Share A Square Afghan

This is a picture of the afghan I pieced together for the Share A Square Project. The square in the upper right hand corner is one I donated

Year's End

I know it's a new year but I want to go back and reflect on 2007.
Our Mom died of kidney failure back in March, just before Easter. Mom had made the decision not to under go dialysis as she felt it was her time to go home. We were fortunate in that our youngest sister, Virdie and her kids were able to get home to visit with mom. Mom was cremated. Although she insisted we not go to any trouble, Mom always said she wanted to be stattered in the Blue Ridge Mountains So on Saturday before Easter the family drove up the the Blue Ridge Parkway and had a small ceremony. We later had "tea and cookies" at the house with Mom's sisters.


My middle sister, Charlotte moved in with me after Mom's death. It's amazing how often our family keeps asking how are we getting along! I remind them that the house is large enough that we aren't tripping over each other.

Virdie and her family moved into their house back in April. I spent a week visiting with them over Memorial Day.

Charlotte and I went to Florida for an extended weekend to visit our Mom's oldest sister. Mom and I use to visit Aunt Charlotte twice a year, in 2006 we took Virdie and her kids with us and stayed at a motel on the beach. Aunt Charlotte, who is in her 90's, had moved from her apartment at the retirement center, to the medical center.

We celebrated Christmas on Saturday, 22 December as Charlotte's kids needed to spend Christmas Day with their other halves families. Charlotte's two gradchildren were also present.






I went to Virdie's for Christmas and New Year's. I think we all went overboard with presents to the little ones. I watched the kids on New Year's Eve so Virdie and her husband could go out.


Got Virdie started on Granny Squares for "Share A Square"

Dear Abby Answered

Here is Dear Abby's answer to my letter

More squares for "Share a Square" I will mail them tomorrow along with some skeins of black yarn

Dear Abby

Shelley is have a contest over at www.thiseclecticlife.com here is my entry

Dear Abby,

Tell me, what’s a girl got to do to get a change of wardrobe? It’s green, nothing but green! And the accessories! Between the strap of the quiver cutting cross the bossom and the hassle at security check points on the arrows, it’s enough to make a girl stay home. Also, why does everyone thinks it’s my responsibility to keep track of the Merry Men? I have enough problems keeping the Sheriff off my back.

Yours truly,

Robin of Locksley

Christmas Decorations

Christmas has come to our house. We decorated the fountain are and put up the tree in the house. One of my nephews will put up the snow globe later. I've go him blowing leaves right now.

Squares

My plan is to do one square a day

What is your Best Blogging Achievement Contest

Shelly over at www.thiseclecticlife.com has entered a contest “What is your best blogging achievement?”, prize is $100 which Shelly will use towards postage and yarn for the "Share A Square" project. I am all for supporting her effort in addition to the squares I am crocheting for her project by giving you my vote.

I read the blogs for the other eight contestants and had a hard time picking my second and third choices and none of them were on topics of which I have interest. I mainly check out blogs about crocheting, knitting, and crafts. But having said that I did find useful information on two of the blog sites:
www.tclian.com learning-my-best-achievement-in-blogging
and www.blog.lgr.ca and I have saved them to my favorites for future inspection.

I'm still learning how to do this whole blogging thing so I hope I have linked to
www.alltipsandtricks.com/my-best-blogging-achievement-the-entries/ correctly so my votes count

WIP

Last week I started a dolls head and then realized I did not have the right size eyes (all of them were too large). So I went on line to order more eyes. The site I found didn't have online ordering so I printed out an order page and was going to send in the order the next Monday. In the meantime, what to crochet? I pulled out a purse pattern and then went to search my statch of yarn for the right colors. As I searched I kept running across WIP (some over five years old). I then decided, no new projects until I finished the old ones. So I sorted through my yarn and orgainized the WIP, never knowing I had so many.

Well my resolve to finish WIP before starting anything new didn't last long. I found a pattern for Cranberry sauce and just had to make one for my nephew. And then I found a site putting together afghans for the kids at a cancer camp. They need 6" squares

Go to This Eclectic Life for updates

Cranberry sauce

I found this pattern at http://www.aliciakachmar.com/blog/ and had to make it for my nephew. Made a slight change by adding slices to the plate. There is also a pattern for Indian corn that I might do next

Stitch N Pitch

I hope to attend the Stitch N Pitch in Atlanta on 15 July

mom, with two of her grandchildren

New Year's Eve was spent drinking wine and sitting in front of the computer playing a game my sister got for Christmas. That tells you what the rest of the year will be for me!

