Merry Christmas!

I hope that everyone has had a wonderful Christmas!

I have been enjoying my time in the US. My sisters step-daughters caught a flu virus going around and they were not able to come over for Christmas, but I will see them on Friday and give them all of their presents then! My presents for my neice nad nephew were a big hit....both loved the toys I gave them, and while Megan loved the clothes, Andrew seemed not to care a single bit....typical boy I guess!

I send continuing holiday cheer to all of you and your families!

Frosty the Snowman

Or perhaps that should be Frostette the Snowwoman!!

You Are a Snowman

Friendly and fun, you enjoy bringing holiday cheer to everyone you know!

What Christmas Ornament Are You?

I made it to Michigan after 2 days of shopping with my Mom - had a lot of fun and spent a TON of money....as normal!

Argentina....the teaser

Well, I am sitting in JFK airport tired and exhausted after a wonderful week in Argentina! I was VERY sad to leave Zori and Vik last night at the airport and get on the plane to fly to JFK and then onto O'Hare.

AS I am in the airport, I really do not have time to post everything about my trip. I will give you a few teasers though to keep you intrigued! *grin* It was WONDERFUL to meet Vik in person - we (Vik, my good friend Zori and myself) hit it off wonderfully from the first moment we all got together to go yarn shopping! Lets just say that Vik was originally planning on spending one day / evening with me and Zori...she ended up extending it to the next day and night and then Friday and Saturday as well! We just could not stay apart!

Here are a few pictures though, explanations to follow!

Yup, its South America and then the Good Ole US of A

But being me I am taking the loooong round about way to Argentina....via a nice long lay-over in New York!

Here is a rough list of my list of flights / layovers:

Brussels to New York 8 h 25 m
New York City 10 h 2 m
New York to Argentina 10 h 30 m
Argentina 1 week
Argentina to New York 10 h 25 m
New York 8 h 20 m
New York to Chicago 2 h
Chicago 2.5 days
Drive to Michigan 3 h 30 m to 5 h (gotta love traffic)
Michigan ~2 weeks
Michigan to Chicago 54 m
Chicago to Brussels 8 h 5 m

I'm spending over 40 hours in planes, and probably over 10 hours sitting in airports not counting the New York layover of 18 hours in total where I hope to go into the city and explore / shop.

I am going to be exhausted but so much to look forward to I hope to make it on adrenalin alone!

I am going to meet up with Vik while I am in Argentina which is very exciting!

I still need to pack......its almost 11 and I leave for the airport at 7:15ish tomorrow morning. I will throw whatever I can find in the suitcase and walk out the door in the morning! I'm still debating on what projects to take with me. Unfortunately I did not make it to the book store to pick up and books so I will be relying on airplane entertainment and my crafty projects to keep me entertained. Am I there yet??????

Double Score!!

I managed to score twice las night in the Zurich airport!

Not only did I have enough time (and remember) to grab a Whopper with Cheese I found Peanut Butter M&Ms! Double bonus for Kimberly....hopefully this is a good sign of things to come in my travels over the next 3.5 weeks!

I did book myself yet another plane flight while I am in the US. Instead of driving back to Chicago from Michigan, I booked myself a nice short flight across the lake - a lot less fuss and hassel although I will have to get my luggage and re-check since I am not flying American on the little jumper flight.

So my epic voyage begins tomorrow. I am looking forward to making it into NYC and doing a little bit of looking around and some yarn shopping (hopefully) for the 10 hours I am stuck there....otherwise I would become an expert at knowing the JFK airport. I am still debating if I can get my broomstick lace knitting needle on the planes so I can continue working on those scarves that I am making. I am already packing in my carryon my cross-stitch sampler and some yarn scraps for turtle parts as well as some thread for optional doilies / snowflakes.

Okay, I must run! Will try to post once more before I leave. If not, may everyone have a safe and happy holiday period!

Yumm!!!!!

Okay, dinner last night was amazing! We went to a restaurant called the Belga Queen here in Brussels in the City Center and it was fantastic! I had an awesome steak (medium rare with a cool and I do mean cool red center) with a beer based bernaise sauce! My starter was shrimp croquettes - yumm as well!

