Knits For Sanity

My Grandma's the Best!

Remember how I always say that I have the very best grandmother in the world?  Well I'll prove it to you.  She sent me this for my birthday:

A basket of yarn!  What more could a girl ask for? 

Grandma sent me four skeins of Lamb's Pride worsted yarn in a beautiful deep purple color.  Well, we all know how I feel about purple! 

I'm so excited.  Now I can start my felted knitting bag as soon as my Tartelette shawl is finished.  Heck I could even start it now if I wanted! 

Here's the patterns that my Grandma sent me this past spring.  The patterns are from Two Old Bags, formerly known as Wool You Order.

I am going to knit the larger felted tote bag on the left out of the Lamb's Pride.  I may make one of the smaller ones later.  I've been wanting a bag to tote my knitting around in for almost a year.  What a great birthday present Grandma.  Thank You!  I love and miss you!

Click on this pic for a better look at the color.  It didn't really photograph well.  I'll have to take a pic of the finished bag outside.

One last thing, Karla you asked for the pattern for the cabled clutch I sent to Cindy.  I tried to email you twice but the email was sent undeliveravle.  Perhaps you entered your email address wrong?  I didn't forget about you!  I got that fabulous pattern off of one of my favorite blogs. 

Here's a special shout out to Libby of Knit Tibits.  She designed that cute pattern and there is a link to it on her blog.  I love that pattern Libby and plan to make one for myself soon.  That clutch is SO cute!  If anyone wants to see a picture of another one finished stop by Cindy's blog.  She just finished hers and it also happened to be her first project with cables. 

Great job on the pattern Libby!  Also, thank you for sharing it with everyone.  I look forward to being able to show mine off soon.

Happy Birthday To ME!

(Disclaimer: Sorry, no Knitting Content Today!  Well okay, very little!)

I had a wonderful birthday today!  At first I thought it was going to be horrible becauseit started out with a back spasm.  Stupid me, sleeping on two pillows.  Oh They're just so comfy!  Anyhow the birthday gods must have been smiling on me b/c the spasm only lasted 15 minutes.  That's never happened before.  Someone was definently smiling down on me.  Thank you grandma!

I was awoken this morning by a happy birthday from my mom bringing me a bagel and a Diet Pepsi.  Diet Pepsi?!  Oh yes, it's my morning coffee.  I gotta have my Diet Pepsi in the morning.  And yes, I have THE BEST momma in the world.  I couldn't ask for more. 

Once my back was better I decided to check my email before getting ready for my physical therapy appointment.  I was so surprised to have received happy birthday e-cards and happy birthday emails and comments on my blog.  Thank you to everyone who thought of me today!  You all put so many smiles on my face.  The support I receive from all of you is so wonderful.  I can't thank you enough.

As I was getting ready for my appointment the doorbell rang.  My little cousin Michaela came up the stairs with a card in her hand that looked like it belonged with flowers. 

My hometown friend Lisa sent me the most beautiful flowers and a touching note.  Lisa and I went to high school together and lived together for 2.5 years during college.  We have lost touch in the past year or so but she never fails to be there when I really need her.  Today was no exception.

These flowers were such a surprise and they warmed my heart.  I don't know if she'll read this but Thank You Lisa for brightening my world.  You're a wonderful friend.  The flowers are so beautiful.  They look so beautiful in my room.  They definitely cheer up the place!

Also I must congratulate Lisa as she is getting married in August.  Congrats Lisa and Eric!  They make each other so happy.  I look forward to the wedding shower in two weeks and the wedding in August.  It's going to be a wonderful celebration.  There's nothing better than seeing two people who are truly happy together.  I really couldn't be happier for them.

After physical therapy I came home to another surprise.  Janette, one of my Preemie Project volunteers, sent me these goodies:

Thank you Janette!  You're very sweet to think of me.  Janette sent me things to spend a day outside with the kitties.  Everything will come in handy.  As you can see I already ate most of the Skittles.  How did you know about my sweet tooth?  I love everything!  Thank you!

Janette has taken on the task of helping me create a Michigan chapter of The Preemie Project.  She is going to collect donations, help recruit volunteers in her area, and help with some other administrative things.  Janette you deserve a BIG pat on the back for taking on this task.  I know that your hard work will be so appreciated by the preemies and their families.  The work has only just begun!  We have 41 total volunteers and counting.  I look forward to our very first donation!

