World Company Register 2012

I frogged the baby blanket again. I think I am up to six times.
I am working on a new pattern with a larger hook.
Similar to the ruana that I created last year.
It is Tunisian crochet.
I am starting from the corner with three stitches.

Foundation row
I crocheted four stitches.
Inserted my hook into the second chain from my hook, yo and drew the loop but did not pull through the stitch.
This left two loops on my hook. Then I repeated the step ending with three loops on my hook.
On the reverse pass, I YO then drew through the first loop keeping it on the hook. Then I yo and drew through two loops at a time until the end of the row.
You know typical stuff.
The second row is where the fun began.

Source: http://www.crochetme.com/

Forward Pass
I had three vertical bars and one loop on my hook. I need to increase.
1. Inc by pulling a loop through the horizontal stitch between the loop on the hook and the first vertical bar (which is under the working loop).
Next I began the pattern

source: http://www.chezcrochet.com/page22.html

2. Insert the hook to the right of the back loop of the second vertical bar. Grab the back loop with the hook. Pull it up on the hook while bringing the hook back the front. YO and pull through, keeping loop on hook. I don't know the abbreviation for this stitch. It is a reverse simple stitch.
3. Insert hook right to left under the next vertical bar. YO and  draw loop through, keeping loop on hook
I repeated that until the last vertical bar of the previous row.This is tunisian simple stitch or TSS.
4. Inc one stitch
5. Then complete the final tss.
Reverse Pass
6. The reverse pass is YO then drew through the first loop keeping it on the hook.
7. YO and draw through two loops at a time until the one loop remains on the hook.
The reverse stitch looks sorta like this. Where the loop twists from left to right or clockwise.

source: ravelry.com

In the subsequent rows, I took care to follow the pattern from the previous row to make vertical bars.
I like it.

source: http://turtledovecoo.blogspot.com/

No more frogging.. Still don't get it?

When I unravel the blanket it I am ripping out the stitches. I -rip it and rip it and rip it.

Top soft house

I completed the cap for my co-worker a few weeks ago. She completed her chemotherapy just a few days before I finished the cap. I asked another staff to model it.
You can find the pattern here : chemo hat 
I like that the cap will hide her hair as she grows it back.
I have had this yarn in my stash for a few years, now. I must say that I like the DiVe Melanite. Too bad that it is discontinued.

I try to participate in the Komen Race for the Cure every other year. This year (my off year) I decided to participate anyway. You can see my donation page here








I am no back to working on the baby blanket that I have unraveled - now- six times.
I am using Berroco Comfort DK  and I have not been happy with the way the blanket has looked.
 This yarn is very soft. Almost too soft for the original pattern.

I have now abandoned my crochet hook and I picked up my afghan hook. So far, I am happy with the texture. Crossing my fingers.
Stay tuned.

Made of the most potent clinically proven natural herbs

My Adventures in Felting

I crocheted a quiver out of Ella Rae. I added the drink mix to intensify the color. Just ignore the wine bottle opener. And the crackers. Hic.

I used a smaller sized Pringles can and a button. There was no pattern. I just eyed it.I placed modeling clay in it to provide a soft base in which to stick knitting needles or crochet hooks. Under the modeling clay is fiber fluff. The fluff gives the clay bottom some give. A little bouncy, too. I made the quiver for a swap. Following the theme "Zombie Apocalypse Preparedness" A fleeing crafter will find the quiver a perfect carrier. The clay insures that the tools inside the container will not bounce around. No alerting the zombie scum. The strap has a button for easy attachment onto a belt loop. Overall, I think that it is the product of my best imagination.

The felted purse for the little girl has been completed and felted. 

Kalie will be her moniker for the blog. Let's hope that I can remember that. It really does bother me when I want to reference someone in the blog and cannot remember the nickname I had created for the person for previous blog entries. My neighbor Leeza VanDamme has asked me numerous times to use her real name. I will not. Sometimes when strange things happen in our neighborhood she remarks, "I can't wait to see that on your blog." I have mixed feelings on that. I don't really want weird stuff to happen on our block so that I can write about it in the blog. I want the weird stuff to stop.
 
Here is Kalie with the completed project. I finished the purse while visiting my sister to attend her older daughter's graduation. I gave my sister the instructions to felt the purse for Kalie. I am impressed. My sister did a great job.

