Bethel's Craft Talk and Other Musings

Tutorial - How to Make a Drawstring Bag

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 12 Feb 2014 02:27:00 +0000

First, Gratuitious Darling Grandson Picture! Here he is after nap time sharing the Birthday Cookie Bouquet with his Mama.

I was looking on the internet on how to make a Drawstring Bag using both a serger and a sewing machine and I didn't find exactly what I was looking for so I decided to make one and take Step-by-Step pictures and put my own tutorial up on my blog. So Here Goes!

Drawstring Bag Using Serger and Sewing Machine

All it takes is: 1 piece of fabric, 6 lines of serging, and 2 lines of sewing. Pretty Quick!

Materials:

12.5 x 26.5 inch piece of fabric, I used some 100% cotton print
Scissors
Thread
Hem Gauge or Ruler
Fray Check
1 yard Ribbon or Cord (1/4 to 5/8 inch wide)
Marking Pencil or Pen (or regular pen in a pinch)

Cutting mat (optional)
Rotary Cutter (optional)
Pinking Shears (optional)
Pony Beads (optional)

Step 1: Remove Selvage Edge on Fabric if needed.

Step 2: Cut Fabric to 12.5 inches by 26.5 inches - print on fabric should be bi-directional since we are going to fold it for the bag.

Step 3: Serge both 12.5 inch edges. Trim thread.

Step 4: Make 4 notches on long edges of fabric. Fold in half longway with right sides facing each other (or hamburger, if you know that term), and notch 1/2 inch in and 2.5 inces down from the serged edges.

Step 5: Fold in 1/2 inch tabs at the top and pin out of the way for serging.

Step 6: Serge the 2 long sides using the 1/2 inch mark on your serger. Trim thread.

Step 7: Pink edges of 4 tabs if desired (I got new Pinking Shears for Christmas from my Brother and Sister-in-law, so it was a good opportunity to use).

Step 8: Fold down 12.5 inch serged edge toward the wrong side about 3/8 to 1/2 inch keeping the tab tucked in, press or pin. I pinned since my iron wasn't out and I'm a bit lazy.

Step 9: Fold top edge over again toward wrong side so that fold from top edge to bottom folded edge is about 1 inch. Press or pin. I pinned.

This is how the sides look when both side "tubes" are pinned:

OR

Step 9 with Ribbon: (I recently learned this on the internet so you save time threading the ribbon in later) Fold top edge over again toward wrong side with ribbon inserted in the "tube" and the top edge to the bottom folded edge is about 1 inch. Make sure ribbon will slide back and forth (so you know you didn't pin it).

Step 10: With sewing machine, and wrong side facing, sew along bottom edge of "tube" very close to the bottom fold.

Repeat Steps 9 and 10 with other side.

If you want a flat bag you are done other than applying Fray Check, turning right side out and pressing.

If you want a bag that stands up:

Step 11: Fold bottom corner of bag into a point. Draw a line (I used my hem gauge and used a three inch line. Repeat for other bottom corner.

Step 12: Serge with edge along the marked lines on each bottom corner. Trim thread.

Step 13: Apply Fray Check to each side of corner serging. Make sure you place something under the item so the Fray Check doesn't get on your tabletop or cutting mat.

Step 14: Apply Fray Check to top of serged edge near the drawstring "tubes". Let dry. Turn right side out. Press for finished look. Bag measures 10" x 3.5" x 7. If unboxed bottom then 10" x 10".

Step 15: Optional. Thread Pony beads onto ribbon for decorative look.

So again - 1 piece of fabric, 6 lines of serging, and 2 lines of sewing. Pretty Quick!

Link to .PDF file

Day Trip to the "Painted Churches" - Part 2

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 14 Nov 2013 00:12:00 +0000

First, a darling picture of my DGS learning to brush his teeth like a big boy from his daddy...

Back in June, we went on a Day Trip just west of Katy, TX where we live to see "The Painted Churches". The 2nd one we visited is called the "Pink Church". It is the 1918 St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Ammannsville, TX. A Hurricane in 1909 leveled the original church but the current one is one of 20 Painted Churches in the State of Texas.

We also visited the 1906 St. Mary's Catholic Church at High Hill, TX which also included some beautiful stained glass windows as well. Much of it's interior was done by two San Antonio painters in 1912.

One of the things we found facinating was seeing some older painted areas waiting to be refreshed - it gives a sense of how much upkeep is required to keep these treasures so beautiful.

Here is the outside of the church and one of Mark in the entry way ringing the bell! lol.

We also visited the 1895 St. Mary's Catholic Church in Praha, TX which has the work of Swiss-born Gottfried Flurry who used a freehand Trompe L'oeil technique to paint this unique Gothic Revival Church. I was really looking forward to seeing this church. Unfortunately, the church was closed that day - it may have been because it was Memorial Day. So we'll have to go back and visit it to see the inside. We did get to visit the many shrines around the grounds to WWII Servicemen Members. We really enjoyed finding such treasures so close to home. It is a really fun day trip from the Houston or San Antonio or Austin areas.

I was going through some old pictures and discovered several afghans I made in 2009 that I had not posted pictures. These are some of my "Go To Patterns" when I want to make afghans. First, the Lyn's Round Ripple Baby Afghan. Here it is for Baby Samuel in Brite Green and Brite Blue using a "K" hook and Caron Simply Soft yarn and another in pale pink also using a "K" hook and "I Love This Yarn" (hard to find a pale French Pink...)for a new baby at my Mama's church. This pattern is so fun and fast and the color combos are endless.

The 3rd afghan was for my DSIL. He is a big OU Sooner's fan (we have succeeded in getting him to be an OSU Alumni though!) so I made him an afghan called Simple Times in their "Crimson and Cream" that I had previously made for my son in Celtic colors. This is a very beautiful stitched afghan and I especially like it in 2 striped colors. I oversized it a bit since he is 6' 2". I made it in Caron Simply Soft with a "K" hook. It has a braided or cabled look and has worn and washed well.

Craft - Tober

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 01 Nov 2013 01:24:00 +0000

First, the Cute Baby Picture... My Favorite Pirate...Jake and the Neverland Pirates as played by DGS for Halloween...

What a cutie!!

I have been knitting and crocheting quite a bit, in fact, I having been reading as much as I usually do because I have been doing so much needlework.

Here is an adorable Giraffe Lovey. I made him with yarn I already had in my stash (Score!). I used Caron Simply Soft and Lion Brand Wool-Ease in the gold. The only modification I used was to use Safety Eyes which I thought really stood out and I used a "J" hook for the blanket part since my last Lovey blanket was a little too small and the tension was too tight. This was a great pattern and well worth the money and I actually made all the pieces twice except for the head and blanket so I can finish a second one quickly. I will say there were a LOT of ends to sew in and stuffing the Giraffe Antlers was a pain in the Giraffe butt...lol.

I also completed some socks, one pair was a Mother's Day Gift, one pair is a Christmas Gift, and the other was supposed to be a gift but I struggled with the pattern for fit soooo they ended up being for me! (I mean, oh, too bad...).

The first pair was in a yarn I bought at a great yarn shop in La Grange, TX called The Quilted Skein in a lovey warm brown with some goreous highlights from Pagewood Farms in Denali SuperWash Merino/Nylon (80/20) called "Maple Leaf". I ordered an awesome Wool Girl Yarn Club kit called "Earl Grey Tea" and used the sock pattern included in the kit called Bergamot by Jane Robbins (which is exclusive to the club I believe as it is not on Ravelry). It was a really nice pattern and the pattern repeat was easy to memorize. I used Addi Turbo 1.5 32" circulars and followed the pattern top-down until the foot where I reduced to 60 stitches from 64 since these were for my Mama and she has a narrow foot. I kept the pattern in place for the 32 top-side and just reduced the number of stitches on the sole. These flew off my needles, I would knit the pattern or the yarn again for sure.