Then I spent the afternoon at the mall with my family.  I went to the Gap and purchased a cute black dress for Lisa's wedding.  For some reason while I was in the store I couldn't think of anything that I could wear with the dress over my shoulders.  My smart momma suggested that the Tartelette Shawl I'm working on would look good.  Duh Laura!  Thank goodness for moms.  I almost bought a white cardigan to go over it that I didn't need. 

So, now I'm so excited because I have somewhere to wear my shawl once it's finished.  I should be showing a finished Shawl pic in the next couple of days.  I'm almost done with the second skein. 

After the mall we came home and the girls decorated the kitchen for my "surprise" party.  From upstairs it sounded like they had a good time.  When they finished I came down for pizza and cake.

The girls had decorated my "throne" with balloons and streamers.

Here's my pretty cake.  My 3 year old cousin Marin and my Aunt Heather baked it.  Thank you Heather!  Marin choose strawberry cake with vanilla and strawberry icing.  Sound icky?  I thought it would be but it turned out to be pretty tasty.  Never thought that I would eat a strawberry flavored cake.  I guess the 3 year old has broadened my horizons.

Here's me and the girls with my cake!  My identity is revealed!  Don't my little cousins look cute?  They love to pose for pictures.  You'd never tell would you?

They gave me a ribbon to wear that said "Birthday Girl" and a crown that said "Princess."  Hey, I'm not denying it!  That's what my dad calls me.

Then the girls played Pin the Tail on the Donkey.  This is the youngest, Molly.  I thought this picture was really cute and had to share it!

Here's Michaela being her naturally pretty self.

Here's Marin with her BIG grin!  She was having a good time.

Then the girls went ouside to swim until bedtime.  This is Marin, the daredevil, diving into the pool.  Don't worry, she landed in it!  Marin was diving/doing belly flops into the pool all evening long. 

We had a really fun visit.  We're supposed to have a family gathering by a lake in Missouri this July.  I'm crossing my fingers that I'll be able to travel.  I really want to see the rest of my mom's family.  It'll especially be fun to see these little ones again.

They're going back to Kansas tomorrow morning.  We had a really great visit.  The best part was that Molly Grace, the youngest, was no longer afraid of our dog.  She was so afraid of her and everyone else the past two visits.  This time she was her cute little self and I finally got to meet the real Molly Grace.  I'll leave you with what it think is the best picture of the weekend.  I'm definitely going to frame this one.

Me and my sweetie pie! 

I love you Molly Grace, Michaela and Marin!  See you girls soon!

Sunday With the Girls

Today was another fun, relaxing day with my cousins.  As forecasted, it was a hot sunny day.  It was perfect tanning weather.  Yes I know that many of you think I'm crazy.  I just LOVE the summer.  I could sit out in hot weather all day.  I cannot stand the cold though.  I enjoy the change in seasons but the winter just lasts too long. 

Anyhow I worked on my tan while the girls swam all day.  I'm actually not ghostly pale anymore.  You can no longer mistake me for an albino.  Okay it wasn't that bad but pretty close.  Here's the girls looking extra cute in the pool:

Once my mom came home from work we went inside for dinner.  Then we worked with the two older girls on a beading project that we had planned for them. 

We found the cutest box of beads at Walmart.  They're just perfect for little girls.  The beads are sparkly, not too small and some of them are the shapes of hearts, butterflies, stars and flowers.  They also came with some crosses and stretchy cord.  I highly recommend using stretchy cord with children as it is much less likely to break.

I think that Michaela, the oldest, had the best time.  Here she is looking pretty modeling her new necklace.

This is a VERY tired Marin showing off her new necklace, bracelet and zipper pull for her backpack.  I think she was just humoring me!  Can't you tell by that look?!

Here is the zipper pull that I made for Marin.  I made one for Michaela too but did get a pic taken.  I just love the teddy bear charm on this one.  If you're wondering, I purchased it at Hobby Lobby.

After beading the two youngest girls were put to bed and Michaela stayed up with the "big girls" for smores and TV. 

Look at that face!  She cracked my mom and I up when she suddenly looked at us and said, "Hey!  These smores are AWESOME!" totally out of nowhere.  What a sweetie!  Gotta love that face.

