Power Outages and Knitting

Sunday morning we were awakened by a loud boom. I honestly thought we were finally going to get rain. The thunder like sound didn't repeat which made me open my eyes to check the time. My clock was dark. That motivated me to sit up and look out the window to the south.

It was still dark outside, and the traffic light a block away didn't appear to be working. There were however sparks. Lots of sparks from a downed power line and blinking red lights from emergency crews. Someone hit a pole and took down the power lines. No one was hurt. Four hours later, we had electricity and water. The perils of having a well include not having water when the power goes out. This accident made me realize it was approaching the time of year to start keeping jugs of water in the house.

The rational part of me was very glad to find out no one was hurt. The irrational part of my brain went into full parent mode. I spent Sunday alternating between wanting to smack someone for texting while driving and wanting to shake them for endangering themselves and others. I also wanted to celebrate their not being killed.

I'm in a better mental place than I was with my last entry. As you can see by the way I bounce around I am not fully recovered.
Since this blog is supposed to be about needle work and pets, I bring you a poncho.


This one was knit on US size 13 needles using a boucle yarn. I wanted to play with color and texture so I knit a section, joined the garment in a circle and knit more then bound off and cast on in a different direction for the bottom. I'm rather pleased with the way the yarn's colors played out as I worked.

I have also been working on a scarf for when this city hosts the Super Bowl. Since I'm not using the "official" yarn, the scarf I'm making is for a friend who plans on being a volunteer at the big game in 2012. Pictures of blue and white alpaca next time. I promise.

Irony

I have a head cold. This morning I discovered I was nearly out of decongestant and took a trip to the pharmacy. When I left the store, I discovered a flock of Turkey Vultures, known locally as buzzards, roosting on the building to the south of the pharmacy.
This made me pause and wonder if it was nature's way of saying I was going to be dealing with this head cold for a long time.

needlework and other things

I have a fondness for fine needlework and a friend recently pointed me to Chef Tiger's Kitchen which is doing a give away. The needlework set/box has very pretty accessories in it.

I'm making a second cozy for the vigil light at church. This one is in liturgical red. For those who haven't see my post about the purple one I made, the base for our vigil light is very large and ornate. There are certain times of year when covering it is desired by our current priest. Some of us in the parish think covering the base year round is a desirable thing.

For those of you who live in the United States of America and are fans of Avon products, they are having a sale on lip gloss. Each Glazewear purchase comes with the opportunity to win a 2010 chevy. Check with your favorite independent AVON sales representative, or visit my little store for more details.

On the Road Again

I'm not, neither are the critters. Our rattan business however, will be in Perrysburg, Ohio this weekend at an SCA event. We're hoping to make lots of fighters happy with our current selection of rattan. There is more stock on order. It has not arrived as of this evening. The thought has occurred to us that we will get the call saying it is at the local Yellow Freight hub about the time our rig is in northern Indiana.

In other news, the Fibro has settled down and my inner voice is no longer shrieking like Miracle Max's wife. I have passed the pre-screening for a study. Fibromyalgia patients who qualify will be sorted into two groups, one group will receive savella, the other will be receiving a placebo. I don't care which one I end up in. I'm just tickled I can help others by participating. The more doctors can learn about this disease, the better the odds of them finding a cure.

I am working on a few knitting projects. No photos to show off at present. I completed a prayer shawl last night and need to package it for shipping. I plan on working on hubby's socks next followed by finishing up my wimple. I want to stick with some short and easy projects for this month before I begin making baby things for various friends.

Went to the Animal Fair

Actually I went to the Fiber Event in Greencastle, Indiana. It was a very nice sunny day which made wandering through buildings at the Putnam county fairgrounds enjoyable. Lots of lovely yarns to fondle, pretty fleeces to covet and some spinning wheels that were works of art.

I had a good time. I was frugal. I came away with a small project bag, three skeins of yarn and a toy for the younger daughter. I thought she'd be amused by a dog made out of hot glue. I was right.

Today was a meet and greet at City Dog Grocery in Broad Ripple Village. It was very nice to take the pooch to meet up with bulldogs, assorted other pure breed dogs, more bulldogs and lovable mutts. Lots of tail wagging and puppy cuddling going on. I hope the fund raiser/raffle for the local English Bull Dog Rescue does well.

The pooch and I stopped at a local cemetery on the way home. It's a nice place to walk and relax after being in a large gathering. She's a hound mix so getting to sniff and stretch her legs is a very good thing.

Hubby is at an SCA event in Ohio. We're hoping he does well selling rattan there. It would be nice to have a bit more income since our roof decided to leak yet again.

Home Again, Home Again

We traveled to Lumberton, Mississippi the other week and camped at King's Arrow Ranch. This was for our hobby, the S.C.A. While attending Gulf Wars XX, I taught a class on darning and other mending and two classes on basic hand sewing.

The weather was clear, cool and almost ideal for camping. It did get a touch cold at night. We packed down on Saturday and managed to leave the camp before predicted rain arrived and missed out on the snow. Yes, it apparently snowed in southern Mississippi.

While on the road, I did a small amount of knitting.

This is another wimple. I plan on keeping this for myself. I have a few small trade silver charms I want to work into the lace border.

I also have a sock on my needles. It's the second of a pair and I sincerely hope to complete it by next weekend.

One other accomplishment from this trip

I learned I no longer should climb on furniture to lower the seven foot tall tent walls. There are some things even the best trained dog cannot prevent from happening.



We're home now. It's warmer here and I have flowers in bloom. Our next events might be the Greencastle Fiber Fair, Feast of Three Saints in Rivenstar, and Baron Wars in Perrysburg, Ohio.
Note the key word: might.

It's been a long time

I realized it has been a long time since I visited here. I may need to dust off a few cob webs.

Recently, I have applied for a job teaching beginning knitting and crochet at a local craft store. The interview went well and I have a part time job for the summer. I may have a full time job through Manpower. However, that position is still in the negotiating stage.

My experiment with breaking down rattan to spin into yarn hit a major snag when the rattan I was soaking accidentally was frozen in the bucket. The ice made the fibers break in half which is not an ideal length for spinning. I plan on making a second attempt now that we are past freezing weather.

In other news, our event schedule has a few changes. There will be rattan and a small portion of the yarn shop at Baron Wars in Ohio on the 9th of May. The group hosting the event had to change locations and it is now a day long event in a city park. We are still planning on attending Lilies in June and are trying to decide about attending Border Raids at the end of that month.

I promise photos and knitting natter in the near future.