Sock update, book update, ect.

So, I was figuring an update would be nice. :)
My socks for Socktober are going well, even though it's now November, I thought I'd give a progress report. One sock is done; I just need to finish the second sock. The color of the yarn is so fun. It's by Hobby Lobby's Walk Away brand and is called Tango.
In reading I've finished Strawberry Shortcake Murder (it was a nice read) and have started Girl with a Pearl Earring. Middlemarch is coming along great, I'm half done, and still loving it.
Also, I'd like to say that my heart and prayers go out to all those hit by hurricane Sandy. I happened to be in an area of its' path when it hit. The place I was was under a state of emergency, but no evacuations. The winds were frighting.
I was just lucky that when I looked out my door it didn't look like it does in New York and New Jersey. To those who live in states with horrible damage . . .what can I say that doesn't sound empty?
All I can say is that the human spirit is strong, I know that New York, New Jersey, and other places of damage will come back. And stronger. :)

So, I decided to start one more project. I cast on a nice pair of yoga socks for the Socktober group on Ravelry. I've never used sock yarn to make socks before, I usually use worsted yarn and make thick socks. But I'm trying the sock yarn, and I'm liking it so far. I'm already passed the cuff and am doing the body of the sock. I can't wait 'til they're done!

Hello blog land :), time for a new post. The nice fall weather has inspired me to start another blanket (even though I still have one in the works). I got the pattern from the wrapper on a skein of Caron Simply Soft, and it's designed by Marilyn Losee. I'm not using Caron yarn, though, I'm using I Love This Yarn from Hobby Lobby in the color Linen.
The blanket is Aran cables in crochet. (I'll post a picture soon.)  It's very pretty, and easy for anyone that knows how to do FPdc (front post double crochet) and Popcorn stitch.  I'm enjoying making it very much. I love Aran craft items! Nothing is more cozy then a cup of sweet hot tea, some soft music (I choose Celtic) and crocheting!
I'm still working on a fun triangle shawl in knitting and am needle-pointing (is that how you say it?) a hummingbird picture I'm going to give my mother for Christmas . . .shhhhhhh! ;)
I'm still reading Middlemarch--I'm one chapter away from finishing the second volume--and I'm loving it. Classics are always a favorite of mine. There are few I don't enjoy at least a little, and I'm really enjoying Middlemarch.
I'm almost ashamed to say I haven't read any of Eliot's work before, but I'm definitely going to read more. The combination of the wonderful writing and the intriguing fact that George Eliot was actully a female author that never unveiled herself as such, makes for interesting reading all the way around.
I don't think of myself as a professional to critique, but if I had to describe her work, I'd say it was a cross between Charlotte Bronte and Thackeray. Good stuff!
Well, that's all for this post, just a project/book update.

Au revoir, blog land!

I thought I'd make a "books read this year" entry made up of, well, books I've read this year. Feel free to join in and leave a list of the books you've read this year in the comments.

Books of 2012

Knit one, Kill Two by Maggie Sefton

New Moon
Eclipse
Breaking Dawn  by Stephenie Meyer

Vampire Kisses--Blood Relatives vol 2 (manga) by Ellen Schreiber

Saving Cee Cee Honeycutt by Beth Hoffman

High of Heart by Emilie Loring

Scared Stiff by Annelise Ryan

The Mysteries of Udolpho by Ann Radcliffe

Shugo Chara vols 1-12 (manga) by Peach-pit

Fluffy, Fluffy Cinnamon Roll (manga) by Yumi Tsukirino

Fairy Navigator Runa vol 1 (manga) by Michiyo Kikuta

Homicide in Hardcover by Kate Carlisle

Last Writes by Laura Levine

Mr. Darcy's Daughters by Elizabeth Aston

Bachelor Brother's Bed and Breakfast by Bill Richardson

Mr. Darcy Vampyre by Amanda Grange

Sign of the Twisted Candles by Carolyn Keene

At Wick's End by Tim Myers

Tokyo Mew Mew vols 1-2 (manga) by Mia Ikumi

You Better Knot Die by Betty Hechtman

A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole

The PMS Murder by Laura Levine

Emma by Jane Austen

A Girl of the Limberlost by Gene Stratton-Porter

Powder and Patch by Georgette Heyer

Books I'm reading right now:

Middlemarch by George Eliot

Strawberry Shortcake Murder by Joanne Fluke

Books I want to read next:

Vampire Stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

The Rosary by Florence L. Barclay

Full Moon vol. 1 (manga) by Arina Tanemura

Eragon by Christopher Paolini

Vampire Crush by A. M. Robinson

Bleak House by Charles Dickens

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

A Pocket Full of Rye by Agatha Christie

The Black Moth by Georgette Heyer

Nefertiti by Michelle Morgan

Lip Service by Susan Mallery

The Italian by Ann Radcliffe

A Midsummer Night's Dream by Shakespeare (This is a re-read. One of my favorites)

I designed this pattern for a teacup doily-- a doily to place on the saucer, under a teacup.
Here's the pattern:

7-Point Star Teacup Doily:

Special Stitch: Picot-- ch 3, sl st in first ch

Begin doily: 

Ch 5, join with sl st in first ch to make ring.

Ch 1, 14 sc in ring;  join in beg ch.

Rnd 1:

Ch 4,  * sk 1 st, sc in next st, ch 4 * repeat from * to * around.

Rnd:2

Ch 3, * sc in middle of ch-4, ch 3 * repeat from * to * around

Rnd 3:

Ch 4, (2 tr, 2 ch, 3 tr) in first ch-space. Ch2 * ( 3tr, 2 ch, 3 tr) in next ch-space, ch 2 * repeat * to * around. Join in top of beg ch 4.

Rnd 4:

Ch 2, * (4 dc, 1 P, 4 dc) in first space. Sc in next space. * repeat from * to * around, join in top of beg ch 2.

FO and weave in ends.

A nice cup of tea is even better with a cute doily!

 I've tried to check this pattern for mistakes, but I'm human so I could have missed one. If I have missed one, leave a nice comment, and I'll fix the mistake. Also, please don't sell this pattern, but feel free to share it. If you do share, please leave a link to my blog page. Thanks! :) And happy crocheting!

I just got this blog, so I'm not totally used to it. I'm still figuring out the basics.
But anyway, this is a blog for all thing crafty and artsy. By crafty I mean crocheting, knitting, tatting, and needleworks (needlepoint, embroidery, cross stitch, ect). By artsy I mean, well, artsy--painting, drawing, all those things.
When I was little I used to watch my grandmother crochet, and it mistified me, but I never learned it then. I did learn embroidering from my mom when I was ten.
After lusting after crochet for half of my current life, I decided one day "heck, I'm gonna learn this", so I did. After learning crochet I developed a love for knitting as well. And then tatting and the others came along.
I've been an avid reader since I was about six or seven, so my love of books will definitely show up here as well.
I guess that's all for my intro post. Oh, and the first "post" . . . yeah . . .that was a mistake. I told you I was still trying to figure things out. :)

new blog