Crotchet-y Wife-y

CPer LadyWillow and Me

2006-05-24T18:39:00.000-07:00

Last evening LadyWillow and I spent 6 hours together and we had fun. I met her at her home at 4:30 and from there we went to an early dinner at a Japanese restaurant then we went back to her house.

She has 3 cats and I love cats. We spent most of the time looking at pictures she took of her cats, pictures of some of her amazing crochet projects and generally getting to know each other. LadyWillow is also a fine photographer and it shows in the fantastic pictures she takes.

Her cats got to know me also. They checked out my shoes, which had been left just inside the front door then they came over to me and checked me out personally. One of the cats surprised LadyWillow by letting me pet her. The other two cats actually let me pick them up and hold them for a moment.

LadyWillow is a fantastic crocheter and designer. She showed me a hat she had designed, which looked great on her but certainly wouldn't on me.

Now to her stash. I've never seen anything like it unless it might be a small yarn shop. I think she could crochet for years and not run out of yarn.

We will definitely be getting together again.

I am on the left holding one of her kittys.
I have a special affinity for yellow cats, so I'm glad this one let me hold him.
LadyWillow is on the right.

Here is another picture of us.

BUSY, BUSY, BUSY

2006-05-20T11:48:00.000-07:00

Yah, I've been busy. The Sealth class of '61 planning committee, of which I'm a part, has been very busy preparing for our 45th class reunion. On May 18 we folded and labeled for mailing the preliminary letter to our classmates regarding the reunion. It also included the names of 128 classmates we don't have addresses for. That's not too bad for a class of over 400. I am the contact person for anyone responding to this preliminary letter. I do hope we get a few more addresses.

Lynn Diel, another CP'er, and I have been working on a baby blanket together. It is called "Baby's Bed of Roses". It can be found in the LS book "Big Book of Crochet". This pattern is a doozy. As simple as the picture looks, it has been driving Lynn and me up the wall. When we finally get this blanket done we will both be experts at frogging.

Yesterday, I had a spot (bump) on the right side of my nose removed (cut out). The tissue has been sent for biopsy. I'll know next Thursday morning the results.

Another project I'm working on is the "Red Hat" from Annie's Attic Free Pattern of the Day on May 17. It calls for using a size E hook. Wrong! I have good tension but it just wasn't working up to the right size. I have to go up to an F. I tried a G hook and working 3 rnds then measured across the diameter to see what the measurement was. G was too big so I went down to an F hook. Hopefully that will be the right size. Will post pics when it is finished.

I got the blankets finished for Mrs Storms. Will be posting pics of both soon.

MOTHER'S DAY

2006-05-14T18:08:00.001-07:00

Today is Mother's Day. It will be 3 years June 27 since my mother passed away. Today I cried.
In honor of mother's everywhere I am going to reproduce a poem I wrote 10 years ago about MOMs.

BEING A MOM

On the good days it's easy,

On the bad it isn't

But Still it's a blessing being a MOM.

Being a MOM begins not with birth but with conception.

Oh what a blessing God has given me.

On the good days what a blessing

On the bad, oh when will it end?

The great day comes and a new life is placed in your arms

Oh how wonderful it is being a MOM.

But then there are the nights of walking the floor

It's not easy being a MOM.

Baby grows and begins to talk "mama" baby says

Oh how easy it is being a MOM

Then they crawl and walk, they are into

everything exploring their world

On the bad days you cry "Will it ever end?"

Suddenly it's the first day of school and you cry

"Oh when did my baby grow up,

It was just yesterday you were put in my arms for the first time."

Yes, there were good days and there were bad days

But oh what a blessing it is being a MOM.

The school years fly by; school books, sports and who knows what.

Yes there are good days and there are bad days;

But oh what a blessing is is being a MOM.

The day of graduation is here at last and you are so proud of your baby.

You've gotten them through the hard years and your job is finished.

But what do you hear as they stand tall making their graduation speech?

"We had good days, we had bad days and MOM was always there for us.

We couldn't have made it with her.

MOM, the years ahead are

going to have as many stumbling blocks as the years in the past.

