Crafty Ashabee!

Happy Birthday Bryce!!

2008-05-30T07:53:00.000-07:00

Today is Bryce's 5th birthday!! Happy Birthday big boy!!

New FO

2008-03-02T08:03:00.000-07:00

Another finished object? Wow, I must be in the zone! Anyhoo, I started this placket neck baby sweater about 2 days ago an finished pretty quickly. I decided to use the camo theme as it's for my SIL's baby shower and they are doing all camo for the wee one. All in all I am happy with how it turned out. I may may make some for my boys for next winter! Not in the camo colors of course ;)

March feature

2008-03-01T08:20:00.000-07:00

Today begins my feature on Yarn4Socks! I will be the featured artist for the entire month of March. They have about 10 different colorways of my superwash merino, sport weight sock yarn. (about 3 skeins in each colorway) So head over there to read my interview and take a gander of all there other awesome goodies!

Baby Bibs O Love and Baby Genius Burp Cloth

2008-02-29T11:52:00.000-07:00

My SIL is having a baby sometime towards the end of June. I was excited because I have been dying to make some baby stuff. S0 here are my first FO's for the wee one. I made two "Baby Bib's O' Love" and one "Baby Genius Burp Cloth" from Mason Dixon Knitting. It was a super fast gift idea, and pretty mindless knitting. And I have to say they look great.

Sleeping Beauties

2008-02-09T07:21:00.000-07:00

Ah yes, remember when you were a kid and could sleep darn near anywhere? I vaguely remember sleeping under my cousins cave like desk...it was my hideout. Well the other night I went to check on my boys and found that they had dumped the toys out of one of their toy boxes and filled it with blankets.

Scrunched up like little sardines they were sleeping angels.Of course I moved them to their bunk beds, but when I woke in the morning the little one had migrated back to the toy box. And then yesterday Levi took the lid off the toy box, grabbed the kitty bed (that he uses as a doll and stuffed animal bed) and plopped down for a nice nappy nap. Must be nice! I have a hard time sleeping on my pillowtop mattress, but these kids can just snore away in a cat bed.

Stormy Sunrise Neckwarmer

2008-02-06T16:32:00.000-07:00

I was finally able to work on some projects for the shop. So I decided to dig through my stash and I found a wonderful yarn that is a 50% Merino, 50% kid mohair blend that I dyed sometime in the Spring. What to do, what to do? I dug out some handspun baby alpaca and went to town! I edged the neckwarmer in the black alpaca and braided a few yards to make a free form design around the neckwarmer. Tied off with a black satin ribbon, I am in love! It is so soft and warm...and it fits in a really cool way. I like the fact that you can move the ribbon around to get different fits. Definately going to have to make some more of these!

Finished!

2008-02-01T15:48:00.000-07:00

I finally finished the order for yarn4socks.com. I will be featured artist for the month of March! Yay!

I will be a busy girl over the next couple of weeks...we're moving! So no new yarns until after the 17th of February.

Happy Valentine's Day everyone!

Sterling-Hand Dyed Superwash Merino, Silk, Nylon and SILVER

2008-01-12T11:01:00.001-07:00

Sterling-Hand Dyed Superwash Merino, Silk, Nylon and SILVER
Originally uploaded by ashabee's fiber oasis

More yarn to be listed in the shop, including the merino, nylon, silk and silver sock yarns!!

Happy New Year!

2008-01-10T16:13:00.000-07:00

Well, my baby boy is 3 now. I can hardly believe it...seems like just yesterday we were bringing him home from the hospital.

Poor kid is doomed....his bday is New Year's Eve. I'm going to have to watch out for this kid!

In other news, I have been chosen to be featured artist of the month of March on http://www.yarn4socks.com/! They placed a big order and will have the sock yarn listed on their site. So excited!!!

Of boys and dinosaurs...

2007-12-28T10:30:00.000-07:00

Bryce has definately hit his dinosaur stage....4 is that stage right? He watches Discovery when they're on, reads books and even builds them out of legos. He asks me daily to take him to the Musuem of Natural History. He is such an amazing kid, and I can't believe he's starting Kindergarten in August!

Anyway, I was proud of his lego creation and thought I would share...enough of the proud parent stuff...for now, seeing that my little baby Levi will be 3 on New Year's Eve...

New Yarn...

2007-12-27T12:55:00.000-07:00

Hope everyone had a safe and happy holiday! I am back with some fantastic news! We are getting a new base yarn for the shop! It's AMAZING!! Soft, scrumptious and uber shiny! It is a wonderful blend of 63% Superwash merino, 20% Silk, 15% Nylon, 2% SILVER...that's right...SILVER! Luxurious? I think so!

Irish Hiking Hat and Scarf

2007-12-08T01:57:00.000-07:00

Finished objects here!

This is the Irish Hiking Hat and scarf . Both patterns were super easy and fast. The scarf has actually been finished for a while, it was one of my first cable projects. It's just a really great pattern.

As for the yarn, I dyed some worsted weight 50% Merino Wool and 50% Tussah Silk yarn...yummy! Can't wait until it gets cold enough here to wear them out!

Gifts from the kids...

