15 Year Afghan - Finished!

I started this afghan about 15 years ago. It's actually the very first crochet project I ever started. That's 130 brown-eyed-susans/sunflowers crocheted over the years and finally assembled and border added. I still LOVE it. Much more now that it's done and not just hanging over my head!

My kids asked a lot "who is that for?" and, as always, this afghan is for ME. It's on laying on the couch now. Every memeber of the family has cuddled under it at one time or another! It makes me smile just to see it!

It's Finished!!!!

Remember when I started this one? (It was back in January - you can see progress pictures in January and February 2008.) Well, I'm finally declaring it truly done. I obviously had some problems counting stitches and it was starting to ruffle a bit. I didn't really see my pattern through to the end, but I may try it again someday in a more friendly yarn. :) I like the way it turned out, though!

Quick adoption update - the social worker visited for our home study update. She's hoping to have that report turned in so that they can hold a "best interests" meeting before the end of year. This is where a team of people look at our home study and David's file and decide if they think we are the best adoptive family for David. We are one more step closer!!

Craft update - I have material to make the canopies for the girls' doll beds. I have the beads to string on Gladys'. I just have to want to sit down and do it! Random crochet projects keep calling my name!

Masterwork: The Snowman Hat and Adoption Update

I think this is my masterwork to date. :) I made a winter hat for David that looks like... a snowman wearing a hat. He wore it on the walk to school on Monday and to and from Jazzercise and got tons of attention. It turned out really well!

Also, just a quick adoption update... we turned in physicals for T and I and for Z, H, and G. T and I were fingerprinted and already got clearance for that. Now the next steps are:

• social worker updates homestudy we used for H's adoption last year
• subsidy negotiation with the state
• social worker submits our adoption packet to the state
• the state approves the adoption
• a court date is set
• adoption in court

I'm guessing we'll be done by June. The stuff that's left isn't hard at all. It could probably be done in a week per step (except for scheduling the court date, that can take a couple months). However, everyone involved is very busy, so it wouldn't surprise me if it stretches out to June. I'll keep you posted.

The Bed Project

So, the girls are getting dolls for Christmas. G picked out a ridiculously expensive bed that she really, really liked from the catalog. (Just $119, plus shipping and handling.) Yikes.

It is cute, though. So I did a little research and found this beauty at Walmart.com:

And it was $29.99 with free shipping if I was willing to pick it up at my neighborhood Walmart. (I was!). So I got two, one for H and one for G. Knowing I was going to trick them out to suit the girls' tastes.

Here is a picture of one of the beds put together, without the provided bedding. I also left off the arch that goes on the on the top of the bed.

I went to the craft store today and bought some beads for G's bed. I chose blue, red, and green, since that will match the blanket my mom is making. H's doll blanket will be more in the pinks and pastels, so I think I'm going to use the canopy and draping they provided, but I've got some really cute pink and white ribbon I could glue gun onto the side of the bed, and I think I'll add additional sliding curtains for the sides of the bed. I'm looking forward to this project that will be worked during the day while the kids are at school. :) I'm also finishing up some crochet projects, too, as well as trying to work in some Webkinz crochet requests. G got a new eagle. And informed me that it's a boy. So that's kind of a challenge to my creativity. :)

Crochet for Webkinz!

I've had quite a break from crocheting, but got the urge a while back and have been doing small projects off and on, mostly webkinz clothes. I finally got some pictures taken and thought I'd share! They are featured below in the order they were created.

First up is a strappy green dress worn by G's Jewel. The skirt is nice and fluttery. I actually made the skirt a while ago - back when I crocheted for H's bigger white teddy bear. Jewel wore just a skirt (which was quite cute on it's own) until I finally attached the dress top that G requested. I think it may have been cuter just as a skirt, but it still turned out well.

Next up is this wonderful blue dress worn by H's Cupcake the panda bear.


The side view shows better how cute it is. I made it with some "Elf Eyelash" Hobby Lobby yarn and that was a nice challenge. (and no, I will not be making anymore items out of elf eyelash - though the white would make a nice trim on a santa hat) It *is* quite soft, though, and wonderfully set off by the two white stripes. I added them when I thought I was done, and they took it from a minidress to a ball gown and much improved it!

