A little something

I was up reading blogs this morning when I saw this meme on Adrienne's and Patrice's blog. I thought it was a fun one. So here's my entries.


10 Things you wish you could say to ten different people

1. I love you but that doesn't mean I have to like you.

2. That was seriously stupid. What were you thinking?

3. God takes care of children and fools. So you're well covered!

4. I'm not taking care of you and yours because you made mistakes in your life. Get a grip, make some goals and get yourself together.

5. If you don't have anything to say SHUT UP!

6. You're not that great of a friend to me. I just don't see why you expect so much more than you give in return.

7. Get over yourself! Just because you wear nice clothes and have lots of discretionary income does not make you better than anyone.

8.Did I ask you for you opinion?

9. Your way isn't the only way to do things

10. I have better things to do with my time!

9 Things about yourself

1. I'm tall and I like it now. I hated being tall when I was younger.

2. I'm very sensitive, my feelings get hurt easily and I react unpleasantly.

3. I love adventure and I'm a bit of an adrenaline junkie

4. I love crafts and I'm willing to dabble in most

5. I love traveling.

6. I like serial killer shows (creepy I know)

7. I love to read books (mysteries are my favorite)

8. Shopping is so much fun at all times. It doesn't matter what it is either!

9. I like to cook.

8 Ways to win my heart

1. Treat me with respect

2. Be romantic

3. Be a good friend

4. Take care of yourself and your business

5. Have goals

6. Be a good kisser

7. A good hugger too

8. Live with an open heart and mind

7 Things that cross my mind a lot

1. Are they going to lay me off from my job?

2. I don't want to spend too much money

3. How's my brother. Is he getting the care he needs

4. I hope mom isn't sitting at home bored. I hope she gets up and does something!

5. My aunt is going to kill herself eating all the time. It's a shame!

6. I hope I pass this class and get a part time job.

7. What do I need to do and when can I do it?

6 Thing I do before I fall asleep

1. Watch television

2. Turn down the heat.

3. Clean out the sink

4. Take vitamins and pills

5. wash up

6. find Edgar

5 People I couldn’t live without

1. Mom

2. Brother

I think that's it for me. I actually can and may have to live without them but my mom and brother mean the world to me. It would be a hard life.

4 Things I am wearing right now

1. Tweed Pants

2. long underwear. It's cold here in Chicagoland

3. Rust sweater

4. turtleneck

5. socks

3 Songs that fit my life perfectly

1. Happy - Mary J Blige

I can't think of anything else. I'm not that much into music. I may need to get back to you this one. LOL!

2 Thing I want to do before I die

1. Go to Africa

2. Win the lottery!

1 Confession

I don't have much to confess. My life isn't exciting. I wish I did have someone in my life but that's about it. I'm a magnet for men who want me to take care of them, boring and user type men. But don't worry! I run and get away from the as fast I can! LOL!

This was fun! I hope you enjoy it.

End of Holiday Weekend Post

Howdy folks!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! I did! I cooked. I don't think I want to do it again unless its at my house (I did it at Mom's). I made a cajun Thanksgiving dinner. I pulled my Paul Prudhommes Cajun Kitchen cookbook out and set to creating a menu. I made Roast pork, Cajun meatloaf, Cajun dressing, homemade dinner rolls, salad and a banana cake. Everything was good except for the banana cake which fell apart when my mom took it out the pan. LOL! The bottom stuck. It was a mess and she tried to frost it anyway. Poor mom! But everything tasted good. I mean really good! I'm very proud of myself.

I didn't go out to do any after Thanksgiving shopping on Friday but I did on Saturday! You know that JoAnn's sale that started at 7am? I went! I was the first one standing in the doorway (but not the first car in the parking lot) to get in to buy a dress form. That's right! I finally got my dress form! It cost $99! I couldn't pass it up! I also purchased the super size knitting needles, a wreath for my door, two 10 yard bolts of interfacing for $2.99, the latest Sew Simple magazine, a pattern to make my mom an outfit for Christmas and material. I was on a mission.

I must say the ladies who were waiting with me were quite socialable and pleasant to talk to while waiting. We all wanted to know what each other was there to purchase. People were there for all types of things. This lady from Peoria, IL wanted a dress form too and we looked out for each other. LOL! Other ladies wanted interfacing and Christmas decorations and misc other sewing supplies. It was great. Not crowded or rowdy or anything. I would definitely do it again.

I was at my mother's home early on Thanksgiving and I didn't leave until Saturday. I got home and took a nap then proceeded to put my dress form together, cut out the pattern for my mom's outfit then do a little cleaning. I'm pretty pleased with my weekend.

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving. I'm off to have a roast pork sandwich for lunch!

Bon Appetit!

Happy Thanksgiving...

I just want to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving. I always count my blessings despite the whinning I do on a daily basis. But sometimes I don't say it enough so people realize I do realize I'm blessed.

So here's to the world!

I want to be thankful for

family
friends
having a job
having a home
having common sense (most of the time)
having money (even though it might not be as much as I want)
my cat
food on my table
and my health

If I missed anything it isn't because I'm not thankful. I'm thankful for all the blessings in my life today and what's coming.

I hope we all do the same.

Blessings to all

I'm getting it!

Thanks to all of you who posted comments regarding Ravelry on my blog. Any help is much appreciated. I finally got my blog feed directed there! Thanks Stacey.



I finally figured out the difference between the queue and favorites! LOL! They seemed to mean the same to me but now I get it. I just need to figure out how to get other patterns I want to do listed. Then I will be straight!



