Squiddy Mitts Finished

Love love love these! Soft, warm, but not too warm, long enough to keep my hands warm but short enough so I can still type ...

Busy Times ...

I've been extremely busy lately, what with starting my new job, doing documentation for DAZ, and getting out a special Christmas issue of Crochet Uncut. I've had a little time to work on some new fingerless mitts with Andeys Originals Sock Yarn. This is the same Spirogyra pattern I made before but it's such a great design and so easy to remember. I just don't like making the thumb section, but that's not the pattern's fault.



I'll be moving closer to my new job right after Christmas. My current commute is over an hour, double or triple that if there are any accidents. Moving should cut the commute down to about 20 minutes. I'll finally have enough room to set up my craft room again and pull out my sewing machine and serger again! Woot!

Now, off to do some packing...

Painting Nested Dolls

Zim's Crafts went out of business on 11/1 which is a sad day for everyone who shopped there. They were the only place I could find the blank nested boxes I need for my nesting doll sets. I was in the store in August, just after I was laid off, and all their blanks were on sale for $1, instead of the usual $5 price. The manufacturer where they got the boxes had gone out of business and they were clearing out their stock. I splurged and bought most of what they had and now have a stash of the blanks.

Of course, when I moved to Utah, I gave all my paints to my sister, Jenny, so, I'm now trying to get my paint supply back up to par so I can paint a few for Christmas and hopefully sell them. I went to Robert's Crafts this evening (I got my first paycheck from my new job - Praise the Lord for that blessing!) and all the 2 oz. acrylic paints were $.99, regular $1.39. So, I was able to get almost 50 bottles instead of the 30-35 I was planning on getting.

Now, the only thing I need to find is my purple craft box that has the patterns for the nested Nativity set I need to finish up. What is really sad is that the box is not small ... it's 19"x10"x11" and not something you'd think would just up and disappear - but it has (sigh). It's probably behind a stack of boxes that I had packed stuff away in.

If you'd like to see some photos of a couple of the sets, they're up on my etsy shop. As soon as I paint some more, I'll post photos here as the ones on etsy are from several years ago.

• CatBird Studios on Etsy.com
  

Crochet Uncut Published!

After a few months of hard work, the first issue of Crochet Uncut was published on the 1st. There were a few problems, mostly with formatting, but they've all been fixed. I was also able to put up a PDF version of the magazine so it could be downloaded but you'll always find the online version on the site.

The next issue is due out on March 1, 2009 with the deadline for submissions on 1/31/09. That gives you folks three months to design, write, and get your patterns tested! Theme is patterns for warmer weather, but not the heat. Non-clothing items also accepted (no theme needed).

There will also be a special issue sometime soon, maybe between the Spring and Summer issues that will deal with weddings or babies - haven't made up my mind on that one yet. Keep an eye on the CU blog (linked in the main menu of the mag) or on the Crochet Uncut forum at Ravelry.com for more information as it becomes available.

• Crochet Uncut - read the first issue
• Crochet Uncut forum @ Ravelry.com
• Crochet Uncut Pattern Listing @ Ravelry.com
  

I found a job!

After three months of sending out hundreds of resumes and going on multiple interviews, I got two job offers today, one was temp to perm while the other one was perm and for more money, so I took the second job. I start Monday and am so grateful! It's a smaller company with a more laid back atmosphere but seems to have greater challenges and opportunities - which I like.

I'm trying to decide what do about the WalMart job since I just started there about two weeks ago and hate to leave after only being there a short time, but the new job is in Provo and it will be very difficult to get from there to Murray in time to work an evening shift. I'll be getting off at 5 and it takes 45 minutes to 1.5 hours to get home depending on traffic. Guess I'll have to talk to my manager at WalMart to see what to do next. It's a hard job but I actually enjoy it other than the back pain and my feet killing me ... LOL!!!

