Flower Power Baby!!!

The Flower Power Dishcloth is now my new favorite dishcloth to make.  Don't get me wrong I still like The Almost Lost Dishcloth but Flower Power is faster and a little bit more fun. Again, a big thank you to Heldasland for originally posting the link to this fun little project.

I can whip one of these up in no time at all.  I love to play around with the yarn a little to see what fun combinations I can come up with.

This was my original washcloth.  I really liked it but after making the ones above I knew it needed a little something more.

 

A simple single crochet (sc) border in a contrasting color is all it needed to add a little bit of fun.  It makes the dishcloth just a tiny bit wider which I like so much.  You know me by now I have to tweak a pattern, I just can't help myself.

I am excited to make more this weekend.  I have this whole basket of Sugar n' Cream cotton yarn to play with.  I think I might be done with this project much faster now.  Crochet is faster than knitting that is for sure. I think 15 knitted washcloths is enough for now.

What to do with a very, very tired little boy on a rainy Friday evening?  Well make him a place to settle in and watch Elmo on the television.  Sometimes the TV is just what is needed to help ease over a bout of super tiredness.  I mean this little one goes to school, gets all sorts of therapy there and then comes home and goes to therapy as well.  I woke him from a 3 hour nap yesterday, he was sooooooo tired.  Sometimes we need a bit of Elmo to make us happy.

Well Elmo and a snuggle.

Today I am planting some Mums, and hanging out outside with Little Buddy before the heat sets in.  There is the slightest change in the morning air, yesterday when I headed out for my 6:30 AM walk it was only 72 degrees out.  By the afternoon it was 89, but that isn't our regular 92, so that is progress.

Wishing you a wonderful day.

Oops I forgot to wish my Dad a happy birthday tomorrow, he will be 91.  He is a handful but we are glad he is still here.

Yarn in a box and a few more things.......

Nothing makes me quite as happy as getting a box of yarn in the mail.  This box was delivered on the perfect day, after my car tire fiasco, I definitely needed this pick me up.  Have you waited long enough to see what was inside my lovely box from Knit Picks?

After much searching, trips to Joann's and Micheal's, and a few visits to various websites I decided on Knit Picks Wool of the Andes Superwash to make a potential crochet blanket for my family room.  I love bright colors, but they would look horrible in this room.  So after a lot of thought I decided on two variations of green. 

There are ten of each color which I am hoping is enough to make a nice sized blanket.  The darker color is Noble Heather and the lighter one is Pampas Heather.  I am not sure I am in love with the yarn yet, now mind you I have only held it up to my face and rubbed it on my cheek, there has not been any crocheting with it yet.  It is a tad scratchy, which should not surprise me as it is made of wool.  I hope it gets softer as I work with it.  I did not want an expensive blanket, gads you could spend oodles of money to make one if you wanted to.  I am on a budget so that is not happening in my life right now.

I also ordered size 8 and 9 Caspian wooden needles.  Seems this size needle of mine gets borrowed a lot and not returned.  I like the wood, they are smooth and very beautiful.  For the cotton yarn I am using for my dishcloths I find my good old, and I mean old metal needles are the best, the cotton slides right off of them. 

I was also in Barnes and Noble last week and saw these two books.  They are beautiful and inspirational.  I love myself a good knitting or crochet book.  I was not about to pay full price for them but jumped at the chance to get them 40% off at Knit Picks.  They are having a book sale right now if you are interested. 

I think I like these colors together.  I am thinking large granny squares in maybe a different sort of pattern than a traditional granny.  I found this square on Ravelry by SmoothFox, she has loads of other ones, too.  What do you think?  Big 12 x 12 squares, alternating greens.  At least that is my vision of this blanket right now.

I am up to 15 completed dishcloths, and I have to say this past two weeks have ruined my momentum.   So much going on at home and at work, add in a trip and flat tire and well, you know not much gets done.  Just when I thought about throwing in the dishcloth towel, (ha, ha) the wonderful Heldasland posted a picture and link to this beautiful crochet dishcloth.

I was contemplating making it when one of my favorite bloggers  Ingrid 
suggested I make some of these, too.  Then she went and made some and I fell in love even more.  Here is a link to the Flower Power Dishcloth by Doni Speigle.  I loved making it and it has given my brain a rest from The Almost Lost Washcloth.

