Episode 20: I'm back, AGAIN!

Hello my fibery friends!  I'm very happy to be able to podcast and chat with you again!

Episode 19: Two FO's! :)

Hope you enjoy it! :)

Episode 16: Stash Dash? More like Stash Stroll!

Episode 16 is ready! I hope you enjoy it! :)

Fiber Trends Felted Clogs

Giant Granny Square Afghan

Westknits Mystery KAL

School Products in New York City

We Do Not Have a Knitting Problem Blog (link in right side bar)

Episode 14: Introducing My New Co-Host!

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I hope you all enjoy my new co-host! The next episode will have more show and tell of finished objects! This episode was very impromptu--which seems to be the name of my game lately. lol

Paintbox Log Cabin Blanket -- my rav project page

Thank you Kurpitsa, Lovestocraft, and Plynn!!!

Preschool Teachers' Washcloths -- my rav project page

FO: Crocheted Sponges

It is summer and it is hot! I have a hard time working on any big projects in the warmer weather. Just having all that wool piled up on my lap makes the heat that much more unbearable. Although, I do still dream about all of the wooly things I will be knitting in the cooler months.

My Summer solution? Small projects, cotton, and crochet.

I used left over kitchen cotton to make 4 crochet sponges. Here's my Rav project page.

Yarn: Lily Sugar'n Cream

Pattern: Crochet Dish Sponge (Rav link)

I left it in the kitchen and would work on a few rounds here and there. It is amazing how much can get done with a few stolen moments in between doing other things!

WIPs Wrestlemania Day 27 and another FO!!

This hat TOTALLY cracks me up.

From these pics you wouldn't even know that it is a hat.  

It looks like a full over the head furry ski-mask. 

It is pretty funny!  

So, I designed my own pattern for this.  I really like it.  The hat was super simple--of course knitting with fun fur is a little annoying, but the hat itself is super simple.  Then the eyes and nose really threw me.  I totally stalled out while contemplating how to do them.  My mom crocheted the nose and then she couldn't figure how to do the eyes.  I tackled three crochet projects and felt more confident in my crochet skills so I decided to give it a try.  I got mad crochet skillz!!  Hahaha!!  Anyhow, I think it came out great! :)  

London totally loves it.  He is wearing it right now.  Yup . . .  July, hot, humid, and super warm hat.  He LOVES it!  What more could a Mommy ask for??? :)

Updated August 6, 2009:  I linked this to Kimba's DIY Day over at A Soft Place to Land.  I always love checking out the amazing things that bloggers are making.  I thought that I couldn't participate because I'm not blogging about projects I am doing around my house--but today Kimba specifically said recipes and crafts count!  Yea!!  So, here I am in my first DIY party!  So, go check out what all of those amazing ladies have been up to.  It makes for great inspiration!!

WIPs Wrestlemania Day 25

And another finished object!  

This is the Flower Pot Hat also from Itty Bitty Knits by Susan B. Anderson.   I used Tahki Cotton Classic in colors that were all left from my Marley Hat that I traded in the swap last month.   I like the bright green with the purples and blues.  I am often drawn to a combination of greens, blues, and purples.

The hat is knit in basket weave and then the little flowers are crocheted and attached after.  The pattern also has flowers sprouting out of the top of the hat from i-cord stems.  But, i-cord does not float my boat so I decided to skip it.  I have plenty of yarn leftover if I ever decide to do it.  I am knitting these hats for a knitalong, but I wonder if I had an actual little one in mind for it if I would drudge through the i-cord.  Time will tell!

FO: Quilt Medallion Scarf

He is 16 months today!  

Can you believe it?  Another finished object!

Quilt Medallion Scarf from Interweave Crochet Magazine.  I took a class at Saratoga Needle Arts with the wonderful Cookie.  I used several different colors of Mission Falls Cotton.
If I had it to do over, I wouldn't have used the white yarn.  It doesn't look as stark white in person.
It could use a steam blocking before I wear it.  I'm not sure I will though.  I'm a rebel like that! :)

Lots of Updates

We did great on our February limited spending goal.  All month we only charged 4 things.  2 were preset charges (i.e. Netflix) and 2 were Paypal charges for internet purchases (which were less than $10 for both).  That is really phenomenal!  Normally we charge absolutely everything so we can take advantage of the cash back.  But, it has also made us less thoughtful of our purchases because credit doesn't always feel like real money.  This was especially hard because we were paying for our purchases that were put on credit cards in January while also paying cash for purchases in February.  I'm not done tallying our receipts so I don't have an exact amount on what we spent.  We did get hit with a nearly $500 purchase on the last day of the month.  My husband's car needed some repairs.  But the good news is--we paid for all of it in cash!!  Seriously!!!  I am so, so, so proud of what we did!!!

We are continuing to be conscious of our spending in March.  We will still try to not use credit cards and to put as much money on debt as possible.  I do have a friend staying with us for a week so I'm sure we will be spending more than our usual while she is here.  We probably won't be as strict in spending as in February.  It is hard to keep up at the level and we have already bought 2 books and a cd, although I did use a $25 gift card towards the purchases.  

I am still working on my Quilt Medallion Scarf.  I really love doing it and actually have to limit myself on how much I work on it.  The crocheting and the cotton has really affected my wrists and the muscles going up my arms.  I hope I don't run into this with all crochet projects because I really love it.  In last Saturday's class we learned row 4 and joining the motifs.  Right now I have 13 motifs joined together and 9 ready for the 4th row and joining.  I am aiming for 36 motifs all together.  We'll see how it looks as it gets close to the 36.  The springy colors are great!  Maybe I will wear it for Easter! 

