Seraphina, Take 2

So remember way back in December when I said I wanted to make another Seraphina shawl? Since I'm between swaps, I thought it'd be a good time to start.

I'm using Joanns's Rainbow Boucle and a K hook. I love the feel of this yarn and I love the way the color gradually stripes itself. It was a bit of a mother trying to start working with this yarn, but after a little frogging, I got the hang of it.



I haven't decided yet if I want to keep this one or give this to my other (non-dirty) grandmother for Christmas. Never too early to start, eh? She loves bright colors and this would be great for her. If I decide to give it to her, I'll definitely make myself one too, though maybe in a different color.

I need your opinion peeps. I really like this colorway, but anonymous hubby seems to think it looks like seaweed. He says I look like some sort of sea creature covered in seaweed! I've asked a few people I know their opinions and its a mixed bag. Some say it looks great and some say I could be in the next rendition of the little mermaid.

Also, March is National Crochet Month. Whodathunkit? In celebration, I'd like to pop my blog contest cherry!

I'm thinking something along the lines of a funny picture that people can try to come up with the funniest caption for. Knitters welcome too, of course. They can have a week to submit the captions and then I'd put up a poll on the side of the blog for a week, where people can vote. The funniest (by vote) will win a prize from me...probably a skein of yarn and some other small thing. What do you think? Would you participate?

All about hearts swap

My swap partner, Zarah received her swap, so I can show you what I made.

There's a filet heart shawl, heart scarf, fairy, candles, heart covered stuffed animal, heart tin, heart box, a heart cookie and a beating heart (you pull a string adn it vibrates...I found this uber amusing for some reason, ha!).

The heart scarf pattern is from Cocoa Cream's Craft Closet. I really like her blog!



Here's a closeup of the fairy I made. The pattern is from Kristie's Kids. I've mentioned it before, but its worth saying again, I love her patterns. My fairy doesn't look anything like hers, but I think she's cute none-the-less.



Here's the heart shawl I made. Its a bit hard to see the filet pattern, but its very pretty! If you click on the pic to make it larger, you'll be able to see the pattern better. I got the pattern from Sandi Marshall at crochet.about. This was very easy and very fast! I'd say it practically crocheted itself.

The only difficult part for me was following the small squares on the chart. My vision is pretty crap-tastic, so that was a challenge. I found that making a copy of the graph and crossing out each row I finished really helped.

*WARNING* FLAT BUTT AHEAD



I warned you!

Popcorn anyone?

Happy Sunday peeps! Its not quite 10am and its blissfully quiet in my house. Hubby and Pi are still fast asleep. I love mornings when I can have an hour or so to myself!

It snowed on Friday. While I was at work, hubby and Pi went into the backyard to play in the snow. Pi isn't much of a snow person, so she wasn't out long but hubby managed to catch this pic before she went in.

I think its hilarious!



I finished one of my hats for the February Charity Blitz. I first saw the pattern for the Divine Hat on Laurah's blog. As Laurah said, this pattern looks complicated but it very easy! It also works up in no time because of the large hook size. I used a half skein of leftover RHSS in burgandy.



I should have followed Laurah's advice and used a smaller hook. Normally, I crochet very tightly and go up a hook size, so I thought staying with the recommended hook would be ok.

When you get towards the end of the hat, you are supposed to do 4 rows of ribbing. After I'd done only the first row, I could tell the hat was looking a bit big. I tried it on and it fit perfectly, which says alot because of my oversized head. We've already established how large my head is, right? Anyhow, if I'd done any more ribbing, it would have sat over my eyes. Rather than frog the whole thing, I just left it with one row of ribbing.

This pattern is a keeper and is going into my pile of patterns that gets used often.



My poor abandoned Cathedral Window got pulled out of the closet yesterday! I managed to add another 5 rows, ending at the first popcorn row. The popcorn round is much easier than I thought it would be, but it took f-o-r-e-v-e-r to finish. I'm not looking forward to the last popcirn row, which is at least double the size of this one.



I got bored with going round and round (and round!), so I started doing some of the large heptagons that get added in the next step.

Oh yeah, I wanted to mention that you were right about Monopoly Laurah. Once hotels are built, the game flies! We played again on Friday and Saturday night. I won both games and hubby's reaction was "well, this is why you do the bills." LOL

Blog Review

Check it out! Andrea from Knits and Knots did a review on my blog.
review

Thanks Andrea!

