Wednesday, August 30, 2006

Doggy Blanket


How do you like my doggy blanket. This is the only dog I have and he'll always have a blanket to lay on. My kids love to snuggle with this soft flannel blanket I made from scraps found in my stash. I got the pattern of the "Simply Quilts" show a couple of years ago. I only had to adjust the ball size, since I didn't have enough fabric, but it's still perfect. It's been washed and used a lot and still looks great. I guess that qualifies me as a selftaught quilter. I like making kids quilts. They are fast to make, the fabrics are bright and fun and they are small enough to quilt with the machine.

posted by Angelika @ 12:25 PM 2 comments

One UFO down

I got rid of one UFO in my closet yesterday. No, I didn't finish it, I ripped it out and put my wool winder to work. Thanks to Keri I realized I wouldn't have fun finishing it and would only do it out of guilt, so I desided to rather salvage the yarn for another flag project and roll it up in nice an neat packs. One alien less to invate my craft room. Now on to the next one. I tried to make a list on UFO's, but right now they don't seem so many. I think they all got scared and they are hiding. Don't worry, eventually they'll emerge again. I guess I'll run into them when I least expect it and then put them on my list, so they won't escape again.

posted by Angelika @ 5:52 AM 1 comments

Tuesday, August 29, 2006

What to do, what to do next?

I don't know what's wrong with me today. I can't get anything productive going. I want to do so many things, but then get sidetracked with others. At least I got my laundry (from yesterday) folded and put away and wouldn't you know it, the minute I want to take a shower the maintenance man is at the door? Of course when we run the @*^"?/ dishwasher, the thing doesn't do anything wrong. I swear, it was acting up and flooded my living room!!!

I just can't concentrate on anything, I even think I'm going to have tons of typos in this post. I was thinking of finishing my sheep (roving I'm spinning into a yarn ball) but I've never seen anything so lumpy, so I packed it away again. Now I finished sewing together at least one sleeve of my moms sweater. Maybe I should just stick with that one for now and then move on to the next thing. I don't even know if that sweater will fit me when I'm done with it. It isn't my color at all. Peach makes me look pale, because I don't tan very well, I lobster.

I really need to make a list of my UFO's and then attempt to finish one after another. I have that flag afghan upstairs in tunisian crochet that is dragging on forever. Actually, I thought it was cool, when I saw it in Herrschners catalog, but didn't know that I needed special needles for it. Now I got the needles and I'm on the 5th stripe and I tell you it's as boring as it can get. I'm seriously debating wether I should just rip up the whole thing (no problem with a ball winder) and then put my knitting machine to work and do it that way. Thinking about it, that would make a nice practice piece for the machine, since I bought it before I left Germany and didn't really have much of a chance to get to know it. Plus maybe ripping up the stuff will make me feel better. Boy, do I hate moods like this.

Let's see - what was good today? Hmmm, I didn't get any bills in the mail. I didn't run anybody over. ....................................................... Can't think of anything else, must have been a lousy day then. Well, off we go sewing the sweater again. Later.

posted by Angelika @ 3:36 PM 1 comments

Monday, August 28, 2006

Check out my etsy account: angelikascreations

I did it, I finally posted some of my stuff on etsy. I wonder how the response it going to be. Hopefully it's all stuff people need or that just love to own. The potholders are not even done at this point, but I'm working on it, every time I download a picture (sure takes long enough sometimes to pick up the needle). If that pair sells, I'll have to make another pair (and hopefully another and another and .... get the drift?). If was always my plan to sell my stuff, because a lot of people like the handmade stuff, they just don't know how to make them or don't have the time or talent for it. Hey, that's we crafters come to the rescue, tam ta dahh. (Hey, too many cartoons). I really hope it'll pick up. It's really rewarding to see people liking and buying your stuff. I just always find it hard to put a price on it, because I can't add an hourly rate of crafting time to the material I add, or nobody could pay for it. After all, it's all made with love, right? Well, check it out and tell me what you think! Please....

posted by Angelika @ 10:37 AM 3 comments

More stuff unearthed

Hi everybody, here is some more stuff from my box. How do you like that little tami cap I made for one of my boys? It's so cute and it was very interesting to make. At first it's a little hard to get the tension with the two different colors just right, but with practice it went pretty fast. Seeing the pattern come out helped alot getting this project done. All I still have to do is to dampen it and stretch it onto a plate to get a nice edge and for it to lay flatter.









