Baby Blanket

I made the cutiest ripple baby blanket over the weekend. I have all this stash, like most of us Yarn a holics or yarn whores, and I decided to take some of it out and do something with it. So I started to crochet and this is what happened. This is Maggie Mae checking to be sure that I didn't leave any tails hanging out.

I will write more tomorrow I wanted to share the blanket but I'm worn out now. I didn't get out of court till 7pm and it was a long day so I'm going to go take my eyeballs out (my contacts.. kinda of gross huh??) then I'm going to knit for a bit.

Carol L.

Mississippi Hooker

www.stitchandprayer.com

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Work! Bah!!

Really that's what I think today, work BAH!! I don't want to be here I want to be at the house doing something I want to do and right now I want to take a long nap dreaming of opening my yarn shop and how its going to be. I really want to work for myself. I do not have any preconceived notions that I will not be working if I have my own business I know I will be working my fingers off. I know that it will be long hours and less time at the house. But... In the midst of working I will be able to sit at some point and crochet or knit and I won't have to answer to anyone else just me. I want to help and teach people to crochet or help selecting just the right yarn for their special project. I haven't gotten to crochet or knit in the last couple of days and what makes it worse is that I don't really have a project I want to do. Don't get me wrong I have tons of projects and patterns that I could be doing but nothing that has just jumped out at me. Guess I will make a dishcloth till I can figure out what I want to do. I may even make and afghan I haven't done that since before Christmas. What I would really like to do is learn to make socks and I think I could handle it till I get to the heel and that just scares the stuffing right out of me. I don't get it, I scream every single time that I have sat down and tried to make a pair of socks. If I could make socks I could make them big enough to fit my big feet and in every color possible that would match everything I own. Oh glorious day the day I can make socks.


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First Felting's

I did it!!! I felted and dyed my first project. Its a hat and its black cherry pink. I don't think it

turned out to bad for the first time and my daughter loves it and I will most definatly do it again sometime soon. I think this time it will be a crocheted or knitted bag or tote. Here's the hat let me know what you think, if in fact anyone ever reads the rantings of a mississippi hooker. I really enjoyed working with the dying and felting process I can see why this could be so addicting. My kids couldn't believe that Kool-Aid actually dyed this hat. My daughter asked me if I had tasted it to see if it tasted good, grossss!! She is a bit on the blond side (she really was blonde and dingy to boot, but I still love her). I used the Lion Brand Fisherman's Yarn. I was warned that the yarn was going to smell
stinky sheep butt when it got wet, I didn't think it was going to be all that bad but, in the words of my 3 year old neighbor, HOLY MOLEY!!! It Smelled to high heaven, if that's what sheep butt smells like we will not be raising sheep anytime soon. After it finished dying I took it to the sink to rinse out before putting it into the washer with jeans, I could see it now my sons and husbands jeans turning pink. Boy, would I be the one getting felted!! Anyway, I rinsed it out in the sink over a mesh drainer. When it was finished the mesh drainer was full of lanolin and you could smell it all over the kitchen. YUK!!! Truthfully, it wasn't all that bad and I would use it again I didn't gag or anything and nothing keeled over dead in the house. So, really its a big exaggeration.
Ok I did learn one big lesson, any item you intend to felt must be made twice the size because, duh, wool shrinks. I'm sure I knew that from somewhere. Oh and by the way, the reason it looks like a bowl in the picture is because I was drying it on top of my grandmothers bowl. The hat no longer looks like a bowl.

