How I help out CCE...

Yesterday I thought of many pathways to follow in my crochet travels. My friend, L.J., has also started a crochet blog -  With Hook in Hand - to share with "hookers" also.  And there are many more blogs out in the blog-sphere also. Of course, today I am hard-pressed to remember most of them. So I thought I would tell about one the the charities that makes my crochet hooks happy (and keeps me sane).

One of the charities for which I crochet is Charity Crochet Exchange. With member suggestions, the directors chose 8-10 charities per year to create afghans for.  The afghans require six inch or twelve inch squares be created by members. They are sent to one of the directors for assembly and then presented to the charity for sale or use.  There are 100 members signed up on facebook for this group. We all try to help contribute to the postage costs incurred by the assemblers. I have met some dear, sweet people who give to this charity.

The JANUARY project was a member appreciation afghan. For each project you participate in, you get one entry for this honor. If your name is chosen, you select the color scheme for your afghan; and the group members create it.  This year's member chose the colors pink and grey.  I made these squares for the project:

And they went into creating this:

In FEBRUARY, we made afghans for victims of Hurricane Sandy. We made tons of squares and were able to sent off four completed afghans.  I made the following squares for this project:

Any squares left over from one project (notice the pink and grey from member appreciation) are used in future projects.  Some of the members are super productive, as was evident in our March project for Gibbs Nursing Home in Missour.

TO BE CONTINUED....

Thanks for stopping by...

The Stitch Looks like a Waffle - to me

I don't fancy myself much of a writer. In fact, as I age, I find myself less capable (in my own eyes) of focusing on my thoughts. Continuing this blog is perhaps my best therapy.

In my crochet life, I have the most wonderful go-to pattern. I found it in a copy of either "Woman's Day" or "Good Housekeeping" from back in the 1980's.  Some friends, with whom I shared the original pattern, found it a bit confusing. So I wrote it in my own words. It is for a striped baby blanket, but I have also used it for making scarves.

For me it is a simple pattern, and it goes like this:

WAFFLE-LIKE STITCH BABY BLANKET (my version)  Corner-to-corner

In this pattern, INCREASES are done at the beginning and end of each row. In the first stitch, it is HDC, SC. In the last stitch, it is SC, HDC. 

Other than that, you will HDC in the SC from the previous row; and you will SC in the HDC from the previous row.  (working row starts on right)

(HDC/SC)   HDC   SC   HDC    SC              HDC   SC   HDC   SC   (SC/HDC)  << working row

   /|\              |          |         |          |                |          |         |         |         /|\

Hdc               sc      hdc     sc      hdc             sc       hdc     sc     hdc       sc        (prev. row)

It sounds complicated at first, but is really very easy once you catch the rhythm of the pattern (hdc, sc), hdc, sc, hdc, ….  (sc, hdc). 

Ch 2

Row 1:  in 1^st ch st:  hdc, sc, hdc; ch 1, turn – 3 sts

Row 2: in 1^st st (this will be a hdc from prev. row)  : hdc, sc (inc made);

            hdc in next (this will be in a sc st from prev. row);

            sc, hdc in last st (inc made) -             - - - -   5 st

Row 3:  in 1^st st (hdc, sc); hc; sc; hdc; (sc, hdc) in last st - - - - -  7st

Continue until the edge of the blanket is the desired length.

You should now realize that the st you SC in (from the prev. row) is not as deep as the st you HDC in.

The SC st is narrow; the HDC st goes into a st that is larger. Hard for me to describe, but should make sense by now.

DECREASING:   done at beg and end of each row; working row starts on right. 

 (SC TOG)    SC     HDC    SC       HDC        SC    HDC   SC    HDC    SC     (SC TOG)  << working row

    /     \           |          |          |            |            |         |         |          |          |        /      \                          

hdc    sc         hdc       sc      hdc         sc          hdc     sc      hdc      sc       hdc    sc     hdc      (prev. row)

So you will SC the first 2 sts tog at the beg and end of each row until you have 3 sts left. 

Then SC all 3 sts tog.  

I am loving my crochet life.  It makes me feel like I am really accomplishing something. 

Thanks for stopping by today. 