Thank you, for being there for us, but let it be known--

We'll need you in the future as we needed you in the past."

Yes it's a blessing being a MOM.

The next years are interesting indeed.

College, moving into their own apartment, thought not always in that order.

The beautiful day you hear the wedding march and you see your

Son so tall and handsome, or your daughter so beautiful in white walking down the aisle.

"My job is finished. What a blessing is it being a MOM."

But suddenly there is a pause in the ceremony and you hear

"Thank you MOM, we couldn't have made it without you.

But we'll need you in the future as we have in the past.

Life has come full circle on the day you hear

"Hey MOM you're going to be a grandma and we need you

In the future as we've needed you in the past."

I guess my job isn't over after all.

On the good days it's easy, on the bad it isn't.

But it's truly a special blessing being a

MOM, NANA, GRANDMA,

or what ever special name your kids and grandkids call you and me.

By Janet Ford

Mother's day May 12, 1996

When God and I wrote this poem

I had 2 daughters,

2 granddaughters and 1 grandson.

Now I have

2 daughters,

3 granddaughters,

and 3 grandsons.

On Sept 21, 1998 my last grandson was born.

I am truly blessed.

Thank you, Jesus.

To bring my life current

I am now a great-grandmother

Jay James was born on Dec 17, 2005

Yes, being a MOM is truly a BLESSING.

May 14, 2006

SPRING LILAC TUTORIAL ROW 4

2006-05-06T10:46:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I got an e-mail from Jessie a CP'er who was having trouble with row 4. So here is what I came up with. First I broke down row 4 into individual pieces then I crocheted a swatch which is about 1/3 of the row.
ROW 4: Ch 3, dc in each of next 4 sts
*Ch 5, **skip next 4 sts,
Sc in next st
Ch 3, skip next st
SC in next st
Ch 5, Skip 4 sts*
Dc in next st ***
Ch 1, Skip next st
3 dc in next st
Ch 1, skip next st
Dc in next st
Repeat between * * once (This is the first 5 lines)
Then dc in each of next 8 sts
Ch 5
Repeat from ** across
Ending last repeat at ***
Dc in each of last 4 sts, turn

The way I read this - go all the way down to where is says "repeat between * *" and repeat once
Then do the "dc in each of next 8 sts, ch 5"
Then go back to "**skip next 4 sts", and do it all over again.
You should have 3 "8 dc's" in the row.

Hope This helps.

SPRING LILACS TUTORIAL FOR FIRST 2 ROWS

2006-05-04T14:43:00.000-07:00

Row 1: Chain 3 sc in first ch

then chain 3 again and sc in 3 ch from hook

Continue until you have 71 picots
Then turn work so the picots are down

Row 2: Work 2 sc into the base of each picot across.

This is Row 3. Chain 3 dc in each st across.

Sorry I didn't get this up sooner. For some reason I've been especially tired this week. Maybe its the cold (allergies?) I seem to be dealing with because I haven't been tired during the day for a long time.

Hope this helps anyone who has questions about how to do the first 2 rows of the afghan.
Have Fun.

By The Way for anyone who is wondering why I sign my blogs "Nana Janet" my grandchildren call me Nana or Nana Janet.

NEW PATTERN BOOK AND ETC

2006-05-01T22:21:00.000-07:00

While out and about today I went into Michaels to get some filling beads for hackeysack balls I plan on experimenting with. I also found a Leisure Arts Book #3789 Care Bears Afghans. There are 4 care bears in this book. You crochet the afghans in single crochet and then x- stitch the pictures afterwards. I figure that I can crochet the picture in as I crochet. After all I've done it before. Sorry No picture.

My grand daughter loves care bears to I think I'll have to do one of these afghans for little JJ.

This Past weekend was a bit crazy weather wise. We had been having beautiful spring weather, then on Saturday we got hit with a lot of nasty stuff. Wind, Rain, some snow on the East Side, and a tree down on a neighbor's parking strip. I had driven past the area just an hour or so before my husband did and the tree was ok at that time. By the time my husband got home the tree had fallen over. SDOT(Seattle Dept of Trans) said it was top heavy and just fell over. We had a bad winter, (it was very wet) and then Saturday we got a 1/2 inch in a few hours with a lot of wind. I think it was the last straw (so to speak) for the tree.

