Becoming

Sorry about the delay. It seems that one computer simply isn't going to be enough to keep Becher Haus functioning at the proper productivity levels, especially if one or more of the natives are going to hog air time reading this, or arguing whose turn it is to kill forest dwellers in their favorite on-line game.

In the meantime, there's been another bout of 'bathroom photography studio', and since I've been asked to clarify 'travel knitting', here is a pile of wool waiting to become something worthy of being artfully draped around my shoulders as we dash off to Seattle. Granted, that trip is still twenty-one weeks away, but as an Easily Distracted Knitter, I will require every minute of the next five months to Make It Happen.

Here is a ball that's destined for Miss G's stash. Her doggie-girl, Abby, is now the world's Most Expensive Pooch, and although we are all pleased that she's better, vet bills have siphoned off all of Gaylen's yarn budget. This will make a fetching pair of socks, and with her propensity to knit and re-knit sock yarn till it screams, I know she'll get good use of it.

Here I am, modeling my shoe find of the month. Soft, springy insoles, buttery leather, and an actual wood stacked heel, these shoes have me hunting down dresses. Yeah, I should have warned you. Hope you didn't smack your head on the computer desk in that dead faint I just put you in.

The past week at the shop was a good and busy one, and I just had to take a few days off blogging to reorganize my brain. There's been a run on Amy Butler sewing patterns, especially for 'Weekender' and 'Sophia' bags, so more have been ordered. Apparently I'm not the only one planning on running away from home. I'm off to knit some more on Miss Rob's second sock. It was supposed to be done Christmas Eve, but there was much tinking to do, and my frustration at not being able to keep track of two stinking yarn overs got the better of me. I'm in the home stretch now, though, but I'm very grateful she has smallish feet.
You go be crafty. I'll be back later. *mwah* C

A post-script: Monday night's WW weigh-in found me 4.4 lbs smaller this week, for a total of 40 big ones since I joined August 25th. That's what's fueling the shoe fetish. I'm no longer a prisoner of my hooves... they fit in normal shoes now. (Woo-hoo!)

(shoe info for the obsessed: Clark's Artisan shoes, style "Marilla", purchased locally at Von Maur, but try online. I got them super cheap in the sale room. Also, they appear to run a half size small, so buyer beware.)

What's wrong with this picture?

Travel knitting. I was all ready to get started. I was determined to knit the 'Cardi Cozy'. I'd committed to a color ('Hurricane'). I dug around for all the accoutrement that the project would require, including the next size bigger needles, in case my gauge swatch was way off.

There was just one thing I forgot to factor in.

Glue Failure. Ugh.

They're mailing me out new needle tips, asap.

Perhaps this is a not-so-subtle hint that I should get more of my current projects off the needles. That Karma, she's a feisty one. And sneaky.

Speaking of sneaky, here's a peek at my Christmas present from RedRhonda. Yep. They are those mittens, from winter Vogue Knitting. Melly got a pair, too.

It's amazing how Red can keep this stuff under her hat. If I were knitting mittens this cool, everyone would have been forced to endure countless viewings of said mitten, as it grew and morphed into something so pretty. I'd have shoved these mittens under every nose in three counties, with a startling "hey, look at how cool this pattern is". My behaviour would have been appalling, and there would be absolutely no element of surprise.

That Red (redrhonda if you're rav), she's a wonder.

Now I have to go clean my kitchen. It's part of my 'year of living dangerously'. Seriously. There's stuff in my fridge that could rip off an arm if I'm not careful. Type at y'all knittas latah. C

Surrender

Herr Becher never ceases to amaze me. He's midway through the second book of the 'Twilight' saga, and has just informed me (not entirely grudgingly, I might add) that he's willing to see the movie with me this weekend, if, in fact, it's still playing somewhere. I'm pretty sure I can locate a venue, even if it's been dumped to the dollar cinema. I have a date. With the Edward and the Herr. See, it's been a bewildering week all around.

