Happy New Year!

OK, I'm way behind in my posting. So much has happened, and I didn't get them up here. I've officially finished my EMT course and passed my National Exam! I'm currently waiting for my State Certification, because I can't start working as an EMT until I get it. It's been 2 weeks, and I know in the middle of the holidays isn't helping, but I'm anxious to get the mail from them ASAP. Dh scored .09 point higher than I did, in spite of my highest final exam grade for the whole class, he takes his National exam tomorrow afternoon.

I did get some nice fiber-y gifts for Christmas. Some yarn from my Secret Santa, with a really neat gadget holder. It has cable needles, scissors, stitch markers of 3 different types, darning needles, crochet hooks, dpns, and even a circular needle as I just cast off my latest pride and joy!




This is my Rose Heart shawl by Elizabeth Matthews, I made it from a black, gray, white wool blend yarn, but the colors hid the design. So off to the dye pot it went, green, with a hint of blue made a lovely teal. It's actually still some variegated, but my queen sized bedspread hides that muted color variation.



Here is a close up, trying to show the design in the pattern. It's hard to see, but the photo above and this one are the same beast. I did run into a bit of trouble with the bind off, I ran out of yarn 81 stitches from the end. I was doing a very stretchy bind off, and by reverting back to a normal bind off, I was able to get it to make it to the end with yarn to spare. I have 2 more shawls planned for this pattern, one in another variegated yarn, but it's more subtle, and a rose colored cotton boucle. Still trying to find a suitable carry along yarn to add to that.

I'm needing to focus on the shawl for my sister, it's getting closer to completion, and I need to get it in the mail to her. Her wedding was in November, and Christmas is past... I'm nearly done with the main shawl, just need to finish the last repeat and do the edging. This does have a white acrylic carry along to go with this cotton boucle yarn. It's turning out very pretty. This is Wildflowers shawl, a free pattern by Posh Yarns.

Playing Catch Up!

I am behind, have a couple new pics to add. My Hemlock Ring KAL blanket is FINISHED!!! I love how it turned out, you can't see a whole lot of the detail, because I knit it in black/dark gray, which isn't photographing well, but you get the idea.





This is my latest doily pattern turning into a blanket! The pattern comes from www.yarnover.net and there are TONS that I printed off. I'm using mostly cotton yarn, there is some wool mixed in to the peach. The pink is a much thinner cotton-- all is machine knitting yarn, but I'm multi stranding, to make it work better with my size 10.5 Knit Picks circular needles. This is called "doily with spiral". It worked up to 66 cm using the original rayon thread, so I figure the cotton/wool on size 10.5 needles will make a really nice baby blanket.

Still doing the EMT classes, I got an 85% on my first big test! I'm passing all my skills tests and start doing ride outs with the EMS service that hosts our Academy starting next week. Will also be doing several shifts at one of the hospital Emergency Rooms, and am still very much on track to graduate in December!

OK, back to studying.

update on craftiness

OK, heavy on the pictures today. This is what is keeping me from getting more knitting done-- or blogging. I need to take pics of my sewing projects one of these days.




DH and I are studying to become EMT-basics, it's a lot of work, and study, so it's biting into my knitting time greatly. I should be studying NOW, instead of posting this. I promise to get busy right after this, really, I promise. This shows how thick my book is I'm studying.




Here's a pic of the front cover. No cheap junk for us! Chapter 4 is tonight-- Anatomy-- I need to study alot! to get a decent grade on the quiz tonight. No stress, what so ever, is there???? I want knit and relax, not study!










Here's the progress on dh's fire fighter's socks. The pattern is called fire fighter's because the person who came up with the pattern thought the design looked like ladders. I'm nearly done with the first ball of yarn.








Kind of dark, but you can see I'm working 2 socks at a time. Dh's feet are big enough and his ankles wide enough that 2 balls aren't going to make it, so I'll use yarn from my pair that I planned to make for me. Guess that means I'll have to BUY MORE Yarn!




This is an entrelac scarf I was trying out the pattern. I ended up ripping this out, but it was interesting to do. May make it again in some other yarn. See below to find out what that yarn ended up turning into.





