Dainty Kitty

Lessons Learned: Following a Pattern

I finished two projects this weekend.  First I finished the crocheted stripey scarf I was working on.  The pattern called for rows of 147 double crochets which was way too short (when looped over my neck that would have put the ends about mid stomach) so I added an extra 225.  Um, yeah, the thing ended up about seven or eight feet long.  I also used double crochets for the whole thing even though you're only supposed to use them for the four stripes of green and then half double crochet for the last three stripes.  It seemed like a good idea at the time but crocheted yarn is a lot less giving than yarn that is knitted so it wasn't comfortable. 

The difference between this project and others that didn't turn out so well?  I frogged this one yesterday morning and started over this morning with the required amount of stitches.  After two rows I decided it really was too short so I'm going to tear it out again and add 50 - 75 stitches.  By doing that and sticking to the pattern for the rest of it (using hdcs when I'm supposed to) it should turn out perfect.  I'm learning.

I also finished the monkey from the Mr. Funky book.  I used solid white button eyes which has made him a little spooky looking.  Jake said he looks like one of the Kodama from  Princess Mononoke (which would make a good stocking stuffer along with some Elder Clean Soap).  This  almost made him want to learn to crochet  and for a moment I thought I had him...but not quite.   Anyway, I'll take photos of the scary little guy tomorrow.

The rest of the weekend: lots of lounging, gyros and pastries from the Greek Festival and hours of The Office.  Um, and I've gotten my craft room back in order and have actually managed to keep it that way that for three days.  Pretty proud of myself for that....

And the photo is just a random one of Mina that I took some time ago.  I just thought the post needed a picture.   

The Knitter's Hunk - A Plea From Your Pal

There's been a little contest running at Hand Eye Crafts for the Knitter's Hunk.  There are currently three very heated ties that need to be broken.

Colin Firth vs. Alan Rickman

Johnny Depp vs. George Clooney

Mike Rowe vs. Ewan McGregor

I'm encouraging you to vote because it's fun (and rather addictive) but also because I really want Alan Rickman to win this round.  Hee hee! So if you have no preference between Mr. Firth and Mr. Rickman, do your old pal Emily a favor and vote for Rickman. 

Thanks for your support!

Picnik

I found a new toy (even though it's been around for ages, I'm sure).  Picnik - for editing photos and doing lots of cool things to them.  This is a photo of my brother and I last Thanksgiving in Charleston, South Carolina.  I never liked it but now that I've "Lomo-ish"ed it, it's more appealing.  Neither of us look very happy for some reason.  We were, I'm sure, though....

I'm wearing my favorite five dollar Target Halloween t-shirt.  A little trivia: Wanda Sykes (as Barb) wore one on an episode of The New Adventures of the Old Christine.  I always buy one or two Halloween shirts per year and they already have them out but I don't remember being wowed by any this year. 

Hmm, things are pretty boring around here.  Crocheting is getting in the way of keeping a clean house, though.  I'm neglecting all kinds of things as I finish the monkey from the Mr. Funky book as well as a scarf I started the other night.  Egads, crocheting is so easy and satisfying.  I borrowed the first two seasons of News Radio from the library and have been happily crocheting as I remember just how good that show really was. I have two knitting projects - the Booga Bag and the fingerless mittens that have totally been set aside.  I glance at them as I dig through my tote bag but haven't picked either of them up for a long time.  I do want to finish the bag before I leave for Florida at the end of the month, though. 

A rep just brought me a piping hot piece of pepperoni pizza from Flying Pizza (yum) so I think I'm going to take a moment to enjoy it before it gets cold....

 

The Hill Family Barn

I've wanted to post photos of this ever since my parents finished building it but it wasn't until Friday night that I was able to get a really decent picture.   Last summer, my dad designed this small barn (or your basic lawn mower/gardening shed/storage area disguised as a barn) and built it with my mom - and with additional help from my brother, Dad's brother and Mom's Dad. 

My dad is pretty amazing - it's hard to believe that he designed this himself.  I especially love the addition of the Ohio Star (which was my mom's idea - she's the quilter).

It's prime allergy season for me right now.  I've spent the entire day in utter misery, cursing ragweed and the entire month of September.  If I'm this bad off tomorrow I'm going to go ahead and make an appointment for an allergy shot.   This is ridiculous.

Luckily, Jake thinks my pink nose is cute.  He found it especially adorable that, even though I was miserable, I was still crocheting away.  I started Mr. Funky's monkey and I know I followed the pattern for its head but...it's huge and oddly shaped compared to the body.  I'll be interested to see how it looks once I stuff it and sew the two parts together.

Now I'm off to attempt to sleep as it's the only way I can escape Dr. Evil Itchy Nose....

My First Crocheted Hat

Lesson learned today: it's really hard to get a good picture of your head.

On-The-Go Water Bottle Bear

This morning I finished my first project from Mr. Funky's Super Crochet Wonderful.  I was, unfortunately, too lazy to do a photo shoot until about seven p.m. so the photo doesn't give justice to the bright blue yarn or the beautiful day we had today. 

I might try again tomorrow. 

Anyway, I also made my first crocheted hat (also from  Mr. Funky) today.  I was going to save this project for vacation but I had a couple of balls of the Lion Brand Landscapes it called for and I was bored.  Good thing because we wouldn't have even left Ohio before I finished it had I waited.  So maybe I'll make a different hat or finally tackle a flower scarf.   I'll take a picture of the hat tomorrow....

Egads, we've been watching Veronica Mars for several weeks now and we watched five episodes tonight.  Pile that on the three episodes I watched this morning to catch up with Jake and I am way Veronica Marsed out.  It's a good series but I've discovered that doses of one to two episodes are much healthier.   I also watched the first season of Entourage this week (so that I could get my Netflix discs back in time for the release of season three of The Office) - it's good but the episodes are way short.  I feel cheated at the end of each one.   Once we finish season two of VM and season three of The Office, Jake is going to introduce me to Doctor Who.  We watched one episode - one from the seventies - and all it managed to do was make me want to knit his scarf.  We'll see what I think after watching it from the beginning, though.

Yeah, yeah, all I've done this week is watch television and knit or crochet.  Tomorrow, though, we're going hiking so I don't feel too awful bad. 

The Giant Sunflower

A few weeks ago I went over to my granny's house to drop off some reunion photos and found this growing in their front yard: a sunflower about nine or ten feet tall with leaves and big as Andre the Giant's head - and only one bloom at the very tippy top.

Last night Jake and I went to my parents' house for a little dinner for Granny's seventy-eighth birthday.  When we arrived we found that Granny and her husband Millard had brought the sunflower itself. 

It's massive!  My aunt had said that they had one at the county fair a few weekends ago but it wasn't near as large as this one . 

And, for fun, here's the most recent addition to the Jake & Emily Series.  I really like this one.

I love that it was cool enough to wear a jacket last night.  I think I'm ready to blow kisses to summer and throw my arms around fall like a lover I've missed very much.   I think this was urged on by my discovery of the October issue of Living.  Egads, there's a cover on both sides: on one Martha is made up as a goddess, on the other she's a vampire.  Awesome.  The October issue is my favorite  (with December a  close runner up of course).  And her Halloween book, a collection of ideas from past issues, is one of my favorite books.   I absolutely love Halloween!