Almost Spring!

The weather is beginning to warm up.  As I tell my mother, soon we will go from the cold winter rains to the cool spring rains and on into the warmer summer rains :-).  I'm already preparing my greenhouse.  I am not planning to do any tomatoes this year.  They just don't get enough sunshine and warmth where we are.  I will do potatoes, peas and beans again.  Also making a reappearance will be chard, kale, spinach, carrots, cucumber and loose leaf lettuce.  I know pumpkins didn't do well last year, but they did excellent the year before, so I will try again.

I have made many updates to my dA page.  All of my old work is up, as well as many new pieces.  The work above, inspired by the recent tragedy in Japan, is an example of one of my recent works.  100% of any profit it might make will go directly to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief for Japan.  Not that I think I am all that as an artist, but, if it made any money, I didn't want to profit from it.

I have been having fun teaching myself various types of fixed-form poetry.  So far, Haiku is my favorite.  I enjoyed not only learning the technical form (which is rather simple to master) but also the traditional subjects and themes prevalent to Eastern forms in general and Haiku in specific.  I think Shakespearean sonnets will become another favorite, but I haven't played with them as much as I want yet.

I have done some beautiful dye work on my homespun yarn recently.  The Easter egg dye, as you see above, comes out beautifully for projects that don't need to be washed often.

I haven't been doing as much on the free samples/sweepstakes front.  Life intruding and all that.  I have not completely abandoned it though and will get into it more again.  Until then, I have nothing to report except to say I have a few small samples coming in here and there that have been useful.

My boyfriend's Uncle Dave had been sick with cancer.  It has been less than a year since he was diagnosed.  They didn't find out what it was in enough time to effectively treat it.  He passed away just this past Wednesday.  He was a neat man and will be missed.  He and his wife Sue took the time to come and visit us and ask about my health and such.  He was really suffering toward the end though and I am glad that is over.

I will try to be better abut updating this blog. 

Crafting Words and Art

Have done a big deviantART update. Unless I come across something forgotten, I am done adding old works. No more backlog! Come see to view new poetry, photography, and pictures of some of my artisan crafts.

I joined some artist groups on dA as well. I am glad I did. Now I can read works of like minded people, discover works I might not have, get critiques, talk with other writers/poets/artists, and join in activities related to these things. so far I have only joined writer & poet groups. I may change that later.

My interest in sampling continues, though I have taken a break from contest entering. I find not the interest or energy to spend 30-45 minutes on it a night. I will get back to it, eventually. I have gotten some great freebies and samples and won some neat prizes. Most memorable: Getting a beautifully packaged pomegranate from POM Wonderful for Ryan, The $100.00 PUMA Giftcard, and the Otter Box Defender Series Hard Case I won just as I was trying to decide whether to buy a dedicated e-book reader or an iPad. Guess who owns a very well protected iPad?!

In other news, Ryan's Uncle Dave is dying of esophagus cancer. He has only months to live. We let him and Aunt Sue borrow one of our lap tops to help entertain him when he feels too I'll to do much. We will miss him when he dies. I am trying to e there for Ryan too as he deals with losing his uncle.

Holidays Over, Back to Routine

I love the holidays, but am so thankful when they were over.  December and January were a whirlwind!  I am just getting back to my crafting, poetry and art.  I have been playing with poetry forms again as well as with the new Bamboo Pen my boyfriend gave me for Christmas.  A new, better camera (also from Ryan) has sparked a renewed interest in photography as well.  Expect to see the results of all these art forms here.

Freebies, samples and sweepstakes are going well.  My two biggest wins were a $100.00 PUMA giftcard in their holiday IWG (instant win game) and two hardcase Otterbox defender series protector cases one for the iphone3 and one for the ipad from AT&T.  They claim the full retail value is $289.00 but I think I could get about $80.00.  Anyway you look at it they were a free prize so that is cool. 
Among other things, I won a Spa Kit from the Dove Buzzwords IWG, free boxes of toaster strudels from Pillsbury, and cough drops from Halls.  For samples I have received everything from a pair of socks to granola bars.  I have a lot of fun with this.  It helps that my good friend Sabrina does the games, samples and such as well.  We enjoy talking about it and comparing samples.

