Lit and Laundry

Projects of the Pandemic

noreply@blogger.com (Threeundertwo) — Sat, 14 Mar 2020 16:42:00 +0000

We're all in our lifeboats now, realizing just in time or maybe too late that the ship has hit the iceberg. We need to stay alive and to do that we need to stay in. I have spent time - maybe like you - in worry, in planning, in prayer. Today I turn to resolve. Resolve to spend this time well.

Looking around, I have a lot of projects that are at the 95% finished stage. I'll start by finishing those. Then I'll get some of these quilts out of the way and some of the bigger projects.

Today, I've got a small piece I did for St. Patrick's day. I asked Hestia to model it for me and she got very distracted by it, even when I gave her a toy duck to bat around instead.

Stay well my friend. Make art. Love your pet. We'll get through this.

2019 Temperature Blanket Complete

noreply@blogger.com (Threeundertwo) — Wed, 01 Jan 2020 23:48:00 +0000

Last night as I waited for midnight I put the final stitches into my 2019 temperature blanket. When I woke up under it this morning, I already started to miss working on it every day. It had become a form of daily meditation as I spent about a half hour every morning recording the previous day.

The colors symbolize the high temperature each day in 2019 in my town. I used 14 colors, each one representing a four degree range of temperature. The yarns ranged from dark pink (the coldest) to the lightest pink, and then light purple to dark purple (the hottest).

The pattern can be found around the internet with various racist titles. I will point you to the Ravelry page with the free pattern that calls it "Retro Remake" here.

I have made temperature blankets two years in a row now, so I'm taking a break this year. I hope to put all those hours into other projects!

Thanks for stopping by and Happy New Year! I would love it if you leave a comment.

Caturday Helper

noreply@blogger.com (Threeundertwo) — Sat, 07 Sep 2019 18:36:00 +0000

Hestia has been particularly "helpful" this week. Here she is sharing my lap with my Autumn Sampler cross stitch project.

Here she is inspecting my sewing machine. You can see the shaved spot on her leg. Poor thing had to go under anesthesia to get a tooth pulled last week.

I set my embroidery down for a minute and this happened.

Hard to decide who is cuter in this picture. This is the Boo! quilt sewalong I'm participating in.

Finished for Friday: Autumn Afghan

noreply@blogger.com (Threeundertwo) — Fri, 06 Sep 2019 23:08:00 +0000

Whenever I binge a tv show, I create a crochet blanket. I can't just sit and stare at the television without doing something with my hands. This Autumn afghan was a lot of fun to make and used some specialty stitches and some fall-ish variegated yarn. It was a perfect project that didn't take a lot of time or attention. I love these colors and it goes on my stack of blankets that somehow gets smaller every time the kids come to visit.

If you're wondering which show - it was Lucifer. Not very deep plots but plenty of eye candy!

Thanks for stopping by.

Drama Girl's First Day of School

noreply@blogger.com (Threeundertwo) — Tue, 03 Sep 2019 16:39:00 +0000

I love the day after Labor Day on social media. All of my mom friends are posting beautiful pictures of their kids starting school. I have a few of my own.

Here's Drama Girl on her first day of kindergarten.

And here she is on her first day teaching a college class. I love that she sent me a first day of school picture. I love that she apologized for the unpacked boxes. As if I would care! She just moved into her new apartment a few days ago.

I am so proud I could burst. There is nothing like knowing your kids are going to make it, that they're doing what they love, that their future is so bright they've gotta wear shades.

Congratulations Drama Girl. I love you so much.

What Makes You Feel Alive

noreply@blogger.com (Threeundertwo) — Mon, 29 Jul 2019 17:36:00 +0000

I played a great gig on Saturday. A distant cousin got married at this beautiful spot in Washington. If you look carefully at the photo you can see Mt. Hood in the distance.

