Just when you think things are getting better

I know, I know. I haven't wrote anything lately. But, life you know, it happens, and I have had very little me time.
I'm definitely looking for a job seriously now. I can't wait around at CCRX waiting for the inevitable, which is the pharmacy closing. What really sucks is what I am trained to do, pharmacy technician, and my experience level, plus needing full time work pretty much makes me unhirable. Tell me, wouldn't it make sense to these stores to hire a couple full time people? They'd know the customers, problems, and would be more likely to stick around. All the chains around here want part timer's. Granted, like the hubby says, it'll probably turn to full time eventually, but by that time, we'd probably be living in the van. I seriously need to get out of California and go somewhere that the cost of living isn't so inflated. My 2 bed/1 bath duplex that I live in is nearly $700 a month, which is CHEAP. I would love a house, but with payments "starting at just $1729" being the norm around here, no way. I look at houses in Kentucky in or around where we lived for a while, and I can't believe the prices. $80,000 for a 5 bed/2 bath on 5 acres??? That, out here, would easily be a 900,000 dollar home. More towards LA, it'd be over 1 million.
Ok, I've vented enough:)

Wishing I had time...

Well, I have about 2 weeks to get my outfit for faire done...a ghawazhee, pantaloons, and dreads for my tribal look...I don't think I'll make it. It'd be nice to just be able to concentrate on it and finish it in a few hours, but that ain't gonna happen. My 7 week old baby has decided that she like me to hold her all the time (ok, waking hours only), and when she's sleeping, I have my 3 year old that's running around, lol...If I don't get it done, no worries, next year. But I was looking forward to the cooler, less confining outfit:)

I got it!

I ordered my underbust pattern from Laughing Moon Mercantile. I decided that, while I do love my Victorian overbust, it's just not practical for wearing during work...my boobs don't need to be any higher, thank you very much. It calls for only 1 layer, but I think I'll do 2 layers, just because I'm way too fluffy for 1 layer to look good on.

Mei Tai's

If you click the link in the title, you'll come across a budding obsession of mine. I have made my 1 month old a mei tai, a baby carrier, and she loves it. I put her in it, and if she's not looking around checking out the surroundings, she's sleeping soundly. The site in that link is what I have based my pattern off of, though I am going to incorporate some other ideas from other sites into my next one. The first one was a test, which came out much better than I ever could have though it would, was pretty basic. I used some heavy-weight fabric I had lying around (I bought it on clearance for either 50 cents or a dollar, not sure which), and went from there. I didn't have anything big enough for the straps I thought, but found some sturdy woven fabric that I used for a skirt for faire clothing, and had enough to make straps. I cut them long because I really didn't know how long I needed them. I also am making the straps a bit smaller than the directions are saying to, mostly because of comfort, but also because it's much easier to tie a thinner strap than a thicker one.
Next time around, like I said, I'm going to add some elements. I definitely want a pocket on it. How to do it, I'm working on it...though a zipper is not out of the question. I also am going to pad the shoulder area of the straps. There hasn't been much in the way of pressure on that area, but if I wear it for longer periods of time, it might help. It can't hurt any. I also want to pad the head area. My baby has gotten into a habit of working the head area down to she can lay her head back. If I try to put it up, she wiggles it down again, lol...It's a losing battle with her. The last thing I'm trying to work out is a way of putting leg holes in the bottom. I have seen where the bottom was brought in to be narrower, but seeing as she's so little and I'm wide, it still wouldn't work well I think. I'm still working that out. I really need to go and buy some fabric...

Crafting time...

I've been a busy bee lately, well at least for me I have. I finished the corset, though I need to replace a grommet that didn't get set right. No problem there. I really hate doing the binding though, and I messed up a couple spots. I wish I had gotten a picture of it though, it looked damn good on me:)
I finally did an amigurumi (I probably spelled that wrong). I made a Camel that came out really cute. I'm not crazy about crocheting in a spiral, but I'm getting better at it. I also made a Mushroom. My husband looked at it and laughed, lol...I can't blame him. It's kinda cute though. I might use it to hold stitch markers, yarn needles, ect. All this is a nice change from my 12 inch squares. Not that I don't like doing them, don't get me wrong. I actually, really, love it. It's nice to complete a project in a couple hours, rather than a couple weeks.
I finally finished a Mei Tai based on those directions. I "wore" my 1 month old for quite a bit while testing it, and she loved it...first time falling asleep, then looking around. I need to make a few more once I have more money. I need some more fabric. All the stuff I have is either for faire, corsets, or sari material. The sari's probably will get made into either a corset or something for tribal/belly dancer faire persona.

Ok, Gotta run.


