Here comes the year 2008!

And with that, I hope to be much more organized than this past year. Of course, an unplanned move didn't help much, but I could have been better.

• Since I have 14 people on my list that I try to make something for each year, the sensible thing to do is a minimum of 1 per month. Sounds good!
• Our guild chapter is also doing squares for charity afghans for the community center again next year, and since we are such a small group so far, I need to do probably 6 squares each month.
• I like to put snowflakes in my Christmas cards (didn't happen this year, got them crocheted, but never blocked) so need to do about 5 a month.
• Then Dawn needs scarves for the troops, and instead of hurrying at the last minute, would like to do at least one every other month.
• Which brings me to Project Linus. I have fleece blankies up the kazoo, thanks to many bargains I've found. I would like to edge a minimum of 1 each month for next year.
• I still have the redesign of the Diamond Patch Sweater to finish. I really want to wear this sweater!
• I have a list of WIMs on my blog that are mostly for our home that I would like to do this year.
• I don't even have a plan for the county fair circuit for this next year.
• And last but not least, there is the CGOA design contest. I would like to enter something in that.

The problem: too many things on the list, not enough hours (it's that full time j-o-b thing). I love to crochet. Do some almost every day. I thought if I wrote it out and made a plan, it would flow more easily through the rest of my life, but when I list it out like this, it's beginning to look more like work than love.

New Patterns and Publishing

Ok, ok! I know it's been awhile since I posted but that doesn't mean I've been sitting around on my hands. I have been working with my creative mind and have used my new Harmony Guides to make a gorgeous scarf for my granddaughter's 18th birthday. Then, still on a high from that, used another stitch from same books and made a neck cozy. Actually, I made 2, same pattern but different yarns and improved the edging a bit on the second cozy. Also, put the buttons on differently for a change of look Which one do you like best?.

When I showed it off at our guild meeting, a couple of people wanted the pattern. So, what's a person to do? Of course I had copies for them!

Someone in one of my online groups posted info on submitting patterns to the Crochet a Day calendar for 2009, so have been looking at what I've actually written down in the last year. And have been looking at a couple that I didn't write down, but should before I forget. Wondering if I should take the plunge and submit a couple of items. What do ya think?

At about the same time, I got my back issues of Crochet! magazine, and CGOA is having a design contest this summer. Winners could be published in future magazines. Got a couple of thoughts on what to submit for this, but a little early to voice these thoughts yet.

If I want to expand my horizons and pursue designing, I need more hours in the day! My j-o-b is definitely going to be in my way, but sure need the $$$.

Quick project update
Just finished a beautiful gray scarf for Nicolle. She requested this for either her b-day or xmas. So yummy, & since she is my only grandchild, I kinda went nuts and bought this handpainted yarn from my LYS. It's washable wool, mohair and nylon. To die for!

Halloween finger puppets

Annies Attic free pattern of the day a couple of days ago was a spider and a jack o lantern finger puppets. So I decided I was going to make these for my friend Lily (age 4). One of my Crochet Partners, Beata, designed a ghost for her daughters scout troops, so I had to turn that into a finger puppet, too. I didn't get the spider done, but here is the pic of the ghost and the pumpkin. My roommate, Penny, embroidered the faces for me.

I forgot to take pics before I brought them to work today, so one of the guys I work with took this with his cell phone.

CGOA Conference-Fashion Show
After our classes were finished, we went back to the cocktail lounge and found Peter almost done with the ruana. We were running out of time so the final finishing was done later, but I could wear it to dinner. When I stood up and put it on, people in the lounge started clapping! Apparently they had been watching us crocheting like crazy. So Peter and I walked around for a few minutes and let folks touch and feel and answered questions.
Downstairs we went for the dinner and fashion show. Peter, Margaret and I sat together and Melody & Kathy, other members from our local guild were across the room from us. The food was good but the fashion show was great! Since it was the Knitting Guild national show, there were more knit items than crochet, but they were all beautiful. The batteries in my camera went dead, so don't have any pics to show you, but Doris Chan, Karen Klemp, and several other designers were our models for the evening. My only disappointment with the fashion show, was there was not one item for men or designed by men. Hopefully, by next year, more men will be represented.

CGOA Conference continues
We didn't attend any classes at the conference on Friday. We stayed at my home and I continued to hook like a madwoman on the ruana. And we caught up on the things happening in our lives.
Saturday was a different story, however. Back to Oakland on BART, gotta love that public transportation! We both had afternoon classes, but had to hook up with Peter first. I totally screwed up the hood on the ruana in the middle of the night, so he was going to work on it while we were in our classes. Thank God. Otherwise, there was no hope of it being done for Saturday evening. So, we left him sitting in the hotel cocktail lounge and headed off to class.
My class was Crochet Lite with Karen Klemp (I hope I spelled her name right). We discussed different ways to convert a pattern to lighter weight yarns. We swatched using different yarns and hooks. Karen had several examples with her, and we all brought swatches to class with us. The thing that stuck with me the most is to get the softest fabric possible, use the largest hook you can before the stitches loose definition. Of course, this takes swatching, swatching, and more swatching!

CGOA Conference-the Marketplace
Well, they finally opened the doors about 7 p.m. and we all rushed inside to find the perfect yarn, gadget, etc. Personally, I'm looking for fingering/lace wt yarns, and whatever else strikes my fancy. I've planned for this. I have money! My first impression was "This is all there is?" After being at Stitches West which had lots & lots & lots of vendors from all over the country, I was a little disappointed that this was mostly representatives from local yarn shops and designers.
However, that feeling passed as I forged ahead. I met Jill Vosberg from Just One More Row. She designed the Diamond Patch sweater in knit that I am still trying to redesign in crochet. I talked with her for several minutes about the trials and errors in this process. She still wants to see it when I finally get it done. Getting close to the diamond being correct. Then it is just a matter of making 40+ and constructing a garment.
As I was wandering around, I met Bonnie Pierce, another Crochet Partner. I didn't even think of it at the time, but my maiden name is Pierce. I wonder if we are related somehow.
But the cherry on the icing for me was at the Newton's booth. I bought some merino/cashmere yarn from them at Stitches West. But I didn't have enough to do the above mentioned Diamond Patch sweater (may be one reason I haven't finished it yet). So, with my arms loaded with all kinds of yarn, I'm digging through the table of merino/cashmere, when the proprietor comes over to me and asks if I'm looking for something in particular. You bet I am! I described it to him, and at first he looked a little puzzled, then started pulling boxes out from under the table. Couple of boxes later, he came up with 2 more hanks of exactly the same yarn! Can you believe it-from Feb to Sept. How lucky can a gal get!
We finally headed back to the BART station after 9 p.m. to end the first day of the conference.

