Red Heart Prize Package

I mentioned before that I participated in a "Learn to Knit Socks Knit-a-Long" and I ended up winning the final week's prize package.

Well...I never got it and was beginning to think it wouldn't arrive.  I admit, I was a bit disappointed because I was looking forward to actually getting a prize package.

After debating in my mind about it, I decided to contact Red Heart's customer service, but they didn't reply.  I also decided to send a private message to them (since that was how they asked me to send my info to them) and I still didn't get a reply.  I didn't want to seem ungrateful but as I said, I was disappointed so I just posted on the Facebook group about my disappointment in not receiving it and luckily, I was contacted.

Red Heart Yarns really is a great company and I am sure something just didn't get relayed properly but I am glad they addressed it and sent me the package.  I received it Saturday.  It is so nice!!

I have this really awesome project bag, a nice skein of Chic Sheep (colorway: Mai Tai) (I used this yarn to make the socks), a skein of Amore (colorway: Bliss), a cake of It's a Wrap Rainbow (colorway: Parfait), a cake of An Italian Story Obmra (colorway: Fiamma) and An Italian Story Luce (colorway: Verde)

The An Italian Story Luce is especially beautiful - it is hard to tell in the photo but it is so lovely, it is a mohair blend with sequins.

The It's a Wrap is exactly the color I would pick if I were to go into the store and select it myself.  The others are not colors I would especially choose, which I LOVE that because it gives me a chance to explore and see what I come up with...sometimes you get so locked into specific colors that you don't expand your horizon and when you do, you find out that you end up loving something that you never would have known...

I can't wait to make projects with all of these..the hardest choice...which yarn and what project to do first ?

Thank you Red Heart Yarns!!

Wizard of Oz - Pondering about Glenda

I love the movie "The Wizard of Oz" - unlike kids today, who can stream it and watch it whenever they want, I remember growing up when you could only see it once a year, they would show it on TV and it was a big deal in our family.  My siblings and I would put pillows on the floor, and lay on our tummies to watch in front of our HUGE 19-inch TV and mom would make some Jiffy Pop.  (This was even before homes had microwaves, if you can imagine the time!)

Anyway...every year, when it would begin, my mom would always say "I thought this movie was in color" and every year, we would have to remind her that it turns to color when she gets to Oz.
(Which was so magical in the 1960s and I can only imagine how magical that was in 1939 when the movie premiered.

 

 

I always questioned the part where Dorothy meets Glenda (the so-called Good Witch)

You see, on behalf of the munchkins, Glenda asks Dorothy if she is a good witch or a bad witch. Dorothy says she is not a witch, all witches are old and ugly. Glenda and the munchkins just laugh and laugh and tells her that only bad witches are ugly.

OKAY - here is where I always questioned it....

So why did she ask Dorothy if SHE was a bad witch? Was she trying to imply Dorothy was ugly? Hmmmm...maybe Glenda wasn't so good after-all. I sure sounds like that to me...

What do you think? Judge for yourself and see if you agree with me.

Useless Product - S'Mores Maker

I received an email from one of those companies that sells a hodge podge of things (and often a lot of those "as seen on TV products" and in the email was this little item...

The S'Mores Maker.

What a waste of plastic this is and what a waste of money this would be.  Plus, it is a lot of extra work.  I cannot imagine why someone would have a need for this product.

Step 1 - place graham crackers on chocolate looking plate
Step 2 - place a little square of chocolate on top
Step 3 - place marshmallow on top
Step 4 - place graham cracker on top of marshmallow
Step 5 - put the little arms on top of the crackers
Step 6 - fill the reservoir up with water
Step 7 - carefully put in microwave and microwave for 30 seconds
Step 8 - carefully remove from microwave (may be hot) and enjoy

Seriously?  I thought this was a joke!  You can easily assembly your s'more, put it on a paper plate, pop in the microwave for about 20 seconds and it is done!

Imagine...people have been making s'mores since 1927 (when it was invented by Girl Scouts and first appeared in "Tramping and Trailing with the Girl Scouts".  I remember making them by the campfire when I was a Girl Scout in the 1970s.  When the microwave started becoming popular, it was simple enough to figure out how to make a S'more in there and we managed to do it without this un-necessary "Smore's Maker".

Funny things is...apparently this gadget has been around since at least 2008 (which is how old this video is).  

So...if you just can't live without it and feel the need to spend $10 of your good hard-earned cash, then maybe this little baby is for you.
 

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks - Week 24 - Father's Day

I haven't done such a great job in posting regularly in the 52 Ancestors, 52 Weeks challenge because some of the prompts have just been too difficult or were redundant (meaning I had already written about the subject/family/person).

I almost skipped this week too because the prompt is Father's Day.  I must admit...I now despise Father's Day.  It wasn't always that way.  I use to love spending Father's Day with my dad but since he passed away in 2012, I just dread it coming every year.

Why? Because of all the emails and ads that say "Buy this for dad, he will love it, or send dad this special card or do this with your dad"

I see friends posting photos on Facebook of them with their dad or saying what a great time they are having with their father.

I can't spend the day with my dad, I can't see him, I can't even call him and I hate that! I miss my dad so, so much that it pure hurts my heart. I mean actually makes my heart hurt because I ache for him.

My dad was born in 1935, his official birthday is January 16th but he really doesn't know if he was born on the 15th or 16th because family members seem to disagree and his school records say one thing while his birth records say something different.  So, he always celebrated on the 16th.

He was raised in poverty. He had to hunt and kill his own food from the time he was old enough to hold a gun (6 or 7) and his parents were not exactly the best role models. 

