Spring Flower Garland

Finished this really cute flower garland from Attic 24!  I love it so much.  Doing all of the leaves got a wee bit tedious, but really it was a fun little project!

Harmony

A variation of the harmony blanket from Attic 24 for the family of a dear friend who passed away too soon 💔 color choices based on what I had in the house... It was dicey at times, but I think it turned out okay in the end. Mostly I hope it's cozy and comforting ✨✨✨

Happy New Year!

Finished this blanket this morning -- just in time for a new year filled with new projects!  Pattern found at attic 24.  I made it for my lovely friend, Amanda, but I was oh so tempted to keep it!  I love the colors and the pattern is so squishy and comfy!  I might just have to make an identical one sometime in the future.



I was trying madly to finish the blanket before Christmas, but then a couple of weeks ago I ran out of yarn on my last row of that color -- so close mushroom, so close! 



So I had to order more -- I just couldn't stand the idea of changing the color so late in the game!  It simply would not do.  The problem is that I order from a place in England, so 1. it takes a while to get here and 2. there is a flat shipping rate, so of course I am compelled to order plenty of yarn to make it worthwhile, am I right?  One of my goals for the next year is to stop spending money!  I know!  Completely insane!  But I must do something about my compulsive impulsivity!  Since I knew that I was going to have this lofty objective, I went ahead and planned all of my crochet projects for the coming year so I wouldn't have to buy any more yarn after my start date... of today!  I'm pretty much all set, with one blanket about halfway done and I think five more waiting in the wings. 

We enjoyed a rousing New Year's Eve party at Rose and Rick's abode -- the boys always manage to stay awake until midnight!  No early birds in this house!  The girls both slept at friend's houses so we didn't have to worry about waiting up for them.  Matthew ran Charles to work around 11:45 and barely missed the countdown.  I received my new year's kiss a couple of minutes late.  Neither of the little boys would deign to let me give them a smooch.  They're really quite affectionate, but not in front of their friends apparently.

Today was a relaxing one for the most part and then we're going to Amanda and Dave's for dinner.  I'm so excited for the new year!  I try to calm down and not get into the cliche of making new year's resolutions, but I honestly cannot even help myself!  The excitement of a completely blank slate yawning and stretching out into the great beyond appeals to the deepest parts of me and I get carried away with hopes, dreams, resolves, affirmations, desires... delusions.  Matthew tries to temper my fervor by telling me to stick to just a few goals, or not be so strict and absolute, but I generally ignore him and forge wantonly ahead with "50 million actions of improvement" that are going to utterly transform my life!  Hurrah!

Bauble Building

mandala obligada

Hooray! My parcel of yarn finally arrived on Monday! I had brought some with me for a blanket, but then realized I had left half of the colors I needed at home in Illinois. frown emoticonI ordered from my favorite place in England wool warehouse, but it took longer to get here than to the U.S., so funny!

I've been itching to try a mandala wheel so I proceeded to make one a day this week.  I don't love the one that is larger, but I'm not sure if it's the pattern or the colors and it's just kind of wiggly wobbly.  I really like the look and heft of the other three -- the pattern for them is from Attic 24

 My fingers are happy to be working on something again!  Now I'm going to start some granny squares or something...

grumpy granny

It has gotten hot and humid here.  Really just in the last couple of days.  It has actually been so pleasant around these parts which is pretty unusual.  We had Charles' graduation party this past Saturday.  He did it with Sam out at his grandparents' cabin at Lake Bloomington.  I had never been to that lake and I've lived here for 11 years!  Isn't that crazy?  The cabin was very nice and they had a little speed boat for people to go tubing and a bigger pontoon boat for a cruise around the lake.  A lot of their friends came, but the only people who came from the ward were Jordan and Justin Myers and then I called the McLaughlin's and told them to come because their kids would love the boats, etc. so they came, too.  But we had invited tons of people.  I didn't feel too bad, but I did a little teeny bit because I have been to so many people's freaking graduation parties!!!!  But we're never first choice.  We're friendly and likable, but not popular, right?  It's a family characteristic.  So we had loads of food leftover.  And we had a lot of fun!  We were there from about 1-6 and everyone was happy and entertained the whole time.  I had never even met Sam's parents, but they were really nice.

I had more drama with Fara, but we're okay now.  And my period started.  I guess I have really bad pms.  I just need to be more aware of that and not take any of my thoughts seriously for a couple of weeks out of every month.  And people should be nice to me.  We did agree that she was a little rude and that I was sadder than I should've been about it.  We love each other -- a lot.   And she's gone now.

I guess nothing else is really happening.  I'm trying to remember to study Spanish, but I keep forgetting.  We're going to be staying in people's houses in Guatemala so it would be nicer if I could talk to them a little bit.

Oh, I just finished my first afghan!  It is a Granny Stripe and I got the pattern from Attic 24  and I think it turned out pretty well for my first project.  It is going to be for Lulu.