Monday, December 19, 2011

Guest Pillows


This is my first attempt at pillows.  I know that pillows aren't very hard but they are harder for someone who really doesn't know what she is doing. 

I used the leftover fabric from the headboard and the sewing machine stool to make the pillows.  They turned out a little lopsided but I tried really hard.
I didn't have very much of the blue fabric left so I let this pillow look a little more ragged.  I created a flower by gathering strips of fabric and spiraling them.  I think if I add buttons to the back of the pillows they might keep their form a little better.  These pillows are all just covers.  I used the pattern in Kara's blog.

I think that maybe my next pillows will turn out better.  I will be making new pillows to go in my new living room soon.  We are doing a total remodel.  I will be posting pictures soon.

Take care everyone and have a great week.

Kara

Monday, December 12, 2011

Hello again blogging world

Wow what a busy couple of weeks.  I have been absent for I think three weeks now.  I would blame it on a lot of things but what it boils down to is that I have not been very creative lately and really feel that I have nothing to share.  But I am back at it now and hope that I have not let you all down in my absence.

The week of Thanksgiving we went to Iowa to visit Aaron's family.  We had a really good time, but the trip started off with a few bangs.  A few days before we were supposed to leave on the Amtrak train we got a phone call that said that our train had been cancelled.  Apparently there was a fire out to the west of us (we are in Colorado) and they had to shut down the entire line from San Francisco all the way to Chicago.  It was a crazy closure and I am not even sure when they finally reopened it.  So we had to skip to plan B.  We drove.  On the way out there we had a hitch haul on the back of the jeep with our clothes and some presents and stuff on it.  We were a few short miles from our Iowa destination when Aaron noticed that the exhaust had burnt a hole in the bottom of the bag with our clothes in it.  This was just great!!!!  Four of Aaron's shirts were completely ruined (I think that I am going to make pot holders or something out of them...stay tuned) and had holes burned completely through them.  But the luckiest thing is that we are safe, the dogs are safe, and let's face it, it is a darn good thing that it all didn't catch fire.

The very next week I spent playing catch up. The exciting thing that happened that week was that I had my hearing for my unemployment dispute and guess what I WON!!!!!!  They really had no grounds to fire me and there should have been no dispute all along.  But I guess that is what you get when you have a guy on a power trip that is trying to hold onto his own job.  He will get what is coming to him someday.  Karma is a funny thing.

Last week however was really really exciting.  I had a job interview on Tuesday that had been scheduled for over a month.  It is for a sales job, which is something that I have never REALLY done before but I am really excited for this prospect.  The guy who interviewed me was super nice and I think that we really might have hit it off.  The only mistake that I made was not outright asking him for the job.  In a previous interview he said that "This is sales, at the end of every conversation you have to ask for the sale".  In this case I was supposed to be selling myself.  But the good news out of my self-proclaimed blunder is that I got to the next step of the interview.  I get to go on a ride along with one of the local sales guys tomorrow.  I am super nervous and excited all at the same time.  I am not sure what to wear so I am going to go raid my next door neighbors closet when she gets home tonight.  I have never really had to dress up to a job before so I really don't have the right kind of clothes for this stuff.  I only own 3 pairs of dress pants, one suit-ish (it's still pretty casual) and about a thousand skirts.   But I can't really wear the skirts right now; number one because of the weather and number two because this is the construction industry.  You can only wear skirts after you get the job and you know where you will be going from day to day.  A skirt is not on the OSHA approved list of job site wear.  LOL  Can you imagine a skirt, high heels, and a hard hat working with a large power tool?  That is a really funny sight and would certainly get a lot of strange looks.

So the other exciting thing that happened last week was that I got a call from another engineering office and they are looking for some temporary help at the beginning of the year, so who knows if this other thing does not work out maybe something else will fall into it's place.


So now that I am done playing catch up with my life it is on to today's fun and exciting new craft.  I like to call this "One skein warmth".



I bought a skein of Impeccable yarn from Loop's and Thread's (I think) at Micheal's.  They have such a great variety of colors.  I personally love the variegated ones.  For both the wrist warmers and neck warmer you will need just one skein of yarn, size 10 knitting needles, size G crochet hook, and 4 buttons that will fit through the holes but not slip out.  For the neck warmer you need cast on 70 stitches and for the wrist warmers cast on about 22 to 24 stitches.  Use a rib stitch pattern (either K1, P1 OR K2, P2) until they are each about as long as you want them.  Finish off the edges with a scalloped edge using your crochet hook.  These are super easy and super cute.  I hope that you enjoy this simple (not complete pattern). 

If you can't make them yourself but still would like a pair, check out my etsy shop for great deals.  Don't forget to enter the "Friend" coupon code at checkout for free shipping.