Our move is on again!

Well, my husband's new job with Yahoo is finally finalized! He's supposed to report to work on Jan.7th, 2008! So we're back in the process of getting ready to move to California. Now we're just waiting on the movers to see when the big moving day will actually be! Along with preparing to move, we're also planning a couple of trips to visit family over the holidays. So... I may not be posting to my blogs as often as I'd like to during the month of December.
On a crochet note: I don't remember if I mentioned this before or not, but my step-mom gave me a project a few months ago, and I finally got back to tackling it today. Her mother passed away earlier this year, and going through her things she came across an old afghan that she remembered seeing as a child. She had always loved the colors and had very fond memories of it. So of course she will always treasure this family heirloom... Only problem is, it's falling apart! So she came to me for help! We went to Hobby Lobby and tried to match the colors as best we could, but the yarns originally used seem to have been wool. Anyways, here's a photo of it so you can see my work in progress...

So far I have patched as best I could about 1/2 of it. I'm hoping to have it finished soon, so I can take it back to her when I visit at Christmas. I know it's hard to see the damage in the above photo, so here are a couple of closer shots of areas I need to repair.

These are only a fraction of the bad spots. They're everywhere! I really hope I can at least restore this piece enough to at least hold it together and keep it from completely falling apart! I'm actually ripping out the bad parts and patching them in with the same crochet stitches that were originally used. Believe me, it's very time consuming and tedious! I spent several hours on it today. But it will be worth it in the end! =)
So, if you don't hear from me as often over the next few days/weeks you'll know why! But I will try to update and post whenever I get the chance! Until next time... I hope you're having a wonderful Holiday Season!

My latest trip to the Library

Maybe I should change the name of my blog to Cafe Knits or something! LOL I apologize to any crocheters out there that are looking for a Crochet exclusive blog. But lately it seems that I just can't get enough info on knitting! I have to admit that it is also quite addictive! So if you've only ever crocheted and have never picked up the needles, you should at least give it a try!
I do however solemnly swear that I will continue posting about crochet as soon as the newness of my knitting passion wears off a bit! ;)
Anyways, as you can see I stocked up on some more knitting books during my latest trip to the library. Why is it that it's so much easier to find books on knitting than on crochet? There was a whole shelf dedicated to knitting and only a small section that contained books on crochet. Is knitting more popular? I had never thought about it until I started visiting the library on a regular basis.
Well, until next time... I hear one of my kiddos waking up!

Head Huggers

Do you knit? Crochet? Sew?

Would you like to use this skill to help someone who has undergone hair loss due to chemotherapy, brain surgery, burn wounds, etc.?

Sue W. Thompson is embarking on a project to do just that, and would like to invite you to join her.
She has patterns for knitted caps, for crocheted caps, and for caps which can be sewn out of fleece.
Her plan is to distribute the caps to hospitals, oncology offices, hospices, etc. so that they can more readily be available to those who have lost their hair due to chemotherapy. But to make it work, she needs volunteers to help with the production and distribution. If you are interested and would like more information (including 'Head Huggers Guidelines' and patterns), please explore her site "Head Huggers".

"You've been Spotted"! - Robyn Chachula - crochet by faye

Congratulations Robyn! You've been Spotted by Cafe Crochet . net!

I just happened upon another designer's website tonight and she is definitely worth some time in our Spotlight! Her works of art have even been featured in several books and magazines! She also just taped an episode of Knit and Crochet Today that airs this week. The episode is all about purses. And if you know me, I LOVE purses!!! She was teaching the Posh Purse from Crochet Today... You've got to go and check out her website crochet by faye and her blog!!!
I think this purse will absolutely have to be my next project!

The Posh Purse

My first knitting pattern is for sale on Etsy

I just finished making this cute little Hoodie for my daughter Caitlin. I designed it myself and decided to list the instructions/tutorial on Etsy. Stop by my shop to check it out and to see other photos of it! monkeybaby.etsy.com

my Fiesta Homespun scarf

Yay! The sun is FINALLY shining! So I pulled one of my dining room chairs over to the kitchen window so that I could get some good pictures of the Fiesta Homespun scarf I've been talking about! I wanted to wait until I had some natural lighting so that you could see the rich warm tones in this variegated yarn. I absolutely love the colors! So without further ado, here it is!!!

Irresistible (and Free) Goodies from Lion!

I've got a brand new screen saver on my computer now and I downloaded it for free from Lion Brand Yarn last night! It's a really cool "Urban Chic" animated scene of knitters and crocheters at a bus stop! Just click on the image below to be taken to their site to download it for yourself! They've also got a couple of other free goodies there too...

Knitting 102

As I mentioned back on Nov. 1st, I had taken a free knitting class at my local library... I attended Knitting 101 on Oct. 27th where I fine tuned the basics (casting on and the knit stitch)... Well, I was also able to attend the Knitting 102 class on Nov. 10th! I finally learned how to purl! It was wonderful being able to share my newfound passion with the wonderful ladies that I met there. Thanks to Bonnie Bogden and Jan for doing an awesome job of demonstrating the techniques that they use and for the free knitting needles and yarn! Thanks also to Fringe A Knitting Salon for donating some of these yummy yarns! I will definitely have to pay them a visit!

Just click on any of these images to see the LARGER pictures "zoomed in"!


