First off, I had a busy weekend of reading and making squares. It's fun trying out different patterns in both knitting and crocheting to make the squares. How colorful these afghans will be for The Pine Ridge Reservation, after Pam gets to mix and match all the colors and sizes.
Monday after work, I headed over to Borders with a co-worker to teach her how to crochet. Teaching just one on one works for crocheting, and I can't imagine how hard it would be in a group. Just hanging out at Borders with a big old cup of tea and crocheting was definitely a great way to spend the afternoon. Plus, I have to admit, I am a people watcher and listener which makes an hour of hanging out at the Cafe, fun. I have great faith in my co-worker's abilities and know that she will get the hang of it, once she relaxes.
And did I leave Borders without buying a book? Hell, no! I had a 40% coupon along with a $5 gift certificate burning a hole in my pocket. I left with a very cool Socks a la Carte book, just went to Amazon and the price matched what I spent. It is a flip chart book where I can mix and match sock patterns for the heel, instep and cuff/leg. This will fit in nicely with my Christmas knitting books that I was given, 2- One Skein project books, one regular ( 101 yarn shop favorites) and the other for luxury yarns. Somehow, I can justify buying a craft book versus a best seller fiction. Isn't that what my library is for?
Then it was back to Weight Watchers, it was time to get back on track. The changes they have made to the program are very good and makes sense. I did well two years ago and need to get rid of the 14 pounds that found me again. It would even be nicer to lose 20 pounds total. It can be done!!
Now if I could just figure out a way to knit/crochet while on the treadmill, I would be in business!
Showing posts with label Crafts. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Crafts. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 07, 2009
Thursday, January 01, 2009
Good Medicine and More Squares for Charity
Finally, I came through on my promise to Shelly. Three Medicine bags done! The first two were made using a Deep Sea flower dice Bag that I found through ravelry. The dice bags on the link were made using Noro yarn, which I love, but wanted to use some of my stash yarn to make the bags. The first bag with the green bottom, is slightly larger than it should be, but it would make a great bag for a teen. The pastel one was a quick knit using Angel Sensation yarn on size 3 needles, so nothing will slip out of the bags. I even knitted the button, by following a bobble pattern. I was cutting it close with the amount of the pastel yarn, but managed to make it large enough. It only took me two days to make the bags and it is a great way to use up all the yarn that I have been accumulating. I have some really neat sock yarn that will make an interesting bag, but that can wait for another day.
If you are interested in participating in the Good Medicine Project, please check this Link to Shelly's blog. The bags will be given to campers who are cancer patients or siblings of cancer patients at Camp Sanguinity in Texas. Last year we made afghan squares for blankets and now we will be making some bags for the kids to hold their treasures. I have some trinkets to send along and my son contributed some Irish coins to use for the luck of the Irish. I also have some very pretty stones that found up on the shore in Nova Scotia. Notes can be sent along with the items for the kids to read.
Yesterday on Ravelry, I found another Charity project to contribute squares to, it's Afghans for Pine Ridge Reservation. The following is the information about the project from the Ravelry group detailing the information about the squares. It would be awesome to get the same support that Shelly had for the Share a Square Program. How sad is it, that there are communities that poor and needy in our country? Amidst my knitting projects for the upcoming year, I am sure that I will be able to send squares to this project. My friend and I love to get together to talk and crochet, she's a fiend on the squares.
*
This group knits & crochets blanket squares to be assembled by volunteers. The afghans are sent to Native American Lakota Sioux residents of South Dakota's Pine Ridge Reservation.
group details
Welcome!
This group knits and crochets afghan squares to benefit residents of South Dakota’s Pine Ridge Reservation.
Pine Ridge Reservation is the poorest spot in the USA. The average life expectancy for residents is only 47 for males and early 50s for women. The unemployment rate is 90% and the teen suicide rate is four times the national average. Basics such as running water, heat and food are scarce for many residents let alone jobs and health care. These challenges are particularly difficult to deal with given the geographical isolation of the Rez and the incredibly harsh climate.
We accept blanket squares of all sizes and fibers. No square goes unloved or unused. The squares are sent to Pam, a Lakota woman and seamer-extraordinaire, in Louisiana. After seaming, she sends the finished afghans to Pine Ridge Reservation social service agencies or individual families who request them.
The nuts & bolts:
1) Knit or crochet your squares - it doesn’t matter which!
2) Use any color (except all black or all white)
3) Use any pattern (the less holes the better)
4) Use any fiber you like - the warmer the better! Please note that if you’re using wool, superwash is preferred.
5) Please mark wool because some people have allergies. Also, we need to know if the fiber is superwash.
6) Please do not “knot & snip” or weave in your ends. Leave about 4” of yarn.
7) All sizes are welcome, but 6” and 12” are preferred.
8) If you can, enclose a few stamps or a tiny bit of cash in your shipment. Once seamed, Pam ships the afghans from Louisiana to South Dakota and it gets very expensive for her. This is NOT required but is very much appreciated.