Everyone have a great yarn of a day,
The Mississippi Hooker

www.stitchandprayer.com

To teach a Male to knit

My husband goes thru periods of time where he gets bored. Who doesn't I ask him but he just gets really bored. He says he needs a hobby and I think he needs a hobby. I have suggested to him many times that I would teach him how to knit or crochet just till he finds that special something that makes him happy. And yes Gary it has to be special or you will never want to do it again. My thinking is that learning something new never hurt anyone. You may not like it and may never want to do it again but learning it will never hurt, unless he pokes himself in the eye with the knitting needle and that might just smart a bit. He has just never taken to the idea that he just might like to make something out of knit or crochet who knows where the possiblilities lie. He loves to camp and be in the woods I can think of bunchs of stuff he could make that would save money and time when he in fact goes camping again. Sunday he blew my mind and asked me to teach him to knit. I told him I would a little nervous because I don't know where this is leading and not sure I can stand up to his expectations in the teaching department. Well, I was excited so I ran out and went to the local Wal-mart and bought him some camoflouge yarn, I thought it might be more manly than some of the fru - fru yarn I have. I brought it home and offered as if to offer a sacrifice to him, I say hunny I bought this for you if you were serious about learning I thought this would be more manly. He liked it. Whew!!! Well that night after the kids had gone to my moms for a couple of days we sat down to learn to knit. He just about got it. He got the casting on, no problem. Taking that first knit stitch was a whole 'nother ball game. I have never seen needles go in so many directions trying to get that yarn thru that first stitch. I stood behind him and tried to help him that way finally he got that yarn thru. I cheered him on and he just looked at me and said thats it I can't do this any more tonight. So fast foward to last night, I walk in from the store and there sits my handsome husband in my chair knitting. Wonders never cease.

I have a crochet lesson to give this weekend and I'm looking forward to it. Its my first and I hope that I don't confuse this poor girl. I hope that I can be clear and concise and she understands. I would like for her to love this craft as much as I do.

Carol
www.stitchandprayer.com

Getting close now

Well, with another year creeping up on us..... quickly, I can't help but think just how quickly time is getting away from us. It seems like yesterday that I was playing with my barbies at my friends house, graduating high school, having my children, you know all of lifes first and seconds. I don't feel 40 in my mind I know that I am. Time seems to be getting faster and faster every day. I turned around to find that my children are half grown. I remembe when they were small and how I would half wish they would get older so they could do this or that by themselves then the other half wanted them to stay small forever. When they were babies I would pray to God please let them stay small for a little while longer but it was not to be. They have to grow up. My eldest will be 16 this coming year and driving is in the future, gosh that scares the pants off me. He makes me nervous as a long tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs as is but driving I don't know that I'm going to make it thru it. 16... geez where did the time get off to??? It wont be long that they will be in college, getting married and having me some grandbabies and yes in that order. I can see me know sitting in my rocking chair with 10 cats around me (with clean litter boxes no if ands or buts)knitting or crocheting away with my grandbabies around me. Believe me when I say that will be me. I can wait for all that I still want to be young right now, not youngER just still young.
I wish everyone a very Happy New Year everyone stay safe and out of trouble for the new year. Happy Crocheting/Knitting!!!

The Mississippi Hooker
www.stitchandprayer.com

Whew!!! We made it!!

Whew I made it!! I got all my projects completed and everyone loved the afghans and ponchos that I crocheted. I gave my niece a basket full of yarn and a case full of all the hooks, plus a book on teaching children to crochet. I can't be with her enough to actually teach her and she begs me to teach her but they won't let me have her over so I gave her the stuff and when she has questions when she is at my moms I will help her out. It's a long story about her but her mother is trash and her grandparents have joint custody and the mother doesn't want me to be around her because she is afraid that I will take her back to court for custody for what Brooke tells me and I will if ever I find bruises on her or her sister. Ok another subject before it gets my blood pressure up. I have also learned to knit and have knitted my first pair of wrist warmers I used a half a skein of Lamb's Pride bulky wool in Victorian Rose. I actually made these for my friend at work. When we are in court it is soooooo cold in the court room that we can harldy type in the orders from the judge so I made her a pair to keep her warm in there.





I'm pretty proud of myself seeing that this was my first. I thought I needed to know how to knit as well as crochet because when I open my yarn shop.
I received some pretty good and special gifts this year. My husband bought me a 1/2 caret diamond ring and I got a great photo printer. I have never gotten a ring before so that was something special. I hope that everone has had a wonderfull Christmas and a very happy and safe New Year!!!.

Carol
www.stitchandprayer.com

To Felt or Not to Felt

I made an adorable hat last night and started working on a scarf. Tonight, if I get out of court at a decent time (which at this point it is not looking good) I plan on felting it then on Thursday I hope to dye it. I don't think I can get both done in one night especially if I have to work late. I'm sure we have several trials today and they are going to move slow so its probably going to be a long one. I know as soon as its done and it turns out the way I think it will my daughter is going to confiscate it from me. I'm going to dye it with Kool-Aid color/flavor black cherry. I have seen it used before and it turns out beautiful. I may just have to hide it because I know she is going to get it. I might even use it as another Christmas gift for my sister in law. I don't know if she would like it or not but maybe she would.

