Sandy's Sunday Thoughts

There really is never enough hours in the day.

People really can really surprise you with their big hearts.

Immigration and airport security are stressful, long, involved and I wonder....do they really serve a purpose?

Yes, I really do need more time in each and everyday. I am soooooooo behind at blogging on this blog and in visiting all my blog friends. I plan to visit at least 5 of you everyday this week in an effort to catch up. And I need to get a couple of posts written, scheduled and get back in the swing of things...show you what I've been working on, what I've been doing, and find out the same from you.

Been gone for a week, and was thrilled thrilled thrilled to see so many wonderful donations for Bridge and Beyond.

Get in this line, show this paper, move over here. Put your papers away, take your papers back out. Leave your shoes on. Get them tied again, now take your shoes off. Good Grief. How much do you have to declare, what did you buy? Why don't they ask for receipts if they really care? Where did you go, how long did you stay, what happens if you don't tell the truth? How would they know? I'm not sure they would. But...I sure spent lots of time in line..........Geessssssssss Lots of details, pictures, and information to follow on my travel blog, Traveling Suitcase

Daily plan for the week:
Knit 10 rows on scarf I started for DD for Christmas (picture tomorrow)
Knit 10 rows on corner to corner (ghan for homeless, keep checking Bridge and Beyond for progress, in a blue phase now
Crochet 10 rows or stitch together sections for blue burgundy ghan for homeless, keep checking Bridge and Beyond for progress

Goals for the week:
Streamline new tab areas on Bridge and Beyond to include slipper patterns, consolidate mitten patterns
Make exciting announcement about who won the mitten challenge on The Bridge (and tally final total of mittens received for challenge made my member Beth
Make exciting announcement regarding magazine article.............drum roll please.

Adding Green to the Ghan

Dumped out, sorted, rolled, organized Green. Wow...look at all the shades of green. We've got lime green, Christmas Green, several shades of olive green, Forest Green, minty greens, almost black greens. Some almost look blue depending on what you place it next too. I followed the pink procedure and pulled out the small balls of green and have continued.

The pictures a bit blurry, sorry bout that. Still have more green to add; but making good progress. Depending on how much green there is, the decrease might start after the green. Kinda fun using up the small balls of yarn this way and seeing the way the colors show up next to each other. This will go to Faith Mission for Bridge and Beyond.

Making it Pink

Because it's October and we all think about Pink I pulled out my pink stash. Did some untangling, some sorting, some rolling balls. Decided I would pull out all the small balls things about 1-2 inches and use them up.
Here's the start. After the pink section I'm currently working on, I have one more small ball of pink....so then will yank out the green stash and do the same thing. This is helpful, it's reminding me what I have. Giving me a chance to organize a bit too, since some of the hanks etc have been in the bags of stash awhile and they do get a little messy. So far I've managed to actually end at the end of the rows, though ...when you're knitting a corner to corner the first rows are much shorter so that's easier to do. I probably won't as time goes on, and I think that's ok. Changing mid row, might add some character to this ghan. I also don't think I'll make an effort to always end on the right or wrong side. After all I want to use up the balls. I've become a real fan of the corner to corner ghans. They're easy and work up fairly fast with just doing garter stitch. They're a good way to use up yarn, they look decorative I think with the edge made from the yarn overs. This one will probably go Bridge and Beyond for Faith Mission. Those women and children are truly in need.

Apologies, it's been 2 weeks since I've posted. Wow, I never let it go that long. I've been working more hours, and have put lots of time and energy into working on the blog for Bridge and Beyond. Adding tabs, doing more frequent posts to help it's placement in the search engines, and doing lots of posting and promotions on other blogs, and forums to obtain more helping hands.

Would love you all to take time to visit The Bridge, maybe you could print a flier or two which you'll find in the tabs across the top of the blog to help spread the word. Could I also ask you to visit and comment on 2 or 3 different posts? That's helpful as well with the whole search engine thing.

I hope to get around to visiting you all again, please know you're not forgotten.

Thinking, Planning, Designing Orange Fall

Felt like throwing squares and rectangles on the floor to get those creative juices going. I remembered I had a fair number of orange-ish squares in my mish mosh bags. Drug those out and added some recent rectangles with that same fall orange flare to them. Lots of sizes here as you can see. Some pieces are knitted, some are crocheted, some are sampler type squares/rectangles and others granny style made in the round. Several of these large knitted squares are from my Darling Daughter, some have been donated through Bridge and Beyond by Alexis, RoseMarie, and some are left overs from previous defunct groups. Some I've had a while; but a squares doesn't get old you know. It's like wine, I use no square before it's time. lol
It's time. I like to photograph what I think the lay out should be, to get idea how much I need to change the squares/rectangles to make them fit. Once I pick them up and start that work, I often have to look at the picture. I really can't remember how I put them together size wise. Sometimes though the give and go of squares with different yarns and stitches changes and they do get moved from the original template.