Upping the weird quotient has been all the activity at the shop. New customers continue to appear out of the woodwork and sales for the week are up enough to keep the gnawing fear and doubt at bay for the moment. Westminster might even get a sizable chunk of the monies owed them this month. In retail, relief is spelled 'dollars', and such a relief would have been unimaginable just a few weeks ago. Crafty, creative women are capturing my heart and the words of encouragement I've been getting these days are a balm to my soul. The past eighteen months of struggle seem like they're starting to pay off, and it's like finally breaking through deep water to catch a first, fiery breath of air, just as you'd started to surrender to the overwhelming pull of a downward current. The strength to keep going, keep working, keep trying... I've been getting doses of that strength all week, and it's making me ... giddy.

Tomorrow is the start of a new year. I've always hated the idea of New Year's resolutions, because they always seemed to focus on the negative, always a list of past failures and what I should do about fixing myself. Not this year. This new year is to be the year of living dangerously. Not in a 'hey, watch me be stupid' sort of way, but a year in which I stop shying away from challenges. Making time for fun. Exploring the world. Getting my children interested in more learning and making things with their hands. Spending more time dreaming and acting on those dreams. Replacing old concerns with new perspectives, and working towards the positive things I want for my family, my friends, and my alter-ego. Clementine went into hiding right after the shop opened, once she was satisfied she'd done enough damage to my fragile mental health and our home equity. This year, I'm not going to shove her into a corner ("nobody puts Baby in the corner" ... *snark*); this year, we both get free reign to chase our desires. Hello, New Year. You might want to duck. C

Hatched

The plan, that is. Planning to run away from home the first week of June, going to visit Miss G and any other bloggers we come across. My accomplice has a sister conveniently located for crashing at, and there's a pool, a boat, and luxury SUV access... I'm so happy I could explode. Plenty of time for sight-seeing, pub-crawling, being ridiculous, and knitting. It makes me shiver, that's how happy I am. An escape has been thought of. It's like a beacon of happy to get me through the rest of the winter. Clean underwear and a toothbrush? Check. I'm ready.

Today was probably the second busiest Monday in Clementine's recorded history, but lots of new customers came in and bought gobs of stuff. It was quite fabulous. New Year's Day is the big, super-secret sale, but that didn't dissuade the die-hard fiber fans from squirreling more stash away today. I just realized my feet are kind of exhausted, so I'm going to go rest 'em up for tomorrow.

You go be crafty, then come back here. L8r, knittas.

Winter Wonderland

Last night a wild storm tore through the area. As head nutter here at Becher Haus, I felt it was my responsibilty to make the kids grab pillows and blankets and camp in the living room. The power blinked out for a few minutes, and in spite of the fierce straight-line winds and torrents of rain, nothing seems to be damaged except my psyche. Well, that and a few of the 75 watts blew out when the power fritzed. There was also some mystery dripping, but the cat was on it, and as soon as she ferrets out the leak, we'll deal with it. I let the kids go back to bed after the rain stopped, but I could hear Lego-bits plinking around for another hour. They sleep about as well as I do, anymore.

Tomorrow the shop re-opens. Life returns to normal. Ack.

I miss Monday/Tuesday Mandi already.

At the end of the day

Today was very nearly a perfect day. Kidnapping a few friends for lunch and a bit of light yarn shopping was out of my 'ordinary' and it felt great. Walking several blocks from the pub to the yarn shop in four inch heels wasn't even a chore. The colorless day I'd been destined to have was instead full of giggle-snorts, really wretched jokes, and fun. The biggest hurdle was getting home in zero-visibility fog, but my own OCD tendencies saved me there. I know my way home blindfolded, apparently, so nothing was lost. Biggrrrl has an annoying 'design feature' that doesn't allow for turning off the headlights in the dark, so once I resigned myself to driving into a wall of white, it got easier to surrender to the feel of the road. Home again, home again, jiggity-jig, and with a bag of Burger King for the children of Becher Haus, to boot.

Tomorrow will be spent finishing up quilt tops to get to the quilter. With the advent of the audio book, played through the DVD player (we are nothing if not low-tech here in the sticks), I should have no problem keeping both my hands and mind occupied for awhile. The shop is closed until Monday, when I will be standing in for 'Monday/Tuesday Mandi' whilst she's off at Virginia Beach. She left with a rather extensive list of yarn shops to scope out. I might be a little jealous. It's been strange having a fistful of days to myself. Time to think, to plan, to relax. I had to bail on the in-laws, since there is so much end of the year stuff to do, and preparing for company in the midst of clearing out closets, year-end inventory, and that whole Christmas shenanigan... well, I might not have been quite myself. They've agreed to pick another week. This will cut the Xanax consumption considerably.

