Bag of Chocolates

Been Busy

2012-02-05T13:01:00.003+02:00

It's been awhile since I posted, and I've finished a couple of things. These socks for Meital are from a free pattern I found on Ravelry called Circle Socks. I've made them before - a pair for me out of variegated yarn, and a pair for Liat similar to these, but with black and pink/blue/purple. One thing I love about them is that I was able to use up a couple of 50 gram skeins of yarn (not enough for a pair of socks by themselves, for those who don't know). Gotta knit up that stash!

I finally got a picture of Liat wearing the Little Red Riding Hoodie. She loves it and I think it looks great on her. This happens every time I tell myself I'm never going to knit another adult-sized sweater. Oh well.

And this is a quick cabled slouchy hat for Liat, made to her specifications. Turns out she wanted something a little floppier (technical term), so I should have used sock weight yarn instead of worsted. But she likes this one, too, and will wear it.

Or else! (just kidding)

Missouri and Virginia

2012-01-21T12:02:00.004+02:00

This little fellow is en route to an amazing organization called Elephants Remember Joplin. I urge you to read about Cee Cee (age 9) and her wonderful, loving heart. She reminds me of another young girl, whose compassion led to the founding of Hannah's Socks, based in Ohio (you may recall I sent a package to them back in September).

If the colors of this hat look familiar, it's because I used some of what was left of the very nice Red Heart Soft yarn I bought to make a scarf for the Alabama Special Olympics. This hat is on its way to Virginia, where it will be donated to an organization called ASK Childhood Cancer Foundation. The ASK part stands for Assistance, Support, Kindness. I think that really says it all.

Little Red

2012-01-15T16:51:00.004+02:00

For those who may not know, when you add a new project to your Notebook on Ravelry (an on-line community for knitters and crocheters), you are asked to name your project. This quite often gives me some trouble. I usually have a hard time coming up with cute names for things (hence my completely unimaginative user name on every site I frequent on the Internet. But I digress...). Luckily, this snug-fitting, hooded pullover for Liat was easy to name. It's called the Little Red Riding Hoodie. Ah well, at least I amuse myself.

Liat has not posed for a photo in the sweater yet, so we'll make do with this picture for now. I thought I had started the sweater in time to give it to her during Chanukah, but alas it was not to be. I finished this up just the other day, and fortunately we have some suitably cold and rainy weather just now, so I'm hoping she'll be wearing it one day soon.

I have a couple of other things to show you, but I'm going to save them for my next post, just to make sure I write one!

Finishing Frenzy

2012-01-13T13:00:00.004+02:00

After dragging my feet on quite a few projects, I finally found myself in a position to finish up a few things. First up is this cute little gift bag. I found the pattern, called Sweet Stranding, on Ravelry. Next time I make it, I will make some changes. For one thing, the base forms a punt like you'll find on the bottom of a wine bottle, which suggests to me that a few rounds of knitting need to be taken out. Anyway, I also want to make the bag a big wider and taller, because it occurred to me that if it were bigger it would make a cute way to gift wrap a pair of handmade socks, using up the leftover yarn from the socks.

I am especially tickled about this finish, because these babies are for me! I've got them on right now, in fact. I love all the colors and the way they change and blend. Next up will be a pair of socks for Meital.

I finished something else today, but I can't show it to you yet. I hope to do so in my next post. And finally, I am very, very close to finishing the pullover I've been making for Liat. I think I can get it done today, and that will make four finished projects in two days. Go, me!

I read an interesting idea on a blog I like, about choosing a word that will be the word of the year. I am going to use the word the blogger used a few years ago when she first started this practice. My word for this year will be "simplify." It's something I've been trying in a very disorganized fashion to do for a while now, cleaning out cabinets and getting rid of clutter. I hope to accomplish more in that area this year, but I think it would also be a good idea for me to think about ways I could make my life simpler and less stressful. Sometimes it just seems like there's too much going on. Do you ever feel that way?

Here's Your Hat

2012-01-10T12:54:00.002+02:00

What's your hurry? Sorry, couldn't resist. The hat making binge lives on. Above are hats for a beautiful couple who currently live in northern Turkey. The multi-colored hat is made with Lorna's Laces wool yarn, worsted weight, in a special colorway called Crimson Pride, which is available only at Serendipity Needleworks in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. I learned about this yarn on - where else? - Facebook, and Ellen of Serendipity was all that is helpful, efficient and lovely when I wrote asking if I could order from her shop from Israel. The yarn is soft and a delight to knit, and did you check out that shop? Avi already knows I want to visit Alabama this summer, and if we do, Serendipity Needleworks is on my must-see list! (Well, it's on my must-shop-there list, to be completely honest). Anyway, the above-mentioned couple are both proud graduates of the University of Alabama, but I suspected that he would rather a plain hat in a dark color. At least he'll be able to see her hat! Which of course, she won't be able to do while she's wearing it.

Moving on....another hat, using some of what was left from the hat above. This one is for a very special lady who is also a proud Crimson Tide fan. She's allergic to wool, though, so I attached the decorative braid to an acrylic hat so that the wool wouldn't bother her (that's the plan, anyway. Sure hope it works out that way). Her husband also got a plain gray hat. What is it with men and their plain, dark colors? Hrmph!

Summing Up & Looking Ahead

2012-01-01T11:52:00.006+02:00

Thanks to the wonder that is Ravelry I am able to tell you after less than a minute of figuring, that in 2011 I completed 46 projects. Many of those projects were pairs of things (10 pairs of socks, for example) and two were sets of four. I made 13 hats and 9 toys, a couple of baby blankets, some sweaters, baby booties, slippers, two scarves and some fingerless mitts. I wonder what I'll make this year?

One knitting goal I have set for myself (aside from my on-going project to knit something for each of the 50 states) is to knit up as much as possible of the yarn in the photo above. This is by no means all of the yarn I have in my stash today, but it's a pretty good-sized chunk of it. Of course, having all of this yarn doesn't stop me from buying more (if you're a knitter or crocheter, you're nodding your head right now, aren't you?). So it's time to put the stash on a diet, and that should be helped by a couple of projects I already have in mind. One of them is an afghan for Liat (for which she has been waiting patiently for quite a long time now). I also forsee quite a few toys, more hats, and who knows what else? It will be a lot of fun to find out!

Gifts Galore

2011-12-31T21:09:00.003+02:00

As usual, I didn't make all of the gifts I'd wanted to give before the holidays were over, but I did get a few things done. Above are the felted slippers I made way ahead of time for Meital. It was nice to have those ready early. She loves them, too - didn't even want to take them off to go to bed the first night!

I made a hat for a wonderful friend out of some Spud & Chloe Sweater (wonderful yarn, soft and a pleasure to knit with, by the way) that was given to me in a swap on Ravelry.

And I also made a few ornaments for friends. A fun, quick (and free) pattern that I found on Ravelry. I'm thinking next year I'll make miniature stocking ornaments. Better get an earlier start, though!

Then there are the belated gifts...A pair of hats is on the way to Turkey for a very special couple. Another hat on my needles is almost done, and I'm thinking I'll make one last gift hat, to send with that one. And what about Liat? Well, her hoodie is nearly done (but I've been distracted by hats!) and I hope to be able to show it to you soon. I know she is eager to wear it, so I really need to get a move on.

I also have some plans for community service knitting, which I am anxious to get back to. Amazing how much I have missed it, much though I love making things for people I know.

Wishing everyone a joyous and healthy 2012!

Chill Factor

2011-12-23T22:32:00.003+02:00

After you've lived in Israel awhile, anything below about 50 degrees Farenheit starts to seem downright chilly. And if you live in Israel but travel frequently to Europe during the winter months, it's a good idea to bring along some woolies.

Or possibly an alpaca/merino wool blend.

I made the scarf shown above out of a yarn called Alpaca Sox, by the Classic Elite Yarns company. It worked up into a warm, soft fabric with a soft halo from the alpaca fiber. It was a birthday gift for a friend who, well, travels frequently to Europe during the winter months.

May he wear it in good health!

For the Littlest Ones

2011-11-15T18:16:00.003+02:00

This is the preemie blanket I made for the NICU at Dominican Hospital in Santa Cruz, California. I won't be able to color in a new state on my map, but I will be able to warm up one of the very littlest humans. The blanket makes me think of a doll blanket, though I tried to make it to the specifications suggested. Hoping to get it in the mail tomorrow.

If this purple yarn looks familiar, that's because I bought a whole, huge bunch of it thinking I would use it for an afghan for Liat. In the end, she and I decided not to use this yarn for that project. So far the skeins I purchased have become a sweater for her, a hat for a friend of hers, this blanket, and I don't remember what else! And I still have plenty left. Sigh. I am doing the best I can to use it up, so expect to see more purple knits in the next year.

A goal I've set for myself over the next year is to knit up all of the 100% acrylic yarn I've got in my stash. Yes, the colors and great, yes it's easy care, yes it's affordable, and yes it's soft. But whenever I knit with 100% wool (either superwash or not) I realize how much more enjoyment I get out of the knitting process. So I've decided to use up my acrylic and try very hard not to replace it with more of the same. I really like some of the acrylic/wool blends out there, like Plymouth Encore, and will continue to buy them. But no more 100% acrylic. I'm just not feeling the love anymore.

I want to send a big thank you!!! to my friend Joansie who wrote such a nice post about me on her blog (not going to link it because that would be pretty egotistical, I think). She is a sweet and lovely friend and I am very lucky to have her in my life. Some other time (once she's added another post or two to her blog) I will link so you can see what a great blog - and what lovely projects - she has.

Catching Up

2011-11-13T12:53:00.003+02:00

Gibbs: "What's put you in such a fine mood?"
Jack: "We're catching up."
~ ~ ~ Pirates of the Caribbean, The Curse of the Black Pearl

I don't know how the time always manages to get away from me. But I'll try to catch you up with the things I've been doing for the last few weeks. Above is a photo of some toys I made over the weekend. They're called Squishies, and they're from a book I bought this past summer called Itty Bitty Toys, by Susan B. Anderson. What a fabulous book, full of adorable and easy-to-make toys. I have heard (and saw for myself last night) that these simple, squishy balls are fun for kids of all ages. I used worsted weight cotton yarn to make them. I gave two away last night but have two left in my toy stash for the next time I have visitors.

The picture here shows the second hat I made to go with the hat I showed you in my last post. This is also a free pattern from Susan B. Anderson and is available on the same blog I linked to last time. This is called the Watermelon Hat, but since I didn't have enough pink, I reversed the colors and called it a Not-er-melon Hat. Both hats have long since arrived in New Jersey and will be delivered to the children's hospital there.

And just today I finished up a preemie blanket that will be going to a hospital in California. Yes, I have already sent items to California, but since it is my home state I feel a special attachment. I'll show you the blanket the next time I post (don't want to show you everything I have all at once, that wouldn't do at all!).

Cuteness Alert

2011-10-24T16:39:00.004+02:00

Here is the hat I told you about in my last post. Isn't the pattern adorable?! I can't wait to start on another hat, and I already know it will be another pattern by Susan B. Anderson...the hard part will be deciding which pattern! The toddler-sized hats will be on their way to the Bristol Meyers Squibb Children's Hospital at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (say that three times fast!).

Meital just got back from mailing off those two gray hats to the Humble Stitch Project. She really is such a big help to me with all the mailing of packages. I like how she and I feel like partners in this project.

You may remember that a while back I sent off five pairs of baby and toddler socks to Hannah's Socks in Ohio. Today I got the most wonderful, personal note from Hannah's father, Vic Turner (follow the link to read about Hannah, her family, and her wonderful efforts on behalf of others). It made my day to know the socks had reached them and that they like them!

Mad Hatter

2011-10-23T10:04:00.007+02:00

Yep, finished up two more hats this month and started another, an adorable toddler-sized Camp Hoodie Swatch Hat (that's a Ravelry link; if you're not on Ravelry, go directly to designer Susan B. Anderson's Spud & Chloe blog) that I might just finish before the end of the month, too! I made both of the hats shown above from one 100 gram skein of yarn, and even had a little left over (but not much). They will soon be on their way to the Humble Stitch Project, which, as it says on their website, is "a community effort to show kindness to our homeless neighbors" in South Florida.

After those two dark gray hats, it's a lot of fun to work up the little Camp Hoodie Swatch Hat in pastel colors. I hope to make at least one additional baby/toddler/child's hat before the end of the month, and send those off to a children's hospital in New Jersey. Ravelry has been such a great place for learning of organizations and communities that need and want knitted items!

Other news includes the fact that after more than a week off, both girls have returned to their regular routines of army and junior high, and that of course means I am back to waking up at about 6, knitting for a bit and chatting with Liat before she leaves, waking up Meital and getting her lunch ready, then taking a walk around the neighborhood with Avi after Meital has set off for school. We all really enjoyed our time off, with plenty of baking, shopping, basketball, reading, and just hanging out. I hope you're having a good month, too.

One Cap, Hold the Bill

2011-10-17T17:04:00.005+02:00

Yesterday I told you about the Cabled Chapeau I was making for Meital. As I mentioned, the hat works up very quickly, and I finished it yesterday evening. But Meital decided she'd rather have a regular watch cap, and didn't want the bill added to the hat after all. It's a cute, easy pattern knit in the round (those cables are a lot easier than they look). Now, of course, Liat wants the same hat but definitely with the bill. Not a problem, but I think I'll get a few other things done first.

Really, hats are the perfect project: fast, useful, they can be knit in the round with no sewing up, so many options and variations are possible, and you only need to make one!

In other news, we spent much of the day working. Lots of little projects on our desk right now; I really appreciate the variety. We have civil engineering, finances, a soccer stadium, and history - isn't that great? I would hate to do the same thing all the time. And, of course, every couple of days at least there will be - my favorite - basketball! Good stuff.

Other good stuff: Meital is learning some new jazz songs for the piano, and it's such a pleasure to listen to her practice. And Liat is baking some heavenly chocolate and halvah cookies that have the whole house smelling divine.

Special Olympics

2011-10-16T16:08:00.003+02:00

Today has been a good day. The scarf you see above was sent off (thanks to Meital) to the offices of Special Olympics Alabama. Have you heard about the Special Olympics USA Scarf Project? It's a fairly new idea, now in its fourth year. You can learn a lot more about this wonderful project by clicking the link.

With so many states (though not all) participating in the project, why did I choose Alabama? I have been very fortunate to meet some wonderful people from Alabama in the past year. Two of those people are not only lovely human beings, they are professional athletes. I wanted to send my scarf to a Special Olympian in honor of those two young men.

My list of future projects keeps growing. Several of the organizations I want to support are in need of hats, so that's what I'll be making next. But first, I'm making a cap for Meital, a cute design called the Cabled Chapeau. Hats work up so quickly; I started it last night and now it's afternoon and I am nearly done with the main part of the hat. I've never made a hat with a bill before, so it should be interesting! I took the bill out of an Ohio State Buckeyes baseball cap someone once gave us that none of us particularly wanted to wear (no offense to any Ohioans out there), and once the covering is knitted I'll sew it up inside so it matches the hat.

