Friday Night Sew-In

I've had a successful 48 hours of creative time since Thursday afternoon and here are my results.

Thursday night I worked on this sweater for Mr. E.
It is a sweater vest from The Little Box of Crochet for Baby.
The pattern is working up fairly quickly and I love the colors.

Thursday night and again last night I worked on a new cross stitch project.
It's a biscornu pattern showcasing ice cream cones and treats.

Oh yeah, a couple hours with Mr. E slipped in yesterday afternoon.

Here is the project I've been working on since February. I started one of these bags and was two-thirds done with it when I realized I had cut the bottom pieces too big. I had to scrap that entire bag and start over with new fabrics. It's a Melly and Me Sleepover Overnight Bag. This bag challenged me with a zipper, curved bias binding and a boxy top. But I persevered and finished it. This morning I added the final touches including cloth covered buttons to match the bindings. I'm happy with the bag and may make another one.

Mr. E and mommy just stopped by on the way to their new apartment. Did I mention they are moving across the street from us? I'm going to get some Ethan hugs and kisses and then it's off to work this afternoon.

What did you work on during the Friday Night Sew-In?

Sweet P

I'm In . . . Are You?

I have 48 hours off and I'm home alone. I had already planned a mini creative retreat and now I can join in with others. Will you join in too?

Come on and join the fun!

Sweet P

Getting Happy

When I last left you, I was having a crappy Friday morning. I'm happy to say I'm feeling much better today. Here are a few reasons why:

What's better than being to able crochet and sip iced coffee while riding in the car?

And where were we going?
To my son's graduation from Southern New Hampshire University.

A larger basket to match my other baskets.
All of them are holding crochet projects right now.

Using a gift card to go shopping: new canisters, a glass shaker bottle, a tea infuser, tomato saver and onion saver (not shown: 9 x 13 inch pan).
Thanks, MIL!

And today, Mr. E is here. Right now he's napping, but when he wakes up we have errands to run and photos to take.

I hope you're having a great day today!

Sweet P

How Do You Make Yourself Happy?

I'm trying to make me happy.
I had a bad start to my morning.
This was my first attempt - a bright, cheery yarn cake.

I'm not happy yet. Now I'm off to work in my studio. Maybe that will help me.

How do you make yourself happy when you've had a bad start to your day?

Sweet P

Half of Ten on Tuesday

I don't have 10 crochet projects, but today I have 5 (or half of 10) projects on my hooks.

Today I worked on my Ribbons & Bows Socks from the May issue of Crochet! magazine. I'm using the yarn I received in my All Things Local swap. I couldn't get a good photo of the cables and bows. I must take some photography lessons.

This morning I started a secret project for another swap. Just for fun, I'm leaving the yarn on the winder while working on the project. I'm using Plymouth Encore DK Yarn for this surprise.

On Sunday night I started a Textured Purse. Instead of using Caron Yarns, I'm using Winter Buster Yarn in red, white and black from New Hampshire Knitting Mama and Stitch Nation's Full O-Sheep yarn in white and later, with black. This pattern is different in that it's stitched using two strands of yarn.

I'm still plugging away on my Marseilles Jacket. I'm a little frustrated with the project. The instructions call for 43 rows for the body. However, I have stitched 50 rows and it's still too short. The instructions do say to add or subtract rows as necessary. I'm stumped how my sweater isn't coming close to the right size even though my gauge was right.

My Crochenit Patches are still there. Two patches are done and I've started a third one, in blue. Now that I have my yarn winder I'll be able to wind the rest of the yarn for this project so I can keep working on it.

Mr. E is so close to walking. He is standing without holding on to anything for several seconds. Today I even saw him dancing while standing and not holding on to anything. Look out world. soon nothing will be stopping him.

Sweet P

Need to Start Saving Money

I was a data geek in my former career and a few of those skills carry over to Coffee Time Stitching. In January 2007 I created a spreadsheet to track how much I spend for the items I need to create and another spreadsheet on how many hours I spend creating each day. The sheets are set up to calculate monthly, quarterly and yearly totals and averages. The one stat I like to keep handy is that amount of money spent per every hour of creating. In 2007 I spent $5.64 for every hour creating. In 2008 that number was $3.96. For 2009 it was $4.02. Through April 30 of this year that stat is down to $3.37. The way I look at it, spending less than $4 an hour for my sanity is a great deal!