CGOA Conference-part 2
After lunch on Thursday, Melody went on to her 2nd class and Margaret and I hung out in the hotel lounge. I was crocheting like crazy on Peter's ruana pattern. I wanted to wear it Sat, and the pattern was just released a week earlier. The only way this was going to happen was teamwork! Peter crocheted both fronts and I crocheted the back. We both worked on the hood and finishing.
The exciting part of the afternoon is I got to meet Rita Weiss! She was sitting in the lounge talking with Peter when I came back from (?) Peter introduced us and I chatted with them for a few minutes and then went back to my crochet. Rita has the most beautiful hands.
At about 6:30, we relocated downstairs and lined up for entry into the marketplace. Well! That's why we had hung around the hotel all afternoon!

CGOA Conference in Oakland,CA
Wow! Hard to believe that after all the anticipation, it has come and gone already.
Margaret came from FL to do the conference with me. She arrived Wed p.m. and we were at the Marriott for our 1st class on Thurs a.m. by about 8:30. The Bay area has good public transportation, so we just used BART to get there. It lets you out, up the escalator, and right across the street is the hotel. No fuss, no muss, no parking!
We both took Darla Fanton's double hook class on Thurs morning, along with Melody who is a member of my local guild. Great class! Darla gave us a few minutes of pointers, got us started, and then spent the rest of the class walking behind us, so she was right there when anyone had a question. Great hands on approach. She also had examples of work that we could look at. For our $7 materials fee, we each got a booklet of her dishclothes, autographed, mind you, and a double ended hook plus a bookmark. Couldn't buy the booklet at Michaels for that price. And it's almost impossible to find a double ended hook in any of the box stores.
After the class, we had lunch in the lounge at the hotel and then Melody was off for another class.
Stay tuned for the next espisode:

Wow! So much has happened since my last post.
We are moved, still buried under boxes, but most of them are now in the spare bedroom, (sorry Margaret), for the garage sale, or in the garage still waiting its turn.
The packing and moving was an adventure. Neither Penny or myself has ever had anyone do our packing for us, and I seriously doubt if it will ever happen again. These guys used about 5 trees worth of paper. Instead of using dish boxes, they wrapped every item in the kitchen in a minimum of 1 sheet of paper. Some things had 3! They wrapped candles in paper, but not my antique dolls. Go figure!
And it turned out to be the hottest 3 days we've had all summer. But, give the devil his due, they worked hard! Took them from 9 to 6 on Wed to pack, and the moving started at 9 the next morning, and they finished at 9 that nite. Made me tired just watching them. All that supervising was exhausting.
A couple of slight misadventures; what would a move be without them?
The first was at our old house. We lived on an alleyway which is a private street for the residents, but kids walk thru and parents drive thru taking kids to and from school. Well, about 3 in the afternoon, the guys were loading the 2nd truck (yes, 2 trucks) and some lady pulls up behind the truck and starts honking and wants them to move the truck so she can pick her kid up at the Catholic school down the street. Her behavior was totally rude and unacceptable, so after a few words, she gets out of her car, leaves it in the alley and walks away. Now, she is blocking our neighbors drive (the truck was not). So, Penny, former police dispatcher that she is, gets all her pertinent info and calls the police dept. They say they will send a car as soon as they can. Well, she comes back, still shouting obscenities, kid studying his tennis shoes, and finally backs down the alley and leaves. Penny calls the PD back to stop the car and was told that since she had all the info the lady will be getting a citation in the mail. Hurray!
The last thing loaded was our personal stuff that we wanted to carry ourselves. The guys loaded it in the back of my wagon, and we are off to the new house. About 10:30, we can't find my personal box. No nightie, sheets, shower gel! How can this be? Thank god we still have the keys to the old house. Back we go. Yep! There is the box sitting right in the middle of my empty bedroom. Another lesson learned. Follow the movers thru the house and make sure it is all out. Between us, we've moved about 60 times, you'd think we would know this.
The next day we are trying to find all the TV's, VCR's, cable boxes, etc so the cable guy can hook us up. One tv is missing. It's a 19" so pretty hard to overlook if it's just sitting around somewhere. Actually, we have 2 of these, exactly alike. One belongs in the living room and the other in my bedroom. I have one in my room, so we are assuming the missing tv is for the living room. We were crawling thru the boxes in the garage trying to see if it was buried anywhere. At one point, I have crawled thru a hole trying to look down the stacks of boxes. Couldn't see it, so was trying to get myself out. My feet are off the floor, and my body is only on a solid surface from my knees to my hips. When trying to find something to push off, I find the only thing within reach are black plastic bags of pillows. Ok! Now I'm thrashing around like a beached whale. Penny grabbed my feet and pulled me back just far enough to get a hold on a stack of boxes. But still no TV. Several phone calls back and forth to the movers. Still no tv. I have called the cable company and they are only going to hook up basic cable for us and then reschedule the main installation til we find all the equipment. We are now looking at all boxes that could be big enough to hold the elusive tv. After 5 long, hot hours, we found it in my bedroom at the bottom of a tall stack of boxes. Hmmm! Guess the tv in my room really belongs in the living room.

My Brain is Mush!
Since our landlord dropped the bomb about our having to move, my brain has turned to mush. Yesterday I called the pharmacy about a prescription I am out of, & can't find the Rx number. They tell me it has been ready to pick up since 8/24. I do not remember calling it in.
Thank goodness that my big crochet projects are all done. Have a couple of small fill-in projects still to finish, but no time limit on them. I am having a terrible time getting anything accomplished. I have a set of hangars to mail to Lyn, but can't seem to get the last couple finished. I need to box the hat & scarf to Jamil now that I have his address in Japan.
There all kinds of things to do to get ready for the move. For the 1st time in my life, I am having packers & movers. I have loaded all the finished books in my car to drop off at the thrift store. I want to go thru my closet and donate to the community center anything I can't wear or haven't worn in recent memory. Hmmm, might have to take another look at that-my memory seems to be about a nano-second long these days.
I have so many Indian pics on my walls, I can't even count them. Many are just greeting cards that I framed when I had nothing. In the new place I will not have enuf wall space for all of them, so I am going to scan them, and download to my screensaver program.
Everything in our attic has to come down, and we need to check the packing to make sure it will make the move w/no damage.
I have found patterns for a bath set I want to make for my bathroom at the new address, and Penny asked if I would make a table runner for the dining room.
So, with this TO DO list, what am I doing? playing Free Cell.

