Tangle

Tangle: to bring together into a mass of confusedly interlaced or intertwisted threads, strands, or other like parts
Showing posts with label crafting. Show all posts
Showing posts with label crafting. Show all posts

August 12, 2013

Blankets take a long time to knit!

I said I would update you all on my knitting today! Here it is. As you can tell by the title of the post I am working on Bobby's blanket still. I feel like it's never going to be finished because blankets take a long time to knit!



July 29, 2013

Some FO pics and some MMS freebies

Here are some projects I have finished since moving down here last summer. There would be more but I can not find my photo stream pics. Seems they disappeared on me. Anyway here are a few of my finished projects and a pic of the one I am currently trying to finish. Following those are some links for some more freebies for My Memories Suite. Remember you can get a discount on the My Memories Suite program by clicking the link to the right of my post!



July 16, 2013

Some freebies for MyMemorySuite

Its been awhile since I posted any. Here are some adorable hearts you can make. Enjoy!


                                                                        freebie 1


July 11, 2013

Who knits a blanket? I do!

Not a whole lot to report. I finished a cowl for my aunt. She sent me a pattern and asked me if I could knit it for her. I am not pleased with the end result at all. It was all mitered squares which I guess is a lot like entrelac. It used four colors for the squares. Every square I had to pick up stitches and apparently I don't do it right because it looks weird where I did. But it's done and I'll send it off to her and hope she likes it ok.

June 14, 2013

Wow it's been a long time!

I can't believe it's been almost a year since I have posted. Not much has happened really. We moved to Texas, I found a job, I quit a job, now I'm staying at hone as usual. I garden, knit, cross stitch, read, and watch Netflix a lot.

Gardening here has been a challenge for me. The soil is a mixture of clay and sand. I'm starting to get some peppers growing but my tomatoes haven't even tried to bloom, much less grow actual tomatoes. Other people are already getting big fat green maters around here! My plants are still really small. I know the upper ninety degree weather isn't helping any. As for my indoor herb growing, I'm doing just as bad at that as I did back home in Indiana! They start to grow, get a few inches tall and stay real spindly, then fall over dead. I've tried watering more, watering less, more sun, less sun..... I just have no idea what I'm doing wrong!

As for my knitting, I've been working on several things. I've made some shawls, hats for Christmas last year, a baby blanket, and am currently (as in today and yesterday) working on a mitered square cowl and also a full sized bed spread/afghan thing. The cowl has me tense. I always wanted to try entrelac. Now I'm wondering why I ever wanted to. It's just not looking real pretty right now and oh my gosh the ends! There are so many dangling bits I'm going to have to weave in! Sigh!

Well I think I'll leave it there for now. I want to start posting at least once a month again, if not more often. I miss our weekly chats though. I'd post, you all would comment or email, I'd respond, I'd feel like I actually had friends! It's a pain to post from my phone though. My hubby ( still feels weird saying that sometimes even though our first anniversary is next month) is buying me an iPad soon, so maybe that'll help. Bigger screen and all that.

So goodby for now my ever faithful tanglers. Happy Crafting!

July 8, 2012

No wedding gifts?

And here I thought I would get wedding gifts from my ravelry friends! I didn't get even one pattern.

I'm so selfish lol.

I'm really not whining. It's more like passive aggressive hinting around to my friends that know me as anonymous76 on ravelry ;-) I have a wishlist on there.

So as you can tell I Am MARRIED now! I still can't get used to the idea that my last name is now Price! How crazy is that! Also, in just one short week, I will be living in Texas instead of Indiana. What a huge change for me and the kiddos. We are super excited. Maybe there will be new knitting friends for me there! I wonder what kind of job I'll find. That is going to be a big change for me as well. I haven't worked steadily in years.

So my life is changing quickly and I haven't had time to sit down and really knit on anything. I hope that I will find the energy once we are done with the move to pick up some needles and lose myself in a wonderful pattern. I have a few things that I am wanting to cast on. I also would like to get back into my cross stitching. I have so many stitchy UFOs laying around and really need to finish them.

Well that is about it for now. Busy busy busy you know! Until next time my loyal tanglers ... Happy Crafting!!

