Updates & Reviews...sorta

Dear D.I.Y./HGTV...I love you, I hate you, I love you. Has anyone else been watching the new crafting shows on HGTV lately? They're all from the D.I.Y. network and totally kick a lot more ass than Carol Duvall! I don't get the D.I.Y. network so this new influx of shows is awesome! Lately I've been hooked on Craft Lab, Knitty Gritty, Uncommon Threads, B. Original, & Creative Juice. Everyday I find a new hobby, today it's rug hooking courtesy of Uncommon Threads! I've got crafty ideas coming out of my ears now! I'm really liking all of these programs, HGTV has really been lacking in the crafting show department. I'm so sick of house flipping/decorating/real estate shows. They've been monopolizing the air time lately, so this new group of shows has been a breath of fresh air. I do have a love/hate relationship with them though. I'm constantly introduced to new ideas and crafts that I want to try, but we all know that it costs time and money to get to needed supplies, etc. when am I supposed to crochet? Gah! Feast or famine. At least all this creative stimulation has gotten my creative juices flowing again, I thought that river was all dried up...feels great!

In other news, here it is 22 days into the new year and I finally bought a calendar. But, not just any calendar, THE calendar. I bought the Crochet Pattern A Day calendar...75% off. Who doesn't love a bargain like that?! Nathaniel had an eye appointment at the mall in Asheville, so Geof and I got to walk around that mad house for a few hours. There is a Borders bookstore in there and they had all of their calendars on sale. We were looking for one for Geof's room when I stumbled across the CPAD...how could I resist?! That's about the only good thing I have to say about that particular store. Their craft book section was seriously lacking and they didn't have a single fiber-related magazine in the whole joint! Eh, what can you do?

Geof and I spent this past week with my parents. My great uncle passed away from a massive heart attack. He was only 56. We went to the receiving of friends and the funeral. It was a good learning experience for Geof, I've tried my best to answer a million of the toughest, sweetest, weirdest questions this week. It's been quite an adventure and that's why things have been quiet around here lately. Not that quiet is unusual, but I am making an effort to blog more.

..anyhoo..

I've been crocheting and knitting on my Knifty Knitter. I started a hat for myself on the Knifty Knitter, but as luck would have it I started it on the wrong loom for my sized head. D'oh! I will have to say to anyone who is considering purchasing one of these looms to go ahead and do themselves a favor and also purchase the sold-separately booklet with patterns and instructions. The looms come with a useless piece of paper with vague instructions and terrible illustrations that make no mention of nor recommendations for which looms to use for which type of project. The booklet is less than a buck at WalMart but it's worth a lot more! I haven't decided yet if I want to frog it and start again on the appropriate loom or just go ahead and finish it up. I'm leaning to towards frogging at this point. Geof doesn't wear hats to much and I don't have one to wear! It should be a pretty warm hat and very soft. I'm using 2 strands of Homespun and 1 strand of Simply Soft!



I'm getting the hang of the loom and I really like how quickly things take shape. Eventually I'd like to get a nice longer lap loom to work on bigger projects. I've found a lot of resources online for the Knifty Knitter...patterns, different stitches, etc..I think there's even a Yahoo! Group or two.

I also picked up a magazine this past week. It's the Family Circle Easy Crochet. I actually liked more than one pattern in there!! As soon as I rid myself of my current WIPs, I have to try some of the patterns. Another great magazine I've had my hands on this week is from Lion Brand. I thought there was a great mix of crochet and knit projects. My head is bursting with ideas to try, this may be a very productive month on the crochet/knitting front. I'll just have to wait and see what happens!