I don't play gigs very often, but this was a special family occasion. The bride was gorgeous and she looked like a princess. The bed and breakfast was in a remote location but it was utterly charming and worth the drive over the mountains and through the woods.

I worried when I left home that morning because it had been in the 90s the day before. Saturday morning started with rain at my house. I held my breath the whole drive as I watched the clouds move across the sky. The rain never got close to the wedding site though. But you know what did? Wind. Amazing wind whipping over the hilltop. It was a challenge with my pages of music fluttering around.

The officiant talked about a Howard Thurman quote:

“Don't ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and go do that, because what the world needs is people who have come alive.”

It's such a simple thought, and probably overused in motivational posters and pinterest graphics, but in the moment I realized that I really loved performing for other people.

So let's see what the future holds as far as harp gigs. It's a lot of work, but ultimately so satisfying.

Finished for Friday: May weather

noreply@blogger.com (Threeundertwo) — Fri, 31 May 2019 22:42:00 +0000

This is my current temperature blanket project, complete up through yesterday. I crochet a row each morning while I drink my coffee. January 1, 2019 is the first dark pink row on the left. May 30 is on the far right.

I have a different color for each 4 degree increment, for a total of 16 possible colors. White rows are snow days, and you can't see it well in this picture but I've added a silver thread for rainy days.

I thought it would be longer at this point. When it's done it's going to be a little bigger than a square I think. I'll trim up the fringe so it's even.

I did a temperature blanket last year and had a lot of fun. It's nice to remember that winter doesn't actually last forever, even if it seems it does at the time.

Kaffe Needlepoint

noreply@blogger.com (Threeundertwo) — Tue, 28 May 2019 17:38:00 +0000

Looking through my blog labels I see I had something called Needlework Tuesday. So here is my current work in progress. This is an 18" square needlepoint that I'll turn into a cushion when I'm done.

It's actually coming together rather quickly. I started rewatching Game of Thrones before the final season came out and this was a perfect project for binging. Now that the completely disappointing finale has aired, I've abandoned my plan to watch the whole thing so I'll need to find a new show I can "half-watch" as my eyes stay mostly on the work.

I love the colors in this. Bright and clear, like Kaffe Fassett's fabrics. The kit is available from the Ehrman needlepoint website here.

Makes My Monday: New Laptop

noreply@blogger.com (Threeundertwo) — Mon, 27 May 2019 18:49:00 +0000

Is there anything more fun than new technology to play with? I love getting new toys as much as the next person. This one is twice as powerful as my old laptop and weighs half as much.

My old laptop has been dying for a while. Freezing up, keyboard problems, slow as molasses at times. Worst of all though, my kids regularly ridicule my old hardware. There's nothing quite as annoying as young whippersnappers looking down on you.

I can get sentimental about literally anything, and I've certainly done a lot with my old tools. Just looking at this new pink beauty gives me the same rush as new notebooks and pens. A blank slate to create all kinds of wonderful new ideas. How many books will I write on this? How many great ideas will start here?

Now if I can just remember all those passwords I need to get all that software going again.

Finished for Friday: Table Runner

noreply@blogger.com (Threeundertwo) — Sat, 25 May 2019 00:05:00 +0000

I love collecting mini charm packs of fabric. The assorted 2 1/2 inch squares are meant to show a complete line by a designer and they are just the right size for a quick tiny project.

Now that I live alone, my home has definitely become more girly, and my Hoosier cabinet is full of flowery china that I've collected over the years. I made this little pink table runner to continue the theme.

I still have some charm packs left. Aren't they cute? It's not really hoarding if they're tiny. (Yes, it is, but I think this is a reasonable number).

This is the only quilting project I've been able to finish recently because I'm working on something very big and very secret. For someone very special who is about to graduate. Only three more weeks to get it done. Wish me luck!