I do have a cute story that happened on my first day as a cashier. I was shadowing another cashier and a woman came up with her little girl in the shopping cart. The girl was about two years old and holding a doll. When her mother tried to take the doll so it could be scanned, her daughter wouldn't let go. The lady calmly picked up her daughter, held her over the register, and the cashier scanned her. Was soooo cute!

One thing I like to do when kids buy stuff or their parents are buying things that are obviously for the kids, I'll use the real small bags and put each child's items in their own bag. The kids love it and the parents are happy too. One lady just beamed and said, "Oh! You have just made his day!"

Oh, almost forgot, when my sisters and I were growing up, our mother made us knitted slippers every year for Christmas. We always looked forward to them, not just because they were warm, but because our mother had made them just for us. She tried to teach me to knit but it never clicked. I taught myself crochet around 1994 after a friend and co-worker made a doily for me for Christmas. Once I found out how to knit Continental style, I started asking mom to find that slipper pattern for me. Well, she found it a few weeks back and today, it came in the mail. I'm just thrilled and am going to make a pair as soon as I can.

Fall Socks completed

In between getting Crochet Uncut ready to publish, working part time at WalMart, doing some contract work, and looking for a full time job, I was able to finish another pair of socks using Zitron Trekking Hand Art yarn. I selected the yarn because of the colors but thought it might be too scratchy for socks, but once I started the socks and tried them on, I was pleasantly surprised. The yarn is warm and comfy. I think I have enough left to make a pair of wrist warmers.



Check out my Fall Socks Ravelry project page.

On my lunch hours at WalMart, I'm working on a new project for Crochet Uncut and am hoping to have it completed before it's time to publish the first issue.

Working hard

The deadline for submissions for articles and patterns for the premier issue of Crochet Uncut is coming up on 10/15/08. I've been working hard on figuring out the magazine software I'm using and getting things ready.

Of course, I'm still looking for a full time job and should be starting part time at WalMart in a few days. With the contract work I have and working at WalMart, I just might be able to squeek by ... maybe.

Shorah Y'all!

Decorating cakes - a fond memory

So, I'm watching some episodes of the Ace of Cakes on Fancast.com and it reminded me of how I once dreamed of owning a cake decorating business.

I grew up watching my father decorate cakes for folks in our church. He had some Wilton books that he used to learn how and we'd watch him. I remember one time when the eldest daughter of my mother's best friend was getting married and when the took the top layer out of the box, it fell. In a panic, they called my father to see if he could fix it. He mixed up the buttercream icing and once we were all dressed for the wedding, headed over to the church and he was able to fix the cake so it looked like it had never been dropped.

Anyway, when I moved to Houston, I took the opportunity to take some Wilton courses at Michaels and loved it. In 2001, I had moved out to Alvin and hadn't decorated any cakes in over four years but my neighbors across the street, Michelle and Chris, were getting married and had a tight budget. I offered to decorate their cake and another neighbor offered to bake it.

Please pardon the bad photos, I had a really cheap digital camera at the time.

On Wednesday, 7/25/01, I made the roses and left them out to dry. Not bad for not having made any in over four years.



Here is the basic cake that I put together on 7/27/01. I didn't level it quite right, so it's a little crooked, but hey, I never said that I was a professional. I put it in the frig overnight to thaw.



Saturday morning, 7/28/01, I decorated the groom's cake (note to self: never make buttercream icing with real butter in July in Texas). Once that cake was put in the frig to delay the melting of the icing, I started on the wedding cake again. I added another layer of icing around the sides and on the top. This photo is after I added some scallops and trim. I was really starting to worry because the cake really looks tilted from this angle and I wasn't sure if there was enough of the decorations on it.



After adding the roses and some leaves I felt much better about the cake. It really looked quite nice.



Here's another view of the cake. This is at about 3:00 pm Central time on 7/28/01, the wedding is at 5:00 pm. At 4:30 pm, Jessica carried the grooms cake over and I carried this cake. I was handed the topper and I placed in on the cake. The groom's cake started to melt because I had used real butter in the butter cream icing and it was very hot an muggy that day. Both Michelle and Chris were extremely pleased with both cakes, so I'm happy that they came out well.