Okay so are you saying, "umm, where is the knitting content?!"  Don't worry, today I actually have some solid knitting content.  Last night I decided on a project to knit for myself to replace the aforementioned Jaeger Vest. 

I started a shawl out of Knit One Crochet Too's Tartelette in Misty Mauve.  I purchased three hanks of it awhile back from FuzzyMabel.com.  Just to remind you they had great service and very fast shipping.   

Here's a progress pic:

I'm using a pattern that my grandmother sent me this winter.  I believe that it is a Yarnbarn Kansas original.  The pattern book has a pattern for a poncho and a shawl.  I was thinking about doing the poncho but didn't have enough yarn.  So instead I chose the shawl. 

I really like it so far.  The ribbon yarn has a shiny and matte finish which is really unusual.  It's fun to look at.  I'm planning on using all 3 hanks that I purchased.  That shouldmake it a decent sized shawl.  We will see...

I should almost have it finished tomorrow.  I'm off to watch White Noise and knit my shawl. 

Oh I just realized that it's 12:45 am.  Happy Birthday to me!!!  I have a physical therapy appointment in the early afternoon.  Then I think my mom is going to take me out to do something fun like bead shopping.  Then she has to come home and work on my "surprise" party with the girls.  I just hope that they have fun with it.  That'll make it a good day.  Okay, off to knit!

A Saturday With the Girls

My aunt Heather and my three little cousins came into town last night.  It's amazing how much the girls have grown in just the three months since I last saw them.  We took a walk, well they walked and my mom pushed me in my chair, last night all around the neighborhood.  The middle of the three girls, Marin, collected rocks while the other two walked the dog.  The weather was beautiful and it felt great to be outside among the living. 

Today was another day with the girls.  The girls swam in a little pool in the front yarn as I slept in.  It was too cloudy to get a tan so I stayed inside for the morning/early afternoon and caught up with emails, blog reading and such. 

Then it was on to knitting and watching the 2nd season of 24 on DVD in my bedroom.  I worked on a hat for The Preemie Project.  I've also been sorting through and working on my donations for The Preemie Project.  I wasn't quite sure how much or what I had finished.   

I've been working on my donations for about the past two months.  I've had phases of just knitting hats and phases of just knitting booties.  I learned today that I should have been concentrating on making hat and booties sets together.  I thought that I had a lot of sets done but dug through my donations to find out.  

Well let's just say that it didn't look as good as I thought it would.  I peiced together what I could and found that I had a ton of booties that needed their seams sewn.  Every single pair of booties still needed ribbon too.  Somehow I just never got around to finishing them.  I also found that I really didn't have as many hat and bootie sets finished as I thought.  I have a lot of booties and a lot of hats but very few sets. 

Now my current task is figure how many booties and hats I need to knit.  That way every hat will have booties to go with it. 

These are all the sets that I've finished.  (I actually have 7 b/c one is not pictured)

  These are sets that just have booties needing ribbon. (4)

These are all hats without booties.  (16?)

These are most of the booties without hats.  (I have some that aren't pictured)  They are also all unfinished, obviously.  I tied them together by size and color.

So I made a rule a couple days back: Half of my knitting time will be for The Preemie Project.  I have actually stuck to this rule believe it or not!  Now I have another rule to add to the aforementioned: Any Preemie project knitting will be devoted to knitting hats and booties to match and finish these sets. 

I did start making some green hats this week.  I finished one and I'm going to knit two more.  Once those are done I will not start any other colors etc until these sets are finished.  I figure if I state this here then I'll have to stick to it, right?!  yeah...we'll see!

I also found another volunteer to help me out.  My wonderful mom, Linda, is going to help me finish these sets.  She's wanted to start knitting again but didn't have a project.  Well I had no problem giving her one!  Every night I tell her " let's go sit and knit and watch TV!"  Then when she takes me to a physcial therapy or a doctor appointment I remind her to bring her yarn.  She teases me and calls me a slave driver.  Well, I guess I just might be!  I won't lie!  She has actually already finished a pink hat.  She knits a lot faster than me.  She's also decided that I must be wound tight b/c my knitting is SUPER tight compared to hers.  Well that just might be true too.

I had some wonderfully sweet helpers today:

These are my cousins (left) Marin and (right) Molly.  Marin is 3 and Molly is almost 2.  They sat and watched The Incredibles on my bed while I was sewing bootie seams.  Marin's favorite part was when I added the ribbon.  She said "I won't touch those b/c they're for very sick babies."  How cute is that?!

