Finished!

It's 7:30 am right now. I haven't been to sleep. My feet have been swollen and puffy for the last couple of days, but it's gotten WAY worse tonight. It actually hurts to walk. No amount of foot propping, icing, and Excedrin will get it to go down. Considering this could be an indication of a serious pregnancy-related condition, I'm calling my doctor when his office opens... in 30 minutes. Sigh.

But despite being hobbled and having my feet propped up all day, I've finally finished my BIL's scarf! Yay! It turned out GREAT and he loved it! He said it was his new favorite scarf. I told him when anyone compliments him on it, tell them I made it. And when they ask if I will make them one too... tell them NO. He got a kick out of that.

Here it is, all done!

I also wanted to make something simple and quick for me, because I have yet to crochet anything for myself. Isn't that interesting? EVERY project I have completed has been for someone else. I have never made anything just for me. I whipped up a quick little headband to keep my bangs out of my face.

And because I am killing some time, I decided to start on the baby blanket. Well, really, it is an afghan. It's the circles to squares one I showed you all yesterday.

Of course, I am doing it in baby colors so, here is the first square completed (it took about 20 minutes)

The pattern itself is pretty simple. Single, half double, and double crochet. The hardest part is counting the stitches to make sure I have the correct number! I have to make 16 of those squares total, then 5 of the bigger ones, and then 3 of the largest squares. So far, I've only got the one, and I need to make 15 more of them the exact same size. For reference, it's a 5.5" square. Lots of measuring and counting.

I'm going to go take a shower to waste a bit of time until I can call the doctor. I'm hoping he will get me in today. I can't ignore the swelling feet any longer. It could be a sudden on-set of preeclampsia. If it's not, and I am just paranoid- good! Better safe than sorry at this point.

84 Percent

84 percent. That's how far I am along in my scarf. I'm almost done. Just 16 more rows, then a border and maybe fringe. And we are done! I am thinking of what my next project could be.

There are a few things I am contemplating. Whether or not I should attempt an afghan, a baby blanket, maybe a doily or two. I really want to do something in the round, and that would work for all of the above projects. Brian also suggested I could make a bag for my iPad. I think if I did that, I'd want it to be in wool, so I could felt it.

I've got yellow, blue, and pale green yarn and a lot of it. That would be perfect for the baby blanket. I also have a whole thing of cotton thread for doilies.

There is also a technique called "interlocking crochet" where one side of a project has one pattern and the other side has a different pattern. It looks like it would be a lot of fun and challenging to figure out. I have lots of spare yarn just for attempting silly things like that too.

I want to use my yarn stash instead of buying new yarn. I'm pretty poor right now, so I couldn't afford new yarn even if I didn't have any to work with. I guess it will be a baby blanket then.

I wonder, should I do motifs? Granny squares? circles to squares? here are my ideas.

For the motif, I'd crochet a bunch of these together in alternating colors, then stitch together to make a blanket.

Or I could go another route, or rather shape, and do this one

Each hexagon would be a different color, and then they would all be sewn together to form a blanket.

Then there is the classic granny square.

Or I could do something like this

This one is done with the same principle as the others, ie make a lot of squares then sew together, but it does bigger pieces and smaller pieces to give it a sort of asymmetrical look about it.  Also it has such fun geometrical shapes! Going from circles to squares!

Any of these would be easy to do, you just whip up a bunch of them in different colors and then slap them all down and stitch them together. I think it would be a lot of fun to try the hexagon one for a unique look. The quatrefoil looks fun too. Actually, they all look fun. I have several hundred yards of each color, so I don't think yarn will be the limiting factor. The limiting factor appears to be me making a decision!

*All images are from Lion Brand's website.

Anyway, I'm going to get some more crocheting done. I want to try and finish it up tonight! I work a lot so in between shifts it's a great way to decompress. I'll be sure to upload the finished project tomorrow and tell you which one I picked. In the mean time though, why don't you tell me which one you think would look neat?

What the heck?

