Fixed finally

Sorry it took me this long, but below are my Snowmageddon highlights! It's been over a month since the snow fell and this weekend we've got enough rain coming that if it were below 32 degrees we'd have more record breaking snowfall on the way. THAT GOD THAT IS NOT THE CASE!!! It's still around 50 degrees luckily so it's just gonna be a wet weekend.

Obviously with 2-4" of rain on the way, I won't be planning any outdoor activities or spending extended amounts of time outside/shopping. Perfect opportunity to get some work done on my craft projects, get some craft stuff organized and make progress on some new projects I've got going in my mind! Will be sure to post pictures at the end of my 2 days of "house arrest". I hope that I will have much to report on :-)

Happy Friday everyone!

FINALLY my Blizzard pictures

So the snow is finally almost gone, they're even talking about 50+ degree weather over the weekend......I guess now is as good a time as any to FINALLY post some of my Snowmageddon pictures right??

Below is the link to the slideshow I created, I hope that you can access it. I wish I could have figured out how to put directly in this post, but I had no luck. Anyone out there got an answer to today's issue for me? As you can see, I did figure out adding a link since yesterdays post. Did it all on my own today too (I really think that the "link" image was just missing yesterday when I was trying to find it, at least that's what I'm going with!)
http://http//s1032.photobucket.com/albums/a407/hjones1218/Snowmageddon%202010/?action=view&current=87415bfb.pbw

I did take many more pictures than this over the course of the 7 days that we were snowed in (ugh, memories) along w/ the times that I took them, but I figured that for now I would just give you the highlights of what it was really like in Silver Spring, and if I ever get them into a scrapbook I will share with those who are interested in seeing.

I hope you enjoy - I will post the pictures of the completed purple blanket tomorrow!

I feel like I missed out!

Ever heard of the Knitting Olympics? Well I hadn't until after the opening weekend of the Olympics. I read about it on a family members blog during my lunch break one day! Who knew such things existed, and why didn't I know before!

I can't figure out to insert the links to this post (if someone knows how to do this and is willing to share, I'd love to know!), but if you go to Yarn Harlot's Blog, or Every Day Crochet you will be able to read all about these communities that have been challenging themselves in the craft that they love over the 17 days that we all sat glued to our TVs. If you were anything like me, you probably sat down as soon as you got home from work and watched until 12-12:30 every morning. that's what I did. And I was miserable every morning at 6 a.m. when my alarm went off, and I was usually fairly miserable by 2 p.m. at work each day. But I would get home and do it all over again.
I could have started to work on a project once I heard about this "Crafty Olympics" as I like to call it since I spent more time crocheting that I do knitting, but would certainly find myself challenged to pull out my knitting needles and finish a project in 17 days. The problem is I really didn't get motivated into it. I did work on projects. Like I finished an adorable St. Patty's Day door hanger for Grannie that I designed in my head and worked very hard on last weekend to get it to look right and just mailed it off to her this morning. The problem with that is, a 12"x3" piece of plastic canvas is not challenge to me! I have a pile of Granny squares that one day will be a blanket that I am working on, and I actually started to knit a scarf after learning a new stitch from a friend, but each night the projects sat there staring at me like a puppy who wants attention. I just had no desire to sit up and actually concentrate on them. Weird for me right?

I'm sitting here now, I just finished reading about the finish projects and pride felt by some Knitting Olympians and I find myself angry that I didn't try harder because I now have to wait until London 2012 to partake. Even worse, it'll probably be more likely that I have to wait until Soshi 2014 because I don't spend much time knitting/crocheting in the summer months of DC. No amount of air conditioning alleviates the sweaty hands I get holding onto yarn in August!

The only way I feel slightly better is thinking of Mom's purple blanket that I did finish, but long before the Opening Ceremonies. I finished that early on in Blizzard #1 of February, I believe even before Snow Day #1 (of 4) hit because I no longer wanted to have to keep working on it! That blanket was certainly a challenge. It is to date the biggest project I've ever started AND completed, and while it's not perfect I am very proud that I finished it. It's just beautiful. You're going to have to take my word for now as I still haven't gotten my pictures on a thumb drive to bring with me! Maybe tonight :-)

My only hope now is to get my motivation back and finish the blanket I'm currently working on! I have 3 or 4 more already at the start gate (have the yarn and everything). Unlike how I am with plastic canvas and scarves/hats/pillow though, I've really gotta work one blanket at a time, it's just too much yarn sitting around for just one project.

I'm planning to come home the end of April and I have a few things that I do need to make by then as well as gifts, wow I think I need to make a list and get some things in order so I'm not racing till the last minute! I always do that too. I said at Christmas time that I had decided on some gifts for family for next Christmas and that I was going to have them made and put away for December by Jan 31st.......then I started the famous purple blanket and needless to say, I have many things I need to make still!

Snowmageddon 2010

Ok, so no this isn't the pictures I took from all our snow in February. I just wanted to say that they're still coming, and in light of the fact that we're now not going to get anything from "the big monster" dumping on the Northeast the end of this week I just got to thinking about my pictures and my lack of posting!

They're even on my computer too. I uploaded them to show Mom over the weekend. Now to just get online and post! There's a better chance of it happening if I was going to get a snow day this week, but I might try afternoon. Probably won't happen tonight because there is a brand new digital video camera sitting waiting for me that I'm gonna wanna play around with tonight :-)

Update on the Blanket

No, these are not the best pictures in the world, they're pretty blurry and I couldn't manage to fit the entire blanket into the frame on my phone this morning, but that's cause the blanket has gotten SO BIG!

