Slanted Shells - almost half way

Paul asked me today if I had a vision in my mind as to what the finished project looked like.

Ummmmmm....sorta.  I'm just kinda going with the flow.  I was thinking of doing some symmetry, but ... while driving to Walmart this morning to pick up some more yarn, I saw more 'bone' than 'woodland heather' in my latest vision.  So, I've switched back to bone and will crochet up oooodles of rows now towards the top.  

I have spent some hours in the garden and some time with our animals over the past couple of days.  The temperatures are starting to climb, as well as the humidity this week.  My garden has taken OFF this past week!  Holy moly!  But I have definitely also spent more than my share of time in my glider with my project.  More often than not, I have some sort of youtube crocheting video in the background;  it truly is amazing what you can learn with youtube;  it CAN be productive! :D

Happy Monday

Slow stitch Sunday - Slanted Shells

No surprise here that I plan to spend my 'slow-stitch-Sunday' with my Slanted Shells crochet project.  

I added the sage green to the project last night; but didn't hold out as long as I had intentions for.  By 11:15PM, the Lord of the Rings trilogy was half way through the 2nd movie.  All three girls were already crashed, and I was pretty close to crashing myself.  Everything was turned off, quilts were thrown on top of each girl, and I was off to bed.

Head over to Kathy's to watch everyone else's Slow-Stitch-Sunday projects :)

Slanted Shells - 24 rows

This yarn is absolutely gorgeous!!!  It has such a soft golden sheen to it, and it's so smooth and soft to work with as compared to the worsted yarns I've worked with this past week.  Again, it's Caron Simply Soft - and this is 'bone.'  

I've been sitting.... and DUH, crocheting for the past couple of hours.  At one point, I wanted to have an idea how long each row takes, specially now that I've found a rhythm in my stitching.

Row 22 took 19:18.2 minutes and row 23 took 19:21.8 minutes.  Fairly consistent.  I should also add that I was in "work-mode."  It wasn't a leisure crochet pace -- rather, it was 'nose-to-the-grind-stone' pace.  

So far, the 24 rows measure about 13" wide.  So...some quick mental math...

If I want this afghan to be 6' (72") long.....

I will need about 133 total rows....................and LOTS more yarn.  LOL.  I am nearing the end of my 2nd skein;  I'll see if I can wrap it up tonight by finishing it off.  I just brewed a pot of coffee and I have the Lord of the Rings trilogy lined up next to the DVD player.  The Fellowship of the Ring has been playing for 2 hours already; one more hour left.  BOY, these movies are long!!!!!   Maybe......if I watch all of them tonight......I'll make some serious progress on this afghan!  Besides, Paul just started up his 4-day nightshift swing, so....there's no reason to rush off to bed :)  Tomorrow, EVERYONE can finally sleep in :)

Happy Saturday evening.

Lofty goal - Slanted Shells afghan

Candace is happily modeling another simple finish of mine from Thursday evening;  it was an excellent project for me to practice some more crochet and to learn a new combination of stitches: Cluster-V design.  She's claiming it for herself.  Works for me :)

Then, I contemplated.  And you-tubed.  Then contemplated and you-tubed some more.

And then yesterday, after dropping Cassie off at 8:00 to pick strawberries, the other two girls and I headed down to Walmart (25 mile trip).   I wanted a couple more crochet hooks.  I wanted some yarn.  Some nicer yarn than the worsted 4ply that I have sitting next to my glider.  

I had a vision and a goal and was on. a. misson.  

I want to make an afghan.  #1) to give me an idea of how special of a project I really did let go at the garage sale years ago.  #2) Besides, it's not like I have any lap quilts or blankets around my living room!! Geez!  I'm DEFINITELY in the need of an afghan!  

LOL. 8-)

By 10:00, I was back at home, putting a movie in to relax the morning away with the girls.  

And I started.

Later in the afternoon, Paul took the whole family on a 2 hour road-trip to visit a Dexter Cattle farm.  His vision for next year is for us to start up a little herd and he wanted us to see them...learn about them... and basically get a "feel" for what my opinion on the whole thing would be.

Psht... as if he hasn't already figured out:  I'm fine with just about any new venture lately, as long as it doesn't break the bank :D

Notice the yarn and crochet hook in Candace's hands??  She's becoming a MASTER at the chain-stitch! 

This really isn't a great picture.  It makes the animals look like any other picture of cattle.  However, what is unique to the Dexter breed -- they are SMALL.  Not tiny, but MUCH smaller than the typical cow.

Anyway... it was an enjoyable trip, because I crocheted the entire way down and back.  Almost 4 more hours of crocheting :)

So, one full skein has been used, and it's making progress.

The design that caught my interest (AND it seemed easy enough for this beginner):  Slanted Shells

 The time investment already....hm.  Roughly 10 hours. ??  There are 12.5 rows completed, and I'm definitely getting quicker with my stitching;  tighter too.

I'm not sure I want a two-color afghan yet.  Therefore, I'm going to continue with the bone color Caron Simply Soft for now.  Each skein:  6 oz (170 g); 315 yds (288m).  {{There are also three skeins of a sage green "Woodland Heather" in the picture with Candace.

Making this afghan will CERTAINLY take much more time (and yarn!) than my simple practice dishcloths and scarfs.  Wish me luck that it doesn't turn into a UFO once (if?) the honeymoon phase of crochet wears off :-]

Thoughts...and appreciation!

As I'm sitting here, crocheting away on this new Cluster-V stitch I learned this morning, I definitely find myself having a new appreciation for the maker(s) all the crochet projects that have come and gone in my life.  And having a faint memory of one that I SADLY, SADLY regret selling now!  It was massive!  And heavy!  And I have to believe it was hand-made by one of my relatives (??????)

