Dainty Kitty

Acorns

Matt doesn't need to bring me acorns (an inside joke from the adventure) - I can carry one with me where ever I go. 

Instantly gratifying tutorial here. 

Harry Gets a Job in England & Some Sappy Stuff

 

Much to my surprise, Harry arrived in Salisbury yesterday morning and has taken a position in Duck Safety.  He attempts to remind incoming ducks to slow down so they don't land like this:

It's kind of neat to see something over there that I made with my own two hands - no matter how simple and tiny - that was in my two hands less than a week ago.  Not that it makes the distance any easier - it just makes the whole crazy mess a little more real. 

Because I'm silly, I started my first packing list last night while I was waiting for his call.  It's never too early to start making lists, right?  I think not, especially when the act of making any list makes you happy. 

I started as realistically as possible with a list of things to take on the plane:

• knitting - sock?? Christmas knitting? Crochet?

• iPod

• travel journal & pen

• change of clothes

• book

• toothbrush/toothpaste

• face cloths

• make up

• courage & patience

• camera & batteries

I think the next to last on the list there might be the most important.  Especially the patience part. 

We talk about lots of stuff but the conversation always turns to Our Adventure.  We've got the first week kind of planned out but it's the first couple of hours that we talk about the most.  The first few nervous, awkward moments, a cup of tea somewhere, hand holding, the hour and a half drive home - just sharing the same space.  And I can't stop thinking that while I'm taking forever to get my bags and through Customs and all that, he'll be on the other side of some wall, waiting. 

Sigh. :-) 

Harry the Safety Cone

I just dropped this little guy in the mail to Matt because he's working on a documentary about road safety. 

Oh, and because I'm a complete and utter dork.

Uber cute pattern can be found here. 

A White Hot Meerkat Mess

I don't know what these guys look like but they certainly don't look like meerkats or even the pattern for that matter.  The one on the right is my second attempt (the first was completely frogged) and I spent three hours on the the third attempt on the left last night (while watching Dexter Season 2 which is awesome, by the way).

I think my bamboo yarn is too thick and I'm going to need to cut back a few rows (these are already two rows short of what she calls for).   And then there's the mohair. 

The bottom one was my first choice and the top is closer to what I want but not fuzzy enough.  I think my next attempt will be using both. 

My inability to reach the level of cuteness set by the original on the pattern is really causing me undue stress.  It's ridiculous. 

A Little Color to Brighten the Day

First of all, thanks to all of the uplifting comments left on my last post.  I really am going to take care of myself in this situation and make...well, I guess, make the most of it.  

Yesterday I went out to a family picnic at my parents' house and decided to cart a couple of projects out there to take advantage of the sun and the bevy of places they have that would make nice backdrops.  :-)

I pulled three dresses out of two of the bags I've yet to take to Goodwill, cut them up and crocheted them into these:

 

The larger one took all but the sleeves and the very front of two dresses and the smaller one is just the skirt of another dress.  I'm now addicted to crocheting with fabric.  I think it's a great way not only to reuse old materials but also a way to maybe even commemorate a piece of clothing.  And now I can get rid of the ugly oatmeal containers I've been using to hold my hooks and needles!  

And here's the progress on my scrapghan.  Not too far along but, after the initial rush of 10 - 12 rows per week for the first two or three weeks, I'm trying to keep steady at four or five.  And I'm still madly in love with it.  :-)

And now I'm off to enjoy a little morning alone time by reading or watching one of my movies.  Have a wonderful Sunday!

I Crocheted a Ski Hat in June

'Cause I'm all crazy like that.

Tahoe Ski Hat pattern from Crochet Hats! by Candi Jenson (which I picked up at Marshalls the other day for a mere $2.99 - go me).

Granny Squares & Wild Things

I picked up 200 Crochet Blocks by Jan Eaton at the library the other night and tried out block 161 - Daisy Chain.  I might make another and two plainer squares for a pillow cover.  Or maybe this'll just end up on my wall in the craft room.

While I was at the park, photographing my little granny square, I caught a flash of yellow out of the corner of my eye. This was all I was able to capture with my camera:

I had to run but I'm going to go back later.  If I can manage to capture this elusive fellow I think I have a friend who could provide a very good home for him....

