Lookee what I got!

DH and I went to the Omaha Orchid show today at the Lauritzen Gardens.  There were tons of lovely orchids there and I could have easily spent hundreds, I sort of regretted telling my DH that I was only going to bring home two orchids.  I was good, I did only bring home two orchids, but I did get a butterwort, however since it isn't an orchid I did keep my word.  :)

I got this one which is a mini Phalaenopsis and is cute as a button.

And I got this one which is a Blc Sakurahime x Slc. Tiny Titan.  The Blc stands for Brassolaeliocattleya, the Slc stands for Sophrolaeliocattleya.  I can completely understand why they abbreviate these terms.

And here is the cute as a button, not to mention easy to spell, butterwort.  

I was very intrigued by this little guy.  It eats bugs and since my dogs like to take their own sweet time coming in from outside we tend to get a lot of bugs when it is warm out.  Hopefully this will help keep them down.  :)

Wish me luck keeping these guys alive.  I've been able to keep orchids alive for about a year but after that they die.  For some reason I never thought to feed them so I will be rectifying that this time around and getting them a good quality orchid food.  We shall see what happens.  I LOVE orchids so if these guys do well and are still thriving by the time the 2015 Orchid show rolls around I can see them being joined by more of their orchid friends.

While you are reading this blog, don't forget to read and follow my other blog This Area is Full of Scarf.  For every 10 followers I get I will host a fiber give away.

New Fiber blog

I have decided to start a blog for just my knitting, dyeing, and other fiber related pursuits.  Come see it here - This Area is Full of Scarf.

I promise to update it frequently and I will also do a better job of updating this one :)

T&H Fiber Works is now Live!

It's been a project but my yarn website T&H Fiber Works is now live.  Here you can find my hand dyed yarn and roving, hand made stitch markers, and very soon hand made buttons and shawl pins.

I offer yarn and roving by the single skein or braid as well as yarn and roving clubs where you can buy 3 or 6 month memberships and get a skein a month at a reduced price. Be sure to check it out!

Also, be sure to like my Facebook page where I will post special ads only for my Facebook fans.  You can also follow me on twitter @squareonebeads for special twitter specials as well.

Here's a little eye candy for all of you.

 Blue Suede Shoes

 Dark Elf    

 Emerald Isle

Welcome to Dubuque!

My husband and I are now in Dubuque, we have been for about two weeks.  It's been a busy time around here getting moved and unpacked.  Of course my fibro chose now to flare as well so unpacking hasn't been as quick as I would like.

Anyway, we are getting settled gradually.  We have a lot we want to do to the house so that will also slow unpacking as we don't want to unpack some items before the area we are going to put them gets finished.  Pictures of our efforts will be forthcoming as soon as I find where I put the camera cord.  :)  It's in a box somewhere.

Yesterday we had our first of 5 classes for the Distinctively Dubuque program.  It's a program offered by the city of Dubuque to help people new to the area to figure out points of interest in the city, how to get involved in various organizations, how to find various services we might need, and various other things you might want to know about a new city.  It was highly recommended by the HR at my husbands new job and we thought it sounded like fun so we signed up.  I am really glad we did.

There were about 35 in our class.  We had dinner, we were welcomed to the city by the Mayor Pro tem, and had a trolley ride around the downtown area up to the Eagle Point Park area to get a bit of a taste of what is out here.  The trolley ride was quite a bit of fun.  We learned about some interesting things from a local, saw some interesting architecture, almost got hit by a train, got to see the view of the river from Eagle Point Park, and learned about an art show that one of the people in the class was a part of.

Almost got hit by a train?  Did you read that right?  Yes you did!  However, that is an exaggeration, we were never in any real danger.  It was more funny than anything.  We were coming to a train crossing and were probably 10 feet from it when the lights went on.  It was one of those situations where most people would just continue on, but our driver hesitated and stopped.  He stopped with the front wheels on the tracks as the cross arms were coming down so the arm hit the top of the trolley.  He backed up off the tracks, the arm came down, and a bit after that the train came thru.  We gave him a little bit of a teasing and it will probably be a running joke thru the rest of the classes.  Had he not hesitated we would have been across the track way before the cross arms came down.  However he did hesitate so it turned into a funny experience.

