Yarn! Why must you taunt me???

I love yarn.

Sometimes, I don't even want to knit it - I just want to admire it.
I got the word from my knitting group, it seems it's imperative that I knit the matches to my sock to form a "pair" - so, I have the daunting task of knitting pairs for socks I am tired of looking at. ::Sigh::

In other, completely unrelated news:
I was driving behind a truck today that had pictures of Polish food items, one of them was what appeared to be a bottle of soda with a picture of a loaf of bread on the label.
Really? Bread flavored soda?
I have been googling and trying to find a picture of this bread pop to share with you. So far, I've had no luck. I will keep looking.

UPDATE: It is not Bread Pop, its Kvas! Thank you to my darling boyfriend, Kosta, for clearing up this mystery for me.

A word about podcasts...

I LOVE PODCASTS! Especially knitting podcasts...and especially Lime & Violet and Brenda Dayne's Cast On. I love the banter between Violet and Carin, I love that they are silly and that they laugh alot. I love their yarn recommendations and hearing about what they are knitting. Shit, I even like when they talk about Carin needing to be hooked up.
I've only recently started listening to Brenda, but I love her, too. I love her matter-of-fact way of speaking and that she shares her phenomenal essays.

However, I HATE negative feedback that lacks tact that is left on iTunes.
These people take THEIR VALUABLE TIME to bring the world their podcasts.
Listeners complain when sound quality and editing is sub-par, but when the casters upgrade their equipment for the sheer purpose of PLEASING their listeners, and ask for a contribution - people freak out.
I am well aware of the old saying "You can't please everyone" which is why I find it rude to leave comments that make the podcaster feel bad. Snarky remarks about content, flow & music choice is counter productive and threatening to unsubscribe is juvenile. If you don't like it, just stop listening. The internet doesn't need to know why you chose to unsubscribe, and they don't even ask when you do. What some deem as terrible, others love and vice versa.
How would you negative commenters feel if someone walked up to you and said "I don't like you because you aren't pandering to my likes and dislikes."? Don't you think that is rude and unnecessary?

Alright, I said my piece.

Calling All Knitters!

Howdy!

I think I have finally resolved the issue of my patterned dish cloths being bunchy and crappy looking...sooooo...if there are any knitters out there interested in doing a test knit with me - let me know! I have done a pattern for a cloth with the Kanji symbol for family and am anxious to see it knit up.
I have decided to take a short break from sock knitting to wrap up my dish cloth frenzy that started in the winter, since a new light has been shed on it and I have a metric butt load of cotton yarn that really has no other purpose. I have almost completed a martini glass pattern in some lime cotton...I did find some other alco-beverage themed patterns, I think I may knit a series!

I uploaded some pics to Flickr...you can click on it to the right.

Jenn

Create Your Own Fiber Fest!

Are you absent minded? Do you not see the writing on the wall? Well, then this is the fest for you!

This morning, I drove to McHenry County College grounds, eagerly anticipating the days adventures while I fondled yarn at the 2nd Annual Midwest Fiber and Folk Art Festival.
I drove around and around...there sure weren't very many cars there...there were no tents.
The sign clearly stated all are welcome to this festival.
I drove around some more. There was no sign of fiber. None at all.
It finally dawned on me: The sign was clearly stated, Midwest Fiber and Folk Art Festival JULY 18, 19 & 20.
Do you know what today's date is? If you said July 12 - you're right!
I'M DUMB!

So, I decided to have my own fiber festival.
I headed over to Prairie Arts & Fiber in Grayslake and self medicated my dumbness.

I made purchases! I got 2 sets of Addi turbo lace circulars (size 3) and the Cat Bordhi "Socks Soar On 2 Circular Needles" which I had also grossly misunderstood - I thought it was a way to make 2 socks at one time...again, I'm dumb...and terribly uncoordinated.
I got some nice Crystal Palace bamboo DPNs - in sock appropriate sizes 0, 1 & 1.5. I am a little worried that I will break them with my ginormous Incredible Hulk hands...hopefully they will hold up.
I got some point protectors to keep my needles from poking thru my purse or thru my flesh.
And what trip to the LYS would be complete without YARN???
I picked up 2 balls (did I just type that?? 'I picked up 2 balls'...lol) of Tofutsies (They have chitin in them! - go google it, I'll wait...) in a variegated blue (and a black/red/pink/white variegate.
I got one ball of Sockina Cotton in a pink/cream/taupe/salmon blend 80175 (why don't these yarns have names for their colorways??)

::sigh:: well, I am off to go start some "Monkeys"...wish me luck!

C F S

I am suffering from a knitters affliction: CAN'T FINISH SHIT! I wish I could knit faster! I want a pile of FO's around me, I want to flood my flickr with my fibrous accomplishments...alas...I believe I am a knit perfectionist, and have frogged the same sock several times and have grown weary of this colorway...le sigh...

I visited my stash the other night, and wished for the ability to make very beautiful, delicate knit things that are far beyond my skill level...le sigh, again.

On the upside, this weekend is the 2nd Annual Midwest Fiber and Folk Art Festival in Crystal Lake, IL...YAY!!! I have made a list of things I am interested in purchasing: a set of DPNS in small sizes for sock knitting and some sort of contraption to keep my DPNs from poking through my purse when I travel with my WIPs (which is always) there has to be something to prevent that, right? Or will I be reduced to using corks on the end of the DPNs? I would also like to purchase some sock blockers, and any indie dyed yarn that strikes my fancy.

*Also, it has been my observation that there are a lot of Jenny's in this world
that are diminuitive Asian women that are very crafty. I dropped the "y" back in high school, maybe that is where are the creativity is housed, in the forgotten "y"?

Well, this post is kind of a downer... my uretha is currently screaming in agony as I have a UTI, I apologize if it's disturbing you.

Meh,
Jenn

HI! I missed you!

WoW! I have not blogged in months! MONTHS! I have been contentedly knitting socks for the last month or so and successfully finished my first pair!

