Crochet Magick

Winter Holidays

2009-12-28T19:10:00.000-08:00

I can't say that I was looking forward to the holidays this year. I cried a lot and was depressed often. I celebrate Christmas with my family and Yule with my friend, and I could have passed the month by without them this year. With Dad gone almost three years now and Grandma gone this past October, the holidays just seemed like more effort than they are worth. but I sucked it up and did my best to gather gifts.

Let me add here though that working retail has helped to derail the holiday spirit. There is nothing more depressing than having to endure two months of Xmas music and the grabby, spoiled actions of my fellow human beings.

But I digress. I did the holidays and am glad in the end that I did.

I celebrated Yule on the 21st with my best friend Kindra and her daughter, Toria. It was an understated affair, consisting mostly of gifts and a trip to the park so Toria could show me how she rides her bike. We ended the day with homemade Ice cream and episodes of Ghost Hunters. It was a good day.

My Mom tries really hard to make the holidays fun. She wants fun decorations up and to do activities. Traditional for us has changed and I will admit that part of that is me, I like to do things different and unusual. For example last year we had two real trees to decorate and my little fake one. One of the live trees was covered entirely in hand-made ornaments. This year we went a different direction and did a table of small decorative trees.

We decorated gingerbread men (mom loves gingerbread men and it is a given that my sister and I will give her many as presents. Her collection is on the verge of outgoing the kitchen where it spends every holiday).

In the end our very untraditional Xmas included sitting around all day in PJs, having tacos for our early meal (my sister works nights and had to be in bed early), and watching old movies on TV (Little Women and Sherlock Holmes, yes, really). And frankly it was the most relaxing Xmas we have ever had.

I made mom some Xmas themed trivets to go along with the other things I bought her. I would have made gingerbread one as well if I had found some gingerbread colored cotton yarn. Maybe next year.

I would love to get the ornament rounder if I ever make another one, but other than that I was very pleased with how they turned out. Mom liked them and put them on the table with the trees. Here's to life not living down to expectations.

Making lace and pictures

2009-11-19T19:19:00.000-08:00

I decided to make some washclothes, but I'm not your usual square cloth kind of girl. I can do one that way, but then I've got to change things up. So I did. I wanted a sort of lacy look, without having to spend a lot of time on a complicated pattern. I wanted fast too. I can't spend too much time crocheting because I'm doing National Novel Writing Month (Almost 25,000 words so far!) so a fast pattern waas a must.

I have one trim pattern I can remember with little effort and I knew it could be used in different ways because I made a scarf with it once, by connecting rows of it as I went. The picture shows a close up of that trim.

So with a little bending and experimenting I figured out how to fold this trim on itself and create a square fabric.

I'm not sure it will work as a washcloth, but I really like the results.

I have plans for more including a spiral and maybe a granny motif. They are part of what will be a colorful Yule gift, especially since I am using only the cotton I already have. The person getting them will appreciate not only the color palette but the interesting pattersn as well.

I have mentioned it before, but I love my camera and I take it everywhere. I thought I'd show you a few of the subjects I've found to photograph. Oddly enough the pretty white roses and the tree are from the parking lot in Roseville where my job is located.

Goodbye Grandma

2009-11-09T16:16:00.000-08:00

On October 1 my grandmother, Alma, died. I took care of her the past few years and I find it strange for her to be gone. Even though I had to go to the nursing home to visit her since we had to move her there in January, I can still feel the hole in my life her passing has left.

I did however, deal with her death better than my father's. She was 91 years old and I did as much as I could to make her last years good ones. I wish I could have extended her independence more though. I think, in many ways, the loss of her independence aided her decline, but she also had alzheimers and there was no way around it. When we realized she would wander away from her apartment, we moved her into my mother's house, but with the tall steps into both front and back doors, Grandma couldn't go out on her own. She couldn't see well enough to do the dishes. She felt very useless, I think.

And then there were her seizures. We never did find out what exactly caused them, but they were getting worse and she wasn't recovering quickly. The last one she had at the house was so bad I was faced with the fact we could no longer care for her. So we had to put her in a home. It was a nice place, not the horrible kinds where there is neglect and abuse, Live Oak Manor had kind and loving CNAs who took care of her, encouraged her to walk when she didn't want to, put up with her ornery behavior, and cared about her when we weren't there. But at the same time, she lost even more of her own decision making rights and I watched her decline in spirit.

She had another seizure a few weeks before she died, and at first she was responsive, would eat and talk a little though she didn't open her eyes. But eventually, she stopped eating. We had made the decision, based upon an the Power of Attorney, my dad had for when he cared for her, not to have feeding tubes or extend her life beyond what is natural. We saw her a few hours before she died.

My Grandma was raised by a strong mother who worked hard to support not only her many children but their deadbeat father as well. She loved to travel (I wish I could have taken her to New York, it was one place she wanted to see, but never got to) loved fishing, her house in the mountains, sewing her clothes (she made my eighth grade graduation dress) her flower garden and the deer that ate her rasberries. She liked cowboy movies, Walker, Texas Ranger on TV, and Louis L'Amour books. I was "her girl". I miss her so much.

To cut funeral costs we did a lot of things ourselves, including designing her folders (those little handouts you get at funerals) with two pictures of her on the outside, instead of the generic choices we had at the funeral parlor. She was cremated and placed into a box my sister had covered with brocade fabric. We even put together our own sign in book for the funeral out of a pretty scrapbook, papers, some stamps with copper ink, and as many My Mom and sister were apprehensive at first about this DIY form of funeral, but in the end it was something we were not only proud of, but Grandma would have appreciated as well.

I honored her on Samhain and I remember her here where anyone can see it.

Happy Journeys Grandma. I love you and miss you. "Your Girl" Mindy.

