Yarn Fettish in Crochet

I'm Moving

2009-01-24T09:43:00.000-08:00

Hey guys, this blog is shutting down!

If you'd like to join me at the new place, please send me your email address where I can send you the address to my new blog.

Email me at

buttah@sbcglobal.net

Purple Cloud

2008-12-12T09:30:00.000-08:00

Pattern: Cloud Bolero (modified to be a 1/2 length sleeve cardigan) by Ysolda Teague.
Yarn: Pattons SWS in Real Raisin
Needles: Size 11

This yarn sheds a lot but the sheen and the color makes it worth it to me. Some might think it a bit itchy, but it's okay to me. I think I made a size small.

Oh That Envy.

2008-12-06T18:29:00.000-08:00

I'd recognize that look anywhere. The one that needs no words, no frown, no smile. Just silent observation.

I try to keep a clean car. This means promptly removing any of our trash and belongings right along with ourselves everyday. That's why when I find stuff that belongs to the kids, I throw it right in their faces. They know the deal, yet they repeatedly test me.

Well, when tossing back Lil Man's favorite pair of ski gloves, I caught this look in Teddy Bear's eyes like, WTH? Just silence while driving for about 3 minutes. Then before we could even make it to the intersection...

"Mommy!"
"Yes?"
"Can you make me some gloves?"
"Yes."

No more words, just a sharp look towards Lil Man's way as if to say, how dare you tease me with those cool things. Lil Man never even noticed that she noticed the gloves and didn't even catch on with the verbal interchange.

Do you think she would let me forget? Huh! The very next time she caught me on the computer, she made sure it was because I was looking for her a gloves pattern. Now see, the only thing I had to do besides find a simple pattern was to convince her that mittens were just as cool as gloves. I'm trying to knit my own pair of gloves and have yet to figure out how to close those little gusset holes at the base of each finger. I'm so frustrated. So, do you think I'd dare to start myself yet another challenge on an even tinier scale? Not yet. Soon though, ya'll know me.

"Nooooo, glllllooooveees."

As if I didn't hear her the first time. So, I had to pull rank.

"What color do you want them?"
"I want pink and yellow and white and purple and blue."

I initially had a little panic attack of the prospect of having to search for something in this bizarre colorway, but then noticed out the corner of my eye that she was eying my stash. She'd found some cheap sport weight acrylic that I'm sure I copped from Walmart umpteen years ago before I realised me and my yarn would be this close. Exxxxxxcellent.

Although it took me two tries to get it right (I was sleepy and rushing the first time), after the third mitten, I got a pretty cool pair of rainbow crazy, that'll do, "can you please knit faster?", "ha ha ha, yaaay", mittens.

And oh, big brother, you don't have to look at my green eyes anymore, but you do have look at these fabulous rainbow mittens that Mommy made for me and not you. "Ha Ha!"

Knitted on size 7 circulars I made the K1, P1 ribbing a half inch longer than recommended. The rest of the dimensions were just fine. Find the pattern here.

February Lady Sweater

2008-12-01T15:44:00.000-08:00

I've been finished with this sweater for some time.

Today is the third time I'm wearing it.

Guess this means that I love it.

This pattern was easy, the fit is great, and I love the yarn I chose. Although it is starting to pill, I love the way it hangs.

I'll come back to post the specifications later, but here are some pictures for now.

And the shoes to match!

Cloud Cardigan

2008-11-11T10:38:00.001-08:00

I fell in love with this bolero before I even knew how to knit lace.

It seemed perfect for the Patons SWS that Teddy Bear rejected. Two balls would have been enough for a bolero, but I wanted a cardigan so I'm working on about my 5th ball.

The sleeves are challenging me since the would have been bound off by now if I'd stuck with the pattern.

I'm going to have at it again today, because aside from that, the pattern is great.

Flower Scarf

2008-11-11T10:19:00.001-08:00

I want to make my own coat. I found a pattern that's supposed to be really easy, except I can't find a fabric I like.

I want a brown and light blue plaid. I think this is why I don't sew much. All that work and I want some fabrics that I want. I can't even find a border print for the dress I wanted to do. We just don't seem to have a big selection in stores in my area.

Anyway. I envision wearing a flower scarf with matching gloves with my coat whenever I get it done. Before fall ends I hope.

Here's what I have so far.

Everything was copesthetic when I first sat down to make this scarf. For a hot second I thought that I might make these as Christmas gifts because it takes so little yarn and time. Then I got to the flower.

Impossible to do on DPNs I say! I had to go to circulars for sure and since I don't have size 5's I had to use my size 4 Addi Turbos. Do you see the nasty kinks this flower put in the cord? Uh! And all the little finishing details after that are irking me for some reason. And because I had to go down a whole needle size, my flower shrunk.

Warning!: Do not start that flower while experiencing PMS. I still have to crochet around the edge of the flower and will be using those long tails you see to do that. The pattern keeps saying to cut these 36" tails. Wayyyyyy too long in most cases and the length of the tails just added to my frustration. I could have just used one ball (110 yds) if it wasn't for those too long tails.

Otherwise, the project still went quickly because it was so small. It was actually a diversion from my Cloud Cardi whose modified sleeves are challenging me.

Pattern: Flower Scarf
Yarn: Queensland Bebe Cotsoy 50% Cotton 50% Soy, Very soft!
Colorway: Light Blue
Needle Sizes: 5 US, 4 for the dumb flower
Yardage: 115?
Time to make: 4-8 hours.

Chemo Hat

2008-11-11T10:00:00.000-08:00

I made Teddy Bear a hat that covers her ears. She rejected it.

Color was great, but the yarn too scratchy. It was Paton's SWS in Real Rasin. Hah! You thought I didn't know the color, didn't you?

Well, I really fell in love with the look of the yarn. Even though it's not the softest in the world (it's really not that bad) and its splits if you're not careful, I thought that it would be perfect for my Cloud Cardigan.

So I gave up on her and bought a fleece hat from Old Navy for just $1. She loved it. Then I ran across this ear flap hat on Ravelry and decided to give it a try with my scrap. Great idea.

Pattern: Chemo Ear Flap Hat
Yarn: Lorna's Lace Shepard Sock Multi & Lion Brand Cotton Ease for the trim.
Coloryways: I don't knoooooow. =P
Amount used: About 95% of one skein sock yarn held double. Scrap amount of Cotton Ease.
Needle Size: US 6
Hook Size for trim and flower tassels: F
Time to make: about 4-6 hours

Only thing I didn't like was the gap in the back. I don't know how to fix this. This hat can be easily converted to crochet. Any experienced crocheter can read this pattern over and will know exactly what to do. I can help you with that if you like.

Still Spinning

2008-11-11T09:50:00.000-08:00

It was only my second class. So this means only the 3rd and 4th hours of instruction. And by the end I had...

THIS!

I wonder if I can make as much during my last class. She'll be bringing alpaca and her drum carder. Grrrrrr. I wanted to make enough to possibly make another Hemlock Ring Blanket, but the carding will be so hard to resist.

First Yarn

2008-11-01T19:22:00.000-07:00

Well, I've been wanting to learn how to do this for years now.

As usual, I tried to teach myself. I used a bottom whorl drop spindle.

It didn't work out.

I got all kinds of frustrated and discouraged. All I was left with was NOT any yarn, but hurt feelings and disappointment. I don't know why I get so emotional with this yarn. Sometimes I think I must be sick in the head.

Well, I finally found a class near me. With a store I like. For a reasonable price.

For $79 I get 7 hours of instruction, all the roving I can use, use of a wheel ( there were 4 different types, with the possibility of checking the wheels out with a credit card number), personal instruction, and Teddy Bear was well received although she was up in every new spinner's business.

This was invaluable. I mean, the instructor couldn't hold my hands, cause I needed to use them. But, she was sitting right in front of me guiding me with her words and suddenly I experienced an epiphany and began to spin some yarn fairly uniform in size without breaking the strand or hanging up the wheel with my tangles and mistakes.

Believe me, I've had quite a stressful week that left me with feelings of devastation. Well, while making my yarn, I didn't think at all about my stresses. Nor was I ever even hungry. Hmmmmmm.

You see this right here?! What's that in that picture, bloggers. Huhhhhh??? Yayee, yaay-eeeeeee!!!!! You KNOW!

That there is 100 grams of a combo of thread, lace, fingering, DK, aran, and chunky weight yarns all in one center pull ball. Isn't it beautiful?

Next week I will be making another one and spinning it into two ply with this one.

Oh yes, my February Lady Sweater is completed, but I haven't found buttons I like yet, or accessories to go with it. I'm trying to step my posting game up, so I want to do it right this time.

February Lady Sweater

2008-10-17T09:14:00.000-07:00

I started a new project. It's getting cooler and of course this make knitting/crocheting more fun.

I think the February Lady Sweater is a perfect project for fall.

I plan on looking very shaggy glamorous in this sweater, hope it works out.

I'm using Cascade 220 on size 8 needles. This yarn is knitting way better than I remember from last time. I expect it to yield better results too. I've seen all the different versions in Ravelry, and I like the ones in Cascade 220 best. Cascade 220 Heathers even had a color that was identical to the samples. You can't beat the price.

I love the color, whatever it's name is. I'm sure I've seen a Kathy bag in the exact same color. I'm going to start looking for that.

The pattern is easy and seems to be going quickly.

Green Leafy Tea

2008-10-14T15:37:00.000-07:00

Well I reclaimed my yarn from that sweater pattern whose name must not be spoken.

I looked up the yarn in Ravelry and found something that I liked, the Leafy T-Shirt.

I used size 6 needles and knit until the sleeves were 14" in diameter. I just think it's amazing how the diameter of my upper arm pretty much gives the rest of my upper dimensions. Reminds me of when we bought clothes in the store with my grandmother. She would have us stick our forearms in the waste band. If that fit, then the pants fit. This only works for kids by the way. That was back in the 70s and early 80s too so I wouldn't recommend it. The sleeves on this garment were tight at first but stretched with wear. This is unblocked.

I used Lion Brand Cotton Ease. I think the colorway is Lime, or Leaf. I'm sorry, I just can't seem to remember to note this. :(

I meant to include waste shaping, but as usual, I forgot. I just be wanting to knit, and can't remember things I plan that are not written down sometimes. Siigh.

Anyway, I like the results okay I guess.

I don't like how it looks in the back and will start to make a point to make sure all of my close fitting tops end up with a stretchy bind off. It's very tight around my voluptuous hips. I don't know why it's taken me this long to come to this conclusion. I've thought about it some and will be ripping back to do just that. This will probably eliminate that back bulge too. Then again, probably not.

The bottom curls a LOT. I've pulled it down in the pictures. I like the curly look, but not this much.

I'm trying to venture out when it comes to colors. I think I've chosen wisely.

Stash Bustin'!

2008-10-05T19:09:00.000-07:00

Well I reclaimed my yarn from that Kelso Cardigan.

I made myself a Leafy T. I looked up Cotton Ease on Ravelry for some ideas and figured this would work.

It fits okay but I gotta find someone to help me take pictures of it, will post later.

In the mean time, I had almost a whole ball left over that was divided into about 4 super long strands because of the cardigan. I gotta figure out a way to use the rest of this scrap yarn.

Let's start by clothing some of these naked dolls running around my house. Teddy Bear hasn't undressed her yet, so maybe she just wanted hand made doll clothes all along, LOL.

There's no pattern. I just did a top down with some increases in the front for the flare.

Round Dish Cloth

2008-09-26T11:05:00.000-07:00

That last project has got me thinking. I need to rethink how I approach starting a project. I just want to crochet or knit so bad, I just jump right in most of the time. Well, I think I'm going to start to do more planning. I'm going to do more than just a test swatch.

While I do this, to feed my fettish, I'm going to make some dishcloths for the house. We are in dire need. See, I've been ignoring the basics. That last sweater was a wake up call.

Why do I talk about my crafting like it's a major life decision? Because it is, that's why! What?!?

Here' the dishcloth. Done in Peaches and Cream Cotton. The project is simply called Knitted Round Dishcloth. It's very easy, only took a couple of hours, and I only have one seam to sew. How grand!! It's about 8 inches in diameter. It's my first dishcloth and I don't know why I waited so long to make it. No more rags for us, we're kicking it up a notch!

Kelso, First Try

2008-09-23T20:17:00.001-07:00

Call me Miss Piggy, cause the only sounds you could hear coming from my bedroom night after night were rip-it, rip-it. I ripped this strange green creature back so many times I lost count. No really, I lost count. The sizing is just not right. The gauge of my test swatch was right on. I had problems with the raglan decreases the entire time trying to figure out which method to use and wondering why I still had so many stitches left on my needles. I ended up decreasing way more aggressively than the pattern recommended and it was still too big.

The neckline and shoulder shaping are not positioned right.

I had to knit an extra 3 sets of the horse shoe lace pattern to make the raglan decrease and neckline merge. Those raglan decreases are supposed to rest on my collar bones not caress my lady lumps.

The neck is too big.

That corset tie is supposed to be placed where the neck shaping starts and be lying across my chest. Yet, you see where it is.

It's way too loose and I had to stand very still so that it wouldn't fall off, I had to pin the collar to my shirt so that you could get an idea of how it's supposed to fit.

I'm going to make it again 2 sizes smaller. Maybe I'll get a better look next time.

Instead of the continuous complaints about this pattern full of ambiguity I'll just conclude my naming this joint an official.

Hot Mess!!!!!

Ravelers click here to see how it's supposed to look.

Ballet T-Shirt, A quickie

2008-09-12T13:41:00.000-07:00

This is a real quickie. Took all of two evenings in bed after the kids had gone to sleep. If you want to experiment with manipulating sizes of patterns, this one would be great to get you started. Teddy Bear measures 23" around the chest.

Unfortunately, this top won't make it into the school pictures. Teddy Bear woke up with a horrible "crook" in her neck. I thought she had a sinus infection or meningitis or something. The doctor said that there were no major knots in her neck and recommended Motrin and warm compresses. Let Teddy Bear tell it, someone was trying to decapitate her. She had me very scared with her crying. She was inconsolable. She's doing better now, I had to come into the office for a little while.

Can you tell which side hurts?

FRONT

BACK

Yarn: Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece, Held Double. Not even two full skeins were used.
Color: Ya'll know I have a hard time keeping track of this for some reason.
Needles: Size 11
Size: Made to fit chest size 23". One extra increase included to eliminate cropped look.

Ballet T

2008-09-09T10:26:00.001-07:00

Kelso is not going well. The pattern is too confusing, not clear. The author has answered whatever questions I have, and that's great. But, isn't it best to have a pattern that requires no further communications with the client? I'm going to finish it, because I love the sweater. I want one of my own.

I worked half way up the neck line and realized that I had chosen the wrong type of raglan decrease for a particular row or forgot to omit a YO when I was supposed too and ended up with an odd looking lace repeat. I considered just moving on, but no. Won't do it. I may even rip back past the life line so that I can incorporate the waist shaping that I forgot to earlier. I believe waist shaping is oneof the differences between frumpy and sexy.

Needless to say, I have to step away from the Kelso for a while. Nope, it's not going into the abandoned pile. But in the mean time, for some instant gratification....

Got the notice in the backpacks yesterday that picture day is Friday. Thank for the heads up...NOT!!!! But since I love to torture myself, I'm going to whip up a hand made top for TeddyBear (whose grown 2 whole kids sizes since I last posted a picture of her) by Thursday night. It will be done. I will also be taking those tiny 2 1/2 week old braids out from the other half of her head.

I can do it.

See.

8:46 PM - 11:00 PM

Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece held double, size 11 circulars. Ballet T-Shirt Pattern from the Loop-D-Loop patterns book.

Kelso Lace Cardigan

2008-09-03T14:10:00.001-07:00

Yeah, long weekends are for catching up on chores around the house. There was plenty of yard work, not enough, but plenty. Laundry as usual. And Jesus, can you please send a miracle for these floors? A coupon or something, Lord.

But, no long weekend would be right without starting a new project. I know, I know, I need to just go into those projects in dormancy and just work those out. But, we all know, this is not how my yarn fetish works. I would have loved to start this in a bamboo or bamboo cotton blend but the funds just aren't loose like that this month. So, good thing the pattern calls for Cotton Ease.

Kelso @ 7:20 AM

Kelso about 12 hours later.

The sleeve increases are driving me nuts, so I started on the body. I'll need to finish the sleeves before I can continue. Still on the first sleeve, still going crazy. Hope this one doesn't end up in the hybernation bin before the end of the week. Yes, I have a special place for those projects.

Ta Daaaaa! Gold Top with Rust Slacks.

2008-08-27T13:48:00.000-07:00

Wow it's been a looooong time since I've been able to wear an outfit that I sewed out in public. Well, today, I wore this to work.

You have to look under my sewing label on the side bar to see the details about the pattern and the fabric. I have to review some other blogs before attempting to do a technical post.

We not gonna look at what the inside of these garments look like (the pants actually aren't that bad). But, here's what the outside of the outfit looks like. This picture sucks, and I'll try to get a better one later. But, you can see the basics, right?

Now, since I don't know which details are most important to display on a sewing post of a finished product, you have to tell me. Where should I zoom in?

Before and After the seat belt and 3 1/2 hour meeting. Pics Enlarge.

Hemlock Ring Blankie Finished!

2008-08-23T18:48:00.000-07:00

This is exactly what I 've been wanting for a long time now! On cold nights maintaining my body temperature while asleep can prove to be quite the challenge. I always have to sleep with an extra top layer that I can flip on and off at will. That top layer is always some ugly reject that works just fine but totally clashes with the bedroom decor. This blankie is NOT at all ugly. At 46" in diameter, the perfect size to slide up and down my body to either keep my shoulders or feet just a little warmer. It matches perfectly with my duvet cover and my dark wood furniture.

Needles used: Size 9 32" circular, Susan Baytes
Yarn: Cascade Ecological Wool, Color unknown.
I got the yarn before the Hemlock Ring Blanket Craze started by Jared Flood. I love that he did all the charting and conversion work for us.

I tried to fit the whole image into my little camera phone but couldn't. I love this blankie. It's mine all mine and will not be shared.

Hemlock Ring Blankie

2008-08-13T13:37:00.000-07:00

Almost done with this one.

In our house, they're called blankies.

This is the longest bind off in history. I dare you to find one longer.

