SO Funny

I did this for fun, downloaded a photo and let it tell me who I look like. This is what it came up with.



Who would have thought?

Quilt Snobs

On a Yahoo group I belong to, a member recently posted about her experience with a fellow quilter explaining that she should only buy the best of fabrics. In other words, this means the quilt shop prices. Now, I have nothing against local quilt shops making a living, am in fact often times quite envious of the ladies who have the budget to afford shopping at these stores. But, considering the price of their fabrics I will never be one of those people. Here is a little info to consider. Depending on the pattern or design of the quilt, and the size, on the average a full size quilt will take about 12 - 15 yard for the top, back and binding. In a quilt store, the fabrics will run 8.99 to 15.99 a yard for 100% cotton fabrics. We won't even get in to the specialty fabrics like Minkee for this purpose. So, using the 12 yards for figuring, that is $108 - $192 just in fabric. You will need to fork out another $30 in batting and $5-$7 in thread. All in all, you are looking at about $150 per quilt. Now, most of those same brands of fabric are offered online at lower rates, JoAnn's carries a lot of it at a lower rate, usually about $2-$5 dollars a yard less. When I first started quilting, I could go there and get calicos and cottons for about $3.99 a yard, then they were $5.99 and lately, I found them averaging about $7.99 a yard. No one seems to make mention of that increase in the news, not like milk and gas anyway, just as essential in my mind you know. Walmart also carries the same brand names, not as much variety, but they also have other brands of cotton as well. Most of them for $3.96 to $5.96 a yard. Just off the top of my head, that is about a $50 savings.

I only bring this up because of the thought that is predominant among quilters that if you buy your fabric anywhere but a quilt shop you are getting poor quality goods. I have heard this so many times myself from the "quilty snobs" and just don't buy it. First of all, when you mention the same exact brand is offered at a lower price they come back with this story of how the quilt shops get the middle of the middle runs which is a better quality than the end pieces. Okay, I am so sure that quality control in some factory is letting thousands of yards be made this is inconsitent with the hundres of yard in the middle. But this they swear by, even adding on to this that the fabric is even thinner than what you buy at the quilt store. Go ahead, buy a fourth of yard at the local quilt store of a piece of Cranston brand for instance, and the same exact piece at JoAnn's or Walmart. It feels the same. The texture of a piece of fabric is determined by thread count. Am I to believe that the factory some how adds threads to a machine run of fabric in the middle of the run? I think not. Besides which, if a major company is going to make an inferior product for the purpose of selling to discount retailers I serious doubt they will use the same name. Come on, even Walmart changes the name of their store brand.

I have searched online, even through Scopes, and found nothing to substantiate this view point. However, with that being said, I will freely admit that there are poorly made fabrics that are sold cheaply at the discount retailers. They are thin, woven badly, fall apart in cleaning. I also admit that you can feel the difference between a poor quality and good quality fabric. The worst piece of fabric I ever used actually came from a quilt shop.

Bottom line is this, there are quilter's out there that will spread this opinion to make their self feel better, make them feel that their end result is a quality piece. They don't want to hear that it could have been made, or was made, for less. I quit swapping quilt blocks because of this same mentality. Requirements being made on brands and colors of fabric. You know, half the fun in swapping is the swap itself. I can't afford to buy high priced fabric to make blocks that I will hopefully get the same amount back from. I admit, that when it comes to purchasing fabric for a quilt, where the quilt goes makes a difference in the price I spend on materials. A few dozen quilts for charity will be made witht the cheaper supplies. I don't mean the cheapest, as I still look for the quality in the pieces, but $4.00 a yard virsus $10 a yard is a pretty big difference when you are talking about several yards. It is a difference between one quilt for sick child and six quilts for six sick children.

Okay, I have gone on long enough. But, I can't help but think that when younger women are wanting to learn to quilt, make quilts for their family to use, for special gifts, but hold back because they perceive quilters as being older women, maybe it is because that older women don't have to think as much about a budget that includes children at home.

Here is the bottom line as I see it. A quilt is a special something that gives a person a special feeling of warmth, security, when it is wrapped around them. That child that has cancer and is cold because of his treatment, that mother greeting her newborn child alone because her husband is serving his country overseas, that soldier that is warming up with a piece of home that someone cared enough to send, the elderly resident that has bright spot of color on their bed in a home, that homeless man that is a little warmer because he has something to wrap around him, that child that has little flu bug and carries around the quilt made for them, a mother 1200 miles away feels like she still has a part of her daughter with her, they don't care that you used Cranston brand from Walmart instead of the local quilt store. To them it feels the same.

