SILVER THREADS

NEWS FLASH

2011-12-06T10:35:00.000-08:00

Just Hot off the press, ur I mean just hot off the hooks! Sewed in the last few remaining ends yesterday and crocheted the last few rows the evening before. Now this ripple-ghan is in my craft-room draped over the arm of the couch. I am tickled pink with how it turned out! It measures 50 inches by 72 inches, long enough to cover even my husband who is over 6 feet tall.

I used two shades of Red Heart Super Saver, Aran and Off White; plus two colors of Caron One Pound in Lilac and Lavender Blue. I also used Red Heart Soft in Lilac. The pattern is just a simple classic ripple all done in a double crochet stitch. I stitched in the back loops to give it more texture.

Last night I started work on the first few rows on an afghan for Jean, her Christmas present. Actually I am only doing the first 8 rows, then she can crochet the rest. It is a ripple-ghan just like this finished one but with different colors. The whole thing, yarns, organizer-basket and all will be a part of her gift. She has trouble with written instructions; we will sit down together and I will show her how to do the pattern. It is simple and she will catch on right away. Pictures to follow tomorrow!

I have been contemplating and studying about crocheting a Babette Afghan. Lots of information and pictures on Ravelry if you want to check them out. I LOVE that place, spend far too much time there! The Babette is such a simple but extremely rich design - multitudes of possibilities. HERE is one of my two favorite Babettes, my other favorite is in this PLACE. Worlds apart as far as colors go, but same simple granny squares design. The squares are 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, and 12 rounds, then you fit them all together in the overall design. The pattern calls for 17 different colors so you can immediately begin to comprehend the diversity! Just like snowflakes, there are no two Babette afghans alike. The squares are not the traditional granny square, but more solid.

These pictures are of the colors I have chosen to crochet a Babette. The majority are Vanna's Choice with a couple of Red Heart yarns and a couple of Stylecraft yarns. Actually there are more than 17 colors, six of them being very close to each other, two golds, two purples, and two reds. I may do some more tweaking before starting on this in January, but I really like this combination so far.

Hope you have an excellent day,

so many things to do!

HOW ABOUT YOUR HANDS?

2011-11-28T11:29:00.000-08:00

(sent to me by a very dear friend)

GRANDMA'S HANDS

Grandma, some ninety plus years, sat feebly on the patio bench.. She didn't move, just sat with her head down staring at her hands.

When I sat down beside her she didn't acknowledge my presence and the longer I sat I wondered if she was OK..

Finally, not really wanting to disturb her but wanting to check on her at the same time, I asked her if she was OK. She raised her head and looked at me and smiled. 'Yes, I'm fine, thank you for asking,' she said in a clear voice strong.

'I didn't mean to disturb you, grandma, but you were just sitting here staring at your hands and I wanted to make sure you were OK,' I explained to her.

'Have you ever looked at your hands,' she asked. 'I mean really looked at your hands?'

I slowly opened my hands and stared down at them. I turned them over, palms up and then palms down. No, I guess I had never really looked at my hands as I tried to figure out the point she was making.

Grandma smiled and related this story:

'Stop and think for a moment about the hands you have, how they have served you well throughout your years. These hands, though wrinkled shriveled and weak have been the tools I have used all my life to reach out and grab and embrace life.

'They braced and caught my fall when as a toddler I crashed upon the floor.

They put food in my mouth and clothes on my back. As a child, my mother taught me to fold them in prayer. They tied my shoes and pulled on my boots. They held my husband and wiped my tears when he went off to war.

'They have been dirty, scraped and raw, swollen and bent. They were uneasy and clumsy when I tried to hold my newborn son. Decorated with my wedding band they showed the world that I was married and loved someone special.

They wrote my letters to him and trembled and shook when I buried my parents and spouse.

'They have held my children and grandchildren, consoled neighbors, and shook in fists of anger when I didn't understand.

They have covered my face, combed my hair, and washed and cleansed the rest of my body. They have been sticky and wet, bent and broken, dried and raw. And to this day when not much of anything else of me works real well these hands hold me up, lay me down, and again continue to fold in prayer.

'These hands are the mark of where I've been and the ruggedness of life.

But more importantly it will be these hands that God will reach out and take when he leads me home. And with my hands He will lift me to His side and there I will use these hands to touch the face of God.

I will never look at my hands the same again. But I remember God reached out and took my grandma's hands and led her home. When my hands are hurt or sore or when I stroke the face of my children and husband I think of grandma. I know she has been stroked and caressed and held by the hands of God.

I, too, want to touch the face of God and feel His hands upon my face. How about your hands?

A VERY LONG SABATICAL

2011-11-26T11:41:00.000-08:00

This is an Ashford Spinning Wheel in pristine condition,

barely used. Any one interested?

I have returned to blogland, at least for a little while. Three months is a pretty long break, wouldn't you agree? Health issues were involved and to tell you the truth, I wasn't sure if I even wanted to continue blogging. It seems ridiculous to put so much work into my posts and then NO ONE reads them! I am still in doubt, but going to give it another chance.

As I love to follow all my favorite stitching, knitting and crochet blogs, checking in every week or so to see what's new, and what's happening - perhaps someone out there might or could possibly be missing my silly little posts.

A busy little bee could be used to describe all that has been going on. Walking 4 miles EVERY morning has now become the routine start to each day (exception of Sundays). I have dropped over 21 pounds, and feeling much better, with my A1C down considerably and my blood sugar down as well. Next goal is to lose another 10 and hopefully 10 more after that. Small steps with smaller more obtainable goals will keep me encouraged and rewarded! My Primary Care Physician has handed over an A+ and says she is very proud of me.

And even though I haven't been posting, I have been crocheting, lots and lots of crochet. Can you believe that I have become addicted to RAVELRY?? (spending far too much time there every day). There are more projects in my queue than can be finished in my lifetime, at 67 now, most of them being afghans or shawls and only a few smattering of other things.

I've ordered and received two sets of wooden Dyak interchangeable knitting needles and waiting for a set of metal ones in Wisteria. They might even be here before Christmas. I have purchased several new knitting & crochet books, plus special ordered a set of Susan Bates millefiori polymer clay covered crochet hooks. They are beautiful! So comfortable and such fun to use.

Sweet hubby got for me a compact digital camera, a Digital Nikon Coolpix S6100. Will be using that to take & post some pix of recent crochet projects, those completed and those in the works!

Hope you had a nice Thanksgiving, ours was very quiet this year - on purpose! Have a glorious weekend filled with some of your favorite things! Back in a jiffy.

LESS = MORE

2011-08-25T11:11:00.000-07:00

Speaking of gardens, how about this picture of what I picked this morning. There is always something very special about growing, then picking your own vegetables and coking that very day. We even eat cucumbers for breakfast! How healthy is that? With all the sweet peppers am planning on chicken fajitas today with our own onions and green peppers.

Have you ever seen "yard long" beans? They are really long & the most delicious bean for stir fry you will ever taste, they are also called "Asparagus" beans. Stir fry them with a little sweet pepper sauce, YUM!

MAY YOU HAVE

A VERY YUMMY DAY TODAY

YOU DESERVE A HUG!

2011-08-23T09:31:00.000-07:00

Sending one of these you way today;

I need one too!

HOW SWEET!

Work continues on the blanket, with six more rounds to go! It is super hot here this week, plus I have a really bad toothache. The whole left side of my face is throbbing, see the dentist on Friday, if I can make it till then.

STAYING COOL

2011-08-19T07:33:00.001-07:00

Ruby knows how to stay COOL!

How are you keeping COOL these hot Summer days? Ruby has a small pool and a big one to take a cooling dip whenever she wants. Of course we do encourage her several times a day to take advantage of one or the other. With the humidity very low in our desert climate at this time of the year, she dries quickly. The evaporation helps her to stay COOL! Usually she takes a drink of water at the same time! "Ruby, You are such a delight! And smart too." Hubby and I follow the same principal, only with the bigger pool.

Here is another "COOL thing". The blanket is growing, getting bigger every day. (As a result, each round takes longer to stitch.) There are about 21 rounds in total, I have three more colors/rounds to go to make fourteen! There are seven colors in all using Caron Simply Soft yarn. After those three, one more round of each color will finish it! Not bad, huh? It is needed ASAP!

I have been watching a marathon of "Army Wives" while crocheting. You know, I have never watched even one episode before this - and I am loving it; currently am at Season One , episode eight with several more episodes to go in this series, then will start Season Two. There are four seasons, which means lots of stitching time before they are all completed (programs and the two baby blankets) Want to know what is really NICE? Being able to watch them without commercials. WOW is that really COOL!

May you have a COOL weekend,

in more ways than just one!

IT'S A GO!

2011-08-15T08:47:00.000-07:00

That's right! The first rows of Summer Garden throw are being crocheted together... and... they look nice! When more rows are completed the predominance of all the shades of purple will show up more and more and will act as a unifying color scheme. The continuous JAYG method is easy and goes quite fast. The BEST thing is there are no more starts and stops with all those loose ends to weave back in, Hallelujah! It will be the most enjoyable part of crocheting this Ghan, and so will be lots of fun! I haven't decided if I really like this particular method of joining granny squares better than the one which is more substantial and stable. This continuous JAYG method joins the squares only at the corners and between each 3DC shell. It looks beautiful, but may not be as sturdy.

The most disappointing part (there is always one) is that I won't get it done anytime soon. It will have to be a secondary project for now. I just found out on Saturday that there are two babies needing/will need a Baby Blanket. The one, a second girl, was born in June to the older daughter of a sweet Friend. The younger daughter is expecting in October. My dear friend, Missy (whom I haven't talked with in quite a while) will be a Grandma to three.

The one nice thing about crocheting baby blankets is that they are not overly large and if one is careful in choosing patterns, they can go rather quickly! This one was started right away, looking like this just after one day. All the yarns were in my "stash" including the Carron So Soft "coconut white" I have been searching for all Spring and Summer. While shopping in the newly revamped yarn department at our local JoAnns, there is was, as big and bold as ever! Quite a few skeins literally JUMPED into my cart. In addition they now have black as well, that will be a next purchase, to finish off some granny squares.

The two baby blankets present two opportunities for learning new stitches/techniques in crochet. This first one is a Bavarian stitch from a booklet purchased last year. The stitching is easy, though one might consider the 8 backpost decrease a little difficult to execute because there are a total of nine stitches on the hook before you yarn over and draw through all together. However, after doing it over and over several times, it gets more comfortable. There are several large and small shells to do and all those 4 and 8 backpost decreases, which slows down the speed of crocheting a little. The beauty of the blanket will FAR outweigh the slower pace though.

The second blanket will be stitched using a Crochenit method with a crochenit hook (which I will have to mailorder- can't find one in town). I have been considering making one of these for quite some time, and looks like this is the best opportunity to try it out! Isn't it beautiful? All that is needed, deciding what color to use, the pink is lovely. But will it be a boy or girl?

Hope your day is filled with

happy decisions to make!

TIME WILL TELL

2011-08-08T07:07:00.000-07:00

It has been nearly one month since my last post, so sorry. Sometimes life just gets in the way and I am merely trying to deal with all that includes. Some crochet has been accomplished, as you will see, however writing a post has been too hard. The worries and concerns have overwhelmed my spirit, my mood has not been one of joy and contentment.

My one sibling, my younger brother has been diagnosed with cancer. He is only 51, surgery is on the near horizon and probably radiation Rx, depending on the amount of spread. He is losing weight like crazy, with his liver at only at 40% function. With Mom & Dad gone, there is just the two of us and though we live far apart we are very close. He has been under extreme amounts of stress over the last 2-3 years and now this has been thrown at him.

It is unbelievable what life brings sometimes. He is a strong Christian and in our good Lord's hands! Dr Stanley says you fight your battles on your knees. That is exactly what we are doing! There have been some other critical things going on with my nephew, and whenever the phone rings, my heart seems to stop for a second - till we answer to know the who & why behind the call.

As of July 31st, 370 Summer Garden squares have been crocheted and blocked. Now crocheting them together can begin. Probably next week, as I am cleaning all our carpets, room by room this week.

In the first week of August, this bag was completed. Until Aug 1st, I was not even aware of crocheting another tote bag! Jean started it, but ran out of the cotton yarn she was using, We couldn't find any more of it in town. Since I liked the color way so well and the way the variegated yarn was pooling, she gave it to me and this is how it was finished, with ruffles and flowers on a plain background. The soft creamy yellow was the only color found in cotton to use with the light solid background color. The bag is smaller than the first one and will be very useful, simply for that reason, in many circumstances! The flowers and ruffles are of a different design that what was chosen for the first bag. The light orange beads were chosen for the flower centers; as buttons were not possible, and there were plenty of beads in my stash to choose from. This particular color looked the best.

