Since I was in the area today, I finally hit up Cute As A Button.
If you're not familiar with the name OR the location, I don't blame you. They are located in Grover Beach, at Oak Park Road and Grand Avenue, right next to Stacked.
Once parked, the entrance is very inviting, with signage on some prop surfboards. Just inside and to the right, they have a carousel of A-damn-dorable aprons (which made me think of you CJ), sundresses and kid items. The walls and shelves have many sewn items as well, including purses and clutches. A chair held some knitted dog sweaters and other sewn items below them.
Weirdly, I didn't notice any buttons, which I thought they would have, given the name.
Anywho. I was totally weirded out when I realized the only other person in there was not just the employee, but said employee never acknowledged me and *get this* continued to curl her hair with a curling iron (hello "TGIF" at 4:30 pm) in the public mirror.
Weird. As. Heck.
I'm hoping the Hair Curler Chick isn't the owner and doesn't know what her employee is up to . . . yet.
Fabric? Yes
Cute Sewn Items? Yes. Unless you are a seamstress (and I wish I was because their stuff was CUTE!)
Cute Knitted Items? See above.
Customer Service? Oh Holy Mother of Fiber and Fabric No. No. No. No. No.
Because seriously. Who the hell gets ready for a Friday night out on the town at FOUR FREAK'N THIRTY in the afternoon? Oh, I know! Dumbasses that curl their hair with a curling iron, WHILE WORKING THEIR DAY JOB as the sun is still shining.
Never not going back until 1) she's fired or 2) their Out Of Business sale.
I hope it's #1 because the store is pretty dang interesting.
As I've heard my whole life (and failed at too) - You never get a second chance to make a first impression - Curling Iron girl.
Friday, January 23, 2009
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Aww, Thanks Guys!
Well, I think it went VERY well tonight, given that I interviewed for a freak'n hour and a half!
It's a husband and wife accounting firm - she's the tax side and he's the payroll side. They both interviewed me. He tested me on Word (pahleeze)and Excel, but no Quickbooks (which I know inside and out and it's how they do payroll) and she tested me on Lacerte (the program I know inside and out to process income tax returns).
My one failing in Excel was not knowing how to convert segments of time into a decimal base, but now I do :grin:
My one failing in Lacerte was not knowing what the '08 figure is for the maximum IRA contribution allowed. Other than that, I had to do a tax return for Married Filing Joint, 2 kids, one in college, an elderly parent dependent, husband with w-2 income, wife with own business, sold stock, had itemized deductions, depreciation and dividend income. I think I did okay, but couldn't print & proof my work, like I would do in real life.
I had boned up on the new payroll tax rates for '09 and the mileage rates for '08 but those weren't asked, LOL.
Fingers crossed, my friends. Times are tough all over and I'm not the only well-qualified fish in the unemployment pond anymore!
(Oh, and now my neck hurts from keeping my hair out of my face, since I'm so used to wearing it up, but . . . STILL LOVE IT!!!)
It's a husband and wife accounting firm - she's the tax side and he's the payroll side. They both interviewed me. He tested me on Word (pahleeze)and Excel, but no Quickbooks (which I know inside and out and it's how they do payroll) and she tested me on Lacerte (the program I know inside and out to process income tax returns).
My one failing in Excel was not knowing how to convert segments of time into a decimal base, but now I do :grin:
My one failing in Lacerte was not knowing what the '08 figure is for the maximum IRA contribution allowed. Other than that, I had to do a tax return for Married Filing Joint, 2 kids, one in college, an elderly parent dependent, husband with w-2 income, wife with own business, sold stock, had itemized deductions, depreciation and dividend income. I think I did okay, but couldn't print & proof my work, like I would do in real life.
I had boned up on the new payroll tax rates for '09 and the mileage rates for '08 but those weren't asked, LOL.
Fingers crossed, my friends. Times are tough all over and I'm not the only well-qualified fish in the unemployment pond anymore!