9) It is much easier to let you know when your squares arrive if you put a piece of paper in your parcel with your Ravelry name, real name and email address. :-)
This group is a “sister” group to Pam’s Yahoo group which she created five years ago. You can visit and/or join that group at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/loveafghans4prr/
 |  |
If you are interested in participating in the Good Medicine Project, please check this Link to Shelly's blog. The bags will be given to campers who are cancer patients or siblings of cancer patients at Camp Sanguinity in Texas. Last year we made afghan squares for blankets and now we will be making some bags for the kids to hold their treasures. I have some trinkets to send along and my son contributed some Irish coins to use for the luck of the Irish. I also have some very pretty stones that found up on the shore in Nova Scotia. Notes can be sent along with the items for the kids to read.
Yesterday on Ravelry, I found another Charity project to contribute squares to, it's Afghans for Pine Ridge Reservation. The following is the information about the project from the Ravelry group detailing the information about the squares. It would be awesome to get the same support that Shelly had for the Share a Square Program. How sad is it, that there are communities that poor and needy in our country? Amidst my knitting projects for the upcoming year, I am sure that I will be able to send squares to this project. My friend and I love to get together to talk and crochet, she's a fiend on the squares.
*
This group knits & crochets blanket squares to be assembled by volunteers. The afghans are sent to Native American Lakota Sioux residents of South Dakota's Pine Ridge Reservation.
group details
Welcome!
This group knits and crochets afghan squares to benefit residents of South Dakota’s Pine Ridge Reservation.
Pine Ridge Reservation is the poorest spot in the USA. The average life expectancy for residents is only 47 for males and early 50s for women. The unemployment rate is 90% and the teen suicide rate is four times the national average. Basics such as running water, heat and food are scarce for many residents let alone jobs and health care. These challenges are particularly difficult to deal with given the geographical isolation of the Rez and the incredibly harsh climate.
We accept blanket squares of all sizes and fibers. No square goes unloved or unused. The squares are sent to Pam, a Lakota woman and seamer-extraordinaire, in Louisiana. After seaming, she sends the finished afghans to Pine Ridge Reservation social service agencies or individual families who request them.
The nuts & bolts:
1) Knit or crochet your squares - it doesn’t matter which!
2) Use any color (except all black or all white)
3) Use any pattern (the less holes the better)
4) Use any fiber you like - the warmer the better! Please note that if you’re using wool, superwash is preferred.
5) Please mark wool because some people have allergies. Also, we need to know if the fiber is superwash.
6) Please do not “knot & snip” or weave in your ends. Leave about 4” of yarn.
7) All sizes are welcome, but 6” and 12” are preferred.
8) If you can, enclose a few stamps or a tiny bit of cash in your shipment. Once seamed, Pam ships the afghans from Louisiana to South Dakota and it gets very expensive for her. This is NOT required but is very much appreciated.
9) It is much easier to let you know when your squares arrive if you put a piece of paper in your parcel with your Ravelry name, real name and email address. :-)
This group is a “sister” group to Pam’s Yahoo group which she created five years ago. You can visit and/or join that group at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/loveafghans4prr/
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Socks Completed!
Yea, I made it through the second sock, even though I lost the fifth needle. I think the cats hid it. I really did try to match up the stripes, not to far off. My next socks will be shorter anklet socks. Pretty sad that I was knitting while playing canasta on pogo.
Notice the left foot, I have a funky pain thing going on there with some swelling. I'll wait another week before I go back to the doctors. The initial foot xray didn't show anything. I probably sprained it while helping out in the woods clearing the trails for the high school. But I don't remember doing anything. Another sign of old age, forgetting how an injury occurs.
Notice the left foot, I have a funky pain thing going on there with some swelling. I'll wait another week before I go back to the doctors. The initial foot xray didn't show anything. I probably sprained it while helping out in the woods clearing the trails for the high school. But I don't remember doing anything. Another sign of old age, forgetting how an injury occurs.
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Winding down or a Lull before the Action?
I think I may be one of the few New Englanders glad that the Red Sox lost this past weekend. Now I can plan on getting sleep during the next two weeks. We have one sport winding down with Cross Country championships this Saturday and three more football games. Then there is about 3 weeks before Bubs starts Nordic Practice. So am I winding down or is it just the lull before the holidays? This week is much better than last, at least I won't be cooking 40 lbs of taco meat for a football team on Friday.
If I was was smart like Tea, I would have started my Christmas shopping by now. She has it finished already!! There are ideas floating around including some teeny knitted sweaters to hang on the tree. But I would like to knit a bag for Shelly's Good Medicine Project, yet I don't know whether to
crochet or knit, felt or not felt, and then I have to think about charms. With my involvement in another swap at Ravelry, I am already have a charm bought for my bag, Micheals had a great sale last week and I got come cool charms there. So many creative ideas just bouncing around my brain.
