Personal Update: 30 March 2022

This month flew by so fast it almost went without me doing a personal update.

It’s late night/early morning here in East Texas. The wind is blowing pretty hard, and it’s trying to rain. I’ve been up almost 24hrs – got up at 4am on 29 March, and it’s nearly 1am today. I can’t sleep. I haven’t had insomnia like this in years, and I’m not sure why I’m suffering now. I’ve been pretty depressed most of the day too, but it doesn’t keep me up like this. I’ll muddle through it and sleep when I get home from work later today.

Mimi Queen of Fluff

Mimi is shedding like a dandelion in a high wind, even with me combing her on a daily basis. She’s been outside more and for longer periods of time, but she still gets hot so she wants the AC lol. She’ll be 6 this year. I got her just before the pandemic, and she was 3 then. I think that’s right….

Projects

I finished Doug’s blanket, and Emmy took it home before i could take the final picture. She said she’d try to get one for me, but she said her brother loves the blanket so, I’m happy.

I’m on Row 16 of the tablecloth I’m making, and I’ll be further along by Friday so you’ll have to wait to see a picture of it then. I might just turn this part into a doily and start another for the tablecloth since the colors look so well. I’ll take suggestions after I show you what I’ve done so far.

I’m waiting for April 1st to begin work on the next section of Fox and Rabbit’s Mystery Stitch-A-Long “Changing Seasons”. I’m going to be completing the variegated green frame in April too, depending on how long it takes me to do the new part.

I’ve nearly completed another block on Land Baby, and I’ll be posting a picture of it as well.

Work

I’m back to working 5 days a week again, but I’m only making 20 hours a week. I’m going to stay at part time while I’m at this store and when I transfer, I’ll be asking for a full time position. I can’t live on my own on part time wages. Other than that, work is still fun, and I still like going.

Other

My special gentleman friend and I celebrated our 3rd anniversary on 20 March, the first day of Spring, and it was wonderful!! He started early the evening before, taking me out to watch the sunset on the country property. It was gorgeous!!! At close to midnight, we went out into the field by the house with wine and a blanket so we could look up at the stars. It was a clear night, and we drank a toast as midnight struck. It was a very romantic beginning to a lovely day. 🙂

I’ve not much else to tell this month. I’m glad Winter is over, and days will be getting warmer again. I love Spring and Fall, but I love Spring the most even if Halloween is my favorite holiday.

See you on the flipside and don’t forget your towel and sonic screwdriver!!

Stitching Saturday: Land Baby Pt. 3

I was trying to get two blocks done this week, but it didn’t quite happen. Still, I’m pretty pleased with my progress since I completed March’s portion of the MSAL I’m also working on.

There’s some confetti(gotta love the lingo!) but not as much as some of the higher up sections. I enjoy watching the lines filling in as I add stitches. It’s so satisfying. I have close to 3 more blocks before this column is done. 🙂

I got my first needle minder. It’s from Box of Oddities on Etsy. I’m a big fan of the show. I’m quite pleased with how strong the magnet is. I’m stitching in hand so this helps to keep my needle handy without me having to shove it into the fabric every time I’m changing threads. I’m not planning on getting another – I don’t see myself collecting these things, but that doesn’t mean I won’t get another if one catches my eye. I don’t tend to have a bunch of WIPs going at once so having more than one doesn’t make much sense for me. We’ll see how it goes. I do recommend getting at least one as they are quite useful.

I’m going to do my best to have the entire first column done when I post next Saturday, Until then, happy stitching!!

See you on the flipside and don’t forget your towel and sonic screwdriver!!!

Free Pattern Friday: Hibernation Blanket My Way

The Hibernation Blanket by Bernat is the one I chose to make for Doug, Emmy’s brother who is on the Autism Spectrum. I have made some changes to it colorwise, but that’s about it. It didn’t come out the size it was supposed to still, but it’s close. Joe helped with choosing the colors while Emmy okayed the size. It’s not quite done, but I wanted to show you what it looks like today. I should have it done tomorrow when Emmy comes to visit.

Mimi is on the blanket in the picture. I couldn’t stop her. Every time I got out the blanket to work on it, she was on it or wanting to get on it. The blanket is very soft so I don’t blame her.

