Update On Celtic Knots and Thumbs...

Ok, so in a previous post I said that I wanted to learn to make Celtic Knot cables and thumbs (not Celtic thumbs, just regular ones).  Anyway, I did it!  Yay!  (Is the crowd cheering I'm hearing just in my head?)  Oh well, I'm pretty happy about it.  So here is some photographic evidence...

Horribly Blurry Picture

 

Another Horribly Blurry Picture

So, on to thumbs.  I made a fingerless glove... with a thumb! 

That is a thumb, right there!  An honest to goodness thumb!  Ok, technically half of a thumb, but it is at least a thumb hole.  Never mind that the glove itself is small enough to fit my 8 year old daughter and the thumb is large enough to fit Andre the Giant  It's still a thumb, darn it!

I have only made one, so far.  I am really fighting that "one glove syndrome" (a.k.a. "One Sock Syndrome"). I believe that is what Stephanie Pearl - McPhee calls it when you make one glove (sock, mitten, etc) and then your over it.  You just don't want to make another one.  The thrill is gone, so to speak.  However, since whomever gets these gloves probably doesn't want to keep changing them from one hand to the other to keep warm, I guess I'll have to break down and make the second one! 

Here is the aforementioned 8 year old wearing the glove.  It does look better on.

 

And, here is one of Andre The Giant in The Princess Bride, just because.  

Princess Bride - awesome movie!

Celtic Knots and Heads...

No, not Celtic heads!  Styrofoam, actually...

 

Yep, not everyone can say that their husband got them their very own head for Mother's Day!  Really, I was very happy, because now I have something to model my hats (other than me).  She looks less scary with a hat on, don't you think?

On to Celtic Knots...  They are what have been keeping me so busy that I haven't had much time to blog (well, that and oversleeping, but I'm going to go with Celtic Knots).  Anyway, if you remember, I was wanting to check Celtic Knot Cables off of my Knitting Bucket List.   Well, here is what I have, so far...

Yay!  This is my new favorite thing to knit!  Of course, it really strains my eyes (since I have to follow a pattern - which I then have to turn around and do completely backwards).  So, after 20 inches or so of this I might be over it! 

Oh, by the way, try to ignore my foot in the picture, I had to get a really close up shot so you could see the cables!   

Just A Few Pictures...

Too tired for witty comentary this morning, so how about a few pictures...

Flowers my wonderful husband cut for me last night...



The hats I made while waiting with my Mom at the doctor.  I call them my "waiting room hats".


and last, but not least...



My TARDIS Kindle Cover!  It's a little wrinkled and the embroidery is awful, but I love it!



Waiting Room Hats, Yarn Shops, Cables and Thumbs...

Yeah, only in my world are those things NOT random!

So, I found out the 2 good things about sitting in a doctor's office waiting room 2 hours from my home...

1.There is a lot of time to knit (I made 2 hats in 3 days that week)!  I would have pictures, but the only camera in the house with batteries in it is in my daughter's room and she is still asleep (I am waking her up in just a few minutes, I promise)!  Plus, I am really tired of being the hat model for these pictures.  I really need one of those scary plastic heads.  Never thought you'd hear that in a sentence, did ya'? 

and...

2.They actually have yarn shops near big cities!

I mean honest to goodness yarn shops where they just sell yarn and yarn related objects.  You have to understand, the only place in my hometown that you can buy yarn also has a pharmacy, a lawn and garden department and sells groceries!  We don't even have a Hobby Lobby that's not 45 minutes away!  There are a few people who spin there own wool and sometimes sell it.  I don't mean to exclude them, they are my heroes, but I am talking about a whole store with just yarn and knitting needles!

Needless to say, I was in Heaven... until I saw the prices!  Yep, I would love to buy 100% silk yarn imported from Italy and beautiful Alpaca yarn that was spun so recently I can still hear the alpaca baaing in the back yard!  Wait, do alpacas baa?  Maybe they bleat?  Anyway, whatever they do, they are a little too expensive for me.  It's hard to be a yarn snob and use nothing but all natural fibers and all that when you have a Red Heart Super Saver kind of budget!  :/  Actually, I hate Red Heart Super Saver, but like I said, not too many choices around here. 

