HAPPY EASTER!!!

HAPPY EASTER

from my family to yours!!!

Our new carpet...

Okay, before I tell you about my day, I'm going to give you a second to do me a small favor. If you haven't already noticed, I added a Frappr map to my sidebar. If you could just take a moment and let me know where you are from, that would be great. I promise I'll wait till you are done to continue (you don't have to post your pic, unless you want to) but it would be great to know where everyone came from. If you have already done so, you can take this moment to go get a cup of coffee or tea or take a well deserved break from the computer. Okay....go ahead...............(elevator music playing).........mmmmmm....mmmmmmmmm.......(more elevator music playing).....la, la, la, de-dum, de-dum.....(whistle-whistle)........(yawn)....zzzzzzzzz.......OH, OH....you're back! Okay, thanks! Now to the good stuff.
Just wanted to show you some pics of a favorite spot of mine. My front porch. Today, we had some carpet put down by my sweetie man's son-in-law and my sweetie man in the supervisory postion!
The job was done in an excellent manner!!!!! And his son-in-law never laid carpet before! We just kept him stocked in Iron City Beer and he was good to go. This next pic is me on the newly carpeted front porch. (with yarn in hand) If you are ever looking for me in the Spring and Summer, this is where you will find me.It is so relaxing. We'll be planting flowers around the porch soon and it will be so pretty. I am so happy about this cause it looked awful before with a peeling wooden floor.
Next pic is Ed's grandson (my future grandson) in one of his crazy new front teeth smiles.
I think he pretty much got pooped out for the weekend thanks to my son and his gal pal!
Last is Ed's daughter who wanted to learn to crochet. My first student...
By the end of the weekend she got down chain, single crochet, and double crochet. Unfortunately, she may have to learn the rest on her own as they will be going home on Sunday.
So that's it for the almost weekend. With all the activity it will be mighty quiet here on Easter afternoon so I'll probably pick up some yarn and crochet alot during the day. And if the weather is nice........you'll find my sweetie and me sittin' on the front porch....just swingin'! So till tomorrow............

A little quiz for yunz guys...

We all love quizzes (or most of us anyway by the number on everyone's blog) but this one I think is fairly accurate for me anyway. You may have seen it before, but take it again and let me know little about you and if you think it's accurate..ENJOY! Oh, by the way....I'm a 31


Below is Dr Phil's test. (Dr. Phil scored 55; he did this test on Oprah - she got a 38.) Some folks pay a lot of money to find this stuff out! Read on, this is very interesting! Don't be overly sensitive! The following is pretty accurate and it only takes 2 minutes. Take this test for yourself . Don't peek, but begin the test as you scroll down and answer. Answers are for who you are now...... Not who you were in the past. Have pen or pencil and paper ready. This is a real test given by the Human Relations Dept. at many of the major corporations today. It helps them get better insight concerning their employees and prospective employees. It's only 10 Simple questions, so...grab a pencil and paper, Keeping track of your letter answers to each question.

1. When do you feel your best? A) in the morning B) during the afternoon &and early evening C) late at night

2. You usually walk... A) fairly fast, with long steps B) fairly fast, with little steps C) less fast head up, looking the world in the face D) less fast, head down E) very slowly

3. When talking to people you.. A) stand with your arms folded B) have your hands clasped C) have one or both your hands on your hips D) touch or push the person to whom you are talking E) play with your ear, touch your chin, or smooth your hair

4. When relaxing, you sit with.. A) your knees bent with your legs neatly side by side B) your legs crossed C) your legs stretched out or straight D) one leg curled under you

5. When something really amuses you, you react with.. A) big appreciated laugh B) a laugh, but not a loud one C) a quiet chuckle D) a sheepish smile

6. When you go to a party or social gathering you... A) make a loud entrance so everyone notices you B) make a quiet entrance, looking around for someone you know C) make the quietest entrance, trying to stay unnoticed

7. You're working very hard, concentrating hard, and you're interrupted...... a) welcome the break b) feel extremely irritated c) vary between these two extremes

8. Which of the following colors do you like most? a) Red or orange b) black c) yellow or light blue d) green e) dark blue or purple f) white g) brown or gray

9. When you are in bed at night, in those last few moments before going to sleep you are.. a) stretched out on your back b) stretched out face down on your stomach c) on your side, slightly curled d) with your head on one arm e) with your head under the covers

10. You often dream that you are... a) falling b) fighting or struggling c) searching for something or somebody d) flying or floating e) you usually have dreamless sleep f) your dreams are always pleasant

