Mrs D Crochets, Etc

This January

2012-01-24T13:58:00.004-05:00

I always liked the idea of January. The Christmas craziness is over. A fresh new year is beginning. It seems like it should be a time to breathe a sigh of relief while contemplating new possibilities and the approach of Spring.

The usual reality of January has its drawbacks, however. It's cold. It invariably snows. And, for me, the end-of-the-year bookkeeping and tax form filings for my husband's company must get done.

This January, though, it's been remarkably warm.

This January, the piddly snowfall we had on the 21st was our first since October.

This January, I got all that 2011 paperwork done in one afternoon.

And as if all that weren't enough, this January is in a Presidential election year! (I am nerdy enough to get irrationally exuberant over debates and polls and primaries).

It's taken until the 24th to realize and appreciate what a lovely January it's actually been. If my family didn't have so many good things to look forward to in February, I'd kind of like January to stick around for another month.

The Etsy Experiment -- Packaging and Platform

2012-01-16T12:42:00.003-05:00

Packaging: What is it that makes a gift look better if there's tissue paper in the box?

Why is a glossy recipe card with a picture more appealing to work from than the same recipe in plain type?

The few times I've shipped out orders for handmade stuff, they looked so forlorn (even wrapped in tissue paper!) -- as if they were missing something.

In an attempt to add that bit of a finishing touch, Wrist Waffles have labels (also because I really enjoy dabbling with CorelDraw!). It's also a good place to put the care instructions, even though they appear in the listing.

Platform: Why Etsy? If I was going to do this from scratch and seriously try to make a go of it, I think I'd carefully research other marketplaces in addition to or instead of Etsy. But I already had a shop there, so it was kind of a no-brainer.

Sometimes I want to print business cards that say "Find me on Etsy...I dare you." I could be wrong, but the Etsy interface seems a little overwhelming and navigation is a bit of a pain in the butt. We as sellers pretty much know how to get around, but how does it look like to someone who's just interested in buying handmade or vintage?

Anyway, that's where I am -- ready to start the most difficult and unpleasant, but maybe most interesting phase of this little experiment, which is promotion. And since that's most likely going to be an ongoing process of trial and error, I'll just update periodically on what, if anything, seems to be working.

The Etsy Experiment -- Product

2012-01-13T13:28:00.007-05:00

If I remember correctly, it was a successful seller who made this comment on one of the Etsy forums, and it really stuck with me:

Do one thing, and do it perfectly.

And in this context, "perfectly" takes on a different meaning. To me, it's deciding on and creating a product that's...

...enjoyable to make...

...easily repeatable, and...

...not so labor, time and supply intensive that it simply cannot be profitable (remembering that Etsy and Paypal are each taking a cut, too).

In my case, fingerless or texting gloves were the obvious choice of product. As I've admitted before, I'm basically a really lazy crocheter. I like to work with solid colors, so I don't have to weave in ends. I don't want to deal with sizes. And if it takes too long, I get bored and give up.

BUT, Etsy is awash in fingerless gloves, and I knew that from the start. However, my reasoning was along the lines of what seller Jenna Sue said in the Etsy's "Quit Your Day Job" feature recently:

"Not everything has to be a revolutionary idea. There are only so many ways to knit a scarf, but you can make yours stand out by making it easy for customers to personalize it, offering a wide range of colors and patterns... and setting up your shop with excellent product shots, clean cohesive branding, and the right price point."

I swatched a bit, using my favorite hook size and yarn weight (because remember, this has to be enjoyable!) to come up with something I hoped would be a little unique, and settled on a stitch that looks like thermal underwear...or the surface of a waffle.

When I was happy with the design -- the look and fit of the gloves, the time involved in making them, the amount of yarn required for each pair -- I did a Google search to ensure that I would not be infringing on anyone else's idea for the "brand name" that kept repeating itself in my head, pretty confident that no one would already be using such a supremely corny alliteration. Yeah. I'm listing a product called Wrist Waffles.

The Etsy Experiment -- Prologue

2012-01-12T17:05:00.009-05:00

2012 seems to be shaping up as The Year I Stop Doing Things That Just Aren't Working for Me. For instance, I'm not turning my computer on until all my chores are done each day; and once it is on, I'm not spending more than half an hour on it (unless I have to for work).

It's just too easy to spend time stupidly surfing the Internet, tempted by Yahoo!'s cryptic headlines to read articles and watch videos about things I would normally have absolutely no interest in. Wasting time is just not working for me; thus the new rule.

Another thing that isn't working is my mostly neglected Etsy shop. Every once in a while I get motivated to make and list a bunch of stuff, but it's been very sporadic. And it seems that you need to expend an awful lot of effort on promotion just to get traffic into the shop -- joining groups and circles, participating in forums, etc. -- all of which takes time away from creating the very thing you're trying to sell.

However, like soooo many other crafters, I would still love to be able to "work" at something I really enjoy. So I decided to do a little experiment, sort of a last-ditch effort at the whole retail craft thing, and my Etsy shop in particular.

Under other circumstances, a blog might be a good place to promote what you're trying to sell. I can think of at least one example where someone started a well-written home and family blog with a pretty generic title. Eventually she opened an Etsy shop with the same name, wisely not limiting herself or her audience by referencing a specific craft. She now has the freedom (and talent) to offer all kinds of handmade items in her shop and announce them on her blog amongst her recipes, decorating and other good stuff.

But in this case, you guys (excluding my family members!) are mostly crafters and crocheters, too, and could easily make what I'm hoping to sell. So my intention is not to advertise here, but simply to document and share the process -- what seems to work; what doesn't; whether it becomes worthwhile; whether it doesn't. Hope you'll read along!

Kickin' It

2012-01-06T08:19:00.004-05:00

There's an old PC in the pantry (don't ask) that has mostly outlived its usefulness, but still has some Very Important Business Stuff on it that I need to get to once a week. Over the last month or so, however, the computer has been having "issues".

I found that if I push in and hold the power cord with one hand while pressing the power button with the other, it usually starts up. Of course this involves weirdly hugging the thing even though I'm actually feeling no affection towards it whatsoever.

A good smack on the side is sometimes effective, too, but I can only do that when my husband isn't around, because I would hate to have him think that all these years of telling me to be more patient and less violent with electronic devices has been in vain (although I'm sure he suspects as much).

In fact, he gave me a Thrive tablet for Christmas and I had to call tech support when things seemed to go wonky turning it on and off. But when I mentioned to him how condescending the Toshiba guy was...

(Me: It won't turn on.

Toshiba Guy: It's not like other devices that come on right away, ma'am. You have to hold the button down and be patient.)

...all my husband said was something like, "See what I mean about you?"

ANYWAY, the computer in the pantry was not cooperating AT ALL last night, and all my patience and cajoling and hugging had no effect. And my husband wasn't home.

So I kicked it. Very violently.

And it started right up. Ha.

Restraint

2012-01-05T20:41:00.003-05:00

This post by one of my favorite bloggers almost tempted me into digging out the cross stitch supplies again. But remembering last year's fiasco and the fact that I have a lot of crocheting planned and knitting left to do, I was able to exercise restraint.

Many years ago, I did really enjoy cross-stitching this picture, which hangs in our downstairs bathroom.

It was copied from the back cover of Creative Hands, a 21-volume encyclopedia of all things handcraft-able. Originally published in 1966, my aunt must have had a book-of-the-month club sort of subscription to the 1975 edition, which she handed down to me.

These books are loaded with instructions and patterns for knitting, crocheting, sewing, cross-stitching, lace-making, macrame and more. There's a wealth of information in there, but half the fun is laughing at the pictures. Austin Powers would be right at home amongst the hairstyles, fashions and decor depicted in these books!

Someday I'd like to go through them all and learn some new/old techniques, but ALL crafting was put aside today in favor of de-Christmasing the house. In the immortal words of Dr. Seuss, all of "The ribbons! The wrappings! The tags! And the tinsel! The trimmings! The trappings!" were banished to the attic for another year. And then I steam-cleaned the living room carpet and rearranged all the furniture for good measure. It was enough to make me forget about cross stitch...

The Sounds of Silence

2012-01-03T09:54:00.005-05:00

The girls went back to school today, and the house is virtually silent.

I miss them, but I can't say I'm not enjoying the peace and quiet of being here all alone, cooking and doing chores.

I complain about monotony sometimes, but at the end of the day, my "normal routine" is comfortable and comforting.

(And it never hurts to have an interesting little project underway!)

Big, Ugly Granny

2012-01-02T09:17:00.003-05:00

I am in awe of crocheters who incorporate their scrap yarn into beautiful granny square afghans. I so admire their patience and skill in putting colors together to create works of art out of leftover yarn.

Me? I'm currently putting my leftover yarn into a hideous giant granny square, rife with reminders of projects gone bad. Of course there are also patches of stitches in there that remind me, "Oh, yes, I remember! That came from a nice hat/sweater/pair of gloves!"

But on the whole, the big, ugly granny is a disturbing mishmash of colors. It'll be warm, though. And I won't mind if the dogs cuddle under it.

Many years ago, my sister crocheted a giant granny scrap blanket and I disparagingly referred to it as the "puke blanket." I should apologize to her. This one is far more nauseating!

Notes from the Wormhole

2012-01-01T14:17:00.003-05:00

Happy New Year! Eleven months and twenty days until the end of the world if you believe all that end-of-the-Mayan-calendar stuff, which I (mostly) don't.

I do wonder, however, if so much collective mental energy focused on a particular date -- December 21, 2012, in this case -- might cause SOMETHING to happen, a concept suggested in a recent episode of Morgan Freeman's Through the Wormhole. Hmmm...

But apocalyptic musings aside and speaking of wormholes, I do feel like I enter a portal in the time/space continuum every December 24 and do not emerge until January 3 or so -- the day, coincidentally, when school re-opens after Christmas break!

Time in the wormhole is warped, but nice. I may not be able to keep track of which day of the week it is, but there's lots of family time and good food; exchanging gifts with people and then exchanging gifts for people, be they broken or just wrong. This year there was major room-cleaning for a couple of members of this household, and that gave a productive air to the otherwise lost week between Christmas and New Year.

