Dear Friends,
Well, I think I've decided to take a short break from this blog. I love it dearly, but work and life in general has gotten quite busy for me lately and I feel like I need to focus on some other "life stuff" for a while.
Also, not keeping up with it regularly is making me feel bad, and guilty, which is SO not the point of this blog! So for now I think I'll take some of the pressure off myself. At least for the time being.
If you'd like to be notified if I start posting again, I'd be very grateful. Please feel free to sign up here for updates. (No spam, I promise!)
Until next time,
Kathy
Phew. Not the most productive month for granny squares! But here is my latest... made from some of my new yarn.
I like the colors. ♥
I bought a new tablecloth for the kitchen table. Ivory. Kinda plain. It needed something. Something pretty.
So I put together this old jug, my Munising bowl, and some flowers and mint from my garden. And yes - that's an old April Cornell placemat (from the 90s!) which I love. (I only have two of them unfortunately.)
I have been extremely busy with work lately, but generally feeling good and accomplished and productive. And after all my blustering last week though about all of my crochet plans, I really have not done any crocheting besides the granny square above.
My Christmas deadline for my afghan is looming... and at this point it's doubtful it's going to get done - if I'm being honest with myself.
Must push on though! Each row gets me closer and closer to the end.
Happy, happy Friday! It's been a long, long week... :)
I'm very much looking forward to the weekend. I plan to do a ton of crochet. The Beast, and at least one granny square.
I've not been very motivated to pick up my hook lately. I actually spent several nights this week with my unfinished afhan in my lap, hook in my hand. Hours later - I still had not made one stitch!
But I am tired of looking at all of the unfinished projects around here and really want to Accomplish Something.
For now, though - please just enjoy this baby sunflower enjoying the autumn sun.
♥
I am so happy it's September.
Believe me, I had a great summer... it just felt like a long one. I am not complaining... I'm happy and healthy and I started off the summer with a trip to Hawaii for goodness sakes. I know what I have and I am thankful for it everyday. I am just looking forward to falling leaves, fresh cider, and cooler weather, darnit! :)
~ Rant over. ~
Now... onto some lovely eye candy I got this weekend! First, this amazing orchid.
I went to Trader Joe's on Saturday morning to pick up some supplies (our cupboards were completely bare - I was actually forced to eat a freaking ice cream cone for a snack. Without the ice cream!)
They had a lot of cut flowers by the door, and sadly most looked a little worse for wear but they did have a ton of potted orchids as well. The big ones were $17.99 which I thought was a pretty good price so I stood there for a minute or two obsessing debating over which one to get. Quite a commitment, really. Then - from out of nowhere I saw this gorgeous one in the back. Yes - score! Seriously, there has to be about 25 blooms on this lovely.
I hugged it put it in my cart and seriously - I had about 3 or 4 people comment on it while I was shopping! They were all really jealous, I could tell. ;) How this gorgeous plant was still even on the shelf on a busy Saturday afternoon I have no idea. Was meant to be I tell you.
(And no, I am not keeping it on the chair above. I just staged it here for the picture. It's actually on my desk where I can look at it all day long. (Praying I can keep it alive!))
Next up - some delicious new yarn.
This package of goodness arrived on Saturday. Finally - new yarn for my granny square project! Woo hoo.
Some of these colors I've used already... some are new. (And no, I didn't really plan out the colors well for this project - hoping it just all comes together in the end.)
The colors above are Burnt, Gooseberry, Aubergine, Ochre, Raspberry, Ice Water, Celery, Linen, Bee, and China Rose (which is actually the purply one in the middle. OK.)
I do kinda really love the color combo of these new skeins... would be nice on their own for a future project (minus the bright yellow "Bee" color in the center - but that is wonderful as well, don't get me wrong.)
And of course - these are all my favorite, favorite Rowan Handknit Cotton yarn. My fave, if you couldn't tell.
Happy September. ♥
Week Sixteen:
I'll be the first to admit it took me more than a week to finish this square - but here it is nonetheless!
I ordered more yarn today (yay) - so hopefully I'll get some better looking color combos posted shortly.
I'm thinking that in ten more squares or so I am going to start putting them together. There are several grannies I think I am going to leave out of the finished blanket. Some of the colors are just not striking me as right. But we'll see...
Next week I'll show you all of my lovely new yarn...
I don't think I can officially post about Week 16 yet because I'm not done with the square.
What can you do?
I'm not in love with the colors on this one, and I really (really) need to buy more yarn. Also, I've been working on The Beast when I do actually get the gumption to pick up my hook.
But - I did lay out some squares last weekend... just to see how they go together. Frankly, I'm not that thrilled. But it's still a work-in-progress. (I keep telling myself.)
Note that these are unblocked squares. (Which is why their shape can only be described as 'funky'.) And I really do think I'll leave some of them out of the finished blanket entirely.
I also hope that when I start putting them together with the cream border it will help.
Sigh.
My wrist, thumb, and elbow are sore from a rough weekend trying to put a dent in my seafoam afhan - The Beast.
I've been working on this blanket since late May/early June 2012. I started it with the intention of giving it as a gift in late June of 2012... complete lunacy! Now over a year later I'm still only about 75-80% finished. Insanity.
Now I am aiming for Christmas 2013. It MUST BE DONE. I don't hate the thing, mind you. I still love the color and the pattern and it seems to be turning out really nicely. I think my issues with it lately have been that I am eyeing another project I want to get started on, but really can't until this one is done.
So, put together the fact that I really started it too large (it's a twin bed size), I'm a slow crocheter, and I always have several projects going on at once, it just seems like I'll never get this done.
And I almost completely gave up on it this weekend - telling myself that it's "big enough" and would be fine as just a "lap throw" and just "weave in the darn ends and start on the edging". But after laying it out on a bed I decided it just looked weird at the size it currently is, and I must soldier on.
Wish me luck...
Earlier this month I spent a fabulous weekend with friends in New York City.
Well, to be exact, we stayed in Hoboken, New Jersey - and took the ferry over to the city each day.
The views from our apartment in Hoboken were amazing.
I took this pic from the ferry dock - waiting to head into the city on Friday morning. Woo hoo!
I grew up north of the city, but it was honestly the first time I've ever spent a weekend there just strolling around - shopping and eating. It was wonderful. We spent time in a ton of fabulous stores - Fishs Eddy (I really did control myself and did not buy much - only a couple of dishtowels) and ABC Home - floors and floors of deliciousness. I kept myself in check here as well - only buying a necklace that was on sale! Yay me.
I did hit one yarn store - String, but did not buy a thing. (Although they did have a beautiful selection.) I wanted to visit the Lion Brand Studio Store, but we ran out of time. (They close at 5 and we did not get out of ABC Home til... way after that.) Next time!
On Saturday morning we went to the Hell's Kitchen Flea Market, but it was raining and there were really not many vendors there. I was a little disappointed. By the afternoon it had cleared up though and we spent most of the day shopping in SoHo, where I bought a cute little bracelet.
One of my favorite buildings - the Flatiron Building. (You can see what a gorgeous day it was!)
Hoboken is really a lovely place as well. Lots of adorable little shops and restaurants and old buildings.
Look at that sky! Gorgeous. ♥
Classic red, navy and grey (actually, Rowan calls it "Raffia"... it's kind of a grey/green).
That's all I have for you this week!
Classic. Granny. Square. ♥