My New Journey

I'm embarking on a new journey. While knitting or crocheting, I am often inspired by the designs of others. Many times, their designs spark ideas of my own. Or sometimes an idea just pops into my mind while I am doing something totally unrelated to crocheting or knitting. I know...it's weird, but it happens.

About a year ago, one of my friends introduced me to Ravelry - a knitter/crocheter community website. This was exactly what I needed. So, I joined and have been able to keep track of my creations. Now that I have the hang of that, I'm going to try my hand at something new...adding my own designs to the Ravelry database. With that said, here is my first design... www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/grenade-hat . If you're not a Ravelry member and would like the pattern, let me know!

Hats Off to Me!

I fell in love with this pattern the first time I saw it and knew I needed to try it as soon as I was brave enough. Little did I know that I would end up making four of these lovelies. The first one I started was for my mom. Soon after I began, we received the sad news that one of our aunts has ovarian cancer. I immediately set aside my mom's hat and casted on stitches to make one for my aunt. The Malbrigo yarn would be perfect to keep her head warm if she lost her hair from chemo. The pattern was easy enough for a newbie knitter, yet challenging enough to keep me focused. The lace part was a bit difficult for me to get the hang of right away, but once I did, I loved it. This is a super fast, fun, addicting knit with gorgeous results. I added an extra round of the lace pattern since it felt like the hat wanted to come off my head before I added it.



The next hat was for another aunt who told me not to worry about buying her a Christmas gift this year. Ok...I'll knit her one instead. This yarn is Cascade yarn and although it looked beautiful, I don't think I'd use it for this pattern again. The thicker, softer Malabrigo was much nicer. I modified the pattern a bit here and there. One way was by doubling the garter stitch after the first lace pattern. It started as a mistake, but I ended up liking it, so I kept it.



Once Christmas gifts were done, I picked up my mom's unfinished hat and whipped it up in no time. It turned out beautifully. I mailed it to her a couple of days ago and I can't wait to hear what she thinks!



When my daughter saw my mom's hat, she loved it and asked for one in the same pattern. This time I used Berroco Ultra Alpaca. Another great yarn to use for this pattern. I hope she likes it!




I plan on making two more - one for a friend and one for myself!

I'm a Godmother!!!

Remember Lily? I am so excited to announce that I am now officially her Godmother! My very first godchild! As soon as I accepted the invitation, I searched for the perfect booties and cap to knit for her Christening. And here they are...

These are Saartje's Booties. These were so amazingly easy to knit up, even for a newbie like me it took a mere few days. I'm sure an experienced knitter could very easily whip them up in a matter of hours. They were so easy and fun! The hardest part was deciding which buttons to use! I paired them up with this cap...

It's a simple lacy scalloped cap. It was my first attempt at any kind of hat and my first attempt at anything scallopy or even lacy!!! I never dreamed it would be as easy as it was and it turned out unbelievably beautiful!! Everyone commented on how beautiful it was! Admittedly, I did frog it at least 4 or 5 times until I had it figured out. Once I got the hang of it though, it was not difficult at all! I had it done in no time. This cap paired with the booties was the perfect gift for Lily's Christening! The cap was almost too small for her sweet 6 month head, but it still looked adorable! I'm going to make her another one a bit bigger for the winter!

My First Socks!!!

I'm so proud!!! I look at these socks that fit my feet so perfectly and I cannot believe that I actually made them! If I had known knitting was so easy and satisfying, I would have taken the plunge many, many years ago!! I immediately began my next pair of socks as soon as I finished this pair and I intend to have a pair in progress at all times. Sock knitting is so satisfying for many reasons...the two main ones for me are it's a quick project that doesn't take forever to finish and they are so portable. Just pop the knitting bag into your purse and away you go. It makes sitting at traffic lights or stuck in traffic actually enjoyable. Bring on that long red light or traffic jam!!

Since this was my first sock attempt, I used the simplest pattern I could find. And it was perfect! Unfortunately, the web link isn't working anymore, so I can't post it here. Turning the heel (my first one!!) was so exciting! I immediately put the sock on my foot and was amazed that it was actually starting to look like a real sock! I finished the first sock while in the car on the way to PA for the weekend. I was so proud I sent the pic to a bunch of my friends who all reminded me that I now needed to make another sock or one of my feet would feel left out. Oh yeah....

It took me a bit to get going on that second sock. Apparently, I came down with a case of "Second Sock Syndrome". But once I got over that hump, I finished my first pair of socks in no time! I was totally amazed that the yarn dye pattern was exactly the same on the second sock except I misjudged the measurement for the toe reduction round, so my second sock has a red tip on the toe!! I seriously considered ripping out some rows to fix it, but then decided I’ll keep it as a reminder for next time to measure more carefully!