Yes, I've been working on this while doing the sewing. It's not too, too bad, I'm just working on it while sitting in bed at night. I can't use the sewing machine in bed and I have to keep my hands and brain churning until I fall asleep.

...Like It's Golden, Golden....

2008-08-13T13:30:00.000-07:00

I'm almost done with this top. I've done as much as I could but now I need help with the sleeves because they have gathers and I forgot to transfer some markings. Hopefully I'll be able to finish this blouse in class tonight. This is the last class and I'm depending upon you all to help me with my next project. Please =)

This is the front. My stitches may not be as straight as yours, but they're pretty straight nonetheless.

Zipper In!

2008-08-02T14:29:00.001-07:00

Okay, I'll probably be sewing all day today, or at least as long as my brain can take it. I'm ahead of my class a little because there was a problem with my paper blouse. The teacher had to take some time to figure it out on her own before she could help me.

This means that in order to stay occupied I had to move to the next step, at least on my pants. Which, was cutting out the fabric. So, while everyone else is cutting out fabric at home, I'm sewing pants at home.

Well, I'm so proud to announce that I have sewn in a zipper!

It's a little wonky at the top, but I do not care and I dare that teacher to ask me to re sew it. I think this zipper look pretty good for a first one (I may have done a zipper before but I can't remember). Especially since there are sooooo many patterns out there with no zippers or buttons at all. The only reason I'm putting up with this is because it's a class assignment. Shoot, give me a C grade on zipper install for all I care. I'm proud of my zipper.

And do you see all those little shreds coming off of my fabric. Should I have like "surged" over the edges of the piecies to keep that from happening? The teacher told me I could have done it before treating the fabric in order to avoid it, but she didn't tell me anything about the cut out pieces. Oh well, better keep moving before those shreds multiply and my seam allowance is all off.

Sew Difficult

2008-07-27T20:48:00.000-07:00

Well, I really wanted to sew a garment that I can be proud of. You know, the ones that no one can tell you made yourself? This is why I decided to enroll in a sewing class at one of our local sewing centers.

I was soooo excited the day before my class. I had purchased everything on our supplies list, well almost, and I was even taking each item out of my new little sewing tote and playing with it. I felt like a Kindergartener on her first day before school. I was actually excited over scissors ya'll. I got the titanium kind. :) Well, one of the items on the list was swiss tracing paper.

The instructor requires us to trace out our pattern and then cut it out so that we can pin fit it. Well, this makes sense to me but it adds another element of labor that I was not prepared for. My shoulders and my wrists hurt from sketching out all these details. The scissors work great by the way. But, I've sewn together as much as I could on my own and now I'm stuck. Do I have to sew on the colar of my top to pin fit it or can I leave that off? Do I have to sew those stitches that are supposed to help you gather the fabric at certain points.

Teacher lady took the wind right out of my sails with this assignment.

Here's my fabric and here's what I am hoping to make.

These are both 100% polyester. The pants have orange and gold undertones and actually match very well with the gold silky solid intended for the top.

I have still been crocheting and knitting of course. I'm just too lazy to post pictures of those new projects right now. I made a girls Ballet T-Shirt (size way too small for Teddy Bear), and I'm working on a Butterfly Garden Square toddler bed size blanket for her. I'm also working on a Razor Cami for me.

Squares for Nessa Update

2008-07-12T16:54:00.000-07:00

Alright, however many squares I have are all going into the mail on Monday. I hope Lesa can use these and has time enough to stitch them all together.

Here's the link to Chris Simon's Butterfly Garden pattern.

Baby Daddy

2008-07-12T16:41:00.000-07:00

I rarely get "this is your day" gifts. I was about to say never, but that's not completely true. My big brother may send me some cash every once in a while on my birthday or mothers day, and this year he had the nerve to send me some dresses. He gets bored in stores and ain't good at being the man who sits and waits. I like two out of three of them and even get compliments. I've always thought my lack of gift receiving had something to do with me, and it probably does to an extent. But, when I met a single father who didn't even get a father's day gift, my feelings were hurt all over again for some reason.

I designed this hat for him, and named it Baby Daddy. In part because that's who he his but also impart to Michelle being called Barack's baby momma and all the fuss it caused. The terms Baby Daddy and Baby Momma ain't all bad. Many of us are just really good parents (the one who stayed) who don't even get gifts on Mother's or Father's day. Well I wanted to do something about that.

I made a wine sock out of the extra yarn.

I really am lazy about blogging about the yarn, needle and pattern details, but if anyone wants to know I'll comment about it. I may even write the pattern down if you want me too, even though ownership of the design was part of the gift.

Big Daddy

2008-07-05T16:51:00.000-07:00

I had this thick lock in the back of my head kinda toward the top/middle. It was twice as large as most of my other locks and 3 times as large as those around my hair line. I called it Big Daddy, but now that I think about it probably should have been calling it Big Momma. Oh well. I've heard about folks splitting their locks and thought I'd give it a try.

At first I was going to start at the tip of the lock, but that seemed to risky. So since there was about 2 inches of unlocked hair at the root (this is why it was a problem, it was so thick it wouldn't lock as quickly as the others, this was the only problem besides the fact that it wouldn't hold a curl if I should choose to curl it), I decide to cut from there. It seemed too thick to slice straight down the middle with my craft scissors. I know, I know, but these were the sharpest ones I had. So, I decided to try to scrape off enough for a brand new lock and leave the rest of the hair to hold on to the old one.

I quickly realized that this was a bad decision and just cut the rest off.

This is what I got. About 6 inches of a perfectly good lock (besides the diameter of course) I will keep it forever because it is a good example of how clean and healthy my locks are and it smells good because I just washed my hair. Oh well. I wouldn't have tried this if it had been located anywhere else on my head.

Crossover Strap Mary Janes

2008-07-05T15:28:00.000-07:00

I have blisters on my fingers from crocheting hemp cord. Ouch!! But I really wanted to make these cute shoes. The designer's are really cute, but I don't like the way mine came out. I wish that I could figure out how to close the weave on the shoe a little. These didn't take that long, but I have to take a break to let my fingers heal. Maybe I'll try using Jute to do the sole next time, it supposed to be easier to work with.

Click the image to be taken to the location of the pattern. The designer is currently on maternity leave but keep checking back.

I used Sugar and Cream cotton yarn from Walmart. Turn around 180 degrees and look down to find the 3mm hemp cord over there by the jewelery making stuff.

I felt like I was doing some intricate trapeze work when working in the round for this odd oval shape whose sole was resistant against my pull. The pattern is very clear and even color coded for you. Making a shoe can be tricky but this designer's method of pattern writing makes things easier. It all worked out when I put them on but I just wish that I could have done a better job on my shoe, and I can't jump right back on the horse because my fingers hurt. That's what I get for not working on Nessa's squares all weekend.

I gotta get my priorities straight.

Here is my right shoe...

Squares for Nessa

2008-07-05T15:12:00.000-07:00

One of the blogs I frequent is a mom with two sweet little girls she loves crocheting stuff for. Sound familiar? Well, that's why it gripped my heart to learn that one of her girls suffers from liver disease or some condition which affects her liver, I'm not sure. Anyway, her precious baby is now on the liver transplant list and mom is doing what dedicated mommas do, stressing, hustling to keep the house and routines in order, and doing her best to make her little princess comfortable.

She promised to make her baby a blanket to take to the hospital with her but doesn't know when she'll be able to fit this in and wants to make sure lil mama has it before her new liver comes I'm sure. That's why she called out for some assistance.

Learn more about Lesa and her babies and how you too can donate squares here. I'm sure I mentioned earlier how terrible I am at achieving gauge. This is why I ended up with an 8 inch square instead of a 6 like she asked for.

Hey, the fact that I can successfully shrink grown up patterns down to a perfect fit for Teddy Bear is pure luck every time.

Here's my first square...Those are butterflies. Maybe I should make enough of these for a blanket border and Lesa can fit whatever left over 6 inch squares she has in the middle.

Oz

2008-07-05T14:54:00.000-07:00

I'm still chugging away on my Oz.

Click the above picture to get to the original pattern.

I couldn't get my gauge right lengthwise so I simply resigned to knitting more rows. This means I had to use 4 skeins of the main yarn instead of the 3 recommended. It seems like it's going on forever and I hope I'm not doing something wrong. According the Kamika's instructions, my sleeves will be about 24.5 inches wide before stopping. I made the body a little t0o long becaue I wasn't pulling the fabric tight before measuring (the bigh stitch is very poofy), but that's okay. I have enough bedunkadunk to compensate for that (wow, something is wrong with my spell checker because it didn't flag the word bedunkadunk).

I'm using Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece (which I love and trust) in the colorway Nymph. I have Thaki Dream and Berroco Bonsai waiting for when I get to the trim. Bonsai is bamboo by the way and I think that is sooo cool to knit with fibers that grow besides cotton.

Here it is...

Shrunken Jacket

2008-07-05T10:56:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to provide and update on what I'm working on. Look inside the book here.

I'm doing the Cropped Sweater with Lace-Up Closure next.

This is the Shrunken Jacket from Double Stitched by Erika and Monica Simmons on Interweave Press. The think the designs in the book are great. Some classic, like this, and some edgy or more hip.

I'm using Elegance from Knit Picks (70% Alpaca, 30% silk), and I love it. I ran out of the main color :( and can't fork over the $50 to avoid the shipping fee right now. I would say the patterns in this book are for the intermediate and up group. This is because there just seems to be a lot of ambiguity with this pattern so far. I'm able to keep consistency because of my experience, but I could easily see the novice getting frustrated to tears and giving up. Look out for errata. Also, I think my ruffle is a little too ruffly. maybe if I rip back to try to correct that I'll have enough yarn to complete it. Probably not, but it does not hurt to dream. I just want to avoid making this great garment look tacky.

My New Favorite Thing

2008-07-02T10:45:00.001-07:00

I've still been working on a few things. I'm doing the Shrunken Jacket from my Double Stitch book by the Simpson sisters. I just ran out of yarn last night. Dang, cause I got it from Knit Picks and I hate to pay that shipping fee just for one ball of yarn and spending $50 to avoid it ain't in the budget right now. So, I'll guess I won't be able to wear my jacket it this weekend.

That's cool because I'm still working on my Oz by Kamika King. I think I'm almost done with my sleeves. I might be able to finish this by Friday if I focus. I'm not planning on blocking it and my family gets started late for any activities so that gives me 3 whole knitting days.

But, I wanted to show you my new Kathy Van Zeeland bag. I picked it up at Marshalls for $40 bucks. I'd seen it there previously and since it's totally not my style I'd overlooked it, or better yet, talked myself out of getting this gaudy purse. My mind couldn't shake it. They had this silvery colored one, a tan one and a pink one. Which of course was gone by the time I went back to get it.

See the bling? Those are charms hanging from a key chain.

It has so many pockets. One side for regular purse stuff, a middle pocket for cosmetics, and one side for, you guessed it, my yarney fetishes. Just as good as and way cheaper than those other stylish knitting bags. I can fit a whole hand full of crochet hooks in that bling-bling pocket up there.

On what I call the regular purse side, there's not just a cell phone pocket, but two pockets for i.d.'s and credit cards! No more wallet needed. By the way Blogger flipped these pictures for me. Thanks alot, NOT!

And yet another pocket that I use for my loose change. I love this bag.

I know that since I got this bag from Marshalls it's most likely from several seasons ago. I don't care. If I find it in pink, or red or something, I'm getting another.

Fingers A Flyin'!

2008-06-14T22:34:00.000-07:00

I know, I know. It's been too long since I posted. But really, it's not all my fault. It's the fault of my camera. I haven't gotten a new one yet cause I don't want to buy another quickey. I want something with a telescopic lens and lots of bells and whistles. Not in the budget right now, but since I'm so stubborn, I'm trying to squeeze every last picture I can out of the one I have. I've had to buy a card reader just to get the pictures off of it.

Also, I had to take myself a little vacay. Waaaay over due people. This yarn fetish don't take care of all the stress.

Then I had to get the kids settled into their summer plans. One's a drive away, the other a plane ride. I miss them, but I need the me time. I have a sewing class scheduled for later on in the month and I tried to find a spinning class but there wasn't one around town being offered this summer. Darn!

But I have been busy, and even though the pictures are few and of poor quality, I thought I'd need to show you just so you'd believe all my excuses for not posting. I'm working on Kamika King's Oz right now, and am excited about getting my new Double Stitch Crochet pattern book by the Simmons sisters. I won't stay away so long this time. Lot's of comments please, LOL, make me feel loved :)

China Doll Finished!

2008-06-14T22:24:00.000-07:00

Pattern: China Doll, Interweave Crochet
Yarn: Elann Lara, Colorway ? Bright Purple
Hook Size: E, 3.5 mm
Size Made: For 38.5 bust

I incorporated maximum bust ease (the wedge), added the waist shaping (the nip i think) where recommended, I added one extra hip flare for obvious reasons and made the sleeve twice as long as recommended. I also added almost twice as many fasteners because of bunching and gapping in that area. This fixed things. I just didn't feel like making the buttons after it was all said and done. So I used some silver ones I had. I also had to include extra completely round motifs right in the front to cover up some bizarre discoloring accident.

Excess Yarn Tank

2008-06-14T22:15:00.000-07:00

Pattern: Strappy Spring Shirt from the Soulful Hues blog.
Yarn: Elann Lara
Colorway: 323
Needles: Size 4 and 6
Size Made: 6

This top is very easy and doesn't take that much yarn in my opinion. I've paused to think about it, but I don't really have anything negative to say about it. Maybe I'll learn to knit with beads and use this pattern for my test piece.

Renee's Going Away Belt

2008-06-14T22:08:00.000-07:00

Pattern: Floral Lace Belt, from Interweave Crochet
Yarn Used: Aunty Lydia's Crochet Thread, Size 10
Size Made: 9 motifs I think
Hook Size: 1.4 mm, that's tiny! And sharp too.

I wanted to make something special for my really good co-worker moving to a new chapter in her life. And as you all know, I think this pattern is really special.

Teddy Bear's Topper

2008-06-14T21:58:00.001-07:00

Pattern: Crochet Child's Top. Free download from Lion Brand's Yarn.
Yarn: Lion Brand Cotton Ease, Colorway Lake
Hook Size: F I thought I'd picked up a G and didn't realize my mistake until I got to the airport. I pressed on.

Size Made: 6

Modifications: I lengthened the arms by adding rows 1 and 2

This pattern is easy but it asks to join yarn way too many times. When you add these instructions to the join new ball occurrences and the weaving in seam ends, you could loose your mind. This is why I wouldn't recommend this deceptively easy pattern to beginners. You gotta have staying power before you start this, it can discourage you really easily. I'm thinking about scratching the crochet ties and fastening with a ribbon empire style. I love the color. I thought the yarn was 100% cotton. Turns out it's a cotton acrylic blend, but it's not that bad, really.

Noro Anthorpologie

2008-06-14T21:50:00.000-07:00

Pattern: Anthropologie Inspired Caplet

Yarn: Noro Silk Garden Lite, 2 balls
Colorways: 2028 and 2029
Size: Sorry I can't remember, I was in the zone and didn't have time for notes.
Needles: size 6 I think, like I said, in the zone.

This pattern is so easy it doesn't matter what kind of yarn you use. Just find a compatible needle to go along with that yarn. Oh yes, I have to knit mine together and not purl it together so I guess I reverse the pattern a little.

I wanted to wip this up for my Bahamas trip. It really came in handy since it was too cold with the A.C.'s inside and too hot outside. This was my first time using Noro. The colors are beautiful, but for all the hype I thought that it should have been much softer on the skin. It wasn't a horrific irritant, but I am aware of it when wearing it. Also, for all the hype, I should not be running into knots in the middle of the skein. This burns me. I mean this is what I pay the extra money for.

China Doll Progress Part Duex

2008-05-11T21:12:00.000-07:00

Well to summarize....

What we have hear is one close fitting tunic that includes maximum bust ease, starting approximately two inches below the underarm, waist shaping and hip shaping.

With this pattern you have the option to stop at the waist or to continue on and make a tunic style top.

This is how far I would have gotten had I chosen to stop at the waist.

But, I wanted a tunic, so I began a second flair as instructed. After the second, and what was supposed to be the last flair including additional rows, I started getting a little skeptical. I said to myself "Now what does Doris Chan know about the hips of a thick black woman?" And, I kid you not, Doris Chan actually materialized in front of me with her hand on her hip. She said, "The skill level on pattern said experienced. Are you experienced, Nicole, or are you a novice, you tell me. I've showed you how to make a flair, what else do you want from me?" Man, she really had me feeling ashamed. I also started to wonder what the heck I was thinking making a form fitting top for myself. I never buy these types of clothes. It was just that I was so intrigued by the whole customization idea that I couldn't help it. These show me wearing by brand new Lane Bryant Cacique Balconette style bra. Do you see what a difference it makes?

The Second Flair. It's supposed to resemble a tunic at this point but doesn't.

After clowning me like that,I thought that Doris Chan would go away but no, she stayed there until I completed my third flair and the trim. That's cool, because I needed to tell her how much I loathe her Reverse Single Crochet, Ch 1! I mean really, what's the point? "Doris, I think you're just trying to be special by being difficult. The nerve of some people." At this point I willed her away because I didn't want her, let's call it vibe, to suddenly take away my mojo as punishment for talking smart to her.

Anywho, the next time you see the China Doll it will be completed. I've had to wing the collar because you may have noticed that those markers that were in the first picture have disappeared, oops. I'm making my sleeves longer in an attempt to hide a little of my arm fat, so I'm doing those last so that I don't use up all my yarn before making the motifs and required trims. I've already used extra on the additional flair so I have to budget. I may have to wait to show the finished product to you in the environment it is intended for. Oooooo, can I wait?

China Doll Progress

2008-05-04T15:29:00.000-07:00

The Wedge, with maximum bust ease. Seems I started too high, but wait...

The Wedge plus the Body, 6 rows. After some contemplation I've decided to start the Nip just as prescribed.

The Waist Shaping is complete, and I've included the recommended number of Sh Patt rows. The pattern says it should be hitting right above my navel. Yeah right! My navel is right wear those blue sweats start.

I've decided to continue in the Sh Patt lengthening by two rows until I think it goes where it should.

I'm ready to start the Flare or Hip Shaping now, but I don't have time for another picture right now. The bust shaping worked out fine dontcha think? I need a tank with better support. I just got a new bra, and I'd like to have on that undergarment while wearing this but after blocking, this will turn into an open weave fabric like it was designed to be. Hmmmm, what to do? Forgive my funny picture taking face.

