My Christmas

Last post, I explained how my bf, had been in the hospital for most of December.  Well, we had Steeler tickets for the game on Christmas Eve.  He still really wanted to go and the doctors said if he was up to it, there was no reason why not.  I was a bundle of nerves of course.  I didn't want someone inadvertently bumping into him.  His surgery wasn't that long ago.

We thankfully had a parking pass right near the stadium and a family member helped with a few phone calls about security pat downs and we were in!

Our seats were amazing and it wasn't too cold, especially when the sun was shining, and we dressed really warm.  I eventually got us hot chocolate too.

I tried to take a picture of us and I must have accidentally zoomed in and this was the result:

How cool is that?  A happy accident is what I call it.

Of course we tried again to get a picture of us at the game.

We had a good time.  I ran around to get any goodies we would want.  We stayed until somewhere in the 3rd quarter.

The rest of our Christmas time was pretty quiet.  Dave did a bunch of online shopping in the hospital!!!

He got me a Michael Kors watch!!!

Its so pretty and I love it!

He also got me a case for my Nook and a clip on light.

Bf also got me not one, but two pairs of Steve Madden boots!!!  Brown and black!  I don't have a picture of the black boots, but I got the brown ones early and wore them to my sisters bridal shower.

They are fabulous boots if I do say so myself.  They are these ones here.  I got them in the brown and black.  Use the 25% off coupon if you get them!

I got clothes and a gift card to help me get a new phone from my parents.  I already got a new phone on Monday and I love it.  The camera on it is amazing.

Grandma Betty loved her blanket.  I didn't get a picture of her opening it because I was just enjoying some family time.  She was very touched that it was for her.  She had seen me making it and I told her on Christmas that it was for her all along.

I hope everyone had a really good Christmas.  I really enjoyed mine.

Sam :-)

The Details!!!

I can't believe I forgot to give you the details yesterday.  I was so caught up in all the pictures that I forgot about the details.  I LOVE the details.

So first up, my Martha Cowl:

Details:
Pattern: Martha Cowl
Yarn:  Berroco Pure Merino in color 8528, I used about 5.5 balls
Hook: 5.0mm H hook

I really enjoyed this pattern.  It is extremely simple.  The only thing I changed was that I made the flower a pin instead of sewing it permanently on.  I didn't want to have to worry about positioning it correctly.  I could just move the flower!

I know I mentioned this yarn in my first post about this scarf.  It is very soft and I really like it.  I think it is discontinued.  It does stretch, so I don't know if I would use it for anything but a scarf.

Now, Grandma Betty's Drops Afghan:

Details:

Pattern: 124-1 Crochet Blanket

Yarn:  Drops Delight in colors 10, 08, 11, and 09.  I used 5 skeins of the color 10 and one each of the other colors for the total of 8 skeins.

Drops Fabel in Black - 400, I used about 3.5 skeins to put it together and to do the border.

Hook: 5.0mm H hook

Size: 40" x 50" (102cm x 127cm)

I loved this pattern.  I worked on it for so long, since June!  This was my project where I would take a ball of yarn with me anywhere and do a square or two.  The joining method for this blanket was new to me and I really like it.  It was a pain in the butt to do, but I love how it turned out.  Each square was about 4.25 in square (11cm square).  I arranged the squares 8x10 instead of the 7x11 that the pattern called for.  I just didn't want it long and skinny like that.

This was my mobile project for so long.  Production on it screeched to a halt when it was stuck on the dinning room table.  I eventually got my butt in gear and spend some evenings putting it together.

This blanket was more expensive that my Mom's Granny Stripe because of the yarn it used.  I couldn't recommend this pattern and the yarn with it enough.  It just turns out so nice!!  I may have to make this again for me :-)

Sam <3

Finally Catching Up

I have pictures of finished objects.  I've had them for about a week actually.  I was all ready to post them on Thursday and Friday, but my bf had to go to the ER again on Friday.  He was admitted and had been at the hospital ever since.  He's finally getting better and it seems *fingers crossed* that he'll be released without needing surgery in the next few days.

