Is It Friday Yet?

Hello all!
I woke up this morning and thought it was Thursday. I hate when that happens. On top of it, the day turned out to be drizzly and coldish. A "pissy ass" rain as I call it. Just enough to get your glasses wet but not enough to justify an umbrella! I didn't even walk to the "L" this morning. My DH offered to wait for me and drove me there. Then I asked him to pick me up! Oh well, there's always tomorrow to walk. I can take a day off every now and then!

Orange Is The New Black Cowl

I've been watching a Netflix exclusive show, "Orange Is The New Black." I 'm really enjoying this show. It's about a woman who goes to prison after someone named her as a fellow drug runner from 10 years ago. Each episode showcases a different inmate and the trials they all endure. They have all the episodes on so you can watch them all at once or one or two a day. Of course, Gregory turned me on to this show. He has such great taste! This week while I'm watching (sitting alone in the dining room) I've been knitting a beautiful and soft black merino wool cowl called the Honey Cowl. May not show the true color but the pattern shows up nicely.

Debbie's Spa Cloth

Now it wouldn't be a blog post if I didn't show you the start of another Debbie's Spa Cloth. This is made of the blue cotton yarn, like the rust colored one, that I thought I'd lost. Obviously I found it! I must have stashed it away when the girls came over to sew and finally remembered where I stashed it! I also found a skein of yarn and a pattern (not related) that was lost but now is found! Yeah!! I love when that happens.







OK. The book I was reading, Summer Breeze, by Nancy Thayer was very good. As I said, it was a nice light easy summer read. My next book is a new Barbara Delinsky book Sweet Salt Air. Review will be forthcoming. No doubt it will be good. I love Barbara Delinsky.

I was at a bookstore recently killing a 1/2 hour and saw a book that I knew I had to have; The Joy of Sox. The title alone caught my eye! There are several very nice sock patterns so, being the Sock Queen, I had to have it! Still have to finish my one sock and then I'll have a newly knit pair of socks! I vow to complete that sock this weekend!

My Maggie cowl is coming along nicely. I've been diligently working on it in the morning and at lunchtime during work. I will definitely finish it this week and post a picture. I won't be able to do any knitting at work next week because I'll have to spend all my spare time working on the dreaded MONTHLY REPORT! Well, everyone who knows me knows about this week of hell. Although, everyone has their own personal MONTHLY REPORT! Do you??????

Well, off to watch another episode of Orange Is The New Black. I'm telling you, if you have Netlix or access to it, you gotta see this show.

Until the next time, keep crafting!

Another Monday....

Hello all!
Well, it's Monday again. I miss not posting since last week! Last week was not a great week for me. Nothing specific just a few things I perceived as "not nice" and the snowball effect took place. It's just me and my crazy sensitivity! Oh well, all better now.

Week of July 29 arrangement

I know everyone is waiting to see the floral arrangement of the week at The Firm. It's fun to come into the lobby each Monday morning and see these arrangements. Sometimes it's a hit and sometimes it's not. I'll let you decide.

I spent a wonderful weekend cutting and getting my Scrappy Bags ready to start sewing. I'm planning to iron the Pellon on everything before the coming weekend so I can start right in sewing. I've realized that I can't try to do too much at once because it makes me crazy. I went to Joanne Fabrics on Wednesday to get the 50% off Pellon I needed as well as some stuff I didn't need! I bought some orange fabric and some candy corn fabric to make a 10 minute table runner. I have that cut out and ready to sew. I also bought some cream color cotton to add to a quilt top I hope to make someday! Hope to have some pics next week. Then I went on Saturday and bought some more Pellon and some Chicago Bears fabric. I am planning to make some valances for my niece Debbie's Chicago Bears bedroom. It's actually the room I sleep in when I go there so I call it my room! Ha-ha!! Then I went again on Sunday because I didn't buy enough Pellon. I got some great sales and 70% off some sewing notions for the sewing basket I'm making for someone for Christmas. It was a Joanne's Fabric weekend. I vow to not buy anymore fabric for a long time. (Except some special fabric I need to finish some pillowcases I also cut out yesterday!)  : )


My fabric stash seems to have grown a bit. I thought I could get rid of some of it when we got together to do our Scrappy Bags. Unfortunately, I'm an organizer and decided to get all my fabric together in one place. I even bought a new see-through container. Everything fits in nicely, however, it's a 66 gallon container! Shhh, don't tell anyone!

