Sock Knitting is Addictive

Recently I made a promise to myself to make at least one pair of socks for my cousin's organization, in
Finland.  I made one pair on that day, another pair the second day and a third pair the following day.
Guess what, I started yet another pair.  These socks are not coming out as fast as the other ones.  Addicted or not, my mind is already on other projects.
I have been away from this blog world for a while, and to my horror the system was changed.  I recall seeing some notifications, but like my attention would have been focused on blogging at that time, so I forgot about it, and was hoping the changes would go away.  They didn't.

Therefore this post is only about those socks, because I want to see how this story comes out.

Well, I am not disappointed at all, I kind of like this new Blog better now.  At least the pictures look better.

The socks in the middle were done with Patons Kroy Socks Fx (?) yarn and there was no hope in my 

knitting world to get a matching pair.  I hope there is one or two little kids who have an 

open mind for being different.

The Teal color socks were made with Moda Dea Washable wool, and were the first pair.

I have been awfully busy with my knitting but not too busy with crocheting,

Other than squares for Heartmade Blessings organization.

It's time to start my work day.  More later. 

An hour lost

It's already 1:30 in the afternoon, but it does not feel like it. It will tomorrow morning, I am sure of it.

I managed to finish some squares, and they are ready for assemblers. I also finished the other

Izzy, African Comfort Doll.

March sneaked in

Moby Betta Fish is happy, I put a two-sided mirror outside his bowl, and now he's playing with the image, and sometimes going into hiding in his little house that I had put inside the bowl.

He is supposed to have one little food thing per day, but he is having nothing of that foolish rule.

He jumps up and down when he sees me taking the food container, sometimes getting so excited that he makes the water move so much that the food sails where he has to catch it. Sometimes he doesn't see it, and I have to show it with my finger, and he does follow my guide. He's not just a fish, he's a funny clown. Very difficult to take a good picture of him, as soon as he sees the camera, he thinks it's play time, or fighting time (he is a fighting fish), and moves constantly.

The latest one in my charity section is Izzy, African Comfort Doll, for ICross.ca.

The pattern text is very small in this web site, but there is a better pattern text here.

There is also a crochet pattern in that blog.

I have been busy knitting and crocheting I even made one drawing. How is that being creative every day? I think posting about it is harder than actually being busy with the needles, hooks, or pens.

It's Saturday and there are many chores that need done. I wanted to wish everyone a great weekend, and don't forget to change the clock in the morning. Losing one hour is not a good thing, when one is busy working or creating. (or doing dishes)

I do have pictures of crocheted squares in my Flickr album, if you want to see them.

Oscar Night

Watching the show, even though I am ready to go to sleep. I just want to find out it "The Help" gets any of the Oscars.

Octavia for supporting Actress

received her first Oscar.

While I am watching the show, I will work on another crocheted square.

These squares are my latest ones.

You can tell that I have tried to be creative every day.

That Octagon motif is supposed to be a start for a blanket. Well, like many other starts, it might end up being a start only.

Movies

The delivery person brought a package from Amazon.ca today.

Two movies: Paranormal Activity 3,

The Twilight Saga, Breaking Dawn, Part 1

I have seen Paranormal Activity 1, which was scary, because I did not realize it was a movie,

until after. I did not care for number 2, and certainly hope this number 3 is better than 2,

as I've heard it should be. Sometimes I don't agree with critics, though, so I will find out if I like it or not.

I have seen every Twilight movie this far, and can't wait to get home to see this Breaking Dawn, There is part 2 coming to theaters in March. I might even go and see it in the theater.

There was also a book in the package, "The Principles of Knitting" by June Hemmons Hiatt.

The book weighs a lot, at least 4 lbs, and has over 700 pages (including index and the other stuff).

My plan for tonight was to clear some of the stuff in the closet, but I might not have time, since two movies are tempting me to sit and watch.

WIPs

Let's see what is going on. That Tea-Cozy is lurking from my bag, and wants to get done. The other Sugar 'n Cream yarn, that I posted the other day, was a bit lighter in weight than the other yarns, so I selected the one that shows in the picture. This yarn is slightly heavier than the greens, but it has to do, not changing again, and I don't have fun colors in Lily yarns, other than solid ones.

I have this much already, and now I need to make another piece. It's like "second sock syndrome", when there is one sock done, and then MUST make another.

My recently started socks are now done two at a time. Only a few sock pairs are done one by one, and usually those don't get finished, at least very quickly. I have only two at a time socks on needles, but that will be another story. Right now I am in Crochet cycle, and have not done any knitting for days.

My Crovontuli shawl has been waiting for its turn patiently. Every time I look at it I want to

crochet a few more rows. This way it might get done by next year.

If you want the pattern it's in Ravelry, here.

I don't wear shawls as a rule, but I do like making them. Most of the shawls I have made have been given as gifts. I do keep some for myself, like this Damselfly shawl, designed

by Myra Wood.

