im only on round 35! aaaah!
and it seemed like i was making real progress =-(

people keep popping out of the woodwork asking me, 'hey, where's my hat?'.
i'm like, dude, lol, what are you talkin about!
so, i'm working on a hat for one of them. it'll be solid chocolate brown with some kind of patch that i haven't been able to find yet. i started on one for him a couple of weeks ago and it was turning out to be way too small so i started over a couple of nights ago and i think i've got it right. in order to get the gauge right, i had to use hdc's instead of sc's and go up one hook size. i love the way the smaller stitches look but it's very tedious to use sc's for a large-extra large hat.
i've been on the look out for a dark colored round elastic to use in the hats, but have been unable to find any. i did find a some 1/4'' i forget what its kind is elastic that's black, so i'm going to try that and hope that it does the trick. i could have this bad boy done tonight, but not having the patch is giving me an excuse to set it aside for now.

i've picked up some 7 inch granny squares that i have the intention of making into a blanket. there are 8 of them in all. i want to do something where they are arranged in a border around a middle that is done in rows, but i've fallen short on coordinating yarn. i thought i had a whole skein of the blue yarn, but when i went digging, all i came up with was another WIP, which is the round ripple that i totally forgot about. i've got a lot of purple and the multi- pink, white and purple, but i don't think it'll go with what i'm doing with the squares so far.
i'm starting to realize that the massive amount of unfinished projects that i have laying around is due to the fact that i don't really plan a project. i just pick up what yarn i have and get going on it, while i hope that it works out in the end.
i really should stop doing that.
i don't want to have to do another granny square anytime soon and i don't want to buy anymore yarn right now, but i have enough blue to get away with it (the granny) for this one.
perhaps i'll just pull out the round ripple and finally finish it.
bleh.

am i on a roll with these posts or what?

i'm determined to finish this coin purse that i'm working on tonight.
but i'm taking a break from putting the applique on the front because well, it's tiring. i still have to sew the liner in, too, but that should go fairly quickly because i've done it before.

last year, i bought a whole bunch of fiber scraps from a shop on etsy that are just too cute with the hopes of doing appliques on my purses and coin pouches, but i hadn't been able to get to them until recently.
i've been thinking about which way i want my crocheting to go or if i even want otbe bothered with it at all. the solution i've come up with is to make lots of small things rather than focusing on one long, boring project at a time. so, right now, i'm sitting with a couple of coin purses, one shoulder pouch- i can't decide whether i want to line it or not, kelly's bag {still}, a spider that needs a face, and spools of crochet thread that i've pulled out in anticipation of the clips and buttons i've ordered arriving.
my space is a bit cluttered right now, but it's all good.

i recently joined a new crochet group which is doing a christmas in july contest and i'm having the darndest time finding a project that i think would do the trick.
i still have nearly a whole big spool of that christmas cotton yarn i HAD to have last year and it's lookin me right in the face. the members of the group are really talented, and i have a little belief going on that so am i, so i don't want to bust out with something like a simple dishcloth done in red white and green yarn.
i guess it's a good thing that i want to do more. this may be called - being encouraged to be better.

He's so in Tune.

Last night, my son was jumping on the bed, which i don't mind too much when it's his own, and i was doing something with the computer and he stops suddenly and says:
"it's so good to have things back, momma."
i said, oh, like your own bed and couches? (our new couches arrived yesterday)
he says, 'no, i mean everything, like the whole house.'

awwwwww -(was my response too)

i love it!

is it a bad thing?- that i'm up at 6 a.m thinking about the fawn from the chronicles of narnia and how cute he is?
oh james, why couldn't i have been born in where ever you're from, and be well, what ever it is you drink in the morning?
{tee hee}

i don't know what i was thinking, or if i even was when i decided to line kelly's bag. i'm in the final steps of getting if finished and i'm looking at it like, whoa... what now.

i didn't consider the strap when i lined it, so now that i've made one for it, it looks like i'm going to have to attach it on the outside and through the inside. it shouldn't look too bad if i can hand sew it straight. (that's going to be way hard!)
so, i'm trying to think of ways to attach it with out making it look too tacky. i may have to get some hardware for it. i'm thinking some square rings to loop the strap through, but if i go that way, i may as well make it adjustable.
and well,
sigh.
that's more work than i intended it to be.
i intentionally left the flap until last, because i machine sewed the liner in and i didn't want to have a problem with it getting in the way, i tell ya, i've tacked more stuff together while using the machine than i'm willing to admit.

so, 2 steps left to go on that bad boy then it'll be a gift!