A Little Bragging About My Mom

When my mom's younger sister passed away(1994, I think), Mom inherited a Cedar Trunk full of craft stuff. One of the projects in it was a half-done afghan my Grandmother had started out of a beautiful crochet cotton. Mom thought long and hard about what to do with the squares and finally decided that she could make a few more and find some 12" pillows to cover. Then she gave the finished pillows to her sisters and nieces, my sister and me.

She was about 80 y.o. when she accomplished this. How I miss her!! She was an awesome person.

Current Happenings in the life of a Crochet-aholic

I am currently filling my life with charity work. I have found that keeping yarn and a crochet hook in my hands, keeps my hands out of the "cookie Jar". 

I crochet with a purpose - usually LOL.  So far I have been contributing to Project Linus (Sacramento); Handmade With Love Especially for You (a non-profit in Southern California that distributes comfort scarves and baby blankets to Women's Shelters); CCE (Charity Crochet Exchange) for whom I crochet afghan squares that go into making blankets for different charities - usually one a month.  CCE just finished a 2 month project providing 50 lapghans to a nursing home in Missouri.  I also make chemo caps and newborn hats for local hospitals.

So I am reinventing my blog to "brag" about what I am doing when I'm not here... or on Facebook.  I also want a place where my family and friend can see why I really am doing something creative while helping others. 

Now I must get ready for my Friday mornning Knitwits circle at the local library branch.  It's only take me 8 years to find a social outlet here...

Tuesday Thinkin'...

The garden is just over-flowing... ugh!!!  so sick of squash.... HOWEVER... the tomatoes are starting to produce :D

Thanks for stopping by... eventually, I need to write again. For now, cartoons, crochet and bingo will have to fill my voids.

Have a great Tuesday :D

just a-thinkin'

I'm still here... just a-thinkin' about what the next endeavor will be.

Plus... it's getting really hot again.

HOOKOPOTOMUS 2

I stopped crocheting for a while after the hat business died down.  During this time, I dug into my creative crafty muse to see if I could come up with something else original. I decided on a case for reading glasses with an elastic band that you could attach to a book. 

My hubby always “remarks”  about my obsession with bags (shoulder bags, overnight bags, shopping bags… you get the idea).  My first response was: at least it’s not shoes. My next response was to make these:

They have pockets on both sides: one for a cell phone, one (with a button) for whatever. My cell phone kept slipping out so I added a very small piece of velcro to the back of my phone.

The next project was a pillow.

As you can see, I still have to add the logo. Then hubby wants one for the San Francisco Giants – orange & black (maybe for Halloween… maybe Christmas). 

I also crochet 6”x 9” rectangles for HAP (Handmade Afghan Project to thank our wounded troops).
And I got involved in Share-A-Square. This involved crocheting 6” squares that made afghans for kids with cancer.

S-A-S has disbanded; and H.A.P. will disband next spring.

I got carried away with the afghan-thing last fall. After I made squares for S-A-S, I  designed and made this one:

And crocheted these two:

And… there is MORE to come in Hookopotomus 3

Thanks for stopping by.... :D

just saying...

One week ago today, Tuesday, July 10th, 2012, at this same time of day, the temp was around 85* and eventually the day's high temp was 103*.

It is 10:45 a.m. on Tuesday, July 17th, 2012. The temperature is 62*.

Garden Update

On Saturday we blanched and froze some zucchini and yellow summer squash. We also shredded and froze more zucchini. We picked cucumbers and our spaghetti squash is growing (my sister turned me onto to this squash the last time I was back East).  Once the tomatoes start to ripen, we will have to start canning; there are soooo many.  Since June 23, our garden has grown!!! 

June 23, 2012

July 15, 2012

Thanks for stopping by...



OUR National Anthem

The following is a partial reprint of an article I read on Yahoo Sports. Bryan Luke sang like a true amateur. And, although he was very apologetic, practice makes improvement. However, this just adds to a long list of MY complaints about the way the National Anthem is sung. I call most of these personalized renditions or our beloved “Star Spangled Banner” warbling. In my opinion, our National Anthem should be sung AS WRITTEN. If you can’t sing it without warbling, do NOT do me the favor of singing it! Can you even begin to imagine “God Save the Queen” or “O Canada” improvised in the manner many singers use on our glorious anthem.