The pattern suggests an H crochet hook, which I used, but it seems small to me.  My next one will be made with a size I hook just to make it as big as the knitted washcloths.

For you yarn lovers out there I received a catalog in the mail for a new to me yarn company located out of Wisconsin.  I love Wisconsin and have lived there briefly twice, my husbands family still lives there.  I think you should check them out Willow Yarns.  The prices and quality look very much like Knit Picks so I think you will be pleased with what you see.

Seriously this is a whole lot of promoting and I am not getting a thing in return, just thought you yarn lovers might be interested.

I am overwhelmed with work right now, I promise to catch up with blog reading this weekend.
Hope you are having a good week and if you have used Knit Picks Wool of the Andes Superwash, what did you think about it?

Next time I talk about boring you need to kick me in the behind...........

The Universe acts in a funny way.  You talk about your boring little life and BAM you get some excitement shoved right in your face, not excitement you want by the way. This is a long post so I am giving you a little warning.

So my Teenage and I start our 24 hour journey into the college world.  We start up with a lovely small school 2 1/2 hours south of us, Florida Gulf Coast University.  For those of you in the US, you might remember this tiny school making it to the Sweet 16 college basketball tournament 2 years ago, their Cinderella story captured the Nation.  We make it there, drive around a bit and connect with my good friend's son, he takes us around, we go to dinner and leave.  It is raining, it has been raining since we left.  As we head back on the road across Alligator Alley, (this is the stretch of road across the bottom of Florida, it is uninhabited and not the easiest road to drive on even on a sunny day let alone at night in the rain) I am getting tired from the drive and the rain.  But we make it all the way over to Boca Raton, our next stop.  Check into the dingy hotel and grab some sleep.

Day two we leave early, drive around Florida Atlantic University, a slightly bigger school, but new and nice.  We search out dorms, look at the campus and head out.  We have two neighbors at the school but decide it is much to early to contact them.  

We drive northwest across the state to the newest state school Florida Polytechnic Institute.  It really is just one big building and a dorm right now.  It has its first student class at the school this year.  There is no one around.  We drive around a very empty and barren area, an area that one day will house many buildings, dorms and classrooms.  We exit out of the school on a brand new road that is parallel to the expressway we want to be on.  I decide to take this road in hopes of avoiding the confusing toll roads that are right off the expressway we left to reach the school.  This new road must lead us somewhere.  I forgot it is still raining, and we are frankly out in the middle of nowhere.  I decide I really need to turn around and head back to the main entrance when we hear a horrible sound and feel a bump and my tire rapidly loses air.  You bet I have a flat tire and I have really no idea where we are.  

  We call roadside assistance, it takes them an hour to find us because we are out in the middle of nowhere on new roads that very few people travel on. Seriously what you see in these pictures is where we were.  I could hear the expressway, and see the school in front of me but we were stuck.

Bless this man, William my Savior!   He was persistent in finding us, I finally realized I could Google Map myself and that is what helped.  Yea for technology, boo that I did not think about that much earlier in our adventure.  I told you I am a tech loser.

Oh I forgot, I had drank a huge iced tea for the caffeine, something I do not do except for being on the road.  Oh yes I had to go to the bathroom, but would not go as my 17 year old was with me and there was no covered area.  In Florida you do not venture toward the trees and marsh area, there are lots of poisonous things you do not want to meet, and alligators! 

So it was mind over matter on the bladder issue and then when William, (yes I hugged him and gave him a huge tip) installed and inflated that spare tire we were ready to head off.  We got back on the road staying at a slow and steady 63 miles per hour on a road that the speed limit is 70 and people drive 80.  I have to admit that I am not a slow driver, actually I have to really try not to speed, I am not sure what it is about my personality, but I like to be out front, I do not like cars in front of me.  It is not about being fast, or the fastest, I just like a clear view.  So this speed of 63 drove me crazy.  I know I just made a funny there.  As we got moving we rapidly realized my air conditioning was not working.  Really?????

We had to drive with the windows down, at 63 mph on an 85 degree day (which is cool for us).  Thank goodness during our wait for William the Repairman it had stopped raining.