Little girls must fill their purses up with junk.Kalie is no different.

l

And this is how it looked before felting. 

That is her older sister drinking from the cup.

I really hope that I have not set my self up to be Kalie's little purse maker.

Good Day Dear

I admit it.
I crochet and knit in public. 
My niece graduated a few weeks ago. I am sitting in the stands in 90 degree weather waiting for the ceremony to begin. You can see that I have already begun my knitting project. It was on my lap and make of acrylic.

Here I am walking with my newly graduated niece to meet the rest of the family. Note the bag of knitting for public display.

Yes, it sometimes puts my friends off. Fortunately, I also hear comments like "I am used to it."
I take my crochet and knitting just about everywhere.

I tend to drift off during meetings and trainings. I have found that if I keep my hands busy under the table, I can pay attention for longer periods. Sometimes memories of what I have learned or experienced become associated with the project that I created. I think the psychologists call that a memory trigger.
Sadly, there have been a few items that I have created with memories that I wanted out of my house.  Forcing me to give the item away.

I rarely put my knitting away to ease the discomfort of other people. I can craft in moving cars, trains, and while walking in the park. I can refuse any request to "Make me something" without dropping a stitch.  I can stop at anytime, too. It is not an addiction. I just choose to do it wherever I am.

I can sit and craft without complaint for almost an hour. Add in some beer or wine and I need to pull it back to 30 minutes.  Place chocolate in front of me and I am putting it away completely.

Available now on Xtranormal: Bunnies, Tiger Blood, and a Special Superstar

I can not believe that this is my first picture of the socks I am making. I am up to 5 inches. I have four more to go before I bug my knitting co-workers about turning the heel.

I am working on a new granny square blanket

I became interested in this design some time ago. I like the square withing a square design. I am thinking that I will use up all the yarn making these squares using tapestry technique. I hope that I haven't bit off more than I can chew. The technique may be overkill for this design but I it is certainly easier to change colors.

My coworker gave me a bunch of OLD acrylic yarn. Think Wintuk, Sayelle and Dupont.He found it in his mother's house when he prepared it for an estate sale. I gave the majority of the yarn to the Prayer Shawl ministry at the church.

The tulips have certainly lifted my mood this week.
There are so many; I love it.
I did some digging in my yard and discovered that I am infested with grub worms.
I have never seen so many in an 8 inch square foot of lawn. This means war! I have quite a bit of sedum that I would rather have as a front lawn. The grubs don't seem to bother the sedum.

The Peonies are getting ready

Grape Hyacinth

   I had forgotten that I planted these hyacinths in the yard last fall.
I am glad that I hadn't bothered to get the lawn mowed last week.

Finally, I saw this goose on my way to my car last night. You can't tell by the picture but the goose is paddle against the strong current.

.

Spotted on the Ottawa River

$139 Replica Watches! and other gifts

I have been completing projects for other people since the new year. More specifically for Other People's Kids. Other people's cute little girls.

I have not had an OPK post in some time. There was some blog fodder immediately after Giftmas but I lost the chance.

Hmm.

Actually, I need to rant.

If you remember, this winter I had surgery and Cousin L took advantage of my convalescence to drop off his kids (a few times).

Lil T and Trey enter my home and drop off their various Christmas toys from which they could not detach themselves while with me. Surprise Surprise.

Trey had his pocket gaming device and a book bag of action figures.  Lil T trails behind him carrying a box and dragging a barbie doll by its tangle hair.

I take the box from her and ask, "What's this." She informs me, "It's an Easy Bake Oven, Daddy said that you would help me with it."

"Did he......"

The box had not been opened at all. This man. This relative of mine. This father. Had made a promise to his little girl that I would help her bake her first cake.

I was honored and pissed at the same time.

Now, I had to include into our activities for the evening - bake time.

First thing that I do is check the box for the needed parts.

I asked Lil T if her father had packed a light bulb. She indicated that he had not.

Every former little girl (that was like me) knows that an Easy Bake Oven in NOT plug and bake.

Some set up is required.

Most importantly, a LIGHT BULB.

No one taught that to my single parent father Cousin L.

The toy did not require any old light bulb. It required a 100 Watt bulb.

Who has those anymore?

I certainly did not.

I checked the kitchen drawer where I keep all my extra bulbs.

YUP

All of them CFL

I checked all the light fixtures.

Nope. All of them CFL or lower wattage.

