Crafts (mostly knitting - maybe all knitting) that I have been working on since I last mentioned any - originally posted 10/21/10

I have been doing a lot of knitting in recent months. Right now I also have several things on the needles & depending on my mood is what I do.

This is a sweater I have started for E. I am making it in a brown & a beige Hobby Lobby baby yarn. I started it in April & then it got too hot to really work on it - so will be back to it soon. I did most of the knitting on this while visiting my youngest brother in the hospital as he was being treated for a blood clot in his leg.






These are 2 pairs of socks that I made for my youngest brother who had a blood clot in his right calf just above the outer ankle in April. He is now handicapped, has a dropped foot on that side & since he has diabetes as well, he is a bit worried about keeping his foot dry between the toes. So these are a first attempt as socks to help him with that. I have discovered some things from them that I will change with his next pairs so that hopefully they will fit better next time. the socks on the left are made with Red Heart's Heart & Sole in Toasted Almond. The pair on the right are Deborah Norville's Serenity in Obsidian.


This is a pair of socks that I made for my oldest brother. The 2 brothers have birthdays 5 days apart in July, so since I had decided to give my youngest brother his 2 pairs, I decided I needed to make some for the other brother. I have a 2nd pair for him that are nearly finished, but I haven't gotten pictures of them yet. And since I haven't seen him, he also doesn't have them yet. I have to look to see what the color is, but I know it is Deborah Norville's Serenity again.



This is the crocheted afghan that I finished and gave to my oldest daughter & her new husband for their wedding July 31, 2010. The 4 circles kind of remind me of wedding rings, so I try to make it for weddings. It was actually finished in December 2009. This made with Red Heart's Super Saver in Ecru.









I had a chance to get in on a lace knit a long by Bad Cat Designs this summer, but had to wait until after the wedding to have time (I also made the cakes for the wedding). I used a sock yarn in merino wool. It is knit on a US #4 needle. I did most of the sample patterns in 1 week, but then the edging took a bit. My plan is to give it as a Christmas gift. This was my first experience at knitting a lace project. This is in Cascade Yarns Heritage Paints - a hand painted sock yarn.




These 3 pairs of socks are for me & had been on the needles for quite some time. I alternated between the 3 to give myself a break on the size of the knitting as well as the pattern that I was putting into the blue socks.

The blue pair is done in Paton's Stretch Sock in Mineral on 2.75mm needles.







This pair is done in Red Heart's Heart & Sole in Black Jack on 2.5mm needles. The pair for my brother that I haven't quite finished are in the same yarn.










This pair is done in Deborah Norville's Serenity in Saffron on 2.25mm needles.













Now for the wip's or works in progress (other than the
 pair of socks & the sweater). This is another shawl, but this time it is in lace weight yarn rather than sock yarn & it is to be for my mil who loves orange. But she also had dementia & so for 2 reasons I chose to do it in this yarn. First off, she doesn't really go much of anywhere, so doing this little triangle shawl rather than a long one should fit into her day better - can kind of be worn as a scarf. Also since I didn't pay near as much for the cone of yarn, besides the hours put into knitting it, it won't feel so bad if she were to lose it entirely. It is just some coned yarn that I got off eBay that is made from Mongolian Cashmere on US #4 needles.


This is the start of a baby blanket. I am not real happy with the pattern or the needles. So may change it. It's my pattern for a diamond background - trying to come back up with a similar pattern to one I used to have an afghan from. I had made a graph of the pattern before my computer crashed & I may have lost that pattern now. These needles feel a bit short on the needle portion, so are somewhat annoying to knit with. Don't know if I am going to be able to complete it without feeling too annoyed to do it. The needles are #7 Addi's, but for some reason the shafts are smaller than I am used to with my Addi's or maybe it is just that the needles are larger around so I notice it more. The yarn is Hobby Lobby's baby yarn.




And now the final one is a group of 4 pairs of socks that I am doing again for myself. On the left of the picture is a pair made in the same Red Heart's Heart & Sole in Toasted Almond that I used for my youngest brother. His kids are curious to see what a difference in size & in needle size can do to change the way the patten of the self-patterning yarn can make. Next to that is Deborah Norville's Serenity in Paprika. Next is Patons' Stretch Socks yarn in licorice - remaking the 1st pair I ever did since they turned out too fat around to be comfortable on my feet & too long. Last is SRK On Your Toes (Bamboo & Nylon) in Mardi Gras Multi.

