A year in yarn!

Okay so one quilting project slipped in!

Happy new yarn year to you all!

Happy December 25th

the day is known to be stressful... But why?

Even if the tree is crooked or the decorations aren't just so, it's okay!

Just look forward and find the next place to land!

Yesterday I had a good time with the comings and goings of someone in my neighborhood.  By the end of the day, I had conjured up a whole back story while I crocheted more blocks!

Here's hoping you can take a moment and look around you today...and if the beginnings of a spy novel come to you, all the better!

Squares, the first stop on the way to strings.

So, I might be a teeny tiny touch obsessed.
Well, obsessed is a strong word.
Preoccupied, passionate, intrusive to the point of....okay yeah. Obsessed.

But! I've taken about three plastic grocery bags full of leftovers and now have 68 finished squares and  45 something blocks that just need their icing (white row) in order to be finished.

Here are the iced and un-iced cookies! 

This s Mrs obsessive Claus' work top 

(I.e. A TV tray so I can watch gingerbread baking competition, etc)

And I found this little beauty hiding in a corner.

It's a partial skein of Wintuk yarn.  Cost?

78 cents!

Skeins are getting smaller and costing more. So less than a dollar this one cost!

For me, this little project will cost less than $6.00. The only yarn I'm buying is the white!
I've spent two different crochet day on this with some hours in between...so it's costing me about 30 cents an hour!

Here's hoping you find freebie fun today!

Strings, the finale....or is it?

so the pet mat was just finished and sadly I could not entice my usual model to come for a resting photo.  Alas, it will happen as he stared at the final colors going into the mat with what I can only imagine as avarice, or perhaps confidence in that he will be able to attack it later.  I must admit I'm mostly pleased that this used up my tiny bits of string.

No full skeins were harmed in the making of this pet mat!

It has encouraged me to get back to my squares which is what caused the strings in the first place.
Nothing like ending 2019 on a good note of using and reusing and recycling!

I call this the pretty side.

This is the activity side!

This has definitely renewed my desire to finish projects again so although the list of UFO's are smaller, I might be energized to chase them again!  

Here's hoping you mark something off your to-do list or progress them at least today!

Strings

so, to go along with my thanksgiving project of using up yarn bits and pieces, I am left with little tiny amounts of yarn, like this....

So what's a girl to do?  Well, she gets a little stubborn.  She refuses to throw away any string more than say 20 inches long....
And so she ties them together and winds them into one big ball, well four good sized balls that look like this...

And then she single crochets them into a small rug thing to put on the sofas so the cats can lay on it. Except she didn't realize how many frickin strings it would take!  One ball of strings only netted about five inches of finished product!

 

A look on the fuzzy side.

But it's been quite fun to use up these bits while making something useful at the same time.
I quite enjoyed finishing up so many projects this year and these mats will be like a visual photo album of projects past!


Here's hoping you find a use for every little thing in your life today!

It's beginning to feel more like Christmas...

I made the classic Christmas blunder. I overbought.  You know how sometimes you buy wrapping paper in January forgetting that you already have a good stash?  Well this year it was cards. I shopped small business Saturday and found some cute Christmas cards.  I brought them home and pulled out last year's leftovers and.....well, I believe there were seven different kinds of cards, 45+ cards!

Whoops!  Oh well, it made the card giving task kind of fun because you could choose what felt right for each card recipient.

I neglected to get some cute holiday stamps to go with, but oh well!

With a few exceptions, the first wave is done.

We always find someone else, or need to find an address.

In the meantime. The stockings are getting some 'fur' on top.  I still think I can finish this weekend. Stuff with a few candies and the workplace giveaways will be done!

Here is hoping you persevere to completion on whatever task you work on today!

What I did on my holiday weekend

After ten days of being sick I was finally feeling better.
As has become my habit, I seem to want to start a new project since it was the holiday weekend.
Since leftovers seem to be the theme, I went looking for the leftover yarn.

No ball was too small.  I started with variegated centers and neutrals followed.

A dark color came next

Followed by a whit border.  I managed to get over  50 squares in process.

I relooked in the bag and I had not even used a half of the smallest of leftovers!

I did find a very small skein of 'plastic canvas yarn'. 

The price tag was amusing for two reasons. One that it was from a Ben Franklin store.

I have not seen one of those for years. 

And the price of $.40 ...well that's even more amazing!

Here's hoping you find something to do with your leftovers, no matter what they are.

Another I love you...

Along with my Christmas stocking assembly line, I'm working on another I love you prayer shawl.
The dark purple called to me but I worried it wouldn't be enough and so, the white jumped out at me, longing to be a part of this!

This is my morning knit.  Before the morning's drama begins, I like to get up in morning and listen to my podcasts and knit. It's funny. Sometimes this is a distraction and I can't shut my mind off and enjoy the back and forth of the rows. Sometimes it's my refuge and I'm calmed afterwards.  The common denominator is the reason for it.  I know I'm making this to give away and to offer comfort in some small way.  It gives me pleasure to think this.

