Mini's Muckin' Around Again

Happy New Year!

2011-12-31T18:24:00.000-08:00

All in all, I've had a nice set of holidays starting with Thanksgiving. Well, except for catching the creeping crud that resulted in losing my voice. I've been without the ability to speak above a whisper for about 4 days now. While I'm sure some will count this as a blessing, it makes it quite difficult to vocally discipline my puppy. She's having a field day.

Others within my circle of friends don't seem to be faring quite as well through the gathering of relatives as the image I received from one of them below indicates. Ahh, the holidays...

I no longer have any blood relatives - at least none that I will claim. The Almighty has decided that I [evidently] will fare better on my own. I'd really like to discuss that with Him when the time is appropriate. But I guess there is a blessing in that I no longer have the holiday relative frustration. Silver linings and all that rot.

So as I sit here on New Years Eve contemplating the past year, I am thankful for the friends that I have, the job that I [still] have, the family that I have adopted to be my new 'blood' relatives while I work on that list of people and appropriate tactics to remove them from my life (or at least squelch them into non-importance.)

I hope your year was as blessed and I wish you and yours all the best for 2012! See you on the flip side ;-)

The First Hobbit Trailer!

2011-12-21T09:51:00.001-08:00

Non-Chocolate Halloween

2011-10-16T19:54:00.000-07:00

I thought I was all set for Halloween until I read a post from Arthur Johnson at G+. It's so hard to be conscientious with all of the stuff going on in the world! To read his original post that describes how the major chocolate companies allow slave child labor to supply us with our chocolate, click on his name above and scroll down to October 14th.

The challenge was now on. After spending 3 days writing software requirements, I needed the diversion anyway :P So, off to the stores I went. I typically have 100+ kids each year, and because I have a tendency to overdo, I hold myself to a $1 per kid allowance up to $100 maximum. The ideas below definitely do not need to be at that level, so anyone should be able to replace chocolate regardless of the budget they have by only using one or two of the ideas. More ideas can be found here and here. I'm sure even more can be found on the net, just search using 'no candy Halloween' or other similar key words.

For my neighborhood kiddies, I picked up party favors at Michaels and Goldfish snack packs and fruit treats at the local Target. Since I was done shopping at that point, I didn't hit the local Dollar store which I'm sure would have produced some fun and inexpensive finds, but would have likely run me over my budget.

The Goldfish came in a bag of 30 snack pouches and the Fruit Snacks came in a box of 80 for $4.49 each. My Target purchase came to $29.01. I will likely have snacks left over, but that's OK as this stuff I might actually eat myself.

The party favors were $2.99 each and came in packages of 12, 18, 20 or 36 depending on the item. A real good find were Glo bracelets that came in a package of 15 for $1. The cute spider web treat bags were $1.99 for a package of 25. The total price tag was $70.89.

Grand Total: $99.90. I came in under budget by 10 cents! LOL

Next year I'll be better prepared as the stores were pretty well picked over at this point on the party favor front. I'll have to now add Halloween to my "after holiday shopping" routine to pick up deals for next year. I can also sew treat pouches from cute Halloween fabric much cheaper than buying pre-made pouches. It's all in the planning, isn't it?

WTF? Bank of America - Debit Card "Closure"

2011-07-20T18:21:00.000-07:00

For the most part, today was the normal BS that the standard work day brings. But I did have a bit of an issue at the restaurant we chose to go to for lunch.

As some of you know, I've been purging the house and a friend of my DLH has been clearing out the garage for me. So I ordered a dumpster to make things easier for him so he wouldn't have to make dump runs. While we were waiting for our food to come, I remembered that I neglected to contact my trash service to schedule a pick-up for the dumpster so I could fill it up again. This essentially constitutes a new dumpster scheduling and I had to provide a credit card number.

I gave him my debit card number as I did before and it came back declined. I didn't think much of it because I didn't have my reading glasses on when I rattled off the number and just figured I screwed up. So I grabbed my Chase card as it is easier to read and ended the phone call.

Then it was time to pay for lunch. I placed my debit card with the bill and again, it came back declined.

WTF?

After I got back to work, I checked my bank account just to make sure there wasn't something funky going on. No... all fine there. So I called the number on the back of my card to find out what was going on.

After I described my adventures to the individual that answered the call, he left to check on the debit card number and came back to the phone indicating that my card had been closed due to potential fraudulent activity and a new one had been issued. And "Yes, we did not notify you."

WTF?

So I asked him why I wasn't notified. A similar situation happened earlier this year and I received a call both at home and on my cell instructing me to stop by a local branch and replace my card. So I pushed again. His less than informative reply indicated that they felt it was best to not notify the card users and then asked if I checked my mail. Now I'm not the greatest at checking my mail, (I typically check it once a week), but in this case I had just checked it yesterday. I had not received anything from BofA. So I pushed again informing him that the banks so desperately want us to use the debit cards, so why would they take such a lame action? He danced around that question and finally indicated that he didn't know. I then asked to speak to someone that did know and he told me there was no one to talk to in all of BofA.

At that point I produced a gutteral growl (literally), thanked him for his "service" and promised that if this happened again that I would switch banks. He didn't care.

Needless to say, when I got home I checked the mail. Sure enough, there was an envelope from BofA with a new debit card inside accompanied by a letter:

Note the 2nd bullet. How stupid of a statement is that? How can they possibly know when I've received the letter? How can they possibly know that my mailman is less efficient than most? Secondly, notice that this letter is not even dated.

The letter doesn't state the form of fraudulent activity beyond "third party" issues. Also, if I cannot rely on them to contact me for this issue, how can I rely on them to contact me if they find any suspicious behavior during their monitoring period. Since they've closed my card, it wouldn't affect me anyway.

I do all of my banking and bill pay on line through the BofA site. They could have easily sent me a message there. In fact, it would have been cheaper than printing off a zillion letters to enclose with the new card.

WTF?

The card was labeled with the standard sticker. Since the card was assigned a new number, they could have easily cancelled the old card upon activation of the new one.

Blah, Blah, Blah.

And how was your Wednesday?

A Post!

2011-07-17T12:33:00.000-07:00

Yep, it's been a while. Basically the old work machine has kept me sidetracked - that and house purging. Let me tell you, I'm so tired of yarn barfage all over my house that I'll be going on crochet haitus for quite a while!

So back to stitchery as flosses definitely take up less space than balls of yarn. I dug out the old stitching frame and dusted it off. Then off to eBay to see what's out there on the cheap. I picked up some Teresa Wentzler and Patricia Allison charts that I did not already have as I just love their designs. (You know me and fantasy!) I then took a trip to the local stitchery store and came across another designer that I fell thoroughly in love with.

She sponsors online project groups for her designs and I've signed up for one of them called Autumn Knotgarden Mandala:

(Click pic to access online project site)

This is just one of MANY awesome designs. The designer's name is Martina Rosenberg and she hails from Germany. Check out her design site to see all. I love the symmetry of her Mandala designs. It talks to the graphic artist in me big time. I'm just waiting for the official acceptance into the project group and then I'll be madly stitching. I'm thinking I'll stitch it on black to make the colors pop. It's been a while, so I've got a bit of rust to wipe off of those skills, but it will be fun nonetheless.

Other than that, it's pretty much the same old routine. My DDH's friend has been coming by to help me clear out the garage so I can actually park both vehicles in it. We're not yet done, but close. That should cut down on the amount money I've been spending on car washes! It's incredible the amount of dirt that floats around in the air just waiting (and looking) to land on my cars! Then, of course, the neighborhood cats walk all over them before the dew dries in the morning to leave their special signature. Maybe what I ought to do is hang out on the porch with a slingshot and drench them with water balloons. Yes, I'm turning into that kind of an old crusty lady!

And for those that are following the making of The Hobbit, I'm starting up a newsletter for those that don't have the time to surf for tidbits. First installment below, more to follow!

Well, ciao for now and I'll post pics of my stitching progress for you to critique on how well I'm doing compared to the pic above :)

Single on a Holiday

2011-04-24T20:58:00.001-07:00

Happy Easter everyone!

If you're reading this on Facebook, click here so you can easily read the whole post. If you're on the blog, stay put ;-)

When you are married - or live with a mate - you have a filter. The filter that says 'shouldn't you be cleaning the house?' and other assorted sanity checks. When you are single, that filter does not exist.

So fast-forward to today. It's Easter Sunday. I've done all of the housework I intend on doing, I've been off work this past week so I've done the visits and fun things and now I'm bored. No relatives to visit, (that I would care to visit anyway), and my closest friends live miles away - far enough that I don't feel like getting into the car and onto the freeways. So now what?

Let's check email and surf the net. I get a vehicle maintenance reminder and go to the website to schedule the appointment. (What did we do before the internet?) From there, I start to look at used cars. I do need something with a hatchback for hauling larger items. Maybe a PT Cruiser. Let's see what they have.

I find one and it's dirt cheap. Just a 4-banger, but for what I'd be using it for that would be fine. So, as I wave good-bye to Paco and his sad eyes, (you're going somewhere without me?), I hop in the car and drive to the dealer.

The Cruiser was indeed a good deal, but it was Snowblind White. I'm not kidding - I've never seen a brighter white in my life on a car. Too bad I hate white cars. The posting said 'Sandstone White', so I imagined a creamy white. I could have lived with that, but not Snowblind White. No way.

So I look around the lot. I looked at Jeeps - those looked fun. I looked at mini-vans. Nah, not my thing. Then I saw the Dodge Nitro. Bigger than what I was originally looking for, but it's kinda cool. I test drove it and it was all over. It is now sitting in the driveway.

This is the pic from the website. It's a 2010 with 17,000 (+ change) miles. It was one of their weekend specials. Of course, I checked out Car Fax and Edmunds before I test drove. Good reports and reviews and the price was way below what Kelly Blue Book indicated for that year-model-options. So, I think I made a good deal. If not, I'll just live in denial.

I didn't trade in my Sebring - I love that car! I don't know if I could ever live without a convertible ever again. This will be my utility vehicle.

And that is what one can do without the 'mate filter'. How was your Easter?

The Work Week in Summary

2011-04-01T20:58:00.001-07:00

Shades of Farting Poodles

2011-03-28T17:53:00.000-07:00

Remember the Farting Poodle? We all had a good chuckle on that one. In fact, I've recently made two of them for fellow fartiers at work. They're quite a hoot to make even if finding a can of air freshener with a flat cap is a pain in the arse.

Well, Lion Brand strikes again with a 'what the hell were they thinking' pattern that will only top my list of things to make for people I don't like:

Anybody want to venture a guess as to what drugs the pattern designer was on for this one?! And to add insult to injury, are those pink dotted stockings she has on? Where does one even buy those?

I passed this photo around at work and one of the guys stated it must be a diversion to keep men from looking up her skirt. I agree ~ who could look at anything else? Might be a cheap replacement for chastity rings...

So my question to you is, if all you had available for patterns were this and the farting poodle pattern, which one would you make? :D

I Went to the Sideshow Website

2011-02-08T19:39:00.000-08:00

I've avoided that site for the past couple of years because it's dangerous for me. I have more LOTR figures than I have room for. But something made me go there. Something powerful. Something sinister...

And I found this 'Last Chance to Own':

and this (the upper bodies are interchangeable):

and these unframed lithographs that they're taking preorders on:

Help meee...!

Update: Too late. I ordered the lithographs :P

Anyone Gotta Q-Tip?

2011-01-28T19:44:00.000-08:00

It's Stupid Story Time!

There is no cafeteria in the building that we work in, so we go out to lunch every day. Fortunately for us, no one cooks in the town we work in so there are plenty of restaurants to eat at. Today, we picked one that had outside dining since it was such a beautiful day.

There were 5 of us and we are all basically smart-asses. Upon arrival, one of us made the waitress push 2 tables together ensuring that part were in the sun and the other part was in the shade. We gave him grief, of course. We order, the meal comes and it is quiet for a bit while we are all chomping away. There was 80s music playing in the background. As the person furthest from me begins conversing with the others, I COULD HAVE SWORN that I heard him say something completely unexpected and I just missed the name of the individual that was 'doing it'.

So to insure that I was heard over the music I say rather loudly, 'Who was masturbating?!' At that point everyone around the table fell silent and looked at me like I lost my mind.

Needless to say, the giggles and smart cracks began. He never did finish his story because I think I discomboobalated him so that he forgot was he was talking about.

Yep, you can dress me up but you can't take me anywhere...

And how was your day?

Animal Crackers

2011-01-27T19:24:00.000-08:00

alan, alan, alan, alan!!!! LOL

Meanwhile in Paraguay...

2011-01-24T20:42:00.000-08:00

They're experiencing heavy showers. High = 84 degrees F.

Customer Service

2011-01-23T10:54:00.001-08:00

So yesterday I decide to make my annual trip to the outlet mall to buy shoes. I have bad feet, (must have been those years of wearing 6" platforms in the 70s and pointy-toed roach killer heels in the 80s & 90s combined with 25 years of sliding into bases during the softball years), and the only shoes that seem to be the most comfortable are made by SAS. They used to sell them at the Gottchalk's department store at the local mall, but they went out of business. (They were replaced with a Forever 21 store which I would have died for in my 20s. They are also closing up shop at the end of this month in our town. Gotta love the shape of the economy.) But I digress...

Fortunately, SAS has a shop at the outlet mall about an hour away. So I make a new driving playlist for the iPod, put the top down on the car for it was a beautiful day, and hit the road. I splurge and buy 3 pairs of shoes then decide to cruise the mall for any other bargains. (Note to self: 3 pairs of shoes fit in the SAS shopping bag. Remember this to possibly use to my advantage at a later date.)

I end up buying a couple of tops and some jeans, decide I am done and start walking back to head for the car when the handle on the plastic clothing bag breaks and starts a chain reaction with the SAS bag that then tears. Shoes are all over the place. Fortunately, this occurs right in front of the SAS store. I gather up the shoes and head back in for another bag.

They not only give me a new bag, but take my other bag and bag it up as well. They then take the bags and put them in the back room and tell me to drive around and pick them up at their back door. When I come around, the clerk is on the phone with the clothing store informing them of their bad bagging practices and informs them of the weight limit of the average plastic bag! I was cracking up. Needless to say, I thanked them profusely, but before I left the sales clerk gave me 3 boxed chocolate truffles to 'ease my pain and suffering'. Bear in mind that this is a 'direct from factory' discount store. I was very impressed ~ you rarely see this kind of customer service from a standard retail store. Needless to say, bad feet or not, they have a loyal customer in me now.

Sadly, it was a little too chilly at this point to drive with the top down, but I took the long way home and had a nice leisurely drive through Lake Elsinore. It had been many years since I drove around the lake and they've done a lot of work sprucing up around it. Lots of new parks and renovated buildings. Lake Elsinore always had the reputation for being a disgusting place, their local city government at one point was very corrupt and the town's money tagged for improvements never seemed to produce anything (could be because it ended up in their pockets.) So I was glad to see things are looking so much better there. Here are a couple of pics that I snagged from the city site:

(The 'Vette pic is included for the benefit of a buddy that thinks he wants a Porche instead of a 'Vette... :o)

Here's a video for the guys. Note 2 of the remaining members of Queen at 1:48:

That's it for this fyne Sunday. Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

The Hobbit: Elijah on Frodo

2011-01-22T09:41:00.001-08:00

Dancing Eyebrows

2011-01-20T18:33:00.000-08:00

As I was perusing old posts, I found that I had to replace a video that had been taken down. In my search for a replacement, I came across this gem! As someone who has to paint their eyebrows on everyday, I have to admit that I'm a bit green over their talent.

What do those eyebrows remind you of? I know it's something creepy that I've seen in a movie, but I'm just not pulling anything up. (Which has been the bane of my day, quite frankly.) Could this be a new Olympic sport? Synchronized dancing eyebrows? Maybe I'd finally watch the event if they actually had sports along those lines! It's all about being amused...

But tomorrow is Friday! I have got to go shoe shopping this weekend and I have got to get the car washed. So I'll be motor-farting around the Corona area - honk and wave if you see me!

In other news...