2007-12-02T13:34:00.000-07:00

I have a family that pretty much has everything they want or need. Which makes birthdays and other holidays pretty hard. I mean, who really wants to give someone a gift card? To me, gift giving should be special and heart felt. Last year for XMAS and BDAYS, I let the boys paint pottery at our local pottery place for gifts.

Everyone loved the idea because now Papa can think of the boys every morning when he drinks his coffee. And Grandma can bake cookies to put in the cookie jar. Useful and thoughtful. So we decided this year since we aren't really celebrating XMAS, I would let the boys dye some sock yarn that I would use to knit Papa and Nana some socks for their BDAYS in the spring. The boys picked out their own colors (food safe colors) and painted until they were satisfied. Now they can keep their feet nice and warm and wear some art work from the grandkids.

Ready to be dyed

2007-12-02T10:42:00.001-07:00

Ready to be dyed
Originally uploaded by ashabee's fiber oasis

I have been working on getting some of my yarn skeined up so I can dye it right away. Let me just say, I'm glad it's done! My least favorite part of dyeing yarn is the weighing and skeining....oy! But I figured I better have some ready since the website is up and running and people can now place custom orders without e-mailing ahead of time.

Back in business...

2007-11-06T11:28:00.000-07:00

I'm back from Halloweentown, and I am exhausted! No rest for the weary though...pictures to edit, website to populate, orders to finish...work, work, work!! The wedding was beautiful, and totally Jess. Halloweeny and goth to the core! I am working on the pics, and waiting for my dad to send me the rest...stupid me, I left some on his computer. Including the ones of the kids in their super cute costumes. I must get some rest...haven't slept in a week!!! Nappy time!

So much to do....so little time!

2007-10-29T21:58:00.000-07:00

I have been soooo busy...as usual! I swear...where does the time go? Anyhoo, I have made time for custom orders and even some knitting and crocheting for the shop . I also made a hat for Marcus to wear under his hard hat at work since he's working nights now. Poor guy was freezing! But I doubled up on Cascade 220, so this sucker is warm!!

I leave back to Hatch tomorrow for Jess and Efren's wedding. Man that creeped up fast! We threw her an awesome party last weekend (I'll post pics later). And now here we are getting ready for the big day! I am super excited to be taking the photgraphs as well. It's nice to be able to be involved in one of your best friend's weddings...

Oh yeah...Happy Halloween!!!

Levi's Socks

2007-10-16T08:17:00.001-07:00

Levi's Socks
Originally uploaded by ashabee05

I know I said I would wait to post these socks until I finished Bryce's, but I'm not sure when I will have a chance to finish them. So here they are...Levi's Radioactive Swamp Monster socks! I dyed the yarn in a super cool and kid friendly, self striping pattern and then knit away. I basically took a universal sock pattern and manipulated to fit his chubby little kidlet feet. All in all I like how they turned out and am completely in love with the yarn. Now his little toes-ies will be warm in style this winter!

Customer Appreciation

2007-10-12T15:33:00.000-07:00

I had a custom request by a cool chic a couple weeks ago for school colors...self striping. And she already knit it up!! It's a gold and maroon, chunky striped pair of fingerless gloves. And I have been getting several requests for more, so maybe I have a new colorway??

I'm still here...

2007-10-11T16:19:00.000-07:00

I've been super busy lately. Well ok, I was busy for a while and then I took a break he he. We decided to take a nice quiet weekend to ourselves and ended up at Elephant Butte. The kids? with my parents...score! We stayed at the lodge where there is no t.v., phones or people. We were the only ones there and it was so nice.
We walked along the beach, had a few nice meals and got to sleep in. All in all, a nice weekend. I can't wait to do it again, it was just what we needed...seriously.

I even finished some socks for Levi, and I will post some pics after I make Bryce's...gotta be fair ya know ;)

I also managed to get another order for Twisted sent out! Hope I can keep this up! Looks like the site will be up and running in the next week or so...fingers crossed!

Fat Daddy Bake Shop

2007-09-18T14:37:00.000-07:00

Chocolate is a girl's best friend...seriously! I was getting over my dry socket and starving! And of course I just had to come across a little piece of heaven. I normally don't get excited about food on the internet, but this shop was simply irresistable!

Nicole is a SAHM who creates lovely cupcake delights. She uses high quality and fresh ingredients. And I have to say that the service is superb! I ordered on Friday and she baked and shipped by Monday. I was eating it by Wednesday...fresh, moist and oh so sweet. I guarantee that you have never had another cupcake like it. Her combinations are right on, and the presentation is brilliant! Even comes with a fork so you can dig right in! But, be warned these cupcakes weigh in at about a pound. So save some for later! (even though I didn't lol)

Actual knitting!

2007-09-14T09:38:00.000-07:00

That's right! I finished something! I am hooked on making the ballband dish cloths from Mason Dixon Knitting. They are so thick and scrubby! I really liked the pattern.It was super easy to follow and fun too. I already started on a third.

My only issue seems to be that I can't bare to use them on dishes! Think anyone would notice if they lived in the shower instead of the kitchen sink??

Almost back to normal...

2007-09-13T11:41:00.000-07:00

Well, the swelling is almost gone...thank goodness!

