Crochet and more

Spring has Sprung!

2011-04-16T16:55:00.000-04:00

Not much to show for my crafting this time around, but I do have some photos of the flowers in my messy garden. My FIL planted the garden when the in-laws were living in this house, and we haven't done much with it since. I added one plant, and I try to weed every now and then. Here are some photos of what we have growing at the moment.

And some project updates:

These are a few face cloths I've made for the Adopt-A-Mom collection we have going on at work. We are going to try and put together some Mother's Day gift bags with various goodies in them.

Here's my latest find at the $1 store. They had a great variety, so of course I had to get too many of them. But I didn't have any girly ones in my stash, so now I'm set for a while. They need to be bordered.

That's it for the moment. Hope to have lots more flower photos, and even more progress pictures for my crafts, or better yet, maybe some FO's!

Update to my 2011 List

2011-04-02T12:15:00.000-04:00

Crochet

- Edging on baby blankets (Blanket a, b, c, d & e): one left in stock, might pick up some more
- GGG for donation: Taking this off the list. I gave my sister all the yarn for lapghan squares
- Kaleidoscope, add more to current ghan: Have lots of scraps and I'm ready to start working on this again
- 12 inch squares to be made into lapghans for donation (Lapghan A, B): Also taking this off the list for same reason as GGG
- Becky's squares joined into an afghan (Lapghan C, D, E, F): Finished a few of these, and taught her how to join, so I will only help when she gets overwhelmed

- Halloween ornaments: long time away, so haven't thought about these

- Crochet A Rainbow Squares: finished mine, waiting for a bunch from MIL to send off.

- Hearts

Knitting

- Pink sparkle hat for gal at work

- Hearts

- Mini stockings and Christmas Ornaments: Better get started on these, Christmas is just around the corner!

- Tree of Life baby ghan (Progress 1): I've made great progress on this one, gotta keep at it.

Sewing

- Color books for a few little ones

Baby Blanket Borders and a Lapghan

2011-04-02T12:04:00.000-04:00

It's been over a month, and I don't feel like I have very much crafting to show off. Work has been very tiring, and I haven't even felt like crafting, which I should force myself to do so I can relax. It's settled a bit now, and I'm adding crafting into my daily routine as much as possible.

A few weekends ago I spent some quality time with my sisters and a close friend for girls weekend. During that time I taught our friend to sc around a baby blanket to make a border. Don't think I got a picture of the one she was working on, but here are some that I've finished.

My sister has been plugging away at squares for lapghans. We're still trying to work through my stash of randomness. I'd like to start fresh, and get my craft room cleared out as much as possible so I can set it up for all of my crafty fun!

With all the 8 round grannies she finished previously, we set them out to be stitched together. I had one finished before girls weekend, and then I put another one together to show her how to join them. I hope she takes pictures of the one's she's completed, I love seeing the finished product. Here are the two that I've finished.

That's it for the moment. I have one more baby blanket to border, my Tree of Life to Knit, and my Kaleidoscope to work on. I'm sure there's plenty more I'm forgetting, but those are the one's I'm going to concentrate on the next few weeks, unless I get bored.

Lots of Ends to Weave

2011-02-16T09:54:00.000-05:00

It's been a while since I updated. Didn't realize it was quite so long. Been very busy with work, crafting, cleaning, visiting my new baby nephew.

I finished 3 more squares for the comfortghan. Found the pattern in a crochet block book at Barnes & Noble a week or so ago.

A baby blanket from the $1 store I added an edging to. one round of sc, then rhdc. I didn't think it needed anything frilly b/c of the color contrast and the cute little giraffe.

Two more blankets ready for edges, then I'll have to go shopping for more.

One that I finished last month.

My Valentine's Items: Knit hearts, Crocheted hearts, Heart doily.

Pink & Green Baby Ripple, finally finished last month.

Baby Tree Of Life

Comfortghan Squares

2011-01-24T14:54:00.000-05:00

There was a request in my craft forum for some squares for a dear friends' nieces and nephew. Here's are the two that I made for the girls. I used the Cross My Heart Square pattern.

And one for the boy. I used the Leaf Square pattern for his.

Not certain what my next project will be. In February I'll be starting the Baby Tree of Life. I hope I'll have the patience and drive to finish it. I haven't done any large knitting projects!

Week in Review

2011-01-22T10:40:00.000-05:00

Not too much crafting this week except finishing off those lapghans. I dropped them off at my sisters house and showed her how to do a sc edging around. Prior to that I only taught her dc for the granny squares. I also gifted her a bunch of yarn so she can work on more lapghans. I gave her a bunch of greens and blues. I'll try to remind her about taking a photo of her FOs.

On Wednesday I decided I needed to start something new and different, so I looked through the Knitting box calendar and found a pattern for a Baby Leaves Hat. I finished it on Friday. I probably should have used a solid color, but all the colors I had were too dark, so I just used up the last bit of the purple tweed that I had.

I have some comfortghan squares to make this coming week, and I'm looking for a simple baby hat to make out of some of my Vanna's choice yarn to use up some of that, and have a quick and satisfying projects. I may also pull out my Kaleidoscope ghan to get back to that. I'll have to figure out how many more motifs I'll need to make it the recommended size.

Tomorrow I'm having my official wedding ceremony with our parents, so not sure how much craft time I'll have. We had our ceremony and reception in October, but we didn't have a license because my SO was in the process of changing his last name. So tomorrow it will be official!!

Snowy Night

2011-01-18T03:34:00.000-05:00

After a long night (3:30pm-1am) at work, I leave to find about 2 inches of snow covering my car. The snow started just before 10pm and just kept falling. Fortunately there weren't very many cars on the road at 1am, because the roads were a mess. There were no plows, and it was very hard to tell if any salt was put down. My street was definitely not touched, and it didn't look like anyone drove down it for a couple hours.

