abby try again

Meme Monday

Casey, a real-life knit buddy and blog friend, tagged me with this meme a while ago and seeing as how I am too cold and tired to go to the Stitch and Bitch group tonight-I will finally complete this.

1.What were you doing nine years ago?
Ummm...I was a Freshman in high school and to be honest, I really tried to block that year out. I guess I was just living in Visalia, trying not to be too big a nerd-probably hanging out downtown a little and stealing my sister Cassie's clothes.

2.What were you doing six years ago?
  I  was going to College, working, and beginning what I thought of as my first "adult" relationship (haha). My days were spent writing articles, laying out pages, smoking newports (yuck-don't do THAT anymore) and hanging out with friends. Wow-I would stay up so late, study, work, talk, drink coffee, ride bikes-I had so ,much energy and passion for life. I need to find that again.....rambling....

3.What were you doing one hour ago?
  Ugh..sitting on the #9 between a smelly fat man and a coughing fat lady. (sorry...I'm brutal)

4.Name three movies you can't turn off if you stumble across them on television.
  Okay- I am pretending that this says "Name three movies you watch over and over again-even on mute!"
   1. The Royal Tennebaums
   2. Amelie
   3. Ruben and ED (awesome!!!)

5.Name three things you want to improve on this year.
   1.bringing my lunch to work-everyday!
   2. learn to knit cables
   3. not be such a flake

6. Name three things you can't live without.
         1. James (my husband)
         2. my siblings and parents
         3. Mexican Food
.
7. Name three things you could.
        1.Star Wars ANYTHING
        2. Passive Aggressive people
        3. Wal-Mart

8. Name three things you like about yourself.
      1. I remember things others don't; dates, birthdays, middle names, etc.
      2. I've traveled a lot
      3. that I am part of an AMAZINGLY AWESOME family

Okay-now that you are bored....
I tag YOU! (email me if you do this-I want to read it, ok?)

      

 

Mail Heaven...(and some knitting, too!)

   In the mail this week I received the most beautiful apron book ever made-it's small, Japanese and amazing. I also just went to the library to find a basic sewing book-cross your fingers-I am once again attempting to sew! I find myself so inspired by these aprons-how could I not try my hand at making ONE? If you'd like to see more apron book photos look at my flickr account-here. Okay-one more:

  Amazing, no?

  I also ordered one of port2port press' limited edition cards. Really-the port2port blog is great-but you must check out Maria's etsy shop. Each month she will have a new card-and let me tell you-these are really even more beautiful up close. Here is my card:

  Yay!
   So, I've had a couple questions about my M.I.A. knitting project-the one skein wonder. Well, I read the pattern wrong and ended up knitting the back ribbing before the side and collar ribbing when I should have connected them and done all on one circ. Okay-I thought I could just seam them, but once I tried that, it just looked ridiculous and I realized that I need to cast on more "loosely" if I am going to attempt to pick up stitches. Well, here are some photos. I realize that I need to weave in the random hanging pieces of yarn-but I think I might just keep this little mistake.

Gotta love the pink bra strap-sorry for the cruddy photos-and now the back:

Oh well-live and learn.
  Tomorrow-longer, better post complete with meme from fellow Portland knitter....stay tuned....

Random bit of goodness...

Hello again! I'm just going to skip the awkwardness of not having posted for a bit and jump right in....
**My Aunt is doing very well considering the circumstances and my trip home was good. I am so lucky to have a large, caring family that is so full of compassion, humor and hope. A positive outlook, friends, and love are such healing tools...thanks to you guys to for your lovely comments!***
   My knitting has all but ceased this week. My one skein wonder was almost done when I decided the lengthen it without thinking about how that would look. It is kind of a disaster now-and I really do not have the courage to rip it out. Here are some new yarns I got and have no idea what to do with-any suggestions?

I thought it would be fun to make little notebooks out of old papers and fabrics and sell them in my etsy shop. After making one-I realized it was a bit too timeconsuming for now and I think I will just make them for gifts. Here is the first prototype:

Here is what I discovered.
-Do NOT use a glue gun for this craft-I think a spray adhesive would be much better.
-Rickrack is just too bulky for this.
-I think I made the book with too many pages-when I sewed it together-I almost broke my machine!
-Smaller notebook+heavier cover+less bulky glue=better end product
  I added some more cards to my shop-it has been a long time since I've added anything-it was nice to take a break. Here are the "Iron Cards":

Which you can purchse here.
   Anyway, it is nice to be back....

Hello my dear friends...

I had to make an emergency trip back home to California. It is so important for me to keep strong family ties during this time. I am back in Oregon now-but won't be posting until tomorrow or Friday. I just wanted to let you all know that your kind words have helped me so much during this time and I will be back soon. *hugs to all* -abby

