It's about time.....

.....I thought of posting to the blog! I've been in cleaning mode the past two weeks. Bookshelves are finally cleaned out. Closets are under control. But since Christmas, craft supplies have migrated to every room in the house except baths (there are even paint brushes in the kitchen!) So I continue to try to sort through it all and find storage in a central spot. Probably will never happen....I'm a terrible pack rat of crafting supplies.

While going through bookshelves, I found a wayward bead magazine (not in the bead magazine bin) that I had to look through. Of course I found a project I want to do...

These butterflys are done with bead embrodiery. So I rifled through my embrodiery supplies looking for backing (canvas, perferated paper, something that would work...) and found this kit I had purchased years ago....

Great....two more projects I want to do.

That's the trouble with my attention span...so many things get my attention!!

When not doing the spring cleaning thing, or spending time with family or dealing with real life issues, I have been crocheting. I have even been enjoying it! gasp! You see...I adore, love, need needle knitting! Typically I only resort to crochet when I want to make something that can't be knitted. But thanks to my friend, Janet, I've fallen for tapestry crochet.

I finished this bag last week after frogging the handle 3 times because I didn't like each method I tried.

I haven't started a new tapestry crochet project yet....but I did do a lap afghan for my daughter....

and one afghan panel with a rose for my Michaels class display.

...and I'm working on treasure bags for charity. Plus I had to start a pair of crocheted socks (no picture yet) - hehe....there's the sock addiction again .

Speaking of socks, I have spent some time on the needle knitting pair I mentioned in a previous blog posting.....otherwise not much knitting since the last time (wonder how long that will last?)

Saturday is "Bead Blitz" at Michaels. I'll be there getting blitz'd on beads....I mean working with beads. If you're in the Lancaster CA area and need a bead fix, stop by! Psssst...it's a "make and take" - doesn't get much better than that!

A period of not being creative

Do you do through a period when you aren't able to create a darn thing? Or is it just me? I recall reading that many of the more famous artists went through periods of depression. Supposedly that was when they created some of their more famous works. Humph...doesn't work that way for me.

I'm not really depressed however....it's more of a mood where creating doesn't seem possible. Perhaps it's that there are times we have to concentrate on day to day life and that leaves little time for self-expression. Then...because real life leaves little time to create, we become moody? I think I'm on to something here. And this is exactly what's happening in my house. Real life trials and tribulations are interferring with being creative. So nothing has been finished and no pictures to show. But I'm still here (that's good!)

Reminder....if you haven't voted in the bead contest and would like to, the vote continues until April 21, 2006 6:59 PM MST. Here's the link to that blog entry bead contest

And now....back to real life

Contributing to charity

Giving feels good, doesn't it? Did you know you could contribute to a charity when you search the internet? Really, it's true!

Use Goodsearch instead of Google. Each time you search using Goodsearch, a penny is donated to a charity that you specify. Here's the catch - I ask that you use Crafting For A Cause as your charity. I'm a member of the group and can verify that these nice folks work to help.

Now you can help too simply by changing your search engine to Goodsearch - remember to use Crafting For A Cause! Thank you!!!!!

Spring cleaning

The spring cleaning bug bit me (nasty little bug!). So I started cleaning out closets, book shelves, and craft room yesterday. A very daunting task that will continue for (probably) the next week because I get sidetracked. The book shelves are especially good at that when I run across a book I had forgotten was there. The good thing is - I eventually get some books listed on ebay and make a few bucks....then I buy more books HA!

While going through a bin of knitting, I ran across this scarf that I did last December. It's a loom knitted scarf that includes instructions for making loops inside the knitting - not just on the end rows. That's another pattern that I need to write. It has to wait until after spring cleaning though because I know if I stop now....it'll stay as is.

In between all this cleaning, my daughter and I spent time working on her knitting project. This little knitter is called the Sew Easy Knitting Machine" and it's "sew cool" (pun intended). She likes it better then the looms since progress is seen faster. That works well in getting her interested in knitting - since she'd rather be creating mechanical gismos like this -

Ahhh well. She's just more interested in science then arts.

If you haven't had a chance to vote for my bead contest entry, there is still time. Thank you!

Time to go back to cleaning.

Needles rule the roost

I love loom knitting - oh yes. I even finished a keyhole scarf yesterday...using pink Moda Dea Tutu on the purple loom. I had planned to post pictures of it today but camera batteries are dead again. Gotta recharge.

