WIP Wednesday

I haven't gotten much done but I've been full of inspiration!  Does that count?  I have to admit right now that I have a "thing" for blankets but evidently I'm not the only one.  Here's my inspiration for them..........and once again both are from the U.K.....what's up with that?  Are my long deceased relations channeling me?  I am a true anglophile, at least in the craft sense! LOL!

 This gorgeous blanket is courtesy of Sandra at Cherry Heart and she calls it her Giant Granny Patches although the patches are small the blanket she made is huge!  She tells you how she made it and gives you a tutorial on the beautiful border below.  Now do you see why I was so inspired?

 Here's my little start on it.  There was some fiddling at first since the directions for most granny squares have you "fastening off" when you change colors and then starting in a corner with the next color.  I had to figure out how to get to the corner as I was continuing on with the same color.  I did a slip stitch until I got to where I needed to be. 

 Then she talked about "joining as you go" which led me over to Dottie Angel's website and her Ordinary Extraordinary Blanket where she had a tutorial about hers and her "join as you go" method

 

which led me to want to make hers and practice that technique first 

and so blanket number two is now started also......

and now I need to go order more yarn in more colors, of course!  Does anyone else have this problem? 

P.S.  Not to  mention the fact that I have another granny square blanket started from my Nicki Trench book and a knitted blanket kit I ordered that I haven't even started yet!  Woe is me!  Or lucky me depending on how you look at it.  I love planning and starting....finishing?  Not so much.

Monday Reading Update

 Fall is here big time and I and Mother Nature are in our glory!

 I'm still reading Halloween Party and it was perfect for this time of year and a good mystery starring Hercule Poirot!  There will be a report next week as I will have finished it by then.

 Still reading this one too but almost done with it.

 I finished George Washington Carver, An American Biography by Rackham Holt published in 1945...below is the bookplate inside the front cover

 This was the best biography I have ever read and G.W. was the most fascinating and gifted individual that I have ever read about.  I remember hearing his name but not really much about him.  As with women and blacks, there wasn't much studied in school as the white male was the preferred "hero" and the smartest and the bravest....or so they wanted us to believe.

 This man overcame odds that most would have given up on long before.  He struggled and overcame, struggled and overcame and never lost his sense of humor, or his kindness or his sense of self and what his gifts were to him and for sharing with others.  In my mind, his contributions far outweigh Martin Luther King's.  George W. Carver did more for the black population and the South and they are still reaping those rewards today.  There are biographies out there but this one was written from interviews with him and those close to him.  There were other biographies written but many held fantasies and untruthes but Professor Carver didn't have the time nor the inclination to set them straight so before he died he worked with Rackham Holt to ensure there was one biography out there that "came straight from the horses mouth"!  And wasn't I the blessed receiver of this particular book?!?!  From where I sit right now having read many, many biographies over the years...this one far outshines all others and so does George Washington Carver.  In my mind, he was one of the greatest human beings that ever graced our planet and we all have much to be grateful to him for. 
A brief synopsis is that he was born into slavery, wanted to learn so badly that he never gave up and finally graduated from Iowa State University in Ames with a degree in Botany and Agriculture.  He spent time working at the University and later took a job with Booker T. Washington at Tuskegee in Alabama.  He worked at Tuskegee for the rest of his life and invented and created and taught and shared all his knowledge with everyone and anyone who wanted to learn.  He was a man who was strong in faith and walked the talk.  If you believe that "there are angels among us" then this man was one of them.  

I am tearing up writing this review...that's how profoundly it affected me.

YOP Sunday

I really didn't get much done this week on my YOP list.  Halloween pretty much took over and I had a great one!  How about you? 

I had more trick or treaters than ever before and I was so happy but it was too warm to have my first fire of the season.  I did manage to get a little ornament done for my Halloween tree although it's going to my grandson so he can have his own Halloween tree and I'll make another one for me.  I  love Skype!  I got to attend his Halloween Party at school with a parade and he in his "Scream" costume.   What a treat that was!

