Midwest Folk & Fiber Art Fair

Fiber Overload!

I have never seen such beauty all in one place. I was so overwhelmed, I didn't know where to start.

From the beginning...
Bean and I made the drive North from Yorkville (where we live) to Grayslake, which took us about an hour and a half... not bad. We pull into the fair grounds, walk up to a very nice, very big, farm building, and as soon as you walk in BAM! you are hit with the most beautiful colors I have ever seen on yarn. (remember, I'm new to this!)

It was hard picking which pictures to share, I loved them all!

There was all kinds of fiber...finished yarn, yarn ready to be spun, and raw fiber waiting to become roving?! I learned a lot of new lingo on my trip.

There were several booths with fantastic fiber goodness for sale.
Bean and I shopped.

There was some pretty crafty things out there...

Like these slippers -

They were hand felted and $45

I saw these little cuties. They were just shapes crocheted together that made me think of garland at Christmas, but this kind of garland could stay up all year round in my opinion!

They had lots of demonstrations... drop spindle spinning, felting, knitting, and crocheting. Below is a lovely girl showing us how to use a spinning wheel. I had no idea spinning wheels could be so expensive... like $700! Yikes! Most of the spinners like to spin without shoes??

Then we came to the Vintage Fibers booth....with real live English Angora rabbits. Uh oh! I was hooked (no pun intended) when Vintage Fibers showed me that you can harvest the Angora, mix it with Alpaca, and spin it into yarn. Oh my! I had visions of lovely trim on fancy scarves and arm warmers.

We took the photo...

...and then picked out our bunny!

His name is Hawk Nelson.
That's what was already on his papers, but Bean has changed his name to Hawkson.

Bean is now a proud owner of her very own bunny!
Then it was on to Farm and Fleet to find a home, water bottle, and hay for our new addition!

Needless to say, I did not come home with any fiber of my own because I am such a softy for my kids. I couldn't afford to buy both, and I couldn't resist, "Mommy, can we have one, pleeeeeaaassssseeee?"

xoxo
Nicky

Midwest Folk & Fiber Festival

Road Trip!

While surfing the internet I found this festival in Grayslake.
Oh how the universe is taking care of me! I can't wait to pet and stroke all the glorious yarn... hmmm. It's about 1.5 hours away and it's going to be just me and Bean. CJ is staying at Grammy's, as he hates to go grocery shopping, much less spend the day looking at yarn!

Thank goodness for Grammies (sp?) everywhere!!

The pictures I used for this post can be found on the Midwest Folk and Fiber website. You can read more about the festival at

www.fiberandfolk.com

I'm hoping to find this...
And some of this...
And maybe some of this...

Oh lovely day!

Check back and I hope to have pictures of my own posted, along with a recap of the day's adventures!!

Wish me luck... and pray for restraint, as I need to have enough $$ leftover for the electric bill! hehehe

Granny Slippers

Hello cyber-people...I hope everyone out there is doing well.

Thank you so much for stopping by :)

At the very start of my blog it felt strange to write to no one, but lately I have noticed that there have been visitors. Real live visitors! This makes me soooo happy.

I love to crochet...and I love to read the blogs of other crocheters, as well as any crafty, creative lovely out there. As you can see, my blog list keeps getting longer and longer. For every new blog I visit, I find at least 2 other new blogs from the first new blogger's list of favorites! (Did you follow that??) What fun it is to find wonderful people who share a love that I love too!I have taken a break from making The Granny 2.0... and above is a sneak peak at what I accomplished during my break. I'm am a super beginner when it comes to needlework, and I have never read instructions to crochet. Up until this point every thing I have created has been flat... afghans, all of which I can count on one hand. As I was browsing Blogland I came across The Royal Sisters. Michelle pens a super fun blog with lots of inspiration, and has great vintage style. I found the cutest little crochet slippers there. And wouldn't you know, she offers the pattern for sale at her etsy store ...click here. I immediately clicked ADD TO CART.

And there you have it, my first ever 3 dimensional object. I know it isn't much, but both slippers I made look the same... and fit my feet, so I win!
Yay... slippers for everyone!

