Best tummy

This is the most snorgly, snuggly tummer in the world.

I learned to dye yarn!

I just took a class on yarn dyeing at Village Wools. I love Village Wools because it feels like a community and it has an entire building full of wonderful, quality yarns and an abundance of knowledgeable people.

My class was in hand-painted yarn dyeing. We basically took one skein of yarn and wrapped it on a warping board in such a way that it created three connected skeins. Then we dyed each separately. After it dries, you unwind it all and wind it back together as one skein. The end result is that all the colors stripe together.

There are a few lessons I learned. The instructor told us to use superwash wool because the color would take better, but I wanted to use a thicker yarn, and it wasn't superwash. That's why my colors aren't as vibrant as I would have liked.

I don't love this one, but I thought it was going to be more of a disaster after it came out. The little areas that connected the three separate yarn sections had colors that bled strangely and I thought it would look really obvious. But once you unwind and rewind it, you see that each of those parts is quite short and unnoticeable. It's just bad at first because they are all grouped next to each other. In the end, if there's a white spot or something weird, it might only be a stitch or two on a knitted product.
For this one, I was thinking "sun, water, earth." In the end, the colors aren't great together. If the brown were darker and the yellow lighter, I might like it more.



This one came out better. It's teal and golden ochre. (That reminds me of the Cat Stevens song "Angelsea" where he describes her "golden ochre hair" and I thought he was calling it "ogre" hair.)

Tea for me

Lately, I've taken to tea. It all started with my friend, Ren Adams. She taught me about it, and I never knew there was so much to learn. I have been drinking it a lot lately and find that it's calming and delicious. If I drink a pot of green tea between lunch and dinner at work, I find that I don't get hungry.

There are also beautiful teas that bloom into flowers, and more interesting flavors than I had imagined. Plus, you have a reason to buy pretty teapots.

Good publicity!

Things are going my way this past week. After a bit of a dry spell, I got several orders. I shipped the second of two out today -- to Australia. The others I'm waiting for fabric to come in.

This is the diaper bag I made for the Australian woman:



and the inside, which is the interesting part of a diaper bag. I lined it in a complementary but different patterned fabric. There are elastic pockets along one side and the ends. Along the other side (behind the divider) is a divided pocket the length of the bag. The divider has a magnetic snap to keep it in place. This offers a place for Mom's stuff -- wallet, phone, iPod, etc. so that she doesn't have to carry a purse also. There is a Velcro pocket on the outside for keys.




On another note, I was mentioned today on cuteable.com. OK, so it's not like they discovered me on their own, but I made myself known and they apparently thought I was worth a post. So, yay!

And on an even better note, I was also contacted yesterday by someone at Local IQ. This is a local, Albuquerque alternative paper. I also work in the publishing biz, so I have been fortunate to have ended up being contacted by a few local publications. It's who you know, right? They're going to do a little write-up for some shopping guide next week.

Here's a little lesson I learned: People now use their cell phones a lot, even for business. I got home from work at midnight and got the message. He said he was on deadline and needed to hear back soon, so I thought I'd leave a voice mail for him at his work and let him know I sleep a bit late but that I do want to talk to him. As the phone rang, it suddenly dawned on me that this might be his cell phone and I may be waking him up at 12:15 a.m. To my horror, he then picked up. Thankfully, he was not asleep and was actually ordering Greek food at some all-night Greek place (who knew of such a place here in town!?!)
I felt sort of ridiculous that I return business calls in the middle of the night, but he was cool with it. I will not do that again, though!

Red is cute

Two new bags, available at Burst of Happiness.

Motivation: I'll take it where I can find it

I saw my friend Karen the other day. We have known each other since high school, but she just recently moved back here from Texas. We enjoyed a movie and some healthy dinner (yay for Buddha bowls at Flying Star!).

We agreed to start walking together, maybe someday running, twice a week. I think this will help us get out and do it. Knowing someone is depending on you is supposed to be a good way to get moving.

