Princess Buttercup

I had fun thinking of a pattern for the cowl, so I decided to try one for a hat. A baby hat would be fun. Most people probably come up with a pattern and then decide on a name. In my case, I had the name and had to come up with a pattern. Why does this not surprise me? Anyway, I wanted to name it after a character from my favorite movie, The Princess Bride. I had to knit the hat in yellow, otherwise the name would not make as much sense. This necessitated a run to buy yarn. Don't you hate when that happens? It happens a lot around here. I was working on something for Robyn a while back. It was knit in the round. When you knit in the round, you cast on your stitches and then connect them to make the knitting continuous. You have to be careful not to twist the stitches, otherwise you will always have a twist in the final project kinda like a mobius. In this case, I wanted the twist. So after knitting 5 rows, I made several twists in the rows creating what I hoped looked a little like the edges of a petal. It think it turned out ok. I wrote down my stitches as I knit the hat, making a few changes as I went. The first hat turned out too big for a baby. It was more teen sized, but too short for a teen. I got the length right but not the circumference. I reworked the numbers and started another one. This one turned out just right and the Princess Buttercup hat was complete. This project earned me four medals- Charity Curling, Designer Original Dance, Hat Halfpipe, and Junior Olympics. That was fun.

Ravthlete Equipment

As a dedicated Ravthlete, good equipment is essential for active participation in events. This set of needles is my pride and joy. My Knit Picks Nickel Options interchangeable needles. To say I love these needles is not passionate enough. Mom gave me money for my birthday and I bought them. It was my favorite gift. I have Robyn to thank for pushing me into getting them. She would see me looking at them online and then close the window. One day she looked at me and said, "You know you want them. You should get them." So I did. It was the right choice.

Did I mention I love these needles?

Smoochy

One of the events you can enter is called the Designer Original Dance. It is where you create an original pattern and knit it up. It doesn't have to be published anywhere, just something that you came up with. I wanted something soft to make out of this yummy Malbrigo yarn. It is so soft and squishy. A cowl would work well. The pattern is not hard to remember. It is pretty the same pattern for every row until it is the length you want it. I just knit until I ran out of yarn. Luckily, it was the perfect length for what I wanted. So I earned three medals for this project- Designer Original Dance, Scarf Super-G, and Single Skein Speed Skate.

Remember When I Said I Was Not Going to Do That?

As if my duties as a Ravelympian were not enough, I refused to keep my mouth shut and volunteered to be Cara's troop's Cookie Mom. After the fiasco of a couple of years ago, I vowed not to get involved in cookies again at the volunteer level. Famous last words. No one else was looking like stepping up to do it, so I said I would. I hate when I do that. Oh well, I guess I will have to deal with it and stop whining.

Spiral Scarf

All hail...here comes the my second entry in the Ravelympics for the event called Scarf Super-G. The pattern is called the Spiral Scarf. It was fun to knit. You cast on 90 stitches and the whole pattern consists of 7 rows. That is it. Three of those rows involve the knitting in the front and back of each stitch so the number of total stitches increases dramatically. The scarf is kinda boring until you begin the cast off. Then the fun starts. As you cast off, the scarf starts to spiral around the cast on row. In the end, it is one long spiral that you can stack on itself. How cool is that?

I also earned a medal for Charity Curling since this scarf was made to donate.

Who Dat Hat

Behold. This is my first entry in the Ravelympics event, Hat Halfpipe. Phillip liked the black and gold hat I made him earlier, but it seemed to fit a bit wonky at the top. I was thinking that might happen when I finished it. So I found another pattern and gave it a try. I love how this hat works up. I like how it looks from the top. It is very stretchy and very easy to knit. I will definitely make more of these down the road.

P.S. This is his Valentine's gift.

