A Year Without

YARN!!!

Yep, I have given myself a challenge to not buy yarn for an entire year.  From September 1, 2012 until August 31, 2013, I WILL NOT BUY ANY YARN.  I know, it sounds absolutely crazy to give up one of the greatest pleasures in the life of a knitter, but it must be done.  My house is full to bursting with yarn.  Bags and bags of beautiful yarn begging to be worked with are hidden in plain sight due to the overabundance of wooly goodness.  This is in part due to having gone to Vogue Knitting Live last year when it came to Los Angeles and then I went to Stitches West last February.  My suitcase weighed 75 pounds when I left Stitches West, which was partly due to international travel on the front end of the trip and then the plundering of the incredibly stockpiled marketplace.

Stitches West Booty

 
This is my challenge and I am declaring it here and now, so I have some accountability in the process.  It's also about time I dusted off this old blog and put some renewed vigor into it.  I miss it and the people I used to connect to through it.  So the challenge is on to shop my own stash and to keep anyone who may still be out there on what is happening during this year long process.  Hopefully, the yarn withdrawals will not be too painful.  Luckily, I have an amazing yarn stash help me through the hard times.

Representations of Self

My basic photography class came to an end this week. The last assignment was to do a self portrait. This was by far the hardest assignment.


A little bit of me thru books.



Then, as a maker of things, I thought about doing a whole series of hand shots doing what I do everyday. This was much more difficult than I thought it would be as time to set up shots, in general and especially while cooking, and working the self timer proved to be very interesting. But I got a couple of shots that I liked.







Tank and I

Tank was not cooperating as she just wanted to go to bed for the night.

My instructor suggested taking a self portrait every year on your birthday. Just a little food for thought that I may try next year. Also on Pinterest (warning: highly addictive) I came across the most amazing family portrait series that I thought I would share.

Source: marvelouskiddo.blogspot.com via Woolanthrope on Pinterest

The Girls

Tank La Rue: my snoop, my spooner, and biggest love. She's a poke snout and very verbal at snack time and bedtime. Her greatest delight is to burrow under blankets, preferably next to me. Her favorite toy is a donut that her Aunt Darcy gave her. When she squeaks her toys it is what I imagine puppy laughter sounds like. It is pure joy to my ears and makes me smile.





Koi: my skittish, green eyed, bedroom cat, who demands lots of love at bedtime and first thing in the morning (even if you aren't technically awake but have shown signs of movement). It's really the price of admission to sleep in what she has come to claim as her bed. This is the animal that gives me the least amount of trouble and I am truly grateful for her good health and sweet disposition.

Those are my sweet girls and the best two photos from my photo shoot with them.

Portraiture

This weeks photography assignment was to take portraits. There is nothing better than family portraits, especially if they are furry, as it is at my house. While I took photos of all my furry loved ones, I am choosing to focus on my eldest, Wiggs. His proper name is Ludwig von Kat and he was born and acquired in Las Vegas, after papa had a winning day at the tables.


Here he is looking angelic, which isn't very often. I just caught a little glimpse, but mostly he is a bit of a terror. One time, when he was a kitten, I had finished working swing shift at the casino and came home and was dozing on the couch. At a full run, he came across the room and jumped on my face. With one precise claw out, like a ninja's blade he punctured a hole right in my hairline. By the time I got to the bathroom, six feet away, I was looking like Carrie with blood running down my face. So much blood from one little hole by one tiny cat.



This is his politician's face. If only I had an American flag for a back drop. He wears a tuxedo everyday. He is very formal in that respect.




This is his gangsta, bad ass face. He is one snarky cat, but this picture cracks me up because he looks so very serious. This face says, "if you cross me, I will piss in your bed". And he backs up his threats.




Here he is sniffing the breeze. Just inhaling the sweet smell of the air after a couple of days of rain.





Pretty much this is what he looks like most of the time. Lounging around in all his glory. He is 15 years old, has irritable bowel syndrome, and at the end of last year started having the occasional grand mal seizure (which is scary as hell). Getting old is such a pain. He is very friendly when he wants to be and loves his tummy rubbed, which is a bit unusual for a cat. Wiggs likes a good lap. He is fond of laying on knitting projects and trying to eat the dog's dinner. I just love this crazy cat and all his many personalities. Thank you for letting me share him with you.

Happenings

What have I been up to?


Eating well.

Hitting an all time high on the scale back in March, I decided to reclaim my body. Since then I have given up sugar, wheat, and dairy and began walking the canyon near my home on a regular basis. It's been been an incredible process. Occasionally I want to eat something decadent (who doesn't?), but I haven't been craving the sugar (my biggest weakness). My sleep has been better, I have lost weight and toned up, and, in general, I feel better than I have in a long while.



Photography

These photographs are from my Basic Photography class with Julia Dean. I am only three weeks into the class, but my knowledge has really increased in how to use my camera. It's so nice to know what all those things are on the camera menu. I was really clueless and intimidated by my camera before class and just used it as an expensive point and shoot. Now I also know my camera's limitations and can work with them.










What's happening with you?

Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday