Mamascrapalota-Blogga

Dying

I had a dye day today just because.  Actually Devin is STILL sick.  She has has a 103.5 temp. since Sunday night.  Poor Baby.  I put the skeins in to soak on Saturday.  So, it only took 4 days to get to it.  Haa!

Anyway, here are the pictures.  480 yards fingering weight in one skein. If you are interested, I'll sell ya one.  ($28) I think I might be getting these up to Kitting in La Jolla.  We'll see. What do you think?

Grape Skin

Lick 'em

Oak Crest

Outside

Point Loma

Fair Entry's and Dream Dinners

You are probably tired of seeing my yarns, but here we go again.  These two are my San Diego County Fair entry's (or is that "entries")

And, today my Best Girlfriend, Laurie, and my mom went with me up to Dream Dinners in Poway and made our June dinners. I can't tell you how much this has changed my life!  The meals are GREAT, and they are pretty elaborate.  And, they are VERY good!  Even my kids eat them.... That is saying something.

Check out the menu for June!  I'm going again on June 24th at 10 AM if anyone wants to join us.  Below you can see what I made for May. You guys, every meal has been rated by my family as A+. 

Have a great weekend!!!

Mary-Kay

Selfish

Sometimes.... All I want to do are things for me. I just want to only think about myself, and a lot of the time I do just that.  I really am selfish.  I know we all are.  But, I was born selfish.  Always have been.  It was just about my toys and things when I was a child.  But, that selfishness has graduated.  I still am selfish with my toys and things, but now I add in my time to that.  I need to remember that my kiddos are just young once.  I need to sit with Kid 2 and hear her read a book out loud to me.  She can do that for hours. In my head I'm thinking, man, I could be knitting, spinning, Anything, but sitting here listening to a book I've heard her read 1,000 times before. But, there is NOTHING I would trade that for. I need to listen to Kid 1 tell her story 20 times before she gets it right, and I need to laugh at the appropriate times.  Selfish.... not so good. Because look at what I'd miss!

Mind you, I DO get my alone time.  I take my spinning classes on Wednesdays, and my knitting classes on Wednesday nights.  I squeeze in scrapbooking, here and there.  I read all of my books and I stay up DARN late.  I get it all done.  But, I think I need to have at least another 5 hours in the day.  Days are too short.

With that being said it has taken me about 2 months to spin this yarn. 

It is 100% tussah-to-die-for-silk.  It is a silk brick I dyed while over at Kristine Brook's Studio. I spun two singles and then I plied them using what I call a beehive.  I'm sure there really is a technical term for this, but I push up one single onto the other and make a really curly bump.  Then I re-plied them with a silk thread in pink.  I had to over twist the two singles to make it work and it turned out really neat-o. There are about 126 yards. 

It is one of the skeins that I am entering into the  San Diego County Fair.  I know that sounds totally funny, but my spinning teacher and the class have all entered and then told me I had to as well!  Shoot dang.  That is scary!

Ok, gotta get to my knitting class.  I'm working on my top down raglan tonight.  And, I started on the VERY cool Mason-Dixon Mitered Square blanket.  EASY knit, that is for sure.  A really good moral booster!

Note to self:  Selfish = miss out on cool kid stuff.

Ok chat ya later!
Mary-Kay

Mother's Day Page

A Mother's Day page for my "Mommy"

Another Digital Page

Just some fun Photoshop CS2 for you.
Names are blurred to protect the innocent. (you crazies!)

When Boys Come to Visit

When Boys Come to Visit They:

* Play with army men and make strange noises
* Teach girls how to play with army men and make strange noises
* Jump high on the trampoline and give their Auntie a Heart Attack
* Play rough with each other and the girls and give their Auntie a Heart Attack
* Man, do they ever make strange noises
* Smell
* Wear their hearts on their sleeves
* Talk about their new sister coming from China
* Talk about their parents who are in China right now
* Are a complete and utter disastrous messy whirlwind
* Are hilarious, and totally fun to hang out with.

They have been awesome nephews this week.  Explains why I haven't been on here at all.
Have a GREAT week everyone!

Mary-Kay

SP8 Questionairre

First of all a big Hello to my Secret Pal.  Thanks for joining in on this!


1. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? What fibers do you absolutely *not* like?

My favorite yarns? I love hand spun!!!! Also, I would have to say any sock yarn from Blue Moon or Vesper.  I love silk!  I guess you can say I'm a bit of a yarn snob.  I really strongly dislike any novelty yarn or any man-made fiber. 

2. What do you use to store your needles/hooks in?

I don't, I use a drawer for my needles. Works GREAT for me!

3. How long have you been knitting? Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced?

I started knitting in November 2005, then moved onto spinning in December and then got into dying in January2006.  I would say I am intermediate. About 6 months or so.

4. Do you have an Amazon or other on-line wish list?

No, should I?

5. What's your favorite scent? (for candles, bath products etc.)

I'm not really into scents other than Lavender - and I don't think I can spell that either!

6. Do you have a sweet tooth? Favorite candy?

M&M's hands down.  That would about be it!  M&M's baby.

7. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? Do you spin?

I spin (check out my blog) and I scrapbook.  Both of those are my passions! (besides knitting).  I love to get fleeces (clean) and spin my own yarn myself.  I have two wheels and love every minute of it!

8. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD)

I have a Mac, so I can play iTunes.  Is that the same thing as MP3s? I listen to all kinds.  The only thing I really don't like is rap.

