Saturday, October 29, 2011
Hardee's Makes Good on Disappointing Meal
My husband contacted Hardee's (I don't know at what level or how.) about they disappointing Steakhouse Thickburgers. He has received a couple of calls from managers at different levels As well as a personal note and a $15 gift card from the General Manager. I'm still hesitant to go back to the same restaurant, but I do appreciate their effort to make up for the substandard food we received last week.
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Georgetown, DE
On Sunday, October 23, we went to the quilt show in Georgetown. I'll be posting photos of quilts on the other blog, http://teresascraftroom.blogspot.com We made a couple of stops before the quilt show and I'll be posting a few photos from those here.
This was one of the first photos of the day, the courthouse at Georgetown:
This was one of the first photos of the day, the courthouse at Georgetown:
There was a lovely variegated holly.
Some interesting architecture.
And the Chad Spicer memorial.
Sunday, October 23, 2011
Hardee's Steakhouse Thickburger: Why I Seldom Eat Fast Food
This is what I ordered:
This is what I got:
Enough said.
This is what I got:
 |
| Bun remove to reveal contents. |
Enough said.
Sunday, August 7, 2011
3 Rules for Retail
This weekend has been crazy at work. Back-to-School shopping. Kids need new clothes. Uniforms. Grandmas trying to help out their children by purchasing school clothes for grandchildren. Those are the best customers. And a lot of the other customers are fantastic.
But for some of the others . . . If it were my store, I would have 3 Rules. Well, three to start with. I'll list others as necessary.
Rule #1: Customers will have to pass a test to be allowed to shop. I mean, really. Don't parents teach their children how to shop anymore? I don't mean the children now. I mean the parents. Didn't their parents teach them how to shop? Maybe I should lobby to have that added school curriculum.
Rule #2: No children under the age of 12 allowed in the store after 8 pm. If I hear a kid crying in the store at 10 am or 3 pm, it's ok. It happens. Kids cry. But at 9 pm? Really? Your toddlers should be at home, getting ready for bed if they're not already tucked in and snoring.
Rule #3: (This one courtesy of my supervisor.) If you come into my store and trash it, I get to go to your home and trash it. Yes, that includes leaving gum on the floor, soft drinks and food on your dressers and in your closets, and a multitude of other pieces of trash.
Yeah, there are sure to be more rules to come. Or maybe just elaboration on these. But in the meantime, I'm going to watch something on Netflix. And try to go to sleep.
But for some of the others . . . If it were my store, I would have 3 Rules. Well, three to start with. I'll list others as necessary.
Rule #1: Customers will have to pass a test to be allowed to shop. I mean, really. Don't parents teach their children how to shop anymore? I don't mean the children now. I mean the parents. Didn't their parents teach them how to shop? Maybe I should lobby to have that added school curriculum.
Rule #2: No children under the age of 12 allowed in the store after 8 pm. If I hear a kid crying in the store at 10 am or 3 pm, it's ok. It happens. Kids cry. But at 9 pm? Really? Your toddlers should be at home, getting ready for bed if they're not already tucked in and snoring.
Rule #3: (This one courtesy of my supervisor.) If you come into my store and trash it, I get to go to your home and trash it. Yes, that includes leaving gum on the floor, soft drinks and food on your dressers and in your closets, and a multitude of other pieces of trash.
Yeah, there are sure to be more rules to come. Or maybe just elaboration on these. But in the meantime, I'm going to watch something on Netflix. And try to go to sleep.
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Trying to take inventory
Not an inventory of merchandise or supplies or anything tangible. I'm trying to take an inventory of my business options. And it's all wide open. I can continue in the direction I've started (and which has been a lot of work, but successful). But a lot of the work is tedious and I would really like to have an assistant to take on the tedious, less than artful, tasks. And in addition to my online presence, I would love, Love, LOVE! to have a brick & mortar store. And then there are all my other interests. I just want to do it all!
Now to find a way to successfully combine my love of fiber (dyeing, knitting, spinning), my love of papercrafts (stamping, scrapping, bookmaking), my love of sewing (quilting, fashion), my love of photography (portrait, landscape, stock), my love of vintage (particularly vintage Pyrex), and bath & spa products (hand made soap, candles, etc.) Oh, and throw in the occasional jewelry making and whatever else strikes my fancy at the time.