So, I told my husband I could check "Yarn Shop" off my knitting bucket list.  Yes, before you ask (like my husband did with an "Are you kidding?" kind of look on his face), I do have a knitting bucket list.

Which leads me to the last two random things in my title...

Cables and thumbs.  They are the next two things on my list that I want to conquer.  Now, I already know how to cable, but I don't mean just any cable.  I mean this cable!




Not my picture, I haven't actually made this yet!


It is a pattern I found on a blog called Storm Moon Knits.  I love Celtic knots and have been wanting to do something like this for a long time.  The only problem is, I am left-handed and I knit very backwards.  I don't just mean normal left-handed backwards, I mean some wierd way I found on YouTube when my right handed friend was trying to teach me to knit.  It is really odd and it works for me, but it makes most patterns come out really wierd (hey, another good excuse for not using a pattern!).  So, we will see how this goes.

The other knitting bucket list thing I am trying to learn is a thumb (I mean the kind in a glove, I do know what a real thumb is)!  I have also been looking on YouTube for this.  If anyone knows the best way to make one, please let me know! 

By the way, I did get one thing at the yarn shop!  Size 11 bamboo double point needles!!  Yes, they do deserve 2 exclamation points!!  I have to thank my Mom for these, though.  Either she wanted to thank me for driving her to the doctor twice in one week (even though it was her car and her gas) or she just wanted to get me out of the shop before I drooled all over the crazy expensive Italian silk, but she bought them for me.  So, thanks Mom! 

Homeschool Convention... and TARDISes...

Yes, still working on the TARDIS Kindle cover.  Would have had it done, but migraines have been plaguing me all weekend.  :/  Anyway, here it is (almost done).

The actual knitting part is done.  Yay!  I just have to embroider "POLICE BOX" at the top.  Then I have my own TARDIS!  Well, as close as I'm going to get, anyway...

So, in other news, my husband and I went to the Midwest Homeschool Convention in Cincinnati last Friday!  Had a great time (except for the migraine).  Thankfully my husband noticed that the convention hall had a first aid station (since I didn't have my purse with me, thus no medicine).  They were very helpful and once the ibuprofen kicked in and I could actually see correctly, everything was fine. 

I don't remember if I have mentioned that we homeschool.  Obviously, we do.  It would be a little creepy if we just went to strange conventions that had absolutely nothing to do with us!  Like showing up at a professional cake decorators convention just to see if they were handing out free samples.  Actually, that doesn't sound like a bad idea... I wonder if they have a professional cake decorators convention...  or a Starbucks convention...  ok, sorry, I must just be hungry!

The convention was great!  We didn't go for the whole three days.  We just got the one day vendor hall pass.  Trust me, though, the vendor hall was HUGE, so it pretty much took all day just to walk around it!  We found a lot of the books we are going to need for next year (thank you Rainbow Resources) and found a great booth with nature unit studies called Shining Dawn Books.  Definitely going to do a few of those next year! 

I really needed to get back to the convention this year.  It can be overwhelming (especially your first time) but it really helps me to get focused back on school and the direction God wants us to go with it.  Oh, and the roasted cinnamon pecans strategically placed under an air vent were pretty nice, too!  Both packs...  :P

Scarves and TARDISes...

Ok, so there is only one TARDIS, but I am making my own version!
 

It's a Kindle/ (insert your e-reader brand here) cover!  This one is for me, but I might put it on Etsy as a made-to-order type thing.  I found this pattern online, but I can't remember whose blog it was on right now.  It was written to be knitted from the bottom up, but I modified it to go top down (I just find that easier to do).  I do remember that one site I got on said that a Kindle cover and the TARDIS went perfectly together because a Kindle is a small box that holds much more on the inside!  I love it!

In other knitting news (and I know you are always waiting for more knitting news) I found knitting books at my local library's discarded book sale!!!  I mean knitting and books (really cheap books), what could be better?!  So I found about four knitting books and one was Celebrity Scarves 2.  Now, let me just say, this book is great.  It was made to fund Breast Cancer research, and as the daughter of a breast cancer survivor (and as a woman) I have to love that.  Also, I was really amazed at how many knitters there were in Hollywood!  The only problem I had with the book is how fun it makes knitting a scarf sound. 