Welcome to Wine Country

noreply@blogger.com (Threeundertwo) — Wed, 22 May 2019 16:39:00 +0000

Wasabi Girl came to visit me for a day recently, and since she had just turned 21 I decided to take her on a little wine tour through my neighborhood. I live in the Willamette Valley in Oregon and you can't swing a cat without hitting a winery. I even have "Wine Country" license plates.

We did the complete winery tour at Lange Vinyards and it was amazing. We kept getting dazzled by the statistics. Did you know each barrel holds 300 bottles of wine? There were rooms and rooms of barrels, steel tanks, and even a concrete "egg." The neutral nature of the concrete gives the wine a bright, clean flavor.

The Willamette Valley is sometimes called the "Burgundy of the West," because we are at the same latitude as Burgundy France. The similar growing conditions yield rich reds, although we have plenty of wonderful wines of all types.

At the end of the tour we were able to taste and compare a variety of their offerings and of course, I ended up buying a few bottles.

So if you ever come visit, prepare to meet some wine. One of the perks of living in Wine Country.

The End of the Game

noreply@blogger.com (Threeundertwo) — Tue, 21 May 2019 03:16:00 +0000

I admit that I, too, invested a decade of my life waiting to see who would finally win the Game of Thrones. Like so many others, I was incredibly disappointed with the final season.

But what I'm not disappointed in, is how this series brought people I know together. Two of my kids have been avid watchers for years. Many people I know watch it. Sharing the finale was something we rarely get to experience in these days of streaming. Everyone is usually binging their own current favorite on their own schedule.

It reminded me of huge shared moments in the past, like watching the moon landing. Thanks to Twitter, we can now instantly find a broad spectrum of opinions and explanations. Facebook friends acted like a massive support group for those of us who were dazed by it all. Friends were texting me nonstop. What a luxury to all live in the moment together.

The clever jokes and memes make all the pain a lot more palatable. People who can make me laugh when I'm frustrated are the best people.

So cheers to the creators of such a huge spectacle - and boo to some writers who dropped the ball. And hugs to everyone who watched. Valar Morghulis.

It's Not About the Day

noreply@blogger.com (Threeundertwo) — Sun, 12 May 2019 21:33:00 +0000

Happy Mother's Day to those of you who have children, wish for children, or are just starting to think about children. And if you are uncomfortable today because you've lost your mom, or you have a strained relationship with your mother, or for any reason really, I'll be your mom. Today and every day.

The greatest gift Drama Girl gave me today was informing me that she'd invited another friend for this Thanksgiving. I'm already excited.

Last Thanksgiving, my kids and their friends flew in from all over the country to my house. I got to be the mom for everyone who needed it. They slept all over the house in beds and couches and air mattresses, they all cooked, arranged flowers, and got board games going. It was a lot of people in my tiny house.

It was the greatest time of my life. One of the many payoffs for raising kids is getting to embrace their friends and being embraced by them in return.

Happy Mother's Day to you and the family you were born into or the family you have found. It's not about the day, it's about the love.

Writing a Novel

noreply@blogger.com (Threeundertwo) — Sat, 11 May 2019 01:46:00 +0000

I wrote a book. It's got a beginning, a middle, and an end, plot, characters, dialogue, emotions. All the stuff that makes a book. I edited it, read it through, smiled and carefully put it in a drawer.

So now that's over. I know that I have the mechanics to actually bring a story to life in long form. But I also know that that first book was a bit of an experiment and big adventure in learning.

I learned a lot, and I'm well into my next book now, which has a better chance of becoming a real book - or at least having a few other humans reading it.

So don't ask me if you can read my book yet. Believe me, when it's out there I won't shut up about it. You'll probably find a free copy in your mailbox if you know me personally.

Writing is relaxing for me, and I'm enjoying the adventure. Drama Girl teaches writing and has been helping me every step of the way. Seems fair, since I taught her how to do things like ride a bike, use a spoon and for that matter, the English language. That investment in child-rearing is already paying off.

Tell me about your writing adventures!

