My First Give Away

Sunday is my birthday.  So in honor of my birthday I thought I might try my very first give away ever.   There are no rules, just leave a comment between now and Sunday and you are entered.  That is if you are interested.  You don't have to sign up to follow me, although I would love to have you.  You don't have to tell me I am amazing or even Happy Birthday.  Just leave me a comment between now and late July 3 and we are good to go.  If you would like to spread the word that's great, if not there is more chance for you to win.

I would like to give away this.

 This lovely ( I hope) scarf has just been removed from my loom.  It is approximately 5 inches wide, and 70 inches long.  It is made from Universal Yarn Classic Shades, in the color Watermelon.  It is acrylic and wool and says it is machine washable but I wouldn't advise washing weaving in a  machine.  A lovely hand wash soak, place flat for drying, and there you go.

Weaving is very light weight, not like crochet or knitting.  This scarf took about 190 yards of yarn, a knitted scarf of this length would take twice that much and would be very heavy.  This baby is soft and lovely when wrapped around your neck.

 

I have also collected a few tid bits from the yarn store that I will be including in the give-away.  If you don't knit or crochet don't worry give them to a friend who does.  If you don't want them at all let me know and I will save them for give-away number 2, sometime in the future.

My finished project number 32 may just be for you!



Yarn Love

 I have a confession....my friend Cathy and I went yarn shopping today.  And boy did we, I mean I haul it in.  One of the local yarn stores in Tampa was having a Birthday Celebration that I could not pass up.  Knit N Knibble is a great store whether you visit in person or online.  They had great deals and I found some beautiful yarn to show you. They will be having the yarn sale online for a day or two if you are interested.  The store was packed, but knitters, crocheters and weavers are so nice it wasn't a problem.  They had  a fashion show where people could show off their amazing talent.  Wow, the creativity and skill level of people who work with yarn is simply amazing.  They had door prizes which I sadly did not win.  But the most incredible site to me was about 150 women, sitting with their knitting, crochet or Cricket Looms, eating, talking and just being happy.  They were wearing all things yarn, talking yarn and being one with each other.  Nothing like yarn fumes to make everyone giddy.

Above is the wonderful Malabrigo I am currently in a mad love affair with. Malabrigo is so soft and gets a 10 on the scale of yarn yummieness.   I also purchase Malabrigo Kettle Dyed Pure Merino Wool in the washed out solid blue color in the background.  This is a thicker yarn that I think will make an amazing cowl.  These yarns were 15% off which helps a lot when you are making Christmas presents.

 Above is Berroco Lustra which was 50% off.  So $5 a skein, you just can't beat that.  Lovely, smooth and shiny, which I think will make an amazing scarf of cowl. 

 All of it together looks like a whole lot of work in my future.  Knits Weekend was a purchase that was not on sale, but I just had to have.

 This is my finished cowl in Malabrigo Rios.  Two strands held together, a chain of 64, a treble crochet in each stitch and there you have it.  Simple, beautiful and sooooooo soft.  You can crochet in the round, or make a big rectangle and single crochet together.

Here a picture up close so you can see the stitch pattern.  It looks more washed out color wise than it is in reality, so sorry about that.  That makes finished project 31 for me for the year so far.  How are you doing on your projects?

What's On Your Needles?

I am having a bit of a yarn slump.  I am just not overly excited about any project.  I thought if I blogged about the projects I am currently working on, it would give me some incentive to make some progress.

 Another cowl with the amazing Malabrigo yarn I am currently obsessed with.  I have frogged this baby 3 times.  It was two short, not drapey enough and just not right.  I decided to double up the yarn and use a treble crochet in every stitch with this cowl.  Now I am thinking it is too long.

 And in this basket is project number 2.  I am attempting to make the sweater below in alpaca yarn that is thicker than the yarn used in the picture.  I am also attempting to make it using circular needles, which isn't really in the round, I just won't have seams as the back and sides are being knit all at the same time.  So the progress is a lot slower and need I say, a lot less fun.  I may decide to make it a vest and leave off the sleeves completely if I can't take it anymore.

 I took this intended scarf off my loom yesterday.  I really don't work on my loom unless it is cool out, don't ask me why I have no reason.  I decided to finish this yesterday as I had only a couple more rows to complete.  Well I should have stuck by my seasonal rules as after I took it off it shrank width wise, and elongated so that it looks like a really, really long belt.  So I think this project is going right in the garbage.  Believe me when I say it looks better in the picture than it is.

