Baby Easton has a blanket

 .....and the baby blanket is done.

I really love the look (and feel) of garter stitch. It is so squishy! And garter stitch using Cotton-Ease is even more squishy which really helped make a repetitious pattern less monotonous. This blanket has a very simple pattern which is perfect for me since I love patterns that don't require me to concentrate too much when I'm working on them.

I love that I finished making this blanket just in time for Christmas. I was so excited to bind-off that I totally forgot my plan to use a different bind-off method using a larger needle like I did for the cast-on.

I am totally in love with this blanket. One of my favorite projects so far.

Pattern: Super Easy Baby Blanket from Purl Bee 

Yarn: Lion Brand Cotton-Ease in "Seaspray, Lime, Taupe, Maize and Terracotta"

Needles: US 8 (5.0 mm) and US 9 (5.5 mm)

Started: July 25, 2012

Finished: December 24 2012

My Ravelry link: Easton

My modifications: 

I cast-on 120 stitches, using size 9 needles and knit the blanket using size 8 needles.

I slipped the first stitch of each row (purl wise) and attached new colors using the back join. Each block of color was 34 ridges (68 rows).

Finished measurements: 38 x 27 inches.

Blueberry {ripple}

The Blueberry {ripple} is finished and in the hands of Nephew 2.0.

I am a bit worried that the size of this ripple is a little off. It isn't as square as the Brownie {ripple} and that bothers me. I didn't want to buy another skein of yarn for just a few rows, so after 5 skeins I called it done. But since Nephew 2.0 is taller than Nephew 1.0 I think I may need a larger blanket. I will have to ask him if he wants me to make it longer but I hope that once the blanket gets some use that it will stretch out a bit.

And of course the little stinker had to jump in on the action. It doesn't matter if you tell her no, she still does what she wants to. The stubborn look on her face says it all.

Pattern: Neat Ripple Pattern from Attic24

Yarn: Red Heart with Love in "True Blue" and "Black"

Hook: 6.0 mm (J)

Chained: 171

Finished measurements: 53 x 60 inches

Started: September 23, 2012

Finished: December 23, 2012

My Ravelry link: Blueberry {ripple}

Currently...

Playing... with my new iPod Touch (thank you Santa) what a difference there is from the 2nd generation to the 5th. I can't believe how crisp everything looks. And the apps! The apps all work! Amazing!

Finishing... quite a few knitting & crochet projects. I have empty needles and waiting yarn. I am itching to start anew with one of the many projects I have been dreaming to make. I just need to decide on which one.

Thinking... about way too many things at the moment. A couple of big deadlines coming up next month and I just can't seem to get them out of my mind.

Wondering... if I will find enough photos for my year in photos post. It might help if I actually started looking instead of just wondering about it.

Wishing... that the Christmas tree could stay up forever.

Scrunchable Scarf

I just love this time of year when it comes to my working on my yarny projects. It's the time of year when projects get finished and sometimes it's the time of year when projects get put away and kind of forgotten about. My grape scrunchy scarf would be one of the latter.

This scarf started out as a Christmas present back in 2010, but then I changed my mind and decided to make something else so it got put aside. It sat for quite awhile on top of my printer collecting dust. Then it spent some time hanging out in the closet where I didn't have to look at it everyday. I finally decided that it needed to be finished. It pretty much was already done, it only had a few rows left to knit. I don't know why it took me so long to do it but here it is. Another project FINISHED!

Pattern: Scrunchable Scarf by Susan McConne

Yarn: Premier Yarns Serenity Chunky Weight in "Grape Jam"

Needle: US 10 1/2 (6.5 mm)

Started: October 31, 2010

Finished: December 9, 2012

My Ravelry link: Grape Scrunchy

Merry Merry Christmas!

still here

Happy Non-Apocalypse Day!

Back in 2009

Way back in 2009...I scrapbooked.

I know, I know that was years ago but soon after that we bought a house and everything went into boxes. Recently, I opened one of these boxes and was surprised at what I found. I thought the box would be filled with scrapbook paper and finished scrapbook layouts. I was wrong. I found tons of pages in various stages of completion and lots of supplies too. I also found the following pages. These were the last pages I scrapped right before the move.

I have 3-years worth of photo-a-day projects. The first year was 365 Days (a self-portrait a day for a year), then I did two years of Project 365 (taking a photo a day for a year). Since Project 365 is a photography project I never really planned on scrapbooking them, but I knew I wanted to do something with all the photos I took. I just didn't know what that something would be. I love the look of photo books but didn't really think I could afford one and to be honest I am a bit intimidated when it comes to making one.

