Rebecca Velasquez Designs

2009-06-13T12:18:00.000-07:00

another pattern

2008-11-30T17:59:00.000-08:00

another pattern out of necessity....
E is going to the nutcracker ballet with her daddy next weekend. her dress is really pretty, but sleeveless. december nights around here are too chilly for sleeveless.
the color needing to be matched was neither pink nor peach - something between. in other words, not readily found in pre-made shrugs at the store. it is, however, found in lion brand's vanna's choice pink.

so, unable to find a pattern that worked with her dress and in her size, i give you:

The Nutcracker Shrug

size: girls 12
yarn: lion brand vanna's choice
needle: US 10 dpn's & straights

using straight needles, CO 44
k 2 rows, transfer to dpns - 11 ea
join
k in the rnd = 2inches
k2tog 1st 2 sts of ea needle = 40sts
k for 8
k4 k2tog, k4 on ea needle =36sts
k for 4
k2tog 1st 2 sts of ea needle = 32sts
k to desired length.

still working on this.... will post more when i get it worked out

love

2008-10-07T14:56:00.000-07:00

for real, how much do you love Ravelry?
oh, the way i can list my stash - what yarn is in which bucket. the love
and the way i can list my projects and the yarn i'm using and linky it all up. love
oh and the groups i can join. *sigh love

i know i keep disappearing, i don't mean to. it's just been a whirlwind of sports and yarn around here! i joined 2 swaps (on ravelry) and am having great fun with that. got one of my pkgs in the mail today. yummy chocolate, coffee and yarn from canada.
really. chocolate. coffee. yarn.
are you kidding me?!? swap from Heaven!!!
i took a few snaps of my goodies. now to convince the littles to let me use the other computer to get the pics off the camera and into our house network so i can use it! i know i can somehow on the laptop, but i don't know how. guess i'll have the hub teach me that. it's just so easy on the pc. little magic slot for the memory card.... there are all kinds of slots on the back of the docking station, but i haven't a clue as to what they are for. i know, pathetic.

also, got my fabulous copy of blueprint crochet in the mail today. straight from Robyn herself. little bonus for making the Christin top that is in it. such fun! okay, that's all i have time for now. promise i'll add the pics later. gotta get. the biggest boy has a baseball game. GO GOLDSOX!

scrappy stripes

2008-10-06T08:33:00.000-07:00

just a simple little scarf to use up bits of yarn you have lying around -

LionBrand wool ease - H hook

ch216
sc in 2nd ch from hook and ea across
*change colors
ch2, sc in flo of nxt sc and ea across*
rep * to * twice more
change colors
*ch3, dc in flo of nxt sc and ea across*
rep 3 times more, or more if wider scarf is desired.
add fringe.
matching hat to come...

finished scarf uses 2.75 oz of worsted weight
3.5 inches wide
69 inches long (not including fringe)

i'll make another one to let you know how much of each color was used.
enjoy.

pattern

2008-09-14T12:45:00.001-07:00

here is a free pattern for you, from me:

Winter Legs

yarn: Red Heart, Ltd. Strata in Surf
needles: set of 7 dpn's
set of 8 dpn's
gauge: not crucial
size: tween (to fit approx age 9-12 yrs)

make 2.
with sz 7 needles, CO 44. being careful not to twist stitches, join.
k2, p2 ribbing for 2 inches.
k for 2 inches.
switch to sz 8 needles. continue to k in the round until entire piece measures 15 inches.
switch back to sz 7 needles. k2, p2 ribbing for 2 inches. bind off in pattern, loosely.

saturday's sky & macro monday

2008-07-28T11:02:00.001-07:00

late in posting my saturday sky.

there is a saying around here, if you don't like the weather, just wait a minute, it'll change. in this case, it took about 20:

i've also heard it said there is no other place in the world where you can look further and see more of nothing than the Texas panhandle. i think these pictures are a testimony to that fact.

saturday was a crazy day. my bro-in-law's mother passed away about 2weeks ago. so this saturday, hubby, myself and the kidlets went with them to her town to help with cleaning her home. well, hubby helped, i went to my grandpa's (lives in the same town). oh man, he is looking so fragile lately. i can hardly take it. it just breaks my heart. i love him so much and seeing him age this way is reallly really difficult. oh yuk, i don't want to talk about this anymore

are you on ravelry yet? i've actually been a member for a while, but just started really looking into it over the past 2 weeks.... wow. i'm in love with this place! so i've been involved in the "ravelympics". i'm doing the WIPs wrestling. challenging myself to get some of my wips completed! 2 done so far and making progress on the next one!
DONE:

fidgety scarf for my dad in moda dea tweedle dee sahara sz 11 needles

DONE:
hush hush project for E

so, i'm learning a little bit with my camera. so i've decided i'm going to start posting "macro monday". you are most welcome to join me. i'm going to get a button made for it. maybe tonight.

this is a wildflower i saw while hiking in the wasatche mts of utah.

boxing

2008-07-27T08:25:00.000-07:00

years ago, i attempted to make a felted backpack for E. it didn't work. i put it away in a box. well, we're trying to get the garage somewhat cleaned out and i came across a 'crochet' box during the weekend. i didn't want to just throw it all out... so i stared at the backpack for a bit trying to decide what to do. then i remembered a pair of fingerless mitts i had seen somewhere that someone made out of an old felted sweater.
a-ha! perfect.
so a little cuff as trial...

with a litle surface crochet E
and a cool button for closing:

another project years in the making:

this is hemp flowers necklace (ravelry) by norah gaughan from interweave crochet fall 2005. with a few minor changes. some of the assembly had already been done. not sure what my plan was when i started doing it, because some of the rings/flowers were not in the right place. so i just took the remaining pieces and placed them where i thought they looked best and most similar to the original pattern.
started in oct 2005. finished july 2008
hook: C
unknown gifted wool from elizabeth.
i'm pretty sure it was some sort of a yarn swap...but it was almost 3 years ago...
out of one box and into another. this little baby is on it's way to NYC, where it is a slightly belated bday gift! (okay, 3ish years! lol )good thing she loves me

monday??

2008-07-20T07:20:00.000-07:00

what? how is it monday already?

today is my anniversary. 13 years. wow. amazing. how lucky i am. i don't know what i did. everyday i thank God for the life he has given me with my husband and 4 kidlets. everyday.
okay, enough mushy.

satuday night was great fun. we took the kidlets to see Texas. this was their first time to see it - so the lightning storm and all the gunfire had them jumping out of their seats! it was pretty funny.

there was a scene where a new family came to settle... the girls in the family got off the wagon with needles and yarn! but the funny part about this- i didn't notice... my 5yo did! (okay, so he'll be 6 tomorrow--- i've got one more day!) they sat it down to do a little dance number.

as for fiber stuff: i skirted my new fleece. although now i'm wondering how i'm going to scour this one. i've always used my washing machine to soak/spin. but now i have a front loading machine. i'm going to have to do it all in my kitchen sink. it's going to take forever! ugh...

here it is all cleaned and rolled - ready for washing.

around my house

2008-07-19T14:58:00.000-07:00

the sky above the Texas Panhandle today

kinda gloomy, but nice enough for the birds!

did a bit of cleaning around the house. hubby pulled out the vaccuum... poor sally!
she hates it!

hope you all have a wonderful weekend.

back on monday!

smell this

2008-07-17T16:30:00.000-07:00

if you could smell the deliciousness from my kitchen right now...
mmmmmm. you'd be so jealous!

but no need. you can make your very own batch of peanut butter perfection:
shauna of glutenfreegirl has the best recipe for peanut butter cookies on this planet. they are flourless. so the peanut butter is not all diluted and dried-up tasting. just rich and delicious.

another FO!

are you proud or what!?!
this is the "mind's eye hat" from shannon okey's spin to knit. i kool-aid dyed the corriedale ages ago. i spun about half of it last weekend and made this hat. it was supposed to have been for me. *sigh. it looks much better on the girl. this style of hat is just not right. i definitely need more of a bucket-type. some sort of a brim. boohooo. it's just such a beautiful blue with a teeny hint of pink just every wee bit.

shocking

2008-07-14T14:04:00.000-07:00

so, what's a girl to do when she spends an entire week of fun filled days on vacation? coming home and returning to the daily routine can be a bit drab...
so - brighten it up!

i took the girl to the salon and let her add a highlight.

this was her first time to get foiled and heated. she was pretty funny.

i've been really busy on some secret stuff. i wish i could show it all off and tell you all about it, because i'm very excited.

i'm not even sure yet how far it all will go, but let's just say: i've got a collection of patterns i've been working on. that'll have to do for now.

i've been spinning a lot lately. i've got several pounds of this camel colored superwash. i'm spinning it to a worsted weight and plan to make someone a sweater from it. and that's about as far as i can go with that, too.

man, i'm just no fun today.

here is a bit of the motherlode all spun up

isn't it just gorgeous!?! i'm so in love with this colorway - i don't know what it is going to be, but i'm pretty sure it's going to be mine! not giving this one away...

oh, and a picture of E with her hair done

no, your screen is not out of whack - her hair is hot pink.
i know, it's shocking!

stop the presses!

2008-07-13T20:01:00.000-07:00

i'm updating - again!

wait... i'm updating - again - with a photo!

wait... i'm updating - again - with a photo - of an FO!

because everyone needs a scarf in the middle of the summer! it's a gift for my sherry. i don't remember when she asked me for a baby blue scarf... or wait - i don't think she ever did? she asked for a baby blue coffee cup cozy. which i did and didn't take pics of. i think i just found this yarn and liked it for a scarf for her. it's a joann's sensations yarn - that i can't find the label for and it's not on the site.. but it's really really soft. wool/cotton blend maybe? the pattern is fidget. i love it! i added an extra button to the inside of it to help with the rolling and keep it closed a little better for her NYC winters.

today is my J's bday. 11 years old - i just can't believe it.

and.... we're back!

2008-07-11T06:23:00.000-07:00

whew! the family had crazy fun in utah this past week!
there are SOOO many pictures (ummm 1700 - is that excessive?)! i'm trying to decide which to post - it's not easy!

we left late in the day (J had to have a cast change on his arm) and then drove about 10 hrs and stayed the night in monticello, ut. then finished the drive the next day around lunch. leaving the rest of the day to play at "Boondocks". loads of fun. especially the laser tag and bumper boats!

this is the 'holding room' where everyone gets vested and learns how the controls work before being released into the game room - where i was having too much fun shooting and running from my children to remember to take pictures.

drove to the wasatch mountains park where we camped for several days.
hiked around

and did some High Country River Rafting - which i have no pictures of, because i didn't have the forethought to pick up one of those waterproof disposables. but trust me, it was beautiful and we had a blast. V fell out, hubby tossed X out, E and J jumped out! and our wonderful guide thought it very funny to turn our raft so that everytime we would hit a little bump, the water came in... all over me! we were all soaked. it was great!

i got to do a little shopping at Heindselman's (no website) in downtown Provo and picked up a great souvenir.

Lorna's Laces, 'motherlode' roving and a 3" schacht hi-lo spindle
i also picked up a ball of lime green, sugar'Ncream and a Ghook. i made E a carrier for her water bottle. they boys' coul all fit theirs in pockets. "no fair" that she had to actually carry hers!

the ladies there were lovely and the gentleman was a hit with the kids - he did magic tricks and pulled various items from their ears! it's so wonderful to find a lys that is kid-friendly!! they all got quite the kick out of my Texan accent - all the while i was laughing at theirs, too. so funny how we can sound so different just a few states away.

the next day we visited the Monte L. Bean Life Science Museum. it was pretty fun, too. the kids had a good time looking at all the different animal specimens and doing a scavenger hunt. you just don't realize how big a moose is until you're standing next to one! and no, it was not on any kind of platform - crazy!

we also visited the Museum of Ancient Life. yeah, the moose was big - but this turtle!!!

then, we ate at the brick oven. oh.my.gosh. the absolute best pizza i've ever had!

oh, and they make their own rootbeer! which, we bought a 2 liter of, so i'm still enjoying it :D

next up: train ride

the pictures i'm not showing you of this, is me knitting, X sleeping, and everyone else about to jump the railing to get off. pretty cool for the kids for the first 10 minutes to get to ride on a real train.... and then it lost it's magic. so that left 80 minutes of total boredom in 105 degree heat. i'll just say we were glad for it to be over. happy to have had the experience to ride a train, which they will probably never want to do again. not knocking the Heber Valley RailRoad, by any means. they have a murder mystery and polar express event that i'm sure is quite fun....

and then, the spark that started this whole escapade:
the stadium of fire

yes, that's him. glenn beck himself. while listening on april 1st, he made the announcement that he would be the mc for this event and had 1,000 tickets to sell. one of the largest fireworks displays in the nation, the blue man group, glenn beck live.... sounds great, but the real sell:

Miley Cyrus!!
we got lucky and scored 6 tickets! so we sat (or stood and danced)

along with 73,494 other people and enjoyed the show. -- that number does not include the thousands of military family members that were on the field. the whole shibang was broadcast live all over the world on the Armed Forces Network. several local wives were able to see their husbands via satelite (proveded by Beck). it was fabulous. and the fireworks - amazing

next day, went to the Hogle Zoo
isn't this little red panda just precious!?!

and the Living Planet Aquarium

the aquarium was pretty small. but still had lots of really cool saltwater tanks and everyone got to touch stingrays.

turns out, it's a "preview". a ninety-thousand sq ft park is being built. the preview helps to fund it. so that's good enough reason to pay the entrance fee (which wasn't bad, by the way) and see all that we did.

we then drove and stayed the night in moab. i woke up fairly early while everyone else slept. i made some coffee and went outside to spin in the cool of the morning. this is where i sat

this was my view

went to the arches park and walked and climbed around a bit there

and of course, made sand angels

saw the arches

and then, drove home.

a day in my life

2008-06-16T12:10:00.000-07:00

a little while back, Robyn asked me to join in the series of Day in the Life
(click for list of others - you'll be glad you did! lots of great crochet designers and insiders!)

wait no more, here's mine:

A Day in the Life
7:00 wake, coffee- 1 point - move around, start to water the grass, let the dogs out, sit on the back porch before the sun hits 105! Wondering why my herbs keep dying. What am I doing wrong? Can't wait til hubby gets my herb garden fence put up so I can have a better spot for them- and actually have them in the ground instead of in pots.
7:15 breakfast for the kiddos. are they all up? quick head count. one missing. go get the girl.
7:30 break up the fight going on about why someone picked the "hard" track on mario kart for the wii
7:45 get hubby out the door for work.
8:00 another cup of coffee-1 point. you know, i really should have breakfast. start laundry. move sprinkler to the other side of the yard.
8:45 another cup of coffee-1 point. still thinking about how i should have breakfast. i think there is some special K in the pantry. milk? questionable. i'll have to check.
9:00 the fun begins. yippee. Today is bathroom day. I get to scrub the toilet. I know. The glamour is beyond belief.
9:15 break from the bathroom. The dryer went off. Time to reboot.
9:30 back to the bathroom. Okay, ya'll - 2 things about cleaning the bathroom in this house.
Ewwww and Why?
you do remember I have 3 sons, right? So you understand my wondering without further details. Because seriously, you don't want the details.
9:37 on the hunt for the dust-pan. Really--- why does stuff like this disappear? I mean, when it comes to me asking them to sweep up something they act like I'm speaking some foreign language. Dustpan? I'm so sorry, mother, we simply don't understand what you’re trying to say to us. You know, the blue hot wheels ramp.
9:39 dustpan found. In the backyard. Because that makes sense.
10:02 finished with the bathroom. Mental note: linen closet chaos-needs to be reorganized. Later. Dryer is done. Washing, still going. Go fold and put away.
10:05 realized I still haven't eaten breakfast. Taking a break.
10:26 okay, ate some cereal-2 points emptied the dishdrainer. washed all the breakfast dishes.
UH OH!
10:28 remembered the sprinkler was still going. Ummm, it got a good, 'deep' watering today. Back to the laundry. The washing machine is done now. Still more to put away from the dryer.
10:41 crum! Broke a nail. I know. Ridiculous. But still! Make a phone call on the walmart shopping card found in a pocket of hubby's jeans. Darn! $0. Check email.
10:48 hamburger meat out to thaw. Mmmmm burgers 'n dogs on the menu tonight. Read a few blogs. Replied to a few emails. Gotta call the surgeon to schedule check up for X. he had his appendix removed a week ago. Doing fabulous. Just very sad that he is not allowed on the trampoline or his rollerblades for another week. The littles are outside enjoying the weather. The backyard is still shaded. They have about another hour before the thermometer hits 100 and the yard is full sun.
11:01 gonna go work on a spring design I've got going. Well, after I water the animals. The littles feed them, but I don't trust them with the watering. The lizards have to be sprayed down with a squirt bottle several times a day... just not a good thing to let them be in charge of.
12:05 hubby is home! Time for lunch. WW calzone-6 points waterX2
12:55 hubby leaving for work again. Going to empty/refill the dryer.
1:15 kick the littles out. Go sit out on the front porch to observe the bike riding and work on spring design. WaterX2
2:30 it is hot out! Thermometer is reading 103! The wind is like turning out your hairdryer. If you've never been to Amarillo, let me tell you, the wind never stops blowing. So it's constant heat, even in the shade. Increases/decreases in stitch pattern and such figured out. Sample of top portion complete.
2:42 popsicle break! (for the littles) water X2 (for me)
3:15 enough time out for a while. Heading in for some books/rest/air conditioner. Thumb through a real simple mag.
4:00 wii time for the littles, I'm going to ready dinner.
5:05 hubby is home! Talk with him about his day. Work on dinner and just mill about with hubby.
6:30 dinner. Enjoy the slight cool down of evening weather (all the way down to 89) with our burgers on the back parch.
7:30 dinner dishes, kitchen tidy.
9:oo send the bottom 3 littles off to bed. J gets to stay up late because some of the neighborhood boys have dropped in to play wii. Watch wii battles, listen to the laughter littered with 'you punk!' 'cheater' 'what do you think about that?!' 'yes!' 'loser!'. All while working on a throw I've got going for a gift.
11:30 kick the boys out. Send J off to bed. Pick up after the all the stinky boys.
12:00 whew! That's about it. To bed.

new camera!

2008-04-04T06:03:00.000-07:00

so, i've been thinking alot, really- quite a lot, about getting back to my wonderful little site.
one thing that has been bugging me is the why? of why am i not updating every day? part of it was the camera thing. the old crappy one just made me angry with crappy pics of really great things. so- we finally got a new one about 3 weeks ago... so now why not every day?
well, 2 weeks of a kidlet in the hospital (more on that in a sec) and the other thing is... i have to mess with 2 computers to get pics up. just bugs me. so i ignore it altogether. i'm going to try and get better. and i'll ask hubby if he'll make my pic files "share" from hp to my laptop via our network.
DAMN IT!

this is why i don't update any more!!!
damn Flickr changed. i can't figure how to post a damn picture.
i'm so frustrated!!!
i'm gonna go until this gets figured out.
damn it!

finally, an update!

2008-02-25T06:46:00.000-08:00

good morning, ya'll. i'm really trying to get back into blogging.... i'm not sure what's going on.... just seems that my mornings fly by. i'm trying to slow down with all the madness. oh to have the worries of my dog. if you could hear my sweet sally snoring at my feet. she's just the best doggy ever. i'd take a picture of her right now, except that my camera is a piece of crap. i'm seriously in the market for a new one. got one you'd recommend?

great - now flickr is broken. this is pretty much how my crazy upside down world lately. i did a quick search on my computer and found a cute little pic of my sally - and flickr won't upload it. *sigh

moving on ....
i've been really sick, ya'll. just a crappy crappy few weeks of the flu. weeks. did you read that? weekS - yes, plural. my voice is just almost back to normal. not quite, i've still got that raspy - no, not the smoky, piano lounge, sexy voice. more the scratchy, scary growl of a bear- because, oh yeah, that makes all this coughing and my droopy eyes soo much more attractive. my poor husband.

but, getting better.

okay, so it's a tiny, crappy update. but it's here. the dryer is buzzing at me. i'm really tired and i've got a giant crocheted stress ball in my gut. more on that later because this has to have a lid for a while.... believe me, i'd try the therapudic "let's talk it out" if i could.

saying a prayer for a better day for me and a great one for you.

silly showers

2008-01-09T07:05:00.000-08:00

man! i screwed up dinner last night! i'm so bummed. i was really looking forward to it. one of those meals my mom used to make when we were kids, ya know?
well, i cooked my stuffed peppers for 1hour at 350. not long enough. already had everyone at the table and the potato casserole was all hot and melty and the bottom of the peppers weren't cooked and about a marble size of raw meat in the center of every single stinkin pepper! blech! if you have littles, you know how difficult this scenerio was. once they're at the table and thinking food is on the way - not a pretty sight to have to kick them out.

so they went through a few sleeves of crackers and potato casserole while the peppers were back in the oven. no one went to bed hungry, so i guess ultimately everything went fine. now i just have oodles of left-over peppers in my fridge!

on the menu for tonight: chicken (cooked in cream of broccoli soup) with butter herb wild rice and green beans.

there are days, every now and again, that parents have to kill 2 birds with 1 stone, so to speak. last night, with the raw dinner debacle already under our belts, was one of those nights. V refused to take a shower because he was absolutely certain there were 'red eyes' outside the window in the bathroom. so we talked him into a shower as long as someone was in the bathroom with him. the girl still had 30 minutes of reading to do for the night. a-ha! we found our victim - i mean volunteer.

after a few minutes, i stuck my head in to check on the two of them. this is what i see:

hilarious!
wondering why she has the book IN the shower, i said, "ummmm, whatchya doin'?"
"showing V the pictures" of course.
just too funny!
and i think he enjoyed his storytime

yes, yes... i am still knitting, spinning, and LOTS of crocheting - more on this tomorrow :D

back to my regular schedule

2008-01-04T11:44:00.001-08:00

Christmas has come and gone and now another year has begun. *sigh
i'm not ready! why can't we just have a week between Dec 31 and Jan 1 that is a "week of catch up". just to be able to get done a few things that you swore you'd be getting done before the ball dropped and didn't. wouldn't that be nice!?!

speaking of the ball dropping, my sherry lives in NYC now and was there! one of the crazy 2 million. SO jealous! can you imagine!?! i mean, this is the stuff we've been watching on the tube all our lives - and she was there! actually there in the midst of it all!! forgive this small town Texas girl for being so giddy - this is big-time excitement, ya'll!

sitting here thinking about it (the coming of a new year), i wonder why i'm just not 'feelin' it'. i think it's because winter hasn't started here yet. i mean we've had cold and really cold and 2 days of snow. but nothing substantial. not like we usually get. it comes and goes. it was 68 yesterday! there have been no snowmen! no snow ice cream. no kids outside playing until it's just too much and the chill brings them in with teary eyes from the pain in their fingers... which, of course, i immediately rescue them from with hot cocoa and a warm fire
MUST be global warming (read that with as much sarcasm as you can--- sorry folks, just not a believer). anyhow, so that's that. ooooh wait, nope, not done yet. it rained yesterd. huh? just odd.

what was the big hit on Christmas morning at your place?
here? the wii

the girl also got high school musical 'sing it!' which has so far been a major hit. everyone loves it. we all did a little karaoke last night between dinner and baths. fun fun
just looky at her with aunt chelle

alrighty, well gotta go get dinner ready.
on for tonight: Stuffed bell peppers and potato casserole mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

mean girls

2007-11-29T06:55:00.000-08:00

i'm sad. my poor baby girl had a bad day yesterday. seems that the 3 girls she hangs with have decided to not be her friend anymore. no reason. just decided.
litle &%^*&%$%^&**^%$$%&*(**^%$#@#%&!!!

jealous - that's the answer my mommy mind comes to. i sure hope she has a good day today. *sigh

how? how could someone be ugly to my baby girl!?!

so, my sissy calls yesterday and wants crochet embellishments for her scrapbooking.
okay. made a itty itty flower last night. i'll do more throughout the day - between laundry and scrubbing the toilet. man oh man, my glamourous life.

i've GOT to make some decisions on handcrafted Christmas gifts.
what to try to finish...... and i have another contract project that will be coming in on the 15th..... OY!

and making a custom designed angel costume for the Christmas play for my church. and sewing on patches for my bro-in-law's work uniform - he's a lawman

yikes! all this busy busy reminds me, i better go get dinner in the crockpot - mmmmm beans 'n cornbread. a Texan staple for chilly nights.

citrus and reptiles

2007-11-28T08:03:00.000-08:00

so - what does it mean about your family/household if there is enough laundry to create an entire large load in orange and another in yellow!?!

holy cow, i'm pretty sure my kids have too many clothes - well, except for the girl, of course. because, you know, a girl can never have too much to choose from. especially her shoes. we'll save that count for another day.

on to me
my name in lights:

robyn is an excellent designer and is simply awesome to work with - or for, as my case is. (more to come on this topic- shhhhhh)

yes, yes, the little model is very cute.....

but let's be honest, mine is cuter! (disclaimer: i'm the mom!)

so, you see, i have been busy. just in secret.

i know my site has gone all bizzarro. not sure where some posts went... and i'm suddenly back to my old set-up. huh? i dunno. hubby is going to give it a peek hopefully tonight after work. not sure if i'm going to be switching it back, though. i was never really able to get my go daddy blog host posting to work. it always gave me errors - that is, of course, if i was even able to log in. i know blogger has it's problems, but i know how to use it. and i'm not uncomfortable working in the behind the scenes stuff - and trying to do that with my go daddy blog - just yuck.
yup, i think i just convinced myself. going back to my blogger hosting.

what changes would you like to see? what do you think i should do differently or keep the same? hmmmm? truly, i'm interested.

yes, turtles are reptiles and not amphibians. i asked.

testing

2006-12-27T17:12:00.001-08:00

new blogger test

frankenblanket

2006-10-31T07:08:00.000-08:00

michelle (of green kitchen), you're genius! thank you for the name for my new blanket. and what better day to introduce it, than HALLOWEEN!?!

i give you:

FRANKENBLANKET

i decided to go all garter stitch, because the straight lines seem to show off the colors well. or, as well as it could be :D

there is only about 2 1/2inches of progress. not much, but it's not the only project i've got going. (who'd've ever guessed that!?!)

my kidlets got to dress up for school today as long as it was a book from a character and they had to take the book with them.

oh they were too cute! i had a raggedy andy and old macdonald. my camera was not charged so i did not get pictures. but, it's charging right now and i'm going to go up to the school and snap some quick shots of them... and then, of course, i'll get in some pics of everyone's real halloween costume. too much fun :D

it's so, so.....UGLY!

2006-10-19T06:15:00.000-07:00

and i mean that in the nicest way :D
as i continue on my use it or lose it mission, i came across a very large fubbermaid tote full of acrylic (red heart type) ww yarns. hmmmmm LOTS of yarn. hmmmmm what can be done with lots of single skeins of acrylic? a very durable and quite colorful blankie!
soo, hubby and i sat down to watch a little boobtube last night with yarn all around and a pair of scissors. we pulled off randsom lengths of random colors (well, i was trying to be aware of adding black more than often than anything else) and started tying them together and winding it into a ginormous, double-stranded ball.
i started a small swatch of it. i did a few rows of single crochet....and then some garter stitch, then switched to seed stitch... and ended with stockinette. i'm still undecided. hubby liked the sc, but i thought it a little stiff... so i am going to give it another swatch with a larger hook.
which would you do?

caught up...