July 2, 2012

Freebies and a wedding date

The date is set! It's changed multiple times and it is finally set in stone lol. This Thursday! Woohoo I am getting married! Then if all goes well we will be on our way moving to Texas on the fifteenth. My daughter's biodad signed the paper today so that Bobby can adopt her. Things are finally going forward in our lives. We've felt stuck lately. Not anymore :-) now if only my son's biodad would be so kind, but nope. I guess one is better than none. You'd think that if his almost seventeen year old son tells him straight out that this is what he wants, then he would at least consider it. It's going to happen either way, but it woulda been easier on everyone involved to have the paper signed peacefully. Sigh can't win them all without a little effort I guess.

Anyway on to the freebies! Some more MyMemories freebies here. Just copy and paste the link as usual.

http://mymemories.us1.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=2db59f577e9668b002ca5c0af&id=a12b339368&e=e2e2002f16


Happy crafting everyone!!!

June 30, 2012

A wedding, a move, a new start

I am so excited. In the month of July I will get married, move from Indiana to Texas, and start a new life with my new husband and our kiddos in a new house in a new town in another state! How awesome is that?!?! We can't wait to get started. Now I just got to get through packing and deciding what to take with us. I look forward to seeing if there are any yarn stores near where I'm moving. Maybe there will be a local knitting group! I apologize for such sporadic updates lately. Bobby was in the hospital for a week and now we have all this happening so quickly! It has been almost way too overwhelming. I've hardly done any knitting these last few weeks. I am almost done with my Uhura and that's all I've been working on. My garden is going good, but I'm sad that I'll be moving before any of the tomatoes ripen. Sigh.

Well that's about all I've got to tell! Until next time my faithful tanglers.....

Happy Crafting!

June 25, 2012

Wedding jitters

Not a lot to report. Bobby was in the hospital for a week so I didn't accomplish much. I've been knitting on my Uhura Shawlette and that's about it. My garden is growing pretty good. I have lots of green maters out there! I also have a zucchini plant blooming and three squash plants growing. One hot wax pepper plant is trying to grow but I'm not sure it will produce much.

The biggest news is that we are leaving in about two hours to go get our wedding bands and marriage certificate. We are getting married this week! For some reason I'm nervous. I have no idea why. I've been waiting for this for a while now. We have been together for six years and have no doubts about getting married and staying together forever. Yet I have butterflies in my stomach and couldn't sleep last night. Wish me luck!

Well that's about it for now. I will try to do a better update soon with pictures.

Until then... Happy Crafting!

June 19, 2012

Three cute freebies

These are absolutely adorable! Just copy, paste, and enjoy.

Think tea parties, bridal showers, baby showers, baby announcements: the possibilites are endless what you can do with these cute cards. They even work great as a fun dress-up for little girls.


http://www.mymemories.com/store/share_the_memories_kit_1




http://www.mymemories.com/store/share_the_memories_kit_2




http://www.mymemories.com/store/share_the_memories_kit_3




Using MyMemories Software to Customize your Purse Cards


Download template file and install it into your software
Using MyMemories Suite, choose Create Album From Designer Template and find your project
Now you can print and enjoy the provided template, or customize it with your own papers and embellishments.

TIP:
You can right-click on the white guide and lock it in place to keep it from moving while you are working. Make sure this is the top layer of your project before printing.

Instead of adding the paper as a background paper, you can add it as an embellishment so that you can move the paper around. This is especially useful when using papers with stripes or circles, so you can decide which part of the paper you want to use.

Once it is added as an embellishment, you can now select the paper and move it into the position you want it.


Just SAVE and PRINT on cardstock!


Purse Card Tutorial


1. Print your Purse Card templates on cardstock and gather supplies. (Recommended supplies: small craft scissors, bone folder, 8-12" of ribbon, stapler, tape or velcro)
TIP: To print your information on the inside create another page with the template in place. Put all your text and embellishments in (leaving a little room on the edges) and then remove the template right before exporting or printing the inside page on the back of the first. This will keep from having to worry about if the templates line up exactly when cutting out your card.

2. Using the scissors cut along outside line.

3. Fold card at indentations.
TIP: Using a bone folder will help you get crisp edges on your project.

4. Repeat by folding down top flap.

5. Staple ribbon to both sides of your card on the inside to look like a strap or handle.

6. Enjoy the finished cards and share. Don't forget to use your imagination. The possibilites are endless!

June 15, 2012

MMS Tutorial

Sorry I havent updated. I will get on that as soon as life stops throwing punches and everything settles down. The quick and dirty update is this: been knitting some, pics coming soon, been gardening some, maybe some pics coming of that too. No real experiments or finds in the kitchen lately. Been cooking a bunch of the same ole stuff.

