Knit, Crochet & Everyday Life

Holy Canolli!!

2010-06-12T17:54:00.003-04:00

Have you ever forgot something for over two years? Well, I did!! I totally forgot about my blog for the past 2 years...I know, I am a terrible blogger I admit it!
I usually spend so much time on Facebook nowadays that I really don't have time for a blog. So if anyone wants to look me up and see what I'm up to then search for me on Facebook...Michelle Murdock is my name & I am on there all the time, everyday!!
See you when I see you!!

Fiber, Frankenmuth & More Fiber

2008-04-10T17:59:00.003-04:00

So about a month ago Beth, her DD Maggie, DS Ryan and I took a trip to Zeilinger's Wool Company in Frankenmuth, MI. Beth had a boat load of fleeces that she wanted to have them process into roving and I had one fleece from last fall's shearing of Maria.
We dropped of our fleeces, wish I would have had a before pic, after packing them in the trunk of Beth's car. They said it would be about 4 weeks til they were all processed and ready for pickup. We then went to eat our chicken dinner at the world famous Zender's Restaurant....it was yummy!!!! Strolled in a couple of shops and then headed back home.

Well, yesterday was pickup the fiber day for me and my youngest, Steve. We head over to Frankenmuth to pick up all the fibery goodness and wowza!!!! The lady at Zeilinger's went upstairs to get our batch of rovings and the bags just kept coming down one after the other. Steve's eyeball just about fell out of his head when he saw how many big bags of roving rolled down the stairs! He asked me if I was sure that it all belonged to Beth and I checked each bag and for sure they all had her name on them so they were definately hers!

We grabbed bag after bag, eight in all, and took them over to my PT Cruiser waiting patiently in the parking lot. I opened the back hatch and we started loading them in one after the other but the back section got filled up quite quickly so it was then on to the back seat. I put one side of the back seat down and we then started loading again and managed to get each and every bag into my little PT.
I should have taken a pic of my car loaded down with all that fibery goodness but me being me, I forgot to even take my camera with me....are you surprised?!!

This is my bag of roving from Maria's fleece. It was rewashed and carded into a very fluffy roving that is just beautiful.
Here is a pic of Beth's bags of roving.....believe me, they are bigger than they appear in the pic! I love the swirled rovings.

After picking up our fiber stash, Steve and I went for the traditional chicken dinner and then strolled through the town. I don't remember ever stopping in and looking around the Woolen Mill but we did and I found these awesome cute sheep slippers. Not only are they cute, they are very very warm and comfortable!

After visiting shop after shop in downtown Frankenmuth, Steve and I decided that we were exhausted and should head for home, so we did.

We had a great time seeing the sites although we only made it through about half of the downtown area. We decided that we would finish the other half on our next trip which will be soon since shearing time is rapidly approaching.

Some Project That I Have Been Working On

2008-04-10T17:43:00.003-04:00

Since I have had so much pain and bouts of pain for the past couple weeks or so, I have been very busy working on a few projects. I did manage to get a few finished even...YEAH!!!
So I thought that I would share a few of them with you all in cyberland.......

I handspun/handknit this whimple for my MIL's 70th birthday back in March. It turned out great and I am very proud of it, especially the lace detail and softness of it. I think she likes it too! It is knit from 2 ply handspun 100% Merino wool.
I didn't spin the yarn for my latest pair of socks, as I just took a class on spinning sock yarn and am not that good at it yet but I am practicing! I knit these socks using yarn that I bought when I was in Berea, KY last Oct. I don't know the name of the colorway but I do know that it is from Misty Mountain Farms.

This is a first of many more skeins of yarn from batts that were made by Abby Franquemont.This fiber is Merino, Silk and Cashmere....it is very soft and is such a soft color.I hand spun this skein using my Golding spindle, it is a 2 ply yarn.
I made this skein using some BFL top that is so soft you would swear that it is cashmere!I hand spun it on my Golding hand spindle and it is very soft, uniform and thin.I am very proud of this skein!!! I just love BFL fiber and it is fastly becoming my favorite fiber to spin and knit with.
My Handspun/Handknit Danish Tie Shawl......this shawl pattern is in the latest issue of Spin Off Magazine.
I spun up the single ply yarn for this shawl on my Ashford Joy wheel using Louet Northern Lights Pencil Roving in the colorway called Ocean Waves.I really like how this shawl is turning out and I just love the richness of the colorway as well!
These two skeins I spun with my Golding handspindle. They are 2 ply and are a beautiful rich rust color.
I'm not sure of the fiber content. This batt was in our kit from our sock yarn spinning class with Abby Franquemont.
My first handspun sock yarn.....I am still practicing on spinning sock yarn since I took Abby's class. I am getting better at it :o)

I have a couple more projects that are WIP but I will share them with you at a later time.

Updated Pics of Our Girls

2008-03-15T18:58:00.006-04:00

So after another bout with the nasty flu bug and hubby Jeff bugging me to update my blog with the pics he took of the girls....here I am updating and adding pics of the girls!

They are very close to shearing day as their wool is growing so nice and full. We are trying to wait until next month for shearing day so Aaliyah's wool can catch up with Aida's a little more. She is almost there just a little more to go.

Jeff captured some great pics of the girls so here they are.........

I love this pic of Maria, isn't she so photogenic?

Aida is no slouch in the photogenic department either!

Here is my baby girl Aaliyah and her sis Aida devouring their hay!

Aaliyah is the only one that we have been able to get a good pic of her fleece......ooh la la, look at that crimp, SCRUMPTOUS if I say so myself!!!

We Have New Family Members

2008-03-04T14:18:00.004-05:00

Ok so I'll admit it....I am a crappy blogger!!! There, I said it now lets see if I can get better at keeping up with this blogging thing. I know, I know I have said this before and I do have good intentions but just don't find the time to come here and post when I should.
Again, I will try to be better at posting!

Well, I had this terrible flu that started last Wed evening and lasted almost through the whole weekend. As I sat and knitted my socks, I kept thinking that what I was feeling was my new medication but the dizziness wasn't from the medication, it was the onset of the flu bug.

I luckily felt better on Sat and good enough to go to the MSU Livestock Pavilion and enjoy the rabbit show....not to mention pick up the newest members of our family, Phoebe and Kastor.
Phoebe and Kastor are brother and sister English Angora's, they are 4 months old and both are already champions as they have first place blue ribbons from their first show!
They are now living here with us in our first basement and we are loving having them around. They are so much fun to watch as they hop around in their cages and come to the door each and every time they see you come close to their cages.

They sure are a bit of work to keep groomed and clean but they are still very fun to have around and I know that we are going to have a great relationship with each other in the years to come.

The cutie yawning is Kastor and the pritzy looking one is Phoebe...thank you Gina from Green Barn Farm for not only the pics of Phoebe and Kastor but also for allowing us to adopt them from your farm. Gina and her hubby are wonderful people to work with and Jeff, Steve and I enjoyed meeting them on Sat and spending the day with them learning all about English Angoras and the show circuit.

Hopefully soon I will have more pics of them along with some pics of their gorgeous wool spun up! I am looking forward to spinning their first wool cuttings and then knitting it into a beautiful angora shawl.

Stay tuned.........

My First Handspun Sweater

2008-02-09T20:31:00.000-05:00

One of my biggest projects right now is my very first Knitting Pure & Simple Neckdown Sweater.....I bought the pattern from Jimmy Beans Wool after looking at all the neckdown sweater patterns from Knitting Pure & Simple for a long time...I think about 6 months or so actually.

Well anyway, I finally ordered on a week ago Thursday and it came in the mail on Tuesday this week. Once I had that pattern in my hot little hands then it was time to decide what yarn to use for it. Now mind you I already have so many ongoing projects right now.....and I'm sure you can all relate to that!!! But how could I not get started on that sweater the day the pattern arrived in my mailbox.....well I finally decided on the yarn and I went with my handspun BFL & Baby Alpaca in a natural brown color. I bought the roving from my friends Cindy and Margarget from the Pitchfork Ranch last month at our January Spinner's Flockmeeting. The roving is so so soft, light and airy with a beautiful light brown color.