Where Are We Now? Part 4

noreply@blogger.com (Threeundertwo) — Wed, 08 May 2019 22:03:00 +0000

Jungle Boy has never been afraid to leap into things. Like Drama Girl, when it was time for college he selected a small school across the country that had a good program in the field he was interested in.

He marveled at the age of buildings there - California is so young by comparison. He joined the crew team, took an intense class in wine tasting offered by the local culinary school, and met up with Drama Girl in New York city on occasion.

But California and a change of plans called him back. He decided to change schools when he switched his major to electrical engineering and decided to spend some time catching up on all the prerequisites he needs at a community college first.

A month ago he entered a big hackathon in L.A. with some friends from school. 1600 young people from all over the world competed to design, create, and program innovative products. There were prizes from major Silicon Valley companies and even a big grand prize from Nintendo.

Jungle Boy and his team won the grand prize, and each received a Nintendo Switch gaming system.

He's president of the engineering club at his school now, and taking a lot of science and math classes. For fun he throws his surfboard into his little convertible and heads to the beach.

I am, as always, ridiculously proud.

Where Are We Now? Part 3

noreply@blogger.com (Threeundertwo) — Wed, 08 May 2019 01:56:00 +0000

I'm cheating a little on the updates today while I wait to hear back from the twins about whether it's okay to post about them again. So in the meantime I'll just add a note about the other important members of the family.

The cats made the move to Oregon with me. Before the two-day drive, I did some research on how best to handle it. I found a cat house designed to buckle into the back seat of a car, put a little litter box in there, and hoped for the best. To say the least, they were not amused. These are two cats who declare they are in agony during every 5-minute trip to the vet.

Agony there was. I was informed in no uncertain terms that this was all a bad idea. But after over an hour of very vocal complaints, they both fell asleep for most of the trip.

Now of course, I'm sure that torture is long forgotten and like me, they have adapted to their new home. There are new windows to sit in, new sun puddles to bask in and best of all, when the kids come to visit the cats get all the attention they could ever want.

Have you ever traveled long-distance with a pet? How did they handle it?

Introducing Prince Naveen

noreply@blogger.com (Threeundertwo) — Mon, 06 May 2019 19:50:00 +0000

I'm a creature of habit. When the sun shines (a rare treat it seems in Oregon) I like to head outside with a book and read on my chaise lounge. I keep the lounge covered with a plastic cover when I'm not using it.

Imagine my surprise when I went out one day last summer and took off the cover only to find a small frog.

He was just sitting there, minding his own business. I'm not particularly squeamish, so I gently picked him up and put him in the bushes in my garden and went on with reading my book. After, of course, I took a few pictures of him and posted them on facebook.

But then I went out the next day and he was there again, in the same spot. And the next. So I began to play along and take pictures of him and his daily adventures. I named him Prince Naveen after the character in Disney's "Princess and the Frog." This went on throughout most of the summer. When the weather got cool though, he disappeared. I feared the worst, but hoped he was just hibernating.

A few days ago the weather was deliciously warm for the first time all spring and I ventured outside to read, took the cover off the chaise...and there he was.

Now that I'm back to blogging, I'll go ahead and share some of his adventures here. Here's a picture from our private Cinco de Mayo party yesterday.

When I asked him if he preferred red or green hot sauce he just rolled his eyes like I'm an idiot. Of course he wanted the green for his quesadillas.

I told him I was going to start blogging about him and he told me to say hello to all of you and to assure you that he didn't actually use any of the hot sauce.

Where Are They Now? Part 2

noreply@blogger.com (Threeundertwo) — Sat, 04 May 2019 18:54:00 +0000

Drama Girl was 11 years old when I started this blog in 2008. We were struggling with the issue of her messy room and celebrating her love of Harry Potter books. My how she's grown!

She's traveled the world - exceeding her goal of 21 countries before her 21st birthday. Better still, she figured out ways to work while she traveled, doing things such as teaching English, so that she managed to pay for almost all of it herself. (Mom says yay!)