Yep, it's a lull and I better get my butt in gear for a busy holiday season. Time to get those knitting needles clicking!
And yes, Mini did end up on the refrigerator in her quest to walk around the kitchen without putting a furry foot on the floor.
If I was was smart like Tea, I would have started my Christmas shopping by now. She has it finished already!! There are ideas floating around including some teeny knitted sweaters to hang on the tree. But I would like to knit a bag for Shelly's Good Medicine Project, yet I don't know whether to
crochet or knit, felt or not felt, and then I have to think about charms. With my involvement in another swap at Ravelry, I am already have a charm bought for my bag, Micheals had a great sale last week and I got come cool charms there. So many creative ideas just bouncing around my brain.Yep, it's a lull and I better get my butt in gear for a busy holiday season. Time to get those knitting needles clicking!
And yes, Mini did end up on the refrigerator in her quest to walk around the kitchen without putting a furry foot on the floor.
Friday, August 08, 2008
Knitting Jag
If I haven't been blogging, then what have I been doing? Well, I am kind of in a knitting mode again. I also discovered Ravelry.com, where I can get lost for hours just viewing everyone's projects and all the gorgeous yarns. When I grow up, I want to work in either a local yarn store or a book store.
The first item found on the internet that looked interesting to knit was the 4 corner dishcloth, it was fun to knit it, but I could have done better on the grafting. I did learn how to do a provisional cast on....what did we ever do without the internet and tutorials??? This page has a bunch of different ones that others have made up and I like how the variegated yarn works up. I also finished up a striped noro hat after "borrowing" some yarn from friend at work. Love the yarn!
Then, two weeks ago, a friend and I went to the Knitting/Crochet show in Manchester, NH where we got see more yarn that was lovely to touch and look at, but pricey to buy. I did pick up some mohair yarn to make a simple stole for a Christmas gift and a magic loop booklet with some funky pink yarn to make socks.
This week I took a sock knitting class at the NH Knitting guild meeting in Concord where I learned that it really wasn't that difficult to do the heel. Who would have thought...after 3 attempts of starting, I finally have my first sock to the stockinette stage. I also have the stole going also, it's kind of nice to have two projects at one time, since they are two kinds of knitting in my book. Right now I am at the quick and easy part of the sock whereas the stole takes time due to the texture of the yarn.
The summer is flying by and we have had the grossest weather here in New Hampshire, rain, every day. How do people in Seattle deal with it? At this point, when the clouds are thick, I hate to see the sun come out, b/c I know we are going to get some thunderstorms.
Two of my boys are up in Nova Scotia for a long weekend with my parents. That was an adventure getting a photo id for my youngest, but it's all good now. It used to be simple to travel to Canada and my mom never had to get notarized letters to bring up all the kids that used come along with our family. I have my middle guy home and today he had his senior picture taken, we went out to breakfast afterwards and he helped me with the food shopping. It's nice to have that one on one time. Guess I wore him out though, I think he is napping.
Still doing a lot of reading and pestering the librarians every other week. There was a part time job at the library and I thought of it for a second job, but it would really cut into my being available to my sons and their activities, especially if my husband is traveling.
I do get around to read blogs occasionally, but haven't had the time for Thursday Thirteen. I feel guilty if I write a thirteen and then not be able to visit others. Do you ever feel that way?
The first item found on the internet that looked interesting to knit was the 4 corner dishcloth, it was fun to knit it, but I could have done better on the grafting. I did learn how to do a provisional cast on....what did we ever do without the internet and tutorials??? This page has a bunch of different ones that others have made up and I like how the variegated yarn works up. I also finished up a striped noro hat after "borrowing" some yarn from friend at work. Love the yarn!
Then, two weeks ago, a friend and I went to the Knitting/Crochet show in Manchester, NH where we got see more yarn that was lovely to touch and look at, but pricey to buy. I did pick up some mohair yarn to make a simple stole for a Christmas gift and a magic loop booklet with some funky pink yarn to make socks.
This week I took a sock knitting class at the NH Knitting guild meeting in Concord where I learned that it really wasn't that difficult to do the heel. Who would have thought...after 3 attempts of starting, I finally have my first sock to the stockinette stage. I also have the stole going also, it's kind of nice to have two projects at one time, since they are two kinds of knitting in my book. Right now I am at the quick and easy part of the sock whereas the stole takes time due to the texture of the yarn.
The summer is flying by and we have had the grossest weather here in New Hampshire, rain, every day. How do people in Seattle deal with it? At this point, when the clouds are thick, I hate to see the sun come out, b/c I know we are going to get some thunderstorms.
Two of my boys are up in Nova Scotia for a long weekend with my parents. That was an adventure getting a photo id for my youngest, but it's all good now. It used to be simple to travel to Canada and my mom never had to get notarized letters to bring up all the kids that used come along with our family. I have my middle guy home and today he had his senior picture taken, we went out to breakfast afterwards and he helped me with the food shopping. It's nice to have that one on one time. Guess I wore him out though, I think he is napping.