And Liat's been grumbling about a sweater, so I also need to get started on that. Are you busy, too?

That's Corporal Bunnydoodles to You!

2011-10-09T12:08:00.004+02:00

Isn't that always the way? When I wasn't looking, Liat went from this, to:

Yes, my sweet little firstborn is now a corporal in the I.D.F. She got her stripes last week in a small ceremony at her unit (yet another army ceremony we weren't allowed to attend, sigh). If you stay in the army long enough and don't mess up, you'll become a corporal eventually. Liat tells me she'll be getting new stripes in just under a year, right before she finishes her service.

I hope by then I will have recovered from the trauma of sewing on those blasted stripes on four sets of sleeves!

Alpaca Yarn, Made in Israel

2011-10-07T16:10:00.004+02:00

Last Tuesday Avi and I drove south into the Negev Desert, bound for the town of Mitzpe Ramon. Since we were there anyway, and planning to stay for a couple of hours, I suggested we might finally visit the Alpaca Farm. And so we did.

I had heard of the place before (obviously) but our previous stops in Mitzpe Ramon had all been brief ones; we had just used it as a place to grab a bite to eat, refuel the car, and head on to the popular vacation spot in the southernmost tip of Israel, the city of Eilat.

In the photo above you can see the road leading to the gate of the farm. It was so quiet and peaceful out there, and the people were lovely.

We didn't take a tour, but I did get to visit the rather informal shop there, and this little bundle of yarn came home with me. The young woman who helped us didn't have much information about the yarn (though she did have a card with some facts on it). What I can tell you is that this yarn came from the alpacas on this farm (they were imported from South America a number of years ago) and was processed and spun on the farm. It is the natural color of the animal(s) from which it came. It's very soft, and I'm looking forward to knitting it up. It weighs 67 grams (I believe that's about 2.4 ounces) and I think I may try making a hat with it.

Caps for Colorado

2011-10-03T17:44:00.003+02:00

These two small hats were knitted in James C. Brett Marble Chunky yarn, which is 100% acrylic (i.e. machine washable and dryable) and is the softest yarn in my stash. I used up most of what was leftover from the two skeins I bought in California two years ago. I'm actually pretty amazed at how much I was able to create from those two skeins: a pair of legwarmers, a scarf, and now these two hats.

I worked on the second hat most of the day Saturday, including during the visit of some friends for lunch and the afternoon. One of my friends seemed to think that sending only two hats was hardly a worthwhile contribution. I'll admit, her words shook my confidence a bit and made what I was doing seem a bit, well... paltry.

But I soon remembered that each contribution helps and is valued and appreciated. If, through my efforts, two small heads are kept warm, that is something of which I can be proud. These hats are on their way to Kaps for Kendall in Colorado.

Not a Hat

2011-10-02T16:07:00.004+02:00

Although the organization's name is Warm Hats, Warm Hearts, they accept donations of all kinds, so this child's sweater (the pattern is from Knitting Pure & Simple) is now on its way to the beautiful state of Vermont. I love the KP&S patterns because they are really a blank canvas, and half the fun is deciding how to make this sweater different from the last one. I hope this one will keep someone warm and cozy this winter. The tag at the neck has size information and washing instructions.

I have to admit, though...I still love to make toys for kids more than any other item.

Meanwhile, I finished up something for another worthwhile cause yesterday and will tell you about that next time. I've also started a scarf for Special Olympics Alabama. That is an interesting project because not only do you need to make a scarf to their size specifications, you must also use the yarn they specify. It's rather freeing, in a way, because sometimes having too many choices just slows me down.

I also started a pair of socks for Liat today. I should have had them ready for her birthday (which is in August) but at least they're in progress now.

So there's lots going on here at Bag of Chocolates, which is just the way I like it.

Make-over

2011-09-30T16:52:00.006+03:00

We received two of these tins this past week at an event Avi and I attended. Unfortunately, and contrary to appearances, there were in fact no cookies inside. Instead, there were coffee cups that matched the tins and plain yellow saucers. Except, of course, the cups said "Coffee" on them.

Even though the cups were empty.

Anyway, while I am sure DHL is a wonderful company, I really didn't want a cookie tin emblazoned with their logo adorning my kitchen. Alcohol inks to the rescue! Sadly, covering up the portion of the tin I wanted to remain in its original state did not prevent the inks from bleeding into what should have been forbidden territory. My family (have I mentioned how much I love them?) thinks it looks "cool" this way.

I'm still considering the option of trying to remove the inks that bled down below the tape and seeing if I can get a clean, sharp line between the inked area and the yellow. Of course, there are so many other things to do, most likely I won't bother.

I wonder what I'll do with the second tin.

Designing Daughter

2011-09-25T21:45:00.003+03:00

There's not much to show you as far as current projects go (working on some stealth knitting that can't be shared), though I hope to have something by the end of the week. So in the meantime, and since I was so bad about keeping the blog up to date over the last year and more, I will fill in with things that may not be new but are at least new blog fodder.

This summer Meital asked me to knit her a pair of fingerless gloves featuring the rap group D12. She is a big fan of rap and especially of Eminem. She gave me very specific instructions for the design of the gloves, particularly the placement of the names of the group members, and even charted out the logo herself. I worked on them over the summer and got them done, as requested, in time for the first day of school (September 1).

Why anyone would want to wear wool on their hands in 90 degree weather is beyond me, but then it's been a while since I was 14...

It was a fun, challenging, frustrating, character-building kind of a project, and I am eternally grateful that they are finished (and that Meital is delighted with them).

Knitting for Charity?

2011-09-23T20:13:00.003+03:00

I just "Liked" a group on Facebook called Knitting for Charity. For some reason, I am uncomfortable with that word (no, not knitting, the other one!). The word "charity" brings to my mind an association with the term Lady Bountiful (a character from an 18th century play by George Farquhar). According to The Free Dictionary, though, a Lady Bountiful is "a woman who enjoys showing people how rich and kind she is by giving things to poor people." Now, I haven't seen or read the play so I don't know if that is the way the character behaved, but the definition I just quoted reflects my understanding of the title, Lady Bountiful.

I don't wanna be a Lady Bountiful.

Now, it could be (probably is) that I'm way off base here. After all, Dictionary.com defines charity as "generous actions or donations to aid the poor, ill, or helpless" which sounds about right. I guess. I still have a problem with it.

I am much more comfortable with Malaak Compton-Rock's term, "service". In her book, If It Takes a Village, Build One (which I highly recommend, if you're interested in that kind of thing) the terms "humanitarianism" and "volunteer opportunity" are used. And the motto mentioned again and again is a quote by children's advocate Marian Wright Edelman: "Service is the rent we pay for living."

Now, those terms resonate with me. I have done some form of community service for most of my life, whether by going in person to spend time helping out in homes for the aged or working with school children, or by making things and sending them where they are needed. The Hebrew word most often used to mean "charity" is "tzedakah" but the original, biblical meaning of the word is "righteousness" or "justice".

Doing or giving because it is the right thing to do. Yes, that really reflects how I feel. And I think it reflects the motivation behind the actions of many people I know and admire, who also do the right thing, from their hearts, because they believe it is both an obligation and a privilege.

Project Night Night

2011-09-20T19:49:00.003+03:00

Project Night Night is a very special organization that operates in several states, distributing tote bags containing a book, a small blanket and a soft toy to homeless children. I originally intended to send my offering to the chapter in San Francisco, since I am originally from the S.F. Bay Area. But in the end I decided to send this bunny (pattern from the wonderful book Itty Bitty Toys by Susan B. Anderson) and blanket to the Michigan location. I meant to mail it yesterday but got sidetracked by a translation project (remember one of my favorite sayings? "I like work, but it sure breaks up the day." True, so true). Meital came to the rescue and schlepped the box to the post office for me. Yay, Meital! And now the map is up to 7 states.

The blanket has a story behind it. Many (many) months ago, a friend of mine here in Israel asked me to knit a blanket for an expected grandchild, due in January. I did, and duly called her when the blanket was ready to tell her to come and pick it up. She never did (and never called, either!). I figured eight months was long enough to wait, and now the blanket is on its way to someone who will use it. That's a good feeling.

Now I'm working on something that will go to Warm Hats, Warm Hearts - a group that collects and distributes scarves, mittens and of course hats to folks who need them in Vermont and upstate New York. I've added a few more ideas to the list that sits on my computer table, for future projects. Ravelry and Facebook have both been great resources for finding service organizations in need of knitted items.

Lest you think I've given up my multi-tasking ways, I'm also working on a birthday present which can't be shown here at Bag of Chocolates. Yet. Stay tuned.

We Love Weddings, Too

2011-09-19T17:13:00.006+03:00

One of the things we did this summer was attend a wedding. Well, not just any wedding - my firstborn niece's wedding! She and her Joe got married at a beautiful waterfront hotel in Seattle, and we had a blast spending time with family. As you might have guessed from the photo above, Liat (left) and Meital (middle) were bridesmaids. Their cousin Hannah (right) was the flower girl. During the reception after the wedding, the girls got a little chilled and each asked one of the guests for his suit jacket! It was too cute not to take a photo. I also got a picture of the girls with the guys who lent their jackets. Fun stuff.

The wedding was the cherry on top of the cake that was our summer vacation in the U.S. The day after we were on the plane home. How was your summer?

Judy Sumner

2011-09-17T19:22:00.002+03:00

I lost a friend today. I first met Judy on-line, in one of my knitting groups. We got to know one another through e-mails. Judy was the person who encouraged, and then taught me, how to knit socks. So if you are one of the people I have knit socks for, you have Judy to thank. She explained the process, answered my newbie questions, and applauded my efforts. She sent me a gift of sock yarn to make sure I was well and truly hooked! Not only that, I learned to knit socks from the basic pattern Judy offered for free on her website. I purchased some of her patterns, but she gave me at least as many, just because she was that kind of person. Thoughtful, kind, and warm. I was so happy when a dream came true for her in 2009, when a book of her sock patterns was published by Stewart, Tabori & Chang (it's called Knitted Socks East and West, if you're interested). I was able to travel to Knoxville with my family several years ago, and we met Judy for lunch at the Panera near the yarn shop where she worked, teaching others to knit.

She touched so many lives, and all of us will always have a place in our hearts saved just for her. Rest in peace, Judy. You will be greatly missed.

We Love Babies!

2011-09-16T17:42:00.005+03:00

One of Meital's good friends, Alina, has a brand new baby sister and naturally we needed to make and give something to little Bar (don't ask me to explain Hebrew names, some of them make absolutely no sense...).

The little knitted bunny took very little time to make, and fortunately for me I had a baby card already made and waiting to be used. The words say Mazel Tov, which is a really good all-purpose sentiment to use on cards here. Too bad no one makes any really pretty stamps that say Mazel Tov in Hebrew. I used a stencil here.

I'm finishing up another toy for donation...hope to have that done this weekend. Happy Friday, everyone!

For Hennie

2011-09-14T17:58:00.003+03:00

I have been lucky enough to meet many wonderful people on the knitting community website, Ravelry. Hennie, or Deb, is one of them. Deb makes and sells handknit items to raise money for epilepsy research. Her shop/website is called Blue Sunflower. When I saw she had put a call out on her blog asking for cards, I knew that was something I could do - and relatively quickly - to help. Of course, once having made that decision I went through several of the circles of hell before completing a few cards I could be happy with. Those of you who are stampers can probably tell at a glance that I used three different coloring methods on that little bear image. On the blue card, he is sponged (that'll teach me to leave a blue thumbprint where I don't want one! Had to go on and make a mortise mask and ink in the whole image after that oops).

On the card above the blue one, I used my new set of Bic markers. And on the card on the right, I used colored pencils. Which do you like best?

The little lamb is yet another interesting story that reveals what kind of crazy mother I am. Meital came to me one day and asked if I could knit up a toy as a birthday gift for a friend. Of course, sure, no problem. Wait...when do you need it?! TONIGHT!?!

I sat and worked on that lamb nonstop for a few hours. It came together nicely (a Fuzzy Mitten pattern, for those who want to know). I was pleased. Meital loved it. But at the last minute, she decided not to go to the party, she didn't feel well. Has this kind of thing happened to you? Of course it has. I know you understand.

So the lamb has been lying in the gift drawer for quite a while now. I decided he needed to go to Deb along with the cards, and off he went. Meital was very pleased with my decision.

A Promise to Myself

2011-09-13T17:21:00.003+03:00

First of all, I'd like to beg your pardon for being AWOL for the last year and a half! I never expected that to happen, but sometimes life is like that.

I am not going to promise that I will keep blogging regularly, but I do hope that I will. I've missed it. I enjoy sharing my projects and thoughts with you, and I love getting your responses and reactions. So, here we are again.

Yesterday I had one of my brainstorms, an idea that I am very excited about. Over the years, as many of you know, I have created things and donated them to various community service organizations. I can't even remember every single one, but I know I've donated my handmade greeting cards to organizations like Keiki Cards in Hawaii, and more recently to Operation Write Home. I've made cross stitched squares that were sent to SOLAK (Stitches of Love and Kindness) to be made into quilts for chronically or terminally ill children and adults. I've knitted countless items for the Cheyenne River Youth Project and Pine Ridge Reservation, both in South Dakota. I've made scarves for my friend Shelly's organization, Scarves from the Heart. I sent a blanket to the SANDS organization in England last year. And so on. Yesterday, with two more packages nearly ready to be mailed, this time to Philly Care Caps in Pennsylvania and Hannah's Socks in Ohio, it hit me.

Over the years, I have sent things to many different places (we won't get into the many things I've made for the children at the community center near my house, or the hats for IDF soldiers). Wouldn't it be cool - really cool - to see if I could send handmade things to organizations in every state in the U.S.? I think so. I'm going to see if I can do it. I don't know how long it will take, and I have a feeling there are some places I will send things to more than once. But I'm very excited about this project, and hopefully it will keep me motivated to keep blogging, too! Tricky, aren't I?

Meital's Surprise

2010-03-03T08:48:00.006+02:00

When Meital went on her overnight field trip last month, I knit her a toy (no surprise there, right?). When it came time to put the finished toy in her room to await her return, I decided it would be fun to put out all of her soft toys (I'm weird that way). I've already talked about how Avi and Liat worried (correctly, as it turned out) that seeing all of the toys would remind Meital of the one she had lost (still working on recreating Buzz Buzz, by the way). Still, she and I both enjoyed the display.

There were toys on the bed, on the shelves by the door, on her desk, pretty much everywhere. She's got Beanie Babies, Care Bears, hand knit toys, an American Girl doll (not a soft toy but a cherished gift from a wonderful cousin), freebies from McDonalds, gifts from friends and family, and more. I had a lot of fun arranging them in conversation groups, and at one point thought about adding little speech balloons above some of their heads, but in the end I flaked out on that. I also neglected to count them, but then I don't really like numbers very much anyway.

