T'was the Night Before Christmas for Crocheters

'Twas the night before Christmas and all around me
There was unfinished crocheting not under the tree,
The stockings weren't hung by the chimney with care
'Cause the heels and the toes had not a stitch there.

The children were nestled all snug in their beds,
But I had not finished the caps for their heads.
Dad was asleep-he was no help at all.
And the sweater for him was 6" too small.

When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,
I put down my hook to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew like a flash.
Tripped over my yarn and fell down in my stash.

The tangle of yarn that lay deep as the snow
Reminded me how far I still had to go.
When out on the lawn I heard such a noise,
I was sure it would wake up both Dad and the boys.

And although I was tired-my brain a bit thick,
I knew in a moment that it must be St Nick.
Yet what I heard left me very perplexed
For nothing I heard was what I expected.

"Move Rowan! Move Patons! Move Koigu and Clover!
Move Shelridge! Move Starmore! Move Spinrite! Move over!
Lopi, don't circle around, just stand there in line.
Pay attention you sheep and you'll work out just fine!

I know this is hard as it's just your first year
But I'd hate to go back to 8 tiny reindeer."
I peered over the sill. What I saw was amazing:
Eight wooly sheep on my lawn all a-grazing!

And then in a twinkle, I heard at the door
Santa's big boots stomping on the porch floor.
I rose from my knees and got back on my feet.
As I turned around, St Nick I did meet.

He was dressed all in wool from his head to his toe
And his clothes were hand crochet from above to below.
A bright Fair Isle sweater he wore on his back.
And his toys were all stuffed in an Aran crochet sack.

His hat was a wonder of bobbles and lace
A beautiful frame for his rosy red face.
The scarf on his neck could have stretched for a mile,
And the socks peeking over his boots were Argyle.

On the back of his mitts was an intricate cable.
And suddenly on one I spotted a small label:
"S.C." in duplicate on the cuff.
So I asked, "Hey, Nick, did YOU crochet all this stuff?"

He proudly replied, "Ho, ho, ho, yes I did.
I learned how to crochet when I was just a kid."
He was chubby and plump, a well dressed old man,
And I laughed to myself, for I'd thought up a plan.

I flashed him a grin and jumped up in the air,
And the next thing he knew, he was tied to a chair.
He spoke not a word, but looked down in his lap
Where I had laid my crochet hook and yarn for a cap.

He began then to crochet, first one cap then 2 -
For the first time I thought I might really get through.
He put heels in the stockings and toes in some socks,
While I sat back drinking a scotch on the rocks.

Quickly like magic his hooks they flew,
Good Grief! He was finished by two!
He sprang for his sleigh when I let him go free,
And over his shoulder he looked back at me.
I heard him explain as he sailed past the moon,
"Next year, start your crocheting sometime around JUNE!"


~ Author Unknown ~

A Crafty Update - Finally!

I have finally finished a craft project. It seemed like everything I have been doing was just 'in progress"!

The first image is of a matryoshka set. My oldest daughter and I created it. From the outside in, it is King Tut, Queen Cleopatra, Anubis, The Eye of Ra, a mummy and an anhk. It is a Christmas present for my bil.

The second image is of a papercraft bald eagle that I made as a gift for my sil & bil. You can find the link to create your own at Canon Papercraft. I took the picture next to a can of soda, so it would have some scale. The end result is about 2 1/2 feet from wing tip to wing tip.

Ouch! A Sharp Idea....

I just love the CRAFT magazine newsletter. I see the most interesting works.

Here is my favorite of the latest. I'll need to try this sometime.

Sharpening Pin Cushion



Don't spill too much blood using one of these!

Flowers, Flowers, Everywhere

These pics are of Moms doing. She made 180 small crochet flowers for centerpieces for the conference.

She was inspired by a pattern, but then made modifications herself. To go along with the flowers, she made backs to hide the "mechanics" and leaves. So, that's 540 crocheted items. Busy bee, wasn't she?