 

I got the pattern free on Lion Brand website and now I need to find some for Thanksgiving!  My little tree will stay up all year and then I can make different ornaments for it depending on the season.  It has purple lights for Halloween but I'll have to find a different color for Thanksgiving. 
I think a tree skirt is on order too!

The leaves have really changed here this week and I took a walk today with the girls to bask in the sunshine and beautiful colors.  I hope you are enjoying your Sunday.  I'm off to watch the Titans and the Rams and do some much desired handwork.  I wonder which came first...football or handwork?  LOL!

Happy Halloween!!!!

 One of my most favorite days of the year!  How do you celebrate it...if you do?  I decorate and here it is during the day.....

Same old ghosts I've used since my children were small.............

My Aunt Alice  made this ceramic jack o'lantern......

Here's what it looks like at night..........

Oh look!  Some Trick or Treaters dressed up like a Rottweiler and a miniature dachsund!  Great costumes!  So realistic!

 

 This is the house on the hill where the old witch lives!  Me! LOL! I'd like to think I'm a good witch but there might be some who would argue with that! LOL!

 I hope you have a wonderful and safe Halloween!

YOP Sunday

Ta Da!!!!  I was able to restore my old files to Windows 8 finally and there's the graphic.  I'm still struggling with emails.  I downloaded Outlook and even saw my emails and then it disappeared!  But there's been some progress so that's a good thing. 
I have some FO's too and also plenty of WIP's .....
The little pumpkin on the right is an ornament that I'm making.  I want to have ornaments for each holiday on a little tree I have that I will leave up all year round.  This is the first Halloween ornament.  I got the free pattern over on the Lion Brand website and they have quite a few for Halloween.  They're also highly rated and easy...LOVE that!  This little pumpkin needs his/her face embroidered and a little stem/hanger.  Next up is a witches hat.  These count towards my "holiday" decorating and ornaments projects. 

 Below is a crocheted spa cloth.  It needs to be washed and blocked.  I want to use this one myself and see how it fares in the washer and dryer and see if I like using it before I "gift" it. (No, not the same one silly! LOL!  I'll make another to gift.)  It's crocheted and supposed to be great for exfoliating....God knows I need that! LOL!

I also finished this Grandmother's Favorite knitted dish cloth for my cousin for Christmas.  I told you about it last week and that she wanted a "bigger" size so instead of the 44 stitches cast on I cast on 64.

 

 You can tell it's a good size.  I'm making one for myself this week to see what size is comfortable for me and also washing and drying.  It may be that the smaller size shrinks?  Anyway, one Christmas gift done. 

 As for the Irish Hiking Scarf.....I finished the 3rd skein and it isn't big enough to throw over your shoulder (my test for a truly useful scarf in Winter).  I happened to have another skein "just in case" so I guess I'm not done with it yet.
Look at my leaves that are falling! I am having so much fun with these!  It took me a couple to get the gist of the pattern but now I can't stop!  I'm making a Fall garland with them using Noro Kureyon yarn.  One skein makes about 4 and you get different leaves each time which is SO cool!  I would not have been that attracted to the original pattern if it hadn't been for Dawn over at Fiddlesticks who was the one who thought to use the ever changing colors of the Noro Kureyon.  Brilliant!!!  Perfect for Fall leaves.

I have several more to make for my garland and then they all need to have their ends sewn in and definitely blocked and maybe even starched?  Has anyone ever done that?  I'm not sure I know how as it's wool yarn so I can't use spray starch and iron or can I?  Under a press cloth?  They tend to curl at the leaf tips..hmmm....just like real falling leaves! Ha! Ha!  Maybe I should "leaf" them be? LOL!  I know...that was bad.
The last one on the left is from a new skein in a different colorway but the other 4 are all from the same skein....amazing, huh?  I am having way too much fun with these!  Thank you so much Dawn!  Visit her website and you will be blown away by her creativity!  She makes gorgeous stuff!

