Some Stuff I have a few things to show you before we leave for our trip. First of all I have 3 collage cards for a swap I'm doing. Two are going out of the country and one is going to California.











The backs are pretty cool looking too, but I already have the addresses on them and I don't know how to do that thing where you blur out images you don't want seen, so you will just have to trust me.














Here is the {almost} completed stockinette purse:
As you can see I am making slow progress on the I-cord (truly tedious and boring work). I also switched up the pattern a bit. I made it about an inch bigger than their dimensions and instead of their flap, I switched to garter stitch for about an inch and a half for the flap. I'm gonna sew some shells on the edge to keep the flap down, add the cord for the strap and make a lining from a bandana (possibly a zipper in the lining). It is really red! good thing I like that color. I'm not sure if I'll keep it or give it away, yet.

I have begun work on my next knit project. I'm not gonna tell what it is yet, but hopefully when next I blog I will have a picture to show. Right now it is 4 inches long and I have had to start it 4 times!! Almost had to do it over again because I wasn't paying attention to where I was in the pattern and I had to take out a complete row of stitches. I suck at that right now cause I don't know which way the yarn should be, do I put the needle in the front or the back of the loop, etc. It is all a learning process. I told my husband that I am expanding my brains capacity for knowledge and if I keep this up I'm gonna be the smartest old woman he ever knew.

Here is a shot of the crochet baby blanket {so you won't think I've ditched my crochet}:

I haven't really shown the pattern yet. This is the block that will be at the top and bottom and in the middle will be mostly the chocolate with some multi color stripes. I need two more ball of the yarn, though. Go figure. I never seem to buy the right amount and since this not a pattern I had to wing the amount. Winged it wrong.

Okay, that is it for now. I will blog again next week after we get back from the trip. I will have some pictures of the prom couple as well as a few others, I'm sure. Until then, have a great weekend and I will blog at 'cha later.
~ DAWN


  ¶ 9:35 AM |

  Update Okay, so Friday I had a really bad day at work. No boring details but I was super bummed when I got home. I have had to do a lot of meditating on the whole thing and we'll see what the universe wants to happen. . . in the meantime,

to cheer me up me and the family spent all day Saturday together. We went shopping and eating and just plain hung out together. My husband and I are super lucky, we have three of the greatest boys you would ever hope to meet. They are funny and kind and smart. I love to spend time with them and the bonus for us THEY LIKE TO SPEND TIME WITH US, TOO! How crazy is that for an 18, 17 and 10 year old to like to hang with their parents. They made me feel loads better and reminded me of how blessed I am to have them all in my life regardless of anything else that may be going on.

Then, Sunday I choose to work on some postcards for an upcoming swap and to do some knitting on the red purse. It is coming along very nicely. There are a few screw ups in it, but truely I think I'd be the only one wise to it. I have about 2 more inches to knit on it, then I will block it, sew the sides and flap and make the i-cord for the strap. In other words, I didn't work on the baby blanket like I said. I do plan on dragging it out now and doing a few rows before heading off the work.

Have a great start to your week!!
~DAWN  ¶ 10:59 AM |

  No News is Good News, right? Been a bad blogger lately? raise your hand. Yup, me too.
I am almost done with the Magic Scarf. I will probably get a chance to do my first "binding off" sometime today. Ooooo, exciting. You know what else is exciting? I've already picked out my next knit project....a super simple stockenette stitch purse. I still need to practice those stitches until they become a part of me.

I have done about 25 rows on the baby blanket and when it gets a little farther along I'll post an in progress picture. I really like the color choice. Moss stitch in crochet is very meditative so I have to be in the mood to do it or I just get bored. Probably a weekend project.

Finally gonna pay my taxes tomorrow. I want it done before we go on our trip next week. Oh, did I forget to mention that? We are going to Minot, ND. Why? well, my oldest son's girlfriend lives there and he is going to go up to take her to prom. My best friend lives up there so I am going to see her!!! and the rest of the family is going because we are a family. The kids are hoping for snow and I am hoping for a heat wave. Somehow I think we will just get stuck with plan old COLD.

