Mom's Simple Cape

This very basic design came about while trying to find a way to keep my mom warm. During my month long visit back home she had been moved to a beautiful new wing at the nursing home. She loves her new room and so do we! It's more like a luxury hotel with the added benefit (for some), of air conditioning. My mom has never really liked air conditioning and is having a little trouble adjusting to it so she is frequently cold. Getting a sweater on her can be quite difficult due not only to the paralysis, but the brace on her arm. Trying to keep a small blanket or shawl wrapped around her is a waste of time because if she moves, it slips away.

So, with my hook in hand, a tape measure and some yarn I sat down with my mom to come up with something that would work for her. First up on the agenda was making it so she could slip it on herself and not have to rely on a nurse or an aide to assist her. I fashioned the neckline so she could fasten the single button and slip it over her head. She has full use of her left arm so she can then adjust it into place.

The length was a major consideration. It couldn't be to long or it would be difficult for her to adjust the back while seated in her wheelchair and to short wouldn’t give her the warmth she needs. Making it to long would also add to much bulk, likely making it uncomfortable on her back. The solution was to take it as far as her waist line in the back with a little extra length in the front so she can wrap it across her if she chooses or cover the lower part of her arms if she wants to.

The final result, while not fancy, is the perfect solution. I used a shell stitch and sc for the neckline. My yarn of choice; 8 balls of Filatura Lanarota’s Luxor D.K., 50% cotton, 50% acrylic. I have another cape in progress using the same basic shape with a different stitch pattern. I plan to make enough of them so she’ll always have one handy if she catches a chill.

Victoria Secret Knock-Off Skirt

This skirt was such a pleasure to make, worked up very quickly and fits like a dream. I made a simple tie belt with wooden beads and did a full repeat of the final chart in order to make the skirt long enough for me. I also added sc picot, sc edging to finish it off.

My yarn of choice was KnitPicks Shine Sport, color cream. This yarn is so wonderful to work with. Shine Sport is a 4 ply blend of 60% pima cotton, 40% modal. The yarn is very soft, has a wonderful drape, a little bit of a shine and also comes in worsted weight.

Being allergic to wool, I find it extremely frustrating trying to find really nice light weight yarns that are not made from some type of animal fiber or 100% acrylic. While very time consuming, Shine Sport is easily split from a 4 ply to a 2 ply or even a single ply for a nice fingering/lace weight yarn when anything heavier just won't do.

I decided against lining this skirt and will instead make a few simple pull on A-line cotton slips in various colors to wear under it. For the above picture I placed some black fabric inside the skirt so that the stitching pattern was more visible. I have not blocked this yet and really don't think I will as I like the way it looks as is. If needed I might blast it with a little steam but other than that will leave it alone.

The charted pattern for this skirt was based on a skirt being sold by Victoria's Secret. I originally saw this pattern when it was a CAL at Crochetville however it has since been removed. Per forum guidelines, formal permission must be obtained from the designer in order to have the pattern posted. As the original poster of the pattern has been unable to reach the designer, the pattern is no longer available at the 'ville but it can be found doing a google search.

Seraphina Shawl

I'm stunned that it's been so long since I posted. Mostly it's because I spent a month in NY visiting my family. Added to that, I still don't have a working camera but I did manage to borrow one so I could take pics of my most recent FO's.

This is the second Seraphina I have made. The first one I made last year using TLC Essentials and I struggled quite a bit figuring out the pattern. Fortunately the designer included alot of pictures with the pattern so I charted it from those and was then able to easily complete it. By the way, I don't have the first one I made...my daughter absconded with it when I was visiting NY last year. She also received a Sweet Pea Shawl and 2 beaded doilies.

For this Seraphina I used 2 full skeins of Jo-Ann Sensations Rainbow Boucle that I ran across in a clearance bin several months ago for $5.00 a skein. Using 2 full skeins may seem like an awful lot of yarn but I'm tall and wanted my shawl to be long enough to keep me warm during evening walks on the beach once the weather changes. Including the simple chained fringe, this shawl goes just past the back of my knees. It's a perfect length for me and I can wrap the wings over my shoulders and it stays put.

While this pattern can be very confusing at first, once you figure out the repeats it works up very quickly. I am very pleased with this shawl and absolutely love the striping pattern created with this yarn.

Latest yarn stash

I haven't done any crocheting in the last few days because I've been busy with other things. I've been laid up since July 2nd. with 2 herniated discs and am finally starting to feel much better. I'm still quite sore but I'm standing straighter and as long as I remember to walk with more of a shuffle than taking actual steps I get around pretty good. So, I've been trying to catch up on things around the house by chasing dust bunnies and taking care of the so-called piles I've accumulated within arms reach of where I've spent the last month sitting or laying down. While it's been nice having things close enough (crocheting, knitting, books, etc.) so that I wouldn't go out of my mind with boredom or cause myself excruciating pain trying to find something to do, I'm tired of looking at the clutter and so is Chris! I'd say that's a good sign that I am in fact feeling better! lol

One of the things I did yesterday was get out my ball winder so I could take care of my most recent shipment of yarn/thread. I wind pretty much everything, including crochet thread. This enables me to address any flaws in the yarn/thread (breaks, knots, defects, etc.) before I'm halfway into a project. I find cones difficult to work from because you have to have them positioned 'just right' so the yarn feeds freely and thread with the cardboard cores are not only cumbersome, but awkward in that the thread does not feed freely unless you have a ball holder of some sort. I have no desire to carry a huge cone of yarn or a ball of thread still on the cardboard when I'm on the go. By winding everything I'm able to slip a ball of yarn or thread into an appropriate sized zip bag, drop it in my purse or tote bag and I'm good to go. My supplies stay clean and neat and I can easily work from my purse or bag by just opening the bag a crack.

