Comfort

The 5th pattern repeat of Carol's 12 Step Sampler Blanket is now complete! It's nice to have something so warm and cozy on my lap while enjoying the beauty of winter.

Our sunrises and sunsets have been spectacular. This is the view from my chair every morning.

I'm still treating myself to leftover goodies from Christmas. Dave is a big hot chocolate fan. I prefer coffee with whipped cream on top!

Movin' along

 

I really am enjoying crocheting this 12 Step Sampler Blanket. In fact, I've done absolutely no other crafting since last Friday. I've now finished four repeats. I just may finish this by the end of January!

Daughter Carol wore her scarf to school yesterday. Purple has always been her favorite color, and I think it suits her well!

Still crocheting

 

I made pretty good progress on Carol's 12 Step Sampler Blanket today, a little over halfway through the next pattern repeat. I'll be subbing for the next two days, so I'm not sure how much more I'll get done before the weekend.

Mom finished my Christmas scarf, and today was the perfect day to give it a try. I love the drape and the color. Thank you, Mom!

Still chillin'

 

Our current cold snap is perfect for working on daughter Carol's 12 Step Sampler Blanket. I've now completed two sections, which means I've been crocheting at a pretty good pace.

It's supposed to be warmer tomorrow, but windy. So, it still might be cool enough to keep a blanket on my lap. Thursday and Friday are supposed to be very cold, so I expect to get a lot done this week.

Daughter Joanne sent a picture of herself wearing her new scarf. I think the colors are fabulous!

Cold day

 

The weather turned really cold here, so Dave went out and harvested carrots... 11 quarts of carrots are now in the freezer. That's a lot of carrots!

We reached a high of 21º today, the coldest day we've had so far. It was the perfect day to sit and crochet. I'm now halfway through the second section of daughter Carol's 12 Step Sampler Blanket. Working on it kept me toasty warm!

Relaxing in the new year

I am retired, so it makes sense that I should take some time to relax. I plan on doing things at an easier pace. Today I chose to spend most of my time crocheting, and I managed to finish the first section of daughter Carol's 12 Step Sampler Blanket. No goals were set, I just enjoyed the day!

I also had fun with buttons. I found a spool of WonderFil Dazzle metallic rayon that I must have purchased a long time ago. It was pretty dusty. There's more sparkle than shows up in the picture. It's a pretty nice thread to work with as far as making Dorset buttons goes. I'll have to see if I like tatting with it.

It was fun playing with my Christmas tree idea today. I'm pretty happy with the way it turned out, but there's so much I will do differently next time. I was eager to finish this one just so I could see how it would all go together, so I didn't do as much as I could have. Now that I have a prototype, I can let my imagination go wild!

Happy New Year!

Happy new year to all my friends and relatives! May 2022 bring you peace, health, and happiness.

Did you stay up until midnight? In typical fashion, I went to bed at about 8:45. Dave fell asleep in his chair soon after and wound up coming to bed around 11. We are definitely NOT party animals!

Guess what? The new year came even though we did not stay up to greet it.

We spent a restful day at home. We did prepare carrots and ham for freezing. Somehow that always takes more time than I think it will.

I've decided that I'm going to just enjoy making things in the new year. I'm not going to set any goals other than the One Button A Week Challenge put forth by Gina Barrett of Gina-B Silkworks. Looking at the challenges on the list so far, I'm not sure I'll even be able to keep up with that!

The challenge for the week of January 3 is Sparkle. I've been enjoying working with the DMC Diamont. Although it doesn't show up well in pictures, it does have a lot of sparkle!

I may not stick with this, but I thought it would be fun to stitch the buttons I make onto gift tags. On this one, I put the challenge word and the week for the challenge on the front of the tag.

I signed the back of the page and wrote down the actual date that I made the button. I used an awl to punch holes in the tag and then sewed on the button with matching thread.

This tree is probably too small to hold many of the tags with buttons, but it's a good place to start. I'm sure I'll come up with a different idea as I move along.

The Granny afghan has been put on hold. It's not meant for anyone in particular, so I don't mind setting it  aside for daughter Carol's 12 Step Sampler Blanket. I finished one of these blankets for Dave nearly three years ago. it will be fun to see how this one turns out in the colors Carol chose.

