Dresses

This is a little story about dresses.

Remember this dress?  It's Small T's prom dress that we bought a few weeks ago.  We drove the 2 hours last night to get the alterations done on it.  Or so I thought.

 As soon as we walked in the door of the store, she spied this dress and said "Oh My God...there's my dress!"  She tried it on and traded her other dress in on this one.  This was a lot more expensive but she does look like a million bucks in the "new" one and it fits her like a glove.  It only needs the hem done.

Last night, Miss R also went with us to the store and she found her dress as well.  She tried on several and this photo really doesn't do her or the dress justice, but she is one elegant, sexy young woman wearing this dress.  She's out of school but her boyfriend is a senior so it's appropriate for her age.

Then, this past Sunday, we bought my niece, Z's dress.  Small T tried it on but I didn't get a photo of her wearing it, so you have to look at it on the hanger.  Z is the same size as Small T and she's going to look fabulous in it.

So that's my story about dresses this morning.

Classic Baby Blanket

I finished the Classic Baby Blanket Tuesday evening.

 The border really adds to the blanket and makes it look "finished".

 This blanket was super easy to make.  Honestly.

Here's a quick photo of the blanket in progress.  I added more rows to it before I decided it was big enough though.  I did work the 53 rows of the body though.  No more.  I was afraid it would end up as a square blanket but it didn't.  It's the perfect crib size in my opinion.

I used Caron's Simply Soft yarn in Soft Pink and a size H crochet hook.  It took about 2 1/2 skeins of the yarn.  Actually a little less than 2 1/2 skeins. The crochet pattern is called Classic Baby Blanket and you can find it by clicking on this link http://onelittlerayndrop.blogspot.com/2011/04/classic-baby-blanket.html.

This blanket is a gift for the high school principal who's expecting the arrival of her baby girl soon.

Seeing Pink

In a house full of guys and one girl that doesn't like pink, sometimes you just need to "see some pink".

I started a new crochet project last night using some lovely, Caron's Simply Soft, soft pink yarn.  Someone I know is expecting a baby girl soon and her nursery is using the traditional color palette of soft pink and light green, and of course...I am making her a baby blanket (or two).  I really wanted to make a blanket that was frilly and feminine but the more I thought about it and the longer I looked at patterns, I just couldn't decide on something to make.  So...after careful thought, I decided to make a Classic Baby Blanket.  (You can find the free pattern here.)  I've always liked the "look" of this pattern.  It's simplicity... and also it's homespun look.  Yet it's a classic design.  I think it will appeal to the mom-to-be as she's not much of a "girlie girl" herself.  At this point, I've worked one whole skein of yarn up and am getting ready to add another skein.  I'm using a size H crochet hook since that's what the yarn calls for.

Fiddling...

Yesterday, I felt like I just needed to crochet something.  It didn't matter what.  I just needed to crochet for a bit.  So I started with a purple square.  Nothing serious.  Not your typical square either.  Just rows of dc back and forth.  Then I wanted a motif of some kind.  So I ended up with a four petal flower or some sort.  Kind of ugly, but that's ok.  Then I messed around and around and around with trying to embellish the square.  I tried different edgings all around and then some just along the bottom.  I even tried a blanket stich around the edge and also a running stitch along the outer row.  I took photos of each of these (but I deleted them) and in the end...I decided that I liked my little square just as you see it.  Will I make any more of them?  Who knows.  It felt good to fiddle with my yarn yesterday and that's all that mattered.

Turmoil

I find myself in a turmoil over my crafting.  I feel like I'm at "loose ends" and just can't seem to settle down and work on my projects.  Nothing is really appealing to me at the moment.  I think we all go through this at some point in time.  So today, I will go through my WIP's and try to regroup my thoughts and plans and see where it leads me.  Hopefully, I will find my inspiration again before the day is over.

#9

Last night, I started Block #9 of the Knit A Block A Week Challenge.  I'm using Caron's Simply Soft yarn in Light Country Peach.  I managed to work 30 rows of the block before putting it away.  :)  I'm getting faster at these, that's for sure.