Can you picture a shop that would include all, or maybe just most, of these interests? Would you shop at my store? Would I be trying to do too much?
I need to get my thoughts written down. And organized. Any suggestions for organization tools to make sense of this stuff?
Comments are most welcome. Please share a link to my blog so your friends can give me some input, too.
Now to find a way to successfully combine my love of fiber (dyeing, knitting, spinning), my love of papercrafts (stamping, scrapping, bookmaking), my love of sewing (quilting, fashion), my love of photography (portrait, landscape, stock), my love of vintage (particularly vintage Pyrex), and bath & spa products (hand made soap, candles, etc.) Oh, and throw in the occasional jewelry making and whatever else strikes my fancy at the time.
Can you picture a shop that would include all, or maybe just most, of these interests? Would you shop at my store? Would I be trying to do too much?
I need to get my thoughts written down. And organized. Any suggestions for organization tools to make sense of this stuff?
Comments are most welcome. Please share a link to my blog so your friends can give me some input, too.
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
300 Days of Dyeing Has Pretty Much Dyed
I mean Died. Between work and family, and having gotten ahead on the dyeing for my shop, 300 Days of Dyeing fell by the wayside. I had taken a look at what's going on in my life earlier in the year and came to the fast conclusion that I really enjoyed working and it was good for me. And since something had to go, or at least be put on hold, it had to be the dyeing and blogging about it. I will still dye. And I will still blog. I just can't make a commitment to continue doing both, at the same time. Know what I mean?
Anyway. Life is good.
Anyway. Life is good.
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Day 14 & Working
Yep, things have been crazy lately. Work has been great. I was afraid my hours for the months of January and February would be cut back drastically and the pay check I was quickly becoming accustomed to would fizzle to next to nothing. But hours are being added. A couple of people are out of the catalog dept. for a couple of weeks, so I'm getting some extra shifts. And someone is out this week in the children's dept., so I'm getting some extra shifts there. So it's all going to be good. Actually, as much as I'm enjoying working, I'm starting to look forward to a couple of days off.
When I do get those days off, I'll get back to my dyeing. I have been doing some dyeing along that I haven't documented, so I'm up to about Day 14 of my 300 Days of Dyeing. When I do get a few days off, I'll spend some time photographing the results of my work.
I have also ordered some 50/50 Merino/Silk top that should be here next week. I can't wait to start dyeing it. I also want to work on my formula for 'Honeysuckle', the 2011 Color of the Year. I'm still not sure how I feel about it, but I think it's growing on me.
When I do get those days off, I'll get back to my dyeing. I have been doing some dyeing along that I haven't documented, so I'm up to about Day 14 of my 300 Days of Dyeing. When I do get a few days off, I'll spend some time photographing the results of my work.
I have also ordered some 50/50 Merino/Silk top that should be here next week. I can't wait to start dyeing it. I also want to work on my formula for 'Honeysuckle', the 2011 Color of the Year. I'm still not sure how I feel about it, but I think it's growing on me.
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Chinese Dinner, a Flash, & a Distraction
Well, not really a distraction. I've just had a little trouble staying focused today and staying on task. I blame the 'Fibro Fog'. But who knows what it really is. It's just me.
For a number of reasons, I want to get the photography part of Teresa Levite Studio active again. Today I set up my lights for a photo session. I have several dishes I need to photograph for listing online as well as hand dyed yarn. DH told me earlier that he had ordered Chinese food for lunch at his office, but he was bringing it home for our supper. Worked for me! Since the lighting was set up, I took a few shots of supper for micro stock. Here is the General Tso's Chicken over rice.
For a number of reasons, I want to get the photography part of Teresa Levite Studio active again. Today I set up my lights for a photo session. I have several dishes I need to photograph for listing online as well as hand dyed yarn. DH told me earlier that he had ordered Chinese food for lunch at his office, but he was bringing it home for our supper. Worked for me! Since the lighting was set up, I took a few shots of supper for micro stock. Here is the General Tso's Chicken over rice.
Monday, October 11, 2010
Video & Photo Session, Gulf Shores, & Shrimp Festival
As many of you know, my husband I traveled to Mississippi to be here when my mother had heart surgery scheduled for this past Thursday. The surgery has been postponed and we're waiting to see if the doctors will do it this week. In the meantime we are just spending time with my family. Friday afternoon we took a little time to take some photos of my brothers race car. Lewis took some video while were were there, too. This is just a bit of what was happening.