Now here is the link to the tutorial I promised. Just copy and paste!

http://www.youtube.com/embed/u7TMDzkuJlk

June 5, 2012

MyMemories Suite freebie and crown tutorial

Here is a cute freebie! Make a crown for someone's birthday! Just copy and paste the link.

http://mymemories.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=2db59f577e9668b002ca5c0af&id=acac6f8f5b&e=e2e2002f16



Using MyMemories Software to Customize your Crown


Download template file and install it into your software
Using MyMemories Suite, choose Create Album From Designer Template and find your project
Now you can add pictures, print and enjoy the provided template, or customize it with your own papers and embellishments.

TIP:
You can right-click on the white guide and lock it in place to keep it from moving while you are working. Make sure this is the top layer of your project before printing.

Instead of adding the paper as a background paper, you can add it as an embellishment so that you can move the paper around. This is especially useful when using papers with stripes or circles, so you can decide which part of the paper you want to use.

Once it is added as an embellishment, you can now select the paper and move it into the position you want it.


Just SAVE and PRINT on cardstock!


Crown Tutorial


1. Print your Crown templates on cardstock and gather supplies. (Recommended supplies: craft knife, cutting mat, metal edged ruler, small scissors, stapler)


2. Using the craft knife and metal edged ruler cut along outside line.
TIP: a small pair of scissors could be used as an alternative, especially when adding decorations to the top points of your crown



3. Align bottom edges and staple together.


4. Repeat on other side to form a circle.


4. Wear and ENJOY!

May 29, 2012

Extremely sad and incredibly tear-inducing

Just finished watching Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close. Wow that movie is quite the tear jerker! I was teary eyed almost all the way through that movie. If you can watch that movie without at least one teary eyed moment then you've either grown too cold hearted or you've never experienced loss I would guess. Everyone is different though. Maybe I'm just over emotional.

Anyway on to my knitting!

On the needles

I've been working on two different projects this week.

I cast on the Uhura Shawlette. It is a free pattern on Ravelry. I am using what I think is Mini Mochi yarn. I don't have the band for the yarn. A friend in a local knitting group gave me the yarn because she didn't like knitting with it. I can see why! The yarn likes to meld together for one thing. It's very difficult to tink back if you need to because of this. Also it tends to break for no reason. It doesn't so much break as it just really tends to come apart. One second you are knitting with yarn, the next second you feel it thin out and just let go of the rest of the yarn. It's like what I experienced with the little bit of roving I had tried spinning. Pull too hard or long on it and it just slips apart. Very frustrating. So... I've set it aside for the moment and cast on...

Uhura Shawlette

The Library Capelet! I've never done a cape or Capelet before so I am excited to see how it turns out. I am using what I believe is Jiffy yarn. Once again I don't have any info on it, but have a skein of Jiffy that I used before and this has the same look, feel, and thickness to it. I am changing up the pattern slightly by using more than one color. It is an easy pattern so far and I am loving how it's turning out.

                                     


FOs

I finished my Age of Brass and Steam Kerchief. I like how it turned out. If I ever make another, I think I will add some repeats and make a nice, large shawl out of it. It was a fun and easy pattern.

                           
                                          
                                          

I also have an almost finished object. I ran out of yarn on my Candleflame and am really sad about it. I need to rip back to the beginning of the border pattern. I have 1400 stitches of the border done and around 520 to go to finish the shawl. Sigh. There is a lot of knit two together and pass slipped stitch over, so I am worried that I am going to mess it up while I try to undo all of that. The yarn I used was Crystal Palace Yarns Meringue and it is discontinued. I have found one skein on ravelry but it is five dollars plus shipping, so that isn't going to be able to happen. Gotta live note having money! I am going to try to rip it back in a week or two. I think. Wish me luck!
                                            
candlflame shawl
                                         





Gardening/cooking

Not much to tell on the gardening or cooking front. I have fifteen tomato plants still growing steadily out there. None of the seeds I direct sowed even tried to sprout. I'm trying to decided if I want to try some inside and move them out in a few weeks. I don't know if they would produce much before fall though. Wonder if it would be worth it.