We made it home hot and tired and actually passed two cars on the road, those poor people were going even slower than us.  My bladder is fine now by the way.  My car is going to get four new tires on Monday, which means I cannot go to work and Lord knows what the air conditioning is going to cost me.  Now this trip is costing me well, and I mean well over a thousand dollars more than I had anticipated.  Little Buddy will be home with me on Monday because I will not be able to get him to or from school.

Thank goodness my son was with me.  I have to say two lovely men stopped to ask if I needed help.  I was very thankful, but I have some thoughts on that and that will be another post, this one is too long already.

When I got home the only thing that could make me feel better than a shower and a cup of calming tea (I was pretty hyped from all that iced tea) would be a box of yarn in the mail.  

Yup, I ordered yarn.  I know, I know I said I would not buy more yarn, but it is Autumn everywhere else but here and everyone is making cozy blankets and talking about cooler temps, building fires and leaves changing.  I just couldn't resist.

There is a crochet blanket in my future.  I ordered yarn from KnitPicks for the very first time.  I am hoping I will not be disappointed. You are going to be kicking me in the butt (again) for starting it because you know I am going to complain about making it.  Just giving you another warning.

Hope your weekend was more boring than mine, and remind me not to think my life is boring.

Boring, boring and more boring

These days I am just so boring.  I do the same thing everyday, working, taking care of Little Buddy, doing paperwork, running errands, and cleaning.  I swear I am so bored with myself I can't stand it.  And I am sure you are bored with me, too.

Seriously how many more of these can you take?

Yes another one completed, and that is just pathetic as these two are the only ones I have completed in a week.  Yes other boring things are taking up my time.

I can't even count this one as it is made from the end of one skein of yarn and the beginning of another one.  I am trying not to waste any yarn, so this one will be mine. 

The basket is filling up, but much to slowly.  I wish my hands would fly and that I would be able to knit and drive at the same time.  I waste so much time driving, I could be done with 40 of these by now if I could do the two things at the same time. 

My garden is overgrown with weeds and dead plants.  I need to spend time out there but who has any to spare?  I had to creep in and get these pictures to make you think I have a lovely garden to look at, really it is quite pathetic!

So how about a few quirky things you might not know about me, as I have no real projects to show you and I have to talk about something.   

I am obsessed with having loads of toilet paper in my house, and I mean loads.  If a natural disaster strikes I will be able to supply my neighborhood for several days.  I am getting that way about diapers, too.

I am a bit obsessed with having a clean house, especially a clean floor.  If my floor is clean then I feel my whole house is clean even if it isn't.  Little B is on the floor a lot still, seeing the tops of his dirty socks as he crawls around makes me feel ill, so out comes the mop, again.

I simply cannot pick out a senior picture for my 17 year old.  I know it is because I am not ready for him to go away to school.  I figure if I don't pick it out he won't graduate.

Speaking of not being ready for him to go, we are taking a 24 hour tour of schools starting this afternoon.   We were supposed to do this at the end of the summer but tonsillitis and tonsil removal changed our plans.  Did I already say I am not ready for him to go?

I miss Mr. 20, everyday, how pathetic is that?  I think I am supposed to be over this by now.

I cannot text.  I hit wrong keys, I can't proofread it if I don't have my readers on so I look like I have had a few drinks every time I text.  Actually once Mr. 20 asked me if I was drunk texting him, did you know there was even a phrase like that?  It made it even funnier as I don't drink alcohol.

I am a tech loser, I am old school.  I don't want to Tweet, Instagram, Facebook or anything like that.  What happened to a good ole blog post or a phone call? 

I think I was British in a past life,  and Little Buddy calls me Mummy, with a bit of an accent so he must have been too.

Max is getting older, I cannot even think about it.  I love my boy so much.  

How about you?  Anything quirky you want to share with me?

Remembering Gracie

Today my MIL Gracie would have been 96 years young.  She passed away just six short months ago.  It is hard to believe she is not coming over for dinner, calling on the phone or even sitting on the sofa cheering the Packers when they play.  She was a bit forgetful towards the end, but she was a fighter and really fought to live until her very last breath.  I miss her.  When she passed away we received some lovely things that were in her room, I have not posted about them before so I thought this would be a good day.

Her cane hangs on the hall-tree right by my front entryway and next to my bedroom.

