A long two weeks......

  

Well my friends it has been a long two weeks.  Funny how just a few things happening can completely wipe you off the blogging grid.  How are you?  Any News?  What is happening in your life?

First things first, look who is now officially a kindergartner.  Little Buddy is very much enjoying his new class and new teacher.  He has the same assistant as last year.  I sent many a letter this summer to the administrators in our school district recommending they stay together.  She is loving but tough and frankly does not let him get away with anything.  That is just how I want it as a cute little one that is catered to because he has special needs will not be a productive in middle or high school.  He is capable of learning and performing at the same rate as his peers and should be encouraged to do so.  She understands this and I just love how much she loves him.  Little Buddy is so lucky to have her.

The surprise baby blanket is finished.  I ended up having an abundance of time to crochet last weekend, more on that in a bit.  This baby blanket is called the surprise baby blanket because my next door neighbor is having a granddaughter that was a bit of a surprise.   All is well with Mom and baby and after the shock the whole family is getting more and more excited.  Obviously I am also because this baby blanket was made with this beautiful baby in mind.  Every stitch has a little prayer in it in hopes this little one has a wonderful life.  

The body of the blanket is made with Ella Rae Cozy Soft in the color 21, gray.  I used 3.5 skeins of yarn for the body and the last row of the border pattern, so approximately 750 yards.  I used left overs of various Simplicity by Hikoo and CoBaSi by Hikoo for the border.  I am estimating the shawl to have used 950 yards of yarn, and it was made with a size H hook. The main body and the border are based on the Sunday Shawl pattern I used to make my very own Sunday Shawl which you can find on this link to my Ravelry page.  I only made eight rows of the border as frankly this blanket was just getting to be too big.  I think it ended up the perfect size with just the right amount of border.

Ah, now the reason for so much crochet time.  Mr. 20 got very ill last week and ended up in the hospital for four long days and nights.  Bless him he had not been feeling well for several days until Thursday when he went to the doctor for intense abdominal pain and feeling things were not right in that area.  She felt he might be getting an ulcer and sent him home on all kinds of medication.  By Friday AM, very, very early he was in a lot of distress so I sent him to the hospital with his girlfriend with me quick on the trail after I dropped off Little Buddy at school.  After hours of tests and several shots of pain medication we were sent home on anti spasm drugs, pain medication and a diagnosis of mesenteric lymphadentitis.  Well my friends I had never heard of this before but I won't soon forget it.   We were back at the ER 3 hours after discharge as the pain meds were not helping and my son was in extreme pain, he reminded me of a woman in labor with no break between contractions.  He was admitted, put on morphine, and had to let his intestines recover before he could ingest anything, even water.    By Monday morning his pain was lower and he was able to start taking fluids, then a liquid diet and by evening he had eggs!  Whoop, whoop I have never been so happy to hear that my boy ate eggs.  He was able to come home Monday night and is recovering nicely although does not seem to be to pleased with his bland diet.  He is headed off to school in Orlando this weekend so we have to get him healthy enough to go.  

   

Last but not least, actually he should have been first, my darling Max is now 13.  I am just so thrilled he is still doing relatively well.  Yes he has a bit of a hard time getting up and sleeps all the time.  He can't hear well but then neither can I.  He is still happy, loves his family, loves to eat fruit and still hates to have his picture taken.  We are so blessed he is still with us.

So I can be honest with you all can't I?  I am exhausted.  I mean really, really tired, with work, worry about my son, making sure Little Buddy is taken care of, and endless hours in the hospital.  The events of the last week politically have also left me feeling depressed, more so than ever about the current state of our country, and the manic hands it has been left in.  We should not be surprised, he has been telling us who he is for a very long time.  Firing his chief strategist is just for show,  the fact that this man and several others have been allowed near The White House is a travesty.  

Hope you are all well.  There is just no way I can catch up from two weeks off blogging but I hope to visit you soon.  Have a good weekend.

The letter of the day is C.......

The letter of the day is C.  Yup, and it starts off with crochet.  I am almost done with the body of this baby blanket.  Just about four more inches to go until I start the border.  Maybe if Little Buddy will cooperate with me this afternoon and rest I just might get that body done.

Next we have clutter.  We are closing in on the end of the summer here, Little Buddy's school supplies are all over.  Mr. 20 has moved back home for a few weeks so we have bags of his bedding in the dinning room, clothes all over his room and well you know how it is with boys, a crazy mess.