I have no big resolutions for this year, more a renewed commitment to some ongoing goals. And in a New Year's Eve move that I think any crocheter or knitter would appreciate, yesterday I pulled out and organized my small stash of yarn, planning projects and relegating some to the "scrap blanket" pile. I never did get to finish the second socks on any of the three pairs I'm knitting, but I don't think anybody's feet are going anywhere for a while -- at least not until December 21, anyway!

Nine More Days...

2011-12-16T11:43:00.004-05:00

The tree is up. The cards are mailed. A good deal of the presents have been bought, and I think there's actually plenty of wrapping paper and bows available this year (tape may be another story!).

The cookie ingredients are lined up on the counter, and soon our house will smell like an Italian bakery as my husband whips up batches of traditional Christmas cookies.

In the midst of all the holiday preparations, we got the glad tidings last weekend that our son proposed to his girlfriend while they were on vacation in Hawaii.

I may bemoan the commercialism and materialism so rampant this time of year, but it's been a joy to see my youngest daughters as they've carefully planned and created gifts this year, delighting in the spirit of giving. My family has a lot to be happy about and grateful for as the holiday approaches.

Merry Christmas!

That's Better!

2011-12-04T10:59:00.005-05:00

This time I wanted yarn for one hat and glove set that would match a light blue jacket as well as a pink and orange one -- preferably all in one skein -- so I was happy to find Bernat Mosaic in the color Daydream.

If I had made the gloves a little shorter and perhaps omitted the flower on the hat, one 3.5 oz. skein might have been enough, but I bought two.

This is an odd yarn. It's 100% acrylic in a medium (4) weight, and it looks and feels like spun flannel at its thickest parts. The thinner parts, however, are almost like a tightly twisted string.

Since I have more than enough left over, I'm making another hat -- after some knitting on the socks, I mean!

Green Fail

2011-12-03T13:02:00.003-05:00

I had a partial skein of Dark Sage Simply Soft sitting in a basket next to a tangled mess of what appeared to be the same kind of yarn in black. And I thought that a combination of the two would help in the continuing effort to patch the holes in my kids' accessory wardrobes by matching youngest daughter's green winter coat.

Wrong! And it would have been so easy to check first. But my daughter loves the hat and gloves anyway and is looking forward to wearing the mismatched outfit.

10-year-olds are so forgiving!

Little-Bit-Sick Day

2011-11-30T13:16:00.007-05:00

I can't resist little skeins of cotton yarn on sale -- Peaches & Creme, Sugar 'n Cream, solids, stripes, multi-colors.

But I'm kind of over the whole potholder thing (temporarily, of course), and I don't like using crocheted dishcloths.

So when youngest daughter was poking through the stash of crazy mismatched cotton the other day, and suggested washcloths (or facecloths or, if you really want to get fancy, spa cloths), that seemed like a pretty good idea.

Now yesterday I was a Little Bit Sick with a cold -- definitely not the kind of sick that would justify a bona fide sick day (and what the hell would I do anyway? Call in sick to myself? "Hello, self. I'm not coming in today. What's that? I'm already in? Oh, yeah. Crap.") -- but certainly under the weather enough to warrant a bit of time on the couch with a hot cup of tea and some comforting cotton yarn. A Little-Bit-Sick Day.

And I made a couple of washcloths. They're somewhere between 9" and 10" square, 31 stitches across with a size 8 or H hook, edged in half-double crochet. Each one took just about a whole ball of Peaches & Cream. That was fun.

Must. Finish. Knitting. Socks.

2011-11-29T19:14:00.002-05:00

Last May, I set a little goal for myself to learn to knit socks.

By June, I had finished one pair and started working on two other pairs.

In hindsight, I probably should have realized that such a move seems like something that might set one up for a failure-to-finish scenario.

Looking back over the past few months of my blog posts does not help me remember when I cast on a third pair. But I did.

And some sort of must-do-something-other-than-knit boredom must have been setting in, because there seems to be a quite a number of crochet projects getting done, too.

I seemed to be doing more knitting and crocheting over the summer than I normally do in the colder months. That's kind of weird.

Anyway, I now have a new little goal -- finish all the socks by the end of the year. Three (one from each pair) are done. The one in the picture is the one I intend to concentrate on first. And while the novelty of the new sock yarn has worn off (and that's bad), at least I'm more than halfway there.

And just for a little more motivation, next to my desk like the proverbial carrot on a stick, there's a box from the Loopy Ewe containing Tosh Sock yarn. The color is La Vie en Rose, which must translate to "extraordinarily amazingly beautiful shades of lavender." And I have admonished myself that I absolutely will not knit with it until all the other socks are done. And that's final.

But I'm starting to wonder how it would be to CROCHET with it...

Leftover Day!

2011-11-25T11:26:00.002-05:00

The planning, shopping, cooking and setting up for Thanksgiving felt like the ride up a roller coaster. The plunge came when it was time to serve the food -- hoping everyone got some of everything they wanted and that the food was good.

We roasted one turkey, but also did something very different (for us) this year. My husband bought a Butterball electric turkey fryer, and he seasoned and deep-fried a 14-pound turkey in it. It was amazing!

Today we get to watch movies and graze at our own buffet of leftovers. With the concerns of hosting the holiday over, I actually think I enjoy the food more on Leftover Day than at Thanksgiving Dinner itself. Especially deep-fried turkey. Yum.

On a Bit of a Sock Kick...

2011-11-22T12:09:00.004-05:00

Yes, I know it's now two days until Thanksgiving, but all the sock-making scraps were still hanging around, and youngest daughter was asking why she didn't have a pair of slipper socks, so a couple of hours later...here's some more!

For these I used the Aunt Terry's Slipper Socks II pattern, but skipped the V-stitches across the tops, just using extended single crochets instead. The cuffs are only three rows instead of five.

So Happy Thanksgiving again! Today is the day for making turkey soup and I haven't started yet, so I'm off to the kitchen!

Aunt Terry's Slipper Socks II

2011-11-21T10:10:00.003-05:00

Yes, I know it's three days before Thanksgiving, but if you need a quick crochet break, here's a free pattern that works up really fast.

Back in January of this year, I posted a pattern on my website called Aunt Terry's Slipper Socks I. They were based on slipper socks I made for my Aunt Terry while she was enrolled in hospice.

Since then, I've received a number of wonderful emails from people who have used the pattern. Every kind comment has meant so much to me, and I'm glad people have been enjoying the pattern.

This one is even quicker to make, and the V-stitch mesh across the top makes the sock a little stretchier, and thus easier to put on and take off.

I'm going to get back to Thanksgiving preparation right now. If I don't get to post again before Thursday, I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Always Giving Thanks

2011-11-15T12:28:00.002-05:00

Remember the recent popularity of Gratitude Journals? And hearing everywhere about the emotional benefits of practicing an "Attitude of Gratitude?"

I found a lot of value in that. After all, Ephesians 5:20 extolls, "always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ."

(And that's how I evaluate pop-psychology, self-help concepts. First I look for a biblical basis. Second, and so much more scientific and analytical, they just have to feel right to me.)

But I did the whole gratitude thing wrong. Trying to develop an attitude of gratitude, I always started by mentally listing the Big Things: my loving husband, four wonderful children, a good home, health, and a great extended family, among other things.

And while I am sincerely, humbly, truly thankful for these treasures in my life, reducing them to a consistent litany detracted from a true sense of appreciation.

To me, "always giving thanks...for everything" means being thankful for the good, in spite of the bad, and not forgetting to be grateful for the little things that bring joy -- getting an extra hug from my husband, hearing a great song, or seeing the brilliant color of the leaves on our Japanese Maple tree today.

No writing stuff down. No scheduled thanksgiving times. No ponderous reflection. Just frequent and spontaneous appreciation -- taking time to stop and smell the roses, so to speak, and being grateful that they're there.

Remedial Crochet and a Free Pattern

2011-11-11T15:11:00.003-05:00

Further to my little epiphany ten days ago, I made a hat and fingerless gloves for middle daughter.

She likes to wear a denim jacket with black and purple flannel sleeves that was a hand-me-down from her brother (we can refer to that as "vintage," right?), and this set will be a good (and intentional!) match.

My sister tells me the more appropriate term is now "texting gloves." So you can find the free pattern for this flower-embellished hat and "texting gloves" here on my website.

Bored with the Internet?

2011-11-09T12:35:00.004-05:00

Then check out the Universal Craft Blog Directory!

You can add your own blog, too,
and then spend hours and hours and hours
getting inspired by everyone's handiwork,
and then not have any time to do any crafting of your own because you're too busy spending hours and hours and hours envying what everyone else does!

Yay!

Aphrodite Shawlette

2011-11-07T01:00:00.001-05:00

Back in July, I made this shawl for middle daughter.
With the leftover Naturally Caron.com Spa yarn, I used the same pattern but with a size "G" hook to make this shawlette. I found the smaller hook size to be much easier to work with for this yarn.

Fall Back

2011-11-07T00:00:00.001-05:00

It's almost as if Mother Nature knew we were turning the clocks back this weekend, and presented this blazing sunrise on Friday morning at 7:20 am. The sky had brightened and turned to a flat, ice blue just ten minutes later, so I was glad to have been able to get this picture.

7:20 sure won't look like this anymore! (And at 6:20, I'll be lucky to have a cup of coffee in my hand; never mind a camera).

Mrs D STILL Crochets Sometimes...Really!

2011-11-05T14:03:00.004-04:00

It turns out a lot of my posts are not about crafting, but crocheting and knitting are still going on in the background whenever time permits.

Despite the neverending three pairs of socks and a couple of crochet projects I intended to finish before starting something new, last week I just felt like doing some plain, repetitive stitching.

This scarf is simply rows of 5-dc shells, done using a size "I" hook and an almost full skein of Caron Simply Soft in Bone. Thanks to the bigger hook size, it drapes nicely and went quickly. I gave it to my oldest daughter because she happened to be at our house when I finished it.

Thanks to the Continued Popularity of Harry Potter...