Hand-painted yarn

I took my first of two classes on hand-painting yarn today. It's taught by the lady who runs Scout's Swag online and held at Village Wools.

I naturally chose some ridiculous 500 yard skein that ended up being rolled into a ball that could bowl over a small village if released from atop a hill. I am now regretting that as I try to wind it all into a 3-section skein to prepare it for dyeing next week.

It's really interesting and fun so far, and I'm so excited to get to learn it.

Next month is my spinning class. That would be yarn spinning and not exercise spinning. I'd rather die than do the latter. And I'd rather dye than die. Yeah, that was stupid. I'm really excited for spinning, though, because I'm hoping to buy a spinning wheel. I've saved up money and Village Wools store credit from my birthday and may soon be able to afford one. They just start at $350-$400.

In the end, I hope to be able to create interesting yarns of my dreams without spending $50 on yarn for a scarf. Maybe I can even sell some, who knows.

((Dear Mark: So what if all my hobbies are for 90-year-olds?))

Decorate yourself

A couple of new rosette brooches:

Turquoise and green, wool, crocheted, with pin back:



Yellow and gray, wool, felted, crocheted, with pin back:



Both available at

And, a wool, fringed scarf that I may be keeping, unless someone comes screamin' for it:

Goodbye, competitor

The Albuquerque Tribune published its last edition yesterday, Saturday, Feb. 23, 2008. It ended the 86-year run of a very good paper. I work for the Albuquerque Journal. We're the morning paper and the Trib was the afternoon paper. We worked under the first-ever joint operating agreement, forged during the Great Depression in an effort to keep both papers alive, if I understand correctly. Other papers followed the model across the country. This JOA allowed both papers to work under the same roof, sharing presses, HR, advertising and everything else except editorial staffs. We worked on opposite ends of the hall, following the unwritten rule of not entering each other's newsrooms, though there was nothing to stop us.

At one point they put up glass doors, but our badges could still allow access to the other end of the hall. They put up the doors after some guy wandered the Trib leaving notes on people's desks. Apparently, people wondered who he was and eventually figured out he didn't work there (maybe everyone thought he was a new guy?) but was just some random fellow. This is the story I heard, but I'm not sure if it's accurate. It's funny, anyway.

The Trib died because afternoon papers have lost popularity, but not because it was a bad paper. On the contrary, it consistently had catchy front pages and amazing photos. I admit that I didn't read it regularly because I simply didn't have time and got my newspaper fill by working at one. I don't work in a section of the paper that worries about what the competitor has (I'm a copy editor). Having the Trib close made me sad. This is a small town as far as journalism goes, and I think a lot of journalists at different institutions know each other. It's saddening to see our brethren lose their jobs. It also means dozens of fewer jobs available for Duke City journalists.

For its final publication, the Trib did a really nice layout of its history and what it's meant to work there. Actually, it brought a few tears to my eyes. Best of luck to all who have lost their jobs. We've picked up a few at the Journal.

What I'm working on now

As you'll see at the top left of my blog, I have a box where I say what I'm inspired by now.
Right now it's the combination of yellow and gray. I looked through an entire yarn store and only found one yarn with this combo. It's wool and very thin -- not really what I usually buy. I'm making a scarf (big surprise), but I have already pulled it out once because I didn't like how it was curling up. I started over, but decided to use my tiniest needles. At this rate it could take months to make a scarf, so I may pull it out again and start over with slightly bigger needles.

A knitter's guide

I have wanted to try different knitting stitches, but often when I find an interesting pattern, it is for something I don't want to make. Mostly, I make scarves.

I was pleased to find this book, Super Stitches Knitting by Karen Hemingway. It shows dozens and dozens of different stitches -- more than I knew existed. It does it in an easy way, with pictures on one page and instructions on the other. It also gives just the pattern for the stitch in small increments, so you can apply it to whatever you want to make. I love it!

