Monday, April 30, 2012

Weird Dreams...

I had a dream last night that I was cleaning houses again. Every time I have a dream like this, I am totally overwhelmed. This time, I was doing cobwebs with a filthy dirty broom with dust and dog hair all over it. (I would normally have a cobweb duster with me.) While I was doing the cobwebs, I found a second whole kitchen in the house (Ugh!!! I cannot clean two whole kitchens!..).  Then, I couldn't find my duster.  No wonder I feel so tired.. I must not have slept good, since I was cleaning houses all night..  :(

Image courtesy of Computer Clip Art.

Thursday, April 26, 2012

Going To Try Again..

Well I thought I would try again to crochet these socks...  I guess I just have to get it out of my system. Lol...

I figured out what I thought was screwed up. Turns out I'm a little screwed up. But in the end I still am right the stitch count for round 2 is off. Also, round 2 is not right either. And because of that I wasn't doing the increases right. So I started over and changed round 2 to how I think it should go. (Meanwhile I sent a message, and got a message back from Karen Ratto-Whooley, on Ravelry. Which was very helpful.)  :)  Now, I think I have to go down a hook size for the blue (foot) part. And, get more yarn. These two colors are the only ones I have.  I went to the "LYS" here in town, and to Walmart. Neither one had what I need in the size/weight I need. Sigh... 

Eon's Crazy Socks Are Done

(Or is it "Eons' Crazy Socks..."?)  I finished the other sock yesterday.  I was so excited they were done. Then Eon tried them on... 

"They're too tight"..  :(   I think I did crochet too tight on the second one. But he somehow got them on; and slept with them on, last night. :)  This morning I asked him, "Do you want me to crochet some new ones, just like it- but bigger- so they fit?" "No I'm just going to wear them until it's time to go, so they will stretch out"  :P  We'll see...  Maybe I could meanwhile try and make him some like he wanted originally.  With some better sock yarn. 

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

A "Crazy Sock" Story

I got the latest issue of Interweave Crochet magazine, recently. I had put off getting it because I really wasn't interested in anything in it. BUT, there was a toe up sock recipe in there that I really wanted to try. Sooo, I bought it.  I showed it to Eon, because the sock pictured was all different colors. I said "Would you wear something like this, for Crazy Sock Day?"  So, he drew me a picture of how he wanted his sock. :P

Well that notebook got misplaced and I asked him to draw me another one. A couple days later I found the first picture. This one is different. I said "Well maybe I can do one this way and one the other way. Then they will really be crazy socks." :P Well...  I tried crocheting the pattern, and the pattern stitch count did not make sense. So I posted on a couple boards at Ravelry, asking if anyone had ever made this pattern. Emailed Interweave Crochet explaining the problem. They emailed me back, saying to please explain in detail what the problem was.  ????  Didn't I just do that?!!  Ugh!! Well finally someone posted on one of the boards at Ravelry that she did this pattern, ignoring the stitch count. And it worked out for her. I tried doing it again. (Using one sized bigger hook, and sport weight yarn, even). Still too small.   I did finally got an email from someone (that was helpful) at Interweave Crochet, too. But  I think I am just going to forget about this pattern for a while..

Meanwhile, I looked for a basic sock that I could do a toe and heel different. I looked at my (what I call my) "go to" crochet sock pattern. It's just easy for me, and I like how they turn out -second picture. (And here. Also, here-middle picture..) Well when I clicked on the pattern link, she had some different pictures on than what I remember. I showed Eon; because they were different colored heels, toes, etc..  I thought he would like the blue, green, and yellow one. But he liked the other one. So I went and got the exact same yarn ("bikini" by Red Heart), and so far this is what I have done. I think I have second sock syndrome. I don't like making socks with RH yarn...  Maybe they will get softer after being washed.  Maybe I'm just so frustrated with socks right now. Lol... 

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

More Crayon Fun

The neighbor girl came over today. They started coloring, and then I said to Eon "You should show her your crayon cake we made"..  Well before you know it she went home and got her crayon box, and we were making Lego crayons! This is the first time we've ever done it. They wanted to make them all different colors.

Eon is getting them out of the mold. It's easy to do because it's silicone and you just basically have to turn it inside out and they come out pretty easy.

Ta Da!! :D  One is missing, because the neighbor came back over right when I had just started getting them out. She had to go home to go to bed; so I gave her one, real quick. 

We made some crayon cakes, too. :)  They didn't get much coloring done. LOL But made some new fun crayons! :D

Saturday, April 21, 2012

A Hamster Hut For Coco

Or is it Cocoa? I'll have to ask Eon. I like "Coco", like "Coco Chanel".. Hee Hee. Anyway....  Someone on Ravelry asked me if I still had the pattern for this Hamster Hut. (It's actually called "Hamster Hideout".) She saw the one I made for Mia, that I have on Ravelry..  (Picture of it in that post..)  The pattern is no longer available online.  So I dug through all my patterns, and I did still have it. I thought, "I should make another one of these!"  So I did.  It has some bedding on it here. :P

It was hard trying to take a picture of it, and a fast moving Hamster. :P  I cleaned her cage out so she is freaking out. "Where's my food stash?" "What did you do with my nest?"...  :P

She's so cute...  :D

I am not sure if she likes her new hut I made her. I thougt it would be better than the plastic barn I got at Target (in the dollar bins :D )  But she went right back into her barn.   Sigh. Oh well...

