Bizarre America

There are roadside attractions all over America, but they tend to be less common on the east coast coast, where we live.  When we happen to see a road side attraction it is hard not to stop and take in the oddity.  As we were driving home through Georgia last week we spotted this beauty and I couldn't resist. This is my husband explaining to the kids what the somewhat realistic udders were for.  I think they got it.

I'm still not sure if they were enjoying the giant cow, or the time out of the car :)

Still more odd, in my opinion, was a cactus that appeared to be growing wild on the side of the road.  I have never seen cactus growing un-sheltered anywhere nearly as wet as Georgia.  Perhaps it just looked like cactus?  I don't know, but it was pretty.

Sewing Maching Meme

Sew Mama Sew is having a Sewing Machine Month, kicking off with this meme.  I found this interesting, and thought you might too.  Here it goes;  

What brand and model do you have?  

I have a Singer Feather Weight 221

How long have you had it?

I have had my machine a bit more than 5 years.

How much does that machine cost (approximately)?

Feather Weights are antique machines, and the cost varies greatly based on the condition of the machine; however, you can generally find a machine in good working condition that doesn't look perfect for about $500 on e-bay.

What types of things do you sew (i.e. quilting, clothing, handbags, home dec projects, etc.)?

I sew almost everything!  Clothing, home dec objects, and craft items come off my machine the most though.  I like to sew practical objects that are also pretty, and reuse or restyle fabric and trim as often as possible.

How much do you sew? How much wear and tear does the machine get?

I would say that my machine gets about 5 to 10 hours of sewing a week.  Sometimes that is very light work, stitching up kids clothes in quilt weight fabric, and sometimes it is much heavier work, like making bags in home dec weight fabric.

Do you like/love/hate your machine? Are you ambivalent? Passionate? Does she have a name?

Most of the time I think I take my machine for granted, because she simply works.  My machine is not fancy, and cannot do any of the cool things that the newer models do, but night and day, stitch after stitch she works without complaint.

What features does your machine have that work well for you?

My machine is a straight stitch only machine, so it doesn't really have much in the way of features; however, my machine has accessories that allow it to do many of the things the modern machines can do.  Many of these accessories are available on-line at really low prices.  So far my favorite accessory is my buttonhole attachment that was about $10 on eBay.

Is there anything that drives you nuts about your machine?

My machine does not have a zigzag stitch and I wish it did, because it would be much easier to sew knits with a zigzag stitch.  So far I haven't been able to find an attachment that will make it zigzag either.

Do you have a great story to share about your machine (i.e., Found it under the Christmas tree? Dropped it on the kitchen floor? Sewed your fingernail to your zipper?, Got it from your Great Grandma?, etc.!)? We want to hear it!

My machine was given to me by my grandmother on the day of my wedding.  It had been her machine since the day of her wedding when it was given to her by her mother.  I hope to one day give this machine to my daughter or son on the day of their wedding continuing this tradition.

Would you recommend the machine to others? Why?

I would definitely recommend this machine for anyone that is beginning to sew, or needs a good machine that doesn't cost  a lot.  Why?  Again, this machine is simple, and it simply works.

What factors do you think are important to consider when looking for a new machine?

After having a machine with a lot of cool features that completely died after about 1 year of use, that most important feature to look for in a machine for me is durability and serviceability.

Do you have a dream machine?

My dream machine, at the moment, the the Husqvarna Viking Scandinavia 300.  It is one of their lower end machines.  I am very impressed with Viking's continual commitment to strong durable machines.

 Do you sew?  What kind of machine do you use?  I would love to see your answers to these questions.  If you decide to do this meme, please let me know.

A Successful Adventure

This past weekend my family and I took advantage of the long weekend and drove up to the mountains for a short "adventure."  You may know these trips as vacations, but we feel that vacations are times spent in rest and relaxation.  If you have toddlers then you know the word "adventure" is far more appropriate. The trip still allowed me some knitting time though (yeah anti-nausea meds and knitting in the car).  I was able to finish a new slipper pattern that I plan on posting for FREE later this week, and I FINALLY FINISHED KNITTING HOLLY.  Okay, I still have to block and seam the Holly Cardigan, but the knitting is finished!

Pictures and Pattern will follow.