(Oh, and now my neck hurts from keeping my hair out of my face, since I'm so used to wearing it up, but . . . STILL LOVE IT!!!)
lovelovelovelove LOVE it!
Nooo - not anything knitting related this time, sorry!
I made a 2008 resolution to get my hair cut and then did nothing to achieve that goal. Hell, I made many a resolution at the start of last year and hardly any were accomplished, It was (and continues to be) a rough period, but that's a post for another day.
This year I made ZERO resolutions and finally finally finally got my hair lopped off about an hour ago.
Roughly 14 inches in total, ifn'youcanbelieveit! Ayup. I had that much to spare.
This afternoon's Befores:
December 30, 2007 (YES! 2007!):
And Afters:
See that body and "style" in the after? That's air dried only. Zippy styling! No blowdryer or product at all. My hair has a natural wave to it that gets bogged down with 14 extra inches :grin:
I have a job interview this evening (wish me luck, ifyouplease) and being a girl, I know there's few things better than a fresh hairdo to give a shot to the 'ole self-esteem.
LOVE IT.
Nooo - not anything knitting related this time, sorry!
I made a 2008 resolution to get my hair cut and then did nothing to achieve that goal. Hell, I made many a resolution at the start of last year and hardly any were accomplished, It was (and continues to be) a rough period, but that's a post for another day.
This year I made ZERO resolutions and finally finally finally got my hair lopped off about an hour ago.
Roughly 14 inches in total, ifn'youcanbelieveit! Ayup. I had that much to spare.
This afternoon's Befores:
December 30, 2007 (YES! 2007!):
And Afters:
See that body and "style" in the after? That's air dried only. Zippy styling! No blowdryer or product at all. My hair has a natural wave to it that gets bogged down with 14 extra inches :grin:
I have a job interview this evening (wish me luck, ifyouplease) and being a girl, I know there's few things better than a fresh hairdo to give a shot to the 'ole self-esteem.
LOVE IT.
Friday, January 9, 2009
Bonehead Rookie Move:
For the last few days, I've been working on the commissioned knit item previously mentioned, but then I hit a decision point, so I set it aside tonight, to continue on some "ME" socks that jumped on the needles a few days ago.
The last "for me" socks I worked on were some Plain Vanillas in a horrific color palette. Just eye-bleeding UG. LY. I talked about them here and showed the unfortunate color combo here.
Seriously. They were so butt-ugly it made me question my ability to comprehend color combos on the skein.
This current UFO of Plain Vanillas is from a different multi-colored skein and Holy Cow they couldn't be more different in acceptability!
Here's the skein balled up:
As I keep knitting on it, it reveals the most beautiful fall colors you've ever seen. Greens, yellows, reds, burgundys, and all color combinations in between. Just breathtaking, if I say so myself.
It's the only reason I have for my utter bonehead move tonight. After doing the heel flap, I completely omitted the heel TURN and instead went straight to the gusset decreases.
D'OH!
Luckily, I caught myself as I was situating the stitches evenly around the needles after the pick-up part.
Some days I worry that the Knitting Police are going to pull me over and impound my needles, once they run my fiber abuse history, LOL!
The last "for me" socks I worked on were some Plain Vanillas in a horrific color palette. Just eye-bleeding UG. LY. I talked about them here and showed the unfortunate color combo here.
Seriously. They were so butt-ugly it made me question my ability to comprehend color combos on the skein.
This current UFO of Plain Vanillas is from a different multi-colored skein and Holy Cow they couldn't be more different in acceptability!
Here's the skein balled up:
As I keep knitting on it, it reveals the most beautiful fall colors you've ever seen. Greens, yellows, reds, burgundys, and all color combinations in between. Just breathtaking, if I say so myself.
It's the only reason I have for my utter bonehead move tonight. After doing the heel flap, I completely omitted the heel TURN and instead went straight to the gusset decreases.
D'OH!
Luckily, I caught myself as I was situating the stitches evenly around the needles after the pick-up part.
