Happiness is...

Baby Yarn.

Yes, I know I have sooo much yarn already. But most of it is wool and the other half is sock yarn. And if you've ever been around a baby, you'll know that their clothes are washed over and over. So I decided to make my baby sweaters out of a washable/dryable acrylic yarn. I really like the way this feels. Not at all like the scratchy Redheart yarn.


Speaking of that Redheart yarn. It's being knit up into a crazy afghan. And I LOVE the results.

Here's another little babyhat I just churned out. My girlfriend on Facebook asked for a babyhat for her best friend's daughter. So I added a bar of chocolate for them to share and mailed it out. :o) (More of my grandmother's yarn. I had been hording it...as a way to hold on to her. But I know I'm alot like her. And I'd want my granddaughter to use up my stash. -I miss you, Grandma!)


Love, Ang

Stashbusting Scarves

Here's another orphan ball of yarn scarf. I finished it up on Friday....but never got around to blogging it.

It's super soft and the blue/purple goes with almost everything.

Love, Ang

PS-Next thing on my needles is a pair of socks for Littlebear. He's been hounding me for a while about a new pair. I think I'm going to make them fit ME...and then when he grows out of them (maybe next Tuesday) then I'll have a new pair of socks. *laugh*

I know, I know, I owe you lots and lots of Italy pictures...I'm kinda overwhemed about it right now. I'll start a list. That always motivates me. Love, A

Oh! I forgot

I also finished up a sweater for Pugly. It's stash yarn too

(He's just lucky it wasn't pink...)

Are you diggin' my Yellow and Green Bathroom? I call it my "Be cheerful or die" bathroom. It's not just the floor that's tiled. The WHOLE room is tiled this way. It's very....um......not me.

Stash Busting (it sounds so dangerous!)

This weekend was a perfect time to sit and knit. Papabear worked nights...and I have an unabridged Pride and Prejudice audio book that was calling my name.

The "laying out of the stash" last week prompted me to dig in and finish a bunch of projects.

When I was a new knitter, my Aunt Jeanne sent me over a box with just scads of really cool, novelty yarn. *Laugh* but after my 6th garter stitch scarf, I needed to move to hats. So now I have alot of really cool yarn that I have no idea what to do with. This weekend saw the first of them finished. (I refuse to send my stash for a FOURTH trip over the ocean.)

I also received a welcome note of confidence from Littlebear's teacher. Littlebear's been missing LOTS of words on his tests (in his defense, they're tough words: Adjacent, asymmetry, altitude, absolute, Electricity, properties, Triangle, etc.) so I have him write them six times apiece each night. (it has slightly improved the score.)

So, in true overbearing mother bear fashion, I emailed the teacher:

From: Angela

To: F

Subject: spelling tests

Dear Mr F, Is it possible to get the next week's spelling test on Fridays?

LB writes his words 6x a night, does daily oral and written tests....but he still missed five on the last test. Obviously we need to bump up his practice time.

Do you have any ideas for us? I feel so bad because we spend so much time each night on spelling...and he's failing.

Thanks for all your hard work!

Love, Angela (PS yes, I do use "love, Ang" writing to his teacher...it's just one of my quirks)

And he answered:

Ciao Angela,

Yes, I will start giving the words on Fridays because some words are quite complex.

I intended to do it this Friday, but I had to take my son to the clinic. Please do not allow him to study more than 10 minutes a night on the spelling words. The spelling words that I give are actually part of the second grade vocabularies in language arts, science, and math.

I'm currently teaching the kids how to study in short bursts, which is much more effective than long periods of study. No one fails the spelling tests. The purpose of these tests is to build their vocabulary and teach them study skills.

Please do not feel bad about the spelling test because he's not failing...LB's doing fine Angela, not only in spelling but all subjects. He's right where he's supposed to be academically. I know that he will succeed because he's such a hard worker in class.

