pattern advice

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!

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

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

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

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!

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

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 :)

posting pictures :)

do you remember my 'gwape wool'?
i've been mixing it with other various wools that i have

creating these wonderful little batts - all each a little different

and OOOOOOh my it is lovely lovely lovely yarn.

i'm all a flutter about it. can't wait to get more and more and more of it made. i will be either knitting or crocheting myself a coat from this once it is complete. deserves a close-up, don't ya think?

you like?

truly, i have been working on crafty stuff... along with painting and spackling... laundry laundry laundry... dishes ...and now all the volunteering at my kiddos' schools - OIY i'm a busy gal

a little cardigan i crocheted for my friend's (Kelly) new baby girl:
i used RH baby teri and some rainbow eyelash i received as part of the Sea of Yarn Swap
a shrug type cardigan i knit for another friend (Jamie) with a new baby girl:
it is made from bernat baby in a lilac color
not too bad for my first knit wearable - huh?!?
but trust me, it is not without it's errors:
i purled when i should have been knitting ooops!
and i'm not sure what i did here: my stitches are twisted or something?

alrighty - that's gotta be all from me today - last night's dinner dishes didn't get done, so i've got to do it now (along with this morning's breakfast dishes) and only 30 minutes left before Sesame Street is over and my young'un comes to me for entertainment :)

it's all green.....

woohoo! i received a fan-tab-u-lous RAOK in the mail :)
it's all green yarn with some goodies to boot!
i have a very fun, very special project that i am working on that requires many sizes, shades and amounts of green yarns. but, i can't tell you any more than that. sorry charlie.

see!


she also sent a snowflake bookmark and a notepad shaped like a sheep :)
LOVE it!!

and a wonderful knitted cat toy - that my critters have gone mad for... SOOO funny. even the fat old one that enjoys nothing but food, rubbed and rolled with this toy for a few minutes. hey, any kind of movement from this guy is x-treme






well, the move to the new homestead has slowed down considerably... because of a few different things:
more work of the house than we originally thought - not at all complaining... dude, it's a free house!

oh - hey! what's that i see coming over yonder hill on his white errr.. well, it's no stallion, but it is a chevy! Prince William. okay, not THE prince william, but william none the less and he is the Prince of Plumbing!

yes you are reading right... we are once again back in the year 2005 with running water and able to flush the toilet without the assistance of my neighbor's waterhose.
after several hours of hubby and i in the backyard with shovels resulting in a sixfeet long 4 feet deep trench, the water "leak" (flood) was found. the next morning my wonderful plumber william showed up, nodded and said "yup, ya found it" - that's plumber speak for "as soon as i get back to my truck, i'm laughin' out loud at the thought of you two out here diggin' in the mud in this heat!"

but hey, a girl's gotta do what she can to save a hunk'o'cash... ya know!? and besides, it wasn't all done in the heat of the day... because (oh yeah) it wouldn't be an official adventure if it didn't involve flashlights, right!?

alrighty guys and gals - that's about it from me tonight... tomorrow is cake and ice cream to celebrate the birthdays of 2 of my sons that have long-since passed.... but now the tonsilectomy has healed and we are ready to go!

oh my - has anyone else had one of their children have their tonsils removed? was their breath beyond description?!? the doc assured me this was normal - but OHHHH... truly, gag

book review

before i start about the book, wanted to answer a few questions
YES - i will be forwarding the mail, and we still own this house... there should be no problem with my mail. we are taking our time putting the house for sale. i will be doing some painting here and other things.
and, regarding my extension cord - i have a gas stove, so the electricity only runs the clock/timer and the spark for lighting the burners... so it's not a big a hazard as it seems :)
thank you all for the concern of our safety. a little more about the house. it is so beautiful. i LOVE the layout, the original 1940's oak floors, baseboards and crown mouldings, the original 2-way swinging door from the dining room to the kitchen, my coffee/yarn room. yes, i have a room in my house that is specifically for drinking my morning coffee and storing my yarn/wool. bye bye brand new bathroom - sniff sniff i am going to miss SO much about this house. i'm sad to go.. but excited at the possibilities of what is to come.
like this: FalconClub ahhhh the amenities
anyhow - life isn't all bad ;)

on to the book:
about a week ago i received this book

as a gift from the maran's of maranGraphics

first the good, no - the fantastic
if you are wanting to:
learn to knit
learn how to correct errors
find different textured designs/stitches
increase/decrease
knit in the round
change colors
finish off
add embelishments