Anyway, I spent a lot of money in April, the most I've spent in several months. But, what I bought will keep me busy for quite a while. I need to start saving my pennies, nickels and dimes for the Knit and Crochet Show in July. I have one more package arriving later this week from my April spending spree and then I'm done.

Some of my readers may be wondering if I ever play with fabric any more. The answer is yes, but not as often as I have in the past. One of the perks of my job is Employee Double Discount Days. Most of the time I can resist buying anything. This time I couldn't resist and came home with a few pieces of fabric. The truck fabric was a steal at $2.23 per yard. I've been collecting truck and car fabrics for an I Spy quilt for Mr. E and this piece will make a great quilt backing. The flip flop and purse fabrics are new fabrics for the store. I paid $2.79 a yard and bought one yard of each. The green stripe fabric was in the remnant bin and looks great with the flip flops and purses. I think I'm going to make a tote bag with those three fabrics.
Yesterday I found these baskets in the damage pile because each of them lost a handle. They were a steal at 75% off. I'm going to use them for my crochet and embroidery WIPs. I love the bright, cheery fabric on the inside.
On the crochet front I finished a second crochenit block in red. I have two more color combos, one in yellow and one in green, to work up. I hope those colors look as good as these colors do.
What are you up to today?

Sweet P

Makes Me Happy Monday #5

My May Towel arrived from my swap group.

A new 2010 Honda Civic EX-L in my driveway.

This doesn't make me happy.
Wally has to stand on his head until the Red Sox win several more games.

All Things Local Swap Goodies

The mail man was good to me again yesterday. I received my Ravelry All Things Local box from Contrary Rose from Emmitsburg, MD.

Mr. E was here and helped me open it. He really loves opening and closing boxes these days. It's a good thing he was helping me because at the top of the box was this adorable knitted crab. Rose made him for Mr. E. He was sitting on a silver platter which I will use on my craft table. I tried hard to get a photo of Mr. E with Mr Crabby (that's what we've named him), but had no luck. I'll keep trying to get that photo!
Here are the local goodies she included: a package of Apple Fritter mix, local coffee, crab-flavored popcorn, Old Bay Seasoning, a novel by a local author, a copy of her local paper (what a great idea!) and a local travel magazine.
The yarn she sent is heavenly! It's a superwash merino sock yarn from Knits With Sticks. The color is Lipstick on Your Collar. It is so soft and gorgeous.
Since I hadn't used my new yarn winder yet and I couldn't wait to start working with the yarn, I decided to make my first yarn cake. I don't have a yarn swift and DH was playing with Mr. E so I improvised and set up the winder and yarn like this:
It took me a while to wind the yarn set up this way, but I had fun doing it. I was rewarded with this cake:
Now I can start crocheting a pair of socks!

Thanks, Contrary Rose, for a wonderful package!

Sweet P

The Mailman Has Been Good to Me

Last week I did a little on-line shopping and this week the packages have started to arrive. Email marketing does wonders for my bank balance! Barnes & Noble sent a 50% off coupon on one item and couldn't refuse. I had seen the Hello, Cupcake book in the store, but didn't buy it and when I was ready to buy it, it was gone. Of course, I had to buy it. And then, to avoid paying shipping, I had to order enough to get free shipping. Therefore four bargain books jumped into my cart.

Last week I grew tired of winding my yarn into balls. Another e-mail coupon, this one for 40% off from Jo-Ann's came to my rescue. This cute ball winder showed up in my mail box. I can't wait to try it.

Unfortunately, the yarn winder will have to wait. I dropped a ceramic mug on my toe last night. Today by foot is black and blue and sore! I did work today and was able to walk, but slowly and carefully. Tonight, I'm keeping the foot elevated and iced. Tomorrow may see me at the doctor's office, but I'm hoping not.

Sweet P

If It's Tuesday . . .

Mr. E was here. He had a lot of fun playing all afternoon, wouldn't you agree?

Needless to say I didn't get any time for me to play with fabric, fiber, floss or food.  Oh well, I love Tuesdays!

Sweet P

Makes Me Happy Monday #5

This is what made me happy today:

Wednesday Wonders

Banangrams - I won this round!

DIL's words

S'mores Rice Krispies bars - tonight's dessert

Mochi Plus yarn - it just kind of jumped into my hands at my LYS.

What are your Wednesday wonders?

