Bible cover...check!

Finally worked on Jurnee's bible cover. Now she wants her name on it somehow...

Frothy & Fluttery

So I finished the frothy scarf, I am generally happy with it, I tried sock yarn to see what would happen, and it actually looks pretty fair. The pattern was quite easy I thought, I am ready for a new larger project. In the shower this morning, I contemplated working again on the pinwheel quilt or starting another crochet project. I do have a few flowers to crochet for my weekend getaway, pics will follow about that next week!

The wristlet factory is in full gear around here, getting ready to stock Tomorrow River Gallery and Gifts, planning to reopen in just a few weeks...yikes, I better get my butt in gear. I have embroidered on fabric to get the colors in the butterfly. I like this look very much and you may see more of it again here.

My first Garment!!!

So excited to have completed this! I learned SO much! 1) I do NOT like mohair 2) I learned how to adjust the sizes to fit me, which I did not do here 3) I REALLY REALLY want a dress form 4) I CAN DO THIS!!!!!! Yeah for me!

Now I am working on the Frothy Scarf mentioned here.

Bracelet I made the other day for my niece's birthday. This photo isn't quite doing it justice, but I hope she has fun with it!

WIPS

Not sure what I think of garment crochet...I would love to master it, but I just am not sure about this one. Partially because the pattern is written strangely. But I will go with my gut instinct and keep on keeping on!

Little cuffs for the girls!

Many know that I used to own a gift/flower/ interior design business. I think it is in my blood to do something like that though I am not really interested in that venue again. This intrigues me (well not the booze, just the concept!) Go check out MAKE DO MEND. I am so inspired!! Let me know what you think!

Finished!!!

Just love when I finish a WIP!! I am working busily on my new cuffs and the other projects I have going at the moment. All while battling some home stress and a terrible cold. But when I look at this afghan, I feel accomplished and inspired all at the same time! I used almost all cotton yarn for this, with just a little bit of acryllic. So the hand of it is very nice.

Obsessed with the hex-granny!

Much progress on this afghan for one week don't you think? I cannot put this down! I am hoping one more week and it will be done! Just had to share the progress!

Nostalgia & New beginnings

My fondest memory of my Grandma Schmitt was her crocheting at the kitchen table after dinner, sitting with my Grandpa, watching TV, visiting with each other and any of their 11 children, or friendly neighbors who randomly stopped in. Usually with a cold beer on the table, and a smile on her face. Over the Thanksgiving weekend, one of my Aunts very graciously gave me a crochet project my grandma had been working on over

years ago. She wondered if I could do anything with it? I am overwhelmed with nostalgia and joy and cannot wait to work with it! Thank you Nancy!

New beginning in our family is my little sister Kate is nearly due with her first child, a boy and we had a delightful time at her baby shower on Saturday. She will make a great mom! Hard to believe Kate was born while I was in High School. How time flies!

Free time!!!

Rusty took the girls for a few nights to the cabin, so I could get some things done, not to mention, so much needed alone time. So, I fit so much into my couple of days that I am just giddy with excitement. Along with a much overdue haircut, I am getting my craft world organized! Had a craft night with the girls from church, and worked two nights. I was also able to watch "Project Runway" last night. 3 very good designers, with VERY different ideas. I am very inspired by this show. Anyone want to give me a dress form for Christmas?...lol

Found a couple of gret sites for you to visit-On Awesome Avenue and Joy the Baker. Check these out if you can!

This is a pillow that I have finally completed. I began it in China in 2006:( At least it is finished!
Finished up two gifts, working on another one (the afghan above.) Also, I put up a shelf in Sophia's room, did a little Christmas shopping...not going to race around for the Hamster toy everyone is looking for...what a crock that is--

Working on the birds again, and boy have I got plans!!! I should be able to update the finished project really soon! Taa taa!

Gallery show

Can you say Bling? Liz, one of the gallery owners showed me a small sampling of her wares...looks like burlesqueware to me. But you know I traded for some of my baubles!

Crochet lessons going on in front of me all day, what a beautiful sight!

Liz, our wonderful hostess! She and her husband are workin' it at the Tomorrow River Gallery and Gifts in Amherst, Wisconsin. They graciously invited me to show my repurposed bracelets in the Wearable Art show last weekend. I got some tremendous feedback and it was very good for me to participate, not to mention, visit with Liz! Notice she has one of my birds on her head!

Stitching like crazy around here!

Busy I am telling you! The ONLY good thing about the flu! I just sat with Sophia and stitched for days!

The snowman is part of a crazy quilt pillow I started and I love!

Easy crocheted flowers for this pillow! Hope you like what I am doing-I did manage to get some things on Etsy this morning, but now I have to get re-focused on my bracelets and photos of them, as I lost many of the photos of the new ones in the computer overhaul.

Gettin' my craft on-

So I have been working like crazy on these scarves the last two days, and Sophia wanted one, and wouldn't let up I might add. Anyway, I put a couple of flowers on it for her, she is very proud!
Some awesome thrift from the weekend also, my sister adorned me with a few things, and I hit the jackpot at an Appleton thrift store, I won't mention the name though...cannot let my secret out!

