Tiff Crochets

Laura survived three days at Girl Scout camp, arriving home only slightly miffed at her camping buddy and best friend.  I made them talk it out the 30 minute drive back from camp and now things are better.  Here’s Laura in her cabin, right before I left her on Saturday.

I really should have taken an after picture. She looked exhausted!  She did have a great time and learned a lot of new things.

Look at my wonderful stash of goodies newly arrived from England!  We did a swap in the Who Knits? group on Ravelry for Doctor Who items and Jelly Babies.  I have now discovered that I will never eat jelly beans again.  I will also weigh 500 pounds before the summer is out because I also discovered on the same day of my package arriving that Cost Plus World Market sells Jelly Babies.  I am doomed.  Doomed!

We celebrated Maddie’s 6th birthday over the weekend with a Star Wars party.  I was so glad to see the homemade light sabers go home.  We still have around five, but they haven’t been touched since the party.  Here’s Maddie playing Pin the Something (control panel?) on Darth Vader:

Last, but not least, I finished more tawashi!  I need to make more.  Tawashi will probably be my beach (11 more days!) projects because they’re lightweight and portable.  I made these for a swap on Ravelry.  They are now happily residing in Pennsylvania!

My camera phone does not do Laura’s quilt justice, but here is a temporary photo of her amazing work until I get my digital camera back on Friday.

From Laura’s description when she gave it to us, this is a kaleidoscope quilt pattern.  She chose all of the fabric pieces, either from her grandmother’s stash or from the local quilt store.  Her grandmother cut the pieces, but all of the sewing was done by Laura, with the exception of the backing, I believe.  This was her first sewing project ever.  I’ve put off any sewing projects with her at my house until I have a better grasp at what I’m doing myself, but after this project, I think she can teach me a thing or two!  The top pink square incorporates leftover fabric from a night gown made for Laura by the same grandmother for last Christmas.

I found the purse handle I want for my Meadow Handbag (I cheated and used my Ravelry search box, so it’s a Ravelry link), but I’m waiting until payday on Monday so that I can buy at least three handles for future purses.  Here’s the purse, with buttons temporarily attached to see how they look, and the awesome pink flamingo fabric I found.

Life had not come to an end.  My camera has been found.  It was under a bag on a cedar chest in between two rooms at my mom’s house.  Awesome.  Just had to backtrack to where I’d been and where I’d placed my stuff.

I can’t take a photo of Laura’s wall hanging until Friday.  I tried tonight but the camera phone was just no good.  I might try in the morning with better light, but most likely, it will be a Friday post.  In the same time that my daughter made a quilt wall hanging, I botched a pair of sleep shorts for Maddie.  Turned that pattern completely upside down.  I am soooo talented.  Next week, when I am not planning a birthday party, I will attempt to make the shorts right side up.  Only a photo comparing the two will explain what damage I did to the first pair. :)

Andy and Maddie spent Father’s Day playing on the Wii, while I was able to sneak off to finish picking up a few items for dinner tonight. I cooked a citrus-glazed pork tenderloin, parmesan risotto and green beans for the dad in the house. Maddie helped out by setting the table and then cleaning off the table after dinner. Laura is gallivanting around Montana at the moment and has not called yet for her daily check-in. She is enjoying her two weeks of one-on-one time with her grandma.

I finished picking up the last few items for my tawashi swap at Ravelry today and found a never-before-seen (by me) magazine. Have you seen Living Crafts ? It was full of many craft options that are budget-conscious and rather eco-friendly.

I’m starting to work on a new handbag tonight while the Wii play continues (it’s their day - non-stop Zelda and tennis would drive me mad). I’m making Jennifer Fletcher’s Meadow Handbag . I’m looking forward to seeing more patterns, both crochet and sewing-related on her site Fable Handmade Goods in the future. I tried to use something from my stash, but all of my good yarn is set aside for projects-in-progress, so I picked up the new Vanna’s Choice Baby in Berrylicious while at Michaels today. I wanted to go with a green because it seems to be my new favorite color, but went with the pink after finding a perfect set of wooden buttons in the clearance aisle. I think I have the handles already, but if not, I’ll head to Hobby Lobby tomorrow before driving to Houston for the week.

The dishes are done, the kitchen semi-clean before the pecan pie gets taken out of the fridge, the family is beating their virtual opponents at tennis, and I am going to sneak off to take a bath (hot temps in Houston mean lots of swimming to be done!) while all is quiet.

I ran to the grocery store this afternoon to pick up the two necessary items that we cannot live without (or wait until payday tomorrow before buying) - milk and Diet Coke. The milk is so that the girls will not freak in the morning, hyperventilating over a bowl of dry Honey Bunches of Oats when they discover their dad drank the last of the milk the night before (every other day - he must STOP.IT!). The Diet Coke is supposed to stop the late night milk chugging, but does not. Anyway, back to my point! Immediately when I walked in, I was blinded by my favorite sign of late spring - strawberries under $2 a pint/carton/whatever-they-come-in. Strawberries are my biggest fruit weakness. I could eat the entire container in a day, but force myself to share (unlike Andy with the MILK!). I picked up Cool Whip Free (an attempt to be good with that creamy goodness) and a box of Angel Food Cake mix. I’ve always wanted to make angel food cake on my own so this was the first step towards attempting it. Look at our lovely shortcake goodness!