I'm so amazed at the intuition of my little cousins.  They're wise beyond their years.  Marin was so proud to be able to hold the bootie "for sick babies" in this picture.  She held it like an egg as if it would break in her hands.  This is a little girl who often doesn't know her own strength.  So precious. 

It's so much fun to have cousins who are b/w 18-21 years younger than I am.  It's almost like they're my neices.  They call me "cousin Laura" almost as a sign of respect.  We're having a wonderul visit.  It's really a great pick me up.  It's supposed to be sunny tomorrow so I am going to lay out while they swim.  It'll be another fun, relaxing day. 

I'm planning on starting a new project for myself tonight.  I promise to have progress pics tomorrow.  Why would anyone believe me with how bad I've been about that lately?!  You're just gonna have to take my word for it!

Thank You SP!

I received a very unexpected package from my secret pal today.  Well, I can say that from the contents it is very obvious that she is reading my blog:

Yes, this stuff will definitely come in handy with those diet Pepsi incidents.  Now that I have this bottle I shouldn't have those incidents anymore. 

Hey, wait one minute. My secret pal is smarter than that!  Just in case of another incident she sent me a variety of fine yarn detergents.  These will also come in so handy with all of my handknits.  I was just looking for some in Ben Franklin the other day and couldn't find any.  I'm so glad that I don't have to search anymore.

By the way, did you see that the bottle is pink?!  One of my favorite colors!  It is not only perfect for use while sitting around but it is going to help to lead a more functional life around the house. 

I spend most of my time upstairs in my bedroom because that's where I'm the most comfortable.  What does a girl like me need for comfort?  Not much! Just cable TV, movies, my comfy bed, my knitting, knitting magazines and of course a Diet Pepsi.

Since I'm on the top floor of the house I have a hard time carrying drinks up the stairs for myself.  One hand has to be on my cane and the other on the railing.  I'm pretty unsteady at times when I'm up and about.  So, I'm afriad of spilling the contents of an uncovered glass onto my parents carpet.  (I do it enough already just in my room! AHH!)  So my mom leaves me a cooler of drinks in my bedroom every morning before leaving for work.  She won't have to tomorrow.  Now I'll be able to carry my new bottle up and down the stairs without having to worry about spilling.  It's so great to have that bit of independence back!  Every little bit helps.

Secret Pal, I don't know how you knew that I watch movies galore.  The blockbuster gift card will come in very handy.  I may have to have a movie party in my room this weekend.  My three little cousins are coming into town tomorrow evening.  They're so sweet and fun!  They're 5, 3 and 1.5.  They're even going to stay through Tuesday so they'll be here for my birthday on Monday.  Having them here is going to help make it not be so gloomy.  The more people I have around me right now, probably the better off I'll be.

My mom has planned a bunch of fun stuff for the girls to do this weekend.  She is going to have them throw a "surprise" party for me.  They're going to get to decorate the downstairs for the party, play pin the tail on the donkey, make beaded necklaces with their cousin Laura, and of course eat cake and whatever else we decide to do.  My mom and I are also going to put together some little gift bags for them to have once the party is finished.  We just want them to have a fun time while they're here.  I don't think I'll be able to be anything but happy with those three sweet faces are around all weekend.  I was afraid that it might be bad timing for company but I think that it will actually be for the best.

We're supposed to have hot, summer weather all weekend.  So they'll probably play in the little pool my mom got them while I work on my tan.  I sat out on the deck today to lift my mood and get some sun.  Here's a look at some pics I took while out on the deck today:

This is a small part of my mom's shade garden out back.  It's a labor of love.  She always calls it a work in progress.  To me it's just gorgeous and so peaceful to watch.  I'm hoping that I can get down into the garden by the end of summer. We'll see!

Here's a close up of the center of the previous pic.  Here you can get a better feel for the textures and colors in the garden.  I'm going to make my mom take the camera down there to snap some close shots of different plants.

Some birds decided to make a nest in our fireplace vent.  The cats watch them and make all kinds of cackling noises.  It gets dangerous when Oliver and Miller decide to walk the deck rail to follow them.  It's not so safe and scares the heck out of me!  I pulled Oliver down 3 times today.  The third time I finally got smart and took him inside.   