Enough of memory lane ... I wanna decorate something ....


Shorah Y'all!

Squid- O-Licious Socks Finished!

I love these socks and the stripes from the yarn! I'm wearing the socks right now and my feet are warm and comfy!! I'm definitely going to buy more of this yarn when I can afford it.



Shorah Y'all! Blogs of Note

Italian Sausage with Green Peppers and Onions

One of my favorite dishes is Italian sausage with onions and green peppers. It's extremely easy to make and tasty to boot.

Italian Sausage with Green Peppers and Onions - Pro/Fat Vegies, Level One

Makes 4-6 servings
Somersize Level One



Ingredients:

• Italian sausage (4-6 links), mild or hot, pork or turkey
• Olive oil
• 2 Green peppers
• 1 large or 2 medium Yellow onions

Boil or grill the sausage. I don't recommend frying them as the outside will be cooked long before the inside is. When done, cut sausage into slices on a slight angle, set aside.

Cut up the peppers and onions into 1.5" to 2" squares. Add 1.5-2 TBL olive oil to a large frypan over medium heat. Add peppers and onions and cook until onions are semi-transparent but still crunchy. If you like your onions softer, cook until they are slightly carmelized. Add freshly ground salt and pepper then toss in sausage, stir. Cook just long enough to make sure the sausage is hot then remove from heat. Serve.

ETA (9/23/13): Somersize info, photos, and pin. Found out after I'd been making this that it was also one of the recipes in one of Susan Somers' books.

Shorah Y'all!

Squid-O-Licious Socks & CLF Book

I bought two skeins of sock yarn from AndeyLayne.com in her Squid-O-Licious colorway. The yarn is 75% Merino and 25% Nylon and squishy soft.



I decided to use one skein to make a pair of arm warmers and the second skein to make a pair of socks. Starting with the socks, I selected the Ultimate Crocheted Socks by Dorothy Hardy. I started out making the large size but they were too large so I frogged the sock and started over making the small size. The instructions have you stop 2.5" from the back of the heel then begin increasing for the gusset however, this made the sock too long and too big. I frogged again until I was 3" from the back of the heel and this time it worked perfectly, well except for doing the heel wrong because I didn't read the pattern erratas in the comments. The cuff is a ribbing but since I wanted a looser cuff, I did a simple ch2, sc in each st around. I'm to the gusset on the second sock and once it is done, I'll have a comfy pair of scrumptious footies. I just love how the pink and lime sections form gorgeous wavy stripes up the foot.

• Ultimate Crocheted Socks Ravelry Page - make sure you read the comments on the actual pattern page about the extra marker in the pattern
  
• Squid-O-Licious Socks Ravelry Project Page
  

Now, for the "Crochet Liberation Front First Ever Book" which has just been published! I have a pattern in the book for arm warmers and one of the ones I made (the green one) is on the back cover of the book. If you love crochet, then you must get this book. It has patterns, stories, and tips & tricks.

• Eleanora's Arm Warmers Ravelry Project Page
• Crochet Liberation Front First Ever Book Ravelry Page - page has link to Amazon page so Ravelry gets a bit of cash from the sale

Shorah Y'all!

Noodle Bowl

When I worked for Boeing in Houston, the cafeteria in the building I worked in would have a special each week and my favorite was the noodle bowl. I love it so much that I started making it at home. It makes for a nice fresh meal with tender rice noodles and crunchy raw vegies. The hardest part is finding the noodles.

This dish is great for a buffet style lunch or light supper. Just place the bowls (you'll need some fairly large bowls as this will become a family favorite) at the top of the table, then the noodles and chicken, then the bowls of vegies/toppings, then the broth to pour a bit over the noodles and vegies, and finally the sauces to top it all off.