As a parent, I often wonder how my kid is doing in class because sometimes he complains about studying at home and it just burns me up. When I talk to his teacher though, she says that he's doing fine in class. Kids also try to do well in class because of their peers. They want to show how smart they are, and I just love to see that.

Suggestions for you...please do not allow him to study spelling for more than 10 minutes a night, and try to limit his overall study time of 45 minutes a night. I give them a lot of math daily, (much more than I'm required to), and I allow them time to do most of their homework near the end of the school day. I do want them to read everyday and you have that covered already.

I apologize for not clarifying my class program for the students better. I'll put that in my enhanced newsletter next week.

I think that you are a wonderful mom because you are interested in LB's education and you're doing a fantastic job. I really wish that all parents thought like you. LB's is not failing...please give him a hug for working hard in class. I really enjoy having him in my class because he's a wonderful little boy.

Please have a good weekend.

-G

Wow! How's that for putting the wind in your sails. I don't even care if he's just trying to soothe me.....That's what I needed to hear. OH! it's so nice to get these kind of comments instead of the DAILY "Littlebear did this...and that today...totally uncontrollable"

I love this teacher!

And I love you!

-Ang

PS Papabear left this for me in a Notepad document. It may offend religious folks...so you're forewarned. But I thought it was clever and so very Papabearish.

"When I was a kid I used to pray every night for a new bike. Then I realized that The Lord doesn't work that way, so I stole one and asked him to forgive me."

Review and Assessment

I've been on a yarn diet for about two years now. (It's not really a "DIET" more of a "Lets not buy so much") But, in fairness to me, I have tried really hard to knit out of my stash. So about once every four months I pull it all out and see what I have.


Before you look at the pictures, you'll need to sign a contract.

I __(State your name)____ promise to NEVER tell Papabear what I'm about to witness. Furthermore, I will never ask Ang about the size of her yarn stash in front of Papabear.

Date:_________
Signature:________________

---------§§§---------

Good! Now that we have the formalities out of the way....let me show you what I've got.

As you can see..I had a hard time getting it all in one shot.

I finally sorted it all into:

Bin 1: Sock yarn and Acrylic mismatched smooth

and

Bin 2: Wool, Novelty Yarns, Crochet Thread

You can see all the sock yarn I own (much more than I realized) at the foot/back of the bed. I'm going to give myself a break and finish up all my found dishcloth yarn before I start another pair.

Here it is all in bins. I used to be able to hide these under my spare bed...Nomore! We have our old waterbed underdresser under the queen that was our sparebed. Our Kingsize didn't make it to Italy.

Papabear TRIED to convince me to keep both bins down in the garage. But after the fifth trip down there I decided...*laugh* well you see where they are.

Anyway, I'm doing good today. Enjoying the quiet house.

Love, Ang

PS That is Romero, the dog we're watching for a month. He's a sweet dog, but VERY high energy and OCD about the Cat. I have to physically block doors (I can't close them otherwise Patches will cry and make him even more spastic/whiny) to keep these two apart.

I've tried all of Ceasar Milan's tricks...a Spraybottle, Smacked him with a slipper....NOTHING works on this dog. I think that if he was ours...we'd have to rehome him. I've only got three more weeks of babysitting.

Blue Denim Socks...DONE!

I had started these a while ago....then became sidetracked with the furniture delivery. This is my third consecutive pair. I think I may take a break for a bit. Although they make a HECKUVA good "on the go" project.

This is my favorite pair so far (as far as fit goes.) I found all my handknit socks a few days ago. I didn't realize how many pairs I actually have.

I have:

3 German Sock wool pairs

2 Redheart Super Saver yarn (these wear like iron...then you toss in washer/dryer)

2 Fingering weight Lace cuff pairs (one in black/gray...and one in Blue, Purple, Green stripes.

The gray yarn I found at Michaels for a buck a skein. The other yarn came from my stash)

I just found out about Domino Knitting. So I've pulled all of my Redheart Supersaver worsted yarn from my stash...I plan to knit it all up. What I love about this is that it's TOTALLY seamless. You cast on each block by picking up stitches from the previous square. After I get a little further into it, I'll post a picture.