I used dark brown sugar on the strawberries instead of granulated sugar. I’m trying to switch over to the “dark” side. It’s supposed to be healthier and you definitely do not have to use as much to sweeten things.

I’ve also spent this Sunday afternoon starting on a Brownie hat for myself. I’m using Cascade Luna in a lovely green. I’ve been in love with greens this spring. My newest purse is green. My crochet bag is green (and brown and white). The last three shirts I bought were green. I would have bought a green Ravelry shirt but I was trying to control my green urges. Here’s my progress so far -

I should truly be finished by now because the total crochet time for me on this hat is about an hour. Instead, I wandered into the kitchen to make angel food cake, then hot dogs for the girls, then cut up the strawberries, washed a load of dishes, talked to Andy’s mom and my dad on the phone, engage in the neverending battle to keep my Google Reader feeds under 200, and now it’s hours later. Which reminds me! I will sit down to watch The Hours once the girls go to bed since it’s due back at the library tomorrow and I can finish my hat then.

Tomorrow and Tuesday I’m doing to try to finish the Little Acorn bag for both Laura and Maddie as a end of school present. They have both worked hard this year and have done so well in school that I am so proud of them.

Have a wonderful week!

As seen on Robyn’s blog.  My day was not nearly crafty enough, but it is pretty much a typical end-of-school year day in this household.

6:30 am – I wake up to Johnny Cash on my ihome. Hit snooze a few (3) times.

7:00 am – Hop out of bed, head to the girls’ rooms to wake them up before heading back to my room to get ready.

7:10 am – Peek in on the girls. Both are surprisingly moving around, probably because it’s their picnic day at school.  Most days they do not like to move.

7:30 am – Head to the kitchen. The girls and I make their picnic lunches. Laura gets to work on their peanut butter and banana sandwiches while I gather up snacks and drinks, snacking on a banana while I’m loading up the lunch bags.

7:40 am – I barely remember to grab the summer birthday cupcakes for Maddie’s class as we walk out the door for the trip to school

7:50 am – Drop the girls off, then run back to the house to pick up the car payment to drop off at the bank before returning for Maddie’s picnic.

8:20 am – Get back to the school to find the parking lot overflowing. I forgot that it was awards day for 1^st and 3^rd grades. Check in and head to Maddie’s class just as they were preparing to go outside for recess.

9:00 am – While talking to Maddie’s teacher, get a surprise hug from Laura. Her class had an early morning recess so the girls were able to play together for a few minutes for the first time this school year.

10:00 am – Lunch and cupcake time. Must remember to not buy cupcakes from Kroger. 17 kindergartners covered in pink, yellow, or blue icing.  Drop off a cupcake as a surprise for Laura while her classroom is empty.

11:00 am – Maddie and I head home for the day.

11:10 am – Sit down to check email when Andy calls. He’s bored at work. They switched to a 4/10 schedule this week and he’s worn out. Find out that I have 453 unread feeds on Google Reader. Start browsing through the feeds while Andy laments his workday, filling in the important supportive comments.

11:30 am – I really should eat. Start researching locally grown food sources on a whim while debating on what to eat for lunch.

12:30 pm – Finally quit looking at local farms and co-ops and eat a sandwich. Wish that Cheetos were never invented as I eat want to eat more of them than the teeny serving I allowed myself.

1:00 pm – Water Maddie’s lima bean plant (only vegetable she loves), load the dishwasher with the dirty lunch dishes, then celebrate getting below 375 feeds by starting a meme post before cuddling Maddie on couch for a bit.

3:00 pm – Woke up from unexpected nap with Maddie to text from Andy about not forgetting to wash his khaki pants. Still forgot. Love the power of “dry cleaning” sheets.

3:15 pm – Laura is home from school, the pants are in the dryer and the quiet afternoon continues as girls play Mouse Trap and I get much needed crochet time on my vest.

5:00 pm – Maddie’s classmate stops by. Find myself doing a little Girl Scout administrative work before finishing a few rows on my bathing suit vest while watching the kids play croquet in the front yard.

6:30 pm – Croquet mallets turn into light sabers. Politely say it’s time to go in for dinner before my Luke Skywalker takes out poor unsuspecting Darth Vader.

7:30 pm – Stir fry is complete and delicious! Let girls choose from birthday cupcakes or brownies from last night’s Brownie Girl Scout meeting for dessert.

8:00 pm – Do more Girl Scout administrative work. I’m trying to help a few troops re-organize after bridging activities have divided troops into different age levels. If this wasn’t a volunteer position, I wouldn’t spend Friday night working on it.

8:20 pm – Play pool on Yahoo Messenger with my cousin, while eating a cupcake. Vow to devote next hour to Wii Fit in order to finally figure out the Advanced Step kick move that has me stumped (and work off cupcake).

