Swaps Rock or "Do Zomies have Names?"

1. Production Scheduling
1. Events

                                                              i.      Great Trail Festival August 25-26 & September 1,2, and 3 in Malvern Ohio

                                                            ii.      Yankee Peddler September September 8-9, 15-16, 22-23

                                                          iii.      Old Mill Festival October 12,13, 14

                                                          iv.      Possibility of Ann Arbor Fiber….  or maybe Rhinebeck….

2. Production
3. What’s In my Tea Pot
4. Material Sourcing
5. Shipping
6. After 5
1. Production
1. Juno Regina by Miriam Felton

                                                              i.      Still on chart three and it seems to be 2 steps forward and three back.  After correcting the last error I got the first lace row of chart three complete only to make another error in lace row #2 that I didn’t find until  I was at the end of lace row 3.  I need to tink the two row but I decided taking a deep breath and walking away was the best think I could do.

                                                            ii.      I’m back in the in between limbo again.  I need to finish Nichol’s B-day socks but I’m procrastinating because she hasn’t tried on Sock 1 yet.  I’m concerned the leg might be a bit tight and I’d rather only fix one sock.  I have a bag pattern I want to know but it calls for bulky and I have no bulky in my stash!  EEEEEEEK!  Sometimes I cheat when Bulky is called for and hold a worsted double but I don’t even have the yardage in worsted to do that….  I’ve also committed to a pink baby sweater and I have no pink in my stash…  So I’m still figuring out what’s next. 

3. What’s in My Tea Pot
1. Celestial Seasonings Madagascar Vanilla Rooibus

                                                              i.      "Harvested from the mountainous Cederberg region of South Africa , Rooibos is a mellow and relaxing herb whose slightly nutty flavor offers hints of cherry and toffee. In our Madagascar Vanilla red tea, Rooibos is perfectly complemented by the rich flavor of another African favorite, vanilla – resulting in a sublime and satisfying tea experience."

                                                            ii.      This is was a go to tea before I found my Cardamom Black Assam and was introduced to Jasmine anything.  With artificial sweetener the vanilla can make it almost too sweet and so a bit chemically.  I like sweet tea but I use less than a packet in this.  I find the vanilla comforting.  So when I caught B’s cold last week I picked this up at Giant Eagle. 

                                                          iii.      I also got an incredibly awesome care package from a listener that I’ve been corresponding back and forth with that will fill the tea pot with new Teas for the next several weeks!   When I saw all the teas I squealed and did a dance in the kitchen .  B thought I was insane.  J  I’ve been previewing them at home but will start using them in the tea pot over the next few weeks.  Many Many thanks to LittleRedHen!  I’m blown away by how awesome this is!

4. Material Sourcing
1. Tour De Fleece has come and gone.
2. My goal was 2 lbs and I didn’t make it.  I have 1 lb of spun and plied and another 9 oz of singles spun.  I did manage to spin everyday.  Though it was slow an unproductive at the end. 

                                                              i.      I’m all GRACE and DEXTERITY and managed to fall down some steps at a friends camper.  I did a good job of it too…  Hit my head, Bruises over my entire lower body,  Still dealing with a bruised tailbone and it’s been a few weeks…  Sitting has been uncomfortable.

3. Still no word on my fleece from the processor hopefully soon!
4. Shipping
1. The Hitch Hiker

                                                              i.      MissMandiGirl beat me.  She finished the KAL before I did.  I know this wasn’t a race but really deep down I think everyone wants to “win” right?  Please don’t let it be just me!

                                                            ii.      The pattern was a breeze to knit once I had the pattern memorized.  Great social knitting.

                                                          iii.      I think the Sweet Briar Yarn really made this though I love how the stitched look a bit like hundreds of beads because of the nylon content but the shawlette still has satisfying “squish”  in my hands. 

2. The Starving Artist Beret by Laura Linneman

                                                              i.      I signed up for my first ever swap on Ravelry.  It was a scavenger hunt swap and one of the requirements was a little something to keep my partner warm.  I saw some scarves and shawls coming out of packages but no hats.  So I went the hat route.

                                                            ii.      I knit this from the two extra skeins of Purl Bee Acrylic / Alpaca (my partner was OK with Acrylic yarn) in Damson that was left over from the 2^nd Ruffled and Ruched Scarf I made.  The pattern calls for Bulky and this is one of those instances where I cheated ad held the worsted weight double.  The resulting hat is THICK and WARM and FUZZY!  I hop she likes it.  I’m jealous I don’t have one of my own.

3. Afer 5

                                                              i.      The rumors of my fading are grossly exaggerated…  

1.      Work is status quo.  I had a major melt down in my bosses office and now I share an assistant with the production scheduler.  As she becomes more and more able to take things off my plate things are getting better and better.  My being able to podcast tonight is largely in part to her.  HURRAH!

2.      B starts Kindergarten in 3 weeks.  I’m not sure how I feel about this.  I know with Nate I took the day off and expected to have a tough time dropping him off.  I expected him to be scared and to cry.  What happened though was totally the opposite.  Nate grabbed his backpack and marched right into school and was fine.  I on the other hand sat in the parking lot in my car and cried for ½ an hour.  This time I have no vacation time so Daddy is taking the 1^st day of school duties.  I wonder if he’ll admit to crying in the parking lot.  I did read that the first day is an abbreviated schedule and the attending parent is meant to stay all day and see the routine.  Maybe easing us into the schedule will make it better.

3.      Nate is off vacationing for the next few weeks with his dad.

4.      Question of the commute this morning:  Mom?  Do Zombies have names?b