2006-10-02T16:10:00.000-07:00

i think.
i feel like i've been playing catch-up in everything lately. crafting has shriveled to nothing, i fell behind in the laundry (*shocking, i know), and the house is in a bit of chaos. but just a bit. i'm also in the midst of beth moore's new Bible study, daniel. whoa! it's a doozey. but it's great. there is homework to be done everyday... add that i started the class on week 3. it took quite a bit to get all caught up - well, i'm actually not all the way caught up yet, but i no longer feel behind.
thank you all so much for the birthday wishes. it was a great day. normal, with the exception of hearing from long-time friends, my sisters and dad singing to me. and my children... ahhhh my children. little "happy birthday"s all day long. they have their moments of sweetness :D

ooooooo guess what!
my labels are here!! they are SOOOOOO freakin' cool!
i am absolutely giddy about them and can not wait to be able to sew one on.
the new web site has slowed to a crawl. hubby has been away for work... i hate it that i can't do more of it own my own. i'm learning, though.

crafty goodness to come.... soon, ya'll. soon

time

2006-09-26T07:35:00.000-07:00

where does it go? how in the world have so many days passed without me posting? crazy crazy stuff....
and, another year under my belt *sigh

today ...
my 5 yr old was sleeping in my bed (yes, they still get up in the middle of the night and squeeze their little selves between mommy and daddy).....
the alarm begins to buzz from across the room and my sweet baby X is right beside me, patting my face and says "mom, is it your birthday now?"
yes, son. yes it it.

saturday's sky

2006-09-21T07:27:00.000-07:00

i didn't get my saturday sky posted. it was beautiful. gorgeous blue. i will, for the rest of my life remember the perfect shade of blue it was on saturday. you see, i spent 2 hours, staring at it. praying.
J played his first game of football.

30 fathers, standing, a little taller than they were the day before, at the edge of the field, discussing plays and strategies. pointing out their little warriors to each other. behind them, 30 mothers, watery eyed and praying. desperately trying to be supportive and strong.
oh wow... my baby is too big.

looks like the first game was tough on him, too

any day now...

2006-09-18T07:39:00.000-07:00

my mail is going to be SOOOO good!

ooooo- why? what am i expecting?

labels! labels! labels! i'm so excited! they are SO cool!! (i got a sneak peek!)
lisa from clothing labels 4U, is awesome! she was so helpful to me, put up with my insanity and indecision. seriously, if you have ever considered getting labels with your own logo/name on them - this is the place to go to!

i can't wait to show you all! can you feel my excitement? oooo and the new website layout is really close to being done---- eeeeek!

any day now...

still at it!

2006-09-15T07:48:00.000-07:00

i know i've been away - but i haven't been idle!
once a month, a group of ladies that i hang with get together. i like to make a gift for the hostess of the month. this time, out little swaure was at my friend jenn's house - who is an awesome cook.... SO - i felt an apron was a fitting gift. check it out!

the colors of the picture aren't very good. the red is actually a very deep brick red. :D yay!
the garlic clove is kinda wonky. i googled "garlic" images, picked 2, combined them - then free-handed (obviously. didn't really need to put in that detail) it with pencil and used simple embroidery stitches.

also....still at it, is the whole eating better thing - AND
went to the doc to weigh this morning.... i've lost 4 more pounds! woo hoo! that makes me down a total of 18 pounds! this all started on june 26th so i'm feelin pretty good about the length of time this is taking. not too fast, not too slow

my family's sadness

2006-09-13T16:20:00.000-07:00

in june of 2005, we got a little kitten, jenny.
on monday, she passed away.

my kiddos are terribly sad. especially E & X. it's just awful. they keep asking why she had to die. i have an answer. just not one for them. you see, my jenny didn't just die. she was murdered. seriously, if this is something that will be too harsh for you skip until the next paragraph...she was outside-just chillin' doing no harm to anyone. someone, at some point during the day between 8 in the morning to 3 in afternoon, some evil, horrible, demon-person wrapped rubberbands around her neck. my little kitty didn't just die...she suffered.

so, what i told my 4 babies is that sometimes, people and animals die for reasons we can't understand. and that this is one of those times. not the whole truth, not a complete lie. because i absolutely do not understand why she died.

you promised.

2006-09-11T07:35:00.000-07:00

you promised to never forget.

have you?

nuts!

2006-08-29T08:14:00.000-07:00

do you ever feel like you have completely lost your mind? seriously.
sometimes i really feel like an insane person. i wonder, do i have ADD? is it insane of me to wonder that about myself? surely if i can diagnose myself with a mental disorder/ablitly (whatever is PC), then i don't have it... right? i truly wonder about ADD because i can't focus on one thing for too long, but then i wonder, that's just boredom, right? i'm just fickle. because i can pay attention to a movie for it's entire length.... but crafts, or cleaning or even a book (gasp-i know, when did this happen?!)... forget it, give me a good hour and i'm done.
i second guess myself always. always. do you know how annoying this is? why in the world can't i just make a decision?
my brain is mush. i feel like i've got on on my rubber gloves and it's in my hand, trying to be remolded. but it's oozy and slippery and is dripping to the floor.
does anyone know of a brain thickening recipe? i'm not against the prescribed kind!
and could someone please bring me a mop!?!

are you serious?

2006-08-28T06:52:00.000-07:00

really. i am. white. well, cream, actually. yes, we use it. even the kids *gasp!
insane, i know. i just couldn't help myself. it was inexpensive and beautiful. total impulse buy. what do you think?

why didn't i straighten the cushions before taking the picture?

detail of the fabric. isn't it lovely!?!

i should have taken a detail of the wood... oh well, next time.

well?

everyone needs one

2006-08-22T15:37:00.000-07:00

a heavy decorative object, that is!
remember my post about the brass bunny i got at thrift?sherry has a very good theory about owning ornamentation with dual purpose- you must read it! she's hilarious

how do i do it? let so much time pass between postings? it's just rather crazy....
you know what it is. don't you?
i spend my computer time reading other posts and not creating my own! quit making such cute stuff, people! i have my own cuteness to post.... sort of. everything is kinda on hold right now. waiting on my labels. and now that i know they are coming, i don't want to make anything because i want to be able to put labels on my projects..... i'm vain like that. i want everything to have my cute ewe on it!
psssst. there's a new one, ya know. the entire website is about to take on a whole new look :D
i'm absolutely giddy about it! i've been doing some learning and practicing on my paintshop pro 9, and namo and other html insanity- which is another reason for my lack of posting great things, i suppose. i really wish i could give some big "launch date" or something... but well, i suck at deadlines. hey, at least i'm honest!

i've been meaning to get this done for a while...
stolen from laura's blog

for whatever reason, i found this really funny! go to google and enter your name needs in quotes, in my case "Rebecca Needs" and then list the top ten or so queries that come up on your blog. here's mine:

Rebecca needs enlightenment! (a great source of daily enlightenment)
Rebecca needs support around her eduacational goals. (ummm -no. if anything, everyone is too supportive!)
Rebecca needs a family that will provide her love and support. (now this is just crazy talk- i know you love me and the support thing again!?)
Rebecca needs just one good, meaty, dramatic role. (i'm not gonna touch this one)
Rebecca needs to get cut. (please, anesthetic first! or at least some whiskey)
Rebecca needs a French companion. (no thanks! i got myself a great American companion!)
Rebecca needs to make up her mind quickly. (now, that's just asking too much!)
Rebecca needs to go back to the drawing board. (it's a little too late now)
Rebecca needs a case study. (are you kidding me? i AM a case study!! LOL)
Rebecca needs prayer right now. (yes, yes she does.)
Rebecca needs a notebook computer to take with her to therapy. (oh Lordy, does this mean i have to take my own notes!?!)

oh man, be careful with that one... it's almost addicting!

and because no post is complete without a picture...
sherry, this one's for you:

it was mrs. devil in the hallway with a candlestick!

my sky

2006-08-19T18:29:00.000-07:00

Texas Sky

quiet

2006-08-17T05:39:00.000-07:00

the silence is just about to make me crazy.

all 4 of my kiddos are in school this year. classes started tuesday. my baby V, just 4 years old. *sniff
they go to a magnet school, so the pre-K is all day. 8 til 3, just like the older ones.
so now, i've got one in preK, Kindergarten, 2nd and 4th grades. *sniff sniff

it's. so. damn. quiet.

silence.
9 years of constant mothering.

nose wiping, booty cleaning, clay creating, lego building, bathing, alphabet learning, counting, sorting, napping, playing, laughing, cuddling, doctoring, drawing, growing and loving

and now, nothing.....just annoyingly quiet, mind-numbing, heart breaking, silence.

more reconstruction

2006-08-07T14:25:00.000-07:00

why does photobucket not like my HP?
seriously, this computer stuff makes my head want to explode! it just doesn't make sense to me. my laptop sends pictures over just fine. but my pictures are in my HP!!!!!
why?????? why??????

ugh!

okay, moving on.
in sewing news
(pictures i had previously uploaded but not yet blogged)
there is a great tutorial on how to turn tshirts into gaucho pants! woohoo! how cool is that?!
so... i made a trial pair for E and then another... we decided there wasn't enough 'froof' in the leg. trip to the thrift store on 1/2 off clothing day (every monday).... paid 60 cents for this cute cute maternity shirt:

a few cuts and seams later:

gaucho's with froof:

i've been doing a bit of research on gapkids, childrens place, limited too, and gymboree
to see the newest trends and what's no longer in fashion. gotta keep my kiddos cool, ya know. but, because i'm not into spending loads of cash on clothes that will be "out" next year (even though they still fit), i'm researching. i've been going through her closet and will be doing some 'updating'. it's very basic this year. it seems like adding some bohemian style embroidery, ribbon and stud accessorizing to skirt and pants will be the biggest thing i do. and the skirts that are popular - the little tiered skirts - SOOOOO easy to make! other updates will be taking sleeves off some shirts and adding different cap sleeves or poofy sleeves. oh, and legwarmers. they seem to be all over the place!
i'll post some pics of these adventures as i go.... assuming i figure out why the HP and photobucket are at odds.

please help! &computer troubles

2006-08-04T06:56:00.001-07:00

hi! sorry for my disappearance. i'm having difficulties with picture posting.
it's really this long, crazy explaination. so i'll give you the short -
my pictures are stored on one computer, i use another. my network is down.
the picture computer does not like flickr and something is up with photobucket. so....
now ya know.

i'm pictureless. boo.

so, while i've got ya - got a question:

hubby and i have been doing a lot of talking with each other and different local business owners. i've decided to go pro. that sounds so funny. i've been developing a lot of my own patterns (sewing and crochet) - in order for me to be able to do this. while i can draw my own pattern, i can not 'draw'. so i'm having trouble with my sheep. as cute as she is, she is merely altered clipart. i could be wrong, but i can't use her, right?
so, i'm trying to decide on a new look for a new sheep.

i'd love to get as many opinions on this as possible - if you'd post a link today and ask your readers to come vote, i'd really really appreciate it!

VOTE - for my new sheep-logo

should i go with the cartoon-y feel/look - similar to what i have now?
-or-
should i go with a more realistic drawing?

with horns and a little devil tail, of course!

oh yeah! {squeal!}

2006-07-31T14:10:00.000-07:00

looky looky looky what hubby gave me:

is he great, or what!?!

spoofed!

2006-07-28T15:12:00.000-07:00

bastards! someone made all these fake email accounts using my .com address!
i'm pissed!!

if you have come here to check out the site that sent the bizarre email - it wasn't me!!
really, i'm a nice person (stop snickering!) i had nothing to do with it.

how weird is it that someone can just make up these addresses and have them actually send emails? who does that kind of thing? how can someone get off on that? what is the purpose?

grrr. there are no words for how mad i am over this! grrrr- fuckers!

ETA: i did call my hosting company last night and they 'put a stop to it'....
although it didn't stop all the emails from all these ticked off people bouncing back to my inbox.

fessing up

2006-07-27T12:18:00.000-07:00

ya'll there's something i have been keeping a secret.
i'm fat. okay, that's not really what i had planned on saying, but well... the truth hurts right?

seriously, my point was to tell you all that i started the south beach diet 5 weeks ago. my regular physician and my gyno told me (within a week of each other-i think they are in cahoots) last march that if i didn't do something about the weight, i would become diabetic (this disease has a huge presence in my family). after hearing this, i started seriously considering losing the weight. considering, mind you, not actually doing anything about it... then, 6 weeks ago, a very dear friend called me in distress. she had gone to the doc and at the appt. weigh-in, they had to move the big weight. anyone who has ever had weight issues knows what i'm talking about. as i was talking with her about it, we decided - we were done with this.
done with the depression of being overweight
done with not going to the swimming pool with our children
done with the fear of disease
done with not being the fun, active moms we want to be
done with being fat
done

together, we:
read the south beach diet book
de-junk-fooded our houses
shopped for our 'phase 1' foods
cursed and whined and complained about not being able to eat at our favorite fast-food place.
whined and whined and supported each other
and made it through!

2 weeks of carb-free living. it actually didn't end up being as difficult the second week. we decided another week of phase 1 before moving on to the more liberal (slightly) phase 2.
after 3 weeks, we each had lost 12 lbs. monday will be 6 weeks. i haven't weighed in again. i don't own a scale. i know that if i go buy one, i'll become obsessed with the numbers.
i'm afraid that if i have a week of no loss or a gain... i'll buckle. i know this has got to be a life change.... so i avoid the scale. i'm curious, but... it'll wait a while longer and pop into the doc's office again.

why south beach? different diets for different people. like i said, this has to be a life change for me. it's not just about the weight loss. it's about the way my body processes sugar. i must learn which carbs my body can handle, and which it can't. if not, diabetes will find me i may just be delaying the inevitable... but in this case, a delay is good.

okay, now i'm nervous, because now people know about this and will hope for great things for me.
this is my hope:
see this ring?

isn't it beautiful? (filthy, but you get the picture) not my wedding ring. i got too fat for it. i want to wear the ring i said "i do" in again.

so there. now you know.

oh, and for some crafty content, a little felt bunny i made. i really want to imporve on my embroidery skills.

my first ever successful french knots. woohoo for me. which will, from this point forward, on this blog, be known as buns. for one, it looks like a cinnamon bun to me, and another... well, i have a colorful opinion of the politics of the french.

this is really cute, and fun.... ummmm, but quite useless. it's only about 2 1/2" tall and just barely puffy...any ideas?

thrifty goodness

2006-07-26T06:27:00.000-07:00

so with all the re-decorating going on in the house, i've been out shopping. hitting up all the different thrift stores, garage sales and alleys in town. thought i'd show you all some things i've found. not all at once. just starting it today, is all.

cute cute brass? bunny - this sucker is heavy! she sits in the window seal in my kitchen. about 4"tall X 4"nose to tail and 3"wide. 57cents - is that a deal, or what!?!

fun, little copper rooster pan type thingy. although, i'm pretty sure this one is made for decoration and not actual use. 27cents. it's on the side of a cabinet in my kitchen. what is it about roosters that makes them so charming? i love them.

isn't this a cute little stool? i saw this on someone's porch and stopped to see if they'd sell it. yay! so, for $7, my daughter has a cutie tootie chair for her vanity

i've still made no decisions on decoration style/color for my craft room. i'm over-thinking it. i think.it needs to somehow tie in with the kitchen, which has not been decided yet. oh, what a pain in the booty.

i'll be going to the fabric store soon with my decorator -yes, i'm that pathetic. i can't do it on my own - ya know, this is one of those things -- you've either got it, or you don't. i don't. i'm about as crafty as it gets, but i couldn't place a lamp in the right place to save my life-or anyone else's. so if there's a looney with a red button out there and a room in desperation, let's all hope he finds nate and not me. pam (the decorator) is going to help me pick fabrics for the sofa slipcover. i'm working on a 'pattern' for that right now. i've got 2 cushions down. perfect fit. like a glove, i tell ya :D

sew?