On Saturday, we went to Gulf Shores to the Shrimp Festival. I didn't take a lot of photos there, but I did take a few on the beach.
 |
| Greek Salad. I'm not sure what all was in it, but it looked delicious. If we had stayed longer, this would have been my second lunch. |
I enjoyed walking in the crowd, listening to the amateur talent on stage in the background, and getting ideas for projects while moving through the Arts & Crafts and Fine Arts booths. But the beach and bit of fresh gulf air is always relaxing and the best part of any trip to the beach.Saturday, October 2, 2010
Auto Racing Sponsorship & the Drama of Pit 18
Last weekend, my husband and I spent the day at Dover Speedway photographing a car in the NASCAR Nationwide Series race. The following is an excerpt from the article my husband wrote and a couple of photographs from the day. Please follow the link at the bottom of the excerpt to go to the complete article.
The story began as a note on Facebook. An old acquaintance contacted the Desk through one of the Desk's former bosses. A sponsor of a Nationwide Series car was looking for a photographer, and the Desk's wife happens to be one (see link to her site at end of part 2). The resulting email exchange involved submitting information to NASCAR for credentials that didn't come through until Friday afternoon for Saturday morning. Something "far beyond" the "last minute", but it worked!
The primary goal of the mission was to get some good photos of the sponsor's car with their logo on the hood, in action if possible. The second reason is... well, this. The Desk promised the lady at the sponsor that it would write it up as a photoessay and mention the sponsor several times!
Well. OK. Here goes.
The sponsor was RepairableVehicles.com (links at end of part 2 to outside entities and to the Photo Pages).
RepairableVehicles.com had purchased single event advertising on Jeremy Clements' number 04 Impala in the Nationwide series 200 mile race at Dover from RaceDaySponsor.com, for Jeremy's first run at the Dover track. Did I mention that the sponsor was RepairableVehicles.com?
The usual sponsor is Boudreaux's Butt Paste who has been in the sport for about five years or so, but for today, and probably at other races as well, they will step back to the associate spot and let RepairableVehicles.com ride on the hood. We'll come back to how this all works and where RaceDaySponsor.com figures in later. (is that enough sponsor plugs for now? if not there's more on photo page 2).
First things first. Who is Jeremy Clements? (see photo on the photo page as well)
Well, the twenty-something Jeremy comes to racing naturally. It is, to coin a phrase, in his blood. His grandfather was Crawford Clements who, with his brother Louis, produced racing engines and owned a race team during the Golden Age of NASCAR through the sixties and into the seventies. Later Crawford focused his family business on producing top-flight engines for the various Sportsman's racing series. Which they still do today.
Today, the family is actively back in racing with a Jeremy as the public face of the effort driving the Zero Four. And it really is still a family business with the Clements name throughout the crew on race day as well as on the driver suit. Team owner Tony Clements is a spotter on race day while Glen Clements is one of the mechanics, both at the track and in the shop.
The rest of the story and more photos can be found on The Media Desk.
The story began as a note on Facebook. An old acquaintance contacted the Desk through one of the Desk's former bosses. A sponsor of a Nationwide Series car was looking for a photographer, and the Desk's wife happens to be one (see link to her site at end of part 2). The resulting email exchange involved submitting information to NASCAR for credentials that didn't come through until Friday afternoon for Saturday morning. Something "far beyond" the "last minute", but it worked!The primary goal of the mission was to get some good photos of the sponsor's car with their logo on the hood, in action if possible. The second reason is... well, this. The Desk promised the lady at the sponsor that it would write it up as a photoessay and mention the sponsor several times!
Well. OK. Here goes.
RepairableVehicles.com had purchased single event advertising on Jeremy Clements' number 04 Impala in the Nationwide series 200 mile race at Dover from RaceDaySponsor.com, for Jeremy's first run at the Dover track. Did I mention that the sponsor was RepairableVehicles.com?
The usual sponsor is Boudreaux's Butt Paste who has been in the sport for about five years or so, but for today, and probably at other races as well, they will step back to the associate spot and let RepairableVehicles.com ride on the hood. We'll come back to how this all works and where RaceDaySponsor.com figures in later. (is that enough sponsor plugs for now? if not there's more on photo page 2).
