Awesome Thursday: May 31, 2012

This past week has had it's ups and downs, but I am still happy. This one is going to be short and sweet.

• We have just over half the money for Winston's surgery. I made a few sales in the Etsy shop, we had a little bit of money saved, and we were given a gift from a friend to help defray the costs. We are incredibly grateful for all the help from everyone.
• I got a job! Knitting alone isn't paying the bills currently, so I have found a job to fill in during the leaner times.
• I have a job interview tomorrow! I am really excited for this one, as it's somewhere I've wanted to work for a while.
• I'm in the midst of taking a class online (literally, it's open in another internet window) and it's going very well. It's set up by the local health unit for people in food service. I have the test next Thursday.
• My workouts have been going quite well. I haven't been doing as much as I could be, but I am definitely doing something.

How are all of you doing?

Just When Things Start Looking Up...

...We get knocked back on our asses.
My entire life has been like this; I get ahead a little bit, and then knocked back twice as far.
Rick took our 2 year old pup Winston to the vet today to have his ears looked at. Since he was about 8 months old, Winston has had ear issues. According to the vet, he has the narrowest ear canals he's ever seen. This means he is susceptible to ear infections. Anything from getting a coupe drops of water in there when I bathe him, to being out in the wind or rain, to just getting too excited and his body temperature getting too high can cause the infection to flare up. This is a problem that some breeds are more likely to develop, shar peis being one of them.
Rick is in a constant battle, putting cortisone cream and Polysporin in and around Winstons ears to keep the infection down. Lately, Rick has been losing ground against the grossness that develops in there. It's smelly, infected, and just disgusting, and it makes both Rick and myself feel like bad puppy parents because we can't make him feel better.
At the appointment today, the vet said surgery was inevitable. Either do it now, while he can still hear, or wait until he goes deaf. Basically, what they are going to do is drill his ear canals open. I don't know all the details, because I wasn't at the appointment. All I know is that they are going to have our dog at their office for about a week for him to heal up. After that, he will have to take it easy for up to 6 weeks so he can finish healing.

This surgery is expensive, between $800 and $1200 and we just don't have the funds to cover it all right now. If you would like to help us cover his surgery, I will be eternally grateful. If you use the code ForWinston in my Etsy shop, you will get 25% off your entire purchase, including the winter wear I recently marked down. Every penny from my shop will go towards paying for this surgery for the next month, or until his surgery is fully paid for.
If there isn't anything in the shop that you like, please just share this with anyone you can. He's such a good dog, we can't let him suffer anymore than he already has. His wrinkly face is just too adorable.

Monday Magic: May 28, 2012, A Little of This, A Little Of That Edition

Happy Monday everyone, and happy Memorial Day to my American readers. This Monday Magic post doesn't have a theme, like many of my others have. The items here are just three of the coolest things I have found this past week.

I came across this gorgeous yarn through a treasury on Etsy. I love tonal yarns, and this one is no exception. The steely grey is just beautiful. This is a sock yarn, but I could see it knit up into a slouchy hat, a lacy stole, or my favourite, a triangle shawl. This yarn is just so pretty I think I would just hold it for a while before doing anything with it.

Normally, I don't include items that have already sold in my Monday Magic posts, but I had to make an exception for these gorgeous earrings. I really like forget-me-nots, and the way they are preserved here is amazing. I really hope they become available in the shop again, because I will probably snatch them up! Everything in this shop is wonderful, you definitely need to take a look.

This madebymaru bracelet is so simple, but so pretty. Everything in the shop is sort of dainty and petite and feminine. Many of the pieces could be worn for just about any occasion. Some of them would even look great on a bride for her wedding day.

If you want one of your items, tutorials, blog posts or anything featured in my Monday Magic posts, feel free to leave a link in the comments and you might see it here soon!

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My Wonderful May Swappers

The Blueberry Jam Shawl

In an attempt to be a good knitting blogger, I am going to show progress photos of my newest shawl. I have named it the Blueberry Jam Shawl, as it is being knit out of Berroco Ultra Alpaca Fine, in the Blueberry colourway. This is the yarn from the failed Colonnade shawl I mentioned in this weeks Awesome Thursday post.
I am mostly making this up as I go along, with a little help from a few different shawl patterns on Ravelry. KFB in the first and last stitch of every row to make that nice, wide triangle shape. Every other row, KFB in the stitches before and after the centre. On all the other shawls I've made, I did YOs, but for this one, I didn't want the column of eyelets running down the centre.
If you look carefully, you can see a row of eyelets just below the needle cable. I am putting these somewhat randomly throughout the shawl to add a little interest, both visually when it's finished, and in the knitting while I am doing it.
I can't wait to see how this develops. I will try to be a good blogger and post about it regularly.
As for the Findley Dappled 3S Shawl, I haven't worked on it since we were in the car on our way to the Apple Store. It's sitting in my purse, waiting to be brought out while on a drive again.

