Rippling along

I have a friend who started a ripple afghan and the pattern was one I just fell in love with. Now, I have usually avoided ripple patterns (except for my Pendragon wool scarf) because they often look like the afghans grandma did in funky colors and just sort of a mish-mash. But this pattern was a little lacy and used neat yarns (Tamara is using Provence cottons in bright colors, with rows of chocolate brown single crochet between colors).

I fond a soy blend by Bernat at Michael's on clearance in a great oatmeal color and a celery. The oatmeal is the almost white color and the celery is the soft green color (right above the melon color). I wanted some other colors to brighten it up, so I got a Bernat acrylic in forest green, Lion Baby Soft in melon, and a couple of fun yarns to add some texture. I am using an off-white mohair blend, a fun fur (which isn't in yet) in the same green as the acrylic, and a fringy ribbon in a melony blend. And then for a little extra contrast there's some Jiffy acrylic in grape. I love the little darkness that it offers and how it just contrasts so well. Then there's one of those crazy eyelashy carrying yarns that is in greens, pinks and yellows. And as you can see from the picture of my yarn bag, there's another variegated bulky yarn in there that I want to incorporate as well.

The pattern is from the Feb/March 2007 issue of Crochet Today. I ordered a bunch of back issues of the magazine including this one. I am just loving how it is working up!

It's been a while — again...

Last Saturday one of the sports guys looked out the window of the newsroom, and said it's snowing. Well, it had been cold, and we thought it might snow a little.

What we saw was great big bunches of snowflakes coming down thick. So I went out to the roof on the deck area off the break room. Here are a few photos of what the snow looked like. It was quiet, and really quite beautiful.

We only ended up with about an inch, but it hung around until late the next day. And the roads were clear enough after work to be able to drive home without worrying much.

It made the city (in Old Town on Saturday night which is usually loud music, lots of people and loud cars) quiet. And it only lasted for a little while, but was a nice break.

I guess I should update

But it doesn't seem like I have much to say this time around. I have had a busy week and have been trying to fight off some kind of sickness. Everyone at work has had the flu it seems, and I really don't want it.

I did get my order of LusterSheen from Maggie's crochet. I have been wanting some other colors and she had them on sale for 25% off. So I ordered an orange to make a top and it's a little brighter than I expected, so it may go into something else. But I also ordered some brown, yellow, purple and a fall variegated with those colors in it to make a granny poncho. I think it will look great, and I think I'll start it soon. I just have to figure out how to keep the yarn ends in after its finished. That is the one thing that I have not done successfully. The pattern I would like to use is here, and the colors of Luster Sheen that I chose are buttercup, chocolate, autumn, and dark mulberry.

What fun!

So I stopped at the health food store to pick up a couple of things, and they always have some fun, quirky items for your office or kitchen or whatever, and I found this cute bank. A friend at work has one that says "I'm saving for a new pair of jeans" that I love. So when I saw the knitting lessons one, I just couldn't pass it up! It's sitting on my desk and I throw a little change in once in a while. Maybe I'll actually be able to pay for knitting lessons at Twist after all....






And in the meantime, I decide to try my hand at a simple handbag. The original pattern didn't
look exactly like I wanted, so I used it as a starting point. I changed hook size from an I to a G, and decided to work it in the round as opposed to separate sides that needed seaming. I hate seaming (most of the time).

The pattern was pretty much just rows of double crochet, with increases and decreases where needed. I decided to add a little interest. I used extended double crochet on a few rows to add height without lots of holes like treble crochet. Then I decided that a couple rows of shell stitch would add some interest without adding holes, too. Then, to finish around the top, i didn't want to just finish off, attach yarn and make the rows to go around the handle, so I slip-stitched the sides and chained three at the end of each row, one going up and one going down the other side. The edges have about 3 rounds of slip stitch, which I think adds an interesting finish. Anyway, it worked up fast and easy, regular worsted-weight acrylic, and a set of bamboo handles. Not expensive either! I think I might just make a stash of them to have on hand for gifts.