I am just about finished with all my Christmas crochet and I think I will make me something. All the stuff I have made I have never made myself a thing. I want to make me a big afghan for me to curl up in while I'm hooking or reading. I had made myself a hat but my daughter once again confiscated it. She is always getting my stuff. I let her I can always make myself another one.

I'm adding a picture of my oldest boy to this post. I rarely have a picture to show of him and I'm rather proud of this football picture so I want to share. He is a goodlooking boy and I am proud of him.

Horn Lake Christmas Parade

Our city had their Christmas Parade last night and me, 2 of my kids, and my niece rode on the City Hall Float. We about froze our butts off!!! We were on that thing for about 3 hours sitting in hay with Santa Clause over our heads. He was throwing candy to all the kids which was hitting us in the head. My kids and my niece wore the scarves I made for them and they looked so cute.



Today I took a couple of pictures of My daughter and her friend wearing the scarves that I made for them and the first hat I had ever made.

Fingers are numb

My fingers are numb, thats if there is actually fingers still there....oh yea I see them!! I have crocheted till I can't feel them any more and still want to do more. I made all the kids a scarf including my niece and a couple of kids that go to my daughters school. My kids and my niece are going to be on the float for the City this year in the Christmas Parade. They want them to wear pj's and sit in front of a fake fireplace with an "old" lady reading "Twas the Night Before Christmas". Its going to be cold so I made the scarves. I don't know how to do mittens or socks yet. I'm going to try my best to take a picture of all of them on the float wearing their scarves, I just think they are to cute.
I still have 2 more scraves to go and I hope to get them done this week because I have some yarn in my stash I want to make something out of this next week. I really don't think I can finish any more big projects before Christmas because I have so much else going on. But maybe I can try.

The Mississippi Hooker

That Time of Year again

Well, its that time of year again. I know, I know I ranted and raved the other day and guess what I did. I got up at 4:00 am on the Friday after Thanksgiving with my daugher and joined in the shopping maddness. I had a ball. Now I don't want to quit shopping. My rant was brought on about because my doctor prescibed me a weigh loss drug that I could only take half off. About the 4th day of taking it I really felt I could just strangle anyoen that I came into contact with. So, I had to quit taking them. I haven't taken one in a week and I still have not recovered fully from the side effects. I realy don't think I will ever, ever, ever, EVER be taking that again. Anyway back to the shopping, we had a great time. So when my next paycheck rolls around I'm going to be back at it again. I can't wait. I was hoping that my husband was going to be able to buy the rest of his days the had left for vaction for the year out so we could go ahead and get the shopping done but it hasnt happened as of yet. Oh well!!!

I crocheted the prettiest scarf for my daughter the other night and she just loved it. She left me a note the next morning about how much she loved it and that she wore it to school. I'm working on one for my oldest son too then I have to make my youngest son one as well. I want to make some hats for them but everytime I try to make one it looks like a cone instead of a hat. There is a nice lady on Crochetville who is trying to help me and I'm going to try again this weekeend to see if I can do it. And I want to try my hand at socks boy oh boy.
I will try to take a picture of my daughter and her scarf and put it on here for everyone to see, that s if anyone looks at this blog.

Have a happy hooker kind of day,

Carol L.
www.stitchandprayer.com

Better today

Ok, sorry about yesterdays rant, I don't know whats been wrong with me lately. I have been in a rather foul mood about everything. But I think I am better today than I was yesterday and tomorrow I will be better than today. Reason being I am taking a day off with the 2 days of holiday that we get. So I will be off 5 days including the weekend. That is the most time I have had off at one time, excluding the time that I was off when I had surgery last year. I know that tomorrow I have to do some cooking for Thanksgiving but that's about all I have to do. You know the usual, laundry, cleaning of the house that type of stuff but thats ok. I am going to crochet my hands off durning this time.
I'm looking for a pattern to do toppers for dishtowels and I am not having any luck with it. I bought the yarn but can't for the life of me figure out how to do it. I bet it is easy as heck and I'm once again making a moutain out of a molehill. Also, one of the ladies that is on Crochetville made the prettiest afghan!! She was sweet enough to email me and tell me how to do it. Thank you so much Linda!! She makes the prettiest afghans, she really knows how to put the colors together. I think I'm going to try what she taught me to make a poncho and see what it comes out like. If it is weird then I can pull it out and make something else. The beauty of working with yarn, you can always frog it and start over. Oh I love the term "frog" for pulling it out. I said that at the house not long ago and the kids thought I was nuts. Well, they always think I'm nuts. I hope to add more pictures this weekend to my web site and get rid on the one that I really don't like.
Hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving, please remember to give thanks for the thorns in your life as well as the petals.
Carol L.