The 1st 3 pair from left to right the toes are increased every 3rd row - will see how I like that. The last pair are increased every other row, which is the way I usually do it. But I might have to change this pair eventually since it seems to be coming out a bit larger than the others, but may not have as much stretch in it. So haven't decided yet.

Original comments:

comment:

1. 
   Caffeine GirlOctober 29, 2010 11:22 AM

   Wow you are amazingly productive. I am not!
   
   So sorry that your job is ending. How hard do you think it will be to find another?

Crafts that I recently got pictures of - originally posted 2/27/10

Through the years I haven't always taken pictures of cakes or gifts that I have made. But since my in-law's had items out that I had made for them, I was able to get some pictures, which I will post here.

I made the earth tones afghan for D's dad while I was expecting A. My feet were swelling a lot, so I decided to make afghans for every family for Christmas that year. He decided that he didn't care for the colors, so asked if he sent me money for more yarn would I crochet it totally in off-white.









So the 2nd picture is that version.















D's mom loves orange, so I made her a plaid afghan in orange, brown & white.















Dad & N have collected clocks for years, so I made this plastic canvas clock for them in the 1990's.

















This is the tablecloth I made for Dad & N for their wedding in February 1985.

Crafts I've complete since I last posted about them - originally posted 2/27/10

This is what I call a wedding ring afghan. I found the pattern years ago in Good Housekeeping magazine. I think it was about 1980-81. They called it Filet Crochet, if I remember correctly. The original pattern called for making it with an F or G crochet hook & knitting worsted yarn. I decided after making the 1st one that I would make it with a larger hook, so I use a K and still use knitting worsted. I think you can see the rings that are part of the pattern and each ring has 4 small flowers and 1 large flower. To me, it reminds me of a wedding ring quilt. So I have taken to making this for family & friends when there is a wedding planned. When A & J got married in January 2005, she requested that I make it double the length, so they had to wait a while on theirs. In 2004 I made it for 3 other weddings - first my cousin As wedding in April. Then Js sister T's wedding in August and then October was my cousin A's wedding. In the middle of that, I also was making A's wedding dress as well. And then started their afghan for their wedding, but didn't get it finished until about September 2005. Then I also made one for E's best friend B for his wedding in October 2005. This particular one was planned for E's friend J who got married while A & I were on our cruise, but after all the ones I have made, I had difficulty completing another one - so didn't get it done until December 2009. But by then, the happy couple weren't so happy anymore & are currently separated. So guess I am actually ahead at this point.

While A & I were on our cruise last August, I wanted something that was easily portable so that when we were sitting by the pool or whatever, I could have something to keep my hands busy. So I started my 1st ever pair of socks. The grey socks are the result. The green socks are my 2nd pair and I am currently working on 3 different pair at the same time - a blue pair, a tan pair & a cream pair.

Forbidden crochet!

I did it again!  Started another craft item when I shouldn't have even been considering starting anything new right now.  I have several items that need to be done in time for Christmas - still need 4-5 pairs of socks, 2 shawls to finish, really would like to finish a sweater that has been on the needles for a while as well.  But last year I had misunderstood J. when she mentioned that she wanted something lacy.  So I made her a shawl since that was the types of things I had been working on lately for the most part.  What she meant was a tablecloth for her table.  So I got started looking for patterns.  I wanted to make sure it was something that didn't contain motifs since I absolutely hate to put together motifs.  It also needed to be a rectangle for her table.  So my first choice was this one, but the thread alone, at least according to the totals given, would be close to $200.  And that was not something I could even consider given that I am unemployed at the moment.  Now, to be accurate, since it is also a bedspread, it might not need quite that much thread for her table, but it also might take a lot of figuring to get it small enough for her table since it is on the smaller side.  And I don't think pineapples would be easy to refigure all of that, so I might spend nearly as much time doing that as I would just crocheting a different one.  So I looked some more.  I found a few more that I thought would look good - this one - and I did consider it for quite a while.  But then knowing that they are a Christian family, I liked this one when I saw it.

So about the time I saw the pattern, I had also seen that Hobby Lobby had the jumbo balls of Aunt Lydia's Classic 10 crochet thread for just $16.99 a ball & they have a whopping 2,730 yards per ball!  The last pattern uses just over 1,700 yards!  And I checked - Hobby Lobby had a 40% off coupon online, so I got the jumbo ball of thread for just $11.01!  A big difference from the nearly $200 for my first choice!  One of the differences is that my first choice uses #30 thread instead of #10.  And for anyone who doesn't know - #30 thread is smaller than #10, a finer thread.  And I don't believe they ever sell it in jumbo sized balls.  It pretty much comes in balls that are always the same size.  So if a pattern says you need 68 balls at $2.89 (current pricing) per ball, then most likely that is what you are going to need.  Now I love her enough to have paid that, but my budget doesn't love either of us enough for me to pay that!