Here is my latest and greatest! I just started this on Thursday!
It's called a cushy scatter rug and its for my master bathroom. It's supposed to be 24 X 60 inches. I have a ways to go but I'm off to a great start. I am using three strands of yarn and its very thick. The yarn colors are shown in the previous post. The Caron yarns. I'm using one of each color. I hope I purchased enough yarn!

I got the pattern from Wal Mart. It's the "Beginner's Guide Crochet Stitches & Easy Projects" by Leisure Arts Little books. I'm doing a cross stitch all through it. I've done in this book. This book is a must for a newbie!

I made scatter rug before using a goldish yarn with metallic threads all through it. I loved that rug but a previous feline roommate ruined it by urinating on it. I would wash it and she would do it over and over again. Needless to say she is no longer a roommate and I threw the rug away. It was a hard thing to do! Trust me!

Well I'm off to pack for my trip. I don't plan on taking this project since the skeins of yarn are so large. I would definitely have to check my luggage for a trip with it. I don't want to do that this week. Traveling light is a preference for me.

Chat with ya later!

Ravelry Musings...

O.K. I forgot to write about my Ravelry musings yesterday. I was on a roll with my finished project and it got in the way. LOL!

I've been browsing Ravelry for a while and trying to update things. I have a few questions for you ladies out there.

One, I have tons of yarn without labels.

I finally got an opportunity to sort it and put it into baggies. If you have noticed most of it has been made into balls. I do this while watching television in the evening. It helps keep my skeins from getting too tangled.

My question is how do you label your yarns in your yarn stash if you aren't sure of the amount? Most of this yarn is leftovers or extra yarn purchased. Some of it is a partial skein and others aren't. How do you handle this?

My second question would be your blog feed. I have my blog listed but it doesn't show in Ralvery. How do you get it to show in Ravelry. Is it the RSS feed? How do I learn my RSS feed?

My third question is how well do you know Ravelry? I'm learning a lot but there is so much it can be overwhelming! My group is hoping to create a group on Ravelry soon but there is so much we need to learn. Do you have any tips for me?

So far I have four projects listed and completed. I'm working on a new project now and I hope to have it listed by the weekend. Come check me out when you have the chance!

Here are some photos from my group called "Ewe Can Knit Too". We are meeting once a week now and I love it. I'm the only one who crochets regularly. They are all knitters but are considering dabbling into crochet since I finish my projects so much faster than they do! One member Kritina always teases me about my projects. I will start a new project and the following week she will ask me if I finished! LOL! I'm O.K. but not that good! LOL!

Here is Barb teaching a newbie how to cast on. This was kind of funny to watch because their were several people helping her and many different ways to do the cast on of course. I was getting confused watching them!This is a picture from my end of the table. We meet at Panera Bread Company in Plainfield, IL on Mondays and we just push three tables together and work it out. I love Panera Bread Company. Good food! Last week they brought around treats for us to try and the clerks are very nice to us.

Larisa is the one on the left with the dark hair and glasses. She is our organizer and she is great! We are working on creating our Ravelry group. I can't wait! One person who was close to me wasn't included in this picture but I will get her next time! LOL!

I'm on a yarn budget. I wasn't supposed to buy any yarn until next year since I have such a nice quantity as you can see above. However, when I received my JoAnn's flyer I noticed yarn was on sale. I needed yarn to make a rug for my master bathroom. I was going to wait until next year but when I saw the Caron one pound yarn for 2 for $9 I couldn't let that pass. I justified it by listed it as a household expense instead of a hobby expense! LOL! It's the accountant in me that did it! I bought six skeins because the rug is supposed to be 60 inches long using three strands of yarn. I'm mixing one of each color to get a varigated look. I wasn't sure how much was needed since I'm noting most patterns are in yards instead of weight. So I bought extra. I think I will have enough in one skein. If not I will return three!

I don't know if you saw the recent Interweave Crochet magazine for fall. It's the bomb! I love Interweave Crochet fall issue! It's definitely worth the price. I've already flagged five items I must make. One is of this beautiful Austen Lace Muffler. I think this is so cute! I wanted to do one so I bought Patons Bamboo silk yarn at JoAnn's. I thought I was getting the right weight but I didn't check until I got home. This yarns weight is a "3" and the pattern requires a "2" weight. I was a bit disappointed besides I wasn't sure if it was enough. It wasn't! So I returned this yarn and will wait until later to do this project if I can't find any in my stash. By the way this yarn is on sale at JoAnn's for $4 a skein. That's a good price. I really like how it feels too! Very soft!

Well I think that's enough for today!

Later chicas!

Crochet and Ravelry Musings

I've been very busy with my crochet group. Now that fall has begun we have decided to meet weekly. This was my suggestion. I find that I miss a lot of meetings with my work schedule. We are going to create a group on Ralvery too! I'm quite excited. Many members already added me to their friends list (It's mskasey for those of you who would like to add me too!).

As a group we decided to do a knit/crochet a-long. Remember I'm a crocheter not a knitter (which I will try after a few more crochet projects). Well I was the first one who started and first one finished. I decided to do this pattern by Moda Dea yarns.


This is a crocheted kimono. Kritina from our group brought a knitted kimono book to our meetings and suggested a knit/crochet a-long. They chose kimonos from the book and I searched the internet for this one. Here is my review.

This is the finished kimono

Close up details

Pattern - Moda Dea crochet kimono - leaflet


Yarn - Bernat Berella "4" the afghan yarn

Color - Burgundy


How much yarn used - about 6 1/8 skeins. The pattern suggests a Moda dea yarn but it was more per skein than I wanted to pay.


