After the Rain

My friend blogless Sandi was saying what a gorgeous walk she had with her dog this morning. The sky was bright blue and the raindrops were still clinging to everything, like little prisms. So I went exploring with the new camera.

It's amazing what you find in your own yard.

The drops were still clinging to everything.

It didn't seem like a very heavy rain, but it had bent the shrubbery to the ground.

I saw that our roses are blooming.

I think they may be a bit confused. But beautiful nonetheless.

I'm enjoying this camera so much!

I am feeling very thankful right now for many things. But most especially for beauty and graciousness. :)

Friday Eye Candy, Spring Edition

Daffy Down Dilly
Has come to town
In a yellow petticoat
And a green gown.
- Mother Goose





And a flowering plum, for good measure!

For my cold friends in need of spring. :)

Friday Eye Candy, Jewelry Edition

Well, the recipient of Ms. Purple Ice loves her, and that makes me very very happy! Thanks everyone for all your kind comments!

I have been busy. Very very busy to make up for lots of lost time! So I have just done a major shop update with all sorts of new goodies. :) We have a bee shawl pin, inspired by the fabulous Knitspot Anne's Bee Fields Shawl and Honeybee Stole.

And here's a sterling turtle on a rosewood stick (there's a ladybug too!) that reminds me of turtlegirl every time I look at it (wonder why?). ;)

Then we have a miniature dragonfly pin in sterling and fine silver (fine silver has a higher silver content than sterling).

And an entirely new kind of pin for me - it is one piece and I love these!

They stay put really wonderfully well and are super super light.

That's in addition to a whole passel of new sticks and a few new simple pins!

And in sterling ball of yarn news, I am out of pendants (you can backorder here) and have only four three pairs of earrings (scroll down on the linked page to order them) left. I'm ordering more supplies! Honest!

Have a great weekend all! :)

Friday Eye Candy Contest

This image, photographed by my husband and digitally processed by me, was for a client providing wines at the Academy Awards. Cool, eh?

For my fellow graphic design geeks out there: I set it up to print four color process plus a double hit of a spot red on uncoated cover stock. :)

So here's where the contest comes in. Tell me (in a comment only please!) where this image was photographed. Everyone who guesses correctly will be entered into a drawing and I will choose a winner at random. I will give you one clue, which may or may not be misleading (you never know with me!): the digital processing on this image consisted of adding and adjusting coloring and noise.

You have until Wednesday, October 3 (aaaaaack! next week is October already!) midnight PST to enter the contest. The winner will receive this shawl stick:

Hey! What are you waiting for?! Get commenting already. ;)

Have a great weekend everyone!

Non-Friday Eye Candy

So this weekend I slipped away and visited my dear friend Susan (aka Chicken Mama) on her little farm. It's not a long drive (only 20 minutes!) but sometimes it seems like a world away when we're both going crazy. And true to her nickname, she had just indulged in retail therapy: baby chicks! I love her idea of retail therapy, I must tell you. :)

I got to sit and chat with one of the most wonderful and kind people I've ever met, be run over by big dogs in search of petting and watched by the ever curious cats. And, of course, visit the chickens. It was only a little over an hour, but it was a wonderful mini vacation.

And look what she sent me away with:

Aren't they beautiful? And yes, the one in front really is green. :)

Have a wonderful week, everyone!

Friday Eye Candy, Evening Edition

Here are a few more clues as to the nature of the stealth crochet.

Silver plated colored copper wire from Artistic Wire:

and more colors of silver plated wire from Artistic Wire:

metallic braid and silk from Earth Faire:

more metallic braid from Earth Faire (and if you didn't click through before, do it now and look at all the pretty sparkly stuff!)

And here I would like to pause a moment to thank all of the suppliers and manufacturers with whom I am having the pleasure of working, while in the throes of designing pieces for my book. Your kindness and generosity are very very very much appreciated! Thank you!

