Tom Sawyer!

I've just finished a very busy two weeks! You may remember that I was helping with CYT's (Christian Youth Theater) Tom Sawyer, and Thursday, Friday, and Saturday were the performances. Ok, I'll start at the beginning. Rehearsals went really well. For the first week, mostly my job consisted of keeping the kids quiet. (Which never did quite work. How can they still manage to talk when they're supposed to be sitting spread out on separate pews?) Then last Monday, I learned I was going to be in charge of one side backstage. (I was the "Assistant Stage Director" according to the program.) I'd never done anything like that before! I admit I was a little nervous, but I really enjoyed it. It was my job to get the kids ready, then onstage. I had a stool and a podium, which had my script on it, with all my notes. I really felt official. :) The part I enjoyed the most was working with Crystal, the Stage Director. She's been in CYT forever, and I learned a lot from her. We had a lot of fun too! Here we are with Mrs. Nancy, who did lights. We have our headsets (I guess that's what you'd call it) on. They made things SO much easier! Crystal and I could tell each other who we needed, or anything else, without having to run back and forth, and we could tell Mrs. Nancy when the kids were ready onstage. The performances went so well! They all did such a great job, and I'm so proud of each and every one of them. Some of them were sick, my brothers included. (103 degree fevers!) Zach stayed home for the Thursday performance, and another boy did his lines. Jamey played Huck Finn, so he couldn't stay home. The first two nights, only a few kids were sick. Then came Saturday. When we got there Saturday morning, almost everyone was sick. Before they started, Crystal and I handed out cough drops, and we went through two bags. During intermission, they were dropping like flies. The hall sounded like a hospital! There was no way they could have done it on their own. It was only by a miracle from God that they got through the rest! To see them onstage, you never would have known that any of them felt so miserable, aside from a cough or two. Things went pretty smoothly backstage all three nights, no huge disasters, thank goodness! There were a few behavior issues, some of the little boys just couldn't stay sitting down and quiet. One stuck his head out of the curtain during intermission! Oh well, there's only so much you can do. I really enjoyed the whole thing, and I'm sad it's over. At least there's still the cast party to look foward to! Here are some more pictures.

Me with Andrew and Ellianna (Tom and Becky)

My brothers and me

Getting an autograph from Alyssa (Cousin Mary)

Me and Daniel (Jeff Thatcher)

January Mid-Month KAL and snow!

I love this KAL! I think it's one of the prettiest yet. The picture isn't the greatest, but you get the idea. The variegated did so well too. We got a little snow this weekend! It hasn't snowed in 4 years. It didn't snow much, and we were hoping for 2-4 inches, but it was still fun. It didn't snow enough for sledding or snowmen, although my brothers did manage one or two snowballs, much to my chagrin. :) The three of us went back in the woods behind our house. It's all hills, so it isn't easy, but it's worth it. We went as far as the swamp, a place we haven't gone in three or four years! There was just enough snow to make it beautiful. Here's a picture of our front yard yesterday.Kirby was so cute! The last time it snowed, he was a little puppy, so he didn't really know what to think. The snow was coming down in huge flakes when we let him out, and he looked surprised at first. He kind of pawed at it, sniffed it, then jumped because he wasn't expecting the cold. He started running around, and at one point, he just kind of sat and looked at it. Of course, he had to eat some too.

Random knitting and etc....

I know, it's been awhile, but I haven't been doing much worth writing about lately. I've been enjoying making Tribbles, I've made three so far. The colors don't show up too well, but you get the idea.

I also went back and did the August mid-month KAL. I was out of town for that one, but I just love the pattern, so I had to go back and make my own. :)Outside of knitting, I'm helping with another CYT play that's coming up. This one is Tom Sawyer. My brothers are both in it. I'm really excited about it! I enjoy helping. There are more details about it here. You'll be hearing much more about it soon, trust me. Tomorrow is supposed to be their costume rehearsal, but it may snow. It hasn't snowed here in 3 or so years, (at least, not more than a millionth of an inch) and the one time it does is the day we have something really important! I love snow. I wish it would, but I hate for the rehearsal to be postponed. If it does snow, I'll post some pictures in the next few days.

