what I carry around

Because I know it's the formost question on everyone's mind -- what sort of stuff does Kate carry around with her?

Well, I carry a purse to work, doctor's offices or other places where I may get bored and need something to do. 

 I've put my work mug beside it for scale.  My friend Betty Jo gave me this purse for my birthday -- it is GORGEOUS!  I get a lot of compliments on it.  It's a beautiful shade of candy apple red and yes, I have shoes that match.  3 1/2 inch peep toe pumps.  I look too hot when I'm sporting both of them. 

This purse holds a remarable amount.

1. A paper tape measure from Ikea
2. Notebook.  Work gave us these for something or other.  The paper inside is blank - no lines -- and quite good quality.  I snapped up any extras left laying around too as they are good sketch books.
3. Water Colour Pencils to draw with in my notebook
4. Calendar
5. Magnetic Dominos.  Not sure why I carry these around since I don't even know how to play dominos.
6. Sunglasses, from the dollar store because I lose about a pair a week.
7. Advil. Must have Advil
8. Hair clip
9. And another hair clip.  I always have hair clips, usually clipped to the front of my coat because I take them off when I'm in the car.
10. Hand sanitizer. Isn't this tiny bottle cute?
11. Floss.  Have floss, will travel.
12. Pen
13. Disgusting flavoured cough drop. Just in case I'm that desperate.
14. Cloth to clean my glasses.
15. Assorted store loyalty cards and library cards
16. Headset to my cell phone.  I never use the headset.

For most outings I don't take my purse, I put my stuff in my coat pockets.  I like my current coat because it has two breast pockets and two hip-height pockets so there is room for lots of stuff and I can keep it organized. Sorta.

1. Cell phone
2. Mini notebook full of lists
3. Pencil, so it doesn't leak
4. My wallet.  It has pockets on both sides and I put the carabiner on it so I can clip it to things.  I grabbed this out of my dad's stuff after he died.
5. Sam's birthday money.  We were shopping on the weekend.
6. My Worldly Wealth -- 25 bucks.  I don't normally carry such large amounts of cash with me.
7. Random receipts that I might need.  Or not.
8. Calculator, which I didn't think to position right side up for this picutre.
9. Hair clip, which was not technically in my pocket but was clipped to the front of my jacket.

Shall we get all Fruedian on what I carry with me?

I can make things!

Wow! It's been almost a month since I last posted. Hard to believe, especially since I took the month of February off work.  I really needed it -- besides some health problems (which are why I had the month off) I just need to be home and nest.  I spent my first three weeks sleeping and the last week saying "OMG -- I go back in a week!"

My month off wasn't a complete waste (besides the whole "getting better" thing) -- I learned to crochet!  I had crocheted a bit as a child but never got into it.  I've always wanted to knit but have recently decided that it's just not for me.  I have great intentions but no ability to actually create anything other than a scarf which slowly tapers into a point. 

I saw some cute little animals to crochet on this site and bought myself a crochet hook at the Dollar Store and scavanged some yarn from my mom.  The first thing I crocheted was this:

What is it, you ask?  It's, uh, a wrist band/bracelet, maybe a coffee cup cozy?  It's really just me practicing stitches then sewing a button on them.   

Then I made this hat:

A circle for the top then the sides crocheted on.  I think I did the top wrong but oh well!  I find it boring.  I'm planning to embrodier some evil daisies on it.

Next came a bag.

Don't you love the 70s colours?  Who knows how long Mom had this stuff hanging around.  It's a wool blend and I love how the varigated yarn turned out on the sides.  I "designed" this on myself, based on these bags from Ikea.  I'd hoped to have enough to take the sides to the top of then handles (I made the front and back first) but I ran out and there was no more in the stash.  I did have enough to make the flowers on the front, as I thought it looked a little bland. 

Digging through the stash I found some pretty baby yarn so I made this blanket.

As you can see, it has a pattern stitch rather than the straight single crochet of the others.  I really enjoyed making this, even after I discovered that the four balls of varigated baby yarn were all different!  I mean, I planned that.  Totally.  

Check out the edge -- figured that one out myself.  This will be a baby gift for one of Aaron's co-workers.

Then a special guy needed a hat.  A blue hat.  We found a pattern but it required a chunky yarn, which I didn't have so I used two strands of regular yarn -- blue and grey. It turned out pretty good, if I do say so myself.

That twisty stitch is on purpose.  Took me a while to figure out the pattern.

Where are the animals that originally inspired the crochet?  They will be coming . . .

9

Now this

has become this

Wonderful imagination, constant talker, cuddly nine year-old.  Smart, spacy and funny.  What would I do without you?

Happy Birthday Samwise Gamgee!!