Chari Tree Chat

Yes, progress has been made on the sock. After the sad event last week, I am glad to see the sock coming together in the way it was intended! You know... according to pattern... :)

In other news... I've been re-reading again! It's been a while since I told you about this version of Pride and Prejudice.

This makes at least the third time I've read it. (I really ought to be keeping track!) I just started it (again) this evening. I pick up on more each time. I think Mr. Bennett is one of my favorite characters. I love his sense of humor! Who is your favorite character? Isn't it awesome that we can enjoy a book written 200 years ago? :)

Remember: No FOF this week! We will be picking it up next week, so have those FOs ready! :) (and I've got a few other fun things up my sleeve...) :) Happy Friday!

Once Upon a Time...

there were four little Rabbits, and their names were - Flopsy, Mopsy, Cotton-tail, and Peter...

Today is Beatrix Potter's 143rd birthday. I have grown to love her work more and more as I get older. I wrote the following post about a year ago and wanted to share it again in honor of her birthday.

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Many children have grown up with the adventures of Peter and friends. He has become a household name since his popularity with the first published book in 1901. Gracie, my "adopted niece," really enjoyed Peter for a while, and still does. I think she was always a little afraid of "Mr. Gregor." :) I have collected a few various items relating to Peter and Beatrix Potter.

The dress and the book at the far left were mine as a little girl.

I love this set of books. They are just the right size! They are also very similar in size and setup to those that were originally published by F. Warne & Co. in the early 1900's.


I found these two Peter's at a garage sale and couldn't resist them! :)


I love the movie Miss Potter. I don't own it (yet) but I did find this book at a discount book store. It has a lot of interesting facts about Beatrix's life as well as about the movie. Update: I did get Miss Potter as a gift... Thanks, Angie! :) It is definitely one of my favorites.


Renee Zellweger as Beatrix Potter
(Image Source)
Speaking of the movie, I highly recommend it! I have enjoyed it multiple times. It is very beautifully filmed and is mostly accurate. I think it is very true to the person of Beatrix Potter and how her personality might have been.
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I have recently made new additions to my Beatrix Potter collection. My sister-in-law found a hardbound book of complete works. (I think she's wishing she would have bought it herself.) :)

I have enjoyed reading the stories.

One of my favorites is Miss Tiggy Winkle.

I also found these plaques.

Happy birthday to Miss Potter... and happy 31st anniversary to my parents! :)

PS~ There will not be Finished Object Friday this week, although this is the week for it. :) I am going to postpone it to next week. Happy Crafting, everyone!!

In Between

Remember those years... you were too big for girls' clothing, and yet weren't ready for adult things? (besides that the adult things looked too old!) It was so hard to find things that fit and were modest - forget the juniors department, it certainly wasn't made for modesty! Ok, this is starting to sound like an advertisement... I guess it sortof is! I especially remember the difficulty we had finding things for my sister to wear, and I know it hasn't gotten any easier...and some of you have daughters! :)

AmandaBeth Online today shared about a new clothing line over on Shabby Apple for tweens - Shabby Sister. These dresses are just perfect for those in betweeners!


They are quite modest, and long with a little room to grow. AmandaBeth posted pictures of her sister in the blue dress, and you can also get a coupon for 10% off from her site!!

AmandaBeth also shared this sweet little video of Judy Garland from 1938:

The sad thing is that most kids no longer have an "in between" stage. They grow up and have "dates" at 12 or 13. What's the rush?? But this topic could explode into a whole blog post, or series of posts!

Notice: I'm not getting paid or reimbursed for this post at all. Neither AmandaBeth Online or Shabby Apple even know I exist! :) I just wanted to pass on some helpful info!

Sunday Blessing

There is a fountain filled with blood,
Drawn from Immanuel’s veins,
And sinners plunged beneath that flood
Lose all their guilty stains.

Dear dying Lamb, Thy precious blood
Shall never lose its pow’r,
Till all the ransomed church of God
Are saved, to sin no more.

E’er since by faith I saw the stream
Thy flowing wounds supply,
Redeeming love has been my theme,
And shall be till I die.

from There Is a Fountain
by William Cowper

I THOUGHT something looked funny....

As I said earlier, I finally started the second purple sock. I was knitting along, thinking "This doesn't look quite like the other sock... maybe I need to do a few more rows..." After a "few more rows" I looked again and it still looked funny. THEN I read the rest of the pattern.

This is the chart:

Note the number sequence, but I was knitting from the top of the chart DOWN. oops.

Lesson One: Always read the pattern!

Lesson Two: Always reread the pattern - especially if it's been three months since you made the first sock.

