Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Forward and Back

It's New Years eve and we've all made it safely to the end of another year--for which I am very thankful.  It was an eventful year, and definitely had its highs and lows, but overall it was great.  So here we go into 2009!  I've been cleaning up the work bench and ordering supplies, and boy do I have all kinds of ideas for beads:
  • I would really like to work on texture, especially with reduction frit
  • Big hole beads--rings and donuts
  • Incorporating more complex stringer within the beads
  • A fable series--which had been in my head for a loooong time--hence the name fire and fable.  Bead/jewelry collections based on fairy tales and fables.  
  • Colour, Colour, Colour --combinations that sing.
  • more knitting related paraphanalia
  • and lots of other things....

Blizzard warning for tonight, so get out your knitting!  Happy New Year!

Tuesday, December 23, 2008

insert maniacal laughter here...

...still working on Christmas projects, 24 hours left.  at least all the knitting is done.  But have decided to make new Christmas stockings from old wool sweaters ('"as a fun and quick last minute project" ha)  hmmmm plus wrapping all this stuff.  24 hours left???!!   OK so up for tomorrow, December 24th:

*must dye hair (have hair dye already?--check)
*should probably feed and entertain the kiddies (note to self, hide the glue tonight)
*wrap a closet full of gifts (or not....)
*oh yes, make new stockings (note, requires sewing ((may require wine)))
*make (invent) chocolate truffle tart for christmas dinner
*last minute trip to the grocery store? (send Ken with kids :)
*Go to sisters for early dinner
*bath, stories, hang new stockings, bedtime
*toast the peace and quiet with a nice glass of irish whisky then go to bed and wait for Santa...

Oh boy, maybe I should stay up late tonight and get a head start.

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Christmas Fish!

Can you tell I'm crazy about these?

I'm keeping the one on the left, the one of the right is off to BC for my brother (and I hope survives the journey via Canada Post).



Fish Parade

Fish from the sale:









Friday, December 12, 2008

crazy week

Where shall I begin really?

OK first off, a very exciting thing happened last week. I met Ilga Lega (a very cool knit wear designer) at Tangled Skeins; we had a great chat about knitting, dyeing wool and glass beads. AND she wrote about me in her blog! Here: http://ilgaleja.com/blog/index.php/P2/

So then it was the 4 Christmas Party's weekend, and somehow we all survived. Kids were great Friday night, Saturday night was my work party--and being on mat leave I wasn't going to pass up a free meal and wine. Oh yes, the wine.... after a few glasses at a friends house we cabbed it to the party, me in my red dress and sparkly shoes in hand. Our table continued the tradition of absonding with all the red wine at the half filled tables and from the white wine drinkers, and so several bottles later we danced, and danced and danced. It was a good time. Sunday morning was Kens work brunch, great food but kids were a little rowdy. Sunday afternoon should have been quiet time but turned into the kind of psychotic nightmare I'm sure you only get in mental institutions, i.e., kids were rotten. Then finally off to my sisters on Sunday night for dinner--cake was fantastic. So by Monday I was absolutely wiped.

And yet, I decided it would be a great time to melt some glass. All went well until I turned off the propane leaned over the torch (still a flame going) and nearly set myself on fire. Thanks to the self exstinguishing properties of wool, I only succeeded in putting a hole in my sweater. But I did make some more fish :) I'll post pictures as soon as I get them off the camera.

Finally, I had my second glass sale on Wednesday. Everybody loved the fish! Well, I don't blame them, I love them too. Thanks to everyone! Feed NS will be getting a great donation this Christmas.

This week I am knitting this hat http://www.helloyarn.com/wecallthempirates.htm
and watching more Deadwood, and hopefully making some more fish after the kids go to bed.

Phew, that's a lot of stuff.