The Crafty Lizzard

...A merry little Christmas!

I apologize for this last Photo being a few days late. We had a massive influx of people at my parents' house for Christmas -- we sat down to dinner (which actually happened on sat) with 16 people. The whole house was filled with people, noise, and smells of cooking. After dinner (well, more like lunch) we sat down to open presents...I don't know how it is in your family but with mine, someone always, I mean, ALWAYS ends up with ribbons on their head! This year it happened to my oldest niece, Cora -- almost 21 years old and still gets ribbons in her hair! :)



Then, after that melee was over we had entertainment from the 4 year old Carly's karaoke machine. It took her a little bit to get it but then we got every Christmas carol in the book. (Sorry, I didn't get a pic of this but I was helping with dishes halfway across the house.)

Finally, some of us had to escape the confines of the house...especially since it was a balmy 65 degrees. This let the kids get some energy out and of course, let some of us big kids have a little fun too! My nephews and niece ended up having races -- the boys having to hop to keep slow enough for the new razor scooter. These are (from left to right) Zack, Carly and Ben trying to outdo each other.


We had some nice discussions about how our traditions came to be, how we've added to those traditions, the many memories, and of course the family members no longer with us. Each year gets a little more crazy and hectic -- but worth it just the same.
Merry Christmas!

Ok, by request...
the recipe for the very addictive cranberries (I had to hide them in the fridge so my family would get some!) can be found here. The left over syrup would be good as mixer for holiday drinks! (I didn't even think of that...hmmm)

Merry Christmas!

...is something that we all should do once in a while. It revives the spirit, connects us with our fellow humans, and sparks imagination. It can also remind us to take a look at the world around us and the impact that we have on said world. It can also provide us with a load of fun and hopefully we see something in a new way or have a new fun thing to do. So...

After a suggestion from a friend (not that it took much convincing) I am embarking on a new project tomorrow. I'm attempting to do my first Photo-A-Day project -- The 12 days before Christmas! I plan on toting the camera around like I did with my favorite Teddy Bear when I was little. (Except I probably won't trail it down the stairs when I get up in the morning! WAY too expensive...) I'm not sure if these photos will make it into a scrapbook(not really my thing) but maybe, just maybe, they will...eventually.

So stay tuned and find out what the adventure will be!

I know that certain people grounded me from starting new projects til I finished some. Thank you for your understanding while I was lusting after the call of pretty yarn and new fun patterns calling my name. I was doing my best to hold steadfast and only work on those I'd started just like mom tried to teach me. So one would think that this post is about one of those projects that I've finished. Sorry to disappoint...nope, it's not!

These were knit in the hope that they would keep my frigid hands warm as I'm making beautiful things. I finished these up on Thanksgiving and shortly thereafter my 18 year old niece (or almost 18...it's only 8 more days until Amy turns adult!) tried them on and wanted a pair but in mostly blue with some light purple. Then my almost 10 year old nephew (well, Zack will be 10 in Feb) tried them on because he wanted in the fun. Freakishly, they fit him!!!! I must have the smallest wrists known to man! Then he said he wanted a pair in orange and yellow. I have found the mostly blue with some light purple but am still on a search to find a yarn that's orange and yellow. It also has to be not too expensive because at this rate Zack will be grown out of them in three months! (Although, he could always pass them down to me.)

...family that can all be gathered to share in meals and memories.
...family which may argue and discuss heatedly but never berate or undermine.
...friends who are as close as any family. Willing to share in joys and miseries.
...feast not famine. Being able to put enough food on the table to not be hungry is marvelous.
...fortune. Having shelter, heat, health and clothing is something not everyone has.
...frontier. (Ok, not exactly but I couldn't find a word for nation starting with 'f') With or without problems our nation is better than most.
...freedom to choose what I want to choose.

Happy Belated Thanksgiving Everyone!

