Coffee Cup Cozies

At work we are a sponsor of the American Heart Association's charity Relay For Life, Westshore chapter in Tampa, FL.  Last year a group of us created a committee to form Team Xcelience, and we must fundraise leading up to the event, which will be in April of 2014. 

 

One of the fundraising ideas we had was to create the Xcelience Yellow Pages, which employees with a skill or talent can "sell" their skill or expertise for a fee and donate the fee to the charity.  It was a big hit.  I had an "ad" which was Sewing by Nancy  or something like that and I was able to earn over $70 just mending people's pants and repurposing t-shirts and all other sewing-related tasks.  Not too shabby, if you ask me!

 

I will do the same this year and also have a second "ad" with a few coworkers to make crafts to sell.  I wanted to come up with an idea that was easy, fast and cheap.  I came up with Coffee Cup Cozies.  I will knit them in a ribbed pattern.  I plan on making a few and see how well they do, then consider making more.  I have made a few already:

Well, not exactly a coffee cup, it is basically a sleeve that will go on a hot cup of take-out coffee, instead of using the cardboard sleeve they offer you at the café.  This is a greener way to drink coffee!

 

I have made a few in a variegated cotton yarn and one in Lion Brand Homespun.  The Homespun is the pink one in the pic.  It was my prototype and came out cute!

I am working on another one now that I am holding two yarns together to give a confetti look.  I'm not sure I am crazy about the colors I chose to go together, sort of 1980's looking, with the neon green-yellow yarn, but I will continue it.  you never know who will like it.

Here are the balls that I am currently using:

I have a TON of yarn that I will use up.  I really do not want buy new yarn, only because I really can't charge too much for them.  Each one takes roughly an hour and I was going to charge either $3 or $5.  How much is too much??  And will anyone even buy them??

 

Right now, I am only doing a k2, p2 ribbing in the round, but I do plan on changing it up.  Stayed tuned.

Books - Quarter 3 - Part 2

This is my second part of the books I have read recently.  I like to break it up into quarters throughout the year to have it semi-organized.  Last year I was trying to gain at least one bit of useful information from each book I read and I am sad to say that I forgot to do that this year.  Darn!

Here are links to my other Books posting for 2013:

• Books - Quarter 1
• Books - Quarter 2
• Books - Quarter 3 - Part 1

I will resume my education through fiction books starting with my next set of books.  This was not that easy.

8. This is the start of the Kay Scarpetta novels.  This is actually book #2, where Post Mortem was the first novel.  I started with what I owned.  This was a very action packed murder suspense novel that involves the Chief Medical Examiner, Kay Scarpetta.  She gets very close to her cases to the point that she was next on her murderer's list.  Trace fibers from the victim has her and Detective Marino tracking down leads that seem to go nowhere and everywhere.  She heads to New York and even Key West and finds out the people she can trust are not the people she should be trusting and vise versa.  The victim was fleeing from a stalker that landed her in Key West.  When she returns, she is brutally killed.  The detectives find that she unarmed her alarm prior to letting in the killer.  If she was so scared of the stalker, why would she let him in?  The answer comes to Kay almost too late when she does the exact same thing that the victim did and almost was killed herself.  This novel was a hook for me where I definitely want to read this whole series. 
What I have Learned: It is hard to say what practical knowledge I have learned by reading this book, but will have to say simply that Bestselling authors are close to a sure way to know that you will enjoy the story.  I have been giving first novels a chance for about 2 years now and I am tired of not really enjoying them much.  I will try and choose more wisely.

9. This book marks a moment in history...this is my first eBook.  Yes, I have broke down and bought a tablet. I have explained my dealings with the tablet further after the book list.  This is the first book in the "Joe Pickett" series.  Joe is a game warden and he is stationed in Wyoming.  Needless to say, people are not necessarily following the law and things get "cowboy" real fast when an animal thought to be extinct has been seen and found in the area and even in Joe's own yard.  People in the area would rather see this animal stay extinct than have the government know that they are still alive.  What I have Learned: As for a practical learning experience, this was tough.  I could probably say that my attempt at going for Best Selling Authors has worked because I believe I will thoroughly enjoy this book series from this author.