This is the newest addition to the family. Well, actually, that's not true because just this past Friday I gave Meital (and Liat) something new. Stayed tuned for a post about the Squidgy Beanbugs.

Buzz Buzz

2010-02-19T17:17:00.005+02:00

Buzz Buzz's story began quite a few years ago. When Meital, now 12, was in preschool, she came to me and told me she wanted to "write" a story. I sat down at the computer and typed out the story exactly as she told it. Here it is:

Once upon a time there was a little bee called Buzz Buzz. He lived by the side of very far away. Buzz Buzz liked to do lots of art things. He decided to do something made from clay, and he painted a picture.

He came home and gave his mother some honey.

The End

That was only the first of many stories of the adventures of Buzz Buzz. I bought a binder and put each story, complete with illustrations by Meital, into page protectors inside the binder. I designed and cross stitched a cover for the binder. As Meital grew, Buzz Buzz acquired friends with the same names as Meital's friends in preschool, learned the ABC and so on.

Meital and I had many talks about Buzz Buzz, and when she grew a bit concerned I assured her that many children have imaginary friends and it's just something fun, that I had had one myself, and so on.

In the summer of 2002 we went to Walt Disney World. On Meital's 5th birthday we went out to dinner at a restaurant in Downtown Disney, then wandered around doing some window shopping. It started to rain and we made a dash for the parking lot, which was at the other end of the walkway. We passed a shop and Meital stopped. When I called to her, she said, "Mommy! I've found someone who could be Buzz Buzz!"

Of course I stopped and went into the shop with her. I took a look and agreed that he would make a wonderful Buzz Buzz. We brought him home, and he was a very important part of Meital's toy collection for a long time. He came with us on every trip to the U.S.

But this past summer, 2009, somehow Buzz Buzz got lost. We didn't realize it until after we had returned home. I called the most likely hotels where he could have gotten lost, but no one had found a little bee toy with knitted pants (to cover up the growing hole in his belly).

Meital was devastated.

I found the name of the shop where we had purchased him, and it was still in business. I asked a friend who was going to WDW to check for a bee if she made it to Downtown Disney, and wonderful person that she is, she did. I sent her the photo above to help her, but she learned that they no longer carried that product (it was originally a magnet).

Fast forward to this week, when Meital left on an overnight field trip on Valentine's Day. I had been working on a knitted elephant for her, and her absence made it possible for me to finish it up in time for her return the following day. I got the idea of putting out all of her soft toys and arranging them around the room. Liat and Avi had the thought that seeing all of the other toys would make her miss Buzz Buzz all over again. I was upset to think my surprise might make her sad, but they assured me that she would enjoy the spectacle of all of the toys on display.

Sure enough, she loved the surprise but was sad all over again about Buzz Buzz. She asked me if there was any way I could recreate Buzz Buzz in knitting. And that is just what I hope to do.

(I couldn't add photos of the new toy and the surprise, so that will have to wait for my next post).

Getting Ready

2010-02-10T17:22:00.006+02:00

Of course this card wasn't ready in time to mail to the U.S. for Valentine's Day, but a pretty card (if I do say so myself!) is appreciated anytime, right?

Of course right!

I stippled and sponged a bunch of different blue inks onto a glossy postcard, then stamped a variety of Posh images on that, again in several shades of blue. The picture is a photocopy of a photo taken of my grandparents in New York City in 1925. I love my grandfather's spiffy socks! And I can't believe he's wearing a jacket and tie in July. Ah, those were the days...

I've also made a few more backgrounds, all ready for use in Valentines for my family. Some were made with Blending Blox ink pads (rubbed directly on the cardstock) and some using my Rainbow Sponge (which, by the way, is being discontinued by Ranger and is available on sale at Stamp A Mania!).

In other news, it turns out the pain and stiffness I've been feeling in my left shoulder are the result of a frozen shoulder. Yes, just like Avi got last year. Sigh. I may be able to get a cortisone shot for the pain, but first my doctor wants me to have a bone scan. That's happening next week. Meanwhile, the activity that bothers my shoulder/arm the least is stamping. I just wish I had more time for it. Work is very busy, lots of things to translate. And I have knitting I'd love to finish by Valentine's Day (to go along with the cards), but knitting isn't completely comfortable. I have, however, made fair progress on Liat's sweater, and am trying to finish up a little elephant for Meital (who has for some reason loved elephants since she was little...Maybe because when she was just a few hours old Liat brought her a tiny pink stuffed elephant?)

I very much hope to have more things to show you soon. Meanwhile, keep warm!

More Cards

2010-01-23T15:21:00.004+02:00

It might seem from these new cards I've just made that I'm pining for Spring, but actually that isn't the case. The weather here, mostly, is already enough like Spring - we need more rain!

All of these cards were made using my new Hope/Faith set from Stamp A Mania. I've been having a lot of fun with it, and there are quite a few other ideas/looks I want to try with these stamps.

In other news, work is keeping me very busy, though I manage to find some time to knit every day. Right now I'm trying to finish up a sweater I started for Liat several months ago. I'm also working on a pair of socks for Meital and a small knitted toy that I hope to give her for Valentine's Day.

Which reminds me! I should get started on making some Valentines...

Fifteen Minutes

2010-01-02T15:46:00.003+02:00

Today the new Posh Rubber Stamps website went live (click on the box to the right), and I am so excited by all the fabulous goodies Stamp A Mania will be carrying. All of my favorite papers and inks (and stamps, of course), and if you know me you know how much I love one-stop shopping. Parts of the site were ready a while ago, but many new things have been added, and I find myself going back over and over to check things out.

One of the new things they put up are the design team pages, so my fifteen minutes of fame have officially happened. You can check it out and tell me what you think!

In other news, I've been knitting away. Finally finished the last few gifts I wanted to give for the holidays (though one has yet to be put in the mail, bad me!). Now I'm working on finishing up the various projects I had started before I got side-tracked by holiday knitting. All too soon it will be time to work on a pair of gifts I want to make in honor of Liat's graduation from high school. I want to make something for her homeroom teacher of the last three years and something for the principal of the school.

Wishing all of you a very happy and healthy 2010.

Inky Again!

2009-12-19T17:53:00.003+02:00

More fun times in the ol' stamping room today! If this card looks very similar to another I've made recently, it is. I got some excellent advice on how to improve my earlier effort, from someone who knows! So I wisely followed his suggestions, and here is the result. I love all the color, and the sentiment.

I used the same sentiment here, but went for a totally different look. The images are from the same Face Flowers set I was sent in my design team kit (so many great images to play with there), but this time I made the green background by applying alcohol inks to glossy cardstock, then stamping with pigment ink and embossing the images, so they would show up nice and dark. Easy! Layered on black, then shiny gold cardstock (too bad you can't see it in person - the green background also has some gold in it. Shimmery!)

I have more stamps to play with, but I also need to clean up in my room; it doubles as a classroom (some of you may remember that), and as it happens, I will start tutoring a lovely young man (tenth grade) in English starting this Monday. I have known this kid since he was in sixth grade, and a sweeter kid you've never met! I just hope I can give him some help. He's very smart, and long on charm, but perhaps just a wee bit unmotivated when it comes to his studies. I want to help motivate him, because after all, it's his future at stake! We'll see how it goes. So while I'm excited to help him, I'm a bit unnerved at the prospect of giving my stamping/class room a thorough cleaning. It's been...awhile, shall we say?

I was a good girl though, finished translating this month's section of the Holocaust memoir before going to play. I still need to double check some spelling of towns and such, and polish it up a bit before sending it off to the client. But the main work is done, thank goodness! I hate to be late.

I've also done some knitting (of course), which also keeps me happy. Will likely get more done tonight while watching a basketball game on television. I hope all of you have a wonderful weekend!

More Gifts

2009-12-18T20:00:00.004+02:00

These are the fingerless mitts I made for my niece in California. She and I agreed on the pattern and colors this past summer, and I think she will look great in them! Only wish I could have given them to her personally. I included the balls of left over yarn so you could see that you actually can manage to make the smaller size with just one 50 gram skein of each color (though I was sweating a bit over the green, I can tell you!). They are called Transition Gloves, and I got the pattern from Simply Sock Yarns, one of my very favorite places to buy yarn.

These of course are Avi's Chanukah socks, made with Austermann Step yarn, which has some kind of softener in it that feels marvelous on the hands while you knit, and probably feels even better on the feet. Of course, Avi said, "But I already have a pair of your socks!" when I gave them to him. Sigh. Needs just a bit more training, but I think I'll keep him anyway.

After these finishes, I still have another nine (yes, 9!) projects on the needles. I am going to try very hard to finish up as many as I can starting now and continuing through the Winter Olympics. Then I need to get started on gifts for Liat's homeroom teacher of the last two and a half years and the principal of the school. I'm thinking maybe Swallowtail scarves for both of them (don't worry, if you have no idea what that means, I'll be sure and bore you with photos and details when the time comes).

I ordered some more Marvy brush art markers and glossy cardstock today, for more cardmaking fun! I'm hoping to spend part of tomorrow making some more cards, too. I feel very lucky.

I hope you are all having fun this weekend, too!

Catching Up

2009-12-16T18:00:00.004+02:00

How can I catch you up when I keep moving forward? Anyway, here is the bunny I made for Meital for Chanukah. I imagine by next year she won't want stuffed toys, so this may be the last one I make for her, at least for awhile. I didn't make the dress according to the pattern (called The Well-Dressed Bunny - it's on Ravelry for those of you who are members there). In fact, I knit and ripped out the dress several times before coming up with something I was reasonably happy with.

And this is another card, made today, with my new Posh stamps. I used a stipple brush and a multi-colored ink pad called Blending Blox to make the speckled background, then stamped the ivy stamp and the phrase on the card. The sunflowers I stamped on sticker paper and added. Fun and easy! And since I've been watching all of my Dee Gruenig DVDs (and viewing her videos on You Tube) I have a whole lot more ideas spinning around in my head, waiting for a chance to come out!

However, my deadline for sending in the third installment of the Holocaust memoir is drawing near, and I am spending most of my time on that lately. It's very interesting learning about life in the camp of the Bielski partisans.

I did sneak in some knitting today, too, though. Shh! Still trying to finish Avi's second sock, and I'm nearly ready to start the toe decreases, which means I just might finish by Friday night, the last night of Chanukah. Wish me luck!

Playtime!

2009-12-15T15:30:00.003+02:00

I got my first designer's kit yesterday from Stamp A Mania, and it's a lovely one! It's called Face Flowers, and some of the images are smaller versions of stamps already in my collection, which makes me think of all kinds of fun possibilties. Meanwhile, I made these two cards today, and had a blast getting inky after so much time away from my stamping table.

It's going to be lots of fun thinking of ways to use these pretty stamps. They are even a great size for ATCs, so I may have to get back into those, too. The Posh Rubber Stamps website is partially operational but the big reveal will be coming soon. I can't wait to see all of the accessories they are going to carry; I am in desperate need of Marvy markers and more glossy cardstock!

I've been away from blogging for a while and I've missed it. We've had a fair amount of work come in, which is always good. Plus, I'm still working on my biggest project, the memoir of a man who survived the Holocaust. I have just gotten to the part where he joins the Bielski partisans (did anyone see "Defiance"?).

Natually, there has also been a lot of knitting. I will share those photos in a future post. Some items have been given to their recipients, but I am still stealth knitting the socks for Avi. Nearly done, thank goodness! Of course, there is no shortage of other projects I want to start as soon as I finish the ones already on the needles.

A Finish

2009-10-30T19:13:00.004+02:00

Not to be confused with a Finn. I met some lovely Swedish members of my distant family over a year ago, but have yet to discover any Finnish leaves on my family tree. But I did finally complete this Marsan Watchcap for my nephew Michael in Jerusalem. I hope he likes it!

This is the third black hat I have made for a young man in recent weeks. Two of the three will be entering the army some time in the next year to year and a half, so hopefully the hats will come in handy then as well as now.

But I'd really rather not have to knit another hat with black yarn any time soon. And aren't photos of items knitted with black yarn just so thrilling?

Instead of casting on for the scarf for my niece in Jerusalem, I decided to see if I could finish at least one other something first. I finished the leg, knit the heel flap and turned the heel on the second in a pair of baby socks made from leftover Koigu, and I hope those will be finished by Saturday night. Meanwhile, I am going to work on Meital's first tipless glove tonight.

It's so much fun to knit with the sound of the rain as my background music!

I Blame Ravelry

2009-10-29T15:46:00.004+02:00

For those who may not know, Ravelry is an online community for knitters and crocheters. There are discussion forums, interest groups, and places to share your finished projects and works-in-progress, your yarn stash, your knitting/crochet book collection and more. The place I hang out most is the Patterns section. There are thousands and thousands of patterns on Ravelry; many are free, and others can be downloaded for a reasonable fee. The Patterns database is searchable, so if my niece in Jerusalem wants a scarf in black and pale turquoise (which she does), I can search scarf patterns for designs using two colors, and so on.

The guilty secret alluded to yesterday isn't that I ate all the Swiss chocolate stashed in the fridge, or that I splurged on new stamps, ink pads and the like. No, the truth is, the yarn you see in the photo above was calling to me, and I spent many enjoyable minutes browsing through the patterns at Ravelry, until I happened upon the one that shouted: "I'm the one you've been looking for!" Of course I got started right away. Couldn't make myself wait until I had finished one of the eight (8) projects already on my needles (one of which is a sweater for me, for Pete's sake).

I love the way this very simple design (it's the mara shawl from Madeline Tosh, for those who are interested) showcases the gorgeous yarn, which is Fiesta Boomerang in the Rain Forest colorway, purchased two years ago while we were in Oklahoma City. Another fun thing about Ravelry is that you can view the knitting of others who have made your project, read their raves and/or complaints about a pattern and any problems or innovations they had along the way. More than a couple complained that this was a boring knit, but I don't think that will bother me. So far, I am finding it fun and yet soothing to work on. The color changes in the yarn amuse me, and it's fun to watch the shawl gradually grow on my needles.

So there you have it; my guilty secret. I'll bet at least some of you were expecting something like this.

Knitting Content!

2009-10-28T16:55:00.004+02:00

I'm finally getting around to showing you the tipless gloves I am making for my girls. If you've been visiting Bag Of Chocolates for awhile, you might recognize this pattern. Basically, I took Ann Budd's Knitter's Handy Book of Patterns glove pattern, did 2x2 ribbing for the wrist & hand, and stockinette for the thumb gusset and fingers. I've made gloves like these for my sister and both of her daughters. Liat's yarn is Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock in the Apple Hill colorway, on size 2.5mm needles. This photo was taken a couple of days ago; I finished this glove today and cast on for the second one.

