Super Bowl Sunday

Super Bowl vs. Knitty Gritty - what's a girl to do?? O.k., I'll commit to the squares, but they can't expect me to miss the Super Bowl AND Prince at halftime(lol)!! Looks like a job for Tivo......


DIY Network is playing the field on Super Sunday with its first ever Knit In by encouraging needle arts enthusiasts to knit and crochet for charity. On Sunday, Feb. 4, when football fans are glued to the tube, DIY is challenging all knitsters and crocheters to pick up their sticks and grab some yarn to help kick off the network's commitment to create shawls and blankets for the less fortunate. DIY is partnering with Warm Up America!, a charitable organization dedicated to the creation of handmade blankets, clothing and accessories to help those in need. The 7"x9" squares knit and donated by DIY viewers will be sewn together into blankets, and distributed to women's shelters, nursing homes and daycare centers. For more information on how to participate in DIY's year-long initiative, including a pattern for the square, log on to www.DIYnetwork.com/knit.

Arghhhh!!!

After a couple weeks of stitching, I am really not liking "The Baptism". The model on the chart looks so great but I was suspicious of many of the colors when I picked them out. Sure nuff, why are there green stitches for hair & grey stitches in the skin tones? In my opinion it throws off the design. I am so frustrated!! It will be a major effort to start over after substituting all the weird colors. I'm certainly not up to that right now, so it goes to the UFO pile. I've pulled out the Yoruban Women kit as my next project.

On a much better note, I'm proud to announce that after 4 years on WeightWatchers, I reached my goal weight on Tuesday. I've gone from being an overweight (40+ lbs), fast-food-eating couch potato with high blood pressure to a marathon-walking, soon-to-be-50, fit vegetarian (lol). Biggest lesson has been that it's truly a lifestyle change & not a diet so I look forward to the next 6 weeks of maintenance to officially become a Lifetime member. Oops, forgot to mention how my stitching has helped. Its really hard to snack when you have needle, scissors, crochet hook or knitting needles in your hand. Speaking of which - I'm calling this the "Plain Jane" Super Bowl afghan. No real design or color pallette means I can pay close attention to the game while getting rid of some stash..........

Rewind

One of my favorite projects last year was the Better Homes & Garden's linen heart alphabet. It was my first linen finish and given to my best-sistah-friend for Christmas. I realized over the weekend how I missed seeing it in my finished pile so I began one for my house. Although it was awesome on linen, I decided a pillow worked best for me and I chose Valentine reds as a reminder that it will be done by then. Also stitched a bit on "Baptism". Loving the creme linen background that I chose. It's really making the picture pop.

Always on the lookout for unique frames for my stitching and from time to time Dollar Tree gets some really cool stuff. When I saw this one, the colors from "Skip Rope" came to mind. I now have the perfect excuse to finish another one. Getting into a crazy cycle of liking my finished pieces so much I wanna do them again. Unfortunately that's not helping me work through all these charts I've accumulated.

Retirement just can't come fast enough. Hope you all enjoyed a peaceful and quiet Martin Luther King Day.

Finished Skip Rope

Here's the finished "Skip Rope" from Cross My Heart design's Shoo Fly Pie booklet. I finished her on a Charles Craft Showcase Huck Towel. Very cute........ she's only 40 stitches wide by 70 stitches high so she fit perfectly.

Pampering Knits

I love all my mom's sisters (she has 9 & 1 brother) but I have a special bond with my Aunt E. Not only do we share a middle name, but since my mom has no skill with needlework, I like to think my skills were somehow inherited from my aunt. She is a master knitter, quilter, and crocheter who's creations I have admired since I was a little girl. We can be found in a corner at family gatherings talking about our latest projects or sighing over patterns in a craft magazine. Today I received this special package from her. It is a gorgeous cotton chenille washcloth that she made from a Crystal Palace Yarn pattern. And because she knows me so well she included the pattern & a skein of Crystal Palace's Cotton Chenille in "Spring Picnic". I cannot tell you how soft this washcloth is. Aunt E says the more you use it, the softer it gets. Can't wait to pamper myself and spread the joy by making a few of these as gifts for friends & family.

I got a little stitching done on "Baptism" over the weekend. Just as I guessed, there are lots of "confetti" stitches, so it'll probably be a while until I have a decent progress pic. Still believe it'll be on of my better projects cause it appears to be so detailed. Just hope my crafting ADD doesn't take over & I can stick with it. Definitely don't need another UFO.