I had big plans to put out an update before Christmas with lots of patterns for quick and easy gifts.  No no, don’t look – they aren’t there.  Well – at least not yet.  I have the list started and I hate to waste a good list so I’ll add it soon and it will just have to suffice as quick and easy gifts for any time.

I spent the last couple of weeks before Christmas crocheting up a storm!  I made six pair of slippers for the older kids and adults.  Then I made about four pair for baby Ava.  I used this pattern for the big kids, and this pattern for the baby’s.  I also made one pair of slipper/socks for my 8 year old grandson, which were kind of wonky.   I just don’t have the talent to change a pattern to make it bigger or smaller.  I do best when I just follow the pattern exactly.  Same goes for cooking.  I can follow recipes or I can make something no one wants to eat.  Not even the dog.  Seriously.

So I’m curious – what did you crochet for the holidays?  I hope your holiday season was good and the new year will be crochetlicious.  (yah, I just made that up)

Happy 2009!

Ava and her slippers

Hello, my name is Kris and I am a procrastinator. 

Not something I'm totally proud of and sometimes it even comes in handy. For instance when I take my time shoveling the snow from the sidewalk.  Sometimes I get lucky and the temps warm up enough to melt it. 

One thing I tend to put off is Christmas shopping.  I dread the thought of going out on a budget demanding scavenger hunt and hoping I find just the right gifts for each person on my list.  As a rule, I don't like shopping anyway, anytime.  If I was a bajillionaire I would hire someone to do all of my shopping.  All of it.

A few years ago I did 90% of my shopping online and it was wonderful.  Everything was delivered to my front door and all I had to do was wrap.  Yeah me!  I also got some good deals, and because I was able to compare products online I was able to pick the perfect (or almost) gift for everyone. 

This year I decided to take advantage of Cyber Monday and do some shopping.  I used the links on my own site to go to Amazon and Etoys and was able to get all my toy shopping done in about an hour.  Not bad and I saved a ton of gas. 

I ordered on Monday and by Friday I had EVERYTHING I ordered.  My only hiccup was to distract the two grandkids that were here when UPS delivered.  Thank goodness the kids were not able to figure out what was in the boxes.  No bags to "accidentally" see through.  I just took the boxes to the basement and wrapped.

I'm so tickled with myself!!  I didn't have to drive, fight traffic, fight crowds and I probably saved 1/3 of what I would have spent.

Do you have any shopping tips you'd like to share?  Happy Holiday shopping and may your trips to the store or to your computer be successful.

I was thinking.  That's something I rarely let myself do because my mind tends to wander and get lost and then who knows how long it will take to get back to where I started. Someone could make a million if they'd invent a GPS for the mind.  Heck, I'd buy two.

I did it anyway – think – and had the thought that "only old ladies crochet."  Yes, I know that is a false statement.  First of all I don't consider myself old and I certainly crochet.

Is it just me or does the term crochet equal grandma rocking in her chair with her yarn and hook?  I think I'm still somewhat old fashioned or my mind would have warped to this century and pictured how crochet truly is. 

Crochet is a constant evolving art form that adapts and re-creates itself over time.  I have a book from the 1970's that I picked up a few years ago at a used book store.  I still get a kick out of the styles from that era and how it has now become "retro."  I still refer to it now and then, creating something that back then was a garish green and orange and with only a change of those colors, make something that fits in with today's scheme and style.  How perfect is that?

I love that crochet is timeless.  Like women are timeless.  We may age but we share so much and it doesn't really matter how old our brains are.  I love that we "get" each other, ya know?

The latest update to the website has been made - with 42 new links to free patterns!

I had such fun doing the update this time.  I read several new blogs, found lots of inspiration for projects I want to do and I did some re-arranging of the pages.  I got rid of a lot of ads, which I hate anyway, but since I do make a couple of cents every 6 months or so, they are a necessary evil.  I'm still trying to justify to my husband why I needed my own domain name!  Men just don't understand.

I'm sitting here after absolutely stuffing myself as full as I could with Thanksgiving dinner!  YUM.  I did no cooking so I enjoyed it even more.  I would have helped, but there was no room for me in the kitchen.  That's my story and I'm sticking to it.  Big thanks to Hubby, son, daughter and daughter in law for making a perfect meal.  AND, the best part - I didn't have to clean up either!!  Now that's something to be thankful for. 

I realize even though times are tough and the world is not a very nice place sometimes that I have so much to be thankful for this year and every year.  I have my family, a roof over my head, heat on cold nights, food on the table and most of my mind still intact.  Not too shabby.  As the saying goes "things could be worse."  I'm thankful they're not.  I hope you all have something to be thankful for this year and as always - THANK you for taking an interest in my site.

Finally.  Baby Ava is now a year old and I FINALLY got her crocheted blanket made.  I struggled with memory problems and not being able to concentrate on a pattern, I struggled with finding the "right" pattern and yarn and I struggled with time.

I eventually made a blanket from a Terry Kimbrough book I have in a HOT pink.  I actually left out the final round of picot stitches because I was afraid Ava might get her fingers or toes caught up.  Or I was lazy.  I'm not telling. 

Here's a picture of the blanket and the baby.

There are 25 new free pattern links!!  I've also added the new GREEN CROCHET page with recycling projects.  If you have any suggestions for this page, please feel free to email me. kris@mycrochetsite.com.

