Arts & Crafts Madness @ the Homestead

With fall weather arriving I have been focused on the holidays and as you can see, creating handmade gifts as well as finishing up work on a couple afghans.

The one on the left is a granny scrap afghan, made up of bits and pieces of leftover yarn. The one on the right was made per special request from my nephew. Again, a simple granny stitch, but aren’t the colors of the sun, sky and clouds pretty?

So, thought I’d share those with you here today and some other exciting news…my good friend Vicki will be flying in on Tuesday from Florida to spend a couple weeks with me!

I’m pretty excited about that for several reasons. Number one, she’s a really, really, really good friend whom I love and I laugh more with her than I think I do with anyone…we think way too much alike at times! Then there’s the fact that we both are crazy, jewelry making fools, so we’ll be playing around with our beads and getting creative. (Speaking of jewelry, I made a couple of goddess necklaces that you can check out below.)

Along with the laughs and crafts, Vicki and I will really get a chance to catch up and spend some quality time together. I have known her for about six or seven years and although she has been in Florida for a few years now, originally she is from Ohio where we met after (get this) connecting on eBay! And last but not least, while she is here she will be giving me my Reiki III Master level attunement! So, the next couple of weeks should be fun while we laugh and play and make lots of memories. I know I’m really looking forward to this!

Crochet Pattern Links:

Unisex "warm winter hat" hat pattern (shown in the hat/scarf sets) can be found at here.

For the flowered hippie hat I simply added a brim to granny skull cap pattern found here. This is a child's hat, so use a size larger hook than called for to make a more appropriate size for the adult head.

For the purse and tote bag I used a pattern found here. For the tote bag I used two strands worsted weight yarn held together throughout, along with a larger hook than pattern called for.

The scarves and flowers were all made free hand w/o the use of a pattern. The afghans are a simple granny stitch.

Our Grandparents: The Real Environmentalists?

Some of the things we've forgotten (and should probably remember) from the generation that lived through the Depression.***A lengthy article but really worth the read. It's well written, humorous at times and makes the point about what seems to be lacking most in our society...no matter how green we think we are.

read more | digg story

The Joy of Puttering

Putter: to work lightly, do random, unplanned work or activities, to wander around aimlessly.

Every so often I have a day when I end up just puttering. I may have a list of activities that need tending, but I somehow still end up puttering and ignoring the major jobs I’ve assigned myself. Truth is, I love to putter and I think it’s good for the soul. So, instead of doing laundry or vacuuming the house, I am puttering. On days I putter I don’t feel any particular obligation to any particular accomplishment. I guess this going with the flow is what makes it so enjoyable. There’s no sense of need or urgency, it’s simply a matter of puttering for the sake of puttering.

Today my puttering has consisted of rifling through boxes of still packed items from our move here over a year ago. It also means I have rearranged a shelf here and there and decided to display more of my crystals, (dusting here and there in the process…you know…puttering.) I’ve crocheted a few more rows to the neck scarf I am working on for my granddaughter in between shelf arranging. I think by this evening I’ll even have that project finished and probably a new one started but, it’s not a plan, just a possible and likely outcome. That could change because, well …I’m puttering.

Sometimes the best laid plans are best set aside for a simple day of puttering. The funny thing is that often I get a lot more done on these kinds of days than I would if I had planned them. Little things, mind you, but things just the same. Drawers get sorted and clothes get arranged and all sorts of small accomplishments take place. Jobs that normally might be ignored seem to magically transpire. And at the end of the day one ends up with a real sense of satisfaction for what's been accomplished through simply enjoying the process…all because it wasn't work, it wasn't demanding, it was simply puttering