The Wall of Fiber

So, after the whole 2am mouse incident, my bedroom has been thouroughly cleaned and vacuumed. The living room looked like a tornado hit it with all of the clutter, but the bedroom was clean. The business invested in a set of wire mesh cubes to store all the sweaters that had previously been sitting on the floor in bags. It took an entire evening of 3 adults, a good wrench, a rubber hammer, and about a bazillion zip ties, but the large empty wall of my bedroom now looks like this:
Then all 12 gigantic bags of sweaters were neatly folded, sorted by fiber content and yarn weight and placed in the cubes. 12 bags only took up half of the space...
So, we added some bubble pack envelopes, the waiting to be sold yarn, and the entirety of my personal yarn stash. Y'all, that is a lot of fiber on that wall. It is glorious!
As a note on the personal stash, the upper right hand cube is all of the store bought wool yarn I own. 1 cube is full of spinning fiber. The bottom 2 right hand cubes are acrylic. The rest is all recycled yarn that I have kept for myself. Now if I could only find some time to knit...

As another note, I have been trying to blog about this for 2 days, but blogger didn't want to upload my pictures. Stupid blogger.

Clean, must clean!

Today begins a major cleaning and organizing spree of my master bedroom. Last night I was attacked by a flying mouse. There is nothing like waking up at 2am to the shocking realization that some flying rodent has jumped onto the bed. I am totally creeped out and MUST CLEAN now!

I have no idea why this mouse has taken up residence in my room. There is no food in my room, and we aren't anywhere near as bad as most of the rooms that you see in Clean Sweep. Sure there's the pile of fiber against the wall, but that's normal right? I have heard him rummaging around for a few days now and the flying onto the bed was just the last nail in the coffin. He is being evicted. Every inch of the room will be vacuumed and cleaned. The bed will be moved, the furniture rearranged. That pile of bags of fiber will be neatly organized in my new cube system. (Being purchased by DH today).

We live in the country. We have had an ongoing mouse problem since we inadvertently brought one in with a big bag of rabbit food. We got a cat to help deal with the problem, but he proved a larger problem since he refused to poop in his cat box and pooped all over my house. He didn't last long. We have had various types of mouse traps around, but the mice have never completely gone away. When the rabbit died a few weeks ago, we bought those sonic mouse things that you plug in and are supposed to deter the mice from coming in. We set them up all over the kitchen. Unfortunately, it seems to have driven at least one mouse to my bedroom. The really horrible thing is that even with the massive cleaning, this mouse may still have found a good place to hide where I won't find him.

It may be time for professional help. Anyone know a good exterminator?

Finding Balance

This has always been a struggle for me. I tend to throw all my energy into my current obsession and the other things in my life tend to slide. My Dad says that it is genetic that I am this way, but I'm not really sure that it is since this tendency has only emerged since I have had children. Pre-children I didn't have 90 million things to do each day, and didn't really care if I sat and watched TV all day. Now I do still enjoy sitting and watching a movie, or listening to talk radio or something, but it is almost like I have developed ADHD or something. I can't sit still. I feel as if I MUST be doing something in addition to relaxing and watching TV. My hands get restless and I think of all the 89 million things I haven't gotten to today. "Ooo, I can get in just a few rows on Brendan's dinosaur while I watch this!" or "Sigh, that basket of laundry hasn't folded it's self yet, I guess I'll do that while watching this" or "Well, I've got 5 minutes before dinner comes out of the oven and no one is screaming, I think I'll check my email". 20 minutes later, I am still on the computer and the house has degenerated into chaos because I wasn't paying attention.

The computer thing is really another issue. I need a 12 step program for the internet or something. I get twitchy. There's nothing in particular I want, I just want to be on. It's bad...

But back to balance. Since I feel that I must be accomplishing something, just sitting and watching the children, or being available to talk with them and be genuinely interested doesn't seem to fall high on that list of accomplishing things. It is more of a passive accomplishment and I have been so focused on active things lately. You know, the things that I can cross off on a list "Dishes done, Check!" "Orders filled, Check!" "Children bathed, Check!". I think that it is comming to the point where I need to schedule the children into my mental checklist. "Sat and played dinosaurs with Brendan, Check!" I had a moment yesterday when I sat down to lunch with Shaya and Brendan and instead of talking with them and being "present" my mind was wandering to the laptop and I had to pull myself back from bringing it to the table.

I need some boundries.

I feel like a 2 yr old or something, that I need to set rules for myself. If it works, though, that's what is important. This week I am going to impliment a schedule for myself, and rules on when I can be on the computer and when I need to be mentally present with the family.