As I've been knitting it in this sweater pattern I am really in awe of it's softness and the feelings that I have for creating a knitted garment from roving that you have spun yourself. There is no better feeling I can tell you!!!

I have a couple more projects that I have started with other handspun yarns but I will wait til next time to post them here.
They are on my projects list for you to see if you are on Ravelry....feel free to look me up there. My name on Ravelry is MaddiwoodFarms

Hope to see you there!

Wow, It's Been A Long Time!

2008-02-09T20:10:00.000-05:00

Oh my stars guys and gals.....I can't believe that I haven't posted to my blog since December, and before Christmas at that!!! What a bad, bad girl I am!!!

But never fear....I am here now and decided that I needed to post a little update. Well ok, a big update since it's been so long.
Well let's see......I have been spinning and spinning so much since I decided to try this new craft back in October....and I must say that I am having the time of my life with everything that goes along with spinning and also meeting the wonderful new people that I have had the pleasure to meet in the spinning world.
Some of my newest friends are also some of the coolest and most helpful too!! You guys/gals know that I love you all and thank you all so much for all your help answering my questions and just plain putting up with me in general.

Last Saturday, I participated in Knit Michigan and had so much fun meeting alot of new people and especially meeting so many Ravelers!
Beth from The Spinning Loft
was so great to ask me if she could enter my first handspun/handknit item-a scarf-in the fashion show for her shop. Well you know that I was more than honored to be even asked and of course I said yes with a big smile on my face.
I couldn't resist taking a couple pics of this nice lady as she modeled my scarf. So here they are.......

Knit Michigan was a great event for a more than worthy cause and I am looking forward to doing it again next year.
For those of you who don't know already, I hand delivered 100 cloths from my charity group Loves Many Cloths as well as 19 chemo caps for the cancer centers. I am sure that we will have many more for them next year!

So Sorry But I Love My Spinning!

2007-12-22T00:52:00.000-05:00

Hello fellow bloggers.....me bad and so sorry for not keeping up on my blog posts again. Thank you Beth for commenting and reminding me that as usual I have been neglecting my blog.
I can't help it....REALLY...I just love my spinning so much that I just can't seem to get on my laptop and update my blog. I know it's my fault and excuses are just excuses but my excuse it valid and worthy of taking note of....I am a spinner who just can't find the time to blog like I would want to.....and that's my final answer and I'm sticking to it!!!!

I hope to have some new pics of my latest handspun yarns....oh I just love working with baby alpaca, even more than the BFL that I have come to fall in love with lately.
I bought some black 100% Baby Alpaca roving and some really prime super soft Merino roving from Beth at The Spinning Loft this past week and have spun some up and started knitting it....oh boy, oh boy is it gorgy to work with both spinning and knitting.
I'll catch ya all up on it with pics soon....I promise Beth, I really do LOL

Spinning Spider Jenny's Plying Class

2007-11-21T01:08:00.000-05:00

Hello my fellow bloggers......well I said that I was going to be a good girl and keep my postings up to date so here I am posting about my class with Spinning Spider Jenny this past Saturday at The Spinning Loft in Howell, MI.

Oh man, I can't tell you how great Jenny is, how much you learn from her and how enjoyable it is to be in one of her classes. I learned so much and did more than enjoy myself with Jenny and the other gals that were also in the class with me.

Beth from the Spinning Loft told me about Jenny coming to MI from Vermont to teach a 3-class workshop. I couldn't make the first two classes but did sign up for the last class on Sat which was all about plying and a few extra things that Jenny threw in for us.
The class started at 9:30am and ended around 4:30pm.....a full day of spinning fun and learning so many new things.

Our homework for the class was to have at least 2 bobbins of single ply yarn made up and ready to ply. For this assignment I chose to use BFL roving(that I bought from Beth) in a beautiful brown color.....I love spinning BFL and the color is so perfect too!

