Month: September 2022

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Wedding Delay

Emily afghanWould it be wrong to ask for a wedding delay? Some of you may remember this post. It was about making an afghan for Emily’s wedding and you can see the squares there. Would you like to see the progress? I saw Emily yesterday and won’t see her again until after she’s hitched. This obviously isn’t ready. Now she isn’t getting married for another month so I could technically get it to her before the day. She know it’s coming and she’s perfectly fine with it coming later.

But I’m thinking she should move the date back a week or so just to make sure. I mean, really, what’s seven…or ten days. They’ve been together for a while. Seriously, is there a rush?

I know it may seem a bit unusual for someone not even invited to call for a wedding delay but life should be filed with new things. I am guessing, though, this would not have gone over well had I asked. Em is already stressed enough. So I shall press on with the work and it will get there when it gets there. Recall, the inspiration for the blanket is this pattern from Yarnspirations.

Five of twenty will come from this pattern, the other five will come from another book and the last ten will be cream in color and be crocheted using my favorite stitch combo of sc and hdc. We’ll see if I can make it.

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Flying the Coop

Lucas is flying the coop.  (That’s him holding the afghan.) He’s actually flown already. He is away at college and enjoying himself; if his texts are any indication.

Sorry the photo is a little blurry, I was multitasking – and maybe tearing up a little bit as that guy who I’ve seen as a little person is now on his way to college.

I made him that afghan in his school colors. Here’s a better look at it. I used the Mocha Ripple Afghan from Toni Lipsey as my inspo. I like how it turned out. Because I am who I am, I started it more than once because that’s how I roll. Ended up being made over a two week period.

Making afghans is my legacy go to. I make them for weddings, graduations and other occasions. I made one for each of my brothers and sisters. And now this one for a guy who calls me Second Mom and texts me from school. (After making sure I wouldn’t annoy him with too many texts.) 

Flying the coop is something we all must do. But it’s a good thing to know the coop is still there. Making legacy pieces is a connective thing. It connects people to people and people to places. Lucas has a great set of parents – whom he obviously loves – and he has a loving church who prays and hopes nothing but the best for him. And he has a blanket from Second Mom. He can value it or not; it’s his. He can give it to a girl if he wants. What’s important is that he knows it was made just for him. It connects him; not just to me but to an act of love.

Those of us in crafting – particularly knitting and crochet – know this to be a love craft. Of course, we make things to keep for ourselves but giving them away is a part of every knitter and crocheter I know. It is an act of love to give that time to someone. It is also why so many of us are disappointed if it’s not received the way we think it should be. I tend to not be of that mind but that’s another post.

For right now, the kid is off the college and having a good time. With a blanket. That’s a pretty good start.

 

 

 

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I Struggle

I struggle to know which is better. The one on the left is before. The one on the right is after I purchased some of those soft storage containers. I must say they do hold a lot. 

There is this moment when one is reorganizing that the area looks worse than it did before the project started. That’s where I am right now. The struggle here is temporary. I already have in mind to just get the range free yarn in their pens and then go back and organize by color and cakes. Big skeins and cakes can be together; regular skeins and balls go by color.

Maybe.

It’s actually enough for me to have them contained. Keeping it in some kind of pristine order sounds too much like work. There’s nothing wrong with work but that’s just not my thing. Work is my thing. Organization of yarn in colors is not my thing. It looks good for photos and nice to do but when it comes down to doing my work, I can’t really roll like that.

I like I can see the box bins. I like everything will be easier to move if I have to get into the domesticated yarn closet. The windows in the soft bins means I have some idea of what’s in there. And the handles on the bins are righteous. I mean they are packed with yarn and are not at all heavy. Four of them have taken almost all the yarn. There are five more empty containers and I don’t think I will need them all unless I decide to lose the hard bins. Almost certain one or two could be gone if I did it.

It’s a thought.

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Being a Wool Pig

There is no use in denying being a wool pig. The term was first used by Stephanie in the Yarn Harlot blog. It was cute when I read it with no thought that status would be mine some day. There are traits I have had for some time but I believe, based on today’s events, I must embrace all that I am – that includes being a wool pig.

The story: Mr. Honey and I have been in our condo for two years and we are not decorating the place. We are going through the boxes for about the third time. The first two being the sorting of what to keep and what to donate. This last time being put it where it goes or trash it.

He came across the pictured bag. “I guess we throw this out.” says he. “You can’ throw that out.” says I. “That is the stuff that granny squares and BoHo knits are made of.” “Looks like garbage.”

More than twenty-five years together and it’s like he doesn’t know me at all. Don’t get me wrong; I have learned the art of throwing out yarn. I have thrown out a fair amount since the move. (Fair is in the eye of the beholder. It probably amounts to 5 balls of discontinued yarn that no one wanted when it was available.)

This yarn has potential. The truth is it will take me weeks, months  some time before I get to using this yarn. I have no idea what is lurking in there and it has to be sorted and balled. But potential is something. Isn’t it? 

Wool pig. That’s me.

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The Borg Afghan

The Borg Afghan. That’s what this afghan is becoming. It is part of the Borg collective. I feel I should name it Loctus, Jr or something.

All of a sudden it is September and I have to get a move on with finishing this afghan. Not only do I want this wedding present to be given before the wedding, I also want to offer a custom made afghan in the shop so it needs to be done for that.

There are 20 squares in this afghan and I am just on square 5. 5 of 20. Borg. And I feel an act of science fiction is needed to get this thing across the finish line on time.

This afghan is a mixture of three sources: my own mind, and two sampler afghan patterns: The Caron Sampler afghan and Leisure Arts Sampler Afghans books. See? A collective right there. Melded together to create something new. I am also frogging a WIP afghan to make these squares so assimilation is going on all over the place. There should be a star ship for me to captain.

I have been resisting the urge to buy more yarn. I really don’t need it. If I needed it, there would be no hesitation or pouring over what to buy. I would just go get it. This is a clue to me that it is an emotional purchase. I can probably get the am rush by looking through the domesticated yarn in the closet. There would be some pleasant surprises in there.  I am taking this as a sign of maturity. Let me have my moment.