The USDA admitted to poisoning a huge flock of starlings because they were defecating all over a nearby farm/ranch. Personally, I think it's all a ruse to cover something else up. Otherwise, how convenient for them that other flocks are falling out of the sky all over the world. And the fish - mass suicide? The cows - one tipping too many? I understand that weather conditions and other natural events can contribute to mass animal deaths, but we're sure seeing these in volume and in unrelated parts of the world. Aliens. Where's Fox and Dana?

What do you think is happening?

My Blackberry is Not Working!

2011-01-19T19:48:00.000-08:00

A commentor on YouTube stated it's because he launched his Apple through Windows. Of course it's going to crash - 'duh'.

Thanks to Gretchen for sharing!

The Hobbit & Other Stuff

2011-01-18T20:14:00.000-08:00

So... I've been getting the updates on The Hobbit movie. There will definitely be 2 with the second being a bridge movie. They're quickly bringing back a lot of the characters from LOTR - I'm assuming for the bridge movie as the majority of them did not exist in The Hobbit. Peter Jackson is finally at the directing helm after Del Toro had to leave due to delays. All worked out in the end ;o) Although Del Toro has done some excellent work, he is quite dark and I just couldn't see how his style would translate well in a basically light-hearted story.

On another movie-related note, I finally got around to purging the old DVD collection. A shop opened up in the neighborhood that buys, sells and rents DVDs. So I packed them up. Can you believe I sold over 900 of them?! Talk about out of control. I still have a couple hundred left, but won't be parting with them anytime soon. Most are not available in digital and some might never be. Somehow, I don't think Dark Shadows is high enough on anyone's list to convert to digital.

On the crochet front, I just may have burnt myself out for the time being. I keep trying to start projects - and I like the patterns I'm picking - but I get a ways into the project and push it aside. I did a lot of crocheting after Kirby passed for therapy. Maybe I just need to put it down for a while and pick up another spare-time hobby that I can do while I'm drooling on myself after work in front of the TV. Cross-stitching has been popping into my head as of late. And Crewel.

This guy is kinda cool. I've done one other dragon who resides on the wall next to my bed. This one could be a partner on the other side.

I found him at The Stitchery (unfortunately, it's a kit that is currently out of stock, otherwise, I would have grabbed him tonight.) It's done up on 14ct, but I think I'd change to 18ct as I think the smaller thread count makes for a nicer finished product.

Paco is staring at me indicating that I'm not providing him with enough quality time and/or attention (all depending on your definition of 'quality time'.) So I'll end it here for today. Catch you on the flip side!

Best Wishes Steve!

2011-01-17T20:50:00.000-08:00

Yes, it's been over a year since I've posted. I've had to learn to live my life alone and much to my extreme surprise, it took much longer than expected. I've always thought of myself as a strong and independent individual and although I knew it would be tough, I had no earthly idea. So for me, it worked to go underground until all was sorted out.

So this morning I decided that I am now far enough along in my new single life that it's time to get back amongst the living. I'm baaaaaaaaaack!

But alas, there is another sad note. For those of you that know me a wee bit, you know I'm a huge Mac fan. So it was unfortunate to hear that Steve Jobs is taking another medical leave from his beloved Apple. Whether you like him or not, prefer Macs or PCs, there is no question that he has made an indelible mark in our lives.

There is a great article that chronicles the highlights of his life over at Gismodo. It's quite long, but is a very good read.

My apologies that my first post in over a year starts out on a sad note, but I am back and will posting more on things that happen in my stupid life soon!

Merry Christmas to Me!

2009-12-28T19:07:00.000-08:00

All the mad hoopla that leads up to Christmas and it's over in a flash. So now what? Since I no longer have someone who wakes up with me on Christmas morning to shower me with gifts, I decided to buy myself a Christmas present.

The king-sized bed that I have has become too big and too empty. With all of the after-Christmas sales at the furniture stores, I decided to go browsing for a new bed. They saw me coming... I ended up with a whole new bedroom set:

This pic is of a king-size bed. Mine is a queen so smaller. Visualize 2 pillows across instead of 3.

The set is called Camilla by Ashley Furniture. Yep, I've been watching Clean House waaay too much LOL!! But the sale was outrageous. The box spring was free with the purchase of the mattress, the full set of furniture was had for $1000 off and I got free delivery and assembly. Can't beat that! It should be here on Friday. I'll post pics of the room redo when it's done.

So... you can't get new furniture without crocheting something to go along with it. I'm thinking I'll make this throw to put across the bed maybe in a neutral color like light ecru or oatmeal:

And of course, doilies for the nightstand and dresser, but I haven't picked the patterns out yet.

So there you have it. Can I spend money or what? No one can ever accuse me of not supporting our slumping economy!

But I don't want to leave you with the impression that I didn't get anything from anybody - that would be sad :(

I got some gorgeous yarn from Sandy - Crystal Palace Moshi Plus in a gorgeous blend of self-striping fall colors, a crochet-knit technique book with some cool patterns, some Ferrero chocolates (have you tasted the white chocolate with coconut? Food of the gods I tell you!) She also made a beautiful pair of earrings and a matching bracelet of pearlized beads and crystals with sterling silver - so pretty! She spoiled me rotten. I've already made a beret for myself with 2 of the 4 balls of yarn, I'm in thinking mode for the rest. I'll post a pic as soon as I dig my camera out of my nest of a computer room.

Nisha sent me some very cool hand-made knitting needles and some lovely hand-spun, hand-dyed yarn that I'm still looking for the perfect pattern for. It's a gorgeous shade of ocean blue with hints of purple in a wool/mohair blend. Very beachy! Again, pics to follow.

And one gift that I haven't redeemed yet cuz her mother gave me fudge that I've been having for breakfast, lunch, snacks... is a 1 lb. box of See's candy. Milk Bordeaux is in my future for sure! Thank you Gretchen :)

From Leisa, a home-made blackberry and apple pie. To die for!

Finally because Kirby always bought me a bottle of Opium, (he made me forgive the French), and 2 Lord of the Rings calendars, I picked those up for myself as well. It made him present in a way, and made having Christmas without him a bit more bearable.

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday and let's all look forward to a better 2010!

Weed Pouch

2009-12-12T16:29:00.000-08:00

Here's a quick and simple little thing you can make to use up some of that scrap yarn :)

Materials:

Light Worsted Weight Yarn*

Hook Size E / 3.5mm

Assorted dried or silk flowers or weeds

Red Heart Collage in Wood Trail was used for the model

Rnd 1 (RS): Beg at base, ch 6, sl st in first ch to form ring, ch 1, [sc in ring, ch 3] 10 times, join with sl st in beg sc. (10 ch-3 sps)

Following Rnds: Sl st into ch-3 sp, ch 1, (sc, ch 3, sc) in each ch-3 sp around, join with sl st in beg sc. Repeat rnd 17 times or the number of times to obtain desired length.

Edging: Sl st into ch-3 sp, ch 1, 3 sc in each ch-3 sp around, join with sl st in beg sc. Finish off.

Insert dried or silk flowers / weeds and hang on the wall by inserting the nailhead through a ‘hole’ in the pouch.

Not intended for use with fresh flowers.

I'm also making this pattern available as a PDF download from Ravelry so you don't have to copy/paste - how's that?! :D

(Ahem... that would be as soon as Ravelry cooperates with the upload of the file. Stay tuned.)

Good-Bye Sweetheart

2009-12-12T15:02:00.001-08:00

It's taken me quite a while to get up the courage to put up this post, but I feel I need to communicate the last part of my husband's story before I can even think of posting about anything else.

Kirby passed away on November 14th, 2009 at 9am. I was blessed with being with him as he left. His last hours were spent in excruciating pain from the cancer, but I am forever thankful that they were hours and not days. On the one hand, having him pass at home was a blessing as I had the honor of holding him as he left and he was in his own surroundings without IV's, monitors and 'the hospital'. On the other hand, it was the most painful experience I will ever have had to live through - to have the one you love in such dire pain and not being able to do anything about it. But I do take solace in the fact that he's not in pain anymore.

My mother passed exactly 1 week later almost to the hour. She left us on November 21st at 9:20am. How's that for timing? Her passing did not affect me near as much as she was 92 years old and had lived a nice long life. However, when it is my turn to go, I will have to ask her about her impeccable timing.

I went back to work on the 7th. I spent the majority of my bereavement time off clearing out my mom's mobile. And thank God for my friends! They spent a few days of their own time helping me deal with all of that. In between cleaning days, I ran back and forth to the mortuary. With 2 deaths one after the other, I became quite intimately familiar with the place and the guy who made the arrangements for both. I hope to never see him again unless it's in public somewhere. The one thing that I'm happy I did was to have some of Kirby's ashes put into a small jewelry pendant. It's very comforting to have him with me.

Because of the time spent dealing with my mom's mobile leading up to almost the day I had to go back to work, I haven't had much time to grieve for Kirby. I'm doing OK as long as I stay busy, but those quiet moments are especially rough. My routine is pretty much intact except for that one huge piece - him being here. Because he's not here, I find that I can't even do the simplest things easily. I feel confused and unsure of myself most of the time when I'm alone. I'm still very much unsettled. I can hardly watch TV as they're showing previews to movies that he had wanted to see.

I've made small changes - I've managed to arrange the area that his ashes are displayed. I've set up the flag and put Jose's ashes next to him (his beloved dog.) I have a candle burning next to him when I'm home. Most of his big power tools have been put into the shed to store until I decide what to do with them. But his clothes and things he'd left on his nightstand and end table are still there. His van is still parked in the same spot in front of the house - unmoved. I can't even bring myself to move it into the driveway. He was the only one that ever drove the van - I never once got into the driver's seat and I can't bring myself to do that yet because I'd have to adjust the seat and it would be like a little part of him would be gone once I did that.

So I kind of veered from telling his story into telling my own, didn't I? But all of the medical info and dr. appointments that took place leading up to his death seems quite pointless in the telling. He died from melanoma within 4 1/2 months of his diagnosis. Any more than that seems trivial at this point. Now it's a matter of learning how to live my life without him in it and without being resentful that we didn't turn out to be one of those couples that lived together to a ripe old age. And also figuring out how to avoid those stupid eHarmony commericals...

Good bye Sweetheart. I shall forever miss you.

Farting Poodles & Other Things

2009-09-16T07:46:00.000-07:00

Yep, farting poodles. It's actually a cover for an air freshener can. Kitchy project, but fun. I've named him Piedmont le Pew. For those that can't stand it and must have a farting poodle of their very own, you can find the pattern here at Tacky Living. It's reminiscent of those poodle liquor bottle covers that graced most homes in the 60s. Admit it. Your house had one. I remember that my mom made poodle liquor bottle covers for virtually everyone she knew and they displayed them proudly as the children shrunk in mortification! Now that us childrens have grown up, the farting poodle brings back fond memories, doesn't it? :D

On the hubby front, we have two appointments today. One with a neurologist and the other with the chemotherapist. Today is the day we hold our breath as we get the results from all of the tests and the game plan for his treatment. Fingers crossed everyone! And thanks to those that have sent me their best wishes and to just let me know they're thinking of us.

It's Not Fair

2009-08-23T11:21:00.000-07:00

It's not fair. This is a saying that I've never had much use for. To me, it smacks of nothing more than a victim statement that is usually delivered in a whiny tone to set the hairs on the back of your neck straight up. It's typically used in minor circumstances far too often to have any real meaning. Children use it when they don't get a cookie. Teenagers use it when they can't go off and do something all of their friends are doing. Adults use it when their being childish and selfish.

But I'm using it today. It's not fair.

My husband has been diagnosed with stage 2C Melanoma. This means the cancer is running amok through his body. It came to light when one of his moles got real dark and started to grow bigger. After my nagging him for a month, he finally made an appointment with the doctor. He now has a giant hole in his back where the mole used to be. During his follow-up exam, they found a lump under his arm and at his groin. More biopsies were done and we're waiting on those results. In addition, he has had some blurriness in his right eye that they believe is related. In the meantime, we have to schedule an appointment for a PET and CAT scan so they can confirm their diagnosis. Then the chemotherapy will begin. They claim at this stage that they can kill the cancer, but it is very likely it will be back within 5 years.

It's not fair. And I'm being real whiny, childish and selfish about it. We've had our ups and downs as a couple - like any couple has - but we are supposed to grow old and crabby together. At the very least retire together. The prospect of that happening now seems quite grim. For now anyway.

And that's the latest news from the Thornton household. Until this new adventure gets completely underway, it's life as normal with the exception of tip-toeing around the subject with each other. We're both very private people by nature and tend to keep things to ourselves, so this will be a real test for both of us. I actually thought long and hard about blogging about this, but I've got friends who read to check on things that way, so here it is.

Now as out of sorts as this may sound, I've gotta run and pick up dog bones before Paco and Mo kill me with their big sad eyes. I don't know what they put in those Nutri-Bones, but they're both quite addicted to them. And since they're both little beams of light within this big dark cloud, I best git to gittin'. More later.

Peter Jackson on The Hobbit Movie Progress

2009-07-29T20:09:00.001-07:00

The Hobbit (2011) at IGN.com

Wood Floor Warning

2009-07-28T19:42:00.000-07:00

Do not walk on a wood floor with wet feet. This should have been a warning label on the product when we bought it. For stupid people like me.

So there I was this morning, enjoying my shower and wishing I could stay in there for at least another 10 minutes. Alas, I am a wage slave. So I begrudgingly turn off the water and open the shower door. Dang. I meant to grab a towel before I got in. Such as it is when you have my brain and have not fed it the proper levels of caffeine. No worries, I keep a few in the cabinet under the sink. Dang. Empty. Sigh. Guess I have to walk out to the hallway and get one from the linen closet.

I walk gingerly on the bath rugs to absorb some of the water that is dripping from my body. Then I step into the bedroom. No throw rugs in my path. I make it about 5 steps and...

WHAMMO!

Down like a ton of bricks. And because my entire body is wet, there is a fun 'slip and slide' effect. As I lay on the floor on my back half in the bedroom and half in the hallway - nekkid and stunned - as it happened in a twinkling of an eye, I stare up at the ceiling and squeak out an 'ow'. My husband is still asleep in bed, but Paco and Mo are awake. They start jumping around on the bed and finally the half-deaf husband wakes up. I'm still muttering 'ow' and he says 'what's that noise?' I say, 'down here'. 'What are you doing down there?' 'Oh, I don't know. I thought I'd inspect the ceiling to see if it was time to repaint. Get me a flippin' towel and don't step in the puddle all around me!!' After at least one more sarcastic response to 'what are you doing down there?', the latent gentleman in him finally comes out and he helps me up.

To put you at ease, I am perfectly fine except for a new bruise on my knee that somehow got in the way of the decline. I'm actually grateful that I was wet all over as it seemed to have made the trip down a lot less harmful due to the ability to fall and slide at the same time. Kinda like sliding into 3rd base upside down and backwards. I'm also grateful that I missed landing in the curio cabinet. Otherwise, Legolas would have finally shot that arrow he's been holding his aim steady on for the past 4 years.

Needless to say, after that adventure, work was a piece of cake! And how was your Tuesday?

Wish Lists

2009-07-25T05:02:00.000-07:00

Amazon has a good thing going with the Wish List thing. You find something and store it there for later. You half-heartedly think maybe you'll buy it later. Months and months go by and still, nah - not today.

And then... you wake up in the middle of the night and can't go back to sleep. There's nothing but infomercials on and you turn them off because they are starting to sound pretty good and maybe you just can't imagine life without that male enhancement product or maybe I CAN get rich in real estate. So you turn to the computer. It's safe. It's yours. You don't have to go anywhere you don't want to go. But after checking out all your fave sites and you're still wide awake, then what?

All that's left are shopping sites. And now everything on that Wish List you must have now!

Here are some purchases from a week ago when this [surprise!] very thing happened to me. And you know what? I scored! The fugly quotient in the books is quite low! Just about all of the patterns in all 3 books are things I'd want to make - how rare is that?!

Lots of cool projects in this book. Sweaters, scarves, hats, purses and lots of felted items.