Ingredients:

• Rice noodles, cooked
  
• Chicken broth (can use broth after cooking chicken or purchase ready-made)
  
• Cooked chicken breast, cut or torn into bite sized pieces
• Soy sauce
• Fish sauce and/or Oyster sauce
  
• Variety of Asian sauces, mild or hot or both
• Salt and pepper
• Variety of vegies, chopped as needed into fairly small pieces
  
• Broccoli,
  
• Green peppers
• Green onions
• Bean sprouts
• Garlic (finely chopped or pressed)
• Tomatoes
• Jalepenos
• Cabbage
• Spinach
• Bamboo shoots
• Water chestnuts
• Mushrooms (fresh)
• Any other fresh vegies and herbs you can think of

I am so craving this right now .... guess I need to double my efforts at finding a job so I can afford the vegies, eh?

Shorah Y'all!

Diagonal Box Stitch (aka Corner-to-Corner)

Someone made a blanket using the Diagonal Box Stitch and brought it into the Unraveled Sheep in Sandy, UT. Several ladies were interested in learning how to do the stitch and so we scheduled a class - but no one signed up. Quite disappointing after all the interest was shown in it.

Anyway, this stitch can be used to make just about anything, from items for the home, such as washcloths, blankies, afghans, and blankets, to clothing items.

• Queue up on Ravelry
• Download PDF

Shorah Y'all!

Linoleum Stamp

I was applying for a job and remembered I'd carved a design in linoleum for an art class several years back and went looking for it on my web site. I found a photo of the stamp but not of the finished project, so I pulled examples from the class portfolio and scanned them in. All of my projects for the class used variations of designs found on Ukrainian Easter Eggs.

Stamped on a piece of colored cardstock for practice:



Stamped on a piece of handmade paper (yes, I made the paper) and framed:



The rest of the projects from the class can be seen on my website: UHCL Gallery - look for the pottery jar, ostrich egg, and clay tiles.

Shorah Y'all!

Crochet Uncut - A New E-Zine

I've been working on a new e-zine, called Crochet Uncut, targeted towards crochet articles and patterns and the response on Ravelry has been tremendous! I'm so excited and already have a featured columnist who will be writing patterns specifically for beginners along with a dose of humor. I also have a voluteer editor who will be checking submitted patterns against the submission guidelines and for readability. Several other Ravelry members are also working on patterns to submit for the first issue due out at the beginning of November.

Just to give folks a sneak peak, I designed a childs hat specifically for the first issue and it is adorable, if I say so myself!





The pattern will be released with the first issue of Crochet Uncut, but you can check out the Ravelry pattern page for it and favorite it or queue it up.


Shorah Y'all!

Vegie Pizza

It's been a while since I've posted but I've been trying to find a job - with no luck mind you. Anyway, I thought I'd post one of my favorite recipes. Hope you enjoy it!

Vegie Pizza

Ingredients:

• 1 can Pillsbury Crescent Rolls
• Olive Oil
• Salt and Pepper
• Shredded Pizza Cheese or other cheese, such as feta or blue depending on taste
  
• Fresh vegies (broccoli, onions, mushrooms, green peppers, black olives, tomatoes)
  

Take the can of crescent rolls from the fridge and allow to warm up a bit while preparing the vegies. Check the can of crescent rolls and preheat the oven as directed on the can. Wash and slice/chop the vegies. Open the can of crescent rolls and spread it out on a cookie sheet. Pinch the edges of the triangles together and gently push the dough to cover as much of the cookie sheet as possible, being careful not to tear the dough.

Use a small brush to spread a thin layer of olive oil over the dough then sprinkle salt and pepper over the olive oil. Cover the dough with the vegies and then sprinkle the cheese on top. Bake the pizza based on the directions on the can of crescent rolls.

The crescent rolls give a slightly sweet flavor to the pizza which goes well with the olive oil, cheese, and crunchy vegies. You can use any brand of crescent rolls but the Pillsbury ones are the best for this pizza.

Shorah Y'all!

My Fairy Name ....

Your fairy is called Oak Goblinwitch

She is a bringer of riches and wealth.

She lives in forests of oak and lime trees.