On Saturday morning I was convinced that I would get it finished this past weekend, or at least be down to the border to be working on at night this week. Didn't quite happen though, I have 2 1/2 rounds to go before extending 2 opposing sides and then starting the 3 round border.

The only time I really got a chance to work on it was Saturday morning early and then while the girls were over for Crafty Saturday. Of course with other people there it became a lot of chatting and what was on TV and snacks to keep us satisfied until Duck at 8 so I didn't get as much done as I had hoped. I did learn a new knitting stitch from Heather which I am looking forward to trying. I've actually already thought of what yarn I have and want to use for this scarf, I just have to find it and the right size knitting needles......should also probably try and finish the above blanket first too!

If I was just making a lap blanket I would totally be done, it's gotten so big and it's getting to be a bit cumbersome to have sitting on my lap. At this point I truly just want to get it done and I know that in the future I will probably only make blankets with a standard "back and forth" pattern, or I will be making many Granny squares and connecting them all at the end!

I think I'll be able to wrap this guy up by the weekend, or end of the weekend. I have 3 plastic canvas projects (2 for Valentine's Day) that I'm also working on as well as trying to maintain my focus to not start one of the other 4 blankets I've been designing in my head, or that knit scarf! This truly is my downfall with getting projects finished, I have too many things I want to make, too many new ideas in my head, and NEVER enough time to get them all done!

I will post a finished picture of the blanket by the end of this coming weekend, I'm gonna really work towards that being my deadline......hopefully I'll ever get some other things finished up during the week/weekend too :-)

Weekend Project

Here is a picture of what I worked on for a good portion of the long weekend. Now, I know I had to return to work yesterday, but I forgot to take a picture of it yesterday morning and I went shopping after work last night so I haven't put any work into it since Monday evening. You can even see right at the bottom where my hook is hanging off and I had stopped that row of green on Monday night because I just couldn't keep going - my wrist was offically "off the clock"!

The blanket is gonna be for Mom and it's just one giant Granny square. As you know from some of my summer posts, I did start a blanket for myself for reading on the patio but I never came close to finishing it (as of yet). Ever since Mom gave Grannie and I our blankets for Christmas I have been determined to start crocheting blankets too. I'm never one to be out crafted! I've had the yarn for this for at least the last 6 months and had planned on having this made for her for Christmas, after not having it done for her birthday.....clearly neither happened. I started the first 2-3 rounds on Friday night, first w/ a smaller hook but by round 4 found myself starting over because I didn't like how tight it was turning out. Everything is Red Heart SuperSaver, one skein of each of the 6 colors needed and a K hook. It's 37 rounds before I start to just add some rows to opposing ends to make it a rectangle and then add on the border. Right now I believe we're looking at around 17 or 18 rounds. Unfortunately, after the completion of each round, the next one is a bit bigger, 16 stitches each time to be exact so as you can imagine it starts taking longer and longer to get around the square once more. Right now it's taking me about 30-45 minutes to get around once so my progress isn't as evident as before.

I'm still having lots of fun though and I really like how it's coming out. Definitely not taking me as long to make a blanket as I thought it would and I already have many MANY plans for more blankets I want to make for me, Jon, Grannie and others! I've even bought the yarn/picked out the colored for most of them.

Good thing crafty Saturday is coming up cause I clearly have a lot of work to do! I'll post a new pic on Monday to see how I do.

Would be happy to share the pattern as well as the colors I'm using with anyone who is interested in having, just let me know!

Recap

Wow, it's been forever. So much has been going on since the move: Thanksgiving, my Birthday, Christmas, New Years, etc. etc. etc. Of course there are also all the craft projects that I have worked on and completed in that time :-)

I'll start by saying how much we are loving our new apartment! We are getting really close to having everything situated, and this place really feels like a home vs. a rented space. The paint and curtins really make that happen I think. I hope that this spring I am able to push Jon towards painting the study and one wall of the dining room. I was actually unpacked and got the last cardboard box out of the apt. 1 1/2 months after the move, which I believe is record time for moving and unpacking! We of course, don't have a basement or closet space that's not already being utilized that I could just hide boxes in, so I had no choice but to just do it! Now as I spend time on the weekends out shopping for small details and working to get things better organized, I am very happy that I pushed myself this fall like I did. I have some new pictures that I need to upload in order to share on here of how things are coming together.

The holidays were crazy stressful this year and just FLEW by, but as always it was great to be home with the family. I as always was super busy making lots of Christmas cookies (15 different kinds in total), and working to finish up presents that I was making. Again lots of pictures of these to share, but I gotta get them uploaded :o) New Years Eve was very low key this year, we decided to stay in, make a nice dinner and enjoy getting rested up from traveling so it was very enjoyable. I look foward to what interesting things 2010 has in store for me.

I didn't really make a resolution this year - I feel like pin pointing something specific just sets me up to fail. Things that I know I want to accomoplish this year:

1. start taking classes in the fall
2. Find new ways to challenge myself at work
3. finish my cookbook
4. eat healthier/exercise more
5. challenge myself w/ new craft projects vs. just going for what's "easy"
6. blog more to keep track as I go forward w/ these "goals".

I guess starting to take classes is the more serious of these goals, but nothing is set in stone, they are just things that I want to be able to enjoy more in my life during 2010.

I will try to get pictures from the holidays posted soon and be better about sharing my craft journey for those who are interested in reading about the things I create.