2010 Ravelympics

I am so lame. I can get excited about the least little thing. What is exciting to me now is the opportunity to participate in the 2010 Ravelympics. Ravelympics, you say? Well, little Susie and Jimmy, the Ravelympics is where knitters, crocheters, spinners, weavers, and other assorted fiber people choose projects to complete during the time of the Olympics. This year it will during the Winter Olympics in Vancouver, BC. I have always been a huge fan of the Olympics. I park myself in front of the TV and soak up all of the fun to be had watching these amazing athletes complete. Phillip and I took what I call my "dream trip" to Salt Lake City in 2002 to see the Winter Olympics there. I had the best time and wonderful memories...oh yeah back to the Ravelympics...Anyway, the wonderful people on Ravelry are putting together listings, and assorted forums and stuff for us to participate in our "sport" so to speak. There is a listing of events that are similar to those in the Winter Olympics. Competition is not against each other but in the form of meeting the goal of completing the project entered in an event. Medals (in the form of a photo badge you can use on your project page) will be awarded. There are teams you can join and some teams offer prizes as well.

I look forward to participating in my first Ravelympics. Olympics + knitting = happiness.

Snow in February! For Real...

This winter has been crazy. Years will go by without even the mention of snow. This year we have had several days/nights when snow was possible and have had 2 actual snow sightings! I know it is not that big of a deal to some, but the are kids round here who have never seen snow. How sad is that?

Knut Hats

A couple of weeks ago, a friend Amy and I, went to a "craft exchange". You were to bring any craft supplies you didn't want and you could exchange them for things you did want. I had a ton of cardstock and some patterned scissors, so I brought them. You know what I traded for...yarn. I found a bag of 15 little balls of white yarn and a ball or two of mystery yarn. It was all mystery yarn really. Most probably acrylic, but perfect for my needs. I decided to use the white yarn to make a bunch of baby hats. I made 10 Knut Hats. They were fun to knit. I still have a little bit of the yarn left. I will think of another use for the rest.

Dat Tuesday

Yesterday was called Dat Tuesday by many. The parade was a kick to watch. We didn't brave the crowds to watch in person, but watched instead from the comfort of the recliner and sofa. Many of the carnival krewes donated a float for the parade and the Saints players looked to be having a great time throwing beads and stuff from the float. The reporters said that a mad scramble was made to find enough black and gold beads for the players to throw. Sean Peyton held the Lombardi Trophy high above so all could see when he passed. That trophy sure has gotten around. Is it always like that?

The Boys Are Back

You see on TV celebrations for other champions. Ticker tape parades, marching bands, fans lining the streets. Today is New Orleans' turn to celebrate. Schools let out 2 hours early today, so families could go across the lake to attend the parade if they chose. Phillip had court today and hopes to be out of the area before the madness begins. The joy from the Super Bowl will last for a good while. This is just what we need.

Pigs Do Fly

Last night, a miracle happened (well it is considered a miracle around here...). The Saints won the Super Bowl. You heard that correctly. The NEW ORLEANS Saints. The team who several years ago had fans wearing paper bags over their heads and cheering for the 'Aints. The same one. Really. I have enjoyed watching the whole area rejoice with their team spirit. It is a very rare Saints fan who gave up on their team. Even when their record was abysmal (and that was many a time), Saints fans just sat back and waited for the next year with real expectations that it would be different next year. Well this was the year. I don't know who was able to get the planets into alignment, but Saints fans are grateful. The next couple of weeks should be interesting.

Black and Gold Super Bowl

Last night the Saints made it into the Super Bowl. They played a wonderful season and the whole state has been thrilled to watch their progress. I have to confess...I am not a Saints fan at heart. I love the Dallas Cowboys and actually get amused when the Saints loose, like they usually do. I have been caught up in the Saints fever lately and have enjoyed seeing everyone so behind their team. On Fridays, you see people wearing jerseys or black and gold all over town. Especially this past Friday. The whole state was excited about Sunday's game. They had made it once before to this point, but lost. The game was closely fought. It went into overtime and the Saints emerged victorious. It was fun to read emails, message boards and Facebook statuses. Everyone was talking about the game. We heard neighbors popping firecrackers and the phone lines both land and cell were overloaded. It was something Saints fans had waited 43 years for. A Super Bowl. It will be interesting to see how the next two weeks go. New Orleans will be ready for a party no matter the outcome of the game.