My friend Denise asked what my crafting goals are for the new year. I really don't have any goals other than to enjoy the projects I'm working on.

What about you? Do you have any crafting goals?

Time flies!

Saturday was a very rainy day. Luckily, Garry got our soybeans out on Friday... one less chore checked off the list!

I react to rainy days one of two ways. I'm either energetic and accomplish a lot around the house, or I sit in my chair and read or craft. Saturday, I sat in my chair and worked on my 12 Step Sampler Blanket. I've finished the first 34 rows, and I'm now to the point where I go back to row 2 and crochet through row 34 until it's the length I'd like it to be. Right now, it's 12" long, and I know I want it to be at least 5' long. With my stellar math skills, I was able to calculate that I need four more repeats of this section. Keeping all of this in mind will help me stay motivated!

Saturday afternoon, Dave and I went shopping in Kankakee for Christmas lights. Everyone will be here for Christmas this year, and when all the grandchildren come, Dave pulls out all the stops on decorating. He has started hanging outdoor lights, while the weather is fairly decent. However, lights will not be turned on until after Thanksgiving. Inside decorating will begin the day after Thanksgiving. So, we slogged through puddle-filled parking lots and pulled up our collars against the rain and went shopping for one string of lights and decorating ideas. I'm beginning to think that pictures of decorations are just fine!

On Sunday, Dave went to take care of our friends' farm to take care of their animals. Then, he went to school to help daughter Carol organize and clean up props for the plays. After all of that, he came home to hang Christmas lights. We have an agreement that Dave will not go up on the roof if no one's around. We are getting older and a little more unsteady. Dave must have been feeling very sure of himself yesterday, because he had quite a few lights up when I returned home.

Where was I? I spent the afternoon yarn shopping with daughter Alison, granddaughter Eva, and Grandma Cindy (Eva's other grandma) at Elgin Knit Works. Alison bought yarn for a cowl for herself and a hat for Eva. Eva helped choose colors, but had no desire to practice her knitting or crocheting skills. Cindy and I each purchased one skein of Road to China and two skeins of Malabrigo, although not the same colors. We 're going to keep each other motivated to knit Summer Sky by Janina Kallio in Road to China, and Reyna by Noora Backlund in Malabrigo. Cold weather knitting, I am ready for you!

A little of this, a little of that

There was no school today due to parent/teacher conferences, so I had time to catch up on some housework and play with all of my goodies!

I practiced my needle lace again. There are lots of mistakes here. I was able to "pose" it to hide my mistakes. I'll probably try again tomorrow.

I worked some more on my 12 Step Sampler Blanket. Working in color was more interesting, but working in one solid color makes it easier to see the stitch patterns.

I worked on my hanky edging for a while. I'm already wondering if I have enough thread!

Knitting has taken a back seat for a while. Luckily, "Reyna" is an easy pattern to pick up and put down. I'm planning on going to visit daughter Alison on Sunday, and since we're planning on going yarn shopping, I figured I'd better get back into knitting mode!

Time for crochet

I was given 12 skeins of Lion Brand Pound of Love yesterday, and I was eager to start crocheting. I decided to start with the 12 Step Sampler Blanket, a pattern that I crocheted last year. When I crocheted the blanket last year, I used a variety of multi-colored I Love This Yarn skeins from Hobby Lobby. I love the way it turned out, but ever since I finished it, I've been thinking of crocheting it in one color. The time is here!

At lunchtime today, my high school crochet group asked the principal if it would be possible for them to meet with me every school day. Typically, high school students sign up for the Learning Commons on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, while middle school students sign up for Tuesday and Thursday. The principal agreed to give it a try next week. The art teacher and I have agreed that the crochet unit will last until Christmas break. We'll have to see if lessons go in to the new year!

I was very excited to receive this invitation in the mail today! I served as the town librarian for about ten months before being hired by the school district. That was way back in 1984-1985, before the current library building had been remodeled. It used to be a laundromat. When I served as the town librarian, we shared space with the village hall. Things have certainly changed over the years!

11 + 81 = 12 Step Sampler Blanket

I was so close to finishing my 12 Step Sampler Blanket, it was easy to stay focused and finish it yesterday. I used 11 skeins of I Love This Yarn from Hobby Lobby. I was a bit shy and need to finish the last 81 stitches with a new skein. I'm sure I could have made those 81 stitches up by being more frugal with the ends I left for weaving. Still, it's finished, and I love it!

