List of December

Well, so much for getting back into the blogging swing of things.  Here I've let almost the entire month slide on by, not just a measly week or so.  And no, I don't have any new pictures either.
I take that part back, I do have some new pictures, but their still on the memory card(s) and in all honesty, and a sign of my total lack of organizational skills at the moment, I can't find my little Cannon...

Ok, so to keep this brief (haha) and try and get most of what's bouncing around in my head onto "paper", I'm going to present a huge bullet list.  Not my favorite way to do this, but it's 6:45 and I've only got a half hour at most....

So, in no particular order...

*Got the tree put up Saturday with Boo.  Decorating with a 4.5-year-old is fun.  You can tell a child was involved, there's one spot with a ton of ornaments and a smattering across the rest of the tree.

*Went to Amma and PopPop's for Hanukkah on the 9th.  It was a good evening.  PopPop actually read the prayers this year and I helped Boo light the candles.  We also got a chance to talk to Jon and Becca, which is always awesome.

*Speaking of Jon, I got to have lunch with one of his best friends (and a good friend of mine) from school yesterday.  I think I've known Ian since I was around age 12?  It wasn't too long after we moved to PA at any rate.  It was great to catch up with him.

*Speaking of Hanukkah and photos (wait, did I mention photos?), Dad was wanting to use his camera.  Mom tried to put him off about it for a bit, but he kept asking.  So, I took him his Nikon back when we went down for Hanukkah.  And since I can't find my little Cannon at the moment, I'm cameraless, other than my phone, which takes OK pictures, but getting them off there can be a pain in the butt.

*I've managed to get lots and lots and lots of Christmas crochet done.  No, you won't see pictures until later.  (That reminds me, I need to get pictures of my latest items... but... aargh... too much effort at this point!)  Well, maybe you'll see pictures.  I know I've got pictures of some of them....

*I think I'm all done with the Christmas shopping.  Still debating one small-ish purchase and I might need to pick up one other thing, but overall, I'm good.

*Wok is interesting.  We're going through a reorg, which in the long run I think will actually be quite good, but will cause a little chaos in the meantime.  I'm not sure yet if this is a good or bad thing, but my friend Bill will now be my manager.  Yeah, it could get a little tricky at spots, but we've been through tricky spots before.  As long as he keeps his ego in check (and I don't do anything stupid) we'll get along just fine with his new role.

*Next month I get to go to Texas for a few days with work.  (Well, that's if they send the PO in, but I'm about 99% sure they will...)  This'll be my second trip since the beginning of September.  It'll be nice to get out of the office.  Boo's old enough that picking him up from daycare or whatever doesn't mean I have to make sure the right seat is around, he just needs a booster and I've got an extra of those.  Boo's not happy with the idea, but he did OK in September and I know he'll be fine next month too.

*That reminds me, this trip to Texas will be the first time I'll have been on a plane since before Boo was born.  Wow, that's almost 5 years!

*Speaking of being born, my cousin Rae and her wife Kami welcomed a beautiful baby boy into the world back on the 4th, Oren William.  He's adorable and I so wish we lived closer.  I have no idea when we'll actually get to meet him in person. /sigh

*Boo keeps growing like a weed.  He's so much fun to watch and play with.  He just amazes me every day.

*We went to Zoe's Christmas concert last Friday.  It was really nice (and just the Junior/Senior high kids).  After we went to the Ronda to catch up with Steve, Shelby and Randy, which is always nice.  Steve is going to be deployed again in January.  I have no details on length, but I do know it's back to Afghanistan. /sigh

*My friend Michelle is in Chile now.  I haven't heard much from her in the past few months, but it seems like she's doing OK.

*No, I haven't posted anything about what happened in CT on Facebook or G+.  I'm not going to either.  Actually, I take that back, I did make a comment on my friend John's one post.  Basically I agree that this is a horrible tragedy and I can't (and don't want to) imagine the personal hell all those families are going through.  The last thing they as a community need is to be reminded by outside people everywhere they look about it.  They're living it every blessed heartbeat.  The best thing we can do is not to ignore it, but to be respectfully quiet about it.  (And if I dwell on this too much I'll just end up putting myself into a bad emotional place and that won't help me, my family or the victims in any way, shape or form...)

*I'm hopefully doing something cool tonight.  Someone I've met through either a photography or a fiber circle on G+ (I can't remember exactly how I met her, but she's into both...) is in the area for work.  The boy and I are hopefully meeting up with her for dinner.  It should be fun.  This is a huge step for me, I normally find real life events like that really tough.  But, I've been kicking myself for a while for not grabbing the opportunity to meet another online friend when I was traveling all the time, so I'm not going to let this one slide by if I can help it...

Well, a boy-child is up.  It's almost 7:10 and we both have to get dressed, get breakfast/lunch together and get out the door.

Peace to all and may you not wait too long to keep friends and family in the loop and may you grab opportunities when and where you can.

Help

Well, I guess I should come up with two things I'm thankful for today, since I didn't get a post in yesterday.

Well, yesterday is easy!  I'm super thankful for the other leaders and moms who help out with my troop.  Without them and their support, I'd be sunk.  Especially since we're up to 22 registered girls!  Last night was a good night.  Kathy, Scott and the American Legion riders are doing a run to a local Vet's hospital to visit vets staying there over the holidays on the 24th.  They're taking donations of clothes and toiletries and coats and the like.  So, I had my girls make cards to send along as well as making some nice, warm, no-sew fleece scarves.  They really weren't anything difficult or extraordinary (other than the fact that we were actually making them) but the compliments I got from the two leaders helping about them and how creative I am and how fun everything we do is, really kinda floored me.  Trust me, some of the things we've done have been so last minute it hasn't even been funny.  (Thankfully I have an extra week to come up with what I'm doing for the next part of our "Breathe" Journey... I'm so not liking this whole journey thing...)

For today, I think I'm going to have to be a little selfish.  Well, maybe that's not the right word, but it'll work.