1. Since DH is home in the mornings, I will feed the babies, then take a shower and read my scriptures (this has really helped this past week with the morning grouchiness).
2. I will not look at the computer until I have a load of laundry in the washer, and the dishwasher is unloaded.
3. I will spend no more than 1 hour on the computer checking email, renewing stitch markers, blogging, twittering, etc.
4. I will not check the computer again until the twins take their nap.
5. Between 5pm-8pm I will not get on the computer. I will not do any business stuff until the kids are in bed.
6. I will let the children help with dinner.
7. I will do the dishes directly after dinner.
8. I will fill orders and print labels after the children go to bed.
9. I will be off the computer and in bed by 10pm. No exceptions.

That sounds like a lot. Wish me luck.

The problem with twins

There are innumerable joys in being the mother of twins. Watching them interact with each other is amazing and wonderful. They have loved each other since before they were born and you can tell. They are a team, a duo, a pair. When they were first born they were happiest when I squashed them both close together, side by side in the bassinet. They follow each other around the room like a school of fish and investigate when one is crying. It is true that they are still babies and are disposed to steal each other's toys or binkies, but all in all, you know that they belong together.

There is an inherent problem, though. There are 2 of them.

It sounds so simple. Intellectually you know that there are 2 of them. You change both diapers each day, feed both little mouths each day, but it doesn't hit home until you can't seem to make both happy at the same time. If you pick up one, the other continues to scream, or begins to scream because "How DARE you pick up brother and not me!" or "Wait! Don't forget me!" When this doesn't happen, one will be happily sitting in your lap, or playing elsewhere and the other will find some mischief to get into. I just know that once they are toddlers we are going to have duel animals of destruction around here. 3 if Brendan hasn't grown out of it yet.

The twins have a cold. I always feel so bad for the little guys who have a cold. They just don't understand why they can't breathe through their nose, or why that cough keep happening. What is worst is when their little noses are plugged and they have to stop sucking (on binky or nursing) in order to breathe. Most of the time, they would hold out as long as they possibly can and then cry because they don't feel good, and want to suck on their binky because it makes them feel better, but they can't because they can't breathe. It's a sad little circle. The whole cold thing is amplified by the fact that there are 2 of them. It is impossible to keep the germs seperate. Once one starts to get it, I know that it is only a matter of time before the other one does. Once both of them are sick, I have 2 sad little lumps who just want to sit in mommy's lap. The problem is that while one can still accomplish some things while holding a baby, it is impossible to do ANYTHING while holding 2.

Last night was a rough night. I am no longer used to waking up 2 and 3 times a night, so I don't plan ahead... like going to bed at 8:30. Poor Hyrum woke up twice last night. I think maybe he had a sore throat from the sinus drainage. When I heard a baby screaming for the 3rd time since I went to bed, I couldn't help but think "Oh, come on! I nursed you, changed your diaper, gave you medicine, and you're still not happy?! I don't know what else I can do." I stumble into their room blurry eyed and realized that Hyrum was sound asleep (guess the Tylanol helped) and it was Quinn screaming at me. It was, in fact 6am and time for breakfast and a diaper change. "Oh, it's you" I thought. Well, I guess I can't blame him for wanting breakfast. He, had, in fact slept all night even if his brother hadn't.

Therein lies the problem, and the joy... They are 2 different people.

Addictive bit of lace

The February Phatfiber sampler box went on sale today! It is a sampler box full of stitch markers, mini-skeins of yarn, batts of spinning fiber, and all things lovely fiber. I was aproached 2 months ago to contribute to February's box with the theme of "Romance and Chocolate". I sent in my samples of 90yrds of my luscious Recycled Lace Weight Extra Fine Merino Wool, with a white freshwater pearl infinity ring stitch marker attached. Unfortunately, in my excitement to get them out I neglected to take a picture. I kept waiting for them to make an appearance on the phatfiber blog, but they never did. They made a brief appearance in the second video, though.

I got to thinking, though, 90yrds of laceweight looks like such a tiny little skein, but is really MUCH more than you think. So, what exactly can you make with just 90 yrds?

How about a Kerchief? A super quick, highly addictive, Ostrich Feather lace Kerchief to be exact!


Pattern to come shortly! Stay tuned!

We made it a whole year!

Happy Birthday Baby Boys! Somehow we have all managed to survive an entire year. From what I can tell, we're all happy, and healthy too. I have gotten so used to them now that I forget that babies don't normally come in twos. It is just second nature to change 2 diapers, and dress 2 babies, and listen to 2 babies cry.

