Maegan's Musings

Checking in After a Long Absence

noreply@blogger.com (Maegan) — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 03:49:00 +0000

Unfortunately, one of the fatalities of my crazy schedule has been this blog (although it wasn't a dramatic death as I never really posted often anyways). Since my last post was about getting Bella, I thought I'd do a bit of an update on how she's doing. The physical changes she's made since I picked her up from the shelter over a year ago are amazing.

She's put on weight and her coat has changed dramatically. She's now a beautiful solid chocolatey brown with a lovely shine to her fur. She's mastered peeing outside, not inside (although it was a long process) and is no longer completely destroying the house when we walk outside (I think she was nervous about being left again). She and Dusty are still great friends and it has been loads of fun to watch the two of them play together. She also still loves to snuggle with anyone who is willing.

Meet Bella!

noreply@blogger.com (Maegan) — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 01:15:00 +0000

Wow! It has been an emotional week. We got some bad family news, my husband's grandmother passed away, and we got a new dog. When I began to write it all down as a comment for Chappy's Birthday (http://chappysmom.com), I realized that it would be good to put on my own (much neglected) blog so I will always remember those two bittersweet, emotional days when we got Bella and lost Grandma. So here it is, along with some pictures of her first day with us. (Skip to the end for pictures)

My husband and I got a Cocker Spaniel puppy about 2 years ago for my birthday. Shortly after that we began talking about getting a second dog. A few weeks ago we decided that now was the time. Since I picked out our first dog, I told my husband he could pick out the second and he decided he wanted a Labrador Retriever. At first we were going to purchase a puppy, but then we decided to look around at the local shelters to see if we could rescue a Lab.

We looked on Petfinder.com for about a week, then picked out a beautiful 1 year old female chocolate lab at a shelter about 1 hour away. After calling the shelter to get some additional information about her, we decided that I would go the next day to pick her up. I ran some errands in the morning, then called the shelter as I was leaving to make sure she was still there. They assured me that she was still available and I left immediately. When I got there they told me they had some bad news about the dog I had called about. Apparently when I called, they had checked a book at the front desk to make sure that her paperwork was still there. When I called to say I was on my way, they had gone back to get her ready and no one could find her. They told me they were guessing that one of the caretakers had not locked up properly and she had escaped. I was hearbroken. Not only did my husband and I not have a wonderful new dog, but this poor girl was out lost somewhere. On my way home I called about another dog at a local shelter. Unfortunately, I did not have her kennel number, so I gave the man on the phone the description from Petfinder and he looked through the books. He told me he could not find a dog matching her description and he guessed that she was “already gone.”

When I was almost home my husband called me to tell me to hurry home, because his grandmother (whose cancer had recently returned) had taken a turn for the worse and they were calling all the family to get over to her house. We ended up heading right over there and spending the rest of the evening with her. She passed away early the next morning.

Because we had spent the previous afternoon and evening with my husband’s grandmother, we had not been able to follow up on some other dogs we had found on Petfinder.com. At first, I thought about waiting to pursue getting another dog until we had gotten through the visitations, funeral, and initial grieving, but I decided to call and check on a few of the other dogs anyway. My husband was sad about the loss of his grandmother and I know I have always found the warm snuggles of a dog to be comforting. I found a few more dogs from the shelter in our town that looked promising and got the kennel number from the dog I had called about the previous day (just in case). Strangely, I woke up early that day (my day off) and I decided to call the shelter shortly after they opened.

I was so happy when the person I spoke with told me that the dog I had called about the previous day was still there. Then, she told me that the shelter was completely full and they had just gotten four additional dogs in. If I was interested in a dog, I needed to get there soon, because they were making the decisions about which dogs to euthanize. My heart began to race - I was supposed to call the further away shelter later that day to see if the original dog we were interested in had returned to the shelter, but how could I let another dog be euthanized while waiting for a dog that might show up? I asked the woman if I had until later that day, and she responded that by then the status of the dog I was interested in “may have changed.” I asked her how long I had and she replied “How soon can you be here?” I immediately made the decision to get this dog.

Within an hour I arrived at the local shelter ready to meet my new dog. She was out in the exercise yard and she immediately came when the shelter volunteer called her. She ran up to me, but stood calmly next to me instead of running into me and almost knocking me over as a few other dogs did. She was quite skinny and her fur was a bit scruffy, but she looked alert and friendly. As I filled out the adoption paperwork, one of the shelter employees walked up to me, placed her hand on my back, and said, “You realize you just saved her life.” She had been at the top of the list to be euthanized that day as she had been there the longest.