9. What's your favorite color? Or--do you have a color family/season/palette you prefer? Any colors you just can't stand?

I love pinks and oranges together, and turquoise and brown.  Also, beach colors. I have a hard time with red unless it is a blue red.  I love a spring green and find myself going for that a lot lately.

10. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets?

I am married with two little girls, 9 and 7.  We have a BIG Rottweiler, and two baby kittens.  Our Rott is scared of them.  Very funny.

11. Do you wear scarves, hats, mittens or ponchos?

I wear scarves and hats.  I don't know how to do mittens yet, and ponchos make me look like I'm wearing a tent, so I tend to avoid those.  Ha.

12. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit?

I like to knit sweaters, and I am teaching myself lace right now.  I am also TRYING to knit socks on DPN's but man that is hard!  I bought the loop booklet, and maybe I'll get up the nerve to make socks with that method.  I desperately want to knit socks because they fit in my purse so easily.  I just can't get past a certain part - I think it is turning the heal.  I need a sock mentor, but alas, I can't find one. 

13. What are you knitting right now?

I have a top down raglan in progress.  It is about 75% done and I'm in stockinette world right now. I am  also knitting a lace wrap out of Koigu.  I'm doing OK on that.  Concentration is the key.

14. Do you like to receive handmade gifts?

They are the best!  I'd love a pair of hand knit socks.  Just to  see what I should be doing on my own hand knit socks - of which there aren't any!  I wear a size 9 shoe. 

15. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? Bamboo, aluminum, plastic?

I really like circular needles.  I have a hard time with straight.  I like aluminum Addi's but I love bamboo!

16. Do you own a yarn winder and/or swift?

Yep, I have both.

17. How did you learn to knit?

I went into Knitting in La Jolla here in La Jolla, CA (near San Diego) in October.

18. How old is your oldest UFO?

I tend to rip them all out, so I don't have any.

19. What is your favorite holiday?

New Year's? St. Paddy's?

20. Is there anything that you collect?

Besides yarn and fleeces and roving? Sheesh, let's see.  Scrapbook stuff. I read books like they are water. I guess that is it.

21. Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on? What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have?

I am DYING to try out the Holtz and Stein German circular needles.  They are impossible to find here.  Gotta go to Germany! I get Vogue, International Knits, Hmmmm.  I think I get them all except Rowan, which costs a TON!!!!  I just look at it first before I see if I want it. 

22. Are there any new techniques you'd like to learn?

Pretty much everything.  I'd just like to finish something.  I love, love cables.  Ya know, I guess it would be MOSTLY socks!!!! I would love to master the art of sock knitting!!!!

23. Are you a sock knitter? What are your foot measurements?

Not yet, but I am determined!!!  I'll find out my measurements and get back on here to post them.

24. When is your birthday? (mm/dd)

My birthday is May 13th ----- Next week!  39 baby!!!

Weddings... (no knitting, sorry knitters!)

This was the weekend for weddings.  I had two invitations and could only attend one.  Before I tell the story, I must give a shout-out to Kristine and Phil Boncer. Their wedding was this weekend as well, but family came first.  Dang-it, can't I be in two places at one time?

But, this family wedding was important.  I thought that it was a little before I went, but I had NO idea how important it was.  After I got there, I understood the full extent.

Jeri is my mom's very best friend.  She was married to Brian and they were THE coolest couple I knew growing up.  My parents went on many couples only vacations with them, but we went on a TON of family vacations with the kids too.  Jeri has a son, Jeff.  What a little shit that guy was.  He colored the end of my braid with black permanent marker, then a few days later, cut a lot of it off.  He got into drugs and drinking when he got older in H.S. and got into a LOT of trouble.  Jeri started "San Bernardino Community Against Drugs" and started the whole Red-Ribbon week.  She has met with three past and present Presidents, and is VERY active in stopping drug usage.  Jeff is today, an awesome dad and husband, and is still a little shit (ha, he's HUGE!)

After something like 30 + years of marriage, Brian left her.  For his secretary.  My crazy mom suspected it and dressed up like a homeless person, pushed a shopping cart around Brian's office and took pictures of him and his new ticket.  I said,"Mom?  Don't you look a little suspicious carrying a Louis Vuitton purse and snapping pictures with a $1,000 SLR camera? "  She did it anyway.  Caught him, red handed and gave the proof to Jeri. He then proceded to hide all his money, and dis-inherit Jeff.  Major A$$H0le.  Men like that burn me up.

Five or more years later, Ken enters the picture.  He is a well known neurosurgeon.  A year before he met Jeri his wife had been murdered.  She drove to a mexican restaraunt to get food for all the workers in his office in her Mercedes, and some dude pulled her out of the car, shot her in the head and stole the car.  Real nice. 

A little trauma on all sides. Five more years pass and Jeri finally says YES. 

My mom and dad had the wedding at their house in Newport Beach, CA.

Jeri got dressed and came to the wedding off of my parent's boat.  That's Jeff (the little shit!)

My beautiful mother...

Under the huppah which can also be spelled Huppa, Hupah, Chuppah, Chupah, Chuppa, or Chupa.

And in Color

Yeaowza!

And there were SOOO many of my childhood friends there.  Everyone I ever hung out with.  We called this the Lake Powell group, and the Lake Havasu group, and the Mammoth group, and the colorado group.  We are all in the same group.  Here are a few below, and me. 

Next post, I promise there will be knitting content.

Hope you had a great weekend!

over and out...............