I Am So Depressed...

Why? Because my computer crashed on Saturday :(  I didn't realize  how much I used my computer until I didn't have it anymore.  I am writing this post on hubby's laptop, which I hate, because I am not used to this small keyboard and I much prefer my computer.

Thank goodness we bought the extended warranty, but who knows how long it will be until it gets fixed or replaced. I really  hope they can fix it, because I will just be sick if I can't get any of my pictures and files back. Guess this will teach me to back-up my computer on a regular basis, huh?

Other than that, all is well. We took Lulu to her first puppy class on Saturday and she did really well.   She can now walk on a short lease, sit, wait and is pretty good at sit/stay. The instructor is awesome (he wrote the training program for Petco!) and really knows his stuff, so I know Lulu will learn a lot the next six weeks.

Keep your fingers crossed that they get my computer back up and running!   :)

Pattern Correction and Stuff

If you read my post last Friday, I shared a link to a pattern called Quick Blocks Baby Afghan. I started and frogged the thing FOUR times before I called it quits and asked the author of the pattern for help.

Turns out it wasn't me (thank goodness, thought I was going crazy!) and there were errors in the pattern. If you printed out the original pattern, please go back and re-print it, as the corrections are there now and it works just fine! Here is a link to it:  Quick Blocks Baby Afghan

Hope everyone had a nice Valentine's Day. I made dinner for Mr. S. using a recipe Pammy Sue posted for Sesame Noodles (the one she got from Kate) and it was delicious. I made him a Spice Cake with homemade Cream Cheese Frosting for dessert. It turned out okay, but I think the frosting is a little too cream cheesey for my taste; next time I will add more powdered sugar. Mr. S. did not complain; he had two pieces!  He is taking me out for dinner tonight, since he had class last night.

It has been cold and windy the past two days, which means Lulu and I have been stuck in the house. She was not very happy with that, as she loves to go for walks. Thank goodness I woke up to no wind this morning and it is supposed to be in the low 60's today. Maybe I will take her over to the dog park today after running to the grocery store.

That's all for now.. bye  :)

I'm Honored!

Not one, but two people were kind enough to award me the Versatile Blogger Award!

I have added it to my sidebar. Thank you so much to Cheryl from Textile Design and Pattas from Hooks and Books for nominating me.

The rules are as follows:

1. Add the award to your blog.

2. Thank the blogger who gave it to you.

3. Mention 7 random things about yourself.

4. List the rules.

5. Award to 15 bloggers.

6. Inform each of those 15 by leaving a comment on their blog.
 
I'm gonna cheat and only do 1-4 ... I'm afraid we have a lot going on this weekend, so don't have much time to be on the computer. Here are my 7 random things about myself:
 
1.  My favorite color changes all the time. Right now I am loving pink!
 
2.  I was never creative when I was younger, and did not start crocheting until I was over 40.
 
3.  I have 3 sisters, 2 older and 1 younger.
 
4.  I love Mexican food, and could eat it every day of the week and never tire of it. Thank goodness I live in the Southwest, where good Mexican food abounds!
 
5.  I strongly believe that chocolate should be one of the 4 major food groups :)
 
6.  Hawaii is my favorite place to vacation.
 
7.  I love to go camping and fishing with my husband.
 
Thanks again ladies, I am honored!

Friday Finds and a Lulu Update

Hello everyone!

Thank you all for your lovely comments about the projects in my last post. My friend absolutely loved all the baby stuff I made her. I can't wait to see pictures of baby April lying on her blanket(s) or wearing one of her hats.

I found a couple of crochet patterns I want to try, so I thought I'd share them with you.  The first one is a baby blanket called Quick Blocks Baby Afghan. I found the free pattern here.   I got some Red Heart Soft Baby Steps yarn in Baby Blue while at Joanns the other day, as this will be for a boy. Here is what it (hopefully) will look like:

(Picture from Ambassador Crochet)

I love how it really does look like different blocks! I can't wait to get started on this one.

