Sanctuary - "Out of the Blue" the Magnus Knitwear show!

Hi all!

I know I have been very busy this year in keeping with all my commitments. But I was simply amazed at the gorgeous knitwear in the Sanctuary episode just prior to the Season finale. It makes me so excited for Season 4! Anyway, I thought you might enjoy some looks at the 2 most outstanding pieces, a long-colorway, Noro-like Shawl, and a piecework/freeform sweater that looked super comfy!

Enjoy!

Kangaroo

03/06/2011 a photo by roostercf on Flickr.

I haven't been working on a whole lot lately. Mostly trying to clean up the fiber that is all over my living room, as my knitting and crocheting group just did an exchange/donation night and is planning another for June.

And I've filled another bag with fiber to go already, and I've realized I have entire plastic crate of fabric, too. How crazy is that? I don't even collect fabric and I've got a crate full.

Anyway, the kangaroo above is a test crochet of a darling project by Elizabeth Harac along with her new friend Pouch the Beanie Buddy. I apologize I can't link to her work as her designer page on Ravelry is not set up for outside viewers. If you are a ravelry user, look for eharac.

So I apologize if I haven't been very active lately. My designer mojo is at a low, so I have been focusing on getting my stash in order, cleaning up other parts of life, etc. I haven't even been working on my genealogy files much as I've been trying to get that mess cleaned up as well.

Reinvigorating the blog by participating in a contest!

I am an active user over at the WeUseCoupons forum, and I was very excited to see there was a contest involving the blog for one of my new favorite users, Foggy!

Anyway, one of the conditions of the contest is to share the contest with my blog friends and spread the word of her awesome blog! So here goes...

Check out Laura William's blog.

Her specific post on the contest is here.

And the link to the giveaway - yes, 20 inserts IS that awesome! Is located here.

Check it out - there is a wealth of fantastic nice people over at WeUseCoupons, and I've found their advice invaluable.

History Repeats Itself

Title: Free ice in New York
Creator(s):
Byron (Firm : New York, N.Y.), photographer
Detroit Publishing Co. , publisher
Date Created/Published: [ca. 1900]
Reproduction Number: LC-D401-13643 (b&w film copy neg.)
Call Number: LC-D4-13643 [P&P]
Repository: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C. 20540 USA

1911 Census: How to find the full reference numbers

After the blitz of free Findmypast.co.uk fun this past week for the World Cup, I was faced with a dilemma.

I had this for each entry:



But a real reference number looks like this:

"For example, the full reference given for the 8 year-old Yeo-Thomas is:
RG14PN5076 RG78PN225 RD78 SD1 ED5 SN313"
-quoted from the excellent Lost Cousins tutorial on Mastering the 1911 Census.

So what was I to do? I, like many others, were trying to hurry and get as many copies of documents needed from the 1911 census as possible, so I just downloaded and went on my way.

The secret is actually inside the Lost Cousins tutorial:

Go to the Findmypast Census Reference Search.

But wait - you have to have a piece number!



Ah hah! But where's the schedule number?

That's on your census, silly! Look at the upper right corner and it will give you the number.



Click search.

And in the results, you will see:



And that is the full reference number needed to record your census entry. Do yourself a favor and save that number - write it in your tree and add it to the file name.

ConcettaPhillippsResume051010

Concetta Phillipps

concettaphillipps@gmail.com Multiple Forward Phone (630) 286-9413

 

Summary of Qualifications

With 8 years of experience in architectural and engineering administration and marketing, I can provide your company with strong organizational skills and an in-depth knowledge of the unique processes behind such companies. My marketing coordinator knowledge makes me an ideal candidate for helping a professional services firm grow, and my administrative knowledge makes me ideal to help your office stay organized, and focused on the primary goal of making it easier for your architects and engineers to build their buildings in an organized and profit-motivated environment.

 

Computer Skills	Office Skills	Research Skills
Adobe Illustrator CS2	Copier Maintenance	Internet Research
Adobe Photoshop CS2 & CS3	Editing	Social Media Research
Adobe InDesign CS2 & CS3	Reception Experience	Contact Management
Novell GroupWise	MS Office Troubleshooting	Maps & Directions
MS PowerPoint 2003 & 2007	Professional Communications	Schedule Tracking
MS Word 2003 & 2007	Proofreading	Vendor Research & Proposals
MS Access 2007	Customer Service Experience
MS Excel 2003 & 2007
MS Outlook 2007

 

Relevant Work Experience

Stivers Staffing/Client: Lions Club International              Oak Brook, IL                                                       2010 – Present

Administrative Coordination for the Language Services Department which receives upwards of 150 translations requests per month in up to 10 languages. Responsibilities include coordination, TRADOS project management, project tracking, proofreading, filing, reporting, and invoicing.