In other news, I spent Tuesday night going through my clothes and dropped four bags off at Goodwill this afternoon.   Egads, did that feel good!  I got rid of two-thirds of the clothing that hung in my closet and I still have my summer clothes to go through. 

I managed to only hang on to a couple of things that I should have given away: the sweater I had my senior photo taken in and a light brown, men's corduroy jacket that I love love love.  I'm going to cut the jacket up and make it into a tote bag.   If the sweater were feltable I'd make it into a bag as well but it's not - I don't know what I'm going to do with it.  It's too tacky to wear but too sentimental to get rid of.  If anyone has any suggestions, I'd love to hear them!

My New Love

I'm in love and I can only hope that our relationship is strong enough to see us through to the tail end.

No I'm not talking about any man/boy.  I'm talking about the scrapghan I started last week.  I love, love, love it!

I've got eighteen rows finished and I'd be tickled if I could keep up this pace but I'll be happy with any pace if I can finish it by September.  So far I haven't had to repeat any colors but I did have to go out and buy a couple skeins because I was lacking in a couple of bright colors (pink and orange) and I needed to balance out my plethora of greens and blues.  I knew I had a lot of greens because it's my favorite color but I have even more blues which was surprising. 

4,501 stitches so far (the one is because I double crocheted twice into one space on a blue row and refused to go back and fix it since I didn't find it until I'd gotten to it with the next row)!

A Better Day

This is my kind of evening.  I came home and immediately plunked down on the couch to finish I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith (who wrote 101 Dalmations) which is a great book.  I'm hoping it's a good movie, too because Bill Nighy plays Mortmain and I think they couldn't have chosen a better actor - it's like it was written for him even though, I believe, it was written in the 1940s.  

Then I went into the kitchen and made up some banana bread which is in the oven.  Man oh man do I love banana bread batter....  I don't often wear aprons but put a little half one one because I was washing and drying my hands after nearly every ingredient and came to the conclusion that I think I might make an apron that I could possibly pull off with jeans, out in public.  Maybe.

I carried my timer upstairs with me and it's making me feel like I'm working against the clock...eleven minutes to finish this post!

And then I stepped outside to take a photo of the Magritte bag I made on my way down to Kentucky.   

 

I love quick crochet projects and I think I might have to work on something like this tonight because I'm hankering to finish something.  My ego also loved showing it to my mom in the car and hearing her say, "You started that on the drive?"  Hee hee.

And tonight I'm making the last of the peas with pork chops and mashed potatoes.  Mmmm, now that's how you eat peas fresh from a Southern garden!  Oh, and watching a special showing of The Princess Bride on AMC with interviews with Rob Reiner and Mandy Patinkin.  I'm looking forward to seeing Wallace Shawn (Vizzini) - I harbor a great and not so secret lust-crush on the man.  It doesn't rival Alan Rickman or anything but...yeah, there's something about that him that's always appealed to me in, I guess, a Woody Allen kind of way.  

Now that I think about it, last night was pretty good, too.  I started my menu for next week (salsa and quesadillas from the Grit cookbook, Kim!) and actually finished the crossword puzzle (only hopping on to an online crossword dictionary once to find the answer to "Fountain for wishes" - trevi - I had no idea).  

My time is nearly up!  

  

Sweets via the Mail Carrier

I got the sweetest package from my friend Delly!

Besides being a fabulous knitter, she's also taken silver smithing classes.  I had admired this stitch marker - it is a kitty after all - when she made it and she was nice enough to send it to me along with the yarn it's photographed against, a crochet hook and pattern for a cute octopodish creature....

and these salt and pepper shakers which I had also admired on her blog!

Sorry for the dark photo - I live on the second floor but might as well be living in a hole because there aren't many windows...my kitchen is cave-like. 

Thanks to the miracle of saving posts as a draft and a rather slow day at the office I was able to finish the above mentioned octopodish creature.  His name is Pi and today is his birthday (Happy Pi Day!)....

I wrote quite a bit more but lost it due to my own stupidity and I've run out of time.  Hopefully Sunday I'll have a photo of a bare but glued together doll house to post since Dad and I are getting together tomorrow to start working on it!