Have you ever knitted a scarf?  Oh, it is (or can be) relatively easy.  This book had a lot of garter stitch scarves (only the actual "knit" stitch, no "purling") and used a lot of specialty yarns (like fun fur or bulky yarns), so it looked cool without being really hard to knit. 

Here is the funny/scary part.  It said all these cute things like, "Just cast on 4 stitches and knit till it is the desired length" or "knit until you run out of yarn".  What they don't tell you is that these are knitting euphemisms for, "knit until you actually want to poke out your own eyes with your knitting needles" or "knit until you have enough length to fashion a noose to hang yourself, or the person who invented scarves in the first place"! 

Sound harsh?  Well trust me, there is a reason why cowls are so popular right now.  Cowls are basically really short scarves that just button around your neck.  Believe me, they had to be invented by some poor knitter that started out thinking, "oh, a scarf, that should be easy!"  But somewhere between 5 inches and 60 inches thought, "Oh, heck with it!  It really just has to keep your neck warm anyway!"

So... that scarf you were hoping for on your next birthday... how do you feel about Kindle covers??  :P 

Just Keep Knitting, Just Keep Knitting...

Just keep knitting, knitting, knitting.  What do we do?  We knit, knit...

Sorry, Nemo flashback.

Where was I?  Oh yeah, knitting!  I've actually gotten some knitting done (well, half-way done).

Here is my current project...

I know, it is way too warm for a hat like this, but I love the yarn (Yarn Bee - Melody Bulky) and it is winter somewhere in the world!

Here is the project I was working on until the cool, colorful yarn lured me away...

It was supposed to be a baby blanket, but unless Larry the Cucumber and his wife are expecting a son soon, I think it is a bit long.  :/  I am thinking of adding random color stripes and just making a really big, crazy blanket.  I don't know.  Maybe it is meant to be a shawl. 

By the way, my next project is going to be a Kindle Cover that looks like the TARDIS!  I think I'll have to keep that one for myself!  I will keep you posted.

Facebook and Too Much Information...

So, I was on Facebook, because that's what I do every time I sit at my computer... whether I want to or not... it's a compulsion... I need help... and sleep, apparently.

Anyway, this got me thinking.  I use Facebook (and Twitter, and Pinterest, etc) everyday.  I <3 it (I can't believe I just typed that).  It is great for keeping in touch with extended family and promoting my Etsy shop, but sometimes you learn way too much information about people you harly know...

Like that girl.  You know, the one that sat across from you for two weeks in the fifth grade and then suddenly up and moved to Cambodia.  Well, NOW you know exactly where she ate dinner last night (I mean, street address and all), that she is currently in a relationship that is "complicated", and that she "likes" Baskin Robbins, Ron Paul and Toys 'R' Us.  Oh, and she recently moved back from Cambodia because they don't have a Baskin Robbins and the only Toys 'R' Us actually forces the children to make their own toys.  (Not sure where Cambodia stands on Ron Paul).

Ok, I need more sleep... or more coffee... another compulsion.  While I do that, why don't you go visit my Facebook page!   ;p

We Were On A Break!

Yes, once again in our on again off again relationship, 5 A.M. and I took a little break!  (Scared ya', didn't I?)  It wasn't like we actually broke up.  I just decided to see other times of the morning... like 7 and 8... ok, and in a couple weak moments, 9... but that is over now.  5 and me are back and better than ever!  Well, back anyway.  Skinny Pilates Lady seemed happy to see me.  She didn't say so, but I think she was.  I'm pretty sure, though, that Super Skinny Pilates Lady was secretly laughing every time I had to do a "level one move."  The lady in level one, with the walker and the oxygen, she was just happy to have company.

Ok, so enough of that.  See what happens when I wake up that early!  I get delusional! 

Really, though, I have been very busy lately.  My life has been a blur of hospitals (not me, my Mom) and doctor's offices (this time, me... and my daughter... and my Mom).  Everyone is doing pretty well now, though.  God is good and I love the (sometimes crazy) life He has given me!