The ugliest scarf

Earlier, I posted about how I'd bought this lovely green alpaca and bamboo roving. I spun it into my second-ever yarn, using a drop spindle. I guess I hope you'll understand that I'm not very good yet.

I like thick, chunky yarns, and uneven, fat-skinny yarns, so I purposely made this yarn like that. Only there must be some secret to accomplishing that. This came out so ugly. And there wasn't very much of it. I had to stretch this skein as far as I could, so I knitted it with huge needles into a scarf. And it's the ugliest scarf I've ever seen.



I don't know what to do with it. Sneak it into a donation bag to Goodwill? Do poor people deserve this? Give it to T-Shirt Face for father's day? Ooooh! Maybe I'll send it to my brother for his birthday.
In the past I've read about Ugly Scarf Projects where people bid on ugly scarves and the money goes to charity. Maybe I'll look for one of those.

It's 2, 2, 2 times the Jesus!

The other night, Mark and I were watching a movie his sister was in called "Magdalena: Released From Shame." (That's his sister, Rebecca Ritz, in blue on the Web site.) At the end, we were watching the credits and -- oh, wait! I forgot to tell you what it said at the beginning. As the movie started, it announced that Jesus was played by an actor. Back to the credits -- it had a credit for Jesus, then it had a credit for additional Jesus. I don't know what that means, but for some reason it's pretty funny to me.
At the exact same moment, Mark and I looked at each other and said, "Additional Jesus. That sounds like a band name!"

I don't have a band, but I have a blog. Additional Jesus, I've named it after you. I picture you as being the lonely younger brother of Jesus. The one who always gets picked last for everything and never gets any of the glory. And you're probably the fun one, am I right? You sing karaoke and tell great jokes and love to go TP houses? Here's to you, additional son of God.

It's Chickenbone Jones!!!

My friend Chickenbone Jones (also known as Amy) was in Albuquerque for a visit. We went to college together, so after we ate lunch, we walked over to UNM's campus with her husband, Sr. Chickens, and another of her college friends, Heather. We wandered around for old times' sake and were pissed about how much they've fixed things up, especially in our old communications and journalism building, where we spent so much time. It doesn't seem fair that it was so much crappier when we were there, and I feel I should get a partial refund.

Amy suggested that we take a picture to document the gathering of great blogging minds. Unfortunately, by this point we had eaten lots of pizza and spent a lot of time in the wind. So if you could just not look at our bellies. Or our hair. Or, really, our faces, either, cuz this pictures ain't doing mine any favors.

Accessorize

A roundup of some recently finished items, available at Burst of Happiness.

My first full apron, in an adorable white and red:



and the reverse side:



Lemony fresh pleats!



and the reverse side:



This yoga bag sold:



A little makeup bag:

Mr. Mister

I want to talk about the song Kyrie Eleison by Mr. Mister. Remember it from the '80s? Here is a link to the song, so you can refresh your memory.

I must have heard that song hundreds of times over the past few decades. Today I heard it and finally decided I'd had enough of trying to figure out what they were saying. Here are the lyrics to the mystery part:

Kyrie Eleison
Down the road that I must travel
Kyrie Eleison
Through the darkness of the night.
Kyrie Eleison
Where I'm going will you follow
Kyrie Eleison
On a highway in the night.

OK, so no wonder I didn't understand it. But then I found out from that YouTube clip above that it's not a name, like I was thinking, but that kyrie eleison means "Lord have mercy." It's Greek. So it's not just a weird name, or nonsense, after all. I guess if I went to church, I'd know this?

During my search, I found that many people were equally confused. Here are some of the misheard lyrics, as found on amiright.com:

Carrying a raisin down the road that I must follow
Carrying a lesbian ...
Carrying a laser ...
Curious lesbian ...
Kill me a lizard ...
Tearing your leg off ...
Kyeweyalayal--[kyew e weyh yah lay yal]--down this road that I must travel. (this was what I thought it was, too)

and my personal favorite:
Little kitties in lace along the road that I must travel...