2006-07-18T07:37:00.000-07:00

well, i did it again. joined another blog group:

every 6 weeks we are given a new 'subject' to sew. last was bags.. i missed that one. boohoo.now is tops. so i am making this for my daughter.

i'll be using the peach fabric under the pattern. i also was thinking of making one with this fabric:

i have SOOOO much fabric. i really need to start doing something with it other than itty bitty stuffies. so i thought this might give me just the push i needed.

i have 2 sewing machines and a serger. the singer was my grandmothers. and the babylock was a gift to me from my parents. i love them both. right now, i keep having problems with the tension on the singer. so i am using my babylock. i need to get the singer to the shop. but it's going to have to wait for another day. i've got so much going on with fixing up and buying new things for the new decoration style of the house, i haven't pennies to spare.. at least not while the other machine is still working. sooooo, you'll soon start to see more of my many sewing adventures here as well. a girl can never have too many crafts. too many going at one time, yes. but the ability, no. and so far... i've yet to be able to control my startitus. i'm really trying, though. and to prove that - check this out:

do you remember this purse?

i think i crocheted this around valentine's day 2005. finally, i've sewn a lining for it. woohoo for me. now, i haven't sewn it in.... but it at least exists now :D
more of these finish or frog items to come :D

summer showers

2006-07-15T13:33:00.000-07:00

102 degrees, the sun is shining and big fat raindrops are falling from the sky.

ummmm, i'm telling

2006-07-06T14:03:00.000-07:00

ummmm, i'm telling
okay, moms, tell the truth: sometimes, when you hear that, don't you want to hide? it's never ever because they are coming to tell something fabulous a sibling did.

this morning, i heard one of the funniest things ever coming from the living room:
Crash! and then, the sound of parts rolling around... i could tell it wasn't good by the immediate silence that followed. then X says to his younger brother "you'd better go tell on yourself"

so funny. i almost had a hard time putting on the "what'd you do?" face when he showed up in the doorway of my craftroom.

turns out, he just dropped the mouse and the batteries fell out. no biggee... but the siblings were all scared for him, you could see it in their eyes. which brings me to something else....
why? what exactly did they think i was going to do to him had it been broken? one of them did something odd the other day, too. we were at a store and someone was misbehaving (don't remember which-although i'm pretty sure it was X) so i reached over to grab an arm to pull him close to me, and the child flinched and covered like i was going to just beat the life out of him. wtf? yes, they've had spankings (on their little booties), but i've never reached out and knock 'em around. anyway, that was something that really bothered me and has been on my mind. (please, do not start the debate that spanking is hitting - wasn't my point)

and speaking of getting into trouble....take a look at this guy:

he knows he's not allowed on the trampoline, and yet he does it anyway!! grrrr

okay, fiber fun :D
tonight i have a martini party to go to, soooo.... a little something i made for the hostess.

she is a quilter, so i thought a really deep pincushion would be a ideal.
it is actually a tealight candle holder.... i glued a layer of wool to the inside and then needle felted the big bulb to that. not at all an original idea - i totally stole it from little birds - the one she made is beautiful! check it out

i've never had a martini before... i'm an amaretto kinda gal. are they good?

good times

2006-07-05T08:55:00.000-07:00

i hope you all had as much fun on your 4th of July holiday as we did!
there was:
crafting

E, working on a plastic canvas needlepoint picture. and i cast on and finished the bottom of another sophie, this one is turqoise, for my dtr.
gaming

friendly game of checkers between Pop (my dad) and J
food
somehow, i managed to not get pictures of anyone eating, or even the lovely decorated table... hmmm. guess i was too busy stuffing my face ;-P
there were hotdogs, burgers, hotlinks, baked beans and all the fixins'. and then, oh yes, homemade ice cream mmmmm, and my favorite flavor - peanut butter!
confetti poppers

actual fireworks are banned within city limits, so aunt chelle brought kid-friendly confetti poppers :D
more gaming

what is a summer get-together without croquet? dead last. that was me.
fireworks

they were loud and sparkly. this was the first year that i didn't have a kidlet terrified! it was fun to watch and not have to console a crying little one :D
because of my baddass 4X4 suburban, we had front row seating! after the show and there were literally, thousands of vehicles trying to get home, hubby threw it back into 4wheel drive and went "the back way" bouncity-bounce, up some questionable hills and we drove somewhat sideways on a pretty steep incline there for a while. my poor mom. she just knew we were gonna flip. shhhh, i think my dad had more fun than willing to admit :D
(didn't i do good on this photo? wooo- go me!)

the only thing missing was sissy and sherry

happy 4th and some sky

2006-07-04T09:06:00.000-07:00

Happy 4th of July!

stay safe and enjoy the fireworks

i missed out on posting my saturday sky,

but i did take photos. here is the sky above Texas this past saturday:

magic yarn ball

2006-06-30T12:18:00.000-07:00

woohoo! mine came!
i'm so happy :D
it's so PINK! i love it

fun little bucket - which was perfect... i kept my ball in it and let it roll around inside the bucket as i worked and my little goodies began to spill out:
flower brooch, anklet, yarn pin, buttons, charm, and the cutest little elephant tape measure ever!

(the first picture are the actual colors)
the yarn was cascade 220 - perfect for a sophie bag!

i have been wanting to make this pattern for a long time - i finally had the perfect excuse - i needed to knit up my ball to retrieve my prizes!! woohoo
although, the handles (i-cord) pissed me off so i decided a chocolate colored set of handles i had would be perfect. it only needed one - and the brooch is PERFECT on this bag!!!

i'm so happy!
i also picked up 2 shades of chocolate fabric to line the bag and make a wallet (you didn't think i was going to let that handle yarn go to waste, did you?)!
woohoo - go me!! no pictures yet, as the wool portion of the wallet is currently in the machine being felted :D

the charm which i'm sure she made is soo cute - i love it.... very very very ME!

i'm going to be shipping it off to my jeweler for a fabulous ribbon choker and see if she can match the beautiful stones for a sassy pair of earrings! woohoo! i'm so in love with my package :D

THANK YOU, ERIN!

i hope my person feels the same way about hers:

inspired to create

2006-06-27T09:20:00.000-07:00

X, drew a picture of a 2 cats. aren't they great!?!

i couldn't help myself:

detail of the different textured fabrics i used.

i know i didn't add a neck like the picture...i actually made one, it just didn't look right and was too floppy. so i took it off.
he seems to like his new kitty and is quite pleased that mommy made it from his very own drawing. mom of the year. that's me :D

reconstruction

2006-06-26T06:54:00.000-07:00

i have no before and after of this, but it's pretty simple. the top of the skirt was a pair of jeans that my daughter grew too tall for. they still fit around the waist and had cute booty pockets, soooo i took some of hubby's-or maybe some of my sons' (i don't remember) jeans with holes and cut flares .

i sewed it inside-out to leave the seams exposed for a fun frayed look. new skirt from worn-out, out-grown clothes. woohoo :D

summer dress i found this dress at thrift for my daughter for something like 60cents. the dress is well, rancid. but the fabric is rad.
hideous with great potential:

sweetness:

i took off the sleeves and ruffles... wow, that makes it sound super simple. it was actually a pain in the butt. do i at least get a pat on the back for recognizing it's inner dress? :D

do you remember grease2? remember the song reproduction? read the title of this post again... there ya go. singing it now? i just didn't want to be the only one with this stuck in their head all day long :D
yes, i am completely evil.

night sky

2006-06-24T20:55:00.000-07:00

sandy has started

it is 10:55 at night here. i know, i should be in bed, but i'm blog reading... anywho-
here is the sky above me tonight.

black as it comes. covered in clouds with not a moon or stars to be seen.

join in the fun next week, won't you?

birth day

2006-06-23T06:21:00.000-07:00

here is a little lamb i made.

i'm not real sure what to think of it. doesn't it look like a lamb on the day it is born? long, wobbly legs.... thin little body. what do you think of it?

detail of the fabric:

oh, and there is one little spot that isn't all that great. vintage fabric + tight stuffing did not work too well in this spot where 4 pieces joined:

i had to do some hand-stitching to give it more strength in this spot and then that started to separate, so... some ugly stitching that is holding. i also added some frayck to help in the unraveling..... let's hope.
oh, and i don't have a chocolate colored pearl cotton right now - which is why little lamb has no face. she will soon.
this is by far the most bizarre pattern i have ever followed. all these different pieces that, in the end, i decided are completely unnecessary. each leg is made of 4 pieces! crazy! and the ears... they just aren't right. i'm guessing it is because i used cotton fabric and not that faux animal fur stuff called for. so they aren't heavy enough to hang. they poke out. which makes them look like bat ears to me.

i'm going to bust out the iron and see if that helps... maybe some detail/hand stitching will help? i'll just say she's a one-of-a-kind (because i seriously doubt i'll be making another- unless by request for cash - hey, they say everything has a price, right?)

i've been considering of an etsy shop......what do you think?

cleaning up and out

2006-06-20T07:00:00.000-07:00

finish or frog has been my motto for the last several days. i've desperately needed it. just too much going on. too much clogging my mind.
have you ever reached a point of having so much that needs to be done, you do nothing?
that's where i've been for a while. i mean, i've kinda done things, but only things that can be absolutely completed in an evening or 2. i just haven't had the mental energy to take on all of my "to do's". but i finally decided this is counter-productive and started frogging what isn't finished that i look at and am either unhappy with or have "work" to do on it that i don't think i'll ever do.

these 2 items have met their end, by way of the frog pond.
multi directional scarf

i like it and all..... and i had great fun and learned a bit while making it... but i just don't think it is something i will ever truly wear. besides, won't this yarn make a beautiful sophie!?!

kate

poor kate. there is just something not right about this doll. the pattern is great - i just did something wrong, somewhere. i love it and will attempt it again at another time. but i just know myself and know that going through and trying to find my mistake would be "work" and i won't do it. i'm much better off frogging and starting fresh.

i have such massive amounts of fabric and yarn! i'm really wanting to try and use what i've got. i know there is an official group for this out in blogland somewhere. i haven't joined, just blatantly plagairizing a really good idea.
seriously, it's just plain silly that i have all this excess lying around. ya know those really big rubbermaid tubs for storage? ya know the ones even bigger? yeah, those. i have 5 of just fabric and 4 of yarn. ya'll, that's just crazy. and i'm not going to even tell you about the unspun fiber. well, i LIKE having a big stash of this. i like being able to choose to spin what suits my mood. the same goes for projects.... but really, a smaller stash would fill this need just fine.

only one?

2006-06-16T06:26:00.000-07:00

okay, because i have been a bad blogger (reading, but not posting) i'm doing this today, as it seems to be the post to have for the day in blogland (as i'm going through my blogroll, i've seen this 7 times just this morning!):

Please leave a one-word comment that you think best describes me--it can only be one word long. Then copy and paste this into your blog so I may leave a comment about you.

this leaves it wide open, doesn't it? yikes....

it's WWKIP day!

2006-06-10T09:13:00.000-07:00

are you kiping?
knitting in public, that is!

today's the day! get out there and show us your pics :D

yup, i'm at a bar. i kinda cheated on kip day. i knew i wouldn't be out and about today, so i took it with me to the ian moore jam last night. more on that tomorrow.

weird kids?