On the home front, we have done something a little different with the homeschooling this year for #1 Son. We enrolled him in California Virtual Academy, which is a fully accredited online charter school. He started this week, and wow! What a program! They send a computer and printer, school books, art supplies, music supplies and teacher manuals - all to use gratis. Yes, for free! Can you believe it?! Today was our first teacher meeting where he had an assessment of his reading and math skills. He did so well! After he read and understood the 7th grade level paragraph, the teacher stopped and went to math. He aced that one, too, coming in at the fifth grade level. So although he just started third grade, with this program it is possible for him to skip ahead in certain areas and go at his own speed. In this case, we will accelerate him through the 3rd grade math and 4th grade reading rather than skipping it all, so there are no holes in his education. It is very very cool. And we were so proud of him! Our little cutie-pie, being only 4 and not having a birthday until March, cannot yet enroll because it is a public school - he does not meet the cut-off age. He is very very disappointed.

And yet another sad good-bye: Madeleine L'Engle, whose book A Wrinkle in Time will always be one of my very very favorites. Farewell Madeleine. You will be sorely missed. Thank you for everything you gave us.

Friday Eye Candy, Cute Kid Edition

Do you see this face?

That is the younger of my two sons. I have referred to him in the past as Dr. Destructo. But he is now in need of a new nickname.

This young man astonished me today in a way for which I was completely unprepared. I always knew that he was something special. He said his first word, crawled and walked early. He loves people and collects friends wherever he goes. Then he remembers all of their names and asks after them. He is brave and vulnerable at the same time. And he is smart. My gosh is he smart.

But back to today.

I won't go into details, except to say that this little man is capable of mountains of love and forgiveness, hugely out of proportion to his diminutive size. His elder brother apologized to him today (it was a serious apology, if you get my drift) and told him what he would do to make the situation up to his little brother. And from the little one? No gloating, no anger, no temper. He listened quietly while his big brother read a letter of apology, looked at him with all the love in the world, said "thank you; you're so nice!" and then gave him drawings and other little gifts to make him feel good.

All I can say is this: I have struggled throughout my life to become a better person. To be as positive and forgiving and non-judgmental as I can possibly be, sometimes with mixed results. But my four year old son? He has already surpassed me. And I am in awe of him.

Goodies!

It's all eye candy, all the time: Monday edition!

Look at what I got from my Secret Pal by way of Adagio Teas!

I love black tea, the stronger the better. And I love Adagio's packaging and marketing concept. Very cool! I've already broken into the Keemun. Yummy! Thank you Secret Pal! :)

And this also came in the mail.

It is an adorable little booklet from Crafty Eliza. Is it not the cutest thing?! She made it by hand and it has a little sock pattern in it.

I love it! Thank you, Eliza!

And this is to drool over. Yummy fuzzy stuff from Lisa Souza.

Mmmmmmmmmmmohair in Ruby.

This concludes the eye candy portion of today's episode. :)

Here are a few SP 11 extra questions and answers:

1. What is the one knitting accessory you could not live without?
Hmmmmmmm. Only one?! I guess my stitch/row and needle gauge measure.

2. If you're heading on vacation, do you take knitting with you? If so, how much and what type of project?
Vacation? What's that?

If I take car or social knitting, it's simple - usually stockinette in the round on US 7 or 8 needles. I don't have to look at it. :)

3. Where have you travelled to that you'd consider your favorite spot?
Venice.

4. What is your favorite knitting book at the moment? Do you own it?
I think it's a tie between Aran Knitting and Stillwater, neither of which do I own. Way too expensive!

5. Do you listen to podcasts? Which is your favorite(s)?
No, I don't usually, but I've listened to some select interviews. It's a cool medium!

Happy Monday and have a great week!

Friday Eye Candy

First, I want to thank all of you so very very much for all of your kind comments about my Mystery Stole 3 swan and feather pins, and the ball of yarn earrings! And for your orders! You made me feel so great! And now I'd better change the subject before I get all mushy. :g:

Today, we have eye candy up the wazooooo!

Here is the Perfect Purple courtesy of Rowan.

Is it not divine?!

And here, for the traditionalist, we have some alpaca "moulinette" from Misti International.

Moving right along here, we have some gorgeous laceweight linen from Louet. I love this stuff. Absolutely. Love. It.

Here is the color card for Louet's spinning and felting fibers.

Also from Louet...just feast your eyes on this dyed Corriedale top! :swoon:

Look at those amazing colors. They are so incredibly bright and vibrant that it is difficult to capture them adequately. I am in color heaven.

