Relaxing

We had a very relaxing day today. Dave worked on some outdoor projects, while Mom and I enjoyed indoor activities. 

Mom and I both worked on our Orenburg warm shawls today. I finished another pattern repeat, and Mom is zipping along with her second border panel. After making mistakes on three rows, I decided it was time to take a break from knitting.

It's been a long time since I've worked with doodads aka jewelry findings, and I decided today was as good a day as any to get to work. I didn't find the ones I was looking for, but I did find these acrylic flower findings that I had completely forgotten about.

After playing with the flower design, I decided to try the acrylic flower as the center for Laura Blanton's Coronavirus Button Cross. It worked pretty well!

Mom and I finished watching the seven seasons of Endeavour that are available and decided to watch Inspector Morse. I had watched the series a long time ago, so long ago that I really can't remember the plot lines. I've been working on my Granny Stripe afghan while watching the show. The pattern is so simple, I can follow the show and not mess up my project. Tonight I was able to crochet four rows while watching an episode. 

Today was far more productive than I could have imagined!

Fumble fingers

For some reason, I had fumble fingers yesterday. First, I pulled the knitting needle out of the beginning of a row. Luckily, it was only about ten stitches and I was able to recover them with no problem. Then, I almost lost one of my points when I didn't really knit the last stitch in a row. I decided to quit while I was ahead!

Moving on to crochet, I thought I'd do better. For a while, I did do better, but then I kept dropping my hook. I did manage to finish almost three rows before giving up for the night.

My new take-along project for school is a scarf. The ribbing pattern is simple to remember, and I can easily put this project down without worrying about losing my place in the pattern. 

The girls who loved seeing what I was knitting or crocheting have all graduated. I miss sharing my progress with them. I keep hoping that someone will show interest in what I'm making. I would love to share some more of my stash with future knitters or crocheters!

Crochet day

I was in the mood to crochet today, so I did! I worked on this Granny Stripe afghan that I started back in June. I'm enjoying working with all the cheerful colors, and it's nice to have something warm on my lap on a chilly day!

Where do I begin?

I really need to get back into blogging on a more regular basis. I simply can't remember what I've done! Luckily, I usually remember to take pictures.

There's been a lot of sewing going on. I like making tissue packet covers out of leftover material. I don't know of any craft shows coming up, but that's no reason to stop creating!

Daughter Joanne and family will be arriving at the end of the week. The kids like to help Joanne and Jan cook, so I decided to make some tea towel aprons for them. I love the tutorial from Missouri Star Quilt Company.

I'm making pretty good progress with my Granny Stripe afghan. It's nearly halfway done.

As Mom and I have been sorting and organizing, I'm realizing that I have a ridiculous number of tatting shuttles. That doesn't keep me from collecting new ones, though! These beauties are from Rita Richmond of Shuttle by Design.

My oldest granddaughter, Eva, starts college this fall. The school colors are navy blue and gold. She requested a new lanyard in the school colors, and Mom was eager to get back to band weaving!.

Janko, my youngest grandchild, loves dinosaurs. I found a free pattern online and made a set of them. The idea is that he will choose one and share the other two. We'll see if that happens!

I haven't accomplished much in the way of tatting lately, but I did manage to tat an Ice Drop over the weekend. This is a variation of my Doodle Ice Drop pattern.

Last week I spent one day in bed with a sinus headache. When I get a headache, I like to have a lavender pack to put on my head. It feels so good and eases the pain. I hadn't made any in quite a while, and Mom and I found the supplies for making them while sorting. I managed to make nine over the past week. These are 6" x 11" finished (I cut the fabric 7" x 12"), and they're filled with 4 cups of whole flax seed and 2 tablespoons of lavender. I store them in a ZipLock freezer bag in the freezer. They really are very soothing!

Shaping up!

Things are shaping up around here. My brother arrived with Mom's things on Tuesday afternoon. With help from friends and family, we were able to unload the truck in about 45 minutes. After that, the fun began!

Mom is unbelievable! Her bedroom looked like a bedroom before dinner time on Tuesday, and she's been working on sorting, organizing, and discarding with more energy than I can muster ever since! There's nothing photo worthy at this point, but we are both feeling very good about how much we've accomplished.

There has been a little crafting going on. I started a Granny Stripe afghan in an effort to use up some of my yarn stash. It's been a great project for when Mom and I decide to take a break. The pattern is so simple, I really don't have to think while I'm working on it.

Mom has been taking weaving breaks. We thought there was very little warp left on my loom. I think she's woven enough fabric for three bags! The goal is to use up the warp on my loom, and then move my loom upstairs to my new craft area. Then we will set up Mom's loom in the sunroom. I weave, but Mom WEAVES!

Yes, things are slowly shaping up around here. When spaces seem photo worthy, I'll share pics of what we've done. That may take a while!