Knitting, Designing, and Traveling

Hello! Well, I haven't updated in quite some time. I've been in and out lately, so that's probably why. For Memorial Day weekend Bryan and I went to visit my Mom while my Dad was gone fishing in Canada. We spent a day at the Brookfield Zoo while we were there, so that was very fun! Today I'm packing to leave this hotel tomorrow since Bryan will be traveling about Missouri doing various trainings and blitz stuff for the next two weeks. So I'm packing up to go to my parents' house for a couple weeks. That will be fun. Hopefully my cat Mia agrees....

This week I've been mostly running errands and hanging out at the hotel designing and knitting. I've got this new idea in my head lately about designing knitting patterns for all kinds of garments for people to buy on Ravelry. If you're not a knitter, Ravelry is a knitter's home on the internet. :) It's like Facebook for knitters, except better because you can find any pattern, yarn, book, designer, etc. on Ravelry and buy, trade, sell, and network. It's awesome! Anyway, I want to start creating designs and selling them on Ravelry. And who knows where it might go from there? There's all kinds of new young upstarts making it as designers these days in the knitting world, and many of them only started knitting advanced things like some of the stuff I'm doing now anywhere from three to six years ago! What if I could design things and actually start making a name for myself? So anyway, that's an idea that has been popping up in my mind lately for the past six months or so, and I'm ready to run with it now. .....Now if I only had the money to buy yarn to test out my designs! lol :) Well, I think I will be able to start teaching music again at least by the end of June. So that will be good.

Well, here are some of the projects I've finished lately. These are NOT my own designs. The first one is called Delphine from the book French Girl Knits:

It's made with Blue Sky Alpacas - Alpaca and Silk yarn (50% alpaca, 50% silk) in the "Blush" colorway. SO luxurious to knit with!! And to wear. :) I am SO happy with this top. This was supposed to be for my Mom, but it was just a bit too snug for her. :-/ So I adopted it, and I'm going to make it again for her in a larger size.

The next one is a pattern called Diagonal Rib Socks, and I think the designer is Ann Budd if I remember correctly. I changed the pattern a bit to fit my small feet! (Made the straight ribbing panels thinner but left the diagonal ones as written.) Here they are:

These are made with Claudia Hand Painted Fingering (100% merino) in the "Just Plum" colorway. The pictures don't do the pattern justice at all. It's really awesome!

Right now I'm working on winding this behemoth into the most gigantic ball on earth....

The Unique Sheep's Aurora in the "Chocolate" colorway. It's going to be the Mystic Earth wrap by a designer I have recently discovered and really love, and I believe her name is Anna Dalvi... Something like that. lol :) ....I've got the skein about halfway wound or more and the yarn ball is bigger than a softball already! Good Lord! 1300 yards of lace!

And then, to keep me busy until I have the money to buy the yarn I want to use for my new blouse that I'm designing, I am going to use this delicious stuff right here....

.....Claudia Hand Painted Silk Lace (100% silk) *drools a little bit* .... to make the Peacock Shawl by Dorothy Siemens! I can't wait! So many great goodies to get started on. :) Life is great.

After those comes a pretty Estonian Lace scarf designed by Nancy Bush that I'm going to make out of my ivy-colored KnitPicks Shimmer (alpaca and silk)... and sometime in the middle of all those I want to make both a pair of socks and a really awesome sweater for my amazing fiance Bryan. :) .....By the time I finish all of those things I suppose it will probably be just about time to start planning out who's getting knitted Christmas gifts this year and what they will be. .......Man, I really can't believe how much I've progressed in my knitting this year! Before this whole past year I had only ever really made scarves, one poorly made jacket, one poorly made sweater, sweatpants, and..... I think that's it! Now I can make socks, awesome tank tops, sweaters, baby blankets, and do really intricate lace patterns and other advanced techniques, and I'm starting to design! ....Woohoo! :) There's really nothing in the knitting world that I have much fear about trying anymore. .....Except steeks. Don't ever ask me to steek anything. I'll punch you... I also know a ton about different types of fiber now, which I had no clue about before. So that is an enormous help. Now nothing I make is scratchy or awkward and I know how to choose the best fibers and yarns to show off certain patterns or modify the look and feel of a garment.

