Comfort Zone: In or Out?

Posted on July 16, 2013 by atangledyarn84

As a person I tend to stay in my comfort zone in my most things. I eat at mostly at the same restaurants, shop the same store, cook the same recipes, and hang out with the same friends. It’s not that I am afraid of new or different things but I tend to fall into routines. There a few places where I step out of this safe box: knitting and acting.

My current show, Bachelorette, is really outside my comfort zone. This play explores the lives of four women who have been stuck in the same roles since high school. Regan is the bitch on wheels who ALWAYS has to be in control. She uses manipulation at every turn to get what she wants and needs. Katie is party girl who is a little light in the head. She wants nothing more than to be accepted and loved. Gena is a coke addicted party girl who is never quite good enough to be queen bee. She wants to be Regan but doesn’t have the guts and mostly spends her time taking care of Katie. And finally there is Becky, the bride. She has openly ridiculed by her friends for her size, choice of husband, attitude, and she’s not going to take it anymore!

This play has more cursing than a Navy frigate, depicts rampant drinking and drug use, adult content, and is downright mean. I am very mild mannered in real life and so pushing into this kind of story really stretches my acting skills. The director has been awesome and really helps us explore our characters and what is happening.

I play Gena the drug addicted second in command. I start the top of the show in full on party girl mode with my best girl pal Katie. Even with the best of intentions my friends and I completely trash the hotel suite, the wedding dress, and basically everything the night before Becky’s wedding. Gena has been so perfect for so long she has no idea how to be real. She really only cares about one thing, her friend Katie. And when Katie gets in real trouble, it’s Gena to the rescue!

While the subject and content is uncomfortable and down right mean, I come away from rehearsal exhilarated every time. Stretching my comfort zone has really spurred my creative juices. It has me looking at the relationships in my life and really seeing new things and evaluating them. My fellow actors are beyond talented and we are really creating something special. T-minus three weeks to opening!!!

Are you a “in” or “out” kind of person when it comes to art?

P.S. Check out some of the dresses I am “auditioning” for Gena…

My Zombie Leg

Posted on July 15, 2013 by atangledyarn84

I survived my volleyball tournament…sort of thanks to my klutziness

The bruises and bleeding due to broken blood vessels have settled into my foot. I spent 6 1/2 hours on Saturday jumping up and down on this leg. I say it’s not that bad considering! My shin is still pretty swollen and I have pretty good pools of bruising on both sides of feet and on top of my foot just before my toes. I have affectionately named this my “zombie leg”!

My friends and I competed in the Sunflower State Games in the competitive volleyball bracket. (I made sure to check out with a doc and got the green light to play) We played three matches in pool play and taking 3rd out of four teams. Then we moved on to bracket play where we played one match, which we lost….badly.

Our team has a lot of knowledge and experience….just not a lot of endurance. Our average age was 31. Most of the teams we played had an average age of 19…and by 19 I mean they were ALL 19. Not to mention that we did not practice before hand and only four of us had played together before. We had some fun, probably too much at some times, and got a great workout.

I am beyond sore! Almost every major muscle group is sore including my legs, butt, back, core abs, and even shoulders. It seriously took me five minutes to lace up my sneakers to take a short run on Sunday to work out the kinks, lol.

Now to get back to knitting! I just wish I hadn’t smashed my right thumbnail on Saturday during the second game! It makes knitting a little hard when I don’t want to put pressure on that particular digit….

Attack of the Klutz

Posted on July 12, 2013 by atangledyarn84

Sorry no FO post this Friday…..I had a wee but of an accident over the 4th of July holiday. And I have lost my knitting mojo a bit with my brain being pulled in do many directions at once lately.

Darkness + fireworks + a dog who is poorly leash trained + a black trailer/tailgate = bruises and scrapes and unladylike language

I royally dorked up my legs. Nothing broken, sprained, or torn….just small cuts and BIG bruises. My left leg is a but tender to walk on and a little puffy as I’m sure I bruised bone. I have been resting and elevating it as much as I can. The doctor I saw told I had a deep contusion, gave me a tetanus shot, and told me to suck it up, lol.

All I have noticed so far is the bruise spreading down my foot, lol…

Best part of all I have an all day volleyball tournament tomorrow. Lord help me!!