Loot from Bezzie!

After a long day (Pi went with me to work...nuff said), I came home to a puffy!

It was the loot I ordered from Bezzie's etsy store. I love these yarn cutters! Bezzie normally sells them with knitting needles sticking out of them, but since I am of the hooking variety she cutom made these with just the ball of yarn.

I used to try and carry safety scissors with me, but I lose them alot. These will clip onto my keychain so the chance of losing them is pretty small. If I do lose the, let's hope the person who breaks into my apartment with my keys returns the cutter.



I also got those cool crochet magnets from Bezzie too. My fridge was the only part of my apartment not infected with crochet mania...that's changed, muhahaha!

Recently, it was Teacher's Appreciation Day at Pi's school. With the majority of my mind somewhere over the rainbow, I forgot until the night before. Pi's teacher is a nun, so I was at a loss of what to make QUICK!

I remember that she's an avid reader and decided to make a book cover, but I didn't like any of the patterns I found.



I winged this one with a stitch from the Crochet Stitch Bible and used the first two rows of Cocoa Cream's American Folk Art Heart Motif. This heart motif is easy and really pretty when finished.

I didn't write out a pattern for the book cover because, in all honesty, I think it can be done better. Next time, I'll use a lighter yarn and a smaller hook. This cover was a bit on the bulky side, but worked well enough.

What I did on my President's Day off...

My day off isn't quite over yet. Its only 1 o'clock. The exciting news is that my whole family is still in their pj's! I love days like this. I may suck it up and go out in a little bit though...its 60 degrees outside and I don't think I can pass up a walk in the park nearby.

The weekend wasn't anything special. We just did some laundry, went to Mass, and went out to dinner last night. We also have a very board-game oriented weekend. Hubby, Pi and I played Trouble a few times and then had a nearly 3 hour game of Monopoly, which we didn't actually finish. Does that game ever end?

My little sister and her boyfriend came over last night too and we played Taboo. Its the game where you have a word or phrase that your partner needs to guess, but there are a handful of clue words that you can't say because they're "taboo." It was alot of fun!

I managed to sneak in some crochet too. One of my co-workers asked if I could make a penguin for him. His girlfriend is obsessed with penguins and he thought she'd flip for a handmade one. I've been meaning to try a penguin, so I was happy to oblige.



The pattern is from the Lion Brand website. I like it alot, though I think he was cuter without the hat and scarf. Very Happy Feet.

I also worked on an 8" square for a comfortghan over at Crochetville. The Charity Blitz group is putting together the comfortghan for another Blitzer who has been diagnosed with cancer.



This pattern is over at Crocet Pattern Central under the 8" square section. I tried linking it, but blogger is acting up.

I also finished my second SSG item. I'm really excited about this one! Even hubby was impressed!

Time for me to venture outside. Peace out peeps.

Music and Roses in the Big Apple

Ahh, what a night Valentine's was. Usually hubby and I just exchange chocolate, a card, and some cheapie flowers. Last night we got to go on a real date! A real date!

First, here's a pic of the Empire State Building all decked out in pink and red. It was hard to get a decent pic, but it was so pretty in person.



Next up was the Matchbox Twenty concert. I had no idea how close we'd be sitting. Rosanna and her hubby gifted us the tickets, so I didn't want to be rude and ask where we were sitting. After we picked up the tickets at the call window, the usher pointed us to the FLOOR of MSG. Holy cow!!! No stadium seats for us! To make things even better, the next usher brought us to the THIRD ROW!

We were close enough to see people sweating...to have the musicians look right at us. Holy cow!!

Here's a pic of me before the concert started. See the drum set behind me? That's the stage! Where I was standing was where we were seated. You cannot get closer than that. Absolutely amazing.



The opening act was an up and coming band named Mute Math. They were pretty cool. They did a four song set and did an awesome drum show towards the end. (do you see how close we were? That pic was taken without a flash from my seat. Did I say holy cow yet?) The drummer gave away a drum stick to a woman in the same row as me who called herself "Rock Star" haha. Rock Star was at least 50 but jammed away!



Next up was Alanis Morisette. Her voice is amazingly strong and haunting in person.



Unfortunately for me, my camera battery died before Matchbox Twenty came on. I know I charged a set of batteries but I must have grabbed the wrong ones on the way out. No matter, pics or not, the concert was amazing! I had an incredibly good time and being so close to the stage just made the experience that much more special.

