A trip to the zoo on a cool day

The kids were out of school last week for parent-teacher conferences and the weather was great, so we went to the zoo. It was a nice cool day, and the animals (the ones we saw anyway) were acting differently than they do on those hot summer days when we usually get to the zoo.

The penguins were swimming around a lot, and were playful. It's fun to watch them, especially when they dive.

The bears were actually out and moving, although, as you can see, not much. Just walking, then taking another nap. We saw the baby giraffe. He sure has grown a lot since we saw him last summer! He is really cute. And the mom and dad giraffes were out too. We just missed the chance to feed them. From 1 to 2 each afternoon you can pay a dollar and go up on a platform and feed the giraffes. The boys were disappointed, so I think we will try and do that next time we go.





And of course, we had to have the requisite picture of Kyle the monkey boy with his orangutan friend. I think he gets his picture taken on this sculpture every time we go to the zoo!

Progress on the doily afghan

Well, I got it started and have been working it a little at a time. I am pleased with the way it is working up so far. The yarn is Caron Simply Soft, and I am using a G hook. I probably could even have gone with an F hook and it woulf have worked out fine. I am through round 16 (of 29) and it measures 25 inches in diameter at this point. The bulk of the pattern is treble crochet, so it works up fast. As I am getting to larger rounds it is, naturally, taking longer to each round. And I am also finally getting to the point where the pattern is a little less lacy. This will not be a "cuddle up under me for warmth" finished product, but rather a "look how pretty I am" kind of item. It will look nice thrown across the back of the sofa. And it really can be used, it just won't offer great warmth.

I tried three different size hooks before I settled on a G. I started with a K, and I think a K would be great if you were to do the same pattern holding two strands of yarn together. That might also give it a more full look and fill out the pattern a bit more. All in all it has been a fun experiment. I think I will remain on the lookout for vintage patterns that could be adapted in ways like this. I really am not fond of crocheting with small thread sizes and steel hooks, but I do like a lot of the patterns used in doilies. It would be fun to adapt some of them to the front or back of a top (much like the swing top pattern in the spring issue of Interweave crochet) or a sweater (like the one in Crochet Me). I also saw a pattern in a magazine (sure can't remember which one right now) that used a pattern similar to this for the sleeves. Mmmmmm, the brain is working now...

Some new hooks

I ordered some handturned wood crochet hooks earlier this week, and they arrived this morning! I am so excited to have them, and I started a new project right away. Unfortunately, I think I need a smaller hook than I ordered.

I went ahead and ordered a set of large hooks, starting at size N and going up to size S. Those are the sizes I have the hardest time finding in a quality that I like. The large hooks, no.1, are usually made of cheap plastic. And, no. 2, it's hard to find a variety of sizes (usually just a P or Q, and maybe an N, but that's about it). These feel really good in the hand and have a nice smooth draw on the yarn.

Most of the wood hooks I have seen have just a slit for the hook and have a tendency to split the yarn and get caught. These are finely finished and have a hook that is shaped like those you would find on a nice quality aluminum hook. Another reason I was drawn to them. Plus, how great are the original designs on each hook?

Vest is finished, and it fits!

I am really pleased with my first fitted/clothing project. This picture is it after a long day of wear and no blocking before wearing. I added a little bit of length, but I think I'd like more on another one, and the bottom flares out more than I want on another as well. But I do love the ease and basicness of this pattern, and I think that I could use it as a jumping off point for a design of my own. I like the fact that decreases are made by changing hook sizes, but I also think they could be easily adapted to be made by regular decrease means. And I also think I might like to get a little creative with the lace border and try a couple different patterns.

I like wearing a vest or tank like this over a long sleeve shirt or turtleneck in the winter because it offers extra warmth without a lot of bulk and it doesn't overheat me like a full sweater might.

