Sole Food

I work at a shoe store, as a part time assistant manager, right now (I'm hoping I get the promotion this week). Yesterday, I worked a 12 hour shift (not bad) and was able to witness a Random Act of Kindness (RAK).

We just put about 20 pairs of shoes on a table for $5 each. There was nothing wrong with the shoes except that no one was buying them and they had been sitting on clearance for a while. Our clearance section was full and we had to make room for even more clearance shoes. Out of these 20 shoes, 6 pairs were children's. A woman came into the store looking for a pair of shoes for herself. She found a really great pair of Filas and then she saw the table of $5 shoes.

Without even looking at sizes, she said "I will take all of the kids shoes". I was surprised, and happy, that she wanted six more pairs without even looking at the sizes. As I was ringing her items through she said. "I don't have any kids. But I know that there are kids in the schools who don't have money for a pair of new shoes. I don't even need the boxes. Just stick the shoes in a bag and I will donate them to a school."

She was so happy to do this and didn't even give thought to the $30 she wasn't expecting to spend. It warmed my heart and made my week. I am so happy that I got to see someone else's thoughtfulness. I don't know her name but I know that she will be truly blessed and she will have touched six lives without even knowing them.

Remember that you are beautiful and well loved.

What RAK have you seen, lately? Please, share your stories in the comments below.

The Aftermath

Many of you may know, or followed, my journey through making several baby items for a friend's shower. Her baby shower was on Sunday. It was very nice. I had never been to a baby shower before and I wasn't sure what to expect. Her family is so creative and it was cool to see some of the things they came up with. Someone handcrafted a giant ruler so that they can measure Emiline as she grows. Nifty! There were games and the cake was decorated so beautifully. I wish I had brought my camera to take pictures.

The couple was so funny, when they opened the presents. She almost cried wen she saw the ladybug blanket. He was wowed by all of the things that he kept pulling out of the basket. My husband nudged me and gave me that "I told you so" look because I didn't think that we had done enough. I mean, afterall, it was just a blanket, two headbands, two pairs of baby booties, a hat and some other little things. They were ALL little things, except the blanket. The new parents seemed to think that I did more than I should have. I still think I could have done more. But, maybe that is just me.

Now that I'm finished with my Ladybug blanket, I have been on a quest to find something new. Something that I have not made before. My new manager came into work, this past week with a kind of wrap around her shoulders. It wasn't a shawl. I didn't know what it was, but I thought that it was super cool/cute/nifty and decided that I wanted to make it.

I found a pattern. Apparently, it is called a "mobius"? I don't know. I just finished one in a light blue.

Don't mind the random string in the background. I was trying it on to make sure it fit before I cut the yarn. I really like this, whatever the true name for it is. It has several uses and I can use it at work. It keeps your upper arms warm and super cozy! Also:

It can be used as a cowl! Which can keep your neck warm while you wear a sweater to keep your arms warm! I love it!

I found this pattern for free. I did not write it but I do love it! It took me about five-ish hours to make.

Now, I need to find something else to make. I think I spend more time trying to figure out what I want to make than I do actually making it.

If you have any ideas, let me know in the comments below. I am taking a short break from baby things before I start on a baby dress for Emiline.

Remember that you are beautiful and well loved!

Ladybug Blanket is Finished!

After a month and five days, this beautiful blanket is finished! The finished size is 39"x50" which makes for a great blanket that Emiline can grow with. I feel at a loss, now that I have finished this project. It was starting to get so warm in my apartment, with it laying across my lap. After a few minutes with a lint brush (because my dog is shedding and this lovely weather makes everything cling to everything!) the blanket was ready to go in the basket.

Yes, I made a baby basket because I couldn't find any gift bag big enough for this blanket plus the other things that I made or found. We found her a book "The Many Mice of Mr. Brice" a Dr. Seuss book that I think she will enjoy, and a cute little dress.

The multi-colored circle is a pair of teething rings that her parents can put in the freezer before giving her. I like that there is no liquid for that, especially when she actually gets teeth. Those things make me nervous. Her ladybug shoes are there, two headbands, one with a heart and one with a daisy, a hat, diaper wipe case (with wipes) and not shown in the picture are another pair of booties.