For these pages I wanted to concentrate on showcasing the photos so there is very little journaling (I pretty much just copied what I wrote on Flickr) and the pages are very simple.

Thanks for looking.

Wordless Wednesday: Happy 12-12-12

The start of the Blueberry {ripple}

I am 39 rows into my next ripple with only 21 days left until Christmas Eve. I have no idea how many rows I have left to go but I hope to finish crocheting this blanket in time to give it to Nephew 2.0 for Christmas.

I have actually been working on it a little bit here and there since the end of September, but I really haven't gotten very far. A fact that really shouldn't surprise me since apparently, I was in the same exact predicament last year.

I had all kinds of ideas of what colors to use but decided in the end to go with his favorite colors of blue and black and decided to use Red Heart With Love acrylic yarn. I had the hardest time trying to decide which yarn to use but thanks to SIX 50% off coupons the decision to use this yarn was made for me. You just can't beat paying $2.50 for a 370 yard skein. I have not used Red Heart in a very long time and the Red Heart With Love is a lot softer than the regular Red Heart. So far it hasn't been too bad to work with and hopefully it will be just like the regular Red Heart in that it will be indestructible and last forever, which is perfect for a teenage boy.

Currently...

Waiting... for November to end. This month has not been very kind to me or my family.

Realizing... that life is short. My Uncle died last week, the day before Thanksgiving. This is my parents' generation. And now there are two Uncles that have passed away. It scares me more than I will admit. I don't like to think about my parents getting older.

Hoping... that this dime/penny sized hole in my chest heals quickly and doesn't leave too much of a scar. Actually a scar I can handle, a hole...not so much.

Eating... our own personal Thanksgiving. We spent Thanksgiving with my side of the family this year as the husband's parents were out of town. Every year, for as long as I can remember, the husband has made a turkey and all the fixings (a week or two after Thanksgiving) just for us. Tonight is that night. Yay!

My Uncle

not as planned

I had plans, BIG plans to take some pictures this last weekend for the blog....some honest to goodness scrappy related pictures. But on Saturday it was cloudy so there wasn't any sun streaming through the windows to take pictures with and by Sunday I was not in any condition to do anything but go to Urgent Care.

I won't go into much detail because let me tell you it is not pretty. But what I will say is that there is quite a large sized hole in the middle of my chest and the doctor said my skin had "evidence of venom."

And since I am positive that none you want to see a picture of it, you get an old kitty picture.

purr purr purr

I am an awesome baker and I knit too

Tomorrow is the Thanksgiving work potluck. I usually have a go-to dish that I usually bring but it appears that this year it is someone else's go-to dish. So, I had to come up with something else to bring to work with me tomorrow. 

I was going to bake something which is kind of funny because I really don't bake. I spent last night deciding on what recipe to make and even started the blog post in my head, you know the one where I write all about what an awesome baker I am. Well, I went to the grocery store today and found that a pre-made cake was a lot less expensive than buying all the ingredients to make something and the bonus is that I didn't have to do a thing.

It's a good thing that I decided to buy something for tomorrow's pot luck instead of making something. This way I can spend some quality time knitting. It has been awhile since I have been able to spend any time on my knitting due to that whole class thing. I had hoped to give the baby blanket I am knitting to my cousin on Thanksgiving. However, since I just realized yesterday that Thanksgiving is NEXT week, I doubt it will be finished in time. I am 1/2 way finished with the 4th color and still need to add a 5th. I guess I better get busy.








 

Done

I am officially done! 

No more classes! Whoo hoo!

Thanks to everyone that sent good study vibes and well wishes my way this last week. I took (and passed) my final exam this past Friday.

It has been a long 3 years and it feels really good to finally say that I am finished. Well at least finished with taking classes, I do still have to sit for the national certification exam come next March. 

Completing this online program is right in line with my one little word for 2012. I am so happy to cross this one off my list. Another thing FINISHED.

Instagram

Have you seen this?

Instagram finally has its own web viewer. For someone who rarely uses Instagram, I sure am excited about it. I think it looks pretty neat. I love that I no longer have to make a decision on which web viewer to use (out of the many different web options that are available) when I want to share my personal Instagram page with someone. There are way too many out there to choose from and I keep changing my mind. I like to keep things nice and simple and the Instagram web viewer does just that.

My Instagram webpage

If you use Instagram and want to see your own personal Instagram web profile page, type the following web address in your browser:    http://instagram.com/YourUserName and replace YourUserName with your actual Instagram user name.