Too Much

If it isn't one thing its another. I haven't written in about a week because I frankly haven't had any time to write. I had to take my 10 year old to the doctor only to find out that he's ADHD too. My oldest is also. Great, no wonder hes bounces off the walls at home and at school. You'd think that I would have known this considering that the oldest is also ADHD. I haven't gotten to crochet much for all the other mess going on. So finally last night I sat down and crocheted, boy did that feel good.
You know I love Christmas, I love the TRUE meaning of Christmas. I am so sick of the commercialism that has come about at Christmas time. I love the decorations and the food as much as the next person but Christmas is not about what you can get or what you think you should get, its about the gift of God's only son being born. It's a birthday party,its Jesus' birthday. We should be giving Him gifts and the glory instead of maxing out our credit cards so we can be in debt for the next 6 months. I have crocheted several gifts for family members because I can't afford to spend the money this year and I know I'm going to hear some comments about it. Frankly there is more care, love and time put into something I have made more than there is in something I went to the store and bought. Sorry for the rant don't mean to sound so hateful. It's really not that at all. We, meaning all of us on this planet, (well most of us anyway) work our tails off for a paycheck at the end of the week. Instead of saving for what we want, we want instant gratification, I'm just as guilty. Do you know how rich we are making the heads of corporations? Then the government wants to give bigger tax breaks to the rich people while the rest of us who are still working our tails off just to break even with gas prices and utility cost are the ones that are going to pay the taxes that they cut for the rich ones. I don't fault anyone for making it in the world but please don't expect those of us who work and still have nothing to show for it to pay for the riches taxes. Oh geez here I go again. Its just a vicious circle. Besides do we really, really, need everything we want. Wouldn't be better if we were just gratefull to have everything we really need?

Worn Out

This weekend has been tiring, don't think I spelled that right. Friday I spent the morning in the dr's office with my oldest then I had a dr's appt. that afternoon. By that evening my mom wanted me to bring my middle child to her house to spend some time with her so we left our house around 5pm. On the way there my kids wanted me to stop at Raggies house (the lady that taught me how to crochet and is like my second mother). I protested but decided that I would stop by anyway. I walked thu the door at her house knowing something wasn't right. She was very upset and crying and Bro. Al was sitting in a chair holding his chest. We thought he was having another heart attack. So I got on the phone with 911 and got help on the way. Once the paramedics got him loaded and on the way to the hospital, I got Raggie in the truck and we took off. Tori and I stayed with them till the nurse and doctors said they were going to keep him there. Thank God it was not a heart attack. The doctor let him go home yesterday and I think at this point all is well. I'm going to get by there this week to check on him. I do wish they lived closer to me so I could take better care of them.
All weekend I have felt horrible. I don't know if I'm coming down with something or I'm just tired. I wanted to just crochet this weekend but it didn't happen that way. I did however finish one of the ponchos I was working on and learned how to make dishtowels. I'm going to work on designing my own as soon as I get my Christmas crocheting done.
More later,
Carol L.
www.stitchandprayer.com

Messed up!!

Some how or the other I have messed up the layout on the blog. I realize that I only know limited amouts of html but I know enough that I should figure out why the heck the sidebar where the profile and stuff is way down at the bottom instead of at the top where it is suppose to be. I have printed the code but can not locate where I screwed up. Any ideas would be great.

Well, I'm off work tomorrow HURRAY!! and I'm going in the morning to Hobby Lobby to get myself somemore yarn. Yes I know I'm addicted very addicted but I have to have it to finish the ponchos that I'm working on. I tell you what, as soon as I finish these and the name motif's I'm working on for Christmas I am going to teach myself how to make a shrug. I think they are so cute and if I can do it I'm going to make a ton of them for my daughter. I'm going to attempt to create my own pattern and let her wear them to school. She will love them. Then I want to try my hand at sweaters. My mom wants me to make abunch of scarves which maybe I will those are easy enough and at the price they are going for at the store I can undercut them and still make what I have in them back.