Timing is everything!

OK, so this is what I see when I look out my back door today. There is about 4-5 inches of snow. It started early this morning, between 2 and 3 a.m. I know because I was still awake after work. And while it is cold and wet and white, we didn't get the blizzard conditions that were forecast. High winds, blowing snow etc. Now, there is some drifting, so the wind obviously has been blowing a little, and maybe it was worse this morning when I was sleeping.

But it's enough to keep the kids home from school, a situation Kyle hates because his class was slated to go on a field trip to the university today. He is not happy about having to stay home!

But then my doorbell rang, and I saw the UPS man climbing back up into his big, brown truck and saw a package on the doorstep. It was the boots I had ordered a few weeks ago that were on backorder! They could not have come on a better day! I still have to go to work tonight, because a little snow does not the newspaper stop. In fact, a lot of snow does not the newspaper stop! I love it when things come together. Yea! I will have warm feet tonight and can still go to SnB.

I love geting packages in the mail,

especially when they contain fabulous yarn. I ordered from the Sheep's Tale on Friday, and got my order on Monday. This is a great (although rather blurry picture) of a slightly heavier sock weight (not quite DK?) hand-dyed superwash from Opal. It is called Herbstmelodie (fall melody for us in English). Unfortunately the pictures don't do justice to the colors, which look like the rich colors of autumn leaves. I think it will make a lovely shawl.

Also in the package were these: on the left, a self-striping sock yarn (also a superwash blend) from Opal, from a series that is based on the work of an artist. I believe the series is called Hundertwassers Werk. There is actually a photo of the art on the label and you can sort of see it on the right-hand side of the label above. I also got this Cherry Tree Hill Sockittome in earth. I am determined to make some finer wraps in these lighter weight yarns, or something. I feel a need to break out of my worsted weight rut! And I love the colors!

Four hats finally finished!

I sat down yesterday and finally started the last of the four hats I needed to make (for Christmas!) for my nieces. I think I was 'hatted out.' After taking some time to make a couple of other projects, I felt like I could get back to that last hat. Plus, I had a great conversation with my sister, and could figure out how to embellish the hat.

You can see that floral is the theme for these hats, and I was just sort of lost in how to embellish the gold hat. The pink hat is for Nikki, who is 8, and at the time of the question her favorite color was pink (although it may not be any more). The purple hat is for Gina, who just turned 22. I think it looks grown-up enough to quite nice and her favorite color is purple. The blue hat is for Katie, who is 14, and a freshman in high school. I love the little daisy buttons as a fun element, and the flaps can unbutton and cover the ears if desired. The gold hat is for Cammie, who is about 20. She wears a black pea coat and loves yellow. I think the big flower is really retro and adds a touch of fun, as does the sort of ruffly scalloped edge. It looks quite nice on, and the flower pattern is in the March 2008 issue of Crochet! magazine. The magazine just started a series of flowers of the month, and this rose pattern was exactly what I was looking for so I could incorporate yellow into the white flower. Now, I can actually get them wrapped and put in the mail. And since mom and dad's afghan is finished I can send that, too. And of course another box needs to make its way to Iraq . . .

Two more finished projects

The scarf is finished!I finished the scarf of the Pendragon wool. I love, love, love the way it turned out. It's about seven feet long, and about eight to 10 inches wide. I used a wavy ripple pattern from "The Crochet Stitch Bible" by Betty Barnden.

I wanted some kind of fringe on it, but not traditional. So I used a chain stitch fringe. It adds just a nice finishing touch. I think the stitch pattern really let the colorway show through and set it off without being too intricate to take away from it.

And it matches my coat perfectly! It's long enough that I can wrap it and tuck it, wear it loosely if it's cold at work, and I love the colors. Love it, love it!