Yes, they are tiny baby socks.

(is it odd that I inadvertantly photographed my own feet?)

In retrospect, I should have started making socks in that size. They are very "instant gratification" and by the time you are bored of knitting in that yarn, they are done.

I have a new yarn obsession: Cascade Fixation.

It's my favorite fiber, cotton. It has lycra in it, too (or some sort of equivalent stretchy material)

They are low maintenance (y0u won't be schlepping these babies to the dry cleaner, or hand washing in the bathroom sink and hang drying!)

I just honestly love the shit out of that yarn.

On an unrelated topic: It's SUMMER!!!

This is my dad, launching my nephew across the pool. Much fun was had by all : P

I cover myself liberally with SPF 4, which clearly is not the SPF I require.

I don't know why I am smiling in this picture, I won't be truly happy until I brown over in a day or so. On the upside, it makes me look "outdoorsy" which I am not. I did stay outside all day, playing in the pool and enjoying some frosty brews while playing a highly competitive game of bags with my parents...wow...party. HA!

Oh my! Bad blogger...no cookie!

Well, here we are getting ready to wrap up April. Let me tell you it's been a busy month!
My birthday was on 4/5 and I celebrated by buying myself some gorgeous Claudia Handpainted yarn (in the Oops! colorway) from Prairie Arts & Fibers and successfully knit my first sock(yes, just one...so far!) I joined the Lake County Ktog and went to my first sit n' knit at Panera Bread in Gurnee. I popped into The Hawley Street Shoppe in Mundelein and made a purchase of some Cascade Fixation in a tiger like colorway (someday, it will be socks for Lauri!) I started them, but was not happy with how the first few rows came out, so I frogged out 3 inches of cuff and 2 inches of a heel flap last night (aargh!)
I knit in public alot this month, especially at work. I knit on the Metra to Chicago last Sunday on my way to the Cubs game with my friend, Gina.
It was a beautiful day to celebrate Gina's birthday at Wrigley Field. The sun was shining, the beers were cold & the Cubbies won!
I have a lot of pictures to upload, but I just wanted to get some words up here before I forgot for even longer!

Happy Socking!
Jenn

So disturbing!

I checked out this book from the library without looking inside:
http://www.amazon.com/Hookorama-25-Fabulous-Things-Crochet/dp/1846011205

Sadly, Amazon does not show the bounty of "Fabulous" things it has on the inside - I will tell you of the gems which lie inside:*Crocheted baguette cozy with matching knee pads!*A powdered wig!*Hula hoop cover!*Spats (which are modeled on a woman wearing high heels that has a rather noticeable gash on the top of her foot...she shows that gash off in almost every pic)*Crocheted picture edgings to glue to the side of a suitcase to prevent homesickness!*Adam & Eve Fig Leaf bikini's! (there is also a pattern for a serpent! Oooh! Biblical!)*A "Science Experiment" sweater, complete with bouclé burnholes and a periodic table of elements - Sexy!Upon further inspection, I find that the author is affiliated with this site: http://www.castoff.info/shop.aspI don't know about you, but I find the "Big Toe Protector" much easier than trimming my toenails to prevent holes in my tights!Please also view the album and gaze in amazement at the Knitted Wedding - ahhh, the bride wore dishcloths...I found this, and immediately classified it in the "WTF is this?" section of my brain, then went home and burned all my things.

Happy Monday!
Jenn

It's Been Awhile!

WoW!
I am a blog slacker, once again!
I must say that it's alot easier to maintain a (semi) interesting blog when that's really all I have to do all day.
Now that I am working, my brain is full to bursting with health insurance information.
I haven't been knitting or crocheting much lately, the past 3 weeks have been quite hectic.
Mike and I have decided to go our separate ways, so for me that meant moving back into my parent's house while I get myself stable.
So far, so good.
I am really going to try to get alot of my financial issues resolved, and try to start fresh.
I miss my yarn.
There just hasn't been alot of spare time lately. I think tonight I will just sit down and start something.
I still have to make Habibe her obscene dish cloth : )

Why today was good...

Today was a good day.

I woke up alive and able to dress myself and go to work, to make the dollars that buy yarn.
(I suppose it also pays for other less important things, like food and fuel for my vehicle but whatever.)

Upon arriving to work, we got our Day 7 Assessments that we took on Monday back:

It's a perfect score! (And yes, its hanging on my fridge with a Fairly Oddparents magnet - squee!)
Then, I had my review with one of the facilitators who nearly succeeded in making me crap myself. He sat me down in a small room and asked how I thought I was doing in the class, I replied that I thought I was doing well. Then he said, with a completely straight face,
"Hmm, well I beg to differ."
I was stunned, I was like "really?"
and he said "NO! But you should have seen your face!!!"
He confirmed my original thoughts that I was doing very well, and that he appreciated that I was helping out the other classmates who were having some trouble.
::whew!::

Then, I went on my smoke break with Levi, who handed me this:

Ahh, profanity in fiber art makes me smile : )

This counted cross-stitch sampler was done by Levi's friend, Habibe (aka Jen) in Michigan.
It is currently hanging on my fridge, awaiting a frame.
I told Habibe that I love her and I am making her a dishcloth that says "F*** The Dishes, Let's Get Drunk!"
(minus the censoring, of course!)

Today was a good day, I hope yours was too!

Now, shut your whore mouth!

Love, Jenn

Happy Sunday!