Next is the potholder I just finished this morning. I enjoyed making the dishcloth, but I needed a set of potholders for myself, since the last set I made finally unraveled, since my MIL ended up burning the edges and then pulled a string! Yikes!! The left one is supposed to be the front, but I actually like the other side better. This potholder will definately NOT burn my fingers, since they are so thick. It's not just double crochet stitches, it's relief stitches, which gives it that extra thickness. I'll make a second one real quick-like, since I have a workorder for my dishwasher to wait for and can't go anywhere anyway. What do you think, etsy material? I hope so.

I'll dig some more and post some more later. It seems like after a certain number of pictures loaded, it just won't let me add any more? Maybe I'm doing it wrong, but this is all I had to show for this time. Hope to see you later.







posted by Angelika @ 8:10 AM 2 comments

Sunday, August 27, 2006

Findings in my craft room

I'm finally done going through most of my stuff and I got to organise my crafts room. At least I can say I know where to find stuff, even if it might not be the best place to put it. Anyway, I ran into a box with things, mainly booties and socks, that I want to post at etsy, once I figure out how much to charge for shipping. I hate to overcharge and get mad when I order something and get charged a lot of S+H just to get the thing and find out it only cost half of what I paid for. Anyway, once I get this figured out I'll put them up for sale. Here is a preview with more to follow, as it emerges:


Here is a pair of baby bibs that I cross stitched a while ago and then never wanted to use for the boys. They were too pretty to be messed up by baby slobber, so I only used them for looks. Now I figured I won't need them anymore (my "babies" are 5 and 9 now and go to school) so they are going up for sale. I tried to load a couple more pictures of booties and socks, but it takes too long. I'll do them little by little.

This is the latest project I've been working on: Entrelac dishcoth
It's going, but not as fast as I want it too. I tried to knit from left to write, so I won't have to turn it over all the time, but that's not always that easy. I'd like to use them for potholders, but I think for that purpose I'll have to double them. The pattern is pretty interesting. Thanks Keri, it's another challenge mastered.

I should be working on my UFO's but that dishcloth was just itching to be tested.


Here is one of the booties I'm selling. They have a cable design on the top and ribbons to keep them on the babies feet. I also have sock and matching thumbless mittens to offer. I've tried for the third thime to post them, but the computer and the memory card just don't want to talk to each other. I'll try it again in my next post. I just like it better, when the posts have pictures, makes the whole thing more interesting.

On another note, I had a little flood in my kitchen this morning. My dishwasher desided to spit out the water, instead of draining it. Great!! I had planned on moping my kitchen and dining room anyway, since we had a BBQ yesterday, I just like to do it when I want to do it and not when the dishwasher desides to act up. It was the first time I used it, since we moved in. I hope it'll work out fine next time.

The BBQ went great too. I fixed and prepared everything the day before, so all I had to do is hand over the meat to the grill master (my hubby). We had the Catalina Chicken Wings, Lipton Hamburgers, London Broil and Hot Dogs for the kids. I also made noodles salad and cole slaw and offered chips with it. All together I think it was a great success and earned some cool points for me from my husbands soldiers and his 1SGT. Now I'm definately the cool wife again.

posted by Angelika @ 2:05 PM 1 comments

Tuesday, August 22, 2006

I'm still unpacking

I just needed to let everybody know that I didn't drop off the face of the earth, I just got lost between all my boxes. I'm making progress though, I even made it into my craft room now, where my husband is still in the progress of getting the internet hooked up to the computer. I have trouble adding attachments to my e-mail, so I won't even attempt to add pictures to this post, for now.

