Sept. 9--Teddy Bear Day

I don't remember having a teddy bear as a child. I do have a recollection of my Bubba having a Pooh Bear that was toted everywhere until the fateful day that Pooh took a dive out of an open car window and was run over by the back tires. You would think the little man would cry, demand Pooh have a bath in the washing machine, and then go on with his three-year-old life as if no harm had come to the little bear. My memory is that we had to have a funeral for the toy bear, prayers and all. I think we may have buried him too but that part is fuzzy. I'll have to ask Packer if there is an old, beat-up Pooh bear in the Nephews' (Thing1 and Thing2) inherited toy collection.

Nevertheless, today is Teddy Bear Day! In 1902, US President Teddy Roosevelt's refusal to shoot a bear that had been caught and tied to a tree by his shooting party, stating they had been less than sportsman-like in their pursuit, garnered some attention from the media. Morris Michtom of the Ideal Novelty and Toy Co. also paid homage to the President's act of humanity and created a toy bear cub. He called it Teddy's Bear. That's how we come to call our stuffed friends Teddy Bears. Who feels like they learned something? I DO! I DO!

Check out this amigurumi teddy I crocheted for Thing2! I have no pattern because I wasn't using one. I just kept crocheting in the round until I had the trunk of the bear. Then I made two arms and two legs. I stuffed the little guy with a corrugated yarn that I would never have used for anything because that stuff is ridiculously difficult to work with. It's not pretty, but I like it...so did Thing2.

Rainbow Granny Blanket...Not Yo' Granny's Granny Square

Somewhere in the beginning of my endeavor to keep my hands busy in order to stop smoking, I had a flash of creativity and wanted to make a rainbow afghan. I knew exactly to whom I would gift the treasure and prayed over them the entire time I have been working on it.

To begin, I purchased one skein of Michael's Impeccable yarn for Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Purple and Violet. I started by making a Granny square and just kept making it bigger and bigger until it looked like I had used up almost all of the yarn. Then to finish it out, I single crocheted my way around until the yarn was gone.

7 Skeins "Impeccable" Yarn (Michael's)
H/8-5.00MM Hook

RED
Row 1: chain four and slip stitch into first stitch to make a loop.
Row 2: chain three, double crochet three times and combine first chain and 3 DC with a slip stitch (first cluster); chain three; double crochet four times, SLST (second cluster); chain three; double crochet four times, SLST (third cluster); chain three; double crochet four times, SLST (fourth cluster); Slip stitch into top of first cluster
Row 3-4: create clusters in red
Row 5-6: continue to create clusters in ORANGE
Row 7-8: YELLOW
ROW 9-10: GREEN
ROW 11-12: BLUE
ROW 13-14: PURPLE
ROW 15-16: VIOLET
ROW 17-18: RED
ROW 19-20: ORANGE
Row 21-22: YELLOW
ROW 23-24: GREEN
ROW 25-26: BLUE
ROW 27-28: PURPLE
ROW 29-30: VIOLET
ROW 31-?: Single crochet following the Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Purple, Violet until the yarn is gone.

J-Me Choos Slipper Pattern

If you liked GoodKnits.com’s doublecrochet Mary Jane Slipper “recipe,” then I hope you’ll like me alterations. The holes in the other patter were too big for my giant little sausage toes so I played around and created a single crochet Mary Jane Slipper. Hubby Dearest calls them J-Me Choos.

Single Crochet J-Me Choos

Round 1: 8 DC into a magic loop [OR chain 4, slst to first chain, 8 DC into circle.]

Round 2: 2 SC into each stitch, slst into top of the first SC, ch 1. (16SC)

Round 3: SC into each stitch (16 SC), ch 1.

Round 4: 1 SC into same place, 2 SC into next st, *1 SC into next st, 2 SC into next* to the end, slst into top of the first SC, ch 1. (24SC)

Round 5: SC into each stitch (24 SC), ch 1.

Round 6: 1 SC into st and into the next, 2 SC into next st, *1 SC into each of the next 2, 2 SC into the next* to the end of the round, slst into top of the first SC, ch 1. (32SC). Note: if you need more narrow slippers, then decrease by increments of two single crochet.

Round 7: SC into each stitch (32 SC), ch 1.

Round 8-12: 1 SC into each st.

ROW 9: 1 SC into first 23 stitches. Ch 1, turn.

Row 10-23: 1 SC into each stitch. Ch 1, turn. NOTE: THE LENGTH OF YOUR FOOT FROM TOE TO HEAL SHOULD DETERMINE HOW MANY ROWS YOU COMPLETE.

Row 24: SC into first 10 stitches, SC 3 tog, SC to end. Fasten off, leaving long tail to seam up heel. Fold slipper in half and seam up the back with hook and slip-stitch OR a tapestry needle and whip-stitch.

Join MC [Aunt J-ME thinks this means multi-colored; I just stuck with one color the first go-round] yarn at center back of slipper, above the heel.

SC into same spot and then SC down the side of the DCs of the slipper toward the toe. At the corner, sc3tog [together?].

DC into 5 DC of the slipper, then sc3tog at the next corner.

