Working hard or hardly working?

Those are the two possibilities as to why I wouldn't have made a post lately, right? Well, the correct one is working hard. Working hard on what?
Well, there is the sweater that a bunch of us are making on the Kiss Loom Group.
Graciela wrote the pattern for a simple sweater for us. Of course, it was so simple that I HAD to make it challenging by changing things up. I shortened the body by 20 rows and lengthened the arms by 15 rows. Well, I basically made up the sleeves all on my own b/c I didn't cast on as many pegs as she called for either. :P I guess changing patterns will always be a weakness of mine. LOL!
In the middle of doing the sweater I decided I would work on a crocheted poncho off and on, so that I didn't get bored with one thing. I am very proud of it. Made it from the yarn that a friend sent me as a late birthday gift. Her is name is Karen and she is from Portland, Oregon. We have been friends for years and she likes to send me surprise Christmas and birthday gifts. :D She is the one that got me the flower loom and spool loom for Christmas if you guys recall those. We attempted to start needle knitting at the same time, but she works a lot and doesn't get the instant gratification that I do. She is contemplating getting some looms, though. She said she spent an hour touching and caressing yarn before picking out three skeins of Lion Brand Jiffy in deep purple for me. :D I love the poncho which you can find the pattern for free on http://www.lionbrand.com/ . It is labeled as the 'Town and Country Poncho'.

And a friend of mine e-mailed me this past week that her husband had passed away. Oh, how my heart ached that I couldn't do anything. So, I set out to crochet her a little animal. Everytime someone close to me passes away I purchase a stuffed animal to represent that person and when I am having a hard time and want to talk to them or cry, etc, I pick up the stuffed animal and talk to it. I know, it is probably stupid, but it is a comfort thing for me. I decided I was going to crochet the 'Baby Penguin' from my 'Amigurumi World' book....but the baby penguin wasn't as small as I thought it would be. I wanted something that my friend could keep in her purse or carry with her easily. The baby penguin is at least 6" tall. Besides, Lady Tru got up from her nap and totally claimed him. She threw a fit when I needed him back so that I could stitch his wings on. We named him 'Pepe'.

Besides that stuff, I have completed test looming a pigtail hat...which I will be teaching in 'Class' next month for my dear friend, WandaJean. She will be away from home for like 2 months and asked if I would teach it for her. How fun, huh?

I also made a bonnet (by Pam Keville) and baby booties (by Graciela) with 'Class'.

I got a very special, handmade preemie bootie loom for my birthday. They make these tiny little booties! I am working on making hats and booties that match now. :D NOTE: That bottom pic of the preemie booties is showing that the sole is only 2" long. Perfeclty Precious! :)

Oh, and I tested Jenny's block for next week and it is very cool! I need to make a tutorial on how to complete the bobbles on the Kiss Loom before the class starts. I just have to figure out what way would be best to do it....video or photos. I don't know if the webcam I have is a good enough quality to make a video. And I could try with my digital camera, but then I am limited on time and have to figure out how to prop it up b/c the tripod that we got free with my other camera is not really made for the big Canon cameras that I like to have. It is more for those tiny, skinny little digital cameras. :P
And right now I am testing out Stephanie's pattern for next month's block. Lace work! You guys are gonna love it.
I need to sit down and get to work on my own designs. I want to work out a pretty cable design for a block for July. And I want to make a tank top with an intricate cable pattern that is in the center of the bust area. WandaJean Sims sent me my 'Teacher's Apreciation Holiday' gift early, since they will be out of town, and I got a lot of baby yarn (for the preemies) and two skeins of blue yarn that I think will make a pretty tank top. I just really have to work on math calculations AND what kind of straps I want it to have. Wide ones, skinny ones, etc.? :D Wanda also sent me a pack of sewing needles and a pack of her favorite stitch markers which are really good stitch markers!
Ok, well, I know this wasn't a very productive post, but that is what you have to deal with for now. :D

My birthday was absolutely the BEST!!!