So now, I am going to have to slap my hand if I even try to pick this up & work on it until my Christmas knitting is finished!  Especially since, if I do find a job, my time will get even smaller for being able to get my Christmas knitting done in time!

I also have promised another person I know, also named J. that after Christmas, I will make her some kitchen towels that she can hang on her stove, fridge or wherever she has something she can hang them.  Her kitchen is in a John Deere theme, so I told her to try to find some towels and have them sent to me by mail, then I will get the yarn to make the toppers on them and when they are finished, I will just give them to her mother to either add to a package if she is sending one already or she can pick them up from her when she is in the area.

This past Friday the Kansas State Fair started in Hutchinson.  Being on a tight budget, I am avoiding it with all I have in me, but tomorrow my 12 year old granddaughter A. will be marching in the HMS 7 band, which starts at 9:30.  So I need to be downtown about 8-8:30 am to be sure I can get a parking space.  I might also take advantage, while I am down there, of the double punches that will be happening this week at my LYS. Yarn - the parking lot that is near where my son used to have his gym is right behind the LYS!  So I could pick up some more sock yarn for the grandkids and get double punches towards getting some money off a future purchase!  And I believe they have an open knit session on Tuesday mornings, so maybe I will hang around for that for a bit.  I have never gone before.


Have fun & Happy Crafting until the next time!

Tuck Away Tote finished, Another new project added

I finished the Tuck Away Tote yesterday!  Not only do I think that my plan to make the 2 pocket/bottom pieces first next time & attach them to each other while I start the sides, but I also think when I do, that I will make sure the extra piece will be in the inside then the bag is in use.  I turned mine inside out today & I think I like that better.  I showed it to my oldest daughter D. and she said except for the fact that the grandkids undies would show through, it would make a great bag for them to use on weekend visits without taking up a lot of space otherwise as well, so maybe we have an idea for another gift.

I had to drop by my son's last night to pick up the registrations & insurance cards to be able to go to the courthouse today & get my dh's name taken off our son's 2 vehicles.  While I did, since I had just found a 40% off coupon for Hobby Lobby on 1 item, I went ahead and picked up a jumbo ball of Aunt Lydia's Classic 10 crochet thread.  My niece J., had mentioned last year that she wanted something lacy.  I misunderstood her comment & thought she was talking about the shawls that I have been making, so I decided to make the next one for her.  But what she really wanted was a crocheted tablecloth to use for when the family isn't eating at the table.  So I had started looking for patterns for a rectangle tablecloth.  I found one that I loved, but it calls for 68 balls of #30 crochet cotton and at $2.89 a ball, that would be almost $200 just for the materials.  Since it is also able to be used as a bedspread, that might be part of it, but it does give 2 different totals for thread depending on the brand you buy, so even if I bought the 56 balls for the 2nd brand, that is still $162.  I didn't want to chance it & I certainly can't afford to spend that much myself right now with no job.  So I kept looking.  I found one that I think she will like that says it needs 1,750 yards of #10 crochet cotton.  The jumbo ball has over 2,700 yards, so I should be good.  Even if I decide to add a bit to the edging.  And the 40% off coupon brought it down to just $11.01 with tax.  A much better figure for my budget.  And even though I told J. that I needed to get my Christmas knitting done before I could start, yesterday was her birthday, so I pulled out my hook & at least started on the tablecloth.  But now, back to the Christmas knitting!

This weekend I will have my oldest granddaughter A. for the weekend.  She is the one who knits with me.  The last time she was here, she took her knitting home with her because I had mentioned that she needed more practice to really get better.  I hear she made a mistake & we haven't gotten around to getting that corrected.  At least she knows that she made a mistake!  We had also talked about going to Yarn, our LYS (local yarn store).  I thought they had told me that they held an open knitting on Saturdays now.  So I called the other day & found out that either it has changed or I misunderstood.  They do hold a spinning group on Saturdays, but open knit is Tuesday mornings, Tuesday evenings & Wednesday afternoons.  But when I said why I was asking, I was told to bring our knitting on down, that they have people drop by to craft all the time & the coffee is always on.  So will need to see what A. wants to do.  We are definitely trying to keep things to free activities.  Friday Grandpa is supposed to be working about 15 hours, so not supposed to be home until after midnight, which gives us the evening for just us girls!

