Finished

I have finished the scarf I started a while back. Remember this?


Now it looks like this...


The colors don't quite translate, it's so very bright and I am so happy with it. It turned out better than I pictured. My boyfriend called it my Dr. Seuss scarf and I love that name.

I've almost finished the scarf for my friend's mom. It turned out very classic.


I'm very pleased with it and I know she will be too.

The "Classic" looms large and unchanging so I won't bore you with another picture. I've been working on the green shawl again. It is so soft and it's going to be so long when it's all finished. It will be big enough to wrap around you a couple times. Yum. I'm going to try to get something else started this week so there is more fun stuff to show you.

I'm still enjoying bike rides when I can. The weather today was really sketchy and I didn't get out there...which meant that I had energy to burn and I was driving my roommate a little crazy bouncing around singing. She kindly suggested I turn on the music channel!! HA!!

Lost and Found

I FOUND MY CROCHET HOOKS! I'm giddy with relief. Apparently my Queen Ditz title is still in effect. I went to a friend's house last week for Creative Night but she had asked us to help her with a big project she was working on so I knew I would be doing that and there wouldn't be an opportunity to work on my scarf. It was pouring, I mean absolutely soak-you-to-the-bone-in-a-second pouring when I got to her house and the only thing I can figure is that I grabbed all the bags on my seat (change of clothes, munchies, etc.) and dashed into the house not realizing that I had also grabbed my crocheting. Since I didn't know I had taken it IN, I didn't know to track it down and take it OUT. So, why was the scarf in my car at all? Why didn't I think to just call my friend to check? Well, I apparently enjoy my reign and rule of Ditzland. I'm not going to give up that gig.

Randomness

This is going to be so random...all kinds of little things going on. The worst thing is I lost my crochet hooks. Each and every one of them. I have looked EVERYWHERE. I had them at my friend's house and somewhere between her house and my car or my car and my house, they disappeared. Luckily, crochet supplies are on sale this week so after several days of looking and hoping and wishing they'd return, I have replaced almost everything...which pretty much guarantees that I will find it all tomorrow. Ha! I had a zippered pouch that I bought at Walmart before but this time, I've decided to get a handmade crochet roll, I'm going to support my fellow Etsians. I will be sure to post pictures once I get one.

I had another knitting class today and I was able to follow a pattern!! It's so exciting to be able to make progress and feel pretty comfortable with the stitches.


If ONLY the yarn were actually that color. In reality it is a day-glo orange. Why is this color, the color that is used to make sure hunters are visible in the forest, why is it in my stash? Well, a few years ago, I made a rainbow afghan. It turned out very pretty but the orange all by itself is just a touch glaring. Anyway, that's my progress from the class this afternoon. I do believe that I can say with some confidence (and a little pride) that I am a knitter.

The "Classic" is coming along...


It got delayed for a couple days what with the lost hook but I should be able to get back to it this week.

I went on a bike ride this evening which was awesome! It felt soooo good to be out in the fresh air with the wind in my face, pushing myself to make it a little farther...and then make it back to the house. It feels good to be getting exercise, I definitely need it. While losing some weight is a definite goal, I think the most important thing is to be healthier. It makes me think of a website I ran across recently called Operation Beautiful. As women, we are so prone to putting ourselves down and maintaining a negative body image and this website encourages everyone to take little opportunities to leave notes in public places to remind others that they are beautiful. There is something amazing in all of us and sometimes we need to be reminded. I highly recommend you check out this site and participate! And don't forget, you are beautiful.

Wow!! My First Award!

I am so excited and honored. Puddles of Sunshine has given me the Honest Scrap award!! It's my very first award and this is just...exciting. I know, I'm being redundant...I have a tendency to do that in conversation. hehe The rules of this award are:

1. I, as the recipient of said award, have to list 10 things about me that no one knows (this is going to be tough).
2. I need to pass this awesome award to ten new bloggers worthy of such glory.
And, 3. I have to notify those 10 lucky bloggers who follow the same forum- I'll be leaving comments on your pages, so be on the lookout! And when you post your ten things, be sure to post a link back to me!

My "secrets" are:

1. I LOVE to watch game shows on TV. I am unable to change the channel if I run across one. It's a seriously good thing we don't get the Game Show Network through our cable company or I would never go to work.

2. My friends at work call me Monk sometimes because I'm soooo particular about how my Excel spreadsheets are formatted. I mean, seriously, they'll thank me later.

3. I have a very strange recurring dream about smoking. Sometimes I'm actually smoking and sometimes I spend the whole dream either looking for a cigarette or looking for a light. I've searched dream dictionaries but haven't found a satisfying interpretation.

4. I also frequently dream that I'm naked, which is probably pretty common and not much of a "secret". In my dreams, after the initial realization and embarrassment, I'm usually pretty casual about not having any clothes on. I've read that being comfortable in naked dreams means you're comfortable in your skin in real life and I like that.

