This, That and More Socks

Aside from some personal word 'n' art journaling on my "work" table, the bulk of my creative works have - of late - been on the couch, under last year's wool afghan, near the fire, where I can sip tea, keep warm, and enJOY my fiber crafts with music or streaming series 'r movies.

I started a while back with making a pair of chunky wool socks for my spouse, and continued with a pair for me. I tempered my knitting with a fingerling weight organic cotton crocheted lap blanket for a friend. Somewhere along the way I made a second pair of socks for me. Now, in these past few of days I started another pair of socks for my spouse (pictured above), and finished a fingerling weight crocheted wool shawl for another friend. In between I've made crocheted chair leg socks (can never have too many of these), and a wool sack for a rock to serve as a door stop. 

On another note, I've started Moonshine 2024, an art witchery course that feels a near perfect fit for me, as it weaves together Medicine (healing Work), Magic, creative expression (art), and a community of like-minded / like-hearted human beings. 

So that's the latest, and I'm sharing it with my creative What's on Your Workdesk friends over at Stamping Ground. If you're reading this, go check them out, you'll be glad for it.

And 2024 blessings to you. 

Peace. 🕊

A Colorful Metaphor

Today I finished a physical metaphor. You see, I feel a need to add color to my life. So I purchased cotton yarn in a riot of colors knowing that I would crochet an afghan.

Crochet is a form of meditation for me, especially this continuous granny square pattern. There's no counting, though I find myself repeating, "maiden, mother, crone" throughout the creation.

So now I have a new afghan, in a riot of crazy colors, to wrap myself in on these cold winter days as I continue my plans and efforts to add color to all aspects of my life.

That's what I made today.

Peace.

Repairs, Renewals & Plans

A couple weeks ago I accepted a challenge from my dear friend, Annie. She gave me a old granny square afghan that she suspects her grandmother made. One corner had been chewed and four squares needed to be made, reassembled to the afghan and the trim crocheted to match the existing trim. I made a few practice squares to get the gauge and size as close as I could to do the repair. I did one repair, took it apart, did another, and while it's not as nice as I would like, I hope it will be passable to her. I have a few more minor thread repairs I want to do now. But for the corner repair, I'm willing to take it apart again and give it another go. I just felt honored to be offered the chance to do my best to restore a simple family heirloom.

But this challenge inspired me to make a traditional granny square afghan for myself. I have many yarn ends of many colors and it really is a charming way to use them up. I also had a collection of solid squares that I had made a year or two ago. So I've been crocheting squares of loving chaotic colors and have now begun to join them.

I'm looking forward to continue the piecing and I already love seeing how it's coming together.

Not only that, but today I received a sizable order of cotton yarn in a riot colors to create an afghan in the continuous granny square pattern. I'm really looking forward to starting that project … though I feel a tug to finish this one first. But hey, I can work on this one in daylight, which is best for joining black to black … and work on the cotton one in the evening while relaxing on the couch with The Boy.

Sounds like a plan.

That's what I made today.

Peace.

PS   Don't forget to play Win a Whimsy ~ the winner will be drawn and announced this Friday morning!

Reflections in Popcorn Stitches

I published my first blog post on December 29, 2004. It's funny to think that I've maintained a public blog for seven years, and even funnier (in a very grateful way) to consider that some folks have been following it for almost as long, from ByRegion to MySpace to Blogspot.

Popping back to that first post, I'm reminded that I started blogging primarily for me - as a discipline in both witnessing and in writing. My secondary emphasis rested in a vague hope that what I shared might inspire someone else in some nurturing way.

Words took center stage those first four years. When I moved here in 2008 imagery quickly took over. This pleased me, and pleases me still, since I prefer visual stimuli and respond favorably to it in most every conceivable way.

Yet, I love words, for they, too, are powerful tools of expression … creative expression … healing expression. And as I conveyed in that very first post, "… diversity is at the heart of the people's medicine. We have choices. We have the will to learn about them. We have the power to choose. And we have the right to change!"