SC on the sides of the DCs of the slipper toward the heel, slst into first sc.

Make a second round of SC in MC yarn, if desired. Make sure to sc3tog in the "corners" by the toe area.

Make a third round of SC using CC [?] yarn. You can incorporate the loop closure while you're making the round or simply add a chain loop after you've finished the edging and button placement.

Mary Jane Slippers (Crochet)

I am disgruntled and in shock that so many people feel the need to sell a crochet pattern. Thankfully, there are angels like GOODKNITS.COM who still share the info with us all. Check out her free mary jane slipper pattern). I made a pair last night of 100% wool and will felt them today!

Crochet Mary Jane Slippers
by Lisa Gutierrez

Round 1: 8 DC into a magic loop [OR chain 4, slst to first chain, 8 DC into circle.]

Round 2: 2 DC into each stitch, slst into top of the first DC, ch 2. (16DC)

Round 3: 1 DC into same place, 2 DC into next st, *1 DC into next st, 2 DC into next* to the end, slst into top of the first DC, ch 2. (24DC)

Round 4: 1 DC into st and into the next, 2 DC into next st, *1 DC into each of the next 2, 2 DC into the next* to the end of the round, slst into top of the first DC, ch 2. (32DC).

Round 5-6: 1 DC into each st.

ROW 7: 1 DC into first 23 stitches. Ch 2, turn.

Row 8-19: 1 DC into each stitch. Ch 2, turn.

Row 20: DC into first 10 stitches, DC 3 tog, DC to end. Fasten off, leaving long tail to seam up heel.

Fold slipper in half and seam up the back with hook and slip-stitch OR a tapestry needle and whip-stitch.

Join MC [Aunt J-ME thinks this means multi-colored; I just stuck with one color the first go-round] yarn at center back of slipper, above the heel.

SC into same spot and then SC down the side of the DCs of the slipper toward the toe. At the corner, sc3tog [together?].

DC into 5 DC of the slipper, then sc3tog at the next corner.

SC on the sides of the DCs of the slipper toward the heel, slst into first sc.

Make a second round of SC in MC yarn, if desired. Make sure to sc3tog in the "corners" by the toe area.

Make a third round of SC using CC [?] yarn. You can incorporate the loop closure while you're making the round or simply add a chain loop after you've finished the edging and button placement.

Crochet: Broomstick Lace Pattern

Darling Daughter is the perfect model!

As a joke or in all seriousness, Hubby Dearest gave me a book, I Taught Myself to Crochet, for my birthday in November. I love the little tools that came with the book and am not fully sure how most of them work. However, the best part of the whole bit was finding a beautiful, wispy, Oh-gosh-that-is-so-pretty-it-must-be-super-complicated stitch...the Broomstick Lace.


Reading the book, Sosie beat herself up for an entire night learning the stitch. I tried for a week to decipher the instructions. BLAH! Who needs that when there's YouTube. I watched two videos, and ten minutes later I was knocking it out. I was so excited with my practice swatch that Hubby Dearest ran to Wallyworld in search of a broomstick that I could take with me anywhere. His genius...the handle of a toilet plunger (new, never used for its intended purpose...gack!).




Supplies: Crochet Hook, Broomstick, Yarn, Three Hands
or two and your knees and armpits.

Here are the directions according to my crazy way of doing things:


1. Chain in multiples of five, four or three...I chained 25 for this lovely Baby Alpaca (not baby seal, Chad) scarf.

2. On your last chain, pull the loop around your broomstick, plunger handle or very, very, very large knitting needle.


3. Then go into all 25 chains, yarn over and pull the loop through, using the plunger handle to hold your loops. If you fancy a blanket instead of a scarf, you may need the broomstick to hold them all. The wrap I am also working on has 255 instead of 25 and it's only a couple of feet wide. Also, you may see that you need three hands to make all this happen. It's not very lady like (sorry Mama) but I hold the plunger handle with my knees (TWSS, Sosie) while pulling the loops through.


Grab 5 loops

4. From my knees to my arm pit...I place the plunger handle under my armpit to hold it in place for the next step. Okay, you should have 25 loops on your plunger. Slide your crochet needle into the first five loops on the handle and gently pull them off all together. Yarn over the end of your crochet needle and pull through all five loops to single crochet. Repeat this five more times. You should have a little arch on top of your twisted pretty pretty.


Work in multiples of 5, 4 or 3...

5. Repeat step 4 for the rest of the line.

6. For the next row you repeat step 3, pulling yarn through the arch row (you can go through only the front or only the back or both the front and back...your preference).

Try Something New Tuesdays: I have been busy!

Since last month was spent writing thank you notes to everyone, I didn't get to write about all the new things I have been trying! A quick list:


1. I am now a hockey wife in addition to a hockey mom! I have a glittery sign and cow bell to make myself a right crazy pest.


2. My hubby dearest paid me the sincerest compliment, and I am so proud! He called me a free spirit! I think it's the being proud part and telling everyone that is the new stuff.

3. Zig zag crochet pattern...it took four tries and re-starts to finally get this going for my Bubba's Christmas pressie, but now I am rocking and rolling...er...zigging and zagging?