Oh and after you find your Instagram web page be sure to share your link in the comments because I would love to go and see your photos.

the last week

It figures that the last week before my final exam would involve some kind of math. Well, not really math, more like statistics. I am so not a math person.

I have exactly one week to finish four lessons and take a quiz. Then on Friday I take the final exam. I cannot believe I am THIS close to being finished with this! Only 7 more days!

Currently...

Studying... for my final exam that is in 11 days. I am starting to freak out. It appears I was in the exact same predicament at around the same time last year. I have discovered that with me being a huge procrastinator, self-paced classes (especially those that involve a final exam) are just not for me. Good thing this is the last one. My entire life at the moment has been consumed with finishing this class. Nothing fun is going on around here.

Watching... Gossip Girl. Late at night, when I don't feel like studying and the husband has fallen asleep, I turn on Netflix and watch an episode (or two, or three).

Listening... to really really old favorites.

The picture you see is no portrait of me
It's too real to be shown to someone I don't know
And it's driving me wild
It makes me act like a child

Playing... Song Pop. Well, that is if I can find people to play with me. I have a ton of games in process but I guess everyone is busy. I used to think that I was pretty good when it came to knowing music but I have to say that I am TERRIBLE at this game. I get anxious and just start clicking (sometimes before I even listen to the song). It's embarrassing, especially when the song that I get wrong is a song that I actually own.

Celebrating... the most wonderful time of the year. That's right folks! It's Peppermint Mocha season!

Wordless Wednesday: The cupcake edition

sigh...

So long, fall.....at least for now.

I dream of the day when I can wear a long sleeved shirt, a jacket, maybe even a scarf. I have always dreamed of knitting a sweater, but with temperatures like this, what is a knitter to do?

Thinking about it

I am thinking about jumping on the bandwagon.

The Project Life bandwagon.

Oh....and I am thinking of starting not next year but next month, like November.

I have no idea what I want to do. Do I start now or do I wait until the new year?

Do you do Project Life? When did you start? The beginning of the year? The middle? The end?

long

Why do the days after a vacation or holiday always feel so long?

It has only been 6 days since my vacation ended but it feels so much longer than that. I cannot believe that it is FINALLY the weekend. I am exhausted!

The sad thing is, this past week I didn't do anything extra. I just went to work. At home I did nothing. I didn't even study. YIKES! I really do need to make up the time this weekend for the lack of studying but I also have laundry to do and dishes to wash. But then when I do wash the dishes I always feel guilty about not studying and when I do study I feel guilty that the dishes are not getting done. It is an endless cycle I tell ya!

So, instead of doing anything I find myself watching television. This past week I finished watching my current guilty pleasure and needed to find another.....Gossip Girl it is! Thanks Netflix. If it weren't for you, I would probably get a lot more done around here.

 

Wordless Wednesday: The yummy cake edition

Currently...

Is this goodbye?

Wondering... if my cell phone won't charge does that mean I have to buy a new one? And if so, will I be able to afford 2 iPhones ('cause you know the husband will want one too).

Watching... The Secret Circle. Yeah....I have no excuse for this. I blame Netflix. But it has been the perfect show to watch while working on my current yarny projects.  

Working... on my online class. It is the VERY last one I have to complete. I have been doing this for years now and I think I am burned out. I just don't seem to be working very hard on it. Only 42 days left before the final exam.

Loving... the new vacuum cleaner that I bought today. It sucked up so much crap in the 5-minutes that I got to play with it. If it weren't for the husband watching television, I would totally vacuum the ENTIRE house right now.

Enjoying... the last 3 days of my vacation. It's back to work on Monday for me. 

Currently... the husband and me.

15 years ago today...

A bunch of us got together and ate some amazing Mexican food and yummy cake.

Oh...and a couple of us got married.

Mosey & A Spoonful of Sugar

Last month, I won a  giveaway on A Spoonful of Sugar  for a Homewares Package from  Mosey. This past week I received my prize.

Let me just say....very nice. Very nice indeed.

The Sands Made  Stix for Cooks  and  Triangular trivet  are made from the smoothest wood I have ever felt. And I love the printed tea towel, it's nice and simple. In fact the entire package is nice and simple. I love that. Plus, it's all handmade and who doesn't love handmade?

Vacation starts......now!

I am officially on vacation from work until October! Yay!

There are so many things I want to do. There are fun things and some not so fun things. Most of all I plan to do a lot of this.

sleepy time

Me, Myself and I

It has been quite awhile since I have written an All About Me post. I find them kind of hard to write and it takes me forever to complete them, but in the end I love looking back and reading them.