Love, Ang

Knitted Key Kozy and Pugly's sweater

Now that the weather has started to turn (we're freezing with 50degree days) I knit Pugly a sweater. (All hail the yarn stash)

He's not too keen on it...but it's stopped him from shivering. Ha! at least it's not pink.

I did learn a lot from this project. The next one I'll make will have a longer neck and a shorter back. it gets floppy around his butt. I may also stick some skulls on it. Ya know, to look "Manly" *laugh*

I was also told that my little key sock stunk! (it's the white one on the left.)

I had to knit up a sock because the little plastic piece that kept it on the keyring broke off and I couldn't figure out how else to keep it with my keys.

I loved it, but Papa couldn't figure out which side the buttons were on. So I knit up another with a little window in it. It fits better, so I guess it was worth my time. Gosh I'm handy. *smirk*

Love, Ang

Projects-13Oct08

I finished a few projects this weekend.

1. Since Kate came up to take my bird home, I "freshened" up the small cage's seed guard with new elastic. (The seed guard is like an apron that keeps the seeds/poo inside the bars.)

2. I (FINALLY) completed that feather and fan shawl. I enjoyed the challenge of making it and enjoyed giving it to Kate even more!!!

It was a stashbuster project. I wanted to work the feather and fan pattern, so I just grabbed matching yarn from my stash. (Don't ask why I had so much purple in my stash...*laugh) I'd love to make this same pattern with some NICE NICE yarn. I have so many Redheart yarn shawls already. It would be nice to own a really nice one.

Detail of shawl

Pugly's on it to show you how really big it is.

Kate modeling her shawl.

3 I also finished a dog cape for Pugly. The same pattern will make a true dog shirt. I'm going to make one out of fleece material. He's already shirking from the cold wind. In a month he'll really get cold.

Oh gosh Mom....Do I HAVE to wear it?!?

This is a totally reversable cape. The other side is Green with a purple collar. I wanted something for him to wear on Halloween. The boys veto'd my little witches fabric as "too girly" (Ang rolls eyes!)

*Sigh* Well I'm all done with my knitting supplies. I packed away all my yarn/needles/accessories. I did save a few balls of cotton for knitting dishclothes. I'll go insane if I don't have SOMETHING to knit.

I'm going to stitch up that jacket and then pack away my sewing supplies. Papa believes we'll have orders by Tues...and then the movers come. GAH!!!

Love, Ang

Fun with Stamps

Remember when I kept bugging all of you for stamps? I finally finished one of the projects I wanted to make with them.

I can't believe how many stamps it took to cover this sucker! I used mod-podge to glue/seal this tissue box.

Is it tacky? Yeah. Does it match anything in my house? No. Do I really like it? OH HECK YEAH! But I've always loved stamps. I think of them as art anyone can own!

I even liked it so much that I covered a International Coffee tin with stamps. I'm going to use it for teabags/loose tea.

I also have a wooden mail caddy that I'd like to cover with stamps. *wink* You know what I'm going to ask....don'tcha?

*laugh*

Love, Ang

"Saturday night's alright for fighting" -Elton John

Here's the update I promised you.

Littlebear FINALLY got his sash. It came with TWO certificates. (I'm not going to post pictures because they have his full name on them) One saying he's a "member in good standing" and the other certifying that he earned his white sash. Needless to say, were're going to frame/hang them on his wall o' shame.