Hubby was sweet and bought me red roses and chocolate too!



He even got Pi a mixed bouqet. She was really excited because this was the first time someone bought flowers just for her. She's already got them in her own room.

It was the second best Valentine's Day I ever had. The first best was when hubby proposed to me. :)

I hope you all had a day full of chocolate, wine, and the warm and fuzzies.

Snow and Valentines

We are finally getting some snow today! So far it hasn't been much compared to other states, but its something. Hopefully enough will fall that Pi can make a small snowman.

I was on my way home tonight and snapped a quick cell phone pic for those of you that haven't seen Brooklyn. Sorry its blurry...I was walking!

Not terribly pretty (ignore the garbage bags, please and thank you) but its home!

Some morons were trying to sled down this block on...not a sled...but get this....Christmas wrap! No joke people! They were ripping off large strips of the Christmas wrap, then diving onto the sidewalk with it under them, hoping to get some momentum going. They had no luck, but it was awfully funny to watch.



I was going to wait until Valentine's day to show you the ami I made for Pi, since she can access my blog now. No need to wait though, because the little bugger went into my closet today and found it! *sigh*



It's Kristie's Floppy Friends pattern. I love her patterns. They are so cute and extremely well written. I used red and white to make the Valentine's theme and added a quickie heart to his chest. I also embroidered his face since I didn't have doll eyes. I'm pretty happy with how he came out.

Next up are our Valentine's Day gifts to Pi's class. They are catepillars, but we'll call them "lovebugs" to make the theme work. A stretch, huh?



There are 13 in all. I used THIS pattern that I found on craftser. I just used plain old pipe cleaners for the antennaes and googly eyes that I had lying around for the eyes. I'm ashamed to admit this, but I just sharpied on the mouths. Didn't feel like embroidering them and couldn't find fabric glue. Second graders won't care, right?



I added little red tags to each one that says "A lovebug for you on Valentine's Day, From Piper." I was originally just going to make bookmarks but I got roped into these instead. I'm. A. Sucker.



Here they are in the basket that Pi is bringing them to school in.

My poor Cathedral blanket is still sitting unloved. I've been working on my swap project for Zarah. I've gotten my first thing done and am working on the second. I'm really loving this theme!

With all the snow in various states, I'll leave you with an oldie but goodie advice bit...don't eat yellow snow. :)

Winter isn't over yet?

Its been so warm the last few days that it seems like Spring is just around the corner. The next few days are going to be pretty cold, so I guess winter is not quite done with us yet. I don't like snow, but for Pi's sake, I hope we get some snow soon. She's dying to make a snowman.

While at my cousin's babyshower, I got a few requests. Two of my cousins asked me to make them scarves. These two cousins are really into fashion and wearing what's in, so I was flattered that they wanted one of my scarves.

I finished these and delivered them on Friday. It's my stand-by scarf pattern that I love Shells and V scarf. Its so fast and easy, I can't help but use it over and over.



My grandmother asked me to make her a hat. Her only criteria was that it was warm and black and white.



I used RHSS and used this pattern for a Rolled Brim Hat. The hat didn't seem large enough, so I increased by a few rows. Also, to keep the brim in place, I stitched it on four sides. This way Grandma doesn't have to constantly adjust it.

I wove some white ribbon through and am pretty happy with the result. My mom gave it to Grandma and says she looks adorable in it.

Can you tell I love my grandma? I'm always talking about her!

I haven't worked a single stitch on my Cathedral Rose afghan this weekend. Pi is away for the weekend, so I am trying to finish up Valentine's day crochet for her and her class. Hopefully, I'll be able to get back to the afghan tomorrow.

Long days

I am so excited that the days are beginning to get longer. During the winter, I leave for work before it is light out and I leave from work after the sun has gone down. I normally don't go out for lunch and I don't sit near a window, so sometimes I don't see daylight until the weekend.

Sheesh, I sound like a vampire, eh. Pasty skin. Check. Pointy teeth. Check (two of them anyway). Blood sucking. Wait. No..no bloodsucking. Ok, not a vampire, but I sure don't see alot of sun.

When I left work today, it hit me that it wasn't dark! Hello sun, howya doing? Long time no see! Long days are my absolute favorite part of the spring and summer seasons. I'm not a fan of heat, but give me long days anyday! That little bit of sunlight made me giddy.

Here's some more progress on my Cathedral Rose afghan.