On Mythbusters, they often have what they call a "What the hell are we doing?" moment. This is the moment when whatever ridiculous thing they are about to do sets in and they step back and reflect "Oh, this is my life."

I just had one of those.

My gramma, who is really tech savvy, sent me a text message.

"I lost the pattern for the baby blanket, can you look it up for me?"

Sure no problem, gramma. I hop on the computer, find the pattern she was using (because I knew what pattern she was using, weird or what?) and then told her I found it.

"Send it to me on my phone."

I just spent the last 5 minutes copying the instructions word for word into a SMS message to send to my grandma so she could finish my son's baby blanket. What the hell are we doing?

Living in the 21st century!

I can't help but laugh and shake my head. It's amazing what we use technology for. Sure I could have emailed it to her or even printed her off a copy.... but she wanted it on her phone. Which I think is really neat.

Go, Gramma, go!

The Scarf v 2.0

Remind me why I agreed to making my brother in law a scarf? Oh yeah, because I can't say no.

Also I'm sure part of it was because how much he gushed he loved Brian's scarf and as you know, flattery gets you everywhere!

The first attempt was just that... an attempt. It was going okay until I sat back and looked at it. The constant yarn changes made it look like it had tassels on one side and I think because of that, I forgot the first rule in crocheting: count your stitches.

Every row seemed to have more and more stitches. Finally, I noticed that my scarf was getting wider and wider.... but since I had been cutting and knotting the yarn every 2 rows, there was no way I could rip it out and start over easily.

It will make a nice washcloth. Lol.

I know there were three things I did wrong with it before.

1) I forgot to count my stitches. This means EVERY row. It's not the first row that is the issue, it's the row that is somewhere in the middle. I started with 32 stitches at the bottom. At the top? I ended up with 41. That means somewhere along the lines, I added 9 additional stitches, causing it to get wider at the top.

2) I didn't use stitch markers for the specialty stitches. This isn't really required for every crocheter. Just the ones like me who have trouble visualizing where things go. This one sort of goes hand in hand with the counting stitches; it's to make sure I am not adding any additional stitches, special or not. It's a little hard to see, but you can tell the pattern isn't straight down in a line.

3) I made it too complicated. The color changes are something I am not so good at, so of course I was clumsy and over-thinking the solution. The color change happens every two rows and only on the left hand side (right hand side if you are a righty). I was cutting the yarn and weaving in ends every 5 minutes. I was clumsy and butterfingers trying to hold on to the cut yarn and the new yarn at the same time.

My only option at this point was to start completely over. I couldn't even unravel the yarn, so it's pretty much wasted. Bummer-rama. No point in crying over spilled milk, so I got started on the second attempt. Version 2.0 I have been calling it.

Here's how I am fixing my mistakes:

1.) I read the pattern and counted out 19 completed stitches per row. So each row, as I crochet, I count the completed stitches. When I make it to the end of the row, I count the stitches again. If there is any number other than 19, the row gets ripped out and started over again until there is 19 stitches. Usually, I end up skipping a stitch or putting 2 stitches in one hole.

2.) I got out my fancy stitch markers and I counted out how many stitches down the row it took to get to the first specialty stitch. Then I placed a marker for each one. Each time I complete the specialty row, I move the markers up. It doesn't matter that I know what stitch they are on, it helps me look at a glance that I am keeping everything in line. Which is essential for a pattern.

3.) To keep my yarn changes as simple as possible, I went on YouTube and various crocheting resources and looked up how to "carry" yarn. Carrying yarn is where you don't cut it off after you've used it, that way it keeps the number of loose ends to a minimum. I am leaving both balls of yarn attached and switching every two rows. It takes a little bit of practice and looks a bit odd... but it's so much easier.

The pattern is a lot easier to see and also straight!

I also decided that I should probably know how wide my scarf is and how long I plan on making it. I measured its width and came up with 6 inches. The length is about 17 inches. I have 17 stripes, or 34 rows. It takes me approximately 5 minutes to do 2 rows. Each 2 rows equals about an inch.

