The Summer of Cris

Over at get Stitchy!, MsFish asked if I'd been counting my FOs thi summer. Until she asked, I hadn't. So I sat down and counted. Here's the tally so far. I believe most of these have been documented here.
1. Noro handbag
2. crocheted angel ornament
3. knit bouquet of flowers
4. hard drive sweater (sweater knit when hard drive crashed)
5. cross stitch stole
6. Christmas stocking
7. Lily Ruby’s sweater and booties
8. Ma’s purse
9. Missy’s purse
10. cherry bag
11. school bus scarf
12. lace leaves scarf
13. SNB Short ‘n Sweet
14. Missy’s dishcloth
15. Lyd’s dishcloth
16. Mary’s dishcloth
17. Lisa’s dishcloth
18. Rosie’s dishcloth
19. Jason’s rabbit
20. Ethan’s gloves
21. Irma’s dishcloth
22. The Co-worker scarf made from yarn from Sheilah

Whew! I'm enjoying my summer.

Here are a couple of items I hope to finish before I go back to school.
1. beading and blocking the self-fringing shawl which is completely off the needles
2. adding some length and a little width to Ma's Shrug This from the One Skein Wonders book
3. Casey's Brea Bag
4. Rusted Root in red for ME!
5. Rosie's birthday purse
6. Glor's birthday purse

I'm an ambitious chickie, aren't I?

And Ms. N (the teacher next door) thought I needed an intervention...



Check out the stash this woman has accumulated. I feel like such an underachiever!

Exchange Experiences

I was part of get Stitchy!'s stitch marker swap a few months ago (blogged here and here). It was a great way to get my feet wet. I had lots of fun with it and a new hobby (designing stitch markers) was born. I'd never done any exchanging of anything on the Internet. After that positive experience, I felt I was ready for a bigger exchange. Baby steps, you know. I didn't want to do the whole Secret Pal thing. It intimidated me quite honestly.

A couple of months ago, I read somewhere about a stat counter for your blogs. I thought it would be cool to see from where my blog traffic comes. I had just submitted a couple of patterns to Knitting Pattern Central and Crochet Pattern Central. Those, plus a couple of others, were accepted. Most of my traffic was from KPC and CPC. From there, my patterns started showing up on all kinds of pattern resources on the Internet (including some Swedish one, I think.). One of the links to a pattern of mine was on a blog called The Spring Felted Bag Exchange. I emailed the blog author and thanked her for listing my pattern on her blog. She invited me to join. So I did.

I'm glad I did. This exchange only required two packages to be exchanged. I could handle that. I already blogged about the packages Sheilah sent (here and here). Here's a picture of the bag I sent my spoilee, Shawnee. She's a Mary Engelbreit collector. I had lots of fun making this bag. I might make more with other designs and appliques. I'm thinking a bag with an apple for the teacher would be cute. Opinions?





Well, now that I've gotten two exchanges under my belt, I've moved on to a third. It's a one-skein exchange over at Knit Knack on MySpace. I don't know what I'm going to make my spoilee there. When I do, of course, I'll post something here. So far, I have it possibly narrowed down to one of these yarns (purchased at Loopy Yarns at 70% off!!). Tell me what you think.




For the record, most of these yarns have been earmarked for winter gifts for my sisters and cousin.

Argh!!!

You signed up on June 14, 2007
You are #9115 on the list.
2570 people are ahead of you in line.
11035 people are behind you in line.
31% of the list has been invited so far

This is worse than waiting in line for concert tickets.

I Joined the Bandwagon

...and dyed some yarn with Kool-aid. Well, that and a couple of colors from some generic powdered drink mix I found at Dollar General. I tried to get fancy and dye two colors. I have some white spots in there. I suppose it adds character, a "design feature" as Sinnomen1977 over at get Stitchy! wrote. It wasn't difficult at all. I had fun. Sandra will have to come over so we can dye some more. Woo! Hoo! I think the next time I'll do some solid colors and maybe some handpainted with squeeze bottles and plastic wrap. We'll see. This is not the last time I'm gonna dye yarn.

Here are my dye jobs. The one on the left is the generic drink mix in cherry and lemonade. The one on the right is grape and pink lemonade Kool-aid.



Of course, now I have to find something small to make with this. Both cakes of yarn are leftovers from one skein of Paton's Classic Merino. Suggestions, anyone? Anyone?