I've been working on 12 inch crocheted squares to join into lapghans for donation. So far I've completed two ghans.

Baby Goodies

2011-01-15T11:02:00.000-05:00

One of my close friends is having a baby next month!! Her shower was in November this past year, and of course I had to make her some goodies!! She's having a boy and the theme of the party was the Alphabet.

I whipped up this blanket in no time. Well, it seemed to go quick, but I worked on it every waking moment since I was a bit of a procrastinator.

I also put together a Diaper Cake at my sister's request.

Everyone admired both gifts and of course my friend loved them!

Fingerless Mitts!

2011-01-13T19:00:00.000-05:00

Sometime in December while working on the computer I decided I could use something to keep my hands warm. So I looked up a pattern for fingerless mitts. A friend pointed me to the New Moon Alice Mitts. It is such a nice pattern.

This is the first pair I made. I couldn't find a color that I wanted to make for myself, so my cousin asked for Black & White stripes which I had, so hers were up first.

Next I made my own, which of course I don't have a picture for. Mine are a burgundy color.

I got orders from a couple friends, sister, and my other cousin. Multi-color for a friend, solid black for another (no picture), blue for my cousin, and purple tweed for another friend.

I also made an orange and green pair for my sister and another black stripes for her boyfriend. Don't have a picture of his yet either.

Blankets to Donate

2011-01-12T13:33:00.000-05:00

I taught my sister to crochet granny square last year so she picked up some yarn and had a ball. She made lots of squares. I think 195 squares total: half green and half blue.

It was my task to join them. I started this task on our Girls Weekend in April. I used a join-as-you-go method that I made up while I was working on it. I continued with another granny round, but would sc in the ch1 spaces for the sides to be joined to one another.

The first one I finished on January 9 with a Cafe colored border.

And the second one I finished today with a Rose colored border.

There are a lot of ends to weave in, but I'm not up for that task. She'll have to learn to do it, or ask the ladies at the Church she's donating the blankets to help her with that.

My sister is having a ball with the granny pattern, so she'd been making Giant Granny Ghans lately. I've been whipping up 12 inch squares that I'll join to donate.

Start of 2011

2011-01-08T11:58:00.001-05:00

Since I'm such a slacker with this blog, I think I'm going to do something quick and easy and just list the projects that I have going right now and the ones that I have planned for sometime this year.

Crochet
- Edging on baby blankets
- GGG for donation
- Kaleidoscope, add more to current ghan
- 12 inch squares to be made into lapghans for donation
- Becky's squares joined into an afghan

- Halloween ornaments

Knitting

- Pink sparkle hat for gal at work

- Mini stockings and Christmas Ornaments

- Tree of Life baby ghan

Sewing

- Color books for a few little ones

Highlights Post 1

2010-06-13T18:47:00.000-04:00

My winning entry for the Crochet Today! Stitch to Win Contest!

Hex sweater.

Baby blankets that were donated.

My second place ATW at the SoLanCo Fair 2008!

MIL's Christmas Present

Another Year Has Gone By!

2010-06-11T19:47:00.000-04:00

WOW! I've been so out of touch with my blog. Guess it's time to get back on track. So, here's what's been going on with my life.

Most important news: I'm engaged to be married this October!!! I'm so excited, but there's still a lot of planning to do. We'll be picking our date this Sunday and then I'll feel like we can definitely move forward with the plans. I have my dress already, and my girls have theirs ordered. We also have a location for our reception picked out!

What else, work's been so-so lately. It could certainly be better, but it could also be much worse! The important think about my job is I'm happy where I am the majority of the time, and that's what counts.

School, don't even want to talk about it. I've been such a slacker. I'm still trying to bring the focus back to finishing my M.S. It's been too long, and I'm ready to have it done! Then I'll think about looking for a job in my field. Still not sure what I want to be when I grow up.

Ok, now down to business!

Crafting!! I've been working away at various projects, but certainly not as much as I'd like. I have a handful of projects on the go right now, and a slew of projects that I've completed over the past year. There will be more details forthcoming!!

It's been too long!

2009-03-21T13:46:00.000-04:00

Just realized it's been nearly a year since my last post!!

I've been busy working, hanging out on Crochetville, playing pogo and crocheting. There's lots of pictures I should post, but don't have the time to go through them at the moment. Maybe later this evening (hopefully I'll remember) I'll get some up.

Package from Wednesday

2008-04-04T21:21:00.000-04:00

I got another package from my Secret Pal on Wednesday. Well, it might have arrived on Monday or Tuesday, but I didn't get home until Wednesday.

I got a beautifully crocheted round ripple that reminds me of the sun! I LOVE IT!

There was also a package of Clover soft touch hooks and Afghans for all Seasons
AND... 10 balls of The Leader in lovely coral color.

This is what the ripple looked like when I got home from work tonight. It looks like it is glowing!

Happy Birthday TO ME!

2008-04-04T21:01:00.001-04:00

Thank you so very, very much Secret Pal! I really wish I knew who you were!

On Saturday, March 22, I went galavanting with my boyfriend in the morning. We got back just in time for the mail man to deliver the box directly to my hands after we pulled into the driveway!

Here's what I got!