Howdy!
Well, I made it through my first week back to work unscathed. I eventually had to break down and take a sleeping pill to help me get back on a "sleep at night/awake during the day" schedule.
I have been working on my first itty bitty sock for the last 2 weeks, I finally decided last night (this morning?) to Kitchener stitch the toe and get it off my needles. I had been dying to do a sock (all the sock hype on Ravelry helped!) but I didn't have actual sock yarn, or DPNs small enough so I improvised. *Note to anyone who would like to buy me a present for my birthday...April 5...I'll be 29, so it's my last b-day in my twenties...Sock yarn and DPNs (double pointed needles) in size 1 & 2 would be perfection...you can see my wishlist on the Loopy Ewe.
And also here, at Lisa Souza
in the following colorways (it's called Sock! Merino yarn)
Pacific
Printemps
Emerald City
LimeNViolet
Spumoni
Little Devil

And, if you *REALLY LOVE ME*, you can take a peek at Blue Moon Fiber Arts:
(Socks That Rock, lightweight)
Watermelon Tourmaline
Pebble Beach
Philosopher's Stone
Lunasea
Froggin'
Fire on the Mountain
Lucy

OK, my blog post was sadly turned into a shameless wish for sock yarn...I'm done now...
One last thing - should you gift me sock yarn, you never know, you might get that yarn back! It will, however, be fashioned into cute socks : )
If I were you, I'd buy me a colorway in a color I liked...because, you never know...


Alright!
Baby Turtle was born this past week, and yet his blankie is still not finished...So, I believe that will be back on the hook this week.

Rooster placed 1st at Sectionals!
WOOT! He is on his way to state to dominate the wrestling mat for the last time as an IKWF wrestler! GO ROOSTER!!!!
I am so proud of him!


Have a great week, everyone!
Love, Jenn


PS - look at this handsome guy!

Back to the salt mines...

Well, I've officially made it through my second day back to work!!!
It's the first time in a long time that I've actually been excited to go to work.
Upon completion of my training, I will be doing inbound call center for a benefits administration company. The commute is only about 3 minutes from where I used to work, and I will be working with people I already know from my circle o' friends, so that's exciting!
The pay is the same as what I used to make.
Oddly enough, I will be working in the same town, doing the same job (call center) for the same $.
Easy Peasy, Lemon-Squeezy!
I'm exhausted from the change in my sleeping patterns, I'm trying to overcome my nocturnal leanings. On Sunday night, I went to bed at 10pm - and I never fell asleep. So I just went to my first day of work looking like I was coming down from crack or something. All jittery and chatty (and for those of you who know me, I'm already chatty!) I got home, ate dinner at fell asleep at 7pm - then I woke up, all bright eyed and bushy tailed - at 3 AM! I tried to fall back asleep, but finally relented and cleaned the kitchen, made coffee, made breakfast, surfed Ravelry and at 6am I got in the shower. Needless to say, by 2 pm today, I was fading.
This week, I am working on getting my internal clock back to normal, working person hours - so I may not post too much - but bear with me - the funny will be back, I assure you.

Happy Whatever-ing!
Jenn

You should have seen it...

As you can tell from the picture...it was a GREAT WEEKEND!!!

We left for Champaign at 4:30a on Saturday morning and arrived at 7am.
We found a parking spot, bought our tickets and headed in to Assembly Hall.

The wrestlers were all down on the mat, and I found Jordan, laying on his belly getting a massage from his awesome coach, Bret Wojcik.

We joined Grandma & Papa Blanton in section C4, for the moment, we were the only 4 "Blanton Boosters" but soon enough, the section would be filled (and overlapping into sections C3 & C5!) with family, friends and well wishers.

We were loud, proud and very orange when Jordan and Spangler stepped out to the mat.
We screamed! We clapped! We wolf whistled! We chanted "Jordan, Jordan!"
We weren't alone.
The atmosphere was undoubtedly ELECTRIC.
It sounded like everyone was cheering for Jordan Blanton.
It got so loud, I thought the roof was going to blow off.
The match was gut wrenching, watching Spangler score, then relief when Jordan started racking up the points.
The cheering got louder (as if that was even possible!)
Then it was over.
Jordan did it, he beat Chris Spangler of Neuqua Valley 10-8.

Every orange clad Blanton Booster was reduced to tears. Tears of joy and pride, tears of relief!
We hugged, we cried some more. It was the best cry I've ever had.
When Jordan came up from the floor, he got a much deserved standing ovation...not just from us - from nearly the entire crowd at Assembly Hall. He zigged and zagged through the crowd and when he got up to us, there were hugs for everyone.
Over 100 of us, and Jordan gave hugs to everyone. He even signed some autographs (how cool is that??!!)
This had been the match that people were comparing to last year's final against Benefiel, saying there was a slim chance that Jordan would beat Spangler. Well, I'm going to say that hard work, determination and an utter devotion to winning this match is what made Jordan #1.

After we all regained our composure, we headed over to Eastland Suites for a much needed lunch and (of course!) a couple beers ; )
Our reception room was packed, buzzing with "Can you effing believe it?!" everyone was in awe, we logged on to Illinoismatmen.com to read the comments on the match, people were saying it was the greatest match they've ever seen. I agree whole-heartedly.

Mike and I went back to our hotel room and took a much needed nap before we had to return to the finals, and have our guts turned inside out one more time when Jordan stepped out onto the mat to wrestle his final match as a high school student against Carl Foreside of Montini.

Our group of fans had grown exponentially since lunch time, and we were officially overlapping into other sections.

We sat on the edge of our seats once again as the Championship Finals began, and Jordan took the mat with Foreside.

We were not disappointed with Jordan's performance, and for the 3rd and last time in his high school career - Jordan was number one in the state.
He beat Foreside 10-8.

There are no words to explain how proud I am to be Jordan's aunt.
As a wrestler and as a man, Jordan is number one.

You can read the newspaper article here.


Still buzzing with Blanton-win-itis...
Aunt Jenn

On our way...

We are currently T minus 3.5 hours from our departure time, on our way to Champaign for the IHSA Boys Individual State Wrestling Finals.
As it currently stands:
Jordan had a bye for the first round, since he took 1st in Regionals.
2nd round - vs Barbour was a 7-4 win
3rd round - vs Hanner was a tech fall (19-4) win

Tomorrow he will meet Spangler in the semi's - this kid is intimidating.
Last season, he wrestled at 119# - this year, he's at 171#.
Quite a gain! There is some speculation about steroid use and talk of excessive acne, but who knows, it is just speculation.
My fingers are crossed and my prayers have been said.