Have a great Halloween week and stay safe.  May all your Halloween candy wishes come true with no cavities! 

Monday's books on Tuesday....that's me, a day late and a dollar short!

 I finished 2 books since we last chatted about books...maybe more but this was all I could remember! LOL!  I started reading this series several years back but lost track so I'm starting over.  I have a few of the books but want to read them in order per my usual obsession.  This is the first book, Catering to Nobody by Diane Mott Davidson and it was very good.  The main character, Goldy Schulz, is newly divorced, a single Mom and doing catering to make a living for her and her youngish son.  They live in Colorado and there are recipes included in the book which I haven't tried yet but plan on.  They should be great recipes as you wouldn't put bad ones in a book you're trying to sell, right?  (NYT's Bestselling author)
Catering a wake where her ex-father-in-law is poisoned, Goldy is accused and her catering business shutdown until the mystery can be solved.  Goldy can't wait for the police so she takes to investigating it herself which turns up family skeletons and secrets.

The next book I finished was If Walls Could Talk by Juliet Blackwell.  My book fairy, Sue, brought me this book and a few more in the series I think.  I really enjoyed it and it is the first book in this series.  The main character, Melanie Turner, has taken over her father's construction business and has made quite a name for herself remodeling historic homes in the San Francisco Bay Area.  At her newest renovation project, a run-down Pacific Heights mansion, Mel is visited by the ghost of a colleague who recently met a bad end with power tools.  Mel hopes that by tracking down the killer, she can rid herself of the ghostly presence of the murdered man.  This would be a good read for Halloween!

The books I'm presently reading have no covers with pictures as some are old books which at one time probably had dust covers but not anymore!  One Acre and Security by Bradford Angier is a reprint of a book from the 70's about "how to live off the land without ruining it".  Bradford Angier was one of the pioneers of the "back to the land' movement of the 60's and 70's.  It tells you how to  build your own log cabin, raise livestock, garden and much more.  I may not have the energy to do this anymore but I still enjoy reading about it.
  I'm about 3/4's finished with it.

The dark blue book in the middle I picked up at the Thrift Store I think or a library sale.  I love old books and this one is excellent so far!  It is a biography of George Washington Carver by Rackham Holt and was published in 1943.  There's a book plate inside the front cover that states it was a book from the library of Doris and Allan Nash - Great Falls, Montana - September 15, 1945.  This book is fascinating and I've discovered I've been in many of the places that Dr. Carver frequented during his life.  I love biographies and this one is one of the best I have ever read!  There are also black and white photos interspersed throughout the book which truly make this book a "keeper" for sure!  I'm not even halfway finished and I know this will get 5 stars for sure!
As for the third book, Hallowe'en Party by Agatha Christie.....tis the season!  I just started this last night so we shall see.  It features Hercule Poirot and starts off with a murder at a youngster's Halloween Party and off we go!
If you're looking for some books to read for Fall or Halloween, the Cozy Mystery website  is just the place!  She has lists for Fall, Halloween, Thanksgiving and lists by geographic area and occupation of main character etc.  It is such a great website!  I looked on Pinterest but their Fall/Halloween lists tended to be really gross and more terror and some had nothing to do with Fall at all.  To me there's nothing like a good mystery (nothing graphic or horrid) on a rainy, foggy evening with a fire in the fireplace......ultimate cozy!  Enjoy your Fall!