Meital's tipless gloves are also in Lorna's Laces, in the Flamingo Stripe colorway. Since her hands are a little smaller, I am using 2.25mm needles; not sure how much of a difference it will make, but it should be fine. That's what I love about doing these in 2x2 ribbing; they can stretch to fit, but are also fairly snug to the hand. I just don't love floppy gloves/mitts/wristwarmers! This photo is from today, but I have since worked on this and am nearly done with the thumb gusset.

I've also been working on the Marsan watchcap for my nephew in Jerusalem, but since it's black I just can't get enthusiastic about progress photos. I've even worked a little on the second baby sock in leftover Koigu. I started this pair months ago, thinking they would be the first in a bunch of summer knitting. But I ended up making other things and the socks have been neglected. Now I really want to free up th needles so I can get started on Avi's Chanukah socks, not to mention socks for some other lovely people...

No stamping for the last few days, but I think the ideas have been simmering just about long enough and will be ready to appear on paper soon. And next time, I will confess a guilty secret.

Stay tuned.

Still Wishing

2009-10-25T22:12:00.003+02:00

Here's another card I made recently. I'm still wishing for cooler temperatures, as you can see. So far, it's not helping. The stamps for this card are, as usual, Posh designs - this is the Snowman set. This set will soon be available from Stamp A Mania. The blue colors on the right hand side were done by dragging a Blending Blox ink pad down the side of a piece of glossy cardstock. I then stamped the saying on top of that. The snowy background was stamped directly on the cardstock, while the snowman and all of the other pieces were stamped on glossy paper, cut out and glued down. I hope to have time tomorrow to do another card using other stamps from this set. I won't give up until the temps go down! ;-)

In knitting news, today I couldn't resist casting on for yet another project, for two reasons. October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month (go get checked! I can't urge this strongly enough) and in the knitting world, people are casting on pink projects. Second, the project I started is a pair of tipless gloves for Meital, who was very excited when she saw I had started on her gloves, even before I had finished Liat's. It was fun to see her smile.

I took a photo of Liat's glove to show you, but didn't get a chance to upload it to my computer (an unexpected translation project came in late this afternoon). Next time, I promise!

Another Card

2009-10-24T16:38:00.005+02:00

Here is another card I made recently, once again using the Posh Southwestern set. Soon that set and a lot more will be available at that link; the website is up but not all sections are active yet. They will be soon, I'm told! If you browse around, you'll see lots of beautiful card samples, and maybe one of these days you'll see a card or two that looks familiar! ;-)

I was organized last night, and made the sweet dough for cinnamon rolls before I went to bed. The dough rises in the fridge overnight, and then I can make the rolls in the morning. I got up bright and early and did just that, and let the smell of fresh cinnamon rolls and brewed coffee wake up my sweeties. I like to spoil them with something fresh-baked on the Saturdays that we don't go to Jerusalem (we go every other week), especially when the temperatures cool off. It's still not cool enough for my liking or for October, but it's a typical Israeli autumn.

I spent part of today working on Liat's tipless glove and it's coming along nicely. I can't find the ball band to tell you the colorway, but it's a pretty Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock in pinks, periwinkle, blue and lavender. I'll try to take a progress photo so you can see the yarn. The pattern (my own) is a very dull 2x2 ribbed tipless glove (the thumb and fingers are in stockinette), but with a pretty yarn it looks good. The best thing is that they fit snugly to the hand without being tight. I just don't like the look or feel of a loose, floppy wristwarmer/glove.

I also made another card (this time not with a southwestern theme!) which I will share next time. I love the kinds of days where I do lots of different things.

This, that and the other thing

2009-10-23T21:47:00.004+02:00

This is another card I made recently. The cactus, pot and lizard (gecko?) are from the Posh Southwestern set, and the saying is from the Greetings set. I made the background by drawing on a foam brayer with markers, then spritzing it with water before rolling it over the glossy paper. A fun, quick and easy way to make a pretty background. I have another card done, which I will show to you next time.

That is the Asherton Scarf I am making for Liat. The pattern yields a scarf about 7.5" wide, but Liat wanted a narrower one, so I eliminated one of the pattern repeats and added one stitch on either side. The scarf is now the width Liat wants. I forgot to knit the first four rows in garter stitch, but I don't think it will be a big problem.

As for the other thing, I've been starting to get to know the other stampers on the Stamp A Mania design team a little better. What a lovely group! We are going to have a lot of fun together, I can tell. I'm already inspired by the beautiful cards the team members have been making, and I can't wait to see more.

Have a great weekend!

Busy, Busy!

2009-10-22T16:57:00.003+02:00

Joansie mentioned she was interested in seeing my stamps. Well, above is a photo of one of them and below is a shot of my stamping table with the things I am currently using to create cards. I love my older, wood-mounted rubber stamps, but these new stamps are so much easier to use and to store.

These Posh stamps are mounted on a foam cushion that sticks onto an acrylic mount, then comes off when you give it a little tug. They stay stuck on the back of those plastic sheets with the colorful images on one side until you need them. Easy peasy! And they take up much less space than my wood mounted stamps. I can, of course, see through the acrylic mount and get a fair idea of where my image will end up on the paper. If I want precise placement, I use a tool called a stamp positioner, which helps me get the image exactly where I want it to be. But, mostly I don't need to be that precise, which is more relaxed and fun.

I use those Marvy markers to color directly onto the rubber, and I can easily blend more than one color as I go. When I use glossy paper instead of matte, the image comes out very bright. That's the look you usually see with my cards. Then once I stamp, the image is done! That's the fun of these solid stamp images. The other kind just have outlines, and usually need to be colored in with pencils, markers or something else. That's a lovely look, too, but I have become hooked on these wonderful bold stamps.

So that's a little peek into my stamping world. I have more cards to show you, but that will have to wait until tomorrow. Knitting is lagging behind, but I am hoping to work some more on the Marsan cap for my nephew tonight. I wonder what's on tv?

Forgot to Show You

2009-10-21T14:47:00.003+02:00

I completely forgot to show you the card I made for Liat that was given to her during her trip in Poland. Her English teacher had called and asked parents to write a letter that could be given to the student at some point during the trip. Well, of course I don't just write plain old letters!

You won't be surprised to know that my favorite thing about this card is that it all started with a used "color catcher" - those sheets you put in the laundry so your dark colors don't bleed into the lights. I used one of those foam craft stamps (you can find them just about anywhere) and some pigment ink to stamp the shell. I used my sewing machine to stitch some of the lines above and below the shell, then embroidered and added beads according to my whim. It was fun to just forge ahead with no set plan and see how the project developed. Unfortunately, the photo doesn't show you all the sparkly threads and pretty beads I used, but at least you get an idea.

I have started the hat for my other nephew in Jerusalem, and bought the yarn to make his sister's scarf. Now I just need to settle on a pattern to use. She wants black and turquoise, so at first I thought about double knitting, but with the scarf for another of my niece's being a double knitting project, I decided maybe that wouldn't be a good plan. Now I'm thinking about using a multidirectional pattern and alternating between the two colors. We'll see!

Mark at Stamp A Mania told me that he will soon be sending out the kits for the design team members. I'm more than a little excited! I made two more cards today and have started a third. What I really ought to do is make two of each, so that I have one I can send to a friend or family member. I think I'll do that with the next card I start.

The Excitement is Building!

2009-10-20T16:16:00.003+02:00

In a very short time, Stamp A Mania will be releasing their first Posh stamp sets. That means I should also soon be getting my first stamp kit from them. I am so looking forward to seeing what they send, and of course having the fun of playing! Meanwhile, I made the card above for a friend who hasn't been feeling well. I hope it perks her up. Both the saying and the crayon image are from the Posh Impressions Greetings set, which comes not only with a variety of sayings but fun things like a crayon (duh), a pencil, and a marker. Fun to use in cards.

For those lucky enough to live near Albuquerque, New Mexico, there is going to be a stamping convention there on October 31 - November 1. Sounds like a fun way to spend a weekend. I have only ever been to one stamping convention, two years ago in Los Angeles (actually, Carson, CA). I was lucky enough to meet Dee and Warren Gruenig there, and I have to say I basically haunted the booth until they shut the place down for the night! Luckily the friend I came with was very understanding.

In other news, two friends have reassured me that the over-large beret is actually a marvelously "in" slouch hat! Let's hope my niece is aware of this fashion trend... Meanwhile, I did a little yarn shopping today (most was for my mother-in-law, I swear!) and now have the yarn I need for the Marsan watchcap for my nephew, and a scarf for his sister. Time to cast on!

Love it or leaf it?

2009-10-19T16:52:00.004+02:00

No joking, that was the title of the article this pattern came with. Love it, leaf it beret. Hrmph. I would leaf it, but it's too late. I am feeling grumpy about this hat, as you can tell. It came out too big, which is the complaint that everyone on Ravelry who has made it has. The designer claims she knits very tightly and didn't want the yarn she used (cotton and bamboo blend) to stretch out. That should have been a warning right there.

Aside from that, instead of having you decrease one stitch at a certain number of points around the crown of the hat, she has you decrease two stitches. I think the result looks pretty yucky. I haven't blocked the hat yet (anyone have a spare 12" dinner plate I can borrow? mine are all 10") but am not sure that will help much.

The bright side in all of this is that my niece is not only pretty easy-going, but definitely a lover of funky accessories. I am sure she has the panache and style to carry this thing off. I just hope she likes it! She saw the photo in the magazine and requested the hat in dark green, and that's what she's getting.

Wishful Thinking

2009-10-18T10:53:00.004+02:00

It is in the 90s here today, and MAN do I wish it would cool off already! It's been fun (not) but it's October, for Pete's sake! (My family always asks me who the heck is Pete and why should we do anything for him?).

Ahem. Sorry about that little rant. Anyway. The idea for this card came when I tried to think where I could use those cute little face images (from the Posh Impressions Halloween Duets set). I've used them on flowers, and as you know, on the card in the post before this one. Actually, I started this card first, but it was finished second so that's why they're out of order. The hats and saying are from the Posh Snowman set, and of course the background and cacti are from the Posh Southwest set.

I think I will stamp some more snow-themed cards. Rain would be more realistic, but if you're gonna dream, dream big, right?

Sandy asked how long it took to make that little Hug from Home that I gave to Liat. It really knits up very quickly, and it's all knit flat and then sewn together. But it's tiny (fits in the palm of your hand) so it's fast. Doing the intarsia (where I changed from purple to blue green for the heart) made it take a little longer, but I would guess you could make one of these in a couple of hours or less.

And speaking of knitting, I have a completed Leaf Beret to show you as soon as I can get one of my models to pose for me. I'm also nearly done with another black London Beanie, this time for one of my nephews in Jerusalem.

I hope all of you are having a fabulous, not too hot!!!, day.

Wannabe

2009-10-15T16:28:00.003+02:00

I had some fun in my stamping room today. Soon the new Posh stamps from Stamp A Mania will be available (and I hope to be getting my first Design Team package soon, whooo hoo!) and I'm getting my stamping muscles back in shape to make sure I'm ready.

I was using the cactus stamp for a different card (which I hope to show to you soon) when I got the idea for this one. The pumpkins and all of the faces are from the Posh Impressions Halloween Duets set, while the cactus is from the Southwestern set. I love mixing things up and throwing in something unexpected.

In other news, Liat is safely home from her trip to Poland! She took lots of amazing photos and has already told us quite a few stories. It's so much nicer to have her home, even though she is making sure I won't be bored by reminding me of all the knitted items she wants me to make for her (this list got even longer while she was away). At least I finished the beret I was working on for my niece's birthday, so obviously I must cast on for something new (we'll ignore the two sweaters, scarf, wristwarmer and baby sock already on the needles, shall we?).

I thought we would.

A Hat of My Own

2009-10-10T12:36:00.003+02:00

I finally took the time to make a hat for myself! It's the Claudia hat, and it's a free pattern! I made some changes to the pattern, like using a size 5 (instead of size 4) US needle for the beginning of the hat. I then switched to a size 7 (instead of size 6) for the body. I knit until the hat was 5.5", which I think was too long, before starting the decreases. I realized that the decreases go on for quite a few inches, and my hat was either going to be too long or would have a little point poking up at the top. Not a look I am interested in cultivating.

So I cut short the decreases and also switched to size 6 double pointed needles after awhile. It fits nicely, but I haven't studied how the top of it looks when on the head...scared to, I guess.

I still have a lot more gift knitting to do, and we're talking about birthdays, not holidays! But first we have some more work to finish up, and I'm also itching to get back into my stamping room. Never enough time, is there?

A Hug from Home

2009-10-09T16:03:00.003+02:00

I made this little guy (a modification of a Jean Greenhowe pattern) to tuck into Liat's suitcase before she left for Poland. I sewed a little bag for him, and attached a tag that said "A hug from home." I hid it with her pajamas, knowing she would find it on the first night, and she did.

She sent me a text message that she really loved it, and mentioned it again when we spoke last night. The idea was that whenever she felt she needed a hug, she could squeeze this little guy (he fits right in the palm of the hand) and know that I was sending her a hug.

What can I say? I'm corny like that.

Ain't No Sunshine

2009-10-08T17:53:00.004+02:00

Liat left for Poland on Tuesday night, and it is very strange around here without her. Everyone keeps telling me, "Wait until she starts the army" and "Wait until she gets married."

Hello? Not helpful, people.

Luckily, we have a big translation project to work on, so my mind is occupied for minutes at a time. Just kidding; once we start working, that is what I focus on. The hard part is once we take a break or are done for the day.

I think it's even harder because school is still out on break. Once Meital goes back to school on Monday, it won't seem so odd that Liat isn't here all the time.

How many hours until Wednesday morning?

The Trip to Poland

2009-10-05T17:34:00.003+02:00

Several people have asked me about Liat's upcoming trip to Poland (she needs to be at the school in another 25.5 hours...) so I thought I would give a brief explanation.

It has become an almost standard part of the high school experience that, in their senior year, many Israeli teens go on a trip to Poland, under the authority of the Ministry of Education. They are considered part of an official Israeli delegation.

This year, the trip will last for one week and will include such sites as Warsaw, Lodz, and several death camps: Auschwitz-Birkenau, Treblinka and Majdanek. They have had many hours of preparation for the trip, including visiting several Holocaust museums here in Israel, listening to the personal stories of several Holocaust survivors, and participating in a number of activities designed to prepare them emotionally for what they will see and experience in Poland. They have been assigned books to read, and some of the students on the trip are responsible for preparing a ceremony for a specific stop on the trip (Liat and her group prepared a ceremony for Warsaw, site of the famous ghetto).

There will be, of course, a number of teachers on the trip, not to mention a security force there to protect the students. It all seems very well planned out and organized.

If you'd like to read a little bit more about the trip, go to this website and scroll down to question number 11, which deals with the trip.

Hat Trio

2009-10-04T17:22:00.003+02:00

As promised (or threatened?) here is a photo of my three most recent hats. Bet you can't guess which one is for a guy.

Just kidding.