And the Beat Goes On
The last 2 weeks have brought some unexpected changes to my life. Not what I was wanting at this time in my life.
I have found that the older I get, the harder some things are to absorb.
I had 3 friends have surgery in a 1 week period. Fortunately, they are all recovering nicely. But will be slow going for all of them. Kat had a lump removed from her breast and has to undergo radiation therapy for the next 7 weeks. Lyn had her neck fused for the 3rd time. She can only lay flat or stand for the next 2 months. No sitting! And Diane had a double knee replacement. Not sure how long that will take.
In addition to that my son is having a crisis that escalated about a week ago. I think he may be moving to TX soon and I really hate to see him go so far away. I also hate that he will be closer to his father, who has done nothing his entire life but be a pain in the a--! But he does need a change. Maybe this will be just what he needs at this point in his life. I hope so, but how I'll miss him and his wife.
But, the real kicker came from our landlord. He came to move some stuff out of the garage a week ago Saturday and said he would chat with us before he left. Well, we had to go take our entries to the fairgrounds for the Santa Clara County Fair and he was gone by the time we got home. He came by on Sunday to tell us that he has to sell the house and that eventually we would have to move. Felt like I had been kicked by a mule!
When we moved into this house 4 years ago, we said we were going out on stretchers. No more moving for us. Since Dale and Arlene are the perfect landlords, no reason to ever move. They have let us decorate and paint the house, no white walls here. We have landscaped the front and backyards to our tastes, including a very small pond with fountain. And everything we did was with love and the knowledge that we would be here for a very long time, God willing. But, Dale's circumstances have change, and he has been forced into a corner. He made the only decision he could. He is as upset about this turn of events as we are. I won't go into the details, but he is being more than fair in making sure Penny and I get moved into another home.
And the beat goes on--I was physically sick on Monday from the stress, so stayed home from work. Couldn't stray too far from the bathroom! But in the afternoon, Penny had to go pick up some prescriptions so I rode along with her. We decided to take a drive through a neighborhood that we didn't know anything about, except we could see houses. We found three houses w/For Rent signs and called about all 3. The 1st one was on a pretty good sized street and while we were sitting in front of the house I kept noticing cop cars going and coming. Mmm. what's that about? Then we realized the police station was about a block & half away. Another house wouldn't be ready to look at for another week. But the 3rd house was available. So we picked up the key, went in and took a look around. Loved it! Went and got the rental app. To make a long story short, we were accepted in less than 3 days. So on 9/1, we will have a new home.

Good News, Bad News
First, the good news. Yesterday I was checking the site for the Santa Clara County Fair. Needed to find out how to get there (was only there once, and I wasn't driving), what time to make deliveries, etc. Notice for the 1st time, big notice that entries have to be picked up after the fair on a Monday (work day) between 9 am and 4 pm (working hours). S--t! Penny and I both have entries in, and it is about a 70 mile round trip to San Jose. I don't want to take a day off work to pick this stuff up, and it's not fair to Penny to ask her to do it alone. That's a lot of driving for her with her bad knees. Trying to figure out the good news here? Well, here it comes. I emailed the contact people at the fair, and they emailed me right back that they would be there until at least 6:30 and could make other arrangements if necessary. I got my return email in less than 1 hour! I am so pleased. Really didn't want to abandon this fair.
Now, the bad news! I totally screwed up the entry date for the San Mateo County Fair. I have it on 3 different calendars as 7/16 when in reality is was 7/11. Didn't realize this until late yesterday when emailing w/Peter regarding our upcoming Guild meeting. Double S--t! First, I mislead Peter about the date, and now we'll never know if the Stained Glass afghan could have won the Triple Crown (3 blue ribbons). I had gotten such rave reviews on the Barbados Tee that I was thinking about entering it, as I had noticed there weren't many wearables in the other fairs this year.
Lessons Learned. Speak up! The fair was more than willing to help me out when they knew I had a problem with their stated hours.
Check, Check, Check those websites for the dates. This is the first time I was ever able to enter more than 1 fair, so it was a whole new juggling act for me. But you can bet I will be more careful next year.

Pics as Promised

First we have the sling bag that I made a couple of months ago. I have never been crazy about this style of bag, but loved the pattern so had to try it. I even lined it and put pockets in the lining for my cell phone and wallet.

I just finished this last night. It is made corner to corner, or diaganol stitch. It's lined and this time I used iron on interfacing to give it a little more omph! Used it today, and this style is much more me.

And last but not least--the Barbados tee with me in it. We were almost out of daylight when I got Penny to take the pics, so we were limited where we could pose. So you see me squinting into the sun with the garage as a backdrop. All the beautiful flowers we have in our yard, and you get to see the garage! I got this pattern from Annie's Attic. It is by Oat Couture, and was very easy to do. A beginner could crochet this sweater. It is made from Tofutsies sock yarn and it's hard to see in the pics, but there are little dots of purple, lime and aqua that make a really interesting pattern. Wore it to work today and got oohs and aahs, so I'm happy. It's very comfortable. If I do it again, I will make it a little shorter and will shorten up the shoulder area a little too. I'm a munchkin, so most things are a little too long on me.

Productive Weekend
Wow! I got lots done over the weekend. First, I delivered to Alice 9 fleece blankies w/crocheted edging for Project Linus. Had been holding out for an even dozen, but then wondered why. Particulary, since I don't know when I might do those others. I have lots of the fleece in my stash thanks to a couple of good sales, so when I'm in between, I can whip up some more.
Next, I finally finished the Barbados Tee that I have been making for myself. The pattern is from Oat Couture and I made it using Tofutsies yarn that I bought for another project that didn't work out as planned. I am wearing it to work today, have gotten compliments on it, and one of the guys wanted to know how long it took to crochet. Pic coming!
Then, I finished a purse that I started for myself. A few weeks ago I made a sling bag for summer. I must be nuts. I've never liked this style and why I thought it would be better crocheted, I don't have a clue! So, I used the corner to corner technique that I just learned at my guild meeting and made a new messenger style bag using the remaining SugarNCream from the 1st bag, and then added to it w/some variegated that I had, & when that ran out, I used some leftover white from potholders I did for a Xmas gift last year. My friend, Kitty, took the lining home and sewed it up for me, so I was able to finish that bag last nite, also. Carrying it today and so far like it much more than the other one. Will take pics tonite and post.