Restyled Pillow

My daughter loves the soft fuzzy feel of fleece, and was reluctant to give up her fleece footy pj's when they got too small and the temperature got too high.  When she wanted to wear the too small pj's on an 80 degree F night, I was only able to talk her out of it by promising to make her a pillow from the pj's. Here is what I did.

This is what the original PJ's looked like.

Step 1:  Cut off the Sleeves.

Step 2:  Sew a line of stitches perpendicular to the zipper just under where you cut the sleeves off.  Make sure the zipper pull is BELOW this stitch line.

Step 3:  Stitch another line perpendicular to the zipper just above the crotch.

Step 4:  Cut off the sleeve area above the stitch line, and the leg area below the stitch line.  Leave a seam allowance.  I left about 0.5 inch.

Now you have a pillow case.  You can stuff it, find an insert that fits, or use all of the leftovers that you cut off, sew them together into same dimensions as the case and stuff that.  I did the later, and ended up with a Frankenstein's monster esque pillow, that worked really well.

There was only a little bit of fabric leftover.  I cut these pieces into circles roughly 2 inches wide.  I pinched these circles at the middle, then sewed that pinch together.

I sewed these together at the base, then sewed them to the pillow.

Ta Da!

All Babies are Beautiful

 

Spring Cleaning

Simple Mom has been doing a series on Spring Cleaning, and I have been trying to keep up with her.  Here are a few of my before and afters; Master Bedroom

Master Bedroom Corner

Master Bedroom Desk

Side Table

Master Bedroom

If you have any desire to do some deep cleaning you should check out simple mom's program.

Beginning Spinning

2 ounces of Baby Merino Pencil Roving spun in singles.

I bought the roving last October at SAFF, and I finally got around to spinning it about a month ago.  I think I did pretty good.  The singles are similar in diameter, and while they are slightly over spun it should help the singles hold together if I decide to ply them.

I found the baby Merino soft and smooth, pulling apart easily unless tightly spun.  The put up in pencil roving made it ridiculously easy to draft.  The roving seemed to want to be lace weight, but I am still not a fast enough drafter to spin a thinner diameter.

I am currently spinning regular Merino in normal roving put up.  I am planning to ply this fiber and I hope to show pictures of my progress soon.

Little Pink Laptop

I would like to introduce you to my new laptop, or I should say netbook!  My birthday was about two weeks ago, but due to a variety of circumstances I only received my big present this past weekend.  It was worth the wait.  

This tiny powerhouse has more computing power than my last full sized laptop, and is my first brand new computer ever.

While I don't feel like my husband spoils me, I do feel well taken care of.  He saw my need, and fulfilled it.  Now I need to figure out how to buy him a new car :)

~Gerwerken

Happy Mother's Day

To all of the mothers, current, future, and former, as well as those caretakers that bear the burden and pleasure of motherhood but not it's name, Happy Mother's Day.

Here is an older picture of my little brood, displaying what is still typical behavior.  I hope everyone enjoys this special day.

P.S.  I am back.  Thanks to my wonderful husband, my computer troubles are over.  I can again upload pictures and blog till my heart's content.  I am also able to resume working on a big project that I hope to be able to tell you all about in the near future.

~Gerwerken

Assessing Progress on Earth Day

I hope you all had a wonderful Earth Day.  Mine was a bit discourageing. I would like to show you the "progress" being made in my neighborhood.  

This is what my neighborhood looks like.  Adjectives such as rural, and pastoral come to mind.  The houses are far apart on large lots.  Most of the neighbors have had horses in their yards at some point.

My neighborhood will not look like this much longer.  There is a development going in in the pastures that border the main road into my neighborhood.  Already there is a giant clay hole in my neighbor's front yard, and the sounds of heavy machinery disturbs out quite.

This is what progress looks like.

In other news, we got a copy of the home inspection done on the house we have been considering buying.  The inspection showed problems we did not anticipate, and would require expensive renovation.  On top of that, we found that the owners of the house have turned down several offers they considered too low.  This information leads us to believe that the house is not the one for us.

We will be looking at more house tommorrow, but this situation renewed our interest in prefabracated houses, like this one.  It amazes, and saddens me that buying a brand new house, and shipping it across country could be more economically viable than fixing an old one.  At least we could get a greener house this way.

P.S.  My computer is dying and uploading photos has become probablamatic.  I hope this problem will be remidied soon and I will be able to post more often.