Since this sort of falls into the category of "skinny" scarf, it also has to be a little long. Brian's brother gets annoyed when his scarves are too long. He claims he ends up tucking them under his armpit haha! So Brian will be my test subject...once again. Poor Brian. I think it needs to be about 4 feet long, or 48 inches. Most scarves are anywhere from 60-72 inches in length. It should take me an additional 3 hours to get the required length. Give or take.

I think I found my hobby. I find myself reading and browsing patterns all the time. I love looking at crochet books and trying new techniques. I like Googling resources to figure out my crochet conundrums. I really enjoy all aspects of it. I'm even reading a murder mystery series about crochet. I don't even really like murder mysteries. Yet, I can so relate to the main character. About not feeling like I've got the hang of crochet, but I don't really care because I am so addicted to it. That I have waaaay to much yarn for as little projects as I have completed. The feeling of immense self satisfaction at finishing ANYTHING.

Anyway, I only took a break from crocheting so I could remember to upload the pictures I had taken and get this blog published. Now it's time for a quick bite to eat and back to the grindstone. I really want to get this completed before I have the baby. Hurry hurry...

Weee!

Today is my mom's birthday! Hurray!

I love December because it is always a whirlwind of family events. First there is my mom's birthday. Then, just 2 short weeks later, it's Christmas. Then it's my dad's birthday/New Year's.

This year, the holidays are going to get a little tighter and a little more jam packed because somewhere in the midst of all of that? Our baby will be born! So that will make each year more fun and challenging (how the hell am I supposed to buy gifts for that many people??) I love the Christmas season and absolutely enjoy all the crazy get togethers and the insane amount of time and energy spent with relatives and on food and presents. It's great.

I have no idea what's the haps today, other than the fact that we are visiting them for a little birthday fun.

~*~

In other, wonderful news! I finished Brian's fugly lovely scarf! It took me nearly two months to complete, but it's done! Wooo!! He looks so handsome, doesn't he? Thrilled to be wearing it, right? See the pained look of "I'm doing this for you" in his eyes?

Yeah me too... but wouldn't you know it! Once he actually wore it outside and noticed how warm he was with it, suddenly it's the best scarf in the WORLD! (It is wool, for crying out loud!)


The only problem? His brother wants one too. Uhm. Wait, what? He wants a scarf. For Christmas. Which is in TWO WEEKS. I told him no. I'm not making him a scarf. No no no no no. No.

....In completely unrelated news, I am working on a new scarf. This time it's in his brother's favorite colors because I can't say no struck a compromise. No popcorn stitch, pattern of my choosing, as long as it has two colors, black and purple.

I chose a relatively simple pattern using double crochet and triple crochet, so it works up quickly. I started it last night (after I ran to the store at 4 am to get purple yarn!) and I am already a good 4 or 5 inches into it and have only been working on it an hour. This should totally be done by Christmas! Actually, I was given permission to take longer than Christmas as long as it was "still winter" when I gave it to him. It's Indiana so it will still be winter in June. :P

Seriously though, provided I don't have the baby uhm today, it should be done before Christmas.


Well I've wasted enough time blabbing about things that only I seem to think are amusing (isn't that always the case with my blog?) so I will finish getting ready to head to Meemaw's house for some fun and festivities weeee! (Meemaw is my mom's pet name for "grandma" because it sounds... cool, right? Right. Riiiiiight.)

Progress

Remember how I wanted to get that scarf done for Brian? I started joking to my friends and family that I was working on one for him for winter.... next year because it was taking so long. Stupid popcorn stitch.

The hard part isn't the popcorns. It's working the back side, which is straight single crochet. Except for a while there I was dropping stitches. Each row is supposed to have 23 single crochet, so the front can have 7 popcorn with 2 single crochet in between each popcorn. A lot of ripping out and starting over. A lot of undone rows and curses to the heavens.

But I am finally making progress. I finally got it in my head to count the freakin' stitches and what do you know? It starts turning out like it's supposed to.

