My Stash

Who doesn't love to organize? I typically like to. It's a task of putting everything into place, or establishing a place for it. Recently I organized my stash, thinking "my stash is a good stash." It is in some ways.

 I suppose some of you know what a "stash" is. But to put everyone on the same page, it is the collection of leftover yarn or yarn to be used in future projects that accumulates in baskets or in bags or any place that is a good place to stick your lovely yarn.

I seem to have a good collection of cotton yarn. Lots of colors and lots of fun ways to make that yarn pop in a project. In fact I have a whole book of patterns using that yarn that it shouldn't be to hard to get rid of, well, not get rid of, use.

My stash of Araucania is very little. Three hanks. Two of cotton and one wool. My Berroco is for a project that I have yet to get around to.

On the other hand, my acrylic yarn is overwhelming. I have a lot of it, but I lack color!! Mostly it is a shade of green or a neutral color like brown or white. How boring!

But alas, have a decided to make eight quick projects for a quadruple baby shower. My acrylic yarn needed some sprucing up. So I brought more color into the room. The colors I chose I think will look delightful in those projects. I cannot wait to use them!

I wish that it wasn't so much money to buy yarn. Especially the yarn found in fantastic yarn shops. If it wasn't I might have more of it in my stash.

So all in all, my stash is good in the way that some of the yarn is waiting to be used in projects I have yet to get to. It is bad in the sense that I am not moved by it because not ALL of if is yarn like Araucania or Berroco. But I guess one day I could have lots of great yarn to crochet with.

What is in your stash? What do you like to use? Maybe you really like to use acrylic yarn. What ever the case, happy crocheting!

Fall Colors

Fall weather has been here for sometime. Well, at least a good week. It has been great to experience the cooler weather and see the trees change dramatic colors.

A couple of days ago I took a walk, looking for inspirational fall pictures. I came up with a few. It was a nice walk, though it was short. I wish I would have found more trees to take pictures of. In other words I should have taken a longer walk. But time was not on my side and I needed to get back to the house.

On the way home from work I am always pleaseantly surprised by the colors in the trees. But it helps me relax and just enjoy the ride.

With all the movement towards fall, with the weather changing and the trees changing, it makes me think winter is coming closer. And I haven't a clue as to weather I should make a few gifts or not. The one blanket that I was "commissioned" to make I am going to give for Christmas. Most of the toys I have been making will be for October birthdays which are around the cornor. So let's just say I'm prepared. I do have a growing zoo, as you can see below.

 Hmm, though I do have a few toys I'm thinking about making for Christmas. They might be included in my "stash series" (which by the way is a working title). Cause at the rate my stash is going I could see making several different sorts of toys. Many more animals could be added to my zoo!

Toys arn't the only things on my mind. I really would like to make another blanket for my house. Maybe two. I recently purchased a Vanna crochet book which has several intriguing and inspirational blankets to create. I also would love to get rid of my stash by creating a leftovers blanket that I've seen in my Crochet Today magazine. The choices the choices...so many of them. It is a matter of sitting down and doing them!!

I can officially cross penguins off my list. They are done and looking great displayed, I can't wait to give them to the little kiddo who doesn't know to expect them. I hope he enjoys playing with them as much as I enjoyed making them. But I think they match well with the way  he plays. So I'm not too fearful.

Well I hope you all have a good weekend. Keep smiling!

Wonderful Pella

Last weekend I took a little road trip with my mother, brother and my brother's girlfriend to Pella, IA. We wanted to experience Pella at its best! Which means looking in all the fun little shops and stopping at the bakery before leaving.

The draw of Pella is it's cleanliness and the "little" town feel one gets when arriving there. Pella has a fantastic square where several shops are located, including the bakery. Pella also has a surplus of speciality shops ranging from Dutch souviners to clothing to purses and accesories to antiques.

Pella is the "little Holland" around here, that is why there is so much focus on everything Dutch. The pastries are Dutch, there are windmills a plenty to look at and admire. They even have a celebration called Tulip Time. Tulip Time of course is associated with the tulips that appear in May, people come from all around to enjoy them and to enjoy the festivties associated with the festival.

Jessica, my brother's girlfriend, had never been to Pella and the original plan was for my mom and I to take her there to enjoy the small town. But when the day came, it seemed my brother Trevor wanted to share in the experience.