We have now had Bella almost one week. She is a wonderful, loving dog and gets along great with our other dog, Dusty, and all the human and canine visitors we have had so far. She is working hard on gaining some weight back and remembering to potty outside and not in the house. Otherwise, she spends her time playing fetch, snuggling often with my husband and I, and giving lots of doggy kisses. We are amazed at the joy she has brought into our lives and so happy that we acted when we did and saved this wonderful dog from being euthanized.

Maegan's May Footies

noreply@blogger.com (Maegan) — Mon, 26 May 2008 20:18:00 +0000

Here are my socks for May. I think these footies will be great for the cool evenings of early summer here in Michigan. I finally used the Knit Picks Harmony needles and I love them! I understand what all the excitement over these needles has been about. This yarn was a first for me too. It was interesting, it seems somewhat similar to Cascade Fixation.

Pattern: Basic toe up sock with a much shorter cuff to make a footie sock; instep pattern is from the Rainy Day sock pattern

Yarn: Knit One, Crochet Too Soxx Appeal (96% Superwash Merino, 3% Nylon, 1% Elastic) - Chocolate Covered Cherries colorway

Maegan

March Socks

noreply@blogger.com (Maegan) — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 16:14:00 +0000

March has been a busy month for socks! I've finished a pair of Dublin Bay socks in STR lightweight (color: Lagoon).

I've also finally finished my Clessidra knee socks. No pics yet, but hopefully soon! Finally, I've finished my Sock-A-Month 5 KAL March socks - Hedgerow socks in Dream in Color Smooshy (color: Happy Forest). These are incredible socks! The yarn and the pattern are great individually, and the combination is just spectacular. I was also blessed with a wonderfully sunny day to take pictures - that can be a rare thing in March in Michigan!

The Grossness that is February in Michigan

noreply@blogger.com (Maegan) — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 04:21:00 +0000

I have been reminded over the last few weeks why I often dream about living somewhere warmer than Michigan. Last week we had rain, ice, and snow within a 24 hour period. This makes for yucky driving and leads to this at my house

That would be a heating duct in my house ... and it is filled with water. We just discovered that when the ground becomes saturated with water (which happens when it rains for 2 days straight and gobs of snow melt) that our duct work fills up with water. Wonderful. We've been sucking it out with a ShopVac for the past week (yes, it continues to trickle in - although it is much more under control than at first).

Exhibit #2 of the grossness of February:

Last week when I took this picture I thought it was terrible that it was snowing so much that it was building up in front of our front door like this. Now I know better. I should never complain about the terribleness of the white stuff. Mother Nature may decide to have a good laugh at my expense and do this

Yeah. That's a whole lot more snow than the first picture. In fact, when I was looking back tonight at that first picture I thought to myself, "Wow, that's hardly any snow at all." This last picture was taken tonight while it was still snowing. Here's some more evidence of the ridiculous amount of snow we have gotten, and are continuing to get, today.

That's our living room bay window, which is probably about 3-4 feet above ground level. Yuck. I hate snow. It looks beautiful in pictures, so white and clean, but driving to school/work tomorrow is going to be a nightmare. Driving home from work this afternoon was a nightmare. Ick.

A Merry Belated Christmas to Me

noreply@blogger.com (Maegan) — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 01:16:00 +0000

Yeah - two posts in the same month! I had a wonderful Christmas this year, with some wonderful knitterly gifts, such as Vogue Knitting The Ultimate Sock Book, Cat Borhdi's New Pathways for Sock Knitters, and Elizabeth Zimmerman's The Opinionated Knitter. I also got some Christmas cash. Since the majority of my stash is in hanks and all the yarn that I spin goes into hanks, I decided it was time to splurge for an umbrella swift. Actually I decided this when I was sitting on the floor with my current homemade swift that must sit on a large table or the floor (and since I don't have any large tables in my office where all the knitting supplies are, it ends up being on the floor). It would be a great little swift if I only wound up a couple hanks of yarn a year. However, I find myself winding a lot of yarn to feed my knitting habit! As I was saying, I was sitting on the floor winding yarn, actually not winding yarn because I was untangling yarn. Tangles that had formed when the swift sort of came apart on me. So there I was on the floor, frustrated again at the little homemade swift (this has been a repeat performance over the past several months), when it dawned on me that an umbrella swift really would make things easier. It wouldn't come apart and I wouldn't have to sit on the floor and stretch to reach the top of the bookshelf where the ball winder is located to wind yarn. I was so happy to have found such a perfect use for my Christmas cash. I ordered the large KSM wooden umbrella swift from Jimmy Beans Wool shortly after Christas, and it finally arrived today! Here's a picture of my new beauty in its new home and already ready for action.

