More Experimentation

Still trying to get this irritating stuff to work!
I'm now trying to put the video on YouTube.
Seems to be working so far!  (I think!)

Thanks Daisy the Curly Cat for the suggestion!!!



And Thank You! Sharon from Moosecraft, for giving me another suggestion!
And now it's right here!

Thanks to all of you who have helped the technologically impaired (me!) to accomplish the impossible!!!

Not Yet Successful!

I guess I should have known that putting a video on the blog was not quite as easy as it seemed!

It appeared to work at first but then after getting this warning and reloading repeatedly with the same results, I'm going to have to do more research.  But at the moment, I'm too busy.  So it will have to wait.

 We've been moving furniture and looms around in an effort to make a bigger sewing area, one with room for a 6-foot cutting table.  Those of you who have cats know how they can be sleeping peacefully one minute, and come fully awake in an instant the minute you start doing some work.

Looms are not light, and we old farts are trying to get one up the stairs to a spare room so I can finish threading and get some weaving done.  Meanwhile the three young heathens are running up and down the stairs under our feet!  And of course, I'm screaming 'get out of the way!!!'  We managed without any one getting seriously injured, but next trip the kitties were secured behind the kitchen door.

Then we brought in the cutting table and immediately there are five cats all over it, sniffing the underside, and swatting at each other for position.

Then we folded up the treadmill and pushed the other loom aside till we can take it apart and carry it upstairs.  It just happened that these two items were right under the ceiling fan.  Horay!!!  Another new game!!!  This is why I wanted to be able to take a video.  The live action was hilarious!

They had the two balls on the end of the pull chains swinging wildly in all directions!  At times there were three little wild beasts up there swatting madly!

There are reasons why people who love cats have to be slightly insane.  And if they aren't already, the cats will gladly drive you in that direction!

The new cutting table is working out nicely, when I am able to use it.  It's a great afternoon napping spot.
Brad and Kami had hired a new seamstress and I thought my retirement from sewing was within reach.  But don't get hasty!  She didn't work out for them and I will now be back to uniform making.  I knew it was too good to be true!  Oh well, what else do I have to do with my life???

Thanks to all of you who left comments and helpful info on my video attempt!
Hope your week is going well.

This is a Test

Can you find the cats in this video???

No that's not the test!

AAAAARG!!!

I took the video off because it just was not working!

Guess more research is in order.

I knew it was too easy to be true!

Will have to try again at a later date!

SORRY!!!

I've never done this before.  Obviously (duh!) the camera needs to be oriented on the horizontal.

But what I would like feedback about is how long it takes to load when you click on my blog.  If it takes forever, I won't be doing this!

Does the video work on your browser???

Thanks for any input you leave!!!

Happy Thanksgiving!


I hope your day is filled with the joy of spending time with family and friends, much feasting, and counting your blessings.


We are indeed blessed!  
We are fairly healthy for our ages. 
We have a wonderful son and daughter-in law (who is more like me than is sensible.  LOL!)  
Both Zip and I have mothers who are still doing well at ages in their late eighties and early nineties.
Brothers and sisters with which to share childhood memories and commiserate with about growing older.
Friends that we get together with often and ones we wish we had more of an opportunity to see.
And last but not least, our five delightful kitties!




And where might those kitties be???  What are they up to???


Up is the answer!  Deiter has learned how to open the bathroom closet doors and Penny and Izzy climb right up.  Now how do I get down???

The doors at the top are right up at the eight-foot ceiling and she jumps!  Usually they try to land on the back of the toilet.

Sometimes Zip gets the ladder and climbs up to get Penny.  Izzy is too skittish and will claw us if we try to carry her down.  She has to do it her own way.  If Deiter goes the whole way to the top, we have to rescue him because he's too big and heavy to land safely.  He's also VERY HEAVY when you try to carry him down the ladder!!!


Reggie still jumps up and walks along the top of doors.  Someday I expect to see him upside down, hanging from the ceiling.

Cats certainly know how to entertain themselves.  And give us heart failure!!!


Have a good day, everyone!

Returning

It seems like a long time since I last posted.

