Christmas Greetings 2008

Best Wishes to all...

Dec. 16th, 1653: Cromwell Becomes Lord Protector

On this date, December 16th, in 1653: Oliver Cromwell, a leader in the English Revolution and ruler of England since 1649, is proclaimed Lord Protector of England. This revolution resulted inthe execution of King Charles I, and many high ranked government officials. Many reasons are given for this war including: social, economic, constitutional, and religious. You can go to this page to read a little more about this time in English history. To learn more about Cromwell you may visit this website dedicated to him.

Crochet Scarf for Son #1's Christmas Present

Son #1 works outside and I worry that someone will run over him or something. For Christmas, I made him a scarf with yellow glow-in-the-dark stripes. Here's a picture of it. Hope you like it. Hugs....

Once Again, Some More Crocheting for Christmas Presents

Here's some more slippers I made. This time I have one pair for a man and one pair for a woman. The woman's slippers I made without a cuff because I was running short of yarn. I actually had to half-way frog the first slipper I made because I was short of yarn for the second one I was making. No biggie, the slippers turned out ok. I've had to do this before--as a matter of fact, I'm wearing a pair now that I did not put a cuff on. If you look at November's posts, you will see some other slippers I made with this pattern. Here's the free online pattern for these.

This is a scarf I made for my mil for Christmas. I used bamboo yarn and the free pattern you can find here . I love this yarn! It is so soft and glides over my fingers and hook very easily when I crochet with it. It is a bit pricey though but I lucked out and found it on sale and a Christmas present for my mil is a special thing anyway.

This is a potholder that I made to go in the giftbasket I'm creating for my aunt's Christmas present. Can't remember where I got the pattern but I do know it is free online somewhere. Basically, it is 2 squares and the edges are crocheted together. When I get the basket put together I'll try to remember and post a pic. I'm kind of forgetful sometimes so I hope you'll be patient with me. :)

Hugs!!!

Publication of "Charge of the Light Brigade" by Tennyson

On this day, December 9th, in 1854 "Charge of the Light Brigade" by Alfred, Lord Tennyson, was published in England. You can learn more about him by following the links on this page . Here is the text of this poem and you can also see it written in Tennyson's own hand writing.

How Accurate Is History Depicted In Movies?

There is a wonderful webpage where you can learn about how accurate historical events and times are depicted in recent movies. Dr. Cathy Schultz, a history professor from the University of St. Francis, writes a column that has been printed in newspapers. You can read it here where she maintains a page of the columns. She is a wonderful teacher and I was privileged to have had her as my professor for many classes when I was at student at USF. Go ahead and check out her page; you know you want too.... Hugs to all of my readers.

Xmas Present for Son #2 Crocheted

My son told me that all he wanted for Christmas this year was for me to crochet him a red scarf. I made him one with black accents on it. I used this pattern with the fringe added to it. Adding fringe was a way to not have to weave in all those ends. The hat was from this pattern that can be purchased or may be free if you are a member of the the site. Hat's a little large and I hope it fits him ok. It took less than a full skein of the black yarn and less than a full skein of the red yarn to make both of these items. As you can see, my little boy Opi had to be in the middle of things. He's my little sweetie! Hugs to all...

Still More Slippers for Christmas...Oh Yeah, and Barney!

These are slippers made from the same pattern I've used many times before. I have tied each pair together that's why you see the little strings on the back of the slippers. I really need to calculate how many of these slippers I need and compare to how many I have. I tend to get carried away when I start making these. The black and pink pair on the bottom in the middle are child sized. The royal blue and black on the top middle are man-sized. All the rest of the slippers are for the ladies. Earlier this month I posted the link for the pattern for these if you happen to be interested.

As I sat at the dining room table crocheting, Barney climbed into one of the little chi's beds. She's a tad bit big for it but she stayed in it long enough to take a nap! What a character she is :)!

I'm Having Problems Here

I remodeled my blog and my list of links disappeared. I'm in the process of reconstructing it but a few may be lost. For some reason I can't rearrange all the modules so please bear with me while I try to figure this out.

Thanksgiving Greeting

Best wishes to everyone on this special day.