i've been wanting to make this lady named kelly a gift for a while now because she's been such a good customer. i know she likes dark green, so i chose to make her a bag using aunt lydia's denim in what ever color this is..it's been a while since i purchased it and the label is long gone. it's dark green with light green and beige, lighter than worsted weight. oh wait, maybe it's that Royale stuff. hmm, i dunno. at any rate, i'm glad i got it

i've never been looking forward to doing laundry as much as i have been lately.
we've been back in our house for a couple of weeks now but we still haven't gotten our washer back. as much as i love having a reason to toss clothes anywhere they choose to fall,(i also lack a hamper), my list of wearable stuff is getting low as the pile morphs into a taunting monster with incredible jeans.

for the past 7 months, we've been relocated to a house just down the street which was equipped with side by side- this lovely because here, at our actual house, the dryer is in the garage while the washer is all the way down stairs- washer and dryer. oh how i loved that!
being away from home wasn't entirely too harsh. the house we moved into look almost exactly like the one we have and it's within walking distance to this one, so we didn't have to forward any mail, we could just stroll to box and get it ourselves.

and so the bush is beaten around.
i've been sitting down to write a blog that would explain my whereabouts and crochet goings on ever since i got the internet back, but i've always found myself drifting to the right, winding up on other people's blogs, in awe of all the lovely pictures and info that just calls to be noted.

here goes:
last November, after thanksgiving day, we had a lil fire that resulted in the the whole upstairs of our house having to be redone.
so we moved.
the fire was only in one room, but because the house was so old, it wasn't up to code in a lot of areas and was found to have asbestos.
while in the other house, i had no cable and didn't have my own computer.
a day or so after the fire, thieves decided to come in and take what they wanted which included my 2 computers, printer/scanner and my cable modem. how lame, huh?
so, i'd steal away to the library every once in a while to get my fill of being online, but they only give you an hour, so i couldn't do much.
which is why i 'closed' my lil etsy shop for a while. i didn't know if my stock was destroyed or what and i had no way of filling orders if they did come in.

the funny thing about this is, it all survived. but i don't have the desire to be online 23 hours a day anymore. so, 'm rethinking the etsy thing while looking at all this still good but semi-smoky stuff i have.

all in all, the situation sucked, but it wasn't too bad. we're all alive and well and becoming better people as a result of it.

a couple of my fellow etsyians made being away from home more comfortable for me by sending me yarns to work with!
of course they're fellow crocheters too- we are lovely people.

lots of thanks to terra and jodi!


visit jodi's shop




visit terra's shop

rather than jumping right in and making things for profit with what they gave, i'm going to make some stuff for charity and donate it. lots of baby booties and things like that.
i think it's only right that i share the love.

I'm Blue

Nisha, your true color is Blue!

You're blue — the most soothing shade of the spectrum. The color of a clear summer sky or a deep, reflective ocean, blue has traditionally symbolized trust, solitude, and loyalty. Most likely a thoughtful person who values spending some time on your own, you'd rather connect deeply with a few people than have a bunch of slight acquaintances. Luckily, making close friends isn't that hard, since people are naturally attracted to you — they're soothed by your calming presence. Cool and collected, you rarely overreact. Instead, you think things through before coming to a decision. That level-headed, thoughtful approach to life is patently blue — and patently you!

It's practical art

I came across this shop filled with absolutely beautiful things today.
Oh, if only i could reach into the screen and feel the warmth of Jim Jenkins' jewelry boxes which are everything but ordinary.

You can see the time, attention, and passion that he puts into every piece.

count as you walk with me.

have you ever found yourself counting for no reason whatsoever?
as i set out on my walk to the post office box, it was hot and kinda breezy, so i thought, this is perfect power walk weather.
1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9...pole, 1,2,3,4,5...press walk button and wait.
i had to stop myself from counting my steps.
days and days of making hats, crocheting in the round and having to count stitches has finally left a mark on my poor ole mind. and i think i'm finally about as burnt out as one can be of crocheting in the round.
i'm working on an order now for this hat, only larger. no matter how much math i do, it has yet to come out right.
This one is a bit small, but still falls in the average category. the one i need to make is for some one who wears a fitted hat size 8. That's extra large and as far as i can tell, the largest size in hats. i don't know if it's because it looks huge, or if it's because it looks huge, but something doesn't look right with the hat i've been making for damn near a week. i'm thinking about just taking it all back and handing him a 7 1/2. i'll say, 'oh, it'll give a little' =->
unfortunately, he's my cousin and knows how to get to my house, so perhaps giving him a hat that will leech his brain through his skull is not a good idea.
fortunately, there is no deadline, so, perhaps i'll take a break and finally get something made with that big ole cone of christmas colored cotton yarn i have.