Ever wonder how to wear sweaters and boleros that are not styled with the traditional button/loop closure? Well, you can make a button frog using 2 shank buttons, some elastic thread and seed beads. Just make a loop with the thread and string the seed beads onto the thread, with a button on either side. Tie off, hide the ends and voila! A button frog closure :) This is just a little side tip that is included in the Everyday Crochet book.

Who can have too many motif books? I'm quite certain that the answer is no one. At least no one that crochets anyway. There's lots of neat motifs with interesting stitch patterns, a lot of which that are textured - and I love texture!

On the disappointing side, I purchased this book from Overstock.com a couple of weeks ago.

Except for the pattern on the cover, this one is a HUGE disappointment. There's maybe only one other pattern that I might consider making. Oh well, that's the down side of buying books online. Unless they offer a 'browse' feature, you don't know what's inside. So on a positive note, 3 out of 4 ain't bad!

Now, to con the hubby into building a new book case for the craft room...

Concerning Hobbits and other things...

2009-07-18T10:41:00.000-07:00

Another round of excitement begins as the early stages of casting, etc. start. 2 films with talk of a 3rd - don't know what that 3rd film would be. I hope they don't get carried away and ruin the overall experience - the 2nd film is taking a bit of liberty in tying The Hobbit and The Lord of The Rings together as it is. Anyhoo... if you want the latest and greatest info on the Hobbit movies, go here. And if you're a fan, pleeeeeease post against them doing this in 3D!! I can't think of anything worse that they could do. Well, maybe, but seeing that rumor just about sent me over the edge.

Speaking about over the edge, I had to take my car into the shop this past week. The trunk latch stopped working and I wanted to replace the visors as the mirrors were broken (my bad. I didn't catch this when I first bought the car.) The repair for the trunk latch was covered by the warranty, but the visors were not. Now take a guess at how much the visors were? Now extend that to your wildest dream and double it. Then add $48 for labor - yessirree - turning 4 screws is quite laborious work. Grand total? $348. Was I stupid? Yes. Did I give them a mouthful anyway? Abso-flippin'-lutely!! And they're not even magic mirrors. They do not light up, magnify, put on your makeup for you or tell you that you are the fairest in the land. Chalk that one up under "lessons learned" and "maybe that's why Chrysler / GM went bankrupt."

On a brighter note, my pineapple plant has finally produced something resembling a pineapple!

It's still a little guy, but he'll grow up. Not having had a pineapple plant before, I'm not quite sure how long that will take, but I'm thrilled to have gotten this far!

It's been a few months since I've posted last and I have finished off a few crochet projects:

This is a pineapple shawl that I worked up during the MCAL at CFL. You can get the freebie pattern here if you are so inclined. I made this with about 2-1/2 balls of Marble (Red Heart is now selling this yarn under their label - look for 'Collage'.)

Then I've been working up washcloths for charity. I dorked around a bit with wrapping the washcloth around some handmade soap that I wrapped in pretty paper.

Then a little gift bag that I did up in Patons Grace. I started out with a square pattern that I found on line and took it from there. Would also work well as a soap holder / saver, dontchathink?

Other than those projects, I've started many and finished few. Seems to be a theme with me now. Could it be I have too many patterns and too much yarn that keeps me from focusing? Could be, but I'm too lazy to do anything about it ~ LOL.

Have a great weekend and we'll catch up soon!

Happy Easter!

2009-04-11T17:15:00.000-07:00

I am waaaaay behind the 8 ball on this holiday. In fact, I didn't realize tomorrow was Easter Sunday until just a few days ago. I guess not having kids to remind you when the holidays are coming is a downside.

But not to fear, I made a bunny:

He's accompanied by a Butie and a Gabu. They are friends. Good thing too, as I need to get rid of some yarn around here.

I also made a couple of cleaning goodies:

These projects helped me to clear out the remainder of 3 skeins of yarn - whee! The cleaning scrubbees kind of look like Easter Baskets with those green scrubbees in them, don't they? Hmmm...

Anyway, just a quick post to wish everyone a happy holiday. Eat lots of eggs so we can fart nationwide tomorrow!

Ren Faire 2009

2009-04-06T14:55:00.000-07:00

Saturday was the opening day for Ren Faire. As hubby seemed to have had his fill of 1590's merriment due to me dragging him to the faire year after year, I cut him a break and went with a good girlfriend. We ate, bought stuff, ate some more, had a massage and picked up purchases on the way out. It was a very good day.

That said, Ren Faire always puts me in the mood for doing something whimsical. So one of my purchases was for a Fairy House and Fairy Garden kit. So after a few short naps today (ahhh...), I set to having some fairy fun.

First up is the Fairy House. It's basically a cardboard tube covered with dried flower petals and that spongy moss that I can never remember the name of. The cute little chair is 2 acorn caps backed with a pinecone (do you call it a leaf?) The picture doesn't do it full justice, but I think it came out cute.

I then took the miniatures that were included in the Fairy Garden kit and placed them under the tree in the back yard. I didn't use all of the miniatures that came with the kit as a couple of them just seemed way off scale.

awww...

Close-up of wheelbarrow, tools, stepping stones and birdhouse.

It's kinda hard to see, but I made a shepherd's hook out of tie-wire to hang the birdhouse on. I twisted two strands together then formed the hook. I think I'll take it back in the garage and spray paint it black (or white.) I also have an idea for a miniature pond ;) Later.

I'm not sure if fairies get mail, but what the hey?

So those were the creative purchases. And the best part is that now I've had a chance to think back on what I saw, some Christmas gifts are coming to mind. Sounds as good excuse as any to go back a second time, donchathink?

And don't ya just love spring?!

I'm Still Here!

2009-03-29T09:16:00.000-07:00

Believe it or not, I'm still breathing. I took a nice long break from civilization as I was not fit for human interaction. Work has been more than brutal - not in a good "I'm working hard" kind of stress, but in a "you've been taken over by another company and even though we pontificate about how much we value people, know that we speak with a forked tongue" kind of stress. There it is and that's all I'm going to say about that.

So in honor of coming up for air from all things stupid and ugly, and in an attempt to bring a little whimsy into both my life and yours, I have a new pattern for all of you dog lovers out there! And here it is:

Mini's Cheaper-than-the-Pet-Store Poop Bag Holder

Yes, a poop bag holder. For those of us that live in a city and take our dogs for walks, we must pick up the poop. Now if you've been to a chain pet store (e.g., Petco, Petsmart), those little poop bags and holders are expensive! I was in Petco and needed to pick up refills and a bag of 4 rolls of poop bags was $11! And the poop bag holders started from $5 on up (mostly up.) So I pashawed all that and went to Target where I found a package of 8 poop bags for $6. Still pricey for small plastic bags to me. And wouldn't you know, they were a teeny bit larger than my poop bag holder. Just a teeny bit, but since my holder was hard plastic, it was enough to not fit.

So here you go. This poop bag holder will hold all sizes of poop bag rolls, and if it doesn't, you can easily make it longer without breaking the poop-pickup budget!

Materials Needed

Small amount of Sport weight Cotton Yarn
E / 3.5mm hook
Self-locking clasp

Rnd 1: Ch 2, 8 sc in 2nd sc from hook.

Rnd 2: Ch1, 2 sc in same st as join, 2 sc in ea sc around, join. (16 sc)

Rnd 3: Ch 1, 2 sc in same st as join, *1 sc in next sc, 2 sc in next sc; rep from * around, join. (24 sc)

Rnd 4: Ch 1, sc in same st as join, working in back loops only, sc in ea sc around, join. (24 sc)

Rnds 5-18: Ch 1, sc in same st as join, sc in ea sc around, join.

Rnd 19: Ch 1, sc in same st as join, *ch1, sc in next 3 sc; rep from * around ending with sc in last 2 sc, join. (6 ch-1 spaces)

Rnd 20: Ch 1, sc in same st as join, sc in ea sc and ch-1 space around, join. (24 sc)

Rnd 21: Ch 1, sc in same st as join, sc in ea sc around, join.

Rnd 22: Ch 1, sc in same st as join, *ch 1, sc in next sc; rep from * around, finish off and weave in all ends.

Drawstring

Cut a length of yarn approximately 2 yds long. Fold in half and attach folded end to a stationary holder (I use a binder clip tied to a doorknob.) Holding ends of yarn together, hold taut and twist until the strand wants to twist onto itself. Place finger halfway up the strand, bring both ends together and allow to twist onto itself. Tie each end securely.

Finishing

Thread clasp onto drawstring and weave drawstring through the ch-1 spaces on rnd 16. Insert bag roll into pouch and pull up a bag. Tighten drawstring and tie into a bow. Clip the Poop Bag Holder onto your dog’s leash to keep handy during your walk!

Have a great Sunday!

Vacation FO's

2008-11-02T14:46:00.000-08:00

I managed to crank out a few projects during my wonderful week off from work which helped to substantially bring down that Christmas gift list (YAY!). I now feel comfortable that I can finish everything on time and maybe, just maybe, have some time for crochet just for fun :)

First up, a couple of Puffy Slouchy Hats in blue:

The first hat was done with Red Heart Soft, the second with Berocco Geode. The Geode was fun to work with :)

OK, not actually an FO, but most of the pieces are done for two felted purses. I still have 10 flowers and flower centers to make partially thanks to my cat Buster who thought I was making cat toys. I'm using Gourmet Crochet's Natalie Collection pattern for the purses. I'm using the rectangular pattern for both.

I then tested a slipper pattern for a lovely lady at Ravelry.

Worked out the adjustments I wanted to make to Sandyfroglegs' Fingerless Glove pattern, so I can kick out 4 pair for gifts :)

And made up a different afghan for my uncle as the round ripple had just gotten too boring to continue (for now.) So I went surfing through my pattern stitch books and found a stitch that would work well using 2 strands of yarn and a large hook so I could finish it quickly. So quick in fact, I'm making another one in different colors for my cousin. You'll find the pattern here.

Close up of stitch

And so ends another week ~ back to the grind tomorrow :o\ May your crochet hooks fly like the wind!

Catching Up

2008-10-31T07:16:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I did a proper post, so let's catch up!

I've been madly working on Christmas gifts. I should have kept up with Cris' One-a-Month-a-Long at the beginning of the year :P But you know how it goes, you make a list, then do it over and over again until the last bleeding minute. You're just not inspired until you're inspired, ya know?

Being off work this week has helped a lot. Clearing the mind of all of that 'work clutter' helps tremendously with inspiration and keeping focus. So my pared-down list is as follows (no sense in killing oneself, eh?):

Afghans - 2

Fingerless Mitts - 4 pairs

Slouchy Hats - 4

Slippers - 1 pair

Of course, that list can still change! LOL I've made up the pattern for the afghans, I'll post as soon as I finish one. The Fingerless Mitts are a slightly modified version of Sandyfroglegs Fingerless Gloves pattern. Although I haven't officially picked the patterns yet, the Slouchy Hats will likely be the Pretty Puffs Slouchy Hat pattern and the slippers, Priscilla Hewitt.

On a non-crochet note, we have adjusted to life without Jose. Paco tries to play with the cat, but the cat hates him. We'll have to get him a new buddy, but we'll wait until we find the right buddy :)

That's about it for today. Oodles of toodles and enjoy your Halloween!

Happy Halloween

2008-10-30T19:50:00.000-07:00

Grab a cup and let's kick it!

Atom.com: Funny Videos | Funny Animations | Upload Video Clips

Sadly, Joe Sparks left Shockwave and was not allowed to continue the series. But, at least we have Episodes 1-8 to enjoy as long as the internet is up and running!

Happy Halloween!

Heartbroken

2008-09-19T20:17:00.000-07:00

I got home late last Wednesday night. Hubby was outside watering the front yard, I was busy doing all that stuff you do when you walk through the door after a long day at work. Jose was out in the front yard helping hubby. When no one was looking, he crossed the street. By now, it's dark out and hubby couldn't see well. He called for Jose. A big truck hit him as he was trying to come home. I heard him scream. The truck never stopped.

We scooped him up and drove as fast as we could to the animal hospital. It seemed that the truck might have just clipped him and maybe all that happened was a broken leg. We were adjusting ourselves for possibly having a three-legged dog. I didn't care, I'd take his sweet precious heart any way I could keep it. They stabilized him, put him on an IV and morphine drip and we were to wait until the next morning when the surgeon could examine at him. We kissed him good-night and started for home about midnight.

The next day, I'm calling every hour until I get the surgeon. He had examined him and studied his x-rays. There was much more damage than what the vet on emergency staff had indicated. Long story short, after somewhere between $6,000 and $9,000, there would be no guarantee that Jose would have control of his hind quarters and that his pelvis would heal properly enough for him to be mobile even on 3 legs. Needless to say, we had to make the most difficult decision to euthanize him. Jose was put to rest yesterday a little after noon.

The tears are almost dry now. I still break out at the drop of a hat, but at least the frequency is finally starting to slow down. I haven't been this sad in a very long time. Jose had one of the most sweetest and gentlest hearts I've had the pleasure to know. We will always miss him.

Good-bye my sweet little angel

A Test

2008-06-25T19:53:00.000-07:00

Now this is kinda cool! How many times have you wanted to post a document? I stumbled upon this site in my wanderings. If you have files you'd like to post, you might want to check it out :)

Scribd

MinisPuffFlowerSpaCloth - Upload a Document to Scribd

First Bulb Flower!

2008-06-14T09:09:00.000-07:00

I love spring :)

I don't remember the name of this flower, but it's from the daffodil family. The greenery of the bulb flowers have been up for about a week. This is the first bloom!

Puff Flower Spa Cloth

2008-06-07T05:51:00.000-07:00

Today is my birthday and I have a present for you :)

I took a quick break in-between market bags (needed) as I decided I needed more face cloths. So I started dorking around. I didn't want to make another 'sampler' stitch type cloth, but something a little different. I went searching for something new and just couldn't find anything that floated by boat. So I made up my own. I'm quite pleased with how it came out, so I thought I'd share it with you in the event you are also tired of 'sampler' stitch cloths too.

Skill Rating

Materials
Worsted Weight Cotton:

Color A: small amount
Color B: small amount
Color C: 1 ball Sugar ’n Cream, 2.5 oz.
Crochet Hook size H / 5.0mm
Yarn Needle

I used Sugar'n Cream Summer Twist for Color A, Taupe Twist for Color B and Soft Ecru for Color C.

Gauge: Not critical

Finished Size: 11¼" x 11¼"

INSTRUCTIONS

With Color A, ch 4, join to first ch to form loop.

Rnd 1: Ch 1, 8 sc in loop. Join to first sc.

Rnd 2: Pull up 1" loop, yo, insert hook in same sc as join and pull up a loop 3 times, yo and pull through all loops on hook, (beg Puff st made), ch 3; * yo, pull up loop 4 times in next sc, ch 3 (Puff st made); repeat from * around ending with sl st in first puff st to join. Finish off, weave in ends.

Rnd 3: with Color B, join with sl st in any ch-3 loop, ch 1, 3 sc in same loop; *in next loop make 3 dc, ch 3, 3 dc; in next loop make 3 sc; repeat from * around ending with 3 dc, ch 3, 3 dc in last loop; join with sl st to first sc.

Rnd 4: Ch 1, *sc in ea st to corner; in corner make 2 sc, ch 2, 2 sc; repeat from * around ending with sl st to first sc. Finish off, weave in ends.

Close-up of motif.

You will now be working in rows.

Row 1: Join Color C in any corner ch-2 space with sl st. Ch 1, sc in same sp; *ch 1, sk next sc, sc in next sc; repeat from * across to corner; sc, ch 1, sc in corner; repeat from * to opposite corner ending with sc in last ch-2 sp. Turn.

Row 2: Sc in first sc and in next ch-1 sp; *ch 1, sc in next sc to corner; sc, ch 1, sc in corner; repeat from * to opposite corner ending with sc in last ch-1 sp and last sc. Turn.

Rows 3-27: Repeat rows 1 and 2.

You will now be working in rounds.

Rnd 28: Repeat row 1, do not turn. Make sc, ch 1, sc in last st; working along side edge and into end of rows, ch 1, sc evenly across to corner of square; in corner make sc, ch 1, sc; working along side edge and into end of rows, ch 1, sc evenly across ending with sc, ch 1 and join to first sc. Do not turn.