I ran into so much fabric in my stash, that I need to find something to do with them. I also have to redo my pictures of my babysocks, they turned out too light yesterday. I'll post them on etsy, as soon as I get around to it. Oh, by the way my account is called "angelikascreations", but as of now there is nothing to be found there yet. I'll see what else I run into, while unpacking that I'm willing to part with. I also found my quilt I've been (not) working on for a while. It's one of my UFO's I have on my "To-finish-list". It's pieced and pinned, but has only been quilted 1/4. I guess that calls for some quilting evenings, especially when I finally cools off in fall, if that is ever the case here in Georgia. I seems the heat and muggy air is never going to stop.

Well, gotta go. If I keep yapping on the computer the boxes will still be there next year. Cross your fingers I won't get lost again, but without my kids and my husband in the house I actually get stuff done. Aren't you proud of me?

posted by Angelika @ 8:46 AM 4 comments

Thursday, August 17, 2006

It's starting to get old

Ok, the excitement of getting my stuff is definately gone. It's starting to get really old and I'm starting to move things from one corner into another, just to run into it later again. Today I got so frustrated, that the Good Will Box filled up pretty fast. Even the trashcan got a few bags and we are only done downstairs. At the beginning I didn't have much stuff in my crafts room, but now it's getting a little harder to find a system. I'll figure one out soon, once I have everybodies clothes and the boys' toys sorted out. Then it's time for my stuff. I didn't realize how much fabric, yarn and books and supplies I had. Looking at patterns and figuring out what to do next is one of the things keeping me going right now. Looking at Keri's blog and seeing her stole being finished is another one. I really need to get my stuff put away and organized, so I can relax doing my crafts.

I wonder how long we are going to stay here this time. Lately it seems we are just done unpacking, when we have to pack up and move again. I guess I've done it so many times, that I'm getting kinda tired of it. It's getting time to settle down and stay in one spot for longer than 3 years. All in good time, I guess.

That's my update for today. I'll show my crafty items as I run across them and put them away. I wonder what you think about them.

posted by Angelika @ 3:28 PM 0 comments

Tuesday, August 15, 2006

Christmas in August

It's unpacking time. That's why this is going to be a short entry. At least I'm planning on making this one short. We finally got our furniture and everything else that belongs to us, that we've been missing for the last 9 weeks. Sleeping on air mattresses for almost two months gets old very quick.

Since yesterday I'm surrounded by boxes and feel like gozilla, walking around between them. It's kinda like christmas opening all the boxes, taking off the paper and discovering what's inside. Most the time it's just not what you've been looking for for the last hours. At least I got everybodys beds ready last night. The movers put some of the boxes in the wrong rooms and I found my bathroom box with all the towels in the kitchen, my figurines upstairs with the computer and the mirror part for my dresser is still outside in the shed. I guess after 11 crates they weren't in the mood either anymore and wanted to go home. At least I'm not like some people that let them unpack everything. My house is just a total mess right now. I've been working on unpacking my kitchen almost all day. Now we have to face the fact that after 5 times moving our entertainment center is just not going to be with us anymore. That means running around the furniture stores and finding a new one, or the house is not going to be presentable in that area. We want to get at least the downstairs done this week to be able to let people into the house, in case somebody wants to come by. Who cares about upstairs right now - well, the boys do, because they can't find all their toys yet. I can't believe how many boxes were labeled "Clothing". Do I have that many clothes? Where did they come from. I don't shop for cloths, I actually almost hate it. I have a lot of sweaters that will probably not even make it out of the boxes for a while. Last time we were stationed in San Diego, they were packed away for 3 years. I don't think Georgia is going to be much different. I don't think that one-year-rule applies for military families. If I would throw away everything I'm not using within one year, I'd have to buy it again at our next duty station.