She is only seen in the enchanted moment between sleep and waking.

She decorates herself with leaves and berries. She has gentle green wings like a butterfly.

Get your free fairy name here!

Shorah Y'all!

Make your own Cord Coils

I was having trouble finding cord coils that weren't out of my price range or the exact size I needed. I started thinking about it and remembered that I had some eye pins that I'd purchased but never used. After a bit of experimenting, I came up with a quick way to make my own.



And used them when I made my row counter bracelets which are available for sale in my Etsy store.



(not a good photo, sorry)

Anyway, I put together a small tutorial on how to make your own cord coils.

Download here

I'd love to hear if this tutorial helps out when making your own jewelry.

Shorah Y'all!

Gifts ready to ship!

Katie had her baby girl the other day and I think I've made enough items for her to send them on their way. I made another of the "jacquard" hats, two washcloths, and a simple hat from Crochet from the Heart by Kristin Spurkland.



Shorah Y'all!

Little Boy's Hat

Finished the second hat in a 24-month size for Katie's little boy. I finished it off with four rows of 1x1 ribbing and a crochet bind off. This is the same pattern as the yellow and pink ruffled hat but without the ruffle.



Shorah Y'all!

Ruffled Hat & Completed Yarn Quest

I finished the hat I started while waiting for my car's A/C to be fixed. It's adorable and the Bernat Baby Jacquard is so soft!



Ravelry Project Page

I picked up some gorgeous yarn while completing the local Yarn Quest. At Three Wishes Fiber Arts in West Jordan, I picked up three skeins of ONline Linie 12 Clip for $4.99 each, in pink, green, and yellow. At The Needlepoint Joint in Ogden I picked up two skeins of the Tahki Cotton Classic in a light green that I've been trying to find. At the Needlepoint Joint, I also found a book I'd been thinking about getting, "50 Baby Booties to Knit" by Zoe Mellor. I'lll probably do at least one of them in the Bernat Berries & Cream Baby Jacquard to match the hat above. I also saw a cute little knitted dress in the window there and bought the pattern. It is called "Spring Flowers" by Fiber Trends. At the Black Sheep Wool Company in SLC, I found a Dale of Norway pattern book with some adorable knit patterns for babies.

My sister Jessica came with me on the quest as did my dog, Kaylee. She was oohed and aahed over at each store and even piddled on the carpet at Three Wishes since she'd smelled the owner's male dog scent in the store.

When we walked into the store, I saw they had several looms on the left with a wall of yarn for weaving. I told them that they were officially my second favorite store because of the weaving supplies they had. "What would it take to make us your favorite store?" one of the ladies asked. I laughed and said they couldn't as The Unraveled Sheep was my favorite.

All of the stores in the quest were wonderful places, everyone was extremely friendly and helpful, and all had crochet sections which I appreciated.

Now, I can only cross my fingers that we win one of the wonderful prizes from the quest!!!!

Shorah Y'all!

Another beanie and some booties

I'm almost finished with the second Fair Isle Beanie for Katie's forthcoming baby. I purchased some additional yarn in white so I could follow the original pattern more closely and it's adorable! I just need to weave in the ends (which is one of my least favorite tasks).





I also made some booties following a free Bernat pattern:





Ravelry Project Page

I stopped by the Firestone in Draper today to get the AC in my car looked at as it wasn't working - hot air is not a good thing in 90+ heat. I had to wait a bit (2 hours) so I walked over to Michaels in the same parking lot and bought some Bernat Baby Jacquards yarn and needles. The yarn had a cute baby hat on the label so I worked on that while waiting on my car. I'm almost finished with the top of the hat and about to start on the main part of it. I'll post pics when I'm finished with it. I'm making one for a 3 month old in pink and one for an 18-24 month old in blue. They'll go to Katie for her newborn girl and little boy.

Shorah Y'all!

Baby Beanies!