Quilt Medallion Scarf

I am crocheting again.  It really does seem to go faster and it really does seem to eat more yarn.  I am taking a class at Saratoga Needle Arts 

It is an Interweave Crochet pattern called Quilt Medallion Scarf.  I have 11 of the motifs done so far.  The pattern calls for 69, but with a much finer yarn and gauge.  The teacher's sample used 36 so that's what I am aiming for.

Here is the 11 I have done.

And the 9 in progress.

The one on the left shows one round done, the middle is two rounds done, and the one on the right is three rounds done.
Then, on Saturday I will be taking the second class and learning how to connect them all together.  I am using Mission Falls 1824 cotton.  My wrists are killing me.  I don't know if it is because I am using different movements with crochet or if it is the cotton.  I am trying to take a break and rest my wrists, but I soooo want to be crocheting!  It is addicting!!!!

FO: Sweetheart Washcloth

I made a Sweetheart Washcloth by Susan B Anderson for my son for Valentine's Day.  I am a HUGE fan of Susan and her Itty Bitty Hats.

I used Cotton Chenille yarn on size 5 needles.  I tried the picot crochet edging but I was struggling so I gave up and made up my own edging.  I am currently making another one in Sugar n Cream and I may give the picot edging another shot.

Photo shoots with a toddler are always an adventure!

FO: Crocheted Sampler Wave Scarf

This pattern was a great way to learn and practice various crochet stitches.  I used 4 colors of Cascade 220 Super Wash that I had in my stash.  It turned out a little shorter than I would like.  I used half the number of stitches called for in the adult-sized pattern.  Oh well, I'll chalk it up to learning.  London doesn't know the difference. :)

So, my model was not at all into modeling.

Can we say tempermental?
Does every model storm out of their photo shoots?  Or just my model?

Thank You!

I have finished a project!!  YEA!!  I will attempt a photo shoot tomorrow.  Hopefully my model cooperates! :)

On the money front . . . my husband still hasn't produced the receipt for the groceries yesterday so I'm not sure of the exact total.  He also bout $20 in gas today.  After he told me, he quickly said "but the light was on!"  Yea, I guess that would be a good reason to get gas. :)

Thank you for my congratulations on losing weight! :)  I am currently 9 pounds below my pre-pregnancy weight.  That is very exciting!  I am starting to think about rewards for myself.  I want something to celebrate 50 pounds.  I have created my own system of what works for me.  I was thinking that I could share some things that are working for me in some blog posts.  

So, the first one is being really conscious about what I am eating and I what I am feeling.  This is sometimes easier said then done.  I have a toddler and anyone who has spent any time with toddlers knows that meal times can be interesting.  I also have two dogs and I can not tell you how much energy they consume while we are in the kitchen.  Whether it is needing to go out, needing to come in, begging London for food, eating the other dogs food, you get the idea.  Then of course, I'm trying to make food, clean up afterwards, do dishes, etc.  So, being really conscious of what I am eating and whether or not I should be eating isn't always easy.  It is easy to consume without even fully realizing what I am doing.  Also, I need to consciously think about if I am hungry.  Again, it is easier to pop a leftover graham cracker in my mouth then to put it away when my son has decided he doesn't want it.  I believe the first step is to be truly conscious and think about what I am doing.  Awareness.  It starts with awareness.

Crocheted Wave Scarf

This is my crocheting project.  Dog nose included for scale. :)  Not really, she just was super close to me all day that day.  The light blue in the middle is actually two different shades, but it is really hard to tell.  London's coat is navy and red.  I'm thinking of trying to find a crocheted hat pattern to make a set.
I had the second class today which is where we learned the "wave" part of the scarf.  It is probably too short for London.  Ah well.  It was a good learning project.  I can now do a chain, single crochet, double crochet, half double crochet, and something else that I can't remember the name of.  I signed up for a scarf class at the end of February.  It is an Interweave Crochet pattern.  I think I also conjured up some interest for the Larger Than Life Bag.  I'm hoping it will be a class in the spring.  It would be a cute spring/summer tote.

I think I now have London's cold.  Some moments I feel like death and then some moments I feel pretty good.  Hopefully it doesn't get too bad.  London is feeling and acting much better.  Still coughing and a runny nose, but I think the worst of it is behind him.

Happy 100th Post To Me!

I've been totally stalling on posting because I have been waiting for something profound to hit me for my 100th post.  And then I finally decided . . .  eh, I'm just going to post.  So hear I am singing "Happy 100th Post To Me" as I type. :)

As many people are in January, I have been in a major cleaning and organizing mood lately.  We have been working on taming the toys in the living room, made London's bedroom more accessible to him as a toddler, had a major cleaning overhaul in our bedroom and bathroom, and the list goes on.  It feels so good to walk into a clean, un-cluttered, organized room.  It makes my heart sing!!

I have finished my crocheting homework a week early.  That's unheard of!  I am making a scarf for London and I think it will be a little short.  Oh well.  Maybe I will crochet onto the ends to add some length. 

London woke up with a fever this morning.  100.7  It is our first fever. :(  He has a runny nose and a little bit of a cough.  Let's hope this passes QUICK!!

The Dark Side

It is official.  I have gone over to the dark side.  I took a crochet class yesterday and I LOVE IT!!!  I learned 4 stitches (don't ask me their names because I find that to be quite confusing with half doubles, singles, and such) and they are coming together to make a stitch sampler scarf for London.  I am super psyched!  We have to do eight rows by the next class and I will be starting on row two today.