Then, while I was at SnB on Thursday night, one of the gals showed me this great Noro yarn, Noro Daria in color no. 2 (red/olive/magenta) and she had just stitched together a small case for her mp3 player in another color. I listen to my iPod at work sometimes, but I have to set it on my keyboard tray. I get tangled in my headphones, or I knock the iPod off or whatever. So, I took her idea, bought a hank and made this handy iPod holder. I shaped it to fit my iPod mini.

I wanted something sturdy, but that still had some interest. So I single-crocheted the base of the pouch, then added a row of double crochet, a few more rows of single, another double, and finished off with a couple rows of single. The handle is a chain (125 chains), attached with a slip stitch on the other side and slip stitched back around to the other side.

I still wanted a little more finish, so after making the strap, I slip stitched around the top edge. I really like the extra bit of finishing it provides, and now I have a hands-free way to listen to my iPod while doing other things, and I can keep cords from interfering with whatever else I'm doing. Ta-da! And it came from my own mind, just using the size of my iPod as the determiner of size.

A little yarn therapy may work

OK, so I finally sat down and finished mom and dad's afghan. I'm really happy with the way it turned out, and it's much bigger than the original pattern would be. I added some stitches (I can't remember exactly how many), and a bunch of rows. It is about 48 by 72 inches. I will get it in the mail tomorrow, and hope I can fit it in a flat-rate box. It doesn't weigh a lot, but it's pretty bulky. The colors in the photo are close to accurate, and the tweed sections are a cream chenille. The main yarn is 'I Love this Yarn" from Hobby Lobby in cranberry. It's a lovely, soft acrylic and easy to care for.

And, this afternoon I went to the local yarn store (Twist, which is the greatest little yarn store ever!), and picked up some yarn I had set aside. This is a great had-dyed colorway from Family Pendragon, and Shelly had it on clearance. Just a single, lonely hank, but 8 oz. and 400 yards of lovely wool. The color is 'humperdink,' which made me think of the "Princess Bride." One of my all-time favorite movies! It is a great blue, yellow, gray and purple.

I was taking the picture with flash, so the colors aren't exact, but they are pretty close. It has wonderful rich colors, and the blue is exactly the same color as my lighter weight parka. I have been searching for a good scarf to wear with that coat, and I knew when I saw this yarn that I had to have it. So now it is destined to become a lovely scarf, and maybe a hat or some mittens. I am excited to get started on it, i just have to decide what stitch to use and how to design it. I looked at what seemed like a million patterns, but didn't find anything I liked, so I'll do my own. So, the adventure begins...

And finally, I picked up one more skein of this superwash wool. The rich rusty brown had me written all over it, and I knew I wanted a vest made out of it. I have been searching for a pattern (that sounds familiar!) and found this cardigan (below) in the latest Lion catalog. I was just going to make it without the sleeves (I thought they were built-in). Then when I got the pattern downloaded, and realized the pattern had set-in sleeves. Woo-hoo! That means the pattern will be even easier to adapt into a vest! And it takes hardly any yarn. It's a Vanna White pattern.

I have a cream and dark chocolate brown that I intend to use for the border. One round of cream and one round of chocolate. I think it will set it off just nicely. Once I get this one constructed, I have a design floating around in my head that is just itching to get out!

I still have one more hat to get done, plus Alyx's hat and scarf but I really want to work on something just for me. :-)

Sort of in a crochet funk

I heard on the radio yesterday that British researchers identified Jan. 21 as the most depressing day of the year. I felt it yesterday. We had cloudy, gray cold weather that turned into drizzling ice. Then I had to take Alyx back up to school, and I thought we were going to leave around 2, but didn't leave until about 5:30. By then the ice was really bad, so we had to travel much slower than normal. Thankfully, though, one of her friends from school met us about halfway and picked her up. I was so grateful for that.

But really, I am just not motivated to do much right now. I have a few projects in progress, and no real desire to pick them up. No real desire to start anything new really either. I do need to get over to the yarn shop and pick up a couple of skeins, maybe that will help. And I did add a couple of rows to mom and dad's afghan. I do want to get it finished so I can send it off to them.

I need some sunshine!

