1 down ..... 203 to go!

Seriously, 203!!! I have done the math and my tablecloth will take 204 of the crocheted squares. I have also done the calendar and figured that if I crochet one square a day, every day, I will have my tablecloth done by October 17. Yes ... 2008. This really seems doable. And if I only do one a day, I won't have my fingers cramping up with holding the fine crochet thread. My sweet FC has made me a duplicate of the thread holder that I saw in a magazine. He's pretty talented that way. It's working out really nicely.

So the UFO I'm working on at the same time will be the camo socks that I'm making for my FC. I actually started them a loooooog time ago with the EZ percentages pattern. Well, I found out rather quickly, in fact it was when I got the heel flap done, right where I stopped, that I can't do percentages. I had it explained to me several times and I'm not going to ask again. My knitter friends think I'm a little ..... s-l-o-w on the uptake. So I looked until I found a pattern in my Charlene Schurch book that started with the same number of stitches and I will just "ease on over" to her pattern that spells it out for me. Now I hope to get these socks done over the summer along with a couple of other UFOs that I will be working on at the same time. Since we are putting away wool socks for the summer now, I will be happy just to have these done by September. They are the camo color from Lorna's Laces sock yarn. Really pretty but going slowly on size 0 needles.

Both of these projects will be easy to carry along with me to whip out a few stitches if I have a moment.

Oh.... so nice!

A few years ago, I picked up some very nice homemade soap while I was doing the NH Wool Arts Tour. Since then I have twice ordered more soap. I just absolutely love this stuff. There are several varieties available but the one that is perfect for me is the Sweet Orange and Chamomile Flowers bar. I use this at the sink and in the shower. Such a nice clean fragrance and the suds are wonderful. No allergic reactions here. They use all natural ingredients. So if you are looking for some really special soap for yourself or for a gift, stop by the tent at the Fiber Studio in Henniker during the NH Wool Arts Tour this fall. If you just can't wait or can't make it to NH this fall, just give the Kiley's an e-mail at www.grayfoxfarm@mcttelecom.com They really know how to make terrific soap.

Happy Birthday Rowen

I just got my granddaughter's finger puppets done and I will be putting them into the mail tomorrow. I've made a "mini" felted purse with fun fur around the top for her to keep them in. The purse is just her size. These puppets were easy, fun and fast to make. The pattern can be found at Knitty.

This could take a while.

I mentioned earlier this month that since it was "Crochet Month" that I would be finishing up the afghan and starting a new crochet project. Well ...... I ordered my thread (19 balls of it), have the pattern, and have tried two prototypes to see what size hook I should use. The first one with the Bates hook in size 7 was 1/2 inch too big. The second one with the Boye hook size 6 was about the same size. My sister made me realize that I was going the wrong directions for hook size so she lent me her size 8 and 9 hooks to see if I can get a 4 inch square. I'm going to give it a try today. But isn't it interesting that different manufactured hooks give different sizes. I didn't even finish the second prototype because I could tell it was the same size as the first. Isn't the tablecloth pretty? I haven't done the math yet to find out how many of those 4 inch squares I will need. I don't want to know until I've got the first row of squares done. I hate to make any predictions but I really do hope to have this tablecloth done for Thanksgiving or if not, then Christmas. Okay. So here is the big question. Do you think I'm totally nuts to want to get such a big project done this year? Go ahead. Hit me with your best comment.

All is said and done!

The "I do's have been said and now I have a new brother-in-law. The afghan was our gift to the happy couple and I finished it on Thursday a day and a half ahead of schedule. This is how it looks with the added border. I like the way it turned out. Congratulations Debbie and Glenn. Now our traveling is done for a little while and I hope to make great progress on my UFO's starting tomorrow.

It's in the mail.

I finished my grandson's robe. He picked a "Snoopy" fleece print. It really turned out cute. Since my grandkids are home schooled, they have "Friday in PJ's" for school. All the boys like to wear their robes. Now Quinn will have his new robe for next Friday. It is amazing how fun it is to sew with fleece. I have found that Hancock fabrics has the biggest and best selection of fleece and it seems they are always running some type of sale on it. Next year, all grandkids will have fleece jammies. For the boys, I'll just have to make the bottoms. They like to wear T-shirts with jammie bottoms. For sweet Rowen, she will have top and bottom and maybe even a sleepshirt. OOOOh. That sounds nice. Maybe I'll make myself one also.

Nothing fancy.

It is almost time to put away the wool socks. In the summer, I hardly ever wear shoes around the house and most often wear sandles when I go out. So I decided to take a picture right after getting them all washed and before they go into my bottom drawer for the summer. There are a few pair that I made for gifts and my only memory of them is the little bit of left over yarn. These I've made over the last few years. Back row left to right, Kroy, Rowan, Kroy, ??, Regia, Sockotta, ??. Front row left to right, Opal, Fortissama, ??, Opal, Silja, Lion Brand. All are pretty simply knit. This year I plan to start making some lacy socks and maybe even some cables. AND I WILL make a pair of toe up socks.