Despite the fact that there are many woman oriented shops in Pella, Trevor was a very pleasant person during the whole event. He took our bags to the car, he looked around with us and did not complain once about going home. It was a surprise! I haven't ever seen my brother so positive and willing to participate in something like that.

One shop we went into, called Funky Junque had fun antiques and a few crafts. I found some great Christmas presents there. They are homemade fingerless gloves  made out of old sweaters. I also purchased some fun Lego earrings which I could not resist for the decent price or the fun they would be to wear at the school I work for.

fingerless gloves

On the crochet side of things I'm afraid I don't have too much to say, except that my next penguin is coming along nicely. But I also noticed my stash is almost out  of control. I was thinking about not buying much yarn in the next couple of months and have a "stash series" on what all you can make out of left over yarn. I do already have couple of projects in mind for some of the yarn, but you never know when you will be able to get to it!

Well, I must be off. It was nice seeing you again. Keep smiling!

Comments and Craziness

Well, let's start with the good news.....my comments are now working. So feel free to drop me a line and tell me how I'm doing! I'm sorry that they were not working before, apparently I had clicked something that should not have been clicked (when setting up the blog)!

Here comes the "bad" news. But it really is just news. I have not been keeping to my blog because well, there have been several radical changes. The room I work in has changed schedules for the adults and we have a new sub. The new sub has slipped in easily which is good, but the schedules still have some flukes that need to be worked out. The schedule flukes include the teacher (or the sub) schedule too! I can probably say we are all complaining silently about the changes.

The changes  that have been made, were fought long and hard for too. First the assistants in my room were not involved in the schedules. After those schedules were revealed those did not work well for the students or assistants. So we went back to the person making the schedules and suggested something different. These are the schedules that are in action now. Today, it seems as if we have been doing them for two weeks (it's probably just me) but it is only the second day.

Ah well, it is past now. There isn't much I personally can do except work hard for the students I'm with so that they can have good days and press on. The student is the most important aspect of my job. Any way that they can better learn is what is best for them.

I have started to crochet a shell edge

 On the home front, I have been working as hard as I can at my crochet. Sometimes it doesn't always get done because these past couple of weeks have been draining. The blanket I'm working on is getting closer to being done. I have finished two penguins and am working on another project that is improving a fleece baby blanket.

Yes, another baby blanket. It's technically a "receiving" blanket that I found for a pretty good price at TJ Maxx. It came with four others. When at TJ Maxx I showed my mom what I was holding and she told me a story about how I used to have a receiving blanket that a relative crocheted around. I took it everywhere and it used to be my favorite blanket.

Wheels turned and turned in my head. Who could I give this to? I thought of three people who might enjoy some fun blankets. So I've just started working on it. Hopefully I will add a homemade toy to go with it. I've been thinking about doing a rabbit that I saw in my favorite blog Attic 24, but now that I think of it I could also do kissing birds that would also be really cute.

more fleece blankets to "improve"

So on my list yet to create in the next couple of blogs etc...

1. One more penguin

2. two receiving blankets

3. toy to go with blanket

4.finish afghan

That seems like quite a load! Too many exciting projects to do. So little time to spend on them!!

Well I best be off. Keep smiling!

A Note

These past couple of weeks just flew by. I barely had time to relax and think. Much less take time for my blog.  But school is in full swing now. Every single kid is starting to get used to the idea that there are rules at school and they need to be followed.

The kids in the autism room, on the other hand, seem to be getting very used to the adults and their schedules. There have been a few outbursts here and there, but everyone in the room I work in seem to be getting along, even though OUR schedules are still in need of tweeking.

Next to the new school year, there has also been a change in whose teaching. Our fearless autsim room leader/teacher has decided to get some R and R before her second child is born. I am happy she is spending time with her daughter and being stress free. So, our room has gained a new sub who is doing quite well, despite his reservations about teaching autistic children.

Then there is all the technology issues that have appeared with this new school year. Apparently the assistants have to sign themselves up for the sub finding SEMS program, plus there is a new email thing we need to do and a new personnel management thing also needs to get done. Which I unhappily tried to do and was unable to do. Ugh! I'll figure out what I did wrong at some point.

I am glad its Labor Day weekend. Maybe I can finally slow down after all that has happened. With all that has happened, I have been unable to crochet much since I last told you of my crochet projects. They are getting done, but slowly! Well, until next time...hoping it will be soon. Bye!

Back to School

Well, school has started again. I am thankful for the extra things to do, like making sure the kids are happy, working on projects for our room and just meeting a whole bunch of new kids and new people!

