Crochet and My First 100 Days

Chris sent me some half-hexies to finish off the blanket. I'm determined to get it all out, sit down and begin to get these connected to the blanket today.Some of my crochet mojo has returned. I was looking for a hostess gift to take with me on my trip to TN to visit Third Son, DIL and Youngest Grandson in a couple weeks. I found this neatpattern Hyperbolic Pseudosphere Scrubbie on and thought it was just unique enough to make the grade. It couldn't be simpler, doesn't take long to do and really is kind of fascinating. I think one made out of acrylic would make great cat and dog toys, too.

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I have reached the first 100 days of my new life style. I started exercising on the Wii Fit 100 days ago on February 2nd. I haven't missed a day of exercise and diet awareness.

On January 21st I weighed 247 lb.s On Feburary 2nd I weighed 243.2. Today I weighed in at 213.4. I have gone down about 2.5 sizes in clothes. The new clothes I bought a few weeks ago are starting to get looser. My watch needs a link removed, my rings fit again, and I can run up the stairs to my room. In January I had to pull myself up the stairs, and couldn't carry more than a bottle of water. Now I can carry full loads of laundry up and down. I have had a good 100 days.

Mittnz Marathon!

I spent most of yesterday crocheting muffatees. I finished seven pair yesterday which brings my total to --drumroll-- 24! I do plan to recreate yesterday today! Stay tuned to see if I make it!

For any newcomers, "Why are you doing this?" you ask. I belong to a group called Native American Support. It's a group of people that knit, sew, crochet, and buy necessary items for the Native Americans that live on the Cheyenne River Reservation, Eagle Butte, SD. There are many groups sponsoring many reservations. Why this one?

For me, it's a personal thing. I am Lakota and my mother is enough Lakota to have been awarded 140 acres of land because the United States Government was trying to assimilate NA into the general masses. So, even though this is no longer done, one might say that through family lines, the Cheyenne River Reservation would be my home.

CRR is one of the poorest reservations in SD. It gets bitterly cold on the central plains of South Dakota in the winter. Many homes have little to no heat. So we help out by sending warm stuff for the winters, necessary personal items year round, and help babies stay dry and dressed year round. It's the least we can do.

If you would like to help, consider making or buying hand coverings for this winter. Or contact Ann about contributing to the Dry Bottoms Fund or sending seeds and gardening equipment, school supplies, books and hundreds of other things needed.

So think about it, okay?

It's the other yarn craft....

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So, I've been looking at this wonderful yarn I got from Knitivity. Trying to figure out what I'm going to do with 550 yards of fingering weight 100% wool yarn. A shawl? Nope, already am knitting ignoring one of those. Then I'm thinking a round afghan, like the Hemlock Ring from brooklyntweed. I know three things right from the get-go:

1. I hate starting a project in the round with an eight stitch CO. Really hate it.
2. Eventually I'd have to buy big enough circulars.
3. It would take forever plus two months to make it. I'm already knitting ignoring enough projects like that.
   

So, I decided I'd take a doily pattern and crochet it instead. After three false starts with very poorly written patterns I couldn't remember how to read, I found this Pineapple Doily. My plan is to do the elongated one, but as the centers are identical, we'll see how big it is when I get there. If it's wide enough, it could be a small afghan type of thing, maybe to throw over one's legs. Of if it's not, it could be a wrap or stole. I don't know how it well end up as I'm going where this crocheter has never gone before!
Crocheting is sooooooooooo much faster than knitting. Once you get going and can remember how to read a pattern anyway. So this is how much I did yesterday. I put my reading glasses in the pic for scale. I like crocheting in the round as it gives a definite front and back to the finished piece. If one knows how to read crocheting. For the uninitiated, it's reversible just like crocheting in rows.

I've crocheted most of my life. I think I was about 8 or so when my mother taught me. I remember crocheting during "down time" in elementary school. I would make big fluffy doilies out of crochet thread. The nuns were so impressed. Me being me, wasn't. I always figured "If I can do it, it must not be too hard." My mother wasn't either. Then again, in front or me she's never been impressed with anything I've done. I do remember my older sister blowing up at me cuz she was so sick and tired of my mother bragging about how wonderful I was. News to me!

