Make Me

Blissed Out

I'm feeling all soft and lovely.  Had a WON-DER-FUL massage tonight by my friend Jeff, the massage therapist.  I can now move my neck in all sorts of conditions and am wondering if little Regan was not actually possessed, but simply the recipient of a really good deep tissue massage....

All I can do is crawl on to the couch and watch season 1 of Northern Exposure.  If you are looking for a massage therapist in the San Diego area, you'll do best to drop me a line.....

Moving Right Along

Still working on Branching Out.  Had to frog a few rows cuz knitting lace + sleepiness + watching a movie = crap lace.  So I ripped and ripped 1.5 stitch patterns worth, but then I wasn't sure what row I should do next.  I'm still not sure I got it.  But I think it will still work out.  If not, I will choose to refer to it as a "design choice."

I rather like how you can see my progression of success with the pattern not being correct until about the fifth repeat!

Saw two great scarves at Nordstrom tonight.  One was a ladder stitch thingy I have to try and figure out.  The other was a narrow stockinette stitch with the fringe attached to the length. 

On another note, I just finished The Same Sweet Girls and really liked it. I love books about the dynamics of women's relationships. I guess because I can no matter what the story is about, I can always see snatches of my own friendships, past and present, in the characters. I think it's out in paperback now - it's a great summer read.

Etsy Trial Extended!

I just noticed that the beta site for Etsy is extending its no fee thing to November 1.  Good deal.  I found the part about the fees - looks like it'll be $.20 (doesn't say if there are additional fees for extra pictures) and 3.5% of the total cost.  That doesn't sound too harsh.  I haven't sold anything yet, but I'm still just playing around in it.

I just listed this hat.

I had some fun writing the description - tell me what you think: Dude I'm Board Cap!

Getting Organized

I am in the process of organizing and weeding out all my supplies.  Daunting undertaking at the very least. 

I've organized my paper and weeded out some of the stuff I will never use. 

Next come the beads.  It's hard for me to think they need to be touched when they are soooo small and take up such a wee bit of room.  But there are plenty of things I need to clear out, so I'll just have to bite the bullet and power through.  I'm going to make some goodies this weekend and shop for a new bead supplies cabinet - the one I'm using now looks like I got mad and slung it across the room.

I should really get my stamps organized.  They've outgrown there 27 drawer space.  And I periodically go through them all to pull at least one from each drawer, and I haven't bought anything new in ages.  Of course, it would probably be easier if I could actually get back into that corner.  But for right now, it'll have to do.  Besides, if Armageddon hits, the stamps will have a buttload of kindling...so be nice to us!

Next we have books.  Books all over the freakin' house.  Read 'em and pass 'em on is my new motto.  But golly, you know, books are friends - can you really just pass a friend along? 

Ideally, there will be a lotta stuff donated to Goodwill and listed on Ebay in the next few weeks.  It's my goal and it's here in writing.  I'm giving myself until the end of September to make notable headway.

YO! BO! Who's Ya Mamma?

Did some tidying, as you can see.  The green was starting to rock my nerves.  I was trying to get away from the cream color I use all the time.  But what can I say, I love the cream, so why not go all the way, right?

Anyway, about Branching Out.  Yes, it was a rocky relationship at the beginning, with several do-overs, but this scarf is totally my ho, now.  I've got that puppy whipped into some kinda shape.  Perhaps not the shape it's supposed to be in according to the pattern, but here - take a look...

Yeah, I have smacked it up, flipped it and rubbed it down.... Check out lace knitting in the dictionary if you want to see my picture.

Dorkdom Approacheth

So I cast on for Branching Out.  Seems like it's going well.  Then I realize I have about 47 stitches where I should only have 31.  Um yeah, don't knit the YOs....

A Slight Rant

I tell people I don't have television and they look at me oddly.  The common consensus is that I can't afford it.  But let's set the record straight, shall we?

Typically, I turned off cable for the summer.  Why pay the same rate for repeats?  As it is, we pay a snootfull for channels we don't even watch during the rest of the year, so why pay for those channels PLUS the channels we've already seen?

So today, I'm checking out the prices for DishNetwork.  They lure you in with the specials - "$19.99 A MONTH!" it screams, followed by a whisper, "for three months."

Fine,  I'm prepared to do battle with the prices.  I figure with all the surcharges, I'm bound to wind up paying $50/month.  But then I check out the channels, and I can feel my ire rising. 

I am NEVER going to watch the golf channel, nor do I have any interest in fishing, Nascar, Court TV, Trinity Broadcasting, horse racing...blah, blah, blah - the insipid list goes on.  Not only that, when they say "over 60 CHANNELS!"  they fail to mention that 13 of them are shopping channels.  AND they want extra $$$ for LOCAL channels.

So let's count.  For the base price of $31.99 I get (WOW!) some 65 channels.  Let add up how many I may, on passing fancy, watch at least once in a three month time period..... 19.  19 channels!  I could see the bargain in maybe half. 

I hate paying for things I'm never going to use.  I mean, at least with yarn I can delude myself in thinking that it will eventually get used.

I'm not against TV, I just think there should be some kind of middle ground.  Pick 50 stations for $40 - I'd pay more than the basic price if I could get the stations I'd actually enjoy.  I suppose I will bite the bullet and get the thing, but I just wanted to complain about it first. 

Sharing the Love

Here's some cool stuff I found on Etsy:

My favorite so far is this Beatnik Bunny - isn't he adorable?  Anyone know about this Amigurumi stuff?  Looks way cool.

The coolest bags are at Quill Chic - doncha just love those embellishments?!  How about this pretty little necklace?  I love how delicate but colorful it is.

I'm totally fascinated by this shop, Got Wood.  Take a look at the pens! 

Here's an interesting project - the Open Shutter Spring 2005 book.  Check out some of the photos here.

And finally, I'm a sucker for beautiful soaps.  These are making me crazy!

The more time I spend on Etsy, the more cool things I find!  So, I decided to do my part and share the things I think are nifty. 

On the knitting front, I finished this scarf

Since I carpool to work about 3 times a week, I always have a project with me.  It's always something easy garter stitch or simple crochet - something that doesn't have to be counted.  I'm also trying to blow through my stash - so I've been doing a lot of things with 2 or 3 yarns held together.  Sort of looks like a big purple muppet, doesn't it? :)

Any Opinions on Etsy?

Anyone have an opinion on Etsy?  I know it's new and all, but I'm trying to get a feel for it.  Do you think it's drawing the right kind of customer?  If they publicize it well, it could go gangbusters.  Next week I'll be listing some more things and see how they do - probably cards and collage art.  I put up a purse tonight, so we'll see how it goes.

Check out my store to get a peep.

Isn't This Lovely?

Check out Liana's Rustic Purse.  Isn't it fab!