Howdy Folks!

Working on multiple projects simultaneously makes me happy.  It keeps me from getting bored.  Plus it generally ensures that I have something that I want to work on handy.  Mostly these days I've been doing a lot of knitting.  The one problem that I have with knitting is that I can't do it when I'm tired.  Well I can, but I'm prone to making mistakes.  And fixing mistakes in knitting is way harder than it is in crochet. I've learned that it's better to set it aside than try to squeeze out one more row.

This is the Reflections Doily.  I found the pattern in the June 2013 issue of Crochet World magazine.  It struck my fancy because I had recently purchased a ball of Aunt Lydia's crochet thread in Monet.  It's not often that I actually have the exact yarn (or thread) that a pattern calls for on hand.  Being a fan of crochet lace and doilies in general it seemed like destiny.

I started with a flourish, but quickly  lost motivation.  If memory serves, and history repeats - I got bored.  The majority of this project is a simple V-stitch (dc, ch 3, dc).  And so, like many other projects it was stashed on a shelf and pretty much forgotten. For months it languished, until last week.  I needed something that I could pick up and put down without a lot of hassle.  Turns out that this is just that kind of project.  It also fits well in my travel bag.  We'll see how long I stick with it!  For right now though it's my "in between" project and any progress I make is a good thing!!

Thanks so much for stopping by and spending a bit of your day with me!
Until next time friends,
Be Blessed and Stitch & Read with Love!

It was truly a moment of unexpected inspiration.  I was looking for the right materials to make a display rack for my earrings.  Since John has gotten bitten by the beading bug I have earrings and bracelets to match every outfit in my wardrobe - and then some. Believe me I am not complaining, but they need a proper home instead of laying all over my dresser waiting for kitty to decide they would make great toys.  My plan is to take a picture frame, pull out the glass and cover the back with fabric or a decorative paper.  Then I'll run rows of yarn across giving me a nice place to hang all the little gems.

Yesterday I was rooting around and I found a frame.  Since most of the fabric that I have is scraps and small squares I rummaged through the closet looking for volunteers.  If you're like me you have plenty of clothes in the closet that you haven't worn in 10 or even 20 years and most likely will never wear again (can anyone say miniskirt?? how about leather miniskirt??!).  I grabbed a few likely candidates and headed to the dining room table.  That's when the doily caught my eye.  It's actually the first one I ever made and it's been hanging out on the table (under stacks of books, mostly out of sight).  I was considering using it as part of the earring hanger project when it dawned on me that it's round body fit perfectly in that square frame.  And holy cow, wouldn't that just look pretty smart hanging above the table where I do most of my writing?!

I quickly abandon the earring project and got busy creating my own framed work of art!  All it took was  a roll of heavy duty packing tape, my scissors, a ruler, some vinegar and water to clean the glass, a piece of cardboard to cover the messy edges and a label to record the details.  In less than an hour my masterpiece was hanging proudly.

It's so exciting when a project just springs to life like this one did.  Of course I've seen and admired framed crochet pieces.  And I've even thought what a great idea it is, but I never actually set about doing it.

Sometimes when I think to hard on something, I think all the fun right out of it.  It's easy for me to get consumed with the planning and trying to make sure that I have just the right ingredients to make it come out perfectly. 

This however was purely a spur of the moment event, and I know that I couldn't have planned it any better!


That's all for now.  Thanks so much for stopping by and spending a bit of your day with me.
Until next time friends,
Be blessed and stitch & read with love!