The second pair are a VICE Paradigm sock yarn Merino/Nylon (80/20) in the Krazy colorway. I was wanting to knit a pair of socks for ?? for Christmas and when I saw this colorway it just screamed ??. I used Chiao Goo Red Lace Needles in 1.5 32" and I have to say these are my new favorite needles, perhaps even upsetting the reigning winner of Addi Turbos. These were knit toe up with 64 stitches, a Fleegle heel, and a fun lace pattern at the top for interest. I hope she likes them! PS - her foot is a little bigger than mine so these are a bit loose in the picture.

The final pair of socks in today's post is Los Monos Locos (Crazy Monkeys) which is a toe-up version of the popular Cookie A Monkey Socks. One of my resolutions for 2013 was to make the super popular Monkey socks by Cookie A. I tried years ago, but wasn't experienced enough to "read" my knitting and just couldn't get the rhythm of the pattern repeat. Flash forward to 2013...I LOVE this pattern repeat, I now know what all the fuss is about. Plus they make crazy variegated colorways look amazing. However, I probably re-made these socks at least 10 times. I COULD NOT get fit. I finally got it but I actually had to not re-use some of the yarn as I had worn it out from frogging and re-knitting! Here is what I did (I have a narrow foot so that didn't help, but I understand other people have had trouble with fit as well).

With US1.5 32" circular needle, cast on 24 (don't like pointy toe), after setup round, KFB, knit till 2 stitches left, KFB, K, repeat for 2nd half of round, K next round then repeat theses 2 rounds till 62 stitches (last round KFB at beginning of round only). This puts only 1 stitch between increases rather than the traditional 2 and it lays flatter on the sides of the toes. Use 32 stitches on 1st half of round for pattern stitch and 30 on sole side. After 7 repeats of pattern, begin Fleegle heel, restart row 1 of pattern on front of sock after finishing heel with 64 stitches total. Begin this pattern repeat with increase to US2 32" circular and finish pattern repeat only on front of sock, then switch to pattern repeat in front and back of leg of sock. I did 6 repeats of pattern then switch back to US1.5 32" circlulars and knit 10 rounds of twisted rib patten and bound off using a modified Jeny's Surprisingly Stretchy Bindoff.

It turns out that that with all the re-knitting to get fit to go over the heel, etc. I got them about 1/2 inch too long in the foot for my DD, so I guess they have to be mine! I picked up this beautiful colorway of Regia 4-ply (75 SW Wool/25 Nylon) Garden Effects by Kristin Nicholas in the Blue Thyme 3304 Colorway in Albuquerque at Village Wools on a business trip- it has more purple than blue though. I loved knitting with this and love the socks as well, so much that I have cast-on with another sock yarn using this adapted pattern!

I'll finish up with some pictures of my Halloween Luminarias from last year...

Day Trip to the "Painted Churches"

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 21:32:00 +0000

First, the Cute Baby Pic!

DGS kickin' back watching Disney Movies!

We recently found out about a day trip opportunity about an hour west of us near Schulenburg, TX (also not far from Shiner, TX) that has some beautiful turn of the century Churches that are just breath-taking. They are Catholic churches built by Czech and German immigrants and rival some of the European churches I have seen and so close to home! We decided to go on Memorial Day since we usually drive home to Oklahoma for the holidays but didn't this year. Below are the pictures from the 1st one we went to in Dubina, TX.

It is Saints Cyril and Methodius Catholic Church - evidently there are a lot of Czech churches that celebrate Saints Cyril and Methodius!

It was built in 1912 (rebuilt on the same site several times) and has more than 3,000 gold leaf stars on the ceiling.

It also has colorful angels and vines and flowers throughout. "All of the church’s interior paintings were covered with solid white paint in 1952, but their existence was never forgotten and faint traces remained visible. After over thirty years, the church’s parishioners decided to uncover and restore the paintings in 1983. Thus began a long and tedious restoration process, undertaken each Sunday after church services by the parishioners themselves. They carefully removed the white paint to reveal portions of the paintings. New stencils were made from each original pattern, and the freehand paintings were documented as thoroughly as possible. With the aid of historic photographs, the parishioners then repainted all of the interior decorations in their original locations. Although the recreated paintings lack historic integrity in terms of materials and workmanship, historic photographs reveal the historical accuracy of their design and arrangement." from www.fayettecountryhistory.org.

All the "Painted Churches" are free, but have a donation box to help with the upkeep. This church was most recently restored in the 1980's by the parishioners as mentioned above. This church can only be viewed from the entryway unless you are with a tour but it is still worth the trip. Here is some detail work in the entry way.

All the churches had nearby cemeteries and outdoors Meeting areas where many were have Memorial Day Picnics. It was a beautiful day and a beautiful drive in Hill Country. There were still a few wildflowers but most of the bluebonnets were gone. I would encourage everyone to drive to Fayette County to see these stunning treasures, so many times we think of Eastern Cities or Europe, etc. as having cultural architecture or art but here it is and in Texas!

PS - we found out about these from the Texas Highways magazine.

I have a co-worker whose wife is expecting a boy and their nursery theme is Jungle, so I found this darling pattern, Swimming Hippo Lovey and crocheted it over the weekend. Too Cute!

I used Caron Simply Soft for the everything but the swim ring, that is made with Berroco Comfort DK so it is all washable and I used 8mm safety eyes. I LOVE the fish in the water...I used C, E, and H hooks but my tension must be a bit tighter than the pattern-writer, so I had to add some extra rows onto the water to make the proportions look right. It was very well written except it didn't have any instructions about when to add the stuffing, since this was made in a few pieces, that would have been "good to know". The colors in the first 2 pictures are pretty true. This could be made in a day easily. I hope the baby will like his new Lovey!

Charity Begins at Home...

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 23:08:00 +0000

As usual, the gratuitus Cute Baby Picture!

DGS Brennan with his Poppy Mark on Easter Morning!

They say that charity begins at home and I usually try and donate some of my needlework to charity every year but I tend to give a lot of it away as gifts, so I have to set goals in order to make sure I knit or crochet for some worthy cause. At a recent Houston Knitting Guild meeting, Knit at Night Out West (KNOW), the program was on Charity Knitting. It is amazing what a thoughtful gift a baby hat, afghan, scarf, etc. can be to someone. We even made Tit Bits, or breast prosthetic, for Breast Cancer victims for the ROSE Center here in Houston a couple of years ago.

Recently, a knitting friend who is going through radiation mentioned that when a patient completes their treatment, a ceremony is held where they ring a bell & are presented with a certificate & small gift. she learned while sitting with them that they (I) look forward to the day we can wash away the marks. I’ve started knitting washcloths to present to as many as I can - a symbol if nothing else of a way to start their new day free of the neon marks that defined ther cancer. The staff at the Katy MDAnderson facility are very excited about this “New Start” project. I believe this is going to be expanded to other Houston facilities as well. Soft Cotton yarn washcloths can be dropped off at Yarntopia in Katy, TX or at the KNOW monthly meetings.

Here are the 3 washcloths I knitted up from a super soft ball of Cotton Supreme Batik in a nice pink variegated for Breast Cancer, from the Sugarland Yarn Co.. I found a really cute pattern, Double Bump, that is ridculously habit forming, and whipped out 3 of them from the same skein using my Denise Circular Needles size 7. I like using the Denise's for cotton yarns. I did 2 rows of crochet edging with a (SC, skip stitch, CH) pattern as a nice finish in a "G" hook.

I also found a new washcloth pattern called Diamond Mosaic Washcloth that looks equally good in a variegated or a solid color and I used some Sugar 'n Cream cotton yarn and my Denise Circular Needles size 7 as well. This one is a gift, but I plan to make some for the charity above in this pattern.

At the KNOW meeting, another friend of mine mentioned that she crochets simple granny-square lapghans and donates them to a senior center where they use them as Bingo Prizes. This appealed to me since I have tons of coordinating washable acrylic yarn, I like to crochet and wouldn't even need a pattern for that, and someone would "WIN" it. Cool! So here is the 34 row lapghan in what I think is Caron Simply Soft yarn crocheted with a "K" hook. My friend Deb mentioned she does 35 rows but I ran out at 34 so decided to call it good. I think some older gentleman would be happy to "win" this one...

