Save Knitty Gritty!

Dear Friends,

I have just read and signed the online petition:

"Save the Knitty Gritty Show"

hosted on the web by PetitionOnline.com, the free online petition service, at:

http://www.PetitionOnline.com/1234lulu/

I personally agree with what this petition says, and I think you might agree, too. If you can spare a moment, please take a look, and consider signing yourself.

Best wishes,

Concetta Phillipps

oh my God!!!!! A super fiber tragedy

http://www.malabrigoyarn.com/

The Malabrigo yarn mill caught fiber! Luckily, no one got hurt so we can semi-joke about it being a major fiber tragedy instead of a human tragedy.

All that yarn! All those records!

I thought my heart was going to stop for a second when I saw the post on Ravelry!

The Day of, it storms, again

So its once again the Relay for Life, and once again its storming and there's a tornado watch.

Sigh.

There's storms abrewin' at work too, so I'm just not happy. I was up until nearly 2, so I really was hoping for a calm and pieceful day. Of course, that won't happen when the bosses who were going to go golfing today don't.

Then, my addiction reared its ugly head. I saw this when I tried to log onto Ravelry this morning!



AWGHHHHHRHKHJHGKKJHJKJJJJJHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!

Its one of those things. I don't log on for a day or two at a time sometimes, but I always know its there. Its like a fiber arts community blanket, that keeps everyone in it warm all the time.

Then they take it away to get it washed. And then people go crazy!

So I ended up with a bag and part of a box full of stuff to sell at the Relay. I'm hoping to get more done during lunch today.

I really just want to go home and go to bed, but obligations arise, I suppose. I'll have some new patterns off of what I did last night - a couple new scarves. And we'll see what I get done between the time I get to Relay, the time it starts, and the time I'm probably going to spend in the car, waiting out the rain.

Much Less Frilly Moccasins

This pattern can now be found on Ravelry! Check out my latest post on the moccasins for more details.

Purple Flower Power!

You guys will probably see a flurry of posts from me in the next couple days as I try to make stuff to sell at the Relay for Life.

I know, I know, I got talked into another charitable thing. Again. With a tight deadline. Did I mention I know?

Anyway, this was an idea for something quick and fun and I think they should be a big hit with the kids!

Feel free to use them for your Relay for Life projects!

This project has two parts, the flower and the "chain". Here's what to do:

Creating the "Chain"

1. Slip knot (leave a nice bit of yarn free) and Chain 120.
2. Single crochet into the 2nd chain from the beginning, and each chain thereafter (118 sc)
3. Chain one, then turn, and Single Crochet into each Chain. (118 sc)
4. Slip stitch into each single crochet (118 slip stitches)
5. Fasten off, and make sure to leave a nice bit of tail.

Creating the "Flower"

1. Chain 6. (6)
2. Do 12 double crochets into the space (like doing a granny) (12)
3. Chain 3, and do 2 double crochets into each double crochet from row 2. (24)
4. Chain 4, and do four treble crochets into the first double crochet from row 3.
5. Single crochet into the next stitch, then chain 3 (so essentially you will have a single crochet with three chains on top of it).
6. Repeat rows 4 and 5 through the entire circle.
7. When you reach the last set of treble crochets, you should be back at the beginning with no space for a single crochet. This is okay! Do the single crochet in the stitch where you had started the treble crochets (they should scoot over just fine).
8. Then join the first treble crochet and the last single crochet with a slip stitch. Fasten off, and weave in your ends. Your flower is complete!

Creating The Necklace:
1. Take your "chain" and fold it in half. Make sure it lies flat against itself! Take the pesky beginning yarn tail (from the beg. chain) and thread it through a yarn needle.
2. Weave this through the back of the flower, preferably into the first set of double crochets nearest the center ring. DON'T CUT THE YARN!!!!!
3. Once that's completed, do the same for the tail from the other side of the "chain".
4. Now, while I mentioned "don't cut the yarn", I really mean "don't cut the yarn!" here, also!
5. Now, take the remaining tails and thread them through the other side of the yarn, and weave them in. NOW, you can cut the yarn, LOL! If you're much more adept with a sewing needle, you could use some new yarn, but I'd just as same use the same thread from before.

And there you have it, a cute little flower necklace, modeled here by my bear Groovy!

Relay Scarf

My newest pattern, created just for the Relay for Life of Berwyn Cicero.

I could REALLY use your help...if you can possibly donate your time or your dollars, here's where to go:

Concetta's Relay For Life Page

Anyway, to get the pattern, head over here:

Relay Scarf

Cute Puppy!

The Great American Mutt Show was AWESOME!

The El Paso Bolero

If you're on Ravelry, you've already read of my trials and tribulations with this pattern.

The sizing is crazy, the gauge is way off and its written in the most confusing way possible.

So if you choose to attempt it, and you've read my other notes, this is the shaping for the right front. As Lion says, work the same way on the other side, just "reverse". (*&*((&&&(*

Row 2 N2A: 2dc in first stitch, dc
Row 3 A2N: 2dc in first stitch, dc
Row 4 N2A: dc
Row 5 A2N: 2dc in first stitch, dc, 2 dc in last stitch
Row 6 N2A: dc
Row 7 A2N: 2dc in first stitch, dc
Row 8 N2A: 2dc in first stitch, dc
Row 9 A2N: 2dc in first stitch, dc
Row 10 N2A: dc
Row 11 A2N: 2dc in first stitch, dc, 2 dc in last stitch
Row 12 N2A: dc
Row 13 A2N: 2dc in first stitch, dc
Row 14 N2A: 2dc in first stitch, dc
Row 15 A2N: 2dc in first stitch, dc
Row 16 N2A: dc
Row 17 A2N: 2dc in first stitch, dc, 2 dc in last stitch
Row 18 N2A: dc
Row 19 A2N: 2dc in first stitch, dc
Row 20 N2A: 2dc in first stitch, dc
Row 21 A2N: dc
Row 22 N2A: dc
Row 23 A2N: dc, 2 dc in last stitch
Row 24 N2A: : dc
Row 25 A2N: dc
Row 26 N2A: : 2dc in first stitch, dc

When the piece measures the same as the back to armhole (aka the place where the marker was on the back piece, not called the same thing here), place a marker on each side. Decrease 1 stitch at the neck edge every row 4 times, and then every other row 3 times.