2006-06-09T07:31:00.000-07:00

are my kids weird?

so, trying to keep the kidlets happy and entertained and such during the summer break means having friends come over occasionally.

it has just been the most bizarre thing. every one of the little boys my oldest has had over (8-9 yrs old) has not wanted to 'play'. they want to watch tv, play the nintendo or computer or gameboy.... most of them have been happy with the trampoline, but that's it. no cars, cops-n-robbers, sword fights or anything.
are my kids too sheltered? do children not play 'pretend' anymore?
my son is sooo sad about this. he keeps asking why his friends are "bored". it's breaking my heart.
so, here's my fear (because i'm the mom and it's a mom's job to assume all responsibility for everything in her kids' lives *sigh):
is this my fault? am i causing my 8 (very soon to be 9 year old) to be too immature? has my rule of only 1 hour (plus sometimes a movie) in front of the tv been the cause?
i just don't know what to think of this.

i'm excited that today has finally come. hubby and i have been planning a night out for a month. and it's tonight! ian moore is going to be in town playing at a local bar type place. it's a dive really. but a niceish one. he's played there before. we go everytime. i absolutely love ian moore. if you haven't heard his music - you should. he's from austin and plays an awesome guitar. i think he is supposed to play acoustic tonight. tonight will be our 5th or 6th time to see him. i'm tellin' ya, he's great. check out his schedule... if he's coming to a town near you, GO!
anyhow, so my mom and dad are going to watch the kiddos for us. we're dropping them off after dinner and they will be staying the night. woohoo.
my little sister has a second job at Avenue. she picked me up this really fun pair of sassy jeans yesterday. i'm gonna wear 'em out tonight with some silver heeled flip flops. haven't decided on a top yet. most likely i'll go with black (cause i always do).
ya wanna know why sis has a second job? especially when her main one is as a kick-ass surgical assistant? because. she's a good wife. her hubby wants to go to cop school. sooooo, she's pulling in a little extra income to have in the bank for when he does. because the school is a full-time thing. 8 hours a day with no pay. we're all hoping he gets accepted into this coming october's academy.

okay okay, crafty: well, i really didn't do all that much yesterday. i really spent all my time working on the house and such. i guess that could be kinda crafty. kinda? painting and what-not.
oh, that purse that i thought was 'this' close to being done. nope. i'm a dork. i forgot i had a big fat ruffle to do for it. so.... that's on my needle right now. i've also got a blanket in the works with my crochet. but it's a Christmas gift for someone who peeks in every now and again, so no pictures on that until it's gifted.

i almost forgot, i promised faerycrafty i'd put of a pic of my josh:

she has a brand new dane puppy, hunter. you must go see the pics of her adorable pup!

oh, one last thing and i'll quite boring you to death.
does anyone know of a good book that will help me learn some more of this computer stuff?
what i'm wanting is to be able to do my blog on my own, without blogger--- because, well, i don't know if you've noticed, but they kinda suck. they have been down for like 2 days! i was supposed to move over to wordpress and then got all nervous about losing archives and such....
sooo, i'm looking for a book. help?

stuffed bunny

2006-06-05T19:09:00.000-07:00

looky at this great little bunny i made last night!

her name is flora. i just love her.
isn't she sweet! the pattern/tutorial is HERE.

i've also been working on a knit handbag. no pictures yet. it's 'this' close to being finished - and will then need to be lined. and then i'll post pics :D
so far, my kiddo's boredometer (located to the right) still sits at just 1! woohoo for mom! i must be doing something right. it's been a solid week since they have been out of school. we've been crafty (mainly with paper/crayons and markers), we've cooked and played played played.
my dane jumped up and put his front paws on the net of the trampoline and made this hugondous hole! so, hopefully i will get it all patched up tomorrow. then the kiddos will be able to bounce themselves sick again --- and yes, i do mean this very literally. i'll spare you.

i sent out a bagillion packages that have been haning out in the back of my suburban for far, far, far too long. i hope they all begin to reach their destinations soon.

to ms. martini:

2006-05-31T14:44:00.000-07:00

i'm sorry. i'm sorry. i'm sorry.

i sent your box yesterday.

booty blues

2006-05-26T07:05:00.000-07:00

so far so good. yesterday was the kiddos first official day with no school. minimal fighting and no boredom! of course, my niece was here for the second half of the day, so i guess that's kinda cheating. it started raining yesterday evening and still is. well... not actual rain - just random drops. just enough to keep everything wet, chilly, and muddy outside. so it'll be an indoor day for us. at what point do kids realize that sound travels? they are so funny. they are playing "hide and seek". the youngest is in a cabinet in the kitchen and keeps opening and shutting the door to peek out. silly boy.

all 4 kidlets have an eye doctor check up today. so that will take up some time. not that i'm really looking forward to keeping them all entertained while we wait. ugh! i've got to get some snack crackers made up and paper and pencils gathered, maybe a hotwheel or 2, a book or 3...

remember that sweet little sock teddyi made? well, she never made it to her new home. it was in the back of the suburban awaiting my trip to the post office.
just look at what my 5 year old did!

grrrrrr.
i guess what i'm going to do is see if i can get a piece of felt to fit the booty space and stitch it on. unless you have a better idea?

warm wishes

2006-05-26T06:57:00.000-07:00

a very good friend of the family is moving into her own place for the first time. she is decorating in a spanish mission kind of style. i made her this:

after i finished needle felthing her, i decided she needed more and freehand beaded this swirly design on.
i hope she likes my little creation.

the kiddos are out of school for the summer. i'm very glad to have them home. i'm also very nervous that this is going to be a long, hot one. this will be the summer i lose my sanity, i'm pretty sure. i wonder how many times i'm going to hear "i'm bored" a day. hmmmm, maybe i should count.

charity: a good thing

2006-05-22T18:23:00.000-07:00

every year in my town there is a day of celebration for our puppies. it is Muttfest and is put on by the SPCA. i donated a collar and leash i crocheted. it was for a silent auction. i don't know how it ended up doing because we had to leave the celebration a bit early. my dane started to get a bit snippy at some of the other dogs. he got really tired of every person in the park coming over to pet him. remember, he's deaf. so when people (and dogs) came up to him without warning or asking it well... just all got to be too much.
please, ya'll teach your kids (and yourself) to ask an owner before petting their dog. grrrr. this just makes me nuts! what in the world is going on inside these people's heads? he's 220 pounds for crying out loud! i mean, i know he's a gentle beast... but they don't!
okay, stepping off my box...
pictures:

just look at my sally! isn't she sweet!?! perfect model

psssst.... did you notice my little tag on the first pic? woohoo! ed for ewedevil. clever, eh? there is a little red heart on the flipside. :D more on this later.

oh, and. he (josh, my dane) made the front page! a photographer from the local paper took some pictures of him and used one as the photo for the coverage of the event. pretty funny.

i loosely followed the pattern on CrochetMe. there is not a pattern for the collar, i just made it to match. i stole the hardware from some old worn out leashes/collars/belts we had around the house. i used and E hook and nylon string fround in the hardware department at walmart.

my daughter's surgery went as smooth as can be. she went in at 9am and was home resting on the couch by 12:30. crazy, huh!?! she was given a prescription of tylenol3, but she hasn't needed it. i've only had to give her regular kid's tylenol twice. she is doing just fabulous.

pincushion challenge

2006-05-08T15:25:00.000-07:00

Booga J has started a fun challenge!
making pincushions :D

the month of May is fruit

my contribution:

pretty cute, heh?
it's needle felted with the 'seeds'embroidered on with red dmc floss. the stem is a bit of teal/purple i spun a while back. i gave it to a lady who helped me in a pinch the other day - vic and i were on a field trip with my girl. after the nature reserve, we went to a restaurant that DOH didn't take checks. i never carry cash so she picked up lunch for my little guy.

my kiddos do not have school today (using up their final snow day). there are only 4 days of school left. they are about to just come unglued waiting for summer.
i'm ready... i think :P

also, be thinking of my babygirl tomorrow (tuesday). last year she broke her arm good and needed some screws, a plate and rods. tomorrow, they have to be removed. it's just a 'day surgery' so they are expecting her to be out of the hospital by late afternoon. but i'm still nervous.... that's the mom's job, right?

getting crafty

2006-05-07T12:11:00.000-07:00

May project spectrum: Green
does painting the walls of my hall count?
i'll post a picture later.

a friend of the family has turned 8. i made this litle teddy bear for her as a gift.

you think she'll like it?

materials:
2 socks, 1 sheet felt, 2 buttons, embroidery thread, and polyfill.
time:
ummm, kinda hard to say, i guess 3 hours. it is completely hand stitched.

oh! i've got something green to share.

HELP! what would you do?

2006-05-07T08:58:00.000-07:00

i think i have told you that part of the reason for my hereandthere posting is because of remodeling/revamping going on at our home.
here is my biggest dilemma:
my craft room. it is 10X9. it has 3 fabulous windows that provide me with viewing of the backyard to keep an eye on the kiddos. 2 that face east and 1 south.

the north wall is complete cabinets, wall to wall, ceiling to floor - with a great counter for working:

this is the what the top looks like. the bottoms have just one board - so 2 shelves - both a nice big roomy size.
the west wall has the entry door into the craft room (from the kitchen)

here you can see the amount of space from the windows until the cabinets begin (not much) on the east wall.

if you had this room. how would you set it up?
my sewing machine will be in our study, so that's one thing i don't have to worry about. oh, and my hilary (spinning wheel) will most likely be in the living room)
all of my craftiness needs to fit into this room.
i sew (my fabric is stored in rubbermaid bins in the garage because there is NO way all of it will fit in the house) but i do need to keep my "supplies" in here.
i spin - i need to store my wool, niddynoddy, ball winder.....
i needlefelt - small amt of storage needed for needles and styrofoam
i bead
i knit and crochet - needles and hooks and all other notions need a home as well as yarn.
i'm learning to embroider - so i also need to store all my threads for this
i also do tons of scrapbooking, but this has it's own designated closet - so none of this is in this room- *whew!

and DON'T advise me to drop a craft. it's NOT going to happen. :P

oh, yeah, it looks all crazy in this pics, this is before the painting and ripping up the floor and taking down all the hidious wall paper.....
afters will come later.

HELP! what would you do?

frog porn

2006-05-04T18:20:00.000-07:00

(i'm scared to think what kind of lewd searchers landed here!)

so, i'm at the thrift store with my #4 (3 yrs old). i'm searching their craft supplies and he is digging in a box of beanie toys - we're happy. he shows me this itty frog that he's found and says "pwease" of course!
so as i'm loading him up in the suburban, i say to my innocent child, "can i see your froggy?" i look at it, telling him what a cool choice he's made. isn't this a cute little frog!?!

it's obviously something someone hand made, so i flipped it over to look at it's design ..... HOLY COW!
it's pornfrography!!

do you believe that!?!
so my precious, darling, little one says "it's got a flower". why, yes it does, and a rather large one at that!

what's a mom to do? i can't take it away from him now. and he does think it's just a flower. so i let him keep it. later that night, he came to me with a puffed out lip and said "froggy has a hole" "oh no! let me see it." ( tug tug tug) "it's a kinda big hole, buddy. i don't think i can fix it. but i can make you a new one!" so, with my handy seam ripper, the porn frog became a pattern. one hour later and a more kid-friendly - cheetah frog!

the boy was very happy with his new frog but did want to know why this one doesn't have a flower.

Allegiance

2006-05-01T16:11:00.000-07:00

I pledge allegiance to the flag

of the United States of America

and to the Republic for which it stands,

one nation under God, indivisible,

with Liberty and Justice for all.

painting and puffy puppy

2006-04-28T16:41:00.000-07:00

my posts have been too far apart. i know.
behind the scenes there is much going on. not much that is crafty, but i've been a very busy little girl. we are completely re-vamping our home. we have painted EVERY room in the house, including ceilings and i have all the trim-work to go. i did go through the house and take pictures of every room "before". i haven't taken any "after" yet, because i wanted to wait until the door/window trims, baseboards and crown mouldings are painted. the difference is amazing.

i've been attracted to sewing stuff lately. weird. i haven't had the slightest desire to get out my machine in about 4 years and now... i can't wait to get my craft room back together so that i can set it up. soon.

look at my sad, sad puppy.

something bit him and he had an allergic reaction. poor thing. are you ready for this - you're gonna crack up. the vet prescribed Claritin for him! it knocked him out cold. my poor Josh fell asleep and didn't move for almost 4 hours! it really scared me. hubby is at work, all the kiddos are home (no school today) and here i am freaked out that the dog is in need of going to the vet's office.... my thoughts are how in the world am i going to get this 220 pound dog in the suburban!?!

he's doing much better now. the swelling is about half what it was this morning and he ate.
poor baby.

blurb!

2006-04-18T20:13:00.000-07:00

OMG! i got a blurb :D :D

if you are not yet reading Whip-Up, you are seriously missing out.

*giggle* they called me a "bi-processor of yarn". i accept.
take yourself over there right now - and don't forget to read this entry

i'm all smiles. thanks, regina!

Bb

2006-03-28T06:43:00.000-08:00

the letter Bb in Amarillo ...

ya hungry? i mean REALLY hungry?

the Big Texan, home of the FREE 72oz steak. if you can finish it all in under an hour. and they mean all, salad, baked potato, dinner roll and 72oz-(the rules)-let me do the math for you - that's 4 1/2 pounds of beef. folks, that's a LOT of food! if you fail, you just bought yourself a $200.00 meal.
the offer began back in 1960. since that time, 37,000 people have tried to consume this monstrous meal, with only 6,200 succeeding.
if you opt for a meal from the menu, don't forget the appetizers: diamondback rattler (that's rattlesnake for you non-Texans) or mountain oysters -ummm, delicately named calf-fries --ummm, delicately named cow balls.

Amarillo also can boast about our very own, Botanical Gardens.

beautiful.

a frequent flyer of the Amarillo skies:
the Osprey

Bell Helicopter is one of the major employer in town. Amarillo is the primary site for system design and development, integration, assembly and delivery of production military aircraft. (okay, so i cheated and took this off their site, all i know to tell ya is that they make the Osprey for the military here.)

sorry for the huge gap between entries, my laptop died. dead. being able to wrestle the desktop away from my children and hubby is not an easy task, add to this that the computer is hooked up to the one and only television in our home and well, my time is limited.

2006-03-13T12:58:00.000-08:00

A is for...

Amarillo (again)

Yes, I've done it once before, but decided I didn't do it as well as I would have liked... so - Take Two:

Amarillo, Texas - my hometown.

Population: 182,462 (and steadily growing)

With a city slogan of ... Amarillo, a great place to live

Okay, so it's a little corny, but it truly is a nice place to be. A good sized city with a small town feel. A very eclectic town, that's for sure. From cowboys (the real ones and drugstore) to the elite and goth and everything in between, this place has it all. Over this coming year, following the ABC Along, you'll learn quite a bit about this town I call home.

The summers are hot and the winters cold, autumn is brisk and spring wet (well, sorta). March/April and May are littered with great thunderstorms and tornadoes. June/July/August and into September are HOT - frequently reaching temperatures above 100*. There is virtually no humidity here and the wind never stops blowing... ya know that blast of heat you feel when you open a hot oven? Yeah, it's like that. The autumn is great with a show of color on minimal trees (the Texas Panhandle is, well... flat) and the constant breeze turns cool. In the winter - snow. Yes, it's snows in Texas. Not usually all winter, but for a few weeks, we usually get dumped on pretty good.

My kiddos love it here. There are lots of things for them to participate in and their entire family ('cept aunt sissy and auntie sherry) are here. Family functions are frequent and they have a huge cheering section at all their soccer/karate/school and every other activities.

A is also for Astronaut. Amarillo's International Airport was renamed in rememberence of Rick Husband, an Astronaut who was from here. Rick Husband was the captain of the Space Shuttle Columbia. All 7 of her crew perished upon re-entry on Feb 1, 2003

Amarillo College - Change your tomorrow, Enroll today!