I had a follow up with the surgeon yesterday, and it went really well. He was impressed with how fast I am healing, especially with a dry socket. And I have to admit, I was nervous he was going to be mad at me since I refused to go in and have it packed, but he was actually surprised that I was doing so well without him. So good deal! Next week it's back to work for me!

Since I was doing so well I decided to take the boys to the zoo, their most favorite place...ever. And it was really nice out. The temperature was perfect and there was no wind. It was nice to walk around without getting dehydrated!

The boys had a blast and I got to take some pics of the animals...win win situation if you ask me.

After that we decided to take them to the tram. "The World's Longest Tram" to be exact. It was our first time, but we knew it would be fun.
It was absolutely breath taking.

You travel about 4,000 feet up the Sandia Mountains and you can literally see 11,000 square miles of New Mexico. And all of this in only 15 minutes. Once you get to the top there is skiing ,a restaurant (which I DON'T recommend), hiking trails and million...no...billion dollar views.

There was some pretty heavy cloud cover, so I couldn't take too many pics, but I wil definately be going back. Maybe during the ski season (if we have one this year lol).

The snow would be just gorgeous from that far up!

Bryce did really well with the height , but Levi was clingy and not sure if he liked it or not. But as soon as we hit solid ground he was off on a mission. A mission to find more "coneys". We got back on the tram a couple hours later and by then it was getting windy. 32 mph...they close it at 45, so we were good :)

Dry Socket...

2007-09-06T12:19:00.000-07:00

Well it seems that I have developed a dry socket thanks to my good ol buddy, TMJ. Apparently I grind my teeth at night and that dislodged the clot. So yippee. PAIN! But I refuse to go back to the surgeon and have him pack it because...well...I'm stubborn and it will heal on it's own. But it looks like I am gonna be out a little longer than expected. Shoulda known. Thank goodness for clove oil and ibuprofen. Did I mention I've lost 10 pounds since the surgery? Not the way I would've liked, but hey.

Ouch...

2007-09-01T09:34:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I had my wisdom teeth surgically removed. Luckily I only had 2, both on bottom. Bad things is I have severe TMJ that has been aggravated by the infection one of the wisdom teeth was causing. And today...well I feel like I have been smashed in the face by an ice cream truck...did I mention they removed some of my bone as well? I can barely open my mouth, headache, neck ache, stitches....ick. The surgery itself wasn't so bad, and even yesterday I was doing all right, once I took the gauze out. The only thing I really remember from the surgery is the doc putting the IV in my hand and then asking me if the room was spinning yet. Then it seems like two seconds later I woke up next to two girls who were crying for one reason or another. All I could think about was food lol. I guess that's what I get for not eating at all the day before.

Eclipse

2007-08-28T05:53:00.001-07:00

Hope everyone got a chance to see the eclipse. I missed the first part, but saw the rest this morning. I wish I woulda got up in time to see the first half, but what can I do. It would have been neat to see...for sure!

I tried to get some pictures of the moon last night but there was too much cloud cover.

Anywho, Friday I am going in to get my wisdom teeth removed...ick! Not looking forward to that...wish me luck!

Meet the Fam....

2007-08-22T08:15:00.000-07:00

I have been busy helping my aunt and her best friend get their Etsy Shop going. They just finished their cookbook, aprons and instructional DVD for the Hatch Chile Festival. Every year they set up shop and roast corn and chile from the roasters that my uncle makes. MMM...so yummy!

Every year they enter the chile cook off...and Win! Their recipes are soooo good. The cookbook also contains our family favorites as well as some friends own concoctions. Sometimes I wish I still lived there, I miss all the good chile. Albuquerque's Mexican food...well...isn't so good. Just sayin'.

I guess I got spoiled growing up in Hatch...lol.

They also made an instructional DVD that shows you how to make sauces and from the chile field to the table. Oh did I mention they call themselves "The Hot Flash Mamas"? Yeah...they are funny!!

It arrived...phew!

2007-08-09T08:23:00.000-07:00

I can sit back and relax....the yarn got to Twisted. It's a little nerve racking when it's such a large order.

Be sure to visit their blog for details and to see some other yarny goodness coming to their shop.

I'm on Ravelry!

2007-08-08T13:26:00.001-07:00

I'm on Ravelry!
Originally uploaded by ashabee05

Although I'm still learning my way around the site, I can already tell that it's gonna be super fun! What a genius idea! Now you can be friends with all the yarn addicts of the world gwahahaha...

Be sure to look me up under ashabee05...let's be friends!

Bored....

2007-08-08T08:04:00.000-07:00

Yay! I hit 600!

2007-08-07T07:46:00.001-07:00

Yay! I hit 600!
Originally uploaded by ashabee05

I checked my hearts today and was pleased to see I had 600 :) I'm kinda OCD like that. I like nice even numbers lol. But still...it feels good.

Still taking a break...

2007-08-06T08:19:00.000-07:00

I'm still taking a break...against my will. The same day as my last blog post I cut my hand pretty badly.