I read a few weeks ago that the Easy Bake Oven may go the way of the

Polaroid camera; if those hippy lawmakers have their way. This video explains it all

NBC News Video -- Easy Bake Oven vs. "The Lightbulb Police"
- Watch more Videos at Vodpod.

What I want you to understand is that I could not bear to look at the face of an 8 year old girl after I shared with her that I did not have the correct parts to operate her Easy Bake Oven. HER FIRST EASY BAKE OVEN.
I shake my fist at all those MALE lawmakers who fail to see the relationship between a 100 watt bulb and a future cook. 
And I shake my fist at my Cousin L for not warning me about the damn toy. (Well I did when it happened back in December)
So we donned our winter coats and boots to search for a 100 watt light bulb. While it snowed outside. On a cold winter day. And I had no cash on me. And my tank was 1/4 full. 
Sigh

Once we had the oven assembled with the correct parts, we made several cookie cakes. I was so exhausted from their fighting and baking cakes, that I let them eat their sweets on my bedspread. I was finding crumbs for days. But at least she has the memory of the first time. 
I am a wonderful person.

A few weeks ago, Facebook suggested that I stalk some of my sister's old photo albums. I happened upon the album titled "Easter." I obliged FB's command and clicked. How could I ignore it?
I was shocked,
Appalled,
Horrified,
To see my two year old niece using a plastic shopping bag to gather her Easter eggs back in 2010. I immediately called my sister to share my incredulity with her.
How could she permit this to not only happen but to commemorate it in a FB album. 
A shopping bag
The tumbleweeds of the Urban  city.
She laughed at me and suggested that I send her a basket for this year.
I did more than that.

I used a technique called "rag crochet." I cut 2.5 inch strips of nursery patterned fabric, joined the strips, and then crocheted the longer strips with a large sized hook. 
She loves it. I hear that she had already filled it "full of crap." 

 

Not long ago, Ambriel's ten year old daughter peeks around the corner. I ask her to come into the office. She looks at her hands and asks me if I would make for her a slouching beanie cap.

It had to be blue to match her coat. Again, I could not say no to that precious face.  After she looked up at me, that is.

 

She had been jealous because I had make a scarf for her little brother. I found the pattern in Crochet! magazine and had fun with itThis is the result. I had this Araucania Ulmo Multy yarn, that was mostly blue. I think the colors in the cotton yarn will make a great spring hat for her. .

Now that I have done three good deeds for three little girls, I am making a shawl to wear at work.
No matter the season, the office has the chill. I would rather avoid a space heater under my desk. I am making the 

Lightning Shawl by Frankie Brown in a variegated acrylic yarn. Another reason, why it is best not to have a space heater in the office.  My progress so far.

My HOAR ♥ bead marker is courtesy of SeeJayneKnits.

Extra hours of making her happy

I copied another blogger by titling this post using the subject of a recent SPAM message.

While it no doubt refers to something naughty, I am quite happy to report that I completed the ruana.
One year in the making and I can't wear it right now due to the below freezing temperatures. I am waiting for Spring. In the meantime, I am crocheting a cap to wear with it. 

This is how it ends

Done!

I have a new shawl/scarf, hood. I am excited. It is warm.
Now, I wait patiently for my surgery next week.
I can't believe that I started a baby blanket. Someone stop me.
I do have good news. I have turned the corner on the left flap of the ruana. Yeah me!

 

Gonna be warm this winter

Here I am picking up the ruana. Not sure why Jim took this picture. He knew the batteries were charged on the camera. This is my office. That is me. I am so sexy. Those slacks did not fit me last month. I guess this dieting is finally working.

d

After some work, I stretched the ruana over the table. As you can see, I completed the one right tail. I know you think that I should have written the left tail. No. It will be the tailflap over my right side. The left side requires attention. I am so tired of this project. I want to chuck it out the window. I started it last year while I visited my sister for her birthday in Georgia. I cast on the project while riding in the car on December 26, 2009. The ruana hibernated during the late spring and summer. I picked it back up in late fall. And here it is.
The gals at the knitting group have watched it grow into this massive creation. The jokes have begun.

In my next post, I will upload a copy of the template/design that I created for this project.

Fattie Cat, the tuxedo long hair, likes to lie in the huge project bag that stores this WIP.
Bastard. I haven't worn it yet and it is covered in cat hair.