The trio.

This guy was the first and sports a fancy cabled scarf. Eyes and belly button not added yet.

Ok, time for bed.

The cheap toy knitting machines have all had bad reviews about dropped stitches until this little one that Amazon suggested for me recently. I’ve wanted to try it out and I have to say it’s a success. Well, really I ended up with a long tube but it still worked well.

What really pushed me to try one was this amazing knitting clock and the wind powered knitter. I’ve played around with knitting looms but really my “need for speed” along with the lack of design options out weighed my desire to use the loom.

This toy knitting machine thing is rather fun to play with. In 1hr 15 min I knit up a scarf! Hoping for some other practical uses for it. Sock monkeys come to mind with the help of an i-cord knitter.

A new wool shawl or felted scarf (out of my first hand balled yarn), my new Hope & Healing Salve in a variety of containers for testing, sweater mittens that will also have a satin liner, and lastly felt slippers.

I’m really excited about the felt slippers ever since I saw them for sale on Etsy a while back. The pattern template is available on Martha Stewart’s site. As usual I forgot an important step (reading ALL the directions), fusible webbing, but that didn’t stop me from pressing on.  More detailed posts on the mittens and slippers (hopefully) soon.

Deodorant has been a BIG hit this summer which has been a challenge. A main ingredient is coconut oil that melts at 76 degrees. Packaging became a REALLY big challenge when it started leaking before I could ship it so back at base I re-made and re-packaged in “fancy” ziplock bags. Some assembly required.

This beautiful necklace with the word FLY was a custom request from a friend. It’s destined to be gifted to a book author who just published a book on flying. I will ask if I can share her name here.

This pearl “firecracker” necklace and matching bracelet were also a custom pieces for a co-worker who planned on gifting them to a mother-of-the-groom this last weekend. No word yet on how the wedding went since my co-worker is still on vacation. I’ll be sure to share the outcome on this one too.

This beautiful gray necklace was also for my co-worker. This one is pearl knotted, and I must admit, a lot of work. The plan was to have the pieces finished before my big company picnic at the local water park but the necklace had other ideas. Third time was the charm and after a long day of hauling (over 650lbs) of food to the water park, spending the day in the sun, and supervising the food prep I was in no shape to pearl knot but there was nothing for it but to sit down after a long day and knot these beautiful pearls. In the future I might send my co-worker to pick out all of my pearls. She had amazing taste. Both necklaces had wonderful luster, shape and color. I’ve never worked with “firecracker” pearls before so it was a lot of fun to see what they could do. Several new pearl strands will be arriving in my IndenturedMason store soon as a result of this necklace.

Other things I’ve been up to

Cream colored scarf I actually finished before but have been putting off taking pictures

My multi-colored seed stitch scarf that just keeps going and going. This is on ball 2 and I’m pretty sure I need at least one more.

Chai Tea goats milk swirl soap with Moroccan red clay. Smells yummy and is wonderful to wash with, creamy with a little bit of slick texture.

I’ve also ordered a few more jewelry supplies that are really exciting. They should inspire new pieces in my shop (or my jewelry box). Can you tell I’m liking the birds lately?

A semi new type of project I’m trying out that is pretty easy at this stage, a knitting loom. Basic projects are hats and scarves like my cream scarf a few pictures up and this soon to be hat or  tube scarf depending of if I like the hat idea. Hats are not my friend so I’m not sure about this as a hat.  What do you think?

Garter Stitch Scarf in Heavenly Baby merino wool from Purewool.

When I mean nothing I really mean nothing, no house work, nothing. This week started off really well with the hubby switching me over to WordPress which has me ecstatic! wow, even my own chat window. Our main blog over on masongarden.com has had a chat window forever but the old site just didn’t have much AT ALL! Ok, so enough about the update.

Ok, so maybe just one sneak preview but that’s ALL I’m going to say!

The promised yummy/test baking project is a little on hold till tomorrow. There just isn’t enough time in my day to finish up everything I want to do

and the things I have to do before hubby goes crazy with the down stair in an upheaval

because it looks like this

On to happy notes. Last week I had this lovely sock yarn show up in the mail from joining a Sock of the Month knitting club, if you’re interested you’ll have to check it out yourself because it’s a secret

MasonCJ is also getting some new inventory. These glass Ball jars I’ve turned into oil lamps.

Random other projects that are sitting around

This is my first crocheted scarf that I never finished. It’s a shell pattern in a lime green mercerized cotton. Might be Patrons but not sure.

Here is another shell scarf. The photo is terrible. The color is really a forest green more like this picture

Well, that isn’t really a good image either but closer.

I’m off to get some sleep so I’ll leave you with a kitty picture

My aunt actually sparked my interest last Thanksgiving when she gave my mother one of her Fun Fur combo scarves that she makes for people at her hospital. Per my usual “I could make it better” attitude, that had already sucked me into jewelry making, I dove into a fun filled year of yarn hording. Here is how it went.

In January I picked up some yarn and knitting needles and went to work on my first scarf.

About half way through I got excited about scarves, blankets and socks when I started searching the internet for knitting blogs so it was back to the store for more needles and yarn.

