A Kid at Heart

I remember going to school and wishing I had a Hello Kitty tote or pencil or -- anything!  Growing up as the first of six made it difficult to have toys or extra stuff.  I didn't have hand-me-downs, though; so I knew I was lucky.  Now that I'm an adult, I admit that I have lots of toys.  I love going to the theater to watch animated movies or Harry Potter or just kiddie movies.  

So I was very happy to learn about amigurumi.  There is so much out there, free or not.  I have so many projects queued up that I think I'll be busy for many months.  Then there are all the baby items I want to make.  I don't even have children!  lol.  Which means, of course, that I had to make something for any baby, just because.  

Anyone in Southern California?  Isn't the weather just marvelous?  I throw on a sweater and surround myself with yarn and whatever I need to create whatever feels like being created.  Here are two of my latest finished projects.  Actually, make that three.  The all-in-one suit was a gift for a cousin-in-law's first grandchild; the ruffles afghan (photoshopped pic) was not meant for anyone but has been sold to my sister-in-law's sister; and the Hello Kitty was for a very good high school friend (Go, Class of '91!).  

The gorgeous little girl is my brother's 23-month-old baby, Marie.  She wouldn't let go of the Hello Kitty; so she ended up in the picture.  I hope you like them all.  The best is Marie, of course ;)

A Sorrowful Celebration

Many of us go on and on when something unfair or tragic happens to us or our families, but what about the few that keep their true pains to themselves?  It must take so much courage to not tell everyone that they are facing death and the terror that they're feeling, not to mention the pain.  When my aunt was killed this past March, we had just marked a few hours before the seventh anniversary of my mom's untimely passing.  It usually falls upon me to notify the entire family, and it's always quite an undertaking.  I still discover new family members every time I have to give notice, usually about a loved one's passing.

One person I called I knew since I was a little girl.  She's my aunt, I think.  Unusual that I still don't know if we're cousins or if she's my aunt.  My great-grandparents raised many of their orphaned grandchildren, including my mom.  So the lines were blurred, and they're all now my aunts and uncles.  This particular aunt is not so much older than myself, and I am 38 years old.  She has a son in high school and a son in elementary school.  When I called her to give her the bad news about my mom's little sister's murder, she was sad but also, strangely, detached.  Then she told me that though she wished she could be there for the wake and funeral, she was very sick but would try to go.

She had been sick for years, and I didn't know.  Now that she was about to face chemo, she couldn't hide it anymore.  I caught a glimpse of her at another cousin's baby shower, and she was so thin and frail.  Two weeks ago, yet another cousin posted on the family's Facebook walls that she was planning a surprise family reunion for her.  Our ailing aunt had mentioned she wished she could see the family together again.  You see, the doctors have told them that there's little time left.  She is undergoing chemo yet again.  Hope is always the last to die.  But instead of starting this coming Monday, July 25th, it was moved up to this past Monday, the 18th.

I am glad to have a chance to see her and talk to her again, but I am sad beyond words.  I should be grateful... when my mom died, she'd suffered a burst aneurysm and didn't come out of her coma for 10 days before passing.  It is the only time that we are going to have the opportunity to say to any family personally that we love them before dying.  Since 2004 to now, we have lost at least one family member a year.  In 2008, we lost four.  My maternal grandmother's sister lost her husband and then her 30-year-old daughter within one year of each other.  I hope that my cousins, aunts, uncles, nieces, and nephews manage to make it a lighthearted gathering.  I hate to stress my aunt or make her more scared than she already must be.

God, what should I say?  What can I ask?  Is there anything I can do to make her forget, at least for a while, that this may be our last gathering with her?  God, take her pain away now, and receive her in your celestial embrace when her time comes.  I humbly pray to You that You grant her and her children and husband a miracle.  I humbly beg this in the name of your beloved Son, Jesus Christ.  Amen.

An Inspiring Experiment

I have finally finished my doily-ghan!  Upon picking it up from the center, though, it has inspired me to make a dress for my baby niece.  The doily-ghan is 54 inches across.  I used Bernat Baby Sport yarn in Pale Blue and Patons Beehive Baby Sport in Vintage Lace.  I finished it at 5 a.m. today!  I was determined to see it finished.  I'm really happy with it.  I don't know whom to give it to, though.  I may just keep it.  I have not kept anything I've made so far.  Have a beautiful day, everyone :)

This last picture is what I think would make a pretty ruffled dress, at least loosely based on this pattern.  I'd invert the hearts and make it a halter dress.

Romantic Pineapples Doily-ghan

Ugh!  I can't find my cameras.  They're probably stilled packed in a box somewhere.  I have my phone, but the video quality isn't the best for videos longer than a minute or two.  I apologize to anyone that may be waiting for help with the soccasins.  If I don't find my cameras soon, I'll just have to buy a proper videocamera.  What a sacrifice.  lol.  I've been meaning to get one anyway.

In the meantime, here's a pic of a doily-ghan I've been working on since February.  I started and stopped a few times for other projects, but I'm committed to it until it's finally finished.  What do you think?

Soccasins -- Again! Yay!