Picture details:
*Grandma's 91st birthday. I crocheted her that cupcake, she loved sweets a lot.
*Grandma and mt Grandfather, Mervin, who died about ten years ago. They are buried together in Colusa now.
*This was the last picture I took of her. We were watching TV in the day room and she was sipping the milkshake I'd brought her. We had a good time that day. Here, she had fallen asleep. I wish I had gotten one of her awake.
*Grandma hunted, but I don't think she liked it as much as fishing, she did it because Grandpa liked it.
*This is a picture of the things we made for her funeral, set up at the building where her wake was held. On the left you can see one of the folders on top of the sign in sheet that I later put into her book. The little wooden box is a memory box I put together of all the things she like (flowers, bingo, cowboys, etc).
*This picture was taken the day my parents got married, it is on the back cover of the folders.

A Bluebird Purse and fall projects

2009-08-31T18:43:00.000-07:00

I haven't been crocheting a lot lately because my hands have been hurting some, but I did get a few things completed. The first item, and most fun, is the purse I made for my friend Rebecca. She likes birds, a lot, so I thought a crocheted bird purse would be perfect for her. I was going to felt it, but when I couldn't find a wool in a blue that I liked, I decided to just use acrylic yarn and ended up with a blue from the Vanna White yarn from Lion brand. I used an I hook, which gave me a tight enough stitch that I didn't have to line it. I don't like lining my purses.

I freeformed the bird. The first side of the purse was so much easier than the second. I had to not only match it to the first, but I had to do it in reverse. I spent a lot of time holding it up to the first side to get a match as close as I could. I was also trying to get the impression of overlapping feathers on the tail and the wing by crocheting in the back loop on certain rows.

The beak is made of two pieces crocheted into V shapes and sewn, overlapping, into place.

I crocheted the wing separately and sewed it into place. It covers the pocket which is shaped like an egg and crocheted in another Vanna yarn.

I started to run out of time (I finished it the day of her party) and decided not to make a second wing, but I didn't want to leave the back unfinished. I decided to be a little cute and embroidered "Tweet!" onto a piece of blue felt and sewed it onto the other side of the purse.

I really liked how this purse turned out and so did Rebecca, but it may never get used. She thinks it should only carry special things, not the everyday. Ah well, I am getting used to that.

I did do a little more crochet. I have written an article for Associated Content on easy crochet projects for Fall. Go read it here: Fall Weather Crochet Projects

Toria's Fancy Birthday Dress

2009-06-21T17:25:00.000-07:00

Dress is made party is over and both were a success!

I spent a lot of time procrastinating over this dress. making scared the hell out of me so I did a lot of practice projects. The wallet mentioned in a previous post, a big purse, and a laptop sleeve so I can carry my laptop in the big purse. They all turned out well, but they aren't clothes. So finally, with only a week to spare, I got to work on the dress. I never use real patterns, so figuring it out was my first problem. Then I realized the pattern was going to be a bit too big. So I made the elastic that went around the back smaller, there was a waist tie already. To solve the length problem I added ties to the inside of the dress that created gathers at the bottom and could be tied to just the right length (I figured out that a couple more ties would have made it look better, but the four I did do worked). So here it is.

She's not really posing, she just had her nails painted and is trying not to touch anything. The wind was blowing a lot that day.

I even made her a matching purse out of the remaining fabric with regular leopard print cotton as a lining. I used it as her gift bag.

It was a tea party for princesses so all the little girls were dressed in their best.

They all got their own teacups and saucers (but the real tea didn't go over well)

They decorated their own gift purses, made beaded necklaces and played Mother May I. And fancy dresses did nothing to hinder the mad rush for candy once the pinata was broken open.

Oh and everyone loved the cake my mom decorated.

Toria's mom was feeling crafty too. Check out the teapot!

(This was the healthiest party you've ever seen. Watermelon, catelope, apples and grapes. Even the cake was gluten free due to Toria's strict diet. Gluten makes her sick)

This was a fun party and I am so glad Toria loved her dress. What a relief.

Mom's Day

2009-05-01T17:49:00.000-07:00

Well, Mother's Day is approaching and so began the rush to figure out the perfect gift. Or at least one that makes her feel good. I finally decided on a wall hanging. I would have liked to make it from my stash (stash busting being a goal right now), but her favorite color is blue and I just don't have that much on hand. So off to Jo-ann's. I am sewing this project because I am using it for sewing practice too because the next project is Toria's Dress and I need to have this machine figured out.

I chose a selection of blue and white fabrics of varying shades and pattern sizes, mostly floral, and then a piece for the backing.

I decided to make a version of a log cabin block. I don't know if its technically correct but I am satisfied with the results. You might notice that the strips are different widths, I did that deliberately. I cut two strips from each fabric, one at two inches, the other at somewhere between one and a half to one and three quarters inches wide.

I decided to applique a heart from the white material in the center of the block. Here it is before stitching.

And here is a close up of the stitches I used to applique it. I love the pattern on that white fabric, you hardly see it all until it is backed by a darker fabric.

Pretty soon I will sew the backing on, but first I've got to find the extra batting I have. It's probably in my storage unit, but when I went there today to look it began raining as soon as I drove into the lot. Hard raining. Soak everything in the front of the unit hard rain, so the backing has to wait a bit longer. I haven't decided if I will do any embellishing. Hand-needle work is not easy for me right now, but I might try a little. I know she'll like it, she my mom and usually does, but I hope she likes it enough to put it up somewhere too.

Practice Makes Better

2009-04-26T16:38:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I wrote last time that I was going to make Toria's Tea Party dress. But my skills with the sewing machine are awful. If my hands didn't hurt so much I would probably just do it by hand. But I have to use the machine. So, I have decided to practice. Little projects, easy projects, so I can get at least a little better at machine sewing.

