motif #109

This is motif #109 from a favorite book of mine:

This adorable block involves edc(extended double crochet) and a leaning tower stitch and a partial leaning tower stitch ~which I have never done before~ but! it gives the block a unique, stacked stitch that is really quite easy to do (and nope - I will not share the pattern...Seriously! get this book! It is a must-buy-for-your-crochet-shelf!)

I am just using scraps of yarn & a G hook.

And having learned from past granny square making...

....I am weaving the ends of all those color changes as I finish each block.

Because waiting until the end when you stacks & stacks of blocks ...

Um. Not a good thing.

bamboo + balm = beret

Aahh.

Relief in the form of a knitted beret.

Using this delicious pattern:  a fetching ladies beret 

And this yarn:  Petal Effervesce Yarn

I knit this.

I  K N I T  this.    

Y E S.   K  N  I  T    I  T!  

With nary a complaint!  

Thanks to bamboo needles (which I must hold differently than other needles) & applying a thin layer of this soothing balm to my offending elbow.

It has helped!

And now my daughter has a much-wanted, fetching ladies beret.

the tale of 2 dolls

This is doll #1 that I started knitting eons ago.  Read -->long before Christmas.


The pattern is from this book that I found while scrounging at the thrift store.

So cute & so scrappy !  I couldn't wait to get it done and have it sitting on the shelf in the living room looking all festive & lovely during the Christmas season.

There was a just a bit of a teeny problem.

The obvious of course is that Christmas has already come & gone and look! this doll still has no arms attached and is totally faceless.  And doggone it! I am so close to being done.  But I am trying to come to grips with the very real, very cold reality I may never get to finish this doll.

Why?

Scroll back a few stories and I was being very witty about playing tennis.  Not real tennis of course, but I was injecting humor in my very catastrophic inability to knit or crochet because of 'tennis elbow'.  (And please also note ----> I am feeling extremely foolish for being so whiny about this.  I mean!  Seriously!  I know that there are people out there having to deal with waaaaay more serious stuff than this...)

So my bag of knitting sits next to me all silent.  And I wonder if I will ever be able to knit or crochet again.  The possibility stuns me.  Really?  It can't be!  And take it back out & knit a few stitches only to shove it back into the bag because my. elbow. hurts. way. too. much.

What's left?

Feel sorry for myself?  Tried that and my kids & husband were ready to throw my out on my backside.  Seriously, Mom?  It's just knitting! (Plus that gets real old, real fast.)

I started paging through this same COUNTRY DOLLS book and there are lots of cute patterns...oh, look! a pattern to sew a doll...using scraps of fabric and my sewing machine.

Well, it HAS been a bazillion years since I did anything like that...

...but here she is.  Doll #2

I must say, I had forgotten what a treasure it is to sew.  And when she came out looking like this?

...I knew that all is not lost.

just a bit...

...I will be stepping away from my blog.  For just a bit of a break.

tennis, anyone?

Who knew that one could get tennis elbow from something non-related to tennis!?

Well, I did.  Get it, that is.

And it has put me out of commission for many, many loooooong weeks.  And because it's a painful condition from repetitive motions of the wrist & arm ---- let's just guess what motion plays heavily into knitting...or even crocheting?

Yup. Repetitive motions of the wrist & arm.

In spite of all of that (and just let me tell you --- going w/o knitting or crocheting for weeks is one of the most painful things e.v.e.r.!) I did manage to finish these lovely socks from here.

Do I love knitting for the beautiful motion of yarn & needles -- or the vibrant, yummy & gorgeous colors that come out once the project is complete?...

...ehhhh.

It's a definite toss-up.

red, white & blue bunting

Such a lovely, patriotic pattern for red, white & blue bunting found here.

And yes, I needed to make this.

So simple & so quick.

Using an h hook and leftover yarn from past projects.

Perfect for the 4th.

lacy

Oh, lacy things.

(Deep, deep, contented sigh.)

I finally finished tatting this lacy Clover Doily by Jon.

This doily is made up of 3 individual motifs but once tatted together ~ it forms a lacy mosaic that seems so intricate, but is actually oh, so simple.

My obsession with lace has now seeped into socks & knitting.

I just started this Medallion Lace Sock by Andrea Fox.

And this is what I have noticed...

...I am still completely bowled over that socks are magically appearing from my needles.  I stare down at the movement and think ~ is this really me doing this?

Because it's so therapeutic.

So rhythmic.

So soothing.

And so unbelievably beautiful.