Phillip's Lid

Phillip decided he wanted a hat and knew exactly who to come to get get one made. He wanted one in Saints colors. Having the "small" amount of yarn I have (NOT!), I was able to accept his request. I found a pattern that was a little different than the one I usually made. Different in the way it decreased at the crown. I am not thrilled with the crown, but Phillip is happy with it. I think I will go back to old trusty. That hat never lets me down.

Scarfy for My Baby

Now is was Cara's turn again for something Mom knit. I made her the wrist warmers a couple months ago. She now wanted a scarf. We looked at the patterns I had favored on Ravelry. She quickly found one she was happy with. I looked at her with surprise. How could she make a decision so quickly? There are 100s of patterns to look at. I have about 75 scarf patterns favored, yet she found one she liked after looking at three. Oh. Ok. She had gone to Michaels with Robyn and already purchased the yarn she wanted...something not already in my stash. I enjoyed making the scarf. It was my second lace pattern. I like doing simple lace. I like the way you don't know how all of the increases and decreases will look until you are a couple of rows down. It was a fun pattern. One to keep for later.

Don't Remind Me

Usually once a week we order pizza. Robyn and I watch one of our favorite reality TV shows (lately Project Runway). We eat pizza and discuss details of the show and how we would never make the foolish mistakes the people on the show make. Cara sits and eats with us and immediately pops off to enjoy some computer time. Phillip is in the bedroom watching football or some old war movie. As I was sitting the pizza boxes on the counter, I noticed some new writing on the lower right hand corner of the box. "Dominos Pizza 50 Years 1960-2010". Perfect. Dominos and I are both turning 50 this year. I remember how worked up I was my 29th year about turning 30. Once it happened, I realized it was no big thing. Turning 40 did not affect me at all. I know I am due for some teasing. When Phillip turned 50, the girls and I teased him mercilessly about being eligible for AARP. My turn is coming. A couple of days ago, I was applying for a passport. I came to the box on the application for hair color. I was unsure what color to put. Well, it was a mousey brown before I starting highlighting it with blonde. I started doing this when Cara was 4. We had gone out for breakfast and the girl behind the counter told me how nice it was to be taking my granddaughter out for breakfast. The girls tease me that it is more gray than blonde or brown. I asked the lady at the post office (she was processing my application) what she thought. She looked at it and saw what I meant about which color to put down. After a few seconds, she said "gray" and wrote that down. I am not thrilled about the number 50. There are worse things that can happen.

Trade Off

I have a friend Amy, who is a sewing whiz. I wish I could machine sew. I have taken sewing lessons twice. Let's just say the bobbin hates me. The top of the stitches will be lovely, nice and even. The underside is just knots. I don't know what I do wrong. I have accepted that I can't use a sewing machine. I have a bunch of stamps I am selling though one of my Etsy stores. Amy has recently been bitten by the stamping bug. We decided to make a trade. I would trade her some stamps and knit her a scarf and she would sew me three project bags. She has wonderful fabric and I was so excited to get some new bags to put my projects in. Actually, I was only keeping one bag for me. Robyn got the other two as Christmas gifts (although a little late). I love the style of the bag. It fits over the wrist and is the perfect size for a ...well you know what I always make. Right?

The Headband

As usual, I was piddling around on Ravelry reading the message boards and looking at patterns. It is not like I don't have a ton of patterns already printed out, and you can tell that I tend to make the same hat over and over. I guess it is like collecting cookbooks, yet you seem to make the same food you always have. Anyway...back to this picture. I saw a post that had a ton of responses. Being the rubbernecker that I am, I peeked in to see what all of the excitement was about. It was a thread about a headband. I had never given headbands a thought. The more I thought about it, it began to sound more and more interesting. I looked through the patterns and found one that looked intriguing. It had a lace pattern and I had been wanting to give lace a try (other than the yo/k2tog). Robyn was interested in a headband, so cast on I did. This pattern was a lot of fun and I learned a couple of new stitches along the way. She was happy with how it turned out and wore it to school once it was completed. I felt good to see her wear something I had made. I don't usually get to see someone wearing the items I knit.