This is the latest hat I'm in the process of making. I'm nearly out of the yarn, so it's close to completion. I'm making it out of navy Bernat Denim Style yarn. It's looking cute.










I'm not finished with my MS3 stole, I am into clue 6, so I'm making more progress. I should do another temporary blocking and take a picture of how far along it is, but that takes away from my knitting time. Had to start a new shawl, and am making good progress on it. It's called Honeycomb, as it looks like that in the design. I actually took a scarf pattern and widened it. It will end up with an "S" look to it as it will slowly grow toward the left as the length progresses, and then when you add the end decrease, it resembles the top curve of the letter.



I got these pictures reversed. This is how far along I am on this shawl. It's bunched together, as it's wider than my needle will let it stretch out. I've done 2 YO "V"'s in it, so far. I'm nearing the end of the second skein of yarn, and have one more available for me to use on it. Right now, it hangs from shoulders down to my rear end. I want it longer. So will keep knitting.






Here's the beginning of that shawl. I love the color striping of the yarn. It's Lion Brand Color Waves, a boucle yarn that I got on clearance at work, so it is a fantastic steal as far as cost of shawls go.





My bunny-in progress- is what that yarn ended up being. I don't have enough to do the whole bunny, so the green, which matches the green in the yarn will become the legs and ears. It may be ugly, but will be cuddly for a child needing something to snuggle with. I knit this much yesterday while on call for EMS. I hung out at my fitness center, and in between riding the stationary bike a total of 30 miles over the course of the day, studying for tonight's class, and watching TV, I knit this guy up.




I'm going to be teaching some beginning classes in knitting and crocheting next month. I have info at my work, for sign ups. Only easily available if you are in the San Antonio area. I'm also doing advanced crocheting and jewelry making. Hope to get sock knitting classes going next month. Depends on the EMT fun I get to have.... I'll be studying until almost Christmas before I get to take my certification test. It's going to be a long and book filled fall!

The latest kniting progress

Here are the latest fun things I've been working on around here. This is an Entrelac scarf. This is just a sample to try out the stitches and how it ends up looking. It's a 1/1 rib, and I think would look better with a longer repeating striped yarn. Like how some sock yarns are colored. This basic variegated yarn is bright and hides the stitches. If I take this further with a different yarn, I'll take new pictures to show off the detail of the design better. I'm just using leftover stash yarns to play with right now.


This is a honeycomb scarf pattern I've widened to make a stole. I think it will block out to be a nice width when it's done. I'm using stash yarn for this, it's a wool blend with nepps in multi colors. It will end up being kind of elongated "S" shaped, the point here on the end gets offset as the body of the stole works it's way to the left with every honeycomb motif completed. So when the finishing off happens and the point there is completed, it's not quite centered on that end, or so it looks.


I started this yesterday, and it was my car riding project. I took out my entrelac felted tote I'm working on-- need to order more yarn, as the balls I'm working on aren't lasting thru a whole round. Fortunately, it's Wool of the Andes from Knit Picks, so isn't expensive. I was wondering about putting some red only one round away from a fuschia pink, so we swung by a Walmart the other day to see about buying some Lion Brand Wool, and they didn't carry it! The ONLY place near me at the time that might carry a little bit of wool, and that store doesn't carry it at all! So, we went ahead with the red. Now it's nearly out, and the round has several more segments to be knitted up. Guess that means I get to order several other items I "need" to make the order worthwhile. I don't think I'll order enough to get the free shipping, but still, make it worth the shipping cost. Most shipping costs are well worth it, compared to the cost of gas these days, anyway.

I don't have any new pics of my MS3, as I haven't worked on it since Thursday, so I should take time to get some more rows worked on that. I'm still in clue 5, and should be moving into clue 6, at least. I've done well to keep up with the main crowd on the Knit A Long, so I feel good about that, at least. I have a feeling Clue 7, the last one, will be similar to a repeat of clues 1-3 or so. We are supposed to be over 60% done, 5 and 6 have basically turned a corner, and my mind thinks there should be quite a bit more to make this complete. But there's only one more clue left.