First I'm finally going to show you my finished Martha Cowl.

I did take some pictures of me wearing it, or my bf did because I asked very nicely.  I always think I end up looking weird, but I'll post one anyway.

And finally, here it is all folded up nicely.

Do you see what I did there?  Do you see what is peeking out behind my Martha Cowl?  That's right!  My Grandma Betty's blanket is FINALLY FINISHED!!!!!!!!  I am so happy it is done.

I went a little overboard on the pictures, but I love it!!!  Again, I'm so happy its done, one less thing I have to worry about for Christmas.  I'm positive Grandma Betty is going to love it!

Even though it isn't Friday, I'm still going to post this over at Tami's Amis FO Friday.

Sam <3

Border time

Working with black in the evening is tough!

This is how I sit, with the blanket in my lap and my computer on the arm of the couch.

Getting....SO...close!

Sam <3

Grandma Betty's Afghan, getting SO CLOSE!

I was speeding along when Grandma Betty's blanket was a skein of yarn I could take with me anywhere and make squares.  Now that it is stuck to the dining room table for seaming, my progress has greatly slowed.  I'm almost there though!!  I only have 4 more seams to go!

This is how it sits on the table.  I have finished all of the long seams and I'm working on the short seams.  The finished short seams are rolled up on the left.  There are only 4 left and then I can work on the border!!  I will be so excited when this blanket is finished.  I love it!!  I know my Gram will love it.

It makes me smile :-D

I still have the finished Martha Cowl to show you.  Its been done for a while.  I wanted to take pictures of me wearing it yesterday, but a apartment mishap greatly reduced my getting ready time for Thanksgiving and I looked a MESS.  Also, there really wasn't a lot of light, it was another dreary day weather wise(though it didn't feel it because of the holiday).

Look at today, its SUNNY!  I'm at work, without my Martha Cowl, and by the time I get home it'll be dark.

I kind of like how you can see me in the reflection of the window.

Sam <3

WIP Wednesday - sort of....

I've been working on my WIPs and I've actually finished one, but I haven't been able to get any pictures.  It has busy week filled with a hospital visit (BF, his Crohn's acting up), a funeral home (a good friend/coworker's mom passed away suddenly), and some major headaches  that made anything impossible. I've gotten headaches for as long as I can remember.  I went through a bunch of tests when I was 10 and was told I would grow out of them.  They grew less frequent, but they never fully disappeared.

I'll just give you a mini update and let you know what I'll show you soon.

• Martha Cowl is finished!
• I have all the vertical seams done on Grandma Betty's blanket and one horizontal seam done.  It's slow going now, because it isn't my portable project anymore.
• I have a good portion of my Grandma Donna's Lucy Bag done.  It is starting to look like a bag now
• I have all of my pieces done for my Joint Project with Grandma Donna.  I finished one corner square, which I showed you last week and I started the other 3 for my Gram.  She can complete them once I start them.  I'll post pictures when it is all together and done.

Don't forget to go over to Tami's Amis and check out the other WIPs.

Sam <3

WIP Wednesday

Today is Work-in-Progress Wednesday.  I actually have an update for you this time.  I seem to be updating about every other week?  Its not that I don't have progress on my WIPs, its just that I usually don't have pictures of that progress for a post.  There has been terrible light in the evenings, its either dreary weather, or I'm getting home so late the light is gone.  On Monday, the bf and I decided to go home over lunch.  So I had mid-day light!  So, here are my WIPs!

Let's start with my joint project with my Grandma Donna, Teen Throw.  Last time, I showed you the Center Square I finished.  Now I have one Corner Square finished.

My Gram has the heart appliques or else I would show you it with the heart.  Also, my Gram has finished her side rectangles.  I'll take pictures the next time I'm at her house.

Next up, is my Martha Cowl.  This project is for me.  I've had this cowl in my queue for a while.  I went to a LYS near me that I just found, Carol's Needleworks.  Its a nice small place.  I was browsing for a while, and I feel bad browsing for so long and not getting anything.  I had the Martha Cowl pattern in my gmail (I never delete emails), so I opened it for the yarn requirements and voila!