This 71 year old house...

The house my husband and I looked at yesterday is 71 years old, and has had only one owner.  That's right, one owner in 71 years.  

After talking to the neighbors we found out that the previous owner had lived lived in the house til her death at 105 years old.  At that point the house passed to her children, who decided to sell it and split the proceeds between themselves.  

We found the house cute, and quaint.  It is small, but livable, and it has a charm that shines through the neglect.

I imagine that the house has changed very little since it was built.  While it has been updated here and there, much of it appears to be original.  For instance the light fixtures in the living room and dining room seem to date to the time when electric lighting was new.  The picture below shows a more dramatic example in the house's wood burning cook stove.

The biggest update needed is air conditioning!  Despite the fact that we live in hot humid Florida, a central air conditioning system was never installed in the house.  While it is possible to live in Florida without a/c, mold and mildew tend to be a problem (dew to high humidity) if the house is not constantly and forcefully ventilated.  

There are a few other issues to contend with, including tiny closets, a single dirty bathroom, and years of neglect.  A contractor friend will hopefully be able to stop by the house this week to find out just how much this updating will cost.  We may then make an offer on the house, taking the cost of the repairs into account.

We shall soon see.

Is your e-mail on Autopilot?

If you have not checked out Cadie yet, you should.  G-mail can now read your e-mail for you and respond just like you!  What a great time saver. Okay, obviously this is a joke.  I will admit that I thought google had been hilarously hacked at first, then I realized that it is April 1st, and the wonderful people at google actually have a sense of humor.

I don't want to be rich....

for sale
Originally uploaded by netan

... or famous. I don't want to have a big house or a fancy car, or enough debt to drown in.

I want to feel secure in the knowledge that I can pay my modest bills, put food on the table, and set a little bit of money aside for saving. I want to be known in my little circle of friends as a fine person, and leave a legacy of doing good. I want a reliable, inexpensive car that is not so ugly that my kid's are embarrassed by it, and I want to leave my kids something that does not include debt.

Most of all, at the moment, I want a little house, that we can easily pay for, and call our own.

My husband and I are going to look at a house today, with an eye for possibly buying it. It is old, small, neglected, and cheap. I am hoping that we find it suitable to our needs, and structurally sound. I am hoping that I like it, and would like to live in it, and that soon we will again have a place of our own.

We shall see.

WIP - Blued Steel Socks

Lately it has seemed that our family has been on the express train to crazy town.  We have been working or planning to work, from 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. nearly every day.  Today however, I have a little time to relax and knit.  I have no projects that need to be finished by a deadline, and other than a little house cleaning (not a small feat with two toddlers, I will admit), I have nothing that needs to be done immediately.  Can you hear my sigh of relief? So today I will try to finish the heels of my husband's sock's, which I have failed to mention on this blog so far.  I did not mention thes socks, because I decided to try a new technique while knitting them, and was afraid they would be a disaster.

I am not much of a sock knitter.  It is not that I dislike knitting socks, rather, I prefer knitting other things, like sweaters.  I also have a SERIOUSLY BAD case of 2nd sock syndrome.  Even after the first sock has been completely knit, the 2nd has a good chance of never being made.

I made the previous mistake of knitting my huge footed husband a pair of socks, and those of you who have ever worn a pair of handknit socks know, that once you have gone handknit you never go back.  He has since been asking for a 2nd pair of socks, and eventually I reluctantlyagreed.  Knowing my reluctance to start a 2nd sock, and not wanting my husband walking around in just one sock, I decided to try to knit both socks at once.

I used the magic loop technique (also new to me) to knit both socks on only one extremly long needle.  I was suprised to find that after finishing the figure 8 cast on, the technique was straight forward and easy.  On top of that, knitting both socks at the same timedoesn't seem to take much longer than knitting one sock on dpn's.  I throughly enjoy knitting in this fashion, and may knit ALL future socks in this manner.

Here is how it is going so far;

Pattern: Universal Toe-up Sock Pattern

Yarn:  1 Skein Cascade Heritage Hand Painted

Needles:  Size 2, 45" circulars

Yes, I am knitting both socks at the same time from one skein.  I will show you my method later.

