Off the Clock

Well I finished the jammie pants and I have to say that I am happy with them (ignore the mess in my dressing room). So much so that I never took them off all weekend! lol They turned out pretty much identical to the pair I was copying, which seems like a "no duh" thing to say but things don't always turn out that way in my experience. Yes, they are low-cut, but I find that cut comfortable and I usually wear a long top with them (I'm holding it out of the way in the pic). I did cut the second pair an inch higher in the waist and longer in the leg. I'm not sure that was necessary but even though I pre-shrunk the fabric you just never know if there's a little shrinkage left in there. I am so excited about these that I am planning another trip to the fabric store to stock up on flannel while it's still on sale {evil grin}

I can't believe my last post was in 2011. I don't imagine I even have anyone following my feed anymore. So I guess this is starting from scratch. There have been a lot of changes in my life, with the biggest being the death of my son just over a year ago. I'm not going to get into that right now, perhaps I will at a later date but I want to keep this post positive. My daughter got married this summer and I was adopted by two new cats that I call Holley and Mallory (as in Holley carbs and Mallory ignitions lol). That's all I'm going to get into the personal stuff for this initial "back from the badlands" post, so I will move right along to projects.  I was always into the knitting for my blog posts, and part of the reason for me being absent for so long is because with my night school on top of full-time work I haven't had a lot of time for crafty stuff. Well I can finally see light at the end of the tunnel school-wise, ...

I don't know about you but when I'm cleaning the house I'd rather be done sooner rather than later. I hate it when I have to run back and forth to grab cleaning supplies from room to room. I have a tool caddy - one of those with slots for screwdrivers and stuff - that I've been using for cleaning supplies but it's cumbersome. So I decided I needed a cleaning apron. Something to hold all the tools but doesn't get in the way or have to be carried around. There's lots of sites online that sell cleaning aprons, but they aren't cheap. There's also lots of free apron patterns online to compare until 2 in the morning (obsess much? Who, me?!) In the end, being the cheap bastard that I am, I decided to use a pillowcase and came up with my own design. This is what happens when you give someone who figured out how to fix machines for a living a sewing project. So far it's working out great, but I'll have to report back on a true test run becaus...

It's a new year and long overdue for an update. I've had almost two weeks off work and school and enjoyed every minute cocooning with my honey. He got me a satelite radio system for Christmas and we're really enjoying the blues station from BB Kings on Beal Street in Memphis (I've been there - they have GREAT ribs and beans!) We've also spent a LOT of couch time catching up on tv shows that I don't normally have time for. We've watched the first season of Mad Men and all four seasons of Dexter (OMG the ending!) as well as a bunch of movies. I have no guilt; as far as I'm concerned we deserved it. Not much new in the knitting department, unless you count a couple of socks. I have a new grandpuppy, a German Shephard named Thor who is living with me. I call him the grandpuppy because he's my son's dog, but Thor and I both know he's really my dog ;) I also have a grandkitty named Caliber living in DD's room. Tabby isn't impressed ...

Now try and tell me this doesn't just melt your heart!

Still hanging in here, even though I haven't blogged in about six months. I'll break back into it slowly with a small post but with lots of pics. We finally got a break from the deep freeze we've been in and hit some plus temps today. Along with the bright sunshine it was too inviting to stay inside, and I figured it would be a good time to take a couple of new lenses for a test drive. It's currently the camera's turn in my rotation of obsessions. American friends are always amazed at how close we are to the States here. I went down to the waterfront and got some great pics of Detroit, along with lots of people out walking, jogging, or bike riding on this gorgeous day. First up is the Detroit skyline with the ice chunks still floating down the river. The big building on the right with five towers is the Renaissance centre, home of GM World Headquarters. This was actually three pics stitched together. As usual, clicking on the pics should bring up a bigger version t...

Well I was doing really good riding the bike to work almost every day, and even using it to run short errands. But I was realizing that the gears weren't shifting as well as they should, and before you know it I'd made some more excuses and went out and bought a NEW BIKE! Obsessive? Of course. Crazy? You have to ask? Sigh. So here it is; my new Trek Navigator. It was love at first sight. I've also given a lot of thought as to whether or not to wear a helmet. I prefer to ride without one, but I'm not the most coordinated at the best of times. I figure if I get slammed by a car a helmet isn't going to make a whole lot of difference, but if I just get knocked over or -- more likely -- fall over, it may save me from a more serious injury. Now if I could find one that's even remotely attractive I know I'd be more likely to actually wear it, and with that thought in mind I went surfing and bought this: Made by "Nutcase". Kind of seems appropr...