List of Goodies
- hoop&yoyo Birthday Card
- $25 Gift card to Michael's
- Crocheted Birthday Cupcake!
- Toys to Crochet
- Crochet for Babies
- Crocheted Basket filled with
+ Fruit Pumice Stoen
+ tissues
+ Foot Soak/Lotion
+ Face Tonic
+ Surfboard Nail files
+ Loofah Sponge
+ Facial Buff
+ Bath Mitt
+ Red note pad
+ Red change purse
+ Red magnet album
+ Red heart mirror
- Crocheted washcloth
- 5 balls of Bambino yarn
- 2 skeins of Red Heart Soft Baby in Naptime

I've been so spoiled! I hope I didn't forget anything.

Thanks again!

Birthday Cookies and Easter Surprise!

2008-04-04T20:55:00.000-04:00

After receiving four Birthday cards the week before my Birthday I was not expecting two boxes to be sitting on my chair when I got home from work that Friday.

The first one was a wonderful box of cookies for my Birthday. They were delicious!!

The second package was all about Easter!

Easter Basket full of goodies!
- CuddleKins Rabbit
- Chirping chick dressed as a bunny
- Lamb egg filled with Hershey Kisses
- Peeps
- Lindt chocolate bunnies
- Malted Milk eggs
- Reese's Peaunt butter egg
- Cadbury eggs
- Russell Stover Marshmallow egg
- Reese's Pieces
- Lindt Bugs & Bees chocolates
- Cookie shaped like an Easter egg
- Chocolate Milk Mixer
- Easter stickers
- Sensations Bellazza Collection Canditi in Canditi Cream (4 balls)
- Bernat Satin in Banana, Spring, and Star Dust (3 balls total)
- almost forgot... a cute egg shaped candy dish.

Birthday Cards and Bookmarks

2008-04-04T20:52:00.000-04:00

I got 4 cute Happy "not yet" Birthday cards the week before my Birthday!

In the cards
- red bookmark
- $25 Gift Card to A.C. Moore
- lizard bookmark
- $25 Gift Card to Jo Ann Fabric

I was very spoiled that week!

Thanks soooooo much Spring!

St Patrick's Day

2008-04-04T20:46:00.000-04:00

Look what I got from my Secret Pal! A wonderful St Patrick's Day Surprise!

In this package
- Corned Beef
- Cabbage
- fuzzy socks
- shamrock book mark
- shamrock fridgie
- chocolate money
- St Pat's Day sign
- St Pat's Bandanna

Second Package from Secret Pal!

2008-04-04T20:38:00.000-04:00

My Secret Pal has spoiled me. This is the second package I received. This one I got on March 6th.

In this package was the following:
- A nice not one cute froggy paper
- Gourmet Popcorn Cluster (that might end up being my breakfast)
- Trolli Sour Brite Crawlers (gonna have to take them to the movies)
- Patons Classic Merino: 2 Burgundy, 1 Regency (love both colors)
- 3 beautifully handmade stitch markers: 2 frogs and 1 dragonfly
- Froggy stickers
- 101 Fun-to-Quilt Pot Holders
- Water Soluble Fabric Marking Pencil
- Rotary Cutter, and last but not least
- 24 BEAUTIFUL Quarter Flats!

Thanks so much Secret PAL!!

Loot from Secret Pal

2008-02-23T20:22:00.000-05:00

Here's the wonderful package that I received from my Spring Secret Pal.

We barely started the spring swap when this box arrived, and it had all of my favorite things in it!
-Lion boucle in Parfait (4 balls)
-Sugar 'n Cream
- Playtime (2)
- Swimming Pool (1)
- Sunshine (1)
- Beautifully crocheted Mug mats (4) in red, my FAV color!!
- Crochetville Mug filled with hot cider and cappuccino packets
- Tea variety pack (all my favorite flavors)
- Ferrero Rocher (I'm addicted to these things)
- Giant Hershey's w/ Almonds (love these as well)
- Ladybug note pad with magnet
- Post-it flags
- Letter A Post-its
- More Post-its Heart, Flower, and Leaf shaped!
- Kangaroo keychain
and last but certainly not least
- Bernat easy living with crochet pattern booklet
- LA contest favorite dishcloths
- free pattern sheets (knit and crochet)

Thanks so much Secret Pal!!

Christmas Presents

2008-02-23T20:21:00.000-05:00

I crocheted a hooded scarf for a friend of the family, and my boyfriend knit this beautiful pink scarf for a coworker.

Christmas Crochet

2008-02-23T20:19:00.000-05:00

I crocheted a Christmas tree skirt and a bunch of fridgies/keychains.

Pamper Me Christmas Gift

2008-02-23T20:16:00.001-05:00

I knitted up a few facecloths in my friend's mother's favorite color for her Christmas present. I included some yummy smelling bath products, a candle, and a cute candle charm.

And the finished basket ready to go.

And one facecloth that I knit to try the pattern first, don't remember what I did with it, might have given it away already.

Felted Bags

2008-02-23T20:09:00.000-05:00

I crocheted the ripple purses as gifts for the gals that helped me out after starting a new job at Victoria's Secret. They were all surprised! I hope they liked them!

Pre-felting

Post-felting

And the knit purse I made for my aunt as a Christmas present!

Squares

2008-02-23T20:07:00.000-05:00

I've got more squares too, just haven't gotten pictures yet! Shame on me!

Lots of finished objects!

2008-02-23T20:00:00.000-05:00

I made a bunch of fridgies for the Yahoo Fridgie Exchange group.

Bookmarks!

Brief Update

2008-01-28T00:32:00.001-05:00

I can't believe it's been a few months since I've posted! My last post was in September!!!

I don't feel like I've done much since then, but I've been in a slump lately when it comes to crochet, knitting, and everything. I definitely need to snap out of it. I've been kind of forcing myself to make at least one 12 inch square a night to use up some of my stash, but I haven't really been inspired to make anything special lately.