Some days I worry that the Knitting Police are going to pull me over and impound my needles, once they run my fiber abuse history, LOL!
Monday, January 5, 2009
Flattering, No?:
Back in the dark ages, when I joined ravelry, (if you can call June 2007 the dark ages, LOL), the only way you could upload your stash and project pictures was by first putting them on flickr.
I bet ravelry has been the single largest reason for membership over at flickr!
So anywho, although ravelry has changed and you don't HAVE to use flickr for stash/project purposes, many of us still do. In fact, I have a premium membership because of all that I enjoy from being a part of such an awesome photography site.
One of the cool things at flickr is finding other photographers in your area (much like how ravelry is awesome in helping you find other knitters in your area).
Here's the really neat thing that just happened! A local-to-me flickr member has been watching my parade of knitting pictures lately, and asked me if I would have interest in knitting her something for her daughter's birthday. FOR MONEY.
How awesome is that?
I know, I know, I know - commissioned knitting has its pit-falls. Most people don't comprehend the monetary value of a hand-knit. Even more people don't understand the fine distinctions between various fibers. Acrylic, to their eye and finger, is on par with any natural fiber and they don't *get* how knitting with some yarns can make a person die a little on the inside.
INSERT SNOOPY DANCE!
This person has let me guide them in yarn choices and didn't have any problem with my stated price for services rendered. How great is that? The icing on the cake is that it's an item I enjoy knitting. Not something like, say, a king-sized afghan in garter stitch.
My price was fair (given the item and the supply cost), it's something I enjoy making, and the recipient is extremely appreciative of my skill and is very excited about getting it.
A commissioned knit-piece made of Win. I love it!
I bet ravelry has been the single largest reason for membership over at flickr!
So anywho, although ravelry has changed and you don't HAVE to use flickr for stash/project purposes, many of us still do. In fact, I have a premium membership because of all that I enjoy from being a part of such an awesome photography site.
One of the cool things at flickr is finding other photographers in your area (much like how ravelry is awesome in helping you find other knitters in your area).
Here's the really neat thing that just happened! A local-to-me flickr member has been watching my parade of knitting pictures lately, and asked me if I would have interest in knitting her something for her daughter's birthday. FOR MONEY.
How awesome is that?
I know, I know, I know - commissioned knitting has its pit-falls. Most people don't comprehend the monetary value of a hand-knit. Even more people don't understand the fine distinctions between various fibers. Acrylic, to their eye and finger, is on par with any natural fiber and they don't *get* how knitting with some yarns can make a person die a little on the inside.
INSERT SNOOPY DANCE!
This person has let me guide them in yarn choices and didn't have any problem with my stated price for services rendered. How great is that? The icing on the cake is that it's an item I enjoy knitting. Not something like, say, a king-sized afghan in garter stitch.
My price was fair (given the item and the supply cost), it's something I enjoy making, and the recipient is extremely appreciative of my skill and is very excited about getting it.
A commissioned knit-piece made of Win. I love it!
Saturday, January 3, 2009
Where I've Been & Where I'm Going:
2008 was the year I really branched out in my knitting skills.
Partly (well, mostly) due to becoming friends with Suzanne. That woman is a knitting phenom! Not only is she inspirational, she's also a great motivator as well. One time, she off-handedly mentioned using the duplicate stitch to weave in ends. She kinda-sorta showed me and it has made a HUGE difference in my finishing.
Other big influences were: Hanging out with the Bakersfield knit bunch and the Visalia knit bunch, having CJ and SisterDi as good friends, finally discovering all the fabulous fiber podcasts out there, definitely getting to attend Stitches West with Suzanne and SisterDi, participating in the 2008 Ravelympics and HELLO! Ravelry in general. What a great knitting year it has been.
So, in '08 I worked on stranded-knit socks, finished a child's size sweater (albeit just a circle with sleeves, but still. . . ), understood and executed chart knitting, and really comprehended patterns for real and not just faked my way through. I got a lot of stuff knitted up last year and it's only made me more interested in expanding my experiences from here on out.
