Home Improvement Weekend

Happy 4th of July!

While yesterday was a beautiful day, today was rainy and gloomy. The rain never let up all day so all the local 4th festivities were canceled or postponed. Hubby and I had already planned to spend the long weekend on projects around the house, and it's been productive (if at times stressful).

We've been staining our deck for over a month now. Our deck is very large and half of it is screened in. We are staining in 2 colors, so it involves a lot of taping and ladder work. We've also been slaves to the weather - it's been an unusually wet summer.

Since we were rained out, we decided to install a tile backsplash today. This is something we've been talking about since we moved into the house. I really didn't want to start the backsplash until we finished the deck, but the rain today made the deck work impossible.

My real problem with the backsplash it that I'm not that handy around the house. Even with the most simple of projects, I'm convinced that I'll "ruin" my home. Hubby thinks he can take on any project and do it well and quickly. I am afraid to do anything and am sure that my involvement will result in the total destruction my home. Of course there isn't that much that I could do that I couldn't pay a professional to "fix", but the thought of messing up throws me into a panic.

So...today's project was a bit traumatic for me. Just putting up the tile might have been ok, but cutting them wasn't easy. We have 8 outlets to work around, and I didn't think we could do it. The first hour was tough, but we didn't burn the house down when we used the dremel (despite all the sparks), and we didn't take an eye out with the tile cutters. We sort of got into a groove and, much to my delight, it's looking really good!!!

We got most of it done and will have to finish tomorrow. If I can get through the grouting without making a total mess, this is going to be a success!!! Hopefully by this time next week we'll have a beautiful backsplash and a finished deck, and maybe, just maybe, if these projects turn out well, I'll overcome my fear of "projects". I sort of doubt it though.

Formula for Making Cable Baby Blanket

I used the instructions this link to learn how to make crocheted cables. Since I’m not fond of joining squares, I decided to make a cabled baby blanket that wouldn’t require any joining.

The linked pattern for cabled afghan squares is a copyrighted pattern. If you’ve never worked cables before, practice using this pattern for afghan squares (I was very confused with the first one that I made, but by the time I completed my second cabled square, I had figured out how to make the cables). Once you’re comfortable with cables, it will be easy to work them into many patterns.

I added a FPDC immediately before and after each cable to help define the cable pattern and make it more pronounced.

Below is the “formula” that I used to make a baby blanket with 5 cables.

Using Worsted Weight Yarn and an H hook:

Chain 61

Row 1: sc in second chain from hook, and all the way across (60 sc)

Row 2: chain 2 (counts as first hdc), hdc in next 4 stitches, * FPDC in next stitch, follow cable instructions over next 4 stitches, FPDC in next stitch, hdc in next 5 stitches*. Repeat pattern between ** 4 times.

Row 3: Chain 2 (counts as first hdc), hdc in next 4 stitches, *BPDC in next stitch, follow cable instructions over next 4 stitches, BPDC in next stitch, hdc in next 5 stitches. Repeat pattern between ** 4 times.

Row 4: chain 2 (counts as first hdc), hdc in next 4 stitches, * FPDC in next stitch, follow cable instructions over next 4 stitches (this is the “twisted” row, FPDC in next stitch, hdc in next 5 stitches*. Repeat pattern between ** 4 times.

Row 5: Chain 2 (counts as first hdc), hdc in next 4 stitches, *BPDC in next stitch, follow cable instructions over next 4 stitches, BPDC in next stitch, hdc in next 5 stitches. Repeat pattern between ** 4 times.

Continue this basic formula for a total of 52 rows.

Row 53: chain 1, sc across. Finish off.

The basic formula for this blanket is:

5 hdc – 1 fpdc – cable – 1 fbdc – 5hdc

I made 5 cables across on this blanket. It is small – approx 18” x 24”.

You can easily adapt this pattern to any size you like. Your starting chain should be a multiple of 11 plus 6 stitches. (I wanted 5 cables, so my starting chain was 55+6=61 stitches). Continue working until you achieve the length you want.

Cable Baby Blanket

Recently I posted that I was learning to crochet cables. I used this pattern at About.com to learn the basic technique.

I like making the cables! One you get a knack for it, it's not at all complicated. It's repetitive enough that I don't have to count or "think too hard", but varied enough that I don't get bored.


I don't, however, enjoy joining squares, and the thought of making enough cabled squares to create even the smallest baby blanket turned my stomach. So.... I used the basic techniques that I learned to make this 5-cable baby blanket. I'm really pleased with the result! I just love the look, and look forward to making more cabled projects.

Baby Ga-doe!!!

Guess who we saw sleeping under our deck!!!
Isn't she beautiful!!!

I know that the photos are poor quality. Didn't want to get too close and disturb her. I may have to buy a more powerful camera!!

Twisted

As I subtly hinted in my last post, things have been a bit stressful lately. My stomach and my mind seem like they've been twisted up in knots - not a fun feeling. So.... I decided that if life was going to serve me twists, maybe I should learn to crochet some.

I haven't quite given up on knitting, but I'm beginning to doubt that I'll ever actually master the skill. If I can't complete a simple knit-purl project, I'll never knit a beautiful cable sweater, so the time seemed right to try crocheting cables.