This isn't a "mindless" pattern. It's not something I can watch a movie while doing and end up looking great or even. It's one I really have to focus on. For that reason it is both a great pattern and a terrible pattern for me. Great because it's actually challenging to keep focused. Terrible because it's actually challenging to keep focused.

It's so long now that it's getting heavy to hold up as I work on it. It takes up over half of my desk as I work on it. My skein of yarn is getting squishy as the yarn is pulled out and its starting to collapse in on itself. I'd say I'm about 70% done with the scarf. About 40% of my second skein of yarn is gone. I may get it done in time for the baby to be born. I'm really booking it. I worked on it for 4 hours yesterday and another 2 so far today.

I also took some pictures. Because I needed to update my project page on Ravelry.

The pictures were hard to take... my belly kept getting in the way lol! But I am so happy to be getting this done with. I didn't have any trouble changing yarns like I usually do. I even got the ends to weave in unnoticed so I must be getting better.

Plus the yarn feels so soft. It's only part wool, but it feels just like it. So comfy. I think I found my new favorite yarn. Good thing it comes in like 40 thousand colors.

Next update will be the finished result. Hopefully which will be this week. I am going to try and get it done before Monday, as I have most of Sunday off.

Get it Done

I need to get this scarf done. I was a lot further than I am now, but realized I had made a few mistakes and had to basically rip out all of my stitches and start over :(

Not to mention I still have a baby blanket I need to start (and finish) so I really need to focus and buckle down on these things. I doubt I'll have much time to crochet once the baby gets here, because I will be too focused on sleeping when I can haha

So order of business for the next few days is Operation: Popcorn Scarf to get that done. My goal is to finish it by Thursday, Nov 3rd. I probably have about 5-7 inches of it completed, and it is supposed to measure 50" long when it is finished, so quite a ways to go yet.

Then I gotta work on the baby blanket. I'm hoping to do a ripple pattern and work 2 yarns together at the same time on a larger hook, so it works up quicker & also looks cooler. Hopefully. Or maybe I'll just do scallops. I have no idea, really. Sigh.

I'm going to limit my time in front of computers to just working and a little bit of gaming with Brian after he's off work at night. It should be.... interesting.

Normally I spend all day on the computer for work and then also goofing off so it seems like I never get anything done around the house. I'm wondering if this is going to be a productive week!

I dunno, but I'm signing off for now.

Scarf

Tomorrow is the big day.... so yesterday I went to Joann's for some yarn. I saw online they were running a special on Lionbrand yarn being 25% off! So I scooted on up there and to my surprise, it was actually a better deal in store- buy 1, get 1 50% off! Now some of Lionbrand's yarn is pricey. The kind I was after yesterday wasn't too bad. 6 ounces for $3.59.  (it can run as much as $15.00 per 0.88 ounces- that's for cashmere!)

I went with the Wool-Ease in Oxford Grey

The all-important gauge swatch. 13 single crochet x 12 rows= 4" square.

I bought 2 of course, not just because of the 50% off, but because I am working on a scarf for Brian and the pattern called for 2 skeins. I started working it up last night to make sure I understood the pattern. Here's what it looks like so far.

I was worried it was a little too 'girly' but he thinks it looks cool.

No, my desk isn't crumby, it's scuffed up pretty bad :(

Wool-Ease is beautiful- I may work exclusively in it from now on. It's 80% acrylic and 20% wool, so it's completely machine washable and dry-able. Being a wool blend, it has the warmth and softness of wool without the scratchiness that often accompanies it.

I also bought another skein of Full o' Sheep in Peony because I needed it to finish a pair of booties. Thank goodness I bought it, because while I had enough to finish the booties anyway, when I felted them (made them fuzzy) one of them turned out and the other didn't... so now I can make a new one, no problem.