Cost of yarn - $1 a skein! I bought 9 just in case. I found it in the clearance aisle at Michaels'. I love a good bargin.


Level - easy


Started - September 29th


Ended - October 14th


Size - 36


Did it look like the picture - yes it did!


Were the instructions easy to follow - yes


What did I like about the pattern - very easy and quick to crochet


What did I dislike about the pattern - nothing was wrong with the pattern at all.

Would I crochet it again - definitely. I want to do it again for myself!


Changes made - I decided to crochet a belt instead of using ribbon like the pattern said to do. It's just a simple single crochet belt.


Would I recommend this pattern - Definitely! Very easy! Good for a beginner crocheter


I still need to wash and block it but I think you get the overall effect. I think it came out great and I can't wait to give it to my mom. I think she will love it! I'm excited!

More projects to come!

Toodle Loo!

Crocheted Finished Projects for 2008

This will be a picture heavy post. I am so happy to show off my newest finished objects! I am so excited to finally post these crocheted items. They are past due my intended completion date but I am happy with the results!

The first item is a crocheted shell I made using Sugar n Cream cotton yarn I purchased at Michaels' when they had their ten skeins for $10 sale. This shell took about 8 1/2 skeins. It's very simple to make and I will make another one. I got the pattern from the Sugar n Cream website after I purchased the yarn. I am very excited and thrilled with it.


I want to show off my detail around the arms. I had to single crochet around the arms twice to finish.

This is the neckline. I like square necklines and the shell pattern looks really pretty!

Last but not least the bottom of the tank I crocheted the shell pattern all around. A very fun and easy project. This could easily be done in a week.

Unfortunately the shell is too big by one size on me. I think I will give it away to one of my friends.

This project I started back in June and had planned to complete by the end of July. This is the cardigan I worked on and ran out of yarn. I couldn't locate any skeins in the right dye lot so I had to improvise. I decided to make the back a solid color. It worked perfectly! I was thrilled. This jacket came out perfect. I actually have plenty of the multi-colored yarn left over.

The one thing about this pattern was the amount of yarn needed. I used two whole extra skeins on this project. I bought an extra skein but it was not enough. I guess you live and learn to improvise.

I must confess it is not entirely completed. I need to sew those buttons onto the sweater! TEE HEE! This is the one reason I am not modeling it for you.

As for the fit. It's PERFECT! I had to let you know this because a certain blogger and hubby (Patrice and Ian) said it looked huge. But I will say this they weren't the only ones. But it isn't huge at all. It's very thick though. My mom said it was like a coat! LOL!

Now I must show off some of my details like the ribbing around the sleeve. This was the first time I did ribbing and it really was easy. I love how the sleeves are nice and long. Sorry to the bloggers who suggested I make the sleeves 3/4 length to save on yarn. I have issues! LOL!

This is the collar. I had to do a shell pattern all around and change colors too for the back. Not bad! I really like this sweater and I can't wait to wear it when it gets cold.

Last but not least I made my first pair of socks! Yes these are crocheted socks. I love them! I made them in about a week. Not bad huh? I could have made them quicker but I took my time. I really like the way they turned out. I can't wait to make another pair. These were made with white worsted weight yarn I purchased at AC Moore in a bulk package with no name. It was incredibly cheap so I thought why not? Sure came in handy too. I didn't use much of it either. I like the way these feel on my feet. Very comfy!

These socks are worked from the cuff to the toe. The ribbing on the cuff is so easy! I mean very easy! I think I will make some of these for gifts this Christmas for family. I really like them a lot.

I really like the cuff. It's a simple single crochet only in the back loops. I made them while watching my television shows.

The heel, gusset and toe was a little more challenging in the respect of reading the pattern. I did frog once to start again but I figured it out after the one frogging. The toe was a no brainer and sews close with no ridge. KEWL!

Well there you have it! My crocheting projects for the month of September. I think I did a fabulous job! I am very excited.

Right now I think I will take a small hiatus on crocheting. I have other crafts I need to concentrate on (sewing and scrapbooking) for a while. I will get back to crocheting a little later in the year.

TOODLE LOO!

Comedy of Sewing Errors

Well! Where do I start? Let’s start at my attempt to move on with my sewing projects to a jacket. It’s a simple jacket (so they say) that I started at the “Escape to Sew” day at my local sewing/quilting store. The jacket is McCall’s pattern #5241. It’s a one-hour sewing pattern. I chose this pattern because I thought it would be perfect for me to slowly get back into sewing. At least that is what I thought. Well at my first day I cut out the material and by the end of the day I had sewn the back seam and the sleeve seams. I was there all of six hours with a lunch break for about an hour. But of course, I spent most of time talking with the ladies (which is important later).

The next time I decided to work on the jacket was at the same sewing/quilting store. They have what they call “Midnight Madness” which is on Friday nights once a month. It’s from 6pm to Midnight and you are allowed to come and work on your projects. Since this was my first time, I spent time eating and chatting with the ladies. This is not good for me. I now know I cannot sew and chit chat too. It just doesn’t work for me. My mind needs to be on my work. I spent around 2 hours trying to get my sleeve to work. I will say some of it has to do with the pattern. Later my mom and friend told me to ease the sleeve even though the pattern doesn’t specify it. They feel I would have an easier time with it. Anyway I got frustrated and eventually left around 9pm. I think the ladies thought I was frustrated with them but that wasn’t it. I also had an 8am hair appointment which takes me an hour to get to from my home (I have a hard time finding good hair stylists who can do my hair right). A wedding at 3pm with nothing to wear (that’s another blog post). I just decided to go. Also when I tried on my jacket it seemed to hang weird. Hmmm?

