Pixie Purls

Posted by pixie at 10:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Well everyone is going meme's about the year in review as it was. So I guess I had better join in. This year I celebrated my first full year of Marriage. We travled out of the country and to Australia which was a life dream of mine. We went to Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island, another life dream of mine. We got a second dog :) and well probably lots of other things I can't remeber because I have a bad memory!

On the craft side of things I taught myself to Quilt (very proud I taught myself all on my own, not one class... something else I also always wanted to do) and I got back into knitting full speed ahead shortly after that. Then at the very end of this year I learned handspinning. I finished a tank top, several hats and some scarves and even some fingerless gloves, oh AND A PAID OF SOCKS!!

In my proffesional life I got to facilitate user testing which was something I have wanted to do for about 3 years now. I also got a promotion and a raise! My title is now officially "Information Architect" which is another goal realized.

So I think it's been a good year, and it was a good idea to write about it and I'm glad you guys inspired me to! Happy New year and Happy Chanukah!

Posted by pixie at 02:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

My 4th night spinning, this time a beutiful Aqua Corriedale Top from Louet that I had gotten when I bought my drop spindle. Wow I never got anything this good on that thang!

I am very pleased with how this spins up, and I was very careful not to over twist which I keep reading the new spinners say they try to avoid doing. I actually spent a good 20 minutes spinning some of the roving that came with the wheel. Can't say again how much I hate that stuff. I will be stuffing that into the bottom of my yarn bin for when I just want to spin and don't care what.

I also have this Corriedale in Jade as well as some other roving in a pretty brown. I got it at Hidden Haven Farm in Alpharetta. It's dated 12/04, so I guess I got it about this time last year.

Posted by pixie at 09:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Spinning Wool - I created this spinning community on livejournal. I always enjoyed knitting.livejournal.com and I didn't see any useful spinning communities. Feel free to join up! It will be a place to ask questions, and to post FOs!

Solid Socks Along
Time is running out now! I would like to request that you please email me you're photograph submissions between now and January 5th. Afterwords I will post the winner :) pixie AT pixiepurls.com and please use the subject "Solid Socks Photo".

Posted by pixie at 12:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

I spoke with my mother today, she sounds better then yesterday but still fairly stressed. She had friends over today I think and is having friends and family come by to say hello to him. I think she just wants him to have the very best of life in his last week. I do wonder how long he will go for, the vet insisted days, but mom went outside with him today and he chased a stick, ran around outside and ate a little bit of cheese... then fell asleep on my mothers bathrobe. I am so happy he is doing so "well" if it is truley his last few days. I hope he goes so sweet and peaceful in his sleep, thats what I hope for most. It doesn't seem like he's going to die, I can probably sit here and deny it for a while.

Here is a photo of my first bobbin full;

My first attempt at plying, I just sort of guessed as to how to do it;

Posted by pixie at 11:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Two Left Needles

I found this blog a few weeks ago when blog surfing, and I was stopped by the photo she has at the top because it's of the Bay of Fundy and I recognized it.

I have been pausing to just stare in bloglines everytime i see a post with her hand spun yarn. She has a great eye for color and picks out the most beutiful roving. Not to mention she spins such beutiful yarn and I think most or all of it is on a drop spindle. Sooo beutfiul!

View her Flickr spinning album >>

Posted by pixie at 08:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

On this 4th day of Chanukah I recieved a gift from my friend Sue!

Apparently she knows me very well because I got all kinds of good things from her:

The Hounds Tooth pattern Vera Bradley coin purse to go with my latest vera (I had wanted this for weeks now but wasn't allowing myself to buy it, she was with me when I got the purse), "Zen and the Art of Knitting" and a box of Bigelow Tea. I love each present on it's own, let alone all together! I also liked the Chanukah wrapping paper and the cute card :)

I got her a pair of fuzzy pink slippers and a Anne Tailor gift card (her favorite place to shop) It was lots of fun, THANKS SUE!