My boss Sean ate the Cuckoo out of the Cuckoo clock! I never knew that there was actually a bird called the Cuckoo, but there is, and he ate it! I debated getting that one just so I could say I ate a Cuckoo! lol

I am off to Zurich in the morning for 2 days, returning late Thursday night, I will pack on Friday after work and before the bar and then its off to the airport nice bright and early on Saturday!

Kim loved her new scarf - she said that she was amazed that I was able to create something like that!

Where is the time going?

Can you really believe that it is already December? I can not! I leave for Argentina in 5 days and I am not even close to being done with things at work, have not even completed a tenth of my Christmas list projects.

I am frantically working on scarves trying to get some of them completed. I have barely even dented my list of snowflakes and turtles to make, let alone finished the blanket and cross stitch pooh sampler for my niece. *sigh*

Last year I said that I would get a jump on the holidays....ha! Like that one happened. I could blame it entirely on my new job and all of the traveling that I've done for that, but I don't think that would be entirely accurate as I am sure time management and the number of books I've devoured errr read this year has some small part to play in my being behind!

I did get my scarf finished for my friend Kim for Christmas to give her when I see her this week. Shes been having a rough time of it as her Grandmother passed away a few weeks ago, her Grandfather from the other side of her family passed away last weekend and while she was home for that funeral, one of her Aunt's passed away as well! They say that bad things happen in threes, I think that she has used up all of her 3 and hopefully the rest of this year and next year goes better for her.

Okay, I must get back to work to finish some things up and then its off to dinner with my boss and the other two Belgian based team members....tonight Sean (my boss) is taking out the Girls! I still find it amusing that his team is split in location (Brussels vs Zurich) based on gender.

Hooks? Check! Needles? Check! Yarn? Check!

I am set and ready to go to London! I am heading over for the weekend to visit with my Australian friend Russ and my old boss Ian.

Of course shopping will be in the mix, along with going to see The Producers and a really nice dinner!

I'll be taking the Eurostar train from Brussels and going through the Chunnel underneath the English Channel. It takes 2 hours and 30 minutes, which translates into a nice knitting and crochet session since I have packed the hooks and needles!

Talk to you on Monday!

Christmas shopping from a 6 year old

I talked to my mom this morning while I was at the airport and she told my the funniest story about my nephew.

On his way home yesterday while riding in the car, he goes "Mom, we need to buy Aunt Kim a Christmas present." My sister agrees with him and he continues "We should buy her some yarn Mom since that is what she really likes" Another agreement came from my sister. Then in all seriousness he goes "Mom, we need to also buy her an adult movie" lol

Guess I am getting "Debbie Does Dallas" for Christmas from my 6 year old nephew! Of course in his mind he meant a non cartoon movie, but the wording that he used is too funny!

Back to Zurich!

Its been a while, but I am heading off to Zurich tomorrow for the next 4 days, back on Saturday for a TON of all day meetings.....including dinner meetings - ugh.

I will try to get some crafting done - but there really is not a lot of hope for that to happen with the listed schedule of meetings.

Will catch up with everyone on my return!

Wrist warmers? Check!

This has been the fastest knit project that I have ever done! Total time was less than 2 days, and the second one took about 3 hours as I have trouble focusing...pick up needles, knit a few rows, surf the web, knit a few more rows, go get my laundry.....

I completed the Irish Hiking Wrist Warmers I am still debating keeping them for myself or putting them in the gifts to take back to the US for Christmas pile.....really tempting to keep them....





I really want to get started on the Irish Hiking Scarf now.....but I still have a few other projects that need to be done first, including the scarves for the kidlets for the holidays!

Frog frog frog *grin*

I have been working on the Brea Bag. And I've now had to frog it twice. The first time I was not paying attention, made one error that I decided to leave, and then while not paying attention, dropped several stitches and made a mess of things so I had to frog it.

This time I'm working away, get to the end of a row and have an extra stitch, huh? Re-count my row, everything is there that was supposed to be there, start swearing. And I frog the whole thing again. I was too disgusted to restart it last night, perhaps tonight. It worked up really quickly for me for what I had done so I don't mind restarting it, I'm just peeved that I managed to now fudge it up twice!

