tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9080709925818617246Tue, 10 Nov 2009 23:26:32 +0000A reference-rich site explaining fun, creative arts and crafts and knitting projects. Many websites can be found here that expand the posted topics.http://nancymccarroll.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.com (Nancy McCarroll - Arts, Crafts and Favorites)Blogger352125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9080709925818617246.post-1653437511894343333Sun, 08 Nov 2009 17:18:00 +00002009-11-10T06:07:00.801-07:00KnittingThe Calorimetry Scarf is off the needles.  It is a free download pattern available at the referenced site.  Check out a copyrighted picture of the scarf here. The word "calorimetry" has been given this definition: Calorimetry is a scientific term describing the measurement of heat lost or gained. Knit hats are a wonderful way to block out the cold, but when you have long hair it usually requireshttp://nancymccarroll.blogspot.com/2009/11/calorimetry-scarf.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Nancy McCarroll - Arts, Crafts and Favorites)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9080709925818617246.post-3001610915068002261Thu, 05 Nov 2009 12:45:00 +00002009-11-06T05:28:00.246-07:00Vintage Hankies and AppliquesewingAnticipating the birth of her first child, Marie at Knitted Gems is busy making darling things for soon-to-be born Elizabeth.  Knowing that Marie is a beautiful knitter, it would be like taking coals to Newcastle to give her a hand knit baby item. Looking through my vintage pieces of needlework that good friend Dorothay sent me a while back from her mother's and sister's stashes dating from the http://nancymccarroll.blogspot.com/2009/11/vintage-embroidery-for-baby-pillowcase.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Nancy McCarroll - Arts, Crafts and Favorites)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9080709925818617246.post-1409232970501045616Sun, 01 Nov 2009 11:58:00 +00002009-11-01T09:06:38.245-07:00Knitting Using only 150 yd. of yarn, the Rievaulx cowl can be knit in a few days.  Here is what designer Kelly Herdrich said about this pattern: Rievaulx is modeled after the green, rolling landscape on the drive to Rievaulx Abbey, and the gorgeous columns and architecture that make this abbey ruin such an amazing place to visit in Yorkshire. There are two versions for the pattern; one long, drape-y, http://nancymccarroll.blogspot.com/2009/11/easy-cowl-to-knit.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Nancy McCarroll - Arts, Crafts and Favorites)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9080709925818617246.post-1840827031517509410Sat, 31 Oct 2009 11:58:00 +00002009-11-05T06:16:49.796-07:00Knittingtoo good not to shareHere is something interesting from this site about extreme knitting: Rachel John, Extreme Textiles, broke records by knitting with a 1000 strands simultaneously! This video shows the set up of the event and the event itself. This event took place at the Southhill Park Unravel Textiles exhibition in October 2006. It is a challenge for all of us to take the waste products that our society http://nancymccarroll.blogspot.com/2009/10/extreme-knitting.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Nancy McCarroll - Arts, Crafts and Favorites)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9080709925818617246.post-623655314293898980Thu, 29 Oct 2009 19:45:00 +00002009-10-30T05:33:15.724-06:00quilting arttoo good not to shareDeidre Scherer is the talented fiber artist who is perhaps most often associated with the poem "When I am an Old Woman I Shall Wear Purple" by Jenny Joseph.  Her picture of a contemplative older woman created in fabrics and threads has been in my study for the past three decades, alongside the poem by Nadir Stair that begins ... If I had my life to live over.... This same replica of the picture http://nancymccarroll.blogspot.com/2009/10/fiber-artist-diedre-scherer.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Nancy McCarroll - Arts, Crafts and Favorites)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9080709925818617246.post-3440502211029346370Mon, 26 Oct 2009 21:45:00 +00002009-10-26T15:48:34.535-06:00Scrabble See the word "M-U-T-I-L-A-T-E" up in the right hand corner of the Scrabble board in the above picture? That was my coup de grace in a winning game with opponent Wesley Slocum in Calgary on October 23.  The word spread across two triple tile scores and used all 7 letters on my rack, and the play counted for 149 points.  