I bought the current issue of Sew Simple Magazine. There is a pattern to make a billfold. I needed a new wallet so I chose it. First problem. They used laminated cotton. I've never heard of laminated cotton. It is supposed to be like oil cloth, but the local fabric store didn't have any. Since I want to stash bust anyway, I raided my stuff and chose a knit I bought a long time ago with a geisha pattern on it. I used fusible interfacing to stiffen it up and cut down on stretch. Then I used one of the scrap pieces I bought in Fort Bragg last month, a batik in blue with what looks like bamboo images on it. The blue was simialr to one in the knit and the bamboo fit with theme, so I gave it a shot. An interesting pairing I admit, but I like it. It didn't take too long to make, a couple of hours but that's because I spend a lot of time arguing with the machine. Here is the finished product.

Its not bad. Even though I missed the seam allowance in the pattern I got it right on a guess. I did however put the elastic on the wrong side when I sewed it. It's supposed to be beside the ribbon accents, but it isn't. It's also off center, so I put the button a little higher to even it out. May make the billfold slip off center, but oh well.

I've already filled it up and am using it, because I do like it. I even like the fabrics together.

But the sewing is questionable. Oh it will stay together, but take a look at those stitches. I used the wrong thread (rayon- it shredded every once in a while) an old needle (yes, I use needles until they break, which I am surprised didn't happen this time), the wrong size needle (It was really thick with the two fabics and the interfacing so the needle would slide too far and jam) and sometimes the wrong thread tension which I am still trying to figure out how to use. I'll figure it out.

My sis wants a bag to carry her MP3 player (and its accessories) in and wants the same geisha fabric too. So I have another practice item to work on. Hopefully, I'll figure out the things I did wrong this time. I really want Toria's dress to be nice, that includes and stitches that might show in the finished product. We'll see what happens with the bag.

Grandma's B-day, Oh And Easter Too

2009-04-14T20:28:00.000-07:00

April 12, was Grandma's 91st B-day. So we took her out of the nursing home for the day to celebrate. It was Easter too, but really, for the most part, we were celebrating Grandma. I mean 91, come on, so much more worth the celebrating.

Grandma is my Dad's mom. She was living with us at Mom's house up until the end of January when a particularly frightening seizure made it clear we could no longer help her. She didn't care much for the home at first and sometimes forgets she lives there and wants to go home (the home she shared with grandpa in Chester more than a decade ago), but mostly she has adjusted.

She never wants anything as a gift, which we all hate because we love to give gifts. Up until Saturday night I hadn't gotten her anything except a plastic egg I decorated with flowers and ribbon and filled with Chocolate Kisses (I also made ones for Mom and my sister), but I really wanted to make her something, but with limited time and hurting hands I had to go small. Inspiration came in a book club catalog featuring a book of crocheted food. I thought about doing a slice of cake, but instead opted for a cupcake. I searched my stash for a suitable color combination and crocheted my first cupcake. It has its faults but Grandma liked it.

She only stayed a few hours. A really big meal, picture time, two kinds of dessert and warm weather (we were outside under an awning in the backyard) left her a little sleepy and she was ready to leave. By the time I got back from taking her home, I was ready to sleep as well.

It was a good day, we all enjoyed it, and so did Grandma, and that is the most important part.

Blessings,
Agate

No hooks required

2009-04-10T19:04:00.000-07:00

Okay, so this post has little to nothing to do with crochet, but it is crafty.

My friend's daughter, Toria is having a fancy tea party for her birthday this year and guess who gets to create the fancy dress. Yes me. Now I am totally happy to do this, Toria is the child I never had and always get to send home when the temper tantrums start, but its sewing.

If I could do it all by hand, I would, but thanks to some issues at work I can barely hold a N hook, not so much a little needle. But my sewing machine and I have issues. I just want it to work, and it doesn't always want to. I am sure the tempermantal machine would blame me for our issues: I'm not threading it right or the tension is wrong, but that doesn't explain how it works for the first 75% of the project only to stubbornly bind up on the underside halfway through a line of stitching.

I will persevere though. I will make a lovely dress for Toria's seventh birthday come Hell or tangled thread.

The shopping trip for the fabric was an adventure. Not only my first trip to a big JoAnn's store (our store here in YC is very small and cramped and doesn't carry half of what I saw that day), but choosing fabric was somewhat difficult. First there were my rules to what fabric. Now Toria and her Mommy might think I am a crafting wiz and can work miracles, but I know my limits, especially when it comes to sewing. Nothing too stretchy (I haven't sewn stretchy fabrics yet and don't want to experiment on this project) and nothing that frays too much on the bolt. Oh and the pattern had to be simple, clothing doesn't always work out for me.

Here is the pattern she chose. She wants version D, the blue version.

I also picked out a pattern that I think I will do for her, either as a b-day gift, or a little later. I love the shape of the hem. Mom wants all three pieces for her.

Why would I make another dress if the first is such a big deal. Well, I've made her one other dress, a simple tank dress out of Tinkerbell cotton. I figure if I can manage the party dress, then I'll try the next which has a more difficult hem to it. I've decided I want to start making some of my own clothes anyway, miniature child versions seem like a good place to start.

Okay, so simple is done. Now the fabric. She wanted Leopard print (she calls it baby jaguar, but either way its animal print for a tea party, but its her party), not only leopard print, but true to color print. She had her heart set on a silky print, that I actually thought was pretty ugly, but then I am not partial to animal prints. Note however, I said a silky fabric, and silky (rayon) fabrics fray a lot. So we had to find a way to steer her away from it and still find something she liked. (Toria was somewhat disappointed in me at this point because I could not fulfill her fantasy of a silky leopard print)

Mom and I really liked a pink and purple fabric with silver threads in it, very light and pretty, but she was not excited. We ended up in the quilter's cotton section. Now this I can sew, if only we could find something she liked. There was a rainbow striped fabric she liked, and we even found leopard print, pink leopard print to be exact. So we had four fabrics in the cart to chose from.

Remember, this is a fancy party and plain cotton is not fancy even if it is pink leopard print or rainbows. We headed to the trim aisle and she began picking out a variety of trims.

Once we had a selection of lace, ribbons, sequins and fur we set about establishing which she liked better. In the end she chose the pink leopard (Yeah, no fray) some pink bead fringe on light pink ribbons and a strand of gold sequins.