Teaching...

Last night, my youngest sister, Annie, asked me to teach her how to knit.

 I'm not great at knitting, but I broke out a set of knitting needles and a ball of cotton and gave her a basic item to work on.

 Learning to hold your hands correctly is tough.

But her potholder is looking ok so far.

Inspired By...

I visited an absolutely beautiful blog last night while waiting for the kids to get home.  It's called Happy In Red.  http://happyinred.blogspot.com/  She is a journalist that blogs about crocheting, writing, sewing, cooking and traveling.  The photography on her blog is exceptional!

Here's what I liked about her blog:

I really like that she uses black in some of her crochet projects.  I could see myself making (and lovingly using) a granny square blanket worked in black...just like hers.

I would try the recipe for the Pull Apart Lemon Bread.  Big Daddy and Small T are both freaks about Lemon flavoring.  (By the way, she shares several recipes throughout the blog.  So if you are a cooking kind of girl, check them out.)

She shares several links for different snowflake patterns which she used for a snowflake garland.  I would make one of these for the holidays.  In fact, I think I might make one for my bedroom.  For year round viewing pleasure.  In purple.  Or beige.

She shares a crochet tutorial for a Women's Beanie.

She shares a crochet tutorial for a Diamond Stitch Blanket.  I could see myself making one of these.  I really like the vintage-ness of the pattern.

I like that she's taking photography workshops to improve her photography skills.  I need to do this.  Heck.  I just need to learn how to take a photo.  Period.

She really likes the ripple blanket pattern and I love the color combos that she uses and the different stripe patterns.

I like that she grows her own little veggie patch and "eats from it" as well.  No waste...it's functional.  She shares several preservation recipes for her vegetables as well.

The crochet elephant she made is just darling!  And she shares the pattern link too.  Small T is a fool over elephants!  If she sees this I'll have to make her one.  There won't be any getting out of it.

I really love the colors of the large granny square blanket she crocheted.  It's mainly black with blue, purple, gold, white, and green added in.  The colors would fit in well with my "manly living room".

The felt Christmas tree garland she made is just adorable.  If only I liked to sew a lot more than what I do.

Big Daddy would love her Tetris Pillows.  He's a huge Tetris Fan.  I wonder where she found the fabric?

She shares some book reviews.  Magazines too.  That's right up my alley.

She occasionally hosts a give-away.  :)  It would be cool to enter and then win one!!!

I love her Greek Granny Stripe Blanket that she crocheted.  I long for it in my home!  The colors.  Oooohhhh....

I admire her for starting her own creative food magazine (with two friends).  It's called "Robin".

Her Summer Crochet Blanket is so pretty!  Beautiful color combination!

When she travels, I like that she shares "places to eat", "places to shop", "places to visit", and so on.  I know that if I'm wanting to go somewhere, she's giving some potentially good advice because she's already been there.

I would like to make (or buy) an Elefunky.  It's a sewn elephant softie.  I want one for each of my future grandkids.  When I was in college, I was a nanny, and one of the children had an elephant softie that he called Trunkles.

She crocheted a simply fab Granny Stripe Blanket and then she shares a tutorial on how to make the edging for it.  :)  Two thumbs up!!!

She has some free printable postcards offered early on in the blog.  Back at the beginning.

She shares a free Winter Star Crochet Pattern.  I'm going to try this.  I keep saying that.  Don't I?

Big Daddy would love to have me make her "Beanie For Your Man".  I'll have to do it.  He seldom asks for stuff but this would be one thing he'd want.

Another simply fab blanket that I covet on her blog is the Girlie Blanket.  It's crocheted granny squares in faded pink, red, burgundy, beige, gray and white.  I'm not really big on girlie colors but I really like this color combo.

