"Whoops [she] did it again"

This is about as close as you'll ever get to seeing if I actually have "yarn on the brain." ((giggles))  It's an image of one of the actual X-rays I had taken yesterday to determine if I actually broke my nose. (Hey, they sent me home with my X-rays on CD; I just HAD to look!) 

I'll spend this morning hunting down a ENT that's available to look at my X-rays and make that final determination -- is it broke, fractured?  We'll have to see.  I will say two things about this:
1.  My son's head is hard; he's fine and was able to walk away from our collision.  I saw stars.
2. Yes, it hurts. A lot.

This means I have more time to possibly whip up another scarf for the drive!  I plan on listing the final scarf count tomorrow, so for those that are participating, please get those emails & comments in announcing your contributions -- I KNOW we can do it!!

Finally, if you ever wanted to know what happens to an item you crocheted (or knitted), how it touches someone's life, then you'll want to go here and read Pamela's story called "Whoops I did it again" -- and boy!  Did she ever!  She's a real inspiration!!!

60 Scarves in 60 Days Challenge: Count Update

I finished two more, and have received more numbers to add in!  This is so exciting -- and will do soooooooooo much good!!!   Here's the latest count:

          Sherri:  4 scarves
          Jess:     1 scarf
Crochetangel:  1 scarf
        Dee:    16 scarves, 3 hats (I'll have another fresh on the hook in a few hours)
    Lori of CT: 2 scarves & a wrap
      Sandi:    1 scarf (donated to Hurricane Katrina survivor)
      Robin:    9 scarves with another to follow (being donated to her church for the homeless shelter)
Maureen of PA:  8 scarves
         Margaret:  1 scarf & 2 hats from patterns she wrote that will be published!
               Jane:  14 Chemo hats AND will be teaching a seminar on the pattern!
       Karen:     1 scarf
      Brenda:    4 scarves

We're up to 48 Scarves!!!!  We need just 12 more by the end of tomorrow to meet the Challenge!  Together I know we can do it!!!

8:24 PM:  Cindy just emailed me ... she has 2 scarves that will be going to her local battered women's shelter.  That makes 50!!! Whoohoo!!

... having the name "Crochet" -- you should be required to know how

Yesterday Laura left a comment about watching football and having a "crochet sighting."  She was talking about Gerren Crochet who plays College Football for Stanford University.  Based on what I've heard and what I've read, he's an up & coming player.  Will he be going Pro?  I don't know.  But I think what is more important here (at least to me) is does he live up to his namesake?  Does he, as Bo does, know how to crochet?  While we all ponder that question, lets all remember that Rosie also knows how -- and even had some of his works published!

Speaking of football, I dedicated yesterday to being a couch potato.  Now I'm not one to normally camp on the couch and watch/listen to endless hours of television unless I'm not feeling well.  So doing so was quite a challenge for me.   My mission yesterday was to crochet for the entire day  to aid others in need.  I placed a bag of yarn scraps beside me, grabbed a crochet hook and set to crocheting scarves for the scarf drive for the entire day!

Then add to this mix that I'm not one who normally follows football games either.  I don't know one player from another (unless they know a needle craft!) but I did watch several games yesterday.   I picked the teams I wanted to root for winning based on uniform color coordination.  I did not pick the Greenbay Packers because their uniform was not green; it was yellow, and I found this confusing.  When your son and/or husband is flipping channels to watch two different games, it's hard to keep track of the teams.  So if your team name includes a color like "green" then you should have something to do with the color green so your fans (or couch potatoes like me) can have an easier time rooting for you.  And, while I'm on the topic, what's with the Seahawks wearing charcoal?  While the charcoal coloring of the uniforms had eye appeal, real Seahawks are brown and white.  I just don't get it.   It's much like having the name "Crochet" -- you should be required to know how to crochet or be a fan of it, right?  That's what I thought!  (heh heh heh)

The good news is that the excitement in the cheering for the games translated into my work -- my hook was flying faster than the NY Giants could keep missing all those chances to get in that final field goal to win the game.  Only I didn't fail to produce results!  (Sorry NY Giant fans) I whipped out six scarves yesterday!!  Whoohoo!  This brings my personal total for the drive that ends this Wednesday to 14 scarves and 3 hats.

So lets update the total stats, shall we?  (reupdated totals @ 4:39 PM)
          Sherri:  4 scarves
          Jess:     1 scarf
Crochetangel:  1 scarf
        Dee:    14 scarves, 3 hats (I'll have another fresh on the hook in a few hours)
  Lori of CT: 2 scarves & a wrap
      Sandi:    1 scarf (donated to Hurricane Katrina survivor)
      Robin:    5 scarves with another to follow (being donated to her church for the homeless shelter)
Maureen of PA:  5 scarves
         Margaret:  1 scarf & 2 hats from patterns she wrote that will be published!
               Jane:  14 Chemo hats AND will be teaching a seminar on the pattern!

