Happy New Year!

Out of Order..

Or commission... or however you would like to put it, but I have a muscle strain in my right hand and can't really do much crocheting, which is a major bummer. I'm sure I'll be fine, no time for a sob story, but I probably won't have many crochet projects to show. I'm going to try and take a break for a while (sniff, sniff) to try and give my hand some time to rest.

I do have a neat project to show, though I can't take credit for it. It was an afghan that I have inherited, or it has inherited a home with me until it gets finished. The parents of my high school friend passed away and this was all they had left of their mom. So they gave it to my mom to finish. She is left handed and wasn't' sure it would look the same. Anyway, somehow it found it's way to my home to be finished. Silly me, I was certain that I knew the pattern and could do it. I wasn't as smart as my Aunt and Grandma who said they couldn't figure out the pattern (who have been crocheting for... forever). Anyway, I guess it will have to wait until I get more time, and a hand that works properly. Won't it be gorgeous when it is done?

Dimitri has already claimed it for himself. Surprise, surprise!

Adorable!

This is my niece, isn't she cute?! We got this adorable picture of her in our Christmas card and my sister said it was fine if I'd blogged/ bragged about her. She is so dang cute! I'm practically the paparazzi when she comes around! I want all the cute picutres of her I can get. On Christmas she was trying on all the hats that I have made. They look adorable on her, big, but adorable. She wanted nothing to do with them and kept taking them off as fast as I could put them on. I couldn't get a good picture of her but trust me it was cute!

Merry Christmas!

Christmas has come and gone, oh so sad. It was a very merry Christmas though. I really enjoyed it. We had fun spending time with family and having time off work. We were super busy and I don't feel like I got much accomplished but we must have since it is over. People were very generous with the gift giving, as usual, and I feel so blessed.

Here is a breakdown of how our Christmas was spent, and be forewarned, lots of pictures.

Saturday was a busy day. We went to visit both of the grandparents on my side, and take them their Christmas presents. My grandpa is the cutest. He loves to bake cookies and you can't leave his house without taking some home with you. He makes several kinds so you are not left with just the original chocolate chip, but you get lemon cookies, ginger snaps, breakfast bars, cranberry oatmeal cookies, and may others. The best part --- they taste fantastic! My grandma is also the best, and very talented, check out this cute ornament she made for us. Awe- little angel!

I think since Saturday was so busy, and just the general stress of Christmas, wore me out because I spent all Sunday really sick. Dustin we to his parents to play some games while I stayed home and crocheted. (See the hats in this post.)

Monday we traveled up to the mountains where my DH's grandparents have a cabin. The whole family was there, including cousins and aunts and uncles, so it was really crowded. It was nice to get to see everyone again. The drive through the mountains was absolutely beautiful. I love the white snow on all the trees and the river. It just amazes me how beautiful our world is! I really need to take more time to enjoy the beauty of nature. We had fun riding snowmobiles and walking through the snow. We got home just before the big snow storm hit, which was very lucky. Then we went to the in-laws for dinner and presents. The family got a Wii so we spent lots of time playing games on that.

(Look how cute we are, and notice my lovely crochet beanie!)

Christmas day was probably the best! We slept in and then opened presents from each other. I was so excited for my DH to finally open the quilt that I made him. I originally started this as a baby blanket and when he saw it, he requested that I make it large enough for our bed. So I did, but he thought I was still waiting to order more fabric. Then my aunt quilted it for me. She does a fantastic job and she is so sweet to do it for me. I just kept it hidden for three months and every time he asked when I was going to finish it, I would say that I needed to order more fabric. I think he forgot about it, or just figured I would never finish it. He was surprised on Christmas morning. The cats loved it too!

We got our cats a pet bed. They didn't seem to excited about it, until we put it next to the space heater. Now they love it. They also got treats and new catnip toys from grandma, and toys from my sister. Noisy toys! But they love them, so I guess it is okay.