Those who know me may recall that I am not a spinner. Angela tried to enable me with a drop spindle and some gorgeous fiber from Lisa Souza, but alas, to no avail. I love looking at it, but I am trying really really hard not to be sucked into another addictive pursuit at the moment! :g: I'm sure it will happen one of these days, though. My husband has even threatened promised to make me a spinning wheel. Note: why are you all trying to get me hooked?! I know where this will end up.

Have a great weekend everyone! I'll be swatching. :)

Friday Eye Candy Contest

It's time for another contest! Woooooooooo! ::g::

Here's the image.

It is a photograph of a small perfume bottle, taken by my husband and processed by both of us. By what process did it arrive at its current state? Here's a hint: there was nothing digital done other than scanning in the final image and adjusting the color to better reflect the original.

Give me your answer in a comment (emailing it to me doesn't count!) by Wednesday, August 8 at 12 midnight PST. I am looking for two specific things that were done to the photograph. I will enter whoever gets those processes into a drawing and pick a random winner. If no one gets both, I will enter whoever gets the one predominant process (there are telltale signs!) into a random drawing. If no one gets it, everyone who guesses will be entered into a random drawing. But someone will get it. There are photographers out there! I know it! :)

Wanna know what you're playing for?

This!

A hammered copper shawl pin from my Designs by Romi site.

Good luck and have a great weekend!!!

Catch-up with Relish

I know I've been a baaaaad blogger lately. :hangs head: Sorry! I've been in deadline mode, doing stealth knitting, writing and a little stealth crochet too!

But I had to drop in and gush about Amy, Knitty maven and author extraordinaire. I finally met her face to face this past weekend, when I made the trek down to Purlescence Yarns in Sunnyvale (I love this shop!). She is, in a word, delightful! Since I forgot my camera, I will merely show you her book and you will have to imagine the rest.

I had a wonderful time with her, Nathania, Chloe and Sandi (who I also finally got to meet in person - wooooo!), and their spouses. As a bonus, I also met CJ! I drove back with a huge smile on my face!

Speaking of no sheep, in a stroke of irony, Amy won my sheep shawl pin in Claudia's MS Ride raffle. Hee. So I offered her a bunny instead. I'm thinking he turned out ok, yes?

The trick is in having a live model. :g:

Now for a little eye candy! This gorgeousness is from Habu Textiles.

And this.

And just feast your eyes upon this!

Look at those colors!!!

This is Ashford's rainbow dyed English Leicester Fleece by way of Foxglove Fibers. It is absolutely stunning!

Off to run around like a madwoman! See you soon! :)

Friday Eye Candy

Today was a Good Mail Day. A little square box arrived. And I saw it was from Mielke's Fiber Arts: the aptly named Bag of Candy! I thought it looked awfully small. And then I opened it.

WOW! Goodies for my book. :)

Look at those colors!

The Star Trek geek in me thinks they look like punk tribbles.

::drool::

Who would have thought so much could fit in such a small box?

I think I'll go fondle it now. :)

Friday Eye Candy

Slipping in under the wire with some eye candy! (Hey! Its still Friday in California!) :g: New on my Designs by Romi site! Sterling Silver balls of yarn on rosewood sticks. I couldn't resist the artsy shot:

These were part of a big wholesale order. They're stuck in a ball of yarn; I thought it fitting! :)

I'm also restocking items and will have most of it up later on this evening! A few things will be photographed later on this weekend. Maybe. If I have time. This is the weekend of #1 Son's Martial Arts Tournament and Rabbit Show. I'm going to need a vacation when I get back! Meanwhile I am auditioning patterns for car knitting!

And some not so great news: postal rate increases and the reclassification of my outgoing mail (no longer considered envelopes) have more than doubled my expense in sending mail first class. Because of this, I will need to begin charging for shipping. But it's not all bad. I will only charge $2.50 flat fee for addresses in the US and Canada. Can you believe that it is now less expensive to ship a pin to Canada than to ship to a US address?! ::sigh:: Metals have also increased in price and, unlike last year, show no signs of heading back down. So my Elements Collection pins will also be going up a bit in price. All of this will happen August 1st, so you all have some time to get in there with the old prices and free shipping!