This week I would like to crochet a few more of these hexagons before starting on the throw. They are like eating potato chips, you can't crochet just one; don't know what they will be made into as yet - perhaps a purse, a pillow or maybe something in between!

Have a great week and may your life be free of worries and concerns,

and rather, filled with the blessings of our Lord -

bringing much joy, peace, and contentment.

HAPPY HOOKERVILLE

2011-07-11T11:45:00.000-07:00

We have been on vacation for the last ten days, thus the absence of posts. Part of my time was spent in Happy Hookerville. Have you ever been there? It is a nice place to visit. There were lots of yarns and hooks to enjoy, and i finished "The Thing". Here it is in all its glory. It turned out swell, don't you think?

We had salads like this every day, fresh from the garden! Such a delight! The dressings and toppings were never the same- there was plenty of variety. We are still enjoying the greens.

Unfortunately for Hubby, he came down with a bad case of tonsillitis. Something totally new to him! The last few days were miserable, but with a whopping dose of combined antibiotics, he is slowly betting better. It's no fun to suffer with this especially at the age of 75! He sees a specialist on Thursday.

There was sufficient time to work on the Summer Garden throw, another 100 centers completed. Yeah! Now, it is time to begin crocheting round three and blocking the results. Soon I should be able to start the work on crocheting them together. I am quite happy with the results of my experimental swatches for the five colored throw and very pleased with the color changes.

Unfortunately I never received the KnitPicks Yarn Swift I purchased on EBay. It has now escalated into a real hassle and I am filing a claim with EBay and PayPal. What a nightmare. You just be very careful when you purchase something in this fashion. I am counting on their Buyer Protection plans to work this out, but it may take months.

The buttons were some I had in a button box for over 20 years. They seemed just the ticket and look great on my "Lucy Bag", adding just a little bit of pizazz and sparkle. The flowers are my own design and not from Lucy.

May your week be filled

with lots of pizazz and sparkle!

"THE THING"

2011-06-29T10:56:00.000-07:00

The flying saucer has now become "The thing" from outer space! It changed from a flat disk to a hollow shape like a Frisbee, and is continuing to grow. It could also be called "The Changeling"! All the increase rows are done, all 17 of them and now its just double crochet stitching round after round. There will be about 30+ rounds, depending on how high to make the sides. Have you figured it out yet? You will soon! Care to comment with a guess?

This is the material I have chosen to line "The Thing". At the top there has to be plenty of the red and dark pink yarn (along with some crochet flowers in same colors) to coordinate with the lining. One idea that I have been harboring, is a double scalloped edge in the dark pink and red. Now that should be really cool! I haven't decided on whether to stiffen the lining by adding interfacing, its a strong likelihood. Another possibility is to cut a circle from plastic canvas to make the bottom less floppy. Well see when finishing time comes around. (Hopefully, that will be next week.) Decisions, Decisions.

I have bee experimenting with a few swatches for a future ripple throw. These are the results of my efforts so far. The first one has a little more texture to it. The throw will be in just four or five colors, white, cream, two shades of lilac, and a lavender blue.

The second swatch is, for the first few rows, double crochet in the stitch below. Then the next rows are double crochet in the back loops of the stitches of the row below. THAT is the appearance I want; so there are ridges created with each row. The design is simple but effective. At this point I will continue with the colors of lilac and see what happens.

In the first attempt (before these two swatches), the lilac and purple were too dark, even though it seemed, when I first saw the skeins, they would be perfect. They have been changed to a lighter version and I believe that will be just the ticket! It's good to start early when working out your design and colors. That way every thing has been decided, and your not in such a hurry to start on something without being absolutely sure of what you want to do, and in the end - make a mistake!

May the rest of this week

prove to be just the ticket for you!

NEW ADVENTURE 2

2011-06-27T11:38:00.000-07:00

Have you got on your dancin shoes, your travelin duds, and your boots made for walking? We are off on another adventure, this time to the southern part of the US. We are going to visit Brynwood Needleworks! For certain you will enjoy your visit here in the land of sand and surf, warm waters, and sunshine galore. Put on your big straw hat & your sun glasses, get your extra large glass of iced tea, and lather up with SP 30 Sun screen. You going to need it because this blog splashes and sparkles! Although the state might be considered the land of the "Gaters", Brynwood Needleworks is not down in the mud but is flying high!

Donna, the owner of Brynwood Needleworks, is a multiple talented gal. She sews, she quilts, she crochets, she knits, she creates beautiful cards, she does embroidery with beads, and maybe she even leaps tall buildings! Who knows. She has a store on ESTY where you can "shop till you drop". And this "ain't half" of all the goin'ons.

One thing I am be sure of is that you can spend days at this lovely location. Donna blogs every day. There are lots of goodies to gawk at and lots of stories to make you laugh and yes, even cry a little here and there. For instance she just recently lost her precious Fezzek who was only 6 months old. A darling little corgi. All her readers were saddened, and mourned with her over such a tragic event.

By the way this lady sings as well and belongs to a choral group with real dress up performances! Will the wonders never cease.

Donna Says "My favorite quote is by William Rutherford:

"The way to use life is to do something that outlasts it." "

Just click here and Have a ball!

A FLYING SAUCER?

2011-06-25T07:35:00.000-07:00

What do you think this is? Here are a few clues. It definitely is not a flying saucer. It isn't a giant pot holder. It sure ain't a large serving platter and it can't be the sun shinning in all it's glory (not hot enough) nor the moon in it's glory (not cool enough), and it absolutely is not a flower. But it certainly is a UFO, an Un-Finished Object! So what is the world is it? You will just have to tune in next week to find out! I started to crochet this on Thursday; with a couple more days of stitching you will probably figure it out! But then, maybe not.

The birthday Prayer Shawl was finished on Wednesday evening, blocked on Thursday , and is now considered officially completed and ready to be gift wrapped! It was an easy crochet. I didn't need the extra skein of yarn that I drove to Fallbrook to get. However, with the way things have been going, if I hadn't gone to pick up that fifth skein, I surely would have needed it!

The blocking of lace, whether it be knitted or crocheted, makes a HUGE difference! The shawl is still as soft as ever but now that the lace has been "opened up" it drapes so beautifully and measures 19" by 72". A perfect size.

Although it was easy, fairly quick to crochet, the colors so classy and just right for the birthday girl, I am enjoying doing the crochet on the UFO so many times more. WHY? Well I think it all has to do with color. The bright colors in the UFO are so much fun to work with and they just make my soul sing! (I do apologize for the colors in the two pictures with the pink towel, too much pink is throwing off the true colors of the shawl.)

Now for something more serious. At my three month appointment with our primary health care physician Thursday morning, I received a pretty big blow! The glucose level of my blood has skyrocketed to 123. At 126 a person is considered to be diabetic. I also have gained ten pounds and with high blood pressure, it looks like I am on the brink - and currently considered pre-diabetic. NOT GOOD! I have been handed a challenge and an ultimatum; loose weight, exercise more, and go on a much healthier diet in order to get that high glucose level lowered, or ELSE. I have three months to get that done. It's not going to be pretty, nor fun; but instead very hard work for me! I love to eat, I love sweets and chocolate! And if there is any excuse not to exercise, I will find it! I will have to GUARD everything I put into my mouth!

Now that I have confessed, and all the ugly facts are out in the open for everyone and her uncle to read, I am making myself publicly accountable. I should say like Larry The Cable Guy, "Git-R Done"! But I am going to need help and encouragement of the loudest kind! Actually I absolutely do not want to be a diabetic. Being a retired RN, I know what that means. However, from what I have read this might be possible to turn around, it just depends on why my glucose level has increased so quickly. The next three months will be critical, will she or won't she?

I've been doing a lot of reading about this and not posting, hope you fill forgive the elapse. On a positive note: Next week another New Adventure coming up, traveling to a featured blog! Check back soon for the details!

Fresh from our vegetable garden!

May you have a sweet weekend!

A REAL FIND

2011-06-20T08:33:00.000-07:00

I won the bidding for this on eBay early Sunday morning. Actually I had to get up at 4:30 AM California time to enter the bidding. With 7 seconds remaining on the clock I placed a bid, and won. Do I dare share the price? I won the bidding at $30.00. Not bad for this old country girl, huh? And not a bad price! So when it arrives I will post my own picture of it in action! And now Hubby won't have to help me make the hanks of yarn into the cakes (not the kind you can eat) of yarn with my ball winder. He has to sit there with the yarn draped over his hands and wrists whilst I turn the crank! He doesn't mind, but I am a very independent sort!

Perfect Example Of A Yarn Cake

Actually there is another reason, even more time consuming, for purchasing a swift. I need to condition a dozen skeins of acrylic yarn by washing out the sizing, rinsing with a little conditioner, and drying; before starting to crochet with them. The yarn is scratchy and rough, but I have read on Ravelry that this process is possible. First I will have to convert the pull skeins to hanks, not forgetting lots of ties to keep the yarn in good control, then wash, rinse, condition and dry. Then use the yarn ball winder to convert the hanks into yarn cakes.

Real progress was made on the shawl over the weekend. By Friday morning it was apparent that I was going to need another hank of the Manos Baby Alpaca yarn, so a drive to Fallbrook to pick it up was on the agenda. During the time spent in that quaint little shop (looking at all the newest samples of knitting and crochet, plus all the lovely yarns) I spied some yarn that I had desperately been looking for for over 6 months in order to complete a project that had been laid aside for lack of enough yarn! I was ecstatic over that find and quickly bought two skeins. It is exciting when something like that happens, having been in that store several times, and not seeing it before this past Friday, WOW!

May your week be filled

with lots of new and awesome "finds",

and may you experience

many great and exciting "WINS"!

NEW ADVENTURES

2011-06-17T10:29:00.000-07:00

Each week or so I would like to share with you all, dear readers, a blog that is perhaps new to you and where you can spend as much time visiting as you like. There are quite a few on my list, so it will take a while to accomplish. I will of course have permission from each blog owner to place a few of her pictures within my post.

Please let me be clear, the order in which I will be sharing is completely random, and NOT in order of preference. That is the one thing I will not do 0r say "Oh this one is my favorite." They are all simply divine, lively, colorful, crafty, imaginative, captivating, full of ideas, invigorating, and filled with lots & lots of goodies.

AN ADVENTURE

So if you aren't able to travel this Summer or vacation away from home, this is your opportunity "to travel and marvel" at all the wonders! Hope you will enjoy this feature and find it to be lots of fun!

These pictures are from Mia's blog, Mias Landliv. She lives in Northern Climes, Norway to be exact, and has a beautiful homestead where she does country living decorating, many crochet and knitting projects, quilting, tends her beautiful gardens, and beautifies her home with all kinds of lovely things, including marvelous bouquets of flower from her very own flower gardens. The pictures you see here are from various posts on her blog, and reproduced here with her permission. (the picture at the very top is not hers)

She has lots of critters including chickens, and lambs. I have spent many hours reading all her posts from the very beginning of her blog, just loving every minute of my visits. I am sure you will too! She is an accomplished writer. Her photographs are exquisite. This is a quote from her blog she wrote about herself.

"My blog is called Mia´s Country Living. I live on a smallholding in Norway with my husband, two cats, some sheep and a few hens. I blog about my country living, my garden, home, decorating and patchwork projects...."

You can find her blog here, just click on the word and you will suddenly fly off to Norway to your first location of many to come. Let me know how you like this feature and if you enjoy your travels! Wave and say "hello" as you fly over Southern California!

Pack you bags

put on your traveling duds,

and off you go!

MONSTER MASH

2011-06-16T17:43:00.000-07:00

Look What I picked up today at the library! There will be lots of cruising going on this weekend. We have a super library system here in our county; one is able to request books from any belonging library. These are just the ones that have come in this week, as I've requested others in addition. Some great bag books!

And I have to share with you a new "obsession", or "weakness", that is me "gone crazy and nuts"over these Monster drinks! I've seen them around for several years, there just about everywhere, but I never partook till this past weekend. The homeowners association where we live had their annual neighborhood cleanup and picnic on Saturday, last. One of our nearby neighbors are the Monster Drink owners. They really have a big spread, lots of horses, vineyards, alpacas and etc. They brought several cases of this stuff to the picnic, and sweet hubby and I wound up bringing home nearly a full case. Every can I have opened so far has been delicious! So much so that I have declared them all to be MINE! "Hands off Hubby!" I am afraid, after they're all gone, I will be pinning for more. But at nearly $2.00 a 16 oz. can, I will just have to savor them slowly. Sweet Thang (hubby) drank 3 or 4 at the picnic, I am surprised he was able to sleep at all that night! (I've been wired ever since).

