Well in this case it was the CHICKEN! Here it is, something totally for me. Something some of my knitting friends would stick their noses up in the air about, but dagnabbit it's cute and it's a chicken! It's from the Ultimate Book of Potholders and I crocheted it in Peaches N Creme self-striping cotton. It is really cute in person and I have already put it to use on cookies and garlic bread. It kind of goes against the grain to buy a whole book, not to mention the ULTIMATE book to get just 1 or 2 patterns but sometimes it's necessary...like when it's chickens...
I even admit I once decorated my entire kitchen in chickens, but I'm over that now, well sorta...
And now for the EGG, my DS Asa got into the College Newspaper! Per DS:
i thought i would let you know we competed in the red bull gravity challenge today, its where you take and egg put it in a cool looking device you made and drop it fifty feet. The thing is for it to land on target not break the egg and look good doing it. Well my team thought we were going to do poorly because we didnt start till 11 last night. But actually everyone at red bull, and the newspaper said ours was the best, and would win. we even tested it out last night. our design was a central ball of styrofoam with a hole cut in the middle. in the hole was a cup with a stick on it going out the bottom of the ball, then there were 3 cylinder legs going out at an angle like a tripod. we covered them half way down with duck tape, like inbetween each one so they were all connected. Then we had three wings attached to it, in between each leg. but high on the ball. the stick attached to the cup was a bit longer than the legs so when it hit the ground the cup would spring up. we spray painted the ball black and everything else red. then we attached red bull cans on all the legs. like a cover. then put red bull panels on the wings. it was awesome looking. Kind of like a russian space orb.
the guys on our team wore mustaches, and sunglasses. When i dropped it, it sailed smoothly down then a gust of wind sent it in the direction of the crane. it hit the crane and tumpled over. break the egg. but we still were the only team to get all the creativity points.
Here is a link to the paper and story. The article is at the top of page 3 and the big picture is of DS from the back. I have tried (and I mean REALLY tried) to get just the photo but evidently I am just not enough of a nerd to be able to do it. I know, I know, many of you thought I was, but I now have proof that I'm not. So there!
O'Colly article
As for my DD Cheyenne, she and my DSIL acually got tickets for one of the NINE concerts in Kansas City with Garth Brooks! I am SO jealous. She said it was the best concert ever! She even called me so I could hear when he came on stage, although again, technology wasn't quite up to that task either, but it was the thought that counts!
Garth went to OSU and lives in Claremore, OK where we lived until 2 years ago. My family has seen him around town and in Tulsa several times. Can't wait until he starts recording again. 
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Which Came 1st? The Chicken or the Egg??
Thursday, October 18, 2007
It's Sock -Tober - Fest!
Yes, I have defeated the 2nd Sock Syndrome! Here are my completed pair of socks from the 1st month of Yarntopia's Sock Club. They are in a Hill Country Yarn called Blueberry Wine. These are my 1st completed pair in a sock weight yarn. I picked this color because it had Red and Blue (& Santa said that was important). 
They are a Christmas gift....shhhh.....don't tell. My DH is modeling them (just so you know those are not MY hairy legs, although some days...never mind!). They are a Fiber Trends pattern called Railroad Rib. I started the 2nd one on Saturday and finished on Tuesday. Not bad. I made these top-down in Magic-Loop on Addi size 2 since I needed to make a larger size. This pattern is very stretchy and many of the others I saw finished (that were not ankle socks like mine) were slouchy socks, so this would be a good pattern for those who have big calves (you know who you are...).
I wanted to include some new travel photos as well. These are from Baltimore's Inner Harbor. Since I am basically a Land-lubber, this was an awesome place to visit. I went there last winter so it was cold when I took these photos and there were STILL people willing to go out rowing! Don't they realize that is the perfect time to stay indoors and knit or crochet??? 
I had a wonderful Crabcake dinner with a friend of my husband and mine from high school, Alan and his wife Carrie. So a shout out to them!
This last picture is of our future yacht (or so I informed my DH)! I wish! 
Sunday, October 14, 2007
Fall Fever
Towards the end of September and the first of October I really start getting Fall Fever. I decorate the house and the yard with Punkins, gourds, and other festive things. I recently heard someone mention that in certain parts of the country we can't say "pumpkins" correctly, guilty as charged! I LOVE to say "punkins". In fact, I even buy punkin candy and candy corn. But just one bag of each, otherwise I would make myself sick on them. My DH doesn't eat them at all.