So I have a bit of a start on the charity knitting, I have also donated a baby hat and a cowl this year.

Now if only I could have more time to knit and crochet or figure out how to do it faster!

For my friends and family who are still having gray days...Here is a pic of the lovely flowers my DD got me for Easter! There are a vibrant Orange...one of my favorite colors. Thanks Cheyenne!

Bunny Knitting is now an Official Easter Sport!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 02:21:00 +0000

First, the gratuitus Cute Baby Picture...

DGS with his beautiful Mama on Easter Morning just before going into Church.

I crocheted some darling PEEPS pattern called Springtime Stuffies by Sally Ives a few years ago for my DD and was looking for something to put in DGS' Easter Basket since he is still pretty little to be getting a lot of candy and found the darling pattern for a knitted Chocolate Bunny.

I made the first one from some acrylic dark chocolate brown worsted weight yarn using Magic Loop with size 6 circular needles. This pattern is seamless and just requires a bit of kitchner stitch at the very top to finish. It was a bit fiddley on the first one, so I thought, oh well, I'll give it to my Mama as a cute decoration and go back to knitting something else. Well, my DD texted me and asked if I could PLEASE make 2 girl bunnies and 1 boy bunny for her neices and nephew's Easter Baskets. So I couldn't say no! So as you are aware, if left alone, bunnies will multiply!!

I ended up making 7 altogether, one for DGS, one for me, and another for a friend. I did learn a cool technique that I used on all the bunnies but I should caution that you want to be careful to do something else if the Bunny is going to be "loved" (chewed on, etc.) by a small child. I used the same satin-y ribbon to make the eyes on each side as the bow around the neck. Just thread the ribbon onto a large eye yarn needle, start from the inside and make 1 "stitch" over a single knitted "V" and then leave a 2-3" tail on both sides of the stitch on the inside and tie in a double knot. Then stuff the body, and continue on with the instructions for the ears, etc.

I have decided that Bunny Knitting is now an Official Easter Sport!!

For those of you still having cold weather, here is a picture that personifies Texas in the Spring - Bluebonnets and a good-looking little boy...

Hat's Off!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 24 Jan 2013 01:11:00 +0000

I have gotten on a Hat Making Jag and thought I would blog about a few of them both recent and from the last year. First, here is my DGS in Celtic Fan Hat...

And if that doesn't sell the hat to you, you don't know cute! This was made on a similar pattern to the Crochet Owl hat that I blogged about last time with the same mods. I did use an unusual technique on the buckle, I used Foundation SC's and skipped the associated "chain or loop" for the corners. This was made using stash, The black is Caron Super Soft, the Gold is I Love This Yarn, and the green is Encore Worsted.

I also saw somthing similar and decided to make a Yellow Helper (avoiding copyright issues...) Tribute Hat. It is using Red Heart Soft (tough to find a good bright yellow), with I Love This Yarn and Caron Super Soft for the others. It is a bit long (I added an additional row and would reduce the yellow section by one row if I were to make this again. My DD thinks this is hilarious and of course we love the movie, Dispicable Me.

I also made my DGS a Fish: Dead or Alive Hat last fall. Here are a couple of cute pictures of DGS playing with the hat before I actually got to embroider on the eyes. He has a punkin head so I down-sized the pattern a bit by going down a needle size. I used "I Love This Yarn" and it did the jacquard effect on it's own which was cool. I remember making one of these for my nephew a few years ago and it seemed to take forever, since I have been knitting a lot more since then, this time it just flew off the needles.

Owl Be Home for Christmas!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 28 Dec 2012 21:34:00 +0000

I got stuck on an Owl adventure in the week or so leading up to Christmas but first...My favorite...gratuitous Cute Baby Pictures...

Ready for Santa at Poppy and Nana's house.

Christmas Eve Night in Christmas Pajamas and Reindeer Robe...Too Cute!

So, back to the craft portion of the blog...I saw some adorable Crocheted Owl hats and just had to make one for DGS (see above!). I ending up making 5, 1 Blue, one French Pink, 2 Lavendar, and one Moss Green with dark Green "wings" (special request from DS).

Here are pictures of the Blue and Lavendar ones. I used "I Love This Yarn" since I already had it in a lot of colors from crocheting afghans. But had to size up to a "K" hook to make sure they were loose enough. I also added an extra row to the top brown portion and a extra row of the color portion before the ear flap for the adult hats. I should mention that many of the recipients have "punkin" heads so they have larger heads than many but these are cute made this way for my regular adult size head. For DGS, I still made the adult size (he had a "punkin" head too. LOL.

Then I saw these - Owl Puffs and knew I had to make some of them as well. I have made 8 so far. I again used scrap "I Love This Yarn" that I had on hand and a size 6 circular needle (I didn't have a size 5 available...too many WIPs I guess!). I reworked the pattern to work from the top down so that I wouldn't have to Kitchner stitch so much.

Top-Down Owl Puffs (adapted from Jenna Krupar)

I used Judy's Magic Cast-On for 36 stitches then knit 10 rounds of brown, 10 rounds of contrast color.

Then sew on crocheted beak (with G hook and gold/yellow, ch 5, Slst in 2nd ch from hook, sc, hdc, dc, fasten off with long tail for sewing and sew in beginnng end).

Then use 12 mm saftey eyes and white felt circles with a small slit and attach. Sew in beginning end.

Rnd 21: K4, K2tog, repeat. (30 stitches)
Rnd 22: work even
Rnd 23: K3, K2tog, repeat (24 stitches)
Rnd 24: work even
Rnd 25: k2, k2tog, repeat (18 stitches)
Rnd 26: work even

Stuff full

Rnd 27: K1, K2tog, repeat (12 stitches)
Rnd 28: work even
Rnd 29: K2tog around (6 stitches)

Cut long tail (6 to 9 in), with yarn needle run through all six stitches and pull tight, sew in end.

These were SO FUN and ADDICTIVE!! Here is a small group (or a Parliment of Owls - according to the internet!) that roosted in my knitting bag.

I even entertained a bored 4-year old Alexandrea with helping me create these for over an hour (nearly 2...) while waiting to open presents at Grandma Bev's house! I see teaching her to knit and crochet in the future! I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas - I know we had a very Blessed Holiday.

Monsters for Easter!!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 22:14:00 +0000

First, a cute baby picture:

Eat your heart out Frank Sinatra! Check out those blue eyes!

I am getting pretty excited about Easter this year. First, I get to make an Easter Basket for my DGS and it is already filled with some fun stuff - although it is hard to not buy candy - but what 9 mo. old needs candy?? Of course I had to make him something! I'm a Crafty Nana after all. These are called "Monster Chunks" from a cool designer named Rebecca Danger. I love her name - sounds like she should have her own book or mini-series! lol

I made these at our Knitting Guild's annual Day Camp. This was our 3rd Annual. I am proud to say I helped start the tradition of these 2 years ago. This year the theme was "Monsters". We made these toys to donate to the local Children's Hospital for kids going into surgery. Everyone made theirs different. We used Berrocco Comfort Worsted and I used safety eyes. I crocheted the eye patch and the white circle for the ogre. I followed the pattern on the Pirate but found picking up stitches to be a bit fiddley. So I just reversed the 1st half by starting with a small cast on of 6 stitches and increased in an opposite way until I got to the part of the picked-up stitches and then just continued with the pattern from there. It was really interesting to see all the sizes that came out with the same pattern and yarn but different knitters and needle sizes. I made these for BWM (DGS) and plan to make more to donate. We got super fun goodie bags and lots of good company at the KNOW (Knit at Night Out West) Daycamp. Can't wait to see next year's theme!

