Blogging Thoughts

Today I am getting my roof and sidewalks pressure washed so there are no pictures, my windows are draped in plastic so there is no light. In Florida we grow mold and mildew on everything so periodically we need to pay someone to clean it all off. Tomorrow and this weekend I will put it all back together, wash windows and outside furniture, not a fun task.  So I thought I would take a little time today to talk about Blogging.

Recently three of my blogging friends have decided to take a blogging break.  I completely understand because blogging does take up a good bit of time.  I just feel sad because I will worry about them and wonder if all is okay.  It is funny how these people you read about, slowly creep into your system and suddenly you feel like you are friends.  Have you met them in person or talked on the phone, not likely but they are there periodically and that is a comfort.

Blogging has turned out to be so much more than I ever imagined.  I started my blog solely so I could read my sisters blog and comment.  Gradually I read other blogs and started to comment.  Eventually I started to write on my own blog, and wonders of all wonders, people started to comment to me.  I am a slow blog, meaning that I have been blogging for a while and I don't have a million followers and comments.  I am always and I mean always just thrilled when anyone takes the time in their busy life to leave a comment here on Mereknits.  I try very hard to visit you back, and if I missed you once I will surely get back to you if you comment twice.

I am perplexed by some blogs.  I find it amazing when you leave comment after comment and that blogger does not take the time to write to you.  I understand if you have a million and eleven comments you can't get back to everyone, but on a smaller blog I find that just plain rude.  Lately I have been doing a blog spring cleaning.  I feel my time is precious and if I can't have some sort of relationship with you than I will find space for someone else.  I don't mean to sound rude, but time is short these days.  There are so many special people out there in blog land that would be thrilled with more blogging friends, I would like to spend my time with them.

I want you all to know that you are all very special to me.  Your kind words have helped me on many an occasion, more than you will ever know.  I find your creativity to be simply amazing.  You challenge me to be a better knitter, crocheter and above all a better person.  I appreciate every second you spend visiting me here on Mereknits, because I know your life is as busy as can be. 

To those of you taking a blogging break, I hope you will check in and let me know you are doing okay.  For those of you new to Mereknits, I welcome you with open arms and hope that I can be a great blogging friend to you.  For those of you that have been a faithful friend, I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Thanks for visiting and I hope you all have a wonderful day.

Random Thoughts in a Busy Week

I am sure you all have busy weeks that just seem to make you crazy.  I am experiencing an exceptionally crazy one this week.  Work, kids, parents and my house, toss in a migraine headache and there has been no relief in site. There has been no time for blogging this week, and since I feel I can not even write a coherent sentence (thank you migraine), you are getting random thoughts (and pictures).

 

 Another completed shawl soon to be sent to my sister for the Etsy shop.  I am taking a weaving break as these are not selling like wildfire.  I love them but I don't think there true beauty shows up in picture form.  Number 11 finished project of the year for me.

 

 My son's flowers are fading, I am still trying to enjoy every last second they have life in them.

 

My visits to my Mom are getting harder and harder.  She is still fading so slowly, it is so difficult to see.  She can not even shift her weight in her wheelchair or the bed.  She opens her eyes and rarely is able to have even a four to five word conversation.  Mostly she sleeps.   I hate the smell of the nursing home and feel horrible that I feel relieved when my schedule is so busy I can't visit for a day.  That of course makes me feel guilty and the cycle continues.

My husband and I reached 20 years of marriage this week.  A huge feat in this day and age.  So many people I know are getting divorced after 25, 30 years.  What is going on with that?  I guess you never reach a stage where you are safe, it is so sad to me, all those years together and then, boom your whole family is torn apart.

 

 I have started some scarves for the Etsy store, in prima cotton, so wonderful to work with.

 

I took this one with me to Orlando yesterday.  My son and I left at 5:30 in the morning for a swim meet he was to swim one event in, he made finals, which I suppose is good, so we stayed and made it home by 10 PM.  I had a lovely time eating and shopping at Whole Foods (by myself), and crocheting in the stands during warm-ups.  We are repeating this again tomorrow so hopefully I should get in more crochet time.

 

 Behind my pool the jungle has become overgrown.  It is a mess and I do not have time to tame it.  It is bothering me like crazy.  Maybe I can tackle it next week when I do not have as much on my plate.

How was your week, are you getting a break this weekend to do something you really like to do?