We had a thunderstorm the night before last come through our area.  I have known that my male Pom has always been afraid of loud noises -fireworks, thunder, etc.  I was really taken by surprise though to hear a noise & looked over and he was trying to drag himself across the floor by his elbows.  He was so scared this time that he started having a seizure!  So I got him, petted him, reassuring him, etc.until he started coming out of it pretty good.  After a bit, he turned his head to look at me & I could tell he was starting to relax.  The female Pom had joined us.  She knew something was wrong and so was trying to comfort him as well.  When he finally wanted free, he was still stumbling a bit, but he has been fine ever since.  This is the 1st time that he has ever had this kind of an issue with his fear!  We used to have a chihuahua that would have seizures and we used to do the same thing for her - just comfort her until it was over.

Went to the courthouse this morning and it only took me about 45 minutes total today - I was the 3rd in line when I got there, which was a good way to start!  It didn't take very long to get to a clerk and $41 later the 2 vehicles are only in my son's name!  I hope that means it's at least 10 months before I have to go down there again!  Maybe by then they will have the issues fixed finally with their system.

Have fun & Happy Crafting until the next time!

Tuck Away Tote - almost finished

Well, I did it again!  Instead of working on what I should have been working on, which is getting Christmas gifts done, I settled in with the crochet project that I had told myself that I would just work on periodically.  And now it is almost done.  Almost because I need to go back and buy another skein of yarn to finish it.  It's either that or tear it back a few rounds to get enough yarn to finish it.  And I might make a smaller one later, but for now, I don't want to do that.  I got into the 3rd round of the pocket that creates the tuck away spot for the tote.  And I ran out of yarn!  Only need to do 7 rounds, so it really is a shame to need to buy more!  But I will.  In fact, I probably will go buy it later today.  And will probably finish it later today as well.

And I have a skein of black in this yarn also.  The idea was to make 2 of these totes to have with me for small purchases instead of bringing home more plastic bags that I end up tossing more than I reuse.  I even stop them from putting pop or milk, laundry detergent & such that have handles into the bags, but I still end up with a ton of them.  I know my dh does not do all that since I will be the one taking a half gallon of milk out of a bag when he brings it home.  Don't know why he doesn't see how ridiculous it is to put things like that into a bag when it has it's own handle to carry it by, but he doesn't.  Anyway, I think when I make the black bag I will make a change or 2. I think I will make both pieces of the pocket before I start the actual bag for instance & then connect them together as I start crocheting the mesh of the bag.  That should save sewing it together later.  On the blue one I did make a change for the handles.  The instructions said to start the handle by sc in the next 2 stitches, but then you were to ch 1, sc 1 for the next row & repeat that for 10".  So instead, I sc the next 2 stitches together, which reduced it down to just 1 stitch, then did the ch 1, sc 1 for 50 rows before attaching it by doing a sc next 2 stitches together at the correct place (there are 160 stitches around, so when you take out 8 stitches for the 4 ends of the handles, that leaves 38 stitches evenly spaced between each spot) and then did a sl st to join it without there being an odd point left on the handle.

Yesterday was Labor Day here in the US.  It is a holiday celebrating the working man/person.  Most holidays we try to get together with the family, but this weekend we didn't.  I decided to just relax a bit.  My dh decided it was the perfect time to tear down his van and see if he could get the water pump replaced - again!  He thinks that since his previous water pump, the bearing had gone out in it, that it created junk in there that messed up the newer water pump.  So he was replacing it again and trying to clean out the junk to try to make sure it doesn't go again.  In years past, I have been the one to help him, but about 13 months ago, I developed an issue with my right hand that causes it to hurt terribly if I put much of a strain on it, I have trouble picking up ink pens, etc.  I even have trouble writing now.  Most others say they don't see a difference, but I can see & feel it.  And because of this, I couldn't get a good hold on a bar that he wanted me to use to help move the motor, so that he could get all this work done.  So we had to ask our son to come help him & my dh isn't known for having patience with others schedules or plans.  So it created a few tense moments, but gone done in the end.

