New Year's Doings

Happy New Year to all of you!  I didn't get to watch the ball come down this year due to an early wake up to go to work today.  At least it was later than I usually go to work!!! (3:30am)  But I think I'm getting old.  I want my sslleeeep!  And I'm sorry, 5 hours of it just doesn't cut it anymore!  And before I forget, I wanted to show you a picture of some of my Christmas presents from my Hubby and from Missyboo.  Large sized Graydogs!  Hurray for me!  Thanks to Hubby and Missyboo!

Anyway, for this new year, I hope to learn more new stitches, some new techniques, get some more patterns sold and/or published, and go to my first ever CGOA conference in New Hampshire!  Some of the new stitches I would love to learn are the original, antique Irish Lace, and Bullion.  I've tried bullion many times, but they just don't look good!  (like me at 3:30am, lol)  I had seen a posting on one of my online groups where the lady said she had real good luck using a simple latch hook to do her bullions.  Now how ingenious is that?!  The shaft is long enough,and all one diameter, and the hook part would hold the yarn to be pulled thru all those loops!  I gotta try it out!  I'm saving and pushing my pennies around this year too, because I really really really want to go to the conference in July this year.  I don't want to wait another year to go now that I know about it!  It sounds like so much fun what with different classes to go to and events to see.  I'll have to see if I can switch one of my vacation weeks for that one just so I have time to stay!!!

I've learned a lot this past year about the art of crochet that I didn't know before.  I knew there was a "business" side to this craft, but for me it was only a peripherally.  I now get paid to do some contract crocheting for a yarn company, and as a result of that, I've written my first ever patterns, learned there was an organization called Crochet Guild of America, and found a local chapter of the Guild in my area.  I've also met some really neat people because of these groups.  I sold my first ever scarf pattern to the yarn company after making the ladies there "Thank You" scarves for believing I could crochet items well enough  to be appreciated by, what I consider anyway, professionals of the trade, and for professional photography.  That still tickles me to no end!  (The selling of the pattern and doing the contract crocheting both!)  I've participated in my first ever charity events like making preemie blankets, hats and booties, making scarves for Dee's 60 Scarves in 60 Days drive back in September, and started this past month making more preemie blankets, and now chemo hats for patients at the hospital where we meet.  I will also be participating in my first ever crochet-along, doing a Cluster Hooded Scarf by Peter Franzi.  That one's done in my favoritest ever - cables and posts.  WooHoo!

And my Packers are in the playoffs!!!!  After watching the Dallas/Redskins game, I am annoyed all over again that they lost to da Bears AGAIN to give the Cowboys the upper hand in the rankings for the playoffs!  That's ok tho.  It will be fun to watch the Pack beat the Patriots again in Superbowl!  Sorry Dee, Jr., but that's my pick for Feb. 3, and I'm stickin' to it!  (I'll bet you another snowball fight!) Teehee!  :D

Have a good night! :)

Surviving the Holidays

Hi!  It's been a while since the last post!  I didn't realize quite how long until I looked at the date of the last post.  It's been a loooonngg two weeks and at the same time, it was waaayyy too short.  I had been working on a set of 4 place mats for a friend's present, and just when I thought I had it under control, Hubby's work schedule was changed.  SO we had an early family/friends Christmas this year.  I only had three placemat done!  Oh NO!  So I packed three in the box, and told the friend that the fourth was still being worked on.  He could have it after the football game on Sunday.  lol  He thought that was a funny, especially since he comes to our house to watch the games.  But I did get it done in between all the hootin' and hollerin' at the TV!  It took me the whole game to do it, too, and all that was left was weaving in the loose ends and putting on the edging.  Getting slow in my old age!  lol 

I also managed to get three chemo hats for my local CGOA chapter done.  We're going to have a chemo hat-in-the-round workshop at our January meeting, and I hope to have a few more done by then.  From the sounds of it, there are over 1,000 cancer patients at the hospital where we meet in Danbury. 

Remember I said that I had seen a pattern that gave me a tickle?  Well here's a picture of my version from that pattern.  Actually it was a picture of a finished project that used two different patterns together, one a Fun Fur type hat and the other a headband placed over the Fun Fur hat.  Mine is an "all-together" one piece.  It actually turned out pretty cute.  I don't think the picture does it too much justice.  But that's for you to decide!  Have a look.  Let me know what you think of it.  It worked up pretty fast, too.  I plan on making several more similar to this in different colors and sizes.  Hopefully they will be a hit with the patients who will be picking out new hats

I've also started on some more preemie blankets during this past two weeks. One is done, and the second should be by the end of tomorrow.  I'm going to have to show Hubby my empty stash bags, with a sad face of course, and let him know it's time to go shopping.  I did get a gift card from AC Moore for Christmas after all.  And if I go over the gift card total, oh well, it's for a good cause!  :D  Who knows, maybe he'll go with me to give me a hand with "manly" colors.  lol  I know Missyboo will be happy to go.  She LOVES to pick out new colors of yarns.  As long as she gets a coloring book out of the deal.  lol  She's a hoot to go shopping with.  I think I'm gonna hate it when she gets to be a teenager!  :}

Hope you all had a safe and happy Christmas, and if I don't talk to you before, I hope you all have a very safe and Happy New Year!