Lesson Three: If something looks funny, it probably is... or isn't. I guess it all depends on which way you look at it. oh. well.

Lesson Four: Ripping isn't really very fun. Picking up the stitches isn't either!

Happy Saturday!! :)

PS~ This pattern is my first with reading a chart. ...but that still doesn't make the ripping any easier.

Show and Tell Friday

I haven't joined Kelli's Show and Tell Friday for a little while. I wanted to share a couple of finds from our last shopping trip.

Mom, Angie and I stopped at a couple of thrift stores last Friday. We found some great buys. It's such fun looking for treasures! I found this at the first store:

Aren't the flowers cute?


I think the back of the plate is so unique as well.



I bought three of this set:

I love finding pretty little things like this for a little bit of nothing. Now I just need to have some friends over for a tea luncheon. :)

Happy Friday! Thanks for dropping by! I hope each of you has a great weekend!

My Journey to Knitterhood: Part 2

"Without new experiences, something inside of us sleeps. The sleeper must awaken."
~Frank Herbert~

I love learning new things, knitting has become a series of new adventures for me. (Ok, some of you are laughing at knitting being adventurous ... I can hear you! It's ok. I don't have to do crazy things to get my "thrills." I'm ok with that!) :) I am still learning much about knitting. The great thing about knitting is that you can know just a little and still make beautiful things. (If you haven't read part one, you may want to before reading this.)

My next big step in learning to knit was circular knitting. I bought some 16 in. size 6 circulars and made a hat, then two then three...

For you beginners, circular knitting is like knitting a spiral up. As you knit it makes stockinette stitch, if you were knitting flat you would have to knit one row of knit the next of purl. Stockinette stitch naturally curls, which made the cute little rolled brim naturally. I then finished the hats with a three needle bind off which binds off and sews the top at the same time. I now use my circulars most of the time - even in straight knitting.

I still wasn't quite ready to head into the strange world of purling, so building on my knowledge of circulars, I started one of many purses. The basic construction of the purse is to knit a rectangle, then pickup stitches all the way around and knit with circulars until it is as tall as you want. I based my purse (loosely) on this pattern. I also learned a new technique - making I-cord. It still isn't my favorite technique, maybe that's why I invested in this little contraption! :) That purse led to a few more.

I'm not sure at what particular point I decided to learn purling. I know I picked a pattern with lots of purls and just kept at it. One motivating factor was my desire to knit socks (my resolution for 2008). I did learn to knit socks, thanks to a great tutorial, and knit six pairs that year!

That's how I learned the basic building blocks for knitting. I've made lots of different things since then: fingerless gloves, pumpkins, cherries, bonnets, and slippers, as well as designing a little dress. :) I get inspired just looking around on Ravelry! After a frightening bout of SSS (second sock syndrome) I have finally started the next purple sock, you know - the mate to the "well traveled" sock. Most of these projects have just built on what I knew, plus adding a little more "know how."

Well, that brings us up to date on my knitting journey. Most of you have been along for the ride anyway, so this has been a synopsis. Thanks for coming along with me!

***Now we will return to our regularly scheduled programing... whatever THAT is!*** :)

Sunday Blessing

A wonderful Saviour is Jesus my Lord
A wonderful Saviour to me
He hideth my soul in the cleft of the rock
Where rivers of pleasure I see.

Chorus
He hideth my soul in the cleft of the rock
That shadows have dried thirsty land
He hideth my life in the depths of his love
And covers me there with his hand.

With numberless blessings each moment He crowns,
And filled with His fullness divine,
I sing in my rapture, oh, glory to God
For such a Redeemer as mine!

from He Hideth My Soul
by Fanny J. Crosby

Finished Object Friday

Three posts in three days - wow. I must be going for a record! Thursday's post wasn't really on the agenda for this week, but every time I talk to my cousin, one of knitterhood's newest initiates, I get all excited about knitting! (Hi, Jen!) :)

But today's FOF isn't a knitting project. (For shame.) One reason is that I didn't get a picture of one of the recent projects before giving it away. It is a baby bonnet for some friends expecting a little girl in September... I did share a progress photo a while back.

I've done quite a bit of sewing this week, but these were made back in May, one for Hope:

and one for Baby Piper:

They are both reversible bibs. You can see the reverse side a bit in Piper's picture. These bibs are fun to make! I will be making more! So fast and easy.

It's hard to believe that another two weeks have gone by! I can't wait to see some of your shared projects. If you are new to Finished Object Friday, please check out the guidelines.

My Journey to Knitterhood...

