Finished :)

Blankets are done.... and we're going to be taking off for holiday and pig roast, so I likely won't post for a while :)

Oh, and I did make one other thing, a dishcloth as a gift, but I forgot to take a picture before packing the camera ready to go, and I don't want to have to upack.... It is blue, and has a picture of a rooster knitted in. That will have to do - a mental picture.

So - here's the finished Ashleigh Granny Blanket, and the finished My Granny Blanket. The kid is NOT getting to steal this one. (note: in the one pic, my blanket is folded into the foot pocket part so it is like a bolster cushion)

No pictures. Just words.

I didn't do too much this weekend. Just worked on making the afghan. The granny square one.

I joined all the squares - well, sort of. :) They are all used and accounted for....

To recap: I made all the squares first, before joining anything. Didn't know for sure how big the squares would be - I bought the yarn for cheap, and guessed how much I'd need - bought two balls of pink, four balls of red, and six balls of white. Made thirty (thinking five by six) centers using the pink. Then, worked some red rounds around the pink centers. Then, added the white. So, I had thirty squares all made, before being sure what size they would end up. No, I actually haven't even measured them still!!

So - I started joining, and thought that four wide seemed enough - then I worked on the rows. I'm a short runty little person, and while I'm not as thin as I once was, I'm not that big around yet either...so, four by six was more than enough, especially as I plan to do some sort of border/edging. Leaving me with six extra squares.

I decided to, of course, make a four by four square afghan for Ashleigh, since she seems to have claimed these squares.... even when I had a pile of them waiting for additions or ends woven, she would curl up on the pile.... I haven't done a picture of it, because I haven't done the edging yet.

As for the last two squares - I made a "foot pocket". Which also made a cool "pillowghan" out of the whole thing.... by making a pocket on the back, you can fold up the afghan, turn the pocket inside out, so that the afghan becomes the cushion stuffing....

I still need to add the border/edging - so again, no picture has been taken.

Next weekend, I'll be taking lots and lots and lots of pictures!! We're doing a pig roast, and have invited all kinds of friends and family out to our cabin to enjoy the day with us. We're celebrating (late) our 30th anniversary. :) Just hoping it stops raining long enough to truly enjoy ourselves!!

Pictures :)

Ok, I have some pictures to share. And maybe a bit more coherent post.

I am trying to do some clean-up. I have not yet figured out how I messed up the sidebar thing. Someone with more knowledge than me had a look at my codes, and helped a little... but I still don't know why all my pets are now way at the bottom of the page.

I also need to change my link to my photo album site. Yahoo is closing its photo hosting, so I'm switching. I'm moving all my pictures over to a Google based site. Like, how, Google is probably the best (in my opinion) search site. The best free web-based mail site. The best blog site. (Hey, it isn't their fault that I'm not computer literate enough!!! I mean, really, when I went blog hunting, this one was the easiest for me to figure out - and they've made it easier.... one of these days, I'll learn it right!! LOL) So, when I found out Yahoo was closing, and even though they offered to move everything to flickr (which is where I host my blog buttons), I went looking for a Google based photo host. Found one... LOVE IT!!!!! WAY BETTER THAN YAHOO, EVEN!!! And I have to admit, I liked Yahoo photos.... But I really *do* like Picassa better :) :) :) :) I did go check my flickr account, and tried to figure out how to handle my pictures there, and couldn't figure it out.

Anyway - I'll be changing the link on the sidebar that isn't on the side but way down the page.

In the meantime, any of you readers who are on Yahoo groups that I'm on, will see both links in my sig line for a while. I am still moving pictures - got a lot moved, and some new stuff loaded into the new pic site. Once they are all gone from Yahoo photos, I'll be taking out the sig line section with the link to the Yahoo album.

Those of you who are reading this blog who *don't* know me from an email group - WOW!!! Welcome!!! How did you find me? (grin)

Ok... so.... pictures:

First, in the Six Sox Knitalong group - among the rules of that group are that when you post photos, you are supposed to post the description of what yarn and needles you are using, only post one photo of in progress and one photo of finished - it is a large group, and that keeps things under control (space/usage, information, etc.). IF you post following said rule(s), and you have completed the sock for that period, you will get your name entered in a draw. Well, I was a lucky winner of the draw for the Horcrux Socks :) :) :) This is what I received:

I love the colour, and I haven't had opportunity to try Trekking yet, so I'm looking forward to knitting with it. :)

The current Six Sox sock - Victorian Lace - is an easy enough pattern. But I'm going slowly on it... only just past the heel on the first sock.

