Clearly this pattern did not work out for me December 30, 2007

I tried making a little doggie using a pattern, but the muzzle looked way different than the photo in the book.  So i just kept crocheting, i added a couple legs and this is what happened:

  He looked friendly enough, so i made him a little birdy companion:

 

Want one?  Well, here we go:

Materials:

g hook

ww yarn ( i used Vanna’s Choice in beige, red heart soft in green, and red heart white)

Head/Body:

4 sc in a ring

rd1: 2 sc in each sc around (8 sc)

rd2: 2 sc in each sc around (16 sc)

rd3: 2sc in first sc, sc in next sc around (24 sc)

rd4-9: sc in each sc around (24 sc)

rd10: sc2tog over first 2 sc, sc in next 3 sc around (20 sc)

rd11-14: sc in each sc around (20 sc)

rd15: sc in next 6 sc, fold piece in half, sl st in middle sc to join the two sides, sc around  the new ‘leg’ (12 sc)

rd16-19: sc in each sc around (12 sc)

rd20: change color to green, sc in next 12 sc (12 sc)

rd21: sc in next 2 sc, 2sc in next 4 sc, sc in last 6 sc (16 sc)

rd22: sc in next 3 sc, (2sc in next, sc) 3 times, sc in last 7 sc (19 sc)

rd23 & 24: sc in each sc around (19 sc)

rd25: In Back Loop Only, sc2tog, sc in next 2 sc around

rd26: sc2tog, sc in next sc around

rd27: sc2tog around, fasten off

Second Leg:

Join beige yarn with a sl st at the ‘crotch’, sc around

Repeat rds 16-27.

Nose:

with white, 5 sc in a ring

rd1: 2 sc in each sc around (10 sc)

rd2: 2sc in first sc, sc in next sc around (15 sc)

rd3: sc in each sc around (15 sc)

fasten off.

Finishing/notes:

I stuffed the body/head thing before i fastened off the first leg, and again before totally finishing the second leg. 

Sew the nose on before joining the two sides, and use whatever colors you like for the nose and mouth. 

The bird is a smaller version of the bigger ‘thing’, and i used a spare ear from another project for its beak.

Enjoy!

And now more from my kitties:

The baby kittens are now trying to ‘meow’ their way out of the girls closet

I had the closet blocked with a couple of the plastic shelves from one of those organizer things from walmart, but Tasha has caught Snowball trying to move them under Madaleines bed.  In my opinion, that’s not a great place cause now we’re gonna have to watch our step!!!

 I don’t think they like the ‘great wide open’ yet!!! 

Nathalie

Bummed around all day December 29, 2007

It’s overcast and rainy today.  Not very inspiring as far as crafting goes, but Steph did manage to get halfway through a friendship bracelet for her friend Kerri:

 her friend also had a request for a scarf, and i’ll post pics when i’m done.

And Madaleine took a super cute pic of steph and Annika:

She’s wearing Tasha’s clothes.  While i was going to Taco Bell and Chick-fil-a with Gavin and Tasha, Annika and Madaleine decided to go ’swimming’ in the bathtub.  With all of their clothes on. 

Before that, Madaleine was content on the couch playing with Gavin’s nintendo ds:

For a couple months now, every time i sit at the fireplace to smoke or sit on the couch Twinkletoes jumps up on my lap.  I guess he mistook Steph for me, we are twins, and i got this pic:

 Monkey see, monkey do!

Twinkletoes also napped in his favorite spot.. in the tv stand:

 I made sure to move his leg over before i sat down with the remote!!

We also ran out of cat food, and Madaleine noticed the herd of hungry kitties on the porch, so she made scrambled eggs for them!  She also took this awesome shot of one of the cats:

Me and Steph went up to Madaleine’s room to look at the baby kitties, and here she is attempting to take them all at once:

 Reminds me of the claw machine~ pick it up and you get to keep it!!!

And here is my favorite kitty pic of today~ the boy kitty i named Steve Holt:

Nathalie

Lining a crocheted bag December 28, 2007

I have a couple purses that honestly, i’ll never get around to lining, but i did find these super helpful links on how to line a bag:

http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=142689.10

http://www.crochetstyleetc.com/liningapurse.htm

http://www.zibibboisgood.com/more/sueetlining.html

If anyone knows of other ones, feel free to leave a link in your comment!

Nathalie

If you feed them, they will come December 28, 2007

Come on, i know somebody knows that line from ‘Field of Dreams’?!  Well, they said ‘build’, but you know.  Anyway, twice a month i buy one of those giant cat food bags for my cats.  I also leave a small bowl on the front porch for the neighbors cat, Owen.  Since it’s cold, he can’t jump through our window into the house, so i bring out food for him when he meows at the window.

The big, mean, puffy white cat eats at night, and we’ve also seen a black and white cat hanging around.  Last night i heard ‘cat’ at the window, i look over and there is a grey stripey cat sitting in the window sill.  So i brought some cat food out, and not 3 minutes later i took these photos:

This brings the ’stray cats on my front porch’ total up to 6!!  I swear, i’m gonna send the kids out to all the neighbors houses to get cat food from them!

On a non-cat note, Madaleine is totally obsessed with the paranormal, and convinced that every flash, dust spot, whatever on a photo is an orb.  So, anyone who enjoys ghost stuff can look at this ‘cropped’ area, and tell me if she’s right!

Oh, and we went shopping yesterday and Madaleine used some of her xmas cash to buy a cake.  Best cake ever!!  I love the Kroger bakery cakes!  We asked the lady to put “Maddie” on the top, but when we picked it up it said “Happy Birthday Maddie”!  Her birthday is in July, but whatever~ more frosting for us!!!

