Above is 875 yards of laceweight Purple Trainwreck. (The skein is short five yards. We shall not speak of it. Ever. Fucking knots.) To say this yarn was a royal pain to process is a vast understatement. I was going to try to describe the annoyance, but I thought perhaps a photo was worth a thousand words:
That's the yarn at about... 5:30 last night. That's in my office, where I threw it in frustration after spending TWO HOURS winding it on to the niddy-noddy and finding out that it had gone onto the niddy-noddy tangled. (Mind you, this is after an hour spent winding it out to the extra-long skein BEFORE the dye process.)
Anyway, it survived. I'm not sure I did. My left hand (the one that holds the niddy-noddy) is killing me today. I'm not sure I'll ever again do a long color repeat lace weight yarn, because I don't think I can sell the stuff for enough money to make up for the time spent. (If I were to sell this skein for the usual $22, after I take out cost of supplies, I will be paid $1.50 an hour. I expect to not make big bucks at this, but a buck fifty an hour is a little ridiculous, even for an at-home artisianal business.)
While I was crunching numbers, I did some more and decided that while I do have just barely enough money for a spinning wheel, I'd be smarter to spend some of that money to join a gym and burn off all the fat I gained on this damned medication. Though I'm going to talk to my doc about getting reimbursed by the insurance company, I seriously doubt it will happen.
Adulthood and responsibility is such a bitch.
And while I'm irritated, take a look at this:
This is my little poo-head of a child in her favorite TV watching position. STANDING. She was pulling this last night and I went and shot her with the bubble gun. She giggled. I felt better. Little booger. (Yes. I know she's too close to the TV. You have any suggestions on how to keep her away from it that don't involve hanging it from the ceiling?)
Yesterday while I was dyeing yarn, I ran out of vinegar and used lemon juice instead. (It was with experimental, one-off egg dye, anyway.) The skein came out a little murky but it looks cool. It's some short-color-repeat easter egg rainbow laceweight.
Turned out all right, but I wouldn't ever use lemon juice voluntarily. Still, it's a good trick to know in a yarn-dyeing emergency.
I'm gonna go shoot the kid with the bubble gun again, now.
20 comments:
You should go for the spinning wheel, and then start going out for more walks with the goober. The weather is getting nicer, and that would be good for you both.
If you had a little cart, you could pull her around and that would be a great workout, plus it could be designated as Quality Mother - Daughter Time.
;-)
We always walk in the evenings, me, the goober, and the husbeast. It IS good quality family time. But it doesn't help my weight problem. Before I started the medication, it would have helped me lose. With the medication, all it does is slow down the weight gain.
But yeah, we're gonna do walks, too. A lot of 'em. :)
does the yarn smell lemony now?
i wonder if my 8 years on an antidepressant have caused me weight gain... it would be nice to know that it isn't just me eating too much without exercise.
I joined a gym near me for $20 a month, but you can do a $10 a month plan if you only go to the gym you joined and not 'visit' neighoring gyms of the same company. I think it would be good for you to go and get away from the goober, provided you actually GO.
Hugs on the PTW disaster. Yay on the lemon juice success!
TrishJ
I think spending spinning-wheel money on a gym would get me out. As in "By #@(*@# I paid for this instead of buying something I wanted, I WILL GET MY MONEY'S WORTH."
As for the weight gain. I put myself on a thousand-calorie-a-day diet for two weeks, last month. I gained five pounds. If that's not the medication, then something else is seriously wrong. We'll find out soon.
Some insurance companies do kick back if you go to the gym. My Blue Cross/Blue Shield plan puts $20 into my bank account any month I go to the gym at least 12 times.
Check with your health insurance plan and with a local YWCA.
The only time in my life I was thin, I swam 100 laps of the pool a day and ate around 650 calories. I'd rather be fat (and The Husband would much rather I eat enough to live). Now if we could only convince the Drs that we are telling the truth.
weight gained on medication, in my experience, is so hard to shift. I used that implanted contraception once, for three months, and gained a stone and took years to lose it, even cycling to work etc. Good luck with that.
The purple laceweight looks like a nightmare!
Look at The Baby, on her knees, begging for forgiveness!
or conspiring with a cat that is out of the viewfinder...
Gods...weight gain of any sort sucks...medication induced is the worst because, hello, NOT YOUR FAULT!!! Anyway, I feel you on the yarn disaster...I once mis-wound a skein of Schaeffer sport weight...five hours and three frazzled women later, and we were able to put that bit of fibery goodness into a little yarn cake with a clean conscience. Kudos on getting it done!
I use the bubble gun with the cats. Never thought to use it with the kids. Hmm...
hey Julie, I was just thinking abou the baby standing too close to the TV. what if you got her a little chair that was just for her? My nephew watches TV, reclined in a little kiddy chair at a safe distance. I think it's a Thomas the Tank Engine chair (added attraction for him) and it keeps him well back. Would she use a little chair if it was a special one she knew was just for her?
She has her own little chair. It's a rocker, very cute, covered with a sun and a barn and farm animals. She pushes it up to the TV and stands on it (as it rocks), clinging to the entertainment center to stay upright, while I chant "No!" and "Get down!" and "You know you aren't allowed to stand on furniture!" while running to grab her from wherever in the house I am.
Somewhere in the Great Beyond, my mother is watching this whole battle of wills and laughing her ass off.
Oh. And her father also likes to watch TV while standing in front of it (though not so close), so there may be DNA involved. Or bad examples. Or both.
But thank you, Bells, it is a good idea.
On the tv thing? Honestly--I read somewhere that said it has never hurt us...it just bothered our parents to no end...yeah...moms is probably laughing her ass off (and it's nice that you can do the same:-)
Yarn dramas suck, I am so sorry! If it's any consolation though, it is really beautiful yarn.
Go to the gym (do they have daycare? even better!). You will have so much more energy (counter-intuitive, but you will) and feel so much better about yourself.
Is the blue and green in the background "Mermaid Tail?" I love how it looks with the long repeats!
HI Julie, I drool over the yarn on your blog and laugh at your happenings all the time! Do you use acid dyes? your colors are so vibrant!
Kathryn only ever stands up... even in the bath she refuses to sit down. Dunno about the away from telly... maybe make a "fence" with cardboard (we've done something unintentionally with the xbox and stuff in front of the telly so you can't stand right in front of it...) might work.
Re the spinning wheel - given that the husbeast is so handy with his hands do you want to borrow my book on how to make your own? If you do email me and I'll post it to you. It's fairly cool, and tells how to make a loom too!
try putting a baby corral around the TV, instead of around the child. She can't get through and it keeps her from getting too close.
Also, when you get there (as we all do...) those clear acrylic bent photo frames meant for panorama pics are great for keeping little fingers from turning the TV on, and still allows the remote to work. Just glue it to a piece of cardboard big enough to go under the TV and reach a foot.
Good luck!
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