I have another set of Wool-Ease in a nice heathery green that I plan to make a second tank out of and I think I will take the opportunity to play a little with some adaptation to the pattern. And I'm wondering if the body of the tank can be made in the round from the bottom up. It seems like it should work, at least in theory. And thanks to my sister who recommended seaming with a slip stitch. It worked beautifully and created a lovely, smooth seam.

Front of tank is done

Well, I have finished the front of the Preppy Tank from the Sept/Oct issue of Crochet Today. I think I will like it, and I plan to start on the back panel today or tonight. The straps are 12 stitches wide, so they are a little bit wider, so they shouldn't slip much. I added a little length to the pattern, because as written it was shorter than I liked. I think it will be nice to wear when the weather cools, and because it is made of Wool-Ease, it will be warm without cooking me. I have some Wool-Ease in a green heather to make another one. I've adapted the pattern to be the size I think will be best, and if I need to make any changes to make it fit better, I can do that on the second one. It's been a quick pattern and pretty easy. Can't wait to see it done!

Boteh is finished

I finished the boteh scarf yesterday afternoon. I am really pleased with the way it turned out. And it took only one skein of the Luster Sheen. It's really soft and drapes very nicely. I think it will be a great accessory when the weather is a little cooler. I am looking forward to being able to wear it. The finish was just a half double crochet all the way around, and it worked up really fast. I think this pattern is a keeper, and would make really nice gifts. I think it could also be worked in a DK weight wool or wool blend, which would increase the size of the motifs a little, but would make it more of a cold-weather scarf to wear with coats.

The way it's worked up here it's more of a daily accessory that can be worn all the time. Yea!

Now it's time to go through my list of projects and decide what to start next. I am still working on those granny squares, but I'm itching to start another project or two as well.

My birthday present finally arrived!

I have been waiting for three months for my Levenger lap desk to arrive, and it finally did today! I was hoping to have it over the summer when I was teaching and grading what seemed like a zillion papers, but no such luck. Then I hoped it would arrive before the fall semester started, and no luck then either. But today, it finally came. So now I can use it for my laptop (which I am doing right now), and for reading because of the handy adjustable top that can provide several levels of incline and hold a book, and that also means I can have my crochet patterns sitting at a convenient reading angle without losing them or having to move everything around. Plus, check out the great storage compartments underneath the lid. A big one in the center and two smaller ones on each side. What a great place to store a notepad, a couple of pens, a pair of scissors, or whatever! How happy am I?!

And one more thing for today

I feel like a blogging fool! I just had several things backing up and decided I would go ahead and catch up today. So here's the last item. I have started a new granny square (well, a variation of one, anyway) afghan. I have about 15 squares (of 48) finished. Thought I'd post a couple of pictures of the work in progress. I am pleased with the way the colors complement each other, and think it will be quite striking when it is finished.
I have also chosen Caron for this project, in seashell and autumn red. I haven't decided which color I will use to join the squares, but I don't have to decide right now. Maybe I will try each color on a couple of squares and decide which one I like best.

A scarf, and some new yarn

So I finished Alyx's scarf to go with her hat. She took the hat back to school with her when she was home a couple of weeks ago. I was looking for a quick project that I could just whip up and I remembered that I needed to get her scarf done. I love the way it turned out, and I think she will like it, too.

This one-skein pattern absolutely rocks! I can make it out of just about any kind of yarn, it always looks great, and it works up amazingly fast. And the shells give it a softer look, and because it is not so bulky, you can wrap it a couple of times and not feel like you are going to suffocate.

I also found some yarn to try the doily to afghan thing. I didn't want to spend too much for this first project, so I decided on Caron Simply Soft. I just love the way this yarn feels. It is so soft and I think will look really nice crocheted up in the doily pattern. I posted a few doily pics a few days ago, and I plan to use this yarn to make the traditional round doily.