She graduated from a college that has a castle just like Hogwarts and finished her degree in three years. (Mom says yay again!) She just got accepted into a fully-funded (Mom is delirious with yays) three-year program to get her MFA in writing. She'll be teaching the next generation and passing on her love of books. Her students will be very lucky.

Everything I could have hoped and dreamed for her is coming true and I couldn't possibly be prouder. Not only is she reaching high and achieving her goals, she has blossomed into a compassionate, fierce, spectacular woman. I'm glad we're friends.

Her room still tends to be pretty messy though.

Where Are We Now? Part 1

noreply@blogger.com (Threeundertwo) — Fri, 03 May 2019 18:05:00 +0000

*taps mic

"Is this thing on?"

It's been over four years since I said farewell to Lit and Laundry, and more than once I've thought about coming back to visit. It's funny to me that so many people still visit this old blog and find old posts. The magic of the eternal internet.

When I began this blog, I lamented the fact that my life was all laundry and no literature (hence the name). I have now come full circle in my life and I rarely do laundry but read about a book a day. I am in heaven.

The three children I raised have grown and each has become a spectacular adult. More on them later.

The one thing that did not survive the years was my marriage. Divorce after 23 years was traumatic, but I am finding now that it was an incredible gift to me; the chance to start over and pursue many things that marriage and rearing children left by the wayside.

I play the harp again. I've written a novel. I've moved back to Oregon and settled into a lovely little house. My time is my own and I am loving every minute of it.

Here is my kitchen alcove. Why put in another dining table when I can have big squishy purple chairs? Perfect for tea or wine and lots of reading. You can see my kindle on the table. The magnifying light is ready for all my needlework projects. My black cats are still ever-present.

I am older, and have had a cancer scare. Both of my parents have died now, and there is a big hole in my heart that calls itself "the empty nest."

As they say, along with age comes wisdom. And a whole lot of serenity. And hope. I am happier now than I have been in a very long time.

So, for lark, let me dust off this blog and see if it still runs. I doubt any of my old readers are still around, but if you are, please give a shoutout so I can find you. I miss everybody in the old blog community and I don't expect it to be like it was, but I also think that facebook is loosening it's grip on our attention. Maybe some of us are ready to return to this.

Wishing you sunny days and tea and cats.

- Threeundertwo

Finished for Friday: Santa Needlepoint Pillow

noreply@blogger.com (Threeundertwo) — Fri, 11 Dec 2015 23:31:00 +0000

I finished this pillow earlier this year and have been waiting until December to share it. It's from a vintage needlepoint kit and it was a joy to stitch.

I've always joked that Santa looks best with his green mittens. I don't know why I find that look so appealing to me. A lot of vintage pictures and figurines of Santa show him with green mittens. Here are my winking salt and pepper shakers:

Several of the Santas on my tree have green mittens too. I think I need to make some more.

WIP Wednesday: Reindeer Applique

noreply@blogger.com (Threeundertwo) — Thu, 10 Dec 2015 03:09:00 +0000

I'm still spending time on some top-secret projects, but when I get a chance, I spend a little time on this. Now the antlers look more like antlers and all that's left are the trees and some of the leaves. Maybe I'll get this done for this Christmas! I hope so. There are a couple of borders and then the quilting to do. Fingers crossed.

I've been enjoying this voyage into needleturn applique. I haven't tried it in a long time and I can see why so many people love it. Not sure I'll always use it in the future, but I feel like it's something I have in my repertoire now.

Our tree this year is all cross-stitch ornaments and crochet snowflakes that I've made. A lot of them have the year and one of the kids' names embroidered on the back. When they each leave to start their own Christmas traditions they'll have a few ornaments to take with them. I'll have to make some more for myself to refill my tree! That's something to look forward to actually. I'm trying to find every positive angle to the kids growing up and leaving the nest.