Between yesterday and today, I finished 7 more rows. I would have liked to do more, but I had to finish some scarves for my cousins, a hat for grandma, and we had girl scouts tonight. I'll show you those scarves and hat next post.

I'm pretty excited about the progress I'm making. The more rows I do, the more I love the color combo. Good job anonymous husband! So far, I'm not having any problems with the pattern. It all seems very straightforward. I'm sure I'll change my tune by Sunday, ha!

Oh yeah, only a week til Matchbox 20. Woooooo!

Ash Wednesday

Thanks for the hair sympanthy guys! Its not as short as the Menudo kid, but its shorter than I'm used to. Its a little past chin length right now. I'm just being dramatic because I wasn't expecting it. I styled it with some clips today and it didn't look half bad, so I'll survive.

Today is Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent. Lent sort of snuck up on me this year because its so early. Easter is in March this year. Crazy early.

This season is really important for me sprirtually. I use this time to try and bring myself closer to God through more prayer and fasting. I'm giving up ketchup and soda this year in addition to no meat on Fridays. Ketchup is really hard...I LOVE ketchup! Like a true Puerto Rican, I'll put ketchup on just about anything, haha! A little sacrifice goes a long way.

Pi isn't required to give up anything because of her age but she chose to do it anyway. She decided to give up chocolate pudding. She's too cute!

I'll have another pic of Cathedral Window progress tomorrow night.

Peace!

Cathedral Rose progress

I started this bad boy during the Superbowl and after a few days, have finished section one! Woot!

Instead of making 8 separate triangles and sewing them on, I used a suggestion to just crochet around the pentagons, which made it must faster and easier! I found the suggestion and directions at the Crochet-Along at Crochetville. Let me tell you, there are some great tips and tricks there that make life alot easier.

I'm really loving the way the colors are working together so far, though they are a little hard to photograph. I have high hopes that I can finish this by the end of the year. :)

Oh yeah, I finally washed out my hair to see just how short it was. I'd like to introduce myself as the first female member of Menudo. My hair looks like the one in the middle.

Hey, if the hair fits, right? (anyone else amused the the curly bang on the one in the lower right hand corner? LOL)

Cathedral Rose Window Afghan

Edited to add: THE GIANTS WON!!!! GO NY!!!

I ordered the Cathedral Rose Window Afghan pattern and it arrived in January. Yesterday, my grandfather was sweet enough to lend me his car, so I could run to Michaels to pick out yarn. I didn't want to order the yarn online because the color swatches aren't always accurate.



Hubby and I liked the purples and blues but didn't want it to be as dark as the colors used in the pattern. We finally settled on RH Ocean, RH Lavendar, Baby soft bluebell (will need to use 2 strands) and RH black. Hopefully, they'll all look good together.

I've been doing some secret crochet, so I can't show you that just yet, but I'm working on a project for Pi's class that I should be able to show you guys soon.

I had a haircut today. I sorely needed it since I haven't cut it since last April. Its short. Too short. My hair has been straightened so it doesn't look too short right now, but as soon as I wash it, its going to be very short. *gulp* I don't look good with short hair. Its gonna grow back, right? RIGHT?

Score!

I'm not talking about football either!!

I got a 50% off coupon from my bookstore and scored the Crochet Stitch Bible. I've been wanting this for awhile, but couldn't justify spending 30 washingtons on it. But I got it for half price...woooo! Love a deal! I think I skipped home!



Talk about making my Friday sweet...on top of scoring the book, I got my swap in the mail! Sabrina sent me a really cute angel dishcloth and an awesome plastic bag holder. I love it! Thanks Sabrina!

Now that my swap partner has received her package, I can show you what I sent!



I've never made dishcloths before, so this was all new to me. Thought you might want links to patterns, so here you go.

The pineapple dishcloth pattern can be found here. It looks hard but is very simple and with my new pineapple obsession, I love this one!

The star dishcloth was found here.

The strawberry pattern is here. These come out so cute!

The towel topper pattern is here. This was a no sew and removable towel topper which will make washing very easy!

The doll dress potholders pattern is from Shadylane. You need to register but its worth it. There are some great patterns here.

I crocheted right into the metal scrubbie using a pattern from a leaflet called Kitchen Helpers by Leisure Arts. I left off the leaves because I didn't have green cotton, but I still like the way it looks. Easy and fun to do!

I also sent some lavendar scent and utensils. I had so much fun with this swap, I can't wait for the next one!