New Year's Resolutions

noreply@blogger.com (Maegan) — Wed, 02 Jan 2008 02:11:00 +0000

I don't usually make specific resolutions at the new year, but I thought I'd give a try this year. Here are some of my goals for 2008 (in no particular order).

1. Post to blog at least once a month
2. Get knitting WIP pile down to 3 and keep it at 2-3 projects
3. Knit a Philosopher's Wool Fair Isle sweater (which I already have the yarn for)
4. Knit more socks
5. Finish thesis
6. Tae Bo Thursdays

Here's looking at 2008 as a more enjoyable and productive year!

Michigan Fiber Festival

noreply@blogger.com (Maegan) — Tue, 21 Aug 2007 15:23:00 +0000

My sister and I had a great time at Michigan Fiber Festival in Allegan on Sunday. It was my fourth year attending the festival and the third time my sister and I have gone together. She doesn't actively participate in fiber arts, but she enjoys seeing all the fiber and animals at the festival. She's much better company than the DH, who was ready to go home about 1/2 hour after arriving the one time he went with me. Sister and I were both pretty tired as her bridal shower and bachelorette party were the day before (poor planning on my part!), but I still managed to do some good shopping. Here's a pic of my loot from the day.

There's 2 oz of black diamond top (which I learned is carbonized bamboo). It's soft and silky and a deep gray color. I've never spun regular bamboo before, so it will be a new experience.

I also got 4 oz of "Michigan Autumn Roving" from Winterhaven Fiber Farm. It's an 80% Merino, 20% silk blend. The picture does not do the deep, beautiful fall colors or the sheen justice. There's also a bit more green than the picture shows.

To spin some yarn for a baby project for my brother and SIL who are expecting a girl in October, I got 4 oz. of "Summer Bunny" from Anne Tullett. It's a beautiful light pink and white blend of Angora, Silk, Merino, and I think one other fine wool (maybe Polwarth?). It's so soft and just begs to be made into a sweet baby girl project.

I bought 9 oz of roving from a Merino/Corriedale cross from Stoney Pond Farm. It's a very dark brown color and very soft. Although I really liked it, I wasn't going to purchase any until I drafted out a little bit. It drafts so smoothly that I just couldn't pass it up! I could just imagine how relaxing it would be to spin such soft, beautifully prepared wool. I believe the tag by the roving said that this was from a sheep who is a "double black," but I can't remember for sure. Anyways, it's lovely and I'm looking forward to spinning it up.

My large fiber purchase (I always try to make one "large for me" fiber purchase of enough fiber to make a sweater) was 1.5 pounds of Jacob roving. My first large spinning project when I first learned to spin about 3 1/2 years ago was some Jacob roving and it was so fun. I'm just now working on finishing a project with this yarn and I love it. I love the heathery texture that the different colors in a Jacob fleece gives and the medium hand is perfect for rustic looking sweaters that I love. It's not too soft and delicate, but not too harsh to be uncomfortable. Anyways, I've been looking for more Jacob roving after having such a great experience both spinning and knitting it. As luck would have it, there was a booth devoted completely to Jacob wool! There was light, dark, and a slightly blended light/dark swirl. The sample knitted up of the swirl was so pretty and heathery and I have just the right pattern that it would look great with.

My impulse buy of the day was 4 oz of 50% Merino, 50% Tencel top in the "Limeola" color from Bonkers Fiber. It was shiny and soft and a color that I don't really have much of in my fiber and yarn stash. I'm not sure what I'll do with it, but I'm betting it will be fun to spin this winter when everything is dark and gray.

Because my budget is limited and the Michigan Fiber Fest is not enormous like some other festivals, my approach has always been to do a complete walk around the festival taking notes about what I see that I like. I then prioritize my purchases and go back through the festival buying until my budgeted money runs out (I go into Fiber Fest like others go into a casino - I take only what I have bugeted to spend in cash, once it's gone it's gone). It would suck to run out of money and then find some fiber that is faboulous. This is the first year I've deviated from that plan. I was tempted by these adorable little sheep that I knew would make a perfect addition to my blossoming sheep collection (click on the pic to make them bigger). Aren't they cute? I earned my undergraduate degree from Hope College, so anything with the word "Hope" on it has a special place in my heart. Hmmm... I just realized that the Merino/Corriedale roving I bought was named "Hope" too!