Well, on Sunday I took the materials and patterns to my mom to check for issues. First of all my mom does not believe in sewing on Sunday. She says it’s in the bible that you don’t work on Sunday. We are allowed to cook, clean and everything else but sew and crochet. I have always wondered where she gets this but its mom and I will just have to live with it. Anyway, I lay out the material and show her what I am doing and low and behold I see the biggest issue and it isn’t the sleeve insertion. I had actually sewn the incorrect seam! I sewed the bottoms together! Duhhhh! No wonder it hung weird! LOL! The next issue was I didn’t mark my material for the circles and my darts were odd. So I came to a major conclusion. I cannot talk and work on my sewing. So maybe I will discontinue the sewing away from home. I haven’t fully decided yet though. I do like the socializing but it hinders my progress tremendously. I met so many nice ladies.

So, now you know why you haven’t seen any of my sewing creations. I can’t shut my big fat trap so the comedy of sewing errors flourishes! Pray for me and hope I get it together!

Renaissance Faire Weekend

Well hello folks!

I had a pretty decent weekend. I didn't do much as planned but I got to do some fun things. The things I wanted to do wasn't all that important but I still need to do them! LOL!

Saturday evening I went to a crop with some friends and brought limited scrapbook supplies. I did work on a few layouts. My outcome was good and I had a good time as always.

Sunday was the fun day for me. I went to the Bristol Renaissance Faire in Wisconsin on Sunday. I like going to the faire and people watching. I usually sit around amazed at the costumes people wear to the faire and wonder how they don't faint from heat exhaustion. Some of the costumes are very heavy materials. I mean very heavy for 80 degree weather! Geez! But they wear them proudly. I saw several shows I enjoyed. The first one was Washing Well Wenches. They were a duo of funny ladies who invite audience participation (or demand it) and sing songs and joke around. They were fun. Here are some photos of them!

You have to be a good sport and enjoy the silliness of the whole act.

I also think I ate a lot too. I love to have the garlic mushrooms they serve from a big cauldron fire. They are so good. The mushrooms are cooked with garlic and onions and are delicious! I always get a big bowl of them!

I also had something called Spanish Fries which were steak fries with nacho cheese, onions and jalapeno peppers. I liked them too!

Another fun show to watch is "The Swordsmen". My friend Becky has a major crush on Dirk Perfect. He is the one without the glasses.

Each time we go Becky sits and enjoys watching Dirk in his tight pants.

We watched many shows including the insulting man you get to throw tomatoes at for a fee. Another show called Moonie which is very funny I wouldn't know where to begin to describe his show. The Mud Eaters and yes they do eat mud as well as dive into it. There is a joust and many parades too. A good time for all ages!

While we were there we got rained on too. During the Moonie show which was a drag. I ran under one of the vendors awnings and tried to watch from there. But one thing was good. I found a dear friend I haven't seen in a while. Her name is Kathy! My little buddy. Even sitting I was taller than her! LOL!

Well its time to cut this post off before I really get on a roll. Someone already told me my posts were too long (PATRICE). LOL!

Smooches!

Home from Texas

Hey!

It's been one of those weeks for me. It's good to be home. I worked in San Antonio then I had to drive from San Antonio to Bellville, to Victoria to Port Lavaca then finally Houston. It was very hot in Texas (of course it's August) and I have many mosquito bites on my legs (where they came from I don't know!). It's great to be home with my kitty though. He always greets me with a round of loud "meows" when I walk in the house. He really hates it when I leave poor baby!

Anyway while I was away I didn't get as much accomplished personally but I did find some cool stuff. In Humble Texas there is a quilt shop I got to browse in called It's a Stitch. A very nice store with lots of cool quilts. For some reason I am getting into quilts. I have no real plans for doing one anytime soon but I like to look at them. This store is also a Bernina dealer so I was excited to browse around. I am always impressed to see embroidery machines and the quilting machines these stores offer. Boy you could blow several thousands of dollars on these babies for sure! I better stay away from these stores if I want to stay within budget! LOL!

I also popped into JoAnn's and bought the latest Sew Stylish magazine. It has instructions on how to make a sloper with a friend over the weekend. I actually e-mailed a sewing friend and asked if she would help me make this for myself along with a duct tape dress form for myself. I have too many rolls of duct tape not to make this for myself instead of purchasing one! LOL! She replied she would help me now we just need some time to do it. I am hoping for sometime in September. Wish me luck! I will definitely show the progress!

Also on the crafty front I haven't touched my cardigan sweater since I left for San Antonio. I packed it but I never got a chance to do any of it. I just need to finish one sleeve and then sew it together and do the edging. I am really getting excited but I have so much to do I don't know if I will have the time this weekend. I may do it Monday night while watching "The Closer". I love that show! LOL!

While away on this trip, I did a lot of reading. I like to read mysteries. I like a good "whodunnit" to get my mind working. They are tons of fun to read and to listen to in the car. I had two books on CD to listen to while in the car. One was Lillian Jackson Braun's "The Cat Who Had 60 Whiskers" and I am still listening to John Sandford's Phantom Prey. Both are series. I love series. It's fun to read about a character you are familiar from past readings. The book I began reading this week was by Maggie Sefton "Knit One Kill Two". It's a knitting mystery! Isn't that too funny! I like this one so far. I also found a crochet mystery called Hooked on Murder. The knitting and crochet mysteries are series with these books as the first. I think Hooked on Murder is new and more will be coming out soon. The Maggie Sefton novel has some books out already. I can't wait to read more. I also read Monica Ferris' "Crewel World" series too. Her books involve all needlework aspects. All of these books from knitting, crocheting and needlework have patterns in the back for you to try. I have yet to try one but the possibility is there. Overall I think there is a mystery out there for every crafter from scrapbooking, knitting, crocheting, cooking, sewer and more. I think its so kewl! LOL!