Work sucks! I can't stand the hours (or lack there of) that I get. When I applied I told the manager that I needed 40 hours a week, and she said she would give that to me...so why am I only scheduled 26.5 hours this week? How am I supposed to pay my bills?!?! Ok, done with complaining for work for the moment.

I haven't been to school since who knows when...how terrible is that! I feel like a loser. I was supposed to meet with my advisor two weeks ago, but my card decided it needed a $300 repair instead, so I couldn't get there. I am scheduled to meet with him on Tuesday and I'm going to try my hardest to make it there no matter what...unless we get a blizzard. And with my luck lately, we probably will!

I'm working at Victoria's Secret now, not sure if I've mentioned that or not, but I'm getting sick of that place. So, I applied at Borders, but they haven't called me yet. I'm still trying to decide if I want to call them and see what the deal is, or if I should just apply somewhere else.

Ok, that's enough, I need to find something to do, I'm too worked up to sleep!

More Shirts, Cables, Hearts and Stripes

2007-09-14T09:56:00.000-04:00

I've been busy these past two weeks. I've been looking for a job and trying to organize this house and move around furniture and things. I did manage to get some crocheting in of course. I also went to visit my cousins this past weekend and our art project that I took along was tie-dye. I think the kids had a good time, and here are the results, except Travis' picture is lost.

I also completed 5 squares for the Football Charity Challenge this week. I decided to do the 63 Cable Squares because I'm also apart of the CAL on the 'Ville. Here they are...

#1 Lobster Claw Cable

#3 Diamond X

#11 Cable in a Diamond

#32 Diamond X

#35 Chained Diamonds

I've made some progress on the Flag Ghan after not touching it for months. I finished all the striped squares, and I only need 9 more heart squares then I get to assemble!

And the Piano Purse which has been finished for a while.

Wedding Pics

2007-09-06T08:44:00.001-04:00

This past Sunday I attended a lovely wedding for a former coworker of mine. We used to work at CompUSA together for nearly 5 years until the store closed in May. I've got a few pics, unfortunately none of the couple.

Me and Chris

Me wearing the jewelry I got from V-Hooked for the accessory swap on Crochetville.

The gift we made for the lovely couple.

Placemats, Hotpads, Napkin Rings, and of course the lovely cake.

Squares

2007-09-04T11:17:00.000-04:00

Here are some square I made yesterday to send out for various comfortgans. The took about an hour to make each, so you can see I spent at least 4 hours yesterday crocheting. The rest of the day was spent wondering around IKEA to get furnishing ideas and BestBuy looking for a washer.

Orange!!!

2007-09-01T23:48:00.000-04:00

For some reason I was in an orange kind of mood this past week. I made 3 things that were orange! I guess considering what they are it kind of made sense, and for the cupcake that looks like an ice cream cone, I was too lazy to find another color.

Here's some pieces of the 8-Pocket tote I've been working on. Now all the pieces are complete, just have to assemble and make a lining.

And, speaking of linings. Here's the linig for the Piano purse. I still haven't sewn it in, I like to wait forever to finish the last bit of a project, not really sure why though!

Those are all the pictures I've got at the moment. I just finished a Circle Geometric Baby...guess what color!?!? ORANGE!!! and black. I'm also ready to start decorating for Halloween, but we've got a house to rearrange first, maybe I'll get some pics of the way it is now, and then take some during the process, and after it's completed. We'll be starting with moving our bedroom to another room in the house. This process will probably start on Monday, after we figure out what to do with the extra bed in the room we want our bedroom. Then, we've gotta empty everything else out and move our bed in and 2 dressers. It will be an ongoing process, but hopefully it wont take too long.

Butterflies, Cake, and more!

2007-08-27T14:43:00.000-04:00

Been working on lots of different crochet projects as usual. Got several projects completed, and still more in the works!

Here's a wedding cake I finished in two days for the wedding this coming Sunday.

My boyfriend and I are also working on a kitchen set for the rest of the present. I made hotpads and designed a napkin ring. I've still got 3 more napkin rings to make, and Chris is working on knitting placemats and has 3 more to make. I hope we get everything done in time!

My shopping spree. I got lots of goodies on clearance at Michael's and AC Moore.

The goodies I got from my Accessories Swap Partner. I've been using the lovely pink purse all the time!

And of course a whole arsenal of Butterflies!

Don't forget these cute toys for the Toy Drive.

A cute little knit baby hat! My first major knit project aside from a scarf for last Christmas.

New Pics of Projects!

2007-08-20T11:45:00.000-04:00

Finally updating. I haven't been doing much other than crocheting, house hunting, and slowly working on my thesis.

Here's my progress so far with crocheting. Lots of pictures!

The Pink Tank that I've been working on forever. The majority of it ws finished a long time ago. My boyfriend recently finished the lining. Didn't he do a spectacular job? No i just need to add straps to it. I was hoping it wouldn't need it, but turns out it does. So that will probably take another few months!

The Music Purse

Change purse for the Music Bag, before felting.

Purple Belt I designed

Pillows

Dishcloth I made when I started crocheting again a couple years ago.

Capelet I made, not sure what I'm doing with it yet. Might keep it for myself or give it to my sister.

Bracelets my sister and I made a couple weeks ago

Squares Blanket - made it up as I went. Still need to write up a pattern for it.

Piano Purse - needs handles and lining

Pink and Blue Purse

Still can't believe it's been so long since I've updated my blog!

Yarn Quiz

2007-07-24T18:16:00.000-04:00

I found out about this quiz on Crochetville.

What Kind of Yarn are You?