After the trolley ride we went back to the meeting room where we first gathered and had a talk by a local architect who is on the historical preservation society.  It was really interesting and cool to see the pictures of some of the old buildings before and after their renovations.  One thing that struck me as very interesting/funny was the story of Cooper Wagon Works.  Legend has it that the owner was approached by both Ford and Studebaker to build cars for them.  He turned them down because he thought automobiles were just a fad.  The business eventually closed because of the auto industry and now in an ironic twist the site of Cooper's home is a parking garage.

All in all, it was a very enjoyable evening.  Next week we are meeting at the ice center at the Mystique Casino.  I hope we don't have to ice skate, if we do though, I will be sure to show you pictures of my bruises.  :)

Still Moving/I love Cephalopods

We are still working on moving.  Fortunately the bank says we should be able to close on the new house by the end of the month.  Yeah!!!!  We still haven't sold our house yet though.  Hopefully it will sell soon.  I would really like this whole thing to be done with.

In the meantime, a friend of mine shared this video with me and I really like it so I wanted to share it with you.

I love Cephalopods, they are so cool.



  />

I hope you like it!

Facebook for dogs

I am still working on selling my house.  So far, the St. Joseph statue in my front yard hasn't done me any good.  However, I am still hopeful the house will sell soon.

In the meantime, when we have showings of our house we vacate and take the dog with us.  We don't want to leave the dog alone in the car in this heat so we have been heading to the local dog park almost every time so he can run around while we stroll along behind him.

Watching him run around sniffing, doing his business, and playing has made me come to think of the dog park as Facebook for dogs.  When Spike checks out the scent of the other dogs he is checking his friend's status messages.  When Spike pees or poops he is leaving a status update of his own.  The trash cans for the poop bags are like the newsfeed where you can see lots of status updates all at once.  There is agility equipment for him to play on and other dogs to play with so there are the time wasting games that Facebook is known for.  And of course, there are lots of bugs, both Facebook and the dog park have bugs to annoy you frequently.

Maybe I've put to much thought into this, but considering all the time I personally waste on Facebook that really shouldn't surprise anyone.  Ah well, at least when Spike checks his 'facebook' I get some exercise so it can't be all that bad.  :)

Cracking up here

My husband and I are in the process of selling our house so we can move to Dubuque, IA where he has just started a new job.  As part of the process all of my friends are giving me tips and hints on how to make my house sell better, such as baking bread for a showing, running lemons thru the disposal to make the kitchen smell good, etc...

One of my friends who used to be a realtor told me to bury a St. Joseph statue in front of my house.  I'm really hating the whole 'living in a museum' thing so decided I'm willing to try anything.  I went to the store today to look for a St. Joseph statue.

I asked the woman at the counter if they had any and she handed me a 'St. Joseph Home Sellers Kit'.  When I got the box from the clerk I cracked up.  I never expected to buy a 'saint in a box' and the whole idea is vastly amusing to me.

Here is the box I got.

And here is what was in it.

If you google St. Joseph you'll find hundreds of directions of how to and where to position the statue in your yard.  If I wanted to follow all of them I would have to dig up my entire lawn to have a statue every where the directions say.  So I am just going to follow the directions of my friend who told me about the legend and plant it upside down, facing my house, in the front yard.  I've also promised the statue a spot in my new home if he helps me sell my house.  (According to all of the directions you have to dig up the statue or the property will continue changing hands.)

I haven't buried him yet but a couple hours after I got home from my shopping trip my realtor called and we have a showing for tomorrow morning.  So, St. Joseph or just coincidental timing?  I'm not sure it really matters, but right now, I have a statue to plant.

Away to long

It's been a while since I updated my blog.  All I can say is that a lot has been going on.

My dh got a new job in Dubuque, IA and we are in the process of moving.  Right now we are getting our house ready to sell so we can buy a new one.  We don't have kids, so selling one home and buying another at the same time is one of the most stressful things I've ever gone thru.   This is the second time we've done the sell one/buy another thing and I really don't like it.

We have our first showing tomorrow.  I don't know if the house is 'really' ready for it, but unless you totally move out of a house I guess that is the same for everyone trying to sell a house.  I'm just keeping my fingers crossed that we get someone thru the house soon who likes it and buys it soon.  If the person seeing the house tomorrow decides to buy it that would be awesome.