Later in the afternoon, my mom, sister, brother-in-law, and niece came over for dinner. My husband cooked, so it was super tasty. And then we opened more presents! You will never guess what my mom got for me!? Try and guess!! Okay, I'll show you. I had blogged about how I wanted to make this flower squares and wanted to get this book. Well, she got me the book and enough yarn to make the afghan. I was so surprised and excited. I can't wait to get started.

Well, that is about it. We had a super busy (extended) weekend and had lots of fun with family. I hope everyone enjoyed the Christmas season.

New Hats

I have not been feeling so well, which is a bummer since Christmas is around the corner and I have a few days off work. I have been able to do a bit of crochet. I have finished a couple of hats that I started a while ago. The pink and gray hat is a pattern I found on Raverly called Durango. As always, I changed a few things. I like my hats to fit a little more closely around the forehead so I decreased on a few rows. I also added a flower (pattern here) instead of the suggested buttons.
The second is... well, I guess I will call it my Ugly but Warm hat. This yarn looked a lot prettier when it isn't all mixed together. But it is super warm ( I love Patton's!). I just made up this pattern. The last few rows I used two strands and did a single crochet cross stitch. The rest is just single crochet. And I added a picot edge. It definitely is not my favorite hat that I have made but it is really warm.


Merry Christmas!

Slow Progress is better than No Progress!

I have been super busy lately, as I assume mostly everyone is with Christmas only 4 DAYS AWAY!!!! I haven't had much time to crochet but the little that I have done I have just been working on my Jacob's Ladder afghan. It is a big afghan!!! I'm sure it will take me months to finish it. Besides that afghan, I have like three others that I am working on. Needless to say, my progress is slow, but every row/round counts I guess.

My DH also bought me a Game Cube because I am not talented enough to play the X-box 360. So he has purchased all the kid, I mean beginner, games for me to play. Well, I spent two hours last night playing Viva Pinata! TWO HOURS!!! That is precious crochet time, or cleaning time, but I spent it growing grass and inviting Pinatas to come to my garden. It's a fun game, and obviously very addicting.

I might be able to get some crochet done before Christmas, since a lot of our days will be spent traveling. Always fun! Tomorrow we are off to visit the grandparents and Monday we have a Christmas eve party at the Grandparents (DH side) cabin in Kamas. It should be fun considering all the new snow we have. Well, fun for me because everyone will be playing in the snow, getting cold and wet, and I will have time to crochet! Am I the only one that thinks about crochet all the time?

For those of you without cats...

This video will show you what it is like every morning at my house. No joke, this is so close to the real deal! Except for maybe the last part, this is what happens to me every morning! And my room looks like this!

Having cats is like having a permanent alarm clock. The type of alarm clock that never fails to go off, works even on Saturdays when you purposely don't set an alarm clock so you can sleep in, and always goes off a few hours before you want to get up.

Turn up the volume!

Christmas is coming!

I can't believe that Christmas is less than 10 days away. I know that everyone usually says this, but really, this year has gone by so fast, and Christmas is coming. I'm excited! Our house is decorated and we actually have our Christmas shopping done, and the presents wrapped. Here is our cute tree, sorta "Charlie Brown," but we love it! My grandmother has given me a Christmas tree ornament every year since I was born, so that is what we use to decorate our tree. And I have been collecting snowman ornaments because I have always wanted a tree just with snowmen. So our little tree is a half and half tree.
I was plugging in the tree lights the other night when I noticed this....
Yep, A big tear in a Christmas present. Not just any present, a Christmas present that is for my mom (Sorry mom!). So I hunted and searched for the person (or cat) that could have done such a thing. And lo and behold, I caught the culprit fleeing the scene. Merry Christmas!!!

PS- Just in case any one cares, the Jazz have finally broken their 5 game losing streak! Yippee!