From my own fabric stash I have included some gold mesh for the waistband (maybe) and I may need more sequins. Soon I will face off against the machine, but I swear I will create a lovely piece of seven year old fanciness, even if I have to sit down and finish by hand.

Blessings,
Agate

2009-03-21T15:38:00.000-07:00

I have a new camera, a wonderful, new 13 megapixel camera that takes wonderful pictures see.

This is my first attempt at crocheting a labyrinth in the round.

See how close I can get.

See the detail.

I am very excited about this camera. Now maybe I will be able to keep up on these blogs since i can properly show off my work.

Heeere's Harley

2008-05-02T22:43:00.000-07:00

Every time I get online I think I really should make an entry into one or both of my blogs. Do I? Not usually. I tell myself I ran out of time, but really I haven't. It's a case of pure laziness on my part. Which tends to also be the cause of most of my should-haves-but-didn't-get-to-its. So here I am getting to it.

I have more than enough time this weekend, which became a three day weekend when Grandma woke up with a seizure Thursday morning. My mother lately seems to be on the edge of a nervous breakdown, and given the last year she can hardly be blamed, so I stepped up and stayed home. Poor Grandma had four seizures by the end of the day and is right now sitting in the recliner (where she has been since after the first attack when she actually seemed to recover quickly) talking to people only she can see. I am hoping that she will be a little closer to recovery tomorrow, at least enough that she knows where she is and can walk (with our help) to the bathroom.

Anyway, I stayed up for 24 hours straight yesterday and it wasn't a complete sit around wasting time or dozing day. I crocheted. I am working on a teddy bear for Mother's day, but at one point I decided I wanted to make something quick and gratifying. Most of my projects have been large and slow to make since my hands don't let me crochet for long periods of time with out stopping often. So I made Harley.

Harley is the last bit of one ball of yarn and a furry yarn for hair. I think he's cute and I love the hair. He started out round on the bottom but is actually four sided (hence his cone head look). I needed a little instant gratification this weekend.

I am also playing with my digital camera. It's not a very good one, but I am trying to get it to take good pictures, at least until I can afford something better. My phone takes good ones, but they don't do well at a larger size. Here's what I've managed, I think they are good.

This is a picture from my Mom's eight foot rosebush. Its a little out of focus, but I think that is because of the breeze that day.

The Hydrangeas will be blooming soon and here is the proof. Ours blooms somewhere between green and lavender, although last year there seemed to be more purple.

I had one other picutre, but it didn't quite turn out the way I wanted. The wind moved the branches and I lost the image I really wanted, which was of the flowers framed by other flowers. I don't know if that makes sense, but it didn't work this time. I can try again now that I've cleared the pictures from my camera (no memory card).

Well, I guess that's it for now. I am hoping Grandma will go to sleep soon, but she says ahe's not tired and I suspect she'll start trying to get up out the chair. Maybe I'll sleep tonight. Wish me luck.

Hatin' on the Hook

2008-03-29T22:23:00.000-07:00

I just don't get it. I don't understand why some knitters have such a passionate hate for crocheting. Okay, so you don't enjoy the craft but what is up with the animosity?

I receive Knitting Daily a newsletter by Interweave Press. They give tips and patterns for mostly knitting but also for crochet. Well, for one issue Kim Werker, the editor of Interweave Crochet wrote about crochet. The way some knitters reacted to an article about crochet you would have thought Kim was writing in favor of rape or something. It was mean and hateful and frankly rather childish. They were offended and angry that Knitting Daily would dare include crochet in its contents. Never mind this is a free newsletter and is basically meant to be an advertisement for all things Interweave Press, they were downright pissed off the the "C" word was even mentioned.

Okay, so you don't like a craft, so what. I don't particularly like knitting but I don't hate it, it is just not my thing. I am not going to demonize it or anyone who mentions it around me. I guess its part of a spoiled brat attitude to think that if you don't like something you should never have to hear about it or see it and if you do its okay to throw a temper tantrum.

I really have to stop reading the comment sections of blogs and articles. This is the second time I have written about the comment section. I constantly find myself disappointed in the intelligence levels of so many people who feel the need to leave comments. I realize not every knitter is a foolish as those I am speaking of, but its never the rational people who leave an impression.

Back on the Hook

2008-03-06T15:57:00.000-08:00

I am back to crocheting again, not as much as I used to because my hands are hurting, but its something. I am working on a notepad cover out of Patons SWS that I am going to felt. Every once in a while I see an artists set that consists of a blank paper notepad, colored pencils, in a fabric cover of some sort. I am jealous and wonder why they don't make those kinds of goodies for writers? So I am making my own. It is striping nicely in colors that remind me of the ocean. I will probably line it as well. And since I rearranged my storage and can get to my yarn/fabric stash, I won't have to buy anything. I am hoping that two skeins of yarn will be enough because, much to my disappointment, I don't have enough money to buy more. I also hope I get more cash soon, I only have five 18-gallon tubs of yarn to last me in the meantime.

I am also working on designing a square for a contest that Red Heart and Crochet Today! magazine are having. I am having some issues with it so far. Including having to scrap my first idea because I can't do a gauge swatch to save my life. I went through the trouble of doing one, calculated sts per row and how many rows to get the size block I wanted. I was going to do a picture block, but when I started crocheting the block it was a good two inches too long! I decided to crochet another swatch right on top of the long piece and guess what? The short swatch is the same as the first one I did. So, evidently I crochet differently for a short piece than I do for a larger piece. I knew I hated doing swatches.

Anyway, I am doing a different block now. I've hit a few snags there, but I'm still at it.

I am also doing charity stuff again for preemie babies. I've finished a few pairs of booties and a hat and they are tragically adorable. So tiny. Even smaller than I thought they would be because the pattern I am working from is for the tiniest of the tiny.

I would like to introduce you to Toria, my best friend's daughter and my favorite five year old. Don't worry those are washable markers, but you should have seen the looks we got at the bookstore as Toria 'painted' her face. Sorry about the picture quality, I used my phone to take the picture.