These are some photos of a counted cross-stitch project that I actually made for myself in 1992! It has different seasonal decorations that velcro to the front door. Too Cute! 
I do buy him mini-candy bars - which I bought WAY TOO EARLY this year, cause I think I have eaten ALL the Reece's Cups. Can you say - DIET - a four-letter word that just makes you have to wash your mouth out with Chocolate!!
I have been working on a Christmas present that I will post about next time, but in the interest of "Short Attention Span" projects, I made a couple of quick Christmas gifts for an Uncle and Aunt. They are an interpretation of the "Pidge" scarf-lets that so many people have been blogging about. I would like to say that if you can make a quality product and market it well and get $275 for a cashmere scarf - well you go girl! This is America, free-enterprise, and all that. Go into Saks or some other high-end shop at the Galleria and I guarantee you can find a $275 scarf. Anyway, here are a couple of crocheted versions. I am planning to try a knitted version maybe in a worsted weight.
The first one is out of Pattons Shetland Chunky Tweed in Earthy Brown. What a great yarn and color. I put on 2 wooden buttons I got at Hobby Lobby and it is a very manly and warm gift. The 2nd one is made with Rowan's Romance in a delicate lavendar color. It has a silver thread that runs through it as well. It took just over 1 skein so you could definately make 2 with 3 skeins. I added pewter buttons I bought in Colonial Williamsburg for a dressy feminine look. This yarn is almost or maybe is a "6" so it is a little firm in the crocheted version. I used a pattern called Could it Be Any Easier? Neck Cozy. I did use a K hook throughout but otherwise followed the pattern. 
Friday, October 05, 2007
Benign! A Wonderful Word...
Well, after scaring the pants off me, I went for a follow-up sonogram from my mammogram. No, IT IS NOT ENOUGH just to squash the heck out of you during a mammogram. You must follow that up with a call out of the blue the next week, saying that they have found lumps in BOTH breasts and want to schedule a sonogram AS SOON AS POSSIBLE when a DOCTOR CAN BE PRESENT TO TALK WITH ME!! Ok, are we scary enough or what?! SOOO, my dh is out of town and I call and bawl my eyes out, mumble scary phrases, etc. and basically act like a big baby.
I can do this, my mom is 16 years cancer-free from pre-menapausal breast cancer and I CAN DO THIS! (my personal pep-talk goes...)
Anyway, I go to the women's center where the breast center is named after a lovely-woman-I'm-sure named Bobbette. Well, if that doesn't get you screaming with laughter, what will...They messed up EVERY SINGLE PIECE of info about me, except how old I am (insult to injury!) so I did NOT get my results in the mail, my doctor did NOT get my results either, isn't ignorance bliss? My DH went with me and snacked on graham crackers (they provide these in the waiting room, it't that weird?) while I put on a warm robe and go in for my sonogram.
They try and make it as comforable as possible but when they warmed the gel for the sonogram -- well, let's just say hot candle wax would have been cooler... So, I do indeed have TONS of lumps (ok, ok 20 - 30 lumps). The Dr. comes in, does the whole sonogram thing again (at least there is no smashing!) and HE tells me I have CYST FARMS! I have so many. Great. I can't grow my nails but I CAN grow Cysts in my breasts.
I should give a disclaimer here, I have known I have fibro-cystic lumps in my breasts since I was about 20 but it appears they have been mating. They were found in a yearly exam in college. Lucky me... So the GREAT NEWS is they are BENIGN!
Yeah!! But then I get a little bummed. If I have so many lumps in my breasts - well then my breasts are really smaller that they appear.
How depressing is that to a 40-something gal... But then, I have an epiphany! I do not have fibro-cystic lumps in my breasts - I have ORGANIC BREAST IMPLANTS!!! See, there is a silver-lining...
But on to things fiber... Here is a cool scarf/headband/hat called Calorimetry. I made it with a beautiful Koigu DK merino wool. I made it some time ago to learn how to make short-rows, it is a great 1st project for that. I, however, just sewed the ends in and added the button so I could wear it. Just in time for fall. PS - the colors in the pictures are a bit weird. The close-up from the front is the most reflective of the yarn color. Neither is reflective of my hair color - especially now that I have had my appointment with my hairdresser to have my hair - shall we say chemically enhanced... lol