Posted by pixie at 02:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The fantastic Cara from January One rescued me by explaining how to attach the break thingy properly. It didn't really come with specific instructions so I was fairly lost as to what and how it attached. I just finished spinning some of the stuff that came with the wheel. I could have never figured that out on my own.

Thanks Cara!

In sad news this afternoon I found out that my Sheltie MacGyver who I got for my 16th birthday, is dying of Cancer. He is probably going to die in the next few days. He has been with my parents ever sence I left for GA for college. He is theirs now, but he will always be mine too and I am so sad. Please send your thoughts to a sweet doggy in Virginia named MacGyver. I hope he goes peacfully and content. It's especially hard on my mother and I as you please send strength her way to. I find myself depressed and not able to be to excited about anything, I just tried spinning to give myself something to do, it was slightly helpful in giving me something to focus on... anways... that's all I have to say right now.

Posted by pixie at 08:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)

It's so cute, when I leave in the morning all the animals go look out the window that is directly in front of my car. Tala is almost always in the window, she finally seems to get along much better with Willow. However, if she tries to come into the bedroom and Willow runs after, there is a bit of hissing to be expected.

In other news my Lendrum arrived in Atlanta at 10pm last night:

12/28/2005 7:00:00 AM OUT FOR DELIVERY ROSWELL, GA US
12/28/2005 12:44:00 AM ARRIVAL SCAN ROSWELL, GA US
12/27/2005 11:55:00 PM DEPARTURE SCAN ATLANTA, GA US
12/27/2005 11:01:00 PM LOCATION SCAN ATLANTA, GA US
12/27/2005 10:03:00 PM ARRIVAL SCAN ATLANTA, GA US

Update: My husband has told me it has arrived :)

Solid Socks Along

Baby Rib from Sensational Knitted Socks. CO 48 st US #2

Well I doubt very much I will have mine done in time but that's okay, I am a new sock knitter and prone to millions of mistakes.Take that orange sock for instance. It fits yes, and is not hard to get over my foot, but I will tell you what, it seems a tad stretched out on me, ruins the way the pattern looks. I think i could have given it more ease and it will would have ribbed in on my foot and not been loose, and looked prettier. I am not stopping though. I am knitting this sock soooooo slow (this means not very often and in short spurts), but it's actually a fast knit.

Posted by pixie at 09:34 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

OMG do my eyes decieve me? I think that says it's going to possible arrive tommorow! :)

I am so tempted to name it Lenny but that's way to cliche. What to name it? I named the laptop Starbuck, I was thinking of maybe connecting it to that, all my special toys with BSG named. I suppose I need to decide which gender it is first hah!

So I searched for the last 3 days online for a good laptop case. I wanted something relaxed, something slightly girly and somethign that didn't scream "I am a laptop, steal me please!"

I settled on a Crumpler from Australia (they have a NY location as well)

I ordered it from Bagyou.com so it would ship right away. The open photo is of the olive colored one but it shows how its set up. It was fairly expensive but my little starbuck is going to go every place with us and I want her to last as long as possible! Plus again, it's for my husbands business so it's a write-off. Once again we spent loads of money, without even meaning to. Atleast I have some checks to deposite. I actually got a Hanukkah check from my Aunt so I actually didn't have to pay one penny for the spinning wheel!!

Posted by pixie at 02:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

View them on ebay - a tad overprice *ehem* but otherwise pretty dang cool!

Posted by pixie at 02:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Posted by pixie at 03:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

For you're reading pleasure, It's a glove, not a mitten, stupid!

Oh how happy this laptop makes me, as happy as the alienware, but in a different way. Macs are just to much fun, already my brain is remembering how to work with just one mouse button. My father bought me a G3 Laptop back in college, he was so cool he bought me the best one. I was so so thankful to my father because it meant I didn't have to use the school computers and I could work on my portfolio at home. It's well over 5 years old, it never crashed, never broke and still works perfectly, but of course that's because I never updated anything on it. It also had no CD burner and after I stopped using zip discs (it had a zip drive) I couldn't get any files off of it, still can't to this day besides email. No way to back the bugger up.

