Adventures in Yarn Addiction

Twee little excuse....

2011-03-20T20:35:00.000-05:00

Okay, so here it is, my twee little excuse for being a dreadful blogger: Working full time leaves little time for anything else! Yet, I have still found time for my yarn, and for other crafting. I just haven't, however, taken the time to blog all of it, as that would simply mean less time for - get this - actually crafting.

Since last I posted, I've made 3 bridal garters, a sweater, numerous other bits of flotsam and jetsam, cards, etc, and am now working on my Next Ambitious Project^TM. Of course, in true Kerry fashion, this brainchild came to me when I have other things that are much more important to be accomplished, and when I have little time in which to create, but hey, when has that ever stopped me?? So what is this project, you ask? Well, Friday is Aliceon's 10th birthday. She's having her first sleepover party Saturday evening, and what with Hans being out of work for nearly 3 years now, there isn't a lot in the budget for decorations and the like. So, being me, I thought, "Hmmm.... I have that book of upholstery samples that I bought years ago, and I just inherited some awesome pinking shears!" I was already planning on making her cupcakes, and putting pennants in them a la Martha Stewart, so why not make a pennant banner for decor? So, much to Hans' chagrin, I started drawing my diamonds onto the backs of the fabric and cutting away with my lovely pinking shears. I got all of them cut and folded. I've just sorted all the colors (there's three pennants of each color) into the pattern I want, and have grouped them so that I can iron and letter them tomorrow.

They're really quite lovely, if I do say so myself! Check it out:

Grouped pennants, counted for lettering

A shot from the top to showcase the colors

Fanned out and lovely!

Pinking shears - an incredible invention!

Bright and happy, perfect for little girls' birthdays!

Back Again

2009-02-22T16:52:00.003-05:00

Yeah, yeah, yeah - I'm a terrible blogger. I know. I suck at it. The truth of the matter is that I just haven't felt much like writing lately. Today, however, I feel like it.

I find myself back in the situation of crocheting because of my shitty health, my body that insists on betraying me every chance it gets. So, after a week of ER, doctors, tests, scans and what have you, I turn again to yarnapy to help me through it.

In December, my dear friend, Dianne, went to Olympia, WA and brought back some lovely yarn for me. I have been working on turning it into a shawl for myself because when she gave it to me, I realized that I really haven't made anything that was just for me. This yarn, though, was special. It needed to be just for me, something that I could wrap myself in and feel the love and friendship that I know went into choosing this yarn for me. I searched and searched for the perfect pattern, knowing that when I saw the right one, I would instantly know it was right; I would know that this was the garment this particular yarn wanted to be.

So I found the pattern and started on it. However, since this is for me, I find it difficult to stay on task with it. Even today, when I'm cranky and frustrated and needed yarn in my hands, I didn't reach for my shawl. Instead, I started on a birthday gift for Aliceon. She knows I'm making something for her, and she knows the yarn I'm using, but she doesn't know what I'm making for her.

So I have at least 2 projects in progress to keep me busy through whatever my decrepit body decides to throw at me, plus at least two more in my head itching to get out. Oh, and to show that I still am hardcore - we went to Disney a few weeks ago, and I took yarn and hooks with. I even have photographic proof! I'll leave you with that proof, plus a shameless picture of my family in front of Cinderella's castle!

I'm on FIRE!

2008-09-07T13:52:00.002-05:00

So I made my sister's garters, then I decided to design one myself based on things of liked and disliked from others I've seen. I wonder, though, if anyone would be interested in purchasing the pattern.

Here's a pic of the first mock-up:

That was quick!

2008-09-05T14:33:00.002-05:00

So this morning, before my migraine reached critical, I decided I would browse the crochet patterns on Ravelry and see if any caught my eye for Christmas gifts. I came across one, though, that I felt the need to do today for my little HeatherE. So, after 2 darvocet and a short nap, I sat down with a skein of Caron Spa in Naturally and whipped up this little beauty. It literally took about 20 minutes, and turned out beautifully!!

Absentee Hooker!

2008-09-03T06:37:00.004-05:00

Oy! It's been quite some time since I've blogged anything on here. It's been an ~~adventurous~~ busy few months, and there's no indication that things are slowing down any time soon!

I have been playing with my yarn, though! I even took a little jaunt to Canada and managed to talk Hans into letting me buy yarn there! He walked through one of the yarn stores, too, much to my amazement!

Started back on the knitting attempts after my friend, Dianne, asked me to teach her how. Not sure how I accomplished it, but I was able to teach her to knit when I barely manage to do it myself, and she has taken off! She's reading patterns now and everything! So I got her a book and some special pink cotton hand dyed from Canada. Here's a picture of Di's first attempts:

So let's see, what have I done lately?

The first is preemie hats, "Tiny Ladies," a pattern that I was testing for someone on Ravelry. The second is the "Bridesmaid's Dress Sachet" that I tested for Tracie. Third is a chapstick holder I designed and created for my older daughter, Al, because she had chapped lips. Fourth is the hat that I created for my friend Jenn's daughter, Maveri.

Currently, though, I'm working on the garters for my sister's wedding. I have the first one almost done - just needs to be embellished and then cinched with the elastic thread, but I plan on doing that when I get up there so we're sure of a custom fit. The second - the tosser - I've just started, but it's the same pattern with a narrower (half size) band. I should be able to knock it out by tomorrow up to the same point the first one is at. Then I get to take both of them and go to Micheal's to play with ribbons and other embellishments!

For your viewing pleasure, the garter:

And so it continues....

2008-01-29T20:31:00.000-05:00

Once upon a time, I was content to occasionally do some simple embroidery. Not anymore. Once the fiber bug bit me a year and a half ago, that was all she wrote. It started simply enough - crocheting a few things with some inexpensive yarns. Simple projects - hats, dishcloths, scarves and the like. Then I decided to move on to something a bit more challenging - thread. I haven't done a whole lot of it, but what I have done, I have really enjoyed. After that, it was on to the pointy sticks. While they haven't been mastered yet (the pointy sticks hurt my wrists horribly), I decided it was time to try out yet another fiber discipline - tatting. It's slow going, but,admittedly, I have only just started tonight. Still, it's something I want to master.

I'm not doing it just because I want to try to attempt as many things as possible. Actually, my little sister is getting married in October, and I am making her garter. I have a crocheted pattern that I think I like, but I found a tatted one that I adore. I'm hoping that it's something I can pick up as quickly as I picked up crocheting, and that this isn't an insane goal. Besides, tatted lace is just so very lovely. I would love to tat (is that the correct term??) something for my grandmother for Christmas.

In other news, I'm working on (almost finished, actually, thank goodness) a scarf for my mom's birthday. It's going to be late, seeing as how tomorrow is her birthday, though. I think it's going to turn out wonderfully, though. It's a soft, fluffy, light purple heather yarn that is just delicious.

I also am about to start on a gift for Hans. He's not much for crocheted items, but he liked the Fit To Be Tied, so who knows. I'm going to buy a very special yarn to make it, something that he'll actually use. I can't wait to get the yarn and get started! I love the thought of creating something for Hans that he may actually use.

Hmmm.... What else is going on right now? Not a whole lot. Life is busy, what with being PTA president, a Girl Scout leader and having cookie sales going on, plus Hans being out of town almost all the time. It's tough to find time to play with all my yummy yarns. Still, I make time. h

Will Wonders Never Cease?

2008-01-11T12:03:00.001-05:00

I've been meaning to publish this for almost 2 weeks now, but just haven't had the opportunity to sit down and do it.

I finished this purse New Year's Eve. Put it in my basket beside my chair, and thought nothing of it. Didn't bother showing Hans because, well, frankly, he doesn't give a damn about my crocheting; in fact, most of it annoys him.

So friends come over for NYE fun, and I show the purse to one of them. She looks at it and shows her fiance. Somehow, it ends up sitting on the couch, and we go to bed.

The next morning we get up and are straightening up for Hans' parents to come over and pick up the girls, and Hans notices the purse. He actually picked it up, inspected it, then told me he really liked it and was really impressed with it. I thought he was being sarcastic, as usual, but no, he was sincere. And if I doubted his sincerity, when his parents got here, he got it out of my basket and showed it to them, bragging about how I had made it! I can't believe it!

Let me tell you, that really meant all the world to me.....

So. I. Suck.

2007-11-07T14:58:00.000-05:00

I haven't posted much lately. Nay, anything lately. I have been working on some things, but one of them can't be discussed because I want it to be a surprise, and the other can't be discussed because it's a test pattern. Add to that all the stuff going on health-wise, well, it's just been a bit of a rough run. I had to go off my anti-inflammatory for nearly two weeks, and my hands are swollen, so I can't crochet much at a time. But I have all next week to rest and relax while my dear MIL takes care of the rest of my family. Yay scan week?

Yummy!

2007-09-20T07:51:00.000-05:00

I have to go charge the batteries to my camera so that I can take and post some pictures. I just received my order from Elann (well, I got it Saturday, but it's been a busy week!!), and the Peruvian Baby Cashmere and Super Kydd are just delicious! Much better than I could have hoped for! I must admit that, even after petting Tracie's Elann yarns, I was nervous about buying something I had never seen in person before (she had gotten cotton blends). However, they not only met, but greatly exceeded my expectations! I have a project in mind for the Super Kydd, and have swatched it. I'm just hoping that it works out as I expect!

Okay, batteries are now charging, so in about an hour, I should be able to take some pics. I also have an update pic on the round ripple, which I haven't worked on in a couple of weeks because I've been trying to brainstorm, and a lace project that I have been working on.

In other news, it's time to figure out Christmas gifts. I've got a couple in mind right now, and thanks to Ravelry, I've been pattern searching for ideas, and queuing the patterns that I think may work for different people. I need to sit down and write out my list, though. That'll be a list, maybe for while I'm at Aliceon's open house tonight. Did I mention that I'm now a Girl Scout leader? Yeah. I have a Brownie troop, so tonight I need to sit at a table at the open house for the school. No worries, though - it's a chance to work on my projects!! I can yarn and answer questions easy peasy!