I feel they look a little plain, super cute, but plain, so I might just have to try my hand... and hook... at embellishing them with flowers.
I was thinking I may need this...

Any way, back to The Granny...
Night night,
Nicky
xoxo

The Oswego Country Market

Happy Father's Day

Today was a great day to be with the Dad's in our life... a beautiful Midwest day, warm and sunny. We went out for breakfast... then to the Oswego Country Market for some fresh veggies and some wonderful handmade crafts.

Above is a sign painted on a historical downtown building we walked by on the way to the market. It celebrates Oswego's 175th birthday back in 2008. I just love how colorful it is!

While at the market, I bought some "fresh dug" potatoes from the stand pictured below. I'm going to attempt to make this potato salad recipe that I found on the Crochet With Raymond blog. My potatoes are waaaay down on the very end. They are cutie little new potatoes.
The colors are gorgeous!It was great fun to walk thru the outdoor market with the kids and let them see their food offered from the farmer that grew it.
*****
On to crafting...
CJ is ready to fork over his hard earned $$ for a really cool dog-tag necklace made out of up-cycled pop cans.

www.jewelsbyjazzy.com
very cool.

All in all it was a good day.
Now I just need to find some time to work on the Granny!

xoxo
Nicky

Thrift store shopping

I found some treasure!

It was a rainy day here in the Midwest, so no Wednesday Swim-day. Instead Bean and I went pickin'. We have these stores called Goodwill, and they are donation drop-off centers. Reduce,Reuse, Recycle is their motto. Their mission is to provide "supportive services to people with disabilities or disadvantages who seek greater independence." We call shopping there pickin ' because you have to pick through a lot of trash to find your treasure... and some days there just isn't any treasure to be found...but today was a good day.

I love tote bags. I'm not much of a purse girl, but I can never have too many tote bags! Above is a treasure I found at Goodwill... among other things... a mini tote from The Gap. It's a little on the small side, but I couldn't resist the shape. It is lined with Lime green... one of my favorite colors... and has pockets all the way around the inside. The fabric was unusual, almost like a heavy parachute, besides, black goes with everything, so how could I go wrong! The price was definitely right - $5.

What will you put in it you ask??

Yarn, of course!

This is my Granny-on-the-Go bag.
It has every color I need to finish the Granny 2.0 no matter where I'm at. I tell you, it's tough to be organized!

*******

Lately, I've been reading the blog Crochet with Raymond... I'm a blog stalker, I'll admit it! I find a writer that I like, and then I go back to their beginning to read their blog from start to finish. At this particular blog, Alice is the writer/crocheter and Raymond is her adorable kitty companion. Not only does Alice create some of the most beautiful hooky goodness, but she is also a yoga practitioner, Reiki Master, and a student. The student thing I can relate to, but spiritual stuff, not-so-much. However, while I was pickin', I found these interesting little cards. Did she send them to me all the way from New Zealand? Maybe, maybe not, but I couldn't pass them up.... a good find at $1.

It's hard to read, but the intro says...

"We hope The Yoga Deck helps you progress along your path of physical well-being, emotional balance, and spiritual growth."

I don't know about you, but I welcome any help in those departments!
Can you learn to practice yoga from a deck of cards? I don't know, but I'm baby stepping.

I'm off for a little hooky love before the kiddles wake up.

xoxo
Nicky

Finding time to crochet

Where does a busy Mother of two find time to fit a little hooky love?

In the nooks and crannies of life... that's where!

Today was my first public display of hooking! I figured if wanted to get some time with my beloved hook it would be while I was waiting in the wings.

Where did I crochet today???

At the park, before CJ's football practice...
at football practice...
(By the way, that's Macey Brooks... a former Chicago Bears receiver. It was pretty cool that he took time out to participate in a youth football camp)

And then again, crocheting on the deck after dinner.

The Granny is coming along. I have 14 squares finished. I find that I only average about 3 squares a day. I wish I had more time... but then again, who doesn't?

I have to admit, I was a little apprehensive crocheting in public, but when a stranger walked by and said, "I love those colors, they look beautiful together," I didn't feel as awkward...maybe a tinge proud that my choice of colors attracted the eye of a total stranger.


tootles
xoxo
Nicky

The Granny - version 2.0

The humble beginnings of my new and improved Granny Square.