I just adore a mac. This little baby comes with everything, blue tooth and airport all internal. I just love sitting here with nothing attached!! It claims it's a 5 hour battery but the computer is saying 3.5.

I have already set up all my knitting bookmarks, my moto RAZR, hooked it up to both my email accounts and connected itunes to my account and radio stations.

Posted by pixie at 01:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Well I didn't think I was getting a laptop for the holidays from my husband, but apparently he wanted to because he needs a laptop for trips and needed a write off for taxes. I need something to play with in the evenings. So he has his tax write off and traveling computer, and I get to sit here wireless on the couch blogging! So it's as much his as it is mine, but it's still really cool!!

I spent the day working, the afternoon shopping with Jesse (my husband) and then the evening wrapping presents.

I got through 2 repeats on the Baby Cable sock, I am having trouble making sure I only do 3 rows of k3p3, I keep losing track of how many I have done. I would take a photo but it's night and this room has crappy lighting.

Posted by pixie at 12:50 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Here is my first solid sock, well it's not my first but I tore our the camel colored one and the blue one from many weeks back. I very much enjoy knitting on #2's. The fabric is probably to loose, but I really like hot it feels while knitting. 48 stitches cast on and it seems to fit.

Toby-Wan!!

Oh yeah, the trekking socks are done.

Me and the husband are going out now to do all our holiday shopping! Wish us luck.

Posted by pixie at 02:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I just ordered my Lendrum from the Fold. If you wanted one by the way, The Fold has them in stock, and Woolery just got like 16 wheels in so the waiting list probably just got taken care of.

Cara from January One just commented to my last entry letting me know she ordered her Lendrum this morning from them! So I followed suite of course...

The lady one the phone was great, very nice and sending along a free Niddy Noddy, and said they have a 100% satisfaction garuntee so if when it comes I don't like it, I can send it back! I think she's sending along some wool as well. It should arrive next week!

*does the happy dance of joy*

Posted by pixie at 11:29 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

I did some more calling around and I found a lendrum spnning wheel DT, availible for ME! Should I order it, or wait until January 8th to order it? I'll admit I'm a bit jelouse. So many MANY people on knitters review and other sites who have just recieved or are waiting on theirs.

I want to spin to, and I don't want to be behind everyone in learning! Arn't I silly? I feel like a 12 year old stamping her foot because she can't get what she wants. But there on my coffee table is 3 checks and a $100 dollar bill. That leaves $50 to be paid by me, and free shipping! It would arrive in about 7 days she said.

My husband wants me to wait, and wait and wait. I don't want to wait! WAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!

I shouldn't be allowed to by myself a Chuanuka/Xmas present I suppose, but that's what the money was for right?!

*pouts*

Posted by pixie at 04:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

I can't wait for the holidays this year, even though I have like practically no presents coming to me. Me and another friend who are celebrating Hanukah decided to swap gifts this year with a $20 limit. I still need to decide what to do for her. I did get like $30 in some pink yarn and was considering making a scarf but that would take a bit longer then a week. I may still make her the scarf anyways, but I need to find something cute to get her.

My mom and dad are having hard wood put into their house and it was taking a long time so they decided to come visit me and stay for a long weekend. They are leaving as I type this. It was so nice to have them stay with us for such more then 2 days for once. They have only visited twice before, when i got my AA and when I got my BA. Both weekends full of stress and all that kind of stuff. This was a nice stress free visit! It still went by very fast.

Jesse, myself and the animals all slept together on the floor of my craft room. Here is a cute photo of us all sharing a can of Tuna and triscutes around midnight last night.

We gave mom and dad our bedroom so they could have a decent bed to sleep on. The first night on the floor (well on a blow up bed) was horrific, but by 2 nights ago we switched to the floor and slept much better. Tala slept on a chair above our heads, with the dogs at our feet or beside us.