OH MY - this book is definitely what you have been looking for!
the pictures and written descriptions are absolutely by far the best i have come across in any of the "learn to knit" books i have seen before.
when it comes to a craft like this, i think just about everyone is a 'visual learner'. this book definitely satisfies the need to "see it done"
this book also includes quick, easy and cute patterns at the end of the chapters to help further the understanding of the learned technique.
the only thing i could suggest to better the knitting portion of the book would be to list the weight/size of yarn used for patterns. living in a town with no yarn store and a very limited selection of 'good stuff' at my local hobby stores... i had to do on-line research of yarns used to know what weight each pattern calls for. the patterns list the brand,type and how much of each to purchase and all - but does not say (or other sport weight.... blah blah)
i have referenced this book several times in the week i have had it.
BRAVO! a very well done instructional book for knitting.

in my opinion, worth every penny of the $16.49







now, the bad:
as a crocheter, i have come to expect to be disappointed in teaching and pattern books of this beautiful craft. this book was no exception. the descriptions and pictures, however, are wonderful. i absolutely believe someone could learn to crochet using this book as a guide. the crocheting portion was only 59 pages long. versus the 183 of knitting. what?! and only 2 patterns - 2... of guess what - scarves. come on!
at the risk of sounding like a whiny 6 year old (i have one of these - and i know how they can whine), i am absolutely tired of the lack of credit given to crochet. as a designer (yes, i'm holding out on you all, dear readers), i know the wonders of a hook. the elegant laces, sturdy rugs, the deliciously textured fabrics to be used for sweaters, bags, afghans....

in my opinion, if you are looking for a book of crochet techniques, patterns and advancement, i'd pass. but definitely useful for someone wanting to learn the basics of crochet.

i'll jump off the soap box and continue on with the creations of my own patterns to hopefully fill this void one day in the not too far away future. - this is an open invitation for any publishers out there to contact me rebecca@ewedevil.com ;)

that said... i'm off. gotta go do some serious scrubbin' and spacklin' on what will soon be our new home.

moving!

looks like i will be without a computer for several days - maybe even a week or more

you see - i own the money pit. everything that could possibly go wrong with a house has gone wrong with this one. in the 2 years that we have owned this piece of American Dream, we have replaced the hotwater heater upstairs. which, of course, leaked through the floor and down into a wall on the main floor hallway. The heater went out. Which, as luck would have it, was not merely just a heater, but a heat pump. So, ya know, much more expensive than any regular 'ol heater. Several times every summer the air-conditioner freezes up because it is much too small for a house this size. and then, add a second floor - well, major problems.
We, through a oh-so-joyous experience (i'll spare you), discovered the electrical wiring is 'jerry-rigged' to the point of... well, it's just comical.
oh, how i could go on and on... but i'll stop with our most recent disaster.
at 6:45 this morning, i opened the back door for my puppies to go potty and discovered a lake of disturbing size in my back yard. i walked around to the alley and saw water flowing - not leaking - from the little man-hole cover thingy above my water spicket thingy (hey, i'm no plumber). i phoned the emergency water repair people who came out, shut the water off and gave me the wonderful news that it is on "our side" of the property line YAY!

and well, a girl has to have her limits. mine has been reached. hubby's grandmother owns a house that is empty so we are moving in this weekend and putting a "For Sale" sign in the front yard. i'm done.

i don't know how long the move will take and when we'll be getting the internet connection going at the new place. everything is just happening... no plans, just 'winging it'.

so just how 'comical' do i mean?



see the extension cord.



see the extension cord run.



see the extension cord scurry behind the refrigerator.



the extension cord is still running.



where could it be going?



whew! the extension cord is tired.




aaahhhh - providing electricity for the stove. good extension cord.

wish me good luck. i'll post again as soon as i can.

recycle!

remember this?




the lining and handles hadn't been touched, so i decided to re-use them...gathered up some wool, dyed it with Wilton's food color, spun it to a bulky weight. then crocheted this:

it is bright, and i do mean BRIGHT neon colors. not sure why, but i love it!!

the 'prototype' of the Tie One On stole is coming along.

so behind in my posting--
LOOKY at the wonderful package i received from my partner for the Sea of Yarn swap:


2 skeins Bernat Softee Chunky in a Pale Antique Rose
1 ball Sugar ‘n Cream cotton in Buttercream
1 skein Lion Boucle in Sorbet
2 balls Patons Cha Cha in Bunny Hop
2 balls Bernat Candyland in Tutti Frutti
3 balls Micro Spun (1) Coral (1) Turquoise (1) Buttercup
1 ball Peaches & Cream cotton in Fiesta Ombre
1 ball Bernat Boa in Mocking Bird
2 skeins Caron Simply Soft Brites in Grape

Handy Hook - K
Annie’s Favorite Crochet – April 2005
Sugar ‘n Cream booklet Girl Talk
Hooked on Crochet! – April 2005
Patons Designer Series booklet HeatWave
Red Heart Fashion Note booklet for Symphony
Blank Journal
Posie Art to Wear Kit
Sheep Applique
Flower with Heart Center Applique
Cowgirl Wallet Picture Book
Flower Pin
Mini Scrapbook Kit for Spring
Hot Pink Pencil Case for crochet supplies while traveling :)
Flapper Lady Laser Buttons
Handmade Bookmark
2 tape measures
AHA Go Red dress pins

isn't this hook cool!?!



can't wait to get something started with it


Handmade wristlet bag
Burt’s Bees
Hand Salve tin
Cuticle Cream tin
Lip balm tin
Foot Crème tube

the buttons are so cool, they deserve a close up!




am i a lucky gal or what!?!

another birthday

today is my baby's birthday. he's 3. my last one.. my itty bitty is a big, mean 3 year old stinky little boy.
yesterday was also an important day around our house. hubby and i had our 10 year anniversary.
TEN YEARS! doesn't feel like that long. guess time flies when you're having fun ;)

mmmmmmmm yarn in the mail! my order from knitpicks came in :)
WHEEE!!

it is all i hoped it to be and more.
3 balls of Jig and 3 balls of Square Dance
my partner requested a little bit of 'stretch' to her sock... i thought this dancing with 7% elastic would be perfect! she did not have a color preference... so what i think i will do is make a pair from each color and give her the ones that turn out the best ;-P
there is also 1 skein sock garden in Geranium
i bought this for myself!
1 hank of shimmer in Grape Hyacinth this is a lace-weight 70% baby alpaca and 30% silk - yum! it is for my great friend sherry i plan to make her some sort of stole/shawl
and finally, 2 hanks of alpaca cloud in Midnight it is 100% baby alpaca also lace weight - softer than you can imagine - yum yum yum
i will by making my sister a TieOneOn stole for a cruise she will be taking in september. the pattern calls for a complimentary yarn - i'm spinning this. it is jet black 25% silk, 25% baby alpaca and 50% merino- simply divine. i am in the middle of a 'trial run' of this pattern now.... i'm having to do some size adjustments on the pattern so making a prototype of sorts.

i've also made a snowflake for snowflake mondays
i had a bit more to post about... but motherhood calls. gotta go for now :)

a good read

well, the good news is - hubby didn't kill me! the bad news is - my tub is still a giant cadet blue emery board.
today is my oldest's birthday! he is 8 years old. crazy! i can't believe he is 8 - he's going to be in the 3rd grade! third grade! that's big stuff! it's awfully early today, so i'm digging into my posting vault:

i think jenny is happy here. she loves to sleep in my wool buckets. silly kitty


and a great picture of my kidlets:



my jarod (happy birthday, baby) is reading a book to his brothers and sister :) what a good big brother he is!!

almost forgot: how does everyone reply to comments on their posts? (ooooo deja vu - have i asked this before?) i try but everything comes back to me - humph



have a great day, all!

warning!

oh no! Oh No!! OH NO!!!
HOLY CRAP! i totally screwed up the bathtub!
the cleaner i used on the toilet yesterday made it so white and sparkly - i thought oooooo, i'll do the tub. bad. BAD. apparently you should READ the 'General Precautions and Restrictions' before the use of cleaning products.

this:
will do this to your tub:



all the parts that are white are nice and bright white - but ummmm.... it feels like sandpaper. the rest of it is this pale grey-blue color. what do i do!?!
this shit ate the enamel off my tub!!

here's the thing: this bathroom was remodeled about 2 months ago. completely gutted. down to the studs and subfloors... and now the bathtub will take the skin off the tender butts of my kidlets!

so, what'd you do today?