Edging too Close: Making the Mail

There is nothing like cutting it so close on finishing a crafting project that you are literally putting the last stitches in the edging and the label in the morning and then rushing to the Post Office in the afternoon so you can two-day Priority Mail it with prayers to make it to a baby shower on the 5th, less than 4 days from now ... in California. 

Yeah. So maybe that was me. I THOUGHT I had plenty of time. I literally started this present as I sat in my plane seat on the tarmac, en route West-bound on the 18th, had hours of driving up and down the length of Utah, rock-and-talk time with the aunties and cousins and kin, but I MAY have made a tactical error by working on my Christmas cards during the two week break.

I was so rushed packaging this (and my other two big boxes), that I didn't get the dimensions. It was pretty big though. It could be a crib cover, a toddler bed blanket, and/or keep someone(s) in a nursing rocker warm.

As it was for a pair of gems upon the birth of their first child, I went with a diamond pattern - one that was heavy enough to provide warmth if there were ever any cold California nights, but airy enough at the same time.

The poor hostess. I emailed her today and informed her the gift was en route- but oy! Too close. I only knew about the shower for months.

POSTSCRIPT: It got there on time (WHEW!) - and can apparently keep 2.5 people covered. Whoops.

Photo courtesy of Claire and Jenny

 

Go big or go home.

Also note: I finally got new labels explaining, once again, that this is NOT KNITTING.

 


~ photos by iTouch/iPhone

Auntie Nettie's Attic Merchandise 2012 - September

May you live in interesting times:

I think someone "blessed" me so that as 2012 passed -- things have only gotten more "interesting." Life in September got very busy (as you probably have seen from the lack-of blog posts) and I have to look back a lot of pages in what passes for my diary to remember what the heck happened -- aside from my jobs totally taking over.

If I'm reading my scrawls correctly, September:

~ Started off on Labor Day weekend with me "laboring" - helping out my friend Cynthia tackle a garage cleaning assignment that was on a hot muggy day full of poopy natural surprises. (Though I have super fond memories of eating a delicious omelet with chorizo, cilantro, and tomatoes ... MMMM.) What is the incubation period for the hanta virus, because I know I ingested mouse poop in a few forms that day. Seriously. YUCK!

I also:

~ Crocheted some of the baby bibs you'll see below, while sitting in the dark during Convocation for work. I knew I was getting to the point where I didn't have to watch what I was doing while watching t.v.. But now I know I can also crochet simple things in the dark with the lights out.

~ Had a lovely unexpected dinner with Christine in the City, to try and catch up with work/life before we got swamped by the incoming tide of change. So glad we did. October got WORSE - for both of us!; 

~ Cleaned out some of my kitchen stuff, including scrubbing decades of accumulated gook off pots and pans so to donate to the next generation of chefs (my work-study students); 

~ Missed brunch and baby shower plans due to illness, inclement weather, and geographic impossibilities; 

~ Cleaned, purged, watched television a lot on the weekends to catch-up, called to family/friends -- all necessary as I was about to be caught up in what we'll call "Hurricane H*******" aka the aftermath of an unexpected star-studded memorial/fund-raising event wherein it was "organized" by "amateurs" who had no idea how to coordinate guest lists and then it took over 22-different spreadsheets of data to be entered for over 700-1000 individuals, each with variations in proper spelling/contact information/relationships into my company's database into a coherent form. So. Yeah. That took weeks of research, 12-14 hour days, and juggling of deadlines, egos, priorities, and what I'm calling the 5-stages of frustration. There was anger, bitterness/resentment, denial, then grudging acceptance, and finally a horrible dose of gallows humor. (I kept track of hours, and OMH the comp and OT that I am owed -- if I only had TIME to take my comp time!) Then I had to interact with the oblivious, the obnoxious, the defensive, and the self-congratualory ... well ... 

Let's jut say GRRRR and that:

I also:

~ got sick during all this;

~ ate all wrong; 

~didn't sleep right;

~barely remembered to pay my bills on time; or

~send birthday/anniversary cards out; or to

~have the energy to go to Maker's Faire this year.

I felt the worst about missing friends and Maker's Faire. I bought a ticket and everything. But between the work stress, hours, and the sheer exhaustion, the one or two days I didn't have to work, I just didn't have the energy to muster up to head to Queens and be surrounded by people.

Little did I know that parts of October ... 

It's not just me ... is there some weird celestial misalignment going on? Is Mars in retro-grade? WHAT IS GOING ON?

It's good thing I have SOME sort of therapy outlet I can only imagine I would be WORSE off mentally, and that's saying something.

So -- yeah. Maybe you can see a theme to my crafts this month? It veers from being full of love for the new lights in the family that are due in a month or so, to be wildly optimistic and seeing love and hearts everywhere, to being bird-brained and thinking that every one is a monster.

Or something! 