POINTS:
1. (a) 2 (B) 4 (c) 6
2. (a) 6 (B) 4 (c) 7 (d) 2 (e) 1
3. (a) 4 (B) 2 (c) 5 (d) 7 (e) 6
4. (a) 4 (B) 6 (c) 2 (d) 1
5. (a) 6 (B) 4 (c) 3 (d) 5 (e) 2
6. (a) 6 (B) 4 (c) 2
7. (a) 6 (B) 2 (c) 4
8. (a) 6 (B) 7 (c) 5 (d) 4 (e) 3 (f) 2 (G) 1
9. (a) 7 (B) 6 (c) 4 (d) 2 (e) 1
10. (a) 4 (B) 2 (c) 3 (d) 5 (e) 6 (f) 1

Now add up the total number of points.
OVER 60 POINTS: Others see you as someone they should "handle with care." You're seen as vain, self-centered, and who is extremely dominant. Others may admire you, wishing they could be more like you, but don't always trust you, hesitating to become too deeply involved with you. 51 TO 60 POINTS: Others see you as an exciting, highly volatile, rather impulsive personality; a natural leader, who's quick to make decisions, though not always the right ones. They see you as bold and adventuresome, someone who will try anything once; someone who takes chances and enjoys an adventure. They enjoy being in your company because of the excitement you radiate.
41 TO 50 POINTS: Others see you as fresh, lively, charming, amusing, practical, and always interesting; someone who's constantly in the center of attention, but sufficiently well-balanced not to let it go to their head. They also see you as kind, considerate, and under standing; someone who'll always cheer them up and help them out.
31 TO 40 POINTS: Others see you as sensible, cautious, careful & practical. They see you as clever, gifted, or talented, but modest. Not a person who makes friends too quickly or easily, but someone who's extremely loyal to friends you do make and who expect the same loyalty in return. Those who really get to know you realize it takes a lot to shake your trust in your friends, but equally that it takes you a long time to get over if that trust is ever broken.
21 TO 30 POINTS: Your friends see you as painstaking and fussy. They see you as very cautious, extremely careful, a slow and steady plodder. It would really surprise them if you ever did something impulsively or on the spur of the moment, expecting you to examine everything carefully from every angle and then, usually decide against it. They think this reaction is caused partly by your careful nature.
UNDER 21 POINTS: People think you are shy, nervous, and indecisive, someone who needs looking after, who always wants someone else to make the decisions &who doesn't want to get involved with anyone or anything! They see you as a worrier who always sees problems that don't exist. Some people think you're boring. Only those who know you well know that you aren't.

So....let me know what you are!

What I discovered...

Okay, it's not a thing I discovered in the sense of something to touch....it was an idea I discovered that makes sense. Remember a blog or so back when I was talking about the light bulbs and how if one burns out then they all start going out? Well, last night, my son came to me and said, "Mom, where are the light bulbs, mine just burned out?" I got him one and then when I went into the kitchen, another one blew out, and a couple of days ago, a night light in the hallway blew out......will this never end????? Yes, it will...because I have DISCOVERED evil forces behind this chain of crazy breaking down, blowing out events that have entered my life in the past few days. CHAIN EMAIL!!! That's right...those crazy emails you get from your so-called friends and family (because they know the secret) that tell you if you don't send this to a million friends you will have bad luck for the next hundred years!!!! Well, thinking back, I had a couple of those and they wanted me to sent them to a certain number of friends and also send it back to them. I absent mindedly counted the person who sent it to me as one of the 8 friends I was to send it too and the "EMAIL GODS" saw my cheating ways and decided to punish me!!!!
I'm sorry or great email gods and godesses....I promise that my cheating ways are over!!!!!
Needless to say, the next time I got one of those, (which was a day ago) I sent it to the number of necessary recipients PLUS one!!! Believe it or not things did improve...sorta! (personally I think they are all having a good laugh on me in the land of the might email gods/godesses)
Anyway.....one thing you didn't know.....and I have SAFELY done this one....if you have the slightest suspicion that your friend/family member sent you a Chain Email.....DO NOT READ IT IN ITS ENTIRETY......because once you read it....you are done!!!! Once you get to the part that says....."send this to a million people...or else"....you have to send it to a million people...plus one!
Now, I'm just telling you this for your own good....it's up to you whether you believe me or not....but next time three light bulbs burn out in a row, you blow out a car tire, and the air conditioning quits in your truck( and someone wants to fix it for $500).....don't come boo-hoo blogging to me!!! That's all I have to say!
With that said....enjoy your evening (it's amazing the crap I can make up when I have no pictures to post....damn, I'm good!) Till tomorrow....Tootles. (wait till I tell you my theory on losing weight and the floating calories!!!...you'll love that one!)

NOT AGAIN!!!

