A crafty type of post......warning - horror pics

First off Kudos to Kelly for knowing where my title from yesterdays post was coming from! I love that album of Pink and sing Leave Me Alone (I'm lonely) to my BF all the time.......I don't think hes realised yet exactly what I'm singing LOL

Second, onto my frightening discoveries and a little bit of self awarenes......

I've been trying to organize and clean my apartment up a little bit, especially my crafty type goodies. Well, this is what I have found & need to say.

"Hello, my name is Kimberly. I love to crochet and knit and collect yarn. Hello, my name is Kimberly and I almost have more WIPs than I do shoes"

My Mom is gasping in horror right now since she KNOWS how many pairs of shoes I have ... or at least she knew how many I had the last time she visited and also those she helped packed that I did not bring with me to Europe.

Here is a snap of the WIPs that I found while cleaning.....there are a few missing, including the second photo of the blanket I'm working on for my neice.....


Realistically I can probably frog a good portion of these as many of them I have no interest in finishing, some I have no clue what pattern / hook I was using and some I won't have enough yarn to finish (idiot me who goes gung ho on a project only to go uh oh)

Aside from the WIPs I also found a plethora of partially used, almost finished skeins from past projects that I have to figure out what I am going to do with them:

And last but not least, the doily that I finished for a swap partner. It in no way compares to what she sent to me, but it is the best that I can do and I put a lot of time and effort into it.....I hope she likes it!


Many thanks to all of you for the good wishes yesterday. Its been a hard week here for me with my almost buying a plane ticket to go home at one point.....it was on my screen waiting for me to hit the Okay button I was that close to ordering! No, it was not for good that I was buying but for a quick several day trip.

I'm not dead just floating

And not even belly up! Well, some days I fear its getting close to me rolling over and giving up yet I still keep floating in my little pool of cubical fishies trying to avoid getting gobbled up by the big bad shark. Blub blub blub

Just wanted to check in - lots going on and nothing I can verbalise really. I finally think its all getting to me, but I keep looking at my calendar and I know that I get to see my family in 24 days and counting. I need some eskimo kissin and sand castle squishin to cheer me up and get me through the next few months.

Change is coming, I just don't know when, where or what yet. Unless something major changed with my current job I know that I can not stay in this position no matter how much I like it and the people I work with - my sanity would be in even more in question and walking on an even thinner line towards a breakdown than I currently am.

I have to go to the post office tomorrow. I have several packages that HAVE to get mailed out to the US. I hope those that are getting them forgive the tardiness.

Crafty type updates coming soon......I've been sorting my craft area (note, its no longer a shelf, or a corner, but an area) and have made some frightening discoveries!

Lack of a title, too much on my mind

I am sure to develop an ulcer from stress and worry.

I just found out that one of my best friends, Paul, has been sent to Iraq with his doggie Ben (hes a K-9 MP) So I am now going to have the stress of worrying about him non-stop. How do people handle it? I've known for all of 5 minutes and already my mind is starting to freak out. Please keep him and Ben in your thoughts!

My list of to-dos is growing longer and longer - I will never finish any of them it feels like!

I have a swap obligation that needs to be finished and I already know that whatever I make is going to be lacking (in my own mind). My swap partner mailed hers out to me the very first day as she was going on vacation......I have no idea how I am going to compare with the wondrous and amazing items that she sent to me! I'm the little Toyota trying to blend in with the Mercedes and Porsche's! I'll post pictures when I have the time!

I received my invite for Ravelry - now to take pictures of my stash, organize my projects and patterns, remember my flickr name and password......

I am in the process of booking my flight back to the US for vacation, I need to decide which airline I want to take. The cheapest is Northwest via Detroit, but I have never flown them internationally before (after my experience with Lufthansa I don't want to try another unknown airline I'm thinking). My other option right now looks to be American. Will make a decision soon.

I think that is it. I am still behind on blog reading and commenting, but I'm slowly getting back to it. I'll catch up one day soon....just in time for my week in Zurich and then 2 weeks in the US!

One, two, three...NOT IT!!!

Crap, not fast enough. I'm it as shown by Yasmin AND Kathy

Here goes:

THE RULES:
Each person tagged gives seven random facts about themselves along with the rules of the game, as well as tagging seven others by listing their names as part of the blog post and leaving a blog comment for the tagged individuals to let them know that they've been tagged.

Well I've already done the Sevens Meme so now to think of some new things....

1. I've gone out on a date with a guy from every continent except South America (then again, some people consider South and North America to be one continent so if you're in that group, consider that I've gone out on a date with a guy from every continent)

2. I'm a pack rat and like to save everything...I occasionally do a complete dump but the lack of clutter does not last!

3. I hate washing dishes

4. I love to procrastinate

5. I would love to go to law school

6. I'm a huge family person and can not go more than a few days without talking to at least one member of my family

7. I love travelling - planes, tranes, automobiles....heck, I'd travel by unicycle if it was my only option! I'd never be happy staying in one place for the rest of my life.