I just ran some hot water in the sink and put the dishes in when thedryer buzzer. So I went to put the clothes up. I went back to the sink, grabbed a glass and started to spin my hand around the inside until I felt something very sharp and very rough go across my knuckle. At first I thought there was something inside the glass until I looked down into the sink and saw the blood. So I looked at the glass and the very top had been busted. Come to find out the boys found my water glass on my nighstand and were trying to help. Not quite tall enough to gently place the glass into the sink, they kinda threw it causing it to bust when it hit another glass. Long story short, it bled and bled...and then bled some more. I thought I was going to have stitches, but it was cut in such a way that they couldn't put stitches in. It basically shaved the skin down to the bone on my pinky knuckle. Yep...and now it's infected due to being cut by the dirty glass in the dirty dishwater. Yum!

So what's the moral of this story??? Always watch what you are sticking your hand into, regardless if Johnny Depp is on T.V. That's right ladies...

Sorry for anyone who is squeamish...I should have warned you ahead of time. But at least there aren't any pictures!! :)

Taking a break

2007-08-03T09:50:00.000-07:00

I have been taking a much needed break this week. It's been fun though. I had a chance to take the boys to the Botanic Gardens and back to Fenten Lake an Jemez Springs. Which also meant many picture-y goodness for me! I don't know what it is about photography, but I just love it! Calms me....always has.

Looks like I will be taking more pics this weekend because we are taking the boy camping. None of that RV stuff either. Camping in a tent, sleeping bags, making smores over and open fire. Let's hope it doesn't rain!

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I want to share some of the pics that I took over the last week...

Have a great weekend!

Yay! Finished!

2007-07-30T11:31:00.002-07:00

It's done...and on it's way to Portland. Phew! I have to say that it was allot of fun working on this order for Twisted. But now that it's done that means I can *try* to get caught up on other orders and hopefully finish my mom's socks!

I can finally get with Ingero to finish with the website! I had to push back the launch for about a month while I caught up. Ao now I am super excited to get back to work on it! Should be finished next month!

Weekend Adventures...

2007-07-29T19:59:00.000-07:00

We decided that a nice road trip up to Fenten Lake was in order. We packed a nice lunch, got the boys in the car and drove for two hours. And wouldn't you know that as soon as we got to the picnic table and unpacked the lunch, it started raining... no...POORING. Pretty funny actually. The boys still enjoyed it. They watched the rain on the lake and were super excited when the rain stopped. We drove down the road a little way to the campsites and trails. There were so many bluejays, but man they are wiley little buggers! I always enjoy being in the mountains. It such a nice switch from being in Albuquerque. It's quiet and smells great!

Bryce really wanted us to buy a log cabin. Yep. The kid wants to live in a cabin...how original. But they got to get muddy, play in the dirt and visit some pretty cool Indian bead shops in Jemez Springs. All in all, good day....rain and all.

Although, Bryce was a little disapointed we didn't take him fishing. That's his new thing..."papa needs to take me fishing, it will be fun". Keep in mind, he's never been...in fact I haven't been since I was a little older than him. I'm not sure he really knows that fishing means you kill the fish. He would probably change his mind then!

Both the boys came back with new friends...pine cones. And they named them. They took them for rides down the slide at the park, and even took them to the movies today. Yep.

Meet "Mr. Coney" and "Mr. Pokey". Bryce talks to his pine cone..err..."Mr. Coney". Levi smashed his when he was mad..R.I.P "Mr. Pokey".

Good times...

2007-07-21T07:01:00.000-07:00

As some of you may know, I don't get to go out very often. But last night, we went to Laffs Comedy Club for the first time. Let me just say, that I am most certainly glad we went! Definatley going again!

We got there right around 10:00 when the first act came on. Now, the first and second acts were...eh...ok. I laughed a little. And then when the headliner, Joel Lindley came on stage I laughed my ass off. He is seriously funny! My stomach still hurts this morning. That could be because we ate dinner before going to the club without realizing that there was a 2 item purchase required. So if you go there...don't eat first...or at leat skip dessert! And don't order the mudslide...it's terrible.

But anyway, if you ever get the chance to see him, do it! The heart burn is totally worth it!

Busy as usual...

2007-07-19T13:25:00.000-07:00

Mara's craft party was super fun! It was an 80's theme, so we watched "Pretty in Pink" and "The Breakfast Club". She even had "Pretty in Pink Punch", candy sushi and Jiffy Pop. Although I have to admit I did more snacking than crafting! I'm in a craft slump at the moment.

So anyway, the next week or so will be super busy. I finally got my big yarn order in, which means I can start on the wholesale order for Twisted, an LYS in Portland Oregan. Super excited about that BTW! But this also means that I can start working on some new colorways as well. Rock on!
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My friend Steve found this little blast from the past. That is Bryce when he was about 7 months old. And that is my best friends little girl Morgan...she was almost 2 I think...sweet! :) This made my day :) Thanks Stevie!

2007-07-08T20:05:00.000-07:00

Hope everyone had a great weekend! I know I did...I bought myself a new ride...mmhmm. Which may or may not be a good thing lol. But here it is, my new Dodge Charger. It's sweet! At first I didn't think I would like it. But when I drove it, wow....it has some cajones! I love the leather seats, super great for the kiddos. So have at em boys....spill whatever you want...it won't phase me anymore!

Happy 4th!

2007-07-06T09:55:00.001-07:00

Hope everyone had a fun and safe 4th of July!