Wish us luck!

And a gratuitous bunny picture.  This is my newest rabbit, Pippi.  I got her at a rabbit show in March.  She is a red, satin angora.  Ignore the fur on the floor, she'd just had a litter of babies when I took this picture and that was part of her nest that came out when she jumped out of the nest box.  Unfortunately the kits didn't survive, she was a first time mom and didn't really know what to do.  After we move though I will give her another chance.

One World One Heart 2011

We are a group of bloggers who may never meet in person but are banding together via the internet to help make this world a little smaller by forging more connections between us all.

It's been another year and what a year it has been.  


Last year I had some out of control health issues.  Things still aren't completely under control but they are better and more importantly, my mindset is in a better place.  I've continued to work on my knitting.  I've also learned how to spin and dye fiber.  This year I will be teaching myself how to write knitting patterns as well as increasing my knitting skills by learning enterlac.    I'm sure to have a few interesting experiences with both projects so be sure to check back here and I'll tell you all about them.  :)


For right now though, I am still raising my Angora rabbits, working with glass, painting, and making jewelry in addition to the knitting, spinning, and dyeing.  


I currently have an Angora breeding project going on right now.  Angora rabbits have beautifully soft fur, but Rex rabbits have fur that makes Angora fiber look like a brillo brush.  I wanted to see if I could get the Rex softness to combine with the Angora length.  My first generation was a group of four short furred rabbits with guard hairs that gave them a slight halo appearance.  This was a good sign.  Rex rabbits don't have guard hairs, but without guard hairs Angora fur would tangle and be impossible to groom.  The presence of guard hair in this first generation cross said I could go ahead and breed a second generation.


This second generation had 5 red eyed white bunnies born 12/5/10.  One of the 5 has Angora length fur.  She is amazingly soft and very friendly.  She likes to sit on my shoulder or ride in the hood of my sweatshirt.  Time will tell if her coat stays this soft as an adult and if her children retain this softness.  I'm keeping my fingers crossed.


Here is a picture of me and my long haired baby.  Because she likes to ride in the pocket of my hood I call her Roo.

Thank you for stopping by and reading my blog.  I hope you have enjoyed it and I hope you will subscribe to it (but that is not necessary for the giveaway).  Now, onto the good stuff!!!


Lisa has announced that this will be the last year of One World One Heart.  It has been quite a fun ride taking part in it these past years, so to celebrate that I am going to be giving away this bracelet.  

The blue and teal beads were handmade by me and it is accented with blue seed beads and silver/black round beads.

To enter the giveaway just comment on this blog and be sure you leave me some way to contact you if you should win.  That way I can get your address to send the bracelet to you.  If you are taking part in OWOH be sure to leave a link to your blog so I can stop by and visit you as well.  :)

Thank You,
Heather

The Fifth and Last One World One Heart

Get ready everyone, at the stroke of midnight tomorrow night the fifth and last One World, One Heart will take place.  You will have from Jan 31st to Feb 17th to read and comment on blogs for the chance to win great prizes.  You won't want to miss out!

KnitPicks Interchangeable Needles Now Available - Introductory Pricing!

This introductory special is now closed.  Please join my mailing list by emailing me at heather@squareonebeads.com to get the latest information regarding sales and new items for sale.


I  have just become an authorized reseller for KnitPicks knitting needles and will be offering them for sale in my Etsy shop. As an introductory offer I am going to offer the Zephyr Acrylic interchangeable set for $40, the Options Nickle plated for $50, and the Harmonys for $60. All other multisize needle sets will be $10 off the KnitPicks price.

If you want to order a set email me asap. The sets aren't on my Etsy yet because I don't have them in hand. I will be placing the order on Monday and am trying to gauge interest so I make sure to order enough sets.

FREE SHIPPING DURING THE INTRODUCTORY PERIOD FOR PREPAID ORDERS FOR US ORDERS. I am sorry but International buyers will have to pay for shipping.

Payment can be made via credit card or paypal. Shipping will be $7 for orders that are not prepaid.

If you have any questions or would like to place an order, please email me directly at hhertziger@mac.com. 


If you are unfamiliar with KnitPicks interchangeables and would like to see what the needles are like you can find them on the KnitPicks website here.