In addition to all these great purchases, I dropped off over 7 pounds of white alpaca to Zeilinger's for processing. I purchased it off Spin-Sales this winter at a great price and thought I would process it myself. It's beautiful when washed up and carded, but it's a bit dirty and I'm afraid of felting it, so it was taking me a really long time to process even a little bit. Time is one thing I haven't had much of lately. I've finally returned to the real world and realized that if I ever want to spin this alpaca in my lifetime, it would be best to have someone else process it. So, off it went to Zeilinger's to be washed and carded and blended into a 75% alpaca, 25% very soft wool blend. I'm so excited to see it when it's done... but I have no idea what I'm going to do with that much alpaca roving!

That pretty much sums up my trip to Fiber Festival this year. All in all it was a great time, even if it was a bit cold and wet! I'm already looking forward to next year - maybe I'll actually get to take a class or two!

Return to Blogging - Fiber Happenings

noreply@blogger.com (Maegan) — Fri, 08 Jun 2007 20:46:00 +0000

Wow, it's been a long time since my last post! A local yarn shop is relocating (the woman runs it out of a pole building next to her home and she is moving, so the shop is moving with her), so I got some great deals at a 40% off everything sale. I got a pair of sock blockers, which makes taking pictures of my completed socks much easier. Here's a pic of the most recently finished pair on the blockers.

Pattern: My own (based on the toe up pattern here with a K3 P1 ribbing done on the top of the foot and around the leg)
Yarn: Austermann Step

I purchased some more Austermann Step at the yarn shop relocation sale in colors 11 (peach, brown, ivory) and 13 (browns and white). I got a ton of Cascade 220 (which I love for lots of different projects) - 15 skeins in burnt orange (7824) and 9 skeins in dark plum (8885).

I also got a little over 8 oz. of laceweight in bright plum/raspberry color (it's a little lighter than the dark plum Cascade 220). I think it's some type of acrylic/rayon/polyester something. It's not cotton and it's not wool, but it doesn't have the typical acrylic "crunch" feel to it and it has a lovely sheen.

I've also been busy at the spinning wheel lately. Here are some of the skeins I've finished recently. The top picture is approximately 1.5 oz. of Interlacements "Wool Roving" in color 220. It's a very pretty hand dyed roving with a mix of turquoise, purple, olive green, and a kind of slate blue. I tried to spin it so the two plies would roughly match up in color, but as you can see that didn't work. The colors matched up at the beginning, once or twice in the middle, and at the very end. I still have about 6.5 oz. of this roving left to spin up.

The second picture is two skeins (3 oz./500 yards and 1.5 oz./236 yards) of a 50/50 merino/tussah silk blend. I still have about 11 oz. of this roving left to spin up.

There's definitely no shortage of fiber or yarn around here! Hopefully there won't be such a huge lag before my next post!

Wedding Update

noreply@blogger.com (Maegan) — Tue, 02 May 2006 03:29:00 +0000

http://www.freeflashtoys.biz/apps/countdown.swf?maturity=0606241500B077097101103097110032038032075121108101039115032087101100100105110103" quality="high" wmode="transparent" bgcolor="..cccccc" width="350" height="60" name="humwear" align="middle" allowScriptAccess="sameDomain" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" />

One Step Forward ... Two Steps Back

noreply@blogger.com (Maegan) — Thu, 30 Mar 2006 02:39:00 +0000

Time for the weekly WIP update. Although I made progress last week, I sort of "undid" that progress this week. I did manage to work on the Little Companion purse and the Forest Path Stole, but I also cast on for 2 new projects. 2 in 1 week! I guess that's one indication of how stressful of a week it has been. When I get stressed I either spin (of which I have done some) or I cast on for new projects.

On Friday, I cast on for a shrug of my own design. I'm using a handspun merino (I love it!) that I dyed pink, purple, and green with Kool-Aid. I dyed about 1 ounce of roving for each color and then randomly took pieces to spin, so I got a sort self-striping/variegated signle. I then plied that single with a single of the undyed white roving. It made for a very spring-feeling yarn, which is why I felt the need to use it this week (with the finally spring-like weather arriving in Michigan).

On Saturday K and I did a bit of shopping and I picked up the new Interweave Knits magazine. Although there are several projects in it that I love and plan to do when I get more time (yeah right... like that will happen soon!), I really fell in love with the Streakers Shrug. I've had some handspun mohair/silk/corriedale that I love floating around in my stash for a little over a year now. Every time I pull it out to use it, I either don't have enough for the project, or the yarn isn't quite right. The Streakers Shrug is finally a project that satisfies both! Or at least I hope it does, it's going to be tight on the amount of yarn, but I'm remaining optimistic. So... on Sunday I cast on and effectively "wiped out" my WIP wipe out progress! As penance, I've included pictures!