First I have to say that having a bad day as I did yesterday does have it's good points. Namely, I tend to take out all my frustrations on my house...meaning, after working 8 hours, I came home, cut the lawn, wash clothes, cleaned my bathroom, hung a new shower curtain, and probably would have done more had the clock not been stricking Midnight! Needless to say that gave me a good night' sleep and a fresh start in the morning.......NOT!!! Okay, not quite as bad as yesterday. The morning started out good with a free blood pressure check and blood work that was being done at my work today. Blood Pressure good (luckily it was today and not yesterday) and blood work completed. I survived. Went back home to grab a quick bite to eat before coming back to work (only live about a mile away) only to hit a curb with my vehicle on a turn then make it back to my driveway only to watch the air slowly release itself from my tire!!!
I had a half hour to figure out my plan....and eat....and get my coffee (that was a must!) Well, luckily, my town is small enough that people know people and so I called my friends at the tire/car place who said they would come up to my driveway while I was at work and take care of the problem. (heck, why shouldn't they...I'm keeping them in business!) Anyway, my son took me to work and here I sit at my son's mercy again without a car as he had school today.
But (here's where the good part comes in)....when I got to work, I read all the beautiful comments about everyone hoping I had a better day in addition to my wonderful sweetie man telling me how many good days I had versus bad (and he was most definately right!)....I just couldn't be in a bad mood today....so I'm not.
I do have to tell you something tho that my almost 19 year old did yesterday. He called me on his way home with the gal pal from a Pirates Game (Go Bucs!) telling me to listen to the radio right then and he would be on it. It seems he called in on a little contest they were holding (I'm not going into details on what exactly it was) using one of his impressions that he loves to do and he made the dj laugh, so they put him on the radio...it was quick....but it was funny. He called me back on his cell phone asking me if I heard it. I was laughing, they were laughing....and then he said something that made a Mom think she did alright in raising her child...he said, "Mom, I did that for you cause you were in a bad mood today and I wanted to make you laugh!" Wow, what more could I ask for. He cared enough to do that! (I think I'll keep him!!!)
Okay, one last thing....here is a picture of a lamp that was designed by Ed and put together by me. It's a special gift for our guests this weekend (Ed's daughter and family) whom we love dearly......

The bottle was once filled with a cider wine sorta thing from Michigan (that we drank awhile back....bring more!!!) that we filled with peanuts and shredded paper then decoupaged the shade with pics of times spent with them! I added some grapes and a jute bow. Turned out pretty nice I think.
Well, that's it for now.....thanks for all the uplifting comments from yunz guys.....now I know why I blog!!! Till tomorrow (the last day of the week for me!!!) ...tootles!

If every day is a gift.....

If every day is a gift....I'd like to know where to return TUESDAY'S!!!
Yep...even I have bad days....started out good because I wasn't as sore as I had anticipated from the dirt hauling. But it soon turned UGLY when I found out my son overdrew on his checking account.....I called the bank boo-hooing but it was of no use.....it has been decided that my son will now use religiously his handy dandy check register!!!!
Next...took another vehicle in for a slight air conditioning problem...namely...it didn't work! Okay, can't be that bad.....noooooooooooooooooooooo....."Ah, it will cost you $500 to repair a hole".....I DON'T THINK SO!!!! (and Sweetie man agreed!) I'll sooner sit on a block of ice than invest anymore money into any vehicle....I can live without the air! That's what windows are for!!!! In Pennsylvania, I can live 3 months out of the year without the air. Well, they charged it up or whatever they do, and if it's anything like last year, it will last the PA summer.
Didn't you ever notice that when one light bulb in your house goes out....they all start going out...it's like a disease...I think cars are the same way. They catch "breaking down" from each other....I'm going to have to start parking them further apart from each other.
ANYWAY....(now here's the good part!)
I came home from lunch only to find a package with my name on it which I sensed might be my shawl from the shawl swap....and I was right.

Shaylen from One Stitch At A Time crocheted this beautiful shawl for ME! I was so excited. It made me forget all the money problems of the day. I kept saying to myself...."and it's FREE!" It is so soft and warm that I think I will be wearing this beautiful creation on my dinner cruise and sorta put the black shawl I started on the back burner for now as this will look so much prettier and feminine. I'm also going to ask my son's gal pal if she would like to "borrow" it for the prom. I don't want to part with it. Rarely do people make things for me aside from my creative niece (who we may be showcasing and selling some lovely stitch and row markers she designed....watch for future posts!) so you can see why I'm so excited. I absolutely love love love handmade items! Those are by far some of the best gifts....unless you get a JoAnn gift certificate from someone!
Shaylen also send me some English Loose Tea which I'm anxious to try in my new teapot I got awhile back. (I've been brewing a cup at lunch everyday)

So this is a BIG THANK YOU to my new friend Shaylen. Please visit her blog (she is listed on my sidebar) and let her know how lovely her shawl is!
Well, now it's off to finish my shawl for the swap....shhhhh...can't tell you about it...secret!!
Don't worry you'll see pics AFTER it is safely in my swap buddies arms!!!
Check with ya all tomorrow....hope it's a cheaper day!!!

They've multiplied.....

Wouldn't ya just know it...I set two bunnies down on the chair, went to work, and came back to this!!!! GO FIGURE!!!!

