Update

Sorry that last post was a downer.
Moving on... I will have 10 new yarns to post tomorrow for the trunk show sale that runs November 1-15. I hope to get everything posted by tomorrow night. For the length of the sale everyone will get a set of stitch markers free with their yarn. Every new buyer also gets a little something extra for their knitting bag. Mom and GAL have them already.

I will try to post pictures of the kiddos in their Halloween outfits later.
Happy Haunting!

New Yarn for Bunky BoBos!

Not that anyone is buying but I will have new items in my shop tonight. I have been busy having no luck with my other business today so I put some yarn in the dye pot and something really pretty came out. The EtsyFAST trunk show is in 2 weeks and I am hoping to find some buyers. I will have some pretty yarn pictures to post soon.

Yarn, hot glue and a Cocca box

So I knit up this square with some left over yarn thinking I might make a throw of squares some day. Then I took out the trash. When trash goes out I clean out the fridge and pantry. We had bought some hot cocoa at Costco the other day so I put all the flavors in one big box and was going to toss the boxes with the rest of the trash. I thought it was a shame to throw out this much tree so I left the boxes on the counter thinking I could wrap gifts in them. They are a nice size and shape. Then I looked at that square and went to fetch my hot glue gun. Who doesn't love to play with one of these? anyway I seamed up the square and put it around the box and stuck it down with the hot glue. The I folded the top over to the inside of the box. I think I will line the next box before I cover it but the top was long enough that you can't really tell this one is not lined. I like it. I can see tons of different shapes and uses for something like this. I also love that it is based on a found object and I used only scrapes to put it together. Yeah me! The next one is knit and awaiting felting. I did it in some of my hand dyed. The knitting goes super fast, and I can do just about anything I feel like. Maybe even some colorwork. I am also thinking about chip cans,boxes and jars of all shapes and sizes. What fun gifts. So what do you think? Would you buy such a thing?

Stash Addition

No I didn't go buy any yarn, I did win some however on one of my new favorite blogs, The Mobtown Review. Each week she posts yarn from new indie hand dyers and we all get to leave comments. I have seen some really pretty yarn there so far. I hope to submit some myself soon. If you like to look at(drool over) pretty yarn check this blog out. ooo did I tell you the part where there are 3 winners each week? Yeah! new yarns every Wednesday.


So on to the yarn: From Woolbearers
1 Hank of Superwash Sock Yarn, Color: Don't Leave. Feels really nice. the color in the photo is pretty good. I love it. It is a different colorway for me. I always go for red or earthy colors but this is just gorgeous. I can't wait to knit it up. Myra and Suzie do beautiful work. Go check them out. Thank You ladies. It is lovely and when I get around to knitting it up I'll send you a photo.




In knitting news. I am working in the gift knitting along with Cobblestone. I really need to get going on that so it is done in time. Don't want to leave the only sweater I'm knitting for Christmas undone.
I have my last SP11 box almost ready to send out. I am just waiting for something to dry before I can pack it up and ship it. It took 2 weeks to get to her last time so I want to get it off in the next week or so.




From the dyepot. I took a hank of Lime green Koigu out of the stash today and threw it in the dye pot. I love the new color so much more than the lime green. Pictures when it is dry.






Oh yeah, MG had her friend sleep over and stay all day today. It was a loooooong day in which I got nothing constructive done.Poor MB. He had 2 sisters for the day. They would call him in to play and then yell for him to leave. Monster Friend does not have a little brother so she had to tell me everything he did. She just doesn't understand about little brothers. I tried to tell her that it was MB's birthright to give his big sis a hard time. Thats what little brothers do right? They both pouted when it was time for Monster Friend to go home. There were repeated asking of " Can she sleep over tomorrow night too?"
"Not this weekend Honey." I reply in a tired voice
"Next Weekend?" She is jumping up and down
"We will see little one, she just left." I say in my nicest Mommy voice. She stops jumping, folds puts her hands on her hips and says
"You mean she never gets to to sleep over again!!??!!"
Pass the Advil.

eta:blogger is doing something to my post so it all runs together. sorry

Cast on cast off

I spent a good bit of time yesterday trying to pick a new project. I am knitting only yarn I have in the house till I am able to make some money. I just could not decide. I would start something only to realise that I did not have enough yarn or not enough colors. I am itching for some color work. I have patterns all picked but not the colors I want. So I started a pair of kid socks with the Purple Urple hand dyed from last spring.