Christmas

I know that this is somewhat overdue, but better late than never! I hope you all had a great Christmas! I sure did. It was much better than last Christmas. (I woke up Christmas morning last year with the flu, so anything would be an improvement!) We went to my grandparents house, and stayed for a week. It was so much fun! We went to the Christmas Eve service. My cousin Reed played a "bull" in the children's Christmas play. (Well, he couldn't be a cow!) He was so cute. I suppose I'm somewhat biased. :) Here is a picture of the whole family. I got a Phantom of the Opera songbook, (I've had more fun with that thing!) an MP3 player, a DVD player for my room, (I've had my parents old TV in my room for a year, but haven't been able to use it) and many other fun things, but I enjoyed giving at least as much as I did getting! I love watching everyone open their gifts from me. Here's a picture of my brothers and me with our presents from each other. (My brother Jamey got me Ratatouille on eBay, but it took the seller a month to send it)
After opening presents, we ate breakfast, and went out to ride scooters; Reed and Will got their own for Christmas. Will is only 2, but you should see him go! That night, we went to my aunt and uncle's house for dinner. We had a wonderful time! Here are a few pictures from that.
The rest of the visit was great. I was sad to leave, but we're going to see everyone again this weekend, and it was nice to come home. I love being with all of my family! Happy 2008 everyone!

Last KAL of 2007

Here is my December Mid-month KAL. This probably wasn't the best time to try S&C stripes for the first time, as the pattern doesn't show very well. In fact, it looks something like a beach umbrella! But I like it. It was fun to make, and I love the way it looks. Ok, this really IS my last post! :) Merry Christmas!

Christmas projects

Several days ago my brothers and I made our gingerbread houses. We make them out of graham crackers. It's really fun! Here's a picture of mine. I did my roof out of candy hearts, and the smoke coming from the chimney is a squished mini marshmallow. We didn't buy new candy, this is all leftover from goodness knows when. My right window kind of 'died', but oh well, nothing is perfect!This morning I painted this red sweatshirt with fabric paint. The sleeves were getting too short on my old one. The picture doesn't do justice to the shade of red, it's much darker, and much prettier! Special thanks to my mom for helping me draw the snowflakes. (Ok, not helping. She did it.) :o) Yesterday was the last day of school, so I had a little extra time to knit. I just finished my first round dishcloth! I used this pattern. It's so pretty, it was fun to make, and it was much easier than I expected! I'm definately going to use the pattern again.

Kirby is enjoying all the Christmas activities. The other day I put a foil wrapper on his nose, and it was so cute! While I was taking pictures he fell asleep! I guess he liked it. Kirby's birthday was December 14th. He turned 4! In a perfect world, that would mean he would behave at my grandparents next week, but we all know that this isn't a perfect world!
Well, Merry Christmas everyone! We're leaving for my grandparent's house Saturday, and I'll post when I get back. I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas!

Scrooge!!!!

No, I haven't dropped off the face of the earth! I really meant to write a post about Thanksgiving, but we had Scrooge rehearsal almost every day, plus my grandparents are here, and I never had a chance. Well, not too long ago I wrote about CYT, the Christian theater group I'm in. (click the link to read more about it) We just finished our Christmas play, Scrooge. We had 3 performances; on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. It was so much fun! I got to be friends with everyone; it's like a big family! The one thing I love is how Christ centered it is. Backstage, everyone is praying, and everyone is always so encouraging! It's a wonderful atmosphere. I played a spirit, (I'm on the front row, second one from the left)

a poor person, and a Cratchit. I'm the one in the grey dress.I loved all of my costumes! I miss my spirit hood. :) (in case anyone is wondering, you can both see AND breath through that.) By the way, the knitting Mrs. Cratchit is holding? I did it during dress rehearsal. :) We had a great cast! The man who played Scrooge has done professional acting before. Here's a picture of all of us. I'm in the back row of the people who are sitting, my brother is to the left of me, and my other brother is on the front row second from the right, the gold wiseman making a face. *sigh*

The people are wonderful, the costumes are amazing, I love acting, and backstage is so much fun! I love everything about the whole process!Actually, that's not quite true. Getting makeup on isn't bad,

but getting it OFF is so hard! It takes me at least half an hour. As far as getting nervous, I was a little on Thursday, the first performance, but not onstage, and I didn't really get nervous on Friday or Saturday. Friday we had over 700 people attend! They actually had to turn people away. It was an incredible experience! It's actually the third CYT play I've been it, but I think this one has been my favorite. I'm sad it's over, but I have The Hunchback of Notre Dame coming up in April. (if anyone lives in the area, come see it!!!) Here are some more pictures.

Walking out at the end.

Me with "Scrooge"

My brothers and I.

Signing autographs.

Subway after the last performance.