Crochet Baskets

Liz at Crochet in Color has caused me to be a bit obsessed this weekend.  Yes, I blame it all on you Liz.  She has made this amazing crochet basket and posted the directions last Wednesday.  I told her I was going to get busy on it right away, and I wasn't kidding.  I modified my baskets a bit, but followed Liz's amazing directions for most of the pattern.

Do you want to see?

 Please follow the directions if you do not want your basket to be all wonky like mine.  I wasn't sure how much yarn I had, or how much the basket would need, so I did not do the crochet into the back loop rounds. 

 I also did not put on the handles, which Liz did, and they are very nice.  I sort of free formed my basket just for fun.  I added the flowers because my joining isn't the best.  There I confessed!  I think I really need to work on how I join a row.  So I covered the join area with leaves and flowers.

I used Lamb's Pride Bulky, two strands held together for the basket, using a L hook.  The leaves and flowers are single strand Lamb's Pride using a J hook.  All this yarn I had on hand, so it was very fun to use a bit of stash yarn.  Actually I hate to say my stash is getting pretty low. Shocking isn't it?

 The flowers my son sent me are open and so beautiful.  I keep taking pictures of them because I want to remember his kindness.

Actually I was looking at them last night as my son and I were having a texting argument.  He wanted to stay out til 2:00 AM, I thought 1 was totally sufficient.  Apparently I am ,"suffocating" him and, "treating him like a child".  You bet I am.  He was home at 12:45 and gave me a big hug this morning, so he can't be that mad.

Special thanks for all your wonderful comments on my blue vest.  I really like it and feel a bit artsy in it.  But there is always that nagging doubt in the back of your mind when you make something.  Is it really good?  Does it look a bit cheesy and does it scream 70's crochet?  Will a picture of me in this vest show up on What Not To Wear?  You see what I'm saying don't you?

Crochet Blue Vest... I'm In Love

 I finished my crochet vest and I love it!  This pattern is from the Winter 2011 issue of Interweave Crochet by designer Yumiko Alexander.

 It took me several weeks of crochet, and some frogging but I think I was able to master the pattern and the new to me techniques.

 It is made in a giant rectangle, with the top pattern acting as the collar.  Sorry for the wonky picture above, I was so excited I was done, I didn't take a lot of care with the photo shoot.

 I learned a few new stitches with this pattern which is always fun.  And I figured if I didn't do them exactly right, as long as I did them consistently wrong I was still okay.

 My youngest son helped take the photos of me with strict orders not to show my face or  my behind.  He did a pretty good job.

 From the side you can really see how it drapes in the front.

It is shorter in the back which is the new, "In", thing.  That's me always, "In". Ha!

I made this with Cascade 220 Sport, 100% wool yarn.  It took exactly 9 skeins of yarn, which have 164 yards each.  I used a size H crochet hook which gave me the correct gauge width-wise but not length-wise.  I ended up adding 6 rows of double crochet to adjust for the length difference.  

I really think it is fun.  And at $3.75 a skein, the total price was $33.75, not bad for a fun new vest.

This is completed project number 10 for me for the year, hooray!

A special thanks for all your lovely comments about my son's flowers.  I still tear up thinking about them.  They are opening up and look so beautiful.  The card will be kept near to me where I can read it often, for a very long time.

Happy weekend everyone!

My Son Sent Me Flowers

 My oldest son sent me flowers today.  Not for Valentine's Day, just because.  They came early this afternoon and I am overwhelmed with happiness. 

 Have you ever read anything so beautiful in your life?  I know I haven't.

They are the most beautiful surprise.  I must be doing something right with my parenting to have a senior in high school send me these. 

Wow!

Tulip Color Inspiration

Do you remember my beautiful tulips?

 Saturday I went to Joann's to get a bit of tulip inspiration yarn.

 I attempted to make many different centers on my own.  I am not that savvy at crochet, so I decided to stop wasting time and go with an old stand by.

 A bit of Japanese crochet flower inspiration.

 A few clear beads glues in the center to add a bit of sparkle.

 Five, six petal flowers hanging in my window.

Eight, nine petal flowers hanging near my kitchen table.  

I will try to get a better picture when the sun is out, but for now it looks a little bit more like spring.

Happy Monday.

A Free Day and A Sale!!!

