crochet:: wool-eater wednesday week 2

Week 2 has come and gone with only a round and a half added.  Onward to week 3 and playing catch-up!

So instead it is temporarily named “Liebster Blog Award Wednesday”.  But it’s Thursday already.  And it doesn’t have the same ring to it.  You get the point.

So, let’s start this party off with a HUGE THANK YOU to Linda at alottastitches!

How sweet of you Linda ~ it is so nice to be appreciated

Lovin’ my Liebster!

PS ~ liebster is German for sweet, kind, lovely, nice, pleasant, good…

So here are the rules::

Rule #1. You must acknowledge the blogger who gave you the award by linking back to them.
Rule # 2. Give this award to 5 other bloggers who have fewer than 200 readers. Please let them know through a comment on their blog.
Rule #3. Post this wonderful award on your blog.
Rule #4. Bask in the glory bestowed upon you and appreciate all the amazing bloggers out there.
Rule# 5. Enjoy and spread the good vibes around.

Those are rules I can handle without a panic attack or feeling the need to rebel.

Here are some of my friends to visit that are now Liebster Blog Award winners::

Tricia at One Story At A Time ~ a wonderful story teller that just needs to let loose and write more because she is so good at it.

Stacy at A Westside Story ~ she has a great eye for decorating and lovely sense of style.

JenGren at Two Frogs and a Grasshopper ~ a multi-talented crafter & hooker who will take you on  regular trips to France through memories and photos of her time spent there.

Kristy at PaisleyJade ~ A joy to visit!  So much color and enthusiasm and creativity!  (and lots more subscribers than 200 – but you really gotta visit her upbeat corner of the world!)

Dan at Outdoor Guy Photography ~ I feel a person should learn all life long – and I enjoy learning about photography and seeing beautiful scenery.  Talent with a camera!

So there you have it  ~ thanks for stopping by to see them!

crochet:: monsters, monsters everywhere

I have felt the need for a monster in my life.

There are so many cute monster amigurumi patterns floating around the blogosphere right now and although it was a difficult decision, I finally picked one.

This one is for my friend Lawson.  He’s 4 years old and I think he will enjoy having a new friend.

The Tiffany blue yarn is for the next-big-thing ~ I just haven’t decided what that BIG THING will be…

S~H~O~P (Standard Hooker Operating Procedure)

Am I right??? Buy the yarn first and then figure out what-the-hell-to-make later

crochet:: the penny arcade jacket…?

Is it really a jacket at this point?

~there are no words~

~oh wait…there is a word that comes close~

SNUGGIE!

(DO NOT trust the sizing…just sayin’)

crochet:: sky scarf c~a~l

Have you seen a sky scarf in action?

Totally new to me idea that somehow said, “you must try this for 2012”.

So I am.

And because for the first 4 days of the year I tried to knit and let’s just say EPIC FAIL, I am doing this in Tunisian knit stitch with an afghan hook and 3 shades of blue and a grey.   I may add others, but this seems to be enough colors to match the sky just about every day.  I’m not getting technical here, just ball-parking it.   Since right now it seems that Wednesdays will be the wool-eater updates, I am thinking I will be updating my progress on this scarf on Fridays.  I just KNOW y’all wanna see how it looks every week with a whopping 7 rows of new stuff added.  Like it is soooo important to show you how the sky has looked in western Iowa for the week.  OK ~ no need to squeal ~ maybe I’ll just do a post every 3rd or 4th Friday instead.  And somehow, I just think 365 rows will make it a TAD longer than I really need it to be.  Maybe I’ll stop somewhere around September…we’ll see.

So, if you want to know how I am making this::

It’s 4 colors of blue and grey (or however many you want)

an afghan hook

about 25-30 stitches wide, your choice of number of stitches and type of stitch (I’m doing 26 Tunisian knit stitches)

everyday you look at the sky at some point and guesstimate which color to use and before you go to bed, make 1 row

at some point you say ~ DANG this thing is just about long enough so you stop

and then when we stop, we’re going to make a cute border stitch (as yet to be chosen by you or me or whomever)

join me…or don’t join me…but secretly I hope you do

if you do join me, I really and truly expect links to your stuff in the comments  on Fridays too!