did you know that veterans day was on sunday!?
and did you know that yesterday was not sunday?!
i was like, whaaaaat? lol.
so, i made some ribs and meatballs, my mom fried some chicken and made the rice and potatos. we had quite a good meal for the day after veterans day. my brother and aunt and uncle came over and they sat around watching argon while i was upstairs trying not to let the freeze get to the bone.
it is coooooold lately. even though it's annoying, i'm so looking forward to soup and oven cooked meals, biscuits and corncakes.
Bring it on!!!!

October was interesting

but oddly enough, i can't remember how it started. the middle was an emotional roller coaster, though.
after giving me about a weeks notice, my son's father came home on leave from iraq. the same week that he was here, i got a job- i had been feeling way motivated the week before, and not too soon before he left, i was rejected by it. (the job).
because i did not have an inch and a half worth of hair, i could not drug test, and so, no job.
it is absolutely ironic that the thing that kept me from getting a job that time was a frickin drug test! because 1. nisha doesn't do drugs, and 2. NISHA DOESN'T DO DRUGS!
but, after that, i was kinda wishing i hadda. years of going down the straight and narrow, only to be turned down by a retail job. g.r.e.a.t - great.
there was a swap going on in CFL that i had signed up for, but with all that going on; running around thinkign i was gettign a job, while trying to get things taken care of with the ex, working on my swap got put on the back burner. thankfully, the get it in the mail time was pushed back by a couple of days, so i had time to finish it and get it out by the dead line.
i already had in mind what i wanted to make, which was a shawl, and i had the yarn that was just right for it.
the theme of the swap was 'fall', so i used a couple of skeins of red heart's fall. clever, i know.
i didn't get a picture of it, because my camera was just not having it, but, i did get a new camera yesterday! w0ot!
here is a link to my partner's blog with a photo of the shawl.
i love what i got in exchange, which was this:
A jar of pumpkin candy topped with a scarecrow. my favorite part of him is the collar, a pumpkin card holder, a travel sewing kit, winnie the pooh notepad, a hotpad? and a shower thingie, which is my favorite! i've been wanting to use it, but i don't want to mess it up cause it's so cute!

thanks Sandy, i love my fall exchange package!

lets make playdough!

i don't know why i don't just go out and buy the stuff. that would be SO much easier.
last month, i made my first attempt at making the kid some home made dough. i thought, he's always messing it up, so this way will be cheaper. he got a play dough station for Christmas which included 5 big things of dough, none of which are still alive.

so, the first recipe i tried called for corn starch, salt, and water. THAT was a disaster. lol!
i wound up making a corn starch bomb that exploded all over me. at first, i thought it was going to eat me alive because it felt a little funny, but i wasn't about to go hop back into the shower, because it was still early, so i wore it all day.

before giving up, i thought i'd try one more recipe, which was a flour, corn starch, and glue one. i don't know why i thought i could get some playdough out of that. it just looked like inedible bread dough and was killer to get out of the bowl.

ah well, his birthday is coming up, perhaps some playdough along with the moonsand then.

last night, i started on a belt for my mother. i had gotten 2 things of nylon yarn for no good reason a while back and i have never worked with nylon before so i said, sure, why not!
it's almost done - i had to take a break because i was getting a bruise on my finger. at first, i was going to make one that mimicked one that she has that's got 2 rows of eye holes, or what ever they're called but, in order to keep it simple so that i can do more projects before i either find a job, or get busy selling, she's going to get the kind that you just jab the belt loop thing through.

it's really windy here and COLD. i have been looking forward to fall, but man, it seems like we skipped the introduction out here. there is no easing into seasons lately.
i love going to the park, and i was hoping to have the kid's b-day outside this year, but with the wind and the cold, and people not getting off work until 5, i think i'll just cook something and have it inside. he requested an ice cream cake. i got the cutest doodle for it from a seller on etsy. i'll post a pic of it after his b-day.
it's time to put pot on, mornings like this are perfect for roaming around the house with my zip up blankie and crocheted slippers on while sipping on a cup of coffee.