Christmas Knitting and Socks in Progress

Today I finished my Christmas knitting! (I still have several presents left to make, that don't involve knitting) I made a total of 20 dishcloths. It feels so good to be done! It's fun seeing them all spread out. :) Since I've finished the more urgent projects, I've been working on something a little more fun, my second pair of socks! Here's a picture, and I'll write more about them when they're finished! Hopefully, that won't be too much longer!

November KAL

This month's KAL was a squirrel pattern. I think it's so cute! I like squirrels, at least, when they aren't eating our hibiscus, or teasing Kirby, which they do frequently. :) If you say "squirrel" or something similar, ("school" works, and so does "quail") Kirby will run as fast as he can to look out the window, no matter what he was doing before!

CYT Pattern

I am in a theater group called CYT. (Christian Youth Theatre) I believe there is a national CYT, but ours is local. It's run by Mrs. Natalie. You'll hear more about CYT later because I'm in the Christmas play next month. Anyway, I designed this pattern for Mrs. Natalie's Christmas present. I don't know if anyone would have a use for these initials, but here is the pattern, just in case.

CYT

Cotton yarn – any solid color
Size 7 needles

CO 40

1. K1, P1, across
2. P1, K1, across
3. K1, P1, across
4. P1, K1, across
5. K1, P1, K1, P1, P32, K1, P1, K1, P1
6. P1, K1, P1, K1, K32, P1, K1, P1, K1
7. K1, P1, K1, P1, P25, K3, P4, K1, P1, K1, P1
8. P1, K1, P1, K1, K4, P3, K25, P1, K1, P1, K1
9. K1, P1, K1, P1, P25, K3, P4, K1, P1, K1, P1
10. P1, K1, P1, K1, K4, P3, K25, P1, K1, P1, K1
11. K1, P1, K1, P1, P25, K3, P4, K1, P1, K1, P1
12. P1, K1, P1, K1, K4, P3, K25, P1, K1, P1, K1
13. K1, P1, K1, P1, P25, K3, P4, K1, P1, K1, P1
14. P1, K1, P1, K1, K4, P3, K25, P1, K1, P1, K1
15. K1, P1, K1, P1, P25, K3, P4, K1, P1, K1, P1
16. P1, K1, P1, K1, K4, P3, K25, P1, K1, P1, K1
17. K1, P1, K1, P1, P25, K3, P4, K1, P1, K1, P1
18. P1, K1, P1, K1, K4, P3, K25, P1, K1, P1, K1
19. K1, P1, K1, P1, P17, K3, P5, K3, P4, K1, P1, K1, P1
20. P1, K1, P1, K1, K4, P3, K5, P3, K17, P1, K1, P1, K1
21. K1, P1, K1, P1, P17, K3, P2, K9, P1, K1, P1, K1, P1
22. P1, K1, P1, K1, K1, P9, K2, P3, K17, P1, K1, P1, K1
23. K1, P1, K1, P1, P17, K3, P2, K9, P1, K1, P1, K1, P1
24. P1, K1, P1, K1, K12, P3, K17, P1, K1, P1, K1
25. K1, P1, K1, P1, P17, K3, P12, K1, P1, K1, P1
26. P1, K1, P1, K1, K12, P3, K17, P1, K1, P1, K1
27. K1, P1, K1, P1, P16, K5, P11, K1, P1, K1, P1
28. P1, K1, P1, K1, K11, P5, K16, P1, K1, P1, K1
29. K1, P1, K1, P1, P15, K7, P10, K1, P1, K1, P1
30. P1, K1, P1, K1, K10, P2, K3, P2, K15, P1, K1, P1, K1
31. K1, P1, K1, P1, P6, K5, P4, K2, P3, K2, P10, K1, P1, K1, P1
32. P1, K1, P1, K1, K10, P2, K3, P2, K3, P8, K4, P1, K1, P1, K1
33. K1, P1, K1, P1, P4, K9, P2, K2, P3, K2, P10, K1, P1, K1, P1
34. P1, K1, P1, K1, K10, P2, K3, P2, K2, P4, K2, P4, K3, P1, K1, P1, K1
35. K1, P1, K1, P1, P3, K3, P4, K3, P2, K2, P3, K2, P10, K1, P1, K1, P1
36. P1, K1, P1, K1, K19, P3, K4, P4, K2, P1, K1, P1, K1
37. K1, P1, K1, P1, P2, K3, P27, K1, P1, K1, P1
38. P1, K1, P1, K1, K27, P3, K2, P1, K1, P1, K1
39. K1, P1, K1, P1, P2, K3, P27, K1, P1, K1, P1
40. P1, K1, P1, K1, K27, P3, K2, P1, K1, P1, K1
41. K1, P1, K1, P1, P2, K3, P27, K1, P1, K1, P1
42. P1, K1, P1, K1, K27, P3, K2, P1, K1, P1, K1
43. K1, P1, K1, P1, P3, K3, P4, K3, P19, K1, P1, K1, P1
44. P1, K1, P1, K1, K19, P3, K3, P4, K3, P1, K1, P1, K1
45. K1, P1, K1, P1, P3, K10, P19, K1, P1, K1, P1
46. P1, K1, P1, K1, K20, P8, K4, P1, K1, P1, K1
47. K1, P1, K1, P1, P5, K6, P21, K1, P1, K1, P1
48. P1, K1, P1, K1, K32, P1, K1, P1, K1
49. K1, P1, K1, P1, P32, K1, P1, K1, P1
50. P1, K1, across
51. K1, P1, across
52. P1, K1, across
53. K1, P1, across