Still doing a lot of reading and pestering the librarians every other week. There was a part time job at the library and I thought of it for a second job, but it would really cut into my being available to my sons and their activities, especially if my husband is traveling.
I do get around to read blogs occasionally, but haven't had the time for Thursday Thirteen. I feel guilty if I write a thirteen and then not be able to visit others. Do you ever feel that way?
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Share a Square afghan 2 is in the Mail
The second afghan is done and on it's way to Texas for the Share a Square project. The squares were a lot of fun to make and the putting the afghan together was interesting. There was variation in the squares, so I needed to determine whether I needed to double or single crochet around the square.
Kudos to Shelly for a job well done. I can't wait to hear about the kids getting the afghans. Just think about it, Shelly had an idea to make 140 afghans made of 48 squares from 48 different people. I worked with squares from all around the world. That's a whole lot of people involved in one project created by one ambitious blogger for 140 children with cancer.
Because there were so many afghans, I made my borders a different color. I figured it would help a child remember which was theirs. It is mind boggling to think that Shelly put so many afghans together, along with coordinating the squares while working and being a mom and wife. Plus, I want to know....how the heck did you keep your cats off? My kittens' eyes would have the gleam of the devil once the yarn and squares came out. Mini loved the yarn and Stash loved snuggling into the squares while I was putting the blanket together. There was one square that he would look for all the time. ( I hope whoever gets the afghans I made aren't allergic to cats!!)
My part is done, but I can't wait to hear about the delivery! Shelly, keep us posted and I hope you have a vacation soon!
Kudos to Shelly for a job well done. I can't wait to hear about the kids getting the afghans. Just think about it, Shelly had an idea to make 140 afghans made of 48 squares from 48 different people. I worked with squares from all around the world. That's a whole lot of people involved in one project created by one ambitious blogger for 140 children with cancer.
Because there were so many afghans, I made my borders a different color. I figured it would help a child remember which was theirs. It is mind boggling to think that Shelly put so many afghans together, along with coordinating the squares while working and being a mom and wife. Plus, I want to know....how the heck did you keep your cats off? My kittens' eyes would have the gleam of the devil once the yarn and squares came out. Mini loved the yarn and Stash loved snuggling into the squares while I was putting the blanket together. There was one square that he would look for all the time. ( I hope whoever gets the afghans I made aren't allergic to cats!!)My part is done, but I can't wait to hear about the delivery! Shelly, keep us posted and I hope you have a vacation soon!
Saturday, February 09, 2008
What Can Happen When you Blog
I am almost into my first year of blogging frequently. The blog was started in January of 2006, but it wasn't until last March that I really started becoming a regular and "meeting" people through blogging. Shelly Tucker (This Eclectic Life) and I started about the same time and were looking for help in improving our blogs. We had different goals for blogging and like anything else, those goals took on a life of their own.
We hooked up with Teamouse who crochets and knits as a hobby. It was Tea's hobby and her knitted dishclothes that arrived in Texas which struck a creative nerve in Shelly last summer along with a post at Your Mirror or Mine where Phara wrote about her son receiving a quilt at summer camp. It was a Camp for Pediatric Cancer patients where all 60 campers received a handmade quilt, and it was this post that started Shelly off on Share a Square, read her first post here, and check out the update page at it's own website now. Shelly asked for 6720 squares and has surpassed that amount by the generosity of bloggers around the world to make squares for the summer of 2008 campers at Camp Sanguinity in Texas which will be about 140 campers. Shelly is still in need of people to add the black rim around squares and/or sew the squares together to make an afghan.
So how does blogging, an afghan charity project, and the strip hat connect? Well, if it wasn't for blogging, then I wouldn't have learned how to make a granny square which sparked the latent hobby of knitting for me. You see, once upon a time, we didn't have laptop computers or even a desktop computer and I used to knit sweaters for my family. The Share a Square project along with TeaTime Ramblings knitting posts has gotten me crocheting and knitting up a storm. My flikr craft badge has all the "stuff" that I have crocheted/knitted within the past 8 months. The striped hat is the latest and I just loved using the self striping yarn. Once I get this afghan done for Shelly, I have plenty of projects lined up to keep my fingers busy. (Shelly, I can do another one or rim some squares once I send this one off) What has blogging brought out in you this past year? Any creative lightning strikes? A new recipe? A different outlook on life?
We hooked up with Teamouse who crochets and knits as a hobby. It was Tea's hobby and her knitted dishclothes that arrived in Texas which struck a creative nerve in Shelly last summer along with a post at Your Mirror or Mine where Phara wrote about her son receiving a quilt at summer camp. It was a Camp for Pediatric Cancer patients where all 60 campers received a handmade quilt, and it was this post that started Shelly off on Share a Square, read her first post here, and check out the update page at it's own website now. Shelly asked for 6720 squares and has surpassed that amount by the generosity of bloggers around the world to make squares for the summer of 2008 campers at Camp Sanguinity in Texas which will be about 140 campers. Shelly is still in need of people to add the black rim around squares and/or sew the squares together to make an afghan.