First things first. Who is Jeremy Clements? (see photo on the photo page as well)
Well, the twenty-something Jeremy comes to racing naturally. It is, to coin a phrase, in his blood. His grandfather was Crawford Clements who, with his brother Louis, produced racing engines and owned a race team during the Golden Age of NASCAR through the sixties and into the seventies. Later Crawford focused his family business on producing top-flight engines for the various Sportsman's racing series. Which they still do today.
Today, the family is actively back in racing with a Jeremy as the public face of the effort driving the Zero Four. And it really is still a family business with the Clements name throughout the crew on race day as well as on the driver suit. Team owner Tony Clements is a spotter on race day while Glen Clements is one of the mechanics, both at the track and in the shop.
The rest of the story and more photos can be found on The Media Desk.
Friday, October 1, 2010
Day 7 of 300 Days of Dyeing And FAF
Yes, it happened. I set a goal. I made a commitment. I announced it to the world.
And then Life happened. I got sick. My mother got sick. My mother-in-law got sick. There was a race to photograph. There was a Fiber Fest to prepare for (and then cancel-see above.) And right now, I don't even remember what else. But dyeing has been put on hold - temporarily. I'm planning to back in full swing soon. In the meantime, I'm taking it slow and easy and one day at a time.
Today I am dyeing with onion skins. I don't do this very often, but it is one of the few 'natural' dyes I use. (I put 'natural' in semi-quotes because most dyes are natural, they are just prepared for us rather than us having to go out to collect the ingredients and prepare them for use. Someone else does that for us and packages them in an easy to use form.)
Dyeing with onion skins is pretty simple. Collect the skins from yellow onions. I have about four of the little net bags they come in from the grocery store crammed full of skins. I have no idea how many onions it took to get them. And I didn't weigh them. This is a very non-scientific method. I boiled the onions in my pot with a strainer insert. After the onion skins boiled a few minutes (a while, again I didn't time anything) and the water had turned a rich red (and smelled delicious like onion soup!), I removed the insert with the bags of onion skins. I then added my prepared wool. I generally soak my wool in a little detergent before dyeing.
There are discussions and misconceptions about mordants. My personal experience is that mordants are required to make onion skins permanent. I generally add a little vinegar (acid) to the pot out of habit, but it's not required. Time in the post seems to be a bigger factor. My results have been both light fast and wash fast (though you should always take care when washing and storing hand dyed fibers of any kind). Adding other mordants may change the resulting colors a bit, but aren't necessary.
My wool is in the pot now. If I remember, I will take photos and add them to this post later. In the meantime, here are a couple of photos of previously dyed wool.
ETA: It's Fiber Arts Friday! Check out WonderWhyGal's FAF links and feel free to leave a link to your blog in the comments here. There's enough fiber in the world to share the Fiber Arts Friday love!
And then Life happened. I got sick. My mother got sick. My mother-in-law got sick. There was a race to photograph. There was a Fiber Fest to prepare for (and then cancel-see above.) And right now, I don't even remember what else. But dyeing has been put on hold - temporarily. I'm planning to back in full swing soon. In the meantime, I'm taking it slow and easy and one day at a time.
Today I am dyeing with onion skins. I don't do this very often, but it is one of the few 'natural' dyes I use. (I put 'natural' in semi-quotes because most dyes are natural, they are just prepared for us rather than us having to go out to collect the ingredients and prepare them for use. Someone else does that for us and packages them in an easy to use form.)Dyeing with onion skins is pretty simple. Collect the skins from yellow onions. I have about four of the little net bags they come in from the grocery store crammed full of skins. I have no idea how many onions it took to get them. And I didn't weigh them. This is a very non-scientific method. I boiled the onions in my pot with a strainer insert. After the onion skins boiled a few minutes (a while, again I didn't time anything) and the water had turned a rich red (and smelled delicious like onion soup!), I removed the insert with the bags of onion skins. I then added my prepared wool. I generally soak my wool in a little detergent before dyeing.