My neighbor and friend Trudy gave me some beautiful merino top roving for Christmas.  I am finally beginning to spin it.  I will photo the resulting yarn and post it.  I also want to finally work with some more henna dyed wool fiber I colored just before the holidays and haven't gotten a chance to spin yet.  I expect good results, the dye gave a full robust rusty orange to the fiber.

My deviantArt page has some new items since I last posted, mostly poetry though there are a few other things.  Check it out if you are interested.  I will be posting a few new pieces I am just finishing within the next week.

In other news the MMO I play had a huge update on the first of February.  Check out www.RuneScape.com if that sort of thing interests you.  That will be easier than me trying to paraphrase here.  I am glad so many people are excited by the changes and don't see them hampering my preferred game play so I don't care, even though the content isn't something I am personally interested in.

Dinner tonight will be marinated chicken breasts cooked with veggies and rice.  Yum.  I have been cutting down the carbs we consume at meals as well as making sure we are eating more veggies.  Not hard for me but sometimes a challenge with Ryan. 

My grandpa Christiansen turns 93 this year.  We are going to take him out to dinner and buy a big cake for him.  Happy birthday grandpa!

Things to Come & Preparing for the Holidays

I had a wonderful Thanksgiving yesterday with my boyfriend and my sister.  I made a brined roasted turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, brussel sprouts, pumpkin pie and pecan pie.  More later . . .

Coming Soon, Fiber Preparation and Sampling Savvy

I am almost finished with an original sock pattern that is for the averaged-sized female foot and easily adapted to other sizes.  Check back soon for the FREE pattern and a picture!  Also coming your way:  An Amigurumi fan doll.  I am in the process of creating a doll in the amigurumi style that is an excellent likeness of a certain tall "skeletal" figure of a beloved animated movie.  Check back for details, FREE pattern and pictures.

In other news, I am creating a website that will be a central "hub".  It will have a bit about me and what I do in general and then pages featuring my other web links and an introduction on their contents.  This will make it easier for someone to travel between my blog,  Facebook page, Etsy store, and deviantART gallery.

Ryan's sister has given me an opportunity to help scan medical records onto computer for her.  I assured her that I am knowledgeable on HIPAA in specific and the importance of the privacy of Privileged Health Information because I used to work as a Release of Information Clerk in the medical records dept of a large hospital in Indiana.  I am excited to help out and it will mean a little extra bit of pocket change for Christmas gifts.

I have received a lot of neat samples, freebies and sweeps prizes lately.  I have taken pictures of them with a new camera and still have to learn how to take them off but I will soon post a few of some of my latest samples and freebies.  Of particular note, my coupon for a free box of Smuckers Uncrustables came today as well as a coupon for a free box of Barilla plus pasta (and more bogo free coupons for their product).

I like trying food products we haven't tried before.  Sometimes I discover something we truly love and add to our grocery list.  Other times we are glad we could try before we buy because we DIDN'T like the sample we got.

When it comes to Sampling, I have a few good words of advice:

1.  If you or your family won't use it/don't need it; then don't request it.  Why request a sample that is just going to sit around until you either throw it away, put it in some poor soul's Christmas stocking, donate it to Goodwill, etc.?  Companies are offering these freebies and samples because they are hoping to gain more consumers' interest.  They only have a limited number of samples so you are, conceivably, taking away a chance at a future customer for them.

2.  Find a few good sites you trust and stick with them.  When I first started out I think I had 15+ freebie/sample sites in my bookmarks.  As I began to get familiar with them though I noticed that there were three or four that, between them, had everything those other sites had all together.  Less places to navigate.  Though I have to admit I still visit the others from time to time and once or twice saw some obscure but interesting freebie that wasn't posted elsewhere.

The sites I picked as my favorites (mentioned in a previous post) were also ones I noticed had few to none of those "offers" promising things like full-sized products if you qualify or chances at large dollar amount gift cards.  These offers generally include a lot of very fine print in which you learn you have to complete so many "offers" in able to qualify for your freebie.  Invariably you end up spending money and/or giving them way too much personal information.