On other issues, I've decided to submit my broomstick patterns to the CPAD for 2008. Will see what happens!

Next on my list of hopefully quick gratification projects is the Irish Hiking Wrist Warmers. Eventually I'll make the scarf as well, but for now the wrist warmers will do!

Work has been frightfully busy again - I thought it was supposed to let up a little but so far it has continued to rain down on me! Argh! One of these days I'll have some free time and not be stressed from work. The most latest is that by the end of the day my contacts have developed a smear on them that causes everything to be foggy - no idea where the smear is coming from but it makes my reading of the computer screen a pain in the arse so I've been limiting computer time to the bare minimums!

Broomstick Mania continues

I am continuing my journey of discovery in Broomstick Lace crocheting.

I love the variations and differences that changing the lace needle size can bring....finally my straight knitting needles are seeing some light! *grin*

I worked up two patterns over the past few days while sitting around the apartment "working" on Christmas presents.....I get sidetracked easily, although one of my creations will be a present to one of my family members (not saying who as there is a slim possiblility that they will read my blog....not likely, but one never knows, so nope, its not for you Mom!)

Here is a close up of the stitches and final view of my newest dishcloth, yet to be named (any suggestions?) Light as Air Broomstick Cloth (Thanks Vik). It was done with lion brand cotton, a H hook and a 15mm hook (US size 19????)


And the pictures of my newest Broomstick Scarf, which I have named Sideways Lace Scarf, including a close up of the design. This was also done with the H hook and 15mm needle and a Wool / Cotton / Polyamide blend.


Patterns are in the process of being written up and error proofed!

Fall Friday

Well, its official in Belgium. Fall is here! While it is sunny today, it is colder than cold - I could see my breathe this morning as I walked to the Police Station to sort out my residency. Belgium Bureaucracy is beyond belief - I've been working on getting this sorted since MARCH!! Talk about delays! Even today after meeting with the Police they said I would here from the Commune in 2-3 weeks...At this rate I'll be gone for Christmas and 2007 will be here before I get my new residence permit!

I've been busy working on a few new patterns using the Broomstick Lace technique. I've finished another Scarf pattern that I am calling "Sideways Lace Scarf" and I am almost finished with a yet to be named Dishcloth pattern. I am going to post the patterns as well as submit them for publishing.....should something come of the publishing I can always take the patterns down, but until then I want to share them! =)

No plans for the weekend - I hope to get a few Christmas presents done so I can mail them back to the US - I am going to try to mail some lighter items to my parents to avoid issues with the weight of my luggage after all of the shopping I am sure to do in New York and Argentina! =) I'll have to get it mailed though in the next 2 weeks to be sure it is there by Christmas, so I have a lot to do quickly!

Has everyone started their holiday crafting? I am trying! I did finish a bunch of stitch markers / earrings and have a few snowflakes done. Hopefully I'll get a few scarves churned out this weekend.

I am doing two CAL / KALs currently - A Handy KAL for hand related items and a Hat / Scarves / Mittens / Warm Items CAL. Perfect for my holiday gift giving plans!

My Bags from the October Bag KAL that I took part in are not even close to being done. I think that they will go into the bins and be pulled out in December!

Ta ta for now!

The Crazy Cloth

The Crazy Cloth Dishcloth

Materials:
Cotton – I used a cotton that is about equivalent to a size 3 thread in the US. The lady who taught this dishcloth to me used Cotton Carpet Warp for hers.

Hook – Appropriate for size yarn – I used a size 2 steel hook

Stitches used :

Sc = single chain
Dc = double chain
Ch = chain
Sl st = slip stitch
Cluster = Ch 3 and 3 Dc in space indicated

Instructions:

Wrap yarn around your middle and index finger 5 times. Grasping the loops with your thumb and index finger, Sc around the circle and connect with a Sl st to the first Sc.

Ch 3, 3 Dc in next 3 Sc



Cluster (Ch 3, 3 Dc) in the space between the 2nd and 3rd Dc






Ch 3, turn and Sl st in the space between the Ch 3 and the first Dc of the cluster just made. Cluster in the same space.





