Tiff Crochets

Miss me?  Good. :) I missed myself! More about where I’ve been later.

Last night while watching episodes 3 & 4 of Rome, I started a simple rib knit scarf.  After about 10 rows I checked my progress and it did not look right at all.  To do a simple 2 x 2 ribbing it’s K2, P2 across and then on each subsequent row you K into the K stitches & P into the P stitches or do you P in the K stitches and K in the P stitches??? 

I finished crocheting the cutest crazy cloth washcloth last night.  I’ll take pictures tonight with my brand new digital camera.  (woohoo!!!)

I’m heading off to Austin, Texas, this weekend for Camp Crochet, a CGOA sponsered event for Texas members of the CGOA.  Pictures coming on Sunday!!!

What to do in the last fifteen minutes of my workday?  Sneak in visits to my favorite blogs of course. :)

 I found this at Vera’s - How Many of Me

HowManyOfMe.com

There is: 1 person with my name in the U.S.A. How many have your name?

According to the results:

• Tiffany is the 215th most popular name (statistically speaking)
• there are 292,469 other Tiffanys in the U.S.
• only 1,440 other people have the name of Roots (I only know about 10)

Darn it.  Twelve more minutes left of work.  I start my pre-internship training in fourteen days.  I have my textbooks and I’ve thought about getting a head start on reading.  I’ve been forcing myself to stay away from the teaching supply stores because the last thing I need to do is start collecting things for my future classroom.  I do have a valid excuse to stock up on History Channel videos though, right???  Every history teacher needs a good supply. :)

 Seven minutes left.  Great - my house is in the 5+” rainfall expectancy area for tonight.  The rain better hold off until after 9:00 pm because my satellite messes up and I’ve got four shows scheduled to tape tonight.  I’ve discovered that I only watch TV on Wednesday and Thursday nights.  Every other night, I watch taped episodes of Dirty Jobs and Mythbusters. 

Woohoo! Time to go. Until next time..

I finished my first knit project!  While looking for my needle stash to begin this dishcloth, I found many, many starter knit projects that I never finished.  I had them stuffed at the back of yarn.  Shame, shame, shame. lol

My dishcloth -

I made it with Sugar ‘N Cream 100% cotton in Light Teal and size 9 needles.  I used the Motorcycle Dishcloth pattern.  I’m now working on a simple garter stitch washcloth in Bernat Cotton Tots for the girls for bathtime.  They have tons (the joys of having a crocheting mama), but they like variety.

In a little exciting news - I’ve qualified for an interview for the alternative certification program I’ve applied to.  My academics had to be approved first and now I get to go in for an interview.  Woohoo!  If I’m accepted, I start pre-internship training in January and start applying for jobs for the next school year in the spring.  I can teach anywhere in the Houston area so this is my chance to decide where in the area we’d like to live.  I might apply up on the north side because I miss the tall pine trees (and I won’t have to have mandatory hurricane evacuations up there like I do down here closer to the coast).  See, Houston is ginormous and I currently live on the south east side of town which puts me within five miles of Galveston Bay and storm surges from large hurricanes.  If I move up on the north side, I’m 50 miles from the shore and more than clear from the storm surges.

I finished this weeks ago, but instead of taking pictures of the finished product then, I started using it!  It’s my traveling project bag.  It gives me the chance to carry yarn and an incomplete project around with me while showing off a completed project at the same time.  I used Knit Pick’s Wool of the Andes in Blueberry and Chestnut.  I couldn’t remember at first if I used Merino Style or Wool of the Andes, but I found an extra skein and it was the latter.  I do know that it felts beautifully. 

I’m still searching for the right embellishment.  I wanted to go with a store bought flower, but I can’t find one that fits what I have in mind so I will more than likely use the template and make my own.  Either way, I love this bag (okay, I secretly love all of Julie’s patterns) and recommend it. 

Oops!  Where can you find the pattern for the Pike Place Market Bag?  Crochet me

 p.s.  I was a dope and deleted my wp-config file when I updated to the newest Word Press so I’m slowly working on re-uploading the posts that I made in the past few weeks.  Don’t worry, you didn’t miss anything crochet-related.  Those posts will be rolling in like crazy in the next few weeks as I storm ahead in my current mood to make and create like crazy.

I’ve moved! (Sort of. :) )

I’ve switched blogging services and am now using Word Press. You can still access my blog at www.tiffcrochets.com, but because it’s a redirect, you’ll need to update your blog feeds.

The new rss feed is: www.tiffcrochets.com/blog/?feed=rss2

Yeah, yeah, I know I’m late, but I’m down to 607 unread blog posts on Bloglines and I need a break. :) Plus, it’s 1:00 pm and my inbox is empty! Yeehaw!

I snagged this from The Crochet Dude. :)

The way it works:
1. Put your iPod on shuffle.
2. Press forward for each question.
3. Use the song title as the answer to the question.

How am I feeling today?
Busted in Baylor County by Shooter Jennings (I feel like I’ve been through what they go through in the song, but that’s because of some nasty upper respiratory infection making my life miserable this week.)

Will I get far in life?
Tequila Talkin’ by Lonestar (Things are looking good so far - jail and tequila and I’ve only made it through two songs)

How do my friends see me?
Good Hearted Woman by Willie Nelson (At least it doesn’t mention tequila.)

When will I get married?
Levelland by James McMurtry (I’ve never even heard this song before! What did Andy do to my ipod??)