Breast Cancer Strikes Again!
If you read my blog at all, you've seen me mention my best friend, Margaret. Well, her sister, Kat, also a friend, has just been diagnosed with breast cancer. I didn't ask for all the details, just know she is seeing a surgeon today, and they will be making a plan of attack on this vicious disease. This is my 4th friend attacked by this potentially lethal abnormality.
First was my friend, Lyn. We have been friends for almost 50 years now. She has had so many kinds of cancer that I have lost track. But, she is a survivor.
Then, my friend, Pat. Another survivor.
Just a year & half ago, my roommate, Penny, fought her battle. Survivor number 3.
Now, Kat. Because of early detection and new treatments, I have every belief that another survivor is among us. But your prayers will help.

But there is something else you can do. In my list of Favorite Places, is a link to the Breast Cancer Site. If you go there and click every day you can help fund mammograms for those who can't afford them. Early detection is what helped all the above friends win their battle with cancer, and I hope we can pass that along to others. Thanks for all your support.

Peek-A-Boo Afghan

A lady that I work with is having her 2nd baby in August and after waiting and waiting for her to tell me what her colors for the nursery will be, I just made this. It has every baby color in it, so something should work.

I got the pattern from the Coats and Clark site. The pattern says it is for a beginner and should work up in 12 hours. I did add the shell border, because it looked like it just stopped and wasn't complete. Well, the beginner part I can believe, it is pretty easy, but there are a jillion ends to weave in. My fingers actually got sore before I got them all done. I crochet pretty fast and it took me about 30 hours to complete this afghan. The size is approx 36 by 42. I'm not sure even Lily Chin could do it in 12 hours. Notice the back-makes it totally reversible.

The yarn I ordered several months ago for a different baby afghan, but I didn't like the yarn and the pattern together, so it has been sitting in my stash, just waiting for a project. I think I'll hang on to this pattern cuz it would be a great way to use up little amounts of leftover yarn.

Latest Fair Entries
Today was the deadline for the Santa Clara County Fair. Penny had said she wanted to enter her molasses cookies, which are yummmm, but when I told her that they had to be delivered by 9:30 a.m. 2 days before the fair opens, she changed her mind. Can't blame her! It's a bit of a drive to San Jose. Maybe next year she can get them in the Alameda County Fair, much closer to home. So, she entered another cross stitch of Indian Baskets and Sunflowers that she made me for my birthday. Love it!
Me-well, as usual, I went just slightly crazy! Bread and Butter pickles, doily, baby afghan, and the awesome blossom hat. Everything is done but the baby afghan and I just started it 2 nights ago. Nothing like a deadline to get those fingers movin'. And this pattern is a stash buster, too. I bought the yarn with another baby afghan in mind, but when I tried it, didn't like the yarn and pattern together, so it has been just sitting there. I'm loving the look of this afghan, but it's not using enuf yarn! Would be a great scrapghan. May have to try the pattern again that way.
Couldn't seem to get registered online for entering the fair, so had to do it the old fashioned way and run to the post office at lunch to mail our entries. Must be postmarked today! Done.

5 Ribbons, 4 entries
Went to the Alameda County Fair yesterday. Boy, was I pleased and surprised that my entries did so well! Just busting my buttons here. Penny says I'm going to be hard to live with, but I've won ribbons before (see the pout).
Ok, here's the rundown. Bread & Butter pickles, 3rd place (white ribbon).
Awesome Blossom Hat from Jean Leinhauser's book 100 Crochet Projects, 2nd place (red ribbon). The Stained Glass Afghan won Blue again! And---drum roll, please---the Bees & Hive filet got not only a Blue ribbon, but a Judge's Special Award for fair theme. Yea! And I almost didn't enter it becuz I found an error as I was packing it to take to the fair grounds. However, I'm sure most people looking at it can't figure out what is so special about it. It is folded so you can't see any of the bees and it's laying flat in a case and you can hardly even see the hive.
There are pics in the County Fairs 2007 album. However, I forgot to load a pic of the beehive laid out so you can see it, but will do that tonite when I get home.

Jamil's going to Japan

Jamil is a young man I know that has gone out of his way, many times, to keep my computer up to speed. He helped me buy this machine about 4 or 5 years ago, has spent countless hours completely erasing the hard drive on the old one so I could resell it. He has answered all my questions on how to set up a blog, made me cheat sheets so I could do things myself before the new blogger templates. In fact, he just upgraded my memory (computer, of course) so I would be all set while he is gone. No hope for my memory. Not even Jamil can make it work any better.

He works for Hitachi and they are sending him to Japan for a year. I can't pretend to know what he's doing, but it does have to do with computers and some kind of science. It's a promotion for him and he will get all kinds of good training while he's gone.

To show him just a small appreciation for the things he's done for me, I crocheted this cap and scarf for him. Thought it suited him, as he is professional and trendy (no grunge here). The set is made with a new yarn to me, Caron Simply Soft Shadows. It is soft, but not limp like the Simply Soft Brites. It has one strand of basic color, in this case, navy blue. Then another strand that changes gradually from one shade to another. I really like it, and will probably use it again for another project.

CGOA
When my friend Margaret was here in May, we discussed joining CGOA and attending the conference in Oakland in Sept. She lives in Florida, so it's a bit of a trip for her. Well, she is making arrangements to come back here so we can do that. But, she has been up to more than making travel arrangements!
The other day I got an email from CGOA with a Gift Membership from, guess who? Now, I was going to do that, but she beat me to it. Then an envelope arrived from CGOA and in it was the prettiest little membership pin. Think I'll wear it when I go the guild meeting Saturday.
Now, to pick out which classes to take at the conference. Not being independently wealthy, must choose carefully. Can only afford a couple this year, if I want to have anything left over for yarn. The 2 I'm leaning toward right this minute are Crochet Lite, instructor Karen Klemp on Sat, and Crochet with Wire, Nancie Wiseman on Thurs. I have Nancie's book, but haven't done anything with it yet. And the Crochet Lite looks interesting cuz I seem to be into making wearables right now, but most of the patterns call for ww yarn and that just seems to be too bulky and stiff. I have been doing some experimenting w/lighter weight yarns, but why reinvent the wheel if someone has already done it for me.