Anyhow, if you remember back to two years ago in June, I posted a piece about some things I'd been working on, including a very special blanket and shawl for two very special people.  I also included the note that went with the gifts.  And you may remember that I posted about Ron's passing as well.  I had shared the letter I sent to Ron and his wife Beverly (whom I've become friendly with over the last two years) with another friend from work.  To make  a long, and probably confusing to anyone but me, story a bit shorter, this friend, Debbie is fighting esophageal cancer.  She fought it off just about 3 years ago.  But, it's back.  And there is nothing they can do to stop it or fix it.  But that's not what this is about.
No, this is about how people sharing their thoughts can tie people together.  This is about how Debbie took the heart of what I wrote to Ron and Beverly as well as thoughts from others she has talked with about prayer shawls and the like and created her own thing of beauty.  She was asked to talk to her church about why she became a member there and why she stays a member there.  The heart of it all boils down to that she realizes she sees that, and feels like, her church is one giant prayer shawl.  That all the people are the individual stitches and that while sometimes it may be a bit messy up close and personal, on the whole it is a beautiful and comforting thing that is stronger than it's parts.  She was so worried about using what I said word for word.  I told her not to worry about it.  If my words could help her say what she felt in her heart, than it was I who was honored and privileged to have given her what she needed.
She sent me a copy of what she'd written (even though she ended up saying it a bit differently at the time) for her congregation.  It was beautiful and made me cry.  And again, it made me thankful that I could put the words together that she (and Beverly and Ron, they wrote me a note telling me so) needed to hear.  I'm thankful that every now and again I get it right.  I'm thankful that I can share what is in my heart and that it can be heard by people who need it and understand it.

So, yes, today I'm a little bit selfish.  Today I'm thankful that I could find the words that were needed.

Peace to all and may you both have the help you need, and be able to give the help that's needed.

Crafty Girl

Well, looks like September is going to be a sparsely written month.  Anyhow, I've rounded up pictures of most of my crochet projects over the last few months.  There are a few that are in the works and a few more that I haven't photographed and have already gifted...  Anyhow, in no real order....

Here is the second pair of socks I made this summer.  I don't have pictures of the first ones.  The other pattern was nice, but I'm not sure I'll make it again, they get a little sloppy around the ankles when you wear them.  This pattern is an adaptation of a "basic sock pattern" that I've done before.  But, instead of all single crochets, I decided to use a "crunch stitch" pattern of alternating single and double crochets.  I love the texture it creates, even if figuring out the heel gusset was a little challenging.  Of course, I also love the purple color.

This is a ripple wave blanket I've been working on for the better part of a year now.  It's mostly a stash buster using yarn purchased for two other projects that I either chose other yarn for or scrapped entirely.  This is only part of it.  I'm not sure if I'm crocheting in lengthwise or width-wise.  It all depends on how much yarn I have... Either way, it'll be warm and snuggly when I finish it.  It was originally going to be for some friends, but I'm pretty sure it's going to be mine instead.  (I found a different pattern I want to make my friends... and since it's a surprise it doesn't matter what the finished blanket is, so long as I think they'll like it...)

These two projects also use stash yarn.   The top one is a "chain loop scarf" that someone posted on G+ and I figured I wanted to play with the pattern  It took almost an entire skein of Deborah Norville Serenity Bulky.  It's long enough to double up and be warm and snuggly.  It looks a little silly single.  I'm not sure if I'm keeping it or gifting it.  The bottom one is an octagon blanket that I started with what was left of the first skein.  There's another skein and a half in there and I've got another skein and a half to go.  Again, not sure who this is for, but I have some ideas.

This is the round blankie that I'm making for my cousins Rae and Kami.  Rae is expecting a baby boy around Christmas time.  This is the second blanket I've made with this pattern.  I really enjoy it, but since it uses sport weight yarn and a small hook, the outer rounds take forever.  This one is made from Knit Picks Brava in grass, the first one I made this spring for the baby of a friend of Gak's was in peapod, a much brighter green.  I think this one looks like a lily pad, which is part of the point, since Kami loves frogs.

Here are two shrugs that I've made.  The bottom one I made this spring.  It's a stitch pattern I found on the Lion Brand website and fell in love with a while ago, but didn't have anything to make with it.  The yarn is a fingering weight or so 100% cotton yarn from Katia.  It's quite yummy and the long color repeats give very nice stripes.  This one is a little shorter.
The top one I just finished.  It's for a September CAL hosted on Google+.  I kinda got roped into it when I was admiring someone else's progress.  This is another stash buster.  The original pattern called for fingering weight and to be a stole (hence the pattern name of "Mist Stole").  I don't wear wraps, but I do like shrugs.  So, I found some sport-ish weight yarn in my stash that is a riot of rainbow colors.  I think it looks like someone spilled a bag of Spree or M&Ms.  It worked up nice and quick.  The yarn is a cotton/wool blend and is soft and has a little bit of spring to it.  The sleeves come just to my elbows and is a wonderful length.

Here is a circle scarf that I did back in July.  I used Knit Picks Chroma fingering in the Galapagos colorway. It's quite beautiful and was a joy to make.  Unfortunately, the yarn is 100% wool and while nice on the hands to work with, just made me itch when I tried to wear it.  Therefore, I gifted it to Mary.  I made one using Knit Picks Comfy in a bright burgandy in the fingering weight for me.  It's really cool all in one color and I can't wait to wear it.  I have decided I really enjoy scarves and shrugs at work because they can dress up a Tee or a tank or any shirt and add just a smidge of warmth.

Anyhow, that's all the crafty girl photos I can find.  I need to get a picture of yesterday's project.  There's a new comic and gaming store down near work that just opened up.  So, for Gaks' birthday (which is tomorrow!) we went down there and I got him a new Warhammer 40K model.  I managed to get it assembled and painted yesterday and last night.  It looks pretty good.  It's not the best paint job ever, but it is good enough for a first attempt.   Thankfully Necrons are mostly black with a bit of bright green.

Anyhow, I've got off today and the boy-o and I are going to the Zoo with Amma this afternoon after we drop Gak off at work.  I promise to update the random adventures we've had soon.  And hopefully October will be a bit better for updates...

Peace to all and may you be able to indulge your crafty side.

Christmas And Crafts

This is going to be a very picture heavy post.  I realized it's been almost a week and I haven't posted the Christmas pattern and thank's to Flauta Mom's comment on Wednesday's post, I realize that I haven't shared pictures of my crafted goodies for quite a while.  So, please bear with me while I show off a bit.

I'll start off with the Christmas pictures first and then we'll move on to the crafty ones.  Some of the crafted goodies were gifts, some were just because and some were purely for me.