Ever since a friend of mine said she wanted to learn how to knit and that her goal was to be able to knit socks I have been on a sock frenzy. It started with the fact that it's very hard to teach someone if you only have an idea how to do it. I thought to myself that I should make a couple pair of socks to make sure that I know what to tell her. Well, that just snowballed... so here are the latest additions:I think I've latched on to these for 2 reasons:

1. They're very portable. It can be hard to carry a sweater or afghan in a purse. (Unless, it's a mammoth mommy purse!)
2. They satisfy my project ADD. I have this little problem of always wanting to start projects and not finish them. These are small and it's easy to see the end...AND you get to start something more often!!
   
3. (okay 3 reasons) They make keeping your feet warm fun! I know this almost sounds like a PSA but...my feet are cold A LOT. To put on a nice woolly, colorful, fun pair of socks is so much more satisfying then the thick ones you can buy!

Beware of the posting...today is the day to get the things done that I've been meaning to do for a month or so. (Although, I promise not to go overboard today -- I will spread it out.) I now have room to do them because the stack of papers that was almost a foot high and scattered all over my desk is now gone. Yay! Since that massive work inhibitor is now gone I feel like sitting down at my desk to actually be productive...

So for today's update...a couple before and after's:

While not necessarily "crafty" the house desperately needed these updates.

1. The front door: the last owner used an indoor varnish on it when the nice late afternoon sun tries to beat it down! And it adds a much needed bit of color! Plus, while being a modern look it still fits in with my decor from 1977.












2. This is what happens when you have wonderful friends that will come and work for beer and cookies! I know this is belated but, Thank you Thank you Jeff and Greg!


The crafty updates will come very very soon. I actually have been spending time working on some of my plethora of projects!

Doesn't a blog mean that you are supposed to write more than once a month? For some reason, I am having a hard time doing that. Or maybe it's just that life got in the way and I have been incredibly WAY too busy to think about it. Between a crazy, crazy work schedule and trying to fit in playing in the pit for a production of West Side Story I haven't even had time to socialize with my friends!
Anyway, I know that I owe lots of pictures of finished projects. Yes, I have actually finished some of them. Hopefully, very soon I'll sit down and get the pictures into my 'puter to get up here. Now that life is back to what I think of as a normal schedule, the list of projects grows again -- clean the house, paint the kitchen, update my pictures, write in my blog, and yes, knit-purl-knit-purl (hopefully while emptying my DVR)!

When you are sanding a front door in order to paint said door, it is wise not to let a long haired cat traipse through the sawdust on the floor.

I will have pics soon (of the door not the cat in the sawdust -- I was too intent on not having sawdust ALL over my house). I need to paint my front door because the woman who owned my house before me varnished it with an interior varnish. I'm really tired of looking and feeling the bubbled door! So this weekend is paint the house doors weekend. Hopefully, I can keep the cat out of the paint!

Just a quick picture to say.....


Happy Halloween Month!!!!!!

...seem to be taking over my knitting basket lately. Sometimes the draw of a new project takes over and just must be started. I mentioned earlier that I've been having project ADD lately so I thought that I would show you what I mean...

1. This one was started when I could do nothing but listen to the iPod and read by candle light. I had to have something a little more complex to keep me from going crazy!! It's nothing functional -- just awfully pretty.

2.I'm hoping to get this one done before the football season is over..for obvious reasons! Go Bucks! It's taken me so long (I started this one in January) because I didn't realize I made a VERY noticeable mistake until I was about at this point and had to start almost all over! Grrrr...

3. ok...the name of this yarn is actually "Frog Prince"...you gotta love it. I just got tired of doing minuscule cables so I had to take a break after finishing the first sock. (Yes, that's Bailey trying to get her nose in the pic!)

4. This is what I started to get away from the other pair of socks. Nothing fancy, just a ribbed sock -- in yarn that I don't have any clue why I ever bought. The colors are ugly, it's not very soft, and it's elastic and weird to work with. But I had to do something with it...

