crochet — Page 4

Scarf Madness

November 28, 2015 at 9:17 am by Claudia

11-28 scarf on table

I’ve been non-stop crocheting. I have some orders to fill and also some new scarves to make for the shop.

I might go mad. Don might come home and see a crazy woman babbling “slip stitch, chain 6, turn, slip stitch into loop…” over and over again, perhaps with a cackling laugh added for dramatic effect.

I know I promised you a new scarf today. In fact, I listed the scarf right before I started this post, and it sold before I could write about it on the blog. Sue, you were fast! I may have to reverse the order in which I do this in the future! I’m going to post a photo of it anyway in case any of you are interested in special ordering one in this colorway.

11-28 etsystainedglassscarfblog

Obsession Scarf in Stained Glass.

I am happy to crochet special orders for you. I just have to order the yarn and list the scarf under Reserved for (fill in the blank.) Up until now, I’ve been waiting to list the scarf until I’ve finished it, but I think, in the future, that I will list it as I order the yarn and then ship when it’s completed. That way, I know what orders have to be filled and you know I’ve reserved one for you. So if you see one you’d like, let me know. Several people have done that already.

Or, you can be surprised when I list one in a new colorway and grab it then.

Fair warning: I won’t be making these indefinitely.

I got my new iPhone the other day! Huzzah! I had been using an iPhone 4, which is several years old. It was getting harder for me to read things on the screen and I use my phone often – especially when I’m on the road. As I was eligible for an upgrade, I upgraded to an iPhone 6. If I’m ready to upgrade, I never get the latest model, I wait until the newest version comes out and then I buy the now-discounted previous version. It’s a great way to save money.

11-28 iphones2

As you can see, there’s quite a difference in the size. (Those are Scout’s paws to the left. What can I say? It’s morning tunnel time.)

Anyway, I love it. The camera is much, much better. I can see the keyboard when I’m texting. I can see photos on Instagram without squinting. Everything works more quickly and efficiently.

I just need a new case. So in the meantime, I’m being very careful with it.

11-28 iphonescout

When choosing the wallpaper, there was never any question as to who would make the cut.

My girl.

(I’ll post the biscuit recipe tomorrow, as well as the link to the Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms.)

Happy Saturday.

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Dinner, A Present & A Scarf

November 27, 2015 at 9:00 am by Claudia

I hope my American readers had a lovely Thanksgiving. I know we did. We had a very quiet day. I did a lot of crocheting – new scarf in the shop and another one will be listed tomorrow – and Don took a trail walk. We did have a lovely dinner. We don’t do meat on Thanksgiving, or any other day for that matter, because I’m a longtime vegetarian. Don found a new recipe for Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms in the New York Times and he made it for our dinner.

Oh my heavens.

11-27 thanksgiving dinner

Unbelievably good. Mouthwateringly good. And, may I say, much more tasty than any meat I can think of.

And I, of course, made my grandmother’s Cloud Biscuits.

11-27 biscuits

Fresh from the oven. These biscuits are one of my favorite things ever. Grandma made them, Mom made them, my niece makes them, I make them. Don drools over them, as do I.

I have a feeling they’re very close to traditional baking powder biscuits, but in my family they are Cloud Biscuits.

Pumpkin Pie for dessert. We were stuffed.

My main birthday present arrived on Wednesday. I found it on Etsy and Don thought it should be my birthday present. I, of course, agreed.

11-27 parrish

I had to have it.

The frame isn’t as beautiful as the one I saw locally, but I think the print itself is bigger.

There was only one problem. It arrived with the glass broken.

I was very unhappy.

The nice lady who is selling part of her Parrish collection did not do a good job of packing it. No bubble wrap. Just protective cardboard corners on the frame. And nothing between that and the top of the box. I wrote her immediately and she’s going to send me money to replace the glass, but come on! I now have to find someone to cut the glass and carefully pry off the vintage backing – probably from around 1910.

I’m sure you won’t be shocked when I say I’m pissed off. So is Don.