My husband went to visit his Mother in Wisconsin this weekend.  I know I am not supposed to be overly excited, but I am.  That left me yesterday with a whole evening to myself .  I watched an episode of House Hunters International, I just love that show and then Sleepless in Seattle, one of my all time favorites.  All the while working on my blue crochet vest, trying to figure out why I can not keep 237 stitches for each row.  I think I have a severe counting problem.  I was so relaxed that ripping out several rows didn't even bother me.

My youngest son was upstairs playing his game box with friends and my oldest was in Orlando at a swim meet.  Which is exactly where I should be today, watching him swim.  Apparently he re-injured his ankle pushing off the wall in warm-ups and couldn't swim last night.  He stayed over to see if it was better this morning,  but it wasn't, so he came home.  Can I tell you I am secretly glad he is home?  This was his first trip driving that far from home and staying with two other boys.  There were other parents at the hotel, just not me!  This was a bit of a stretch for me, but I had to let him go.  Now he is home safe and sound and I have a free day!

So what do most of us women do on a free day?  I started off with tea and blogs, perfect.  I read the paper and tried once again to do yoga.  Boy am I inflexible ( in almost every way you can imagine). While my nose was tucked in close to the floor I realized my carpet had the lovely odor of Golden Retriever, so I pulled out the carpet cleaner and got to work.  Okay, really!!!!  This is my free day!!!  When men have a free day, which I find is frequently, they just hang out and feel perfectly fine not accomplishing a thing.  They can watch 14 hours of Super Bowl coverage before the game even begins and not blink an eye.  Me on the other hand, I feel like I have to have some cleaning/household project going all the time.  Enough I say!  I showered, fussed over my boy when he walked in the door safely and marched myself over to Joann's for a little yarn.

 You see I have been a bit obsessed with these beautiful tulips on my kitchen table.  The colors are so intense.  I thought maybe I might want to have a bit of tulip color fun.

 Some cotton yarn, some beads......hmmmm I wonder what will happen?  I plan on working on this, this afternoon.  That is right after I vacuum.

 On a totally different note I have sold my first shawl.  I am just tickled pink that someone, somewhere thinks that my work is worthy of a purchase.  I was so elated when my sister and I talked this morning and she told me the green shawl had been purchased.  I was elated then of course I became nervous.  Is it good enough?  Will the buyer think that it is as soft and yummy as I do?  Oh how those doubts seem to settle in so quickly. 

I think people who make things often think that their projects are not up to the standards of everyone else.  I don't think it is just me.  But when I look at the picture of this shawl and remember that the picture did not do it justice, I feel better.  My first sale, WOW!

Up and Running

My Sister's (and a little mine) Esty's shop is up and running.  Please check my side bar for easy access.  Claudia is amazingly talented.  She crochets beautifully, quilts and makes the most incredible things out of very little.  Please check out her blog for all of her inspiring ideas and check out the new Etsy shop for her crochet scarves, my shawls and in the future lots of fun projects.

 This has been an exciting project for both of us.  We are having a difficult time in our lives for many reasons.  A big part of it is watching our Mother and Father decline so rapidly, but sometimes not rapid enough.  So a new shop where we can sell things we love to make has been a fun respite in our time of stress.

 Are you ready for even more pictures of shawls?  I just finished this today and wanted to show you before I head off to work.  Can I tell you how much I love it?  Made from Kertzer Tiara 72% Wool, 27% Nylon and 1% Polyester.  It is soft and really beautiful.

 I am not sure you can see the metallic thread looping around the yarn.  It is a lovely touch and adds just a teeny, tiny bit of sparkle.

I am frantic to get this in the mail to my sister so she can photograph it in style.

I promise to show the progress on my blue crochet shawl very soon.  I have been crocheting a bit in the evenings so I am getting closer to being finished.  Have a wonderful Thursday everyone.

Grand Opening and Seven

I am so excited my sister's Etsy shop will be open tomorrow morning at 9:00 AM.  She has been working hard on getting it ready to open and I can't wait to see it. The shop will have beautiful handmade items as well as some fun vintage finds.  I will have several woven shawls available in the shop.  There will be a link here on the blog tomorrow to access the shop and you will also be able to from her blog Mockingbird Hill Cottage.  The shop name is ScoutHarper.  Can you tell we love the book To Kill A Mocking Bird?  Please stop by tomorrow to see it.