Mr. Cuteness is of course adorable.  He decided to have a pajama day today and why not?  School is starting on Thursday so we have few of these days left.  We had no where to go today so I said okay.  Well it was all cute until he had an accident in these pj's and I literally said, "Oh crap!"  Yup, I was right on the money with that statement.  He is getting much better in the big boy underpants department but he is not perfect yet.  The mess was cleaned up in a hurry and now we are having a 

t-shirt/big boy underpants day until after nap when we will go for a swim.

I made cookies this morning with agave and grain sweetened chocolate chips.  Mr. 23 and I eat a lot of them! 

I have been rather cranky this past week as it is hot and I have worked a lot.  Little Buddy and I spent an entire day on Tuesday getting routine tests done that are needed annually.  He was a champ the whole time but it was a long day.  That along with a super surprise adventure to see Paw Patrol Live last Sunday has left me feeling less composed than usual.  It has been very nice to spend a cozy weekend at home.

Thanks for the chat, you are all charming companions.

Failure is not always a bad thing.......

  

Failure is not always a bad thing.  It can lead you onto new projects, ones that will make a difference.  This sweater has been frogged.  I love the yarn too much to have it waste away on something that ended up was going to be much to big for me.  I felt that I was going to look like an old woman in a little girls crochet outfit, this yarn deserved better.  A weeks work was quickly frogged.  Funny how long it takes to crochet those precious inches and how fast it is to unravel them.

I made a quick trip to the yarn store last weekend to get the basic yarn for the new baby blanket I need to make.  This Ella Rae gray yarn will be perfect as it is acrylic with just a pinch of wool, washable for all those baby messes.  I also bought the skeins of pink and light turquoise to make the border a little more baby friendly.   They are a different texture but I don't think it will make a difference when it is all worked up.  The dark lavendar was added from my stash.

I worked out the math for the blanket and chained 132 for the base plus 3 for the first hdc, after nine rows I realized this baby was way too big so last night, rip, rip, rip.  I was calculating my missteps last night and realized I had crocheted over 1,000 yards with nothing to show for it. Today I will start again, with a chain of 102 plus 3 for the body of the blanket. Projects that don't work are a part of life.  At least it is only yarn and the pleasure is in the making, the creating, not necessarily the product.  .

I am not sure that can be said for what is going on in our government.  Yes, you knew I had to say something didn't you?  Ramming through healthcare is not the same as ramming through with a project.  I can frog it with no worries.  I can start over and only have myself to blame for a wrong yarn choice, wrong needle or hook size, or wrong pattern.  No one will be hurt in the process, it is only time I have wasted.  I am only working with myslef and my choices don't affect anyone else.  As for healthcare it affects all of us whether you have Obamacare or not.  Millions of people without healthcare affects the whole economy and frankly their deaths, their lack of care, their grief about not being able to pay for their child to receive services affects all of us as a whole on the most primal level.  It says a lot about who we are as a country, who we are as people.  We should protect our own as well as protect those who can't protect themselves.  I applaud Senators Collins, Murkowski and McCain for standing up for what is right.  It was a dramatic moment when Senator John McCain stood up for what is right.  I have not always agreed with him, but I do think he is a man of integrity and honor, a hero in my book in every way.  It is easy to go with the flow and ram something through hoping that it won't get passed, it is another thing to stand up to your party and say this is not right.  It is hard to face the backlash for days before the vote as Senators Collins and Murkowski did, they have listened to the people in their state and thus were treated unfairly by their own party for doing so.  Now can we work together to make something that is right?  Can we fix the current system and make it better for all who need it?  And to add the tweets coming out of the highest office every single day are disrespectful and dishonest.  They reign chaos and serve to move us away from the real issues.  Frankly it is a disgrace to our country.  Okay enough said even though there is so much more to say.

This little one is feeling much better.  Thank you for all of your well wishes.  He lost another 1 1/2 pounds, gah isn't that always the way right before a doctor appointment? I am working on getting weight back on him.  He was sleeping in this morning and I could not resist a photo opportunity.  He had a late in the day eye appointment yesterday which meant no nap.  He slept in until 9 this morning, a world record!  I think he is still recovering a bit.  Isn't he precious?

Hope your failures have been minimal this week and your progress is positive on all accounts.  Have a great weekend.

Storms and sickness seems to be the theme here......