Rnd 29: Ch 1, sc in ea sc and ch-1 sp across with sc, ch 1, sc in ea corner. Join to first sc. Finish off, weave in ends.

I hope you enjoy this pattern :)

The fine print: Copyright 2008. Feel free to make these for yourself, as gifts, for charity bazaars or craft shows to supplement your income. You may not use this pattern for large-scale commerical profit. Do not distribute this pattern outside of providing a link to this site. And for crying out loud, don't claim it as your own.

# 3 in the Revolt Against Plastic

2008-06-05T17:59:00.000-07:00

Same pattern, different color :o)

Secret Project shhhhhh

2008-06-03T15:57:00.000-07:00

I'll be posting a new pattern next Sunday. But until then, it's a secret - shhhhhh.

Tax Me Will You?

2008-06-03T15:11:00.000-07:00

I know I haven't posted in a reeeeallllly long time. Haven't had much to say or share. Same old thing for the most part. I've saved you from boredom. Really. Really, really. But today you are lucky! Not only do I have something to share, you get to read me rant!

Now I'm not a tree-hugger. Wasn't one in the 60s/70s, am not one now. I believe man has been given dominion over the earth and if a home needs to go up, I could give a flying squat about the kangaroo rat or the fairy shrimp. Yep, I said fairy shrimp. Now that's not to say I picture myself as irresponsible. Lawd, no. I believe we should occupy the buildings we have before we build more. I believe we should save the rain forests because, quite simply, I like to breathe and there's good medicine in them thar trees.

I even hate the plastic bags you're forced to take home from the store. I always ask for paper. Yes, it takes a tree to make a paper sack, but we can grow more trees. We can't save the soil and water tables, however, from the poison those plastic bags emit as they "don't ever rot". But I, like everyone else, would pile those darn things into the trunk of my car every weekend as I ran the shopping errands. Until...

Some idiot legislator out of L.A. county decided it would be quite dandy to add a 25 cent tax to every plastic bag you take out of the store. If he was proposing it for environmental reasons, I would have probably bought into it quietly. But he's not. He's just scrounging more revenue for the state on top of the billions of taxes that have been collected from cigarettes, gas and other assorted high-taxed items that they haven't even spent! It hasn't passed as a new tax law yet, but if it doesn't, someone else will keep singing the song until it does.

But my real problem is that I've seen far too many people in the grocery store or at the local Wal-Mart with their calculator in their hand punching in those numbers as they add things to their cart so they know they'll have enough money when they get to the register. Now, they'll need to factor in that unknown quantity of plastic bags into their calculations. Because we all know how many times you're forced to double-bag because they tear. So don't buy that extra box of cereal or gallon of milk. You have bags to pay for!

Can you tell this chaps my hide? So the revolt begins... I am vowing to never take home my purchases in plastic bags again. Join me, won't you?

Market Bag #1

A HUGE market bag fit for Farmers Markets and Swap Meets. The enormo-bag was made with Lion's Market Bag pattern using Sugar 'n Cream. I could run away from home with this bag.

Market Bag #2

This is the one I'll make over and over for those bi-monthly trips to the grocery store. I found this pattern at Nancy's Crochet. I modified the pattern a wee bit, but the nod goes to her. Basically, wherever the pattern called for 2 rows of dc, I made 3 rows of hdc. I also made the straps lengthwise to reduce some of the stretch. I made the bottom the size of a paper grocery sack (which is smaller than the pattern.) Other than that, the only customization is the leaf button I added for pizzazz.

There are many free patterns for knitted, crocheted and sewn market bags out there on the net. Just include "market bag", "shopping bag" or "grocery bag" in your search.

Now join me in the Anti-Plastic Bag Tax Revolt of 2008!

Crabby P

2008-04-27T20:37:00.000-07:00

You've met Oh Poo! Now meet his evil nemesis Crabby P!

Naida started an Amigurumi-along at CFL and as much as I like amigurumi, I don't like crocheting in the tight circles you have to crochet in to make arms and legs. Then I had a wonderous idea! I'll make a partner for Naida's Oh Poo! And Crabby P was born.

In interviewing Mr. P, I asked him if there was any competition between him and Oh Poo! for the limelight. He simply replied, "Let's just say I always come out first."

Wanna a Crabby P of your very own? Here's everything you need:

Crabby P

Materials
Some yellow yarn – the brighter, the better
2 Green cat eyes (safety eyes that are attached with washers)
A little bit of stuffing
A yarn needle
A stitch marker (to mark your place if you’re not used to working in continuous rounds)
Size E / 3.5mm hook

The model was worked with Bernat Satin in Banana which is a very soft yarn. For amigurumi, it is better to use a standard acrylic yarn such as Red Heart Super Saver or Vanna’s Choice.

Notes
You will be working in continuous rounds.
Gauge is not important, but adjust hook size as needed to achieve tight stitches.
You should not see the stuffing through the stitches.

Instructions

Ch 2, 6 sc in 2nd ch from hook.

Rnd 1: 2 sc in each sc around (12 sc)

Rnd 2: *Sc in next sc, 2 sc in next sc; rep from * around (18 sc)

Rnd 3: *Sc in next 2 sc, 2 sc in next sc; rep from * around (24 sc)

Rnd 4: *Sc in next 3 sc, 2 sc in next sc; rep from * around (30 sc)

Rnd 5: *Sc in next 4 sc, 2 sc in next sc; rep from * around (36 sc)

Rnd 6 - 9: Sc in ea sc around (36 sc)

Rnd 10: *Sc in next 4 sc, dec over next 2 sc; rep from * around (30 sc)

Rnd 11: Sc in ea sc around (30 sc)

Attach eyes 3rd row from the top approx. 1½” apart.

Rnd 12: *Sc in next 3 sc, dec over next 2 sc; rep from * around (24 sc)

Rnds 13 & 14: Sc in ea sc around (24 sc)

Begin stuffing.

Rnd 15: *Sc in next 2 sc, dec over next 2 sc; rep from * around (18 sc)

Rnds 16 & 17: Sc in ea sc around (18 sc)

Stuff some more.

Rnd 18: *Sc in next sc, dec over next 2 sc; rep from * around (12 sc)

Rnd 19: Sc in ea sc around (12 sc)

Keep stuffing.

Rnd 20: *Dec over next 2 sc; rep from * around (6 sc)

Last call for stuffing.

Rnd 21: *Dec over next 2 sc; rep from * around (3 sc)

Finishing: Insert hook and pull up a loop in ea remaining sc, yo, pull through all loops on hook. Ch 10, sc in 2nd ch from hook and in ea remaining ch, pull up a 12” loop and cut.

Thread yarn needle, anchor sc strip to top of Crabby P, thread yarn through back of sc strip and out tip; insert needle at tip of Crabby P and run needle through his body (forming curl); weave in end at bottom of doll.

Enjoy!

The fine print: Copyright 2008. Feel free to make these for yourself, as gifts, for charity bazaars or craft shows to supplement your income. You may not use this pattern for large-scale commerical profit. Do not distribute this pattern outside of providing a link to this site. And for crying out loud, don't claim it as your own.

The Hobbit Is Coming!

2008-04-17T20:29:00.000-07:00

In 2010! (not 2006 ~ this is a fanvid) Read more here:

http://www.thehobbitblog.com/

Boho Blocks

2008-04-14T17:45:00.000-07:00

My last FO of my vacation is the Child's Boho Blocks Sweater from the Fall 2006 issue of Interweave Crochet. They had the pattern posted at Knitting Daily, but have since taken it down. If you are interested in this pattern, let me know as I have the PDF that I can send along.

The pattern called for using 2 strands of Lorna's Laces which I considered using since I loved the look so much, but when I searched the net for the cheapest price, I found it on sale for 54.99 a skein and it would have taken at least 6 skeins. There is NO WAY I'm spending $300 to make a kid sweater! Are they nuts?!

So I made it with 1 strand of Bernat Satin Sport. The gauge worked out perfectly. Total project cost - $15 (it would have been $11 had I stuck with 1 color.) Much better! And there was about 1/2 skein of each color left when I was done. I used 1-1/2 skeins of beige and a little over 1/2 skein each of the darker tan and blue. I admit that the 'plain' colors don't look anywhere near as appealing as the marled look obtained with 2 strands of Lorna's Laces, but then is the 2 yr. old kid really gonna know or care? I think not.

Why oh why do I continue to pick patterns that use squares? I hate sewing them together!

Since the sweater is comprised of squares, it worked up quickly. The loopy edging was a bit tedious (translate 'boring'), but because it is such a small size I managed to persevere! LOL

And so ends my vacation WIP-to-FO party ;o)

It's Weave In the Ends Day

2008-04-12T10:00:00.001-07:00

Which also means I'm clearing a couple of WIPs off the list ~ YAY! Today I finished off 2 potholders and a beach bag. I've been on a Drops yarn kick since I ordered the first ball of Muskat Soft. I just love this yarn! It's a smooth cotton between a sport weight and size 3 leaning more toward sport weight. The quality is wonderful as the plies are many and very thin. This translates to me as no pilling. Plus the variegated yarns just scream for something fun to be made with them. There are only 2 places I've found on the net that sell it. I've been buying mine at Nordic Mart. They have super-fast shipping and are very, very friendly!

The red is my favorite. As you're working with it, you are consistently surprised as to which color comes out next. Very fun to work with. So out of the red, I made these potholders to try it out.

They are made with 2 strands which gives them a great marled look. I altered the loop at the top as I hang mine right against the wall and the loop in the pattern wasn't working out so well for that purpose. I'm thinking of making placemats with it as well. Won't that look great on a summer picnic table?

I was originally going to make this purse, but since I just finished making squares, I was not in the mood for more immediately after. So instead, I made the beach bag.

The top edge is done in Ice which is a bulky weight cotton (brown yarn in first photo.) And you'll find the pattern here. I did not alter this one at all ~ I followed the instructions all the way. The cording instructions were a bit confusing, so if you decide to make this bag, you are making 2 straps using 1 strand of yarn for each. I had made 1 strap using both strands and went huh? Then I got it. Could just be me though... :oP

So that's 2 projects completed. I have finished the squares for the Boho sweater mentioned in my previous post, so I'll be spending the better part of the remainder of the day weaving in those ends and assembling them. I want to get that one off my plate before I have to go back to work on Monday.

Then... I'll be organizing the bazillion WIPs that remain and decide which ones I'll actually finish. No guarantees that I won't buy more Muskat though and start something new :oD

Ciao for now!

Here's Your Sign

2008-04-11T10:39:00.000-07:00

I'm dedicating this post to my mailman who put a small box of yarn in my community-sized mailbox. It apparently fit going in on his side, but is too large to come out of my side. I can't get it out!! It was yarn that I had ordered to finish a beach bag. All that is left to do is the edging and the straps! You'll find the pattern I'm working on here. Needless to say, I'll be waiting for the mailman today. Good thing I'm still on vacation.

I've also started a lightweight pullover sweater for my girlfriend's little girl. Since it's made with squares, it's going fairly quickly and I am excited to get it done. It's the Boho Blocks Pullover from the Fall 2006 Interweave Crochet mag. I'd post a link to the pattern, but unfortunately, they've taken it down. I have the published PDF if anyone is interested. Just send me a message. Anyway, I'm making it with Bernat's Satin Sport in Beige. It's a yummy color ~ literally ~ it reminds me of a warm bowl of nice creamy oatmeal.

Isn't that the cutest kid sweater?

Bowl of oatmeal for color reference

And this morning I purchased 2 Stitch N' Pitch tickets for the Seattle Mariners vs. San Diego Padres game on June 29th. This is the first time I will be attending a Stitch N' Pitch event, so I'm a little excited. Hubby appears to be excited as well. It's a WIN WIN! I also managed to get great seats too ~ field box seats on the 3rd base line, 24 rows back. Usually when I get around to buying tickets for a game, we're in the nosebleed section. Here's the view:

Cool, huh!?

We might actually get a shot at catching a foul ball ~ better bring the mitts.

So that's it for this post. If I don't post before, have a great weekend!

OMG A Post!

2008-04-04T20:47:00.000-07:00

So I've been a bit awol lately due to a crashed hard drive and other assorted adventures. I don't know about you, but when I don't have access to my computer I feel like someone has ripped off my right arm.

So anyway, things are starting to return to normal. I've been buying yarn like I'll live long enough to use it all! Although work has kept me so busy lately that I've been flitting from project to project not quite finishing anything. But I intend to remedy that this next week because...

I'M ON VACATION!!!!!!!!!!

So there shall be lots of crocheting, movie-watching and other forms of merriment. Heck, I just may drag out the sewing machine or finally learn how to use that knitting machine I bought 2 years ago. So hang tight, I just may have a photo or two to post to show off the latest and greatest. Until then,

Happy Trails,
~ Mini

Is It Spring Yet?

2008-02-10T09:18:00.000-08:00

There have been no new adventures really to speak about other than work, work, work. Until last Friday night that is. There I was just having changed into my 'it's Friday night and I don't have to do squat' clothes when the phone rang. It was my mom and she was not feeling well at all. So badly in fact, that she wanted to go to the emergency room. 8 hours later, they admitted her and I crawled back through my door at 3am. She's ok, but they want to monitor her for a few days as they found something on her EKG. She's 91 years old, it could be just about anything ~ parts wearing out, bad mix of medications, you name it. Anyway, not a fun adventure. Needless to say, by Saturday I was a worn out, wrung out, wet dishrag and still haven't completely come back to life even though it is now Sunday. Sitting for 8 hours in a hard waiting room chair can wipe you out beyond all reason. I did manage to crochet several squares toward my 'Moroccan' afghan which went a long way toward maintaining sanity in an emergency room on a Friday night :o\ There's a lot to be said for having a small project bag ready to go as you run out the door.

So while I wait to hear what they're going to do ~ keep her or release her ~ I be surfing and I be buying patterns.

Because I LOVE LOVE LOVE Patricia Kristoffersen, I had to pick up her latest doily book Exquisite Doilies. I just love all of the texture she puts into her designs!

Then off to Annie's Attic for more doilies of the old fashioned sort.

And more doilies ~ this time called placemats and hotpads as size 3 cotton is used for quick results. And we're always looking for quick aren't we?

I will likely never make this afghan due to the extreme number of color changes, but isn't the Cathedral Rose Window Afghan gorgeous?

Then it was off to e-Pattern Central cuz I hadn't been there in forever to see what they had. I picked up a pattern for bullion stitch hearts. Not sure why, I just thought they were cute. Or maybe it was because the pattern is only 99 cents.

As I was evidently not done, I then went to Amazon and picked up this afghan book ~ 50 Sensational Crochet Afghans and Throws. I was inspired by the color choices of a member at Ravelry. It had been on my wish list for some time, but the color choices put me over the edge and convinced me to hit the Buy with 1-Click button.

Since I now could delete this book from my wish list, my list was looking rather empty. So I added these!

I was then apparently done with crochet pattern shopping. But strangely not done with typing in that atm card number, so after reading a MooNie update, I hit his website then MooNie and Broon's website and picked up their DVD. These guys are a riot ~ although I have to admit that if MooNie hadn't joined forces with Broon, I probably would pass on Broon, but together they are quite funny. I first saw MooNie at the Southern California Renaissance Faire several years ago and haven't missed his show there since.

Was I done yet? HECK NO!!! Cuz I obviously realized that I don't have enough Teresa Wentzler cross stitch charts! I learned that she is now able to make her Best of Fantasy charts available for download at Patterns Online. So since I was still in surfing and buying mode, I went there and picked up these charts:

I didn't have the Sun Dragon chart so I picked that one up. Nor did I have the Needle Guardian chart. Since I love dragons and all, not downloading these was not an option.

The neat thing about Patterns Online is that your purchased charts are stored online, so should you ever lose the files, you can always get them back. The downside ~ if you want to consider it one ~ is that you need to install their pattern viewing software in order to print your charts. It's a read/print only version of PC Stitch. I don't see this as a problem, but if you don't want to install more software on your machine, you need to know this before you purchase!