Sweet P

The Finished Block

I finished my first Crochenit block. I love it. It has good texture. There are some loose stitches, but I think they add to the charm of the block. I don't know how many blocks I'll make. The pattern calls for 12 blocks, but I may make a smaller afghan. The block worked up fast. It probably took me about 6 hours to make the block once I figured out the pattern.
Tomorrow Mr. E will be here. The weather will be sunny and warm so I'm hoping to get some outside play time in with him.

What are you up to this week?

Sweet P

Learning How To Crochenit

Before I got sick I ordered a set of double ended crochet hooks from eKnittingNeedles.com. I've wanted to try other forms of crochet for quite a while. I had a set of Tunisian crochet hooks on my Christmas list, but no one bought them for me.

Over the last three nights I have crochenitted and frogged the first six rows three times. On my fourth try tonight I finally got it right. Here's a close-up of my progress so far.
Here's a view of the whole work so far. I'm making Crochenit Patches by Winifred Carnley. The pattern is in the April issue of Crochet World magazine. The afghan has 12 - 12X12 inch blocks.

I'm going to use this yarn I bought last month to make the afghan.

Tomorrow is the first day off I've had in a while when I haven't been sick or somewhere to go. What am I going to do? I'm going to clean my studio and reorganize my projects. Then I can spend time creating and not feel guilty about the growing piles.

Sweet P

Coming Up For Air

Well, after dealing with a nasty virus for nearly three weeks, a week of celebrating Mr. E's first birthday and a surprise four day visit from my son who lives in NYC, I can finally get caught up on life. My house is a disaster. My studio is even worse.

There have been several highlights in the last few days. I learned my sons can cook. DS, the daddy, made breakfast burritos for us on Sunday. Too bad I was so busy trying to get a project done I didn't get to enjoy a complete burrito. Perhaps he'll make me another one soon.
My youngest son cooked dinner three nights in a row. On Monday night he made chicken, roasted potatoes and green beans. The whole meal was yummy, especially the green beans that he boiled and then sauteed in garlic olive oil. On Tuesday night daddy DS made fish for him and his brother. I don't eat fish so youngest DS made me steak. On Wednesday night he made home made pizzas. It was the first time my pizza stone and pizza peel were used. He makes awesome pizza.

Yesterday morning youngest DS left for home. Mommy, daddy and Mr. E stayed home. Last night I was home alone and relaxed. I spent time playing with a new crochet toy (more about that tomorrow).

Tonight DH is out with friends and I'm home alone again. That's OK. I'm catching up on my DVR'd shows, writing blog posts and will be playing with my new toy. I used my pizza stone for the first time by myself tonight. I made a Prosciutto, Pear and Gorgonzola pizza on Ciabatta bread for dinner. It was yummy and I can't wait to make it again.
So, what's everyone else been up to lately?

Sweet P

Not Quite Wordless Wednesday

My new French Press Coffee Maker - $5

Chocolate doughnut holes for his 52-week birthday breakfast - $1

Discovering the back deck - lots of fun

Relaxing in his birthday present, a Red Sox upholstered rocking chair - Priceless!

Happy 52-week birthday Mr. E!

Sweet P

Makes Me Happy Monday #4

What will make me happy today?

Feeling better! I've had a cold for 10 days and it doesn't show a lot of promise for going away soon.

I have very little energy, can hardly breathe and I'm way behind on some sewing deadlines.

I need to get better soon. Mr. E has his first birthday later this week and I need help him enjoy it!

Sweet P

Happy Blogiversary - Winners!

Good morning!

The rain has finally stopped here and the sun is shining. What a lovely morning to draw the winners for my 500 Posts - 4 Year Blogiversary drawings.

Giveaway #1 - Fantastic Fabric - The winner is Ruthie of Threads of Mine.
Ruthie said, "Well, I won a table runner book a while back, so that's what I would probably make with the charm packs. The patterns look oh-so cute also."

Giveaway #2 - Fabulous Floss - The winner is Mary Grace McNamara of Hooked on Needles.
Mary Grace said, "Oh my, I almost missed this one! I love Natalie over at Cinderberry Stitches. Her patterns are so darn cute! I'd probably make this for a gift since I already have a needle wallet I use for myself. The fabrics and floss colors are just lovely!"

Giveaway #3 - Frolicking Fiber - The winner is Tudy of Tudy's Craft Cupboard.
She said, "I love to knit or crochet scarfs."

Giveaway #4 - Fine Food - The winner is Rhonda in OK of If You Do Stuff, Stuff Gets Done.
Rhonda said, "my favorite beverage is big mug of Liptons tea, hot with a little sweetener and skim milk in it. My favorite thing to cook is just about anything baked, I really like baking bread and cookies."

