New Site

If you have arrived at this blog, you are using an old link.  I have moved The Pink Woobie to http://thepinkwoobie.com. 

Please update your bookmarks. Also if you subscribe to this blog through e-mail, please visit the new site and subscribe there.   Thanks!

Happy Holidays!

Haven't had time to write. Things are NUTSO.  I didn't put a Christmas tree up, and have been working non-stop.

Custom orders, Etsy orders, and Christmas presents.

Stay tuned for great stuff in the new year.  I'll have a new blog look, and lots of new things to sell.

I hope everyone has a great Christmas and New Year!

If you purchased something from The Pink Woobie this holiday season, I'd love if you could send me a picture of it in action!   Send them to chrissy@thepinkwoobie.com.

I Don't Clean

It's no secret that I live a fairly messy and chaotic life.  I own a lot of stuff, and use most of it on a fairly regular basis.  This "stuff" that I own is multiplied by the fact that I live with a man who also owns a lot of stuff.  We have hobbies, we like to cook, and we hate to clean.

When I say I don't clean, I'm sure your first thought is that I live in a gross, hoarders like house with 15 cats.  First of all we only have one cat, and a snake but she lives in her own little tank habitat.  And I do clean, just not in the way that a lot of people would declare "clean."  In our house we go for "clean enough."

I like having a clean toilet so the bathroom gets wiped down on a fairly regular basis, about the only thing that I take sole responsibility for in our house.  The rest of the housekeeping chores I share with the husband.  Here is where it gets tricky...

I have Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, so chances are on a day that I have the ENERGY to do proper cleaning, my shoulder or knee or hip hurts, and makes the task 10 times harder than it should be.  Besides, who wants to clean when there are so many other exciting things to do?

Ryan is a champ, he keeps our dishes and laundry mostly caught up.  When it comes to undirected cleaning tasks it's almost like he's blind to clutter and the piles of dust, cat hair, litter, and yarn bits that inevitably build up.

For those of you who are inclined to feel the same way as I do about the horrible tasks of housekeeping, I'd like to share a little bit of my strategy and thought process to cleaning.

If there is something on the floor that should be picked up, I ask myself three questions.

• Can I vacuum it up with my handy handheld vacuum?
• Will the cat eat it?
• Will it hurt if I step on it?

If the answer is yes to any of these questions it gets picked up right away, I love my little handy sucker it saves me so much bending over.  If it's something the cat will eat I pick it up not only for his safety, but also because he most likely will barf and then I'd have to clean that up too.  That's messy and takes way more energy than just picking whatever it is up to begin with.  And stepping on things OUCH, something I don't need in my life.

If the answer is no to these questions, I file it away into the "to be picked up at another time" category.

My other chores goes as follows:

• If it's sticky- wipe it up.  We have cheap white bar towels that we use as napkins, paper towels and use for general wiping.  These save waste and are easy to throw in the washing machine.

When we have people coming over we try to wipe down the dusty things, and sweep the floor (this can be done with a vacuum or with a broom, depending on what room you are in).

I just feel life is too short to stress about having a clean apartment.  Are you a clean freak?  Or are you alright with things being "clean enough"?

Addendum (added 3:48) I forgot one important thing... If it smells take it to the dumpster!  This includes, trash, cat liter, and anything else that my be less than pleasant to have hanging around.

10% Discount for Early Holiday Shopping!

Starting at midnight you can get a 10% discount at my Etsy shop!!  Use the coupon code CYBER12 when checking out.  The sale goes till Tuesday at midnight!
Check out The Pink Woobie on Etsy!

Shop Local Ohio

Have you been wanting to buy that perfect item that's been sourced and made locally?  Look no further than these lovely items for sale in my Etsy shop!  In this post I want to highlight the items in my shop that are made in Ohio.  I realize that Ohio is a big state, but when you consider buying yarn made in Ohio in comparison to yarn made in Turkey, I'd call that local.

