Yup, another update

I have no clue as to what week we are in.  I do know it always seems the YoP goes faster after Christmas is over and all those hand made gifts are done and out the door.

This week was wild.  I worked on my sweater a bit.  Not enough that you could really tell I did much.  I actually completed 3 repeats of the 4 patterns but it is still not ready to bind off. Still need to do another 4 repeats and then I still have the back to do.

The flu has hit my son's family.  The Grand daughter has been down and out since Saturday morning,  Daddy got it today and mommy was smart and got a flu shot so all she has is a sinus infection.  I am not allowed to take the flu shot because of meds I take so I am not allowed to be anywhere near them for at least a week.  Hubby did go by there and drop off homework for the girl but he said he was out of there in about 30 seconds and came home and washed his hands real good.  No, we really are not germaphobes but I have a very important trip coming up on 2 weeks and do not have time to get sick.  Much less with the flu that is going around here in Arizona.  We have already had 1 death from it and many hospitalized.  Arizona has been hit the worse of any other state.  How nice is that.....NOT!

Ok, enough about ickiness.  

You know, back in the day, I use to make all my clothes and even my kids clothes and shirts for my hubby.  It was so much cheaper back then.  Then the cost of material became so high that sewing was no longer saving money.  Walmart, KMart, Target and some other discount stores made clothing very affordable and there was not need to sew them.

This past week, I spent several days trying on blouses.  I knew what I wanted and the type of blouse I love.  I found ONE.  That's right, only one blouse and the color was so horrible, I looked dead in it.  Then the price tag was staggering too.  That did it.  Off to JoAnn's I went.  McCalls patterns were on sale for $1.99 each.  (better that he $17.95 they normally are)  I found two patterns that would make the perfect type of blouse that I love.

This one has so many choices.  I really like the loose and flowing fit of it.  I do not like anything that clings or hugs me in any way.  I feel confined in clingy clothes.  And yes, I am claustrophobic.  I like the fact this also has pant patterns in it too.

 This pattern is exactly like the blouse I tried on that I fell in love with.  I am going to make the sleeves short as it is way too hot here for long sleeves in the summer.  Once again, nice and flowing.

After finding the 2 patterns I was off to find material to make them with.  I had a horrible time finding just the right material.  I was ready to leave the store and go to another JoAnn's when I saw the clearance aisle.  Well, blow me over!  I found 4 different materials (2 for each blouse) and for $5 a yard!  Each blouse takes about 2 years so I made a great deal.  Try and find a blouse for $10 these days.  So, I am back into the sewing mode.  That is what I will be working on for the next couple of weeks.  I want them available to take on my trip. 

 

Here is a crummy shot of the material.  The two on the left are for the bottom pattern and the 2 on the right for the top pattern.  And since you asked..............yes, purple is my favorite color.  I have to admit, most of my closet is full of black and white clothes.  I am making a real effort to have more color in my wardrobe.

The other lovely thing that I got this week is this...............................

It is a Janetbasket Eco Bag.  I knew I needed something to travel with and so I went to Amazon and just typed in Knitting Project bags and these came up.  I am in love.  It has two ways for it to zip closed.  It can be 'flat' topped or close like a carpet bag.  The inside is wonderful too.,

Lots of pockets to hold all the accessories needed as well as a large pocket for patterns or tablet.  It also stays open so you can leave your yarn in there and just work away.  It has a metal frame in the outer edges so it is not going to collapse on you.    But when it is empty, you can make it go flat.  It is way cool.  I also ordered the strap that goes with it but that won't be here until the end of this week.  And yes..............it is purple too.

So that is all for this week.  I hope you all had a fabulous week and used your extra 24 hours this year to do something fun.

Happy Crafting!

YoP update

Happy Sunday friends and family.  I finally have something to post about this week.  I was quiet last week, as it was not much of a crafting week.  Not that I didn't knit or crochet, but nothing showed any real progress.  