Okay, so I'm going to go clean the kitchen while I wait for the batteries to finish charging. Adios!

I've Been Tagged

2007-09-18T11:02:00.000-05:00

So my good friend, Tracie, has tagged me with an interesting meme. I don't do them often, but this one could be kinda cool :D

The rules:
1. Link to your tagger and post these rules.
2. Share 7 facts about yourself: some random, some weird.
3. Tag 7 people at the end of your post and list their names (linking to them).
4. Let them know they've been tagged by leaving a comment at their blogs.

7 Random Facts

1 - I'm very shy. I know many people would disagree, but you put me in a situation where I don't know anyone, and I will sit in a corner, not speaking or hide behind Hans until someone speaks to me. If I'm not thrown into social situations when we move, I will hide in my house, not meeting anyone until we move again.

2 - I hate jello. It's a texture thing. Same thing with oysters and undercooked eggs.

3 - I had 4 weimeraners as a kid, three of them at one time. Their names were Matilda (Tilly), Burgemeister (Burg), Hoss and Hazel. They were my loves.

4 - I just became a Girl Scout leader. Again.

5 - I love to bake and would bake every day if money and weight allowed!

6 - I am more than a bit obsessed with this whole crocheting thing, yet I really don't think I'm very good at it.

7 - I've been married 7 years as of this past Sunday.

Let's see - who to tag?

Marikay, whom I haven't talked to in a while and miss!!

Tina, who has become a dear friend over the last year.

Rebel, whom I've known for a few years now, and who is always good at adminishing me for not taking of myself!

Paula, my cooking guru friend from my mommy board of a few years.

Brandee, who, in conjunction with Tracie, taught me to crochet a year ago.

Rachel, a hook liberator on Rav whom I have come to have a great respect for.

And last, but not least, Claudia, my scarf exchange buddy in Germany!

Stitch Stirring Limerick

2007-09-17T06:40:00.001-05:00

I'm a part of a group that is working to get we crocheters a little more into the mainstream by collectively blogging on writing prompts posted by our beloved leader. Today is the first.

Even if you don’t consider yourself a poet, this should be fun and easy. Your mission is to write a limerick–or several–about crochet. No starting with “There once was a man from Nantucket…” though!

What is a limerick? A limerick is a short poem, oftentimes humorous (although it doesn’t have to be), which consist of five lines. Lines 1, 2, and 5 should all three rhyme with each other, as should lines 3 & 4, thus creating a rhyme-scheme of aabba.

Need more info to get you started? Do a Google search on “example of limericks”.

Have fun!

There once was a girl in Florida,
Who ended up crocheting a yarmulke.
It began as a hat
but sat way too flat,
And now is a festive (word that rhymes with yarmulke!)

There once was a lady from faraway
Who decided she wanted to crochet.
She took a hook and some yarn
Then went in the barn
And that's where she's been all day!

There once was a boy at home
Who loved to crochet little gnomes.
They took over his room!
He had nowhere to groom!
And he had lost all his tomes!

I hate it when the math burns me!!

2007-09-05T06:50:00.001-05:00

So I had all my plans for the round ripple - 6 rounds pink, 1 round white, 6 rounds green, 1 round white, 9 rounds pink, 3 rounds white, 9 rounds green, three rounds white, 1 round sc pink followed by 1 round rsc pink to finish. Sounds perfect, right? I had 1 more skein of yarn than the original pattern called for to ensure I didn't run out. I planned it all out! I thought I had it all figured out! Nope. with 3 1/4 rounds of the 9 green to go, I ran out of green. And, of course, no stores carry the green I was using. So I had to frog 3/4 of a round and figure out how to make it all look decent with more white, less green. I hate math.

In other news, though, we had a lot of fun on our trip to see Hans' grandmother in New Orleans. We got there and one of the first things she tells me is that she has a project for me! She then showed me a nylon mesh potscrubber that she had made at a church function. She told me she wanted more, and she had the mesh and hooks already ready for me! Of course, I needed to go out and buy my own hook and some mesh in colors I wanted, too, so off we went to Joann. And how wonderful that we did!! They had their Sensations hooks on sale for fifty cents each! So, of course, I got a whole extra set - I had only brought two hooks on the trip with me - plus a new dress maker's tape measure and the nylon netting. We went home, and I got started making more scrubbies. Grandmommy was just amazed at how quickly I turned them out, but really, they're very simple. The worst part is the netting can tear up your fingers if you're not careful.

Of course, now I have a whole new set of hooks, and I had nowhere to put them, so I had to make myself a new hook case, another thing that amazed Grandmommy. I was glad we were there when I did it, though, because she had the coolest button I got to use that matched the yarn perfectly.

I'll have to take and post some pictures later. I just got my nails done, and now I have to go clean my house in preparation for a baby shower here on Saturday.

Edited 9/5/07 @ 8:35pm to add pics of hook case:

Strange conversations

2007-08-30T07:54:00.001-05:00

I had to go to the eye dr because I have this tearing issue with my left eye that's been going on for about 6 weeks now. As I was sitting in the waiting room, working on the round ripple, this older man comes up to me.
"How very peculiar! (he obviously was from a country where speaking is more of an art than it is here ;)) I have never seen young girls doing work like this before in this country! Old women, yes, but young girls like yourself? Never! (now, I am not, by any means, a "young girl." When did 30 become a "young girl??" LOL!) Mother, look! It's a young girl knitting!! How wonderful!!"
"Actually, I'm crocheting. A lot of my generation does. Why, I even have an entire group of women that I meet with monthly so we can crochet together."
"And what is this you're making?"
"It's an afghan for a baby."
He and his 99 year old mother (he made sure to introduce me and tell me she was 99) walk about 4 feet away so the mother can sit.
He to his mother: "She must be from Ghana, don't you think? I've only ever seen the young girls in Africa do things like that. I think she must be from Ghana. She has to be. I liked Ghana."
It was just the oddest exchange I've ever been a part of. And crocheting means I'm from Ghana?? That one made me crack up! I have a very southern accent, and don't look the least bit exotic! You look at me, and you usually KNOW that I'm a Belle!

Playing Catch Up

2007-08-21T07:39:00.000-05:00

I know, I know - I've been neglecting my yarnie blogging duties! I mean to update all the time, I swear it, but there are things that keep preventing me! Like Ravelry, or Heather's new stuff, or just plain bad moods....

Still, I have some things to talk about, most of which is yarn-related. There's one thing, though, that I want to mention first that's not yarnish - My sister is participating in the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society half marathon in Atlanta this year. Any donations to help her reach her goal in raising money for research would be greatly appreciated. This is a cause that is pretty near and dear to us, as one of the potential side effects of my treatments last year is developing leukemia or lymphoma in the not-so-distant future. We've also lost a few dear friends to leukemia, and there's more research needed in the areas of adult blood cancers. So if you don't mind, even if it's just a dollar or two, it would really mean a lot. And, it's tax deductible.

Okay, done with the PSA/solicitation. Not something I would normally do, but I just felt it was important. Now back to your regularly scheduled yarning!

I mentioned Ravelry eating up my time. Now, if you don't know about Ravelry, and if you own yarn and hooks or needles, you need to click on that happy little link I have each time I say the word Ravelry on here and check it out! It's an incredible place for we crafty types to go, organize our stash, patterns, WIPs and FOs, books and fibery friends, among other things. It's also an incredible resource for deciding whether a pattern will work for you, choosing yarn subtitutes or asking fiber (and some non-fiber) related questions. Seriously, one stop shop for all your knitting and crocheting needs. Go. Now. http://www.ravelry.com/, just in case you missed the happy clickies above. It's my new home on the net, and I spend ENTIRELY too much time there.

In other (kinda related) news, this past Saturday was Stitch n Pitch at the Tampa Bay Devil Rays game. Great, great fun! I grabbed Tracie and headed to St. Pete so we could get our Ravelry buttons from Pischi, a lovely a lady I'm so happy to have met! I also got to meet Michele and her hubby, someone I need to get to know better! I bet her hubby and Hans could get along well! (meaning I could talk yarn without him getting as irrtated!!)

So here are a few pics from SNP 2007:

Round Ripple Babyghan

2007-07-07T19:59:00.000-05:00

I got a a gift card to Hobby Lobby from my brother for Christmas. I don't have any HLs near me, so I ordered online. I got 6 skeins of Bernat Cottontots in three different colors with the sole idea of making a round ripple babyghan. So far, I'm loving this pattern. It's Lyn's Round Ripple Baby Afghan - a beautiful and simple pattern, easy to figure out and follow. I can't post a pic right now because we're hurtling down I-75 at 85 70 miles and hour, so I'm not able to photograph and load pics. Take my word, though, my plan is working out really well so far. I'm doing it in three colors - 6 rnds of CA, 1 rnd of CB, 6 rnds of CC, 1 rnd of CB, 9 rnds CA, 3 rnds CB, 9 rnds CC, 3 rnds CB, then 1 rnd CA to finish her off. I think it's going to look really nice going in that manner. Already I'm on rnd 14 and am happy with the effect.

As I said on my Ravelry comments for this pattern, I want to do another one of these using Baby Coordinates or another fingering/sport weight (or lighter) yarn so that I can try the fading effect that Tracie gave me directions for.

What's going on...?

2007-07-04T18:17:00.001-05:00

Tracie has inspired me to complete a very frightening task - inventorying my WIPs. Yeah. Here goes....

Active:
-round ripple babyghan
-Fit To Be Tied purse (just need to sew in liner and seam)
-mini 1 project tool case (my own pattern)
-knitted pashmina ( no pattern, just learning with it - simple garter stitch)
-loom knit scarf
-s hook scarf

Inactive:
-messenger bag prototype (Soon, I promise!!)
-Cozie Blankie - Just too tedius and boring....
-I'm sure there's more, but we're speeding up I-75 in Macon, therefore I'm far, far away from my projects....

Planned:
-dress for heather
-Thycaghan
-knitted lace stole

So there you have it - things I'm doing, things I'm not doing and things I want to do, to an extent. There's lots more, and every day I add to my list of things to do, but I have to take it slowly,, right? Already you see my ADD showing through. And that's not even counting all the shelved projects!