Monday - Mid Month

Okay, a little more than mid month, but that is all hair splitting any way. I am home with DD, 11, who is sick again. I think we need to go for a month wearing face mask and rubber gloves. Every little bug seems to find its way to our house and knocks us out. Valentine's was not exempt from this. I came home from work, hubby was not only asleep, but already in bed for the night and sound asleep, which means snoring. He didn't wake up until the next morning. My DD made me a grilled cheese sandwich for supper that night. Lots of genuine love, not much romance.

At any rate, since I was home today thought I would catch up on the laundry, but am pushing that down the list so I could update the blog. I am having camera issues, it just won't work right for me, and when I finally got some acceptable, not great, photos of some projects I down loaded them. That is also when I found out that all the photos of my son's play performance disappeared from the memory card. At any rate, here are some photos for you to puruse.

This is my contribution to Karen's block for the Green Garden Round Robin on my CQ For Newbies group. I am in the Avacodo Group and each of made a basic (otherwise known as a Nakkid block) beginning block done in all green. As the block travels through the group, we are to dress it. We each do one patch and two seams. I posted more about that on my Needle Me Crazy2 blog. All embellishments are to be done in green, only green. The next color is purple. I learned a lot from this green block that I will use for the purple one and I am looking forward to getting started on it. I have Karen's green block ready to mail out.

I have quite an assortment of items ready to mail out as a matter of fact. Planned on mailing them last Friday, but forgot them at home. Today of course is a holiday for post office, the school, banks, and as I discovered this morning the cable company. At any rate, here are a few things I have going out.

This is a dish cloth I made for an exchange through my Crochet Exchange Yahoo group. It is a free pattern online and you can get it by going to Bev's site at http://www.bevscountrycottage.com/bevs-scrappy-cloth.html and be sure to look around at all her wonderful patterns she is so kind to offer as well. This was a fun project as I didn't have to think about the stitches too much and it was easy to use up my scraps of cotton yarn. This particular cloth has three varieties of Peaches n Cream. One is varigated blue, green, yellow, pink, and purple colors, don't know the name and that is what I started with, the bottom rows. The next rows is a color called potpouri and is really cool. It is cream with little flecks of the same colors here and there. When that ran out I finished up with plain ecru. I know that I will be making more of this pattern.

This is a potholder for an exchange on the same group. I used Peaches N Cream Westport for this one. I like the colors in this, will have to see if I can find a place to order a large one pounder of this color. The brown, blue and ecru combination reminds me of cowboys and western decor. Maybe it is because for the first 20 years of my marriage my home was decorated in blues and browns. Who knows. The back side of this is done in ecru. I recently found out that the difference between a hot pad and a pot holder is that one is used to set hot things on, the other is used to pick hot pans up with. To my way of thinking that is one in same, at least in my kitchen it is. This is one of the free patterns I found at JP Fun Crochet Club, the link is on the side bar of the blog under Free Crochet Patterns of the Day. They a free one each day that free only for that day but if you look through their sight there are lots of free patterns listed.

This is another one for the same group exchange. This is the same yarn on the back as on the front, but the design is a little different on front. I found this pattern through the listings on http://www.crochetpatterncentral.com/directory.php which has a ton of listings for free patterns of all kinds. Both of these were quick and easy.

As I metioned, for my birthday we went on a family day trip to a ski area. I took my yarn bag, okay a duffle bag I bought at walmart, which was all packed up the night before with the anticipation of working on several projects. I only worked on two. The first hotpad needed the back side finished, didn't take much time. The second project turned out to be the mind exploder. I started, then ripped, then started, then ripped, a total of five times before my mind could get a handle on the directions for this pattern.

This is a filet angel pattern and is the front side. It had been so long since I had done any filet type projects that it was border line insanity. So frustrating trying to get my pea brain to figure out that you read the even rows left to right, odd rows right to left. Finally I pulled out a pencil and ended up marking the graph row by row as I worked it. About the third time I unraveled it all, I swore I would never do anything with a graph again. Two days after I completed the angel, I was thinking I might do more filet. I had started on the back piece, using a varigated cotton yarn, half way through I placed the two pieces together in better light to discover that the yellow in the varigated thread clashed offensively. I will make a back piece that matches better and this will go to my mom. This is a free online pattern at http://www.fortunecity.com/millenium/abbeydale/183/hotpad.htm and she has several if you take the time to navigate her sight. I have no idea where I first found her pattern listed, but I am sure it was on one of my groups.

That is about all for now, I need to go move the laundry around and crochet a bookmark. That is the one I am running way behind on. I made two butterfly bookmarks, not happy with either of them, so am starting over. Need to go check on DD as well, time for more medicine for her.