10. It amazes me how many great books this man can write.  He never stops writing.  This was my second eBook, borrowed from the library.  I seem to read the eBooks in record time for me because the library only gives you 14 days to read them, then they expire and are inactive on the device.  So, I am reading under the gun.  This book is the first book in a series about a private investigation agency called Private.  Private has the edge in technology, having the best of the best PIs, scientists and doctors working  for them.  It's fiction, so of course they do.  Jack, Private's owner, has to solve his best friends wife's murder, a teenage-girl serial killer and find what his inner demons are trying to tell him.  It dives right into the first case and this book keeps running until the end.  Great story, drama, romance, suspense, right up to the end.
What I have Learned: Again, best-selling authors deliver a great story.  In addition to not really learning anything from a fiction story where everything comes out perfect in the end.  The type of problem-solving skills this books adopted are from unattainable technology that the police do not even have to use (due to a limit on government budgets).  It was an enjoyable story, but also, not very realistic.  Sometimes books are just a great way to escape and unwind and then you can go back to reality.  No harm done.

I intended to use the tablet as an eReader and if I had to look something up quick at home and did not want to fire up the laptop.  This experience was very frustrating to me for a couple of reasons:

1. I had to download the library app so I could borrow eBooks, but had to renew my library card first, personally, at the library.  Once I had that in place, I logged onto the app to set my library up.  This app is not the greatest; it does not help you in anyway.  You need to know how to navigate through it on your own.  How nice. 
2. Once I started searching, I realize that my library has a crappy selection of books.  The titles I searched for were either not listed at all or they only had a few copies and I had to get put on a waiting list.  One book, Dan Brown's Inferno I am on the waiting list as # 327.  Really!  You can have the book out for 14 days, so I could wait as long as a year for it.  Even C.J. Box's book, I had to wait for it and it is the first book in the series.  Not exactly new.  Anyway, I have not tried buying a book yet, so we shall see if that process is any easier.

After reading two eBooks, I like it, or I should say, I'm not against it anymore.  I do like the real book, so I will continue to read from my bookcase, because I have plenty of those left.

Anyone out there against eBooks or now love the eBook and never want to read a paper book again?

Powder Puff

This is a really silly project.  It took no more than 5 minutes; it will take me longer to type out this post than it did to actually sew.

 

My honey is a baby powder guy (probably TMI for those of you that know him...LOL).  As a joke-but-for-real gift, my sister bought him a 3-pack of powder puffs.  Vince is probably not the most delicate when he handles the powder puff, so as a result, the puffs are ripping.

The ribbon has been ripped off and there is a big gaping hole in two of them.  He still has one that is in pristine condition, because he has not used it yet.

I took a needle and white thread an sewed it up.  I did not worry too much about the thread being hidden because the puffs are fluffy and the thread was hidden anyway.

So, I did not get another satin ribbon, but the holes are now sewn shut.  No more foam sticking out.

I did not tell him that I sewed them up.  I will see how long it will take for him to notice or even if  he notices.  This was not a news-breaking fix, but sometimes it is the little things that matter. 

Romance Shell - Part 1

I seem to start summer projects in the summer and winter projects in the winter.  Well, normally that would make sense, but since it takes me forever to finish a project, I really should do the opposite: Knit a winter item in the summer and a summer item in the winter.  That way it will be done in the correct season for wearing it right away.

 

Alas, I have a summer frilly shell that I have started at the end of summer and I won't be able to really wear it until the spring.  Well, in Florida, the seasons are screwy anyway.  Our "winter" is like 1 week of weather where a jacket is nice for the morning, but not really needed on the way home.  But truly, this shell is a summer item to wear.

 

This project is from Tahki Yarns Intermix pattern booklet.  The pattern is called Romance Ruffle Collar Shell.

Romance by Tahki Yarns

 

When I was looking through the booklet I fell in love with almost everything in there!  That is my downfall, is that I like too many patterns and have a hard time choosing only one.

 

This pattern is knit in a novelty yarn called Ripple (100% Mercerized Cotton) that is thick and thin.  Charming at first, then after awhile, not so much.  I chose to do it in the same color as the model.  I typically try hard not to choose the same color, but the other colors in stock at Brandon Yarn Boutique, I had plenty of garments in those colors.  Vince suggested that I pick a color I would not normally have in my wardrobe.  Okaaaaay......