Self Portrait Tuesday-Personal History Part 2

   Here is a picture of my Great Aunt Evelyn. I didn't know that she existed until a few years ago. My Parents are Mormon and about six or seven years ago my Mother developed a huge interest in genaeology. I think it is one of the coolest hobbies you can have, so interesting; the culture, stories, traditions, photos, secrets and scandals you can uncover. Well, my Dad, Mom and sister took a trip to Oklahoma a couple summers ago to talk to old relatives on both sides of the family and to collect photos and stories along the way.
   Evelyn was my Dad's Dad's sister. She loved to perform; she was in school plays and worked on the newspaper. From what I understand she was well liked, smart, enjoyed school and friends and was maybe just a bit odd. Basically-she is just like me and my sisters. My Grandpa's family was poor-really poor (Oklahama during the depression-enough said, right?) and I guess she wound up in some trouble. She married young to a man who went on to fight in WWII. I guess during the time that he left she married another soldier and started to collect both of their checks. Suppossedly, the FBI caught on and chased her around for awhile until finding her. Someone, not sure how the story goes, put her on a one way bus back to her family in Oklahoma-but she never arrived and has not been seen since. She completely vanished. The story  is that my great grandpa  spent much of what he had trying to find her, the police-too. Then I guess it got to be painful and people just stopped talking about her. And then she kind of vanished from the family.
    So my parents brought this story back with them-I think maybe they knew about her, it just wasn't something anyone ever talked about until the pictures came. A relative gave them some awesome photos of her in high school, including the one above.
   Aunts are on my mind right now. My Aunt Cindy is doing the best she can be doing right now (thanks for your kind hope, wishes, and words) and my own role as an Aunt is something I think a lot about lately. I became an Aunt  at the age of seven and  it is such a part of who I am. I literally grew up with some of my neices and nephews- I love them all so much. I want to find out so badly what happened to my Aunt Evelyn. Was she killed? Kidnapped? Did she run away with a third lover? Maybe her father hid her somewhere for her own safety. I wish I could find out.
   ****
I HAVE been doing some crafty stuff lately. Here is another laceleaf scarf:

And I joined the one skein wonder bandwagon-check it out:

For those of you who don't know what I am talking about-this is a pattern for a little shrug/sweater that uses one skien of yarn. I think I will make mine with longer sleeves than those suggested and maybe a slightly different shape in the front. We shall see.
   I hope to start carving stamps again-soon!!

Self Portrait Tuesday-Personal History

    I want to this to be amazing; to be some lovely story of the courage of this family I never knew. Some brave Oklahoma natives who came out west for a better life. I want that to be what I am feeling right now-who I am. But to be honest I feel like I am losing it. Like slowly my throat is tightening and soon I will no longer be able to breathe.
    This is a portrait of my mother's family-well part of the family. Terry, Dianna and Cindy weren't born yet. This is a portrait of her family and  I am staring at it now with tears in my eyes knowing that soon my Aunt Cindy won't be in our next family portrait either. As I sit here, she lays in some crappy hospital as her tumors; tumors which have been regenerating and haunting her body almost as long as I've known her, slow eat away at her. I wish I could run down there and tell her that I love her, tell her about how I always think of that time when she showed me a giant zuchinni she was growing at Lee's house, how cool I thought her job at Nordstrom's was, how beautful her children are, how amazing the stream that ran behind her house was, how I always secretly thought she was my sister Maci's mother, how kind she was, how much I will miss her and how much her life means to this world. I can't even begin to imagine how she is doing, how her husband is, how her children are.
    Her mother, my grandmother (the woman pictured above), died when Cindy was about 14. Now Cindy's daughter is that age and this is happening. How strange is life, how horrible are coincidences, how utterly random is this world. I hope that by some miracle something can prolong her life. That maybe the pain can subside and she will be able to spend a few more moments with those she loves.
    So right now, this is my personal history-and I hope that my Aunt's may be a little bit longer. I hope that her pain will disappear, I hope that her last moments here are joyous, I hope that she feels the intense love we have for her and her family.

Happy New Year

     I hope you all are well and enjoying this new year. I feel great; hopeful, inspired, invigorated, excited, curious and hungry. Last week was really hard-REALLY hard at work and I am so over it and ready for the new year. My sister Cassie is here visiting and I am so glad she came.
     On Friday, James and I met up with her and her boyfriend at the Quasi/Stephen Malkmus/Sleater Kinney show. The show was amazing. Sam Coomes is so fun to watch live-and Janet Weiss' drumming was nothing short of breathtaking-I am so not kidding. I could have done without the Malkmus stuff-but it allowed me a break in the middle. Sleater Kinney was truely the best part-I felt more human than I have felt in a long time. I danced, cheered, connected-saw talent and embraced it. Those women are so in touch with themselves and the part of being human that goes beyond normal communication. James and I want to record now...really...
    After a day of tromping about Portland with Cassie and Eddie (involving record stores, the cutest gift/zine shop, amazing thai food and a shared croque monsiuer at the Doug Fir) I finished my last craft of 2005.

Lace Leaf Scarf
pattern by loop-d-loop (the company, not the book)
yarn: Cascade 220-doubled
needles: size 15 (because I don't own 13's)

     I did end up changing the pattern a bit-and I am happy with the result. This is a really fast knit-cute, too. I am currently working on a similar version with a bobble pattern and some green yarn.
Well-since this is a New Year's Post here are some goals and hopes for the coming year:
1. to make a more concious effort to participate in meaningful ways in the realationships I share with others
2. to become less of a consumer of goods; thinking about the waste I produce and trying to minimize it
3. to keep my word as much as possible-I want people to know that I will do what I say-that they can trust me
4. to see more art; explore museums here, go to more shows, be more aware of the enormous beauty around me
5. love myself enough to aspire to make these goals a part of my life
Thanks to all of you out there for the inspration, encouragement, and support you have shown. Happy New Year!