Because each square comes with a tag from the person who made the afghan, other bloggers have come up with an idea to make bags for kids to save the tags. The first child to receive the afghan really enjoyed going through the tags and the idea of creating special bags evolved for the tags. Purple Moose Gazette and Yellow Rose will be accepting 70 bags each. If you go to Yellow Rose's site, there are directions for different types of bags, from crochet, to knit, to sewing. If you would like to contribute a bag to the project, please check them out. 
So how does blogging, an afghan charity project, and the strip hat connect? Well, if it wasn't for blogging, then I wouldn't have learned how to make a granny square which sparked the latent hobby of knitting for me. You see, once upon a time, we didn't have laptop computers or even a desktop computer and I used to knit sweaters for my family. The Share a Square project along with TeaTime Ramblings knitting posts has gotten me crocheting and knitting up a storm. My flikr craft badge has all the "stuff" that I have crocheted/knitted within the past 8 months. The striped hat is the latest and I just loved using the self striping yarn. Once I get this afghan done for Shelly, I have plenty of projects lined up to keep my fingers busy. (Shelly, I can do another one or rim some squares once I send this one off) What has blogging brought out in you this past year? Any creative lightning strikes? A new recipe? A different outlook on life?
Sunday, January 20, 2008
Weekend Catchup
Yesterday we went up past Franconia Notch to volunteer at a State High school Nordic meet. The day was glorious, blue skies and temps in the high twenties. It was amazing to see how little snow there is up north compared to here. Seriously, they only had about 4 inches of snow on the ground compared to our over 2 feet in my back yard. It's still strange to drive through the notch and not see the Old Man of the Mountain, even weirder that as we were driving through, we were listening to Fix You by Cold Play, with the the sick sense of humor that my husband and I have, we both thought it ironic to hear," When you lose something you can't replace ".
While up there, we drove up to see the Mountain Grand View Resort and Spa, which yes, had a grand view of Mt. Washington. Too bad I was busy eating my lunch to not get out of the car to take a picture. Hey, after getting over 400 kids lined up at the starting gates for a race, a girl gets kind of hungry. Somebody tried to give me a bullhorn and I told him that I was okay without it. The boys were much easier to line up, the girls were too busy wishing each other good luck and I got to yell out numbers and tell kids where to go. Definitely worked up an appetite. But back to the hotel, just another place for me to dream about someday. As Martha Stewart would call it, a perfect wedding destination.
I started on the borders for the squares for the afghan that I am putting together for Shelly's Share a Square project. It's really a neat feeling to work with squares from people that I have communicated with through blogging, but have never met. (Tea- loved the colors and texture of the yarn you used) I am kind of nervous about the whole color scheme when I get it together, but will have my friend come over to help me. Patterns make me a little OCD. But I can only imagine what Shelly has going on over at her house with all these squares! This was an easy thing to do while watching the Pats win once again.
So now I am driving my kids crazy by finally finding a game on Playstation that I like to play. Have any of you tried Rock Band? I am not very good at the guitar and they allow me to play with them begrudgingly without being in any "real" band with them. There is no way that I could play the drums, that goes above and beyond what I could do multitasking. Based on my skills, I won't be giving up my day job anytime soon to go out on tour.
While up there, we drove up to see the Mountain Grand View Resort and Spa, which yes, had a grand view of Mt. Washington. Too bad I was busy eating my lunch to not get out of the car to take a picture. Hey, after getting over 400 kids lined up at the starting gates for a race, a girl gets kind of hungry. Somebody tried to give me a bullhorn and I told him that I was okay without it. The boys were much easier to line up, the girls were too busy wishing each other good luck and I got to yell out numbers and tell kids where to go. Definitely worked up an appetite. But back to the hotel, just another place for me to dream about someday. As Martha Stewart would call it, a perfect wedding destination.
I started on the borders for the squares for the afghan that I am putting together for Shelly's Share a Square project. It's really a neat feeling to work with squares from people that I have communicated with through blogging, but have never met. (Tea- loved the colors and texture of the yarn you used) I am kind of nervous about the whole color scheme when I get it together, but will have my friend come over to help me. Patterns make me a little OCD. But I can only imagine what Shelly has going on over at her house with all these squares! This was an easy thing to do while watching the Pats win once again.
So now I am driving my kids crazy by finally finding a game on Playstation that I like to play. Have any of you tried Rock Band? I am not very good at the guitar and they allow me to play with them begrudgingly without being in any "real" band with them. There is no way that I could play the drums, that goes above and beyond what I could do multitasking. Based on my skills, I won't be giving up my day job anytime soon to go out on tour.
Sunday, December 02, 2007
Another Busy Hands Week
Finally got the knit hat done this week. Came out too big for one son, but perfect for another. I went out to get the correct size circular needle at Michaels today and was very proud of myself for only buying the needle. I even remembered to cut out the weekly coupon to get a discount.