 

I need 5 balls of the Ripple yarn.  Here is a close-up of the thick and thin characteristic:

Knitting a gauge swatch was a bit of a challenge.  I went down one needle size, so I am using a size 6, rather than a 7. 

I'm starting with one of the front pieces, because my size 6 circs are being used for another project, so until those get miraculously get freed up or I buy another set, I can knit the front panels on straights.

The interesting trait about this yarn is that it knits up with a unique texture; it gives a pebbly look.  The basic pattern is a k8, p8 ribbing, so it even makes that basic pattern interesting.

 

To be totally honest, I really do not like knitting with this thick and thin yarn.  Often the thick portion almost gets stuck when you go to do the next stitch.  So if you leave it, then the stitch is tight, if you "let it go" then the stitch is loose.  Not exactly something that I like, when I am trying really hard to keep gauge.

 

Good luck to me!

Bata Blanket #2

Yes, I am making the Marble Baby Throw from Lion Brand Yarn again.  This time for Vince's sister, who is having a boy.  I have made it twice now, they are listed below:

• Bebe Throw
• Bata Blanket - Part 1
• Bata Blanket - Finish

 

I named these blankets for the language of the recipients.  Bebe for my girlfriend who has Spanish spoken in her house and Bata for my Filipino boyfriend, whose these blankets went/will go to his Filipino friend and sister.  Bebe and Bata mean baby.

I am using the same yarn I used for the Bata Blanket: Berroco Comfort (50% Cotton, 50% Acrylic).  The colors I chose this time are Seedling (green) and Coffeeberry Heather (dark brown).

I checked out her gift registry and she had lime green and dark brown bedding as her color theme.  So, I did my best, even though Seedling is a bit darker than the lime green of the bedding.

I am crocheting, mainly at night, while TV watching.  But during the week, it is hard to have more than 30 minutes to work on it, so I have been reading.  I am crocheting the bulk of it on the weekends.  I have to finish by the beginning of September, for she is due September 12. Plenty of time.

Famous last words....

It is more than half complete.  This blanket takes a total of 4 skeins of yarn.  Since it is only 2 colors, 2 skeins each of Comfort color.  I am on my second set of skeins = more than half done.

In search of some natural lighting and background, I may have chosen poorly because the bushes are almost camouflaging the blanket!  You get the idea and this picture accurately portrays the colors of the yarn.

Think of this pattern as one big Granny Square.  I love how it is so easy. 

 

I have a feeling that this will not be the last Marbled Baby throw I crochet this year.  There is always someone having a baby and off the top of my head I can think of two women I know that I could crochet this for.  So much for knitting for myself...better warm up the crochet hook.

Palm Scrap Afghan

I think I have more unfinished projects right now than I have ever had in my life.  I am not even going to count them, I'm embarrassed!  Today I am writing to show off my newest project:

Palm Scrap Afghan

 

This project is an idea from a pullover/tunic project found in a new magazine I bought at my LYS.  The magazine is Interweave Crochet, Summer 2013:

 

Interweave Crochet Summer 2013

 

This issue has tons of cute things!  My gosh, I wish I had more time for crafts!  Anyway, back to my idea.  Thumbing through the magazine, there is a pattern Palm Tunic that I love love.  Here is a pic:

 

Palm Tunic



You crochet each triangle motif separately, but as you do your last set of stitches around the triangle motif, you connect it to the motif you crocheted before it...makes less ends to weave in.

 

I got this idea to do these motifs but make a scrap afghan out of it.  It will be eclectic, no doubt.  I started off with the blue yarn first.  Then added the light purple yarn.

 

 

I mainly started it just to see if I can read a pattern and actually crochet something that looks hard.  Although, it is a bit tight and the center part puckers...I am really liking it.

 

I added a few more a few weeks ago:

 

 

I do need more dark colors.  I am a very pink yarn collector, I have a ton of it, actually.  Which is why I want to use up the scraps so I can buy more yarn and be to justify it with a straight face.