Keep your fingers crossed for a good, clean match this morning!

Enjoy your weekend, I will be back on Sunday night!

I never thought I would say this but...

...I think I am sick of making hats.

It's terrible, I know. That was the one thing I aspired to master, and let me tell you - I could crochet Laura Killoran's Boy Beanie in my sleep. For every hat I make, I get asked to make 3 more. So far, I have made these hats for:

Jordan

Rooster

Zech

Jake

Ryne



I still have 3 more to do by Finals on Saturday.

One takes about 4 hours!

I just have to tell Mike that I cannot move from the couch until I finish them all : )



Back to the hats...

WTF?

OK, I don't want to alarm anyone, but it appears that I am magnetic.

For further explanation, let me tell you that #1 - I am not crazy, nor do I wear tin foil hats to protect me from "The Saucer People" #2 - Hopefully you can see the scar on which the magnet sits.
Almost 2 years ago, I was in a car accident that occurred at such force that my seatbelt broke my collarbone. I was informed that the break would heal itself, well, it didn't and I ended up having surgery to fix it. They added about $10K worth of hardware, now I'm a cyborg!
LOL
I wondered about setting off metal detectors and my doctor assured me that the metal used is titanium (I'm 5% titanium!) which does not set the detectors off. Alrighty then.
Just moments ago, I was getting some tea to drink and a magnet fell off the fridge, I bent over to pick it up and thought: "I wonder if it will pull to my metal?" so, I tried it and low and behold - I could feel some definite magnetic pull.
Cool!
The good news is: now you can hang your kids' artwork on me!
Woot!

Soy, Soy Good!

I'd like to take a blog to pimp my girl, Lori Jean and her deliciously scented soy candles!
All her candles are made of soy, so they burn clean! Woot!
She makes all the candles by hand, they are not made somewhere by highly skilled Chinese babies and then resold. She makes them! With her own two hands!
Previously, I was a Yankee Candle kinda gal, but I have to say that Lori's candles put them to shame - to shame!
You can pop on over to her site here: Lori Jean's and order up some yummy candles!

Here is a blurb from her site touting the upside to choosing soy candles over paraffin (petroleum based) candles:

Our candles are handmade with only the finest soy, and top of the line cotton wicks. These candles are, among other things, environmentally safe, non-toxic, and non-carcinogenic, unlike most household paraffin (petroleum) candles. Soy candles not only burn cleaner but also happen to be 90% SOOT free. The containers are easily cleaned after the candle-life with soap and water, to be reused. Since the soy candles burn cooler than the normal paraffin candles, they burn longer and hold more scent, not to mention that they burn down ALL the soy. By enjoying soy candles in your household we are helping farmers across the nation and making a healthier choice.

Happy Candling?
Jenn

WRESTLING!!!

In case you all didn't know, IKWF (Illinois Kids Wrestling Federation) and IHSA (Illinois High School Association) wrestling is a BIG DEAL for me and my entire family.
Currently my nephew, Jordan, is ranked #5 in the nation in his weight class (171) and has over 100 wins under his belt and only 1 loss (to reknowned wrestler Mike Benefiel during last year's IHSA state finals)
My nephew, Jack, who is in his last year of IKWF wrestling (with the Richmond Wrestling Club)and will become a Rocket Wrestler as a freshman next year. He won 1st place in the IKWF state championship in 2005 & 2007, and third in 2004. He is having an awesome season, and today was no exception - he won all 5 matches at the CLW Vermillion Open in Crystal Lake, IL!

Wrestling is TRADITION!

We are now coming to a close on the 2007-08 IHSA season and are on the road to the State Finals in Champaign, IL.
IHSA State Finals are held in "The Space Ship" - Assembly Hall.
This is our 4th year taking that long trip, sitting on the edge of our seats, watching some of the most brilliant young men in the state vie for the title of STATE CHAMP!
We've been very lucky to bring that title home with us two times @ 152 & 160# (courtesy of Jordan, of course!) and we are hoping & praying for Jordan to bring it home one last time before he starts his collegiate career at the University of Illinois (Go Illini!)
If you'd like to see how Jordan reacts to his local celeb status, read this and you will agree with what his grandparents have been saying for years: He's a good boy! - lol!

So, keep these wrestlers in your thoughts and prayers!

Happy Fibering!
Jenn

WHAT DID YOU DO?!

Tonight was such a great night!
On a whim, Mike said "Let's go out!" - we've been trying to save money by being homebodies since I am currently generating zero income.
He whisked me out to dinner at PF Chang's in Northbrook (really nice Asian cuisine!) and we had a delicious dinner, then we went over to the mall (Northbrook Court - anyone who's seen 'Mean Girls' - the mall scenes were filmed there!) It's a swanky kind of mall (they have a Louis Vuitton store, and a Coach store...) they also have a store called "Teavana" - a few years ago, my bro-in-law went there and got the best loose leaf tea called "Night, Night" and gave me a sample that was to die for.

Until this very evening, I was not aware that Teavana had a location other than in Watertower Place in Chicago. So, Mike and I wandered in and I said that I had to get some of that tea!
Now, I was raised with the notion of "If you have to ask the price, you can't afford it!" and I noticed that there were no posted prices on this swanky tea. I didn't think too much about it, it's tea. It sure as hell isn't a Louis Vuitton handbag. As we meandered to the front of the line, the tea barista (TeaRista?) starts in with the pitch by displaying a medium sized tin, and telling us that for $7 dollars, I could get this re-usable tin, and each time I refilled this tin, I would get a 10% discount. $7! Such a deal! Now, maybe it was my naivete (sp?) but I'd like to think it was the Mai Tai and the Kirin Ichiban beer I had with dinner that made me believe that this tin, filled with tea was going to be $7. Sadly, it was just the tin that cost $7 - the tea was $6 per 2 oz - 9 ounces fit in this tin. I'll give you a moment to do the math...yes the tea itself cost $27. Add the lovely tin - you got it - $34. I stammered, feeling my buzz wear off and trying to not look like a jackass and say...uhm, how's about you take 3/4 of that magic tea out of the tin and let's check the price on that. Mike busts out his card and says "That's fine." with a smile on his face.
He bought me $34 dollars worth of tea : )
*Note to self...time to take Mike along while yarn shopping...
The rest of the night was filled with jokes about protecting the tea - going to the bank tomorrow to put it in a safety deposit box, telling our landlord that we can't make rent because we bought expensive tea. When we got home, I was reading the booklet that came with the tea (THAT HAD THE PRICES IN IT!) and Mike asked what I was doing, I replied, "reading up on our investment". The good news is that it is indeed great tea and you can steep the same serving 3 times.
LOL
Off to enjoy the tea : )