Till next time. . .
~ DAWN
p.s, here is the new project I'm starting: Stockinette Purse from VogueKnitting's Knit Simple spring/summer issue:

What could be more simple than that for a beginner?  ¶ 1:21 PM |

  I'm A Dirty Rotten Cheater. . . . . and I don't even care! Ha! I have picked up my knitting again (after taking a gander at Sue's pretty knit afghan). I picked up my needles and clicked on Knitting Help and started again, after 4 months of setting it aside. It came back easier and better and my tension (which was my deal breaker last time) was a thing of the past. I don't know what happened. Suddenly it just clicked. Go figure. After swatching for a bit, I got out my Noro Silk Garden yarn (#86) that I'd been saving and my #10 needles and the pattern for Crazy Aunt Purl's Magic Scarf and after about 4 hours of knit, purl, knit, purl this is what I have to show for it:

Come on now! that is awesome, ain't it? Hell, yah! I am so hap hap happy I could dance. Hold on....... okay, I'm back. So be truthful, that is worth cheating on Beatrice, right. Yeah, I know.

So you won't think B. got the better of me, take a look at Thursday's progress:

Yes, she looks innocent enough, but please do not be fooled. This is what a bitch in crochet can look like. Perhaps I'm the only one who has had trouble with her, I don't know but let me just say: I am so happy that I did not buy this pattern or there would be a warrant out for my arrest. Thank god for small miricles.

Oh, just a little side note for the knitting: I am a Continental Knitter! oh, last time I got all kinds of advice about trying the "English" style. I tried and about wanted to cry. I thought, what a dumb ass I must be. This is how little kids learn. Aurghhhh. So I said to myself, "Dawn, you crocheted first and are use to holding the yarn in your left hand, so this is only natural for you." And it was. So that is my style, so to speak.

I have a client that is going to have a baby in July (alas, not near my birthday July 23rd). Anyway, she is having a girl and is doing her nursery in Chocolate and Pink so I chose these yarns to make a baby blanket for her: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v404/DawnsRays/Just%20Yarn/pinkandchocolate.jpg

Blogger is being a ass, so just click the link to observe the yarn... I'm using the Simple Baby blanket for the pattern. Okay, have a great weekend. Peace~ DAWN

  ¶ 11:24 AM |

  Beatrice is a Be-otch!! Okay, whoever wrote the Beatrice shrug pattern, come closer so I can slap you. (In all fairness this is probably karmic payback for the mistakes I printed in the Felted Memo Bag, but honestly, I appoligized. Sincerely.)

Anywho. . . I came home for lunch and decided to try and get the back finished (the part where you only do 1/2 the row for a set number of rows before picking up the second sleeve). Well, I did the increase row for the size 34 bust--because I'm not a 30 bust (thank you god) and didn't realize until after I'd finished the entire back that the original size is an even number of rows and the larger size is an ODD number of rows. Are you getting it yet? well, let me help you. To continue the pattern, it is written as if you are working on the EVEN # not the ODD # therefore it doesn't match up. *insert scream here*

I had to frog half the back and do an even # of rows. I have since put the be-otch down and am currently venting. I probably won't get back to her till tomorrow, by which time I hope to have calmed down considerably. This is why I don't make clothing, people. This--this very reason.

Oh, and believe me, this little "error" in the pattern is just the cherry because earlier, before I left for work in the morning and was beginning what became this ordeal, my yarn knotted up beyond belief. I had to do some splicing and some tugging and some cursing. You know, all those pleasant things you want to do before you go interface with another persons energy and massage them. Come to think of it, my morning had a lot of cancelations. Hmmmmm, interesting. Thanks Beatrice, you bitch. This thing better look Hot when I'm done with it or we are having a bonfire and you all will get to witness it via photography.

I hope you all are having a much better time with whatever you are working on and believe me when I say, I am truely sorry for the errors in my pattern. Truely.
~ DAWN  ¶ 1:51 PM |

  Failure to Launch While the reviews were if-y at best, me and my husband thought this movie was pretty dang funny. Matthews character, Tripp (whatever) was a flake, but you know that going into the movie so you don't expect much from him (thank goodness). The secondary characters, Kit and Ace's romance is much more entertaining and more fun. The animal scenes are to die for! I cracked up every time a creature of nature popped up in the scene. If you can get past the naked Terry Bradshaw scene with him feeding his fish in his "naked" room, you will survive the movie. I would wait for the rental, just because there are so many other movies out that would be worth the extra doe. If you do decide to pay the admission, you won't be pissed.

As far as The Libertine, well, I have heard mixed reviews about this one, so I'm gonna wait to get more info before subjecting the husband to this film. Truly, he will go if I want to, but I hate to see him bored to tears. Period pieces are not his thing and so I don't know how well he will fair.

