absolutely enamored...

So I've been sitting here for about 2 weeks now ripping, tearing, cutting, and knotting together strips of old sheets, dressing gowns from my place of employment (they're free...have pretty designs...and did I mention free!?) and a few odds and ends pieces of fabric.

For what you ask!? Have I gone insane and am making a rope ladder in which to escape down the side of my tower with? No! I'm toothbrush rugging!

I'm going to drag my bestie into this kicking and screaming....yes Mioshee....you're going to make one of these....

So the story is that my mother and I earlier this year had went to a small local quilt show and walked around looking at all the goodies (this is pre-machine for me so was not quite into the whole quilting scene/ sewing scene yet). Unfortunately we weren't allowed to bring in cameras so no pictures of any of them...believe me when I say too pretty! (Wish alot of them could have snuck into my bag and could have come home with me!)
But as we were walking through the vendor section we stopped at a small table where a woman was giving a demonstration. It looked as though she was crocheting a small rug but when we got closer saw she was using a needle similar to this one.

It was made out of a toothbrush that the head was snapped off and was filed down to point. The bottom half had a hole drilled into it for the fabric to go through. I've never seen anything like it! My mom told me my grandmother and great grandmother used to sit on the porch and make these! Unfortunately gram doesn't have any of the needles left ...boo...hiss...
The woman showed us very carefully how to make each stitch and said if we wanted to swing by in a few hours she would be starting another "class" piece so we could watch how these rugs get started. Unfortunately, we didn't stay too much longer after that because of fuzzle needing her fix of Dinosaur train and a catastrophic diaper change. I would have loved to pick her brain more about this technique! There's quite a bit of fiddling to get started. I had to do alot of intense research gleaning the techniques from each video but I feel I'm having a decent row with it!?

Now...to get this rug big enough for my kitchen floor...small space with ugly linoleum...it's just crying out "cover me up!"
href="http://www.toothbrushrug.com/">http://www.toothbrushrug.com/

Oh and the link up there? That's to the website I started trolling through to find information about the rugs. You're welcome...

new year...too much crap to do already...

So I've been sitting here for the past couple of days getting caught up on all the neglected blog posts, ravelry messages, pictures, project pages, yarn basket organizing, etc...etc...because I've been scrambling to find something to talk about on here. Sure there's always the promise I'm going to come back to my blog...or that I'm going to post my progress on projects and what have you...BUT I'M NOT GONNA...and you can't make me....It's the promise or New Years resolution I have no plan on making and kicking myself for not following through with...

I'm going to act like nothing happened..I didn't go anywhere and continue on like fuzzle is 2 1/2 years old now and the rona shawl is almost done...(7 rips and starts and only 21 rows and a crochet lace bind off....damn how much I've progressed in all this time...) and how this year has been hell...too many ups and downs and how I'm now sitting at home...waiting on surgery for my gallbladder...damn thing causes too many problems! (my gold sewing scissors look quite nice and are sharp enough for surgery! anyone out there want to help?)

I hope 2012 is much better at least in terms of my personal life...and my crafting life. I've been so sick these past weeks that I just don't have the energy to sit and count and craft.When I have had energy I've been knitting and with the help of my mom (and also the fact she entered me in the contest) we entered the Christmas Embellishment Challenge over at Calico Patch Quilt shop in town.

The guild puts on a challenge now and then and since my mom is teaching me how to quilt thought it was a grand idea to put me in. Thanks mom! The idea was to take a whole panel and 5 fat quarters and turn it into whatever you'd like. As long as you used at least some of the given fabrics and part of the panel in what you made. My mom and I decided it would be best if we kept the panel whole and pieced some blocks around the outside to make a wall hanging. The back is patchwork and the front has everything from beads to lights that work to reindeer boots...It was a huge undertaking for I'd say a month and a half. As it draws closer to the judging date I'm everyday hoping that I win! There were only 8 quilters who signed up and I was the second to turn it in. Cross your fingers for me!

Knitting wise there's not alot going on...just a half forgotten Christmas present...I won't talk about that...and the rona shawl you've heard me go on about before... can't wait until that thing is done. the yarn is gorgeous...the pattern is gorgeous...the amount of stitches for one row....despicable....it takes me about an hour per row. I believe I'm a relatively fast knitter...but and hour is too damn long and I'm telling you these last 21 rows look so daunting...but eventually I will conquer you shawl...and my long term conquest will be done...

