Thursday, January 31, 2008

It is not snowing yet....

I brought this to work with me this morning just in case the office closed down early due to the HUGE snow storm we are supposed to be in right now here in Kansas City. See, I ride with my hubby to work each day, and he can not always get off early if we close our office down early due to weather. The way I figure it is, if the others can leave early and still get paid til 4:30, then why should I sit here and work until my ride gets here (we are not allowed to earn comp time or get paid overtime). This is what was going to keep me busy if I was going to be stuck in my office this afternoon.
A skein of Socks that Rock from last years rocking sock club ( I did not join this year due to budget issues), and that clear bag is a yarn bag my youngest daughter gave me for Christmas that I have not had a chance to try out yet. The other little brown bag with skulls on it is something I picked up for a $1.00 and I use for all my little knitting accessories.

I have been reading some other blogs about quilts, and it appears that February is some type of Quilt month. Remember that fabric I told you I bought a while back? It is all reds in various different patterns and then I got 6 yards of some white cotton for the backing and the front. I want to make me a quilt in red and white, but have not found a pattern I want to use yet. I think with February being the Valentine month and this fabric being reds, now is the time to make same. I could not resist buying the fabric shortly after Christmas and it is still sitting up there in my studio waiting to become something warm and cozy.
Too bad it is not snowing today or I could have been at home working on something like that. UGH, having to work a reqular job so sucks!! I wish I could make money from my crafts and be at home happily creating things for others to love and buy. Then again, it may become a drag having to make stuff all the time to make a living. Worth a try though, don't cha think?

Anyways, keep on crafting and goodbye to January and hello February! Winter is half over now.

Monday, January 28, 2008

Progress??

Hey, remember that granny square a week or so back..here is a picture to remind you...

Here is the progress as of last nite on it. Horrible picture this morning, but I was in a rush and the light was not good. This thing is going FAST!!! I am so in love with it though. That is mostly what I did with my Sunday yesterday.
Here is the scene outside our kitchen window every morning. Those are squirrels. Yes we feed them. On the left is a mini picnic table that my husband built for them a few years back. I also feed the birds in the backyard, but can never get a picture of them without going outside and scarrying (SP?) them off. Good thing I don't try unspun wool outside like the Yarn Harlot.
Just a short note, gotta run now.

Monday, January 21, 2008

Remember the SIL I taught to knit?

Here she is last night at dinner showing off the new scarf she finished. She even added pockets to it at the end!! Can you believe that? I was way impressed with her new skill. She says she even went out and bought more yarn and needles to begin making her lap blanket. It is even going to have a pouch at the end of end of it so she can stick her feet it in. Then her boyfriend chimed in to say that he did not realize how expensive yarn can be, I quickly shused him up. Hey there could be way worst things us ladies could spend money on right?

Here is the progress on the granny square blanket today. I was good and cleaned out my closet before working on it today. Cleared out more than 4 bags of clothes that will go to a local charity. I feel better with little bit of dreary housework done, and I even have room to hang my clothes with fighting with them. The colors are not showing up good on the camera, but it also almost dark here at home.
Here is some shots of the rag quilt that I gave to SIL yestereday for her birthday. She really liked it and I think I surprised her. Now I need to make one for my niece, she so wants one of these. I told her she has to wait til her birthday, but she said not fair, that is in November. She doesn't know it but I will make her one before then. I will just watch for the fabric to go on sale again.
Keep on crafting, knitting, crocheting, quiliting, whatever floats your boat.

Sunday, January 20, 2008

I am so weak....


This is what I went out and bought Friday evening. I told you I wanted to start that damn granny square blanket NOW. So I went and bought the yarn and a crochet hook to go with said project. Hey it beats cleaning out my closet or the art studio.
I finished the rag quilt for SIL, I will give it to her tonight at dinner. I hope she likes it. Everyone else here around the house liked the colors. I had to make myself finish it, that basket of yarn was in the same room I was and was calling out to me!! I will post a picture of same later. The camera is not cooperating on showing those pastel blues and greens very good today.
Gotta go, we have to stop my father in laws house to get his internet connection to work on the old lap top I passed his way and then it is off to dinner.