Just so you know that I do occasionally make something from the myriad of patterns that I buy/download, I did manage to finish this doily, but have not gotten around to taking a picture of it yet :oP

I hope you're having a great weekend!

Off-Site

2008-01-26T12:10:00.000-08:00

One of our projects at work is taking a bit of a left turn, so the core IT team and I decided we needed to escape the facility to regroup and come up with Plan B. And what better place to escape and regroup than the San Diego Wild Animal Park (which is really in Escondido)?

We spent the first 4 hours hoofing our way through the park with the remaining time doing what one would consider actual work. Here are some pics of the more interesting part of the day ;)

Pretty Kitty!

My favorite critter is the cheetah. They are sleek, they are pretty and they are deadly. You just have to admire something that can take down their prey in 60 seconds or less!

Has anyone seen Crockett & Tubbs?

Flamingos. The more shrimp they eat, the pinker they become. Most of these guys were pretty darn pink so they must be getting their fair share. Noisy weird birds. And there's something not quite right about a knee that bends backwards.

Someday, my backyard will look like this...

I love walking around this park to gather landscaping ideas. Now, if I could just get the hubby out in the backyard...

The Big Kill

You have to give the park designers credit for how they use the funds and donations from the park. They did a great job on the vulture enclosure :D

Can you find the hummingbirds?

What a life!

Offspring of Winston

... and Winston

Winston has been at the Animal Park for as long as I can remember. He's the Big Kahuna in this community being the senior adult male Silverback Lowland Gorilla. In a previous visit where I arrived before normal park hours, the keeper was explaining that Winston hates the rain and actually cries. It is hard to imagine this beastie being a softie ~ lol!

It was a wonderful day and alleviated a great deal of stress. I think everyone should have their off-sites here ;)

PJ Is Doing The Hobbit!!

2008-01-11T20:40:00.000-08:00

We knew they'd buckle, but they sure took us for a ride! All have settled their differences and PJ will be producing (not directing, but we're still campaigning.) Even if he doesn't direct, we trust him to keep continuity between LOTR and the Hobbit movies. Yes, movies. There will be 2! Read more here.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go change my underwear. This news took me rather by surprise LOL!!

Picture Day!

2008-01-06T10:05:00.000-08:00

OK - I've been negligent a wee bit while I've been off work. So in honor of my last day before I go back to the salt mines, here are pics of things I've been working on.

I picked up Patricia Kristoffersen's Beautiful Baby Borders Blankets booklet and started an afghan for our admin at work. She's another one that thought she was unable to have kids and oops ~ Surprise! So I thought I'd make something a little more special than what I would normally make for a co-worker. The lavendar is Caron's Perfect Match, all of the other colors are Lion's Pound of Love.

First, the pain-in-the-butt squares. Every row is a different color. But the effect is lovely. I have managed to finish the 24 squares that are needed.

Then sl st'd together and edged.

In-between the square strips will be ring strips. There are 28 rings to a strip and they're edged in lavendar like the squares. Again, each ring in succession is a different color, so the work is a little slow-going. And that's it on the baby afghan for now.

Next up is an afghan I have half-heartedly started and work on between projects. I'm calling it the Morocco Afghan because of the colors. The square pattern is the Friendship Jewel Square. I'm not sure yet, but I'm thinking I'll use Drew's joining method (called Dude Assembly) instead of sewing them together. I haven't even thought of the edging yet, but it will likely be rather plain. I'm making this with Vanna's Choice.

Next is a hat that I crocheted for one of CFL's OTW MCALs. It was the last of the holiday MCALs which was for charity. The pattern is Luxury Hat from Woodhill design. I'll be getting this off in the mail tomorrow.

And last up on the picture taking extravaganza is another CFL MCAL ~ Heart Sachets. All were made in thread, the white and pink one in size 3 and the peach one in size 10. A few ribbon roses for decoration and voila! A nice valentine's gift for someone special.

This one will go into a gift basket with some candy for my mom. The color is bridal white which is really a light cream color. What are they saying do you think? lol

Haven't named who this one and the peach one are going to yet.

All 3 of them for size comparison. When made in size 10 thread, it comes out oh-so-dainty to tuck into a lingerie drawer. The larger ones can also be used in the drawer, but I think they look nicer on a bed or dresser.

My hearts are a slight modification from an old vintage pattern which can be found here. I simply make them in 1 color instead of 2 and sew the pillow closed before the edging is done instead of after (what were they thinking?)

And so ends my Christmas vacation crochet! I'll be continuing to work on those afghans and who knows what else. I hope your holidays were happy ones and I look forward to more avid crocheting in 2008!

One-a-Month-Along

2008-01-05T07:51:00.000-08:00

You all read me whine about starting too late on my Christmas gift crocheting. Well, Cris came up with a solution for that and called it One-a-Month-Along. Grand idea! If you're interested in joining up for this CAL/KAL, just bip on over to her blog and let her know. Don't forget to snag the button while you're there!

I think my first project will be a men's cap.

P.S. I'm down to 1 cigarette a day! Wahoo!!

Last One!

2007-12-21T03:36:00.000-08:00

This is the last of the larger crochet gifts I needed to complete. Woohoo!! Anything else I start at this point might get done by Christmas, might not and be saved for next Christmas. I'm done stressing :P

This is the Baby It's Cold Outside Sweater. I modified it to fit a size 2 ~ which was really easy ~ and made it with Patons Be Mine instead of the recommended Homespun. It came out soooo soft! The cap is a simple pattern called Gotcha Covered that I got from Coats & Clarks old site. I met my girlfriends for our annual Christmas breakfast yesterday and it was a hit (just made it under the wire too ~ whew!)

So now, all that is left is the wrapping of the store-bought gifts. I agonized over what to get my husband as he has everything. Then as I was cruising the local Walgreens looking for stocking stuffers, I got a look at the price of razor blades. Have I just not been paying attention? At what point did men's razor blades go up over $25 for a pack of 8?!! Who is Shick, Gillette, et al, trying to kid here? Well, I wasn't having any of that so I decided to spend $100 on a nice electric shaver for hubby instead of the traditional razor and pack of blades. It may not produce as close a shave as blades, but he's retired and not out to impress anyone anymore (particularly me LOL!)

Oh yeah, here's the latest on the smoking adventure... Chantix is a freaking miracle drug! My husband jumped the gun and started his routine before me. He has had a grand total of 2 cigarettes in 2 weeks. I started 4 days later and am taking a slightly different approach and weaning off instead of quitting cold turkey. I'm currently down from 1 1/2 - 2 packs a day (30-40 cigarettes) to 5 cigarettes a day. The true test was yesterday when I was out with my girlfriends who smoke. I was with them for 6 hours and they smoked like fiends (funny how you notice when you're trying to quit) and I did not go ballistic! I was able to calmly sit there while they puffed away and it didn't bother me and I did not smoke, nor did I want one. How great is that?!! So my official 'quit' date is next Monday. I'm not going to jinx the effort by saying it's in the bag just yet, but if you know of anyone that has been painfully unsuccessful at quitting, do them a favor and let them know about Chantix.

That's it for now. Merry Christmas!

Co-worker Gifts

2007-12-12T06:44:00.000-08:00

Since I decided to do "store bought" for co-workers, I did manage to get some crafting in. I made up goodie mugs for 14 people.

Before wrapping. Each mug gets hot chocolate/marshmallow/sprinkle cones enough for 2 mugs, a chocolate dipped pretzel, a smores stick, 2 candy canes, a bottle of coffee liquer, a bottle of Baileys and 3 kisses. I used Wilton icing bags to make the hot chocolate cones - worked perfectly!

After wrapping. I found ornaments on a stick at Michaels which I thought were sweet. They're made of that old fashioned plastic that toys used to be made with. A little ribbon, a little shrink wrap, the blow dryer and I was done!

Some of the inventory.

I still have to put hang tags on them. I made them, but still need to cut them up and tie them on. This is the artwork for the tag I worked up real quick in Illustrator. They will also serve as a card because I'm not handing those out to everyone this year.

The mugs and ornaments were on sale at Michaels for $1 each, the candy canes were on sale at Target for $1 for 12, the chocolate sticks were about $3 for a jar of 12, the liquers were about $2 each - so adding in the ribbon, wrap and shred filler, I think the whole mug cost between $5 - $6 each to make. (If you don't count the weirdo looks I got at the liquor stores when I bought them out of those particular items. They made me feel like a wino - LOL)

I'm starting to feel like I'm going to finish everything in time, so I'm a little less stressed - YAY!!

Edit 12/13/07

All finished!

The Rebel Is Out Of His Yell

2007-12-04T05:54:00.000-08:00

What a goober! I think I'd rather hang with the ape :D

Merry Christmas!

Gorilla Drums

2007-11-27T19:19:00.000-08:00

Sorry P.J., but this ape beats the fur out of King Kong for coolness ...

1.20.11: Updated to replace the video that had been removed.

Cool Crochet Tips

2007-11-27T07:02:00.000-08:00

I snagged this video from Michele's Heart. Considering how I hate to weave in ends, I love the techniques that are shown here!

Pointedly Warm Ponchette

2007-11-24T13:53:00.000-08:00

I was in search of a ponchette pattern that accounted for having boobs. Not gigantor boobs like they have on the mannequins in Miami (see Crazy Aunt Purl's post for November 13th - lol),

but definitely ample boobs. So many of the cute patterns I found were modeled by boyish flat-as-an-ironing-board-chested waif-like women. So I set out to make my own pattern in order to cross a Christmas gift off my list.

I made this with 3 balls of Lion Suede which worked out perfectly. I thought it would be nice to throw over the shoulders and knock off the chill. Here be my madness:

Skill Level

Materials

Approximately 250 yds Chunky weight yarn
Boye Crochet Hook size P *
Yarn needle to weave in ends
* Susan Bates size P is substantially larger than Boye. If using Bates, go down at least 1 hook size. Or buy more yarn, your choice ;)

Size
One Size Fits Most

Special Stitches Used
Beg V-St: Ch 4, dc in same st.
V-St: Dc, ch 1, dc in st or space indicated.
Beg SmSh: Ch 3, 1 dc, ch 1, 2 dc in same st.
SmSh: 2 dc, ch 1, 2 dc in st or space indicated.
Beg LgSh: Ch 3, 2 dc, ch 1, 3 dc in same st.
LgSh: 3 dc, ch 1, 3 dc in st or space indicated.

Instructions
Ch 40, join with sl st to beginning ch being careful not to twist ch.

Rnd 1: Ch 4, * sk 2 ch, hdc in next ch, ch 2; repeat from * around, join with sl st to 2nd ch of beg ch-2.

Rnd 2: Beg V-St in join, * ch 1, V-St in each hdc around; end with ch 1 and join to 3rd ch of Beg V-St.

Rnd 3: Beg SmSh in join, * ch 1, SmSh in ch-1 sp of each V-St around; end with ch 1 and join to 3rd ch of Beg SmSh.

Rnd 4: Beg LgSh in join, * dc over ch-1, LgSh in ch-1 sp of each SmSh around; end with dc over ch-1 and join to 3rd ch of Beg LgSh.

Rnd 5: Ch 2, hdc in next 2 sts, * sc in next 3 sts (includes ch-1 sp), hdc in next 5 sts; repeat from * around ending with hdc in last 2 sts and join to 2nd ch of beg ch-2.

Rnds 6-15: Ch 3, dc in next st and in each st around; join to 3rd ch of beg ch-3.

Edging

Rnd 1: Ch 1, sc in join, * ch 5, sk 1 dc, sc in next 7 sc; repeat from * around to last 5 dc, sc in next 3 dc, 2 sc in next dc, sc in last dc; join with sl st to first sc.

Rnd 2: Sl st in first sc and ch-5 loop, ch 4, (dc, ch 1) 5 times in same loop, dc once more in loop, * sk 3 sc, (2 dc, ch 1, 2 dc) in next sc, sk 3 sc, (dc, ch 1) 6 times in loop, dc once more in same loop; repeat from * around; join with sl st to 3rd ch of beg ch.

Rnd 3: Ch 1, sc in join and in each dc and ch-1 sp to center dc, * in center dc make (sc, ch 2, sc), sc in each dc and sp to ch-1 sp in center sp of next shell, (sc, ch 2, sc) in center sp, sc in each dc and ch-1 sp to center dc; repeat from * around; finish off, weave in ends.

Enjoy!

The fine print: Copyright 2007. Feel free to make these for yourself, as gifts, for charity bazaars or craft shows to supplement your income. You may not use this pattern for large-scale commerical profit. Do not distribute this pattern outside of providing a link to this site.

Black Friday

2007-11-23T03:59:00.000-08:00

I'm not going shopping today. That's all I have to say about Black Friday. You go. Have fun. Instead, I will continue to work on those Christmas gifts.

Segue...

I've been eye-balling these darling little needle holders at Stitch Diva for quite some time. You see, my husband is all into woodworking, so I have developed an appreciation for handcrafted items made of wood. We had also found this place in Riverside that sells exotic wood, so I also have an appreciation for that too. Needless to say, when I saw these I went a little ape and added it to my wish list.

Last week, I finally got around to ordering a couple ~ one for myself and one for a gift. And they are just as precious in person as they appear to be on the web. But after much examination of the craftsmanship, I had an epiphany. Buy a wooden cabinet knob, bore out the screw hole, insert a round magnet and voila! They would make great stocking stuffer gifts for that crocheter or knitter on your list. Or you could just buy one at Stitch Diva for $10.

Toodles!

Chanson Capelet

2007-11-22T11:15:00.000-08:00

I had previously mentioned what a challenge the Chanson en Crochet capelet pattern was. It was. But I fudged my way through the math issues this pattern had and finally finished it! Since I had a bit of time this morning before the festivities began, I decided to block it while the gittin was good. As I look at the pic, I realize I need to go back and touch up some edges.

I made this with Bernat's Cashmere (don't get excited, it's only 5% cashmere, but it is incredibly soft), it took about 4 balls. I have a nice vintage button that I'll put at the neck before I wrap it up to send to my 'ville holiday exchange partner. Now that I've tackled the inaccuracies of the pattern, I think I'll make one for my mom for a Christmas gift ~ time willing of course!

Thank you for the encouragement on the stop smoking adventure. I have high hopes that this time, we're going to do it!

So that's it ~ just a quick note to show off the latest FO and to not forget to wish everyone a very Happy Thanksgiving!

Run Forrest Run!

2007-11-21T13:15:00.000-08:00

So yesterday I go to the doctor. I've decided it's time to try to quit smoking again (every 10 years until I can make it happen.) There's a new drug called Chantrix that is different in that it's 1) not an antidepressant and 2) is not nicotine replacement therapy. Instead, it attacks the cravings by creating the same endorphins that smoking does to help you get over the bumpy parts.

So anyway... I find out that my insurance company doesn't cover smoking cessation drugs unless you sign up for their program. Which of course, is located approximately 30 miles from where I either live or work and is comprised of the same routine that failed for me last time - Zyban & patches. Yeah, that's gonna happen. After a long day at work, I'm going to drive 30 miles so I can watch films that I've seen on the Discovery Channel a zillion times over. So after much evil eye and sarcasm, I convince the doctor to call in a prescription for both my husband and myself that we will be paying for in full.

I then go to the pharmacy where I attempt to get the prescription filled. Now correct me if I'm wrong, but don't these people need a degree in pharmacology? Wouldn't that tell you they are reasonably intelligent humans? Oh contrare. The educated lady at the counter says,

'I don't think we have this drug in stock.'
I say, 'Can you check?'
she says 'I'm pretty sure we don't have it.'
I say, 'You're sure or you don't know?'
she says, 'I'm 99% sure that we don't have it.'
I say in my best I'm holding it back so I don't choke the living daylights out of you voice, 'Let's look it up so we can be 100% sure, shall we?'

They didn't have it and that resulted in another engaging conversation about ordering it and when I'll be able to pick it up. Now one would think that if someone was trying to have a prescription filled for a smoking cessation drug that they would be cogniscent of the fact that the person asking might just be a wee bit stressed about the whole thing. Stupid is as stupid does. I wonder if she Forrest Gump's her way through all aspects of her life? Maybe she should sell shrimp...

