The finished girls set...

Here it is, all done. I first had to go get more of the dark pink yarn, to finish the hat and scarf.. Well, then I ran out of the baby pink about half way through my LAST row on the scarf! Isn't that how it always works? You're on your last motif, or last round of the afghan... Anyway. I got her done. And with two days left to mail. I am going to get it all together (all my scarves, not my life LOL though I wish...) and mail them out today... I have a few other things to mail, too. Yesterday it was SOOOO awesome out! I sat outside on the bench and finished up the scarf, while the kids played in the sand box. (We don't really have much of a yard... Just rocks....) It was supposed to be 70 but it felt like 90 where I was sitting... I don't know if I will survive a summer here or not... :P Have a Great Day Everyone...

Some More FO's/WIPs...

I have been trying to get one last set done before I have to ship out all my scarves for the scarf challenge. I wanted to do a girls' set. Well... after reading the Mountains of Mittens CAL thread, I remembered the mittens I made a long time ago. (The link for the mittens isn't working, they are similar to the Bev's Country Cottage link in the cal thread...) I don't know if I made a hat just like it because the one I made before, was like that? Or if it was a coincidence... Oh well. The hat here is not actually done, I ran out of the darker pink. I went and got some more today. Anyway, I thought I'd post it...

Clearer shot of the ribbing on the mittens...

And, I finished a pair of mittens to go with the Rat Race Set I posted earlier... I was looking for something little to put in the mittens, for a 'surprise'... like a Hot Wheel... ? I looked at Hot Wheels at WalMart though and the package they are in is too wide, and it says, '3 yrs' and up... So I guess that blows that idea. I couldn't really find anything in the Barbie aisle, either... Oh well. Maybe I'll just buy a couple chapsticks? Well this is what I've been working on lately... I have one more inch to go on the back of the Central Park Hoodie. Woo Hoo!

Scarves... and one hat

Well here is my Rat Race scarf, finished. I didn't put the bead/eyes on, as it is for a 2 or 3 year old. (They might take them off and put them in their mouth? Or have little brothers or sisters who would... ?) I made a Garter Stitch Cloche (from 'Knitting for Babies') to go with it. I even got another skein of yarn at WalMart. Knitted a whole mitten. Then tore it all apart. :( I did something terribly wrong. Or else I am having another stupid knitting moment... I don't know. I was so disgusted I ripped it all out. I will just have to send this like it is. Maybe if I start ahead of time I won't be so rushed for the next scarf challenge. I also started a baby bunnies hat, scarf, mittens set from another book I just got. That one will have to go into the next challenge, as well...

Here are four scarves I did manage to get done for the challenge. These are all online patterns, free. The two on the left are the Shelly Scarf. The off-white/grey stripe: Cluster Scarf, and the one on the right: Mosaic Scarf

I think it looks like a rose, all rolled up. :P

Crayon Cakes

I get a newsletter email from Frugal Living every ?... I don't know, now and then. Well the last one had an idea to recycle all your little crayon bits into "new" crayons. I had read about it before, in a 'Tightwad Gazette' book I have. (It was the first one. If you scroll down, you can see what the books look like. This one has no image for some reason...) I was going to call them crayon muffins, but they look more like little cakes. I had been thinking about doing it for years, but today seemed like a good Arts & Crafts kind of day. So we made some... :P We took all the pieces of crayons (no new ones allowed) and I cut them up into small pieces.

Then we put them into the muffin pan, and a soap mold I have. I wasn't sure about putting the soap mold into the oven, but it was fine. (At 170*.)

Here is the five year olds' crayon muffin, all melted....

And the eleven year olds'. His heart did break when his heart broke. :P (Maybe I should not even try, huh...) He put it back in the mold and remelted it... They are still doing that. It took a lot longer than the directions said, for the crayon pieces to melt. We also weren't sure how they were going to come out of the pan. But we turned the pans over (once the crayons had set up some), and put ice cubes on the bottoms of the tin. The heart popped right out. The muffin one had to be pushed a little from the bottom.... The heart:

The one from the muffin pan:

The kids were really excited when they were done. When you color with them, it is like a variegated crayon. Pretty cool. :D

Edited to add: The soap mold did totally melt. I don't know if it would have, doing it just once. But he put it back in the stove and it melted that time... (In case you were wanting to use a soap mold to make some?) :P

Ungrateful People

Now I usually don't talk about much other than knitting crocheting or baking... But this is something that really bugs me (okay, one of the things that really bug me...) It's ungrateful people. Have you ever knitted or crocheted something for someone, and you don't even get an acknowledgement of your gift, let alone thank you? My Sister in Law is like that. I knitted a vest once for her daughter (our niece). I didn't hear one single word of acknowledgement, or thank you, or anything. When I saw her next I asked her about it, and she said something to the effect of, 'It is kind of stretchy around the neck so I didn't want her to wear it.' :O I wanted to say, 'Well give it back then. I'll find someone else who might appreciate it.' Forget 'thank you for thinking of us, and taking the time to knit her a vest', but complain about it?! Ever heard the saying 'Never look a gift horse in the mouth'? I have always tried to thank someone when they have given me something, even if it is something I know I will never wear. I teach my children to write thank you letters. If someone takes time out of their busy lives to give you something, it should be acknowledged- A simple thank you goes a long way.