The work it until it measures the same length as the back, and do the funky neck shaping that they've developed.

Friday Funny!

He he... I'm waiting on the boss to come take a look at what I'm affectionately calling the "kitchen sink" powerpoint (as in, "everything but the ...).

I'm randomly surfing Ravelry and in This Week in Ravelry #14, there was this project posted:



Yes, that's right...its a chicken wearing a sweater. I had a good laugh over it, and then I saw how nice the photos were in the users account.

So without further ado, thank Squiddles from Flickr for the lovely chicken sweater (and her photograph thereof) and I highly encourage you to waste some time on this lovely Friday looking at her other excellent photographs.

We need your help!

This was posted to the Records Preservation and Community Access Blog yesterday. I HIGHLY ENCOURAGE YOU TO WRITE YOUR REPRESENTATIVE.

America is a young country that needs to preserve its history for future generations. What we have gone through in the past may very well repeat itself, and how are future generations to learn?

With the downfall of many genealogical and historical societies, without these grants, the remaining ones may not survive.

PLEASE HELP!!!!!

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Action needed for the Preserving the American Historical Record Act
Congressmen Maurice Hinchey (D-NY) and Chris Cannon (R-UT) have issued a “dear colleagues” letter to the members of the House of Representatives, inviting them to sign on as original sponsors to the “Preserving the American Historical Record” (PAHR) bill.

PAHR proposed to increase federal support for state and local archival records held by government agencies, historical societies, libraries, and related organizations. This initiative would establish a program of formula-based grants to states for re-grants and statewide services to support preservations and use of historical records. The program, to be administered by the National Archives, will provide a total of $50 million per year nationwide. Each state would receive a portion of these funds for redistribution to organizations within its borders. This program would be in addition to the existing national grants program within the National Historical Publications and Records Commission.

How can you help?

Contact your Representative in Congress and urge them to sign on as an original sponsor of PAHR. Write a few sentences telling him or her how PAHR would help his or her constituents — you! (Tell them how vital it is to have records preserved and available to the public.) Also, spread the word about this action alert!

Time is critical. Deadline for action is Saturday, May 10.

Faxing your Representative is the preferred method of communication. The Humanities Advocacy Network maintains a website with all of the contact information for legislators: http://www.humanitiesadvocacy.org/action_ctr.html

Further information about PAHR, including the bill, background information, and the amount of funding for each state can be found at:

http://www.archivists.org/pahr/

After all, work's well, that ends well

So after ditching two deadlines (stupid work - we'll never grow if we can't give up micromanaging marketing), I found myself today with a bit of free time.

Here's what productively came out of that:



So I look a lot like Beyonce, Jesse McCartney, and ... Bob Dylan?

Hmm.

That thing is so off. If I use a different photo I get totally different results - a newer one I took and it said I looked like Halle Berry. Yeah right!

Here's another one - alright...



And what's really entertaining is that in real life, everyone says I look like Nichole Richie, but weigh more! ha ha ha ...

Work

So I'm sitting here at the computer, working a "tight" deadline supposedly. the guys are supposed to be helping me with stuff, and one's doing a webex, and the other's on a conf call denying reality.

Grr...

I decided to take a fifteen minute break to chill out some. And took a Meyers-Briggs test at the urging of a staffing company email.

Here's what came out:

ENFJ.

Interesting. Here's what an online profile says about them (brief excerpt):

ENFJs are the benevolent 'pedagogues' of humanity. They have tremendous charisma by which many are drawn into their nurturant tutelage and/or
grand schemes. Many ENFJs have tremendous power to manipulate others with
their phenomenal interpersonal skills and unique salesmanship. But it's
usually not meant as manipulation -- ENFJs generally believe in their
dreams, and see themselves as helpers and enablers, which they usually
are.

ENFJs are global learners. They see the big picture. The ENFJs focus is
expansive. Some can juggle an amazing number of responsibilities or
projects simultaneously. Many ENFJs have tremendous entrepreneurial
ability.

ENFJs are, by definition, Js, with whom we associate organization and
decisiveness. But they don't resemble the SJs or even the NTJs in
organization of the environment nor occasional recalcitrance. ENFJs are
organized in the arena of interpersonal affairs. Their offices may or may
not be cluttered, but their conclusions (reached through feelings) about
people and motives are drawn much more quickly and are more resilient than
those of their NFP counterparts.

I like that! It very much fits me. I juggle a TON of different things at a time. I would ADORE having my own business, just lack of financials right now is the only thing that prevents me.

I particularly like this part:

Their offices may or may not be cluttered, but their conclusions (reached through feelings) about people and motives are drawn much more quickly and are more resilient than those of their NFP counterparts.

Resilient. Hehe. My husband more commonly calls it "being stubborn". I make an opinion and then I stick with it, unless it can be proved wrong. And there's only a few people who can prove me wrong - the husband, my good friend Emiel, and my two best girlfriends Amy and Lorraina.

More disturbingly, this is also true:

Face-to-face relationships are intense, personable and warm, though they may be so infrequently achieved that intimate friendships are rare.

Hmm. Interesting.