Lady in Red

Red accessories always crack me up. Phillip has this thing about not wanting any of us wearing red shoes, earrings, lipstick, and the like at the same time. It is something that I always found funny. It is interesting to think about the things that drive us crazy or make us uncomfortable. Most of the time, it is easy to see the reason behind the negative feelings. Sometimes, you can't put your finger on why something bugs you. You just know it does. I would love to know why this bothers him, but I am not sure I really want to know.

End With A Hat...Start With A Hat

Well the new year has come and things are as we left the old. I am still knitting hats and loving it. I go into the closet and dig through my stash of yarn. So many colors and textures to choose from. Sometimes I just close my eyes and stick my hand into the warm fuzziness and go with whatever I pull out. Other times I have a singular purpose and go straight to the yarn I want. The pattern is in my brain and I no long need to look at the pattern to see how many stitches to cast on or how long do I knit before I start the decrease. Each hat is the same and different at the same time. There is something comforting to the sameness of my knitting.

Last Hat of the Year

This is the last hat I knit in 2009. All in all, I knit 43 hats this year and donated 37 of them to different charities. I love knitting hats, especially rolled brim hats. I don't have to think much when knitting them. I can watch TV and mindlessly repeat the same stitch over and over. It is like doing something while I am doing nothing. Many more of these hats will fly off of my needles in the months to come.

Too Much Help

I was putting away the Christmas ornaments and I cleared a space to slide the box back into the closet. Before I could get the box into the space, my help came to make sure the space was perfect. It was. I just had to wait until she was finished using the space so I could use it.

More Decorating Tips From Texas

Here is another interesting Christmas decoration. It makes one ask several different questions. Did the stores sell out of the manger scene characters? Was this a playhouse for the children of the house? Did the Grinch come and take the characters and plans to bring them back later? It is something to think about.

Merry Christmas Merry

I love the spelling of my name. When I was little I didn't like my name. There were usually several Marys also in my class and I was always known as Merry S. to distinguish between us. I would wish my name was Melissa. Why that name? Who knows. Now that I am older, I love my name and I run into very few Marys. I wonder where they all went. I haven't run into any Merrys yet, but I know they are out there...somewhere.

Chirstmas in Texas

We spent Christmas in Texas with Mom and Cathy. One of the fun things about writing this blog is that people will let me know about great photo opportunities. Cathy told me about this great tree someone had set up on top of a dirt mound. Not only did they put the tree there to turn the mound into something interesting and wonderful, but they went to the trouble to decorate it to turn it into something memorable.

Trade Off

I have a good friend Amy who is a whiz on the sewing machine. I would love to be able to sew. Unfortunately after taking sewing classes twice, I have come to the conclusion that the sewing machine and I are not friends. The top looks wonderful, but the bottom is full of knots. Anyway, Amy and I have agreed to a trade. I had some stamps she was interested in and she wanted me to knit her a scarf. I wanted some fun project bags for my knitting. This is the scarf I knit for her with the yarn she chose from my stash. I can't wait to get my bags. The material I choose out of her stash was adorable.

Hurricane Hat

I knit this hat for a friend of Robyn's. I love the pattern. It is a simple hat, but it has a cool stitch change that creates the spiral from bottom to top. I will be making this pattern again.

An Update on Leonard's Lemons

The lemons have been harvested. It took a lot longer than we thought it would. Way back in May when I first posted about them, I hoped they would turn out great. They did. Phillip had so much fun making lemonade out of his lemons.