Getting ready to crochet

I have found the most wonderful place on the web that I can go and discuss crochet!! Crochetville.org. This is a great place to talk about patterns and get help on patterns and show off work. I am thrilled to have run across it.
I am getting ready to go hide out and crochet. I need some down time. Thank goodness I'm off on Friday and I can crochet all I want to. The kids think they are going to play sick and stay home but they have lost their minds. They are all going to school and I'm going to fart around the house doing what ever comes to mind. If I want to crochet I will, If I want to play Sims all day long I will, If I want to do nothing but lay around the house with the dogs I will. I don't get many days like that, most mothers don't. So I relish the days that I get that chance.

Hooked!!!

I guess I'm just hooked or a glutton for punishment. Yes it is true, I love to crochet. Yes, it is true that I love making things for others. A lady at work asked me to make 2 ponchos and not thinking that I had other things to do that I wanted to get done before Christmas got here I said yes. I'm crocheting so fast it is making my fingers fall asleep, (what else is new). I hope to finish these both by this weekend so I can finish my name doilies and I really need to finish one more blanket before it is all said and done. I have my web site up and running and at some point I want to create some patterns to add to my site for others.
You know, I'm so sick of going to work I could scream. I really want to stay home with my kids and open my shop so I can be my own boss and not have to answer to anyone else. Oh sure I know that I have to ultimatly answer to the customer and thats a given, but at least I can run things my own way. I don't have to feel like the low man on the totem pole any more. I just love being the one that is treated like a mushroom around here. One of these days God is going to answer my prayer and let me start my business in a store front somewhere here in my city. I really wish I could be given permission to crochet at work to keep my hands and mind busy when we are not busy. But thats not going to happen. Oh well, life in the workplace.
Also, I would like to home school my youngest son. I know the middle child would have a fit but oh well, thats life. She is doing well in school other than she can't keep her mouth shut and causes problems for herself. However, the youngest is not doing well at all. He is failing and I think I can do a better job teaching him than what this school is. Maybe one of these days hopefully soon my business online will take off and then I can open my shop.

Oh well!!!

Today was the day that we had to go to Oxford to testify but when we got about a little further than the turn off from where we were suppose to be, we got a call to turn around and head home. Then we got past the exit again this time on the way home and we get another call telling us to turn around again that they needed us anyway. So, we turned around again and went. It was a nice ride and we all chatted up a storm. Sounded like a hen house full of chickens doing all that cacklin' . Hehe. We finally made it back here around 11:00am and had to start work. We were all tired and hungry but still had to come back to work.
I finally finished the blanket I made for someone here at work and was able to bring it to him. He had ordered it for his wife for Christmas. I hope she likes it, I hope she enjoys it as well.
I think tonight I'm going to go home and put on my PJ's and turn in early. I'm tired!! Getting up with the chickens is for the birds. I'm not cooking tonight I think I will go pick up some pizza or something like that.
I have two more ponchos to make and I hope I can get them done in about 2 weeks so I can work on something for me. I want my own afghan but at this rate I will never get one made for me. I also have all these name doilies to make. Yee Haww!!!
Oh well!!
Carol

These are our dogs. Indigo, Dakota, and London. They are all Siberian huskies and are all very sweet dogs. Some times not to bright but very sweet. Dakota is my dog he is my protector and my friend. Indigo is the puppy of the bunch. He is very outgoing and hyper. You have to watch out for him because if he has to go potty he will run up and nip you on the bottom to tell you especially if you are not hurrying up for him.
London is a very sweet girl. She came to us severely abused and neglected. But that was 3 years ago and now she is very happy and sweet.

Showing off other work

I finished my first filet name thingy. I had never done this before so I taught myself how to crochet filet this week. I think it turned out rather good. This one is for my boss for Christmas. I have about 5 more of them to do if I ever finish that afghan I'm doing for someone at work. I have 51 more rows to go on it and it is done. Well I do have to tuck in the tails and wash it before giving it to them. I sure hope he likes it. Any way I wanted to share some of my work. Hope you enjoy.