May you savor your days

through the coming weeks!

IT'S A START

2011-06-15T16:06:00.000-07:00

Finally, today, I was able to start on the crochet lace shawl for Jean's birthday gift, in July. Really, my intentions had been to get this started on Monday evening. But, you know how it is, things just get in the way sometimes! Crocheting this shawl should be only a short break and then it's back to my Summer Garden Throw.

I have been "gardening" for the last few days, trying to give some of the bushes around the ole homestead a bur haircut. It's an effort to try and beat the coming heat; usually around the Fourth our 100+ temps start in and go through October. They make for great pool weather but a little too warm for working outside during the day; early (and I mean early) mornings are OK and some late evenings. But mostly the late evenings are for sitting out on the deck with a cool glass of .... and some great hooky fun going on!

It looks like this will go quickly and then I can get back to my regular projects. I am using a K crochet hook, much larger than what I am accustomed to. It seems a bit clumsy, but the fabric is going to be very open and lacy. The variegated colors of this yarn are working up very nicely! They were chosen specifically for Jean as she likes subdued and natural colors. They will look super with her short grey hair! Deb, the shop owner agreed the colors would bb perfect for her!

TALKING DOG

2011-06-14T14:54:00.000-07:00

Have you seen this? It is so funny!, Hubby and I laughed and laughed. I am going to leave this up for a few days and then take it down. Perhaps it might brighten up your day with a little humor. If any of you have ever owned a dog, you will understand perfectly! My fur-babies talk to us all the time, how about yours? Ours always gets a dog cookie, just a wee small one, lest they get too fat. Katie is already there.

I am working on revamping my "pages", tabs at the top of the blog, just under the title. Hope to have them completed an a week or so. Hope you have a great day and a few laughs!

IT'S IN THE BAG

2011-06-13T09:59:00.001-07:00

Really, they are in the basket and bowl and not in the bag! These are the results of my crochet labors of love so far. There are 60 completed and blocked squares, 228 second round centers and 144 first round centers with approximately 72 more first round centers left to do. I am going to hold off on those 72 until I start putting the throw together, Once the exact length of one row is established, I will have a better idea of just how many blocks per row required, and therefore, a more accurate count of the total number of block needed. Only time will tell, as it will probably be at least another month or more before I can start crocheting the blocks together.

I have to take a two or three week break in order to crochet a shawl for Jean for her birthday in July. So granny square dancing will have to come to a halt whilst I crochet that shawl. Actually I NEED a break as I am tired of weaving all those pesky ends back into those small spaces. WHEW, it is a tedious but necessary task. I just simply WILL NOT leave them till the end to do. Can't bear the thought! So I am actually looking forward to crocheting that shawl! I can crochet more than 24 stitches without having to stop, cut the yarn, weave in the yarn end and do over again, and again, and again!

When I am finally ready to crochet all those blocks together

I want to be able to FLY through it

with the wings of eagles! (Those are big wings.)

We are still in the midst of "June Gloom" around here with fog every morning, burn off being sometime around noon, give or take a little. The cool mornings make for good times to do all those gardening tasks, which include trimming back all the bushes and trees. Dear Hubby is working on the palm trees this morning. However my vegetables are really lagging behind, they need lots of warm sunshine to grow well and produce. So far they are just languishing... and waiting. When the heat does arrive they will probably explode with growth.

Go HERE on Mia's blog to see my favorite Summer Garden Throw, it is a dream; everything about it is perfect! I think my throw is going to consist of brighter colors however more like this one HERE on MeMe Rose blog. I love hers as well, so very beautiful! I just hope my throw will be half a lovely as these two!

This is the final list of the colors I am using for this throw. The four darker colors will not be used in the third rounds of the squares, they are just for round one and two to give a little contrast; keeping all the pastels for the third rounds and then the cream for the fourth and joining round. I am reordering some of the pastels so I won't run out of those colors. The yarn is from the UK, so by the time it arrives I will be back in full swing on the squares, Square Dancing for sure!

Well its off for a bit of housework and such,

and the gathering of pattern/instructions,

yarn and tools for the new project,

hopefully to start this evening!

May you have a lovely day and a week filled with dancing!

A FEW

2011-06-04T09:57:00.001-07:00

"A few of our very own strawberries just picked ten minutes ago, a few of the garden flower squares completed and a few of the squares blocked" is too long a title for this post so it is shortened to "A FEW". One way to become spoiled is to be able to go out and pick your own strawberries for morning cereal, don't you think? That is exactly what is nice about growing your own! Last year I decided to devote one of the eight raised beds to strawberries, and this Spring they are producing luscious berries. Perhaps not bushels but enough each day for a little treat!

I am blocking a few of the summer garden squares as they are made, after all, it is the practical and logical thing to do! when it comes tome to start crocheting them together, the task should go along much better than trying to wrestle with recalcitrant blocks. The foam board may wear out before they are all finished, but no big deal, I have another board eagerly awaiting to do its task!

These blocks are looking good!

I was hoping to get a lot more squares done this weekend, but had to get the chores done in the courtyard and in the vegetables, first. Here it is three PM, I am tired and needing a nap. The chores have been completed, an absolute must, as rabbits are having a feast on the young vegetable seedlings. the cucumbers, which they have never bothered before, will have to be replanted! All that hard work for nothing, darn critters.

May you have plenty of time

to play this weekend

and not too much work!

PLAYING HOOKY

2011-05-31T10:22:00.001-07:00

Hooky! That's what I did over the holiday weekend, three glorious days in which to crochet to my heart's content! And just what did I accomplish? Lots I think!

These are two five pound coffee tins converted into a sort of a "Yarn Bowl". These are of such a good size that I can put two or three skeins of yarn within. The purpose - keeping the skeins from rolling around while knitting or crocheting. The real big plus is that these won't break if they happen to fall or get knocked over like my beautiful pottery bowl. Although the pottery bowl is much more attractive, all three will serve their intended purpose. Now you see how the multicolored, striped, test swatch was put to a good use! The purple and green ripple was just another test swatch which was also put to a good use! NEAT?

The biggest goal for the weekend was to see how many flower centers I could get done. WOW, here is a big whopping 400 of them! with approximately another 100 to do. Having done the centers, crocheting the next two rounds will be much easier as those centers are a bear to stitch. According to my calculations there will be approximately 494 squares in the Summer Garden Afghan, each square measuring about 3 1/2 inches. With Nineteen rows of 26 squares each, we will have to wait till I begin hooking them all together just to see how long it might be. My plan is to use the cream colored yarn as their borders and to do a JAYG method. I would like to do 104 squares first, enough to do the first four rows, before that phase is begun. the majority of my projects have been gifts for others, this one will be just for me, to go in my craft room. It may take a while!

The "squares" seem a little bit skewed, but that is because in the third round one is converting a circle into a square, and at this point it doesn't quite work. The next round, the JAYG round will help straighten them out considerably! Although, I might want to consider giving each one a bit of a blocking before proceeding with the JAYG. Awe... it will take a few minutes more time, but in the end, probably worth it.

I want to find a nice yellow color to work with the other colors. The plan is to keep the number of colors down to a dozen in order to make the afghan more harmonious in its over all effect and appearance. I have seen lots of different Summer Garden Afghans in perusing many different crochet blogs. The throw I like the best uses just eleven colors including cream. It is simply exquisite! Most of the others have used lots & lots of different colors. The other thing I like the most about this particular throw is the use of pastel colors for the blocks. My colors will be a bit brighter, hope they will work together well enough. Time will tell!

Hope you have a lovely Summer day

filled with lots of flowers and blessings!

THEY'RE HERE

2011-05-26T10:15:00.000-07:00

Not aliens from outer space - 20 different colored skeins of Stylecraft Special DK. Still one more package to arrive, perhaps sometime this week. And all from Deramores in England, with free shipping to the US!

Now you can see why the picnic basket was gussied up, not for a picnic feast but for a feast of luscious yarns. So many colors and such nice yarn to work with, I'm already in love! It is a new favorite.

There are nine more colors on there way and I still will have only a little over half of the 57 colors offered. This is yarn heaven.

My yarn bowl arrived several weeks ago. It is just exactly what I exported and since the package didn't have far to go she included a refund on the shipping costs. Now that's the way to do business, she will definitely get more of mine! That's integrity.

May you have all the colors of the rainbow in your yarn bowl today!

GIANT TO MINI

2011-05-25T14:08:00.001-07:00

The pink-green-white pillow back is finished and blocked. It is just a a giant granny square measuring 20" by 20". Now all that needs be done is crochet the nine smaller blocks to each other, then to the giant square back and purchase a pillow form! For this one I will use the ladder method of attachment. It should be good to go in just a couple of more days.

Now on to what I am thinking about for next. A crochet tote for my current knitting or crochet project. It has to be large enough to hold several cakes of yarn plus needed tools. This is a little test to see just how it might turn out. Don't worry, I have planes for this test strip, which you will see very soon. Love the colors of the stripes, together they look like "Summer" don't you think - watermelon, picnics, outings at the beach, lake, mountains, desert, or just relaxing by the pool in the back yard!

This strip was crocheted using the double crochet stitch, worsted weight yarns and a size 4mm hook. It's not stiff enough nor quite thick enough for what I have envisioned. So everything will be the same for making the tote, except for the use of a single crochet stitch instead of the double. I will have to crochet two rounds of the single to equal one round of the double crochet. That means a few more hours of stitching, but worth it in the end. Can't wait to get started, perhaps over the holiday weekend.

This mini square is just a trial square as well. It has a center round plus 3 outer rounds and measures approximately 3 1/2" square. The lightest (cream) color is the color of yarn I will use to connect all the smaller motifs together to eventually construct an afghan. If the calculations are correct I will need to crochet 494 squares for the afghan. All that needs to be done at first is the center and two rounds of each square with various color combinations. Afterwards will come crocheting them together with the cream colored yarn using this method. This is just one of four videos demonstrating the continuous method of joining granny squares. Very informative!

Hope you have some great plans for the holiday weekend and that you will be able to carry them out in peace and safety. My thoughts and prayers go out to the victims of these horrible storms and tornadoes which bring disastrous results and with such little warning. May the LORD hold you in the palm of His hand, protect you and provide whatever it is you need in this time of great tragedy, distress, anxiety and sorrow. Life is so very precious and so very fragile!

God bless you each and every one.

MORE GRANNY SQUARES

2011-05-18T13:12:00.000-07:00

Another set of nine squares for a second pillow top. These are some of my most favorite colors together! I love how they turned out!

These are the beginning rounds.

And then the second round!

Now the last rounds and finished squares. They are 6" squares. Several different brands of worsted yarn were used in order to achieve the colors I wanted. My favorite acrylic yarn to work with is Canon Simply Soft. I just read yesterday that it is considered by some to be a DK weight instead of a worsted; I find that premise to be quite acceptable as it seems to work up a little different than the other worsteds I have used! It has a nice sheen to it that appeals to me. The other brands of yarn I used were Vanna's Choice, Vanna's Baby, and Red Heart Soft. The Red Heart Soft is really nice to work with, I like it much better than the Vanna's Choice, however the color choice is quite limited.

Keep in mind that these squares have not been blocked. If you will remember from an earlier post I made a square using this same pattern and color palate but in a different sequence. I didn't like it very well. None the less, the process of stitching it and then the final look of it gave me some ideas. And these have, as a result, turned out just right.

May you have a very red heart of a day!

AN ALTOGETHER NEW DESIGN!

2011-05-16T11:04:00.000-07:00

It was time to make a change! How do you like it?

TREATS

2011-05-14T11:38:00.000-07:00

We all love our treats and these are some I picked up this week. Everyone in the household gets something! These are for the four fur-babies; Jazzi, Pepsi, Katie, and Ruby. Ruby does prefer something a bit more substantial, though.

These are for hubby even though he is sweet enough as it is.

A new feeder for the orioles, we had to throw out all the old ones,

they were too old and damaged to be of any use.

And lastly, something for myself (besides yarn)! Dark chocolate and mint, my favorite combination, unless its dark chocolate and coconut filling, or dark chocolate and raspberry filing, or truffles of any flavor, or solid blocks of milk chocolate .... well, you get the picture!

May your Saturday & Sunday be filled

with delightful treats!

TO EACH HIS OWN

2011-05-13T17:20:00.000-07:00

We all have a favorite places, these spots are especially favored when I am relaxing and stitching in my craft room. Of course the girls have to be there with me, and in the softest places they can find! That's Pepsi in the brown recliner and Jazzi is on the back of the couch.