Friday, January 18, 2008

Crochet anyone?

For some years now I have been wanting to make a giant granny square blanket, but it is done by crocheting and not knitting so I have shied away from it. Well no more of that now. Last night I taught myself how to do that darn granny square by crochetting. It was so EASY!! once I got the hang of it. I had a book to go from which was very helpful. I dabbled in crochetting back in my twenties when I was having babies, but was never any good at it and never finished anything either. I so want to go and buy the yarn for this project RIGHT NOW! and work on it all weekend. What do ya think? This weekend is a three day weekend for me, we have Martin Luther King day off at work and I should so use the time to clean something around the house. Here is a picture of a corner of the art studio where I hang out when I am sewing or on the computer. Not too terribly bad, but it could use some organizing.
Another view of the art studio, this is the corner where I do most of my sewing, again not too bad, but I feel like I need to be more organized here. Hubby last weekend worked on making the drawers for my sewing table, but we still need to get them installed. This is a remodeling project that we started 2 years ago and I have not quite got everything in its place yet. I am way too busy wanting to start more crafting projects instead of organizing myself. True artist behavior, right? I should also clean out my closet. One of the local charities called me last night to say they will be in my area this coming week and do I have anything to donate? I thought that would be a incentive to clean out the closet so I said yes, but I am not brave enough to show you my closet pictures.
I would so much rather begin playing with the yarn stash hubby got me for Christmas, check out this primo alpaca stash? Is he not the bestest hubby out there or what? He told me that he felt really out of place in the yarn store and all he knew was that I do not really like the yarn that they sell at Walmart but he heard that I like alpaca. The saleslady was very helpful ( I bet) from that point forward. He so ROCKS! (the picture does not do this yarn justice at all though),
Or I can go shopping for the yarn for the granny blanket? Hmmm, decisions, decisions....

Wednesday, January 16, 2008

Hump Day (Wednesday)

How's that for a stinking title?! It is a gray and drizzly day here in KC. Supposed to turn to snow later this evening, we'll see if that happens.


Here on the home front I started work on another rag quilt this week. It is for the SIL who I taught to knit a few weeks back. Friday is her birthday. Take a gander... picture not so good..

And I am back to working on my last pair of socks (yarn from Socks that Rock). I should have this done in a few more nights. I want to get them done so that I can start playing with the yarn hubby got me for Christmas. These are the monkey socks from the online knitty magazine.

Well, gotta get back to work. Maybe it will snow tonight and I will have the perfect excuse to knit the night away. :-)

Friday, January 11, 2008

What did you do for lunch today?

I went with some co workers to check out the contemporary quilts on display at our public library here in Kansas City. I work downtown so it is within walking distance for us around here.


This one was interesting, the artist used a picture of her neighbor for the face on this one.

This one really caught our eyes, it is so colorful. The artist was going for a hot summer day and the coolness of eating a watermelon.
This one was just gorgeous, my pictures do not do it justice at all.
I liked this one because it is birch trees. The artist made this one in memory of a fond relative that passed away to remind her of all the good times they shared at a family cabin in Colorado. Those birch trees are so lovely in the fall out in Colorado.
Not sure if I was inspired to try anything like this, but I did enjoy it. These artist have spent a lot of time on their quilts and it shows. Me on the other hand am all about getting it done fast so that I can enjoy it and show it off. I just don't want to spend tons of time on a project, so I tend to look for fast and easy ones that are more doable for me. I do respect these quilt makers though for all their hard work, it takes a lot of patience to do this type of art.

Thursday, January 10, 2008

TA DA!!

Here is the log cabin blanket!! Now I am trying to decide if I should go buy more yarn and make it bigger? At this point it is approx 40 x 40 ( I think, I did not measure). Not very useful if you really need to warm up. I am also kind of tired of working on it. I think I will just end up putting it to the side for a few days before actually deciding.

I used the pattern from the Mason Dixon knitting book, it is just plain old garter stitch. I have to say it is a good project to have around the house when you want to knit but do not want to have to worry about following a pattern or counting stitches. I am not sure though if I am pleased with the colors on this project though. I was in a rush when I bought the skeins of yarn a while back and did not really consider how they would all go together. I just tried to pick a even number of light colors and dark colors. I even screwed that part up, I was short one light color.

