My book will become a reality!

    I moved a step closer to getting patterns completed for the book last night, or this morning, it was about 2 a.m. but I had not really been to bed yet, so I am not sure which you would call it. I got a call from Bob, Bob is my wannabe publisher, or at least the agent assigned to sell me as much as possible to “help get my book published. He called to offer me a deal that I could not refuse and to, in his words “light a fire under me” to get the process going. I have decided the best thing for me is to start out self publishing with an on-demand company. I have learned quite a lot about the publishing industry lately. On-demand means you pay them to help you put together a book and they offer it for sale to bookstores; on-line and brick and mortar. Then whenever someone orders a copy they print it and send it. I make money off the sale of those books, if and when they get ordered. Bob’s job is to sell me a package to get the book printed and edited and maybe, for a little bit extra, advertised. He is also there to keep me motivated and actively working on the project.

     So, the progress I was talking about, remember, that is how this all started, I have been searching for months for a program that will allow me to put my crochet designs in a graph format. I finally found a couple of them last night. The first one was for sale for $160.00 and on a disk they would send; the second was available for immediate download for $3.95. Can you guess which one I went with? Bells and whistles are overrated. This program will allow me to write my patterns in word form then to translate them into graphs. This is exciting because more and more patterns coming out right now are offered in both forms. It helps those of us that are very visual, to read patterns more easily. Graphs have a lot of X’s and O’s and squiggly lines all over. These graphs sort of look like a football playbook. Actually, I think I have seen some patterns that would make a pretty good football play when graphed out. Note to self: get a hold of Chilly and let him know about those. Hey they can’t be any worse than some of the plays he called last season!! Maybe I can even design one that Bret can throw and AP can actually catch. Hey I may have a whole new career going here. Football plays disguised as graphed crochet patterns. Ok settle back down to earth and deep breath, whewwwww moving on. So the long and short of it is I am getting to work on my patterns! The book may become a reality. Check that, WILL become a reality. I guess I should not spend any more time procrastinating here I should be working on writing patterns.

Losing your computer cord sucks!

      I was at a wonderful quilt retreat last weekend and got 3 whole projects completed. It was great! I made a MN Wild (that’s hockey) wall hanging for Mike. I also made two bags, one was very easy and one we lovingly referred to as “the bag from hell!!” They both turned out great and I love them. The main problem with the bag from hell was the writing of the pattern. It was so poorly written it both confused and frustrated us to distraction. It took two of us 4 hours to cut out the pieces. Then we spent another 8 hours putting it together. Now that I have done it once, I know what changes to make so it will go together easier.

     Once again I seem to digress; the point of this blog was to tell you I have not posted since my trip because somehow I lost the cord to my computer and it does like to run without power. I ran it completely dry and had to wait till I could get a new cord. The way things work in my world, I am sure because I bought a new cord I will find the old one.

Where have the last 10 days gone????

Where has the time gone? It has been 10 days since my last post. I can’t believe it. It has been a very busy 10 days. Let see what I have accomplished in that time...

 

• I got the girl-child motivated to get packing for her big day of moving. You would think she would be just chomping at the bit to do this but she needed some daily prodding. I gave her 3 choices for everything in her room, 1- goodwill, 2 – garbage, or 3 – going with you. This was hard for her, but her “stuff” is not staying here. We went shopping and bought several hundred dollars worth of things she needed for the apartment, we actually moved her bed in and got it set up, we dropped some boxes off but did not unpack them.
• I  talked to the girl-childs landlord, got in to see the apartment and answered the questions I needed to know.  No, there are no lights in the living room, they do need lamps. No, there are no curtains, they do need these, there is not a shower curtain, and yes only one dresser will fit in the bedroom.  She will need to reevaluate the amount of clothes she plans on bringing with her. Unless the boy plans on not ever wearing any clothes.  What they do in their own home does not matter to me but I think work and school might have something to say about it.
• I set up my summer schedule for crochet classes at Yarn Harbor. 4 of the classes I have planned are for new projects, I need to write the patterns for these projects and get samples made. Having to teach a class will give me good motivation to get them written.
• I cleaned house and cooked multiple times, these are worth mentioning cuz they are not things I tend to do on a regular basis, my family will attest to this. (Mike does most of our cooking; he’s good at it and likes it so why fight him on it????)
• I have been to the grocery store 11 times. (We really need to do one big grocery buy instead of always getting what we need for supper)
• I have been to the gas station 6 times. (Running to Two Harbors really eats up gas!!)
• I helped the boy-child get through the third quarter; I think we passed all our classes. With all the homework I read and did with him we better of passed them!
• I taught 4 crochet classes and 2 needle felting classes at Yarn Harbor.
• I started writing 3 patterns and testing them, they are in various stages of production.
• I bought and read a book about writing crochet patterns and how to get published. I started setting up some of the guidelines that the book suggested; I started editing some of my current patterns to fit these guidelines.
• I made contact with two publishers to get information about my book process.
• I taught two after-school recycled art classes to a group of 15 Kindergartners.
• I have done 11 massages.
• I took my mother to physical therapy 5 times.
• I started and completed 2 crochet projects; one for me one for a gift.
• I packed for my quilt retreat this weekend. I think I have everything together; maybe I better go back and check bags.

 

I think I better go now because I still have to go to the bank, get my hair cut, teach a craft class, and go to the grocery store today. Dang!! I need a nap!

 

 

 

Fiber Rummage Sale, Maybe I shouldn't have gone.