Isn't she adorable? She doesn't always look like that, but I can't get any other pictures to upload today. Maybe next time. Until then,

Blessings
Agate

Hellooo! Is anyone still out there?

2008-02-14T22:57:00.000-08:00

It's been awhile hasn't it? A lot happened since May. I got a new job, that I commute to. My Dad died during one very dramatic and painful Sunday in June. Then in October, not only to help my mom pay bills, but so Grandma wouldn't have to live alone anymore, she and I moved in with Mom and Erica, my sister. It's a three bedroom house. I sleep in the living room. But we are dealing with it all and seem to be adjusting.

I haven't done much of anything the past 7 months, except work. Not a lot of writing or crafting, though I manage to get a little in. I don't even get to see people very much, people as in friends, rather than acquaintances. But i am trying to get back in the groove.

I am writing in short bursts, carrying notepaper folded in my pocket during work hours, scribbling bits during breaks. Its not as much as I was doing before last June, but I'll get there.

ANd I found another charity to craft for. It's called The Preemie Project, I really liked making the preemie hats for Save the Children on 06' so I thought I would do it again. If nothing else, it may keep me from wallowing in my own grief and do something for someone with more immediate problems.

So I am back and plan on once again chronicling my life, whether or not anyone is around to read it.

Blessings to all,
Agate

A quick update

2007-05-02T07:41:00.000-07:00

I tried doing a post a couple weeks ago about a purse I made for my mom, but for some reason I am having issues with the pictures. So for now, no pics, but I have been crocheting.

I made the purse for my mom from Lion Suede yarn in Mocha and Patons Brilliant in Gold Glow. I added some gold cloissonne beads and a magnatic clasp. There are also three flowers made from the gold glow. Its real pretty so I hope I'll be able to fix the picture problem and show you. I also made a skinny scarf for her out of the leftover yarn. I still need to add beads to it, but the crocheting is finished. And though the weather is wrong for it now, I used some novelty yarns, Bernat Bling-Bling in a blue color and Bernat Boa in white, to make a scarf for her. The blue is done in granny squares and edged with the boa. My mom likes the furry, fluffy scarves and requested a wider one than the others I have made for her. The scarves are part of her Mother's Day gift this year.

I made a goddess shaped doll, amigurumi style, but I'm not sure I like it, so it needs to be redesigned. Maybe I'll post a picture of it as a before to the finished design.

I bought an xxl man's shirt in a pretty aqua-blue color. I crocheted a flowered trim in brown Cool Crochet yarn and made a v neck for it (I hate those tight collars) I did a few other alterations. I haven't taken a picture of it yet.

I bought the above T-shirt because it matches the blue yarn I am making a shawl out of. I am also using a variegated brown and blue yarn I am using. It's not near done yet, but I was working on it last night.

Well, that's it for now. I'll try to get pictures posted next time, I just didn't feel like messing with it today.

Blessings
Agate

I'm an inspiration

2007-04-18T09:21:00.000-07:00

Okay, so Grandma's flower garden is an ispiration, but hey, I'll go with it. On the Granny Along blog, in My Copycat Square, Sherri really liked my flower garden square and is mimicking it. It's not exact because she is using the regular square center instead of the eight armed one I did, but I'm still just giddy and honored. I love it when people like my stuff.

Blessings,
Agate

It is done!!!

2007-04-15T07:54:00.000-07:00

It is finished. It took me until five minutes before I gave it to her to do it, but it is done. A few things before I show you the pictures. The yellow is really a pale baby yellow, not the orangey color I see on my screen. The light green isn't so yellow, its like the green of new leaves, and that isn't black, it's dark green.

This isn't the best picture of it, but it is the only complete view I managed to get. This one looks better.

Most of the blanket is done in basic Red Heart acrylic, and old acrylic at that, ten or more years old, so some of it has that crunchy feel. So I did the border in softer yarns. (Remember: I am working from my stash and couldn't afford to buy anything else, and it had to be washable anyway) I used a K hook for the squares, and an L hook for the border, creating a wavy and soft edge. The first row is TLC, the second row is a pale yellow Baby Teri (Red Heart, and the outer edge is white Baby Teri.

I wanted to add lots of flowers to it, but since I ran out of time (if my hands hadn't bothered me for that week I could have) but I did add a few. Along the edge of the blanket (before the border) I placed small flowers where three squares come together and reinforced those corners. Then on the four corners of a large center square (formed by four smaller squares) I placed the four larger flowers. Then in the center are three small flowers in a cluster.

I was very pleased with how it turned out. Grandma always complains when we get her things because she doesn't think she needs anything, so when she started opening the bag, she was also starting to complain. She stopped in mid complaint, smiled and said "Oooh". Then she spread it over her and hugged it. It was the best reaction I could ever get. Last I saw it, it was on her bed, hope it stays there because with her memory she'll forget about it if it gets put in the closet (for example the quilt I made for her a few years ago)

My tax money came, not a lot, but considering I haven't had any extra money for months, it was a windfall. I went to Sacramento to hang with Kindra. We went to Barnes and Noble and Michaels this is what I got.

Ah, new crochet magazines to look at and a ball of pretty yarn. The yarn is Patons Rumor in Spanish Heather. It is an Alpaca, acrylic, and polyester mix that is dark grey and a red that ranges from burgandy to bright red to a dark rose. Kindra was talking about making a hat from the Interweave Crochet magazine. She'll have to make it little bigger because regular size hats are always just a tad too small and she wants a new spring hat. I might turn the Rumor into a hat as well, maybe something a little lacy. The yarn is thick and dark and not what most people consider "springy", but I like dark muted colors and I wear a lot of black and red (and not just at work) so I am looking forward to creating a new hat. I don't do a lot things from the patterns in magazines, mostly because I have trouble getting my swatch to match theirs, but there were a couple shirt patterns I liked that I think I'll try. You'll know if I do.