Nathalie

This is for you, Steph December 27, 2007

Merry Christmas!  I finished this last night, and yeah, hahahahaha, Jenn told me all about you guys making fun of me for not finishing gifts on time!!!  Don’t worry, it’s funny cause it’s true!

Anyhoo, here is your very own ‘pepto’ monkey:

Here it’s laying in bed not feeling so well.

Uh oh, monkey doesn’t feel so good:

And this is Jenn’s ‘contribution’ to your monkey:

Hey, Pepto Bismol!!

The free online pattern that i used is here: http://quesera.ojaru.jp/

Later!

Nathalie

Popcorn maker put to good use….so far December 27, 2007

You would think that i would have the common sense to go ahead and buy batteries for all the toys that the kids got, but no.  Totally didn’t think to do that.  Luis took the girl’s to pizza hut, and i asked him like twice to remember to buy popcorn kernels for the machine that mami got us.  He forgot.  No big deal, because the cats quickly found a good use for the box that it came in:

 Cry Baby and Momo

Nathalie

I went to Mami’s house December 26, 2007

And i got there on time!!!  Me and Luis and the kids went to mami’s house yesterday, and i was hoping to see Steph and her kids there, but she had a barfy virus.  So, no thanks.  Oh, i woke up at 5am yesterday to wrap presents before the kids got up, and Madaleine heard me.  She could not wait so i let her open one gift:

 A clock radio!!  All the other ones we’ve had here are all sticky and broken, and this girl has got to start waking up on time for school!!

We had eaten lunch at Luis’s mom’s house before we got there, so i was in the mood for dessert.  I love German chocolate~ and so does Madaleine!!

I put Jenn in charge taking pictures.  She left her camera at home, and here she is:

She took a great pic of Jessica and Jason:

And of course, she took a ‘i never have a pic of you two’ photo of me and Luis:

 fat much?

It seems like every time i see Sebastian and Nikolai they get taller and taller!  I asked them to ’strike a pose’ for me, and here are my hottie little brothers:

Not wanting to be left out (which i would never do to snert!) Sean had a pose for me also!!

 Go Sean!

Patrick was the chef last night, and Britt brought his pasta salad.  I ate 5 bowls of it!!  The best ever!!!  So anyway, they were hanging out in the kitchen and i’m not sure who took this pic, but Jessica was all Santa with the hat:

 Next to Jess is Britt and Adrian

Mami has the same gold silverware set that i do, but her’s is still neat and in order and wrapped in plastic.  Tasha had fun setting up the box

 and that’s the pasta salad with the pink saran wrap on it!!!  Yummy!!!

When i was in the 4th or 5th grade, i had a couple japanese friends in my class (Naoko and Mimiko)  They taught me how to make the origami cranes, and i had made some for my mom and she diplayed them in the china cabinet.  I asked if she still had those, totally expecting the answer to be no cause it has been 22 years since i made them, and she still had them!!  They were in the china cabinet in the living room!!!

 LOL!!  I made those!!!

I had a lot of fun yesterday, and i plan on being there for New Years also! 

Oh yeah, before we left for relative’s houses yesterday, i took a group shot of the baby kitties:

And here is the 5th one:

 A bit camera shy!

I can’t tell which one the boy is without ‘looking’, but i named him ‘Steve Holt’!!!

This is what the other cats were doing while i was online this morning:

I have no idea what any of them are looking at!!

Later, gator!

Nathalie

Just some of my kitties December 23, 2007

I took this photo of Momo and Cry Baby yesterday afternoon

Cry Baby is contemplating his attack on the hanging stocking, and Momo is watching out for visiting cats.

Last night Tasha brought down 2 of the kittens, and i decided to let them meet Momo and Sandy:

  So far, so good!

This morning i checked in on the baby kittens, and one of them wanted to explore my foot:

This is another one, a girl, and she’s the smallest of the litter.  Also cries the loudest when you pick her up!

Nathalie

How did we get so old?!!! December 21, 2007

So, i’m online doing whatever, and i decide to open a new window so i can listen to songs on Youtube.  Of course, the first song that popped into my head was ‘18 and life’ from super rockin Skid Row.  That was followed by ‘i remember you’ and ‘wasted time’.  Then i moved on to ’silent lucidity’ by Queensryche.  Keep in mind, when Skid Row came out i was in 8th grade, and i was so in love with Sebastian Bach.  My mom was pregnant with my younger brother, and she said that if it was a boy then me and my twin sister could name him.  So what name did we pick? Sebastian!!!  Yup.  That’s his name.  Skid Row is where he got it from.  Of course, we told my mom it was ‘just a cool name’ and ‘he’ll be named after a famous composer’! 

Anyhoo, i’m watching the video on youtube and i’m all ‘man, he’s so hot’ and my girls overheard me (ages 7 and 19) and were all ‘him?’  (lol, just like arrested development!)  They proceeded to inform me that he looks like a girl and is in fact ‘not that hot, mom’.  So yeah, how did i get so old!!!!!    Just give it a few years and all my ‘not all that heavy’ heavy metal bands will be in style again!!  At least they will be too me!

Nathalie

Cat Fight!! December 20, 2007

And no, not hot chicks fighting but actual cats!!  The smallest kitty at birth, Cry Baby, has become the biggest instigating fight picker ever!!!  Not only does he do ’sneak attack’ on the other cats, but he is the prime suspect in ‘who knocked over the coke can on purpose’.  This morning, he decided to calmly lay on the edge of my bed nice and relaxed, and when Pumpkin walked over to nap with him he attacked!

No amount of hissing will get him to stop, Pumpkin!

I’m a cute kitty, come and get me, hahahaha

 Aww, had enough?  i’m still gonna get you!

Yeah, whatever Pumpkin, you suck.

Of course the entire time me and Tasha are just laughing our butts off!!!

Nathalie