Here he is sitting on top of our gas grill watching the birds.  He used it as a jumping off point to get to the deck railing.  Little stinker!

                                                                  Yep Oliver's just a fat, lovable monster.

  Here's Toby enjoying the deck too.  He wasn't a fan of the hot weather and only last about 15 minutes. 

Miller was the only one who lasted the whole time with me.  He's my little buddy in the afternoons.  He's not really affectionate yet.  I think if I give him another year he will be.  It took the other two until close to the age of two to get very affectionate.

Knitting progress pics tomorrow.  I sent out my last Iowa Chicks Knitting SP gift today.  I hope she likes it.  She is also going to find out who I am.  I'll post everything I sent her once she gets the last package.  I also sent out the first package to my SP5 secret pal today.  Oh I hope she likes everything!  I'm already planning the next package.

Thank you to everyone who has sent me kind words and well wishes this week.  It has really helped my mood to read the encouraging comments that everyone has been leaving.  You keep me going on the bad days.  Thanks a million!  My back has been really bad the past couple of days due to lack of sleep.  I had the worst spasm I've ever had this morning.  As soon as I can get some good rest my back should improve some and I will catch up with all of you.  Thank you again for being a shoulder to lean on.  Tomorrow's a new day...

                                        

I'm Still Here

So I'm still alive, even though I don't feel like I am.  I've had a really rough couple of days and there will be more to come.  I'll just say this, I've been made into a believer when it comes to the curse of the boyfriend sweater.  I guess that you're not safe from it even after 4.5 years.  You live and learn I guess.

So on to better, happier things.  I have two big thank you's for two wonderful people. 

Thank you Catherine for the RAOK.  The note and notepad really couldn't have come at a better time.  It was a real bright spot on a very gloomy day.  Thanks for being such a good friend. Also, thank you for the yarn donation to The Preemie Project! This will definitely be put to good use.  I appreciate it!

I am starting to get a good base amount of yarn for The Preemie Project.  We still need more but have received a wonderful amount of support so far.  Thank you to everyone who continues to support this project.  I couldn't have gotten it off of the ground without you.

Another very late thank you goes to my Iowa Chicks Knitting secret pal.  Look what she sent me!

How neat is that?!  Oh, I just love these!  Where in the world do you find something like that?  My secret pal, you were right when you said that you thought I might get good use out of them.  I most definitely will.  These are so fantastic!

This also came at the most opportune time.  Thank you for brightening up my day.  I apologize for taking so long to post.  I just haven't felt much like it until today.  So thank you so much again for these.  They're just perfect!

I haven't been doing much knitting in the past couple of days.  I put the branching out down and hope to pick it back up again tonight.  I put the Jaeger Vest away.  Hopefully someday I'll be up to frogging it or to knitting it for someone else.  Mostly I've been working on blue hats and booties for The Preemie Project. 

Now that the Jager Vest is off of my current sanity list I have more room to work on items for The Preemie Project.  I may just decide to knit something for myself.  I have many things that have been sitting on my to do list for a long time.  I think I'll try to choose something this week.

I have been doing a little beading to pass the time. I made a necklace and matching earrings for myself this weekend.  I needed some different jewelry to wear.  I feel naked without a necklace on.

Here is the necklace, obviously.  Click on it for a larger view.  It's not really long and that's due to me messing up.  I had trouble connecting the illusion wire to the connectors.  I kept having to shorten the illusion wire to reconnect it to the lobster claw and ring.  So it's closer to a choker but not quite that short.

Here's a look at the detail of the necklace.  Look at it sparkle!

Here's the matching earrings.  These were so simple to make.  All you need is ear wires, head pins and beads.

My physical therapist gave me the measurement for her daughter's bracelet on Friday.  So I was able to string the beads and charms.  Here's the finished product:

I'm proud of how it turned out.  Click on it for a closer look.  The charms and clasp are sterling silver.  Since I'm a novice beader this was my first time using sterling silver.  Now I want to make myself a sterling silver bracelet.  This actually has a lot of sparkle to it.  The pic doesn't do the beads justice.

I took some up close shots of the charms and the clasp b/c they're so cute.  Click on them for a closer look.

  Sterling silver heart clasp.  It's so little and sweet.  Perfect for a little girl.

Sterling silver teapot charm.  The little lid opens and closes.

  Sterling silver heart charm.

Sterling silver purse charm.