To switch gears

i've decided to dedicate this blog to sharing about the wonderful happenings that go around nisha while she crochets.

for example and in conclusion! ;-)

19 of 100

kinda sounds like my borg association number.

i've started another ripple, this time, not round. the colors i'm using are dark sage, sage, and off white in caron. i got the order for this blanket last week and hope to have it done by next week some time, but definately before october gets here. i'm adding up my son's birthday wish list and well, damn! he's only turning 4, i can't even think of what it will look like in a few years. he wants moonsand, which i've ordered, but i doubt it will be here before his b-day, which is on the 9th because although i ordered it a few days ago, the amount hasn't been taken out of my account. i'm going to call them after i get done here. he also wants a spiderman sleeping bag and some heelys. i don't know about the shoes because he doesn't even use his heels to walk. (i know, i'm trying to get him off his toes, but i dunno, he's stubborn)
i've been crocheting a lot lately. i'm finding that lately, yarning over and weaving in is giving me more purpose than it ever has.

since i've blogged, i've finished:

1. a blue ribbon bag- for which i had to ream some metal beads- not fun!
2. a little girl's winter set which includes a newsboy hat and scarf.
3. a camo colored skully for a friend,
4. 1 female hat in pink
5. 1 female hat in cabana print
6. 1blue kangol style hat
7. 1 brown baseball cap styled cap
8. one beige O.G. styled hat
9. a light blue coin purse
10. a girly baby blanket
11. some flower hair pins

so, i guess i've been busy. i call the girl blanket finished, but i still want to put a label on it, when i get around to it. the majority of what i've done was mindless crochet, with no intentions of listing on etsy, but, some have made their way there. i've had the darndest time trying to photograph orange with my ever so lovely digital camera. it's quite frustrating because the oranges that i have are brilliant and warm. i'd love to share them with the whole wide world!

i think mini first pointed me to the tandy leather shop website, (which is a bit overwhelming)
but i found out today that they have a shop here in town that is not too far away from where i live. so, i'm hoping to go there soon. that tote will be finished one day!

here are the pics, you kin guess which is which.






dude, that took forever, i'll bbl.

i dont know if i want to list her

she's been ready for a couple of weeks now. her face took forever to figure out, but i love it.
at first, i thought buttons would look nice, but they didn't give her the feel i was going for, so i went with felt. i'm so in love with the way she came out.
she's my first ever completed stuffed!
done in pumpkin orange, she finally makes her debut!

Right now, Cheery pumpkin is sitting on a shelf of mine next to her unfinished brother. i must say, seeing her face ever day makes me smile. i almost don't want to put her up for sale, but i'm so proud of her, that i want to share.

i've been struggling with her photos. i think the one seen here is good, but not great. it doesn't show her true color. the color of yarn i used is called pumpkin and is much brighter than seen here.

she's taken so many photos!

i used the same orange yarn in my green and orange pin. it photographed well. (it looks exactly as i see it on my screen here) i'm sure it has something to do with then contrast/compliment of the 2 colors.

i feel so inspired

i've been wanting to do some seasonal stuff lately, but i got stuck on making some small pumpkins.

i did manage to make a black and orange cuff, but i'm not sure about it it.



so, i thought, perhaps i'll go stuffed. coming soon is my very first stuffed pumpkin shelf doll. i'm happy with the way it's coming along. the limbs are attached, all i need now it to figure out the face. i'm not sure if i wanna go with wiggle eyes or buttons, felt or yarn for the mouth. it's already so darned cute, i just can't wait till it's finished.
i'm not sure if it will be going in my shop or not. it's already sitting on the shelf down stairs while it waits. perhaps i can crank another out, or give it some children.
while trying to get motivated to work on the pumpkin doll, i was browsing etsy and came across a shop that i think is just too cute for words. the baby cyclop monster pumpkin caught my eye at first. i thought, oh wow, what the... hey, that's kind of cute!
my second fav. is the wizard boy.
you can tell t hat love and effort was put into this shop, check it out!


i've been busy with my own shop. it's mostly hair clips and barrettes for girls now. they are so fun to make. i've been thinkign about making a lot of those little flowers to sell as supplies. they could be used to embellish a skirt or blouse. or purse, what ever works.

speaking of purses, i have one t hat has been in the works for what seems like forever. it's nearly done. all it needs now is straps. at first, my plan was to braid yarn for straps, but then i thought (after braiding and cutting the yarn), nah that may make it too stretchy and may not be the most comfortable thing to grasp on to.
Leather straps! that's it! that's what it needs!
would be nice if i could find any. i've searched the web and only come across straps that are about 5/8". the bag is a nice size and is intended to carry stuff that may be heavy. i thought of my long ago frequent trips to the library while making it. so, i'm on a hunt for 1 inch straps. they could be braided, just anything brown will do now.
it's lined and ready to go. inside it has a large pocket which is divided into 2, and a cute little label that says 'Lanee's Crochet'. i thought about wash ability while making it, which is why i chose to use grommets. i figured that one could remove the straps and throw it in the wash. i will be glad to see this one go!
if you know of a place where i could find some straps, lemmie know!