So here we go......



When you're feeling down, what do you do to pick yourself up?

Well there's ice cream. Lots and lots of ice cream. Oh, and music.

If you had to live in a different time period which would you prefer?

There are so many different time periods that I love and too pick just one would be too hard. However, I can tell you that ever since I could read, I have been interested in the days of the Pioneer. Let's just say I had a yellow sun bonnet and I wore it often.

{via}

What is the most creative Halloween costume you've ever worn?

I don't think I have one. I only ever dressed up for Halloween as a child. The only costume I can even think of right now would be from when I was 8 years old when I dressed up as a girl from the 1950's and I only remember that because I have a picture to remind me. It was supposed to be all poodle skirts and pony tails but I guess I REALLY wanted to wear that makeup. So the end result was a bit scary.

Poodle skirts & pony tails....and Star Wars.

Five weird things about you we wouldn't know without being told?

• I like to eat cherry Jello in a bowl of milk. My brother and I made it up. It's good. Try it.
• When I buy something new I usually don't use it for awhile because then it wouldn't be new anymore.
• I took piano lessons for 13 years (age 5 to 18) and I don't like to play in front of people.
• I have never had wisdom teeth. They just weren't there.
• I have to put lotion on my feet before putting on socks (and shoes) and also before going to bed.

What would you tell your 16-year-old self?

"Pay attention. You will want to remember this".

That's me on the left!

The X Factor

Do you watch the X Factor?

I don’t watch it (or any reality T.V. for that matter), but the other night a lot of posts about the show started popping up on my Facebook. Someone I used to work with auditioned for the show and did a fabulous job. And  when I say fabulous, I mean Fabulous!

I first heard him sing many years ago when he did a awesome performance at the holiday work party. There was no denying he was going to be going places.

So, it looks like I may be watching this show. I guess I better find out when it is on. I have no idea what the show is about, is it just singing?

I am interested to see how he does. I really do hope he does well. How excited he must be.

Jason Brock, 34. Auditions #2 ~ The X Factor USA... by HumanSlinky

It's so squishy!

Garter stitch is so squishy and it's just perfect for a baby blanket. I absolutely love it!

To me, it feels like this project is working up quickly. So far, I have used 2 different colors and this past weekend, I added a 3rd (I plan on using 5 colors in all). It feels like it is going so fast but I seem to be completing one section of color per month. I really do hope this blanket doesn't take me 5 months to complete or else the baby may not be a baby any more.

Even though I am smack-dab in the middle of this project (and many others), I find myself trying to decide when I should start my next crochet project. Christmas will soon be here and I need to make a blanket for someone special.
 

Are you making gifts for the holidays this year?

Those poor neglected yarny projects

It has been awhile since I have posted a major knitting/crochet project update.

I have so many projects in process. New projects just keep getting started and the old projects just kind of sit there.

Remember The sock attempt? My first attempt at knitting a pair of socks? Well I did manage to finish one sock. I don't think I ever posted an update about that. I am also almost finished with the 2nd sock. I just have to finish knitting the actual foot part, then the toe part and then it should be all done.  

Then there is the Saroyan. Yep, I am still not finished with it. I thought that I was almost done sometime around Mother's day (back in May). Then I realized that it was too short. Then I remembered....I bought 3 skeins for a reason. So, once I get the 3rd skein all wound up, I will be all set to finish it. Hopefully it will be done in time for Christmas.

Then there is my Flowers in the Snow blanket. I don't think I have crocheted a circle for this blanket since 2010. Yeah.....doesn't look like I will have time to work on it any time this year either. I haven't given up on it though. It will get done.

There are actually a few more neglected projects in my closet, but these are the top three. The three most likely to be finished within the next decade. There are a couple of UN-neglected projects that I need to finish before I can even think to work on these again.


How many neglected projects do you have in your closet?

The August Break 2012

How it works: you simply share one photo (or more!) each day on your blog – Monday to Friday, or every day. Or whenever you feel moved to share. Using any camera – DSLR, compact, Polaroid, Holga, iPhone (my choice), Instax, film or digital – with or without words – anything goes! – for the whole of August. No pressure – just looking at August through your camera lens as a way to be more present this summer. And to have a little break from the pressures and expectations of regular blogging. ~ Susannah Conway

My August Break is over. 

I enjoyed taking quick snapshots this past month and editing them in Instagram. It was quick and easy and so very different than all those other daily photo challenges that I have done (year 1, year 2 & year 3). And now, after doing this project, I am so tempted to get an iPhone.

By the way....how can it be September already?