Anyhow, this top picture is of our tree at 6:00 in the morning Christmas day, after Momma, Daddy and Santa had left all the goodies under the tree.  You can see the three stuffed stockings to the left there among all the all other goodies.  Yes, there were lots and lots of goodies under the tree, and Boo's train from last year is there circling the tree and presents.  (Boo loves the train, loves playing with the train, but doesn't like to run it... odd little boy that he is!)

Here's Boo opening his stocking.  He had plenty of goodies hiding in there.  I love these stockings; they look huge, but really don't hold all that much.  That's both a good and bad thing for the stocking-stuffer.

 One of the few things that Boo actually asked for this year was "a new Trey".  So, Santa obliged and brought Trey a new friend.  After several days, Boo finally decided that yes, Rocky is a good name for the new dinosaur.  (He wanted to name him Trey, but we told him that would be too confusing as we already have a Trey...)  Anyhow, this is Trey and Rocky meeting for the first time and they really hit it off.  No jealousy here from Trey.

 Here is Boo trying to open the present from Uncle Jon and Aunt Becca.  They got him this really awesome play mat from Ikea that has roads, some construction and even a race track and a helipad on it.  The thing is almost as tall as he is when it's rolled up!  He did manage to get it open and it's now on the floor in front of his bed.  We've had several fun adventures playing on it.

 After downing his breakfast, Boo settled in on the sofa with the new puppy from his stocking, Rocky, Trey, Snake (I made that one for him...) Baby Trey and Kelly and his new Mobigo game.  He looks way more than three in this picture!  Where is my baby?

Here is two of the gifts that Gak and I got Boo.  In the background you can see the kitchen stuff and he's playing with the toolbox.  (Only after Christmas did Boo and I go to Ikea and I found that they have some really awesome aluminum cookware and utensils that I could have gotten for what I payed for the plastic stuff... oh well, live and learn.)  He really has fun with both, but I think the real hit is the tape measure.

Here is Boo opening his gift at Amma's house.  He got a brand new Kermit the Frog.  I had one almost just like it when I was little and loved it to pieces.  Now Boo has one.  He really loved The Muppets when we went to see them last month.  Kermit has been a favorite of his, but he also really likes Walter, the newest Muppet added to the crew.

Now on to the crafty pictures.  I'll try and limit how many pictures of each project I give.  There are a few that I'll have more than one picture of, just because I kinda need to for the details.  These aren't in any chronological order, not really in any order but *shrug* it'll do.

Above you could somewhat see an "S" that I had made Boo that I turned into a snake.  Here is the "B" Bear, "Z" Zebra and "R" Raccoon I made for Billy, Zoe and Rachel for Christmas.  This all started when I made the M-bunny for Mary this fall.  No, I didn't get a picture of it, but it's an "M" made out of the same pink as Rachel's "R" and looks like a bunny.  I think my bear looks a little more like a cat than a bear and the raccoon... well, I wasn't going to try again.

I got a new jacket this winter (and there's a bit of an adventure behind it, which I won't go into... let's just say I made an "oops" and leave it at that...).  So, since I had a new jacket, I needed a new hat.  I'd been eyeing up a pattern on the Lion Brand website for a month or two and I found some luscious cotton yarn in the perfect color at Juniper Place Yarns, my local yarn store and did this up in just a few hours.  The hardest part was the little pom-pom on the top.  I love the hat, even if I'm less than in love with the jacket (at least the jacket only cost me $30...)

These two pictures are of the blanket that I made for Jon and Becca.  It's a combination birthdays, wedding, winter holidays and housewarming.  This is a very unique blanket in many ways, including the fact that the base chain is 78 * 2 (they were both born in 1978) and that the row repeats are 10, 1, 4, 19, 12, 9 and then 10 and 1 again.  This would be Jon's birthday and Becca's birthday bracketed by their wedding day.  So, like I said, this is a very unique blanket.  I hope they enjoy it as much as I enjoyed making it.  This was a year long project and labor of love, as I kept changing things up along the way, even as late as the second round of the edging.

These three pictures are the ones that Flauta Mom asked for the other day.  This is my new little nook touch in the sleeve I made.  As you can see, the pink button on the front is totally not needed thanks to velcro, but it really put the finishing touch on the project.  This was a bit of leftover denim from a project I never did get around to doing and lined with a piece of gray flannel left over from my cloak I made many, many years ago now.  There is a bit of fusible interfacing in the back to add a little stability and the reason you see the selvage on the back is because it's actually a pocket.  I really love this little case.  It's cute, unique and totally me.  And the fact that I totally winged it and it turned out great on the first try is even better!  (And that I only put an additional $4.95 into the project for the button, the rest was all "leftovers" that had been paid for years ago.)

 This peach colored blankie (the color is much nicer in person, trust me) is the one that I made for my friend Cynthia at work.  She's due any day now with a beautiful baby girl.  Cynthia really loved it and was so happy to get it.  Ellen also made her a blankie, which was very different.  Cynthia was so amazed to receive both of them.  I'm glad when I can make gifts for people who enjoy them.  I know they'll get much use out of both of those blankets.

***UPDATE: I just got an email from Cynthia that Summer Aurora was born 12/29!! ***

This is a fashion scarf I made for me with some yummy lightweight cotton yarn I got at Juniper Place Yarns.  The pattern is called Clapochet and can be found on Ravelry (or at Crochetkitten.com).  It's actually quite warm and I can wear it so many ways.  I love wearing it with just a plain white, cream or gray T-shirt and it really looks great when I pair it with my denim or bright red corduroy jacket.  I wish I'd had it done before Jon and Becca's wedding, but it was really too warm for it.  No, I don't have a picture of me wearing it, the rocking horse will have to do.  I have received many compliments on it.

These last two pictures are of the socks that I just finished today.  Yep, I finally made a pair of crocheted socks.  I love them!  I'm totally hooked on hooking socks now.  I have enough yarn in other colors to make two more pair, I just have to decide which two patterns I want to try.  You see, I've collected several sock patterns over the last few years because I've just been dying to try it.  I mean, knitters shouldn't get all the fun of making socks.  These are a little heavier than a pair of trouser socks you'd get in the store, but not quite as heavy as some of the athletic socks I've got in my drawers.  Almost like a thin hiking sock.  The yarn is part wool, part bamboo and part acrylic I think.  (I'm too lazy to go get the wrappers on the other side of the room.)  It didn't take all 100 grams of the two balls, I have about 35 grams left.  This was a top down pattern where the cuff is crocheted up and down in rows before the rest is done in rounds around the one edge.  I really like it, but I think I want to try a toe up pattern next, just to see the differences.  Yes, this is the project I've rambled on the most about, but it's the one I literally just finished and the one I've been dying to get to for years.