Baby AlpacaYou are beautiful and soft, if sometimes a little difficult. Nothing but the best for you, etc. Quality, but out of the league for the rabble.
Take this quiz!

What I've been doing Lately

2007-07-19T09:41:00.000-04:00

I have been getting a lot of crocheting done lately since I've been doing nothing else.

A couple squares for a special ghan. It will be revealed sometime probably in September, then I'll give more details. The one on the left is from the 63 Cables book. The one on the right, I made up as I went.

I practiced my Tunisian Crochet Color changes and made a dishcloth or washcloth. Not sure what to do with it yet.

Another dishcloth I made after realizing I had some Black cotton in my stash as well. I've made 15 before this out of red, cream, dark and light blue for Circle Of Friends on Crochetville.

I made a few fridgies for my fridgie swap partner on Yahoo! Groups as well.

I also organized my stash finally. I went through everything and put it in this big tote, except the scrap yarn balls I've got that are in the clothes basket. Still trying to figure out what to do with them. I guess I'll have to start a scrap ghan soon.

Here's a close up of the fancier stuff that I've got.

Here's my favorite yarn in my stash. I've just gotta figure out what to do with it now.

I've also been designing a purse, making jewelry, and working on my Flag Ghan.

Been too long

2007-07-03T22:24:00.000-04:00

Went on vacation last week. I'll have to get some pics to post. We went to Hot Springs Village, AR for my boyfriends family reunion. I had a blast! It was lots of fun and there was only a little bit of tension in the house twice maybe. We did a lot and spent a lot of time together. That was the first time I got to meet that side of his family, and it was truly awesome.

Haven't been doing much lately. Trying to plan a meeting with my advisor at school. Also trying to figure out how to get to/from and where to stay in New York. I've gotta go to Columbia to use their equipment since the stuff we have isn't working properly (story of my life). Hopefully it will all be figured out by the end of the week, so I can get started next week. I need to get this DONE!

That's all for now, time to crochet, eat, then sleep.

2007-06-20T17:41:00.000-04:00

Haven't been here in a while. Busy crocheting, trying to keep up on Crochetville, and get some school stuff done. hmmm....what have I been up to?

Crocheting lots of dishcloths for the Circle of Friends CAL on the 'ville.

Making shirts for a Family Reunion.

Tye-Dye shirts with my brother and sister

Flower and butterfly shirt I made for my sister

I also taught my sister to crochet last night, she was doing pretty good, but we'll see how it goes.

I think that's it for the moment.

Camping and Crocheting

2007-06-05T14:20:00.000-04:00

Wow, I haven't updated in a while, been busy (and lazy).

Let's see...I went camping this past weekend with my boyfriend. That was a blast. We got there around 8pm on Friday night, just in time for a thunderstorm. Fortunately it was only dripping a bit while we were setting everything up. We first set up the EZ-UP, so we could unload everything and keep it dry. Then the tent, but we couldn't find the pegs. Luckily we bought a couple last week to replace some bent ones, so we just used those. Put all the neccessary items into the tent, blew up the air mattress, etc.

Once we were finished, we sat and relaxed for a few minutes while it started to pour. Then we decided to cook some dinner. I packed sausages, hamburges, hotdogs, and some lunchmeat. We decided on the sausages so we could try out our new campstove and pots. It worked out pretty well. Later on our neighbors in the site next to us came over to say 'hi' and we chatted for a while. We were pretty tired after all that, so we just went to sleep.

On Saturday, we got up early, had some breakfast, eggs with leftover sausage. We got our bikes ready to go riding, and then we were off. We went from Green Lane to Schwenksville. The ride was nice, mostly shady and a few hills. There was one really big hill that had a 12% grade for 1/4 mile. Not exactly sure what that means, still trying to figure it out, but it was steep and we both had to get off and walk our bike up the hill. We stopped at the Ice Cream Junction in Schwenksville to cool off. Got some ice cream and waterice to cool us off, then we ate our packed lunch. We sat and relaxed for quite some time, then headed back up the hil, and down the other side. By the time we got back, I was exhausted!

We decided to relax for a bit, I crocheted, while he took a nap...I should have taken a nap too! Then we started a fire and cooked up some hamburgers and baked potatoes (which weren't cooked all the way). After dinner, we played cribbage, learned more rules as we played. Then it was time for a walk...apparently the bike ride wasn't enough! So we took a walk on the Orange Trail, meant for hikers, equestrians, and possible cross country. That trail was pretty muddy, and the path was tiny...single file line tiny. There were horseshoe prints all over, which made me really want to go horseback riding again!

When we got back from our walk, our neighbors invited us over for some salmon and hotwings. I had the salmon, it was delicious! They had a nice roaring fire already, and plenty of wood to go with it, so we sat and chatted with them for the rest of the night. They had a huge family. Grandmom and Pop Pop were there, with their kids, they have 7, and I think there might have been 5 there. They were all there with their families, most with 2 kids of their own. It was a great night. We talked about what it was like years ago camping at green lane, they've been going there their whole lives, just like me.

Sunday we got up early and packed everything up. Boyfriend had to work, what a bummer! But guess what we found hiding underneath the tent!?!? The pegs for the tent...we looked everywhere for them, next time we'll know to look there first, LOL!

Crochet news - I think I'm finished my round ripple, at least until I get some white yarn, and more scrap yarn in blue, green, and burgandy. Although, I think it is big enough now, it just needs a new home. I'm not sure what I'm going to do with it, or who it will be going to. I started making a belt to test out some accessories since I joined the accessory swap on Crochetville. I also started making a bunny, which is coming along well. I think I'm gonna make a little baby one to go with it, since I have some left over fun fur. I've also been making fridgies when I've been bored and don't want to work on a big project. It gives me time to go through all of my book and magazine, and pick out little flowers and things to make into the fridgies, and remind me of all the great patterns I will get to make eventually!