My Lovely May Sponsors

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Awesome Thursday: May 24, 2012

Happy Thursday! Every week, I share some great things going on in my life. Studies have shown that grateful people can increase their overall happiness.

• I received my shoes yesterday! I won a giveaway from The Dainty Squid, and B.A.I.T. They're super cute, and they fit pretty well. Now, I just have to figure out an outfit to wear them with! If you click the image, you will be taken to their website. If you're interested in these, they are the MIKA in bright pink.
• I went to an Apple Store yesterday for the very first time! Rick needed to get his phone fixed, so our friend drove there, and I tagged along. It was pretty neat.
• I had Chipotle for the first time, yesterday. My burrito was almost the size of my head, but it was really, really good.
• I got my bike back from my parents. My mom brought it to work with her, Rick drove me there, and I biked back. My legs were definitely sore/tired after the ride. I can't wait to go back out and ride some more! I think I might go out tonight.
• My Findley Dappled shawl is coming along nicely. I started on another shawl, this one of my own design. I'm using the yarn from my failed Colonnade shawl.
• I have a lot of ideas about the future of my knitwear. I haven't done very well with sales lately, and I am trying to figure out how to remedy that. One idea has been sticking out for a while, and I think I am going to have to take it and run.
• The pool was opened last weekend! I went swimming a couple times already. I am hoping to swim almost daily (more like nightly) this summer. I burn like toast, so I will probably wait until the sun starts going down to swim.

Overall, this past week was wonderful! I am going to watch Deadliest Catch and get some knitting done! I hope all of you are doing fantastic.

A New Project, This Time, For Me!

It's been quite some time since I've knit something for myself. I won some of Juniper Moon's Findley Dappled in the Woodland colourway from Midwest Yarn a while back. I knew it would be turned into something for me, I just had to find the pattern for it.
With almost 800 yards, I have a lot of options. My first thought was a rectangular, somewhat lacy stole. I gave it some thought, and I don't think knitting lace is something I am ready to take on. I have a hard time concentrating on patterns, and I would probably have to tink/frog a few times, and I don't want to ruin the yarn. I searched some more, and decided on a few things: something easily memorized, something that I can knit until I run out of yarn and not have to worry about pattern repeats, something worn around the neck among a few others.
I found the 3S Shawl on Ravelry and it fit the bill perfectly. Plus, being a shawl, I knew that I would love it.
I just cast on, and I am a couple rows in, and this yarn is a dream! Half and half merino and silk, it's super soft, and super sturdy. I can't wait to get back to knitting this!

Awesome Thursday: May 17, 2012

Hello, Thursday! Every week, I post about the great things that have gone on in my life for the week prior. Here goes!

• I won some giveaways! Not sure which of these I've posted about, but I won a print from A Wild Tonic, a pair of hot shorts from BOODWAH, a dog treat jar from Big Horn Signs and a pair of gorgeous shoes from B.A.I.T Footwear.
• My running has been going fairly well. I'm up to week 4 day 1 today, and I'm hoping I can manage it. There's a 5 minute run in there, not sure if I'm ready for that yet.
• I applied for a few jobs this week. All the places I applied are businesses I would really want to work for. Mostly independent restaurants. The busy season is starting up locally, and many of the restaurants are going to be hiring.
• My sale is doing alright. I've made a few sales. Not as many as I'd been hoping for, but still not bad. It's on until tomorrow at 4, and I'm hoping to make a couple more sales before then

How are all of you fine folks doing?

Monday Magic: May 14, 2012

I took a couple weeks off from my Monday Magic posts, but they're back! This week, The theme is bright pink! I recently made a treasury with these items, and I keep going back to look at it.

The colour of these pearls is so perfect! The shop has loads of gorgeous glass pearl accessories, and I can see them worn for so many different occasions. They're described as bracelets for bridesmaids, and I think that would be the perfect place to wear them.
Other than the pink, this aqua blue is my favourite colour. Really though, they're all beautiful

This coin purse is super pretty! Nancy is one of my sponsors, and I love her stuff. I really like the colours she combines, and the patterns she uses. Plus that little gold triangle just adds a little pizazz. You should really take a look at her shop, she has so many awesome items available, you're sure to find something you love.

If you haven't heard of MungoCrafts, you are missing out! April makes sweaters and t shirts out of recycled and new materials, and they are beautiful! This one reminds me of neapolitan ice cream. There are many others available, and this month, for every sweatshirt sold, three cans are being donated to the food bank! Look great and help out, what more could you ask for?

There's A Sale In The Etsy Shop!

We've reached 500 likes on Facebook! That means it's sale time!
I said it was going to be a big one, do you think

50% off EVERYTHING

counts as big? Starting at midnight tonight (Sunday), until Friday at 4pm
everything in the shop will be 50% off.
If you have any questions, do not hesitate to convo me on Etsy, comment on this post, or message me on Facebook.
Happy shopping!