Blessings,
Agate

Racing to the finish

2007-04-04T10:30:00.000-07:00

I am in a rush to finish Grandma's blanket. No, I did not procratinate. I have problems with my hands and my back. I think I have Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (I don't know this for sure because when I went to my doctor to find out, he told me I didn't have AIDS. Yeah, it was a terribly helpful trip. I knew I didn't have AIDS, I still don't know for sure if I have CTS) and when I fell down at work about a year and half ago, I hurt some part of my back that when it has problems, makes my hands hurt even worse than the CTS. Well, by the end of Wednesday's crocheting my right forefinger was begining to go numb at the tips. So I put away the crochet, iced my wrists and put on my braces. That usually eases the CTS syptoms. Not this time. The numbness began to extend down the side of my forefinger and got overly sensitive (I know it sounds weird, but the sensation is a mix of numbness and pain, sort of like pins and needles, but a little different). Since nothing helped, I figured it was because of my back, which I can do very little about. So, I had to not crochet for awhile because it hurt too much. I also took it easy at work, which is the general cause of my back having problems.

Well, the effort at work helped and I can crochet again. So it's frantic time for the blanket because I have about a week left to finish.

The pic shows the four finished squares I had last night, but I have finished five more while on the Interent this morning (yes, my computer and hook up is that slow). I started on a sixth, but my fingers are a little achy so I am resting for a little while. It does mean however, I will be working on them at Grandma's, even though I did not want to do that. I decided not to do the beige yarn around the bright green (which is brighter than the picture shows and that dark row is dark green not black, I couldn't improve the color in the pic) I didn't like the way the beige looked next to the yellow. I've decided the bright green is okay because if you go outside with the new growth on trees and bushes, the new stuff is the same bright green next to the same dark green. So it works just fine.

I also finally made something with my handspun yarn. It's a little wrist bag. The strap buttons to the purse at one end so I can also wear it from my belt loop. I also still have yarn left, so Kindra, who was upset when I told her that she didn't get the first item made from my new yarn, will get a similar bag, sans the beads though, I don't have enought left.

I thought I'd show you the candle cozy I made a few years ago.

This was for a spring celebration Kindra and I did. It is spiderweb lace with flowers and leaves attached. The yellow cord hanging down is actually the tie that laces up the back of the cozy so it can go around even wider candles. Pretty huh?. Lots of work though, I am not used to crochet thread projects.

Blessings,
Agate

I've got a peeve and a new project

2007-03-28T09:56:00.000-07:00

Yes, there is something that has really started to bother me online. I haven't experienced it here, but I find them often in the comment sections of blogs and articles:

Messages from stupid people called Anonymous.

Now first off, the idea that you can't disagree with someone without acting like a nasty little 12 year old is ridiculous. Since when is it okay to be derisive and condescending just because you have a different thought on a subject, or you don't like something someone has made or written. And anyway, why do you even need to say it at all? Do these Anonymous people really have such a high opinion of themselves that their thoughts (expressed with all of the intelligence of a middle school bully) really matter or will make a difference? Or do they have such a small life that they need to make someone else feel like a piece of crap?

But perhaps the stupidest part of a message from Anonymous, is the Anonymous part. What is up with not having the balls to leave a name? It certainly doesn't add to their credibility, I mean who is going to take anything seriously from someone who is afraid to state their name.

Whatever happened to "If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all"? Or do some people people think that only applies to kids? If they need to express a negative opinion is it really necessary to add name calling into the mix? What is it about the Internet that makes people think this is an okay way to act? You know they wouldn't say it to someone's face, they'd be lucky to walk away without a black eye, right?

Anonymous tends to bring the level of a conversation down by at least fifty I.Q. points on a good day, and the last thing any of us need is interaction with deliberately stupid people.

Okay, rant over. Like I said, it hasn't happened on my blog, I've just read way too many nasty comments by people who can't even leave an online name let alone their real one; whose only purpose seems to be to make someone else feel bad rather than have a discussion on opposing views.

Oh, now the important part. No pic, but Grandma Alma's birthday is April 12th and I've started a blanket for her. I'm calling it Grandma's flower garden. It will be in granny squares, but the center of each square looks like a flower and will be in multiple colors, then green for the second rounds (I have two greens I can use). The third row will be white or beige (one of the greens is really bright and I'm hoping the light beige will tone it down), then yellow, then white on the next two rounds. The very last round will be SC in yellow. I'm using stuff from my stash and my sister gave me a whole lot of yellow and white. I'm sewing the aquares together on point and then doing a ripple border around the edges. It's all acrylic, and not real soft acrylic, but my grandma has to be able to wash it without special instructions because her memory is very bad, so even if I could afford to buy more yarn, I'd still have to get acrylic, though I'd probably choose some softer stuff. But since Target is still dealing out hours at work with an eye dropper, I have to use the stash.

I've got all the centers crocheted, and am working on the green rows. There are 24 large squares. If I don't procrastinate too much I should be able to get it done in time. Only problem is, I do most of my crocheting while I'm with her in the evening and I can't work on it when I'm with her. I have done it before, but I don't like lying to her about who I'm making it for.

Blessings,
Agate

Look what I did

2007-03-25T08:40:00.000-07:00

For Christmas last year my best friend< Kindra, bought me four batts of roving and a drop spindle. This wasn't a surprise because she knows nothing about these things and had to ask me for the names of what she was supposed to buy. But she went to a lot of trouble for it because the only store I know that sells roving and spindles in Sacramento is called Rumplestilskins and it is located in downtown Sac (that isn't saying that there aren't more, I just don't know of them). Kindra hates driving downtown, it is very busy with cars and since it's the original part of the city the streets are all small and one way, but she did brave them. Then she went into the store, pointed at something and said, that's a spindle. When the clerk said yes, Kindra was very happy, she may have clapped and jumped up and down. She was nearly ecstatic when she got roving right as well.