Z's koala, whose name I can't recall right now is wearing his fuzzy black sweater with skull emblem. The skull is the only thing I used a pattern for and it didn't turn out that well (maybe I should have acutally followed the pattern? eh.) Thankfully it's a big hit with Z and Claw. Oh! Claw! That's his name. Claw the koala. Hope I got the spelling right. Sorry Claw!

One more note on Claw's sweater - it has a matching fuzzy beanie/skull cap, but it doesn't stay on very well. I may have to put on a strap and change it into a helmet.

Here we have G's 2nd webkinz, Snowy, modeling her birthday dress. I really felt like I made quite a step forward as a designer, taking advantage of the plain-ness of the yarn to show off some intricate stitch work.

This back view shows off the halter tie nicely. It matches the bow detailing on the front of the dress and the nice hair bow as well. G picked out the yarn, which really is a good color for Snowy. The dress was a birthday present to G, and was very well received.

Here we have H's newly earned reward, Cuddly the manatee. I was immediately inspired by Cuddly's natural body shape to go with a mermaid cut gown. The yarn choice was a no-brainer, because if H likes this yarn (which she does) she may as well have it, since I can't imagine anyone else who would! Although, now that it's done, I feel like it would have worked up nicer in a solid colored yarn. The varigated coloring makes it hard to see the flower detail up near Cuddly's head.

While this photo doesn't show Cuddly's face very well, you can nicely see the mermaid shaping with a double ruffle at the bottom. The ruffled detail wonderfully sets off the shape, and also used up nearly all of this *ahem* wonderful yarn. I also like the way the yarn comes together up the front, in a nice inverted v, which adds some unexpected sophistication to the gown.

I'm not sure what's up next. My own elephant, Electrona is without any special occaison wear (or any other clothing for that matter - you know what they say, the cobbler's kids always go with shoes!) But Z also has a lizzard, and a bat, and a couple others, too. I think the bat may be next, as I'm intrigued to work up something boy-ish and able to work around his wings...

Crocheting for H's Bear

This weekend H was feeling sick. Cold/Asthma double attack that left her short of breath and feeling cuddly. (See previous post to know why we appreciate this!) I was tired of the chain reading I'd been doing, so I got out my crochet basket and worked on a baby blanket I'd started during D's last surgery. H asked if I could make a dress for her bear. That sounded infinitely more fun. Plus, she immediately spotted some yarn that I wasn't sure what in the world I would use it for. (Hand me down yarn, I love it!) Anyway, as you can see above, the dress worked up cute!

But then H started a landslide by asking "Can you make her some fancy pants?" (That's what we call shorts under dresses- we wouldn't want to be able to see the bear's bottom!). So I was able to whip those up (please note that I made a tail hole!) and that was followed quickly by some mary jane shoes and a fancy headband. H was so happy, and so was I! I love quick projects, and even more than that, I love projects that are appreciated!

Of course, G chimed in then, wanting a dress for her webkinz. She also picked some yarn I was wanting to use up - some bumpy bright green. That worked up really fast, because it's so thick. I only got the skirt made up - I need to dig through my closet and find the matching balls!

Update

I am SO proud of H! She had such a good day at school that her teacher sent home a certificate (and a mini bag of m&ms) saying that she had been calm, peaceful and focused all day! :) You can tell she was pretty proud, too!

Here's a picture of my blue afghan... However... My yarn went on sale, and I convinced T that I wanted yarn more than flowers. So for the cost of an arrangement of a dozen roses, I think I have enough yarn to finish the afghan. :) I'll let you know. Now I just have to remember what size hook I used!!!!

Finally, the biggest news. After much thought and prayer, we've decided to do more foster care. Or at least we'll discuss it with our foster care worker on Monday. Any kids we'll take would be 3 and under, but beyond that I don't know much. I know they have a high need for homes to take older kids, and lots of homes willing to take small ones. So, it may be that we will wait a long, long time for them to call. But we're not in a hurry. So we'll see what happens. It's been an exciting weekend, with T and I talking through what we need to get in order, and putting plans into place to get things fast when we need them. I'll keep you posted.