The black hat is, of course, a London Beanie. The colorful hat is Swell, a pattern which can be found on Knitty, though if you are thinking of knitting this fun hat, I strongly urge you to use larger needles than called for in the pattern. I used size 8, with size 9s for the colorwork. And of course the purple hat should look at least vaguely familiar; this is the fourth time I've made this Coronet pattern from Knitty! And the second in about a week.

You may recall my mentioning that originally, I had planned to make a Coronet hat for myself, then ended up making one for my niece, one for Liat, and now two for Liat's friends. Well, I am heartily sick of this pattern at the moment, and I also just happened to notice a pattern I had saved (not sure where I found it, but it's on Ravelry) called Claudia, by M.J. Kim. I decided that before I start the hats for my nephews, I would finally, finally, make a hat for myself. I cast on in royal blue, and am really enjoying the pattern so far.

And it's a jolly good thing hats are so small and quick to knit.

In other news, Liat leaves for Poland in approximately 50 hours.

Card for Joan

2009-10-03T13:47:00.003+02:00

One of my friends at Club Posh suffered a stroke recently, so I made this card for her today. I am craving autumn (it is in the eighties and humid here, phooey!), so I chose that as my theme. The background is another piece from that large blotter paper background that I made months ago. For those who don't know, I started with the paint spattered newsprint I use as a blotter under my stamping, then added more color, stamped images, etc. to make an interesting and rather random background.

The leaves, acorn and pumpkin (all by Posh Impressions) were stamped on alcohol ink backgrounds I made some time ago, using pigment ink and embossing powder to really make the lines pop. They were then cut out and glued onto the background. I was worried that the background paper would be too dark and/or busy for the word stamp, so I used my finger to rub some white chalk onto the background. I didn't want to obscure the background, just lighten it, and I am very happy with the results.

I just hope the card brings Joan some cheer.

I am nearly done with the hat for Liat's friend Eden. I hope my next post will feature a photo of all the hats I haven't yet shown you. And just in case I wasn't already getting just the tiniest bit weary of hats, I promised to knit one for each of my two nephews in Jerusalem yesterday. Their sister wants a scarf. Bless her heart!

What a card

2009-09-30T18:44:00.005+02:00

Here's a card I made the other day, using the Southwest set from Posh Impressions. The thing that was different for me was that I layered the stamped images on paper (in this case, a blue sky with clouds background paper and a strip of tan cardstock) instead of stamping directly on a glossy card. And you know how much I love it when I can sneak in some recycling: I stamped the images on the back of a glossy insert that came with one of my orders of Posh stamps! As one of the pirates in my favorite movie would say, "Now that's what you call ironic."

I have at least two more card ideas I am itching to get on paper, but first I need to finish polishing up the first installment of the Holocaust memoir I am translating. I need to send it to the client tomorrow, then get started on the next installment. Also on Thursday, I need to take Liat shopping for some things she needs for her trip to Poland (I can't believe she's leaving in less than a week!) and bake honey cakes for the Sukkot holiday. It's not exactly traditional, but for many years now I have baked two honey cakes for Rosh Hashanah, and two for Sukkot. One stays here, the other goes to my in-laws in Jerusalem.

I finished up the black London Beanie (did I already tell you that?) and have started an earflap hat. So far, so good on that one. I am curious to see how it turns out. Nothing too exciting about a black knitted hat, so unless I can get a photo of Kfir wearing it, don't expect to see it here. Just not worth the computer memory.

Do You Like My Hat?

2009-09-29T19:32:00.002+02:00

As promised, here is the hat I knit for Liat's friend Maayan. If it looks familiar, it's because it's the same pattern and yarn I used to make Liat a hat! I tied a little bow of purple yarn inside of Maayan's, so the girls can tell their hats apart.

I'm nearly done with the black London Beanie for another friend of Liat's. I'm afraid it is too small (I know they are supposed to be quite snug) and too short, so I added about three more rounds but I think I will go ahead and start the decreases soon.

And I suddenly got another wild hair (anyone remember the Altered Barbie?) and decided that yet another of Liat's friends really needs an earflap hat for the trip to Poland (I seem to be single-handedly equipping the entire group with hats!), so I started a Swell hat today. I read many criticisms and complaints about this pattern on Ravelry, but I am making adjustments that I think (hope) will help it turn out alright. Instead of worrying about the hat turning out too small, I am concentrating on worrying whether Ilana will actually like the hat and wear it. Liat and I both think it is perfect for her, but Liat says it could all depend on her mood on the day she receives the hat.

Isn't life just so mysterious and fascinating?!

I'm so excited!

2009-09-28T19:23:00.004+02:00

This little box was inspired by something Meital brought home from school a few months ago. I opened up her box and traced the outlines to make a template. After some tweaking, I have made one of my own! I love Halloween and thought the open box would be perfect for holding candy (M&Ms, I'm thinking). All stamps by Posh Impressions.

And speaking of one of my very favorite stamp companies, I have been given a very exciting opportunity: to be on a design team that features Posh Impressions stamps! If you've visited Bag of Chocolates more than once or twice, most likely you have seen some of the cards and things I have made using these terrific stamps. This whole thing is really getting my creative juices flowing, and I think there just might be a chance that I will actually get around to making some holiday cards this year! Every year I say I want to, but I don't often make the time. So if I don't have your address, be sure and e-mail me with it!

I have found that making cards, like many other creative processes, needs inspiration that doesn't come along if you don't flex those artistic muscles and use them daily. It's been a long time since I devoted part of every day to stamping, and I think it will be not only fun, but good for me. When I went through my health problems earlier this year, it turned out to be paper arts, and stamping, that helped me the most. It didn't strike me as odd at the time, though normally I find my knitting to be quite soothing. I guess the process of creating with stamps and ink, paints and paper, answered my need better. Maybe I didn't need soothing as much as I needed an outlet for my emotions. Now that things are going well (tfoo, tfoo as we say here in Israel to prevent the "evil eye", LOL) I am eager to use those media to express positive emotions.

Never fear, though, I will not stop knitting! I have finished the hat I was making for a friend of Liat's, and I will share that photo next time. Often lately Blogger doesn't let me position photos throughout my blog post. Instead, it just leaves them stuck at the top. So I'd rather only share one at a time, rather than have them all stacked up like cars in a traffic jam at the start of the post. And I have started another hat, this time a London Beanie in black (for a male friend of Liat's).

Tipless Gloves

2009-09-27T07:07:00.004+02:00

Just a quick post to share with you the tipless gloves I made for my oldest niece (wow, can't believe she's going to be 20! I remember rushing to see her when she was born and holding her when she was just a few hours old...).

One of the nicest things about these gloves is that Christine and I were together when she picked out this yarn (Wisdom Yarns San Diego) this past summer. While we were in the yarn shop, I also helped (cough:enabled:cough) her pick out some grey Lamb's Pride and needles, and then I helped her knit a hat (London Beanie, for those who know the pattern) for her boyfriend. She did a beautiful job!

Anyway, these tipless gloves will be on their way to Christine in another week or so. Nice for a change to be finished with something a little before deadline. Right now, I'm working on a hat for a friend of Liat's.

Oh, and the pattern for these gloves is just a slightly modified version of the gloves from Ann Budd's book, The Knitter's Handy Book of Patterns.

I have some exciting news (well, it is to me, anyway!) that I am looking forward to sharing with you very soon. Stay tuned....

And then there were two...

2009-09-26T18:06:00.002+03:00

You knew this was going to happen, didn't you? (If not, hello my name is Amy. Welcome to Bag of Chocolates).

I am a sucker, what can I say? By the way, I may or may not have mentioned before that the slang word for "sucker" in Hebrew is פרייר. It is pronounced "fryer" just like the chicken.

That's me.

But after all, these little Hamsterbeans are a quick knit that uses up those balls of leftover yarn that are so small you can't even imagine any possible way you can use them (but, like me, you can't bear to throw them away).

I actually made this Hamsterbean on Thursday, sort of following in the tradition of my Papa Max, who used to celebrate his own birthday by giving his family gifts. Meital was, of course, thrilled. Not completely satisfied, but thrilled. After all, if I made a second one, could numbers 3, 4, and 5 be far behind?

I'm getting that "The Trouble with Tribbles" feeling....

Scraplings Challenge

2009-09-25T18:11:00.004+03:00

Over on Club Posh, the weekly challenge is to make scraplings with an ethnic/cultural theme. I had never heard of them before, but now I know that they are scraps of paper generally about 1.5" x 4". I think some people trim them off of a folded card so that the scrapling has a fold at the top, but I didn't do that.

I dabbed two colors of pigment ink onto a plastic plate (don't yet have one of those handy-dandy craft sheets), then spritzed it with glittery stuff (Perfect Pearls mixed with water). I put my scraplings into the resultant puddle until the cardstock soaked in some color. After it was dry, I stamped the African mask from the Posh African set (in black) and some grasses also by Posh (in pale green). I layered it on dark brown cardstock also spritzed with glittery stuff, then layered it onto some super-textured cardstock. I punched holes down the side and threaded in some cord that I had saved from the tag on a pair of jeans.

Feels good to get inky again! And this card is just in time for possible use as a birthday card. We've got a lot of those coming up in the next couple of months.

The Big Five Oh

2009-09-24T14:41:00.002+03:00

So far, it's been a pretty darn good birthday. The first thing I saw in my e-mail inbox were lots of birthday greetings, including one from my brother. Then, I woke up the girls for school and got beautiful earrings from Liat (she made them herself) and a fabulous booklet full of original poems, lots of compliments and a comic strip (also an original) from Meital. Later I opened the wonderful cards from my parents and my sister. I have been getting birthday greetings on Facebook and Ravelry, and e-cards from my friends at Club Posh. In a few hours my brother-in-law will be joining us for the fabulous dinner Avi is going to prepare (I got to choose the menu, of course!) And the fun doesn't stop there. On Saturday, Liat is going to make a fantastic chocolate cake (she doesn't have time to do it today). There's nothing better than a birthday that keeps on stretching out!

Many of my friends have been very encouraging about this new chapter I am starting. I saw a tv program the other day where someone said, the last birthday worth celebrating is 21. I don't think I agree with that. First of all, every birthday is a victory. And my life is so much sweeter, richer, and more satisfying now than it was 29 years ago (hmmm, makes it sound rather like chocolate, doesn't it? Coincidence? You decide.)

Hamsterbean

2009-09-23T16:26:00.003+03:00

It is a well-documented fact that a knitter who views knitting patterns online when her loved ones are at home runs a serious risk. Thus it came to be that I wasted, er...spent several hours today (among the last of my time as a 49 year old, I might add) trying (and failing, and then by golly trying again) to knit a cute little critter known as a hamsterbean. Found the free pattern on Ravelry, for those who know what that is. There is a link on my page (user name: amysamin).

Meital might not want a sweater this year, but she was very happy to have her hamsterbean (his name is Snuggle). She claims he wants siblings, but I am immune to her hints.

I hope.

Feeling Crafty

2009-09-22T19:07:00.005+03:00

About a week ago, Liat asked if I could make her something that would help her organize her earrings (the kind with the sheperd's crook, not the post kind). A recently purchased jewelry box had successfully corraled most of her earrings, just not the kind with the hook.

I immediately thought of this pink mesh that I saved (Avi was given a bunch of flowers that had the mesh wrapped around the outside of the florist's paper wrapper). But how to mount it so that she could hang her earrings? Liat mentioned that a friend had something that looked like a frame made of craft sticks, so I spent a desultory few minutes today trying to figure out how I could make that work. I quickly decided to see what I could find on the Internet.

I found this! Not only was it the perfect solution, but I loved the fact that she also used a recycled item. Not only did I already have a plain wooden frame (from IKEA) which I painted with acrylic paint, but I found the perfect thing to add as decoration. The colorful tag you see inside the frame is a piece of cloth that came with a pair of jeans Liat bought months ago. Maybe more. I saved it (of course I did), and one afternoon while watching me do art-type stuff in my crafts room, Liat pulled out the scrap of fabric from a drawer and asked if she could paint it with my Radiant Pearls (yes, I still have some, but they have started going bad, so I am gradually throwing them all away).

Over a few such afternoons, she had fun painting the tag, then gave it back to me when she had finished. I knew I would use it for something eventually, and luckily I found it today. She was delighted when she realized I had included it in her earring holder.

It felt great to do something crafty again.

Happiness is...

2009-09-19T18:28:00.003+03:00

...a finished sweater!

It took me just under a month to knit this cabled pullover for Liat. I got the pattern as a bonus inside the summer 2009 issue of Simply Knitting (a British magazine), which I bought at Borders.

The pattern was a disaster, full of mistakes and very unclear. If you are on Ravelry, you can find my detailed notes on the knitting of this sweater in my Projects (my name there is amysamin).

In spite of my frustration with the pattern, I love the finished product. I changed the pattern in a couple of ways, including using a thicker yarn (Cotton Ease) than called for, and making both the body and sleeves longer. Those belly-baring sweaters are SO last year, know what I mean?

Now, I wonder how far I can get on the next sweater Liat has requested before she leaves for Poland next month?

Hello in There

2009-09-10T17:03:00.004+03:00

Does anyone remember this old John Prine song? The lyrics always make me cry. Anyway, for the last year and several months, my father and I have been on a mission to try and discover the identities of a group people whose pictures we have. My dad found them years ago in his aunt's apartment, when he cleared it out after she died. He had no idea who the people were, and it has haunted both of us. Those eyes just seemed to plead: "Don't forget us. Don't let us be lost forever."

Today, thanks to Facebook and the marvels of the Internet, I have learned the identities of the two people shown here. They are my great great grandparents, Ida and Joseph Joseph. Learning that has been like a gift for me, and I am eagerly awaiting my father's response to the e-mail I sent telling him what I learned, and how I learned it.

I had always felt that the only way we would ever discover the identities of the people in the pictures was if someone had seen the pictures before. As it turns out, the woman who contacted me yesterday has paintings of these exact pictures (ours look like drawings to me), and she knew who they were! I am more grateful than I can say that she took the time to write to me after reading something I had posted on a Facebook group.

CHORUS:
Ya' know that old trees just grow stronger,
And old rivers grow wilder ev'ry day.
Old people, they just grow lonesome
Waiting for someone to say, "Hello in there, hello."

Is the year over yet?

2009-09-08T16:12:00.004+03:00

It's been a crazy year, and I'm looking forward to seeing the last of this one and the first of the new year. Around here, that will happen on September 18, Rosh Hashanah. Although my bad year officially began on 31 December 2008, I am hoping the start of the Jewish new year will signal the start of a year of good health and happiness for all of us.

Of course, some good things happened this year, especially in July and August when we went to the States to see family. We had a fantastic time, seeing people and spending time together. Of course I tried to use the time to further my genealogy research, too. The photo above is one I had never seen before, that my father found in a photo album. Pictured are four siblings: Uncle Phil, Aunt Hannah, Uncle Hal and my grandfather (dad's father). This photo was taken in 1965. A year and a half ago I didn't even know my father had had an Aunt Hannah; this is the first photo of her I've ever seen.

