Since I didn't have much else to do today, I got up early and went to watch the Mississippi Blues Marathon in Jackson this morning. Although I have run in a couple of 5Ks, I've never actually watched other people run. I thought it would be interesting (and it was). It would also give me a chance to cheer on other runners and be encouraging!!!. So far 2-1/2 hours this morning I stood in downtown Jackson, first at about mile 6 then at just past the 9 mile mark, and I clapped and yelled and woo-hoo'ed!!
And there were lots of runners! I was amazed that so many people were willing to take on the challenge of running at least 13.1 miles for the half marathon. Maybe one year I'll give it a shot, but for right now I'll stick with the 5K races.
This picture is the group of guys in first place. Check it out - their feet are not touching the ground! These guys covered 6 miles in about 30 minutes. I think they were floating.
Two of my goals for this year include 1) actually finish my unfinished knitting and crocheting and 2) get a grip on organizing my collection of pattern books, leaflets, and magazines. So with that goal in mind, I have finished the knitting on a pair of socks. I don't even remember when I started these. But I had finished one sock and got past the heel of the second sock when I put them in the bottom of a bookcase and left them there. 
Works in progress include the reindeer tree skirt I started last month. I'm about half-way finished, but we used the half-skirt under the tree anyway. It is going to be nice as you can see in the pic. Miss B there was more concerned with the old toy stash in the corner, then looking cute for my picture.
A new crocheted dishcloth! This pattern is found here and is part of a kitchen set, although I only made the dishcloth. The yarn is cotton Sugar & Cream in the color Creamsicle.
(Actually, I just discovered the Random Stripe Generator and I've been playing with it all weekend. It's a fun and useful script so I've bookmarked the site.)
I've still got some yarn left so I'm going to make up a few more of these for me. An important note for future reference - When using white towels in the washer with the crocheted item, always put the crochet inside a pillowcase. If you don't do this, you will have lot of white lint to pick out of the felt.
I've had this idea, that since I have Tuesday Tomes (or books) I could also start a Wednesday Washer with dishcloths. There's a lot of free patterns on the web. I can always use more dishcloths and they are a quick project to do in the midst of the larger projects I've got going.So I present here **Ta-Da** the first project!! This is called "Idiot's" Dishcloth. I've seen these made by other knitters, it's a basic pattern which can be found here. It's knitted from Sugar & Cream yarn and I really like how the variegated version worked out.
In my never-ending web search for interesting crochet books, I often stumble across older titles that sound good but there's no picture of the cover and no real information about what is in the book. This is one of those books. Really, that is why I decided to just list my books here as I attempt to get some sort of organization to my pattern stash. Back in 1969, Coats & Clark revised a little British book and brought it to America. It is the book shown here - Fashion Crochet by Caroline Horne. Caroline Horne introduces herself as a teacher of Fashion Crochet and I know she put out a couple of crochet books.
Fashion Crochet contains 14 patterns of "attractive chic clothes". And it does have a good list of items with instructions of how to make a handbag, pants, hat, coat, dresses, and slippers. There's even a pattern for a pair of stockings!
It's an interesting book but I probably won't make anything from it. Although...if I do get really bored one day, I might try the stockings. The gauge is 5 grps. to 2 inches.
Truth be told, I almost didn't purchase this book. I'm not a big fan of the title. I get the SnB thing and the HH pun, but I didn't look at it and think "Oh, how cute, I must buy this."However, this book contains the pattern for Stitch Diva's Baroque Jacket which I was planning to buy anyway. And there's more really neat patterns inside, including Julie Holetz's Fat Bottom Bag and the most adorable pink fuzzy bunny slippers designed by Shannon Murphree. So far, I've made the Baroque Jacket and the Fat Bottom Bag. I plan to make the Li'l Monkey afghan soon.
Actually, there's 40 crochet patterns here and they are all really good. One pattern, the One Skein Scarf, has turned up as a free pattern on Patons website. There is a major list of errata though and you can find that here. .
And if you want to learn to crochet the first 95 pages are full of instructions.
Although I'm still working on the tree skirt, I needed a quick project to take to a get-together at the new LYS in Jackson. (It's called The Knit Studio and it is in Canton Mart. It is a really nice store and Judy, the owner, is very friendly.) Anyway, I had the Calorimetry on my to-do list and I found some Noro Kureyon in my stash. I know some folks had problems with the width of this, so I went down one needle size and used a size 7. It is still a little wide, but it fits well. And I really don't have a problem with this width, it will keep the top of my head (and my ears) warm should we every have any cold weather here is Mississippi.
This book was copyrighted in 1996 and I've probably had it about that long. This is one of my favorite crochet pattern books and is most definitely the one book that I have used the most. It's so well used that it is now falling apart and I'll have to pick up a new copy before long. Our Best Baby Afghans is put out by Leisure Arts and contains 54 crochet patterns for some wonderful baby blankets. There's small blankies and larger afghans, one-piece patterns and motifs to sew together.
This is the book I go to again and again when I need a gift for a new mommy.