Cluster in space between 2nd and 3rd Dc of the cluster just made. Sl st in Ch 3 space of first Cluster to attach the two clusters together. (Square of 4 clusters)







Cluster in Ch 3 space of first cluster. Ch 3, turn, Sl st in Ch 3 space of cluster just made. (picture before turn)





Cluster in same space, Sl st in Ch 3 opposite (Rectangle of 6 clusters - picture)

Cluster in same Ch 3 space.




Cluster in space between 2nd & 3rd Dc of previous cluster, attach with a Sl st in Ch 3 space of the cluster to the left.






Cluster in the same Ch 3 space, Ch 3, turn and attatch with a Sl st to Ch 3 space of the cluster just made. (picture before turn)






Cluster in same Ch 3 space, attatch with a Sl st in the Ch 3 space of the cluster to the left.






Cluster in the same Ch 3 space.

Cluster in space between 2nd and 3rd Dc of the cluster just made. Sl st in the Ch 3 space to the bottom left and Cluster in that same spot.

Sl st in the Ch 3 space to the bottom left and Cluster in that same spot. (left picture below)

Ch 3, turn, Sl st in Ch 3 space of cluster just made. (right picture below)






Cluster in the same Ch 3 spot, and attach with a Sl st to the Ch 3 space of the Cluster to the left. Cluster in that spot, and attach with a Sl st to the Ch 3 space of the Cluster to the left.





Continuing working the following pattern until you have reached the length you desire.

Cluster in the current space, Cluster in space between 2nd and 3rd Dc of Cluster just made, attatch with a Sl st to the Ch 3 space of the Cluster to the left.

Cluster in that space, attatch with a Sl st to the Ch 3 space of the Cluster to the left until you come to the side.

Cluster in the top of the two clusters on the side and then Ch 3, turn and attach to the Ch 3 space of the Cluster just made.

Cluster in the Ch 3 space, attach to the Ch 3 space to the left until you reach the top.

Cluster in the top Ch 3 space, cluster in the space between the 2nd and 3rd Dc of the cluster just made, attach with a Sl st to the Ch 3 space of the cluster to the left.

Continue to CLuster and attatch with a Sl st until you reach the side.

Once again Cluster in the top of the two side Clusters, Ch 3, turn and attach to the Ch 3 space of the Cluster just made.

Cluster in the Ch 3 space, attach to the Ch 3 space to the left until you reach the top and join with a Sl st in the Ch 3 space.

Once you get the beginning section done, the pattern goes very quickly and easily.

If you have questions on this pattern (or if my directions do not make sense to you) please send me an e-mail [ kaml19 [at] yahoo [dot] com] or leave a comment.

Legal jargon:

Copyright © 2006 Kimberly Langlois All rights reserved.

Reproducing or transmitting this pattern by any means for any purpose other than for personal use constitutes a violation of copyright law.

This dishcloth may be made for personal use only. Should you wish to make the finished dishcloths for sale, please contact for permission. Should you wish to use this pattern for a class or event, please contact for permission.

Working continues......

To kick my butt!

I am so swamped here at work that I feel bad about taking my daily "smoke break" and surfing the internet.......but my colleagues are all out smoking so its only fair in my mind!

I am trying to write up the pattern with a picture tutorial for the dishcloth and stitch. It really is an easy stitch - nice to throw in a bag and take with you as you don't need to concentrate once you get a few rows under your belt and understand what the concept is. Hopefully I will get out of work tonight at a decent time (i.e. before 9 hopefully which is what its been lately) and can get home and get some work done...not only am I behind on the craft front, but my apartment looks like WWIII struck it and a mini-tornado went through my craft / yarn section.

Things with the boyfriend are still going fine. Yup, I said boyfriend. Been dating since July really. I have not said much about him as I was not sure how much time he would be around for. Hes originally from Kosovo, but has been living in Zürich, Lille France and now Brussels for a while. He does not speak English that well, so we do all of our communication in French. Let just say that my French is once again rapidly improving out of sheer necessity!