Ruby's dog coat knitted from some left over yarns and colors I didn't quite know what to do with. It fits her perfectly and will be great for this coming Fall & Winter. She thinks its peachy keen with a ruffle and a rose!

May your weekend be filled with Roses!

MORE CRAZINESS

2011-05-12T06:59:00.000-07:00

As promised yesterday, here is another block I am working on. I like the colors but don't like the order of them. My thinking is that the variegated will look better as the center and then various solid colors around it.

The deign of the block is nice and this is a color combination I especially like. Perhaps another pillow top is in the making? I can easily continue with what I have in mind for the back, granny stripes, without having to worry about running out of yarn on this one. Still looking for the "coconut" color to finish the other one.

This is my mother's old picnic basket that was down in the storage ever since she passed away. It must be at least 50 years old and was not in great shape. As you can see the lid still doesn't close well. After some help from hubby, a few layers of paint, and sewing a lining, it will make a super yarn basket. I am waiting for an order of Stylecraft Special DK yarn in saturated colors to arrive from the UK. They will go into this basket and it will be great to work from while crocheting the project I have in mind for this summer. Picture to follow when all those lovely yarns arrive.

Hope you have a SPECIAL day!

P.S. A picture of the vegetable seedlings. Some have been transplanted, some are ready to transplant now. others are just beginning to sprout.

For Mia, a pix of the Asparagus beans.

CRAZY IN LOVE

2011-05-11T10:20:00.000-07:00

I have gone bonkers over granny squares!

These are some of the experiments;

different patterns with different colors.

Some have been blocked and others have not.

There are several more designs to crochet, and then I will decide which ones to use for pillow tops, which ones for some scarves, which ones for an afghan and which ones for a bag or two.

These nine squares will be used for a pillow top and I have a special backing in mind, but first my supply of Caron So Soft in the color Coconut has to be replenished. I can't find it anywhere in town. Oh what to do?

I will show you more tomorrow.

Till then, have an AWESOME day.

WORKING

2011-04-27T08:38:00.000-07:00

This is where I have been working, in the vegetable garden. It doesn't look like much right now, however this is an extremely critical part of raising vegetables. Preparing the soil. First the soil in the beds was turned over, then two wheelbarrows of compost added to each one, (some beds only needed one) and a bag of chicken manure was sprinkled about in each bed plus a small amount of 30-30-30 fertilizer.

Then after all the amendments the soil need to be turned over again and watered. Most of the beds have been done, but there are still three more to do today.

The plan is to (after the completion of preparation) plant today the green beans and the onions.

The new cold frame was built last week and moved into it's new place in the top garden last night. This morning all the newly started seedlings and the newly started seeds were placed within for their first day of sun bathing in tropical heat. The outside temperature has still been in the mid to upper 60's and down to about 50 at night. So they have been moved in and out of doors every day, now they can stay overnight and have a pajama party!

They will sprout and grow quickly in this new environment, being very happy and content. In another week or so the largest of the seedlings can be transferred to their ready and waiting raised beds, all full of good stuff!

As you can observe from some of these photographs, there needs to be some weeding done, which should be accomplished in a few more days! First things, first!

May you have a weedless day filled with blue skies, sunshine

and even a "pajama party" or two!

COULD NOT RESIST

2011-04-15T17:19:00.001-07:00

I just couldn't resist and purchased one of these beautiful yarn bowls on ESTY. The colors are so lovely, and the basic shape resembles a heart. You can see her other bowls here. Her shop on ESTY is DarriellesClayArt. She has some really beautiful and very feminine items. Now to wait!

CROCHET MARKET BAG

2011-04-14T13:10:00.000-07:00

Started one of these last night, this is how far I got! Purchased some various colors of Bernat Cotton, nice for Spring! I have several birthdays coming up which need one of my kitchen sets each. Jean wanted me to help her crochet one of these bags, she is planning to make several of them. We thought it would be great to crochet one together, she is further along since hers was started on this past Sunday. We got together to visit and stitch!

I will be stitching a kitchen set to co-ordinate with the colors of the bag under construction! The market bag will make a great companion! This is the pattern, its free on the "Lily Cotton" web page.

Look to the sidebar first entry "My ESTY Picks". Looks like I have been doing some window shopping! Actually it's just another WISH list!

May your bag be filled

with God's blessings!

A LITTLE BIT OF LACE

2011-04-11T11:57:00.000-07:00

This palm tree looks like it has a lacy covering and so do the solar panels.; that's not all, of course, everything outside on Saturday morning had a layer of icy lacy snow to dress it up - a beautiful layer of gossamer white lace! It was 33 degrees, quite chilly for southern California and especially as late as mid April! However a few hours of sun and it was just a memory! But the beauty of it all still lingerers.

A week ago I started this lace scarf. It is about half way done as of yesterday. the socks are close to being finished, I wanted a small break from them. This yarn is a combination of 30% silk and 70% baby mohair, and it's lighter than a cloud. This is one of the three luxury fibers I have worked with and it has been so sensuous in my hands. A real treat. It is cobweb weight; I have never worked with such a fine yarn as this. Now I am hooked, that's for sure.

This is the second skein all ready to start. With both skeins the scarf will measure 50+ inches, just about the right size. The baby mohair is not scratchy, just sooooo very soft. I couldn't decide between this color and white. Either one would be like wearing a cloud around your neck!

Hope you can float around on a cloud all week!

TWO SOCKS TWO BOOKS

2011-03-30T08:36:00.000-07:00

I found Melissa Morgan-Oakes first book on knitting 2 socks at a time at Joann's a few weeks ago and since I had a 40% off coupon it made its way home with me. It was several months months ago that I had purchased her second book "Toe-Up 2-At-A-Time Socks" at Michales. So her second book was my first book and now her first book has become my second book. Is that a little confusing? Her first book is "2-At-A-Time Socks".

It was her second book which introduced sock knitting to me. And now my first pair is nearly completed, following her instructions, which are very clear! I experienced some difficulty however the fault is not hers but mine. After unraveling about four inches two times on the foot section, I have finally arrived to the legs and cuffs. I have learned a lot during the process and have discovered a few areas in my knitting which are weak points. Soon after these are completed I hope to begin another pair paying special attention to those weak points. I am going to use the same pattern, without any unraveling they will go much faster! Hopefully this second pair will turn out better. Knitting with the toe up method has provided the opportunity to try them on several times to check their fit. I am not totally unhappy with them so far, but just see some areas where my knitting can be improved. After all these are the first ones!

I have also discovered these and have signed up for a a contest to win a free pair. They are Dansko clogs, have you ever heard about Dansko? I hadn't till last week. A pair of clogs would be exactly what I need for houseshoes with my new pair of socks! Seriously these are supposed to be great support for your feet and having plantar fascitis they should keep my feet very happy indeed! They are a little too expensive for my finances right now, so I am very hopeful to be one of the winners!

Wish me good luck with the shoes!

MYSTERY REVEALED

2011-03-22T10:19:00.000-07:00

Now that Amy has received her birthday gift, we can show you what it is. After she saw the kitchen set I made for Lucille in the orange/pink/yellow combination on this blog she requested that I make a set for her for her upcoming birthday.

Amy LOVES pink! Since we talk several times a week, I knew that she was deeply involved in her Spring Cleaning. Pink & this shade of bright green just seems to sing a song of "Spring"! Usually I like to have three colors in the kitchen sets so that there are lots of combinations! And since this set needed to be big enough for a birthday celebration, the white and green was chosen for another color combination.

They do look a lot like Spring flowers, new green leaves, and white jasmine! What a combination! Can't you just smell the sweetness of white jasmine and watermelon together?

In total there were two pot holders with ruffles, and five dish cloths, one of which for washing pots as it has lots of bumps; good for scrubbing. There were other goodies included, a jar of my lemon marmalade and some Lawry's spices she is unable to find where she lives. She called early this morning, delighted with her Spring kitchen set.

May you have a lovely Spring day filled

with thoughts of flowers,

new leaves and the fragrance they bring to your life!

FOUND

2011-03-19T09:36:00.000-07:00

WOWEE! Look what I found! Absolutely perfect - just the right color, size and with a handle; it is a small basket just for knitting socks, which is easy to carry about and holds two balls of sock knitting yarn along with the project underway. AND, it was 40% off! What's a girl to do except a happy dance! WHEW, that's a mouthful.

Unfortunately I had to "unknit" several inches in this first pair of socks. After trying them on, they were obviously going to be too big. This is the second "unknit" for this project because they were not long enough before starting work on the gusset stitches, but I am determined to get it done right. It's jut going to take longer than anticipated.

The slouchy beanie hat you saw last post is finished and delivered - very pleased about how it turned out. Sorry I didn't take a photograph of it before delivery.

This is a picture of a birthday gift which is on it's way to Amy. Will do a full show next week after it arrives. HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMY. Out of necessity most of it is obscured, and will remain a mystery till then.

These are the beginnings of two kitchen sets without their ruffles, but they turned out so nice I was in a hurry to show them off. The pot holders get ruffles and the dishcloths don't. Two or three dishcloths will be either crocheted and or knitted to finish out each set of two pot holders.

I purchased some silk/mohair to knit a lace scarf. Perhaps it can get started sometime next week. This weekend is scheduled for socks and dishcloths! We are expecting a big storm to come in tomorrow with lots of rain and high winds. Here's hoping the weatherman is in error and it won't be as bad as predicted.

May your weekend be sunny and bright!

SLOUCH

2011-03-14T18:34:00.001-07:00

Saw this design at Labor Of Love and thought it might make a nice gift for a neighbor who does early morning jogs. The colors are terrific, hope it fits and she likes it! It is a size small/medium and takes two of these skeins of yarn. The name of the yarn is Amazing, and truly it is.

I purchased enough of two different color-ways for two different hats; knitting Portuguese style on a set of #7 circular needles utilizing the magic loop method. It is going quite fast, and perhaps it will be finished tomorrow! This color is entitled "Aurora".

May you have an Amazing evening and day tomorrow!

LOVE IS AN ACTION

2011-03-13T09:11:00.000-07:00

"Love the Lord Your God,

Walk In All His Ways,

Obey His commands,

Hold Firmly To Him, and

Serve Him

With All Your Heart and All Your Soul"

Joshua 22:5

May your Sunday be filled with LOVE, for it is in giving that we receive. Have a bodacious day!

HAPPY FEET

2011-03-11T10:51:00.000-08:00

The pain in my feet is gone and they are so HAPPY, I was able to walk 3 miles this morning with them feeling great! It has been sooooo long since I was able to do that. When I would get out of bed in the morning those first steps were agonizing, and by the end of the day I dreaded to get up off the couch or chair because I knew the pain would be unbearable.

Now I can spend hours on my feet and they still feel super-fine! Why didn't I see a podiatrist sooner rather than going through all that suffering, guess I was just a masochist! I am following her directions to the "T"! the podiatrist is a retired Navy doctor, and diagnosed immediately the problems .

Among other things she prescribed a four week regimen of Naproxen, an anti-inflammatory medication, special exercises for my feet, supportive inserts for my shoes and other things. Believe it or not, I now have extra energy and very happy feet!

May you have "HAPPY FEET" for today

& the all through the weekend!

LABORS OF LOVE

2011-03-09T09:29:00.000-08:00

Deborah is the owner of this darling shop, Labors Of Love, nestled away on the main street of Fallbrook. This street is lined with art galleries, craft galleries, antique shops and sweet little bistros. It is always a treat to head down that way to spend a few hours. Deborah just has a way of decorating her shop, it is simply "LOVELY". Her displays are always changing and her ability to combine various colors is exciting! Only family members work there, either her mother or her cousin is in attendance, and Deborah is usually there in the morning or afternoon. They are the most friendly and willing to help the customer that I have ever experienced! - always ready to answer any questions, give advise/suggestions when needed, but never hovering nor smothering.

I LOVE this shawl!

Whenever Jean's sister Carol comes into town we three get together and have a little holiday! There is always something of interest to observe in this quaint little place. Jean and Carol surly look like sisters, don't they!

This is another scarf knitted altogether with a different type of yarn but using the same feather and fan pattern you saw on yesterday's post.

Hope you have a day today that is like a HOLIDAY!

Special, Lovely, and Exciting

ADVENTURELAND

2011-03-08T08:48:00.001-08:00

What an adventure Jean, her sister, Carol, and I had last week! We took off to visit a couple of our favorite yarn shops. this one, the one in Fallbrook is our favorite. We bought a few supplies there and had lunch next door at a great Deli. These are some of the photographs I took, there Will be more tomorrow!

I loved the way the owner set up this table display, the colors are just awesome in their jewel tones. These are the colors I love!

This is a terrific scarf knit in cotton! Wow I didn't realize cotton would knit up so lovely. The pattern is a fan and feather design. She gives you most of the design instructions for free as they are her own creations!