No new crochet yet, but...

We did add a new family member that actually gets along with Milo. We took Daisy back on Sunday because she just couldn't be nice to him. She was sweet and affectionate, but needed to be an only dog. When we took her back, there were almost no dogs left, but a couple that had transfered over from the city animal shelter. One, a rat terrier the Humane Society folks had named Spartacus, had just been neutered and couldn't be visited that day. So we put him on hold and went back Monday. We took Milo with us so they could meet each other. They seemed to get along all right so we brought the terrier home. We didn't like the name Spartacus, so we changed his name to Sparky. He's just sort of figuring out that that is his name. He is around 18 months to 2 years old. I took him to the vet today to get him checked and he is in great health. He hasn't barked yet. Kyle has had him sleeping in his room. Milo was a little unsure at first (maybe because Daisy wasn't so nice to him), but had really come around. And in a day or two, when Sparky is back up to speed and starts running again, they will be able to play in the backyard and have a great time. And don't their faces look just alike? They are so cute together!

Is the second week of January over yet?

Okay, so I may be barely making my goal of posting at least once a week, but I think it really depends on how you count weeks. Maybe that's splitting hairs, but I don't think the second week of January is over until midnight on the 14th. So, that said, I will go on with my second post of 2008 and do a little updating. Let's start with events of the past few days:

First, many of you know that I work at the local newspaper, and on Wednesday, we ran a story about the Humane Society. Our local shelter had a major influx of puppies — seven litters in one week, one of which had 15 puppies — and decided to have a half-price adoption sale. I had been thinking about getting another dog so Milo would have someone to play with when he can't play with us, so I went to the shelter on Thursday. It was packed! Two hours after opening almost half the puppies had been adopted. Now, I didn't want a little puppy that I had to house train and have chewing on everything. I wanted a puppy that was a little older and we found this little girl, seen here with Milo and me. She is a Basenji/Corgi mix. We're still not sure she will be all right with Milo, but she is a sweet little thing and very affectionate. I hope we don't have to take her back.

Next, going farther back, on December 22 we had a crazy major snowstorm/
blizzard here. I, unfortunately, had to drive into work that day (we are kind of like the post office and will deliver the news despite all kinds of horrible things, like a blinding snowstorm). What normally takes me 15 minutes in traffic took about an hour and a half. The distance is about 6 or 7 miles. Yikes! Well, I didn't take any pictures (they would have been just white blobs anyway, because I couldn't see 20 feet in front of me!) of the snow, but after the storm blew over, we got an incredible sunset. This photo was taken out of the office windows on the third floor of the newspaper building. It doesn't do justice to the amazing colors of the sunset that night.

And finally, proof that we actually did celebrate Christmas at our house. I had some doubts that we would make it, but we did. This is our lovely little Christmas tree. We liked it. Now I have to get it down! :-) But in my defense, I have gone on a major cleaning/dejunking spree over the past week. Hence the reason there is no crochet to show off tonight. In fact, I just realized that I also didn't get Alyx's scarf and hat done either. She goes back to school Monday morning. Hmmm, I guess I better get busy and at least try to get her hat done tomorrow! But in the meantime, I have thrown out large bags of garbage too numerous to count, and have many more bags of old clothing and other items to donate to charity. I can't wait to get them out. And a benefit to doing all this work is a nice place to store my yarn. And having the ability to put my hands on things that I need. And being able to walk across my basement floor without risking my life (and if you think that's an exaggeration, you're wrong!). So, I have been busy, just not always doing what I'd really like to do. The crochet is just going to have to wait maybe a little longer, except for Alyx's hat, of course.

Happy New Year!