But what can I do?

The recent loss of a friend's baby has really gotten me thinking about knitting/ crocheting for charity, which led me to the internet to see what can I do for my fellow man?
I am still a beginner, so I am not able to knit or crochet garments. What I can do is make baby hats. Unfortunately, many of the sites I've visited say they are stocked up on tiny hats and that they need other things. One site I found takes donations of your wedding gown and uses the fabric to make burial garments, line infant caskets and memory boxes provided to mourning families.
Since I am divorced, I still have my gown (and trust me, there's ALOT of material...LOL) and considered throwing it away, as I have no daughter to pass it on to. My mom said not to throw it away, but I didn't want to bring it into the home I share with my boyfriend, so she has it at her house.
My only apprehension to donating the dress is that it will not be used for charitable purposes, or that the garments made from the materials will be sold, rather than donated to families who are grieving. Does anyone have any suggestions?

**After patrolling the internet to find organizations that take donations of wedding dresses to sell for charity funding, I find that my dress does not qualify. They only take dresses that are 3 years old or newer (I got married in 2000) . Which makes sense, just because you're a bride in need doesn't mean you're going to wear a hideous, out of fashion dress. So, I believe I will send my dress to Heavenly Angels in Need for re-purposing into burial garments. I suppose that even if the garment is sold, its profits will compensate the seamstress's/ tailors for their skill in making something that no parent ever wants to have to think about purchasing for their new baby.

The dress weighs about 15#...that's gonna be costly to ship, but at least it will be getting some use, instead of crammed into storage.

Like Gangbusters!

Holy Moly!
I sat down this evening and decided that I will finish my mom's scarf...and I totally did!
I was on a roll, so I crocheted Rooster's Illini hat (turned out much better than the first time...apparently, I was missing a step!) Why stop there? I cranked out Zech's Illini hat (with earflaps).
Bam!
Three WIPs turned FOs in one night!

...damn! I'm good!

Ideas! Yarn!

Well, I decided that I love designing patterns for dishcloths. I have graphed some out by hand and using www.microrevolt.org, which generates graphs from pictures that you upload. I have several patterns graphed out and I just need to write the instructions. While designing these, I realized that I had some cotton, but not all the cotton. This generated a visit to Hobby Lobby and Wal Mart. I got some basic colors and some neat greens and blues. I am in love with the color combo of chocolate brown and aqua - My bedroom has those colors, 2 whole walls are chocolate brown, so I bought some cotton in those colors. To my dismay, my yarn stash is overflowing so I had to reorganize it to fit my new cotton. We have a coffee table that is actually a cedar lined trunk with a lid that lifts up..


We call it Narnia, and previously, that's where we hid Quint's squeaky toys when he gets too annoying with them (is that mean?) He knows they're in there, too. He smooshes his face to the opening and sniffs really hard.
(Seeing the picture online reminds me of how much I love our coffee/ end table set ::smile::)

Also, I found a cheap acrylic yarn at Hobby Lobby that is way softer than Red Heart Super Saver (and cheaper) and less shiny/ slippery than Caron Super Soft. It's called "I Love This Yarn" (of course!)
I would like to make some of my dishcloth patterns out of this yarn and make a blanket out of it, because it is so soft and nice to knit/ crochet with. (That's a tall order, though...I haven't picked up the Baby Turtle blanket in weeks...)
I made myself an "ABSOLUTELY MUST DO!" list today for the projects I've been putting off, since time is really running out. You can see it to the right (if you'd like).

Well, off to get dinner started!
Happy Fibering (?)
Jenn

Fiber arts block?

So, on my needles for the past 2 weeks has been my mom's scarf. I am working up super bulky yarn on #10 needles and it seems like it's going nowhere slowly. I also have some Illini hats to crochet, and if anyone who reads this notices my "To Do" and "completed" list, they will notice that in the last week, Rooster's Illini hat has gone from to do, to completed and back to the to do list. I tried to make it in just a few hours, and was really truly unhappy with how it turned out. Not to mention that because I was rushing myself, it ended up too small. I was feeling completely burned out on fiber arts. I live on instant gratification and if I can't see the fruits of my labor materialize in a few hours, I get disheartened. Also, I refuse to take that scarf to another wrestling meet, the people in our group are going to think that I just cart it around and don't work on it which of course, isn't true. At Senior Night last week, I knitted at least 20 rows in 2 hours, while watching wrestling and chit chatting.
Anyhoo...yesterday, I had to return some books to the library and a few of the books I had been waiting for were in: 101 Designer One Skein Wonders - it has some cute patterns, and I actually cast on for the "Not Your Average Washcloth" last night and finished it. I love it! After the library, I popped on over to "Half Price Books" I had never been there, they had an OK selection of knitting/ crochet books. I got the following books:
After Dark: Uncommon Knits for Night Time (Jil Eaton)for $3.00
Crochet Style (Shannon Okey) $9.98
Ultimate Knitters Guide (Kate Buller) $2.00
Cool Girls Guide to Crochet (Nicki Trench) $5.98

Then, I walked down the plaza to Tuesday Morning (kind of a last stop for discontinued household stuff) and found:
Cozy Crochet - Melissa Leapman $2.99
Better Homes & Gardens Hip Knits - $4.99 and when I walked around the corner, they had knitting needles - how odd! There were 3 packs bound together, 2 pair of #6 and a pair of #13 together (?) and then 2 packs bound together with circular needles (#6 & #8), each for $1.99.
Why not?
So, all in all, it was a good shopping day to refresh with. I came home and made a cat mat, a felted swatch and a neat washcloth (which I KNITTED!)