At least I got a very lovely surprise when I walked out side today with Max.  One of my gardenia bushes has decided to surprise me with some late seasonal blooms.  My kitchen table is so happy right now.

So what do you have on your needles or hook?  I need some inspiration.

Take Me Out To The Ballpark

 Saturday evening we went to a Tampa Bay Rays game down in St. Petersburg, Florida.  It took a bit of convincing on my part before my husband finally thought it was a good idea.  We took my youngest son and his friend.  They go primarily for the food.  We were almost in the first row between first and right field.  Here is a picture of John Jaso the catcher while he was warming up.  We were really close and saw him wave to the man standing next to me, which upon further observation must have been his Dad.

 And here is a picture of my baseball crush.  Johnny Damon formally a Detroit Tiger and an amazing find for the Rays this year.  He is such a great role model for all the younger players.  He loves his wife and his kids, and is a big family guy.....now there is a concept for a professional athlete.

 This is Raymond the Ray's mascot who was playing around right in front of us.  Really he was this close, that is how close we were to the field.  Loved the game we won against the Marlins 7-4, but next time I am going to sit a little higher as I think we will be able to see the game better.  I had to keep looking around my husband as the seats were angled.

Notice no mention of any yarn projects.  I have a few things going on but nothing that exciting to show you yet.  Hope you have some exciting projects on your needles or hook. 

Have a wonderful day.

Awards.....For Me??????

Hi Everyone!

I have been gifted with two awards lately and I just wanted to share them with you.  I received The Versatile Blogger Award from The Florida Crochet Garden.  And the lovely Kreativ Blogger Award from Grateful 4 Crochet.  First let me just say a big Thank You to both of you.  I am still a bit shy about my blog and I am just amazed that anyone, anywhere thinks my blog is nice enough to bestow an award on me.  Please take a minute to visit these blogs.  These amazing women hold down full time, crazy busy careers, yet they take the time to share their creative lives with all of us.

So now I am at the point where I have to share ten things about myself .  Here we go.

1.  I am basically an idiot when it comes to the computer.  My sister Claudia is frequently having to come to my blogging aide.  When she returns from her seven week trip to Wisconsin for work, I am hoping she will retrieve these blog buttons and place them on my blog.  Just  the thought of doing that myself almost makes me want to hyperventilate.

2.  I love all thing Wizard of Oz.  I loved the movie growing up, those flying monkeys scared the pants off me.  I have bits of a collection of Wizard of Oz things....I'll share it with you sometime.

3.  I have two boys and I simply hate the fact that they are growing up.  I miss theme underpants, round bellies, giggles in the tub and bedtime stories.  Now I have boxers, sweaty boys all around my house, fights about homework and worries about driving.

4.  I am completely obsessed with yarn.  I would rather buy yarn than clothes or shoes, well frankly I think I would rather buy yarn than food.

5.  I am the youngest of four kids.  My brother was 17 years older than me.  He passed away almost 20 years ago.  My older sister Claudia (see #1) is my very best friend.  I have another sister just three years older than me who is estranged from the family and never is in contact with my sister and I.

6.  I am an Occupational Therapist and work with babies and young children who are delayed in their development.  Most of the children I see are in medical foster care so they are away from their families.  Most of these babies have been exposed to drugs/alcohol before they were born, which is just the saddest thing.

7.  I am right smack in the middle of menopause and let me tell you I am not enjoying it one bit.  It is funny that menopause has done something to the synapses in my brain some how bypassing the area that filters out what I am going to say.  If I think it, I say it and frankly don't really care if I am offending some one or not.

8.  I am a huge fan of Barack Obama, and I feel so bad that he inherited this big mess of a country and people are bashing him constantly.  Eight years of a mess can not be fixed in just two short years.  I frankly would have felt bad for anyone who inherited the country the way it was two years ago.  I am not a fan of people or organizations that create a huge "fear" fan base to get people elected.  Sorry if I have offended anyone, please see #7.

9.  I still get a little freaked out when I look in the mirror and see all the wrinkles on my face.  I just always seem a little shocked that that is me.  My mother-in-law tells me you never get used to it, she is almost 93 so she should know.

