Age.....

Yeesh! I've been noticing lately that I have way too many aches and pains. Just getting up from sitting down, for the first few minutes, I have to kinda work into my legs, know what I mean? They are achey and stuff. Not fun! Dang age! This just ain't right! I may have to pack up my crochet hooks and yarn and tell those little old ladies I work with every day to scoot over, there's a new wheelchair in town.......

A sweet little hat

I work in a nursing home, and there's a little lady there who loves to wear hats. I love to make hats, so I think we're a good pair. Whenever I have a little hat I've made that I don't what to do with, I take it in to V. She wears them, and enjoys them. I've been wanting to make her something frilly and feminine, and I think I've found just the ticket. Do you like this? I think it's sweet.

I was inspired by this picture from Night And Day Crochet on facebook yesterday. I "like" a lot of crochet pages on facebook, get a lot of fun ideas there. She posted this picture....

with this link to the pattern. I made one up last night, and liked it so much, I went ahead and made another! Ha. I changed it up a bit. I didn't think the post stitches made a real dainty hat, so I went with a simple single crochet in the back loop band, though I used the same scalloped edge. On the little yellow hat, the scallops were spaced a little differently, and the hat came out a little tighter, so it would fit a smaller head. I also didn't add the flower. I thought it was cute without the flower. I might add the flower on another hat, I might not, who knows. These are so cute, though, I like them. I think I'll make more.

Yeesh, how do you not buy things......

Yeesh, trying to watch the money, Christmas is coming, well of course I had to go to JoAnn's, right? I was actually looking for the latest Crochet magazine. Now that it's gone seasonal rather than bi-monthly, or whatever, seems it's harder and harder to find in the stores. I missed the Fall issue (except online, downloaded it) and I'm having a hard time finding the Winter issue. I'm probably going to have to settle for the download. I like having the paper copy but oh well, huh?

Meantime, I had to pick up a few things, you know I did.............. that pretty orange yarn I though would make some nice pumpkins for next fall........ and the black/gray variegated, well, I need a jacket, so I thought I'd make me a shrug 'til I can find one I like. The brown yarn is for the back of a pillow that I have completed the front of.......... who can resist that book, haven't looked at it real good yet, but gimme a few days............... and of course the free patterns, well, you know. Look at that little top, isn't it cute? Man, hard to resist spending the money in a craft store, isn't it?

Have a great one, y'all.

I need a new camera, Santa......

I hate that I take what looks like a nice picture, put the camera up and go about my business, then when I upload the picture, it's all blurry. Ah well, the memories are still there. Aren't those some handsome boys, though?

A little bitty start

This is the start of that crazy Cathedral Window Afghan. Now I have to finish off those ends and sew them together and start the next section. It'll be pretty when it's done, but I'm sure it's gonna take a while. You know how I am about running several projects at once. I sure do want to do this, though, because it's a gorgeous afghan. I am making it in warm colors, hope it turns out pretty.

Did y'all have a good Thanksgiving? I did. I had it on Sunday since the boys were with their Dad on the actual day, but that doesn't matter, it was still wonderful.

Pheesh, it's December already, can you believe it? Gotta get to that Christmas shopping. What a whirlwind.

Y'all have a great day!

Ha! That's my kind of humor.

Just Go With It

This is a really cute movie. But that's not the point. The point is, that cute little beach coverup/dress that Jennifer Aniston is wearing. I noticed it when I watched the movie, and now I see pictures of it all over the 'net. So today, I'm looking at that movie, and I'm thinking 'I could so make that!' Seriously. I could. So I have decided that I'm gonna. Figure out how to make it. What do y'all think. Cotton thread, or maybe a lightweight cotton yarn? Maybe something else. The pattern looks fairly easy to figure out. I've got all weekend off this weekend. Let's see what I can come up with.

Love these pillows!

I just love this basketweave pillow pattern. The pattern I have for it calls for a G hook, but I didn't like the way it came out using four-ply yarn with a G hook, so I use an I hook. I made this to fit an 18-inch pillow form, and I love the way it came out. LMHO So much so that I now have two more on my hooks, one in gold, and one in off-white (RH Aran, to be precise). They work up fairly quickly, too, just four or six hours apiece. It's a nice mindless pattern to work while I'm watching TV or whatever.....