Anyhow, I've got yarn for a scarf to go with my hat, two more pair of socks, another Clapochet as a gift, a scarf for Trey and I really should make new hats for the boys now that winter is really here.  I just hope I can fit it all in and still manage to pay attention to work.  It's weeks like this that really make me wish that I could work two or three days a week and be Momma and Crafty Momma the other days.  Oh well, I don't have that luxury, so I'll try and squeeze in the crafty time when and were I can and hope that I don't let it interfere with work too much.

Anyhow, this "short" picture post has taken me almost 45 minutes to write.  I'll get the rest of the pictures uploaded to flickr tomorrow I hope.  Gak has another 3-day weekend and hopefully we're getting together with Michelle at least tomorrow and hopefully until some time on the 1st as well.  (Her travel schedule got changed yet again, but that is the way it goes with her job...)

Peace to all and may your creative juices flow and your holidays be merry and bright.

Momma Day

Today was a Momma Day.  Technically work is shut down this week, even though my department can't really shut down.  That just means we go down to a skeleton crew and take turns being the sucker, er person, on call.  Tomorrow is my turn, at least in the morning.
Today, I sent my boy-o to daycare even though I had off from work.  You see, I needed a day to me.
Don't get me wrong, I love my boys.  I love spending time with them.  Both together and one-on-one.  But, even more importantly some days, I need some me time.  I need some time to do whatever I want and not run seventy errands and clean thirty different things and in general run around like a chicken with my head cut off.  That's what I almost always do whenever I have a day off work and Boo still goes to day care, at least half a day even.  So, today I made sure to do only what I wanted to do.

Which included going for my morning swim after dropping off the boys.  I actually had time and energy to get my full mile in.  I wasn't running late or have to be somewhere, so I could actually swim for the full 50 minutes I like to swim.  (Lately I've been getting out the door a little late which cuts into the actual amount of time I get in the pool.)
I then came home, had a nice breakfast and decided to play with yarn for a while.
Over the course of the day I've almost finished my first crochet sock!
Around 11:00 or so, I got the urge to see what material I had on hand that could be turned into a nifty little cover/case/carrier for my new nook.  As it turns out, I had some adorable denim and still more left over flannel from my cloak.  Well, a little over an hour later, and I have a new cover.  (It cost me $4.95 for the button on the front, but it is for looks only.)  I even managed to clean up the corner with the fabric and patterns a bit (all because I couldn't find the velcro I knew I had, and eventually found).
I then played online a little bit and enjoyed a delicious lunch.
After that I decided I had enough time for a movie and a little more stitching before going to pick up Boo from school.  I managed to get all but the toe done on the sock while enjoying "Much Ado About Nothing".  (Gak doesn't like it, he had a bad experience with the play... so I don't watch it when he's around...)
When I picked up Boo, he'd taken a good nap for the ladies so I took him bowling like I promised him yesterday.  (See, I was going to take him yesterday, but he refused to nap, which was a condition for going, and promised him we'd go if I picked him up in time and he actually took a nap at school today.)  We had a great time.
Then it was home while Boo watched a "Blue's Clues" and I sewed on a button.  A couple of rounds of High Ho Cherry-o and a book later and it was time to pick up Gak from work.  A quick stop at the bank, DQ for dinner and then home and bed for a boy.

I should be beat.  But I'm not.  I'm actually about to go pick up my hook and yarn and see if I can't finish that sock.  I'd love to get both done by the end of the week, but I doubt that'll happen.  (Heck, I'm just glad I'm finally this far, I've only wanted to try a sock pattern for about 3 years now...)

So, despite the busy day, I feel great.  Not looking forward to going in to work tomorrow, but at least it'll be quiet and I should be able to get some work type stuff done.  I only have to stay until about noon, then Monty will be in.  I'm not sure if I'll be leaving then and taking a little more time for me (I don''t get it very often so I won't feel guilty about it) or if I'll be staying most of the day and just leaving a little early to get Boo so we can run some errands before coming home.  I guess I'll make up my mind tomorrow around noon.

Well, I'm off.
Peace to all and may you get some time for YOU that even it is busy is relaxing.

p.s. The one thing I didn't do today that I thought about doing was going through all the pictures on Boo's camera as well as mine from this month.  I guess that'll have to happen at some other near date.

Hooks

The next photo on the list (not like I've been actually posting pictures... but that's another story...) is a picture of my most treasured possession.


Again, I had some tough choices. For the holidays I got two very nice necklaces, from different people. My husband and son got me a beautiful white gold chain and a tree of life pendant. I adore it, especially since it came from them. Then, Kat got matching necklaces for me, her and Steph. Again, it's very special because of who it's from and the feeling behind it. (I'd been without a day-to-day necklace for most of the year, an now suddenly I have two I love that I have to choose from! It really is a tough choice...)

But, then I realized that as much as I treasure these two things and the feelings and thoughts that went into them coming into my life, there is one thing that I have that I treasure even more.

Actually, it's a collection of things.

It's a little red vinyl pouch that’s filled with all of Gram’s crochet hooks. It’s special because crochet was a favorite pastime of hers. It’s special because they belonged to a woman who I love very dearly and the one who taught me, so many years ago, the basics. But, I think what makes them the most special is that she gave them to me herself, just a few weeks before she passed. She wanted me to have them. She knew I’d put them to good use. She knew I would treasure them. And I do.

I will admit, that I don’t always go to her hooks first when I’m about to start a project. As much as I love owning them, the style of hook she mostly has is not what I prefer. Gak got me a beautiful set of bamboo hooks a few years back for my birthday and I love how light weight they are and the shape of the hook (Bates not Boye for those in the know). I prefer the Bates style for most yarns that I work with. But, there are times when I use one of Gram’s hooks instead of one of mine. I used them to make baby blankets for friends and family. I use them when I want a little extra love to go into what I’m making. I have future plans for things to make with her hooks.

So, they may not get used all the time, but they are very treasured and loved and yes, used.


I’ve actually been able to get a good bit of crochet in now and again lately. I’m still in the middle of a scarf/wrap that I started back in the fall, but it’s my traveling project. Stephanie, one of the teachers at Boo’s school, left for another daycare last week, so I made her a fun fun-fur scarf in a morning. I made a warm snuggly blanket for a baby boy that’s going to be born soon to Kat’s niece. I’ve got about 3 other projects either on the hooks or in the works. I have many more that I want to do that I don’t have yarn or patterns yet.