 

SPAAN Tech, Inc. (STI)                                                        Chicago, IL                                                      2008 – 2010

·       Marketing Coordinator: Prepared Responses to RFQs and RFPs.  Updated and maintained all marketing records associated with each RFQ and RFP.  Used databases to maintain client proposal results, sort project descriptions, and test generation capabilities. Performed market research using databases, websites and new media, such as Twitter, to find information about competitors, clients and interview participants.  Reviewed and updated SPAAN Tech listing on websites useful to the A/E/C community and ensured information accuracy. Led effort to update client marketing materials including resumes and project experience description pages. Attended local business development expositions hosted by various local entities.

o      Coordinated CDB 255 project that won a Prime Civil Engineering contract with the State of Illinois Capital Development Board

o      Coordinated RFQs that won multiple City of Chicago Target Market and Non-Target Market Blanket Contracts.

o      Coordinated effort that won STI’s first Veterans Administration contract in Danville.

o      Served as sub-consultant marketing coordinator for STI’s first US Navy contract.

o      Led other winning marketing coordination efforts for US GSA, Kane County, Cook County, and the State of Illinois Central Management Services.

o      Led update effort of client project proposal response database.  Started with over 300 open proposal lists and narrowed the open list to less than 100 entries.

BLDD Architects, Inc.                                                   Chicago, IL                                                           2002 – 2008

·       Business Development Assistant - Prepared marketing submittals using Adobe InDesign at discretion of the Marketing Director. Prepared PowerPoint presentations for use in interviews and public events. Conducted research for the Business Development Director. Analyzed data for marketing executives. Utilized WebEx services to liaison with clients. Made development calls and consultant calls as needed.

o      Relied upon as the “cool under pressure” person for tight deadlines.

·       Administrative Assistant/Executive Assistant – used MS Office products for databases, logs, cost estimates, reports, letters and transmittals; acted as a liaison with clients, engineers and consultants; answered, managed and coordinated conference calls for 5 phone lines on a Intertel system; purchased all office supplies; shipped materials; edited architectural specification documents, coordinated all bidding documents.

o      Sole administrative assistant for an office that grew from 4 people to 12.

o      Impressed company Principals with quick turnaround and dedication to my executives.

South Suburban YMCA                                                Harvey, IL                                                                    2000 – 2002

·       Annual Campaign Administrator – managed and publicized YMCA’s Annual and Capital Support Campaign effort to raise $40,000; performed donor tracking including creation of donor files; developed and managed databases and invoicing; designed donation “bid” presentation.

·       Interim Business Manager - Prepared and entered budget; communicated with current vendors; monitored bank drafting and membership statistics; assisted in payroll.

o      Filled the role “on demand” to keep systems running over 3 month period without a system failure.

 

Applicable Non-Profit Experience

GenWeb, US & Canada                                                                                                                                                2004-Present

·       County Coordinator – manages websites, mailing lists, and message boards of genealogical content for use of genealogists in the following counties: Iroquois County, IL; Alpena Co., MI; Bay of Quinte Region, ON; Prince Edward Co., ON; Lennox & Addington Co., ON; Hastings Co., ON.

·       Former North East North Central Regional County Coordinator Representative – for National Board on behalf of 13 states of Coordinators. Researched and guided the Region through such events as a mass website migration and delicate negotiations with vendors and potential project partnerships.

US Junior Chamber (Jaycees)                                   Berwyn, IL                                                             2003 - Present

·       Member –active contributor, project manager, and fundraiser for such charities as the American Cancer Society, ASPCA, and Habitat for Humanity.

·       President – managed Board of Directors, motivated chapter, recruited new members and wrote award nominations, ran projects as necessary and worked as a "problem solver"

o      Declared The Outstanding President of 2005 for the Northeast Region

o      Held monthly membership meetings that attracted an avg. of 30 people,

·       Membership Vice President –

o      Planned all membership recruiting events attended by an average of 30 people

o      Held call nights in which over 2000 calls were made per night

·       Public Relations Chair

o      Designed all public relations materials for chapter and coordinated public relations activities.

US Junior Chamber (Jaycees)                                                State of Illinois                                                        2007

·       Public Relations State Chair – Train members across the State in how to use PR resources, write PR materials for the Illinois Jaycees and act as a personal press agent for the State President

US Junior Chamber (Jaycees)                                                Northeast Region (Chicagoland), IL               2006- 2009

·       Webmaster – maintained the Region website and made changes as requested

·       Management Program Director – promoted the use of Planning Guides throughout Region, edited and updated the Region website, trained all members on management practices, promoted documentation of Region projects

 

Education

Keller Graduate School of Management                           Chicago, IL                                                    2009 – 2011

Currently pursuing Masters of Business Administration with a concentration in Marketing Management

St. Xavier University                                                          Chicago, IL                                                                 2000 – 2007

Bachelors Degree in Business Administration/International Business             

American Animal Rescue Society Raffle!