Extreme Sheep Herding

A friend shared this with me, and I felt the need to share to share this with all of you.  I am not a youtube watcher, so apologies if this is old news. For your viewing pleasure, extreme sheep herding plus LEDs.  Enjoy!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D2FX9rviEhw&feature=player_embedded]

Beautiful Spring Day (pic heavy)

I will admit that I perfer Fall to Spring, because Spring means that the heat is just around the corner.  However, Spring Days like this make me forget my bias toward Fall.  Spring here is beautiful!

This diminutive little blossom is, in my opinion, the most wonderful smelling flower in the world.

Knitty, Spring 2009

 

Knitty's Spring 2009 edition is now on-line.  As always they have a variety of cute, beautiful, and interesting patterns.  I especially like the flock mobile, and Pioneer Pullover.  The mobile would make a beautiful baby present, and the pullover is one of the few patterns that show off the beauty of hand painted yarn.

Check it out!

Embroider my Liver

I have been dying to post about this embroidery project for the longest time.  This project was a Christmas present, that was finished before Christmas, but was not given until this past weekend.  One of my good friends who is currently living in Maine came this past weekend to attend my Son's birthday party (details to follow), and he finally received all of his gifts.

He was the previous recipent of the embroidered heart, and upon his enthusiastic receipt of the heart I enquired what his favorite organ was.  He responded the liver.  The above pictured liver and surrounding organs was the result.  

Here are some detailed shots;

The Pancreas is the light peach organ pictured above.  I used french knots to create the oddly bumpy texture seen in a real pancreas.

The spleen was made with bullion knots, to imitate the the lumpy texture of a real spleen.

You may see more anatomy embroidery in he future, as it was  indicated that a series would be appreciated.

KReATIV Blogger Award

Tasha at I'm only fooling myself was kind enough to give me the Kreativ Blogger Award earlier this week.  Thank You Tasha!  I feel really honored by this award, because blogs that do not have huge readerships, like mine, are often over looked when it comes time to give an award.  It is wonderful to know that ones work is appreciated and acknowledged.

The rules of the Kreativ Blogger Award are thus;

List 7 things that you love and then pass the award on to 7 people…tagging them and letting them know they won! You can copy the picture of the award and put it on your sideboard letting the whole wide world know you are KReATIV!

Seven things I love:

1)  My Husband.  He works hard, rarely complains, puts up with my eccentricities, and loves me even when I don't deserve it. 2)  My Kids.  My kids are a part of me, both literally and metaphysically.  I love them in a way I never thought possible before they came into my life. 3)  My sister.  My sister is one of the few people whom I can be away from for a long time, and when we come back together it is as if no time has past whatsoever.  It is a very comfortable feeling. 4)  My dog Surly.  I think the love of a pet is nearly unconditional.  I know that my dog will ALWAYS be there for me. 5)  The wonders of the natural world.  It is more beautiful than man could ever make. 6)  Literature.  It is poetic, insightful, inspireing, fun, imaginative, creative, enlightening, educational, and probably the most convinceing arguement for civilzation in my opinion. 7)  I love Making!  I don't care what it is (although I do have preferences), as long as I can transform it into something beautiful, or useful, or both.

Seven blogs I love:

Gadabout Knitter Abozzo Absy's knitting Laupre (Insert Clever Title) sew i do Bunny Cakes

More FO's

Perhaps it is because Spring is on it's way, or because there are no more babies in our future, but I have been on a making frenzy.  A few projects have built up that I have not had the time to post, and instead of letting them linger, I thought I would post them all at one time.  Here goes......  

Pattern: Bijouterie Earrings by Rosemary Hill Needles:  US 2, 2.75mm straights "Yarn":  32 gauge silver beading wire (knit double)

Started:  February 28, 2009 Finished:  February 28, 2009

These super quick earrings were knit up for my SIL's birthday.

My daughter requested a mouse pad, after seeing the one I made for myself.  This smaller version was made for use with her "computer."

This is an old project that I forgot to post about.  The pattern is my own, so let me know if you are interested in making it.  I have most of the pictures necessary for a tutorial.

Last, but not least;

My daughter just inherited my old Samantha doll.  She asked for some new clothes, and these were the result.  I made my daughter some pants to match the dolls skirt, but she wants a skirt, like the doll's.  The skirt is basically a large rectangle with an elastic waist band, and the shirt's pattern came from this website.

Done for now!