Bee's Knees Knitting

Soooo... Happy 4th of July.

Me, well, I did nada today except rest.  The closest thing I came to fireworks is some I watched from the porch.  It is 12:45am  and people are still shooting them off!  But it has quieted down.
The dog got to eat dinner finally.  He was really nervous during the fireworks but he finally settled down too and ate.  Damn good thing because he is skinny enough as is!  Wouldn't want his ribs to show... oh wait... they already do!

So, earlier this evening I  got some photos taken... I retook the Acid and the Pixie Brite.. they are gorgeous!  The old pics just didn't do them justice.  But I am sure glad I did that update before I went to Shands crappy pictures and all! 
And I slid in some Lady Slipper and Indian Slipper and some Newspaper silk noils!  I have fiber for a proper update but I may just do these and then spin some yarn!  Who knows how this weekend will end up!  I plan to hit a pool at some point so it just depends on how much I get done tomorrow.  I am trying to play it cool since I have had so much going on... you know, just enjoy my three day weekend!  
I didn't get the pots going today. I realized that the old pot is toast (literally) so I am going to have to reclaim another one from the cupboard. Luckily I was the recipient of a gizillion hand me down enamel pots so I have plenty to choose from!  But it is frightening... silly I know.. but changes make for different outcomes.  I am sure it will be fine.  My friend is coming by tomorrow to hang out so hopefully I can fire up the dye pot.  Obviously this is causing me some stress.  I know it will work out.  I know it.
I did get some new fire alarms.  The old ones were ALL broken.  What is the chances of having three smoke detectors and they all be broken?  I just never really paid that much attention to them before... now, yeah, I have been pushing the test buttons daily.  I will probably have to get new batteries before the week is out.  Small price to pay huh.

So... you want to see pictures, I am sure.. so here you go!


Update tomorrow sometime.  May have more than pictured.  Just depends on what I get done! :)
Night
Holly
p.s. I heard from Shands today but they left a message because I was napping.  The doctor said to call her back NEXT THURSDAY in the morning as that is the best time to reach her.  grrrrrr.....

oh man....i am loving this yarn. yes...i want a beenie. no, no i can't do it. recognize the compulsion. alright! i'm selling this yarn, and if anyone makes a beenie out of it i want to see pics damnit. so, how did this go....pretty easy, you all know i basically spin easy yarn these days. i just can't get over this pufftastic thing. i don't know if it's a phase. i hope so. it's like the irresistible siren song of thick and thin singles. cover your ears sailors!! don't jump overboard! that's not a hot naked water maiden it's a seahag!

Camp LA - Last Chance!
Hey Californian's, if you're not lost in the smoke, come to the class in Santa Monica! A few spots are still open, but it's almost here. Sign up on the Camp's page if you're interested.

Camp LA
at DCA Fine Art
July 19th and 20th
10-5pm
$200


Goldalicious
Pufftastic extreme thick and thin single in gold and white alpaca, bamboo, wool, mohair, nylon, milk protien and sparkle spun with a smaller silk single and all wrapped in a gold metallic thread. this is insanely sparkly!!!!! the pics don't even show the half of it.
30yds extra bulky
4oz
$58

So sparkly in low light!! make an evening beenie?

so, forgive my poor typing, kahlo is laying on me and i can barely see the screen. so. jakie came running in the house with a tiny baby bunny in his hands and i freaked him out because i thought the mom would desert it, but i guess that is a wivestale and very rarely will a mum desert their babies. plus, they are so cute, how could she? anyway, there was a baby bunny nest right in the middle of the yard, once you see it, wow, she did a good job hiding it. i looked in there and saw at least a couple more bunnies, i didn't want to scare anyone or touch anything, but the rabbit makes the nest out of bunny fur and grass, etc, and man is it toasty and soft in there! anyway, the next day, the bunny came out again and was running around and eating grass while his siblings slept the day away. i told jake that the bunny must have gotten in big trouble from his mom for wandering around. i managed to snap a few okay photos before i decided to leave him alone, although he didn't seem scared, he didn't hide or anything. cute baby. so cute.

not much else. i have this embroidered drawing almost finished...


happy 4th of july peeps! try not to blow your finger off, k?