BO


Patterns By Lindy

Christmas Knitting in Progress

These past few weeks I've been working on knitting Christmas presents for various people. I've done 9 dishcloths out of 20 so far. I'm having fun! I love Christmas time, and knitting presents is getting me excited. :) I'm almost halfway done! (Last year I was really behind, so I decided to start earlier this year) Here's a picture of the ones I've finished so far, I'll post another once I've made them all. Kirby decided to "help" me. That's his "Am I going to get in trouble for this?" face.

October Mid-Month KAL

I just finished the latest KAL! I love this one. I haven't made any other cloths like it, but I think it's a beautiful pattern! I'm not thrilled about how the variegated yarn did, but I've come to expect that. :)

Fair Entries

Here are the results of my entries in the state fair! Awhile back I had posted pictures of the things I entered. My mom had sent in the form while I was gone, and she had forgotten to tell me she had entered 2 more things! (The whole thing was kind of last minute, so we hadn't had a lot of time to decide.) So, besides the wreath cloth and purse set, I also entered a baby blanket I had made, and the Heart Quilt dishcloth. Naturally, once we got to the fair, the first thing we did was go to the Hobbies and Crafts building to see if my brothers and I had won a ribbon. I was really excited, a little nervous, but having fun! My youngest brother won a 5th place ribbon for his origami, and a 2nd place ribbon for his mobile, and my other brother (2 years younger than I am) won a 1st place ribbon for his leather craft! The wreath didn't win, (neither did the blanket, which was in another building) the purse set won 5th place, and the heart quilt won 2nd! I was really excited! I can't wait until next year!

October KAL

I've just finished the KAL for October! This month it was a fireman's hat and axe. I finished just in time, too, as we're going out of town for the weekend.

State Fair entries.

This month is our State Fair, and I'm entering 2 things this year. I've never entered anything before, and unfortunately, I'm in the professional category. I'm entering a purse set, my favorite one I've made. It's for a girl and her doll, and they are exactly the same, except the doll purse is smaller and has a smaller daisies for the border and thinner handles. I'm also entering a dishcloth I designed, and just finished today. It's called "Christmas Wreath". Like I said, I'm in the professional category, so I'm not expecting to win any ribbons! I think it will be fun having them where people can see them. I'll let you know the results, but it won't be for awhile! We have to take them on Monday.

Several New Hobbies

In the past month, I have discovered I really enjoy two things. The first, painting ceramics! I went while I was in Texas, and I loved it, then I went again a week or so ago with my grandmother. I had so much fun! I painted a Christmas cookie plate, and it took me 6 hours! I loved every minute though. I almost had a problem, because I finished exactly 8 minutes before the place closed! (Click on a picture to see the details up close) I wish I could go more often. The second thing I have found I enjoy is sketching, something that started in Texas. My mom has always done it, so I have a built in teacher! Here are pictures of my favorites, this first is of my dog, Kirby. I copied a picture we had. The second is of one of the dolls I collect. That one is my newest, and my favorite.

My 16th Birthday!