This is my finished 2 ply skein of Brown BFL

Since my class I have set in the twist,washed it with a drop of Dawn dishsoap, hung it up to dry and retwisted it back into a skein.

Thought you might want to see a closeup of my spun fibers :D

I have about a pound and a half of this roving left to spin up and I have already started to spin some of it......so it won't be long before I will be knitting something with it too!

Speaking of knitting with my own handspun yarns.....I started my first project with some of my handspun yarn......I am making a shawl with these two skeins of Corriedale & Mohair. I know this yarn will make some very nice things.....I have another 16oz ball of this same roving that I will be spinning and finishing real soon.
These are the two skeins that I have spun up so far

And of course a closeup pic too.....

It is a real treat to watch the yarn transforming itself with the help of your hands....wool that starts out as an animals hair to keep them warm and cozy, cleaned and turned into roving in which to spin with....kind of makes you wonder what we would be spinning if someone back in time didn't get the idea of giving their sheep a hair cut and then start recycling it magically into a skein of yarn that can be turned into a beautiful garment, socks, afghans, and many more handcrafted items!

Thought I would leave you for tonight with a thought to ponder :D
See you all soon

My New Fiber Passion....The Art of Handspinning

2007-11-19T09:04:00.001-05:00

When Cindy from Pitchfork Ranch brought our girls to us, she also brought me Maria's freshly shorn that morning fleece. It is was so soft and just ready for me to learn another new craft with.
Believe it or not, it did sit in the box for about a month or so before I took a class at the Fiber Expo in Ann Arbor and caught the spinning bug! This class was taught by Beth Smith owner of The Spinning Loft in downtown Howell....ladies you just have to go to her shop.....she is a great lady and her shop is so cozy and all that fiber, ooooh laaaa laaa I say!!!!

Here is my first mini skein of yarn that I spun at the Fiber Expo.....not too terribly bad for a first timer huh?
Oh yeah, back to my spinning....so anyways, I loved spinning so much that I decided to visit Beth's shop a few days later and became the proud owner of this gal

She is an Ashford Traveller with a single drive and a double treadle. I have named her Marie after my darling daughter Elena Marie who bought her for me as an early Christmas gift and Maria our ole Romney gal because her's is the first wool that I have spun on it.

I have since taken another class which I will tell you about in my next post and in between my classes I have been practicing my spinning and plying techniques as much as I can.

So these are a couple of skeins of yarn that I spun last week....the larger skein is a 2 ply and the smaller one is a 3 ply that I used the Navajo plying method for. I really like this method of plying and look forward to using it more in the future.
I think that my skeins are getting better and better...what do you all think?
Post a comment and let me know as I look forward to everyone's comments and helpful hints if you have any to share.

Pictures of "The Girls"

2007-11-19T08:40:00.000-05:00

Ok....now everyone has to get used to me calling our Romney ewes "The Girls"....that is just what I have started to call them and it works for me LOL
Anyways....I thought you would all like to see some pics of our girls so here they are........

This is Maria....she is our oldest at 7 years old. She is a stubborn ole gal who doesn't like to for us to catch her let alone to be touched! We have to corral her everytime we need to worm her, trim her feet and give her immunizations. I am hoping that maybe some day she will lighten up, get used to us and realize that we aren't going to hurt her.
Maria is a white Romney ewe with some beatifully crimped fleece....in this pic she was just sheared so you can't see her beautiful fleece. I will have to take some more pics once her fleece grows out more.

This gal is Aida, she is a 2 year old Romney ewe and is silver in color. Aida is the ruler of the girls and they all know it including her. She loves attention and is Jeff's girl. She lets me rub and pat her but you can tell that she loves Jeff more than she does me as she will run from far away in the pasture when she sees him so he can pat and rub her....and of course give her some grain!
In these pics, you can see that Aida was sheared not too long ago so you can't get a good visual of her gorgeous fleece....she has a mother of pearl/ivory color to her fleece and lots of crimps...it's absolutely to die for!

Aida will also become a mommy this winter and have spring babies for us to enjoy.