Remember... I'm fairly new to crochet creations, and last post I admitted that I had very little concept of color arrangement. I know that I like lots of color, and I know that I like some color combinations, and others I do not...however, I now realize there must be some kind of organization to my color chaos.

I only have six squares done, but I all ready love love love it!


I started the Granny 2.0 this morning while sitting on my deck havin' some coffee. It was the most gorgeous day here in the Midwest. The sun was shining, the birds were singing to back and forth (my favorite are the Orioles), and there was an oh-so-slight breeze...just enough to make the leaves on the trees dance. It was perfect.

I sat out on the deck for a time, enjoying the peacefulness and watching the Heron fly up and down the river. This is my favorite time of the day...very early morning. Everyone else is still sleeping as I steal away a few moments to reflect without interruption.
Enjoy.

Value organization in a Granny Square

Ahhh... The Granny Square.
There's more to it than meets the eye!

I thought that if I just picked out random colors to crochet together, I would magically turn out a afghan that would be the cat's ass... boy was I wrong. It takes planning to make the colors work. For the longest time I couldn't figure out why I like some blocks and others I just didn't??

Then I realized...

Following a pattern of value makes a BIG difference. Instead of throwing together color combinations, I started with a plan: the lightest value in the center, then introduce a medium value for the middle color, and finish with a dark value on the outer edges, like this...
And for some reason, after I made this square it clicked.

Here's another square that works.
Notice the light blue, then medium purple, then a darker purple.Below is one that is not so good...
Even thought I like all the colors in the square below, I felt that it just didn't work.There wasn't enough differentiation between the values of the colors.

Yeah for me that I figured out the importance of value, but boo that I have to start my Granny all over :(

It was a good day at the pool

It was a hot one in the Midwest today... 97 degrees... Yikes! The only thing tolerable to do outside is swim.

We had the best time at Grammy's house swimming... with lots of friends.

The water was so inviting....
that we made every Wednesday... Swim Day!

The long, long trailer

Here "She" is...
So maybe this isn't really camping??!?

According to my 8 year old son... This isn't really camping, there's no tent! He might me on to something, but I'm good camping the not-camping way :)

***

I have scrubbed it out from top to bottom... now we just need a campground to take it to. The kids are so excited that I might even let them sleep in it while it's in the driveway... does that make us a redneck??

I'm going to have to ask Jeff Foxworthy about that one.

I ran out of yarn... again!

Now that school is out, as I am a "non-traditional" student, meaning I'm too old to be a "traditional" student ( I'm 39), at Aurora University in Illinois, my plan for the summer is to finish up some crafty projects I started, but ran out of time to finish. I have two whole months to do what ever I want!! I am so excited. I will cook, and clean, and crochet, and read, all sorts of things that I put on the back burner while I was in school.

First on the list... finish already-started crocheted afghans.

I started the "Painted Desert" afghan over Christmas break, then school started up again and I never got around to finishing it. It's pretty big, 6.5 x 5 feet. I wanted it big enough to snuggle up with my kids and not leave any body parts uncovered. Last week I finished the body and decided that it needed a border... I love to crochet, but I'm not very good at it. This is my first, of only four afghans to date, that I put a border on. Before this, I only knew one stitch, the half double crochet!

This is now my border and I couldn't be more happy. It just "finishes" the blanket. I thought I would finish it yesterday, but I only had about three feet of the border to finish and I RAN OUT OF YARN! UGH! This didn't happen to me just once, but twice. I went to Michael's to get a skein of yarn to begin the border, one would be enough, but then I decided to go around the body three times instead of two... darn borders. Back to Micheal's I go. Today I will finish for sure!

I'm not sure if this combination of stitches has a name, but I see it every where. I learned this stitch when I began making granny squares. This afghan I started on spring break. I thought my magic hands would finish it in a week. All I can say is... HA.

The afghan above is number two one my list of things to finish.. and completed afghan number 5.

How I became a camper?!?