Mom and dad also brought there animals, my old dog Macgyver and BooBoo the Hymilian.

From the left is Willow, MacGyver in the center, and Toby cuddled at my right. I can't remember when or why I fell asleep on the floor in my husbands office, but apparently the dogs liked the idea. I love when Toby cuddles like a little boy with me. Poor MacGyver has stopped eating most things and is nearly skin and bones. My mother and I are very worried about him. He stopped eating after he had a very bad tooth removed about 2 months ago. He will eat things, but he's beyond picky and changes his mind from hour to hour. I picked out MacGyver for my 16th birthday. He's my very first original dog, and I wish he would live much much longer. They have tested him a million times and found nothing wrong with him.

So yeah that's that catch up, sorry if I havn't replied to any Solid Socks emails. I'll check them soon and add an update, I saw a few finished pair! You guys better work, you only have a week or so left! I am going to work on my solid sock this week (I finished the trekking sock excluding closing the toe).

In Lendrum news, I do indeed have $400 in money from presents, but I spent that much on new bedding for the king bed so now I am kinda depressed. But I would have spent that money on the bed regardless of the holidays or not. So should I say that $400 is gone now, or should I say I can still spend it?? It's still on the coffee table!

Posted by pixie at 02:14 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

(sounds like a some kinda stinky oil or something)

I did it, I am on the waiting list for the Lendrum DT 220 from the Woolery. Very nice women who spoke to me on the phone. I would probably be able to get it in late Febraury and it gives me time to save up money, and I can take my name off the list at any time.

I was waiting to appease my husband anyway, might as well be on the list ;-)

I am at the toe decreases on my second trekking sock! After this I'll be taking a go at my solid socks finally. I havn't had much time to knit with being sick and trying to clean the house for the holidays.

I am wondering if I should order one from WEBS when it gets down to it, they are $50 cheaper, but they don't come with the travel bag.

Update: I have $200 in my hand so far! I am betting I won't get the additional $100 thought because I think my mom is going to buy something for our house.

Posted by pixie at 01:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Posted by pixie at 03:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

My manager let me leave work a bit early which was great so I have been resting up, now with a fun runny nose but no fever. I attempted to swatch my fair isle vest and really it didn't go very well! I gave up and went back to my sock.

We put up our tree this weekend, and got out the Mehorah my mother gave me that I love.

Notice the lights are blue, I planned our tree out to be entirley blue (not sure if you can see the ornaments), heh :)

I finished reading The Golden Compass, it was so good! I can't wait to run out and get the other two books.

Posted by pixie at 10:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

So this weekend I picked up a new book:

It's a really wonderful book! It's a fantasy books and comes in three volumnes. For some odd reason I am reading it far slower then I normally read books, but I don't mind at all because I don't want it to stop!

I also got some more trekking in the mail, but I won't tell you from who because I am mad! I ordered it over the phone and the lady said half the time Skacel only sent half an order anyways and it was hard to stock.

It's darker in this photo but it reminds me of candy xmas candy canes, kinda more pastel and lighter and faded in greens and redish pinks!

Well they only sent me one skein, the other color wasn't in the package and they said in the invoice it's backordered. They should not have let me buy it over the phone when it was out of stock, BASTARDS!!

I also recieved Sensational Knitted socks from amazon, and the 3rs season of smallville on DVD for my mom's Hanukah present!

In other news, I have a 100 degree temprature! I am damn tired of getting sick this year, even after that stupid flu spray.

Posted by pixie at 09:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Ariel finished her pretty lace socks!

Amanda finished a wonderful warm looking cabled rib.

Remember to Send Photos
Right around new years I will make a post asking you all to email me you're final photo entry for the compteition to win some sock yarn. Please don't email me any photographs till I ask so I don't accidently miss anyone, so keep an eye out for that post. Remember the deadline is New Years Eve!