I like that she crochets blankets and squares for disaster relief.  She either donates the squares to be sewn into blankets or auctions off a finished blanket and donates the proceeds.  :)

She has a free pattern for a really cute crochet flower.  :)  (post date 5/5/11)

I truly enjoyed this blog because she seems like a regular person.  Someone that I could see myself living next door to.  We share a lot of the same interests and it's almost like she's a  much younger, distant cousin or something.  It's uncanny.  (I hope this isn't making me sound like a crazy person by saying that.  I'm not crazy.  I swear.)  Her blog is very interesting and I will continue to follow it.

Knitting Pattern Links

I felt like looking at knitting patterns for baby blankets this morning and thought I would share a few of my favorite pattern links off the Lion Brand website.  Remember, I'm a very basic knitter and these are either Level 1 or 2 patterns.  (Some of these are the same pattern stitch but just a different color or stripe pattern.)

Baby Blankie  (I've never attempted a pattern before but I would try this one)
Basketweave Baby Blanket  (It's basically the same pattern as the Baby Blankie pattern)
Blue Lagoon Blanket  (cool stripe pattern using two yarns held together throughout)
Bright Knit Baby Throw  (very modern take with the striped yarn)
Checkers Baby Blanket (another basketweave blanket)
Cuddle Tight Baby Blanket (diagonal pattern)
Lemon Squeezy Stroller Blanket
Mixed Stripe Baby Throw
My Blankie
Neptune Baby Throw (diagonal)
Squishy Soft Baby Blanket (seed stitch)
Sunshine Day Baby Throw (I really like this one and might try it next)
Wee Warmth Baby Blanket (for outside in the Winter)

White Knitted Baby Blanket

Well, I've cast on another knitting project.  This time it's a white baby blanket.  I simply cast on 100 stitches and started knitting.  I'm using the Caron One Pound Baby yarn that's in my stash.  I've managed to work a total of 13 rows so far.  Yay!  (I'm a slow knitter.)

I actually like knitting baby blankets because they don't take as long and I usually just use a simple pattern of knit stitches or the Baby Love Diagonal Baby Blanket pattern on the Lion Brand site.  But, I digress.  I'm supposed to be telling you why I'm making this particular blanket.  You see, I have a daughter.  Yep.  It's Small T.  And no, she's not pregnant.  But, she does have a request.  She wants me to start making things for her future babies.  That might sound a bit weird but I have horrible arthritis and very bad eyesight.  I can see her reasoning behind it.  So, I'll start working on items for this baby hope chest.

I also found out that Small T, aka Miss Particular, also has a Pinterest board called Things I Want My Mom To Make.  It consists of knit and crochet items.  I will have to visit her board and check it out today.  I didn't know she was pinning things like that and I'm excited to see what she's interested in.  Sometimes, my kids just simply amaze me!!!

Update - Earth Tones Knitted Throw

I've been so distracted lately (and ill) with fighting the never-ending severe allergic reactions, that I just haven't had the mind set to concentrate on my knitting or crocheting.  This evening, I finally had a bit of quiet time (mentally) to knit on my Earth Tones Knitted Throw for a bit.  I added the rest of the Buff, the Aran, and the Carrot.

Here are the colors, starting at the bottom and working up:

Coffee

Medium Thyme

Aran

Burgundy

Pewter

Aran

Blue Suede

Buff

Aran

Carrot

The next color being added on is Cornmeal.

Then I'll start all over again.  I'm going to mix up the color sequence for the next set of stripes.

I've got 100 rows done already and that means I need 190 more.  Not bad.

Jersey Auction

Thursday night was the annual Jersey Auction at school.  It's held the evening before the Homecoming game and it's a fundraiser where the basketball players offer the use of their "away" jersey's during the Homecoming game for a price.  In the past, we've always bought the use of Big C's jersey, and this year, they decided to offer up the use of the cheerleader's pom poms.