On a side note, I really enjoy knitting.

Happy Crafting!
Jenn

More time to crochet

Well, a week ago, I was laid off from my job. It came as a total shock to me, I was not expecting it at all. So, theoretically, I have had a ton of time to crochet/ knit. Now that I have the time, I am suffering from lack of motivation! I ripped out the Baby Turtle blanket, and decided to make it a round baby blanket (that way I don't have to worry about my rows!) I went over to my mom's on Tuesday and she told me that she got some yarn from Big Lots (I'm not sure if they are everywhere -but they basically have things that have been discontinued or overstock from other stores) and found some Patons Bohemian super chunky yarn for $1 a skein.

"Was there more?" I asked, since they don't generally carry yarn.

She handed me the skeins and said that she would like a skinny scarf made from it. I said Okey Dokey! I dragged her along to Big Lots to see if they still had this discount yarn...they did!

I spent $30 for 30 skeins of yarn, they had Patons Brilliant, Lacette, Be Mine & Glittalic in assorted colors - I had to ask that my mom please lead me away, before I bought all of it. It was just in tubs on the floor (you know how I feel about clearance...) I got home and added it to my stash, and thought - OK, now. What am I going to do with all this???

I did find that I am more productive when someone hands me yarn and says 'Make me something!" (as my mom had) That Bohemian yarn knits up so thick! I love it! It's like chenille and looks so nice!

Also, last night I decided to make an iPod holder for Mike, and felt it!

I made it of Lion Brand Wool for felting in dark teal, I forgot to measure pre-felting but I'd say it shrunk about an inch. I live in an apartment that does not have washers in the apartments so I tried using the machine in our laundry room. There was no option to change load size and the water didn't get very hot, so I ended up hand felting in the kitchen sink. It's OK, next time I attempt felting, I will do it in my mom's washer, for free.

Take Care!
Jenn

Wrestling & Yarn

As planned, Mike and I went to watch RBCHS Rocket Wrestling yesterday morning. I got to spend some time with my mom & sisters and even got several rows of the baby blanket done while we watched my nephew dominate on the mat (like always, in my nephew's 4 years of high school he has only lost one match and that was last year's championship match in Champaign for the IHSA State Wrestling Tournament versus Mike Benefiel from Lombard/Montini who was ranked number 1 in the nation at that time - If you're going to lose, might as well lose to the best, right? If you're interested - you can read about that match here: http://mchenrycountysports.com/articles/2007/02/20/winter_sports/wrestling/doc45d7f0788e159289664556.txt

"PIN!"

Yes, I do crochet in public!

Anyways...back to yarn!

Since we were already in Round Lake, I convinced Mike that we should stop by Hannah's in Antioch so I could check out their yarn. He obliged but stayed in the car & listened to Harry Potter book 7 on his iPod.
At Hannah's, they had a lot of wool & wool blends. They did have a really nice clearance section (what can I say, I love me some clearance!) I found a great 100% Peruvian highland wool in a pinky/ orange colorway - I looked on their site www.cascadeyarns.com
to see if that colorway has a name, it doesn't. Simply #9438. I also bought a small ball of Idena Sorbetto yarn in a blue/ aqua colorway that is a 90/10 cotton/ poly amide blend.
I really don't know why I always buy a ball of cotton yarn. I have several, but I'm not sure what to do with them other than make dishcloths.

(L) Idena Sorbetto (R) Cascade Yarns Quatro

I was only in Hannah's for about 40 minutes (only...LOL) and when I got back in the car, I headed to Wool, Warp & Wheel in Richmond. OH MY GOSH!!!
The first thing I saw was a bible verse above the door, Jeremiah 29: 11-12.
I felt like I was walking into a cozy living room, there was Celtic music piped in and wall to wall yarn and spinning equipment, Molly the dog greeted me at the door. I walked a bit further in and in the back of the shop was an old timey wood burning fireplace and a man knitting :)
A woman greeted me immediately, and when I said I wanted to learn to knit, she showed me how! I sat in the shop and listened to stories, people coming and going & learned to knit!
I finally decided to purchase a set of needles, some yarn & a pattern for a scarf!
When I walked out the door, Mike was eyeing me contemptuously through the car window.
I had been in the shop for an HOUR AND A HALF!!! I felt so bad! He had been sitting there, and his iPod battery died, so he was just skipping around the radio. I know he was pissed, but he didn't dwell on it. When I came out with just a small shopping bag (which contained my new needles and 2 balls of yarn) he said "I kind of expected that you'd have a bigger bag." - LOL
Wool, Warp & Wheel is a hidden gem in Richmond, IL (I love that town, anyways.) They have Jenn friendly hours (7p-9:30p weekdays & 10a-5p on weekends).
So, I was high on yarn endorphins : )

(L) 100% pure wool in "Purple Haze" & my new Brittany knitting needles!
(R) The same yarn, same color. The color on the left is more accurate for color.

Mike and I were invited to a house re-warming party for our friend Lev, so we headed out to Wildwood with our dog for a play date with Levi's dog Jake (aka The Polar Bear). The dogs were sent outside to play, and I decided to open the kitchen window and give them each a burger. They both popped their heads and paws into the sill and it looked like a doggie drive thru window. So cute!

"You forgot the fries!"

Enjoy your Sunday!
Take Care,
Jenn

INSOMNIA!

