Showing posts with label summer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label summer. Show all posts

Tuesday, September 30, 2014

Can't. Wait. Til Summer. (Hibiscus Tunic).

All in a summer's work!  It's not like I was working on one project, exclusively, this summer, but somewhere along the way this Hibiscus Tunic completely took over my life.  It was my first major endeavor in the workings of thread, rather than yarn.  Remember those hard little skeins of thread that you found at Granny's or Aunty's house when you were a child?  Sometimes there would be a section  of a doily or some such tiny-ness that would inspire to crochet or craft, but within minutes it was obvious that the fine craft of lacework is definitely a thing of the past.  So when I decided to delve into this little gem I knew I was in for trouble, although the fact that it was advertised in Interweave Crochet, one of my favorite magazines, encouraged me to soldier forth.

And so I plugged….and plodded.
Crucial moment: Must. Unravel.
 Somewhere on the front I hadn't quite memorized or figured out, exactly, what the pattern was.  There's a rather simple logic to the thing, but while reading the crochet pattern, it's easy to bulldoze through the directions without seeing the simple repetition.  My flowers looked a bit askew, but when I realized what I was missing it was time to rip rip rip (this was mid-July).



The thing went all the way to Maine with us.  On this glorious day, I found myself on a beach, staring at lovely mountainsides, terrific vistas, our travel companions frolicking in the water.   Summer joy, itself.




 It really wasn't until the hint of Fall was in the air that I began to scurry through this little ditty.   A mere few days after the Equinox, intermittently working on this beach-wear along with snuggly afghans (temps beginning to drop), I finally picked up the hook and managed to finish the beast during daughter's Belt Promotion Ceremony (always multitask).  A quick seam or two, block this baby, and bAM!  It's a new frock, ready for wear, a bit this season, and a whole lot in coming summers.
Can't. 

Wait. 



'Til Summer.

Friday, June 15, 2012

Tchotchke Row!

Three days into Summer Vacation and we've come this far.  It's time for the grand opening of Tchotchke Row.  Have you ever read those stories about families in which the parent is more excited about the activity than the children?  This may be one of those cases, but if we can share just a little bit of our junk with some kid walking down the street before it goes to landfill, I consider Tchotchke Row a huge success.  Not sure what the OP Police Department has to say about this, but really, every kid in town is selling some sort of priced up sugar water made from a can calling it lemonade.  Can't my kids sell some old toys sitting in the basement two steps away from becoming an item in a collage project?
Misspellings abound--will correct after rainstorm!
 The egg carton is the donation bin. I'm thinking about throwing some change in there, so people will know where they should leave their coin. But of course, free is also an option.  Maybe it should be I that is paying kids to remove junk from our lawn.
It's Tchotchke Row! Maybe you want a little knick-knack?  
 All I know is that I'm sharing a little bit of my own insanity & obsession with the kids.  What better way than to spend a summer's day.
We have knick-knacks, and are willing to share!  You never know what you might find...

...on Tchotchke Row!

Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Busted!

Another great day for summer fun. I met Addie after her tennis lesson with my racquet and we played for an hour a half.  This, I suppose, may have been why I decided to have kids in the first place...after all, I used to get frustrated years ago when I hit with Peter, something about him making fun of my overhead and too many drop shots. Fast forward twelve years, wow! This is so fun!  So after two and a half hours of tennis in quite hot sunny weather, I thought about what sort of treat we might purchase. The only retail establishment between the courts and home is 7-11, so now, loyal reader, you might guess where I took her. Not to be overly dramatic, but the squeal of joy that the kid let out highlights the very fact that we don't visit our local store often...more like...never.  So what a surprise do we find when we walk into the store but Ashby and J & V.  We all burst out laughing....talk about busted...but it is summer, after all.

Busted!

happiness.

Mom...you said anything in the store!