My gas stove went out on me and we got rid of it and replaced it with an electric stove I had in storage for the last six years or so. I had forgotten how different it is to cook with an electric stove! I tried making some eggless oatmeal cookies in it last week and ended up cooking them too long or in too high a temp and they turned out mega crunchy. I have to set the oven temp a lot lower on this stove so as not to burn everything. I'm getting the hang of it though. Now our microwave has stopped working so I have to use the stove for even just warming up leftovers, so I'm glad i have it.

Not much more to tell really. I keep wanting to cast on more projects. I've heard it called startitis. I have been denying the impulse, but am almost ready to cave. I really need to finish what I've got on the needles though. I don't want another project like Serenity's skirt that has been languishing for over a year now. I can't even find it at the moment. If I don't get it finished soon then it won't even fit her when she finally gets it.

I keep meaning to do some book reviews on here. I haven't been reading much lately! (gasp) I went from reading a few books a week to reading a book every few months. Me and my weird cycles! I'll try to get out a pattern book and review it next week. I know all of mine are older books, but maybe I have one that you haven't seen or haven't heard about before. Who knows!

Fishes
My fishies are doing well. One had babies but they all got eaten. It was expected but still kind of sad. I didn't know about it until this Saturday. I got a bubble stone and put it in the tank. While I was rearranging everything around it I spied a baby fish hiding under a shell. It swam off to hide under another one and that is the last I saw of it. It was the only one I saw and I don't think it survived Mike and The Mollies, which is what we call our Black Mollies. I moved some stuff around trying to find it Monday. I was going to separate it from the rest if it were still there and make sure it got some food. No luck. Oh well, there will be plenty more for me to try to save. I read that they have around thirty babies every two months. Times that by three females and that is a lot of fishies.

Oh! I will review something after all! It's not a book though.

I just realized I never told you about the totally awesome hand lotion sample I got a few weeks ago! I started watching a podcast I had heard about. It's called Wolfe Farms. The lady knits, of course, but also makes lotions and soaps and such. I can't tell you much about the podcast yet, as I've only seen two episodes so far. As with any podcast I find, I'm starting with the first episode and am playing catch up. Anyway I joined her ravelry group and she sent me a coupon code to get a free one ounce sample of her lotion free. I chose the scent called World's Best Coffee. I got the package amazingly fast. She had included a free sample of the coordinating soap and a coupon good towards a future purchase. Let me tell you, this is now my absolute favorite lotion! It smells so mouthwateringly good. It is absorbed into the skin quickly and doesn't leave a greasy feeling behind. It worked wonders on my fingers, which were all dried and getting callused from all my knitting. Within a few days my skin was pretty soft and all but the worst calluses were gone. I only have the one semi rough spot left now on my index finger where I tend to push the point of my knitting needles through while knitting. I thought that was amazing. I haven't tried the soap yet. I'm saving it and keeping it in my drawer to smell from time to time. I'm weird like that. The lotion I use several times a day. The one ounce bottle was full to the very brim and is lasting a good while. It doesn't take but a little bit at a time to rub into both hands, so it might last me a while. I still love the scent of it as much as when I first opened the bottle. It perks me up and kind of makes me crave some coffee candy.


So now that is everything!

Until next week my tightly tangled tanglers.....

Happy Crafting!





May 21, 2012

Summer vacation starts today

Well there's not a whole lot to talk about today. Kids are out of school for the summer vacation so I'm sure the crazy starts today. Should be interesting.

Knitting

On the needles
I've been knitting on an Age of Brass and Steam these last few days. Almost have it done. I also am almost done with the Candle Flame. Pics are below. Other than that I haven't been doing much.

                                         


FOs
I finished the test knit hat and cowl set. I like how it turned out. I plan on starting another set soon using this pattern. I may use the same color combo as well. My bestie liked the set I knit and wants a set for herself. I think it would make a good gift for her birthday or maybe Christmas if I can wait that long to give it to her.
                                          

RAKs
I got RAKed again! Isn't that awesome? Received a nice little project bag along with a couple of stitch markers, a couple peppermint tea bags, a pretty appliqué, some floral ribbon, purple buttons, a purple emery board, and some Nivea Soft Moisturizing Creme. What a wonderful package to open this morning. Started my day off great!

                                      



In the Garden

Most of my tomato plants that I found in the garden have survived the transplanting. I have about fifteen plants that look pretty healthy. I gave a few away that I hadn't had room for and several that I kept died, but all in all I'm pretty happy with the number I have. I planted some various seeds as well, but so far none have sprouted. I hope some do. I will be a little disappointed if all I get to grow this year are tomatoes.