2012 Week 2 Hodge Podge Post

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 00:56:00 +0000

First, gratuitous Baby Shot:

Nap Time with Poppy Mark

Here are the new questions that Joyce came up with this week! Play along by posting your own answers, linking up with her website, then visiting other bloggers to see how they answered.

1. Lake Superior University has once again published a list of words/phrases they think should be banished from the Queen’s English in 2012 -amazing, baby bump, shared sacrifice, occupy, blowback, man cave, the new normal, pet parent, win the future, trickeration, ginormous, and thank you in advance. Which of these words/phrases would you most like to see banished from everyday speech and why? Go here to read more about how the words are chosen.

I don't care for "the new normal", aren't we making a new one every day?? Maybe that's not such a good thing...

2. Are you easily embarrassed?

In public, yes, in private, not so much.

3. What is your go-to snack?

Sweets - cookies, cake, and pie! I am a No Calorie Left Behind type of dessert person. I cannot fathom that the chefs on Top Chef can't or don't like to make dessert! Almost everyone I know, including guys learned to make desserts before they learned to cook anything else.

4. Have you ever been to Washington D.C.? If not do you have any desire to go? What site/attraction would you most want to see in that city? If you have been, what’s your favorite site/attraction?

I have been a few times. This is a very timely question, as my neice is getting ready to go in a couple of months. I told her the tour and changing of the guards at Arlington National Cemetary is really moving. I also think that every Human Being should be required to go to the Holocaust Museum. It is vital that we realize there is true evil, how we didn't recognize it, and how to fight it. I also really enjoyed the Ford Theater when I went with my DD. It is really spooky and very historic - the museum is very well done. We also enjoyed a great display of Norman Rockwell at the Smithsonian Art Museum. The coolest part is most of these are free or very low cost things to do.

5. Sit ups-planks-lunges-squats…which do you hate the least?

Probably squats, but I am always sore the next day. I can't do sit-ups since my shoulder surgery and Planks are ridiculous - I have no core...lol.

6. What’s a small act of kindness you were shown that you’ve never forgotten?

My entire group from work came to my Daddy's funeral when he past away. The funeral was a bit of a drive from work about 45 min. but they all came - over 20. I can't tell you how much that meant to me and most of them had never met my Daddy. I was really devastated by his relatively quick death and it really made an impression on me.

I had always heard how people hate funerals and how they won't go but that day I learned an importatn life lesson. The funeral is for the grieving and by going you are helping them grieve. And that is a Very Important Thing.

7. Have you ever been a blood donor?

Yes, I am "O" Positive, the Universal Donor so I try to give.

8. My Random Thought

Lace Top Stripe Socks

I started these when I wanted just a simple no-strenuous brain activity required knitting. I really enjoy the Deborah Norville Serenity Sock Yarn in the "Chili" colorway. It is 50% merino, 25% nylon, and 25% bamboo. It is a warm sock like I have discovered using other bamboo sock yarns but the higher nylon content makes it not too slippery or splitty and clings to the foot, etc. well.

I made these for me using the 2 Circular method with 1.5 Addi Turbos and 58 st for the foot (I have a narrow foot) and 60 for the heel and leg. I used a simple Fleegle heel (I think I have this memorized now! yeah!) and topped it with a simple 6 row lace pattern that I reversed from the Socks A La Carte book. I used Jeny's Surprising Stretchy Bind-off.

I liked this colorway better on the skein than made up but I get a lot of compliments on the colorway so maybe it's just me. Overall, a fun knit and a good fitting sock.

2012 1st Hodgepodge Post

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 23:24:00 +0000

It’s a new year, and what better way to begin anew than with a fresh set of Hodgepodge questions?! Thanks, Joyce, for hosting!

1. What are three words you would use to describe your 2011?

Exciting! I got a new grandson and he's practically perfect in every way!

Celebratory! My DS graduated from Oklahoma State University with a bachelor's in Business Management

Travelocity! My DH and I went on our 1st cruise ever with one of his cousins and wife and had a fantastic time.

2. Do you like shrimp? What’s your favorite way to have it prepared?

     I LOVE fried shrimp but really I like shrimp nearly everyway except with fettuccini alfredo.

3. Is your house de-Christmased? If so when did you tackle that job? If not, when will the decorations come down?

     Normally, I like to get it put away by New Year's Day or the day after but we have been sick     and I will probably get it done this week.

4. Do you like to watch scary movies?

     No! In the words of a friend, I do not consider being scared out of my wits as entertainment. My DSIL used to trick me into seeing them. I do like a good suspense movie though.

5. Ice skating~sledding~skiing~snowboarding~of the four listed which wintertime activity do you most enjoy?

         I really like to Snow-blade. It's like skiing but with much shorter skis. I have only done it a few times but love the sensation of speed and wind. The last time I went over Christmas last year, I got a defective snowblade on one foot - not a good thing. Fortunately, they had some really nice looking snow rescue guys...

6. Did you have a childhood hideout? Describe it.

     I hated going outside, unless we were going swimming but my mom used to force me to go outside (she did it for my own good...). I used to make a fort in our shed or near it and pretty much cart everything from my room out there...lol.

7. What’s a place or space that motivates you?

     I really like my sewing room when I get it all organized and sometimes even organizing it is a lot of fun.

8. My Random Thought

     Today, my DH turns 50. We have a new family member who is 5.5 months. We have 2 great kids and a great SIL. We are so very lucky. Here is a pic of our new pride and joy on his 5-mo birthday. Mr. Bright Eyes.

KNOW Day Camp 2010

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 20:49:00 +0000

My local chapter of Knit at Night called KNOW (Knit at Night Out West) had its first annual Day Camp about a month ago. I know, I know, but better late than never...

We held it at my house and we packed in 31 great knitters and we all created a "Funky Sock Monkey". As you know, I had made Elliott after my trip to Sock Summit last year. Below are a ton of pictures of all the fun we had - I decided I wanted to post them all so everyone could see. I also received a beautiful potted Tulip and a gift certificate to a LYS as a "thank you gift" and a festive Easter Bunny container filled with Knitting Fuel - Chocolate!

We had lunch brought in and we had great goodie bags that included the yarn for 2 opposite color sock monkeys, the pattern, candy and chocolate, samples of lotion, 2 different sizes of project bags as well as 2 custom-made scratch-off cards. The scratch off were used to give out door prizes. We had 16 door prizes. Which was totally great odds for winning! We also had monkey stitch markers but they were given out at our last KNOW meeting since they just didn't arrive in the mail in time.

I am still working on my Sock Monkey that I started - he still needs 2 arms and his ears and eyes but he is going to make one of my nephews really happy on his birthday! A totally fun day and well worth all the cleaning! lol. I hope we have started a yearly tradition...

Elliott's Christmas Adventures!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 23:20:00 +0000

Well, better late than never. Elliott got to do a lot of interesting things over the Christmas holidays. One weekend we drove over the Fredericksburg, TX to do a little Christmas shopping and boy is that a great place to do it. We were having that cold spell then so it was actually nippy here in Texas so we all had on jackets - except Elliott, he had fur of course... Here is Elliott and myself meeting Santa. I am not sure what Elliott told Santa he wanted, but I heard something about miniture sports car.

We got to see some fabulous lights in Johnson City, Texas (named for President Lyndon B Johnson's family) called Hill Country Christmas Lights. Elliott ooh'd and ahh'd.

In early December Elliott and I got on a plane for Calgary, AB. Now I have to say, I was really prepared. I got some Cuddl Duds (fancy long-johns for those of us who didn't know), layers of clothes, new knitted mittens, a wool baktus scarf, and a Noro hat and my coat but -22 degrees F is ri-donk-u-lous! Taking a breath while waiting for a taxi was literally painful.

The day we arrived, Edmonton, AB which is further north than Calgary set a record for the COLDEST PLACE ON THE PLANET!!! (I am sure they mean where people are silly enough to try to live). But as the saying goes - I put on my big girl pants and toughed it out. Elliott, the coward, shivered inside my Couch purse. Those Canadians are of hardy stock - here are some Carolers on a pedistrian mall. Do you notice that they have on matching crocheted hats? Love their scarves!

