Blossom Street
17 Feb 2012 1 Comment
in Knitting, Personal notes, Reading Tags: A Good Yarn, Alex, Blossom Street series, book, books, cancer survivor, clive cussler, clive cussler books, Debbie Macomber, hold a grudge, how to make a baby blanket, linda hoffman, Project Linus, Reading
I’ve been feeling sentimental lately. That happens from time to time and I start missing my sister. I miss my bothers too but not like I miss my sister. Whenever this happens I end up reading more emotional books and listening to sappy music. I feel sorry for the people who have to endure this little spell of mine.
So I’ve put aside my beloved Clive Cussler books that I’ve been devouring lately and I’m re-reading the first book in the Blossom Street Series by Debbie Macomber called “The shop on Blossom Street“. I just feel the need to revisit “A Good Yarn” which is a little knitting store owned by Linda Hoffman, a cancer survivor. It’s been a while since I read it and I can’t remember all of the details. I just know that the characters are great. Linda opens her store and has a knitting class to teach how to make a baby blanket. The people who come together are all so different but become very close friends. That is the thing that draws me to this book and other’s like it….. that friendship element. Sisters are like good friends that never drift away, never get mad for long, and always remember your birthday. My sister and I are a lot alike in some ways but so different in others. She is the always happy, forgiving type sister and I’m the moody, hold a grudge till I die sister. We balance each other out.
This book is also about knitting, which I love, and one of the characters in the book just happens to be making the blanket for Project Linus. Of course its a court ordered community service type of deal and Alex is a little rough around the edges but this little group ends up helping each other out. Alex is actually my favorite character. The pattern for the blanket they are knitting is in the front of the book so you can actually make it too, in-between reading times of course.
I read several books in this series several years ago until I hit a brick wall. I have to read books in order. I just can’t stand skipping around. So I found out that Debbie had written a short story that went with the series and it was in a book with a couple other short stories by different authors. I could not find a copy of this book anywhere. I finally put it on my wish list at www.paperbookswap.com and a while back I finally got a copy! So now it has been so long that I feel like I need to start all over. That is one bonus to getting old – old books become new again!
A Day to Smile
23 Jan 2012 5 Comments
in Charity/volunteer work, Crochet, Personal notes Tags: art, ATC cards, colored pencils, crochet, free crochet patterns, heineken, NaBloPoMo, needles, painting, photography, Prescription, Project Linus, rain, rich colors, squint, thai food
My husband got off work early today since he had to work on Sunday. He left at noon to come pick me up and take me to pick up my prescription. I was right about that too. They now require all narcotic prescriptions to be picked up in person and you have to show ID. She said some prescriptions are not as easy as mine. Mine is a patch but for some drugs she said the nurse has to come out and give it to you and you might have to do a random UA. GREAT. I guess too many people are just selling the drugs so they have to make sure it’s in your system. My doctor said at my next visit I have to have labs drawn so that is probably how they’ll check me. I really detest needles. As soon as I see the needle I squint my eyes and get all tense and the nurse usually barks “relax”…like yelling at me is going to help. Yeah, give me a big knife or a GUN and I’ll relax. That way I can retaliate when they hurt me. Especially with IV’s. Some of the nurses are REALLY bad and stick me multiple times. Anyway, I got a patch on as soon as I could and I’m STILL waiting for it to take effect. I have been without it for 5 days! At least it wasn’t that cold out but I still feel achy from the cold.
We had a great lunch at the Thai House. We both order the same thing every time. I don’t go as often anymore but my husband goes pretty often with people from work. They don’t even ask him what he wants anymore. They took my order and then said “spicy or no spicy?” and then to my husband, “Heineken, or you work? I thought that was cute. Those ladies have been there for a long time. They are the same ladies that worked there when I worked at the bank nearby.
When I got home I was really aching so I couldn’t concentrate enough to read. I decided to make another ladybug card since the stuff was still stacked on the counter. That is the nice thing about painting…… you can just play and that doesn’t take much concentration. I have been looking at various styles of art lately and I saw some pointillism and I saw a watercolor painting where they sprayed it with water to blur the colors and make it look like it was raining. I really liked that last one because it did look like it was raining AND it actually blurred parts of the picture which, if you think about it, is actually how it is. You can’t see as well when clouded over and pouring rain. So I made my “Rainy Day Ladybug” by using a little of both techniques. It was fun to relax and just play. I used my inktense pencils and the rate I’m going I’m going to use them up pretty fast. I really love the rich colors.