                                        



Pets

I bought more fish! I couldn't help myself. I had asked Mother for a few dollars to buy some aquarium salt and water treatment and as usual she gave me more than I asked for. So while I was in Evansville at the junk yard getting parts for the car I went by Harps Pets and got what I needed along with two more female Black Mollies and a Banana plant for the aquarium. I think the Mollies frenzied movements stress Zade out a little during feedings, but other than that our sweet Betta seems to accept the new additions to his tank.

So that's about it for today. I am getting very spontaneous with my knitting and not been planning out what I'm going to knit next. So it will be a surprise what I decide to do next! I will keep you all updated as usual on Sundays or Mondays. Until then my tangled tanglers ....

Happy Crafting

Enjoy the pics of my fishes that I threw in here along with a pic of some pretty flowers growing in my yard :-)



May 13, 2012

Happy Mother's Day

So this will be another short update. I can now show pics of what I made for my bestie. Her baby shower was really nice and she got lots of lovely gifts for the bebe!

I made her a circular knit baby blanket, a quilt, a knit baby kick sack, and cross stitch baby bloomers. I gave her a few things I picked up here and there as well. Pics of my handmade gifts are below.

Knitting

On the needles

Currently I am working on another test knit for dartfrog911 on ravelry. It is a hat and cowl set. I actually caught a mistake and helped correct it! I am thoroughly enjoying this pattern and plan on making another set after this one to gift to my best friend for this winter. This set I made in scratchy red heart so I will keep it for myself. The pattern is for an advanced beginner. It uses slip stitches and four different colors, so it might be a challenge for beginners at first if you've never done anything like that before. I hadn't knitted anything quite like this before but it isn't overly difficult. I would definitely recommend this pattern.

I am still working on my candle flame shawl. It hasn't gotten much love this week though. I am almost finished with it and am really wishing I had another skein of the yarn. It's nowhere near as big as I would like it to be.

Gardening

Well all of my seedlings have died. I am sad because I don't have any more of the different tomato seeds I had started. They were a mix of types I had never heard of before.

I did manage to finally get my garden tilled this week. When I went out there I found a large group of tomato plants ranging from three inches tall to about seven inches tall. I dug them up, tilled the garden, then separated and replanted about twenty of them. I still have a group of about ten of them in a big clod of dirt out there. I noticed that some of the smallest transplanted ones are dying, so I will try to replace them with the larger ones from the clod. Hopefully this means I will have a ton of tomatoes this summer! I was so surprised that the tomatoes I planted last year had reseeded themselves like that. They are all the same type, which I can't recall the name of right now. The fruits were about four inches across and not overly juicy but with a really great flavor. We used them for cooking and for sandwiches last year.
I am going to direct sow some squash, zucchini, bell peppers, wax peppers, and banana peppers tomorrow and hope some of them grow, if I have room left out there that is. I am not growing any okra or beans this year. I was going to grow some watermelon, cantaloupe, and pumpkin this year but I am so short on space I will have to pass on them. I was going to plant them outside my fenced in garden, but we have the cat now and I fear cat feces in my garden patches.

In other news I got some fish for Mother's Day. I got two Black Mollies that I've named Mike and Molly. I got four young snails that are either Mystery snails or Ramshorns or Ramhorns. Whichever is the right way to say that. I got four ghost shrimp as well but two of them are already dead. I'm going to call the pet store and see if they want me to bring them in and get more and if they have any ideas as to why they died. They are all getting along with Serenity's betta fish Zade. I hope none of the rest die!

I'm trying to remember if I had told you all about Miss Kitty. She is our new cat. She lives outside and for the most part seems to like it out there. She was my aunt's cat that she had found in a parking lot. A week of so after she brought her home, Miss Kitty had kittens and was renamed Mama Cat. As soon as she weaned the kittens, my aunt put them all outside. The problem was that shortly afterward baby chicks started showing up dead. Miss Kitty is an excellent mouser, but my aunt was worried that she was the one killing the chicks. Instead of taking her off to a pound my daughter talked me into bringing her home with us. She wandered a bit the first couple of days, getting into fights. She has settled down a lot and likes to sit with me on the deck and doze. She is always wanting food, even if she has just eaten. I worried when I didn't see her most of today and she hadn't even been home to eat, but she turned up right at dinner time. Who knows, maybe she wants to have another litter soon and that is why she was out prowling the neighborhood today.

