This Day

I hope you all enjoyed celebrating the mothers in your lives this past weekend.  I enjoyed my day by sharing a Sacred Yoga class with a friend, to return to a lovely brunch of mushroom flautas with date/mint/chili chutney created by Brad, Rachel and Max with Bhakti Chai to top it all off!  Lucky girl I am :)  Wanting to capture the feelings of the day, I happily outfitted a rock with color and life this morning.

And I had company.

Blessings on your Monday!

Hope Springs Eternal

Sure signs of Spring, heaven sent and blessed:

The weather has been such a welcome relief, I find myself in a state of suspended belief.  Not enough to keep me from the garden this weekend however.  I spent a good part of it scraping off the Winter's blanket of dead, brown leaves and debris to welcome the our harbingers of Spring.  It's great, albeit, very physical work.  I'm grateful for the strength and opportunity to stretch and flex this body after a Winter hibernating indoors.  I'm also grateful for the help I got from my boys.

Now, I watch and wait as the colors unfurl.

Blessings!

This Day

Keeping the wheels of love spinning.

Round and round they go.  Where they'll stop, G-d only knows!

Blessings!

Pieces of Me

Ok - I'll admit it.  Lately I'm all about the redemption song.  Bob Marley and I go way back.  There is something uniquely uplifting about letting something go, only to have something new and unexpected pop up in its place.  The key is in the letting go. 

I had this experience recently when I went rummaging about in my half forgotten projects stashed here and there in baskets and totes.  I had knit a lovely Intarsia socklet, just one mind you, before abandoning it for the next big thing to catch my eye.  Silly me.  I left this project open in a basket because the colors were just so lovely to gaze upon while muttering, "One day soon I'll finish you."  The yarn was equally lovely, so lovely that an uninvited guest happened upon it.  Ordinarily we don't have to worry about such matters in the dry Colorado climate.  Or so I thought.

To my initial dismay, I thought "Dang, there goes the second socklet.  Never to be completed.  Sigh."  Then, blam, it came upon me.  Why not use all these little bits and bobs to crochet a simple motif?  I've been staring longingly at this new book of mine just waiting for the perfect excuse, erm, opportunity, to have a crack at it.

There you have it.  But what to do with one simple motif?  Cover a rock of course.  Now let me just say, this idea is not mine alone.  My inspiration for it came directly from Maggie at Resurrection Fern (another redemption moment, yes?).  And no one does it quite like her. Honestly, go check out her blog.  You won't be disappointed.  But this simple rock is mine.

Redemption Stone

Or rather, never really was.  I'm just a part of the process.  This rock had a receiver in mind all along.  You see, dear friends of ours are moving to Texas, and I so wanted them to take a piece of me, us, with them.  I collected this particular rock on one of my Reservoir walks (puppy romp).  I'm sure I was ruminating on their move and how much I hoped they would one day return to us all here in Boulder Valley.

So you see, this particular rock is infused with Chief Niwot's curse, which means they will indeed have to return to us.  That and the fact that their Realtor, my husband Brad, advised that they not sell their home, but merely rent it ;)

Happy Birthday to Ewe

If you need to stock up on ANYTHING related to fiber arts, today is as good a day as any to head over to Shuttles for their birthday sale, %15 off EVERYTHING in stock in the store.  Books, buttons, needles, yarn, wool roving, you name it.  Just sayin'!

The prayer shawl is coming along nicely, may have to pop on over myself.  See you there!

Hats Off To You!

I have a day off from work today, so I thought I'd get this hat off in the mail for a friend's Mom who is undergoing Chemo.  Cancer is a bitch.  We all have our stories of loved ones and friend's loved ones who have battled, some surviving and some not.

Therefore, I feel compelled to help in anyway I can with another's journey.  This is a great little crochet project.  I enjoyed it so much last winter, especially with this yarn.  I think it will feel just right as a "chemo cap," warm, but not too much so, and SOFT.  I know my girlfriend had a hard time with itching, so hopefully this yarn will do the trick.

Here's the pattern:

Materials
Worsted Weight Yarn
Crochet Hook - G/6 4.255 mm hook

Ch 4 Join in round with sl st.
Rnd 1: Ch 3, 15 dc in ring (16 dc)
Rnd 2: Ch 3, dc in same st, 2 dc in each dc around (32 dc)
Rnd 3: Ch 3, dc in same st, * (dc in 3 dc, 2dc in next dc) repeat from * around ending dc in 3 dc, sl st to beginning (40 dc)
Rnd 4: Ch 3, dc in same st, * (dc in 4 dc, 2dc in next dc) repeat from * around ending dc in 4 dc, sl st to beginning (48 dc)
Rnd 5: Ch 3, dc in same st, * (dc in 5 dc, 2dc in next dc) repeat from * around ending dc in 5 dc, sl st to beginning (56 dc)
Rnd 6: Ch 3, dc in same st, * (dc in 6 dc, 2dc in next dc) repeat from * around ending dc in 6 dc, sl st to beginning (64 dc)
Rnd 7-11: ch 2, skip one dc *(2 dc in next dc twice, skip 2 dc) repeat from * ending with sl st in top of first dc.
Rnd 12-16: ch 1, sc in each dc(sc) around.

Here's the pattern for the Festive Flower (same materials as used in hat):

Ch 5, sl st into a ring
sc 15 into the ring
*Ch 4 work 2 tr into next 2 sc, Ch 4 sl st into next sc
Repeat from * until complete

Counting my blessings as I count my stitches!

