Happy Valentines Day!

Happy Valentines Day!!!   I wanted to share some crochet love with you all!!!!    I found this pattern in a vintage crochet magazine.    With so much red crochet thread on hand I decided to give it a a go and I couldn’t be more pleased!!!!  

The pattern is called Rising Sun, which you can clearly see why.    I would like to work another up in a cream color.    Needless to say, this has sparked up the crochet mojo, which couldn’t make me happier.

I will sign off with a sweet picture of Phoebe and her new toy.  LOL!  

Greetings from the back porch!

I have been making a little progress on my c2c blanket.   Could not resist the chance to pose Phoebe on it.   We spent the afternoon on the back porch crocheting and watching Netflix on the ipad.  The weather was perfect.  My sister joined us with her cross stitch.  This blanket is a lot of work, but I think the outcome is going to be worth it.  

There are a lot of ends to weave in and a lot of joining the squares.  This picture give a good idea how the pattern is going to work.   The plan is 16 squares then a border.  It should work up to a nice size to snuggle under.  

It has been a scorcher of a week here in NC.  Finally today we had some nice temperatures, it made the back porch very comfortable.   I need more of this in my life!!!  

I am signing off with a picture of my new doo.   I went darker.   Still getting used to the color and wearing it longer.   This southern humidity can make a girl rather de-poofed!    LOL!   My diet is working out pretty good, despite this 4th of July week.   I am aiming for at least 10 more pounds.   It is helping with energy and just feeling better overall.   

Good bye for now!!  Everyone have a good week!

I finished up my Santa cross stitch this weekend!  Yay!!  I have some little quickie projects I want to get started on.  So this is a good feeling of accomplishment.   My next step is to come up with a creative idea to finish him up in.   I am sure Pinterest will help me out with that!  

I have been doing some reflecting this week.   Actually, it has been quite a week.   Work has been full of challenges.   My diet has been doing very well, but not without those temptations!!!  So I have learned some things this week and thought I share!

1.  Friends matter.   They are like family.  When they are hurting, you are hurting.

2.  You have to take care of yourself, mentally and physically.  They both work  together.  It’s important.   I have been doing a Keto diet.  So far 15 pounds.   I am still discovering those foods that give me energy, and those that I should stay away from.   I find that the better I feel physically the better I fell mentally.

3.  God is always there.   (In fact I should list this as the first item).  He is right with us all experiencing the ups and the downs with us.   He is there, and we shouldn’t ignore him.

4.  Some people are just mean and insensitive.  They can unknowingly say things that can hurt to your gut.  They rarely change.  I pray for them.

5.  It is good to let those important to you that you love them.   You don’t always have to use words to do that.   A simple kindness and a look can made a stronger impact on someone.

6.  Quiet time is essential.  Put away the phone and other distractions and try get 30 minutes alone with your thoughts.

7.  Read  a bible verse every day.  I do need to work on this.  But I find if I read a verse, I usually read a full chapter, and most times there is a lessons in it for me.

8.  God hears our tears.   Tears are pure and honest.  Groaning of the heart.  

9.  I try not to cus.  Sometimes something slips through...then I feel bad about it.

10.  Guard your soul.  

Of course some of these I have learned before this week.  But I was reminded of all of these over the past few days.   

I am thankful the weekend is here.   I hope to spend some time with my folks.   Mom is doing ok.  She still has not gone back onto her treatment until all her gastric problems have cleared up.  She can use prayers!!!  

I am back on my crochet project now, so an update with plenty of pictures should be on the way!!!!  

I will close with a picture of Phoebe going night night the other evening.   

Doesn’t that look cozy!!!!!!

 

Father’s Day

I hope everyone was able to enjoy time with family today!  I am fortunate to have both my parents with me.  At the ages of 80 they are going strong and enjoying life with their family.   

My sister and I worked to get things ready for a cookout.  She picked me up so I would not destroy the masterpiece Oreo cookie desert I had prepared.   So we were able to score from prime stitching time this afternoon!

I was able to begin the beading on my Santa.   It would be nice to get this guy done this week.   He has sat idle too long.   I love how the beads make the whole thing pop.  Purple beads are next in line.   I think they will be pretty, too.

All and all it has been a nice weekend.   I was able to putter around the house, give the dog a bath, and get some groceries.   I enjoy a nice quiet Sunday evening.  Monday morning comes so quick!!!  

 I am wishing everyone a great week!  

Let’s see if this works!

I am testing out an app to help me with keeping my blog up to date.    So far so good! I am hoping it will make it easier for me to post.   

I wanted to share my latest crochet project, which is going very slow!!

It’s a c2c done in panels in true crazy insane style with all the yarn changing and the ends to weave in.    But I am loving the look!

For those of you that have emailed me asking where I have been, thank you!!  Just busy managing life.   Full time job and mom going through cancer treatment has taken most of my attention!