Contra Costa County Fair
Well, the fair season is in full swing. We went to the CCC fair yesterday. I entered an afghan that will eventually end up in Penny's TV room, along with a doily that I made for the tall boy in my bedroom. After much nagging, Penny entered a cross stitch Indian that she made for me for Xmas last year.
The CCC fair is very small, but we had a really great day. We looked at the animals, ate Polish sausage corn dogs, drank strawberry lemonade, watched people. Finally, had to go see the exhibits. As soon as were in the building, we split up looking for our entries. I think we found them at about the same time.
Much to Penny's surprise & delight, she has a 1st place Blue Ribbon on her cross stitch. She just didn't think it was all that great, no matter what anyone told her. Like most of us, she makes her needlework for love for the ones she loves.
My first thought was kinda disappointment that my afghan didn't win anything. Then Penny said unless there is another Cay from Hayward entered here, you also have a Blue Ribbon. The way the tag was attached, it looked like it belonged with another entry and I didn't even notice it.
But I did notice the big rosette & Yellow Ribbon on my doily. It took Best of Division. WooHoo!! I've never won one of those before. In fact, I was so excited about that I didn't notice the Blue Ribbon on it.
So, 3 entries, 4 awards! Not bad for not entering any county fairs for several years, and Penny's first ever fair.
Now she is really excited about the rest of the season.
You can see the pics in the album County Fairs 2007.

This N That

The filet is about 2/3 done. On row 82 of 110. Of course, it then needs a border which sometimes takes longer than the project. If you want to see a picture in progress, Anita took one at the Crochet Soiree in Oakland last Saturday, and has it posted on Crochet Partners. Take a look at the other work done there. A couple of beautiful afghans.

A couple of posts ago I was inventing a tool for working with these graphs, then discovered someone already did it for me. Check this out. http://www.marilyns.com/detail.cfm?ID=532 Well, I found this at Joann's and I can't believe what a difference it has made in how fast I can work across a row. Yea! But, it is short, so I have ordered the longer one. I have never ordered from this place before, so not sure how long it may take to receive.

Margaret was here from last Thursday til Monday morning. Really hated dropping her off at the airport on my way to work.. But we had a great time while she was here! Mostly visited and searched thru crochet patterns, showed off what we're doing and what we want to do. She started a doily for her grandmothers dining room table that she and her sister have in their home. I started a summer sling tote in Sugar and Cream. Went to the Crochet Soiree on Sat and then to Antioch to drop off fair entries for the Contra Costa County Fair which opens on 5/31. We have been friends for so long that we have seen each other at our absolute best and worst. It is so comforting to know that I have friends like this.

One of my biggest pet peeves right now is the yarn that is available in the stores. We were in Michaels & WalMart over the weekend and the yarn available would make you think winter in Alaska, not summer in California. Heavy, wool. The only sportweight yarn to be found is baby yarn or Microspun. I have nothing against baby yarn for babies, but I don't particularly like those colors for me.

I am probably noticing this most right now as I am in search of s/w yarn for a project. Bless the Cp'rs who helped me out. Sherri in So Cal sent some RH sport weight acryclic, Peter gave me Lily elite, Margaret brought Cool Crochet from FL, I bought Microspun and have some Lustersheen left over from another project. Now to swatch, swatch, swatch, and figure out which of the above yarns are best for this project. Then I will get online and order what I need.

I just added a list of some of my favorite authors to the side panel of my blog. If you're looking for a good book, check them out.

Graph Markers
I am working on a filet pattern that has 301 stitches across and is 110 rows high. Very easy to get confused where you are. I am currently using a metal board with a magnet strip to help me stay on track with the rows. Penny taught me a trick about using it the other night. She came in to see what I was mumbling about, and I explained that the magnet covered up the row just done, and you kind of build off previous rows. She looked at me like I was a complete idiot and then said, put the marker above the row you are working on. Duh! So that seems to be working ok, but I got lost somewhere on the way across the row. It doesn't help that you work one row right to left and the next left to right. So last night I frogged about 10 rows (that's over 3000 stitches) and I still haven't found my mistake.
I had tried using a hi-liter to keep track of where I was but I was spending more time marking than crocheting.One of my CP's suggested using something like a magnetic needle that you can push along as you go, but needles are round and would probably move too much. But it got me thinking!
So this evening I came up with the perfect solution, but have no idea how to do it. Take a clear plastic ruler (so you can see all the rows) make a channel in the center, insert a small arrow that you can move along as you work. When you get to the end of the row, move the ruler up a row, reverse the arrow and you're off and running. Now if I just knew someone who works in plastics.

Recent Doings
I just finished the afghan I plan to put in the fair circuit this summer. I think it turned out really nice. It will eventually live in Penny's media room so the colors are shades of purple. Took a picture, but couldn't get it to upload from the camera to the computer, so will have to try again. Maybe I need new batteries in the camera. Who knows!
I bought some yarn for the Diamond Patch sweater that I'm trying to convert from knit to crochet. It is Tofutsies sock yarn. More $ per skein than I usually pay for yarn, but this is a special project. The color is varigated aqua, lime, purple and white. Wrong yarn for this project! The design of the diamond is totally lost in the busyness of the yarn.
So, I have ordered another sweater pattern from Karp Styles for this yarn, cuz I really like the yarn. But now I have to find yarn for the Diamond Patch.
There is an article at Annie's Attic today about converting knit to crochet, and they are not exaggerating about it taking patience and being trial and error. I guess eventually I will get this sweater on the road. Don't think it will be difficult once I work out all these little problems. Just very time consuming.
So, while I am waiting for patterns, and yarn inspiration, I started a filet doily last night. It is bumblebees with a beehive and am doing it in sz 20 thread and 10 hook. Starts with a chain of 304 and is 110 rows. I did get the 1st 3 rows done last night. My goal is to have it finished in time to enter in the Alameda County fair, so have about 1 month to get it done.