3.  Many of these sites have social network links.  For instance, all of my top sites have Facebook pages.  This makes it easy to view things in one central location.  I STILL check on each individual page at least once a day though to make sure I didn't miss anything.

4.  Many of these sites have or link to a list of  Sweepstakes and contests.  While I personally have not won anything worth a large amount of money, I have won some items.  So it does pay to take a few minutes and go through them.  So far, in the few months I have been doing sweeps, I have won a Subway Restaurant tote bag, 4 boxes of Pillsbury toaster strudels, a personal massager, a carpet cleaning tool, and a full-sized box of Barilla Pasta with other coupons for bogo free).

5.  Make a free (throw-away) e-mail account that you only use for sampling.  You WILL start getting e-mails from companies you have requested a sample from.  Inevitably as well, some company who promises not too will sell your e-mail address and you will get spam and scams.  You don't want all of that in your main e-mail! 

As a last note, it is also great to have a friend who also does samples.  We help each other keep track of upcoming offers and/or offers one of us might have missed.  My good friend and I were both trying to get a 50.00 Target giftcard from a Dr. Oz sponsered giveaway.  I told her I'd share if I got it because she didn't think she would have time to get on.  Then she had time after all and she managed to get one while my server clogged and I couldn't get through.  She shared the win with me and we both came out ahead.

A good friend also means you have someone to brag too when you win/find something really "cool" and everyone else is sick and tired of hearing about your samples and freebies :-P

On the Wooly side, I have washed up a batch of creamy colored wool.  I am going to spin this separate from the brown and then ply the two together to get a candy cane-like stripe.  It is going to make a beautiful, sturdy yet relatively soft, yarn.

My adventures in fiber preparation have taught me a few things:

1.  Wash twice, rinse thrice.  It makes for a cleaner fiber, especially important if you are going to dye it.  I fill up the tub with hot water and wool wash and then drop the wool in.  Pressing it down gently to make sure it is fully saturated with soapy water, I leave it to sit for at least half an hour.  DO NOT AGITATE or you will partially felt it.  This makes the fiber harder to work with both when dyeing and spinning.

After the wash, I pile the wool toward the back of the tub as I drain the dirty water out (move the wool gently, again you don't want to partially felt it).  I then begin to slowly put water back into the tub (better to go slow, remember) that is nearly the same temperature (I like it just a tiny bit cooler than the wash).  Let the wool soak about 5 to 10 minutes in the rinse water and then slowly drain.  (I have a fellow spinner who swears by putting a bit of vinegar in the first rinse water to help balance the pH.)

Repeat the wash and give it two rinses afterwards.  This is to make absolutely certain you have the cleanest wool for use.  This helps assure even color dye, spinner satisfaction, and beautiful yarn.

2.  Don't be so "thrifty" that you keep truly sub par fiber.  Second cuts, dirty skirting, stained, and matted partially felted fiber is difficult to deal with if you are going to spin the end product.  And, even if you are going to felt the fiber before spinning, you will notice a better quality to your felt if you get rid of the sub par fiber.

My boyfriend and I are very thrifty.  We try to save wherever we can.  I had to teach myself not to try to save every bit of fiber.  Your end product will be of a much higher quality.  This is important for yourself and gifting, but especially for sellers!  If you are truly hate to throw out the bad bits, scatter some in your yard and the wild things will use it to makes nests or line burrows.  Throw it in the compost pile.  Use it as mulch. 

3.  Patience, patience, patience.  This can be a hard one for me.  Especially when I am already seeing the finished product, through my rose-colored glasses, in the dirty wool before me.  Focus more on the individual steps and don't rush to the goal.  You will save yourself time in the end because going too fast can mean having to redo some steps and/or ending up with something you aren't as pleased with as you thought you would be.

A Brother's Wooly Wisdom Comes Free. Or, less wierdly: Wisdom, Free samples, Wool, and Art)

So, as my brother told me (to paraphrase, cause he wasn't as eloquent :-P), "If you are going to be passionate about a cause AND share that passion to the general public, be prepared for some people to criticize."  In other words, some people will agree with your cause, other's will not really give it much thought, and some will downright disagree with your cause.  The latter may just want to discuss that with you.  But enough of that.