That play truly won the game for me as Wesley had a 120 point lead on me http://nancymccarroll.blogspot.com/2009/10/scrabble-again.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Nancy McCarroll - Arts, Crafts and Favorites)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9080709925818617246.post-8017195027550840855Mon, 19 Oct 2009 09:55:00 +00002009-10-19T03:55:11.942-06:00ScrabbleOff to Calgary this morning: the beautiful land of Alberta.  Playing Scrabble.  See you in a week. http://nancymccarroll.blogspot.com/2009/10/14th-western-canadian-scrabble.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Nancy McCarroll - Arts, Crafts and Favorites)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9080709925818617246.post-2344957995301483038Sat, 17 Oct 2009 10:53:00 +00002009-10-17T04:56:05.653-06:00too good not to shareIf you are feeling ... headachey and a touch of the sore throat...there's a number you can call...don't be afraid... picture courtesy of RogueSun Well, you can't call, but you can buy a product called Emergen-C or its generic equivalent.  My SIL stirs up a glass of the fizzy mixture in water a couple of times of day when she feels the need for a Vitamin C boost. Here is a great review of the http://nancymccarroll.blogspot.com/2009/10/emergen-c-and-flu.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Nancy McCarroll - Arts, Crafts and Favorites)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9080709925818617246.post-18569700312586540Sat, 17 Oct 2009 10:02:00 +00002009-10-17T04:03:05.614-06:00BeadingKnittingThis clapotis scarf finished off with dimensions of 61" x 6.5" and was decorated with 8 mm seed beads along the diagonal lines created by the dropped stitches.   The beads are glass, and in colors ranging from lavender to cobalt blue with various hues of lighter and darker blues interspersed.  They beads were sewn with one strand of Knit Picks Shimmer yarn, a combination of 30% silk and 70% baby http://nancymccarroll.blogspot.com/2009/10/drop-scarf-with-beads.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Nancy McCarroll - Arts, Crafts and Favorites)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9080709925818617246.post-4340129617488269933Thu, 15 Oct 2009 13:48:00 +00002009-10-15T07:55:26.196-06:00Say, wish me luck in trying to sell my mink (female) full length coat at a consignment shop in Calgary, CA next week.  I'm going up for the 14th Western Canadian Scrabble Championship and to visit a friend who also will compete in the games. Back to this non-politically correct issue of the mink coat.  Groan.  Yes, women (and a few guys) do still wear fur.  But this coat has had very little wearhttp://nancymccarroll.blogspot.com/2009/10/selling-mink-in-these-economic-times.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Nancy McCarroll - Arts, Crafts and Favorites)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9080709925818617246.post-8748429180013603793Mon, 12 Oct 2009 12:23:00 +00002009-10-12T06:29:47.338-06:00TravelSaturday was a spectacular fall day in Grand Junction and was excellent timing for a trip to the Colorado National Monument, "a unit of the national park system, is a spectacular area of twenty-thousand acres of steep-walled red rock canyons located in western Colorado, near the city of Grand Junction, on the eastern edge of the Colorado Plateau. The Colorado National Monument attracts http://nancymccarroll.blogspot.com/2009/10/colorado-national-monument.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Nancy McCarroll - Arts, Crafts and Favorites)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9080709925818617246.post-7745025925940629743Thu, 08 Oct 2009 13:16:00 +00002009-10-08T13:42:07.278-06:00craftsnatureTable CenterpieceUnderneath the pumpkins and candles in the centerpiece below is a quilted fall fabric piece given to us several years ago by our Famous Family Quilter Pat McCarroll. Pat has won many awards for her quilting art at the Texas State Fair, and at local quilt guild shows in and around Dallas, Texas. Pat has also shown one of her quilts at the annual International Quilt Festival  always held in http://nancymccarroll.blogspot.com/2009/10/fall-decorations-quilted-centerpieces.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Nancy McCarroll - Arts, Crafts and Favorites)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9080709925818617246.post-1401068436064532401Mon, 05 Oct 2009 11:38:00 +00002009-10-05T05:43:02.516-06:00too good not to shareSpiritualMaltipooTherapy dogsSunday was a special day for all our animal companions as it was the day of  the Blessing of the Animals, a tradition set aside to honor St. Francis of Assisi.  