There were also plenty of books to check out for a novice knitter such as me! So of course I took several of them! I really like "The Cool Girl's Guide to Knitting" by Nicki Trench... It has a couple of really cute patterns/ideas in the back for making a needle carrier and a knitting bag! I also checked out Funky Knits: Knitting Know-how for Hip, Young Things which has some really cool projects!


Jan and Bonnie also brought plenty of their finished works to share with us! From sweaters to gloves and baby hats, they were all pieces to spark my creativity! I of course loved the display of scarves in all the different colors and textures! So many options... so little time!


Class in progress! Yes that's me clicking away in the first photo... (I'm sitting at the corner of the table, in the tan shirt, wearing glasses)... I'll actually miss getting together with this group... We should have exchanged contact info so that we could meet-up again sometime! If any of you ladies from these classes find this blog, contact me!


Last but definitely not least, I asked Jan to model the beautiful "Prayer Shawl" that she had knitted... I got the instructions from her and plan on knitting one myself... I also found the instructions online at the Prayer Shawl Ministry Homepage. This is an awesome way of combining compassion and the love of knitting/crocheting into a prayerful ministry and spiritual practice which reaches out to those in need of comfort and solace, as well as in celebration and joy. Many blessings are prayed into every shawl.

What an inspiring 2 hours I spent at each class... I look forward to hopefully attending the next class whenever it is offered... I may even look for a knitting/crochet group to join (or start my own). What a wonderful way to share a passion and weave new friendships at the same time!

The fringe has been added!

I finally got the fringe added to my daughter's Lemongrass scarf! It looks much nicer now and she's a very satisfied customer! I'm still working on getting a good picture of my Fiesta Homespun scarf that I made... The weather isn't cooperating! I'm waiting for a nice sunny day so that I can get a good picture in natural lighting... You've just got to see the warm tones in the colors!

Our first "You've been Spotted"! Brownie Ala Mode and Key Lime Pie Crochet Patterns

I'm adding a new feature titled "You've been Spotted by Cafe Crochet . net". Here I will share with you my most recent finds including books, designers, cool blogs, etc... You name it! If you or your website have anything to do with yarn, knitting or crochet, you may just get spotted by us and be featured here! Of course I will alert the ones I spot and I'm hoping to have a button/badge made-up very soon that you can add to your page!
This is our very first "You've been Spotted" find... Can you believe that these are crocheted works of art and not delectable desserts? They definitely look good enough to eat! I just couldn't resist sharing this cute find with you! You can find these crochet patterns at Maria's Handmade Crochet on Etsy. She really does put her heart and soul into her work.


If you haven't heard of Etsy, you don't know what you're missing! That's where I stumbled upon these oh so cute crochet patterns! It's THE place to buy and sell ALL things handmade! I actually have two shops there... You can view my items at Monkey Baby Boutique and Bangles N Bags Boutique ...STOP BY!

The Lemongrass Scarf

Well I finally finished my very first full blown knitting project! As I mentioned before, I attended a free knitting class at the library about a week and 1/2 ago... They supplied yarn and needles! Very awesome! Anyways, before I left for my class I told my daughter that I would try to choose a green yarn if they had any and that I would attempt to make her something... (Her favorite color is green) Well, the only green they had was this Lemongrass Wool-Ease brand. Not normally my first choice when going green, but it's all they had... So I grabbed a ball and a pair of size 11 needles and jumped right into making my first scarf!
After about 3 days it was finished! And here it is!



My beautiful daughter Caitlin is modeling her new comfy cozy scarf! I do still need to add some fringe to the ends, but I wanted to go ahead and show it off! I have to admit that the color actually grew on me and that before I had even finished this scarf I bought 2 more skeins of this color! The Wool Ease® Thick n' Quick® has got to be the easiest yarn to work with when learning to knit! I love it! I actually bought 3 different colors of this brand!
I have also knit another scarf since I finished that one... Here was the beginning stage of it:


I will have to take some pictures of the finished project tomorrow during the day in natural lighting... This was taken with a flash and the colors look washed out... But this was knit on size 19 FAT needles! I LOVE working with fat needles now! I'll try to get those pics posted tomorrow... I love the outcome of this one!

Knitting 101

It's unbelievable how fast time flies. We should have been in the Bay Area by now. My husband was actually supposed to start working for Yahoo today in Sunnyvale, California, but due to a series of unfortunate events on their part, it hasn't happened yet, and we're still waiting to receive the official Offer. I had put everything on hold for the last 3 weeks in order to get ready for this move, but now we're not sure what's going on. We practically gave away a whole houseful of furniture and I've also been donating tons of stuff. Now all we have to do is wait and see what happens!
I did take a bit of a break on Saturday to get my mind off of all the "to do" lists that I've been making. The library was offering a free knitting class "Knitting 101" which I had registered for back in September. So... I finally got some much needed "therapy", and some much needed advice and tips that corrected some of the knitting techniques that I had taught myself. Seeing someone do it in person and having "hands on" training really helped! Now I can "cast on" and knit like a pro! I've actually started 2 scarves (one with the size 11 needles and lemon-grass green yarn that was provided during the class, and a second one with fiesta Homespun yarn and size 8 needles which I purchased when I started teaching myself) I am now working on these at night just before going to bed. Did you know that it has been proven that knitting and crocheting can reduce stress?! I now believe it!
Anyways, I guess I'm back for an indefinite time period, until we get more concrete info about the relocation process... So I will keep you posted!