Happy Friday!

Recent Reading Obession

Posted on July 11, 2013 by atangledyarn84

I LOVE having a library card!! But just like my queue on Ravelry, my reading queue is daunting and I don’t know where to start. A girlfriend found me standing helplessly staring at the mystery stacks in the library and gently helped me away from the edge of the abyss. She a put a Janet Evanovich novel in my hands and pointed me to towards the checkout desk.

I had heard of Stephanie Plum series before so I wasn’t unfamiliar. But I’m glad I picked up the series. The books are seriously addicting to a murder mystery buff like myself. So far I have read:

One for the Money
Two for the Dough
Three to Get Deadly

The author has a great sense of humor. The characters are reasonably well developed and I find that I like that they are all a bit flawed. Most of all the books let me loose myself in them. That’s all I ask of a book, take me away to an imaginary world for a few minutes and forget my real world stress and problems. I like my books with a little mystery, lots of humor, nothing gross, nothing scary, and not so easy that I can pick the killer out on page 40. I’m a fluffy chic murder mystery kind of girl, lol.

For me this series is a winner and I can’t wait to keep reading. Novels four and five are waiting for me to pick up at the library as we speak.

What kind of books do you like to read? Anything I should read?

WIP Wednesday: Catching Up

Posted on July 10, 2013 by atangledyarn84

Stashbustin’ # 22 still looks like this…

Chart B is kicking this lace newbie’s butt! I either end up with my stitch markers in the wrong place or the incorrect number of stitches at the end of the row. The good news is that I am REALLY good at chart A, lol. I shall not be deterred by I may put this project aside for a few days to let my brain unmelt.

I have made some progress on my mindless and easy project. I have now tagged it my Stashbustin’ #23 project. This has been perfect knitting for unwinding after long theatre rehearsals at night. I think I can finally say that I can enjoy working with the chenille yarn. It takes some patience and it can really only be used in certain projects. But it makes a great baby blanket and I need to restock my emergency baby shower/present supply!

I’m still addicted to knitting these cute tutus!! This pattern is addicting. And I found some adorable red, white, and blue ruffle yarn from Premier yarns. I plan on making a matching set for some college friends who have a two year little sweetheart and are expecting another pink bundle of joy in the fall. I am almost done with the newborn size and just need to make the 2-3 yr old size.

So there you have it, the state of my WIP pile. My WIPitis is in full swing. I’m ignoring my Neon cardigan as it’s in timeout until my play is over.

What’s in your WIP pile this week?

The Good With the Bad

Posted on July 9, 2013 by atangledyarn84

I could not imagine my life without this face!!!

She is my husband and I’s first dog and our baby. She came to us a rescue and we couldn’t have asked for a better dog. She is sweet, loving, quiet, and full of snuggles. She is now a 5 year old Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. She brings so much love and can instantly make my worst day better. (Even when she stares at me over my book, lol)

At a recent vet visit for her annual vaccinations, we got some bad news. She has a heart murmur. Now this is a common thing to Cavaliers, but was unknown to us. The murmur is a precursor to congestive heart failure. I’ll spare you the ugly details of the disease as they are unpleasant. Follow the link above to learn more about it. Right now Chloe has no other symptoms but the murmur. As the disease progresses there are medications that can mitigate some of her symptoms. But no cure. Chloe is unlikely to live past 9 or 10 years old and the last of those years could be uncomfortable.

I will admit this was a shock to me. And I spent the rest of that day trying not to weep. I grew up with dogs and I have been through the death and disease before. But this time is different because she is truly my baby. I have prayed and knit on this since that day. I have decided to make the best of what time we have left with Chloe and make sure she has the best most loved life ever. I may still cry from time to time but I will always love her.

Having animals always brings good with the bad. The trick is to make sure the good way outweighs the bad. I wouldn’t give up a chewed up shoe or early morning wake up call for a single day without her puppy kisses and puppy snorts.

Now if you excuse me, I have a puppy to snuggle and spoil….

A Tradition of Craftmanship

Posted on July 8, 2013 by atangledyarn84

My parents have finally finished their wrap around porch. Built board by board by the hands of my father. It’s the perfect place to sit and enjoy the breeze and a cold adult beverage!