So...today needle knitting takes over the blog.
The camisole top is blocked.
I'm going to let it stay pinned until probably friday. Then I'll be able to seam it together and pick up the stitches for the bottom. I predict the Easter weekend will be spent knitting this while hanging out with my wonderful family!


Last night, I had an attack of sock withdrawal. What is it about socks that make us want to knit them? Really they're less expensive if we just buy the darn things! But making them is addictive....so I cast on and started the cuff.

If you like knitting socks but feel as if you're trying to juggle when working dpn, check out Socks Soar on Two Circular Needles by Cat Bordhi. This is a brillant method of working small diameter knitting without working with 4 or 5 knitting needles! I started knitting socks when I learned this method. But I had a bad habit of finishing one sock and leaving the other unfinished. Then I learned to use this method of sock knitting with 2 socks at once. It's not that difficult and I love it!

No more orphan socks!

P.S. If you haven't voted in the bead contest yet, please do! See previous blog post. Thank you!

Please vote! Beading contest

I almost forgot! The voting for the bead contest started today. Please vote!

Instructions to vote: My entry is number 21, Time to Bloom. Once you go to the url in this post, you will need to enter your email address to vote for #21. Then you will then receive an email to confirm the vote. Please do!!! The web site does not spam you. They ask for your email address to make sure we don't vote for ourselves a million times hahahaha

To vote: go to Bead Pattern Contest page (you can use that link).

And, yes, I know there are loads of beautiful beaded necklaces there. But I think mine is worthy of your vote! ;-)

Knitting Update and Shawl pattern

Camisole update - top was finished 2 weeks ago and needs to be blocked before adding bottom. I always procrastinate on blocking! But since I really want to finish this beautiful piece of needle knitting, blocking is planned for tomorrow.

As for the looms...

I've been asked about the beret pattern. It was originally designed for the Knifty Knitter long (oval) looms that haven't been released yet. But I am in the process of adapting it to the round Knifty Knitter looms. That pattern should be available next week. I'm interested in doing a felted beret....what do you think?

I love this shawl! I taught this class last May and didn't post it to my other blog so I thought I'd add it here.

It was loom knitted using the yellow Knifty Knitter loom and 2 skeins of Bernat Matrix yarn. It's worked using flat panel knitting. You'll knit the shawl sideways starting at one side, increasing pegs/stitches to the bottom "V", then decrease pegs/stitches to work to to the other side. I added loads of fringe to the bottom! But that would be up to you.

Cast on 3 pegs using e-wrap. Turn, e-wrap and knit 3 pegs for 6 rows using flat panel knitting method. (This creates a tie at one side.)

Increase row: Increase 1 peg/stitch by e-wrapping it. Turn, e-wrap and knit off.

No increase row: Turn, wrap, and knit off.

Repeat "Increase row" and "No increase row" until all 41 pegs have been used.

Decrease row: Decrease 1 peg/stitch by lifting last stitch from peg onto loom tool; lift next-to-the-last stitch from peg onto loom tool (two stitches on loom tool); now lift last stitch over next-to-the-last stitch, and let it drop (1 stitch remaining on loom tool). Return next-to-the-last stitch to its peg. This is the same as binding off in flat panel (as for a scarf). Turn, e-wrap and knit off.

No decrease row: Turn, wrap, and knit off.

Repeat "Decrease row" and "No Decrease row" until only 3 pegs left with stitches.

Turn, e-wrap and knit 3 pegs for 6 rows using flat panel knitting method. (This creates a tie for the other side.)

Bind off 3 pegs/stitches using flat panel bind off with chain in between. Weave in tails and add fringe!

Tapestry Crochet

I haven't blogged recently due to family issue. And, quite frankly, I haven't spent much time knitting - with or without needles...big shock to me and my family.

However, I have spent time doing tapestry crochet. I love it! This is exciting to me as I haven't been a big fan of crochet in a long time.

The first book I bought, Tapestry Crochet, is a very good tutorial for learning this technique. Recently, I got More Tapestry Crochet. I think this book will be my favorite for patterns....great bowl patterns!

I love to go to used book stores and found one in Cambria, CA during a recent trip. One great find was this copy of Hard Crochet. It's the same technique used in tapestry crochet and the brimmed hat is wonderful!

OK, now you know why I've been silent on knitting. However, the needles and loom are once again in my head. So I'll be posting more frequently. Stay tuned!