Today's Crochet Inspiration

The purpose of this post is to make you smile. The happy little baby is my niece, Maya, wrapped in the blanket I made for her. It was one of those moments when she was giggling, and the more we laughed with her, the more she laughed back...she is adorable. When I look at this picture all I see is how comfy and cozy she looks, and how happy it makes her. Now this is what living is all about!

I was thinking about how much I love crochet and why. I think it just goes with life. Or at least it goes with my life! I love graphic shapes and lots of color and crochet offers it up on a big ole plate! I can't imagine living in my house without my afghans, pillows and other crocheted treasures around me.

These are a few of my flickr faves, which I often refer back to for inspiration. If you think that crocheting granny squares is for the little old ladies at the rest home, I offer this to you...I think it's art. Painting with yarn. Art that you can touch and wrap yourself up in. It touches all your senses!

Hopefully I am leaving you with a smile on your face!

Sunday Morning Rambling

Yes, I did start another diva scarf...I couldn't help it. I love the pattern and it is so much fun to work on. This time in bold graphic black & white with some reds and grays mixed in. I think it will be a beauty when I get it done.

I am making it wider so it can be worn as a wrap as well as a scarf. I'll keep you all posted on my progress as I knit this up. Why is it we do not have time for all we like to do!? I have crochet projects on my list that I want to get to...and I am so hooked on this knit scarf I can't seem to get enough of it!

I love Sunday mornings. I always get up early to take care of Phoebe, then I settle down with some tea and whatever I am working on. If I am really lucky I can score a good black & white movie on TCM...this morning was just one of those. A great movie with Gary Cooper in it! Sucked me right in.

My weekend has been packed with activity. Yesterday I planted some ornamental gourd seeds! I cannot wait to see them sprout up. My dad came over and tilled up a small flower bed for me to do this. I also got a elephant ear bulb in the ground. Next week I will add some flowers. I am just too low on time to get that done and the back yard has to be mowed today. The weather is perfect and I am going to take the opportunity to get a little sun as I mow!

I will leave you with a picture of the back deck. I have to daily clean the coating of pollen off everything, but that's okay!

Yes, I have it decked out with some granny square action, too!!! And my shirret rug, which took me hours and hours of work! But it feels so good under my feet. I have a friend who will not step on it, she says it's too pretty to walk on!


It's like being in a tree house!

Back Update: I am doing so much better! I had my epidural steroid shot on Monday...slept most of the day away...but I felt the immediate effect! I am back to my active self with very little hip/back pain! Yay!!! I just hope it lasts awhile!

Yummy Yarn Faves

Yummy Yarn Faves
Originally uploaded by Buckster's Pics

Hey Guys! I am just hoping to share some inspiration with you. Here are some fantastic grannies I have found on flickr the past few days. I love my flickr community. It constantly inspires me and gets me motivated! My God, just look at that scarf!!! It's awesome.

For those who may not know me well...I am a granny square addict. These pictures just fuel my addiction to buy more yarn and make more squares!

I must give props to the talent I find on flickr...it's mind blowing what these folks create with yarn and a hook!

HATS OFF!

Diva Scarf Finished!

It's Finished! And now I am jones'n to start another...actually I have started another...LOL..but it will be more of a wrap. This pattern came from Vanna White's Book, Heartfelt Gifts to Knit and Crochet. I can highly recommend this to anyone who knits.

This is such a fun scarf to work on. I just selected the colors that appealed to me and went to town. After I finished one stripe I randomly picked up another color and went from there. After about a third way through the scarf I no longer needed the pattern to refer to. It is very repetitive and easy to remember!

I love the lacy look it has! I can see this done up in so many ways. It would be beautiful done in different earth tones. I started another one in red and plan on adding cream, black, and grey into it. And I am making it wider to be used more like a wrap.