Besides the Victorian, I'm back to working on the Basket Weave sock. No pattern, I was keeping track of where I was up to on paper...then I lost the paper....Then I got over my fear of being able to read my knitting and count rows accurately, so now I'm just knitting and am confident that the second sock will match. Now that I know what I'm doing, that is. :) I still have to figure out a fool-proof way of remembering how long to make the foot - these socks are going to be for DH, so it isn't like I can try them on as I go.

Now, the other project that I'm working on - for some reason, am anxious to get it finished. Not really sure why - just one of those things where I started it, and now I want to finish it. Was supposed to also be a convenient "carry along" project - The Granny Square Blanket.

I sat out in my porch for a while last night (well, the last two nights, but for this story, one evening is "important") working on joining the squares. I have fifteen squares joined. I think I mentioned here yesterday that I haven't decided on the finished size - but, I thought I'd go for the 4X6, then see how long that works out to be. If it is long enough, then I'll join the last six along the side. If it seems too short, I'll make another two squares, and join two more rows. I guess that is one reason to hurry and finish - before I lose track of the leftover pink and red yarns....

So - I have: 15 squares joined together, 11 squares ready to join on, and four squares to weave ends in then join. (oh, and I have to weave ends from the joining, but I'll do them at the end, or maybe when I pull out the needle for the four squares, I'll do a few of the other ends... and I still think I'll need to do some sort of finishing touch border around the whole thing....). Well, I decided to take a picture of what I have left. I laid it out on the couch; I even stacked the four squares so you could see the tails.... Went inside to grab the camera, and came back to.....

I could have sworn I was making this afghan for me, but it seems that Ashleigh is saying, "Mine, Mine!!! All Mine!!!! You can't have any!" I don't know how many times I've had to stop working on this afghan, because she was napping on the stack of squares....

An update....

I decided on what to do about the bug pi shawl. I ripped it out. Used the yarn to make a test swatch for the Mystery Stole 3. Here they are: ("they" being pictures before and after I blocked the swatch)

I also added a link thing to a blog ring for the Mystery Stole thing. You only have until July 6 to sign up if you want to try it out.... go on over to Melanie's blog, "pinklemontwist" - I always forget the exact url, but google finds it for me all the time :)

I've been crocheting like crazy on my granny blanket. Have four squares left that need the white yarn rounds added. Then something like 15 blocks to work the white ends into.... (including the four to be done yet). Then I get to join them all up, and if I have enough yarn left, maybe a round or two of border.

In between - I've been knitting a few rounds on my Victorian Lace sock - Six Sox Knitalong group. As well as trying to take a bite out of the UFO's I have hanging around....

I still haven't figured out how to get the side bar stuff to go back onto the side. It is way down at the bottom of this page, past all the older posts....

I also am now trying to figure out how to upload movies....finally got off my butt and figured out how to do movies with our camera. I know other people manage to put videos on their blogs and stuff...webpages, etc.

I like blogging and all, but I'm wondering if there is an easier way - I know that blogger isn't totally difficult, but it really isn't all that easy to figure out how to do things, either.... :(

I'm also "shopping" for a new online photo host....

*sigh*.... so much work to this internet stuff....lol....

And, with it being summer, I'm usually away an awful lot....

I think it is time to weed out my groups again.... really need to leave the groups that I'm not enjoying....

I know there was more - oh, the marten... saw one. And did I mention the woodchuck? I really need to settle down and blog properly....

Where I'm at....

Well, I've actually fallen out of love with a project.

I started out enthusiastic enough. The whole idea was a good one. The problem isn't with the pattern(s). The problem is with me.... I know, because I gave it a time out, and it still doesn't want to be knitted.

I'm referring, sadly, to the bugs in the pi shawl. It is a "mystery" type shawl, in that there are clues for each section put up at intervals, and there are several choices for each section, and everyone picks a different combination of choices, making each shawl a unique "mystery" until it is done. I do want to *have* a buggy shawl, one day, but now is not the time for it. So, I'll continue to collect clues, and maybe give the shawl a few months or years for a time out.