Guess that's it for the moment. I've gotta get back into working on school stuff...it's not going to finish itself (Boy do I wish it could!)

Projects from years ago

2007-05-24T12:13:00.000-04:00

Here's some pics of a barbie dress I made a long time ago and a granny blanket. When I made these I had no idea how to actually crochet. I just made it up as I went. For the blanket I think I looked at a granny halter.

I LOVE TO CROCHET!

2007-05-22T22:14:00.000-04:00

I had a great weekend! It was spent crocheting, horseback riding, gardening, and watching my boyfriend play video games!

So, this is what I crocheted...

Here's some stuff I found in the garden.

Guess that's all. I haven't posted much lately, been way to busy lately.

Monkey Business

2007-04-25T08:23:00.000-04:00

Well this week has been coming along well. I didn't really do everything on my list so far this week, except on Monday. One Sunday I had a nerve racking trip to the ER with my boyfriend who was having severe chest pain, he was diagnosed with Chest Wall Pain. His ECG looked normal and his chest X-ray looked normal. I'm still worried about him though, praying that it is not going to turn into something serious.

Some good news...My CompUSA is officially closing on the 14th of May! I can't wait!!! I've been putting off quiting that job for so long, and now I have an excuse to move on. I'm going to finish my Masters Degree and find a job. Hopefully all that pans out before the end of the summer, otherwise I might need to find another part time job since I'm not sure how much I might collect on unemployment.

Some fun news! I tested the Silly Monkey pattern for Melissa.

Feeling Better

2007-04-21T19:55:00.000-04:00

I'm feeling a little bit better today about the whole situation, but when I move back in to the Jersey house I'm going to have to come up with some guidlines for these two (possibly 3 if my boyfriend needs to come along). I'll have to figure out what they will be though. Here's what I've got so far...

1. Don't leave dishes anywhere they do not belong, including the sink (put them in the dishwasher).
2. Don't leave your clothes (clean or dirty) anywhere except your own space.
3. Don't leave your shoes in the middle of the floor (I've already told them they will be trashed if I trip over them).
4. Clean up after yourself in the bathroom (Swish & Swipe)

I guess that's all I've got for the moment.

My plans for the rest of the weekend and next week.

Tonight - use my new duster from FlyLady, crochet, organize some stuff at my boyfriends place.
Sunday - Work till 2pm, make dinner plans for the week, grocery shop, crochet, spend time with my boyfriend.
Monday - Work, cook dinner, garden, crochet
Tuesday - Work, cook dinner, Home Blessing Hour, crochet
Wednesday - Work, cook dinner, bills, next weeks menu, crochet
Thursday - AC Moore to return yarn, grocery list, errands, crochet
Friday - Work, cook dinner, date night (watch a movie)

Hopefully it will all go according to my evil plan, but now it's time to pack up and head back to PA to see my boy toy!

Life Sucks

2007-04-19T21:13:00.000-04:00

So, I realized again for the millionth time why I can't stand being in New Jersey. It has absolutely nothing to do with the state itself, or the bad drivers (which are everywhere). It has to do with the MESS that I have to live in.

I've practically living with my boyfriend for over a month now, ever since I found out that I was losing my job because the store was closing. When they announced that, they told use were were also allowed to work as much overtime as we wanted. So, since I will have no income when I'm finished there I figured I'd work a lot to get some extra money for savings while I finish school. I work in PA and my boyfried lives in PA, so why would I go back to Jersey? So, that's where I've been lately.

I am attending a Nanotechnology retreat thing in Short Hills, NJ tomorrow, so I figured I'd spend the night in Jersey to deal with less traffic during rush hour. BAD IDEA! I walked in the door and much to my surprise, the kitchen was kinda clean. There wasn't mountains of dishes in the sink, on the counter, on the stover, and the table like there normally is when I come back. I continued through the house, the dining room wasn't too bad, except the table is still in the middle of the room so I had to navigate around the big thing with bags in my hands to the living room...

What a freakin' mess! I don't know what else to say. There are dirty dishes on the TV dinner trays, the piano bench, and probably under the sofa. There's no place to walk...fortunately my sofa was pretty much cleaned off. So I dumped my stuff in the one slightly empty spot on the floor, since I couldn't walk to my sofa to put it there. I then grabbed my computer to send an e-mail about the poster for tomorrow event. Of course I proceeded to waste way too much time online until I was sick of looking at the computer.

I decided to go upstairs to my room to clean it up a bit since I haven't been around for weeks. Surprisingly there wasn't several baskets of laundry blocking my way through the hallway. Then I walked by the middle bedroom and it was practically spotless!!! Imagine that, there is a clean spot in the house!!! I was truly amazed, until I took two more steps and opened my bedroom door.

MY BEDROOM IS NOT A DUMPING GROUND FOR EVERYONE ELSES CRAP!!!!!

Need I say more. I was ticked (still am)! I slowly backed away and walked down stairs to the kitchen...I couldn't keep my composure any more and broke out in tears! Just thinking about it makes me tear up again. It is so FRUSTRATING! I'm very tempted to take all the crap that is in my room and through it on my sisters bed!

I didn't need this now! Too much has gone on over the past week and I can't take it anymore! I need a vacation! Any suggestions?

Photos

2007-04-12T11:13:00.000-04:00

I finished my blue round ripple last night, but haven't gotten a picture of it yet. So I decided to put some pictures of some other things I've finished lately.

