Resurrection

I'm resurrecting my craft blog! Since I started this blog earlier this year, life has changed in so many ways. One of them is that knitting has replaced crochet as my primary mode of crafting, so that's motivated a change in blog names. Anywho, look for me to start updating with my current knitting, and sometimes crochet, projects. I'm also going to learn to spin soon, so I'm sure I'll have charming anecdotes about how I suck at that. Cheers!

Crafts and Taxes...which is better than Death and Taxes

So I finished the dishcloth I blogged about last time. I like how it turned out. Sure wish I had a working camera to post a picture of it for you. I kind of feel like a craft blog is useless without pictures of what I'm working on.

This leads to the taxes discussion. My plan was to use my tax refund to pay for an iPhone. I know, I know, I'm a sheep, but I think they're really cool and I would have the iPod I want, the new phone I want, and a decent device to take pictures with all in one. But then I sat down at the computer and started my tax return. At the end, not only am I not getting a refund, I owe the federal government $40. Everyone I talk to is puzzled by this, but I've calculated my tax return on both TurboTax and H & R Block and they both say the same thing. I'm thinking of complaing to our HR department that they're not witholding enough taxes from my check.

Anyway, so that's a little despressing. Now my plan is to wait until the Bush Bandaid rebate checks come out in September and buy an iPhone then. Maybe the 3G one will be out by then.

Right now I'm knitting again on the the prayer shawl that I had put aside. I decided to put away the yarn I had bought originally because its mostly splitty from being ripped out so many times. I'll use it for something in the future. I bought all new yarn, Bernat Softee Chunky in Denim Rag, a nice white/blue combo. I'm knitting it in a pattern I found on Knitting Pattern Central that's a simple combo of garter and stockinette stitches. If I procure some duck tape to fix my digital camera, I might post some pics soon.

I'm a Bad, Bad Blogger...

So its been three weeks since I last posted, so no cookie for me. Really, no cookie, because I gave up chocolate for Lent and there are these chocolate chip oatmeal cookies sitting at home tormenting me until Sunday when I can have one if they're still good.

So anyway, crafting has been interesting the past few weeks. After completing the baby blanket I last posted about, I spent some time learning to knit. Then I started on a prayer shawl for a friend's mother. I spent the next few weeks starting that shawl in different patterns and ripping it back out. I've finally gotten so frustrated with it that I've put it away for a while.

Right now I'm knitting up some dishcloths in cotton yarn. Its good practice on simple patterns that a beginner like me can understand. I've got several friends who wanted dishcloths when they saw me knitting one, so I guess they'll be gifts.

My next project is going to be learning to knit socks. I decided I wanted to learn after listening to Lime & Violet talk about how great sock knitting is, so I bought a book on Amazon called Getting Started Knitting Socks by Ann Budd. Its a great book and I think I understand the directions well enough. Now I just have to practice on some cheapo yarn so I can learn the mechanics and get used to double pointed needles. Shelby and I bought nice sock yarn (Koigu) when I went to visit her in Fayetteville, so I'm saving that for when I know what I'm doing.

So I think that's the big update on all I've been working on. Peace, Love, and Obama...

One down!

I finished the baby blanket for my coworker last night, even though I changed the pattern since I last posted. The afghan stitch was going to take too long, so I switched to a simpler pattern (2 rows of dc, one row of hdc, chain). Then I edged the whole thing with several rounds of sc in the mint green. It turned out well, although I didn't get any pictures.

Now I'm also working on a knitted scarf, just for practice. I've also got to get hopping on that prayer shawl.

I'm sending out my last finished product (an afghan stitch blanket with shell border) as a gift this week. I've got pics I'll post when I find the cord to my camera.

There are Works In Progress, and then there's just Work...

So here's what crochet projects I'm currently working on:
Baby blanket for a baby shower on Monday (gotta get hopping on that one!). It's got a center panel in afghan stitch (Simply Soft off white) and I'm adding an edge of sc in Mint Green.

Prayer shawl for friend. Its a simple V-stitch pattern I'm doing double stranded in Simply Soft Heathers Deep Teal. Hope to have it finished as soon as I finish the baby blanket.

Rectangles for charity. I'm doing some rectangles for the troops. You can find the charities website at: http://www.rectangle6x9.org. All the finished afghans go to wounded troops. Hopefully that will clear out all my Super Saver. I'm also doing some rectangles in Simply Soft for Warm Up America: http://www.warmupamerica.com.

This is also what we used to call Hell Week in college. Back then it was because we had three tests and a paper in the same week. Now its because I have hundreds of test cases to write by Friday and two projects testing at the same time next week. But that's how it goes. That's why they pay me, I suppose.

Happy Stitching!

Introducing the Divine Miss S

Now showing at a blog near you, a collaborative effort between Shelby and I :-) We'll both be discussing our crochet habits, works in progress, and whatever random topics we come up with, which is fine, because we'll probably be the only ones that read this.

Welcome Shelby!

First!

So after letting my personal blog over at Xanga languish for months, I decided to create a new blog that would be more focused. Since I'm totally obsessed with crochet and it takes up so much of my time, I thought that would be a good focus for this new venture. So look forward to a new post soon on my crochet work in progress as well as tidbits of what's going on in my non-crochet life.