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This weekend I finished up 5 projects!  One Linus Project Blanket, one Purrfect Pals cat blanket and 3 versions of the dishcloth I used for teaching the class from last years Workplace Giving Auction. One nice thing about teaching a class, it makes me dabble in writing patterns.  Writing a dishcloth pattern is pretty risk free!

The yarn for the 2 blankets are from the bags of yarn Marlene gave me.

New Year New Entry

I am no different then others, I find myself looking forward to the new year and thinking about what I can do to make my life experience different in the coming year.

Of course, I think if the usual bad habits I have that I wish I did not. Unfortunately, we know those goals rarely last past week 2 of January. (Just long enough to have all my friends NOT want to eat or drink to celebrate my birthday -- poor me!)

I realized that I did not attend any photography group events last year. I did take lots of photographs (although very few have been posted) but I did them on more spur of the moment events rather then doing the planning to do it with the photography group.

I have made lots of cat blankets for Purrfect Pals. I made some scarves for the Warm for Winter project but did not ever get them sent to the group -- next year! I also participated in a project organized by the The Burien Yarn Stash store to make scarves for women going through breast cancer treatment. Their most current email talked about creating purple or lavender hats for newborns to send home with new babies to remind parents about the dangers of Shaken Baby Syndrome. Another great project to support.

So what about 2011. I am the Guild chair for the Crochet Guild Seattle. I have been thinking about what I would like to do with this group. I am trying to think of 5 minute info bites about the crochet world or book reviews at our meetings. I don't want to make our meetings a chore but at the same time I want the time the women spend with us valuable.

While I was at a conference for work in Dallas, Texas earlier this year, I heard an author speak about his book, The Happiness Advantage by Shawn Anchor. He had some simple tips for adding happiness in your life and in the lives of others (thus adding more to your life).

One tip he had was the 20 second rule. If it will take 20 seconds to get something, you will not do it. So if you want to break a habit put a barrier of 5 to 20 seconds for you to do it. My challenge it playing games on my cell phone. If my phone is next to my chair, I can find myself playing games for hours while watching TV. I believe playing games on those small machines harm my hands and arms more than working on the computer or crocheting. The challenge is that I miss text messages if the phone is not near... However, I can certainly move and/or donate my OLD phones so they are not right there :)

If you want to DO something take that barrier away.

The other tip I plan to do (he has 7) is to email a thank you to someone every day. It starts your day out with a good feeling for realizing yet another person in your life and it will improve that person's day too!

Now, off to do something away from the computer. Really! I'm not going to play a game on the computer!

TPZ Google Presentation

When you publish/embed a presentation, you can select how big you want the viewer, how long you want each slide to appear and if you want it to restart once it has run.

SmileBox for Danielle

Digital greeting card generated with Smilebox

I created this for Danielle at work. We really need to have more picture taking opportunities at work!

Knit & Crochet Show in New Hampshire

I can't believe it has been 3 weeks since I got home from New Hampshire and have not written a thing. I got home from vacation and have been running ever since! (and playing WAY too many games of Mahjongg Dimensions)

The conference was great. They made the lobby section the hangout location which was easier to come and go from then the hotel room they did in the past. The goody bag was a disappointment. No yarn! Same book we got last year as well as the way too big Lion Brand bag.

I took 4 classes 3 were good 1 not so much. Karen Klemp taught 2 classes that were great. I still need time to practice what I learned -- especially the braided cables! They are beautiful but not straight forward. Since I crochet in traffic or watching TV, these are not patterns I can do in either of those situations yet.

We also got to do some sightseeing. Instead of doing the "professional" day, we drove through the White Mountains. They were beautiful but similar to our passes. One thing I thought strange was that they have BIG liquor stores at the rest area/tourist information stops! Nothing says drink and drive like a big liquor store with easy freeway access!

We had lunch at Polly's Pancake Parlor. Great maple syrups, spreads and sugar! They also had at least 6 different types of pancakes. I wished I could eat more!