Well I am off to the library to renew my books and return some others. I don't want to get fined for having these out past my due date. I frequent the library for most of my reading. I did buy the crochet mystery from a mystery bookstore in San Antonio called "Remember the Alibi". I love cute names of stores. Just dandy! LOL!

Here is a recipe for a Thai dish I promised Sheila. I hope you all enjoy!

Spicy Thai-style ground chicken with basil

1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil

12 ounces ground chicken or turkey

3 green onions, chopped

juice of 1/2 lime

2 cloves garlic, minced

1-2 hot peppers, seeded if desired, minced

1 tablespoon fish sauce

1 tablespoon chili paste with garlic or to taste

1 teaspoon sugar

1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped

cooked white or brown rice for serving

1. Heat oil in a wok or large skillet over high heat. When it is hot, add chiken. Stir fry 45 seconds. Add garlic and hot pepper; continue cooking until chicken is no longer pink, 2 to 3 minutes.

2. Add green onions, lime juice, fish sauce, chili paste and sugar. Stir-fry about 30 seconds longer, adding basil just before it is removed from heat. Serve over rice.

Bon Appetit' Sheila!

See you in the funny papers!

Sitemeter issues

I don't know how many of you know this. But yesterday I had a hard time reading my own blog entry due to an error which would not allow me to open my blog. I looked for help and found that Sitemeter was having some issues and you need to remove it from your website in order for people to view it. This includes web accounts from typepad and other blog servers. It's the Sitemeter feed that is the issue. Check to see if you can view your own blog.

Here is a link http://groups.google.com/group/blogger-help-troubleshoot/topics.

I hope this helps!

Keeping it real!

Friday evening

Well! I got home from Houston around 6:30pm and I thought I would read my e-mail and watch some television. No problem. I like to read e-mail jokes and stuff and I get plenty of them. Reading the jokes can be quite relaxing. I need to laugh after a long day at the airport.

Well I was sitting here in my chair in front of my computer and I started reading my e-mail. I had a funny new one of the "Maxines" and some jokes ones. But mainly I had ones I checked while I was away in Houston. One I didn't read in Houston because it was a video and I wasn't sure if I should watch it while I was in one of the broker's offices. The title was "and all they found was the camera". So I watched this video below. Check it out.

Please tell me your reaction in the comment section. I have a major headache now and I need to find some tylenol or some wine to calm my nerves. DAMN!!!!!!!!!!!!

Peace and Strength be with you!

Things I do when I work out of town

I eat pretty good food! I love Houston. Anytime you are this close to the gulf you can get some seriously delicious seafood. I went to a restaurant in Sugar Land called Razzoo's and had this wonderful jalapeno fried catfish, with rice and green beans. Delicious! The green beans have been cooked with spicy sausage and are delicious! If you are ever in the Houston area try this place out! It is good!

I found these at JoAnn's they are only $1 a set. I love them. I can't help but buy crafting stuff when I am out of town. These were a steal and I can't wait to use them making cards and scrapbook pages! Besides they are very easy to pack too!

I also purchased the latest "Sew Simple" magazine. I love these magazines. I have yet to try making anything but I love the articles. Great tutorials for sewing. If you never tried sewing I suggest these magazines. I believe they come out quarterly and cost around $5.99. I wait for a coupon from JoAnn's to purchase mine. I haven't been able to find them in the library around me.
I found this quilting book at Borders for $5.99. I like it a lot. I am considering making a quilt for myself. I haven't decided if I will but it's a thought. I thought an instruction book might be great. This one has some cool easy patterns too. I can't wait to read through it.

What a great day! I am packing to go home tomorrow. It rained today in Chicago and I hope it holds off to late tomorrow night for more. I don't need my flight delayed. Nothing is worst than sitting in the airport when you are ready to be home.

This weekend it looks like I will be spending at my mother's home. My brother will be home the weekend so I will be there to help with him. I plan on taking my crocheting to work on. Hopefully my projects will be completed by next weekend. Keep your fingers crossed for me. I have already uploaded some photos today so I am getting back into the groove. I just hit one of those little bumps in the road along the way. LOL!

I'm back!

ROCK ON!

Crochet and photo news

Hello there!

I knew I forgot to post something earlier this month and now I remember. I finally joined Ravelry! My user name is mskasey. I like it so far. I have visited the Ebony Elite group, updated my profile, added two new projects and my crochet hook collection. I have yet to venture many other places but I hope to do so soon. I have so much on my plate so it will take some time. But I am glad to be a member now.

On another note I have made a decision regarding my crochet cardigan project. I am going to continue to do the back in solid yarn. The old back will be frogged and I wil finish the sleeve as well as the trimming around the edges with this yarn. I think this scenario works best for me. I know sometimes I have self doubts. I just needed to vent I think. Thank you for all your wonderful suggestions.

As for the picture issue, I think I have come to a conclusion. Stacey offered a great idea of switching to html to upload photos and suggested I try that so I will. I may also limit the amount of photos I upload per post. It's just a very time consuming activity for me. I will find a way to add them again. So don't worry. I will not continue with the long no picture posts. LOL!

Have a great day!

Catch you on the flip side!

Feelin' Flaky

Hello out there!