Oh well, finished another washcloth for Debbie. This one was Brigitte's idea. I used some odds and ends from the discount basket at Woolly Lamb and made a real pretty stripped Spa Cloth with Berocco Weekend. I think I have enough to make one more. Very nice and soft. I love the colors and the cloth is very dense so it will be nice to wash with.

(I probably should learn to crop these pictures! Slow and steady - that's my pace!)

 

Once again, I'm in a mood to "lighten my load" a bit by using up some of my stash yarn (yes, I have stash yarn as well as stash fabric) to make another Stephen West Squishy Afghan. I made one in wool with the help of my knitting friend Sharon. She is a great fan of Stephen and we worked together and both complete one each within a month. This was 16 skeins of yarn held double throughout. The base color was a butter yellow and then I used different shades of blue. The afghan is on a double size bed so you can see how big it is.

I think I'll have to start another one come September. You need to do this in the winter so you can have it over you while knitting when it's cold. These are the colors I'm going to use; gold, burgundy, brown, green,orange and two variegated yarns. Nice fall colors. You need at least 16 skeins of yarn because you knit with two skeins at once.

I finished the book I was reading last week; Reconstructing Amelia. The book was not a love story but told the story of the love a Mother has for her daughter who died too soon. She worked throughout the book to determine the cause of Amelia's death. I highly recommend this book. This week I'm reading Summer Breeze by Nancy Thayer. So far it's a nice light summer read. I am enjoying it.

Until the next time. I hope to post before a week passes again! Enjoy!

The Start of a New Week!

Hello all!
I had such a great weekend! Besides the fact that I wasn't at work!

Before I get into the weekend, I have to show the beautiful weekly floral arrangement at the Firm. This one seems like Spring to me. Enjoy.

Now on to the weekend! On Saturday my knitting friends, Liz, Ro and Gladys came over for lunch and to work on our Scrappy Bags. Ro started us on the project and I donated my fat quarters, scraps, etc. so we could each make one. (The motive was to clear out my stash!) This is a purse you can make from scraps of fabric you have accumulated. After choosing our fabric, we had to make an emergency run to Joanne Fabrics for some supplies. After that, we went for coffee, but I digress. Once we came back to my house, we started in full tilt with our bags. We stopped for dinner about 7:00 but continued pinning, sewing, an pressing our little hearts out! Everyone finished the first stage of the bag, getting all the scraps sewed on the base. This is the start of my bag. I'm all into turquoise so this fabric was all about me! Once you get the handles and lining set, this bag will fold in half and become a purse! I was so excited about my purse that I gathered my scraps and put together fabric for 4 other bags! Now I just need the time! Ro finished hers so she will be able to help us with ours!

October

We also purchased fabric to start another project we're looking to do. This book shows monthly banners and numbers to make and quilt. One for each month of the year depicting holidays. We're planning to start on October and work through until December at this point - hopefully we can stay on target. We'll start the others after the first of the year. I wish we were being taped while we shopped at Joanne's. It was so comical. Once we got to the cutting station, we couldn't remember which fabric was for which square. We ultimately figured it out and took pictures! Then we tried to use as many coupons as we could. We managed to save a lot of money! Here are the colors we chose. Hopefully I'll have regular updates for you!



November



December

The squares are each 11 1/2 x 11 1/2 so we don't need a lot of fabric for each one. We have to trace shapes and then cut out the fabric and adhere. Should be fun! We have dates scheduled through September to begin working on these squares. We also bought tabletop stands to display them on for each month!