Well, it's late, a tired toddler requires attention, and that laundry isn't moving itself into the dryer, so have a great weekend. See you tomorrow. C

Happy Christmas

The Home Stretch

Sliding into the holidays, two of the three last snowmen to make the parade. 'Jack' has been bobbing around here for a good many years. Covered in glitter and obnoxiously cheerful, he keeps vigil on the backside of the tree... he's just too perky for greeting the public.

Crepe-paper collar and sparkly pom-pom 'buttons' are more than enough to make the cut for the collection. A favorite local department store keeps a goodly supply of these starting in August, so he's been waiting around awhile for the season to start.

The gifts have been opened and all the Becher children are rocking out with 'Guitar Hero'... this I have to see. Have a happy holiday. C

Blah, blah, snowman, blah, blah, blah...

Putting the post up without too much commentary about the little man in the fake beard. He likes his anonymity and prefers to hang out on the tree without too much fuss made over him. I knew he was a good addition to the collection because he's proved to be indestructible, even as the eldest child went through her mafia phase. You'd be shocked and appalled at how many snowmen Miss Madeleine has disarmed in her short life. I've kept a stash of the 'unarmed men' for her to take with her when she moves out, but this guy gets to stay with me.

This one, being one of the floating heads in the bunch, has a different set of worries. Sure, with no limbs to snap off, he's less appealing to the children, but there's a bit too much "I've got your nose" going on here these past few Christmases at Becher Haus for him to be really at ease whilst he waits around for Santy-pants to show up.

With another round of ice blanketing us here in Indiana today, I thought I'd show you a little bit of something sunny and pretty. New Kaffe fabrics, which I'm hoping will kick off a burst of happy quilting. Who wouldn't want to wrap themselves in this to keep warm, as we wait for spring to return?

The new color cards arrived today for Rowan yarns. There finally is a gold Kid Silk Haze. It's called 'Ember' and it is gorgeous (of course)and the other new colors ('Garden', a pale, lettuce green, 'Ghost', a silvery grey, and 'Flower', a girly, candy pink) all look so beautiful. I actually bought a special display for the shop to keep a bunch of the pretties in up on the counter. Yum.

We made a small, tactical error in getting the gifts wrapped and put under the tree today. Even with the slow and deliberate explanations to every interested party that they do get to open their gifts on Christmas Eve, it has somehow morphed through the children's grapevine and been interpreted as Christmas Eve morning. Which, in actual fact, was not the agreed upon time. I may have to put the cat on guard duty tonight.

Vera Wang

How I love thee.
Rockin' cute boots, with a four inch heel. I so could not have survived this footwear thirty-five pounds ago. Last night, 'No-Amy' assisted me in power-shopping for new jeans, a coat, and these bad boys. I wore them all day with no ill effects. In other happy news, my pants size no longer begins with a two.

What other wonders await me in the new year? Shirts with shaping? Slutty undergarments? Definitely more high heels. I feel like the old me is slowly getting excavated out from all the baggage I've piled on the past fourteen years.

Playing catch-up with the snow people: this dishy little dude is a plate...

and this one is another faux-cookie, complete with gum drop accents.

I was going to relate a story about our most difficult Christmas ever, but my MIL called and was very pleasant, so I'd look grinchy about telling it.
On second thought, I will. It's not like it didn't go down just like this, so, unless you're faint-hearted, read on...
2000 was coming to a close. We'd spent the past ten months having our home built... I'd gotten a basement 'hole' as a thirtieth birthday present, and it was nearing completion. All the struggling with our builder was about to pay off, and as I had wretched morning sickness with our fourth child on the way, all I wanted was the keys to a finished haus. The moving was going to be a hassle, as we knew we'd be on our own, but we've always moved ourselves. We'd manage. We had the whole holiday to get it done, and on December nineteenth, our builders packed it up and called it 'done'.
Unbeknownst to me, murmurings had been going on about a 'family photo' to be taken over the Christmas holiday. Herr Becher's family is big on the mug shots, but we were hoping to get off the hook this time. Three kids, a pregnant frau, and moving in the dead of winter trumped having to drive in foul weather up to Milwaukee for a group photo, or so I thought. I begged the man not to make us, but my pleas fell on deaf ears, for the Giant Catholic Guilt Trip card had already been played. With only three days to attempt to get 'settled' in our home, we had a deadline to make in Milwaukee. Off we went.

