Calorimetry Ear Warmer

One of my good friends has a birthday in November, and so I thought she needed a little something special to keep her warm during the cold season (ugh... Utah weather).  As a side note, I really love living on the east coast where it is warm and pleasant through the winter months.  I really don't miss the snow.  But I do enjoy making knits for all my family and friends to keep them warm while they are burrowed in the snow.

I remember her saying once that she wanted a headband/ear warmer for the winter to keep her warm without squishing her hair.  She has beautiful hair and it would be a shame to cover it all up under a hat. And what better way to keep your ears toasty warm then in Malabrigo! 

I decided on a simple ribbed ear warmer (found free here).  It really is a simple pattern, and the end results are lovely. It could easily be dressed up with a knitted flower, or pin, a ribbon.... really anything, or just worn plain (that's how I like it, so that's what I did).

The button was nothing special, just something that I had on hand and matched.  I do like that the increases create additional holes so that if it is not tight enough there are different options of where to button it. 

After reading a few notes on other projects on Raverly, I made a few modifications to the pattern. Here they are:  Cast on 92 sts, 11 repeats of row 5, 13 repeats of row 7.

Overall, I really liked the finished project and hope that she does as well.  I might even make one for myself. 

Raverly Project Page
Pattern - Calorimetry by Kathryn Schoendorf 
Yarn - Malabrigo Merino Worsted in Tuscan Sky
Needles - US 8
Finished Size - 23"

Girls Night – Card Making!

This past weekend I got together with some friends for a scrapbooking/card making party.   We had so much fun and I’m actually surprised that I got anything accomplished at all.  Seriously, it is a miracle. 

I came away with 11 cards, all different.  It was so much fun to actually have some craft time and I’m really happy with all of the cards. 

This is all of them, minus the one that I already sent to Dustin. 

Thank You Jen!

How cute is this?  Isn’t it adorable? 

What is it?  Are you kidding me, take another look.  Here, does this help?

Okay, how about I model it for you?  Now can you see how great it is?  It is a bow-knot scarf.  (pattern here)

I just love my new scarf!  My friend Jen (who helped me to finally learn how to knit), made this as a going away gift for me.  I jokingly gave her this pattern in December and said “you should make one of these…for me”.  (This was before my mad knitting skills).  And she did!  Squeaky wheel gets the grease again!

It is made out of this fantastic alpaca yarn and is so soft and warm.  I love love love it!  Thanks so much Jen!  You are amazing!

Kreativ Blogger

Thanks so much to Christina and Lesa for giving me this award.  You girls are super sweet and very inspirational!

Now it is my turn to nominate other Kreativ Bloggers!  And you know what?  It is too hard to choose just 7 that I love.  Honestly, my blog roll is so long, that I want to nominate all of them.  So I am!  I think all of the blogger's on my blog roll are super creative and very inspiring.  If you don’t have time to check out all of them, here are some that are worth visiting.

1- Crafty Ashley – She is such a talented lady.  She just had a baby but that hasn’t stopped her from making tons of cute things.  She is great with crochet, sewing, and she recently learned to knit.

2 – Teresa (Dewdrops Reflections) – She is so super talented.  I love seeing all of the things that she is making.  She had just started quilting and is doing it by hand.  She is very inspiring.

3- Rebekah – I’m sure you already know that I love her blog since I rave about it all the time.  She makes the cutest things and I’m so inspired every time I see what she has been making.  Her week of knitting stuff finally motivated me to give knitting another try.  Her quilts are fantastic!  I want to make ones just like her.

4 – Alissa -   Wow!  Check out her blog for the cutest quilts ever!  I love all of them.  She is fantastic at quilting too and her stitches are absolutely perfect.

5- Brenda – She is amazing at scrapbooking and photography!  I want to copy all of her layouts!  She has so many cute ideas and this is a great place to go for tons of inspiration.

And of course check out Lesa and Christina’s blogs for tons of inspiration on crochet and sewing.  You know they have to be amazing since they have already been nominated for this award.

You girls are the best! 

Thank You Ashley

My friend Ashley made me this fantastic scarf as a thank you.  I know, quite the nice thank you.  She just had a darling baby girl and I sent her some bibs.  As a thank you, she sent me this.  I don’t know where she found the time to make a scarf but I just love it. 

When I first started a crochet group in my church, Ashley was one of the only ones that came faithfully every month.  She picked up on crochet so quickly and has since become a master.  Her husband then got a job in Virginia and they moved.  I miss her. 

Thanks Ashley!  I love it!

My Friend Keith

My best friend in High School was Keith Shumway. He was an amazing guy and so much fun to be around. He had this great smile that was so contagious and could make even the worst of days seem not so bad. I called him Fathead, and he called me Fathead. I can't remember why, but it was always something that we did.

He was such a great friend. He helped me through many hard times in my life, and I'm eternally grateful for his friendship. He was always supportive of me no matter what. We ran track together. We had every single class together our senior year. It was so much fun! When I came home from Ecuador, it was hard adjusting to life here. I remember calling him crying, and he walked me through all the great things I had to be grateful for. It helped me so much.

He would constantly practice Spanish with me. He served a two year mission in Mexico as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. He served with all his might. He truly loved the Lord and gave 100 percent in everything he did. His mother passed away while he was on his mission and I remember how strong he was. He didn't come home early but served out his two years with strength and optimism. I remember him telling me how much he felt his mother with him every step of the way. I have always admired him for this strength.

He was attending school at Southern Utah University in Cedar City and just recently graduated. He was going to be a Doctor! I was so proud of him. He kept going with school even though it was tough, he wanted more than anything to be able to help and serve people. He gave his all in everything he did.

He was a husband. He married his wife Lisa in 2005. Oh how he adored her! I remember him calling me to tell me he was going to ask her to marry him. He was so excited and so happy that he could barley contain himself. He loved her so much.

He was also a father. His son, Landon, was born in May of this year. He is adorable and looks just like him. I know he was a perfect father.

I'm telling you this because on August 22, 2008 my friend Keith died in a plane crash. I'm so sad and he will be greatly missed. He was my best friend and was always there for me. I will always remember him and all that he did for me. I know that he is with God and is watching out for his family. He will be missed.

*If any of you would like to leave a condolence for his family there is a website here.

http://cedarcondolences.blogspot.com/2008/08/shumway-family.html

You can donate to help pay for memorial services for Keith. The fund has been set up in his name, Keith Shumway memorial fund at any Wells Fargo branch or you can call 1-800-869-3557.

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