However, she thinks I am a crafting genius and either figured I knew how already or had instructions so she didn't get me a book. I finally checked a couple books out of the library and spent Thursday spinning after work.

I can't tell you how many wraps per inch it is because it it ranges from lace weight to worsted (it is after all my first skein), but I am so stoked. I did have a few issues with it. The book says to attach a leader yarn and spin clockwise. Didn't have trouble attaching the yarn to the roving, but I had a dickens of a time trying to get it to spin, the leader yarn just kinked up. It was spun the other direction, and I couldn't figure out how to fix it. Turns out my leader yarn was two-ply, and plied yarn is spun counter-clockwise. I also wasn't sure if I was supposed to soak it. My books are about spinning fresh off the sheep yarn that still has lanolin in it and might be dirty. My roving was clean and dyed. So I soaked it once for a little while and right now it is hanging in my bathroom on a bent hanger, drying. Don't know what I'll do with it, but I am considering a few possibilities. I actually saved the last strip of roving to spin when I went to Grandma's apartment so I could show her how I did it. I was so excited that I took the whole spindle to work to show off to some friends, and then to my mom's for her and my sister to see.

Plus, I still have three more batts to spin. I am thinking that if I decide to do it more often and in larger amounts I might have to get a small wheel of some sort. It was hard on my carpel-tunneled wrists and hands to use the drop spindle, but I still had fun. I want to do more kinds of fibers besides wool. Hmmm, wonder how Xander would get along with a big fluffy angora rabbit...

Blessings,
Agate

At a loss

2007-03-21T07:36:00.000-07:00

The day my grandmother died, we were completely unprepared for it to happen. She'd gone into the hospital for heart palpitations, they gave her a blood thinner and sent her to Sacramento for tests. At 4am my mom called me and we all drove an hour to get there, hoping she would be okay, or at least still alive. She wasn't. I remember when my Dad told us, I literally hit the wall. I also remember that when we went back to see her she looked green, but that may have been the lights.

I didn't deal well with her loss and I pretty much had to cope alone. My mom was devastated and Dad had to take care of her. My sister is never much good during situations so I was alone. I fell into a depression, or maybe it made one worse.

It has been nearly ten years since that day and I eventually learned to deal with her loss. But I still don't do well in emergencies anymore. I find myself unable to offer any real support when it is needed.

Now to today. My dad is a diabetic who is also on dialysis. He thought he was feeling bad because of the cold that went around the family. In January he went into the hospital with a very bad absess. He had surgery and was okay, at least enough that the hospital, in its infinite wisdom decided after a month to send in to a nursing care home to recover. Three days later he was back at the hospital, the infection was getting worse. My Daddy could die. That's a crippling thought.

He had a second surgery, that has seemed to help, and he went back to the care home.

Now he's back in the hospital. Not because of the infection this time. You see, several years back his foot got run over by a forklift when the driver moved too soon. That's about when they found the diabetes. His foot has never been quite right. Now the toes are black and it has to be removed. We hope it is only the foot, not more. Losing his leg has always been his greatest fear since the accident.

What has this to do with my Grandma? I can't deal. I find myself unable to go see him, I don't have anything to offer him. Not even just my presence. My depression has been coming back for some time and my complete dissatisfaction with my life makes me not the greatest of company even at good times. I have no endless chatter to fill the silence, no cheerleader chants to bring up his spirits. Usually, I might make something for him, but I don't even know what to make for him. He already has a blanket I made a few years back, but its not at the hospital so that it either does not get ruined or stolen. I just don't know what to do.

I feel so useless and so bad about it all. But I can't handle it. I sort of just shut down emotionally whenever mom wants to talk about it, and she thinks its me being strong, but its not.

What makes it even harder is that I take care of his mother. I go to my Grandma's apartment and fix her dinner almost every night, and make sure she takes her pills. I am the one who has to keep her updated on his condition, but since its so hard for me to go visit him, I hardly take her there, though I know I should. It's difficult to gauge what she can handle hearing. She has these mini strokes every once in a while and I am afraid of causing one whenever something new happens with him. I told her last night about his leg and she was the most upset she had been the past three months. I just hope this doesn't cause an episode.

I feel like I am drowning, meanwhile everyone keeps expecting me to take over as the family rock while Dad is sick. I don't have it in me to take care of anyone else, I don't even feel like I can take care of myself.

Blessings,
Agate

Meet the "family"

2007-03-19T06:46:00.000-07:00

Hi all, You've met Wanda who greets you as you enter my blog, now its time to meet the rest of the family.

This is Winston.

He is Wanda's brother and a tribal punk, notice the loincloth and the red and orange tribal tattoos, oh and don't forget the multi-colored Mohawk. He's just too cool for words.

Then there is Wyla, the baby of the family.

She is totally Goth, and though it doesn't show up in the picture, her skin has a sparkle in it. Aren't those lace sleeves awesome, though she'd never admit that. Now stop looking at her.

This is bear.

He doesn't have a special name or anything. He was an experiment in making a sort of flat bear that could fit into a pocket on a blanket. It doesn't show here, but he's only about 3inches thick. He also has a belly button. There are several changes I want to make should I do another bear. I crocheted his body directly from the round that is his head without breaking the yarn, so his head is a little crooked and wants turn a bit. And his hips are way out of proportion to his shoulders, so I want to widen his shoulders (I guess I should say actually give him shoulders) so he looks a little less odd. But I thought he turned out cute in spite of those flaws.

Blessings,
Agate

Meet my boy

2007-03-18T07:58:00.000-07:00

Yes, I am a sterotype. I am a single woman, I crochet, and I have a cat that I consider my child. But just one. This is Xander.

He is the only surviving member of his litter. I adopted him from Dr. Toogood's love on wheels. Toogood (yes, that's a real name) is a vet who takes animals out in a special van for people to adopt. For $2 I got a cat I wasn't supposed to have in my apartment only to find out two days later the rest of the litter died from toxidia. Xander had it too, but medicine helped. He's a behemoth now. That is a big shoebox that my wedge heel shoes came in. You can't see it, but his tail doesn't fit.