Here's Small T, holding her pom poms.  She told Big Daddy he had better get the winning bid or else.  So for $125, Big Daddy earned the right to use her pom poms during the game tonight, which we were unable to attend due to my health.  So...whoever she let borrow the pom poms, you got quite a deal!  :)

Yarn Trends for 2014

Check out these "Knit and Crochet Yarn Trends for 2014".
http://blog.lionbrand.com/2013/12/23/knit-and-crochet-and-yarn-trends-for-2014/

Crochet And Depression

I came upon a couple of articles that I wanted to share.  Not many of you know that I suffer from depression.  You all know that I enjoy crocheting and sometimes, knitting.  The two articles I'm posting links for talk about crochet and how it helps you get through depression.  They are worth a read.  They are short and sweet, but make some good points.

Crochet For Daily Balance As A Depression Survivor
(this is an excerpt from the full article, for which there is a link)
http://www.crochetconcupiscence.com/2013/05/crochet-for-daily-balance-as-a-depression-survivor/

4 Ways Crochet Helped Me Through Depression
(this is another excerpt with a link to an article)
http://www.crochetconcupiscence.com/2013/05/4-ways-crochet-helped-me-through-depression/

Prayer Shawls

"A way to heal others while healing ourselves."
"The healing of the shawl is partially about the prayer and partially about the tactile sensation of crafting."

Check out the full article-
Prayer Shawls:  How They Help You While Helping Others
http://blog.lionbrand.com/2013/09/01/prayer-shawls-how-they-help-you-while-helping-others/

A Day Late and A Dollar Short

You know, I am always behind with the times.  I'm never on top of anything when it comes to stuff that's either "hot" or "current" or is the "new thing".  This seriously irritates me at times.  Today is one of those times.  I'm just finding out about the Ravellenic Winter Games.  Here I am, watching the Winter Olympics and working on my crochet and knit projects but not once have I heard about the "other game" going on as well.  If you're like me, and have no idea what has been going on, please check out this link.  It tells all about it.
http://www.ravelry.com/groups/ravellenic-winter-games-2014
Now, does anyone have any tips on how I can get the more current info on what's hot in the world of crochet (and knitting)?

What's Your Sign?

The Gemini Zodiac Scarf

(photo courtesy of www.lionbrand.com)

Did you know that the Lion Brand website (www.lionbrand.com) has a whole set of Zodiac scarves for you to crochet?  I didn't.  They are very vibrant, funkily striped scarves.  I'm a Gemini and my scarf is in yellow and blues.  These colors are supposed to give the wearer of the scarf some "calming energy".  Hmmm...interesting.  Wonder if it works?  If you are interested in making yourself a Zodiac scarf, here are a few links:
Libra http://www.lionbrand.com/patterns/L30230J.html?noImages=
Scorpio http://www.lionbrand.com/patterns/L30230.html?noImages=
Leo http://www.lionbrand.com/patterns/L30230H.html?noImages=
Virgo http://www.lionbrand.com/patterns/L30230I.html?noImages=
Cancer http://www.lionbrand.com/patterns/L30230G.html?noImages=
Gemini http://www.lionbrand.com/patterns/L30230F.html?noImages=
Taurus http://www.lionbrand.com/patterns/L30230E.html?noImages=
Aries http://www.lionbrand.com/patterns/L30230D.html?noImages=
Sagittarius http://www.lionbrand.com/patterns/L30230B.html?noImages=
Capricorn http://www.lionbrand.com//L30230C.html?noImages=
Pisces http://www.lionbrand.com/patterns/L30230L.html?noImages=
Aquarius http://www.lionbrand.com/patterns/L30230K.html?noImages=

***They also have patterns available in knit as well***

Inspired By...

This morning, I stumbled across a "new-to-me" blog.  It's called Pigtails.
Here's the link:
http://pigstails.blogspot.com/

Right off the bat, with her latest post, I've fallen in love.  In love with her Patchwork Blanket.  It's absolutely gorgeous and just down-right homey!  I could definitely see myself making one of these blankets.  :)  I'm always looking for new inspiration when it's comes to an afghan and this is definitely some serious inspiration for me as I love the look of quilting but it can be hard to transfer that over to crochet.  She did a pretty good job of it by using sc granny squares.
I also like that she shares her Granny Square Color Pattern Generator.  I bookmarked this.  It's that important to me and any future projects that I'm having trouble with when it comes to making my granny squares.  This generator is just genius!!!