And, last but not least tonight, here is an update on the Debbie's Spa Cloths. I have completed two green ones and another rust colored one. I have more yarn but unfortunately, forgot where I put it so I'm waiting until it shows up. : )

Oh, two more things; congratulations to William and Kate on the birth of their dear little baby boy! I'm sure they will love and adore their baby boy as much we did each of our boys!

Also, I finished my latest book by Katie Fforde; Highland Fling. Such a wonderful romantic comedy. I hated to see it end! Her books are delicious! Now I'll start; Reconstructing Amelia by Kimberly McCreight. Review to come.

Until the next post! Keep crafting (in between life and work!)

If It's Thursday......

It's knit night!! Had a nice time tonight at Woolly Lamb - lots of laughing and fun with my friends. I worked with Brigitte to get my leg stitches together on my Sweet Tomato sock and am ready to just forge ahead and complete it! I also worked on the second sock to its' mate that I have to finish from another pair of sock I started at least a year ago. I will get both of these socks done by the end of the month! Almost finished with my "work" washcloth too!

Nothing much else to report tonight. Suffering through the terrible heat we're experiencing here in Chicago. Hopefully it will break tomorrow night and we'll have some storms to cool off and break the humidity!


 
Weigh-in today was good. I lost .4 pounds! At least I didn't gain! I'm very happy with my progress and hope to keep going strong! Only 14.6 pounds to go until  I achieve my lifetime goal! I have to keep walking and staying active!

Good night to all and stay tuned for future installments!

Hump Day!

Good evening all!



Sock after first class

Well, I didn't post yesterday because I was at my knitting class all evening. Brigitte has the patience of a saint! With about 12 students, she was as busy as a one armed paper hanger! But she gave each one of us the attention we needed! It was a very intense class but I feel I came away knowing just what had to be done and was confident in my ability to do it! Not sure if there will be a second sock, but that's usually the way I am when I learn something different. I remember the first time I tried to make a sock on double pointed needles I actually got so frustrated that I threw the yarn away! Ha-ha!! The first time I tried to knit socks on two circulars, I hated it and swore I'd never knit socks! Ha-ha!! The second time I tried to knit socks on two circulars, I LOVED IT! Something clicked and I was hooked. I've knit so many socks I can't count them. I love knitting them on circulars or double pointed needles. I just love to knit socks!



So here is the sock at the point where I'm supposed to be - I hope! Now I have to find out how to get all the stitches back to where they should be so I can start knitting the leg!




Sock after second class
Thank you Brigitte and Cat Bordhi!
 

I forgot to talk about the last book I read, Another Little Piece by Kate Karyus Quinn. Well, can't say I loved it but I can say it was a bit different. Not something that I normally gravitate towards but sometimes it's nice to get out of your comfort zone. This book was WAY OUT THERE! Think Hunger Games? I just finished a short sappy book called The Gazebo. Now I like a romance book just like the next person but this was a bit too mushy for me. A quick read and OK. Better than Another Little Piece! Now I'm on to Highland Fling by Katie Fforde! My new favorite author. I am now reading on the train to work and back home. In the morning before I start work and at lunch time I'm knitting, you guessed it, washcloths! So far I have two green ones done and am working on a dark orange one.

A big congratulations to my "little" sister Maria! She's lost so much weight and her last picture posted on Facebook showed her SOOO thin! Between the two of us we've probably lost a teenaged girl!

Off to relax now for an hour before going to bed! 









Monday, Monday....

Hello all and Happy Home Run Derby to you! : )
I guess I've lost TV privileges tonight since the derby is on. The boys in our house love it! It's OK - there's nothing on TV anyway!

Now I have time to hide out and knit, blog, etc! Yeah!!!

First things first. Here is the floral arrangement of the week. Not that exciting but still a nice thing to see when I walk in the reception area.