I have been remiss in keeping postings up over the past several weeks. I could make up all kinds of excuses, but really, I could have put a little post up if I had taken the time. I did work 13 out of 15 days, tried to get stuff together for Christmas, and spent a ton of time crocheting. I am in the process of making hats for some nieces, an afghan (the doily one when -- or if -- it gets finished) for my sister, and afghan for my mom (about 75% done) and a million (at least it seems like it) dishcloths. My goal for 2008 is to update the blog at least once a week. I hope that I have enough crochet projects to keep things interesting. I promise to get some pictures of above-mentioned projects posted in the next day or two. I really love the way the hats have turned out, and I even have plans to design one here soon. Anyway, I wish the best for everyone in 2008, and thanks for a great 2007!

No one could possibly think this is enough

space?!? I was at Wal-Mart getting some large bins for my yarn storage. You know, the 58-quart tubs that can hold 20 or more large skeins of yarn. A reasonable storage size for a small stash (I bought three to go with the several I have already, but am outgrowing them). I looked at the upper shelf, and noticed the label on the small tubs with a couple things of yarn and some knitting needles and just about died laughing. I don't know anyone who could store their knitting or crochet in a tub this small! And I think people who saw me standing in that aisle laughing at storage tubs at 1:30 a.m. (I went on my way home from work) must have thought I was crazy!

Mom's afghan is coming along

It's a good thing mom doesn't look at my blog. Here is the progress on her Christmas afghan. I love the way the stitch pattern is working up. The pattern is from the Weekend Afghans book. The pattern in teh book is made up in a variegated, and mom doesn't really like variegated. So I am using I Love This Yarn in cranberry, and the tweed insets are one strand of the cranberry and one strand of ivory chenille.

It is soft, and I think will make a really cuddly blanket when it's finished. Still deciding if I want to add fringe or a border. And I am using my new wood Q-hook. It is so smooth and comfortable. I am totally pleased with the choice of yarn, the way the insets will look, and how well the hook works.

I have the greatest sister!

It just turned really cold at my house. We have had sleet and freezing rain. I went out to the mailbox and look what I found!! Three great ear bands to help keep me warm. They are perfect and have already seen plenty of use. We are looking at temperatures below freezing until late this week, and there will probably be snow and more freezing rain. Chauntel sent these to me just in time. Yea for terrific sisters! She's the best.

A trial hat

Alyx asked for a hat with ear flaps that would keep her warmer up in Nebraska as the snow begins to fly. So I bought some terrific superwash wool at Twist, and found a fun pattern. However, I wanted to try it out first to see if it would fit her all right, and to see if the pattern needs to be adjusted at all. I had some Wool-ease around from previous projects and it feels about the same weight as the wool, so I whipped up a little hat and sent it to her. She has posted a picture of her wearing it on her blog

I was pretty happy with how it turned out, and she likes it too, so now I have to do the "real" thing. I told her to give the sample to one of her friends at school. I love the wool I found (and it is black and ivory as well) and think it will make a great hat and scarf. I think I will just mirror the hat pattern in the scarf. 4-5 rows of black double crochet, alternating with a row of ivory dc clusters. I think I will add a fringe, too. She wants the strings fatter, so I will try my sister's method for making cord on the next one. All in all, I'm pretty happy with it, and she's pretty happy with it, so it's all good!

Keeping the puppy warm

As the weather has gotten colder, Milo has a hard time staying as warm as Chewie did. Chewie had so much thick fur, and Milo's fur is quite a lot shorter and not nearly as thick. So I decided I should probably help him out some and make him a sweater. So I found a pattern in an old pattern book I dug out of my box. It was a quick make, and I used a bulky weight yarn instead of worsted, because I had some in my stash and Kyle thought the color was the best of the yarns I had to choose from.



It stretches a little when he wears it and I need to tighten the buttonholes on the strap. A wash might help it out a little as well. But overall, I think it turned out well and will do just the trick to help keep him warmer on walks. Especially as the weather continues to get colder. We did take it on a test run today to get pictures. He didn't mind wearing it at all, but he sure didn't want to stand still for pictures!

Our first snow of the year

Friday night we got our first snow of the season. It started snowing (mostly flurries) when I was on my way to work that night. It snowed a little more and a little more all night long, and when I finally got off work I had to remove an inch of snow from my car. But the temperature was right about freezing, so the roads weren't too bad. I just avoided the freeway and took surface streets home to avoid elevated roadways. The snow was so pretty as it was coming down in my headlights at 1 a.m.