It's a nice pastel peach color, and I believe it will complement the pattern well. I didn't want something harsh or bright. And I was afraid that if I used a variegated yarn that the pattern of the stitches would get lost. If I like the way this one turns out, I have some soft goldish-yellow Wool Ease in my stash downstairs that I would like to use for the wheat-pattern doily. I think it's a great wheat color and it would suit the pattern well.

Some fun pics of the puppy

Okay, so this dog just cracks me up! He loves to shove his face up against things (like the couch in this picture). He comes up and shoves his face into my leg all the time until I pet him. He also spends a lot of time sleeping on his back. The other day he stuck his feet straight up in the air and stretched all out while he was sleeping on the living room floor.

And of course we have to include the obligatory photo of Chewie. He's getting to be a pretty old man, but still loves his spot under the piano. As you can see, that's also where my yarn stash is. And amazingly, the dogs don't bother it. I thought Milo might want to chew on some of it, but thus far he has not even tried.

He is still a pretty mellow dog, and is very loving. He loves to cuddle, and usually jumps on my bed after everyone else has left in the morning and goes to sleep. He's so cute! He's rapidly become a member of the family and he and Chewie are getting along splendidly. Now, they are asleep in the living room...

Doilies to afghans?

Okay, so my sister inspired me to get a little out of my comfort zone again. She suggested I find a doily pattern and up-scale it with worsted weight yarn and a larger hook to make an afghan. So I found this doily pattern on one of the free pattern sites online. I think this will be the first one I try. I like the very classic look of it, and I think the pattern is not so lacy that it would work well.

Then I also found this neat wheat stalk pattern doily, and of course, being from Kansas, I figured it might be a nice one to make as well. I do very much like the wheat stalks, but wonder if the laciness of it might make it too delicate a pttern to translate into an afghan. Hmmm... But just look at the closeup of the wheat, and tell me it's not just a great pattern.

Now I just have to figure out what yarn to use (something soft, and somewhat fine, but still worsted weight). I probably have something in my stash, but maybe not. I think I might have to hit the yarn store... Oh how I love an excuse to shop for yarn!

Progress on my Boteh Scarf

I thought I would post a little update on how my Boteh scarf is progressing. I carry it with me most of the time, so if I have a chance to work on it I can. Unlike what I hear about most knitters, I rarely have more than a project or two going on at a time. It seems that the knitters I know always have several projects on their needles. I can't keep patterns straight if I do that much. Although I don't know why. I use quick hats or scarves as a diversion from a project that takes a longer time to finish.

Our church has an ongoing humanitarian project, and they need crocheted or knitted scarves to send to children in third-world countries. So I have a stack of acrylic yarn skeins that I keep around and just through a large-hook doubled-yarn scarf together. They work up pretty quick and don't have to be anything fancy, just measure 60 x 8 inches.

I love the way this scarf is coming together, once I got the pattern figured out. I had to frog two motifs (the third and part of the fourth) because I was crocheting in a circle. I had decreased down the wrong side of the triangles. I got it figured out and now the pattern moves along pretty quickly. It's really lightweight and I think will be really comfortable. I love the pattern and may make one out of another color or maybe a different scarf. The pattern in interweave used a fingering weight yarn, and this is just a little heavier (and really barely a little) than that. It is nice and soft and has a lovely drape.

A new member of our family

We got some sad news about our dog last week. He has cancer in his mouth, and we don't know how fast it will grow and make it so he can't eat or drink. But for now we are just loving him and enjoying him. He isn't experiencing any pain or other adverse effects from it right now, it just bleeds occasionally. So the family (and the whole family was here this weekend) decided to get another dog now, while we have Chewie to train him. So when I went to work on Saturday, they went to the Humane Society and found a great puppy.

He is a Doberman mix, and is 7 months old. He is really quite mellow, has long legs and weighs about 40 pounds. I think he won't get much bigger than he is, but he might fill out some. He was a little shy, but seems to be warming up to everyone. He kept running to the front windows and looking out them this morning after Kyle left for school. Kyle has been really great with him and taking care of him. Then he came in and jumped up on my bed and went to sleep with me.
I think he is going to be a great dog.