     Today I went to the fiber guild rummage sale. I got there about 45 minutes before it opened and was about 10th in line. I knew it was going to be pretty busy, that’s why I got there early. By the time the doors opened there were about 30 people in line, waiting anxiously to stampede the room and get bargains. There are some great deals to be had if you can get into the room fast enough. Have you ever been to the park and thrown bread crumbs out and was instantly surrounded by seagulls screaming mine! Mine! Mine! Well it was something like that. When I got inside there was a table heaping with yarn, some hand-spun, some bags of bits and pieces, some store bought but never used, a little bit of everything. By the time l checked out ½ hour later, I looked back at the yarn table and there was only about half dozen skeins left. Now I helped to empty the table so I am not saying there was anything wrong with the frenzy that ensued.


      In past years I have brought stuff to sell at the sale myself and done quite well. When I left this morning, Michael said, “be sure and come home with less then you brought”, unfortunately this year I did not get my stuff in order in time. The plan is, as I move into the new craft room I am going to sort through things and set aside the stuff for next year. I of course have to make room for the couple of bags of bargains I got today.  Gee did I really need more purple yarn??  Did you hear it too??  I am positive I heard it calling my name and it was handspun wool and such a good price how could I possibly say no?

These are a few of my bargains I picked up today.

Daisy Ione Ferris Quaderer

Daisy Ione Ferris Quaderer.


     The matriarch of our family. My Grandma Daisy, she touched many, many lives over the years. Today Daisy would have been 102. She died just a few months short of turning 100 years old. She was an inspiration to me in so many ways. She had a hard life, grew up with her sister in a catholic orphanage, when she did move home her stepmother died in her arms, worked to support herself and her family. Through it all she had a wonderful marriage, raised three reasonably well adjusted children, and worked full time. She used to tell me she was a survivor, and that is how you had to get through the day. I have often thought about those words and yes, sometimes that is what gets me through the day!

     She taught me to knit and crochet at age 7. I guess that was the beginning of a life long career, passion and one could even say obsession. She was always working on something, usually a baby blanket. She used the ripple pattern in neutral colors, you know, pink and white and blue or green and yellow striped. I truly believe there was not a baby born in the Duluth or Superior area during the 70’s and 80’s who did not own one of those blankets. Grandma Daisy made a good share of them. I know for a fact that some of them are still out there in bits and pieces, still cherished and loved by their now grown owners.

     From the time I was quite small she would take both my hands in hers and tell me “With these two hands you will make your way in the world.” It did not mean much to me then, but as I grew older it seemed to have quite an impact. When I became a Massage Therapist for my life profession it really struck me that she knew all along what I would be doing. When I started designing patterns and working with fiber it again struck me how much influence she had in my life.

   One year after her death my daughter and I went out and had a tribute to Grandma Daisy day. We decided to get tattoos of a daisy. Cassondra’s has Grandma’s years of life around it. We had been planning exactly what we wanted for about a week and she got up one morning and said “I had a dream and Grandma told me what it is supposed to look like.” So she knew what to do. Mine has the praying hands holding it because religion was a very important part of Daisy’s life and it says “With these two hands” around it. That has been an important statement in my life.

Go ask Alice...

"Sometimes I believe in as many as 6 impossible things before breakfast." Alice in Wonderland 

1. I will actually get this pattern written.  Impossible!

2. I will actually get my craft room.  Impossible!

3. I will get organized.  Impossible!

4. I will complete the rug I am working on.  Impossible!

5. I will complete all the designs for the book.  Impossible!

6. I will slay the Jabberwachy.  Impossible!

But I believe the impossible can happen!

I Get a New Craft Room, I mean The Girl-Child is moving out. (sniff. sniff. WINK!)

      Over the last week the Girl-Child told us she found an apartment and is moving in with “The Boy”. She and the boy, (that’s what we call him) have been together for a while now and he seems to be a pretty good influence on her. We have called him "the boy" since they first started dating.  At first she was a little upset by it but I told her it was better then if I called him by her ex's name.  She agreed. I also pointed out that after 20+ years of marriage my father-in-law still calls me Michael's bride.  (Probably for the same reason.)  She now refers to him as "the boy." Now it has become a habit, the poor kid will be turning 50 and I will still be calling him "the boy".
     They are moving the middle of next month to a small apartment that is walking distance to work, just a little ways from a Dairy Queen and within stumbling distance of the local pub. He became of age in December and she becomes of age in May. I have not seen it yet but it sounds like a pretty good location.  They looked at it once and decided to take it. It sounds as if they found a landlord who is willing to help a young couple just starting out. Where would we all be if we had not had just such a person along the way? I asked her how many windows there were and if they need curtains? She couldn’t remember. I asked if there were lights in the room or if they needed lamps? She didn’t remember. I asked if the needed a shower curtain? She didn’t remember. But it’s a cute place. I asked her to call the landlord and find out when we can go look at it and I can get all my questions answered. I have been looking around here, figuring out what we have to give her, and get rid of. This might be my chance to get new stuff. I mightneed to do some shopping.
     I have been planning how my new craft room will look. The rest of my family is quite excited about getting the use of the den, dining room, front hallway, and various other my many stashes have taken over. I have been teasing the Girl-Child for the last couple of years that I want her room for crafts.  In reality her room is the smallest and ours is the largest, so once she is gone; we move into her room and I take over the big room, with the big closet and the big windows.  My friends have warned me to be careful not to move too quickly because they often come back. That is fine; I think she will be quite comfortable sleeping on the floor under my cutting table. She shouldn’t worry about the scraps that end up on the floor; they will give her more padding. I suppose I should also warn her that I tend to go in there all hours of the day and night and work when the mood strikes me. She is currently cleaning out her room and “going thru stuff”. After about 4 hours and 10 garbage bags she came out and said “I really have A LOT of clothes”. This I already knew. I will keep you posted on the happenings of the big move.