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please disregard.
Thanks
holly

Ticking away the moments that make up a dull day
You fritter and waste the hours in an off hand way
Kicking round on a piece of ground in your home town
Waiting for someone or something to show you the way

Tired of lying in the sunshine staying home to watch the rain
You are young and life is long and there is time to kill today
And then one day you find ten years have got behind you
No one told you when to run, you missed the starting gun.

And you run and you run to catch up with the sun, but it's sinking
And racing around to come up behind you again
The sun is the same in a relative way, but you're older
And shorter of breath and one day closer to death.

Every year is getting shorter, never seem to find the time
Plans that either come to naught or half a page of scribbled lines
Hanging on in quiet desperation is the English way
The time is gone the song is over, thought I'd something more to say...

I played this old beaut today on my (yes) turntable - complete with the skips, pops, and crackles that mark the many times it was spun in the past by a very young Lynn. Yes, Dark Side of the Moon is 35 years old this year. I was 15 when it came out. It was an anthem for my generation and one that takes me back to college days in the (very smokey) dormitory...And this is the year I turn 50; next month, actually. I'm grappling with that one, folks. It has me wobbly in the knees and wondering where the time has gone...

And then I thought I'd better move on from morose Pink Floyd and got out the Alan Parson's Project albums because I hadn't listened to them in a gazillion years...but my turntable... broke. The last thing it ever got to play was Dark Side of the Moon. I think it was a fitting end. I guess it's time to move on...

Ok, so I have a confession to make.  I have not been totally honest with ya'll.
I need to let you know, that I am an addict.
A bad one. 
THIS is what I am addicted to.  
It has gotten worse since I have been stressed out.  I find myself passing an hour or two just doing it over and over and over again in total randomness.
It is awful.
Don't get started.  Don't do it.  That damn little monkey is hard to get off your back.
Seriously.
Holly

(three hours and counting until the three day weekend!  woohoo)

http://www.mypapercrane.com/blog/?p=825

A whole big mish mash of photos for you. The eyeballs just made me laugh, I should of took a photo when I had a pile of 6 sets but I forgot. The next photo is a peek into the garden. Since this is my first year with a real garden I have already made countless mistakes (not realizing the spinach would bolt etc.) Another thing I did not plan well for was the fact that the plants would get so big. I had these neat little rows between the plants and they have pretty much disappeared with the giants my zucchini, tomato, and pepper plants have become. The pumpkin leaves are HUGE crazy things, like elephant ears! Luckily I have already pulled up the spring onions and spinach creating more room for some of the other veg. It is just funny how I didn’t think about the plants growing so big when planting little seeds into the ground.

The last photo is from the zoo. Tom had off yesterday so we took a trip to Washington DC for the day. Since it has been mild and not too hot it was good to walk around outside. We made a stop at Sticky Fingers Bakery too before heading home. We also got a roll of Teese brand vegan cheese there which I have been trying to find locally without any luck. They also have some of the best vegan cinnamon rolls I have ever tasted, and it makes me want to try out a different recipe the next time I make some.

The Yarn Wench has just updated! There's lots of new wool top, many bags of Cotswold locks, a lovely bag from a new alpaca fleece, and a fun art yarn.

Here is a little sneak preview of some of the goodies:

I can legally drive a boat! Again! Hmm...not that I couldn't before...

They changed the boating rules to require people in reverse age (i.e. youngest to oldest) to have a license to prove they know the rules of boating. I found it rather amusing, as many of my questions related to towing a boat or sewage disposal- both of which I consider pretty obvious, but maybe it isn't? I would be more concerned with whether or not people can dock a boat, personally (something I avoid doing on larger boats, even with bow thrusters and video of what you are backing in to...I mean...docking against.).

I'll be going on the boat for a couple weeks coming up (*3 weekends off!*), and we plan on bringing all four kayaks with us (a couple of which are inflatable). Afterwards, I am bringing one down to Seattle to live in the bike room- which already has other people's kayaks too. My parent's cats get to come on the boat with us. They even wear harnesses when outside- mostly tp prevent the one from taking his usual flying leaps overboard. My cat has to stay home though, since he doesn't like other cats! (umm, the boat has more sq ft then where I used to live. And more storage too. People wonder why I want to live on a boat!)

