have. I feel like that kid at school who never gets to play with all the other kids because they're too sickly and all the other kids make fun of them, and the doctors I've seen so far have been more disappointing than helpful. I quit smoking, which didn't help. I started smoking again, which didn't make it worse. I'm a hopeless mess at this point.

All of that is to say: I don't post much because I spend much of my time blinking slowly thanks to the Nyquil I have to take to breathe. And crocheting. Seriously.



That's only the first of two afghans I've been tearing through.

Since I'm spending so much time in the house, I've started focusing more on proper storage solutions and organization, and making it a nicer, more functional place to live.



The bookcase is from IKEA, and it's perfect for yarn storage. I debated between my fabrics and my yarn, but I have so many fabric scraps that wouldn't look nice if stored this way that I decided to go with yarn storage. Emptied out a bookcase and 3 large plastic storage tubs that were taking up space for something that displays my yarns in an accessible way, and I just love it. My craft room looks like a yarn shop, and I'm looking forward to finding the perfect solutions for other areas of the room. I still have to get the drawers for the bottom row. I can't put yarn on the bottom row because Chuck would think it was Christmas.

Pets are fun :)

Today I'm getting one of my long-term goals completed. In like an hour, an antique treadle sewing machine is being delivered. I'm not sure where I'm going to put it yet for it to be a functional display piece, but since I don't have to plug it in anywhere, my options increase drastically.

I'm really excited about the machine. I've wanted one for years, and while I haven't seen this one yet, I have it on good authority that it's functional, well maintained, and comes with tons of accessories. There will be photos, and while the cost wasn't unreasonable, the joy it will bring me for years is likely to make any cost an utter steal.

My grandmother (a quilter) found it in a local antique shop she sometimes works in. It's from a local museum. She knows how bad I've wanted one and contacted me straight away to give me the heads up. I'm unbelievably excited and she's excited for me, which is always fun. I'm sure we'll cause tons of trouble with it.

Causing trouble with my grandma usually involves finding great deals and/or quilting.

I have the best grandma ever.

Chaos

Welcome to my humble abode.

Note that I'm still moving in, so I'm still trying to find a place for everything, so everything is in chaos. This is hampered by the fact that I have tons of stuff on my plate, not the least of which is all the articles I'm trying to write. I'm a closet masochist, but don't tell anyone.

My tutorials were featured not once, but twice on craftgossip.com. Every time someone actually likes my work enough to share it, I'm always shocked. I guess it will never wear off. Though I would not proclaim to be wise, my grandmother always did say that a true sign of wisdom is knowing how much you don't know, and I feel dumber every year. I consider this a good sign, so I don't let it get to me. Keeps me humble and all that (Some would testify differently).

I've also written a couple of articles for Examiner. One is another tutorial. This time it's one on:




Making your own t-shirt yarn.

That's going to be a rug...or perhaps 3 rugs. I have tons of t-shirts. Total cost for several rugs? $0. I'm upcycling an entire garbage bag worth of t-shirts that were just going to go to waste.

My second article is most relevant to people locally. However, the Maker Faire is coming to Detroit, and it's going to be huge. People have been talking about it/preparing for it for months, which is good, because when you live in Michigan...there's not much to look forward to. Want to hear about all the cool stuff they'll be doing? Read on, my friends!

In other news...



Working on another article/tutorial. This time on chicken scratch embroidery. I love chicken scratch. It comes together so quickly, is easy enough to teach kids, and the results are beautiful.

Unfortunately, I have to get the sample done first. You guys get to be the first to see it, though.



This is for another article. The project is done, but you can't see how cool it is until I finish the article. Shouldn't be long. All the research and labor is done. Why can't editing do itself?

My last bit of news for the moment?



OMG SOCK YARN! I got a belated birthday present! Enough for three pairs of socks. However, 2 of the yarns (not the rainbow) will be combined with other yarns I still have to purchase to take out a bit of the crazy colors. You'd think I'd be trying to do that with the rainbow socks instead, huh? Psh...it's just not right to mute a rainbow. Besides, my feet like to party.

Unfortunately, I'm never ever ever going to get a chance to work on them.

Okay, perhaps I'm exaggerating, but not by much.

The Purple Placenta

This is what I got done for my craft a day september (cads) work today. It's almost half a side of a purse.

I was given some Lion Suede and I hoped I'd have enough for this round crocheted purse project for a Christmas gift. The purse isn't bad looking in the pictures, but it's flowery and girly and not really my style.