So today, I changed up my morning routine. The Boy was home and while he practiced guitar I taught myself a new crochet stitch, a popcorn stitch. I'm not sure what I'll do with this stitch, or what I'll make with it … but it's a form of medicine for me, and it's another choice, so I learned about it, so I can choose and change when the time is ripe. 

And this little exercise demonstrated to me, yet again, my propensity for the visual, given the source from which I learned this stitch.


That's what I made today. Peace.

Heavy Duty Pot Holder #1

Remember the great balls of fabric I made the other day? Well, I've created the first pot holder from this batch of "yarn" and it's a doozie, so nice and thick and heavy. I've made these before with thinner strips and they do make nice pot holders … for tea kettles and warm handles and such. But these, these pot holders will protect me well when taking the cast iron skillet or dutch oven out of the hot oven, that's for sure. And they'll last near to forever too.

It's amazing what you can create with a simple single crochet stitch and some old fabric. And a closet shelf lightens a bit in the bargain too.

I'm looking forward to making another pot holder or two with the green "yarn" that's left, and then moving on to the other great balls!

That's what I made today.

Peace.

Great Balls of Fabric

Goodness, gracious … today, among other things, I finished ripping the cotton strips from the vintage 70's fabric I had targeted for upcoming projects and sat down at the trusty sewing machine to bind the strips together to make these balls of cotton "yarn."

That's what I made today.

Peace.

T-Shirt Yarn

This morning I made time to go through my crafting bookmarks and I rediscovered this tutorial for making t-shirt yarn. Well, I was inspired to search through my Goodwill bags for t-shirts so I could try this technique, which is, by the way, simply brilliant. I'll be making more. I'm not sure what I'll be creating with these first few balls, but I'm sure some strands will find their way into some Spirit Cords and I'm thinking upcycled cotton place mats and pot holders are in my future.

That's what I made today. Peace.

A Mug Cozy

I've seen so many mug cozies made by my crafty friends that I finally broke down and made myself one. I wasn't sure what to think of it at first, but aside from using up some scrap yarn I was delighted to be able to set my steaming mug down on a whim without hunting for a coaster.

I made a batch of soap too. And pizza. That's what I made today.

Peace.

Specific Crochet

Today I finished one of my silly little crochet projects. This is a bag made specifically to carry specific items to a specific meeting. I was able to use up a small stash of purple yarn and most of the green too. That's what I made today. Gotta run!

Peace.

Scarves and More Scarves

Being sick forced me not only to slow down, but to be still for a couple of days. During that time I did some reading, some journaling and pulled out some yarns and crochet hooks. I love working with fibers during the cold, dark days of this season, and doing it under the comfort of a blanket, sipping hot tea added to the healing verve that I was nurturing. This activity offered me a harmony and balance that not only kept me still and relaxed so that my body could rest and mend, but also allowed me some passive activity that was enjoyable and productive too.

Today I made time to finish a few from those dark, sick days of this past week by adding fringe. I have a few more to finish off too and can't seem to stop crocheting in the evenings now. I even broke out the knitting needles and will be playing with those stitches soon.

I love how these simple and ordinary things tangle together to create beauty, balance, harmony and healing in our lives.

That's what I made today. Peace.

A Little Upcycling

This afternoon I crocheted a small drawstring bag using old cassette tape (remember them?) for my yarn. The plastic case may be recyclable - I hope it is ... but at least I am able to repurpose the tape in a nice low-tech, earth-friendly way. There's something oddly pretty about it too.

Like crocheting or knitting with plarn (yarn made from plastic bags), it takes an adjusted touch to allow for a more loose and consistent tension, but - to my way of thinking - it is worth it. The Boy thought it would be funny to make CD bags like this. But he thinks lots of things are funny.

That's what I made today. Peace.

Blue Awakenings

Blue moon. Remembered dreams. New calendar. Restored awakenings. Fresh starts. Clean slates. Renewed beginnings. Revived. Refreshed. Blue. Blue like the reflected watery source of all life.

May you know uncommon blessings for the common year. Peace.

Mary Janes

Today I finally finished my first attempt at a pair of crocheted mary jane style slippers. They are not without flaws, flaws that I learned from and am already correcting in the second pair I've started. I adapted the pattern from this one I found at ohmygoodknits. They're so freakin' cute I can't stand it! That's what I made today. That and another batch of cookies. Peace.