2011-11-04T12:13:00.007-04:00

...here's a 10-year-old who was very happy to wear her sister's Hogwarts robe and an old, generic witch hat on Halloween.

Back in the day, our older kids often had elaborate hand-sewn costumes. Batman and Catwoman. Mary (complete with a prairie dress, bonnet and shepherd's staff) and a fuzzy pink little lamb. Snow White. A furry cheetah. A 50's girl with a poodle skirt. Hermoine Grainger here did actually get to wear some of those costumes, too, albeit third-hand.

But I must say I was pretty thankful that she settled on this simple costume. After over 20 YEARS of having a child or, more frequently, multiple children in need of Halloween-wear, it gets a little redundant.

Sh*t My Dad...Writes

2011-11-03T19:39:00.004-04:00

I'm going to hunt down some Big Band music and burn it to a CD for my father. He wrote down some detailed instructions to make sure I get it right.

As I read the note, I was immediately reminded of this, and here's why:

The Shoemaker's Children

2011-11-01T19:03:00.007-04:00

I heard on the news this morning that the pre-Halloween snowstorm that hit the Northeast on Saturday did more damage to the power supply system than Hurricane Irene did back in August.

There are still people without power and heat, and I'm certainly hoping everything gets back to normal soon for them.

Of the rest of us who were merely inconvenienced by the freak snowfall, I guess everybody has their own story.

Ours involved a four-hour trip to NYC (it usually takes just an hour) that resembled the movie "Planes, Trains and Automobiles."

(Except for that there were unexpected buses in there as well, and we got yelled at by one of the drivers when we didn't understand that you can't pay for a bus ride with dollar bills. He got very exasperated and said, "Just go sit down!" We were humiliated, but the bus ride was free).

Although the snow has now melted, the storm seems to have ushered in winter temperatures. I went to get youngest daughter a hat and gloves and scarf for school this morning, and noticed something shocking about her winter gear.

You would think that my kids would have more than enough hats and gloves and scarves, right? Technically they do -- but nothing matches!

Apparently I make things for my kids out of scraps I have leftover from other projects. It's like the proverbial shoemaker's children that go barefoot. For shame! This will most certainly have to be remedied.

Fall and Winter?!?!

2011-10-28T21:06:00.003-04:00

We carved jack-o-lanterns while watching "Nightmare Before Christmas" tonight.

And tomorrow night...there may be snow!

Under A Sky Like This

2011-10-26T19:10:00.004-04:00

Just a couple of weeks ago, my husband and I were remarking how the leaves hadn't really started turning color yet, and that Fall seemed late. The temperature still often reached the high 70s and low 80s during the day, and I hadn't felt the need to switch to flannel sheets in early October the way I usually do.

But now, just days later really, autumn has truly settled in. Certain trees in the neighborhood look like they're on fire with impossibly bright orange and red leaves and it's gotten chilly -- like put-the-heat-on-at-night chilly.

The clocks will "fall back" on November 6, but these days it's still relatively dark at 7:00 in the morning. By 7:20, though, there are beautiful sunrises such as this one. It reminded me that there is much beauty and things to be grateful for, when your day starts off under a sky like this.

Cuteness

2011-10-24T19:17:00.005-04:00

We had a 10th birthday party for our daughter on Saturday. But I'm not posting any pictures from that today.

And this blog is titled Mrs D Crochets, Etc, and I am working on another Aphrodite Shawl as well as another slipper sock pattern. But I'm not posting any pictures of those today.

I'm also knitting three pairs of socks at once (not such a good idea). And while there is progress to show, I'm not showing it here today.

Instead, this is a baby mouse my daughters found while they were cleaning up the backyard. And since middle daughter just had both of her rats die recently, I didn't have the heart to tell her to put it back outside, where it's kind of cold and there are vicious suburban predators such as dogs, cats, squirrels and birds. And besides, it's super cute.

We can't tell if it's a boy or girl, and I suggested not giving it a name since its health may be precarious (and even if it's not, how long do mice live anyway?). But it is super cute and really quite affectionate.

Its name is Bo.

ETA: Bo died during the night.

It Wasn't New Hampshire, Part 2

2011-10-18T15:51:00.005-04:00

Decorative gourds were scattered about the pumpkin patch. I don't know if they were actually grown there or imported from somewhere else (China, perhaps?).

I really liked some of the colors, though, and was fortunate to find two that looked like swans. Wonder how long they'll last?

It Wasn't New Hampshire, But...

2011-10-17T15:59:00.003-04:00

...we still had fun!

Several years ago, my husband and I went up to New Hampshire for a few days to visit our son, who was stationed there while the submarine he was serving on was in drydock.

We were looking for things to do and came across a fall/harvest/apple/farm festival and it was great -- TONS of local handcrafts and fruits and vegetables and products made therefrom. We brought home syrup and honey and apples and I actually got a lot of satisfaction knowing that all that good stuff actually came from the farm, or at least nearby.

On Saturday, we hoped to recreate the experience at a New Jersey farm festival. Now New Jersey may not have New England's reputation for glorious fall foliage, but it is the historic Garden State after all and should be able to muster a decent harvest event or two.

I went on my very first hayride to pick pumpkins (although the pumpkins were exceedingly pricey so we got some gourds instead. More on that another day.). And we all enjoyed seeing and/or petting donkeys, horses, cows, goats, sheep, emus, chickens, alpacas and zonkeys (!).

But it was just a little disappointing when the "handcrafts" were scarecrows and wooden plaques Made in China. The apple pies and doughnuts were packaged and labeled as if they came from a grocery store. And there weren't any apples.

I did pick up a couple of jars of pumpkin butter and strawberry/rhubarb preserves.

They're from Maryland.

Breathtaking...

2011-10-06T08:24:00.001-04:00

This just made me happy.

What Happens in Vegas, Stays in Vegas...

2011-10-05T09:23:00.003-04:00

...but apparently what happens in Atlantic City is preserved forever in caricature!

Actually, this drawing would have been more accurate if my husband and me (well just me, really) were being pursued by a giant slot machine. With teeth. (I'm genetically predisposed to gambling -- how's that for an excuse?)

But all in all, we won rather than lost; and had a wonderful, relaxing, fun time.

As always, it's great to be back home -- up to my knees (literally!) in laundry and having to keep reminding myself that it's Wednesday and not Monday!

Packing It In...

2011-10-01T16:01:00.002-04:00

...my suitcase, that is.

The house is (relatively) clean, instructions have been given and food has been pre-cooked. My darling husband and I are off for a few days to Atlantic City!

Among other odds and ends that were finished up were these fingerless gloves for my Etsy shop.

This was the first time I used Vanna's Choice yarn, and I bought it intentionally to compare with Loops and Threads Impeccable brand, which comes in a generous skein and is very comfortable to work with. It has nice stitch definition and is similar to but softer than Red Heart Classic or Super Saver.

Vanna's, on the other hand, is a wonderfully soft acrylic and the finished item is especially cozy. I just wasn't too crazy about working with it, though, because it's a little splitty and a bit too fuzzy for my taste. Plus that, the skein is 3.5 oz. (compared with Impeccable's 4.5).

So Vanna's Choice doesn't really "spin my wheel," but I am certainly hoping for some good "Fortune" over the next couple of days! (Aaarrgghh!)

Fresh Oregano, Clean Toilets and Death

2011-09-29T13:41:00.004-04:00

When I'm feeling efficient and motivated, I like to use fresh oregano.

But a lot of times I simply cannot muster the ambition to walk 20 feet out into the backyard and cut some. It's like I'm paralyzed by a mind-numbing, bone-deep inertia. Either that or I'm just really lazy.

And then layer some guilt on top of that, because right now it is the end of September and I really should use the oregano before it dies.

I think about death a lot. My own. Not that of the oregano.

Mostly I ponder the nature of God and the afterlife. But sometimes I wonder about my legacy or more specifically, what will people say about me behind my back at my funeral?

She was...what? I don't have a career, and I'm not outstanding at anything. I'd like to have been known as serene, peaceful, kind and loving -- sort of a modern-day Melanie Wilkes. But obviously that's just not going to happen!

I've tried to be a good mother and daughter. And if being a good wife means being faithful and honest, I've got that covered.

In fact -- and this may not be legacy-worthy, but still -- one of the things I'm most contented about is living transparently with no secrets. No reason for subterfuge. No lies (except if I'm invited to some family function and I just plain don't want to go. Then I might "have other plans" or get "sick".)

(Note to any relatives who might be reading this: This does not apply to you. I LOVE going to YOUR house and would forsake any prior commitments and overcome any illness, real or imagined, to do so).

I never made up my mind to "be" anything, although the two subjects I loved in school -- psychology and writing -- are still interesting to me. I was a secretary for a while, and in fact much of my time nowadays is still taken up with heart-stopping, action-packed, clerical-type duties. After all, I am a part-time transcriptionist. And bookkeeper. And I guess I could call myself a blogger if I really wanted a title. (Are there requirements to call oneself a blogger?)

Mostly, though, I'm a housewife, and not a very competent one at that (see the oregano inertia thing above). I have to play all kinds of little tricks on myself to get my housework and other chores done, the latest being Flylady's "Swipe and Shine" routine, in which you clean each of your toilets and bathroom sinks EVERY DAY, and about which I have now become rather obsessive. I don't feel right anymore unless the toilets are sparkling clean, and that's kind of weird.

I won't be able to neatly wrap this ramble up, but then that's the nature of this entire thought. And I guess that's okay for now.

However, if I should die today, I hope at least one person at my funeral will say, "She had some clean toilets. And once in a while she used fresh oregano."

Overreacting

2011-09-28T20:14:00.005-04:00

I'm going to calmly work on this second, smaller incarnation of the Aphrodite Shawl. It will be a nice therapeutic way to end this day which, at one point, had me texting this to my husband:

I quit this whole entire day

Not wanting to scare him, I added :( because nothing says "I'm having a bad day, but don't worry, I'm not suicidally depressed" better than a sad face emoticon.

He called me back and had to hear a tale about my misadventures involving a vacuum cleaner, a plastic bag, a broken hair dryer, cigarettes and how I got embarrassed into making an appointment for a $50 haircut.