In addition to the beautiful floral arrangement in our reception area, the Firm has some of the most professional and friendly receptionists! Bobbette is always a ray of sunshine when I come into the office each morning. She has a ready smile and friendly greeting. She always knows my mood by the way I open the door! I miss her when she's not there! Sharon is also a sweet and friendly person. I love talking to her and asking her if it's 5:00 yet! Leticia reminds me of my dear Mother. She is very strong and has a no nonsense approach to life! They are an asset to the Firm!

Now, for the update on my Cat Bordhi Sweet Tomato sock. I worked diligently on my sock yesterday and managed to finish what I needed to do for my "homework." Don't get scared but the picture to the right is the sock on my foot. That's all I needed to do for tomorrow. The picture below is the sock showing the beautiful pattern. It's a bit loose at the toe section but that has a lot to do with my tension. Well, it's a first attempt but as you can see, it fits my foot perfectly! Tomorrow we start the Sweet Tomato heel!

 

 

Well, that's it for now. Off to more computer work and knitting! 

 



 

 

Good Sunday Morning!

Good morning!
What a beautiful day today! After easting breakfast at our favorite restaurant, Lucky Grill, I walked home again. It's so peaceful walking in the early morning and hearing the birds chirping, water features people have in their yards and greeting people as we pass each other. I love walking and try to do it as much as possible. That's my best and only form of exercise at this point. Today I zigzagged throughout the blocks and looked at houses and flowers along the way. Tranquility!


Progress after first class

Yesterday I met my friend Tom at Woolly Lamb and after knitting for a while, we went to lunch and had a great time. When we came back we sat and knitted for a while. Another peaceful afternoon for me. Brigitte reminded me that I have "homework" to do on my sock for our next class on Tuesday. I immediately went into panic mode (even though I acted like I had everything under control) and said oh I'm planning to get that done on Sunday. Yikes! It feels like high school all over again! I did manage to get to the point where the pattern starts last night so I'll start that today and definitely have it done for Tuesday. (I hope!) I have to because we start the heel and I can't start the heel until I have the foot done! Here is a pic of the sock after the first class and what I've done so far.

Progress to date - a ways to go for Tuesday!
 

Debbie's Spa Cloth

I started and finished a washcloth for my niece Debbie. I call it "Debbie's Spa Cloth." It's made of a very luxurious cotton -"King Tut" and feels very soft. I'd like to make a few more for her as well as some dish cloths. It measures a generous 10 x 10 and looks so pretty folded up. The color is a yummy celery green - one of my favorite colors. Hope she likes it!

I also have two more skeins of this color yarn and hope to make at least three more with it as well as two other cotton yarns I bought. I may make some for myself too! It's a very simple pattern and knits up quickly. Thanks for the pattern Sharon!





 

After finishing Joanne's Maggie Linen Cowl, I decided to make an identical one for myself. I just love the pattern and it's very easy. I plan to make several more - but they have to get into the queue! I'd show a picture of myself wearing it but there's no one home or awake to do it for me! Ha-ha! Maggie has so many beautiful colors in this linen to the color choices are endless! Unfortunately my time isn't! Drat!

Well, I guess I'd better get out and enjoy the day a bit. I also have to get my sock done! I'm really enjoying this new technique and I always love a challenge. By the way, I DID NOT finish my other sock (done the conventional) way - you'll find that happens to me a lot!

 

Have a great day! 

 

 

 

On The Twelfth Day of Crafting.....

Happy Friday to all!
The best part of the weekend is 5:00 p.m. on Friday! It was a long week considering I was off Thursday and Friday last week. Our next holiday is Labor Day! Can we make it through til then? NO! I'm taking several days off before then!

I have a review of the book of the week I've been reading; Entwined with You by Sylvia Day. The book was great - Mommy Porn as my son David calls it - but I read the first two books so long ago I almost forgot what happened! She did a pretty good job of retracing but not well enough for me. The end leads you to believe there is another book and I did hear she had several more books of this series. I hope she churns them out faster! All in all, I do recommend the book. Debbie - the book is all yours! I hope Heather finishes the second one so you can get it.

