Happy New Year! It's 2012!

The holidays are over! 

I'm rather glad they are. 

There was a lot of running around, which made anything shop related ridiculously difficult. 

Almost everyone was presented their gifts on time. 

Peter received his fingerless gloves four days late. 

His hat is still balls of yarn. 

After it is finished I will no longer be knitting gifts for the year. 

That is my resolution.

In 2012 all knitted or crocheted projects will be either for myself or commissions. 

The looks of the people receiving my handmade gifts are illuminating. 

I really do love it, but rarely do I ever knit something for myself. 

Also, knitting gifts takes away the chances to create my own patterns from handspun. 

Test knitting is my test to knit with a deadline, remember to take pictures, and think like a pattern mistress. 

The finished objects from the test knits will, hopefully, be mine to keep, too.

Thus far the list of desired or mentioned commissions is six deep. 

It's not a bad start for the year. 

My neighbor wants me to make her a thick fluffy knit bed spread. 

That's going to be a monster of a project taking about three months at least. 

I cannot knit all day long.

Sometimes I wish it was possible. 

~*~

The same neighbor offered me a part-time babysitting job while the kids are in school. 

This is going to help us out tremendously. 

It might only be a few hours here and there, but it gets me out of the house. 

Also, half of every day I babysit for goes into the rainy day tin. 

Our rainy day tin is a coffee can I decoupaged to have a man and a woman holding the same umbrella. 

It's for our anniversary dinner to Shaw's Crab Shack in Schaumburg.

Peter wants to use part of our tax return. 

I told him to get lost. 

That money is for paying off the debts we have, not going to dinner. 

He needs to learn how to save not spend everything he has on whatever he fancies.

By putting half of whatever I make babysitting we will have enough by our anniversary for dinner.

~*~

Commission fees will probably go right into the business to fund my need for a new drum carder. 

I only love my little Louet Junior Carder so much. 

She's gotten me through, but I need something a bit larger to get nicer batts for sale.

Carding everything twice to get a larger batt weight is driving batty bonkers!

It's double the work with little to show for it. 

Until the new carder comes I bought a brandishing brush from Fancy Kitty today.

My dream is to get a drum carder with two cloths, medium-fine and medium-low.

Art batts are a must for all the artsy creative things I want to do.

~*~ 

Blog programming will resume in the very near future.

I've got a few new twists to bring into the mix, but it's good reading.

Yes, actual reading, not just pictures!! 

Formatting may change from this center one thought form to a more paragraph style. 

I'm not sure yet. 

Expect some testing here and there over the next week. 

There will be a few tutorials coming your way.

New items and new ideas! 

~*~

Until next time, have a pleasant day!

<3