Time marches on

Happy belated New year!

I don't make or keep resolutions so, there's nothing like that to post about. My first winter here in Alaska has been keeping me busy...more or less. I've learned that yeah, I really do like snow, just like I've kinda always thought. Growing up in California we would have to drive about 3 hours during the winter to play in the snow. Where I kive today, I've had a constant supply of snow right out my front door since before Halloween. Yeah it's cold - but that's what layering clothing is for. Also, I like being bundled up and being able to wear boots without my feet sweating.

One major change I did make - and it happened to be on New Years day but, pretty much just how it worked out. I cut my dreadlocks off. It felt like the day to do it so after months of thinking about it, it happened.

I loved my dreadlocks - and still have them in a ziplock ;) But for me anyway, my dreadlocks were like reminders, almost in the way a tree has rings marking it's time. I could pull a loc out and from a little bump here, or a spot where an old bleach job lingered, I was constantly reminded of memories that were sometimes painful in the last 7 1/2 years. After 2015 I'd had enough reminders. Done.

*sassy*

Like a ton of other bloggers out there, I forget to post for long periods of time. Maybe I need to set an alarm reminder? Not a bad idea. I do plan on being more attentive to my blog, but I am also going to begin a new one. This blog is my place for everything stuff. Hair, yarn, weather, news, family, friends, etc. The new blog I am working on is dedicated to going vegan. Yeah, that happened too. If you'd like to follow that journey...please do! I'll have a link up soon to get you there :)

See you soon with updates and some recent photos. Have a good week! Now, go punch Monday in the FACE!

Hi there

A long time and loads of miles since my last post ... 

Greetings from Alaska!

More updates to come.

xo

Bubbles, cookies and ...more?

Ok so, yes, I tried the bubbles but they failed miserably the very next day. I've left the jar in the cabinet and tried more bubbles every few days and it seems to be getting better. Maybe they need time to "cure"? No clue but, here's a little update with pics of my homemade bubble experiment!

NOT the T-Virus

Finding things with holes in them!

 The little cheese grater didn't work but, whatever this is did!

I have a video to share but, it's been uploading from my Drive for a while now. I'll get it on here soon!

But .... even though the bubbles don't seem to be as "firm" as the ones I've bought in the store, I'm happy with them because I know what made up the formula. And besides, my 6 year old isn't going to complain - as long as there's bubbles of any size involved!

As for my absence *this* time around. I'm a Girl Scout Troop leader and it's COOKIE SEASON!

I've been a little busy :)

I've been doing some knitting (of course) and it's going slowly but surely. A second Tea Leaves Cardigan is in the works. I love to knit on it but my right arm doesn't like to so much. Old rotator cuff injury, "tennis elbow". bursitis, repetitive movement, heavy lifting at work... doesn't make for very productive knitting! I do what I can though. And, I am also trying to get the hang of Continental knitting. I think I may be too uncoordinated for it though LOL

Some progress ... I've made more since these pics. 

That's all the updating I have time for now. I have cookies and a little girl to pick up from her after school program. I've been thinking about changing my blog host for awhile as blogger.com just isn't doing it for me anymore - stay tuned for more on that!

xo

Homemade bubbles

So, it's been freezin' arse cold out lately. There's still 2 feet of snow out my front door and as I type this, it's 13 degrees. Last week my daughter lost 3 days of school due to snow and windchill, and I am deep in the market for awesome indoor projects, and anything that can be done outside - for a brief amount of time. 

Enter Pinterest and cool pics from the interwebs. ;)

Pretty recently there was a pic going around the web of bubbles that had been blown outside in the chilly air and they looked really, really cool. "I want to do that!", is what I've been thinking ever since I saw it!

Right now my bubble solution is *curing* in the cabinet. (I read that it's best 24 hours after it's first mixed) I'll take pictures tomorrow, of course, but for now I wanted to get my recipe down so I dont forget! 

Homemade bubbles -

2 1/2 cups water
1/2 cup Dawn Platinum dish washing liquid
4 TBSP glycerin
3 TBSP corn syrup
shake and let sit for 24 hours!

