From Bud to Bloom...Beginning a Blanket

We have two little Joseph's Coat rose bushes on either side of the front porch
and one of them had an
open bloom today :)

Thanks to each of you who helped me
sort out what pattern to use with
my Stylecraft yarn!
I have just typed out the pattern from the booklet I showed you in my last post.

 I am going to give it a go :)

 I was talking to my oldest daughter about it and mentioned that the pattern includes half double crochets.

"That's just a single crochet, right?" She asked.

Brilliant logic :)

I wonder why it is not so...

Do you know?

Opinions Please!!!

L. Lambiekins and I
are a bit perplexed...

A Lucy Ripple or a Granny Stripe or a
Bobble Blanket would all be grand choices for this beautiful acrylic Stylecraft yarn I bought from deramores, but I have this pattern...

More Granny Squares Coats & Clark Book No. 286.

For 31 years I have packed and unpacked this pattern for several moves back and forth across the USA.
With my limited experience I am not certain, but I think the Stylecraft yarn will be just right for this. I will just have to buy some skeins of black to join the squares together.

Opinions? Advice? Directions?


Are any projects perplexing you?

<3

My Reasons To Be Cheerful :)

Thanks to my blogging friend Kate's challenge, I have journaled some reasons I have found to be cheerful this week.

What are some reasons
you found to be cheerful this week?
<3

Crocheted Cup Cozies Completed

While enjoying watching  Craft in America on PBS this afternoon, I finished the 27th cup cozy at 6:30pm! I quickly packed 26 in a bag, got in the car, delivered the bag to the meeting by the 7:00pm deadline, and drove home to relax.

At 10:40pm I got a frantic apologetic text from the meeting hostess.
"I am so sorry! I forgot to hand out the AWESOME cup cozies!"

Oh my :)

<3

Jolly Journaling :)

My young friend, Kate, across the pond from me, proposed a brilliant challenge

last week.  Do you have a journal that is so beautiful you dare not

write in it lest you ruin it?  I did.

20 years ago my artist friend, Becky gave me a journal bound in handmade paper.

Through the years I have displayed it, patted it, treasured it but I never wrote in it

until this past week.

Kate challenged me to fill its pages with

Reasons to be Cheerful

So there you have it...my first week of reasons I have found to be cheerful...
not great art,  but such fun to focus on what inspires me
to be cheerful.
I would love to know your reasons you find to be cheerful!
Will you journal them this week and share them in a post next Sunday?
Until then, Cheerio !
From Gracie <3

TaDahs!!

The ball of yarn I described here, that I bought from Sosae, grew to be a scarf! I found the  pattern  on Teresa's blog and made the scarf for my friend who visited from California this week. In between rain showers and a roll of thunder we had a great visit!

Although I am sure that I sometimes take the joys of life for granted, I have known enough loss in my 61 years to remember that sometimes my celebrations can be painful reminders to others of their losses.
If the following prompts such a response from you, I am truly sorry, and hope that my joy can help heal your sorrow and not prolong it.
Yesterday at 6:35PM my son-in-law and oldest daughter welcomed their third little bundle of joy into the world and we are all grateful for her safe arrival!
I pray your joy may be full as well.

<3

Practice Run

6.2.1981 my oldest daughter was born.
6.2.2009 my oldest daughter's youngest daughter was born.

6.2.2012 we celebrated both birthdays.

In the early hours of 6.3.2012 my oldest daughter was admitted to the hospital because she was in labor with her baby that is due next week, but then the baby decided she was not in such a hurry to arrive after all so my daughter is back home and we adults are recovering from a lack of sleep and all the excitement :)

I did give my daughter the Queen Anne's lace scarf I crocheted for her:)

I have crocheted six cup cozies so far.

Some more family friends from CA arrived today and I hope to complete crocheting a scarf for my girlfriend while she is here this week with this Hyacinth superwash merino/mulberry silk I bought from Sosae Caetano.


Have you had any sort of practice runs this week?
<3

Blog Blunders, Basil in Jam, & Cup Cozies

When I checked my last post yesterday,

 it had a highlighted double underlined word that I had not set up as such.

  I clicked on the word and an ad popped up...
WHAT???
Further clicking led me to a program which can link ads to a site.
I hastily eliminated the program from my computer.

Some of my favorite blogs host advertising

but as yet, I have not wanted to do that.

Blogging is a means

for me to explore many of

my interests.

I enjoy reading, and writing, and [not arithmetic (:] spinning fiber,

and crocheting and knitting and watercolor painting

and gardening and cooking

and growing my relationship with God

and growing my relationship with people.

Through blogging I am meeting some

amazingly talented people.

I have linked to their blogs or businesses

because I appreciate who they are

as well as what they do

and I want others to enjoy them as well.

I suppose that is a form of advertising,

but I have not been doing it to try to earn an income, and I am not

keen on the idea of some computer program choosing what

I advertise if I ever decide I do want to earn income

from advertising!

These strawberries were begging to be used, so I decided to try

 a variation on a recipe I saw on Rebekka's blog.

I washed and cut up the strawberries, added a bit of water and

 brought them to a simmer for about 10 minutes.

Then I mashed the berries and added applesauce and honey to taste.

I simmered the berries, honey and applesauce until the liquid was reduced. 

 Then I let them cool for a bit before I tore up some basil leaves

and stirred them into the mixture.  I let it cool further.

Then I poured it into jars.

I am putting one in the fridge for immediate use and the other into the freezer.

Mmmmmmmm good!

I volunteered to make cup cozies for the women attending a leadership

gathering on June 20, 2012.  Not certain how many I need to crochet yet.

I am using Homespun Lion Brand Yarn in the 345 Corinthian colorway.

For a 12oz. size cup I am using a ChiaoGoo K/10.5 (6.5mm)

wooden crochet hook which I just realized is named *Faith.*

That seems especially apt since I am making these for  women

who are members of our church(:

I am simply chaining 4

Joining the chain with a slip stitch

Chaining three then doing 17 double crochets into the circle.

Chaining three then doing a double crochet into the top  of  each of the17 stitches.

Chain two and single crochet in the top of each stitch until  the cozy fits the cup, about 12 rows.

Weave in the end of the yarn.

What are you planning for your weekend?  I hope you have happy days

and do not make any blog blunders(:

<3