First Aid Kit

I really like the group "First Aid Kit" - I have them marked on my Sirius XM so that whenever they are on (any station), it beeps to let me know so I can listen to them.

Very talented Swedish sisters,Johanna & Klara Söderberg just have a wonderful, clear folk sound that I love.  I like everything I have heard from them.  Here is one that really stands out for me.  If you have never heard of them before, check them out - you won't be disappointed.

Day Seven - Annual Knit & Crochet Blog Week - #KCBW6DAY7

Today is the last day for the 6th Annual Knit & Crochet Blog Week.  You may notice that day 6 was missing.  We were to do a survey/poll that day but honestly, I didn't know what kind of survey to do nor do I know how to post one on my blog..so I skipped yesterday.

I've had fun writing about my hobby and reading other blogs that participated this week.  If you type #KCBW6 into Google, you can also see the other bloggers that participated.

Today's topic is Your Time, Your Place:
#KCWB6DAY7

My favorite place to knit and crochet is on my sofa, right under the light while I am watching TV. 

I like to keep my hands busy and feel like I am kind of wasting time if I am watching TV and not doing something else.  I prefer to knit or crochet when no one else is there because, well...I would rather talk and visit with the person in the room.  But sometimes when I go out of town to visit my mom, I will take a project along with me.  I can crochet and carry on a conversation just fine...However, I need more concentration when I am knitting since it seems to require more counting in my head.

If you have read my blog this week - thanks for reading along...Keep those knitting needles sharp and those crochet hooks a-moving.

Day Five - #KCBW6DAY5

Something Different #KCBW6DAY5

Funny Friday - Juggler

Day Four - Annual Knit & Crochet Blog Week - #KCBW6DAY4

BAGS OF FUN

#KCBW6

Today is Day 4 of the 6th Annual Knit & Crochet Blog Week

Today is all about Bags of Fun!!  What is in my knitting/crochet bag and the tools of the trade that I use.

Well... here is my bag.  It is rather large and holds my current work in progress. It is very sturdy and I think it is super cute.  I got it at JoAnn's Arts and Craft for $1.99.

 

 Isn't it cute?  I love the colorful design.  Here is a close up.

Plus, if you peek inside, you can see that it is pretty roomy and holds quite a bit.

This is my favorite set of crochet hooks.  They were also my very first set of hooks.  I got them at K-Mart back in the day when K-Mart still had a great craft section.  They are Boye hooks but you can't find them like this anymore (click on the picture for a closer view).  You can see there is a hook for every size D through J.  These were made even before they started putting the "mm" size on them so they just say Boye on one side and "G" (or whatever size it is) on the other.  I love them and they are very special to me.

Now, I do have some other hooks I enjoy using.  I keep them stored in this cute little "recycle bin" container that I got at the Dollar Tree.  I have 2 of them that light up (the pink and purple ones you see there) which are great for black or dark blue yarn.  I have 3 that have a nice soft cushy handle and find myself using these more and more.

They are from the Crochet Dude's line of hooks (also from Boye).  They are so comfortable to hold and work with.  The others are just some extras I picked up here and there, mostly when I was out of town and found myself needing to work on a project but hadn't brought one along with me.  The pinkish looking one near the bottom of the 2nd photo below is a Susan Bates hook.  I heard so many people raving about how they preferred them to a Boye so I decided to give it a try.  My yarn kept slipping out of the loop, over and over and over and I decided Susan Bate hooks were not for me but I kept this one - you never know, right?

Now...I have some knitting tools too, of course.  First up....my knitting storage box.  It is a small plastic box where I keep all my small tools of the trade.  How do you like my label with the little scarf and sock?

Inside is full of goodies - my cable needles, my Susan Bates Knit Check (which you can use to check your needle size and your gauge (note - for this - I prefer the Susan Bates one), my row counter, stitch markers and yarn needles. Just those lose items you need when knitting.

Now, I have a great knitting needle case that I got on clearance a few years ago at Hobby Lobby.  I think I paid $ 2 for it.  It was a great investment and keeps my needles right where I need them and they are good and organized. It zips up to keep them secure and it is purple (the best color ever!)

 As you can see...I prefer bamboo needles.  I only have one pair of circular and one set of double-pointed.  I am not a sock knitter so really don't have a great need for double pointed and most the hats I knit are knitted flat and don't require them.  Notice:  I have another Susan Bates Knit Check in the case.  I got this one free from my local knitting store.  It is always good to have a spare.

Now anyone who knits or crochets must have a very important tool.  I great pair of scissors. I no longer have my favorite scissors so I had to get a new pair but I love them so that worked out ok.  Notice the nice pretty color (my previous ones were orange).  They are super sharp and work great on all kinds of yarn.  Plus...they match my knitting needle case and project bag.

Well...That is what is in my Bag of Fun!!  If you are a crafter, what kind of tools of the trade do you have?

Day Three - 6th Annual Knitting & Crochet Blog Week - #KCBW6DAY3

Day 3 of the 6th Annual Knitting & Crochet Blog Week is here and it is all about PHOTOGRAPHY.
#KCBW6

I'm a pretty good photographer (if I do say so myself) but often have trouble photographing my knitting/crochet projects. Why? Well, the colors just don't always look the same in the photos as they do in real life (guess it is a lighting issue).