Fall Color

Fall comes late down here. Our area has mostly pine trees, so we don't get to see too much in the way of leaves changing color. We have 2 Bradford pear trees by the driveway and I was noticing this morning how beautiful the leaves were. I would love someday to travel up to the northeast to see the leaves change. I must put that on my list of things to do.

Owl Pellet

Fun times her at our house. Robyn came home from school very excited right before Thanksgiving. Everyone in her Bio II class was given an owl pellet to dissect. She vividly remembers her teacher doing this with the class in Kindergarten and she was eager to do it herself. The owl pellet contained the skeleton of a rat. Hers was an extra special pellet because it had 2 skulls. Can you see why she was so thrilled? Then can you explain it to me? Anyway, a friend came over and they traded bones in order to get the most complete skeleton. Last night she put him together and added some felt ears to the top of his head. Of course, she forgot him on the dining room table, so I ran him up to school. I wonder if anyone in the office was a little curious as to what was inside the box and looked inside?

I Married Mr. Whipple

Phillip has always had a heavy beard. In the thousands of years I have been married to him, I have never seen him with a beard or mustache. I have seen an old picture BM (before Merry he calls it) of him with the stash. The girls and I talked him into growing one again. He had it for a week before he shaved it off. He was so worried about it. He asked me every day before going to work if I thought it was running clients off. All I could think of was how much he looked like Mr. Whipple, but I did tell him I didn't think it would make his clients head for the hills.

Montana Scarf

Another knitted gift. Another scarf. It is what I do.

Flirty Scarf

I have been helping Robyn knit some of the gifts she wants to give for Christmas. Scarves have been flying off of the needles lately and this is a great one. I love the stitch pattern. It was easy to remember and one I could do while watching TV (always a plus). If you are a member of Ravelry, the pattern is "Flirty Scarf".

Snow

Everyone was so excited about the possibility of snow. We get snow so rarely down here, but it will happen on occasionally. It happened. Snow! Snow today was especially meaningful to us today. Last year it snowed the morning after Jonathan was buried. So many of us thought it was God's way of helping us to feel some happiness during our mourning. It did. Today was the anniversary of Jon's death and it snowed again. Not as much as last year, but it still counted as snow. Again, it was seen as a something to help us with the pain. Since 1850, snow had fallen in "measurable amounts" rather than traces in the city just 18 times, according to the National Weather Service. This one was the earliest recorded snowfall.

Sometimes little miracles are brought into our lives. To me, this was one.

It Takes So Little To Make Her Happy

If you saw a van going down the street in the rain with a yellow dog's head sticking out of the window, it was me. I needed to run a quick errand and I took my car pal with me. It is cold degrees (45) outside and raining. And of course the window was down so Skittles could look out. She would stick her head out for a while and then bring it in to shake. Right back out the window she would go since car rides are always better with your head out. I don't mind. It is just water and it makes us both happy.

Happy Birthday Skittles

I just love this girl!

Enough. With. The. Hats. Already!

I was able to complete one last hat last night for Children's Hospital patients. Another gaping hole in my hat series is a black and gold hat in honor of the Saints. This whole place is going nuts over the Saints being 9-0. Who would have ever thought the Saints could be doing so well. It is mind boggling to me.

Can you see the tell tale signs we have a cat in the house?

Did I Hear You Correctly? More hats?

Robyn and Michael are taking hats over to Children's Hospital for me after Thanksgiving. I decided to crank out a couple more before they go. You know I love my LSU Tigers. When I was growing up and first moved to Louisiana, the thought of purple and gold together was hideous. Now that I am older and wiser, purple and gold hold a piece of my heart. I had not knitted a hat with these colors together yet, so I had to rectify that omission. I love the thought of a child somewhere rooting on the Tigers wearing this hat.