Pointy sticks!!

2007-07-02T07:52:00.000-05:00

So I've been working with pointy sticks (AKA - Knitting needles) for a couple of months now, on and off. Haven't worked with them very much - until today, just enough to get my tension kinda figured out on the garter stitch. Today, though, I decided to truly accquaint myself with the purl stitch, making a lovely stockinette stitch. And it's working! Knitting is a bit rougher on my hands than crocheting, but I have a n umber of projects I'd like to do that really do require knitting as opposed to crocheting, namely cables and lace. So off I go. Add to that the fact that my Grandma sent me a pair of her needles (number 4!!!!) and her vintage yarns.
So I'm off. Soon I'll post some pics.

Package has arrived!!

2007-06-23T10:54:00.000-05:00

I received the package from my aunt yesterday with the knitting needles and yarn that were my grandparents'. There is some awesome vintage yarn in there, and someone started a beautiful argyle something - I think it's a scarf, but I'm not sure - it could be the beginning of a sweater - perhaps the front left panel. Beautiful dark brown, seafoam green and off white superwash fingering weight wool.... There's also a couple of skeins of cotton/acrylic rug yarn.... and a few others, too....

I also got the three squares for Dani finished and off to Tracie. She's going to take a couple of pics and send them to me.

Not much else going on in the yarn world right now, though. I went down to help family with moving prep, so my hands aren't exactly crochetable right now, and most certainly not knittable.... soon, though. I plan to do some stuff here at home today and then spend tomorrow relaxing (maybe).....

Playing

2007-06-14T08:04:00.000-05:00

I haven't said much lately. Mostly because I haven't finished much lately. I seem to have a problem with actually finishing projects. Right now, though, I'm working on some squares for Dani's requested comfortghan. It's for a 1 year old who was just diagnosed with a brain tumor. I hate that there's even a need for a comfortghan for a one year old, but I'm more than happy to contribute......

I've also been working on a super seekrit projeck and a babyghan. Oh yeah, and I need to finish the purse. And the grannyghan. And a couple of other things, I'm sure :D

More to come, soon :D

Oh, goody!!

2007-05-29T20:45:00.000-05:00

I talked to my aunt a little while ago. She and my grandmother have been cleaning out Grandma and Grandpa's house, and trying to find new homes for various items. Among the things that have been slated to make the trip here to Florida are a quilt someone started, and almost finished, a few decades back. All I need to do is the edgings, and I will have a beautiful quilt for one of the beds. I'm also evidently getting a plethora of knitting needles, crochet hooks and yarn. I'm so excited! Not only is this stuff that I use, but it's stuff that my grandparents used, things they created different items with. It will be so special to me to know that I'm using the same knitting needles that my grandparents used, that I'm using yarn that they had bought. It's like having a little part of them with me, and something I can eventually pass on to my daughters or grand daughters.

Thoughts an designs

2007-05-16T17:12:00.000-05:00

I'm trying to work out exactly how I want to construct the afghan I"m making. I decided, after making the butterfly square for the comfortghan, to make a thyca-ghan. I'm not sure what I'm going to do with it yet, but I have the yarn in the correct colors.

Dunno why I'm blogging this - it's more incomplete thoughts than anything.... oh well....

Comfortghan

2007-05-11T13:36:00.000-05:00

Brandee has a colleague who was just diagnosed with breast cancer. So our crochet group is putting together a comfortghan to give her in shades of pink and cream. I ~~did~~ am doing three squares. Actually, I've done 2, and am working on the third on our drive to the Charlie Daniel's concert tonight, where I will give the squares to Brandee...

Square 1 - Butterfly Garden designed by Chris Simon in Caron Simply Soft Plum Wine:

Square 2 - Lacy Sun designed by Dayna Audirsch done in Caron Simply Soft Soft Pink:

I'm also working on a square in off white Simply Soft, but it's just a very basic bubble stitch... sc, dc, dc all in the same stitch, skip 2, repeat....

2007-05-04T08:15:00.000-05:00

A big thank you to the magic gnomes who make things possible!

Sock Progress

2007-05-02T08:48:00.000-05:00

Just a couple of sock progress pics.... I may have to frog some, though, as I have ridiculously large heels, so normal people socks evidently don't fit me correctly.

PS - I love being a blonde - I hadn't shaved in over a week when I took this pic, but you can't see it!!

Sock Pictures

2007-04-30T09:22:00.000-05:00

Here are the pics we took yesterday morning after only spending a short time figuring out the sock pattern and working up swatch, then moving to sock....

They're turning out quite nicely - I'm looking forward to making more! I think my mom will really like a pair!

Newest Adventure

2007-04-28T20:54:00.000-05:00

Edited to add a tag for Tracie :P

So I haven't been able to crochet much of late because of RA hand issues (so, yeah, John, if you've been working on the grannyghan, I'm willing to concede a loss.... lemme know {and I need you to email me please....}), but the last couple of days have been pretty good (low iodine diet? liquid diet? not sure, don't care!), so Tracie and I decided to do a sock crochet challenge. So we have our sock yarn and our nice, small hooks, and are sitting here working on shoeable crocheted socks. I think it's going to work out really well!

As a happy aside to the whole sock crochet challenge, I learned to do a dcf (that's a double crochet foundation to you those of you who are crochet illiterate). Awesome little trick, and, with Tra's help, it only took me about 20 minutes to figure out. Neat trick that she and Doris Chan taught me (well, she learned it from one of her DC books....) is to try it out on a larger yarn with a large hook. I figured it out with some light colored Softee Chunky and an M hook, and was able to then easily do it with my sock yarn and F hook. Rocks my socks, pun completely intended. I think this is going to be my new starting method for quite a nmber of applications now!

So that's what's working. No pics right now, but I think we'll do some photographing in the morning before Tra leaves....

The Great Granny Ghan Race of 2007!

2007-03-27T16:28:00.000-05:00

So John and I are engaged in a race..... he's a relative newbie to crochet altogether, and I'm a newbie to granny squares. We started about a week apart on a granny ghan - an afghan made of one large granny square. Neither of us are doing any color changes. I think John's doing a babyghan, meaning his end size is going to be about 36"x36", whereas mine's going to be a couch throw..... so I'm thinking about 50"x50".

Here's a pic of progress thus far, side by side. John's is blue, mine gray. We'll do another progress check this weekend!

Hey, John!

2007-03-19T20:17:00.000-05:00

Game on! Get Tra to take and post some pics of your grannyghan progress!

Pictures

2007-03-18T11:32:00.000-05:00

Okay, yet again my pictures are a couple of days after my initial post. So enjoy!

Baby Granny Ghan:

Gray Granny Ghan:

Fit To Be Tied purse:

I'm a Simple (wo)Man!

2007-03-16T15:17:00.000-05:00

It takes so very, very, VERY little to amuse and excite me! I just got an email saying that my Venus Breeze is on its way. I had signed up, through Vocalpoint, to test the new Venus Breeze, but not everyone that signs up is chosen - as in all marketing, you have to meet various demographic criteria. When I read the email saying that I had, in fact, met the aforementioned criteria, I literally (and yes, this is pathetic - I have no life!) said WooHoo! out loud!

So I had extra kids today, as I mentioned either in this blog or in KA&TN, so I had an excuse to be a little lazier than normal. It was wonderful for me because it meant I got to work on my crochet projects a bit more. As Tracie has pointed out, though, I have CADD (crochet attention deficit disorder), so I worked some on the gray granny ghan, some on the baby granny ghan, and then I started on a bobble baby ghan. Purse is sitting waiting. So is the bag. The purse is wool, and the bag is cotton, and my hands are swollen, so worsted acrylic working into spaces is just so much easier on me right now. Of course, Hans thinks that all I do is sit here at home crocheting as it is - having 3 4 projects on the hooks really doesn't help my case any!

Now, since I'm a s l o w blogger, it's St. Patty's Day! Ahhh! Top o' the mornin' to ya! I baked my leprechaun cakes last night they're just plain yellow cupcakes that I mixed green food coloring with and am cleaning the kitchen so I can go ahead and bake my herbed Irish Soda Bread. we're having a few friends over for some Guinness, corned beef, cabbage, potatoes and carrots and, of course, leprechaun cakes. Damned leprechauns forgot to leave me my pot of gold this morning, though.

Well, the family is waking, so I'd better start looking busy! Adieu!

Yarnapy....

2007-03-15T23:37:00.000-05:00

Okay, so I had this looooong, informative, witty and link filled post 9/10ths of the way complete when Netscape decided to crap out on me and shut down, so I lost it. I know, I know - I'm an irresponsible blogger to count on Blogger to hold on to my post, and that I should have been (should be?) doing it in Word, since it has that handy dandy recovery option thingy. Here's the thing, though - it's 12:39am, I can't sleep becaue my husband is snoring like the world is about to end, and the only time I have had to get online without two children climbng on me this week is, oh, um, now. Yeah, so screw off, Blogger! And while you're at it, since you're connected to Google, why don't we have that handy little autosave action that we have in Gmail? Seriously - it would be the cat's meow if we did, no joke.

Okay, so here's the deal. Yarnapy. The act of using yarn, in one form or another, as therapy. Indugled in a little more than usual on Tuesday. Went to lunch with a friend, then hit AC Moore to pet the yarns and marvel at all the yarn paraphernalia. Seriously, my eyes were glazing over - I looked like a junkie who had scored a major hit when we left. And since it's spring break, I had to take both kids with me. Now, they're grounded from yarn. Yep, you heard me right. Grounded from yarn. Haven't decided how long yet, but it's in response to the dress destruction that I last blogged. So anyway, my daughters, who love yarn and are grounded from it, were forced to walk with hands in pockets while mommy petted, rubbed and otherwise molested the yarn. For well over an hour. I have to say, though, that they were perfect angels through it all, and for their wonderful behavior, they earned bubbles and a piece of candy each. See, I'm not all evil as a mommy!