I took these pictures when I got home. The little garden near the front door, the boxwoods in front of the house (a little more protected since they are on the north side of the house), and the large maple tree out front. In that shot you can even see some of the snowflakes. It really was pretty, but was melted by 10 or 11 the next morning.

A funny thing happened on the way to...

...Wal-Mart of all places. I was driving down the road and found myself behind this truck. I literally just laughed so hard when I saw the sign on the left side of the of the picture. Look-you can earn up to 40 cents! That makes me want to just drop everything I'm doing an call that 800 number right away! I just had to grab my camera (which I try to keep in purse all the time) and take a picture of the truck (at a stop light of course).

Beating the single-crochet demon

Well, I used my sister's single-crochet beanie pattern, and finally got one figured out! I made this one from Berroco Comfort. A great acrylic and nylon blend. It feels so good. I sent this one to Evan in Iraq for his birthday. I carried the yarn down for each stripe, so the inside looks kind of funny, but it worked.

I think I'll need to make a few more to really get the hang of the single crochet. They take longer than the double crochet pattern I usually use, but they are more tightly stitched, so they should be a little warmer. I'll probably make a couple more for the boys. And maybe one for Mark.

I have some superwash wool to make a hat and scarf for Alyx. So that project will be coming up soon. She wants a hat with ear flaps and strings. I found a cute one in the Happy Hooker crochet book.

Looking for a place to rest...

It seems like I have had so much on my plate lately, and when I looked back and saw that I hadn't posted for more than 2 weeks, I realized it has been that long since I have really been able to sit down and crochet like I'd like as well. Thus, I have no new pictures to post (although I do have a single-crochet beanie in the works that I hope to have finished soon).

Last week I presented a 4-1/2 hour workshop for the Kansas Museums Association at its annual conference. I had about 20 people in attendance, from an assortment of Kansas museums, including ones as small as a single-person staff to the Kansas Cosmosphere. It was a good group of people, but it sure was stressful getting it together. The good thing is that everyone in attendance said the workshop was well worth their time and they learned a lot.

Then I've had my regular speech class at the university as well. We are getting to the end of the semester and trying to wrap up the last of the speaking assignments. The final is in 4 weeks and then a few weeks off until next semester.

And today I had jury duty. I am definitely on the short list for jury duty in Sedgwick County, because this is my 6th time to get called in 10 years. I was so happy when they dismissed us just before lunch and told us we had served our commitment. When they did the welcome orientation this morning and said there were 238 criminal cases on the dockets, I was sure I was in for a long haul.

I did, however, get the Kite Runner completely read this morning while I waited to be called for a jury pool. I started it several months ago, and set it aside. I have intended to finish it for a while and this seemed like a perfect opportunity. I even cried in the jury room while I was reading it! It is hard to imagine what life must have been like for the Afghan people who have had to live through the difficulties of the Russian occupation of the country, and the cruel rule of the Taliban coming on the heels of it. What depredation and cruelty the Afghan people have suffered under rulers like that. I don't think that those of us who have lived our lives in the U.S. can even begin to fathom what life is like there. I am eager now to get into Khaleid Hosseini's A Thousand Splendid Suns. I have heard it is even better than the Kite Runner. It has been sitting in the Pile for a while now, and I need to get to it. I think I will, however, take a break and enjoy a humorous quick read before tackling it.

I also just finished Water for Elephants. It was an interesting story and I enjoyed it. It wasn't a deep story with any level of meaning other than what is right on the surface.

So, I have read a couple of good books lately, even though I haven't had much time to crochet. A trip to the yarn shop is a necessity in the near future to get some nice wool to make Alyx a hat and scarf. She thinks life in Nebraska is too cold. So, a fun trip, a chance to get some wool and hooks into my hands and relax a little. Woo-hoo!