5.Mom bought this yarn thinking she would try to knit some lace...just wasn't up to it. So it's up to me to make her a lace shawl. The only problem is that being such tiny yarn you hardly feel like you're making any progress so it's hard to have the desire to work on it. I just keep telling myself......someday, someday.

Ok, just to let you know -- I am being crafty; I have just been through a little "project ADD" lately so I don't have any finished to show. Soon though, soon.

Anyway, I'm putting off doing work right at the moment because I have enough energy to power a small third word country...or at least it feels that way.

I guess this is what happens when the electricity is still working and you are able to eat healthy. Last week, with no power, I ate out ALL week and this body is not used to that. Ahh -- to be able to eat steamed veggies, cold yogurt and enjoy either a cold glass of milk or a hot steaming cup of coffee! Thank you to my great, great,great grandfather for not being Amish.

Also, part the energy spur comes from actually having most of a day off (for the first time in about 4 weeks!). I had such a wonderful afternoon playing that my brain totally shut down. It was absolutely marvelous!!!!! Now I don't have another one for another week and a half. Boo!!!

Oh well, September is almost over...

Yea, Yea, Yea! Hip-hip-hooray! and all the other cheers that one can think of...

I woke up this morning to the most wonderful sight -- my clock flashing colors at me! It'd been 5 and a half days since I had seen that site. I also sat down to a most wonderful cup of brewed coffee this morning. Amazing what we'll do for legal addictive stimulant!

Anyway, Thank you AEP for getting my house up & running BEFORE you told me that it would be! 5 days was plenty, 7 would've been absolutely horrible!

Now I return to my regular scheduled life!

Yes, that's right...Day 5 without power!

I have never lived this long without the conveniences of modern entertainment. Man, is it hard. I consider myself a reader (book worm, book whore, choose your term) but it gets very old reading by candlelight. I now know why people who lived without electricity went to bed early -- there's nothing to do other than read! I've tried doing dishes (afraid the flashlight will fall into the water), practice guitar (still need to see my hands to find the chords), brush the cat (she enjoyed it until I hit her in the head a couple of times) and a few other household chores. The only thing that isn't complicated is to read by the flickering light of the candles.

And Oh, the torture!! My neighbors across the street HAVE power. It's such an enticing idea to think of buying a massively long extension cord! But it's sheer agony to watch their lights go on when it starts getting dark. But The Electric Company told me today that I should have power by Sat! Let's hope it's sooner so I can actually get back to being crafty (it's also hard to see knitting needles in the dark!).

Have you ever realized just how much you rely on electricity on a daily basis? I don't think we do until we have to do without it for an extended period of time. Yesterday, those of us located in central Ohio (and other parts of Ohio) had to deal with Hurricane Ike -- Who would've thought that a Hurricane would rip through Ohio?! Last night Columbus had gusts of up 70 mph! Crazy! There are over 300,000 people in our area without power -- with no rhyme or reason behind whose out and not (other than trees hitting power lines). For instance, I have absolutely no juice at home but work (10 miles away) is up and running. Believe it or not, this is a wonderful thing as I can charge all the battery operated devices I need (like my cell phone!). Part of the problem at home is finding a place to freeze 50 lbs. of cow that will go bad left at home! Thank you, friends with power, Thank you. I do have to thank my lucky stars that this is Ohio and not Texas. At least all I lost was power and a few tree limbs -- not an entire city and everything I own. My thoughts are definitely gearing towards the people who were involved in the real Hurricane Ike!

Oh, neglected blog, I fear I have left you to fend for yourself for far too long. Nevermind that I have not had time to clean the house, weed the garden, paint the garage, or practice. I have merely kept busy watching the Olympics, wearing 14 different hats at work, and preparing for the back to school season. You see, all the kids that are starting band or orchestra need me to have all their instruments and supplies ready for them (not to mention what the teacher's need as well). When one can't focus anymore the detritus of daily life ends up on the back burner!
However, I started you so that friends that are not within lunch distance can be hip to what is happening in my life and if I ignore you for too long they will not know what I'm doing. So in an effort to bring everyone up to speed (on both the great and small), here's what went on since the end of July:

1. Lots and Lots and oh boy, do I mean LOTS of meetings!

2. Had fun trying on bridesmaids dresses (thx, Kristen for letting us have some say!)

3. The annual Clambake and family fun:
Here's the nieces and nephews: Is it strange that the better picture is the silly one? And yes, Ellen if you ever read this, I'm getting ready to play guitar!