I'm going to be working on some more hand dyes for the shop this week. The Etsy FAST group is having a challenge this month called Live Breath and Dye Fiber to go along with the trunk show. I think I may enter. I might even try to get an entry done for the Earth Elements challenge they have going for October. All challenge items are listed on Etsy. I'll post a link when I get it up. and speaking of the shop. I had a bit of inspirit ion yesterday as I was making Johnny Cake for brunch. I need to finish it up to see if it works but I may have a new item for sale very soon. It involves: Knitting, recycling and hot glue. What could be better?

In SAHM news MG is having her friend sleep over on Wednesday (no school Thursday). This should be fun. Our guest will be here all day Thursday while her Mom goes to work. I hope to make it out alive.

Mom,GAL,GAH, Rusty and I are planning a girls weekend in November and boy do I need it! The plan is to meet in Iowa City and just hang out together. I love these kinds of weekends. Good company and no kiddos! I can't wait!

Bubble Wrap Socks Done!

Here they are all done. I love the bumpy look of these socks. The pattern is from sockbug and can be found here. Yarn is Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock in Red Rover. Needles size 2.50mm.

These are for me! Mine! Yeah!!! I am sure I will wear these a lot this winter. I love the yarn too. I can't wait to get my hands on some more.

Costco and Hanna Montana

Costco opened its first store in Nebraska 2 days ago. It is maybe 5 miles from my house. So Hubby and I packed the MK's up and went to check it out. We got a membership($50.00) and did some shopping. There were so many people there we had to wait in the membership line for about 40 minutes. People were so excited you would have thought we were waiting for tickets to see Hanna Montana. The place is huge! We spent a merry hour looking at all the stuff and left with some snacks and hot cocoa. I will go back just not for a few weeks until the fever dies down. Some of these people act like they have found the promise land. I did however see a very nice Ralph Lauren Down Jacket I liked very much for $40.00. I didn't buy it though, I have a winter coat that is just fine. Now if they would just carry good yarn...

As for Hanna Montana, MG would love to go but there is no way I will pay that much for a concert. Have you heard about this? seem ticket resellers bought up all the tickets and are now getting more money for them than they would get for the Stones or the Police. $250.00-$300.00 WTF!?!?!?! I would have paid the face value price but this is nuts. Not to mention that the artist sees none of that money. I told MG they were sold out and she is happy to watch HM on tv. Still sucks though. ( for those with no kids HM is on the Disney channel. Pop star by night Jr high kid by day. She is all of 14. Daughter of Billy Ray Cryus)

In MK news MG is doing really well with her spelling and reading. I am amazed at how fast she is picking it up. She is also doing much better in the "listen to Mommy" area. This is one of the best things about being home. I have more time with her and don't give in so easy.
MB is still testing his limits. He is starting to understand that he can not punch me to get what he wants, so that's progress. We are sort of still working out our routine, but we're getting there.
Now I must go. The sun has come out again and we need it!

Rain rain go away

We are in to our 4th straight rainy day. We need some sunshine, the lawn is out of control and so wet now that any attempt to mow would be a disaster . MB and I have been stuck in the house most of the week. He has some sniffles today and I can feel my fall cold coming on so we are staying in. As I type he is asleep in my bed. He sleeps in his bed at night but for some reason this week he will only nap if I let him in my bed. Ah well it is a small price to pay. I have been so busy with stuff for my new business and BunkyBoBos it seem like I am working more hours now just at different times. I get quite a lot done between 9:00 pm and midnight.

In knitting news: I am half way through the body of the Cobblestone pullover. The knitting on this is pretty mindless right now so it goes by pretty fast. I only work on it when Hubby is gone. The bubble wrap socks are really close to being done. I have a few more rounds to do on the toe and then weave the end. Most of my knitting time lately has been on a secret project for my SP11. I need to get it done so I can send it off. I meant to have it sent for her birthday. I am sending her just one more box (shipping to EU is outrageous!). I really packed the first box and I forwarded a KnitPicks order for her so the first box was huge. This next one will be a bit smaller. Speaking of SP11 my spoliee knows who I am.(Hi Simone!) I had to tell her for the KP order. She is very cool you can check out her blog here. She also has an Etsy shop. Check her out!