Quick Update
I am still working on a MaM afghan to enter in the county fair circuit this year. It has 13 strips and I am on #12. This pattern is so pretty but at this point I just want to finish the strips so I can move on to the assembly. It is put together w/rev sc which is ok. I've done it enough that it's not a problem. However, when done w/a contrasting color, like the pattern calls for, it just stops at the end of the strip and looks unfinished. So am debating whether #1) to do the rev sc all the way around the perimeter in the contrasting color or #2) do the joining in the same dark purple of the afghan. I had also thought about doing a dc row all the way around the afghan in the back loops and then do a row of rev sc in the front loops. However, I need to get this project finished, so I can move on to the next. Those fair deadlines are getting closer!
Blog Refinements
I have wanted to put progress bars on my blog to keep track of my different projects for the fair this year, and then for the holidays. A couple of the folks from CP sent me links to do this, but I have to say, I don't think the instructions w/either site are very clear. The one site has premade bars that you can download and install. But once I download it I don't have a clue as to how to get it on my blog. I can save it to my computer, but that doesn't do me much good. If anyone knows what to do, please let me know. Sometimes I feel like such an incompetent when it comes to this computer stuff.
Margaret is coming!
Margaret and I have been friends for 25+ years and we now live on opposite coasts of this great land. She is in Florida and I am in California. She and I have done craft things together forever. Crocheting, plaster painting, punch embroidery, the list goes on. I miss her. But she is coming for a visit in May and we were on the phone yesterday talking about what we are going to do while she is here. #1)-Visiting and catching up #2) Crochet-we are planning to go to Peter's Crochet Soiree in Emeryville on Sat and then on Sunday we are planning to go to Antioch to drop of my entries for the Contra Costa County Fair. #3) She is bringing me some Omega Sinfonia to try out. She is going to Hobby Lobby this week so she can do that for me. (I'm sure it's a real sacrifice for her to go there, lol) And we are going to work on some projects together. Miss that! We used to sit and watch tv and work on whatever was on our plate at the time. Counting the days til she gets here.

Another Irritant
This has been one of those weeks! First there was the issue w/the sweater, not enuf yarn. Well, I ordered new yarn, so while waiting, decided to start an afghan. This is for Penny's TV room, so the colors are shades of purple. Didn't have enuf of either color, so knew I was going to have to get more of both the variegated and the dark violet. No problem. Good old Red Heart no dye lot yarn. Always have these colors at Michaels. I'm looking all over the place for the variegated Artist Print and don't see it. Finally find it, but it doesn't look right. So instead of buying 3, I only got 1. When I got home I put it up against what I already have and it doesn't look the same. The yarn I have has kind of a sheen to it and the new yarn is dull flat finish. Exact same name and color number. Go figure! Since I'm doing this afghan in strips, I can alternate the strips and it probably won't make much difference, but so disappointing.
One of the things that has been getting my goat recently is you can't buy sport weight, sock or fingering yarn in regular stores anymore. You either have to go to a LYS (if you are lucky enuf to have one) or order on-line (and you can't feel it first). It's even hard to find DK in anything other than baby colors. They're ok for babies, but some of us need more color!

All better!
Saturday's depression has passed. I went to my LYS and got some different yarn for the sweater. The nice thing about a LYS is they can and will order things for you. The yarn I chose is a sock yarn in varigated colors of blue, green, purple, from light to dark shades. I think it will be great for this sweater. However, they had to order 4 skeins for me. And they were able to get the same dye lot! How lucky is that? Should have the yarn within the week.
So, since I have to wait for the yarn, I pulled out another WIW (work in waiting) and started an afghan that I purchased the supplies for probably a year ago. Shades of purple for Penny. So far, looks pretty good, but since we changed the pattern from the original choice, will have to go get more yarn. Fortunately, it is Red Heart no dye lot stuff and Michaels has it all the time. Checked yesterday, just in case.
I have recently been working with more high end yarns for my last couple of projects, and I really noticed a difference when I went back to the old stand-by Red Heart. Thank goodness that it softens up after it is washed. It is like crocheting sandpaper.

Knit to Crochet
Went to bed depressed last night, and it just got worse this morning. I have spent every evening this last week trying to convert a knitted miter square to a crochet miter square for a sweater I want to make. I did it 3 or 4 times using some scrap yarn to get the look I want. Now I have done it 4 times using the yarn I want to use for the sweater. Last nite I frogged the diamond to measure the yardage. I don't have enough of the intended yarn to make this sweater. Talk about raining on my parade. This morning I am going over the whole thing again, thinking there must be something that can be done to salvage this project as planned, and it just gets worse. I am not a knitter, so reading the pattern is a little tricky for me ( Kitty made my sample square). But, even though my diamond is the same size as hers, it is not big enough for the pattern. So, by the time I increase the size, I really won't have enough yarn.
I know you're thinking, buy more yarn. Easier said than done! I bought the yarn at Stitches West from Newtons Country Yarns thinking that 1200 yds would be plenty for anything I might want to do. How wrong I was! In this particular yarn, it will take approx 2000 yds, or maybe more, after I fix the size of the square.
And then we get to the issue of the yarn. My intended yarn is 60% cashmere/40%merino from Italy. It is 3 strands of different colors.So soft and beautiful! But the knit pattern recommends using cotton, linen, rayon or blend for draping, and states that wool doesn't drape well. I think my sample drapes great, but that is the difference in using worsted weight and fine weight yarn. But it still doesn't solve my problem of not enough. Oh well, There is always a solution. This one probably means buying a different yarn, but I have been picturing this sweater in this yarn for weeks.

Awesome Blossom
Well, here it is. Isn't this the cutest thing? It's from the book 100 Crochet Projects that I received for my birthday. I'm wearing it Saturday to an Easter Egg hunt, hosted by my landlord and his wife. I haven't washed it yet, so am thinking the "petals" will probably relax some after washing.

Diamond Patch Sweater
I fell in love with this sweater found at www.justonemorerow.com but it's knitted, and even tho I can knit, I don't like to. When I read the designer's bio on Annie's Attics' site, I noticed that she had started out crocheting and switched to knit later. So, I emailed Jill, and asked if she has a crocheted version of this sweater and she replied that she did not currently, even tho she had thought about it. I asked if there are good schematics with the knitted pattern, and she said yes. So, I ordered the pattern, plus 2 more, all mitered squares. Jill said she would be interested to know how my conversion comes out.
One pattern was a bribe for my friend Kitty, who does knit. Penny and I picked out a pattern for her, and when we saw her, asked her which one she wanted, she could have her pick of two. She picked the one we had picked for her. We're good!
I asked her to knit a square for me according to the pattern and size that I needed. She used a worsted weight cotton blend yarn. So now I am trying to duplicate the look and feel of her square.
My first couple of attempts are done in Lustresheen left over from a sweater I made my daughter for Xmas. Kinda have the idea now, so last night sat down and worked out the math for each row. Who knew in high school that all that math would come in handy for crochet? By the time I worked it out, it had solved a couple of problems that I was having, but it was too late to start another square. My j-o-b is interfering with my creative juices right now. Trying to keep really good notes, and mark my swatches as I go so I'll know what I'm doing later.