By the way, my movers that packed me up didn't show much respect toward my yarn either. I found my yarn, that was wound with a woolwinder tossed into a box instead of being stacked in there. Now I had to be careful not to pull any threats when I took I out. I set it out nicely and let it unscrunch for a day. Shame on him. He also labled the boxes with my fabrics as "Naeh Lappen" which loosely translates into sewing rags. What a moran!!!. I'm afraid to look into the other boxes he packed. This guy did my whole bedroom and most of my crafts. I bet he was starting to go nuts everytime he opened another closed and found another stash or more crafts and quilting and knitting books. I even had fabric in the basement!!!

Well, enough with taking a break. The boys are hungry and my kitchen is calling me.

posted by Angelika @ 5:33 PM 1 comments

Friday, August 11, 2006

Pictures

Here are some pictures of my latest accomplishments or work in progress. What do you think?

This pair of baby socks is a result of leftover yarn from a pair of adult socks.


This is the sheep (roving) I'm trying to turn into yarn and then into a felted bag.


Next are the Lace socks I started knitting. Wow, you can even see some of the pattern.

And if Catherine gives me her o.k. I'll post the felted bag I made for her too.

(Wow, I just added my first link. I'm getting there, I'm getting more and more high speed on this blogging thing)

posted by Angelika @ 2:25 PM 1 comments

2nd Entry

There isn't really much new to report today. It's friday, it's laundry day and the rate the weather is going, it's not going to get better. I'm actually insurance shopping today, something I really hate just about as much as matching socks coming from the washer. They always try to sell you more than you need. Well, not today.

To make ne feel better I wanted to make a cord for the felted bag for Catherine today, so I could send her a nice picture, but I didn't have enough yarn for an I-cord, so I end up ripping it out again and just making a twisted rope. Then I knitted some on my lace socks, which unfortunately I still can't do without a pattern. I also rolled up the first half of my sheep (hand spun wool) and started on the second half. I didn't get that far, because lunchtime came along and that means picking up the little one from Kindergarten. Since then I haven't done anything else but getting quotes on the computer and folding and sorting laundry. And wouldn't you know it, as soon as you pull the last thing out of the washer somebody gives you another piece of messy clothing, that can't wait until the next wash, so you have to start all over again. Should I make it any worse and cook spaghetti tonight? That's just screaming for another load.

Luckily Keri gave me a call to interupt the monotony of my day. I guess she needed a break too, right? Well, I guess that's it for the day. I'll pull the cord into the bag as soon as it's dry, which shouldn't take that long in those temeratures, unless it gets wet again from the thunderstorm we are sure to get today. Once it looks presentable I promise to post a picture with Catherine's permission. Since she already posted Keri's on her blog I'm sure she doesn't object. Hey, free promotion!!

Check back later for the picture.

posted by Angelika @ 12:51 PM 0 comments

Thursday, August 10, 2006

Hello Knitting world - here I am! :)

I am a new blogger, so please have mercy with me and forgive all my little mistakes I'm making on the way. I'm always told I have a lot to say, so I guess this is my way of finding an outlet and to let everybody know about my accomplishments in live, especially the ones that have to do with crafts.

I'm a crafter since elementary school. I was tought knitting and crochet in school. Even boys had to learn, before they got to move over to woodworking. Hey, some women love men that know how to sew on their own shirt buttons. My dad does! Anyway, I've been knitting pretty much most of my live. Over the years I branched out and explored other crafts, that's how I got to add quilting, cross-stitching and many other things to my list. Most of them have something to do with needles (doesn't matter which one) and strings.

I'm also a military wife that has moved around a lot. I've signed up with the military 16 years ago when I said "I do" and have been sticking with my husband eversince. We move a lot, like everybody with this job. He picked me up on his first tour in Germany, got stationed in Fort Stewart, GA (actually he got deployed back then) and I made my first trip to the states all by myself. He didn't come back until 7 months after Desert Storm and I had found a job, an apartment and had a crash corse in what it means to be in the military. Since then we went back to Schweinfurt, then to Fort Irwin, NTC in CA (we had our first son there), back to Germany, Baumholder this time, back to San Diego, CA for recruiting (not so much fun), managed to have another baby boy while on recruiting duty, from there back to Schweinfurt, Germany and now the Army sent us back to Fort Stewart, GA, where I started. Do you still follow me so far? Good.