There are discussions and misconceptions about mordants. My personal experience is that mordants are required to make onion skins permanent. I generally add a little vinegar (acid) to the pot out of habit, but it's not required. Time in the post seems to be a bigger factor. My results have been both light fast and wash fast (though you should always take care when washing and storing hand dyed fibers of any kind). Adding other mordants may change the resulting colors a bit, but aren't necessary. My wool is in the pot now. If I remember, I will take photos and add them to this post later. In the meantime, here are a couple of photos of previously dyed wool.
ETA: It's Fiber Arts Friday! Check out WonderWhyGal's FAF links and feel free to leave a link to your blog in the comments here. There's enough fiber in the world to share the Fiber Arts Friday love!
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Delaware Art Chat On Twitter
The other day I had a brilliant idea! I do have those occasionally. When I do, it's usually a day to mark on your calendar because it may be a long dry spell before I have another. This time I was thinking about local venues for my work. I think it's art, but others may think it's 'art supplies'. Whatever. I want local places to show it off; not just online. After doing some googling, and coming up (almost) dry, I asked on Twitter. What I really asked was if there was an active Delaware Artists and Crafters community on Twitter. The very quick answer was 'no'. So . . . to make a long story short, there is now an account for @DEartchat and the search tag for Delaware artists and crafters is #DEartchat.
We will begin having regular chats this Sunday, October 3, from 8 pm to 9 pm local time. This time will be flexible and, until we get a regular group chatting, can change or rotate with a different time and day to encourage more participation. I've taken this on my own to get it started, but would be happy to have input and guest hosts.
The topic of the first chat is "When Art and Technology Collide". If you have questions or discussion starters for this topic, please post them in the comment section here or send a DM to @DEartchat on Twitter. Also more discussion topics for future chats are needed.
There will be a brief period (5-10 min.) at the beginning of the chat period for introductions. Then questions will be posted every 5-10 min until about 8:50 pm. At that point, there will be open chat (almost anything goes) and plugs for your site, store, gallery, whatever. Use the tag #DEartchat with each post so participants can click the search tag and see all posts.
There is also a Flickr Group for DEartchat. Please join the group and post images of your work that you would like to share with the group. Post a link on twitter with the tag #DEartchat to let others know there are new images of your work available.
Though the purpose of this Twitter community and Flickr group is to share information about Delaware Arts and Crafts, I don't think anyone will mind the occasional post indicating where your work can be seen and purchased.
Please invite fellow Delaware Artists and Crafters to join us and share what's going on in the Arts and Crafts community. You may link to this blog post or post the link on twitter, facebook, or any other social media source. As we grow in numbers, we will be better known and our work better appreciated.
The topic of the first chat is "When Art and Technology Collide". If you have questions or discussion starters for this topic, please post them in the comment section here or send a DM to @DEartchat on Twitter. Also more discussion topics for future chats are needed.
There will be a brief period (5-10 min.) at the beginning of the chat period for introductions. Then questions will be posted every 5-10 min until about 8:50 pm. At that point, there will be open chat (almost anything goes) and plugs for your site, store, gallery, whatever. Use the tag #DEartchat with each post so participants can click the search tag and see all posts.
There is also a Flickr Group for DEartchat. Please join the group and post images of your work that you would like to share with the group. Post a link on twitter with the tag #DEartchat to let others know there are new images of your work available.
Though the purpose of this Twitter community and Flickr group is to share information about Delaware Arts and Crafts, I don't think anyone will mind the occasional post indicating where your work can be seen and purchased.
Please invite fellow Delaware Artists and Crafters to join us and share what's going on in the Arts and Crafts community. You may link to this blog post or post the link on twitter, facebook, or any other social media source. As we grow in numbers, we will be better known and our work better appreciated.
Friday, September 17, 2010
Fiber Arts Friday & A Cozy for Your Coffee
Some people think a coffee cozy is just silly. Maybe. Maybe not. Those who use them are generally happy with the result-keep your coffee warmer, longer, while keeping your hands cooler. At the same time, you can let your mugs with advertising or editorial comments go undercover. Works for me.
What also works for me is making a coffee cozy while testing a stitch pattern, swatching for a larger project (check your gauge!), or using bits of left over yarn.
How To:
Using size 2 (US) needles (I used two dpns because that's that I had in easy reach), cast on 62 stitches.
Knit 4 rows, working back and forth, (two ridges of garter stitch).
Next row and every row till about 1/2 inch from desired height, Slip the first stitch as to purl, *YO, Slip1 as to Purl, K2Tog.* Repeat from * to * till one stitch remains. K1.