I think a lot of my new knitting expertise comes from having gone to the knitting group for so long in Albuquerque too. Kim is the one who taught me how to make socks. :) I'll always think of her now every time I knit a sock.... And I learned and got ideas from seeing what other people were doing. It really got me out of my little comfort box.

Well, I suppose I'll go for now. I'm going to do a little more gigantic ball winding before finishing up the car packing. ...Ooh!! And Bryan just called and said he's taking me out to an Italian dinner with his coworker Roger. Yippee! :)

"For those of you who are about to knit..... I salute you." (LMAO, I'm such a dork.)
~Trudy~ :)

The good life...

Hello! Everything is going great here in Independence, and we're just happy to be here. Bryan's job is going great! I'm having a great time exploring the city, meeting new people, and doing a lot of knitting. I'm cooking a bit more, and cleaning a lot, and it's nice to finally get into the habit of those things. Bryan is the sweetest. :) He's so thoughtful and supportive. Yesterday he asked if it was okay if he makes a short to-do list for me, since he works until 8 or 9 almost every day. I said of course, and he gave me a couple things to do for him, and then as we were going to sleep he said there was one more thing he'd like me to do this week: go out and find new people to hang out with. He said, "Hell, if I were you and I had all this free time, I'd go to a different knitting group every day of the week." lol :) I told him I was trying not to live it up too much or he'll get jealous, and he said it was too late for that anyway. Haha... Yesterday I looked up all kinds of different volunteer stuff, visited a couple yarn shops, and went to a really cool knitting group. I think I'll have lots of fun with those girls!

Oh my gosh, I had the most AMAZING weekend ever!! Seeing my old college buddy Bettina and her boyfriend Greg was SO much fun! :) We went to downtown Kansas City and ate at a cool little place called Tom Foolery's. Then we took pictures and walked around downtown together, and after we said goodbye to them Bryan and I drove to the art museum and walked around there a bit, and then walked around outside at an Earth Fair going on across the street, and then we went home and relaxed in the hot tub, and then we went out to this AWESOME and highly entertaining dinner at the Samurai Chef Steak and Sushi House. It was one of those places where you sit with other people around a big table and the chef comes and cooks right in front of you and sets things on fire and throws food at you and stuff. :) It was so much fun!! We'll definitely be going back there again. ...What... a day. We felt so pampered that day. :)

My Mom's tank top is almost finished! It looks awesome... I just hope it's not too snug. I'm really excited to give it to her over Memorial Day weekend, and to visit with people up in Illinois again. That will be very nice.

Well, today I'm going to go visit a few more yarn shops, see if I can find some nice ribbon to use for the tank top, and then do some laundry later on. I was going to do dishes too but... apparently the maid did them for me yesterday.... So, la-dee-da! lol :)

Next month when Bryan's probation period ends, we're moving into corporate housing out in Lee's Summit, MO - just a short ways away from where we are right now. Alright, I'm going to get going. Maybe later I'll post some pictures finally??? We'll see how long I take at the yarn shops. :)

~Trudy~

Settling in

Hello again from Missouri...

Well, things have slowed down here and I'm settling into my new lifestyle. It's definitely an interesting one. I'm cooking a lot more now and I have a lot more free time... both of which is very nice and refreshing. I've read a lot about Kansas City and yesterday I stopped at the Nelson-Atkins Art Museum, which is pretty incredible by the way and charges no admission fee! I thoroughly enjoyed that. I think Bryan and I are going to go there together this weekend. I also checked out Union Station for just a bit. There's an "Extreme Screen" theater there that shows huge 3D movies, and the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory is there too. :) I got a couple chocolate haystacks for Bryan and I. It sounds like Bryan might actually have his first 2 day weekend off this week! Maybe even Friday if he does super well today... That would be awesome. My college buddy Bettina is coming into town on Saturday afternoon with her new boyfriend to say hi to us too! So it will be a nice weekend.

Right now, I'm blocking the tank top I made for my Mom. :) Then I have to graft the straps together, put the picot edging around the neckline and armholes, sew on the little pearl buttons and get a pretty ribbon to put around the neckline. Then it's done! Sweet!

Two nights ago I gave my first massage treatment here at the hotel to one of Bryan's colleagues Kiki. Tonight I'm giving another treatment to his campaign lead. Yay! Money! :) This could be very, very good.... Heehee...