Here's where I'm headed during 2009:
Knit one entire ADULT-sized sweater from start to finish. I lean towards Hey Teach but that could change by the time I cast on.
Knit one large lace project. Lord knows, I have enough lace yarn stashed to knit 8 large projects at least! I started the Fiber Trends Seascape Shawl but put it down when The Mike started working less and being home more. It's too hard to concentrate with him around.
Learn to knit a patterned sock. That is all.
Learn to knit a toe-up sock. That is all.
Enter something in the fair in 2009, although this one scares me a bit, given some of the horror stories I've read about during 2008's fair season across the U.S.
Finish: these socks and these gloves and this pair of socks.
Keep on knitting: Socks for ME! Hats for ME! Stranded/colorwork knitting - it's my new knit addiction, LOL.
In all of this upcoming knitting activity, there is no doubt in my mind I'll be learning new techniques and skills, not just filling up time knitting stuff I already know how to do - lots and lots of learning, I'm sure, and I can't WAIT to get going on it all!
Partly (well, mostly) due to becoming friends with Suzanne. That woman is a knitting phenom! Not only is she inspirational, she's also a great motivator as well. One time, she off-handedly mentioned using the duplicate stitch to weave in ends. She kinda-sorta showed me and it has made a HUGE difference in my finishing.
Other big influences were: Hanging out with the Bakersfield knit bunch and the Visalia knit bunch, having CJ and SisterDi as good friends, finally discovering all the fabulous fiber podcasts out there, definitely getting to attend Stitches West with Suzanne and SisterDi, participating in the 2008 Ravelympics and HELLO! Ravelry in general. What a great knitting year it has been.
So, in '08 I worked on stranded-knit socks, finished a child's size sweater (albeit just a circle with sleeves, but still. . . ), understood and executed chart knitting, and really comprehended patterns for real and not just faked my way through. I got a lot of stuff knitted up last year and it's only made me more interested in expanding my experiences from here on out.
Here's where I'm headed during 2009:
Knit one entire ADULT-sized sweater from start to finish. I lean towards Hey Teach but that could change by the time I cast on.
Knit one large lace project. Lord knows, I have enough lace yarn stashed to knit 8 large projects at least! I started the Fiber Trends Seascape Shawl but put it down when The Mike started working less and being home more. It's too hard to concentrate with him around.
Learn to knit a patterned sock. That is all.
Learn to knit a toe-up sock. That is all.
Enter something in the fair in 2009, although this one scares me a bit, given some of the horror stories I've read about during 2008's fair season across the U.S.
Finish: these socks and these gloves and this pair of socks.
Keep on knitting: Socks for ME! Hats for ME! Stranded/colorwork knitting - it's my new knit addiction, LOL.
In all of this upcoming knitting activity, there is no doubt in my mind I'll be learning new techniques and skills, not just filling up time knitting stuff I already know how to do - lots and lots of learning, I'm sure, and I can't WAIT to get going on it all!
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Zero Knitting Content:
It's true, today's post has zippy knitting stuff.
Instead, I want to share a blog that I find absolutely knee-slapping funny.
It's called Bee's Musings and I highly recommend it to help lighten bad times and dark moods.
Just so's ya know though, it is chock full of off-color humor - my favorite kind!
She posted a music video of that song "Baby it's cold outside" that had me in stitches.
Click here if you dare!
I'm telling you though, you may never hear the song the same way again :grin:
Instead, I want to share a blog that I find absolutely knee-slapping funny.
It's called Bee's Musings and I highly recommend it to help lighten bad times and dark moods.
Just so's ya know though, it is chock full of off-color humor - my favorite kind!
She posted a music video of that song "Baby it's cold outside" that had me in stitches.
Click here if you dare!
I'm telling you though, you may never hear the song the same way again :grin:
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