The good news about going to Calgary in the heart of the winter, was I got to stay at one of my favorite hotels - the Fairmont Palliser. It was built next to the Grand Central Railway station in Calgary to allow tourists to have an upscale hotel to stay at before journeying on by train to other locals in Canada. It is such a treat, an old world feel and they have their own line of teas, which I adore and it was so great to have room service in your beautiful room with tea service after donning 17 layers of clothes and giving up all pretense of feminity to brave that kind of cold and snow. Here is a picture of the Christmas tree in the beautiful lobby.
Here is Elliott trying to hide in the decorations of the stairway so he won't have to go outside again. Elliott is essentially a Southern Texas monkey and likes his sunshine and warm weather

On the knitting front, here is a picture of the Baktus scarf I knit for the trip. It is in a lovely tone-on-tone red that I could not pass up. It was on my Christmas list for 2008 and my DH bought it for me and I decided to try this lovely scarf pattern with it. It is sooo flattering and an easy-easy project. I used 2 balls Happy Feet sock yarn with size 3 needles (I think). You start at a small end of the triangle, knit until 1 ball is gone and then start the decreasing side of the triange with the 2nd ball. I did a KBF increase rather than a yarn-over since I didn't want the hole. I am definitely going to make another one of these, maybe with a bit of a lace pattern to it.

Braided Sealing Wax Mittens

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 01:28:00 +0000

Hey! I'm a designer! Here is my first design as a knitter. I have made this a free download on Ravelry. You can also download the .pdf below.

I wanted a pair of really warm Mittens to match a bright red coat I have. I had just gone on a trip in November to Ann Arbor, MI where I bought the perfect shade of tone-on-tone Malabrigo Twist in an awesome red with orange undertones to match my coat in a colorway called Sealing Wax. So even though I live in Katy, TX, near Houston, I had a trip to Calgary, AB, Canada planned for mid-December so I needed some warm mittens. I looked and looked for just the right pattern that used worsted weight yarn and had some kind of cabling. I couldn’t find anything that was just right. So I decided to design a pair of my own called the Braided Sealing Wax Mittens.

I have very long thin fingers and always need a women’s large glove but I had several others who wear a women’s large that have thicker hands and/or fingers try the Great size on and they fit very well. Wee fits a large child or youth or small woman’s hands, Middling fits most women and a small man’s hands, Great fits a large women’s hands or a men’s Middling hand. You could probably go up a needle size for a men’s large or use one size larger needle with instructions for the next smallest size down to have a less dense mitten.

I like a nice defined cable and a densely knit mitten to be extra warm. I used a braid that is 9 stitches wide for the cabling so you don’t have to worry about mirror-imaging. Using size 4 needles and framing the braid with 3 stitches of purl on each side really makes the braid pop. I also used a twisted ribbing that is slightly reminiscent of small braids themselves.

You can get a .pdf of the pattern here: download now. Please let me know if you download the pattern and and make them up. I would love to see your own Braided Sealing Wax Mittens!

Oh Baby!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 06:11:00 +0000

Is there something in the water or what? I have made soooo many baby afghans this past year. Here are few examples:

One of my DH's cousins had a grandbaby, Ameris, so I decided to do a darling afghan called Crochet Bunny Filet afghan. I used some stash yarn, Simply Soft, in a soft lavendar with a "K" hook and I reversed the Filet, so the spaces were solid and vice versa to make it more solid. Also, so that those cute little baby toes wouldn't poke through all the time...

Then my DH has a business friend who had their first child. They had a little boy and since the dad is a Baylor graduate, my DH wanted me to make something in Baylor colors. So I found this pattern called All Season Baby Throw. It goes super fast. I made it with I Love This Yarn, mainly because that is the washable WW yarn that you can get in the widest range of colors and with trying to match Baylor's colors that came in handy.

That pattern went so fast, that when my Mama asked me to make an afghan for a Church friend's new Grandson, I dug out some more stash yarn, Simply Soft and made this one up in some happy boy colors. She asked for this one with a really short deadline, so I told her she didn't get to pick the pattern, lol.
She really likes the Lyn's Round Ripple pattern and usually wants me to make that one.

But the real reason I make all of these is below. Look at these cuties with their custom hand-made afghans (and a matching sweater)...

Where's Elliott??

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 21:00:00 +0000

Hi! My name is Elliott and I thought you would like a little background about me. I was born in Portland, OR at Sock Summit. I was lovingly knitted by my adopted Mama, Bethel, out of Blue Moon Socks that Rock Heavyweight (DK) yarn from this pattern using a size 5 circular needle. I was born blind, like most puppies and kittens, and didn't open my eyes until I got to my new home, in Katy, TX.

I have already had some great adventures. Here I am at the Famous Eskimo Joe's in Stillwater, OK before the big game between Oklahoma State and Georgia. I ate a ton of Cheese Fries there and lost my voice rooting on the Cowboys to a 24 - 10 victory. Go Pokes!

Then a few weeks later, I got to travel to sunny L.A. Here I am with a co-worker of my Mama, Dr. Tom Woods, who let us in to the President's Club at LAX for some relaxing snacks and adult beverages before our loooong flight back to Houston, TX.

Thanks Tom!

Shalom Samuel!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 01:28:00 +0000

I had a great opportunity last week to widen my cultural horizons as well as celebrate a very special time with a co-worker of my DH. I attended a bris for Samuel who was exactly 8 days old (which is completely the right age for a bris). DH was unfortunately unable to go due to work but since I had already planned to go and wanted to see the baby and give our gifts, I decided to go anyway. I am so glad I did.

Samuel's grandparents are originally from South Africa and were so welcoming as hosts in their home. The rabbi explained the significance of all the rituals and prayers which was so great for me and a few of the others who are not Jewish. As a Christian (of the Southern Baptist persuasion), I was very familiar with the Old Testament laws but had never attended any Jewish ceremonies before.

Samuel was a complete doll and unlike his mama, he slept through the entire process. I met his lovely aunts and other family and friends. I do have to report that Samuel's daddy is a baby hog! He and his Mama are very lucky to have such a good Daddy.

I can say without a doubt that the Jewish families and the Southern Baptists have a lot in common when it comes to the amount of food they put out for a gathering. Yum!

I made Samuel a Round Ripple afghan in some fun boy colors using Caron Simply Soft. I also included a really cute Froggie soap and a little white washcloth made from CottonTots that has 2 little baby feet on it. You can just see the toes in the picture below.

I recently made another Round Ripple afghan in white and pastel pink for a co-worker of my Mama's who is doing her nursery in Paris colors, white, pale pink, and black. How cute would that be. Mama just WOULD NOT let me put a small black border on this afghan but I DID try! I used the I LOVE THIS YARN from Hobby Lobby but I have to say I think I still prefer the Caron Simply Soft. Although, the I LOVE THIS YARN comes in a lot more colors.

Big Fish Stories and Other Yarn Tales...

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 22:33:00 +0000

I found this awesome pattern for a silly FISH HAT through www.Ravelry.com and knew I had to make it. Now, I realize I might be a bit shall we say "mature" for a hat of this type unless I was going snow skiing in the near future, which I'm not, so that made for some difficulties...who would get the hat...I knew I was definitely making it, but needed a good recipient.

My nephew, Mini-Max came to mind. He is the right age, about 3rd grade with a whimsical sense of humor who would appreciate the "ONE who DIDN'T get AWAY"! I think, my freshman niece may be wearing it as often as my nephew, such is it's appeal. I made it up in Caron Simply Soft in a nice manly navy with an olive green for fishy-ness. Totally the funniest fun hat I have seen in a long time. Here is a just woke up Mini-Max (his grandpa is the big Max)modeling his new "Catch".

I also had a friend who had a little girl after 2 boys so I decided she needed some serious GIRL-power Gifts. Here is Lyn's Round Ripple afghan in a cool brite pink and orange with white.

