Long time no see

  I haven't posted anything in a long time.  Sometimes life gets in the way.  I am still knitting and loom knitting, with a little crochet in the mix.  But most of my time is spent with a 2 1/2 year old.  My grandson keeps me hopping.  I do have to admit I love every minute of it.
 
  I am working on a few patterns that I want to post as both needle and loom knit.  One of them is a hat with cables and drop stitches in it.  When you have a little helper working with you it takes longer than normal.

  I went on a trip to Maine this past September, I had lots of lobster.  We also, the hubby and I, went to Niagra Falls.  It was fun.  We also drove to the top of the auto road on Mt. Washington in New Hampshire.  It was great.

What's Up

 Not a lot of looming going on here.  I have been doing some needle knitting.  I am making draft dodgers.  I am just making 3 foot tubes with a head and a point on the end.  Little snakes. 
 I am also having a spot of tea.  Earl Grey with saffron.  I love it. 
  We have been having a bit of a cold snap.  Here in Texas it is getting close to the blooming bluebonnets. There are no other flowers out there that come close.  I have seen flowers in other states but they are a one of a kind. 

  I am hoping that it will start to warm up enough to get my garden planted.  When it does start to warm up we don't have much time.  It get hot so fast here.  By June it starts baking and only your heat hardy plants grow. 

Moving Slow

 I haven't gotten into gear yet.  I need to take time out and do some knitting.  It won't be long and it will be hot and I won't want to work on big hot projects.  I still haven't gotten any pictures on my new laptop.  I will get there hopefully soon.  I did take a picture of one of my projects but it is not here yet. 
  I got a new kitchen toy.  I bought an electric pressure cooker.  I love pressure cookers.  I have been using them for over 20 years.  They are not as scary as you might think.  I like the fact that you can put a roast in and 45 minutes later it is ready.  Tender and juicy. Oh and beans, dry beans cook up in a flash. 
  I will be back as soon as I have something new. So tahtah for now.

School

 I am teaching my mother how to loom knit and it is a blast.  I will be back to posting patterns soon.  I have been computerless.  I have a new one and I am back on line.

OUI

 Ouch I just realized that it is the 14th.  I try to have a pattern for a square posted by the 15th and I have not written it up yet.  Oh well it is going to be what it is.
  I am working on Christmas projects.  That's my excuse and I am sticking with it.  I haven't done a lot of looming.  I have been doing some needle knitting.  You can do both.  I have read some comments that loom knitting can not be compared.  Well needle nose there are some projects that you can not tell which did which.
  I am going to be making a baby afghan for my sister-in-law soon.  I have a lot of time to do that one.  I am hoping I will be able to write up a loom pattern for it to share.
  It is cold here in Texas.  I am enjoying it.  We don't get a lot of cold here.  I live 100 miles from the coast.  It is flat as a pancake in this part of Texas.  If you travel just 25 miles north it turns into gentle hills.  The farther north you go the bigger the hills.  There are all kinds of landscapes in Texas.  Now I sound like a travel Texas add.  LOL

This is what I picked so I wouldn't loose that to the freeze.  Eggplant.  

Tunisian Crochet

 I have restarted my desire to do Tunisian crochet.  I have been playing around with it for years.  I will be posting some of the things that I made soon.  I might even give a few tips and tricks to learn this old craft.
  Tunisian is almost a cross between knit and crochet.  There is no wrong way to do it either, only a few basic rules to follow.  You can make it your own.
  After I learned how to crochet I played around with different things.  I would load up my crochet hook up with loops and take them off.  I had no idea that it had a name, or it was even real stitches.  Then years later I found a long crochet hook at a second hand store.  It was called crochet knit hooks.  The two crochet hooks were connected by a cord.  There were not a lot of directions with it.  There was no internet to search.  It was all trial and error.  It is still trial and error.  Maybe that is why I like it so much.
  So my thought for the day is, make your crafts the way you want.  Make it your own and enjoy it.  If someone tells you that it is wrong, tell them it is my invention.  Like it or lump it.
  Have a super day.

A Day Of Fun

 Yesterday I babysat my grandson.  Fun, he is a blast.  I never thought that having grandchildren would be so great.  There is something different about caring for your grandchildren than when you cared for your children.  I am sure that there are some out there that cringe at the thought of being grandparents.  Not me.  It is wonderful.  I think it has a lot to do with the fact that there is not as much pressure on you to do everything perfect.
  Ok back to the pattern for my second square.

Cast on 34
1) K
2) P
3) K
4) P
5) K 7, P4, (K4,P4) to last 7 K7
6) P3, ( K4,P4) to last 7 K4, P3
7) repeat row 5
8) repeat row 6
9) K3, P1, (K4,P4) to last 6 K3, P3
10) P6, (K4, P4) to last 4 P4
11) repeat row 9
12) repeat row 10
13) K3, P2, ( K4, P4) to last 5 K5
14) P3, K2, (P4, K4) to last 5 P5
15) repeat row 13
16) repeat row 14
as you can now see on the 5th row you will add a purl or knit stitch to the moving rib stitch pattern.
17) K3, P3,( K4, P4) to last 4 K1 P 3
18) P3 K1, ( P4, K4 ) to last 6 P6
19) repeat row 17
20) repeat row 18
21) K3, ( P4,K4) to last 3 K3
22) P7, ( K4,P4) to last 7 P7
23) repeat row 21
24) repeat row 22
keep going in this manner until it reaches 1/2 inch shorter than the length of the first square. then you K 1 row
P 1 row
K 1 row
P 1 row bind off
If you make sure it is the same length as the first square they will all be the same size.