I pretty much stopped crocheting once I learned to knit. I do love knitting alot and I'd believed my mother when I was young that knitting was too complicated for anyone to learn how to do. (The fact that hundreds of thousands of women-and men-have been knitting for centuries didn't hold water in the face of my mother's proclamation.) I did teach myself to knit then, but I was knitting through the back loop (Combination Knitting was unknown at that time) so had great difficulty figuring out how to purl. I gave up, thinking my mother was right. Learning to knit (and purl) a few years ago was a great accomplishment for me. Learning to do something I spent most of my life believing I could never do rates high on the list of "Things To Do In This Lifetime," better known as the "Bucket List".

I worked a little on Presto Chango, too, yesterday. Very little.

Today's plan is to finish up the Art School Sock #1, work on Presto Chango and finish up the main sweater body. That's the plan....

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Okay, has anyone else noticed how screwy the weather has been in the last couple of months? Knitting Iris has!

Hey, for those that have wanted to try dyeing with Kool-Aid, Ray at Knitivity has a kit for you! Superwash Merino sock yarn with several colors of KA to facilitate your creativity. Instructions included!

And more Mittnz! Not mine, of course, but more! Don't be deceived thinking we're anywhere near our goal. We still could use your help! Just eight pair of hand warmer thingies puts you in the running for great prizes!

And check out these thread/yarn cutters at Robyn's Nest. For those that hesitate to take a scissors on the plane or just don't want the toddler playing with the scissors!

For the crocheters, here's a neat bag. Although I have a crocheted mesh bag, I'm not real happy with how easily small stuff can slip through the mesh. This one, although it doesn't stretch as much, keeps everything in!

Stocking Finished

The second (and last) Christmas stocking is finished! Now back to my regularly scheduled knitting, sort of.... I was doing some simple Fair Isle to create the diagonal stripes. It pulled in the stocking some. I guess that's common with Fair Isle as I've read on several sock patterns to choose a larger size than normal. Anyway...it's done.

I worked on the Waterloose sock most of the afternoon and managed to get through three repeats of the Feather & Fan pattern of six rounds having to frog back only once. There may be hope. I have about one more repeat of the pattern before starting the heel flap. I have one sock attached to the yarn ball using one end and the other sock using the other end. I may end up having to knit some of the second sock with some of the first in order to make them even. Toes will match heels and may be a big longer than toes usually are. However, I'm pretty sure my DIL will only wear these with shoes, not birks or anything like that, so the different colored extended toes won't be an issue.

Also received my two Log Cabin Charity blocks to work on. One is crochet and one knitted. I finished up my contribution, packaged them up and they are ready to mail on the 1st if next month. I did the white on the knitted one and the yellow on the crocheted one.

And that was pretty much my day.

Am going to F's house today to dye his slippers. He bought a deep, royal purple so we'll see how it goes! When he bought his new dryer he got a sweater shelf with it. Such a great device...it affixes somehow to inside the dryer. You can lay things on it, turn on the dryer and the heat will dry the items without tumbling. So, F, said, I'll never need this and tossed it out. Little did he know.... People say pack rats have a disorder, but ya know, ya just never know when you're gonna need something!

We had a nice two cup coffee maker when my daughter and I moved in here. We decided we would use the big coffee maker as there were two coffee drinkers in the house now. I Freecycled the little one. Now I'm going to visit my non-coffee drinking son in TN and really could use the little coffee maker.... Ya just never know....

Making the Decision to Frog

The tee shirt I was making for my grandson has officially been frogged. It just wasn't going to work and didn't look nice. Wrong yarn for the project. So I decided to work on some toys instead. I'm crocheting a ball or more for him using, at this point in time, this pattern. It's a good basic pattern. I'm using the cotton I bought for the shirt, so my first ball is quite a bit bigger than those in the pattern pics. It's about half done in this pic. Crocheting is so fast!

The Heet the Feet slippers I made that fit my granddaughter stayed on her feet for less then five minutes. :::heavy sigh::: but I did get a pic!

And as I feared, I spent most of my day spinning! I finished up the Merino and started on some Corridale I'd received in a dyeing swap. There is only an ounce, so I'm spinning it up with some Top. I'm drafting the two of them together as I spin creating the twisted barber pole effect. There should be close to two ounces when I finish, which will work for part of a hat, or a design on a sweater....
Youngest Son and I cleaned up the back yarn. Now you must realize, my back yard is smaller than most living rooms.... But it does have two citrus trees. And we've had several frosts, so the lemons are falling like rain from the top branches. Along with leaves and other debris, we filled up 2.5 tall kitchen garbage bags with fruit and stuff. Youngest Son didn't complain about having to help, so it was a pleasant job that had a distinct Lemony Fresh Scent! And ended with a clean back yard.