We didn't really do much since I have pretty much been out of it for a while. Just too much stuff going on all at once! But we did manage to barbecue some steaks and take the kids to Putt Putt. They had a blast, but uh...Levi is a big fat cheater...just sayin' :P

They were so cute with their little golf clubs, hitting the ball wherever. But they were allot better than I expected. Better than me by far!! The funniest part about Putt Put was when we got to the end of the course and Bryce hit his ball in the hole. He said "the hole is bigger than the rest of them...it ate my ball....stupid ball eating hole!" And then he proceeded to stick his arm down the hole. Funnier than that was when Levi watched all of this and hit his ball into the hole and still acted shocked when his ball disappeared. Good times.

Yesterday was a pretty nice day, so I took the boys to the zoo. They would live there if I let them!

It was nice until it started raining, but it's not like we never go there...we have a year pass. So I might take them back over the weekend. They got to feed the lorikeets, which they usually miss out on.
I was worried that Levi would be afraid of them, he's at that age where everything scares him. But luckily they didn't land on him or bite at him, so he did well. I was surprised when he wanted to feed them more. So that might be something we try again soon.

Bryce was really great with the lorikeets. He was gentle and sweet. By the time we left, he was dead set on us getting a bird. Been there, done that...sad when he died. Birds are allot of work and we already have a dog, cat, fish and rabbit. Yeeeahh....no. But I am glad that he likes animals, that is something I really try to teach my boys...always be sweet and nice to animals. ALWAYS. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In other news...looks like I won't be updating the shop too often for a while. I just scored some rather large custom orders as well as a few wholesale orders from some yarn shops around the U.S. Gonna be a busy, busy bee. My hands are going to be permanently stained various shades of the rainbow! But I will still be taking custom orders, so that's a good thing. And it looks like Fiber Oasis will be up and running sometime this month! Keep your fingers crossed!!

Time for nappy nap....

2007-07-01T08:33:00.001-07:00

Well, I have been working extra hard to get caught up on some dyeing...

Almost done! I should be done with orders in the middle of this week...yay! That means I can start cooking up some new colorways...woot woot!

Speaking of new colorways, I have
an addition to the circus series. Meet Acrobat ! I'm pretty happy with this colorway...pretty burgundy, purple and silver dyed on merino/tencel sock yarn. Yarny goodness!

Hope everyone has a great rest of the weekend. I am off to entertain the boys for the rest of the day!

I'm back...

2007-06-28T08:09:00.000-07:00

Well I am back in blogland. It has been an extremely rough couple of weeks to say the least. I won't go into details, so some of you know what's going on and some of you don't. But it has been bad...

So instead of writing sobby, whiny, "woe is me" entries, I figured I would share some of my poetry for a while.

She...

She wears a black cloak....
faceless in a crowd
She watches people as they go...
all the while, she never makes a sound
She watches....she listens;
it never ceases to amaze...
the sunlight, as it glistens,
on the anthill they have made.
She watches as they scurry about...
shiny diamonds, and studded cell phones,
The debutante is going out....
bringing all her clones.
People stop and stare at them...
But all along SHE knows
They are truly broken
heartless, faceless....holes.
She decides to sit....
and wonders to herself...
Who began the clique
that honored just the wealth?
Do these people have substance...
or are they just robots?
They go through life unconscious
never truly knowing what they've got
She stands to her feet
walks right passed them...
she knows they couldn't see...
and wouldn't care if it happened
In their world she didn't exist...
she had no breath, no sound.
She knew she would never be missed.
The chains never broken...always bound
Destined to walk in her black cloak
Always watching...silent
Inside she has a heart of gold....
And yet she tries so hard to hide it.

(c) Ashley Childs 2006

I'm sorry but I gotta do it...

2007-06-12T06:08:00.001-07:00

Have a great day!!

Featured....

2007-06-10T06:59:00.001-07:00

Yay! I was featured in 2 treasuries today!

The first one was by Noelle ...

And the second was by Bunnies ...

Thanks guys!

Lazy Day...

2007-06-09T18:21:00.000-07:00

Hope everyone had a fun Knit in Public day! I did not participate as I am still recovering from my house guests. Sleepy time!

They left Thursday afternoon and were supposed to come back again today to attend the reception for the wedding they went to on Tuesday. Before you ask...I have no idea lol. But for one reason or another they did not come...oh darn. I guess I will have to get some cleaning done this weekend!

Marcus finally got all the materials for my warping board, and hopefully tomorrow he can build it. I am super excited and have many ideas for patterns. Ooohh baby...I'm gonna have me some yarn dyeing fun! I better hop to it too because it looks like Fiber Oasis will be up and running sometime next month! How exciting!

Thanks to everyone who commented on my new "Circus" yarn series. All have sold out except the buttered popcorn and cotton candy...so rock on!

Did you go see Mara yet?

Featured Seller...

2007-06-08T18:51:00.000-07:00

Wow! Two posts in one day?? I am on a roll today! lol

I wanted everyone to meet Mara. She is a totally amazing super mom, clothing designer and visionary. Seriously...she rocks. Here's some of her latest amazing creations.
They are currently up for grabs at her shop on ebay. These hoodies are amazing. She is able to incorporate original design, crochet and super awesome fabrics to create these OOAK, head turning hoodies. Not to mention that she is super cute herself :)

Need opinions on my new sock yarn series....pweease :)

2007-06-08T15:18:00.000-07:00

I finally finished the first 5 colorways of my new "Circus" Sock Yarn. Which my friend Mara helped me come up with. When our two heads come together...there's no telling what kind of damage we can cause :P !!