As we were driving back to Manchester, we stopped at a gas station/grocery/deli. I really regret not getting some of the fried chicken they had. It smelled so good. As we were entering, I thought it was funny that they had a sign "Turkey Registrations". We have deer registrations but turkeys??? Then a few miles down the road, what do we see Wild Turkeys and not the alcohol! No wonder we had turkey at Thanksgiving. They are pretty plentiful!

I danced with Doris Chan! Not a slow dance and I wasn't the only one. But they had a dance Thursday night. Now a conference made of up 500 middle aged women, 6 husbands and 5 gay guys seemed like an interesting choice. But it was fun! Doris has an incredible amount of energy. I don't think I saw her sitting still -- even when she was signing autographs.

Well, I better get ready for work...

New Gloves for Mariners Games!

These gloves originally only had the index and thumb open but I choose to keep all of the fingers open. I used Bernat SOX yarn, wooded denim. When I bought the yarn this was the closest I could come to Mariner's colors.

The pattern is a Red Heart pattern and called for their Heart & Sole yarn. However, there is wool in that yarn so I had to choose a yarn without wool. This pattern used a stitch I had never done before. Extended Single Crochet (esc) -- yes I read it as "escape" from my computer world! But I like it! It is as tall as a double crochet but not as fat. All by NOT yarning over before drawing up the first loop. It is basically a single crochet with a chain in the middle. Of course, it is now getting warmer so I may not get to use them until September although it has been raining all this weekend -- of course, it is Memorial Day weekend!

Tank Top Finished!

I finally finished the tank top (Crochet Light and Lacy Top, Season 2 of Knit & Crochet Today, show 213, pattern by Doris Chan). I need to wash it and then block it. However, I can't find my sweater dryer. I have been "done" with the top for two weeks but could not make myself do the final row around the neck and sleeves. And of course, the dreaded weaving of the ends!

This was my first attempt at making clothing besides scarves. Of course, I have not tackled the sleeves yet! I did start the first of the removable sleeves we are making as one of our projects for the guild meeting. I have maybe one row done! I am supposed to have them done for our next meeting. Well, maybe one will get done.

Picture to come...

Non-Rectangle Items

My goal this year was to crochet non-rectangle items. I have! I am almost done with a tank top (I will wear it as a sweater vest -- no bare arms for me!) I created a pineapple pattern shawl (V shape). I started it while in Hillsboro visiting Dad. As with most items, once I got the pattern down, it was not difficult. You start at the V and increase your way up. It made it's border scallop as you went so once you reached the width and length desired, you just stop! My kind of project. I hate having to do lots of stuff to an item when it feels done to me. This was done in Reynolds Kids Cottentail.

The next non-rectangle thing I created was a scarflett. We learned how to create it in our Guild Meeting. Of course, the home work was to create the collar (50-rows of single-crochets in the back loop) However, I needed 74 to go around my neck! However, this was surprisingly easy too! As you are making the collar, the turn on the even numbered rows included 5 chains. This created loops at the bottom. You then created a shell in each of the loops and continued down until it was the length you want. Great for those times when your shoulders and neck are cold in a meeting or when reading in bed :) This was made in Caron SPA bamboo yarn. It is really soft.

Carmen's Afghan Finished!

I started Carmen's afghan before she decided to go to Kalamazoo College. I was nearly done with it but knew she would not want to take it to college. I bet it weights close to 10 pounds!

After her time in Budapest, she has decided she is not going back to Michigan for college so... I didn't quite make it by the time we celebrated her birthday (nearly a month and a half late!) But I finished it last week.


Saturday, we went to dinner and I gave her the finished product. I was a bit worried since she had selected the colors almost 3 years prior (when I gave Kirsten her afghan). However, this morning when I logged onto Twitter, I found this tweet by her:


This is actually the second afghan I have made for Carmen. Mom died in 1987 two years before Carmen was born. When she died, the had two incomplete afghans. Carrie and I each finished one for Kirsten and Caitlin so they would have something to remember Mom by. When Carmen was born, I used some of the yarn Mom had in her stash when she died to make her an afghan. It was pale pink and variegated pink to gray. I like it so well, I make one for myself! Here is a picture of the afghan with my sweet Baby napping. Boy I sure miss Baby!