Crocheting and, What?! Sewing?????

2008-05-01T18:25:00.000-07:00

I've started hooking up the China Doll by Doris Chan. I can't wait to wear this one. I saw some chocolate colored linen pants that will go perfect with this at Old Navy. Now all I need to do is find some coordinating flip flops. That shouldn't be too hard.

It's funny. I started making mistakes right from the start on this one. Thanks to Tracie for steering me in the right direction! She helped me to understand that I needed to read all of the instructions, LOL!

This is what I have so far.

I'm using Elann's Lara yarn which is a 100% Combed, Mercerized Double Gassed Cotton. Ooooookaaaay, I don't know what being Double Gassed means but, anyway, all I know is that it was was like $2.25 a ball, so this also explains the bright purple color choice. I wasn't really sure about what color I wanted to make this in anyway. I don't know about you, but for me, the price is always a deciding factor.

And, guess what ya'll, I've been trying to sew. I've gotten pretty far considering that I did not understand the pattern at all. The pattern is New Look 6774. Now that I'm examining the package I hadn't noticed that it said "Easy" or anything like that. I chose it because it was cheaper than I very similar one that I was about to buy. After a while, I just started looking at the picture and constructing the dress the way that seemed logical to me.

I looked on Youtube to find instructions for installing an invisible zipper. Even though I thought I could do it without the right equipment, I'm waiting for my concealed zipper foot to come in the mail from sears now. I couldn't get a better picture. My camera is in its final days and has forgotten how to work.

I think that I'm going to use a ribbon to reinforce the hem of the garment. I purchased this jersey material because it was like two dollars. But, this stuff is NOT for beginners to work with. I'm such a novice that I couldn't even figure out everything to buy from the package. I realized that I need to have some sort of lining at least for the top of the dress. I didn't have enough of the main fabric to construct one so I cut up a poncho like top that I was never gonna wear. I think it's cute. I'm too ashamed to go into to much detail about how the inside looks. My efforts to clean it up just made it worse. However, I must say, that this is the first time in a loooong time that I've been motivated to finish a sewing project that was giving me challenges (simply because of my inexperience in this case). I owe my inspiration to Erica, Adrianne, Patrice, and Sheila. I would never have touched that sewing machine again if it wasn't for you.

My Favorite FO Ever

2008-04-10T19:38:00.000-07:00

But first, an update on other projects.

Man, am I ready to get this Cycling Aran out of my house. It was zipper's fault. I really loved knitting this sweater. It will be the warmest sweater my brother has because I held the DK/Worsted double. I know, I know too thick but I wanted it extra squishy because of the cables. Oh well, he can pull it out next winter. Just a few more stitches in the zipper, then it's off to big brother.

I've been trying to be good (environmentally conscious), so I whipped up these crochet grocery bags. These bags are really strong and stretchy and quick to make. Very easy pattern, but because of the continuous increasing and decreasing, I wouldn't advise making these bags sleepy or tipsy, LOL.

I made the Ribbed Lace Bolero for Teddy Bear. The Easter outfit needs a post of it's own and I should be getting the kids ready for bed now, so next time. Long story short, much to my disappointment Teddy Bear has developed a strong opinion on what she wears. So all my Easter dress ideas went out the door when we got into the store. What a shame, some of the dresses came with matching dresses for your dolly too. "No! I don't like that one." She got on my last nerve. I'll have to make her put the dress back on for a picture. I hate how the Lace Bolero came out by the way, but she wore it anyway.

And finally. I really do think I've made my favorite FO ever. When flipping through the Spring 2008 Interweave Crochet online. I couldn't wait to get my hands on this magazine because this Floral Lace Belt just called me. The largest size called for 10 motifs but because I measured my waist and divided that by the width of each motif, I decided to make 12. Too big! But this is o.k. I'll come up with a different closure than the ribbon one shown. I thought that making this belt would be like going to Universal Studios and learning how Star Trek is made (totally taking the mystery out of the whole thing), but no. I was still fascinated with this belt when it was done and can't even believe myself that I could make something so beautiful. It was easy. Am I bragging? Well, whatever. I just love this piece, O.K.?

Teddy bear is already hatin'. "Where's mine?" I'll get to it, because for some strange reason I have the crochet thread called for by the pattern in almost every Spring color.

My next venture will be the China Doll Top on the cover. There are detailed instructions for shaping for almost every figure even the busty AND hippy like me. I'm so much deeper in love with crochet right now.

What It Do, Baby?

2008-03-30T06:51:00.000-07:00

I want to post about the stuff I've been working on, I do. But, I'm trying to borrow a camera so that I can get some adequate pictures. I've gotten the approval, but the delivery is taking some time. He'd better just bring the damn camera, LOL. Hmmm, could my attitude be why he's taking so long with it?

In the mean time, we've still been living it up. Yesterday we went to a birthday party at a dirt bike race track. It was a little nippy, but not cold enough to cancel and definitely not too cold for the actual racers. They loved it! Teddy Bear was too little to ride the track, but she has no problem entertaining herself. She spent her time rocking the mic on their intercom system. The owners of the place for some reason didn't want to ask me, "Can you please get your child?", so they just ended up turning the mic off on her after a couple of hours.

Later in the evening someone emailed me a picture of her gettin' gangsta. If you've looked at her pictures before and said to yourself, "hmmm, this child must be nuts." You'd be right. She'd probably give the Dimbled One a run for his money. I try to make the best of it. But I have a feeling that one day I'm going to be interviewed by some reality show host with dumb ass questions like, "Did you know that one day she would be on stage." Well, duhhhhhh! I'm just hoping that before then she can learn some self control.

She does not get this personality from me or from TV. I swear, she just comes up with this stuff. Getting her to model my knits is a trip.

Craving Filth

2008-03-20T10:19:00.000-07:00

My Name is Nicole, and I'm an emotional eater. Have I mentioned this before? Well, admitting it wasn't enough to change my ways. When I get stressed out a chocolate strawberry square from the Nugget will do the trick. Why don't we just wash that down with some champagne. When I get nervous, no problem, lets whip up some salmon fettuccine with that creamy, garlicky, fragrant, flavorful sauce, and a nice green salad. When I get lonely, soul food, any kind, fried chicken, macaroni and cheese, greens, black eyed peas, etc. Depending upon how lonely I am (chic-a-bow-wow), we can follow all that with any kind of decadent dessert and wash it down with at least two mimosas. This describes my self soothing in a nutshell. I justify the behavior by telling myself that I have the right to be satisfied every once in a while and that since the world seems adamant on keeping me struggling I'm not going to hold MYSELF back from having what I want need and deserve. Visits with my 200 lb plus cousins don't even seem slow me down.

No, I'm not trying to catch up with them, and I know I need to slow down and exercise more. Knowing this doesn't change the fact that I am still an emotional eater. But what I don't understand is why I'm craving chilin's.

Chitlins or chitterlings are pig intestines, poop chutes people! Preparing them can be tricky, and it takes a lot of patience and work. My cousin and I used to have to stand in front of the sink for half the day separating the final membrane from the fleshy part that we would later be scooping onto our plates. African Americans first started eating chitterlings because as slaves we were given what was left over from the hog (i.e. cheeks (hog mog/maw?), feet (pickled pigs feet)). I'm a firm believer in African Americans shedding behaviors instilled by slavery, mentally and physically. So, why is it then that I am still craving chittlins which I am sure have no nutritional value. I haven't had them for years .

Could it be something emotional, or something still engraved in me from slavery. If it is emotion, which emotion am I trying to soothe? Why am I craving filth?!?!

I will buy 10 pounds this evening and bring them to our Easter feast.

Summer Fit No. 1

2008-03-11T16:02:00.000-07:00

I so very much want my camera to be functioning. Using my cell is just not working out. I don't know about you, but I have to speak with photos.

The Monica top is big, a size 6. Nothing in size 4 in her closet fits her anymore so I didn't want to risk it. This is a frustrating size. When she starts wearing it I think I'm going to cris cross the straps in the back to make it fit better. I have her pinned up in the back to take the photo.

The tutu was really easy. You can not tell but the colors of the tulle are light pink and champage. I wish I could have found some brown. I am going to figure out how to use that sewing machine so help me. I think I like the look of a more finished tutu as seen here. This one will have to do for now and besides it fits perfectly. I got the tutorial for the tutu from here.

Yes, she does wear this kind of stuff out of the house. You'll never be 4 y.o. again so we like to do it big. I think it will go well with some Crocs or bling-bling flip flops.

Thank You Hat

2008-03-09T11:53:00.000-07:00

Ok, I've finished my co-worker's thank you gift. He said that he wanted something yellow and gray. The dark color is actually a very dark gray, or off-black. I saw this dude once with a lace hat on. I chuckled because he probably had no idea that he was wearing lace. I pictured him buying the had and saying "ah, man, this one with the holes is tiiiight", or something like that. It wasn't fancy lace, just the YO K2tog kind. Anyway since it's almost spring, and I know this co-worker is a regular on the golf course, I thought it might be wise to incorporate some holes into this wool hat. It's also soft enough and thin enough so that he can ball it up and stuff it into one of his pockets if it gets too hot.

I used Claudia Hand Painted Yarns. This fingering weight yarn comes in a 175 yard skein and I still have a huge hand full left. I used the Visor Beanie pattern by Suzanne Steiger. It's very easy but I think some of the numbers are off a little. I'll have to make another to be sure, it could just be me. I added 3 more rounds and one round of sc around the whole beanie after adding the visor. The fact that the pattern called for worsted weight yarn and I used a fingering weight with a hook 2 mm larger than what was recommended led to this net like fabric. I like it. If the recipient isn't feeling it, I'll re-do it. This visor only took a day.

There was a little neighborhood event yesterday called Second Saturdays. It was held next door to this coffee shop in a big room about the same size as the coffee shop. All it was basically is some folk like you and I getting together to show off their stuff, and hopefully sell it. Where are my Sacramento Ebony Elite sistahs at? We need to organize to do what these ladies were doing. It's here where they invited some Alpacas for some reason. I say for some reason because it really was a tiny venue. Teddy bear liked them and I did too. They are very gentle and of course very soft.

Also, I found a breeder for Angora bunnies (they were there too). I could have sworn I took a picture of my bunny's daddy, dang. They've never bred before and my order will probably be their first batch. Time to start looking for my bunny supplies. Then I'll call them. They said you don't even have to shear the bunnies and proceeded to just pluck old boy's fur out. He didn't even flinch. I also got a little lesson from a spinner that was there. I don't know why I thought a lesson was going to make my progress any quicker. I just have to keep practicing. I reminded Little Man that George Washington Carver spun and dyed his own yarn and that if he learned to do this, he would just be following the footsteps of a great African American man. This is all true, but I'm just really trying to get me some yarn out of those bunnies and I might need some extra hands for that.

I Won, I Won!

2008-03-06T09:01:00.000-08:00

I entered a little blog contest and won! Yay! I was gifted this Lorna's Lace yarn by Kamika, along with this neat patterns book. Thank you, Kamika for blessing me! This book in really empowering. By this, I mean that each and every one of us ought to have our own patterns book by now. I wonder what the hold up is?

Anyway, I'm going to try to make Teddy Bear a shrug with this. Maybe I'll be able to get this bell sleeve shrug from it if I shorten the sleeves. I love variegated yarns but rarely use ones with neutral colors and am very excited about what the outcome will be. Yep, I'm think I'm gonna do this pattern. If you have any other suggestions for a similar item, I'm open to them.

Aaaaah, don't they look cute when they're asleep.
Now, factor in the fact that this is MY pillow that she wants to share with me every night. This is crazy, yo. I normally am one to try to hide my gross imperfections, but maybe if I let the cat out of the bag I can get some ideas that will work. Let's start with the fact that I know that this is my fault. I have never been good at getting up for night time feedings. This is why breast feeding is so cool. She'd be on there all night while we were both asleep.

No, I don't breast feed her anymore, come on! Also, she started walking when she was 9 months old and was and still is an excellent climber. I put her in the crib every night just to wake in the morning to a brown nursing ball of fat. And my bed is as high as they come. All last week me and Little Man camped out in her room with sleeping bags. So, she CAN get a full night's sleep in her own bed. "Teddy Bear, you need to sleep in your own room, in your own bed." "I can't, I'm too little, I just can't do it", she says in the winiest voice she can muster.

It wasn't that bad when she used to look like this...

...but she's grown some. I've locked my door, she'll stand on the other side of it all night. Oh yes, she can stay up all night. She only needs 30 minute naps in between. I've let her sleep on the hallway floor before and she woke up with a runny nose (it gets cold out there). I'm stumped. If I can ever get past my issues with finding a quality man, I don't want to have to tell him that we'll be having a guest in our bed.

Several family members have suggested that I just give up and let her sleep with me forever like they did with their moms. Huh!

What to Say

2008-03-03T17:59:00.000-08:00

Well, last week I endured a somewhat major crises that I quickly recovered from, with a splendid ending I might add. By that I mean the weekend was great. A weekend that was wrapped up by a nice long visit to my favorite Oakland LYS. Then yesterday I had a long conversation with a potential new male friend that ended horribly so very quickly. Then today, a cursing kid, so I had to break him off a lil sumthin', sumthin'.

Hmmmmm, which story to tell? This is a crochet/knit site, so there will be fiber content, I promise. What the hey, you know ya'll want to hear about the conversation with the man. I'll think about it.

In the mean time, I'm anxious for Spring time weather. Summer used to be my favorite season but once I moved to the Sacramento area Summer time became Hell time. Just too hot. Last summer it was like over 110 degrees for like two weeks in a row. Gee wiz. So, in order to call the change of seasons hither, I'm whipping up another Monica Top. This top is very cute and very quick and I know that it is now a tradition in this house. I've found an easy tutorial for a tu-tu, so as long as I can find tulle in the appropriate coordinating colors, we'll always have one of those too. I could not find brown tulle, so this champage color I found will have to do for now. My camera is dead so I'm using the celly. Not that bad, huh? I ran out of brown and only need about 4 inches of pink, so that pink strip you see will be hidden under the ruffle. My point, if you make this, don't buy two of the same color, you won't need it.

This is Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece.

Now, on to this convo that went bad. I met this guy who seemed nice. He claims he's interested in finding a wife, cool. He's a computer programer, cool. Only one child, cool. I'm not ready to give him my phone number, so, I took his and used *67. We seemed to really be making a connection. I mean, we talked a little bit about everything. Work, diet, excercise, cooking, past realationships, kids, money, so on and so on. This conversation went on for about an hour and a half. Finally, I try to wrap it up cause I have to cook. Then, he tries to make a date with me. I let him and we agree to meet for lunch on Tuesday. How come within 30 seconds, it all goes terribly wrong?

"It's something about you. I don't know what it is. I'm getting this real sexy vibe." I don't think nothin' of it, I mean, I am sexy. Although we never entered into any lude conversation, I thought that he was just very intriged by my phone convo. "I mean I really am feeling you. My dick is hard as hell right now. My shit is big."

I'm like, "Whaaaaat?! How you gone turn this into something pornographic like that? I can't believe this." He had the nerve to square up our date day and time and I'm just like "uh-huh, yeah" so that I can get off the phone. Then I get grossed out thinking about what he's doing right at that very moment. I hope I did that *67 right, because there will be no having of a lunch tomorrow or anything else! This man is 39 years old acting like a teenager. I'm not a prude, I just need something more. This was our FIRST conversation.

I Made It!

2008-02-28T19:30:00.000-08:00

Isn't there a gospel song out with this title? I maaaade it! This week has really been something else. The weekend was alright. Knitting, cleaning, lounging. I love rainy days because they give me an excuse to stay in the house all weekend. However, I am ready for Spring. There was some nice weather this week and this was very helpful. I'll tell you why later.

Thank you all for helping me narrow down the dress choices. I asked ya'll which ONE I should choose. How come couldn't hardly nobody just choose one? After tallying all choices, dresses No. 2 and No. 4 tied (scroll down to see dresses). I can work with that. I may not even be able to find the dresses in the stores if I don't move quickly. She's never worn an all red dress. At first I was like, not for Resurrection Sunday. But then again, we are there to be reminded that we're covered by the blood of Jesus.

I'm almost done with Cycling Aran.

I don't feel like weaving in ends and sewing a zipper. I used double stranded worsted weight because I liked the idea of the cables being super chunky. I have to block it. I'm so very lazy that I didn't knit a test swatch and I think it might bite me in the butt this time. I tried it on a co worker. The length was perfect though. The colors are mixed gray light and mixed gray dark. The light gray was supposed to be a vest and the color was discontinued. So, I got dark gray for the back. I think it added a little old school flair.

With my left over yarn I'm making a Brother In Law hat. Kamika paired this up with her Cycling Aran. The hat was for one of the kids (Little Man thinks it looks dorky), but I may send it to Big Bro anyway. Now for the drama. I was leaving for work Monday morning and the car wouldn't start. I stayed home that day, bummed a ride from a reluctant BD2 on Tuesday (and was therefore late), and used public transportation on Wednesday. On weekdays, it takes me an hour to get to work with one stop. I left my house at 7:20 and didn't get to work till 10:00. The bus/light rail dance was seamless. It was the fact that I had to get off a stop and walk a 30 min round trip to drop Teddy Bear to school mixed with the fact that the last light rail stop is 3 miles away from my job. I had to call one of my co-workers to come pick me up. Combine all this with cramps so fierce they had me breaking out into a sweat.

A different co-worker volunteered to get me the day before. Of course he could not be reached. He felt really bad and convinced me to stop what I was doing that very moment to drive the long distance back to my house, jump start my ailing vehicle (battery wouldn't hold a charge and the check engine light was on), recommended a place for me to take it, followed me there, took me back to work, and back to pick up my child and my repaired car at the end of the day. This guy normally irks me a lot for his entertainment. He is now totally redeemed. I will have no problems knitting him a gift since he's been asking me for a hat. It will be the best hat ever. My co-worker who kept giving me rides is getting something too. I'm thinking about Noro fingerless mitts for her. Her favorite color is turquoise. On top of that, I'm actually happy my repairs were only $225 since I thought that I had catastrophic engine failure.