 

Gracie's grandfather made this table.  He was a carpenter and this table is exquisite.  Even the wheels are wood.  We think this was made in the late 1800's.  

The detail is quite amazing.

He also created this chair.  I am not sure who did the needlework on it maybe Gracie's Grandmother?  It is a very fragile piece so we keep it off the beaten path in our house.  On the chair is the wrap I made for Gracie for her 95th birthday.  She loved it over her shoulders as she was often chilly in the last few years of her life.

Everyday I wear the simple silver ring she had on when she died, on a beaded crochet necklace.  I feel like she is there with me, next to my heart and it makes me feel close to her.

 

Gracie had an adventurous spirit and lived a very full life.  She fought for peace and equality and loved her family with a fieriness. 

She was proud of these boys of mine, and they ADORED her.  She always met them at their level and celebrated each and every accomplishment they had and was always there to give encouragement when needed.

Gracie was so excited Little Buddy came into our life.  She loved watching him play, and even though she could not get down on the floor with him she gave him so much attention.   He still asks about her which I think is amazing.

I miss these hands, hands that have worked hard, loved hard and helped to create such a better life for so many.

I miss her smile, her giggle and her sense of humor.  I still want to be like Gracie when I grow up.  

Happy Birthday Gracie you are missed.

It may seem odd that I have this big post about Gracie when my Mom recently passed away, too.  My Mom would have been 86 on July 31.  That was a sad day for me, but my Mom left us years ago and her deterioration was excruciating to watch, slow and steady, losing an inch of life at a time.  I love my Mom, but I have been mourning her loss for years, she has not been the same woman, my Mom, for at least 10 years.  Gracie was the same until the end.  I miss them both, just in different ways.

Happy 96 Gracie.  I am sure you are in Heaven trying to make the world a better place from there. And watch out to whoever gets in your way!

Quiet Friday Mornings

Friday mornings are my favorite time of the week. And there is one real reason for that, it is quiet.  I am alone and it is quiet (oops that is two reasons).  Monday and Wednesday's mornings I am alone too, but there are errands to run, a shower to take, work to get ready for, it is all so rushed.  By the time I pick up Little Buddy from school I am in a mad dash to get home and leave for work.  Friday's there is no driving to work, and if I can help it minimal errands to run.  It is me, alone in my house savoring the almost three hours of glorious quiet. 

On my way home from dropping off Little Buddy at school I made my quick grocery run and bought these beauties for my kitchen table.  I have decided that I really need flowers for my table, it is a treat that is very cost affective and lightens my mood.  I used to think buying flowers was frivolous but not anymore, they are a necessity. 

With the extra yarn from my crochet basket I made two more dishcloths.  I am up to a whopping 12 now but I have lost my mojo this week.  I have been tired because of my new schedule and all the driving I do.   I have gotten Little Buddy fed, bathed and to bed and then I go to my bed and read.  That doesn't last all that long before I am drifting off to sleep, I will get used to this new schedule but it might take a bit of time.  By the way I am reading Lunch with Buddha by Roland Merullo.  It is a sequel to Breakfast with Buddha, a book that I really enjoyed.  I am really enjoying this book also, I just need to stay awake long enough to read it.

This is my goal this weekend, to get a lot done on this table runner for my SIL.  It has been sitting by idly waiting to be noticed.  I am about half way done so I need to get moving and finish it before even more time goes by.

 Little Buddy's bedroom looks so nice in the morning light.  The rocking chair was my Grandmother's, it used to be covered in a horrible fabric.  I had it recovered years ago, I think these jewel tones look a bit 90's.  It is a smallish chair, made for a woman I think.  It creaks appropriately when rocking just like a good rocking chair should.  Little Buddy and I read books before bedtime and naps and then sing a few songs before I put him down in his crib.  Last week he was so tired he said,"I want a bushel and a peck, Mommy"  So cute!

Little Buddy is now being quite the character at school.  Seems everyday when I pick him up I hear something about circle time, listening and such from the teacher.  I have to laugh because if it was my first born I would be so upset, but now I laugh and think, he is three!  But we do go over the rules which have now been expanded to:

1.  No hitting your friends or teachers with your walker.

2.  No touching friends with your hands at circle time.

3.  We must have a quiet mouth and listen when the teacher is talking during circle time.

4. We must sit in our own special seat at circle and not someone elses.

Seems like circle time might be an issue!  Maybe I should have a chat with the teacher about making circle time more interesting or at least shorter!  Okay I will be a good girl and keep my mouth quiet.......for now at least.   I think I might have to review rule number 3 for myself.

