Tuesday, April 30, 2013

A Start and A Stop

Forty inches of baby girl granny and its a wrap!  Just waiting for the arrival of the next little one.  I am taken with the flower in the middle.  It so changes and enhances the granny.  There certainly will be more of these to come.



And of course, with the completion of the flower granny a new project had to come aboard!  The Greengate blanket that I had posted about a few days ago had been shouting my name, so what was I supposed to do.  Headed to my stash ... Red Heart of course ... and found the same colors.  This is the most delightful thing to work on.  I don't know if its just the coloring or the fact of switching to different colors every few rows keeps it interesting.  Its fun and down right cheerful.  A large blanket, this will take quite some time to complete and I can see this being put away until Fall once the hot weather hits.  But that's ok ... the doily CAL that I'm doing with Stitchy McFloss will then become top priority and a wonderful summer crochet as will other thread projects.

And that's what the hook is doing at the moment.  Of course, that could change at any moment.  So many patterns out there!

Have a lovely day, blessings.

Sunday, April 28, 2013

Spring of Yesterday

I love spring, I love watching the earth awaken and the vibrant colors that are coming to life. Right now this season shows signs of the springs I remember as a child. The mornings were clear and crisp and bright with sunshine.

I'm reminded of walking to the bus stop and while waiting for the bus we played hopscotch. There were four or five of us, five if Jimmy came running down from the bus stop up the street. Each one of us always carried a piece of chalk, the first one to get to the stop would draw the board if it wasn't there from the day before, or darken the lines if it was still there.


Photobucket

As soon as we arrived, we would deposit our lunches and whatever else we were carrying that day to school on the ground by the street sign, get our stones and the game would begin! Let me tell you, it was serious business for this group. We calculated where to stand to toss our stone to each number; when we had made our way to to blocks 8, 9 and 10, a running jump was executed.

We played each year during fall and spring from about third to sixth grade; elementary school years. I guess by the time we began junior high we must have thought that we were too adult to play anymore,the game ceased and the road no longer boasted of children at play.

I seldom ever see a hopscotch board any more. I saw one last year, the first I had seen in many, many years, and as ours had been, very simply drawn with white chalk on the pavement. It made me smile.

May your day be blessed
with smiles.









 

Thursday, April 25, 2013

Thursday Thoughts

Even if you're on the right track,
you'll get run over if you
just sit there.
-Will Rogers



Sunday, April 21, 2013

A Family that crochets together.

Is a family that is having a wonderful time!  My DIL loved her ripple blanket so much she sent a picture to her sister.  Her sister loved it too and mentioned that she would love one in gray, pale yellow and white.  Well, picked up the yarn on Friday and DIL is off and running making one for her sister.   Now, understand, she hasn't been crocheting for too long, just the past few months making a granny ghan for the grand pumpkin but she has taken off on this ripple like an old pro.  Her stitches are perfectly done, just the right tension.  She is so excited about doing this and I am so proud of her.
What you see here is the start on Saturday night.  There now are several rows with all the colors having been used.  She is doing three rows of each color.  

I love this color combination as well, something I'm sure I will be using in the future.


Speaking of future projects.  I saw this today at Hopscotch Lane and am totally taken with it as well.  Especially the coloring. 

This no doubt will be a very long term project, but I think I need to have one.  I think this would be such a wonderful summer throw/spread.  And look at her little furry baby.  Isn't she just the sweetest?

Time to get the hook moving, have to get something done so one of these can begin.

Blessings to your week.

Saturday, April 20, 2013

Signs and Thoughts of Spring

I have been watching the tree outside my kitchen window all week.  The buds slowly opening to leaves.  The new green.  I love this.  For several years now this time of year, the new green brings to mind a certain spring and a certain young girl. 

She lived up the street from me, a short distance, a walking distance, so of course we went to the same elementary school. The bus would pick her up first in the morning, the next stop was mine. We always sat together on the way to school and more often then not on the way home as well, reversed bus ride, I would be let off first to go home. Our friendship, that was over 50 years ago.

She would at times stay over night at my house. She had a giggle that I can still hear if I quietly listen. We were silly little girls. My father would work the bingo game for our church once a month and when he did my mother and brother and I would go to bingo as well. Many times she would come along with us and spend the night afterwards. She won one night, oh my goodness, it was so, so exciting.

One spring morning ... I really remember the day, it was very beautiful, such a blue, blue sky ... I got on the bus and took my seat next to her on the right side of the bus about half way back. We usually sat there. As soon as I got settled in my seat she handed me this little white box. Never having received a gift before like this I didn't think too much of it until I opened the box. Inside was a silver band ring nestled in a small rectangle of cotten, the ring had an open cutwork design and was so shiny. It was the most beautiful thing I think I had ever seen. She told me it was a friendship ring. Can you imagine how special that was? And how special that is to even this day, almost a lifetime later.

