Chickenlips Knitting

I've never been much of a Tom Petty fan, but sometimes it's pretty tough to play the waiting game. Been there and done that, such as with the home pregnancy test I took in February 1990 that came up pink, and the biopsy I underwent last winter for a rare, and usually deadly, form of breast cancer that thankfully came up negative (which is why I'm still here and blogging).



What I'm waiting on this time around is to find out if my design for a lace scarf that I submitted today to a local yarn company will be accepted or rejected. I can't share more of the particulars than that, as I'm finding that the knit design world can be dog-eat-dog, it's just that I'm more hopeful and eager to be published than I ever imagined I would be a short time ago! I'm repeating to myself that it's no big deal if these folks aren't interested, because that means I can shop the design (which I think is really cool, if I do say so myself) around to other places, and I also have plenty more ideas percolating around in my brain. I'm just hoping that my designs sell sooner rather than later, because my cash-flow woes continue. I love buying Christmas gifts for my friends and family, but because I chose to do what I'm doing, that's not going to be possible this year. While it's true that my hand dyed yarns are selling quite well, as are my stitch markers (they are now available at A Grand Yarn in Spokane as well as Twisted in Portland, so there, boss lady!), I'm just impatient for my post-corporate earnings to grow. Being a starving artist sucks big time, trust me on that.



When Mental Illness Strikes, Go To Your Fastball



Hoo boy. Guess what? I had a real big meltdown this week! Feelings of rage and helplessness, extreme irritability, with my teen bearing the brunt of it and my reactions to stress triggers way out of proportion to the situation. Before things could get any worse, I got myself to a doctor, who reassured me I wasn't bipolar (because I don't sleep anymore-- I'm skeining undyed yarn to be dyed, or skeining dyed yarn, or knitting up swatches--anything but taking care of myself,) but that my depression, which I have been managing by downing a 75 mg. Effexor with my morning coffee, heading out the door and forgetting about it, has gotten considerably worse and my meds needed to be doubled. He also prescribed a mild tranq for the short term, which is SCHWEET. I slept great last night. Better living through chemistry. With that, I'll be OK until my system ramps up to the new dose, and then da future's so bright I gotta wear shades! Back on the street with Doc Feelgood. Yes yes yes.



Yarn Pics



Here are the latest from my dyepot, and I have another one still drying.

"Secret Touch"

"YYZ" (Sold!)

"Earthshine"

"The Body Electric" (which I think is kind of meh)

Hey, thanks for being in the trenches with me--my love to you all. I'm now being kicked off the computer by the 17-year-old evil despot I live with; in actuality, I'd rather relinquish it to her than listen to her godawful music, so it's really a trade-off.