In the meantime, I have also completed two scarves. Joann's had a sale this week and they had their Sensations Angel Hair yarn for sale. The yarn is so soft and one of the scarves that I am knitting reminds me of poodle fur.
We have a big storm approaching for tomorrow. Should be an interesting morning with my husband trying to fly out to Georgia in the very early am leaving me and the boys to deal with the snowblower. I have faith though, the kids are older and his business travel is easier. I definitely make the kids do more around the house when he is gone. It works two ways, one, I get help getting the daily stuff done and two, they appreciate their Dad that much more.
The beauty of part-time, I think I will take a snow day tomorrow and start knitting another hat. I can make up the time during the rest of the week.
In the meantime, I have also completed two scarves. Joann's had a sale this week and they had their Sensations Angel Hair yarn for sale. The yarn is so soft and one of the scarves that I am knitting reminds me of poodle fur.
We have a big storm approaching for tomorrow. Should be an interesting morning with my husband trying to fly out to Georgia in the very early am leaving me and the boys to deal with the snowblower. I have faith though, the kids are older and his business travel is easier. I definitely make the kids do more around the house when he is gone. It works two ways, one, I get help getting the daily stuff done and two, they appreciate their Dad that much more.
The beauty of part-time, I think I will take a snow day tomorrow and start knitting another hat. I can make up the time during the rest of the week.
Sunday, November 25, 2007
Knitting Away
I was on a roll blogging but got caught up in a knitting project. This hat was a bear to start. The gray is the inside of a nordic ski hat and I had to start out with 8 stitches on double pointed needles. I had no idea of how the outside connected with the inside, but as you can see, I figured it out.
This is for my youngest who will be doing Nordic Skiing this winter, please pray to the snow Gods for a snow cover before January. I saw this pattern at the Elegant Ewe, a very nice yarn shop down town that has a beautiful selection of yarns. What I loved were all the completed items. Yesterday I was back there dragging my oldest in as I just had to look at the hat again to understand the pattern. It's the whole visual learning thing.....
Compared to years past, I am actually ahead of myself for gifts! Great college football games, a few craft projects, a fire in the wood stove and I am all set for busy hands. Now if I can just keep kittens from pouncing and chewing on yarn, than I can get even more done.
This is for my youngest who will be doing Nordic Skiing this winter, please pray to the snow Gods for a snow cover before January. I saw this pattern at the Elegant Ewe, a very nice yarn shop down town that has a beautiful selection of yarns. What I loved were all the completed items. Yesterday I was back there dragging my oldest in as I just had to look at the hat again to understand the pattern. It's the whole visual learning thing.....
Compared to years past, I am actually ahead of myself for gifts! Great college football games, a few craft projects, a fire in the wood stove and I am all set for busy hands. Now if I can just keep kittens from pouncing and chewing on yarn, than I can get even more done.
Friday, July 20, 2007
Share a Square Update and Friday Randomness
The first afghan was put together yesterday in Texas and Shelly has written about the day in her blog, This Eclectic Life. This has a been a fun project to be involved in and it's a good feeling to be making something that a sick child may find comfort from. I love the creativity of mixing the different yarns and don't tell my husband, but I have been buying a couple of brightly colored skeins of yarn at Michaels or Joannes. ( Don't worry honey, they are either clearance b/c they're the last color or I have a coupon!)It really has been easy to learn and to make a square or two an evening.
Tonight is hubby's birthday and I should be cleaning the house and at least making the kitchen look presentable. It is my first official day of vacation and I spent the day shopping around town while getting the oil changed in my car. And oh by the way,if I win megabucks or powerball, the minivan I own now will be traded in so quickly that it won't even be funny! Have you ever had the phantom squeak that you hear all the time until it gets near a dealership or garage? Then the mechanic looks at you as if you really are a ditzy blonde mom. Okay, so this is turning into a random post right before your eyes.
Kind of funny that I had over 40 people reading the Thursday Thirteen on flatulence, what does that say about us? But at least I learned some lady like terms such as fluffing, fluffel, poomps fa la la, trump, prika and for those who like car sounds, toots and beeps. And oh those poor animals, stepping on a frog! That was a fartastic topic! I love getting lurker comments, been there before and it's a treat to get a hello. Now that I am into the thick of blogging, I find that it gets harder to keep up with my "blogging clan" and new blogs, please know that I do lurk and try to get out at least once a week if not more to my blogging friends.
Now here is one last random musing: My 19 year old comes home from work yesterday and asks if he can call Washington, D.C....for what I ask. "Today at work I was reading the press releases from the White House and on July 17th, there was an executive order which made it sound like the right to a trial was being taken away and I want to see what our Senators have to say about it." He replied and what could I say to that? Of course no one was in their offices and they took his name. But how many people really read the press releases? We probably should be reading more of those to find out what is being said by the President. I just read the release and it's all tied into terrorism....but that does seem to be the mantra of this current administration. Just another interesting day at our home!