In any event, here are the many creations from September including:

Baby Shower presents for Phineas and Ferbina

ANA 2012: 66 and  67: Pink and Blue square "ribbed" washcloths for the twins

(Lily Cotton Sugar 'n Cream 4-ply cotton) 

 ANA 2012-70 and 71: Pink and Blue bibs for the twins

(Lily Cotton Sugar 'n Cream 4-ply cotton and buttons)

Details of the fastenings: Two loops, depending on the size of their little heads/growing bodies 

ANA 2012-72 and 73: Pink and Blue round washcloths for the twins (in back of rounds)

(Lily Cotton Sugar 'n Cream 4-ply cotton)

ANA 2012-74 and 75: Mini camo owlies 

(left: 74, fledgling; right, 75, grey-eyed adult) 

(Miscellaneous mystery acrylic and left-over wool)

  ANA 2012-76: Maroon stripped mini owlie

(Miscellaneous left-over acrylic yarn and batting)

ANA 2012-77: Fuchsia pull-over with pink hearts and XOs 

(Red Heart and left-over miscellaneous acrylic yarn types) 
(as of 12/13 no longer available, gifted)

ANA 2012-78: Fuchsia pull-over with purple hearts and subtle accents 

(Red Heart and left-over miscellaneous acrylic yarn types) 
(as of 4/14, no longer available, sold)

ANA 2012-79: Fuchsia mini (or skull cap) with two hearts (pink/white)

(Red Heart and left-over miscellaneous acrylic yarn types) 
(as of 12/13 no longer available, gifted)

ANA 2012-80: Black Cyclops hat, with horns 

(Red Heart and left-over miscellaneous acrylic yarn types) 
(as of 4/14, no longer available, sold)

ANA 2012-81: Black Cylops hat, with horn and bulging dilated green eye - Rolled brim

(Red heart and left-over miscellaneous acrylic yarn types) 
(as of 11/2013, no longer available)

ANA 2012-82: Black Cyclops hat, with horns and bulging green eye

(Red Heart and left-over miscellaneous acrylic yarn types) 
(as of 11/2013, no longer available)

Alternatively, if you don't a bulging third-eye in the middle of your forehead, you could flip these around and have a Janus-head thing -- and freak out the people walking too close behind you.

Still in progress; 

2012: 
3 mini owlies
1 pink afghan

 2010: Yeah, Yeah, Yeah. Didn't you read all about the sagas of the last few months? It's amazing I got anything done ... at all!

Regarding the shop: I think I've come to the conclusion it ain't happening this year. I just can't see me finding extra time to dedicate to it this year, especially given my travel plans from now through ... well 2013! However, if you see something on here, let me know, so I can see if it's still in stock, and not somewhere else, and give you an idea of prices.

Auntie Nettie's Attic Merchandise 2012 - May

The month of May can be summed up as Momentous.

I had to take a blogging break just to keep up with the craziness that was going on off-line. From things from one extreme to another, the whole circle of life was represented--the miraculous, the mundane, the marvelous, the murky, the maddening .... things that made me want to sing like an operatic mezzo in one moment and to commit murder while screaming MERDE MERDE MERDE at the next.

There's a lot that I still can't talk about, things at both end of spectrum, but while that was all swirling around, I still managed to:

~ Work way the heck too much (which certainly didn't help while I was trying to deal with everything else going on). The stress situation with work has not changed, so what else can be said that hasn't been said before? I'm going to have to be the one that has to change things, and if you know me, you know I hate change. So .... um... yeah. Viscous cycle. Trying to deal with that.;
~ Go to a wonderful documentary, First Position, about a dance competition. Watching a documentary about dance in the company of dancers is odd. You don't know why they are commenting -- Is it complimentary? Jealousy? Cattiness? What do I know? It looked lovely to me.;
~ Rented an adorable Scottish indie with the Doctor, I mean David Tennant, called The Decoy Bride, and now I really want to travel to the Isle of Hegg and/or just listen to people with accents read anything. (Seriously. I would listen to the phone book being read if it's in a brogue. When does Brave come out?);
~ Have "A Day of Drama" (trademark pending) with Ms. Emily and Ms. Wendy in NYC, with an afternoon of Shakespeare, which did nothing to Tame the Shrew, especially if you don't feed a teenager on time or let her play in the Park;
~ Have a Quicky RoadTrip to CT wherein:
- My home-sickness was temporarily abated;
- I took my dam self to a dam place, as well as explored other places and did some retail therapy;
- I got to see my brother from another mother, his wife - a NYC travel buddy, and their kids; but
- Most importantly, I mourned with my sister from another mister and her family, upon the loss of their father, husband, and grandfather, participating in the rites and rituals of surrounding a such a momentous loss, and helped where I could.
P.S. Parkinson's SUCKS. RIP Mr. Neuger;
~ Drove back to NY in the wee small hours of the morning, so I could get over the river to help out at a Service Shower: a non-gift baby shower for a friend due with her third child/son wherein 3 adults and 2 children descended upon her home and proceeded to tape off and paint the converted large attic of her husband's family home-- and event that also included food, gabbing, some kvetching, lots of water, children running around, plus cats and dogs trying to get in and out of spaces;
~ Enjoy the freedom of having a car to do major shopping runs and explorations, but being glad to return it and not having the responsibility of insurance, parking, maintenance, etc.;
and finally,
~ Spend time at the "alma mater" doing a "trunk show" for Auntie Nettie's Attic and talking to the girls.