In the meantime I have been asked to knit a vest for a co-worker. I am a bit nervous about it, not truly knowing exactly what she wants and if my knitting skills are up to par. And then the hardest thing of all...COMING UP WITH A PRICE! I don't know if any of you have this problem. But it is a tough one for me. After all, my time is my time, and it is precious and hard to come by!

I have so many other things I want to do as well, and a house full of projects that are seriously needing my attention! Plus my Babette Blanket really needs to get finished...it is so close! Maybe if I get it out and place it on the ottoman in front of my favorite seat in the house...just maybe I may be enticed to pick it up again!

For now...I'm back to the grind!

Blurry Weenie Dog

Blurry Weenie Dog
Originally uploaded by Buckster's Pics

Hey folks...just wanted to share with you a sweet little picture of Phoebie looking very comfy in my bed! This makes it so hard to get up and get ready to go to work in the morning.

I am happy to say I have finished my diva scarf just last night and hope to get pictures of it posted this evening! I have it blocked and ready to go! I am excited to show it off. It took a little longer to get done than I expected, but I have been bombarded with serious yard work and spring cleaning!

Happy Tuesday to everyone! It is sunny here and the warmth feels so good on my shoulders when I get outside!

Inspiration!

calypso stripes com
Originally uploaded by forines13

I ran across this on flickr, and immediately loved it! So much that I had to share it with by blog buddies!

It is so happy and festive!

My camera software is temporarily on the fritz, with my laptop blowing up, I am completely of my blogging game! :-( I have a solution coming and hopefully by the end of the week will be able to share pictures of my current scarf!!

Can't wait to share it with you!

Diva Scarf

I assure you I have not fallen off the face of the earth. Between my husband working out of town, keeping up with the house and the yard work, a bit of a bad back, and just life in general, time has been precious and hard to find! It is spring here in North Carolina, but by the feel of the air you wouldn't know it! If it weren't for everything blooming, the grass growing and greening up, and the birds singing I would swear it were fall! But there are promises for warmer weather on the horizon and I cannot wait.

I have found time to make a couple more scarves for the etsy shop. Seems strange to be making scarves this time of year, but I do enjoy it, and it is such a great creative release!

I came across this pattern in a book by Vanna for her new yarn, which by the way I absolutely LOVE!

It is a fairly easy pattern to follow…I do have to pay attention to keep the count, but it is very repetitious which helps. I am using my scraps in the colors that I love. I imagine I will more than likely make another one of these once I finish this one.

You can get a good idea of the pattern here. Once I get it finished and blocked it will look like the one in the book!

Here is another I finished up last week…it reminds me of candy. I am not sure what to call it yet. I like the contrast of the black against the bright pinks and blues. It is so soft, it is a shame you cannot feel over the internet!

I also was given a subtle hint by my sister that she needed a scarf! Well, I was on the case immediately. I knew she would definitely not wear anything that was too flashy, so I tried to restrain myself. I found this super soft yarn in Hobby Lobby (on sale, even better!) in her colors so it went home with me!

I decided to crochet it. I was needing a break from my knitting needles and this was the perfect opportunity!

I'll think she will like it!

Last week, as I was rummaging through a cabinet I came across a pine needle basket I had started a couple of year ago, all wrapped up in a FoodLion bag, just waiting for me to finish it. I thought, I should be ashamed of myself for letting this sit for so long! Yes, I make baskets. I don't do it often, because it is not something you can just pick up and set down easily! This was my first effort for a pine needle basket. I bought the kit which included all the supplies needed and instructions when I was at a Sea Grove Pottery Festival. There was a lady there making them and selling the kits. She gave me a quick five minute lesson and sent me on my way with kit in hand! I am so happy to show it to you today. It's a cracker basket…and yes, I am hooked! I have a list ready to order more supplies to do more baskets.

Not bad for my first effort! The ends were the hardest and going around the walnut slices. Other than that it wasn't bad at all! I am sure with time and practice I could get much better at doing this. I was looking at some online that looked like works of art!!

Well, looking back on this post I can see that I was not a total slug last week…I did get some things accomplished!