 Soon you will be able to find this new shawl.  Does it look familiar?  I made it once before but totally screwed it up so I had to keep it for myself.  It is much too beautiful not to make again.  

 It is made from Rozetti Polaris 65% acrylic and 30% wool yarn, with these pretty little sequins, in the color Cloud Cover.  Great yarn to work with very soft with a lovely drape.

It reminds me of a cobweb in the morning dew.  Lovely.

Hope you are having a wonderful week.

A Few Super Things

It is Super Bowl Sunday here in the US.  My Green Bay Packer's are out of contention so I do not really give a hoot who wins.  Watching the game is a great excuse to sit in front of the TV with some crochet, so that is  exactly what I will be doing.  As I don't care about the game, I thought I would write about a few things I think are Super.

 * My azalea's are in bloom already because it is sooooo warm out.  They are a little splash of color in all the brown and green of my landscaping.

* Max's foot is finally better, we may be able to take a short walk today.  He has been so bored waiting for it to heal.

*  Beautiful lilies in a simple vase on my kitchen table. They smell gorgeous.

* Most, and I repeat most, of my paperwork done for the weekend so I can really enjoy my day.

 * Soft pink tulips on my coffee table.  Sorry for the fuzzy picture but they are beautiful and such a pretty color.

* Waking up on my own today even if it was early, I love it when I do not have to set my alarm.

 * A basket of crochet just waiting for me to pick it up.  I was crocheting of Friday and quickly realized I did not have enough yarn to finish this project.  A quick trip to Tampa and the  yarn store had more skeins in my die lot, I swooped up four of them so now I can breath a little easier.

* I have started to do some yoga from a DVD I play at home, I have found out how inflexible I am, well in almost every area in my life, but it is getting a teensy bit easier, so I am thrilled.

 * Time to get caught up on my reading list.  I hate it when I am too busy to read my favorite blogs, but this weekend I feel like I have connected with most of you.

*  When both my boys are home on a Saturday night.  They may not be in the room with me but I know they are home safe and sound.  I can also go to bed earlier because I don't have to wait up for anyone, boy am I getting old

 * Another shawl is almost ready to be taken off the loom.  If all goes as planned, I might have time to do it today.

* Reading the Sunday paper with a cup of tea and no rush.  I love a slow morning.

 * Sparkles in the yarn for the shawl.  Can you see the sequins hiding?

* The most unbelievably great pizza at a new restaurant (at least for us) last night.  My mouth is still in heaven.

* Reading an interesting series that has appalled me and hooked me all at the same time.  I question if it is appropriate for teenagers/kids.  So many people have read these books and have been mesmerized.  I guess I have been too as I am on book three, they are just a bit shocking in the magnitude of violence.  When discussing them with my sister-in-law, she said they are no different from all the violent video games kids play and she has a point.  It is the violence with kids against kids that took my breath away. Anyway I am close to finishing and will be happy when I am done.

* Wishing you all a wonderful Super Sunday.

Progress is Slow!

Why is it that so much of the things that keep us so busy in life do not always involve yarn?  I have been up to my eye balls in daily life with not much time to pick up a crochet hook or to weave, or even read a blog or two.  Last weekend I attended a conference, which I really enjoyed but it left no time for yarn.  I have tried to catch up this week but have been involved with kids, my work, a husband and house, not to mention my ailing Mother.  This weekend is going to be about me getting some serious yarn time in whatever form I can.

 This is the progress I have made on my cool crochet vest.  I love this project when I get the time to settle down and crochet a row or two.  I am making this with a size H crochet hook, which was perfect when I made my swatch but now is not.  I get the right gauge with the width but not the height.  I tried a hook one size up but found the width to be too big.  So I decided the best thing to do was add a few extra rows of double crochet to make up the difference in height and cross my fingers that it turns out right.  Any other suggestions out there from you crocheters?

 The first part of the pattern is pretty simple, it is the collar I am worried about.  But as is my usual style I will tackle it when I get to that part of the pattern.

 I also ordered this beautiful yarn from Webs.  I am intending to make four more shawls for my sisters etsy shop.  I was a bit hesitant to order without touching the yarn, but I have to say I am very pleased.  The prices are great so give Webs a try. 

I leave you with this beautiful lilly sitting on my kitchen table, isn't she a beauty?

Hope you are all having a great week.  I promise to try and catch up on blogs this weekend.