10.  I love blogging.  I started off blogging just as a way to comment on my sisters blog (see # 1 & #5).  I gradually commented on other blogs and very slowly began to post.  I do not have 500 followers or get eleven hundred comments but I want you to know that I appreciate each and every one of you.  I love to get a peak into your lives.  I love that you share your families, and your homes as well as your creativity.  I love your honesty and I love you as friends.  Thanks.

Boyfriend Sweater....Girlfriend Scarf

 We all know the boyfriend sweater rule.  Never make your boyfriend a sweater or you will surely break up.  Then do you ask for the sweater back?  Wait until you are married before you even think about knitting a sweater for you loved one so you never get your self in this mess. 

I really didn't have a boyfriend when I started knitting, and I live in Florida with my husband who is very picky about what he wears.   You would never know this by looking at him, but he tends to give all his clothes to Goodwill, so I have never even thought about knitting him a sweater.

So I was wondering if the rule applies to your son's girlfriend.  If you knit or crochet something for her will they break up?  And if they do will the item you made for her end up promptly in the garbage? 

My son and his girlfriend have been together as an item for 3 1/2 months.  That is like 100 years in teenager life.  He likes her a lot, she likes him even more.  So I didn't want to freak either of them out with a really personal gift.  I decided a flower scarf might be perfect.  What do you think?

 I did a smaller eight petal version of the very popular Japanese inspired flower.  Crocheted from Universal Yarns Classic Shades, 70% acrylic 30% wool yarn, in the lovely shade of watermelon.  This is the yarn I made my granny cowl with and really enjoyed working with.  I made one flower after another never starting a new yarn after each round, so the variegated yarn would flow through out each flower uninterrupted.  Then when completed with the flower, I would start round one with the yarn I just stopped using so each middle looks like the outside of the previous flower.  Am I making any sense at all? 

I think it is lovely and if she doesn't like it, or they break up soon it is no big deal on the my time or budget.  I just hope I didn't jinx them.  What do you think?

29

 Project 29 can I tell you how much I love you?  You are so beautiful and soft.  Your color changes are subtle but oh so wonderful.  I can not do you justice in any picture I shoot of you, so this one will have to do.  This cowl is made from Malabrigo Rios Pure Merino Superwash.  And let me tell you my love for this yarn is growing and growing.  I used Malabrigo bulky yarn for my last cowl, but this one has all the yumminess (is that a word?) of the bulky yarn, but seems much better for a cowl.  I love the texture and I love the softness.  I used a J crochet hook, chained around 120 stitches,  did a dc in every other chain separated by a chain one, when you get to the end of the row, chain 4, turn and start back placing your dc in the space created by the chain one of the previous round.  Simple, fast and a great potential Christmas gift.

 The color is amazing, I was almost sorry this project was over so quickly.  I have been working on it while trying to finish the knitted dress, so it has been on the hook for a little bit.  By the way thanks so much for all your encouraging comments about the knitted dress, you just may make me take it out of time out soon.

I had some yarn left over when I finished the cowl, so I decided to chain 20, do the same pattern and make a scarf with the remaining yarn.  I love how the scarf pattern creates a bit of a zig-zag.  It is just lovely and I want to wrap it around my neck and walk around in it all day, not such a great idea when it is 90 degrees out!  I think this will be a  great last minute gift for someone so I am putting it in my gift bin.  If your local yarn store has Malabrigio run, don't walk and buy yourself a skein.  You won't be disappointed. 

Happy Sunday!

Done !!!!!!

 Done!  I am finished!!!  I have finally completed the knitted dress.  And boy did it take a while.  Due to several placements in time out, and a major mishap, this baby is finally finished. 

On Monday and Tuesday I tried to finish this dress.  I only had a few more inches and the final pattern to go, how hard could this be?  Well I may be able to knit, but sometimes I really think I am missing a few brain cells because I kept holding the dress up to me and thinking I only had a few more inches and I would be ready to cast off.  As you know I am 5'9 3/4.  And I would say that my legs are pretty long, so I automatically added 3 inches to the pattern thinking this would be sufficient.  I held it up, looked down and thought I was in a terrific position.  The problem with holding up a dress and looking down is you are not getting an accurate idea of just how long the dress is. So I casted off making sure I left lots of room in my stitches so the cast off edge would be nice and roomy.  Yeah!!!!!  Total excitement, I stripped off my clothes, put on the dress and what do you think I saw?  I saw a dress that was just long enough to cover my thighs, but way, way, way too short to cover my 46 year old legs. 