My Spoilee's Bag

My spoilee's name is Shawnee. She's a Mary Englelbreit collector so I decided to make her a tote bag inspired by Mary Engelbreit. I took the basic bag pattern for the skull tote minus the skull. I added a black and white alternating border over a thin yellow line at the top of the bag and crocheted the cherry elements. The cherries, stems, and leaf were all crocheted. All in all, I have to say that I really enjoyed making this bag. I'm thinking about making myself one with a big apple on it.

My Cardigan

Actually, I modified the Anthropologie-inspired capelet from Craftster.org. I added some more stitches to my cast on, knit until the arms fit, added length to the sweater, length to the sleeves, and chose to wear it knit-side out instead of purl-side out. i used just over 4 balls of Noro Kureyon in colorway 159. It's difficult to take pics of yourself so I did the best I could. Here's my sweater!


I just love self-striping yarn.

Spring Felted Bag Exchange - part deux

Sheilah, you wonderful woman, you! Thanks for the loot. Sheilah is my spoiler. She sent me the most wonderful package this week. What a way to cap off my first big exchange project. To begin with, I had to wait an extra day for the package. It arrived on Thursday, but I missed the postal carrier. I think she just doesn't bother to knock on my door for me assuming I'm at work since I'm not here to receive packages during the school year. Grrr!

On Friday, I went to the post office to pick up Sheilah's package plus a couple of books I'd ordered (and the postal carrier didn't bother knocking on my door for this one either), and to send off Shawnee's package. I was Shawnee's spoiler. Once she receives her felted bag, I'll post pics of what I made her.

Let me tell you. Sheilah is one fine fiber friend. Check it out! Here's the bag she made for me.




And here are some bonus goodies from Sheilah.



The yarn at the bottom of the picture is store-bought: Paton's Devine and Yarn Bee's Soft Delight. The bright pink/purple blend is some laceweight merino. The brown yarn just below the bright, bright pink is a brown mohair that Sheilah dyed with the remaining dye from my bag. The other three are random wool yarns.

I have to admit. This exchange was fun. I may have to do others.

Just Under the Wire

I finished the Cigar gloves for E for my second XY-along project. Here they are. I finished them on Monday, June 25.





They were easier to make than I thought they would be. I used the magic loop method instead of wrestling with two circs or stabbing myself with DPNs.

Hop on the Bus, Gus

Click on the title of this post to see this pattern. It is my latest FO and my crocheted scarf entry in the Lake County Fair. Wouldn't you agree that it's an apropo design for a school teacher? I'm thinking about embroidering the name of our school corporation on the side of the bus just like our real ones. I will probably raffle it off as a class fundraiser once school starts. We'll see.

Lace Leaves Scarf

I decided to make this as my entry in the knitted scarf division at the Lake County Fair. I finished blocking it this morning. I used the Yarn Harlot's suggestion. It saved me from spending an insane amount of money on steel blocking rods. The yarn is Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sport in Watercolor. I loved how the yarn looked on the Yarn Grove's website so I bought it. They offer free shipping so what the heck! I really like how it turned out.

Well, It's about time the hostess got in on this!

I am hosting this month's -along at get Stitchy! I know I should have posted this a few weeks ago. Bad girl! Bad girl! It's been fun so far. We are creating items for those with the XY chromosomes. I've been slow to make something. I think I'll call E and ask if he'd like anything special this month. He is my godson, after all. In the meantime, I took this -along as a chance to make a rabbit for J, my four-year-old nephew. He has imaginary rabbits so Cleo asked if I'd make him a "real" one. Here's his "real" rabbit. I added eyes to it since I took the picture. Cleo gets weirded out by faceless creatures.

Spring Felted Bag Exchange

I got my first package from my pal in the Spring Felted Bag Exchange. It's almost like the girl knew me! Here's a picture. The yarn is her own handspun wool/silk blend. It's 110 yards. I don't know what I'm going to make with it, but whatever it is, it will be for ME!




Just look at this gorgeous yarn!!



In addition, she sent some goodies for D, too. Here they are, yarn and stitch markers. He'll be so happy when I send them along.



What I think is so funny about this package is the fact that I told Lisa that I wanted to Mex out my place. You know, give the decor a touch of my heritage. If you look closely at the lower left-hand corner, you'll see the ceramic jar that my pal used to hold the stitch markers she made me. It is so perfect for my decor plans. Check out the close-up.



Secondly, the notecards and notepad she sent (bottom row of items in the next pic) match perfectly with the notebook and pen that the PTA gave me for Teacher Appreciation Week.





