{ pause }

I think it is time for me to take a little break here at the fence.  My real life world, it seems, needs my more immediate attention these days and I'd rather push the Pause button than publish hastily written posts with so-so photos every once in a while. 

I'll being working on the kitchen as well as some other little projects around the house. I'm not really feeling the sewing thing right now, which is very odd for me. I do have a granny square afghan in the works, though, so my hands have something creative to work on at night. Am I ever so thankful to have picked up crochet last fall!

I'm not sure if this means a week or a month of two months or whatever. I will be back, because I never can seem to stay away.  I just want to take the pressure off myself for now.  Until then...

xoxo
c.

{ holiday } anthropologie inspired crochet garland

When I was in Austin, Jade and I made a stop downtown at Anthropologie before heading on to the airport.  The window dressing is always something to ooh and aah over, and this time was no exception. 

And what to my wondering eyes did appear, but crochet in the form of garland!  Garland itself!  Brilliant.

Without haste (and certainly without any know-how) I took my seat on the aisle, whipped out my hook and started making some mantel garland of my own.  I'm quite sure the girl next to me thought I was about to start the widest blanket ever.  I kept her guessing.

I never got any fancier than a simple loose chain on a 5.5mm hook, but I like them all the same.  I think they'd be lovely in all sorts of colors, draping a tree. 

{ sunday morning } happy

On Friday morning I had a rather last minute appointment to have my upper wisdom teeth removed.  Two mornings later, I am feeling remarkably well.  Even better than before, really, as the left one had been giving me increased pain over the last two weeks and now, like magic, I have none. 

The littles went to my in-laws for the weekend so that mommy could rest without too much guilt.  And I have.  It's been wonderful to sit in front of the tube and watch chick flicks and get that much closer to completing my dottie angel patchwork afghan.  It's going to be wonderful.

I also took some time to finish up some hand sewing on a mini garland for a mini friend who is celebrating a birthday later this afternoon.  I can't wait to take photos of it in the proper space... am hoping it will be as darling as I have planned.  Am also hoping her mom doesn't mind that I took it into my own hands to add my touch on her daughter's new vintage inspired bedroom! 

Last week was erin's pillow challenge.  I had grand plans of making 4, had 2 laid out, and made one.  Oh well! This one was big, at 24" x 24", and I added a zipper and extra touches like thrifted eyelet trim and tag, so that counts, right?  The back is solid pink, which makes me happy. (Heidi, the pink is for you.  Now there is a touch more pink in my house.)  The grey tag is a tiny scrap stowaway from my Seattle weekend. 

Maybe it counts that I recently made two polka dotted zippered pillows for this same couch not too long ago?  That would put me at 3, which is totally not slackerish!  Right?   Right.  Ok.  I feel better.  And that's not just the painkillers talking!

I was loving the light and warmth in my living room this morning, which was the whole reason I got out my camera.  I jumped up and took a photo.  I didn't straighten any pillows or move the dogtoys or overturned laundry-basket-come-side-table out of the way.  This is just the way it was and it felt cozy. 

(I am so glad that I set about putting up a few house decs last weekend, too, as this weekend I was out of commission and I will be out of town for the next two.  All that is left are the trees -- one big and one little -- and that seems doable at this point.)

Many wishes to you for a special sunny and warm Sunday afternoon. 
xoxo,
miss chris

{ hello hello? } coming out of the fog

It's been a slow moving couple of days around here.  My body revolted against the 100mph average I had set over the past few weeks and reminded me to take it slow.

Very well then.

The little girls already had plans to visit with grandparents over the weekend, so I tucked in with some home remedies... and am happy to report that as of Sunday afternoon, I am feeling quite myself again.

My regimen?

• Rest
• Echinacea Elder tea
• 2 tsp a.c. vinegar + honey + 1/3 cup hot water (thank you, Amanda!)
• Rest
• Airborne tablets
• Vitamin D
• Rest
• Neti pot
• Crochet
• movies (this and this and this)
• Rest

And the crochet is actually happening!!  I highly suspect this may be an afghan of the utmost wonky kind, but it will be done.  It will be done! 

 

{ thrifted } Supplies for the Dottie Weekend

Thank you so much for the sweet comments left about Rory's baby quilt.  It was a joy to make and design, but a girl still has self doubt.  I do. I don't often blog about blogging... it's a bit to meta for me, but I do think about it all the time.  The tiny impact that little comments and encouragement leave on a person. Or negativity for that matter. It's so much more than virtual.  I know you know what I'm talking about, so I'll get on with things.  In short, thanks.  It means a lot.  xo

Jade called me out (on FB) when she said the Rory quilt was Dottie Angel-ish.  I do have her aesthetic on the brain, as we are getting ready for our weekend retreat on the 24th. (With Beki too!  Look out, Seattle.  You have no idea what havoc awaits.)