The next one that I do like this I think I will make each side it's own color category, like all reds, then all blues, and greens, and then all yellows and oranges, or something along those lines. There will for sure be another done. I just want to use a better quality yarn, so I am saving my yarn funds for that.

At my house at the moment, it is all about finishing up unfinished projects. I think alot of us knitters are doing that at this time of year. I do not want to spend any funds until I get some of those Christmas bills paid off. At least I have a little yarn stash so that if I want to start a new project I can.

For now, keep on knitting...

Tuesday, January 08, 2008

Look who I taught to knit this past weekend..

This is my sister in law, Tamia. She was over this last weekend to celebrate my father in law 85th birthday. Her and her boyfriend want to quit smoking. He is going the pill route and she is going it alone. She was telling me how she was going to go buy a learn to knit kit so that she could keep her hands busying while she works on this quit smoking addiction. I told her that I have everything she needs to learn and I would show her myself.

She was all for that of course. So upstairs we went to the art studio, she picked out the yarn and I got her some number 9 wooden straight needles. I started her on the path to making a garter stitch scarf. This chick was a fast learning!! I was amazed. By far the easiest person I had the pleasure to teach to knit. I cast on for her the 15 stitches, then showed her how to do the knit stitch for a few stitches and off she went. By the time she left that evening she had a good 4-5 inches done on this scarf. I sent her home with a learn to knit book and three skeins of yarn from Lion Brand, the suede type. I know, I know, that damn Lion Brand stuff, but I have had it for a few years and this type is not so bad. I was not planning on using it for anything so now it has a good home.

I hope she sticks to the knitting thing, just think of the yarn stores we can browse together in the future! Now I will not be the "old lady that knits" at family functions anymore. I will have a partner in crime. She says that she does not like wool, it makes her itch, but I think we can convert her in time. Once she finds out all the different wool varieties out there she will be impressed. She wants to make a lap blanket. Something in cotton. Good choice I think. I showed her my log cabin blanket that is still in the works and the circular needle used to make same and she was perplexed about that one. I told her when the scarf is done then I can show about this circular needle thing. It was fun to see her and the rest of the family confused about all this knitting stuff.

Keep on knitting!

Friday, January 04, 2008

First Friday in the New Year

Well I am back at work now, what a drag! At least it is Friday and I have a whole weekend to look forward to for knitting or crafting. Last weekend I went to the fabric store to pick up some supplies and also bought some more fabric. This time for myself. They had the prettiest calico reds out on the shelf and I could not resist. I am still looking for a quilt pattern to follow for that fabric. The fabric inspires me, but at the moment I am clueless on what to make of it still. Whatever it is, I am keeping it for myself. I better hide it from the girls and my sister. They always seem to get me to give them what I make. Oh well, at least I know that they will treasure it.
I really need to organize my art studio (child that left home old bedroom). I even thought about taking pics of it and posting it on here so that I would be motivated to post the "after" pics of same and get it done. I still have stuff down in the basement from when my little corner of the world was down there, mostly sewing stuff. Maybe I will work on that this weekend. I should also clean out my closet, never did get to that while on vacation last week. UGH!!! None of it sounds like fun really but I have got to get up off the couch in the evenings and start doing more.
No pics today, I am at work posting while I have a little down time. I have been working on the log cabin blanket in the evenings and it should be done in the next few weeks, unless I get distracted with another project. It is alot bigger, but I still don't think that it will be very big with what yarn I have left. I really do not even like the yarn I am using either (Lion Brand, Vanna White collection), so I must get done with it and let it be what it is going to be and then I can be done with that yarn. It is okay for yarn, if you like acrylic, which I do not. I thought it was soft enough in the store (and it was on sale) when I bought it, but it just doesn't feel like a soft blanket to me. Oldest daughter says she wants and I will probably give it her.
I do like the project though, it just all knit stitches, so very easy to pick up and still watch TV or listen to a audio book. I want to try another one like this, but different yarn.

For now keep on knitting or crafting....