So yes, lots of good stuff happened this year, too. It's good to remember that.

Doin' Some of This

2009-07-14T14:24:00.002+03:00

In a few short hours we'll be off on our vacation. Hope to do A LOT of relaxing, visiting, reading, eating stuff we can't buy here...shopping...

I'm bringing Meital's cotton top to try and finish that up, plus I have what I think is probably enough leftover sock yarn (for making small socks) to last until we get back. I hoping to do some genealogy research, but most of all I want to relax. Just relax.

Even if I don't post regularly here, I will likely be tweeting on Twitter, and checking in on Facebook. I hope to see you at one of those places!

Endpaper Mitts?

2009-07-09T18:14:00.004+03:00

Here is the start to my Endpaper Mitts. I love both of these yarns from the Periwinkle Sheep, but I have a feeling the variegated blue yarn isn't the right choice. Not enough contrast in some places. Sometimes when I look at it, it looks okay, but otherwise...meh.

I think their ought to be more contrast if I'm going to all the trouble of doing the colorwork. Do you agree?

By the way, are any other Blogger users having trouble positioning a second photo in their posts? I used to be able to upload more than one, then just click and "drag" it into position. Now when I try that, nothing happens.

Still, one picture is better than none. In fact, I've heard that a picture is worth a thousand words. Or is it ten thousand?

And speaking of words, I have joined the ranks of Those Who Tweet. You can find me here. I've even broken down and joined Ravelry, so if you're on there, you can find me there, too. No cute pseudonym, just my name.

If you'll excuse me, now I'm going to get back to banging my head against the genealogical brick wall that is my great great aunt Anna Blau of Paterson, New Jersey. She's hiding somewhere, and one of these days, I will find her!

Washcloths

2009-07-05T17:06:00.003+03:00

Here are the two washcloths I made as part of a hostess gift. Yarn is Sugar 'n Cream, and the patterns are the Waffle Knit Dishcloth from Homespun Living (cream) and Baby Fern Stitch Dishcloth (pink). They made a nice change of pace from my usual Grandmother's Favorite Dishcloth (the one knit on the diagonal) of which I have made many. These used up more than half of a 2.5 ounce (I used size 8 or 5mm needles) skein of cotton, but I was able to squeeze a Grandmother's Favorite out of the leftover cream colored yarn. Haven't tried with the pink yet, but since the pink cloth is a bit larger (though of course it is lacy which means it uses less yarn) I don't know if that will work. Or, I suppose I could knit to, say, 42 stitches instead of 44, before starting the decreases.

Meanwhile, I have been making some cards and am pretty pleased with them. They are a gift for someone, so more to the point - I hope she will like them! I am also trying to come up with a clever idea for a bookmark swap over on Club Posh. I'm having second thoughts about my first idea for that.

I hope everyone had a lovely Fourth of July. Ours was very un-Fourth like. Often we spend the Fourth in the U.S., which of course is way more fun than trying to celebrate it here (which we sometimes do. Just didn't work out for this year). Two years ago, the girls and I went to a parade with my father, where Uncle Sam was walking around randomly asking kids if they knew which birthday he was celebrating. Liat was the first person he asked who knew the right answer!

Happy Fourth!

2009-07-04T18:44:00.003+03:00

Things have been hectic here at Bag of Chocolates. I have finished objects to share, but haven't photographed them yet. Instead, I share the lovely wonderfulness that is two skeins from the Periwinkle Sheep (Google that, you won't be sorry!) These have already been wound into balls (the old fashioned way) and are seeing how they like the idea of becoming a pair of Endpaper Mitts. I'm halfway through the first repeat of the colorwork pattern and can't quite tell yet if this is going to work or not. Stay tuned.

Other than that, I finished up some washcloths which I hope to photograph and share soon. I am also doing a little card-making, and am nearly finished with the 5th grade layouts for Meital's scrapbook. I was hoping to finish 6th grade before we leave on our vacation (in ten short days) but I have decided not to sweat that too much. There are too many other things that need to get done!

I am hoping to be at least somewhat organized, genealogically speaking, before we head to the States. I am planning to do some research while we're there, and I want to be sure I have all of my notes (and my questions!) lined up. I need to stop for a minute and remember that I want to have fun, too! I am sure I will. With luck, I will get a chance to meet up with some friends on this trip, and that will be wonderful.

Congratulations, Meital!

2009-06-26T17:56:00.003+03:00

Last night was Meital's graduation party/show. They do things somewhat backwards here, with the celebration happening before the actual end of the year. The kids got today, the day after the party, off, but there are three more days of school left next week.

Meital performed in three dances, and my completely fair, balanced and unbiased opinion is that she was wonderful! Some of her friends have been taking dancing lessons after school for years, and perhaps did even better, but for a girl who learned on the job she was marvelous.

Not only was this party the culmination of six years for Meital at this school, but eleven years that Avi and I have been parents at this school. More than that, Avi finished up seven years as president of the Parent's Association. He made a speech, as he always does at these events, but this time (as with Liat's graduation five years ago) it was personal.

Liat and I helped him write out his speech, and as usual Liat typed it up for him. Unbeknownst to me, Avi added a few handwritten lines right before we left the house for the party. After saying everything he wanted to say, and thanking those who helped him in his work as PTA president, he thanked me for supporting him all these years! I was completely surprised and of course almost cried. It was a moment, to be sure.

But more than anything, Meital's happiness and satisfaction at a job well done made the evening one we will always remember.

I Can't Count

2009-06-25T13:19:00.002+03:00

As you can see, the problem with my browser seems to be fixed, thank goodness! I finished these Sockotta yarn socks for Liat a while ago, but couldn't show you the photo until now. This is actually the third pair of socks I've made in 2009; I forgot about the pair of toddler-sized socks I made early in the year. Now I'm working on a baby sock using leftover Lorna's Laces. Looks like it will be baby and toddler socks for the duration at this point, until the weather cools down again.

I still haven't finished the sleeve-less cotton top for Meital, but I have worked on it. And I finished one washcloth and started another; I need to make four to give as part of two hostess gifts I am putting together.

We've been busy with translation work, and I finally cleared out the carpet in the last room to still have any. I've made some progress in Meital's scrapbook, but hope to get more done. I've also been writing a family history narrative that I hope to finish in time to give to my father when I see him next month.

And that's mostly it from here. Tonight is Meital's graduation from sixth grade party and show. She will be performing in three dances, so it should be fun!

Photo Op-less

2009-06-20T17:25:00.002+03:00

I have just discovered that the annoying problem I've been having lately with my browser has made it impossible for me to upload photos to the blog. Probably to anywhere on the Internet. Since I have no idea what is causing the problem (the one thing I thought to try didn't help) I am not sure how I can fix this. I need to talk to our friendly computer guy and see if he can talk me through a fix.

Meanwhile, I finished a pair of socks for Liat, and realized I may not have shown you a pair of toddler socks I actually finished earlier this year and then forgot about. I hope I will be able to show you photos soon.

Other than that, I am nearly done with a cotton washcloth and have made a tiny bit of progress on Meital's sleeveless cotton top. And I started a baby sock with some leftover yarn. I've also been doing some scrapbooking, and some translation work.

Liat has finished classes for the year, though she still has several matriculation exams to get through. She had her first call up last Thursday, where the army's doctors examined her and she took a "psychotechnical" test, whatever that is. Eventually they will contact her again, probably to interview her and start the process of figuring out what they're going to do with her for two years.

Meital's graduation party (from 6th grade) is next week, and she finishes school on the 30th. Most of her school hours are spent in rehearsals for the big party/show (she's in the dance troupe). She had a great group of girls over for a swim yesterday, and has invited them to come again next Friday.

That's the news from here!

Hurry Home

2009-06-10T19:34:00.003+03:00

Bright and very early this morning (6:40, to be exact) Meital set off on what is her first-ever overnight school field trip. She'll be back tomorrow, but... she's my baby and aside from a few sleepovers with her grandmother and her friends, she hasn't been away from home overnight before.

Before the trip she was very excited, deciding what to pack and picking out the snacks and treats she wanted to take along. She called earlier this evening, sounding very happy and enthusiastic. I was thrilled and relieved.

But she just called again, in tears. Why are kids so mean to each other? And is there anything worse than being far away and unable to do anything when your kid is miserable? By the end of the call she seemed better, determined to deal with the problem.

I just hope I can get to sleep tonight.

She should be home in about 23.5 hours.

Hurry home, sweetie!

Back Up!

2009-06-08T18:18:00.003+03:00

In one of those minor household tragedies which can occur from time to time, Avi and I discovered last night that we somehow neglected to make a back up copy of some photos. Just a few. Months, that is. Most of 2007 and part of 2008.

Sh*t!

We saved the photos from the camera onto the hard drive, but somehow we neglected to back them up onto a CD. Of course, the hard drives of all of our computers are long since toast.

However.

I started blogging some time in 2005, and switched from that blog (Yahoo 360, which by the way is closing down next month) to this one a couple of years later. By going page by page through my old blog, I was able to discover a number of missing photos that had been posted there, and have now saved them. Whew!

The good thing about Blogger is that all of the photos I post here are automatically saved in an online photo album hosted by Picasa. Though I suppose I shouldn't count on that always being there.

Another trick I've learned works once you've got the photos on your hard drive. Attach the photos to an e-mail and send them to yourself. I found quite a few "missing" photos that way, too.

So even if you don't save your photos to a diskette, CD or thumb drive, at least post them on the Internet somewhere or send them to yourself in an e-mail, so you'll still have them if disaster strikes your hard drive.

End of lecture for today.

First Pair in 2009

2009-05-28T19:49:00.003+03:00

I actually finished these socks two months ago, but didn't have the get up and post to show them to you. I am currently on the foot of the second sock in a pair for Liat which will, when finished, be the second pair of socks completed in 2009. Pitiful.

Actually, I could only remember finishing the neckwarmer and these socks so far this year, so I checked my Excel chart for Knitting 2009 (doesn't everyone have one?) and saw that I have also finished a sweater for Meital (the green one), a cabled shrug for Liat (in blue) and two pairs of wristwarmers.

Good thing I've been keeping track.

Anyway, these socks are done in Judy Sumner's Better Than Vanilla pattern and were knit in Opal that Judy herself gave me when I was lucky enough to meet her in person a couple of years ago. Thank you, Judy!

Well, Yeah...

2009-05-08T18:16:00.003+03:00

Still here! There are health issues running rampant in my house just now, demanding lots of time and worry and so on.

And when I'm not doing that, I'm mostly doing genealogy research. Not too terribly exciting from a blogging perspective. The thing I've learned about doing genealogy research is that pretty much the only people who truly want to listen to what you've learned and what obstacles you need to overcome are other amateur genealogists, or maybe the family member for whom you are doing all this for in the first place.

Well, wait. It started out that I was doing this for someone else. But obviously, it is now for me as much, if not more, than for him. I wouldn't spend approximately 80% of my waking hours on this if I weren't fascinated and enthralled.

But the end result has been that I haven't had much to say. I haven't been knitting much, and I haven't stamped at all. I know that will change, eventually. I just can't say when.

Hot Under the Collar

2009-03-19T17:17:00.004+02:00

The neckwarmer is finally done! I still need to sew on snaps to keep it closed, but the knitting is done. After Liat graciously agreed to model it for the blog photo shoot, she didn't want to take it off. Good sign... The yarn is Wisdom Yarn Poems. I love the way the self-striping of the yarn fit into the pattern.

I'm not sure how much I'll be able to wear this, though I sure could have used it last night! The daytimes are pretty mild right now, so I'll just have to make some night-time plans before the weather gets too hot.

Now I can cast on for the cotton top I have planned for Meital. I still need to adjust the math for the armhole decreases, but there will be a fair amount of ribbing and stockinette before I get to that point, so I will do a Scarlet O'Hara and worry about it tomorrow.

Not Cheating. Exactly.

2009-03-09T17:17:00.004+02:00

Starting a gauge swatch for a new project is absolutely not the same as casting on for the actual project.

Right?

I know I said I am going to force myself to finish one of the three projects I currently have on the needles (all for me) before starting something new, but I figure making a gauge swatch and planning out the sweater don't count.

I have made the top shown in this Spring/Summer '98 issue of Family Circle Easy Knitting twice already, but this time I am going to make some changes. For one thing, my gauge swatch is showing me I am not going to get 22 stitches to 4 inches with this Reynolds Saucy from my stash. Plus I want to make it in the round instead of in pieces. So I see some difficult days ahead with...shudder...math involved.

This particular issue of FCEK is rather ragged around the edges, because in addition to the top shown, I've also made three other sweaters. I love it when I actually feel like I've gotten my money's worth from a magazine!

Just to show you I really am not cheating, I present a progress photo on the neckwarmer I am making for myself from Wisdom Yarns' Poems. I love the way the color changes fit so well with the design.

Happy Purim

2009-03-08T17:54:00.003+02:00

Actually, Purim won't be here for another couple of days (three if you live in a walled city, such as Jerusalem, Sfat, Tiberias or Acco), but I always think of the day the kids celebrate at school as the real holiday. Above are the goodies (mishloach manot) my girls took to school today. As you can see, Liat wanted to use the old soda bottle trick for her gift. In elementary school, the kids get a list of items that should be included, such as: hamantaschen, lollipop, chocolate, a salty snack, gum, a small surprise, and a note. Usually, the kids bring these treats to school not knowing which of their classmates will receive their offering.

This year, Meital decided to dress up as an artist. Ever since she started elementary school, her costumes have been either white, black or both. In case you're interested, I'll list them all at the end of this post.*

The only time we bought a costume for Meital is in the first grade. Once I knitted her costume, and the rest of the time we either put something together or sewed something. Not too shabby! Liat hasn't dressed up since 6th grade, and Meital is in 6th grade now, so I'm sort of summarizing here in case she also decides not to dress up anymore. Though on our morning walk today Avi and I saw quite a few junior and senior high school kids in costumes - some even homemade (that always warms my crafter's heart). And Liat mentioned that several of her classmates were in costume today. I think that's great; these kids grow up so quickly, and in another two years Liat and her peers will be in army uniforms. Why not have some lighthearted fun?

The fun continues for a few more days. First and most important, especially if you're a kid, there are three days of vacation. Tomorrow evening there will be a Purim carnival in our neighborhood community center, and many people will go to synagogue to hear the Book of Esther read. That's always a wild and fun time, with candy thrown and noisemakers used to drown out the name of the evil Haman, but Avi and I haven't gone to synagogue for Purim since Liat was a baby. A couple of posts ago, I included a link that explains about the holiday and customs.

Yesterday I baked the traditional Purim cookie called hamantaschen (or osnay Haman, as they are called in Hebrew). These are triangle shaped cookies with a filling, often poppyseed or prune, but sometimes apricot, chocolate, or our family's favorite, strawberry jam and pecans. These are a mandatory part of the goodies given away, and the main symbol for the holiday. Or the main food symbol, anyway. Ever notice how Jewish holidays always have food as a symbol? It kinda fits with the summarization of all Jewish holidays that I read once somewhere: "They tried to kill us. They failed. Let's eat."