I have found one good thing about hospital waiting rooms.  They give you plenty of knitting time!  I finally finished the giant tote bag!  I lined it and everything.  Not bragging, just really pleased with the way it turned out!

It is, of course, for sale on Etsy... http://www.etsy.com/listing/96051452/knitted-tote-bag-beach-bag-crafting-bag

Here are some pics of it...

Here it is!  Wooden handles and everything!



Here's the lining!  I hand-sewed it.  Don't be too impressed, I was just to lazy to figure out my sewing machine!  :P

 I am currently working on a baby sized Easter hat.  I thought that was a good plan, but then I realized Easter is like, 2 weeks away.  So, maybe someone will buy it next Easter!  :P 

Fell Off The Wagon, Again!

Don't worry, I didn't get hurt!  :P 

I just haven't been getting up early... or blogging much... or exercising...

I bet Skinny Pilates Lady will be mad at me.  She won't say anything, though.  She never does.  She's cool like that. 

Anyway, I have been knitting.  I got done with the Shamrock Kindle cover and have now started a giant striped purse.  Not sure what it's going to turn out like, but here it is so far...

The seed stitch part (the tannish part around the edge) will be the top.  I love seed stitch, by the way.  I always thought it would be a pain to do, but it turns out really nice without having to remember much of a pattern. 

This is some of my Yarn Fairy yarn.  So I'm not exactly sure what it is made of.  I am pretty sure it is mostly wool because it won't burn.  At least, it won't stay on fire.  Yes, I set the end of it on fire (on purpose).  Stephanie Pearl-McPhee (a.k.a. The Yarn Harlot) said to do this (carefully!) in one of her books.  You see, wool isn't exactly "fire-proof", but it is "fire-resistant".  It will put itself out.  Whereas acrylic will basically melt, like plastic. 

Knitting with someone else's yarn got me thinking about yarn as an art medium.  I know, I must need more coffee if I am starting to think really deep thoughts about yarn!  But seriously, yarn is like paint or clay to a knitter (or crocheter).  Two knitters may look at the same yarn and see two very different projects.  Like, my yarn fairy saw a hat and I saw a small pouch.   I looked at green and white acrylic yarn and saw a cell phone pouch and a Kindle cover.  My husband's Grandmother (she was a crocheter) would have seen a baby blanket or a baby sweater and hat.  Yarn is the medium and the artist makes it what it is going to be.  Pretty cool, I think.

Ok, off to drink more coffee before I start thinking deep, philosophical thoughts about my knitting needles!

I Took A Shower In My Own House Today!

Aren't you happy for me?! 

We have a shower!  We don't have a whole wall around it yet and for some reason on the new shower handle hot seems to mean cold and cold seems to mean hot, but it doesn't leak and it is actually in my house.  So, I am thrilled! 

Well, with all this construction going on, I haven't had much time to knit.  :(  One of my items was, however, featured in another treasury!  Here is the link: http://www.etsy.com/treasury/MTc4MDMwODh8MjIzMzE2NTM3OQ/some-of-my-favorites-1?index=1

My Snowflake Pattern Purse is the item that was featured and the treasury was made by Meagan of Ears To You 2 .

So, I will try to get back to normal life (and hopefully my knitting) and you go check out these links! 

I Get A Shower Today!

Ok, that sounds bad.  I promise, I get a shower pretty much every day, but today I get a new shower!  :)  I will be losing the bathtub, which is a little sad, but we hardly ever use it.  I mean, if it was one of those huge round bathtubs that you can practically swim laps in, I would be sad.  This is just an old tub with rust holes that likes to spew hot water into the basement every time you try to take a shower.  We have to turn the water off to the shower when we aren't using it, then go to the basement, turn on the water (which starts shooting hot water all over you), then run upstairs to take a shower.  I have actually thought about just standing in the basement to try to get clean while the water was on.  It would probably be easier than running back and forth!

So, today we get a new shower.  I am really not a plumbing person.  So, I cannot begin to explain how that's going to happen exactly.  I assume with a lot of banging around, some spewing water and possibly a few choice words coming from the area of the bathroom.  Oh, by the way, did I mention my husband and his father (who is a carpenter) are doing the job.  Yeah, lots of family bonding going on in our house, today! 