Here they are:

What do you think so far? Should I come up with more colorways for this series?

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Yesterday we took the boys to Explora which is a science Museum here. They had a blast! But of course, I didn't take my camera, so I missed allot of good shots. They played with bubbles, musical instruments and devices, puzzles, etc. It really was a good idea :) Next time...pictures. Yes.

My house guests left yesterday too...so yeah. Good day :)

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**post edit**

I just noticed that my my shop has been linked by the lovely ladies of Lime N Violet! Totally cool ! :)

Unexpected House Guests and customer pics...

2007-06-06T06:03:00.000-07:00

These socks were made from my Punk sock yarn by a sock knitting diva named Jeannie. I have to say that she took a great pic too! I am actually glad I got this photo because I have been wanting to try the punk yarn fro some time now, but haven't had the time. I might make time now....

On to other news...

I woke up to my sister in law sitting outside Monday morning. Yep. She and her boyfriend are staying at my house for a week. No notice. Nada. And on top of that my husband is working out of town, as usual leaving me to deal with this. Normally I wouldn't mind. But these people. Oh. My. F***ing. Word. Can you say MOOCH? That's all I will say for now...details later. That's if you don't see me on the news first!

I leave you with....SUMO BABY!!!

The Grapple...

2007-05-31T10:56:00.000-07:00

Pronounced Grape-L....

MMM...the Grapple. I normally wouldn't blog about fruit, but wow. I have seen them in the market and finally decided to try them. They are super juicy, sweet and crunchy with just the right flavor of apple and grape.

I like them because they hit the sweet spot without all the bad stuff. So the kids can eat them and feel like they are getting a "treat". Actually they are kinda good for my diet as well.

Hmm...well enough of that lol. Tomorrow I will have a post with pictures from my wedding since it will be our 5th anniversary. Seems so much longer lol!

My baby is 4 today!!

2007-05-30T11:30:00.001-07:00

Aww...my baby is 4. wow! That sure flew by. This time next year, we'll be getting him ready for kindergarten.

We celebrated his birthday over the weekend since my hubby was home. We drove down to Hatch (my
hometown) to see the whole family. We also found a house that we are thinking about buying too...so yeah...two birds with one stone...score!

He made out like a little bandit! Tonkas galore! Hot wheels, pirate costumes, money... oh my! But he is such a good big brother. He shared with Levi. That is a hard thing to get a 4 year old to do, but he did.

Speaking of pirates, Saturday I went with my mom and sis to see the new Pirates movie....mmmm. It was 3 hours long, but man oh man. I love pirates. I love Johnny Depp. Johnny Depp as a pirate is genius! Go see it...seriously.

I wouldn't suggest going until it's been out for a while though, it was sooo packed! We sat in the 4th row from the front next to some chick that serioulsy farted the whole movie. And on the other side of us was a couple who thought their 3 week old baby would enjoy a 3 hour movie about pirates.

I was able to take some pretty cool pics this weekend as well, which made me very happy :)

Here's the pooches....

And here's my favorite. It's my mom's sad angel....

And the boys!

Moving and stash busting!

2007-05-29T08:11:00.000-07:00

I am moving in one month! So it is time to stash bust people! Here is what I have pictures of so far:

#1 NEW Moonlight Mohair-$8 including shipping
#2 NEW Moonlight Mohair-$12 inlcuding shipping
#3 NEW Rio De La Plata-$12 including shipping
#4 NEW Colinette Giotto Sable- $15 each or $28 for both including shipping
#5 NEW Colinette Giotto Marble-$15 inlcuding shipping
#6 NEW Colinette Tagliatelli Magenta-$18 including shipping
#7 Handspun Novelty-$8 inlcuding shipping
#8 NEW Colinette Giotto Copperbeach-$15 including shipping
#9 NEW Colinette Tagliatelli Copperbeach-$18 including shipping

I will have more soon. I also have a bunch of hand dyed yarns in my shop (http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=14190&section_id=5015752) that are clearance priced with free shipping as well. If you want something that I listed on my blog and on etsy I will ship them together :)

You can e-mail me @ ashabee05@gmail.com or comment here if you are interested :)

My first pair of handknit socks....

2007-05-17T06:05:00.000-07:00

I finally finished my first pair of socks! See, I am still a novice knitter. I am a "Happy Hooker" turned "Stitchin' Bitch" :P So this was my first time knitting in the round. And it turns out that I knit my socks inside out...anyone have a clue as to why I do that?

Anyway, I've had the first sock finished a while ago and started the second right after. But I haven't had time to just sit and work on them. But due to a whole lot of bad luck, all I had was time to knit. Over the weekend I went down to Las Cruces because several of my friends were graduating from NMSU. Somehow, somewhere I caught a super nasty cold and thanks to the "bulldozer" (that's what my mom calls my youngest son) my back has been out since Monday. Bu lucky for me, my kids know that I am not feeling well, so they tore the house up for me :) Isn't that super sweet of them? You would swear that a tornado came through the house leaving a path of destruction.