Book Review - Fresh Fashion Knits

I was given this book free by Knitcircus magazine to review.  They only publish reviews of books that are liked by the reviewers so won't be publishing this review.  I decided to publish the review on my own.

Fresh Fashion Knits

Designs by Sarah Hatton

Edited by Kate Buller

2010 Rowan Yarns, 120 pages

I was really excited to be able to review this book and couldn’t wait for it to arrive.  I had visions of knitting madly from this book and filling my closet with fun, modern, knitwear.  When the book finally arrived I eagerly dug in and unfortunately found much of my enthusiasm almost instantly quelled.  Most of the models in the photos looked like they weren’t having any fun.  For me, and most other knitters I know, knitting is a fun activity and I feel that the models really should have reflected that.  For the most part, they look bored, that is a really big turn off to me.

As for the patterns, the cover of the book states “More than 20 Must-Have Designs from Rowan’s Studio Collection.”  It’s true, there are more than 20 patterns, there are exactly 21.  As for the ‘Must-Have’, that is a matter of opinion.  I found seven, maybe eight that I can see myself knitting.  If I were looking at this book on a store shelf I probably would put it back in favor of a different book because the patterns in here that I do like aren’t all that different from patterns I’ve seen elsewhere.

The bust size range is from 32-46”, however only 13 of the patterns go up to 46”, the rest stop at 42” and one even stops at 40”.  The patterns are well written, knitters with intermediate skills should have no problems with any of them and advanced beginners should be able to handle most of them.  Some sewing is required for side seams and setting in sleeves.  The book also references the Rowan website, www.knitrowan.com which has additional free patterns as well as tips and techniques for knitters.

I am not in love with this book, but it is definitely not the worst book I’ve seen either.  I also love Rowan yarns so I will be checking out their other books in the future, even though this one wasn’t an instant hit with me.

It's October, Join the Army!

The Army of Women that is.

October is breast cancer awareness month.  In honor of that I want to take a moment to mention a group I joined a while ago that I hope you will take a moment to join too.

Army of Women

The mission of the Army of Women is to match women of all walks of life who have had, or have never had breast cancer with breast cancer researchers.  If you sign up you will get the occasional email regarding new research studies that are beginning and what sort of research subject the study is looking for.  If you fit the study and are willing to take part you can sign up to be part of the study.  Joining the Army of Women does not obligate you to do anything.  If a study fits you but is not convenient for you  that's fine, it isn't required that you take part.  No one will call you or email you to guilt you into anything.  You will also not be harassed for money.

So please, take a moment and consider joining this group.  It is very important for all women everywhere that we find a cure for breast cancer.

Thank you.

I'm Back!!!!

Did you miss me?

It's been a while but I'm back and hopefully won't be disappearing for such a long stretch again. I have Fibromyalgia, I was diagnosed last year but this spring and summer were particularly bad as far as flares and fatigue go. This meant I had to let some things fall by the wayside because I couldn't do it all, and my blog ended up being one of those things.

Now I'm on a new med that doesn't do jack for the chronic pain issues but at least my head is a bit clearer and the fatigue is a bit less. So I am trying to get things back on track and hopefully you'll see more of me :)

So, wanna know what I've been up to while I've been away? Since I'm unable to work outside of the home I have been tending my rabbits and learning how to dye yarn. I opened a new Etsy store Heather Designs to sell my work.

Here's some of my hand dyed yarn -

And a set of my stitch markers. So, that's how I've been keeping myself occupied. Stay tuned for more rambling, yarn, bunnies, who knows what. I sure don't. :)

Bunnies - Days 9 and 12

The bunnies have been growing quickly.

Here they are on day 9.

And here they are today which is day 12. They just started opening their eyes today. The literature says they should have opened them on day 10 but rabbits can't read so they didn't know that and I forgot to tell them. Oops :) I'll try to remember to tell the next litter. Right now their eyes are just open to little slits, they are just as reluctant to open their eyes as I am in the morning :) Soon they will be fully open and they'll be crawling all over the place. Soon I will move them to a different cage with a solid bottom so they can move around freely and exercise their little limbs.

Baby bunnies are way to much fun, but today may be the last group shot I get. They are getting more active and wrangling them was a challenge. They have no idea what an edge is and seem hell bent on hurling themselves off of them at every opportunity that presents itself.