And last but not least is our young gal Aaliyah.....she is a beautiful black Romney ewe that is almost a year old....she was born this year in Feb. She is also a half sister to Aida....they have the same mother.

She is too young to breed this year but we will be breeding her next winter. I know she will have some beautfiul babies.

The other girls already had their names but we named Aaliyah....she is named after the singer Aaliyah who died in a plane crash a few years ago in the Bahamas. She was a gorgeous girl who was taken from us too soon and just at the start of her great singing career.

Maddiwood Farms will have all their sheep named after famous people.....that's one reason why we named our farm Maddiwood....sort of like Hollywood or Dollywood! I'm sure you all got it now right?

Ok back to Aaliyah.....she is my baby and loves me to sit with her, pat and rub ber head, chin and back. She is the sweetest gal and even gives me kisses!

Her fleece is so gorgeous, I can't tell you enough about it......it will be a spinners dream when it is sheared. She also was sheared not long before this picture so you can't see her fleece but let me tell you all that it is a gorgeous black heathery color with oh so much crimp.

Maddiwood Farms is up and Running

2007-11-19T08:33:00.000-05:00

Well....one of the many new things that I have to blog about is our newest adventure...becoming Shepards! Yep, that's right....back in September Jeff and I became the new parents of 3 beautiful Romney ewes....Maria, Aida and Aaliyah. With this Maddiwood Farms was born!

We searched out a few different ranchs to choose from in buying our sheep and there was no doubt in our minds who we wanted to get our new sheep from it was the Pitchfork Ranch
Cindy and Margaret are the best. They are a couple of lovely ladies that really care about their sheep and their customers. I look forward to many years of sheparding with them.

Being Shepards has been such great fun so far and we are loving it so much that we are planning on breeding Maria and Aida this January so we will have little baby lambs in May. I know this will be fun and those little lambies are going to be so cute too! Aaliyah is too young to breed this year so we will wait until next year for her to have her first babies.

So Many New Things

2007-11-19T08:27:00.000-05:00

Alright everyone....I know that I am terrible at keeping up with my blog and shame on me for that but with so many neat crafty things to do I just can't seem to get to writing in my blog.
I promise that I will get better and at least try to update my blog on a more regular basis!

In Memory of SGT Matthew Ryan Soper

2007-06-16T00:06:00.000-04:00

With the loving help of my sisters at Loves Many Cloths, we have crocheted and assembled a memorial afghan for the parents of our fallen hero, SGT Matthew Soper.

The wonderful,caring,kind and thoughtful ladies of this group rushed to helping me with this afghan by sending me their handmade squares so I could assemble this afghan to give to his parents in memory of their son.

I think it turned out just gorgeous and was made with so much love and many prayers. I plan on presenting it to SGT Soper's parents at a memorial benefit that we will be having soon for the family.
Although I am happy to be able to give it to them on behalf of our group, it is going to be one of the hardest things I will ever have to do.

It is my hope that this afghan will give them a sense of peace and love when they wrap it around themselves and that everytime they look at it they will smile with the memory of their son and what he meant to his fellow countrymen & women and his country.

Our Soldier, Our Hero, Our Friend

2007-06-15T23:48:00.000-04:00

On June 6, 2007 a very brave young man gave the ultimate sacrifice for his country.
SGT Matthew Ryan Soper, 26 yrs old of Jackson Michigan, spotted an IED and the convoy he was in stopped. Normally these IED's are pressure sensored. However, on this day, their was an insurgent who was holding the detinator. He then detinated the IED. SGT Soper was killed instantly from the blast.

SGT Soper was one hell of a Soldier. In 10 months, he spotted and
detinated 22 IED's, thus saving many lives of his fellow commrades.
He believed in what he was doing and has given the greatest sacrifice
in war. He will be truly missed.
He was determined to be a Soldier at a very young age and turned out to be one of
the best Soldiers anyone could ask for!

SGT Soper was deployed with my son-in-law Jason on both their first mission with the 1462nd Transportation Company of Howell, MI in 04-05 as well as this mission with the 1461st Transportation Company of Jackson, MI. He was scheduled to come home with his unit in August.