I'm just kidding with ya....I made a bunch of these to see if I can sell them off at work. I showed you these cute bunnies a couple of posts back (the pattern is on my side bar). I can never remember what I make from one year to the next...I really should keep a journal. We have some new employees tho that may be interested and some new offices down the hall from us. They are so cute, I think I would make a bunch just to see the all the color combos I could come up with. I was tempted to use the multi colored yarns, but once I start making something entirely different, that is the one everyone wants. In other words, that cute fuzzy bunny in the front made with eyelash yarn will be staying home decorating my Easter basket. That one was actually very difficult to make as I had a tough time getting that yarn through the holes. I actually had to rest my hand alot. Too much work for one bunny.

Speaking of rest...remember the 1/2 ton of top soil that we unloaded into the yard yesterday...well Sweetie Man could barely move today. I sorta started bragging that I really wasn't sore and only my wrist hurt a little for some reason....UNTIL....the clock struck NOON...then it slowly started creeping through my muscles....I'm almost afraid to go to bed tonight for fear I won't be able to move tomorrow morning. The aches hit me....just a little later than Ed's did. Oh, well, I'm going to take some Tylenol (again) and get a good night's rest and see how it goes....

Well, with that, I shall leave you yet another day....it's supposted to be up in the 70's tomorrow.....that's bikini weather in Pittsburgh!!! Take care, yunz guys...Tootles!

A little garden for two...

Well, today was the first semi-warm day...lower 60's and a perfect day to get this garden started. So while I cleaned up a little in the house, Ed started his garden. Last year was the first year he had a garden at this house and it was a little thing that ended up having alot of weeds. We did get some tomatoes and peppers from it...but it was started rather late in the Spring so we got what we sowed. This year is gonna be different...
As you can see Ed was building a garden with landscaping timbers and beyond the fence (what you can't see) is 1/2 ton top soil. 1000 pounds of soil that had to go from the truck bed to the garden....and two middle aged people to do it! Oh, yeah, me and sweetie man unloaded 1/2 ton of top soil into this garden... "5 gallon bucket brigade" style!!! Took us a couple of hours and a few tea breaks in between but we done did it! Unfortunately it just barely filled the bottom. We'll probably just get a billion bags of top soil next time and finish filling it up. This is the almost finished garden minus another ton or so of dirt.

Good thing we will only have to do this once...next year we'll just need to fertilize or whatever you do to gardens to make things grow in them year after year. Seeing as we are both a little bit sore now...we figure that with a good nights sleep.......these middle aged bodies will most likely not be able to move tomorrow morning!
Okay, just so you don't think I forgot about my yarn, I must show you something I did yesterday. As I am a life long crocheter but a newby at knitting, I watch Knitty Gritty on DIY and I learned this little trick (which you life long knitters probably already know). I made my own knitting needles. I measured a dowel to a needle gauge, cut, sharpened the tip in a pencil sharpener, sanded, and put little wooden acorn ends which I stained. This is the result.

I love them. They are so light to work with. I love the feel of the wooden needle versus the metal one but the wooden ones to buy are rather pricey....so I made my own. (don't look for me to make crochet hooks tho....at least not yet) The pattern is the same as the purse I made a few days ago (see pics from a few days ago) but this time it is a bit smaller as it is for the son's gal pal. In her school, they cracked down on large purses as kids were bringing cell phones and using them to cheat on tests (don't get any funny ideas, Kaity....just kidding!)....go figure. So, now the purses can only be as big as a half sheet of paper....and yes they do measure them. She really liked my other purse but wanted a smaller one. Hey, just another excuse to buy more yarn...don't ya love it! I told her never to be afraid to tell me if she liked something and wanted it made....glad to oblige..(he-he).
Well, getting late, and my body is getting sorer by the minute so I think I need to put it in a reclining position. I have a feeling that the only thing working tomorrow will be my brain....I'll let you know....till tomorrow and another warm spring day...at least in PA!!! Tootles!

Al Hirt, here we come....

