A finished scarf — or, instant gratification

I've been working on my ripple afghan in fits and spurts, but occasionally I feel the need for a little instant gratification. So, when I was needing some a couple of weeks ago, I turned out this nifty little scarf. It is one of those great one-skein patterns. I used Berroco comfort for this one.

It is a nice brownish pink, so I can get away with wearing it. Generally pink is not a great color for me. I love working with the yarn and it comes in a zillion colors.

The pattern is from the March/April issue of Crochet Today. When I first saw the pattern I wasn't enthralled (maybe because the one in the magazine was really pink), but the more I looked at it the more I liked the ruffled along the edges. So, I went to the yarn store (well, I didn't actually have to make a special trip, I was there for something already I am sure) and got the yarn. The pattern was easy and I was able to kick this puppy out in about 2-3 hours. Fun stuff!

So, now, I'm making flowers from random patterns that I find free online, or from patterns I have, or from Tamara's brain. I'm ready to try some embellishing, and I am learning to better work with threads. I think I will limit myself to nothing smaller than a size 10. I think I would need a magnifying glass otherwise!

A box for my parents

So I finally got a box together for my parents. The afghan was supposed to be their Christmas present, but it ended up being a 'happy spring' gift instead.

You can see the edges of the afghan (which ended up just immense!) in the lower left corner of the box. I also blogged about it here. The other items were just a few little things for mom. She always wants a couple of new towels for her kitchen, and Kyle thought if we were sending kitchen towels we should send some dish rags, too. So I whipped up the four towels, and Kyle picked out four rags. The little olive green square you see with a brown edge is Kyle's first finished crochet 'project.' He really wanted to send it to his grandparents, so I put it in the box with a note on it. Buried in the box is the "Savin' up for knitting lessons" bank I got for my sister like the one I have on my desk at work. She loved it!

A spring day over spring break

So the sun was shining and the weather was warm (and the wind was blowing 40 mph — typical). We went to the zoo. Apparently every other person in Wichita was ready for a spring day, because they were there, too.


The flamingos were happy to see the sun and the picture doesn't to justice to their bright coloring.







The meerkats were playing and running around. I loved this one in the bush.






The hippos didn't even go in the water. They just laid around on the dirt and soaked up the sun. Of course, their water is so disgusting you can't even see three inches into it. . .







The zebras must not have wanted much to do with the crowds. They only showed their back sides. :-)

Some fun new yarn and hooks

I found a great clearance place online that has a ton of different types of yarn, and some of them are available for as much as 75% off: Smiley's Yarns. So, of course I found some terrific cotton and blends that just fit for some future projects. First, there was the Jaeger Roma. A nylon, acrylic and angora blend. It is incredibly soft and has a smooth touch. I love it, and got it in two colors: mocha and leaf green. (top and second pictures) I'm thinking it will make a nice vest, capelet, wrap, or something like that. It will be a nice spring addition to the wardrobe. Now to find an appropriate pattern to make with it. It's a light worsted and I have about 1,250 yards of each color.

Then I also found these two great cottons. Lily elite cotton in a lovely buttery yellow. And it is really soft and supple. Much nicer than the sugar and cream, and will make a nice short-sleeve cardi or something similar. Perfect for summer. Another pattern hunt is in order.

Finally, there's this terrific worsted weight from Coats, TLC's cotton plus in a persimmon-y peachy color. Again, about 1,200 yards, and a pattern hunt. Soft soft soft. Mmmmmm.

I have tried thread crochet several times and have such a hard time with those short tiny hooks. Now, I know that a 00 or a 1 or 2 is a decent size hook, but the steel hooks are short and hurts my large hands. Cruising around on E-bay I found a seller who makes wood handles, and will insert any size Boye steel hook after you win the auction for the handle. I purchased 5, as you can see, sizes 0, 1, 2, 3, and 6. They are so easy to work with and I am so excited to do some thread work. I have some size 3 and size 10 thread, and am thinking I will branch out and try a couple of other sizes (but probably nothing much smaller than a 10, maybe a 12). I'm even thinking I might try a doily or two! And I saw a cute denim skirt that was embellished with little doilies in a natural cotton thread. I'd like to do that to one of my skirts. And some cute lacy embellishments on jeans or a jacket, and sweaters. Oh the fun in my future!