I am getting so excited about my December vacations! Only 45 days now until I leave! Where is the time going???? Wheeee! I really can not wait to see my bestest friend Zori and of course Vik! Yarn shopping (and shopping for everything else) here we come *grin* Lets hope that my credit card and ATM card can handle the stress of shopping in New York, Argentina, Chicago and of course in Michigan over the holidays. No more shopping for me for the next 45 days so I can save some money up....although I did see a really cute pair of shoes, and some more yarn and a few shirts and a book or two that has come out...... (yup, I'm a shop-a-holic at times, although not too bad of one!)

My Broomstick Scarf & Dishcloth

I finally remembered to take a picture of the Broomstick Lace Scarf that I designed. I've written up the pattern and a few folks from Fiber Freaks are testing it out for me! I used two different sizes of needles to give it the small and large variation of the broomstick lace. The yarn was Linie 12 Clip Cotton in a light blue color.




Next up - I believe that I mentioned that while I was home in August I met a lady who was crocheting at the eye doctor while waiting for her husband. We got to talking about crocheting and knitting and she offered to send me the pattern if she could find a written version of it. She had been taught the pattern from her Great-Aunt and it was the only crochet item that she could make! She could not read or write patterns herself but at one point someone that she new had tried to write the pattern down for her.

2 weeks after I got back to Belgium I was pleasantly surprised to receive the pattern in the mail! I put it aside after trying it twice and not having any luck on it. This past week I decided to try it one more time, and what do you know....the third time was the charm!

Here is my finished version of the dishcloth, done in a coral cotton that I bought in Spain 2 years ago that has been waiting for the perfect project!



I sent Lucile a nice thank you note for sharing her wonderful pattern with me along with a few snowflakes that I had made....she spends her winters down in Texas so I figured a nice reminder of what she is "missing" up north would be a nice way to say thanks! =)

Hi, my name is Kimberly, and I'm......

Addicted to I-Tunes.

Okay, perhaps not addicted, but wildly attracted to. I would normally in a given year buy 5 or 6 CDs, usually compilation CDs of the years biggest songs.

Since April, I've bought 14 albums and numerous single songs.....a grand total of 270 songs.

I know of others who are worse, but do I really need to buy all of these songs????? I think not, and yet its like an addiction - I just can not seem to stop going to I-Tunes and seeing what new music has been added....and videos....and games for my I-Pod.

I seem to have an easily addicted personality and the need to acquire more when I should be focusing on less.....I-tunes, yarns, hooks and needles, books, shoes, tea, boyfriends...... *grin*

Well, I'm off to search I-Tunes for that next great song that I just HAVE to have.

From Portugal, With Love

Okay, I am a bit late on this, but better late than never!

Here are some pics I snapped in Portugal.....from the bus (sorry about the window glare) and from the boat ride that we took!

I'm still waiting for the official pics to come back from the photographer.....one of these days!

A Portugese Sunset:


Just exactly how fast was the bus moving to get this picture......


Portugese Fishing Boats


The Eastern Atlantic Coastline


Picture of Lisbon from the Boat

Blogthings....

Bored at work for a change.....

You Are The Stuffing

You're complicated and complex, yet all your pieces fit together. People miss you if you're gone - but they're not sure why.

What Part of Thanksgiving Are You?

You Should Rule Mars

Mars is a planet that shines brightly and loops wildly around the solar system. You are perfect to rule Mars, because you are both energetic and independent. Like Mars, you seems attractive and bright to others - but you're difficult to pin down. You are a great thinker, but you only think in the present and ignore the future. Full of enthusiasm and inspiration, you are into your own thing... and rather insensitive to others.

What Planet Should You Rule?

You Are

A Drunk Pumpkin Face You would make a good pumpkin martini.

What's Your Pumpkin Face?

Your Haloween Costume Should Be

A Sexy Bunny

What Should You Be For Halloween?

You Are Guinness

You know beer well, and you'll only drink the best beers in the world. Watered down beers disgust you, as do the people who drink them. When you drink, you tend to become a bit of a know it all - especially about subjects you don't know well. But your friends tolerate your drunken ways, because you introduce them to the best beers around.