This is a crochet project, sort of a corkscrew scarf. Really cute and fairly easy to create. Don't you just love it?

I will have more photos to show you tomorrow! Hope you have a very nice day, and not one that is a "corkscrew" I am off to see the Podiatrist, having so much pain in my right foot I can hardly walk. It has shut down my exercising for the time beaning, that is the morning 2-3 mile walk.

NEXT INSTALLMENT

2011-03-04T09:25:00.000-08:00

Yes, that's right - this is the next installment on The Tale of Twosocks! The knitting is slow. I had hoped to be nearer doing the heels on these socks! However I am not overly distressed as they are, after all, my first pair. What I am desperately hoping is that in the end they will fit!

One of the reasons the knitting has been slow is of course I want to be as careful as possible, but I have a Birthday project I am doing in both crochet and knitting. That has to be finished by this weekend so it can be mailed next week. Can't show you anything about it, cause SHE reads this blog! When it is in her hands, then we can have a few pictures of the bright spring colors (pink, bright green and white). It has been lots of fun, especially with her choice of colors.

Don't you just love the bright colors of these socks? One thing is for sure, all my hand knit socks will be in the brightest colors, no muted shades or greys for me!

Would you believe that I actually got these two skeins for nearly free at Joann's with two $5.00 off coupons on anything in the store that cost over five dollars! These skeins were approximately $5.95 each. Some bargain!!!! But that's not all. I also purchased another book with a 50% coupon on sock knitting, too good to pass up. Now I feel fully equipped to knit socks for the rest of my knitting life, however long that might be.

Knitting Club is tonight, looking forward to that, for sure! As I am writing this post, I am multi tasking; making a batch of sweet crepes to fill later on this afternoon.

Hope you have a spiffy day

filled with all the sweetness you can find!

STRAWBERRIES, ANYONE?

2011-02-28T09:00:00.001-08:00

Spring is just around the corner. How do I know? Because it is Strawberry time here in Southern California. Little stands are going up all around town! Soon the most delicious fresh asparagus will be available as well. There is nothing like a just picked, warm strawberry, straight from the fields, to make your mouth water. They are so very sweet and juicy, WOW, what a treat. We put them in cereal, fruit smoothies, yogurt and all sorts of things.

One of our favorite ways to eat them, besides right out of the container, is sliced on top of a waffle with a little dollop of whip cream. Not good for the waistline, but simply eye popping delicious!

I am really not trying to tease you nor make you jealous (well maybe just a tensey bit) but merely wanted to cheer and encourage you, Spring is just around the corner.

I have a strawberry bed, but am not a commercial grower, so my berries will come later on when the weather is a bit warmer.

Hope you have a delightful,

delicious day

topped with just a bit of whipped cream!

A TALE OF TWOSOCKS

2011-02-22T13:20:00.001-08:00

Yes that is right! This is a tale of two socks and two hats. it is what I have been knitting for the last couple of weeks. The two hats, one in progress and one completed are for a young man, a friend of ours. He purchased the sock yarns and asked If I would knit some hats for him. This is the particular style he likes. I completed four last year, two this year, and have one more to go. The last one will be a very plain shade of grey.

This is a neat book I found at Michael's three weeks ago. After reading through it several times, it was impressive in its clear presentations!

The two socks are from this book. The first thing I had to do - knit the two sample socks, following the instructions in the book exactly, word for word. They were remarkably clear, accompanied by great pictures and were completely understandable.

Now I am venturing on to knitting a first pair for myself using the simplest pattern in the book. I surely hope they will fit! The one thing most troublesome is using The Magic Loop Method; it's driving me crazy. I would like to try knitting the two socks at a time, toe up, with two circular needles. That may work out much better, at least for now. Upon the next visit to the LYS, a purchase of two circular knitting needles, size #1, will be at the top of the list!

Just love these colors! I will keep you posted with progress photos and more of the "Tale of Twosocks". Thanks for checking in and visiting for a while!

2011-02-15T08:55:00.000-08:00

Mystery solved!

This account starts with a pot holder crocheted by Jean. She gave me this blue one along with the pattern. She had met a 90 year woman several weeks ago, who makes and sells these at her church bazaar. Apparently the ones the 90-year old makes have a ruffle ( I will have to find out how that is done).

Last week I looked in my stash for some bright colors of cotton yarn and found several that would work together and these are the results. A pot holder with three dish cloths making a set!

I have always crocheted dishcloths, but decided this was the time to try knitting a couple. They actually turned out simple to do and this is the book the patterns came from. The patterns for these two (yellow and orange) were not difficult. There are certainly enough patterns in the book to keep you busy for a while! Especially with a large color range at your fingertips. I used the Lilly Sugar And Cream brand of cotton with a little left over in each color except the variegated. The ruffle on the crocheted dishcloth was finished up with the yellow. It looks just fine that way.

Now you can see just how cute they all look together and perhaps you might want to try making a set, or two, or three! Start with a variegated then choose three colors to go along with it. I already have some pink and green in mind for the next ones! If you should want any help, please feel free to drop me an E-Mail.

Have a cheerful and yes, even, a colorful day!!

WHAT IN THE WORLD????

2011-02-14T07:12:00.000-08:00

Well .... what do you think these are? I will tell you they are not a shawl, nor a baby blanket, nor a scarf, nor a hat. They consist of both knitting and crochet. So what do you imagine they might be? Take a guess and find out tomorrow!

These have been so full of sunshine colors they have been lots of fun to stitch. Just a little project which will be finished up sometime today! They are meant to be a Valentine's Day gift. In a couple of days you will find out just exactly what they are all about and be able to see the finished product!!!!

In the photo below you can see one of the row counters I have created for my self. Jean has one too, and I will be creating more stitch markers to show you.

Happy Valentine's Day!

MY HOME AWAY FROM HOME

2011-02-12T11:38:00.001-08:00

My "craft studio" is temporarily unavailable, so this is my new HAPPY SPACE for a while. It is cozy and comfy enough with all the things I really need close by. (You can't see the messy, unorganized areas where things are in boxes, baskets, and storage bins. These are deliberately being left "out of the picture"!)

A radio/CD player is close by, as well as lots of stitching tools, laptop computer, phone, fan, floor stand, knitting/crochet/cross stitch projects! Of course there has to be room for the girls as they are all three pillow princesses and MUST have their very comfortable places as well. They don't like to lay on the floor( a little spoiled?), so the second ottoman is for them. Katie usually sits on the ottoman or beside me, Jazzy and Pepsi on the other ottoman There is plenty of good lighting with tables on either side of the chair. . You noticed a fan listed among the items close by... HOT FLASHES. Those pesky, hateful things that some women have to put up with ( 20 years now) which I think will never go away.

There is a beading table set up in the master bedroom, so I can continue working on my hand beaded needlework tools. They keep selling like hotcakes, having the income is a big help right now. You will be seeing some new creations very soon.

We have rented out the guest room suite for a few months, the extra income will help us with our bills! Like everyone else we are struggling financially, having had our investments wiped out two years ago. I was happy to move out and hope they will stay for several months as they are looking for some cold weather relief for the winter months. It has been warm and sunny since they arrived, that's really awesome! Thank you LORD!

The girls are happy whenever they are with me, and I am happy here in this room though I can't see the birds very well from this area because of the angle of this part of the house. But the feeders are kept full anyway and the hummingbirds depend on their "bird juice"! The other birds could find their seeds elsewhere, however so many of them visit the feeders and bird bath every day, it's not fair to deprive them.

Have a fabulous weekend and enjoy your happy space!

DIFFICULT TO CAPTURE

2011-02-10T09:18:00.001-08:00

I have spent all morning trying to capture this hat and scarf well enough to make a good photograph, even resorting to dragging out the manual & reading it. My photography skills are sadly lacking as you can see by these two. The red is just so intense I can't figure out to take a photo that shows the details. So these will just have to do!

The set,completed in January, is for my early morning walks with Ruby. Sometimes the mornings are a bit nippy especially when there is a breeze! The pattern is one from a Debbie Macomber book and it is a mock cable with eyelet. It was very easy to knit and really lots of fun as well. The yarn is a Vanna White called Crimson. It took three skeins for the hat and scarf. I possibly should have made the scarf a bit longer, however I didn't particularly want a partial skein (#4) left over. So when skein #3 was finished, the scarf was complete! It's long enough to wrap around my neck and stay in place - that's good enough for me.

Tomorrow Ruby will show off her new duds!

READY TO GO

2011-02-07T12:38:00.000-08:00

The baby blanket was finished on Sunday evening just as the Super Bowl was in it's final minutes. What timing! It took me three weeks to complete, working in the late afternoon and evenings. Now I am ready to move on to the next project but need to finish up a few things in the workbasket first.

It looks so soft and cuddly and in fact IT IS. Now all that's left is to deliver it sometime over the next few days. Thanks for celebrating with me, as this is the largest knitted project I have attempted. I am beginning to branch out a little. Not just scarves anymore!

I want to knit some socks and a lace shawl, don't know which to start first, maybe both!!!!! (Boy am I a glutton for punishment.)

Remember you are wonderfully made, knit together in your mothers womb,

"one of a kind" and treasured by the LORD!

WHO ARE YOU?

2011-02-04T11:13:00.000-08:00

YOU ARE WHO YOU ARE FOR A REASON

By Russell Kelfer

You are who you are for a reason

You're part of an intricate plan.

You're a precious and perfect unique design

Called God's special woman or man.

You look like you look for a reason.

Our God made no mistake.

He knit you together within the womb,

You're just what He wanted to make.

The parents you had were the ones He chose,

And no matter how you may feel,

They were custom-designed with God's plan in mind,

And they bear the Master's seal.

No, that trauma you faced was not easy.

And God wept that it hurt you so;

but it was allowed to shape your heart

So that into his likeness you'd grow.

You are who you are for a reason,

You've been formed by the Master's rod.

You are who you are, beloved,

Because there is a God!

I hope you will be blessed by this poem. It has been such a great encouragement to me and to others as well. Isn't it the best thing you have heard all day, in fact all week, even all month!

EMERGENCY TELEPHONE NUMBERS

2011-02-03T09:34:00.000-08:00

Emergency Telephone Numbers

These are more effective than 911

When -

You are sad, phone John 14

You have sinned, phone Psalm 51

You are facing danger, phone Psalm 91

People have failed you, phone Psalm 27

It feels as though God is far from you,

phone Psalm 139

Your faith needs stimulation, phone Hebrews 11

You are alone and scared, phone Psalm 23

You are worried, phone Matthew 8:19-34

You are hurt and critical, phone 1 Corinthians 13

You wonder about Christianity,

phone 2 Corinthians 5:15-18

You feel like an outcast, phone Romans 8:31-39

You are seeking peace, phone Matthew 11:25-30

It feels as if the world is b igger than God,

phone Psalm 90

You need Christ like insurance,

phone Romans 8:1-30

You are leaving home for a trip , phone Psalm 121

You are praying for yourself, phone Psalm 87

You require courage for a task, phone Joshua 1

Inflation's and investments are hogging your thoughts,

phone Mark 10:17-31

You are depressive, phone Psalm 27

Your bank account is empty, phone Psalm 37

You lose faith in mankind, phone 1 Corinthians 13

It looks like people are unfriendly, phone John 15

You are losing hope, phone Psalm 126

You feel the world is small comp ared to you,

phone Psalm 19

You want to carry fruit, phone John 15

Paul's secret for happiness,
phone Colossians 3:12-17

With big opportunity/ discovery, phone Isaiah 55

To get along with other people, phone Romans 12

ALTERNATE NUMBERS

For dealing with fear, call Psalm 47

For security, call Psalm 121:3

For assurance, call Mark 8:35

For reassurance, call Psalm 145:18

ALL THESE NUMBERS MAY BE PHONED DIRECTLY.

NO OPERATOR ASSISTANCE IS NECESSARY.

ALL LINES TO HEAVEN ARE AVAILABLE 24 HOURS A DAY.

FEED YOUR FAITH, AND DOUBT WILL STARVE TO DEATH

A LOOK BACK

2011-02-01T14:42:00.001-08:00

You remember last year the ten prayer shawls I crocheted for my cousins. These are some photographs of all of the shawls together before they were boxed up and sent out. I am still amazed that they were completed on time; to be sent out before the Fall weather moved in. Everyone was very complimentary and loved their individual shawls; even the colors seemed to be perfect for each lady! That was strictly a God thing as I didn't know the color preferences of each recipient.

I wanted to make a label for each one with the date and for whom it was stitched. This shows how it was done, which seemed to be pretty enough. I am sure there were other, more attractive ways of accomplishing this, but since funds were limited I was not able to take advantage of them.