Surprise! It's 3:15a and I am still awake! Awake and online trying to find more yarn stores!
I did find one that just opened last year in my 2nd hometown, Richmond (I call it that because even though I wasn't raised there, I lived there for 5 years and truly miss it!)
So, after wrestling tomorrow I have 3 stops to make ( in this order):
Hannah's in Antioch
Wool, Warp & Wheel in Richmond (I can't wait!)
Gene Ann's in Barrington - this is the closest yarn store to me (since I refuse to go back to the store that snubbed me before I even had time to take off my coat.)
Hopefully, Gene Ann's will be my new LYS! Keep your fingers crossed!

I have to admit that I am still a little sore on the snubbing I received from that other store. I'm not even going to list the name because they don't deserve it. Hmmph!
(Insert 3 year old style temper tantrum here)
Happy Hooking!
Jenn

Yarn with a philosophy!

I just remembered some great yarn I saw at Mosaic Yarn Studio, it's called Mirasol Project and they have a great yarn called Cotanoni. It's a 60/40 Pima Cotton & Merino wool blend and the next time I go out there, I am definetly getting some! You can visit their site, http://www.mirasolperu.com/ - it really is heartwarming!

What a craptacular day!

Ugh! Today was just an awful day.
Three days ago, I decided to quit smoking (yay for me!) and went on the patch. The patch works great, however, one side effect is that it has made me an insomniac. Last night, I was awake until 3am! This would have been fine if I didn't have to be up at 8:30a to go to work this morning. I hit the snooze about 47 times this morning, and finally rolled over to see that it was 9:47a!!! I have to be to work at 10a! So, I scrambled out of bed, brushed my teeth, skipped the shower and got to work at 10:20a...yikes! The day went my miserably slow and I felt like garbage because I was tired and unshowered. On top of that, I woke up with some kind of weird cough. I never coughed when I smoked, now I have a non-smoker's cough?
What's up with that?
I came home and remembered that Mike had agreed to dog sit a friend's chihuahua (the dog is kind of finicky and high maintenance - unlike my 65# monster who is content to sleep on the bed and drink out of the toilet) so I walked in the door and this little yapper-type dog was just barking it up. This came as a shock because we have a boxer and he only barks when delivery guys come to the door. I was in no mood to cook dinner, so Mike and I ordered in and I retreated to the computer to file my taxes...because what better way to spend a crappy Friday night than to file your taxes? You know me...PARTAY! I finished my taxes and felt better because I am getting money back : )
That made me happy, and so I decided to crochet with that cotton yarn I posted a pic of in the last post (by the way, I found the label - it is Mission Falls 1824 Cotton, color # 204 - Lentil) I absolutely love the color, kind of a washed out gold with a neat texture. If you aren't already familiar with Mission Falls - here is a link to their site http://www.missionfalls.com/ . I made a hot pad/ dish cloth - kind of a kitchen multi-tasker.

I'm digging it, my first time doing shells!

This is the first hat that I made for myself (on the same day my mom showed me how to make doubles and triples)
It is made of almost one whole skein of Patons Shetland Chunky Tweeds in Oxford Grey Tweeds colorway.

(It's modeled on "Kyle" from my sister, Stacey's, salon - I always knew those creepy mannequin heads had a purpose!)

And, last but not least, the ripple baby blanket (actually, it's more zig-zaggy) for my Canadian friend, Azure's, baby boy who is due on Valentine's Day!

It's made with Yarn Bee brand "Little Britches" yarn in "Teddybear" colorway - which is 85% acrylic & 15% polyamide & super soft. It will have bands of 3 other colors from the same line

I just realize that it's only a month away! I'd better get cracking!

The good news is, we are knee deep in wrestling season, which means a lot of down time between matches=many rows get crocheted!

I went to a meet a few weeks ago for my nephew, Rooster, and my sister, Cheri, picked up a crochet hook and started crocheting (she has never been a "Crocheter" although all us girls know how - luckily, I always have a project or two with me - I'm not afraid to crochet in public!) and her rows were BEAUTIFUL!

AND! The fantastic end to a crappy day....

I got a blog comment from MARLY!!!

Now, I have a finished dish thingie, and a comment from my favorite pod caster!!

I guess this day wasn't so bad, after all : )

I should get to bed, tomorrow is a wrestling meet and I have a baby blankie to get done!

Wish the RBCHS Rockets & Jordan Blanton luck!

***I found which kind of yarn the other ball is: it's Knit One, Crochet Too! PJ's - Polar fleece ribbon #719 - lollipop

http://www.knitonecrochettoo.com/pjs.htm

Yarn Snob? No, Yarn SNUB!