This little one has been plenty sick these last few days.  Isn't that the saddest face ever?  My  little boy started throwing up Thursday morning, my poor husband had to deal with three of them, then my oldest son one more before I got home from work.  Oh he has been miserable, moaning and carrying on.  I got the last, "Frow Up" Thursday evening.  Yesterday he spent the entire day planted in this spot on the sofa watching his shows.  I thought we had turned the corner last night when he was giggling a bit but then today he is back on the sofa with his blanket and shows on and a bit of moaning here and there.  Maybe he just likes to be waited on like a prince?  Not much eating has happened which always worries me as Little Buddy needs every calorie we can get in him.  Of course his six year check up is this week and he will have lost weight right before it, isn't that always the way?

As I have been restricted to about a 10 foot radius around Little Buddy the past two days a lot of crocheting has been completed while I sit on the sofa next to him.  I am currently trying to make the Sweet Clara Top by Kristen Omdahl.  Once again I had a bit of a hard time with the pattern.  I swear I just like a graph nowadays, my brain just doesn't seem to keep up with a written pattern.  After working through the third row of the pattern about a million times I think I have it.  I ripped this sweater out so many times I can't keep track of it.  Once you get it right it just seems so simple and you can't figure out what took you so long to understand it.  Anyway, I am hoping it all turns out.  And by the looks of Little B this morning I just might be crocheting a good part of today, too.  I am not sure how much more Disney Jr., my brain can handle.  This yarn was bought when a local yarn store was closing, Universal Yarn Inc., Cotton Supreme DK.  I am in love with it, so soft and beautiful and a bargain too I might add. 

We have had so many storms these past few days.  Actually the thunder is rumbling right now as I type this with a gentle rain falling outside.  I love days when I can be at home while it rains.  It feels so cozy inside.  I drive through so much rain during the week it is a special treat to be at home, typing away, listening to Little Buddy talk to the TV, while drinking a cup of tea.  There have been a few storms at home too, big boys are not fully grown up when you think they are.  They both need to cook a bit more before they can be called mature and be ready to be all on their own.

As for this guy, well you all know how much I love him.  He will be 13 very soon and I am so blessed he is still here with us making all of our lives brighter.  I seem to be posting once a week lately, not much I can do about that during this busy summer.  Hope you are all well and enjoying your weekend.

Sunday Shawl a re-do and a little self care................

I know the name of this blog is Mereknits, really does that even happen anymore?  I am crochet obsessed right now.  Don't even think of coming near me to pry the hook out of my hand.  Here is my latest finish the Sunday Shawl by Little Bee.  This is a redo of the shawl I made a few weeks ago that frankly while nice ended up feeling like a disaster to me. 

I whipped this baby up in one week.  One week!  And that is with working a record breaking work week for me.  Thus the need to pry the hook out of my hand.  I am tired my friends, really, really tired.  Every moment that I could starting last weekend I made myself sit down and crochet when I had the slightest opportunity.  When Little Buddy was taking another marathon session to eat, take a bath or play his iPad before bed.  After chores on the weekend I sat on my bed and crocheted while watching The Gilmore Girls on Netflix.  I would not allow myself to clean floors, watch my latest course online or even blog.  I made myself sit still and try to relax.  And the way I relax is to play with yarn.

The body of the shawl is made with Ella Rae cozy alpaca in the color Stonewall, 2.5 skeins used.  The color border in order of appearance, Simplicity by HiKoo in Fijian Water 030, Goldfish 04, Schoolhouse Red 017, Deep Turquoise 010, Frambouise 014, and Lavender 023, approximately 50 yards used of each.  So maybe 750 yards of yarn used to make this ginormous shawl.  Oops, I almost forgot I used a size I hook.

This shawl is big and drapey.  It will be warm and colorful to wear but not too colorful, just enough color to make it fun.  I have visions of myself looking all stylish as I run through an airport to catch a flight to excotic places while this shawl is slung over my shoulders.  Of course I can drape it across my body as the plane gets chilly and I can catch a nap.  Oh and then I can wrap it around my neck while drinking wine with friends in a cozy local restaurant in this exotic location.  In reality it will sit in my closet and more than likely be forgotten for a while as there is no exotic trip in my future.  Still making is half the fun for me.  Making and creating is my therapy and I can always dream a bit about exotic locals while I crochet away.

I have half of those colorful balls remaining to be made into something fun.  Wouldn't a baby blanket be beautiful with this border?  A simple, solid rectangle with a colorful border?  Lucky for me my next door neighbor is expecting her first grandchild in December.  We find out if this new little one will be a boy or girl this week.  I will order a soft gray or cream color and get started on it as soon as the yarn is delivered.  As for now, I mean right this second, I do not have a project going, well one I want to work on anyway.  Just as well I guess because I have to finish chores around the house and run some errands today.  I am finishing the last episode of Gilmore Girls this afternoon, ah I feel like I am losing my best friends.  I still have the new remake of a year in the life to go but still it isn't the same is it?