His fellow soldiers he left behind in Iraq are all mourning the loss of their fellow commrade and brother but are carrying on with their mission as they were trained to do. The loss of SGT Soper is very difficult for them as he is the first casuality their units have had from both deployments.

No words can explain the loss and pain his family is feeling right now and will for some time. Please keep them all in your thoughts and prayers.

SGT Matthew Ryan Soper's memorial service is on Tuesday, June 19, 2007 in Jackson, Michigan and will be laid to rest with full military honors following the service.

"Many Squares of Loves" Square Drive

2007-06-15T23:38:00.000-04:00

As a military mom and the Michigan List mom of Loves Many Cloths, I was pondering the idea in my head about our group helpings out the Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany with their needs of afghans for our wounded soldiers.

My friend, sister and fellow Loves member and list mom Diane from Florida and I got together and worked out our newest project at Loves Many Cloths. We are collecting knitted and crocheted squares that we will assemble for our wounded heroes and send them to the military hospital so they can be given to the soldiers and show them some love from home and give them some warmth in their time of need.

It is a small thing to do for what they are sacrificing for us!

If you would like to help us with this project, we would be so happy to have you join us.....you don't have to be a member of Loves Many Cloths to help us out. Just visit our website at www.lovesmanycloths.com for all the details about our squares drive and start stitching!!!!
You can also send me an email for more info if you would like at budezbullez@yahoo.com

This is a very worthy cause and you TOO can show our military members that you care and are gratful for what they are doing for us.

Loves Many Cloths Helps Out Kansas

2007-06-15T23:28:00.000-04:00

We have been helping out the victims of the terrible tornado that hit Greensburg Kansas by sending our cloths to them and also banding together by making squares for the afghan project called Buliding Greensburg-Block by Block

Laura is collecting knitted and crocheted squares that will be assembled into afghans that will be given to the families of these terrible tornados

You can read her blog here and get more information as to how you can help too
http://specialstuff.typepad.com/sugar_bunny_boulevard/2007/05/rebuilding_gree.html

These squares are ones that I have made and sent to Laura to help out with her project.

Ok, So I Haven't Been Here in FOREVER!!!!

2007-06-15T23:23:00.000-04:00

Well, call me a bad girl but I haven't forgotten about my blog but I just haven't had the time to keep up with it! I can't believe it took me a year to get back here and post.

What's kept me so busy you ask???? My granddaughter, keeping up with the housework, all the typical life changes and also my crafting with Loves Many Cloths....my cyber family group.
If you love to knit, crochet or loom....this is the group for you! We make so many things for charity and there is no pressure or a timeline for helping us out.
Check out our website and see for yourself
www.lovesmanycloths.com

Now that I have caught you all up a bit as to why I haven't been here in so long....I must go for now but I will be back!!

Our Tearful & Sad Goodbye

2006-06-18T16:50:00.000-04:00

On the morning of Saturday, June 3, 2006 we said a tearful and sad goodbye to our honorable soldier and son Specialist Jason Leigh Smallwood....this is a closeup of the coach bus that took Jason to his camp in Indiana as he prepares for his second deployment to Iraq...this deployment is for 18 months.
We will miss you while you are gone and many prayers will be said for your safe return home. We are so very proud of you for the fine soldier and young man that you have become. We love you dearly and always will.

Be safe my son and Godspeed........

The Morning Our Soldiers Deployed

2006-06-18T16:42:00.000-04:00

Our Soldiers marching into the Jackson Fair Grounds for their Goodbye Ceremony

Our Soldiers standing at attention

Our Soldiers Saluting the crowd...

Jason & The 4th Platoon

2006-06-18T16:36:00.000-04:00

This pic is of Jason with his platoon

Family Day For Our Soldiers

2006-06-18T16:24:00.001-04:00

The day before Jason left, the Michigan National Guard's Jackson Unit had Family Day.

Here is Jason, Elena & Maddisyn during the family day events....I think it's a great family picture for them to have.

