Busy Days....

L-R Koi, Emerald Green, Alloy, Poppy Red, Gray Jade, African Violet, Vivacious, Manhattan Blue, Carafe

                                                                    originally uploaded by ontheroundfiberart.

Hello! *Waves*

The kids are in bed, the kitchen is clean, the goat is milked, and I'm banned from spinning while my hands take a break. So naturally, I was playing around on the internets when it occurred to me that I haven't blogged all week!

Honestly, I don't know where this week went- it all sort of mushed together and and drifted on by. 'Tis the season, right? T-ball starts up, the lawn needs mowing, gardens need to be tended too, and craft shows are coming so it's work, work, work as much as possible! Needless to say, I didn't get much computer time in....

Despite how fast the time went, I have a lot of beautiful work to show for it! I spun 12 amazing skeins of handspun yarn (hence my hurt hands) and have dyed over 20 lbs of wool!

Truthfully, I LOVE this time of year. I love all the green and the longer days, and the fresh air! I feel motivated and inspired. It feels good to have work, to have color everywhere, and fun things ahead!

I hope you're staying busy, and enjoying it!

p,s, The yarn in the photo will be listed next week! Stay tuned for more information about shop update details.

Saturday Morning Melt Downs

My Saturday's begin just like every other day. I wake up with the baby somewhere between 5:30-6:30, we lay in bed and nurse or snooze for a little bit. Then we get up out of bed and meet up with the big girl. Breakfast is always at 7 and I go out and milk the goats while the kids eat. There is usually coffee and some internet time somewhere in there.

On weekdays, I finish getting Taylor ready, pack her lunch, load the kids in the car and take T to school. Then I come home, nurse the baby, put her back to bed, make myself food, vacuum and get to work.

This is my schedule everyday. I like it.

Then comes Saturday.

By 9 am my husband has begun doing his errands and is in and out getting stuff done. The big girl is tooting around non stop eating, asking a million questions, and doing all kinds of random things. I usually ask her to get dressed no less than one million times. The baby, may or may not nap. There are a lot of noises and things happening. I try and be lazy, lounge around, maybe spin and try and ignore everyone. I might possibly get some Facebook time in, but that's never enjoyable because the rest of the world doesn't seem to post so early in the morning.

By 9:15 I'm losing my mind, have had way too much coffee, and am usually starving since I spent all my time feeding everyone else but forgetting to feed myself.

I then proceed to have a giant grown woman tantrum. It's ugly. I am completely lost and my husband is confused and most likely irritated by my emotional state.

The day starts like every other day- but it's not, it's Saturday.

Today, mid melt down, it has occurred to me why Saturday's are so uncomfortable for me. Its no one fault and it really can't be helped- it is entirely a result of working from home. Most people wake up on Saturday's feeling good to be at home, but my home is my office. There is no distinction for me. When I look around I see work, constantly reminded by what needs to be done, but it's not a work day.

Sunday's are fine because by the end of Saturday I've relaxed and started to enjoy the day and my family. My mind is not confused on Sundays, it knows what to do.

This is quite the break through for me- finally I have figured out why I melt down every single Saturday. Can I fix it? Avoid the melt down?

I doubt it.

Because EVERY morning the kids wake up at the same time, the goat needs to be milked, everyone needs to be fed and there's probably going to be coffee and some internet.

At least now I know why I'm having a melt down.

Happy Saturday.

Family Photo Shoot

Thank you so much to my talented sister for taking such great photos of me and my little family.

Elections & Knitting...the important things in life.

Hello! Happy Election Day! Elliot and I voted first thing this morning after we took Taylor B. to school. Elliot was pretty excited to take part in her first Presidential Election!
That was a lot of exclamation points there, but voting really is very exciting.
I'm certainly not one to get all political on my blog about cozy crafts. However, I do want to say, GO VOTE! Both Elliot and I think that's what is really important.
Now onto other news, I have scheduled a shop update tonight! I thought while everyone would be glued to their computers for constant election updates you may as well treat yourself to some yarn porn. You can follow along with my shop update live via twitter by following @ontheround or on my Facebook Fan Page.
Tonight I will be listing a few handspun yarns, some polwarth/silk batts and romney (as in the fleece, not the electoral candidate) batts for spinning and felting, and my latest hand dyed yarn offerings.

The hand dyed yarn is a new base that I am so excited to be offering. It is a heavy worsted, single ply fine count wool that is absolutely soft and squishy! I am so pleased with this yarns loftiness, it's soft hand, and how beautifully it takes dye!
My newest hand dyed yarn is of the same quality that you have come to expect from ontheround yarns, but a bit more affordable. The best part is, I am able to offer this line in larger dye lots! Yay sweater knitting!
I'm sensing a KAL in the near future.....
Speaking of sweater knitting! Obviously I had to keep some of my new hand dyed yarn for myself! Sample knitting....of course, strictly business.

This yarn is totally perfect for Imogen, by Perl Grey, a simple chick shawl collar cardigan. I knit Imogen last year at this same time for my friend Holly and have been wanting to knit myself one ever since.
Holly chose Manos del Uruguay Wool Classica in a sage green for her Imogen, but I really wanted something more colorful and crazy for myself and to use my own OTR yarn. I chose "Peafowl" a hand painted skein of turquoise, greens, and browns. The drape is perfect and I love the way the browns are popping in and out while the turquoise and green flow more subtly. I am moving right a long on the back panel and I am hoping to finish up tonight. There will be plenty more of this colorway available in this evening shop update!
So now I must focus and get some work done. I've got lots of yarn to label for tonight's update. If you are following a long, I'd love to hear from you!
Be well, be positive, and go VOTE!

My Little Family

Life is good.