I've built a little kitty bed under the patio table putting all the toys and chairs around to keep the dog from being able to dive in there when I first put her out in the morning. Some feral kitty(s) are using it as it's full of cat hair. Glad to keep them warm over the winter. I won't feed them as I don't want too many hanging around here. (there is someone in the complex that does feed them as well as catch, neuter and release.

Although lots of people thing feral cats are a problem, and I'm sure they are in some ways, I'm thankful they are around here and keep the mouse population under control. This is an old development and I'm sure lots of mousies have figured out how to get into the units. I've not found any evidence of mice in our house. I'm glad for that. We had mice in one house and never did manage to get rid of them all. What a disaster to my needlework supplies!

Youngest daughter has taken on two extra days work this week. Tuesday is normally her day off as is Friday after she works with my disabled son in the morning. None of us got any days off since last Friday. It's been a long week. However, the gal who she helped out is taking her weekend shifts, so Saturday and Sunday are free! F is going to work on his yard "job" tomorrow, so maybe he and I can have coffee and donuts on Sunday!

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You paid attention during 100% of high school!

85-100% You must be an autodidact, because American high schools don't get scores that high! Good show, old chap!

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May 27, 2007

Hookin'

I put down my needles yesterday and picked up my hook. These are squares for Rebuilding Greensboro.<--click Crocheting is sooooooooooo much faster than knitting and I wanted to get as many done as I could while watching -->click Carnivale. I've watched four episodes and it's getting weirder and weirder (in a good way).

Not much knitting done, although I finished up another block on my log cabin scrap ghan. I also cast on another hat for Michelle. Just a simple one, bigger size. Right now it's bright yellow, but I'll probably stripe it or something!

I'm trying to decide if I should frog the RPM Sock <---click and just do a plain vanilla sock. I keep finding excuses for not knitting. I think I've discovered that complicated sock knitting (which is anything beyond plain click---> vanilla socks) is just not going to be my forte. Or....it could be a stress producing situation that is coming up in mid-June for me. I obsess on things for a long time before they happen. I think the stress thing is a contributing factor. That's why all the brain dead knitting, i.e., log cabin scrap ghan is working so well for me right now. Let you know tomorrow what I decide.

I found out my daughter is again working seven days a week, so I'm not sure when we'll get to see the new Pirates! :::whine::::

This may have to just hold me over! (You're welcome, Amy!)

I know some of you may find it hard to believe, but 350+ days of blue sky and sunshine can get really boring. Here's some pics of click---> WEATHER! It's gorgeous and I'd love to see it here. We need moisture, but it's so dark. Our worse storms never look that good!

On that same vein.... there has to be something really wrong when one has to wear winter clothes <--click because it's too cold at work in the summer!

You just can't beat click---> good photography--especially when it includes yarn!

Twisted Sisters <---click has a new book coming out. I love their sock book. Now if I only knit sweaters!

Cute socks! <--click Spinners may want to check out click---> this blog! And here's some wonderful eye candy <---click for spinners.

Crocheters! Here's a ton of books and mags <---click for sale or trade!

And here's a bunch of miscellaneous Harry Potter stuff. More than you can shake a wand at!

April 8, 2007

Bunny Day!

I hope, for those of you celebrating today, the Bunny brought you marvelous treats! We did very well! I even got a clock for my kitchen!

I got quite a bit of knitting done yesterday while I caught up on my TV shows and watched a movie. The DVR (TiVo, MoxiBox, etc.) is the greatest invention in the world to date. I love that I can record all my favorite shows (even those that are on at the same time) and watch at my leisure while speeding through the commercials. And I had a movie from Netflix <--click Sherlock: Case of Evil. Vincent D'Onofrio plays Professor Moriarty. I really like Vincent D'Onofrio...especially his character on Law & Order CI. Oh, back to the knitting. I got the leg done, and am working on the heel gusset now.

Cast on a new hat for Michelle. This one is two strands of Red Heart Luster Sheen in a hot pink and orange. Again it will be bright.

Another use for left over food coloring dyes is to make some really cool wrapping paper. We folded up the tissue paper into squares or triangles and dipped the points in the diluted food coloring. You'll get results like these! <--click

I guess it's time to start crocheting again! Granny Squares are back!

This is from click-->Anthropologie. This sells for $148. And it could cost me about $10 to make + time. And wouldn't I look stylish? And feel like a throw back to the 70s. A younger lady would like stylish....I'd look like a bag lady.....