Now, this story gets better if I point out that Herr Becher's #3 sister has kids who are perpetually sick... I've never seen them without snotty noses and coughs, and they all come with a built-in shriek alarm so you know they're still breathing. Sister #4 was in the middle of separating with her spouse (not at all awkward in a small house), and #1 sister looked like she was continually on the verge of tears. It also adds to the charm of the tale if I point out that MIL did not actually have an appointment at a photo studio. The Grand Plan was to go to Sears Portrait Studio the day before Christmas, with her spouse, seven children (one pregnant), five in-laws (one pregnant), and (at the time) nine existing grandchildren... the mall, the day before Christmas, did I mention the twenty-three people in this package?

It finally shook out that a family friend and amateur shutter bug came to their house and snapped a few dozen photos. We actually did buy one of the photos. It's a peaceful little vignette of my in-laws surrounded by their grandchildren. Melissa, the eldest grandchild, looks beautiful, Lillian is asleep, Maddie has a shy smile, and Mitch is peering out of the frame, looking ready to bolt at any moment. Everyone else is screaming and tear-streaked.
My sentiments exactly.

Seeing spots

The day's activities are seriously lacking blog-ability, so I'm taking a 'sick day' to wallow. The weather let up for part of the day, but the cold is returning. The AGA ate eight hundred bucks of propane in a month (yeah, I know, but it's pretty), so we obviously need to schedule the repairman to come down from Michigan to fix the lid over the boiling plate. The impending holiday means baking, so I'm hoping Herr Becher will allow us to turn up the juice on the cooker before my depression sets in.

Some of the new, spring-y spots from Kaffe. It's good to see so much happy on the shelves. Wards off the miserable winter we've been plunged into. Normal blogging to resume tomorrow, once the medication sets in.

Oddments of a day

The never-ending onslaught of snowmen continues:

This paper-mache man is charmingly covered in pages from a dictionary. My inner speed-reader has just realized how fabulous this guy is in the collection. I think I'll call him 'Edward'. *snark* (The fact that I'm cycling through the 'Twilight' books for the fourth time has no one shocked at Becher Haus. I should probably be more concerned for my own mental health, huh?)

This is up here for the perusal of a dear woman to view. It seems that the 'Modern Quilt Wrap' kits are still an item not to be trifled with. If you need one, you know where to reach me. Of course, the photo doesn't do it justice, but that would be 'operator error' on my part and the fading light in the shop tonight as I hurried to get a photo before zooming out the door. I also remembered to snag a pic of the quilt block Jaye sent. It's perfect in it's chaos, and it looks fabulous with the new Kaffe dots. As she's every bit the polka-dot fanatic I am, I know she'll approve of what I'm about to do with this block, but as I can only post three pics at a time from the home computer (sad little air card is taxed to it's limit, poor thing), you'll have to wait a few days to see how it turns out.

The shop was a busy place today, which was a very good thing. I even bid adieu to some fabric end-of-the-bolt bits and was rewarded with more shelf space. I was a little worried, what with the new fabrics trickling in every week, that I'd have to stack them against a wall somewhere. Having all the fabrics on sale for the rest of this week should alleviate even more shelf congestion. Starting in 2009, I won't be at liberty to advertise any newly issued fabrics at less than MSRP, or risk being black-balled from my supplier, though in-store sales are allowed... I just won't be able to tell you about them. Maybe we should have a code word, like 'marshmallow' or 'prudence'. Not that you heard anything from me, mind you.