February Already

Wow did January pass quickly. Here we are in to February and I haven't even posted a thing this month. I have not been idle however. OH NO, Never that. It is getting late and I hear that warm bath calling to me, just barely hear it over the snores of hubby and my best buddy Dillon (our 14 year old miniature pincher) but hear it I do.

I am going to keep this really short and to the point. I know, unheard of for me. You are wondering if I am sick or something. I am, still sick, not as severe thankfully, but the energy just still seems to be zapped. Part of that is just plain old depression. We were set to get a nice refund again this year from our income taxes, but then hubby added my employment info. Now we owe a big chunk. Because I had to get bug nutty and join the work force. As I lament about that decision and the wisdom of it, I see another little problem with this working thing. My household has gone to heck in a handbasket, only I can find the handbasket for all the clutter and dirty laundry to carry my household back in. This morning, my youngest DD, the one that is still grounded, decided to wash her hair before school. Okay, no big deal right? I usually have to threaten her with in an inch of her hide to practice a little more personal hygene, and the fact that anything the least bit damp around here is full of ice did send up some of the warning blips on the old mom radar. She was supposed to be blow drying her hair, I didn't hear any drying happening so went to the bathroom to check on her, you know hurry things up a little bit. She was in the middle of layering on a coat of mascara. She knows full well the rule is no make up at this age, except for a little light colored lip gloss of course. After all, she is only 11. Speaking of which, DD is getting ready for her school science fair.

There's my little mad scientist. Not sure what the exact experiment is, but she lights a little candle that is in a pan of water, colored red for visual purposes, pops a jar over it and times how long it takes for the flame to extinguish from lack of oxygen. Also measures how high the water rises in the jar. A sort of vacuum forms. It really is pretty neat to watch. At any rate, I am feeling a little like a failure in the homemaking department with all the home things don't seem to be happening right.

On the craft front though, am making some pretty good progress. I joined some crochet exchanges and they have you send in JIC (Just In Case) items to begin with so if there comes a time you can't fulfill your swap committment they have one to send in your name. I already posted about the hot pad experience, which was mailed off today. I also mailed off two dish cloths. Both of these patterns can be found online and are free. Later this week I will post the links, just not up to finding them at the moment. The one on the left is done in a very simple basic single crochet row with a double crochet row and is called a "meshie" and is very simple. The one on the right with the blue has a diamond design worked in to it. I like the way it turned out but suspect I did something a little wrong some where as it just doesn't seem to line up quite right. Both were made with Peaches N Cream 100% cotton yarn. At first, when I used it to make the first pot holder, it reminded me a bit of working with a string mop. Yeah laugh, you all know exactly what I mean, you made ond of those silly bed dolls or kitchen witches out of a mop head as well. Well, the yarn still reminds me of a mop, but I am loving working with it. In fact, next to plain old worsted type, it is becoming a new favorite. I have amassed a small stash and will be working on making a bunch of these water babies this Sunday when the whole family goes on a ski day (I hate the cold) to get out of the house for a change (would of course fall on my birthday) and I will be sitting in the little lodge area just hooking the time away.

I have started on my grandson's afghan as well. It is slow going, at least to my way of thinking, as after a couple of rows my neck and shoulders start to hurt.

I am loving the John Deere colors though so that is a plus. It is barely started, but like so many other things in life, there is a story behind this. The pattern, can't remember the proper name, but know it is Native American named. Apache or Navajo tears maybe? I just know that my husband's grandmother, a crocheting dynamo, made this pattern the most. She tried and tried to teach it to me, and I always wanted to do one, started several of them, but would always ending up with what looked more like a drunken path with me increasing and decreasing stitches as I needed to try and even up the edges. This time however, it is working out pretty well. My number of stitches on the end of row edge, seems to be a bit off but not enough to really notice. My little grandson is all about the John Deere, we can't figure out just why, but this Memaw is making sure he has plenty of it. Bought a fleece kit that has John Deere tractors on it as well.

I have just about finished my part of the Green Garden block for a round robin I am in. I got the one book I have been waiting patiently for in today. I already spotted the next seam treatment. Well, that is about all for tonight, I am just barely staying awake and still need to go get a nice warm bath and then bed.

Monday Morning

Monday morning and I am home sick...again...but with the company of my children...sick as well. I am doing some better, but my youngest was running a slight fever and I just didn't feel right about leaving her at home all day while I was at work. Probably need another day myself to get over this a little more. The wind is blowing...again...fourth straight day...or so. This part of the country cannot handle the wind well, things are getting blown over all over town. Branches broken off, utility poles knocked over, whole trees uprooted. It is actually kind of erie the way it has finally died down this morning. But, yesterday, it was full force and I tried to just stay in and rest. Ended up having to get out and go to Walmart though. Was out of toilet paper and Kleenex, two essentials if there ever was one. And of course, while there I had to pick up a couple of things in the craft department.