Wishes do come True!
Wow! The wish list paid off. I got home Friday evening and Penny handed me a "big" envelope. Couldn't figure out what it could be as I haven't ordered anything lately, and it was definitely bigger than a friendship square or bookmark. It was 100 Crochet Projects by Jean Leinhauser and Rita Weiss. I was so excited! I have had this book on my wish list for a long time and my friend Margaret sent it to me for my birthday. When I called her to thank her she was disappointed that it got to me in 2 days from Florida to California. Since my birthday isn't until Friday, she was planning on it getting here a little closer to the date. It's OK, Margaret, I love it!
In fact, I have already made one project from it, The Awesome Blossom hat that I am wearing to an Easter Egg Hunt on Saturday. My landlord and his wife do this huge "do" for Easter every year, that mostly centers on the egg hunt on over an acre of pasture next to their house. This year they are adding the Easter hat contest for the adults. Finishes up with a great potluck luncheon. Should be fun! I'll let you know how the hat does.

Pineapple & Pinwheel Doily

Finally finished it! Started last fall as part of the set for my bedroom. But--it got set to the side to do Xmas gifts, and I finally got back to it. It was almost done. I had the url for the doily posted here, but apparently its not working now. Will see if I can find out how to post it. I'm sure this person is on CP, so I'll put out a request for address.OK! found it, thanks to one of our Crochet Partners. I used the link and it worked. http://www.angelfire.com/folk/celtwich/

Seems like I have posted a lot recently, but some of these things are things that were started and they just all came together in a short period of time. Yea! Love to move things from WIP to FO.

Mango Mesh Pullover
I have made 3 of these pullovers, and 2 came out just fine, with a little finessing at the shoulders on the larger one. But the 3rd one I can't figure out how to make the neckline smaller and not ruin the shape of the sweater. So, for now, it is in a plastic bag (PIGS) and is set aside until a better time to work on it. I am thinking that maybe it can be worked on the last several rows even rather than putting in the increases for the neck shaping. This thing is worked from the center to the underarm using increases for the neck shaping, and when made for larger sizes, the neckline becomes lower and lower, think below the boobs lower! Or, it could be frogged and the yarn reused for something else. Just am not quite ready to completely give up on it yet. So it sits!

First Felted Project
Well, I finished my first felted project. This is a memo bag, pattern is from www.joann.com. The yarn is a combo of yarn that my friend, Kitty, brought me from New York, and some wool that I bought at Stitches West. You can see more about those in earlier posts. The copper color felted faster and tighter than the linen color. I really like the pockets that I put just under the flap for keys and cell phone. The before measurements were 14" X 15" and the after are 10" X 12". The strap felted up shorter than I had hoped for, but it does fit over my shoulder, and that's what counts. I have enough yarn to do this exact project again, so may try it to see how I improve. I think if I do it again, I will user a smaller hook on the lighter yarn, hoping that will make for more even felting. Do you think that would work? And the strap needs to be a little longer. It was fun, and another goal for the year completed.

Sun Bonnet Sue

It's finished! And I love it! Penny, my roommate thinks I should enter it in the county fair this summer, so it is currently folded and put away so the cats can't get to it. I crocheted it with Dark Horse Yarns in Fantasy bright yellow, burgundy and cream. This yarn is wonderful to work with. I found it at Adela's, my LYS. I went looking for Plymouth Encore DK and they directed me to this. It's my intention to use it in my bedroom as a throw. When I was a kid, my grandma made me a Sunbonnet Sue quilt from scraps and I carried it around everywhere until there is nothing left of it. So when I found the pattern, I just had to do this. Of course, I never do anything strictly according to the pattern, so--- I converted the graphs to excel spreadsheets, which are easier for me to read these days. Then the inner panels between the squares in the pattern are stripes, and I didn't like that, so I used the baseketweave that is used on the border. The border on the pattern had the basket weave on 2 sides, and stripes (kinda) on the other 2. Too much for me! So I just did the entire border in basketweave and had to figure out how to get around the corners. I love the finished look. What do you think?

P.S. One of my Crochet Partners pointed out that one of the hats looks a little peculiar-do you see it? And she is right! Too late to frog it, but Penny says she thinks she can camouflage it w/cross stitch. So no fair entry for this item! And that's OK, that wasn't even in my head when I made it. Just glad it was noticed now, not later. Thanks, Nancy!

WIP/WIM Update
I am working on square 5 out of 6 on the Sunbonnet Sue Afghan for my bedroom. It is small, so more like a lapghan. After the squares are done, there are panels to crochet between the squares, then it has a nice big border on it. The designer has several different textures going on in the panels and the border, so I may pick my favorite and tone it down just a bit, as my room is already pretty busy with plaids, flowers, braided rugs, etc.
I found a pattern for the felted bag I want to do with the combo of yarns from Stitches West and what Kitty brought me from New York.
http://wildyarn.blogspot.com/2006/01/felted-memo-bag-corrected.html
I am dying to start this, but am holding myself down until I finish Sunbonnet Sue.
Then, my latest obsession is this sweater. http://www.anniesattic.com/detail.html?prod_id=19762
It's only problem is that it is knitted, and I can knit, but very basic and I don't really like it. So I am mulling around in my brain how to do this in crochet. Someone at CP said that mitred squares can be done in crochet or tunisian, so I am going to practice so I can figure this out. I was also looking on the web and a knitting group is doing this as a knit a long, so I was reading some of their comments and suggestions. Never know when you can apply some wisdom from another art to yours. I want to do this sweater from the yellow cashmere/merino that I bought at Stitches West.