Anyway, we got back to the states about a month and a half ago, where lucky enough to find military housing right away, but are living in an empty house eversince. I have to admit, I'm getting really tired by now sleeping on air matresses and sitting on bean bags for a couch, but all this is going to change. On monday I'll finally get my furniture and everything else that belongs to me. I'm thinking of not even telling my boys, just to let them come home from school that day and find all those boxes. It was kind of a shock to them when we got packed up last time and they came home to an empty room. This time it's the other way around. It's almost like christmas when you unpack one box after another, all labled as "KnickKnacks" by a careless packer and wonder what will turn up next (and when you'll finally find that one thing you've been looking for since yesterday). We should really be used to it by now, but it just always amazes me to see how much stuff we drag with us every time. I guess if we wouldn't be moving every couple of years and have a chance to weed out all our junk it would be even more. Ebay, here I come. I'm planning on getting rid of some stuff on ebay, once I'm done with all my boxes and sell some of my boys' toys that are in good condition.

Also, I can't wait for all my crafting stuff. I went through a phase of withdrawl when I got here. I had finished the pair of socks I brought with me and didn't know where to turn. Luckily I found Keri's blog and made my first friend with mutual interest in knitting here in Georgia. Last time I was stationed here I was so desperate for something to do, I took up cross stitching. In California I started quilting and now I'm back to knitting. I also have a nice collection of scarves, baby socks, booties, blanket and a set of crochet Pooh and his friends coming. I used to sell those in San Diego and my neighbors couldn't get enough of them. In Germany I had no success with them, but everybody wanted knitted scarves made of that eyelash yarn. When I open my boxes I'll update with pictures of all my treasures that crawl out of those boxes.

Right now I finished a felted bag for Catherine. I testknitted it for her to avoid any possible mistakes. Keri made the little version of it. I can't believe how much it shrunk. It was almost the size of a sweater, when I threw it in the wash this morning, now it's a nice size bag. Somehow it made it's way out of the pillow case. I guess it has a mind of it's own. Creepy.

This tour I picked up another new hobby. I started spinning, literally. In a moment of weakness (and stingyness) I made my own little spindle, fought over roving at ebay and jumped for joy when the mail got here. Then I stood there and wondered "What was I thinking, this looks like a colored sheep". Well, I guess I didn't do so bad after all. I'm done with the first half of it and it looks 40 % like yarn und 60 % like a bad perm;) I'm comitted, so I'm going to spin the second half of it also, double it up to make sure it doesn't fall apart on me while knitting and make a booga bag. I found a cute one at the Wild Fibre yarn store in Savannah last week and figured I can do that too. Plus once it's felted nobody will see how good or bad my spinning actually was. Hey, what comes out at the end is what counts, who cares how long it took or how many times I had to rip it out. I guess I learn from trial and error the best. Just like I never took a quilting class in my live. My first quilt I cut with a cardboard template, a pen and sciccors. I never heard of a rotary cutter then. My husband still makes fun of me when we think about the first time I basted my quilt by chasing the spoon on the floor under the bottom layer of the quilt to make the basting needle come back up. I don't do that anymore, I pinbaste now, but it sure is fun thinking back. What I was trying to say was, it's not falling apart and I'm using it, it's not for display and it's been washed plenty of times. I must have done something right then.

Wow, you are still reading this? I guess you must really be interested in what I have to say. I wonder how many people read this, this being my first attempt to communicate with a knitting world out there, I didn't know about. Maybe we can find some of those knitters here in Fort Stewart and Hinesville area we've heard about, but never managed to run into.

Well, I hope you'll check in with me again sometime, especially once I have all my stuff back. I can't wait to get it all unpacked and use my sparetime to create new crafty stuff. I got lots of yarn and fabrics coming to me and I can't wait to put my sewing and my knitting machine to work again.

Thanks for reading. I'll talk to you later.

posted by Angelika @ 8:24 AM 3 comments