Hope you have a wonderful weekend.  I am grabbing another cup of tea, my loom and getting busy with the few precious moments I have left of my Friday morning alone.  Enjoy your day.

Mid-Week Little Buddy Fix

I know it is technically not mid-week yet, but I have just finished half of my work week so it is mid-week for me.  I have some paperwork to finish, laundry to do and a little boy to get down for his nap just as soon as he gets back from therapy.  I need a bit of motivation to get these tasks done.  Maybe you need some motivation also or just a big dose of cuteness.  So here are a few pictures of Little Buddy from this weekend when we were walking around outside in the early morning heat.

Hope you are motivated after you see them, or that they just make you smile.

Enjoy!

 

Savoring my Saturday

I just love Saturday's.  I love waking up on my own, going for a walk and drinking a cup of tea while reading a few blogs.  Today I did just that and then Little Buddy and I went outside to do some yard work.  He walked around while I weeded and cut back some very overgrown bushes.  It was so hot and humid out that I saw little drops of sweat rolling down his sweet face, yes that is Florida for you in September at ten in the morning.  So we came inside and did some house work.  He was chatting away, walking around and frankly messing up my clean floors.  I love to hear his chattering about trains, elevators (which he calls an alligator), school and well just anything that comes to his mind.  He is so darling and talking more and more everyday.

Even though I have some paperwork to do for work I am getting things done around the house instead.  And I have been grabbing a little bit of time with yarn.  Thursday I suddenly had to make another crochet basket, why I am not really sure but the impulse was just too strong to ignore.  I grabbed yarn I already had, a size L hook and got busy. It took me two days because frankly I had to give my wrists and forearms a rest.  I feel like I had a huge workout and my arms are sore today.  Here is a peek.

This baby is large, like really large.   I once again used the crochet basket pattern by Liz.  I was inspired by Tanna, Tammy and now Sabrina. 

When I see the baskets they have made I just want to make another one.

This basket is so big I can fit my other basket in it with room to spare.  I think I should have made it smaller but who cares it is done now and I can fill it with lots and lots of yarn.

I had bought yarn to make some of these as gifts but I have to be honest here, joining rounds in crochet is not a strength of mine.  Yes I have seen all the tutorials, and YouTube videos.  I am impatient, I want to go and go and not be bothered finishing every round by cutting off the yarn and securing it.  The middle portion doesn't look to bad but the side, well that is another story.

 

  I don't want you all to think I am some master crocheter, I lack a lot of skills.  So I will be keeping this basket for myself and won't be giving these as gifts due to my impatience and pathetic joins.  I guess that will leave me with more cotton yarn to make dishcloths for presents.

The best way to camouflage your mistakes on a basket is to fill it up so no one really notices.  I think this might be a great place to put finished washcloths.  These washcloths are approximately 9 1/2 inches across, so you can see this basket is indeed pretty big.

More things to savor on this Saturday.  A dishcloth nearing completion, this will be number nine for me.

And on my walk this morning I found these sycamore leaves on the sidewalk.  Make no mistake, Autumn is not arriving here anytime soon.  These leaves have simply been on the tree too long, they fall off and then turn yellow.  I can imagine they are on the ground because of Autumn and I can also imagine it is not 93 degrees out right now.

These beauties were sent to me from a wonderful blogging friend.  I am not mentioning names in case there are some weird rules out there about feathers being sent in the mail. I am a feather lover as you know.  I feel like each one you find is a special gift from God, nature, the universe whatever source you believe in.  I have found just a few feathers this year,  and really very few last year.  When I saw these on my friends blog I gasped, they are so gorgeous and the darker one I have never seen before.  So getting these in the mail was an exceptionally sweet surprise.  A gift from a friend and the universe, what could be better?

Hope you are having a great weekend and did not get a phone call from your son saying his car got towed because he forgot to move it off that particular street at the University last night because it is a football game day today.  I will have to work a bit of overtime next week to pay for it.  Ah.........to be young and have a open wallet payed for by your parents.

Hope you are savoring your Saturday.