The goodness doesn't stop there. Remember how crappy my week all started? Well, yesterday I turned 35 and this didn't help. Funny since sometimes I still feel like a little girl. My brother even had the audacity to call to wish me a happy almost 40 birthday. I try to avoid cursing on my blog, so we'll leave that there. Well, being single, there's normally no one around to honor me on such days. My parents are JW's, and I've never had anyone love me enough to gift me on Valentine's day or even Mother's day for that mater. I once planned my own Mother's day and demanded that BD2 execute it all. Bad idea. And, I've had friends invite me to brunch with their families, even though I'd be paying for myself (WTF?). I stopped going after a while.

This has always bothered Little Man. He sees how the world dotes over moms and lovers during these times and doesn't understand why his own Mama can't have this doting, not even on her birthday. It's not like I be crying or depressed on these days. I've gotten used to it really. Well, yesterday he just couldn't take it anymore and made me the best cake I've ever had in my life. I ate it until I couldn't eat it anymore. See how really happy I am? I love these kids.

I showed him all the cake decorating stuff I had. I didn't know he planned to use it all.

I'm very happy.

There was another cool picture he took of me and Teddy Bear blowing out candles, but I didn't want to pay any more to have it emailed to myself, and I wanted to show you all how really happy I was. I can't figure out how to get the pictures off my phone any other way.

Resurrection Sunday

2008-02-13T12:54:00.000-08:00

You know, I just realized that this very special day is quickly coming upon us. I love this time to really reflect upon the sacrifice that that man Jesus made for us. It's hard to explain how believing in this man can bring so much power to your life. It's just something that you have to try for yourself.

Another thing that I like about this day (and don't act like you don't too), is the opportunity to dress up Teddy Bear!! Woohoo!

I really love the fact that church attire has become so relaxed these days. But, that makes dressing up even more fun. Some days I just gotta kick plain Jane out the door and do it big. After all, this is why I had a girl. Yes, I willed those chromosomes into that fetus.

Here's a few ideas I have so far. Can you help me choose a look?

No. 1

No. 2

No. 3

No. 4
No. 5

No. 6 I don't like any of these, keep looking!

I'm not stuck on sleeveless, I think I'm just drawn to it because it gives me a chance to add my own hand made embellishments. These styles are pretty mild and I may find something a lot more busy in one of those discount stores. I like the busy dresses, the ones with way too many spring like details embroidered in, because we can use them later for art in her room. Yes, there are dresses on her walls as art. The range in size from 3 months to 18 months, and it's time for a couple of new ones. The Christmas dress is going up there, but I just need to get some more complementing hooks.

I Wanna Choke Him Like Homer on Bart!

2008-02-11T12:28:00.000-08:00

This day has been frustrating to say the least. First of all, Teddy Bear goes to a private pre-school that takes way too many days off. I mean, I wouldn't be surprised if they took Valentines day off, or Yum Kipper, and it's a Christian school. So, even though next Monday is President's day, they still took off for Lincoln's birthday today.

Little Man goes to public school. They take too many days off too. They'll be off this Friday and Next Monday. I know I'm to blame too, but I have a good excuse for getting confused sometimes. It wasn't until the school called asking where my son was that I realized that he did NOT have school off TODAY. He told me there was no school and I did not double check. At first, this was kind of funny because I f$%&ed up so bad. After me yelling a few "What?!", "OMGs", and other explicative language into the phone, Little Man figures out that he'd better run into his room to get out of those big ass footie pajamas he thought he was going to lounge around all day in.

So, he comes out of the room dressed, and I'm still kinda laughing. I'm still frustrated too, so I tell him that he's walking (I'm joking). It's about an 8-10 minute walk. He bursts into tears. "Whaaat?!" This made me mad so I pinched the mess out of him and sent him walking for real. This is the same kid who got an attitude an hour earlier when I informed him he had to share one of three pieces of pizza with his little sister even though he'd just eaten breakfast. The same kid who won't empty the trash unless I tell him, even when we're balancing stuff on top. The same kid who knows he can't go outside until his chores are done right, but won't do them right the first time always thinking I'm not going to notice half-ass jobs.

I swear, I'd hand him over to his dad, but I can't bear the thought of him turning into one of them bitches Patrice was talking about (let me add that his Dad has a good job and goes to work on time, but he was a playa and a dogg and it took him too many years to learn how to respect the mother of his child). Not from my womb, uh-uh! I know that these issues ain't no biggie, but when you add all these microscopic irritants up, you can understand why Ki-ki left the kids and Big Mama's and never came back. I know I will never do this. So, I'm going to hang in there, and be pissed off for a minute, and maybe later, if he gives me some ish again, choke the hell out of him like Homer on Bart.

Gettin' Got At

2008-02-05T14:38:00.000-08:00

I'm pretty sure there aren't any men who read my blog besides my brother and daddy sometimes. If there are male lurkers, you ought to give a holla in the comments section sometimes, it may make things a little bit more interesting. I said that because I want to talk about something a tiny bit sensitive. Men trying to talk to me.

Beside the recent account I'm about to share with you all, I do not remember the last time a man has tried to "Get At Me." Dang, I've been using this term so freely for so many years I never realized until just now how inappropriate it sounds. Get At. So dam ghetto. Anyway....

While perusing the isles of Walmart, this Walmart employee says, "Can I help you with that cart?" I just thought he was extending some dumb ass kind of customer service so I smiled at him and gave him a cherry no-thank-you. He follow me and admits that he really just asked me that silly question so that he could lead into the can-i-call-you-sometime question.

Me: Oh, I see. Do you work here?

Him: Yes, why, do you need help finding something?

Me: No, I just saw you engaged in a conversation with an employee a minute ago and was wondering.

Him: So, I didn't see a ring on your finger. Are you taken?

Me: No, not yet. So do you work here?

Him: Yes.

Me: So, what do you do here?

Him: I'm a cashier.

Me: Oh.

I quickly divert my eyes towards the cheap acrylic yarns and patterns. I was really looking for a purse handle for my Fat Bottom bag.

Hey, at least I didn't shut him down right away. It's been so long since I've gotten any kind of action I know I need to consider all suitors. He was gross looking and looked to be a little bit younger than me. I ain't feeling no horney cashiers right now. I say horney cause I know he was trying to holla at that woman right before me, when she shut him down, he moved to me, and he didn't waist any time moving on when I showed no interest.

I once asked a guy that if my friend had not tried to match us up, would he had talked to me if he saw me walking down the street. He said that he would not have because I don't look like I need nothin' or nobody. "So, I have to look needy?" I replied. "No, it's just that blah, blah, blah, ....... But you foine as hell, ain't no doubt about that." This didn't encourage me.

My girlfriend once told me that you'll only get out of it (trying to acquire a date) what you put into it. I don't really know if I agree with her, but this does answer so many questions.

Fat Bottom Bag

2008-02-03T21:15:00.000-08:00

I like it! I wish that I was good at sewing so that I could have given it a lining. Very cute but too small for me. It also needs a closure. Maybe a snap closure. Until I work these things out it will be a small project bag. Perfect for these socks I have going on. You've probably already figured out that I never make my bed. I'll try not to take pictures of it in the future I promise.

I really like the shape of the bag. That's why I'm making a market bag for myself. I've always admired those wonderfully colorful felted bags you sometimes see. But, what if one of the food items you put in it leaks, what a tragedy that'd be. So basically, I'd be bagging items to put in my bag. How wasteful.
So, this seemed like the perfect time to start a project I've been wanting to embark on for quite some time. Something with plastic bag yarn. I got the instructions from this site referred to in a Crochet Me article. It's pretty easy, but making yarn for just my little project is taking A LOT of bags. I think that by time I finish the quantity used will be the equivalent to the number that could fit in an overstuffed kitchen bag. Maybe about $300 dollars worth of groceries. My "bisquits" are about 2 inches wide. I wanted a big bag so I'm trying to make chunky yarn and I'm using a size N hook.

I owe my brother a hand made birthday gift. It's really pathetic because his birthday was in August. Well, he wanted a vest with a little intarsia in the front. Boring. I couldn't do it. I ripped it off the needles several times. Finally, I took a stand (not directly to my brother yet). I will not start on another mile long stockinette project! He will get the Cycling Aran and love it. It's pretty fun and easy so far.

Just Try It, For A Season

2008-02-02T09:36:00.000-08:00

I wanted to post about the completion of my Fat Bottom Bag, but that will have to wait until tomorrow.

While reading the latest post of an old college friend I realized something that I've known for some time even more profoundly today. Our struggle is great. Now, when I use the word struggle, I'm trying to encompass ALL facets of our existence. Basically, whatever it was that clutched your heart when you read the word struggle, that's what I'm talking about.

Today I want to remind you that God has a plan, and that he has everything under control.

This fact however does not mean that we do not or should not try to take responsibility for making this world a better place even though things are just going to get worse and worse. You may think that I just contradicted myself, but wrap your mind around these things. Jesus spoke of his second coming in Matthew 24, but at verse 36 he said "But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only." I grew up in a house where to position yourself to take action against atrocities and to position yourself for success in the secular world was futile. "This system of things is coming to an end" is what I was taught. I believe this, but does this mean give up? I think not.

Everyone recognizes the signs of the times talked about in the bible, but many people refuse to believe God's resolution to all these things.

About 8 years ago I was sitting in the living room of one of my best friend's parents. They live in this seriously fly house in the Blackhawk division of Danville. Needless to say, this was a chill spot we frequented. We were watching CNN who was reporting on some goings on in the Middle East. Without words, my friend and I turned and slowly looked at each other up and down. We were pretty much dressed the exact same way as these girls in the Middle East who were about our same age. They were doing the same thing we were doing too, cooking, enjoying one another's company, etc. Only difference was, outside of their little plain apartment were bombs going off, gunfire, screaming, rockets landing. Those girls were really trying hard to find some normalcy in the confines of the thin walls of that fragile apartment.

My girlfriend and I reacted to this realization differently. I'll not discuss her reaction here, but it's almost like I turned into Sarah Conner that day. Although I've continued to lavish my son with the fortunes of his environment, I stopped trying to shield him from the realities of this world. I wanted him to know that we walk a thin line and that should some of the disturbing images discussed in my old friend's post should touch our front door, he shouldn't be surprised. He was two then and what this way of child rearing has yielded is quite phenomenal.

I took my son to work with me and advised him not to talk to anyone. I know this seems extreme, but it was really just a buffer that I'd implanted to keep him cognizant of every word that emerged from his lips. I work for the feds at one of the facilities listed in the top ten at risk for a terrorist attack. Somehow, my then 9 year old son found the guy there who is the boss of everyone (so many words in his title I can't remember), and engaged in conversation with him without an invitation. "Are you my mama's boss?" I distinctly told that boy to stay in the conference room, yet a few hours later he had the Deputy Chief of Operation's So and So playing some race car game on the PSP. At the end of the day that old white man told me what I already knew. "That young man is very intelligent, very confident, very well spoken...." My son also loves learning about God and His love, helping people, and recognizes injustices in our community quite easily. Don't utter the words imminent domain around him unless you want to go a few rounds.

I think that this is because I try to tell my son the truth about everything, even the evil truth, and never try to shield him from the fact that it exists. However the battles that I try to prepare him for are not physical like those of Sarah Conner's son, but spiritual.

There are so many great minds out there, and I so wish that all their hearts belonged to Christ. The impact that they would then have on this world's critical situations would literally be miraculous. I don't want to offend anyone or single them out for not being bible thumpers. I just believe in God's power and that he uses men to do his will and that if you, great minded people would believe this too......Ahhhhhhhh, sookie-sookie now!

Now, I know everyone has their various reasons for not believing enough in the bible to apply the words in this book to their lives. But if you believe in God and that he has control, then just try for a season to come closer to Him. During this season forget about your intellect (what you think you know about the history of Christianity as compared to other religions), your church experience, that pastor you know, your overbearing grandma or auntie. Forget about whatever reason you have for not submitting to Him (forget about your past experiences) and talk to him on your knees tonight about the things deepest in your heart. Commit to this communication to the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob for just a season, just to see how your heart feels at the end of Spring as compared to the end of Winter.

My hope is that you'll at least have the peace that you need to look forward to the future. Let me know how it turns out.

My First Lorna's Laces Socks

2008-01-26T10:29:00.001-08:00

I've noticed that I've been wearing these socks a lot this winter.

I made these before I started blogging. I think it's been about two years now. These socks still look new. I got the pattern from this book called Stocking Feet published by AnniesAttic.com. I just used single crochet for the foot.

I was very proud of them then and still am now. I ran out of yarn on the left foot and could never find the same colorway again. Even though the fabric resembles that of a fishnet, they are still very warm and comfy.

Tough Titty! Knitting Content, I Swear

2008-01-24T14:59:00.000-08:00

I often have children running towards me at full speed for one reason or the other. Therefore I've honed skills of sneaking around the house or always remember to lock the door behind me (depending upon what I'm doing) even though they've started picking locks. I was walking toward the children this time. Four to be exact since there were visitors last weekend. I was cradling a precious project in my arms as usual along with size 2.5 circular needles, when I was blessed with a full speed running hug accompanied by the beloved song "Mooooommmmy."

This drove one of my needles right into my areola. I screamed and looked down for blood but found none.

The other night, I noticed that said boob was sore. It had probably been sore for quite some time and I hadn't noticed. If you can't understand how I couldn't notice such a thing, ask any currently nursing mother. It's a feeling you grow accustomed to after a while so it may take a while to realize unusual boob tenderness, even years later. Breast feeding is beautiful but it's the worst pain you'll ever feel. Teddy Bear was breastfed exclusively.

I felt myself up and noticed that there was a scab. The knitting needle had actually punctured my tit. Ain't that a...

FO's, Hair, Politics

2008-01-22T19:17:00.001-08:00

I was finally able to squeeze some pictures out of my tired camera. So, I'll post some fiber content first.

I told ya'll I got a Stitch N' Bitch Happy Hooker book for Christmas. Seems likes the projects have been flying off of the pages right into my lap, yes Ma'm.

First it was the Bunny Slippers. Done here in a yarn that's NOT meant for walking around on the floor with. So glad I didn't bother to sew eyes and nose on. I sure ain't buying the fancy stuff the book recommends. By mistake, on the first slipper I used the slipper insole for the bottom sole. I like this mistake because it looks better and fits my size 8 foot more snuggly.

Then the One Skein Scarf which happened in just a couple of hours cause I found this acrylic yarn I liked. I got some in camaflouge colors too. Maybe I'll make something for Little Man after all. I love this scarf, I really do. I swear this girl has to be in every picture. I hear her in there being bossy right now.

And finally, Fat Bottom Bag, which only took a couple of days, and which I was able to use yarn from my stash that was gifted to me about 2 years ago and which I am completely delighted with. I'm so glad I waited for the right project for this yarn. My co-workers gave it to me along with a patterns book of some tacky shrugs. I wish I could see them now to show them what perfect yarn they chose for the Fat Bottom bag. Bless their hearts. I only have to find handles and a brooch now.

I'm working on the Jolly Rancher too, but it's giving me problems because I don't like scull and cross bones and am trying to substitute a dirt bike silhouette. Therefore, I can't waste my precious camera energy on it.

This weekend, I tried to color my hair with a "rinse" or as the bottle says, temporary color. I rarely, rarely colored my hair when it was processed, and I've never used a rinse before. The bottle said "Vibrant Color." I didn't want it to be a vibrant Dark Cherry, just a hint of a dark cherry. So, I didn't leave it in there for the full 30 minutes and I rinsed as much as I could out. Most of my linens are white, and I didn't want that stuff on my sheets. I guess that's why there's not one hint of Dark Cherry Jazzing left in my hair. It's like I did nothing. Should I try again?

Today at work I took it upon myself to remind everyone that if they wanted to vote in the Presidential Primaries that in California it is the last day to register to vote. There's one Black employee on our campus. He's from Detroit but has traveled around the country with his family in pursuit of career advancement. He doesn't vote. He didn't admit it to me, but I can tell. He told me that letting everyone know what my political preferences were (voting for the Black candidate) may prevent me from getting promoted as quickly so I should "keep it on da unda."

It went like this:

Me: This is your last day to register to vote if you plan on voting in the California Presidential Primaries.

Him: I'ma register, I'ma register (I've been trying to get him to do this for the last two weeks.)

Me: Well, today is your LAST chance, just do it.

Him: Guurl, you don't need to be tellin' errbody who you wanna vote for. You need to keep it on da unda. That might keep you from gettin yo lil promotion.

Me: If there ever was a time that we need to make it known who and what we stand for, it's now. And, maybe one day soon we won't need to keep it on da unda. Boy, I gotta get that Detroit outta you (I shouldn't have said this).

Him: Oh, errbody in Detroit is fo Barack. They all Black out der, so you know they makin' it known who they wanna vote for.

Me: Ok, so you need to make it known too and just be less....less, what is the term I'm searching for?

Him: You searchin' for the term Uncle Tom.

Me: Is that what I'm trying to say? Is that how you refer to yourself???!!!! You refer to yourself as an Uncle Tom?!

Him: Yeah, you just ack like you not sho whodda vote fo. And den ack like it just seem like most of the best points go twads yo guy.

At this point my eyes start scanning my office, I don't know what I'm looking for. I find it. It's about a 4 foot stick Engineers use for marking gas lines, phone lines, etc. I pick it up. He realizes what I'm about to do and makes a run for it. Thank God there weren't any witnesses. Don't worry, I couldn't get a decent swing because the long stick was too awkward to maneuver in the narrow hallway and he got away. Do you think I over reacted? What's wrong with our people? I really wanted to beat some sense into him.

Race and Politics

2008-01-17T13:29:00.000-08:00

What is it about the tears of a white woman that make men faint? I really thought that when Hilary put on her little performance that would be the deal breaker. I think that this country is ready for a woman president, however it is not ready for one that openly shows emotion. I started to wonder how she was able to maintain composure in the public eye when her husband’s freaky deaky little Monica interludes were the main topic but couldn’t now. It wasn’t until the next day and the photo finish in New Hampshire that I realized her plan. It’s said that it is because of her “composure” that the American people can’t really relate to her. They said that the fact that she didn’t provide a question and answer session in Iowa added to her this ice woman persona. Therefore, I think that she was willing to do whatever it took to take first place in New Hampshire. I bet you we don’t ever see her cry again (at least not soon).