I made a pair of soccasins last year for a nephew.  I have many requests for more, but I haven't worked on altering the pattern for bigger sizes.  I'll just try thicker yarn for now and see what happens.  About the end of February this year, someone sent me an e-mail to ask for help with theirs.  I had posted a picture on www.crochetville.org.  I asked Megan, the designer, for permission to post pics showing the different stages of the soccasin.  She graciously consented.  Then my aunt was taken from us, and all of that went out the window.  I am ready to tackle the picture part.  If only I can find my cameras.  LOL.  I moved and haven't unpacked everything.  My phone will have to do for now.  The other pics in here have been taken with the phone.  I think it may work out.

It's a gorgeous, warm day in Bellflower, CA.  The A/C is on -- I know, I'm a cheater -- and I will get to crochet today.  I'm trying to figure out what colors to use for the new soccasins.  Maybe I'll try something bright this time.

Everyone have a beautiful 4th of July weekend, and stay safe.  Carpe diem!

Can it be? Will Alfie Soon be Back Home?

I think I spotted him, and if it wasn't him, it's another lost African Grey parrot.  Of that I'm sure.  I was driving along the 605 Freeway South, near the Firestone exit.  I was admiring a hawk up ahead when I realized I was seeing flashes of red.  Upon closer inspection, I saw a red tail!  Then he was directly above us, and I couldn't see anymore; so I yelled to my sis'-in-law to please check because I think it's Alfie!  She actually saw him directly above and discerned the telltale red tail, gray feathers, and white under-feathers!  I am so excited.  There's a riverbed and a park right by where I saw him.  I'm going to start visiting those areas on days off.  I'm bringing his favorite:  Peanuts!  I have missed him so, so, so much.  God grant me the blessing to have Alfie home again.  I do believe; I do believe; I do believe...

The preliminary hearing in my aunt's murder case was supposed to take place this past 22nd of June, but it was continued to July 22.  I was sick with a stomach flu and couldn't go.  I hate not going because the killer's family has the audacity to glare and act threateningly towards my cousins.  Is there no sense of right and wrong in this world?  Yes, their loved one is in jail.  But ours is dead!  If we could have it any other way, she would still be alive, and he would be free!  HE killed my aunt.  How in the world does that entitle them to be offended?  I just hope that he changes his plea to guilty.  Then we can try to heal.  My cousins can mourn their mother's death.  They wouldn't have to defend their wish to have justice served.

June 30th would have been my mother's 58th birthday.  I wonder what she would look like.  She would have loved Marie so much.  She would have been thrilled that my brother is married and is a father.  I hope that someday diabetes can be cured.  I pray that she is resting in peace and that she knows that her sister, my aunt, is buried right next to her.  They were separated as children when they were orphaned, but they'll be together for all eternity.

What a sad day it's now turned out to be.  I didn't set out to make it sad; so I'll get to work on some transcripts, roughs, and then I'll crochet a bit before going to sleep.  I hope it's been a beautiful weekend for everyone.

Time Flies

I attended my goddaughter/niece's high school graduation yesterday... already an adult!  I close my eyes and remember the moment she took her first breath, followed by a big cry.  She was my sister's mini-me!  Her mom, being only 17 at the time, was too fearful of carrying her for fear of dropping her.  I took charge and became the new mom's teacher.  When the nurse walked in, she asked me how many children I had, to which I promptly replied, "None."  And 20 years later, I still don't, but I'm blessed with 13 nieces and nephews.  I've lived with most of them at one time or another and feel as if they're partly mine.  Isn't that crazy?  Well, I can't believe she's 18 and starting junior college next fall.  I graduated 20 years ago this year too.  Wow!  How time has flown by in a flutter.  I wonder if I'll ever be blessed with children of my own.  At this rate, I don't think so.  I'm thankful to have so many surrogate children.  If only my mom were here still...

So I've been working a little more on the baby blanket, and I have to say that now that it's well under way, the pattern is beautiful.  I am using Lion Brand's Pound of Love in two different colors.  Instead of using the recommended I hook, I am using the G hook.  That makes the stitches a little closer together.  Even then it's still pretty wide though I haven't measured the width.  My only change is that instead of continuing the pattern stitch all the way to the end and then fastening off and flipping the blankie so the foundation chain is on top and then adding one row of the pattern stitch, I've worked the pattern stitch to half the height that I want.  I then flipped it over and continued the pattern stitch from the foundation chain.  I will continue the other half in that direction.  It just made more sense and seemed more symmetrical.  I am attaching pictures.  I also am using two colors instead of one.  I really like the look of this blankie.

Blankie progress

Flipped blankie to work opposite direction

Blankie waiting for me

Everyone has a different technique when it comes to changing yarns.  I prefer to add in the new yarn right before I finish the last stitch and continue by weaving in the new yarn, leaving the other yarn's tail hanging for weaving in at the end.  Well, I made a slight change that cleaned up the yarn change.  Someone else may have posted it by now, but I haven't found it.  Here are some pics that I hope are useful:

Last stitch completed all the way

Re-inserting hook into last two loops

New yarn, looped, on hook

1.  Pulling new yarn through;
2.  Old yarn pulled completely out by pulling entire loop.

I also have pictures of my technique for weaving in the new yarn as I complete my stitches.  I think I'll leave that for next post.  It's almost 4 a.m. in good ol' Bellflower.  I should get some rest.  I keep forgetting to sleep.  LOL.  

Hasta pronto, amigas!