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.

Day Two - Twelve Days of Crafting

Hi All!


July 1, 2013

As promised, I am continuing with my Twelve Days of Crafting blog. I appreciate all the nice comments from my family and friends. Keep them coming! I'm having a ball!

First, I want to show the "Floral Arrangement of the Week." The firm I work for has a new arrangement delivered every Monday. Some are just so beautiful I have to memorialize them! The office management company has these delivered every Monday to help beautify the offices. It's so nice to come into the office each day and see these beautiful arrangements. Here is this weeks' offering.

What a beautiful evening this is! I took my precious little dog Sable for a walk and just enjoyed the night. She is VERY slow and can't see too well but loves her walks just the same. I love walking around the block and just stopping to "smell the roses!"


Now for the "Book of the Week." Brigitte Biver of Woolly Lamb Yarn Studio told me she started reading a book that she'd heard was great; The Perfume Collector by Kathleen Tessaro. I reserved it at my library and picked it up on Saturday. I can't believe how good this book is. It tells the story of a young married woman who receives an inheritance from someone she doesn't know. It starts in the early 1950's and then goes back and forth to the 1920's. Very interesting book and definitely a page turner. Brigitte never steers me wrong! I am really enjoying it and am halfway through already!


OK! Now for today's craft. I started this project last summer and finally decided to finish it over Memorial Day weekend. I really love this bag and am so proud of it. I got the pattern from one of the many quilting books I have. I just used 4 fat quarters and a yard of fabric for the lining. It's definitely large enough for many knitting projects and patterns. I love that I can combine two of my hobbies; quilting and knitting! The lining is the same pattern as the square on the front. I had to "fussy cut" that square to get the pattern I wanted to show. It does have handles, you just can't see them that well! I cut and sewed the pieces together and then quilted the piece. Then I sewed it together with "French" seams.

I'm looking forward to having a four day weekend coming up. I am lucky to have Thursday and Friday off for the holiday and am looking forward to sewing, knitting, and whatever this weekend.

Have a great day tomorrow and please be sure to check out my blog!

Is this really the last day of June?

Hi All!
I'm back by popular demand (from Mandy!) to write another post in my blog.

Can you believe those Chicago Blackhawks! I don't really follow sports that much except when they're in the "super bowl" (my name for all sports final games! - irritates the heck out of my boys!) So, of course, I saw the last 17 seconds of the last game and feel qualified to say I'm a fan! It was exciting and also exciting because I work downtown and witnessed all the hoopla! Very much a fun day! Just wish I hadn't missed the parade! Story of my life....

I can't believe the year is already half over! I guess time really does fly! It will already be the Fourth of July on Thursday! Before you know it, Mandy and Thomas will be visiting us in Chicago again!

June 24, 2013

I decided in order to encourage me to be more diligent about posting on my blog, I will be starting a new format. I am announcing the "12 Days of Crafting." Each day you will read about one craft project. Some will be mine in the works or completed and some will be done by other people. Every Monday I also plan to have a "firm floral arrangement of the week." This will be a beautiful floral arrangement the law firm I work at has on display for the week. Each one is more beautiful than the last one. For example, this was the arrangement from last week. Every time I looked at it I felt like I should see a bride around the corner. Last, but not least, each Monday I will write about a book I've read and loved or one I'm currently reading. Stay tuned.....







I had a wonderful weekend last week. (I know that was last week, but we had so much fun!) Let me tell you....on Friday Ro, Liz and I went to the International Quilt Show at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont. Before getting there, we stopped at McDonald's for a quick lunch and soon became trapped inside due to monsoon rains! Eventually it stopped raining and we were able to make a mad dash to the car and go to the show. We had such a wonderful time walking around looking at quilts, shopping, looking for things to buy, stopping for Starbucks, chatting and shopping! What a great time we had! I bought a cute kit to make a paper pieced bowl. It was so much fun to make as well as very easy. I hope to make many more. This is the Christmas design bowl I made. I photographed it with a Sharpie to you could see the size.

Then on Saturday, Ro, Sonia, Liz, Gladys, Sandy, the other Gladys and I went to Grayslake for the Fiber Fest. Ro was nice enough to drive us all there in her new car. We were laughing from start to finish! The Fiber Fest was fun but being together was the best part. Poor Ro had 6 back seat drivers telling her how to drive! She was patient with us but was very happy when we pulled into her driveway and left! She's such a sport! We all laughed like we were teenagers again!

This weekend (yesterday) we all got together at Sandy's house for a bar-b-q, eating, drinking and knitting fest. Such a great time with so many wonderful friends! Thanks Sandy and Jim for a wonderful day!

Well, goodnight for today and be sure to catch my post tomorrow!

Sunday, June 9, 2013

Hello all!
I had a big surprise when I walked out of the house this morning; part of our fence fell down into our neighbors yard! Yikes!!! What a shock! No one was hurt but now we need to have it fixed. Now, I'm also worried another section will fall! Is there no end to the worries I have?

Oh well, at least my food intake today was better than Friday and Saturday! I had Mexican food on Friday (just ate 1/2 of it - and some chips and salsa - oh well) and then on Saturday my cousin Janice and her husband Mike came over for dinner and the Blackhawks game. I had pizza, wine and a cupcake! That's in addition to some candy, etc. before dinner! Confession time.... I was a bad, bad girl but got right back on track today. I actually earned 8 points through activity yesterday so I didn't feel TOO bad! I just hope I stay the same weight and don't gain when I weigh in on Thursday!

Speaking of activity, after our breakfast out this morning, I walked home from the restaurant. It was about a 20 minute walk so I felt good about that. Then my DH and I walked to Dominick's and back which was another 1/2 hour or so! Can't wait to see my activity points for today!

I am happy to report that I've lost 45 pounds now through Weight Watchers. Only 5 more pounds to get to my mini goal of 50 pounds!!! I know I can do it even after falling off the wagon this weekend. After that, just another 15 pounds and I will reach my WW goal and become a lifetime member! Yeah for me!!! I actually feel so much better, sleep better, and look a whole lot better! Yeah, I said it - I look pretty darn good!

Now for craft time. (What would my life be without craft time!) I found some great YouTube videos by accident last week on making quilts sponsored by Riley Blake Designs. They have a great series of 9 episodes detailing how to quilt from start to finish. I already have several great ideas to make some very unique items. The first item I want to make is the Jack and Jill Travel Pillow Case. It's a free pattern from Riley Blake Designs. One of the items I did make was found in the how to quilt YouTube video 1. It's a cute little needle holder with a small little "hidden" pocket. I made three today and am pretty proud of them.

 

They are quilted using a nine-patch pattern and measure about 6 x 3. Very sweet little gifts and fun to make. They're great to use up scraps and all those fat quarters I've collected.

I've still been knitting so don't worry about that! I'm currently take a Bioche knitting class and will be taking the Cat Bordhi Sweet Tomato Heel Sock class taught by Brigitte Biver at Woolly Lamb Yarn Studio next month. The first Brioche class was pretty easy but I have a feeling the second one will be harder! Always great to learn new things!

Will close for now so I can get ready for work tomorrow!