4. Got my hair cut! So glad it's short again!

5. I know this may sound silly but it made my day -- I found paper clips in the shape of treble clefs at Staples!!

and last but definitely not least:
6. Had an AMAZING girl's night out dinner with Rachel, Kim, Megan and Kristen at the Melting Pot. Gotta love Fondue!

Closing note, worried blog, I promise that I will not let you falter. I will try my hardest to keep you maintained and happy. I will let you into my routine so that you will not be neglected again.

Arrgh!!! I can't believe that it's been a week since I last posted. I must do better, I must do better, I must do better. Sometimes it seems like the world is out to grab all of your time and patience so when you finally get home all you want to do is sit in front of the tv or curl up with a book and escape.


Anyway, the most fun that has happened to me this past week is that I have been adopted! The neighborhood friendly cat (seriously, the most friendly outdoor cat ever!) has seen fit to accept all the lovin' that I can provide to him. I believe that he roams the neighborhood in search of someone to pet him. He will just walk right up to me and present his belly for a nice rub or stalk my hose as I'm watering my plants, knock me over as I'm weeding or just sit on my porch railing to peer into the house. He's just a little Romeo! I have no idea what his actual name is but Romeo seems to fit for me!

and I'm a knitaholic!

Ok, Ok...I know it's been at least a week since I posted anything here but I've had lots of other things to occupy my time. Between crazy work (yuck!) and summer fun, there's always the enticement of new things...

Anybody with a hobby that you truly love to do will understand what I'm saying right now -- the new items that come out for your choice of activities can be the most detrimental things ever introduced to you. They make you want to set down whatever it is that you are currently working on (whether that is your hobby, your work, your household chores, etc., etc., etc.) and dive into using your new toys! When the box of new needles and yarn appeared on my doorstep all other things got pushed to the back. I couldn't start the second sock of the pair I'm currently working on, I couldn't clean my house, I had a really hard time putting down the new needles and yarn to go to work...grrrr.
It's not that I don't love the projects I'm currently working on. It's just that the soft, colorful yarn is staring at me in the face and I can't get the new needles to work right with my other projects. The new additions are calling to me to use them and they make it very hard to ignore them. They scream over the dirty dishes in the sink, are much neater then the clothes that need to be ironed, and much more beautiful than the weeds taking over my garden!
Oh well, now I'll have another pair of socks that will need to be finished and not enough time to do the housework! (Why can't the dust bunnies clean up after themselves?!)

So I am finally getting to the sock post that I meant to do almost 2 weeks ago! The sock adventure started when my friend, Megan came to me asking to help her learn how to knit. She wants to eventually knit cool & pretty socks. Since I had only ever made one pair of socks I figured that I should be really sure how to knit them before I had to help her. I had seen pictures of this beautiful yarn and wanted to try it. So when Uncle Sam sent me money to stimulate the economy I took a field trip to the Yarnmarket to get some. I ended up getting this and one other colorway (that pair is currently under construction). The colors are absolutely beautiful!!! So bright and strong!!! Even though this yarn is beautiful there are a few issues that I was bothered by. While knitting with it it twists and almost knots if you're not really careful about it. The other thing I'm not so sure about is the fact that it is not machine washable. Time will tell if the socks hold up to wear and wash.
I had bought Cat Bordhi's book, "New Pathways for Sock Knitters" because I loved the different swirls and patterns. I chose the riverbed pattern for these socks with all the increases located on the bottom of the foot. The stripes are awesome and the transitions between the colors amaze me. Altough, they do make an odd pair -- but who cares?! The best part is that they fit like a glove (oh wait, that should be like a sock!). Anyway, with the way that Cat Bordhi presents her patterns, it's incredibly easy to adapt the sock to fit your foot perfectly! Even adjusting for different arches. Now I just need to wait until it's not 95 degrees so that I can wear them!!!! (not that I want the cold weather. I'm happy to let them sit for a while.......)
So yea, for the first pair of awesome socks! There will definitely be more to come as the other color that I bought is already being worked into a different style of sock. :)