There should be no broken links, but if you should run across one please drop me a note so I can fix it right away.  Remember - I have no control over the patterns themselves.  I only provide a link to the pattern.  So - if you have questions regarding the patterns, please contact that website/pattern owner.  Respect copyright laws by only printing patterns for personal use and abide by the pattern owner's rules.  It is through their generosity that we are able to share these free patterns.

I'm a multi-tasking scatterbrain sometimes and have created yet another blog.  You'll find another link on the main index page of My Crochet Site for The Boomer Side of Life.  That blog was started because I lost the password for this blog.  Obviously as soon as I made the embarassing announcement of my bumbledom, I found the durn thing.  So how about a vote of which one you like best?  Comments here, there or emails welcome, as always.

Again - thanks for taking an interest in my site and enjoy the free patterns!

I do believe I have come down with a new medical disorder.  I have named it Easily Distracted Disorder.  I have been searching for new crochet patterns to post for you all and each time I get online to search I get distracted by all the other goodies!!  Articles, websites, blogs, pretty pictures.  It all just sucks me in and before I know it, hours have passed, I have taken several breaks to care for kids, cook, do laundry, run errands and my links list, well let's say it has little to show for my time. 

On the bright side, I've come up with the idea to add a "green" page with recycleable ideas and patterns.  I've seen lots of web layouts I like better and my favorite websites and blogs have grown substantially.  I subscribed to several more feeds as well.  I had joined Ravelry some time ago and hadn't had a chance to really explore there so I did and if I just didn't have to sleep I could have such a good time!  I also discovered Craftstylish and need about a week to see what all there is to offer there.  It is not just crochet, but a variety of crafts, which I find most of us can relate to.  Rarely do I find someone who only devotes themselves to one craft.

I did manage to find a few new patterns but I try to get at least one per category, if possible, so I continue to search!

I could be the crazy cat lady.  Or dog lady.  I can't remember a time in my life when I did not have a pet or several.  Growing up my parents raised great danes and the story is that I learned to walk holding on to two of these two mini-horse-dogs.

I can't recall how many times I have been crocheting and had to remove yarn from a cat's tenatious grip or sharp teeth.  It's yucky crocheting along only to find cat spit and wet yarn on the hook.  It's one of the many hazards of having cats. 

I had one named Queenie, a beautiful tortoise shell who moved from Arizona with us and had 3 litters.  We love kitties; found homes for most, kept those we couldn't.  We have a doggie door and a kitty door and as much as I'd like to keep them all inside and safe from harm, it just isn't practical in our household.

And so, it is not unusual to see our kitties romping in the cornfield across the street or lounging in our driveway, or the neighbors.  Unfortunately last Friday Queenie was lounging where she shouldn't and our daughter in law hit her with their truck.  I don't know if she was killed instantly, but I hope so.  I had the 5 grandkids here that day and we had a quick life lesson in death, and a pet funeral in a corner of our backyard, prayers and all. This picture of Queenie was taken a few weeks ago when she was giving me "the look" that the feeding trough was empty.  Hubby built this special feeding system (pig trough) because at one time we had 8 cats.  And as you may or may not know, when the bottom of the feeding system, whatever yours may be, is visible, it is considered empty and must be refilled post haste.  Queenie's look was priceless, as was she.  She, and her daughter Sparkle like to get their drinks out of a table top fountain and let us know when that needs to be turned on as well.  I'll miss you Queener.  

And I'm proud of it.  I quit smoking 4 years ago and I am so glad.  Before I take too much credit, I had some definite motivators.  I was suffering sinus infections due to a deviated septum and had to have surgery to straighten that out.  AND my asthmatic granddaughter was soon to be moving from Arizona and would be living in our household for who knew how long.  I for one, could not see myself standing in a snow storm puffing away.  First of all, anything below 80 degrees was cold to me at the time and smoking outside was not in the cards.  No how no way.  When hubby and I first met in 1997 we both smoked so it had never been an issue.  After I quit he was very accomodating in taking his habit outside.

I have tried to get him to quit.  I've nagged, whined, pleaded and downright pouted to no avail.  It struck me recently (okay, I'm a slow learner) that I don't want to live without him if this habit should decide to take over in the form of disease.  (My 2nd husband died of cancer)

How do you convince someone to refrain from an activity that could eventually cost them thier life?  Am I being selfish?  Did Dale Earnhardts wife tell him to quit racing to be on the "safe" side?  Okay, it's not exactly the same but you get my gist. 

Comments definitely welcome!

1) Baby Blanket Dilema

The Boxstitch Carriage Robe got frogged.  I will frog the other with the t"akes forever" single crochets as well.  I have a Terry Kimbrough baby blanket pattern book and will pick from two that I've narrowed it down to.  Why do these decisions have to be so difficult?!?

2)  Blogs I read

I wanted to share the most entertaining blogs I read.  One is Crazy Aunt Purl, written by a cutie named Laurie who has more writing talent in her left ear than most people have in their entire bodies.  She's written a book so take a look at that.  I just enjoy the every day observations and the way Laurie writes because one: I can relate to a lot of what she writes about, two: she makes me laugh, and three: she put lots of pictures up that I enjoy.

The 2nd entertaining blog is on my space.  I don't even know if it can be accessed without joining, but Kiki Martini is worth it.  I try not to be eating or drinking when I read Kiki's blogs because I tend to guffaw without warning.  Kiki has a twisted way of looking at the world, which again, I can relate to.  Heck, that's why I was attracted to two of my husbands - they look at the world in a twisted, more often than not, hilarious way.

Yes, I am easily entertained, I won't deny it.  Have a look for yourself and tell me you don't feel the same.

Early happy weekend!