There is a new pattern on Lion Brand called "Wee Hooded Poncho" #60130. I'm going to make it for JJ. Seeing as he's such a big boy for his age I'll make it about half bigger than the small size.

Had my eye exam this morning. I'll get my new glasses in about 2 weeks. It has gotten to hard to see through my old glasses that unless I'm watching the TV from across the room or driving I don't even bother using them.

2006-04-29T12:39:00.000-07:00

Here I am with my great-grandson JJ. He is 4 months old and just adorable. He is a very good baby and doesn't mind who holds him. This pic was taken at his uncle's 9th birthday party on April 1, 2006. I have made him a number of blankets etc which I will be posting later.

LINKS

2006-04-28T20:09:00.000-07:00

I actually figured out how to add my links. And they all work!!!
Next thing to learn is to put links into a post. That will come later.

I have learned so much since I joined Crochet Partners. Some of those are
1. Copy and post links to the list correctly!
2. Little did anyone at CP know but they also encouraged me to set up this blog. Now I'm learning even more.

I have never done a journal or diary before in my life. I guess I'm able to do this blog because I enjoy being on the computer. To think that 20 years ago I couldn't even turn on a computer I think I've come a long ways.

I took a friend to our local Wal-Mart this afternoon. She wanted to get some yarn and also learn how to get there. I also planned to get some yarn for a new shrug. Neta got what she was looking for and I found more than I planned. They actually had some of their Mainstays yarn in white. I don't use much "White" white anymore, (I prefer a soft white instead) but I decided to get 5 skeins anyway. After all how much more Mainstays will I be able to get and at $1.77 it is still a bargain. When we got to the checkout I really found that I got an even better bargain. The Mainstays yarn was $1.00 a skein. I got some Caron Simply Soft in "Off White" for my shrug. This "Off White" has a cream look to it which is very beautiful. I like it and it is going to look great. The pattern I plan on using is from Annie's Attic "Ultimate Wraps" and is called White Cocoon Jacket which isn't a jacket at all but a shrug.

See you all later.

WENT TO A NEW KNITTING/CROCHET GROUP

2006-04-28T11:51:00.000-07:00

After my reunion planning committee meeting last night I had time to go to a meeting at my local Barnes & Noble Bookseller store. It is a knitting & crochet group that meets weekly in their cafe. There were only knitters there last night but we did have fun. I had my Seraphina's shawl with me and everyone admired it. One girl asked me to send her the link which I did when I got home. I'm on row 24 now. I'm using an "L" hook with worsted weight simply soft. When I make it again I will use an "I or J" for worsted weight and "K" for Homespun.

I bought a new reference book last night also. "The Crochet Answer Book" has been discussed on "Crochet Partners" and with a little 'high finance" as in cash, gift card and debit card I was able to swing the price. I have just started reading it; but so far it looks good. Will say more later. Will I read it cover to cover? Probably not. Will I keep it? Absolutely. Reference books are reference books and all have information that is useful at one time or another.

The other day I took my grand-niece to the doctor and of course I had Seraphina with me. Had a wonderful conversation with two ladies who admired it greatly.

People with Hearing Loss . . . And. . .

2006-04-27T13:52:00.000-07:00

Have you ever had to help an elderly person with a hearing loss and mild dementia? Well I did today. I haven't had this type of situation since my parents passed away several years ago. This morning I got a call from my niece who works at a nursing home/ assisted living facility and asked if I could take one of the ladies to the audiologist. Under normal circumstances she would not do this but this lady was a friend of my mother for many years and is also the aunt of my brother-in-law. So I said yes. 2 hours after I picked her up we got back home. She was so confused. Fortunately I was able to talk with her audiologist and was able to pass on information to the nurses at the home. The poor lady was so concerned because she thought they were going to make her leave the home because of her hearing.