George Washington and Thanksgiving

On this day in 1789 President George Washington proclaimed this date (Thursday 26 November) to be the first national Thanksgiving Day holiday. Over time, National Thanksgiving days were periodically proclaimed by presidents, until in 1863 Abraham Lincoln inaugurated the practice of annually setting the fourth Thursday in November aside for Thanksgiving Day. To see Washington's proclamtion click here . To read a little more about the establishment of an "official" day of thanksgiving go to this page. To read about the year there were 2 Thanksgivings, visit this page.

Round Ripple Afghan for Friend Laurie on W. Coast

I love this afghan I just finished for my dear friend from high school(ca 1970s). I'm almost sad to have it finished because the last half of the afghan was really cozy crocheting because it was nice and warm on my lap! Opi, my little chi "son" liked it too. Never fear, I have washed it and Laurie's "baby" shouldn't pick up the scent of another fur baby. Anyway, back to the afghan talk, I made this out of double strands of ww yarn from Caron and Vanna White. Originally, my df sent me the Vanna White yarn to make a sweater for her little fur baby. I don't know what was going on but I just couldn't get one to turn out. GRRRRRR! If you're a free member at Bernat website you can see it here. Anyway, I decided to add the Caron yarn from my stash and make her this afghan. I figured it would be something the two of them could cuddle in together and stay warm. I hope you like this Laurie. It's going in the mail to you on Monday-Tuesday timeframe.

Kitchen Appliances Go Kaput

This week I was reading on one of my favorite websites and a lady wrote in that when a kitchen appliance dies that you should beware that it usually happens in 3s. Well, I'm almost there. This week, the door on the dishwasher wouldn't open. Finally, it did and a small piece of plastic popped out onto the floor. Luckily (I guess) it is still under warranty. We bought it in December last year. OK, repairman was here this morning and he has ordered parts and will be back in a week to install them.

Appliance #2, the microwave, started making a grinding noise reminiscent of a rock tumbler! I decided it might not be wise to use it (duh, ya think?? lol). We happened to mention it to the repairman and he said that it would be better to get a new one. DH is on the way to Lowes to pick-up one that is on sale. Folks, we are spoiled. I have been totally at a disadvantage this week with meal prep. I really admire my mom and other ladies who managed to put three hot squares on the table everyday and did it with only the ol' kitchen stove.

The repairman did give us a few helpful hints about maintaining our dishwasher. He said that no matter if your dishwasher has a built-in garbage disposal or not, never put dishes in that have food chunks stuck to them. He said that the commercials that show someone putting a cake in the washer to demonstrate its effectiveness will cause the pump to bog down and end up costing the consumer for repairs or replacement. Another good hint was to every now and then run a cup of bleach through an empty washer to kill germs and molds that grow in all dishwashers because the drainpipes contain water that breeds these evils. The third tip he gave was to help minimize the build-up of minerals on the heating element, every now and then run the dishwasher (empty) with a cup of vinegar in the bottom. It's the same principal as using vinegar to clean a coffee maker. Hope these hints and my rambling on has given you some good advice or entertainment! Hugs to all of you...

Christmas 2008 Crocheting Continues...

Here's some pictures of what I've finished since the last update on my crocheting. I've also been working on a round ripple afghan and a hat. I tend to jump from one project to another --middle age lack of concentration kicking in lol. The squares (29 so far) I've been making when I just need a mindless project to keep my hands occupied. I'm going to make a bunch of solid colored ones in the off-white yarn so that I'll be able to use color-coordinated squares in each afghan because not all the colors I have look nice together. The squares will be assembled into lapghans for the VA hospital here. The slippers are, of course, from the pattern I've mentioned in previous posts. I hope you enjoy and are inspired to take up the hook for fun and maybe a good cause. Hugs to all my readers...

Mom's Birthday

JoAnn F. (nee Jungles) French

16 Nov. 1936 - 14 Dec. 1969

Rest in Peace

Today is my mom's birthday. Sadly, she passed away many years ago. My brother and I still miss her more than words can express but we know that she has moved on to a better place.

EM1 Sharon M. Gardner

(formerly HM2 Morgan/ HN French)

On this Day In 1918 - World War I came to an end when the Allies and Germany signed an armistice. This day became recognized as Veteran's Day in the United States. Click here to read about this last day of WWI. If you go to this page you can read the text of this armistice. Today is Veterans Day. Originally it was known as Armistice Day. If you go to the Veterans Administration page you can read about the history of this day to honor veterans of our military.

Baby Turns 29 Today!