With all that going on, I only managed to complete the following:

ANA 2012-31: Color Block Scarf
(2 skeins Plymouth Yarn, Eros Drifters, Color 410, nylon)

ANA 2012-32: Pretty Pastels Scarf
(2 skeins of KFI Dazzle, Color 119, nylon)

Still in Progress:

2010: The same dang afghan that I haven't finished since 2010, and if you don't know what it looks like by now, just scroll back a month (or year) or two and you'll see photos. 

2011: Red Chenille Scarf - which I'm going to unravel and use for something else. I don't like the way it is working up.

2012: Pink sport yarn worked with skeins of white chenille
(as of 11/2012, no longer available, donated to Hurricane Sandy relief)

The etsy.com shop is open. Really, it is. I am a horrible marketer. Just as I was about to take new photos for the site, I dropped Ms. RubyNikon and that was the end of that idea for a while.

I actually seem to do better with "train shows" -- aka trunk shows except I haul bags and bags of stuff on the train from place to place and people stock up on stuff. That being said - go to the site.

If you DO see something you like on here, please e-mail for me sizes and prices. If you are local, delivery/s&h arrangements can be made.

Crafty Cakes

I might have previously mentioned that occasionally I suffer from EBS (Enviable Blog Syndrom) and CIC (Crafter Inferiority Complex), which is brought on by spending too much time reading the various crafting blogs out there in the Webosphere. Sometimes the symptoms lie dormant for month and years, until I'm attacked by a bout that can't be ignored. The only source of relief is to spend time studying recipes and tutorials, by making shopping lists or browsing through craft stores in search of supplies, and by getting reacquainted with the glue gun.

With the sudden increase of "bling and binkies" in the office, there will be many showers and parties in the office to celebrate these milestones of life. I volunteered to make a centerpiece for one of the baby showers, because I had been waiting for an opportunity to try my hand at making the Diaper Cake I had first read about over on homemadebyjill. This is her beauty. She even made the freaking flowers. Gorgeous, isn't it?

Photo courtesy of homemadebyjill

In my case, I was making a baby shower centerpiece for two lovely ladies who are having a girl, and who love purple and blue, tulips, and sunflowers. I altered the design so it would look more like a sheet cake and because I couldn't find the energy to schlep across NYC to the Container Store to pick up mailing tubes. The infrastructure is held together with a combination of packing tape, cardboard, and bulked up by more diapers and diaper wipes. The top layer of diapers and the crowning flower arrangement aren't secured to the first layer, so the cake can be disassembled for transport home to Queens in a taxi.


I made most of it during my lunch hour at my desk, killed two pairs of scissors, one huge packing box (the cardboard for the platter and infrastructure), many glue sticks, a few rolls of ribbon, and tissue paper. More importantly, I amused my colleagues who I called in to be my other sets of hands, and totally burned my fingers on my glue gun, because the cord was stretched around the printer and computer monitor and the piles of my work. All things considering, I don't think it came out too badly for my first attempt at one of these.

Here's the cake at the shower, along with culinary creations from colleagues, and 100 of the treats from Baked by Melissa.

Will I be making another of of these for other showers?

I don't know. ... Ask me in a few months!

Congratulate me!

Mr. H.F. Onlenos, (pronounced Only-knows), and his wife, the former Ms. Auntie Nettie, are pleased to announce the birth of their first offspring. The home birth was early this morning in their residence on Heaven-on-Earth, a private island far far away. Attending in both body and spirit were multitudes of angelic midwives and generations of family and friends. The new father is pleased to report that mother and baby are doing well.

Ms. Nettie is best known for her antics, crochet creations, and strange observations. Before her marriage, she was employed by many musical institutions; she travelled with her husband until the final stages of her pregnancy. Mr. Onlenos, who goes by his nickname "G--", has many higher degrees, has traveled and published extensively, and has many diverse interests. In a fortuitous turn of events, the couple's first born was born nine months to the day of their wedding. (Please see their engagement announcement here.)

The couple has asked that all baby presents/donations be directed to the following charities:

Project Night Night
Project Linus
Better World Books - Rebuild NOPL
Books for Babies

Information and pictures of the baby may be found here.

Yes ... G-- does have a sense of humor.