Oh, and btw ~ the penny arcade jacket has been done for 3 weeks or so, but my photographer is a slacker and hasn’t helped me get it ready for posting.  And also btw ~ it feels like an EPIC FAIL as well.  You will probably laugh as hard as I did when I put it on for the first time.  I’ll share it this weekend if I can get him to pick up the damn camera and show me a little love.

Thanks for stopping by

crochet:: wool eater wednesday week 1

1st attempt was a total failure.

I like this 2nd attempt much better after I re-arranged the color pattern.

Now if I can only keep on schedule.  I’m already behind by 1/2 a round.

Wanna join the C~A~L and end up with a fabulous warm blanket?

Go visit Sarah.

photography:: cat of the day photo

What do you get when you turn your back for just a moment while cleaning out a cupboard?

~a kitty museum~

crochet:: wool-eaters and resolutions

As if I don’t have enough things going on at the moment…

I am joining a CAL by Sarah London.  That chick is sooo creative and talented!

  click the poster to link to the details

Yes, it’s last minute…it starts tomorrow but it will work purrrrfectly for my next-big-thing yarn.

I have been trying to no avail to come up with a pattern that will give me this look::

and I have decided that it’s now or never, so a wool-eater it will be…

As for New Year’s Resolutions ~ if you haven’t guessed yet ~ making something like that is among them.

I also have started a sky-scarf (you can check out this cool idea on my Pinterest hooker therapy board).

I am going forward with the boring ones ~ losing 1 pound per month for the year and removing as much processed food from my pantry as possible…

but some of the good ones include::
spending as much time as humanly possible with, and learning as much as I can from my Dad (hurray Daddy for making through year-4 of chemo and still living life to the fullest!)

being a better parent to my son

setting aside 2 hours per week to devote to writing so I can complete a book by the end of the year (I have been writing 3 of them for over 5 years and NONE of them are finished)

I’m setting the bar very high for myself as usual… also known as the curse of being a perfectionist that has survived cancer…

So there.

I have put them out there.

Now I have to stick to them.

If you’re froggy – jump into the CAL!

Thanks for stopping by

life:: pinterest has become an obsession

I have found a massive amount of inspiration on Pinterest.

Exhibit A:: a new look for my ugly, cheap cake dome

…still cheap, but no longer ugly…

So, we are already days into the new year and I still haven’t shared my resolutions.  Not to worry, they will be posted soon, because you know that once they’re posted, ya can’t take ‘em back and ya gotta stick to ‘em.  My favorite one so far is of the yarny variety.  Until then, make your days ridiculously amazing because no one can do it for you.

Thanks for stopping by

life:: cali the queen of the cats

So…I am home from work today and I was supposed to be taking the day off to have fun.  At this moment I should be preparing for a New Year’s Eve party that I was supposed to throw.  I should be writing a ‘cheers to the New Year’ post.  I should be doing a holiday wrap up photo shoot.  I should be nailing down the details of my New Year’s Resolutions and patting myself on the back for the ones I accomplished in 2011.  I should be cooking fabulous snacks and mixing cocktails.

Instead I ended up with fever of 100 degrees, a sore throat, and a general feeling that I have once again been infected with the plague.  In my delirium I have tried to find some humor, because who in their right mind (or not so right mind) can stand day-time TV?  And really, who doesn’t make up pet conversations when they are bored and confined to the couch because every inch of their being is in pain?

Even my hair hurts.

 I need medication, of this I am convinced.

She wants Lexi to think she is merely resting on her throne.  Nonchalant…casual.

She glares…approach with caution, bitch.

CHICK FIGHT!!!!!

This is one helluva way to send off 2011.

Cheers to the New Year.  May 2012 find you happy and healthy, with peace and goodwill.

I’ll be back in a few days friends, but first I need to figure out why there is a giant pink bunny staring in my front window…and why do I smell peaches????

crochet:: puff ball scarf

I made the first one to wear for the Race for the Cure in October, and when my sister-in-law saw it, she liked it so much that she asked me to make one in black.  Super easy and quick – you can find the free pattern here.

As much as I complain about working with it ~ I’m still a sucker for novelty yarn

Thanks for stopping by!