WIP Wipeout - First Update!

noreply@blogger.com (Maegan) — Wed, 22 Mar 2006 13:49:00 +0000

I have been making progress on my WIPs over the past week despite having a ridiculous amount of homework to do (which unfortunately is only going to get worse over the next few weeks). I've finished the Fiber Trends felted clogs and they turned out great! I'll try to take a pic of them and post it this week. I also managed to do a few rows on Eris and the Forest Path Stole, though they are both a long way from being done. As tempted as I was, I didn't cast on any new projects this week.

Here's my updated WIP list

1. Eris Cardigan

2. Little Companion Purse

3. Forest Path Stole

4. Circular Shrug thing

5. Sleeves in Your Pi

6. Afghan for Dad

7. Baby Sweater from Weekend Knitting (this is one of those projects that was hiding, I didn't even remember I had started it until I uncovered it while looking for some papers!)

Other news - wedding plans are coming along swimmingly. We've finally found a rental car company that won't charge a ridiculous amount (well, it still seems a bit ridiculous, but in comparison I guess it's not so bad) and made a reservation. Invitations are getting done and transportation for the wedding party has been booked. I've also finished a draft of one of the invitation inserts. Only about 3 months left, yeah!

New KAL and Re-Commitment to Blogging

noreply@blogger.com (Maegan) — Wed, 15 Mar 2006 04:17:00 +0000

Well... I've joined a new KAL since I start to feel withdrawal if I'm not currently active in a knitting project. The WIP wipe-out will be a great way for me to be involved in a new knitting project while reducing the number of "old" projects that never got finished! This should also be a great opportunity for me to actually commit to blogging on a regular basis (which you can see from my sporadic past posts has not yet happened). Journaling is supposed to be a good coping mechanism...

Here's my initial list of WIPs

1. Eris Cardigan - still in the early stages (working on the raglan increases)

2. Little Companion Purse - just started

3. Forest Path Stole - working on the 5th tier

4. Circular shrug thing - a bit shy of half way

5. Fiber Trends Felted Clogs - a little more than half way on the 2nd clog

6. Sleeves in Your Pi - oohh, not much done on this one either, though it's been a WIP for awhile

7. Afghan for Dad- currently in the Frog Pond, needs a little redesigning

8. Baby Cardigan from Weekend Knitting

Well now that I look at the list, it doesn't look too bad. I did just recenlty finish two pairs of socks and a felted purse, which helps. I do have a sneaking suspicion that there are a few projects that I've forgotten about that may be hiding...

Dress Pictures!

noreply@blogger.com (Maegan) — Mon, 14 Nov 2005 05:28:00 +0000

Here are some great pics of my wedding dress and the girls' bridesmaid dresses.

Long time... no write

noreply@blogger.com (Maegan) — Thu, 20 Jan 2005 21:47:00 +0000

As fun as it is to see other blogs and think about my own blog, I guess I realized that there were probably more important things for me to do, so I haven't done anything with this in a really long time. But I decided to post these "test" results, because I thought they were really funny.

I am 19% White Trash.

I, my friend, have class. I am so not white trash. . I am more than likely Democrat, and my place is neat, and there is a good chance I may never drink wine from a box.

Take'>http://www.fuali.com/test.aspx?id=35205d9c-5462-4324-926d-bc2d7ca95e98">Take the
White Trash Test
@ FualiDotCom

I am 27% Internet Addict.

I could go either way. Deep into the madness of nights filled with coding CGI-Scripts and online role playing games, or I could become a normal user. Good luck!

Take'>http://www.fuali.com/test.aspx?id=9f41fe56-707b-4667-8090-9c248abfc0c2">Take the
Internet Addict Test
@ FualiDotCom

My New Spinning Wheel

noreply@blogger.com (Maegan) — Wed, 21 Apr 2004 03:35:00 +0000

Yeah!! I ordered my spinning wheel today. It's an Ashford Traveller - Double drive with double treadle. Hopefully it will come next week. Then I'll have to finish it . . . but at least I'll be on summer break by then and I can devote LOTS of time to spinning - without feeling guilty. :) For now, all I've got is this pic.

noreply@blogger.com (Maegan) — Tue, 20 Apr 2004 22:42:00 +0000

noreply@blogger.com (Maegan) — Tue, 20 Apr 2004 22:36:00 +0000

Hello all! I thought it would be fun to have one site with all my random thoughts and projects on it. Yet another way to procrastinate and waste time . . .