Creative Saturday

Waking up this morning, I felt awful...my hip hurt to the tenth degree. I felt depressed and had a serious case of the blues. Four weeks of physical therapy has helped it a great deal, but it still hurts. I forced myself to get up and get dressed and made myself get in the car and went to Hobby Lobby, hoping it would improve my mood. MISSION ACCOMPLISHED! While strolling through the store, there was a lady in there with a buggy full of fall stems browsing through all the silk flowers...I couldn't help but stare at her buggy full of flowers thinking, "OMG...what fun!" We struck up a conversation, and she said she was out playing and probably spending way too much money, but she didn't care. I had to get in on the fun, and with a gift certificate in my wallet I went for it! I completely forgot about the dull ache in my hip.

I walked (or rather kinda limped) out of the store pushing a buggy full of fall flowers, a cool vase, and some card making paraphernalia, with a big smile on my face. After a quick stop at the grocery store I set out for home. I could not wait to play with my stuff.

This is what I came up with. It has a place in my dining room now, and I love looking at it every time I walk through the dining room on the way to the kitchen.


Believe it or not, I was able to knit a ponchette to put in my Etsy shop. I like the colors, they are happy and bright. I am thinking about doing a couple more of these in other colors as well as some long skinny scarves to put into the shop. Hopefully they will do well.

Red Heart Afghan Progress!
Saturday afternoon I worked in another row on my afghan. As it gets bigger, my progress slows, but it's still progress. It's coming along nicely and I think I will have it done by fall.


I thoroughly enjoy crocheting these squares. I don't know what it is about the granny square, but I love 'em...each and every one of them.

Tomorrow is Sunday...who knows what it has in store!

Paisley Inspiration

I recently ran across this while surfing the internet...and totally inspired by them!

How awesome would a scarf be made of several of these brightly colored paisley morifs! This was done by a lady I found on flickr, her name is Patti Haskins, I love the colors she chose and her crochet looks perfect! Well, after running across this I started looking for more of these motifs, and a google search didn't turn up a whole lot. I know there is a book out there somewhere that was printed in the 70s that has patterns for some of these. So, I have been on a quest to find it.

Here is some more inspiration. This lady just made it up without a pattern! HOLY COW...I AM TOTALLY IMPRESSED! I immediately liked it. I can see these adorned with beads and metalic threads!

They would also look really neat in those classic olive green and brown colors. I can also see them crocheted up in embroidery floss.

Here is just a little more flickr inspiration. These circles are so bright and cheery...they make me want to crochet some up! I love the black edging around each one. These would make a killer scarf joined in rows of three circles.

Today I acquired my first pair of bi-focals, and let me tell you...I now have great respect for my mom and dad, who I used to kid about their bifocals! I am sure once I get used to them I will like them, but right now I feel like I am walking through the mirror house at the fair! :-)

Grandma's Granny Square Afghan

I went by my mom and dad's house on Sunday afternoon and look at what she handed me! I couldn't wait to get it home.

This blanket was crocheted by my Grandma Alice after getting home from the hospital. In fact, she was too weak to stay at home alone so she stayed with my folks while she got stronger and made this while staying with them. It had some places that needed repair. I made a few repairs where it was beginning to unravel. I can tell she didn't feel well when she was making it, some of the squares are flipped upside down, but the crocheting was perfect...I wouldn't change it for the world.
Of course, Phoebe had to get into the action! She looks so pretty!


I spent the majority of the week in Wilmington at a conference. It was a lot of fun and I learned a lot. I did find some time to work on my afghan and was able to add a row of squares working on it in the evenings when I would get back in my room. I did find a lady at the conference that loved crochet as much as I did! We shared some stories and I showed her what I was working on. That was kinda fun!
Check it out! It is looking so pretty!

All I got done was that row on the top. I suppose things will slow down now so I can spend more time working on my blanket. It shouldn't be too much longer before it was finished.
Wilmington was gorgeous. I only wish I had more time to enjoy it, so much of our time was spent in educational sessions. We did go on a "Dinner Cruise" on Saturday night down the Cape Fear River. It was a lot of fun, and a lot of ladies let off some steam!!!

I snapped this shot of the sunset while standing at the bow of the ship. It's a definite "God Shot"...the sky was so full of color!

Victorian Style Capelet

I have crocheted a few of these now, and am so pleased every time I make one. This was a custom order which the lady asked for black and red. I am loving this color combination. I think the reason I like this little pattern so much is because it's so versatile. I actually like this little capelet best when worn to the side or tied at the neck like you would any scarf. I used Vanna's Choice yarn on this, and have become a fan of her yarn. The colors and feel are so yummy!

I always urge whoever I make up one of these for to see how many ways they can come up to wear it.

After a painfully long and busy week, I did find some time this weekend to crochet up more squares for my afghan. It's been on the the back burner along with my Babette Blanket so I could complete a couple custom orders up. Take a look!

I think the squares are coming along nicely. I really enjoy these random grannies! They are fun and bright, and make me happy. And let's face it, we could all use some bright happiness in our lives!

My Favorite Team Bag

This was a custom etsy order, it turned out so cute, I wanted to post it. The order was for a big tote bag in Virginia Tech colors that would be very durable and washable. After thinking about the request, I decided that it called for just plain ole' Red Heart. I think it works best for these projects because it holds the shape so well and is quite durable. I also felt the "traditional" granny square works best for this project. But when using the traditional squares, the bag had to be lined!

I single crocheted the linking in the contrasting orange yarn, and crocheted it tightly, which made it very strong and durable. Worked like a charm.
Of course, I had to add the dangle to it, just for giggles!

I love adding these tasseled dangle. It's the Pièce de Resistance!