Well, I have been sending things to people on an Indian Reservation for about two years now. One person in particular. I have been thinking about all the things I have made (and bought!) for her grandchildren and her. At first I was 'excited' that she wrote me back. (A lot of the people on the reservation cannot speak or write English, I guess.) Well after a while, it got to be 'can you send this', or 'someones' birthday is coming up'... ??? Not: 'thank you for the sweater you sent for my grandson. I gave it to them and it fits him good' no word of the box I just sent. A SIMPLE THANK YOU goes a long way. Well I just sent a box recently with a bunch of clothes for her grandson, a winter coat, some socks... a few food items. I just got a letter back.... and she wants cupcake liners, and her grandson and granddaughters birthdays are both this month... ???? Hello. Did you get the box I sent? I mean I know it isn't *much* (actually, I thought it was a lot...) but.... It cost a lot of money to send the box. (My husband wasn't really happy about that, either. We have three kids to take care of, and spending money on someone else is just not his 'cup of tea'.) Is it just me? I mean, I am not doing this for a thank you. I am doing it to try to help out; but when it gets to be 'can you send this, and so and so's birthday is coming up, and whatever you can send would be great', but no word of thanks for what I HAVE done.... I kind of feel totally unappreciated. It isn't as if we have money coming out of our ears, either. Does this person sound ungrateful to you? Is it just me? Sigh.... (Don't get me started on liars...) :P

I'm Still Here...

Barely; I feel like, sometimes... lol I just recently got my Rat Race Scarf kit in the mail (WOW that was the fastest I have ever gotten a package, I think!) I started one yesterday. (Not with the yarn in the kit though.) This is Red Heart, and it is 'turqua'. It looks light blue to me in the picture. I thought I knew all there was to know about knitting (well except garterlac and intarsia! Which... I don't know if I will ever get intarsia...) But anyway I was completely stumped here as to how to join the new rat to the old rat. ;) I asked online and got the answer. I tend to overcomplicate knitting for myself, I guess. It was actually very simple. (It didn't sound simple though...) So anyway this is what I have so far. Actually, I am on rat #3, so I am farther.

And here is love bug #3 that I have finished. I did it in variegated like Chrisdfriend made hers. I think it is really cute.

Progress on my Central Park Hoodie. I'm actually farther than this, too. I completely missed a cable~ RIGHT where I did the armhole decrease. I got done with them and thought, whew, now I just knit straight... AAAAARGGGHHH!!! If you heard screaming like a pirate a few days ago, it was probably me. ;P (I didn't actually scream at all, folks.) I was SOOOO disgusted though, I put it away and didn't work on it for a while. But then I picked it up and said "I have to fix this or it will bug me to no end..." So I did. Now I am back to where I was, and more. Almost done with the back. I'll post a picture when it is done. :D

And last but not least, here is my first square for the Square A Month Swap from Crochet Mania. I think my month isn't even until May. This is from JazzRizz. Thank you, JazzRizz~ I love it. (It's the Bobby Square.) I have made many of these myself and love this pattern. In fact I was thinking about making this same square for someone else in the swap, myself. And thank you for the card, too. I love getting 'mail'. The butterfly is so pretty.

Guess what?.... :D I finally got in to Ravelry! WOOOO HOOOO! I am slowly (and I do mean slow) getting to find my way around. I need to set up a Flickr account. Which I may or may not have already done, knowing me... Well have a nice week everyone.

Rats....

Not in my house, lol.... I would never have thought I would "like" rats... But.... Have you seen Ratatouille? We bought it on demand the other night. I didn't particularly want to see it, but I was in the room with the kids. Well.... guess what I found while Googling? (Not really looking for it, either... I'll tell you what I was looking for, in a minute.) A free pattern for Remy! Well you know I am going to have to make at least two, now... One for the five year old, one for the eleven year old...