LUKE BRYAN:  SORRY FOR ALL-STAR NATIONAL ANTHEM
By David Brown
Big League Stew – Wed, Jul 11, 2012 4:33 PM EDT

"The Star-Spangled Banner," it has been said, is one of the more difficult songs to perform well under any circumstance. When you add degrees of difficulty such as a big venue, an important event and a vast TV audience watching at home, it only compounds the challenge.

And, boy, country music star Luke Bryan was not up to it Tuesday night at Major League Baseball's All-Star game in Kansas City. Not only was Bryan's singing flat and uninspired, but cameras caught him checking his hand for lyrical reminders, along with his watch for the time, as he plodded along for two excruciating minutes.

Bryan's performance was so bad, he apologized by making a series of statements via Twitter on Wednesday:

• Morning everyone. I really wanna explain the national anthem performance from last night.
• I had a few keys words written down to insure myself that I wouldn't mess up. I just wanted to do my best. I promise it was from the heart.
• If I offended anyone with my approach I sincerely apologize. Anytime I sing the anthem it is an honor and my heart beats out of my chest.
• I did check my watch because I knew the stealth bomber would fly over 2 minutes in and I knew a started a little late.
• Being a part of the all star game was amazing and I look forward to the next time I can perform the anthem. Thanks y'all. Love ya

The next time. The next time? No way. In the name of Enrico Pallazzo, no more singing at baseball games for you, buddy. …
It was a three-person race to find who had the worst outing at Kauffman Stadium: Robinson Cano in the Home Run Derby on Monday, Justin Verlander in the first inning of the game, or Bryan just before the first pitch. Even professionals can have a bad day. At least we can assume Cano and Verlander came prepared. …

It's for the best — safer, more humane — if we just ban good ol' Luke from ever singing the anthem at a sporting event ever again. Even NASCAR. And let's be real, here: Hank Williams and Johnny Cash already are spinning in their graves over how bankrupt country music is. Guys like Luke Bryan can't even hold Merle Haggard's beer. ...

The upside: Someone ought to be able to write a pretty good country tune about how sorry Luke Bryan was at (and about) his woeful All-Star anthem.

Off my soap box now… just had to get this off my chest…
Thanks for stopping by…

Sonora... again, at this time of year :D

Most years, when Major League Baseball celebrates the middle of its season with the Homerun Derby and All Star Game, we travel 110 miles southeast to Sonora, California. Our friend, Ed (a.k.a. Mr. Moose), is also a baseball fanatic.  And, during the past few years I have managed to sway the hubby-person, into the fold of those who enjoy a good baseball game. This year was a good one :D  

Ed has been an ardent New York Yankee fan.  Lately he just enjoys seeing a good game and all the new talent making the way through the ranks of the major leagues; although he still wears the tiresome old NYY baseball cap.   

Hubby is a fan of the San Francisco Giants. 

There was a bit of a controversy over two of Giants’ players who were voted to participate (Pablo Sandoval and Melky Cabrera), and over the Giant pitcher who was chosen to start the game (Matt Cain).  No one was denying that both Matt Cain and catcher Buster Posey deserved their places on the team. Many fans and sports personalities felt that R.A. Dickey from the NY Mets should have been chosen to start the game.  Sure the SF Giants fans “stuffed” the ballot boxes… just like the NY Yankees fans did – and the Dodgers, and the Angels and the Mets.  

And, to quickly recap … Pablo Sandoval hit a triple with the bases loaded; Melky Cabrera hit a single and then a home run for two runs and was dubbed MVP. I saw no more controversy.  Their National League won the game 8-0, which means the National League has homefield advantage for the World Series.

And, as a final note, there was the fashion statement. Some of the players made with the shoes they chose to wear. One of those players being Melky Cabrera…

We had a great time in Sonora... good company and too much good food (including Ed's famous lobster tails)... We were going to stay longer but the heat was getting a bit oppressive for three people in a 600 square foot house. Hubby and I decided we should drive home in the middle of the night.

The past few days have been soooo hot that warm water comes out of the cold water tap.  It was 105* yesterday and the a/c has already come on this morning (9:15 a.m.).  I am so thankful for a/c... so, so thankful.

