When the weather gets warmer, I start to work on crochet blankies!

 Back asswards, that's for sure, but there is something about those longer days with clear bright sunlight that makes me want to crochet.  I have a bunch of unfinished crochet blankies and one knit blankie that I started last summer and put away in Oct., and I dug them out the other day.  They are all going to be blankies just because the thought of making a full cover for a queen size bed or a big afghan is more than I can handle.  I get bored very very easily, and besides I love startitis, so small lap covers these are all going to be.

So, here's the first one:  this is done with Encore DK weight which is my favorite blankie weight.  Easy on my wrists, and yet it doesn't take forever.  OK, it takes forever, but not as in fingering weight forever.  This one is just chugging along.  It's a perfect size for a lap cover, and it'll get finished when I'm totally bored with it.

Then there's the Linus blankie that I started for the Linus project.  It's a good thing that those babies have lots of other blankies available to them because at the rate I'm going, they'll be parents of their own babies by the time I'm finished.  I've decided to do a row/day in the hopes of finishing it before my grands have their own grands.

Here's the African flower one that I started at the end of July last summer.  This one is a keeper.  I love the colors.  Not practical, but then it is totally machine washable, and if it gets dirty, then it gets dirty.  I did those 6 hexies while I was visiting the MN relatives, and then put it away.  When I dug it out, I thought:  hey, this is pretty.  Might be nice if I finished it some century or other.

Here's the Ten Stitch Blankie that I'm doing in Silk Garden.  This one is knit and is a pure pleasure and great mindless TV knitting project.  You just motor along on it.  I might finish it one of these days.

It seriously needs a good wash and blocking but you get the idea.

Every year around this time, I wander into Michaels looking for the ultimate cheapy yarn, and get sucked in by some, come home, start a grannie, and then dislike it.

This is so not calling me.  In the skein, the colors just sang together, but here they look blah.   Ah well, it cost me very little since 2 of the skeins were on sale.  And anyhow, this is worsted weight, which I don't like to work on, so why I bought it in the first place is anybody's guess.  Give me good old DK weight, not worsted.
I don't think I'll do any more on this.

I have 2 lovely shawls that I can't show you plus one in process, and I can't show you that either.  They are all for the Light & Dark Lace Club and are mystery shawls.  You'll see them one of these months.

The skinny yarn sweater is proceeding very slowly.  I'm sooooo sick of it.  I've done the whole thing in lace, including the sleeves, and I'm tired of the pattern big time.  I'm going to do 3/4 sleeves with a bit of a ruffle on the bottom of the sleeves just to finish it before the end of time.  One sleeve is almost there, and then I'll do the second one, put a finishing touch on the neckline, wash and block it, and then that's that!

On the Mommie front, she seems to be aging very quickly now.  I swear that there is a change in her from one week to the next.  I've hired her morning companion to help her out before, during and after dinner, getting her ready for bed, and that's a very good idea.  I do wish Medicare covered some of this.  It's so much cheaper hiring an aide than paying for a nursing home.  And she's at home here with her own furniture and apartment.  The staff is the greatest staff in the world!  and I mean that with all my heart.  They want to keep her here until she passes away, so that's our goal.  But she is so fragile and old.  She's so much older than she was on her birthday on Nov. 4.  Clearly she's winding down, but I still bet that she'll make it to her 97th birthday.  For all her fragility and fuzziness, she's still one tough old lady.  The physical therapist came yesterday morning to see her, and she refused to get out of bed.  Christina and Evelyn are the only people who can get her up; she fights with everyone else.  It's pretty funny and shows that the core Mommie is still in there.

Thanks to all of you for your lovely encouraging words about elder care.  It's really, really hard, and she doesn't even live with me.  I still think I'm blessed to do it, though.  I love her to pieces.

Have a good weekend, everybody.  Maybe our snow will melt?  Of not.

The Yarnarian is busy as a bee.

The Linus Blankie

I'm not sure exactly how busy a bee is, but that's how busy I am going to be today. What's on tap for today is lots of work, but mostly enjoyable, so that's good.

I do best when I have a WOTFT day; I seem to like a certain amount of organization. You'd think that at this stage of my life, I'd have it all together. Not. But anyhow, today is a good day!

1. Dyeing up the yarn for July's sotm. This is gorgeous yarn and gorgeous colorway, and I'll do an extra yarn for me, or if one turns out weird, which sometimes happens.

2. It would be nice if I mailed out my packages. My poor customers know that I'm beyond slow here, but when I actually get it together, then I'm good to go.

3. Work on the mystery project. I got the yarn a couple of weeks past when I thought I would get it, so now I'm hustling. I can't work as quickly as in my youth. Crummy hands and wrists, but I'm making good headway, and ought to get a good chunk done.

4. Write up the pattern for the mystery project. OK, this is stretching things a bit. I have given up on doing a lot every day. I'm in some sort of retirement mode, here, you know. On the other hand, I could do the charts; they are pretty easy this time. I love charts that do not show how the pattern will look. All the increases and decreases and such are in the proper place, but you actually have to knit it up to see the effect of those stitches.

I might even make a decent supper. Nah. That's going too far.

Yesterday the Hubbo and I went to New Hope, PA. We go every once in a while, but haven't been in probably a year. We tend to get sidetracked at Stockton, or Lambertville, or such, but this time we actually made it. The entire population of NJ and PA, plus a bunch of New Yorkers were there. Crazy busy, but we got a good parking spot in the shade, and had a very nice lunch. We browsed through some wonderful gift shops, where I mentally made at least 20 wish lists, none of which will actually happen. But still...

Sometimes I wish we had a 10 room house. Then I could decorate each room differently, but the fact is that we don't decorate. I'd like to, but the Hubbo is so not into it, and gets cheap on me, and frankly, I don't have the energy to fight him on it. I know this is wimpy of me, but I'd rather fight other battles. Unfortunately the result is that I don't much care what things look like, and that is really not me underneath it all. When we moved here, I had grand ideas, none of which have worked out, except that I did get a very nice kitchen. But otherwise, the house looks confused and not put together, and because I've stopped caring, it's also gotten beyond sloppy. Not good. One of these years......

Well, I did finish a project. One that I started maybe last April: yet another of my crochet scarves.



Do you recognize the pattern? It's the same one as the den blankie, which is about half done. Very very relaxing to do, pretty much mindless, and it was a great travel project.



The Linus Blankie is coming along nicely. This might be my favorite crochet blankie stitch. It really is so auto-pilot and soothing to do. I may have to buy more yarn, and it may not be the same dye-lot, but it won't matter here since the colors are all separated from each other.



OK, I have work to do. The yarn has been soaking for a good long time, and it's now ready for some dyeing. Needless to say, there won't be pics of it tomorrow. We have to keep those sotm folks surprised.

KV - It just isn't worth the energy, or is it? I don't know. Living in beauty used to mean a great deal to me. It still does but I'm just not into major battles any more. Ah the wimp in me.

DJNL - I think it must bother me a lot underneath it all because last night I dreamed that we lived in a beautifully decorated house. Hah. Ah well, I would rather knit or crochet or whatever anyhow, so I'm with you. Life is too short to worry about such things. Or is it?