"A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step."
Confucius

I know some of you reading this have been knitting longer than I have, some have just started, some thinking of starting, and some don't knit. Those who are interested in learning to knit or just starting may see my projects here and think, "I could never make something like that." You don't have to learn it all at the same time, I certainly didn't. I am sharing my "journey" here to encourage you and also the give some tips on the process of learning. For those avid knitters or non-knitters, I hope you enjoy reading anyway. :)

Every journey has it's beginning. My journey in knitting began one Christmas when one of our friends got this book as a gift. I looked at that book, and became intrigued with the knitting process. Fiber arts run in my blood... both my grandmother crochet, but knitting was something just a little different. So I've been on that journey for only about five or six years. I feel like I've come a long ways, and still have a long journey ahead.

I didn't start knitting a lot until I graduated from college - it's hard to knit and write research papers at the same time. Some may knit sweaters as a first project. However, I am a cautious person and have yet to knit a sweater. I first knit scarves.... lots and lots of scarves. Scarves are just one knit stitch on top of the other. I used basically Homespun yarn by Lion - I can't stand that yarn now... it is very difficult to knit with, but oh, so soft.

If you are just starting, I recommend using a regular yarn (vs. a novelty fuzzy yarn), that way you can see your stitches and know what they are doing. One cheap yarn that I like to use is Caron Simply Soft. You can usually find it at Wal-Mart. It is acrylic (I love naturals or natural/acrylic blends) but it is much softer than most acrylics.


The second type of project I did was dishcloths. I am still making them - I have a standing order for Christmas gifts. :) Granny's Favorite is a great little pattern that helped me start learning about increases and decreases. Some one at work gave me one that a friend had made her, and I found this pattern online. It's a great little project and introduced me to one of my favorite fibers to use - cotton.

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Well, obviously my journey is longer than you want to read in one sitting. :) Thanks for sticking with me thus far. I hope it has encouraged some of you to pick up the needles. For you knitters, how did you get started knitting?

Happy Knitting!

A recent find...

Friday, Mom, Angie and I stumbled upon a large estate sale. I found several little things, but my pride and joy are these:

I've been wanting some old fashioned chairs like this for a long time. My dad's mom had a couple and we sold them at the estate sale for a little bit of nothing. (A lot of people got some REAL bargains then.... if I had only known then what I know now... Oh, well... water under the bridge and all that...) Anyway, as I was saying... I've been wanting some for a long time. They are priced normally around $50 at antique stores. I paid a reasonable price for these, not that I got a steal, but I balanced time of wanting them with savings off normal retail price - a very technical mathematical equation - and went ahead and bought them. Oh, and kudos to the people who ran this sale - they have a business of it. Whew. I only did one this year and it would take a lot of talking to get me to do another! And it wasn't even hot yet! :) (Enough rambling)

I really liked the design of these, they are a little different than the typical metal lawn chair.

They may eventually get a paint job, they need it, as you can see. (Check out this lady's chair!) But for now, I am enjoying seeing them through my front window. It's too hot to actually sit outside and enjoy them!! Maybe we'll get that rain this weekend, though!

For those of you anxiously waiting - the recipe for my dessert is finally up! I would love to see your version - can I come for a taste?? Mine is all gone.

See you Friday for FOF!! :)

Sunday Blessing

From every stormy wind that blows,
From every swelling tide of woes,
There is a calm, a sure retreat;
’Tis found beneath the mercy seat.

There is a place where Jesus sheds
The oil of gladness on our heads;
A place than all besides more sweet;
It is the blood bought mercy seat.

There is a scene where spirits blend,
Where friend holds fellowship with friend;
Though sundered far, by faith they meet
Around one common mercy seat.

There, there, on eagles’ wings we soar,
And time and sense seem all no more;
And heaven comes down, our souls to greet,
And glory crowns the mercy seat.

From Every Stormy Wind
by Hugh Stowell

I hope everyone is having a wonderful Sunday! The picture above was taken by my sister. It is a tiny flower that was in my yard! Angie has such an eye for detail - you almost needed a magnifying glass to even see it! :)

Life's short...

... eat dessert first

I have company coming for supper, and this is our dessert! I'll add the recipe later to this post. I'm relaxing... :)

UPDATE: The Recipe - finally!

6 oz. package Strawberry Jello
1&1/2 cup boiling water
10 oz. package frozen strawberries - sliced. (I just used fresh, though - yum!)
1 tablespoon sugar
dash salt
1 angel food cake (I used about 3/4)
2 cup cool whip
20 oz. can crushed pineapple
chopped nuts (I probably did a little over 1/2 cup)

Dissolve jello in boiling water. Stir in sugar, salt, and strawberries. Cool until thickened. Fold in cool whip, pineapple and nuts. The recipe says to cover bottom of 9x13 pan with 1/4 cake and 1/2 mix then repeat. However, I improvised and layered 3 or 4 smaller layers in my trifle bowl, sprinkling a few more strawberries in for good measure, and topped it off with cool whip and more strawberries. YUM!