That's my ds Justin in the blue shirt. Today is his birthday and my baby is 29! Here he is with his dad last month working on Justin's ol' Mustang. They're quite the twosome when they get started on projects together. I really enjoy watching them work or play together. It is great to see a father and son so closely bonded. I love you Sweetie and "Happy Birthday."

Update on Crocheting for Christmas

I'm working on a round ripple afghan in double strands of ww yarn for a friend. It's coming along beautifully if I may say so myself! I work on it a while then I pick up something quick to do like make a pair of slippers. This friend is on the Internet quite a bit so I'm not going to post a picture of it until it is finished and received! I am also making a kitchen set of dishclothes, towel with hanging thingie on it and a potholder is planned. This is for my aunt and I'll put a pair of slippers in the present for her too. Slippers, slippers everywhere I look there is a need for slippers so I am churning them out. Here you will see the pattern for them. If you've been reading my blog, this is a link to the same pattern I posted before. The round potholder was made by crocheting a circle and the edging was single crochet, chain 3 and skip 1 stitch then single crochet in the next stitch.

How to Use the Words "Well" and "Good"

Sometimes I have confusion over when to use the words "well" and "good." I know that I am not the only with this problem, I hear these 2 words used interchangeably quite often. Here's the lowdown on how to correctly use each of these words.

• good-- is an adjective. It modifies/describes a noun. Now most of us can probably remember from elementary school that a noun is a person, place or thing. OK, then we have good girls, good schools, good parents, good food and that sort of thing. "That is good fried chicken."


• well--an adverb. Well is used to describe a verb, you know an action word. He swam well. She did well on the test. Well is a word that may be used to describe health such as "I feel well after the operation."

Crochet Projects Finished While Watching Election Results

The pattern for the dishcloth came from here. http://jahodnett.tripod.com/id78.html It is a freebie!

Here is the pattern I used for the slippers. http://www.knitting-crochet.com/crochet/slisoc.html I am "hooked" on this pattern. I have used it off and on since it first came out in the late 70s. This pattern also includes the sizes for men and children too.

I hope you have enjoyed today's post! Hugs to all...

Get Out and Vote!!!

Have you voted yet? If not there is still time to do it today! Get moving and have your say in how our country is run.

Halloween 2008 at Our House

On Halloween evening, I put Nellie Belle in the family room with a kiddy gate in the doorway to keep her contained. She's a bit ADHD if you know what I mean. But she made the "Great Escape" anyway!

I'm sorry Mommy; I didn't mean to break the gate!

Opi got all dressed up for the event and was loved and petted by many as we sat on the front porch handing out candy to all the ghosts, goblins and princesses!

Opi was really worn out after the evening's excitement so he "crashed" on one of my crochet projects afterwards!

Hope you've enjoyed the pictures today. Hugs to all...

Be a Smart Voter

I know most of you are probably sick to death to hearing the candidates spewing their lines and name-calling their opponents. Forget about what they are saying now. Check out their voting records and see what they really support. You can find records on most politicians at Project Smart Vote at --> http://www.votesmart.org/index.htm. We need to not only vote but to vote smartly regardless of our gender, race, or party affiliation.

More Slippers Crocheted

I've been a bit busy making slippers for Christmas presents. The people I gift them to don't go on the Internet so it is safe to show them in case you're wondering. Here they are; hope you like them. Two are for men and the other three are for women. I tied each pair together with a piece of yarn in case you noticed the "string" at the back of each pair. I am currently working on a rr afghan with double strands of ww yarn. I'll post it after it's finished and the recipient receives it because that is one person who surfs the Net :).

Confusion over i.e. and e.g. resolved

I often have problems figuring out when to use e.g. and i.e. when writing. Here is a quick explanation that helped me out.

e.g.
e.g. stands for the Latin phrase “exempli gratia,” which means “for the sake of example.” You should use it when presenting examples or more possibilities for the term in question. An easy way to remember this is to associate e.g. with “example given.” "The student was causing problems e.g throwing paper wads and talking in class."

i.e.
i.e. Stands for the Latin phrase “id est,” which means “that is.” You should use it when explaining or rephrasing a sentence. Usually it has the same meaning as “in other words.” "The student was causing problems i.e. not obeying class rules."