So let's see what has been going on these past two weeks.  Remember, I was going to start back on my Dive In shawl.  I did......................I just could not do it.  I know I have to finish it sometime, but I just was not feeling the love for it so I put it away.  I pulled out my Cancun Lacy Boxy Top.  It has been languishing for many months and with the weather getting really warm in our part of the world......................just made sense to make progress on this.

I love working with this yarn, Blue Heron metallic. It has a nice sheen to it and the metallic thread going through it is subtle but really catches the light.  The amount I have done is the first repeat of the pattern.  The pattern rearranges itself after this part but, I think I am going to do it the way I want to.  I love all the stitches and I need at least 5 repeats for this to even begin to cover the waistband of my pants/skirts.  I have plenty of fiber as I have 2 skeins of this and they are well over 500 yards per skein.

I also was shopping the other day at WalMart and just happened to go through their craft area and came upon a cone of cotton yarn that matches my new kitchen 100%.  Since my dishcloths are all a bit ragged, I decided to buy it and make a few.

This is my favorite pattern for dishcloths.  It is DW Darrell Waltrip DIshcloth.  It makes up so nice and fast and I love the fact, it really breaks up a variegated yarn so well.  I have introduced several people to this pattern, and they all have made it their go to pattern.

And now for a bit of an AHHHHH moment.

This is our youngest dog, Enrique.  He is very attached to me and follows me everywhere. Our female dog is in love with my hubby.  In this photo, Enrique is very concerned because, I have just laid my sweater on the floor to take a picture of it.  He knows that when I pull out my needles and yarn, he jumps up onto the arm of my chair and falls asleep to the rhythmic sound of the needles.  I don't think he was happy with the idea of sleeping on the floor.  Yes, he is spoiled and so it the female.  And before you ask........................he is a chi-weenie.  Half Dachshund and half Chihuahua.  His "sister" is half Dachshund and have Miniature Pincher.  She is much sweeter than this little boy.  He does not take to strangers well and can not tolerate large dogs.  He has been through doggie training twice and it has helped but I still do not trust him 100%.

So that is about all there is this week.  I did have 2 days that my arthritis flared up so bad, I could not even hold a needle in my hands.  It was a sad day for me.  I knit everyday.  It keeps me happy and sane.

Also....................I am 3 months smoke free!  Knitting/crocheting helps out there too.  Keeps my hands and mind busy.

Until next week...........................Happy Crafting.

Monday

It's amazing how Monday morning comes so quickly even for us retired folk.  I think the retreat on Saturday and then facilitating an RCIA session Sunday morning made the weekend disappear.  Then, of course there was the superbowl game last night.  We have to watch that if nothing else, for the commercials.   The commercials were a bit of a disappointment this year.  The Doritos commercial with the ultrasound was probably the best one.  I miss the Clydesdales and the dogs and the frogs.  

So today is a laundry day and a visiting my mom day.  I was going to hit the gym, but chores have to be done.  Where we live,  we have certain times of day where it is cheaper to use electricity.  So chores have to be done between 9am and 5pm.  This changes on May 1st, but I cannot remember to those times right now.  I do know I like those times better.  Tomorrow looks to be a better gym day.  Laundry will be done and probably the grocery shopping and menu planning for 2 weeks.  

Wednesday is the start of Lent.  I have been trying to decide what to do this year to become closer the Christ.  I don't really "give up " anything, but rather add something to my daily life that enhances my spiritual growth.  And yes, that usually means I "give up" some of my spare time.  Once i figure it out, I will let you know.  As of right now, I am leaning towards picking up my Catholic One Year Bible.  Hubby got it for me several years ago and I have yet to get all the way through it. The readings are only about 20 minutes so it's not like an all day thing.  I looked yesterday to see if it was on an e-book, but no. Better yet would be an audio book of it.  I could knit on a prayer shawl while listening to it.

Hubby has just finished our taxes for the year.  I stay far away while he does those.  I make sure there is plenty of coffee and food for him.  Actually, it didn't take him long this year.  Us both being retired makes things a bit simpler.