I hope I have intrigued you and that you've enjoyed this little bit. Remember, I have the rest of the alphabet to go ... all about Amarillo.

more red

2006-03-05T19:10:00.000-08:00

staying within color scheme, my work of late:

the lovely LadyLinoleum has a casting call for "tomatoes from the edge". Mikail Mato (made of 100% handspun -by me) is my contribution:

the ever handsome Dude has made a request for 12" squares. He is involved in a wonderful charity: Heartmade Blessings. this is the square i put in the mail on saturday:

after hearing about the fingerless mitts i made my grandpa, my mom asked for a pair. her office is a bit chilly and having had surgery for cts, the warmth on her wrists while she types all day is a good thing. and for my mom to actually request one of my crafty things... i jumped right on it. i'm using a ww lion brand wool ease, red with multicolored speckles. she requested no thumb and i wanted to make it a little more girly - so i chose a cabled pattern. here is the first one:

a quick funny on 2 of my kiddos. i swear on a flock of sheep these are exact words!
i've told you before how my 3 year old loves feeding frenzy. so he sits, obsessed with enlarging his little fishy by consuming the smaller ones. with his older sister by his side with words of encouragement, "i believe in you, baby vic, i know you can do it" - how could he not? and then at last a ppbbbbbllliiiiing, from the computer, my boy raises his hands in triumph and yells "dreams do come true!" that's right friends, he passed a level he's been on for a while now :D

could you, would you, on a train?

2006-03-02T11:22:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday, Dr. Seuss!

shall we celebrate with cake and ice cream? absolutely not! only one way to properly salute this great author of amazing children's books ---

Say!
I like green eggs and ham!
I do! I like them, Sam-I-am!
(yes, this really was our breakfast this morning)

a great website for the young ones to play on: www.Seussville.com

hope you have a terrific day.... read a Dr. Seuss book to a child today (if you don't have one, borrow a kid from the neighbor), pass on the love of the Sneetches.

at the RED-y

2006-03-01T15:53:00.000-08:00

yes, it's true, i can't resist a fun a-long

"The idea of Project Spectrum is simply a celebration of the colors around us, and taking the time to notice them. Each month over a six month span will be devoted to a color group - participants can knit, dye, crochet, weave, spin, stitch, paint, scrapbook, sew, quilt, cook, grow, photograph, bake, or bead items in that color group (of course all arts and crafts not mentioned here also count!). "

the game plan:
March - Red and Pink
April - Orange and Yellow
May - Green
June - Blue
July - Violet / Purple
August - Neutrals / Black & White

my plan:
March - Red and Pink - arm warmers for my mom in red and kick it boots in pink for me and finish a hot pink necklace for my sis sherry (who has an interesting post on mardi gras up today), that is in the weaving in stage that sucks so bad
April - Orange and Yellow - undecided, although i have this really really great bulky wool rug yarn in bright orange that i desperately want to make a felted backpack for my daughter but have yet to find a pattern-suggestions?
May - Green - undecided (possibly something for my bil who is an A's fan)
June - Blue - Christmas blanket for my dad
July - Violet / Purple - Christmas blanket for my sister, chelle
August - Neutrals / Black & White - undecided

watch for the new button and progress on the side bar ---->

so this will be fun to see explode all over blogland. what are you going to make for march?

in other news:

my gold

golden gloves

2006-02-26T18:05:00.000-08:00

woohoo woohoo woohoo!

my men's fingerless mitts for my grandpa are done!

i'll get a picture of him in them soon. short and sweet tonight..just wanted to get this posted while i watch the closing ceremonies.

cough cough cough

2006-02-21T07:43:00.000-08:00

pardon me, i'm so sorry, will you hand me that lung over there?
sick sick sick - that's me. but, the fever and body aches are gone... just this cough remains.

so today will be a house cleaning day for me. at least hubby has been keeping up with the dishes, so that is nice. everything else - oy! you know it's bad when you actually plan a point of attack.

i can tell the family is ~~sick of me being sick~~ feels very sorry for mommy. i got a gift -

oh.my.gosh. there is not one single pattern in this book that i do not want to make!! i LOVE it!! oooooo, i have great plans for a few Christmas gifts coming from this book. i think i have looked beginning to end in this book 20 times! you know one thing that i really enjoyed? they show some of the patterns in multiple color schemes. not sure why, but i really find that enjoyable in a pattern book....*sigh. this one makes me happy.

i'm about 1/3 of the way through my second men's fingerless mitt for grandpa. the only problem with this is that i have ~~hopelessly lost~~ temporarily misplaced the completed one to measure this one by to make sure they are exactly the same... i'm crossing my fingers that it will make itself known as the house begins to show it's floor again. until it is found, i'm at a waiting point on the second mitt.

i'm also stuck on the sock that i've been working on.... why? because the book is ~~hopelessly lost~~ temporarily misplaced...i'm crossing my fingers that it will make itself known as the house begins to show it's floor again. until it is found, i'm at a waiting point....... deja vu?

yeah yeah yeah, i know... i still owe you a new A, a B, a C and a D now..... i will get there. i will! seriously..... i will

1/2 way!

2006-02-15T08:47:00.000-08:00

i'm 1/2 way to the finish line!! i've completed (all but sewing in the ends) one fingerless mitt for my grandpa! i'm so excited - not because i'm 1/2 way there, but because it actuallly LOOKS like a mitten!! wooohooo for me! it's in a ww grey wool ease. warmth and easy care... he's a smoker -blech-, so i wanted something that could get tossed in the washer and dryer with no problems. the picture isn't that great, they look kinda funny because they are too big for me, they look much better on hubby.

speaking of wool ease, my friend lenise has asked the question whether or not to use wool ease for socks... pop on over and give her your opinion/experiences with wool ease socks.

for the last 2 days, i've been tending to sickies. strep found it's way into my house - UGH! so far, my oldest hasn't gotten it since his tonsils were removed (last summer) YAY! my daughter was really bummed that she had to miss the Valentine's Day party at school. poor baby girl. hmmm, what else.... OH!

i got another package from my winter wool swap partner! Deneen, you are too sweet!!
she made this great fulled bag and gifted it to me :) i think the coolest thing about this bag is the colors... i don't have a 'cool' colored bag... and now i really need one because last thursday, on my way to our MOPS meeting, i spilled coffee all over my shirt and ran into a store and bought this really great olivey-lime colored tee that is a total match to this bag!!! and she also sent a hank of wool of the andes that i think she dyed herself... i LOVE this yarn!!! ya know what it will become??? Sophie! i've been wanting to make this for myself since before i could knit--- now i can!!!! THANK YOU!

(the colors are actually much brighter in person)

also... see those feet? remind you of anyone else's little boys? LOL

oh, and yes, i know how behind i am on the ABC-along... i'll catch up. hubby and i were doing some research around town for the upcoming letters and decided i didn't do "A" proper justice. watch for a re-post tomorrow :)

one more final little note.... why can't my mother just keep me informed of her health and dr. appts!?! i'm an adult now. i can handle this stuff and i'd appreciate not being left in the dark. grrr.. she just disappears from radar and makes us (my sisters and i) all freaked out 'cause no one knows where she is... turn on your damn cell phone!!.... okay, sorry 'bout that :) breathe.

2006-02-11T12:27:00.000-08:00

and we're off! so the torch was lit and the casting on begun.... even mine.
although, my project is nothing of olympic proportions. originally, my intent was to make this:

it's Teresa, in Junior Knits, by Debbie Bliss.

but, after talking with my grandpa the other day, i have changed my mind. he commented to me on how his hands are always cold and that he didn't want to wear gloves, because then he couldn't 'do anything'. soooo, i have decided my next project will be: men's fingerless mitts for my grandpa.

i considered working on them both, but i really want to get these to my grandpa as soon as possible.... and i'm no speed-knitter. you know that because i am still working on my daughter's legwarmer (notice-no S, still working on the first one *sigh).

also, the sock... i'm about 1/2" from starting the toe decrease.
i just have too too too much going on.
i'm almost done with the spinning for elizabeth and the winter wool swap. and (yes, there is still more that is in the 'current' WIP list - you do not want to see the whole list-- it's too scary to think about) i'm still working on some crochet things for crochetme.

so that's that- all my fiber stuff... so now about my real world. my house is crazy today. my parents took a mini-vacation. i agreed to watch their furbabies. all 3 of them! it's nuts. all together, they might weigh 10 pounds. 5 month old schauzer, mini-dauschund, and a 1/2 mini-dasch 1/2 chihuahua, combine these little guys with my great dane and australian shepard, add in my 2 cats, and don't forget my 4 kids. total chaos! oh, and i don't want to leave out the fact that my mother's doggies have never seen cats before - there's been some curious sniffin' followed by some get off me slappin' and then some confused whimperin'. wish me luck - 2 more days of this insanity.

yes, i mean that literally, drop a line and wish me luck or say hello or something..... i'm missing everyone's comments.

little secret

2006-02-06T08:01:00.000-08:00

i've been keeping something from you

are you too proud? i am! i want so badly to get my kick it boots done... but the fear of the dpn's was holding me back. so i jumped in and am working on a sock! woohoo! i've got to check the gauge of the yarn i chose and then i can get my shoes started :D

i'm still going on the legwarmer... oh my oh my these are taking forever! i've also been crocheting some super secret stuff for crochet me and still spinning for the Winter Wool swap - but i will finish the spinning tonight so that i can get it in the mail and not be late.... oooo, i hope elizabeth likes what i've made for her!

if i could only express to you the level of frustration i am having right now.... why why why in the hell does ridiculous shit have to go and get all fucked up and ruin shit? what am i talking about? i'm sitting here doing my little post and i like for all my links to be red... why why wont the link for elizabeth turn red?!? i did it exactly the same damn way i did all the others!!! GRRRRR

i'll get some pictures for the letter B today and have those for tomorrow.

okay, i'm done with this today. the battery must be running low on my keyboard, because it is skipping some letters... and i just can't look at that blue link any more.

ETA:
i almost forgot, Sandy, this is for you:
out my front door and back

(clickable)

A is for....

2006-01-25T09:28:00.000-08:00

you may have noticed (on my newly updated sidebar) that i have decided to join the ABC Along! i think it will be fun. i'm a little behind, but i'll catch up.
i've decided to do the entire alphabet in theme. all about the town where i live. hope you enjoy :)

Amarillo!

i've lived here and very near here for pretty much my entire life. there was a period of 5 years that we were away for my husband to attend Texas A&M University. other than that...this is it. there are a lot of great things about living here. it's a nice place to raise kids. especially for my husband and i. both of our families are here (for the most part). my kiddos get to see their grandparents any time they like. they are close with all of their aunts and cousins. they have tons of 3rd and 4th cousins - i think that's what they are.... kids of hubby's cousins and some of them even have kids. so when there are family gatherings on hubby's side of the family... to say there are 30 people under the age of 12 would not be exaggerating! they love it! then, on the other hand.. in my family, my kids are the only ones. everyone is completely ga-ga for them. they love it! they've got it made either way you look at it. back to A.... i'm not really going to post any more about amarillo, because i have B-Z to tell you all about it!

Astronaut!

Rick Husband

all fixed (sorta)

2006-01-24T07:47:00.000-08:00

well, it seems that my troubles are all in my laptop. for whatever reason it has some cookie issues. so pictures and other things will have to be done from the other computer. which makes it a pain for me... but for you, my dear readers.... i'll deal :)

looky at this gorgeous wool! mmmmm. the decadence is in 'chocolate' and is absolutely delicious! positively the softest yarn i've ever held! i'm going to be getting more so that i can make myself a sweater from it. yum yum yum

there is also 2 hanks of laceweight shimmer in maple leaf. and a pattern for a lovely shawl to make with it!

and... and 2 skeins of sock wt in gardenia. i am SO happy to get this! i love love the colorway!

see. i already had some :) but only 1. and because we all know i am terrified of socks. i didn't know what to do with it... but now - i have 3!!!!!!

i'm making the cutest legwarmers to ever exist! they are (of course) for my daughter. who is, a girly girl and loves to wear skirts and dresses. and because (of course) i think she is the cutest girl to ever walk, i love to dress her sassy and fun. aren't these going to be a PERFECT addition to her wardrobe!?! i'm all a flutter about them and can't seem to put my needles down. although... these are S.L.O.W. going. 3k2p ribbing on sz 2 and then 3 then back to 2 needles. i just can't wait to get them done. i hope i do before winter is oficially over :P

soooo, talking about how long these are taking me... brings me to another thought - notice (on my newly updated sidebar) i've decided to join in on the knitting olympics. i had planned on making the theresa sweater (kinda ballet-looking, ruffle job) from the debbie bliss junior knits book for my daughter. but i just may be making the 2nd legwarmer :P (forgot to say, these are also from the junior knits) we'll see....
well, i gotta get, just got a phone call from the school that precious, beautiful, fabulous girl i was just speaking of barfed. that's the great thing about moms. they love ya even when you're barfing.

difficulties

2006-01-23T06:43:00.000-08:00

sorry i've been away for a while. i've been working on the behind the scenes stuff and trying to make my page look better.
has it changed for any of you?
see all the hard work i've done? i also took out some broken links and deleted some old swap stuff..... added some new swap stuff and cal/kal things.
i really really really want to tell you all about the wool i got for the winter wool swap... but i'm having some technical difficulties getting pictures up right now. hopefully i will get it worked out soon.
still haven't heard anything about biggest loser contest *sigh.......

lose big

2006-01-14T14:51:00.000-08:00

someone out in blogland asked the question "where do you do it?" although most everyone else answered this a week or more ago... i'm just getting to it.

i most often work in my suburban. you see, i have a bizarre little schedule. my youngest still must have a nap everyday. but he won't until around 1:45 or 2. well, the other three kiddos get out of school at 3. which totally ruins the boy's nap when i have to put him in the car to go. SO- what i do is load him up around 1:45 everyday, drive over to the school of my Xavier and Elizabeth. park under a tree (for shade).... i crochet/knit/spin (whatever i feel like that day) and he snoozes. when school is out, we drive across town to the other campus (where my oldest is). then drive home. arriving around 3:40, so my little one has had a nice 2 hour nap. see, i'm not crazy. a mom's gotta do what a mom's gotta do - naps are essential for 3 yr old little boys :)

OH.MY.GOSH. ya'll are not going to believe what i did. ready for this?
my town is doing a local version of "Biggest Loser". i applied. yes, i did.
i really really really really really really really really really hope they pick me. they are chosing 3 men and 3 women. the applications are due in by tomorrow. then they are going to do some interviews. i don't know the date they will be selecting the contestants. yes, there are prizes... but who cares! they are giving the 6 chosen a gym membership (with a personal trainer 3X/week), a "diet" from a local place---- woo hoo! what an opportunity!! keep your fingers crossed for me. i'll let you know when i do.
you should see the pictures i turned in with my app.... YIKES!
if i get chosen, i'll show you. if not, forget it

7!