Here's hoping you find pleasure in something simple today!

Monday fun days

Blueman has been surprising me with dinner and working on his creative cooking.  So it amused me that when I opened my leftovers one day at work to find a heart shaped burger.

Nothing says love like a heat shaped meat patty!!

I don't care for this brand but found this flavor interesting. 

What WON'T we put in ice cream?

This I saw last week.

This week I bought some. It's not bad with banana slices.

I'm still quite enjoying my work screen saver.

This little fella seems to be applauding me. 

Who doesn't need that at work sometimes?

Here's hoping you receive appreciation and/or applause today!

July is complete!

I believe the color for July was pink. I fell terribly behind due to some illness and some mental recovery that had to take place before I could sew again. I cannot sew tired or angry or moody....I do too much "un"sewing! I finally took a for me day and I wandered from project to project, happy as a pig in mud.

I finish some pretty pink squares.

 I must admit I like the random ones better than the more precise kind.

It must suit my whimsical nature better!

I couldn't resist the name of this product.

I gather it means spicy.

I wonder if they make yowza wowza fish sauce...

Or maybe Hubba Hubba beef flavor...

How about wing zing chicken seasoning?

Here's hoping you find some whoopedeedoo in your world today!

(And that's it's a good thing!)

Where does the time go?

I've been reading so much that other things are going to pot!  It's been a glut of fiction around the house lately. I need to come back to the real world and tell Cherise Sinclair and Ilona Andrews to stop tempting me into neglecting my other hobbies!

I now have 17 of these little monsters done.

Ideal number would be 32. 

Do you suppose I can finish that in a month?

Tomorrow I'll show you more of my progress on other things. 

I have vacation days and sick days....I really need my employer to offer craft days.

All of this was just too much for my baby to handle.

Wait a minute...I think he has the right idea.

A nap sounds mighty fine!

Here's hoping you get something mighty fine today!

No time like now

so for some reason after I fed the children this morning, I was wandering around the kitchen, straightening things and emptying the dishwasher. Normal.
Then I decided to do something I'd been thinking about for awhile.
I pulled out all plastics and made sure there was a top for every bottom.

I realize that this likely is a symptom of an underlying issue. Maybe I feel the lack of control in other areas and now I just need to be in control of my....plastic life?!  Anywho, it didn't take long and the result were what I expected.

This is the storage container pile where every dish has a lid.

Here are the orphans.  

I don't recal ever owning square containers like the upper left. 

As it had no lid, it's not surprising.

It took all of ten minutes to do.  What could you do in ten minutes that satisfies your organizational needs?  Here's hoping you find ten minutes of organization fun today. (Or more!)

Gifts and more inspiration II

along with a bit of yarn, I was gifted with some fabric. Being a texture addict, I love the feel of fabric as much as the look.

This has a great feel and I might need to try out my special stitches on my machine.

Wouldn't shades of green edged on this be beautiful?

I may have to touch it some more to decide.

Quilt of valor colors!

I can always use more patriotic colored fabric.

Perhaps I'll share ... Or selfishly use it on my next project!

Now this is just fun! Who can't use a little more froggy fun?

As is normal, I have 800 ideas on how to use these pieces of fabric.

Here's hoping you find fun inspiration today.

No pictures

so, some progress has been made on the craft front. I managed to store the gifted yarn until it can be used. I have a dozen stockings made for gifts. I'm about an hour away from finishing the base of a baby blanket. I re-upped my book quota and am almost on track for my yearly goal.

But pictures are how I track things. Funny items in the store, roadside novelties, they all make interesting blog posts. Alas, the new picture depot was empty.

So, I'm here. Struggling a little with a new diagnosis but getting through it.
Digging out a new spot at work.
Wishing there were more time for everything.
Trying to beat this back thing. I refuse to call it an injury.
Enjoying new tv shows.
Following my normal routine.

But not taking any pictures.

Here's hoping you find something picture worthy today!

It's beginning to look like...Christmas?

I was in a funk and not interested in any of my current craft projects.  I was in the mood for something new.  Something different.  I guess I was getting seasonal.  I spent some time on Saturday working on some prototypes before finding the pattern that I like.

With luck, this will work out to get me enough for that gift giving holiday in a couple of months.

I need around 32 or more.

I currently have six (picture was taken earlier in the day!)

Then on a shopping trip to the store, I spotted this.

What's with all these random flavored things?

Chicken and waffle chips, stuffing flavored almonds, surprise flavored oreo's...

This one doesn't even sound good.

And I tried the orange Vanilla Coke!

Here's hoping you find a fun flavor in your life today!

Gifts and more inspiration part I

So, a lovely friend was busting her stash.
Several of us were benefactors and now my mind is awash with ideas and plans.

It filled the back of the car quite nicely.