It's precious and I will keep it forever, even if I don't wear it.

Let's see what else is going on. That Tea-Cozy is lurking from my bag, and wants to get done. I have this much already, and now I need to make another piece. It's like "second sock syndrome", when there is one sock done, and then MUST make another.

New Project

Are we surprised? This tea-cozy interests me. I am not a tea drinker, I drink coffee, but have several different size tea pots. I like my little red one, which I use when the wind blows that way.

Yes, I do drink tea, sometimes, but not as a rule. Tea gives me heart burn, except some herbal teas, which don't give me the same satisfaction as caffeine in tea and coffee does.

The yarns I am going to us are Lily Elite Cotton in Moss and Spearmint, Bernat Love Bug Baby Cotton in Doodle Bug Daisy, and Sugar 'n Cream in variegated turquoise, yellow, white, pink colors.

I am planning to work on this cozy a little bit at lunch, and then a little bit on a square for a teddy bear ghan, for HeartMade Blessings. The squares are 6" and pretty quick to make. I have tons of yarn that is suitable for a nice blankie for a little one.

I am very grateful for my gift of creativity.

Continuing my creativity tale

More squares done, this one is the latest. Also for Heartmade Blessings org.

I am really excited about a blog I found, its Homemade Obsessions

and there are many, many exciting patterns. The above link directs you to

Coraline, the doll from the movie. I love how Sharon Ojala has created her. She also has a pattern for the cat, and Wybie doll, too. Many Amigurumi patterns as well. I cannot wait to make that Coraline doll. The best part is that I have the yarns to make her. I have yarns everywhere.

My own creativity has been constant. Clearing stash mess, making more mess. I now walk around boxes and piles of "what am I going to do with this". I thought that my organization skills would be better (was I ever wrong) but I stand at the door of my stash room (my second bedroom, and there is a futon bed somewhere) and pray that everything would clear by magic.

I cannot find the wand, it's covered by all my hoarded yarns. Hoarding is now a word for nightmares. I don't like to think that I have a problem, but looks like I do. I am in denial, and as soon as I admit this obsession being a problem, then it's the beginning to ... what? buying more yarn?

Creativity comes with this mess, I find yarns I forgot I had, I find started forgotten projects, and my inspiration is running wild. However, I cannot do everything at once. I decided to make blankets, just to use all the wonderfully colorful yarns that are also mixed with some plain yarns.

Oh, this mess is sometimes like therapy. Getting depressed, and then excited, what else is there to find?

I have some new projects started, and perhaps will be able to finish some in the near future. Hopefully Coraline will be among the new ones I will be starting soon. I am sure of new projects, since I have Startitis Syndrome, which is another obsession that I should clearly look into fixing it. My startitis isn't only knitting, it also includes crocheting and sometimes even drawing.

I think I might read a book tonight.

CED February 9

I have been creative every day, honest! I just forgot to come here and tell you all about my days.

It's been hectic for a few days. I have decided to clear my stash room, sort the yarns and put them in proper bins, instead of plastic bags, and grocery shopping bags (the ones you pay 99 cents for, plus tax, hah). I have a huge pile of them now, since I dumped the yarns from those bags on the living room floor. I bought several jumbo size plastic tubs that are now too big for the room that does not have any extra space. My organizing skills are very limited and that is one of the reasons why I feel overwhelmed, frustrated and somewhat depressed. What have I been thinking of buying all this yarn?

My creativity has been sorting yarns in type of yarn piles, color sorting will come after. I have also sorted yarns that will go to my friend, who knits for a hospital gift store. My HeartMade Blessings yarns are in two different tubs. One is for red, white, blue and amethyst colors, the other is for other colours, but also for that same organization. They collect squares for comfort afghans that can be any color but black.

The picture shows three latest ones, going in the mail either today or tomorrow. I have one more square almost finished, and perhaps I'll wait for that one and then get all four out for mailing.

I also made a drawing! Yippee. It was so relaxing to do after my frustrating yarn sorting. I might even plan to do drawing as soon as I feel depressed about my stash.

CED February 3

I knitted the socks for my boss. She liked them. I used Patons Grace yarn, and the pattern is "Spindle Socks" by Anna Bell.

This square is for Marsha. She collects squares and assembles them to a nice blanket. Project Heartmade Blessings.

I might even draw something today.

My plans for tonight:

Finish one square that I started this morning

Work on Crovontuli Shawl, at least a few rows

Watch telly

dump more yarn on the living room floor

sort some of the yarn that is on that floor.

Enough for one night. Tomorrow is another day.

Creative February 1st, 2012

The theme for February in Creative Every Day Challenge is "Night". Of course it's optional, and

I have already opted mine to "morning" haha. I finished a 12" crocheted square this morning,

and sorted some yarns to take with me when we go out and he is driving. The white one was finished last night, and it goes to January challenge. All these are for HeartMade Blessings Charity.

