Another day in the life

Here is a microsoft project plan of the ATC cards I had to do when I created it on Tuesday.


Good, isn't it? For those of you who know about such things you'll notice that the tasks aren't linked but what I did do is make the time to make 1 ATC = 1 day so where the task is 4 days long that means 4 cards. Then I decided that I can make 3 cards a day. So my Alex resource = 300%. Then I assigned myself to each task and then levelled the resources to see when the making hot spots were. I fully intend to update it today and add in the slack bars but I don't want to run out of things to do like I had yesterday by 9.30am.

So peeps, do you get what I'm saying here? Yes, work is still a tad on the slow side. What I have done is written 4 project proposals and fired them off to various people internally. Much to my surprise one has been taken up and IOP Enterprises will soon own an online shop selling funky stuff with funky graphics on obscurely related to physics. This gives me about half an hours work to do later on which I'm saving so as I have something to look forward to.

All this means that the zine is practically ready - many thanks to those of you who have already pre-ordered #2 here. I will also soon be announcing the winners of the first challenge who will be in for prizes of crafty goodness. The first challenge was to make a pincushion (any theme) and get a photo of it to me asap. The best three get prizes.

In knitting news I am still on the xmas presents. NEVER AGAIN DUDE. I hate them all. Although apart from knitting I have been getting myself into a bit of a crafty tizz. I took part in the altered art online chat class on tues eve and it was FANTASTIC. Chat rooms are such great fora for this kind of class. The woman doing it was on one side of the US and there was me and others from the rest of the US and a couple of other countries. But when I actually came to sit down and do something I felt strangely unable to act. So in fact I haven't done very much in the evenings since then. I think I've lost my mojo a bit.

Pooch and I had the 2 1/2 year anniversary of our hooking up this week so tonight we are off out for dinner and james bond. Hoorah!

Blog trawl

Felt compelled to post for a staggering second time today because of the most recent cat picture over at Crazy Aunt Purls. I really wish I had a cat. Then my job wouldn't be so boring and I wouldn't get so obsessed with ATCs - apologies to annarella for banging on about them in a comment on your blog a minute ago!

Since I'm here, we also have the following from today's blog trawl....

• Excellent flea story linked to from purlpower (you just have to take a leap of faith that a story about fleas is worth the clicking to get you there) (and it is)
• New hat patterns from woollywormhead. Just splurged a full £1.75 on the spiral cap. But it's DPNs, curses. Then some things are worth the agony. Like childbirth. Or so I hear.

A light haul this time. Off to ATCards.com for an online class on altered art now. Yippee!

Digital ATCs

Have found a new website called atcards.com and have joined a new swap for digital ATCs which I've never done before. We have to do 4 each based around 'your wildest dream'. Here are my first three.

Tulips

Swimming in chocolate

Knitted Byrne


Ha!

As you might be able to tell it has been a slow day at the office. I am SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO bored. Have emailed me boss begging for more work again which is just such an unnatural act I feel sure there must be a law against it. It's just not natural. My one concern is I'll get made redundant but then I'd get a nice fat cheque and the kick I need to change direction and actually do something interesting with my life.

The second issue of the Proud to be Crafty zine is oh so nearly finished. It is very exciting. Certainly much more exciting than my day job. It's not very refined yet but you can preorder here. If you want it sent overseas please be honest and add the postage. For some reason paypal wouldn't let me have more than one shortcut set-up at a time. If you know how to fix this do drop me a comment.

So where the hell have I been?

Yeah, I don't really know really. I have been off work for a couple of days with a heavy cold but the blog was already a week old by then and I do have broadband at home so that's no excuse. I guess I just got a thing about it and didn't feel like posting. You know. A Thing. Like not walking under ladders or something. Maybe.

I have been knitting non-stop since I was last here but can't show any of it because it is all destined for stockings of the great and the good, which is to say, my family and friends. I have been getting a fine bevy of post not all of which has been photographed but most of which was concerned with ATCs. Here are some that did make it to the camera....

These are ones I did for a Kinky Swap.

I've been having a bit of a crisis of confidence about them. I'm just not convinced mine are really worthy. I posted a message on the eclectic ATC group about this and it seems I'm not alone. Anyway.....

The second issue of the zine is shaping up very nicely and will be available from 1st Dec. That is to say it will be sent out from then but will actually be available to pre-order very shortly. Watch this space. Have been getting some great stuff from people to include so should be an awesome issue. In case anyone is wondering about the first issue the limited edition run of 50 has well and truly gone. Sorry to those of you who missed out.

Madwise I have experienced the 'profound shift' that therapists want their patients to have. I'm not going to go into it because part of it is having to talk about it instead of using this blog as a life noticeboard but it's good stuff and I feel whole for the first time in ages.

Today is of course remembrance sunday and I did the silence at 11am thinking about Grandpa Noah and all the others who have fallen while defending us. It makes me mad that the people who are dying now in Iraq are there for such a damn stupid reason but just because I disagree with the war doesn't mean I don't want to support the veterans. So I've decided to add The Royal British Legion to my charities that I donate to. You can make a one-off donation or set up a direct debit here.

I know I've got lots of blog news to catch up on. One more bit of news from me - I think we might be maxed out on SkipNorth but I need to check. There's definitely no more than 3 places left after a group of 4 joined up on friday. All so exciting!