A little splurge

I've been really anxious to make this great baby-doll top pattern in the spring issue of Interweave Crochet, and have had a difficult time finding just the yarn I want to make it in. The pattern used bamboo, but I really wanted to feel the yarn before purchasing for this project. So I haunted the stores and went to Twist, where I found some yarns I loved, but just couldn't bring myself to spend $100 or more just to make a top (cheapskate runs very deep in me). But Shelly did have some really lovely 100% cotton that feels like it will drape nicely and be comfortable as well. And she had a beautiful green (I love green and orange, but not usually together;-) ). It's a nice slightly on the heavy side of DK weight, and feels really great. Soon, I'll have to get started... The hank shown above is the "extra" because the yardage on these hanks is a little shorter than the ones used, so we wound all the other, and I'll wind this one if I need it. Anyway, I'm pretty excited about making this, and it will be my first fitted clothing project.

And when Alyx was home this weekend, she saw the hats I had made for the boys and tried to steal Ryan's blue one, so I made her a green one. I used Bernat Softee Chunky, which is a bulky weight yarn. It should be nice and warm for her when the weather starts to get cold. It worked up nice and fast, and it is soft and thick.

The start of something new

Well, I started a project that has been sitting in my basket for a while. I am not as adept as I'd like to be at reading crochet charts, so I have put this particular scarf, the Boteh Scarf from the spring issue of Interweave Crochet, off for a short while. Also, the yarn is finer than I am used to. Yes, I'm a wimp, I know, but I am trying to broaden my horizons a little. I really love the cotton feel of the Red Heart luster sheen yarn, and the washability of it because it is 100% acrylic. The color is tea leaf (and it doesn't look quite as nice in the photos here).

The pattern is not as difficult as I thought it might be. You can see the very small picture of the scarf as it appeared in the magazine. And because they have completely changed the website, you can no longer see the table of contents for back issues of the magazine. Rats! I really loved being able to see what was in the magazine, look at the projects, and see what yarns were used. I have to say that while I like some of the changes to the site, that one I don't. I was able to pull up the cached page on Google, except that when I clicked on it, I got the dreaded "404 page not found" message. So, the picture you get (because I was too lazy to take a picture of my copy of the magazine) is a tiny one that I got on a Google image search and was the little icon.

I tried to take a picture that was a little closer so you can see detail, but I think I'll have to do it again and get a little closer, maybe when I have better light to work with. I am pleased with how it is going, and I think I will like it.

A hat for Alyx...

...and a scarf to come. Out of what pattern? Why the one-skein pattern of course! I tried this hat in single crochet several times, and it just wasn't working, so I went back to my tried and true double crochet pattern (works up faster anyway!), then adapted the lower rows to incorporate the shell to match the scarf. The yarn is Wool-Ease, in a nice Nebraska red with little colored confettis in it. It's pretty darn comfy, and soft, and should help keep her head warn when the snow starts to fall. But it's also one she can wear when it's just cool outside and the wind is blowing a little. I made it a little long to cover her ears better.

Next on the list is the scarf, which won't take terribly long either. I think I've got that pattern down to about an hour and a half or so per scarf. Maybe even a little less depending on the fiber.

I do love the way the shell pattern makes a nice border on the hat, adding a little shape, and making it look a little less like a regular beanie. And if she doesn't like it, then I have a nice hat for when it gets colder here! ;-)

New stuff to show

So it's been a little while since I have taken the time to sit down and write and post some pictures. I finished this scarf last week, and I just love it. I used the same pattern as the orange alpaca (the one-skein pattern), but used some ribbon yarn that my sister sent. It's really nice and lightweight, and will be a great accessory for my black and green wardrobe when winter comes. Wow, that makes me sound like a witch. Hmmmm, maybe it's an accurate statement...

