Last One!

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

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

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



Merry Christmas!

Gorilla Drums

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

Cool Crochet Tips

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

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

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

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!

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

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.