Happy Saturday...ours started out on a fun "note"...literally....Sweetie Man got a trumpet. It was rather funny cause we'd be listening to the radio and he would say, "if I had my trumpet, I could play that." And I of course said, "yeah, right!" He bought himself a used trumpet this past weekend...I would get to see if he was telling me the truth.
Well, son of a gun if he didn't prove me wrong. First he tried to wake my son up with Reveille....my son closed his door rather quickly...but he did get up! Then I accompanied him with my vocals on his rendition of "when the saints go marching in." And of course we got to hear somebody's fight song! And all around 10 am in the morning....lucky the neighbors couldn't hear...yet!
We had fun the rest of the day, shopping, getting a half ton of top soil for our new garden we will be making, and the of course, making dinner. Now, sometimes just a plain dinner won't do....we gotta be fancy. I hate to cook but love to bake. Ed is the chef. A few weeks ago he bought this....
It's called a Fiesta Station....it's like this mini buffet for tacos....($20 at Walmart if you just have to have one!) The roof of the thing holds lettuce, cheese, warm burritos while the heated section holds your taco meat and re-fried beans if you so choose. The side dishes hold your toppings. It all plugs in to keep things warm and is rather neat. Sweetie man loves gadgets and this was just one more to add to the collection (mainly cause it was decorated with peppers)....he's so cute!!!
Now if you didn't know by now, Ed is really into peppers....so I found this really cute pattern for a jalapeno pepper through google that I made in one evening with crochet cotton. (click on the words for the pattern--the pic may not show but the pattern will)
I'll probably make more as we plan on painting the kitchen in the next month with a pepper theme...I can't wait, cause I hate the color of the kitchen now...UGH! I guess there was a pepper crochet something free at Annie's Attic but I missed it but I found this one which was really easy.
So with that I will leave you with my cute sleeping kitty...Echo Deuxfoille.....He's a french cat....(if you believe that....I got a bridge in Pittsburgh I'll sell ya) Anyway, he doesn't like the light in his eyes and we finally caught him covering his eyes as he slept. Isn't he adorable?
With that....I leave you for yet another day....till tomorrow and one day closer to putting my porch furniture up. (oh, yeah!) Tootles!

I'm a 50's gal...

what decade does your personality live in?

quiz brought to you by lady interference, ltd

Okay...so I'm showing my age...but then again I think I've told most of you I'll be 50 this year!!! This a cool quiz from Sue at Good Yarns. (check out her button on side bar). I found out the other day that some folks in my office actually thought I was going to be 40 or that I was only in my 40's!!! Wow....probably cause most almost-50 year olds don't act nearly as strange and crazy as I do....and believe me, I'll be same if not worse when I'm 80...except then I can blame it on senility!

Now, I'm going to show you a picture of yet another project I'm starting. I'm not putting this on the side percentage bars cause I plan on finishing this rather quickly. (and I'm embarrassed as to how many are already on there)

The pattern is from the Lion Brand site of free patterns and it's the Triangle Shawl done with Imagine yarn. I chose to do it with TLC Amore which is actually a fitting yarn to use as I will be wearing it on a special romantic dinner cruise I will be going on with my sweetie-man in a few weeks on the beautiful Allegheny River in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania. I'll try to take pics. I'm really excited about it....he booked it as a surprise for us and something he and I have always wanted to do. I will definately show you the finished shawl. I still am working on the shawl for my Shawl swap I signed up for but as you know....can't show you that one...yet.

Well, off to do a little crocheting of something.....so enjoy your evening and Happy FRIDAY!!!!!!

How cute are these??

Are these not the cutest things you have ever seen?? I fell in love with them while checking out a copy of Interweave Magazine in a Walmart. They were so different I just had to try them and they fit too.

Now, I gotta tell ya, it called for 4 ply jute (found at the hardware store...yeah right!) There is only 3 ply (and Walmart has it too). There is such a thing as 4 ply but I only found it once for something I was making and I found it at this out of the way sorta junk and tool store. So, I opted for 2 strands of the 3 ply together and it worked out fine....same gauge too. If you never crocheted with jute you're in for an experience. I actually crocheted baskets with it once and then weaved a ribbon through it...they were really adorable...small...but adorable. It's not the easiest thing to crochet with and if you have very weak hands you may have some difficulty...and crocheting with two, more so. But give it a try.
The strap I didn't use what it called for. I used a Sugar and Cream or any 4 ply worsted weight cotton yarn but I used an E hook and that gave me the correct gauge.
Interweave magazine has the pattern for the soles and two of the designs for straps with sizes in children, women, and men. Interweave online, (www.interweavecrochet.com) only has the free pattern for straps...not soles...gotta buy the magazine for that unless you can figure it out yourself...which really isn't all that difficult if your good at that. I worked these up really quickly and want to make more. They are sorta fun to walk in....I won't wear them to the office, but around the house, beach, pool, whatever...and the kids would love them. I mean think of the possiblities.....buttons, bows, whatever you want....silk flowers, ribbons....do your own thing.
Well, I was really anxious to share that with you. Let me know if you try them and definately post a pic. And if you really like them......vote for me for Top Crochet List (see sidebar). I'ld love to make it on there just once!!!!
Okay, that's it....till tomorrow remember....it's spring.....go make some sandals!!!! Tootle-Lu!

What kind of car are YOU?

I'm a Mazda Miata!

You like to soak up the sun, but your tastes are down to earth. Everyone thinks you're cute. Life is a winding road, and you like to take the curves in stride. Let other people compete in the rat race - you're just here to enjoy the ride.

Take the Which Sports Car Are You? quiz.