I have another meeting with the planning committee for our 45th High School Class reunion tonight. My class entered Chief Sealth High School in Seattle, WA USA as freshman. We were the first class to go for a full 4 years at the school. It was a brand new school in 1957 and that first school year there were only Freshman thru Juniors. So my class was the third graduating class. It is so fun being on the planning committee. It's interesting how people eventually grow up. When it came to friends in high school I had only a very few. I was always the person on the outside looking in. Now I am able to be a part of the whole class. How wonderful. In fact the one girl I have been friends with since grade school is on the committee also and that is very special for both of us.

I was first contacted through Classmates.com. I usually just delete anything that comes in; but this time it specifically said that a certain person was sending me an e-mail. The end result was we finally talked and he asked me if I wanted my info just put on their mailing list or would I like to join the planning committee. I said I didn't know how I could help; but I'd like to be a part of the committee. Now I'm in charge of combining all the info coming in regarding addresses and phone numbers. Boy what a job! We had almost 400 in our class. At last count, we were missing about 134 addresses, which isn't too bad; but we'd like to find as many as possible. The meeting starts in about 2 hours and I have some work to do before then so TA TA till next time.

TRAVEL KIT

2006-04-26T20:23:00.000-07:00

This is my travel kit which goes with me and my crochet projects. The kit contains:

1. paper clip, 2. scissors, 3. tape measure, 4. pencil, 5. bandaids, 6. thimble, 7. craft pins, 8. needle threader, 9 tapestry needles, 10. Weaving needles.

The bag itself is a cosmetic bag and is big enough to also hold crochet hooks.

Whenever I go anywhere I grab this kit the project I want to work on and my purse and away I go.

This is my first picture for my blog. Now that I've learned how to import images there will be more in the days to come.

We just news this afternoon that my husbands' mother has died. We found out yesterday that it would be only a matter of a day or three.

Have to get off now, my hubby wants the computer.

TUESDAY CROCHET GROUP

2006-04-25T22:42:00.000-07:00

Today was the regular Tuesday crochet group get-together. It is always enjoyable. We meet at Neta's home for two hours (approx) every Tuesday. Neta is currently working on a sc ripple, in a variety of pastel colors. Gloria is working on another Jacobs ladder. She is using Red Heart Ocean and it is going to be beautiful. Gloria is blind but to see her work you'd never know it. She has a real talent for putting colors together. I am still working on the basket weave pattern comfort-ghan for Mrs. Storms. I have about 14 rows left to do. Then I'll go around it with a round of sc. I will be so glad when it is done.

I am on row 21 of my Seraphina's Shawl and I'm getting comfortable with the pattern repeat. To have 25 shells per side I have to do 54 rows. Not sure if I'm going to do that much, we'll see.

Tomorrow if I have time, I'm going to learn how to insert pictures into my posts. This, for me, is very important. There are a number of things I want to talk about and pictures are necessary. It is said that "pictures are worth a thousand words" and I have proved that is very true.

Some of the things I want to discuss are:
1: My mobile crochet kit
2: Sleep Apnea and how dangerous it can be
3: Yarn Winders
4: What kinds of yarn to use for charity

Identify CP'er who helped with my Blog Name

2006-04-24T15:53:00.000-07:00

Tara Sutton of CP fame helped me with my blog name. I had posted an item to CP asking for suggestions for a name and she is the only one who responded. For that she is the winner, even though I didn't have a contest going. She will be getting a surprise from my crochet hook soon in the mail.
There is a scheduled outage coming up in 5 minutes so I'd better get off now.
Will be back later.

2006-04-23T14:16:00.001-07:00

I've finished my profile, and now to list some of my WIPS.
Finish repairing Mrs. Storm's afghan.
Finish a comfort-ghan for Mrs. Storms, It is in a Basketweave stitch and is pastel blue, yellow, pink, and green.
Seraphina Shawl in Caron Simply Soft orchid color for myself.
There are a few others, I'll have to remember what they are and get them posted later.
Maybe if I keep the WIPS posted, I'll be able to get them finished faster.

2006-04-23T14:16:00.000-07:00

Day 1: Just created my blog site. Now to figure out what to do with it.