I think I will go deep clean the laundry room while waiting on the laundry to finish.  There will be lots if stretching and bending and lifting.  Kind of like being at the gym.  I also have some planting I need to do.  Lots of moving of rocks and dirt involved there. I was gifted a small amount of hens and chicks, from Seattle.  I have been nurturing them in the house,until they rooted.  Mission accomplished!  I have a small patch of dirt and rocks that I want to put them in.  The rocks need to be removed, or at least most of them do.  There will also need to be a short little cute fence put around it so my dogs don't think the plants are snacks. I swear, I don't have dogs, but little goats.

So much to do, so I guess I should close for now and get busy.

Have a blessed day, my friends.

YoP Update

 Another week has passed and I have managed to actually finish up a project.  Yup, Hubby's socks got completed this past week and I am very happy with them.

 This yarn is Berroco comfort sock yarn and I can not tell you the colorway of it as I do not have the ball band anymore.  I do love how the yarn patterns itself into an intarsia type pattern.  I have used their colorway, french garden, and it does the same thing. Other colors in this yarn are subtle stripes.  I think what I like best about this yarn is the fact it is non wool and the price is right.  Around $9 for one skein which is 100gm and plenty to make a pair of socks.  It is a little heavier than other sock yarns but makes for a nice cushion for the footbed.

So...................now what do I work on.  I have many WIP's sitting in my craftroom just waiting to have me pay some attention to them.  I have been pretty good about being an monogamous knitter the past few months.  This is a good thing too.  It seems that I was not that way so much for several years.  Hence the reason I have so many WIP's sitting in my room waiting for me.  How do I pick which one to work on for the next little while.  It was a bit of a difficult choice.  But here is how I came up with my pick.  I looked at my calendar over the next few months to see what I was doing.  I am taking a long 'vacation' in March, and really wanted something that would be easy to take along on that trip and would last through the trip.  

GOT IT!!!!  My Dive In prayer shawl.  It is made with sock yarn and will take a few whiles to complete this.  I am not really following that pattern other than the row count/pattern.  I wanted this to show the self striping yarn and the actual pattern breaks it up too often for my liking.  It is an asymmetrical pattern.  I have done another shawl in the asymmetrical and it was loved by the people at our church's prayer shawl ministry.  So.......once again I will do one asymmetrically and give it to the prayer shawl ministry at our church.  This yarn is very soft and totally washable.  It is a non wool yarn that I have had in my stash for several years.  I made myself a slouch hat and fingerless mitts out of it and had so much left over.  I really didn't want socks out of it, as it doesn't feel like something that would wear well on the feet.   

I really need to stop throwing ball bands away when I wind up my yarn.  I am getting better at it now.  But a few years back, I didn't think it mattered so, whoosh..................off they went to the trash bin.  Since being on Ravelry and in the Year of Projects group, I now know that everyone really wants to know "what yarn is that and where did you get it".  Yup, lesson learned.

Today is Super Bowl Sunday, here in the States.  It is a time for friends and family to get together and have non healthy food all day and enjoy watching 2 football teams strive to be the best.  Hopefully, this years game is better than last years was.  I like a good close CLEAN game.  No ugliness, no cheating, no whining, no getting all upset about calls.  Just play the game the way it is meant to be played and have fun.  After all................IT IS A GAME!.  Winning or loosing will not stop world hunger, cause peace to happen across the world or keep natural disasters from happening.

Excuse me while I get off my soap box.  HEEHEE  So, hubby and I will be heading to my son's house this afternoon to enjoy some family time and football.

This next week looks pretty good for me.  I am hoping to get some deep cleaning done in my home.  I have been wanting to do that since retirement hit 7 months ago.  So far, I have only gotten to one room to deep clean.  Also, Hubby and I joined a gym 3 weeks ago and have yet to step foot in it.  That stops this week also.  I asked hubby if he would mind if I just went without him.  He said to go ahead and go.  So I will be heading out to the gym this week to get back into that routine. I have been before and actually loved going.  It gives me time to listen to MY music and reflect on my day and things I want to do.  It is a win win situation for me.