Saturday night, September 1 was the 10th anniversary Sherman Junior High School reunion.  They had the 1st in 2002, but I didn't become aware of them until about 5 years ago and since I had always sworn I would never attend a reunion, since I didn't have happy memories of school, was never allowed to participate in extra-curricular activities, etc. I didn't think I had a reason to.  But 4 years ago some Facebook friends convinced me to try it and my son agreed to go with me, if I wanted.  So I did & to my surprise, I did enjoy it.  I went again the next year.  Then last year I woke up with a bad headache, so didn't go.  This year I went again and not only did my son go with me, but my dh joined us also and I think we all had fun.  Although my son & his gf were having some issues, so he was involved with that a lot of the night.  This year I even felt comfortable enough to go up to several people that I hadn't seen in years & introduce myself to them first!  It seems like nothing ever runs totally smoothly, but we keep trying!  I know my dh was enjoying himself because every time I asked if he wanted to leave, he told me no, that he was enjoying the music!  So hopefully he will go with me again next year, as long as his work schedule allows it.

Have fun & Happy Crafting until the next time!

Crafts updates

Yesterday afternoon my oldest granddaughter A. had her 1st tennis meet.  I forgot to get out the camera to get a picture though.  I was trying to get out of the sun a bit so that I wouldn't get a sunburn.  I burn so easily & I had forgotten to grab some sunscreen.

I had originally intended to just take my grandson T.'s socks to work on while watching her play, but I was 3 rows from being finished with Chart B of my newest Sangria shawl that I am making for N.  So I took it along.  I didn't need to add any beads on the rows that I was doing, so didn't need to worry about tubes of beads, crochet hooks, etc.  And I got about 2 1/2 rows done.  So just had about 1/2 a row to finish it up when I got home.

I had seen a new pattern for a crocheted bag that I just really wanted to get started - it tucks in on itself so that you an carry it in your purse to have when you need a bag.  It seems that it should be kind of small, so will be just for those small purchases or it can be used to carry knitting in as long as it is something that doesn't have small items necessary that can fall out the holes.

I really shouldn't have started the crochet project - I have several other projects in the works that I should get done.  Especially the other 4 pairs of socks for the grandkids for Christmas, 1 pair for my mil that I want to make, the shawl that I started last year for my daughter D. that I had to put aside because of my hand issues, the sweater for my son that has been hibernating for a while.  I also was recently invited to a wedding shower, but it feel last weekend while I had my grandson for the weekend.  So I still want to make a gift for them, but had decided to make something for their kitchen & have now been told what their kitchen colors are, so need to get started on that.

Yesterday I attempted to go to the courthouse to try to get my dh's name taken off of my son's 2 vehicles.  I had gone last week to get the forms that I needed.  Then I needed to get some information & signatures from both my son & my dh.  Which I got.  But I had forgotten to look at the list where I had made notes of what all pieces of information I would need to take with me.  To back up a bit, back in May, the state of Kansas took their tag information computers down & installed new servers from my understanding - it's all supposed to streamline the process, keep the information all in less places, etc.  But it has slowed things way down!  There have been lines ever since!  You used to be able to go in at almost any time of the day except near the end of the month & just breeze in & out.  Now I was in line for 45 minutes yesterday - the line was longer than I have ever seen it & that is when I realized I had forgotten that it was the end of the month & so things would be even worse!  Then as I get to the head of the line a horrible thought came to me - I didn't have the registrations for the 2 vehicles!  So I decided to leave & try again next week.  The woman behind me tried to talk me into waiting some more to see if they would accept it without, but I told her no, I knew I had to have it & to count herself lucky, she had just moved up a spot!  After getting home, I looked at the list & realized I also hadn't had the insurance cards either!  So at first I thought I would try Monday , but Monday is a holiday - Labor Day, so Tuesday.  But then my dh brought up the point that Tuesday may be busier again because if some of those with tags expiring today don't get in, then they may be there Tuesday.  So now the plan is to go Wednesday & to try to make myself get up & around early enough that even if a line forms, that it will be a short line.  Yesterday the line just kept getting longer!  It was snaking around the entire area & about to turn back on itself by the time I left.  I did wonder, since it was almost 2 pm when I left, what they would do at 4:30 if the line was still there, because they have a sign that say they do no title work after 4:30.


Have fun & Happy Crafting until the next time!

Cooler weather this week!

Well, it is now Hump Day as Wednesday has come to being called!  We are half way though yet another week, more than half way through 2012 & nearly half way through July!