So now I have three ladybug cards and the swap was for two. Then my husband told me I had some mail. I figured it was just junk mail but there was actually some goodies! I got a newsletter from Debbie Macomber. Even if I don’t read all of her books I just love seeing her cheerful face and reading what she’s up to. I also got a new catalog/newsletter from Handy Hands which is where I buy my tatting threads. The newsletter comes with a free pattern. And then I saw this bright pink envelope. It was the ATC cards from my swap partner! I opened it up and there was this cute card and 3 ATC cards! So that means I can send her three too! Now I’m really anxious to get mine in the mail to her. These are really cute! The last one has a little patch of fabric sewn on and the ladybug is painted on the fabric.
Well the NaBloPoMo Prompt for today is
What have you recently started that you know you’ll finish?
That would be my crocheted Wool-eater blanket. I’ve added a few more rows and I’m trying to get it finished by the end of the month so I can have it ready to be donated to a child in the Pediatric Department of the hospital. It’s a Project Linus blanket. I haven’t worked on it much today but I’ll be feeling better tomorrow. Hopefully I’ll get a lot done in the next few days.
Do-Over!
17 Jan 2012 2 Comments
in Crochet, Personal notes Tags: blanket, crochet, first, good job, memories, mingled yarn, NaBloPoMo, photography, pooh, Project Linus, quasimodo, Quote, shakespeare, slip stitch, teacher, variegated yarn, william shakespeare, wool eater, yarn
"My Flag" on 365 Project
”The web of our life is of a mingled yarn, good and ill together.” ~William Shakespeare
I’ve been feeling a little better today. Not great, still kinda punky but definitely better. So I have been crocheting on my wool-eater blanket today and listening to music. I’m still working on cleaning up my itunes music. Anyway, I added a row of this bright variegated yarn that had some purple like the previous row. Each row is getting bigger so it took me a while. I never like to stop before I finish a row and that is going to get harder and harder as I go. So, whenever I finish a row I always like to hide the ends before starting a new row so I decided to get that done right away. I make sure and do a really good job since these blankets for Project Linus will get washed a lot and I don’t want it to fall apart. I always make sure the hidden tails don’t show. When I was finished I laid it out to take a picture and noticed it was ruffling at this one spot. Then I realized why.
See on the top? Quasimodo happened...
I had added an extra shell where there was supposed to be a slip stitch (Valley). I also noticed another spot where I messed up. UGH! I really wish I hadn’t hidden those ends so well! I had to sit and find them and dig them out. Thank goodness the errors were all on the last stretch that I had just done. So I unraveled that side and fixed it. I think it looks good even though the center is pink and the color in the bright variegated yarn is more of a red but it isn’t easy to tell and it doesn’t obviously clash. I don’t think anyway…….. Anyone else???
I need another row of solid next I think. I wonder if I have enough blue?
Fixed!
Okay, so the NaBloPoMo Prompt for today is
Tell us about your first teacher who was important to you.
Hmmmmmmmmmmmm……… thinking………. thinking……………. (picture pooh with his hand to his forehead)
Nope, can’t think of any. They were all evil.
Crochet allergies
12 Jan 2012 2 Comments
in Crochet, Photos Tags: allergic to cats, allergies, bright colors, cat hair, cats, clooney, cluny, crochet, eye lids, free crochet patterns, garfield, irritated skin, photography, pollen, Project Linus, triple, yarn
This is my photo for my 365 project. A close up of my little garden cherub that I kept inside instead so it wouldn’t get dirty.
So, I was crocheting last night when I had an allergic reaction. I couldn’t figure out what I was allergic to but I had to take something and go lay down. Of course I couldn’t sleep since I was trying to scratch myself bloody. I know I’m allergic to cats but I don’t have one….. and I haven’t allowed Garfield over either. Since I didn’t use any soaps I’m allergic to and nothing is able to pollinate since it’s all FROZEN… it must be cat hair.