So anyway, I am totally addicted to knitting socks! I bought this sock pattern from Knit Two Together. I am using some yarn that I dyed called Toucan. MMMM....Merino/Tencel....Sock yarn heaven.....

And the winner is....

2007-05-09T19:12:00.000-07:00

All right everyone...I finally did it. I picked my new logo! Thanks to everyone for all the great input...you rock!

So what do you think? It's gonna look pretty good with a new banner, website and yarn labels I think :) Very excited....

I have been tagged!

2007-05-09T05:55:00.000-07:00

I have been tagged by Carol Dean a super awesome New Mexican Craftaholic....

The rules

Start with 7 random facts/habits about yourself.

People who are tagged have to write their 7 things on their blog,

Then choose another 7 people to get tagged and list their names

Don't forget to leave them a comment to tell them they have been tagged and to read your blog.

1. I think coffee smells and tastes disgusting.

2. I was a total Band Geek in High Shcool....I can play about 7 or 8 instruments.

3. I can't eat without the t.v. Probably not good, but nontheless....

4. I love yarn...more than you even know :) Sometimes I buy it just to pet it...no project in mind.

5. My favorite color is a russett red, but I mostly wear the color black.

6. I'm a worrywort....seriously, ask my husband :P

7. I can't decide on one profession. I wish I could do it all!

I am tagging:

Beth, Mara, Noelle, Robyn, Laura, Tiffany and Amanda

Yay!! Final Draft...

2007-05-08T20:41:00.000-07:00

First, thanks to all the great e-mails and comments I received on the last post! You all helped me more than you know :) I am really bad at making these decisions! So now I give you the final drafts...

So which is the winner?? Leave me a comment and let me know you like the best and why...

Thanks so much everyone!! :)

Busy, busy....

2007-05-07T06:41:00.000-07:00

I have been a busy bee this last week or so! I hired a web designer and a graphic designer to help me launch my own website!! I am super excited and can't wait! But I need some honest opinions on the first draft of my new logo. So come on peeps....leave me a comment on this one!

What I need to know is, which design you like best, why you like it and what needs to be changed :) Big help! Thanks so much in advance!

Carol Dean, I will get to that tag sometime today....Scout's Honor!! :P

1 down...

2007-04-28T09:43:00.000-07:00

Well, Beth finshed the project I told you about. I have been working a "Graffiti" sock yarn line for a while. I finsihed the first skein and handed it off to Beth so she could knit me a pair of sock on her antique sock knitting machine. She did a super job....and they're here! He first ones are the mild mannered ones for sure. But there will be many more to come...I have many designs a brewing in my yarny kitchen!

What do you think?

All in all I am pretty pleased with how this first set came out. I can't wait to get started on more...funkier designs for this series.

Customer Pics...

2007-04-26T06:41:00.000-07:00

I always love seeing what people make with my yarns and rovings. It is such an awesome feeling!!

So yesterday, I received a convo via etsy from Amanda of Whirlwind Handspuns. She has purchased several rovings from me and wanted to order more, which always rocks my socks by the way! Along with the request she sent a couple of pics that I wanted to share. ...

The pink and brown is 4 oz of Neapolitan Superwash Colonial wool. And the blue and brown is 4 oz of Landscape Superwash Colonial Wool. I am blown away with how good it came out! She definately did a better job spinning it than I would have!

An Unexpected Road Trip...

2007-04-25T10:40:00.000-07:00

Well, my husband started his new job yesterday. He is Superintendent for Twin Mountain Construction. Nice huh? Well the problem with that is they have a 60 day probation period. SO? The thing is, he has to wait 60 days for his new truck. Yep....I had to drive him to work. 5 hours away. With 2 kids. Bad weather. I hate driving.

Anyway, the town he is working in for the next couple of weeks is Clayton. A small hole in the wall here in New Mexico. And trust me, there are TONS of small hole in the wall towns here, which by the way, I think I went through 8 of them. To get through any of these towns you have to drive on these old highways that are lined with pasture after pasture, windmill after windmill. So I guess it's no surprise when you run into about 100 oryx, 50 deer, a couple of cows a horse and a partridge in a pear tree....

I saw big groups like this both on the way to Clayton and on the way back. The kids just loved it, which normally I would too...if they could just stay out of the road! It's pretty hard to see the road when its snowing and windy. And yes, it snowed in New Mexico...again...in April. I'm a little shocked myself.

But all in all, it was kind of a cool trip. The driving wasn't fun, but the kids enjoyed the scenery. Lots of trains, tractors and animals for them to see. It makes me kinda miss my home town, which just happens to be......a hole in the wall! Yes, I am a small town girl. Born and raised in the "Chile Capital of the World".

It's got me thinking road trip! It might be fun to drive up to Denver to take cool pictures and camp with my best bud after she graduates in two weeks. There really were allot of great photo ops along the way...I just couldn't do anything while I was driving. It was killing me inside!!

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Here's some of the new yarn I dyed over the weekend....add a little fiber to your diet!

The latest at Ashabee's Creations...

Working on UFO's, yarn dyeing...etc.