 I would have liked to have taken photos of some of my older projects but I no longer have any more of my lovely knitting or crochet handy-works (long story) so I only have my current work-in-progress - the never-ending Mystery Crochet-a-long. (Actually not "never-ending" - all I need to do is joing the squares and add the border.)

So...I decided to have a little fun photographing one of the squares.

T-Rex wishes he could reach the center and Woody is going to try to lasso the thing

The 3-eyed alien is help Buzz lift the square up

T-Rex finally gets a hold of it and the alien is just trying to take it away from him

Whoo Hoo Cowboy! I think Woody has lassoed that rootin-tootin' square

Trollie decides the square is perfect for concealing his uh...trollie parts

Army guys guard all four corners - just in case anyone decides to walk on it.

I had fun photographing this one little square.  It gave me some ideas for future photos !

Day Two - 6th Annual Knitting & Crochet Blog Week - #KCBW6DAY2

Day 2 of the 6th Annual Knitting & Crochet Blog Week
#KCBW6

Today's Topic - All About Me !!!

Let's see - there is a lot I can say on the subject because I am pretty much an expert about "me".

I was born in Duluth, Ga (a suburb of Atlanta).  We moved to Columbus, GA when I was 2 months old, to Alpharetta, GA when I was 9 years 2 months old and back to the Atlanta suburbs when I was 9 years, 8 months old.  Alpharetta, GA wasn't a suburb when we lived there - it was pure country - cow fields and trailer parks but now it is considered part of the suburbs.

I love animals - always have and especially love dogs.  When my last dog passed away though, it was just too much on me, I thought I would die right along with him and quite frankly, I wanted to.  So I have been pet-less since.  I just can't deal with the heart-break again.  But I enjoy spending time with my friends and families pets.

I have CADD - which is my own term for crafting attention deficit disorder. I have several crafty hobbies, besides knitting and crocheting, at some point in my life I have partaken of:

Cross-stitch
Needlepoint
Crewel
Embroidery
Hook rugs
Punch embroidery
Macrame
Jewelry-making
Candle-making
Polymer Clay
String Art
Friendship Bracelets
Wreath Designing
Plastic Canvas
Soap Making
Drawing
Coloring
Paint By Numbers
Sewing / Quilting
Scrap-booking
Cake Decorating
Candy Making

Did I forget anything?  I am sure I did.  If there is a craft, I have pretty much done it at some point in time.  Some went out of style (see string art, hook rugs, macrame), some just were not my passion (see candle making, sewing, punch embroidery) and some have stood the test of time (see knitting, crochet, scrap-booking).

In addition to my crafy addictions, another hobby of mine is traveling.  I love to travel but don't get to do it as much as I would like due to work responsibilities.  I've never been out of the country but if I did go out, I'd love to go to England and Italy.  I also would love to see the Eiffle Tower in person.

In the USA, I've been to 19 different states and I've seen so many beautiful places...

Florida's sugar sandy white beaches where I swam in the Gulf of Mexico (many times)
Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, & Virginia's beaches
Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, & Virginia's mountains
Snowy drifts and the Mall of America in Minnesota
The Shenandoah Valley
Churchill Downs
The Biltmore House
Savannah and Charleston's charm
The Atlantic and the Pacific Oceans
Mount Rushmore
The Badlands
Las Vegas' Neon Glows
Fields and fields of Sunflowers
The Golden Gate Bridge
Hoover Dam (where I stood in 2 states at the same time - a foot in each state)
The Grand Canyon (from the air only)
The Smoky Mountains
The Blue Ridge Mountains
The Rocky Mountains
And so much more.

I like to cook and you can find several recipes on this blog.

I'm a strong Christian and thank God everyday for things like giving me sight so that I was able to see all those beautiful places.  I believe Jesus died for me and rose again so that I can have everlasting life. I thank God every day that I can see, hear, walk, talk because there are so many that can't do those things, including some people I know.  Everything I have is because of the Lord and I make sure I thank Him for it all the time.  I thank Him that he made me enjoy crafts and gave me the abilities to do those things, that he gave me a wonderful job that I love and a good salary so I can afford to travel.  I thank Him for getting me through the rough times in my life and for blessing me with such a wonderful family and group of friends.  God is just EVERYTHING !

I am grateful to Him right at this very moment as you are reading this - glad to know that you get to share in my love for the Lord!.

So...that is just a teeny, tiny bit of "ME". 

Day One - 6th Annual Knitting & Crochet Blog Week - #KCBW6DAY1

#KCBW6 - DAY ONE

I have never been aware of this annual tradition before but I saw something posted on Jen's blog about 2 months ago so decided I would give it a try.  I knit...I crochet...I blog so I guess this is perfect for me, right?

If you are a blogger and would like to join in - check out Eskimimi Makes for more information.

So...the question of the day is...

If you were a type or brand of yarn, which would you be?

Hmmm, that is an thought-provoking question.  I think I would be Malabrigo Worsted.  It is soooo soft and squishy (kind of like me - haha).  The colors are soothing and so pretty and the color changes blend so nicely.  I love it - once you knit with it, it is hard to put it down.

Funny Friday - Don't Knit and Drive