St

erling silver tiara charm.  This one is my favorite.  That is my thumb on the left.  So you can get an idea of how tiny the charms really are. 

My physical therapist is going to give this to her daughter as a going to kindergarten special gift this fall.  She's afraid that the adjustment will be difficult for her.  I hope that this bracelet makes her daughter feel special and eases her transition.  I would have loved it as a little girl. 

I have to thank Dawn, of Beads and Beyond in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, for all of the help she gave me with this.  She helped me pick everything out and did a great job.  I'm so lucky to have such a wonderful LYS!  Thanks again Dawn!

Speaking of Beads and Beyond I have to thank both owners, Dawn and Sandi, for displaying The Preemie Project's flier in their store.  They've also accepting donated items in their store now too. 

So if you live in the Cedar Rapids, IA area and don't want to pay for postage, just drop your donations off at Beads and Beyond.  It's a great excuse to go to your LYS anyway, right?!  While you're in there you can purchase yarn for The Preemie Project and get a 10% discount too!  Just tell them that the yarn is for The Preemie Project in order to get the discount.

 

Branching Out With Frustration

Today started out as a nice relaxing day.  Not like last night when I started my Branching Out and had to frog the first repeat twice.  That was mildly frustrating.  I was paying to much attention to The Aviator and not eough attention to the pattern.  After frogging it a second time I was able to complete 3 repeats before going to bed.  At least i was satisfied with my progress.

This evening was a whole other story.  I had a relaxing afternoon working on my tan out on the deck and whipping up a preemie hat for The Preemie Project.  That was nice leisurely knitting.  This evening definently wasn't.

I had worked about an addition 2 or 3 rows on my branching out when I realized that there was a mistake in repeat two.  I didn't want to leave any mistakes because it will probably end up being a gift.  I frogged down to the mistake but had trouble picking the stitches back up.  AHHH!  So I just frogged the whole thing.  No, I wasn't being very patient.

Trying to get it started again was even worse.  I frogged the first repeat 3 times!  Now this was just ridiculous.  I was creating a problem for myself by yet again paying more attention to the TV than the pattern. 

Finally after frogging the first repeat 3 times, I was able to get it going.  Who'd have thought that just paying attention to what I was doing would make such a big difference!?  So yes, it was my own fault.  I was finally able to complete 4 repeats before typing up this post:

Just think, I would have probably completed 8 or 9 repeats by now had I just payed attention. 

The color is distorted in the picture.  That's what I get for taking a picture in an almostly completely dark room.  No, I haven't been the sharpest tac in the box today. 

I'm using Knit One Crochet Too's Doucier et Soie in Snow.  The pattern only takes one skein.  I got this yarn from FuzzyMabel.com back in mid-April.  It's taken me this long to finally get to it. 

My list of future projects is so long that I've stopped choosing any more all together.  I am going to have to squeeze a super extra secret project in here soon.  My last project added was Clapotis.  Does anyone know of a very soft, warm and pretty yarn to use for this?  I'd love (need) any suggestions.

I'll be branching out again tomorrow.  I need to make myself known at the knit-along message board.  I joined ages and ages ago.  I'm also going to work on the Jaeger Vest with pics tomorrow and my list of possible Christmas Gifts.  It'll be a busy day but hopefully one free of frustrations. 

Please Excuse My Excitement

This afternoon I decided to get some sun on my pasty white self.  (I have nothing better to do this summer so I might as well get a tan.)  The three monsters and I sat out on the deck.  They chased bugs and ate leaves, which was extremely entertaining to watch.  They're indoor cats so going outside is a treat for them.  Only it's when they come inside that's a punishment for me.  They tend to howl out the door until bedtime to go back out.  Poor deprived monsters. 

So this afternoon I worked on my tan and whipped up this preemie hat for The Preemie Project.  I still need to make them pompom for it.  I know this is nothing you haven't seen before.  I knit all of my hats from this same simple pattern.  It's become my mindless knitting time.  Plus they match the bootie pattern I'm using.  So once I have enough sets of booties and hats in all colors I am going to move on to another pattern.

I haven't talked about The Preemie Project in awhile.  It's an exciting time for me.  I've had 5 new volunteers join since Saturday alone.  So now the number is close to 30.  I started a yahoo group for the project this weekend.  It's kept me busy but it has been totally worth it.  I'm hoping that the volunteers will enjoy getting to know each other.  It's nice to be able to communicate with everyone in the group setting, like one big family.