About a month ago, my search for more of a yarn selection took Mike and I on a trek.
I had searched online for yarn shops in my area, lucky me I found a little yarn shop that was about 10 minutes from my house in Historic Long Grove. I don't know too much about the area, but they have loads of cute shops, including a fancy schmancy yarn shop. Mike willingly came along and we checked out a few of the shops and a little place that sold hot chocolate & hot apple cider so we each got a toasty drink to warm our hands and walked over to the yarn place. Since I had the hot chocolate, I made sure to look out for signs on the door that said "no food or beverage", y'know, something along those lines because I totally would have pitched my hot chocolate for an opportunity to ogle some high-end yarn. There was no sign, so I walked in and was in Yarn Mecca. It was wall to wall cashmere, silk, merino all the natural blends that I have yet to try. A woman approached me, and I swear, the look on her face was as though I had just walked through the front door of her home at 2am. With absolutely no expression on her face, she asked: "Can I help you?" I stated that I would like to take a look around, she looked me floor to ceiling and said "You can't have that in here!" meaning my hot chocolate. I glanced past her to see a bunch of ladies sitting at a big table, all holding their Starbuck's coffees, and for a split second I thought about dumping the drink just so I could walk around and touch some swanky yarn, but that lady just gave me a bad vibe. For a little background on me, if I get a bad vibe somewhere, I have to leave. Sadly, this has left Mike stranded in many a store (someday I will tell you about the "incident" I had at Wal-Mart) I looked at Mike and said "Let's go." he was puzzled, and once we got in the car, I wanted to cry. I really felt discriminated against (is that the right word?) Maybe the word is excluded. They had all this gorgeous yarn and pretty much told me that I can't see it. So, I was bummed. We set off again and I did a search for any other yarn shops on the internet on my phone, I found two more shops: Midwest Discount Yarn- I wasn't sure about the swankiness of this place, but imagined that it was a warehouse packed to the ceiling with skein upon skein of every yarn I could imagine - yeah, not so much. Turns out this place is on the North Side of Chicago, and it just so happened to start snowing heavily. Driving down Foster, I coined the term "Chicago Carwash" meaning that spray of slush that splashes up on the driver sides of parallel parked cars. Online, it said that Midwest Discount Yarn was open until 4pm on Saturdays. We arrived at 2pm (I figured that 2 hours was ample time to feel out the place.) We parked in front (parallel, so we could get a Chicago carwash...) and walked up to the door. Closed. CLOSED! It took us 2 hours to get there (because of the snow) Not even a note saying that they closed early. It really didn't matter, because it was wall to wall Red Heart (please see previous post for my comment on Red Heart - it has it's place.)
At this point I was sullen and downtrodden. An entire day wasted on a fancy yarn wild goose chase. There was one more stop to make, in Des Plaines, called Mosaic Yarn Studio. When I walked in, there was a woman who greeted me and when I told her that I had heard yarn lore about yarns made of things other that acrylic she happily showed me Noro yarn, Brown Sheep, Cascade and about a dozen others. Even yarn made of bamboo! The staff there were exactly what I was hoping I'd find on my yarn adventure. Helpful as all get out! I bought a ball of 100% cotton yarn in a golden yellow and some really cool flannel/ fleecey feeling variegated yarn. I can't wait to go back, probably after I get my income tax return : )
If you're ever in Des Plaines, IL - you must stop in to the Mosaic Yarn Studio (http://www.mosaicyarnstudio.com/) and lay out some dough for some absolutely GORGEOUS yarns and great info from the ladies!
(On a side note, I am totally embarrassed that I didn't save the labels for them and that I can't tell you what brand I purchased! I just took a pic of the yarn, though so you can guess if you'd like : )

Yarn Thing podcast

My iPod has been in my mom's possession for about 3 months. I realized that if I wanted it back, I'd have to buy her her own - so I did and she gladly returned mine.
Last Sunday, I was surfing iTunes and I thought I would do a search for crochet podcasts, I subscribed to several but my favorite is definetly "Yarn Thing" with Marly.
I loaded all the episodes on my iPod and set out to do my household duties - laundry mostly (the bane of my existance!) and laughed and laughed listening to Marly. It was nice to listen to someone talk about hobbies that I like, as everyone I know thinks I'm weird because I'm nearly 29 and I crochet (although I don't hear them complaining when they reap the benefits, right?)
So, now I'm a podcast junkie ; )
Way to go, Marly, I love your podcast & your virtual Sn'B's!
And in honor of the almighty Yarn Stash, here's a pic of mine (it's just a baby yarn stash...no mocking!)

Another blog??

Alright, this is officially my 3rd blog. I am trying really hard to find a niche in the blogging world, I have a myspace account (which is going to be disposed of shortly for personal reasons...) a livejournal (I am more loyal to that than anything else) and a Facebook...why the myspace and the facebook...I have no idea. Anyways...I have really been getting into my crocheting lately, I picked it up with the help of my dear BF Mike's mom. She was knitting scarves for a holiday craft drive and she asked if I knew how to knit. I told her that I was a crocheter and she said "Well, you'll probably get more use out of these than I will!" and gave me a set of hooks & invited me downstairs to check out her yarn stash. She had some great stuff - my favorite was the Red Heart Baby Teri...so soft! So, I crocheted some terrible scarves last year. My scarves looked like sick roadkill, and I could not figure out how to crochet in the round to make hats (what I really wanted to make!) so I got discouraged & set the hook and yarn to the side. Then, about 3 months ago, I was cleaning out my closet and moving my yarn to a better spot and the spark was ignited again. I figured out how to crochet in a tube shape, and formed my first hat. Then, I sat down with my mom (she showed me how to crochet when I was younger...I will recount that story another time) and she showed me how to double & triple crochet. I tell ya, my work moves alot faster with doubles! Of course, natural progression led me to bulk up my yarn stash and because I like clearance (my tip for clearance shopping: the best stuff is always on the floor, don't ask why because I don't know, it just is.) and I love coupons, I was hitting Michaels just about daily, mainly just to wander and touch things. I quickly discovered that I have mixed emotions for Red Heart acrylic yarn---> I swear I'm not a yarn snob, I believe that Red Heart has its place (like running along with a finer weight yarn, for example) but for hats....it's too scratchy, however, I love that you can really see your stitches - especially if you're learning a new stitch - I taught myself how to crochet in the round with that yarn (with the help of Debbie Stoller's Stitch & Bitch "Happy Hooker" book). I find that I really like bulky yarns, they work up quick & are oh so snuggly when crocheted into hats! My favorite is Wool Ease, but a fair (although acrylic) substitute is Bernat Softee Chunky or Yarn Bee Mosaic Twist. I have yet to venture into fun fur or eyelash yarn since they don't make very warm hats...LOL Another yarn that I dig is Paton's SWS (yes, yes...to anyone who is reading this and has already graduated from your basic craft store yarn selection, I apologize! I'll get there!) A month or so ago, I did discover that there are stores that sell yarn exclusively, mainly for knitters but I hoped they wouldn't see me schlepp in with my crocheted hat and send me packing! So, I will close this first post with a picture of my most recent project: A hat made exclusively for my nephew who signed on with the University of Illinois with a full ride wrestling scholarship - way to go, Jordan!
(I must say, it covers up his hideously cauliflowered ears wonderfully! - LOL)