Hello Again Blogland, Long Time No See

I've been missing in action for a few years and now I'm back.  New goal - keep this blog going, record life's happenings, especially the creative ones.  So many happenings not remembered - need to blog so I'll have a record. 

Sometime last year, I found some wonderfully, creative blogs.  I don’t know how or what I was doing when I discovered Attic24 and then lemondesucrette but Wow and Wow.  The internet opened up with marvelous, stupendous, creative splendor. I began following blogs in earnest. With my blog reading list, days could be filled with reading blogs about things I find interesting – crocheting, knitting, decorating, sewing, scrapbooking, etc.  But instead of just reading blogs, I am giving the sincerest form of flattery and mimicking these ladies in creating my own treasures.  Also their blogging has challenged me to start again and keep my own blog journal about creative stuff and other life happenings.  So here goes.  

A little about myself:  I taught myself how to crochet when I was a teenager with a book very similar to the one pictured below.  The book pictured below is from my grandmother's  stash of crafting books I inherited after her passing.  I also learned how to do the basic stitches in knitting with the same book.  I fell in love with crocheting, knitting not so much.

The book I learned from was by Coats and Clark. I gave it away long ago. 

Time went by, experienced life in so many ways: #1 child born, moved to California and lived there for several years, moved back to Tennessee, married and gained a stepson, then birthed 2 more children.  Of course with all of these happenings, the first thing to be neglected was any kind of crafting.  For many years, I didn't crochet but did dabble into other crafts like cross-stitching, scrapbooking and card-making.  And I do mean dabble.  I have a joke about scrapbooking - "I do three pages a year."  I have hundreds of pictures in boxes, not in beautiful scrapbook albums.  Crochet and knitting fell to the wayside big time. On a rare occasion the hook or needles were picked up but never a finished a project to show for it.  Just dabblin' with it. A couple of years ago, I made a few scarves for gifts and slowly but surely my love for crocheting returned.  I began to crochet and knit more scarves and even made some dishcloths for yours truly.  It dawned on me how relaxing crocheting and knitting were, especially crocheting. And then Pinterest came along and I discovered  Attic24 and many other wonderful crocheting blogs through all the amazing "pins."  Of course, in the beginning I just read the blogs but didn't attempt anything else.  

So what happens next?  I do believe, God is helping me on this crafting/ crocheting journey because last year my stepmother crocheted a blanket for my daughter, Stephanie.  My youngest son, Nathan, knowing I had similar skills, asked me about making a blanket for him.  Do I refuse?  I haven't crocheted a blanket in years.  I made my mother an afghan when I was in my 20s and also a huge granny square blanket for my older sister but that was it.  Of course I didn't refuse my son.  Instead I swallowed and started working on something larger than a scarf or dishcloth.  You know nothing is coincidence, yep God was helping me to get going.

Squares from Nathan's blanket - still a WIP

So, my son's blanket is in the works and I find out a young friend is pregnant with her first baby, a little girl.  Making squares is okay, but it will take awhile to finish his blanket.  Decision made - make a blanket for my friend's little girl - yeah!! More creativity being enjoyed.  I decide I'll stick to the granny square pattern but I expand my knowledge and joined the squares using Lucy's join-as-you-go pattern.  I will have to admit I needed a little help with the instructions.  Not because Lucy's instructions aren't clear but because I needed to see a demonstration.  Fortunately, there is Youtube and on Youtube are many wonderful crafting videos.  I found this link here - BobWilson123 and understood how to join the squares.  Here is a picture of the afghan before it was completed.  Little Ellie was born before the due date so I had to step up the pace and get it done.

Here's the blanket in progress with just a few squares left to join.

I don't have a finished picture.  So no Ta-Dah moment.  Pictures were taken but  I can't find them.  Note to self:  Get more organized.  The afghan was completed with edging pattern here. 

Inspiration to continue:  More babies - so need to do more blankets.  Oldest daughter's best friend is having another girl.  What should I do?  Make another afghan of course.  Search internet for pattern - check.  Inspired by Daisy Cottage Designs Rainbow Chevron Baby Blanket colors but used Lucy's ripple pattern.  Yarn from Hobby Lobby - Yarn Bee's Soft Secret.  I didn't have the exact colors in my stash as Daisy Cottage so I improvised.  Here are the colors I chose: white, aqua, hot pink, lime, violet  and butter.

Started working on edging the ripple today.  Lucy suggests ending with same color blanket was started with and I took her advice. Now to follow Heather's directions @ Little Tin Bird on how to make a ripple straight.

Lots of other crochet projects I want to do and many other WIPs on my to do list including, cross-stitching and a needlepoint picture I started over 20 years ago.  But here's a small WIP CAL I'm working on from here.  Here's my completion of Part II:

I found the pillow form underneath at our local Goodwill.

Part III in the CAL is now on My Poppet.  Hope to finish the first side of the pillow by the end of this week.  

Reading all the wonderful blogs has encouraged me to be more observant of the world around me.  Here are a few pictures of flowers blooming and plants poking through the earth earlier this spring.  

 Top left is what we call "Sweet William" (a lot of Scots-Irish settled in Tennessee U.S.A.)  or the latin name: Phlox maculata.  Bleeding Hearts are top right. On the bottom are two types of trillium native to our region which grow in the woods behind our home.  Most of our house is surrounded by woods and we dug the trillium up and placed them in our shade  garden to enjoy in the spring.  Sadly the blooming time for these flowers is now done including the wild violets in the picture with the red trillium.  Need to find time to work in our garden again and hopefully have some flowers for the summer.  It's hard to work outside here in the summer.  Today's temp is around 89 (and it's still spring) but with humidity it feels like mid to upper 90s.  The temperatures in the Summer in southwest Tennessee are in the 90 - 100+ degrees Fahrenheit with humidity to match making it feel 100 degrees plus.  Need to keep cool and hydrated.

Will post more soon.  Hopefully a ripple ta-dah and news on some other WIPs.