Jarrods Hemlock blanket, pictures 2 and 3 above, was just so pretty that I had to find the pattern and those lovely blogs led me to Ravelry.com. Depending on how you look at it this is a fiber freaks heaven or hell. There is a whole community dedicated to crazy knitters and crocheters.  By the end of February my yarn stash had grown from a few balls of yarn to bags boxes and bags that were taking over the dinning room and desperately needed a more organized storage system. So I bought a three drawer rolling storage bin thinking that would hold me but my yarn packed the three drawers and I still had a box of supplies. Then came the crazed spring months when I discovered the wonders of Etsy.com and joined a knitting group from work.

By the time I went to my first knitters meeting I had 2 scarves, socks, and 3 blankets started. Our group leader was surprised at how many projects I had going but to be fair I had a lot of happy energy fueling my efforts and no kids at home….except the husband. I think he enjoyed the free time to play more video games on his new ipod. All spring I horded fancy hand made yarns and then discovered another facet of this fiber world, felting AND spinning. Now I was collecting roving too! and lusting after fiber fairs with spinning classes. Shortly after this another fiber craft surfaced in the form of weaving. Unfortunately, I have to work for a living and don’t have near enough time in my day to do all the fiber and jewelry crafting I would like. Instead I sit at work and day dream about projects that I MUST do TODAY! and that leads to more yarn purchases that are relatively easy with that Oh So Helpful internet. Ravelry was not helpful with a zillion fun swaps that I had to mail all over the country. In May my obsession was de-railed with 8 wonderful days in Hawaii where I just couldn’t bring myself to knit even though I was crazy and signed up for Sock Wars III even though I had never completed even one sock. Back at home I completed my last swap for the year with a hand knit dish cloth that proved to me that small projects were probably a better idea at this early stage. All three of my above blankets ended up on hold and my sock

was frogged. I did start a new sock but that didn’t turn out well either

so for now I’ll wait for more skills before attempting another sock. In July two wonderful aspects of my life changed. The office that was used for studying and wasn’t being used now that both James and I were finished with classes so we decided to turn it into

a craft room. We removed all the carpet, painted the walls blue, yes blue, and added wood flooring. The room is still a work in progress but I am looking forward to spending time there. The second was the discovery of how much I enjoy crocheting.

To date I’ve started about 9 shell pattern crocheted scarves/wraps three of which I’ve finished and two were gifts to friends. I also discovered that I love to start things but have trouble finishing things.

In September James and I headed to an Alpaca Farm Fair

where we enjoyed seeing the animals and I got to watch someone spin in person.

and they had pretty yarn that I had to take home.

The next weekend I got up nice to attend my very first spinning class. It was horribly unorganized and at someones home but I learned a little. Around that time I also wraped my own table loom after much grumbling and a lot of help from James. It’s really fun to weave but I now understand why people hate to warp a loom. IT IS A PAIN!!! My first project turned into a mouse pad for my dad and I’m sure he will never use it. Oh well. The second warp I did by myself with a lot of cursing and an emergency run for more yarn. It took about 6 hours while watching movies and I still haven’t started weaving.

Instead I’m working on another shell pattern wrap and a hemp pattern dish cloth both of which are so easy and I recommend to new knitters and crocheters.

So there is my year of fiber but I also started two other projects. The first is my own online stores at http://masoncj.etsy.com and http://indenturedmason.etsy.com for kitchen goods and jewelry.

The other was sewing, specifically for Halloween costumes but also for quilting. The craft room is really expanding!

Thankfully this year has been deemed The Year of Junk Removal and Organization.

Ok, so here is my very exciting list of activities.

Knitting! I’m teaching myself to knit again. After a few tries I got back the knit and purl stitches easily enough but reading patterns are still beyond me. Unfortunately, I’ve decided that my first project that looks great but is completely the wrong size for a scarf just won’t do and my second try with a combo of stitches used too large of needles. So, I will start again but it’s good practice.

Exercise, my second activity. Most nights I don’t want to exercise but afterward I feel great and energized, right before bed (oy, sigh!). As I type my calves are sore and I’m fidgety. Time for more activity. The hope is to look at least closer to my weight in academy in April for my 9 year reunion (James 10 year). One perk is that I can knit or watch a movie while I peddle the exercise bike or I can play games and do yoga on the Wii fit. Variety is very important for the bored mind.

Less reading. This may not seem quite right but I’ve limited my rec reading to less time because I have energy for other things. Right now I’m slowly working my way through Mansfield Park by Jane Austin. I didn’t have the energy for this book for several years so it sat on my self collecting dust bunnies.

Monthly massage! Best idea ever. I started this in the spring but didn’t have time to go since August or September. Sunday I have my first appointment in months, YEAH!

Game night. This isn’t a sure thing but on occasion it’s nice to get together with friends or online for Mario Cart.

Jewelry. I haven’t gotten back into this as much as the others but when I get bored of knitting I can always fall back on jewelry.

Cleaning out the garage (I sound like my dad!). I’ve already started dragging in a few boxes at a time to sort and donate or toss whatever we don’t need to keep. If it’s been in the garage for over a year without missing it then it can probably go….and then we can fill the space with a new car!…….eventually.

At work things have improved also. I’m getting more little projects done (due to more sleep and less stress) and I’ve joined the Social Committee. So, next Christmas James, lucky guy , will be helping haul Christmas trees for the annual Christmas party and I can enjoy decorating and planning for at least 4 social functions during the year, starting in March….actually starting a few weeks ago but that isn’t for the social committee. I volunteered to plan a baby shower for the Fujimoto-Johnson’s on February 5 (we will also be on cat duties late February).