I spent about 2 hours today winding yarn into a pull-from-center ball by hand. It's easy to do, just time consuming. It take about an hour per 5 or 6 ounces. But when it's all done, it is so much easier to manage. When you pull yarn out now it doesn't flip or move around. It's coming straight from the center of the ball. I did this because I'm taking my yarn stuff tomorrow to work on the scarf, and this makes it "travel friendly".

I keep going back and forth on wanting to get a ball winder. Yes it would make it less time consuming and neater looking balls... but my method is free. The ball winders are hand-cranked so it's not completely machine done... I think it takes the same amount of effort, just less time? I have no idea. All I know is I have about 4 lbs of yarn that needs to be wound into balls and that is a lot of hand winding!
I just did the math- that's 11 hours of ball winding. Maybe I'll do an hour a day or something while I watch Biggest Loser.

I have never done popcorn stitches before- those little poof balls- so I wasn't sure how to do them. Luckily I have this book

And it seriously has every answer about every thing, ever. All the special stitches, all the questions about yarn weights, gauge, zippers, free form crochet, adding beads, buttons and embellishments... you name it, it's in there. Such a helpful little book. I can quickly dive into it at any time, because it's small enough to carry around.

After this scarf is done, I'm going to work up that baby blanket I keep putting off. I actually decided to try something new! I'm going to strand two yarns together- yellow and green- and work them both at the same time. Hopefully it turns out cool. I'll have to work up a swatch and see how it looks. What I really want is this Amazing yarn- it is self striping... but kind of expensive. $6.99 for 5 ounces... and most of the patterns need 3+ skeins of it. :( I could have picked it up yesterday for BOGO 50% off, but I couldn't find the colorway I wanted to use for Brian. And since it was his scarf, well, I couldn't make it pink. I mean I could... but I don't think he would have liked it! :)

Duh

The lovely Miss S gave me such a great idea yesterday- instead of a baby shower, let's do a meet the baby party instead!

This is perfect because it gives us time to focus on what needs to be focused on (such as cleaning and painting the nursery, etc) and hopefully, it will give us enough time for the drama to settle down. It seems like his family isn't quite excited about a baby- which is okay- but it's everyone's first grandchild, so I don't know what to think.

The family I thought would be over the moon about grandchildren was his family. It's not. The family I thought was going to be like "oh God you ruined your young lives" was my family. They're actually super excited and supportive. I guess it means I don't know anyone very well at all... or maybe a baby really does change things.

The Meet The Baby party is going to be great, I am way more excited about it than I was a shower, and when I mentioned it to Brian ("Hey, baby? What do you think of this idea?") He was all excited too, he thought it was a great idea and we should definitely do it.

Miss S, you definitely took a huge load off of my mind. It seems so simple now. Thank you.

I don't know why I thought I had to be traditional in having a baby shower before the baby arrived. I hardly do anything 'traditional' in my life. I didn't get married in a church. I got married in front of the courthouse. I don't have a 'regular job', I work from home. I am not even doing baby games at the baby shower- I never wanted them. So I am going to say I am not a traditionalist, in the traditional sense. And we are having a Meet The Baby party instead.

Brian said he would design the new invitations, which of course, will have a picture of the baby on them. We are also going to send out "Save the Dates" like one would at a wedding. (Which, by the way, we also didn't do- we actually only told our families the month before lol)

This way, everyone knows that we are going to do it this way, and they have plenty of time to decide whether or not they want to come.

Remember how I said I was nesting? It's getting worse. I crocheted a baby hat. And then? Baby booties. I got one done last night, and I am going to do the other today (they take about an hour or so to make each one)

I promise to post pics. I have to. You see, whenever I look at them, something weird happens. I go "Awwwwwww!" and start to get teary-eyed. I really wish I was exaggerating, but I am not.

I'm not the only one who is feeling the impending arrival of our little one... Yesterday I caught Brian in the nursery playing with the baby swing... he had put a stuffed dog toy in it and turned it on. Yeah, I about died from cuteness overload on that one! Brian's getting really excited about having a baby now. He walks around with this huge grin on his face all the time. It's really sweet.

