I wish I remembered to blog more frequently!
I am straining my brain regarding the pi pattern on the knit and crochet along.The 48 row section went up yesterday, and I was staring at the computer, trying to get stuff ready for the 96 row section. I am SLOWLY coming up with ideas! I wish they were coming more rapidly! I have too much going on to come up with a designing block!
On a different topic, my son, who is subject to bouts of depression, tells me that sometimes, I should just tell him to look up and giggle. Now, if I tell him that while he is crying, I wonder if he can actually comply? (That's a mind question, as opposed to a fiber one.)
The same son has been wearing the mobias style vest I did for the Holiday Mystery Gifts, and loving it. I made a whole one for the knit, but didn't make a full one for the crochet version. When I get more time, I may make that one for ME! It is incredible how fast that thing was going, even though I followed my fall back method of starting it, and working a weird convoluted thing that leaves out all but the gauge, and the shaping sections. This makes for some strange looking items, but does test the directions!
I got a really nice Trick or Treat swap gift. It was a pattern for mitts, sock yarn to make them with, and the two sets of needles needed to make the pattern. There was also soap, lipbalm, halloweeny beads, some candy, and these thingys that you pull open, and they pop. Perhaps that was to be the trick, but the fact that it was anonymous was also a trick. There were actually two books in it. (One my DH snabbed to read.) All of this was in a felt halloween bag.
I made the witch's cauldron pattern for this swap, but then posted it as well. I waited until almost Halloween to post the trick that goes with the cauldron. I sent along some Lamb's Pride black, with some Hershey's extra dark chocolate sticks inside. Witch Miss Seaton, was the book that fit the Halloween themes, and I found some cool candy/toy combinations to send. At the last moment, I threw in some earrings that I had intended to make stitch markers with, but had never seemed to get around to it. Perhaps their new owner will do better! I also sent a silly Halloween bag, and a witchy looking rubber ducky. I forgot to get a delivery confirmation number, and sweated until my swap pal posted that she received it (On Halloween...almost two weeks in transit!) Whew!
Well, it is bedtime, so I had better get a move on here.
Until later...

We are gearing up, now, for a Holiday Mystery Gifts knit and crochet along. It is its own Yahoo group, and there are, last time I looked, 120 members, so it will be a comfortable group. We don't begin until September 22, which gives the DesigningMinds group time to design. This one is a bunch of patterns, and they come from a bunch of folks, so it will be nice.
Meanwhile, I an signing up (where is my brain???) for a trick or treat swap, over on whoduknit.
musing may follow, if my mind is intact enough to muse...
Meanwhile, I have not taken the Spindlers CAL down, as the podcast downloads haven't stopped. I don't know what I'll be doing with that.

Yeah! The Crochet Your Own Adventure tm Mystery Shawl has been posted in it's entirety, over on the Spindlers Yahoo group! And lots of folks are downloading the podcasts, as well. Something is going well!

Seriously, we have put more $$$ into the car in the last month than we spent for it, and had to extend our trip (Back from a conference we attended) four nights in doing so. Last evening we blew a tire! Does the car want to be rebuilt, totally????

I know I have to put things in order if I want to start selling patterns, as I have been urged to do, but meanwhile, I have had several suggestions for a Christmas KAL. I am also going to ask about setting up a Halloween KAL. I have the pattern complete, from last summer, and it would be fun to do it, but it is just a single pattern. Nikki W. did help me make up two sections where it can offer some choices, but mostly, it is a set pattern.
Oh, decisions, decisions!

Well, The Crochet Your Own Adventure (TM) Mystery Shawl is officially underway. The first clue was posted on Tuesday, complete with podcasts for support. While this seems to be a small group, it is almost as vocal a group as some of the bigger knit-alongs. I will spend today (and probably part of tomorrow) getting the second clue and podcasts ready and posted. While there are still spinners hurrying to make their yarn, those who have begun are ready and waiting. I will be trying to space the clues in a reasonable pattern for those involved. At the same time, I am looking at my August travel plans, and hoping to tuck the clues around my absence.
There is a lot going on, just now, and so I will post this and get on with life, etc.

http://cyoams1.mypodcast.com/2007/07/Introduction_and_test_file-28345.html

There you are! The first podcast for the Crochet Your Own Adventure Mystery Shawl!
I still need to get it submitted to iTunes, but it is a start!
This file is simply the intro and test file, as noted. I will be checking to find out how it seems to folks.

Ouch! I see I forgot this for longer than I had realized!
I will attempt to make up for that.
This week I have sent my first charts to the design group for a crochet along shawl. I need to get some more there in the next couple of days. I am learning, and am being much more directive with the testers. Hopefully, this may help them make it through to the end.

I have spoken with a printer about selling some of the patterns. We will see if that works out. I have also begun to wonder if I should, in fact, set up a separate group page for these projects. The current one is still on EZasPi, and will remain posted for another couple of weeks. The next one is slated for the Spindlers group. The thing that I am realising is that I never have any notion how many people are actually involved.

I am doing a lot of juggling with computers, just now, but I think I can get a few more pics up. I did not (boo-hoo) get a pic of the latest shawl I finished, before belatedly giving it to my mil for her birthday. (Well, I gave it to her on her birthday...a year later than I intended.) It started life as the mystery shawl 3, but that didn't last. I think I actually finished clue two before I hared off and knit off the top of my head. It came out very well, if I do say so myself, with just one place that I consider awkward, though no one else has seemed to realize that I shifted gears so drastically! There was a good amount left on the cone, and so I am using it to play around with the crochet designs.

With the crochet along shawl, I had intended to use all traditional patterns, but I have already blown that! I got started charting, and before I knew it, I was doing variations.. There are so many gorgeous traditional stitch patterns out there that I will have to force myself to use some. (Wouldn't you think it would be easier to just chart out some instructions??? I don't seem to function that way.)

Well, enough for now. I got on here to set up a blog just about hypnosis, and where do I find myself??? Oh well, I seriously needed to update, and will try to do better.

What a hot week!
I gave my sister her shawl, and my other sis took photos of both, and the beginning of the baby sweater. What baby sweater, you ask? The one for the shower in less than a week, of course!
I meant to make a blankie...much quicker, imho, but the yarn with the only hook i had taken with me to Cleveland came out hard enough to be a play mat, rather than a blanket!
We found these cool colors...pale tangerine, yellow, and this odd pinkish red...that sound bad but look good. I started with the hood, and am now doing the first sleeve. That may not be as good as it sounds, as I decided to get the sleeves out of the way, then do the body, since I am going top down.
Someday, when sis figures out how to set her soft ware, she will send me pics, and I'll get them up here.
Also while at Susan Yarns in Cleveland (Heights?) I found some lace weight wool, which I may use instead of waiting for the wool that may or may not be coming. It is turquoise, with bit of white through it. I got a half pound, at the yardage of1700 ypp, time 3 strands. I will have to look more closely (DUH) to see if I need to separate the strands, or combine them.

The kyo...2 has a little tiny problem... my helper had to unvolunteer. i put out an initial cry for help, and need to check as to wheter anyone has responded.

On other fronts, the whole housing thing may be going to work out in the end. Ds' school situation might settle down well, too. I even got directions from my recent student aide, to the picnic...looks as if it is actually over in Warren.

It is too hot to proof read. What is there is there, right now.