Now who to tag: Vik, Kelly, Jenny, Kayt, Marvie, Jessica, and YOU, yeah, YOU!

I'm back!!!!!!!!

I am back from Shanghai and China. All in all a VERY interesting trip including a lovely bout of food poisioning which I am STILL not over fully.

Work is keeping my hopping, so hopefully I'll get some time to fill you all in on my trip, but in the mean time, here are a few pictures:

Myself and my friend Zori at the Gardens in Su Zhou

Visiting the Great Wall (not the best - the food poisioning was in full swing)

At Yu Gardens - TeaHouse behind me.

YARN!!!! A shop in Beijing - I did not buy any as I had already hit my maximum for luggage capacity, but a really nice selection!

Strange taste anyone? I was constantly looking for Chinglish

Hello from Shanghai!!!!!!!!!

Hi! China is wonderful! I am having so much fun here!

We found two places today to buy wool - only bought 2 balls of sock wool, but I did buy a set of sock needles, a few hooks and a few circular needles for a few dollars - very happy!

We spent the past 2 days in Sanya - a resort beach town on a Southern Island - it was gorgeous! I can not wait to get home and get my pictures downloaded! I'll try to snap some with my mobile phone so perhaps I can show before I get back to Belgium!

Sight-seeing more in SHanghai tomorrow and then on the weekend off to Beijing.

Talk to you soon!

All packed and ready to go!

My bags are packed and I'm heading out the door!

But before I go, here is my most recent project....at this stage it was 1 row from being finished, it is now finished but no time to take a picture:

I'm bringing my camera, so be ready for lots of pictures when I get back!!!!!

*hugs*

Two days and counting!!!

I can not wait!

My trip to China commences in 2 days! Woo hoo!

I am soooooo looking forward to it, although my company is not since I am refusing to take my PC with me!

Heres what I heard on the phone today......"What??? You're going on vacation? You'll be checking e-mails right? What?????? You're not taking your PC????? But what if I need something?" Argh! Its technically only 5 working business days that I am gone.....can they not survive without me? There are 40,000+ other employees....one of them HAS to be able to help!

My thanks again to Deneen for her help in trying to track down yarn source! Thanks!!!!!!!

I will wait and pack on Thursday - I figure if its critical I'll remember to pack it, if not I can always buy it there. As long as I take my camera, contact case, glasses & pills I'll be just fine and dandy. I do this every time I go on vacation and so far I've never forgotten anything major!

Okay, I am off for home and hopefully will finish the baby afghan I started this weekend - its not that big but its turning out really cute! It is for a CAL that I am doing on using multiple stands of yarn....kinda like the painted doilies concept but only using 2 strands and using worster weight and a large hook.

Will write again before I go!

My future job.....

Ever want to drive a really nice car around?

Go to Munich Germany and apply to be an Airport Taxi Cab driver. They drive nicer cars than me!

I drive an Audi A4 which in itself is already a really nice car (thankfully its a company car and I did not have to buy it myself).....the taxis I saw yesterday during my business trip to Munich were Audi A6s, Mercedes, BMW 500 series.....

I want to be a Taxi Cab driver in Munich......it must pay really well!

Happy Mamas Day!

To all of the Mothers out there, I wish you all a Happy Mothers Day!

And to my own wonderful mother.....


I thank you from the bottom of my heart for everything that you have done for me over the past 28+ years. The wisdom and knowledge you have shared. The love that you have showered on me is returned ten fold.

Thank you Mama!

Keep on hooking!

When I opened my mail yesterday, I saw these in my box:



What can they be you ask?

Why only MY brand-spankin new Egg-handled one of a kind Jimbo hook, and the Travelling Hook from DoD!



I started in on my DoD hook project last night - ooh boy does that hook work nicely! I can not wait to see how my Egg Hook works for me....but I told myself "no-no" to touching it until I have the DoD project done and the hook on its way to Stacey who has been waiting just as (im)patiently as I have been!

No worries Stacey - it will be on its way this weekend!

Choo Choo.....All Aboard!

Here it is....the completion of my oldest outstanding WIP (even older than Chloe!)


"Hee hee hee....they let me drive" Pooh exclaims



"Chugga chugga Pooh....where are we g-g-go-ing?" asks Piglet



Oh boy, oh boy oh boy! Ooh Ooh Oooohhh! Tiggers LOVE Choo Choo trains!



Oh bother, they put me in backwards. Thats okay, its only me, Eeyore.



This will be going to my littlest niece for her birthday in July.

WIP Wednesday.....I've got Fo's!