Haven't seen this one yet, have you? Someone sent it to me in my email and I just had to pass it along knowing how much you all love quizzes. I'm rather surprised as I was hoping I was a yellow volkswagon beetle (you know, the ones with the little flower vases in them?) . Though after being with my sweetie-man (aka significant other), I sorta am liking the power of a pickup truck! A yellow one!!

And...speaking of yellow, it's a brand new Project Spectrum month and I told Lolly who created Project Spectrum (check out my link on sidebar) that I was dedicating my entire blog colors to April which is yellow and orange. Great idea I thought! I still will post more project spectrum stuff for April don't worry....can't pass up a good yellow!

With that, I bid you a fond adieu. Oh, and don't forget to let me know what kind of car you are also...it's a really short quiz and you may just learn something about yourself! Till tomorrow...Folk-n-Fancy, signing off.

I DID IT!!!

I did it!!! I've knitted something...I haven't knitted probably in a good 30 years. I actually remembered....I guess it's like riding a bike. The pattern is from a Carol Duvall show on knitting of all things. This lady did a purse and it was so easy I thought it would be a good beginner's project. I made a few boo-boos but I fixed them. I even lined the purse...I'm so happy with myself. By the way, I used Lion Brand Jiffy Thick and Quick yarn in Adirondack.



I originally learned to crochet at an early age. My mom taught me both crochet and knit but she was a crocheter. I thought crocheting was easier but back in the 60's, knitting was much prettier to me. So my parents bought me a "knit-0-matic" for my birthday (I was about 10). I loved that thing...when it worked. It was for young girls to learn how to knit. I guess if I googled it, someone probably has one for sale on ebay. Anyway, I never really did learn all the fine parts of knitting...but now I'm ready to attempt more....don't know what it will be next, and it will be worked on between my crochet projects, but you'll be the first to see the completed project.
So, that it's for tonight...short and sweet....till tomorrow.....10-4 good buddy!

Planting thyme...oops "time"

So, we're not planting thyme but it was planting TIME...at least for my sweetie man, Ed. He's been so anxious to plant his little seeds that he finally started this past weekend. He loves his Hot Peppers (as you know by his blog THE FUNNY PEPPERS) so there are various kinds of those as well as Roma tomatoes for his salsa and Chamomille for my dried tea. As you can see, he has this mini greenhouse thing going on outside.

Inside, my window sill in the living room is full of little pots of this and that. It's so cool to see them emerging in the sunshine. This picture is of one of the pots though a little blurry, you'll get the idea.

Unfortunately, we are getting a bit a cold weather tonight (32 degrees for the low) and a rain and snow mix Tuesday. And...it was so windy this afternoon, all the tops blew off the mini greenhouses even tho they were tied down. I had to go chasing them through the yard. I brought the greenhouses in my cellar (same as a basement...Pittsburgheese) for the next day near the best window I could find. The end of the week should bring warm temps so they will definately head back out. Keep your fingers crossed.
We're also going to build a small garden from these log things (sorry, Ed...I forgot the name of them) which will be really nice once we fill it with lots of top soil. It will be a fairly decent size too and will decorate the yard a bit...something to look at while crocheting outside.
I'm personally looking forward to the front porch being cleaned up..We love the porch swing out there and spend many hours sitting, relaxing, crafting, reading and just being....We cannot wait for that.
Well, that's it for tonight. This daylight savings time is not in my brain yet! It's so funny...when I came home from work, the cat was still sleeping which he usually is up and ready to go....but heck, he's still on standard time...go figure...hey, he doesn't know. Unfortunately, he'll probably be running around when I'm trying to get to sleep.
Okay...off to dreamland....till tomorrow...Tootles!

The finished product...sorta!

Well, here is the finished felted purse. The blocking or shaping of it turned out nicely as you can see.

It shrunk up pretty good also.
Where it was 19 inches long it is now 11 inches and it was about 12 inches high and now it is about 8 inches. I forgot to measure the width of it but I'm gonna guess that it was a good 8 inches wide and now is about 4 inches wide.
Now as far as the grommets go (those gold clasps), I never was good at putting them in and the directions weren't the best, but after several attempts and two hammers later I figured it out.
Unfortunately I ran out of grommets in the process and the back (which you cannot see in the picture) has no grommets yet...but they will. In the pattern (which is in my Favorite Patterns Link now) it showed the straps out of strips of leather. I managed to find a pack of scrap leather strips at the craft store so I used those...but you can do anything you want.
So with that said, don't be afraid to attempt felting...it's really easy. I got my yarn at Knit Picks and it was called Wool of the Andes...only $1.79 a skein and their delivery was pretty quick. Check it out. (click on Knit Picks and it will take you there)
Well, that's about it for today. It was a beautiful spring day here in Pennsylvania and I hope it was where you are...so with that, I'll talk to ya tomorrow, after going back to the old grind....tootles!

Let's FELT...