An Exciting Announcement

On Thursday, I mentioned I will have my items for sale in a new shop. This is a really exciting announcement for me. I was recently asked by Melina of Midwest Yarn if I wanted to sell some of my items in her soon-to-be-opened shop. There was a little back and forth via email, and after that, I packaged up some earrings and they will soon be on their way to Milwaukee, Wisconsin! The shop is set to have their grand opening on June 5th, and I couldn't be more excited for something that is happening 275 miles away from home.
If you are in the area, please stop in and support a new business. From what I understand, there will be a section with handmade goodies from a few vendors in addition to the knitting and crocheting tools and supplies.

Awesome Thursday: May 10, 2012

This week has bee a whirlwind! So many great things going on. If you are new, every Thursday I post about awesome things going on in my life from the week prior. Studies have shown that being grateful can increase your overall happiness and satisfaction with life.

• I dropped off stock to Shoppe Local. They are opening this Saturday, and I am really looking forward to it! It's a cute little shop on the main road in town, and they are open from May until September
• I've been doing my Couch to 5K runs, and they've been going pretty well.
• I've been looking at different 5k races to do, and I have come across some really cool ones. One day, maybe I will run one of them.
• My knitting has gotten faster. I have been production knitting, and I feel like I am getting things done quicker than I used to.
• I will soon have earrings for sale in a new store. This one isn't local. I will post more about it soon!
• I am almost completely ready for my two upcoming craft shows. I think I have enough of nearly everything, which is a foreign feeling for me; I always want to make more!

How are all of you doing?

Recent Treasuries

I've been exploring Etsy, and making treasuries lately.

Here is what I came up with. You can click the images to be taken to the treasury.

Good to See You Again, Nancy!

Please welcome back Nancy! Here is her response to asking her top three movies.

Apparently asking myself what movies I like is a hard question! I am more of a TV junkie, but I think I've come up with a representative list...
I'd have to say that The Royal Tenenbaums remains my #3. I earmark it as the movie that drove me to love that genre.
#2- Stranger Than Fiction. Hubby got me to watch it- says it's a very exaggerated version of us;
#1- The Last Unicorn. A kid's movie from the 80's. I probably watched it 1000 times as a child, and then again as a teen. It's a pretty deep movie, actually. I've held on to a lot of quotes from it, and think it probably shaped my poetic sensitivities a bit.
Etsy ~ Blog ~ Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Flickr ~ Pinterest

Welcome Back Jessyz!

Jessyz of Chocolate Mints In A Jar is back again this month! Her is her response to me asking her top three movies:

I tried to think of three movies I really loved but I couldn't. There are loads of great movies, but 3 I really loved felt like an impossible task. But the only movie I totally love and wouldn't mind watching over and over is Mary Poppins. It is a lovely family movie, with funny songs and lots of personal happy childhood memories attached to it.
Etsy ~ Ravelry ~ Blog ~ Twitter ~ Pinterest ~ Facebook

Hello Again, Anja's Arts!

May means another month of great sponsors! I would like to welcome back Christy of Anja's Arts. This month, I asked my sponsors what their top three movies are.
Here are Christy's answers:
Sabrina (with Audrey Hepburn)
Gone with the Wind... even though it's so incredibly sad.
Letters to Juliet...   I dream of going to Italy :)
Etsy Shop ~ Twitter
Don't forget, you can use the code KnitNicole15 in her shop to save 15%!

Awesome Thursday: May 3, 2012

This past week has been absolutely lovely! If you are new to Awesome Thursday, I post every week about the great things going on in my life. Showing gratitude can increase your overall happiness and satisfaction with life.

• I won a giveaway hosted by the lovely Amy of Vanagon Champion. The prize was a print from Lauren from A Wild Tonic. I should be getting it any time! I'm so excited about this.
• Yesterday, I tied in the ends on over 30 items, and priced them for my upcoming events.
• I will soon have my items available in a new store here in Kingsville. I still have to decide what exactly I will be bringing, and make some more stuff, but it's very exciting!
• I signed up for a pretty big show coming up towards the end of the month. I'll be working my booth, and a space for LeeLee hats at the same time. It should be fun!
• We got our taxes taken care of. I'm not getting anything back this year, which is a bummer, but I didn't work that much last year compared to years prior.
• A bunch of my mail that I got sent to my US shipping address is finally in Canada. My parents picked it up recently, and I am just waiting until my mom brings it to me! Earring supplies, soap and a couple other things. Saturday can't come fast enough!
• I joined some new Etsy teams that have already boosted my shop views, and given me some favourites!
• I went for a great run today. I'm still working on Couch to 5K, and it's going well.

What awesome things are going on in your lives lately?