I've been working on thinking of ways to recruit more volunteers.  I especially want to recruit them from Iowa and Michigan.  Why Michigan?  Well one of my very enthusiastic and fabulous volunteers, Janette, has taken on the task of being the point person for that chapter.  (Go give her a big pat on the back!)  So she and I are going to work together to get enough support to be abe to donate to a hospital in her area too.  My hope is that with more people joining we'll have even more people join by word of mouth in IA, MI and everywhere around the country. 

I'm also trying to go around to as many knitting/crocheting/sewing chatboards that I can to talk about the project.  I've been amazed at how many hits we've received on The Preemie Project website from just posting on two chat boards.  We also receive a ton of hits from volunteers posting about the project on their blogs.  I can't believe the traffic on the internet.  Now I need to think of more ways to get people in my community involved. 

Please excuse my gushing about the project.  I'm just so excited that it's actually happening.  When I started to put things together I never expected to receive much of a response at all.  Now as the weeks go by our average number of volunteers signing up each week has increased from 1 to 5.  Hopefully the numbers continue to rise. 

I'm just so excited to be able to actually make a donation in a couple of months.  I have to thank my newest volunteer, Jackie for her donation that I received on Monday. 

Look at all of the tiny, cute booties and hats.  Thanks Jackie! 

I haven't been very good about keeping up with my Preemie Project knitting lately.  I have to get going on my bootie and hat sets.  My goal was to knit sets in 5 colors in a varying range of sizes.  I've just gotten started on the hats recently.  I have a long way to go.  I've also recently added burial items to The Preemie Project's donation list.  I want to start some of those soon too.  No more beading for me I guess. 

So my new goal is to split my daily knitting time in half.  Half of the time I am going to work on knitting for The Preemie Project and the other half on other projects.  We'll see how it goes.  I'll give an update on my totals for The Preemie Project tomorrow.  It doesn't look good.  I can tell you that much already. 

Beading Progress and Pics

I've been promising some beading pics for forever and I finally have them.  I haven't completed too many projects yet because one seems to take me so long.  Still being a beginner it takes a long time for me to decide what beads to put together and how to do it.  Stringing the beads is a snap for me, it's the design that's difficult.

My physical therapist has commisioned me to make a bracelet for her youngest daughter.  I have it deisgned but I'm still waiting on the daughter's wrist measurement to be able to string it. 

However, I do have a prototype of sorts that I can share.  My mom asked me to make a tiny bracelet for my 2 month old cousin Emma.  I used the same beads that I choose for the bracelet for the other little girl.

Here is the one for Emma.  I know that she probably won't even wear it.  It will still make a cute keepsake for her baby book.  Then we she is old enough I can restring the beads and charms with additional beads and charms to make it larger.

The charms are really sweet.  Here is a closer look at them:

I bought a bunch of these from Beads and Beyond for various projects.  So cute!

This little teddy bear is sterling silver. It's really tiny and delicate.

Look at these tiny feet!  Just perfect!  Even if Emma doesn't wear the bracelet I still think that my aunt and uncle will get a kick out of it.

I am using the same pink hearts and clear crystals for the other bracelet.  I also have 4 charms for it too.  I'm hoping htta my physical therapist likes it as much as I do.  My mom and I had a lot of fun shopping for it.  Hey I'll take any excuse to go bead and yarn shopping!

My mom bought the prettiest beads for another nearby bead shop awhile back.  She never used them because she couldn't find anything to go with them and more than anything she just doesn't have the time or energy to bead.  So one night last week I was determined to make her a bracelet out of them. Here's what I came up with:

The big rectangular beads are the ones she had chosen.  I actually quite proud of this bracelet and I'm disappointed because the pic doesn't really do it justice.  The large beads are actually a little semi-transparent and really neat to look at.

I surprised mom with it that same night and she loved it!  Mission accomplished!  I was so happy that she liked it.  She's worn it everyday to work since.  It looks so pretty on her too.

Had enough beading content yet?  I hope not because there is more to come!  I've also been working on some beaded bookmarks for my aunt Vicki, Emma's mom.  She really like the ones i sent to my grandmother and aunt Mary and said that she would really like some.  I'm trying my best to make some that she'll really like.  What have I come up with so far?  Well...