Here he is getting his sash. (with Shrfu)

We also had a birthday party. Sorry for the washed out shot

Here's a picture of that cap I've been working on. Crocheted with a "H" hook and bulky Patton's yarn. The project called for worsted weight...so this one is just a little tightly gauged. I have a feeling though that it'll relax and be very comfortable to wear. I cut a piece of plastic and inserted it into the brim. The hat pattern was found in: "24 Hour Crochet Projects" by Rita Weiss. Ms Rita must crochet like the wind! It SAID it would only take 4 hours to make this...I think it was closer to 8 hours. I had to stretch it across two nights and part of Kung Fu. I love it though! I should try actually making one according to gauge.

Back/side of my hat.

See you next week! Happy Mother's Day!!

Love, Ang

Playing Catch-up....or is that Ketchup?

Last Friday was the school carnival at Littlebear's school. Ten Dollars + 2 1/2 hours + Snowcone + Cheap/breakable prizes=Tired, but very happy, Littlebear

The Fishing Game

Lady in Red was Littlebear's Kindergarten teacher.

The Basketball Game

Lady in the blue is LB's current teacher. (we hit the little kid games before we moved to the big kid games....I wanted a few "gimme" prizes before I actually took him to the skill games)

Ms A. teaches Art (Sand craft)

The firetruck/ambulance was on scene to give tours

I also finished a pair of felted oven mitts for the camper (all hail the stash) I love to felt...it feeds my inner Dr Frankenstein. Bwahahahha (PS He was actually in a good mood...the camera just caught him in a "SHEESH Mom" look.

Finished oven mitts.....covered in Sunshine.

I'm sure I'll have a post tomorrow. It's going to be a busy weekend: LB gets his sash in Kung fu, a kid's birthday party, and Mother's Day.

Love,
Ang

PS: If you're going to spray sunscreen (the clear kind) on your kid...do NOT do it on the ceramic tiles of your entranceway...you WILL fall on your butt. OH yeah, you can't just wipe it up...oh no! You'll need a bucket and some strong soap....especially if it's waterproof! *wry grin*

Checkin' In - 25 April 08

Hey everyone,
From now on I'm just going to assume that you know my life is crazy. It seems like I'm saying "What a crazy week!" every week.

Let's get to it!

Friends???

Here's what I walked into earlier this week. Sunshine spends about 75% of her time OUT of the cage. If we're home, she's out. The downside to this is that she likes to roam about. I was curious to see how they'd act around each other. Patches just ignored her. (too much effort) And Sunshine ran over to me and cheeped to be picked up. This was too scary though, I'm going to lock her up whenever I leave the room for long periods of time.

Thursday was "Take your child to work" Day. I dressed him so nicely...combed his hair...and TOTALLY forgot to bring my camera. So when we had to head back up to the library for Art Class, I snapped this staged picture. Oh yeah, I forgot to tell all of you that I signed him up for an Art Appreciation class through the Library....FOR FREE!!! I love the library!

I have also come to realize that my job is NOT that exciting to anyone but me. Littlebear loved looking at all the books, but spent more time on the computer than sorting with me. We did have fun putting away all the baby books.....But now I KNOW there's a reason I dump him off at school. I couldn't concentrate and watch him at the same time. Kinda frustrating for me....ya'know? But I was sooooo excited to have him there. I've always dreamed of doing this!

Papa's parents gave us a plaque with our family crest on it. (They're downsizing into our house...LOL!) I just LOVE this thing. It's right by our front door and it tickles me whenever I pass it.

I've been deep thinking ways to turn it into a campground flag for our camper. I talked with a Cub Scout pal of mine and he has some heavy flag like material that he wanted to show me. I think know I'll be able to applique the design on it. I just need to find an opaque overhead projector to enlarge it and create a pattern for the shapes. Worse case scenario, I can print it in black/white onto an overhead transparency....then use the Library's overhead projector. But I'd really like to skip that step. I'll keep you updated on if I finish this one...it's going to be tricky.

*sheepish grin* All those boxes of fabric that I said were going to make it to Craigslist.....um....yeah...they're still in my craft room. I just COULDN'T part with it. I've been knitting a rag rug with the little bits of fabric.

