Projects on display

I have done some crafting lately.  Just wanted to log them for posterity.

I made a card for a friend who was celebrating her 80th birthday.  She is a twin, so I am not sure why I didn't make one for her brother as well, but ended up buying his!  Go figure.

I used the "watercolour" technique.  I wet the paper, stamped the image in pink and then blended the pink throughout.  Then, using the "stampa-ma-jig" I restamped the image in a darker pink.  I think it turned out to be quite nice and watercoloury looking.

I used several colours of cardstock, a border punch, organza ribbon, embossing, teeny little sparkly dots.  I know I can see you yawning, but trust me, my cardmaking friends would be so proud of me.  And the stampa ma jig thing is HUGE to us.  Anyway, I liked making the card, and the thing is, you think about the recipient the whole time you are making it.  I try to always put real good vibes into what I am giving people.  Throw back to the hippie days I guess.

I am trying to learn the continental method of knitting.  I was taught the English or "throw" method, which is slower and I think it is harder on my hands.  Anyway, I started out with a simple scarf pattern of 6 row garter stitch, one row yo garter stitch.  As I went along I got a little better at the method, and my stitches got tighter.  The scarf started to get smaller as my stitches got tighter.  Soooo, I have put this one to the side for now.  It will remain a WIP until I decide what I want to use this yarn for.  (I cast on for another scarf, and using the continental stitch and same pattern my scarf is looking all the same size and more even.  Yay for me!!)

This last project is a baby blanket.  I have a friend who is having her third child soon and I wanted to make it for her/him.  I had lots of yellow left over from another blanket I made.  I think I will edge this plain little blanket with a nice lace edging in either pink or blue as is appropriate.  But, I'll have to see how it will look like that.  The edging in this pattern is very wide.  Might look good. 

Also I wanted to show the arthritic friendly crochet hook that Holly and family gave me for Christmas.  It is the bees knees.  I love it.

I also have a cardigan that I started for Holly last fall uh that is the fall of 2009.  Anyway, since then I have found a better pattern.  So, someday I want to get back to that and hope to post the finished project.  Please, no breath holding though. 

Off to aquacize tonight, and hope to visit my little boys when I am in Regina.  Hope the weather stays nice, I hate driving home in the dark at the best of times. 

/bye

Feelings of inadequacy

Have you ever checked out the blogs that I list on my site?  How do they do it?  They blog almost everyday - well with the exception of Holly and Christa - who are still at that point of their lives where carving out a minute to go pee is a huge challenge.  But the other two - sheesh!  Crochetaholic completes two or three crochet items a day, whilst reading many many pattern books she receives, searching through catalogues and on the net to order more yarn and attending some kind of Knit Knight at the Kings Arms on a regular basis.  As for the Yarn Harlot - she makes a pair of socks every month, along with other knit items too numerous to mention, writes books, attends Sock Summits and Vogue Knitting Conferences - where she is one of the guest speakers - and yet, blogs, blogs, blogs.  I also follow a number of other blogs, which I would love to include on my list, but I kind of forget how.  All of them.  Crazy prolific at whatever they do AND at blogging. 

I only work 50%, and on my work days I can assure you that once my duties as head cook are completed I settle in my favorite easy chair like sludge in a pond.  If I have remembered to grab the knitting needles before I sit down, then I might knock off a row or two - if they are short - before heading for bed.  My paper crafting, which consumes a fair chunk of my disposable income, sits piled high and for the most part untouched.  I got the sewing machine all oiled up and ready to use once, but the oil has since congealed.  I get my facebook status updated quarterly.  What is wrong with me???