To update my extremely long WIP list:

Daisy Square * Finished
Triangle Potholder * Finished
Kitty Purse * Finished
Crazy Stitch Potholder ** Finished
Cross Stitch Wall Hanging ** Finished

Peach Doily ** 17 of 26 Rounds
Monkey (1 of 2) ** Only the legs and tail to go
Dragons (1 of 4) ** head & body done
^Dishcloth * 1/4th completed
^CPK Outfit ** Shoes & Pants done

Hat *** No updates
Baby Slippers * No updates
Doll Sweater *** No updates

* = small time required ** = moderate time required *** = large time required ^ = New project

Yeah, I started 2 new projects.....but I finished FIVE, count them - FIVE!! Of my WIPs. I am so excited to actually see some things getting finished!

Okay, okay, here come the pictures and details:

First up, my Charity Daisy Square:

Next, the Dishcloth with 26 ends to weave....the missing round would have made this into a square instead of having the zig-zag edging which I think is kinda cool. I am thinking on this pattern that there HAS to be a way to do this in a square (6 ends to weave) instead of triangular wedges (24-26 ends).....next up is to figure out how! The pattern was in a book I have...I'll try to post the book later.


Based on her input, a Kitty purse for my niece who insisted that it have a pink bow and a red handle.


My most recent Crazy Cloth Dishcloths, and where I have them hanging in my kitchen...now added to the hooks are the ones that I received from Mimi as well!


Thats it for the pictures for right now....I still need to get the pics of the Cross Stitch sampler (which still needs to be washed and framed, but that will happen in July when I'm in the US) which I'll try to post later today or tomorrow as well as pictures of what was in my mailbox today!

Where did the weekend go?

Here it is Sunday night.....errr Monday morning...and I swear I missed both Sat and the whole day on Sunday. It is crazy how fast they seem to fly by.

Purse update: It is still there in the shop...its been moved out of the window, but no one has bought it yet....I'll keep checking back and once I see its gone (perhaps I should say IF I see it gone) I will let you know.

I have been working on the crafty front. I finished a dishcloth, well almost. The pattern included a border that I did not like so I kept it off.....plus since I had already weaved in 26 ends, I could stand the thought of weaving in another 2.

I really think that weaving in the ends is one reason why it takes me so long to finish all of my WIPs.....I'd just as soon leave a project 90% done just so I don't have to tie in the ends when I am finished.

The weekend has seen significant progress on a long outstanding WIP of mine...I think that I've been working on it for at least 3 years, and no, its not crocheted or knitted since I've only been doing those for 2 and 1 years respectively. I should finish it up in the next few days so pictures will be coming soon!

I've also finished my Daisy Charity square to send to Krystal. Take a look at her blog for the pattern details. She will gladly send you a copy of the pattern, the only stipulation is that you send her one finished square in return.

Have a great week everyone....pictures will be coming soon!

And the price is.........

The USD cost of that....ummm...lovely purse is: $439

Which means our winner is Ikkinlala with a bid of $450.....nope, this is not the Price is Right, so even an overbid counts as it was the closest. The Euro cost is €323 which my BF choked on when I told him the cost. I still can not believe the cost - the materials are cheap, the look is tacky / gaudy, the handles are rosey pink leather (which do not come close to matching anything else on the purse) and the inside is a cheap cotton. I guess they took into consideration the amount of time needed to tie on all of those thingies.

Ikkinlala - I've sent you an e-mail asking for your information!

Thank you to everyone that played! I'll have to keep an eye out for some crochet items here in Belgium and do this again - it was fun to see everyones "bids"

A wee little contest.....

Do you remember this purse:


I went into the shop today while waiting for the bf to finish smoking his cigarette when we arrived at the apartment building.

Upon a closer look, the purse is merely a lattice frame with the thingies placed all over them. The handle is a belt type handle, and the interior is lined with cheap cotton.

The price?

Let the guessing start....just remember that this is the same shop that sells simple acrylic garter knit scarves for $75 and beaded flip-flops for $150......

I will run a little contest to see who can guess the closest to the price in USD with my converting at todays spot rate of 1.36 (ie. 1€ is worth $1.36)

The winner will receive a gifty of my choice....perhaps a gift certificate, some yarn, chocolate, I really don't know at this point in time!

This contest will end on May Day....the First of May

Lookie what I got!!!

Here are the pictures of the kitchen swap goodies that I received from Mimi....Are they not wonderful??







A wonderful Crazy Cloth (it is perfect Mimi!), a Tunisian Dish Cloth (great work- congratulations on your first attempt at Tunisian!!) Two lovely coasters (I love the edging on them....how did you do it?), some Anchor and Cannon cotton (check out Mimi's web site if you would like to order some!), a cute magnent, veggies and a little french package with flowers inside.

Mimi - thank you once again so very much - I have enjoyed swapping with you! I hope that you like what I have sent in my package to you! *hugs*

FRIDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thats right folks. Its Friday lets hear a "Hip hip hoo-rah" from the peanut gallery!

Today is starting off excellent!

Not only is it once again around 70, sunny and blue skies, but I received my Swap Package from Mimi!!!