Oh, and one more thing... I'm taking G to kindergarten round up tomorrow! :) That should be a FUN time.

Finished Projects Photos

I saw a picture of an afghan that was rainbow colors, but where the yarn blended from one color to another. I had the idea of doing this with different types of yarn. When Hobby Lobby had a great yarn sale I picked up many different kinds of yarn for 99c/skein! This afghan is the result. Overall it's very soft and fun. To do it again, I would use all the same type of yarn, just in different colors. Some of my yarn was heavier (like hte yellow and blue) and totally overwhelmed the colors beside them. Also, you can't tell from this picture, but the edges are very uneven because of the different weights of yarn. It only makes sense that 60 stitches of a thinner yarn are not the same as 60 stitches of a heavier yarn... live and learn. However, I am lucky to have a 5 year old who loves rainbows and won't even notice the uneven edges. :) I think I'll tuck it into the closet and bring it out at a later date as a surprise.

Check out this poncho! I'm going to brag and tell you that I didn't even use a pattern! I just looked at a store-bought poncho in H's closet for size. It's hard to see from this picture, but it even has a hood! I'm very proud of this one. G seems to like it, too, though she told me this morning that it wasn't good for sleeping in with no shirt under it! :)

This is NOT the finished product. I thought I'd taken a final picture of it, but I guess not. This is the blue afghan back on Jan 26. Now that my photos are downloading I'll take a picture of the finished product and post it soon.

Now... next... hmm....

Quick Update

First of all - my camera is somehow NOT downloading pictures to my computer, so I can't show you the progress I've made on my blue afghan. Unfortunately, it's almost done. I say unfortunately, because I'm running out of the varigated yarn, and it's much too expensive (try $7/skein - don't worry, I got mine much cheaper on EBay!) to buy more. :( So, I'm going to have it be a lap afghan, and it *does* look cool. I have just a couple more rounds to go and I'll be done.

In the mean time, I've started up on my very first crochet project - an afghan made of sunflower squares - that I started... hmmm, maybe 10 years ago? Probably more than that. Mom, can you check the 10 year cross stitch project you have hanging up? I remember I started the afghan after I finished the cross stitch, so the date on the cross stitch will show when I started.... anyway, I've decided to finish it, and I'm a much faster crocheter now, and it's already half done. And I still REALLY like the pattern. So I'll post a picture of my work in progress when I get the camera issue figured out!

While you're waiting for my pictures, you can check this link out: http://whatnottocrochet.wordpress.com/2008/01/12/tampon-cozies/
I can't believe someone crochets something like this, but at the same time... hmmm, I wonder if I could do it??? Ha-ha! Back to my afghans!

Pictures of my projects

I finally finished the Valentine dresses for my nieces in Indiana. They turned out cuter than I pictured, and I'm very happy with them! Now I just have to box them and mail them!

T has been wearing a hat in the house in the evenings (why, yes, we do keep the heat turned down!) I decided I wanted to crochet him a hat. My first attempt was much too girly (I'm wearing it in this picture.) So I made another one for him. He's crouching down so you can't see the line up of chips and cereal on top of our pantry cupboard! :)

Here is a picture of my hat, mittens and scarf. When I was crocheting the mittens I proudly showed my first finished one to J, who asked "Is that a pot holder?" Ugh. Well, they are kind of big. But very warm!

And here is the baby blanket I've been crocheting to donate to a church auction. I think it's done. I'm going to leave it for a few days, and then look at it again to see if it needs some edging.

We made it!

Well, we're back from Wisconsin, and we made it just fine. Actually, it was much better than fine! The kids were extremely well behaved in the van and at my mom's. They had their typical high energy, but that was no surprise. I think we all had a great time! We went sledding almost every day we were there. We spent time with my sister and her kids as well as my grandparents. On our final day my parents had a birthday party for my grandma, with lots of extended family attending. I was worried it would be overwhelming, but it wasn't. It was actually very fun to see my kids playing with my cousins' kids, just like I'd played with my cousins. And now school is back in session and our wonderful routine! Hooray!

