Monday, January 27, 2020

Life goes on...

...even when we might want it to just stop for a little while.  My sweet mother passed away Saturday, 25 January, 2020, after experiencing numerous little strokes on both side of the brain right after Christmas. Naturally, not a lot of needlework was accomplished as I was busy caring for her and she quickly declined. 

Here are photos of the knitted and crocheted hats and scarves that I turned in to The Common Thread Circle this afternoon:

Group #1:  7 crocheted hats for adults and children.


Group #2:  5 more crocheted hats for adults.


Group #3:  5 loom knitted hats for adults and children.


Group #4: 8 knitted hats for adults and children.



Group #5:  1 knitted scarf and 1 crocheted scarf (brown).


Grand total:  27 items.  It's not as many as I had hoped to finish but all things considered, I think it was a good start to the new year.  Plus I already have another hat on my needles.   Who knows how much I'll be able to accomplish by my next posting?

Tuesday, December 31, 2019

The Common Thread Circle donations for December 9, 2019

I didn't do much needlework in October or November...too much to do at home getting ready for the holidays.  But I turned in 15 knitted hats at the December 9, 2019, meeting of The Common Thread Circle.



I've already gotten a jump start on my donations for 2020.  I will be adding some loom knitted hats for preemies and adults as well as some more crocheted hats for preemies and adults. 

I have one particular tall laundry basket that I use to hold my completed items in so I can wash them all at the same time without misplacing some in the house. Then I carry the freshly washed items in the basket to The Common Thread Circle meeting to turn them in.

Hopefully this next year I can keep a tighter hand on this blog and show photos of other needlework persuasions that I am doing. 

So, I hope your Christmas was a merry one and that your New Year will be full of love, laughter, good health, and great needlework!  Here's to 2020!

The Common Thread Circle Donations for September 16, 2019

This was a really big donation on September 16, 2019, to The Common Thread Circle:  6 knitted scarves and 35 knitted hats.






Sorry about the fuzzy photos; I was in a hurry to get everything photographed that day.

Donations on August 19, 2019 to The Common Thread Circle

Donations to The Common Thread Circle on August 19, 2019, include: 5 knitted scarves, 3 crocheted scarves, 3 knitted hats, and 1 crocheted hat.



Donations August 5, 2019 to The Common Thread Circle

Here are some items I donated to The Common Thread Circle on August 5, 2019:  8 crocheted scarves, 2 knitted scarves, 8 crocheted hats, and 29 knitted hats.








Tuesday, January 1, 2019


Well, then. They tell me the road to hell is paved with good intentions. I guess you could say that’s where I’ve been recently. It’s hard for me to believe it’s been FOUR YEARS since I’ve posted on this blog. I think when Pippin crossed the Rainbow Bridge he took the biggest part of my heart with him. Even writing this down makes me cry. Some losses you just never get over.

But two new kitties have come into my life: Milo and Satai. Milo, a/k/a The Cow-Dog Kitty, is a black and white short hair with black spots on his sides like a cow. He just acts like a dog, chewing up all the wires (cell phone, electrical, etc.) he can find in the house. Oh, and he loves to chew on my knitting needles also...especially my bamboo ones. Grrrr! He is quite the talker and will practically carry on a conversation with you. Satai is a tabby-point Siamese and very laid-back. His fur is a bit longer than Milo’s and extremely soft. Unlike most Siamese I have known, he doesn’t talk much and has a very soft voice. He does like to chew plastic bags and claw furniture AND my jeans. While Milo will come and sit on my lap while I am knitting/watching TV, Satai doesn’t like to sit on laps. Oh, no. But just let me go lie down on the bed, even for a few minutes, and there he is, wanting to snuggle up close to me...even clawing to get under the covers when it’s cold in the room. Oh, and in case anyone is wondering: both boys are rescues from the SPCA so they are “fixed,” have regular vet visits, and are indoor-only kitties.

Well, on to the needlework. I have been doing some needlework the past 4 years: a little crochet, some sewing, some cross stitch, and a lot of knitting for The Common Thread Circle. I don’t get to attend the circle meetings each week but did get to go to one in October and drop off a number of hats and scarves I had made. I keep one of those mesh laundry bags hanging on my home office door and just keep tossing hats and scarves in there until it’s full. Everything gets washed in “free and clear” gentle soap and then sent on to The Common Thread Circle for delivery to local hospitals to be given to the patients.

So, as of today, January 1, 2019, this is what I have on my needles (at least at hand where I can write this down):

1. A pair of socks in Indulgence 6-ply, color 8 (variegated blues). Hubby gave me a copy of The Knitter’s Book of Socks by Clara Parkes for Christmas so I have chosen the first pattern in the book, “Stepping Stones,” for my first pair of heeled socks to knit. This is on 2.75mm/US2 needles so it’s going to take me a while to get them done.

2. A knitted hat in Red Heart Super Saver Heather, color 0405 Plum Heather. The band is on 5.5mm needles and the rest of the hat is on 6.5mm needles. This is my third hat from this skein and I really like the feel of this acrylic yarn. Again, this will go to The Common Thread Circle.

My current j-o-b is very stressful so I have taken to sitting in my car and knitting at lunch time rather than eating in the tiny lunch room with my co-workers. Generally, I work on hats that are somewhat mindless to knit rather than anything I have to really concentrate on doing. It seems to help lower my stress level...except I just don’t want to go back in to work. I’d much rather sit and knit for the rest of the afternoon. ‘Nuff said.

So that’s the latest. I’ll try to post pictures as I finish things...certainly as I turn items in to The Common Thread Circle.

Friday, January 2, 2015

Good intentions

Yes, well, ahem.  Seems I have lots of good intentions but haven't accomplished much in the last two years, including blogging about my needlework.

The truth of the matter is that I have done quite a lot of needlework since February of 2012.  I just haven't photographed them or blogged about them.  My only excuse is that 2013 and 2014 were doozies.  Pippin and I were both sick a lot.  He has since crossed the Rainbow Bridge (11 Sept 2014).  I miss him so much every day.

Well, it's 2015 now and getting organized and photographed and blogged about are priorities for me.  I'm still working with The Common Thread Circle by knitting and crocheting scarves and hats for patients in local area hospitals.

I've gotten re-involved in redwork embroidery - both as a regular type embroidery and as cross stitch. Some of the regular embroidery has been done on white muslin (I still have most of a bolt I bought years ago when I worked at Cloth World) but I've also been working on white flannel.  Of the two I think I like the white flannel better.  Some of the pieces will be made into small ornaments or tiny pillows to be hung either on a tree or on doorknobs throughout the house.  A few pieces will probably be framed.  I'd really like to do a quilt in flannel for my bed (or a bed, depending on the size).  I think hearts would be nice for a quilt.

Then there are the crocheted snowflakes I've been doing for gifts and hanging around my house (we don't get much snow here in south Texas).

So, hopefully I'll be able to get things photographed this weekend so you can actually see what I've been up to.  Here's to a fantastic 2015!