Making Ends Meet

It's another rainy day in Georgia and onward for a couple hours of crochet in the morning. Lots of ends in using alot of colors but it's coming along. I have learned that tension issues as a beginner are very common. My chain stitches were too tight. After a couple of  You Tube videos on the topic, my next projects may benefit from using a size hook 2 sizes larger just for the chain stitches.

I'm still enjoying it though as an added project among many others.

Mr. Darcy and I have started watching another TV series, Madam Secretary. Pretty good so far. We are still in Season 1.

It's leftover fried chicken tonight with Irish potatoes and white gravy, and cooked carrots.

I love it when we have left-overs!!! Last night Mr. Darcy cut up a whole chicken and I fried it up as any true Southern girl will. Probably not the healthiest but it is soooooo good.

Ther weather man says the sun is coming out tomorrow. It has been a LONG time since we have seen the sun here.

Here's to having a cozy Saturday evening!

Mohair or Abbie Hair? First Crochet Blanket!

I try to challenge myself to learn something new every now and again.

Well, yesterday I was watching a You Tube on basic crochet and the single crochet stitch. Then some stash busting for a blanket commenced.

I lost count of how many chain stitches I started but it's going to be rather large. All single crochet. Just like knitting and cross stitch, this is rhythmic, almost zen-like. 

It feels good to look through and put colors together from my huge yarn stash of acrylic DK weight.
I don't have but a couple of hooks and used them solely for fixing my knitting but had the right size for DK weight so this happened.

Using one of my favorite pillows for color inspiration...........

and a very large basket my mother gave me, I have a new blanket started.

Wide enough to go across a twin bed probably.

Just winging it.

There is also an added colorway called Abbie Hair, not mohair but very, very similar.

Hope you are having a zen-like day too!

The Colberth Rock Shawl and A Thrift Store Find

 Yesterday, I picked up a  shawl I started.......ok, wait for this now.......July 4th. 2017!

 It use to be a free pattern on Ravelry Now it's a few bucks so looking for the pattern was necessary. I finally found it (the last 2 pages of it) and picked up where I left off in the mesh lace. Then about 16 rows down I obviously dropped several stitches in one place. Trying to mend lace was not successful so I frogged about 16 rows. I found a rest row (knitting all stitches) and picked up with a smaller needle finally. The yarn is Juniper Moon Farm Moonshine  and is 40% alpaca. Its a beautiful, soft red. 

After knitting a pair of socks, switching to size 9 US needles with worsted weight was very different.

I frogged almost back to the point where I picked it up. I may have shown this on the blog in the distant past as I started it a long time ago but here's a few pics from then. The true color is in the last 2 pics.

The Colberth Rock Shawl by Rhonda Craven (in progress)

Mystitchmarkers match the yarn :) 

I'm on the second skein now.

It's really a basic triangular shawl.

591 yards of cushiony, soft goodness.

The label has suggestion to use size 7 needles and I started it out like this but my tension must be tight because I ended up switching to a size 9 into the mesh lace portion.

And now.

Definitely will need some good blocking.

And my latest thrift store find!

A wood bowl and some old spools.

just because.........

I have a little soft spot for old sewing notions

and wood bowls........

And I'm getting the bug on this very rainy day to do some thrifting again. It just makes a dreary day brighter.

Have a great day!

To Everything There Is a Season and Purpose

Hello and Yes.....it's been awhile, 18 months or so since my last post. For the last 13 months I have been recovering from a major car accident. I was on the interstate on January 16, 2018 going to a new job that I know I would have loved for sure when my life changed in a crash. I don't remember much of the first 3 months except getting a concussion again a month later falling down stairs from vertigo. It has been a tough year but I'm so much better now. I had to go through months of speech therapy to basically learn how to speak again. It left me with a TBI and stuttering/stammering. Needless to say that was very isolating but I've since on most days sound normal again but if I'm tired or anxious I still may stammer or stutter.
At the TBI center I went through alot of memory work and still make it a point daily to exercise my brain using apps, games, reading, knitting, writing, etc.
For a long time I wondered why on Earth would God allow this to happen but then I remembered that everything happens for a reason and I may never truly know but............I do know whatever it is God will make it for the good!
Being grateful is top priorty!

Things I learned from the experience:

• life is short. Don't take one day for granted.
• God allows things to happen for a reason. We have to trust Him to heal us and prepare us for the next step in life.
• Persistance is crucial. Its 2 steps forward and 1 step back.
• We are stronger than we think we are.
• Don't take speech for granted.
• Make lists, and more lists
• write everything down!
• not everyone will understand but that's ok.
• do everything your doctor tells you. Everything.

I could go on and on but to keep it shorter, let's just say I'm lucky I'm alive. Although the journey is long, I have been through most of it. I'm more aware of things that matter. People that matter and those that really are draining.

The cross stitch bug is biting me again lately. I'm frequently torn between knitting and cross stitching samplers. I love both!!!!

I also started an ebay business last Summer that is doing quite well. 

I'm in the process or organizing a knit group. 

Alot going on but I'm so ready for Spring!!!!! 

And ummm........flipping through some ideas online and considering moving this in our kitchen for functional use. Found a really neat You Tube video of kitchen decor and functional use of the Sellers Hoosier cabinet that would work well in our house too and allow me to use the flour sifter in the middle (built in) and the extended ceramic top for baking needs.

Yep, this may just get a new purpose in the kitchen.

I think Mr. Darcy did a good job at refinishing this cabinet years ago.

Here's to new purposes on a Monday!!! ✍