My older sister, Jennifer, has been wanting me to make her one of my pretty pretty flower scarves for a while now.  So i started going through whats left of my yarn (thanks, cats!) and found a bulky super soft dark brown that i won for having the cutest kitten picture in a group over at ravelry.  She wants a scarf with blue or green flowers, but i reallllllllllllly wanted to use the brown and then it hit me:  the brown can be the fence with the flowers running up it!!  

So i am now in the middle of designing a new flower scarf, called ‘flowers on the fence’!  I have a very strong dislike for sewing stuff in crochet only cause the stupid ends never stay hidden, so this will be another no-sew scarf~ the base is the brown fence, then there will be a green vine with leaves crocheted onto it, along with a flower ‘row’.  I’ve already got the green vine with leaves figured out, i’m still working on how to make the flowers in one ‘row’. 

Here is the brown that i have done so far:

I would already be done with it, but when i went to the kitchen to throw some chicken in the oven the cats had dragged most of it down the hallway and stairs!  I picked all of it up and caught Boomer trying to grab it again.  Here she is staring at it, waiting for me to look away for just one tiny second:

  she wants it real bad!!!

Baby Carrot is doing wonderfully at our house~ still the most purr-iest kitten we’ve ever had!  She loves sleeping next to me, and here she is on my spot:

And here she is again about half an hour after i moved her over a bit:

  she even purrs while shes sleeping sometimes!

I couldn’t resist taking a close up pic of her:

  what a sweetie!!!!

Later!!

nathalie

Natasha wanted me to drive her up the street to see if her friend could play.  She went to the front door and as i’m sitting in the car i see a little orange kitten running up to her.  She asked her friend if it was hers, but her friend thought that it was one of ours!  I knew it was coming when she picked up the cat and turned towards me……”mom, can we keep the kitten?”

Really?  When have i ever said ‘no’ to a homeless baby kitten?!!!!!

Adrian came up with her name~ Baby Carrot!

She is super super friendly, and the best part…… She uses the litterbox!!!!!!!!  

She is still apprehensive about the big cats but she adapting quickly

My side of the bed is on the right, and everytime any of my cats sleep next to me it’s on the left.  Not Baby Carrot!

Here she is like an hour after we brought her home:

The coolest thing so far about her is that she is a little purr-bot!  I love happy kittens!!

Tasha found her under her blanket later on in the day:

and this is how i woke up this morning:

And we found a home for 4 of our cats lasr week!!  My husband came home from work with a cage and said he knew a family that wanted a girl cat.  I put the two orange girl kittens from across the street in, and Luis grabbed an orange-tipped white girl and Cheeto and brought them over ~ btw, i didn’t know he brought Cheeto till later!    He came back with an empty cage and said that the two children fell in love with the kittens and the parents fell in love with the big cats!  He said the family lives on a gigantic property with horses and dogs,  and they had been wanting cats for a while since their previous cat died of old age.   Hey, maybe they’ll be interested in a couple of our ’spray up the entire house’ cats!!!

The two boy kittens from across the street are still here (no shock there!) and my brother Sebastian LOVES one of them~ the growly one from the video in the previous kitty post!!  We ended up naming him ‘Hagar the Horrible’, and here he is hanging out on Sebastian:

and now he’s taking a nap on Sebastian:

and then we were joking around about ‘i’m lovin’ it’ from the McDonald’s slogan, so i got this pic of tasha and sebastian:

And to finish off this post, here are some projects i get to show off:

From my pretty pretty flower scarf pattern:

  by woolymountain

 by Jardiniere

 by threadfulart

From my squiggly cat toy pattern:

 by knitting techie

 by TokyoKyotoxx

 by elenerv

From my afternoon delight turtle pattern:

 by mccrowthers

 by jacintillating

 pinkphreek is still working on one!!

and from my overboard pattern:

 by ivory142 ~ she named it ‘elmer’!!!  cute!!

later!

nathalie

It’s always a struggle trying to find working batteries in my house so when i took some out of one of the kids toys, it had just enough charge left to take pictures~

Here is what i hope is a helpful tutorial on how to make my awesome fingerless gloves pattern!