I crocheted it up...and realized it looks less than attractive. I have to go buy more yarn now to finish this monstrosity.

Bets on whether it's doomed to be a craft fail? I'm leaning towards yes, but then I never liked frilly flowery crocheted things anyway.

Dear Lion Brand: This is not your fault. I firmly blame Ravelry for this nonsense.

Randomness and the Stash Guardian

Went to Outback tonight and picked up some coasters. I'm hoping I'll be able to use them for tablet weaving, which I'd like to take up when I have time. By my current schedule, I'm estimating I'll finally have time to learn tablet weaving in 2035. It never hurts to be prepared though!



Got some leftover supplies through the local craft network. I'm sure I'll be able to put these to good use. This is all yarn, of course.



This is Chuck...my stash guardian and yarn thief. He's a 10 lb Californian from a local rescue. He's been a member of the family for over a year, and no one will ever open my quilting fabrics drawer without his permission. You can count on it.

He's probably one of the most awesome pets ever. Not very needy, extremely lazy, and hilarious. Litter box trained, makes no noise...except for the shedding and destruction of property he's pretty much the perfect pet. Not that hair tumbleweeds and eating of the furniture aren't problems. He's just that worth it.

If you have any knit or crochet gauge swatches, he would like to add them to his growing collection so he can pile them up and lay on them like a dragon lays atop their pile of gold. If he sees you making gauge swatches, he will rip them right off your hook or needles, cut the yarn with his teeth, and run off with them. There's no arguing with a rabbit this big because he can stand on his hind legs to reach your lap. They are his and you will hand them over. One does not argue with Chuck (Norris).

In other news I just ordered $60 in quilting supplies for my fall classes from amazon.com. Rulers and rotary cutters and tailor's pencils, oh my! Best part of it all, aside from the free shipping, is that I didn't have to pay one red cent for it. I get amazon gift cards when I collect enough swagbucks, input them on amazon.com when I get the code, and then when I want to place an order I can use all the cards I've saved up at once to pay for my purchase and shipping. I get whatever I want, and it's all free. Swagbucks has lots of other prizes too, but I haven't bought every single item on my amazon wishlist yet.

It actually works, and all I have to do is search using their firefox plug in instead of google. It uses google to bring me results, and sometimes I win swagbucks. I win 1-3 per day, and an amazon gift card costs 45 swagbucks. It's no effort past setting it up and getting used to using it. It's free. It works. I've gotten almost $200 in amazon gift cards in less than a year and I still can't believe it.

You can sign up using this link. You don't have to, but FREE CRAFT SUPPLIES AND BOOKS. With all the scams I've seen...the programs/clubs, the 'pay to get information on how to get free stuff' that turns out to be cheap, tacky goods that you wouldn't want, I'm so relieved that I stumbled upon something that's actually legit.

When I get my order (it's not the first I've gotten), I'll post the video of me opening my shiny new craft stuff :D

Drowning in yarn

First off, I've worked on and finished a bunch of things...



The cabled mug cozy from knit picks is done. Finished it at work.



Unfortunately, though I'm a coffee hound, I have no use for a cabled mug cozy...so I upcycled it by wrapping it around a box and turning it into a post it notes holder...which I desperately needed.



Since I'm obviously an organization junkie, I also finished felting this knitted basket (pattern at ravelry), and now it's holding all my sock yarn. It's not round because I have a giant book stuck in it.



I've made some progress on the design for Smac. I have to rip out some stitches, but I'm further ahead now than I was in this picture. Still hoping to make my deadline.



My grandma came over today with ALL OF THIS. I don't even know what I'm going to do with it all yet. I still haven't cataloged it. What a stash, though.



Much of it will be going into my secondary stash of yarn for granny squares for my charity of choice, Heartmade Blessings.



She liked this yarn so I'm making her a lace scarf. I hope she'll like it.



We headed to Hobby Lobby where I picked up some free patterns and a measuring tape. Then I went to Michael's and picked up something interesting...



This appears to be a kumihimo wheel, packaged as a kid's craft. I'm going to try it with the packaged gimp and then switch to cords to see if it will work. It was on clearance for $2.99 and you can't beat a deal like that.

I'm going to be running like crazy tomorrow, but hopefully I'll have time to work on the design for Smac some more. I'm really enjoying tearing through these projects, but I have so many to go. It's how I like things, but I don't think I could put this much on myself if I didn't finish projects as often as I do. I need that sense of accomplishment.

I also put those mini cakes up on Etsy here if anyone wants them, and I'm getting ready to put up some vintage fabric.