I did some crafting over break. I still need to take pictures of the mittens and scarf I made. I got some flannel from my sister. It used to be a changing table cover, so it is well washed and very soft. I cut it into some pajama pants for Z, who often feels left out because the girls seem to get more homemade crafts than him. I used a pair of pj pants that fit him to cut the new ones, and had them sewed up between the time I put G to bed and the time I put Z to bed. So he got to wear his new pants, but I didn't get a picture. He declared them "so soft I almost can't feel them!" and made my day. I'll get some pictures taken soon.

Right now I need to get going. Our school district has one day a month where they let the kids out of school a couple hours early so the teachers have grading/inservice time. It doesn't sound like a big deal, but it's a major routine-buster! :) Luckily, we have our neighbor boy visiting after school today, and that will bring us to an even number of kids!

What I am Good At

I have been crocheting a LOT lately. Lots of sewing, too. I was talking about my life with some friends and came to an important realization. The crocheting and sewing is an outlet for my creativity. When I had my hands full of kids, earlier in our fostering days, this same creativity served me well.

When H came home from the hospital she needed bandage changes on her burns. The best way to get the bandages off was to soak them in warm water in the bathtub. That was probably a good solution for anyone who hadn’t been scalded in a bathtub. Clearly another solution needed to be found. So I used my creativity and drug out all of our beach towels in November. I pushed aside the kitchen table and cleared all the chairs off the linoleum floor. I lined it with beach towels and brought out some newly washed toy bins. I filled them with lukewarm water and Z, G, H and I gave some dolls baths. Then we laughed and soaked our own feet in the water, even H.

I used my creativity multiple times when caring for other kids in our home. I have been uniquely gifted by God for the work He has for me to do. And I guess, when I’m not using it as a mom it comes out in crochet. :)

Still stitching!

I have almost all of my Christmas shopping and preparations done, and I'm enjoying a lot of down time. I'm spending it stitching, de-cluttering, and playing with my kids. It has been really fun. :) I want to share some of my stitching with you.

This is a skirt I put together with scraps of fabric from my Christmas dresses. When I got it done it didn't turn out as cute as I thought it would. In fact, I think it looks like Christmas threw up on a skirt. :) But G still likes it, so I guess it's ok. I traced the pattern from a skirt H has , and that, at least came out well. So I have options for the future, when I probably won't mix as many different patterns together!

My friend Napart exchanged some craft supplies with me and sent me the most fabulous yarn. The pictures here really don't do it justice. It's all different kinds of purples and blues, all different textures and types of yarn tied together in a chain. The bag on the right is crocheted with just the yarn alone. The one on the left is one strand of the cool yarn and one strand of worsted weight purple that matched. It made a sturdy tote, though (again) not as cute as I envisioned it! I sent both to Wisconsin in the hopes that someone in my family would love or use them!

I made this bag/purse for my grandma out of yarn that she picked out. They aren't colors I would have picked, but it actually turned out better than I expected.

Now below you'll see my latest obsession. It's called amigurumi. Which is Japanese for something like cute little crocheted animal. (No, that's not a literal translation, it's a functional one!) Anyway, below are some of the animals I've made.

This one went to a friend going through a rough time. I actually thought of her with each stitch and said prayers. I just wanted her to know I was thinking of her!

These two are even smaller than the blue bird. The purple one is G's and the pink is H's. They are so small they can be made in under an hour start to finish, and so cute that the girls actually let me work on them so I could get them done. :) Z really wants something, too. I'm working on a frog for him.


The bigger penguin is actually the first one I made, using a pattern. Then, once I understood the basics, I made up the rest of the birds. Finally I came back to make a baby penguin. I haven't decided who will get these. I really think the mom penguin needs another baby or two. We'll see. :)

Now I'm working on a very soft scarf for G. The first set I made she decided was too itchy. Ugh! So I donated it to charity in the hopes that a less sensitive, but still colorful child would love it. So now I'm doing a soft scarf she can use on our cold walks to drop Z & H off at school.