I just wish I had more time. I wish I had more time for crochet and reading and computer games and my son and husband and cleaning… and… and… and…. Yes, time would be a nice thing, but for now, I’ll squeeze in what I can, where I can and enjoy every moment of it.

So, I wish you all peace and may you have treasures that were given from the heart, to the heart.

Crochet Overload

**I wrote this a few days ago, and am waiting for things to finish, so I'm being "productive" and posting this now... **

Ok.  It’s been a long, long time since I’ve posted anything about my crocheting on here.  As a matter of fact, I can’t remember the last time I did a post showing off my projects.  Of course, there haven’t been a whole lot in recent memory, but there have been several recently, so you all must endure a bit of show and tell.

I’m going to do this out of chronological order.  The reason being is that I want to put the most special one last.  Mind, all of these projects have stories to them, but two have a story that touches my heart more than the rest.

I will start with the first set of projects I got done in recent memory.  Gak’s cousin Robin was expecting her second daughter in April.  Ron and Jay had been trying for a long time and I was very happy to find out that Robin was pregnant.  (Robin’s baby girl was born healthy and happy at the end of April.)  I had recently found a really cool pattern for a heart shaped afghan that I knew would be perfect.  I followed the pattern until the last 3 or 4 rounds of the border.  I just couldn’t get it to work out right and I decided I didn’t really like it anyhow.  So, I improvised my own using an edging pattern from a book I have.

I had tons of yarn left over.  So I made a hat and a little sweater.  I made the same hoodie as I made for Boo and for my “cousin” John’s baby 2 years ago now.  Only I didn’t do the hood, used a smaller hook so it would be closer to newborn sized and added a little ruffle edge instead of the plain one that it called for.  I think it all turned out very pretty.  I added a few ping onsies and some pants to the package and happily sent it on it’s way.  It was loved by all.

This is my most recent project that I finished.  I did this one in record time for me since I stopped traveling.  (I probably would have gotten it done all in one trip back in my crazy travel days.)  I think I put about 15-20 hours in total on it, but it would have been less if I’d actually read the directions more closely.  I did rows 7-10 about 3 times in total before I finally read what the pattern was saying and got it right.

Let me tell you, this yarn was a joy to use!  I picked it up at my new little local yarn store when it opened.  It’s called Haze by Queensland.  It’s a nice lightweight yarn, somewhere between sock and sport.  What’s really cool about this yarn isn’t the amazing colors or the light weight or the soft feel, but the fact that it is 40% cotton and 60% corn viscose.  Yep, 60% of the fibers in the yarn came from corn.  The stalks actually.  Pretty amazing.  (It actually took just under 160 grams (1.5 skeins) of this amazing yarn.  I’m trying to figure out something amazing to do with the last 40 grams or so of yarn.

This is the Aphrodite shawl pattern that I picked up for free at Michael’s back many months ago.  All I could think about while I was making it was the Caribbean.  Therefore, I’m calling it my Caribbean Aphrodite.  I actually wore it to work on Friday over a white tank and got several compliments on it.  It really turned out nice.  The picture doesn't really do the color justice, but I’m not sure how to get better ones.

Finally, we get to two pieces that I made starting in February and finishing up in April.  (It took a good bit longer than planned, thanks to being interrupted by the whole “problem” at the apartment…)  These two hold very special places in my heart.

You see, my friend Ron from work is fighting liver cancer.  Back in February he went out on medical leave to begin his chemo treatment.  Ron is a wonderful person and has never hesitated to help where he can and is a very wonderful, kind person.  It really makes me sad to see him so upset and sick.

I made a shawl for his wife Beverly and a large lap sized afghan for Ron.  They’re both the same pattern and the end of the skein used on Beverly’s shawl is what I used to start Ron’s blanket.

Here’s the note I put in with it.  (It’s long, but I can’t post these pictures without posting the note.  Oh, and I made a boo-boo, they have 3 daughters, not 2.)

Dear Ron and Beverly,

When Ron told me he was fighting cancer and that he was going to be out for therapy, I knew in my heart that I had to make something.  My solution to problems usually involves yarn, a hook and some quiet contemplation.  Keeping my hands busy so my mind can think.

When I bought the yarn, my first thought was to make a wonderful blanket for Ron when he’s resting in the recliner or to possibly keep a chill off while at doctor’s offices or at treatment.  But then, I realized that I needed to take care of the caregiver almost more than Ron.  Beverly, you have been Ron’s support, confidant and best friend for a long time.  You two have been through a lot together, raising two daughters and welcoming a grandson into the world.  You are his rock, and I thank you for this.

I realized after finishing the shawl for Beverly, that it was far from perfect.  Some of the stitches are uneven or slightly out of place or even just plain missing.  But, the more I thought about it, the more I realized that’s how life is.  The final product may be beautiful from a distance, but when you get up close, there are all kinds of little things that don’t seem perfect.  It has taken me a long time to take to heart my dad’s message of “there’s no such thing as perfect”, but I think I finally get it.  Life from a distance is perfect, the every day living of it, is not.  The shawl and the blanket are both beautiful, warm and comforting, just as life is.  And just as life is, when you look at it closely, it’s a common thread knotted and woven through good times and bad, places where the pattern we want was followed exactly, and places where it gets a little messy.  In the end, it is beautiful, despite the rough spots and the problems.

I hope you both find these warm and comforting, now in the tough times and in the future as well.  I hope they bring you joy for a very long time to come.

I received a wonderful card in response.  They both love their gifts, and it warms my heart to know I could bring some warmth into their lives right now.

I think this is where I’m going to leave it.  I do have plans for more crochet coming up.  I still need to make something for Ethan, my newest little cousin (well, son of my cousin) and my friend Treats is due with a little boy in October.  I wish I’d gotten something done for Ethan before he was born, but with everything going on at the apartment, it just wasn’t going to happen.

Peace to all and may your projects be fun and your hearts full of joy.