Added to my stash and now ready to be placed in storage bags: Peaches & Cream worsted, 1lb. each, color desert sand and sea mist. Peaches & Cream 3 ply baby weight, 1lb. each, color peaches 'n cream and moon silk. Rayon Super Petalspun worsted, 1lb., color ivory. Rayon Petalspun sport, 1lb., color ecru. AB size 3 perle cotton, 6 balls 230 yards each in ecru & earthtone. AB size 10 crochet thread, 6 balls 350 years each in denim. AB size 10 crochet thread, 6 skeins 400 yards each in white.

I do have certain projects for all of the above and the white thread I will dye to a specific shade I have in mind. Of course I want to just dive right in and get started with my new yarn but I'm trying real hard to hold myself back and finish stuff I already have on my hook or needles. It's so hard though to keep myself from starting just one more thing...I want to play with the new stuff...yanno? lol


As a final note, I am SO glad that several months ago I ordered color cards with yarn samples...something I wish I had done a very long time ago. Having the cards took the guess work out of finding exactly what I wanted as far as color, texture, ply, and all those other things that go in to selecting fiber for a project. Now I don't have to worry about the accuracy of colors I see on various websites that sell yarn...all I have to do is look at my samples and I can not only see the colors, but touch the fiber and also easily pick out coordinating colors with 100% accuracy. Life is good... :)

Library Thing

I recently started cataloging all my craft related books, magazines and what not over at Library Thing (thumbnail preview in sidebar) and while time consuming and no where near done yet, boy has it made things easier for me already! A quick glance at the thumbnail images (some I had to scan in myself) I can see exactly what I have or don't have. Now when I see a book I'm interested in on eBay, Amazon, etc. instead of jumping up to go rummage through my bookcases(s) I can simply open another tab and glance through my library.

To make a long story short: The past 5 years have been difficult in that when I moved to Florida everything I had in storage to be retrieved when I found a place to live mysteriously disapeared...some showing up in used goods stores back home....gee...wonder how that happened? *sigh* Needless to say I have had to start over and often find myself scratching my head because I'm sure I have something only to find out it was something I 'used' to have. A lifetime of stashing, collecting and treasuring things that were passed down in my family, gone! Just like that. I honestly believe it would have been easier for me to deal with emotionally had it happened as a result of a fire or natural disaster. At least then most of what I had would have been covered by insurance but no, my loss was due to the selfish, greedy cruelty of others.

Needless to say, library thing has been a very handy reference for me. Once I'm done cataloging & adding my tags I'll start checking out some of the other users library's. Some users have books for trade/sale..maybe I'll be able to hunt up some of the ones I used to have? It won't be quite the same because it wouldn't be the exact book given to me by my grandmother or mother but I would treasure them just the same. :-)

Ravelry Beta

If you are a crocheter, knitter, etc. and not yet familiar with ravelry I encourage you to head on over for a Sneak Peek so you can see what it's all about. Below quote from: ravelry.com 'About Us'.

Ravelry is a place for knitters, crocheters, designers, spinners, and dyers to keep track of their yarn, tools and pattern information, and look to others for ideas and inspiration.

The content here is all user-driven; we as a community make the site what it is. The Yarn Harlot wrote recently about Representing, showing the world the power of our community, and I believe that on this site we can really show the strength of our numbers and the depth of our
creativity.

So what can you personally do on Ravelry? You can talk about your own projects, integrate that information into your personal website and contribute to someone else's project a world away.

If you are not a blogger, we give you a great way to share and show off your projects, participate in -alongs, and socialize with other crafters. If you are a blogger than Ravelry is the perfect complement to your online journal; it provides structure and organization. All of your information is easy to enter and easy to find. You will not need to update your own FO album again- it is all here on Ravelry!

The brain child of Jess & Casey, Ravelry is currently in beta stage but so phenomenal already I don't know how it can get any better! There is something there for everyone. I have been working on cataloging all of my crochet & knitting goodies...NOT a small undertaking, but it's been fun! And, I feel great about having it all organized in one place for easy printing so I can just stick it in my purse and know what I have or don't have when I'm out and about and just 'happen' to run in to Joann's, Michaels, Hobby Lobby, AC Moore's, etc. :D

There is so much I am interested in at Ravelry and I do plan to get more involved but will wait a bit so I don't 'over-indulge' and spread myself to thin. That and I need a new camera...mine has decided that the only type of pictures it will take are of solid rectangular black boxes. :(

Hope to see you around on Ravelry!

Have to start somewhere...

Well, I'm here. If that's good or bad remains to be seen. lol This first post is just to get me started with my page layout and all those other little things to be tweaked yet.

For the most part I intend this blog to be about my passion for crochet, attempts at knitting, my love of beads and my addiction to yarn. Yup! I'm one of 'those 'fiber freaks'! *grin* If question marks were allowed, my car license plate would read "Got Yarn?" You can never, never have enough yarn & thread IMO!

Despite my intentions to make this all about crafting I'm sure I will wander in another direction a time or two...or three. You get the idea? I have so many other interest I'm sure they will spill over into my blog. For example: I'm also a computer geek. I fix them, build them from scratch and am also an administrator on a large tech support forum. I also love to spend as much time as possible at the beach. I can spend hours combing the beach for shells and sharks teeth to add to my collection.

Other things I enjoy doing frequently is taking photographs and creating whatever in paint shop pro or photo shop. But most of all I love spending time with my grandchildren. I have 7 - 4 boys & 3 girls. The oldest will be 10 in September. The youngest is 2. And of course, I have already begun working my way down the line teaching them to crochet. They LOVE it and I am in awe of how quickly they become proficient at creating various stitches.

Enough about that...on to tweaking this 'Minima' template...wonder how long it will take me to completely mess up the code? lol