Sunday, June 24, 2007
Limerick Winner's Necklace
Today I got my bead stuff out and made Suz (The World According to Suz) her necklace and earrings for winning the limerick contest. Based on her blog, I had her pegged as a blue jeans gal and the necklace would look awesome with a white tank or blouse with jeans. Once I had the beads out, I played around with some silver wire and made a different type of bracelet for myself. 
Looking at my beads, yes, I am a blue jean person also! I love the blues.Congratulations Suz, your prize will be in the mail tomorrow.
Busy as a Bee Crafting
Where have I been? Let's put it this way, Shelly has a box of squares heading her way tomorrow.I have been crocheting up a storm and then beading today. Yesterday, my friend Rose called to learn how to make the Squares since she already knew how to crochet. An hour visit turned into three hours of sitting on my back porch crocheting. She brought over a box of yarn that someone had left at work and we went through it splitting up the yarn. After watching her crochet, I realized that by crocheting with my right hand which is definitely not my dominant side that 
the whole gauge thing 
is going to remain to be difficult for me.
I played around with the different yarns and even though the "fuzzy" yarn is tough to work with, it does make a cozy square. The thicker yarns require only four rows of shells, and I have had to go down to a G hook. It's been a fun activity to do while watching the Red Sox play and of course I crochet at my own son's games. I posted all my week's crafts on the flickr badge which I wasn't able to put in the post.
Alas, no beach for me yet this summer. The past three days have felt like September here in NH. Between the windy, stormy weather of Friday to the cool, crisp day yesterday, it has not been the best beach weather. I am back to two days off a week, so I have a better chance of hitting a beach day. Now that my kids are teenagers/young adult, I can now relax on the beach. Any other beach lovers out there?
(Okay, so posting images should be a lot easier than it is for blogger, especially when the image uploader is not working)
Just saw this over at Special K and had to try it! Does this mean I am boring?
Monday, June 18, 2007
Can a Monday get any busier?
Today I worked in Blood bank and had done 8 patients by 8:30 am after finishing the morning set up and it just didn't stop. It was the busiest day for me since I started back working in the lab per diem. I did leave to go to a meeting to determine if the directions I had for stool and urine collection were accurate. So you may be asking yourself, why directions for something we do everyday? Well, we do need somewhat sterile collections, properly labeled and brought to the lab as soon as possible. It has been an interesting topic of conversation the past few days about the stools and we have a "running" joke about needing "to go" and the creative methods that are available for specimen collection. My favorite line in the directions, is: Pick a large container that you won't need to use again.
This evening my middle son played his first baseball game in five years. It was a beautiful evening, the game was not that intense and guess what I was doing while sitting in my lawn chair? Yep, got two more squares done for the afghan. It's amazing how quickly I can make them now and can crochet without directions. Like I told Shelly, if a left-handed blonde can learn how to crochet right handed from on-line photo tutorials, then anyone can. Time now to get back to the squares to tuck in the ends. Shelly should be getting my first set of squares early next week.
The limericks are all in and the judging should be taking place tomorrow night! What a great showing of creativity.
This evening my middle son played his first baseball game in five years. It was a beautiful evening, the game was not that intense and guess what I was doing while sitting in my lawn chair? Yep, got two more squares done for the afghan. It's amazing how quickly I can make them now and can crochet without directions. Like I told Shelly, if a left-handed blonde can learn how to crochet right handed from on-line photo tutorials, then anyone can. Time now to get back to the squares to tuck in the ends. Shelly should be getting my first set of squares early next week.
The limericks are all in and the judging should be taking place tomorrow night! What a great showing of creativity.
Saturday, June 16, 2007
Musing about crocheting and graduations
Two more days until the end of the Limerick contest and if you haven't had a chance to read the limericks submitted already, here is the quick link to the Limerick Entries. There is still time to write a limerick!Last night I made my first granny square which came out 2 inches larger than it should be, so I will make the rest using a H crochet hook.
If you have never crocheted, this is really pretty easy to do. I think I crocheted a baby afghan eons ago and a Christmas stocking for my husband over 24 years. With the tutorials available on line, it can be done. I found Crochet Cabana where there were step by step directions with pictures for making a Granny square . Shelly (This Eclectic Life) has posted the directions, now I just have to take apart a cabled sweater that I started about 10 years ago and ran out of yarn to use that yarn for the Share a Square Afghan project.
I think this is a wonderful chance for bloggers to connect beyond the internet and contribute to a good cause. I just called my Mom and mentioned the afghan, her comment was, I don't mind making squares, but I hate putting them together. ( I caught her at a bad time....they are going to a graduation party today and packing for their summer in Nova Scotia).We have three graduation parties to go to today and our kids are off in three different directions. It's amazing how busy one's weekends can be in June. Tomorrow is Father's day and we have another graduation party tomorrow afternoon. Graduations seem bittersweet, a transition between the familiar to the unknown along with responsibilities. A time of celebrations and goodbyes. The class that graduated today at our high school was my first freshman class and I do feel bad that I didn't stay the entire four years. However, I have been able to see many of the kids at other school functions for my own kids, so I have kept up with them.
