Spinnerella's Attic

Luke

Luke is the son of a dear friend of the family. His dad, like our son, is an opera singer. About a year ago he lost his mom to breast cancer after a very long and valiant battle and he is now one of the featured stories on this website along wtih several other people. Please read his story. (Luke also lost his birth father to cancer when just a baby and was later adopted by our friend. When things get tough, stop and think how bad it could be!)

Chipmunk Whisperer

Are you lookin' at me?  Are YOU lookin' at ME?

Spring Ahead, Fall....

flat on your face!  That's what I did last Friday night.  Yup.  When the baby pictures finally came through on my computer, I just had to rush right upstairs to show Grandpa.  Now, "someone" (I'm not saying who, but there are two of us in this house and it wasn't ME....you do the math) had left a box full of old woodworking magazines in the upstairs hall.  It's been there for a month or more and I've managed to evade it, even in the dark, until Friday night.  The damn thing jumped right out in front of me, I did a face plant into the computer keyboard as we both landed on the floor, and, well, here's the tally.  One badly bruised hand, a bruised chin, sore arms, a black and blue leg, and what feels like a cracked rib.  I did NOT drop the computer, I'm proud to say, and at first I thought it was going to be alright.

I'm just not that lucky.  Now, granted, the offending box of magazines sort of broke my fall and my injuries are pretty minor compared to what they could have been, what with the osteoporosis and all (the hallway is not carpeted, something I'm now rethinking!), but laptop computers are just not meant to get thumped like that!  By Saturday it was obvious that there was a problem as I suddenly couldn't find one of my email accounts, but still I held onto the hope that it was coincidental to the Fall in the Hall.  Still, I made an appointment at the Genius Bar at the local Apple store for Monday, hoping for the best.  By Sunday night the computer was freezing up, crashing, and all that scary stuff.  The news wasn't good.  The Genius I got was the same guy who had fixed my problems back in March and his diagnosis was a failing hardrive.  Good news?  I was still under extended warranty so the actual new hardrive and installation was free.  More sort of good news?  They thought they could "migrate" most, if not all, of my data to the new hard drive, and if all else failed, I did buy an external hard drive back in March.  They did a complete backup at that time....but of course, I haven't done a thing since!  As long as they were going to be installing a new hard drive, I decided that the husband owed me an upgrade to the new Leopard operating system which has an automatic backup feature....fair, no?

The migration didn't work, unfortunately.  It could have been a total disaster had I not done the backup in March...as it ended up, I only lost a month or two of data.  I'm sitting here now at my old/new computer with the external hardrive hooked up and with Time Machine backing up automatically every hour!  People, listen up.  If you DON'T backup your computer periodically, you should.  Try to imagine losing four to five thousand photos or your entire iTunes library!  I consider myself lucky that I have only lost my address book and some passwords.  And avoided a broken hip, but that's another story!  Still no sign of the Comcast email account!

I haven't done my "I is For" post yet, but that's not going to happen until I go through all the photos and see what's missing and what's not.  I may have to take a pass on that one.  S'okay....J is better anyway!

We Have a...

baby!  No winner in the contest, unfortunately, but don't feel bad.  I wasn't even close myself.  After a very rough time for both mom and son, Angus Maxwell Cooke arrived in this world via C-section at around 7:30 this morning.  As some of you know, the mom has been in the hospital since Wednesday morning, so it's been a long, difficult few days and I'll wait till another time when I'm not so angry to discuss the state of modern obstetrics!  Both are doing well, fortunately, although Angus is a bit on the small side at 5 lbs 9 oz.  Can't wait to see him, but we probably can't get down to Baltimore till Mother's Day Weekend at the earliest.  If I get any photos, I'll share.

Thanks for all your entries in the name contest...I will pop them all in a hat (well, bowl) and draw a winner for the book.

One More Update, But Still No Baby

So, it seems I could have left this open a while longer, but the contest is now officially closed.  However, to make sure that someone gets this lovely book, here's what I've decided.  If no one guesses the actual first name (I won't hold spelling against you, either), but someone does guess the actual middle name, that will be close enough.  And, if no one guessed either name correctly, I'll put all the names in a hat and pick someone.  Okay?  Stay tuned.....today or tomorrow we'll know!

What's His Name, update

I'm closing the baby name contest as of 3 pm today, so fair warning!  If you want a chance to win the copy of "Shear Spirit", don't procrastinate.  Get those guesses in SOON and that's all I'm saying......

A Last Minute H

It's almost the end of the H is For, and strangely, what started out to be a Hard category ended up with too many possibilities to post without looking like I was just using the ABC-along as blog fodder.  (Moi?!)  I'm kind of sorry that I totally forgot my gorgeous, solid cherry, adjustable HATBLOCK, but that will crop up at some point in the future, I'm sure.  Totally didn't think of Handspun, either, which leads me to.....