Anyway, I spent that time in AC Moore wishing that I had more money in the bank. I think it was as hard for me not to buy as it was for the girls not to touch. All yarn was 25% off, and their prices on many yarns is great to begin with. Still, I for the most part got out scot free. I was very proud of myself, very proud indeed.

So anyway, shopping. Great. Therapeutic, and I was in need of therapy. Then to continue the yarnapy, it was home to play with stash. I got it out, untangled, sorted and organized ~~it all~~ most of it. Then it was time to work on projects. I started on my first ever granny square, which will become a lovely gray ghan for my couch, and a messenger bag (I know this isn't a crocheted bag - it's just the style, plus, I love the bag - maybe for John, Tra??) to sling across my body and carry my project du jour to, from and at the bus stop (or any other place I deem hook-worthy.) Hooking and talking carried on late into the evening, interrupted by the need for food, which necessitated a trip to Winter Garden Pizza for stromboli, garlic knots and salad. I also decided, finally, on a use for the Patons SWS in natural pink that Dani gave me for Christmas. I'm going to make the Fit To Be Tied purse out of Stitch 'n Bitch Crochet: The Happy Hooker. Of course, I started on that yesterday, despite being told not to start another project until either the ghan or the bag were completed. We all know, though, that that wouldn't happen. I won't even mention that fact that tonight I made a flower and started on another granny ghan. Hey, it's for Project Linus, so don't give me too hard of a time!!

Okay, I know there was more I wanted to blog about on here, but I think I am finally tired enough that I can pass out despite the log sawing coming from the other side of my bed. I'll leave you with this link, though - turn on your speakers :D

Skein

Dress Disaster

2007-03-11T09:58:00.000-05:00

Remember that lovely little dress I was posting about? The one for Heather? The one that was half way done? Yeah, well, it no longer exists.

Yesterday, while I was in bed nursing the mother of all hangovers, my loving, darling daughters snuck the dress out of my room. Then they frogged it. All the way to the bodice. And tangled the yarn.

Yeah. One of those moments when you send your kids to their room so that you don't end up doing something rash that you will later regret.

More of the dress!

2007-03-08T20:44:00.000-05:00

So it's not done yet, but I think I'm about half way now. I'm on the round-n-round bit of the skirt right now, and I think that after this is just the plackets, sleeves and trim. Oh, and I have to figure out a flower. Neither Heather nor I like the one with the pattern, so we're going to come up with something different...

Here's a few shots I got of the dress thus far. Tomorrow I'll have Heather model the WIP.

Front

Back

Close-up of stitches

Front hanging (to better show shape and drape)

Back of dress hanging

Pictures

2007-03-06T11:02:00.000-05:00

Okay, here are the pics to go with yesterday's blog! I *JUST* found my camera cord!

The bodice to Heather's dress:

The bookmark I designed and made for a friend:

Playing catch up

2007-03-05T08:44:00.000-05:00

Okay, so I haven't been crocheting very much lately, mostly because I haven't been physically able to. I did finish the funeral scarf on the plane to Connecticut, and everyone really liked the set. It's at my mom's house now so that my sister can pick it up when she visits them next. I'll have to get them to take a pic when she gets it.

I did create a bookmark pattern last week, and gave my prototype to a good friend. I took pictures, but for some reason I can't find my cord to my camera, so I'll have to amend my entry when I find it to include a picture. She really seemed to like it, though.

Last Thursday, Heather and I had to go to Wal-Mart to get my oil changed, and while there we (of course) walked through the fabric department to look at yarn. Amazingly, at 3 years old, she went through the yarns and picked a favorite. At first, she picked a crochet thread, then, when we got to the Simply Soft, she decided that a light blue was more to her liking. Now, I didn't know then what I was going to make, but she wanted me to maker her something with that yarn. Last weekend, Brandee loaned me a pattern that, when she used it with a beautiful, soft pink angora, won her a blue ribbon at the Florida State Fair. Even though the pattern is written for 3-6 month size, it's written using fingering weight yarn and a D hook. Being me, and not wanting to work a pattern as written, I decided to see how it would work with the Simply Soft, which is worsted weight, and an I hook. Well, so far, the pattern as written for the 3 month size, with the change in yarn and hook, seems to be working up to a nice 3T for Heather.

We went to the Plant City Strawberry Festival on Saturday, where I (literally) ran into Dani from my crochet group. I hadn't seen her since the beginning of December, when we worked the Safety Harbor Craft Show. I also got to see some beautiful angora rabbits in the rabbit and poultry exhibit. I had never seen an English Angora rabbit before, but I'm in love now. One of these days, I will have a few of them. I'll just have to make sure Tracie has her wheel by then, though, so she can spin the yarn for us!

So that's all for now... I need to get back to the dress - I would love to have it ready for Easter! We'll see, though - this is my first fitted project :D

Excited!

2007-02-07T14:17:00.000-05:00

So I recently started trying my hand at Tunisian crochet. I was cruising the Annie's Attic site when I came across these great hooks for the steal price of .99! I promptly ordered, but, of course, I was too late and they were sold out.... Not to be deterred, though, I started searching on eBay and found an identical set for $4. Still a great deal, though, as a) normal retail is usually closer to $13, and b) they're not exactly the easiest to find....

So the hooks arrived on Monday, and what did I do?? Immediately grab some yarn and give them a whirl! I have to tell you, they're so much less cumbersome than the cro-hooks I've been using..... they're larger hooks, though, so I still have to use the cro-hooks for smaller gauge items....

I also am almost completely finished with the funeral scarf..... I have to do one edging and then the ribbon, but I was getting bored with it, so I haven't done anything with it since Saturday morning. I'll finish it at the rheumie's office this evening, though.

I had a request for the Funeral Hat, so I'm going to make that up as soon as we get all of our details for it ironed out. The friend that wants it is thinking she wants a chocolate brown hat with a darker brown satin ribbon..... It's a tedious stitch, but it turns out such a great looking hat.

I've also been playing around with my Patons SWS that I got from Dani for Christmas. Right now I'm just gauging with different hooks to see how it works up until I decide what to actually do with it.... there's a cool pattern on the Patons site, but I'm just not sure.... There's really not anything my house it would match, and I don't know if I know anyone else I could gift it to....

Also, I revamped the blog a bit..... let me know what you think!

Hats and Scarves and Gifts, Oh My!

2007-01-23T09:20:00.000-05:00

So now that the hat is done, I;ve been working on the scarf..... I wasn't able to get exactly what I wanted as far as texture goes, but it's going to have to do. Now my sister has decided that when we leave CT, she would like to take my hat and scarf as her own..... fine with me, as I have been having one helluva time coming up with something for her..... So I guess I'll finish my/her scarf and thent ake her boyfriend;s with me to work on in the airport and on the plane. Hans is going to hate it, as yarn and hooks makes him angry, but oh well.....

the Funeral Hat

2007-01-18T12:42:00.000-05:00

I finished the funeral hat a couple of days ago. I just got my camera back this morning, though, so this is the first chance I've had to photograph it..... I think I really like it!

Hmmmmm??

2007-01-16T08:48:00.000-05:00

I'm working on this hat, and I'm finding that there are some problems with the pattern. Now, I realize that my head is slightly larger than the average woman's head, but the written circumference is too small for Aliceon even! So I had to frog about 6 rows and add in a few more rows of increases. Now I'm having to calculate how this impacts the pattern overall, and math burns. Anyone who knows me knows that numbers and I are NOT friends at all! Still, I think I'm getting it. And this cloche stitch pattern is really nice. It's my first go at front loop/back loop stitches, but they have a really nice pattern effect. Gives teture without a lot of extra bulk...

Next thing I want to learn, though, is the way to do a hat in Tunisian..... That and the reverse sc. I tried the reverse last night and just am not sure if I'm doing it right..... I have a crochet group meeting this weekend, so I may be able to get someone to tell me there. Maybe.

Monday night insomnia

2007-01-15T22:16:00.000-05:00

I started - again - on my hat to wear in CT when we go up. I've actually started this hat a few times already, but didn't really know what direction I wanted to take with it, so I always ended up frogging it. I found a pattern today, though, that I'm actually going onward with. It's a brimmed cloche with a crocheted ribbon that I think will work out nicely for what I need it for - it's long enough to cover my ears so they will be protected without impairing my hearing, and should be classy enough for a somber family gathering.

I've also been working on my sister and her boyfriend's scarves. Still getting the hang of the whole Tunisian thing, but I'm really enjoying it. I'm afraid that it may create too heavy a fabric for Meghan's scarf, though.

Hmmm..... What else am I actually working on? I think that's really about it right now. I've got a couple of other things that I'm holding in reserve for my trip so I have something to keep my hands busy, and, hopefully, my mind as well.....

Yes, I suck!

2007-01-08T10:00:00.000-05:00

I know I suck! I'm sorry! I've just been kind of blah, and after all the Christmas crochet, I needed a break. My hands were no longer cooperating, and I couldn't force myself into pain. Now, though, I'm on good drugs, so we can get back to crocheting!

So right now, I'm working on the scarves for my sister and her boyfriend. I had wnated to do them for Christmas, but time just didn't allow. Neither did swelling. Instead of doing them the way I had originally planned to, though, I'm now doing, at least Dave's, in tunisian. Crack? Crack, you say? I think not, my friend! This is actually easier and requires less counting! Can you believe it? And so far, looking pretty frigging sweet, if I do say so myself. My only concern is that, upon closer inspection, I wonder if the yarn I had chosen for it is a little too feminine..... It's Lion Bran Homespun in Romanesque.......
This is the part that worries me - the purpley/mauvey color..... it's a shading yarn, so there are sections that are teal-ish, and that's where I was looking and basing my idea that this would work so well for Dave - for some reason it just made me think of him - but now I'm not so sure....

So I'm also working on the one for my sister... I wonder if it will ever be finished, though, because I keep changing my mind....... I've played around with four different yarns, in different textures and colors, and I'm just not feeling any of them..... we'll see, though.....

Other than that, not much more...... I think I need to do my laundry now, though.....