So that about wraps it up today. No new finishes. Pictures of my no longer super secret gifts. A new test knit. And new pets.

Until next time my faithful tanglers....

Happy Crafting
and
Happy Mother's Day

May 8, 2012

Another freebie day and a quick update

Sorry for not updating this week. I have a feeling no ones reading my blog anyway, but I will update this weekend with pictures of my super secret surprises and my current WIP that may be finished by then. Haven't been doing anything else really. Until then here is a freebie for anyone using MyMemories Suite. Copy and paste and enjoy! Remember that you can use the code STMMMS37866 or click on my widget on the right side of the screen to save money on the purchase of MyMemories Suite software!

http://mymemories.us1.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=2db59f577e9668b002ca5c0af&id=4da9a6979d&e=e2e2002f16

Photobox Tutorial
Using MyMemories Software to Customize your Flower Card


Download template file and install it into your software
Using MyMemories Suite, choose Create Album From Designer Template and find your project
Now you can add pictures, print and enjoy the provided template, or customize it with your own papers and embellishments.

TIP:
You can right-click on the white guide and lock it in place to keep it from moving while you are working. Make sure this is the top layer of your project before printing.

Instead of adding the paper as a background paper, you can add it as an embellishment so that you can move the paper around. This is especially useful when using papers with stripes or circles, so you can decide which part of the paper you want to use.

Once it is added as an embellishment, you can now select the paper and move it into the position you want it.

Just save and print!


May 3, 2012

Fun freebies this Friday!


catch the BLOG TRAIN!! Start on the MyMemories Blog on FRIDAY for
FUN RIDE through some of the MyMemories and ScrapWow Designers blogs!! Each one
has a FUN FREEBIE for you! There are over THIRTY of them to visit!
MyMemoriesblog.com!


I have a code that anyone can use to get 10 dollars off of the purchase price of the My Memories Suite v2.0 that I have been posting about. Here is the code if anyone is interested: STMMMS37866

April 30, 2012

My first test knit and other fun stuff

I have lots to talk about today! I have been knitting steadily and have pictures to show you. We have another new pet. I was going to review a book today but will just review the test knit pattern instead. So here we go!

Sorry again for how the pictures are all at the bottom and mixed up. I don't know why this app won't at least put them in the order I choose.

April 22, 2012

A finish!

Very short post today. Been feeling icky and am going to bed soon. I just wanted to share a few things. I will add pics of everything.

First off, I finished my shawl. I then started a LaLa's Simple Shawl and am almost done with it.

I made a stuffed animal last week and it turned out not so great. I am going to try again. It is cute but has a lot of seaming issues and threads are showing.

I am trying to figure out how to block my shawls. I don't have any pins or mats, so am not sure how to go about it. Maybe Bobby will get me some supplies for my birthday this fall.

Also, I am test knitting something! My first test knit ever. I am going to tell you about it when I have some pics to share. I just got the pattern today and haven't picked out the yarn yet from my stash.

My daughter finally got a fish today. She was promised one at Christmas from one of her uncles and finally got to go pick it out today! She named him Zade.

I got to go see my best friend yesterday and got caught knitting in public. She had to run to a store before I got there, so I waited for her outside her house. Her tenant saw me and freaked out. She posted on Facebook about the crazy person sitting outside her house! My bestie thought that was hilarious.

So that's about it today. I will definitely have a longer post next time I am off to bed now. Until next time my tangled tanglers! Happy crafting!

April 16, 2012

Take two

Ok let's try this again. I had this almost completely typed out last night and accidentally deleted it all. So this might be short because I don't remember what all I was going to say. Or It might be long because I tend to ramble. Who knows!

Knitting

On the needles/HOs
Collonade Shawl is around halfway done. I frogged it and started it over using a different second color for the lace pattern. I like it a lot more now. I will show you a picture farther down the post since I'm on my phone and it will only put the pictures at the end.

I still haven't started my socks like I had planned. Been spending time on my super secret projects and my shawl. I can't wait until the baby shower next month to see my bestie's reaction to everything I've made for her baby!