Shawl and yarn and basket and cardi

So, I've been working along on my ripple afghan (it's about twice as long as it was when I first posted about it, and I still love it, by the way). But I was feeling a need for a little instant gratification, so to speak. And one night I was sitting on the couch and it was a little chilly. So, I began to desire a small shawl. I perused free patterns online, and found a simple prayer shawl pattern on Lion Brand. Loved it, and decided I wanted to make it. The pattern is shown in both Thick & Quick Chenille and Homespun. I have some Homespun in my stash for a poncho, so I didn't want to use that. And I have some T&Q Chenille in my stash, so I thought about that. Then I decided I wanted something different. Monday night at about 9:30. Luckily, we still have one Wal-Mart that actually has a fabric section. So off I go, ostensibly to pick up some other items I need, but also to get a yarn fix. Ta-da! Homespun in Meadow. Wednesday morning I had this wrap ready to wear to a luncheon I was attending. I love it!

Now, I gave the Boteh scarf I made away, so I've been wanting to make another one for me. I have some variegated yarn I picked up thinking I might use it, but I am just not sure how the pattern will look in a variegated. So, I picked up these two skeins of Opal superwash. I love the blue — it's really a denim blue. And I love to wear jeans and a white shirt, and thought the blue scarf would be just a great touch. And I also love green, so I felt a need to add a green scarf to my list (in case I don't want to wear the blue one with my jeans ;-) ). The rosy color is kind of a brownish pink (I don't wear true pinks well). And there is a great scarf in Crochet! March issue that I want to make. It is the Ruffled Lace Scarf, designed by Nancy Brown. The yarn they used was a Dark horse Fantasy. Didn't want to wait for a mail order (and only need one skein) so I went with Berroco Comfort, which I love anyway.
Needed a basket to carry my projects. I am tired of having to dig around in a bag and I can't see the bottom and everything is jumbled, etc. And I have some great bags, but with the ripple afghan, when I was changing yarns, regardless of how great the bag was, it was a pain. Plus, they don't stand up straight when you set them on the floor and try to leave your yarn inside and pull it out. Anyway. Shelly got these great baskets in. They are from Ghana, and the importer she buys them from buys them in a free trade situation directly from the makers. So I can feel even better about getting it. I love it and it does just what I need it to. Stands up, lets me see my yarn, provides a receptacle for those bouncing skeins, and is easy to lug around. However, my little dog is scared of it. Can't figure that one out. Won't come in the same room as it.

And finally, next project in the queue is this wrap/cardi from the Dec. 06/Jan. 07 Crochet Today. I really want to get it made while it's still cool outside. And I have so much stuck to nature-type colors lately, I wanted something a little brighter. I was going to just buy new yarn, but I decided maybe I could bust a little stash (since I just ordered a ton of new yarn from Smiley's). So I went down and found this warm red fuzzy stuff. I picked it up on clearance at Hobby Lobby (yes, that says 99 cents) ages ago, thinking I could find a project for it. It's a little lighter weight (a heavy 3 as opposed to a lighter 4), but I think it will work just great. It's slippery and fuzzy, so I don't think it will be hard to work with at all. And the stitch pattern is big enough, and the yarn is not so fuzzy that the lacy pattern should still be plenty visible. Plus, the newsroom gets awfully cold in the summer when the air conditioner is running. So, that's up. Now, off to Ravelry to get a few hours in and do some updating!

Those are some big feet

These are the feet of the puppy we brought home in September. Needless to say, he has grown! I was looking at his feet the other day and noticed how big they were and how different they were from Chewie's (our other dog that we had to put to sleep around Thanksgiving). Then, I thought, these feet remind me of the feet of the big three-headed dog, Fluffy, in the first Harry Potter movie. And when he puts his foot on your lap, it just emphasizes the similarity. Of course, Milo really does have only one head. And his paw isn't as big as Hermione's head. But still...

We LOVE our LYS

Shelly, owner of the local yarn shop, Twist, gave up the windows of of her store to the KS My Stitch chapter of the Crochet Guild of America. This is one of the displays that was put together.

Our guild president, Tamara, got the items together and arranged for many of the vintage items that are included in the display.

All the windows look so great, and what a great way to get the word out about crochet and our guild.

To see the rest of the display check out the KS My Stitch blog here.

We LOVE Shelly!

A spring-like day

and the dogs loved it! Milo decided to take a break on the cushion on the bench — which you'll notice has lost its legs. However, it still makes a nice place to sit and stretch out and enjoy the sun, as Milo can attest to. The temperatures reached almost 6o the last two days, are supposed to be close to 60 again today, and near 70 on Saturday. Whoo-hoo!

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. :-)