Lazy Weekend

OK, so it's been a bit since I posted.  I'd love to say that it's because we've been having grand adventures and I just didn't have time to post anything.  I'd be lying.
Friday was good in the fact that it was the end of the week.  I'm still fighting tooth and nail to find my job interesting and actually pay attention to it.  It is interesting, but there are so many non-work related things I'd rather be doing that I just don't care enough about work.  Oh well.  I've got to get over this and fast though.
Friday evening was the tree lighting at the little triangle "park" right near the house.  This meant traffic was all kinds of blocked off and crazy.  Therefore, instead of picking Gak up and coming home from dinner, I took the sheet of Friendly's coupons that just came in the mail and we went out for dinner.  Boo actually ate very well.  He ate about 3/4 of his grilled cheese sandwich, a few fries and about 1/3 of his ice cream.  Of course, I finished off his ice cream for him..... Gak would have but had a bigger sundae to begin with, one of their lava cake sundaes.  It looked yummy but way too much.
Anyhow, Saturday we got the first snow of the season.  Boo and I didn't leave our PJ's all day.  Nope, we snuggled and played and he napped and I played all day.  He did spend a good bit of time standing on the radiator (with me right behind him) watching the snow and the traffic and the people.  I now really need to wash the windows, I think he left about a quarter inch of boy fingerprints and spit on them.  It is so worth it though.
Friday evening he was feeling a bit off.  He was a little warm, but not a real fever.  I figure he's fighting a bit of a cold from school off, dealing with the H1N1 vaccine and is a little out of sorts due to the teeth coming in.  That's part of why we didn't go anywhere Saturday and made Gak drive himself.  Saturday night was a long night because Boo just didn't sleep well.  Twice in the middle of the night (well, 2 am and 6 am) he woke up not happy.  Both times I pulled him into our bed for a little bit and he spent 45 minutes to an hour just kicking me.  The second time Gak gave up and got up with him.  Luckily Boo took a nap fairly early and (amongst other things) I was able to get the laundry and grocery shopping done while he napped for at least part of the time.  It's kinda sad that going and doing laundry without my boy is seen as a relaxing, enjoyable thing.  Oh well.

So, that's what we've been up to.  Last night I crocheted a "mitten keeper" for Boo's mittens.  I'm more worried about me loosing his mittens than him loosing them!  It's also too cold for him not to have them right now.  I love fleece material.  I had bought him a new hat and mitten set (couldn't find any plain mittens that would be very warm without being too big) that are fleece.  He didn't really need the hat, but I figure having an extra around is never a bad idea.  And it was an ear-flap one that velcros at his chin, another good thing.  I'm sure everyone remembers either those little metal and ribbon clip things that we used to use on our mittens or gloves to keep them attached to our jackets or have seen mittens tied together with a long string.  Well, I decided to crochet one for Boo's mittens.  Because they're fleece, I was able to just make a small slit in the fabric, join my yarn with a couple of single crochets, chain a very long chain, make a few more single crochets at the other end and slip stitch back along the chain to the original end to make the thing a little stronger.  Yes, I made sure to measure before starting and the "rope" is more than long enough.  His jacket is one of those where you can unzip the lining and wear it separately.  So, to prevent getting tangled up with clothes and to avoid being too annoying, I threaded the mittens between the layers.  So now, if he decided to ditch his mittens for whatever reason, they won't go too far.

Well, I've been rambling on long enough.  I've got to start getting my butt ready and out the door.

Peace to all and may your weekends be comfortable and the season be merry.

Crafty Girl Update

Sorry all, this is just going to be a quick crafty girl update. No real boy news in this one. I finally got a few projects done, and I want to share.

First up, is the project that took the longest and the one I'm the most proud of. I started this sweater before I found out I was pregnant with Boo. I finished it a couple of weeks ago. If you want to see more than just this one picture, you'll have to go to my Flickr. I finally had the nerve, and the weather was cool enough, to wear this to work on Friday. I got several compliments on it. It's very warm and snuggly. I'm not sure how well it will wear though, it's beginning to pill a bit already. That's what I get for using acrylic yarn. But it was warm... and snuggly. I think this is the 2nd werable other than a hat that I've felt comfortable wearing outside the house. The other was a tank I made out of cotton yarn, but it got wider and shorter after a few washings, so didn't last. Much to my unhappiness. Oh well.

This is a hat that I made Boo from some of the left overs from the sweater. No, this isn't Boo wearing the hat, but Scout. She willingly modeled it for me after Boo ripped it off his head for the 5th time in a minute. Since the spring when he figured out how to take hats off his head, he's decided he doesn't want to wear them. Oh well. Maybe when it gets colder we'll be able to convince him.

This last project was another one for me. My fingers get really cold working on the computer all day at work. This probably won't help with the fingers so much, but will keep my hands warmer, which may keep my fingers warmer. Made from sock weight yarn that's 50% wool, 25% bamboo and 25% nylon. Warm and snuggly and pretty cool looking too.

Anyhow, I'm off. Just wanted to post a quick crafty girl update to prove that I still find the occasional 5 minutes now and again to have fun with yarn.

Peace to all and may you get some creative time in.

Productive?

Well, I have a husband home again, and that makes me happy. I'm glad he got to go to his brother's wedding, but I did miss him while he was gone. Boo, on the other hand, didn't really seem too put out by it. That, while it may break Gak's heart, is a good thing over all.

Last night I had to stay up kinda late, well, really late for me, to let him in. He'd left his keys here so they wouldn't get lost. This meant I had time last night. I thought about logging my little, well not so little any more, monk in, but I just didn't feel like it. Instead, I worked on something that's been bugging me. A sweater I started before I even knew I was pregnant with Boo. Yep, 2 years in the process. I'd all the pieces except the hood done, so I sewed them all together. I wasn't sure if I wanted to do the hood, but I think I will. The sweater is very warm and snuggly, but not too bulky, which is nice. It fits fairly well too, which is a good thing. It may be a "Friday" sweater at work, but mostly a weekender. I decided that I would do the hood after all and made some nice progress on that as well. No, no pictures yet, I was too tired and like daylight for this.

I just wish I could be this productive at work. Despite how busy we are and how much I've got to get done, I've got a huge case of "don't give a damn" right now and am easily distracted by anything remotely shiny. *Sigh* The price I pay for having a boss who really didn't care for 4 years, I got lazy and it's been a hard fight to get back to the top of my game. I'm no where near that yet and it frustrates the snot out of me. Bah.

But, speaking of work, I'd better go get dressed and wake Gak because I hear a boy stirring.

Peace to all and may you be able to get things done.

Pumpkin Pi and Other Fall Clasics

First off.....

WE WON!