Amassing the supplies has been terribly fun. So far they have all been found thrifting.  This is my stash of trims and binding and hem tape. 

There is talk about refashioning a slip and making all sorts of lovely things from a variety of scraps and grannyish doohickies we were told to bring along.  I'm quite sure everyone in my day to day life who has heard me rambling on about this is hoping they don't end up with some stranger's upcycled undergarments for Christmas this year.

I have had very good luck finding the doilies and trimmings. Pillowcases and whatnots.

The stool, not so much.  I thought I could fashion one myself.  One with removable legs that I could fit into a suitcase.  There is still time.  It will involve power tools.  Hubs doesn't like it so much when that happens.  I'm clumsy.  I don't have to bring one, but I love a challenge. 

There still are two weeks, after all.

Until then, I have some crochet videos to watch. Apparently the needles have not yet seen the last of my lame attempts at blanket-making. Need I remind you what happened last time? The giant ruffle that would. not. stop. Miss Dottie Angel has her work cut out for her.

xoxo
miss chris

Made in 2008

Thank you, each and every one of you for the sweet congratulations on our newest little Big Project.  2008 was a strange year for me -- not the least of which was a month-long emotional drama resulting in a miscarriage last summer -- so the baby news is something that I am, shall we say, cautiously excited about.  We are 16 weeks along now, and every week I feel more confident.  Last weekend I actually pulled on some maternity jeans, so I suppose it is real now.

Anyway, you just have no idea how much your sweet words meant to me.  Really.  So thanks.

2008 was also the year I tried to crochet.  And slip-covered my little settee.  And did a lot of satin stitching.  And clothes-making.  Even for myself, which was something I had never done. I picked up watercolors for the first time since college and also made silly sashes for our annual Miss America Party.  Sarah set up a flickr pool called 'What I made in 2008" and this was just the little push I needed to look back and review.  

It really was a productive year.  October, November and December seemed so light on the Making, mostly due to feeling, well, tired and queasy. I was surprised how much I got done before then, though.  (And I actually forgot to shoot a couple of things.  A couple birthday number shirts and other embroidered gifties that got wrapped and given away before I could document them.  Oops)

So, here's to 2009.  I have a quilt to finish.  Some more quilt blocks for Twelve Square.  Some more sewing for the girls.  And a nursery to arrange.  That sounds like enough to keep me busy for a while.

What are your big plans for 2009?

Wednesday: Crochet love

Part of a very successful thrift haul from last week.  One dozen vintage covered wooden hangers in gorgeous fruity colors, $1.  Love.

'Crochet' is a lovely word

It sounds pretty and feminine.  And since women have been crocheting things for centuries, and I consider myself fair-to-middlin' in the 'making' department, I thought it was natural for me to step out of my comfort zone and take on a new handicraft this year.

I really, really, really want to be able to sit and have warm fuzzy blankets materialize on my lap while I watch shows we have DVR'ed that we finally get to enjoy on Saturday nights.  I realize afghans don't just happen.  They take some doing -- and counting and paying attention and time -- and I'm willing to learn!  Willing to try!  I'm a do-er!  Yes, yes I can!   

So my lovely mother in law --

:: And I mean it, she's wonderful.  She has legendary, mad chocolate-chip-cookie-baking skills.  She bakes a dozen 30 minutes before she is expecting you over, so her house smells good and you can eat the cookies while they're still warm.  She always cooks for 10, even if there are just four of us there.  And always, dessert.  Gets up super early every day and walks a couple miles before heading to the gym for spinning class.  And crochets.  Beautiful sweet afghans.  I mean it.  She's great.  A lot to live up to, but she's really terrific.  And she is, evidently, very patient. ::

-- agreed to take pity on my repeated cries for help.  She sat down with me for quite some time on December 30, before we left for our Cotton Bowl road trip, and showed me how.  We searched online for a good little afghan to keep my hands busy during our 6 hour trip south.  And she showed me the special stitches and how to work them, repeating, finishing, turning and all...

This is the pattern I'm using.  It got good reviews.  People said it was easy and the picture was close to what I wanted. I am using a good-quality medium weight yarn... It's just that MINE DOESN'T LOOK ANYTHING LIKE THE PICTURE.  My stitches aren't lining up.  There are no peaks and valleys.  There are pebbly-looking blobby things popping up randomly and it's starting to turn in on itself -- or ruffle outward, depending on how you look at it.

It's keeping my hands busy fun, but I'm torn between forging ahead to discover what I'm actually making (is it a skirt?  A ruffle?  A scarf?) and ripping it out and starting again.   I'm pretty sure my first chain was too tight and there is no going back to change that.  Or it could be ...there is ...definitely something really wrong with my (gulp) technique.  I hope that is not the case, because I've mastered this particular technique.  Anyone want a lesson???

Mr Pink is impressed that I haven't given up yet.  I'm not sure how to take that.