In fuzzle terms....the 2 1/2 yr old is happy, healthy, and potty training... I hope that starts coming together better soon...peeing on my couch is in fact frowned upon and does not result in goldfish cracker rewards! (shakes head) Sometimes I feel I have epically failed that child and she will remain in diapers the rest of her life...but there are shining moments like this morning when she sat right down, did her buisness, got up and asked me to take her nappy now. (that's naptime in our house...just in case) It'll work itself out.

So for now I'm going to go use my energy to get some laundry and shawl done before said fuzzle sounds the tribal drums and my day is filled with potty breaks, juice stains in the carpet and that damn Ms. Spider's sunny patch show which turns my fuzzle into a non compliant cranky dinosaur until it's over....*sighs* I love being a mom!

finally

ok so i said wednesday after the group meeting. unfortunately i didn't go. fuzzle was being a big pain and so we ended up going for a walk instead. *sigh* We have some sun today of all things. The past couple of days have been so blah with teh combination of rain and snow. There was no motivation for me whatsoever to get anything done. The only thing i've been focusing on knitting wise is that darn cardigan with it's miles of stockinette...but i will persevere with the help of the other ladies in the testing pool. They're getting their butts handed to them too. Soo much stockinette!!! ah!!

on the fo front i finished the sea star test knit and what a wonderful pattern it was! i'm just waiting for the pattern to go live now. It's linked to my page on ravelry but i don't know if the creator wants to let it out yet.
i have more pics up on rav about it too. so go check it out!

now i'm off to do some vacumming and making the bed while fuzzle is asleep. quiet is always a good thing around this house....




especially with mornings starting off like this!

yarn....scrumptious....yarn...and a fuzzle...

i'm going to make this short and sweet tonight and i'll get on with the details of it tomorrow after my first meetup at the new lys i found. but i got a whole bunch of new stash to share...some pics of fuzzle... and some projects that need shared. but to give you a peek.....

bunny butts...

if you are looking for a cute hat to knit in general...go here...too cute! i had to make one for the fuzzle. I've been on a never ending search for cute hats lately. it all started when i was pregnant and made the cupcake hat by Chile con yarne. http://www.ravelry.com/projects/waffles28182/cupcake-hat . you can see it on my page here. i have to upload my pics on to my laptop so it's currently just on rav. but there will be action pics of it once fuzzle is big enough to wear it. I'm going to be test knitting a really cute one on rav. I've been apart of the free pattern testers group for a while now and have been making some really neat patterns and i can't wait to start this one...will post pics once i get the pattern started and get my camera program reinstalled to the laptop.

I hope everyone had a great Easter! mine was good we all had ham and chocolate and tons of my mom's famous coffee. My dad even rented Fantastic Mr. Fox. remember that book? the movie was good but a little weird with the added bits of story. loved the animation though. it reminded me of chicken run with the knitting chicken.

as the projects go... I'm working on bunny butts, the link for the pattern is in the title. i do implore you to check it out. I'm test knitting a secret cardigan for my mom. it's called the sea foam cardie. will post picture but can't promise anything else until it's released.
and the grapefruit socks are still languishing around...will i ever settle down to work on them who knows....definitely not while fuzzle is awake. too intensive.

late into the night....

The fuzzle is asleep and so is the llama. Both snoring comfortably I might add. I'm plodding along on the lace wedge anklets from the new creative knitting I got the other day. I finally got Time Warner out here to install high speed so I can actually get some things done on the compy too. I'll add pictures soon of the socks. I'm also planning on going to the knitters fantasy weekend in Ohio. It's on a weekend so I'm going to send fuzzle off to gramme's and run away for a Saturday of yummy yarn, food, and hopefully a nostalgic trip to hobby lobby! My friend Erica agreed to go with me as long as there is some kind of scrapbook side trip involved. Black mail for sure. If anyone is planning on going let me know! Would be glad to carpool! If anyone follows me and is on Ravelry sign up for the knitter's fantasy weekend group. They have directions and a list of vendors that will be at the yarn market. I've also been up to a whole bunch of things and have been trying to update pictures and whatnot on there. I suggest you check my page out. I'm not the best photographer but eh, It gets the job done when I need pictures. Starting on Fridays there will be a new theme around here. The theme is fuzzle Friday! She's been up to all kinds of cute things and has found her feet and mommy got a new memory card! Plus Aunt Kati figured out how to go from 11 pictures to over 1000 and made me feel stupid....(cameras are not my friend sometimes. ) That and gramme will be happy that more pictures than she could ever want will now suddenly be in her inbox. LMAO!

Now I'm off to finish the gusset on the grapefruit colored sock...ah...refreshing!