The glove pattern uses back post double crochet (bpdc) to create the ridges on the glove.  I am left handed, so if you’re right handed then just do an extra round 2 for the glove part~ that way the ridges stay on the outside of the glove!!

**so i just looked it up, and i guess the actual stitch i’m using is Front Post Double Crochet!  Either way, whichever stitch you’re more comfortable using to create the ridges works either way!!**

Here is a link to a front & back post double crochet how-to:

http://www.crochetkitten.com/tutorials/fpdc.html

http://www.crochetkitten.com/tutorials/bpdc.html

Now for my gloves:

First start with chain 9, then double crochet in the 3rd chain from the hook and double crochet across, then chain 2 and turn.

For the next row,  Back Post Double Crochet in the next post and in each post across

To do this stitch (BPDC) , yarn over, then stick your hook behind the double crochet stitch from the previous row

then yarn over and pull the yarn back through the post

then double crochet as usual

Here is what the other side of the stitch looks like:

And here is what the next BPDC in the same row looks like:

The last bpdc in the row is done in the very last dc-post, here is what it looks like:

 (the rows will even out as you go along!)

You will continue crocheting one row double crochet, then one row bpdc until the cuff fits around your wrist/arm:

The next step is to fold the cuff in half with the ridges sides touching each other and then slip stitch across:

Then you will turn the cuff inside out and chain 1 and turn:

Now sc aound the edge of the cuff , about 27-30 sc as evenly spaced as possible:

then slip stitch into the first sc of the round, chain 2 and turn:

For the next round, you will dc in each sc around, then sl st into the beginning ch-2, chain 2 and turn:

(pic of sl st in beginning ch-2)

For the next round, bpdc in each dc post around:

For the rest of the glove pattern, you will alternate rounds of dc and bpdc (make sure the ridges are facing out!)  When the glove is as long as you want it to be you will crochet the thumb round next.  The thumb round is a double crochet round.

Chain 2, turn, dc into the first 4 dc, then chain 5:

then skip the next 4 stitches and dc into the 5th one:

then dc in each stitch the rest of the way around, sl st, chain 1 but do not turn.  Then sc in each stitch around, sl st to join, fasten off and enjoy your gloves!!!

Have fun!

Nathalie

The medicine is working wonderfully, and the kittens are doing much better!!  Only the smallest girl still has a tiny bit of red around her right eye, but no more goo and no more sneezing!!!   Still pooing in corners, but our living room has tiles so clean up is easy.

My cats are more tolerant of the babies now, and Super Cheeto Friend treats them like her own!!!

  My favorite pic so far!!!

and usually Momo is a real a-hole to other cats, but he likes this little guy:

 that’s his arm on the kitty.

The kittens have been pairing up with big cats today, except for this girl:

  infection is gone, but she’s really sensitive and squirmy when i try to clean her face~ still working on it though!!

this little girl is glued to cheeto:

and this little boy was listening to the michael jackson ghost video from CNN:

  Killer video by the way, here is the link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Am67-Sew7k

In the earlier post, Blubee was sooooooo not having anything to do with the kitties.  Well, now see:

  “dinner”

I need to keep an eye on her!!! 

Last but not least, the first night they were here i treated them to ham~ here is the link to the video:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/gnathalie/4012958454/

Later!

Nathalie

Our neighbors across the street have a litter of kittens in their backyard, and me and tasha thought it would be hilarious to bring them over and then act like they were ours!!  Hahahahahaha!!!  It totally worked too, cause the look on Luis’s face was just priceless!!!!

Our cats have just gotten over a kitty-cold (lots of sneezing and eye goo) and we noticed that the poor little baby kitties had gotten the worst of it!   Only one of them was really sneezing, but i decided to keep them here for a couple days (out of the cold rain that started last night) and nip this cold in the bud

Here are the kitties yesterday (blurry pic)

 the pic is blurry, but you can still see how gross their eyes are~ it’s hard to give them medicine where they live cause the second you go near them they run under the shed!! 

The same kitty virus keeps getting passed back and forth between our cats and since the kittens are the youngest and the first to show symptoms i am treating them and hopefully stopping the viscious cycle!!!