I updated the Solid Socks page, please email add a comment if you're name isn't red and should be! I must say, dang there are a lot fo you now!! I want to see more finished socks!!

Posted by pixie at 04:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I have spent the better part of last night and today wondering when I will get to spin again! Looks like I have found something else I like. I am just wondering if I should get a Louet or a Ledrum. I'll have a nice long time to think about it so that's good.

Posted by pixie at 03:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Learning on a Louet Double Treadle with a buttery white Coopworth.

Greta and I went to Quilted Hearts for some spinning lessons! It was a lot of fun. I'm a bit PMS'y so I wasn't as hyper as I normally am. I was mostly frustrated when trying to start again, when you might get a break and have to re-attach. I have fairly good hand eye cordination so I feel like I did pretty good! Greta's looked phenominal. She has a louet she purchased at a festival and had a bit more practice then me but even still she is defnitley a begginer and her's looked beutiful and very even.

By the end of the 2 hour class I had the whole thing down, I just need to practice loads and loads to get better. I do plan to buy a wheel but not any time soon! I can go to quilted hearts and practice for $5 a day and Greta sounded like she wouldn't mind coming in as well so we could spin together. It was really fun, I just wish I wasn't a tad pissy today!

TA DA! My first "ball" of yarn. It's nothing special, but I'm proud!! lol

Posted by pixie at 06:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Don't worry, plenty of knitting/spinning photo's to come tonight and tommorow! I was to exhausted the last 3 days to knit anything worth photographing.

No it's NOT a T-Mobile Razr, it's actually a really neat sticker type decal you can put onto the phone and it doesn't harm the cover.

Posted by pixie at 02:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

It only took two years!! I was crossing my fingers so hard that Aubrey and Andrea would make it!! THEY DID!! Oh the dances of joy I did, and the barking of the dogs, and my husband shaking his head wondering why girls like this type of stuff. I AM SO HAPPY!! YAY!

It's a GOOD band, no one I didn't like made it, and my two favorites made it!!

I had watched a few episodes of Making the Band, I thought the first two seasons stunk so bad, I got hooked last year though. Probably the all girls thing! See on the 3rd season (and would have been the 3rd band) at the end P. Diddy was like, there isn't enough here, 3 of you can come back next year. So tonight was the end. AHH!! I am so happy. Now I am going to sleep on my new bed!

Posted by pixie at 11:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

How can something like this NOT make you feel good? Even if it's BS, it's still fun!!

Try it out - MyHeritage.com

Posted by pixie at 08:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

My recent issues with Alienware as just about the supreme worst in customer service. In just a few short weeks our warranty will be up, and the computer will be a big hunk of useless cash that once was. But enough about that...

Yesterday Amazon.com sent me a $10 gift because the Smallville DVD I ordered has taken well over a week to ship. I sent in an email asking about it, they appologized for the delay, and it then shipped that day. I wonder if they pushed it forward or something. I have complained to them in the past and not gotten a gift so that was super nice. Great customer service.

Then today in my email I got a $40 gift from dreamhost.com because they say, I will have been with them 6 years this month! Now that is really nice. That was very unexpected and beyond cool. They have had time when their servers went down, or email didn't work for a day. it never really bothered me because they alwasy fixed it promptly and always communicated cleary why it happend, and how they would take action avoid it from happening again.

Our new Kingsdown matress just arrived so I can't wait to get home and sleep on it! My husband says it's not as big as he expected (we had a queen, and got a king).

In other news, I finally got that spinning lesson arranged!! Saturday :) Greta from our meetup.com knitting group is going to take the class with me. I can't wait!

Posted by pixie at 12:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

this sky photo was from this morning, about 7am when I left for work. It was a looong but fun day. We had a big fancy lunch and them VP's spoke about the company and then we went to a bar type place. I didn't drink, I just can't at work events. To weird!

Posted by pixie at 07:13 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Trekking XXL #100

Update:
Hit the Heel flap a bit before bed time. Boo-Ya.