This picture I had to 'fix'. It was blurry, but so cute, so now it has an oil painting look.

He drives me nuts, thinks I'm a giant chew toy, and obnoxious as all get out, but I adore him. He's my boy.

(Fortunately, he doesn't care much about my balls of yarn, the plastic bags I have them in, that's another matter entirely.)

Blessings all,
Agate

What else I do

2007-03-14T09:27:00.000-07:00

I do a lot of crafting. Last year, I decided to make a needlework purse. One one side I did a crazy quilt panel (whose picture didn't turn out). This was the other side though.

I made an ocean purse because I just love the ocean and want to move down there someday. My favorite beach right now is between Mendocino and Fort Bragg (California coast) see:

This is Caspar Beach. It's a secluded little beach with an RV park nearby. Now Mendocino County in so even summer days are breezy and cool, so this beach is never filled to the brim like, say, Santa Monica or any of those other beaches you'd see in SO CAL.

I usually only get to go for the day, but I always get there real early, just after the sun has risen, and for a little while the beach is all mine.

So, I made this purse. Not that I'd ever seen a mermaid in the cove, she wasn't in the original idea, but she turned out so cute. My ocean floor is littered with beads and shells, some of which I actually picked up on the beach.

Another great place over there are the headlands. The town of Mendocino is actually on a cliff. You can walk out the edge of it and watch waves crash over boulders or beneath 'caves'. The last time I went there I watched some seals as they fished and ate below. You might even be able to pick them out of the second picture, though they are going to be little gray blurs. Like I said before, I don't have the greatest camera.

I've been working on my Granny square blanket a little too. I do the ripple at Grandma's every night and carry the granny around in my purse. Here's what they are looking like:

I don't usually use pastels, don't like them much, but that's what baby yarns (at least the ones I can afford) come in, and I bought a bunch when my friend was pregnant. It's all fingeriing weight, although the lavender row, is a fuzzy acrylic I found at Goodwill and tossed it into the mix for texture.

Hee hee, I do like being able to post pictures.

Blessings all,
Agate

Rippling along

2007-03-09T13:18:00.000-08:00

Oi vey, I think the blogging gods have issues with me blogging. I have such problems! My first blog, a few years back, was hard to keep up because I'd type up a post and get kicked off the net right as I hit post. Lost interest. My last blog, for crochet, I could never get to post pictures on, no matter how hard I tried. Now, I am having trouble getting the log in page to download. I know most of the problems are probably because of my old laptop, but I can't afford to fix or replace, so I'll just keep trying.

Anyway, I've been crocheting...Ta-daaa!

Here's my ripple blanket. I'm really liking it. Here is the addy for The Never Ending Ripple-Along . There are some fantastic ripples going on there. I'm going to join in today, if my computer lets me stay on. Here's a closer peek.

I'm using the lacy chevron pattern from The Encyclopedia of Crochet by Donna Kooler. My yarn is mostly Red Heart acrylic, although there are a couple skeins of Lion Brand Wool-Ease, and one vareigated yarn is from an old sweater I ripped apart. I am also using a K hook.

A friend of mine has been bugging me to make her a bunny Amigurumi doll, brown with a fluffy tail. She's also told me that when she and her fiance move into the house they just bought, she will have a room devoted to her two real bunnies and is thinking of hanging a bunny fairy from the ceiling. (Yes, a bunny fairy for the bunny room) So, for a housewarming gift I am making her a bunny fairy, brown with a fluffy tail. The bunny is done, so I am trying to figure out the wings. I tried crocheting them this morning, but I wasn't feeling the cuteness, so I am gonna try fabric, embellished with ribbon and threads, maybe with a crocheted border. Pics when it is done.

I am joining another crochet along too. This one is The Granny-along. Last year I started a granny square blanket for charity, and I'm hoping this will help me finish it.
Well, that's it for today. I'm thinking I will go apply for a job at Michael's (craft store) today. I work at Target, but apparently $50 billion dollars in annual sales, doesn't translate to anything for its employees, so I need a few more hours to make ends meet.

After all, I NEED MORE YARN, of course.

Blessings all.
Agate

Fingers crossed

2007-03-04T06:16:00.000-08:00

There is a remote possibility you have already read posts from me, I had a blog called Following the Thread on a different blog site, but I could not for the life of me get a picture to post and all I could do was type about my creations, not show them off. I managed to get a picture of Wanda up on this one already, so here we go, fingers crossed.
I love to crochet, I adore it. Apparently, I was taught once by my Grandma and once by my mom's friend, Jill. I don't remember this, but I don't doubt the veracity. Up until relatively recently my interest came and went, but in about 2001, I dove headfirst into my yarn stash and have yet to come up for air.
I create most of my own patterns. I crochet very tightly and have difficulty matching my gauge. For example I tried one pattern that called for a G hook and my swatch said I needed a N hook. Now that is actually my most extreme example, ususally I need at least two sizes larger of a hook to work patterns written by someone else. Frustrating. I dislike making swatches enough as it is without having to do three or four of them to find a hook size.
I like to use my crochet to do charity work because I really don't have a lot of money. Last year I made 26 baby hats for the Caps to the Capital charity drive sponsored by Save the Children and Warm up America. I also made a scarf for the The Red Scarf Project from The Orphan Foundation.

I am at this time unoffcially participating in a crochet along to make a ripple blanket, I'll post the blog addy later. I'm not great at finishing blankets, they take so long, so that's why I haven't signed onto it. It's been fun though. It's a stash buster project, you only use what you already have. Mine has a lot of browns and reds. I'll post a pic later because I need sunlight for my very cheap camera to take a picture, and it isn't sunny yet. I like the blanket though, maybe I'll actually finish.
Well, here goes nothing, I posted a picture of my red scarf, lets see if it shows up for you.
Agate

Yeah! I checked, it worked. I get to post pictures now. Whoo-hoo!