Kitchen set for my boss: Hot pads and dish cloths

Kitchen set for my sister so far: Hot pad and dish cloths, I still want to make some towels, but not sure what pattern to use yet.

And last but not least. The apricot cardigan I've been working one, still not finished, but almost.

2nd Blue Round Ripple

2007-04-10T20:59:00.000-04:00

I've been slowly working towards reducing my stash. I finished off the royal blue round until it wouldn't make it around all the way. I think I'll do some navy, then white, then finish off the light blue if possible. Then I think I'll be finished with it. I'll probably keep it for myself for a while till I figure out what to do with it. I may give it to my sister for her birthday, but that's not until June, so we'll see.

I'm still working on making the Apricot Camisole, in rose. I finished most of it, all that's left is the straps and the back. I decided to change the pattern a bit, or a lot. I didn't do the back at all as the pattern said. Instead I did each side like the bottom edging, and I'm going to make a chain or sc tie to tie it in the back. Haven't decided what to do with the straps yet.

Hopefully I get some pictures up sometime. I've just been lazy about it yet.

Easter Magnets

2007-04-05T10:02:00.000-04:00

My coworker found some cute easter magnet patterns that we just had to make! They are so cute, and easy to make. Here's a pic of them after making a few during work.

I also made a cute basket just for fun.

And here's another picture of the basket with eggs, candy, and other stuff.

Of course I've been working on some other stuff, like a kitchen set for my sister, dishcloths and pot holders. I also made a couple of pot holders for my boss, and might make some dishcloths for him to, I'm not sure yet.

Easter Eggs

2007-03-29T09:32:00.000-04:00

I added the pic of the baby afghan I made in my previous post. I also made a bunch of Easter eggs with the left over yarn. To get rid of the yarn faster, I stuffed the eggs with yarn instead of polyfill. It also made it more convenient than carrying the poly fill with me to and from work where I made most of the eggs.

I also made a little doll blanket out of what was leftover when I was tired of making eggs.

I took a trip to visit my aunt yesterday (got to use her discount at AC Moore). I picked up a lot of thread for a tank that I want to make from the Family Circle Easy Crochet Magazine. It's going to be a challenge and I'm not sure I'm looking forward to it, but we'll see how it goes!

Lots of Easter Eggs, and an Afghan

2007-03-27T23:38:00.000-04:00

I can't believe it's been so long since I last posted! There hasn't been much going on anyway though. I've been working 50+ hrs a week to get some extra cash, but that's mostly what I've been doing.

I did get to visit my cousins last week, that was fun. I had a nice conversation with Travis, who is 6. He acts all grown up and smart. I talked to his mom and she was surprised that he told me everything he did, because he never really says much to her. Probably because his brother and sister are always there too.

Ok, back to the fun stuff. After visiting my cousins, I stopped by my house in Jersey to pick up some more yarn, since I decided to use up my stash. I got all my baby yarn leftovers from a blanket I made for my other cousin. I also picked up the blues and white from the round ripple I made a while ago, so I can make another one. I've been doing pretty well getting rid of my stash.

So...with the baby yarn, I made a round ripple for a coworkers neice or nephew who is due in many months. I also decided to make some easter eggs....they were fun!!! Then I made a mini blanket, probably give it to my cousin for her dolls.

I'll have to post some pictures sometime, but not tonight...time for bed!

Too Much Workin'

2007-03-12T22:21:00.000-04:00

It's been too long...

Too long since I've crocheted, and too long since I've relaxed, and too long since I've posted.

Last week I found a new book full of cool patterns. It's call Sexy Knits. There's also crochet patterns too. I also found a Family Circle's Crochet magazine, not sure what the exact name is, but it has some awesome patterns as well. Unfortunately, none of my local stores have the yarn called for in the patterns. I haven't had a chance to do some research to see what kind of substitutions I can make yet.

The pattern I bought the magazine for was a white tank, that I'm thinking about adding a skirt part to for a dress. I decided a year ago maybe that I would crochet my wedding dress, and have been looking for patterns ever since. I'm gonna start with the top, and see how much I like it, then move on to the skirt part if it's a winner.

I started crocheting again tonight after finishing the black hat for my boyfriends mother last tuesday. It was too small, even though I thought it was kinda big. Anyway, I'm done with hats for a while, and since I couldn't find the yarn I was looking for, I moved on to my next project. I picked up some Sugar & Cream yarn to make some dish cloths. I started one tonight, and it's about halfway finished. I'll probably post a pic when it's finished.

That's all for tonight!

I need some Crochet Time

2007-03-01T22:09:00.000-05:00

I've been rather busy...but also lazy the past couple of days. I haven't spent any time crocheting since Monday. I'm still working on a black hat, not sure who it will be for yet, probably my bf's mother, if she likes it. I'll work on it a little bit tonight, and hopefully finish it tomorrow at work (assuming it won't get me fired).

I've missed my croceting all week and can't wait until tomorrow evening when I can work on the orange and gray scarf for my bf, maybe I'll be able to figure out why it was so messed up when I made it over a year ago for him. So I'm frogging it, and starting over.

That's it for now...I want to some work done on that hat!

Sad day for CompUSA

2007-02-28T06:41:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I found out that I would be losing my job in 2-3 months. CompUSA is closing 126 of its 225 stores nationwide. Of course mine was one of them. I was in shock all evening after finding out around 3pm. I've worked at CompUSA for nearly 8 years, it was practically my first job.

I am glad that my managers were nice enough to tell all of the employees shortly after they found out and went through the details themselves. They took all of the employees except one cashier and one manager to the conference room and told us the bad news. There are some stores in NJ that the employees were not told about this, and I think I'd be more upset if our managers did not tell us when they did.