Each of these items are hand-spun by me-- the Woobie. :)  I produced the yarn by spinning it with my drop spindle or on my wheel.  The wool and other fiber was purchased from several different local sellers, and was grown in Ohio.

I chose the fibers for the colors and texture, which created a unique item you will enjoy for a long time.

Currently I have only four Ohio made items in my shop, but I will be adding more in the near future.

1. Crochet Slouchy Hat- Hand-spun
2. Merino/Alpaca Fuzzy Beanie Adult Large
3. Raspberry and Cream Handspun Neckwarmer
4. Hand-spun Merino Cowl

PS. If you live in Columbus, OH you can contact me through my shop for local shipping options as well!

Black Friday/Cyber Monday Sales

SALE!

Just wanted to give you a heads up!  On Thursday at Midnight I will post a coupon code for my Etsy shop!  It will be good through Tuesday at Midnight for you to save 10% off anything in my shop.  I'll be posting it here, on Facebook, through Twitter, and a friend is sharing it in her blog.  So lots of people will know about it and things may go fast, so be sure to check it out right away.

If you miss out, I'll be restocking the shop and hosting another sale in time for Christmas!  I'm also taking custom orders.  If my schedule gets busy I might have to stop, so get your request in early.

Links, Likes, and Love- 11/15

It's been quite awhile since I've done a Links, Likes, and Love.  A lot has been going on, but I wanted to share with you some things I'm a part of.

Links

• Make it Better: Craftalong for Sandy Relief- In response to Hurricane Sandy some folks got together and enlisted crafters to create warm things for those who are without electricity, heat, or homes.  I sent a package out this week containing some mittens I had made last winter, a few hats I whipped up, and a scarf I had been working on forever but didn't have a reason to finish.  The deadline for submissions is tomorrow, but I'll keep my eyes out for other projects incase you want to contribute.
• The Kick Start Your Handmade Holiday Shopping Giveaway- My friend Carrie is doing an awesome giveaway!  I'm thankful for her and her effort to encourage people to buy handmade this holiday season.  Hop on over and enter and you could soon be an owner of something awesome from The Pink Woobie!

Likes

• You!- I am so grateful for each one of you who keep coming back to read what I have to say.  Things are slow sometimes, but I still feel like I have a lot of important things to say, so don't give up on me.  It's only because I know some of you out there are interested that I keep writing.  
• The Weather- yes, it's getting cold but I own a lot of warm accessories from all the years of crocheting.  But it's been mostly sunny, and my body doesn't get overwhelmed like it does in the heat.  Many days this summer I hid in my bedroom with the AC cranked.  It's so nice to be able to go outside, take a walk, drink a coffee, without sweat pouring out of everywhere.
• My electric blanket- this goes along with the weather.  Although my body doesn't get overwhelmed as much in the cold, my joints and muscles do hurt a little more.  I'm combatting that with an amazing electric blanket that Ryan got me.  I highly suggest investing in one for anyone who might struggle with the cold.  I can't believe the difference it makes compared to a normal blanket.

Love

I'm not really sure this even needs words.  This is Popeye helping me with my spinning.  What a good cat!

Those Times I Forget I'm Chronically Ill

Today I wanted to share a little bit with you about what it's like living, working, and playing with a chronic illness.  More specifically I wanted to share with you those times that I forget I'm chronically ill.

Living in constant pain and fatigue isn't something that's easy to forget.  And trust me it doesn't happen often.  Things aren't always hard, or painful.  Sometimes it's just that dull reminder that I don't have the energy that I once had to do the things I love, or the nagging knee pain that I have dealt with my whole life.  And although it may sound like a good thing to forget you are ill, it usually isn't the case.  

There are two specific instances in which I occasionally forget about my illness.  On the rare day that my pain is low, or that I'm attending an event that I've looked forward to for a long time I can get caught up in enjoyment.  If you catch me on one of these days, I might even be dancing, loud, obnoxious, and generally smiley.  I've set my health issues aside for the time being, and have captured a small bit of my natural joy.