My next book is a book I read about in a magazine and decided to try it out. It's called Another Little Piece by Kate Karyus Quinn. I'm really enjoying it even though it is a bit bizarre. I'll review it on Friday next week. I have several Katie Fforde books in the queue but I know I'll love them!

OK! This is the twelfth day of crafting for me. I hope everyone has enjoyed my blog. I'm really committed to posting more often now and detailing my crafts or those of other people. Today I'd like to highlight an adorable bag a dear friend of mine, Eunice made. These little ditty bags were a hit a Woolly Lamb! Eunice is an accomplished seamstress and makes beautiful knitting bags, wallets, purses, bags, etc. I envy her because she has a beautiful craft room in her basement with tons of fabric, room, samples, etc. If you notice, the fabric has a knitting theme! it has a zipper, handle and a cherry motive fabric inside. I just love it and of course, I needed another bag! (You'd get that if you were a knitter!) Isn't it adorable?

Well, off to or finish one of my current projects or start some washcloths for my niece Debbie! I bought some very pretty yarn to start them! I have a chronic case of start-I-tis and there is no cure for it!

Day Eleven of The Twelve Days of Crafting

Hello all!!
Had a great night at Woolly Lamb tonight. Brigitte suggested a beautiful pattern for my new socks. I'm hoping to get started on it tomorrow night and get some help from her on Saturday. More to come!

I was excited when I got to Woolly Lamb tonight because Gladys finished my Maggie Sweater. I knit the back but Gladys knit the fronts and the arms. She also put the fringes on all over too! That was a lot of work for her. I appreciate her taking care of this whole garment for me. I will wear it and be so happy doing so! It's beautiful! She is so talented! I still have to post a picture of the beautiful sweater she totally made for me. I had the start of it which was turning out too big for me. She helped me frog the parts I made and offered to knit a different sweater for me. It's wonderful to have a custom made sweater for myself.


Here is a picture of me wearing the sweater. It matches perfectly with denim. I do need to learn how to pose better! Not used to getting my picture taken! I usually avoid the camera!






Well, I'm happy to report that I finally reached my personal mini Weight Watchers goal !Yeah! I lost a total of 50.2 pounds! I'm very proud of myself and happy to have finally reached this mini goal! I received a 50 lb charm (it doesn't weigh 50 lbs) for my key chain. I now have 15 more pounds to lose to get to my lifetime membership goal. I CAN DO IT!!!



I wore the outfit below to work today. My blouse was tucked in, my pants fit me much better than any others and I had a belt on. People were telling me I looked so nice. I think they actually noticed I looked different since I was wearing clothes that fit  me properly. I had Gregory take a pic of me to share with you.

This is me 50 pounds lighter! Check out my Facebook page and see a pic of me before!

Well, off to bed with me now to get a good nights sleep. Day Twelve tomorrow!

Day Ten of The Twelve Days of Crafting

Hello All!
Well, I've gone and done it! I started a page on Facebook; Crafts Are My Life. I don't really have a clue about what I'm doing but its fun and challenging! If you haven't done so already, take a look and "Like" it. I'd love to get the attention of hundreds of people! I should be able to connect this blog to that page but not sure how yet! If anyone has any suggestions, let me know!

I'm a bit nervous tonight about my weigh in at Weight Watchers tomorrow. I need to lose 1 pound to get to my mini goal of a 50 pound weight loss! I hope I lose that one pound so I can celebrate! If not, I'll just forge ahead and try for next week!

OK - now for crafts. Of course, I haven't had too much time tonight to knit my Cat Bordhi sock or much of anything else for that matter. I will knit tomorrow night at Woolly Lamb - it's Thursday knit night!

Tonight I'd like to show you a scarf I made earlier and recently finished. It's a cotton yarn and great for summer. I love the fringes! I just put them on about a month ago in anticipation of a beautiful sweater hand made for me by Gladys Cruz. I'll post that picture tomorrow! It's a beauty! Gladys is a whiz at knitting, crocheting and any other craft you can think of! She's my idol!