HSKS3

1. What was the name of the book Dumbledore left for Hermione in his will?
a. The Tales of Beedle the Bard
2. Whose sign was on Xenophilius Lovegood's chest?
b. Gregovitch
3. Was October 30, 1980 the night that Lilly and James Potter died?
b. No
4. What's another name for the Elder Wand?
a. Deathstick
5. Whose Potterwatch code name was 'Rodent'?
d. Fred
6. What was so special about the peacocks at the Malfoy Manor?
d. They were all white
7. Who does Harry say was "probably the bravest man I knew?"
a. Snape
8. What thing was Lockhart giving Hagrid advice about getting out of a well?
b. Kelpie
9. What was the occupation of Colin Creevey's father?
d. Milkman
10. Which Professor of Hogwarts was a dueling champion when he was young?
a. Flintwick


http://www.candywarehouse.com/bertiebottbags.htmlJelly Slugs http://www.candywarehouse.com/jellyslugs.htmlChocolate Frogs http://www.candywarehouse.com/hpfrogs.htmlBlood Pops http://www.candywarehouse.com/bloodpops.htmlhttp://www.witherspooncabin.net/wordpress/?p=201.

The plan

I have been researching ways I can make $$ from home. There are 1000s of scams out there that seem to prey on women like me who want to work from their home while raising their kids. I have no great need to loose a lot of money on scams so after many hours in front of my pc checking things out I think I am going to try Ameriplan. This is a 15 year old company that hires independent business owners to be their brokers. They sell Medical/dental and vision discount plans. There are hundreds of providers in my area in their network. I have looked into what I might save with their dental plan (which I get free). Let me tell ya saving 60% on a crown or bridge work is a pretty big deal to me as well as most folks I know. I do not want to turn my knitting blog into a big ad for my Ameriplan business so this will be the only post about it. You can click here to see the benefits site and here to see the ibo site. If I can generate enough leads the rest is just talking to people. Shouldn't be too hard. I have just gotten everything set up and will start in earnest tomorrow. If you are interested after looking at the site just fill out the form to request a call and I will call you back. I think the benefits plan would be great for small business as well as families. The nice thing is for 1 price everyone in the house is covered. So if MIL lives with you she is covered too.

I am hoping this will work out well. I know it is not a get rich quick kind of thing and it will take work but I can do this and still do my Etsy business. So there it is. regular knitting/sahm content will resume with the next post.

Shop Update

There will be 3 more sock yarns later tonight or tomorrow.
must go eat now

Check this out...

Lorena (my spoilee from SP10) and her pals are opening a new yarn shop in Florida. If you are ever in Gainesville check out Hanks Yarn and Fiber. They have been busy!
I can tell you this is a fun bunch of gals! Check out the shop blog and see what they are up to!

Promos

I made 25 of these to send off for the trunk show. They have the shop address one one side and Hands Off The Stash on the other. Each has a small sample of yarn tied to it. Maybe it will help me get some sales. The weather has been rainy here and none of the yarn wants to dry. I hope for better weather tomorrow so I can get some good pictures for the shop update tomorrow night.

Etsy Fiber Arts Street Team Trunk Show!

So I joined the great group of artist to help promote my yarns and stuff. We are having a Trunk Show in NYC next month. Below are all the details:

Etsy Fiber Arts Street Team sale and trunk show extravaganza!
Who: the fabulous independent spinners, knitters, crocheters, weavers, felters, yarn-makers and fiber artists of Etsy.com, your place to buy handmade!
What: a giant event, online and in person, celebrating all things handmade and fiber!
When: Teamwide sale in online shops from Nov. 1 - Nov. 15. Trunk show date is Nov. 16, online and at Etsy Labs 6 - 8 p.m. EST.
Where: Etsy Labs, 325 Gold Street, 6th Floor, Brooklyn NY 11201 , and also online at www.etsy.com and www.etsyfast.com
Why: Warm up your November with our great fiber artists! Great sales on items for the holidays, supplies, and more! Interact with our members, learning more about these products and techniques! Buy handmade.
How: RSVP at labs@etsy.com, check www.etsyfast.com for more info, and be sure to visit us during our sale and show Nov. 16!

I will not be there in person but I will have a sale offer in my shop so watch out for that. I am sending some promo items out for the goodie bags so maybe I will see some increase in traffic.