(we'll be continuing this post in a light cyan, as I can't figure out how to get back to my "normal" color since it isn't on the pick list...)

Yes, that's right, Philadelphia finally has a championship in a major league sport for the first time in about 25 years, which is actually longer than I've been living in the region.  It's been 14 years (since I was a senior in high school) since the Phills went to the Series.  We've been so close, but so far for so many years, I'm not sure how the city will react.  I'm sure it'll be sheer chaos at work......

I have to admit, I didn't watch the game.  Nope, I only watched about 6 innings of the entire Phills playoff run this season.  It seemed to work better that way.  (I did enjoy the Ray's game I caught though...)

Ok, back to "normal" posting.  The picture at the top of the post is my entry for today's "Pumpkin carving and decorating contest" at work.  No, I didn't carve it, and technically, it's not even really a pumpkin.  But it is decorated, and looks like a pumpkin.

And it has my sense of humor.

Luckily I work with engineers, so hopefully some will at least understand, and a few will even chuckle.

Yes, I crocheted a Pumpkin Pi.

No, I didn't set out to make Pi.  I originally was going to make my pumpkin a traditional Jack-O-Lantern face.  But nothing I was trying this morning was working.  (Don't you just love how I don't finish things until the last minute??  Drives my Mom and my teachers in school crazy...)  So, inspiration hit and I made Pi.  I'm debating if I should take it in the pie tin or not.  I think I will, for those who are a bit math challenged.  (Or those who just don't get my sense of humor... which is most people *sigh*)

Anyhow, I'm off to get dressed.  (We're having a costume contest as well and since I have no "real" costume, I'm going to wear my hard hat and my many pocketed vest and call myself Wendy.  Anyone with children who were watching PBS about 4 or 5 years ago, know who I'm talking about...)

Peace to all and may dreams come true and your humor be appreciated.

Done!

Wow! Another post already! This one I've been working on since Sunday.

The title says it all. Actually, I was hoping to add a few more things to the "done" list, but I'm actually quite impressed.

On a non-craft note, Gak and I got Addey up to level 80 Tuesday night instead of having the bed moved. We'd tried to do this on Sunday, but just couldn't quite get there with some of the groups we ended up in. I'm not sure weather to be happy or sad about that event. I mean, sure, it's neat to "finish"... but... I liked the challenge of getting there. Don't worry, there is still tons of stuff to keep me occupied. I'm just done accumulating levels for the moment, not having fun.

On to the craft side. Saturday was quite productive for me really. I finished up the sweater I'd been working on for Boo. I know, he's a late spring baby, but I have the time (and the stash) now, so I made this sweater in the 12 month size. The pattern wasn't too bad, again if you have a clue of how things should look. It's a beginner pattern, if they'd clean up a few cloudy instructions in a few places. It was a freebie download from Lion Brand. I will tell you this... as nice as the microspun feels and looks, I may or may not use it again. It is so soft it just kinda falls apart.

The real tragedy was Sunday. I was trying to finish up the project that mom and I started. I was almost done too, only one more seam. Then disaster struck.

See.

This is the pin that cause the problem.

I mean, how many times do you run over pins while sewing and nothing happens? Oh well... I'll get it fixed after I get back from Minnesota.

Well, Ed just got here to take me to the airport, guess I'd better finish this up and get moving.

Peace to all and have a good week.

Baby Crafts

Warning.... crafty Momma ramble ahead...

Well, Like I said yesterday, I finished up Boo's blankie. Last night and this morning, in a vain attempt to use up the rest of the leftover yarn, I created a vest and diaper cover. I still have an almost full skein of yellow and about a half skein of green! I'm sure some project will use them up... I hope....

I acutaly spent from about 8am until almost noon working on finishing up the last little bit of the vest (edging... yet again...) and creating the diaper cover. I found both patterns for free online. I'm not as happy with the vest. It's pretty cute and all, but it's just not my favorite. The pattern wasn't very clear in a few places, luckilly I know what a vest should look like and how to count. The one really nice thing about it is that you only had to stitch the shoulder seams, no side seams to try and line up. But let me tell you, changing colors every two rows stinks when you have to weave in ends. Normally I just work over them, but the open-ness of this pattern didn't make that look so hot. Oh well. I'm just hoping the crotch part of the diaper cover is long enough. We'll find out in a handfull of months now, won't we? I'm also thinking it may be a little wide, but that's easy to fix with a small piece of elastic threaded thorugh the waist. Now I really can't wait for Boo to get here, I need to see if what I made fits him!

Ok, enough crafty baby-ness for one post. I swear, I really do have thoughts other than about yarn and Boo... or Boo and yarn... or just Boo... or just yarn...

For example, Gak and I had a great time running through a pretty cool dungeon in EQII yesterday morning. We went with a handful of guildies. (Oh, yeah, I forgot to tell you, I pulled Addey from Wings of Fate and joined up with Despair... great group!) We also had a necro from another guild who was pathetic. And they accidentally bid on, and won, a no-trade item that Gak really, really, really could have used. Oh well. They appologized at any rate. Still a bit cranky about it, but that just means we don't need to group with them again. Anyhow, it was very nice to just be able to go out and have an adventure with a group for a bit.

Well, I've got to go start supper. Gak should be home from work in a bit. Peace to all, and may you have fun adventures and things that make you smile.

Clean!

... Well, sort of.

Yesterday was a very, very productive day.
We found the closet!
There are no more packed boxes in the apartment!
We took 6 boxes of trash and 2 boxes of stuff for Good Will out of the apartment!
I'm exhausted.