Y'all have a great day.

David's Latest Hat

Well, here is the Acrobat Hat from Shannon Mullet Bowlsby's "Heady Affairs". The picture, of course, does not do the pattern justice. It has a great post stitch texture that is so cool to see, and just wonderful to touch. I just know David is going to love this hat. There is so much to keep his fingers busy.

I made it with ILTY Ivy League print. That yarn is so gorgeous, I love the combination of colors. They are all so vibrant and beautiful. I made a little shoulder bag with this (I still have to finish that off, with sewing and adding little notions and a handle.) yarn that I am going to love when it is finished. It's one of those multi colors that is just so wonderful.

Now David wants the Steam Punk hat. I'm trying to decide what colors to make it in. This is a really good book, and the patterns are easy, too.

Finally a FO!

Ack, this is a terrible picture. I finished my Christmas afghan, a round ripple in ILTY Cranberry, Linen, and Dark Olive. Oh, this thing is beautiful, if I do say so myself. I bought three skeins of each color, and only used two of the green and the linen, and have most of the third of the Cranberry left, so it didn't take a lot of yarn. I worked four rows of each color per repeat (seven rows of Cranberry to start, I like the center bigger so it doesn't get lost visually) and the finished product is about sixty inches big. I'm loving this.

It's only October, heck, I may make two Christmas afghans this year! Ha ha ha!

Y'all have a wonderful day!

Southern Living Idea House Tour

Well, I went to the Southern Living Idea House last Friday. I love those things, those idea homes. I love to go anywhere that inspires me, and kind of gives me decorating ideas. When I go furniture shopping, I take pictures all through the store, of things that give me ideas on how to arrange a seating group, or a tabletop, or whatever.

The welcoming committee was lovely. He didn't say a word, but he made me glad to be there.

Coming up to the home, I have to say, it's not a house that really appeals to me. Gorgeous, yes, indeed! Just I like things more rustic, and that house was Tuscan. I like Tuscan, just I like rustic Tuscan. Well, they won't all be great big cabins, though, will they. Ha. I think my home in Heaven is a cabin. A big one. Ha.
There were a lot of rustic images, though. The ceilings were great.

One of the big names in the home was Ballard. They used a lot of Ballard things all over the house, and gave out Ballard catalogs. I have loved Ballard for a long time. I wish I could afford Ballard furniture, it's gorgeous, and you can pick your upholstery, even send them your own fabric, and they will cover your furniture with it. When I'm rich... LOL (Probably in the cabin in Heaven, don'tchaknow..... LOL)

The dining room was lovely. The chairs were different heights, staggered around the table. That was interesting. Also, it was draped beautifully. In fact, the whole home was draped wonderfully. They had little seating areas tucked in the corners of the dining room. That seemed like a fun idea.

The outdoor spaces in this home were fabulous. Wouldn't you love to have this outside your dining room?

The kitchen was nice. It opened right onto the dining area. There was really no eat-in space in the kitchen, though, and although the shelves looked cool, there was less cabinet space than your average apartment. It was definitely not built for a cook, though it showed off the Ikea stuff well. Of course, I suppose if you can afford that fancy house and all that fancy food, you can afford to eat out, or have it brought in. Ha.

The TV room was lovely. Mostly white, which worked, but I would like more color. But again, they had all that Ballard stuff there, and I would just chose different fabric. I loved the draping again, it was gorgeous. One thing, there were little occasional tables all over. I don't care what you were doing, it seemed you could grab a table, and have an area to put your stuff. I liked that.

They used these little ottomans all over the house. Now there's an idea I will use. Ottomans are c

On the way into the Master Bedroom, you went through this library. I dream of a library like this, do you?

Some things about the home were a little disappointing. The Master Bedroom, though very nice, was not the homey, inviting refuge I like my bedroom to be. It seemed very open, kind of like another public space. I like my bedroom to be more serene. I don't know, it just didn't appeal to me. It was beautiful, though. It did have a wonderful Master Patio, which totally appealed to me. I could so love a Master Patio.

