Just A Few Goodies...

These are my awesome new dish scrubbies that I received from Wendy. There were actually 4 but one was already being used before the photo taking took place. Thanks so much, Wendy!!! I love them!

Some goodies that I have yet to decide what to do with but I love them just the same. These I got in my Craft Leftovers issue. Kristin Roach has a great blog with lots of crafty ideas...if you haven't seen it...you should take a peek.

These are the goodies all laid out for you to see. I love the little hand made notepad that looks like a match book...too cute. The little plastic package is a kit complete with zippers to make a little zipper pouch. I hope when life returns to normal (I pray that is soon) that I can actually make something with my goodies.


I joined the Ravelympics!!! I can't wait for it to start. You pick a project/s and sign up. When the Olympic games start...you start your project/s and finish before the closing ceremonies. I only signed up for one project since life is still so crazy and I don't want to set myself up for failure. I so do not need that right now.

Middle school is proving to be a much bigger challenge than we expected for Ms Thang. Kids get more picky and critical as they get older and then there's all the cliques....she was the "star" in elementary school. Everyone knew her or wanted to know her....this year...not so much. She hasn't found her place yet and I pray that she will. I worry about her not making friends although today two kids did wave goodbye when I picked her up from school. Being deaf makes school work so much harder and apparently fitting in is also going to be a challenge for her. We're up late every night doing homework....one night I sent her to bed at 11pm with homework unfinished. That was just too late to be up on a school night. We're still struggling to get this thing figured out but I'm sure we will eventually. Any tips or suggestions would be so appreciated. I will love you forever!!!

Hugs!

Heartbreakingly Cute Baby Kimono

I finally got brave enough to try something different. This is the Heartbreakingly Cute Baby Kimono from the Mason*Dixon Knitting book. I cannot believe how easy this was to knit. There is seaming involved (I was so not thrilled about that) but I'm not showing you so it looks good. :P I used Sugar & Cream in Hot Pink and some scrap yarn for the flowers and the ties. It took a little less than 2 balls of S&C to make this little cutie. Shirl coached me through the flowers and the leaves and I'm so proud of the result.


I had a hard time getting a good photo. Things have been so crazy with school starting back and all the running around to get everything in order. I have to grab a chance to photograph it when I can. My Mom gave me the buttons in the center of the flowers. She's had them in her stash for MANY years. They were the perfect touch I think. Thanks, Mom!

A not so great close-up of the flowers. I can't wait to get a photo of it on the little recipient. It's for my cousin's little one who is now almost 4 months old. It might be too big now but once the weather cools down...I'm thinking it will fit just fine.

Sadly, that's about all the knitting I've accomplished lately. I've had the school chaos and then our A/C died along with some electrical issues around the house. My Dad has fixed the electrical stuff (Thank you, Dad the electrician!) and the A/C guy finally got that fixed (we were melting here) so hopefully things will soon get back to normal. It was too hot around here to do much of anything.

I am so behind on my blogging and blog reading. I think somebody is stealing my blog time....it's so hard lately to keep up. I guess the fact that there are now over 140 blogs on my reader might have something to do with it. :P I can't pass up a good blog.

I'm going to lurk around Ravelry for a while and see what I want to knit now. I really enjoyed the "baby knitting" so maybe a cute little dress if I can find an easy one.

Hugs!

Contest Goodies And Fabric Finds...

Yeah, I'm still here. You didn't think you'd get rid of me that easy did ya? :P We're just dealing with the chaos that is summer vacation but not for much longer. Starting next week, the schools begin to start up again. My little bit of sanity will hopefully be returning before long. The next weeks will be spent gathering supplies and getting haircuts and finding shoes and clothes for everyone. Then....maybe I'll have some time to relax.

These two balls of yarn are part of my "winnings" from Aunt Kathy's contest. I've never used this yarn and I'm looking forward to knitting them up. They are so soft and the colors are bright...photos aren't doing them justice.

She also sent me these cute sock blockers she made. I love them! I have never even seen a real set of sock blockers in person so this was a real treat. If I ever get those socks done...I now have the blockers to make them look good. Woo Hoo! Thanks so much, AK!

Here are the first of my fabric finds at Hobby Lobby this past week. These are just some remnants they had in a mark-down bin. The flowery one is what I grabbed first. It just screamed "vintage" to me and I have a major obsession with all things vintage so it was definitely coming home with me. I got some plain to go with it so it wouldn't be just the one fabric. I'm just going to be practicing so I don't want to spend a lot of money on fabric until I decide I can make something I'm not ashamed to show. lol

Just a little close-up of my "new vintage" fabric. I just love it!

Here is the other set I grabbed. I love green and I love flowers. This one kinda made me think 70's...hippie chick....I have a little of that in me too. :P I think it was the little sparkles that sold me though.

The photo is a little blurry but you can see the little sparkles well enough. It really is this bright. I'm looking forward to trying out my new apron patterns....DUH! totally forgot to take photos of those! With a little patience and a LOT of luck and a LOT of help from my Mom....these fabrics will become cute aprons.