I am thrilled to pieces with what she sent me! I can not wait to show it all off to you, but I need to get home so I can arrange and properly photograph everything! it is all going to go to great use and I am amazed at the talent that Mimi has - thank you so very much for your generosity and kindness Mimi!

Pictures to come.....

This Friday is also my last day of work for, get this, FOUR whole days! I actually get to take the public holiday off for a change! I'm not sure yet what I am going to accomplish for the weekend, for taking a look at my WIP listing on my sidebar, I sure as heck had better finish a few things!

Okay, I need to get to work and get a few things done today so I can leave for my 4 day break with a clear conscience - I hate having things left unfinished!

Mimi - Thank you again! I will be getting your package out Priority Air-Mail to you tomorrow! I hope that you will be pleased with what I am sending.

Destination.......Shanghai!

I think I left you all hanging on where my big vacation is.....Sorry!

I am going to China for 10 days to visit my friend Zori! She has moved there for 6 months to work. I am so very excited! We are talking about possibly going to Beijing and Tokyo Japan as well......exciting times.

Anyone know of yarn shops in any of these locations? =) I'm going to try to take very little with me - its only for 10 days, so hopefully I can have room to buy souvenirs.

Here is a conversation I had with my 6 year old nephew Andrew.

Me: Guess where I'm going on vacation!
A: I don't know.
Me: I'm going to China!
A: CHINA!!!!!!!!
Me: Yup
A: That is sooooooo cool Aunt Kim
Me: Ummm...why is that cool?
A: Because they have lots of toys in China! You can bring me some when you come to visit in the summer.

lol - how he equated China right away with all of the toys that are made in China, i don't know, but connect the dots he did!

The dragon and the kitty purse were big hits with my co-workers children. ALthough the girl said right away "I want a green one too" lol I guess thats yet another Dragon on my to-do list of things to make.....I think I have 5 now to make - 2 green, 1 orange, 1 pink and 1 "Pink with a Red tail"

Meow.....meow......

For the past 2 weeks I've been watching my friend Lauras cat. He is a crazy guy....when they came to pick him up for the first time in two weeks he decided to hide.....First behind my closet doors, and when he was found out, he hid under the couch. When my friend's husband pulled him out, the cat dug his claws into the floor in a futile attempt to stay under the couch and in my apartment - it was too cute.

Anywho in honor of the Cat, I decided to find a cat pattern to make. Here is what I found to make: http://naidascrochet.tripod.com/patterns/hellokitty.html

And my finished project:


It worked up very quickly (about an hour, excluding the face details). Instead of using felt for the eyes and nose (no clue where I would buy it!), I used yarn as well and embroidered them on.

This is going to one of my co-workers little girl, Elise, as her twin brother has come down with viral meningitis - not good! They are 3 years old, and its hard for her to understand why her partner in crime is not able to play with her. For her brother, I am giving him my nephew's Charzon Dragon - I'll make my nephew a new one before I go to visit in July. They say that it is going to take Roman 6-8 weeks to recover...poor little guy!

I am off to take the bf to work. We went to my favorite Lebanese restaurant to eat dinner.....I had to be rolled out the door I ate so much!

Have a great week!

Trains, taxis and metros

I took a whirldwind trip to my favorite city in Europe, leaving at 7:30 am and getting home at 11pm to give training to several co-workers. In the title are those places where I had the pleasure of crocheting yesterday. Did not finish anything, but made progress on seveal items. It is only an hour and 20 minutes on the train, so not a whole lot of time.

Here are a few pics I snapped with my cell phone - I did not bring my camera as I was not sure if I would have time to actually visit the city (the office is about an hour south-west of the actually city - mainly due to traffic congestion which is HORRIBLE!). but I was able to find 2 hours to do a quick walkthrough of my favorite buildings.

In real life this was a cool snap shot, but the cell phone darkened the sign too much, c'est la vie.

The Walls of a museum near the Eifle Tower (I forgot the name of it - apologies) - a faux front covered with plants - very cool in real life!


It does not matter how many pictures I take of it, I always take more..something magestic about it rising out of the sky ilne like it does.

Kimberly Kimberly bo Bimberly

Banana fana fo Fimberly.......
Mee mi mo Mimberly.....
KIMBERLY!

Introducing my take on the Name Game! I've seen this on several blogs recently.....Sara, Netter, Sue......

Here is my version!

Your Name: Kimberly
Famous Artist/Musician/Band: Kelly Clarkson
3 letter word: Kip
Street name: Kimberly Drive (My Aunt and Uncle live on it)
Color: Khaki
Vehicle: Ka (Ford)
TV Show: Knight Rider
State/City: Kansas City, Kansas
Boy Name: Kyle
Girl Name: Kimberly…..okay, Kristen
Alcoholic Drink: Kamikaze
Occupation: Knight
Flower: Kansas Feather (not really sure what this is…..googled plant names….I cheated!)
Celebrity: Katie Couric
Famous Leader: King Arthur
Toy: Kite
Animal: Kitten
Food: Kippers
Something found in a kitchen: Knife
Reason for Being Late: Killer traffic
Something You Throw Away: Kleenex (used of course)
Cartoon Character: Kanga (Winnie the Pooh)
Type of desert: Key Lime Pie (yummmmmmmmmmy)

When I woke up this morning.....