We had a BBQ under the big tent and spent time with our soldiers as they showed us the trucks they will be driving in Iraq...
Those are some really big trucks!

Oh So Busy

2006-06-18T16:11:00.000-04:00

Gosh, were do I start....things have been so busy for me since my last post.
I have been busy, really busy crocheting since my last blog post though, so everyone should be proud of me :o)
The day after my last post, our satellite dish went belly up and we didn't have any internet for a week and a half....that was terrible!
My Son-in-law Specialist Jason Smallwood deployed for a second time to Iraq on Saturday June 3rd and is now in Indiana for his mobilization. His 22nd birthday was the day after he left for Indiana, Sunday June 4th.....
HAPPY BIRTHDAY Jason...we are so proud of you and miss you already :o)

I have been busy making cloths and baby items for Loves Many Cloths....12" squares for American Angels Heroghans and Helmet Liners for Jason's Unit and American Angels...Pics are coming soon.

Maddisyn & Her Nana

2006-05-29T00:14:00.000-04:00

Can you tell that Maddisyn's Nana(me)is so very proud of her little granddaughter..LOL
I think she loves me just as much...what do you think?
Little Maddisyn's Daddy took this pic of us the night before he left for Iraq and somehow managed to get his knee in the pic...but that's ok..it still is a cute pic of us!

Swinging on a Hot Early Summer Afternoon

2006-05-29T00:10:00.000-04:00

It's been so hot here in Michigan these past couple of days but that didn't stop Maddisyn and her Mommy from enjoying a relaxing afternoon on the backyard swing!

Learning to Crawl

2006-05-29T00:03:00.000-04:00

Nana is so proud of her little Sweet Pea...she is trying real hard to crawl....Even though she likes to stand better...Don't worry my little darling, you will get there sooner than you think :o)

My little Cutie

2006-05-28T23:48:00.000-04:00

Well, I finished another Diagonal Block Baby Blankie, this one is going to the Arnold Palmer(Winnie Palmer)Children's Hospital in Orlando Florida. I just started another blankie for the same hospital, using a different pattern...Sorry, no pics today but I will take some very soon and post them for everyone to see.

Here are some new pics of my darling cutie Granddaughter Maddisyn who just turned 4 months old 2 days ago.

This pic is of little Maddisyn sleeping in her new crib that her GiGi(Great-Grandma Murdock) bought her...she is so darling when she sucks her thumb to go to sleep.
Her crib isn't completely set up yet as we are waiting for her princess bedding to arrive...it is going to be so cute...all pretty in pink with eyelets and lace. Hopefully it gets here soon as Nana can't wait to get it set up in the crib and take more pics of my little cutie sleeping like a princess in her new bedding

Diagonal(Block) Stitch Baby Blankie

2006-05-22T15:59:00.000-04:00

This is my Diagonal Stitch aka Block Stitch baby blankie ready to be washed and sent to a happy baby. I finished it last night. I used Caron Simply Soft in Off White and Soft Green-even though the picture looks more blue, it is a baby green.

Infinity Loom Baby Blankie

2006-05-22T15:49:00.000-04:00

I am really loving looming and got this infinity loom from CinDwood Crafts it is the perfect size for a baby blanket.
I am using a figure 8 wrap and Bernat Baby Coordinate Sweet Stripes yarn. I love the look and feel of this yarn with the infinity loom. Using the loom does take some practice as it is a bit different than using a rake or board but it is a wonderful change of pace and makes a nice two sided piece.
I am doing a one over two stitch with this yarn to make it a bit thicker but it is still very airy and fluffy...it feels so wonderful :o)
I know that the baby that receives this blankie will just love it!

Tropical Sore Bandages

2006-05-22T15:37:00.000-04:00

Here is a Tropical Sore aka Leprosy Bandage that I am making with my rake from A Loomy Place using 100% cotton yarn. I use Sugar N Cream cotton on the cone which gives me alot of bandages. I order my cones from Elmore Pisgah...their customer service is impeccable and shipping is soo fast!