I can't figure out the new Blogger layout. Why does everything have to keep changing? Just when I figure something out, it changes. Facebook has the new "Timeline". I switched to the new Blogger, now they have a new layout..  Sigh...

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

My Furry Nephew Max

I have never met the little guy in real life. But my brother sends me pictures of him all the time. Check out the look on his face. He cracks me up. I wonder if he was hot and/or tired..  :P   He's a 10 month old Boston Terrier; my brother got him from a Boston Rescue place.  <3

Cute Purses at Walmart...

I saw these cute purses at Walmart...  I don't know if I would ever use this kind of purse. But I still think it's so cute. (Obviously~ I took a picture of it, right?)  I like the purple owl. You can see the white one (I think it's a cat or a bunny? Must not be so popular, though; since there were a bunch of those left..)

And a brown monkey.  I couldn't resist and I bought this one today. I had a hard time deciding which one to buy. I don't even think I will keep it, I will most likely send it to the 16 year old on Pine Ridge Reservation...  Hubby is going to "kill" me..  Note to self: *Do not go shopping when you are depressed, and have a headache...* Or, when you are hungry. Sigh... 

Here is the progress on my scrap yarn, "Magic Ball" rug.

The back..   Pretty cool for pieces of yarn that would have just been thrown away, huh? I think so. :)

Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Baby Layettes for Pine Ridge OB Unit

For March and April the Challenge at the Crafting for a Cause group I am in, is baby stuff for the Pine Ridge OB Unit.  I had stuff from a previous challenge (like 3 years ago??...) that I still had not sent. (Bad me.)  This layette is one of them.... Oh, try 4 years ago, almost.. 


This is a layette I had just been working on, forever...  I ran out of the green variegated. You can tell the hat is a different green... :( 

And, this is another layette. I finished the baby afghan this morning. I have had the sweater set done for about 3 years. Okay, try 4 years, again..   Sheesh. Now to box these all up &  mail them. I want to wash them first, though.  I hope that doesn't take me another 4 years... Lol   ;)

Saturday, April 14, 2012

Really?

I try not to complain on my blog. (I try not to complain in "real life", either. But.... That doesn't always work. LOL)  Last Spring I sent out Graduation Announcements to family and friends.  I wasn't able to send to everyone. But I also posted the actual Graduation Announcment on facebook, "For anyone who I wasn't able to send announcements to".   We (I should say, "my son") didn't get much response. But, he did get some. He didn't get anything from anyone on my husband's side of the family.  Not even an acknowledgement on facebook from anyone in his family...  Now, this Spring, my sister in law had her third baby. And she sends me a message on facebook asking for my address to send an announcement?....   This is the same sister in law, who; when I sent her last baby a sweater and hat I crocheted for her (we were totally broke then), said "We don't have much use for sweaters in Texas." :0

So... is it just me; or would anyone else be annoyed by this?....  What would you do?....

More Headbands..

I've been crocheting more headbands for my friends' daughter.  She really liked the Peace Headband, so I made 3 more of those. One is her school colors.  I kind of like the one in the middle the best; made with Simply Soft yarn. Here is how I did the Peace Headbands, in case you missed that post. :)

And a Floral Lace Headband.

Two "Genius Headbands". The black one I made for me. I added the flower, from this pattern: Headband with Yarn Daisy.  I don't know why I didn't just make that whole pattern, instead. 

Another Floral Lace Headband, I did this one yesterday.

And another Genius Headband I also did yesterday..   I think that's enough headbands for now, what do you think?

Thursday, April 12, 2012

Slideshow of Some of the Squares I Have Crocheted...



...for the Friendshipghan RAOK CAL at Crochetville. I didn't take pictures of all of them, and the pictures I did take are gone, now... But here are some of them. :)

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Empanadas

We went to some friends' for Easter Dinner. They had a huge (22 pound) ham for dinner. When we left they asked if we wanted any. My husband said no. But I said "Sure!" (Trying to not act like I never have food-which we do). But I was thinking, "Empanadas!!"....   :D   I made a double batch of emapana dough, because I didn't have enough dough, when I made them last time (yesterday). They gave us enough ham, to make three batches, plus some fried for dinner tonight! (I had an empanada).   Here is the dough...

Now I think I tried to explain how I "measured" the wrappers in a previous post (last November?).  I used this plate, because it is just a hair over 5 inches wide on the bottom part that sticks out. So, I press it on the dough.

And, wallah. I have an imprint. Then I take a knife and cut it out.  While your dough is refrigerating (at least one hour), you can make the filling.

These are the ones I made yesterday.  The dough was so tough to work with. I thought I would never make them again. But...

You can see that I did. I made the dough wrong yesterday!! I forgot to add an egg white. There's one large egg, beaten. But, there's also an egg white. Made all the difference in the world! It was so much easier to  work with, and I enjoyed making them.  Now I have some to put in the freezer for later, when the kids say "There's nothing to eat....."  ;P 

Oh, I used this Empanada Dough Recipe, and the Ham and Cheese Empanada Recipe at Family Fun. Tonight after I was done making them, I thought "I wonder what other fillings you can put in them?" And I googled for a couple minutes. (I got sidetracked so I didn't get any more than these, but..) Here is a whole page of ideas for Empanada Fillings. And I found a blog that had a recipe for Philly Cheesesteak Empanadas. Yuuum!! You can even make dessert Empanadas.   I hope you get to make some! :)