He made it all better, but not before adding, "I guess we're not having dinner tonight." Because apparently my bad moods take the form of rebelling against cooking more frequently than I had realized.

But since I do have a husband who can brighten my day so well, and since I was feeling guilty about letting really dumb things get to me when there are so many people in the world who have actual important problems, I started to cook dinner and called my sister.

In light of what I described as an afternoon of ineptitude and bad luck, she thought I should just order takeout, but I told her that pastafazool was an easy dish. The only thing that could go wrong would be if the pot boiled over.

Five minutes later, it did.

So it is crocheting rather than knitting tonight. Pointy needles may not be safe.

A Little Bit of Housekeeping

2011-09-26T10:50:00.006-04:00

Most people who end up on my website land directly on a pattern page through a link -- whether it be from Crochet Pattern Central or Ravelry or who knows where else.

But anyone who came in through my home page, would have noticed that the patterns were haphazardly indexed and text only.

I don't know why I didn't do this before, but please come and see the new mrsdcrochets.com, where there is now a photo index of my free patterns (with more to come when time allows).

Hopefully it will be easier to use now!

Photographing...

2011-09-15T20:39:00.002-04:00

I'm still making things for my Etsy shop when time and motivation permit. The latest finished items had been waiting to be listed for a couple of weeks, and today I figured I would at least take the necessary photos.

A sunny morning was fast fading into that going-to-rain-any-minute state, so I went outside and noticed that there's definitely something to be said for natural lighting on a cloudy day. Colors seem more true and vibrant without the glare of the sun. Who knew? (You probably did).

Trying to be Gluten-Free: The Verdict

2011-09-13T10:55:00.002-04:00

Not only has gluten-free eating cut down dramatically on the frequency and severity of my migraines, it has also left me with much more energy and a slow but steady weight loss.

So, every bun-less hamburger, every rice cake sandwich, every piece of cake or cookie I've said no to, every time I had a glass of wine when I really wanted a beer -- it's all been completely worth it.

And besides, there are substitute products. Plus, I'm lucky enough that a piece of peach cobbler or a small serving of regular macaroni here and there doesn't seem to hurt.

The verdict? Trying to be gluten-free has been easy, and produced near-miraculous results for me. This lifestyle change is permanent.

And They're Off!

2011-09-07T19:38:00.003-04:00

Another summer vacation has come and quickly gone.

Didn't we spend Memorial Day weekend in Hershey, PA...last week?

Weren't the Fourth of July barbecues...this past weekend? And our trip to New York to see Zarkana...yesterday?

My birthday in late August always marked the end of summer to me, and this year (as always) my husband made it really special -- barbecue-ing a dinner for 10 people featuring grilled artichokes and chuck steaks, even after having to re-schedule by a week due to REALLY bad weather.

Yes, this summer seems to have been forced into an early retreat. Since Irene barreled through, the nights have definitely been chillier; and hot, humid days have become much fewer and farther between than we usually experience here in New Jersey at this time of year.

And then suddenly one daughter was starting 10th grade, and the other heading off to 5th. I'm very glad to say that they both had exceptionally happy first-days-of-school today, and are looking forward to the school year.

Daytripping, or The Cemetery Story

2011-09-01T20:01:00.004-04:00

One day when I was 13 or 14 or so, a couple of my friends proposed we ride our bikes to an old cemetery they knew of.

It was a dark, gray afternoon near Halloween, and the three of us came across a 150-year old headstone engraved with what seemed to be a warning so ominous that we hopped back on our bikes and got out of there in a big hurry.

(Or so I remembered. I'm not positive about the foreboding weather, but it seems appropriate. And we actually may have misread the sentiment on that weather-worn headstone.)

When I got older, I looked for the cemetery a couple of times, but couldn't find it. It wasn't until very recently that I found out the road it was on had been re-routed and renamed somehow. And lo and behold, by the miracle of Google, I found the cemetery. And on the way home from my parent's house one day, I took my daughters to it.

They didn't seem too creeped out at the time, ignoring the No Trespassing sign on the iron fence to study cracked and fallen grave markers looking for one that contained some type of curse (we didn't find it, by the way). BUT when they were relating the story during dinner, they had nervous little smiles on their faces that seemed to say, "Maybe we could come to work with you every day for the rest of the summer, Dad."

"You don't take kids on day trips to cemeteries!" my husband said.

"It wasn't a day trip," I argued. "It was a side trip. It was an Incidental Historical Excursion."

Shortly thereafter, our daughters began suggesting a more wholesome-type family outing to a park where my husband had taken them several times before. They said I'd have fun, even if there was no cemetery there.

Which finally brings me to the picture that accompanies this post. Is this a picture of Jurassic Park? No, it's Duke Island Park in Bridgewater Township, NJ.

Spending the warm, sunny afternoon here on August 24, I marveled at what a fun, relaxing time can be had (for free!) in such gorgeous natural surroundings right in our own backyard (figuratively, I mean. It's actually about a 20-minute drive from our house).

Amidst much picture taking, we had a picnic lunch, played Frisbee, and walked the impossibly beautiful trail along the canal that leads to a small, rocky beach on the banks of the Raritan River -- the same river that flooded disastrously just several days later during Hurricane Irene.

This is something I would definitely like to do again. Just imagine if we could find a park near a graveyard...

Goodnight, Irene

2011-08-31T20:42:00.003-04:00

Sunday evening, August 28. As the generator roared to power the sump pumps that kept our basement flood to a minimum, the setting sun randomly illuminated patches of leaves on the trees below the final clouds of Hurricane Irene.

My family was very lucky, and our hearts go out to everyone devastated by this massive storm, and particularly the many people in our town and surrounding areas who lost so much to the Raritan River flooding.

My Husband is Awesome...

2011-08-23T14:32:00.003-04:00

...and WHAT, you might ask, does that have to do with a picture of crocheted stuff?

Well, he gave me a Panasonic Lumix camera for Mother's Day, and it has the capacity to take 16- megapixel photos. But using the internal memory, you can only take like 4 of them -- and that would never do for a day trip to, say, a cemetery (you mean I never wrote about that one?) or anywhere else.

So, technological sloth that I am, I kept taking 5-megapixel pictures because I was too lazy to find out what kind of memory card I needed, even though my long-suffering sweetie had offered to get me one, and probably could not understand why I would not want to take full advantage of the available digital power.

Finally, through no cooperation on my part, he got me a memory card that will allow me to take over 2000 16-megapixel photos, and I realized how very cool that actually is. Being a yarn-nerd, I take pictures of crocheted stuff just to marvel at how clear the stitches come out!

2000 is a whole lot more than...4. That's a lot of very sharply defined stitches. Or a whole lot of headstones.

August Evening

2011-08-22T18:33:00.002-04:00

I love it when slightly cooler, less humid days begin to pop up more frequently amidst the dog days of August, and the evening shadows start falling just a little earlier...

Trying to be Gluten-Free: Update, Week 2

2011-08-15T14:39:00.005-04:00

...and an announcement...

Gluten-freedom continues successfully, and when I did get a migraine, it was fairly quickly eliminated with Tylenol and Aleve. Plus that, I've lost about four pounds.
So that's all good.

And the announcement?

My aunt Jeanine -- the one who taught me to crochet -- has always loved flowers. She's the one who makes the centerpieces you see in my Thanksgiving posts (here and here), and once had a dream to own a florist shop.

But instead she worked on Wall Street for many years (I always thought that was so glamorous!), and retired to take care of my grandmother who passed away in 2000.

So the brick-and-mortar flower shop was not to be, but there is now a "Flowers by Jeanine" on Etsy. Please stop by and take a look at her first offerings!

Trying to be Gluten-Free: Update, Week 1

2011-08-08T02:15:00.001-04:00

I may be on to something here!

It was disappointing last Monday and Tuesday when I got headaches despite avoiding bread and pasta and cereal, etc.

BUT since Wednesday, I haven't even had a hint of a migraine, and I'm feeling just generally better.

So far, it's been pretty easy. When my family has bread, I have rice cakes. When they have pasta, I have rice or polenta.

Since feeling really bad is a very recent memory, it doesn't take much motivation to say no to pizza at a party (opting for a few potato chips and some fresh fruit salad instead). Steak and mashed potatoes were a good restaurant choice, and I still had popcorn (without the mysterious imitation butter flavor) at "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" on Sunday (great movie, by the way). And an unintended but very welcome benefit is that I seem to have lost several pounds!

This evening, middle daughter is making dinner and has planned out a three-course feast. This spectacularly delicious-looking parfait is dessert. If this is gluten-free eating (and it is -- she was very careful in her planning), I'm in!

Out of My System

2011-08-05T20:19:00.003-04:00

Okay, that was fun.

This is the second and final couch pillow. The squares were inspired by this post. That's the reverse side of this pillow hiding back there as well.

Trying to be Gluten-Free

2011-08-02T13:50:00.003-04:00

I've been feeling kinda crappy for the last couple of months -- tiring easily (especially after eating), which seems to be all tied in with getting more migraines than usual.

Having long suspected that gluten might affect me in a bad way, I'm giving myself a week to see if eating a gluten-free diet will help.

How come I never tried this before? Well, bread and pasta are two of my very favorite foods, and I never felt bad enough for a prolonged period of time to try giving them up.

But lately it's just gotten to be too much -- I don't even want to make plans to go anywhere or do anything because I get a headache almost every day.

So yesterday I became a gluten-free guinea pig in my own experiment. Motivated by wanting to feel better (and with rice and potatoes as an effective substitute for bread and pasta), this way of eating is pretty do-able so far. We'll see...

What is the Couch Modeling Today?

2011-07-30T11:05:00.005-04:00

No, it's not a giant antimacassar!

This is the Aphrodite Shawl from NaturallyCaron.com (free pattern link here).

Modifications: The pattern suggests a Size J hook, but I used Size I. This may account for the fact that this shawl took only 1-1/2 skeins of NaturallyCaron.com Spa yarn instead of three.

Therefore, I could conceivably make another one, and would not hesitate to do so. This was a well-written, easy to follow pattern. It was quick to do and I love the way it came out.

