That is the light of my life.

This is my boy. My amazingly smart, beautiful, energetic boy.

This is my boy with my D in their matching Valentine’s Day presents. I love them both so much and feel so blessed to have 2 wonderful men in my life.

I am one lucky Mama.

I am just back from doing an overnight babysitting commitment at my good friend’s house.

The cowboy came with me. He and my friend’s girls are the best of buddies. I can’t decide which girl he is more in love with. However, I have decided some other things.

1. I am not cut out to be a mother of more children. Oh boy. These three threw me for a loop. I love all three of them. I honestly do. But I so understand why I chose to stop at one. (disclaimer: my boy is the rabble-rouser of the lot)
2. It is never a good sign when your boy calls you “Captain Poopy”. Enough said.
3. Waking up at 3, 5, and 6 am to the chirping of “Mommy, is it morning time yet?” does not set your day off well.
4. If your relief is 1 minute (or in my case, 1 hour) late… you will cry. Yes. you.will.
5. Making smores and watching Willy Wonka does not calm a posse down before bed. But… it sure is fun.
6. When you come home and your hubby is still tucked in bed…. you will wake him and tell him that it is his turn to lead the ship.
7. You will never get as much work done as you need to. in my case that means any.
8. My boy is the loudest child on the planet. That probably makes me the loudest mom on the planet. Note to self: ssssshhhhhh!
9. Having 3 kids in bed and all snuggly in the morning is very sweet. Even if they dissolve into fits because you are touching their special stuffed animal that they sleep with.
10. Watching my boy with these girls is really sweet. Even if my rope gets very short at the end. They really love each other.

Knitting wise:

Flair is moving quickly. I love the yarn and the pattern. Feels right in the texture and in the knitting.

I bought some vintage buttions for the project.

These are bakelite and need a very thorough cleaning.

I also bought these vintage, carved mother of pearl buttons in case the bakelite would not work.
I could not believe I found 12 matching buttons of this quality. Amazing. I will have a hard time choosing I think.

C*EYE*BER Fiber Warehouse:

The warehouse had an update on Friday. There are still a very few twisted knitters spots available, as well as some killer project bags, and some fiber. Go check it out.

I may be offering a few more classes before the cruise. And I also may teach on the road so to speak. How cool would that be?

The PS yarn and the TK Fiber are shipping tomorrow. The last Winter sock is shipping on Wed.

Thanks all!

The Warehouse has been updated! Come and git’em!

So… believe it or not… I still have a day job.

Yup… I know. Crazy, but true.

And, I had an all-day event that I needed to attend today. The kind where you sit and wait for folks to come to you. And you knit… and wait… and knit.

I had a mitten on the needles (because, as Lolly pointed out, it is 50′ F outside.. that is 10′ C for you guys up north). I needed a bag to put it in.

This little one was aching to be mine. No worries… there are some more where that came from. (Excuse the crappy cell phone pic)

I got some Malabrigo from my enabler in the post today.

I am going to make this with it.

I am soooo excited. Sweater land here I come! I can not wait to buy the buttons!

Speaking of my enabler… the girl went and got HANDMAIDEN in her store.

OH MY GOD! Hand-freaking-maiden.

I love thee…. OK, now I know that I am in trouble. I bet I will be working in trade to pay off the tremendous amounts that I could buy. Go get them before I do. They will go fast!

Off to whip up some more bags!

UPDATE :

She is on the move again! Looky here… that is her on my mess of a desk with some Malabrigo!

Go Flair!

I have no catchy title today.

My brain is a little fried. So much time so little to do.. wait. Reverse that.

(The cowboy and I have been watching Willy Wonka a little too much these days)

I spent 8 hours in my studio today. NO JOKE… I dyed 20 lbs of yarn and 4lbs of fiber.

I think that blows me away a little. 20 LBS of YARN. There is yarn hanging from every rafter and hook. Crazy. Just crazy.

Needless to say… they are not all spoken for. I will be updating the shop between now and Sunday. About 20 skeins, a lot of project bags, and some fiber.

