Tuesday, November 25, 2008

I am on a roll and you can't stop me!

Well, I don't really know why anyone would want to stop me, but I'm very excited that I'm finally wrapping up some projects that have been in the works for way too long. I finished Baby Girl's wrap sweater tonight. I would love to show you a picture of how cute she looks in it, but #1 - she's already in bed and #2 - it's way too big for her. I made it in a four year old size so I could get as much wear out of it as possible. So, you have to settle for a very boring picture of it laying on my coffee table. Sorry, but I still love it. Who knows, maybe I'll finally finish my log cabin afghan that I started about four months ago! Woo hoo!

I did it! I did it! I did it!

I actually managed to finish the ladybug blankie! It took longer than the hour I predicted, but it's done! And so stinking cute! The feet you see are Baby Girl's running to jump on it. She loves it too, to bad it's not for her.








And here's the bath matt all done and in full use. Aren't Hubby's feet cute? It's nice and soft and feels really good when you step out of the shower. Yay! So, now that the ladybug is done, I'm going to make another one for in front of the sink.


Monday, November 24, 2008

Finishing Rears It's Ugly Head...

Okay, I think I've probably b*tched about this before, and I know I shouldn't follow-up my warm-fuzzy with this, but seriously....I HATE FINISHING!

I'm working on an absolutely adorable crochet baby blanket for one of my friends who is expecting her first little girl after having two of the cutest baby boys I know, and I have all the pieces done, all I have to do is sew them together and I will have a cute little ladybug blankie. It'll take an hour tops....and I can't bring myself to do it. What's wrong with me?! Instead, I'm sitting here dreading it and trying to decide if I should just stop worrying about it and cast-on a new project. Have I mentioned that the sweater I started for Baby Girl months ago and have had all the pieces done for at least six weeks is still sitting in many pieces on the futon in my craft room? UGGGHHH, why can't these things just finish themselves?

Okay, I'm done and off to search for a tapestry needle. If I don't have pictures up by tomorrow, please feel free to write and yell at me.

These are a few of my favorite things....

My dear friend, Lara, posted a list of great things that have happened to her over the past week or so and the things she's grateful for this Thanksgiving. I was inspired by her to come up with my own list.

This has been a very good year for me and my family. Of course, the highlight is Baby Girl and all of the things she has accomplished in her growth and development. I know they are the same things all small children learn, but somehow when it's your own child, every step seems so much more exciting. I love that she has learned to say, "I love you, Mommy!" and would happily give everything I have to continue hearing it. I am so grateful that she is healthy and happy. So many children in this world are not so fortunate. I hope and pray that we are able to give her a little brother or sister who is just as healthy and blessed as she is.

I am grateful for Hubby and the love he and I share. We make one hell of a team and we become even more so every day. He is my best friend and after nine years together, I still have a huge crush on him!

I'm thankful for so many other things as well: my family, my dear friends, those that I've knows forever and some that I've only recently gotten to know, my grandmother for imbuing me with my great love of all things yarn, my husband (again) who tolerates my addictions, Haagen Daz Pineapple Coconut ice cream, my cranky 13-year-old cat, my slow-cooker, Mason-Dixon knitting, and chocolate. I could go on and on, this is a really great world we live in despite what people may say. Little things count and make me happy, like the group of construction workers who let me keep my place in line at Golden Corral even when I had to run off to chase Baby Girl (and told me how beautiful we both were without being creepy), the lady in the parking lot who started to back out and then pulled back into her spot when she saw me and Baby Girl coming even though she didn't have to, and the little girl at the park who announced that Baby Girl was her best friend and took her by the hand to go play even though they had never met before in their lives.

So, there's my warm-fuzzy for the day. Thank you, Lara, for reminding me that sometimes we just need to reflect on all the good things that surround us!

Monday, November 17, 2008

I'm Back!

Did you miss me terribly, my long-neglected blog? Probably not, but I'm back anyway.
Sweater weather has descended on New Orleans. Okay, to you Yankees, it may not be, but dammit the weather is under sixty degrees so I'm wearing a sweater that I made with my very-own two hands! It's a top-down sweater that I got off of The Running Yarn. It's soft and cuddy and I LOVE it! So, maybe I'm a bit of a wuss, but since we only get to wear sweaters maybe two weeks out of the year, I'm going to enjoy it. The change in weather has also reminded me that Christmas is much closer than I am prepared for, so, I am proud to announce that I have finished one of my Christmas presents. It's for Hubby's brother and sister-in-law and I am totally in love with it. If you look closely at some of the sunflowers, it calls for eyelash yarn which creates that neat fuzzy effect that real sunflowers have. Hmmm...maybe I'll just keep it. ;-)













A few weeks ago, I wrote about an LSU afghan that I was making for one of Hubby's cousins. I finally finished that bad-boy and not a moment too soon for my sanity. Here it is:













It's fairly boring, but the colors look good (if you're an LSU fan) and it's got a nice texture. I will not be using this pattern again however.
So, after two crochet projects, I was desperate to pick up my knitting needles again. So, I returned to the Mason-Dixon Knitting book and started on the log-cabin style bath matts. They call for three strands of double-worsted cotton yarn to be held together and size 15 needles. It's a bit challenging and the yarn it THICK, but so far, it's looking great! One thing the wonderful authors of the pattern neglected to mention is how difficult it is to pick up stitches with materials this thick, so if you decide to follow in my footsteps, add a Size K crochet hook to your tools to make this process a bit easier. I'm using Peaches 'n Creme from the Elmore Pisgah company in cream, camel, and beige, so it's a really great natural look. If you order from them, be sure to talk to Martha. She's super nice and even delayed shipment on my order to work around Hurricane Gustav.
So, that's the news that's fit to print right now. I'm back to my needles before Baby Girl wakes up from her nap.