Kitchen & Fiber Magic

Today I made bread, pasta sauce, chicken soup. I jarred up the sauerkraut that is ready for cold storage. I pickled some cauliflower. I strained the calendula oil, not without incident, but we don't need to go there. I got some beans soaking so they may ferment over the next couple days. And I finished these two little crocheted bags and have a pale green one in the works.

That's what I made today.

A Wee Pouch

For some wee cards.

A-ha! Stars

Today I willed myself to learn to make these crocheted stars. To the seasoned crocheter, this is pretty remedial, but I've tried to make these several times over the years, following the written instructions in one of my needlework books. Reading those cryptic patterns is very challenging for me. Today I had one of those magical A-ha! moments that finally enabled me to understand and execute.

I love learning new things. Even when I have nothing particular in mind to which the lessons may apply.

I also made a yummy roasted vegetable soup from some garden harvests too.

That's what I made today.

Lots

But I finished with finishing my new red winter hat. Though I think I may weave some black ribbon through the fold end. Dress is up a bit with a little contrast. That's what I made today.

Notice

For several years I've noticed a surge of foul cursing during the first quarter of the calender year (as mildly exhibited in yesterday's blog entry). Today, I made notice of the pattern and realized the connections. It was a true "duh! moment."

Today I completed what I hatefully call phase two of 1st quarter tax prep. With both me and The Boy being self-employed, all the hoops and foolish tracking and reporting that the government requires can really get to ya, especially in this season, when quarterly and annual efforts overlap. In any event progress was made, and I can now focus on pulling together all the foolishness that our CPA needs to work her magic so we may file the annual income tax. Even a little piece of that was tackled today. So all-in-all I feel pretty good about these hateful things. And I even now know why the cursing flares. I figure I'll just be creative with it and enjoy it - the foul language that is!

And I'll do my best to keep it out of this blog.

On a happier note, I finished the dish rags that I made with cotton yarn that I found in perfectly fitting colors for my "new" kitchen. 

Ann Wilkinson left a comment the other day asking for a close-up of the clock face that my mom embroidered, so here it is:

It really is charming, isn't it?

And last year I was contacted by an Online Community Specialist in Switzerland about using one of the images I shared on connect@earth.org for the World Conservation Congress in Barcelona. It was a photo of balls of plarn that I had made. Needless to say I consented with delight. I was promised a copy of the poster ... and I received two copies of it yesterday:

How freakin' cool is that? 

And today I received a copy of Artful Blogging and I'm gonna grab a cold home brew and page through this stunning magazine now. Ciao!

Peace.

False Starts

I made a scarflette in December for myself and ended up sending it to my mom. She thought she might like it. I sent it to her even though I knew what would transpire. She didn't care for the colors. She wanted - her favorite color - beige. So I picked up some yarn today and started a new scarflette for her.

I've already ripped this out and started over. Twice. Three's a charm! 

And play my give-away!

Fingerless Gloves & Goddesses

The boy and I are cooperating and multi-tasking this evening. He's preparing the salad as I type and I will get the scallops with rice noodles ready once this is posted. And in between cocktails, dinner prep and online foolishness, I'm teaching him to crochet and what fun that is! 

Today I finished a quick and easy project, a fingerless glove, made from an unworn scarf I unraveled. I LOVE fingerless gloves and have been wearing them long before their current trendy popularity. Tomorrow I start the match to this one - as best as I am able. I rock-n-rolled the "pattern" to this one and my notes are sketchy at best, but - hey - I kept it super-simple and these are utility gloves to me, so perfection of pattern is hardly a concern.  As long as they keep my chubby little croning hands warm!

I made three goddess figures today and I'm already anxious for the next. One is specifically for a lesson in the Be.Devine. class that I'm taking, and the other two just followed. These are the sort of projects that awake me during my sleep and beg attention.  

Can you see why? These are just formed and drying and will be sculpted further tomorrow, after I make at least one batch of soap. Then they'll be ... painted, collaged, embellished, loved ... we shall see ...

That's what I made today,