Posted by pixie at 02:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

My husband and I have considered Australia, San Fran and DC. We know we want to move from GA eventually, but it won't be any time soon. So still we think and ponder about future possibilities. I believe we will have kids here, and stay for a few years and then move.

Apparently though Atlanta is the prime destination. I am not sure what they consider Atlanta but there is a lot of extremly expensive houseing in Atlanta. We live fairly far north and we get very reasonable prices, however most people make fun of us for living so far north!

Americans are moving to get away from overheated housing markets - it's a great article and even has a neat little salery comparison tool. Looks like Richmond is very equal to Atlanta, but DC and San Fran... whoah baby!

Posted by pixie at 11:50 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

but i don't like the top color of this sock, it's okay though cause i didn't like the top color of the other sock (red... bleh) so it's all GOOD. I do love trekking. I was horrible and ordered two skeins (2 diff colorways) from a shop in north carolina. Had to order over the phone! hah! Trekking is hard to get, she said that Skacel only sends like half the orders anyways. Damn you skacel!! MUHAHA!

I'm in a cheery mood, and I like my new phone so much I decided to name it. I would love some name suggestions! I am thinking of "Ema" but something more sci-fi orianted may be more interesting.

Speaking of socks, what about solid socks! Carrotbat finished some super cute carrot colored socks which she photographed in many creative places!

Manda swapped out her DPN's for Magic loop and is trying to finish some ribby stripped socks in gray.

Blogspot seems to have gone down because I can't check like over half the solid sockers!!

Posted by pixie at 08:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

The cutes boy on earth

Silly boy sat up on a huge pile of pillows next to me on the couch

Starting my second trekking sock, I love this yarn

Willow watches me knit

Still a puppy face, she looks like lab!

We spent mad amounts of money today

The largest sum of money went into a Kings Down mattress. My parents have one, my sister and her husband have one. Here are our results, we are a "2". It cost waaaaaaaaay to much money. Bleh!

Then we returned the Nokia Flip phone for a Black Razr. I like it much better and it takes way better pictures! We then went to the mall and Jesse got me some clothing from Gap, and them some PJ pants and a pretty bathrob from Macy's.

After that we rounded out the day with a visit to P.F. Chang's

The cutest man on earth

I had a great birthday day with my husband and our dogs :)

Posted by pixie at 10:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Just having fun knitting on some Berocco Foliage (a super fun and super soft yarn to knit by the way). I call this color-way "Lifesavers" but it does also look like the colors of the tree's in the fall.

Posted by pixie at 11:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Yay 3 people showed up, and they where all so nice and fun! I sat alone for 45 minutes and started to think I should leave, but right then they all showed up! I think it was Karma cause I forgot I was supposed to meet with two of the women weeks ago and they showed up and I didnt. Meetup is good because it send reminders!

I'll post a picture of all of us there once I get it from one of the women via email. Dang it now I have forgotten her name. Dang it! It was soo fun though. I'm so glad they all showed up!

Posted by pixie at 06:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

It's the *first* meeting ever of the Alpharetta Knitting Meetup! The group has 13 members already but I think only 3 or 4 will be coming tonight.

I finally got myself a new Vera, a pattern I had not ever even seen before:

Here is it next to my larger Vera I got on our Honeymoon:

I also got a matching checkbook cover. It was way over priced but sooo cute. Happy Birthday to me! I like how it has brown and black in it so it will match anything. I'm not a huge fan of red but my older back had that as well. it will look good with most anything.

Check out my sock progress from last night:

That is not my camera messing up, the yarn has a faded out kinda part to it where it variates. Looks kinda funny really, but it's hella soft so who cares! I tried it on again and it is a tad hard to get over the ankle but it fits very nicley on the leg. I'm just gonna go for it and if it doesn't fit I'll finish the pair and give to someone with smaller feet.

Posted by pixie at 01:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)