I also found a cool pattern for a little sweater, called the Hexagon Baby Jacket. I made all these with Caron Simply Soft so they can be washed and dryed - important for new babies. The jacket is very clever and super fast. It is basically 2 Hexagon granny-squares sewn together, but don't get excited, that's the only sewing required and then crochet on the trim. It is a bit of a take on Zimmermann's Baby Surprise Jacket (BSJ) that is so popular in the knitting world. The pattern shows a cute little guy in the jacket in what I think is Green Bay Packer colors so this can be a very masculine jacket as well. It says about 3 - 6mo. but I made it to pattern and I think it is running a bit big but I haven't tried it on the baby yet. You could use dk or sport yarn and a smaller hook to size it down or a bigger hook or more rounds on the hexagons to make a bigger jacket. I love the orange flower buttons that tie into the afghan. It's the little details that make a project!

In the festive mode, I also came across a cute pattern for St. Patrick's Day Leprechaun Candy Dish hats. Since I have a "bit" of Irish heritage and I just get sucked in by these quickie cutie projects I decided to make a few. You are supposed to fill them with chocolate coins but I was in a rush and couldn't find any so I filled them with plastic gold coins I found at Michael's instead. I made the 1st one like the pattern with DC (double crochets) but since I wasn't going to starch them, I decided to do the others substituting 2 rows of SC (single crochets) for each row of DC. I think they are a bit sturdier. I experimented with the amigurami method of not joining the rounds but wasn't as happy with the color changes as when I joined the rows with a slip-stitch. I used Simply Soft for the black and Plymouth Encore for the green that was in my stash. It's not that easy to find Kelly green yarn unless you have a DS who loves the Celtic Soccer team! lol

The Big Easy

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 04:59:00 +0000

It's not often you get to take a trip to New Orleans and stay in the French Quarter, eat some great Cajun food, and have some family time too in the month of December, but I got to do just that. DH and DD joined me on the second day of the USAEE (USA Energy Economists) Conference (yes, I AM just that geeky).

We went to a fabulous restaurant on Bourbon Street called the Red Fish Grill. Here is the yummy wedge salad with pecans and blue cheese - almost too pretty to eat.
I followed that up with shrimp creole.
My dinner mates, DD and DH ordered a pecan-crusted fish (it seems they take that crusting seriously in the French Quarter!)
If you know me, you know I am all about the dessert. It seems a lot of restauants in New Orleans have what is called a fixed menu of several courses and ours had 3 courses and the last course was bread pudding. I am not a huge fan of bread pudding but the waitress said we could upgrade to a chocolate bread pudding that was really good. I'm always game for chocolate so I ordered that. Here it is.
It was simply de-vine!! I could not quit making those yum noises all the way through the dessert and the vanilla bean ice creme made it even more heavenly. I have to stop talking about it now, I am making myself hungry!

We got to shop and tour the French Quarter several evenings and on Saturday as well. The architecture was beautiful and here is a beautiful garden in the area as well.

We even enjoyed some musicians jamming on Bourbon Street. It was un-seasonably cold but maybe that kept the crowds away. Some of the bars, etc. looked fun and we posed in front of some of the funny signs.
Cheyenne said with the clubs, music, cigars, and other "sins" that New Orleans was like a grown man's Disneyland...lol

Of course there were some pretty racy clubs and posters too but overall it was pretty tame probably because of the cold, but there are always a few perverts looking to give away some beads...

We also had beignets (a yummy French pastry like a donut but way way better) and chicory coffee (ok, DD had the coffee, I had milk and DH had a Sprite) and the powdered sugar with the beignets was so thick, DD had to make herself a sugar mustache!

We also got the opportunity to take a tour on Saturday to see the Lower 9th ward and some other neighborhoods that were really hard hit by Hurricane Katrina and Rita. Living in the Houston area, we are very familiar with a lot of the evacuees from New Orleans and all along the gulf coast. Some of the homes are being rebuilt with help from charitable organizations sponsored by Brad Pitt. We were really hopeful that we might see him on the tour since we were visiting some of his projects (especially DD, I have to admit I used that as incentive to get her to come to New Orleans) but no such luck.

We toured a model home that is in a neighborhood that is trying to build back "green". It was really cool and we actually got some good ideas for future building projects of our own (such as collecting rain water to use for flushing toilets). Here is DD and DH in the really airy and nice bedroom.

As former renters and later landlords of affordable housing in Oklahoma and Missouri, we were appauled by two things. One, how expensive the new "green" homes were in these areas - not what we would call affordable and also by the fact that so few homes were rebuilt. It appears that there are several governing agencies and they all want to "preserve" the historical neighborhood and its shotgun houses. So that make it very expensive to repair such heavily damaged houses and impossible to just tear the worst ones down and rebuild a basic affordable home in its place. Some organizations are buying properties from those who do not want to come back, getting lots of donations to restore or rebuild and then selling them at a profit. What a racket... As usual, the little guy gets the short end of the deal.

Well, on to some FIBER content. Here are a couple of dishrags that I made. The pattern is called Chinese Waves and I used a self-striping cotton that together makes a really thick dishcloth. A fun pattern and easy to do.

The third project is a Starburst hot-pad that is three-dimentional. I liked how this project looked in the pattern and I liked how it looked when I got done but I am not super pleased with my color choices and how they looked together. I made it to match some dishclothes I had made for my MIL but the variegated yarn has such a small amount of yellow it doesn't blend as well as I had hoped. She really liked it though, now I just need to convince her to actually use it and not just hang it up for "pretty"!

Baby, It's Cold Outside!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 22:24:00 +0000

Well, we finally did it! We bought SEASON TICKETS to all the OSU Football Home Games on the Club Level. Let me tell you, once you watch the game up there you will never want to go back to a regular seat!

My DD, Cheyenne, and I were the lucky winners of the Bedlam Beg-a-thon...the OU vs OSU game tickets are hot commodities and she and I got to go and we had a blast! My DS, Asa, rode over from Tulsa with us on the Saturday after Thanksgiving and we checked out the local Buffalo Wild Wings and browsed at some GREAT shoe stores in Stillwater before walking over to the game from the house Asa is living in this semester. Poor Asa had to sit in the Student section, but they have a great time over there cheering on the team. BOY, was it cold.
Here is another fan who just couldn't resist getting in the picture with my DD!

Now, usually, I park myself on a barstool along the windows in the club level and have a great in-door view of the whole playing field. But this time, it was Bedlam for heaven's sake, so we were obligated to sit in our actual seats outside. I didn't really plan for that but I wore a couple of shirts, a fleece jacket and borrowed a knitted hat I had made for DS a couple of years ago out of NORO Kabuto which is a cool super bulky weight yarn with wool, silk, cashmere, and alpaca (yum) in a nice manly 2 by 2 rib pattern.
Here is a picture of us and you can see DD has her hoodie on against the weather as well.

It was really windy but we yelled and yelled. Especially when the OSU defense was on the field. It was a fabulous game and we just gave OU hell (I meant heck, Mama...). I was also wearing a pair of socks that I made from hand-dyed bamboo from Mama Llama and my toes stayed toasty warm the whole time!
I had no idea bamboo would be that warm (Just an fyi to other football fans). We did have an acrylic afghan in OSU colors that was a gift to us but shortly after half-time DD said she had frozen enough and so we went indoor to watch the rest of the game. I'm sure the "poor chickens" wished they could have done the same, it really got cold after the sun was fully down.

Unfortunately, we played really great until the last 7 minutes or so and OU ended up winning the game. However, the score 61-41 doesn't really reflect how close most of the game was. Our quarterback made a couple of interceptions that ended up being costly. Come on Cowboy Offensive line - protect that guy! Zac Robinson is too cute to let get hurt!