I have come to realize something about myself. I hate uploading photos to my blog. I mean I really hate the slow tedious process. I always want to upload pictures but I never do because it is so slow and arranging them drives me crazy. Hence one of the many reasons I don't blog very often anymore. Also photobucket gives me the flux sometimes. I hate it too. If anyone has any good suggestions please let me know.

This month has been a good one so far. I made my way to my local quilt shop for an "Escape to Sew" day they have once a month. One of my resolutions for the year was to go these events and I finally made it there this month. I was about to cancel when a friend I haven't seen in a while and I were trying to get together. We had decided on this day but I called back and rescheduled. I needed that day! I don't quilt but they offer space for you do any of your sewing projects. I met the ladies which meet there and had a good time. I mostly talked though. I ended up possibly offending a Creative Memories consultant but I don't care. I didn't agree with something she said and voiced my opinion. I didn't start any trouble but I shared my own personal opinion. I tend to do this with people which try to act like their opinion is fact.

Anyway, I took one of those one hour patterns to work on and I cut it out and started sewing but I am not finished in the least. I think I have about 33% left to do. I realized quickly that I talk too much. But that's me! LOL! I was there from 11am to 5pm. I am looking forward to going again but I might cut my fabric out in advance and just work on stitching when I get there.

I was also on vacation for a week. I took time do things around my home and I went to a scrapbook retreat in Central Illinois with six friends. We had a blast! But we always do. I worked on 22 layouts. I think I did a terrific job! I was very pleased. We had such a good time we decided to go back in November. I can't wait!

My other projects from the month include my cardigan I am attempting to finish. This is where the flakiness comes into play! The pattern called for 48 ounces for the large sweater. I bought 60 ounces and I ran out. I also realized the sweater was way too large. I was about 80% finished with it. I decided to frog it and start over. I did a swatch to test the gauge and I found using a smaller needle and a smaller size would work. Well guess what! I don't have enough yarn! Either the pattern is way off or its me. I think its the pattern! Really I do. I am about 90% done at this point. I ran out of yarn on the second sleeve! Yes that's right the second sleeve. I have about a third done (which is better than my first attempt with only one partial sleeve). RATS! The yarn I am using I cannot find any to match. I already threw out the labels because I was sure I had enough(note to self DON'T DO THAT AGAIN!"). So I have been to many JoAnn's stores and compared yarn and there is nothing. The yarn available is too washed out and dingy looking. Too much of a difference to use. I have completed the back of the sweater, the two fronts and one sleeve. I have about a third of the last sleeve completed and its just sitting in a basket. I finally came up with a solution. I will frog the back piece and do it in a solid color and use the yarn I am frogging from the back to finish the sleeve and edging. I have completed about 60% of the back but now I am having second thoughts about the whole project. Not one but three people have told me it still looks a bit large (which it does) but it does have drop shoulders. I am beginning to wonder if I should finish it or frog the entire thing and start with fresh yarn all together. I am so confused. I am feeling very flaky! Give me strenghth! I need some good mental vibes so I can complete the darn thing. I had a finishing date of the end of this month and it would have been completed two weeks ago if I wouldn't have ran out of yarn. What's a woman to do! But on the other note do I want to complete a sweater that will be too big for me? I just don't know right now.

Any advice would be appreciated!

Later!

Taste of Chicago 2008

Projects in the works

O.K. here is some fun things I have in the works. The teal fabric will be used to create a very easy jacket M5241. Now that my machine is back in operating condition I will hopefully have it made soon. I am considering doing one project a month this year to get back into the sewing swing. Wish me tons of luck.

I also hit the sale at Michael's for the cotton Lily Sugar n Cream yarn. It was 10 for $10. I went and bought 10 cream one day and then I found a pattern for a really cute shell patterned tank. I went back and bought 10 more skeins of white. I don't know when I am going to make it but when I do I should be well prepared. I also purchased a couple of idea books. I love idea books and I have very few bathroom accessory patterns so this was perfect. I already made two washcloths and I will give these as gifts for Christmas.

I actually started this post two weeks ago while I was in San Antonio. I have been busy and lazy too I must admit. Things have been spinning for me since I got back.

First things first! Tomorrow I will have my air conditioner installed! Woo Hoo! I went two summers in my home without it and it is way overdue! They said installation will take from four to six hours. I can't wait to have cool air in my home.

The next thing would be that I joined a board games group in my local area. I don't know if I ever mentioned how I like to play board games. I thought it would be cool to join a group that does it. They meet twice a week at Barnes and Noble in the evening. I didn't realize they were more focused on playing European style games (most of them I had never heard of before). These were real gamers! LOL! Well I went to a meeting and was talked into playin a game called "Blokus". It's a pretty fast game and I played it twice with a nice group of people. I liked it. The others were playing games with names like Amazona and Magic. I guess I will get a chance to dabble in other games when I join them. Tomorrow I will go and hopefully take some fun pictures.

Last night was my Ewe Can Knit Too Group meeting at Panera Bread. I really like meeting at Panera Bread. There are baked goods, sandwiches, drinks and last but not least WI-FI. I got the girls hooked on reading Stacey's blog. I told them about her reviews of her projects and they were too impressed. I also mentioned the Pattern Review website (since we have sewers too). They bookmarked Stacey's site to visit and read the previous posts. They are very excited. A friend of a friend named Sue also joined us for an evening. My good friend Lori mentioned her friend Sue has started knitting and was looking for something to do. She doesn't live far from me and came to meet us after getting off work. I was glad to see her enjoying herself and making new friends.