YOP Sunday

You wouldn't believe the last 2 weeks I've had but I'm here and well and ready to boogie...I mean blog! LOL!  To make a long story short; my pc crashed and I had to get a new one, my backups won't restore to the new pc (thus no YOP image as of yet), my insurance company ran my house insurance payment through my bank SEVERAL times in one month causing a "bouncing" effect which I am STILL trying to straighten out.! I setup my pc only to find out it is not "wireless" (talk about going "backwards") so now I have all those wires to deal with again although I've heard I can install something that will make it wireless capable....for a price, of course.   I fell down and scraped and bruised myself but nothing broke TG (since I have osteoporosis and I'm senior) and I burned my fingers using oven mitts!  Crazy right?  But....I survived and no worse for wear and tear.  It could've been worse...lots worse!  Oh, I also messed up my scarf a bit and it is noticeable but I'm forging ahead as it would send me to the asylum to rip it out now! LOL!  It was probably because I had my mind on other things these past weeks that I messed up in the first place as it had been going so well.  Maybe I should go back to reading my horoscope so at least I might have a "heads up"?
I will try and catch up with all of you this week and get back on track with my blogging.  I must say I am loving this new pc.  I got a desktop with a big screen and it is so fast I can't believe it!  Enough said...on to the good stuff!
You've seen the scarf a zillion times but it is almost done!  I am on the third and last skein and that skein is getting pretty small so hopefully next week there will be an FO maybe? 

 See the "screw up" below?  Don't ask me what I did as i have no clue how it actually happened but I tried backing out and it still didn't fix it...a lifeline would have come in handy...thank you Ruth for the link you sent me about them.  How can I mess up a scarf????  Evidently the knitting neurons were NOT firing that day!  It's probably an accurate picture of how my mind was going....in all directions! LOL!   But it's a nice big warm scarf that my son will probably leave at some restaurant anyway so it's the thought and love that counts, right?  Since he's not a knitter he probably won't even notice it....I hope.

I'm making Christmas presents now......

This is for my cousin who I made a Grandmother's Favorite for awhile ago and she requested a bigger one so instead of casting on 44 stitches I cast on 64 and I think she'll be pleased, hopefully.

 I finished the hook holder and now need to find some coordinating fabric to line it with and sew pockets for the hooks.  Below I am back to working on the granny squares but thankfully was reminded of how to crochet and work in the ends at the same time....whew!  These were before I learned that! LOL!

I'm also immersing myself in this beautiful season and crocheting up some Maple leaves.  

I can't wait to crochet those next colors appearing in the skein!  These will definitely need to be blocked and starched even so i can hang them as a garland. 
Have you seen the new Lion Brand catalog?  The blanket below is knitted , felted and then sew together and embroidered.  It's a story quilt and you can pick from their motifs to embroider what you want.  It's a free pattern on Lion Brand but of course they're hoping you buy all that yarn to make it.   I am planning on using my already felted wool fabric that I use in my wool applique and rugs and do it that way.  I know...another blanket!  LOL!

There was also this cute owl rug or blanket...I can't remember but be sure and check out their catalog for Fall online.  Wouldn't that be a cute "nap mat" to send off to school with your kindergartner or don't they do that anymore?    I love Lion Brand as I think it is good quality and reasonably priced.  No, I get nothing for saying that!  I wish!

Well...that's all for this week folks!  I'll be by later but for now I have to go do my "chores", enjoy this beautiful day, sit down and do some handwork, watch some football and finish baking off some molasses cookies I started last night.  I hope you have a wonderful day and week ahead and that you do what makes your heart sing....whatever that is!  TTYL!

YOP Sunday

I missed last Sunday and I'm getting things done around the house but not much speed on the needles.  Here it is for what it's worth!  I'll be by later....it's too nice to be inside today!

 I'm on the last skein of 3 for the Irish Hiking Scarf...no more super bulky for me....it really hurts my hands and I can only do a few rows at a time.
I've cast on a sock...again....but that's all

I ordered new yarn.....several skeins of Noro Kureyon which I love and I'm crocheting some fall maple leaves from a pattern I purchased on Ravelry.

 

I haven't gotten too far yet......

And I'm off and running with the Christmas wash cloths!
 Grandmother's favorite, of course.

I hope you all had a good week....mine was good but tiring....trying to get outside work done and so much more!   I'll be by later....have a great week!