And here is one now:



((I have taken this image from a place that sells such kittens, so it's linkable to their site. I think this is the decent thing to do and hope they don't get mad. An image of kitties in lace is not easy to come by.))

On TalentDatabase

I like to set up profiles wherever I can to promote my shop. I recently heard about TalentDatabase and set one up. Today, they sent me an email that I'm featured on the Fashion Portal. I'm the little black and white face on the right. Below is a button they sent me that links to my page.

What's new? Not me.

A few announcements:
1. I have a new niece. She lives in Maine, so I probably won't get to meet her until she's 4. I don't even know her name yet. My brother sent a picture, but no other information. I would post it, but in the past he's been quite protective of pictures of his family.

2. It's my birthday on Thursday. That means this is my birthday week. I like to drag out the celebration as much as possible. I will be 34. Every year of my life, I've been excited for the next birthday. Except this one. This is the first time that I felt like screaming, "slooooow dowwwn!"
I always admired my mom's life. It seems to improve and become more rich and fruitful with every year. That's how it seems to me. I thought, "isn't it lovely getting to middle age?!"
But all of a sudden, I'm not feeling it. I mean, I know I'm not approaching middle age, but what if I get a gray hair? What if I get a wrinkle? What if I have a baby someday and my stomach looks saggy forever because I'm too old to snap back?
I used to think that crow's feet added character. What was wrong with me?

I want that attitude back, and I'm sure it will return soon. I bet 34 will be the most fun year of my life! Right?

Again with New Mexico and the movies

I've done a few posts about how N.M. is portrayed by Hollywood. Here is one.

Before, we were just a freaky place that obviously frightened people, so when they needed a creepy town for their film to take place in, they just set it in "New Mexico." Now, though, thanks to state incentives, the film industry is actually coming here to make movies and pretending they are set somewhere else.

This is all fine and dandy with me, except that a few stars have hand less-than-pleasant things to say about my home. A few days ago, the Albuquerque Journal had a story about how Tommy Lee Jones said Albuquerque is incredibly noisy. Huh? I've been different places, and I can't say it seems any noisier here than anywhere else. As a matter of fact, if you went outside my house at any given time, it would be pretty much quiet, save the sound of some birds. He says everyone's fixing their cars and stuff. Again, huh? That's all I can say to that. And, BTW, I have been to NYC and it's considerably noisier. Considerably is putting it nicely.

Next up is Jessica Alba, who complained that the only thing to do here is go to Wal-Mart and that there is no good food, just Applebee's. Sorry, Jessica, but you might not have tried very hard. If you really wanted something to do, here are some suggestions:
1. Do some shopping in Old Town
2. Ride the Tramway
3. Visit the numerous museums, including the Atomic Musuem, Albuquerque Museum, New Mexico Museum of Natural History or the Biological Park. Sure, they aren't the biggest in the country, but they are better than Wal-Mart.
4. Visit the Petroglyph National Monument or the mountains.
5. Shop boutiques in Nob Hill
6. Drive 50 miles to Santa Fe and check out all the galleries. There are lots of galleries in Albuquerque, too.

As for dining, try one of these great local places (some listed in the column):
1. El Pinto
2. Artichoke Cafe
3. Paul's Monterey Inn
4. Scalo's
5. Cafe Voila
6. Yanni's
7. Restaurant Antiquity
8. Prairie Star
9. Le Cafe Miche
10. The Japanese Kitchen

Oh, there are so many. Plus, if you head up to Santa Fe, there are about infinity more. So next time, just ask around. You'll get plenty of suggestions for a happy belly.

Oh, wee felted flower

I felted a different way this time. First I crocheted (out of wool, of course) a flower and then I threw it in the washer with a few items (for extra agitation) with hot water on a long cycle. It shrinks it a bit, and sort of mats up the yarn. The overall effect is a softer looking, fuzzier flower. I like the way it looks both ways.
Before and after:


I thought it would be a nice accent on this purple crocheted super-duper long scarf, available for sale (click the picture to visit my Web site):