I am off to go and facilitate a class at my church today.  Yesterday, we facilitated a retreat all day at church and it was amazing.  I can not wait to find out how, the people that went, liked it.  

Until next time.......................Happy Crafting!

YoP week 31

I'm back this week after missing last week due to being out of town.  It was a nice and much needed trip away but I am always glad to be back to my own bed and my things.  Hubby was in a black jack tournament but did not win this time.  Last time he came in first place. Maybe next time........but I did bring something back with me.......a rash all over my face and on my legs.  I am trying to get a Doctor's appointment to find out what it is that has me all itchy and get some medicine to get it cleared up.  I am pretty sure it is contact dermatitis as that runs in my family.  I am also pretty sure it is from the linens at the hotel we stayed at last weekend.  I think they changed their laundry soap and it has wrecked havoc with my skin.

Anyway..............enough about my maladies.....................lets look at some pictures and talk crafting.

I finished the snoqualmie falls socks on the 17th of this month and immediately casts on socks for my hubby.  He has been whining that he never gets any socks.  He has 2 pair and seldom wears them, so I told him I would make him another pair but they need to be worn like everyday socks.  He agreed.  (shock)  I decided on that pattern petty harbour and have really enjoyed the easy to memorize pattern.

The only problem is.....with the striping of the socks, the pattern is kind of hard to see.  So after I completed the heel and gusset, I stopped the pattern and am just doing all rounds knitted.  I still have about 3 inches to go before I start the toe.  They are my TV watching project.

Please excuse the crummy photo again......it is dull and gray out today and getting ready for some wind and lots of rain.  So the photos today were taken under my daylight lamp.  But to brighten up the day for me I decided to wear these:

A person can not be gloomy when looking at bright hot pink shoes with neon green laces.  Hubby laughs every time I wear them.  I don't care..............they make me happy.

After the socks are done, I have not decided what I am going to do next.  I have requests from Grand Daughter for clothes for her American Girl doll, but I am just not feeling it.  I have other WIP's that need my attention and will probably just pick up one of those and see if I can get some of them done and off my list of to do's.

I hope all of you are having a wonderful week end and hope your next week is fun and full of happiness.

Happy Crafting!

YOP Update

Hello all you good people.  It has been a while, again, since I posted here.  I have not been ignoring my blog.  I have been trying to get to the main computer in our house so I could do a proper update.  Ya know, with pictures and stuff like that?  So today, I have gotten a chance to get to my main computer and I am so excited.

First off, let me tell all my fellow YOP bloggers, I have been reading all of your blogs on my tablet.  I am impressed with the amount of creativity that is in our group.  I have a hard time commenting from my tablet, and for that I am sorry.  But know, I am reading and loving all the photos of craftiness and of the scenery that has been showing up on several of the blogs.

Well, onto what I have been doing.

I have been knitting.  Since the week after Christmas I have been burying myself in knitting and loving every minute of it.  I think retirement is going to be wonderful for me.  Yes, I still do household work and cook dinner each night, but..................there are lots of stolen moments when I can pick up my needles and do a few rows in between all the chores.  After dinner is over, I sit quietly with my husband and knit while he plays the TV.  We are getting into a nice little routine.

I do have a finished item:

Please pardon the cruddy picture.  A photographer I am not and have never claimed to be. This was my first finish of the new year.  They are my car socks (again) and made with Naked Sock yarn in the color Castle LIght.  The purple is really almost a neon purple in this and the photo does not do it justice.  I have made some adjustments to the original pattern. Having done other sock patterns, I take what I like from each and incorporate that into this pattern.  On these, I made the heel flap 2 inches long.  It seems to give a better fit for my ankle and foot.  The heel that is on this orginal pattern is my all time favorite and I have used that heel on other patterns.