God Bless Everyone

Time Passes On

Time is passing by so quickly.   My blogging has pretty much ground to a stop with the discovery of Instagram.   Everything is so instant these days.   It has its good and bad.   The bad is it seems to have given me attention deficit, LOL!   Which in turn has made my blogging a bit lacking.

So what’s happening?  Life.  Working, home, family, and friends.   Not necessarily in that order.   I have picked up my cross stitching.   It’s been years!  Above is a little Santa I am working on.  

Check this fella out!!!  I stitched him on perforated paper.   I am a bit addicted to this perforated paper.   You stitch, then cut it out and hang it up.   My projects have been small because I can get them done and feel fabulous about my accomplishments.  LOL.

For those that have sent me messages asking how I am doing, all is well.   Phoebe is doing great.   She is now the senior dog in the family.  :(  I wish they would stay puppies!  My mom has been diagnosed with lymphoma.   We are still going through testing to see exactly what kind she has and get her on a treatment plan.   Please add her to your prayer lists!!  

It is my every intention to get back on my blog.   I know that I do enjoy it and it is fun to post all my creativity, which in turn causes more creativity.   Is anyone using an app to post to their blog?   I would be interested in knowing.  Anything to make posting easier is a plus in my book.

Phoebe says a big hello to everyone!

I am still here.

Hello everyone!  Yes we are still here doing our thing!

I hope to get back to posting soon!

I Love To Thrift!

  

I made a few awesome scores thrifting this week!!!  Like this awesome yarn bowl.  Goodwill $4

It inspired me to do a little organizing.  My craft room is a wreck.  A snow day allowed me to get in there and clean up a bit.  I would love to empty it out and paint the walls.  Maybe this spring.   

Here is another thrift store find!!  It made me happy for a couple of dollars!!!   I love the ball of ribbon yarn.  It reminds me of peacock feathers and of course, I can't resist a vintage owl!!!

Except for the weather it was a pretty good week.  It is so cold here.  There is still a lot of snow on the ground! 

I have a scarf on the needles that should get finished up this week.  

Here is my angel painting I spoke about in my last post.   I am a bit proud of it!  I have two more blank canvases waiting for me to paint...I just can't seem to get to them.  I enjoy painting Angels because I can use so many colors.  It is time well spent and so good for my brain!  

I am out of here for now!  Everyone have a great week!!!!

I'm Here!!!

I have been away for awhile.  So much has been going on.  I didn't want to get online and complain about life, so I took a break.  

Brad's mom had gotten very sick right around Thanksgiving.  We lost her January 19th.   My emotions have been mixed for not wanting her to go and knowing she is in a much better place and in no pain.  One of the sweetest moments was when packing up her things and finding one of my little crocheted owls in her purse.  It was like she left it there for me to find.

Cancer is so cruel.  

So, now....I am back.  I ran across some little grannies I had crocheted in a drawer, so I thought I would share them for some hooky inspiration!!!!

I am really liking grannies in tiny frames!!!  I have one on the windowsill in the kitchen, and it makes me smile when I am at the sink.  

Check out this tiny box!!  It belonged to Brad's mom.  I absolutely love it.  

This is so tiny and so Vintage-y I can't stand it.  The tiny photo is one Brad's mom had in her room of her and her father.  It is also in the windowsill in the kitchen.  I could not stand the thought of sticking it in a box.  We need these reminders of our past around us. I feel like it keeps us connected.  

I have been doing some knitting, mostly socks, some painting to.  I actually did a little canvas!!!!  Now talk about therapy, picking up a paint brush and a blank canvas is awesome.  I will try to get a picture of my little painting posted.  I have also done quite a bit of thrift store therapy!!  

Phoebe is doing just fine and has been a little snuggle bunny!!!  Winter is still here, so we spend most of our time side by side while I am knitting!

Love to All!

Dawn

 

Stuff I have been knitting

How cute are these!!!  There is a pattern on ravelry for these.  http://ooobabyknits.typepad.com/ooo_baby_knits/2005/02/mindless_knitti.html  they are extremely easy and fast to knit up.  I had decided I wanted to work it up on double points so there is no seaming, just because that's how I roll.  I like that seamless look!!!

Here is the pattern I came up with.

Cast on 34 and slide your stitches onto three couple point needles.  

Round 1 - purl around

Round 2 - knit around

(Continue this until you have 12 rows or 6 garter stitch ridges.

Round 13 - knit 13, knit two together, knit 4, ssk, knit 13

Round 14 - knit 12' knit 2 together, knit 4, ssk, knit 12

(Continue this until you have 20 stitches)

Work 12 rounds of kn2, p2 ribbing.

Bind off and weave in.

Seam the opening on the sole of the Bootie.  

I used a size 6 needles for these booties.

I think they are so cute and easy.  It is my standard go to baby gift Bootie.  New mommies are always totally giddy getting these!!  You can easily whip up a pair of these within an evening.

Things are pretty quiet here.  I have been busy with some little projects around the house I want to get done before Fall.  Phoebe has had a rough week.  I think it is her back.  She seems to be feeling better now, but I am keeping my eye on her.  