I am feeling a bit homesick for Albuquerque with its gorgeous mountains and awesome people and friends. But I'm also enjoying the green and "wetness" of Missouri. Well, I will write more this weekend. Hope you are all doing well!

~Trudy~

Endings and Beginnings...

Hello from Missouri!!

Well I know this blog has been completely silent for a couple weeks, but I was extremely busy preparing for my imminent move. But now here I am, settled into the hotel suite with Bryan in Independence, MO. It's a little suburb just about 10 min. east of Kansas City. It sure is a convenient area! I can walk out the hotel door and practically be in a mall already. Right across the street is Kohl's, Bed Bath & Beyond, Best Buy, all kinds of other stores and restaurants, a full mall, an AMC 20 movie theater, and other things. So that's nice...

The room is VERY nice. We've got a good-sized bedroom and bath area with a door leading into the kitchen and living room. The kitchen has everything a full kitchen would have except for an oven. We do have a range though, and of course a full fridge and dishwasher and stuff like that. Two TVs. lol... We get continental breakfast 7 days a week, a daily maid, all expenses paid by Bryan's job of course. My kitty Mia has settled in very well so far. She's such a good little girl... Poor thing. I almost lost her on the drive!! We stopped for a litter box break, and she wriggled out of her leash and harness and ran into this barred area where some vending machines were, so I had to grab her real hard by the scruff of the neck and get this guy to help me lift her out from behind the bars. What made her wriggle free and bolt?? .....A bird. ...Yes, a BIRD. ....Yes, my cat is a complete wuss. LOL :) At least she's all fine now. She got lavished with treats after that.

Tomorrow Bryan goes to work, and I am going to do laundry, get some groceries, and buy hangers so I can put my clothes away. Oh yeah, and bring my keyboard up here so it's not in my car anymore. I think we'll store it in the closet for now. There's not really enough space for it here. But my goal is to have a studio within a few weeks. I also have my guitar here, and I'm learning a Joni Mitchell song on it right now called, "Both Sides Now." I think I'll actually be able to play guitar pretty soon after all! :) At least enough to accompany myself singing. That's all I want. And then to understand the guitar enough to write songs for voice and guitar.

Well, that's all I got for right now that I can think of. I did the drive (which wound up taking 14 hours with stops) all in one day. I was exhausted by the time I arrived but miraculously I never got even a little bit sleepy on the road. Must have been the adrenaline from the move. lol :) Anyway, the only mishap, luckily, was almost losing my cat. Thankfully, that was definitely an ALMOST. So, I say it was a good trip. It was really bizarre to watch the grass slowly appear and then turn from yellow to emerald green as I drove, and also to feel the air turn more and more humid! It was a cool day as I drove, but I started the drive in Albuquerque with short sleeves feeling dehydrated, and ended it wearing a coat and feeling like every inch of my body was slightly wet. LOL What a weird experience. :) I can definitely feel the humidity a lot more now that I've been out of it for so long.

Alright, time for bed around here. Talk to you later!
~Trudy~

In a nutshell...

Monday in a nutshell:

-- Got flirted with three times - one of them resulted in a free chai latte, and one of them was a decade younger than me (what the hell, people??)...

-- Did NOT have a cat with diarrhea (that was a plus)

-- Spent an hour talking myself out of buying more yarn... again... when I've got three projects in my lineup waiting to be started....

-- Helped a woman get rid of her migraine and severe pain caused by whiplash at the massage clinic and gave her ideas for curing her allergies

-- Read about social injustice, knitted a lacy tank top, and taught music to a bunch of people :)

-- Stayed up too late on the internet drooling at yarn, playing with Facebook, and writing in my blog ;)

Summary: A day well spent.

Old college roomies, brainstorming, and lots and lots of cat poop

Today was a very exciting day! ......Wait, back up.... Today, AFTER 3:00 pm, ....it was an exciting day. BEFORE 3:00 pm... was the morning from Hell. My cat decided that Sunday morning, my only day off, was a great time to start having diarrhea, letting it run all down her legs and feet, tracking it onto the carpet and the bed (YUCK), and protesting mightily every time I approached her with paper towels, water, and a good brush. And then Mr. Cockroach decided he would take the bathtub for himself this morning, so I also had to figure out the new vacuum and dispose of him during all this mess. Meanwhile, my cat is locked in the bathroom and yowling, I've got poo on the bottom of one of my feet and I'm trying to clean myself up and get dressed so I can get the vacuum all set and take care of Mr. Cockroach.... *siiiigh* But, thank goodness, by 3:00, the cockroach was gone, the cat was clean (as possible), and the floors at long last were vacuumed. LOL So, after that, it felt like an awesome day! ...Now let us never speak of this again...