Non-knitting news: My oldest son is leaving for college this coming weekend! OK, he'll be across town, but he's staying at the dorms there, instead of commuting. We went to Open House yesterday, he's at Orientation today and tomorrow, and SOMETIME, we have to pack, shop and Sunday afternoon, we'll move him in to his room. We met his room mate yesterday, he doesn't have a whole lot of space, so that makes shopping easier-- cafeteria eating for all 3 meals, no nearby fast food places, unless he rides the bus to get there.

Dh and I start EMT classes tonight! So he and the son are driving across to meet up with me by 5, I hand over my car to the son, and ride with dh to classes. This week, we have Monday, Wednesday and Saturday classes, most weeks will only be Mon/Wed. classes. We were helping out Saturday with EMS at the La Vernia BBQ cook off in the city park. We both got to go on a call (separate calls). Mine wasn't nearly as exciting sounding as dh's, but I'm sure, eventually, I'll be in the middle of some exciting calls. We heard them getting toned out about 1 am last night for a burning car, didn't feel compelled to jump into clothes and offer to help out. We'll get enough of that as we get more involved. We have our shirts and stickers for our cars-- We've lost 2 already, so only have one vehicle marked right now.

FINALLY!

I'm back to this blog! Figured out that I can't use Mozilla to log in properly, but Firefox will let me come in right away. DUH! OK, I finished clue 4 of my MS3, should get a pic up yet tonight to share what I've done. I already started clue 5, but haven't gotten too far with it. Ta da, here it is!

I completed several more baby hats to donate to charity, along with some "Cool Ties" to send to the troops overseas. It gets VERY hot in Iraq and the other countries we have soldiers in, so these help out. I have many in non-military colors that I sell for $5 each. Just let me know if anyone is interested in them. The profits help my volunteer fire dept. out.



This is the tied fleece blanket (from a kit, nothing fabulous) I made for my 7 yo son, he's thrilled. It was really easy, really not a sewing project, as there's NO SEWING involved. Oh, well, as long as he's happy, I'm happy, and one less quilt I have to make for my kids.

Here's goofy pics of my weird sleeping ferret. She has an outdoor cage-- AKA rabbit hutch, which is about the only cage we've found that will actually keep her inside of it. She likes to escape her inside cage, which isn't always bad, but a pain in the rear at times.















Some times she's not very lady like, is she?

Here are the "fruits" of my labors today-- well, the whole family's labors. In total, 17 jars of Mustang grape jelly, and 5 jars of pear preserves. Now the fun of cleaning up the kitchen. There's MORE grape juice ready for canning, and the kids want to go pick more grapes from the fence lines around our neighborhood.



My hot water bath for finishing the canning process had to be in my electric roaster, as all my stock pots were busy with various juice processes. It worked, so I'm happy with it. Nothing else holds 12 jars at once.

Only one week until my EMT classes start. I bought myself an EMT/firefighter window decal for my car-- won't put it on until I get certified, tho. Just to make sure I make it thru the whole academy training. Fire academy doesn't get going again until late September-- too hot to hang around all day in bunker gear right now, so hopefully, it will cool down a bit by then. We'll finish our basic certification in December, about the time we finish the EMT training.

Monday

Today is nearly over, no pictures, not much done crafty-wise. I did get over an hour in exercising while my sons were at TKD this morning. Got the new Premier Designs catalog in the mail!!! LOVE the new jewelry, wish I could have gone to Dallas for the BIG National Rally this past weekend. I get to see some of the new stuff in person tomorrow morning! MAJOR hostess benefits are happening for those who will host a party for me-- not 30% in hostess benefits but 50% in FREE JEWELRY for parties held between now and the end of August! For those held before August 5th, I get an additional chance and some FREE Jewelry for my table! No guarantees on that, but the more parties I do, the better my chances are at getting it. Who wants some FREE JEWELRY from me????? Let me know. We do catalog parties, as well.

I went to get my fingers printed at the Sheriff's dept. today, I need that for my EMT academy application. So, that is ready to turn in tonight. We have an Air Life class this evening. Hopefully, this will go better than the Terrorism class we were supposed to have yesterday. Our instructor didn't show up...

I actually have a bit of time now to do some sewing, so better head over to that table and get something accomplished. Everyone have a good evening!