I got tons of goodies! More than ever before which makes my 26th birthday the best one ever! :D Now, you guys have to top it next year....JUST JOKIN'!
So, here is a rundown of the gifts I received:
-Perfectly pink yarn (2 balls) and a handmade card
-12" Lace Knitting Board by DA Looms
-6 skeins of Lion Brand Wool, pattern for a cute birdhouse handbag, coloring books and crayon thingies (for the kids), needle threader, card and DOVE chocolate.
-Two little tiny preemie baby bootie looms (which I didn't get a pic of)
-Big bag of yarn (which half of it was already sorta claimed b/c my MIL wants me to make my niece an afghan. Don't have a pic of this either, but imagine the largest bag possible from Wal-Mart and fill it with yarn. Don't know if I will use the colors anytime soon, but yarn is an awesome gift, right? :D Most is Red Heart but some is Bernat Softee Chunky.)
-Wooden crochet hook set, dinner at Capt. D's, and a movie (Forbidden Kingdom)...OH! And my birthday cake! LOL!
-Drop spindle that a friend is sending me as soon as her spinning wheel arrives. The spindle is coming from England b/c her hubby was stationed over there just months before being sent to Iraq and that is where she is right now. :D

That is a good list, right? So here are the pics:
You must promise not to laugh at the cake (WHATEVER!) Hubby told me not to put it on the net...and poor man thought I was gonna listen. LOL!







And this is my felted baguette, finally dry, and ready to be shipped to my Mama for Mother's Day b/c I will be making a new one with the Lion Brand Wool. :D


THANK YOU to everyone for your wishes and gifts! They meant a whole lot to me (and show me just how appreciated all my help is. :D Not like I didn't feel appreciated in the first place b/c with every 'Thank you' that ya'll have given, my heart swells with love. :D)

My birthday is tomorrow!

And even though I am not going anywhere or doing anything, I am still excited! :D I got on here real quick so that I could post some pics of things I have made lately.
My baguette is felted....but still drying from Sunday! SHEESH! But here are pics of the bag pre-felting. You can find the pattern HERE. (third pattern down)...but I used a SG Wonderloom and added crocheted sides to mine, so mine really looks nothing like the pattern. LOL!

And here is a pic of the baby bonnet (by Pam Keville) I made with LoomClass on Monday evening. Yes it is a very quick and easy pattern that is really a great idea to make for any new baby coming along. :D

This is the close up of the baby socks w/sharp heel (pattern by 'mi querida amiga', Graciela)

And I was test looming this for a friend (all other info will be withheld until friend puts her pattern up for the public....but I couldn't resist and had to show ya'll how pretty my Lady Tru is in this hat!)



I managed to get 4 preemie hats finished yesterday as well. And I hope to make a few booties when out at town, today. :D
TTYL!

What have I been up to?

Recently finished: 2nd test loom of block #3 for the Project Afghan on the Kiss Loom, Denise's Pinwheel Blanket, and 4 preemie hats (crocheted).

WIPS: Felted Baguette on Sg WonderLoom, preemie booties (crocheted).

Future plans: Graciela's Sweater class on Kiss Loom Group and Pam's baby bonnet class on the Loom Class group.

I have been taking on too much stuff lately. I don't even have time to design blocks for the afghan class, let alone design the ideas for other patterns that are floating around in my head. So I have decided that I need to stop doing LALs. Now, I know that is gonna be way too hard to make myself do b/c everything seems way too cool and I really want to do them. But, it is interfering with my own personal creativity that isn't getting out. This is some heartbreaking stuff here, ya'll! REALLY HEARTBREAKING!!!!

I have also been taking more pictures of nature, now that Spring has decided it will be sprung. (Takin' its precious time this year, huh?) Here are some pics that I have accumulated over the past couple of weeks.

A cool little break in those really bad storms from a week and a half ago.

The moon shining one night.

This rainbow was taken on Thursday evening. I saw the sun peaking out from the west but it was still raining so I snatched my camera and literally ran outside to find the rainbow. It was really the most gorgeous rainbow I had ever seen.