Summer in the City

2011-07-29T16:23:00.002-04:00

Last Friday, in the record-breaking 100+ degree heat, my husband and I took middle daughter to New York City to see Zarkana at Radio City Music Hall, followed by a visit to "Top of the Rock" (inordinately expensive elevator ride to the observation deck and uppermost floors of Rockefeller Center).

The show was great; the weather was unbearable. We had to cut the day short when I got a mind-scrambling migraine that prevents me from remembering exactly where we were when I saw this cool elevated walkway and had to take a picture. Rather an artsy-fartsy photo, don't you think?

Ah, Finishing Something.

2011-07-18T12:50:00.003-04:00

Knitting socks can take a REALLY long time, especially when you are completely undisciplined and impatient and wind up somehow knitting three pairs at once.

And it seems the more I knit, the more I feel like crocheting, especially when there is more and more inspiration out there in the cyber-crafting world than ever before.

But I was tired of hats, don't need any potholders, know better than to even attempt an afghan, and recently finished a sweater. So what else is there?

Hmmm...how about a pillow? Fast, easy and useful = very satisfying project. And you can never have too many pillows, I think.

Wal-Mart sells pre-cut cotton squares (for quilting, I suppose), 18 x 21 inches. I stitched a couple into a 17" pillow and stuffed it with fiberfill. That became the perfect size for an 18-round granny square (Caron Simply Soft, size G hook) on the back, and nine 6-round squares on the front (with plenty of yarn leftover for another one or two!).

It's soft and cozy, matches the living room, and most importantly -- it's FINISHED.

Learn to Crochet in Central NJ...

2011-06-21T19:39:00.003-04:00

I was craft-supply shopping with youngest daughter today, and we had the pleasure of meeting CGOA member Diana Toni, who offers weekly classes at Michael's in the Bridgewater Promenade Mall on Tuesdays from 2pm to 4:30 pm, and Thursdays from 10:00 am to 12:30 pm.

If the beautiful work she had on display is any indication, these classes would be well worth checking out!

Knitting and Cooking

2011-06-14T19:42:00.003-04:00

I posted another recipe on my website today. This one is for Magic Chicken.

The picture that accompanies it almost made it here as well, but socks-in-progress will always win out over food as far as I'm concerned.

Still loving sock knitting! The one on top is the first of a pair for my husband -- Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock in Pewter. The one on the bottom is for middle daughter (who turned 15!!!! on Saturday) -- Loops & Threads Luxury Sock in Redwoods.

Farmer's Market Monday

2011-06-13T09:55:00.005-04:00

In an effort to make our choices a little healthier and meal-planning a little more interesting, I've been going to our local farmer's market on Monday mornings and picking out whichever fruits and vegetables look good.

My husband and daughters take a lot of fruit in their weekday lunches, and I'd rather plan meals around vegetables than meats. I bought kale for the first time because a nice Italian-looking grandma type was picking some out. I asked her how she cooks it, and she suggested sauteeing it in olive oil and garlic, like spinach. Sounds good to me!

Right now -- before I get to deciding what to do with all this bounty-- I'm in the kitchen trying to use up a few overripe bananas and a couple of avocados. The computer's handy, so I'm also putting recipes for Banana Bread, Guacamole and a Bowtie Pasta Salad in the cooking section of my website.

Maybe "Ladders" Can be Part of the Design!

2011-06-06T09:25:00.002-04:00

So my very first pair of knitted socks are done, but the construction was plagued with ladders -- those stretched out stitches between the DPNs.

I'm reading up on and trying different techniques to prevent them, and may actually be trying too hard (if that's possible), as I'm working along on another pair.

Anyhow, these were done with 2.25 mm DPNs (that's US size 1, I think) and two skeins of Patons Kroy superfine sock yarn. Fern Rose Jacquard is the color.

I'm kind of happy that today is not too hot, so I can actually wear them!

Chocolate

2011-06-02T11:53:00.006-04:00

We took the girls to Hershey, PA for the weekend. It's just a couple of hours from our house, so it was a nice getaway without too much travel time.

We spent two days in Hersheypark (is it just me, or is this park REALLY confusing to get around in?), and did not have even one piece of chocolate (until Kisses came with our dinner bill at Hersheypark Place).

I guess 90-degree humidity lends itself much more easily to lemonade and ice cream than candy bars.

Obsessing Just a Little

2011-05-25T09:42:00.005-04:00

If I believed in reincarnation, I would be positive that I knew how to knit in another life. Now that I've finally settled on the right method for me, it's almost like my hands have a memory of how to do it.

More likely though, my aunt taught me to knit at the same time she taught me to crochet and for some reason I chose one craft over the other.

I think it may have had something to do with the fact that I could not hope to knit a bright orange acrylic granny square purse -- the thing I inexplicably coveted the most when I was seven years old. It was 1969, after all, and look at the irresistible yarn colors and patterns that were featured in the 5 & 10 that year!

So knitting eventually became a years-long frustrating challenge. I think I was determined to do it mostly because I couldn't do it. And while my first project was a failure, socks are a different story.

After much trial and error, lots of Googling and watching some very helpful YouTube videos, I came across this "pattern," which is really terrific. And now all I want to do craft-wise is knit socks. So that's what I'm going to do. For now anyway.

How Could You Not Want to Go There?

2011-05-23T15:43:00.000-04:00

Sometimes on a Saturday or Sunday my husband will ask, "What do you want to do today?" But he may hesitate before he asks me that again.

Not too long ago, we were driving somewhere and something reminded me of coal. Maybe it was a gas station (gas = fuel = coal). And that reminded me how very much I wanted to visit the Anthracite Heritage Museum, and I said so.

My ancestors had emigrated from Ireland to central Pennsylvania. I had seen their names handwritten on the 1880 census -- my great-great-grandfather's occupation listed as coal miner; his 12-year-old son, a laborer. Maybe the museum would have pictures of them or at least the coal patch they lived in -- Lost Creek. At the very least, I could see more of how they lived and worked. I could experience HISTORY.

Well by the looks on their faces, you would have though I had asked my family to mine coal with their bare hands rather than simply go somewhere to learn something about it. My husband suggested that perhaps my father would like to go with me, and also suggested I not take the kids. I think I heard something about "scarred for life" in there, too.

I should have known better. Apparently within our family, there is a sliding scale of acceptable and unacceptable educational entertainment.

At the top are science- and nature-related activities, almost exclusively Dad-inspired. These are considered EXCITING and include natural history museums and planetariums, aquariums, zoos, caves and such events as the traveling King Tut exhibit.

At the bottom of the scale are history-related, Mom-inspired suggestions that are deemed BORING and include things like Colonial Williamsburg and the Jamestown Colony, which have been mysteriously avoided on several trips to Virginia (I will admit, however, that they were trumped once by Busch Gardens, which leaps off the scale into the pure entertainment category along with certain other amusement parks, shows and concerts which we all enjoy. But I digress).

I have found a nominally effective way to outwit the power of the scale on occasion. It's called the Incidental Historical Excursion.

Case in point -- we were in South Carolina for a specific reason, but there was some free time leftover. Now Incidental Historical Excursions work best when you need a nearby activity, on short notice, to fill a limited amount of time.

The Exchange and Provost Building in Charleston seemed to fill that bill. "It's even got a dungeon!" I mentioned enthusiastically. Because not only am I boring, but apparently somewhat ghoulish as well. Perhaps my husband feels that if he indulges my taste for the macabre once in a while, he can prevent it from manifesting in other, less innocuous ways.

But whatever the reason, we did visit the Exchange and hear in great detail about its hundreds of years of history. My contractor husband was actually quite interested in and enjoyed seeing the amazing brickwork in the basement.

The next time I tried the tactic was when we were in New Hampshire for a specific reason, but had a little extra time to sight-see.

"We can go to Strawbery Banke," I suggested warily, despite knowing that a place where "voices, sights, and sounds from the past help you find your place in the unfolding story of an American landscape" was definitely more my cup of tea than anyone else's.

I thought I had pulled off quite the coup as we traipsed through one authentic colonial house after another, replete with reproductions of 18th century wallpaper and fabrics, and watched a demonstration of cooking in a fireplace.

Morning turned to afternoon, and by the time we reached the oldest house, where the plaster had been removed in some places to expose the original framing -- surely something my husband would want to see -- I suddenly found myself admiring 250-year old construction techniques ALL BY MYSELF. It was past lunchtime, and it seems hunger negates history hands down. My traveling companions were turning toward the parking lot.

(Note to self: Incidental Historic Excursions should probably include the promise of food.)

Unfortunately, I can't see being in Scranton, PA for a specific reason that would then open the door to a side-trip to the Anthracite Heritage Museum. Although, "Hey, guys, don't you want to see where The Office takes place?" might be a possibility, especially if there's, say, a Cheescake Factory out there!

So What Exactly Does One Wear to a Rapture?

2011-05-10T08:13:00.002-04:00

The other day, my husband saw a box truck parked along the side of the road. Acting as a makeshift billboard, it was emblazoned with the word "REPENT" and warned of the impending Rapture on May 21, 2011.

I can't remember when I first heard of this "prophecy," but my dad brought it up recently. It seems he watches some pastor on TV who is certain about this event taking place.

Now my dad is a loyal Catholic, so it's hard to imagine why he would put any stock in a televangelist. I do have one theory, though.

My dad plays golf on Tuesdays. And while most golfers might be interested in what the Weather Channel has to say as it relates to their tee times, I think my dad wants to make sure he has all his bases covered. He likes to know that every Tuesday is free not only of rain, but of fire and brimstone as well. Talk about playing a sport religiously!

So I've heard this Rapture concept comes from certain interpretations in the Book of Daniel, and that it involves Christians being taken up to heaven before the end times begin here on earth. I think of Matthew 24:40-41 where it says, "Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left."

In modern times, does that mean people will be traveling down the highways, and some will be taken and the others left? That's going to cause some problems. And here I was worried about people texting while driving.

But assuming that May 21 passes like any other day, the next and even more popular target for apocalypse is December 21, 2012. I've watched enough History Channel shows (over and over again to the dismay of my family) to know that the Mayan calendar ends on that date and some ancient Chinese calculations make reference to it as well. There is going to be some kind of unusual planetary alignment, and isn't that the day Planet X is stopping by?