The weather here in Kansas, as well as other areas of the country has been being really hot - not quite as hot as we had it last summer, but definitely over 100 degrees every day for several days in a row.  This past Saturday ngiht we had a few sprinkles & come Monday, it has been about 10-20 degrees cooler than it had been.  As I write this, it is just 74 degrees!  I don't even really mind this weather too badly!  My preference would be 60-70's year round, but that isn't a possibility here in Kansas for sure.

Yesterday was my youngest brother's (and youngest sibling) 45th birthday!  I hadn't planned to do anything personally about it, especially after being caught a bit by surprise with a shorter than normal deposit from my unemployment last week, but then got notification that I should have 14 weeks more coming, although at a lower amount that I had been receiving - quite a bit lower in fact.  So after initially turning my niece down on her request that I visit for my brother's birthday, I changed my mind, but let them know that this will have to be the last visit until I have a new job!  And I have to admit to a bit of panic about that part of it all.  I know there is a good possibility I could be hired back into an old position or something in the same field, but that wouldn't be my preference.  I left that position over 7 years ago & it feels like stepping way back to consider going to work in that field again.  But, if I haven't found anything within about a month, I will go & ask.  But back to the subject of the birthday - I was 8 years old when this brother was born.  He was the youngest of the 3 children my mother had with my step-dad.  All 3 were born within 5 years.  The oldest 2 of the 3 were only 19 ½ months apart, then the youngest was born just 5 days before the 2nd child's (or oldest brother) was born.  Our mother, in my opinion, was never a good mother.  She pretty much did her duty, but no true love was given to us, no cuddling, no fun times.  So when the 3rd was born, except for her nursing him, I pretty much took him over!  I called him my baby.  I bathed him, changed his diapers, etc.  When he started talking, he called me Mama as well as calling her Mama.  At a point later, I didn't feel like his Mama, but if you talk to all 3, they will tell you that I continued mothering all of them.  I think instead of mothering, what I did was have things that I knew either had to be done or was told I had to do & I did them.  I made meals, did the laundry, got them off to school, etc.  I didn't correct them unless I was told that I was to take care of them while our parents were gone & I would be in trouble if the chores we had been given were not done by the time our parents got home.  Usually I did them myself since if I didn't, it wasn't the others that were in trouble, it was me & they would usually locate themselves on our parents king-sized bed with a pair of legs aimed in all 3 open directions & if I tried to physically force them to do something, I got kicked.  So I would give up & do the chores to get them done.  I do remember one time, our mother had gone across the street to visit with her sister, our aunt.  She had taken my youngest brother with her.  When she came back, she didn't have him with her.  I asked where he was & was told that she had given him away to a woman who had been walking down the street as she was coming home.  I was totally freaked out & screaming about this, begging her to go back, find the woman & bring him home!  She thought it was hilarious!  She had left him with her sister for a while.  A couple years ago, he was in the hospital after a big scare with a blood clot in his leg, which he is now handicapped because of.  I was notified about it & about the fact that he was fighting the nursing staff & his wife wasn't able to be found.  It turned out, after I had driven there to see what I could do, etc., that she had been exhausted & found a place to get some sleep.  Anyway, his oldest daughter said that I gave him a look & he backed down - so evidently as an 8 or 9 year old, I must have developed a look that I still had!

Because of the cooler weather this week, I was able to get the afghan done that I had been working on!  Which is a relief, not only because it means that I am finished with it more than a month before the wedding that it is a gift for, but also because I don't have to have it on my lap causing me to be hot all the time in the hot weather we had been having!  No yarn sticking to my fingers instead of flowing through, etc.  Now I have a pair of socks on the needles to try to finish before my dh leaves to go to the wedding.  He will be flying home on the day of his mother's 84th birthday & I wanted him to give her a gift from me in particular since I won't be there this time.  But I need to get them done early enough to be able to put a non-skid coating of some sort on the sole of the socks.

This coming weekend will be a weekend with the oldest granddaughter again!  It is also the same weekend that my next KAL starts, so I probably won't get that started until Sunday evening.   But I know my granddaughter & I will have fun!  Possibly playing monopoly, which is a favorite game.  Possibly playing on the wii.  Most likely watching a few movies & hanging out together!  Most of the grandkids also usually take advantage of the fact that they can sleep in!  Unless we have a deadline for something, I don't make the kids wake up before they are ready, unless it is Sunday & it is getting close to the time I have to take them home at the end of their weekend.