To Infinity and Beyond

I probably have never mentioned how much I love Ravelry (only if you don't listen to me when I talk). I can spend hours looking at knitting patterns and reading the message boards. One of the hot topics lately is about an Infinity Scarf. Supposedly, it is one of the "in" accessories this fall/winter. I rarely know anything about being "in", but this scarf caught my interest. It is a wide, long scarf that is knit in a tube width wise. You can wear it long and hanging, twist it twice and wear it cozily against your neck, or wrap it once around your neck and pull the rest up over your head like a hood. I like this idea of a multifunctional scarf, so I made one...as a gift. It was fun to knit, but I did get tired of dragging all those stitches (250) around the circular needle. When I blocked it, the pattern started to look even better. I plan to make another one, but this time I want to knit it flat and try my hand at a provisional cast-on. Then I can stitch the two ends together without a seam.

More Hats for Donate

Robyn and Michael are going to Children's Hospital right after Thanksgiving to drop off the animals she has knitted and the hats I have made. I have been focusing on adult sized hats, so I am switching back to a slightly smaller "teen" size. I found the multi colored yarn in Lafayette when we went over there to look at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. I could not pass it up. It was fun. I have it in a solid pink too. A little goes a long way, so I will have a lot to spread around.

It Was a Winner the First Time Around

I made another Super Fast, Ultra-Cozy Scarf. It was a good to do since the pattern is mindless and I was watching the Yankees loose. I was very distracted by the game, but I was able to keep the pattern going.

Another Scarf from Me

I have been enjoying being able to watch the series and knit too. It is the best of 2 worlds for me. This pattern is so easy, looks great and is reversable. It is called One Row Handspun Scarf by the Yarn Harlot. If you have not read the Yarn Harlot's blog, you should check it out. Her blog is fun to read and she is very funny.

P.S. The Yanks win!

More Knittin

I have been knitting scarves to send to troops in Afghanistan. Instead of the same old boring garter stitch scarf, I wanted to try some new stitch patterns. The pattern is called Super Fast, Ultra-Cozy Scarf. I really like this one and it knit up fast. In one day! The yarn was Lion Brand Wool-Ease Thick and Quick.


I watched the World Series and knit. Now if the Yankees had won the game I would have been completely happy.

Halloween Costumes

Phillip has a friend who has a blow out Halloween party each year. He and his wife go all out and have an amazing party. This year Robyn had to work, so Cara brought a friend. They dressed up as characters from one of their favorite manga series. Phillip went as an LSU fan. I wish I had gotten a picture showing his LSU socks. They really made the outfit. The party was great and tons of people showed up. It was another excellent event.

Prayer Squares

Another group I have been knitting for is one who gives small, knitted squares to people undergoing chemotherapy. They are called prayer squares. The group who offers these squares, take the knitted squares and sew a small charm (angel, cross, etc.) on them and attach a written prayer. Hopefully the squares will provide comfort to the patients while they have their treatment. Squares are easy to knit and can be made up quickly. It is an excellent way to use of bits of leftover yarn too.

Scarves for "Handmade Especially for You"

One of the charities I have been knitting for is "Handmade Especially for You". They provide scarves for abused women. The only request is that the scarves be colorful. I think these 3 scarves will fit that request. Two are just regular old garter stitch and the multicolor one is done in a drop stitch pattern. The drop stitch was a new stitch for me and I will work that one into another pattern down the road. It has an interesting look.

The Fine Art of Compromise

Cara wants a corset. Now every preteen girl needs a corset, right? No. I am not sure where the corset thing comes from, but I tried to think of something that could fill the corset square so to speak. I came up with the idea of wrist warmers that lace like a corset. She was thrilled with the idea. She picked the colors and decided on the length (somewhat). They were easy to make and it made her happy. That's what counts anyway.

Checking Out Schools

Today we took a drive over to Lafayette to check out the University of Louisiana at Lafayette for Robyn. It would be a good option because she would be fairly close by in case we needed to run over to see her. Driving into town we stopped at a light. When we looked to our left, we were all very excited to see the Lesspay Motel. It reminds me a bit of the Bates Motel. I am not quite sure if we will ever stay there should Robyn decide to go to school here, but it is good to know of a place to stay.