I also have been working on my crocheted cardigan I frogged. It's progressing nicely this time. The back and the right front is completed. I started the left front and I am moving along quite nicely if I may say so myself. I hope to have it completed by the end of the weekend (the left front) and started on the sleeves by Monday. If I keep my planned schedule I will probably finish the sweater by the end of July! Whoopee!

Tonight is my scrapbook group get together. We are planning our retreat carpool as well as working on scrapbooking. We are going to a scrapbook retreat in Central Illinois. I don't know what it is called anymore but the Stampin Up demonstrator named Kim Peck has a website to sign up for the retreat. It's from Thursday to Sunday and it includes meals, lodging, scrapbook space and tons of fun. It's $150 for the weekend! What a bargin! I have done this several times with friends are we always have a good time. I am truly looking forward to this again.

Well I have a busy week planned and it looks like Patrice will be visiting my area! I am quite excited. We are going to the Taste of Chicago to eat and have some fun! I can't wait! Stay tuned for the next posting! LMAO!

Smooches...

Frogging...

I finally decided to frog some of my UFO's which were not turning out how they should. I don't know what gets into me and why I do these things to myself. I made two different things a cardigan sweater and a cropped jacket.

The cardigan sweater I had worked on off and on since last summer. I completed the back, two front panels and sleeves. The pattern called for 48 ounces of worsted weight yarn. I had used 60 ounces and I had to buy two more 16 ounce skeins to complete the sleeves which I had to buy a contrasting color because I couldn't match the dye lot. The sweater was going to be huge! I mean seriously huge and I knew that after I finished the back. So someone tell me why I did not stop myself? PLEASE! So now after completing most of it I finally decided to stop and start over from the beginning. That's right! The beginning! I knew I wasn't going to wear it and I didn't want to give it away with the money and time I invested into it. I decided my best bet would be to frog it and start over fresh. But this time I will finish it and it will fit. I already made a sample to test my gauge and I have started fresh.
The crop jacket was very easy but again I made it too large! It was so pathetic I had to take a picture or two so you could get my drift! I made the sleeves about six inches too long! What is wrong with me. The back was large and the front was not properly constructed. Can we all say "HOT MESS"? I should be ashamed. I knew something was wrong in the beginning and I kept going. I need some serious help. None the less I frogged it too! That will be my next crocheted clothing project.

I tried to work on my next sewing project but I needed to fill a bobbin with the proper color thread. This was not working at all! The bobbin winder on my machine would not cooperate. Finally I called my local JoAnn's ( I purchased my machine there about 20 years ago) and asked if they could assist me. The lady in the sewing machine department was nice and told me to bring it in. I did so Saturday afternoon and she had no clue. She had never seen this type of bobbin winder ( I have one with the drop in bobbin winder). She tried though. No luck at all with it. So now I needed to take it in for repairs. I took my sewing machine to Hancock fabrics to have the repairman look at it and he found the issue. Now my machine is working fine. I am ready to start a new project when I return home! Yah!

I am now in San Antonio and I do not expect to be home until Friday or maybe Saturday (it's a longer stay than usual). I can't wait to get home . But the weekend I spent some quality time at the Six Flags waterpark. I had a great time of course and its a wonderful way to spend a very hot Saturday. I also took some time to ride the new rollercoaster called "Goliath". Boy I am getting old! I was so dizzy afterwards! I loved it though but I couldn't even think about doing it again! Funny! I spent Sunday relaxing and catching up on some sleep. A good weekend.



I have big plans when I return home. I will be calling around to have central air installed in my home ( something I should have done a long time ago). If I can get over that one small hurdle I will be good.



I hope everyone is having a great week!

Smooches!

ABC's

I snagged this one from Patrice. I thought it would be a fun post to share.


A - Attached or Single: Single

B - Best Friend(s): My many hobby friends out there

C - Cake or Pie: Cake

D - Day of Choice: Sunday the kick back day

E - Essential Item: purse

F - Favorite Color(s):Red

G - Gummy Bears or Worms: Bears

H - Hometown: Chicago

I - Indulgence(s): ski vacations

J - January or July: January

K - Kids: none

L - Life is incomplete without: Hope

M - Marriage Date:Good Question

N - Number of Siblings: 1 brother

O - Oranges or Apples: Apples

P- Phobias or Fears: snakes

Q - Quote: "There is no great loss without some small gain."

R- Ring size: 8 big fingers

S - Season: Fall

T- Tag 3 Friends: Play if you like!

U - Unknown fact about me: I hate to be call Cas!

V - Very favorite stores: TJ Maxx! LOL!

W - Worst Habit: Impulse buying

X-ray or Ultrasound: X-ray

Y - Your Favorite Food(s): It varies I love spicy foods

Z - Zodiac: Taurus

Thing have not been going well for me lately. I have been sick. I thought I was getting better and I relapsed. I am tired with a scratchy throat, coughing and extremely tired. If I am up doing something for 15 minutes I am down for a few hours afterward. I tried to push myself and go to New Jersey for a corporate meeting and ended up in urgent care. Not a good thing. I am now home trying to rest and get back to normal.

I hope everyone out there is doing better than me! LOL!

Big infectious kisses to ya!

An almost perfect week.

This week was definitely a good week for me. Not
only was Sunday my birthday but I had a meeting with a new knitting group very close to home. The group is called "Ewe Can Knit". This group meets at a local yarn shop called "Peggy's Strands of Heaven" which is located in Plainfield, IL. A very nice store.