I often live for these nights! I will talk your ear off if you let me, and unless I tell you (which I often do) you would never know I struggle with my health on a daily basis.  Then morning comes..... and I again remember that my body is not as strong as it once was.

Regardless of the night's activities or alcohol consumption I'm "hungover."  My head pounds, my throat hurts, my legs ache.  After one of these "good nights" it often takes me 3-4 days to recover to my normal daily activities.  No matter how careful I am the only way to avoid this feeling is to not go out at all, and that sucks.  As much as I hate the phrase "suck it up" when it comes to pain, somedays that's just what I do.  I suck it up, enjoy myself, and know that for the next week things will be slow.

The second instance in which I can "forget" about my chronic illness is sometimes the hardest.  As you know I've been working on building a business very very slowly over the last couple of years.  It started as a hobby, became a cute idea, and now is at the point where I'm actually (almost) making money.

Before I started all of this, I had no real idea about the crafting business.  I understood the production part, and doing what made me happy, and I knew it would be a lot of work.  But I wasn't familiar with the craft blogging world, Pinterest didn't exist yet, and the majority of people I followed on Twitter knew nothing about crafting.

Starting from scratch, I'm learning slowly, and well.  It turns out I'm pretty good at a lot of things.  However, as I build my crafting business, form relationships with other crafters and bloggers, and attempt to make myself known I get overwhelmed.  I often feel as though I'm not "doing enough"and that everyone is getting ahead of me.

When the stress is really high, and I feel like I'm failing it's because I've forgotten that I have a chronic illness.  I'm attempting to function like a healthy average person in a world of overachievers.  To begin with I've never been an overachiever, but I'm also operating at a much slower pace in my daily life than most people.  This is when I need to remind myself of how far I've come, and how well things are going.  That DESPITE my chronic illness I'm still succeeding.  This is really easy to say, but oh so hard to remember.

So I thought by sharing with you, I might remember to cut myself a little slack from time to time.  Also I'm sharing this with you so you might understand a little bit more about others with chronic illness.  I'm a pretty open book, but a lot of people who struggle do not share their struggles with others.  If you can learn a little bit of what I'm going through, hopefully you can help be supportive to others.

And because I hate leaving you without a picture of something that I'm working on, here is a full bobbin of yarn that I spun last night.

Frugal Foodie Mama

Hi Woobie friends!

I wanted to share a friend's blog with you.  Carrie at Frugal Foodie Mama and I are collaborating on some good things month.

I met Carrie when she was still living in Columbus, but we've stayed in touch through that wonderful magic of the interwebs.  She writes about food, motherhood, her attempt to be a more eco-responsible family, and she's a great supporter of small handmade businesses!

I'd love for you to jump on over to her blog and check things out.  We'll be doing a give-away together later in the month and I'll let you know about that here!

Busy Bee

I haven't blogged a whole lot lately and there is really no excuse for it.  It seems that when I have the time to blog I find other things to do.  I think being on Twitter has seriously changed my blogging habits.  I'd still like to get on a more regular schedule but I'm not going to stress about it, and it's not my top priority.


Anyway, I wanted to let you know what I've been up to over the last few weeks.  I wrote about my cold, and following that I had a serious Fibromyalgia flare.  It seems to happen this time of year, everything becomes pretty painful and I feel like I have to drag myself around like I'm wearing cement shoes.

Despite feeling so crappy, I was able to get a lot accomplished.  I am now an officially recognized business with the state of Ohio.  I've registered my business name, and obtained a vendor's license.  Now the book keeping begins, so far things are going ok, hopefully I don't screw up anything too badly.  If anyone has known me for long, you'll know I'm seriously bad at math.  Thank goodness for computers.

I've also been seriously busy making items for my Etsy shop.  I try to finish one item a day.  It doesn't always happen, but I've been pretty productive.  Be sure to head over there and check out what I've been doing.

Besides the business things I've been doing I've also started physical therapy for some pain that I've been having.  I've had life long knee pain, but my hip has gotten particularly bad in the last two years, and the tendinitis in my shoulder is not really improving.  Hopefully some strengthening and stretching will help.  Really want to get back to my yoga, but it's been pretty uncomfortable with all the pain.  Soon I hope.