9:20 pm – After a round of Angelina Ballerina DVD watching, the girls are snuggled into bed for the night. Me time!

10:00 pm – I think I finally figured out the kick on the Advanced Step game on Wii Fit. Super Hula Hoop makes abs hurt, especially after two previous rounds of regular Hula Hoop. Cannot breathe.

11:32 pm – Google Reader feed count down under 250. It’s time to go to bed, cuddle the husband, and watch Doctor Who episodes until I fall asleep.

Next weekend I am off for my annual trek to Houston for a Memorial Day full of soaking in the sun by the pool.  I have been in probably the most damaging types of crochet slumps.  I start projects and cannot get past the few rows before becoming overwhelmed by a sense of “blah” towards the project.  I’ve started tawashi, dishcloths, clothing, and afghans, and nothing is catching my fancy.  My house, as always, remained full of gorgeous (and non-gorgeous yarn that needs a new home) yarn choices, but nothing is appealing to me.

I am determined though, to go into next Saturday with a quick, simple, and appealing cover up for my bathing suit.  We spend most of our time outside during this weekend and, with the exception of time spent at the Astros game next Saturday, I will be in my bathing suit most of the time.  Here are a few links to a few free cover up crochet patterns that I’ve come across today, just in case you also have a sun-filled holiday weekend ahead of you.

• Water’s Edge Cover Up via Crochetme.  I’m looking more for a top cover up over a skirt, but I may need this for our week at the beach later in the summer.
• Beach Wrap via Coats and Clark. While beautiful, it’s made of thread.  I don’t think I could finish this by the weekend along with the myriad other responsibilities on my plate this week.
• Beach Coat, Suit & Hat - Pretty and a nice 70’s vintage option.  I want more of a pullover, I think, but this is very cute.
• Petal Stitch Sarong - Another cute wrap.  I like the stitch pattern in this one.
• Beach Cover Up/Pullover - A new one from Lion Brand, but it looks a little thick.  I need to find this yarn to play with in something else summer related.
• Women’s Summer Vest - I like this one and think I might do a gauge swatch.  I’m thinking of making it a little bit longer and see how it goes.
• Tunic with mussel pattern - I think I could finish this one quickly too, and would work well as a cover up for the summer.

I think the key for me finding a summer beach cover up for this weekend might be to take a tunic or pullover pattern that you like, adjust it to fit perhaps a little larger, and add length.

I lost about two pounds only to find it running loose in my front yard.  I caught a photo before stuffing it carefully in an envelope and shipping it north to Nebraska.

For reference, watch Doctor Who Season Four, episode one, Partners in Crime, then remember to never, ever take those silly miracle diet pills.  You never know what that fat might turn into.

I also finished more tawashis, along with receiving another shipment of antibacterial acrylic and a book.  Laura is now determined to speak and read Japanese because she is so infatuated with the tawashi book.  I made another Linked Ring tawashi and a pear.

The girls are not in any mood for bed tonight in anticipation of heading to my grandparents for the weekend.  They still have two more days of school to get through, which kills them.

After saving up over the past several months with unused Christmas money, we finally managed to be at the right store at the right time and get a Nintendo Wii this past Saturday. I have never enjoyed playing so many hours on a video game system in my life. I am now paying for such frivolous fun. My joints ache. My right knee, hurt many years ago while in college and exacerbated from daily tennis playing with my roommates, hurts again for the first time in probably 6 years, which was the last time I attempted to play a decent game of tennis. This isn’t going to keep me from bowling at least three games tonight or doing more tennis training!

I took time off yesterday evening to start work on a spontaneous secret project for my wonderful cousin Mary. My arms were shaking at first, trying to work the tighter stitches required for this particular project. It was that evil Wii causing the muscle spasms. Evil, evil Wii.

The next four days I will be working at one of the high schools during their spring testing. I’m subbing for the assistant choir director. Andy keeps laughing every time he hears about it. I am so completely tone deaf. He seems to think that they are going to require me to sing. I keep reminding him that there will be little actual class time all week. He still laughs.  Boob.

I’ve been working on more tawashi too and, now that it’s warm outside, am three sections from completing my tassled afghan.  I’ve got to get this finished!  I want to drape it across the back of my couch and think about cooler weather this summer.  Or, just simply indulge myself one evening with the AC cranked low and cuddle underneath it while watching Pride and Prejudice.  Maybe not the A & E version.  It would kill my utility bill.

It’s bedtime for the girls and I’ve got six DVD’s from the library to get started watching this week, if I can turn off Alaska week on the Discovery Channel or drag myself away from the Wii.

I had a wonderful person help test out my pattern for the Swiffer Cardi. I was concerned about my wording on a section of the pattern, but it seemed to have passed through without any problems. You can either download via my Free Patterns page or through Ravelry. Enjoy!

Just as a side note: I didn’t want to open up another tab in Ravelry to get my page link. It only took me 30 minutes to browse around the FLOR forum before I remembered what I was there to retrieve!

Edited to add a photo of the project!