Jacob's Ladder Afghan

This is my newest project. I guess since I had finished a hat, the washcloths, and a ripple bag I was entitled to start something new. My husband had mentioned that he would like a second afghan. Thus, my new project! This pattern is super easy and works up really fast (with the exception that I am making this afghan extra wide and extra long by request). And I had some extra RHSS yarn, so why not. My great grandmother had made an afghan like this and I have seen my mother work on one just like it. It is really easy and is just DC and CH. Then you pull the loops up through the one above and it makes what looks like braids. Here is a site that has a pattern for this, but I used what my grandmother had told me. It is pretty much the same thing. The first picture shows some of the chains looped already and the chains out. The second is just a close up of the stitches. One day I will have a nice camera that will make my photos much more presentable. Until then, these will have to do.

At least there is always crochet to make me smile

What a lousy day I had. My parked car was hit by this guy, who then gave me false information and left the scene. The cops were too busy to come file a police report so we swapped information and the guy left. I then tried to file a claim only to have them say it was not a valid number. His phone number was fake, and his office said he didn't work there. Long story short, this creep got off and I'm stuck with the insurance mess and possibly paying for the repairs out of my own pocket. What a mess. I just want it to go away and be done with. But when all is said and done, I am glad that it wasn't worse than it is and that no one was hurt. I still have my husband, family and the things most important to me in my life so I am grateful for that.

So in hopes of trying to forget my rotten day and the rotten man who gets off scott free, here is to the one thing in life that usually makes sense -Crochet. Oh how I love Crochet!!! Look at this adorable hat I made. It is made out of Patton's Wool yarn in gray and pink and it turned out fantastic. I love it. The best part, it took me about an hour or less to make. I started with a pattern I got online free, and then decided I wanted to make my own twist on it -- this is usually the case. But I think it turned out great. I'm gifting it for Christmas so I am sad to say you won't see me smiling while wearing it like in this picture, but hopefully someone else will be . Note- these pictures were not taken today and I know I look silly since my hair is so short, it makes me look like a boy wearing pink! See my cute Christmas tree in the background!

Wash Cloth Monday!

I was reading a blog the other day (can't remember which one) but she was saying how each Monday she would work on washcloths, that way she would get some done. Well, I am not like that. But I have finished another washcloth. So I thought in honor of washcloth Mondays, I could at least post a picture of it. It was just a simple basketweave with a shell boarder. I made one earlier but liked it so much I decided to keep it. Since it is bright red in color, I had a hard time getting a decent picture of it. (I'm still waiting to upgrade my digital camera. Until then, my pictures are a little lacking).



Other than that, it has been a regular Monday. Work, cooking, cleaning, and hopefully a bit of crochet. My DH has a final tonight for school. So.... crochet all night long! I can hear it calling now, must go.

-- one more quick thing, I found this blog today that you must check out. It is called Yarnstorm. I just love it! She does some knitting but also crochet. Her pictures are amazing and she is a very bright person. If I had all day to read her previous entries, I would. Just scrolling through her entires in the past month or so made my mouth water. She makes food look amazing! I would love to eat all day! I love the flower granny square afghan that she is making. The colors are so amazing and I love the pattern. It is on the to-do list. Check it out if you get time.

I finished my Ripple Bag!

I have finally finished my ripple bag that I started with my friend Ashley. We had a hard time just getting the thing started but once we did, it was a super easy pattern. I think I stated over like four times, and I am never that patient with patterns. Ashley has made like 50 of them and hers are super cute. It took me a lot longer but I have finished it and I must say that I love the way it turned out. I blocked it to make it lay flat since I am such a tight crocheter. It looks a lot better. I also did the strap a bit longer than what the pattern called for and I think I like it better. It is going to be gifted to my sister for Christmas so I hope she likes it. Anyway, other than that, I have just been cleaning. I love Saturdays! We have got a ton of snow so I have tried to stay inside as much as possible. That just means more crochet time!
Here is the finished bag and a close up of the stitches.



Oh, and just in case you were ever worried that I didn't have enough help doing this blog or keeping my office organized, here is some proof. (We wouldn't want the bills running off and paying themselves now would we! Good thing I have Sophie to hold them down!)

My mom is the greatest!

Today when I got home from work there was a package waiting for me in the mail. It was a package from my mother! Isn't she the greatest, look at what she sent me!