You were on my mind, you were on my mind. I've got troubles oooooh oooooh........

I do so hope that everyone had a wonderful weekend! Mine involved spending an obscene amount at the Grocery store, doing another 10 loads of laundry (still have another 10 to go.....honestly!), a little bit of shopping (books and clothes and 1 crochet hook) and a whole lot of nothing!

Crocheting and knitting you ask? Well I did work a fair amount on my cross stitch project - I have 2 of the 4 characters outlined, I need to finish Tigger and Eeyore along with a few embellishments on Piglet that I've not done yet.

I've also been working on the items for the kitchen swap with Mimi.....heres a snap shot of one of the items.....notice the dreaded ends? Lets just say that I am not even half way done with them being tied in.....tonight hopefully!

I also made Mimi a hot pad that is my own design....I saw a similar one on a blog and it stuck in my head haunting me so I sat down and figured out how to do something similar.....its not the same as the one I saw, but along those lines.

As for the Cro-tatting, it is coming along - I've actually managed to finish a few of the loops on my first project. I'll have to stick at it - I might try switching hook sizes with the yarn I'm using - perhaps that would make things easier for me. I found a few different Cro-Tat pattern books in my collection, so I have a few patterns that I can try out.

I did buy some cream colored thread this weekend. I have a runner pattern that is worked in motifs that I've been thinking about doing for over 2 years now......I figure that now is as good a time as any to start it, and hopefully it will be done before Christmas!

Have a wonderful week everyone!

Friday the 1"th Foddie Friday

*gasp*

She actually remembers to post a Foodie Friday? It can not be! *grin*

Here it comes...

Spaghetti & Meatballs

1 1/2 pound of ground beef 3/4 C fine dried bread crumbs
1/2 C milk 1/2 C Parmesan cheese
2 beaten eggs 1 Tbsp. minced parsley
1 1/2 tsp. Salt 1/8 tsp. pepper
Dash of garlic salt

Combine all ingredients and make into meatballs.

Pan fry til brown in about 3 or 4 Tbsp. olive oil.

Remove when browned.

When all meatballs are browned add 1 C minced onions and cook til tender for 3-4 mins.

Add 2 Tbsp. flour to oil to thicken it up. Stir.

Replace meatballs in pan, add following and simmer 1 hour:

1 large can tomatoe juice 1 tsp. worchestershire salt
2 small cans tomatoe sauce 1/4 tsp. pepper
6 Tbsp. minced parsley 3 tsp. sugar
6Tbsp. fresh chopped green peppers 2 small bay leaves (crumbled)
2 1/2 tsp. salt

Cook pasta, serve with garlic bread and enjoy!

Cro-Tatting Anyone?

I bought a while back a Cro-Tat set - a few hooks, instructions booklet. I think its all written in Greek though as I can understand nothing!

Yeah, I know, I really should NOT be starting any more projects, but I was trying to find an awesome pattern to use to make something for my partner (Mimi) in the Fiber Freaks Kitchen swap.

I figured Cro-Tatting would be something unique, and how hard can it be, right? I have instructions, a fairly well functioning brain and a fair to good knowledge of crochet.

Ugh!

I got stuck on the very beginning of the pattern when you start to do the Cro-Tatting special stitches.

I don't have the pattern here, but it went something like this:

Chain 6, form circle, 12 sc in circle, attach with a sl st to first sc. (so far, so good)

So far, so good, I think I can handle it so far. Then the one that is confusing me:

Reverse sl st

Huh? I gotta do what? The instruction on this stitch say: "working left to right, insert hook in next st to the right, yo, pull lp through st and lp on hook." Left to right? I put it in the previous stitch? Perhaps I'm just not thinking, perhaps my hands don't work this way, but every time I try to do it it seems like I am doing something wrong as I just can not coordinate.

I do wish that there were better picture tutorials out there.....the first stitch of a "new technique" for me and I can not get it right.

Back to the drawing board to find a different pattern that does NOT include the Reverse sl st!

Roaring and ready to go!

I've shaken off the last of the cold and I am now fit as a fiddle!

Before I forget - does anyone have a MySpace account? I don't use mine much, but my friends from back home have been pestering me about it, so I am trying to get better about accessing it and visiting others pages. Here is mine: http://www.myspace.com/kaml2000

Oh ugh! Last night I passed the shop that is located in the ground floor of my building and had a WTF moment. This is what was in the window:

I really care not to think about how much money they are asking for it. Its literally a bag with pieces of shinny raffia (I think thats the word) cut up and plastered all over the bag. Not my cup of tea......I really wonder how long it will be until someone buys it. Perhaps on Saturday I'll venture in to see what the price tag is. For comparison, they were selling a piece of ribbon to tie back your hair for $50 and a simple stockinette scarf in acrylic for $75. Some flip-flops with seed beads were going for $125

Okay, its now been 9 months since I met the BF...where is the time going? Here is a picture of the two of us that I snapped with my cell phone this weekend. Apologies for my windblown hair look - we had just arrived to a bar to watch the soccer matches and had walked the 5 miles from my apartment in rather windy conditions.