Including those ten and several others, I crocheted well over a dozen in 2010. Now I have a new list of prayer shawls for this year, with the baby blanket in progress I'm off to a good start!

Quite a display, don't you think? Have a great afternoon doing some of what you enjoy the most; stitching. I know what I will be doing!

Praising and thanking God for His amazing & awesome ways!

WHAT'S ON YOUR NEEDLES?

2011-01-31T15:07:00.000-08:00

Tell me what's on your needles and I will tell you what's on mine! Looks like Mr. Bunny is knitting a baby blanket in pink. It's a girl and we love to use the Caron Simply Soft yarn. Usually my shawls and baby blankets are done in crochet, but this pattern is from one of the Debbia Macomber Knitting Books and it is a real beauty. The pattern is a variation of basket weave and we have been using a Knit Picks circular needle.

That combined with the Portuguese style of knitting makes for a fairly quick project. I am kitting it a little larger than the pattern suggests (38 1/2" w X 36" h) this one will be approximately 40" wide by 40" high. It's called Baby Blue Blanket from Debbie Macomber "Hanna's List" As of today it is over 2/3 rd's complete; so far I have used a little over two skeins of yarn, three should be plenty to complete the blanket. It is well overdue, so there can be no further delay!

For some reason the knitting is a little more loose than what I like, as I tend to be a tight knitter. Perhaps this is due to the needle which is very slippery! Ah well, live & learn. If I had known this before hand, I could have dropped down one needle size. A very good reason for knitting a swatch. Since this is not a garment it will be OK.

Actually I am enjoying knitting this immensely and it is such good practice for the Portuguese style of knitting, which is now my most preferred way of knitting, and it's becoming so engrained that I get confused when using another method. Jean came over yesterday afternoon for help with a problem in her knitting project, a cabled hat, and I had a difficult time switching to the American style of knitting, which is the only way she kints. My brain & fingers kept wanting to position the needles differently.

Till the morrow: enjoy each day as it comes, feeding the better wolf!

AN OLD CHEROKEE STORY

2011-01-28T10:23:00.000-08:00

I know, I know! there has not been a post in a very loooong time. I have been reading all your blogs and enjoying them greatly, but just have lost my mojo for posting; will try to remedy that!

Because I am knitting so much now and and slow at it, there is not always a lot of finished projects to share. Here is the Cherokee story, which wolf will you feed? since I am part Cherokee, it grabbed my attention!

********************

One evening an old Cherokee told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside people. He said, "My son, the battle is between two wolves inside us all. One is Evil. It is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority and ego.

The other is God. It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith. "

The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, "Which wolf wins?"

The old Cherokee simply replied, "The one you feed."

********************

I have my eye on these! They are the new interchangeable set of knitting needles from Lantern Moon. Can I save up enough for them? We are going to try! The dilemma is which type of wood to choose - ebony or rosewood? The rosewood would be "hands down" my favorite if it was just a little darker, as I am accustom to rosewood being a DARK wood. Either way they are just plain NICE!

DEAR LORD

2010-11-15T09:59:00.000-08:00

Dear Lord,

So far today, God, I've done all right.

I haven't gossiped, haven't lost my temper, haven't been greedy,

grumpy, nasty, selfish, over indulgent,

or told anyone to mind their own business

and to stay out of mine,

I'm really glad about that!!!

But in a few minutes, God, I'm going

to get out of bed, and from then on

I'm probably going to need a lot more help.

Thank you, in Jesus name, Amen.

THERE'S MORE

2010-10-09T09:28:00.000-07:00

Thought I would show you more of the generous gifts friends sent to hep celebrate my 66th! Amy said she has this ordered for me, something I have been wanting ever since it first came out and not only has she ordered the chart but the Valdani threads as well. Thank you Amy so very much - can't wait till they arrive and I can begin a NEW cross stitching project. She is a most thoughtful, sweet, and loving friend. THANK YOU SWEETHEART! Looking for the mailman every day!

Yes, there are more tomatoes! And still more on the vines. These are the ones that were picked during the rainy days, so they have to sit and ripen up a little more; BUT should be ready to cock down soon! Probably Monday will be another day for canning. In my spare time (if there is any) work will continue on the last prayer shawl for my cousins, just a few more rows to completion!

Mayte has sent an awesome gift made with her own hands! Look at this Sewing Box to help me organize and keep my favorite "stitchy" treasures in! You have done a simply exquisite job, it will have a special place in my heart and in my craft room! Inside were three skeins of yarn, just the PERFECT color for Fall, she said to make something special for myself. And she also included a most beautiful cup for morning coffee or tea, a cup that says "Friendship is just not one thing, but a million little things" You are the kindest and most considerate friend, always there when I need someone to talk to! Thanks for your lasting friendship!

Jean gave me this book about the five most influential women of all time! It is by Francene Rivers, a favorite Christian author. Jean had told me she was reading it and I asked her to borrow it sometime. Now I have my own copy! This is one of Rivers' books I had not read, & what a writer she is!

FRIENDSHIP IS A GIFT FROM GOD ALL TIED UP WITH RIBBONS AND BOWS!

AH, RAIN!

2010-10-06T07:52:00.000-07:00

It's raining! How wonderful, with cool days and nights. I had an awesome Birthday; flowers, lunches with friends, gifts, and more! My sweet brother sent me these flowers (there are more show you later on)! But let's talk about the weather! What a difference just a few days makes. Only recently we experienced the hottest day on record (113), and then "BAM" - over the weekend we were down into the 40's at night where a few days before our coolest at night was 91 degrees. Too big a change you might say but such a relief.

This is what I have been doing since the weekend, canning tomato sauce. There is still more to do, with lots of tomatoes on the vines. The plan was to get up this morning and pick the ones that are ripe, however it's not much fun to go out in the rain picking tomatoes. There should be periods of time today when it slackens up a bit. Monday and Tuesday were devoted to canning. As a result we now have, as of this date, 36 pint jars and 20 quart jars of tomato sauce. Far more than what we had last year. There may be that much more to go! There will be no need to grow anything but just the slicing/eating tomatoes next season as there should be enough sauce from this year's crop to last for two winters!

Two of my pillow princesses!

"What's a girl to do on a rainy morning except to find a nice, comfortable, warm pillow upon which to curl up for a little nap" Even Ruby got her "winter" coverings over her crate last night with a nice little flap in front to keep her warm. It is a bit unusual to have rain this early in the season, but we don't mind, in fact welcome it. Last night Ruby was curled up in the very back of her crate acting like she was cold. So we fished out the blankets to cover & insulate her crate and she was very happy, saying thanks! She is such a remarkable dog, she thanks you by licking your hand whenever you do something for her. Just the way we should be with the LORD, thanking Him for each and every blessing!

"If you want God to honor you, then be the kind of person who honors Him by consistently acting on your faith"

The Charles Stanley Life Principles Daily Bible, p 1361

DRUMROLL, PLEASE...THE WINNER IS

2010-10-03T08:06:00.000-07:00

Here is the results of the contest as chosen by Research Randomizer.

Research Randomizer Results

1 Set of 1 Unique Numbers Per Set

Range: From 1-33 Sorted

Set #1: 7

Number seven Is Patty C. Patty would you please send me your mailing address & I will get your gift in the mail as soon as it is possible! Congratulations!, And many, many thanks to all of you who entered and left such sweet and gracious comments!

ONE HUNDRED EIGHT

2010-09-29T10:51:00.000-07:00

YES that's right! Monday it was 108 degrees here, but in Los Angeles it was 113 degrees, breaking the all time high! I told you the mercury was going to climb! With every degree higher it went my energy went lower and lower till Tuesday late afternoon I was so sick with the heat I just went to bed under the celing fan on Max, such extreme heat (without air-conditioning) just makes me sick. It is supposed to s-l-o-w-l-y cool down over the next five or six days and how I hope so! Ruby kept going into the pool and even the three little Cavaliers didn't mind getting dipped occasionallly.

I did manage to finish the blue prayer shawl and plan on working on the "purple colors" one this week. Next week to start and complete a white one and then the prayer shawl crocheting will be finished for a long while! One can order attractive professionally woven labels, but I am trying to work out a way to create some without having to do that. It would be nice to sew a label into each o the 11 shawls indicating for whom it was made, by whom it was made and the date.

The grapes of all the vineyards close by, this one being our closest neighbor are nearing harvest. He owns a small winery and makes the wine right next door to us! I would guess he has at least 20-30 acres of wine grapes! Don't they look luscious? He grows grapes for red the wines.

These are the tomatoes hubby and I picked yesterday, and are cooking down at the moment for more sauce. Looks like Monday will be a day for canning! There will be plenty more to pick and cook down next week! I am heading out to lunch with Jean later on, she is taking me to a "surprise place" for my birthday.

WHERE IS AUTUMN?

2010-09-24T07:33:00.000-07:00

Boys & Girls & children of all ages! Yes, that includes you. It's going to be hot this weekend, The weather report uses such words as blistering & sizzling. Starting today the mercury is going to climb and climb; Sunday to be 102, Monday to be 105, Tuesday to be 101! This is both good news and bad news. I don't like the heat, and definitely am ready for Fall weather, however the tomatoes will ripen better/faster and then I can hibernate some, to crochet more, as if an excuse were really needed!

Here is the progress over these last two days on this shawl, with four more stripes to go. Hopefully I can get two in today and two in tomorrow. leaving one more shawl to start on Sunday. There should be some real progress accomplished during those days. Perhaps this will be the last heat spell of the season and then we can get into cooler and more normal Fall like temperatures.

These babies soon will be cooking down for sauce, there should be more tomorrow with our temps in the upper 90's today ( the next day & the next & the next - you get the idea). How many tomatoes will there be, probably the harvest will be going on for a month as they ripen. How many tomatoes plants are we talking about here, approximately 30 Italian Roma tomato plants with the vines so heavy they have to be propped & tied up any way they can. They are like that 500 lb gorilla in the room, but decidedly more delicious!

I have not been interested in making an Afghan at all. But somehow over the last month or two as thoughts of Christmas gifts were swirling about in my head, the conclusion is that I am just going to have to bite the bullet and make one for my Brother for Christmas. I actually know some ladies who can crochet one in a week, can you imagine that? Last week while at Michaels perusing the yarn section the front page of this booklet literally jumped out from all the others sitting so primly in their respective racks. "WOW, now that's a super pattern! Its masculine looking; but how difficult is it? " This is definitely the one, & now it's cinched" Forward & Onward!

CHERRYCOLA

Then came the task of choosing the yarn! After looking - thinking - comparing at both Michaels then over to JoAnn's then back to Michaels again; this is the color of variegated yarn which is colorful and masculine enough, with the black already as a given! Now just trust that there will be enough contrast between the two as I did not like the specific color the pattern called for which is "Painted Desert". This is called Cherrycola and should coordinate well with his decor. He never reads this blog, so I can be very open about this big project. One thing is a guarantee, it won't be started and finished in one weeks' time!

PAINTED DESERT

Just one more week to sign up for the Birthday Bash Giveaway!

GOOD EATS - GOOD STITCHING!

2010-09-22T08:10:00.000-07:00

These are two of my favorite things, eating and stitching! How about you? Of course I love music, reading and housework too!!!! OOPS, how did housework get in there? The weather has cooled down a bit, 52 degrees last night with heavy fog, thus putting us in the mood for one of my famous homemade pizzas. This baby is heavy with toppings and just one or two slices makes a meal, and will turn into three for us! In the past we would order our pizzas from a nearby pizzeria, but they were always scrimpy on the cheese and other toppings, plus we lived too far for delivery so we would have to drive down the hill to pick it up. Why not make our own? We have been doing just that for years!

What's in your workbasket? These are three projects I am working on now. Two are crochet and one is knitting. Here is the progress so far on a crochet scarf for myself. It is now over 7 inches wide, and I am not sure it will be the 16 inches wide as called for in the instructions. Too wide perhaps? I will stop at whatever width that seems appropriate, time will tell!

This is the last of the triangular prayer shawls to be crocheted. I made a mistake when purchasing the blue yarn for this; thought I was purchasing the lighter shade of blue, but instead it was a medium shade; have already made up the 4 skeins into yarn balls (easier to work with that way) and so will have to use it. BUT, it's going to turn out great! Plus using this slightly darker shade of blue will make it sufficiently different that the other shawl which used the lighter blue as its Main Color! Each of the 7 row blue stripes will have two rows of the lighter blue and five rows of the medium blue! In conclusion a big mistake will turn out to be a big plus! WOW.