The up-side is that OU gets to play for the south for the Big 12 championship so at least another Oklahoma team is representin'. My DSIL is a big OU fan and so I try to keep that in mind, even though I bleed orange. Common guesses are that we will go to the Pacific Life Holiday Bowl in San Diego. What a great location and a great town to visit. Unfortunately, we have decided that it would just be so expensive to fly there, plus hotel, etc right at Christmas. So I am secretly wishing we go to the Alamo Bowl. We could drive there and I have a good friend who lives there that would let us crash at her house. But the best Bowl for OSU would definitely be the Holiday Bowl, so I guess I hope we get that one. We will probably try and have a Bowl Party or go to one in Katy somewhere. There are lots of Cowboy fans in Texas! Check out this cool website...Go Pokes!

Cold Feet, Warm Heart...

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 20:07:00 +0000

I have been knitting up a lot of socks this year for myself, as well as for gifts. The latest pair, Eclipse Socks were requested by my DD, Cheyenne. She is OBSESSED with the Stephanie Meyer books in the Twilight series. These 4 books are about star-crossed lovers, one of which just happens to be a vampire. Normally, I have absolutely no interest in vampires, I found Anne Rice to be just too blood-thirsy. But, I loved these books, after Cheyenne started reading them, I devoured all four books (excuse the pun). So when I found a sock pattern that had the cover of one of the books, I knew she would love it. She asked me to make her a pair in time for the 1st book's movie premier. Twilight is premiering this Friday, Nov. 21st and I just FedEx'd her the socks this morning. That should get me some good Mama points.
I ordered KnitPicks Essentials superwash wool and really liked working with it. I learned several new techniques with these socks, I did a twisted rib at the top which I love the look of and will definitely use in the future. I also did an afterthought heel. This was a major nerve-wracking experience. The first one I did in the LA airport and an elderly Vietnamese woman even went and bought me a bottle of water after she observed me concentrating so hard on this! lol I did much better on the second one, especially when I used my Ott lamp and a magnafier. That black yarn and tiny stitches are heck on those of us with reading glasses! I also learned how to do Intarsia in the Round! The pattern called for duplicate stitch on only one sock after the sock was finished but I was afraid it would be hard to see (see above blindness note! lol). I made the legs of the socks longer than the pattern, so I had to repeat part of the ribbon pattern. I also made them a bit slimmer as DD has a fairly narrow foot. The heel and toe in the pattern go down to 16 stitches, but I modified it to 24 on the toe and next time I think I would do 24 on the heel as well. I think they turned out awesome and very trendy looking as well. I hope she WOWs everyone at the theater.

I wanted to also show a pair of cute self-striping socks that I made this summer as a Christmas gift. I knit them toe-up on 2 circulars and ribbed all of the leg with a 3 to 1 ribbing. I tried a different increase at the toes that was supposed to make a rounder toe but I don't really like it that well so I probably won't use that again. This is a super-wash wool from Skacel but it is tons scratchier than the above KnitPicks or lots of other ones. I love the pattern but I plan to wash them at least one more time before I give them as a gift so try and soften them some more. I also seem to have a rather tight bind-off on these so I may re-do that before they go to their new home.

The third pair of socks are a pair of Cascade Fixation Ankle Socks from the stretchy cotton-blend fixation yarn. I actually knit both socks from a single 100 yard ball of that yarn and I wear a 8.5 to a 9 size shoe! I literally had about 2 feet of yarn left. I love the color but wish they were a bit less pointy. I used a size 3 circular needle and didn't really have any tension problems working with this yarn.

Finally another type of foot covering, a delicate pair of Crocheted Mary Janes for a newborn. I like to do some quick projects in the middle of a pair of socks or a more challenging project so one night I whipped these up. I think I may put them up for a future grandbaby as I don't think I can bear to part with them. Aren't they adorable?? I made these with some aqua blue sport yarn that my Mama got at an estate sale. Unfortunately, I think this yarn had been rolling around in a box of razor blades. Every 2 to 4 feet, there was a cut in the yarn. ARGhhhh! After I finished these booties, I tossed the rest of that skein and another one just like it in the trash! It goes against my frugal grain to throw away yarn, but that was ridiculous!

Well, more later, I have to get some work done...

Eire! My Eire!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 23:40:00 +0000

Well, I've finally slowed down enough to go through some pictures and start blogging about the trip to Ireland that my Mama and I went on at the beginning of June. We couldn't have asked for better weather, it only rained on us like two times and that's the only got out our umbrellss! (This weird weather phenonomon seemed to be courtesy of my occasional "Bethel Triangle" that causes weird unexplained happenings when I'm around. I went to Canada immediately after Ireland and they had be deluged with bad weather before I came and it was 75 and beautiful while I was there and then I went to Southern California and it had been 107 all the week before I got there and it was a beautiful 75 the whole week I was there! Sadly, these powers do not seem as powerful in the Houston area where we have been "glowing" with mid-90 humid temps)

Our flight(s) over (yep, 2 for me, 3 for Mama) were great. Except the part where I could have been upgraded from Houston to Newark, but being the "great" daughter that I am, I politely declined. Seems like it would be really selfish to go and leave Mama behind in coach... Also, we left at 9:45 pm on Saturday night and planned to sleep as much as possible on the flight because we had things planned for the next day, but the blinking flight attendants had other ideas! They kept flipping on and off the lights thru-out the 8ish hour flight and offering food, drinks, etc every little whip-stitch. Honestly, if this had been daytime, I would have been impressed with the service but as it was, I am wondering if they were just sadistic by nature or had made a bet with someone!

I thouoght I would focus on the beginning of our trip for this post. We ate at Pappadeaux in the Houston airport and if you have ever been to Houston, you have probably eaten there, if you haven't, be sure and go there when you come. I had fried crawfish and Mama had fried shrimp (big surprise) and it was delish! In Newark, we ate at a cute little 50's theme diner, however, we ordered shakes and they were really impressive looking and yummy. Here's Mama with her strawberry one.

After we arrived in Dublin, we took a shuttle bus to the hotel where we were staying that night. Unfortunately, they did not have our rooms ready. We were prepared for this, since it usually happens since flights to Europe get in in the morning and check-out times are usually noon and they have to clean the rooms. I needed a Diet Coke in a BIG way. It would just have been better for everyone!

The hotel was very modern and had a large open lounge area for us to wait in. We decided to order tea (also known as substitute caffeine for me) and it was cool that the tour had arranged for tea for us for free! Too Cool. Although, that might have been a protective measure for the front desk personnel when people found out their rooms weren't ready... Here is a pic of that welcome brew, I had Earl Grey and Mama had some kind of Mint.

We got our room literally 15 minutes before we were to go on our tour of Dublin and raced upstairs with our bags and put them in the room, washed up and raced back down.

I have a really funny story about that hotel room later that night, we finished dinner and were waiting for a check, so Mama went upstairs to take a bath before I came up so I could take a shower. The room had a card reader inside the room that said it was for the lights. So she swiped the card and the lights came on and she took her stuff in the bathroom...and the lights went off. So she swiped her card again and went into the bathroom and started to undresss...and the lights went off. Soooo, she swiped her card several different ways and the lights would come on for a minute or so and then go off. It's a testament to how tired we were that she just kept at it a while, finally, admitting defeat, she opened the drapes, closed the shears and left the bathroom door open a little and took a bath in...twilight! Might have been a bit more fun with candles and some wine, but there you go.

So being the smarty pants that I am, I think she is just doing it wrong. Mama just lays on the bed and laughs at me swiping the card every way known to man. Finally, I call down to the front desk and they inform me that we need to LEAVE the card in the reader as long as we want lights! Oh! That makes some sense. Evidently in Europe this is somewhat common and is considered "green" cause it makes sure the lights are off when no one's in the room. Nobody told the Okies...

Another funny thing that happened at this hotel was I wanted to get a Diet Coke to take up to my room after dinner. So I went to the front desk and asked if they had Cokes machines in the hotel.

She looked horrified and said NO.

So I asked if the only place to get one was the lounge or room service.

She said YES OF COURSE.

So I said, well, I travel a lot and they usually have Coke machines and ice machines somewhere in the hotel.

She said WELL, THIS IS A FOUR-STAR HOTEL!!