Sorcha

Crochet for Charity

I have been thinking...I like to crochet, but really, how much stuff can I honestly make for myself and those around me? So, I have been researching charity crochet projects. I found a pattern for a 10 minute Crochet Preemie Hat that I decided to try out. It was quick, not 10 minutes quick, but close enough. This is the finished project. The deck of cards if there for size. I thought to myself that I made it too small...stretched lightly it's 10 inches, unstretched it's 9. So I find this size chart at Touching Little Lives and I guess it's not too small after all. I think that I'll work on several of these, then donate them to local hospitals.

A Couple Things...

I am a part of a CAL (crochet-along) which does 12 inch afghan squares. I like it. It forces me to try squares I wouldn't otherwise do, and learn techniques I might not learn otherwise. We are given 1 square to complete per month, but most do at least 2 or 3 squares. With 2 months over, I have 11 squares done. Yeah, I got a little obsessive about it, but I have learned a lot doing it. I just completed 1 square that I'm not sure I'll keep, but it was interesting to make. It originally was made in thread as a bedspread. No way in hell I have the patience to do that, but the website that referred me stated that, in yarn, it made a 12 inch square. Eh, I figured, why not try it. I had trouble with the directions on a couple rounds, but I eventually figured them out. This is the result. It is perfectly 12 inches square. The waviness is due to the fact that I needed to move the square to get a picture (more light needed) and didn't think to flatten out the square as well as I did before. I really wish I had a better picture, but since I killed my camera, I am using a borrowed cam. The center rose sits up quite a bit and is thick, so I don't know if I'll use it or not. If I decide not to use this square, I'm probably going to donate it to Project Linus or one other charity like that.

Mistress Raven's Boredom Fighter

Well, I did it...

I've been "online" since 1999, but always looked at blogs as something that I would never do. I just wasn't into it. So, nearly a decade later, here I am, with my first blog. I've decided that I needed somewhere to post my crafty stuff, vent about things that are irritating me, and share good news. Do I honestly think that anyone other than me will read this? Nope, not at all. I'd be shocked if my blog was read by more than 1 or 2 people in a years time. I just hope that I don't ignore it.
Unfortunately, just as I'm ready to add pictures here, my good digital camera gets broken. Stupid me knocked it off the counter and onto the non-carpeted floor. Sooooo......I have 2 other digitals, one of which has no batteries, and the battery door is broken off (thanks to an inquisitive 2 year old) and one that the hubby has lost the battery charger to. Oy vey. This is typical, he never puts things away where it belongs. I really need to go through the desk drawers and look for it tomorrow. Wish me luck, it's a jungle in there.
A little about me. I'm 31, well I'll be 32 in May. I've lived most my life in the Southern Californian High Desert, which I really don't mind. We do have 3 seasons at least. I like the cold, but I'm not too crazy about the heat. Nothing like the heat in Phoenix where I lived for a year. That is just insane. I'm married, and have 2 girls, one that just turned 3 in January, and the other was born in January of this year. Funny thing is, they both had the same due date.
I am learning to belly dance, which I have wanted to learn for as long as I remember. Am I good at it? I think I'm not too bad actually. I'll probably never perform, but it's fun. I also love going to renaissance faires. I worked one year at an ale stand, and with that I could again. It's just not in the cards right now. Too much going on, especially with a new baby. I'm a member of the Wenches Guild, #2524.
While I was pregnant, I really wasn't interested in sewing, which I really do like to do. I wanted to make myself another Victorian corset, but with an ever-expanding belly, that wasn't something that I could do at the time. So, I picked up a hook and learned how to crochet. I had tried before, but those learn to crochet books didn't cut it. I could not learn how from them. I did find a site online, www.nexstitch.com, that had videos on how to do various stitches that I learned from. It's perfect. I'm the type of person that can watch someone do something and then do it myself (I learned to spin with a drop spindle this way). The drawings in the book didn't cut it for me. So I crochet now. Lots. But the sewing bug is coming back big time now.
Right now, the next big project is a tribal/belly dance outfit for faire. I'm making a ghawazee vest, pants, skirt, and dreads for it. Hopefully, I'll have time to do this before faire starts in April. Yeah, it's a long time from now, but with 2 kids, working full time, and a hubby that works graveyard (meaning, I'm basically on my own watching them), it might be tough. If it doesn't work out, I have my wench gear to wear:).
Besides that bit of sewing, I have a corset that I made my aunt to finish. It really only needs to have the boning finished, and have the binding put on. She's not working right now, so I'm using duct ties (think really large, thick zip ties) as the boning instead of steel. When she finds a job and gets a steady check coming in, then I'll have her buy steel and I'll replace it.

Well, the baby is waking up, so I better wrap this up.

G'night