Now, though - do I cut the yarn, saving what I've knit so far? Do I frog? Hmmm.....

So, instead, I've been working on the Victorian Lace socks from the six sox group. And I've been working on the granny squares for me afghan. I have...uh, just a sec while I count... I have fourteen squares completed ready to join, and I have 16 squares waiting for the white rounds to be added. I haven't woven in ends on all of those squares yet - 6 completed have all ends woven, and I still need to weave ends in eight or so squares before adding the white. I hate weaving in ends....

I also completed (or did I already mention it?) the egg socks. I just need to finish typing up the directions. I am not a typist, as I've mentioned here many times (which is why I dont' post more often - takes too long, especially those posts where I ramble a little!)

I still haven't figured out what I did wrong to end up with my sidebar things on the bottom. I might try something, though....

Uh... Suddenly, my mind went blank.... I know I wanted to say more.

Oh, well...maybe I'll post again later, or tomorrow morning.... :)

Wips and labels.

Which to talk about first? Labels, I guess... :)

I've been hung up on labels lately. Well, one label - or variation thereof. See, I've been trying to figure out some stuff, and part of it came down to labels. Living up to a label, or down to a label, or whether one should put so much into a label....

Sometimes, a label can be a bad thing. It can limit one - make one live down to the label. It can also inspire one - to live up to the label. Sometimes, it can define one - again, for better or for worse. In my case, I felt/am feeling a need to be defined....

So - "They" - whoever the heck "they" are - have decided that some labels are not good. For example, "They" have decided that a woman should not call herself a "housewife" because it is demeaning. If a woman chooses to not work outside the home, she should call herself a "homemaker" because "housewife" implies she is married to a building. Now, I can understand and appreciate the need for some "politically correct" terms, and I even make an effort to remember to use them. However, I think that there is nothing wrong with being called a "housewife". I can't really call myself a "SAHM", or Stay At Home Mom. I mean, I am a mom, and will be for the rest of my life. But, a SAHM implies that I am actively partaking of the motherhood role, which I'm not. My one child is grown up and has kids of his own. I *do* call myself "Mom" when talking to the animals. But that really isn't the same thing.... That would not be fair to all those wonderful women out there who are SAHM's. So. I'm back to what to call myself...

Personally, as I mentioned, I don't have a problem with "housewife".

What I really need to do, is to stop letting other people's opinions influence me. If there is someone else out there, who does the same basic thing as me, but doesn't want to be called "housewife", then that is their right and priviledge. However, I don't have a problem with that label. What I need to do now, though, is to stop fretting so much over the idea of the label, and get on with being proud of what I do, and getting on with DOING it. :)

I mean, I think that has something to do with my lack of enthusiasm for doing a lot of housework.... I've gotten too hung up on the idea that by being a housewife, I should be ashamed of myself for not having an outside job, for not contributing financially to the household, for not aspiring to have a career. I mean, really- - - - Recently I heard a thing on the radio, about the value of a SAHM - probably put out by one of the insurance people, that if a SAHM were to suddenly be removed from the picture, the costs for daycare, homecare, maid service, cook service, etc. etc. etc. - and again, it put value on the SAHM, but not the "plain old housewife".... Even though I'm not actively a mom, I still do many of the same "chores" - cook, cleaner, laundry, shopper, seamstress, accounting, minor repairs, scheduling, etc. etc. etc.

I have value. I'm a HOUSEWIFE, and I'm proud of the great job I do.

Ok. Now that I've gotten that off my chest....

WIP pics: The projects I mentioned in my last post. Well, all except the sweater. Haven't taken a picture of the sweater back yet. First up, the tiger latch hook UFO, along with the inevitable helper...

Also shown here, the stack of granny squares. 19 centers, and 11 with the second round done.

Next, socks - Started the new 6 Sox group pattern, a Victorian Lace, and the Easter Egg Dyed yarn sock (my own pattern):

Now, a picture of the punch needle embroidery - I know, it isn't the cat picture, but it *is* my practice piece :)

And finally, it has been a while since I shared pics of these two characters:

Now....

I think that covers everything. I hope :)

I do have some other nature type pictures, but I'll save that for another post. And I have no idea why my sidebar stuff is not on the side bar anymore. It is way down below the recent posts.... *sigh*.... Maybe I'll get that fixed one of these days.....