 

My favorite motif is the darker pink one on the left.  It is a cotton/silk blend.  The stitches pop out more with this yarn.  I have a decent amount of this yarn left, but I have to save it to spread it out.  Mix it up a bit.

 

 

It has been awhile since I made a motif, it will be like learning the stitches all over again.  But it takes a good 30-40 min just to crochet one, so I don't know when this will actually get done.  I will just chip away at it as the days go by. 

Books - Quarter 3 - Part 1

Wow, we are in the home stretch of the year right now.  Unbelievable.  I actually got through a few more books than expected, so I am going to split Quarter 3 Books into two separate posts.  Here are the ones I have read so far:

3. This was an engrossing scientific novel, typical from Michael Crichton.  He takes the concept of shrinking machines down to micro level and takes it one step further and shrinks people (scientists) down to micro level.  A lab in Hawaii has engineered this technology and they are recruiting.  A leader int he recruiting group is involved in a boat explosion and it appears he has died, but it is too suspicious and the scientists try to figure out this whodunnit.  During this time, the scientists are dubbed into the shrinking room and get shrunk.  This is not an accident and they are then transported to a forest where they are forced to fend for themselves against an insect world where Mother Nature rules.  It is very interesting to see the brutality of the insect world and what the scientists had to do to defend themselves.  Their goal is to get back to the shrink room in the lab and reverse the effects.  That was not going to be easy.  Great scientific spin on a classic theme.

4. This novel is a suspense mystery that I got into right in the first page.  A former detective, Elena, is living her life in solitude to atone for a drug bust gone bad in the past.  Her actions caused the death of another detective working on the case.  She had decided after her own medical rehabilitation, she was going to lay low and work at a prestigious horse stable in West Palm Beach, FL.  She had ties there and knew that she could remain hidden there, until a young girl seeks out her detective skills to help find her missing sister.  The older sister worked at another stable and unexpectedly quit and moved to Ocala.  After an internal battle with her inner demons, Elena takes on the case, even though she no longer has a police badge or a PI license.  She finds out more than the actual cops in the county.  The story revolves around the horse show trade, where horses are worth hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars and what people will do to ensure they win and stay the best.  All of the characters come to life and tell a story that is riveting and full of lies, deceit and a plan gone bad.

 5. This book is a book that I have had for awhile and believe it or not, I have a signed copy!  When Janet Evanovich published this book, she promoted by doing a book signing tour.  She was going through Boston and I got my friends Kj and Fatima to go and stand in line and wait forever to get me a signed copy.  It was awesome, I think Fatima may even have gotten a pic with Janet.  Anyway, I'm a fan of the Stephanie Plum series and am really behind in reading them.  Ms. Plum is now on her 19th numbered book and I think my last one was 10.  Got to catch up!  So I got my Plum fix by reading a "between-the-numbers" novella which was a super fast read.  It was cute and she is somewhat getting better at this bounty hunter thing she is trying really hard at to make a living with.  This took place around Valentine's Day where in order for her to get the skip, she had to play match-maker in time for Valentine's Day.  As usual, Stephanie evoked a chuckle or two from me while she was running around the 'Burg with Diesel.

 6.  This adolescent novel was one that I read in elementary school, I believe.  I came across this book at either a used book store or a yard sale.  I was feeling nostalgic, so I decided to buy it, not really knowing when I would get around to reading it.  As I was reading it, I really do not recall one thing from it, which strikes me as odd, because I was so compelled to buy it.  The title alludes to a summertime romance, but in actuality, it is about sibling rivalry with the title coming from a quote in the bible, "Jacob have I loved, Esau have I hated."  Here are twin sisters, Louise and Caroline.  Caroline is painted as the perfect child, talented in music, beautiful and intelligent.  Louise is her older sister by mere seconds and has felt in Caroline's shadow ever since that moment.  Louise has held in her feelings of anger over Caroline seizing all of the attention for years.  This is Louise's struggle to find who she is and what her true calling is despite her bitterness .  I loved reading this book in which my heart went out to Louise on all the occasions that she felt wronged, down to her childhood friend falling for Caroline and not herself.  Although Louise never allows herself unity with Caroline, she is able to capture the life she was meant to lead.  

Related Links

• Books - Quarter 1
• Books - Quarter 2