Of course my adventures with making baby things will not end here. I do plan on making her a dress or an outfit, but I didn't have time to make one before the shower, this Sunday. As she grows, I plan to continue making things for her. I am happy that she lives down the street from us because I can actually try things on her and know they will fit.

I have a niece and nephew who live in Texas and I am always cautious about making them clothes because I'm afraid they won't fit. Babies are moving yarn targets and I'm going to enjoy this in ways that only knitters and crocheters can understand.

Let me know what you think, in the comments below. I love hearing from you.

Remember that you are beautiful and well loved

Crochet blanket + Deadline = ??

As you may know I have been crocheting like crazy to welcome a special little girl into the world, in May. I have been working on headbands, hats and a blanket. I found out a couple of weeks ago that the baby shower is a week from today which I promptly made this into my deadline for the blanket. Life is certainly a funny thing. Nothing seems to go wrong when there isn't a deadline but as soon as you set a goal...Well, let's just say that it is a lot like trying to crochet and win at Dodge Ball, at the same time. 

I love how this blanket is turning out. It is beautiful and honestly I never thought that my hands could ever create something so special as this. I am a week away from the baby shower and I have most of the squares finished. I believe that I have about 30 squares to create and about 40 to sew together (including those not yet created). I have been trying to make 10 squares a day and put them together. After the squares I need to create a border around the blanket and then weave in all of those pesky ends. 

Here is the blanket as of 30 minutes ago: 

The blanket is as wide and long as it is going to be. I have two lady bugs to finish. The first you can see the head has already been made and the last will bee just after the flower stem. So, there will be seven lady bugs in all. I did not realize, until I took this picture and loaded it onto my computer, just how amazing this project is. I'm not tooting my own horn. This blanket is not my pattern and I wish I could think things like this up. But the idea that someone thought of this and it is as beautiful as it is, is pure amazing. 

This blanket is already almost big enough for me to cuddle under, on the couch and I'm an adult. It brings me joy that Emiline (I spelled her name wrong in my past posts) will be able to enjoy this gift much longer than her headbands, hats and baby shoes. This is something that she can grow with and I believe that her parents will appreciate it as much as I do.

There is some unwritten rule that when a goal is set mass chaos seems to break out because up until a couple of weeks ago, this blanket was not causing me any headaches (headaches of love and not anger ha!). Now, it is the week before the shower and I have a bit of work yet to do. I finally got approved for substitute teaching and the manager of my store is being transferred on Tuesday. So, my hours skyrocket. I don't mind the extra hours, except for the fact that I have a deadline to meet and I can now see late nights and caffiene in the very near future. It won't be the squares or the border that gets me. It is going to be those loving ends that I need to weave in. Loving, loving ends...

Some of my smaller projects that I have finished while on making this blanket (for my "breaks"):

I finished Muzzy's dog sweater, but I don't have a finished picture of it yet. He won't stay still to let me take a picture with him on it. Now he is free to enjoy the snow and be warm, at the same time.

I made Emiline a headband using some yarn that was RAK'd to me by Kokorific (Marie):

I also made a pair of baby shoes (3-6 months) with little ladybugs using the same yarn. I plan to make a matching hat.

I don't know what else to do, so close to the baby shower. I will make a dress or sweater for her but it will not be for her shower because 1. I've never made one and I want to take my time. 2. This blanket needs to be finished first.

Wish me luck! 

Feel free to leave comments and check out my other blog posts.

You are beautiful and well loved,

Cassie

Packages and Projects

Today, I came home to a very nice surprise. Another package from Kathleen (KnitTweet), a member of the Random Acts of Kindness (RAK) group on ravelry.com! She sent a very nice note and a cute little button container filled with little white buttons to help me complete my baby projects. Between yesterday and today, I am excited to start new projects.

 

Thank you, Kathleen!

As promised, I am posting an update on my current works win progress (WIPs).

 

 

First, is the Lady Bug Cuddle Quilt that I have been working on for some time. I would say I am about fifty percent finished. I have made more squares than what is shown. What is shown is what has been sewn together

 

Next is the dog sweater for Muzzy, neighboor's dog. I have stopped here until I get a chance to fit him. Poor thing might get confused after all of the fittings he may have to do. It is going to be mostly dark green with two or three light blue zig-zags near the tail.