Spring Felted Bag Exchange Pal,
THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! The gifts were wonderful. I can't wait to start using them. You know, a knitter can't have too many stitch markers (especially if she's working on the clapotis). I love all the goodies. I used one of the notecards to explain to D why I'm sending this extra yarn to him along with the yarn he forgot at school on the last day. He'll be as thrilled as I am. Thanks again.

I almost forgot

I did make myself a fat-bottomed bag with the leftover cotton from the stained glass flower potholder. Here it is.




Here's the lining I chose.



I even made a cell phone holder from the leftovers.

First Official Weekend of Summer Vacation and...

I've started stitching like the yarn ho that I am.

I crocheted a skull potholder. I took the idea of the skullholder from the Stitch 'N Bitch Happy Hooker book and used this graph from the bag I made Sandra for her birthday. Methinks this will be the potholder I enter in the Lake County Fair.


I started working on Short 'n Sweet from the Stitch 'N Bitch Happy Hooker book about a week and a half ago. I chose dusty pink yarn because that's what I had at home and, truth be told, I needed to get rid of some stash yarn. I hope the pictures are clear enough. Taking pictures of yourself is a pain. My arm only stretches so far from my torso. The sweater isn't blocked yet because I was so excited to try it on and because I'm not really sure how to block it. I don't make garments very often.


Left side...


Right side...


I also started working on a scarf for the knitted scarf section of the Lake County Fair. It's the Lace Leaves scarf from HeartStrings FiberArts. The yarn is Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sport in Watercolor. I've completed 3 of 12 repeats.

My crocheting made the newspaper...sorta

Actually, a picture of one of my students playing Juliet in our annual Shakespeare production appeared in the local newspaper. In the picture she's wearing the Juliet cap I crocheted for her. I let her keep it. I'll make another one next year for the next Juliet. That's it for the fiber connection.



Our sixth grade classes performed abridged versions of Julius Caesar, Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth, and A Midsummer Night's Dream for the second year in a row. It started a couple of years ago when Scrappy and I decided to have our classes perform at Washington Park on the stage behind the greenhouse two years ago. Last year, the sixth grade team (Go, team!) decided to each take a play and perform. Shakespeare in the Park was born. Unfortunately, it rained on us (Did somebody utter the name Macbeth?) and we had to hoof it back to school. We performed in the auditorium. This year we didn't want to take any chances with the weather so Shakespeare in the Park became Shakespeare in the House.

We gave two perfomances. The first was at 9:00 AM for classes at school and parents who couldn't make the noon performance. We had a packed house. The sixth-grade actors were magnificent. The grandfather of a boy in the 6-2 class came to the 9:00 show and asked what time the second performance was. He returned with two more relatives for that show. That little boy must have been so proud of himself. They made the sixth-grade team of teachers look like the most awesome teachers ever! The noon show was covered by the newspaper and by our local cable channel 21 for broadcast beginning next week. I swear I got all choked up and almost cried as I introduced Romeo and Juliet to the audience. I can't tell you how proud of them I am.

Here is the entire cast of the 6-1 production of Romeo and Juliet. The other picture is one of the lead actors.

You all remember D, the crochet fanatic in my class from a previous post...

I took D to a yarn tasting at Loopy Yarns and blogged about it. I bought him some Plymouth Yarns Baby Alpaca DK in baby blue. He started crocheting a pillow with it as soon as we boarded the South Shore to come home. Well, everyone, here is the FO. The yarn is perfect for the pillow since it's soooo soft. He's so proud of his pillow. ...and he should be.

Two Bags and a Potholder

I finished one skull tote bag and one fat-bottomed bag (from the Stitch 'N Bitch Happy Hooker book) for the girlfriends of two nephews. They both have birthdays in May. Then I finished a stained glass flower potholder for the May Flowers-along at get Stitchy! and the Lake County Fair. I'm really liking the stained glass colors. I'm thinking that a fat-bottomed bag in stained glass colors would be just dandy for summer. Hmmmm...something to think about. Well, without further fanfare, here are the latest FO's.

Week 3 - Question (from the Spring Felted Bag Exchange)

Where's your favorite place to knit or crochet? Describe (or show!) us where you sit and how you most enjoy your craft!