Ok, you are proably as confused why I am getting mail with "Hazardous Materials" papers stuck to the outside (which incidentally, wasn't allowed in a plane, it has to go via ground). I wasn't expecting the package, as it was early. My soda machine has arrived! Complete with two giant (16 inch tall) CO2 canisters, which apparently make it dangerous to transport.



I don't actually drink much pop (in fact, I drink diet 7up and diet pepsi, and that is really about all I will go to any effort to seek out). I do however have a fondness for fizzy water and dry soda. The slightly sweet, naturally flovered, herbal undertones do me in. Not don't get me wrong- I crave a Coke or Root Beer now and again. But on the day to day, I just want fizzy water. Seattle water is good, but tastes like chlorine to me, and is well, boring. However, I hate paying for pop in cans I then have to recycle (and worse, lug back from somewhere) or expensive albeit very tasty dry sodas. I refuse to by actual fizzy water most of the time since it always seems silly to by water I could carbonate myself with a CO2 cartidge. I just never got around to bringing one of the siphons down.

I have to say...I am impressed! I was dubious at first, as the pieces are plastic (the bottles are PET plastic, which I am not concerned about as they are not going in the dishwasher or other high heat), but it seems sturdy enough when all is in place. I like that the cartridges are giant (about 100 1 liters/cartridge) and returnable. Plus, I can have multiple types of soda/juice/flavored water in my house at once. I immediately sat down and made lime soda with a mixer I had in the fridge, lavender soda (my all time fav flavor) with a simple syrup, plain fizzy water, and tried once of their soda mixes, which tasted a lot like Dr. Pepper. Good thing it was hot out today, as I have already had almost 2 liters!

Want to make your own soda but have no carbonation? Do you have yeast? Then you can make soda. That site also has some good cheese recipes- try making panner/panir if you never have before.

I found a really nice low key coffee shop to sit in for awhile today. Most are Starbucks around here, which I don't actually really mind, but they aren't places I can sit to just work or read for awhile. The place reminded me a lot of a coffee shop in Austin, TX that I used to hang out in a lot, and actually made a decent iced Americano. Unpretentious, with low key (thrifted?) seating, perfect for reading my new library books.

(eta: Did you check out my butter bell in the photo above? It actually still works, even in the hot weather!)

We all had 'em. So far 40's OK except for getting run into - I miss the Prius. Can't get them now, so I've got a Corolla. It's blue!
( powers of two birthday boys )
Hm, no pic of wrog from his birthday. Well, he didn't turn a power of two. :-)

Ok, so I solved the mystery on the air cleaner thingie.
It is made by Rainbow (the most expensive vacuum in the world) and it works as an air purifier not an ozone generator.  I think it works like a fish tank.  But then that is just my description.  It basically sucks in air and then blows it out through the water as it waterfalls.  Some call it a purifier some call it a humidifier but I am going with the air freshener.

Works like a charm is all I know.  Smoke is very difficult to remove so I would say that this was the ultimate test.  My only complaint is that I have had to change the water twice a day.  But heck, that is nothing compared to the alternative.
It IS more expensive than I would have thought but hey, it worked.
Here are a few linkies if you are interested.  It is called a Rainbow Rainmate.


This one seems to be the cheapest besides ebay.  But there are a ton on ebay.
http://www.vacuum-outlet.com/machines/rainmate.html

and here - 
http://www.goodvac.com/RainMate.htm

No, I don't know anything about the manufacturer or the links.  I just had a few folks email me saying they wanted the info when I found it.
Night all.
Holly and Lazy Ass (who is already sleeping... but says he likes the little water thingies because they are very quiet and don't disturb his sleep)

P.S.    BTW - a little note about the Rainbow vacuum.  My landlord has one and adores it.  He uses it all the time!  I thought his wife was a nut for letting him spend that much on a vacuum but now I see her brilliance.  What is a couple grand if it means he will vacuum twice a week?  I mean, really!  she is my hero!

http://www.mypapercrane.com/blog/?p=824

A few quick things…the tattooed body I worked on as we drove to Ohio. Kept me busy but then I was finished before the ride home, I need to plan a little better :) This is also something for my show…and looks quite different now that it is finished.