In other news, I have received some very useful samples recently.  Ryan leaves earlier than I do in the morning when it is still dark.  He will get some use out of the UFO lighted key chain.  Well, and it is just so darn cool.  He says the place we got the sample from has a good reputation for making lights (lamps, headlights, flashlights, etc.). 

The Whisk samples are the same brand, but different types.  Will be interesting to see if one obviously works better in my new h.e. washer than the other.  The Wisk sample from Wal-Mart included a coupon for $1.00 off. while the Costco one didn't.  Not that I mind, just an observation.  The playtex will, of course be useful as will the vaseline lotion.  It will be nice to not have to buy a lotion before I try it.  Sometimes, when I try something new in hopes it will work for my skin better than something I already have, I end up throwing it away because it makes my skin itchy or rashy.

The other piece of paper (which is illegible; I have to stop using the camera phone to take pictures) is an apology that the toilet paper roll dispenser extender will be late and a coupon for $ off for my troubles.  Wow, a sample is nice enough, but to receive a notice that it is late but will be here and a coupon is great customer service.

I was washing wool today.  My back is tired from bending over the tub all evening so I am putting off scouring the tub until tomorrow and warned Ryan not to use it until I do.  I will use an antibacterial cleanser so as not to risk leaving anything behind.  The wool was fairly clean but did have some obvious filth and vegetable matter around the edges.  I trimmed off the obvious and washed the rest.  It is now on my sweater dryer rack hanging in the tub from a pole to drip dry.

The bottom rack of the dryer above is waiting for the next batch of wool which is just below the view of the camera.  The rack is now full but I didn't want to take another picture.  The brown wool is from a Romney sheep.  Below is a picture of some of a super fine, extra crimpy wool filled with lanolin (sticky!) that I had to rewash.  There was a lot of lanolin and it got sticky even after it had been washed a while back.  I rewashed it and combed it out and it is much easier to work with.  I will have to ask my friend Trudi what type of sheep it came from.  I just can't remember.  Anyway, it is drying atop the pellet stove:

I am so thankful to have access to free wool often enough that I never have to buy any as long as I am willing to wash and card it myself.

Tomorrow I need to finish the dog leash I was knitting and begin another hat.  I just need to attach the hook and then I will take a picture of it.


I have put a few more items up for sale on Etsy.  I also uploaded some beautiful photos onto my deviantART page that I took down at Shore Acres past Charleson.  A few others that were interesting but either a little blurry, dull or otherwise flawed I put up on my Facebook page to view.

Am feeling a bit too wordy tonight.  This is a rambling long post.

Friday!!

The weekend is here!  Tonight I am just sitting in front of the Pellet stove with my feet towards the fire blogging and knitting.  Tomorrow I volunteer at our textile guild's store from 1-4 and then we are having company over at 5:30 for dinner and movie.  I enjoy Phil and Sabrina.  Sabrina and I are both into Sampling big-time.  In fact, I think it safe to say that she gave me my addiction :-P.

I added another item to my Etsy store for a grand total of two.  Again, I should finish this weekend.  I added the banner I created for my Etsy store to my deviantART page as I liked how well it turned out: 

I still have things to update there but I hope to get that done this weekend too.  I hope I am as ambitious in doing all this as I am in writing about it.  I am thinking about adding Alchemy requests (requests for custom orders) for hats (to begin with) to my Etsy store.  I will have to think about how to word it and work it though.  I don't want to end up with 3 requests all due in one week, for instance.

I received some useful samples today:

 

The Aleve and Tampax are for obvious reasons, the Head and Shoulders for Ryan, and I wanted to taste the Just Like Sugar to see if it lives up to its name.  If so we might switch to using it in our coffee and tea.  

I am so thankful to Sabrina for getting me into sampling.  It has already proved useful in helping me to try out products.  As a result I have, for instance, changed my brand of K Cups and discovered that the SalonPas Pain Patches didn't work for Ryan's pain BEFORE I spent money on it instead of after.

Well, time to finish the leash I am knitting and then do a load of laundry.  It isn't the washing I mind, it is the folding :-(.  I don't even mind the putting away part.