While perusing Pinterest, I came across this square, which I thought was so pretty:

It is a 12 inch square called the Yarn Clouds Square. I found the free pattern here but I think it can also be found on Ravelry.

I wanted to see what it looked like in color, and I was happy to come across this photo:

Isn't it gorgeous in color? I got this photo from a neat blog called A Granny a Day.  If you like Granny Squares, you simply must go check it out. As the name implies, she is making a Granny Square a day for 365 days!  She has links on her page to tons of patterns for squares too, in all different sizes.

The pattern uses two stitches I have never done before; Back Post Double Crochet and Back Post Single Crochet. I have decided I need to challenge myself and start learning some new stitches that I have previously shied away from.

Several of you have asked about our new puppy, Lulu.  I took her for her first grooming visit yesterday; doesn't she look pretty?

That bow lasted about 30 minutes, max!  She does not like bows in her hair, but happily wears sweaters. I took this picture this morning:

She always looks so sad in pictures, but I promise you she is not a sad dog. :)  We are still working on potty training - she is great when she is in her playpen area and uses her wee wee pads every time. However, when we take her out of there and have her with us, she wants to pee on any carpet, rug or pillow she can find! Yesterday she peed on a pillow and her wee wee pad was right next to her.  :(   So we still have a ways to go with potty training.

Someone asked about how she was doing with the cats, and the answer is, not good. Being a puppy, she barks at them and lunges at them, and they of course are not happy about that at all. We just figure that eventually they will all work it out. The cats have adjusted to her being here, and none of them seem upset about it anymore, so that is a good thing!

Other than that, she is doing really well. She has been to the local dog park a couple of times and seems to really like it. She is also great in the car, and loves going for car rides. We signed her up for a Basic Manners class, which starts on the 18th of this month and runs for 6 weeks. She will learn how to walk on a loose leash, and will learn several commands, including sit, down, etc. She already knows how to sit, so I am looking forward to her learning new things.

That's about it for now. Have a great weekend all!

Projects Galore

I've got lots of projects to share with you today. I have been busy working on crochet projects, as well as some sewn baby items.

I love to decorate our house for the different holidays, so I made this cheery heart garland:

The pattern can be found here. I've got some other Valentine crafts I want to make, just haven't started them yet.

For my great-nephew, I made this adorable little hat:

The pattern is called the Osito Infant Bear Hat and is free on Ravelry.

My sister-in-law wanted me to make her a hat and scarf. She went through my stash and picked out the yarn she wanted me to use. Here they are:

This is the same scarf pattern I used for the ivory one I posted about before - I just didn't work in the back loops, because I figured with this yarn it wouldn't really show up anyway. I also chained 185 to start it and it was a much more manageable length this time!

The hat is a basic cloche pattern I use a lot, and I put a clip on the back of the flower so she can wear it with our without it.

A friend of mine is due to give birth to baby April soon, and I already showed you the pink/green/white blanket I crocheted for her. I found a baby quilt pattern that I absolutely fell in love with and had to try. It came out so good, so this lucky baby is getting two handmade blankets!  The pattern is called the Heirloom Cut Chenille Baby Blanket and can be found here. Here is the front of the blanket:

The other side is what really makes this blanket special - it is 3 layers of flannel that are very carefully cut between the sewing lines. It gives it the look of chenille and is sooooo soft:

Here is a good close up shot:

The more the blanket is washed, the softer it will get. This was a very tedious, time-consuming blanket, but the end result was so worth it. I might be making more of these!

I also made baby April a hat and a onesie:

My sewing machine is now in the shop for cleaning and servicing, and I don't expect to get it back for at least a week. I will probably start another baby blanket - think maybe I will try that bobble blanket again, only this time I will make sure I have enough yarn!

Hope everyone has a very nice weekend.

Feels like Monday... and some Crochet!

