Yarn Love

 

Testing Picasa.  I kinda like it.

Edited:  It occurred to me that I should add more commentary to this picture. The yarn is Stylecraft DK, special colour pack of 17, chosen by Lucy of Attic 24.   It is lovely to work with, colorful, and soft. I ordered mine from Deramores, with free shipping to the US. I always use the coupon code from Ravelry (RAV2012 right now) to get a discount. 

So far, I've used this yarn for two projects that are splashed all over this blog.  The Groovyghan is a collection of grannies connected with various stripes.  It's huge and I love it. 

Now, I'm working on the Mixed Stripey Blanket, using the remaining Stylecraft yarn. You can read about it in other places on this blog, or look for me (Meowmmy65) on Ravelry and look at it there.  I'm enjoying the project, but as usual, I'm anxious to see huge developments in progress.  I might be a little impatient. More updates to my stripey blanket will be posted soon.  

Blog Envy

This weekend, I figured out how to customize the appearance of my blog a bit.  Yes, it was boring. Now, I'm quite sure it's too busy.  Before long, I'll be tired of it and change it again. Change is good. Color and chaos - GOOD! (Nine hours after publishing, and I've already changed it. Shocking!)

I spend a bit of time looking around at other blogs - following pinterest links to instructions on how to do this or that - usually driven by food or crochet projects. And yes, I'll admit it. I have Blog Envy.

Why do so many blogs out there look so darn perfect? It's like these people live in a Better Homes & Garden magazine, not in reality. The colors are balanced and beautiful, photography looks professionally done.  The projects are lovely and displayed to make them even more lovely, and the entries are well-written, amusing, entertaining, yadda yadda.  They are not the ramblings of a woman who's life is filled with organized chaos and stress.

Confession - my home, my blog, my life - will never be so beautifully organized and perfect. My photos are taken with the camera on my phone - because I don't know where the "good" camera is right now.  I have to clear away a spot on the table, the couch, or the chair to lay out my crochet and get a picture. (I work hard to get a photo that doesn't show the clutter nearby.)

We aren't hoarders, not by any stretch. I'm constantly tossing things out, donating, putting things away. But I always seem to be in the middle of a project (bulk mailing appeal letters for work, crocheting a giant blanket, handmaking holiday cards) and these projects make things look messy! The house is clean.  But the house is 85 years old, small, and lacks sufficient storage space.

And dangit - we LIVE here. There is STUFF around. There are dogs and there are kids. (Okay - the kids aren't little anymore - but anyone with college students in their life knows they are just as - or perhaps messier - than toddlers.)

The dogs: Ellie Mae, Fat Gertie, and Isabelle the Varmint, track in dirt and debris. They shed and shake that dirt everywhere. My husband spends about 2 hours a day sweeping it up. Not even kidding.

The girls come home from university and drop their things in the entrance hall.  Bags of laundry, heavily laden backpacks, shopping bags - whatever they have on hand - placed everywhere except where they belong.  It generally only lasts a few days, and then they return to school, but those days are ridiculous.

When I look at these blogs of perfection, I used to feel inadequate. But no more.

Stripe Updates

stripey7, a photo by ElizabethTore on Flickr.

A little more progress, and a photo with better lighting and color. :)

Stripes!

001 (2), a photo by ElizabethTore on Flickr.

I've started working on a new project, using the leftover yarn from my Groovyghan. My yarn is Stylecraft DK, ordered  from Deramore's in the UK. It's the seventeen color special pack, put together for Lucy, of Attic 24. For this project, I'm mostly following the instructions from Little Woollie, for her mixed stitch stripey blanket. There are a few places where I've deviated from her design a little, by changing colors or adding in extra stripes.

Hello Kitty Hats

hello kitty hats, a photo by ElizabethTore on Flickr.

This was a quick, easy hat to whip together. I used a J hook for the larger hat, which is large enough to fit an adult. The smaller hat is for a 5 yr old, and I used an I hook.

The pattern is from Crochet in Color.

groovyghan again

groovyghan again, a photo by ElizabethTore on Flickr.

Almost done! Still thinking about adding a little more border.

Abbey and Penny

Abbey and Penny, a photo by ElizabethTore on Flickr.

Our Lucy ended up hatching two sets of babies this summer. Abbey and Penny were from the second group, born mid July. (Think Abbey Road and Penny Lane - keeping with our theme of female names inspired by The Beatles.)

Unfortunately, the other four chicks that hatched that day didn't make it. Two were accidentally killed by our dog who doesn't understand how fragile baby chicks are, and the other two disappeared. We firmly believe a hawk got them.

These two lovely ladies definitely show their blue marans heritage. They aren't pure bred, and that's okay. They are very pretty, and have great dispositions. I'm looking forward to seeing the rich, dark brown color of their eggs, although I don't expect them to begin laying for several months.

And yes, I had no intention of keeping these girls, but of course, I did. They look so different from all the other hens we have, they are a nice addition to the flock. But that's it! No more chickens. (Famous last words?)

Hello Kitty Scarf

Hello Kitty Scarf, a photo by ElizabethTore on Flickr.

Finished this cute scarf for my niece, following this tutorial by K.

The pattern was fairly easy, with good instructions.

Groovyghan progress

Groovyghan progress, a photo by ElizabethTore on Flickr.

I'm kinda in love with yarn. Can't help it.  And I have a tendency to become obsessed with projects while I'm working on them. This one has been taking a long time, but I'm happy with the results overall. Still contemplating the border. It needs something wild and fabulous. 


Edited to add - the whole thing took just 2 1/2 months.  I guess that isn't so long for such a huge project!  Apparently, I'm a little impatient. :)

Chicken Drama

Apparently, feather-sexing in mixed breed chickens does NOT work.  Two out of three babies turned out to be roos.  At eleven weeks old, one of the roos viciously attacked the little hen. Poor Rose lost all the feathers, and much of the flesh, from her head and neck.  She is now in isolation, trying to heal.  While I tried to catch her, the roo continued to attack.  I had to hit him with a broom a few times to keep him away.  Awful!

It's been a few days, and Rose is doing well.  She is alert with no signs of infection.  We continue to keep her isolated from the other hens to keep them from picking at it.  The roos have been evicted, and are now living at a friend's farm.

In the meantime, Lucy has gone broody again. She is sitting on eight eggs, due to hatch around July 17.  I have no intention of keeping any of the babies.  At about 5 or 6 weeks, whenever she is done "mothering" them, all the babies will go to the farm.