Sun shining through the trees with their new leaves. :D

And this pic is of Lady Tru lovin' on her pinwheel blankie. :D

The Project Afghan class has settled down considerably from the first week. :D I am assuming that it isn't b/c the patterns are getting easier, but b/c everyone got the hard questions out of the way the first time around? At least, that is what I hope. Everyone appears to be really enjoying themselves and that is an amazing feeling. Well, I am gonna run, gotta make 4 pairs of preemie booties today...and keep my eye on the class. Thanks for stoppin' by for a while. :)

Karen is having a contest!!!!

First off, let's say that I am never gonna be as cool as her (yes, I know that this sucking up won't affect my chances of winning the contest..I am only being honest! :P)
Ok, so one of my best friends, Karen Gielen (all the way up in freezing MN where it is snowing), is having a contest on her blog. Here is the link so that you can go get into the action: Cre8tive KJ's Patterns though I wish I could be the ONLY contestant. She will be giving away a Dell P-Ditty MP3 player! I don't have an mp3 player and want one sooooo badly and it would be awesome to finally get one because I want to listen to my Spanish lessons (yes, I am taking Spanish...again. :P)
You guys will love her patterns as well so make sure that you check out those. And, as I am sure she is praying for it, send her some warm weather vibes. She gets tired of hearing how warm it is down here in MS (cough, 72 degrees at 8am this morning, cough) :D
I LOVE YOU, KAREN!
(I know....doesn't affect my chances, but a girl can try. :D)

Why are you still reading?! GO!!!

Back from Arkansas

I didn't get as much looming/crocheting done as I had planned, but there are about 4 1/2 preemie hats finished. :D
My mom is now 50 years old. LOL! And my 26th b-day is in less than a month (May 2nd). The kids had tons of fun playing with their cousin, Baby Dylan, and Dylan's big brother (my sis's stepson) Kenny. They wrestled with my little brother as well. Got lots of MeMe and PawPaw time in. But neither slept very well. Lady Tru barely slept. :( Now the kids and I are a little runny nosed and stuff, but I figure that while we were gone over the weekend, something pollen-wise must have happened here. No biggie.
Since it would take forever to post all of my pics, I will try to post a few here and there, but for now let's do some random nature shots (I am one of the worst at seeing something and jerking out my camera to take a pic....just 'cause I can!) and a few of my parents with the kids.

The sun finally peeks through the clouds at almost sunset. Arkansas has had a rough last few weeks with flooding and storms. Good thing my parents live in the foothills of the Ozark Mountain range and on top of a hill. :D

One of my favorites b/c you don't catch my dad that often in a pic, let alone with Sir Thade and Lady Tru. :D

Mountains in the distance (don't laugh! I know that the Rockies and the Smokies are much larger! I know.....)

Nemisis and little Gandolph. Nemi will play fetch with a ball or frisbee until she literally falls down from exhaustion. :D Poor Gandolph couldn't get a chance to fetch, even if his mouth was big enough for the ball, so he just chased her everywhere. LOL!

I love this pic of Sir Thade standing by a tree. He was watching the little frogs jump into the water. :D

Kenny and Lady Tru sitting together.

A redbud tree blooming. :) Random pic, I know.

Beautiful sunset pic from Saturday evening. :D

The bonfire that my dad made for the kids on Saturday evening.

My Mama and the boys. :D

Me and my Princess....looking for froggies to kiss and turn into princes. LOL!

And are pics of my bootie from Bethany's bootie class given last week! I bought some prettier yarn to use on the next one. Couldn't find the wool needle that Bethany suggested, but I will continue on that search! :D I really had fun making this bootie. It was challenging, as well. And challenges are always good. I learned some new stuff and she designed them in such a way, I don't think I would have ever been able to do myself. :) Bethany gets 5 gold stars from me! :D I can't wait to see what her next class is gonna be. :D