Finally, with the holidays breathing down our necks like a nervous boy at a high-school dance, lets take a moment to remember a time when we thought it couldn't get any worse, and then it did. You can share any stories you'd like, and it doesn't even have to be about Christmas. Got a good 'Easter when you barfed in church' tale you'd like to tell? Leave a comment over at Miss G's blog about it, since she's going to be incommunicado for awhile, and I don't want her blog to get lonely. Then we'll have a drawing of the unlucky amongst us and I'll send you something pretty for the holidays. Just be sure to pop back here and tell me what your preferences are (knitter/quilter/fav color), so you'll have a fighting chance of being pleasantly surprised for a change. Go to it, kids. Spill.

Hives

I never meant to be a collector. Freezer full of sock yarn? A rational 'safe-storage' plan. Bookcases stacked to groaning with books about quilting/knitting/soap making? Future reference. Giant plastic storage crates of tiny little snowmen? Girl's obviously out of her tree.

This little fuzzy snowdude is a Boyd's. I scored him half-off, at an after Christmas sale in a sleepy little town where most of the commerce that happens is the sale of sixty-nine cent polar pops at the local gas station. It was several years ago, and I was only in the sleepy little town to visit the local quilt shop, which was closed on a Wednesday (?), and having lugged all the Becher children out of the truck, I was damn sure going to buy something, even if it killed me. Five kids in a gift shop... yeah, it nearly did. Five beanie-babies later, I spied this guy in a basket by the register. Score one for the mommy.

Here is a scary, cross-eyed pic of what happens when I love on the cat. Yep. Those would be hives springing up all over my face. (I've since touched up those white roots, too.)

Today's trauma was a trip to the ob/gyn. I accidentally giggle-snorted when the receptionist asked why I had been neglecting my annual exams. Oh, gee, lemme think on this one...

'cuz I don't like flashing my hoo-hoo at tired old men? Does that answer the question? Gah.

On tomorrow's agenda, pics of a bunch of new Kaffe Fassett fabrics what just arrived at the shop, as well as a quilt block from Jaye. It's huge and gorgeous and I'm turning it into a medallion quilt top. I'm mailing you some new dots, Miss Jaye. Fresh off the UPS truck! Be back here tomorrow when I hatch the plan to stuff Gaylen's comment box with snarky holiday fun whilst she is otherwise detained. Maybe we'll have a contest for outrageous holiday-hell stories. What do you think?
Smooches, pooches. C

Blurry Tuesday

Remember 'finger-ma-jigs'? This little dude is one, and he's got two pals hanging out with him. Can you believe non of the Becher children have figured him out yet? Scary, I know.

There appears to be a pattern of neglect in my Monday posting, but as the t.v. season has come to a close, I expect things to improve immeasurably. This also frees up some serious knitting/sewing/reading time, though I don't know what the next 'big thing' on my reading list will be.

These three snow-fellows have been on tree duty for a few years now. I found them loitering at Target and promptly kidnapped them. They always insist on staying in their little crew. Snow gangstas. They are also cleverly concealed bells, and the cat has recently discovered that bumping the tree makes a most delightful racket. Possibly this posse's days are numbered.

I tried, unsuccessfully, to refit the Audi with an ipod adapter today. None available to fit the car. Best Buy rocks. Oops. I just had another sarcasm. The plan is to find one that can be hardwired into where the CD changer fits behind the seat, since it has recently died and gone to audio heaven. Five hundred bucks to replace it... I'm just going to leave it for dead, and hope to find an adapter to have installed soon. Gah.

Tried to sneak out to see 'Twilight' again today, but had no success due to Herr Becher and his monumental guilt trip about getting home to look at my offspring. The exact same ones who ignore me on a daily basis and mumble at me when I ask them direct questions. The same children who can barely be dragged to the table to have dinner with us, and pop out of their seats the minute dinner is over, because they want dibs on the computer/Wii/DS/t.v. Those kids. Due to the nice little ice storm brewing, I drove home at once and no one has noticed I'm here. Dammit anyhow. I could be sitting in a dark and cozy theater watching The Edward right now.

Edited to add: Movie is on. Dragging teen-aged daughter with, because this constitutes 'quality time' to Herr Becher. She's appalled at having to spend time with her mom, but co-operative. I'll get her the big popcorn.