Thursday, September 09, 2010

Report Damage at Once

Not much happening here in Lovely LAconia these days, save wishing for rain (and pissing off friends on facebook. Screw you if you can't take a joke.)(Here's the joke: How can you tell if it time to clean the house? Look in your pants and if you see a penis, it isn't time.) We have had minor sprinkles over the last few weeks, but it has been a month or more since there has been a major soil soaking rain. We are even watering a tree or two, mostly the Dawn Redwood who likes to have damp feet.

I have been sewing kites and wind socks in a sort of desultory manner, hopping up from the machine to tend laundry or to check email. I don't want this to turn into a JOB, but I do realize that the St. James Art Fair is fast approaching and the Kite Man needs some product, and so I am trying to make some for him.

The money I am making is helping our situation, (as is actually getting rent from our renters,) and so I have begun spending bits of it. The PFD cotton I ordered from Dharma arrived. I have reeled off 6 yards and washed it, and I have read up on low immersion dyeing techniques since it has been waaaay too long since I have dyed anything except with acid dyes. Two different beasties altogether they are.

I may or may not dye a little this nice, warm afternoon. (Let's see if this headache goes away.)

That's the other thing. In this dry and dusty environment, my allergies have gone haywire. The worst ever. I spent several hours outside Saturday past, helping Sweetie put up a better fence around the back yard enclosure, and when I finally came inside I felt sick and noticed the rashes and hives erupting in the same-as-usual as well as different places on my body. I am still not totally recovered, in spite of the 3 to 5 benadryls I have been taking daily. I am assuming that the mid-afternoon headaches must be part and parcel of the whole allergic mess. (Please, may I not be allergic to ripstop nylon!) In yet another aside, I am also allergic to mold, which rain will help bring along, but allergic more in my lungs, not my skin. So far.

The Little Bunny Foo Foo Shawl, the pattern for which I found on Ravelry, is being knit upon almost every morning. I am making the 3/4s of a square version, and every other round adds 6 stitches, making for slower and slower going. On the plus side, I seem to not be making stupid mistakes and so it progresses without ripping.

The other thing I have spent money on just came. Thank you, Dave the UPS Guy! It is a new printer/copier/scanner that I ordered - after it became obvious that Sweetie was to busy to deal with ordering. The one we have now (an HP All-in-One) has decided not to speak to our computer, at all, in spite of re-installing, work arounds and all manners of trying-to-make-the damn-thing-work. This new one is a Kodak, because that is what Sweetie said we would get. And now, we have it.

I'm gonna try to install this one my own little self. Thereby avoiding sewing a little bit longer. If the installation gives me grief, I can gladly retreat into the studio and the Bernina.