Why has today felt like Monday all day to me? I think it's because Mr. S. was home yesterday for the MLK holiday, so yesterday felt like Sunday!  Ha ha, I am all screwed up, aren't I?  Oh well.

I finished the baby afghan I was working on. The pattern is the Sunshine Baby Blanket and can be found here.

This is the same blanket I posted about last Friday that people were having trouble with the pattern after Round 23. As it turned out, I didn't get very far past Round 23 when I realized I would run out of yarn long before the end (seems to be a problem for me lately!) so I had to "make it work" as Tim Gunn says.

I think I did about 26 rows and then did a row of SC. Then, borrowing from a border I had seen on Pammy Sue's blog, I did the final row as SC, Ch 3, 3 DC all in same stitch, skip 2 stitches, then repeat. I really like how it turned out, it gave it a feminine, lacy look. Here is an up-close picture:

Yay, another baby blanket finished. I have three more to make, and all of them are having boys. I'm not sure if those blankets will be quilted or crocheted, I haven't decided yet.

Speaking of Pammy Sue, I tried another of her recipes yesterday and, as usual, it was delicious. I made the Cafe Rio Shredded Brisket Tacos that she blogged about here. I did the substitutions that Pammy did (used olive oil instead of bacon grease and beef stock instead of chicken stock). Mr. S. said it was a definite keeper recipe. Thanks Pammy Sue  :)

Hope everyone has a great week.

Friday Stuff

I just realized a little while ago that it was Friday the 13th! Guess I better go buy a lottery ticket. I am not too superstitious about it, as many years ago I won $1,000 on a radio contest on a Friday the 13th, so it has meant good things for me!

Heard some sad news today. I read over on Sue's blog that Molly, the blog owner of Crocheting My Best With my Worsted, recently passed away. She was such a nice lady. She was one of the first people I met when I started blogging and she was always helpful and encouraging to me. She will be dearly missed. My thoughts and prayers go out to her husband and family.

I have a crochet question for you ... have any of you ever made the Sunshine Baby Blanket by Katherine Eng? The pattern is available for free on Ravelry, as well as the Red Heart website (Pattern Number WR1920). It is basically a big granny square with a pretty edging to it.


I noticed on Ravelry that some people had problems with the pattern. I am now on Round 23 (where some of them said their problems started) and don't want to continue unless I am doing it right... if there is anything I hate, it is frogging work I have already done! I added a question to the Ravelry page about it, but thought I would see if any of you have made it and if so, did you have any problems with it?  Thanks in advance for your help.

I am using this pattern because it looked like it would be a fast, easy blanket. I am having to make another baby blanket because I ran out of yarn for that gorgeous pink/green/white bobble blanket I was making for a friend of mine who is expecting soon.  Unfortunately they don't even make that yarn anymore (Red Heart Designer Sport), so I can't get more. I am so mad at myself... I should have known those bobbles would use up a lot of yarn. I could just kick myself!

Speaking of crochet, I finished this scarf:

It is HUGE... when I put it around my neck it reaches all the way to the floor! It was a really easy one to make. I don't remember where I got the pattern from, but it is simple; just Chain however long you want your scarf to be (I did 265, way too long!) and then in the first row HDC in the 3rd chain from the hook and in every chain across. Thereafter, just Chain 2, turn, and HDC in the back loop of each stitch across to make those lovely ridges. I used Caron Simply Soft in an Ivory color. My SIL wants me to make her one next.

Here is another picture of our newest baby, Lulu:

She is such a good dog. She has learned to use her wee wee pads, and we are teaching her the "sit" command and she has almost got it down! I had to take her for her first set of shots the other day and she did really well. I also gave her a bath, which she did not like at all, but I want her to get used to it, as I will be taking her to the groomers on a regular basis. One of our cats is not that thrilled about her, but the other 4 don't seem to mind her at all.

That's it for me for now... hope everyone has a lovely weekend.   :)