Even though I am running somewhat behind schedule for completion of the prayer shawls, it will only be a few weeks. I was getting pretty tired of them and took a short departure to do a little knitting on another project which I have been quite anxious to knit; this is what I have accomplished in one week's time, being the world's slowest knitter! [Crochet goes triple time faster than my knitting!] This scarf is called "Undulating Waves" and according to the gals at our LYS, difficult to learn how to knit with the beads having to be placed just a certain way in each row. I have had to frogg a little on a couple of rows, but not too much so far. This scarf has a tendency to curl inward, hope that can be blocked out when the time comes for its completion. What I don't know is if that's true no matter what yarn one uses or is it as a result of the yarn I am using. Too soft perhaps? You have to use a sport weight in order for the beads to slip onto the yarn, a worsted weight just won't work!

It's a solid color instead of a variegated one (plus a different yarn that what is called for by the designer) and several colors of coordinating beads. The yarn called for was just way too expensive for my budget, although it makes a lovely scarf. The LYS has two scarves knitted up with two different yarns as models. They both are exquisite, one is with a cotton yarn and the other a wool!

Hope you are enjoying the beginning of AUTUMN and what's in your work basket!

NOT JUST ONE THING

2010-09-11T06:59:00.001-07:00

By the looks of it I am back to being fully engaged with lot of activities, several things to have been accomplished this week. Cookies! Yea! Peanut butter ones with Chocolate Chips. Even my husband who hates peanut butter is eating these. They turned out great. I don't make peanut butter cookies because he won't eat them. The recipe came from "The New Best Recipe" from the editors of "Cooks Illustrated". Here it is!

2 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened but still cool
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 cup extra-crunchy peanut butter
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup salted dry-roasted peanuts, ground in a food processor to resemble bread crumbs, about 14 pulses
Bake at 350 degrees for 10 - 12 minutes

The things I did different was to add approximately 1 1/2 cups of chocolate chips and I left out the salt. Good thing, because the dry-roasted salted nuts added a lot of salt to the cookies. I will not add the dry-roasted nuts next time as the made the cookies a little too salty and I really didn't think this ingredient added a lot to the taste. The authors said they preferred the Jif brand of peanut butter.

Thursday and Friday were spent preparing and freezing the corn harvest. There was both white and yellow corn. When all was said and done there were about 30 quarts of corn cut off the cob and put into those vacuum food saver bags. Such a great way to freeze your foods , no freezer burn and no unwanted smells or flavors. The yellow corn will be for soups and the white corn (super sweet variety) will be for cream style corn. I blanched the corn for 7 minutes then cooled it down in ice water before cutting it off the cob, working from 6 AM till bout 2 PM each day.

As a reward, (as if one really needed a reason) Jean and I took off last evening for the Knitting Club. We sat in a different area than last time so that we might become acquainted with different ladies than at the last month's meeting. There was the cutest young lad there only 14 years old whose hands moved over the knitting needles so quickly, just like they were flying. He said he had been knitting since the age of ten and showed us pictures of some of his completed projects. Says he can knit a fairly complicated lace shawl in just a couple of days. I certainly believe it by the way he was knitting. He was as cute and handsome as he could be, and so grown up talking with all the ladies easily and very politely! Ah, youth! Unfortunately I didn't get his picture, next time! (or maybe so look in the background of the photograph above!)

My stitches came out on Tuesday and have one more return visit to the surgeon on the 21st of the month. I am planning on doing some work in my beading studio today, as there are several orders to full. Then later on, perhaps there will be some time to get a little further along on my two crochet projects. Hope you have a super sized weekend filled with fun and interesting things to do. Don't forget to make time to thank the Lord for all your marvelous blessings.

LIVE YOU LIFE IN SUCH A WAY

THAT YOU CAN EXPECT MIRACLES

HEAT & MORE

2010-09-05T11:55:00.000-07:00

Yesterday it was 107 degrees at our house, the hottest day of the year so far! Hopefully the weather prediction for a cooling trend starting tomorrow will come true! It is even predicted to be in the 70's on Tuesday and Wednesday, will have to wait and see. Tony has been keeping up with the vegetable garden watering during my recuperation. Great news there, I am cancer free, praise God! Both the frozen section & the permanent lab report say so. I had the most wonderful surgeon & anesthesiologist; and every nurse/caregiver was a true angel, just so very sweet and filled with kindness. The nurses said my surgeon was "the best of the best"! Tuesday the stitches will come out, then one week of steristrips, and after that - all should be back to normal, showers washing my hair, driving and etc. It's a good thing too, because the corn will be ready to put in the freezer next week, thank goodness while it is still cool!

The above is a photograph of a brush fire near our home on Wednesday afternoon, lots of fire retardant and water being dropped by the helicopters and planes. It's just another one of those things that goes along with living in Southern California! Starting in September are the Santa Winds, the low humidity (less than 10%), then the fires get going. But there is always some weather related phenomenas no matter what part of the country you might live in!

I read two books this last week, one on tape, an the other one a mystery by Monica Ferris, plus completing another prayer shawl and starting to crochet a scarf with beads. The scarf pictured above. The pattern is called chain lace and I am using a cream colored wool blend with some beads thrown in here and there! This is what it looks like now, but it will have to be blocked in order to show off the stitches at their best! How does one block a scarf that is 72 inches long and 16 inches wide? That's a lot of t-pins! This is approximately 4-5 inches wide right now.

Here is how my pattern instructions are prepaired, on a laminated index card so that the crochet instructions are as easy to follow as possible! There is a round dot for the beaded rows and a easily removabel arrow to indicate which row is under construction. When not in use, it is kept it in a plastic page protector along with a copy of the pages of instructions/ pictures of each design in a loose leaf notebook. If I want to crochet or knit another, the instructions are always handy along with any notes I might have added to the copied instructions themselves. Just one way to try to be organized!

I want to express my enormous gratitude for all your prayers, e-mails, phone calls, and best wishes for my surgery and recovery. I definitely felt every one of them! The Lord was kind and merciful to me throughout, & all the care givers seemed to go out of their way to administer to my every need! Thanks to you each and every one from the bottom of my heart, have a wonderful weekend!!!!

BIRTHDAY BASH GIFT-A-WAY

2010-08-28T10:23:00.000-07:00

YES, THAT'S RIGHT!

A GIFT-A-WAY

TO CELEBRATE MY BIRTHDAY!

Since I will not be blogging for a few days, spending time recovering from surgery on Monday , it seems an appropriate time to announce the Gift-A-Way to celebrate my 66th birthday on October 2nd. First is a scissor fob with a swivel on one end where you can attach a favorite needlework tool, perhaps a threader would be great to keep close at hand! This scissor fob uses my "scissor safe" connector in place of a lobster claw, so that the finish of your fine scissors' handle won't wear off with the friction of a moving part!

You will also have a choice of one of the three laying tools, whichever color you desire. These tools are used to Lay your silk, cotton, rayon or fancy threads in doing some of your stitches, especially those in needlepoint . There are 32 steps involved in creating one of these hand beaded tools and they are as slick as glass!

The third item is a package of 20 of my hand decorated "Dazzling Drops" to organize your threads for a favorite project. There is plenty of room to write all the information you desire on the back of each drop identifying the thread placed on it! These are such fun and put a happy face on your threads!

*******************

HERE ARE THE QUALIFICATIONS TO ENTER,

WITH UP TO THREE CHANCES TO WIN!

LEAVE A COMMENT STATING YOU HAVE COMPLETED

EACH ONE IN ORDER TO ENTER MORE THAN ONCE!

1. You must leave a comment under this post and tell something about your most favorite birthday!

2. Your must either be a follower, or become one!

3.. You must place one of the above pictures on your blog and tell others about this

gift-away-celebration!

I will be using a randomizer to pick the winner. That's all there is to it, and we will have a great birthday together. The winner will be announced on October 2nd!

BUTTERFLY KISSES & BEST WISHES

AS YOU COUNT YOUR STITCHES

SURGERY ON MONDAY

2010-08-25T07:02:00.000-07:00

It's official; it is finally hot here, 107 degrees yesterday and more of the same today and tomorrow! I was out late last evening as the sun went down, at 99 degrees, with my wet T-shirt on and mowing the lawn. It is just one of those must do things before my surgery on Monday.

I have to be at the hospital at 5:30 AM, surgery at 7:15. With a two hour drive before, we will be leaving at 3:30 AM and rising at 2:30 that morning. Hopefully if all goes well, will be able to come home on Tuesday! The tumor on my thyroid is not responding to Rx, has grown much larger, & needs to be removed. Plan of action: remove left lobe & it's large growth, send it to be tested while I am under anesthesia. If benign all is well, if cancer - continue to remove remainder of thyroid separating out the parathyroids and implanting them in the muscle tissue nearby. First part of surgery will take one to one & half hours.

I am trying to get a multiple of things accomplished this week. Wouldn't you just know that it would be the hottest week of the summer thus far! Next week should be devoted to recovery. My stitching has suffered greatly and there is very little progress to show you. Although...

I have mastered the technique of Portuguese knitting!!!! Love, love, love it! Makes knitting so mush easier and it seems perfectly logical! I have found the pattern for the Undulating Waves Scarf here, and have knitted three samples; one with worsted yarn without beads, one with sock yarn with beads, and one with sport weight yarn with beads. This has been a real challenge, but now I think I am ready to knit it with the Schaefer "Susan" yarn ($$)! My choice would be something in turquoise & blues, like the ocean, with beads to compliment. (Purples would be nice as well.) The ladies at our local knitting shop say this is a difficult pattern to execute, especially with the beads. I followed the designer's suggestion to knit a sample at first without the beads. Yesterday I went over to Jean's and taught her how to knit it. We spent a lovely afternoon (in the heat with fans, who can afford air-conditioning these days?) stitching, laughing, & sipping iced tea! There was a picture on Ravelry of a shawl in laceweight yarn using this patten sans the beads, exquisite! Perhaps, maybe its possible? I have the perfect yarn for it! (Can't wait till November, when it will be cool again.)

The moon last night; even it looks hot! We sat outside till 10PM, the moon was so bright you could see your shadow! We took a last minute dip in the pool and went to bed with the celling fan on max. The fact that our bedrooms are on the lower level helps them to stay cool, relatively speaking.

LIVE YOUR LIFE IN SUCH A WAY

YOU CAN EXPECT MIRACLES

HEY Y'ALL!

2010-08-24T07:44:00.000-07:00

Mom is sooo busy with her knitting & crochet, it's my turn to play at the computer. If i mispell a few words, please try to understand. It has been hot here, but there is a sure fire way to beat the heat and that's to jump into the pool, which i do several times a day and then last thing at night before bed. Skinny dipppin is lot of fun! Mom always thinks she has to have on a bathing suit. BATHING SUIT, no way just your birthday suit is absolutely fine. She still walks every morning, and when its hot she likes to get out before the sun rises. I'm not redy to rise that early, but jesh, someone has to go with her to keep her out of trouble. If i could only get her to mind me when we walk, it would be so much more pleasant. She is dogged in her determination and has one trac feet, where as I want to go check out lots of things. P-l-e-a-s-e tell me how to coax a human being to do anything you want! Maybe, next time, i can try some treats. i understand she likes peanut butter cookies.

Look at my paws, don't they look simply divine? No aftereffects of the rattlesnake bite! They are as pristine as ever. My friend Tony K. killed one the other day by the garbage can, a really big one! See what I mean about Mom and her "walking"! She claims she wants to eat what i eat because i have so much more energy that her, so my immediate reaction was "Lets switch". But nothing has happened yet, she's probably forgot. i swear, i will never grow old and forgetful, its a curse.

This is me watching the three of them dismantle a washing machine last night in the garage at 10:00 PM. A girl can't get her beautiy sleep when they are joking, & laughing about the machine pissing on Tony's socks. Glad it wasn't me, although i certainly would have liked to! Instead i just had to roll my eyes and be patient with them, after all they are the lesser beings, and so dumb. Who in the world needs a washing machine? You just wear your birthday suit all the time and don't sweat the little things. It's even better when you can roll in the compost pile with all that rotting grass and stuff. Ah, the perfume of it all and such total bliss. Can't understand why she was yelling at little ole me! And the nerve of it all, she even banned me from the swimming pool till she washed the stink, i mean the perfume, off. Such a waste of time and effort in my opinion!

Well, i hear the pitter-patter of her two big feet coming down the hall so will say tootles for now. Don't tell her about our little visit, she might not understand.