Tag, i'm it!

I met a very pleasant lay on Etsy who makes very cute jewelry. I love earth toned accessories and her shop is full of them. Check out BINAGEYER'S shop.

The game is....get tagged and post 5 random facts about yourself and tag 5 others. Make sure you include why you tagged them. You also have to make sure to post a comment on their blog to let them know they've been tagged.

Here are five random facts about myself.

1. i had a hernia when i was in elementary school. my mom noticed it one day when i was coughing. it didn't hurt, but i had it removed.
2. i used to play the trombone. i loved the way it sounded, just not when i blew it. lol!! i don't think i have very much capacity in my lil lungs because i swear, the thing was playing me harder than i was it.
3. i love buttons! when i was in the 1st grade, i had a teacher who allowed us 30 minutes to sort random things she had. i don't remember her having buttons, but for some reason, they make me think of her. i remember having to play with a bucket of marbles, small wooden cubes, dominoes, and other things like that.
4. although i've been crocheting for many years, i don't know how to crochet a perfectly flat oval. when i do learn, i'm going to make a set of place mats.
5. i sleep while the sun's up. i don't know how i got to be a night owl, but there is something about the quiet of night and a cup of great tea that i think is so romantic. then again, tea, yarn and stars are romantic to me.

now, who do i tag?

• Kristie of Kristie's Kreations. her photos are really sharp, and i admire that. she's got jewelery that is both fun and tasteful.
• Sonya of Finger Knits. From her blog, you can tell that she loves
  

I never did show the finished product, huh?

Looks like i forgot to post the finished afghan pic here.
TA DAA!

I'm happy with the way it came out. my mom loves it, too!

i said SIT PRETTY!

i'm sitting here listening to my new chris botti cd, trying to figure out where to go next with the sitting pretty dress i was making for a friend's daughter. i was so excited about doing this dress. it's supposed to be intermediate, but i think i got through it ok. perhaps it was the long wait along with the disappointment of being out bid on the thread i needed to make it, but i was way stoked to get started on this dress. i started on it right after the thread that i had broken down and ordered from joann's got here. i did gauge swatches, plural. and when i finally figured the guage out, i got my hook to working. i was on an absolute roll. doing little by little i finally got to the point where it looked like i'd be done in time for the deadline i had set. which is tomorrow. the pattern suggests that an h hook is used and after trails, i figured that that was the one that was best. i so wish i had gone down one. all that's left of the dress to do is the trim. i was having faith in it, but after i sewed the back seam together, i realized that it would be way too big. i don't know where i went wrong. according to the measurements, it's perfect. i didn't miss or add any stitches or anything.
the dress was supposed to be for an 18 month old, but i got it to fit on my 3 year old. he's (yeah, he, i was in denial. i knew it was too big, but i so needed a model. i'm hoping that he won't remember, so don't remind him of it later.) he's a skinny thing, but it fit him nicely. he's getting tall so it was a bit short. i'd say it's about a 24 month size. which absolutely pos-o-tively SUCKS!
the straps were too long, i think. the neck line is way too low. on him anyway. i'm only imagining what it'd look like on an 18 month old.
so, i took many breathers after this great heartbreak of sitting pretty. i'm thinking that adjusting the strap length will do the trick, but i'm worried about it being too wide. the pattern says 20 inches finished around the chest. to be honest with you, my head and crochet heart is spinning so badly that i couldn't tell you where the neck was. there is a part in the pattern that is called a yoke - i'll have to look that one up too.
in between the dress, i've been doing squares for Moe. just simple ones, as breaks from the harsh on the finger cotton thread. i was hoping to have them in the mail on monday, but i don't think that will happen as i don't feel like bothering with anything yarn right now.
so, i attempted a garment. after years and years of scarves and safe and simple things like that.
i do feel heart broken about it.
shop therapy!
in my mind, it's not a totally lost cause. while at wal mart, i was drawn to the button section, i picked up some that i thought would go well with the dress. i picked up some other random buttons, too. i really wanted a bag of buttons. (the random bag for $1.50) but they didn't carry them. i so love random buttons. it's like treasure, some aren't smooth, some are totally perfect, others are so special that i'd never use them, just because i love them so much.
ah well. there will be other button days.