In other news, I was featured on two more treasuries! 

http://www.etsy.com/treasury/MTAxMTMwNjZ8MjIxMDc5OTU5Nw/crafty-sahm-list-2?index=1
This one was made by Jessica at WhimsicalMonkey and features shops from the Crafty SAHM's team.

http://www.etsy.com/treasury/MTEwNDk1NTZ8MjEwNzA3MTcxMQ/clearance-anyone?index=1
This one is by ChicRetro and features all clearance items.

Thanks to both of you! 

Go check out all the great items in both treasuries and these ladies' shops!

Everything Sounds Better With A British Accent...Well, Almost

So, as you may know by now, I am pretty into British things... T.V. shows, movies, books, you name it.  You may have even read about my recent experiment with British pilates!  :)  So, it may be no suprise that I have recently gotten hooked on what I guess is one of the most popular British T.V. shows, ever... Doctor Who. 

I haven't watched the older ones, yet, just the new version (starting with the 9th Doctor).  They have it available instantly on Netflix!  Have I mentioned how much I love Netflix?  It helps geeks like me find all kinds of obscure shows and movies to torture my family with!

Also, I have figured out that everything sounds better with a British accent!  Well, almost anything.  I can't quite imagine John Wayne with a British accent...

"Care for a spot of tea, pilgrim?"  Just doesn't work.  Some things are truly American and I love them, too! 

Anyway, in honor of Doctor Who, I decided to make a treasury on Etsy!  Here it is...

http://www.etsy.com/treasury/MTY3NDA0NTV8MjIxMzM2NjI3Nw/call-the-doctor

On the knitting front, I have been working on another Shamrock item and then I guess I will need to start knitting for Easter.  Hmmm... any ideas on what kind of knitted items would be good for spring?

Did Alexander the Great Do Pilates?

So, this morning Skinny Pilates Lady told me that I feel great and I am ready to go conquer the world!

Yay me!  I didn't know I wanted to conquer the world.  I also didn't know that pilates could make that happen.

I am just picturing Alexander the Great (because I'm a homeschooling mom and everything is a history lesson) doing pilates with his soldiers...

"Come on, men!  Keep those abs engaged!  Check in with your body.  Is it still there?  Do you have your swords and your war elephants?  Ok, lets go conquer the world!  But first, a nice soothing stretch... ok, now let's go conquer the world!"

Ok, enough with the pilates induced hallucinations, back to the world of knitting...

I have channelled my inner Irishwoman in an attempt to sell something on Etsy for St. Patrick's Day.  It was supposed to be a coffee cozy, but it was a little small.  So, now it is a cell phone/gadget cozy!  :) 

You can find it here.

Have a great day, do some pilates and go conquer the world (it's what Alexander would have done)! 

Noah's Wife and Another Treasury...

So, first off, I'd like to thank Nermin from EarFlapHats for including my Kindle cover in this treasury!

Also, I have been thinking a bit about what life was really like for the people in the Bible.  We have heard so much about the great things they did, but we forget that they were real people.

For example, has your husband ever spent FOREVER on a building project?  Imagine if you were Noah's wife...

Wife: So, Noah, remind me again what you are doing.
Noah: Building an ark, dear.
Wife: And, what is that, exactly?
Noah:It's a big boat, dear.
Wife: Boat... OK.  And, why are we building a boat?
Noah: Remember, Dear, God told me to build it.
Wife: Oh, that's right, God told you to build a boat.  You do realize we don't live anywhere near water, don't you?
Noah: I told you, DEAR, it is going to rain.  A LOT!
Wife: OK, Noah, whatever you say (starts to walk away)
Noah: Oh, and dear...
Wife: Yes, Noah.
Noah: How do you feel about pets?
Wife: PETS?!

:)

Marker Boards and British Pilates...

So, continuing with my theme of making stuff out of old junk, I made these marker boards...


By the front door





Above my husbands desk



Daughter's room



School room

I just used old picture frames (make sure they have the glass still in them) and put decorative scrapbook paper and stickers in them.  Then, you write on the glass with dry-erase markers! 