You guys all know how much I love animals :-)

Karin (Ravelry: knittypitty) of the blog Shouting Quietly is doing a great raffle for the animals of the Chicagoland area. Seriously - how cute is this?


Just one of the adorable items available!

All of the money helps the AARS pay their veterinarian bills and open a shelter at some point. Its a great cause and I like their philosopy - there's no discrimination against breeds, ages, or disabilities.

So - how do you help?

Go to this blog post.

Drool, oogle, and otherwise envy the awesome stuff for raffle.

See at the bottom the brown box labeled "AARSociety Spring 2010" and "ChipIn!" at the bottom? That's what you have to do - and she's posted the rules of the raffle just under that.

Good luck! That spindle lot is seriously calling my name - I may have to donate for a ticket or two!

Knitting, Blogging, Swap Sending!

To start, I'm extremely happy that my latest project is blocking and drying right now. I'm hoping to take it to the knitting group tonight and show it off before I have to mail it as the swap package. Sorry for the lack of pictures of it but I do want her to have some surprise!

I've been catching up on emails. Its hard to believe in 3 years I'd accumulate 6000 emails, even if they are all neatly labeled and sorted.

Amber Naslund is a great writer. Rarely do I find blogs that make me think as much as hers. Her insight is valuable to me and yet I am certainly not a "social media expert" of any kind. LOL - I have a micro-business but that's as close as it gets.

Crafting in Yoohooville is a great micro-company for me. I build it when I can, and it rewards me by keeping my brain active. It also feeds my need for control of at least a small part of my own destiny. What does the company do? Well, not much yet, but its slowly but surely building. I'd rather not release a product until I know its of a quality that I value, and I know my work isn't there yet. I've given myself a deadline to get this product out into the marketplace, and so far, my development schedule is being met.

Anyway, check out the post that I linked to of Amber's. Its awesome. I cracked up when I read #5, because so many of the knitting and designer blogs I see have that exact problem - if you read the same thing 6 times, and that pattern is repeated over and over, you're certainly not going to want to come back for more. My blog's not a moneymaker, it doesn't do much, but I'd like to think that I'm pointing out something different than the pack each time I write something.

So here's what I have.

#1 - if you want to write your own knitting or design blog, keep the ideas in your designer notebook. Start posting your mood boards. Start posting your inspirational photos. Do whatever it takes, but make it yours. Don't make your blog the same as the Yarn Harlot. I really don't think anyone cares about any interpretation of what she writes outside her blog. I'm sure I'll get some hate mail for that, but its what I think.

#2 - I would love it if I saw more sketches in a blog. Come on, if we're knitting and crochet designers (even amateurs), we should be able to show off some sort of design skill to the public. How many sketches do people have that will never see the light of day because the idea just won't work in real life? I know I have notebooks full.

#3 - Just because I said it, doesn't mean you have to do it. ::grins:: I know that sounds contradictory, but its true. Follow your own ideas for your blog and don't worry about whether its perfect, boring, or nonsensical to anyone but yourself. As long as you write with feeling and knowledge, people *will* keep coming back for more.

Helping Bunnies

Creative Commons Licensed Image by SusanG2 on Flickr.

I saw this in my inbox today and just had to share.

The Animal Rescue Site, that normally just gives bowls of food to needy animals is running a special for Easter. Anything purchased from their store gives help to needy bunnies in addition to the normal food funding. Or you can send a free e-card to help the bunnies.

I'm not normally a bunny lover - the darn things are killers for pretty flowers, get run over all the time, and in general, multiply way too fast. However, I know this time of year people get it in their heads that a bunny would be a fabulous gift for their kids for Easter, and when the kids don't take care of it, thousands of bunnies end up being "set free" or dropped off at the nearest shelter. So the shelters are going to need all the help they can get.

And seriously - you need to check out SusanG2's photostream on Flickr. She has a great eye for photos! Her pictures of the Canadian Geese even made me ooh and aah over the close view and great shots and I have a serious problem with most of those animals - hissing, biting sky rats that they are.

Anyway, I hope you all have a happy Easter, if you're inclined that way, and a good weekend if you're not.

New Loom Knitting Videos: Double Knit Stockinette Stitch Bindoffs/Castoffs

I haven't done one of these in a couple years, but multiple questions have been raised by people, so I thought it was time to do some explaining. They're very simple, conversational videos about the two styles of stitch bind-offs I like to do. I also refer to http://www.knittingboard.com - they have great videos and demonstrate yet another technique to use. The choices are endless!

Single Sided Bind-Off



What I call the Box Bindoff