I want to make my grandson a crocheted afghan, John Deere colors you know, so was looking over the choices. I was thinking I would just buy some one pounders, checked the selection, not really the green I want, but would work. Price was $5.88, okay so I know that JoAnn's has them for $5, figure I will save a little and just get it there. Got home only to find that the sale price ended on Sat. GO FIGURE. Oh well, after thinking about it, if I can just find the box of yarn I put "where it would be safe and out of the way" I know I have lots of black and yellow, just need the green. Already know what pattern I will use as well. Now, if I could just find that box of yarn. Oh well, you all know how that goes. Funny thing, I picked up some green crochet thread, to use for my "Green Garden" round robin project. I know, that is a crazy quilt project, but can added crocheted items, if they are green. As I look at it I think, I have some of this, just saw it. In the box of yarn under DD's bed. So I didn't buy it, got home, went right to the box, right to the same green thread, simple. Except that it is a sage or pea green, was actually meant to make a table cloth. LIKE A TWO OUNCE BALL OF SIZE 10 THREAD WILL MAKE AN ENTIRE TABLECLOTH? Barbie size maybe. Oops, was supposed to say 11 1/2 inch fashion doll size.

Let me tell you, after spending some time working on crochet projects yesterday, I do not like thread. I joined a crocheted bookmark exchange, piece of cake so I thought. Went on the trusty Internet, went to Crochet Pattern Central and then went to the directory and straight to the listing of bookmarks. This is the third Butterfly Bookmark.
The first one , the one on the left, came out okay, but not great. I always make one first to see how it will come out first. My personal view on swaps, exchanges, round robins, and other type work is simple, "only offer up work that I would appreciate getting in return" and so I usually end up with a few realizations that would not have come to light other wise. This particular project brought about an insight for my feeble little mind. I AM DUMB WHEN IT COMES TO CROCHET. I had no idea, still don't really, that there are different sizes of crochet thread. Not sure about this, but it seems that the larger the number, the smaller the thread. Or finer the thread. In other words, the size 5 thread is a little thicker than the size 10 thread. Same with the silver steel hooks as well. It would seem that a size 1 hook is a little fatter than a size 6 hook. So, not really thrilled with the first result, I choose a larger hook and made one again. Yes, I know, I forgot the little circle thing at the bottom of the second one. I have gained new insight to my abilities and comfort zone for crocheting. I do not like thread, do not like a hook smaller than a size 0. Lord, how I ever managed to make those collars and doll dresses, the table cloth I started and abandoned, I will never know. I went blurry eyed trying to find the stitch to crochet through.

Okay wise guy, go ahead and say it. I have bifocals, should probably wear them while working. I still say, give me a plain old worsted weight and a size K hook and just leave me be.

However, I am seriously rethinking this bookmark exchange. That being said, I choose to see the positive in most situations. I really liked the little butterfly as a motif, which brought to mind the crazy quilt "Green Garden" round robin I am participating in. I was hunting some buttons, in amongst the hundreds of plastic boxes of bits and pieces I have been hording for my married life, of which there are buttons that are from my aunt's collection that date back to the 20's, when a spool of Christmas green satin ribbon fell out. It was green, so set it aside. Well, one thing led to another, things went on, and eventually I hit upon the idea of using the ribbon to crochet with.

This is the result. I know this is not a "new" idea or technique, but I did think it up on my own, for which I am pretty pleased with myself over. It has the look I want for the project I am working on. Also opens up a few possibilities for further little projects. I used a size E crochet hook with 1/8 inch satin ribbon. Funny, when you get in to the hooks with a letter, the size gets larger as the letter/number gets larger. Go figure.

Along with the two bookmarks and ribbon butterfly, I also made a second potholder like the one I already made. Actually, this was bottom side to the top. I had posted earlier about making the potholder for an exchange, only to find out I had not made it thick enough. So, I learn, and started on a different pattern making the top, the bottom, then crocheted them together. Now I have a nice thick potholder, have even tried it out, that I am well pleased with and will be mailing it off tomorrow.

This pattern is called Pentagon Dishcloth and is available for free from JPF Crochet Club which has many free patterns. They also have a pattern of the day that changes each day. This was one of those patterns that was free one day, so I saved it. Sorry, can't post the directions but there are a lot to choose from. I know it is a dishcloth pattern, but was told that it would be great for a potholder if made thicker.