So does Dave! I may have to make another!

Ice, ice, baby!

School was cancelled today, because last night we had freezing rain. The main roads were okay, but the secondary roads were in bad shape. I know when Dave left for work this morning, I could see that our drive was solid ice.

I was glad to have an excuse to stay home today. My sinuses are all out of whack with the ups and downs in temperature, and it was nice to be able to just stay at home and take it easy.

I started the day with the intention of tatting three Ice Drops, all basic, but with varying numbers of picots. Then I got to dreaming of new projects!

Years ago, I knit a triangular shawl from Traditional Knitted Lace Shawls by Martha Waterman. I love this book! The pattern is an easy ten row repeat. I remember there was a challenge when the book came out, and several knitters used this pattern in various weights and types of yarn. I can't remember which magazine it was in, but that challenge is what attracted me to this book.

I still have my original shawl. I kept it on my chair at school for years, so that if it got chilly in the library I had something to throw over my shoulders. This ball of Lion Brand Mandala was sitting by my chair, and I kept thinking that it might be perfect for this shawl pattern. I'm happy I decided to give it a try!

My afghan is growing! We're expecting frigid temps again over the next week, so I figure I will have the perfect opportunity to finish it and keep warm at the same time!

Auriel

Today I tatted Auriel from Twenty to Make: Tatted Snowflakes by Jennifer Williams. I love this pattern! I did make a mistake on one of the outer chains, so I guess I'll just have to tat another! As I was tatting, I tried to figure out how to turn this in to an Ice Drop. I think I have an idea that might work. Hopefully, I'll get a chance to try my idea out tomorrow.

I finished the fourth pattern repeat of my 12 Step Sampler Blanket. I think one more pattern repeat will make it long enough, and then I can start the edging. With the cold weather we're experiencing, I'm enjoying having this nice warm blanket covering my legs!

Doodling with beads

I'm continuing playing with beads. This time I used three seed beads in place of the picot cluster on my Doodle Ice Drop pattern. I kind of like it!

This morning I finished the third pattern repeat of the 12 Step Sampler Blanket. I sure am enjoying all the colors!

Playing with pink

Dave was outside working on fencing today, one of the advantages of a warm day in January! While he worked on fencing, I worked on tatting. I'm still enjoying my Doodle Ice Drop pattern, and today I decided to play with pink.

This is Lizbeth #629, Light Azalea. While pink isn't my favorite color, I do like the Azalea colors. The shuttle is from Grizzly Mountain Arts.

I lost the label to this one. I don't think it's Lizbeth thread, because it doesn't have a cardboard core; it's plastic. This Grizzly Mountain Arts Shuttle is dated 2009.

This one is in Lizbeth #622, Pin Med. The Handi-wind shuttle is again from Grizzly Mountain Arts.

I'm making good progress on my 12 Step Sampler Blanket. The pattern can be found on Ravelry. I'm using I Love This Yarn from Hobby Lobby. I've completed 2 pattern repeats or 70 rows. I'm hoping for colder weather, because this blanket keeps me very toasty as I'm working on it!

New Year's Eve

It's hard to believe that it's New Year's Eve already! Dave and I have a wild night planned. I'm guessing we'll both be in our pajamas by 7 and asleep in our chairs somewhere between 8:30 and 9. Yes, we do live life on the wild side! ;-)

I'm not quite ready to give up crocheting, but I'm going at a much slower pace. I started this one on Christmas Eve. The pattern is 12 Step Sampler Blanket and can be found on Ravelry. I'm using a variety of multi-colored yarns that I have on hand; all of it is I Love This Yarn from Hobby Lobby. The design shows up much better in solid colors, but I still like the way this is working up. I've finished one 35 row pattern repeat. I anticipate this one taking me a couple of months to complete.

I'm not ready to give up Ice Drops. I did a little doodling last night and came up with this design. I'm not sure if this is one I've written up before or not. The problem with writing up patterns is that I have a difficult time remembering if it's something I've done before!

I tatted this one today. I changed the picots a little, but that's the only change. This is one of my new shuttles from Shuttle by Design. I can't help myself. I love any sort of paisley design, and I love blue!