Have a good night.   :)

More "More Crocheted Aran Sweaters"

My daughter-in-law was kind enough to let me borrow the sweaters I had made for them last Christmas so I could take them to my local chapter meeting last Sunday.  A couple of the ladies told me they had gone to a seminar based on Jane Snedden Peever's books.  I wish I had known about it!  I LOVE almost all the patterns in this book!  I actually have plans to make one of them mine, mine, MINE!!!  I was hoping to find just the right yarn for it at the Rhinebeck Sheep and Wool Festival back in September, and I did!  I just couldn't remember which building it was in when I was ready to go make the purchase!  DON'T ever do that, if you see it, buy it THEN!  Don't wait!  I boo-hooed about it all the way home.  Now I'm boohoo-ing some more.  :(  Here's a sneak peak from the new pics. :)

Anyway, as I was saying, since my dil lent me the sweaters, I finally got some pictures of them and they're loaded into the gallery.  The boys have the same pattern sweaters, but in different colors.  My dil and granddaughter have the same pattern, but with major modifications between the two.  Dil wanted the bulk and roominess to remain in hers, and I took it out in gr-d's, along with no hood, just a stand-up collar.  I hope you enjoy looking at them.  They were fun to make up.

I've been going thru my meager (to me, not Hubby!)) stash to decide which and what I want to use for making the chemo hats that my crochet club wants to donate to the local hospital where we meet for next month's meeting.  (Whew, what a run-on!)  Then I found some patterns online for chemo hats.  I found one I'm just itching to make! (No, no wool involved)  If it turns out like I'm hoping, I'll make sure to post a pic.  Cause, boyoboy, what a neat picture in my head for the turnout!  Now to see if I can make the picture into reality!  I know I said pattern, but I don't hardly ever follow them!  Mostly they're just a reference for me.

Have a nice, warm night. :)

Snowy, Snowy Day

It's snowing today.  It was supposed to start around 11am, but by 9:30 we already had a good 1" on the ground.  The prediction is for 5 - 10" of snow, possibly mixed with a bit of sleet or freezing rain.  We figured we would get the last of yesterday's running around done before it started, but....no such luck!  We were half way done when the sky started spitting out the white stuff.  The traffic wound down to a crawl, but it was still better than last weekend coming back from our crochet club's donation delivery to Salvation Army in Danbury!!!  :D  After getting home, Missyboo told Hubby in no uncertain terms it was time to get the decorations out for trimming the tree.  What a perfect day to do so!  Hubby went out to take care of the driveway, and the two of us put some Christmas music on and decorated the tree and watched it snow, snow, snow.  It's a very pretty sight looking out the front windows across the street when it snows.  There's a couple of old barns and a big open field-type area around them that always reminds me of Currier and Ives pictures when it snows. We have about 6" of snow right now, and it's still coming down.  No rain so far!  Yay! I took these pictures around 3:00 before it got too dark to see out there.  The one below cracks me up since the big snow flakes turned out looking like big bubbles floating in the air in the picture!  I love being home, warm and snug, and watching it snow.

As for pictures of Dee's new scarf, I'll have to see if I can get her to  post them on her blog.  She was nice enough to send them to me the other day, but for whatever reason beyond my computering skills, I couldn't get them to "Save" for nothing.  So I have copies  (oo, oo, light bulb, print them out, scan them back in!!!), but can't get them in here at the moment.  Good thing for me she's such a sweetie!  lol  And I'm SOOOO glad to hear she likes to wear it as much as she has been already!  That makes me feel like I got it done right!

Well, take care, stay warm. and drink lots of hot chocolate!  Have a good night. :)

The "Evil Grin" Surprise

As for my "evil grin" surprise at Sunday's meeting, well it turned on ME!  I forgot to bring my camera!!!  Boo-hoo-hoo!  I thought I had my bag all packed and ready to go, and didn't realize till I got to the meeting, I had forgotten one important thing - the camera.  I guess the snowballs down the back of the neck from Mini Dee and Dee, Jr. did get to me!  lol 

I sold my first scarf pattern this past month, and I had made one up for Dee to thank her for the inspiration to make this, for letting me bombard her with questions, and for taking/having the time and patience for answering them all.  I won't say I cheated during the process, but I did sneak a peek at her Ravelry page to check out her favorite colors.  (teeheehee)

Soooo...after I gave her the "present", I asked her for a favor: "Could I borrow your camera for pictures?  Pleease, pretty please?".  Of course she said YES, but now I have to give her a nudge:  Dee, would you please, pretty please, send me some pictures of the "Grand Opening"? ( you see, I forgot to stipulate that part into the bargain of using HER camera to get MY pictures!   LOL)  Either way, pictures are to be found, whether they be here, or there.  <VVBG>  I am happy to report that Miss Dee did like her new collared scarf very well!

Once again, a big thank you, Dee, for being the person you are!  I appreciate you.