Berroco Pure Merino is a VERY soft yarn.  I had to get 6 balls and I like working with it so far.  I searched the ravelry comments on it after I bought it and most people had one complaint, it stretches.  That shouldn't matter too much with this pattern....hopefully.  Here's what I have done so far.

Hopefully, I'll have this finished and I can show it to you on Friday.

I have one last WIP to show you and I've saved the best for last!  I have so much more done on my Grandma Betty's blanket.  The last I showed it to you was here and here I told you I had more squares done.  Now, I have all 80 squares done AND I have 2 seams completed.

This blanket should be the perfect sized lap blanket for my Gram.  The way the pattern says to do the seams is different.  I like it.  Its thick and it lays flat. 

It was hard to get a good picture of all the squares together because my dining table is a tall table.  Don't get me wrong, I love my dining room table set, my Grandma Betty actually bought it for me and my bf when we moved into our apartment, but since it is so tall, it made getting the full pictures hard.  For the first one I had to hold my phone over my head.

So, what do you think?  Hopefully I'll have one or two things to show you on Friday.

Don't forget to check out everyone else's WIPs over at Tami's Amis.

Sam <3

WIP Wednesday

Today I am officially going to participate in WIP Wednesday!!!  Honestly its just because I wanted to give a WIP update and it happened to land on a Wednesday :-P  I probably should get on a regular schedule.

I'm only going to highlight two of my currently WIPs.  These two are for people I know that DEFINITELY don't read my blog, or come on the internet at all.  My Grandmas!

Now I've shown you updates on my Grandma Betty's blanket before, but now I have some serious progress!!  I have 47 out of my 80 squares done!

The little stack is of the squares that still need the ends woven in.

Next up for my Grandma Donna, I am making a Lucy Bag.  If you haven't heard of it, it is this pattern here.

I only have part of the base done and as you can see, I'm not doing single rounds.  I'm trying to do it completely random, but we know how that goes.

What do you think?  How many WIPs do you have?  I have about 5 or 6, possible more.  Honestly though, I tend to have 2 or 3 max that I focus on.

Don't forget to check out other people's WIPs over at Tami's Amis

Sam <3

Lazy Summer Weekend

Ugh...its Monday.  My weekend was a good one.  I saw a movie (Friends With Benefits, very funny and good and I recommend!), relaxed with the bf, and went to the pool.  It was very much the typical lazy summer weekend.

While we were lounging on the couch watching TV, I got a lot of crocheting in!  I have a lot of progress on two of my big projects now.  I now have 10 squares finished for my Gram's blanket.

I had really been doing these squares very leisurely.  I'm not going to give her the finished blanket until Christmas and I have some other projects that have to be finished first.  So, I think it's a lot of progress. :-)

This next one has to be finished well before Christmas, and I think it will be.  I'm almost at the halfway mark.

This is my granny stripe blanket.  I can't say who its for even though I'm 99.9% sure she doesn't know I have a blog and wouldn't know how to find it.  You can never be too careful.  Currently it is about 65" wide and 20" long.  I have decided that since I accidentally started it REALLY wide, that the width will be the long side.  I think I want the finished product to be about 65"x50", but it's probably going to end up bigger because of a border.

I have so many projects that I want to start and already have the yarn for.  They are just waiting for me and staring at me.  I feel like there isn't enough time in the day!!!

Of the projects where I have EVERYTHING planned, including owning the yarn and pattern there are:

3 hats, 1 scarf, 1 wrap, 1 bag, 2 sets of pot holders, and 3 hanging kitchen towels

You see some of the small projects that I have been doing are for my Etsy shop.  You didn't know that I have one?!  Well...that's because I haven't listed anything yet.  I have 6 items made for it (2 scarves, 1 set of potholders, 2 water bottle cosies, and a hot drink sleeve) and I just think that there aren't enough items yet.  How many do you think I should have?  I was thinking about 15.

I'll let you know when I list everything and have my "Grand Opening"!

I thought that this was going to be a mini post just showing my progress over the weekend, but it turned out to be long! Whew!!

Sam <3