10-22-2008 Crochet Christmas "Fix-ins"

I've been making a few things for Christmas the last couple of days. Here is a picture of some slippers I've made for a couple ladies and a washcloth that I will put in a gift basket. I really like the color design on the washcloth. I made a pair of slippers for a guy too but I can't find them! Must be the old-timers syndrome catching up with me! Anyway here is the link to the slippers pattern --> http://www.knitting-crochet.com/crochet/slisoc.html . I have used this pattern for many years and am very happy with it. These slippers I modified somewhat by not putting a cuff on them. I hope you enjoy. The washcloth is just made out of sc. I actually bought a pattern only to find out it was chain 31 and then every row was sc 30!

10-20-2008 Another Round Ripple Afghan

I had the time, and I had the yarn so I went ahead and made a round ripple afghan in shades of pink. If you had read a previous post about a purple one that I made for my dgd you will remember that after I made the purple one she just happened to mention that her favorite color was pink and not purple anymore! Her mom just happens to love purple so both girls will be getting one of these afghans for Christmas. Drop me a line and tell me what you think of these afghans. Hugs...

10-19-2008 Crocheted Slippers

I thought that I would put a quick picture here of the slippers I finished last night. I'm not too sure if I like these so I will be keeping them for myself and not giving as Christmas gift. Let me know what you think.

10-17-2008 On this day 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake

On this day 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake strikes near San Francisco. Go here to see an amateur video of some of the destruction -->
http://www.archive.org/details/1989.Loma.Prieta.Earthquake.Marina.District. To learn some facts and figures concerning this disaster, please go to http://seismo.berkeley.edu/faq/1989_0.html.

10-15-2008 This day 1914 Clayton Antitrust Act Passes in Congress

President Woodrow Wilson

1913-21

15 October 1914: The U.S. House of Representatives approves the Clayton Antitrust Act. Here is a link to the text of the act http://www.teachingamericanhistory.org/library/index.asp?document=488. This act ammended and clarified the Sherman Antitrust Act of 1890.The act prohibited exclusive sales contracts, local price cutting to freeze out competitors, rebates, interlocking directorates in corporations capitalized at $1 million or more in the same field of business, and intercorporate stock holdings. Labor unions and agricultural cooperatives were exempted from provisions of this act. It also legalized peaceful strikes, picketing, and boycotts. It declared that "the labor of a human being is not a commodity or article of commerce."

p.s. President Woodrow Wilson was in office then.

10-14-2008 Round Afghan Free Patterns--Links

Note: After today (11-04-2010), I will no longer be editting this page. You may access the list of these patterns and newer ones from this blog's homepage up by the header. So, if you have this page bookmarked you might want to change it. Hugs...

• For those of you who like to crochet here are some links for round afghan patterns that are free. The posted pictures are examples of some of the ones that I made. The 2 purple ones are full-sized and the others are for babies. I used a pattern by Aggie May of crochetville.org. To get this pattern you need to become a member and send her a pm requesting it. She is very generous offering this pattern for free.
  
• http://www.tamemymind.com/blog/2007/05/16/6point_to_24point_round_ripple_blanket_greens_blues_multi.php
• http://www.crochetville.org/forum/showpost.php?p=517890&postcount=4
• http://mikknits.blogspot.com/2007/03/new-8-point-wavy-ripple-pattern.html
• http://stormdracscrochet.blogspot.com/2008/04/9-pointed-round-ripple-with-solid.html
• http://blog.360.yahoo.com/blog-NWrFT_Eyc7TeuqtfnrpJ4GC1qwA-?cq=1&p=56
• http://thekidneybean.wordpress.com/crochet-patterns/chromium-star-blanket/
• http://woven-stars.tripod.com/rippletutorial/
• http://mikknits.blogspot.com/2007/03/gentle-waves-round-ripple-afghan-pdf.html
• http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.jsp?articleId=281474977275501
• http://woodhilldesignpatternpage.blogspot.com/2005/10/around-rosy-baby-blanket.html
• http://project-angel-kisses.150m.com/roundripple.html
• http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.jsp?articleId=281474977270508
• http://www.angelfire.com/tx5/angelcrafts/patterns/patriotic7pointroundripplebabyafghan.html
• http://www.sewonfire.com/round_ripple_afghan.htm
• http://www.angelfire.com/tx5/angelcrafts/patterns/sixpointroundripplebabyafghan.html
• http://www.angelfire.com/tx5/angelcrafts/patterns/spidermanroundrippleafghan.html
• http://innerchildcrochet.com/patterns/starry_starry_night.html
• http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.jsp?articleId=281474976910272
• http://yarn-diva.blogspot.com/2006/03/free-star-shaped-afghan-pattern.html
• http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/knitting/msg0517262029167.html?9 scroll down the page and you will see it.
• http://www.bevscountrycottage.com/round-jacobs-ladder.html
• http://web.archive.org/web/20070125045535/http://members.aol.com/_ht_a/lffunt/skipstone.htm Updated link for archived copy (11/03/2009)
  