I am dyeing up yarn like crazy for Mondays update. I gave myself a deadline so I don't dilly dally. I am very pleased with this new batch. My favorite so far is called Hotspur, Named for another one of Hubby's parts. A gold star to anyone who can name the play. I will give you a hint: its the Bard again. I have not taken its picture yet due to rainy gloomy weather. We had a pretty good storm last night and Winston is a big pussy. He spent the whole night in my lap whining every time there was a noise.Mind you our fmc (furry middle child) is about 85 lbs! Not good while trying to knit on a super secret project that has a deadline. Everything I knit end up with a few dog hairs knitted into it. I do my best but whats a girl to do? sigh

In SAHM news: here is a pic of MB helping Mommy sweep the driveway. Oh yeah I'm Lovin Life.

Self Promotion

Today is all about prompting the Etsy shop. I added a thing in the side bar that will link you right to my stuff. Go on check it out! All the cool kids are doing it!
Shop update to come Monday!

Lovin' Life

gotta tell ya this whole sleeping till 7:00 am rocks! I then have a whole hour and 20 minutes to get the kids ready for the walk to school. We even have time to work on some reading and spelling words before we go. MG did not want us to walk her to the door today. She did not want her little friends to see her kiss and hug Mom and Little Brother goodbye. "They will make fun of me Mom!" So we walked to the edge of the field and said good bye. She met up with a little friend and the skipped happily to school hand in hand. MB then wanted to be carried home. At least I will be able to maintain my girlish figure!

I got the gusset of my 2nd sock done so I should have a finished pair by the weekend. I am still new enough at sock knitting that a finished pair is a thing of joy! Next socks will be matching Christmas socks for the MK's. This will have to be night time knitting so they don't see. New wool socks for Christmas morning! I might even be able to get a pair done for Hubby. I would have to buy more yarn if I want them all to match. I really should get started on the gift knitting, I hate to be rushed.

One more bit of news: I made my first sale on etsy! Ok so it was to family(Thanks GAL! You're the best) but with the first one under my belt maybe things will pick up. I got a big ole box of sock yarn yesterday so I will be firing up the dye pots today. I did one hank of DK last night and tried out a new method. We will have to see what it looks like dry. The color is not as deep as I would have hoped but the result is very interesting. I still have pink hands from the rinse. I am thinking I will do a few Christmas/Winter colorways too. hmm well off to look for inspiration.

New fall colors

The leaves are changing here so I did up some fall colorways. The Green and brown is a little darker than it looks. (blogger does something to my pics cuz my color was good when I edited the pics) It is called Macduff. Hubby played that role in '97(From Macbeth) and wore a costume these colors. The scene at the end of the play when he fights and kills Macbeth was amazing! He really is quite good with the sword.

The other yarn is called Rust. It is red/orange/copper. I love it! It is dk weight merino and would be good for color work. I have 2 more skeins of the dk I might do up to go with it. I will put these up in the shop some time today. My sock yarn should come today so look for it soon. I got Merino wool. Yummy.

My favorite time of day has become walk to and from school time. the MK's just love to be outside and the walking is doing everyone good. MB likes to make it a mini adventure. This morning it was brick and fall like so out come the hats and scarves. ( I wore my new scarf from my SP11 and I love it!) I also found hand coverings are lacking in the house so I will be looking at patterns and whipping some up in short order. I am sure there is plenty in the stash box for some kid mittens. The Cobblestone is really moving along well. I am on the 3rd ball of yarn. I got 14 and the pattern calls for 13 so I should be ok.

I must now go and watch SpongeBob with MB and then to the post office. Oh yeah I'm lovin life!!

The first day

My first day as a stay at home mom was pretty good. I got MB to model a hat I made him weeks ago. It was cool enough to wear it for our morning walk to school. I got the above re skeined as well. I was going for red and green. The color really is red it is just very light. (ok its pink...)I think I will call it Preppy. Wait till you see what I dyed up yesterday afternoon. It is still drying. purrty.....

I think there will be apple cobbler making today.

Well it is time to get ready for school!

I am a SAHM!!!!

Yeah!!!!! I am now a full time Mommy! I'm not really sure it has sunk in fully yet but there it is. The MK's are so happy about it and Hubby seems pleased too. He asked if this meant I would have more time to make the cookies he likes. I will make them Tuesday when he goes to work.

One more advantage to leaving my job is my Christmas gift knitting list gets a little shorter. (The Boss asked if I would still bring him cookies for the Christmas party. He loves my cookies and even offered to pay!).

