The Secret Life

Am I the only one done with 'The Secret Life of the American Teenager'? It started out as an interesting concept and has now dissolved into a farce with really bad acting. One teenage pregnancy would be enough but the little circle of friends now has another teenager pregnant. (Why don't they just make a pregnancy pact so we can have it all over with in one season?) I suppose it's going into the abortion/adoption/keep the baby drama but I can't get over the stale writing and the bad acting. And I find the Ashley character terribly annoying and don't know anyone who has a teen like that or anyone who lets a teen act like that and if any of the creators have a kid like that or lets their kid behave like that well, then, it should be kept a secret.

I am not so far removed from high school (or reality) that I didn't know there were pregnant girls in high school; there were, but seriously, I can count the conversations about sex my friends and I had and still have most of both hands left over and some of us were active.

And why aren't those kids ever in class? They are never in class. They're always in the hall maybe if they had a class they'd get their minds off of sex. Perhaps gym class would be a good place for all of them.

OK, enough of standing on that particular soap (opera) box. On to the important stuff...like knitting projects. I'm taking a little breather from the granny square afghan. I have 14 squares to go on that and will finish it this week so I can mail it off. The stash bust is still on so I am making another square afghan inspired by one I saw in a book. It uses knit, crochet and sewn squares. I don't have the sewn squares but as you can see by the stack on the left, knit and crochet I have. It looks like it's going to be mainly blue, but that's just because you can't see the yellows, purples and other colors that are in there. Also, it's supposed to have 42 squares and I'm up to 17 so I still have some ways to go and I and certain I will run out of the purple skein I am working on and then there's this buttercup one waiting in the wings.

I don't know if this has happened to you and maybe it's just something playing in my mind but have your ever started a skein, made all sorts of things with it and the skein just never dies? That's how I feel about this purple skein. I've made five squares so far and it was a skein that had already been started so something else was made with it and I can't tell when this puppy is going to end. The same thing with the blue skein I was knitting with before this. No wonder my stash is so big.

Here's another thing: showing some love for the crochet. Yes. I look forward to making the squares. I even started a crochet afghan until it frustrated me. It gets the same hook knitting gets - I will start over three times and if I don't make it to the end, I move on to another project. I have made a crochet afghan before - within the past few years but nothing since then. I will make it one day because I'm loving the crochet.

Don't worry - knitting still rules. More variety. More diversity of stitches. But crochet is faster (and you know I need to be faster.) Now, i know you crocheters out there will say there is a great deal of variety - OK. I have yet to discover how diverse the stitches can be, but I do have a crochet stitch guide by the wonderful Erika Knight so I am certain to find out.

In the meantime, I have to and reschedule the DVR to take off that show that could have been so useful and now is just dribble - and then I have more work to do!

Vicki Rules!

I truly believe the greatest blessing you can get out of a group situation is to connect with someone as a friend. Someone you would be glad to hang out with outside of the group. For as much as we need the company of others - sometimes you just want the company of someone. Some one.

Lucky me - I'd be happy to hang out one on one with everyone in my knitting group (well, everyone I know. I haven't met all 120 of them.) I'd especially be thrilled to hang out with Miss Vicki because Miss Vicki crochets.

I do not know when this crochet bug bit me but we all know it was recently and I was really happy because I made my round crochet motifs and I was as happy as a clam...

but I wanted to make a granny square and last Wednesday night Miss Vicki showed me how. Yes, I've made these since Wednesday night...and this isn't all of them. I am not bragging, I want that to be known, I just cannot believe how easy this has turned out to be .

I have tried fiddling with the design to put a unique spin on it but that hasn't worked out yet, though I am confident I may come up with something if the attention span doesn't run out. Bit this is so much fun! I cannot believe I had learned something which has eluded me for years.

Miss Vicki doesn't read the blog, so she doesn't know I've gone granny square manic. Hopefully I will have something more to show her than a bunch of squares the next time I see her.

This is a testament to her teaching skill. She was very patient with me as I questioned almost everything and my brain went into lock down and she cheered me on when I finally got it. All these squares are not perfect - but they are perfectly cute and that's going to be close enough for me.

Thanks Miss Vicki for hanging out with the group and teaching me how to do something fun!