On a good side...this might motivate me to finish my thesis and look for another job.

Crochetless Weekend

2007-02-25T15:44:00.000-05:00

Not much crochet going on this weekend. I left my next project at home, along with all of my yarn. I do still have my thread purse to finish, that might be tonights project.

I did get to see the finished product of the squares that I sent for the FL Tornado victims throught Crochetville. I love it so much, and I miss my squares, but it was for a good cause and I can always make another one.

Finished Blue Round Ripple

2007-02-22T11:27:00.000-05:00

I finished my Round Ripple. I could have had it finished one Tuesday night, but I wasn't sure at that point how much farther I was gonna go with it. So, I only did one more round of white, and I think that was a good place to stop. Now I've gotta figure out when I'm going to ship it out, and write a little note to go along with it.

Yesterday I also finished half of the thread CAL I joined, and the second this morning. The first is in Blue, and the second in Green. I don't have a picture of the second one yet..I've still got the last round to complete. Next week I'll have to put it all together to make into a little bag.

Tonight I'll probably start a hat for a coworkers daughter to finish up my leftover fun fur. I'll probably also start another round ripple using baby yarn, as soon as I figure out what hook to use.

Guess that's all for now. I've gotta get to work and get some stuff done for my thesis.

Crochet at Work

2007-02-21T11:56:00.000-05:00

Well, I worked all weekend, and got a bit of crocheting done. Yesterday I got a 5 rows of my ripple afghan done while working (the navy blue). I'm loving the way it looks. I'm not sure how much farter I want to go with it though. Here's a couple pictures I took at work yesterday just after finishing the navy...unfortunately that was the only color I took with me since I didn't even expect to get 2 rows done.

Matt's Scarf

2007-02-18T19:33:00.000-05:00

Well, here is the picture of Matt's scarf. It took a while to make, it's about 9 inches across, and it was all single crochet (38 across each row). Unfortunately I didn't get a picture with Matt in it, but I got my boyfriend to do the modeling instead.

I didn't get much time at work to finish anything, but I got a few rows done of the the Fun Fur scarf to finish, and I figured out who to give it to. I'll probably get it done tonight, along with a few rows of the Round Ripple Afghan.

Can't wait to be done so I can start some projects from the Knitting Loves Crochet book I had to pick up today!

Snow and Crochet

2007-02-18T08:48:00.000-05:00

Well, this week went by pretty fast. We got a few inches of snow, so I made a snowman...

I also finished 12 squares to donate for the Tornado victims in Florida. Some were completed during the CAL at Crochetville, and the rest after. The teal one is my favorite, but they all turned out beautifully. Towards the end, I started to use the small scrap balls of yarn I had in my stash to make one with different colors on every few rounds, but I didn't get any pictures of those before sending them off on Friday.

I was trying to get rid of my stash, but ended up having to buy some more black yarn, then Matt got me even more black yarn, so I could finish his scarf, although I only needed 1 ball, he picked up 2. I think he decided to replenish the yarn that I used from to make his scarf.

I finished Matt's scarf last night, and made a special trip to deliver it to him. He was so excited! I'll have to put up a picture later (gotta head to work soon).

I have two more scarves to finish and a round ripple to finish. Not sure what I'm doing with the Fun Fur scarf yet, maybe give it to one of my sisters friends. And the round ripple I'm going to send to a friend in New York. I'm also thinking about making a hat for a coworkers daughter to match the scarf that I made for her. I'd like to get use up the last bit of fun fur that I have left over from her scarf.

That's about it for the moment. I'll hopefully get another scarf done to day, and some progress on the round ripple.

Weekend!

2007-02-11T20:58:00.000-05:00

I guess the exclamation point is a little over the top for this weekend, it was almost a disaster. Work was bad, long and boring days, and too much drama and commotion to suit me. I need to finish my thesis and get out of there and find a full time job doing something I feel passionate about.

Well, about my crocheting adventures this weekend. I worked on the scarf everyday but today, maybe I'll do a few rows before bed. I also made one 12 inch square for a charity crochet along at crochetville.org. Kinda pathetic, but atleast I tried, and I'll see about getting more done tomorrow, then sending them out.

My boyfriend also took me to this cozy, and very welcoming knitting shop in Chestnut Hill. I'm more into crocheting than knitting, but he's a knitter. There was tons of amazing yarns! I stopped myself from buying anything except a size D hook that I need for a project (and it never hurts to add to my tools of the trade).

That's all for now, back to crocheting!!

New Stuff

2007-02-08T21:17:00.000-05:00

Well, I added a few things to my blog, like my Works in Progress, Finished Projects, and Other Crafty Blogs. I'll probably be adding more things here and there, but that's good for a while.

I did some more work on Matt's Scarf. It's nearly a quarter of the way done I guess. It's taking a bit longer than I expects, although I haven't really devoted as much time as I would like too. There are just too many other things to do (thesis, cleaning, reading, etc.). I guess I should have picked a bigger hook, but I'll know for next time.

Guess that's about it for now.

Starting my crochet journal

2007-02-06T19:19:00.000-05:00

Well, this is my first entry...

I've been looking all over for a journal to put my crochet creations, ideas, works-in-progress, and finished projects into. So, I guess this will do until I find one that I really like.

My most recent projects include a blanket that I crocheted for a king-size bed for a wedding present for my cousin. I hope that they like it. I've also been making a lot of scarves out of some Fun-fur that I bought when it was on sale a month or so ago. They will be done soon, thank goodness.

I just started a scarf today for one of the guys at my work, since it's been so cold here! So far I've ripped it out three times, but I think I've got the right width now, so I can proceed.

That's about it for now!