Now, what else did I like about her blog.  Here it is:

The photography on her blog is just beautiful!  And she gives me a glimpse of life somewhere other than here in the USA.  She currently lives in South Africa but she and her family are constantly moving around to new places due to her husband's job and the family loves it.  She says her family are "Global Nomads".  Interesting.

She shares a beautiful oyster colored Vintage Fan Ripple Stitch Scarf that she made.  It's truly pretty.  I've never considered oyster as a color for me, but Small T loves it.  In fact, she wears a lot of the same colors that Magda favors, so maybe I will be a bit more inspired in the crochet items I try to make for Small T and that she usually doesn't like.  Maybe color is the key here.

She offers a Star Shaped Pillow "how-to".  I could see myself trying this out for one of my great-nephews.

I like that she puts together Mood Boards when deciding what to do with some of the interesting yarns that she uses.  What a great way to be inspired!

She talks about the Mielie design project that involves underprivileged township women to create the designs used in their products such as handbags.  She even makes her own Mielie inspired scarf.  She inspires me and other blog readers to browse the blog for "Mielie Crochet".  I will put this on my list.

I'm totally blown away by what they used as their Christmas Tree.  Wow!  You've got to check this out.  It's not a typical Christmas Tree at all in that it's made out of unusual materials.  Hmmmm....

Her Checkerboard Baby Blanket is cute!  It's actually the size of a throw, which is what I would want as well.  I like her colors too, but would probably use a different color palette for my living room.  I could see myself making one of these blankets too.

I like the colors she used for her Babette Style Throw.  Great combination!  And it looks wonderful photographed on her bed.

I really like the rustic, ombre yarns she used in the "Blanket for Baby Ryder".  These are the types of yarns I like when making things for my home but I never buy them.  Crazy, right?

I find myself drawn to her Single Crochet Skinny Scarf.  I don't know why.  I would never wear something like this.  Is it the colors that draw me in?  Or the long length of the scarf?  I don't know.  But I might just make one of these and see how I like it.  It sure can't hurt.

She has posted a tutorial on "Squaring the US Treble Circle".  This could be very handy!

I really, really, really like the Red Cross Throw she made.  I like the pattern AND the yarn she used.  Another blanket to think about making.

I think it's great that her teen daughter also enjoys yarn and hooking and even writes her own blog.  She also enjoys designing her own projects.  Lovely!   Small T isn't interested in yarn and hooking but she is talking about writing her own blog.  That would make me happy.  Except that she said I'm not allowed to view it.  Hmmm....

I am intrigued that she uses round place mats on her table.  I never thought about using round ones.  I really like the black and white ones that she made and she even shares her pattern for them.  I might be trying these out as well.  I could see buying some cotton in the natural colors for my table.

She provides a link to a 10 petal coaster pattern that I also like.  This is another project I will add to my to-make list.  I like these that much!

I swear, I am going to try out her daughter's tutorial for "Cabbage Rabbit/ The Easter Bunny".  I just need to find a bumpy type of yarn to make it with.  I love the texture!

She also shares a pattern for floor cushions and roly poly balls and such.  I could see a floor cushion in my house but it would have to be "huge" because Big C would always be on it...and he's "big".  So a small cushion just wouldn't do.

This blog is worth the visit.  Seriously.  Most everything she makes has a pattern with it or a link to one.  She has a vibrant palette of colors for her kids and a more monochrome palette for herself, so there's a lot of variety offered.  She talks about herself, her family, her travels and much more.  Stop by and see what she has to offer!

Block 8 - Knit A Block A Week Challenge

Today, I finished the 8th block of the Knit A Block A Week Challenge.  I'm still using the same basic pattern as the previous squares.  This square is made with Caron's Simply Soft yarn in Woodland Heather and Bone.