The first few hours they were here were spent sleeping and eating…….and hiding from my cats!  You would think my cats would be a bit more tolerant of the newbies, but no such luck.  Execpt for Pork Chop, he took a nap with the kittens.  And he didn’t hiss at them! 

Today was spent exploring the kitchen and the living room, and pooping all over the kitchen and living room!  I spent the day cleaning the kitchen and living room~ PEEEEE-UUUUUU!!!!!

After their second dose of medicine today i rewarded them with……….HAM!!!!  They loved it!!!!  Here is a pic of them eating:

The lighter one on the right is the ‘top cat’ (aka. bully) and ate whatever ham he could reach!

All the other cats could smell the ham and were just itching to get some:

If i had taken one step back you’d be able to see 5 more cats sniffing around!!!  (btw: the yellow-y stain by the door is paint from a not-quite-dry-yet art project)

As soon as they finished the ham they were off to explore the upstairs (yes, and poop all over it too!) 

 ”Enough with the ninja already!!!”

The other 2 kitties decided to check out tasha’s room:

The girl under the tv stand is the runt,  and is very apprehensive about everything!  The boy above her is the alpha kitty of the bunch.

I super extra lightly wiped their faces/eyes last night, but it was a bit too much for them so i’ll work on goo-removal later tonight

Here are some of my favorite pics of  ‘alpha-kitty’:

And Blubee is having none of the kittens shenanigans:

Blubee was named by tasha because her fur has a blue-ish tint to it~ super gorgeous!!  Here she is sleeping on my bed last night:

And like an hour later i got this one of  Momo and one of the boys that still doesn’t have a permanant name!

Scarface loves hanging out with me when i’m on the computer, but i guess he got tired of waiting for his turn:

Madaleine was telling me all about the fair that she went to with her friends, and i guess Scarface thought it was his bedtime story:

Sweet dreams kitty!

(he’s sleeping next to Blubee)

 Oh, almost forgot!!!  Just one quick thing about my birthday~

Luis surprised me with a cake that one of friend’s wife makes:

pretty cool! ~ and blonde like me too!

Let’s look a bit closer:

Can’t see it just yet?

How about now?!:

BOOBIE!!!!  lol!!!  madaleine had a friend over to spend the night, and a couple girls from next door were over hanging out when Luis brought the cake in~ we were laughing so  hard!!!

What was really special to me was after they all sang ‘happy birthday’, Madaleine got her violin and played the song for me!!!    Then i ’shaved’ barbies armpits and back and cut into the cake!

and here is what scarface was doing then:

Later!

nathalie

i love all my kids equally, but i am totally playing favorites right now!  so which one of my kids do i like the most tonight???

NATASHA!!!!!!!

and why do i like tasha the most????? (tonight)!!!

cause she bought me stuff!!!  that’s right, my affection can totally be bought!  hahahahaha!!

But for real, my birthday is tomorrow and i wasn’t expecting anything more than a birthday hug (totally my favorite!!) 

Every wednesday tasha goes to church with her mentor, Mrs. Kim, and usually comes home with a handful of church stuff (booklets, crafts, etc) but today she walked into my room with a giant gold bag covered in ‘happy birthday’……… for me???!!!

now one of my very favorite presents that i’ve gotten a couple in the past is one of those big makeup kits full of the most wonderfully generic selections of glosses and shadows endless beauty possibilities………… and OMG is that big black box for me?

 this is  what i was thinking:  ”please be makeup please be makeup please be makeup”

i felt like i hit the jackpot!!!! 

here is tasha holding the makeup box:

 we are so waking up early tomorrow morning to do our makeup!!!!!

i’m in total heaven going through all the stuff in the box, and she surprises even more because there’s still stuff in the bag!!!

in addition to the black box of heaven, i also got heart shaped mini candles, a giant candle with hearts on it~ it smells like fruit tea!!~ paper thin peach scented soap petals, honey almond bath soak, and a booklet from the church called ‘basic elements of the christian life’ (she said she grabbed it cause the cover was a pretty blue color!) ~ and ‘navy’ perfume (we both think it smells like my mom and can’t stop smelling our clothes now!!)

tasha totally rocks and i am so glad that she’s just as impatient as me when it comes to giving presents~ honestly, she could have just given me a card and i’d be just as glad but she always amazes me with how thoughtful and generous she can be!! 

happy birthday to me tomorrow!!

nathalie

I actually designed this pattern a couple weeks ago and it’s taken this long to post it due to the fact that no matter how many times i went to the store i kept forgetting batteries.  Even yesterday when my only mission was to go to Kroger and buy batteries ~ i only brought enough cash for batteries but what did i come home with?  cat food and laundry detergant. 