Post Christmas Rundown

2006-12-28T06:37:00.000-05:00

So Christmas is over now, all the excitement and stress behind us. I'm a slacker, though, and my relatives in the midwest haven't received their gifts yet because I haven't mailed them yet! I know, I know, they're already a week late! I promise they will go out tomorrow morning, if not this afternoon. I PROMISE. Love you, Kris, Paul, Sean and Derek! Don't hate me!!

The girls did really well in the gift department, and yet I don't think any of us went overboard this year. It was actually really nice not having quite so many useless toys around. In the past, Hans and I, and other relatives, have gone a little nuts, getting just random this and that. Granted, in past years, the girls were younger and it was more about opening volume than receiving quantity. Santa brought all of us fishing poles this year, which was really neat, and we're making plans to go to the pond in the neighborhood to try them out, maybe on Monday. Heather got this really neat vaccum so that now I may be able to do MY vaccuming without her hanging onto the appliance trying to "help" me. Unfortunately, though, my vaccum died Tuesday night. I'm hoping Hans can resurrect it with a new plug, but we'll see.....

I got two spa gift certificates from Hans so that I can either be generous and invite a friend along with me, or selfish and go twice alone. Still working on which it's going to be.

Hans got two MacGyver books. All he has to do now is grow the power mullet again and he'll be just like his life-long hero!

We all got many other wonderful gifts, but this is a crochet blog, so onto the crochet.

Speaking of crochet and gifts, Aliceon got her crochet kit from me, but was decidedly un-excited about it. I was disappointed, since she had talked about wanting to learn to crochet since I started. Maybe in a week or two when the glitter wears off of some of her other things.....

I got her hook case mostly made - crocheted and felted yesterday, just blocking and waiting for it to dry now....

It's actually black and lavendar, not white. I still need to take the post-felting pics, maybe today. Maybe not, though. Lots going on today.

I'm also working on a scarf for the Red Scarf Project. It's a deal where you make a red or other gender neutral scarf, send it in, and then it's given to college kids that were in foster care for Valentine's day. It sounded like a really great project, and I know from past experience that giving to others tends to bring me out of a slump.

Let's see - what else is going on? Finally starting to feel better! I'm going to head over to Kicking in just a few to blog that, though.

I also started a new weightloss thingy last night, at the advice of someone on the about.com thyroid board. It's free so we'll see how it works. It has a community and seems like it's basically the same thing as eDiets - they even tell you what you need to be eating, make a shopping list for you and everything.

So, yeah, guess that's it for now :D

Merry Christmas!

2006-12-23T11:03:00.000-05:00

I'm off of here, for the most part, to do the Holiday things that are to be done. I hope that everyone has a happy and healthy holiday!

Random Crafting Thoughts

2006-12-19T15:23:00.000-05:00

So every year at Christmas for the last 4 years, I have embarked on some crafting adventure with the kids. The first year it was just Aliceon, and we made picture frames as gifts for everyone -

The next year, I don't remember what we did, exactly. Could have something to do with losing my Papa that year, having Heather in October, and just the fact that I was mom with 2 kids trying to manage the holidays...

2004, we made wrapping paper and sugar cookies -

Last year, we made sugar cookies, reindeer ornaments and reindeer magnets -

This year, albeit rather late, we're embarking upon homemade craft clay ornaments. I thought I was being smart, so I made up the recipe for sparkling salt dough. Yeah. Suddenly, I had flashbacks of last year, when I attempted the same recipe and failed miserably. I really don't think this year's any different. The recipe just makes for a dough that is entirely too sticky and difficult to work with for a 3 year old (for whom the texture is also, evidently, sheer torture!) and a 5 year old. So I thought I would give the old cinnamon dough recipe a try. I didn't have any applesauce, though, so I decided to use one of the 7 bazillion cans of pumpkin puree I have. So far, so good. It's easy for the kids to work with, and the smell is enticing for them. They're in a 250 oven right now. I haven't taken any pics yet, but they have another batch of dough cooling in the fridge for when they've calmed down some (that salt dough made all three of us a little nuts, so we went our separate ways for a cool down.), so I'll photgraph them doing the ornaments then. If I were to critique my own recipe, though, I would have to say that instead of 3/4 C. cinnamon to one small can pumpkin puree, I would probably do 1 1/4 C. cinnamon. The only reason I didn't this time is that, well, I ran out of cinnamon!

So, I will soon post with pics. I realize that this isn't crochet, or even yarn related, but I have made crochet ornaments, and I plan on using yarn instead of ribbon for these ornaments!

Thoughts and observations....

2006-12-13T09:12:00.000-05:00

Okay, so yeah, I'm a blogging fool these days. So shoot me! You all have figured out by now that, with me, it's either all or nothing! And all is good, because it means I'm having good days, days when I don't feel like I died a week ago. Increasingly rare occurance that I have good days, I'm afraid. But anyway.

So Brandee posted her pics from the craft fair.... I neglected (I think?) to mention Jesus and Mary Magdalene Sr in the mirror booth across the way from us. (note worth mentioning: See all the pink things hanging? Yeah, that's angora. It's yummy. Like, if we were comparing yarns to desserts, plain acrylic would be like cheap vanilla ice cream and angora would be the most heavenly cheesecake ever created. Just wanted to point that out. Oh, and I didn't make those - Brandee and Dani did.) Made for, um, interesting people watching, to say the least. Then, of course, there was hippie dude in the booth next to us. Nice enough and a very trusting fellow - lent us a weight to help keep our tent from blasting into space - but there was something about him that bothered me...... He was peddling his wares, just like all of us. Seems he's a written of children's books. About Kokopelli. A fertility god. Known for his giant phallus. That he leaves in rivers so it can have sex with young girls as they bathe. Yeah. So his books weren't about that, but more about Kokopelli as some sort of ancient Superman or something. Still, there was just something I couldn't quite accept about the subject matter.....

Also, if you haven't noticed, Brandee has a pic of Dani and I in our handy dandy knit berry hats! Mine was a gift from Bran for my thyca induced hair loss, and Dani's, well, just read about it!!

Felting coasters, stage 3

2006-12-13T09:00:00.000-05:00

Okay, good thing this was the prototype! It's not bad, but there are some bugs I still need to work out, one of the biggest being size, no pun intended. I think that, as a coaster, the OSU CPT is too big. THe CPT will not, however, go to waste - I think it will be great as a hotpad!

Also, I think I may have to make the gray between the red and the white a bit wider so as to help prevent the red felting to the white, making it appear pink.....

The only other thing I can think of that needs to be tweaked is, I wasn't mindful enough of the stitching pre-felting, expecting a little more self correction. So the shaping isn't great. I'm hoping, though, once I get it blocked well, that that will take care of it. Now I just need to create a blocking board for it :D

**Noteworthy thought - this project felted down by 3 inches with 45 minutes in a super hot wash.

Felting coasters, stage 2

2006-12-12T22:13:00.000-05:00

finished pre-felting

Felting, take 1

2006-12-12T20:32:00.000-05:00

so here is the pre-finished, pre-felting of a coaster set I'm attempting for friends. They're HUGE Ohio State fans.....

Odd Requests and Sunday's show....

2006-12-12T16:26:00.000-05:00

Sunday was our last craft show of the season. I was disappointed, as it seemed that something was amiss in the air - people were wandering about, spending lots, buying lots and loving lots, just not at our booth. I did sell one hat and a dishcloth. The hat was an on-the-spot comission. I think, when I told the lady 2 hours to make it (I was overestimating in case something came up, such as the tent attempting to fly away or more sales of my goods that I would need to attend to....) she thought a) that that was a long time to wander about and b) that when I said 2 hours, I really meant 3 plus hours. However, nothing untoward happened, and I created for her newborn granddaughter a lovely little cap.

Still, even after all my hard work, that was all that sold. I was really quite upset that none of my ornaments sold, seeing as how they were all original, unique and made with love, but I believe that they were overpriced by about $2 each. Oh well, it was a learning experience, right?

All in all, the show was fun. A bit monetarily disappointing, but fun. And I finally got to meet Dani, whom I was thoroughly convinced was no more than a figment of Tra and Brandee's imagination!

Dani, the UnaCrocheter or the Crochetabomber, take your pick!

Tracie and I simul-graphing one another:

And a full on shot of the booth..... We were so fortunate in our location - we were able to park at the bank across the street, and we were right in front of a Chevron station with a full deli and bathroom!

And now for the odd request...... any of you that have haold sweaters or afghans or what have you that you no longer want or need, before you send them to goodwill, would you consider sending them to me? I would love to start recycling some older yarn, and this is a great way to get yarns that I wouldn't normally buy retail for myself! If you have some you'd like to donate, just shoot me a message!

Gracias and may you have a high fiber diet!!

Yay!!!

2006-12-12T13:38:00.000-05:00

So I got my secret sets I was working on finished! I so wish I could post them here, but I'm pretty sure, based on comments made to me in the recent past, that the recipients (or at least one of them....) occasionally frequents this blog. I so want to post the pics, though! They turned out so nicely! Super soft and snuggly, and the colors are just, well, wow! I'm uber proud of myself!

Ah, screw it! If this is for you, and you know this is for you, just act surprised when you open it Christmas morning, okay??

Nevermind. Jenn talked me out of it. WOuldn't want to ruin Christmas morning, now would I?

I'm also, evidently, smoking crack. Yeah. See, there's this possible fancy dinner thingy Thursday night that I may be going to. Not sure yet, but it's slightly possible. Seeing as how it's a fancy shmancy Christmas thingy, and my illustrious hubby is the top banana on the job, if I do go, being all proper and presentable is paramount (yeah, I know. SOOoooooo not me, but what's a girl to do, right? Gotta further the man's career with her wit and poise!). So, my one and only dress is a black cap sleeved wrap given me by a friend. Lovely in and of itself, but I lack holiday ornamentation or warmth (it does get pseudo chilly here!) that I would surely need for various reasons beyond just accessorizing. So, like the crack head that I obviously am, I decided to embark on crocheting up a quick shrug. Why is that insane, you ask? Well, there are a number of reasons.....