I started this month with cheerful motivation to do lots of new projects.  Then illness hit me upside the head.  It started the day after I had a very stressful incident over my Mom's long distance phone card which involved dealing with the phone card company and my credit card company, and Mom.  By the time the whole thing was resolved, I was a nervous wreck.  And then the intestinal disruption started.  And on and on it went for over a week.  The bathroom was my best friend and worst enemy.  There was no getting away from it!  I could not go anywhere for a week.

At first I thought it was an intestinal flu, but now am wondering about irritable bowel syndrome.  I have all the symptoms (except weight loss!!!).  From now on when I get this affliction, I should take note of the stress level preceding the incident.

I was able to get some knitting done.  I started my Braids Cardigan in the brown wool and then decided that the color was too dark to show the braid pattern effectively.  So I selected a blue yarn and awaited it's arrival.  Since there wasn't much else that I felt up to getting involved in, it seemed a long time coming!

I chose the color to go with a silk scarf that was a gift from my dear friend Willa.  She hand dyed this beauty.  I think they will look nice together.

On Monday I finally felt as though I could go out of the house and make it to the Blue and Gray hook-in without having to wear Depends!  Just joking!!!

It was nice to get out and talk to other hookers after my seemingly long confinement.
I didn't get any group shots, too busy talking.

Our featured Hooker of the Month was Pat Donahue.  I hope I spelled that right!
She is a very talented primitive hooker.  Her colors are perfection!

This flower basket is my favorite!

This is only a portion of the rug.  It was so large that I couldn't get a full shot without standing on a chair (which I did not attempt!)

Isn't this dog portrait wonderful???  Even in a wide cut, it's so realistic.

The day was lovely for the drive down to Biglerville.  There were only a few trees left with leaves still on them, but they were the ones with very rich exciting colors.  I wanted to stop and photograph every one, but driving on the narrow curvy roads with no place to pull off didn't allow it.

This lovely tree was at the edge of the parking lot at the church where we held the hook-in.

Hope next time I post I will have some rug progress to show.

Project Optimism!

I think I'm going nuts!!!  There are so many things I want to do right now!

Between sweater projects, while waiting for my yarn to arrive from Knit Picks, I finished this beret.  I used Paton's silk bamboo yarn. It's sooo soft and wonderful to work with, but slightly pricey.  I wish I could afford to make a whole sweater from it.

So that's my ONE finished project.
Now for the MANY that I want to work on in the next few weeks.

Proposed Project #1
First is The Doll!  I've been following a blog by an artist and dollmaker from Maine named Dixie Redmond. For the past five years she has been documenting and studying Izannah Walker dolls.  Ms. Walker was a dollmaker in the mid-eighteen hundreds and made the most delightful folk art dolls.
You can check out originals and dolls made by Dixie's students here http://izannahwalkerworkshop.blogspot.com/

Recently Dixie has published an e-book detailing her research for making a representation of an Izannah doll.  Of course, I had to purchase one!  And yesterday we went to Michael's and collected all the supplies for sculpting and painting.

Way back in my creating history, I made reproductions of antique porcelain dolls.  This endeavor required hundreds of plaster molds, jars of liquid porcelain slip, a kiln, wigs, eyes, shoes, fabric for dresses and scads of other supplies too numerous to mention.  The molds and kiln are still cluttering up the basement and the rest of the stuff is taking up space in the attic.
But I still love old dolls!!!  So here I go again!

Proposed project #2
The Braids cardigan by Deb Gimmell at Cabin Fever.

I love her designs because they are knit all in one piece and there are no seams.  A knit along for this cardigan will begin on Nov. 7 on Ravelry and I'm gonna do it!

Proposed Project #3
Start a rug!
Since I missed Halloween and Thanksgiving is fast approaching, I thought that going straight for Christmas would be the best idea.

Better transfer the pattern to backing.  Is there hope of finishing by Dec. 24th?

Proposed Project #4
For quite a while I've been wanting to make a tailored jacket from a Connie Crawford pattern (Butterick).  In fact I have FOUR different pieces of fabric set aside for this purpose!  I think I'll start with this herringbone twill.

It has a nice winter look.

That's it!  Project Optimism!  Ha-ha!  Maybe two out of four???
Oooops!  No time for housework!  He-he!

Deiter will have plenty of opportunity to sit by my side while I work.  And chew the cord on the camera.

I love these big fat furry paws!!!

Have a great week!