OK, so our total for the 60 Scarves in 60 days is 34!  We still have the rest of today, Tuesday and Wednesday to try and reach this goal!

If you'd like to participate in helping us reach this goal, here's how it works:  Crochet, knit (or even purchase) a scarf and donate it!  There's no need for you to ship anything to me!  Then, email me or leave a comment here that you've done so and we'll add you to the count!  It's that easy -- and all for a great cause! 

Checking the List (and what's this about a fire?)

I'm hoping everyone enjoyed their Thanksgiving.  Here, it was an event the kids claim they'll remember forever.  All I'll say is that the children were running around the house while waving their arms through the thick smoke yelling, "Fire! Fire!"  (Remember, I'm a crocheter, not a chef!  And, in my defense, my family knows this!)  Was there a fire?  No, not really.  Some of the juices from the turkey overflowed the pan and dripped onto the heating element in the oven which caused the thick smoke.  After airing out the house all turned out just fine.  Dinner was a success!!!  (Whew!  Talk about a time needing to pick up a hook and destress -- that was it for me!)

The fire that did happen was one that happened online.  One would say if they saw me that I had flames coming from my ears.  I was steaming angry!  I had found another website violating my copyright -- a website taking my hard work and passing it off as their own.  I have to wonder if, in a day & age of technology, they thought I wouldn't find out, or if they thought I wouldn't mind.  They were wrong; I did, and I do.  Like Santa, I check my list, I check it twice.  I want to know who's website is being naughty or nice.

So after a slight cooling off period, I sent them an email stating the facts -- letting them know I know of the violation and gave them two reasonable options with a time limit to comply.  And they did.  That's a relief; I'd hate to be a Grinch and be forced to start a law suit. 

Now that that fire has been extinguished, I have returned my thoughts towards preparing for the holidays, and finalizing the 60 Scarves in 60 Days Challenge.  On Thanksgiving I did manage to crochet a matching hat & scarf set for the scarf drive, and Lori (one of my crochet students) donated another scarf!  I love it!  Keep 'em coming!.

I'm also finalizing the drive to raise funds to donate to the American Cancer Society.  If you are holiday shopping and want to help raise funds to donate to the American Cancer Society while picking up an especially soft gift for that person on your "GOOD" list, then check out the designer hats below.  The hats are $35 each (includes shipping w/in US).  It's first come, first serve, so don't wait!  Go ahead, check your list ... I'm sure there's someone on it that's been quite good this year and deserves a beautiful hat!  :)

CLICK ONTO THE PICTURES TO ENLARGE:

 Gigi Jolie:  This hat has finer (smaller) stitches than the Marlene hat shown below, but is created from the same pattern concept. Washing instructions are to hand wash and lay flat to dry; do not spin/wring. The designer fiber used is from England, is 100% nylon and incredibly soft!

Colors: Neon pink, orange, green and yellow with white whisper puffs of soft "fur."

Current Status:  SOLD!!!

Gigi Jolie II: this hat was crocheted with the same finer stitches as the Gigi Jolie hat above.  Washing instructions are to hand wash and lay flat to dry; do not spin/wring. The designer fiber used is from England, is 100% nylon and superbly soft!

Colors: Neon pink, orange, green and light purple with purple whisper puffs of soft "fur."

Current Status:  SOLD!!!

Marlene Two:  one reader wrote that this hat reminded her of the fall foliage in the New England States.  In thinking about it, I couldn't agree with her more!  So I created another!   Since a larger hook was used the end results is a stunning hat with texture. Washing instructions are to hand wash and lay flat to dry; do not spin/wring.  The designer fiber used is from Italy, is 40% nylon, 35% Merino New Wool, and 25% acrylic -- and it's extraordinarily  soft!

Colors:  A variety of oranges mutate throughout the work and combine with gold flecks and puffs of burnt orange/brown "fur".  Stunning when sunlight dances upon it.

Current Status:  SOLD!!!

Happy Thanksgiving!

This is it.  This is the holiday that all can celebrate here in America no matter what your race or religion is.  And like many others, I'll be one of the folks doing a bunch of cooking.  Yep.  First time in ten years I'll be cooking.  The thought, of course, is quite scary.  It's been TEN years!!  So I've spent the last few days coming up with a game plan, and if I do say so myself, it's brilliant!!

Being the crochet addict that I am, I've decided to ensure I'll be able to sneak in crochet stitches here & there.  After all, going just a few hours without being able to enjoy my art is torture to me.  So I've decided to plant a scarf project in the kitchen; a hat in the dining room.  In the living room I have another scarf, and yes, I even have projects planted in the auto -- you know, just in case I need to rush out and get a "last minute" item.