2006-01-11T08:52:00.000-08:00

whew! how are you? i'm good, thank you.

so i told you a funny about the youngest. now, one on the girl.
she's 6 and in the first grade. in her school there is a color behavior chart. at the end of the day, you end on a color accordingly. they begin every day on green and move up to purple and then blue for good behavior, or down to yellow, orange, and red for being naughty. every day after school they (my 6 & 4 yr olds) climb in the suburban all excited telling me how they day went. on this day, Xavier was on blue and very excited about it. Elizabeth was only green. so she started to whine and complain about how she "never gets to move to blue!" so Xavier over and over is singing "i was on blue". Elizabeth turns to him with fire in her eyes "YOU. ARE. NOT. HELPING!" he he heee oh man, i laughed out loud!

well, had a conference at the school today with my oldest's teacher. egads. that was no fun. but i believe we got a lot worked out and have high hope that things will get better....
high apple pie in the sky hopes

thought i had escaped, but alas deneen tagged me:

the 7 meme

A. 7 things (i hope )to do before I die:
1. see my children become happy adults
2. travel all the state parks with my kids
3. go to Disney(world - land?...the one in florida)
4. go to Italy
5. finish writing my "supermom" book
6. be 100% fluent in spanish
7. get my durn blog page to look the way i want to
B. 7 things I can not do:
1. walk on my hands
2. anything without a list
3. drink tequila
4. speak greek
5. fly
6. be around flying insects (ick ick - yes, i scream like a little girl)
7. drive a motorcycle
C. 7 things that attract me to:
1. my husband: he loves me
2. my husband: he loves our children
3. my children: they are so damn cute
4. my children: they make me laugh
5. my children: they love me
6. my critters: they love me (is there a theme here?)
7. yarn: it brings out my crafty side
D. 7 things I say most often:
1. i love you
2. stop it! (to the kids and critters)
3. damn it!
4. hey honey....
5. rock on!
6. what happened here?
7. oy!
E. 7 books (or series or genres or topics) that I love: (does this include tv?)
1. The Vampire Chronicles (Ann Rice)
2. Parenting Books
3. tv - 24
4. tv - ER
5. tv - CSI
6. pc games - Halo-online
7. pattern books (sew, knit, crochet!)
F. 7 movies I watch over and over again (or would if I had the time)
1. Made In Heaven
2. Gone With the Wind
3. The Breakfast Club (oh, i'm dating myself!)
4. Justice League (every single episode over and over and over...ugh!)
5. Spinning I
6. Spinning II
7. pretty much any other kid movie on the planet
G. 7 people I want to join in:
1. Julie - i think she's the only one i can not remember having done this yet????
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

sing with me! (yes, it's still in my head)
High Hopes
Frank Sinatra
Writer(s): Cahn/Van Heusen
Next time you're found, with your chin on the ground
There's a lot to be learned, so look around
Just what makes that little old ant
Think he'll move that rubber tree plant?
Anyone knows an ant, can't
Move a rubber tree plant.
But he's got high hopes, he's got high hopes
He's got high apple pie, in the sky hopes
So any time you're gettin' low'stead of lettin' go
Just remember that ant.
Oops there goes another rubber tree plant
When troubles call, and your back's to the wall
There's a lot to be learned, that wall could fall.
Once there was a silly old ram
Thought he'd punch a hole in a dam.
No one could make that ram, scram.
He kept buttin' that dam'
Cause he had high hopes, he had high hopes
He had high apple pie, in the sky hopes
So any time you're feelin' bad'stead of feelin' sad
Just remember that ram.
Oops! there goes a billion kilowatt dam.
All problems are just a toy balloon
They'll be bursted soon.
They're just bound to go, "pop".
Oops! there goes another problem
kerplop

my funny boy!

2006-01-06T09:58:00.000-08:00

whew! i've been busy :)
a little spinning, crocheting, knitting, shopping.... oh how i enjoy my crafts.

before i begin with my fibery goodness. i have to tell you all a funny.

have you ever played the game feeding frenzy from yahoo? here's the gist: you are a little fish, there are smaller fish you eat and larger fish that will eat you... you grow and levels get harder and harder... it's fairly addicting. pc crack. my three year old is at the desk playing this game [yes, my 3 yr old knows how to play on the computer, work the camera, vcr and dvd]... so here he sits working the mouse; chomping and avoiding chomping and avoiding.... then, in a wicked little voice we hear "come here, my juicy little snack!" oh my gosh! it was SO STINKIN' FUNNY! oh, this boy!

some of the spinning is a secret...... shhhh
what do you think of this?

the color is pretty true, although you can't see the really great halo this yarn has. i don't remember what the fiber is or whether it is superwash or not... so.... i spun to a fingering weight and plan to attempt branching out again.... because noone wants to be a contribute-less member

the crocheting that i've done is without pictures. it's a blanket i started a while back that was supposed to have been a gift for my uncle for Christmas. didn't make it. bought him a really cool 'Abbey Rd' tee instead. i'll post a picture when i get a little further along with it. but the point is that i'm working on it! woohoo! go me!

i have one knit throw that is on a pair of 11 cables. it's mindless work. plain 'ol stockinette stich with a 2" garter stitch border. can't show you a pic of this either, as it is a gift for someone who passes through this way on occassion. i have 2 other projects on needles... i'll tell you tomorrow - i'm such a tease.

and as for the shopping, well, some of what i bought is a secret.
and some is not:
i LOVE this book!!

thank you debbie! i love you! seriously, every pattern in this book is phenomenal! it's all knit patterns for ages 3-10 --- and for someone who has 4 children within this range - the best pattern book EVER! and, there are really great patterns for my oldest son as well as my youngest son! i can not wait to finish up the purse i'm working on so i can cast on for one of these!!! do you see how good i'm being about finishing my projects!?! yay me!

also, i purchased my shoes for the along.

what do you think? see the heels!?! for a chic who's wore (literally) nothing but birkenstocks for the last 2 years - that's a big deal!
to go along with my resolution to take better care of myself, i hope to lose a little weight (read that about 75lbs). i'm thinking that once this starts to show, i'll want to dress a little funkier - so i'm getting started with this!

hmmm, what sounds good for lunch? i'm hungry. think we'll do a grilled cheese.

none broken

2006-01-03T14:53:00.000-08:00

(we won't talk about the coffee w/ cream or the coke i had today)
yay for me! so far so good on the resolutions :)
finished up this throw last night.

it is done with 3 strands tobacco colored chenille held together with a N hook. done in diagonal box stitch with just a plain ol dc mesh border. it's nice and warm. it was meant to be a wedding gift for a cousin and his bride... but that was a few months ago... in fact, they're expecting their 2nd child (yes, the 1st was before nuptuals)
and.....

i think i've showed you this before, but it was on the wheel... here it is all 'set'. it's about 11yards varying from lace to super bulky weight. any suggestions as to what i should do with it? yes, i have the supplies to spin more. so if you think of something that will require more.... i can do that.
i know there was more i inteded to tell you than this... but 3 of my 4 children are all begging to use the laptop. what's wrong with the 2 desktops in this house? who knows. so anyhow, i'm gettin' while the gettin's good.

2006!

2006-01-01T10:51:00.000-08:00

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

hubby and i rang in the new year with the kiddos. only the girl didn't make it. my 3 and 4 year old really surprised us and made it all the way to the ball drop. i knew my oldest would. he's too stubborn not to :)
speaking of... the boy asked me for a red and black hat. and well, because i am the coolest mom in the world (hey, this is MY blog!)... i did just that

the yarn is RH i had in stash. the pattern is tychus. the adjustments i made were: went down a needle size, knit 4 wedges instead of 5, used only 1 strand of yarn instead of 2. he's pleased. so am i.

ya wanna know what else i'm pleased about?
THIS:

i knit cables!!
want a close-up!?

the yarn is LB wool ease thick N quick in pumpkin (i think that's the color name). the pattern is cable knit purse. the adjustments i made were: i used sz15 needles instead of 13 because of my choice of yarn. it didn't even take a full skein! i'm so happy with it. yes, i know it's not completely done. but i'm going to have to buy handles because i don't have any in stash and couldn't wait to post about it :)

oh, and apparently i wasn't as good as i thought. santa did not bring koigu. :(

on to the resolutions for the new year:
1. read more (read period)
2. finish projects that have been started that i truly want to see finished and frog the rest!
3. spend more time learning (knitting techniques - spinning novelty)
4. design! (crochet)
5. take better care of my body

pretty reasonable list, i think.
and no, i didn't put anything about being a better mother or wife because that is not something i think should be a 'new year resolution' it is a daily committment.

Happy New Year to you all!

Traditional Irish Blessing
May the road rise to meet you
May the wind be always at your back
The sun shine warm upon your face
The rains fall soft upon your fields
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the hollow of his hand.

Merry Christmas

2005-12-23T20:02:00.000-08:00

Dear Santa,
i've been a very good girl this year (as i'm sure you are aware)
please send koigu ;)

Wishing you all a Merry Christmas!

happy birthday, mom!

2005-12-22T08:19:00.000-08:00

not a bad way to start the day. a little blog/board reading, cup of freshly ground coffee from my french press (thank you sherry!) with a fun crochet project in my own hand-spun wool :)
so, that was my first 8 minutes of the day... before the pitter-patter of little feet. soon to be followed by their favorite thing to say "i'm hungry!" and then, "why did she get the red bowl? i don't want the yellow one!".. i'll spare you the rest.

today is my mom's birthday. this is what i made her:

i needle felted him and crocheted his hat and scarf. her Christmas tree is decorated in snowmen, so i think he will fit in nicely. he's about 3 inches tall. rather cute, if i do say so myself :)

yesterday, i had all these things in my head i kept thinking 'i need to blog that' - and today - nothin' poof! it's gone. this is why i have a so many stinkin' notepads and a palm zire full of notes - from what size shoes my kids wear to what type bag my vacuum cleaner needs. i forget stuff!

the new yarn swap is about to begin at Crochetville
this time it is Winter Wool

i'm pretty excited about this one. i sure hope everyone follows through and ship good wool to their partners.
i must get.... have one last gift to complete

my new trick

2005-12-18T18:34:00.000-08:00

looky looky what i learned :)
short-row shaping in knit.

it's the multidirectional scarf i posted about the other day.
i LOVE it! i know the colors are a bit strange, but i have an olive green coat that i'm making it for. the yarn is: elizabeth austen = andes in colorway 05 ForestMoss. soo yummy soft :)
it makes me happy :)
zero progress on anything else... yup a big fat NOTHIN'!
am i worried? nah. my kiddos are off school for the holiday so i'm planning on doing much work during the next few days. my days are usually full with my little guy, but his 3 siblings will keep him busy.
i did a bit of spinning today. filled 2 bobbins of the gwape wool and plyed them. also did a half-bobbin of some experimental spinning. i'm using, coopworth and cotton, mixing in jean threads and pieces.

it's fun. i'm anxious to work with it. i'm in process of a handbag from one of the interweave press mags (i don't remember which) with some other wool i spun (don't think i ever posted about it - it's red and black). i want to see this complete, and then make up my mind for sure, but for right now, i'm thinking it is going to be a good pattern for this yarn as well. we'll see. look at my baby girl. helping mommy shred the jeans.

i'm pretty sure i'm going to make something for her with it
(ickola - do you see her two black nails? they got squished in a door at school several weeks ago. owwwieee!)

damn murphy!