I so heart these socks! They will be forever special!

Happy Birthday, Tai Shan!!

Yesterday was Tai Shan's 4th birthday!! He's now a teenager in panda years! His birthday cake was a frozen treat of water, bamboo, shredded beets, and beet juice, which took 2 weeks to make! Tai Shan is very special because he was born at the Smithsonian National Zoo in Washington, DC. He is the first panda cub (Giant Panda, actually) born at the National Zoo who has survived for more than a few days and only the third to survive in the United States.
Giant Pandas are on the endangered list of the World Conservation Union's Red List of Threatened Animals. There are only about 1,600 left in the world, with most of them living in China. They actually survive longer in zoos than they do in the wild. They could live to be 35 years old. Tai Shan's parents, Mei Xiang and Tian Tian are on a ten year loan from China and are part of a research, conservation, and breeding program aimed to preserve Giant Pandas. They are supposed to return to China next year. Tai Shan was supposed to return to China after he turned 2, but they extended his stay until this year, which made me very happy. So far, no plans have been made for his return.

I have been following Tai Shan on the zoo's pandacam since the day he was born. He was the cutest thing ever to watch! He lived exclusively with his mom, Mei Xiang and separate from his dad, Tian Tian, who was in the yard next door and rarely even noticed his family. Now, when you tune into the cam, it's difficult to tell who you are watching. The pandas are sometimes all together and sometimes separated, depending on what's going on, breeding times, etc. Mei Xiang just finished going through her ovulation period. We all watched hopefully to see if she would produce another baby. It's very interesting. The pandas go through a pseudopregnancy after mating. We don't know whether or not they really are pregnant until the end. Unfortunately, Mei Xiang was not pregnant this year. Oh well....maybe next year!

Update ~ Rescue Plant Mission

Ok...so, I'm still trying. I've been called "The Fountain of Eternal Hope" many, many times in my lifetime for many different reasons. When I first started this plant rescue, my DH asked me how long do I plan on leaving this pot of dirt sitting around?

He even attempted to insinuate the thought of only one mere month! The nerve!! Knowing me like he does, I was totally shocked that he would even dare ask me that question. He knows when it comes to plants, my "Fountain of Eternal Hope" is just that - eternal!
Here's why...

I have a plant like the pic above. It was spectacular for a long time. Then after awhile it stopped growing. We all thought it just totally gave up. Being in denial, I kept watering the dirt anyway. One day, lo and behold, it started sprouting again! That was when I learned about plants that become dormant for a brief period.

Ok...so, maybe African Violets may not be one of those plants, but who knows what those roots are doing under that dirt! I removed the leaves that were dead, but I was careful to keep the roots under the soil. I know it doesn't look like much yet, but we'll see!! I still have hope....

Dizzy Sheep

I so heart Dizzy Sheep!! Not only do they have great daily deals, but I love reading the crazy daily shenanigans!! One of my friends introduced me to Dizzy Sheep a few months ago when this yarn was the deal of the day.


At that time, I didn’t realize it was a daily deal. I dilly-dallied trying to decide on a color – there were so many good ones to choose from. It wasn’t until the next morning that I finally made that very difficult decision. Not only did I decide on a color, but I figured out what sweater I wanted to make with the yarn! I was so excited with my decisions and was finally ready to make the purchase! You could imagine my dismay when I went to the website and the deal was gone!!! I watched every day for months. Finally, that yarn came back. As soon as I saw it, I logged in and ordered the yarn – colorway: Durfee

After a few days, I received an email from the Dizzy Sheep stating they were a skein short of what I wanted. The Dizzy Sheep representative gave me a couple of options (ugh! More decisions!) and I opted to wait for the next dye lot to get all the skeins. I had other projects in progress, so I wasn’t in a hurry. Dizzy Sheep was so nice and felt so bad making me wait, they gave me a 15% discount on my next purchase. I was happy. This is not over….

NEXT, I get an email from Dizzy Sheep saying the yarn company is not making anymore of that color after all!! I could either take what they have or cancel the order. I decided to take what they had thinking if I don’t have enough, I’ll make the sleeves shorter or won’t add the cowl to the neck. Again, because of all the craziness happening, Dizzy Sheep made sure to keep me happy by not charging me the shipping fee! Not only that….they shipped it immediately and I received that yarn in 2 days!! I so heart Dizzy Sheep!