So I said well even most 4-star hotels have mini-bars or fridges in the rooms for a Diet Coke.

Then, she says OH, WELL, WE HAVE MINI_BARS IN THE ROOMS.

Sooooo,when I asked if the lounge and room service were the ONLY place to get one, I GUESS it didn't occur to her THEN that there were mini-bars in the room. But then, I should have remembered THIS WAS A FOUR-STAR HOTEL! Just so's you know...

Animal Planet

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 02 May 2008 05:53:00 +0000

First, I wanted to include a few pictures of my DH Mark and our black Lab Hank playing at the beach in Galveston. If you tell someone here in Houston that you went to the ocean over the weekend, they just give you a strange look and ask, "What ocean??".

But for land-locked Okies, Galveston IS the ocean and without a doubt, April and May are PERFECT for going to the beach for a day. The water is the clearest and bluest of the year and the humidity is low as well. We loaded up and I spent the afternoon parked in an OSU Cowboys lawnchair, knitting away on a really cute sock (see last post of turquoise stripe sock), sipping ice cold Diet Pepsi and enjoyed the view and the sound of the waves. Some "neighbors" next to us even found a perfect sand dollar. Now, that's a day at the beach. As you can tell from these pictures, it was pretty windy and Irish girl that I am - I even got a bit sun-burned!

Speaking of Irish, my Mama and I are headed for 10 days in Ireland on the 31st of May. Less than a month away! I have my eye on some beautiful Belleek pottery china and maybe an Aran Island sweater??

I recently got bit by the amigurumi bug and saw this darling Marine Turtle in the Knit.1 magazine. I don't always buy this magazine, but they usually include at least 1 crocheted item and this time there are 4 seriously cute crocheted amigurumi animals in it. I love turtles, especially after going to Hawaii where they have lots of turtle motif stuff there and I loved the turtle "Crush" in the Finding Nemo movie. So I decided to name this one "Crush" too. I used Caron Simply Soft and completed this guy in less than 2 days. I love him, don't know what I am going to do with him, but nevertheless he was a blast to make. Plus not 1 mistake in the pattern!

The next animal in this animal planet post is "Peggy Francis". I made an unofficial resolution to make to charity items this year, so this is my first finished charity item. She is a knitted bear for the "Peggy's Bear" project that is sponsored by my LYS. These bears are gifted to Alsheimer's patients who find them comforting. I named mine "Peggy" after the project name who is one of the store owner's grandmother and "Francis" after my maternal grandmother who was very talented at needlework. I am also including a picture of Peggy Francis with her new bear friends at LYS Yarntopia. Peggy Francis is made with Plymouth Encore Worsted that was in my stash.

What EXACTLY happens at a Knitting Retreat??

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 15:33:00 +0000

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Well if the 1st Annual Knitting Retreat to Rockport, TX by a group from my LYS Yarntopia is any indication - alot of knitting, eating of seafood, and a lot of laughing. A group of us ate the 1st night at the Boiling Pot restaurant. Yum! Here we are in our bibs! Watch out for the rice and beans, they were MEGA-HOT! The next night we had a couple of adult beverages and decided to "GLAM" for the camera.

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I worked on a pair of socks from the fall's sock club made with hand-dyed bamboo yarn from Mama Llama. The good news is I had a ton of fun, the bad news is I had to frog about 4 inches because of 3, not 1 not 2, but 3 mistakes. Guess knitting and an adult beverage don't work for me! I'm such a cheap date!
The pattern is from Fiber Trends called Peak Experience: Angel's Rest. This yarn is so pretty on the stockinette foot that I almost wish I had just made a plain sock with it. The pattern was fairly easy except the darn thing was designed with a yarn-over at the end of each needle. What a pain! The leg part is pretty tight to get over my heel so next time I might want to use the larger size of the pattern for the top and then reduce the stockinette size on the foot since that stitch count fit my somewhat narrow foot fine. I wear an 8.5 - 9 in women's shoes and used 2 circulars size 1.

I also took a really fun sock class from Patti at Yarntopia. It was Toe-up Short-Row Heel with Yarnovers on Magic Loop. This is my 1st pair that is Toe-up. I had done short-row heels before but with the wrap method. It was great fun, Patti is a fun and funny teacher. I have the first sock complete.
It is with one of last year's summer colors from On-Line which is cotton, wool, and nylon. I think they will just get softer with every wash. I think these are going to become a gift. I used 56 stitches for the foot and increased to 60 for the leg because of my experience with the previous socks above. I used 2 circulars size 1.

A lot has happened since my last post. I had shoulder surgery. Turns out the shoulder problems I have been having for the last 8 to 10 months were actually 2 problems. I had a "frozen shoulder" and I also have 2 deteriorating disks in my neck (from a wreak years ago where a drunk driver hit my girlfriend and myself) that was pinching nerves and causing my left arm and hand to go numb. Not fun! I thought I might have torn my rotator cuff but fortunately not. However, it was painful enough as it was. The surgery wasn't bad though. They did MUA (manipulation under anesthesia) so while I was out they wrench my shoulder and arm around until the adhesive capsules inside the joint break loose and pop and make noises. I told him if they tried to do that while I was awake, I would definitely makes some noises! They also gave me a dose of cortisone deep into the joint while I was still asleep. I got back 90% mobility. It sucks to get old (er)!

My DD Cheyenne is graduating with an Associate's Degree in Business in a few weeks from Rogers State University. We are so proud of her. She has been going to school, working, and got married almost 2 years ago as well. My DS Asa is doing great, he is finishing his freshman year at OSU in Stillwater and is pledging to the FIJI fraternity. He has been doing a lot of community service and other projects with them so that keeps him out of trouble. Cheyenne is transferring to OSU-Tulsa in the fall. I am so thrilled that both of them will graduate from my alma mater. Too Cool!

I mentioned in my last post that I was having a contest for the anniversary of my blog. Since I only had 2 "yarnies" who didn't disqualify themselves, I decided to have 2 winners. Below are the 2 prize packages that go to lucky winners, Carolyn and MsBlondieKnits.

Two Year Blog-Anniversary Contest!!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 10:06:00 +0000

It was two years ago yesterday that I started this blog. It doesn't seem like it was that long ago - time really flies when you're having fun! In honor of the occasion, I am hosting a CONTEST. For the next month through March 25th, anyone who posts a comment on my blog will receive a GREAT SURPRISE PACKAGE!! Here are a few hints...a yummy assortment of yarns along with accessories and other goodies. I promise it will be totally fun. The winner will be drawn randomly by DH. If you comment on more than 1 post you will get an additional entry but only 1 entry will be counted per each of my posts. Hopefully, that will incentivise me to post a lot in the next month. ;o)

Good Luck!

I wanted to post about an Easy-Peasy baby sweater that I made for my DD's new neice. I have been told that Joselynn (the baby) LOVES pink so I just had to make her a Hot Pink cardigan for Christmas. I used a pattern that I picked up in Boulder, CO at the Spindles, Shuttles, & Skeins store by a local designer. It is called EASY Cardigan for BABY #1 by Roxana Designs. I wasn't able to find the pattern available online but I am sure it is available through the store. I made it up in one of my favorite yarns, Cottontots which they also used in the store sample. I love the cute little cuffed sleeves. I changed it slightly by turning back the top edges at the neck and adding some decorative buttons. The bottom half is stockinette and top half is in garter so that keeps it from being too boring. I had made this once before in a varigated yarn as a baby shower gift for one of my mama's co-workers and it was darling in a varigated colorway. As you can see from the pictures of Joselynn, just the sheer adorableness of baby items (not to mention the baby herself) is its own reward for knitting or crocheting them up!

The SS&S store in Boulder was a fun store to visit last February. I think they had every knitting book I had ever heard of (and probably crochet as well). They had a large selection of koigu and sock yarn and a super selection of baby and children's yarn in all fibers and colorways. There was a heavy emphasis on wools and hats (go figure in a college town with skiing nearby!).