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Wednesday, December 26, 2012

Tower of Babel Hook Holder



Today I crocheted myself a hook holder for my desk. Prior to seeing this cute little number on Ravelry.com this evening I used a coffee mug to hold my crochet hooks. Simple and easy but not very Crochet-ish. So when I saw this Tower of Babel Hook Holder today I knew I wanted to make one for myself.

Digging into the yarn stash, the pumpkin colored Wool of the Andes found its way to the top of the basket so I accepted its direction and found a size 3.5 mm hook. While watching British detective Jack Frost and then the Kennedy Center Awards, I crocheted this little gem. After putting the hooks into, lifting it up to show Ormond and watching the hooks slide out, I decided that a leather bottom would be a better idea. So I went into the scrap leather bag and cut a black circle. I glued it with fabric glue to the bottom and that solved the problem. Today's cute project-finished !~!

Saturday, December 8, 2012

Senate Fails to Ratify CRPD

reblogged from the Special Olympics site:


Theodore Roosevelt once said that American politics is World politics, a statement that reflects America’s proud role as the world’s moral compass.  Yesterday, with the U.S. Senate’s failure to ratify the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, we lost our bearings.  We failed to recognize that the core values reflected in this important treaty — the protection of the rights of all individuals to participate fully and freely in their communities — are precisely the core values of our Constitution and our nation itself.
More than 20 years ago, our country’s political leaders were unified in passing the Americans with Disabilities Act because they realized that it provided a shining example to the world of our commitment to individual liberties and protection of the basic rights of all people.  As of today, more than 150 countries worldwide have followed our historical leadership in this area and ratified the Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities.  They have shown that raising a nation’s colors in peace is as important as raising them in conflicts.  Indeed, doing so represents the heralding of our greatest collective strengths.
But yesterday, we failed to live up to our own example, and instead showed a watching world that political dissonance has become our nation’s greatest disability.
-Tim Shriver

Square Dancing - Amazingly Fun

I live in Atchison Village, a development that was built for ship builders during WWII, and I love it here. We are 450 units and all on 19 acres with a playground and a huge field where soccer guys play and geese feed. Our Hall provides a venue for all kinds of events. December first saw a square dance like no other. The lighting and decorations were superb, the potluck delightful and tasty, and the band Squared us until we could Dance no more.

Dan Lockshon gathered a group of delightful musicians who regaled us with dancing music
All night lo-ong. All night... all night... All night lo-ong.

At one point we were all in a big circle and Caller grabbed a hand 
and led us into the neatest spiral and then back out of it.

Even babies can dance. Lin Le holds her year-old son, Chester,
while Laurel Spahr partners up for some fancy dancing. 

Circle right, then reverse. Lots of laughs as we tried to tell our right from our left !~!
Times Eight.

Do-Si-Do with my husband, Ormond.

Allemand Left with my Reel partner, 
Victoria Sawicki.
Circling, grinning, clapping, 
and holding hands.

All on a full stomach !~!


Virginia Reel gave everyone a chance to show 
off their skill set. We had a blast-all of us.
Thank you, Dan Lockshon, for arranging this event. Thanks to the committee who decorated our hall so beautifully. Thanks to all who cleaned up the place after the dancing was over.

I  hope we can do it several times a year. The band and the caller were great. Everyone who was there had the time of their life.

Big THANK YOUS to ALL
<3


Wednesday, December 5, 2012

Cowly Scarf pattern

 The pattern for Cowly Scarf

Cowly Scarf uses two KPPPM Multi-colored 50 gram hanks of fingerling weight merino wool.  They come in the most beautiful color palettes I have seen in ages.

Roll VERY LOOSELY so as to retain the elasticity into two balls.
Use F/5 3.75 mm hook. 
Start with first of two balls. 
Begin with foundation chain of four. Ch 1, turn
Row 1 SC in each ch (4) Ch 1, turn
Row 2 SC in 1st SC, 2 SC in second SC, SC across, Ch 1, turn (5)
Row 3 SC in each SC (5) Ch 1, turn
Row 4 repeat Row 2 increasing 1 SC in 2nd SC each time
Row 5 repeat row 3
and so on….

When ball runs out-reverse the process, making the scarf one stitch smaller every second row. Be sure to do the decreases in the Second Stitch in from the edge.
Maintain the straight edge; all decreases should be done on the same side the increases were. This will generate the V-shape that creates the piece's distinctive look I was searching for when I crafted the pattern.
Crochet along the V-shaped edge (the edge that curls) with SC edging. 
Block to eliminate the rolling edge. 

I am using a stainless keyring to hold the ends together in the front; it's been well-smoothed over the years so there's no danger of snagging. Wood might be prettier.

Working my way thru the rows increasing until the first ball is used and then use the second ball decreasing every other row, all on the same edge.

You can see the edging here; a simple single crochet
along the increase/decrease edge.
Here Cowly lays pinned to a towel and sprayed with clear water until damp.
Leave to dry completely.



Finished and warm yet not
the slightest bit hot.




Same pattern in another colorway of KPPPM.

Please enjoy this pattern and if you find any errors or anything that is weird or wrong or awkward, please make comments or email me and we'll figure it out together. This is my first published pattern.