My high school graduation was held outside and we had over 700 graduating. As a parent, I can't imagine the logistics of it all. Do you remember your high school graduation? Any good stories out there about graduations? I got nothing except for the two dogs getting it on at my college graduation....
Thursday, June 14, 2007
Crocheting for a Cause
A hook, some yarn and a pattern to crochet
Gave bloggers the chance to make a child's day
Got some time and Love to share?
Let's follow a pattern to Spare a square
And give a sick child a smile someday
Gave bloggers the chance to make a child's day
Got some time and Love to share?
Let's follow a pattern to Spare a square
And give a sick child a smile someday
Shelly at This Eclectic Life has a great idea for bloggers to crochet squares to make blankets for children with cancer at Camp Sanguinity. She's just looking for squares and if you go over to her blog, there is even more information about the project. I love teasing Shelly about how everything is bigger in Texas, and you know, I think her heart is indeed bigger than Texas. This is great little project that once you know how to do, can be done quickly and well. Shelly has people lined up to put together the squares, we just need to make them.
Crocheting is one of the many things I can do, not well, but it's not a mystery. But here is another deep, dark secret about me.....I am left handed. Not a big deal, however, crochet patterns has never been easy for me. But I will learn how to make the granny squares for the blankets and here is the link for the pattern and we will be making small squares. Lucky for me, I work with a group of very crafty people in the lab and between them and friends, I hope to have a crochet buddy to help me.
Here's Shelly idea: "I’ve found a granny afghan pattern that is very simple. It requires 24 small squares and 6 large squares, but it could work with just 48 small squares. If I can get people to send me the crocheted squares, then I’ll ask folks in my community to put them together; I’m not shy. With every square you send, attach a signed “best wishes” card (you can give an e-mail address to the child if you want). Each afghan will be put together with squares and good wishes from at least thirty different people."
Tomorrow, I plan on getting out my bag of yarn and learning how to make the squares. Thank you Shelly! I may just try to get my Mom and crocheting friends in on it!
Sunday, April 29, 2007
Crafts, Books and Kids
I saw the furry flip flops with directions on The Knitting Fiend blog that I "StumbledUpon" last week. Once I saw them, I immediately thought of my good friend K who is my beach buddy during the summer. So off to Michaels on Friday where the ChaCha yarn was on sale. I haven't crocheted in awhile, but was able to to fake it pretty well with the yarn. I think I will make a few more for the boys' girlfriends and one for myself.Friday, I also got back to the library for another pile of books. Read another Jennifer Weiner book, Good in Bed
which was a good read. What's a good read for me? Good story, interesting characters with a plausible ending. The main character, Cannie is witty, talented, and overweight which her ex-boyfriend writes about in his column for a national magazine. But he goes into more detail then she would like others to see which of course leads to all kinds of problems. I would recommend the book for a fun read.Yesterday we picked up #1 son from school with a laptop that had liquid spilled on it, water from his Beta tank? Water from a bottle on his desk? Who knows, but we got the phone call early in the morning and told him unplug it and take out the battery. Based on what we have read, there's a 50% chance of it being okay. Obviously the University gets laptops like this at the computer service center since there is a "liquid damage assessment" repair available. So I have not been out and about to blogs because he was using my laptop for schoolwork, lucky for him he did not have any papers already started on his laptop.
Today, #3 son and I went through his room and cleaned it out. Unbelievable, the amount of "stuff" we found behind the furniture! He was so easy to help and we got it all done. So nice to work with a kid who doesn't complain and appreciates the help. With it all cleaned up, he was able to move his bed and rearrange the rest of his room. By the way, does anyone know what to do with a bunch of beanie babies?
Then #2 son comes home for supper at 6 pm after going over to a friend's to play dungeons and dragons. By the end of supper, he drops the news that he got the Neon stuck in the mud on the way to his friend's. He decided to go exploring(by himself) at the end of the road where it turns into a dirt private way and got stuck. Rather than call us, he called three other friends to help him out. Luckily, one of the kid's fathers went with him when he went with a jeep to pull out #2. I called the Dad tonight to thank him and we agreed that kids will do stupid things, he went along with his son, because he knew that his son didn't know how to pull out another car. I think a few boys learned how not to go four wheeling with a non-4 wheeling car. I asked my son why he didn't call us....he thought we would be mad. We wouldn't have been mad, maybe irritated, but I think he was just embarrassed.
But with these mishaps, my husband and I just go with the flow. We have all done stupid things when young and I hope that my kids will at least learn from their mistakes, keep liquid away from laptops, pick up your room more than once a year and don't go four wheeling when driving a Dodge Neon. And how was your weekend?
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