Be sure to keep checking back for more pictures as the bunnies grow. :)

Bunnies - Day 6

Here are pictures of the baby bunnies as of Thursday Feb 25, 2010. They are getting so big, their eyes are going to open soon. I don't know exactly how old they have to be before their eyes open. I could look it up but I would rather be surprised when I go down one morning to check on them and find them looking back at me. As you can see their eyelids are getting more definition to them which means it won't be long before they open.

Stay tuned for the next installment of bunny pictures!

Bunnies!

In October I got four Angora rabbits to raise for their fiber. Back in January I decided to breed two of the rabbits and on Friday Feb 19th Pearl gave birth to four kits. Here they are on their first day of life. There are 2 gray, 1 gray and white, and 1 white. The white one I am keeping and may name either Button or Puddles. Puddles because it pee'd on me one of the times I held it and Button because it is just cute as a button. Here they are on Feb 22. The ears are starting to unfold and the hair is more obvious. There are still four, if you look between the butt of the gray one that looks black and the gray and white one you can see the body parts that don't belong to either kit. Thats the fourth kit who was not happy about being uncovered and kept burrowing under the littermates where it was warm. And here is a close up of the white one taken that same day. Stay tuned for more pictures as they grow! If you are interested in purchasing one of the bunnies when they are available be sure to contact me soon. With only three available they will go fast.

One World One Heart 2010

Welcome to One World, One Heart 2010. We are a group of bloggers who may never meet in person but are banding together via the internet to help make this world a little smaller by forging more connections between us all. It's been a year since the last OWOH blog fest and while chronologically that isn't a lot of time, a lot can happen in a year. This year, I went from having controlled rheumatoid arthritis, to having out of control rheumatoid arthritis, thyroid disease, a spinal deformity, and an as of yet undiagnosed chronic regional pain disorder. It sucks, but I deal with it and I refuse to let it get me down. There are days that is harder than others because there are days where all I can do is lay on the couch with my heating pad watching daytime tv, and daytime tv is REALLY mind rotting. So, to save my brain and my morale I decided to teach myself to knit. I got myself a book and learned the basics. Then I took a few classes on lace and sock knitting and I've been off ever since. I have even turned my other skills to help with my knitting and made my very own stitch markers. And these will be my give away for this year's OWOH blog fest. There will be three chances to win a set of 5 of these hand made stitch markers.

The first way is to simply leave a comment on this blog. Be sure to leave your email address or your blog address in your comment so I can get ahold of you if your entry is selected as the winning entry.

The second way to win is to sign up for my email mailing list. I don't send out many emails so you won't get a ton of spam but you might get one or two emails a month. Just mention in your comment that you would like to be added to my mailing list, include your email, and you will be entered into both drawings one and two.

The third way to win will help those in Haiti too. Go to my Etsy or Artfire shops and buy something. In the comment to seller section put OWOH Haiti and 50% of the sale will go to Doctors without Borders for their work in Haiti.

This journey ends February 15th at noon and the winners will be announced that evening. Thank you for reading my blog, and good luck!

10 Rules of Basic Etiquette for the Non-Crafty

Since learning to knit I have come across a lot of people who either don't know, don't care, or don't value the time and skill that goes into hand making something. A group I'm in on Ravelry has been coming up with a list of knitting faux pas that non-knitters do to knitters frequently. One of the members, Siovan12 wrote up this list and I loved it so much I wanted to share it with you.

10 Rules of Basic Etiquette for the non-Crafty:

1. Just because I am crafting in a public place does NOT mean I am fishing for compliments, comments, advice. etc…. I am minding my own business, how about you minding yours. Plus, before you decide to help yourself to my personal private space, from my crafting supplies, equipment etc. please pass me your wallet. If your gonna snoop in my personal belongings I get to snoop in yours.

2. Do not rubberneck my crafting project from two tables away or over my shoulder for 10 - 15 minutes watching me, then have the audacity to ask me “Did you do that?” You will get the “Nope. My invisible friend Matilda did it, but doesn’t like to feel like a freak so I fake it for her.” Plus do NOT crowd me, most crafts have sharp ended tools and I am not adverse to jabbing you with one so you get my point.