The local yarn stores are having a yarn quest this week and on Saturday I made it to
The Wool Cabin in Salt Lake City, Unraveled Sheep in Sandy, and Heindselman's in Provo. At the Wook Cabin, they had some adorable knitted baby beanies and the pattern was free with purchase of the Cotton Classic yarns in the pattern. My cousin Katie is having a baby soon and I knew these would be perfect!

I finished one of them, a Fair Isle Baby Beanie although I modified it slightly as I had only gotten three colors but it was my third finished knitting project and my first attempt at a small Intarsia project.

So, here's the finished hat and I'm working on a second one with a band of seed stitches.



Shorah Y'all!

What kind of whatever am I?

Decided to take a couple of those "What kind of ... are you?" things. Here are a few of them.

This one couldn't be more off:

You Are a Brownie Cheesecake

A little chunky and a little gooey, you pretty much run on sugar! You take hedonism to the extreme.. And people love you for it.

What Kind of Cheesecake Are You?

Now this one is ironic since mint makes me ill even though I love it (is one of the issues I have with Fibromyalgia):

You Are A Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Girl

Creative. Expressive. Unique.

What Flavor Ice Cream Girl Are You?

hmmm ... maybe ....

You Belong in Spring

Optimistic, lively, and almost always happy with the world... You can truly appreciate the blooming nature of spring. Whether you're planting flowers or dyeing Easter eggs, spring is definitely your season!

What Season Are You?

Shorah Y'all!

More photos of sundress

I was able to get some nicer photos outside after I got home from work.





Shorah Y'all!

Sundress Finished

I've been working on a crocheted sundress for my little cousin Anya and finally finished it this morning around 5:30 am when I couldn't sleep and figured what better way to spend a sleepless night than to finish this project?

The pattern is by Joyce Nordstrom and is found in Crochet Today! May/June 2008 issue. I did make some changes to the dress, like a third row of scs for the neck and arm edging instead of reverse scs (was taking too long) and added some little crocheted flowers at the waist.

The color is way off in these photos, the dress color is more of a light green. I'll have to take photos outside to get a more realistic color.







oooh, the color is more like this image:



Queue up on Ravelry

Shorah Y'all!

Finished the Spirogyra Mitts!

Finally!!!! Am tickled pink ... The first glove ends in orange and the second glove starts out with the end section of the orange and continues, so they aren't "perfect" matches, but I love them anyway.



Shorah Y'all!

Catching up

I'm a bit behind on posting here as I've been very busy with the charting software and my knitting and crochet projects. I also found some older projects, some finished, some not - which I've added to my Ravelry projects.

The first project is a baby hat I've started using the Spirogyra Fingerless Gloves pattern. I wanted to do another baby hat using the Jaeger Trinity yarn I have but the pattern I found required that you have another pattern from a book or magazine, neither of which I have. So, since I like the Spirogyra pattern so much, I decided to use it instead which means that when I've finished with it, I can post the changes here and not worry that my readers can't get hold of the original pattern.



The next project is one I'd made back in 2003 - just because it was so cute! It's a bobble hat for a little girl from the September 2003 issue of Crochet! Magazine. It uses Plymouth Wildflower D.K. yarn which has some beautiful kid colors!



I also found a threadholder I'd made from an e-pattern I purchased at e-patternscentral.com. It works great when traveling so my balls of thread don't roll under the plane seats or across the waiting room.



I'm also to the palm on the right glove of the Spirogyra mitts and just about to get to the thumb section.



The final project is the first half of the Mystery Shawl for the Goddess Knits Anniversary Knit Along. This will be my first knitted shawl, first circular knitted piece, and first time using lace weight yarn. I've struggled with the gauge swatch and have resigned myself to using a lifeline every other row. However, I love the Knit Picks Shadow yarn in Spring Green that I purchased. It is lovely, soft, and ... green ... which is always a plus for me.



Oh, and how could I forget the scrumptious yarn I purchased from Three Irish Girls in their Teague colorway ... this will go towards a very special project that I have not decided on or have any idea what it will be ... oh the joy of anticipation just to see what I'll come up with!



Shorah Y'all!