The yarn is a little soft, and it took more than one skein (just a little more, really). But it drapes nicely and will be excellent accessory wear, with a black or lime turtleneck. I also have a great lime-green denim jacket with which it will look absolutely adorable. Now, if we could just have some of the cool weather we had over the weekend return.

I LOVE this scarf pattern and have more plans for it in the future. I think I will make Christmas gifts for my friends and the ladies I visit teach (who are actually also my friends!). I have plans to make it out of a really bulky yarn, and would like to make it out of a soft cotton blend as well. I could use one in every color!

On another note, we had the pleasure of a visit from the Yarn Harlot (Stephanie Pearl-McPhee) yesterday. Now, I am not a knitter (my sister would say I am not yet a knitter), but I can definitely appreciate anyone who seriously loves yarn, and can joke about it. She was really very personable and fun to listen to. I just substituted "crochet" nearly every time she said "knit" and it worked well. Except for when she talked about the apocalyptic day that sheep would offer no more wool, and we would be left with the yarn in our stashes. She warned the room full of knitters that they would have to watch out for the crocheting hordes, who would come because crochet works up so much faster and we would run out of yarn first! I seriously had to laugh at that, but it gave me an idea as to why I might be a little reticent to give up my hooks and replace them with needles any time soon. Besides, I am still not convinced that I can handle two pointy sticks at one time! It was a lot of fun to have her visit, and you can see from the picture that she smiles a lot!

And finally, I went to Michael's today to buy some bamboo that was on sale (unfortunately it was bulky and I need DK weight) and found this marvelous bulky yarn on clearance for $1 a ball. Well, I certainly couldn't pass up a bargain like that, could I? So I bought all of this color that I could find, 25 balls, and now I am looking for a car coat type of pattern made with bulky yarn to make out of it. Barring that, I will use it in a mixed fiber afghan. It is incredibly soft, and I love the oranges, tans and sages. Mmmmmmm, mmmmmm.

You have got to see this...

I was just out doing a little surfing and I found a link to this marvelous flickr set of pictures. Design ideas from 40 years ago, and some of them are so cool! They are not simplified, and the details are just marvelous.

Just winding down

It was a late night at the paper tonight. Not the latest ever, but a little later than normal on a Saturday night. Football season has started in earnest, and that keeps the sports team busy busy. We print two editions of the paper for Sunday, and early edition for the state, and a later edition for the city. This means that there are always a few things that need to be changed on pages, like the lottery numbers (they don't get drawn early enough to go in the state edition), some sports scores, sometimes a national or world story will get an update and things like that.

Tonight it was mostly sports. Big 12 football is huge, and KU and K-State both won today.

On another note, I finally got back in the pool today. I haven't swam regularly since I started my master's program three years ago, and it was absolutely just time to start exercising again. I took Kyle and we went over to the lap pool and swam for about 45 minutes. Ahhh, the quiet of the water, and the cool, and the feel of the strokes and breathing. Wow, do I need to get in better shape! But it sure felt good, and I plan to make it a regular part of my routine. The pool is nearby, so I don't have much of an excuse to not do it.

And I think Kyle liked it too.

Yea! I have more memory in my computer

I have been running my laptop with 256MB ram since I bought it almost three years ago. I had another 256 card lying around waiting to get put in, and just never got around to it. When Evan got Skype and could call over the computer, and Mark put it on his computer too, and the sound was so great, I knew it was time to upgrade. So I ordered a 1GB card, and installed it (all by myself!) this afternoon. It was so much easier than I expected.

Now I will go download the program, and buy a headset, and woohoo, I can talk to my kid in Iraq!

And of course, I will add a picture to this post, just because I can, and it should load faster. So, the picture you see is a bag I bought in South Dakota on vacation, and I just like the pattern in the fabric. And when I have more crocheting done, I will post more pictures of it, too.