Never before have I crocheted a garment that has to have actual fit
I couldn't find a pattern I liked, so I'm making it up as I go.
I have Christmas gifts that I NEED to be finishing.
Before this weekend.
I have never crocheted anything that had to be seamed, joined or otherwise perfected.
Did I mention the lack of a pattern?

Yeah, so like I said, crack pipe. However, I'm working on it. It may or may not come to fruition, but at least I'm trying, right? Isn't that what really counts?

Oh well, back to your regularly scheduled insanity, with our family Christmas pics to see you off.....

Such a slacker!!!

2006-12-05T08:10:00.000-05:00

I know, I know - it's been a while. Life and all that, you know? I've been so extremely busy that I just haven't had the opportunity to sit at the computer and type up an entire post. With going out of town for THanksgiving (great, by the way - I LOVE spending T Day with Kris, Paul, Sean, Derek and Grandpa!), not feeling so hot, getting ready for the holidays, and for this coming Sunday's craft show, along with all the normal Mommy/Wife stuff I just haven't had much energy!

Still, I have been busy! I've got some "secret projects" that I can't post for fear of the recipients snooping (and I know you have been here before :D!!), but I have worked up a bunch of ornaments for this weekend's show:

(just ignore the non-woven in ends.... that's something I'm saving for the bus stop!)

I also did a pair of "announcement booties" for a friend to use for a Christmas gift:

On the gift front, I have got most of my non-household gifts at least halfway, and have started at least one household gift. I have really been concentrating more on show items, though, with the idea that I will have plenty of time to work on gifts at the show itself.....

That's about it.... for now, anyway!

I. Like. Cake!

2006-11-22T08:17:00.000-05:00

Yarn cake!!

I ordered a yarn winder from JoAnn.com recently, and recieved it last week. Ever since, I have been winding all kinds of yarn! I have even more I want to wind, but I try to limit winding time because otherwise I think I would get nothing else done!

I find that cakes are just so much easier to work with than skeins that I'm seriously considering caking most of my stash and then re-attaching the bands to the cakes for identification. I love my winder!!

Also, in case you didn't know, it's been hella cold here in FL the past week.... As in, it snowed in Orlando last night. Granted, nothing big, no sticking to the ground or anything, but still..... snow in Orlando is unheard of! Snow in FL period! So, because of the cold, and the accompanying wind, I made Al a skully for at the bus stop and when she's outside playing. She chose the colors and I whipped it up. Not the greatest hat by any means, but it's what I could do in an evening......

So now we're off to celebrate Thanksgiving with the family. I'm really looking forward to having them all around. We always have such a good time together! And, maybe, I'll get some more crocheting for the craft fair on the 10th done!!

Yarn Inventory Form

2006-11-17T11:46:00.000-05:00

I decided that, since I couldn't find any online anywhere at ALL, I would create a yarn inventory form. If you have any suggestions or thoughts about it, please, feel free to let me know! Forgive the quality...... the hoops I have to jump through to post a publication as an image does ugly things to the resolution!!

Making Progress!

2006-11-15T19:43:00.000-05:00

Well, I finished one Christmas gift set and am about 1/3 of the way done with another. I still have Al's bag I need to make, and since it's been so long since i touched it, I'm planning on just frogging what I have and starting over. I also got all my wool for my Ohio State coasters and coozies I'm making for some friends of mine :D I'm not posting any pics for obvious reasons, but I have to get started on some more craft fair stuff, so I'll post those as they are complete.

Oh! And I did a comissioned baby set - hat and booties! It was so cute, but I forgot to photograph it. Hopefully I can get a pic of the recipient wearing them, though, in a few weeks :D

Tomorrow we're off to the Jimmy Buffett concert in Tampa. I'm going to be the psuedo old lady in the back of a pickup crocheting myself a throw because it's going to be hella cold when the sun goes down!!

Smug does not befit me.

2006-11-08T13:24:00.000-05:00

Oh, I thought I was such a clever little ducky! Hooking away at my scarf I'm working on, thinking how proud everyone would be, and how they would marvel at how wonderfully even my ends were, even without counting. Then I realized that my scarf was becoming diagnoal. Hmmmm.... that's strange. Maybe I should count some stitches. So, I count the stitches in the row I had just completed - 19. That's odd. I'm almost certain that there were more rib stitches than that in the beginning. so I count my first row after the ribs. 25. I count the ribs. 25 again. I count the second row after the ribs. 24. The row after that. 23. I stopped counting and started frogging. After about 15 rows, I finally realized that I am not perfect in my judging of stitches and that yes, I must count, just like every other mere mortal out there. Oh, the humanity!!

I'm a sadist.

2006-11-07T12:40:00.000-05:00

Okay, so I got the hat finished last night, as evidenced by my previous blog, and I have made a lot of headway on the matching scarf. I got bored, though, so I decided that since my Aunt Erin and her family are in town, I would whip out the yarn she had sent me and make something to wear for when we go to dinner THursday night. Yeah. I'm an idiot. Yeah. THe yarn? Colorwaves - an acrylic boucle from Lion Brand. The pattern? Well, this is me we're talking about. The pattern doesn't exist, so I'm making it up as I go along. Yeah. I know. Like I said, I'm a sadist. So I'm creating a new pattern for a type of wearable I have never before attempted in a yarn that doesn't play nicely when it comes time to frog. Oh yeah - and have I mentioned that I have a migraine? That I've had since SATURDAY? Hence the crocheting instead of cleaning - at least I can still sit in a semi-darkened room with crochet.... No sleeping since I have HeatherE here, and she requires constant adult supervision.....

New Hat

2006-11-06T18:40:00.000-05:00

I wanted to make a hat that was masculine, but none of the patterns I found were what I wanted. So, in true me style, I set out to create my own. Thank God for Tracie and Brandee helping me put into practice what was in my head! Here are the results, as modeled by my loving husband, Hans. Incidently, Hans hates crocheting and crocheted items. I had to beg him to put the hat on the first time so I could be sure I liked it. However, now I can't get the damned thing off of him!

Weekend Recap.....

2006-11-06T15:06:00.000-05:00

So my first ever craft show was on Saturday. I consider it a full success because a) I had a GREAT time, and b) I sold a dishcloth! Yes, I know, selling a dishcloth isn't all that exciting, but it was my first show! I didn't have many items out (not as fast as I wish I were :D) and yet one of my dishcloths sold! $4 in hand for that, so I was only $6 in the red for the booth. Of course, then there's gas, drinks, food and other misc. things, but still. Success!! Oh! And people, although they didn't buy, commented on, touched, petted and liked both my clown hair hat and bootie set and my chewbacca wrap. All in all, good day! After we broke down the show setup, we all headed to Brandee's to get ready for hers and Tracie's birthday party. Tra and I joined Travis (Bran's hubby) at Wally World, which was quite the adventure, since she and I had both taken some rather strong pharmaceuticals for our migraines, and neither of us had eaten enough during the day to appease aforementioned pharmaceuticals. Still and all, we got through the trip and chowed down like starving women when we got back to the house!

So here are some lovely pics from the day - enjoy!

Us "working":

The "booth":

Some of my stuff:

So not crochet, but frigging hillarious!

2006-11-01T14:49:00.001-05:00

Lottery ticket reaction

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Business Card!!

2006-11-01T10:18:00.000-05:00

So, I designed my cards, and now they're on their way to the printer! Yay!

What do you think?

2006-10-30T21:12:00.000-05:00

Okay, so I got some Light and Lofty today at Wal Mart on clearance. While in skein form, it looked like it could be some cute booties. So, I made one. Now I wonder - does it look entirely too much like clown hair to even waste my time making the second one? Is this picture going to end up on What Not To Crochet or You Crocheted What?? ? So, I put it to you - my friends and the public at large. What is YOUR impression of this baby bootie?

Oh, Behave!

2006-10-30T14:53:00.000-05:00

So my first craft show is coming up this weekend..... I think I'm ready, somewhat, too.... I have some booties made, and I'm making the hats to go with them, and then a whole bunch of stuff that's in the "almost complete" pile that I just need to finish up..... a bunch of discloths and scrunchies, a couple of afghans and some slippers...... I also want to start a couple more things, but they may not make it into this show.

I need to put together a portfolio, too, of the things I have made and given away..... and I will have the day on Saturday to get started on various Christmas gifts and such. I'm so excited! I get to hang out with other crocheters, have a go at selling my wares, and (and this is the MOST important) have some "me time," no kids!!! Yay!!

And, yes, I realize that I haven't posted any more pics lately - I have just been so overwhelmed with the girls being sick, and now Hans is, that I just haven't had a free second to spare..... Soon, though, I promise!

Saturday Rambles

2006-10-28T16:42:00.000-05:00

So not much crocheting has gone on this week, what with the kids both sick. Makes me sad, too, because I really need the release, but every free second I have had has been spent cleaning (I can be online with a sick child in my arms, or while I monitor Aliceon's homework :D). And, because Hans had to work today, and the girls are sick, I didn't get to go yarn shopping with Brandee today, either. She did, however, pick up some wool for me that I need for a Christmas gift I'm planning - Thanks, Bran!!!

Today, though, the kids are feeling much better, and I have gotten a lot done housework wise, so I think that I will be crocheting some after dinner tonight. I need to relax. Desperately.

On the hooks right now - 1 lapghan, 4 afghans, 1 babyghan, 1 layette set, 2 dishcloths, 2 pairs of booties, 1 purse, 1 tote bag.... and I think that's it.....

New blog

2006-10-27T08:50:00.000-05:00

I've started a new blog to sort out my anger and fear. I don't want to bring it into this blog anymore - this is a happy blog, a safe place for me to smile, and I don't want to sully it. So the new, dark blog is http://www.thycasux.blogspot.com

Alone?