I started itching so bad I thought I was going to claw my skin off. It was so bad I look like a lobster and felt like a basketball! My eyes were red and burning and the edges of my eye lids itched. I jumped in the shower and then slathered lotion all over my irritated skin and it finally started to sooth. I’m sure the benadryl was kicking in about then. I racked my brain for causes and couldn’t think of anything. Of course sometimes I can be a little dense. Last night I was working on that “wool-eater blanket” and after I got the first row finished with the pink yarn I used for my headband I went into the garage to look for another color. I have a bunch – several large tubs full – that have been donated for Project Linus. That isn’t counting the large tubs that are mine. Anyway, I went looking for bright colors to add to this blanket and I didn’t even think that they could have been donated by someone who has a cat. The last time this happened (the same thing) was when someone donated a bunch of magazines and pattern books. I was sorting through them and separating the useful material from the doily patterns and suddenly started itching. So, I’m a bit surprised that this happened to me again…. and I didn’t figure it out.
Anyway, this morning when I got up I popped a benadryl and went to work on my blanket some more. (I always wash the blankets before giving them to a child) I learned a lot when I started this pattern yesterday. I’ve never made anything like this before. I started off making these shells and then turned around and did the same on the other side making circles. I took it out several times playing with different size hooks until I found something that I liked. 
You have to be really careful to make sure there isn’t too much of a gap between the stitch you are making and the last one when you are making the triple crochet stitches or it leaves a sloppy looking bump on the back. So I took this out and started over many many times trying to get it right. I started out using a size H hook but I didn’t like the large holes in the centers of the circles (see pictures). I ripped it out and switched to a size G hook which is kind of small for the yarn but is easier for making those triple crochet stitches. The holes are still there but smaller. Then I started adding a row of blue (which I now can see has white cat hair on it) You connect the yarn just like you do with a new color in a granny square but then it says to make a “Cluny”. I had to look that up. I thought a Clooney was a handsome 
older fellow. He wouldn’t be very helpful with this pattern though… kinda distracting actually. So I googled it. Apparently a “Cluny” is a cluster of stitches that are all finished off at the same time. It is used a lot in making lace. So when you make the required number of triple crochet stitches you leave the last loop of each stitch on the hook. At the end you yarn over and pull through all of them – making a handsome stitch :O)
Here is a picture of all of the stitches with he last loop of each still on the hook.
Then, I yarned over and pulled through them all to get my cluny cluster.
This row is only half of the actual stitch. I think the colors look pretty together.
I really like how the new row makes the pink circles turn into diamonds. I am currently working on the second row of blue which makes the blue look like rows of circles like what the pink looked like in the beginning. I’ll have a picture tomorrow. If you are interested in trying this pattern it is on Sarah London’s Website.
Well, the NaBloPoMo Prompt today is
Tell us about the first time you were in love.
…but I already wrote about when I met my husband and so it’s the same story :O) No one else ever got even close to that.
Tison
22 Nov 2009 Leave a Comment
in Charity/volunteer work Tags: blanket, burns, international friends of compassion, Project Linus, tison
There is a little boy that has captured my heart. I read about him on International Friends of Compassion Blog. He lives in Indonesia and has burns over 40% of his body. He is now 9 years old and IFCUS is helping him get medical help and it looks like he’ll be coming here to Fairbanks for his surgeries. I want so desperately to be able to see him and to give him a Project Linus blanket. I’ve been trying to think of what type of blanket would be right for him and I just read that he’ll be coming very soon! My heart is bursting at the thought. This little boy will be coming from a very hot climate to a very very cold one and even if he only used that blanket while he was here it would enough. He will be here for 1 year! Well, I am going to get in touch with someone at the hospital where I work and see if I can find out more information. Please keep this little one in your prayers.
Odds and ends
20 Oct 2009 1 Comment
in Charity/volunteer work, Crochet, Personal notes Tags: crochet, Project Linus, sick
So I need to update. The surgeon didn’t find anything they would help with. They did blood work and everything came back normal. So I went to another doctor, my regular doctor. She’s the one that knew my appendix was screwed up years back even though the tests didn’t show it. So she ordered a bunch of lab work and x-rays. I even did them at her clinic instead of the hosptial (which would have saved money) because she would get the results sooner. So that was one week ago now. My appointment is at 10:30 am (Tuesday). If they don’t know what’s going on I’m going to cry. I haven’t been out of my house except to go to the doctor appointments and my husband has to take me everywhere because it hurts all the time. I’m already decided on a next route though. I’m going to see a female internist I work with to see about a colonoscopy. My mom had bad ulcerative colitis and I think the pains I’m having are in the area of my large intestine (pretty much all of it). So if this other doctor waited a week to tell me zip then I’m going to the internist or the ER….. whichever comes first. Sometimes I’m doing okay (usually first thing in the am) and then it starts building. I can only take it for so long. It’s like a migraine that makes you want to slam your head into a wall after 3 days of it.