Bookmark #1: This is one of my favorites.  It's the first one I made.  It's getting easier to design bookmarks the bigger my bead stash gets.  I have a lot more choices than I had before.

Book Mark #2:  I love the big purple beads on this one.  They are also from Beads and Beyond. 

Here's a closer look at the detail on the ends.

Bookmark #3: This one is my very favorite.  I'm going to make a matching one for myself.  I guess that I should be reading a book to need one.  Hopefully my mind will be straighted out enough to start reading again soon.

A closer look at the detail on the ends.  Oh I love this one!

I have a 4th one that I made but I've decided that it's too ugly to post.  I hope to come up with one more tonight.  I am going to try to send this stuff out to my aunt tomorrow along with the openwork bonnet and bootie set for Emma.  I may whip up another set of booties for her tonight.  It depends on how the evening goes. 

That's all of the beading content for today.  I would say that tomorrow will be back to just knitting contect but I would be lying.  I think my mom and I are going beading tomorrow so I may have to show off my treasures a bit.

I want to learn how to do more difficult and interesting types of beading.  Dani, my sunshine, is crocheting a beaded bracelet.  Go look at her progress.  It's really neat.  I really want to learn how to do that.

A smidgen of knitting content: Remember the problem with my felted bag?  (I miss calculated the gauge when I order the Cascade 220 from Webs online store.  I ended up not having nearly enough for finish the project.  Frustrating!)  I received some wonderful suggestions such as to use two different colors together, etc.  Thank you Laura!  (Stop by and say hello to my new friend if you have a chance.)

I liked that idea and seriously considered it until I got a call from my grandmother this weekend.  My grandmother being as wonderful as she is told me that she was planning on sending me 4 skeins of Lamb's Pride for my birthday on 6/27.  The big 23!  How wonderful! She had called to ask me what color I wanted.  I seriously have the best grandma ever. 

So I'm going to save the cascade for something else.  Now I have to figure out another felting project that will take about the skeins.  Maybe I'll make a smaller bag of a different pattern.  I can always make someone a pair of felted clogs too.

Now I have to figure out what project to work on while waiting for the yarn.  I have the Jaeger vest to work on but I need something else for variation.  I'm thinking I might start my branching out tonight.  It's about time I start that.  No matter what I decide I promise to have knitting progress pics tomorrow.

Bead It 2 Swap and More Fun

Awhile back I joined Bead It 2 hosted by the lovely Cara.  Bead It 2 is a fun stitch marker swap.  Basically everyone was given a secret pal and then you send your pal 4 handmade beaded markers.  Fun huh?!

I sent mine off on Tuesday.  Of course I forgot to take a picture of the ones I made.  I always forget to take out the camera before putting tape on the envelope.  I'll let you know if my pal posts a pic.

I received the markers from my secret pal, Jen, today!  She really spoiled me. 

Thank you Jen for everything.  This little kitty pouch is so cute.  My mom was watching me open the envelope and agreed that it suits me perfectly.  The matching card is so neat too.  Where do you guys get cute things like this?   

My mom always watches me open packages.  Between you and me I think she's a little jealous of the goodies I get.

Look at all of the gorgeous markers Jen sent me:

These are so pretty.  she even sent two different ring sizes.  That variation will come in handy later.

What a wonderful addition to my stitch marker collection.  Now I even have a cute little pouch to keep my collection in.  Just fabulous!

Thanks for everything Jen.  Also a big thank you to Cara for hosting another Bead It.  Hosting these events can have it's share of work and hassles.  Cara does it all in stride and with a "smile."  She's one of the very best.  Thanks again Cara!

Well having just finished Bead It 2 I've already signed up for yet another stitch marker swap.  For those of you who didn't get in on the Bead It fun go check this one out.

Stitch marker mania is being hosted by, I believe her name is Anita. The deadline for sign-up is I believe 6/24.  Go check it out and join in on the fun. 

If you want to make your own beaded stitch markers, but don't know how here is a great tutorial:  Stitch Marker Tutorial  It's on Sheep in the City's blog.  I highly recommend this tutorial b/c it's very good.

If you want to join but are afraid to try it, don't be.  I'm a very beginning beader and even I can do it.  It's really not difficult at all. 

Speaking of beading I have pics to share but I'm too sleepy right now.  So there will be lots of beading pics tomorrow.  Hopefully there will be some knitting content too.