This past week I tried making some cream horns.  I don't feel I have succeeded even though they have been very good.  I am doing something wrong!  I know the 1st time I should have looked at a recipe I had found before diving in, instead of using an egg white wash & then sprinkling on sugar, I used just cold water.  My dh said he liked it that way, but I felt they got kind of soggy.  The 2nd time I used egg white wash, but this time, they stuck really badly to the forms.  Maybe I need to put a strip of wax paper around the forms or maybe I should just oil or flour the forms.  I don't know - will do some thinking on it & give it another try when the weather is cooler!  I do know that both were good, but an thinking making my own puff pastry dough might not only be cheaper, but also better tasting!  Will try that!

On Facebook, I have been staying up way too late at night lately reading & commenting on a page about those of us who grew up in the same town.  There are some posts - mostly about what businesses had been in what building, or events that happened, that I remember 1 way and others remember another way.  Sometimes I think it is confusion by someone that might not still live in the area & other times I think it is selective memories or choosing to change things because another version sounds better. At times it reminds me of various times over our marriage where my dh has taken a family story of my family & changed what happened when he then tells it to someone.  I get upset about it.  Usually it is bad enough the way it actually happened, but in my opinion, it makes it so much worse when he has changed it to his version.  Maybe it is just me because of the comments that were made about me by a person in a position of authority when I was young where they claimed I was a liar - my story differed from their daughter's story, so I was the liar.  I admit it, I have an almost phobic response to things not being told the way they happened.  Although I am sure there are things that I don't remember the way others remember them.  A prime example is the way my siblings remember me being their caretaker - I don't remember it quite the same way.  I especially don't recall taking care of my oldest 2 siblings, I remember it more as just doing my chores.  In the end, we have had so many memories come flooding back to all of us.  A thread will start one way & before long, it has taken a turn & has almost no relation to the original subject of the thread, because something that was written has now reminded someone of something else that happened.

On this page, I have found someone that I evidently knew when I was just 5 years old, but I can't say I have a memory of them!  I do remember being 5 years old & supposed to be walking to & from school that was 3 blocks away by a girl in a family that lived diagonal across the street from us.  I do remember my mother saying this girl had either left me at school or somehow forgotten me.  The person I have recently met on Facebook says that she recognized me & my name after looking at a picture of me 47-48 years after the fact & remembers that she & her older sister walked me to school, but they didn't live diagonal across the street from us.  They lived 1 block away at the end of the next block, 1 street closer to school than we did.  But she says I would be outside their house every morning.  So I almost wonder if I had finally been allowed to walk to school on my own, but had chosen these 2 girls to walk with.  I don't know, but I do know I will be eager to see if I can recognize her by a picture once she can get back to her home to send me one of her.  I usually do have a good memory for things & people.  I have recognized people that I last saw as small children when I wasn't even a teenager yet myself.  I have surprised quite a few people with my memory, especially from my own childhood!  I feel as adults, our lives get more complicated & involved & sometimes we don't really let things sink in so that we remember them years in the future.  I know that I have waited on people in jobs that then when I met them in different surroundings, I didn't recognize them & had to be reminded.  Or they will look familiar, but I can't place why.  In any case, her maiden name isn't clicking with me, so I will hope the picture does!

So how has your week been going?  Tell me about it!  I love learning about other people!

Have fun & Happy Crafting until the next time!

I'm a mean Grandma!

Well, today is a hot one!  It may have been hotter before, but right now, weatherbug is saying 96 degrees.  I hear tomorrow may be worse, so I may break down & turn on the AC tomorrow for a while at least.  We do get quite a bit of breeze with the windows open, but it's still a hot breeze right now!

My grandson T. is trying to earn some money.  He is 14, so can't drive himself & can't really get a job yet.  So after a few weeks of trying to find people who wanted their yards mowed in his neighborhood, his mother, our daughter, brought him to our neighborhood last night & this morning.  He did find 1 family that hired him to mow & he thought he was going to be able to do theirs on a weekly basis after talking to the wife last night, but today the husband was home & he says no.  We told T. to give it a week or 2 & try back, maybe they will change their mind.  In the meantime, he didn't find any others that wanted their yards mowed today.  It has been so dry that there really hasn't been much need to mow.  So I had left home for a while to try to get some Avon deliveries done & then to do a little bit of shopping done.  My dh was home & I knew that not only did my grandson have his cellphone to call me or his mom, if he needed us, but I knew he knew how to get into my home.  I got through with my shopping, decided to drive around the neighborhood to see if he was alright, but I couldn't find him.  Decided to come home & saw that he had to be here since the lawnmower was here.  Sure enough - he was taking a nap!  So being a mean grandma, I woke him up & asked if he had talked to his mom about not being able to find any work?  He hadn't, so I had him call her.  I didn't mind him taking a nap, but she needed to know what he was doing since I didn't consider myself as being responsible for him at that time!  So she came to get him & took him to their neighborhood to give him a chance to try there again.