What I haven't told my family is that a lot of the items I'll be cooking are already prepared.  My job is to remove them from the freezer and jam them, strategically timed of course, into the oven.  I plan on keeping my family out of the kitchen and do my stitching on the sly.  If they start to catch on, I have a bunch of pots & pans ready for an instant "rattle" -- you know, to make it "sound" like I'm slaving away.  (heh heh heh)

Do I feel guilty about using already prepared foods?  Heck no!  Nowhere in the Rule Book does it say that everything has to be made from scratch!  Hey, just because the Pilgrims did it, doesn't mean I have to!  The Rule Book only says that Thanksgiving is a time to bring friends and family together.  And I can do that without having to fuss for a zillion hours on figuring out how to make homemade biscuits, right?

I just hope I don't get a paper cut from opening all the food packaging.  I mean, that could be detrimental to my plan of sneaking in crochet stitches while they're all in the living room watching the parade or football games.  Oh, and I haven't thought about freezer burn.  What if that happens while I'm handling all the frozen entrees?  Hmmm, I wonder if it's too late to make dinner reservations ...


For those with time to do a little hooking, here's some patterns I found online that you might be interested in checking out:
     *  Pilgrim Couple -- fridge magnets
     *  Teddy Bear Pilgrim Hat
     *  And his Coat

In the meantime, if you think my plan of cooking frozen entrees for Thanksgiving is scary, go ahead and check out Monster Crochet's "Pilgrim Tater."  I think he's a cutie-pie.

Here's to hoping your Thanksgiving is Wonderful -- and if you have a lot of leftovers, please consider bringing them down to your local homeless shelters.  Share the Warmth.

Catching Up

Usually I have a little free time on the weekend to catch up with my online email accounts, entertaining thoughts for future blog/journal entries for the week, and the like.  But since I'm knee deep in laundry, unpacking luggage, and pre-turkey day shopping lists, this just hasn't happened.  I am very far behind!  (Yikes!)

So while I attempt to catch up with the (seemingly) thousands of emails that have arrived since Friday, and sneak in crochet stitches on another scarf for the 60 Scarves in 60 Days Challenge, I wanted to say that I'll be away from my journal for a few days ... but I'm not leaving you, my readers, empty handed!!  I will provide you with "food, er crochet, for thought" while I'm away!

First, go back to the entry from Friday and read Melanie's response to the email I sent her after reading an article she wrote; I think you'll be pleased.  Then check out the following news stories that contain crochet:
     * PRETTY CRAFTY!  Knitting, crochet, embroidery can produce great gift ideas
     * Ditch the cookie cutter, go for the unique
     * The Art of ... (this is really a press release for buying learn to knit & crochet dvds -- but look at the statistics they're touting! Awesome!)

Crochet on Parade?

We celebrated my son's birthday by attending the parade in Stamford, Connecticut.  I don't know who was more excited: me, or my children!  ((I've always wanted to attend a parade that had those huge inflated balloons I see every Thanksgiving on television!  For me, it was like a wish come true!))

First, my family and I drove down to the city yesterday and popped in at the Knit Together yarn shop where I teach.  While there my husband met the owners and some of the staff -- and later said he can see why I enjoy teaching there.  I picked up two different fibers ("Fizz" by Crystal Palace Yarns  which is 100% polyester,  and "Color Me" -- a handpainted yarn called "Misty" that's 55% Mohair and 45% Merino Wool) and used the stores' swift and ball winder to blend them into one.  My goal was to crochet up a new hat for my daughter -- in time for her to wear while watching the parade!  The question is, could I do it in time??  (I know I seem like I'd be a fast crocheter, but really I'm not; my 55-65 stitches in 3 minutes is nothing compared to Lisa and Lily!)

You see, my daughter can't stand piling all her hair under her hat, and as she continues to grow it out to later donate to Locks of Love, the problem will only grow!  It "makes the hat wobbly" and it "messes up" her hair.  (quotes from my daughter)  So, I challenged myself to crochet her a new hat that took these concerns of hers into consideration and resolve them.  After all, what good is a hat if a child refuses to wear it, right?

We checked into our hotel and then headed out to watch the balloons inflate (see Elmo image above).  There were many people there just like us enjoying the sights.  But was I really watching the balloons inflate, or was I on crochet patrol?  Did I have crochet sightings?  You betcha!  ((giggles))

Afterwards we headed to the Stamford Mall so my son could spend his birthday money, (Hmmm, lots of crochet sightings there!)  and then back to the hotel to let him rest up a bit (he's been fighting a cold).  So as we settled in for the night, I grabbed the yarn & hook and set to work.  Within a few hours the new hat was done and she was tickled!  We're calling it "The Pony Cap."  I even have enough fiber left over to play around with creating a scarf to match!  (Yes, her face in the image is intentionally blurry)

We woke early this morning, checked out of the hotel and dashed down to grab prime "real estate" along the parade route -- and what a great time we had!! (complete with more crochet sightings with those watching with us, and those participating in the parade itself! -- oh! I am so bad!!  LOL)