I'll be picking the drugs up today. We haven't identified our quit date yet, but it will likely be the first day of my Christmas vacation. So our holidays can be cheery and bright!

Stuff

2007-11-04T06:27:00.000-08:00

So here I am again in the month of November with a long list of things I'd like to make for Christmas gifts and looking at the calendar noting that even if I didn't have a full time job, I'd never make it. And once again I'm swearing that I'm going to start the Christmas gift crocheting in January. Of course, it doesn't help that I keep signing up for exchanges and CALs. This is the downside of belonging to several crochet groups. You get caught up in the activities and forget all about the things you need to cross off your own list. You say to yourself, 'this won't take long, I still have time, it's going to be so much fun that I can squeeze this in...'.

So I'm rethinking my gift list and I will be making things for those that are close to me and for those that aren't... well, they're getting store-bought gifts. Again. That brings me down to 3 things I need to get done. This is manageable.

I'm also rethinking the whole group activity thing. As fun as they are, they consume a huge amount of my free time. Time I could be spending making things for myself or the house and things to torture my hubby with (which is always fun.) I simply do not need to sign up for every exchange and CAL that comes along. No... I... don't.

On the home front, we have finally taught Paco to do his duties outside. Well, Jose gets some credit there too. I think he actually had more to do with teaching Paco that dirty deeds are done in the back yard. Either way, life is back to normal in that department which makes both of us very happy!

Halloween was the typical candy extravaganza. I made up 120 treat bags and handed out all but 9 of them. The little kids were precious, but some of the teenagers I wanted to beat with a stick. I'm getting old I think.

But for now, I need a chuckle. So I'm going to go throw one of the dogs on my husband so he can be licked awake in the face. Have a great Sunday and I promise my next post won't be so boring and icky.

More Exchange Fun!

2007-10-23T19:03:00.000-07:00

Waiting for me when I got home tonight was my exchange package from Minky (Kathy) from CFL. She was my partner for the Fall / Halloween exchange that I spoke about in the previous post. And lookie how she spoiled me!