Enjoy your birthday suit, and do a little skinny dippin; you will be relaxed and cooled off,

Ruby

PORTUGUESE METHOD OF KNITTING

2010-08-10T10:26:00.000-07:00

I saw a video clip and several others on You Tube in regards to the Portuguese Method of knitting. Andrea Wong has two teaching DVD's, I purchased the first one of the two. WOW, this method of knitting is much easier on my hands and shoulders plus I can keep the tension of the yarn much more consistently. When the DVD first arrived I practiced with some left over yarns until the comfort level was reached and then started working on this shawl. Since this pattern uses fingering weight yarns, it will probably take some time to complete, but if I can knit a few quick rows every day it should progress nicely! The pattern is with a rep stitch 2K & 2P with cables on the 9th row and the 21st row of a 24 row repeat. This is where the Portuguese method will really make a difference as switching back& forth between the knit stitches and the perl stitches is but a flick of your thumb. I find it to be easier and even more efficient than knitting the Continental method.

This is my beaded creation for a row counter and a knitting pin with a J hook for using in the Portuguese method of knitting. Since the counter was in a bright green beads were chosen to match. I am not usually a bright green fan!

In the meantime hooking continues on the last of the prayer shawls. Next week we are taking a "staycation" and there will be plenty of time to work on both projects, however the concentration will be still on the prayer shawls. It's just that I am so fascinated with this method of knitting, it's hard to put down! I highly recommend all you knitters out there give this a try, it really is 100% easier, much less movements to make a stitch and that equals less wear on the joints of your shoulder, arms and hands.

Jean and I went to a knitting party this past Friday at our local yarn shop called "Daily Fiber Yarn Co.". There was quite a turn out and apparently it's a "knit-in" once a month; we had a blast and plan on going every month! There were easily 25+ ladies knitting or hooking a project, and there were lots of completed projects for show and tell. Three hours was enough time to spend perusing the yarns and samples for upcoming classes; plus we had some great conversations, met lots of super ladies, and added possible projects for future knitting. Jean & I were both interested the a classes for two different knitted scarves, both of which incorporates beads.

I found both patterns online at a minimal cost and will try these on my own; would love to take the classes but it's a matter of $s, when one adds up the cost of the class, the beads, and the yarns it is nearly $100.00 each. One of the scarves is knit with seed stitch and the other one is called "Undulating Waves". They are both quite unusual and should be a bit of a challenge, but well worth the effort. I am thinking with the "Undulating Waves" Scarf to knit one pattern repeat in some left over sock yarn, using some of my 6.0 seed beads, just to get the hang of it - as several have said this is a difficult pattern. There are a couple of tutorials on knitting this scarf which will be valuable!

Hope you are having an awesome week, able to meet the challenges that life brings, and deepening your relationship with the Lord Jesus! Have fun with your projects and thanks for taking the time to visit and leave your gracious comments. Each and every one is greatly appreciated. It is ALWAYS nice to hear from you!

AND THE WINNER IS......

2010-08-01T07:32:00.000-07:00

Earon did the drawing this morning and here is the name of the winner for the hand beaded chatelaine....Vilma. Please send me your snail mail address and I will get it in the mail in the next few days. Congratulations!

Here is what she said:

Hi Wawanna

OH OH that is such a beautiful chatelaine and what a precious giveaway for any stitcher, praying
to be the lucky one to win that piece of treasure

Hugs, Vilma

Now please don't despair those of you who did not win, because I am going to be announcing a new contest this week. I am planning something just as spectacular so please stay tuned!

In the meantime have a great Sunday, we are off to church!

SHORT BREAK

2010-07-30T08:11:00.000-07:00

I took a short break for a couple of days from the crochet, but have started on the next shawl. You know how it is, sometimes you just need a little beak form the routine. The fun & enjoyable break was turning to my knitting needles for a couple of days. As a result once again I am enthusiastic about the next shawl. Its MC is the lavender color as represented in the stripes of the green one pictured here.

There is a debate going on in my head what colors to use for the three solid color stripes in this one under way, white or pale yellow. Guess it will depend on how the yellow yarn will look when worked up. If it doesn't look right, I will just unravel that the yellow and choose another one of the colors to create all of the shawls, pink, blue, white, or green. They have to be similar as they are going to sisters & cousins who will talk among themselves about their shawls, & I really don't want one to say that she likes her style and colors less than another! I am still somewhat behind schedule. Will my self imposed time frame be met? It's a little too early to tell. Looks like I will be needing some surgery, so that may interfere. The appointment with the surgeon in on the 10th of August.

The wheelbarrow is full of the onions dug up yesterday. They are so b-i-i-i-g. and probably weigh anywhere form 1 to 3 pounds each. Hubby says they look more like watermelons. These were planted in January of this year, and seemed to love the bed in which they were planted to have grown to such gigantic size. Now they will have to be laid out for a few days to dry out before storing, and are of a sweet variety which could be eaten as one would an apple. Needless to say, I cook with a lot of onions!

This is a photograph of the upper vegetable garden which hubby installed last year. It is where the corn patch, the Italian tomatoes for sauce & paste, red onions, and melons are being grown. In a way it looks a little austere, but there is plenty of room between rows for a wheelbarrow. I am in the process of spreading mulch & chippings between the rows to keep down the weeds. It is working very well, but the process is not complete. Hubby blew out the engine on his chipper and is looking for another. The chipper is over 10 years old, so finding a replacement engine is a slow process. I have been reduced to using grass clippings, but they are working just about as well.

Hope you have a good productive day and an awesome weekend. There are a number of tasks on schedule for today & tomorrow!

LIVE YOUR LIFE IN SUCH A WAY THAT

YOU CAN EXPECT MIRACLES

LIVE YOUR LIFE

2010-07-25T11:01:00.001-07:00

Friday was errand day in town which included stops for yarn supplies. Stocking up was a necessary thing since there are three more Prayer Shawls to go and no more yarn! You know that situation had to be remedied and quick. This is what I picked up.

And these are the yarns that were added to the wave pattern shawl in the making for a friend (not one of the 10). Some of these yarns I had pictured in my mind, but was not certain they could be found! Hallelujah! Now to find the time! Sorry about the photograph as the flash was used and the skein of pink looking yarn is not pink but violet.

How about a horror story to curl your hair! A little over a month ago Mayte's Birthday package was mailed. It only had to go from here to Orange County, about 45 -50 miles away. It was not mailed with a tacking # nor insurance, after all it should arrive the very next day, right? WRONG! Just in that very short distance it was "lost". Yeah, right. I figure someone just decided to "lift" ("gift") it for themselves. It was a hand knit scarf that took several weeks to create; and I am really angry. Angry at the USPS and myself. NEVER again will a package be mailed without a tracking number, even if it is just going across the street! That may not prevent the thieves, but it might help. It's back to the knitting needles on this one!

************************************

AN EXPLANATION

Do you watch Fox News Channel? How about Glen Beck? We record, and watch Mr. Beck later in the evening (without the commercials) Monday through Friday. He certainly has some provocative opinions, ones that make a person really think; and he certainly sparks one's interest in reading about our US history and that of our Founding Fathers. Love the way he does the blackboards, so logical. The last two weeks have been fascinating to my husband and I, where he speaks of his personal relationship with Jesus, his beliefs on salvation and "Liberation Theology".

This is not a political blog, nor is it one in which lots of personal things are shared, so I am stopping right here although you have probably surmised that I and my family are Christian and conservatives. The main purpose of this blog is to share my enjoyment of needlework with all of you who have similar interests.

However I am sharing with you all just this little bit, because it will explain a phrase I have adopted from Mr Beck and will be using on this blog. He speaks about the way he has tried to live his life; no cursing, no more drinking (he was a former alcoholic), having kindness, love and generosity toward others, being forgiving -as best he can-, having honor and integrity, no cheating on his wife, no lusting after other women, and not even watching R rated movies. He said he wants to live his life in such away that he can expect miracles! I never thought about living the Christian life in this manner, such that you can expect miracles. I know there are things in my life that could be changed. Even though I am a strong believer and a follower of Jesus of Nazareth, I am constantly "under construction", maturing and hopefully being molded to be more like my Savior and Lord, Jesus. My desire for my life is to be a reflection, if only a dim one, to others of Him and and with the thought in mind that I might be the only "Bible" others would read. I am far from perfect, but I try just the same.

So from now on I will be signing off my posts like this:

LIVE YOUR LIFE IN SUCH A WAY THAT YOU CAN EXPECT MIRACLES.

LITTLE THINGS

2010-07-22T10:03:00.000-07:00

Lots of little things to tell you about! Ruby is doing just peachy keen! A humongous thank you for all your emails, phone calls,

comments, and prayers!

Last week on EBay I was the one and only bidder on this Shepherd's Bush kit. It is one which I have been bidding for quite a while. But since $30.00 was my self imposed limit (at the retail price $50.00), the bidding always exceeded that amount by up to six dollars.

Last week another one came up for bid, And I was the ONLY one who bid on it. Now just what a coincidence was that? The opening bid was for $19.95 - that is exactly what I got it for! Woo Hoo! It does pay to be patient, waiting for the right timing! Now Shepherd's Bush "The Herb Gatherer" kit is in the stitching basket waiting for a start. There are just two Shepherd's Bush kits left on my wish list; "The Earth Gatherer" & "America The Beautiful"

This is the book at JoAnn's purchased with a 50% off coupon I mentioned in a past post. It has 16 fabulous lace knit scarves & shawls - all are a dream. If I could only perfect the art of lace knitting. By the way any of you know how to knit Portuguese style? Wow, does that look interesting. I watched a couple of videos on YouTube yesterday. It is a method of knitting which looks exciting to try. But not right now.

First comes the rest of the Prayer Shawls! Here is #7 nearing completion. There are only 3 more stripes to go, two in green and one in lavender! Next will be #8 with its MC as Lavender - hopefully by this weekend!

Jean gave me this book several weeks ago. Doesn't it look interesting? Thank you very much Jean!

Hope all your plans for a wonderful weekend turn out better

than you think!

FINALLY!!!!

2010-07-19T09:30:00.001-07:00

Yes, that's right - FINALLY Prayer Shawl # 6 is finished. This shawl has taken nearly three weeks to finish and I am really off schedule. There were just so many things to take care of around the house and outside that progress was slowed to a crawl. Some evenings I was just too tired to crochet, read or do anything but be a couch potato!

This past Saturday morning the last piece of yarn was worked back under (hidden away) and this pink shawl was officially completed.

On Saturday and Sunday #7 was started with its MC of green and SC of lavender. Diligence is going to be the key work for this week, making up for lost time! In addition to that shawl, I started one in jewel tones and a different design altogether. If it turns out the way it's pictured in my mind, it should be a stunner! It is not one of the 10! But would actually be a twelfth shawl in total for this summer.

This is about as far as I can go, till some more colors are chosen: blue, green and gold. The below photograph is my inspiration!

MIRACLE

2010-07-16T07:19:00.000-07:00

Thank you all for your e-mails, your phone calls, and your comments. Ruby is alive and quite well. This is a true miracle of God. He answered prayers and this morning she is jumping and running around like nothing ever happened. She greeted me this morning with a wagging tail and not even a limp! The swelling is gone, not even a hint of it. Plus there is no infection and looks like she won't have any necrosis. When the LORD takes care of something He always does it BEST! I will continue to give her the antibiotics because as a nurse I know they should be carried out till all gone. But she is off her pain pills as of yesterday.

She is so much improved that I was able to attend the crochet club yesterday. We had so much fun and then afterwards I took Jean out to lunch for her birthday; gave her the gift of the pillow cases. She was so surprised & pleased. We went shopping together & purchasing more yarn to help complete the 4 shawls left to crochet, and a new lace knitting book (with a 50% off coupon). Perhaps someday I can master this technique; in the meantime I will just have to look at all the beautiful pictures and dream!

Jean & I tried to learn a new crochet pattern at the meeting but the lady who was teaching us had some trouble explaining it. It's a ripple pattern with a repeat of 11 stitches. I understand it with one exception, what to do at the end of a row. The sequence does create a lovely pattern, she said she would bring the instructions for us next week.

Here are some photographs to show you, with some of the ladies, their work in their hands, and just a few of the lap robes and afghans they have completed in the last few weeks. Most of the ladies are widows and have lots of time on their hands. The crochet is something they enjoy doing and then giving to others who so desperately need a "hand extended in love".

As you can see, the items are so colorful and crocheted with many different patterns. My basket is on the floor( full of pastels), as I am behind the camera! Jean is on the right side of your picture in the one below!

Such a lovely group of ladies with big hearts! These photographs are of the storage closet where the extra yarns that people contribute are kept along with the completed crochet projects. Not all the ladies were present yesterday, there are many others!

Then the afghans, baby blankets and so on are distributed to the local hospice and other needful charities, who are just delighted to receive them. Many stories to be told here!

Hope you have a wonderful and fulfilling weekend. It's still hot here!