My last day was pretty good. A few friends and VP#1 took me to lunch. The guys in the paint department did a watercolor of me in the shop (I will try to scan this later today as it is pretty darn funny) and there was a cake, card and gift card for Michael's. Hugs and well wishes all around. Even Mr Dishrag made a joke and patted me on the back. VP#2 had to leave early for a meeting but before he left he gave me a hug and said "Thanks for being my Friend..." You're welcome big guy.

It has often been a pain to work there but it has also been a great joy at times. Thanks for the good times guys! I'm Out!!!

All my blogland friend have been very supportive and I love them for it. I have always believed in helping people when ever I can. I call it karma. Do good and good will come back to you... Thanks for proving me right folks!Maybe I will be able to keep up with everyone now.

So now to my new adventure! MG is very happy that I will be home after school. This means more chances for play dates and going to the park. The weather here has been warn and pleasant this weekend. MK's and I went for a walk last night and it was just beautiful. I think we will turn this in to part of the routine. We all need it.

I have also been busy with some new yarns for the shop. I got some beads for some little Stitch markers and things. I also got some ball bands done (with the help of MG). and I came up with what I think is a pretty good idea. I can never remember how to weave the toe of my socks so I got out Ann Budd's new book and my EZ Knitters Almanac to read up on the subject. I wrote out really basic steps for myself on an index card and put it in my knitting bag. I was thinking about printing it on to a luggage tag and laminating it. Would anybody buy such a thing? I have a laminater. ( a warehouse sale bargain at free, VP#1 wouldn't take my $$). What do you think?

HSKS answers

Here they go!
1-c
2-b
3-a
4-c
5-b
6-c
7-a
8-b
9-c
10-b

One More Day

I have one day left at work and it is going to suck. The BS level is still running high but people are telling me how sad they are to see me go. VP#2 is still in denial. He keeps saying "I need you to do this next week" boy they better get someone new in there quick. I am doing my best not to feel guilty about leaving. My reasons are good ones and it is not like I'm going to work for the competition. I just look at my kids and remember I did this for them. Mommy is a way more important job. So moving on...

I am also quiting smoking starting Saturday morning. I have tried this before, I hope I can stick it out this time! I mostly smoke at work now anyway so it should be ok. At least I won't have other smokers pushing me off the wagon. Wish me luck!

In swap news... My SP11 got her box and seems pretty happy with everything. I love these swaps. I get to meet all kinds of cool people!

Meet BunkyBoBo!

So tonight I listed my first yarns on Etsy. You can find them here. These are Basilisk, Pumpkin Patch, Mashed Berries, and DoubleMint. (DoubleMint was Hubby's idea.I could'nt come up with a good one) I think I like the Pumpkin Patch one best.

Bunky and BoBo are the names Hubby and I called the MK's when they were babies. I wanted a shop name people would remember and sounded fun. So Hubby came up with BunkyBoBos... He is rather handy to have around.

So any feedback? any colorway you like best? I have a few more I want to try out. I am thinking mostly sock yarn but I will dye up whatever people seem to like. I need to order more yarn. I am going to try to repeat the color of MG's Poncho this weekend. Anyone care to draw me 2 cute little yarn monsters? oh and I made labels (no I did not hand write them) and a little giftee to with each yarn!

In knitting news: I got my cable from Knit Picks today and have cast on the Cobblestone Pullover. I am making the 2nd size as Hubby is a 40 and he wants it a little roomy. I am also working on a little design to maybe sell in the shop or submit to somebody. We will see about that one later. It is in my bag resting and thinking about what to do next... Now I am off to knit the Cobblestone and watch some cable news. Tomorrow I will be watching baseball. In October!

btw thats Bunky not Bucky

Comments and Raverly

I got the comments out of moderation and up so we can all see about the SP11 Yarn.

Thank you all for the kind words of encouragement. I should have Etsy up by tomorrow night and then I will post a link. You guys rock!
BTW I am sandyknits on Raverly. Check me out.

In work news, they are really starting to freak out a little now. They are coming to terms with the fact that they can not find someone with my skills that will do all the things I do for my salary. Well I could have told them that!

In knitting news... I got nothing. I should get my needle cable tommrow to start the Cobblestone pullover. I did not do much knitting this weekend as I lost most of my free time to Raverly. I am really going to have to watch how much time I spend there.