I'm getting that big set of cloths test knitted now...it's gonna take a while...there are 32 cloths in the set. I can't wait to get them posted and share some photos. I've also joined a group of Dishcloth Designers in putting together a calendar of dishcloth patterns. The calendar sales will be donated to the Breast Cancer Society. I am pretty excited about this since I get to do something for a good cause and in honor of an amazing family member (Marlene) who died from breast cancer. It's an honor to be included with some amazing designers who were my inspiration in getting started and whom I consider to be my friends. These include (I sure hope I don't leave anyone out....Rachel , Alli , Aunt Kathy and I'm pretty sure Rhonda is there too. I'm not sure when the calendars will be ready and available but I'll definitely keep you posted on that. I've already submitted my design and now I just have to go put duct tape on my hands and mouth so I don't spoil the surprise. :P

Hugs!

Contest Alert

I just left a gorgeous blog I found through Cat . She knows all the good blogs! This one is called Decor to Adore . She's having a contest...you must check it out. The prize is beautiful. She's also an interior designer (pay attention to her name...what a surprise) and she has plenty to drool over. This blog is a definite "go to" place for inspiration! She has amazing taste.

What are you waiting for? Go check it out. You will not be sorry.

*I just added another blog to my blog reader. lol

Hugs!

July Dishcloth Freebie

I know it's a little late for this year's July 4th knitting but it was a KAL for our knitting group so I had to hold off on posting. Maybe it will make it on somebody's list for next year.

Soaring Rocket (Happy July 4^th)

©Copyright 2008

Designed by Melanie Thompson

Cast on 45

Rows 1-5: Knit

Row 6: K4, P37, K4

Row 7 & All Odd Rows: Knit

Row 8: K4, P7, K1, P9, K1, P19, K4

Row 10: K4, P6, K1, P3, K1, P5, K1, P20, K4

Row 12: K4, P6, K1, P2, K1, P6, K1, P20, K4

Row 14: K4, P4, K3, P2, K1, P6, K1, P20, K4

Row 16: K4, P3, K1, P3, K1, P2, K1, P4, K1, P3, K1, P17, K4

Row 18: K4, P8, K1, P3, K1, P7, K1, P16, K4

Row 20: K4, P5, K2, P2, K1, P1, K1, P1, K1, P6, K1, P16, K4

Row 22: K4, P4, K1, P2, K1, P2, K1, P2, K2, P6, K1, P15, K4

Row 24: K4, P9, K1, P2, K4, P6, K1, P14, K4

Row 26: K4, P8, K1, P2, K4, P1, K1, P5, K1, P14, K4

Row 28: K4, P9, K5, P2, K2, P5, K1, P13, K4

Row 30: K4, P10, K3, P2, K4, P5, K1, P12, K4

Row 32: K4, P11, K1, P2, K6, P4, K1, P12, K4

Row 34: K4, P6, K3, P3, K6, P2, K1, P10, K1, P5, K4

Row 36: K4, P9, K2, P2, K4, P2, K3, P8, K1, P6, K4

Row 38: K4, P11, K1, P2, K2, P2, K5, P1, K2, P3, K1, P7, K4

Row 40: K4, P15, K1, P1, K5, P1, K1, P1, K1, P3, K1, P7, K4

Row 42: K4, P16, K5, P1, K1, P2, K1, P3, K1, P7, K4

Row 44: K4, P17, K3, P1, K1, P3, K1, P2, K1, P8, K4

Row 46: K4, P9, K1, P8, K1, P1, K1, P4, K1, P6, K1, P4, K4

Row 48: K4, P10, K2, P7, K1, P5, K1, P7, K1, P3, K4

Row 50: K4, P12, K1, P5, K1, P6, K1, P7, K1, P3, K4

Row 52: K4, P13, K2, P3, K8, P7, K1, P3, K4

Row 54: K4, P15, K1, P12, K1, P3, K1, P4, K4

Row 56: K4, P16, K1, P8, K1, P3, K3, P5, K4

Row 58: K4, P25, K1, P11, K4

Row 60: K4, P21, K1, P2, K1, P12, K4

Row 62: K4, P22, K2, P13, K4

Row 64: K4, P37, K4

Rows 65-69: Knit

Bind off and weave in the ends.

July 4th Fireworks

Here's proof that folks will shoot their fireworks....even in drought conditions.

A Happy & Safe July 4th To All

Karate And A Contest At Aunt Kathy's

Not much going on in our neck of the woods lately. Ms Thang has started going back to karate class again...it's been a few years since she last went. She's doing great and I'm surprised at how much she remembers. The photo below is from her class tonight...sorry about the picture quality...I couldn't get a decent photo no matter how much I tried. I'm going to have to keep working on that. lol *I smudged the faces since I didn't get permission for the kids' photos*

We don't have big plans for the July 4th holiday. No fireworks...A. too expensive and B. too dry and it's dangerous for fireworks here right now. There will be lots of dummies who don't care and will do their fireworks anyway...I feel for the firefighters who will be working because of them. We're just going to hang around at home and stay off the roads...you also have to remember all the idiots who drink and drive...not worth it. We did our grocery shopping today to avoid having to be out tomorrow. On that note....I hope you all have a fun but safe holiday whatever you have planned.

Aunt Kathy is having another blog contest (2 month long this time). Check out her blog every day for a chance to win goodies. I think she picks a winner every week. Just leave a comment for an entry each day.Off to work on my newest project...a set of cloths suitable for baby blankets. I hope it won't take too long. :P

Hugs!