AUTUMN

This one of my latest creations. Autumn pillow. I crocheted a motif and sewed it on, to be a flower. I was pleased over-all. I have a few more in progress and hope to get them on Etsy. This one is sold though.

So many things going on here, Rusty's dad has his cancer surgery on Thursday and it went well. So, hopefully he might be coming home sometime this month. He has bee at UW hospital since the middle of July. We are all ready for him to get home.

Jurnee got 5" of her hair cut, hopefully I will be able to post pics soon! I also, reinstalled Windows on my computer on Saturday night, so I needed to reinstall the photo program I used, but I couldn't, and whatever my computer used for the photo above, it worked slicker than I could believe. So now I can get back to posting photos.

What a weekend it was!

So, my little girls are silly tired, and I feel a bit tired also. We got home last night from a visit with Grandma for two nights and it will take a week to straighten everyone out. But we'll manage. The photo on the bottom is Jurnee with her favorite cousin Ali. Even with a 2.5 year age difference they seem to play so nicely together. It was great fun to watch them giggle, and who would have thought my 4.5 year old would stay up later than me on a Friday night?

Also, I guess I am indeed rippling along. I needed something to do with my hands on Friday morning, and I took it with me, and just didn't want to put the thing down. I found the pattern here, and decided to use some of the yarn I inherited from my no-longer crocheting Grandma. It is the 4ply worsted acrylic, but I cannot wait to get my hands on some really soft stuff for the next one, listen to me, I have only a million things going on here. I plan to paint my kitchen before Rusty gets home too, so yes, I better get to bed early.

Thrifting...Rusty calls it slummin' I call it fun!

So I have not been able to thrift very much this year, and I am bummed, but I did pick up a few fabrics at the local store, and I found these beauties at a sale down the road.
I LOVE the cover dress pattern for the one on the right. My biggest issue with old patterns is that I want to make sure I am using an appropriate yarn, and because this is from 40ish years ago, and I think sizes have changed so much. Anyway, off to Hershners (did I mention that the home office and supply store is about 1 mile from my house?) to look for some yarn, I just might tackle this and save the quilt for the fall...so many projects so little time.

Also want to mention, that the "Begin to knit" photo is me after about 10 hours of trying to figure it out...saying, "where did I go wrong?"

For now I will stick to crocheting.

Big thanks to Jen Duncan for alerting me to my blog not accepting anonymous comments, I had no idea, so go ahead everyone, leave a comment, tell me what you think.

New projects...& The Quilt Show

So 2 posts in one day, I cannot help it. I will be out of town for a few days and I have some things going on.
1) The snowstorm is RIDICULOUS..................
2) The Quilt Show is amazingly inspiring! Check out the link below!
3) Crocheted motifs are fun!

I plan to put these together for a runner. I am so privy to red! I am also almost finished with the wallhanging for Jurnee's room, and I am in an altered book class which is a good creative diversion for me. Doing this with my new friend Lisa.

Bella, Bella, Bella. Just talked to Janell and Bella is causing some trouble. That dog (Lhassa-Poo) needs much more one on one attention than we can give her, so she is better there. I think once she understands her space and such, things should hopefully calm down for Janell and Peter (Bless their hearts.) We cannot have a dog that bites children...PERIOD. Rusty is a little sad, but at least we will be able to see her when we want or maybe even dog sit sometime. We'll see.
No news on travel to China, but man oh man, ticket prices and availability are pretty high for the end of December, I will just sit tight and wait it out. But I am anxious to pinch those little cheeks! We met with our Wisconsin travel partners and I think we are going to be a fun crowd.
I have some new posts on Flickr, work I finished up, and much more to come, I seem to have more time on my hands suddenly...hmmmm.

The time is flying. We found out Monday that we will not be travelling any time soon , and we had to have our INS (immigration) paperwork refiled. So, we spent yesterday doing that. We are very busy otherwise just recovering from Rusty flu-like symptoms, and Jurnee & I a nasty chest cold. Mine seems to be lingering, though of course I am not resting much.

I have been crafting a little though. I finished my mittens! Something for show and tell in crochet class. I am working on a pot-scrubbie tonight...seriously... I learn so much in that class, it is more about the technique I think. I have also finished one of the kitchen towels meant for my Christmas gift exchange in Kaukauna. Can't tell you who I have though. I will post the towels when they are all done...a few days hopefully.

It is a beautiful day once again in Central Wisconsin! I bet this could be the last one for awhile...snow is on the way!
We have sent in the acceptance of our little Sophia, now we wait for travel dates. I was able to paint the room and set up the crib, and go through 3 tubs of clothes. So I am making progress now.
Mittens!!!!!! are the new project for crochetting class and I am doing pretty well, I have a thumb so far. But the tinsel trail is still my biggest project of the day. Though I did end up ordering cable tv, which we were going to probably do anyway. I just wish we could choose the 4-5 channels we like and be done with it, we do not even watch tv very often, but Rusty gets bored in the winter around the house, and with a new baby. We will try it for a couple of months. I think I am more attached to my computer anyway.