Ooooohhhhhh! I was in HEAVEN last night! I had Dominos Pizza - yumm!! There are 4 shops here in Brussels, and I finally passed one of them the other day. None would deliver to my apartment, so it was necessary to go pick it up, but I could never find them. Needless to say, now that I know where it is, I will be going back for more! Even the bf agreed with me that it was better than the Pizza Hut here!

Nothing new on the Crafty Front.....will see if I can actually get something else comlpeted this week. The pattern on the scarf has been hand written - now to just type it up and get it posted!

Happy Crafting!

Random thoughts for the day.....

My Aunt sent these to me, so I thought to share with all of you!

1. A day without sunshine is like night.
2. On the other hand, you have different fingers.
3. 42.7 percent of all statistics are made up on the spot.
4. 99 percent of lawyers give the rest a bad name.
5. Remember, half the people you know are below average.
6. He who laughs last, thinks slowest.
7. Depression is merely anger without enthusiasm.
8. The early bird may get the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese in the trap.
9. Support bacteria. They're the only culture some people have.
10. A clear conscience is usually the sign of a bad memory.
11. Change is inevitable, except from vending machines.
12. If you think nobody cares, try missing a couple of payments.
13. How many of you believe in psycho-kinesis? Raise my hand.
14. OK, so what's the speed of dark?
15. When everything is coming your way, you're in the wrong lane.
16. Hard work pays off in the future. Laziness pays off now.
17. How much deeper would the ocean be without sponges?
18. Eagles may soar, but weasels don*t get sucked into jet engines
19. What happens if you get scared half to death, twice?
20. Why do psychics have to ask you for your name?
21. Inside every older person is a younger person wondering, "What the heck happened?"
22. Just remember -- if the world didn't suck, we would all fall off.
23. Light travels faster than sound. That's why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.
24. Life isn't like a box of chocolates. It's more like a jar of jalapenos. What you do today, might burn your rear tomorrow.

Have a wonderful day today!

On the road to recovery....

Many thanks to all of you for the get well wishes - they really meant a lot to me to read! I am starting to get better - I am now left with a plugged nose and a hacking cough.

My fever peaked at about 102°, which is for me the equivalent of 103° - my normal body temperature is not the 98.6 that we all have pounded into our heads, but right around 97.4 - 97.6 I'm a cold blooded type of girl I guess!

I did get my submission in on time on Friday, which meant that I had the WHOLE weekend off - no work, no e-mails, no text messages checking on progress......nada! The weather was nice, so I bundled up and went for several long walks with the boyfriend from my apartment into the center of Brussels. A nice walk, and the fresh air and exercise is helping me regain some equilibrium after working so much and then getting sick and still working.

On the Craft front, not a whole lot accomplished. This having a boyfriend does seem to limit the time that I can craft...for some odd reason he wants my attention to be on him and not my yarn.....go figure!

So to recap my list from almost 2 weeks ago that I wanted to get some items knocked off plus the addition of my other WIPs that I can think of:

Peach Doily *** No updates
Triangle Potholder * No updates
Monkey (1 of 2) ** No updates
Hat *** No updates
Sideways B-lace Scarf * Finished - need to get the pattern posted
Crazy Stitch Potholder ** 10 of 15 rounds
Cabbage Patch Bathing Suit * Finished!!!!!!!!
Baby Slippers * No updates
Doll Sweater *** No updates
Baby Blanket *** No updates
Blue Jean Bag *** No updates
Cross Stitch Wall Hanging ** No updates

* = small time required ** = moderate time required *** = large time required

I hope that having to keep re-typing this list will give me some incentive to start working on them.....soon

Ahh....Ahhhhh....Ahhhhhhh....chooie!

Ugh!

I've got a cold. A nasty head cold which is not helping the work situation out at all. This is my final week of insanity as we prepare a 5 year plan. Its been chaos, and everyone is afraid that I am burning out....I accused them this morning of working me to death!

I left work today at about 6.....first time in months that I've left work when the sun was still out! Woo hoo! Its in the mid-60s here today so its lovely - all of my doors are open letting in fresh air and hopefully chasing out the sicky bugs. No worries - yes I understand that mid-60s feel warm, but its not really THAT warm, I am wearing a thick sweater and socks and have a quilt over my lap. And I'm drinking hot tea like its going out of style!

I finished the requested wings for my nephews Dragon, so I am working on sewing them on today. Hopefully I'll get a little bit more things done tonight before I crash and fall asleep.

Cheers!!

