And the Winner is---

Kath with Autumn Breeze.  There were so many great suggestions that it was hard to choose, but I like this because it is color neutral and the purpose is to keep those breezes from going down the neck.  Thanks everyone!  Kath, please contact me at cayscrafts@gmail.com so I can email your copy to you.  For everyone else, this will be available by tomorrow on my pattern page on Ravelry-Cays Crafts.

Neckwarmer needs a Name!

I designed this cute little pidge a while back and it needs a name.  It is crocheted with a twin v stitch and has two buttons.  It's been sitting in my file for a long time and now I'm ready to post it to my pattern store in Ravelry, but it needs a name.  So, here I am, asking for suggestions from my friends.  Leave your suggestion in the comments and the person whose suggestion I use, will get a PDF of the pattern.  I'll make my choice Tues morning, so get your thinking caps on.  Thanks!

Ravelry

I joined Ravelry a couple of years ago, but have not used it much.  So, in order to prepare for providing the Musette vest pattern, I have been updating my Rav pages, trying to figure out how to provide a pattern for others, etc.  It has taken up most of my time for the last couple of days, but I think I finally have it!  I have one pattern listed there now for free and as soon as one of my friends lets me know she is able to pick it up, I think I will list another.  Just to make sure.  I have probably a half dozen things I have actually written down the patterns for and Peter and I were discussing putting them on his website.  But, it looks like I can do it myself from Ravelry.  Will wonders never cease.
I was really surprised this morning when I looked at the pattern that I posted.  Already several people have marked it as a fav and 1 person actually queued it.  How cool is that?
Oh yea!  If you want to check me out there my id is cayscrafts and my store is Cays Crafts.  Big surprise, huh?

Not Smoking Update
I am on day 11 of being a non-smoker! It has been hard at times, but I am getting thru it.
I have been crocheting like crazy, and baking cookies like there is no tomorrow. First out of the oven were choc chip made with raspberry choc chips that I bought last Christmas season, made with macadamia nuts. Then, I tried to invent a new cookie and it came out ok, but not what I envisioned. I used the choc chip basic recipe and added canned pineapple, coconut and more macadamias. They turned out more cakey than cookiey. But they tasted good. Think I may try them with dried pineapple. The canned seemed to add too much moisture to the mix. And last night, we moved on to peanut butter. Had a hard time choosing between the peanut butter and snicker doodles. Snicker doodles will have their day, and probably soon the way we have been going thru the cookies. Hope this part of the non-smoking does not last long.
When I get weak, I chant to myself- I am healthier and wealthier without cigarettes.

Musette
I have been holding out on you. For the last couple of months, I have been working on designing a vest. Let me tell you how this came about and then I will show you a picture.
Probably about 2 or 2 1-2 years ago, one of the fellows I used to work with went to China on vacation. He brought me 4 skeins of some beautiful yarn ( there is a whole post about that back when I got it). I spent some time finding out what it is and then it sat, waiting for the right thing to be turned into. Not enough for a sweater, too much for a scarf and I do not do scarves.
Several months ago, I ran across a pic of a knitted vest on the internet. Very different than anything I had ever seen. I printed it out and looked and looked and looked at it. Just could not get my mind around how to do it.

Peter was here for lunch one day and he had just finished one of his designs, so we were talking about what he was going to do next. I got my pic out, and we started discussing how this could be done. By the time he left. I had a pretty good idea of how to proceed. My vest only resembles the knitted vest in basic shape, but I am quite pleased with the results. The prototype is worked in fingering wt wool. It took crocheting it 5 times to get the look I envisioned.

And, without further ado, I introduce you to Musette.

Final test
I've been a smoker for over 40 years, and this week I'm making my umpteenth attempt to quit. I want to do this. I know for my health I need to do this. I can no longer afford financially to smoke. All good reasons. But right this minute, I would give just about anything for a cigarette. I keep telling myself that this will pass in just a few minutes. I've crocheted like a mad woman for the last two days. I've washed dishes more times in the last two days than the last month. (Penny normally cleans the kitchen)
I have all the tools I need this time. I am taking Chantix, and the nausea is starting to pass. Thank God. I have nicotine inhalers, if I need them. So far, I've resisted the urge to use the inhaler. Penny is quitting with me this time for many of the same reasons that I'm quitting. Yesterday in the car I almost buckled. But, I stayed strong and made it home by buying ice cream and eggs instead of cigs.
My record as a non-smoker is 3 weeks. This time will be different. It has to be.

Appeal for HELP!
I am having a terrible time trying to upload my pics to Webshots.com so I can post them to my blog. If you go to my album County Fairs 2009, you will see that only part of them have been edited, rotated, etc. No descriptions or anything. I'll be going along just fine, and then the whole thing freezes up. So consequently, I've not posted about the San Mateo County Fair.
The second part of this problem is with my computer itself. When I move pics to Webshots or burn them to cd, the damn computer makes copies of them! I can't delete them, because it will make more copies.
I have Windows XP, and use My Pictures for the upload. My camera is Nikon Coolpix.
Between the two problems, the one most frustrating is the arbitrary copy making. The idea in burning to cd is so not use so much memory for pics. But they just keep multiplying.
If anyone has any suggestions for me, I would be forever grateful. I've been frustrated for a long time with this, but figured sooner or later I could figure it out. NOT!
OK. A couple hours later, and now I can't even get into Webshots! Not true. I can't access my album from my blog. I am so utterly, unbelievably frustrated!
The other thing I can't seem to figure out this morning is how to make a shortcut to Blogger on my desktop. Think I tried to do this before with no luck. But that makes no sense to me.
If you can help me with any of these issues, please email me at cayscrafts@gmail.com. Thanks in advance.