Then J told me that the other guys at the carwash he works at are all wearing "pretty fruity" scarves at work to keep warm, so he thinks he would be ok with it if I made him one. (In the past he told me not to, because he'd never wear one.) So a fruity scarf is on my to do list. :) And they have a Christmas tree at the kids school they want to cover with hats, mittens, and scarves, so I think I'm going to crochet up some fuzzy hats to send in.

Finally, an idea I'm working on to make a memory. T's parents are coming to visit next weekend so they'll be in town for his birthday. We will exchange Christmas gifts with them while they are here. They'll get in very late on Saturday night. Because the kids are in school, Sunday is really the only good time we'll have for a gift exchange. Unless.... T's mom and I decided that we think it might be fun to wake the kids up in the middle of the night when his parents arrive and do the gifts then. Something they would always remember. "Remember the time Grandpa and Grandma woke us up in the middle of the night to open presents????" So we'll see. T is often the more grounded parent in situations like this, so we'll see if I can talk him into it! I'll let you know!

I'm a Bag Lady!

After making some hats, I decided to try a bag. I messed up on the kind of yarn I bought, but I think it worked out very well! It's about twice as big as it was supposed to be, and it didn't have a handle before, so I made one up! And what's it for? (T asked) well, for carrying yarn, of course!

G is starting dance class in a couple weeks, and she needs to take ballet and tap shoes each week, so I crocheted a bag for her - just made up the pattern, using some fun yarn. Of course, then H wanted a bag. I made a purse for her, as she loves purses. I thought they both turned out really cute. :)
Now I'm working on a hat for J - Christmas present. But again having issues with the yarn. Why can't I just follow the pattern and buy what it asks for? (I suppose because they didn't have cool yarn in sportweight!) J insists that his hat be soft, but not fluffy in anyway, so I'm doing my best. It sure is hard to hold back from the fuzzy yarns, though! :)
In our church bulletin I saw that they were looking for crocheters to help make some hats and afghans to donate. I called and signed up. T is afraid I'm going to make him a briefcase or something and expect him to use it. :) I'm glad I can harness my crafting urges for good!

A Post for Helen

Helen, this one is for you! :) I've been reading your blogs, and set this one up a long time ago, but haven't gotten into the habit of posting regularly yet.

A few things have me thinking of you! I guess just because you are one of the most grounded women I know and admire, and also because of the textile art connection. So here are a few new things from me...

While we were visiting my family in Wisconsin, my 4 year old niece ("twin" to my G) was suddenly diagnosed with leukemia. My sister and the entire family are coping incredibly. It was hard to leave and continue on our vacation, and hard to be home, here, so far away from them. I also found myself struggling with a seed of bitterness toward God, having to do with the death of our daughter Ruth 6 years ago. With my niece's illness I found that bitterness blooming into an ugly flower. It took some time and prayer, and I kept thinking "I should write or call Helen!" and I kept praying for God to send me someone to counsel me. And in time I found my peace again. I think I'll keep that for another blog. I certainly need to write it down for myself, because I think it may be a recurring issue for me!

So where do textiles fit in??? Well, at home here and so far from my sister and niece, I struggled with a strong desire to DO something, anything, to help. A trip to see them is just out of the question right now, for various reasons. And as her hair started to thin it hit me - I could crochet a HAT! I went to Hobby Lobby and bought some super soft yarns, and looked up some patterns online. The first hat came together well, and a little modifying at the end gave it a good look. I'm afraid it may be a little small, but it is VERY soft, and it can be donated to the hospital (or to my nephew!) if it doesn't fit. I started the second hat with some very silky, slippery, hairy, yarn. I wanted to try to make a bucket hat out of it. It soon became the joke of the family as it looked more and more potholder/frisbee like with every row I added. One night I tried to pull it out in disgust, and the yarn is so hairy it knots on itself! Ugh! I couldn't even salvage the yarn. The next day I decided to try one more time and added some decreasing rows. It was a miraculous transformation. It's not a bucket hat; it's a hot pink, hairy, slinky, wig hat. :) I used the rest of the yarn to make a scarf/boa to match. My heart and spirits soared! It made my day to salvage and complete that project.

And my kids have been requesting hats of their own, so I bought some more yarns, trying different textures, and I'm having a LOT of fun. I just wanted to share with you.