Saturday night I had a message on my answering machine from a lady at church saying that someone had donated a large bag full of crocheted squares to the Prayer Shawl Ministry and she wanted to get them to me. In my mind I pictured random squares using up odd bits of yarn and scraps...multicolored. I figured who ever donated them made them for that purpose or made them just to get rid of scraps. Sunday after church I got the squares and peeked into the bag. Much to my surprise all of the squares matched. They all had a purpose and a place. Each one was carefully stacked on top of another, sealed, and carefully labeled in individual Ziplock bags...numbered by rows. They were beautiful white granny squares with a burst of color on the inside. This wasn't at all what I had expected. I thought to myself 'Why on earth would someone go through all this hard work and not finish it? They were so close.' Then it dawned on me...What if the person making the afghan died and their family was left with just this bag of squares and no way to assemble them? Here this woman probably spent countless hours working on this project to never see the end result. Think of all your WIP's. Think of all your stash that will be left behind. I guess in the grand scheme of things a Work in Progress is just a drop in a bucket, of no significance, but still this idea deeply saddened me.
I guess there are a couple of things to be said about this situation. First, yarn might seem like a ridiculous thing to leave in a will, but it should at least be communicated to a relative what you want to happen to it once you're gone. If you don't have any family members or friends that could use it please consider leaving it to specific charity. I wonder how many countless WIPS have been throw away after someones passing because family members didn't know how to handle it. I'm grateful for the bag of squares I received. Our ministy is always in need of handmade items. I guess the second thing that could be said is this, life is too short to crochet/knit with cheap yarn. I'm not saying 'Go Crazy' but I am saying treat yourself now to something nice. I'm going to make myself an alpaca sweater! I've never used alpaca before so this will be nice...and interesting...and expensive :-)
Oh! And finish those WIP's now while you have the chance!
Maybe I'll gain a new found enthusiasim for the Football Fever afghan I'm making for my husband.
2.24.2009
Weekend Crochet
This past weekend I started the 'Chevron Lace Cardigan' like I had planned. I got about 15 rows into the pattern (where you split the yoke for the sleeves) and decided I wasn't loving the yarn choice. The pattern calls for a DK weight yarn but there is no DK selection around here so I went with a worsted weight as some others have done. I chose Red Hearts Soft Yarn in Dark Leaf. I loved, loved, loved the color on the shelf. Everytime I'd walk down the aisle in consideration that one always jumped out at me. The further along I got with the cardigan the more I didn't like my color choice. Green is my favorite color but this was almost too green, if you know what I mean. I realized I'd probably be self concious wearing it. Then, there was the worsted weight. It just appeared entirely too thick for the openness of the pattern. I just decided it wasn't going right at all so I frogged it. I'd like to come back to this later because I really like the pattern and it really was flying by, but I'm going to have to wait until I'm inspired by a particular yarn...other than worsted weight green :-)
Also, this weekend I managed to make some progress on the Football Fever afghan. I've only got 11 more rows and I'll be finished with the endzone that's been holding me back! Should be fairly easy going after that...at least until I reach the mid-field logo.
Then, I finished my handmade item for the Odd Ducks: South Park Swap on Ravelry. It's a secret for at least another month or so-so I can't say. I have another item though that I need to make to add to it.
So at least I did manage to accomplish something this weekend.
Also, this weekend I managed to make some progress on the Football Fever afghan. I've only got 11 more rows and I'll be finished with the endzone that's been holding me back! Should be fairly easy going after that...at least until I reach the mid-field logo.
Then, I finished my handmade item for the Odd Ducks: South Park Swap on Ravelry. It's a secret for at least another month or so-so I can't say. I have another item though that I need to make to add to it.
So at least I did manage to accomplish something this weekend.
2.20.2009
The Comings and Goings
The Football Fever afghan is still a slow go. I've only managed to get a few more rows finished. I guess I'm about half way through the end zone though so I've got that much going for me. I can't work on it while I'm watching TV because I get too distracted and I have to read the pattern from a chart. I love watching TV on weekday nights so that is limiting me a lot. I watch 'House' and '24' on Mondays, 'American Idol' on most Tuesdays and Wednesdays, and 'Grey's Anatomy' on Thursday. I know-I'm a freak but whatever. I've got a schedule and it works. Anyway, I put the afghan down this week to work on a Prayer Shawl for a lady at my church. That's much easier to work on through my favorite shows. I'll be finished with that today and free to pick up whatever else I decide tonight.
I found a fast and easy cardigan that I really want to make. It's a Chevron Lace Cardigan and the pattern is available on Ravelry or at http://milobo.wordpress.com/2008/11/22/chevron-lace-cardigan-pattern/ (I would love to include a link for you but my dumb computer won't allow it right now!) . I went and bought the yarn for it Wednesday. Most people on Ravelry said it can be completed in less than a week. I may attempt to finish it this weekend or at least get it started. I guess it depends on how long it takes for me to get gauge. I found the most perfect buttons for it on etsy. I still have to order them and then I'll have to wait for them to ship...so who knows when it'll be finished. I need to work on the afghan!