Honestly, though, I have a lot more faith in the message of Matthew 24:36, "But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father." So if heavenly beings aren't privy to the date of Judgment Day, I doubt any TV preachers or roadside evangelists have insider knowledge either.

However, if the world were to end in December, it sure fits in with my dad's golf schedule a lot better. He usually gives up his weekly game in November.

And it would be nice if all these prognosticators could get their acts together enough to let us know for sure if we can skip Christmas shopping next year.

Hope Springs

2011-05-09T14:49:00.005-04:00

I may not be "good with plants," but that doesn't stop me from looking forward to planting annuals in the brick planter around the giant mulberry tree in the backyard, and in stone pots on the porch.

This year we have snapdragons, impatiens, petunias and something that may or may not be red salvia. And while I appreciate the beauty of the flowers, it is their accompanying sense of hope that really gets my ambition going each year.

I hope I'll remember to water them.

I hope I'll make time to weed around them.

I hope I'll take better care of them this year than I did last year, or the year before, or the year before that.

And if hope and resolve still aren't enough, at least I watered them with Miracle-Gro yesterday!

Maybe I'm Supposed to be Just Where I Am

2011-05-09T10:55:00.002-04:00

My husband and kids gave me a spectacular Mother's Day yesterday. I did a lot of knitting and NO cooking.

I got a new digital camera, because my husband is supremely able to navigate that fine line between the technology I want and need, and that which will overwhelm me (and can he ever cook, too!).

But maybe even more symbolically indicative of how well he knows me and what makes me happy is the little elephant planter he gave me (because I do have quiet penchant for elephants that anyone else might not even remember!).

There's bamboo in the planter because, well, I don't have a very good track record with plants. And perhaps because it was Mother's Day, no one even pointed out anything like, "Hey, Mom, there's a plant even you can't kill!"

Later in the day, all of our kids (and son's lovely girlfriend) were here. And if that in itself wasn't enough, I was indescribably touched at how thoughtfully they each translated their knowledge of their quirky mom's little pleasures into perfect gifts.

So today, having had such a meaningful yesterday, I'm straightening up the house and making up a grocery list and doing laundry in a better frame of mind than usual. I know all that stuff is necessary to make our household hum along (relatively) smoothly, but I spend a lot of time wondering if I'm supposed to be doing Something More -- spiritually or creatively or financially or intellectually. I don't have an answer, and maybe all that wondering is a waste of time, especially for a person who claims to realize the importance of living in the now and making the most of each day.

So maybe I'm supposed to be just what and where I am. I really do have a lot to be grateful for and to enjoy, and a wonderful family to love.

Sock Knitting

2011-05-02T10:05:00.006-04:00

About a week and a half ago, I decided to set a couple of very small goals for myself, and one of them was to learn (once and for all) to knit socks. Of all the envy-worthy projects I see on Ravelry and in the various crafters' blogs I read, nothing has inspired or frustrated me quite as much as hand-knitted socks.

So between trying different methods (one circular needle, two circular needles) and learning resources (books and blogs and fantastic videos on YouTube), I finally decided that I like using DPNs best and have been patiently practicing, learning a lot more about knitting in general and socks in particular. There's been lots of frogging, but I think I'm getting the hang of it now.

Happy Easter!

2011-04-23T10:58:00.007-04:00

The eggs are dyed and we're getting ready to bake cookies and Easter bread. The baskets are filled and ready to go.

Truly my most sincere hope for everyone I know would be that they experience the love of God despite the over-commercialization of this beautiful holiday.

BUT...my husband brought home three beautiful flowering plants yesterday and their glorious fragrance is filling the entire house.

They're HYACINTHS! And now all I want to do is watch old episodes of Keeping Up Appearances.

Have a Blessed Easter -- and mind your manners!

So I Made a Doily.

2011-04-20T12:15:00.002-04:00

Yes, I was in the middle of a cross-stitch, but couldn't decide on a frame. And even with 11 pt fabric, it's still a little hard to work on in artificial light (nice, sunny daylight has been a bit of a rarity recently).

The girls are on Easter break this week (which is normally after Easter here in our neck of the woods), and our exciting vacation project is tearing apart, cleaning and reorganizing their rooms, so we've been kind of busy.

I had some label-less thread laying around. Don't ask me what size it is or anything like that -- I've never really done anything thread-y before; never even had the desire to. But I had a free hour the other evening...so I made a doily. And I liked it.

Cross-Stitch Preparation

2011-04-15T14:00:00.003-04:00

I guess I could have picked out a pattern from my old stash of cross-stitch magazines or simply purchased a kit, but that apparently would have been too easy.

There must be something in my brain that causes me to believe that crafting isn't satisfying unless it involves some meticulous planning and organization (which actually kind of detracts from the notion that I craft for fun and relaxation, but whatever).

If you Google "cross stitch designs", WOW! There is some lovely stitchery out there. I find myself drawn to small, geometry-laden elements and hijacked a bunch of them for this design.

My favorite graphics program is CorelDraw, and although I never learned to make use of its full potential, it's ideal for someone who takes great and unusual pleasure in creating and coloring tiny squares and arranging them in neat, orderly, repetitive patterns. Kind of sick, no?

Between printing out and scanning this design, the colors have not translated very well. But if the God of Free Time is on my side this weekend, there may be a finished product by Monday.

Finished Something!

2011-04-13T19:45:00.003-04:00

The scrap granny squares from two posts ago ended up as a poncho for my youngest daughter.

This week has been pretty crazy, with some very good things happening in my little world (like getting a new laptop, courtesy of my thoughtful and generous husband, who is also in the process of fixing my very broken and diseased PC!), and a very bad thing (which didn't happen directly to me, but...CRAP!).

And today has been one of those gloomy days (weather- and otherwise) that I will be glad to see over with. But into each life some rain must fall and, as Scarlett O'Hara would say, tomorrow is another day!

Happy Anniversary, Mom & Dad!

2011-04-05T11:28:00.002-04:00

My parents are awesome. April 8 will be their 50th wedding anniversary! We had a surprise party for them on Sunday and it went really well.

I'm in the second day of breathing a big sigh of relief now that all the planning and shopping and secret-keeping and lying is over!

Here they are dancing to the Anniversary Waltz.
Cute, huh?

Second-String Scraps

2011-03-29T10:27:00.003-04:00

Yesterday's granny square potholder was actually the last piece of an impromptu but determined stash purge that started last week.

After all of the first-choice colors were sorted out (and being incorporated into...guess what?...a big granny square), these colors were (mostly) what was left.

Actually, though, I'm very much liking this color combination. If there aren't enough squares for a decent-sized blanket, these second-string scraps may become a child-size poncho or a very generous scarf.

Satisfaction Squared

2011-03-28T15:23:00.003-04:00

What do you get when you simply give in to the facts that:

1. You really love granny squares...

2. You are pretty much incapable of sticking to a project that takes more than an hour...

3. You derive an unnatural feeling of satisfaction when a very precise and exacting stitch count is involved...

4. See No. 1 again...

5. You find single-crocheting ombre or variegated yarn and watching it pool inordinately therapeutic...

GRANNY SQUARE POTHOLDERS!

Cross Stitch and Mortality

2011-03-22T09:25:00.004-04:00

Reading this post and its links reminded me how much I used to enjoy cross stitch, and it wasn't long before I was digging through my 20+ year old craft supplies to find charts and thread.

At first it was amusing to browse through copies of Leisure Arts from 1988 and see how dated the clothes and hairstyles in the pictures are now. I did love the fashions of the '80s at the time...when I was...young.

Cross stitch patterns, however, don't go out of style. I found a page of Easter charts, and all I needed then was fabric.

Shopping in Michael's, it never occurred to me that I haven't cross stitched in years, have become slightly nearsighted, and perhaps should not choose 14 pt cloth. But, perhaps subconsciously denying the passage of time, I did.

So this deceptively cute little bunny slapped me into the sad realization of my actual age and physical limitations, when the only way I could stitch him was with a reading light clamped onto the embroidery hoop and wearing a pair of magnifying glasses that my husband received as a joke gift!!!!

Oh, well. It's been a good life. And I guess there's always 10 pt...

Airy Drawstring Cardi Finished

2011-03-21T10:49:00.002-04:00

If anyone is tempted to try Carol's Airy Drawstring Cardi, I would certainly recommend it. It's a beautiful pattern, meticulously written and easy to follow.

This sweater took just three skeins of Caron Simply Soft (in Lavender Blue), and was a lot of fun to crochet. I started it in mid-February and would have finished much sooner if I hadn't let other things get in the way.

Thanks again to Carol for sharing such a lovely pattern!

What Do Spongebob and I Have in Common?

2011-03-08T11:07:00.004-05:00

Patricks!

Hopefully my new bird will also be a loyal friend (who doesn't fly away). Kind of hoping he's a little smarter than starfish Patrick, though.

With the Beatles

2011-03-07T20:19:00.002-05:00

"That stuff will never last," my father used to say, referring to the Beatles, Simon and Garfunkel, and Creedence music my friends and I played on my little record player in the living room (remember 45s?).

But even the performers in Rain noted that there were at least three generations of Beatles fans in the audience, when we attended a remarkable matinee performance on Saturday, courtesy of and accompanied by our son and his girlfriend.

All of our children are Beatles fans, even our 14- and 9-year old daughters enjoying what has become a family tradition of sorts -- seeing the Fab Four during their annual appearances at the Morristown Community Theatre. They know all the songs as well as my husband and I do, and sleep with Beatles blankets on their beds!

When my dad mocked rock and roll, I teased him about the Big Band music he listened to. But I've since become a Glenn Miller fan, and Dad can tell Paul from Ringo.

Don't ask either of us what the hell Lady Gaga sings, though.

Free Bird

2011-03-04T19:11:00.002-05:00

For I must be traveling on now,
'cause there's too many places I got to see...

Sonny flew the coop yesterday -- literally. We think he escaped through the back door when one of the girls let the dogs out (or in).