Maybe my mother can give me some information;  I recall having it on the back of an old rocking chair at our old house.  I also have no recollection where the rocking chair came from either.  Gosh!  Such bad memory!  A tiny little voice is nagging me with "Grandma Laessig" (my mom's mother).  I wonder if she crocheted.

It was big!  And back when I had my first garage sale---I was on a "clean it out!" rampage, so it found itself on the selling table, with the price tag of $1.00!  

It's nagging me, because I clearly remember the lady it was sold to.  She asked me at least three times if I was sure I wanted to sell it; that it certainly was handmade, and then insisting that I needed to put more than $1.00 on it.  

I have a feeling she walked away with an AMAZING deal that day.

**sigh**

So, a new appreciation is found.  Knowing now how much time and effort was put into that afghan, .... and how I want to make one just as big.    

And then I look at my hands.  I'm 37 and my hands remind me of my mother "back in the day."  I recall times in my past when I would notice the popped veins in my mother's hands, thinking I wish I had that feature.  LOL.  Goodness.   Truly, time simply passes us by.

In actuality, the real purpose of this picture was to show you my painted nails;  I don't have paint on my nails very often!  Not with all the gardening I do that eventually scrapes away at it all.  BUT, I have enjoyed my morning of crocheting (and even typing right now) because it just feels ..... different.... and more feminine....having the paint on the nails.  

Waiting patiently for a phone call from Cassie saying she's done with strawberry picking for the day.  I'm so tempted to go shopping for some more yarn and new/different-sized crochet hooks.  

However, first.  More practice.  Practice.  Practice.

Crochet this, crochet that. Crochet, crochet, crochet...

My quilting room remains untouched as I have continued my YouTube crochet ventures...

Dishcloths and such have been made, all the while practicing for consistent stitches... 

{Dishcloth patterns}

The crochet rugs have continued...

The initial DC woven rug has made progress too;  I need more yarn though to reach its final size...

And now... a new design is being learned:  Cluster V pattern.  I have NO idea what this will lead to.  I'm simply playing and still having fun with this new craft :)

Today marks year 15 for Paul and myself. 

Time really does fly.

Another rug in the making - Blue

Over the past few years, my mother has been collecting fabrics for me at just about every garage sale and goodwill she has come across.  And there is every single walk of life in those fabrics.  

Over the past few years too, I have accepted that there are simply some fabrics that were destined to be donated back to goodwill or garage sales.

HOWEVER, they have found a new life!!!!

I'm sorry, but this..... this would NEVER have made it into any quilt in my mind.....  I don't even know if Bonnie's "if it's still ugly, it's not small enough" philosophy would work here.  It's just simply SOOOO not me.

But....1" rips................... ready for another rag rug.

And look at what other goooooodies I dug out of the pile that simply has been collecting for years.  

20W for $1.00!!!! was buried in the donated stash too!!!!!!

With so much blue found, I knew they were destined to be united in another rag rug.  With my practicing of crochet over the past handful of days, I'm actually using half-double-crochet on this rug.  I'm fairly tickled with how nicely this one is coming together;  I THINK I've figured out where/when the edge stitches are for smoother edges.  Yup, yup.... loving this one so far :)

I need to spend some time in the garden this AM putting up some more twine to support the tomatoes.  Suddenly they have BURSTED in growth and are beginning to topple over with their weight.  Yikers!!!!

Happy Tuesday everyone!

-A

Beans and T'maters! Save 'em all!

5AM this morning, and it was time to get up to drive Cassie to her strawberry picking job by 6:00.  The temperature was already 74;  summer has officially hit Wisconsin.

The beans were calling my name upon my return!  I'll let the pictures and captions tell the story.

Beans too crowded;  6"-8" apart.

Beans thinned and weeded; now 12"-18+" apart

Rescued beans ready for their new location

Additional bean space prepped in the upper garden

Additional beans transplanted; 4 rows of 11

TWO lil' guys left over

Those lil' rogue Tomatoes amongst the weeds...STILLLL calling out my name

Extra beans and tomatoes "rescued" into planters on the deck.

 Those durn T'maters!  I simply can't resist saving them from their spots in the soon-to-be-too-weedy-so-bring-out-the-"BIG"-tractor-tiller locations, scattered in the upper garden.

Paul had these 6 extra green planters just collecting dust in the garage storage area.  "I have plans for them...." he said a month ago.  ....  Well dear, "I have PLANTS for them." :D   He's not here to roll his eyes at me;  but I'm sure that'll come later.  Besides, I've always wanted to try my luck with growing tomatoes in planters.  I've obviously never done it before, but I've seen others have success with it.

At the same time, I grabbed an extra windowsill planter for those two lil' extra bean plants :)  Gotta save 'em all!!!  LOL! So much for downsizing!  I counted just shy of 100 bean plants; last year we had 105.  Amy, Amy, Amy.  Next year, only ONE package of bean seed!!!!!!  OH!  NOT to forget...Paul is trying his luck with pole beans this year.  Good golly!  Forgot about them.  That's easily another 50-60 plants!  Oh dear...

The day is warming quickly;  10AM now and 84, with heavy muggy air, partly cloudy.  It's nice when the clouds cover the sun, but when it's shining full potency......whoooo-weee!  Time to call it a day for for garden work.  I expect Cass to be calling within the hour, finished with her day of strawberry picking.  Then the two of us will be heading north to pick up the two other sisters from their kidnapped time with Gma and Gpa.

In the meantime, I think I'll take a gander around my sewing space to see what fabrics aren't good enough for quilting, but PERFECT for a rag rug.  :D

Happy Sunday everyone!!!!!  Live it up!