2007-04-22T17:55:00.001-07:00

While Etsy was down last night and today, I was able to work on some UFOs. I have a TON just sitting around that I either get bored with or give up on. My favorite is the Besotted Scarf from Hello Yarn. The pattern is just gorgeous! And on top of that, it's super fun to make! I decided to use yummy Malabrigo in Vermillion. So soft and wonderful!

On top of the scarf, I dyed 3 pounds of yarn and started my very first pair of socks! I picked some of my very own hand dyed sock yarn, and that is super fun!

I have to admit that the thought of knitting socks has intimidated me for a while. But since I started dyeing yarn, I have been "dyeing" to see what it looks like! :P But seriously, it is going well. I am a little less than half done with the first one, and I honestly can't wait! A new addiction?? I think so! I am also working on a new series of yarn designs. I have one of the first designs finished and I am waiting on my friend Beth to finish up a little part of it for me :) I am excited to see how it turns out! Stay tuned!!

He's back from Nascar....

2007-04-17T11:05:00.000-07:00

Well, he's back. And he was wearing a Nascar shirt. Yep. Have you ever seen a Nascar shirt? It's...um...DIFFERENT. And now I will quote Forrest Gump.... "And that's all I have to say about that."

While he was gone I accomplished allot though. So I guess I can't complain. I planted some pretty lillies outside in my whiskey barrel(that the dog happened to smash last night). I also replaced some fencing that had been busted by the dog....hmm....see a pattern?

I cleaned the house from top to bottom, dyed about 2 pounds of yarn and roving, finished some orders, picked weeds and even had time to plant some flowers in the pot that I painted. They are so pretty. I hope I don't kill them! I just adore the pot. Probably because I painted it though :P

I was actually thinking of doing something similiar for Mother's Day. My mom loves that kind of stuff.

Plum Tuckered Out...

2007-04-15T07:48:00.000-07:00

Poor kid. Levi was so tired he fell asleep on the chair in mid motion. I wish I could do that!

I took the boys to play at their friend's house yesterday after being stuck in the house for a couple of weeks. Everyone has been on quarantine for a while. If it wasn't my boys, then it was Christie and Zoe...just back and forth. Everyone was just icky all the time.

My oldest son, Bryce, has Reactive Airway Disease. The docs diagnosed it as asthma for a long time, which is almost the same thing. Except that RAD gets him when he is sick. Which is all the time, since he is allergic to EVERYTHING. Poor kid has been to the ER more times than I can count on both hands. I am now a respiratory therapist...at least that is what it feels like.

They know me at the ER. They get me in a room ASAP because they know I only come when I have done everything I know to do. He takes a steroid (through a nebulizer) everyday on top of 2 kinds of allergy medicine and singulair. I only have to give him albuterol when he is having an asthma attack.

He will be four on Memorial Day, marking one of the best days ever, and four of the hardest years of my life. For a long time I couldn't see a light at the end of the tunnel. My husband works out of town, leaving me to deal with the illness while taking care of a 2 year old. It has been scary to say the least. We almost lost him last time he had a severe attack. That was a couple of months ago now. He caught a virus and started coughing in the middle of the night. He was gasping for air and his lips were turning blue. At that point the nebulizer would have been wasting time. I grabbed Levi and sped to the hospital. I ran in, both kids in my arms. They took Bryce, gave him an epy and a strong dose of steroids. We made it...barely.

Last night we came home from Zoe's house. Last night he had an asthma attack. There is nothing worse than seeing your child struggle for air. AIR...

Permanent Colorways

2007-04-12T14:05:00.000-07:00

So I have decided on a few permanent colorways I am going to offer in my shop. They can be applied to any type of yarn and even roving. I personally like the "Eclipse" colorway the best (First on the right corner of mosaic).

I am also waiting for the hubby to build warping board so that I can offer the colorways in variegated and self striping! How exciting!

At this very moment he is on his way to Dallas but should be back sometime next week. So I guess I will be sitting here all weekend trying out new color combos so I can expand the colorways :) I am so addicted to this!

Nice weather....it's about time!

2007-04-11T19:39:00.000-07:00

Ah yes, I just love this time of year. Not too hot, not too cold...just right.

Pardon me for sounding a little like Goldilocks, but the weather has been so strange in New Mexico this past year or so. So now that it is getting to be nice out, I am relishing every moment. It has been great for the boys, they were beginning to show signs of cabin fever. So to celebrate the great change, we took the boys to the Botanic Gardens and Aquarium. It was so beautiful. Everything is blooming, the cold has subsided and the boys can run wild outside. What more can a mom ask for? Well I am still hoping for that little vacation!!

Anyhoo, the trip was a great time to try out my new camera....oh yeah baby...I got a Canon Rebel XT...MMMM. That camera is soooo awesome!

I am thinking about taking a trip up to the mountains next weekend to see what else I can find. I would go this weekend, but the hubby is going to Dallas for the Nascar Race. Woopideedoo. I am really sad that I am going to miss that trip...NOT! :P What can I say...I'm not into watching cars drive around in circles for 5 hours...

He says the same about my knitting!! He he...so I guess it all evens out in the end.

Anyway, it's good to be blogging again. I have tried several different blogging sites this past year with technical difficulties. So I hope to keep this one going. Keep your fingers crossed!