2005-12-16T06:52:00.000-08:00

just saying that i was going to post a pic daily of the evil blankie invited murphy to keep it from happening, didn't it?
ya know what else? i think i'm gonna say 'forget it' anyway, i'm only about 10 inches in..... i'll just pick something up for her at a store. i just don't know what.
ya know what else? i think i'm just gonna frog that whole blanket. i've got about 20 skeins of this yarn, sooooo - i think that should be enough to make my dad a stockinette blanket with seed stitch edging for his chair. he tends to fall asleep in it and has become quite the cold-natured person (seems like that started when he got pnuemonia really bad a few years ago). not a Christmas gift - maybe father's day.
my crafty Christmas list is down to 4.
one is almost completely finished - one more good hour and it's done - my mom's
another just lacks 2 or 3 hours. - grandma jane
a filet project has gone to hell and needs some frogging of serious amounts - i'm really upset about my mistake - hours and hours of work - going to the frog pond. perhaps i'll show this tomorrow.
and lastly, a smaller project for my dear friend sherry - who is a reader so no details :)

speaking of sherry; please take a second and pop in to her blog and give her a shout of encouragement. she has joined us all in our fiber fetish and has started knitting. yay :)

these final 4 projects are all crochet. the only project i have on needles is a multidirectional scarf. it's not a gift, so it is on the backburner....
okay, i must get for now.

my kiddos got out of school at noon today for the Christmas holiday break. i'm gonna go read them a book :)

big needles

2005-12-13T07:42:00.000-08:00

thank you all so much for the great comments on yesterday's post. it meant a lot to me.

on to today.... i'm stealing an idea from julie

i am going to start a daily posting of progress on the evil knitted blanket for my sister-in-law.
using a pattern from Big-Needle Knit Afghans, it's being made with LB chunky USA in navy. yes, scoff if you must, 100% acrylic. i'm not about to sink money into this project. i'm already giving my time... sounds ugly, but she hates me. she's hated me for 12 years and i'm not expecting this blanket to change that. do i think she'll even give a rat's ass that i took the time to give her a hand-knit gift - no! so why do it? because i love my husband.
so here it is: (lavendar mist, pagina 52)

ummm - not exactly very big. only 12 days until Christmas. shut up! don't ya think i know that!!
yes, if i would have chosen to crochet instead of knit, i'd be halfway there.... but my wrist has really been bothering me. i've been speed-crocheting a special project and wanted to save my wrists for that.
my little mister is being great this morning ...drawing happily and loving the legos.
Sesame Street is just about to come on, so i'm gonna sit next to the boy and knit a bit.
it's cold. i wish this blankie were larger so i could cover with it while i work.

grandmother's treasures

2005-12-12T07:27:00.000-08:00

as Christmas gets closer and closer, i think more and more of my grandma. the holidays were so great with her. Every Christmas Eve, we would go to her house, have dinner, sit with family and open some gifts. my grandma was such a wonderful person. so fun. i really miss her. she told the funniest stories of her childhood - the drawstring coming undone on her homemade underware while getting on the schoolbus - burying her sisters doll because she was mad at her. and the best thing of all "Jimmalee" she would call my grandpa when he was in hot water.

she was so beautiful.

so today i thought i'd share a few silly little things that once were hers, and now mine.

isn't this cute? it's small....might hold 6 quarters. it's an old cosmetic jar. it has avon in the glass on the bottom. i have no idea what used to be in it.... several months ago, i found it at grandpa's house. i thought it was charming - cute. i wonder why she kept it. it was empty. but for whatever reason, she couldn't throw it away.... so it sit's atop my jewelry box in my room.

this is a tablecloth. my great grandmother embroidered 4 roosters - one in each corner. my grandmother later added the crochet edging. it hangs in my kitchen. i love it.

grandma also gave me the gift of crochet. she taught me when i was a kid. although i put it down and didn't start again until after she died, i still remembered how. i haven't been able to put it down since. grandma could knit, too. although this is something she never taught me, i knew one day i wanted to learn (and have) so i took her hooks and needles when grandpa offered them. i love knowing they were once hers.

one other important thing grandma gave me... her name. Elizabeth is what i chose to name my daughter. after her, of course.

better apart

2005-12-08T07:24:00.000-08:00

well, ya'll i was too quick to judge. yesterday's handbag definitely looked better yesterday. i did all the seaming last night. i don't like it at all - humph! it's too floppy and the front/back sections are way too short. i do plan on lining it, so that will take care of some of the flop... but i haven't decided what to do about the too short problem yet. i'm not even close to being a good enough knitter to attempt picking up stitches and adding on......SO, i guess i could crochet a bit.... i just don't know. suggestions?

anyone ever make clothing from caron simply soft? how does it hold up to the wear? i'm considering making a gift from this and have hesitated because i'm not sure. i've never used it before.
i crocheted this scarf for my friend, amy. it's done with LB imagine in black

detail:
i also knit a scarf for her daughter... but i can't find a picture of it right now. i remember taking one.... hmmmmmm odd.

just how classy am i?

red wine with beans. there ya go.

handbag!

2005-12-07T06:37:00.000-08:00

well, that fabulous yarn decided to become a handbag! i LOVE it! although it's not completely done... i still need to sew my seams and line it - i love the look, size, shape and the yarn - great bag for my casual self :) jeans and a tee (--oooo man, i want to make one of these)
see that extra little piece of knitting? i did that! no pattern - made a Tshape of sorts and then stitched it up so that it formed corners and woohoo - made a cell-phone pocket for the inside of my purse :) yay me :) the pattern is from family circle easy knitting magazine - winter 2004/05

like the red, cabled purse next to it? i think i'm gonna give this one a go... i haven't tried cables before and this looks like a small and functional project to learn them on. dont' ya think? my knitting group meeting was last night - i had so much fun :) i met two really great ladies - viviana and lenise. i hope to be joining another group lenise is in ... for more unconventional knitting and just a good time with a younger crowd... i alsmost said 'my age', but i forget that i'm much older than i think i am. 30! yikes! does that mean i'm not 'hip' anymore? or did the 4 kids kick me out of that group long ago? LOL back to last night - lenise had actually seen my little cyberspot!! how fun is that?!? to run into someone who's actually been to your site before you've ever met!?! she has a site as well.... she is supposed to email it to me and i'll give you her link when i get it. okay, back to last night again.. the wonderful lady that keeps us meeting and gives instruction when needed, melisa, showed me the basics of cables, so i'm not too scared of them...anymore.

now, to show you i still crochet, too -

two ponchos for a friend's daughters.... 7 and 5. enough alike that they kinda match, enough different so the 7 year old doesn't feel like her sister is copying her..... at least that was my goal. what do you think?
they are both done in redheart symphony - i was going for warm and cozy and easy care.

baby, it is COLD COLD COLD here! wind chill is -13 ...brrrrrrrrr. and here, in the Texas Panhandle, the wind is ALWAYS blowing.... seriously, always. my poor little (big, giant) puppy is so cold. no, he's not outside. i don't believe in 'outdoor' dogs. family is family and they don't live in the backyard. (how many people did i just offend with that?) anyway, he's just a cold natured little bugger. he's curled up on my son's bed and i've covered him with a flannel blanket.... still, he's shivering. poor baby. elizabeth also has a dane (cuppy) and she has told me her's gets the chills, too. anyone else with a great dane? is it a dane thing?

mmmm, beans in the crockpot. beansNcornbread for dinner tonight.... mmmmmm
do you chow chow?

i've heard this is just a southern meal. yes? no? how sad. you yankees are missing out!
what do you like to make on cold winter nights? mmmm chili. that's a Texas thing - well, when it's done right, it is :) he he heee.... you know, they say there are only 2 kinds of people in this world.... Texans, and those who wish they were :) first the dog comment, and now this: oh, i'm gonna get hate mail for sure :)

stay warm

pattern advice

2005-11-29T07:50:00.000-08:00

with the move to the new house, i lost my 'craft room'. this has forced an evaluation of my yarn stash. not to say that i didn't love every minute of going through all my gorgeous fiber and fondling a few balls here and there (oh c'mon, like you would have passed up saying it :). my first choice of yarn to become something is:

5 beautiful,variegated shades of blue with silver tinsel balls of 'Silver' by adriafil
each ball is 50 grams of a bulky weight yarn. this yarn was gifted to me and i haven't made anything with it because i want to find the 'perfect' pattern. i love this yarn and want something that will show off how great it is. but what?

there's something about having 4 kids that makes other parents come to you for advice about the numbers of their family. i get this question all the time "We're considering another, what do you think?" from moms of 1 to 3. crazy. i always have said "it's that 4th one.... it's the magic number for changing your life" which, i believe really is. screws up most everything. messes with that sibling order business and also catapults you from a 'normal' family right into "WOW! you've got your hands full!" if only i had a dime for every time i've heard that. so i'm putting away my 3rd (yes, third) load of laundry this morning and i've decided my standard answer is changing. from now on, when i get that question, my answer is "sure, have another. as long as you own a really great washer/dryer and won't mind having a very close relationship with them" now, don't mis-understand... i don't even want to imagine our life without our 4th...he is, well, very very active and a naughty naughty little boy that makes me crack up on an hourly basis.
seriously, if there is anyone out there who does more than 3 loads of laundry on a daily basis (that's what i do- and UGH, you should see it if i don't!), i need to know your secret to sanity!

hey all - go give a shout of congrats to my friend, drew - he got a mention in the latest VogueKnitting knit.1 - the men's issue (pagina 27)

you kitty lovers had better put in a good word for mine. a few days ago he got some urinary tract crystals. we spent a ridiculous amount of money getting him all fixed up. gratitude from the cat? hell no! he started spraying!! what the hell? he's 8yrs old, was neutered at just 6 mos.... what the hell? why now? why?!? i can NOT deal with this! his furry ass is about to be outside - someone had better plead his case, remember the snow pictures i posted yesterday?

found!

2005-11-27T10:49:00.000-08:00

i found my chibi!! YAY! my flora scarf has been blocked and assembled!

i'm very excited to give this to my friend. do you think she'll like it?

in other news:
welcome to winter

the first snow of the season in my neck-o-the-woods (well, plains actually)
i guess i am kinda ready for it. kinda not. not really all too excited about the cold. but ready for it to 'feel' more like Christmas. i can't believe it is soooo close!! gotta get my hooks flyin'! it's beginning to look like i need to choose what looks like a possibility of getting complete. i've got a pretty good idea of what i'm going to get done. but at the risk of giving a secret away, i can't post just yet.
on that note.... i've gotta get. while i have "free" time (until the dryer buzzes at me), i've got to be working on that gift! :)

good - bad

2005-11-18T15:25:00.000-08:00

good news - the playdoh is out!
bad news - the boy gave me his illness, along with both brothers and sister.
good news - we're all finally better!
bad news - my chibi is lost.
good advice - don't put all your eggs in one basket
bad situation - all my needles are in that chibi!
good pattern - flora, such a beautiful little scarflet!
bad pattern - it requires some assembly - all my needles are in that chibi!

okay, enough of that
i finished a gift for my friend laura. it's made with some yarn i spun using some black 30%silk and 70%merino. i plyed it with knit picks 'alpaca cloud' in midnight. when i knit it, i also held a strand of the alpaca along with the black. when it came time to make the flower, i didn't have the instructions with me. so, i crocheted one up real quick - didn't need a pattern for that :)
this project is my contribution to knitting black

i'll post a picture of it tomorrow after i have it all blocked and assembled (hopefully i'll find that chibi)

as for crochet, i've got a circle jacket complete except for sleeves. my joann's ran out of the yarn and had to order it from another store. so as soon as that comes in, i'll be able to get that complete. i've also completed another shoulderwarmer and am halfway done with another...although, i did color changes and the ends need to be sewn in. where's my chibi? wah!
finishing the second shoulderwarmer is in the agenda for tonight.

that's all i've got for now folks... 'til tomorrow :)

blue boogies

2005-11-11T08:58:00.000-08:00

would this be cause for alarm in your house?
for the past two or three days, my youngest has been sick. so when he started with the bright green boogs yesterday, i didn't think twice about it. however, when they turned to blue today.... i thought "well, now that's just not right"
so, being mom, i had him lie down so i could get a good luck up his nose. a big 'ol ball of playdoh.
he's been blowing and blowing
all morning with no luck.
that blue ball of play doh is stuck stuck stuck
stuck in the muck down in the muggy buggy marsh.
blow! blow! blow!
no luck... still stuck

~~the booger version of One Duck Stuck
yes, i know, i need to get out more.

cool clogs

2005-10-19T08:00:00.000-07:00

yippee skippee! i finally have internet back!
we are completely (well, almost) moved into the new house. we've been painting and painting and other misc. things. i say 'misc' like these things were minor details. i wish i would've taken a picture of this for 'the record' but didn't. there was not a back door in this house. odd, huh? notice how i saw 'was'.... hubby and his dad spent this past sunday cutting a GIANT HOLE in the house and installing one. just let me tell ya - you don't realize how large a door is, until there is a HOLE in your house without one!!! it was just crazy! hubby had this giant saw and just CUT A HOLE in the HOUSE!! ... okay, i'm over it now (seriously, it was a BIG hole!) so now, we have a backdoor in the utility room. woohoo!

now, on to my awesome socks! i received my sockpal2za socks! and they are fabulous!
ck em out!!

that's about all i've got time for today - i need to get some cleaning done around the house. because of all the chaos in the past 2 days, i've fallen a little behind.

yeehaw!

2005-09-18T18:04:00.000-07:00

you will all be glad to know:
I DID IT!
i finished my first ever complete pair of socks!!
woohoo! and, if i do say so myself - they look good!

the yarn pooled in one and seemed totally random on the other - i dunno.... i completely frogged the first sock i had pictured. i just couldn't see beyond that narrow spot. i used a totally different pattern and liked it much more, anyhow. it was toe-up.

so - they are currently on their way to their new home. my partner doesn't have a blog... i hope they fit.

the moving is still in progress - thank goodness there's no deadline! sadly, i totally avoided working on the other house this weekend. well, friday i did get the texturing done in the living room... i will be taping it off and such over the week during the day when it is just the little one and i.

guess what my goofy self went a did! i entered the "gwape wool" yarn in the fair!
it got 3rd place.... not bad - i had high hopes, but hey, really, considering i've only been spinning for a year (remember, Hilary was my birthday gift last year)--- and my birthday approaches again... just 8 days away - 30-here i come. seems weird. i'd say i don't feel thirty.. but what is it supposed to feel like?

alrighty, i must get - now that the sock is done, i have a wedding gift to make for this saturday.
i've tripled up on a tobacco colored chenille with an N hook working a throw in the diagonal box-stitch pattern.

sockapal2za

2005-09-02T06:30:00.000-07:00

another craft pic - here is a hand bag i made:

a friend of mine is going to be renting a booth at a crafty place and is going to let me put some things in it.... that is where this bag will go.
i made this bag using strips of satin in red and white, pink RH baby clouds, and strips of lilac fleece - no pattern. it's not lined yet... i'll be looking through my fabric stash for lining that will suit it.

i know i'm terribly behind in everything and my buttons are either out of date, or not up at all *sigh
i don't even know if i've posted that i'm in the sockapal2za this go 'round... well, i am :)
i am using dancing from knit picks for the stretch - which my partner requested..... hey, i think i did post about this- it's all coming back to me know {haze}

they are to be mailed out on Sept 15th... i know, i know - it doesn't look like i've gotten much done...

but i will not be picking up hooks or needles for ANY OTHER (something has gone terribly wrong with this page???wah!) project until these socks are done!
quick question: you see that little indentation in the leg of the sock - where it kinda has an hourglass curve? i'm guessing my tension just went wonky for a bit... so what i'm gonna do is start the second sock until i hear from you all on what you think i should do.
i think i'm going to frog back to this spot and go again...after all - they are a gift - RIGHT?
what would you do?
i'm committed to NOT being late on this swap! so with that, off i go - to begin the second sock :)