Now, she has to bring some race bullshit into the picture by saying “I’m not a racist, I have friends who are black.” Ok, she didn’t say that, but she might as well have because to me all of her responses to being criticized for racially tainted remarks were equally as stupid. Now that Barak has squashed the whole deal by reminding her to stay on point, her campaign has started whining about the goings on in Las Vegas. Barak is simply talking to and listening to people in industries that presidential campaigns don’t usually care about. “Ok, while the others are lying to a bunch of people in states with a dying car manufacturing industry (you can’t stop progress), I’m going to go talk to people who will be working for ever and ever (cause last I checked those robotic servants on the Jetson’s and Shaggy and Scooby are a long time coming).” This is what I imagine Barak’s campaign was thinking. Hilary’s camp is probably wondering what even to say to this “type” of people. She can’t cry again so soon, so they’re taking other avenues.

My cousin married a non U.S. citizen. Their love was genuine, and through this relationship we met a lot of his single foreign friends. My cousins and I became notorious for advising his friends to avoid getting into relationships with white women. They didn’t listen to us. We are also notorious for saying “I told you so” when the relationships went bad but ridiculously in the woman’s favor. My cousin even told something like "I told you so" to an ex-Ambassador who got swept by a white woman.

I’m going out on a limb here and risking making some of you angry because I’m hoping that some of my readers are ones who have never voted before. I’ve voted since I was 18, but I admit that most of the campaigning process and politics in general had been confusing and intimidating to me. Therefore, I often voted not because I thought my candidate would be the best one to deal with the most important issues (I can’t determine what those are for you), but because of what type of person I thought he was. I still use this as a measure, although now I have a much better understanding of the whole political process. I have a feeling (and really hope) that this year, you’re going to vote. So, when faced with choosing between a white woman who wants to manipulate with tears as opposed to a black man who wants to hear what I have to say so badly that he’s willing to come to my job to listen. Guess who I’m gonna pick?

Obama for change!

Long Meetings

2008-01-17T11:40:00.001-08:00

Just how long should a business meeting be? I’m taking a break from and 8 hour meeting now. Good thing I like all of the people in this meeting. Shouldn’t you be able to get some real work accomplished between one to two hours?

This is how my last couple of weeks have been, just a series of looooong meetings. You see, we schedule these meetings to make up for the fact that the system we operate in doesn’t work. But, all anyone wants to talk about in the meetings are how the system doesn’t work. Here’s a bright idea, why don’t we just schedule some meetings to talk about how to re-vamp the system, but for now, can you update me with the information that I need to move forward with my many projects?!

Yesterday, while in a three hour meeting that went all bad for my office, I wished that I had a tazer. There’s this new guy who was hired to deal with the issues of this certain office who aren’t nearly producing the way they need to. Only thing is, he wants to get into everyone else’s business too. I could have tazed his ass over, and over again. It felt so good this morning to, with the permission of my boss, block his access and all the access of his underlings from our digital records. I bet his dumb ass thought he had a right to our database. Sike!

When’s the last time you’ve been trapped in a room together with people for hours? After a while, peoples’ Right Guard start turning left, they lose the ability to fight flatulence, and their hunger pangs start to affect their attitudes. My dad has always had the ability to make floors tremble whenever he farted. He used to say to us, “That was the floor cracking.” I used to think this was just so gross. But now I know that my poor daddy had to hold his farts all day long because he was around people all day long. This is why I try to be patient with people who in long meetings decide that they absolutely have to fart that ghost. Boooooooohoooooo! We’re all human.

Now my boss is trying to convince me to go to yet another meeting with the promise that after it ends at 3:00 pm I can go home. Deal or no deal?

Gift Knitting

2007-12-26T10:32:00.000-08:00

My hobby is exactly that, mine. I use it to deal with a lot of stuff in my life , a lot. I think this is why it's so hard for me to make gifts for people. Now, I know there are some out there who pretty much gift their projects exclusively. I applaud you for that, I really do. But for some reason, I just can't let mine go that often. Now last year I wanted to create a scarf that I thought was beautiful, the Forbe's Forrest from Scarf Style. It contained intricate detail but was masculine at the same time. "This would like nice on my brother," I thought. And therefore, he became my muse. As soon as I was done blocking I shipped it off to him and he loved it. And then a few years back there were these chunky chenille boas that I couldn't stop crocheting. They were soooooo easy, I thought that all of the ladies that I love should have one. They loved them. My step mother even kept making requests for me to make them for her friends. This got old. My mom called me the other day and asked me if I could make a scarf for her. "What kind of scarf?", I asked. "Oh, just something basic", she said. "You could probably go right over to Target to find something pretty basic for less time and expense", I replied. There's other examples that I could share, but I'm sure with these few you get the point.

Now, when I tell someone I'm going to make them something, I keep my word. But, I do not like people taking away from my crafting time for their own selfish gain. Or, like Little Man, and I think maybe my Mom just trying to take my crafting time, period even though you don't really want or need it. Little Man is notorious for this. I'll make him something and he'll rarely wear it claiming some strange imperfection when he really wants to say that he prefers store-bought. Then why the hell did you ask me to make it for you?! Just so you know, I did offer to make my mom something more unique and less basic. Her other suggestion was a mohair sweater with a flop in the front. I think she used to own something like this back in the day. Imagine her shock when I told her one big hand full of mohair was about $9. My mom is like a size 22/24.

So, maybe all this is why when I made a genuine attempt to knit up some socks to fulfill my secret Santa obligations it all went horribly wrong. Now, these socks were supposed to be for a man who I estimate must wear about a 10 1/2 shoe. I used the Universal Toe-Up formula and determined that the socks should be worked over 64 stitches with 12 unwrapped at the toe and heel. Why, pray tell, did I then get something like the following?
Yep, they're turning out nicely, but that is my foot people, and I don't ever wear anything larger than I woman's 8 1/2. I tried to knit some socks for someone else, and ended up with some for myself. Oooops. ;-) Maybe it was that shot of Remi in my coffee.

But then, after Christmas, I started feeling guilty. Of course, the new babies are getting bigger, and after reading Shameka's gifting progress. Ughhh! I really want to finish their sweaters by New Year's day, but then my one and only gift, the one from my from my secret Santa is the Stitch N' Bitch Happy Hookers book. Oh, a wonderful publication indeed. Those bunny slippers are looking soooooo good right now. And little man would probably enjoy that Jolly Roger sweater if I could convert that skull and cross bones to an Oakland Raider. What to do, what to do.

I must decide quickly. Teddy Bear has just excused herself from the queue by objecting to these adorable ballet slippers I thought would be perfect for running around the house in. "Mommy, can you please take these off me. I don't like them." Huh, then why am I waisting my knitting energy on you then? Hmmm, I think I'll use this yarn for my Fat Bottom Bag.
Any advice?

FO's, FO's Everywhere

2007-12-23T14:04:00.000-08:00

Ok, just a couple of FO's. First let me start off by saying that I must cherish every moment left of blogging with images as my camera is failing fast.

This is me giving it a good talking to on the way to Teddy Bear's Christmas program.

You'd better not piss out on me now. You better not.

Second, I've been finished with the Mini Anthropologie for a while now. When I finally got in the groove it only took like a day. I'm using a studded hair pin to hold in closed. I would have preferred a brooch, but I couldn't find one proportionate to Teddy Bear's size. This worked well too because I could pin it to the dress without poking through the fabric and therefore keep everything in place.

Teddy Bear was supposed to have a semi-solo (her and two other kids) but chickened out at the last milisecond. When she got up to the mic she just turned right back around and went to her teacher. Darn. She then played this game of hear no evil, see no evil. Oh well.

Oh, and I love my up do. I am well pleased, can't you tell? I've tried to capture every angle for your viewing pleasure. I know there may be naturalists out there who'd like to criticize my meticulously groomed locks. So sorry to disappoint. You WILL be seeing more of these creative endeavors.

The gathered pullover is a wrap. When I first saw it I thought that it would be perfect for a recycling project. I was right. It looks good on, but I must say that the sleeves look a little wonky when laying flat. Imagine my anguish when realizing that the sleeves may be too small for the sleeve holes (I know there's a technical name for this but I just can't think of it right now). The designer should have put a little note saying something like "Warning, the sleeves may look too small but they are not. You will have to work carefully with them but they will fit. We recommend crocheting them in with a slip stitch." I always crochet my sleeves in, but this method was especially useful this time. By the way, Banana Republic sews all their seams with a crochet slip stitch. Just a little interesting tid bit of knowledge. I just like the rolled edge look in general and it seems like everything store bought with this feature is a little pricey. I wonder why? I also like my sleeves long, so I didn't adjust them.

Almost Done!

2007-12-16T15:24:00.000-08:00

Listen while you read...

One more sleeve to go of the Gathered Pullover. I'm unraveling the body of the BR sweater to finish up. I thought that this piece would yield two large balls of yarn, but not so. Maybe I nicked the strands while unraveling. Darn it.
I like the way it fits so far.

And, since I'm ever so guilty of lurking on natural hair blogs but never posting about my natural hair, I thought that I should share. After realizing some time ago that the blogosphere had such a large collection of natural hair journey journals, I decided to jump right in. Because I never viewed my current hair style as a journey as much as I do a destination I think it's been hard for me to keep up with hair posts. I mean, how much can you talk about a hairstyle that rarely changes. It's probably just me. I'm posting now because on Friday I'll be getting my first professional up-do. A style that I found on Renaissance Hairtopia. I can't wait until I have enough hair for a wedding bun. Wish me luck!

Excuse my mess.

Dum Heffa!

2007-12-15T18:31:00.000-08:00

When I moved an hour and half away from my family, I knew it was the right thing to do. Having lived 10-15 minutes away from all of them for years without any visitors and the escalating housing market made it easier too. I looked for a house for 2 years without success. Finally when a seller tried to fadangle extra money out of me for a house in the hood (by hood I mean it was normal to see shrines and memorials set up on the corner honoring young individuals who'd been murdered) I gave up. I went as far away as possibly practical so that me and my son could have part of the American dream. My 3-year old son and I were living in a one bedroom apartment and paying about $1100 a month rent in San Leandro, California and my baby daddy had been married for a little over a year and was sure by now that he was going to be staying with his wife despite his periodic evening visits to us.

If I described my stay in this far away land as lonely, I wouldn't be giving you a fraction of what my experiences have been. I like to say a lot with only a few words, and that's impossible do here when discussing all that I've experienced. Needless to say, I don't get out much. That's why when I heard that Will Smith was coming out with another movie, I was determined to see it on opening night. Fully realizing that there is not a baby sitter any closer than 1.5 hours West, I mindlessly remarked to my girlfriend that "I'm going to have to scar their little minds this time with a PG-13 movie." Honestly not thinking that I'd be doing any harm.

Now, it could be just me, because I don't like horror movies AT ALL. I know that I Am Legend is probably being classified as a thriller, but damn! I myself had nightmares about living among infected individuals last night. In my dreams they had all been cured but still looked the same and expected to carry on as if there never was a problem in the first place. I didn't sleep well. For some reason Teddy Bear rarely gets affected by these images and Little Man said he only had a tiny nightmare. Nothing that was going to keep him from getting a good night's sleep.

Yes, I am that Dum Heffa in the theater who brought her kids to this un-kid-friendly movie and I'm ashamed of it. I'm normally the one who shakes my head at those mothers who don't care enough about the fragile mentality of their young ones and lets them engage in violent flicks for entertainment. My conscience told me to get up and walk out but the movie was much to enthralling to abandon. And besides, at $23 for the three of us, I knew it would be a long while before we'd be taking another movie adventure. It's just that I'm so tired of waiting the six months for the movie to come out and then another month for it to become available for me to rent on Netflix.

Case and point, I don't believe that I've turned into that Dum Heffa that I used to shake my head at. Damn!

My Christian Walk Summed Up In One Doctor's Visit

2007-12-12T08:47:00.001-08:00

Dr: "Well, since she's starting Kindergarten next year they're going to require her to have these four vaccinations. You could just do a couple now, but some schools want them ALL before enrolling a Kindergartener and you'll just have to make another appointment. He just needs a chicken pox booster"

Little Man: "Oh no, I have to get a shot. Aaaaaah. :("

Teddy Bear: "I'm not scared. Just say Hallelujah. I'm going first."

Nurse: "Let's do him first. Now count to ten. Oh, I beat you, are you done counting?"

Little Man: "That didn't even hurt that much. That's two times in a row I didn't cry for a shot now."

Teddy Bear: "Where are my shots?"

Nurse: "Just a minute honey. Nurse, B, I'm going to need your help in here...

When giving multiple injections they like to do two at a time. Teddy Bear rarely cries for shots. I remember her crying once when she was a baby. In walks Nurse B...

Teddy Bear begins to fidget uncontrollably.

Me: "Do you want her to sit in my lap?"

Nurse A: "Yes, and hold down her arms. Okay, now hold her feet between your legs." Nurse A to Nurse B, "Are you ready? 1, 2, ....

Teddy Bear: "NOOOOOOOOOO!"

Nurse A: "3!

Poke, Poke, Stick, Stick.

Teddy Bear: "Oh my God! Ahhhhhhhw. AhhhhhhhWWWW. Ohhhhhh, noooooooo!.

Me:"I'm soooo sorrry. It's ok, it's ok.

Se went on to scream like this for about 10 minutes.

Me: "Do you want to go to Chipotle?"

Teddy Bear: "Yes."

Me: "Well then you have to calm down because they don't want all that screaming in there."

Teddy Bear: "Ohhhh, my shooooots. Owwwwwww! Hallelujah, Hallelujah."

I was reminded that pain is pain. It's alright to enter the fire afraid. Go in there scared, knowing that God is with you. Keep your eyes on him and not the experiences of others. You may have to call out in agony sometimes, but after you go through it all, you will still come out with the victory. You can't avoid pain entirely. It's coming, but God is still with you you. Hallelujah.

Knitting A.D.D.

2007-12-09T20:22:00.000-08:00

It's because of the stress. I've still been working on the gathered pullover. If anyone has ever wondered why Banana Republic's clothes cost so much....
Well, let's just say this is a lot of yarn from one sweater. The yarn is DK weight and so I'm using size 4 needles in order to get my gathered pullover's gather to closely resemble that of the original's. I'm pleased so far and it's fitting quite well.

I can't stop running my fingers across that bumpy thing.

I think I have about six projects on needles right now and this is so unlike me. I knited all day on Saturday and didn't make any progress. I must have tried to start the sleeves for the pullover about 4 times. All without success because I kept twisting the stitches when joining in the round. Sooooo, frustrating! My troubles wouldn't let me focus. I switched back and forth from that sleeve to starting a mini Anthropologie all day long. At the end of the day I had nothing. All this, while watching the whole third season of Heroes on Netflix (What do you want your special ability to be? I like the copy cat girl.). Today, all I have left of the Anthropologie is one cuff. Very much a quickie. It wasn't until I was done that I realized the reason that the "designer" worked the yarn-over increases on the purl side. I was certain she was just playing a sadistic little trick on us. This is what slowed me down. After I started increasing on the knit side, it just flew by.

I need this little shrug to go with Teddybear's xmas dress. I don't like my boo-boo to have bare arms. I know this dress doesn't look like all that in the picture, but it was really cute on her and works well with her chocolate skin. She really likes it too, and it's a decent price. There's a tiny bit of gold spark-ly striping, but you can barely see it in real life either. Now it's time to accesorize with some bling. She's going to need a butterfly broach for her shrug, maybe some rhinestone hair accessories. Would a necklace be too much? She wanted that little purse, but I don't like it. There were little glitter shoes too, but those were just as much as the dress. We're doing it big since she's going on stage for her first Christmas program.

Yes, this week has been so @#$%ed up that of course I resorted to dressing up my mini me. Didn't you know she's part of the hobby? She never minds, thank God. But, I hope I'm not creating some sort of twisted co-dependency. I can see her 12 years from now, "Oh, mommy's depressed and stressed. Let me go comfort her. I might get some boots out of it." I thought about just vegging out on Cinnabon and champagne, but for some reason I didn't think that was the right way to go. I was right, I conquered this week and claimed the victory, but there's still a lot of work ahead. This start-itis is over. Within the next two weeks or less, I promise one of these projects is leaving my needles.

Juliets Finished!

2007-11-26T17:39:00.000-08:00

Let me not beat around the bush and state that I think the Juliet would have looked better on a thinner person. Another remedy may have been to go down a couple sizes when working the lace repeats. I made the size medium and no matter how many times I snapped the picture, I didn't look any thinner. You might say, "awww, she's having a low self esteem day." That could be it, but no matter what my size, I like to wear flattering clothing, and not just trendy clothing. Maybe I need a new bra. For mine I should have sewn on ribbon for the button loops, there's a lot to hold in! This is still a cute top.

Purely coincidence, I made the size medium for my daughter's with one strand on size 3 needles. Uber cute. I don't know if I've captured it well here, but when she walked around the back of it kept poofing up. So toddler. I started her lace repeats at the breast and I worked a longer garter stitch body for mine. I kept wanting to pick her up and kiss her. The butterflies are trying to get away but they just keep going in circles.

When joining the sleeves, an unsightly gap formed at the arm pit. I couldn't figure out how to remedy it and didn't spend much time since it was after all under the arm. I don't think the designers spent much time on it either since the same thing happed for the adult one.

I used Cascade 220. This yarn is great for the toddler size, but I think a more drapey cotton for the adult version would have solved my issues. For mine I used size 10.5 needles and got a perfect gauge. So, I wonder why I ran out of yarn when the pattern only called for 500 yards. I used what equated to about 660 yards.

For some reason I didn't feel like posting, so I'm going to talk about these other projects so whomever cares will know what I'm up to for the next couple of weeks.

I think I can get addicted to this unraveling. I know this looks like what was a perfectly good sweater. It was a great sweater, but after 10 years, it became boring and unflattering. After looking at this picture, I promised myself that I would never wear it again. Now if only I could make something new out of those darn too comfy drawstring pants. After 10 years of course I've lost count of how many times I've washed it. All I know is that as a general rule of thumb I use cold water to wash non-whites. This sweater is still color rich and the yarn shows NO signs of weakness. On top of that, each side of the sweater (the inside and out) was worked with two different strands of yarn. I got three good sized balls (if you blend the two little ones together) from just one sleeve!
After my gathered pullover I think I'm going to have some left over. The yarn is not as soft as if you were purchasing cotton yarn, but it has some characteristic I can't quite explain that yields its own desirable qualities. Once again, this is a Banana Republic sweater.