• http://www.lionbrand.com/patterns/70629AD.html this is a membership site so I think you'll have to become a member.
• http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/55678/rose_ripple_crochet_baby_blanket_in.html?cat=24
• http://www.angelfire.com/tx3/sabraellen/roundblanket.html
• http://yarn-diva.blogspot.com/2006/03/free-star-shaped-afghan-pattern.html

Added on 01 Dec 2008:

• http://www.lionbrand.com/patterns/80436AD.html

Added on 19 Feb 2009:

• http://www.angelfire.com/ca2/Jeanaries/RoundRippleBedspread.html
• http://www.meibythepug.com/2009/01/6-point-star-afghan-pattern.html

Added on 16 Apr 2009:

• http://crochetme.com/patterns/9-point-round-ripple-solid-center

Added on 22 May 2009:

• http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977688297&grpId=3659174697252379

Added on 25 May 2009:

• http://inspiredcrochetdesign.blogspot.com/2009/05/rosereds-12-point-round-ripple-free.html

Added on 30 May 2009:

• Caitlin's Circle Afghan

Added on 16 August 2009

• Merry-Go-Round

Added on 04 September 2009

• Circle Afghan

Added on 28 September 2009

• Stratford Circle Afghan

Added on 21 December 2009

• Kew Gardens Afghan

Added on 03 January 2010

• Circle Lapghan  

Added on 23 January 2010

• Circle Afghan  You will need to scroll half way down the page to click on the pdf link 
  

Added on 16 May 2010

• 7-Point Star Throw
• Woodland Circle Afghan

Added on 11 July 2010

• Washed Ashore Afghan

Added on 28 July 2010

• Spiral Baby Blanket

Added on 13 September 2010

• Valis’ Circular Shawl Pattern
• 
  

  9-Pointed Star Round Ripple

Added on 25 September 2010

• 8 Point Granny Round Ripple  You need to be a member of Ravelry to access this pattern.  It's free so give it a try :)

Added on 13 October 2010

• Simple Round Ripple with No Gaps

Added on 25 October 2010

• Lilly Pond 8 Point Round Ripple for infant/child

Added on 04 November 2010

• Round Ripple Bedspread

10-10-2008 This day in history 1845 U.S. Naval Academy Opens

On 10 October 1845 the U.S. Naval Academy, known then as Naval School, opened at Annapolis. You may visit the academy online at http://www.usna.edu/PAO/welcome.htm. They offer a short history of the school at http://www.usna.edu/VirtualTour/150years/.

10-09-2008 Crochet Projects Completed

Here are some crochet projects I recently completed.

One is a doorstop. You are supposed to put the crocheted part over an old milk bottle filled with something to make it heavy like sand. I "lost" the pattern for this and had to "wing" the turbin.


The other project is a round ripple afghan for dgd's Christmas present. She asked for one and I had enough stashed yarn to make it in what I thought was her favorite color. She recently informed me that her favorite color was now PINK! Oh, well...I think she'll like it anyway since her bedroom is done with a lot of purple in it.

10-08-2008 Sgt. York Behaves Heroically in 1918

On this day in history 1918 Sgt. Alvin C. York almost single-handedly killed 25 German soldiers and captured 132 in the Argonne Forest in France during WWI. Sgt. York became one of the most highly decorated members of the US military. Go to his foundation's web site to read more about him http://www.sgtyork.org/index.html. Another good page to visit is at http://www.worldwar1.com/heritage/sgtayork.htm

Crochet update--I finished the rr afghan that I was making for dgd's Christmas present. It is a gloomy day today so when I have better lighting I will take and post a picture of it for you to see. It's time to start crocheting slippers and maybe some hats and scarves for this years Christmas presents. Hugs!