Ok, I'm attempting my first felting project with Dawn's Well Traveled Bag, at Wild Yarn which I fell in love with. So that I don't feel alone, I'm going to have you join me in my first felting adventures.
First, I'm going to show you the size of the finished crocheted bag. As you can see it is approximately 19 X 12. I just loved the colores in it. It will be interesting to see if they stay the same after felting.

Next, I'm going place the crocheted purse in a zippered pillowcase for washing.
Well, that wasn't difficult.
Now I promised to show you the inside of my washing machine, and so I will.

As you can see, I placed an old pair of jeans and a pair of flip flops for extra agitation and of course the pillowcase with the purse zippered inside. I put the machine on the small load, hot wash/cold rinse (tho it won't rinse at all in the machine) and a regular/normal wash.
I checked the purse after 10 minutes and it had already begun to felt fairly well. I gave it another 10 minutes and was satisfied with this.

I did a close up of the stitches so you could see how close they have become now.

I stopped here and took it out for a cold water rinse by hand and also I also squeezed out the excess water with a towel. I didn't want to wring it dry as I did not want excess creasing. Just a good squeeze in a towel did it.
Now, I'm going to block it. I put a plastic bag over a box that was about the same size then placed the damp felted purse over it for a good 24 hour drying.

So, tomorrow, I'll let you see the finished product that is hopefully dry. I'll also measure it again so you can see the difference in sizes from the crochet item.

Also, I found this site http://lusciousgracious.com/felt.htm a very good tutorial for felting. I'm sorta following these steps, but there are also some hints and tips on there that you may find interesting and helpful.

So, check me out tomorrow to see at what point the purse is. Enjoy the rest of your evening and don't forget to come back for hopefully the finished product. Hasta manana!!!

Out to dinner....

Well, tonight we went out to dinner with my son and his gal pal. My son had told us about this place that he thought my sweetie and I would like cause he knows how much we like cabin type places. Well, this place was cabin like but in a totally different way. It was really cool. This first picture shows the view from our booth.
There is stuff everywhere. It's like you don't have enough time to look at it all. Posters, beaded curtains, twinkle lights, you name it.
They also had this cool looking lamp...nothing I'd have in my house, but it was so unusual that we just had to take a pic.
This odd bride was hanging from the ceiling when you walked in....it really was the first thing you saw because she was so big. I'm sure there is a story behind it as, from what I understand, there is for most of the items in this family owned restaurant.
This cute piano player, who probably was at least 80 years old, sat there in his suit and tie playing the piano...we heard someone playing a coronet also, but I didn't see him/her.
Now you know of course, I had to throw in pictures of my son and his gal pal as well as my sweetie and me.


We had a very nice dinner and good conversation. It seems as though ever since my son got out of High School and into college, we have so much more fun with him. He actually asks us to go places with them. Like last week when we went to the movies; in his younger days, he wouldn't have sat next to us...like it was really uncool. Now he does...he actually wants to. It's like when those teenage years come, you have to watch them from a distance and try to guide them without them knowing but at the same time be right behind them ready to be there if, as Dr. Phil says, they need a soft place to fall. It's one of the hardest parts that I've experienced in my son growing up. They want you, but they don't want you...they hate you but they love you. It's really crazy. But I'm see him growing up and maturing somewhat and becoming his own person, ready to face the world. I sorta think that God just loans us our children.....we'll help them grow and guide them then send them on their way to start their own lives. Having an only child, I don't want him tied to my apron strings....I want him to have his own life, his own family, his own world as my mom did with us. We've given him the tools, showed him how to use them...now we want him to build a life. And most of all....we want him to be happy!!! We want him to follow his heart and his soul in finding what and who makes him happy and go with it....just be happy.
Ok, child rearing 101 is over...off to the rest of the evening. Enjoy yours...and till tomorrow....tootle-lu!

Just a mag review....

Not that much to say today so I thought I would do a little magazine review. It happened that two days and many dollars later, I got my little Ford Escort back from the mechanic. Well, I must say it was extremely dirty so I decided to go to the car wash. After sitting in a row of five cars (this is were you need to have a crochet/knitting project always in the car somewhere) I got my car cleaned. Now I wanted to see if it was running up to par, so I decided to take it for a spin to the book/magazine store. Okay...okay...so I was looking for a particular magazine and being as I was cooped up in the house for two days,(aside from work) at the mercy of my son who had his car, (actually mine, but I'm supposed to say it's his), I was itching to get to any store. So I came across this particular magazine by Vogue, called Knit Simple. It's theSpring/Summer issue.

What caught my eye was that it had crochet on the front and it's a knitting magazine. So of course I made myself comfortable on the floor of the book store and skimmed through it. I liked it enough to buy it. When I checked it out at home, it did have a bit of crochet in it which were the flowers on the front of the magazine. They also gave a little tutorial on crocheting in a back section and a really nice knitting one with supplies you need, etc...

Now what I liked about the magazine is that it has these little informational sections....sorta like little knitting tidbits, book reviews, new products, etc.