She felt very badly about it and said she uses the same company all the time and this has never happened. They were supposed to mark it as Fragile.

Not one indication on the box that the package was fragile.

I had to take it out on the porch, put it on a towel, and carefully take the broken glass out of the frame.

The seller is a sweet lady and has the same passion for Parrish that I have, but I told her she has to pack things more securely in the future, or this will happen again.

Sigh.

In spite of all the drama, I’m thrilled to have my own original print of Dinkey Bird. It’s stunningly beautiful.

But it has no protection at the moment, so I’ve put it somewhere out of the way.

New in the Etsy shop:

11-27 etsyscarfgrapevineblog

Obsession Scarf in Grapevine. I really, really love this one. The colors are so lovely. It’s available here.

Update: It sold almost immediately! Another one tomorrow, I promise. Keep watching for updates.

I’ll be listing another scarf tomorrow. I’m also crocheting some special orders, so these hands are busy.

Happy Friday.

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Blooming: Geranium, Gone: Bed, Made: Scarf

November 17, 2015 at 8:58 am by Claudia

11-17 geranium 1

My little geranium is blooming. I thought it was done for the season.

This makes me happy.

11-17 geranium 2

I’ve been covering up the impatiens with a sheet on the nights the temperature drops below freezing. To tell you the honest truth, I don’t know whether I’m up for overwintering all of them again. I’ve done it for two years running, but there is only so much space in this cottage and I don’t know where I would put them. And I have more to overwinter this year than last.

If I had to choose just a few it would be too hard for me, as I’m a sentimental sap about my plants. I almost wish Mother Nature would make the decision for me.

Bad Claudia.

I suppose it’s because of a combination of things but mostly because I’m in mourning and I just don’t have the energy. We’re going to do very little Christmas decorating this year. We’re not even getting a big tree. I just don’t have it in me. My birthday is Saturday, but the awareness that this is my first birthday without a living parent is overshadowing the day. Last year, Dad forgot my birthday – the first time that has ever happened – and, of course, it was my first birthday without my mother. But right before he was re-admitted to the hospital we had a phone conversation in which he mentioned my birthday, “You have a birthday coming up!” and I remember thinking that he was going to remember it and it would be great to hear from him on that day.

Bittersweet.

Let’s change the subject.

Announcement: We gave away the guest room bed. It’s gone. I took some pictures of the bed and we each ran posts on Facebook saying we were giving away a good, rarely used, mattress/box spring/frame. And one of Don’s musician friends offered to take it, which led to Don and I trying to get the danged mattress and box spring down the stairs. It’s a full size, and there’s no split box spring, as there is with our newer mattress. It took some creative moves on our part and a lot of cursing. But we got it downstairs. Our friends strapped it to their car and off they went.

Now we can make that room a functioning office/studio space for both of us. Of course, each of us would rather have a room to ourselves, but that ain’t happening in a two bedroom cottage. So, we’ll play nice and share.

I just have to save up for a desk. I’ve picked one out (from IKEA) and when I can afford it – hopefully soon, please – we’ll get it. In the meantime, we can start rearranging things in that room.

11-17 scarf in progress

Scarf in progress.

11-17 etsy scarf blog

Scarf finished. It’s in the Etsy shop. Soft, beautiful yarn in a colorway called Reef. I really love this one.

Edited to add: Sold! Thank you so much! If you see a scarf you like and are thinking about it, my advice is to act quickly!

I’ve been crocheting like a madwoman. The scarves are fun to make and they give me something repetitive and comforting to do with my hands. And they bring in a little extra money, which is more welcome than I can say.

For those of you who have purchased one in the past, if you get to the point where you want to revive the basic shape, just lay it out on a flat surface, spritz it with water and play with it a bit. That’s what I do after I finish each scarf.

Forgot to add that there’s a new post at Just Let Me Finish This Page, a mini book review of Broken Monsters by Lauren Beukes.

Happy Tuesday.

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Scarf Madness

Dinner, A Present & A Scarf

Blooming: Geranium, Gone: Bed, Made: Scarf

Lambs Like to Party

A Note

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