2006-10-26T15:53:00.000-05:00

I'm moving this post to Thycasux.blogspot.com

Slogo Decision

2006-10-26T10:09:00.000-05:00

All right, after much deliberation, discussion and opinions, I have decided on a logo -

I chose it because of its appeal, timelessness and gender neutrality, not to mention that the color scheme is just very "me" - Classic, not flashy and a little understated. Pink was too "girly" and could possibly alienate any men or non-girly girls from my product, and the blue and brown, while very classy, is probably a passing fad. Two tone brown, however, when done right (and NOT on a 1978 Dodge Ram conversion van!!!) can stand the test of time and fads.

Weekend Recap.....

2006-10-23T17:36:00.000-05:00

Man oh man, but I had an exciting weekend! It all started on Wednesday with the arrival of our houseguest for the weekend. Incidently, Wednesday is also the day, if you will remember, that our crochet group found out about the idioay that was the Salvation Army craft show. Yeah. Ok. Moving on.

So Thursday, blech, Friday day, blech. Hadn't been feeling to great, mostly from the allergies and insomnia, so I cancelled my plans to go out with Hans and a couple of friends of ours to dinner at Medieval Times. Then a friend had some drama occur in her life, so I was thankful that I was home to help her through it.

Saturday I puttered around the house, doing hella nothing for the most part. Went grocery shopping in the morning to get the stuff for Heather's birthday party and made her cake, cleaned some and just had a lazy day. I don't think I did much crocheting until the middle of the night when I couldn't sleep - yet again!

Okay, so I have been writing this since Monday. It's THursday. I'm not even going to ATTEMPT to finish it. I have 2 sick kids, and a house that is a disaster subsequently.......

Booties

2006-10-20T15:14:00.000-05:00

Here's a pic of the booties!

2006-10-20T11:37:00.000-05:00

Okay, I need to come up with business cards/product tags for the items that I place in the craft shows. I'm also trying to make sure that, whatever I use now, is something that I can use for years to come, and that I could use should I ever decide to publish my patterns.

I have come up with a couple of names so far, and have pretty much decided on a font. Here are some designs that I have come up with. Please vote for the one you like best, and then explain why, if you don't mind. Thanks!

***Keep in mind that they are much smoother in real life - the way they were saved makes them pixelated :S**

Also, I made booties last night! Booties that Brandee forced me to make, and I have to admit - she was right! They were so simple that I made 2.5 pair in the middle of the night when I was up, bleary eyed with insomnia. And they look as cute this morning as they did when I made them! I have to get my camera and post some pics..... I'll do that in a bit :D

Blogger's being a hater......

2006-10-19T08:21:00.000-05:00

Yet again, I had a post allllll typed up, was just adding the very last pic, and POOF! Actually, though, it wasn't blogger - it was my whacked out computer. Hans finally got to see it in action last night, too. Weirdest thing - restarts itself randomly, usually when you're right in the middle of something..... So I'm going to do this in Word again - at least then I have document recovery!

Okay, so my hair has undergone some major changes over the last few months. Pre-cancer diagnosis, I had long, naturally blonde, naturally curly hair:

Then I had my thyroid surgery and my hair started falling out in clumps, so I got it cut short to help it look fuller and to make the hair loss less traumatic for me:

Well, short and blonde was showing how thin my hair was getting, so I decided to darken it a little with a bit of red:

Hans hated the cut (he’s a long hair man….) and the red (says he married a blonde…..), so I let him bleach it. Big mistake.

The straw yellow hair was unbearable, so I took it upon myself to try and fix it. Still not what I want, but better than looking like a scarecrow. So here’s the color du jour!

Not the greatest pic, but the best I could do with 2 crazy kids running around and me being exhausted!

Playing Catch Up!

2006-10-18T17:16:00.001-05:00

Okay, so I have typed up about 6 blogs over the past week and a half or so, but either one of two things always happened - either blogger would eat the entry, or my stupid retard of a computer would randomly turn off, as it has been wont to do since we moved, and I would lose everything. So I'm trying again, but this is going to be the uber-condensed, written in MS Word version with numerous saves along the way.....

Let’s see – where to start again? Ah, yes, I think the last thing was my birthday. Birthday was great – dinner at TuTu Tango with Eli, and let me tell you, that was a blast! Good food, good company, interesting surroundings! If you haven’t been, and there’s one near enough to you, check it out. I guarantee you won’t be disappointed! That was Friday, the 6^th. Then, on the 7^th, my birthday actual, we headed down to Brandee’s for some poolside fun for the kids in the afternoon, and then my birthday party with yarn!! I really made out like a bandit there, too! Lots of “leftover” yarn and gift cards to buy more yarn and yarn paraphernalia! And let us not forget the yummy, scrummy food! Thank you, everyone, for a great 28^th!!

So now that my birthday is over, I’m spending all my free time working on my WIPS for the craft fairs and Christmas gifts. I also just found out that a friend is pregnant, and she has asked that I make her 2 pairs of booties ASAP so that she can give a pair to each of the sets of grandparents as Christmas gifts as their way of announcing their new bundle.

I need to photograph my WIPs soon – I have sooooo many right now though. It seems I have a problem – anytime I get a new yarn, or find a new pattern, I absolutely MUST try it out. And then, like an idiot, I bought steel hooks and some crochet thread. It’s fun, I must admit, but addictive and much more time consuming than some of my other WIPs…. And all I’m doing is a book thong!! Still, I want to get the hang of thread so I can do a few angels and snowflakes to garnish my Christmas gifts with.

Not much else to report, actually. Heather’s birthday is Monday, and we’re having a “Pink Dora Party” on Sunday afternoon. The craft show I was supposed to participate in this weekend has become a not so gonna do thing, seeing as how the coordinator took the money even though, when she got it three weeks ago, the spaces for booths were full. Of course, she neglected to let anyone know about this until TODAY, hoping that a space would come available. Yeah, um, show’s Saturday. Oh well. More time to get things done, and that’s a good thing.

SO I’m going to try to be a better blogger now…… but this is it for tonight, as there are children that need attention, a house that needs cleaning, laundry that needs folding and WIPs that need to be moving closer to the finished basket :D Adieu!

The yarn god are smiling!

2006-10-05T06:58:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I had to head to Downtown Orlando to take Heather to a 9:30 eye appointment. Beacause you can never be completely sure what traffic is going to do heading into the city, I left my house a full hour + early to ensure that we wouldn't be late. Well, luck was on my side, and we made the trip in a very impressive 45 minutes (kinda sad when you take into consideration it's only 15 miles, though.). So, here it is, 8:45, I'm at my destination with 45 minutes to kill. I remember that there is a HUGE Dollar Tree nearby, so I decide to go check it out. OMG. Seriously. I have never seen so much stuff in a Dollar Tree before, and good stuff, too. Now, the biggest reason I check out Dollar Tree these days is becase they usually have yarn. Good yarn. Bernat yarn. And yesterday, in that store, was no different. Well, actually, it WAS different. There was a lot of yarn! And anyone who knows me with this new obsession knows that for me to see yarn and not buy anything is near unheard of! So, I bought 10 skeins! for $10! Of specialty yarn! 4 skeins of Bernat Velour in Purple Pleasers and 6 skeins of Bernat Frenzy in Racy Red. I also have Frenzy that I have picked up in Dollar Tree locations in Berserk, Lilac and Violet. The shawl I made was with the berserk.
Actually, I have a whole Dollar Tree yarn stash that continues to grow. There's Pebbles and Frenzy and Velour and, oh, I forget what the other one is.... the one that Brandee makes her monkey scarves with..... Voodoo!! And when these yarns retail everywhere else for $3-6 per skein, getting them at Dollar Tree is amazing! I mean, heck, you can't even get cheap, non specialty acrylic yarn for a dollar a skein, usually!!

Yes, I am really and truly addicted :D

A visit from the book fairy.....

2006-10-03T16:57:00.000-05:00

You know, I love my local library system. The actual library nearest me isn't all that impressive - the shelf collection is very limited - but they have the greatest county-wide feature: home delivery! Seriously, it's wonderful! I can now check out my library books without ever having to leave the comfort of my home! I simply log on to the library's site, use the online card catalog to find what I want, order them up, and they send someone to the shelves to find the books (at any of the county's many branches) and send them to my house via courier. And get this - FREE SERVICE! Can you believe it? Now, don't get me wrong - I love being able to go to the library and caress the spines of the various tomes while trying to choose something new and interesting to read, but the abilityt o search for all the crochet books in the county system and have them all delivered to my doorstep...... Um, WOW!!!
So yes, I love my little visits from the book fairy. I leave in the morning and my doorstep is empty. A little later I look out, and there is the bag with my book(s). What else could make a bookish hooker happier, I ask you?

Book List

2006-10-02T10:47:00.000-05:00

Okay, so this post isn't crochet or yarn related, but I saw it elsewhere and thought it quite interesting, so bear with me :D

Instructions: Look at the list of books below. Bold the ones you've read, italicize the ones you might read, cross out the ones you won't, underline the ones on your book shelf, and place parentheses around the ones you've never even heard of.

The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown

~~The Catcher in the~~ ~~Rye~~ ~~- J.D. Salinger~~

~~The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy - Douglas Adams~~

The Great Gatsby - F.Scott Fitzgerald

To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee

The Time Traveler's Wife - Audrey Niffenegger

His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince - J. K. Rowling

Life of Pi - Yann Martel

Animal Farm: A Fairy Story - George Orwell

Catch-22 - Joseph Heller

~~The Hobbit - J. R. R. Tolkien~~

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon

Lord of the Flies - William Golding

Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen

1984 - George Orwell

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban - J. K. Rowling

(One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez)

Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden

The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini

The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold

Slaughterhouse 5 - Kurt Vonnegut

Angels and Demons - Dan Brown

Fight Club - Chuck Palahniuk

(Neuromancer - William Gibson)

(Cryptonomicon - Neal Stephenson)

(The Secret History - Donna Tartt)

A Clockwork Orange - Anthony Burgess

Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte

Brave New World - Aldous Huxley

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe - C. S. Lewis

(Middlesex - Jeffrey Eugenides)

(Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell)

~~The Lord of the Rings - J. R. R. Tolkien~~

Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte

(Good Omens - Terry Pratchett, Neil Gaiman)

(Atonement - Ian McEwan)

(The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon)

The Old Man and the Sea - Ernest Hemingway

(The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood)

The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath

~~Dune - Frank Herbert~~

Weekend Recap

2006-10-02T08:49:00.000-05:00

We had quite the exciting weekend. In all honesty, it actually started Thursday night with our trip to Epcot, too, but I already blogged that.