As a result, he decided to join the Army as soon as he turned 18, he only had a few months left of high school but he needed to get away from a not so good home life. (Years later, the army did award him a high school diploma)


He married my mother on April 1, 1955.

After the Army, he had jobs driving log trucks and eventually got a job in Tallahassee, FL with Tenneco driving a gasoline delivery truck. My brother was born in Tallahassee.

Later, that lead to a job with Mabbett Hauling Company and the family moved to Atlanta, GA and I was born there.  The owner of the company wanted to start a regional office and asked my dad to be the sole employee of the start up so the family  moved to Columbus, GA (when I was 2 months old) and my sister was born there.

About 10 years later, the owner was having some issues in the central office and asked my dad to return but work in the office and stop driving a truck so he did and we all moved back to Atlanta, GA

He remained there for about 20 more years and then he was asked to be a safety director over their Florida region (by then the company had been purchased by Florida Rock & Tank Lines).  He remained there until he retired with 40 years of service.

That didn't slow him down though - he needed something to do so he worked various jobs and eventually found one he really loved (while in his late 70s) as a security officer at the local hospital. He loved it and they loved him.

Despite only having a high school education, he really moved up in the world, he was very smart and I can only imagine how far in life he could have gotten had he had more opportunities and education.

He was a great dad...he didn't believe in spanking (because he was physically abused and swore he would never lay a hand on his kids).  He didn't drink or smoke (because he came from a family of alcholics and swore he wouldn't do that to his kids).

He wanted his kids to have better than him and we all did.  We all graduated college, we three got great jobs with good pay.

He made sure we were exposed to history (he took us on weekend trips all the time to historic sites and state parks) and he made sure that we were well provided for. 

We can all look back and say we had a  happy childhood - because we did. 

I sure miss my dad.  I know one day, I will see him again.  It is truly hard to go through a day without him in it - it really, really is

There are so many times I want to call him and get his advise.  I miss that so much.

So...Happy Father's Day to my dad, in Heaven.  I love you.

Funny Friday - Vincent Needed Glasses

Socks on Blogs

My finished socks were featured on Marly Bird's blog - very cool!!

Check it out HERE

Orange is the New Black - Crochet Goodness

I recently started watching Orange is the New Black on Netflix.  I didn't realize that was (a) based on a book which was (b) the true memoir of Piper Kerman, who spent a year a federal prison.

I know, I know...I am late to the game.  I didn't think I would like this kind of show but it isn't exactly what I fully expected (some of it is but they also give a lot of background on the characters before they came to prison so it doesn't all take place in the prison)

Anyway....as a crafter, I immediately notice that despite being in a prison - the ladies have access to tons of crochet goodness!  There is even a little crochet group of ladies in the prison (of course they are all older as if younger folks wouldn't enjoy crochet)

Here are some examples:

First up - a throw in Larry's apartment.  Larry is Piper's fiancé.  Here is seen consoling Piper's best friend.  While this is not crochet and it is not in the prison...it is a nice knit cable throw that is just an example of how much knit and crochet items are spread throughout the show.

Next...Piper had a bunk mate that ended up getting to maximum security because she attacked a prison guard (she was provoked but that is another story).  Her bunk mate had this lovely open-work afghan that Piper was holding onto in case she returned.  Another character, Boo, decided to steal from Piper and she would carry it around to taunt Piper and make her aware that she had it.  Here she is wearing it like a shawl on movie night.

Another character sets up a mini shrine to her baby (who she is separate from of course) and has a nice orange crochet doily

Another character, Norma, who appears to be mute but we find out that she chooses to be mute due to a terrible stutter, has a nice yellow ripple blanket that is normally found at the foot of her bed.

In a 1960s backstory scene, involving a character who is a nun, we see a young man drop off the nun after they have attended a protest - his van has a nice granny afghan hanging off the back of the seat.

During one episode, there are protestors outside the prison and even they have on some nice knitted and crocheted hats and scarves.  The nun come out to talk to them (along with a guard of course) and she also is wearing a nice crochet hat and scarf - looks like the hat is made with homespun yarn)

In another off prison scene...we see one of the inmates relative in the process of being arrested, as he is trying to get away, we see a nice granny square afghan on a chair.

In one scene, a group of inmates are sitting around in a circle talking and one has a large granny afghan around her shoulders (it looks like a shawl in this photo but it was an afghan/throw)

You can see that some of the inmates enjoy crochet - one even has some yarn in her bunk area (see the blue skein there behind her on the cabinet?)

In one scene, Lorna, who reminds me of a pink lady from Grease and who is allowed to drive the prison bus when a guard needs to run an errand, puts on her purple crochet scarf before heading outside.

Even when an inmate gets a visit from their child's father, who brings the baby to see her, her baby is wearing a cute little pink crochet hat.

I saved the best for last.  The character of Red, has both a nice crochet blanket and a crochet pillow.  
She has a lot of power among the inmates so perhaps these were gifts to her in exchange for some favors or some contraband. It is quite colorful and has these nice ombre kind of stripes.  Everytime I see it, I think...hmm, I could make that.  I did notice in season 5, (which I am currently watching) that there is a tiny hole in the yellow/orange section now - wonder if that is deliberate for the show or if something really happened to it by accident on the set.  Perhaps it had a whole all along but I didn't notice it until Season 5.

I wonder where the set directors get the crochet items for the show?  Did they just go to thrift stores? Did they have someone make them especially for the show?  I think they could have a whole behind the scenes episode about the crochet items found.  I am sure a lot of people may not notice these but if you are a crocheter or a knitter, you tend to notice things like this when you are watching TV shows and movies.