But never fear!!  I achieved the impossible today (with the help of a grocery list!) and i bought batteries!!!  My younger sister, Jessica, stopped by and i had her model the glove for me.  I’ve made 7 of the gloves so far and Tasha likes to bring them to school and give them to her friends!

Here is the pic of the glove on my sisters hand:

and here is the free pdf download: awesome fingerless gloves

and from the pics that i downloaded today, here are the best kitty ones!!:

  this is Rose sleeping all curled up in a pile of her own fur

and this is our all white cat, who we ended up naming ‘Scarface’ (he still has a spot under his eye that is discolored from the eye infection he had)

and i took this one last month, it’s one of the white/orange tip cats doing an impression of Bloom County’s Bill the Cat:

  “Ack!”

Have fun!!

nathalie

i just found this in my email and i’m posting/showing it off now while the kids are watching tv (aka fighting over who gets to watch ‘their’ show!)

This is a pretty pretty flower scarf made by soulmessenger (http://soulmessenger.wordpress.com/2009/06/29/blue-flower-necklace/):

  i’ve got to add beads to the next one i make~ looks great!!

Wonderful work!!!

Nathalie

Tasha came running into the house and up to my room yelling  “it’s mine!  I’m keeping it!” 

Then she drops a grey kitten into my lap and i’m all “i know it’s yours, i was at the vet when we got her”

And then she’s all “no, it’s a new one!!  and i’m keeping it!”   And i’m all “no no no no no no”

Turns out the kitten followed our neighbor home from a few streets up, and i instantly told tasha to go get him NOW so i can drive over to where he was and find the kittens home.  No such luck~ kids and their shortcuts!  Nothing but woods all around, and a firestation, and the closest house is way not where he came from or was walking to.  And honestly, i was a bit mad at him for ‘giving’ tasha a cat.   The solution?  I told him i’ll take the new kitten but he has to take one of ours~ and it worked!!  He went home and talked to his mom (she already picked out one of our white kittens a few weeks ago) and they decided to take Princess. 

Here is our new kitty!!:

Adrian fell asleep on my bed and Shadow did not hesitate to curl up next to him:

Here is tasha and shadow chillin on the bed:

  I am not a fan of ‘obvious’ names, but really~ we named her Shadow cause she really does follow you around all the time!

As for the other kittens, they will pile into any open drawer around:

 If you open it, they will come!

Luis ran upstairs whispering ‘get the camera’~ and i’m glad we had batteries!:

  Boomer and Rose (aka Sharon)

And here is one of Rose’s favorite pasttimes:

  Attacking my feet!!!

later!

Nathalie

so i finally figured out how to look up activity on my ravelry page and i am super excited to show off these projects by other ravelry users!! oh, and if you’ve made one of my patterns and haven’t seen it posted anywhere on this site, just paste a link in the comments and i’ll get it!

 afternoon delight turtle (http://gnathalie2.wordpress.com/2007/09/01/afternoon-delight/)

   by Christi

kiwi bird ( pdf here: My_Crochet_Kiwi )

by kikaa

by plentimawfish

evil minions/hostile bunni  (pdfs: evil_minions  hostile_bunni )

by babyfirelizard

by princessdelerium

silly blue whale  (pdf: silly-blue-whale )

by safia

by widneywoman

NERDY BIRD!!!!!! (http://gnathalie2.wordpress.com/2007/09/29/nerdy-bird/)

by pinktoque

overboard (overboard)

by littlelora

flower scarf (pretty-pretty-flower-scarf)

by tingletangle

by cbagary

by frabuleuse

by hariotmagee

by knitnut

by pania

by suzyteacup

Thank you guys very much!

nathalie