Stitches West
Wow! I think this is the only word to describe this event. It was my first time at an event dedicated strictly to the fibre arts and it was almost overwhelming. It was held in the Santa Clara, CA convention center which is huge, and the event took up the entire ground floor. There were over 200 vendors, book signings, demos, fashion show (which I missed) and lots and lots of people.
And Yarn! Oh, the number and kinds of yarn! It is geared more toward knitters, but yarn is yarn. There were beautiful knitting needles and crochet hooks, spinning wheels, yarn winders & swifts. One booth advertised brushing your pet, sending them the hair, and they would make it into yarn and send it back to you. With four cats, you would think I would have gotten their card, but had brain fade.
Many of the vendors had items made up and then sold the supplies in kits. In fact, my friend Kitty bought a kit for a gorgeous sweater in beautful oranges. Not a color that I would have imagined for Kitty, but she said she wanted to expand her horizons.
I saw booths for vendors and yarn suppliers that I have seen online. So nice to be able to see & pet the yarn. Now I have a better idea of what some of them are when I see them mentioned on the web. And the prices! I was so impressed. No wonder Wilma and her daughter, Cathy, came down from Sacramento on the train. I saw her shortly before we left and she said she hadn't really bought any yarn, yet, but her daughter had.
Kitty brought me some handcrafted kettle dyed wool from Uruguay when she went to NYC last week. At the Web's booth, I found Skye Tweed by Classic Elite yarns for 3.99 for 110 yards, so I bought 5 skeins to go with it and am going to make a felted messenger bag from it.The yarn Kitty brought is a copper color and the yarn I bought is kind of a linen color w/small specks of the copper in it. I can't wait to start this project!
Then we were in the demo area and I saw Newton's booth. Big sign $7.00 skein, min 5 skeins. Well, had to go check this out. I got approx 1200 yds of cashmere/merino in a gorgeous yellow tweed. It is so soft. I don't know yet what I'm going to make with this, but it will be for me. The other yarn I got at Newtons is something call Frenchie which is wool/acrylic/rayon in a red. This yarn has a really unique texture and I have no idea what to do with it, but I had to have it.
As expected, saw lots of people walking around in things they had made, all the way from scarfs to skirts. Most of the things were wonderful, but there is always someone who has no sense of color or function. But they are happy with what they did, so that is the important thing.
I am exhausted but happy. Will do this again next year, and will make every effort to get Margaret here from Florida to go with me. She would love it. If you have the chance, go next year.

New Projects
Well, I finally started my Sunbonnet Sue graphghan. As I get older, I am having a really hard time reading graphs, so I spent a couple of hours translating the graph to an excel spreadsheet. I did this same thing last year when I did the ABC's afghan. Finally got hook and yarn in hand. After 3 days working on the 1st square, I've decided I hate the yarn that I got for this project. I'm using Red Heart and Caron. Think they are just too heavy. So now I have spent a lot of time on the computer looking for a dk yarn in the colors I want. I am doing this for me, so I want it in the yellows and reds that are in my bedroom. It also needs to be washable because we have 4 cats, and I'm sure at least one of them will think this was made just for her. Think I've settled on Plymouth Encore DK. Looks like the colors are what I want. My LYS in Castro Valley is listed as a retail outlet so need to get by there and see if they have the yarn.
So, since that project is now on hold, I decided to try the new Tunisian baby blankets that I got Kim Guzman's pattern booklet for. I chose the houndstooth afghan, which uses 2 colors. Well, the only thing I had enough of is Lion Brand Jamie Baby in blue, and variegated pastels. So that is what I am using. I haven't done tunisian in years. In fact, the last time I did any, it was still referred to as the afghan stitch. Think I figured out why it has been so long since I've done this. It works up really, really slow. I have worked on it for about 12 hours, and have only about 3 inches on 145 stitches, using an I hook. And this is probably the least complicated of the patterns in the booklet.
But I had a talk with myself and have decided that speed is not everything. It's the process. So I am moving forward. Just glad there isn't a baby waiting for this. Probably be in college before I finish.
My friend Kitty is in NYC this week on vacation. She is a knitter, so she tracked down an LYS in Greenwich Village that she wants to check out. She asked Penny and I what color yarn we wanted and said that is what she is bringing us from NYC along with a refrigerator magnet. Penny chose yellow, and I chose either copper or rich dark brown. Been thinking about what to make w/one or two skeins of this. It's not really cold enough here to wear too many scarfs and hats, so will have to give this some thought. Any ideas?

FEELING SAD
A few days ago, an issue started on our crochet group, and it has made me very sad. Our rules state that we can not use religious or political statements in our signature lines, or use in our posts. I don't usually pay much attention to the sig lines, even tho I read them. Some make me chuckle, some make me think, etc. But, rules are rules, and we all agreed to them before we signed up.
Apparently, some one had a religious theme to a sig line and the list owner asked (her/him) to remove it. Well, this started a religious war on our list. People are leaving the list because they think the rest of us are not Christian. Well, that is probably partially correct! We are an international group, so come from all walks of life.
I have enjoyed the crochet wisdom of many of these posters, and will miss them. I'm sorry that they feel this was an attack on their beliefs. We all have our own beliefs but a crochet chat group is not the place to share those thoughts.

Crochet Partners Charity Base
I have taken on the job of setting up the new charity database for my online group, Crochet Partners. Wow! I had no idea how many charities were out there, or how many of our members are truly involved in the running of these organizations. We're starting w/the members requesting a charity they work with or donate to being listed in our database. One of the first things I am doing, is going to the website and looking to see what they do and how we can help. Each time, I've made a mental note to send a scarf or mittens, or granny square.
It's almost overwhelming how much need there is in the richest nation on the globe. Almost makes me feel guilty about living in a nice house, that is warm and dry, driving a 10 yr old car with heat, a/c, and tunes. I can afford my hobbies, clothes, food, and some entertainment. I have cable tv and internet.
So many have so little, so I guess, in our own way, each of us does what we can to relieve some of the suffering of others.
The thing I'm trying to teach myself is I can't help them all. So I need to pick a charity and focus on that one. That doesn't mean that when someone puts out a call for a blue granny square for a special reason, that I won't grab my hook and an envelope to send it in.

Project Tally for 2006
Well, I have finished the project tallys for Crochet Partners 2006.I made some assumptions since I received the info in all kinds of formats. I assumed, unless otherwise told, that the items made were for gifts. I only had 28 people respond with their numbers, so just imagine if everyone on the group had responded! I am revising the spreadsheet, and if you want a copy to keep track of what you are doing in 2007, just email me cayscrafts@gmal.com and I will send it to you.
Go here to check it out: http://tinyurl.com/yxatxc