However, this is step 1 for me. Next is step 2, what color to edge and join with. Debating with myself now between black and brown. I'll have to check the amount I have of each in my stash and go from there. It's a work in progress and will be donated to Faith Mission, the latest beneficiary I've added to our The Mission of Bridge and Beyond.

I also like to take pictures from the both the length and width views, as it helps with sizing issues.

Troubled Blanket on it's way, FINALLY

Gees, what started out as an easy project really took a turn to taking too much time and I had to solve a problem. The pink yarn was given to me and and I thought it was such a soft pink would make a nice small blanket. I started was to be a plain pink blanket, and when I was at what I thought was the 1/4 th point by counting the stitches on the needle I weighted the yarn I had left and thought I was good to go. No clue how I was sooooooo off. I don't know if I didn't weigh the yarn correctly, forgot what I came up with, or changed the count I was going for on the blanket. But, clearly I was way off. The pink yarn was old, wasn't a brand I'd ever heard of before and so I knew it wasn't possible to try and match. Two choice, rip out back to the half way point and do a 2 tone blanket or keep going until I ran out and then switch. I hate, hate, hate to rip out and had so many projects going and deadline looming that I choice to keep going and add a new color when the time came. My thought was then to make a hoody type blanket so whatever color I added for the 2nd color on one corner would be matched with a hood of the same color on the opposite corner.
The 2nd color ended up being about 1/3rd of the blanket which measures 32 x 32 inches. Susie snuggled up in the traditional wrap method showing the hood which has a small ruffle. I didn't want it to lay totally flat against the blanket feeling it might be too tight.

This is on it's way to Angela for her Blankets for All Babies request on Crochetville. She's been busy making baby items for her local pregnancy center where your mothers with low income are much in need. Give a baby a head-start and make something warm. I have a couple of hats and green pair of booties going with this donation as well, but forgot to take pictures.

The blanket is knitted in straight garter stitch on size 6 needles (yarn was lighter weight so smaller needles were necessary which made the process slower than I like, even without the added problem of running out of pink), using the traditionally dishcloth pattern. The hood is made the same. I just knitted what looked like a new start until the corner seemed large enough, edge it, as I had the blanket; and crocheted the two together.

Angela's charity is in NE, Ohio.

Ticker Tape for Women

Moda Dea Ticker Tape, 100% nylon a fun yarn to work with. Very soft and light weight and is like working with ribbon. I think this might make a nice chemo cap due to the feel. It's also quite stretchy. I'm using 2 different sized needles 13 and 17. Have gotten so for quick projects, I really like the different texture using 2 sizes of needles gives when just knitting straight (garter stitch). When you use this method is called Condo Stitch. It's amazing how different it looks based on the sizes you choose to use. How close the needles sizes are or aren't makes a big difference. This is a little open and airy. Think if I were to do this again I would go for a bigger difference in needle sizes to open it up a bit more. This will be sent to NC and is, I think a nice weight for year round wear in that southern state. It's intended more as a decorative scarf and could be used to ward off cool air conditioning on the neck in the warmer months and then again for warmth later as it cools down.

The colorway is called Monet and while I'm not one to use lots of pastels it's really quite pretty. I''ve had these 2 skeins in my stash for quite a while and had forgotten I had it. It's classified as a bulky weight yarn and suggests size 13 as the optimal needle size. Generally when I'm using 2 different sized needles I use the suggested size as the smallest of the two, or go one smaller. There's only 67 yards in a skein, so will probably use about half the 2nd skein to complete this project. Since it's more of a decorative scarf I don't want it to be doubled up and will go for about 5.5 to 6 ft in length. As I was looking up the information this morning about the yarn I was surprised to see on RAV, that's it's since been discontinued. That's a shame. I saw hats, scarves, walker totes, ponchos, sweaters, and summer tops all made beautifully from this yarn. Not sure when it got discontinued; but if it wasn't too long ago you might get some really good buys from the stores that still have it in stock. Always nice to look for a bargain.

When finished (and by the time you read this it should be, as this is a scheduled post), it's heading to Jackie someone I meant on The Hive as a give away for Mother's and More Raleigh Durham Chapter 331 convention. This is a non-profit 20 year charity focused on promoting women and their needs.