Upstairs was a third seating area. It was nice, but it was kind of a landing, placed almost at the upstairs bedroom area, but not quite. The ceiling was low, and, though I am barely over five feet tall, it was kind of claustrophobic. It was decorated beautifully, though, of course.

The upstairs bedrooms were a big letdown to me, and I was chatting with another visitor who felt the same way. They were both done in Ikea, and after going through a home that was so generally impressive, this look kind of said 'Oh, here are these extra bedrooms. Let's pop something in here, too.' Don't get me wrong, Ikea is great for what it is designed for, the person just starting out in their first home or apartment. It's not something you would expect to see in a million dollar home, and here, it looked like an afterthought.

Well, downstairs and outside! The outside spaces were gorgeous. It has been hot, hot, hot! in Texas and the candles were melting and leaning, is that funny or what.... I loved the candles, though, they were scattered everywhere, inside and out. I love candles, they do make a house a home.

Every area was furnished impeccably, even the little dock. You could swim off here, then when you came up, you could lounge on a chair, or a little canopied daybed! How fun!

I enjoyed the home, though. I love looking through idea homes. I wish I had more chances to do so. I got a lot of ideas here, things I am thinking of putting in my own little home. I am inspired!

I love me some Ellen Gormley!

Red Heart is one of my favorite websites. I love to go there and browse the patterns. They add new ones all the time, and even though I will never make all the things I have saved, I keep saving more! LOL

Today, among other things, I found this cool Ellen Gormley design, called the Slouchy Beret. Cute, isn't it. Looks soft and very touchable. I love me some Ellen Gormley. Her designs are just great, so textural, and I don't know, we just must have the same taste, because I love just about everything she designs. Among other running WIP's I have going is her Sunny Spread, which I'm making in a beautiful gold yarn. Another of her designs I want to make is the Brocade Throw. Man, that thing is gorgeous! Frankly, I like to just do a search of her designs, because she adds things on that site a lot. She also has a wonderful book out that I want, called Go Crochet Afghan Design Workbook that I want so badly! I should just order it online, but I've been hunting for it in the bookstores and craftstores, and I soon as I order it, there it will be on a shelf, and I'll have to wait.... you know how that goes. I'll probably order it anyway...... Eventually. Ha!

One thing I am discovering lately, as well, is that Red Heart has some wonderful yarns. I do like their SS for a lot of projects, though it's not one I like for snuggling up into a soft afghan. I do like it for its durability, washability, color choices, and ability to hold a shape. I like anything molded with SS, and if I'm making a blanket I'm going to take outside, yep, it's Red Heart SS. But go to Michael's or JoAnn's, and they have Red Heart Soft, and Red Heart Shimmer, Red Heart Super Tweed (I've got a couple of skeins of red that I know will make a gorgeous pillow), and all different kinds of Red Heart yarns that I just love to run my hands over. So much more than I ever thought of when I thought of Red Heart in the past. I have several skeins of different Red Heart yarn that I am just looking for the perfect project for, notably some Red Heart Soft in 'Embers' that is just gorgeous, and feels soooooooo goooooood in my hands. I want to find just the right pattern for it, because I want to make an afghan that I will reach for every day with it.


Okay, my little love fest is over, hope y'all don't mind. I'd better run, today my plan is to go to the Southern Living idea house here locally. Y'all wanna see pictures of that?



Have a wonderful day.

Missing the hat! Dang it!

See this hat? Man, that is a cool hat, isn't it? I so want to make that hat. By the way, I live in Texas, and I used to live in Nashville, and I plan to return to Nashville. So the hat fits, y'all....... I wanna make that hat!

Look! See? It's on the back of this magazine. The Crochet Collection. From the UK. And yes, I bought the magazine. And all those other patterns on the back of that magazine? They're in the magazine. But the hat's not. Now, y'all............ come on! Seriously. I wanna make that hat.

I did think, well, maybe the picture is about the collar trim on the top. That would be a total bummer, you know, to tease me that way.......... but you know what? The collar trim? Not in the book either. I have looked through this book. A lot.

I wrote the editor of this book. Sent her (him?) an e-mail. I've gotten no response. ...sigh....

