The Wrap is Finished..

One good thing about being out of work is all those WIPs start getting some work done on them. I managed to finish the green crocheted wrap for my DSis this past weekend. And here you get to see me modeling it...

I gave it to her this week and she seemed to like it. I think she was more surprised that I got it done this year. I think she was expecting 3 or 4 years on it. LOL

If you're interested in trying your hand at one of these, you can find the pattern here. I made a couple of modifications to the pattern - basically making it wider. Instead of the 14 stitches on each side of the center work, I did 20 stitches on each side. I think it turned out pretty well.

I started a knitted version of this wrap that I found here. I was able to get about 2 inches of it done yesterday. But it's a pattern that I have to work with nothing else going on - I get lost if I try to do it watching TV... It's got both left and right cables... I ripped out the purple cable scarf I was doing and recycled the yarn for this wrap. I don't know what I'll do with a purple wrap - maybe it'll be a gift...

And I had to share the latest picture of Felix with all of you. I think he's just too cute not to share. I got a kick out of seeing him perched on the arm of the rocking chair and had to snap a picture. Enjoy!


I had an interview yesterday with a company in my hometown. I think it went well - DSis is interviewing at the same place today. Hopefully one of us gets it...

Ok, another post without a picture. I think I just need to accept the fact that I'm not a photographer at heart. It's never been my first inclination to grab a camera. Oh well, I still love to tell stories about my life and experiences, so I'll just continue to do that. If a picture shows up, well, that's just icing on the cake :)

I managed to get 6 1/2 yards of fabric washed and ironed yesterday - yay! That was what 1/3 of the FQs on my table equaled. It took me 2 movies to get them all ironed....dang. I've got all the blues and purples pulled from the stacks now, waiting their turn. It's about 10 yards, though - so I may do those in 2 batches.

I've also been working on DSis's wrap this past week. It's probably 2/3 done right now. It's good to work on while I'm watching TV with DH. Especially when it's something he wants to watch, as that usually means I don't care for it and can concentrate on my crocheting ;) I'm hoping to get this done while sitting at home waiting for the phone to ring, so I'll have one more WIP finished.

I got a phone call today from one of the 5 temp agencies I'm signed up with wanting to know if I'd be interested in an assistant position to a Purchasing Manager. Once we discussed the details, she set up an interview for me today at 2:00. Then, at 12:45 the phone rang again - apparently the manager didn't want someone with clerical/assistant experience that they would then train the purchasing piece for - no, they wanted someone with purchasing experience that they would then train the clerical piece to. Great. So, no interview today. Oh well...hopefully this particular temp agency will get things straight before they call back next time. If there is a next time....

We got about 8 inches of snow yesterday. DH called in due to the roads being pretty much impassible. He spent nearly the entire day shovelling out our driveway and sidewalks, as well as both neighbors on either side of us. The snow was so wet and heavy that the snowblower wasn't working well. Needless to say, he was sore and tired by the end of the day. But the driveway and sidewalks look great!

Ok, back to crocheting and catching up on The Tudors...

The Wrap, continued...

I don't have a picture to share today, sorry. But I have learned that football Sundays are great for crocheting. I have managed to get the wrap to 27 inches. Only 53 more to go! So, if I keep on at the same rate, this should take me roughly 6 weeks to make. Plenty of time to get it done before Christmas - and a nice surprise for my sister :) I told her this one was for her, and she responded with something smart like "well, my bad circulation from age will need it by the time you get it finished." hmph.

I'm having trouble moving to another quilt right now, after getting Summer Days finished. I've got the Circle Quilt on the design wall, just waiting for me to baste those circles down on a couple of blocks....but it's still waiting. The fabric for dear nephew's quilt still isn't washed....I haven't even been able to decide on the contrast fabric yet. Well, it's only been a week, I guess I'll be drawn to something sooner or later. Meanwhile, the crocheting is filling the evenings well enough.

Oh yeah! I signed up for a knitting class the local library is offering! I've been able to make those knitted dishclothes since high school, but I've never been able to move onto the next stage. So, when I saw this free class being offered, I figured it was worth a shot. I've got a lot of goals that I hope to get from this class, we'll see. I want to be able to recognize different stitches, how to rip something and reload the needles without ripping the entire thing, learn how to read a pattern, learn what increase and decrease are exactly, how to purl. Yeah, I'm such a beginner.

The Wrap

Remember that yarn I bought at the yard sale Labor Day weekend? The one I talked about here. Well, I finally managed to get it wound into a ball last weekend...and it's huge! This thing rivals my head! It took me most of a day to get it wound, and here it is:

I've surfed the net for shawl or scarf patterns that I might enjoy both working on and using when the item was finished. I wasn't finding much. That is, until I found this wrap. It's just gorgeous! It's both a simple pattern (which I need, as my crochet skills aren't very great), and a great finished item. I can so see myself using this at football games this fall (if I get it done that quickly, that is).

So, I decided, before breaking into the "good yarn," I'd stitch up a sample piece and see how the pattern fits together. Especially since it's been 10 years or more since I've crocheted anything. I found some Red Heart yarn in the closet and started in. I re-discovered my problems with the beginnings and endings of rows, so I stopped by my Mom's place for a quick tutorial. She assured me I was on the right track and immediately asked for a copy of the pattern so she could make one for herself! LOL

After this much red was done, I realized I really didn't like the feel of the yarn. It was labelled Holiday yarn, and it just had no softness to it at all. So, I remember this Wool Ease I had hiding in the closet and thought, "if I have enough, maybe I'll make one for my sister." After digging it out of the closet, I found I had more than enough and started in on it. This is how far I've gotten:

The good news is my sister loves the color and the softness of this yarn :) So, I'm going gang-busters on it at work. I lengthened the pattern (added 6 stitches to each end), so it's taking a bit longer than the red piece did, but I think she'll like the finished item much better this way.

I'm not sure I'm stitching loose enough for my piece to end up looking like the one on the pattern, but it's still looking nice, so it's full steam ahead for now.

Now, do I wait to finish sister's piece before starting mine? Decisions, decisions....