Oh, and on top of all of this I found out that a friend of mine was killed in a motercycle accident a few months ago and I didn’t even know until I went to her facebook page to leave her a note. Some friend I am huh? She was a great friend and I really miss her. I do feel sorry for the poor young guy who hit her because he will have to live with that.
Anyway, that’s enough depressing stuff. I’m keeping myself busy by crocheting. I finished a blanket for Project Linus. I sewed Project Linus tags on some other blankets that were donated and my husband delievered 15 to pediatrics. He said the nurses were so glad to get them. I’m glad. Now I’m working on another blanket for a co-worker’s baby. She’s due soon so I’m hoping to get it finished in time. If not, she’ll get it later than sooner. I have found that if I fall asleep when I’m crocheting something it doesn’t get all messed up like knitting does. If I take pain meds I will fall asleep sooner or later.
Okay, cross your fingers and say some prayers. I need some answers.
Project Linus
20 Jul 2009 Leave a Comment
in Charity/volunteer work, Craftyness Tags: blanket, blanketeers, fleece, Journey Christian Church, Love Inc., Project Linus
I just finished my first blanket for project linus. It’s tied fleece and sized for a teenager. It turned out really cute and was really fun to make. I’ll post a picture here later.
I have a second blanket that I am crocheting. It’s half way finished and I love the pattern. I’m just using yarn from my stash so I’m worried about running out in the middle of it! I would like to go a little bigger but it’s a corner to corner afhgan so I have to call MIDDLE soon and hope I have enough yarn to finish.
I am trying my darnest to recruit some blanketeers in the area. I have received a couple of blankets and talked to a lot of people who plan on helping. I am also talking with my church, Journey Christian Church, about getting a group going. Hopefully that will work out. It’s a small church since it’s just getting started but I really like it. I am also going to call Love Inc and see if they can help get the word out as well.
Project Linus for Fairbanks
11 Jul 2009 Leave a Comment
in Charity/volunteer work, Craftyness, Worthy of Note Tags: alaska, blanketeers, facebook, Fairbanks, Project Linus
I have started a new blog for Fairbanks Project Linus group. It is http://projectlinusfairbanks.wordpress.com The Link is also listed in my links on the right. I have also created a group on Facebook. Look for Project Linus Fairbanks and hopefully we can get a group of people together who are interested in getting project Linus up and running for Fairbanks children. Check it out!
Project Linus
27 Jun 2009 1 Comment
in Charity/volunteer work, Craftyness, Personal goals, Worthy of Note Tags: american red cross, annie's attic, Charity, crocet, knitting, Linus, non-violent Living, Project Linus, quilting, sewing
I recently read about Project Linus on www.anniesattic.com. They provide a wonderful listing of Charities that use homemade items. Annie’s Attic also provide patterns for some of these items as well. I think it’s a wonderful thing that they do besides the “free pattern of the day”. I am addicted to checking the free pattern EVERY SINGLE DAY! I love to create things but I also love to help others, especially children, so I looked into Project Linus.
Project Linus is based on the character “Linus” from Peanuts who always carried around a blanket. The concept is to provide comfort to children who have been abused or suffered from some sort of trauma by giving them their own homemade blanket.
I discovered that there is a chapter here but they are in Anchorage and there was no one to represent the Fairbanks area. I have decided to work with the Alaska Chapter and represent Fairbanks. I have contacted 3 places who will gladly accept blankets for the children they see.
- American Red Cross Tanana Valley Chapter
- Interior Alaska Center for Non-Violent Living
- Fairbanks Memorial Hospital Emergency Room
Now I just need some Blanketeers to help build up the blanket stash so we can keep them supplies. Please contact me if you are interested in helping out!