Eat Your Veggies. Now.

I finally am able to put up a picture of the garden veggies I made for the conference. The only exception are the carrots, which Mom made.

This display was in front of the podium at the head table.

The cauliflower and the bumblebee are my own design. Everything else was borrowed from Alan Dart (ladybugs); Corn and Tomatoes, with some slight variations, from Garden Variety via MagKnits; Small Onion by Catherine Lindsay; and the Pumpkin by Magenta Lizard

The Truth about Global Warming: There is none

A good friend of mine from PR had this on her blog and I feel strongly enough about it that I am including the link here as well.

Global Warming and the Price of a Gallon of Gas

Paper Cuts 2

This time, the paper cuts are mine. Don't worry, I have only received a few. More than cuts have been folds, folds, and more folds. I have been working on completing origami irises, leaves/stems and butterflies for centerpieces for the gardening conference in June.

I'll post pics as soon as I have the time!

Busy bee!

No, I don't want to make those, too! Please!

Knit Juvenile Sea Nettle

I just found a new free pattern for a juvenile sea nettle. It is from the CRAFT magazine site. Download it here!

Veggie Update

The June convention is fast approaching and I'm getting busier making fruits and veggies for the displays. One display will be a knit/crochet picnic layout. Another will be a display of the edible bounty that can come from out gardens. Some of the patterns will be my own designs, I hope.

So far, I have completed a pear, a strawberry, a pumpkin, a banana, an orange, cucumber slices, an onion and broccoli and cauliflower florets. For the picnic, I need to create a picnic basket, plates, cups, silverware, a picnic blanket, sandwiches, and an apple, plus some other surprises.

The garden bounty display will also feature radishes, carrots, turnips, a few more onions, and some other items I can't think of right now.

When I'm done, I hope to be able to post some links to the patterns I have used as well and write up the ones I design.

Chopstick Canoe

I love the creativity of the human race! And, to recycle, to boot!

Read more about this amazing man and his work here.

Gardening Advice from a Man Who's Very Scared of Plants

This is a Saturday Night Live skit that is quite amusing.

Photoshop Disasters!

Photoshop is an incredibly powerful tool for the graphics industry. Especially when dealing with photos.

Unfortunately, not everyone is trained in its use, nor are all users paying attention to their work.

Here is a really funny site that showcases some obvious and not-so-obvious poor uses of the Photoshop program.

Presenting, Photoshop Disasters.

Warning! Some of the pictures are not for young viewers, so use your own discretion.

Above and at right are two of my favorites:

Castle in the Air and



Sports Illustrated: Head Shot!

Paper Cuts

I don't know why, but lately I have been really interested in paper models. I like to see them, download them and build them. We have already used one, an ankylosaur for our dinosaur study this year. Mommy helped both girls, which was probably best. The girls also made pop-up pterodoan cards for the same unit.

I've already included previous entries with links to unusual paper crafting - see the Fantastic Paper Sculptures post.

Here is another interesting use of paper, along similar lines, but not quite as colorful. Still entertaining. Thanks, Javan!

A Blessed Easter!

Without going into the spiritual whys and wherefores of this most holy of holidays, I would like to share a beautiful example of the creativity God has granted to his people.

This work is absolutely amazing. Not just the precision of the work, but the gentleness and care that must be taken in order to complete it.

Knitted Easter Eggs

A great easter project to knit. I'll put it on my WIM list and maybe get a few done by next year!

At least these Easter Eggs won't get broken.

Happy Anniversary!

It doesn't seem possible, but one year ago, today, I started this blog. Funny, I figured it would have more posts.

So much has happened since then and I'm glad I have started it. I can look back at old posts and see things I don't want to forget. The internet is such a big place that even things we really like can get lost. It seems much bigger than even the world in which we live. Maybe because mapping it would be impossible. The spider's web of connections would be so big as to seem like a black hole.

Get Your Muppets On!