Yesterday the kids and I went to my sister’s house. She lives in the woods in the mountains around Harpers Ferry WV and she has all these wild raspberries growing all over the place. We picked raspberries and spent some time together. I had not seen her in almost two weeks and was missing her, the raspberries were just a bonus!

Is anyone else having problems with loading yahoo mail? Everything is loading fine for me but yahoo, which seems like it is trying to load a very large ad or something?

an updated picture of the handspun blanket...
next picture will be of the completed blanket.
this is the most incredible thing ive ever made.
this was all yarn that ive spun that never sold.
yarn that ive wanted to use from the moment i spun it.
the colors draw me in and make me incredibly happy.
warm sheep fuzzies.
( i never claimed to be a photographer )

Ok, so I am working on an update for this weekend... we have already covered that.  As long as things remain status quo, it will DEFINITELY happen.

Tonight was a "normal" night.  It was so pleasant.
I went to dinner with a freind, came home, washed locks, hung locks, put away laundry.
You know, like a normal person!
The dye pots are still cold.. but I figured out this weekend is a long one (woohoo) so I will have time to deal with my phobias then.  There is just too much anxiety involved.  I will have to handle it shortly but right now, I have too much to do.  Three days, I will work it out then.  I can't wait.  I miss dyeing.  I know once I dig in, it will be fine.  I just can't dig in yet.  Time will heal all wounds.

So, back to the Kick Ass Stuff.
As I moved everything over to Etsy for the time being.. due to the button problems ..... which remarkably I haven't had time to fix....as I moved everything I realized there was some kick ass stuff waiting for you there!
So, a little picture show.  Because You KNOW nothing makes me happier than fiber pics!

Sand and Surf Wool Roving - fun fun fun colors.. and great fibers!

And another one


Oahu Blue Corriedale Cross - soooooo soft and great crimp.  And the colors scream happy days!



Honu Silk Cocoons - these kick ass and the colors are awesome - this is a large batch.  Feel free to email me if you only want half.  I was planning to break it into smaller batches this weekend anyway...  2 ounces is a LOT of cocoons


Deep Manu Two Wool Roving - wowser these colors rock - I used this colorway to teach someone with and the yarn is SPECTACULAR.  Life is too short to learn on boring fibers!  This colorway is always a HollyEQQ favorite.


Fire on the Water Suri Alpaca - oh yeah, who doesn't like Suri

and another one!

Mango Soup Lhama - this fiber is awesome - so soft and easy to spin!  It is not like just ANY Lhama.


Kudzu Optim - really, what is better in life than green Optim... goes with everything....


Kudzu Berries Handspun - yes folks this yarn is still available!!!


Acid English Leicester Locks - remember how shiny those pinks were from yesterday... these are the same lamb locks!  The pictures just suck.  I hope to get better pics this weekend.  These locks are fabulous!  so picture those shiny locks with some pretty reds - not orangy - coral to reds.


and these are just the highlights!
Go check it out!  I am heading to the post office tomorrow so feel free to load me up!
Night
Holly

I made a pledge. I am going to shoot for one month of as little landfill waste as possible. If I have to buy something in a recyclable container, I aim first for glass, then for metal, and recyclable plastic as a last resort.

Today I bought things in 2 glass bottles and one plastic bag that will all be recycled.

http://www.mypapercrane.com/blog/?p=823

Finally the shop is updated! I feel like June didn’t have much of an update at all, and since all my summer crafty shows have ended I can make a proper shop update.

A day of dye pots and spinning...like most days!  Here is one of the fruits of my labor:




 

http://www.mypapercrane.com/blog/?p=822

Here is the sneak peek I promised, obviously works in progress ;) They are a take on old paintings…like this, and this, and this, haha. But also sort of inspired by the house I made for the Alice In Wonderland plush. These are only the tip of the iceberg! I’ll show you some more sneak peeks over the next few weeks or so.

The shop update will be this evening EST, because I still need to photograph everything, July 1st certainly snuck up on me!

...This is how hot it is here. Of course, you could also argue that he was just trying to be cute, which is also quite possible. I finally broke down and put some of the "soft paws" on his front claws (accidently forgetting one on each side) since I have been really sensitive to him lately, the minor scratches really making me itch. He was, of course, not impressed by having things glued to his nails, but seems to be leaving them alone otherwise.



More hot weather food. Panna Cotta with rasberries made with agar agar.