The angle for this is not quite right, but it’s the best I could do. I have a queen sized bed, and it’s about a foot short of covering the entire length of the bed. Once the top portion(on the left side of the picture) is done, it will cover the bed from side to side.

The blanket is made from Bernat Blanket Yarn in White and Cream as well as Bernat Blanket Twists in Ink Well and Dove. The yarn is all Super Bulky (6) though the Twists doesn’t have as much loft to it as the regular yarn does. I’m using a “N” – 10.00MM aluminum hook from Boye.

I’ve found I don’t care to work on it for very long because the size of the hook ends up making my hands and wrists ache after a while. The yarn isn’t heavy, but it does need a bit of handling to make the stitches. I won’t be making another for a while, but I may do one later this year.

My next project involves Rings of Change by Frank O’Randle. The full pattern is a paid pattern, but he did make a smaller one free. It’s called Mini Rings of Change and is the center portion of the overall pattern – about 42 rounds. The main pattern is around 111 rounds. Both can be found on Ravelry.

I am going to be doing the full pattern, but I won’t be using yarn. I have a great deal of crochet thread I want to use so I’m going to do a multi-colored “scrap style” piece that I plan to use as a tablecloth once it’s done. If it turns out not to be long enough even after 111 rows, I’ll add on to it somehow. It should be interesting to see how it turns out.

Let me know what you think of Doug’s blanket. I know it’s not quite done, but I’d still like feedback. 🙂 If you’re crocheting or knitting, I’d love to know what you have on your hook or have finished!

See you on the flipside and don’t forget your towel and sonic screwdriver!!!

Stitching Saturday: Fox and Rabbit MSAL – March Finish

I finally finished the March portion of Fox and Rabbit’s Changing Season’s – 2022’s Mystery Stitch-A-Long. The flowers in the corners weren’t hard to stitch. It was doing all the framing first to make sure I put the flowers in the right places. They had to line up exactly with the corners of the small blocks and the inner frame. I also frogged the variegated green I’d messed up on so I can make the second portion of the inner frame. It’s the second portion if you’re working from the inside to the outside like I’m doing.

The stems are done in Green Metallic by Artiste while the flower petals are done in DMC. The frames are also done in DMC. My stitches aren’t perfect as you can see in the bottom picture, but I don’t mind. 🙂

I’d originally intended this piece to be a wall hanging for myself until a co-worker saw a picture of it before the flowers were stitched on. She expressed an interest in it, and I told her to wait until it was all stitched before she decided if she actually wanted it or not. She said she would.

I’m flattered she’d want something I’ve made, but I’m also nervous. I want to do a very good job, but I’m not that great on color choices. I may need some advice going forward.

Still, I’m glad this section is done, and I’m eager to see what April is going to bring!!

If you’re working on this MSAL too, feel free to share pictures/links!! I love seeing what everyone else is doing!!

See you on the flipside and don’t forget your towel and sonic screwdriver!!

Free Pattern Friday: Emmy’s Blanket Is Done!

This was taken on my son’s queen sized bed, and he didn’t get the whole thing. 🙂 Still, it came out beautifully for being originally a scrap yarn blanket. Emmy has seen the blanket already, and she loves it! 🙂 She’s coming over tomorrow to visit Joe, and she’ll take it home then.

I am pleased she’s happy with it. I’d originally intended this to be a scrap yarn blanket as I’d said, and I was going to donate it to my favorite thrift store. Emmy saw it when it was half done, and she expressed an interest in it so I decided to make it for her. I think it came out interesting.

This is a simple C2C blanket made using DK (3) weight yarn and an “H” hook.

I have two more blankets still on the hook, one is using Bernat Blanket Yarn Bulky(6) weight and the other Red Heart Super Saver Sport (4) weight. I’ve shared both blankets already – their starts – and I’ll post an update for the bulky blanket next week. I’ve restarted it twice because I wasn’t happy with the way it was turning out. I think this third time is the charm.

What projects are you working on??? I’d love to see so please, feel free to post pictures or leave links in the comments below! I am on Instagram so feel free to share a link to yours as well!!

See you on the flipside and don’t forget your towel and sonic screwdriver!!