When within 1/2" to 1/4" of desired height of coffee cozy, work 4 rows of K (two ridges of garter stitch) and bind off.
Leave about 10" to 12" of yarn. Using a tapestry sewing needle, sew the two top corners together, run the yarn down the side of the piece, and sew the two bottom corners together. Weave in ends of yarn.
This is not a fancy pattern. You can play with it make your coffee cozy as plain or fancy as possible. This stitch pattern is one of my favorites because it doesn't use a purl stitch, which are often more painful to my arthritic hands.
If you make coffee cozies (or any other cozies!) please post a link to a photo in the comments section. I'm looking forward to seeing your work.
And . . . . it's Fiber Arts Friday! If you have a fiber related (yarn, knitting, crocheting, dyeing, spinning, sewing, quilting, anything fiber arts!) blog post, please post a link to your blog post in the comments section. And I always appreciate a link back to my post. Thanks in advance!
What also works for me is making a coffee cozy while testing a stitch pattern, swatching for a larger project (check your gauge!), or using bits of left over yarn.
How To:
Using size 2 (US) needles (I used two dpns because that's that I had in easy reach), cast on 62 stitches.
Knit 4 rows, working back and forth, (two ridges of garter stitch).
Next row and every row till about 1/2 inch from desired height, Slip the first stitch as to purl, *YO, Slip1 as to Purl, K2Tog.* Repeat from * to * till one stitch remains. K1.
When within 1/2" to 1/4" of desired height of coffee cozy, work 4 rows of K (two ridges of garter stitch) and bind off.
Leave about 10" to 12" of yarn. Using a tapestry sewing needle, sew the two top corners together, run the yarn down the side of the piece, and sew the two bottom corners together. Weave in ends of yarn.
This is not a fancy pattern. You can play with it make your coffee cozy as plain or fancy as possible. This stitch pattern is one of my favorites because it doesn't use a purl stitch, which are often more painful to my arthritic hands.
And . . . . it's Fiber Arts Friday! If you have a fiber related (yarn, knitting, crocheting, dyeing, spinning, sewing, quilting, anything fiber arts!) blog post, please post a link to your blog post in the comments section. And I always appreciate a link back to my post. Thanks in advance!
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Do You Know How Difficult It Is To Photograph Socks - While You're Wearing Them?
Monday, September 13, 2010
Monday: Just Another Day In The Office
Unless
you work from home. Then Monday opens up a whole different
world of opportunities. What to do today? What to do
first? Well, that's often determined for you. What has to
be done today? What has to be done first? For me that
involves a cup of coffee and reclining in bed with my laptop. After
I let the dog out. Twice. Because he didn't like the back
yard this morning.
Monday
mornings in my 'office' also involve researching market trends,
developing marketing strategies, and much more. Like 'Social
Networking'. Yeah, I love my job. Mainly because I love
my colleagues and customers. It's not a chore to network with
you. It's a joy and I am truly blessed to be able to share what
I love with awesome people who want to to know more. This blog
post is dedicated to all of you-friends, colleagues, customers, and
just cool people who like to check in to see what's going on in my
little world.
If
you have ever owned your own business, you fully understand
that "a prophet is not without
honor except in his hometown and among his own relatives and in his
own household.."(1) I am fortunate to have a
husband who recognizes the value of my work and my business. But
I understand how rare that is. Often family members fail to see
the value of what we do while 'strangers' encourage and support us.
I sometimes have mixed emotions when I look on Facebook and see
the 'Likes' for my posts and comments. They are, more times
than not, 'Liked' by people halfway around the world that I've never
met and are likely to never meet. All the while, my many of my
'friends' and family (who I know visit Facebook because of the games
they play) seem to never see a link. I understand life is busy.
But really. How long does it really take to click a
button?
And
it's not just Facebook. On Ravelry, it only takes a moment to click
the 'Love' or 'Agree' buttons. (and I wish more sites had those
options. I often 'Agree' on Facebook, though I don't always 'Like'.
) On Twitter, just an occasional response to let me know that
someone in my list of 1000+ followers are actually reading an
occasional tweet is appreciated.