Creative Every Day

Once again I joined the challenge Creative Every Day.

After reading that it didn't have to be ART, I decided that I am creative every day already.

Well, if I am lazy and watch telly all day, then my creativity might become questionable.

I have already done something today: crocheted a few rows on a charity square.

I just received my book from Amazon, and I hope it will inspire me as I expect.

Last Day of January

Here I am waiting for my book that I ordered from Amazon.

It's called "One Drawing A Day". I was amazed that it was shipped the same day

as I had ordered it.

I hope I could start drawing again. My attempts have been ridiculous and resulted next

to nothing. I don't think you could call it drawing when you take a pen, your sketchbook and

stare at the blank page, as if it was your enemy, close the book, sigh, "tomorrow" I will do something.

Later I take a crochet hook, yarn and start making squares for Heartmade Blessings project.

Mind you, I would consider that for some sort of drawing, too. Well, you create forms and

also texture. However, I do miss my pens touching the paper, other than what I do at work.

I "bought" another free book for my Kindle. It's about understanding people. For a few moments I hesitated if I should get the book: will I read it? Am I too old to learn the complexity of a human mind? Well, not really, I would be reading these books when I retire, and then try not to become a miserable, complaining, rude and negative retiree. That is, I need to change my attitude before I retire. Why is it so difficult to give a smile to a person who cuts you off at a grocery line-up? Something to do with personal space? something to do with "I was here first"?

Sometimes there is a reason for everything, but I am not sure if I want to know what those reasons are. I keep crocheting and knitting, and perhaps one day my pens will please me enough to glide on the paper and I will be happy forever.

HeartMade Blessings

For many times in the past years I have made crocheted squares for HeartMade Blessings organization, and finally joined the Yahoo group. I have not taken pictures of my prior squares, but will start now.

The picture here does not show exact colors, but if you imagine white as white, purple as amethyst, and red as cherry, you got it.

The required yarns for these squares shown here are Red Heart Amethyst (356), Red Heart Cherry Red (319), and Red Heart White.

I also have two shades of blue, but have not worked with them yet.

Hubby and I made a trip across the border to Amherst, NY, yesterday, just to get yarn for these squares. Amethyst yarn is hard to find in my corners, and we thought it would be a good idea to try the stores in Amherst. I had several options, K Mart: no yarns there at all, Jo-Anne: no amethyst there, but had the blue colors. We stopped at Tim Horton's for a cuppa, and a very nice lady was telling us about the brand new Hobby Lobby and Walmart nearby. I thought, great, two possibilities. Hobby Lobby had the yarn in amethyst, and I was so happy that I forgot

to check what other yarns they have. As you might know, if not, that's OK, I have yarns and yarns and yarns at home, but "not the right colors" . Every time I go to a yarn store, I ALWAYS check the yarns, but not yesterday. I headed straight to the yarn section, caught Red Heart section, and that was all.

On the way home I crocheted with the yarn I had with me for the trip (hubby was driving), and

Canadian Customs officer asked if I was going to make a scarf for him, LOL.

Got thru that part with a smile and good feeling in the heart.

I crocheted all night, really, all night until 3 a.m. I was up that late because I was watching the movie "Shining". I should have not read the book first, because the movie left me cold.

So many good parts were either changed or omitted. That's the way it goes, I suppose.

I would have given 7 out of 10, but I am not a critic and have no statue made for me.

“Pay no attention to what the critics say. A statue has never been erected in honor of a critic.” Said Jean Sibelius.

I just didn't find the movie scary, and had no nightmares. Enough said.

It's starting to snow with tiny snowflakes, you cannot see the individual ones, just white rain-like stuff running down from the gloomy clouds. I was going to walk to the mall, but I changed my mind, and decided to stay indoors and perhaps crochet some bright green squares.

Monday in January

Hi everyone,

We have a strange winter here in our area. There was some snow, and then no snow. Today the rain will take away all the snow that is left. At least most of it.

I had made a few Revontuli Shawls (Northern Lights), by knitting. Sherri found a pattern at Ravelry for crocheted one. I jumped, and now am crocheting one. It is called "Crovontuli"

I am using yarns that might go together, and what I have in my stash. However there is only so much of those shades that I already have that I had to go and

buy some more. Mostly using Kroy Sock yarns, and TicoTico yarn, which is now in process.

I started with solid navy Kroy sock yarn, and then a variegated Kroy, then Tico Tico. I have not decided for the next one. I'll see what happens when this TT yarn is finished. I still have a full skein of that one, fortunately.

I have been working also on a Central Park Hoodie for my dear friend Gaby, but she is not going to get it until in May. She lives in a country that has the winter when we have summer.