I guess it's not too surprising, because he certainly loved living on the edge -- always antagonizing the dogs by flying right in front of their faces, and most recently walking right up to them and pecking at their paws if they didn't want to play chase with him.

We searched around the neighborhood for him. It's amazing the variety of birds you see when you actually take the time to look. Among others, we saw a redheaded woodpecker and a cardinal. But no parakeet.

I put his cage outside on the off chance that he might see it and come back, but that was just an exercise in futility.

We all miss his funny and reckless antics. I miss his incessant chirping and warbling. Fly in peace, Sonny.

If I Had A Million Dollars...

2011-02-22T11:22:00.003-05:00

...I would open

Mrs D's Southern Breakfast
Yarn Store and
House of Worship
*Souvenirs* *Fireworks*

somewhere along Route 13 on the Eastern Shore of Virginia.

But I have neither a million dollars nor the cooperation and enthusiasm of my family (can you believe it?).

It's always safer for everyone when I just stay in New Jersey.

Unexpected Choices

2011-02-16T10:05:00.003-05:00

I love, love, love to read. On occasion I give in to the desire to let everything go and get lost in a good novel for a little while. I decided to do that last Friday, but didn't feel like finishing any of the books I'm in the middle of -- none of which is a novel anyway.

I'm currently reading a "science" book called "Stumbling on Happiness"; Joel Osteen's "Your Best Life Now"; and "UFOs: Generals, Pilots and Government Officials Go On the Record". How's that for eclectic? But it's all non-fiction, and therefore requires a bit more effort to get through -- inappropriate for "I-deserve-a-break-and-I'm-going-to-relax-for-a-little-while-dammit" reading.

So I hit the Kindle Top 100 Free list. Lots of classics are available there, but oftentimes you'll find the first book in a series. I think it's a clever ploy to get you hooked on the first book for free, hoping you'll buy the rest. And it often works on me. (I'm talking to you, Terri Blackstock!)

I noticed book one of the Lancaster County Secrets series, The Choice. Now a book about Amish life might seem like a far cry from my usual fare, but actually, if I wasn't so deeply accustomed to the convenience of suburbia and relatively close proximity to the boardwalk and casinos of Atlantic City, I'd be ALL ABOUT simple living and farms and such.

Anyway, this book was REALLY GOOD! Sometimes it's just nice to read an uplifting, moral story. *Sigh* I'll bet book two isn't free, though!

Anniversary

2011-02-06T11:41:00.003-05:00

My husband and I had to laugh when we opened our eerily similar anniversary cards to each other this morning.

The cards are identical in size and have the same color scheme. But most telling of our compatibility is the theme of each card -- appreciation of the enduring love that we have shared in building the home and family that we both cherish so much.

I already know we're soulmates, but it's always cool to see a little bit of karmic confirmation!

Happy Anniversary, Honey! I love you!

Day of Reckoning

2011-01-28T19:53:00.005-05:00

Having procrastinated long enough, I went into accountant mode today and worked on the end-of-the-year business bookkeeping for my husband's company. As with any chore involving paperwork, it wasn't as time-consuming or annoying as I anticipated.

A bad thing about my bookkeeping system is that it involves two computers, separated by a flight of stairs. The worst thing is that I could consolidate everything and eliminate the inefficiency of the whole thing, but I haven't done it yet. And it's been this way for years!

But that's a load off my mind now, and hopefully I can relax a little this weekend (please, please, please, God, don't send anymore snow for us to shovel!) and finish these socks for middle daughter. This is Red Heart Heart & Soul (still my go-to sock yarn), in the Congo colorway. Even though I reduced the circumference by only two stitches, and the length of the foot by just two rows (as compared to when I use this pattern for myself), there seems to be an awful lot of yarn left, so it's all going into the ribbed cuff. I'm so glad I worked on both socks at the same time, avoiding "second-sock syndrome."

P.S. -- there's a new, free slipper sock pattern here on my Web site!

Snowing AGAIN!

2011-01-26T10:21:00.003-05:00

I think I heard on the news yesterday that we've had a snowstorm every week since Christmas, and this week is no exception apparently.

The daughters are having an early dismissal, and most likely there will be no school tomorrow if this snowfall keeps up as predicted.

They made oatmeal cookies with Dad last night and all I can say is...YUM! The recipe was on the bottom of the Quaker Oats lid, and it was a good one.

Pictured is another hat and glove set for my Etsy shop. I'm having fun going through my stash and putting different colors together for these projects.

I am not, however, having fun thinking about going out in the snow again!

Fast and Fun

2011-01-24T11:16:00.002-05:00

I didn't even leave the house this weekend -- the temperature being in the single digits and all -- so there was lots of time for crocheting!

While I could have finished up a pair of socks for middle daughter or worked on a pattern I'm writing, the idea for this hat and glove set was too tempting not to try. I put it in my Etsy shop this morning, and I'm thinking of adding some others, too.

***

Our 10-year-old dishwasher broke last week, so my very resourceful husband did a lot of research on different brands and wound up purchasing a KitchenAid. He installed it Saturday, and so far it's living up to its good ratings -- particularly the "whisper quiet" promise. It's so quiet, it's hard to believe it's actually washing the dishes!

Stay warm, fellow Mid-Atlantic/New England area deep freeze sufferers!

Snow Globe

2011-01-21T12:01:00.003-05:00

Another one of my favorite vacation pictures -- the ominous, about-to-storm sky over Magic Kingdom last Monday.

The storms in Florida dropped only rain, but here in New Jersey we were greeted by yet another snowfall this morning. There's been just WAY too much of the white stuff this winter, as far as I'm concerned.

The weekend is supposed to be really cold, so it might be a good time to sit down and finish up some projects, which means there might be some actual crafting posts next week!

Guess Where We Were!

2011-01-18T13:48:00.002-05:00

No, it wasn't Nepal.

That mountain in the background there is Expedition Everest at Disney's Animal Kingdom.

We got back on Saturday, the 15th, from a week-long vacation to Florida including a little bit of family visiting and a whole lot of Disney and Universal Studios.

I'm still trying to get back into a routine here, interrupted by photo editing and lots of laundry. We had a really wonderful time, but it's great to be home!

My Take on More Effective Meeting Participation

2011-01-05T09:59:00.004-05:00

There's an "etc" in my blog title for those times when I go off-topic, like today, with some notes based on my frustrations and observations as a transcriptionist.

If you're sitting at a meeting or dialing into a teleconference and the proceeding is being recorded, chances are that a transcript is going to be produced, and very possibly that transcript will be posted on the Internet in some form.

The thought of being recorded may be intimidating, but it seems to have certain advantages. Your (hopefully) enthusiastic and intelligent participation will be preserved for posterity and future reference within your own organization. And there may be potential to optimize your "digital visibility" in the Internet universe as well. More often than you might imagine, a Google search on some obscure word or name similar to yours may yield a link to a meeting transcript containing your name and every word you uttered at that meeting.

So although this may seem like a no-brainer, it's probably a good idea not to say anything you wouldn't mind the whole world hearing. And don't forget that the recording may actually start before the meeting without your knowing it, so avoiding indelicate or offensive comments may prevent future embarrassment!

Make my job easier and ensure that your words are accurately credited to you. Don't interrupt. Speak in complete sentences. And particularly during a teleconference, start by giving your name when answering a question or making a comment. A good meeting facilitator will actually ask the participants to do this.

And you're, like, probably not, like, a middle schooler or, like, a Hollywood starlet, like, wannabe. So, like, you probably don't, like, have the annoying speech pattern of, like, inserting the word "like" between every other word you say. But, you know, there are other, you know, traps that a speaker might, you know, fall into. You know?

When I'm transcribing a recording of someone who constantly interjects purposeless words, phrases and sounds (Ummm...Uh), I remember far less about what they're saying, and much more about how awkwardly they're saying it. At the very least, they sound unfamiliar and uncomfortable with the topic. At worst, they seem deceptive. And there's no reason to begin the answer to every question with the word "so". That's just weird, but oddly common.

Anyway, there's my unsolicited advice on more effective meeting participation. Remember the next time you attend a recorded meeting, I may be listening!

Getting Up Early...

2011-01-04T10:15:00.002-05:00

...has its advantages.

Heartwarming, Footwarming

2011-01-03T19:58:00.003-05:00

Crocheting for someone else brings a whole different element of satisfaction to the hobby, especially if the recipient is much loved. I may not have been posting much lately, but I've done quite a bit of crocheting.

One of my very dear aunts was diagnosed with lung cancer in September and enrolled in hospice. Living over 300 miles away, we sent our prayers and best wishes (and a gift basket while she still had some appetite for treats), but I wanted to make her something as well.

I thought about a bed jacket or an afghan, but didn't know if either of those items would actually be useful to her.

So it seemed like a little bit of divine intervention when I got an email from a fellow crocheter asking a question about a slipper sock pattern I have on my website, and explaining that she crocheted slipper socks for hospice patients!

What a great idea! Something quick to crochet, cheerful, colorful, and very, very useful. I made and sent some to my aunt right away, and was lucky enough to be able to visit her and my uncle in early December and hand-deliver several more pairs. My uncle tells me she loves to wear them, and it means so much to me to think that something I made brought her a little bit of comfort and a smile.

Happy 2011 !!!

2010-12-31T16:42:00.004-05:00

The Day-After-Christmas-East-Coast snowstorm left our backyard looking like this, so that nice get-things-done week between Christmas and New Year's was interrupted by A LOT of shoveling.

We're welcoming the New Year with a movie night at home, featuring some of my husband's specialties -- stuffed artichokes and clams casino (YUM!).

2011 will begin busily for us just as 2010 ended, with a lot of family gatherings and visiting, and the biggest event we're looking forward to is a trip to Florida next week.

Wishing everyone health, happiness and prosperity -- see you in the New Year!

Welcome Christmas...

2010-12-22T14:01:00.006-05:00

...or, I think Dr. Seuss has had WAY too much impact on my psyche.

I finally figured out the most accurate metaphor for my state of mind during the holiday season.