I was encouraged when I was able to blow a HUGE bubble thru a slotted spoon earlier. I'll let you know how it turns out tomorrow!

I'm a hooker now!

I finally learned to crochet! Friends have tried in vain to teach me before but, this time it actually stuck! Now I find myself wanting to crochet everything instead of knit.

One wonderful thing is that my hands don't hurt me like they do when I knit. Even when I loosen my grip while knitting, my left hand falls asleep, and my right arm just aches. I'll never be pain free, ever - that's just not how my body is these days. But with crochet, it seems I can make good progress on a project and feel like I'm accomplishing something, without all the stopping, shaking out the limbs, and massaging my hands.

I really do love knitting, and the look of knitted garments though. I'll be back soon, my Chiagoos, Hiya Hiyas, and KP circs. Promise.

As for my knitting...I've cast off a few smallish knitted projects recently.

a Malabrigo Neck Thingie for me

and a very cute Keyhole Scarf for Bird

Both projects used the same Malabrigo worsted in "watergreen".

For my first hooking project ... other than all the swatches, that is .... a Faux Square Scarf. I love these because you work a rectangle, then slip stitch it together (in the case of crochet), or my favorite for knitting, a kitchener stitch.

A little peek of it so far ...

I've got a lot farther since this pic was taken earlier today. I'm just about done with the first hank of two I'll be using, of Lion Brand Heartland in "Olympic"... a lovely blue, perfect for the Winter Games coming up. I really am impressed with this acrylic! I cant lie - I'm a yarn snob. Normally I turn my nose up at acrylic. For a long time unless it was Dark Horse Fantasy, I refused to work with it. This yarn however is amazingly soft and really easy to work with. It's also nice to know I don't have to worry about felting :)

If you've got this far, thank you for reading my post! I'm here and there, and sometimes missing all together but, I always mean to get back to my blogging ;)

Enjoy the rest of your weekend - and stay warm!

melting snow ...

"Even in winter an isolated patch of snow has a special quality."

Andy Goldsworthy

It's been a few weeks since the last snow fell. Here and there around town there are still patches on hillsides, road sides, street corners, and front lawns. 

It's barely an entire month into Winter ... I want moar snow!

Pardon me, while I dab away the dribble of yummo soup that's running down my chin as I type this ;)

It's been farkin cold here in northeast Kansas lately! Perhaps you've heard of the "arctic vortex" weather phenomenon? We felt it pretty good last week - but thankfully, not nearly as bad as the folks up in Wisconsin and New York though. I hope everyone is warming up and melting down a bit by now!

So, today is a day off for me! (Insert riotous applause...even thought it's just me here) Working at a fabric store is wonderful but, I do love my down time - especially when there's still plenty of snow on the ground and it's hard to stay warm inside without the heater clicking on every 10 minutes.

I've got my husband's army issued blanket - those guys really know how to keep a solider warm when they want to. My Macbook is rolling thru a Criminal Minds marathon. And my current WIP, a simple cowl. I went with this project because I needed to make something, ANYTHING, so I could knit up this hank of Malabrigo worsted in the color "water green", that I've been squooshing now and again, trying to think of what it wanted to be.

my nook

Earl Grey with honey and soup for lunch

Thus far my Malabrigo Neck Thingie is coming along great - it would be better if I could my more slippery needles to use but, I'm using what I can find right now. While searching for my size 8, 16 inch Chiagoo Reds, I figured out that I really, really need to pull all the projects off needles that have been languishing in cast-on fever crazy land, and let's face it, I'll never finish! If I did that, I'd have a whole new set of knitting needles in every size and circular length! Oh, and I never found my Chiagoos. For now I will continue with my bamboo needles and rub them occasionally with wax paper for added slippiness. Yeah, I'm pretty sure I made up a word just then.

my "thingie" so far

It's about time to get back to Criminal Minds, and get this cowl done. My 6 year old has requested a cowl or scarf for herself using my other hank of the same Malabrigo as my own so, I'll be busy here for a bit.

Till next post, be good, be safe, and love one another xo