It feels so good, have gotten hooked on using the cotton yarns. This is made using Sugar N Cream with an I hook. Since the finished item was supposed to be approximately 8 1/2 inches and this one is right at 8, guess I should have gone up to a J hook. Told you I crochet tightly, the pattern calls for a H hook. At any rate, I have been saving a bunch of dishcloth patterns as I hope to get involved in some of those type exchanges. They actually feel great to use and wash up great. This was done with ecru color, which reminds me of muslin.

I initially just bought 4 0z. skeins, but after working with it I went and bought a one pound cone of variegated. Just don't mention to my husband those 27 plastic tubs (sorted by color) of the huge cones of yarn I have that came with the knitting machine I was given. I love the idea of being able to make things with that machine, and she gave me all the bells and whistles to go along with it, but try as I might I have not been able to figure out how to take the project off the machine with out it raveling out. Also, I have no room to just leave it up either. When I had gotten it, I mistakenly thought that I would get oldest son's bedroom (built temporarily in the garage) for putting my sewing and crafting stuff in. Hubby decided he wanted his garage back, which I can't blame him, and then son moved back home (three times) so the knitting machine has sat idle. Now son is out for the final time and hubby has taken the walls down over the weekend. However, our youngest DS graduates in May, will be going off to college and in to the dorm. Hey as long as I leave his bed the rest of the room is fair game. SHHH, that is is a secret for now, although I suspect my hubby probably has already thought about that himself.

I have sent DS off to pick up some lunch for my DD and I. He is spending his day off from school by going to the thrift store to find things to use for his costume. He is in drama class. Now lunch is here, along with the cup from @#$*. Seems that the bottom of the plastic cup is bulged out so it has decided to act like a Weeble. Remember them? Weebles wobble but they don't fall down? Well they did and I don't trust this cup not to.

Green Alert - A Word About Plastic Bags

Okay, all the talk about going green is really getting old, but in an effort to do my part I thought I would just throw this out there. A quilting group I am on is getting a lot of chat going about making grocery totes using up fabric in their stash. Since we all have used plastic bags to bring home our stash, supplies to use with our stash, food to supply energy to use or stash, okay you get the drift. At any rate, I can remember my aunts using bread bags to crochet rugs for the bag door foot wipe before coming in and of course crocheted slippers to use over our shoes in the snow. I kind of got to thinking, in my weird way of reasoning, especially when I am sick, what's old is new. I did a Google search and found some offerings for using up those plastic bags to crochet them in to reusable bags for the beach and shopping. Making a not so green product, turn green friendly in the end.

I am not feeling up to writing these in so that they will open in a new window, but you should be able to just click on them. You may be able to right click and tell the computer to open in new window, depends on your system I guess.

Here are a few of the links I found:
Marlo’s Corner
http://www.marloscrochetcorner.com/Plastic%20Bag%20tote.html

Recycled Bags.com
http://www.myrecycledbags.com/2007/03/29/crochet-a-recycled-plastic-shoulder-bag/

http://www.myrecycledbags.com/2007/11/09/fun-fur-recycled-tote/

http://www.myrecycledbags.com/2007/08/11/crochet-a-recycled-clothes-pin-bag/

uses cassette tape
http://www.myrecycledbags.com/2007/03/14/recycled-cassette-tape-granny-square-bag/

uses VHS tape
http://www.myrecycledbags.com/2007/04/09/crocheted-sling-bag-of-recycled-vhs-tape/

uses bread bags
http://www.myrecycledbags.com/2007/10/19/recycled-bread-bag-handbag/

Vegan Crochet
http://vegancrochet.wordpress.com/about/

Amelie Redman
http://www.ccthita-swan.org/pdf/Crocheting_bags.pdf

Bev’s Beach Bag
http://www.bevscountrycottage.com/beachbag.html

Also, for your entertainment, I found this really neat You Tube clip of Cristen Andrews explaining how to make bags and such out used plastic bags. Really is king of cool to watch.



In fact, once you cut your bags in to strips and make your "plarn" (kind of like pleather) you can pretty much use any favorite pattern to crochet or knit. You really need to make at least one. I know I am. Have decided that cutting the bag into strips and joining them together will be the perfect "Job" for DD, 11, who is currently grounded due to grades. DON'T even think how mean I am, she is going to love this job. She really does like doing anything craft related.

That is all for now about that.

Snow On The Hills

Just had to add one more thing.

For almost two days, the highways out of town were closed due to snow and the third and final way out of here was closed for a few hours. You can see the obvious snow line. That is the elevation the snow started at. I took this shot on the way to work yesterday. They got a little more and we are waiting to see if more comes with the next system. We don't see it here often, so is a kind of unique sight.