Next week will start Jenny's afghan block class, then the following week will be mine. :) I still have people thanking me for the last session. Feel good to be appreciated. My mom is very proud of me. And that makes it that much better, you know.
In case any of you missed my post on the 'Loomer's Break Room', I am very proud of both of my parents. I would have expected my dad to say something like I was cheating by using a loom instead of needles to knit, but he never did. He was watching me pull down the fabric from the inside of my Kiss Loom and asked me, "Whatca' makin'? A sock?" I looked at him thoughtfully and said, "No, it is a preemie hat. But I am very proud of you for figuring out that I could make socks on the loom." He turned around and said that it just looked like a tube sock and he figured they would be pretty easy to make and I tried to point out that if he looked very closely at his socks he would see the seem for the turned heel on it and that it really wasn't that easy, but it is doable. I was still so happy to have had a conversation like that with him. However small. Then my mom got home from work and she and I were talking to my sis' stepson, Kenny. He is 2 and at that stage of pointing and questioning a lot. I was telling him stuff like 'yarn', 'loom', 'hat', etc. He looked at my mom and pointed to my loom and said, "ooom". She said, "Yes, Kenny. Robin is knitting." This was coming from a former needle knitter and crocheter. Those two instances just made my whole weekend. :D
Well, I will leave ya'll with that for now. :) I missed everyone so much! LOL!

Preemie hats from last quarter. I think that is 14 loomed hats and 8 crocheted.

PLEASE NOTE: One of my best friends is walking in the March for Babies and needs sponsor money! You can find a badge on the top of my right side bar so that you can help me sponsor her. I ask that you donate anything you can...though I gave $5. I remember when her little niece was born at 23 weeks and had a congenital heart defect on top of the premature birth. Everyone was praying for her and it was all very scary. That was about 2 years ago and Amanda is now a very strong and active little girl! One of my motivations to make preemie items, for sure. :D

What a week!

I think this has been the busiest week of my entire life! And I was loving just about every minute of it!
I feed off of energy and excitement. I didn't realize that until a few days ago. But I was actually becoming depressed when the excitement of the Project Afghan class died down for a day or two, there. We ended the class for March with a bang, though, didn't we? It was so much fun! I think that teaching crafters is probably one of the most enjoyable things I have ever done. Crafters are a different group of people from the rest. We care a bit more and therefore enjoy being around eachother more. I don't think I could ever tire of being around all of my crafty friends. :D
Besides teaching the class and being glued to my computer....well, I didn't get much done. I test loomed Jenny's block on the Kiss and am halfway done looming it on the KK (for the second time on the KK). I crocheted one preemie hat (these are all really cute...I need to get a pic!) and tried out a preemie bootie pattern...that ended up probably big enough to fit a 3 month old, not a preemie! So, I will just have to put on the puppy dog eyes and tell Chris that I need some smaller hooks because that size D he bought me last weekend just wasn't small enough! I will be trying out another preemie bootie pattern in the meantime. LOL! I also started knitting a puppy blanket for Gandolph, since he has stolen my blanket. What is with my pets and that darn throw that I knitted up?! First, my fat cat-Garfield, seized it and got pretty mad when I took it back. Acting all indignant and crap. Then the puppy took it over and he won't settle down throughout the day unless it is on the floor so he can lay on it! Good thing I had one more skein of the yarn left over. Probably just enough to make him a little snuggle blankie. LOL!
So, that means that I have been looming, crocheting, and knitting all in one week....while teaching the Project Afghan Class (and neglecting housework! Haha!)
Next weekend I will be in Arkansas, celebrating my mom's 50th birthday. She will probably croak that I just put that on here! LOL! But, really my Mama doesn't look 50. And you can definitely tell that I am my Mama's daughter. I am gonna try to get a pic or two of her with me and the kids, of course. I was gonna make the visit a total surprise, but after my sis and my hubby started getting nervous that we should let her know, I finally started getting nervous and I just up and called her the other morning to give her a heads up. :( I had planned out the perfect way to surprise her and everything, but oh well. We will be leaving for Arkansas early Friday and coming back later on Sunday, so if you e-mail me and don't get a reply...I am outta town, folks!
Ok, well...I think Lady Tru should be awake by now, so off I go to get her.