11.29.2009

Second Finished Scarf


















Why didn't I pick up crochet sooner? I'm "hooked."
This adult scarf has stripes lengthwise, two rows of double crochet stitching of each color.
I used an H/8 hook. It is 88" long.

TP Roll Tree Topper



This is a variation of the tree toppers the teachers made last year at school. I used a cut-out of a rejected holiday card design, empty toilet paper roll, scrap paper, and glitter. Instead of gluing on the wings, I cut slits into the cardboard tube and inserted them, after rolling the tube in glitter (which was the best part). We put it on the 4 foot tree in her room. I can't believe she is as tall as that tree now!

11.27.2009

First (Finished) Crochet Piece

I say "finished" because I have started many a crochet project over the years, but always gave up when I realized the piece that began as a rectangle turned into a triangle. This time I kept it simple and ended up with the perfect child-sized scarf.















There are 11 stitches of double-crochet per row, and I tried to stick to blocks of 6 rows of black, 6 rows of pink, and 3 rows of white, but I think I may have left off a few here and there now that I look at the picture.

The hook was an I/9, whatever that means. It was the only one I could get back from the clutches of the 4-year-old.

The best part is, I started it around 11 pm last night, and finished by lunch today! Hooray!
Here it is on the model:

11.24.2009

Hi there.

Great idea for an exchange of cheery hellos.

PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT: Take a moment to say hello and let me know you were here. I'd love to hear from you and come visit your blog if you have one. See you soon!

11.21.2009

Translation

I just received these tiny food cutters in the mail. They have the weirdest packaging copy:

11.20.2009

Napkin Rings

I have one thing complete for Thanksgiving -- the napkin rings. Using one cardboard paper towel tube, one piece of scrapbook paper, and free printable labels from this wonderful blog, I was able to make five napkin rings, enough for next week's feast.

11.18.2009

Found Book

Counting Rhymes. Amazing what you find when you go through the bookshelves in your own home. The pages were so worn and yellow (but smelled, ah, terrific) and the cover was falling off, so I decided to frame it. I think I will go back and paint the frame white....

11.17.2009

Gag Me With a Spoon

K ennedy, Kennedy, what are they feeding you? Tonight I took cookie cutters to pork chops in an attempt to get the girl to eat meat (they were thin). She didn't even want to touch the heart smeared with ketchup, knowing mom was up to something. I told her they were chicken nuggets (lying=bad). She was too smart for that. Comments heard frequently these days: "For REAL!" "That's GROSS!" "No you did not!" I am living with a 4-year-old vegetarian valley girl with a slight twang to her obstinate speech. Rad....

Wise


owl, originally uploaded by melissa.coats.

A wise old owl lived in an oak.
The more she saw the less she spoke.
The less she spoke the more she heard.
Why can't we all be like that wise old bird?

11.02.2009

Boo (Hoo)
















Nothing wraps up a predominately boring Halloween weekend quite like the sound of a seal coming from your daughter's bedroom. Croup. I knew what to do (steam, alternated with cold air) but the sheer horror of that cough is enough to keep you on the edge of your seat. Scary-sounding stuff. I am still recovering from a sinus infection, so the double whammy illness, one month after the whole house having H1N1, is irritating. Fingers crossed that this just means we're getting our winter colds out of the way early this year.

In an effort to relax, I've made hot cocoa, even though it's probably 80 degrees outside, but the early darkness put me in the mood for it. Speaking of in the mood, nothing says "let's celebrate our 6th wedding anniversary" like having a barking seal splayed out in your bed asleep. Instead, I curled up with my new lover, Mac.
















And, no, I didn't shut my finger in a door -- that is leftover pumpkin-face on my thumbnail.