What is my best friend’s theme song?
Dreadful Selfish Crime by Robert Earl Keen (I promise, my friends and I do not commit crimes together. Okay, one time we did ride in a police car in college, but it was a silly college prank and we were never charged. Plus, I rode in the front seat. lol)

What is the story of my life?
Drink Your Whiskey Down by Reckless Kelly (I’m telling you, this is Andy’s fault. He “upgraded” my ipod with songs from his collection.)

What was high school like?
Again by Cross Canadian Ragweed

How am I going to get ahead in life?
In the Air Tonight by Recoil (Have you heard this song? It’s a remake of the Phil Collins’ version. Not bad. :) )

What is the best thing about me?
Angels of the Silences by The Counting Crows

How is today going to be?
Viva Las Vegas by ZZ Top

What is in store for this weekend?
Gringo Honeymoon by Robert Earl Keen (LOL My anniversary is Monday after this weekend.

What song describes my parents?
Carry On by Pat Green

What song describes your grandparents?
Here’s Where the Story Ends by The Sundays

How is my life going?
All My Life by Foo Fighters

What song will they play at my funeral?
School’s Out by Alice Cooper (HA! Since I can’t quit going back to school, this is almost appropriate.)

How does the world see me?
Nights I Can’t Remember by Toby Keith (Good lord! Why the drinking songs when it’s about ME??)

Will I have a happy life?
Cancion Del Mariachi (Morena de mi Corazon) by Los Lobos with Antonio Banderas

What do my friends really think of me?
New Year’s Day by Charlie Robison

Do people secretly lust after me?
Original of the Species by U2

How can I make myself happy?
Love’s Never a Word I Throw Around by The Greencards

What should I do with my life?
Juke Joint Jumpin’ by Wayne Hancock

Will I ever have children?
I Walk the Line (Revisted) by Rodney Crowell (I swear, I didn’t lead a crazy life before marriage and children. I promise!)

What is some good advice for me?
I Ain’t Got it all That Bad by Montgomery Gentry

What is my signature dancing song?
Boys from Oklahoma by Cross Canadian Ragweed (This theme of my ipod shuffle experiment is getting old.)

What do I think my current theme song is?
Liquid Confidence by The Warren Brothers (Okay, this really isn’t funny anymore. Since Andy uploaded all of these songs onto my ipod, he’s the one with the obsession with drinking songs. Really. It’s not me.)

What does everyone else think my current theme song is?
All Night Long by Aretha Franklin

What type of men/women do you like?
Threadbare Gypsy Soul by Pat Green

What kind of kisser are you?
Hot Stuff by Donna Summer (LOL!)

What’s your style?
A Song for You by Ryan Adams

What kind of lover are you?
Clocks by Cold Play

What would be playing on a first date?
If you Ever Stop Loving Me by Montgomery Gentry

Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
Big Time by Big & Rich (ha. We’ll see.)

This exercise has proven that when Andy and I switched ipods recently (he took me 20 gig, I got a new 4 gig black nano), I should have paid more attention to the songs he uploaded. I need to add a little more Tiff to my playlist.

I just had a frightening realization - I haven’t visited the majority of the blogs that I used to lovingly read daily since April!! That means that I’ve basically been floating around in my all-work and no-crochet void since April?! Bleh. I’m much happier now that I’m back. :)

Want to know what I’ve missed?

First off, I don’t even remember when my copy arrived in the mail (sometime before mid-June when my husband left for Dallas and his cool new job working for the SBA - more on that later), but I’m totally in love with this book -

Get Hooked: Simple Steps to Crochet Cool Stuff by Kim Werker of Crochet me.

That cute little flower scarf on the cover? That’s my design. :) I’m not totally in love with this book because my scarf is in it, I love it because Kim did such an amazing job with the entire book. I would (and will most likely) use it as a learning tool for anyone that I was teaching to crochet, from teen to adult.

Okay, I can’t make it any further. I’ve spent over an hour of time at work looking at Bloglines and I think I might have made it halfway due to skimming over months and months of beautiful knit and crochet work. I get a few hours a day that I get to piddle, particularly when it rained over the weekend, construction sites are big mud monstrosities, and contractors are cancelling work until the hot sun dries up what was once a perfect balance of moist and compacted soil. I work for an engineering firm that does the testing on said soil, concrete, and other fun stuff.

Now that I’m speaking of work, why did I disappear for so long? Andy finally got an awesome attorney position, but unfortunately, it took him out of town. He’s in Dallas working for the SBA in the Disaster Division (I know it has a really cool, governmental title, but that’s all it’s getting right now.) His department is still processing loans from Hurricane Katrina, which is why they upsized the department over the summer, thus why he’s in Dallas. He’s considered a “national” employee, which means that he can technically be sent anywhere in the US where he’s needed. So, those sick little attorneys watch weather reports daily waiting on natural disasters so they can travel to Florida, California, or wherever needed. Sick, sick, sick. This cool job of his leaves me in Houston living basically as a single parent so my days are hectic, my nights are chaos, and my “me time” was virtually non-existent until I finally had enough. I now make a little effort every day for time just for me, whether it comes at 10 o’clock at night or at 6 in the morning. And I feel almost complete again. :) I’ll feel 100% complete when Andy and I are able to live in the same town again, but this is close enough for now.

I forgot a very important step in the pattern - the materials!

I’ll update the pattern page tonight, but just in case you’re interested today, the materials are:

1 ball Patons Silverlash in Lustrous Lilac, approximately 30 yards used in the pattern (substitute any medium, worsted weight yarn)
Size “H” Hook, 5.00 mm
Yarn needle for weaving in ends

I haven’t tested it completely (fell asleep during testing), but after taking pictures of Laura modeling it, I couldn’t help but post the photo and the pattern. :)

Click on the photo to go to the pattern. Enjoy!