This Blessing of the Animals was given in recognition of God's love for all creatures, and acknowledging that humans are helped by animals. Oct. 4 is the day set aside to honor St. Francis of Assisi (1182-1226). St. Francis had a great http://nancymccarroll.blogspot.com/2009/10/st-francis-of-assisi-blessing-of.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Nancy McCarroll - Arts, Crafts and Favorites)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9080709925818617246.post-4592766622168692157Sun, 04 Oct 2009 12:57:00 +00002009-10-04T06:59:35.386-06:00Knittingtoo good not to sharePodcastsA few weeks ago, while listening to the Knit Picks Podcast, guest Sandra McAlister talked about knitting the bottom part of socks inside out, creating the purl stitch on the outside of the sock.  This means that the knit part of the fabric on the bottom of the foot eliminates the "knobbiness" of the purl stitch closest to the skin. Several people even commented on the show notes that this http://nancymccarroll.blogspot.com/2009/10/socks-knit-inside-out-on-bottom-of-foot.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Nancy McCarroll - Arts, Crafts and Favorites)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9080709925818617246.post-1191763211809162100Thu, 01 Oct 2009 14:06:00 +00002009-10-01T08:09:28.603-06:00KnittingThis newsboy cap is next on my needles. The pattern can be found (free) here. What color?  Reddish?http://nancymccarroll.blogspot.com/2009/10/newsboy-cap-with-brim-to-knit.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Nancy McCarroll - Arts, Crafts and Favorites)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9080709925818617246.post-2932892812745199173Wed, 30 Sep 2009 11:25:00 +00002009-10-04T08:54:16.243-06:00BeadingKnittingSilk and wool, a 50/50 blend from Lorna's Laces, was used to complete the Clapotis Scarf begun in August. I added a crocheted edging, and the scarf/shawl finished off in an 18" x 70" size.  Since the clapotis pattern was a fun one to knit, I started another one, decreasing the width.  This time I'm using the very affordable Hand Dyed Knit Picks Lace Weight Shimmer Yarn (70% baby alpaca wool/http://nancymccarroll.blogspot.com/2009/09/one-clapotis-finished-another-clapotis.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Nancy McCarroll - Arts, Crafts and Favorites)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9080709925818617246.post-87506774929902117Mon, 28 Sep 2009 16:17:00 +00002009-10-03T15:39:21.238-06:00too good not to shareGenerally, this blog has been a stage for writing about things that are important to me. Obvious topics have been arts, crafts, eclectic writings and things I would like to keep categorized and saved on the web for ready accessibility. Because I spent over twenty years in the business of health care administration and was the first Executive Director for a managed care plan in Denver in 1982, I http://nancymccarroll.blogspot.com/2009/09/national-ledger-how-much-will.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Nancy McCarroll - Arts, Crafts and Favorites)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9080709925818617246.post-2270979408141189362Sun, 27 Sep 2009 13:10:00 +00002009-09-27T07:43:16.817-06:00too good not to sharePodcastsBecause part of my reason for blogging is to keep things readily organized while doing craft projects, here is one idea I am cataloguing for the next time I make a ball of yarn from a purchased skein.  This quick process is called a center pull yarn cake, and allows you to pull yarn from the center of the ball rather than from the outside.  This will eliminate that pesky ball from rolling around http://nancymccarroll.blogspot.com/2009/09/making-yarn-cake-courtesy-of-gnat.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Nancy McCarroll - Arts, Crafts and Favorites)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9080709925818617246.post-4104230484161206316Sat, 26 Sep 2009 11:59:00 +00002009-09-26T05:59:27.566-06:00 What does your birth flower say about you? My Quiz Result: Carnation is the birth flower for people who are born in January. The Carnation symbolizes deep love, a friend in need, distinction, beauty, and fascination. If your birth flower is Carnation: You are a sensitive person. You are very protective towards your family and friends. You are very ambitious and aim to achieve big http://nancymccarroll.blogspot.com/2009/09/take-flower-test-o.