Well, that's about it for tonight. I have two more days of The Twelve Days of Crafting. I'll have to think of something else to blog about! Any ideas?

See you tomorrow!

 

 

 







 



Day Nine of My Twelve Days of Crafting

Hello everyone!
Well, I had a great night at Woolly Lamb tonight! Yes, I was there on a Tuesday night! Brigitte had the first of three classes of Cat Bordhi's "Sweet Tomato Heel Sock." It's a new method of knitting heels and so far so good. I have the toe started and almost done. There's not much to show for my work but I did learn something new. We have to knit up to the "hinge of the foot" for the next class which is next week. I have a bit of homework to do with this sock. The class was full but Brigitte was still able to give each one of us individual attention. I felt bad because we stayed a extra half-hour over our time!

I love to knit and learn new techniques so this is the perfect combination for me!

I found a great new pattern today on line to make an "XL Hot Pad" which measures 10 x 15.5. It is designed by Vickie Eapen of Spun Sugar Quilts.  Of course, it's quilted! It's nice to put under a 9 x 13 dish. You can find this pattern and many others on their website. You can also find a tutorial for it on Pinterest.

If only I had to time to make everything I want to make.....

Well, off to bed for me. How come the evenings fly by but the days go like snails!

Day Eight of The Twelve Days of Crafting!

Hello to all my family, friends, and fans!
I'm so happy you're reading my posts and hope you are enjoying them! I'm having a great time doing this!


 
 

Today is Monday so that means a picture of the Flowers of the Week from the Firm. I'm not sure who the florist is but they do make a beautiful arrangement.

Also, Monday means my pick book of the week. I started reading Sylvia Day's book, Entwined with You. I really enjoyed with first two books of this series and couldn't wait for book 3. I accidentally found it at Target on Friday. As I mentioned previously, these books are on the same order of The Fifty Shades of Gray but not as much S&M. I really enjoy this author.

I also picked up a couple Andrew Greeley book but haven't started them yet. I really enjoyed his books and look forward to getting back into his writing.

 

Once again, I started a new craft project last night. What else would I do? I had an idea to use some of Mom's Yo Yo's for different things. These are some of the key chains I was thinking of making for my sisters and nieces from Mom's handiwork. When I was at the quilt and then the fiber shows, I picked up several old buttons to use for these projects. I think they are looking very nice. More projects to come using these Yo Yo's!

 

That's it for tonight.  Back to crafting for me!

 





Day Seven - Crafts are My Life

Good evening all!
I hope it's not as hot by you as it is by us! A real scorcher today! I saw my friend Renata from Woolly Lamb biking with her husband! I said she's a better man than me! I don't even want to walk outside let alone ride a bike!



Needle Holders

Pin Cushion

          

After a visit with my MIL this afternoon, I came home and started making my pin cushion (left). It's about 3 1/2 inches square and just adorable. It's filled with crushed walnut shells and smells so good! I had a fun time making it. This was very easy to make and I can see making sets with this pin cushion and the adorable needle holders I made previously (right). They're the same size and would make great gifts! More on this.....

 

Not too much else to report. Didn't do any knitting today but thought about it! Sometimes I just don't feel like doing anything but relax!

 

Sorry about the format of this issue. Still not sure how to space correctly so it looks like my draft when published. 

 

Until tomorrow.

 

 

 



                                                           



Day Six - 12 Days of Crafting

Hello!
Had an extra special day today. I spent the day with two of my dear knitting friends, Liz and Ro. We went to an art show in Evanston, visited a new knit shop, and went to Vogue Fabrics. We shopped til we dropped! We went to the art show in Evanston to see another one of our knitting friends, Sonia. She was selling her beautiful felted purses, knitted hats, scarves, etc. Her booth was so nice. I finally took some pics of some of my knitting friends!