I am enjoying making the bandage on my rake, they are fun to make and work up pretty fast....I just learned how to do the garter stitch on this rake which is perfect for the bandages...it looks just like the garter stitch done on needles.
Tropical Sore Bandages are still needed in parts of the world. The recipients are so grateful to receive them. We are sending them to Global Health Ministries and they send them on to where they are most needed.
Diane at Loves is our coordinator of the bandages...we send them to her and she washes, dries, packages and ships them off to GHM.

I haven't Updated in Soo Long

2006-05-22T15:22:00.000-04:00

OMG, I can't believe I haven't posted to my blog in such a long time...I guess I have been so busy that I haven't had the chance. I know, no excuses.
I have been making alot of cloths for Love's Many Cloths...my favorite group of peeps I may add...we are such good friends at this group, all the members are just like family...we make a variety of items from cloths, baby items & bandages that are sent to shelters around the US and baby items such as hats, booties, blankies and such that we are sending to hospitals in the South...please come visit us at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/LovesManyCloths
I am sure that you will love it there as much as I do :o)
These are my May Cloths that will be sent to Bev at Loves for her shelter.

Plans for Today

2006-02-28T11:02:00.000-05:00

Well, today I plan on getting some serious knitting done!
I am going to work real hard on the placemats for my MIL's birthday present. I need to get them completed in time for her birthday on March 19....so today will be productive.

My friends on Let's Knit & Chat posted a cute little quiz about what kind of knitter you are.
My results.....

You appear to be a Knitting Adventurer.
You are through those knitting growing pains and

feeling more adventurous. You can follow a

standard pattern if it's not too complicated

and know where to go to get help. Maybe

you've started to experiment with different

fibers and you might be eyeing a book with a

cool technique you've never tried. Perhaps

you prefer to stick to other people's

patterns but you are trying to challenge

yourself more. Regardless of your preference,

you are continually trying to grow as a

knitter, and as well you should since your

non-knitting friends are probably dropping

some serious hints, these days.
http://marniemaclean.com

What Kind of Knitter Are You?
brought to you by Quizilla
This is definately me...
Click on the link and take the quiz, it's fun:)

Wow, There Has Been So Much Going On

2006-02-27T21:28:00.000-05:00

Well...sorry I haven't been updating my blog for a long time but things have been so very busy for me in the past 6 weeks or so. But I haven't forgotten about my blog!
Where do I start...well, my darling Granddaughter Maddisyn Helena was born on January 26, 2006 at 7:52am weighing in at 7lbs 11 oz and measuring 21" long. She is the love of my life and has really made my life complete. She has also kept us busy with her arrival.
I have also been busy knitting & crocheting for charity...my charity projects include dishcloths, preemie & micro-preemie baby hats, afghan squares & tropical sore bandages....instead of loading all my projects here on my blog-which would take forever and soo much space...they are all in my photo album
Well...must go stitch some more...til next time:)

2006-01-10T02:42:00.000-05:00

One of my most favorite places to visit on the web is a group of friends at Crochetville....
These guys and gals are some of the most talented crocheters on the web!

Stop by for a visit and say Hi....I promise you will have lots of fun and learn just about anything you want there.

Click on the button and come on over!

My Darling Daughter and Her Hubby

2006-01-10T01:55:00.000-05:00

Here is my daughter and her husband on their big wedding day...

They are one of the cutest couples in the world IMHO!

A Little About Shelena

2006-01-10T01:41:00.000-05:00

OMG, this is my first attempt at blogging...this is so cool!
Anyways, I started my blog to share pictures of my knitting and crocheting with all my forum friends.
Also to share some other important pictures and other things with everyone.
Shelena is a company that my daughter and I started almost a year ago....we first started out creating beauty items which we sold at local craft and farmers markets....then we evolved to EBay.
We started a very successful Ebay store called Shelena_Essence where we sell craft supplies such as knit and crochet patterns, yarns, scrapbooking supplies to name a few.
Our Shelena Essence is still going strong!
Feel free to stop by our store, sign up for our newsletter or just browse.