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Nancy McCarroll - Arts, Crafts and Favorites)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9080709925818617246.post-3565596206483217926Fri, 25 Sep 2009 13:28:00 +00002009-09-25T07:34:08.089-06:00giftsrecipesEdible gifts are usually appreciated, and it is always a good idea to keep a bit back for your own survival purposes.  More jarred mixes were previous posted here for cocoa, risotto rice and peanut butter cookies. This is a recipe I found on the internet at the Cook Site that calls for: 2 c. Tang 2/3 cup instant tea 2 (3 oz.) pkgs. lemonade mix 2 1/2 c. sugar 2 tbsp. cinnamon 1 tbsp. cloves Thehttp://nancymccarroll.blogspot.com/2009/09/spiced-tea-that-keeps-forever-low.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Nancy McCarroll - Arts, Crafts and Favorites)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9080709925818617246.post-3729233748499196754Thu, 24 Sep 2009 16:43:00 +00002009-09-24T10:44:44.018-06:00too good not to shareDierdre Sullivan wrote the following which was read on This I Believe on August 8, 2005: I believe in always going to the funeral. My father taught me that. The first time he said it directly to me, I was 16 and trying to get out of going to calling hours for Miss Emerson, my old fifth grade math teacher. I did not want to go. My father was unequivocal. “Dee,” he said, “you’re going. Always go http://nancymccarroll.blogspot.com/2009/09/always-go-to-funeral.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Nancy McCarroll - Arts, Crafts and Favorites)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9080709925818617246.post-453234507892773845Sun, 20 Sep 2009 13:01:00 +00002009-09-24T05:04:52.122-06:00too good not to sharedogsTherapy dogsIn conversation with a patient at our local hospital with therapy dog Libby Sweetpea, the gentleman we spoke with gave me a great tip. Surprising what great ideas crop up in conversations with new people in different situations! This patient had formerly bred Pomeranian puppies and was familiar with eye staining problems, especially on dogs with white fur. He suggested that I buy an http://nancymccarroll.blogspot.com/2009/09/eye-staining-on-white-dogs-using.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Nancy McCarroll - Arts, Crafts and Favorites)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9080709925818617246.post-7963537526081277483Wed, 16 Sep 2009 13:02:00 +00002009-09-16T12:28:04.688-06:00craftsBeadingEmbroideryAre you looking for a unique bridal gift? Try using your embroidery and beading skills to embellish a Bible for use in the wedding ceremony.If you would like to design a personalized Bible covering, here is a website where standardized sizes for Bible slip covers can be found for purchase. You can use this type base for cross-stitch, embroidery and beading to create a unique and beautifully http://nancymccarroll.blogspot.com/2009/09/faux-pearls-satin-ribbon-and-lace-bible.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Nancy McCarroll - Arts, Crafts and Favorites)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9080709925818617246.post-5408786799524980909Sun, 13 Sep 2009 12:49:00 +00002009-09-14T06:52:02.562-06:00KnittingOh, my. Another boo-boo on the knitting front. If I knew how the mistake first happened, maybe I could learn from it and avoid its repetition.Alas, I was 1/3 through with the project before I saw that an extra stitch had been added into a knitting row on the clapotis scarf. This one little extra stitch put a halt to the planned drop stitch row that is purposefully unravelled, actually making the http://nancymccarroll.blogspot.com/2009/09/one-big-waa-magical-thinking-does-not.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Nancy McCarroll - Arts, Crafts and Favorites)039.091853 -108.565325tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9080709925818617246.post-4282362610655174038Fri, 11 Sep 2009 11:48:00 +00002009-09-13T06:47:39.144-06:00too good not to shareSpiritualOur neighbors complained for two years about a healthy elm tree in our back yard. Its branches reached over the fence between the Hatfields and McCoys (i.e., them vs. us). The biggest complaint was that this tree allowed its seeds to fall onto their lawn and created unsightly new elm growth in the middle of their manicured masterpiece of green grass. The neighbors went to the extreme of writing ahttp://nancymccarroll.blogspot.com/2009/09/cause-and-effect-karma-reaping-what-is.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Nancy McCarroll - Arts, Crafts and Favorites)0