So, that's what is up with me.  Just wanted to update you all.  If you are interested in hearing from my a little more regularly you can check out my facebook page, where I post pictures and status updates about how things are going.  Also for all my facebook fans there is a giveaway going on that you have till Wednesday to enter.  You should check it out. :)

Etsy Gift Cards!

Did you know Etsy now has gift cards?  This is FABULOUS gift giving news!

Better news is that The Pink Woobie is set up to receive said gift cards!  If you are interested in giving a card to a loved one, head on over to here and check them out!   Also, if you purchase a gift card before November 14th you'll be entered to win a $250 gift card for yourself!

Featured Creation: Teething Necklaces

Last week a friend put out a request on facebook for teething necklaces for her growing baby.  I loved the idea and took up the task.  This is what I came up with and they are now available in my shop!

Made from 100% cotton and unfinished wooden beads I find that they are perfect for little hands and mouths.

I think they will make great gifts, or a perfect treat for mom to spiffy up your outfit without worrying about baby.

 I will be adding different designs after I place an order for more supplies.

There are lots of ideas going on in my head for creations lately, so keep a lookout for more postings!

Featured Creation: Children's Pumpkin Beanie

In the next few weeks I will be posting all kinds of items for fall in my Etsy shop.  Wanted to get this one up as soon as possible.

I LOVE this pumpkin beanie, perfect for hay rides, or a Halloween costume.  It's also a great price.  Hop on over to my SHOP to check it out!

Made from acrylic yarn it's durable and important for kids WASHABLE!

Game Day Necklace- I Found it on Pinterest

The purpose of the "I Found it on Pinterest" series is to encourage you to try new projects, exercises, or techniques you've never tried before.  Take a chance, learn something new!

I decided to share my most recent Pinterest  project with you at just the right time.  The Ohio State University Buckeyes are getting ready to take the field against the Nebraska Cornhuskers.  Good thing I have my awesome ribbon Game Day Necklace handy!

This necklace tutorial comes from Moore Babies and was a super fun project!

Here are my notes on this tutorial and my experience:

• I used satin ribbon and it was SUPER slippery, it took awhile to get the hang of holding onto the ribbon, beads, and thread all at once.
• I totally suggest measuring and marking your ribbon before threading your beads.  I attempted to just eyeball or wrap the ribbon around the bead to thread, but it made it particularly difficult because of the slipperiness and it came out much better when I measured.
• I used a jewelry clasp that I had on hand so that I didn't have to slip it over my head, but I end up doing that anyway, it's long enough even though I didn't use the full length called for in the tutorial.

I think this necklace is super classy and a way to show team spirit without a necklace of large Buckeyes clacking around your neck.  Hope you enjoy and give it a chance.  What are your team colors?

*Sneeze*

A celtic cabled hat that I've been working on.

So I have a cold, and I haven't blogged in two weeks.  The cold came upon me earlier this week.  Before that I was experiencing some stress that really isn't important, but kept me distracted and made me not feel well.

Last Monday as I was lining up shots for Etsy products and blog posts, I dropped my camera.  It ended up being repairable, but about 12 hours of stress took it's toll on my body.  The rest of the week I focused on resting up as friends of ours got married over the weekend.  I was in pretty good health and had a wonderful time at the wedding.

By the time I recovered from wedding festivities I came down with a cold, almost right in the middle of planning this weeks blog posts.  I was at the coffee shop and everything, had my computer, was drinking my latte and chatting with a friend.  Then BAM I felt horrible.  I retreated to my bed immediately where I spent the next 48 hours.

Now I'm experiencing a little of the manic phase I talk about here.  I haven't slept so I really don't have the mental faculties for Links, Likes, and Love or any other kind of post.  But thought I should update and say howdy.

This is life with chronic illness, and I just try to take it as it comes.