Liz, Colleen, Ro (holding one of Sonia's bags) and Sonia - our Artist!
 

Sonia has been busy knitting up these purses and then felting them. This process of felting is like shrinking your wool sweater on purpose! You just put it in the washing machine in very hot water, let it agitate, check it regularly, remove, shape and then wait two or three days for it to dry! Very labor intensive but totally worth the resulting items! We've been watching her knit at Woolly Lamb and can now see the beautiful items she has completed. Her booth was beautiful and should surely win for the best booth!

We saw lots of jewelry, art work and many beautiful items for sale.

Ro, Liz and I walked all around the exhibits, looked at everything, stopped to eat lunch and enjoyed the day so much. And Ro only got lost once! (She claimed we were lost!) : )

Our artist, Sonia!

                  

And now, My craft of the day is the second sock of this pair. I finally turned the heel, picked up my stitches and am just knitting the foot until I get to the length I need. Then I decrease for the toes and Kitchener the toe closed! My goal is to finish the last sock by next week Friday. This has been an ongoing project that I'm glad is nearing completion. If I had to wait until I finished a pair of socks I would be walking around barefoot! Ha-ha!! I do love knitting socks and will be learning a new technique beginning Tuesday at Woolly Lamb Yarn Studio! More details to follow!

My latest book is the third book of a delicious trilogy. This is the third Crossfire Novel written by Sylvia Day, Entwined with You. These books are very similar to the Shades of Gray series but not as much S&M. Not sure if you think that's good or bad. I can say though, that the Crossfire Novels are very good! Glad I found this book and am looking forward to reading it.

 

That's it for tonight. Lots of fresh air, walking, and laughing have tired me out! Off to bed for me and looking forward to crafting SOMETHING tomorrow!

 

 

 

 

 

 



Day Five - Twelve Days of Crafting....

Hello all!
OK - I may have skipped one day but that's because I was so busy crafting! : )

So happy to have today off! It's been a great day and I've gotten a lot accomplished. I even treated myself to a mocha latte tall WITH whip cream at Starbucks! I was so happy that I actually lost weight this week I had to celebrate. Nose to the grindstone now again because I have one pound to lose and make my 50 pound weight loss goal! I can do it, I can do it, I can do it!!!!

Once again, I had a wonderful time at Ro's house last night. Sonia, Liz, her husband Tony and baby Bianca sat on her deck and chatted, ate delicious food and enjoyed great company! We didn't even knit that much. There were a lot of fireworks going off and we watched some but mostly chatted and watched Liz's puppy Bianca! She is such a sweet doggie!

Once again, I didn't get any pictures of us or the fireworks. (Sorry Mandy!) Sometimes I just forget to take pics because I'm having so much fun. Ro, Liz and I (the three amigos!) will be going to see Sonia at her Art Fair in Evanston. We're also planning to take a trip to Vogue Fabric in Evanston. Why not, as long as we're there? I PROMISE I will get some pictures for my next blog!

Well, here is my craft of the day. This is a beautiful pattern I got for free on-line through Craftsy. I'm using a very soft yarn with a bit of sparkle. Hard to see on this picture but it's lovely. The pattern is a lace pattern and a bit challenging to me but very pretty. As you may have noticed, I suffer from a chronic case of start-I-tis. There is no cure for it but it is fun! It's so exciting to start a new project!

 

I just realized that I have to cook some kind of dinner. Tom had to work today so he's not home to cook like he usually does! : (Oh well, tuna and noodles for everyone! : )

 

I worked on a few things yesterday, as you know and got all my repairing done except for some of the repairing that needed to be washed first. I'll tackle that on Sunday. I also cut about 60 squares for a quilt I'm planning to make. I was very angry at myself because the squares were supposed to be 4 1/2 inches square but I cut about 1/2 of them 4 inches square. Sometimes I wonder about myself...Oh well, the squares will be 3 1/2 inches now! No harm, no foul.