Do
you read my blog? Or did you just click to see if there are any
photos and then move on? I didn't realize how often I was doing that
to other people till I started keeping track of my own blog
statistics. Now I try to make an effort more often to at least leave
a short comment to let the writer know I did read the post and I
appreciate the efforts they are making, whether to promote their
business or the industry in general.
I'm
going to wind this up because I really do have work to do this
morning – besides laundry. I still have a sock to finish and
photograph, patterns to write and format, trying to remember how to
list the patterns for sale on my website, a serious website update,
soap to be made, new patterns that have been spinning around head to
be designed, and the rest of the never ending list of tasks. But I
do love doing them all.
Thursday, September 2, 2010
What Makes You Extraordinary?
I have a theory that everyone is extraordinary in at least one specific way. There is at least one thing that you can do better than most people you know. What is it that makes you extraordinary?
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
This One Is For Me!
The results of Day 6 of 300 Days of Dyeing:
I over dyed the Day 1 yarn again and I am satisfied. This is the depth of color that I was seeking. I don't mean a 'dark' color. It is many layers, building on one another, achieving an organic character, revealing the life of the yarn that gives it depth.
Though this yarn would show off a lovely lace stitch pattern, I think I'm going to use a simple pattern that will give the layers of color the respect due.
I over dyed the Day 1 yarn again and I am satisfied. This is the depth of color that I was seeking. I don't mean a 'dark' color. It is many layers, building on one another, achieving an organic character, revealing the life of the yarn that gives it depth.
Though this yarn would show off a lovely lace stitch pattern, I think I'm going to use a simple pattern that will give the layers of color the respect due.
Monday, August 30, 2010
Another Non-Update and Patterns
I'm still not back to dyeing. Working on getting there, though. I did over dye a skein of yarn yesterday and will post pics when I get photos of the dry yarn. That will be Day 6 of 300 Days of Dyeing.
In the meantime, though . . . I'm putting out a call for designers. I want to offer my customers a complete shopping experience, but sometimes I just have to admit that I can't do it all. Like design. I have written a couple of sock patterns. And have a couple more forming in my mind. But I know not everyone knits socks. Believe it or not, not everyone even wants to knit sock. I know. Mind boggling, huh? Well, not really. Until you do it, knitting socks does seem a little overwhelming. And some people try it, succeed, but just don't enjoy it. Anyway. I know you want more than just socks. So . . . . if you or someone you know is a knit or crochet designer and would like to another outlet for offering your patterns to the public, we might be able to work something out. Contact me and we'll see what we can come up with. In the meantime, check out the designs from The Pattern Market
.
In the meantime, though . . . I'm putting out a call for designers. I want to offer my customers a complete shopping experience, but sometimes I just have to admit that I can't do it all. Like design. I have written a couple of sock patterns. And have a couple more forming in my mind. But I know not everyone knits socks. Believe it or not, not everyone even wants to knit sock. I know. Mind boggling, huh? Well, not really. Until you do it, knitting socks does seem a little overwhelming. And some people try it, succeed, but just don't enjoy it. Anyway. I know you want more than just socks. So . . . . if you or someone you know is a knit or crochet designer and would like to another outlet for offering your patterns to the public, we might be able to work something out. Contact me and we'll see what we can come up with. In the meantime, check out the designs from The Pattern Market
 |
EMBROIDERED FELTED BACKPACK, JULIE ARMSTRONG HOLETZ |
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
300 Days of Dyeing - Update
Just wanted to let you know I haven't forgotten about the Challenge. I have slept about 6 hours since Friday night. And right now I have an exploding headache. That's why I thought it would be a good idea to make it 300 Days of Dyeing instead of Dyeing Every Day. I knew there would be Days like this.
But . . . I still have yarn to dye so as soon as I'm feeling better again I'll be Dyeing again.
But . . . I still have yarn to dye so as soon as I'm feeling better again I'll be Dyeing again.
Thursday, August 19, 2010
A Little Bit of Luxury
Do you deserve a little luxury? Just for yourself? Of course, you do! And you know it, too. But you've probably been denying yourself so you can do something a little extra for someone else.
I know because everyone does that. It's just human nature. Well, everyone does that except me. I'm not denying myself. I've found a way to treat myself and someone else, too. You see, it's this yarn that I ordered. When I was told by the sales rep that it was 'luxury' yarn, I was thinking to myself, "OK. But it's still yarn." And then it arrived and I knew beyond a doubt . . . well, after I let my husband cut the box open because he was afraid my shaking hands would cut myself and then I ripped open the bag . . . then, I knew beyond a doubt that when it came to luxury, this was the real deal!