The owner's is Bridgette. She is the one wearing the purple shirt. Here she is helping someone with a project. She was very friendly and accommodating to our group. If you look behind her we even have a gentleman who finished a knitting project while at our meeting. It was a very pretty shawl. I kind of put my foot in my mouth though. When I first saw the project I thought it was a tree skirt. I really need to think before I open my mouth again. He started it this month and finished it already. He just learned to knit and he is doing a fabulous job in my opinion.

This a project Nettie was working on while we were all knitting. I love the little circles. She is making a vest and is a very accomplished crafter. She had another project with her too and it was really cool. I can't wait to see more of her work.

Here I am (without make-up yucky!) and I am sporting a little scarf I made for a friend for her birthday. I just need to wash and block it before I give it to her. I really like this. It's perfect to wear with a light jacket.

I enjoyed myself meeting with the ladies that evening. I unfortunately can't make the next meeting due to travels for my job but I do like the group a lot.

Last night I had my scrapbook group meeting with the Midwest Scrapaholics of Chicagoland- Wheaton Chapter. They even celebrated my birthday with a cake!

Isn't it pretty! I love birthday cake! This one had tons of frosting too! Yummy! We devoured the whole thing and sat around with a major sugar buzz! LOL!

I didn't get any scrapbooking done. I did work on a page kit but I didn't work on completing a page. You see I am sick. It started out earlier this week with a scratchy throat and now has progressed into a sore throat, congestion and fatigue. Not a good combination. So right now I am drinking theraflu and tea. A small but noticeable blip on my good week.

Hopefully this weekend will be better. I want to work on my sewing really bad. I have my next project planned and ready to go. But I think I will take my sewing machine to a Singer place to see if they can figure out the bobbin issue for me. I really need to have that fixed. So send me some good wishes!

Until the next posting!

Buh Bye!

Just another day

Well yesterday I took the day off and ran some errands for myself. I was driving home on a major street when a lady on a bike fell into the street in front of me. I stopped and got out to see if she was O.K. She wasn't! She had fallen and hit her head on the ground and she had a gash from her broken glasses and a scraped knee. She seemed to be incoherent and a little off. I helped her up and moved her bike. Another guy saw me helping her and pulled over to check on her too. He actually knew her and wanted to see if she was O.K. We got her together and took her home. He had a truck and he put her bike in his truck and she rode with me (why I didn't understand unless she was more comfortable with me). When she got into the car I figured out why she fell. She was DRUNK! For a moment I thought she was mentally challenged. I guess she was due to inebriation! LOL! She told me she was going home from having lunch and a few drinks. A few drinks I think not! She was very appreciative and wanted to give me some money. I told her it wasn't necessary. DRUNK! I couldn't believe it! It was 1:30 in the afternoon! Good Grief! Sad. But we got her home safely and hopefully she will stay there and sober up!

Well today I have to meet with a new knitting meeting group this evening. It's very close to home and I can't wait to meet the ladies. I am a part of another group but the meet in the afternoon and we all know I have to work. I hope this group continues unlike my sewing group. But we will see. Hopefully I will have some interesting things to share with you later!

Smooches!

One good weekend

Well I am very happy with my weekend. I had plans and they were definitely fulfilled!

On Saturday it was my plan to go to a local sewing center and work on one of my projects. Well, if you read my last post you remember about me venting about scrapbook stores and free crops and people not purchasing during these events. I had to stop and think about that when I was going to the sewing center. I was not planning on buying anything. I have a very limited budget this month and it wasn't going to happen. So I decided not to go to the sewing center on general principle right? But I didn't let it stop me and I worked on my project from home. I am so proud of myself!


I decided to make this top.

I had some very pretty material I bought at Wal Mart I wanted to use. It's a very pretty purple. I think I paid around $2 a yard for it. I knew I didn't need anything fancy for this project. Here are some photos of my garment in progress












This is the pattern piece. It's only one for this project. I had a rough time pinning this fabric because its very stretchy. I had to keep smoothing the pattern and the tissue to make sure I got it correct.









This is the pattern cut out folded and ready to sew. There were only three seams to make for this top.







This is the first seam I worked on. I was supposed to stretch the material as I sewed but I forgot. Also I couldn't get my bobbin winder to work! I was so frustrated. I worked at it and worked at it. Finally I used one of my filled bobbins. I might need to take my machine in for repairs! RATSO!






This is the finished top! I think its cute. Very simple but has a cute style.









I highly recommend this pattern for anyone who is trying to get back to sewing. I made it in less than an hour (including cutting and sewing) and it was a definite feel good project. If I can find more inexpensive material like what I used I will definitely make more. The one downfall would be the edging. You have raw edges with no hemming which means you need to cut very straight. I do plan on going back and using my rotary cutter to clean up a few jagged edges. But overall I think its a good foray back into sewing. I had enough of this material left over to make another one so I will make one for my mom. Here is a cute picture of my mommy.

I spent Mother's Day with her. We went to church and then I went to her house and bought dinner and hung out with her. Unfortunately it rained most of Sunday off and on it was a bit miserable to go out. We had blowing rain. Yucky! But we hung out and watched television and answered many Happy Mother's Day calls and Happy Birthday calls from friends and family. I had my mom to take pictures of me. I don't know why her pictures always come out so crooked and weird. I try and I try and it just seems to get worse! LOL!

I forgot to mention Saturday night my friend Julie had her 50th birthday bash. I went and I was able to see many people I haven't seen for a long time. I usually hang out with my ski club monthly but since I have been traveling so much for work I hadn't been. It was good to see everyone and I received many birthday wishes. It was a great evening. Unfortunately I didn't take any photos. I was too busy eating, drinking and socializing. Too much fun!

Well I do have more crafty updates but I will save them for another time!

Smooches!