On my needles now is:

Another pair of Snoqualmie Fall Socks.  These are for me.  I was so hoping the stripes would match on these and they started out great, but then I came across an area where the factory had spliced yarn together and that threw off the whole striping sequence.  Oh well, I will have shoes on and I will be the only one to know.  I started these on Thursday and plan on having them done yet today.  This is the fastest pattern I have ever knit.  Normally, it takes me almost 3 weeks to complete a pair of socks and these will be done in about 3 1/2 days.  The yarn is Diversity by Plymouth in the colorway Denim.  This is a memory yarn and it is so soft and fun to work with.  I have to remind myself to loosen my tension up with this yarn though.  Memory yarns need a looser tension.

I have also started doing all my socks in magic loop again.  My tension is a bit tighter in magic loop and truer to the gauges asked for by most patterns.

After I finish these socks, I am going to cast on a pair for my hubby.  He has been asking for another pair and I have promised him that he is next.  I will do his two at a time so I make sure they are identical in length.

I have not really worked on much more than socks.  I did work on my Daughter's log cabin blanket for a few days but got bored and put it back in my UFO pile.  

I looked at my list from the beginning of this years YOP and am kind of impressed.  Let's take a look see:

2015-2016 YoP list

Socks

Once again I can not tell you how many I will do.  But these are my favorite items to do during the hot summer months here in the desert.  I do know that I need to have 2 pair completed before Christmas as they are gifts.  I already have 1/2 of one pair done and have started on the other pair this week, just to get them on the needles for the road trip.

5 pair completed so far

Shawls

Diving In  (this is already cast on, also for the road trip)

Clapo-ktus

Diving in is in my UFO pile and Clapo-ktus is still in the thinking process

SWEATER

Cancun Boxy Lace Top

After I frog the sweater I started, this is what it is going to turn into.  It even asks for the fiber that I already have in my stash.  But I will be making this longer, as at my age, no one wants to see my tummy.

This is also in my UFO pile.  Probably should get it out before the hot weather hits so I can wear it this year

Sewing items

Tea Bag Holder

Another gift for Christmas this year

Finished a few days before Christmas and it is loved and being used

Crochet

Mermaid Tail Afghan

I have had a request for at least 2 of these for Christmas.  Now that I am not on yarn restriction, I can purchase the fiber for this and get going on them.

She loves her tail, although it took her a few minutes to realize what it was.

Wood Work

Staining and decorating treasure box for Wedding in October

Done and done..................the box and the wedding.

I think I have done fairly well this year.  I did not cram my list full as I have done in the past and for that I am thankful.  I will be casting on hubby's socks today sometime and will have those as we take another road trip this week.  So I will be looking for a pattern that is kind of easy but not boring so it can be memorized quickly.  I really don't want to do another pair of car socks for him.  So off to the patterns in Ravelry to see what I can find and download to my tablet.

I will not be on here next weekend, so until next time...............Happy Crafting!

Last YOP for 2015

This is being written on my tablet as getting on the main computer is hard sometimes.  Hubby reads all his news on it and by the time he is done........I am not in the mood to do a blog post.   So I don't have my graphics on the tablet.  I am going to see if I can correct that soon.

Anyway............I hope those of you that celebrate Christmas had a very blessed one.  Those that celebrate other holidays during this month (winter soltice, Hanukkah, Kwanza etc), I hope your time with family and friends was wonderful.

I have not really been doing much knitting.  I got very sick last Sunday and finally went to urgent care on Wednesday.  Got medicine for my yuckies and FINALLY, yesterday I felt like me again.  Yea!

I did finish the sock on my needles and started her sister sock.  Got just past the ribbing. I also started a dishcloth.  Went to get one out a few days ago and they were all in the wash.   Other than that, no craftiness here.

I did get grandaughter's dresser and closet cleaned out.  She had outgrown 80% of the clothes we had here for her.

Lots of people and activities going on this week.  Not expecting much more knitting to be done before next year.

Happy Crafting!