From a couple of weeks before Thanksgiving until December 26, I feel the way the Grinch's dog, Max, must feel after the Grinch has a change of heart and decides to return all the trappings of Christmas to Whoville -- precariously balanced on an overwhelming sack of holiday expectations, hurtling toward Christmas day; happy and excited, yet wishing the ride would slow down so it doesn't all come crashing down.

Which would explain why I haven't blogged lately.

However, I've been crocheting when time allows -- slipper socks and hats mostly, with a plan to write up the patterns sometime after the New Year.

So despite my tendency toward Grinchiness, " welcome, Christmas, bring your cheer. Cheer to all Whos far and near. Christmas Day is in our grasp so long as we have hands to clasp. Christmas Day will always be just as long as we have we. Welcome Christmas while we stand, heart to heart and hand in hand. "

Still Here, Still Thankful

2010-11-30T12:29:00.003-05:00

Weird Halloween

2010-11-01T09:50:00.004-04:00

Having Halloween fall this year on a Sunday felt weird, probably compounded by the fact that this was the first year (in over 20, I think!) that I did not have to attend a school Halloween parade -- youngest daughter having moved on to a school that doesn't do that anymore (although both kids still dressed up on Friday).

Nevertheless, jack-o-lanterns were carved on Saturday night and here is the pre-trick-or-treat photo. To the left is a Starfleet officer who also happens to be an alien -- think Worf, only this one is not a Klingon.

You have to be a bit of a Harry Potter nerd to appreciate the daughter on the right, who intended to dress as Sirius Black while still a Hogwarts student.

We've had an ongoing bit of a flap in our household this year, which I will forever remember as "The Halloween Pretzel Incident," and this is what happened.

Earlier this month, Costco was selling a nice big container of Halloween-themed pretzels wrapped in festive black and orange bags. I thought it was nice, anyway. My daughters, however, were horrified when I put them in the cart. They insisted that pretzels were not appropriate Halloween treat fare. They were also confident that their father would agree with them. I said he would not. But he did, claiming that we risked being "egged" if we gave out pretzels.

Thus began a casual poll of various family members, all of whom (to my dismay) proclaimed Halloween pretzels unacceptable. Defeated, I handed candy out to the witches and Power Rangers and fairies and ghouls yesterday afternoon and evening.

As is his tradition, my husband led our daughters on a lengthy prowl of the neighborhood last night, and as is their tradition, they rang the doorbell upon returning to our house (as if I wouldn't know it was them).

"Trick or treat!" they laughed as I opened the door.

I gave them pretzels.

Color Challenged

2010-10-14T09:57:00.005-04:00

A lot of crochet that inspires me has a randomness to the color placement. How could I achieve that? Close my eyes and pick each skein?

I sat there and stared at the yarn, soon realizing that a list-making, psychotically orderly, anal retentive person like myself probably just couldn't "do" random.

But maybe I could plan it out and make it look random?

I'm working in rows of six squares each. If I have a repeating "pattern" of four squares, they won't be lining up directly under each other. So far, so good.

The plan that took shape is this: The first square (of each set of four) is six alternating rows of each color. Each new first-square-of-four will have as its center the color of the second round of the previous one.

The second squares are made up of either "four colors that look good together," or a two-color "checkered" pattern.

The third squares are the most fun because they have a theme: one uses colors from a picture in our living room; one is patriotic; one is inspired by autumn leaves; next up is candy corn, Christmas, and the Gryffindor colors (in a nod to my daughters and their love of Harry Potter), etc.

Last comes a solid square, its color determined by whatever color was used least the in previous three squares.

Planned randomness -- weird concept? I'd love to read how others choose colors and arrange them.

Acrylicoholism

2010-10-13T08:34:00.002-04:00

I know I've said it before, but I have to say it again -- I must be addicted to Red Heart Super Saver!

I get inspired by things like this, and this, and this, and think, "I'll make a pretty afghan like that! I'll use pastels and real wool (or at least an acrylic that doesn't feel like spun plastic)!"

But then I get to the store and get overwhelmed by too many brands and not enough colors.

Then my subconsious, inescapable favorite color scheme (navy, brick red, cream, tan, hunter green and gold or some variation thereof) takes over and I come home with ELEVEN SKEINS OF SUPER SAVER!

If there is a plus side, it's cheap. And it's fascinating (in a really creepy, weird sort of way) to compare the wildly different textures of the various colors. Burgundy, Gold, Carrot and Real Teal are soft and wooly -- almost like real yarn -- while Cafe and Aran make nice defined stitches. Coffee and Hunter Green stitches, on the other hand, seem to melt (or felt) together. And nothing is so bizarre as the stiff, spongy, alien feel of Spring Green!

Things My Husband Can Do With the Sweater I Knit for Him...

2010-10-03T18:45:00.003-04:00

...Dress up as a clown for Halloween.

...Use it as a rag to wash the car.

...Enter an ugly sweater contest.

...Gain 300 pounds and grow gorilla arms and still be able to fit into it.

Maybe a sweater is not a good project for a brand-new knitter!

What? No Champagne?

2010-09-08T11:24:00.003-04:00

The girls were very excited to get going this morning, as each of them is moving up to a new school and their orientations have been thorough enough to allay any apprehension.

Usually when the house is empty on the first day of school, I am very relieved to have some time to myself. Not feeling it this year, though.

I'm kind of glad today's only a half-day.

Labor Day

2010-09-06T13:24:00.003-04:00

This was one of my grandmother's elephant knick knacks. He was poorly coated in white paint until I gave middle daughter free creative license to rejuvenate him. I like his pink foot bottoms!

We're off to a Labor Day picnic at my sister-in-law's house. Hope everyone is having a nice holiday weekend!

Summer Vacation, Weeks Nine and Ten

2010-09-03T14:23:00.003-04:00

So that's it! Today is a gloomy kind of day as we anticipate a little wind and rain from the very outer bands of far-away Hurricane Earl.

In what may be a last hurrah, some petunias have surprisingly managed to bloom from the hard, dusty dirt so prevalent in our yard as this dry summer comes to a close.

Good-bye, I am hoping, to hot, humid days and muggy nights when the air conditioner doesn't stop running.

Hello, harvest moons and leaves of orange, brown and yellow! Hello pumpkins and cornstalks and apples! I do love autumn.

Summer doesn't officially end for another almost three weeks, but the welcome packets have arrived from the schools, the supplies and new clothes are ready to go, haircuts and vacation homework are done, and that's close enough for me. Over the last ten weeks, we did manage to review the locations and capitals of all 50 states, despite interruptions, good and bad, in our routine. The girls spent a lot of time in the pool and managed to do major cleaning and re-organizing in their rooms, too. We had our share of activities and visiting and entertaining, and it all went by so fast!

One Skein Simple Socks

2010-08-31T08:20:00.003-04:00

Youngest daughter wears a size 2 shoe. These socks were made with one 213-yard skein of Red Heart Heart & Sole in Berry Bliss.

To ensure that I'd have enough yarn to finish, I made the two socks at the same time -- one from the center of the skein and one from the outside, taking turns working the same number of rows on each sock (and using a size "D" hook).

The toe comes from my standard toe pattern, and to allow for a little foot, I only increased it out to 36 stitches. The foot part is simply 23 rounds of extended single crochet.

In deference to utter simplicity, the heels are done in a manner similar to this. After seven more rows of extended single crochet, the ribbing is six rounds of fpdc/bpdc (although I found I like this stitch pattern much better when worked in rows instead). After a finishing round of single crochet on each sock, there was maybe only eight inches of yarn left from the skein!

They're short, but my daughter loves them!

I Told You It Was Irresistible!

2010-08-26T15:44:00.003-04:00

Today as I was unloading the dishwasher, cleaning the bird cage, sorting laundry, doing paperwork, folding clothes, watering plants, paying bills, running errands, listening to dictation and typing my fingers off, making lunch, taking care of the pool, pulling chicken off the bone for dinner, and responding to incessant calls of MOM?!?, all I really wanted to do was
...make...these...socks...

Chickened Out

2010-08-25T08:54:00.003-04:00

What could have been a better summer project?

Making fast, useful items in cool, colorful cotton was a nice diversion (and I'm pretty happy that I actually finished something that I started!). I'm pretty chickened out now, though.

In the mental queue:

1. My husband's sweater is perilously close to being finished.

2. Red Heart Heart & Sole came out with some irresistible new colors (uh-oh...socks!).

3. I've always liked the Spiderweb Cardigan.

But first, as the boxes come out of the storage unit and land in threatening piles around the house, I'm not going to be happy until I know where all my craft stuff is. "Missing" right now are a circular knitting needle set and my indispensable size "I" hook. Time to do a little searching...

Birthday Frogs!

2010-08-23T08:56:00.003-04:00

I like frogs. Particularly poison dart frogs. Whenever my family visits an aquarium or zoo, I come home with more pictures of frogs than family. One year, my husband even decorated my birthday cake with a multitude of colorful, plastic frogs.

But this year, he went for the real thing! We celebrated my birthday on Saturday, and while every single gift I received was remarkably thoughtful and very much appreciated, the most "lively" one was...frogs!

These are African dwarf aquatic frogs in a self-contained ecosystem (they're from here, incidentally), and they've taken up residence on my desk. My family gave me an awesome birthday celebration that will make turning 48 a lot easier!

Summer Vacation, Weeks Seven and Eight

2010-08-20T09:03:00.002-04:00

We've been busy, and the last two weeks have flown by. Among other things, there was a picnic and a wedding to attend, playdates and catch-as-catch-can geography lessons. The day before yesterday, my poor husband fractured his kneecap and tore up the surrounding tissue. As bad as it is, he's already seeing some improvement (and he has some "happy pills" for the pain!).

While it's still generally too hot for my taste, we are getting the occasional cooler, less humid days of respite every now and then. There's been so little rain that the leaves are falling already, and back-to-school activity is intensifying -- all heralding the promise of autumn, my favorite season -- a time of new beginnings and fresh starts. I'm getting motivated to finish up summer crafting (that has been little more than the parade of chicken potholders!) and re-organize the forgotten supplies that have been filtering in from the storage unit. Like the old Staples commercial used to say, (for me) this really is "the most wonderful time of the year!"