Merry Christmas

Boring

Well its Friday, 22 December and I am sitting all by myself at work. The boss is in Colorodo and the rest of the staff is off. Offically today is a half day work day. But the boss never remembers so he told everyone we were off today. Since I'm taking all of next week off I didn't feel I should leave the office "unmanned" today.

I've been working on a scarf and poncho this week. Should finish the poncho over the weekend, not sure about the scarf. I was invited to join Carol Venture's new Tapestry Crochet group. I had made two purses using her technique and although I have several project to finish (including sweet potatoe!) I am tempted to start another purse using the Tapestry technique.

Hope to post more pictures this weekend

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Precious Pals

Members of the Charlotte Knitting Quild clothed bears and donated them to the Charlotte Mecklenburg Domestic Violence Department. Here is a group picture

Here is a picture of the bears I contributed

Thanks again for the bears! Everyone was looking at them this morning! They loved them! Everyone did a great job! We truly appreciate them and will put them to good use!

Melissa
Domestic Violence Crisis Intervention Counselor
Providence/South/Independence Divisions
Domestic Violence Unit - Family Services Division
Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department

Crocheter's Christmas

Twas the Night Before Christmas

'Twas the night before Christmas and all around me
There was unfinished crocheting not under the tree,
The stockings weren't hung by the chimney with care'
Cause the heels and the toes had not a stitch there.

The children were nestled all snug in their beds,
But I had not finished the caps for their heads.
Dad was asleep---he was no help at all.
And the sweater for him was 6" too small.

When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,
I put down my hook to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew like a flash.
Tripped over my yarn and fell down in my stash.

The tangle of yarn that lay deep as the snow
Reminded me how far I still had to go.
When out on the lawn I heard such a noise,
I was sure it would wake up both Dad and the boys.

And although I was tired--my brain a bit thick,
I knew in a moment that it must be St Nick.
Yet what I heard left me very perplex-ed
For nothing I heard was what I expect-ed.

"Move Rowan! Move Patons! Move Koigu and Clover!
Move Shelridge! Move Starmore! Move Spinrite! Move over!
Lopi, don't circle around, just stand there in line.
Pay attention you sheep and you'll work out just fine!
I know this is hard as it's just your first year
But I'd hate to go back to 8 tiny reindeer."

I peered over the sill. What I saw was amazing:
Eight wooly sheep on my lawn all a-grazing!
And then in a twinkle, I heard at the door
Santa's big boots stomping on the porch floor.

I rose from my knees and got back on my feet.
As I turned around, St Nick I did meet.
He was dressed all in wool from his head to his toe
And his clothes were hand crochet from above to below.

A bright Fair Isle sweater he wore on his back.
And his toys were all stuffed in an Aran crochet sack.
His hat was a wonder of bobbles and lace
A beautiful frame for his rosy red face.

The scarf on his neck could have stretched for a mile,
And the socks peeking over his boots were Argyle.
On the back of his mitts was an intricate cable.
And suddenly on one I spotted a small label:

"S.C." in duplicate on the cuff. So I asked,
"Hey, Nick, did YOU crochet all this stuff?"
He proudly replied, "Ho, ho, ho, yes I did.
I learned how to crochet when I was just a kid."

He was chubby and plump, a well dressed old man,
And I laughed to myself, for I'd thought up a plan.
I flashed him a grin and jumped up in the air,
And the next thing he knew, he was tied to a chair.

He spoke not a word, but looked down in his lap
Where I had laid my crochet hook and yarn for a cap.
He began then to crochet, first one cap then 2--
For the first time I thought I might really get through.

He put heels in the stockings and toes in some socks,
While I sat back drinking a scotch on the rocks.
Quickly like magic his hooks they flew,
Good Grief! He was finished by two!

He sprang for his sleigh when I let him go free,
And over his shoulder he looked back at me.
I heard him explain as he sailed past the moon,
"Next year, start your crocheting sometime around JUNE!"

Commissioned Projects

I was commissioned to crochet a shrug and poncho for a 5 year old. Forgot to take a picture of the shrug but here is the poncho. The bottom was supposed to have two rows of eyelash yarn but the buyer didn't like it so I changed it to a scolloped edge. Took less than one skein of yarn and three hours. Sold it for $15

Arts and Crafts Fair

I am considering putting some of my crocheted things on this websiet. Does any one have any comments








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