Diamond Lace Stitch Baby Blanket

Yesterday evening, I finished the Diamond Lace Stitch Baby Blanket.  I used this tutorial http://suziqcreations.blogspot.com/2012/08/diamond-lace-stitch-tutorial.html .

 At first, I couldn't see the stitch pattern forming correctly but after I had worked several rows, you could see it.  I used Caron's One Pound Baby yarn in White.  It took about 3/4 of a skein.  I used a size I hook.  The edging is simply 3 rounds of sc with a 4th round of reverse sc.  I don't particularly care for the way the edging is laying, so...I think I'll have block it out.

Since you can't see the detail in the first photo, here's a close up.

Disney Character Day

It's Homecoming Week at school this week.

Today is Disney Character Day.

 Small T is Darla off of Finding Nemo.  See....she's got Nemo in the bag of water in her hand.  (it's a carrot)  She made her own retainer using a wire coat hanger.  We bought the skirt in the little girls dept. at Good Will and the sweater at another Good Will.  Her hair is in pig tails but they are falling down already.  She has lacy socks on with her Converse.  Costume complete.

 Speaking of the lacy socks, we couldn't find her a pair yesterday, so I took a pair of white ones and crocheted a lacy edging on it for her.  A little white embroidery floss saves the day!

Since it's Winter here, Little Ty had to wear some clothes under his costume.  He still looks good!

Small T and I

Small T is a typical teenager.  Most of the time she hates me but here lately, she's been all over me, but only on her terms.  She's been sitting beside me a lot cuddling and she's always wanting to sit on my lap.  And she wants to take photos.  Here are a couple of the latest ones.

This was taken yesterday evening.  She's sporting the new nose ring (the hoop).  I detest her nose ring.  I refused to have anything to do with it.  Her dad took her to get it done this Summer.  I just deal with it.  But it's a teenager thing that she likes so I just do my best to handle it.  My solution was to buy her a clear one that she wears for sports and school stuff.

Then, Small T wanted me to take a photo of her "ugly face" ... so I did.  What do you think?  lolo

Disney Character

Today, we shopped for supplies (the Good Will store is fabulous for this) and once we got back home, we have been crafting two Disney Character costumes for school on Tuesday.  We have finally finished Little Ty's costume.  :)  Now we're working on Small T's.  I'll show you hers later.

Here's a small photo collage of what was going on this past hour.

 Small T making Little Ty's "hat".

 A quick shot of them "cheesing" for the camera.  Small T is fitting her "retainer".  Good thing we have wire hangers around the house.

Now...for the good stuff.

Little Ty's photo shoot.

 Um...this is a little boring, Ty.

 Finally...some emotion.  See the smile.

 Oh all right...I'll do something.

 Now what?  Well, do something that your character would do.

 No...not that.  I'll put it on Facebook!!!!

 Ok.  Stoic again.  Really?  That's the best you've got???

Finally!  A good photo.  Sort of.

(Sorry for the "guns" in the photos.  I didn't realize you could see them in each and every photo.  You can tell that we live in the country, right?)

Now...can anyone guess who Little Ty is going as?

I'll give you a guess....Jasmine will be happy to see him.

Yep, you're right.  He's Aladdin!

On The Road...

In a few minutes, Small T and I are hitting the road again.  We're headed to Moberly to meet a girl.  This girl is buying one of Tianna's previous Prom Dresses.  It's the one she wore in the Queen Contest last year.  I'm a bit sad to see it go as I love this dress.  But it will continue to be appreciated by other pretty girls in the future, so I'm ok.  After we meet the girl, we're headed to Good Will and a few other thrift stores to find Small T and Little Ty costumes for Tuesday.  It's Disney Character Day at school.  It's Homecoming Week.  We're making Little Ty into Aladdin.  And Small T is thinking Minnie Mouse or a Minion.  Wish us luck in finding what we need for the costumes!  See ya later!

Guest Post...Sort Of

Guest post by Small T.

I'm modeling the hat mom made for my aunt and cousin.  I'd just like to say, "I'm a straight up G!"