Links, Likes, and Love- SUPERSIZED

Hey friends!  I missed Links, Likes, and Love last week because of the tendinitis in my shoulder.  I thought for today's I would share some EXTRA with you.  These are still all things that I find super awesome and I totally think you should check them all out.

Links- all the links I'm sharing this week are sites that I visit if not daily at least several times a week.  They provide a huge amount of inspiration for me, especially that last few weeks when I haven't been able to craft as much as I'd like to, they've given me things to think about and plan.

• Be Up & Doing- This is my friend Allie's blog.  She covers a huge variety of topics, which is why I love it so much.  My interests are wide and varied as well, and they often overlap with Allie's blog.  She recently has gone full-time freelance and I know she is going to rock it because she is so awesome.
• The Zen of Making- Haley Pierson-Cox is a crafty, granny-glasses wearing, Brooklyn gal with a crush on all things DIY.  And to be honest, I have a huge crafting crush on Haley (she's aware).  She tries her hand at a little bit of everything, and her geek crafts are the best (TARDIS EVERYTHING).  She's awesome on Twitter too.
• Craft- My interest in Craft is highly influenced by Haley, but there is a serious amount of great projects of all shapes and sizes culled from all over the internet.
• Ravelry- Ravelry is an amazing community of knitters, spinners, crocheters, etc.  There is an endless amount of patterns, forums, groups, and users on Ravelry.  I don't use it as often as some people, but is definitely a great source of information that I consult on a very regular basis. 

Likes- 

• I have probably read more in the last 5 weeks, than I did in the last five years.  For a long time I had chronic headaches.  They had a lot of different causes, and one thing that has helped is cutting my dreadlocks and having short hair.  Nothing is squeezing my head anymore at least.  This past week I read Diving Into the Wreck by Kristine Kathryn Rusch. I have become well versed in science fiction television since becoming ill five years ago, but this has been one of my first forays into reading the genre.  Diving Into the Wreck is the first in a series and so far I am loving.  I knew about halfway through the book I was enjoying it, and now I can't wait to read the next in the series.  Bonus points: I'm getting it them from the LIBRARY.  Libraries are so cool.
• Greuyere cheese-  This is my favorite cheese ever.  I think it's important to have a favorite cheese and I love it's rich gooeyness.  I've been eating more than I probably should when I go to Stauf's for lunch I get a turkey, bacon, Greuyere sandwich on gluten free bread.  SO TASTY.

Love

This probably isn't a secret but I LOVE YARN!!  I love the feel, the color, and even the smell of yarn.  Much of my life for the past five years has been surrounded and comforted by yarn.  I wrote on Monday that I am the proud owner of a spinning wheel.  Even before acquiring said wheel I was spinning with a drop spindle.  I'm still setting the twist on yarn from my wheel, but here are some pics of handspun yarn from my drop spindle. 

This is a mixture of Alpaca and Merino wool, I crocheted a pretty great fuzzy beanie with this.

This is Mohair and Romney Wool.  The left skein is two ply and the other two are single ply.

This is Mohair and Romney Wool single ply, one of the favorites I've done so far.

A Wool Gathering 2012

On Saturday I was able to venture towards Yellow Springs, OH to "A Wool Gathering" at Young's Jersey Dairy.  The farm itself was impressive and it would be interesting to see all the activities without an event going on at the grounds.

"AWool Gathering" was a collection of animals, demonstrations, and vendors.  We seem to just miss some sheep sheering as we were arriving.  Although it's not necessarily the time of year for such an activity they appeared to be using one or two sheep for demonstration and sheering just small bits of wool.  There were also some llamas present who tried their absolute hardest to ignore me while I took their picture.

The vendors had a large variety of raw wool, beautifully combed and dyed rovings, and already spun yarn.  Also there was every configuration of spindles and other tools you could ever imagine.  Everyone was very friendly and eager to show you their craft.  My first purchase was a beautifully hand carved crochet hook.  Crocheting being my first crafty love, one can never have too many crochet hooks.