A Rose By Any Other Name...

I spent pretty much most of my day making these little beauties. I made 4 in total, 2 pink and 2 purple. I am finishing up the scarf that I started and I am going to buy some green yarn to do the leaves with, and attach them. In other news, it hit 40 degrees today. It was -7 all last week. Soon I won't need the scarf I am making. 

Pretties!

I posted this pic for two reasons: 1) the rose and 2) my thigh... its so small lol :) Ah narcissism, I missed you.

Back to the grind Monday. Gotta get on with the Shred and do another grueling week of exercises. I really enjoyed my day off. I need to plan more of these. 

Hello, Jillian? I'm calling in today...

Due to my lackluster performance yesterday in the Shred, I decided to take the day off. From just about everything, to be honest. 

I didn't work out. I didn't count points. And I certainly did not work. I slept a lot, finished those damn slippers I have been crocheting since November and started on a scarf with roses. 

I'm so happy to finally be on another project!! I am really happy that I was able to take a day off too. 

But it's back to the grind tomorrow- Day 9 awaits! 

Taking today off was perfect- I will get my Enell bra on Wednesday, which is the first day I start level 2. So excited!! 

Also yesterday I wore a size 16 (not 16W) for the first time in almost 2 years, and they fit perfectly! Wee!! I also kept looking at my thighs and noticing how much smaller and toned they are! How exciting! 

I guess losing 15.25" really helps though, right? ;) 

I'm Bluffin' with My Muffin

No this isn't Lady Gaga lyrics-fest. I actually made my own English Muffins today. I went to the store and picked up the ingredients:

-Thomas English muffins 100 cal/1g fat/8g fiber per muffin
-Meijer brand Canadian bacon 60 cal/1.5g fat/0 fiber per 3 slices (I only used one per sandwich)
-Meijer brand fat free American cheese slices 30 cal/0 fat/0 fiber per slice
-Meijer brand egg beaters 30 cal/0 fat/ 0 fiber per 1/4 cup.

*An interesting side note: Neither English Muffins or Canadian bacon originated in those respective countries. They are both entirely made in the USA. Thanks, Food Network Channel!




I cooked up 1.5 cups of egg whites in a skillet while I split open the 6 muffins, topping each with 1 slice of Canadian bacon and 1 slice of cheese. Then I topped with 1/4 cup each of the scrambled egg whites. Wrapped up and stuffed in the freezer. Each sandwich is 220 calories/2.5 g fat/ 8 g of fiber which makes it 4 points, just like the WW sandwiches.

The total cost of the ingredients for muffin meal was $10.54. The cheese was $3.59 for a package of 16 slices, which makes it .23 per slice. The egg beaters were $2.39 for 7 servings and that was .34 per serving. The bacon was $2.59 for 7 slices, and was  .37 per slice. The muffins were $2 for 6 for .33 per serving. It was $1.27 per sandwich, or $7.62 for 6 of them. WW were $2.74 for 2 muffins or $1.37 per sandwich. By buying and making it myself I saved .10 a sandwich, or .60 a week.

That doesn't really sound like much, does it? I didn't use coupons and nothing was on sale, so that will be the most it will cost me. I will also probably eat this every day for many years (I actually ate the same flavor of Pop-Tarts every single day for 6 years. I still love them) so the savings down the road will be good.

I also had a WW anytime meal- mini cheeseburger for 4 points as well. So far that brings me up to 8 points spent, 20 left. I have to figure out how many points dinner will be.

I also bought some wool yarn for a Christmas gift, and some paraffin wax as well. I need to go pine cone hunting which was on my to-do list today but I sort of got side tracked with blogging. Whoops. That will be what I will do tomorrow, first thing. The wool yarn feels so good. I really need to stop rubbing it against my face and finish my crochet projects. There's only 5 weeks and 2 days until Christmas

I am freezing cold. I can't seem to get warm. I have on a sweatshirt and my robe (I know, classy!) My ankle is killing me today as well. Stupid weather.