 

Well, I'm itching to do a bit of knitting now. I picked up the other skein I needed for my blue linen cowl at, of course, Woolly Lamb so now I can start it.

 

Have a good day and look for me again tomorrow.

Day Four - Twelve Days of Crafting

Good morning all,
Happy Fourth of July! Seems like it was just Easter and now, summer is half over! I always felt once the 4th was over, summer just flies by! I'll be going to Ro's house tonight to watch the fireworks in Morton Grove. Should be a nice time! I'm looking forward to getting together with some of the knitting ladies.

I started sorting out some of my clothes today to take to the Thrift Shop in Norwood Park. I have sooo many clothes that I haven't worn in a long time and now are too big for me. I guess that's a good thing but some of them were really nice and I liked them! Oh well, a shopping I will go.

Tom and I went to our favorite restaurant for breakfast this morning and then I walked home. It's about 1 1/2 miles. It feels good to exercise and walking is my only form a exercise at this point. Then I took Sable for a slow walk around the block. She walks very slow!

I didn't take a pic of the ladies at knitting last night. We were so excited about the new things Brigitte got in that I forgot! So many nice things! I'll be sure to get some tonight.

Well, I finished The Perfume Collector yesterday and it was very good. I recommended it to all of the ladies last night. Brigitte said she is almost done with it so I didn't spoil it for her. : ) Not sure what I'll read next but I'll let you know. We're planning to start a book club at knitting and talk about the book while we knit. Should be fun.

Well, since I didn't blog yesterday, I'll show you two crafts I've finished. OK, it's the same thing but two different colors. This cowl was the Woolly Lamb Christmas club project for June. I made the navy one for Joanne and turquoise one for myself . I'm going to start another one in the same navy for myself. I couldn't wait until Christmas to give it to Joanne. She loved it! I put cream color linen on mine but I put white angora on Joanne's. It's so much fun to have a girl to make things for!

 

 

Here's a sneak peak for Maria  of the Yo Yo's I've sewn together so far. It's fun to coordinate the colors and put them together. I've got enough now to connect to what Maria and my Mother put together. I put a penny in the pic so you can see the size of the yo yos. At least they're not the tiny ones! I have so many ideas to make with some of them for all my sister's and nieces. Now I just need the time to do it! 

 

I'd like to start cutting some square for a quilt I'm planning to make as well as start some of the pin cushions I'm planning to make. I have all weekend so I'll pace myself. I have some hemming and repair work to do today so I'll try to get that off the books today.

I'll close for now so I can get started on my hemming and repairing. Have a safe Fourth of July and keep reading my blog!

Day Three!

Good evening!
So happy to hear that Woolly Lamb is open tomorrow night for knit night! Thanks Brigitte! Nice way to end this short week!

I am thoroughly enjoying my book; The Perfume Collector. This will be a book I don't want to end. So looking forward to reading another one of her books.

OK, for those who may have thought I'm not scrapping anymore, today's craft is scrapping! I made a beautiful graduation card for my Godson, Steven Rodas. Don't tell him because I haven't sent it yet! (I have to go to the post office as it should be put in another envelope because it's a bit bulky!) I had a nice time making it as well as another one for Joanne's niece. Unfortunately I didn't take a pic of hers. Here is Steven's card.

 

 

I also had another idea recently to make some cards for my fellow knitters. We always buy yarn for a specific project. Then when you see that yarn a year or so later (yes, a year or so later!) you wonder what project you were going to make with said yarn. So, I made some cards for them to use for that purpose! They are very cute if I must say so myself. I didn't buy anything - just used what I had in my stash of scrapping stuff. They say, "Now what did I plan to make with this yarn....." You can put the yarn name, pattern name/number, needle size, and any notes you want. Then you keep this card with your yarn and when you pull it out, you know exactly what you had planned to make!  A brilliant idea and everyone loved them!

 

 



Well, that's it for tonight. I'll take a pic of our knit night and post it tomorrow.