Mom came up around 11 and other than a break to go grab some lunch, buy some fabric and yarn and a photo frame, we worked almost non-stop from then until about 5:00. There is so much room in the closet now! There is actually empty shelf space. Mind you, the back bedroom is still a disaster area and a half and I don't want to think about our current bedroom at the moment either, but we're getting there.
Mom was great about getting me to make decisions and go through stuff. Some days it is the getting started and the keeping going that's the hardest part. When you've got someone to talk with and hang out with who isn't invested in what you're cleaning up, it helps. I mean, doing this with just me and Gak would be pretty hard, we don't push each other enough to get rid of things or make the tough choices. We just shove it aside and pretend to do it. I'm just as guilty, if not more so, of this than he is. Therefore, we're not much help for each other in this.
I really do need to get better pictures of the dinning room, and the picture wall in the hall. It finally looks like a real dinning room and put together. That's good because it's right inside the front door. We also even ate dinner at the dinning room table last night!
Hopefully this week I'll be able to go through my yarn stash and get rid of some *gasp*. Hopefully I'll get to the point where I can put the "unspoken for" yarn into the storage thing and put the yarn for specific projects together into bags and get it all into the closet. I think I have a lot more yarn than I thought I did. Unfortunately, not much of any one thing. Well, I do have enough for mom's afghan, but that's only because we bought it on Sunday.
I still have to finish the border for Boo's blankie and then I'll share it. I still can't find my pattern book of edgings and borders. Oh well, I may just have to wing it or find one from another afghan that I like and steal it. I need one big enough to add an inch or two to each side. Not too difficult when working with double-stranded yarn. I also need to measure my one blanket and make a plan of attack for Mom's. I'm going to try and make it 5 squares by 7, but it may take some fancy math. I guess I should figure out if the green or the blue should be the "main color" as there is definitely a difference in amount of yarn of each color needed.
Ok. I'm totally rambling about yarn. I guess I should stop. Sorry, it's on my mind as it's the next part of the mess that needs tackling and something I enjoy any how.
Hopefully in two weeks when Mom comes back up, we'll be able to make some real progress in the back room. Then we can move the bed into there (I really need to pick up new curtains first...). Then I can clean out the other room and start getting it ready for Boo. I've already got some stuff for him floating around the apartment and it would be nice to get it all in one place.

I hopefully will be this productive at work the next week or two. I'm still frustrated by the lack of movement on what's happening to my position (and me for that matter) after March. I've got some other projects that are keeping me busy, but it's mostly busywork. The only reason it's getting done is that I've got people hounding me for it and I can't ignore it.
So, on that note, back to the code and the issues at hand.

Peace to all and may you have productive weekends, good weeks and much less clutter in your lives!

Decorations

Well, I finally got around to uploading the pictures of some of the decorations. (I'm working from home this afternoon and needed a quick break from staring at the manual I'm trying to rework... Shhh... I also managed to make a batch of cookies between edits and emails...)
Here is our cute little tree. It's a 4.5' tall one. It is standing on a chest/seat thing I got from Ikea. It holds all the spare blankets and such. Putting it on here makes it almost as tall as Gak. No, I don't have a picture for comparison. You can see the tree skirt I made. Luckily, all of the messy bits are near the back and at the edge. I thought this "Christmas Bandanna" pattern was pretty cool. (That and it was on super-duper sale!)

This is what made me pause and tear up when I first opened my box of decorations. This is the stocking that Gram originally made for Mom, but is now mine, back when I was little. I had to have been less than 7 or 8, probably more like 5. When I packed up this box of Christmas about 4 years ago now, I wasn't expecting the first time I opened it back up to be just a few weeks after Gram passed. There were several things in this box that reminded me of her.
Looking at it, I think I can create another one. I just have to figure out how to make half granny squares. I'm sure I can figure it out though. I'm not sure if she was following the pattern or disliked joining squares as much as I did, since she slip-stitched them together instead of whip stitched.

Here is one of the apples that are hanging on my tree. Mom bought this ages ago. I guess when we were going through ornaments I thought they were cute or something. I'm not sure. I like them, though and they look nice on the tree.

Here is my Christmas Mouse candle holder. It's got one of the candles intended for one of those whirlygig things in the holder. I don't have any tapers and forgot to pick some up at the store. He's a real cutie. No, as far as I know, he doesn't have a name. I do believe at one time there was a second one, with the candle on the other side. I may be wrong though.

Just to show you I've been creative for a long time, here is a school project from Kindergarten. We were living in Kansas at the time, so of course it's made out of wheat. Mom has at least one beautiful example of wheat art on her tree, but this is one that I made. I'm still proud of it; I just wish the bow would lay flat better. (Not my fault, the teacher tied that on.)

Well, I'd best be getting back to my editing. Peace to all and may your holiday be filled with good memories and family.

Picture Time! (or not...)

Ok. I promised you all pictures on Sunday. I finally had a chance to download the pictures from the camera, clean them up and pick the best. You can see everything I thought worth sharing over on my Flickr. Unfortunately, Blogger is having issues when I try and insert pictures. I guess you'll just have to go over to Flicker. *Sigh* I really wanted to share them here!

Yesterday Gak and I went down to Maryland to help get Gram's apartment in order. It's a long task and will probably take Mom several more weekends. She's not pushing herself to get it done. Sure, it'll cost us (Gram) more money the longer we take, but that's not the big concern right now. Parts of the day were hard. Shortly after getting there the three of us went down to Gram's new room to visit. They all sang Happy Birthday to me (it's Friday) and she gave me a little gift and a card. I didn't read the card out loud. I'm not sure I could have. The gift was a little angel (not angle) from her collection. She and Mom have gone through her huge collection and have decided who will get which one for Christmas this year. I know that when she does go, I'll have my own angel looking down on me.
Gak and I also decided we'd inherit the dining room furniture as well as the good dishes and a few other things. We found some real treasures, at least to me. We found some of Gram's old Girl Scout membership cards from when she was young. Scouts was something very important in my life and she always encouraged me in it, so these were really special to me. Mom's going to gather them and some other Scout stuff she's found and frame it all together. It'll look great. I also came home with a foot stool that Bill Baumgardner made at Log Cabin Hill ages ago, a few mugs and something else even more special.
Gram is the one who taught me to crochet when I was about 7 or 8. She taught me how to do needlepoint with plastic canvas when I was about 5 or 6. She always has encouraged me in my crafty explorations. She's always claimed that she's a very good technician, but not much of an artist. Artist or not, when I was little, what she did was magic! Mom found in her sewing things the little red vinyl zipper pouch I remember from childhood. In it was about 30 or 40 crochet hooks of various sizes and styles. There were also a few yarn needles for weaving in ends. I will treasure them for ever. I know it makes her happy that I've picked up the hooks again. I think of her often as I'm hooking along. Just one of the many ways she'll always be with me.

Well, I've got to go pick up Gak from work, and then I'm probably going to crash. I've got some odds and ends to do tomorrow to get ready for Thanksgiving. This year Mom it completely taking the day off. Gak and I are going to Kat's for dinner and Mom and Dad are having sandwiches. I don't blame her, she hasn't had a day off in almost a year practically with everything that's been going on.
Peace to all and may you have pictures that post and a loving connection to the past.