I found the idea on this blog a while back.  If you make one, make sure that the paper you put in isn't too dark and the pattern isn't too busy, or you won't be able to see the marker.  You can put lined paper in there, too, so you can write lists easier.  Also, I found that the markers work best on the really slick, shiny glass.  A couple of these have some kind of finish on them that is supposed to keep down glare, but the markers don't seem to write on them as well.

With all the crafting and getting lost in the "big city" this week, I haven't had as much time for exercise.  So, today, I figured I'd get back to it.  I chose a different pilates workout on Netflix (I <3 Netflix, by the way).  I had never seen this pilates lady before and I found out she is British.  I'm not sure if I loved the workout.  It was one of those very calm... kind of sleepy... but at the same time making your muscles want to run away and die kind of routines.  Of course, everything sounds better if you say it with a British accent.  Also, for some reason, when I was done working out I had this strong urge to drink a cup of tea and watch a PBS mini-series!  Actually, I always have that urge, I'm weird like that!  :)     

Have a nice day (and go watch some British T.V., it's awesome)! 

Lost? I'm Not Lost!

So, haven't had much time to blog in the last couple days.  I had to go to Columbus yesterday (which is about 2 hours north of here) and on the way back I got on wrong exit and started heading north again!  I knew when it said "north to Cleveland" I was going in the wrong direction!

Like I said, though, I wasn't lost.  I knew exactly where I was, I just knew I wasn't supposed to be there!  I did get a very senic view of Downtown Columbus, though.  Oh, well.

So, this morning I found out one of my items was featured on the Blog "Crafty Saints"!

Thank you so much to the blog's author, Julie.  Here is a link to her Etsy shop, Collar Topia.

Maybe I will sell lots of stuff on Etsy so I can buy myself a GPS!  :P 

 

I Made It! Well, Actually, My Husband Did!

He made me the under-the-cabinet jar rack thingy (sorry, I know that's probably not the technical term for it) that I posted a link to a while back!  Here it is!



I know you can't see all of the labels, but we made a handy map (which I forgot to take a picture of) and taped it to the inside of the cabinet, in case we forget what's what and try to put cumin in the oatmeal instead of cinnamon!  I actually did that once, even before we made this!

My handy husband also made this...

It's a chalk-pan... pan-board... chalk-board-that-was-once-a-rusty-pan... oh well, you get the idea.  I'm not particularly clever with the names today!  Anyway, an old pan, a couple layers of chalk board spray paint and there you go.  It is supposed to say what is for dinner tonight, but I haven't gotten that far yet!  Oh, by the way, the smiley face was drawn by my daughter and that isn't a strange sea-monster trying to attack the board, it is my aloe plant!

Guest posts, slippers, and another treasury!

Ok, so first off go read my church's blog, http://www.lakesideworship.com/.  I was a "guest-blogger" today.  That's not why you should go read it.  It is a great blog!  I just wanted to share it. 

So, back to knitting.  I made slippers!  The most comfortable stinkin' slippers, ever!  (Ok, not actually "stinkin'", I hope).  Anyway, here they are...

They came from a book called, "Knitting Pretty" (yes, I actually followed a pattern this time)!  I know it looks like they are made from two different colored yarns, but the yarn is variegated and I haven't mastered the art of (or even attempted) making both slippers have the same pattern.  If you know a trick for that please let me know!

Oh, and of course, I am selling these on Etsy.  Well, not the ones on my feet, I like them too much, so I'm going to keep them!  I will make more, though.  I can make most sizes and colors.  I'm just not sure if I like having pictures of my ankles floating around in cyber-space for all the world to see.  :/  Oh, well.  The slippers are awesome!

Let's see... one more thing.  Another one of my items was featured in an Etsy treasury!  http://www.etsy.com/treasury/MTI0MDY2NDR8MjA0MzA4NTU3NA/my-love-for-knitting?index=1

Here is the item that was featured... http://www.etsy.com/listing/91636680/knitted-kindle-cover-with-hand?ref=tre-2043085574-15

And here is the shop of the girl who made the treasury... http://www.etsy.com/shop/StaceyLeighDesigns, her name is Stacey, by the way.

Go check them all out!





No time, so watch this...

No time to blog today, so here are a couple links from one of the funniest men on the planet...

Praying over food

Things You Don't Say To Your Wife