Yesterday, a group of people who grew up in my hometown were chatting on Facebook about things we remembered, including cream horns made by the bakery of a local grocery store.  We were remembering how good they tasted, how tender they were, etc.  The ones that are sold now just are not the same!  So it got me curious, I searched online & found a recipe that looks really good for them.  I picked up the supplies for them today while shopping, except that I don't have any cream horn molds or forms to bake them on.  So I decided to go to a local kitchen gadgets shop - w have some, but no - they didn't.  But I did find some on eBay that are 4.7" long - which were over 1/2" longer than others I found, so I ordered some.  They are coming from Hong Kong, so won't be here for a couple weeks,  but I will just put the puff pastry, etc. in the freezer to wait for them.  Maybe then I can catch a cool morning & make some to try out!

I have been making a crocheted afghan for an August wedding.  Because of the heat, I have only been able to work on it when it is cooler otherwise the yarn sticks to my fingers.  But I am now over 1/2 the way done!  It's 100 squares wide or about 200 stitches & 100 rows across, so I am on row 51 now.  It is a filet crochet, so I am following a chart.  I have made this pattern many times in the past for weddings - including 1 that was 200 rows long.  That was the year I got really tired of doing the same pattern since not only was that one double length, but there were about 3-4 others I did that year.  I haven't done 1 now in about 2 years though.  This picture is when it was about 40% finished.

I can sometimes do some knitting if I can't crochet, so I have also been working some on my grandson's socks for Christmas.  I am using a pattern called Taylor's Orange Socks from Ravelry.  But maybe I am not!  I didn't use their toe portion - I just figured out how many stitches I felt the toe needed to have based on their pattern & then I just did my normal cast on & increase for a toe up sock.  Then I decided I wanted a different heel with a gusset, so I borrowed that from another sock - Waffle Stitch Toe Up Socks by Wilma, also on Ravelry.  Now I am on the leg portion & knitting the pattern portion all the way around the sock.

Have fun & Happy Crafting until the next time!

It's been a busy week!

It's been a long & busy week around here!  Some of it was getting a few projects finished in time for a baby shower today.  Some of it was cancelling a trip to OK for a family reunion & instead taking the 5 grandkids to Abilene, KS to the Greyhound Hall of Fame & the Eisenhower Museum in Abilene, KS on Friday.  I had a short night before we started & then just under a 2 hour drive each way with 5 kids between the ages of 7 & 14.  Then we picked up a cousin of mine & brought her back near here to her grandparents home - which is my aunt & uncle's home.  It was raining off & on all day as well.  I did spend some of the driving time on the way there talking with my oldest brother - he is a trucker & was delivering a load near Denver that day.  The grandkids were involved in watching a DVD.  One of the best inventions when traveling alone with kids!

I knitted 4 pair of baby socks in the last couple of weeks as well as making a crocheted Granny Square afghan.  I literally finished the afghan about 30 minutes before the shower was due to start today & was 1/2 hour "late", although it was a come & go shower.  Can't say I have ever heard of having a come & go baby shower before though!  No games, just cake, etc. & opening gifts as well as getting a chance to hold the baby since this was an after the birth shower today.

While I was in Abilene, my youngest brother drove into town with his 2 girls, the bf of the 1 & the cousin that I brought back with me later.  He also brought me the gift he had bought for me for my birthday - a Brother KH836E standard gauge knitting machine!  I will have to get a sponge bar, I believe for it, which is normal (also need them for my Brother KH930 & the ribber that fits on both of these, I believe).  In going through the manual for the "new" machine, I believe I need a pair of claw weights & some 24 stitch punch cards to make it complete.  I am hoping to figure out what would have been original as far as punch cards go & try to find those to begin with, but as long as they are pre-punched, I will be happy.  Later on when I am more familiar with the machine, I might consider punching my own, but for now, I know nothing about it!  But everything does seem to work fine.  I know that I paid about $400+ each for my KH930 & the ribber & my brother only paid $50 for this one according to what he told me.  Said they had it marked at $150, but they accepted his offer of $50 for it.  I know on e-bay someone has a KH836E & a ribber & they want about $675 for the pair of them, so feel like he got a good deal!



Have fun & Happy Crafting until the next time!