I am so excited! There will be more wash cloths to come. The best part is, that I was going to go to the store tomorrow to get more white cotton yarn to do edges around some wash cloths, but now I don't have to. I will have plenty.

I have also blocked my ripple bag and finished the strap. So all I have to do is stitch it all together and then I am done. I already have itchy fingers to start something else. I guess that is what the wash cloths are for. Here is the bag in the blocking process. And just because my cats are the cutest, here is them doing what they do best (and all day long). They lay in front of the space heater and roll from side to side when one side gets warm. Notice they are so spoiled they even have their own blanket placed special just for them to lay on and be comfy. They are so adorable!

The brown tabby is Dimitri. We got him first, about a year after we were married, from the pound. He doesn't have a voice box so he is super quiet. Then he was sad and lonely when we were gone a lot so we got Sophie to keep him company. She is a Snowshoe Siamese that we adopted from Petsmart. She mostly just picks on Dimitri and gets into trouble. But we love her still the same. She keeps things lively at our house. She is very adventurous whereas Dimitri is very cautious and scared of everything. Its funny how they have such strong personalities. I just love them both!

Monday Night Football...

And washcloths. More washcloths! Thanks to my Aunt, I am still burning through tons of cotton yarn. She gave me a whole bag full of yarn that she said she would never use, and I just happened to be in the right place at the right time. I just keep making washcloths with it all. But I was entertained tonight with the Patriots/Ravens game. Too bad the Ravens lost. It was a fun game to watch but I think the best part is watching how excited my DH gets. He loves it and is practically on the edge of his seat the whole time. So while he was cheering on the ravens, I was crocheting like crazy. I got two wash cloths done tonight. I am not too excited about the eighty's remix, because you can't really see a pattern (it should be a DC then SC). I think it is the mix of colors. Very bright! But the blue one I like, almost enough to keep it for myself. I guess I will have to wait and see how many I can get done before Christmas. The pattern is a v-stitch and I even made the effort to change colors between rows to help the stitch stand out more. I like the way it turned out.
Too bad for the Ravens. At least the Jazz one. I would rather watch basketball any day. Well, I would rather crochet than anything else, but watching basketball is a bonus!

(Sophie thought she should get to be in the picture.)

December!! It's here!

Wow, I can't believe that it is December already. And I woke up this morning to lots of snow. What a great way to start the month off. It feels like the Christmas season more when there is lots of snow to go around.

As far as my progress on crafts is coming, well, not much is new. I am almost done with my ripple bag that I started forever ago, I've done a few more wash cloths for Christmas presents, and I have organized my craft room. Now it is easier for me to find the stuff I want when I want. And I am proud to say that I was able to condense two tubs of yarn and projects down to one tub, and by tub I mean like the 12 gallon Sterilite containers. My husband was proud. Granted the one tub is a little bulging but it is still one tub! And while I was cleaning, I wound some yarn into center pull balls so that I can keep them all organized and ready for the next project. You know the left overs from previous projects, what are you supposed to do with those. I think I will make an afghan. It will probably be super ugly but it will be warm.

Since I have had some questions regarding that I was actually doing with the turkey baster, I tried to make a video to demonstrate how to make the center pull ball of yarn since I was not very good at explaining it. Well, apparently, I am not very good at figuring out how to post a video. So, more pictures and more explanations. I hope this clarifies things better.

First take the end of the yarn and place it down the center of the turkey baster. So that little piece of yarn in the picture, actually goes into the baster.


The continue to wrap the yarn around the baster (outside of it) making sure that the piece in the center stays put and out of the way. Keep wrapping it around in a circular motion so that it stays round and even - to make a ball.

When you are at the end of your yarn, tuck in the lose end so that it stays. Then slide the ball off the end of the baster. You should then be able to pull the yarn from the end that was originally down the center of the baster and it will be a center pull ball of yarn. No tangles!


If I ever figure out how to post a video, I might make one if people are still confused. It really is the best way to take any left over yarn and turn it into a ball that is easy to work with.

I also hope to have more finished projects to post in the near future. Guess I better get to work.