Friday was pretty uneventful - grocery shopping, house stuff, and Hans worked late. Saturday we got up early. The girls and I are going to be in one of my closest friends' weddings in June, and we went shopping for our dresses with the bride Saturday in Lakeland. I should be getting pics of the dress that was chosen for the girls soon, and will post it. For me we aren't sure - it depends on the other 2 bridesmaids, and they're coming into town on the 21st for their fitting and to see which dress looks best on them, too. That took a chunk of the day, and then we went to lunch at Zaxby's (that I blogged about on Friday - they didn't disappoint!!).
Saturday night was an outdoor viewing of Monty Python and the Holy Grail at the Tampa Performing Arts Center, with dinner at Shells beforehand. A good time was had by all, and yarn WAS involved! Brandee gave me three skeins of Caron Simply Soft for a project I'm starting, and we sat and crocehted (well, Bran was knitting on Dani's sock.....) and discussed the yarn arts during the movie. Weather was wonderful - cool without being cold, not too humid, just enough breeze to be comfortable. And let me tell you - watching the movie accompanied by the sounds of 200 people with coconut halves galloping at the appropriate spots was fantastic!
Sunday was cleaning day here at the homestead. We also had company over for dinner - friends of ours from the Ft. Lauderdale area that moved up here a couple of weeks ago. This was the first time we'd seen them in a year, and it was fun. We ordered pizza and wings, and while the boys went to pick it up, we girls crocheted. It was so much fun actually teaching someone else to crochet! I never thought I would be considered good enough that someone would want to learn because they saw my work, but this girl did. Not only that, but she's so impressed that she wants me to make things to sell in her online store. That's the second person that has asked me to place items in a store. Am I good, or are they just clueless??
Today is laundry, Heather's therapies and working on getting more dishcloths done. I'm also trying to come up with a couple of other things that I can make fairly quickly and put in the craft show on Nov. 4. I have to have all my stuff made and priced by Halloween so I can get it to Brandee. That kinda has me in a time crunch, but that's ok. I love the excitement!
I have a few books coming from the library, too, that I want to get some patterns out of. One that I already have received is Candy Tots. I want to try to get a few things made out of it. I also need to go pick up a copy of this month's Easy Crochet by Family Circle - I saw Brandee's copy Saturday night, and there are quite a few things in there I want to give a whirl.....
Well, I guess that's it for the weekend recap! Happy Hooking!

Fast Times in Orlando

2006-09-29T10:29:00.000-05:00

So I haven't gotten a whole lot of crocheting done the last two days.... Lots of stuff going on, and I have to get my house cleaned (damned housework always gets in the way. I wish I had some gnomes to come and do it for me :D). Still, I have taken advantage of the time while we wait for Aliceon's bus, and while I watch the kids play outside to make at least some headway on my many WIPs. The girls love it, because it means that much more play time.... I love it because I can crochet without guilt. Hans hates it, but that's just Hans. He pretty much hates anything that means that I am able to relax and he isn't. He does, however, go shooting almost every week, so he really shouldn't begrudge me. Still, I know the house isn't how it should be, and it's all the yarn's fault!! I have GOT to clean today.

Last night we went to the Epcot International Food and Wine Festival at, where else, Epcot. Let me tell you, that was a BLAST! We went with Eli and her friend Barry, and had the best time. It was cool being able to sample different foods from different countries without having to commit to a whole portion, too, let me tell you - takes the fear and trepidation out of being adventurous..... And, as always, Eli was endlessly entertaining. She is really the bees knees, let me tell ya.

Tomorrow I go shopping with my long time friend, Cynthia, for a bridesmaid dress for me, and flower girl dresses for Aliceon and Heather. Cynthia's getting married in June, and, being the ultra organized bride that she is, is getting a headstart on her planning. Then, we're going to go to Zaxby's and get something to eat. For those of you that don't know, Zaxby's is a phenomenal chicken joint. It started out just off campus at Georgia Southern (I worked at the original Zax in Statesboro. It was a blast, and free food was well worth the heat!). There's this sauce - Zax Sauce - that is just indescribable. I mean, really..... it's soooooo good. I dip everything I get in it - fries, chicken, texas toast. It's good on a buffalo chicken salad instead of any other dressing, too, but be prepared for the cumulative heat!! And the ice. They have what I refer to as popcorn ice. It's sooooo good, and perfect with Southern sweet tea.

After the dress shopping and pilgrimage to Zax, we're going to grab Tracie and head to Tampa to watch Monty Python and the Holy Grail with friends on the riverwalk. We'll probably grab some dinner beforehand, but really, this is all a ruse - an excuse to sit together and crochet without the non-hookers catching on that it's a crochet excursion! I can't wait to see Tracie and Brandee and Cynthia!

So that's about that.... time to finally attack my housework!!

Countdown to the holidays....

2006-09-28T12:04:00.000-05:00

Okay, so today is September 28. It's officially Autumn, and officially the start of the crucnh time for those of us crafting our Christmas gifts. This is my first year doing such an abundance of crafted gifts - usually the kids and I make ornaments or something for everyone, but that's a 1-2 evening project. However, this year I have my newfound obsession. I figure I should at least make the things I create be gifts. That way, maybe Hans won't be quite so upset with my time spent crocheting and the amount of money I'm spending on yarn. Maybe. Not holding my breath, though.... He just doesn't understand that this is cheaper than therapy, and since I started crocheting, I have stopped needing my Xanax! It's amazing!

Okay, so back to the countdown to the holidays...... I have 11 weeks to get everything done.... Now, being the organized dork that I am, I have a spreadsheet set up with what I need to make, who it's for, whether I have planned it (ie: either found or created the pattern), whether I have the yarn or need to get the yarn, whether I have started it or not, and when it's done...... I think that's pretty awesome of me, so far. I also have all my yarn organized and seperated into ziplocs by either promised to a project (and each project gets its own baggie) or sorted by fiber so that I can do a quick search.... Granted, I don't have that much yarn, especially compared to my mentors, but still. I'm a classic Type A.

So, between now and December 16, I need to complete AT LEAST:

3 hat and scarf sets
2 afghans
a wrap
a shawl
a poncho
a tote bag
3 or 4 kitchen sets
3 more hats alone
a set of felted Ohio State can coozies
2 sets of felted coasters

And then anything else I think of that I absolutely must have :D I think I'm going to be a busy girl!!

Pics of some projects....

2006-09-27T11:28:00.000-05:00

Okay, so here are some pics of the projects that I have completed to date..... Quite a bit when you consider that I learned this on July 23 of this year!

First swatches to learn basica stitches:

Now, bear in mind, I was doing these while sitting on my couch surrounded by people. There had been consumption of beer, though not much, and there were 5 children age 7 and under running around. And I had never touched a crochet hook in my life. Ever.

So the next day I decided to move on to a blanket for the girls' dolls:

Again, remember I'm a newbie at this. However, notice that, even at this novice stage, I decided I wanted to add a little more interest to my piece by using 2 different stitches. I was impressed with myself!

Next on the project list is my first attempt at a hat.Yeah, it turned out badly, and poor planning on my part was partially to blame. So, I frogged the whole thing. Ribbit!

I did, however, finally figure out hats and made a few:

Next on the list was scarves. Actually, had I been a normal person, scarves would have come before hats, but I have to leap into everything with both feet, you know?

These were actually my first "comission pieces," if you will - a very good friend asked me to make her A scarf, and so we went and got the yarn. From that I made three scarves and a hat. Can we say classic overachiever??

This is my first attempt at doing color changes. I thought it turned out pretty well - it's cotton and is a scarf/belt thingy.... Not sure what I'm going to do with it - sell it, gift it or keep it.....? Any thoughts?

I've also made a shawl :

And a dishcloth:

In the works I have: a belt for Aliceon, 4 afghans, a comfortghan, 3 hats, 2 scarves, a wrap, more discloths, a tote bag and, I'm sure, a couple of other things I'm forgetting.... I love crocheting!!!

Beta Entry

2006-09-27T09:54:00.000-05:00

Everything else internet has a beta, why not my blog, right? And, technically, this is my beta entry, as in the entry that tests the blog itself, right?

So, I've decided I need to be like the cool kids and have myself a working crochet blog that ISN'T attached to MySpace. Don't misunderstand me - MySpace is great - but I'm betting that it would be better if I weren't assaulting my entire friends list with posts every time I create a new item....... I know that not everyone cares about what I crochet, and most people only check in on that blog to get updates on my health, so that will be there, arts and crafts (crochet!!! and yarn!!!) will be here.....

To give a little background:
I'm married to Hans. Hans went to junior high with Brandee. Hans and Brandee found each other on MySpace about 8 months ago (I think). I was nervous and jealous of Brandee (I'm just a nervous and jealous person..... zero self esteem and all that jazz....). Brandee invited us to her spring shindiggity, and I discovered that I loved her, her family and her friends.... well, at least Tracie :D. Went to another shindiggity of Brandee's Memorial Day and got plastered with Tracie and Bridget (it's all Tony's fault! I swear it!). A little over a month later, I was diagnosed with Thyroid Cancer. Brandee and Tracie organized their crochet group to make squares for a comfortghan for me. Then, they decided that, with the recovery I would have and the stress, I needed to learn to crochet. So we made a day of it, and after eating mass amounts of BBQ food, Brandee and Tracie taught me to crochet. That was the middle of July and I haven't stopped yet. Hans is soooo not loving this, but other people are! I now have an obsession with creating and an addiction to yarn. Seriously, it's like crack for me right now - I'm constantly thinking about how I can get my next fix!

SO this is going to be a blog dedicated to my latest obsession. I will be posting pics of the creations I finish, and maybe some WIPs too..... Enjoy! And feel free to comment!!