I didn't finish the baby sweaters. But, only because my piece of junk Plymouth needles broke. Ugh! Since working my second project on these needles I've had problems. At times they've made me so angry that I've fantasized about taking each point and stabbing the person who made them in the eyeballs. Unfortunately what I've done of the baby cardigan so far shows signs of the snagging caused by these defective needles. Maybe they'll disappear with blocking. Without thinking, I started the gathered pullover with my good pair of size 4's. Ahhhh, Addi Turbos.
I'm also having problems with these Clessidra knee hi socks. I've messed up on the cable chart and broken another needle. I still haven't gotten a replacement yet (maybe because this is my second request). Hopefully I'll get these done before the winter's over.
Following are cute pictures of my kids decorating the Christmas tree while I was cooking second Thanksgiving. The little one is on the big one's shoulders trying to put the star on. The finished product looks funny but I'm leaving it that way.Chiao!

Juliets

2007-11-21T14:42:00.000-08:00

I wanted to give you all an update before taking off for Thanksgiving. The Juliets are done and we will be wearing them tomorrow. Mine is blocking and I still have to sew on the buttons. I must say that had I not done the tiny one first, this project would have ended prematurely. I don't like knitting on fat needles. My hands got tired so quickly and holding the yarn double was sometimes kind of awkward, sometimes. This technique of course called for twice as much yardage and therefore the garment is quite heavy for a little cap sleeved thing.

Now, the Cascade 220 skein has about 220 yards to it (hence the name). My gauge was right on and I knit the size Medium which called for about 600 yards. I don't know where my extra 60 yards went, but when it was all said and done, all I had left was a little hand full of scrap pieces. I had to piece a couple of those together to form the last button loop. Whew, cutting it real close! I mean, I heard the tires streaking and smelled burning rubber on this one.

All I have to do now is sew on the buttons. I couldn't find 3 "large, pretty buttons." And can I say, this is one of my most difficult challenges with all my knit wear crafting, finding buttons. What a pain! For tiny Juliet I found these butterfly tortoise shell ones. They have this weird butterfly detail on the other side. How delighted I was to discover that the back side was blank. These kind of bland opally, pearlesque like buttons were the only ones I could settle on. If I like wearing the garment, I'll shop for something different. I would have preferred tortoise shell, but I couldn't find any bigger ones. These white ones are only 1 3/8".

So, since I finally finished last night, I decided to cast on a baby sweater. I need to make two of these by tomorrow for the new little mens in our lives. The last baby batch was a bunch of girls (which included Teddy Bear). So, having two new boys is kinda cool. You know, I think I can do it. This is my second try and I'm working on the body now. I'll be hitting the road at about 7 am tomorrow. I don't think these will need blocking, so I can hand them right over as soon as I'm done. I can probably bind off the second one by noon tomorrow. Unfortunately I don't have any tiny masculine buttons (just hearts). I considered tearing some off of old uniform shirts, but they all say Gap on them. We wouldn't want the recipients to get the wrong idea now would we?

And oh, a little treat I've been working on for myself. I do keep making mistakes with the spiderweb lace pattern, but I'm good enough now so that I can make a dam good fix that doesn't involve ripping back all the time. Isn't the color just splendid? I'm thinking about getting me one of those little swing coats to go with it. This project has no deadline and keeps getting set aside for other things. Hey, it's not even technically Winter yet anyway.
Well, this year I didn't get away with just bringing brown and serve rolls. The roast I'm responsible for will be done in about 30 minutes. I hate cooking this far ahead of time, but I won't be allowed to take up oven space at the host house. We've been instructed to bring everything sliced and ready to be served. This is not going to be possible, my drive is 1.5 hours and I'm leaving tomorrow at 7:00 am. I started cooking it partially frozen so that it will still be pink in the middle. My hopes are that by the time I reheat it tomorrow, for about 30-45 minutes that the meat will still be tender. Darn, I like pink beef. I also have to get busy with a banana pudding. Things that need to stay on ice are no problem. We'll be modeling the Juliets and the food for you tomorrow. I hope to post by Sunday.

Oh yes, I'm very thankful for all of you. I don't have any friends or relatives who crochet or knit as much as I, so I'm kind of the weird one in this area. You all keep me pumping. In my early 20s I used to hide my craft, but because of you I don't feel nerdy, or old, or whatever other mean name comes with my love for this thing. Thank you.

I Had to Change Colors, and Yarn :(

2007-11-12T13:18:00.000-08:00

Well, I finally made it to my new favorite yarn store, Knitique. It's good to know I have folks out there in my world who understood my despair (I'm talking about you). Cher, you were totally right about the staff there. Me and an associate tried to find something similar to the Victorian Pink that I've grown so fond of. No luck unfortunately, and the cotton/wool blend they had in the exact same texture, they still had in lots of bright summery colors. I finally settled on this Antique Lavender colored Peruvian Highland Wool. I named the color since Cascade only gave it the number 4148C. I tried to avoid choosing the same color as our last Mommy and Me project, but it drew me in for some reason. That, along with the price of $6.85 for 100g, and the fact that they had enough for hers and mine. I so wish that they had the cotton/wool in an acceptable color and quantity. The squishyness of it in garter stitch is sooooo soothing. The drape perfection. I hope that blocking loosens this Peruvian wool up significantly. And this has now been classified as a chilly day only garment since you can't really wear it directly against your skin without some discomfort and it being wool and all. Well, at least she'll be able to wear the cropped version next year and maybe the year after.

Saturday

Sunday

I know that I'm really excited about this set, but this is still genuinely a quick knit. This long weekend didn't hurt either. I don't like how the sleeves meet under the arm. I'll show you what it looks like later. We're blocking now. And oh, Teddy Bear really likes this one. "I liiike this." is what she kept saying when we tried on. I would have made it a little longer, in order to capture that fantasy or Julietisque look, but I think this length will do. This tiny version captured a whopping twelve lace repeats. I think mine is only going to need eight.

Monday

Hopefully I can succeed in making mine look age appropriate. The fact that I thought this top looked kind of juvenille is what inspired me to make two.

Oh, Saturday, You Torment Me

2007-11-03T19:39:00.000-07:00

This was the plan...

Wake up before the kids and knit in peace. This never works. Even though they act like they can't get enough sleep on the weekdays, the little one can still wake before the sun on Saturday. I snuck into the living room and before I could finish one row I had a company. It seems the cat couldn't understand why I was the only one awake and proceeded to meow continuously up and down the hall until her favorite kid emerged. Ugggghhhh. At least she was quiet for about an hour because she really was still sleepy.

Then we would go to the farmer's market. That went well...

A lovely place, isn't it? I called myself one Saturday messing with the kids by waking them at the crack of dawn talking about "Put on your clothes and lets go!" That was our first time to this farmer's market. They liked it then and they like it now. Yesterday they begged me to take them. They love the kettle corn and just looking at all the stuff. The fiber content is a little treat for me this time since those two spinners weren't there on previous visits. I should have taken a shot of the decadent desserts several bakers presented to us. It's even a date spot. Several times I've seen new couples (you know the lovey dovey ones who neck and hold hands) just strolling through and not buying anything. This irritates me because it's already so crowded it doesn't need lookey loos (and oh yeah, I'm jealous). But this is just how nice the place is. Some weekends it's complete with horse carriage rides.

Then, we'd come back home to do the front yard. No problem there. I think this is the fastest we've gotten it done in months. I later learned this was because the boy wanted something, but that's another story. And on a side note about home maintenance. Didn't nobody (ok one person in the WHOLE subdivision) think about painting their front door. It took me years to repair a botched job just cause I was always broke. And NOW that I finally have, everyone wants to paint their door the SAME color. Last season two close (in distance) neighbors have copied me. How tacky! I can't say the words that I've been yelling as I pass their houses here. Kick plates and everything.

But here's the sad part. My favorite LYS has closed. I was informed by the lady spinning. damn, Damn, DAMN! She explained that the owner was keeping a part time job just to hold the store up, has recently discovered that she's pregnant with her third child (her other two are still babies), and she just couldn't recover from a store down the street from her closing its doors and giving all it's contents close-out prices(I never liked that other store). Oh I wish I'd had more money to give her. I loved it and my kids loved it. I'd take them there to shop and knit and they never bothered me or her yarn. She just carved out a corner of the store and threw some toys back there.

So, while trying to cop me an extra skein of Cotton Fleece in Victorian Pink, I went to this store in Midtown that's been hanging tough since I've been in Sacto (6.5 yrs). I don't know how long they've been in business. So now, that's the LYS down the street from me that failed, and now this one in Davis (15 min away) that failed. The Midtown store, Rumplestilskin, shows no signs of closing shop but I hate them.

Now, I know my little girl can get bad as hell sometimes, but that old bitty of an associate must have said, "beeeee careful with that" about seven times. I didn't know who's ass to beat, hers or the toddlers. Shouldn't she know that my offspring may have the same affection for fiber as I do? After a while it started to become an entertaining game for Teddy Bear. "Hmmm, let's see if she'll say something if I touch this." I couldn't wait to get out of there, but I did get some yarn for these knee-highs I want to try out and some lace yarn. I'm never going back there. There's a store about 30 min to the south that I haven't tried yet. If they don't work out I'll just be bound to the Internet until I can coordinate family visits to Oakland with positive cash flow. Then I'll hit Artical Pract.

I've cast on for my next Mommy and Me set. It's going to be Juliet and Tiny Juliet. I started on the tiny one first. Here's what I have so far...

I'll have to rip back because around here I can't count up to 60 without some kind of interruption, and so therefore when binding off stitches for the sleeves my numbers were off and therefore so was everything else. But I'm in love with the vision. We're going to be sooooo cute. I think this color, Victorian Pink, says fall all over. I'm working single strand for the tiny one with size 3 needles. Of course at first I was dead set against splurging in order to work double for the big one, but I'm so in love with it that now, I'm going for it.

Hot Messes!

2007-11-01T17:13:00.000-07:00

I wanted to knit these pair of cute Mary Jane slippers. Gelsticker from Ralvery had some in her projects list. "Alright, heyyyyy!" I said, "I'm making me some of these. And they only take 20 minutes?!" After the success of my stash basket(thanks for the complements), I decided that I was going to make it a point to gather myself a collection of quickies just so that I could impress myself and a few other folks . Wrong!!!!

These slippers aren't cute at all. :(

I tried to photograph them at the same angel as Gelsticker's to capture their cuteness, but it didn't work. When looking straight down, just imagine the feeling one would get when receiving some quickly thrown together homemade slippers from your Great Aunt Cootie with the harry mole, when what you really wanted were those squishy bunny slippers you saw in the Tiffany's window. Astronomical disappointment. And what's up with my ankles?

So, that got me to thinking. How many people never post about their own "hot messes?" I think that after we all post about a few of our hot messes it will make us feel better because we get to talk about what we did wrong so that the same mistakes won't be made in our next projects. Well, the truth is I'm just nosy. I know I ain't the only one jackin' stuff up from time to time.

Also, let me take the opportunity to let you know that if you think my stuff looks crazy, feel free to tell me. Just know that I already know that I have some sort of strange affection toward brightly colored variegated yarns. I love them so. He he he. :D

Oh, God! I've been tagged.

2007-10-30T11:10:00.000-07:00

I've always liked reading random things about people, but was also very glad no one had ever tagged me. I promise to try to get as random as possible, but honestly, I don't know if I can think of someone who has not been tagged.

Here are the rules:

1. Link to the person that tagged you and post the rules on your blog
2. Share 7 random and/or weird facts about yourself
3. Tag 7 random people at the end of your post and include links to their blogs. Let each person know that they've been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog

I have been tagged by Urban Knitrix with Flava.

1. I have two baby-daddys, affectionately referred to as BD1 and BD2. They don't like this too much, but hey, what can one say. With this fact I think I should add that I am the child support poster child. I want it, need it, and gotta have it. One pays and one is a deadbeat. If there's anyone out there who needs the courage and information about opening a case up for you and your household, I will tell you all I know. It's the right thing to do and DISOMASTER is your friend most of the time.

2. I was raised a Jehovah's Witness. I haven't been to the Kingdom hall regularly for about 20 years now. If you want more info about this just email me at nicole5249 AT sbcglobal DOT net and we can chat. But why I will never go back can not be summed up here. Several close family members are still in this organization, so this makes my life interesting at times. I love Jehovah and he is real and active in my life. Our relationship is genuine and I know I gotta lot of work to do. None of that work includes meeting your standards, Hater.

3. I want bunnies. Angora bunnies to be exact. Why? For their fur of course. I want to learn to spin, but this doesn't seem to be something that I can pick up on my own. As soon as I'm able to take a class I will. I've even asked my Dad to start building a wheel for me. He said no, but I'm working on him.

4. I only use plastic zip-lock type baggies once. On occasion, visitors to my home have remarked how, "Hey that still looks clean, you know you can use it again." Now, don't get me wrong, I advocate being Green, but I will not use a baggie more than once. You see, my mother's house husband (whom she had no kids with thank God) , used to come up with all these ways to save money ( I guess since he wasn't bringing none in). These damn bags would never dry after washing, so I would have to prop them up in strange ways over a period of days to finally get a baggie that you could fold and store for future use. If anyone has ever seen me transform into a fit of rage it was probably because they suggested I re-use a baggie. It really is an ugly thing to see.

5. Transformers!!! More than meets the eye. Transformers!!! Robots in disguise. My children can discuss freely with me their ideas and thoughts about action figures, super heroes and anything sci-fi cause they know I got the knowledge, baby. Love of cartoons and the marketing strategies employed to draw youth more in has never left my brother and I. He still spends like $50 on comic books. I had to go and have kids and use the money on groceries and stuff.

Hmmmm, this is getting hard. What else?

6. I can sing. This is no special skill in a family full of people who also got skills. I even almost got discovered when I was 20. I declined the offer because I thought that my skills should only be used to glorify the Lord. I should have at least seen what the producer dude was offering. My brother has even made 2 or 3 demos but has never gotten picked up by a record label. My cousin sang a track for one of the star wars movies (but they converted her voice into an alien tone, I think in Jaba the Hut's club), and my aunt sang back up for a reggae dude who's name I can't remember. I guess stardom is just not meant for us. Hey, the Lord might even use me if I would commit to joining and attending a church. I just HATE dealing with the kids in church. Even fetching them from children's church is more than I care to deal with. That's my excuse. I need two days off from having to get folks fed and out the door by some random time before 10 am, not just one.

7. I love burgundy hair. Ghetto I know. I would have had highlights, but you can't really highlight dreds. I mean, a lock is this color or that. You might can try some shading on the tips, put that's not what I want. As soon as I find that burgundy that can only be seen in the bright sun light and a colorist who can pull it off, I'm going for it.

Ok, I'd like you to meet some new people. This game of tag is going International. Ya'll consider yourselves tagged! I'm sorry if ya'll aren't into this type of thing.

Knitvicious, Hobbyzu, Navi, Pyogazel, StrawberryC, Superbonbon (my friend from Ravelry, apparently with no blog, ughhh!), Moniknits (Happy B-day).

A True Quickie

2007-10-21T21:32:00.000-07:00

I'm sure I could have finished this Stash Basket in half a day if I didn't need to bathe myself and at least one kid, mow the lawn, feed the family throughout the day, comb real African hair, grocery shop, and do the laundry.

Even with all of that on my plate I started this on Friday night and I was still able to finish it and start my Green Gable by Sunday. This colorway is from Knit Picks Merino Style and is called dusk.

My Baby Ain't Yo Nigga

2007-10-17T13:08:00.000-07:00

I got this email response from my son's teacher when requesting that he give him some tutoring for Algebra (he's in the 5th grade).

Hello Ms. Johnson,

Thank you for the e-mail. First I would like to say what a joy D**** is to have as a student. He is very articulate, enthusiastic, and a class leader. He is constantly challenging me to challenge him. It makes my job exciting and fun!

I want to explain about the tutoring. I will be happy to help him out with his algebra, when I am not helping other students. We are currently learning how to multiply by 2 and 3 digit numbers. This is very challenging to many students. Currently I am working with 7 students who are having a difficult time picking up the concepts as well as learning their time tables. I promised D***** I would help him once I am through working with these very needy students. I am hoping to make some time for him on Friday. D***** has currently earned an A+ with 106% in math.

Lastly I need to tell you of an incident which happened today. From what I am able to understand. Today at lunch recess D***** had a basketball and another student came to take it away. There was a struggle and D***** got mad and hit the other student. At this time the student called D***** the n word. D***** told me what had happened when I picked them up from lunch. I took both boys aside and lectured the student about the ugliness and horrible meaning associated to that word. I also let D***** know that it is not OK to use violence when he is angry. I asked the boys what they wanted to happen, and told them I recommended that they both loose recess for the next day, and write papers about what they had done and why it is wrong. D***** let me know about what your feelings are when this kind of stupidity surfaces, and as I thought about it I decided to let our assistant principal, Ms. J***** know about the incident, and get her opinion (she's African American). She decided to talk to both boys, which will happen tomorrow. D***** did come to me and said he forgave the student, and they seemed to be on friendly terms. Please let me know your opinion and any thoughts or suggestions on how you would like me to handle this if it ever happens again.

Thank you,

Mr. P

My Response

Mr. P:

I'm satisfied with what you're doing so far. What concerns me most is that every year D***** has to deal head on with a race related issue. Nay sayers try to disqualify these such events , I'm sure because they're in denial. But Mr. P, it's still very real and relevant, even in liberal California. Racial slurs are not only ugly, they're dangerous because they chip away at our children's self esteem. Based on our direct, recent, personal experiences I think that discussions need to be held with students to inform them that this type of ugliness will not be tolerated. Let them know BEFORE it occurs.

Much of racism starts in the home and much of it can be ended there. Even D***** on occasion may try to make a joke about a particular race. At these times, I consistently remind him that he does not have the right to past judgment on any race. However, if a kid's parents don't feel that way what once was a little joke, turns into a hurtful habit. And this is just the mild side of racism. I'm sure I didn't need to explain this to you, but it's a struggle keeping D***** from being converted into a bully. He feels frustrated when he has to pay consequences for what he thinks is verifiable self defense. He's learning quite early that this is being Black in America. Succeeding greatly through the injustices. I thought he would be in college or something when he first picked that up. But hey, one of the reasons I moved from the Bay Area is so that he could get a better education. I guess this meant in all things.