Pssst - Swapna - how am I doing on the exclamation points? I am trying to keep them down and not use them every sentence! *grin*

Is it Friday yet?

Nope, its only Monday. Friday is my goal, my bright spot at the end of the long tunnel I've been running through lately!

I did not get a lot done over the weekend due to having to work Fri night, Sat & Sun once again. But I have made some progress.......here are the most recent updates:

Peach Doily *** Have not even touched in the past 5 days
Triangle Potholder * I have 2 of four triangles now finished
Monkey (1 of 2) ** Finished the body and arms. Hands, Butt, Legs, Feet and tail to go!
Hat *** Worked a few more rounds, still in infancy really
Sideways B-lace Scarf (& the pattern written and posted) * Almost finished!
Crazy Stitch Potholder ** 9 of 15 rounds
Cabbage Patch Bathing Suit * Finished!!!!!!!!
Baby Slippers * One of two done

* = small time required ** = moderate time required *** = large time required

Here is the Cabbage Patch Bathing suit that I made as the first draft for the ones that I am making my nieces......this one will stay with me so I don't have a naked baby sitting my house =)

Actually this is because I used the size hook (G) that the pattern called for, but in the end it was slightly too small on the sides. I used some *gasp* Red Heart that I have in my stash and a pattern from a booklet that was sent to me a while back. I will re-make as it was VERY easy and quick, although with a H hook this time!

Luckily you can not see the doll to closely...she is filthy! She was my very first Cabbage patch that my Grandmother gave to me for my birthday when I was 6 or 7 I think it was. Shes been VERY well loved and used, and can now claim international travel! =)

I hope that everyone has a great week - I can not say that I'll have tons of time to crochet and knit, but I am going to try very hard to finish a few more things!

Toodles!

Adventures ahead......

My next break away from the hamster wheel I am running on these days has been scheduled for May, 3 days after my new co-manager starts....welcome to the group, I'm going on vacation.......rather nice of me eh?

I mentioned on another persons blog today that getting onto an airplane is something I love, and its true. Just think what happens after you walk into a metal tube. You sit down, wait for a specific length of time, read, crochet, sleep, eat, drink.........but when you walk off that plane a whole new series of adventures await you in someplace new. It could be somewhere you've been to a hundred times, or somewhere that you've never been to but only dreamed of. Regardless, new experiences await.

This time when I board my plane, this will be waiting for me to explore.......

Any ideas on where I am going? =)

Caught between goodbye and I love you......

Not really sure why this song is in my head, it just is. The Carpenters are always a good listen!

Only thing I've been thinking of ditching lately is the I-Pod *gasp* What? Yup, I'm getting rid of my I-Pod this summer....just to upgrade less than a year after I bought the first one! I've maxed my 30 GB out to the maximum capacity and of course I can not delete any song.....I just might be in the mood to listen to it one day and be totally upset when its not there!

Oh, yeah. And the job. I often wonder if its really all worth it. The distance from family and friends. The insane hours. The lack of personal time. Expensive yarn. (had to put that one in)

Darn it! I've been really whinny lately! Apologies....and apologies for the apologies.

What is this blog supposed to be anyways? Its a tracking of my voyage into the realm of fiber arts. And I would say a look at the progress I am making in the fiber art skill sets. April 5th is coming which is my 2 year anniversary. I do need to do something again for that day......perhaps another contest. Will think on it and let y'all know!

I joined the Kitchen Swap over at Fiber Freaks. yeah, I said no more swaps but I could not resist this one! An added bonus.......I'm swapping with Mimi! I need to get busy thinking of something superb and spectacular to send over to her!

I did actually find time to work on my WIPs last night. I was jumping around, but I did make some significant Monkey progress, along with working on my Crazy Stitch dishcloth, and the Broomstick lace scarf.

I also saw a few more last night that I forgot on the list........ugh! But as Su says "variety is the spice of life"

Plodding along...

As my co-wrokers are saying I am way too happy to have been working for 2 solid weeks every day, often until 11,12 and my latest night 1:30! But I feel its either smile and luagh or break down in a little ball curled up in the corner and crying out of sheer frustration and overwhelmtion (I don't think that is a word, but it should be if not!)

I did find time on Saturday to sneak away from my computer while a report process was running and head down the street to the yarn shop. Where I picked up several balls of Noro to make cabled hat (out of season, but I'm strating early for next year!) and a find that has made me SUPER happy!

While its still not SnC or PnC, I found Coats Lyric cotton which is an 8-ply, 70m, 50g cotton yarn that has a similar feel to it as SnC. It is slightly smaller I think, but not enough on the ruler to be noticeable, although it does work a little bit differently than the SnC I think. I only picked up 8 skeins at the shop, but you can bet your bottom dollar that I'll be going back for more!

While trying to shove at least a little bit of food into me last night before going to bed after I got home, I started counting all of the WIPs that I could see...I'm embarrassed to say that from my table I counted 10 WIPs in various states......that includes the 2 new ones that I started this weekend....I have to stop this madness.