4. Yesterday I watched a YouTube video tutorial on the basket weave crochet pattern and am rocking it right out of the gate! I think this one will be for MyMama.


5. I began writing a journal of letters to Darling Daughter. Sometimes I write about something that happened that day; mostly I write down the little life lessons I want her to know. Depending on when it fills up, she could get it for graduation, on her wedding day, at the birth of her first child, or in the event of my passing. In any case, I want her to have a legacy of Jaimee-isms.

6. I received a Sock Puppet named Arrrrgyle the Pirate as one of my birthday wishes (THANKS SOSIE!) and I love to make videos of him being snarky. I have made a music video or two as well. I think this is what inspired HD's comment about me being a free spirit. fun side note: during our walk this morning, I was singing the theme to Rocky and HD started doing the fist pump jog and even jumped up on a bench in triumph...i think my essence is catching!


7. Starbucks has these little chocolate and cream cake cookies called Whoopie Pies! TO! DIE! FOR! It's everything in my being not to shout,  "I want to make Whoopies!" (70's reference to the Newlywed Game that no one seems to get)

8. My attempt at making Darling Daughter a quilted comforter for her room is incomplete (short on backing material) and laying in a heap on our living room floor. I had such a good beginning...but fizzled out. Boo!


9. OPI has a line of nail polish for The Muppet movie, and DD and I have tried out the red glittery "Getting Miss Piggy With It." You have to layer on a color of some kind as a base coat for it to really shine through. I feel like I have Dorothy's ruby slippers on each of my fingers. I think I will get the blue one for Sosie's wedding!


10. While walking with HD each morning, I make myself run at first. The first couple of days I made it half way down our block. This morning I made it to the end of our block. This counts as training for my 5K in my mind!


What are you doing new? Tried anything wonderful lately?

The list isn't growing but is shrinking! Got anything you suggest I try?

· pomegranates

· making jam

· Russian cuisine

· New Boston Pioneer Days

· business travel all in one day

·Be an insane sideline mom with glittery sign and all

· kayaking

· 5k training to eventually RUN a 5k

· mud bath

· banya (not just food; they have a spa too)

· Zumba

· Ballroom dancing class

· Watch a Bollywood movie at a Bollywood theater

· Quilting

· Take Darby to see a Midnight show of Rocky Horror

· Participate in a flash mob

· Boot Camp

· Art Class

· Dance on a Bar

· Puerto Rican food

· Meditate at a Buddhist temple

· Volunteer at a homeless shelter

· be a tourist in my own town

· snow ski

· order and eat hash browns "all the way" at Waffle House

· Make a Funny Face Book

• Brag on myself

Neutral Zig Zag Sparklies Scarf

I just completed my first not-promised-to-anyone project. Sosie gifted me a ton of remnant yarn Friday during knitting club and I made a pretty scarf!

Yarn is cream, light gray, lightweight fuzzy yarn. I hold a sparkling lace yarn against the yarn as I crochet to weave in the pretty. I think this makes it a dressy scarf.









CHAIN to the length you prefer; add one for every five in your chain.

Row 1: 3ch, {(DC in next five, 3 DC in next one chain to make top of zig), [DC in next five, skip two chains]} repeat {} to end of chain

Row 2-6: change yarn color alternating each row

Row 7-8: SC all the way around scarf.

Row 9-10: slip stitch all the way around scarf
Ta-da!

I Quit! (it's not what you think...)

The song, "Take this job and shove it" is playing in my head, but I am substituting "job" with "nasty bad habit." BE THANKFUL! During my month-long thank you program, you may have missed out on my complaining rejoicing about quitting smoking.

MyMama told me back in April of this year that for her next birthday she would like me to be nicotine free. I have spent the last six months telling myself I will quit as soon as I am not stressed, or sad, or mad, or INSERT EMOTION. Have you met me?!? With that excuse, I would never quit so God took over and struck me with an eight-week case of bronchitis and a cough that sounded like I was trying to extricate my lungs from my chest via my mouth.

Having foreseen my future with emphysema, I took the after-school-special lesson to heart and just quit. I didn't talk to anyone or consult the gang. I just quit. I began the month wearing patches and struggling to not partake of my vice. I decided I needed something to do with my hands (i know, i know, that's what she said). This led to crocheting. A LOT OF CROCHETING! Like every free second of the day crocheting. I think if yarn is ever discovered to be carcinogenic, I will be long gone.

Now, to spread my crazy around, Sosie, Val-gal, and I are starting our knitting club tonight. We will gather the first of each month to stitch and _itch. Isn't that awesome! Tonight I think we are making slouchy beanie hats. I am just hoping Sosie can teach me to translate the patterns. I have a bad habit of starting with a pattern and then going off on my own when I hit a "dcdec" that I cannot figure out.

Check out some of my creations:

This is my current project...

Made this for my niece Gena.

This was the first blanket; I call it Charisma.

Now I can be a warm sideline mom!

This is supposed to look like camo...

We will widen this as we come up with more t-shirts to cut up.