This is the first time anyone has EVER asked me if I think the issue has been handled properly. Thank you. I know you didn't have to.

What I Really Wanted to Say:

Every year my child has to deal with this bull@#$%! Let somebody call my baby a nigga one mo gin and I'm comin' up there to act ka-razy! I'm finna show ya'll what a nigga is.

I know we can't be the only ones in northern CA dealing with this. I haven't knit any this week.

Shetland Triangle

2007-10-13T22:23:00.000-07:00

Finally finished. Whew. It's cute, I like it. But it's not as big as I thought it would be. See the patten used 548 yards of Jaeger Cashmina, which comes 137 yds per 25 g. Is this right? Cause you were supposed to do only 8 repeats of the center panel. With my mere 370 yards (185 yards per 50g ball), I got through 11 repeats plus the edging with some left over. Oh well, yardage is yardage I guess, no matter what the weight is of the yarn.

Yarn Used: Louet Gems 100% mernio in colorway Caribou
Needles: Size 6 circular, 32 inches (this is my favorite length)

If I'm going to keep knitting lace, I've got to get me some blocking wires. :(

Princess Attire

2007-10-13T13:37:00.000-07:00

Well, I finally found buttons for the mini Feminine Puff Sleeve Cardi. They're just little purple hearts that I forgot to get a closeup of (all pics enlarge). I wanted to post sooner but it's been rainy and overcast here and the light's not good on those days in my neutral colored home (I did that on purpose, I had no idea I'd try being an amateur photographer one day).

I like it a lot. We got this tu-tu at Walmart. It's by Danskin. I was all set to make one, I had even gotten the tulle cut. Thank God I only got 1/2 yard of each (a total of about $1.40). When going to get tights, I ran into this tu-tu in their dance wear section. Hmmm, the other Walmart nor Target had this much dance attire.

I finally finished the Shetland Triangle. It's blocking now and I'll try to get some good pictures of it. It had me angry for a minute, so I had to step away. That's when I started this....

It's going to be a little t-shirt made from the Knit-Picks merino that I tried to die with the strawberry kool-aid. Not at all the color I was going for, but it won't go to waste. I was thinking about calling it Melting Hearts or Cupid. At first the lace looked like hearts, but now I just see arrows. It's working up pretty quickly, but I had to put it down to finish those other two projects.

Getting Flowers

2007-10-04T13:51:00.000-07:00

Today, my office mate (the two of us share one office) got flowers. She wasn't here when they arrived and I nearly burst at the seams waiting for her to return. The anticipation was fun and I suggested she guess who they were from before opening the card. "I think I may know. Oh I haven't gotten flowers in a very long time." She recently returned to her hometown in New Mexico and got acquainted with a cowboy while there. I've been teasing her ever since. Needless to say, the flowers were from that same cowboy. "Ooooooo!", I said. "He's trying to stake his claim. Everyone knows flowers attract attention." Teasing her was fun.
Now, as the day progresses, I keep looking at these f@#$%%@ flowers and realize that the last time I got flowers was from my brother on Mother's Day 3 years ago. I'm not jealous. God knows my office mate needs flowers just about as bad as I do. But damn, when are mine coming? To add insult to injury, I started thinking back to the last time a man wooed me with flowers. Turned out he wasn't worth the dirt they were grown in.

I remember clearly walking around the financial district of San Francisco. He bought me huge exotic bouquets that I would have a hard time placing somewhere safe while we ate lunch. Strangers would say stuff like, "You gotta a good one, girl." and "I'd keep him." They needed flowers too. Who knew that about 7 months later I would drop him instantly because upon discovering that he had fathered a third child, he decided that he didn't want anything to do with him but would pay child support. It was the attitude not the third child that sent me running.

It's not just flowers. My last love brought me watermelons grown carefully in the rich California soil by a Baptist preacher. Upon cracking one of these bad boys open during a family gathering at my home, that fragrant sweet smell was so overwhelming that several relatives demanded that I stop everything and summon this man so that he could bring them to the Baptist preacher so that they could get their own watermelons. He came then, but I don't get watermelons anymore.

My current life is so overwhelming that I barely have time to think about dating. If I were in a relationship he'd undoubtedly feel neglected. And these days I choose to focus more on living an abundant life that doesn't focus on wanting a man. I think I do a pretty good job. With that said. WHERE THE HELL ARE MY FLOWERS?!?!

I Don't Get It

2007-09-29T10:02:00.000-07:00

I know that I'm probably just being impatient, but I want my Shetland Triangle to start looking like the one I'm trying to knit. I'm using size 6 needles with fingering weight yarn. I think the stitches are close enough together, it's just that the leaves are not defined enough for me. Trust, it's not just a bad picture, it looks like this in real life.

By the way, I got my Ravelry invite. It's like the database I've always dreamed of. I know that it can totally get me organized, but I just don't see myself itemizing my stash at this point. Ha Ha Ha! I've done my needles and books. You can tell that I'm a free pattern person or just purchase one pattern at a time. My login is Yarnfettish, can I be your friend?

I searched the Shetland Triangle on Ravelry and noticed that I'm not the only one with this problem. This is encouraging, I think.

Fall 2007 Line Up

2007-09-27T11:22:00.000-07:00

These are the projects that I want to complete for myself during the fall. The Cable Luxe Tunic Kit is only about $30, Yeah! The Interlocking Cables Sweater is a free pattern from Interweave Knits. Thank Jordana Paige for the smart design of the Trapeze Sweater. This pattern found online at Stitch Diva Studios. I've been having this Green Gable Pattern in my collection forever. It was going to be the first sweater I've ever knit. I lost the inspiration somewhere, but I think I've got it back now. Pink maybe?

I asked my brother if he would accept a handmade item for his birthday in August. "Yes!" was his response. He used to want to design clothing but got weary of the actual logistics of it all. But, this doesn't mean that he doesn't have ideas stored up in his head. He knew he wanted a gray vest with argyle details in shades of pink across the chest. We finalized that the back and shape can look like that of the Drunken Argyle (which I like), and the front can contain his argyle design.

Notice, there are no kiddie projects in this lineup. Let's see how long it takes for them to take over.

Too Much Candy

2007-09-20T15:54:00.001-07:00

I am an emotional eater. Some may say that this is the worst kind. This destructive habit has really gotten out of control this week because I haven't been able to knit as much. However, I have stayed up till midnight a few nights already just to reach a couple of milestones. I also think that one of the problems is that I don't cry much anymore. I often feel like I want to, but I don't. One of my pet peeves is heffas who cry at work. I could take an entire lengthy post to explain why, but I won't. I have cried at work a little, but I absolutely don't do it now.

I can't cry at home, because if I do it worries the children. Now, I raise my children with the truth. I don't lie to them about things going on in the world, and I don't give credit to Santa for all my hard work, that kind of truth. But your babies feel every thing you do when and if you express it. I have to protect them from what I feel inside sometimes. If they could feel what I feel, they might lay down and die. By the time they go to sleep, the urge to cry has some how subsided. So, this is why I don't cry much. I was childless for a week not too long ago and couldn't even watch dramatic commercials without balling. And because I refrain so much, the tears come at inappropriate times.

The "mini" puff sleeve cardigan was nearly complete but I ran out of yarn. I originally got this yarn to make some funky toddler knee-highs. Then I remembered the last time I bought one hank of Cherry Tree Hill yarn. It lasted forever, and even after a pair of socks and a beanie I still had a hand full. Now this yarn soothes me enough so that I could walk around all day fondling that hand full, but what a waste. So, I started to stash bust and remembered what I had left over from these purple socks (scroll down). Colorful, I know, but hey she'll have enough time to have to dress to try to blend in. Now is not one of them. I'll use the bright purple on the button band as well. So, I only needed what I had left of the MC to do the two sleeves. Darn it! I still ran out.

So here's my plan, tell me what you think (I mean it, I've noticed that knit/crochet bloggers tend not to leave negative comments. Why is this? Some of this stuff just be tacky.) cause none of my LYS carry Cherry Tree Hill (the store I got it from is closing so I got this one and only for 50% off). I've even put a want add on Craig's list just in case my plan fails miserably. The name of the colorway is Winterberry. I remembered this Lorna's lace colorway I purchased online. When it came it just was not what I was expecting. So, I've struggled with dedicating it to any one thing. If I alternate rows with the MC and this substitute, it should blend in. It's just one sleeve. No one should notice. Look for yourself.

Now from a slightly different angle.

Am I fooling myself? Sitting on top of the sweater is a sock knitted with the substitute. Next to it is a ball of the substitute and, sitting on top of that ball is a piece of scrap of the MC. I don't think it sticks out that much.

She will wear this with a tu-tu and tiara and on that day we will be princesses and go to build-a-bear and have cake and maybe play in make up at the MAC counter.

Live Off the Land!(?)

2007-09-09T13:06:00.000-07:00

Ya'll know I'm just talking. I frequent Walmart and the other discount stores just as much as the rest of you. And I love natural fibers just like the rest of you. But you know how marketing does, they know that all you need to see is 100% on the label so that the consumer can feel right about buying a certain product. With that said, how close are you to nature really when you buy 100% natural fibers? You know that if one day this country ends up in apocalyptic conditions (And it's a thin line, baby. If you don't think so you need to wake up.) there ain't gone be no mercerized cotton or no superwash wool.

We gone be knitting with fibers not much unlike Cascade's Ecological Wool. Straight up cut the frills, perfectly suitable to clothe you and your family more than effectively, might as well have sheared that sheep myself, and spinned the wool myself yarn. And thank God there are still a few of us who would know what to do with it without seeking the services of another should the need occur.

I think I'm making good progress. I'm working on the tomten's hood right now. It's the sleeves I'm worried about. I've just followed Elizabeth Zimmerman's rule of quarters both vertically and horizontally to get the right dimensions. The sleeve holes are supposed to be enormous like that.

My name is Nicole, and I'm a carnivore. Before I became a mom, a few years before that I only ate sea food and tossed salads with dark leafy greens. Boy was my skin fabulous. This is why I decided to try to go back that type of diet. My skin improved dramatically within this short period of time. Hey, it's one of the few beauty treatments detailed in the bible (Daniel 1), and I couldn't even make it 10 days.

Last week I only ate vegetarian 6 out of 7 days of the week. I started with a screamin' "tuna" salad. I kid you not, I crave this stuff now. Then I used protein crumbles in my spaghetti instead of meat; soy chicken strips in my stir fry, stuff like that.

Then we gorged on various fruits like these grapes. We've barely had any bad fruit this summer. You've all probably seen those gigantic white peaches and nectarines in the grocery or at the farmer's market. Oh, and the cherries before they hit $6 a pound. OMG!

Living here in the Central Valley of CA, you get to meet a lot of hobby farmers/gardeners, whatever you want to call them. Tomatoes are easy, but I felt blessed when offered this beautiful eggplant. I kept petting it all day and couldn't wait to get it home.

This is not something we ate when I was young. My parents tried to make vegetables taste like something else most times. This must be why, as an adult, that I don't want nothin' to do with no pot liquor. Yuck! Use it once and toss it for God's sake. I don't think I bit straight through and asparagus without it being stringy until I was in my twenties.

We made eggplant mozzarella(with the left over spaghetti sauce) with this delicious soy cheese and cabbage wedges. Yummy yum.

3 New Projects!?! No Problem.

2007-09-02T13:44:00.000-07:00

I had genuine intentions on sending this gift off in the mail by now. I made the size 12 binkini bottom for my girlfriend's daughter (a 17/18 yo six foot something college freshman) who is stacked in an athletic way. I've never had an athletic body, but I was once a size 12 and I just don't remember it being this small. That tape measure says about 14 inches from seam to seam. So, I asked my girl to get some of the kid's undies, lay them flat on the table, and measure them from seam to seam. Her response "Her waste size is 27, and can you make something that covers her butt?" My reply? "This is what you described to me. If I make this she'll be mad." After showing her what she said, she agreed that something a little less granny would be suitable. She still hasn't given me the measurements that I asked for and I'm not continuing with the bikini until she does.

It's time for winter fall/knitting. It's triple digits here in central California, so who knows if were ever going to need fall clothing. Last year we went directly from summer to winter everything from here on out will be wool. I know I'm crazy for this, but I'm converting the puff sleeve cardigan from Fitted Knits into a toddler size. I'm using sock yarn and size 2 and 0 needles and knitting the smallest size. It seems to being going as planned so far.

And, I've found me a new favorite yarn store, albeit not local. I went to the Bay Area yesterday and stopped by a yarn store I'd read about in a magazine or something (I really can't remember) named Artical Pract. It's my new favorite because their selection is bountiful. They probably have every yarn used by the full-time designer and LOTS of color choices. To me this means that I can substitute with more certainty because I have the actual yarn used right there in the store with me. No, I didn't go on a spending binge, but I did pick up something new and unexpected. I'm knitting a Tomten for little man with this stuff called Ecological Wool made by Cascade Yarns. You get 478 yards for $15. I asked the associated, to "Just tell me straight up what the story behind this yarn is. Why is it so cheap?" She replied that Cascade just wanted to provide a more affordable yarn, she's seen a lot of people knit sweaters with it (3.5 stitches per inch), and she'd definitely buy it. I was sold.

I've studied and studied Brooklyn Tweed's rendition of an adult Tomten and I am certain that I can make my own version without the pattern. You just watch.

And, oh yes, we're going to try to turn last years uniform pants into a rug. Should be easy enough.

Night Time Ain't Always the Right Time

2007-08-24T18:07:00.000-07:00

My mom used to were camisoles outside all the time. Us kids just used to laugh and were actually kind of glad we knew her little secret. Mom could make a shell and cardigan/blazer combo out of anything. She just needed the right stuff. The lingerie drawer was never off limits. I wanted to wait until I could coordinate this with some sort of flair chocolate brown skirt, maybe raw silk. Alas, I can not sew that well, so why keep you waiting. I can't tell if this knit up quickly or if I just really wanted the top badly. Knit one and let me know what you think. The tank underneath is chocolate brown. The picture doesn't show it clearly so you have to used your imagination (sorry).

I don't know if I'll ever wear this to sleep. This is my second lace garment. You may notice the mistakes you may not. Basically, I couldn't figure out how to pick up the yarn overs when I needed to back out a few rows. I figured it out later. I learned that lace knitting is not blind knitting. You have to pay attention to what you're going for and where you've been. This doesn't mean knitting lace is hard.

Yarn Used: Hempathy. 34% Hemp, 41% cotton, 25% Modal. I'd intended on using cotton. But I'd always wanted to do a project in Hemp. With this yarn I got the best of both worlds. I kept thinking that if we lived off the land, this is what our clothes would feel like. It's not too rough, and not too soft, and hemp is supposed to soften each time you wash it.

Needles Used: Size 4 Addy turbos, Yeah!
Modifications: None

I didn't knit the largest size this time. So, I think I might have enough yarn to crochet this bikini I've been promising someone.

I Got Next

2007-08-17T22:22:00.001-07:00

You all remember this phrase. You'd hear it while waiting your turn in line for a video game or pin ball machine or something. Kids would place their coin on the machine and walk away for a time then return and proclaim "I got next!" You new this meant that you'd have to wait longer to play than you originally thought when you walked up to this seemingly deserted machine. You couldn't really argue with this other kid who popped out of nowhere because you didn't know how long he'd been waiting or even if he'd been waiting at all. Those coins had to belong to someone.

Well, "I got next" is what this lace nightie hollered out to me as soon as coachella and the flower petal shawl jumped off my needles. Doesn't it know that I promised to crochet a special gift for someone? Doesn't it know that little man needs a Tomten sweater for the fall. This will be my last summer tank, I swear. Good thing it's been growing quickly. I started it yesterday and got this far...

...and today I'm this far.

This progress is in part thanks to Amtrak for canceling my 5:55 ride on the Capital Corridor at 8:00 pm. Normally sitting and waiting being faced with uncertainty should irritate the common woman, but this yarn fetish (I'm using this yarn called Hempathy, a blend of hemp, cotton, and silk?) makes me uncommon. My mother tells me that the only other person she's ever seen knit or crochet as much as I do is her great grandmother. Ah ha, so this is a genetic affliction. I have to go, the lace nightie is calling me.

2 FO's!

2007-08-14T17:15:00.000-07:00

This right here is a lace shawl.

Yarn Used: Knit Picks Shadow 100% Merino
Kneedles Used: Size 6 Circular Susan Bates Quicksilver.
Modifications: The yarn. The pattern calls for DK weight, since I used lace weight it's about half the size it should be. This is cool wit me.

I don't care how easy it was, the pattern said it was lace, so I finally knitted lace! Oh wow, I'm a knitter. I'll wear this in the Fall and Winter while knitting on the couch. My kids fight over "blankies." Even if I'm using it, they claim they're cold so that they can get under it with me. This would be fine, if they didn't want to pin my arms down while snuggling up.

And, one sizzling hot Coechellllllllla. Did ya'll catch my Italian accent?

Back fat included. It's still hot. Heyyyyy!

Yarn used: Fine weight recycled very snaggy single strand 100% rayon.
Main Kneedles Used: Size 4 Addy Turbos ( I finally recognized their worth).
Modifications: A couple. I had to do a stretchy bind-off so that it would glide over them hips. I picked up about 150-160 stitches around the armholes to eliminate gapping at the neck and to hold in some of that back fat.

I'm satisfied with both projects.

Yucky Days

2007-08-04T08:39:00.000-07:00

Teddy Bear and I have been fighting some virus since last weekend. You all probably know how it goes. The care taker gets it last, the mutated version of the virus. Note to self: get an extra car seat cover to stash away for moments such as these or else find one's self hosing it off in the driveway.

Now that I've finished grossing you all out. I've made some progress on the shawl, but haven't taken Coechella any further. The real reason is because even though I started out with nice pretty yarn cakes, I still managed to tangle it, or it tangled itself. Whatever happened, it's not getting an inch longer until I start the untangling process. I'm only pulling from the outside of the ball from now on.

Flower Petal Progress

Now that I'm somewhat comfortable with lace (although I don't think it can get any easier than the flower petal shawl), I'm thinking about my next tank. And really enjoying this knit for Me thing I must say. This Lace Nightie caught my eye. I'll start practicing for it soon, but this won't be my next project.