Having twins has been an amazing, joyful experience. Watching them together is unlike watching any of my other babies. Most babies don't really interact with other babies other than curiosity, or the occasional stealing of toys, but these 2 are a duo. We call them the carpet sharks and they move like a school of fish. Where one goes, the other is soon to follow. If one finds an interesting toy. the other is soon to come over and examine it too. I swear that they understand each other's cries. If one is in another room fussing, the other will go see what is wrong. If I am nursing one, the other will hear that pre-nursing fussing and come crawling in at full speed. They work in collusion. One will be screaming his head off in his crib, while the other is just chillin in his crib. It's almost like they are thinking "Hey, I don't need to scream. If brother is crying mom will come." Of course, once I pick up the screaming one, the other will let me kow that it is NOT acceptable to forget to pick him up too. If one gets tired of crying before I show up, they will trade off and the other one will scream for a bit.

We don't walk or talk yet, but we are REALLY close. I can't wait to see what the next year brings. Since these are my last little guys I am just lapping up every moment with them and enjoying every little quirk and milestone.

Complicated plan to get out of debt

You all may know that I am on Dave Ramsey's plan to get out of debt. I have had to learn some very complicated rules, like the one shown here in a clip from SNL.

25 Random Things

1. I don't really like breakfast foods, so I have a chocolate Carnation Instant Breakfast shake every morning.

2. I always wanted to be a stay at home mom, but saying that in school was frowned upon, especially in IB where we were all supposedly smart and were supposed to make things of ourselves, so I would talk about being a spy or a translator for a large company.

3. I have never been to another country

4. I studied Russian for 8 years and even majored in it in Collage but don't think I could even ask where the bathroom is anymore.

5. I participated in the 2006 Knitting Olympics where I knit a GIGANTIC man's sweater in 14 days. DH loves it.

6. I've knit that same sweater pattern 2 more times since then. Both times for women.

7. I have only had 1 "Real" job. I was applying at paper warehouse for a summer job the summer before my senior year and some random lady followed me out and asked if I wanted a job. I worked in that call center from then until just after Alex was born.

8. When asked what I do, I like to say "I am raising quality human beings"

9. I hit on DH in the parking lot of our church on the day we met, but I thought he was someone I had met a few days before. That is until he said "by the way my name is Grant"

10. I didn't tell him this until after we were married.

11. Our wedding photographer actually gave us a metal heart trivet as a prize because she said we were the most romantic couple she had ever met.

12. I credit our continued marital bliss largely in part to Dr. Laura

13. For 2 years I was severely addicted to FFXI. I thought of myself by my online name and had to stop myself from referring to Grant by his online name in real life. Since I broke the cycle I have pretty much avoided all computer games.

14. It took 2 more years to stop having dreams about the game.

15. It has been 10 years since High School and I think I finally stopped having dreams about it. I don't know how 4 years can have such a profound effect on the rest of your life.

16. I turned to knitting and the online knitting community as a way to break the video game addiction.

17. I am a combined knitter, which to non-knitters means I knit "wrong"

18. I am 1 of 5 siblings and I gave birth to 5 children.

19. When the twins were born I had 5 children ages 6 and under, although my pregnancies were all about 2 years apart.

20. One of my all time favorite books is Pride and Prejudice. I have read it twice, listened to the audio book twice, and watched both versions of the movie at least that many times.

21. I cloth diaper my 3 youngest children to save money, but actually really like the cloth better than disposables.

22. I briefly thought about making my own cloth diapers until I realized that while my knitting skills may be great, my sewing skills are not.

23. In High School my horse bowl team won the national competition.

24. When I was 10 I won 3rd place in the muttin bustin competition in the Junior Rodeo. I still have the belt buckle.

25. Until a year after I was married, I did not own a jacket that didn't have my name printed on it somewhere.

On the Chopping Block

Happy Tuesday Morning everyone! I have a busy Recycling week planned. Keep an eye out for them in my shop this week, and as always if you are particularly interested in something, please let me know!




45% Wool, 45% Acrylic, 10% Nylon, 6.5st / inch, Fingering Weight.
I didn't get this done last week, but it is on the top of the list this week.









100% Wool, 11 wpi, Worsted Weight.
I got 9 skeins out of this gigantic sweater!!!! That's 1800 yrds available!









74% Polyester, 11% Mohair, 7% Acrylic, 8% Wool, 5st / inch, Worsted Weight.
This is REALLY soft.









100% Silk, Lace Weight.










26% Viscose, 25% Cotton, 24% Nylon, 17% Wool, 5% Angora
This has a deep purple blue twist in it that doesn't show up well in the picture. I have 3 identical sweaters, but due to washing, etc, they are now different dye lots.









100% Cashmere, Lace Weight.
This is very pale green, like new leaves.










100% Silk, Lace Weight











100% Extra Fine Merino, Lace Weight.