My first response is EVERYWHERE! But, in all honesty, I prefer to knit/crochet in my living room on my couch. I sit in the same spot (as evidenced by the imprint on the cushion) right by the lamp to illuminate my work. I keep my stitching notions in a small pouch inside a plastic box that doubles as a sewing box or footstool since it's always by my side. My crochet hooks are handy and easily within reach in a pretty mug on my coffee table. I keep my straight knitting needles in two vases. They're really for decoration now that I've been using my Denise needles, Addi Turbos, and some bamboo circulars. I realize that I'm no longer a fan of straight needles. I think I'll give some to D since he's now learning to knit. My second favorite place to knit/crochet is at Bean Counters Coffee House in Highland. I meet with Rachelle and Sandra on Tuesdays (used to be on Mondays). I usually get an iced tea and set myself up at the table in the Gathering Place at the coffee house. The plasma TV is usually set to some rerun of a long-cancelled network series. I get so caught up in my stitching that I don't really pay attention to it. Sometimes the TV is set to a news channel. The three of us sit around the table and talk about our projects or yarn or whatever is on our minds. We're usually there from 5:30 until closing at 7:00. We seem to always be the last ones out the door. They have a new owner. Nice guy. Friendly. Doesn't rush us out the door at closing. I like that. Finally, I sometimes enjoy knitting/crocheting at Borders. I don't go there as often as I'd like. I have also been known to knit/crochet in Barnes & Noble and Washington Park by my home. I like to sit on a bench along the walkway entrance to the park. Tomorrow we are going on a field trip to see the Railcats play. I'm going to be making another dream swatch headband for Lyd and a Juliet cap for our class production of Romeo and Juliet. Thank goodness I have a class of responsible students who will behave so well that I'll probably be able to finish at least one of those two projects. Whew! Short question and a long-winded answer. I think I'll take pics of these places and blog about them in more detail at a later date.

A Yarn Tasting Event at Loopy Yarns

I had no idea what a yarn tasting event was until Friday night. Loopy Yarns on State Street in Chicago hosted one that night. In a few words, the new yarns are placed into courses (like a fancy meal) and those in attendance receive about a yard's worth to try out. The hostess describes the yarn and suggested patterns. I had a great time. It was especially fun because I brought along D, the crochet fiend in my classroom. I took a few pictures to chronicle the day. I'm not sure exactly where D gets his yarn, but I believe he gets it at Walmart and from the stash I keep in the classroom. I thought he might enjoy trying out some good quality yarns so I invited him to join me. Here's the story...

I picked him up at about 4:15 PM so we'd have ample time to find a parking space and wait for the 4:47 PM South Shore train to Chicago. He brought along his ever-present yarntainer with two balls of yarn. However, he forgot his crochet hooks at school. The email from Loopy Yarns listed the knitting needles we should bring. I brought along my Denise interchangeables and two bamboo crochet hooks for D. I eventually let him keep them since he liked them so much. As soon as we boarded the train, he tried out the bamboo J hook on his yarn.


We decided to eat dinner next door to Loopy Yarns at a place called Pizza-Ria. D ordered sausage pizza.


I ordered a garbage salad that had at least 10 different items in it. We shared some boneless chicken wings.


While I finished my salad, D checked out the jukebox. Here he is with his yarntainer in hand.


We had some time to kill so I taught him how to crochet a bobble stitch and make a granny square.

We walked next door just before 7:00 PM and browsed around while the earlier group finished tasting the yarns. D was in heaven. He said, "I think I need to come here more often!" We seated ourselves and I figured D would bust out the bamboo hooks to try the yarns; however, he said, "I think I want to learn knitting now." I let him borrow some size 8 needles from the Denise set and showed him how to do a cable cast on and the knit stitch. That boy got it within five minutes! He started stitching with the first two yarns he received. I got to try out the yarns without coaching him anymore.


Before we left I told him I"d treat him to some yarns. He opted for a skein of Checkenheaton Merino in red, a skein of of Plymouth Yarns Baby Alpaca DK in baby blue, and two skeins of Berroco Bonsai (a yarn we "tasted") in white and some rust color. He said he was going to use the Bonsai to make something for the Lake County Fair. Here's his haul. In all, it only cost about $20. Not bad since I've been known to drop four times that amount on myself.


On the train ride back, D couldn't wait to try out some of his yarn. He took out the K hook and started making a pillow with the Baby Alpaca.


He fell asleep with hook in his hand and I had to wake him when the train arrived at our destination. He said he had a good time. I told him that maybe we could go back on some other Friday for their open stitching night. He'd like that. I also told him to bring his yarn to school on Monday and I'll bring my yarn winder so we can wind the Bonsai before he uses it. I'll put a reminder on the bathroom mirror so I don't forget.