Crocheting By The Pool

I hope you all enjoyed a great weekend.  I know we did!  We got to enjoy the kids' swim meet with beautiful (albeit HOT) weather and smiling faces.

 

Max and Rachel - Go Cuddas!


I love watching them move from the nervousness before their heats, to great relief and surprise at how well they swam.  And, there is plenty of time between heats to get up to some crafty business.  This day presented the perfect opportunity to launch a project I've had in mind for some time: Crocheted Rag Rug.  I've been holding onto our sheets from when Brad and I first got married because I loved them so much and I couldn't bear to part with them.  Luckily, with this project I don't have to!

Instead, I'll rip them into 1 1/2" strips, wind them into balls, and with my size P crochet hook get going!

Other poolside goodies in my basket: sunblock and lipgloss, of course!

There are lots of alternatives out there on the Web, but I wanted an Oval shaped rug.  So I started by Ch 10.  Then I SC into the front of each loop going down one side.  When I got to the end I crocheted 3 SC.  SC back up the other side, and 3 SC at the opposite end.  Then you simply continue in this manner until you notice the rug starting to curl in.  Whenever you notice this all you have to do is throw in some extra SC at the ends.  Just make sure whatever you do at one end you repeat at the other.  Soon you may end up with something like this:

Pepper modeling the Crocheted Rag Rug

A fellow swim parent asked a very good question, "How many sheets will you need?"  And to that I had to reply, "I'm not sure, I guess I'll just crochet along until I'm satisfied."  I'm thinking it will only take the 2 or 3 sheets that I have on hand (funny that), but who knows?  Perhaps I'll be so inspired I'll be scrounging around for some more!

When all is said and done, there is the question of what to do with the tails sticking out the back.  I'm inclined to weave them in a bit and call it good.  Another poolside suggestion was to Scotchguard the rug upon completion.

One thing I do know, I love taking something whose purpose no longer fits and changing things up enough to give it new life.

What about you?

Gotta Get Your Head In The Game

Who doesn't love American's favorite pastime, Baseball?  Well, I haven't been so sure, even after living with arguably one of the game's biggest fans for the past 20 years.  What can I say, my brain just isn't wired to follow the plays, or so I thought.  Turns out this season was going to be different.  My son has played Little League for years, but this was the first time with his dad coaching the team.  So it would seem there was no better time to get my head in the game.

Luckily, we discovered a lovely little thing called a scorecard.  Turns out I have quite a penchant for keeping score.  It's a lot like Sudoku, or a cross word puzzle.  I love it!  Finally a way to help me focus on the plays.

Now if they only made one for managing teens.  This past weekend we had the misfortune of finding out what happens when you "take your eye off the ball."  Let me tell you folks, the risks are too great and the consequences scarey.  Raising teens is a slippery slope, kinda' like nailing jello to a tree, but nothing could be more important than establishing those ground rules.  It's tough.  Sometimes it feels a little like "Who's on first?"

"Where are you going?"  "Who's going to be there?"  "How are you getting there?" But we love our kids, and the game, and nothing could be more important.

And if you're going to get your head in the game, why not do it sporting a little "Granny Chic?" 

Click here for this Crochet Headband Tutorial.  I hope you all enjoy, and "Play Ball!"

Hold On To What Is Good

and hold onto your seats, it's gonna be a bumpy ride.  Let's just say re-entry into my life on Brigadoon Farm hasn't been easy.  Perhaps I was spoiled by my get away.  And it's not that I didn't work, I did, but on one thing.  Thoroughly and to completion.  I wasn't distracted by laundry, cleaning, feeding, driving, going to work, or caring for anything else but that one task.  See what I mean?  Spoiled.

I guess I had my own unpacking to do this week.  It was more than a bit overwhelming to come back to all that I have created for myself.  The family, animals, property, job, house, you name it, none of it was good enough and none of it was getting what it deserved.  I felt so torn in too many different directions. 

And now I must say "THANK YOU" to my husband, children, friends and co-workers for weathering the storm with me.  I am so incredibly blessed that I have such loving people in my life to hold me up when I don't think I can hold myself up.  With their help, I will get back to taking life one day at a time, and allowing myself some grace when I don't measure up to my own expectations.

And a "THANK YOU" to my sister, Allison, who gifted me this incredible yarn so that I can continue to do what I love best, create with gorgeous yarn!

Allison's Color Way

And Anna, thank you for the house call and your healing hands.  And Pam, thank you for your kind listening, and lovely poem:

Hold on to what is good,
Even if it's a handful of earth.
Hold on to what you believe,
Even if it's a tree that stands by itself.
Hold on to what you must do,
Even if it's a long way from here.
Hold on to your life,
Even if it's easier to let go.
Hold on to my hand,
Even if I've gone away from you.

Pueblo Indian Prayer

May all of you receive many blessings today and through this weekend.

My Pet Rock

This weekend I celebrated my near achievement of resurrecting the Sock Debacle (3 out of 4 1/2 pairs of socks done!) by crocheting a HeArt Rock.  Being in a bit of a midseason funk, I thought if I set up a little Valentine's altar I might get inspired, and it worked!

After admiring my collection of keepsake Valentines either made or given by friends, I decided to make a contribution.

I've been admiring Margaret Oomen's covered stones over at Resurrection Fern and with the help of Molly Dunham's Winter Berries Tutorial over at Foothill Home Companion I made this Valentine's Pet Rock.

I don't think I'll ever look at a rock in the same way again!