Today is the last day of the NaBloPoMo challenge. And I made it!! Yep, I have posted to this here blog every day for the entire month of November. Yippee! It feels good - I've finished the challenge, I've crossed that bridge.
I probably should challenge myself more often. But I am glad that this one is over. I will keep up posting more to my blog and that's good because I almost let it die over the summer.
Well, the Christmas Tree Skirt has really put me on a tight schedule so I've had to put aside all the other projects I'm working on. But, since I had the yarn, and the needles, and the pattern, I just had to see how difficult the Shell Lace knitting was going to be. And Taa-Daa! I knitted up (and blocked) the right front piece. I'm really pleased with how this looks, especially since there is one stitch on each shell that is a purl 15-loops together.
This will be a nice project once the tree skirt is done. It's a wee bit advanced for my knitting abilities and I'm going to need advice on a couple of things. But I do like challenging myself now and then.
The hats are made with Galway worsted yarn. Mine's the blue one, hubby picked out the tan yarn for his.
I followed the pattern working the hat part as a spiral but I changed to rows for the brims. That gives the stitches in the brim a slightly different look. (And since you can't really see that too well on the photo, you'll just have to trust me that there is a difference.) Hubby wanted a wider brim so I worked two extra rows on his.
Quick, easy projects like this are great to do, especially when I have another large project going. And the status of the Christmas tree skirt? I've got 2 of 9 triangles done and sewn together. A third triangle is in progress. I'll post a picture at the half-way point.
Doris Chan has an article inside on bust, waist, and hip shaping, which I'm looking forward to reading. You can get a good look at the patterns inside here on Interweave's website. I really like all the shawls, especially the Flowers for Eryn Wrap.
This is currently the only magazine that I subscribe to. (I do buy other crochet and knitting magazines, but I usually pick them up at the local Border's - gotta support the bookstores, ya know.) And I really like the direction that the magazine is taking.
Fixed this tonight for church. Chocolate covered graham crackers!! And they are good.
This pattern is in the Nov/Dec 07 issue of Crochet Today. It's really cute I think. I've got one panel done and I'm almost finished with the second one. And there's only nine panels and five reindeer, so I'm good (I Think).
The conversation stuck with me and sadden me. Now I have list of things I would like to do someday, a list of things that I think would be fun to try. And as we were planning our vacation to Chattanooga this summer, I stumbled across the chance to actually do one of the things on my list. I thought of that gentleman and his lost plans, and made the firm decision to Go-For-It.
Want to know what I did?
I went hang-gliding!! And it was so much fun. Lookout Mountain Flight Park is just outside Chattanooga. I took a tandem glide with a wonderful guy. The photo above was taken by a camera attached to the wing. We went up to about 2,000 feet and then slowly (and safely) came down. Hubby watched from below. I really enjoyed it, the feeling of being totally free and being able to look around at miles and miles of scenery. I could even look down and see birds.
Did I mention this was fun? If I lived closer to Lookout Mountain, I would take lessons. I hate that I haven't found anywhere local to learn hang-gliding. But it is something that I want to do again, maybe on our next vacation.
I love making baby blankets. They are a pretty quick project and I keep a stash of baby blankets ready to give as gifts to any new mothers. (So along with my yarn stash, book stash, and hook stash, please note that I also have a baby blanket stash.) The duckie blanket on the cover is, of course, my favorite project in the book and I plan to make it sometime in 2008.
A few of the other patterns I really like are pictured below.
Waffle Lattice Shawl designed by Elin Nybo. Pattern is in the Fall 2007 issue of Interweave Crochet. I used 5 different colors of Cascade 220 for this felted shawl.This was really a different type project from what I usually make. It's the second time I've felted anything. The shawl is made from a series of 80 connected chains. And then the whole thing is felted. And this yarn felts wonderfully!
And now for a revelation that I've never had to make before about any of my projects -- I'm not sure I like it. There I've admitted it and I feel better for it. I messed up on the colors, the reds are just too red and too similar. Really you can't tell that there are two different shades of red in this shawl. I should have gone with more brownish shades to contrast with the green. And it doesn't really fit comfortably. I wear my shawls a lot and I just haven't figured out how to wear this one well. It's basically a large felted net and tends to scrunch up in the front. I'm hoping it will grow on me though.
I've started knitting the Shell Lace Jacket today. It is going pretty well. Hubby even mentioned that my knitting speed has increased. He's right and I should actually be able to finish this jacket within this lifetime.
But I really need to put it aside and work on the afghan I would like to give him for Christmas.
So many projects! So much yarn! So little time.....
Please, no more chains! I'm so tired of chains. Feels like I done 2,473 chains in the last week. And I just can't do anymore.Okay, that's not exactly true. There's only 80 chains in this shawl, but they seem to just go on and on forever. However, I finished the crocheting part of this Waffle Lattice Shawl. I'm doing the really easy part now - the felting! I should have pictures of the completely finished, felted shawl tomorrow. So stay tuned!
My parents have erected a wall at the edge of the woods outside their home. It is a rather useful wall since my mom apparently has a large collection of birdhouses. But still, it's a wall, standing in the yard and was totally and completely unexpected. I love it!
