I'm Back.

Sorry for the delay in posting, folks, but with my back being out and the holidays, I just let it slip.
Here is a quick update on what has been going on around here. Below is the scarf that I made for the Marquise. It is crocheted from a metallic-looking yarn called Chiara. While the scarf turned out wonderful, I really do not like crocheting this particular pattern. I made a baby blanket with the same pattern and should have learned my lesson then.

Below is my Christmas present from my Mom. It is a new book out by Drew Emborsky and has some really wonderful patterns in it.


Here is a sweater I made from one of the patterns. The yarn is 75% acrylic and 25% alpaca. Really soft and really comfy.

This is my next project. It is a sweater for one of my roommates. No fancy yarn here, just the good old stand-by, Simply Soft from Caron.


I am heading over to the Marquise's today to bottle the first batch of beer this year. It is a Munich Bock. It looked and smelled wonderful going into the fermenter, we'll have to see how it comes out! It's been waaaaay to long since we brewed out last batch (September, I believe.).

Christmas

Well, Christmas is just about over for me. I have just a couple of presents left to get and I'll be done. I have made most of my family Christmas stockings for gifts this year. I've got one more left to finish, but that should not take very much longer. Above is a grand picture of all the stockings so far this year.

Baby Blankets phase 2

Just when I thought it was safe to go back into the water! I thought I had made it through all of the "its time to have babies" women and the "I'm gonna be a grandma" crowd at work and I could lay off the baby blankets for a while. Wrong. I had an ex-supervisor email me and ask me to make a baby blanket for one of her co-workers and if I could have it done by the 21st (yes, of December). And oh, by the way, could you have another done by mid February? Of course, being the push over that I am, I said yes. I informed her that since I had just finished Christmas I would have some free time and I would make her a couple of baby blankets. Actually, I had been wanting to try a couple of different yarns, gauges and hooks. I just needed a good excuse. Now this was actually about a week and a half ago. I have already finished one. I used one of the huge hooks (size p for those of you in the know) and some of the thickest, softest yarn I have ever come across. It almost crocheted itself, it was that quick. It took 2 days; about 6 hours total. I almost feel guilty giving it away. The second one is making up for it, however. On the second, I am using an afghan hook (a very long crochet hook). It is turning out to be a beautiful blanket, but is taking a lot longer than I had thought. Partly because it is a new stitch pattern, which I am getting a little faster at. I was hoping to have them both done by the middle of this week, but I don't think its gonna happen. Liz is just gonna have to make two trips to pick them up.
I may get a camera for Christmas. If so, I may have pictures up of the second blanket. We will see.

Baby Blankets and Christmas Ornaments II

Well, the good news. I finished the baby blanket! (cheers from the masses) I finished up just in time. I finished on Monday and the baby shower was on Tuesday. I guess as long as you finish before the deadline, everything is good.

Now the bad news. The Christmas ornament idea I had flopped. Really, really flopped. I had this wonderful idea of draining some eggs and painting them and then decorating them. Something like Faberge eggs. The two test eggs I tried turned out horrible. I could not get a nice smooth finish with the paints. I tried a couple of different types of "finishes" and they turned out even worse. I ended up throwing those eggs out and coming up with a different idea. I am now crocheting snowflake ornaments. I am using cotton thread, about twice the size of sewing thread and a teeny, tiny crochet hook. They are coming along OK, but I may be blind and have carpal tunnel before I am finished.