The time has come once again for the annual trip to Goodale park for food, music, arts, politics, and Hippy activity has arrived in Columbus. Coinciding with Pride weekend, Comfest brings those of us who enjoy people-watching wonderful oppoutunities. For instance, a fight erupting over a stolen guitar between two guys that was policed by a woman wearing no shirt (and yes, that is legal in my city)! As one friend put she was trying to make them "use their words" instead of fists. We were all hoping to see a brawl...as long as it didn't get too close.
Comfest is also a cool place to get inspiration for your own art (they had some cool shadowboxes with cutouts of animals on -- easy to imagine making your own!) and a place for local artists. One of my favorites is a candle maker that goes by the name of Irie Lights. His candles are not only beautiful and wonderful smelling but last forever. I buy one every year and try to make it last til the next year!
There was also a stall set up that I could not get away from without purchasing anything. Walking back from getting my funnel cake (mmmm....funnel cake) I stumbled across a yarn booth!!! The woman running had just started spinning her own yarn and some of it was beautiful. Luckily, it only being a week away from my birthday, I still had some money left to spend. So at some point these two hanks will each make a pair of socks for me!! Hopefully, I like the way that these knit up as well as the color so that I can support another local artist! Good Luck Steph'spun!!!!

So even after an early night because of the threat of rain (at least we didn't get soaked) Comfest has come and gone for me for another year. Sitting with friends, yelling at each other 'cuz the music is loud, people watching, imagination stimulus, source of local goods, good food (mmm.....funnel cake) and an entire crowd there for local people.....what more could you ask for on a weekend?!

Ok.....so still no sock post. Again, I'm still taking over a 'puter so that I can give a quick update.
Mainly, I wanted to say Welcome to Summer. As of Saturday it is offically summer. The time to sit outside with a wonderful book that makes you wonder where the afternoon went. The time for picnics with friends. The time for baseball games and beer. The time for visits to the zoo. The time for the smell of sunscreen mixed with bug spray. The time heat waves and blessed air conditioning.
Now....for the latest...my 'puter decided to go completely schizo on me. My hard drive passed out and decided not to reawaken. Luckily, when I bought it I decided that I needed to opt for the extended warranty so it's actually covered under the warranty. So Hurray for the Geek Squad -- now please if you could CALL to tell me I can be connected again!!!!!

Please bear with me........I was going to do a big post about finishing the socks I was working on (I still will) when my 'puter decided to plunge into the depths of collapse. You know it's not a good sign when the Geek Squad guy tries to get your operating system working and upon seeing the "blue screen of death" says, "Oh, that's not good!". It may be that my hard drive has completely imploded. It may be that it's just some weird messed up virus. I won't find out for 3 or 4 days. And, yes, I do see the irony of expressing technical difficulties online when you have no way of getting there. I'm currently borrowing a friend's 'puter for 15 min. to check the email!!
Anyway, since it's going to be belated -- Happy Soltice Tomorrow!!!!!

After much deliberation and harassment (mostly from Will -- thanks for the name!), I have finally arrived on the blog-o-sphere. It has taken me way to long to make this decision but now that I'm here I hope that I am able to inform and entertain! Who knows where the journeys of life will take us?
Let me also introduce the other member of my household -- the chewer of plastic, watcher of birds and chaser of yarn, Bailey. The strangest combination of curious and panicky furball.
Anyway, Greetings and Salutations! Enjoy the random series of events that I'm sure are bound to happen...