My favorite touch is the deer antler name above the bay window. Very fitting for my redneck family!

My father in fact designed and built this house from the ground up. He is a teacher by trade but he teaches Industrial Arts like wood shop, drafting, and AutoCad. It’s the only home I knew growing up. I am so unbelievably proud of him and the house just feels so much more like home because he crafted it. His work is impeccable.

Over the years we have added a covered second story deck, apple trees in the side yard, and now wrap around porch. I just wish I didn’t live three hours away! Oh the knitting I could get done on these porches!! My favorite is to sit on the top deck and watch the sun come up with a hot cup of coffee….

Another recent addition is the terraced steppes in the yard. Trust me this is a much needed improvement! Growing up our yard was incredibly steep as the house is built into a hill. It could be terrifying riding the lawn mower up and down the steep slopes and praying you didn’t fall the down the hill or tip over, lol. The sprinkler system keeps the grass lush and green. I swear it’s like carpet under your feet. And my mom has been tending her roses and they bloomed beautifully this year!

I guess I can say I come by my “craftiness” honestly. I may not build beautiful homes or furniture but I do build garments and blankets stitch by stitch. Speaking of my knitting it’s time to get off my butt and go to my big kid job so I can afford to keep knitting!

Happy Monday to all!!

Stashbustin’ #22: Florelei

Posted on July 6, 2013 by atangledyarn84

After my success with my Spiral Staircase Shawl, my fingers are itching to do another. And this time I think I will step up the challenge! Drum roll please…..

Florelei by Kathryn C!! I pulled some Cascade Yarns Sunseeker in a light grey with a little metallic sparkle.

This is a much more complicated pattern. And this is my first foray into reading charts…so far so good. I have completed chart a!!! We have some miles to put in the car this coming week but I think this project is going to stay home. Don’t want to lose my place in the chart, lol.

Wish me luck!!

FO Friday: Spiral Staircase Shawl

Posted on July 5, 2013 by atangledyarn84

Stashbustin’ #20 is done! Introducing my Spiral Staircase Shawl!!

I made a few amendments to the pattern:
– I cast off 12 stitches instead of the 10 called for the pattern
– I worked a total 17 teeth

This is a very narrow shawl and probably not incredibly warm. But it looks amazing against a black outfit. Wouldn’t this be an amazing pop of color with some red heels and a LBD?

All in all a very nice warm up project for learning shawl construction. Row and row of garter stitch with just a smidge of lacy detail at the edges.

Now what should my next shawl be? I’ll have to ponder on this…..

Happy Knitting!

The Art of Mindless and Easy

Posted on July 4, 2013 by atangledyarn84

Happy Fourth of July to all!! I can hear the fireworks right outside my window as the neighborhood kids blow up weeks worth of their allowances. It all brings back memories to setting off fireworks for hours at my Grandma’s and Grandpa’s ALL day long. Of course we also took a break to have a weenie roast and smores on what was almost the hottest day of the year, lol.

On the knitting front, I can’t wait to start Neon. I already have the new needles I needed and working on my swatch! But it’s a very complicated project for me and I have decided to hibernate the project for while. My theater rehearsals are just taking too much out of me. I Just don’t have the brain power to work on this wonderful pattern by Joji. I really want to enjoy this sweater and also end up with a garment that fits and is knit correctly. So it’s going to the back burner….for now…

Insert mindless and easy….

Just a simple stockinette baby blanket with a seed stitch border, in lovely peach chenille. You will remember my chenille antics here, lol. So I am going into this with eyes wide open and all my lessons remembered from last time. I just needed a home run project to work on while I am rehearsing my show. So I decided to cast on a cute blanket this morning because I have the day off from my big kid job. There is an art to working a mindless and easy project!

The puppies agree with me. They are very exhausted with my crazy schedule and needed an extra nap. I can never figure out why my lab, Dex, like to sleep with nose under the edges of couches or beds. Such a weirdo!

I hope everyone has a safe and happy 4th! We are off to enjoy our day off and America’s independence!!

My Tangled Yarn Knitting Adventures

Ramblings from an obsessed knitter