Moving on, the rest of the day was great! I got to eat at Borders, hang out, knit and read for the whole afternoon. (My favorite thing to do with a Sunday, other than hike... or laze about the house in my pajamas pretending I don't know what time it is.) :) At any rate, it was good. AND, while I was at the bookstore, my awesome old college roomie from The Hartt School, Bettina, called and caught up with me!! :):) She's going to be in Topeka, KS for a few days one week after I move to Kansas City, MO!! That's an hour or less away!! :) We are SOOOO excited!! We haven't seen each other in five years, and we are like two peas in a pod whenever we are together. I can't WAIT to see her again! Bettina spends most of the year on cruise ships performing in musicals and other acts. Pretty cool!

Other than that, my head has been spinning with so many ideas of things that I could do in my "new life" that begins in 12 days. There are literally SO many ideas, or beginning hints of ideas, in my head that I don't think I'll ever get bored. There are so many things I would love to do! I know that this year one of my big goals is to write some more music and cut my first CD. I also know that I'm going to be doing some massage, and hopefully a bit of teaching when we're in one place long enough... I've also been thinking about things I could do in the future, like designing knitwear for fun and selling my patterns on Ravelry.com (obviously only for fun, it's really not lucrative but who cares! That's not the point.) :) And I also want to do volunteer work this year, and I am really becoming more passionate than ever about helping people somehow. I have a lot of little ideas flying around in my head for that, but I can feel that that one is probably going to take quite some time to develop. I would also still really love to write, but nowadays I'm leaning away from fiction.... Toward what topic I'm not quite sure yet. But I have a ton of time to think about that. Suffice it to say that I am enthusiastic about what lies ahead and the increase in freedom of choice that I am about to have since I will not be able to or need to work as much.

I watched "The Motorcycle Diaries" last night. What an incredible movie. Che Guevara is mostly awesome. I love the cause that he led and the ideals that he strove for to free his country and give rights back to the people and I mourn his execution by the CIA.... but the fact that later in his life he became a killer of so many people during the bloody fight for freedom.... I just don't know about that. I realize that most freedom comes at a cost, but I can't say I know what was right at the time because I wasn't sitting there in the middle of it. Oh, and tonight I'm watching Hotel Rwanda. It's nearly over, but I had to stop to check something on the computer and decided to write in my blog before I returned to the movie. :) So far it's so heartbreaking!! At any rate...

On another upside, I am 2/3rds of the way done with my Mom's tank top! Making the armholes right now and zipping along. :) I hope to be done in another couple weeks. ......Oh, that is if moving to another state in the middle of the process doesn't slow me down.... Haha..... Okay, we'll give it 3 weeks. :)

~Trudy~

I'm moving before I've moved!

......Well!! Okay then... I just got off the phone with my fiance Bryan, and found out that I am no longer moving to Jefferson City, MO. His leg of the statewide campaign is moving to Kansas City, MO! LOL I can hardly keep up! Well, at least it's a bit shorter drive from Albuquerque, and now I think I'm going to try to bulldoze through it in one day. This should definitely be interesting. He will be moving out there sometime after the 22nd. Well on the upside, there will certainly be lots more to do in Kansas City than in Jefferson City, so that's nice. I have a new city to Google now. lol

I am working on the bust line on my Mom's tank top now, and it's coming along great! I'll have pictures up soon. Monday through Wednesday are my busiest days, so I'm pretty tired tonight. I think I'm off to do some knitting while I watch a Netflix movie. But one other exciting thing is that my Aunt Allie from Durango is coming down to Santa Fe in a week, and I'm going to be staying at a really nice hotel with her Friday and Saturday night and checking out Santa Fe (finally finally!!), so that is awesome. I'm glad I get to check it all out before I leave! That would be pitiful if I never made it to Santa Fe. Especially considering all the other way farther places I've seen in New Mexico since I moved here. LOL

Goodnight! Sleep tight...

~Trudy~