My goal is to try to cut that list in half over the next week. Here are the projects that I think could be reasonable to finish (ie they are not a massive project that would require more time than I have available):

Peach Doily ***
Triangle Potholder *
Monkey (1 of 2) **
Hat ***
Sideways B-lace Scarf (& the pattern written and posted) *
Crazy Stitch Potholder **
Cabbage Patch Bathing Suit *
Baby Slippers *

* = small time required
** = moderate time required
*** = large time required

This is 8 of them.....will see what I can accomplish! Those that I know I can not finish - Cross Stitch sampler, Baby Afghan

Happy Crafting!

Ready to run!

Run away screaming that is! I realize that I complaign about work a fair amount, apologies for that! But, once again its kicking my rear end! I was in work yesterday at 8:30 am and left at 11:30pm, to come back in again at 8:30 today. Tonight should be another late one, and then I have a 7:30 am meeting tomorrow with on of the VPs. Oh joy....I detest morning meetings, and to make it worse, its one on one!


Okay, enough with work.


The weekend went very well! My friend from Argentina, Zori, stopped in Brussels on her way to Shanghai where she will live for the next 6 months! Of course I am planning a trip to go and visit her! Probably in May, but it depends on my work schedule!


I had a few e-mails about the pattern for Chloe.


The book is called Crochet Les Doudous de Cendrine, autour du monde. And is by Cendrine Armani. Yes, the instructions are in French, but I think anyone with basic crochet knowledge should be able to work them out....there are resources available that explain the terminology from French to English on the web. And of course I would be more than willing to help anyone who gets stuck!



I started the Monkeys this weekend. They will be 17cm tall when completed with the Size 5 thread.

And my following projects after them will be:

The Pig will be about 30cm tall and the others will be 32 by 34 cm. So they are not very big, but they are super cute! I wonder how they would look done in yarn.....perhaps one day!

As for the other outstanding WIPs in my life.....

Peach Doily - round 11 of 35
Baby Blanket - 10 of 25 repeats
Sideways Scarf - 4 of 5 rows
Pooh Cross Stitch - about 90% done - just the outlining to do

Progress is being made on my goals....slowly but surely!

Introducing....Chloe!

Well, my long outstanding UFO / WIP that I've hinted about the past few weeks is finally finished. I persevered through several stupid mistakes that I made, a few pattern errors and finally have my first completed French project!

French project you ask?

Yes, the pattern came from a book I bought in French. I crocheted and assembled the pattern from the French version.....hence a few of my initial mistakes.

The details - Size 5 thread from DMC called Petra (this really should be sold in the US - the colors are wonderful & the thread is wonderful to work with). Start Date - around July 18th 2005!!!!

In all of her glory and magnificence, I introduce you to Chloe.....my Frog Ballerina Princess!

I am tempted to keep her for myself, but she will go to my niece as intended. From the same pattern book I am wanting to start a Monkey - I don't currently have all of the right colors, so I'll need to get them ordered.

While waiting, I will continue to work on the Baby Blanket for my other niece - I finished another section over the weekend, as well as a few other assorted WIPs that are around my apartment!

Pictures pages...time to get your crayons and your pencils!

Sorry that I've not been blogging much - working 14 hour days at work is killing me! I am not even taking my computer home at night. I scan through bloglines quickly every day, but can not take too much time to comment - I am reading though!!

My nephew's Dragon "Charzon" (he named it) is completed! I started on my nieces purple one, but it was looking like Barney, which is a no-no for my BIL's house! I have convinced her that the dragon can be pink, although she is requesting a red tail and that it be named Dora!

The pattern is located here: http://www.crochetville.org/forum/showthread.php?t=42777 I found it to be a really easy and fun pattern! Put it on your to-do list!

Here is an ornament stocking that I made from a pattern sent to me by my friend in Texas...sorry that its sideways....tilt the head =) Its not perfect by any means, but I'm happy with it! My knitting skills are slowly progressing. I used some Carmencita Acrylic Yarn that Mimi sent me a while back when I placed an order for thread from her!

Here is a picture of my wonderful present prize from Yasmin..... apologies for the bad color - the pictures are taken on my cell phone. The Doily is a wonderful purple color!!

That is all for now. I've been working more on my youngest niece's baby blanket....she just might get it as her first birthday present in July! I am not quite half done. I am using the Fanned Feather Afghan for Baby pattern and I've done about 10 repeats out of a needed 25 or so! I'm going to try to finish at least one repeat a week until I go home in July.....that calculates to 18 additional repeats....perfect!

I am setting a few goals for my upcoming months crocheting......finishing at least one doily a month (already behind with no February) buying no new patterns until July, finishing at least one new pattern a month from a book I already own, finishing all of my WIPs, writing 4 new patterns in 2007. Is it all possible...I don't know, but at least having some goals might push me in the right direction with my crafting!