***Comment from Mom...I have no idea what that means!"***

How do you like my new bracelets?  They are my favorites.  For now.

Catch ya all later!  Peace!

WIP's

I've started two projects lately....

 I'm on Block 8 of the Knit A Block A Week Challenge...

and I've started a crocheted baby blanket.  I've been knitting too much lately and my fingers are killing me.  So it's time for some crochet.  I've been missing my crochet anyway.

Turtles

A couple of facts about Small T:

1.  She loves bracelets.  Always has.

2.  She loves Turtles.  And Elephants.  In fact, she would love to start a Turtle Farm, but you can't do that in Missouri.  It's against the law because they are protected.

Yesterday, while I was getting a soda on the way to school, I found these cute little Turtle Bracelets for the mere sum of $1 each.  I ended up buying her 5 of them because I couldn't choose a favorite color.  I bought myself a gray one to "support her cause".  lol  The bracelets were a huge success with her!  Yay for mom!

My Valentine

I almost forgot to post about Big Daddy and the Valentine I made him.  That just wouldn't do!  Big Daddy is the kind of guy that loves all that cheesy, sappy, holiday stuff.  The cheesier the better!  So instead of my usual store-bought card and box of assorted chocolates, I made Big Daddy this huge "card".  I found the idea on Pinterest.  Sometimes, I thank God for Pinterest, and this is one of them.

Big Daddy absolutely loved the card and he insisted that I take a photo of him holding it and put it on my blog.  So that's what I'm doing.

The card reads:

Happy Valentine's Day!

To my (Sweet Tart)..you are so

aaah (M&M's) zing!  When I'm 

with you, I feel like I'm on the 

(Milky Way) or just won (100 Grand)!

I don't mind if people (Snickers) because

I love you to (Reese's Pieces)!  What did I do

to (Skor) a (Sugar Babies)

like you?

Hugs and Kisses, Shelly

Updated

Ok, I couldn't stand it.  I updated my blog.  I'm so afraid that I would miss getting something on here, and I just realized that I did.  So...I'm going to have to fix that as soon as I'm done with this post.  I figured that if I wasn't going to go to bed like I should so I won't be tired tomorrow while I'm on the road with Small T, that I might as well do something productive.  And what's more productive than updating my blog, right?  Right!  Hope you enjoy what I've been up to.

Knitted Throw

I started another knitted throw.  I swear.  I need my head examined.  But honestly, I think I'm addicted.  This is the progress I've made on it so far.  I'm using some of the same colors that I used in the Blooming Flower Cushion along with a few others from my stash.  The rows you see here are Coffee, Medium Thyme, Aran, Burgundy, Pewter, and I'm starting on the Aran again.  There will be at least two more colors added.  They are Blue Suede and Buff.  I'm thinking of adding a darker green and an orange too, but I'm not sure about those yet.

For this blanket, I did the same thing as the others and cast on 125 stitches.

Cupcakes

This past Wednesday was Cupcake Day in my household.  I had to bake a LOT of cupcakes for Band Movie Night at school on Thursday.

 Most of them were Strawberry.  yum.  With different sprinkles on top.

And some of them were Valentine Funfetti.

I ended up with 72 cupcakes by the time I was done.  

I have to confess that not all of them made it to school though.  My family, myself included, had to sample some of them first....to make sure they were tasty enough.  lol

Block 7 - Knit A Block A Week Challenge

I hadn't worked on my blocks since the end of January, so I'm behind.  I completely forgot about them for a bit.  Shame on me.  So I got out the yarn I'm using and started to work on Block 7.  This block is made of Simply Soft yarn in Blueberry and Bone.  I did a striped version of the same block I've been making simply because I didn't think I had enough of the skein of blueberry yarn left.  I ended up having a small ball of it when I was done.  So it was probably a good idea I did the stripe pattern after all.

Blooming Flower Cushion - Stashbusting for Stashaholics

I finished the Blooming Flower Cushion and it's now resting on my couch.  I think I over-stuffed it a bit though.  But that's ok, my family will love on it a lot and squish it down to where it needs to be before I know it.