As well as my dining table once it was spread out.

Pretty colors!

The maternal unit and I were discussing patterns, which colors would look good if mixed with others.

I confess, I'm itching to get started but I really want to finish what I'm working on first. Why oh why was my last choice of project a slow single crochet?  Arg!!!

Here's hoping you find (more than) your next fun project soon!

Everything is inspirational, If you look at it the 'right' way.

So, sitting in the cardiologists office, I usually opt for the chairs away from the coughing closely arranged in chairs groups of patients.

I like the paintings and the bric a brac layout. So much that I started taking pics!

The paintings are pretty and calming. The longer I stared at it, the more I thought, those would make a good quilt. Especially the one on the right.

Then the carpet...

Now that would make a pretty quilt!

Of course I'd likely spin one or more blocks the wrong way...and then have to fix it...or maybe decide it was okay...but then it would bug my eye....so I'd fix it anyway...

Yeah maybe it should just stay carpet.

Ha ha!

The point is, anything can be inspiration. Paintings, carpet, stacks of wooden beams, other crafts, etc.

Looking around is free! What will you find to inspire you today?

Getting back into it

a light bout of shopping happened yesterday. Walked through half a department store to only buy a pack of scrunchies.  It was good to get back out there and find normal.

I am from a small town in a Midwest state.

Certain times of the year you can buy tomatoes or corn from a wagon or on the side of the road.

We can't buy aloe Vera in the produce section of a grocery store!

So yesterday in a macabre sense of humor, I decided that my bruise looked like a glowing purple pumpkin!

The other arm...well, this is a fuzzy picture but it kind of looks like an ultrasound ...

Maybe of twins!

Here's hoping you find the absurd in everyday mundane today!

Healing and identity Crisis

its interesting how quickly life can change. I've heard the phrase turn on a dime and now I understand what that feels like.  I had been getting more and more stressed at work and I hadn't realized how all the bright colors of my day were beginning to swirl into hazy unhappy colors. I didn't know how to change things.

A 15 or 16 hour hospital visit, a new diagnosis, several bruises later, and things are markedly different. Less stress at work solely because I don't have the energy to worry about how others are acting.  All that stress from work has morphed itself into laser focus on how much I sleep, what food I eat and how much energy will it take to do something as basic as a load of laundry.

So I thought I knew who I was a week ago but it's taken some time this week to wrap my head around  things.  It's been an identity crisis of sorts. I'm the conscience at work (or so I felt). I'm the strong one at home, the wheels, the nudge, etc.  now I feel fragile and it's taken some time to get back to the old me.  I'm not completely there yet and I may never get there.  So who am I? Am I really different than before? Of course the answer is yes. Every experience changes us.

I realize it wasn't weeks being hooked up to machines and being near death.  I'm blessed in that it was a quick turnaround all told. Doesn't mean that life is not the same.  This is the new normal. A huge kick in the pants to start making changes that likely should have happened years ago. Can't change the past, can only move forward.

So new identity or no, we press on.
Today is the day and we do our best.  If it goes south, we try again tomorrow.

Who knows when you'll drive behind a car shaped mouse.

Or is that a mouse shaped car?

Yes, it's ears on top that flatten when the car is in motion and then rise up when stopped.

And a five foot tail trailing behind.

Truly Nolen pest control knows how to use marketing, right?

Here's hoping you know YOUR identity! 

It's a wall! Design wall, that is

so we're on our second iteration of a design wall.  The first one wasn't a complete failure but not 100% effective either.  I'm cautiously optimistic on this one. It was half free as I was able to utilize a gift card! Hooray for gift cards!

I added a pink square to show the wall as being useful!

Hindsight would have told us to turn the second panel words to the back!

The yardstick is resting, not holding anything up!

It was another opportunity to work on a project with Blueman. I must say, it's an experience in how different our brains work, for sure!  

Here's hoping you accomplish something useful today....and maybe get a treat like this....

Unicorn puddin'

Magic?!

Starting over

Lots of things changed, but nthing visible. I had thought I was leaving my job and guilt made me stay. So I'm back to finding new ways to cope because the old ways aren't working.  As happens, my craft life is following my work life. I had a project done and I just didn't like it. Not even a little. So, I let it percolate and decided one Saturday to tear it apart and start again.

Sometimes you just have start over. Refine the craft, fix the stitch, get your head straight.
At work, it's find your place, zip your lip and get your stuff done.

This was the "finished" item.  I didn't like how it laid out. 

I just wasn't feelin it.

It became this and more. 

Ten or twelve hours of knitting turned into two hours of destruction.

So unfair!

Prayer shawl end result. 

(For part of it)

It's fluffy "yarn" and has little structure. Once you get past that, you can find it easier to deal.  sometimes when you use the non-standard ingredient, you get a lesson in the limits of it.
But it was n clearance and I couldn't resist.

Hope you find something fun you can't resist today!