That afternoon after school my mother took me out so that I could get her a ring from me. Giving her her ring the next day was at least anticlimatic to what I experienced but nevertheless we cemented our friendship.

During junior high school we had moved and somehow we had drifted. Many years after high school my mother had run into her mother. They made plans to meet, her daughter would be there with her children and I would come with my sons. We were both excited to see each other, it had been a long time. The day before we were to meet she had gotten the flu or something so that we had to postpone our visit but shortly we would plan a get together again.

A few weeks later I was driving to my mother's and along the way I had passed our school bus stops ... and for some reason I remembered the friendship ring, the blue sky, the bus ride that one spring morning and it made me smile and warmed my heart. She was such a great kid! I had often passed this way but for some reason the memory had chosen now to surface.

Shortly after this my mother had run into her mother. It seems that the week that I had gone to my mother's, the week that I had remembered that spring morning, she had had a massive heart attack. She had died at the age of 41. That was 22 years ago. It struck me that I hadn't thought of that spring morning, of those two little girls, until that week and thinking that we would see each other again shortly.

I wrote to her mother, telling her of the memory that my heart held. I also told her that knowing the type of child she had been I also knew the type of adult she would have grown to be and that I could not begin to imagine their heartache.

She was my first best friend. Its more then a good memory, it was a special time of life. I can imagine now that she has and continues to fill heaven with her laughter and giggles. photo BestFriendsandtheDollie.jpg
So, to the new green and to Barbara,
thank you for being my first best friend. God bless you.

Thursday, April 18, 2013

Thursday Thoughts

 

I am not afraid of storms
for I am learning to sail my ship.
-Helen Keller



Tuesday, April 16, 2013

How many projects are too many?


I can't answer that!  As far as I'm concerned, the more the merrier.  So, since the ripple afghan is completed and delivered I had only one thing to do ... add another afghan project.  Let's see, that makes ... oh, for now I'll just say that there are many projects a few which you know about.  Someday I'll fess up to all there are ...  I can never get enough.  The latest addition is another Wool Eater. 
Soft white, medium purple, dark orchid and orchid.  I had originally thought of incorporating a green but I think I'm going to stick with just the purples and white. 
  And yes, I'm using my old standby Red Heart.  I know some are not fond of Red Heart, but I have to tell you, when the project is completed, washed and dryed ... goodness, it is very soft and wears so very well.

 
Although I talk of crochet, 
my heart, prayers and
thoughts are filled
with Boston. 

Sunday, April 14, 2013

Improvising

Yesterday's delivery of the ripple ghan and night shirt was a hit along with an unexpected delight.  Usually when I wrap something like the night shirt I like to tie a pretty ribbon around it and thought a bright pink would be nice, however, none to be found among the
ribbons I had.  So I improvised, and I think this is something that I will be doing again.  Using the same pink from the ripple ghan, I made a puff flower from a pattern I had, then taking two strands of yarn, I chained a length to fit around the night shirt and pulled through the flower into a bow.  My DIL loved it.  She may attach it to the ghan, she may use it as a head band. 
I'm thinking there are endless possibilites now for embelishing packages and gifts.  Ahhh, isn't crocheting just grand!  And the nicest part, I had someone who truly appreciated these labors of love.
Smiling large.


Wishing you a wonderful week.


Friday, April 12, 2013

Yipes, Stripes and a few other things...



A finish for DIL who is patiently waiting.  She knows this is being worked on and can't wait.  Well, its been washed and is in the dryer right now and she will receive this tomorrow.  I hope she loves this as much as I did in making it.  The pattern is the Neat Ripple Pattern from Attic 24.  Its a nice soft wavy type ripple, certainly one to be used again (and again). 

Saw this striped night shirt and thought she might enjoy this as well.  The lace embellishment and the hot pink ribbon are just enough.

This sweet granny was seen by dil's sister and she loved it.  I too love the look, especially with the flower in the middle.  There wasn't a pattern but I just started with the flower and then continued into a granny.  So, so easy, so, so cute.  I think maybe one or two more repeats for the finish. 

Finally picking up the thread again after quite some time.  I have joined in with Stitchy McFloss with this doily CAL, isn't it a beauty.  I've just started row 10 out of 33 rows.  Its will be a very nice table topper size.  Just what I was looking for ... thanks, Stitchy! 

Several other afghans in the works.  I love the bouncing from one to the other, keeps it interesting.  And, of course, fickle as the hook is, there are a few more afghans I've discovered that are just waiting to get started.  As soon as the granny is done, one more can be added to the mix.  Now, just to decide which one.  Oh yes, have to add another doily/topper.  Goodness, what an addiction!

Happy Weekend and abundant blessings.