She had a steroid shot because she was scratching so bad.  It does not agree with her at all!  Once we got home I noticed the thirst and the peeing.  She was not eating and she was panting some of the time.  Her appetite is now back and the pantng has stopped, but she is not jumping up onto the ottoman or sofa like she normally does.  I am keeping my watchful, protective eye on her!!!

Before I sign off let me share the cuffs Inhave been working on.

Pretty!!!  It is a Knitty.com freebie.  It is called Twisted!  I love the name!  

I love the buttons with the yarn!

It is the perfect little project for those pretty bits of sock yarn.  And of course awesome buttons!  

I have also been knitting some boot cuffs, but I will save those for another day.  

Bye for now!!

Through the Woods Hood is Complete!

I finished my hood!!!!  I LERV, LERV, LERV it!!!  It will keep me warm this winter as I am walking into work.  I work downtown, and it is always windier and colder walking in to work in the morn,  it is a little bit of a hike from the parking lot to the building, so this will come in handy!!

And I know everyone at work will be envious of my Hood, too!!!  Bonus!!!!  LOL

I had these pottery buttons I picked up years ago at a farmers market, they were perfect!  For anyone wanting the pattern you can find it here.  http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/through-the-woods-2

I enjoyed working on the cables and love how they came out.  

Here is a close up of the buttons.  

And you can see how pretty it is from the side and the back.  

It is so fun to do a little selfish knitting, especially with fall on the way.  I am eager for it to get here.   It is extremely hot and muggy here.  And the locusts are so loud!  But I can see a little change in some of the trees, some have a tiny hint of color in them.  

I will leave you with a sweet picture of Phoebe.  Yes, she is as sweet as she looks!!

Bye for now!

Crochet Eye Candy

 

Whispers Shawl is finished!  I must say this has been one of my favorite crochet projects.  I credit it to the yarn and the simple pattern.  The pattern is a $4.50 download on Ravelry.  Quite the bargain if you ask me! 

 

 

I used 2 balls Chroma Fingering Weight in the color Roller Skate for the shawl, and crocheted it with a Size E Hook. 

 

Here is more eye-candy.

 

 

 

Phoebe also gave her stamp of approval! 

I have already started a new knitting project, which is working up very fast, so maybe I will have another post in a few days!!

Bye for now!

Hooky Color Goodness

Looky!!  I finally got a start on the Whispers Shawl!!   I am loving it.  It is working up so quick!  If you are wanting to give it a try I do have a couple of suggestions.  (1) use a fingering weight yarn, and a yarn that has the self striping change in colors.  Knitpicks has a line of yarn called Chroma that works perfectly for this.  (2) I am using a size E hook.  It may feel strange if you are a tight crocheter, but you will be happy with the results!  Both the yarn and the hook gives the shawl a gorgeous drape and weight.

I was so excited watching the colors change into each other I snapped a couple more pictures to post.

I have a feeling I will be wearing this quite a bit once the weather cools off!

I have been doing some knitting as well.  I found a fun pattern on Ravelry for this infinity scarf it is called the Honey Cowl and I am loving ir!!

The Yarn I was using is by Knitpicks, It was in my Thriftstore Yarn Score that I had posted a couple of weeks ago,  It is called Peciosa "'Mulled", 100% Merino Worsted Weight.  I don't believe they sell it any longer.  Shame, it knits up so pretty!

Pretty!!!!!

How's about a little selfie of me modeling the scarf and my fresh new hair did!!  I have decided to try and grow it out a little for a change.  I am also doing my best to do some low carbing, too!!!  I am at that point where it is still hard, it takes a while and a lot of determination to get my mind and body off the carbs!!!  They are so yummy, and I loves me some pizza and chocolate milk!  Oh the inhumanity of it all!!!

So Sunday is winding down, Monday is closing in...I am trying to get ready for the week.  The weekends go by so fast.  I am crossing my fingers for a good week, and going to do my best to stick with the diet!

Bye for now!!

Half Granny Shawl

Tah-dah!  Just finished it up.  I am loving it right now.  The yarn is actually from a Good Will scarf I bought for a couple bucks because I liked the yarn.  Took it home and frogged the scarf.  I had a pretty sock yarn at home I wanted to blend it with. 

 

I am pretty pleased.  It is kind of fascinating how it changes color.  One moment it has a purple look, then a brown look.   My granny square/crocheting obsession is in full swing right now, and nothing could make me happier.  I think it is because I am wanting fall to get her so badly.  Right now the heat and humidity are brutal and I am inside crocheting scarves and shawls.  Sounds crazy!

 

I really like the border.  I used the border pattern from Doris Chan's, All Shawl.  It is a free ravelry download.  I am now wanting to give the entire pattern a try.  Looks fun and quick, and very pretty.

Here is a closeup snap on the border!

Here is a sneak peak to what I am up to now.  I am not sure what I am going to do with it yet. 

Have a great week everyone!!