I had the day off (which is odd for a Monday) but I enjoyed myself by cutting and pasting the day away. I did some laundry and cooking and errand running, it was all good. No crochet today. Not in the mood lately to run with the hook. Not a bad thing, just the way it is for now.
Peace~ DAWN  ¶ 7:53 PM |

  Picture Postcard Here is a new card I made last night. I love this--I say that about most of my cards, but at least I part with them and don't hold them for very long. I made this one on some heavy card stock that my postage stamps were sent on from USPS.com That my friends is an actual, factual dead leaf from my yard. Bonus, a real poststage stamp from Malaysia. It is very pretty and if you look closely you can see the postmark. I don't know who is getting this one. I actually was just fooling aroun with the scanner and wanted to see if I could upload a picture that way and -- behold -- we have a photo on the blog!! Not so boring today, huh?

I had to work for about 3 1/2 hours this morning. Not to bad, it left the rest of the afternoon for crafting. While the husband and son are putting up a new garage door opener, I'm playing with glue and paint. Fair.

We are going to the movies tonite to see "Failure to Launch" about a middle age man who still lives at home. I can't wait. The previews seem so funny. In the next week or so I want to see "the Liberten" with, you know who. . . Johnny Depp!! I'll let you know how the movie was tomorrow.

Have a great day!!
Peace~DAWN  ¶ 4:16 PM |

  Hideously Boring. . . Sorry to be so hideously boring of late and for the lack of photo content. To add to the excitement of my life, my camera has decided that it is having a spat with the computer and it won't recognize the import connection. In other words, no photos. We can't find the disc to reboot the program, so it looks like we may be camera shopping the the near future.

I am on page 246 of Ahab's Wife and let me tell you something; things have been happening in this book for about the last 40 pages or so that NO ONE should EVER have to endure. Uck!!

I went to the doc's yesterday for the annual "female" thing and got a call in the late afternoon that they let me get away without drawing my blood. Ahhhh, shucks. I, being the good patient that I am, went directly back after the phone call to put forth my forearm for the needle. Later that nite my shirt rubbed my arm and I thought I was gonna cry. I pulled up the sleeve and I am now the proud owner of a fabulous purple/pinkish bruise. Don't be jealous, I can tell you, they will NOT be all the rage in Paris. I iced it (but too late, I'm afraid).

Slow going on the shrug. . and to make matters worse, I received my e-Bay order in the mail yesterday. A beautiful heather grey, green, blue yarn that I really really really want to dive into. HELP ME! I would show you a picture but, I can't.

Have a great day!!!! Peace~ DAWN  ¶ 6:19 AM |

  Sunday catch up I am slowly making Beatrice progress. I'm on row 22 right now. I've only been working a couple of rows each morning before work so she isn't as far along as I'd like, but . . . so far so good. Ashleigh has joined me and I'm sure she will have hers complete before me! I told her that I probably bought way too much yarn for it. I'm keeping track and will definitely tell how much knitpicks Shine was actually used during the process incase someone else wants to do it and doesn't want extra yarn hanging about. That was a LONG sentence full of grammatical error, I'm sure.

I am still reading Ahab's Wife. She is about to be discovered on the Whaling ship. Oooooooo. It is really really good so far. I heard about another book called Into the Wilderness about people who die and their souls are reborn into animals in their town. I checked Amazon.com but it hasn't been released yet. Hmmm. I will keep in on my list though. I was hoping for a couple of reviews.

My youngest finished up his basketball season yesterday with a win!! their team, overall, did really well. I think they won more than they lost but I really wasn't keeping track. My two older boys had their first soccer scimmage yesterday from 9:00 am till 3:00 pm. They went up against 4 different teams. They came to the young ones game BURNT! Their poor faces and arms and legs were toast. It only got up to around 53 degrees yesterday and no one was thinking "sunscreen". Duh, the sun is hot no matter what season it is. Next Saturday they have another day long scrimmage and you can bet, sunscreen will be in their bags.

We are going Shopping today!! yippie!! that means the Maccaroni Grill for dinner!! another Yippie!! I love their food. If you have one near you and you haven't been. . . why? go! If you don't have one near you, I'm sorry. Finally, if you don't like their food, hmm, I guess I have nothing to say to you.

Have a great day!! Peace~ DAWN  ¶ 7:19 AM |