Memorial Day Weekend 2011

Mama thinks the family should camp!
***
Think of all the wonderful family memories we could make together??
***
A camping we will go :)

It ultimately became the most expensive camping trip ever you see, because we ended up buying a 30 ft. travel trailer!

The weekend started out in the usual camping way...we pulled our truck, affectionately known as the Silver Bullet, up to site #30 and began unloading our first and last primitive camp set up. We are a family of four, and our tent technically sleeps 7-8, so there was plenty of room. And actually it wasn't that bad... until the rain came.

We ducked into our friend's travel trailer to weather out the storm. It kept us cool and dry, and provided us with some technological entertainment... a TV. That was nice and luxurious, as luxurious as camping goes, but when the rain stopped, reality set in and we hunkered down with our wet blankets for the night. It wasn't bad... after you fell asleep.

Oddly enough, the camping neighbor walks over to Joe, our friend, and says his Mother-in-Law was selling her pretty-close-to-brand-new travel trailer. Did he know any one interested? Without a second breath, Joe turns to us and says... "She's for sale... just sayin'"

The next morning, after rolling off the nearly-on-the-ground inflatable mattress, the complaining began...low bed, wet blankets. listening to the guy in the next tent snore. I said, half jokingly... Nothin' $9400 wouldn't fix. All in good fun. And that was all she wrote.

By Monday afternoon She was ours!

Follow along while my life unfolds as the newly titled Trailer Traveling Mother of Two!

Welcome to Pick A Stitch

Helloooooo.

Have you ever tried to tuck your crafting gene away in order to get on with the rest of your life? If you're like me, the need to be creative brews from deep within! I've tried to ignore it, and have been successful for a week or two, maybe even a month... but then I see something awesomely artsy and before you know it I have bought every book about it, and supply needed to complete that awesomely artsy something. My craft lab contains vast amounts of art supplies that would rival even the most well stocked Hobby Lobby!

They say the apple doesn't fall far from the tree, and needlework is no exception. Many years ago (in a land far far way... no, just kidding) my grandmother owned a needlework store called Pick A Stitch in downtown Naperville (Illinois). We're talking in the late 70's, early 80s. A very adventurous lady she was, although I didn't realize it then, but she was following her passion in hopes to spread the love of needlework. How cool would it be if she still owned her store today?? I'd be in heaven!

My love for the yarn runs deep, just as it did with Dodi, and you could say I'm kind of following in her footsteps...with the help of technology. So, today I am joining the other talented, domesticated divas who also share the love of knitting and crocheting, by introducing the new-and-improved, technologically updated version of Pick A Stitch. If we all can't all meet around the big table in the center of the yarn store, at least we can gather around our computer screens, coffee in hand, and ravel in all the wonderful yarn goodness this magical internet brings together. I hope this blog finds you well, and offers you some encouragement, a little inspiration, and at the very least, lots of laughs.

I welcome you to leave many comments, and share your yarnish and fiberful experiences with the rest of us. Here's to a wonderful beginning... coffee cups clinking...

xoxo,
Nicky

Welcome!

Welcome to the Beginning!

The beginning of what you ask? Well, the beginning of my life as a blogger. I have been entertained by some really creative people in Blogland, and I felt it was time for me to amuse other bloggers just as they have amused me!

The internet makes this thing we call "The World" a much smaller place. One of my favorite bloggers of the moment is Attic 24. I just love her wit... and her crochet. The amazing thing is that she's in England and I'm here in the United States!

My purpose for this blog is to focus on the happiness I find...under my own roof; the simple things that I could potentially take for granted if I don't take the time out to notice them now. I vow to take my camera everywhere and capture the moments that sometimes get away and share them here. It's going to be my online scrap book of sorts.

The inspiration I get from Blogland is amazing. I love to sit with a cup of coffee... Oh, how I love coffee... while the kids are still asleep and steal a sneak-peek inside the life of another who is also feeding their creativity!

What you'll find here is lots of family... as well as lots of color! I'm a crafty girl and like to have a hand in all sorts of crafty things. But, I also love to garden, decorate, and read, read, read!

Oh wait... did I mention I recently became a camper?

More to come, so stay tuned...