Have you ever wished you could take your love of the Muppets with you? teapotdnky has created an awesome Muppet bracelet made of polymer clay.

I'm sure Jim Henson would be proud.

Knitted Shields

Knitted Shields, to prevent radio wave emissions from appliances from entering the air, not the kind used by knights of old. Talk about being technophobic! Anyway, the end result in the kitchen is pretty neat.

The imagination of some people.... or, should I say, the paranoia.

Fantastic Paper Sculptures

I just love the CRAFT daily post.  I get to see some new artwork of various kinds they have found on the web.  Today had a link to some really amazing paper sculptures by artist Jen Stark.  So, of course, I had to share them.

Enjoy!

Maxine on Prevalant "Logix"

This is copied from an email.  If I knew the original creator, I'd be happy to give him/her credit.

----------------------------------------------

On Prevalent "Logic"

. . . Everyone concentrates on the problems we're having in this country lately; illegal immigration, hurricane recovery, alligators attacking people in Florida.

Not me. I concentrate on solutions for the problems. It's a win-win situation.

+ Dig a moat the length of the Mexican border.

+ Send the dirt to New Orleans to raise the level of the levies.

+ Put the Florida alligators in the moat along the Mexican border.

Any other problems you would like for me to solve today?


On singing OUR National Anthem in Spanish

I'm sorry, but after hearing they want to sing OUR National Anthem in Spanish - enough is Too much!

NEVER did they sing it in Italian, Japanese, Polish, Irish-Celtic, German, Portuguese, Greek, French, or any other language because of immigration. It was written by Francis Scott Key and should be sung word for word the way it was written. The news broadcasts gave a translation that's NOT even close.

Sorry if this offends anyone, (edit - Actually, I'm not.)

THIS IS MY COUNTRY!

Do YOU - sing MY National Anthem in YOUR COUNTRY IN ENGLISH ? ? ?


And, because I make this statement DOES NOT mean I'm against immigration!!!

YOU ARE WELCOME HERE IN MY COUNTRY.

Welcome to come through like everyone else has.

Get a sponsor !
Get a place to lay your head !
Get a job !
Live by OUR rules !
Pay YOUR taxes !

And
LEARN THE LANGUAGE
LIKE ALL OTHER IMMIGRANTS HAVE IN THE PAST!!!

AND PLEASE DON'T DEMAND THAT WE HAND OVER OUR LIFETIME SAVINGS OF SOCIAL SECURITY FUNDS TO YOU TO MAKE UP FOR ''YOUR'' LOSSES.


If you don't want to voice your opinions  for fear of offending someone, then YOU'RE PART OF THE PROBLEM!


When will AMERICAN'S STOP giving away THEIR RIGHTS???

We've gone so far the other way, bent over backwards not to offend anyone.

But, it seems no one cares about the AMERICAN that's being offended!

Amazing Cake Art

It's truly amazing what we humans can create. They almost look too good to eat.

The first picture is an example of the work of Charm City Cakes, from the Ace of Cakes show on the Food Network. They were requested to make a cake of Hogwarts for the L.A. premiere of the Harry Potter and the Order of the Pheonix movie in July 2007.

The second is an example of Russian Cake Art.

Twisted Balloons

Happy Leap Year!

I probably should have said that on New Year's Day, but this is the month it really counts. Since this month is special and a little wacky during Leap Year, I'm hoping to share some special and wacky things myself.

The first of which, other than the Bent Objects blog highlights on the right (scroll down), are the Twisted Balloon Fashions. They're pretty temporary, and I wouldn't think too comfortable, with all that latex, but, interesting, non-the-less. Human creativity s so amazing. What a gift from God!

Well, enjoy getting a bit twisted!

Yarn Troll

Well, it sure has been a while since I've posted anything. Life sure got too busy!

Anyway, I just found a blog post that is quite amusing - The Yarn Troll. You should read it. I think I have one of these, too. I've just never seen it.

Yarn Troll

Here's a picture of her troll: In The Flesh