Stitching Saturday: Fox and Rabbit MSAL March Pt.2

It’s taking me a while to do this whole MSAL so far because it’s so big. I’m watching Flosstube while I stitch, and I have to laugh when I hear creatives referring to pieces that are less than 200 stitches wide and tall as “big”. This MSAL has an outer frame that is over 300 stitches long and just as many wide. I just shake my head and keep on working. Here is my progress so far:

I can see a light at the end of the tunnel now, so I should have this part finished by my next post.

I am curious to see what will be done with the big spaces between the flowers and the squares. I wouldn’t mind seeing some beading or embroidery stitches added, but I’m not the designer. I just have to be more patient and wait to see what comes up. 🙂

If you’re stitching this along with Anita(my(mis?)adventureswithyarn) and myself, feel free to share pictures, comments, suggestions or whatever else you might like.

If you’re not stitching this along with us, feel free to still share pictures of stitching projects, comment, suggest or whatever else you might like. I enjoy reading all comments and seeing what others are working on!

See you on the flipside and don’t forget your towel and sonic screwdriver!!

Free Pattern Friday: Fantail Afghan

I was gifted with several pound skeins of Red Heart Super Saver Yarn in Bright Yellow(as if you couldn’t tell) so, I decided to make an afghan whose pattern I’ve been wanting to try for some time. I’ve had the pattern since about 2010 to be honest, and I wrote it down from the book I found it in. I tried to find it online, but I can’t seem to find it. The pattern is called Fantail Fantasy and was created by Caron Yarns. It uses the Fantail stitch which you can learn here:

Marly Bird – a blog

The afghan is supposed to measure 50 x 58 inches when it’s done. Lengthwise, I’m at 55 inches, and I’m okay with that. I tend to crochet a little tight.

I’m using an aluminum “H” hook. I don’t have it right in front of me so I can’t tell you what the mm size is. I’ve used aluminum hooks most of my life, and I’m not really interested in spending money on other kinds of hooks when mine work just fine for me. I don’t collect hooks, just yarn. 🙂

I am still working on Emmy’s throw. We were discussing it earlier this week, and I had told her I’d put it on hold until I get some more yarn for it. The lovely girl brought me a cake of yarn in the size I’m using and in the colors she wants added to what I’ve already worked up. I guess she really wants her throw. 🙂 I’ll post my progress on it next week.

See you on the flipside and don’t forget your towel and sonic screwdriver!!

Saturday Stitching: Fox and Rabbit MSAL – March Pt. 1

Because I was working on a baby blanket most of this week, I’ve only just started on the March portion of Changing Seasons, the 2022 Mystery Stitch-A-Long by Fox and Rabbit.

The corners of the inner frame have flowers, and I’ve decided to do each one in a single color so orange, lilac, teal and mauve. The stems are being done in a very light green/metallic green blend. The metallic green is by Artiste, and it’s much easier to use than the metallic silver also by Artiste that I’m using for the outer frame. The other floss is DMC.

The flower is about 3/4 done. I’m doing the single line in half stitch dark green, and the arrow part will be done in variegated greens once I frog what I’ve already stitched because I did it wrong. I’m also making the corner blocks as I work around the piece. I hope to have more of it done by next week.

See you on the flipside and don’t forget your towel and sonic screwdriver!!

Free Pattern Friday: Another Baby Blanket for a Co Worker

One of my coworkers showed me a picture of his first granddaughter who was born on March 1st, and she’s a real cutie. He’s also one very proud grandpa. Since I feel every newborn should have a handmade blanket, I decided to make her one.

I went looking for yarn that wasn’t the same as the yarn I’d been using. I try to make things as unique as possible. I saw this yarn, and I fell in love!

The color palette for this yarn is called Snapdragon. There was another called Gerbera, but I didn’t think the color palette was quite right for a little girl. There were only 3 skeins of this yarn on the shelf, and I bought all three.

I used an “I” hook and single crochets for the entire piece.

It’s not a very big blanket, but it’s big enough for her to cuddle under or lay on top of when it’s warm out. It took me three days to make as I focused on it more than anything else I did this past week.

See you on the flipside and don’t forget your towel and sonic screwdriver!!