Giveaway #5 - Family Fun - The winner is Nancy from ...with thread in hand...
Nancy said, "I have had my youngest granddaughter since Sunday and she goes home tomorrow. I can't say that I am sad she is going...I am TIRED!! I would have to pick a bit of each as I have both boy and girl grandbabies..."

Congrats to all the winners. I've sent an email to all the winners. If, by chance, I don't hear from them I will choose alternate winners.

Thanks again to everyone who entered the drawings. I hope all of you keep stopping by and checking in on Coffee Time Stitches.

Sweet P

Post #500: Giveaway #5 - Family Fun

Here I am: Post 500 and two days away from my 4th blogiversary. Today's theme is Family Fun.

If you've been reading my blog for the last year you're sure to know the newest love of our lives: Mr. E. I can't remember what our life was like before he was born. It's hard to believe he has grown from this little boy:

Into this giggling, happy little boy.

I have the pleasure of babysitting him every Tuesday. We always have lots of fun together. Today I introduced him to the plastics drawer in the kitchen. He had lots of fun taking the bowls out and dragging them around the floor.
I hope the rain clears up soon so we can spend more time playing outdoors. He likes playing in the grass and dirt.

Aren't children and grandchildren the greatest?

Now for the final giveaway - Family Fun

This package will start with items to spend a fun day with your favorite little ones: a box of crayons, a pad of drawing paper, a box of modeling clay and a bottle of billions of bubbles. The package will be completed depending on if you want a boy package or a girl package or a little bit of both.
To enter this drawing leave a comment on this blog and tell me one of your favorite activities to do with the child(ren) in your life. Also, tell me if you want a boy, girl or a mixed package. If this is the first drawing you've entered, please tell me how you follow my blog.

The drawing is open until March 31, 2010. I will draw the winner on April 1, 2010. You may enter each drawing, but I will only accept one entry per person per drawing.

For information on Giveaway #4 go here. For Giveaway #3 go here. For Giveaway #2 go here. For Giveaway #1 go here.

I hope you've enjoyed signing up for my 500 Posts - 4 Year Blogiversary Giveaways. I'm still checking out all the entries and the new to me blogs. So, if I haven't stopped by to say hello, I will be by soon.

It's been raining and raining and raining here in New England. I don't even know how many inches we've received this month, but I'm sure it's a record. If I don't surface for a few days, send out an ark to find me, OK?

Sweet P

Giveaway #4 - Fine Food

Creating a great and comforting meal for me and my family brings me as much joy as creating a quilt, a stitchery or an afghan. DH and I often enjoy a "food coma" day when he cooks breakfast, we nibble on snacks all afternoon and then eat a yummy and filling meal.

Today I made a pot of Beef and Guinness Stew. There are many recipes for this dish on the Internet. It was delicious. I think the next time I'm going to use butternut squash instead of carrots.
I recently bought The Recipe Manager. It's an awesome program that allows me to store recipes, create menus and then shopping lists from the menus. The lists can be customized for my grocery stores which is a cool feature. My favorite feature is being able to make the recipe large enough to read from across the room. I hook up my laptop to the monitor and I can see the recipe while I'm cooking. I don't have to waste paper printing the recipe. I don't have to waste time walking back and forth across the room to get the next step. It's all big and easy to read.
From 2008 - 2009 I wrote a Coffee Time At Home blog. Last summer I got so busy with work and being a grandma and enjoying life, that I lapsed on writing entries. Now I plan to start writing more about food and Coffee Time at Home here. I'm trying to import the blog into this one, but it will take time.

Now, onto Giveway #4 - Fine Food

To enter this drawing you need to leave a comment on this post and tell me what your favorite drink is: coffee, tea, water, soda or a different beverage. Then tell me what your favorite recipe is to cook or bake. The package will be built around these two answers. Also, if this is the first drawing you've entered, please tell me how you follow my blog.

The drawing is open until March 31, 2010. I will draw the winner on April 1, 2010. You may enter each drawing, but I will only accept one entry per person per drawing.

For information on Giveaway #3 go here. Giveaway #2 go here. For Giveaway #1 go here.

Well, I'm down to one giveaway left to announce and I will do that tomorrow. I want to thank everyone who's entered so far. It's fun to see all the readers I have and check out their blogs. Good luck to everyone!

Sweet P