I was waiting till after I had seen all that was available to buy my fiber.  I've been drop spinning for awhile now and I pretty much wanted to buy everything I saw.  I was also looking for a new spindle, when we came across a used wheel for a reasonable price.  The husband surprised me by saying he had prepared for such a thing, and I was able to come home with my very first spinning wheel.

By the time I made it back to the first bunch of fiber I had wanted to buy the particular color was sold out.  I was bummed but consoled myself by getting some great colored merino.  I'll be posting about those separately as I go through the process of learning on my new wheel.

It was a really beautiful day and my health seemed to hold up until I was done shopping.  I think Ryan enjoyed himself as well, even if it was just getting to make me happy by purchasing my spinning wheel.  I hope we can make it a yearly tradition.

Add It To the List

I have another diagnosis/injury to add to the list.  I think I've mentioned my shoulder pain here, but I certainly have been talking about it on Twitter and Facebook.

It's been going on for about six weeks now, and hurts especially when I crochet, knit, type, etc.

I went to the doctor this afternoon and she has diagnosed it as rotator cuff tendinitis.  She said it's a pretty common injury, and happens with many professions.  Basically anything that I do in front of me aggravates it.
She gave me a shot of cortisone in the joint and I plan on resting it for another week or so.  Been doing the icing and the constant taking of NSAIDS.  Also important is to keep movement in it and doing some shoulder exercises, so I plan on being vigilante at that as well.

I'm going a little bonkers however.  My pain first flared when I was working on a knitting project, and since then have not been able to do much.  For the last 5 years I've been crocheting or knitting almost daily for several hours a day.  It's what kept me sane in my sickest months, and has provided some great gifts and even a little bit of income.

I really don't want this to become a chronic problem, so here I am, resting it as much as possible and trying to find other things to do.  I've been reading a lot, and I guess that's what I plan on doing for a few more weeks.  Will be getting to the library very soon.

Will try to keep creating blog posts, and hopefully I can come up with some kind of creative content while my crafting takes a rest.

Links, Likes, and Love- Ithaca Edition

This week I am spending time at my sister's house in Ithaca, NY.  I had made plans to be here during the summer but didn't make it until now.  My nephew went back to school on Wednesday, so I've had the days mostly to myself.  Here are Links, Likes, and Love for September 7, 2012.

Links

• Ithaca Bakery- Yesterday and today I headed to the Triphammer Marketplace location.  They also have a location in downtown Ithaca.  My iced lattes have been amazing.  Not only do they have a tasty menu, they carry gluten free bread and bagels!!  The website is pretty interesting too.
• Visit Ithaca- If you've never been to Ithaca, you can check out their official tourism site.  I had hoped to have a much more in depth blog post written about what Ithaca has to offer, but this body just wasn't up for being a tourist this week.  So check it out and find out why Ithaca is Gorges! 

Likes

• J.R.R. Tolkien- Over the years I have started The Hobbit several times but never really got very far.  I read it this week and can't wait to read The Lord of the Rings.  We had picked up a new paperback copy of The Hobbit recently because Ryan wanted to read it again before the upcoming movie.  I haven't seen The Lord of the Rings movies and I'm missing out on sharing that experience with him, so I wanted to make sure to share this one.  Looking forward to the movie and being a fan of Wifred, I can't wait to see Elijah Wood.
• Cayuga Lake- Although I haven't actually spent time at the lake this summer it's visible while driving and it takes my breath away.  The sights are beautiful and the activities around the lake are amazing.  I'm sure you've heard of The Finger Lakes wine tours.  This is a picture I took last summer from Stewart Park, as you can see it's a big lake. 

Love

My Nephew!!  I love my sister and the rest of my family too, but my nephew is growing into such a great kid.  He's intelligent, and funny, and he loves hugs.  How could it get any better.  He has the best one line quotes as well.  This week alone my favorites are: "Especially considering my extensive library" and "I ran out of onomatopeoeias!"  I made him sit down with me for a few minutes and take some pictures with my webcam.  He's a lot of fun!

Wordless Wednesday: Vacation