At the end of last year I posted about some changes I was wanting to make or some things I was going to strive to work at this year. One was eating better, drinking more water, and generally taking better care of myself. I started at the beginning of February with my attempts. So far I've been doing pretty good. I'm still not even close to drinking the recommended amount of water per day. I think I've worked myself up to 1/2 a liter of water a day...right...that's like 1/4 of the recommended daily intake. I suck. I hate water. I also said I wanted to cut out as many processed foods as possible. I had gotten in a bad habit of using boxed and bagged pasta mixes and rice mixes and using all canned vegetables. Most of my dinners were cooked in a microwave. I just got burnt out and lazy with my cooking. I haven't eaten any of the like in 3 weeks now. I've used all fresh produce and the meals have been so much better! I've also been checking out new cookbooks from the library in an attempt to make meals more exciting. I've thoroughly enjoyed it so far. I do all my meal planning on Saturdays and try to do my grocery shopping over the weekend as well. As mentioned earlier, I work better on a schedule.
In addition to the fresher less processed meals I've started exercising again. I joined with some friends in one of my Ravelry groups in doing the Couch to 5K running program. You can check it out at http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_3/181.shtml (again, can't link). Basically it's just alternating intervals of walking and running 3 times a week. Supposedly within 9 weeks of following this program you should be able to run 3 miles. I just finished my second week on the program. I'll be starting week 3 tomorrow. Surprisingly, I've enjoyed it. I'm also hoping to start some Pilate's on the alternating days.
I guess this is all a desperate attempt to find something that will help my stomach out. I'm eating lots of yogurt, smoothies, and drinking lots of herbal teas. We'll see after awhile if any of this proves beneficial.
Also, I think I'm going to start doing 'Open Letters' on my blog. I've had the idea for awhile but have been hesitant because they're so personal but I think it would be therapeutic. I've had more people than I can count say that they believe my stomach problems have manifested from all the things I keep inside and don't share and don't deal with. I just wanted to mention this so that you'd know what's going on because you may start seeing "Dear So and So..." a lot. I saw an Open Letter Thread on Ravelry and it's usually pretty interesting to read.
So, that's that. That's what I've been up to and what I'm going to be up too for awhile. Wish me luck...
I found a fast and easy cardigan that I really want to make. It's a Chevron Lace Cardigan and the pattern is available on Ravelry or at http://milobo.wordpress.com/2008/11/22/chevron-lace-cardigan-pattern/ (I would love to include a link for you but my dumb computer won't allow it right now!) . I went and bought the yarn for it Wednesday. Most people on Ravelry said it can be completed in less than a week. I may attempt to finish it this weekend or at least get it started. I guess it depends on how long it takes for me to get gauge. I found the most perfect buttons for it on etsy. I still have to order them and then I'll have to wait for them to ship...so who knows when it'll be finished. I need to work on the afghan!
At the end of last year I posted about some changes I was wanting to make or some things I was going to strive to work at this year. One was eating better, drinking more water, and generally taking better care of myself. I started at the beginning of February with my attempts. So far I've been doing pretty good. I'm still not even close to drinking the recommended amount of water per day. I think I've worked myself up to 1/2 a liter of water a day...right...that's like 1/4 of the recommended daily intake. I suck. I hate water. I also said I wanted to cut out as many processed foods as possible. I had gotten in a bad habit of using boxed and bagged pasta mixes and rice mixes and using all canned vegetables. Most of my dinners were cooked in a microwave. I just got burnt out and lazy with my cooking. I haven't eaten any of the like in 3 weeks now. I've used all fresh produce and the meals have been so much better! I've also been checking out new cookbooks from the library in an attempt to make meals more exciting. I've thoroughly enjoyed it so far. I do all my meal planning on Saturdays and try to do my grocery shopping over the weekend as well. As mentioned earlier, I work better on a schedule.
In addition to the fresher less processed meals I've started exercising again. I joined with some friends in one of my Ravelry groups in doing the Couch to 5K running program. You can check it out at http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_3/181.shtml (again, can't link). Basically it's just alternating intervals of walking and running 3 times a week. Supposedly within 9 weeks of following this program you should be able to run 3 miles. I just finished my second week on the program. I'll be starting week 3 tomorrow. Surprisingly, I've enjoyed it. I'm also hoping to start some Pilate's on the alternating days.
I guess this is all a desperate attempt to find something that will help my stomach out. I'm eating lots of yogurt, smoothies, and drinking lots of herbal teas. We'll see after awhile if any of this proves beneficial.
Also, I think I'm going to start doing 'Open Letters' on my blog. I've had the idea for awhile but have been hesitant because they're so personal but I think it would be therapeutic. I've had more people than I can count say that they believe my stomach problems have manifested from all the things I keep inside and don't share and don't deal with. I just wanted to mention this so that you'd know what's going on because you may start seeing "Dear So and So..." a lot. I saw an Open Letter Thread on Ravelry and it's usually pretty interesting to read.
So, that's that. That's what I've been up to and what I'm going to be up too for awhile. Wish me luck...