I got a very cool sling drawstring purse with a pocket-laden lining, yummy teas, a precious octopus, matching notepads, sticky notes and pen and a very cute Halloween card! I feel so very, very spoiled! So if you know Minky and have the opportunity to be her exchange partner someday, be excited. Be very excited!

~~~

Because there aren't enough projects on my list, I'm working on a Ripple Bag. The colors are pea green and honey, and I'm making it with Vanna's Choice. This pattern works up very quickly and would make a great last minute gift when you only have a short amount of time to get something worked up.

Here's a pic of the body of the bag. I probably won't pick this up again until the weekend, at which point, I expect to be finished with it. I'll be sure to post a finished pic.

Keep those hooks and needles flying!

Small FOs

2007-10-21T17:22:00.000-07:00

The last swap I had to prepare for this weekend was a bookmark swap. Here be what's going to the lucky recipient (along with a few books and other assorted goodies.)

All were made with size 5 perle cotton (ok, so I'm on a perle cotton kick.) The patterns are from left to right:

Fancy Filigree Bookmark by Cheri Mancini, Fan Bookmark by Crochetroo and Quickie Bookmark by Priscilla Hewitt

So that completes all of my 'deadline' projects! Now back to CALs, Christmas gifts and other normal programming ~ until the next exchange anyway!

Spidey Bag

2007-10-21T13:20:00.000-07:00

I finished this one up today for another exchange partner (who shall remain nameless until she receives it.) The theme was Halloween and ya know, with all the Halloween patterns out there, this one should have been a snap. But I decided to get creative and not use a pattern. So the creativity was flowing fast enough as I was crocheting the bag, but once it came to embellishing it, I hit a block wall :o\ But as exchanges have deadlines, it had to go out. I think I'll continue to work on this one a bit more to see what I can do to improve it. It's not bad, but I'd like for it to be better. Any ideas?

The purse is made with worsted weight cotton yarn. For the spider web, I used size 5 perle cotton. I might like it better if the web was larger but I only had one skein of white perle and I figured it would be enough (not that I don't have megatons of white size 10 which would have worked just as well.) But you know how it goes once you've set your mind on something. I was convinced it had to be size 5. The eyeballs on the bottom are some earrings I got at the cheapie costume jewelry store in the mall (Claire's I think it's called.) I lined it with the pirate skull fabric you see on the right there. The handle is a 36" length of chain I found in the beading/jewelry department at Joann's.

I have one more exchange project to finish this weekend, so I'm going to get back at it. Have a great day!

Tweedle-Dee Bag

2007-10-17T06:15:00.000-07:00

As promised, here be the instructions for making this bag. Enjoy!

Skill Level

Materials

Approximately 350 yds Bulky weight yarn
Crochet Hook Size L / 8mm
25” Pre-made Purse Strap
2 Magnetic Purse Snaps
Fabric for Lining (optional) – 1/2 yard
Matching Thread for Lining
3 Large Wood Buttons (or embellishments of your choice)
1 Sheet Plastic Canvas

The bag in the picture was made with Moda Dea Tweedle Dee in Ocean Breeze and an ‘Exclusively You’ purse strap. Buttons were handmade by a local artisan. For the lining fabric, I chose a sturdy poplin to add body to the purse.

Special Stitches
Extended Half Double Crochet (ehdc): YO, insert hook in st indicated, YO and pull up loop, YO and draw through one loop, YO and draw through remaining 3 loops on hook.
InstructionsBag is made in one piece.

Notes
Monitor ending rows to ensure last rows result in the same crocheted edge appearance.

Front
Ch 30.

Row 1: 1 ehdc in 2nd ch from hook and in each ch across. (29 sts)

Row 2: Ch 1 loosely, turn. 1 ehdc in each ehdc across.

Repeat row 2 until piece measures 9 inches. Fasten off, weave in ends.

Sides and Bottom
Ch 25, 1 ehdc in each ehdc across front section.

Next Row: Ch 26, turn. 1 ehdc in 2nd ch from hook and in the next 29 ehdc, 1 ehdc in each ch to end. (79 sts)

Continue in pattern for 5 inches. Fasten off, weave in ends.

Back and Front Flap
Skip the first 25 sts of the side. Join yarn with a sl st to the next ehdc. Ch 1, 1 ehdc in the same sp as the last sl st, 1 ehdc in each of the next 28 sts, turn. Leave remaining sts unworked.

Continue in pattern for 16 -17 inches for a longer flap (as in photo) or 13 - 14 inches for a shorter flap.

Finishing
Reference the diagram below and sew sides to front and back sections. (I slip stitched the sides together and slip stitched across the side top edges.) Finish off, weave in ends.

With RS facing, reverse sc around edges of front flap. Finish off, weave in ends.

Attach magnetic snaps according to the diagram below. If your snaps do not include a metal washer, cut a small piece of heavy fabric to place on the back side to stabilize the snap.

Make loop holders for the purse strap by either crocheting small strips or using your lining fabric. Sew to the middle of the sides between snaps. Be sure to loop around ring of the purse strap before you sew.

Line and embellish as desired! Cut a piece of plastic canvas to the length and width of the bottom section to use as stabilizer.

The fine print: Copyright 2007. Feel free to make these for yourself, as gifts, for charity bazaars or craft shows to supplement your income. You may not use this pattern for large-scale commerical profit. Do not distribute this pattern outside of providing a link to this site.

From My Exchange Partner :)

2007-10-13T09:15:00.000-07:00

Many thanks to Kim for the wonderful package she sent to me. She was my exchange partner for the Crochetville Autumn Purse exchange and her package definitely exceeded what was called for!

For these exchanges, you complete a survey with your likes, wishes, etc. I had asked for a medium tote for my mobile projects and I got exactly that. The colors are perfect for dragging around in a car, etc. I love colors that won't show 'wear'. The pattern she picked was great as it has lots of pockets. Cuz there's no such thing as too many pockets! She did an excellent job on it. The goodies she sent along were awesome too. A tea sampler, bath salts, incense, hand salve (yummy hand salve), a small cross-stitch kit and a button that says 'I [heart] Dragons'. Cuz I do!

This is a perfect example of a perfect exchange ~ way to go Kim and thanks so much!!

Crocheted Bag

2007-09-30T19:31:00.000-07:00

Bet you thought I forgot how to crochet, eh? I was starting to wonder too as I've had this purse in WIP for a month. This purse is for a lovely lady who is my exchange partner at Crochetville.

I made this with Moda Dea's Tweedle Dee (in Ocean, I believe.) It turned out to be a great self-striping yarn even for crochet. Most self-striping yarns do well with knitted articles, but fall a little short for crocheted items. I am pleased with how this yarn worked up.

It's just a simple pattern I made up that I'll post as soon as I find my notes. It was a bit of a booger to line as the yarn is chunky and the foot on my machine doesn't lift very high. I didn't take a shot of the inside as I was in a hurry to get it packed up for the mail tomorrow, but the lining is simple with a pocket against the back. The sides of the purse have snaps so they can be 'pleated' closed at the top. I used an Exclusively You pre-made leather handle that I got at Joann's a while back without a plan. Who says you don't use up those impulse purchases? I finished it off with 3 hand carved wooden buttons to give it a bit of personality.

That ends my weekend creativity. Now to get ready for my role as a wage slave tomorrow. Have a great one!

You're Special To Me

2007-09-28T06:46:00.000-07:00

Today is International Disturbed People's Day
I don't care if you lick windows, take the special bus... or occasionally pee on yourself...

You hang in there sunshine ... you're special to me.

A Better Post

2007-08-31T21:02:00.000-07:00

Moving on from the ugly things that happen in life...

Monday will be my 17th wedding anniversary. 17 years. They've really flown by. Yesterday, I was blonde, skinny, physically fit and majorly in love with this guy I met. This guy was blonde, fit, muscular, majorly in love with me and had all of his teeth. The only part of these statements that is still true is that this guy is still blonde. Oh yeah, and the love part! And I'm very thankful for that part. 17 years. Whodathunk?

And it's a 3-day weekend! This is doubleplusgood!

What's on your agenda? They claim it will become ungawdly hot here, so we likely won't be going anywhere unless the word 'beach' is involved. Yoda ran out the door again tonight and I had to chase her down the street. That's as much physical activity in this heat that I intend to have. We've been having some gnarly lightening storms with this lovely weather and yesterday the thunder was so loud that I thought the roof was being blown off the house.

I think I'm going to try to buckle down and get that Christmas list made so I can get organized with the crochet projects. Lately I've been flitting to and fro, kind of stabbing at things. If I'm going to get much done, I need to discipline myself with a little order and a neatly typed list. And of course, take yarn inventory. I'm quite certain I'll need more ~ LOL!

Segue...

As I wander from site to site and group to group, I repeatedly see questions regarding the availability of a crochet charting program. There is only one that I know of, and it's pretty limited and not very user-friendly. Now, I got to thinking that I haven't endured medical device labeling and IT projects for nothing, so I contacted one of my developer friends and dangled a carrot via IM (as he's out of the country at the moment.) Lo' and behold, I got a nibble! While I'm waiting for him land stateside, I thought I would post a quick survey to see what kind of real interest is out there and what folks would look for in a crochet charting program. So if you're interested, please participate in my survey!

Click Here to take survey

Have a wonderful weekend! And remember, no laboring allowed!

A Bad Day

2007-08-25T12:00:00.000-07:00

It all started out as a typical Saturday morning. My husband decided to check out a new fishing hole nestled in the San Bernardino mountains, I was thinking of going to see Mr. Bean's Holiday and maybe get a few crochet stitches in. Then he came home unexpectedly.

His fishing trip was cut short due to him getting robbed. He was held at knife-point and gun-point while they took what money he had, his cell phone, gasoline card and some items out of his van. They then threw his keys into the woods and took off. The only reason he survived the attack is because he let them have whatever they wanted. Please take that as a lesson. It took him several hours, but he managed to find his keys and make his way home. Needless to say, he is quite shaken and I've been on the verge of throwing up ever since.

The reports have been filed and the calls to cancel accounts and cards have been made. One never knows what will happen from one day to the next. We take so much for granted. Please take the time today to tell those close to you how much they mean to you. Kiss them, hug them and hold them tight.

The only consolation I have is knowing that these people always get paid back whether it happens here or at the end.

I likely will not be on line for the remainder of the weekend. We're just going to spend the rest of this weekend appreciating each other's company and thanking God for his protection.

Love you all! ~ Mini

Rated G

2007-08-25T06:43:00.000-07:00

I found this on another blog. I'm quite proud that my blog is rated G considering what an old crusty lady I am turning into!

The Past Week

2007-08-19T19:26:00.000-07:00

Hi All! As some of you know, I've been off work for the past week. We didn't have any plans, this was simply a week off for me to decompress - do whatever I felt like each morning I woke up. It's my favorite kind of vacation, short of spending the whole time off at the beach.

For the most part, I piddlefarted around. I made a mini Martha poncho for my girlfriend Gretchen's little girl, Elisabeth. She's working on 19 months on this planet. She makes it a better place.

Poncho On

Poncho off

Angelic face

So we didn't get a pic of her in her poncho to share with you all. I didn't blame her. It was hot and humid. And you know how little ones hate clothes anyway (run naked, run free!)

So anyway, Gretchen lives just a block or so away from the beach in Oceanside. I'm so jealous! Her mom graciously babysat while we went for a stroll on the pier and grabbed a bite to eat.

They've re-done the pier as part of an overall community improvement project. Everything is so nice and new and bright!

Does this look like the stereotypical California beach or what?
I wish they all could be California girls... owwmm do be do wop, owwmm do be do wop...

A Ruby's Diner has been built at the end of the pier. We grabbed lunch there. It was nice to be surrounded by the ocean while we ate. So very relaxing.
Here we come on the run with a burger and a bun...

While we waited to be seated, a seal came by to play beneath us. I took a bazillion pics, but this one was the best of the lot. I want his life. Well, at least until a shark comes along... but then again, Richard Dreyfus would save me!

The Oceanside Pier is one of the last few in California that still allows you to fish off of it.
Fish heads, fish heads, roly poly fish heads. Fish heads, fish heads, eat them up ~ yum!

The water was particularly clear and blue that day. In the distance, you see signs of (over) development. The 2 tallest buildings on the right are brand new beachfront condos.
As an American citizen you are entitled to... a heated kidney-shaped pool, a microwave oven...

After lunch, I asked Gretchen if we could go by her LYS. Although she's not a crocheter or knitter, she's a good sport. Unfortunately, they had gone out of business. I think it's this guy's fault. The guy that gives the surfing lessons. Hey You!

It was a lovely day at the beach visiting with one of my bestest friends. Then it was back home again where all the yarn is! I finally finished off the Solo afghan that has been staring at me for months. The pattern did not call for an edging, but to add tassels to the four corners. I knew that after a little wear or the first washing that tassels would become a knotted, matted mess as Solo is not a tightly spun yarn and it's very fuzzy. Plus I didn't like it without an edging after I had finished sewing the squares together. So I simply added 2 rows of hdc all around. I'm good with it!

Before I went visiting, I had started a matching Martha poncho for Gretchen so her and Elisabeth would be matchy-matchy mother/daughter. I know. Corny, but definitely cute. Unfortunately, the clock ran out and I didn't finish it in time. So I kicked it out today and will send it to her in the mail. It's not like it's cold yet anyway.

I made both ponchos with Homespun in Corinthian. Very bright and festive (and heavy.) Will definitely stand out on the beach when the little one decides to bolt down the shore ~ LOL!

Except for a sneak trip (or 2) to Michaels for (yet more) yarn, that about sums up my week off. It was sure nice while it lasted!!

From A Gentler Era

2007-08-04T23:02:00.000-07:00

Before we worried about anything and everything...

Petco Park

2007-08-02T18:32:00.000-07:00

Today started out to be just another day in the life of a wage slave. At about 10:15 I decided to take my morning coffee break and ran into the recruiter I've been working with. He was anxiously looking for takers for 3 extra baseball tickets he had left over from an outing that had been arranged for the summer interns. The only catch was they were for today and the limos were arriving at 10:45. So I quickly checked our workload, made a few calls in a half hour my minions and I were on our way to a Padres game LOL!

The New Petco Stadium. Yes. Petco.

Now the Padres kinda suck, but hey ~ it was a day away from skullduggery and it was in San Diego ~ the official Southern California home of perfect weather! We had a great time at the ballpark eating hotdogs and peanuts. And the Padres actually won (go figure?) In fact, it was a shut-out. All I can think of is that the Arizona Diamondbacks must have sent out their B team. Who cares? It made for a really nice day. The final score was 11-0.

See the ocean? Perfect weather!

So today was fun. Tomorrow will bring back meetings and emails laden with barcode questions. But I'm not going to think about that until tomorrow.

Mondays Suck

2007-07-30T19:11:00.000-07:00

Not that I'm saying anything new. But some Mondays are worse than others. Mine started out at work with an email trail forwarded to me from Spain (oh no, what's their problem now?) Spain lately, has been a pain in the butt when it comes to barcodes and today was no exception. Now, they're threatening to cease tender due to the fact that our product label barcodes are not 13mm in height. Nope, they're not. They're 7mm and have been for the past 7 or 8 years and they've been buying our product all that time. So why is today different?! I have a meeting scheduled with GS1 tomorrow. Either the insanity will stop there or it will get worse. So if you find me selling yarn at our local swap meet, you know I went over the edge...

I promised to get back to you on the movies we watched yesterday, so here goes:

The Number 23. I liked it. It was twisted enough to appeal to my taste without going overboard. The dream sequences were Twin Peak-y in their style and I thought Jim Carrey did a great job in his dramatic role. For everyone? Definitely not. But if you're bored with the same-o, same-o, and have a taste for weird, it will probably float your boat. I watched the unrated version. Can't speak to the theatrical version.

Premonition. Great concept, decent execution. Could have been better, but is certainly watchable. Worth a look-see.

We also watched...

Children of Men. Futuristic tale where all women in the world are sterile - all except for one who is pregnant. Recipe - 1 unlikely hero, stereotypical rebellious helpers with access to the underground and bad guys who want to kill the unborn child because they believe mankind should go extinct. I enjoyed this one, but was dismayed when watching the special features that they were attempting to tell a tale about global warming. BEGIN RANT: Like we don't get enough of this crap. Global warming is a theory people, and there is nothing we can do to affect change. We can be more responsible with our resources, be smarter about the fuels we use, give up the SUVs and live greener lives ~ and we should because it's the right thing to do as citizens of this planet ~ but even if everyone did their part, it's all a very small drop in the bucket. So thumbs up on the movie, thumbs down on the preaching based on theory. (Does anyone remember in the 70s how the scientists were warning us that we were entering an ice age?) END RANT.

The Astronaut Farmer. Little kids might like this. As for me, it was the dumbest movie I've seen in a while. It was flat and ludicrous on so many levels. So unless you're hurting for something to watch, I'd recommend passing this one by.

So that's it. My Monday and weekend movie reviews LOL. Hope your Monday was better and you got to catch a good movie this past weekend!

Sunday! Sunday! Sunday!

2007-07-29T08:22:00.000-07:00

Nope, not monster truck races or WWF. Just a quiet Sunday at the old homestead. The day will involve dog bathing, movies and yarn as usual. On today's tube will be a selection of mind-benders:

The Number 23
Premonition

I'll let you know if they're any good or not ~ LOL.

I'll be working on my KAL to continue to hone those knitting skills and when my wrists get tired of that motion, I'll start on something for this month's CFL challenge.

Sandy's post on her blog reminded me that I had not yet done up my obligatory square for Krochet Krystal's daisy square pattern. Heavens to Mergatroid! Exit, Stage Left. So I worked up one real quick. These are used to create afghans for charity. If you are interested, you can get the details here.

I may work up another one later in different colors with a white background. This one doesn't float my boat too much, but I figured it can get lost amongst the other squares that she'll use.

The sewing bug is also starting to rear it's head. I haven't sewn anything in... well... I can't remember when. So in perusing the pattern sites, I ordered the following tote patterns:

McCall's M5823

Butterick B5006

I've got a chest drawer full of neat tapestry fabrics that I've picked up here and there which I can use to make these neat totes. The second pattern also includes a roll-up hook/needle case too :)

And that about sums it up for today. Have a great rest-of-the-weekend!

The Garden

2007-07-22T19:34:00.000-07:00

The veggie garden is something that I leave for my husband to tend, for the most part. But this year our garden was quite fruitful, so I thought I'd share our gardening success with everyone. Kinda like when your relatives make you watch their vacation movies.

Watermelon & Cantaloupe

There's about 8 watermelons and 9 cantaloupes on the vines at this point. If I remember correctly, the watermelon are the small round seedless variety.

Cantaloupe

Just about ready!

Tomatoes

More Tomatoes!

... and Cherry Tomatoes too!

I'll be canning some maters as there are way too many for us to eat up before they go bad!

Corn

The corn is almost ready too. We'll yield about 20 ears.

Gourds

And just for fun, some gourds. About 11 of them. I'll make bird feeders and hanging planters out of them for the yard and patio.

Green Seedless Grapes

This vine produced big time last year, but I'm not sure how it will fare after our big freeze we had this winter. Time will tell.

You will note that there is no zucchini in our garden. That is because we hate zucchini and all of it's little squashy friends. You can grow it.

Yard Helper

Here's a couple of pics of other parts of the yard.

Bamboo

Alas, we now have neighbors directly behind us. It's a good thing my girlfriend Barbara overbought when she was landscaping her backyard and she was sweet enough to give us her extra bamboo plants. It's starting to fill out quite nicely, but will probably still be another year before we see a 'screen' benefit to shield us from the neighbor's back windows.

Assorted yard plants

And that be our veggie garden and a peek at our yard. We still have a lot of landscaping to do ~ like finish the fish pond ~ but it's getting there. I just have to keep that hubby motivated and moving LOL!!

The "Oinga Floinga" Hat

2007-07-21T12:29:00.001-07:00

I believe this speaks for itself...

Ol' Yellow Eyes

2007-07-19T05:59:00.000-07:00

Buster ~ when his food dish is empty.

Knit One, Purl One

2007-07-17T06:00:00.000-07:00

Boy Howdy. I finally get knitting. I have purchased every kind of knitting needle out there and it was finally the Clover Flex needles that did it for me. These are only about 5.5 inches long with a bead-ended cable. MUCH more comfortable in the hands than traditional straight needles, and far less awkward for this crocheting fool. (Joann's is having a 50% off one item sale in case you'd like to try a pair.)

I was piddlefartin' around on Sunday and finally decided to break these needles out (I purchased them months ago.) Grabbed a beginner dishcloth pattern at Lion and went for it. Below is the finished product.

I find that knitting is a bit more fussy than crocheting. It seems you spend a lot of time positioning the yarn in order to make a stitch (bring it forward, send it backward, push the stitches up on the needle, push them down on the needle...) But it's ok, I did manage to develop a rhythm.

I obviously need to practice casting on. My cast-on stitches are all uneven. I also need a bit of work on keeping the tension more even as I knit. But I'm getting it. This was a great beginner pattern as it had you frequently change stitches and row patterns, but not so often that you'd lose track of where you were at. So I think with a few more dishcloths or simple scarves under my belt, I'll be ready to rock and roll!

Fuzzy Baby Harp Seal

2007-07-08T07:39:00.000-07:00

The second challenge for July at CFL was to crochet something you'd find in or at the ocean. I've been buying up Planet June's fuzzy amigurumi patterns ~ mostly because they are just too cute ~ and decided to finally make one as it was perfect for the challenge. So here be my fuzzy baby harp seal.

Seal and whale not to scale

If there's a next time, I will definitely use larger eyes and place them closer to the muzzle. The little 9mm eyes are just a tad small. But I think it will still make it's way to a special little girl as soon as I finish the other item I'm making for her :)

Happy 4th of July!

2007-07-03T08:55:00.000-07:00

Star Spangled Banner
Funny Jokes at JibJab

Pain In The Butt Party Lights [Wire Is Not Yarn]

2007-07-01T11:14:00.000-07:00

One of the challenges at CFL for July is to make something you'd find at a party in any fiber. I know. I made up the challenge. You'd think I'd pick something I already had in mind ~ kind of a perk, ya know? Hah!

I've always pondered making the Excruciatingly Painful Party Lights, and I thought, 'hey, these would be perfect. I'll just work up a crochet version!' Ah-HAH!