Here are the particulars on the cushion:

pattern: http://attic24.typepad.com/weblog/blooming-flower-cushion.html

yarn:  from my yarn stash - Red Heart Super Saver in Soft Navy, Medium Thyme, Coffee, Burgundy, and Pewter (the back of the cushion is worked in Navy)

hook size I

fiber fill stuffing

The "Dress"

Last Saturday, Small T and I went Prom Dress Shopping.  We ended up driving almost 2 hours one way to find some boutiques that the girls from her school probably wouldn't visit in order to find her dress.  After trying on several dresses, well....a lot of dresses, she found the one she wanted.  I'm showing you a little teaser of the front of the dress below.

We still have to go back for alterations and such, but it's a pretty dress and she was really wanting something feminine and elegant and I think it fits the bill perfectly.

Big C

Big C came home from college last weekend.  He arrived on Friday afternoon and promptly left to spend time with his friends.  We didn't see him very much at all.  He was set to leave Sunday around noon.  I woke up early to finish his laundry and that's when I figured out it was snowing again.  So I hurried up with the laundry and woke Big C up to get himself showered and packed.  Then it was time for him to leave.

 Can you see this big snowflakes that are falling?  Cool, right?  Yep.  Unless you have a 3+ hour drive ahead of you, like Big C did.

 Big Brother, Medium J, is helping him pack up the car.  It's actually Medium J's car, but Big C has been driving it back and forth to school on and off.  His frat buddies call the car, the "pimp mobile".  lol  They have to have something to razz him about.  Anyway, Big C headed out and made it to college safely.  I was relieved.

I popped this little photo in with the others simply because I almost never get a photo of Medium J.  You can't see his face in this one, but at least I have a photo of him.  :)

MIA

I'm sorry that I've been MIA for a bit.  And I'm even sorrier that I'm going to remain MIA for a few more days.  It's been super duper busy around here and I'm trying to recuperate after a couple of really bad anaphylactic reactions as well.  As soon as I possibly can, I'll be back with news about my crafting, my family, and anything else that suits my fancy from the past week or so.  Until that time, I hope everyone has a great day, or two days, or three days, and so on.  :)

Oh My Gosh....

Here it is...Feb. 15th, and Valentine's Day has passed.  And NOW I find an absolutely wonderful project tutorial for something that Small T would just absolutely LOVE.  Geez!  Even though I'm a bit upset over missing this project making / gift giving opportunity, I'm so in love with the project that I'm going to blog about it.
I was visiting the blog, Dottie Angel, tonight for just a bit, catching up on the latest news, and I saw this...http://dottieangel.blogspot.com/2014/02/a-hanging-heartcatcher-howto.html .  I couldn't believe my eyes!  How in the world did she think up a "heart catcher"?  Small T has several dream catchers in her room since she suffers from bad dreams, and the "heart catcher" would be a lovely, and different, and more "adult", gift for her, since she's only a few months away from being the grown up age of 17. *sigh*  I'm so in love with the "heart catcher"!  And to think that she shared a tutorial on how to make them as well!  Wow!  I'm in crafting heaven!  So...I can definitely see this project is going to go on my "need to make soon" list.  I haven't felt this "craft happy" in ages.  Can you tell?

Next Crochet Project

Yesterday, when I went downstairs for my shower, I dug around through my yarn stash looking for some yarn that coordinates with my living room color scheme.  I ended up finding several skeins of yarn and last night, I weeded out the colors I didn't want to use and then I picked out a pattern to make.

I decided to make a Blooming Flower Cushion.  The pattern is a free one on the Attic 24 blog and can be found by clicking here .  I've made one of these before and it was raffled off during a community fundraiser and was a big hit.  This one will stay here at my home when I finish it.

I'm using the colors, Soft Navy, Medium Thyme, Coffee, Burgundy, and Pewter.  All are Red Heart Super Saver yarn.

This photo shows the spot where I left off last night.  I am looking forward to getting back to work on it today.  :)