Thanks for stopping by...

and we have ... ZUCCHINI !!

This is the garden that hubby was able to plant this year. I labelled the plants but the labels are difficult to see. Around the outside of the circle, starting from the bottom left corner (not labelled and almost out of the shot) is a cantaloupe plant, yellow crook-neck squash, cucumbers, zucchini, and spaghetti squash. There are also green onions and carrots in there some place. In the center are Roma tomatoes, cherry tomatoes and yellow bell peppers.  And my whirly-gig watering thingy that doesn't work any longer. So it has become a decoration... or something shiny to frighten the birds away (yeah, right).

The garden is smack-dab in the middle of our back yard, because we believe the original owner of this property had an above-ground pool there. Hubby has owned this property since 1985.

I took the above pictures on June 23rd... one week ago today. 

Last night this is what we discovered: 

A six-inch zucchini with many more in the offing. Zucchini is the most devious and deceptive of vegetables. I bet there are more this morning and this one has grown to nine inches by now.  Zucchini for supper (fried in a bit of butter, garlic and onions).

A very tiny yellow crook-neck squash and several more starting to blosssom. Hubby said that he has noticed we have a lot of bees and butterflies in the garden.  Hooray for pollination!!

The Roma and cherry tomatoes are also starting to show signs of becoming ripe. We only have one of each plant; but last time I planted tomatoes, I had so many I had to learn how to can... LOL
**********************************************************************

As I mentioned, on Wednesday I had steriod injections in my lower back, to help calm my inflamed sciatic nerve. The procedure was not as horrible as I imagined it would be. I was home by 11 a.m.  I did end up sleeping most of that day. I am not having any negative affects from the injection and will say that the ol' back is feeling pretty darn good.  Have to watch my blood sugar level as I am told that the steroid will tend to make it elevated.

Thanks for stopping by... have a great weekend

just a thought...

Tomorrow morning I am having steroid injections to help calm my sciatic nerve (it feels more like nerveS, at times... maybe it is?). 
I just talked with the surgical nurse. She says I will have a twilight-type anesthesia. Who is she kidding? I will be out for most of the day. Well, I will wake up and pee for them... and take a drink.
Hubby isn't sure he will be in any shape to go with me. He is not at his best early in the morning.  Chris says he can drop me off on his way to work and then pick me up and take me home after. 

So I will leave you with this thought to get us all through the next few days... LOL

The Rose Bush

In April 2008, our neighbors went away for a few days. We entertained their dog -- a sheltie -- while they were gone. For doing them the favor, which we really enjoyed, they presented us this rose bush. The pink/yellow and sometimes red flowers are beautiful.  We planted it next to the step down from our lower deck.  Mr. R (my husband, Richard) used Miracle Gro when he planted it.

One year later, it looked like this.

two years later....

three years...

and today...

This fall we will cut it back (a lot) and transplant it to a spot in the yard where it can grow and grow some more.  It will keep our other rose bush and our geranium company along the back fence.

It will fun to watch it grow again. 

Thanks for stopping by.... have a great weekend :D





HOOKOPOTAMUS 1

Yes, that is me.  I have discovered how much I enjoy crocheting.  It used to be that I would only crochet in the cooler months, but now it’s pretty much a year round thing. And it used to be that I would knit and crochet -- the knitting needles are gathering dust.  Dave Barry puts it so very well:  There is a very fine line between a hobby and mental illness.

This latest craze of mine started when my granddaughter fell “in love” with Panda bears.  I searched for a pattern that I could either knit or crochet a hat for her and finally combined a couple of patterns to create this:

Then I added funfur yarn and it became this:



SPORTS FANS EVEN ASKED FOR HATS:

New England Patriots

Chicago Bears       

Jacksonville Jaguars

Green Bay Packers

Cincinnati Bengals

AND THEN THERE WERE … THE ANIMALS: 

There are many more, but I won't bore you with ALL of them (LOL). I am so proud of these creations.  They were one-of-a-kind… the pattern was basically in my head.  And suddenly, it seemed, everyone had a “specialty” hat.  All kinds were seen around.  So I looked elsewhere, for projects. 

Look for "HOOKOPOTAMUS 2" coming to this blog soon...

Thanks for stopping by *wink*