 Here is a picture of the bodice and the lovely i-cord bow.  The i-cord slips in and out of these little holes and helps a great deal to keep the chest together, especially my chest as I really don't have one.

Back to the story.  Okay massive depression was about to set in, but I held it back and thought about what I could do. Hmmmm.....maybe leave it and make it a tunic top?  Nah, throw it in the corner and put it back in time out forever, no I spent too much money on this yarn.  I guess my only option was to put the dress back on the needles by slowly taking apart the cast off edge, that is 270 stitches back on the needles.  I thought about ripping apart the bottom pattern, but that would have entailed frogging the stitches and making sure I got 270 back on without dropping any, what a mess that would be.  So I decided to make a second pattern at the bottom, which added another 3 inches and here is the final project.  Sorry the picture above is fussy, it was the best I could get.  You can see the cast off row I picked up in the middle of the pattern.  The stitches are a bit longer almost looking like a wrap stitch.  I decided to leave this and just work from where I was at. 

Am I in love with this dress, not at all.  I feel it is like climbing a mountain and finally getting to the top and realizing the view wasn't worth the work.  I still think it is a tiny bit short.  That is even after adding 6 inches to the pattern.  And I am not at all happy with how the sleeves look where I sewed them onto the dress.  Actually I tried to do this 4 times before I got something that looked right.   But I think I will wear it and see if it grows on me.  And if it doesn't I already have a plan B....I will take off the sleeves and wear it as a skirt.  I actually think that might be the best.

This dress was designed by Jana Pihota for the book Stitch'N Bitch Superstar Knitting.  The pattern was easy to understand and really easy to knit.  When I look at the picture of the dress in the book I can honestly say that I still think it is beautiful.  The yarn you will remember I am not in love with at all.  South West Trading Company Amaizing 100% corn fiber yarn.  The texture is interesting but as you remember I had so many breaks and knots in each ball I wanted to shoot myself.  Knitting in the round is sooooo smooth, so constantly having to start new yarn is such a hassle.  And I always think new yarn should be started at the beginning of the row so you never see even a hint of a pucker, knitting in the round does not allow you to do this.

So at least I can say  project number 28 of the year is finished, and the dress may grow on me.  I just think I have to put it back in time out again for a bit, first.

Brain Mush

Hi Everyone!!!!!!

Just wanted to pop in quickly and say hello!  I have been at a conference for therapists the last four days and my brain is mush.  It was a long day, everyday, but I think it was worth it.  All the information was amazing and I was so glad I got the opportunity to attend.  But because of that I am behind.  I am behind reading blogs, doing house work, taking care of my family, taking care of the endless errands, writing blog posts and most of all knitting and crocheting.  None of which got done over the past four days.  I am near the end of the knitted dress, and making progress on crochet cowl number 2.  So, I will check back in soon.

Hope everyone is doing great, enjoyed your weekend, and are finding  some time to do something you really love.

65 Years!!!!

 This is a picture of my parents 65 years ago today.  My Mother was just 18 and my Father 22.  My Father was fresh back from fighting in what was then known as Burma.  They fell in love while writing letters to each other during the war.  Four children, 10 grandchildren and 5 great-grandchildren later their story is still unfolding.

I think they both look so beautiful and so full of hope.  My Mother hated this dress can you believe it?  My Grandmother, the boss of all bosses made her buy it.  I think she looks so beautiful, so classic and so excited. 

I went to visit them today to take them some cards and very special yummy Anniversary cupcakes.  My Mom wasn't feeling well, I think the visits with my niece and her daughter, although short in nature really tired her out.  It is hard for her to try and be,"up" for visitors.  Her body is wearing out and she is so tired all the time.  My Dad is taking great care of her, but it is sad.  So while I am so happy that they reached this amazing milestone, I am saddened to think that the end may be approaching in the not to distant future.

My parents have been through so much in their lifetime together, anyone married that long surely would have, too.  They are still devoted to each other and really, really love each other.  If we could all be that lucky in life.