I'm also working on lace gloves for my DIL, in black Koigu. Pictures will follow for those two when I am finished with them.

You might remember that I have a serious case of startitis syndrome. This means that I like to start new things before I finish a current project. It's sad, really, but can't help it.

In other news, drawing is once again in the back corner of my intentions. Seems to me that every time I want to draw something, a knitting needle pokes at me and gets the yarn all

tangled up in my bags, and I have to clear those, and then knit a few rows, and then some more.

Soon I realize I must go to bed, since the next day is usually a work day.

I finished reading "Shining" by Stephen King. It took me a long time to read. Well, I just found out there are 464 pages of reading. I have the book on my Kindle, and pages only show by percentage of read pages. It kept going and going and finally I started skipping pages. It was just too much of the same horror. No, I am not saying it was a bad thing, it was just getting to me, and I wanted to see how it ends.

Now I can watch the movie, which I got a few weeks ago. I am waiting for a good gloomy night to watch it, haha. It might give me some nightmares.

Moby

Here is our new pet. It's not easy to take a picture when he's moving around so much.

Betta Fish

On Saturday I went shopping with my friend Sherri. I had four items on my grocery list.

Needless to say, the store buggy was full of unlisted stuff. That store is dangerous for me, I wanted to buy much more, but the little person on my shoulder started pinching me and I didn't buy everything I wanted (not needed).

After the grocery store, we went for lunch to an El Salvadorian restaurant. I had chicken Quesadilla, recipe here, but not the one in the restaurant:

http://www.juicy-chicken-recipes.com/chicken-quesadilla-recipe.html

Sherri had Chicken Burrito and Pupusa.

To Sherri's surprise, I didn't like Pupusa, but one cannot like everything, I did like the burrito, although it was a bit too

spicy for me, but never mind that, it was good.

From the restaurant we went to get some fish food for Sherri's fish at home. I was going to stay in the car (to read a little bit, I had my Kindle with me), but she told me it's going to take a while, so I went into the store with her.

Mistake.

I used to have several fish tanks and all kinds of fish, including small sharks. I had too many of them, and when we

moved to our apartment the fish and tanks were sold.

I used to have a Betta fish, Sam, he lived about 3 years, and then got old and died. I was looking at those beautiful fishes (?) and all of a sudden decided to get one, and so I did. He's not very colorful, but it was hard to see in the

dark area of the store, where these animals were located. I will take a picture of him tonight. I completely forgot to

do so, even though Sherri had taken a picture of hers.

My hubby named this little creature "Moby" (Actually Moby Dick, but I didn't want the whole name), he does look a little bit like a miniature whale, if you squint your eyes and let your imagination fly.

Hubby and I bought him a new home yesterday, when we went to Dixie Mall. It's a glass bowl, was meant for a candle to put inside a smaller bowl. When I told the girl in the store that it's for my fish, she looked horrified. The bowl has a designer's name on it, big deal, I don't even remember what it is. The most important thing was that it

is clear glass and is big enough for Moby and it was on sale 50% off. There, Designer bowl or not, Moby is happy.

Another Day in 2012

This is my first doodle this year. It's done on writing paper, thus the faint lines in the background.

I am promising myself to use my pen/s at least once a week, and my crochet hook as well.
I spent most of the day yesterday crocheting a scrumble with yarn that Sherri had spun. She gives me the "leftovers" or her "mistakes". Her yarn, whether it's crp for her, it's a treasure for me.

I have Kindle reader, actually two of them and Kobo reader. I am reading now "Shining" and
am almost half way thru. Can you believe, I never saw the movie, but now I have it on DVD, from amazon. Can't wait to finish the book and then watch the movie. I like it in that order, the same as I did with "The Help". I read the book first. I am glad I did, because the movie left so much out. Of course, that is understandable, otherwise the movie would have been made to a TV Series.

On the knitting site I have a few projects going on, all for gifts, but I'll talk about those later.

Happy New Year 2012

How am I going to start again? It's been too long, almost a year since my last post.

Year 2011 went with lots of knitting, some crocheting and hardly any drawing.

There were no trips to other countries, no significant vacations. All in all nothing

truly interesting happened.

I hope this new year

have been mostly following other people's designs, which is good in a way. I needed somewill re-kindle my interest in drawing and scrumbling. My projects

time off from my imaginational designs. That way I am able to start fresh this year.

Mind you, I made some freeform creations for FreeForm International annual chal

lenge, and some scrumbling in the summertime, when I was dog sitting Jasper, my son's dog. I stayed in their home two weeks. That green scrumble was my achievement in freeform projects while staying at my son's home.

I am hoping to begin this new year with more of my own ideas and creations, however, if there

should be any gift projects, those usually are done from patterns that other people had designed.

If you are interested, here are some of my freeform scrumbles and projects

http://www.flickr.com/photos/9793630@N03/sets/72157601039327688/