Thanks to my Aunt Marsha for the recipe. I was just going to serve the cake with strawberries and cool whip, then I remembered this dessert and was so glad to find the recipe in my recipe box! We all enjoyed it immensely, and I even ate it for breakfast the next morning. (Shh... don't tell!) :)

Knitting - What's your style

Knitting is more than a past time for me. It is part therapy, hobby, creativity outlet, and just plain fun. I've been knitting regularly for about three years. I mostly knit little projects, but probably need to move on to something bigger. I haven't blogged as much about knitting as I would like, so in the next few weeks I will periodically post some knitting info, etc. I wanted to start out with methods.

I am an avid continental knitter. Many people aren't familiar with different methods. There are two main methods - English and Continental. I started out with the English method, but it was very hard on my wrist - I have problems with carpal tunnel syndrome. I can knit for a long time in continental without repercussions. Not only is it easier, but Continental seems to be a lot faster for me. My gage tends to be pretty even, though switching from knits to purls will give me some gaps if I’m not careful.

So what's the difference? Most knitters, especially in the U.S. learn to knit English style.

When I found Knittinghelp.com and discovered Continental, I decided to learn and haven't turned back. It' s much faster and I can knit more without looking. (I can even knit in the dark - like in the car, usually just garter stitch.) Here's the video that taught me:

So what style do you prefer? Maybe you have a reason you prefer English - or even another method? I'd love to know the reason. I know I have a few knitters that visit here, and if you don't knit, maybe now is the time to try! :) You may be surprised how much you like it!

(Image source)

Chari Tree Chat

I hope you all had a happy and safe 4th! We had a great time with Mark's family. At a local fish fry restaurant Friday night.

(L-R: Ryan -Mark's brother, Mark, Me and Mary -Ryan's wife.)

Saturday before the family reunion, Mary and I stopped by a thrift shop. I found this treasure...

I fell in love, but did resist and leave it, after taking pictures as a momento. :)

We had a fun time at the reunion, playing games...

(That's Uno Stacko)
and seeing family...

making homemade ice cream...

and spoiling a baby!

(Mark's cousin's new little one!)

Sunday Blessing

My country, 'tis of thee,

Sweet land of liberty,

Of thee I sing;

Land where my fathers died,

Land of the pilgrims' pride,

From every mountainside

Let freedom ring!

Let music swell the breeze,

And ring from all the trees

Sweet freedom's song;

Let mortal tongues awake;

Let all that breathe partake;

Let rocks their silence break,

The sound prolong.

Our father's God to Thee,

Author of liberty,

To Thee we sing.

Long may our land be bright,

With freedom's holy light,

Protect us by Thy might,

Great God our King.

from My Country 'tis of Thee
by Samuel Francis Smith

Happy Independence Day!!

I hope each of you is having a pleasant Fourth with family and friends! As we celebrate, I thought it would be good to remember what price was paid for our freedom. Here is a video about the first Fourth and what those men went through to be free.

I think this video is a great reminder of the continued price that is paid for our freedom. God bless our soldiers and their families!

A while back, I wrote an article on patriotism. I hope if you have a chance, that you take the time to read it. It is important to continue have patriotism, even if we aren't always happy with the way the country is going.

Three cheers for the red, white and blue!!!

God bless America!

Finished Object Friday

I'm sure you are all gearing up for the 4th! We have a busy weekend planned, but we are looking forward to it! :) Until then, it's time for Finished Object Friday!

This is a pretty utilitarian FOF for me. I have finished a couple of projects that will help me around the house. Housework is less of a chore with fun handmade items to help it along! First from the fabric you caught a peek of in my last post:

It is a cherry-picking bag... cherry tomatoes that is! ...and peppers, and cucumbers... :) I wanted a bag to hold the fruit as I picked it, and also to hold the home phone and a set of keys. (I don't want to be accidently locked outside.) The pocket in the front is just right for the little keychain, and it also happens to be the rights size for my cell phone. The bag also works great for a quick trip to the library! I have a feeling it will be used for many things. :)

I finally finished the cover for my swiffer mop. I used the pattern from this book from our local public library.

I'm not sure how well it works yet. I just finished it last night. I started it mid-May. It probably could have gone a little faster, but I didn't knit very steadily on it.

Now it's your turn! I sure have enjoyed looking at and reading about other projects! If you are new to FOF, start here. Happy Friday!