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.

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... :)

Options Needle Set

WooHoo! Yippee! Yeehaaawww! I just ordered my very own set of Knit Picks Options Needles! I'm so excited! I can't wait until they arrive! I have had the entire line of needles on my 'wish list' for quite some time but really didn't expect to get them until maybe Christmas time or later. But...

Every few weeks or so Chris out of the blue just give me some money so I can get more yarn. He is so wonderful and supportive of my fiber addiction even though he says we need to move to a bigger place to have room for it all! lol Last week I received via UPS 12 pounds of yarn & thread so I never expected, not in the least, that today he would say "Why don't you go ahead and order those needles?" If it wasn't for the fact that I've been laid up with 2 herniated discs I would have done hand-springs! :-D

Needless to say, I ordered the set right away and added the WPI tool and knit card on as a bonus. I'll get the remaining needles some time down the road to complete the set but until then, I should have plenty to keep me occupied. I feel like a little kid waiting for Santa to come and bring me goodies. lol I love my pink Denise needles but have found they are not suited (for me anyway) to all types of yarn. That being said, I can't use 10" or 14" needles at all....give me circs or interchangeables any day. Granted I haven't been knitting for that long, but I wasn't able to teach myself to knit until I actually got the Denise needles. I know I will continue to use them but I am so looking forward to the click, click, click of the Knit Picks options set.

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