It felt really good to spend the day in the studio. My brain feels better when I can be quiet and work. Come to think about it… I spent most of the day silent. There is something to be said for that.

I like the work… the repetition allows me to think about stuff. Where I am going, what I am doing,  the fact that the cowboy needs milk… anything. So much of my life is spent reacting. I end up not feeling like I want to think when I sit down at night.

Days like today give me the chance to hang out by myself. I rarely get that chance to loose myself to the process. Ther once was a time that I could be alone for days…. now I usually have a 3 year old at my feet or a cell phone attached to my ear. (I TOTALLY get those CALGON ads from the 70’s and 80’s). I chose this life… I just need to remember to slow down once in awhile.
Any hoo….  today was a day well spent. The work is getting done. I have been knitting a lot lately. The boys got matching earflap hats for Valentine’s day. They look very cute in them. I am hoping to get a picture of them wearing them.

You can sign up for the mailing list here if you want advance notice of the Warehouse Update. Nite friends.

I taught 2 dye classes today. Each group of women were so great.

The class was a “Dyeing to Knit Socks” where the students came to me for the dyeing and they will go to Lorraine from “A Good Yarn” for the sock knitting portion. The women were so nice… they gelled so well. I think it is because they all came through Lorraine, a very kind and very commun-KNIT-ty oriented LYS owner.

I went to lunch with one of the students from the AM class. She called home to say she would be later than expected… and told her hubby she was “having lunch with the teacher”. That made me laugh.

Professor Dye-pot, at your service!

I started thinking about this a little. How cool is that? I have a craft to teach. The sheer joy my students (my students!) all expressed.. they are my people, you know. The type that sniff and pet yarn with reckless abandon. The ones who salivate over malibrigo and hoard sock yarn (because it DOES NOT count as stash), and crowd into small spaces so they can knit with (and most likely, unto) others.

They all did such great work.

They shared ideas and supplies and kind words. They are the reason why I love having a teaching space.

Ms. Roz was a joy. Very into experiencing new things. She said you don’t often get to act like you are in kindergarten and learn new things. That is a good way to look at taking classes.

Now here is Texas Norma. When I grow up, I want to be like her. She travels for work and everywhere she goes, she learns something new. She learned to knit and dye in Baltimore, to spin in New Hope, PA, and has made 2 quilt tops along the way. She bought a Kromski wheel (named Aliceanna) and is now spinning.

You know, she told me that I now have a friend in Texas. I truly believe her. She made a lasting impression on me… I hope to keep in touch.

That’s me. A teacher. My lifelong dream actualized. It feels good. Damn good. Next set of classes is March 3rd. Spots open if you want to come dye with me!

Oh… and on an unrelated note:

Here is CAm’s birthday cake. I am pretty proud of it!

Oh boy. I am feeling slightly renewed.

I got some news today, well a bunch of news today, that made my spirits soar!

The down side is…. I can’t share it with you. Not any if it. Yet. ( Not preggers. Just sayin’)

So I have to keep some secrets. Great and happy secrets. I know. The suspense.

Here are some things that I can tell ya:

• The Twisted Knitters fiber club has a few spots left. Go get em ! My plan is to go bigger and better this round.
• Still takin’ suggestions on which colorways to keep.
• The March 3rd class has openings. Email me for info. I promise… it is worth it!
• PS Club and the Twisted Knitters goes out this coming week.
• There will be a warehouse update with NEW products by the end of the month. You can sign up for the mailing list here.

So… I have to keep my secrets for now. I promise… not for long. Have a great night! I know that I am!

We are on day 2 of “ja-jama” days. I am worn out a little. The children’s “on-demand” programs are whirring and buzzing in the background. The cowboy has pulled out every toy he owns and is now on to candy conversation hearts. Yummy. Pepperoni pizza is en route and I am just going with the flow.

I tried to set limits… but housebound boys get downright ornery with too many rules. So, limits be damned today. I figure.. I would rather enjoy the day and call it a special day than fight with him about stupid stuff. And, my boy may look like his daddy, but he can get his Irish up like his mama.