I had so many pictures I wanted to use I couldn't actually show them all, so if a word is underlined , click on it for a picture. I had a wonderful birthday! The first thing that happened was that when I came into the kitchen, there was a surprise for me on the table! My dad had done it. Nothing really happened until lunch, when we went to IHOP. That's where we always go for my birthday. They bring you a big ice cream sundae, and usually they sing, but we went at 2, so there weren't enough people. That was fine by me! We had a really nice lunch. After we ate, we ran by PetSmart, because we needed to replace a few of our fish. We named the new ones Hoobie (LONG story!) and Tiger. After we got home, I got ready for youth group. (at church) Youth group was great! I had a good time with everyone. The lesson was about Christmas, which was perfect for me! I love Christmas. Once I got home, I opened my presents. I got some money from my grandparents on one side, and my aunts and uncles. I'd already decided I'm going to use my birthday money for my next hobby, quilting. I can't wait to get started! The first thing I opened was a video we had had years ago, when I was in preschool. We had given it away, and I really wanted it back! Mom had found it at a thrift store! I knew it was a video from the shape of the box, but that was the last thing I was expecting! I watched it this morning, and it sure brought back memories. The next thing I opened was the first season of The Waltons. I've never seen it, but I think I'll like it! Then I got some beads (the new ones are surrounded by bright blue rectangles) from my grandparents. They are all so pretty! Then I opened the one mom told me to open next to last. It was a memory card! Sure enough, the next thing I opened was a digital camera! I had really wanted one, but I never actually thought I'd get one! I love it! I can't wait to use it. I told my mom, "Well, it's not a car, but I guess it'll do. (Of course, I was just kidding, I don't have a clue how to drive!) :o) Kirby enjoyed my birthday almost as much as I did! He loves nothing more than shredding paper. Well, after all is said and done, I'd have to say that yesterday was one of the best birthdays I've ever had.

Finally, another KAL!

Being gone most of the summer, I haven't participated in a KAL since June! It's been too long. When I started this one, since I knew I would be working on it on my 16th birthday, I decided to use my favorite color, lavender, which I had been saving. On the second day, I began to think, hmm, wouldn't it be funny if it was a birthday cake? Yesterday, on my birthday, I finally realized that yes, it was! Of all times for it to be a birthday cake! I love the pattern, and it couldn't have come at a nicer time!

Candy Cane

Well, I've finally tried knitting with the intarsia method. I was probably a little too ambitious, because I'd never done it before, and my very first time was on a pattern I was designing! It took a little more coordination than I thought, but I got the hang of it by about the third stripe. I decided to do pink, instead of red, since red would bleed on the white. I really enjoyed it, and I'm pleased with the result! Christmas has always been my favorite time of year, and I couldn't wait any longer to start designing Christmas cloths! This, most likely, is the last time I'll post as a 15 year old! My 16th birthday is day after tomorrow. (September 4th) I'll write more about that later.

My Stitch Markers!

I'm now selling stitch markers! I've really been enjoying making them. Each set is $3.50, which includes shipping. I made a new blog to sell them on. It's http://stitchmarkersbylindy.blogspot.com/. I'd love to hear what you think!

I'm Back!

Well, I just got back from Texas last night! I had a wonderful time, two weeks didn't seem nearly long enough! I'd post pictures if I had them, but all I had was a disposable camera. We did so much there's no way I could write about it all! If you want to read a more day to day update on my trip, check out my cousin Austin's blog, and also my cousin Brett's blog. Leave them a comment!!!!! I can't tell you how thrilled they would be! They both wanted blogs like me, so we made them while I was there. I made all kinds of things with Austin. (She's 6) We made princess books, (9 in all!) we drew all the time, we had balls and made invitations, :) we made a dollhouse with paper, and yes, I taught her to knit! She is by far the best pupil I've had so far! She's working on a scarf right now. (You can see it on her blog) She's so excited! I had fun with Brett too. He and I played lots of games, and watched Rescue Heroes together, (lots) and played with cars. Addison is so cute! She calls me "Winny", although sometimes she gets a D in there. She's so much fun! She loves to color when Austin and I do, and dance when we do, and she's a little chatterbox! A lot of mornings, I stayed home with the kids while Auntie Ann ran errands. It was nice, because then we didn't have to take the kids all over the place just to get grocery's and things. The kids were always so good for me! We had fun. Once they would go to bed, Auntie Ann and I would stay up and talk, or watch a movie. We had a lot to talk about! One night, we watched "The Phantom of the Opera". I had never seen it before, and I loved it! It's my new favorite movie! I didn't knit very much while I was there, since I was so busy. It was a WONDERFUL trip, and I was sad to leave. (very) But, like I told Austin and Brett, now we can look forward to when I go again next year!