Hurry...... still time!

I just wanted to mention that there are two contests out there that haven't ended yet. Take a look at spinknitup.blogspot.com or enchantedyarnandfiber.blogspot.com. Both places have wonderful prizes and are really great blogs. Good luck.

Where does your cat sleep???

Mine sleeps anywhere he wants to. This is Teddy. He does what he wants to do ... when he wants to do it. Non-stop! Sometimes we call him Rapid Roy because all we see is a golden blur go by. Other times we call him No No Teddy Stop That. He loves gravity and nothing on any flat surface (except the floor) is safe from him pushing it over the edge. But isn't he cute. He really can drive you nuts and then love you to pieces.

Daisy has picked a winner.

I knew Daisy could do this. After a sojourn on the porch to listen to the happy birds (it rained all night) and a piece of waffle as a treat, Daisy was ready to select a winner. After scattering the names from a pile, she flipped one up in the air and smacked it to the floor. And that name was jstfrnds8.

Thanks everyone for visiting my site. I have bookmarked so many new blogs and I know that I'll enjoy reading them. Thanks Opal, Rachel and Aunt Kathy for helping me get my contest noticed. And thanks to anyone else that passed along the information. This has been fun. I know that I will do it again.

Daisy, daisy give me your answer do!

Daisy has been spending time looking out the window and contemplating how she is going to pick just one winner. She has been a little overwhelmed with the responsibility. I think, after a good night's sleep and a little extra in her food dish, she will be up to the challenge.

MARCH IS CROCHET MONTH?????

Who knew?? Quite by accident, I have been crocheting an afghan for my SIL and her new FC. The colors are dark because I know that he will be using it more than she will. It needs to be done by March 15. I only have 8 more rows across and then will do a 5 row border all the way around. The border adds another 4 inches in each direction. Nice for a cold night. The yarn is from my stash and I am happy to use up about 8 skeins for this afghan. The bare spot on the shelf will be filled with some yarn from one of the bins. Eventually, I will get all my bins emptied and yarn will stare at me from all directions. Although it taunts me, I do like to know what I have so that I will continue to plan projects to use it up.

But .... I am starting on another crochet project this month and what better time to do it than in the designated "CROCHET MONTH". I'll post a picture of pattern and fiber in a day or so. Come back then and leave a comment on how CRAZY I am to ever think that I will accomplish such a project. One could hope to live so long.

Watermelon and Mango

Whoa! I can't believe I actually got two pictures to upload. This is what I'm spinning. These colors are so yummy. I plan to spin the two colors separately and then ply them together. I'm hoping to get enough yarn for a nice hat and matching mittens. I think this is the "mixed roving" that I got at SAFF last fall from Kid Hollow Farm. If I spin all day tomorrow, I think I will be able to ply this over the weekend.

Well today was a productive day. I made two pots of soup and two loaves of bread. Now we have our choice of either split pea or lentil soup and we'll have nice homemade bread to go with it. I wish I could share this hot and hearty meal with all of you that are smothered in snow.

Our storm last night produced a lot of wind and rain. There were tornados in neighboring counties but we escaped again without any damage. The lights flickered many times but never went out. I was glad to finally go to bed a little after midnight knowing that the storm had passed and we were safe.

Spring is trying to get here.

It is so warm today that it really has me wondering if spring is here. The daffodils are in bloom and so are many of the flowering trees. Right now we are waiting for an enormous thunderstorm to hit our area. Warnings of high winds and tornados are in effect. I'll be outside in a few minutes taking down all the wind chimes and collecting up all the things that aren't tied down. I have mixed feelings about about storms. We are in such a state of drought that any rain at all is really a blessing. But the storms also bring a lot of damage. We live under a lot of very large trees, I'm hoping that all of them will hang on to their branches. I had planned to do some sewing this afternoon but I think I will stick with non-electrical equipment and just get back to spinning. I certainly have plenty of that to do. Maybe I'll have some pictures of my spinning tomorrow.

TODAY IS THE DAY.......

Finally, I was able to upload the picture of the shawl pin I'm giving away. It is a leap of faith every time I do this because I never seem to do the same thing twice yet somehow the picture magically appears on my blog.

So .... here are the particulars! This is a sterling silver shawl pin handcrafted by Leslie Wind. It comes with a yellow brocade pouch. You can see her beautiful jewelry both in 14k gold and sterling silver at www.lesliewind.com. All you have to do is make a comment on this post before midnight on Friday, March 7 and you may be the lucky person to receive this pin. On Saturday, my sweet kitty Daisy will choose a winner. Good luck everyone!