I had these great scraps of Route 66 fabric that I used to make Papabear boxers with....and I wanted to make a plastic bag bag with them. I had almost made up my mind to head out to JoAnns.....then I remembered the boxes. I love this fabric and never wanted to cut it up. I'm so glad I did! I made this bag with half of it and a bag for Littlebear with the other half (Who knew that he loved Mickey Mouse??!?!)

I've had this awesome sewing machine for at LEAST six years. And I have never used the buttonholer. What a groovy attachment!!! I'm hooked on them now!

Everything for this project came from my stash (All hail the stash!) I even raided my button lamp for the speciality button.

I crossed the invisible boundaries of my house to do the unthinkable.....I altered my craft hardware!!! With Papabear's Power tools!!! *gasp!*

I love these hardwood needles...but they were always about an inch and a half too large for my on-the-go knitting bags. Same with the crochet hook. I wanted a "tool box" that fit into a film canister (all hail the stash for the film canister...I haven't bought film in six years!)

I used the vice to hold them and a hacksaw? to cut them and grinded off the rough edges with an electric sander. I used a pencil sharpener for the knitting needles. A quick coating of antique wax and I was finished. I couldn't believe it was that easy! The whole time I had to remind myself that:
a) the craft police were not going to care if I altered my tools and
b) if I messed it up, I could always go back into my stash and start over with one of my MULTIPLE identical needles. (Sheesh Ang)

Anyway....it's made me much more confident about modifying things in my environment to suit my needs. Also, it's given me a thirst to learn woodworking. Papabear has a whole garage full of woodworking tools (thanks to parent's downsizing) and I have a sinking feeling that If I want something made...I may have to do it myself. Hoooyah! Girl Power!

Well....that's all my news this week.

Let me know if you have any good ideas about my craft projects. Any help is GREATLY appreciated.

Love you!

Ang

Motivation

Main Entry: mo·ti·va·tion
Pronunciation: \ˌmō-tə-ˈvā-shən\
Function: noun
Date: 1873
1 a: the act or process of motivating b: the condition of being motivated2: a motivating force, stimulus, or influence : incentive, drive
— mo·ti·va·tion·al \-shnəl, -shə-nəl\ adjective
— mo·ti·va·tion·al·ly adverb

-§-

I've had a tough week, so I've indulged in my drugs of choice: (Sleep, Books and Knitting.) I'll blog about my week in another post, I don't want to mix them.

What I DO want to talk about is my new diet motivation tool. When I first learned to knit, I bought an interchangeable needle set. I was new and really didn't know what the industry offered, so I bought the first one I came across. And, in its defense, it has been a GREAT set and has saved me oodles of dollars buying needles and various circular needles. But now its starting to show its age and the connections are starting to strip...causing me to drop stitches (and lose my mind) in the middle of projects.

So I poured myself into finding a replacement set. Now all I need to do is lose the 10lbs and claim it. I've given it to Papabear to hold until he verifies I'm at my goal weight. I REALLY want this...so lets see if my motivation gets a kick in the @$$.

The set looks like this
(I bought some extra long cables for doing the Magic Loop)

And the needles look like this:

Also, I found a great new low-tech stitch counter. The beads are held in place by "figure eights" of the floss. (For detailed instructions, email me)

Then you slide a bead down after you complete a round.

LOL you get the point:

Anyway, that's all I have to jabber about today.

Take care....Love, Ang

LB Skull Hat

LB Skull Hat

Redheart SuperSaver Yarn

US Needle 10.5 body

We were hunting through the cold-weather bench Thrs. when LB declared that all the hats were “girly” or “Babyish.” And, as usual, I dropped everything to knit his heart’s desire.

He designed it himself. I went online and found a skull pattern. And in less than 12 hrs he had a hat. (Dumb@$$ me had to knit it twice because after I knit the ribbing in 6US needles, I forgot to start the body with the 10.5US ones.)