 

Last, but certainly not least, I am workng on this Neopolitan Shawl/Scarf. It was a free pattern download on ravelry.com I started this yesterday and I think I might be about half finished with it. 

I am hoping to fit Muzzy, for the first time, tomorrow and then I should be able to finish it without too much of a problem. The shawl, I am working on tonight, to get a small break from the blanket (which needs to ben finished in two weeks, yikes!). After I finish the shawl (hopefully that will be tonight) I am going to start making a couple small baby projects with the yarn I received yesterday and the buttons that I received, today.

Thanks again, Kathleen!

Feel free to leave comments below and check out my other blog posts.

Remember that you are beautiful and well loved!

Thank you, Marie!

Today, I received a wonderful surprise in the mail! I am a member of a Random Acts of Kindness (RAK) group on ravelry.com. In this group, each member makes a short wishlist of items they might like to have, for the month. Some ask for things for themselves, patterns, items for other people and then other members go through these wishlists and give what they can without expecting anything in return.

I received my first RAK gift today!

Marie knitted me some slouchy fingerless mitts. They are amazing! Such great craftsmanship and they fit perfectly. I listed these on my first wishlist because I lost the only pair of fingerless gloves in the move. With Raynaud's, in winter, my hands are always cold and often hurt. The fingerless gloves I had helped to keep my hands warm and not hurt, around the house.
Here is a picture of these amazing gloves!

 

I am wearing these gloves as I type and my hands are no longer hurting. They are made with wool and very toasty. She made them long enough so I can wear them "stretched" out or "slouched" on my wrist. Genius! She had messaged me letting me know that she was making these. She didn't mention that she was also sending yarn for my baby projects. I am so excited to start on the little baby gifts.

Tomorrow, I will post on update of the ladybug blanket plus two more projects that I have started.

Thank you, Marie! I am truly blessed

You are beautiful and well loved.

Feel free to leave comments below! I would love to hear from you.

Have a wonderful night/day!

Employee of the Week!

Some of you know that I found a job as an assistant manager at a shoe store. I am also working on getting my substitute teacher certificate (which I finally got the transcripts for). To many people, employee of the week may not be that big of a deal and even to me, sometimes it isn't. This past month (January) my manager decided that she would gift each employee who made Employee of the week and I made one of the weeks!

Now, employee of the week is based on the statistical performance of each individual employee. The percentage of accessories we sell, versus everything else, the average amount of items per ticket, dollars per ticket and there is one more thing but I can't remember it. Each category is worth three points to the leader, two points to the runner up and one point to the next. So, the maximum that anyone can receive is twelve points.

I like the statistical approach because it keeps the chosen employee from always winning and it keeps the manager from picking favorites (which I'm sure they don't have).

Yesterday, I received my gift and I must say that my manager gives amazing gifts.

She gifted an ombre (cream to gold) infinity scarf, which I am allowed to wear at work and a beautiful journal that has pockets in the back. I write a lot of poetry which I keep in journals but I have also been wanting a journal to keep track of my crochet projects. I'm not sure which I want to use this for. I was thinking poems because the feathers almost look like quills, but it has pockets so I can put patterns or pictures in the back and I won't lose them in the pits of my room or shelves.

Let me know what you think, in the comments below! Also, feel free to check out some of the crochet projects I have done or that I'm working on.

I feel truly blessed.

You are beautiful and well loved. Have a great day!

Comments are fixed! (I think)

Okay, so I am a dummy. I was wondering why no one was commenting and then my husband took a peek and tried to comment and it told him that he had to make a Google+ account. I feel so terrible because I thought that anyone could post comments after I had activated the Google+ comments, when I first created the blog.

It took me a few minutes, but I finally figured out how to get the comments so anyone can post. I do have it set up that the comments get sent to my e-mail first. I check my email at least once a day so it will not take long for your comments to reach me and be seen by everyone else.

I am so sorry, everyone. I did not know that if you didn't have a Google+ account that you could not post.

If you are reading this post, please post a comment so that I know it is working. I would love to hear from you on all of my postings.

Thank you.

You are beautiful and well loved.