I'm not one for magazines that have nothing but the patterns, unless of course there are alot of patterns I want. There are patterns in it, from knitted sweaters for kids to adults, as well as some cool vests, the crocheted flowers and lots of ideas on where to use them, and a really neat knitted afghan made with 12 individual squares to represent each month. This I would bet you could make following the same pattern using the afghan stitch in crochet, with a couple of tweaks. I haven't read it all yet, but it looks interesting, especially if you're new to knitting or restarting after a long long absence, such as myself.
So, that's my blog for today...not much, but hey, most of you were probably out enjoying this beautiful spring weather anyway, as was I.
I want to finish a particular crocheted purse that will be felted....I can't wait to try my first felting. Hopefully this weekend I'll do some pics from crocheted purse, to washer, to felted purse...to finished product. Sorta like we're doing it together...hey, you'll get to see the inside of my washer....try to hold in your excitement. So, till tomorrow and the beginning of the weekend.....(OH YEAH)......don't let the "blog" hit ya in the butt on the way out!!!! Tootles!

I SHALL WEAR......

When I am an old woman
I shall wear purple,
With a red hat which doesn't go and doesn't suit me.
And I shall spend my pension on brandy and
summer gloves. And satin sandals, and say we've
no money for butter. I shall sit down on the pavement
when I'm tired. And gobble up samples in shops and
press alarm bells. And run my stick along public
railings. And make up for the sobriety of my youth.
I shall go out in my slippers in the rain. And pick
flowers in other people's gardens.

And learn to spit...
But, maybe I ought to practice a little now? So
people who know me are not too shocked or surprised
when suddenly I am old and start to wear
purple.

- Jenny Joseph

And with that said, I shall begin with my purple slippers that have been on my percentage bars for quite awhile. The pattern for this is on my favorite patterns at the sidebar under Quick Slippers. I love these slippers. They are so easy to make and very comfortable and warm to wear. I think I could have 100 of them in every color and be perfectly content to wear nothing but these....for the cold weather of course. These ones have a cute trim made from yarn that I had received in my box of "winnings" from the contest on The Cats in my Craft Basket blog. It is a soft yarn called "(something) Bee" from Hobby Lobby and the color is "Frosting". We don't have a Hobby Lobby in my area but I'm sure any fun furry soft yarn will do....let your imagination go wild...add beads, fringe...whatever!

Now keeping in the purple theme...I was so excited to see little tiny buds on my purple lilac tree. So, of course, I ran out with the camera and took a picture.

My dog, Katie, as you can see in the background, looked at me as though I was losing my mind. But those first buds after a long winter are such a welcome site. I think my favorite thing is, after a long days rain or a couple of days, you go outside, and everything suddenly looks so green. It's like magically, overnight, someone came along and just painted everything...the greens are so bright....and the smells of that first warm spring day are absolutely incredible. I love living in Pennsylvania....I see the hills right outside my Kitchen window and the changing seasons on them...it's beautiful!!!!

So, I think....that when I am an old woman, I shall wear purple.....and live in Pennsylvania!!! Till tomorrow and one day closer to that first warm green spring day......

A quick and easy project..

Hi all...I found this quick and easy crochet project that I took on for my Project Linus blankets. Our chapter noted that though the baby blankets were wonderful, they were in need of blankets for older children. Our Project Linus newsletter also gives ideas for blankets and one was this quick and easy crochet trim for a fleece blanket.




It's two yards of fleece and about one skein of Red Heart worsted weight yarn. Now the pattern suggested that you get an awl and poke holes in the fleece about 1/2 inch apart and maybe a little less than that from the outside edge. Another suggestion, which I tried to do, was to hammer a nail into a piece of board and then just push the material down on it. Well, there I am pushing this nail into the material, my hand starting to hurt everytime it hit the board, at which time I opted to put on a pair of gloves. My sweetie-man said, "What are you doing?" When I explained, he said, "Why aren't you just using a hole punch?" I said,"That won't work....that 's for paper...this is material." He said, "Try it...humor me!" By golly gee whiz, if that didn't work like a charm. A nice 1/8 inch hole punch punched that material slicker than....slick! I whipped right through those punches and was on my way to crocheting. I used an F hook and did 2 single crochets in each hole. The second round is really up to your discretion. I did 1 single crochet, skipped a stitch, 5 double crochet in the next stitch, skipped a stitch, then back to 1 single crochet and so forth all the way around. It sorta ruffled a bit, but it turned out cute. Now I did see some really fancy baby blankets done on the web (just google crocheted fleece blankets) and the edgings were really elaborate. Mine is simple and it will be great for an older child...big and warm.
So, that's about it for tonight...Iwas messing on my blog today and took up most of my evening trying to teach myself more HTML tricks. I'm learning. So, off to sleep.....till tomorrow...happy crocheting and/or knitting!!!