Linking up today with Freshly Pieced and Sew Fresh Quilts.

Please Stop Rushing Christmas!

noreply@blogger.com (Threeundertwo) — Tue, 08 Dec 2015 00:53:00 +0000

Last weekend we set out to get a tree at a reliable lot that is always well stocked. This was December 6 - there should have been 100 trees to pick from. I like to keep a tree up through New Years day, so to me this just doesn't seem like it should be too late. I always worry that I'm getting a tree too early for it to last.

The tree you see in the photo was the very last Noble Fir on the lot. I couldn't believe it. There were only a few other trees. As we drove home we passed other lots that were similarly sparse.

There could be a number of reasons for this. Retailers in general are getting smarter about avoiding excess inventory left over at the end of a season. I saw tree lots completely closed down a week before Christmas last year and I thought that was amazing. They must assume that everyone who wants a tree has one by then. It could also be that so many people have artificial trees now that there is much lower demand for real trees.

But today I went into the local fabric store and all of the very few remaining Christmas items were on deep discount. I mentioned my surprise to a clerk and she said "this Christmas sucks." While I might not have said it quite like that, I could see her point of view. In Christmas seasons past, the fabric store has always been a jolly jam of crafters gathering items for last-minute projects. Nothing like that this year. I had trouble finding some ribbon that was Christmas-themed.

What is causing this? Halloween has certainly gotten much bigger in recent years. Maybe people are spending more of their time and energy celebrating in the Fall and don't have as much interest in Christmas as they used to. Maybe we had reached peak excess in the past few years and people are finally scaling back their Christmas crafting and decorating, despite all of the fabulous ideas all over Pinterest.

It makes me a little sad.

I'm going to pour some eggnog, enjoy my Christmas movies - and continue frantically crafting all the things I want to make before Christmas. I hope your season is fulfilling. Let me know what you think in the comments. Maybe Halloween is just more fun for people now? Do we start celebrating too early?

Cozy Christmas Quilt Finished

noreply@blogger.com (Threeundertwo) — Sun, 06 Dec 2015 03:53:00 +0000

Here is the Christmas quilt I finished a few months ago. It's from an old Fons and Porter pattern. I'm thrilled to finally have it done.

I did a lot of quilting on each block, after I stitched in the ditch in every seam. I think I might need to add some more quilting to the borders to help it hang a little straighter.

Looking at the quilts that are all over Instagram these days, these colors seem very old-fashioned now. I guess I will always be a really traditional quilter. Give this one 20 years and it will be back in style.

The season is in full swing and I'm busy with lots of top-secret projects. My reindeer applique is also coming along. I have a few more Christmas finishes to share as the month progresses.

Now I'm off to work on some Christmas cards. Have a great weekend!

Slow Sunday Stitching

noreply@blogger.com (Threeundertwo) — Mon, 30 Nov 2015 00:13:00 +0000

I've been working on my reindeer applique today. It's been a busy few days with Thanksgiving and family events. I hope to get a lot more done on this during the coming week. I love how the layout is coming along so far. After I get this layer stitched down there will be a layer of falling snow and snow on the trees, which I think I might do with wool. Then after quilting there are a lot of buttons and bells to add.

Wasabi Girl took a class with me yesterday and we made good progress on some tuffets. It was a lot of fun and I'll have pictures of those when we finish them up next week.

Linking up today with Kathy for Slow Stitching Sunday.

Design Wall Monday: Winter's Dream

noreply@blogger.com (Threeundertwo) — Tue, 24 Nov 2015 03:01:00 +0000

This is what I'm working on today. It's an old pattern from Robyn Pandolph and these are just the first few pieces. It's called "Winter's Dream." I'm going to do needleturn applique, which I need to practice more.

Happy to be working on another Christmas quilt. I've just spent some time on instagram and found a lot of inspiration.

Linking up today with Patchwork Times and Bits and Bobs.