What's Your Beer Personality?

Ping..ping....ping ping ping ping ping

Ping..ping....ping ping ping ping ping

What you do not want to hear while you are beading. Honestly!

I thought that I would be a good person and get started on some Christmas gifts and pulled out my beads and wire to put together some earrings and of course some stitch markers for those in my life who knit / crochet.

While gathering all of the paraphernalia to set on the kitchen table I thought to myself that perhaps i should wait and start when I was not that tired but I convinced myself that all would be okay.

So away I start working, sorting beads and trying to find some inspiration. I decide that I want to use the middle seed beads that are in my stacking tower. I grab the stack and start to untwist totally not paying attention.

Twist...twist.....twist...ping....ping..ping....ping ping ping ping ping "Oh crap!!!!"

Yup, if you have not figured it out, I untwisted upside down. I luckily caught it before all of the beads came pouring out. A good number did escape.....some fell onto the rug underneath the table and gave a little bounce and stayed put. The ones that fell on the hardwood floors....well I think that I will be finding beads when I vacuum for months! I never knew that beads could jump so far across the room.

I cleaned the mess up, made a few more items up and now I've called it a night. Hopefully I've learned my lesson to pay attention when I start opening containers with lots of small round things that can go all over the place!

My Celeb Collage

Showing my version of the recent blog craze!

I have seen these so far on Deneen's blog, Vik's blog and Mimi's blog!



Heres a hint to you as well.....make sure your hair is not pulled back! I tried it first with a picture with my hair back....not a good idea! According to that picture I look the most like Ozzy Osbourne, Dan Rather, Dermot Mulroney and James Gandolfini!! How scary is that! There were 2 females at the bottom of the list of 8 - Hayden Panettiere (I can see that one) and Son Ye-Jin.

Hawaii Earthquake

Well, my parents are okay after the earthquake! They were at Kona this morning on a cruise ship when the quake hit! My Mum said that the boat was tossed pretty heavily, but all are okay!

What a thing to wake up to...I'd imagine it was the same feeling that you get when you are on one of the old waterbeds and someone jumps on it and you are tossed all over the place!

Sunday night knitting.....

I am sitting here with a glass of wine and several unfinished and finished projects surrounding me. Although since the wine bottle is over half gone, I am not sure how good some of the kntting (and a little crocheting) has been going!

I am making progress on my Brea Bag - so far so good! I am doing it in the same green yarn that I did one of the One Skein scarves in - matching bag and scarf pattern!

The blue jeans are slowly being cut into strips to start that bag. Its a slow process as I quickly loose the desire to keep cutting. The first pair of jeans is done and I started on the second tonight.

I finished blocking my Broomstick scarf - I'll have to get a picture of it up! I am stil trying to decide what to do with my pattern. Jenny says that I should try to get it published.....I might try submitting it for the 2008 Crochet-a-day Calendar....decisions decisions!

I am also trying to work out a few other broomstick patterns - a second scarf, a dishcloth, a hat and a shawl. The designs are there, I've written out my general scematics for the ideas, but my issue is finding the time to actually crochet that much! I am a notoriously slow crocheter, so pattern design is a wee bit difficult for me!

Okay I hope that everyone had a great weekend and that you all have a great week!

Pretty much me.....

Saw this on Deneens blog and Veras....potentially on others as well, but I am trying to catch up on blog reading after a hectic week finishing up my budget for 2007, doing the quarter end report with the US and a ton of other things!

What Color is Your Brain?

ORANGE:

At work or in school: I need to be "hands on": I like to play games, to compete, and to perform. I enjoy flexibility, changes of pace, and variety. I have difficulty with routine and structure. My favorite subjects are music, art, theatre, and crafts. I often excel in sports. I like solving problems in active ways and negotiating for what I want. I can be direct and like immediate results.
With friends: Planning ahead bores me because I never know what I want to do until the moment arrives. I like to excite my friends with new and different things, places to go, and romantic moments.
With family: I need a lot of space and freedom. I want everyone to have fun. It is hard for me to follow rules, and I feel we should all just enjoy one another.
Take this quiz!