Since then, I have been treating myself by handling this silky soft, just the right balance of body and drape, I-just-want-to-touch-you yarn every chance I get. Through every step of the dyeing process, I have caressed this twisted fluff and let it caress me back. (Am I in love?) And I know that as soon as it's dry I'm going to wind a skein into a ball and cast on. And I'll treat myself all over again while knitting. I don't have a clue yet what I'll make. It will probably become a gift to someone else and they will be treated to luxury for the long life of the item made.
Do you want to see what I'm making such a fuss about? Well, you'll have to wait, like everyone else, for the big reveal. To be one of the very first to see this yarn, sign up for my email newsletter before September 2. Just to make sure you get signed up, go ahead and do it now.
Now, for 300 Days of Dyeing . . . Days 4 and 5 have been spent dyeing my new yarn line, so I can't post photos now. Just rest assured that I'm (mostly) keeping up and I only have 295 Days to go. At this rate, I'll be finished by this time next year.
Since I can't give you a peek at the new yarn, I'll show you a photo of one my current projects. Last year I knit a shawl in a colorway that I simply loved. I used worsted weight yarn. Though it knit up quickly (which was good), I never wore it (which was bad.) The shawl ended up across the end of my bed one cold night and I tucked my feet up underneath it. It was so warm, I decided to use the same yarn base to knit an afghan for the bed. Then I decided that since I loved the colorway and it was just sitting there, I would unravel it and add (many) more colors.
It is a simple mitered square pattern. I'm not sure how large I'll make it. Right now it covers my legs without much left over. But my husband felt it and decided we should keep it for our bed (my plans all along!), so I'll need to keep knitting. Speaking of which, I think I'll watch a movie now and work on it little more tonight.
Until tomorrow,
Enjoy!
I know because everyone does that. It's just human nature. Well, everyone does that except me. I'm not denying myself. I've found a way to treat myself and someone else, too. You see, it's this yarn that I ordered. When I was told by the sales rep that it was 'luxury' yarn, I was thinking to myself, "OK. But it's still yarn." And then it arrived and I knew beyond a doubt . . . well, after I let my husband cut the box open because he was afraid my shaking hands would cut myself and then I ripped open the bag . . . then, I knew beyond a doubt that when it came to luxury, this was the real deal!
Since then, I have been treating myself by handling this silky soft, just the right balance of body and drape, I-just-want-to-touch-you yarn every chance I get. Through every step of the dyeing process, I have caressed this twisted fluff and let it caress me back. (Am I in love?) And I know that as soon as it's dry I'm going to wind a skein into a ball and cast on. And I'll treat myself all over again while knitting. I don't have a clue yet what I'll make. It will probably become a gift to someone else and they will be treated to luxury for the long life of the item made.
Do you want to see what I'm making such a fuss about? Well, you'll have to wait, like everyone else, for the big reveal. To be one of the very first to see this yarn, sign up for my email newsletter before September 2. Just to make sure you get signed up, go ahead and do it now.
Now, for 300 Days of Dyeing . . . Days 4 and 5 have been spent dyeing my new yarn line, so I can't post photos now. Just rest assured that I'm (mostly) keeping up and I only have 295 Days to go. At this rate, I'll be finished by this time next year.
 |
| The green/gray/brown in the lower right was the color of the shawl. |
Since I can't give you a peek at the new yarn, I'll show you a photo of one my current projects. Last year I knit a shawl in a colorway that I simply loved. I used worsted weight yarn. Though it knit up quickly (which was good), I never wore it (which was bad.) The shawl ended up across the end of my bed one cold night and I tucked my feet up underneath it. It was so warm, I decided to use the same yarn base to knit an afghan for the bed. Then I decided that since I loved the colorway and it was just sitting there, I would unravel it and add (many) more colors.
It is a simple mitered square pattern. I'm not sure how large I'll make it. Right now it covers my legs without much left over. But my husband felt it and decided we should keep it for our bed (my plans all along!), so I'll need to keep knitting. Speaking of which, I think I'll watch a movie now and work on it little more tonight.
Until tomorrow,
Enjoy!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)