This is my first TRUE color-work project. I wove in the floats on the back so they wouldn’t snag on anything. It’s very tidy. The only regret is that when it’s stretched out, you see the carried yarn. I’m sure you wouldn’t see it if I floated them behind, but I’d rather have it tidy.

Woo-hoo! Two projects in a week.

I’m going to go cast on U. Dave’s next hat. *wink*

Love, Ang

PS On second thought, I better finish those darn socks (NewYear's resolution) *grunble grumble*

Uncle Dave's Hat

Uncle Dave's Hat

US Needle 8

Redheart SuperSaver Yarn

(I'm actually developing a true friendship with this yarn...It works up nicely and wears like iron with little or no specialty care)

This is my first project FINISHED project of 2008. LOL! This is the third incarnation of it too. I did swatch the yarn before I knit with it (although I didn't stretch out the ribbing.) Took the head measurement (without decreasing for stretch) and knit up half a hat. Then I tried it on....*laugh* Jabba the Hutt could have worn it. Second incarnation wasn't quite right. Third (this one) was just slightly larger than my head...so I thought it'd be ok. Turns out its about an inch too big...LOL Oh well, it's pretty good for just knitting off the hip. I'm going to make him two more "corrected" ones so he'll always have one. :)

It arrived JUST in time for U. Dave's birthday. (Birthday #1 on my New year's Resolution) He's happy...I'm happy.

Back in the 80's my Grandma Carol made us all a rainbow cap. Being stupid and young, I didn't appreciate mine (it was too loud) I'm just glad I can carry on the tradition. (A cranial hug for my Uncle)

I actually cried when I held the old hat from my Grandma. I miss her more than ever.

Love, Ang

Littlebear was crazy AGAIN on Thrs. We actually went into the school and apologized to his Humanities teacher. On Friday, I switched tactics. I wrote "Green Day. Park." on his hand to help focus his mind. He DID get a green day and I let him play on the playground for a half hour. Hopefully, since he doesn't have to wait very long for the prize, he can maintain his composure all day.

We did try the "If you get a green week, we'll take you to ColdStone." But I think the wait for the end of the week was too abstract to keep him in line. I'll keep you informed on how it's going.

Love, Ang

Chain Mail- Rainbow Stone Anklet

I've always loved chain mail jewelry, but could never afford it. I'm happy with this anklet as a first piece. I have a bunch of orphan beads that I could use up in this type of jewelry.

Here's a close up of the bead segment.

These beads aren't stone. Here's the info from Fire Mountain Gems:

Bead, rainbow stone (manmade), 4mm round. Sold per 16-inch strand.A myriad of color, all in one bead! This manmade material is rightfully called rainbow "stone." It's made of multi-colored laminated lacquer, with swirls and layers of blues, golds, yellows, reds and greens. Lightweight beads are lovely strung alone, with sterling silver or opaque accents like red coral, golden jade or turquoise. Lively coloring in well-cut and polished lightweight styles.

And on the ankle

Dontcha love my "hardcore" tattoo. LOL!

What do you think?
Love, Ang

Lucky Seven Shamrock Sling

LOL Say that five times....

I bought this great water bottle a few weeks ago. I love it because the mouth is large enough to fill with ice right from the ice machine. The only bad part is that its hard to carry since there's no handle. So, like any crafty grrrrrrlll I made a sling for it. I grabbed the leftover Redheart Supersaver Purple from that Celtic Sweater and crocheted this little number up. Then I needlefelted seven four-leaf clovers right onto it.

I wasn't sure that it'd felt. Both of these yarns are acrylic..but it feels firm. I'll see how it "wears." I can always machine sew them on if they fall off.

I've had alot of fun needlefelting lately. I've made a few hair barrettes. I'm not proud of them enough to dedicate a blog post to them, but I'm getting better. The design is my initials in black yarn.

Love, Ang
PS I'm still working on my backwards list....its alot harder than it seemed at one am. LOL