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Hello from Dublin!

I am sitting in the airport terminal waiting for my flight back to brussels - its been a long week and weekend - first in Portugal and then in Dublin. Had a great time in both though! I met up with an old friend in Dublin and of course stopped into a few of my local bars from when I lived in Dublin.

I have not gotten really any crocheting or knitting done, but I've relaxed some which was well needed!

Will get busy this coming week as I have tons of things to do!

Talk to you all soon! I'll have to get busy and catch up on bloglines and blog reading!

Cheers!

Broomstick Lace aka Jiffy Lace

I have been fascinated with Broomstick Lace for years. Yes, years. And yes, I've only been crocheting for just under 2 years.

My mother from time to time has ventured into the craft world. On her current plate right now is knitting. And knitting one pattern, and one pattern only. She makes slippers from time to time when she has the time. I do believe that I have a pair floating around my apartment, I'll have to take pictures! But I digress. She has in the past also sewed, knitted other objects and crocheted, although the last two well before my memory time span.

One of the objects she made was an afghan made of Broomstick lace that is light and airy. She also made a baby blanket that we used for years as a doll blanket for our Cabbage Patch Kids which my nieces are now using!

My Grandmother recently moved and cleared out her stash of yarn and patterns. I gained 4 bags of yarn (almost all acrylics) and several pattern books, including one with instructions for Jiffy lace.

Several of you have mentioned wanting to learn / try the Broomstick lace so I thought that I might list some links to Tutorials that I have in my collection! For those of you who do not want to spend the money on purchasing the large knitting needles just to try this pattern, it is possible to use a ruler (one without sharp edges that will catch the yarn), dowels or even the original broomstick.....

Here are the tutorials:

Crochet Cabana Broomstick Lace - Nice with pictures

South Bay Crochet Tutorial - written, no pictures, includes tips and tricks

Crochet By The Hook - Includes pattern for hat with instructions

While not a lot of patterns exist out there for broomstick lace, I think that the possibilities are endless!

I have a few ideas floating around in my head of finished projects - a unique finish on a sweater, edging on a hat, edging at the top of socks. Scarves as I've shown in my swatching this morning. You could easily work this into several designs for afghans.

The technique is flexible - you can use three, four, five or even six loops at a time for the pattern repeats, making sure that you have the correct multiples in the patterns. You can even change it up for variety....using multiples of 15 will allow you to switch back and forth between groups of 5 and groups of 3, multiples of 12 between 6 and 4 or even 6 and 3!

I would love to see what people can come up with using this over looked technique!

I do believe my missing Muse has been located.....

Patterns, patterns everywhere....

And of course, NOT the one I want!

I spent last night going through stacks of patterns, skimming page by page through instructions books, the Crochet bible, Knitters instructions everywhere!

I've signed up to do a Scarf Exchange. Dumb butt me. You would have thought that by now I would have stopped signing up for things like this, but of course I still do. Its not that I hate sending things to others, I hate the pressure I feel behind those gifts.

Is it something that they will like, is it the right size, the right color, the right pattern. Will they hate it? Is my crocheting skills pathetic and are they going to laugh at what I send. The pressure for perfection is on me every time. And every time I agonize over what I am sending.

Now I'm feeling the pressure to make THE perfect scarf. I've been swatching and digging through my stash. Trying to find the time to go to the yarn store to see if she has something that is going to scream "use me use me" to create the perfect scarf.

I am by no means close to a decision on final yarn type, color or pattern. The only limits I have is that it can not be wool or mohair and it has to go with a black coat, preferably red, blue or purple.

I had though something in this pattern but I can not figure out for the life of me the stitches used - anyone else? (sorry that its sideways)

I origianlly thought it might be a form of broom stick lace and started 2 swatchs of that:

Then I dug through pattern books and found this pattern, but I'm not really liking it: (sorry that its sideways)


I know that I can do the One Skein Crochet Scarf fairly quickly & nicely, but I wanted something different. I've poured through the books, looked at crochet and knit patterns. Nothing, nada, blah and drab. My creative muse is missing, if someone finds her please send her back before I start having anxiety attacks on this scarf.