Look, y'all, it's not a big thing. I wanna make that hat. I seriously do. I will pay for that pattern, of course I will.......... but I cannot find it. I have searched, I have googled. Found some crocheted cowboy hats. But not that one, and not not even another one that would do. The others were (sorry if y'all have made them, or designed them....) well, I was gonna say ugly, but they weren't really ugly. Just they weren't really cool. They weren't hats I wanted to make is all.

Can anybody help me? Do y'all know where I can get the pattern for that hat? Or another cool cowboy hat? If you do, could you leave the the link, or something?

Y'all have an awesome day.

Thirty minutes a day......

So I totally got written up at work, and they gave it to me this morning. (When I was staying late to help someone out... how's that for a 'thank you'! LMHO You gotta appreciate the irony there.) I don't care, they always rush to assure me they love me and my job is not in danger, and Julie, we had to write everybody up for this one, they said this morning.

See, we nurses on the night shift were all under the impression that we could not leave the building, so we were not clocking out for a lunch break. If you can't leave the building, if you have be accessible at all times, I say you gotta pay me for it. Ha. Anyway, we were mistaken. Sure, you can leave the building, they say. Go at a quiet time, and have the nurse from the other floor cover any emergencies that might occur. Yeah, you know, that actually makes sense. Whatever.

Anyway, the way I see it, I have thirty minutes a day in the middle of my shift to devote to my craft. Ha, like how I say that? My craft. All hoity toity and everything. LMHO But seriously, I am going to take that thirty minutes every day and work on my crochet. (Because, you know, who really needs to eat?) I'm gonna pack me a little bag with one of my smaller projects (I don't think I need to haul an afghan in there....) and work on it for thirty minutes. Let's see if this helps my productivity. Because, like I say, you can actually do a lot more crochet than you think in a half hour.

Y'all have a wonderful day!

Just biding my time.....

I hate that time of the month right before the new issues of the magazines come out, when I'm just waiting to see what's new. Ha! Don't get me wrong, I have waaaaayyyyy too many things I am currently working on, but you know, I love me some magazines, and can't wait to get them. This is the cover of the new Crochet Today, didja guess? Ha ha. There's a cute little issue out, a special issue, that has a gingerbread house on the cover, too. I saw it, and didn't buy it. I'll probably regret that, because I'm now on a scavenger hunt for the fall issue of Crochet! I'm thinking I'd better subscribe, maybe it's not too late for them to send it to me if I subscribe right on payday, using my debit card.............. yeesh. When will I learn not to put things back on the shelf? They're not always there when you go back for them!

Y'all have a great day.

Look what came in the mail today!

Did y'all follow the blog tour for Heady Affairs? They gave away several copies of this, and bless God, I was the excited winner of the one Ellen Gormley gave away. That was exciting right there, because I love me some Ellen Gormley!

Look at all those cute hats! Want a closer look?

Well, looka there, Shannon Mullett-Bowlsby is a guy! Who knew? Not I, said the fly. Rob, did you know this?

This is called Cables. Very nice.

I'm sure David will be needing one of these, it just looks too fun, doesn't it? It's called Origami.

I'm sure each of my boys will need one of these, in different colors, of course, to differentiate. Just for warmth. It's a classic hat, called Boyfriend.

On a personal note, the only problem I have with this book is this boy. He's just too flippin' pretty. Young man, if you're one of my readers, sorry. LOL (Like he's one of my readers.......... not!) Maybe if he grew some stubble or something, I don't know.....

At first look, this hat seemed silly, but the more I look at it, the more I like it, and yes, I think David needs one........ imagine the fun he could have with that! Ha ha! Chinese Acrobat is what they're calling it.

Again, very cute. At the risk of sounding like a broken record, David needs one. Y'all laugh, but David loves hats, and David loves what I crochet for him. And yes, he does love crocheted hats. This one is called Side-by-Side.

Is this one classy or what! It's called Aviator/Steampunk. I think I like Steampunk better, but Aviator sounds nicer, I guess.......... David........... well, you get the idea. LOL

Slouchy

Right, now I think I'm ready to get started on one or all of these. Right after I finish David's pumpkin bucket. LOL