Today I baked cookies, and tomorrow Liat will make cupcakes. These non-traditional treats will go onto the plates of goodies, along with the hamantaschen, that we will be giving to some good friends and of course to our family in Jerusalem. We will go to visit the latter probably on Tuesday. If this year is like other years, we will also be receiving treats from our friends and loved ones. Delivering the goodies is an excuse to drop by for a quick visit, which is always fun.

Costumes, candy, baked goods, visits with loved ones. Is it any wonder Purim is one of my favorite holidays?

* Meital's Costumes in Elementary School:
1st Grade: White Bunny (purchased costume)
2nd Grade: Burglar (knitted black ski mask and sweater)
3rd Grade: Angel (white dress plus home made halo, wings and harp)
4th Grade: Penguin (black clothes plus home made beak, feet and wings)
5th Grade: Chef (remember that saga from last year? homemade apron and hat)
6th Grade: Artist (purchased palatte, rest of the stuff from around the house)

Card Reveal

2009-03-07T17:21:00.004+02:00

I've gotten the word that this card has reached its destination, so I can finally show it to you. I made this for the wonderful Alison Hyde. Alison is an amazing combination of a brave and fierce warrior and a compassionate, generous knitter. Only a woman, I think, could achieve such a feat.

This is the inside of the card. The tiny book you see was written by Alison and is absolutely wonderful. How could it be anything but?

Not Thrilled

2009-03-06T21:10:00.004+02:00

I finally finished the bolero/shrug for Liat this afternoon. I am not at all pleased with the way it kind of bunches up on her back. It's not at all the way it looks in the photos on the website, and how foolish can I be for believing the photos were 100% accurate and honest?

After I saw the sweater on a live body, I went back and checked the pattern. Yep, I did follow the instructions correctly. I'm just not sure what happened. Maybe I should have picked up more stitches for the ribbed sections. Maybe I cast off too tightly (though it didn't seem like it at the time and the fabric wasn't gathered at all when I finished). Or maybe I need to tweek it a bit once she has it on, pulling it up over the shoulders some more...

Liat, being Liat, told me she likes the bunched up effect in the back (?!) and that it looks kinda "gangsta." That girl is just about the sweetest person in the world. Right now I can't face the thought, but maybe one day I will try re-doing the cast off and see if that helps. Otherwise, I might try redoing the ribbed portions that go around the waist and neck.

Or, I could always just leave it alone.

Nah.

Oh, in case you were wondering, Liat is sporting some pink/purple streaks in her hair in honor of the upcoming holiday of Purim.

Who Am I?

2009-02-28T16:19:00.003+02:00

A couple of days ago, Meital brought home several lovely plants as gift for Family Day. There was an African violet for my mother-in-law, a diffenbachia for Liat, and this plant for Avi and me. Problem is, I can't identify it!

Can you help?

The plant has these long, thin leaves with pointed tips. There are deep pink stripes running along the edges of the leaves, and a pale stripe down the center. I don't know if it likes direct sun, shade, or something in between. What other kind of care does it need? It's already got roots coming out of the little hole at the bottom of the plastic pot; does that mean I need to repot it?

In case you can't tell, I know nothing about plants, and when it comes to houseplants, Avi isn't much different. I would love to take proper care of this gift, so if you have any tips and advice, please pass them along!

First Orders

2009-02-26T16:37:00.005+02:00

Or, in Hebrew: צו ראשון (tzav reeshon)

As many of you know, most Israelis - girls as well as boys - serve in the Israel Defense Forces starting at age 18. Boys usually serve for three years, girls for two.

Today, Liat received her first orders from the army. It's basically a call up to come to a physical exam and a written exam, with the option for an interview. Most kids get their first orders once they've hit sixteen and a half. Liat's half birthday was on Sunday, and she's been haunting the mailbox all week. She doesn't need to appear until June, but she's thrilled to have gotten the callup.

While she won't actually be inducted into the army until she hits 18; this is the first step in the process leading up to that. Over the years, she has gone from saying she doesn't want to serve in the army at all (about age 10) to insisting she wants to try to get into an elite unit, and rejecting the idea of doing any kind of desk work (such people are scornfully referred to as "jobniks"). I am happy she is looking forward to the experience, and a bit nervous that she wants a serious role (whatever that may turn out to be) instead of something that would enable her to come home every night instead of living on a base.

It's going to be a very interesting experience, for all of us.

Unprecedented

2009-02-22T18:36:00.004+02:00

Today I finally finished the wristwarmers for my sister. Since my usual hand model was at school and my photographer wannabe was home sick (again), I had Meital take this photograph. These wristwarmers look absolutely ridiculous without hands inside. The pattern is mine with help from The Knitter's Handy Book of Patterns, and the yarn is Schaefer Anne.

I made these Frosted Cakey Brownies a couple of days ago, and they are a hit. Problem is, the recipe makes a 9 x 13" pan's worth of lusciousness, so 'twould be well to make these when you are expecting guests. Or a horde of starving teenagers.

In other news, I made a card I am very pleased with but cannot share with you for the time being. I am also working on a triple-tag card that I hope to be able to share with you soon. I finished my first Better Than Vanilla Sock, and cast on for the second. And I have made good progress on Liat's bolero.

And the unprecedented part? Well, of course casting off the wristwarmers meant I was free to cast ON for something new. The Wisdom Yarns Poems that I purchased in Oklahoma City a couple of years ago was calling my name, so I started a neck warmer pattern that my friend Joansie featured on her blog a while back. Thanks, Joansie, for finding and knitting up that pattern so that I could discover it while admiring your lovely neck warmer. Hope I finish mine before it gets too hot to wear it.

With the neck warmer on the needles, I once again have four knitting projects in progress. The unprecedented aspect to this is that three of those projects are for me. It feels very odd, let me tell you!

Charming Gardeners

2009-02-20T17:52:00.002+02:00

Let us be grateful to people who make us happy, they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom. ~Marcel Proust

This has been a great week. First of all, I've been riding high on great news from last week, but more than that, several friends have made a special effort to reach out to me. Just when I think I can't be any luckier in the friends I have found, something happens to prove me wrong; I am luckier still.

Even when it seems all is darkness and despair, my friends come along and show me the sunshine. They reach out, showing me they are thinking of me and care for me. Indeed, they make my soul blossom.

So thank you, all my dear friends. I treasure you more than you know.

Another Challenge

2009-02-17T18:19:00.003+02:00

Here is another card I did for a Club Posh challenge. The theme was "retro" and we needed to include four squares in our card. I couldn't get the idea of the infamous 1970s kitchen appliances colors out of my mind whenever I tried to picture my "retro" card, so that's what I was shooting for here. The yellow and green cardstock were part of my gift from Trudy. What do you think of when you hear the word "retro"?

Also today, I did a little translating, ironed some shirts, and cleaned the oven. Thrilling, wouldn't you agree?

The plant from a couple of posts back is, as Bobbi guessed, a potato plant. Just in case anyone was wondering.

With any luck, tomorrow will be more interesting. I don't really see how it could be otherwise.

Speechless

2009-02-16T18:12:00.003+02:00

I have been extremely lucky to find some truly wonderful, kind, thoughtful and generous friends on the Internet over the years. One such person is Trudy, a stamping friend who sent me the goodies you see above.

The package arrived today. I knew it was on the way, sort of a pick-me-up gift from someone who knew I'd need one. But I never expected this! Each item you see was individually gift-wrapped, so I felt like I was opening about ten years worth of birthday presents!

So many of these items are things I've seen, and wanted, but told myself I didn't need right away. Now I have so many excellent toys to play with. I spent a lovely time finding places for each of these things, rearranging and searching for just the right drawer, shelf or container. I made notes in the little booklet I take with me on vacations, where I have lists of all the ink pads, paints, colored pencils and markers I own (it actually helps, most of the time, so that I don't come home with duplicates).

Trudy sent me stamps, ink pads, markers, alcohol inks, several kinds of stickers, colorful paper, a huge variety of tags...and she filled in the empty spaces with pretty colored felt fabric sheets tied up in a beautiful ribbon.

Who knows what I'll be able to make with all of these fabulous supplies?

Thank you, Trudy, from the bottom of my heart!

A Card and a Mystery

2009-02-12T13:14:00.003+02:00

I had such fun making this valentine for Meital! The design was posted in a tutorial on Splitcoast Stampers. The piece on the left is the envelope, the card is on the right. I used chalks for coloring, in two ways I'd never tried before. The dolls were colored using a blending pen, which is basically a pen filled with a thick, clear ink. I touched the tip of the pen onto a corner of my little pans of chalk and sort of painted the stamped & embossed image with the wet chalk. The small hearts on the envelope and the large one on the card were done using a Perfect Medium ink pad(also a clear, thick kind of ink) to ink the images, then the chalk was added using a soft, broad-tipped brush almost like the kind you'd use to put on blusher. It was fun trying new things, and I love the soft look of the chalk. I think Meital, who loves pastel colors, will like it, too.

And here's today's mystery. Can you guess what kind of plant this is?

I've done a little work in my altered book today, but I really need to get some more valentines done. I never did get around to making any to send out to my friends and family in the U.S., but I at least want to make cards for Avi and the girls. If there's time, I'd also like to make the somewhat traditional bookmarks I give the girls almost every Valentine's Day.

Challenge

2009-02-08T14:34:00.003+02:00

"...a stimulating task or problem."
Webster's Dictionary

Every Thursday a new stamping challenge is issued at Club Posh. They are always fun, and often inspire me to try new things or revisit old tools or techniques. This week's challenge was more complicated than usual. The challenge was issued on 02.05.09, and we needed to use exactly the number of items specified: 2 colors of cardstock; 5 stamped images (they can be all the same or different); 9 different supplies. It took some thinking and fussing/fidgeting, but I think I've got it. The two colors of cardstock I used are pale blue and white, the five stamps are the wall of blocks and the cast of characters, and the nine supplies are: ink, paper trimmer, bone folder, sponge, template, scissors, adhesive, Coluzzle, and a glitter pen. I call it Igloo Apartments.

In case you are wondering if there's any knitting going on in the midst of this stamping marathon, fear not! Above you see one finished wristwarmer and the start of the second. These are done in Schaefer Anne yarn and are for my sister. They are progressing slowly, but they are progressing. Luckily, she lives in Northern California, where it's cold even in the summer!

This is the first in a pair of socks for me. The pattern is called Better Than Vanilla and is available on my friend Judy's website. It's a free pattern, and it's easy to remember and fun, too. What more could you ask? The yarn is Opal Magic, which was a gift from Judy. What a woman, talented and generous! She has a book of sock patterns coming out soon, and I can't wait to get it.

Happy Stamping

2009-02-07T15:28:00.003+02:00

After getting the rest of our translation work done yesterday, I was able to spend most of today playing in my stamp room! I made up a bunch of cards, including the one you see above. Admittedly, my goal was to make as many as I could, and to use up some of the accumulation of patterned papers I've got cluttering up my stamping room. Can't say I made much of a dent, but it's a start!

I also worked some more on my altered book. Above you see one of the "layouts" or I guess you could say two-page spreads? Not completely familiar with the terminology, but I guess you can tell what you're looking at, right? On the right is a story called The Two Wolves which, along with the photo you see above the story, came in an e-mail from my absolutely wonderful friend Beverly. The story really resonated with me, so I included it in my a.b. On the left, I stamped a little scene (first in a very long time) representing a path with a fork in it, which is to remind me of my favorite poem, The Road Not Taken, by Robert Frost. I am very pleased with the way these pages turned out.

This afternoon I started on the next two pages, but as you can see, I haven't gotten very far. My modus operendi so far has been to glue a couple/few pages together, then paint a thin layer of gesso over the printed text in the book. In this yellow layout, I also cut out a circle to make a little window to the next layout. I am going to put some vellum in there, I think, rather than leave it open like it is now. I sponged some ink on the pages, then sponged some more with two different templates in place. I let a couple of phrases from the original text of the book show through; I think they are pretty apt. I know what message I want to include on these pages, now I'm figuring out how I want to do that.

It took me a long time to come to accept that it would be okay to actually paint, glue and cut up a book. For my first altered book, I chose a 1992 edition of Mystery Writer's Market (yes, I used to write mystery stories and even one book, and tried to get them published). At the very least, all of the contact information is out of date. Could be that some of the addresses are wrong, that some magazines have gone out of business, and others have started up. So I persuaded myself I wouldn't be struck by lightening if I "arted up" this book. It's a hardcover, and of a decent thickness without being overly tome-ish (is that a word?). I have cut out some pages entirely, because when you add paint, collaged images and what not, you add thickness to the book. I glue the pages together so they can stand up to their new duties.

I'm using this altered book as an art project plus journal, and so far I'm finding it remarkably therapeutic.

Been So Long

2009-02-05T17:52:00.004+02:00

Things have been pretty crazy around Bag of Chocolates lately, and I want to apologize for the dearth of posts. All kinds of things have been happening, and among the good things is the acquisition of a new client for our translation business. It's a very large company, internationally known. Not sure if I should name it or not, so while I apologize for being coy, I'd better not say more. But trust me, if this client gives us more business, we will be extremely happy!

Here is a peek at the cabled bolero (called a shrug on the pattern website) that I am making for Liat. The yarn is Peruvian Highland Chunky from Elann. Lovely soft yarn, and the pattern is actually fairly easy. There are no written instructions for the cabled section, only a chart. You'd think with my history of cross stitching, charts would make more sense for me, but for some reason when it comes to knitting I find them confusing. But as I said, this pattern makes sense and after a while, it's not so hard to keep track of things. Well, especially if you've got a row counter on your needle and are making little tick marks on a piece of paper as well! Hmmmm...

I've changed two things in the pattern: Liat said 'no thanks' to the bobbles, and I decided to make the cables on either side of the main area both twist towards the middle, instead of both twisting to the same direction.

I also started a fun new project this week, an altered book. I will share photos of that as it progresses. It's a combination of words and art journal I decided to start recently, to process and chronicle things that are happening in my life. Even though I'm only at the beginning, it's been a wonderful form of therapy for me; yesterday I had a terrible headache, but while I worked on the book I felt peaceful and content, and didn't notice my headache at all. I've suggested to Liat that maybe a couple of her friends (who seem to be going through some difficult times, themselves) might like to join in for a little fun and art therapy, and she already has one friend interested. It would be such a pleasure to share this kind of creativity with Liat and her friends.

We still have one more document (of a whole mess of things that came in over the past two weeks) to translate, then perhaps we'll have some time to relax. I'd love to spend more time on my hobbies, and less time working! But then, wouldn't we all?