5. I'm totally afraid of walking over the grates in roads or sidewalks that cover deep holes for drainage and will walk around them.

6. I have always wanted to learn sign language.

7. I love to write poetry. A friend of mine is publishing a book of his own poems and has a chapter devoted to guest authors and one of my poems is going to be in his book.

8. I would love to audition for America Idol but I'm too old and too shy to sing in public.

9. I'm a really good secret keeper.

10. While I typically LOVE a good list-making session, I'm not super secretive and this list has been really difficult to think of things for. I'll think about it and you all stay tuned for another secret or two in future posts.

Now...the blogs I'm nominating are:

Julie King Art
Life At Willow Manor
Crochet With Dee
Hooked On Crochet
Wendy Knits
Karen D Creations
Supplies Overflowing
Stepford Dreams
Thinking Out Loud
Puddles of Sunshine I know this is kind of cheating but if she hadn't been the one who sent this to me, I would have DEFINITELY sent it to her. Her blog is interesting and funny and poignant. Lovely.

Recreating a...Classic?

I have a very interesting and fun challenge ahead of me. My friend's grandmother crocheted a blanket a long time ago, most likely in the 70's when these colors were still used together. Her sister loves this blanket and keeps it with her wherever she goes. Unfortunately, it's showing the signs of being well loved and is a little worn.


See how loved it is? So my friend asked me to recreate this blanket. I even decided to make a "travel" sized blankie so the whole thing doesn't have to be packed in a suitase.


Looks pretty good, huh? Pretty close to the original. I've started the full-sized blanket and it's going to take some time to make a lot of progress. The color bands are really wide but it's very fun to see it grow. I wish I could be a fly on the wall at Christmas when this package is opened!

It Couldn't Last

OK, you knew it wasn't going to last, right? I fell off the yarn wagon just a little bit. But it's OK, it's really OK. It's perfectly reasonable and justifiable. And I'm hopping right back on now that I got that out of my system. I had lunch with a friend a few days ago and she's going to have a baby and I promised her a long time ago that I would make a blanket for her baby and, well, they just found out it's a girl. This...


is for the princesa. It was NECESSARY for me to buy this yarn. It's OK to fall off the wagon if you're fulfilling a promise to a friend, right?

And look what I saw today when I was getting yarn...


It's a pigeon-toed chicken. Anyone else find that funny? No, just me?

I'm back!

I'm back home in Florida and it's very good to be home although I wish I could have had another day or two at home in Indiana. It was difficult getting back into the swing of things at work this week. I joked with a friend that I felt like I left my brain in Indiana...it doesn't have the same sentiment as leaving your heart in San Francisco but it's every bit as detrimental to your well-being. Although, a piece of my heart is always left there as well. Isn't that how it goes though? It would always be nice to have "just one more day" before going back to work.

As I mentioned before, it took me FOREVER to figure out what projects I wanted to take with me. This was my suitcase at one point...


I just dumped all the potential project yarn in and weeded it out from there. I ended up with two scarf projects, a shawl and a neck scarf and I actually worked on all four projects!! I hate to think about the amount of yarn I'll be "forced" to pack next time. HA!

The first scarf project I completed. It was a very fun pattern. I used Vanna's Choice yarn, which is a worsted weight yarn that is soooo soft to the touch. It might be a new favorite to use on projects like this. It works up so fast and so beautifully.


I love this dusty purple color.

The other scarf project is still a work in progress. I've been wanting to make the tube scarf that's in my Etsy shop again and "accidentally" ended up with yarn for three different ones. For some reason, this particular scarf begs to be made in the brightest colors I can find! I've started it with turquoise...


and it will be edged with lime green. I probably wouldn't have picked these colors out on my own even though I do love to play with color. My godson was playing with a toy the other day that had those colors in it and I thought of the tube scarf and had to give it a try. I'll post pictures once the green is on and you can tell me what you think!

The neck scarf is made with Vanna's Choice also and it worked up SO FAST! I couldn't believe how fast and easy the pattern was. It just needs a flower on the front and then I'll attach a button on the back so it can be fastened loosely.


My last project is my favorite right now. The pattern is so pretty and intricate looking when it's actually surprisingly easy to work up. Once again, I went with Vanna's Choice yarn. This will eventually be a shawl and the color is a pretty dusty green.


This is probably what I'll be working on the rest of the afternoon. I go back and forth between this and the turquoise scarf but I love to see progress on this.

I've decided to put myself on a yarn diet until some of these projects get worked up. There are so many different things I want to try and I'm finding new patterns all the time and then I go out and buy yarn for them and, honestly, what crocheter/knitter can actually say that their stash is "in hand" but mine is seriously getting beyond out of hand. I love it though. hehe It's so amazing having a variety of colors and projects to work on. But the yarn diet goes into effect immediately. I'll let you know how long it lasts.