This week I have two little ones on vacation so I do not need to be leaving my house at 5:30 in the morning on Tuesday and Thursday.  The following week I have another one on vacation along with these two, my work will slow down a bit so at least I can catch my breath.  But for now I am going to go finish that pressure washing, and then run to a few stores to stock up on all I have let lapse this past week.  I hope to catch up with you all soon. The shawl was worth it don't you think?  Have a great Sunday.

Yarn, Mezzaluna Wrap and more yarn.........

My Mezzaluna Crescent Wrap is finished.  I can't even tell you how fun this wrap is.  I am in love with the yarn, the pattern and those wee little flowers that took me a week to make.   Once I found the original pattern to work off of this wrap was a breeze.  It is fun, so much fun.  I can't seem to get the right picture to express how light, airy and summery it is.  I took a million photos last night and more this morning but I can't seem to capture how happy this makes me.  

First this yarn is divine!  Great Adirondack Yarn Co, Inc., organic cotton in the color toucan.  This was a spur of the moment purchase as I usually don't buy anything this colorful.  It is DK weight which I love as I am not into all that fine yarn you all love so much.  It is so, so, so soft!  I used almost 2 skeins so I am thinking about 500 yards for this wrap.  I only did the first 18 rows and then made the flower border which was so much fun to make.  I think there are about a thousand flowers on the wrap, or at least that is what it felt like as I made flower after flower watching the Gilmore Girls in the evenings this week. I am on season 6 and dreading that the end is near.  I used a size J hook to make the wrap even more drapey.  It is big, but light, soft and airy.  Hope you give this pattern a try because you will be in love with it too!

I freed my yarn from all those horrid plastic bags I had used a few months ago to make sure I did not have any moths.  I swear it is so hot and humid here I felt like my yarn could not breath.  I can't breath!  So every time I looked in my yarn cabinet I felt the yarn and I were stifling.  We both need to breath!  So yesterday I freed the yarn, placed more cedar chip bags on the shelves and sprinkled lavender oil all around to ward off pests.

Well there might have been another reason to get things organized.  My dear friend Jeannette, Medical Foster Mom to Little Buddy when he was a wee boy, gave me this gorgeous yarn this past week.  You see I had a birthday last week and she gave me this beautiful yarn as a present.  There was no need, I mean no need at all but she shopped her brother's stash just for me.  You remember Uncle Sean and his wonderful stash yarn don't you?  I have been the lucky recipient of it in the past.  Uncle Sean has some amazing taste when it comes to yarn.  I will gladly take anything he does not need.  This gift and a few more skeins that I have recently purchased needed a new place to live for a while so working on the yarn cabinet became a priority.  Yarn organizing should come before paperwork, right?

Last Saturday I went down to the local children's hospital to stay with one of my patients to give Jeannette a bit of rest.  This little boy has had a heart transplant and is now undergoing chemotherapy due to the cancer he developed from the anti-rejection drugs needed for his heart.  He was in a very bad way just two weeks ago but has now officially been discharged and is back home.  I went down so Jeannette, who is also battling health issues could have a few hours at home.   I just happened to be near Stash-A Place For Yarn in St Pete, so I popped in for a visit.  The owner is so kind, the older house where Stash is now located is a wonderful spot to find yarn.  The inventory was limited, but they have room to grow.  You can visit if you are ever in the area.  But if you are ever close you really need to visit Criativity my very favorite store and the one I visit almost exclusively.   The colorful yarn above purchased at Stash was a little treat to myself for my new Sunday Shawl.  I told you I was obsessed and I need to get it right.  Teresa finished hers and I am in love with it.  Totally gorgeous!

 

I just had to have one more look at Mezzaluna.  Okay friends I am off to pressure wash my pool pavers.  There has been so much rain here lately I feel I am growing a mold farm in the cracks between them.

  I know we are all busy this time of year and I appreciate your visits and comments so much.  I hope to catch up with all of you this next week, because tomorrow is all about paperwork for me before my busy work week starts.  I know exciting life I have right?  At least I can look over at my yarn and breath a sign of relief as I work away on my computer.  Have a great day.

Happy Independence Day!

Happy 4th of July!  Hope you have loads of fun if you are celebrating.