FOs
I have finished another of my super secret projects. I think it turned out well. I will show it after the baby shower in May. Of you can see it in my projects on ravelry or catch a pic if it on plurk. I am anonymous76 on ravelry or ahume08 on plurk. If you are my gifts' recipient to be, please don't go peeking! I'm trusting you in this!

Stash enhancements
I guess you can call these stash enhancements anyway. I got some doodads yesterday at Joann's for some projects I am or will be working on. I got some buttons and eyes and a toggle. I am so excited about these. I haven't ever done anything that required buttons or eyes or any embellishments at all. Pictures at the bottom as usual.

Also I got RAKed! Twice! I forgot to mention the first one last week. I don't have a picture and everything is put up now but I got lots of yarn and knitting magazines along with some books for the kids! I got two skeins of Batik cotton yarn, 100 grams each. Color 1332 lot 2361. It's a darkish pink color. I got six skeins of Rowan wool cotton, 50 grams each. Lot 11C6 and I guess the color is SH959. I'm not used to these labels! It is a very pretty purplish color. Also I got around five skeins of Rowan summer tweed, 70% silk 30% cotton, 50 grams each. It is a purplish red with brown and red flecks I guess. I am bad at describing colors.

My second rack I have a picture of. It was a lovely project bag, some stitch markers, and a stitch holder. The bag is white with green and is so pretty. I hope I can keep it looking white, but as much as I will use it, it will probably turn dingy quite quickly.

I love RAKs and I love getting stuff in the mail. Sometimes I even like surprises. I definitely love this kind of surprise! I have heard from a couple more people that are RAKing me and I can't wait to get the packages. One will come through South Africa air mail and will take a couple of weeks. Oh the wait will feel even longer! The other is a book that I saw that wanted a new home. I am eager to get my grubby little hands on it and to read it. I will remember to take pictures of anything that comes in. I will also probably review the book so I can tell you how awesome it is.

Garden

Nothing happened this week with my garden except that a lot of my seedlings died. All of my sunflowers, zinnias, and marigolds are gone. My okra and watermelon died as well. My peppers and tomatoes are holding on for now. I hope the tomatoes keep going. They were a mix of special seeds that I hadn't had before. A bunch of different types i had never tried before or even heard of. Everything else I had started I can replace as I still have plenty of seeds.

I really need to get my garden dug up. Maybe borrow a tiller from someone. I have hopes that direct sowing will work better for me. I don't know if I have been under or over watering or not keeping them warm enough or not enough sun..... All I know is that most of the ones that started out strong have died and made me sad.

Cooking

So I tried a couple of new recipes this week with good results. First one was a cheesy spinach lasagna. I looked up several recipes over a few days and finally ended up making up a recipe using a little of this one and a little of that one. I wanted to make one with spinach and without cottage cheese. I ended up browning some ground beef with garlic, bell pepper, and onion, adding that to some spaghetti sauce, and then mixing together some ricotta cheese, egg, shredded mozzarella and cut leaf spinach. Then I layered the two mixes with the lasagna noodles. I topped it with a Colby cheddar blend because that is what I had and I wanted it cheesier than most of the recipes I had read called for. It turned out good. We ate it for days and it was less than 500 calories per serving!

The next recipe I made up was based on one I had tried a month or so ago and nobody really liked. I decided to take away an ingredient, add a couple more, and make it all in one pot. I'm not sure what to call it. It is chicken and noodles in a Neufchâtel spinach sauce. I started out by slow cooking about two pounds of boneless skinless chicken breast in water with salt and a couple of chicken bullion cubes. Once the chicken was tender enough to shred it with a fork, I added a chopped yellow onion and three diced garlic cloves. I let is simmer for a bit and then added a can of cream of chicken soup and about a half a bag of egg noodles. When the noodles were almost done I added about a half cup frozen chopped leaf spinach and about 12 ounces of Neufchâtel cheese. I let it cook until the noodles were done and then took it off the heat to let the sauce thicken. It was a hit. I am keeping this recipe for sure!

The original recipe didn't have noodles or spinach and you cooked the chicken in the crockpot with some Italian dressing them added the sauce which was sautéed onion and garlic mixed with the soup and cheese. It wasn't bad. It just wasn't right for my family.


So that is about it today. I will review another knitting book next week. I think I have rambled on long enough today! I am adding pictures of the food as well as the others I mentioned earlier. I hope you all enjoy my posts.

Until next time my loyal tanglers...

Happy Crafting!