2.10.2009
Update
It's been forever since I updated my blog! I really suck at this.
Updates, updates...Let's see.
I started the Football Fever afghan last month. It was a very slow go. My husband is wanting the high school name spelled out in the end zones so I did a graph for that. The pattern says specifically not to carry the yarn through out the project. I don't really see how it would matter but I decided not to do it anyway since I didn't want my green yarn showing through the white and vice versa. What I ended up doing was cutting the yarn at every color change (which was OFTEN) and weaving the yarn ends in. I was having to stop every 3-4 rows to weave the ends in because they were getting so uncontrolable. This was highly frustrating to me! I hate weaving in ends. Then not to mention that as the item 'settles' little yarn ends end up poking their head out and you have to keep trimming them back. I kept setting the afghan aside and only working on it an hour or so each week because I dreaded it so much.
This past Wednesday night I went to the local knit-night and pulled my afghan out to show my aggravation with the project. A couple of the ladies suggested I try bobbins. This was a foreign concept to me even though I've seen it done in magazines. I just couldn't wrap my mind around how it would work. One lady explained it to me and a light went on! Soooooooooooooo, I started the afghan over this past weekend using the bobbins. Let me tell you what an enormous difference it has made! In just a matter of days I've completed more than half of what took a month to do using my old 'cut and weave' method. So, I'd like to thank the YO-C knit-night ladies for the fan-tab-ulous idea!! Now, I may actually get the afghan finished by football season!
What else? I haven't started my Babette blanket yet. I have all the materials ready and waiting, but I promised myself I wouldn't start it until I reached a certain point on the Football Fever afghan. I'm thinking somewhere around half way would work best. The Babette squares will be mindless so it'd be too easy for me to quit the Football afghan and become consumed with the Babette.
I did start a Homespun Lacy Squares afghan that I'll be using as a Prayer Blanket/Afghan/whatever. This will be my take along project. There are 20 squares in it and I'm hoping to have that finished in the next month or so. I don't know. We'll have to see. I'm in a couple of RAK (Random Acts of Kindness) groups on Ravelry and by some miracle of God I managed to collect 7 skeins of the exact same color and dye lot from several different people scattered across the US. It just so happens that on one of the yarn bands was a afghan pattern that required 7 skeins so I jumped on it. Keeps me from having to search online and in magazines and from becoming overwhelmed by the vast number of afghan selections out there...
That's my crochet updates. No completed projects lately which is a real bummer. I joined a South Park swap on Ravelry and I have to include something handmade in the package. I'll have to give that some thought and get that cranked out in the next couple of months. Should be fun though.
Updates, updates...Let's see.
I started the Football Fever afghan last month. It was a very slow go. My husband is wanting the high school name spelled out in the end zones so I did a graph for that. The pattern says specifically not to carry the yarn through out the project. I don't really see how it would matter but I decided not to do it anyway since I didn't want my green yarn showing through the white and vice versa. What I ended up doing was cutting the yarn at every color change (which was OFTEN) and weaving the yarn ends in. I was having to stop every 3-4 rows to weave the ends in because they were getting so uncontrolable. This was highly frustrating to me! I hate weaving in ends. Then not to mention that as the item 'settles' little yarn ends end up poking their head out and you have to keep trimming them back. I kept setting the afghan aside and only working on it an hour or so each week because I dreaded it so much.
This past Wednesday night I went to the local knit-night and pulled my afghan out to show my aggravation with the project. A couple of the ladies suggested I try bobbins. This was a foreign concept to me even though I've seen it done in magazines. I just couldn't wrap my mind around how it would work. One lady explained it to me and a light went on! Soooooooooooooo, I started the afghan over this past weekend using the bobbins. Let me tell you what an enormous difference it has made! In just a matter of days I've completed more than half of what took a month to do using my old 'cut and weave' method. So, I'd like to thank the YO-C knit-night ladies for the fan-tab-ulous idea!! Now, I may actually get the afghan finished by football season!
What else? I haven't started my Babette blanket yet. I have all the materials ready and waiting, but I promised myself I wouldn't start it until I reached a certain point on the Football Fever afghan. I'm thinking somewhere around half way would work best. The Babette squares will be mindless so it'd be too easy for me to quit the Football afghan and become consumed with the Babette.
I did start a Homespun Lacy Squares afghan that I'll be using as a Prayer Blanket/Afghan/whatever. This will be my take along project. There are 20 squares in it and I'm hoping to have that finished in the next month or so. I don't know. We'll have to see. I'm in a couple of RAK (Random Acts of Kindness) groups on Ravelry and by some miracle of God I managed to collect 7 skeins of the exact same color and dye lot from several different people scattered across the US. It just so happens that on one of the yarn bands was a afghan pattern that required 7 skeins so I jumped on it. Keeps me from having to search online and in magazines and from becoming overwhelmed by the vast number of afghan selections out there...
That's my crochet updates. No completed projects lately which is a real bummer. I joined a South Park swap on Ravelry and I have to include something handmade in the package. I'll have to give that some thought and get that cranked out in the next couple of months. Should be fun though.
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