H is for Hiatus.  You see, that's what I've been on with spinning since, oh, last October!  And, since there hasn't been a speck of spinning, there haven't been any photos, either.  I think this funk was the reason I decided not to register for SOAR, even though I've been planning this since SOAR 2005 in Park City!  This year's SOAR was the reason I bought the Sonata, now in a new home out west. And then, out of nowhere, I just burned out.  It might have been the letdown of the sideways sweater (what WAS the name of that thing, anyway....from Knitty, I know) and that was a total bummer.  Not only did I wash and process most of that Corriedale fleece from Rhinebeck last year, but then spun it all and knit the sweater.  Which I hated.  It was soooo warm in the body that the low neck made me feel very uncomfortable on top and, well, it just wasn't what I anticipated.  Letdown.  That was about the point at which I developed an aversion to spinning, stopped going to my group and turned my head every time I walked by one of the remaining wheels.

That was also around the time I got the new sewing machine (also part of my decision to bag SOAR this year...SOAR is EXPENSIVE and the machine cost more than my first car!) which I am embarassed to admit has not gotten the use I thought it would get.  Summer is coming and I will be very comfortable down in the nice cool basement studio/workroom doing some quilting and home dec sewing.  Maybe even a garment or two.  I've cut out a tote bag and have a few other projects planned, so there will be sewing. 

The final reason for not going to SOAR, and probably for my lack of interest in spinning, is that I've reached a plateau, a big plateau.  I've been so lucky to have taken classes with the very best of the best, from Celia Quinn to Judith MacKenzie McCuin to Deb Menz and Carol Rhoades, plus a few others.  And with all that knowledge, I've only reached a point that I consider mediocrity, given the classes and the practice and everything else.  It's usually perfectly adequate spinning, but it's not where I hoped to be by now and I can't see that taking the same classes again, or even new ones, is going to change things.  I have found, in the past, that I sometimes have to back away, let things simmer in my brain and I then I make a quantum leap when I resume.  Let's hope that is the case when my Hiatus comes to an end!  (I'm very busy with New Love, but you'll just have to wait to see what that is!)

A reminder to enter the Baby Name contest....it's getting down to the wire, here.  Less than three weeks to Due Date!

Ships Passing in the Night

Yes, that's right.  I pulled my very first Knitting All-Nighter last night!  I didn't get as much done on the blanket yesterday during the day as I had planned/hoped (although, except for a trip to Costco I knit ALL DAY) and was still plugging away at 12:30 am.  With the end only barely in sight.  I measured, made the executive decision that it was enough past square to be considered a blanket, finished one last repeat of the "cable" pattern, said "screw it" and started the garter stitch border.  Easy, half hour, tops.  WRONG.  At 2:55, I realized that I still had to bind off over 200 stitches, not to mention all those bloody ends to weave in, and made another executive decision to end the agony.  One garter ridge short.  Do you THINK they will notice?  (Do you think I care?)

The reality was, T was planning to leave very early for Baltimore to finish up the nursery and I wanted to send the blanket down with him.  Early for that man is a very different concept than it is for most of us, (read ME).  He normally SETS HIS ALARM for 4:30 am, so I wasn't really surprised to see him come stumbling into the kitchen shortly after 3:30 as I was weaving in that last end.  After a little discussion regarding my apparent insanity, I folded that sucker (the blanket, not the husband), wrapped it in brown kraft paper, tied it up with the project yarn (surprised myself that I thought of that one), handed it off...and went to bed!

No, I didn't take a picture of the darned thing...are you NUTS?!  Here is another of the "in progress" shots,

in case you need reminding. 

I am SO glad this thing is finished.  Now, which design from "A Fine Fleece" should I start when I get the feeling back in my left thumb.....

Best Laid Plans

You know how the saying goes, don't you?  We ordered the greenhouse on Sunday last and were told to expect delivery in 2-3 weeks.  I figured that would give me plenty of time to clean out the old one and start to take it down, especially since T is off to Baltimore again this weekend and has an all-day clock class the following Saturday.  Hmm, guess what was left in the driveway while I was taking a shower yesterday!  Right.  The greenhouse.

Oh, I know it doesn't LOOK much like a greenhouse, but that's what the box says!  Unfortunately, since T wants to put it up a week from Sunday (or try....the construction manual is rather intimidating) I don't have much time to take care of the old one.

So, the plans have changed for this weekend.  I've decided to save the gas (it was up to $3.80 a gallon for REGULAR at my service station today) and stay home from the Connecticut Sheep and Wool on Saturday.  I know, I know, and I'll miss seeing you guys, but I don't NEED anything and duty calls!  I have so much yarn and so much fiber it's embarrassing and I was really only going to go for the social aspects.  And to introduce Other Marcia to all the bloggers and Ravelers.  (Yes, I submitted her name for an invitation and she is now on Ravelry as Crafticat.  Go friend her!)

This one almost deserves a post of its own...just what a mother needs to hear.  Oldest son also has a blog and posted this  today.  Holy crap. 

What's His Name

Don't forget to put your guess in for the Baby Name contest!  In fact, I'm going to change the rules and allow more than one guess, as long as it's not something that has already been submitted.  And, I'm going to extend the deadline till.....well, till WHN gets here!  I REALLY want someone to win this lovely book, so guess away!