I'm going to hook up this tunic that I can't find a picture link to right now. You'll have to see what this one looks like the old fashioned way by waiting for the finished product. And oh yes, I need to get my hand on some chocolate brown size 3 mercerized cottons. These stores around here don't seem to have it. Any suggestions are welcome.

I'm also considering frogging this Laundry cardigan I have. It's like this, I love the yarn, but I never really liked the way it fit because of the way the closure pulled. I haven't worn it in 3 years. Perfect for frogging! But, it's a lace weight, so I don't know what the right project will be for it yet. The picture doesn't show how shiny the yarn is, but it's rayon like the Banana Republic vest.

Home Stretch and Finally, Success?

2007-07-29T20:11:00.000-07:00

The Coachella is almost done, just a few more inches. However, I must admit that it's hard to stay interested in the knit stitch for long periods of time.

So, in order to cope, I cast on for Flower Petal shawl.

I didn't even want to mention that I was thinking about it cause I didn't want to jinx it. I've been struggling so much with lace, and I really think this will be my first successful project. It's going smoothly so far, although this is the second time that I cast on. It's the placement of the four stitch markers that are so helpful. I'm counting every stitch, and the markers make it so I never have to count past ten. This was a problem with some of my other projects. I just couldn't figure out what I had done. Common since should have told me to place my own markers. Now I know.
I think I'll be finished with both projects by the end of the week!

Get Your Crochet On!

2007-07-21T17:41:00.001-07:00

Have you guys heard of Afya Ibomu? I'm sure you all have as I am commonly last in the loop of what's "in." Well, if you haven't, she crochets urban style fashions for much loved hip hop artists, such as Eryka Badu and Common, to name a few. Her hats pattern book has been out since November 2006, I think. I just got it and I am having great fun.

Mellow Moods

While searching the LYS' for some size 4 circulars suitable for my recycled yarn I crocheted 3 of her hats! They work up FAST. I mean, one may say, "Hmmm, I think this hat will look cute with my outfit tomorrow." And then be able to successfully whip up one of these bad boys in a few hours with crocheting/knitting energy to go. Who knows, maybe it's just me. After all, I do say that my yarn fetish is "in Crochet."

The MC

After having been converted to a somewhat purist by cyberworld, and LYS', I still couldn't bring it to myself to just give away my acrylics. I knew they'd serve their purpose one day (i.e., children's wear that needs frequent washing). I'm going to be using the rest of it on hats. Afya Ibomu's hats to be exact.

Soldier

I'm also excited about having her book because it's the first time that I've ever owned a fiber book with brown hands providing instructions. As a matter of fact, I'm starting a CAL just for your interpretations of her works. If there's already one out there, please let me know. Otherwise, GetYourCrochetOnCAL will be chugging right along until further notice. If you want to join, please email me at nicole5249(at)sbcblobal(dot)com.

Well, my Coachella seems to be coming along fine. The pattern says I should try it on to ensure desired drape has been achieved in the bust area. It really doesn't advise what to do if it hasn't. But, that's cool, because I think what I've done so far is ok. Because I've used the exact opposite yarn weight that the pattern has called for I've had to knit more rows to achieve the desired length for the front, and add about 5 more increases in the back, not including the additional rows worked before rejoining the front and back. I'm going to leave out the last decrease because of that back fat you see in the bottom right corner and just go for the finish. I'll definitely have to trim the arm openings with a row of single crochet because there is an unsightly gap and the neck line. Otherwise, I love the look of the raw edges and am going to leave the rest as is.

Going Green and Teddy Bear's Skirt

2007-07-07T20:25:00.000-07:00

I've been wanting to knit a skirt for her for a while now. Since it's such a small project, I don't see the sense of buying a pattern, especially since it's time for me to get my design mojo going again. However, I don't know if Girl Power is the way to go. Yes, I plan to make it longer than this (to the knee). I'm testing pattern swatches now. For some reason I was dead set on Brown Sheep's Cotton Fleece, but I'm not anymore. Stay tuned.

I done really gone green now, ya'll. I've tried to unravel sweaters before, but unsuccessfully. This is a vest that I've had for about 7 years now. Purchased from Banana Republic back when I tried to acquire only classic clothing. That method worked cause I've actually literally worn out a lot of the clothes from that era. This sweater however is hanging on strong, but I just can't make it look cute any longer cause now I need the next size up.

It turned from this....
To this...The smaller balls are from the neck and arm trim, the large from the body. I think I have just the tank in mind, it's supposed to be a quick knit too. Like I said, stay tuned.

I Love You, But I'm Not In Love With You

2007-07-02T12:55:00.001-07:00

Oh stockinette why do you torment me so with your mundaneness and your beauty? I never understood how someone could hurt someone so much while claiming to love them at the same time. After making this tunic, I do however understand how you could want to be with someone (or something in this case) strongly, even after they've (it's) caused you so much pain. I mean, I just mended the holes, and pressed on. Stockinette is not mindless. It knows it's driving you crazy because you can't/won't stop until you've reached your goal.

2007-06-16T17:40:00.000-07:00

Here are just a few phrases and circumstances that I experience right after I've worked about 1/2 row of any project. I experience at least one of these right after sitting down to crochet/knit or whatever, every single time. Sometimes I think they hate me.

1. I'm finiiiiished.
2. I can't find it.
3. It's not working.
4. NO!!! Shut up you booda head!
5. I'm telling.
6. Five minutes after dinner time is all wrapped up, "I'm thirsty."
7. The sound of running water in the background that goes on and on and on when there are no fountains in the house.
8. Utter silence.
9. oooooOOOOO....

2007-06-12T19:00:00.000-07:00

Being Careful Not to Twist Stitches

OK, enough of the learning new things for now. Remember that silk yarn that I bragg ed about and picked up from the stitches convention in February? Well, it has a new purpose. Many of you have probably seen this tank from interweave knits. This pattern is free on the interweave website! Well, it's about to be mine in a minute.

I had to start over once I realized that I had NOT been careful not to twist the stitches.

My "100% premium quality silk" could have been knit up on size 4 needles to meet the gauge, but I decided to change to the 3 just because of the smoother join that my Boye and Knit Picks Options needles offered over the Plymouth. The snagging was killing me and was in part why I didn't take care NOT to twist the stitches. This means more knitting, but I think it will be worth it.

So, I finally have something to get excited about because this pattern has given very few problems. That waist border is one by one ribbing, and it seems I've casted on one more stitch than I needed to. Fuey! I'm not turning back now. That's not even my biggest problem. I was only able to wind half of my silk skein into a ball. The other half looks like this. It makes me sick to think of the precious knitting time untangling this mess will take.

I think it'll be worth it. The yarn label didn't list a color. I think I'll call it African Sunset. For some reason, it kind of takes me to a place I've never been when I gaze at it. If you make this tank, can you let me know?

2007-06-06T21:15:00.000-07:00

Food Instead?

I wonder what everyone else eats for dinner during the week. Are most people on some kind of food plan, or is dinner time a really important time for expression and bonding. I've tried this week to mix it up enough to distract myself from the tragic parts of my life. The crab quiche worked the first night. On the second night it wasn't as effective.
Tonight I tried to grill some pork ribs. I'll have to finish the ribs in the oven tomorrow.

They were meatier than I thought, so in order to finish with dinner before bedtime, we ended up with spaghetti.

It was tasty but not what we had our mouths ready for, and it didn't mask my....but I digress.

I've tried to create a variegated skein out of strawberry kool-aid. It was supposed to be kool-aid version of the dip-dye method seen here. But it turned out like this. Notice how I tried to steep the last piece (at the top) for a shorter amount of time in a last stitch effort to achieve something close to what it was intended to be. I don't even mind the orange instead of pink (I still can't understand how this happened). It should work fine on my little coco brown.

I'm not too concerned, because I've seen even the most jacked up looking skeins turn into beatiful works of art. Let's hope this once does justice to the Baby Surprise Jacket it's intended for.

2007-06-03T09:04:00.000-07:00

I can DO this.

I CAN do this.

I can do this.

I can do THIS.

Ok, so the truth is that by the third pattern repeat, I was able to figure out how to work in my mistakes. Can you tell? Well, even if you can, I moving on.

Regarding the spinning. The lady at the LYS said that my first strands would be clumpy. Boy was she ever right. I'm using the Park and Draft method, as suggested by Harlem Purls, which when incorporated with the spindle instructions yields progress. Still very challenging though. My wool is not very slippery, but I'm getting the hang of it. This is what I have so far.

I'm not getting how to rid the strand of these spots that are too coiled but at the same time rid the strand of spots that aren't coiled enough. Truthfully, I'm surprised I have a strand at all.

I'm having to mix these new things with some extremely simple projects like this just to keep my confidence. Ciao for now.

2007-05-31T17:29:00.000-07:00

Something New!

No, I'm not marrying a white man. But, oh man! I've been wanting to blog so much lately. I've been so inspired when cruising through the blogs of my fellow needle crafters. Only thing is, if I don't knit/crochet, there will be nothing to blog about.

I promised myself that after my last project I would learn something new.

Here's my failed attempt at learning lace. I think that if I can do this shawl, I can really call myself a knitter.

I stuck with it, and started a successful swatch at the LYS. I really didn't need them, it was just the moral support that made my 30th try a success. No really, about 5 minutes after I sat down, I realized that I had read the instructions for one of the stitches incorrectly. After this realization, everything went smoothly. Well, if you don't consider the conversation that was forced on me by this hired home-schooler. She thought it important that I not be too graphic when discussing the birds and the bees with my son. She's researched just how damaging this could be. This was only after her teenage son became a teenage parent. I didn't think it at all necessary to tell her that I myself have 2 BD's. I mean, did I want the conversation to go any further?

The swatches are done in sizes 2, 4, and 6. I think I'll do my shawl in the 6, even though the knitting is harder to handle (for lack of a better term). I think the results will end in a lacier finish. The pattern called for some thread like stuff, but this is the laciest that knit pick gets. It'll do.

I also called myself learning how to spin with a drop spindle. I'm not gonna rush this. but I do want to learn.

Both of these failures caused me to cry out for stockinette therapy. I started this Long Line Jacket from Louisa Harding's Modern Classics. Ahhhh.

And finally, it is with great regret that I must inform you all that the toddler locs were unraveled. The sand was just getting to be too much. After washing it 3 times, when retwisting, grains of sand were still coming out onto my fingers. Yuck! I couldn't stand the thought of knowing that stuff was still in there. The sand was down to the core and would not be moved. Even after combing all her locs out, and washing twice more, she still went to school the next day with sand levitating at the tips of every puff ball. We will try again, but when?

2007-05-13T13:59:00.000-07:00

Happy Mother's Day

This one especially goes out to the single mother, the mother who just lost a child, the heartbroken, the mother who has to plan her own mother's day celebration (cause God loves a cheerful giver and so do you) or has no celebration at all, and the mother who won't stop giving even though that child could care less. Happy mother's day, ya'll. I feel ya.

I let this heffa at my not so LYS calculate the amount of yarn I would need for my Sloppy Joe sweater. I was like wow, what customer service! I should have known. I ended up with two more skeins than I needed. I mean, I could understand one, but two? Well, now my stash has grown by one skein of lavender Cotton Fleece. That's right, I said one. I took this opportunity to make me and HP a matching set. Oh yeah, I sewed up the side seams completely.

HP went for her "first" retouch this weekend. I quote first because I had to do something before our next appointment. Her new school has this sand box that she just loves. I'm a germaphobe and am extremely concerned about ring worm and the baldness that it could ensue. She's been rolling around in the sand like an animal and the staff seems to think it's soooo cute. Ew, gross. I've threatened to withhold her after-school snack if I find her dirty from head to toe one mo gin. This and putting skirts on her seems to have worked. She doesn't like the sensation of the sand directly on her skin for some reason but doesn't mind getting her pants and new locs encrusted with this sand that doesn't exactly look brand new.

Anyway, I've tried to wipe the sand out but just had to scrub her head on Monday. I tightened the locs the best I could, but she doesn't like to wear a scarf either. So, this is what it looked like by Friday night.

Shannon put it back together on Saturday, and she slept with a scarf for most of the night. A long night it was with two pee-pee accidents and all. Pray for me ya'll, and I'll pray for you.

Now that there are two loc'ed heads in the house, I'm going to have to perfect my self-maintenance techniques. I've done it myself before, but you know how that goes. This time it wasn't too bad. I got pretty much all of them tightened. I thought I'd try to give myself some braid crinkles. Wrong idea. What could have been a good thing, ended up being a display of disorganized frizziness. That's why you see me with the up do in the above pic.

2007-05-06T19:25:00.000-07:00

Big Catch Up

A lot has transpired since my last blog. First off, I've finished Sloppy Joe. I think that I've done a pretty good job. The only mod I made was to the sleeve increases. For my size I began to to increase every 5th row after 68 stitches. The other way would have produced sleeves way to long. I have to also give a hand slap to the designer, Louisa Harding that the width of the sweater be 44 inches. What a typo!

The design does include these split sides, but looking at the picture I don't think this suits me. I may consider sewing them up.

I mean, I like the way the sweater fits and all. It's very comfy and I love the yarn, but it's not as sloppy looking as it was on the model. I studied the picture of her and noticed that she wasn't very blessed in the boobs area. Although the sweater does not fit me tightly at all, I definitely think that it's not as loose as it was supposed to be. However, going up one size would have been a mistake. I guess I'm just not that into sloppy. The rib pattern is very cool.

I am also performing a major experiment. I mean, after the post before last you probably new this was coming. So, here's the beginning of my journal on Locking Tots. Hmmm, is this a good idea? Well, here are some pics on how it started out. Here's HP sitting on the couch. She felt very cute on this day and asked me to take a picture with her rocking the fro.

About a week later, she's sitting in the chair of my stylist, Shannon. Every day debris was stored up in the fro.

Here's HP Getting her neck and head massage,

Please take note of the glamorous-ness of Shannon. These perfectly groomed back length locs are exactly what we're going for, so HP is in good hands.

She's just been shampooed.

She didn't fidget or anything the entire time (about 1 1/2 hours).

Here she is half way clipped.

And now almost completely clipped (the reason I pay to have my hair maintained, Shannon is very meticulous and never neglects a single hair.)

Getting her under the dryer was a different thing, we eventually got the 4 pillows to stop slipping.

And, voila. HP loves it, and so do I. She's feeling it.

I must admit though, that after one week, she looks quite scruffy. But she's still just a beautiful.

She started pre-school. Where we live, pre-school is not free. You have to shop around for it like a daycare. She flipped out when I didn't let her out at the same school her brother went to. He-he-he.

Here she is with her new principal. You can tell the locs have shrunken back and stuck to her head a little. I tried to dress them up with barrettes.

She's already made a friend.And, believe it or not, she's sitting in circle time (in this case square time). She asks me everyday, if she's going to school. I'm so happy she loves it!

2007-04-24T18:32:00.000-07:00

This is what I hate most about using the best, hand washing. Oh well, these are only small items that will dry quickly.

Whew, for some reason I'm bushed. Could it be my 45 min commute, or staring at the computer all day without success. My MsgBox macro keeps halting the macro group, I can't quite figure out how to maximize help features in my database, and, I've hit writers block (in a techie way) when it comes to this database tutorial I'm writing. But low and behold something has got this look on my face. The credit goes to one good ass song after another (sorry for cussin') on Yahoo! Music Adult R & B station.

I'm working on the first sleeve for Sloppy Joe. It keeps going on and on. I suspect I'll be finished by oh say, Sunday. Ciao!

2007-04-20T19:52:00.000-07:00

My Hair, Her Hair

To anyone who cares or who has ever wondered (I'm talking about by family and friends or those who know me personally ya'll), this is why I locked my hair. You've undoubtedly seen me in every hairstyle known to black woman. Because of this, I made a pledge to my unborn daughter to never straighten her hair. When she was born, I new that I couldn't put the responsibility on her alone to keep my pledge. I remember when I was about, oh 6, 7, or 8, Laverne (our beautician) burned me so severely with her shaky hands that I had to go to the doctor to get prescription antibiotics. After I healed up, we went right back to her, or someone else, I can't remember. I can't be mad at my mom, because we (black women) have all struggled with what is beautiful for so long. I don't want to struggle anymore. I promise to stay nappy like God made ME, and to always, when I look in the mirror, see the beauty he did when he created me. If I have one ounce of low self esteem, how will my baby girl ever realize how strong she has to be. This post is dedicated to her and to every girlfriend and cousin who've been programed to believe that their natural hair is ugly. I love you.

Please click HERE, please.

2007-04-16T19:13:00.000-07:00

Sloppy Joe

I finally got a chance stop my this new yarn store in Davis. Knitter's Playground. I love it. When I get another chance, I'm going to go there and knit or crochet. The place was so inviting and very friendly to HP (they have a kids play area that comes with kids). I just wanted to look, maybe get some eyelash yarn for a school project D is working on. I came across so many great selections that I just decided to focus on one upcoming project. That'll keep me safe. So, I decided on some Brown Sheep Cotton fleece. I remember this yarn! I just finished a project from the authors of Barefoot Knitting. They use this yarn exclusively. The pattern from Modern Classics called for Louisa Harding's Nautical Cotton. Well, I just found a very good substitution and I think it's turning out wonderfully. I started on Saturday, and I'm about 3/4 way finished with the front. How exciting.

Oh yeah, a new addition to the family. Isn't Keisha just fabulous.

2007-04-13T11:33:00.000-07:00

Crochet Me Magazine

Ok, ok! The page can not be found. I get it. It's probably because too many people are tyring to get onto the website at the same time. I mean, we've waited longer than the whole winter for the new Spring issue. A very long wait. And, even though I check the site every day to see if spring patterns are here, there's nothing people, nothing. And now I've gotten an email saying the issue is out and I can't even log on to the website. Grrrrrr. Just had to vent.

2007-04-05T15:44:00.000-07:00

Kimono Done!

Well, here she is. Seen here with a cute Nartjie skirt.

The fabric glue recommended to secure the weaved in end worked so well that I became inspired. The brand I chose yields a strong hold without leaking through to the other side of the fabric (I guess it's supposed to work like that). I reinforced the edges (excluding the neck) with some 3/8" textured ribon. This should prevent this very stretchy fabric from stretching out of shape when worn.

I also took this opportunity to make a button band, made out of a strand of the actual yan.

The buttons couldn't have been more perfect.

So, that's the finished product, all ready for Resurrection Sunday. Seen Ahhh, this reminds me of the day they told me, "It's a girl."