Okay, too negative and will put me in a sulk and probably not enough gigabytes to contain the list.  So, what is right with me.  I am NOT an overachiever.  My family does NOT have to worry about my OCD.  People never worry when I walk in on their house when it is untidy - I may not be very athletic or agile but I can leap a pile of laundry while dodging bags of overflowing garbage and not land on the family pet.  I am polite. I don't turn down an invitation to dine out even if I have a roast in the oven.  I rarely put roasts in the oven, because I don't want to be rude if someone should invite me out to dine.  I know how to appreciate the truly wonderful - like grandchildren and pedicures.  I do not "covet thy neighbour's ass" or eat yellow snow.  I would rather be late for work than miss the wonderful sunrise at ten to 8:00.  I know full well that sunrises that occur earlier than ten to eight are not ever going to be that beautiful and so never have a moments guilt about sleeping through them.  So, that's a pretty good well rounded list.  Thanks I feel better now.

/bye

Winter holidays

Dominican 2009

We have booked our holiday for the winter.  We try to get to Mexico or some other warm sunny place for a week each year.  I am so ready for my sunning on the beach - I just can't wait.  To heighten the suspense, the weather has turned really freakin' cold and snowy. 

I have learned over the last few years the essentials of traveling are money, my prescriptions and English language books/magazines to read which will go in a carry on with me.  I have suffered the agony of lost luggage, but we go all inclusive so I can use unlimited  Pina Coladas to dull the pain. 

The holidays are hard on Murray.  Once there, he is not able to work.  He has to relax.  He gets really tense and nervous relaxing.  But, after a bit of time on the beach, he gets into a routine to take the sting out of doing nothing and settles down some.  Unlimited Pina Colodas help with that as well.  If he can't work himself, he needs to be seeing other people at work.  At first he would try to rouse me off my deck chair to do something - oh like, tidy up the room or clean off the leaves from our deck - but realized that he had better luck communicating with the dead and gave up on that type of thing.  So now he contents himself by wandering around the resort watching the guys trim trees or sweep leaves or fix stuff.  Still, he is always glad to get home and get to work. 

Anyway, I better get at my biggest job this morning, which is making an appointment for a pedicure.  My coworker suggested that I should get a belly button ring also.  Ha!  The sight of my belly and its button could make people go blind, much the same way me wearing a pleated plaid skirt does.  No, I intend to keep my belly button firmly out of sight at all times - so no need to decorate it. 

/bye

Welcome, 2011

I have had quite a long dry spell at blogging.  This does not mean I don't have anything to say - no never that - but that life has been hectic - in a good way.

Christmas, the actual celebration of Christmas, began on Christmas Eve.  The Scottish Cochranes brought Tourtierre and the French Bedels brought perogies to Holly's for a Christmas eve supper.  It was a very pleasant evening of cards with two little girls, who were too young yet to understand the undercurrent of 'na na na na, na na na na, whoaoooaaa, goodbye" but sung lustily anyway.  We are a family of really weird Christmas traditions!

Christmas morning, we had Eggs Benedict at Holly's and followed wave after wave of present opening as a new crew would arrive with their presents for us, our gifts for them etc.  Each new wave was followed by more grazing at the treat table.  Finally we hauled ourselves off to Indian Head to have supper at Sharon's.  She had dishes representing all the major nationalities of the world lined up along her counter and covering her kitchen table.  Just one spoonful of each item and you still could have used another plate to hold it all.  Four kinds of cheesecake finished off the meal.

At this point I decided that I would never ever be hungry again.  And so far, I haven't been!!  I made gravy the other night and had to grip the edge of the counter as I swooned through a flashback of Christmas Dinner.

New Years was very quiet with time for reflection on 2010.  It was a crummy year for most people.  Failing health, failed relationships, failing grades, failing eyesight, failing investments were the norm for family and friends in this awful year.  The brightest spot came late in the year with the arrival of Declan, who continues to brighten the world with his sweet little smiling self - when he isn't screaming like a red faced banshee!!  I am so ready to welcome 2011 - new year new start.  The only resolution one should ever make is to savour the good moments, and hold them in your heart. 

On the other hand, one should count one's blessings.  I was NOT attacked by a bear.  My basement DID NOT flood.  There have NOT BEEN any drive by shootings in my neighbourhood.  So, on the whole life is good. 

/bye