3. When gushing “I could never do that” be honest with yourself and the crafter in question, finish the sentence with “because I do not have the patience and I am a abject moron.”

4. All Family & friends, if I ever chose to create something for you it is an honor. It is NOT like going to the store and just picking something up. Creating the gift takes time, forethought, pre-planning, and time management. Keep in mind socks are NOT simple, neither is a scarf or a hat, they are basics where we learn and try new design and pattern ideas. Be very honored when we feel a practice piece is worthy of gifting to you.

5. NEVER EVER gift yarn, notions, patterns expecting it to be used for you. Do not hint that I make you something. Ask me simply and straightforward. I may or may not make it for free if you buy the yarn, or may charge you for my time… either way be proud and humble to think I would even consider doing it for you since you are too lazy to learn to do it for yourself.

6. If gifted with a handmade crafting item, thank the creator profusely even if you never want a hand made gift from them ever again, then state its beautiful and I’ll cherish it but handmade is really not your thing. This gets the giftee and the creator off the hook for more gifts that can be appreciated better by someone else on the creators list

7. If you are the recipient of a handcrafted item and decide within 2 years its not the thing for you, offer it back to its creator before selling it or regifting it to someone else. Its insulting to ask about a piece made for you to find out you donated it to goodwill, I got $5 at my garage sale for it, or hear from you “oh, that grey sweater. I gave it to my ex-boyfriends girlfriends best friend because it just wasn’t me.”

8. If the hand crafted item is wearable then WEAR it, if it is decorative USE it. If you are so overwhelmed that you want to take care of it so it won’t get destroyed FRAME it. If you choose to do none of these things give it back to the person that made the item because you do not deserve it.

9. Do not blame the creator if a thing you have bullied them into making for you does NOT turn out the way you want it. If you are so damned picky take the time to learn the craft and make it for yourself.

10. We craft because it relaxes us, we enjoy it, we can take our time and be proud of what we are doing. Selling our creativity for profit will stress us out, put us under deadlines, and generally make us want scream. That is why it is a hobby and not our JOB so quit pestering us by how much money we could make yadda yadda yadda.

I hope you all like this and if you are a crafty person feel free to take this and pass it out to all your non-crafty friends. If you are a non-crafty person, please remember these rules when dealing with a crafty person. Especially a knitter, we have two pointy sticks and we know how to use them. :)

Cubic Zirconia beads at ArtBeads.com

I was recently asked if I would like to try out and review some new cubic zirconia beads from Artbeads.com. As I am a bead junkie I can never say no to the opportunity to play with some new beads so I jumped at the chance.

I ordered some 6mm coins (cz-cry-cn6), 5x7mm ovals (cz-cry-lov7), 10mm stars (cz-cry-str10), 5mm stars (cz-cry-str5), and the 5mm princess cut post earrings (cz-ear5-dia). I combined these with some peacock pearls and 2mm sterling silver rounds that I already had in my stash and came up with this.

I think it turned out rather well. And if you are interested in purchasing this set you can see it on my ArtFire store soon.

Now for the review -

The cubic zirconia beads are much nicer than most of the 'crystal' beads coming out of China these days but they are still a far cry from Swarovski crystals. They don't have the same fire and the holes are not polished like they are in the Swarovski crystals so you have a big frosted tube in the bead instead of a polished hole.

The quality assurance, while better than most of the Chinese beads that are out there is not perfect. I did have some crystals that had a slant to the hole so that it went thru the bead at an angle front to back. Not everyone may find this to be a bother but since these beads are priced per bead I do expect a higher quality than what I received. The coin beads for example were $1.06 each so its a pretty expensive bead to have that sort of flaw in it.

I do have to say that I really like the earring posts I got. The cz in the post has a lot of sparkle and makes for a very attractive earring. I do wish the earring posts came with the nuts on them but that isn't a huge deal.

All in all, my recommendation is that while Artbeads.com has some really beautiful items, I would buy the Swarovski crystals they offer instead of the cubic zirconia beads. On the upside though, I do recommend the cubic zirconia post earrings. They are really pretty and have a lot of fire for the price.

Legalese -

I received the products mentioned in this post free of charge and am honestly reviewing them. I have not been paid or otherwise reimbursed for my time, talent, this post, or the supplies that came out of my stash to create the pieces shown in this post.