Coats and Clark picture

What I have done

So far, our year has started off to a good start. Not too many kids are "difficult" and seem to be easing back into the school year. A couple of them do seem to need some more adjusting, but otherwise the rest of them have fallen back in line with their classes and are working hard for all the adults in the room.

Ana Rimioli's pciture

On the home front I have started making a afghan for my sister-in-law Allison. I had this pattern in one of my afghan books. It is an old Coats and Clark pattern. It will be a lovely orange-pink and brown.

I also have finally started a few of the penguin appendages. I'm sure once I start the rest of the body they will quickly be produced. They are of course from Ana Rimoli's Amigurumi World. 

finished penguin parts

Otherwise project making has alomost come to a standstill. But there is lots of time for things to be completed!

It has been a bit hard trying to get back in the swing of things, even though I'm glad that I'm busier. And with working at the school there is less time to work around the house and working with my yarn.But everything is fixed in time. It is just getting used to what needs to happen and when.

Well, I'm rather out of words. But I want to write tomorrow. So you may hear from me then! Hopefully this tiredness that I have suddenly felt will not be a hindrance tomorrow. Until next time!

Updates

Hi all! It's been a century at least in blog terms since I've written. But a lot of my hooking has been completed and/or started. Also, before I could sit down for my blog today I felt the urge to make a salad, specifically potato salad.



Containers



I have know idea why I felt the urge, but its fun to try new things, especially things you have never done before. So this morning I searched the net for some potato salad recipes. I fell upon one that was in two different versions, but the same recipes. The main ingredients were the same, bacon and ranch. The recipe I decided on is called "Texas Ranch Potato Salad."

I found this recipe on allrecipies.com which I have found has great recipes no matter what you are looking for.  The website came in especially handy while my husband and I were in France and we had not brought over any cookbooks with "American" food in them. With allrecipies.com I have made cookies, made a salad and have made many appetizers from the site and from the cook book I own.

So getting down to it, I boiled potatoes, mixed mayonnaise, green onions and Hidden Valley Ranch mix to make the "sauce." After the potatoes were boiled I cut them up and put them in a dish to mix all the ingredients together in, after waiting for two hours for them to be cooled enough to mix the bacon and the "sauce" in. Well, I'm still waiting. So in another post I will have to tell you how it tastes.All in all, making the salad has been easy. I look forward to seeing how it will taste and if it fits with our soon to be grilled pork chops.

In the world of crochet I have finished several things. Four of which I wasn't planning on making. Two of the four are containers. You can make containers with crochet!! It's a bit crazy, but I had this new yarn that needed to be used. It is Sugar n'cream Scents. With this scent filled yarn I made two nice bowls/containers that will make someones bathroom smell delicious.

The other two are monkeys! I had one monkey started a long time ago. So I decided I was going to complete him. He was quickly completed in two days. Being silly, I didn't want the stuffed toy to be lonely so I made him a daughter. They are so cute and my husband had a blast playing with the "Daddy." Thanks to Ana Rimoli's patterns they are sitting in my living room now.

Monkeys

Lastly, the one  project that needed to be finished, the yellow monster was quickly finished a couple of weeks ago. He is quite a character! His eyes got rather big and my husband thought it would be funny if he walked on his eyes instead! It's so nice to have a husband to test out the toys for the little ones.

Well, I still need to make my penguins, which are on their way. I have completed eye roundies and a beak for one. I am sure once the rest of my supplies come in the mail, they will easily be completed as well.

Last weekend while visiting my in-laws I was "commissioned" to make a blanket. One that didn't allow for little toes to get caught. Through great debate I have decided on a pattern to follow, one that didn't have too many holes to get caught in. Unfortunately I need to buy more yarn for it cause after trying a different pattern, for the same project, I don't have the right amount of yarn for the new pattern. The old pattern just had too many holes. I hope this new pattern will work better. It will be a Christmas present, so I should have plenty of time to finish it.

Yellow monster

Ah, some other news, well the last time a wrote I thought I had two weeks before school started. Nope I start back tomorrow. Luckily I have had a little time to think about it and I'm ready. Enough of this boring summer stuff! So hard work here I come! I hope this year will be a good year, that all the students will get along just fine, no matter what hinders them. And I hope the adults will get along too. We have a couple of newbies, but so far they seem like they will fit just fine.

I wish you all the best! See you next time!