Yarn Along: 6

Well I'm getting closer! This will only be 4x4 squares so I am piecing it together now and then just the edging woo hoo! I'm sure my Dad won't mind his "Happy St. Patrick's Day!" gift that was originally meant to be a Christmas gift....

{not quite done!}

The colors are much prettier IRL, this was just snapped on my phone and it's softer in person. It looks a bit garish here though...

Reading...Happy Are You Poor - it's very good and very tough. It's taking awhile to absorb and but it is changing my life. Wow. I would love to discuss this book with others who've read it. Please let me know if you have.... or if you will! ;)

Yarn Along:5

I am in the middle of the biggest project I have attempted. I am making a blanket made of different 12x12 squares for my Dad. I got the original insiration from a picture of the Chain Reaction project.  


Some of the techniques used in that project were too advanced for me, so I didn't follow their guide, but I really loved the idea and so I began this. I really intended it as a Christmas gift, oh well! I was able to find lots of ideas from this book.

My Dad has pancreatic cancer.  I guess I thought the blanket was a way for me to offer comfort although he lives thousands of miles away. He's begun treatment and things seem positve right now, but pancreatic cancer is a very deadly diagnoses.  Nevertheless, we are hopeful. I'm going to see him in April with my sisterand I'm determined to finish this 'Christmas' gift before then!   I have 2 more blocks to make and then I have to finish putting them together and the edging so I'm getting close.

I just read Organized Simplicity on my kindle and was very inspired. There's nothing revolutionary in it, just the same idea that less=more, but it's presented well and has given me a good kick in the pants!

Yarn Along: 4

I'm so excited to share my secret Christmas present! I am making three of these for my 3 sons. Aren't they hilarious? I am following a general pattern I found at this blog: Gumbo Soul.

Aren't I handsome with a beard?! I think the boys are going to love them and they're not too hard. I am using beanies we have that my Nana made for us a couple of years ago and I'm attaching the beard with buttons sewn inside the hat.

I am also finishing up Christy for my book club. I have enjoyed it so much more than I thought I would. It is a Christian book, but it is not all treacly or sappy like some Christian novels can be. I loved the Appalachian setting and the vivid descriptions of mountain life. At times, the character Christy is a bit annoying and unbelievable, but all in all most of the characters are well drawn and multi-dimensional.


Thanks for visiting my blog and a big thanks to Ginny for hosting

Yarn Along 3: Baby Bonnet!

I am thrilled at how this bonnet turned out! It was a free pattern from Annelise at Aesthetic Nest.

I've been crocheting off and on for a bit over a year now. I'm self-taught with lots of help from You Tube! This is one of the first more complicated patterns I've been able to read and complete and I just think it's so sweet on my Nina's fuzzy baby head.

Oh and that bright blanket in the background? That is the 'happy blanket' I made while pregnant and on bedrest with Nina. It's based on the granny stripe design from Attic 24. I love the bright colors on Lucy's blog and in her designs. It was wonderful to work with this design last winter and bleary spring while I waited through a very scary third trimester. It really kept my crazy pregnancy self on this side of depression. With looming uncertainty about the baby, I just couldn't bear to work on any baby items at all and the blanket was a great family project. The other kids named it the 'happy blanket' because of the great colors.

Now, months later, Nina and I are here and healthy and I am thrilled to be making some baby goodies for her!

As far as my reading is going, I am as usual, reading several things. I've got War and Peace on the Kindle, the third book in the Outlander series by my bed, and the second Game of Thrones on audio on my phone.

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you check out some more great projects over at the weekly Yarn Along!

Yarn Along: 2

I began this project with a different yarn and hook size and a different tail pattern. I made up the project as I went along, and now it is complete, but not really 'done'. I have yet to get good photo of Nina wearing this little mermaid papoose because she kicks and squirms right out! I need to figure out a way to cinch the waist a bit, maybe run a ribbon through? This is really more of a photo prop item right now, it just doesn't seem very useful. Maybe if I made the stitches tighter so her toes wouldn't poke out and I could fix the waist so it would stay on, then maybe it would be good for a cozy, cute sleeping bag.



I'm just now on the next book of the Outlander series, Drums of Autumn. I also read the Order of the Phoenix with my oldest boys. I have to confess, not one of my favorites. It was kind of boring in places and I skipped a bit. We watched the movie on Friday and it was pretty bad. We're moving on to the next book and I'm hoping it's better.

Thanks for checking in on me. Leave me a comment and I'd love to hear any suggestions about the mermaid cocoon/papoose. I'm a fairly new crochet-er. Check out more projects with Ginny at the Yarn Along.