Well, lemme tell ya. Crocheting with wire is a real treat. First, your fingertips get sore as all get-out. Then, there's gaining mastery over the wire. Word of advice ~ wear band-aids and if your wire doesn't come on a spool, put it on one! I'm sure I would have found this advice on the net if I had taken a second or two to look. Oh, and don't use your nice wood hooks. Grab your least favorite Boye or Bates. I didn't make that mistake, but after wrestling with the wire, that thought did occur to me.

Once I got the knack of it, it started to go a whole lot better. Well enough so that I'd post the instructions for others to give it a whack. So here you go!

Pain In The Butt Party Lights

Materials
26 gauge wire in your choice of color
Teardrop shaped beads
1 String of Mini Lights (I'd recommend a string of 10 or 12 if you can find them, not the strand of 35 that I bought!)
Size H / 5.0mm hook
Soothing music

Ch 23.

Row 1: Ch 2, 2 dc in 1st ch, dc across to last ch, 2 dc in last ch; turn.

Row 2: Ch 3, dc in 1st dc, dc across to ch-3, 2 dc in ch-3; turn.

Row 3: Repeat row 2, finish off leaving a long tail.

Finishing

Sew seam. With ending long tail, sew up seam. With both tails together, make a few tight twists. Cut wire and discretely tuck in end.

Stretch to shape. Stretch your piece both lengthwise and widthwise. Shape into a cone shape.

Add beads. Cut another piece of wire about twice the diameter of the bottom of the cone shape. thread a bead onto the wire and give it a couple of twists. Thread through the last row of stitches. Continue in this manner until you have a nice bead edging.

Secure to light string. Cut a small length of wire and thread it through the beginning chain. Place your 'globe' over the base of the individual light. Pull up wire around the top where the string wire meets the light base. Twist the two ends together, cut and hide the end.

Personally, I don't know how Zabet Stewart got control of the wire with knitting needles. I am amazed no hook was involved. Let me know if you're brave enough to give this a go! LOL

Letter to New Line

2007-06-27T21:56:00.000-07:00

I was ordering (yet another) Sideshow Weta statue and stumbled across an announcement that New Line had extended an offer to Sam Raimi to direct The Hobbit. Sam Raimi ~ in case you never go to the movies or pay attention to who directs ~ was the director for the Spiderman movies as well as, The Evil Dead. If you're a hard-core sci-fi/fantasy fan, you would have noticed that Joxer The Mighty appears in all of Sam Raimi's films as it's his brother Ted Raimi. Somehow, I don't think Joxer has a role in The Hobbit.

So because I'm fanatical when it comes to LOTR, I just had to write a letter. I submitted it via New Line's site.

"This message is directed to Bob Shaye & Michael Lynne.

Dear Sirs,

I am surprised that the following topic is not on your FAQs page by now considering the volume of mail/email you must be receiving. I'm a little late to the ballgame, but would still like to express my thoughts regarding the making of The Hobbit and the 'prequel' you have planned.

Sam Raimi is a good director, but would not be a good alternate to follow Peter Jackson. New Line and Peter made history with the LOTR movies and thrilled millions of fans with a long-last realized dream of seeing Tolkien's story on the big screen. That venture was perfection as the 11 academy awards show.

You now have the never-to-come-again opportunity to complete that history. Don't fuckitup."

Think that will convince them? LOL

Dragons

2007-06-24T04:00:00.001-07:00

Don't meddle in the affairs of dragons for you are crunchy and good with ketchup.

Whilst I sew squares together today, it will be dragon movie day (sometimes, I like to watch movies in themes.) On the venue are:

These should keep me from napping and ensure that I don't doze off as dragons are not quiet creatures (no guarantees though.) Here be the squares I'll be sewing together today:

This is one afghan that will definitely need blocking when it's done ~ no skating though without it! No-sir-ee. And a tip for you should you decide to make this pattern... on rnd 3, replace ch 5 with ch 3 or ch 4 to reduce the loopiness. I thought of this once I finished the first 8 knowing that it would make for unruly squares unless I reduced the ch. But rather than rip back 8 squares, I chose to proceed with the remaining 40. Sometimes I'm not bright.

And what are you doing today?

Random Stuff

2007-06-23T16:10:00.000-07:00

Although we seem to have escaped the 'leash law' ticket (yay!), Yoda didn't fare as well. Because she had to be left in the shelter over an entire weekend, she managed to get a nice nasty case of kennel cough. So all this week we have been medicating her which has NOT been fun. She does not like to take her medicine and it usually takes both me and my husband to administer it. She's been medicated for 3 days now and she's just starting to show teensy-weensy signs of improvement. (I've had another 'first' in my life and that is picking a dog's nose. ick.) I'm hoping by Monday morning, she will be a lot better and we'll be on the downhill slope with this thing. Poor baby.

I put the PK doily aside for a bit and picked up the Solo afghan. All of the squares are done. Now comes the [daunting] task of sewing them all together. This is my least favorite part. So much so, that I've been known to not finish an afghan because of it. But I'm going to discipline myself and dig in tonight. My husband went off to the car races, so I have the whole house to myself!

But before I do that, please excuse me while I rant a bit about Bernat's Solo yarn. It's full of knots. Not just a knot in a skein here and there, but virtually every skein and sometimes more than one! Needless to say, there was a lot of waste and I had to end up buying more yarn to finish. So that $1.59 per ball sale was for a reason I think. Since the yarn is discontinued, it must have been to get rid of mill ends or something. If not, it could be the reason why the yarn has been discontinued. On the bright side, even with having to buy more, it was still a cheap project and I do like the way the afghan is coming out. Just be forewarned should you decide to take advantage of a sale you see for it and buy extra.

MySpace. I registered for an account just so I could contact someone in particular to ask a question. Then I forgot about it. That was about a month ago. Since then, I've had several teenage girls requesting to be added to my friends list. So yesterday, after having to have my password resent, I clicked on their names to see who they were. Basically, they were all a bunch of slutty little girls who were posting links to their naked pictures. Yep, just what I want to add to my circle of friends. You betcha. These little slut-puppies [I am most certain] are serving up your hamburgers at the local McDonalds, so the next time you're there you might want to ask that girl at the drive-up if she washed her hands before handing you your Happy Meal.

Now where did I put that new package of yarn needles?

Macaroni

2007-06-17T08:26:00.000-07:00

I've been jonesing for macaroni salad. Quite frankly, I could live on macaroni salad. Not yours though, just mine. Isn't it funny how something so simple can taste so different depending on who makes it? Don't even talk about grocery store macaroni salad. There's something unnatural about it.

So I'm making macaroni salad today. Wanna make some with me? Then we can veg on the couch, crochet, watch movies and eat macaroni salad together. Here's my formula in case you're feeling adventurous:

Mini's Macaroni Salad

Get out the big pot and sturdy spoons, you'll need them plus:

32 oz. bag Anthony's Elbow Macaroni (cuz it's never sticky and says so on the bag)
12 hard boiled Extra Large Grade AA Eggs (cuz we want to die young and pretty)
2 large cucumbers, peeled and cut into pieces to your liking
1 large red onion, chopped
Sweet pickle relish
A big jar of real mayonnaise (see eggs)
and if you want more color in your salad, a couple of chopped tomatoes

Boil the eggs, peel and put in the fridge to cool them off. Cook the macaroni according to the package directions. Throw it in a colander (or 2) and rinse with cold water. Let it drain. In the meantime, chop up the cucumber, onions and tomatoes. When the eggs are cool, chop them up too.

Rinse out and dry the big pot, cuz it's all going back in. First the macaroni, then all of the chopped ingredients. Throw a couple of dollops of sweet pickle relish in there too. Now for the mayonnaise. Scoop out half the jar into the pot. Now get your big sturdy spoon and start mixing all this stuff together. Add more mayonnaise as needed and mix it up until it's the consistency you like.

When all mixed together, cover and put it in the fridge for at least 4 hours. This stuff gets better the longer it sits!

Now, what are we crocheting and what movie are we watching?

The Creative Process

2007-06-10T04:42:00.000-07:00

Eenie Meenie Miney Mo... Ecru, Camel or Mocha? I decide not ecru - too bland I'm thinking. Not camel either. I have too many doilies in camel. Mocha? Kinda dark, it might downplay the texture. One Potato, Two Potato, Three Potato, Four... Arggg! I can't decide. I don't want to do it in white as that doesn't fit in with the earthtone color scheme around here. Maybe Banana? Nah, then I could only put it out at Easter.

I turn on the TV in search for a movie to crochet along to. Nothing on really. OK, let's pick a DVD. I start having random thoughts like why is our butt in the middle of our body? Wouldn't it be more convenient if we pooped out our feet? Fern green? I look across the room and I have a fern green filet on the coffee table. Burgandy? Too Christmassy. Back to Ecru, Camel and Mocha. I take a mental inventory of my thread colors. Light Pink, Baby Blue, Dark Sage... I know the Cebelia color chart by heart and I have them all. Nope, none of those. Back to Ecru, Camel and Mocha.

If we pooped out our feet, then farts could be much more easily disguised. That wasn't a fart, it's these new shoes! Let's watch Beowulf. Gerard Butler is in that one and he's a cutie-pie even though he plays a Norseman with a Scottish accent. You know you want to make this doily in Camel, just start and get moving!

I need coffee. I can't plop my butt down for the morning without another pot of coffee for crying out loud. Oh yeah, and it's bath day for the dogs. Can't forget to do that today. If we pooped out our feet, would socks then be considered sexy attire? We've already got thongs for the feet. In fact, they long preceded thongs for the butt.

Three # 7 hooks go in the trash as the finish is worn off. Ahh, there's a new one. I'm ready. I stare at the balls of thread. I rip the plastic off all three. I grab ecru. Gerard Butler sure looks hot in long hair. I work a couple of rounds and then I have an idea. I'll use all 3 colors! There. That does it and I no longer have to pick! Besides, I've never seen or done a PK doily in multiple colors before. This will be fun.

So here be a pic of the first 13 rows. I'm thinking I'm going to like it.

Yep, I'm Finally Going to Do It

2007-06-07T06:38:00.000-07:00

I've made this doily twice as gifts for others. I'm finally going to make one for me! It is such a gorgeous doily rich with texture.

Now, which color ~ ecru or camel?

This will take me about 3-4 weeks to complete if I stick with it and don't get sidetracked. Maybe I'll post WIP pics as I go to help keep me motivated :P

Blankie

2007-06-04T17:19:00.000-07:00

I really need to stay off the net. I am such a soft touch for any kind of charity, especially one that involves kids. The latest one I'm crocheting for is for orphaned children in Uganda whose parents have either died or succumbed to AIDS. So here's a pic of the blankie that I made this weekend to send off. I have 2 more in the works.

Giant TVs are great for hanging stuff on to take pictures :D

It's a bitty blankie at 28" x 30". I used this pattern, but changed the edging and used Bernat Satin. It called for picot stitches all around and I just wasn't in the mood for picots. So I just did a ch2, sk2, sc kind of edging. I also preceded it with 2 rows of sc instead of 1. It works. So it will be sent off in the mail just as soon as I weave in a few ends.

And that was my weekend, and so ends my vacation :)

Yoda in Jail

2007-06-04T13:02:00.000-07:00

Yoda has a terrible habit that we have ~ so far ~ been unable to break. And that is bolting out the front door the millisecond it is opened. She typically goes next door where there are 2 little girls that are usually outside and, for the most part, her bad habit has been harmless. When she's done visting or playing, she always comes back and knocks at the front door to be let back in.

Until...

Last Friday evening. My husband opened the door and out she went. The little girls were not out, so she apparently went in search of someone to visit. My husband decided not to chase her and she never came home that night. So, off to the local shelter he goes the next morning. Sure enough, she's there.

Free Yoda!

So he fills out the paperwork. He is told we need to contact the county animal control so they can come out and check out our yard before we can bring Yoda home. So now it's Monday (and know that they charge you for each day your critter is in the shelter ~ not that they're getting hotel treatment, mind you.) The animal control said they'd do their best to get out here today. As of 1:15pm, they have not yet shown up. They've got until 4:30pm, otherwise, my husband will have to wait for them to arrive tomorrow. Hopefully, it won't be the next day. (ka-ching) Then I'm sure there are fees to be paid along with the "hotel" stay.

If you recall, this was the dog we adopted from my mom to get her critter count down when she moved into her new place. Although the dog is real sweet, she is untrainable. Let's hope she learns her lesson and we'll be able to break her of her bad habit. Otherwise, should it happen again, I'll let someone adopt her from the shelter. (sigh)

Update

The animal control cop got here just before 2pm. She called the shelter and 'cleared' us. So off to the shelter I went and Yoda is now home to the tune of $82. I guess that's not too bad. However, she was picked up due to a complaint (someone on our street called them) and we might also face a ticket from the 'arresting officer' to the tune of $175. It's up to the officer as to whether we get it or not. So... if we don't get a visit within the next week or so, we should be home free on that one.

You'd think she was a pit bull or something. She's maybe a foot long and maybe 7 inches tall. Yep, a real danger to others, she is. I hope the person who ratted on her is feeling good about themselves. So much for neighbors looking out for neighbors...

Yoda is Free!

Coffee House Placemats ~ Part 1

2007-06-04T11:22:00.000-07:00

I made these to use on our patio table. The project is only half-done as there will be 2 more placemats with light blue and gold borders. If there is enough scrap yarn left, I might also make matching coasters to go with them. The colors remind me of Starbucks, hence the name. The SUPER simple patterns follow for these first two variations.

Materials

Lion Cotton Ease: 2 balls Taupe, 1 ball Lime & 1 ball Terracotta
Hook Size G / 4.5mm
Hook Size H / 5.0mm
Yarn Needle for weaving in ends

Size: Approximately 16 inches wide x 12-1/2 inches tall

Level

Gauge Swatch
4 rows of 7 sc across = 1 inch x 2 inches

Version 1
(Lime Border in picture)

With larger hook and Taupe, ch 32. Switch to smaller hook.

Row 1: Sc in 2nd ch from hook and in each ch across. (31 sc)

Row 2: Ch 1, turn. Sc in each sc across. (31 sc)

Rows 3 - 50: Repeat row 2. At end of row 50, finish off and weave in ends.

Border
Continue working with smaller hook

Foundation Row 1: Fold placemat in half width-wise to find the center st on the long edge. Join Taupe in this st and sc evenly to 1st ch; 3 sc in 1st ch, sc across to last ch; 3 sc in last ch; sc evenly across to 1st sc; 3 sc in 1st sc; sc evenly across last side; join to 1st sc. Finish off and weave in ends.

Row 2: Attach Lime to join in 1st sc of foundation row 1; ch 1, sc in same st and across to corner; *3 sc in corner st, sc across to next corner; repeat from * twice; end with sc across to beginning sc and join.

Rows 3 - 8: Ch 1, 2 sc in same sc as join; * sc across to opposite corner, 3 sc in corner sc; repeat from * twice; sc to last corner, 1 sc in same sc as start of round, join to 1st sc. At end of rnd 8, finish off, weave in ends. Block or steam iron to shape.

Version 2
(Terracotta Border in picture)

With larger hook and Taupe, ch 46. Switch to smaller hook.

Row 1: Sc in 2nd ch from hook and in each ch across. (45 sc)

Row 2: Ch 1, sc in each sc across. (45 sc)

Rows 3 - 36: Repeat row 2. At end of row 36, finish off, weave in ends.

Border
Continue with smaller hook.

Foundation Row 1: Fold placemat in half width-wise to find the center st on the long edge. Join Taupe in this st; ch 1, sc in same st; sc in each sc to last sc; 3 sc in last sc; sc evenly across to 1st ch; 3 sc in 1st ch; sc across to last ch; 3 sc in last ch; sc evenly across to last sc; 3 sc in last sc; sc in each sc to end; join to 1st sc. Finish off, weave in ends.

Rnd 2: Attach Terracotta to join. Ch 1, sc in same st and across to corner; * 3 sc in 2 nd sc of corner, sc across to next corner; repeat from * twice; end with sc across to beginning sc and join.

Rnds 3 - 8: Ch 1, 2 sc in same sc as join; * sc across to opposite corner, 3 sc in corner sc; repeat from * twice; sc to last corner, 1 sc in same sc as start of round, join to 1st sc. At end of rnd 8, finish off, weave in ends. Block or steam iron to shape.

Tips:
Finish your last rnd by using the Hidden Ends method of joining. This will make for a seamless join and a more finished appearance.

To keep from bulking up stitches when you weave in ends ~ or to prevent your ends from "popping up" through your work ~ split the plies of the yarn at least into 2 strands and weave them separately through different stitches.

This pattern has not been tested. Should you find an error, please share and I will update!

Enjoy!

Scrubbee Cloth

2007-06-04T08:39:00.000-07:00

It started out as an MCAL at CFL ~ but it wasn't working for me. Either I was crocheting too tightly or my scrubbee was not equal in size to the one used to develop the pattern. So as all crocheters do in these cases, I modified it. This pattern is based on Kornflakes Scrubber Cloth.

Materials

Lion Cotton Ease: Small amounts of 4 different colors
(I used Lake, Lime, Terracotta and Maize)
Size G / 4.5mm hook
Nylon Scrubbee
Yarn Needle for weaving in ends

Level

Gauge: Who cares? It's a dish scrubber!

Instructions

Rnd 1: With Lake (color 1), join yarn to scrubbee, ch 1, sc in same sp, sc evenly around. Join to 1st sc. (I had 34 sc)

Rnd 2: Ch 2, *2 hdc in next sc, hdc in next sc; repeat from * around; join to beginning ch-2. Finish off, weave in ends.

Rnd 3: With Lime (color 2), join in any hdc in rnd 2; ch 3; *hdc, ch 1 in next hdc; repeat from * around; join to 2nd ch of beginning ch-3. Finish off, weave in ends.

Rnd 4: With Terracotta (color 3), join in any ch-1 sp in rnd 3; ch 3; *hdc, ch 1 in next ch-1 sp; repeat from * around; join to 2nd ch of beginning ch-3. Finish off, weave in ends.

Rnd 5: With Maize (color 4), join in any ch-1 sp in rnd 4; ch 2, hdc in same sp, ch 1; *2 hdc, ch 1 in next ch-1 sp; repeat from * around; join to beginning ch-2.

Rnd 6: Ch 1, sc in same sp and in each st around; join to 1st sc. Finish off, weave in ends.

I could have positioned the ruffling better, I basically just threw it on the floor and took a pic :P But isn't it neat how I got a matching rainbow?

Ciao for now!

Happy Memorial Day!

2007-05-28T10:54:00.000-07:00

There's nothing like a 3-day weekend to play around. Between BBQs - because that's what one does on Memorial Day, break out chunks of charcoal, pour flammable liquid over it, set it on fire and burn (er, cook) raw meat over it - one can crochet!

Yesterday I finished some squares for Moe's MIL comfortghan. These will go out in the mail tomorrow. I seem to be on a Priscilla Hewitt kick... All were made with Bernat Satin in Raisin.

Fisherman's Ring (bad pic, sorry)

Circle of Friends

Lace Medallion

I also made Carousel, but seem to have misplaced the photo file. I'll add later.

Last, but not least, I completed the CFL Challenge "Make something in thread to hold something else". So I made a crochet hook holder. I purchased the pattern from Crochet Memories. I did my best to take a pic where the glare from the steel hooks wouldn't blind you, but you might want to get out your sunglasses. This was made with Anchor #8 Perle Cotton and a size 6 hook. Took 1 ball!

Elegant Steel Hook Holder

Have a great day everyone! I need to get back to checking on my husband. Cooking raw meat over fire changes him somehow...

Piddlefartin' On a Sunday Afternoon

2007-05-20T20:27:00.000-07:00

... and I drank a lot coffee and I peed a lot of pee :D

And that was just about the extent of it. I made a wrist pillow and matching cup cozy that's posted as this month's CAL at CFL. I kinda ran amok with the cup cozy, so don't judge the pattern by my output.

Then I surfed a bit and decided to participate in a charity for children in Uganda that have been orphaned due to Aids. The charity Family-to-Family is looking for lovies (blankies) for the kids so they have something to cuddle with. So the search for a pattern began. I landed in a newer book called 200 Crochet Blocks and made this one:

#55

Nice, but it didn't float my boat. Too many color changes to be able to finish something quickly. Then I landed on this one:

#173

The colors are definitely bright and gaudy, but I think I'm going with it. I have enough yarn in these colors so I can make one without having to go shopping for more yarn :)

So with a sore wrist and Sleepless in Seattle on the tube for the zillionth time, I bid you adieu for now and wish you a good week!

Put The Lime In The Coconut...

2007-05-19T16:04:00.000-07:00

Well, who said you never finish an old WIP? This one has been in stasis since last December. I don't know why, all that was left was to line and crochet the handle tabs. Call me moody.

The label for the cording is long lost, but this was some hand-dyed stuff I picked up at my LYS. There's enough left over to make at least 5 more ~ LOL. Anyway, I thought the colors screamed tropical summer and it just seemed like the right time to finish it. It came out a wee bit smaller than if I'd used worsted weight and I had to drop the hook size down one in order for the stitches to look nice. So... this will be my "grab and run" purse ;)

Stitch'n Bitch Happy Hooker - Fat Bottom Bag

I finally feel like I'm out of my crochet rut now ~ bring on the next one!

For Virginia Tech

2007-05-15T06:17:00.000-07:00

Just a couple of squares to contribute to the cause.

These were made using RH Soft Yarn. The pattern is Circle of Friends.

If you'd like to donate a crocheted or knitted 8" square to be sewn into comfortghans for the families of the Virginia Tech victims, please send to:

Mosaic Yarn Shop
880 University City Blvd
Blackburg, VA 24060

Happy Mother's Day!

2007-05-12T16:37:00.000-07:00

I made it under the wire, but made it nonetheless! Now to frantically go out for flowers...

Made with Bernat Satin - 10 balls Sunrise, 6 balls Banana
Pattern: Sunrise/Sunset

Elvis Said Blog

2007-04-24T18:00:00.000-07:00

I don't like to blog if I don't have much to share. I like to save it up and blab all at once. But since my life as a wage slave interferes with my ability to quickly save it up, Elvis said I better get something up. No, not the Memphis King of Rock'n Roll. Elvis the Meerkat.

I decided to switch gears on a sweater I was making for my mom for mother's day and make her an afghan instead. It's comprised of squares - 6 x 8 - and I have one 6-square strip done so far. 7 more to go plus the border! LOL This was probably a stupid decision considering that I only have a couple of weeks. I figure if I don't sleep for a week, I can make it easy. With sleep? Highly questionable, but I'll give it the old college try anyway.

That is, of course, as long as I resist picking up The Children of Hurin. OMG! Tolkien has a new book after 30+ years! Do you know how hard it is for me to not lock myself in the bedroom and ignore the outside world?! But when I do read it, it will be from cover to cover in isolation. I don't want to miss a thing due to distraction or interruption. I want to savor this read, so I'm waiting...

And that recaps recent life at Mini's house. A thrill a minute, eh?

New Book!

2007-04-15T12:05:00.000-07:00

Look what arrived in the mail from my friend Monet!

Receiving this beautiful pattern book in the mail was a real treat! - well, she actually had bought a different one and I ruined it for her by having it already - but nonetheless, the sweet thought was unexpected and greatly appreciated. I met Moe on line in CFL. The internet is truly a wonderful place that it enables you to meet people from all over. I'm in CA and Monet is in CT. That's awesome!

So now what to make? I think I've narrowed it down to one of these:

I am well past the age - er, size - for cropped tops, so I'd make the first one longer to hide my "years." But both are perfect for the impending [desert] summer!

Mini bows low to Moe. May your years be filled with joy and laughter and may your beard grow ever longer! that's a compliment, trust me :)