Keeping Busy

2009-01-25T18:03:00.003+02:00

I had a lot of fun making this row house for a new challenge at Club Posh. We were given a size range, not hard-and-fast size rules like for Artist Trading Cards. My row house is 2.5" x 4". The theme was flowers, and we were supposed to name our houses. Mine is called the House of Posh Blessings. Of course, all stamps are by Dee Gruenig.

I went into town today to return the leftover fuzz from Liat's scarf (two unused balls). I bought a skein of yarn, at Liat's request, for a friend of hers who wants to learn to knit. And then I saw this yarn, and figured one or both of my girls would love the color. They only had these two skeins, so I ordered three more. I have a feeling I will need even more, because they both like it and want sweaters from it. I have been trying to knit from my stash, but I just don't have enough of anything to knit either of them a whole sweater. And while I would really rather not knit with 100% acrylic anymore, this shop doesn't carry much of anything else and the prices, as compared to yarn in the U.S., are unbeatable. These 100 gram skeins have over 200 yards of yarn and cost me somewhere around $2.50 each. Plus, I didn't have to pay for shipping. I guess I will splurge on wool on our next trip to the U.S.

Today we continued to work on one of the large translation projects we received last week. It's pretty technical, and the Hebrew is convoluted enough to lead me to believe it was written by a lawyer, so the going is slow. It's for a new client, and we really want to do an outstanding job.

I found a few minutes to do some cross stitching today on Fred (Frederick the Literate), which was fun. It was lovely sitting by the open window, in the mild winter sunshine with a cool breeze wafting in. Unfortunately, our weather is much more spring-like than wintry, and we are not getting the rain we so desperately need. But I am trying to enjoy the pleasure to be found in what we do have.

I've accomplished a fair amount on Liat's cabled bolero, and really must take a progress photo for you soon. The Peruvian Highland yarn I am using (from Elann) is soft and lovely, and the pattern is just challenging enough to keep me on my toes without overwhelming me. My Better Than Vanilla sock is growing and the pattern is as much fun as I'd remembered from the last time I made these socks. And the yarn is just yummy, an Opal Magic in minty green. I've done a little more on my sister's wristwarmers, but my sweater hasn't been out of the closet in a while. Maybe later this week...

Bet You Thought I Forgot

2009-01-23T16:50:00.004+02:00

Okay, it's understandable. I haven't blogged about cross stitching in a long time. I also haven't done much cross stitching in a long time. But my friend Tama is currently working on a project I also happen to have in my unfinished objects (UFO) drawer, and she has inspired me to pull it out. I first started working on "Frederick the Literate" a long time ago, in a stitch along with some friends on the About.com cross stitching board. Their Freds are long since finished, framed and hung - most likely in a place of honor. Mine, meanwhile, languishes in the abovementioned drawer. But Tama has encouraged and inspired me, so I pulled Fred out today and took a photo before getting back to work on him. I haven't done much, mind you. We're very busy with translation work and I've got stuff coming up next week that needs to be dealt with, so I really only put in a few minutes' work today. But after I've done more, I will post a progress photo.

Of course, I still haven't worked on Mother's Arms in a long time... In fact, I have at least three works in progress (WIPs) - sounds better than UFOs, doesn't it? - that need attention. But just because I'm not stitching doesn't mean I don't think about these projects, not to mention all the other gorgeous charts I purchased because I absolutely knew I must make them! It's the same malady no matter what the medium; whether you're a knitter, stamper, stitcher or whatever.

The other thing I got done today (aside from translation work, of which we suddenly have an abundance) is to finish up these toddler-sized socks, made from Knit Picks Simple Stripe yarn leftover from a pair of socks I made for my mother-in-law quite a while ago. I have since cast on for a pair of Better than Vanilla socks for me, using Opal Magic yarn given to me by the pattern designer, the incomparable Judy Sumner. What a wonderful lady! It is thanks to her that I knit socks at all, and I had the great pleasure of lunching with her and spending some time in the yarn shop where she teaches and assists knitters. She gifted me with some lovely yarn while we were together, and I immediately knew I would knit it up in one of her many fabulous patterns. I very much enjoyed making the Better Than Vanilla socks for my niece several months ago, so I decided to make a pair for myself.

Tomorrow will be spent (at least partially) working. Luckily, the three projects that came in this week are not rush jobs, but we will do our best to get them done as quickly as possible, since next week is rather full.

Right on Time

2009-01-22T19:16:00.003+02:00

A few days ago I went through the pain and trauma of blocking, then sewing together Meital's Starsky Jr. sweater. Here you can see it pinned out on the floor. I used steam from my iron to block it. Not that it did much good; Plymouth Encore yarn is something like 75% acrylic, 25% wool. Still, at least I felt like I went the extra mile. This is the first time I've ever blocked a sweater, and I rather hope it will be the last! The two front pieces are not pinned out in the correct positions relative to one another, in case you're trying to puzzle out how it all comes together.

The day before yesterday I knit on the collar/button bands, and today I wove in the last ends of yarn and sewed on the buttons. It fits Meital perfectly! Except for the sleeves, which are longer than we wanted. But that's what folded cuffs are for, right?

You can't see the leaf pattern too well in these photos (nighttime photos are never as good as daytime), so be sure to look at the pattern photos at the link above to see the design. I made a bunch of mistakes here and there (a purl stitch where there should be a knit stitch) throughout the sweater, and of course didn't notice until the pieces were all done. I hope I can be more careful with my next project, a cabled bolero for Liat, which I started today.

I am very happy to have finished up Meital's sweater today so she can wear it to school tomorrow (no uniforms required on Fridays).

Heart of Gold

2009-01-17T17:59:00.003+02:00

There's a stamping challenge going on at Club Posh right now. Stamp something with a heart on it. Easy, and perfect for getting a head start on those valentines. The only catch: the heart can't be any shade of pink or red. I started thinking about all of my wonderful, caring friends, and the idea for this card evolved from there. My biggest problem now will be deciding which friend should get the card. I may have to make a few more!

This card has quite a story behind it! I started with a tan colored card. Stamped the saying ("It's all about the Journey and the friends you make along the way") all over the back with Versamark ink. Now, the idea with Versamark ink is that although it is clear, it leaves a nice image that will be slightly darker than the original color of the cardstock. The other thing about this ink is that it is very thick and slow drying, so it is perfect for heat embossing. When I stamped the card, I hadn't planned on embossing the background image (the saying). But when I went to stamp another saying at the bottom of the card, the Versamark wasn't dry enough yet, so it grabbed hold of the clear embossing powder, too! No problem, I'll just emboss everthing, I thought. Well. You could hardly read the saying I'd wanted emphasized at the bottom. So, I restamped the saying on black cardstock, and just covered up the earlier attempt. The saying at the bottom, and the heart, were stamped using a gold Cat's Eye ink pad, and covered with clear embossing powder. I have been struggling all day, trying to figure out a combination that would give me a brighter gold than what I usually get when I stamp with gold ink and emboss with gold powder. Liat suggested clear powder over the gold ink, and that's what gave me the best result. Thank goodness she was hanging out with me in my stamping room, instead of working on her English project upstairs! All stamps, of course, are by Dee Gruenig.

Lest you think that all I did today was get gold ink all over my hands and clothes (though you know that happened!), we went to Jerusalem today, and of course that means knitting in the car. I had originally thought to work on my sister's wristwarmers, but in order to do that I would have needed to bring along a book and a notebook (where all my notes are for increases, etc) and I just didn't want to hassle with it. Instead, I finished the first baby sock and got mostly done with the leg of the second sock. I have a huge ziplock bag full of yarn leftover from socks made over the last year or two, and I really want to convert all of that to baby and toddler sized socks, to either give to family, donate, or save for the future.

I am nearly done with the sleeve caps on Meital's Starsky Jr. cardigan. I hope to get those done tonight, then block all the pieces (back, both fronts and both sleeves) tomorrow. I just couldn't manage to get them done before we went out today, and I'd rather tackle the blocking in the morning. Maybe while that's drying, I will swatch for the bolero I am going to knit for Liat. Fun stuff!

I hope you're all keeping warm! Please send us some precipitation, if you have any to spare...

Thanks

2009-01-16T16:42:00.003+02:00

Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.
William Arthur Ward

I finally got around to taking photos of the cards I have been working on lately. In the first photo are three cards stamping on glossy cardstock using Dee Gruenig stamps and (mostly) Marvy Uchida inks. On the fish card, I took a piece of plastic mesh I'd saved from a bag of potatoes and sponged through it using Distress Ink (Broken China) and a wedge-shaped makeup sponge. I love the way it came out sort of wavy instead of perfectly straight. Of course, I hadn't planned it that way!

In the photo above are two more cards using Dee Gruenig stamps. The southwestern card was done on glossy cardstock (I trimmed about 1.25" off the edge so that the "Gracias" on the inside of the card shows when the card is closed). In the arctic themed card, the igloo, person and sun were stamped on glossy paper and added to patterned cardstock. The snow was cut from a piece of soft fluffy paper that someone gave me a very long time ago, and I'd never used! The border at the bottom with the snowflakes was inked with Radiant Pearls paints and embossed using clear embossing powder.

And finally, this card has a dark blue, matte cardstock base. On that is a piece of glossy cardstock that I colored using Adirondack Alcohol Inks. I bought those back in October and hadn't really used them yet. In an effort to start using more supplies (before they dry up or spoil in some other way), I am going to make more of an effort to use all those things I just had to have but have never (or barely ever) used. The background was done with the colors Wild Plum and Stream. The trim and snail were done on cardstock colored with Wild Plum and Butterscotch inks. I had fun and am pleased with the results, but I want to keep playing with these inks and see what other kinds of looks I can achieve.

I started out making thank you cards because the girls and I have people to thank for Chanukah gifts. I realized, though, that I want to make as many more cards as I can, because it turns out I have a lot of people I am very grateful to have in my life.

They Really Work

2009-01-15T17:21:00.003+02:00

For the past two days, when the chill in our house turns my fingers to ice cubes, I have put on the simple pair of wristwarmers I knit for myself in 2004 out of very plain 100% acrylic yarn, and my hands - including fingers! - have warmed up completely. Now, these wristwarmers are so simple that not only are there no finger stubs to warm my individual fingers, but there isn't even a thumb gusset to warm up my thumb! Yet, within ten minutes of putting on these wristwarmers, my ice cube hands are cozy and warm. The power of knitted items should never be underestimated.

Above is a photo of the first in a pair of wristwarmers, or fingerless gloves/mitts if you prefer, that I started yesterday for my sister. Someone asked if this is the sister for whom I made the 50 birthday cards last year, the one who sent me the gorgeous cross stitch picture and Never Not Knitting calendar. Yes, I have only the one. And with a sister like that, why would I need another? She is wonderful. And so is this Schaefer Anne yarn (merino wool, mohair, and nylon). I am using the same make-it-up-as-I-go pattern I used for my niece Kim's fingerless gloves last month.

It makes me feel good to know that their hands will be warm because I love to knit!

This and That

2009-01-14T17:27:00.004+02:00

Above is a card design called an "explosion" card (there are several types). It folds up to about 4" square, but expands when open - as you can see. I learned how to make this type of explosion card on Club Posh. I get so many great ideas, and so much help, from the folks there! This card will be going out to a very special Poshie friend who reads this blog...Can you guess who??

With the exception of the small snowflake next to the words Thank You (covering up a boo boo, thankyouverymuch), all images are by Posh Impressions, um I mean Dee Gruenig Signature Designs. I covered up some green cardstock that had been dry embossed in a Cuttlebug machine with white acrylic paint and a light coating of Glitz Spritz (see yesterday's post for the link if you would like more details). I tried to make the whole thing as glittery and shimmery as possible.

I played around with some other stuff in my stamping room, and hope to have more cards to show you soon.

I also finished a scarf for Liat today. I really don't enjoy knitting with this 100% polyester eyelash "yarn." In fact, I have come to detest it! The only thing that kept me going was knowing how much Liat loves scarves made with this yarn. I have now made three scarves from this stuff for Liat, and one for a friend of hers (which was carried along with a more normal yarn and so wasn't quite so annoying to knit). I have also used it as trim on mittens, and quite possibly in other circumstances that I am supressing for the good of my mental health. In any event, I purchased two skeins too many of this stuff last week, and instead of stashing the remainder, I am going to return it. Who knows, I may even buy something else while I'm in the shop!

Now that the scarf is done, I have three projects on the needles: the Starsky Jr. cardigan for Meital (back and both fronts done, sleeves done nearly to the shaping at the top), a top-down pullover for me, and a baby sock for... well, let's call it the baby gift stash. That means that I am, to my way of thinking at least, free to cast on another project. Yay! I will show you in the next post what that will be. It's gonna be good.

Stamping Again!

2009-01-13T17:08:00.003+02:00

It's been such fun getting inky in my stamping room again! I have made three thank you cards, with a fourth nearly finished. And I made the card you see above, which I sent to my parents in honor of their upcoming 52nd anniversary. A stamping friend sent me the image, so I don't know which company makes the stamp. It was embossed, so it was very easy to paint it to add color. I used my small supply of Radiant Pearls, which for those who don't know is a thick, very shimmery paint that dries by being absorbed into the paper (so in other words, it doesn't ever dry on certain types of glossy paper, unless you emboss it by coating it with embossing powder and heating the powder to seal in the paint in a raised, shiny surface). Sadly, they don't make Radiant Pearls anymore. I have no idea if there is something else out there that replaces it. There is something called Twinkling H2Os that is also very shimmery, but it comes in a hard cake form and must be activated with water.

Anyway! Under the central image is a piece of what was tan colored cardstock. I sprayed it with Adirondack Color Wash in Butterscotch, then with Moon Shadow Mist and finally with Glitz Spritz (also from that link - Lindy's Stamp Gang). Once all that was dry, I stamped a Dee Gruenig Signature Designs leaf image, inking it with more Radiant Pearls paint. So much fun! I love to layer all those different colors and sprays and see what happens. Only drawback: it took quite a while to dry. The dark green cardstock is years old, probably not made anymore, by Keeping Memories Alive. You see? I'm using up all my old scrapbooking papers on cards these days!

The thank you cards I've made are very different from this one, and I hope to share them with you soon. I also hope I will have more cards done by tomorrow! Today went by quickly, as I spent a fair amount of it outside the house - very rare for me. Liat had the day off from school, so I took her into downtown Netanya to check out the beading supplies at a crafting store I know. Unfortunately, she didn't find everything she wanted, though she did bring home a few things, mostly beads. I can certainly understand the concept of "a beader can never have too many beads!" I bought a piece of gold dry embossed cardstock which I think will make a nice layering piece for cards, and a meter of black fabric with gold stars, which I hope to use as a lining for another jeans purse (this one in black denim).

Later, Avi and I drove into Tel Aviv to deliver the scarf and Fetching mitts to the lovely recipients at Assuta Hospital. I hope they like them! I feel so much better knowing those have finally made it into the hands of those for whom I made them (how's that for a convoluted sentence?! Sheesh!).

Who knows what tomorrow will bring?