So, countless movies in a row ensue and some spoiling via gummy worms (it is Valentine’s Day after all) is in progress. Hell, bed time has even been pushed back. Whoa, limits be damned.

There are some areas of my world that I have been assessing that may need a new limit or two. Mostly to preserve my sanity.

Colorways, I am putting limits on some colorways. I think that I am going to develop a formal “line” of colorways and work from them for now. I have a million in my head. A million in my visual bank that I am aching to do. But, for now, as chaos is ruling my life, I am looking at changing my production ways. It is no coincidence that this train of thought culminated today… I started to read Felicia’s post today and it really sunk in (BTW… the SWEET SHEEP has a ton of Felicia’s stuff right now..) So, standardization here I come. At least until the cruise is over.

So, many of you have some favorites that I do. Can you give me a hint as what to keep?

I have a feeling that this:

ans this:

are favorites.

So, leave me a comment with your thoughts. Maybe some others you would like to see come back? All feedback is appreciated. Never know… I may randomly draw a name and send you something!

Stay warm friends. Happy Valentine’s Day.

The air has smelled like snow for the past few days. The chill has been biting. My pipes have frozen and unfrozen a few times… but yet, I still want snow.

I want a snow day with the cowboy. A “ja-jama” or “Footie ja-jama” day where we watch too much tv, play outside for awhile, then snuggle in. A day where you are prevented from going anywhere and you can’t find any distractions that take you away from your family. (Ok.. I lie… I would blog or do anything on the internet if the cowboy HAS to watch the CARS movie for the 2001st time).

We are settling back in after a stressful week. I am trying to motivate myself to do work.( I know it is noon. I know that it is Monday.)

I had a little soiree’ for my friend CAm at the studio on Saturday night. The usual suspects arrived for CAm’s Sweet 16 party. There was knitting, food, and champagne. Great fun to be had and a great way to christen the new space. Fun was had all around. I left the party at 1 am… woot! Good thing that it takes 2 minutes to drive home. I was tired!
Updates Anyone?

• I have scheduled an intro to dye class for March 3rd, 2007 There are 5 spaces available. The class will take place from 11 am - 6pm. We will explore dyeing with kool aid, wilton dyes, and acid dyes. All dyes are included in the class fee.. you bring your choice of fiber! We can do any weight yarn or spinning fiber that consists of protein fiber (wool, silk). No cotton or plant based fibers.

• The Twisted Knitters Fiber Club is continuing for 3 more months! Spots are very limited and are selling out fast. You can get more information and your spot here.

• I have shipped a BIG BOX of yarn to The Sweet Sheep. New exclusives and colorways will be ready to purchase as soon as next week.

• Gardiner Yarns is also getting a shipment that includes the Margene Sock yarn and a GYW signature that will knock your socks off (LOL). Check out Chrissy’s latest interweave pattern here.

• Fall Fiber Frenzy??? Anyone??? 600./pp to knit and spin your way up the east coast with me, Amie, Marie, and Kate??? Who’s in??

• I will be updating the warehouse with new yarns in the coming weeks. Stay tuned for the email that will announce the date/time.

I think that is it. Let it snow!!

This has been an amazingly difficult week here at Chez’ Mama. 2 funerals… one that we expected… my great aunt who has been ailing for quite some time. One that scares us to the core.. a dear friend who contracted a lung disorder that cut his life drastically short.

This has rocked my sense of what should be, what is, and how short and precious this life really can be.

I feel so much for his wife… she is in her prime and to suffer loss like this. I keep flashing back to my dad’s tragic death and see so much of my history in this event. I am trying to remember that nothing is promised… and that we only have the moment that we are in guaranteed.
It made me hug my men today and tell them that I love them (more so than I normally do) and it made me grateful that I have them.

Tomorrow is our friend’s funeral.. and it will be sad. There will be no sense of relief that one generally feels at the passing of someone who has had a long run at this life. There will be a lot of emotions and a lot of pain for our friend’s dear wife and loved ones. I am hoping that we, my D and I, can try to support them as much as we can…. and remember our friend for his kind eyes and gentle heart.