What I was looking for, was a rat pattern that lays flat. See, I just got my Interweave Knits magazine. And, folks, this is why I stopped getting magazine subscriptions! I want to buy every book, magazine, or pattern they advertise! Okay, not every one. But I saw this Rat Race scarf and I want it so bad! I am in this 'animal'/kid type/fun scarves mode lately. It is a wholekit, though. Not just the pattern. They have a whole page of cute 'Critter Kits': scarves, mittens, hats... I love the alligator, the cat, the dragon... The crab/lobster claw mittens are so cute. (Sigh...) Anyway, so I was trying to find just a flat rat motif pattern... and I found Remy. Well, that should keep me busy for a while... :P

House Plants

I am such a boring person... Talking about house plants. Well the Question of the Day on one of the yahoo groups I am on was, 'Do you have a green thumb?' and everyone started saying how many house plants they had... So I took a picture of some of mine... This one (I think) is a purple wandering jew. My friend gave me a cutting of one of hers.. (I still have two more cuttings of this in a jar. I also have a cutting from her, of a really pretty one that gets white flowers on it. Need to get potting soil, though...)

She also gave me this one, a Swedish Ivy (I think). These two plants survived the trip to our new house and the freeze overnight. (All my plants were in my car, and half of them died..) :( I'm glad these two made it, though.

My Jade plant (one of my FAVORITES) didn't do so good. This is whatis left of it... :( I cut off what still looked good and re"planted" it. You can see how well it was doing in this post. Well you can see part of it, anyway.

This is another one that is barely hanging on... My 'Christmas' Cactus. I had been looking through one of my cookbooks one day (it's an Amish cookbook) and it had recipes for things like cough syrup, furniture polish, stuff like that. Well one of them was for plant food. It had ammonia in it and I thought, 'That can't be right. It would kill the plant!' Don't you think? I can barely stand the smell of ammonia. But I googled some other homemade plant food recipes in case anyone is interested:Readers suggestions I don't know if I will use any of these or just go buy some plant food. I need to get potting soil, anyway... Recipezaar ~Here's another one. Have a Great Day everyone.

More Squares

This is a dishcloth I finished for the February dishcloth KAL. Which I hosted this month. It wasn't all that hard. Just had to remember to do it every day. I can see how one person would get tired of doing it every month... It was a pattern I found at knitting pattern central. Piece of my Heart.

Here are two of six afghan squares I made for someone at Crochetville. I have recieved word that she (finally) got them. So I can post them here. (Not that I think she even reads my blog...) Photobucket was down yesterday. So I couldn't post anything... I finished my dishcloth since then, though... so it worked out okay. ;) I got the pattern for the red and black squares somewhere online...

Here are blue ones.... I got the pattern for these from my '200 crochet blocks' book.... My squares NEVER turn out six inches like the book says... (They are all done in sport weight yarn, in the book; though....)

More red ones. (Also from the 200 blocks book.) I call these 'bubble wrap' squares. Our youngest son loves bubble wrap. One time we were at the post office, and he saw some red and blue bubble wrap. We got the red. (I needed it anyway.... I did let him have a little piece, though...) So these reminded me of the red bubble wrap... (Of course every time after that, he wanted to get some more, but.... that's a whole different story...)

I guess there is a CAL going on for my love bug, over at Ravelry. I STILL have not been able to get in!! :(( I think I figured out, that I forgot what my username and password is... (sigh) I thought I wrote it down somewhere, but I can't find it anywhere!! Waaaaa! Chrisdfriend has made a couple of my ami love bugs, though. Aren't they cute?! I never thought to make one in variegated yarn. But I have one done (almost) in 'Monet' now... It turned out really cute. I'll post a picture when it's done. (Still have two legs to do...)

Well I suppose I should get to work and start cleaning today.... (sigh) I hope everyone else has a great day!

Some of my recent things...

I have been testing a pattern for KristieMN. The Sea Monster.

A side view. It is supposed to be 'Lily' the sea monster, but... I made this one for a boy. (Being surrounded by boys sometimes it is hard to think pink...)

And a different angle. I am saving this one for her toy drive this year.

I just recently bought the Crazy Casserole Toppers from Cupcakes' Etsy store. I made the duck. I made it in acrylic. I was reading about acrylic hot pads melting (as opposed to cotton). But, if you are just using it for a lid, it might not be so bad... The next one I make I will probably use cotton for the bottom piece. I don't have that much cotton.

And, I recently ordered this online, too. In it is the Cardigan that Lisa tested for the Crochet Dude. I really want to make one. The actual sweater you see in the book and on the model is the exact one she made. It was the one that was sent to the publisher for photos etc. How cool is that!? I'm so happy for you, Lisa! Now to hurry up and finish my Central Park Hoodie, so I can start one of these!