I saw this the other day...

and, I'll admit, I squealed.  It was supercute, and it held still long enough for me to find my phone.

*cough*

I'm not ridiculous or anything.

And, no, I still haven't taken pictures of my knitting.

I'm not waking up to this:

I'm on a visit to my folks.  I miss a lot.  The Pirate, the Kraken, the dog...my sewing machine.
I'm knitting a lot.  I'll try to post a pic later.  (For some reason, I can't get any pictures to post from my flickr account...even though it says it is.)

Anyway, I didn't realize how used to animals I have become.  I keep waiting for a cat to appear in my peripheral vision.  No dice.  My mom had fostered/hospice cared my first cat, who died in November.  I think my dad wants a cat...he was like a schoolgirl when a random kitty let him pet it after it rolled in the big patch of catmint they have in their yard.  I don't think mom is as ready as he is.  So, I started hunting on petfinder.com.  And, I think I found another cat I'd love to have, but The Kraken is definitely a one cat cat.  I think.

I still have to fix this thang up...

I hate my header.  I have to redesign it.

Right now, the Kraken is fiercely playing fetch with me.  I will keep throwing this little paper ball until she tires of bringing it back as I have learned that I can't have her free-ranging while I'm sewing.
I'll try to post a picture of her playing at some point.  She's uber cute and semi-evil.

I think I'm a type A ADHD quilter.  I'm not sure if that's a good combo.  I'm working on 3 quilt tops for lap quilts right now.  They're all the same pattern.  Obsessively stitching 1st quilt ever tutorial.  They're not my best work, but I'm using them to learn some things.  I used to sew on an old-school metal Singer (avocado green from the 60s or 70s).  It died, and I've not been able to find a shop that can repair it.  I'm on a cheap-o Brother LX-3125 that I bought when I had to do some emergency costuming for a class play.  I'm debating getting a new machine for my birthday in August.  We'll see whether or not I can or if I will need to replace the washing machine then. *crosses fingers*

Things I have learned:
*what I thought was the 1/4 in seam allowance on my machine is NOT 1/4 in.  I have to painter tape the machine.
* I am not as patient as I should be.
*Nor am I a goddess at piecing.
*I have the potential to be a master hoarder.

Things I'm getting better at:
*accurately using the rotary and the ruler (SMALL GOALS here, people!)
*I think I'm getting better at colors


Also, I killed a WHOLE SPOOL OF THREAD TODAY!!! (this was momentous, really)

I will try to post pics and figure out more about this blogger formatting.

This is my brand-spanking new blog.

I've kept other blogs in the past.  It's not that I'm cheating on them...perse.  It's just that I feel the need to start something new.  To mark my new adventures.  I've had plenty as actiongirl.  I may import those here eventually.

These adventures will be of a decidedly crafty and/or bellydance nature.  I've been knitting for a long time. Long enough to generate a bin of shame.  Yes, not a single UFO, but many.  I've just gotten into quilting.  Again.

My first quilt was an originally ill-conceived affair involving scraps of silk.  Scraps that required handwashing and resulted in me having to get several stitches in my middle finger.
Did I mention I was graceful?  So graceful, in fact, that my mother nicknamed me (sarcastically) Grace.  Let us just say that I really was trying to keep our indoor cat in the house, and that the cat was noticing a wasp that tried to fly into the house while I was making a trip to the drying line out back.  I slammed the sliding glass door shut in a panic...without realizing that my finger was still in the track of the door.
What followed resulted in me sobbing hysterically, bleeding on my mom's favorite dishtowel (a fact that made me cry even more), and then having to make a semi-coherent call to my dad's office to get the secretary to pick me up and drive me back to his office in the hospital.  (I knew it needed stitches.  It was my dominant hand, and my car lacked power steering to make highway driving "safe" with one hand.)
Needless to say, I gave up on the silk and eventually settled on a cotton quilt in vibrant colors.  I had to wait to sew it until my hand had stopped throbbing.  It was a quilt worthy of a dorm futon.  It didn't last much beyond college.

Now, I'm back at it again, trying my hand at quilting.  All the supplies appeal to the OCD horder in me.  I probably already have enough fabric for a lifetime of quilts.  I know I have more than enough yarn to knit sweaters/scarves for life....Anyway.  Welcome to my blog.