These are my first two attempts. The first one was a bit tricky; the second was much easier. I don't think that they have the refinement or beauty of knit cables, but I'm willing to take a short cut now and then.

Feelings 101

Lately things have been stressful. I think that there is a lot of that going on. The economy is bad and everyone is nervous. I'm lucky. My family is not dealing with any horrible illnesses. Outside the general uncertainty, we don't have horrific financial worries. There is a lot of love in my home. Life should be good, but ......it's been stressful.

I don't deal with stress well. I just try and do the best I can - I try to keep a positive attitude; I try to eat properly and really enjoy it when I don't; I try to be a bit more active. Frankly, all this trying is exhausting, but I try to remember that I have a basically very good life and people who love me - and that means a lot.

So, I'm frustrated and angry at myself that the nastiness of one person had so completely thrown me for a loop. Someone who I considered a friend has really hurt me. I don't think this person intended to hurt me - I think she is stressed out herself and not dealing with it well - but I feel so betrayed. I'm just reeling, and feel like I've been physically assaulted. Of course the co-dependent part of my personality is trying to make excuses for this person. I feel like I shouldn't feel this hurt when I know that it was not her intention - yet....I do feel hurt, and I do feel angry, and I do feel like I don't know how to productively deal with these feelings.

So.... it's sort of a vicious cycle of trying to reconcile what I feel and what I think I should feel. Perhaps I need to find a "Feelings 101" class, or invest in "Feelings for Dummies". Except that I'm smart enough to know that feelings just are. We can't control them - we can only control how we deal with them. I think that's what I'm struggling with - how to deal with the end of a friendship - or maybe how to deal with the end of an illusion of friendship. Either way, I feel I've lost something.

Tomorrow is another day. Maybe I'll feel better about it then.

To Knit or Not to Knit - that is the question.

I think the answer is leaning more and more towards - NOT!

I don't like to perceive myself as a quitter, so after my first attempts at knitting were less than satisfying, I decide to give it another try. I bought another set of circular needles and a package of double points. I bought 2 baby hat patterns (bought them - not free from the internet - but an actual financial investment!) I read through the patterns and convinced myself that I could do it - and, of course, I can.

One problem. So far, I HATE it. With crochet I get immediate (or almost immediate) gratification. A baby hat is small! I can crochet a baby hat in no time. I can crochet several adult sized hats in a day. A crocheted baby sweater can be finished in a few evenings. Knitting is not so fast.

I spent several evenings and have a pathetic little uneven hat brim to show for it. I'm bored!!!

Now I'm not an easy quitter, and I'm very very cheap - so quitting after I've made a financial investment would be a horrible defeat, but I'm finding it very difficult to find the motivation to continue trying.

If any of you knitters have any advice, I'm all ears. Otherwise it might be time to admit that this Worm was meant to stick to the hook.

For Rory

This Barbie blanket is for the daughter of an on-line friend who is in the army and on her way to Iraq.

I make gifts all the time for the newborn babies of deployed Marines and Soldiers. I've never met this little girl - or her mom for that matter - but they're not strangers. I remember when this little girl was born. I've enjoyed hearing stories about her.

So while her mom is serving abroad, I hope she'll enjoy this blanket. I hope that when she snuggles up with it, it will feel like a hug from her mom.

The fleece blanket is edged with Soft Pink and Orchid Caron Simply Soft. I trimmed the blanket with a a round of SC, then used the pattern from the Bernat's Sweet Baby Blanket to give it a pretty ruffled-shell edging.

Long Time no Blog

Seems like a while since I've "blogged". I'm not sure if that means that there is nothing to blog about or too much going on to blog - or maybe some odd combination of the two.

Nothing exciting to report - things have been a bit crazy. I was sick last week. Missed two days of work and then had lingering "feel lousy". I'm better now, but I seem to be unable to find a remedy for the chronic headache that I've been dealing with for what feels like weeks - it's making me feel a bit depressed - a bit sick and tired of feeling sick and tired.

Life is good though. My husband loves me unconditionally and keeps me grounded. My friends have been very supportive. A dear friend who was dealing with a serious medical scare got some great news. My wonderful nephew just turned 9 years old.

I'm working on crocheting a blanket to send to the daughter of a friend who is serving in Iraq. I haven't crocheted much this week, so it's taking a bit longer than I might have planned, but I should get that out this week. Yesterday I purchased some needles and a cute pattern for knit baby hats. When I finish this blanket, I'm going to give knitting another try. We'll see how that goes.

While life has given me things to feel sad, scared, or angry about, it more often gives me things to laugh about - and laughter, they say, is the best medicine.

Basket Weave Edging

I had so much fun making my last basket weave blanket, that I decided to try and make a basket weave edging with my Edgerydoo.

This was much faster to complete than a full basket weave blanket. I made it on another road-trip. It was a fast way to create the basket weave pattern around a soft fleece blanket.

The colors on this one are a bit much, but that bright green fleece sort of begs for something dramatic.

I'll need to make a matching hat, and then the set will be sent to Marine Corps Kids.