Go Away...

Rain, rain, go away... come again another day...

I remember that little sing-song ditty from my childhood...

I'm starting to sing it... Ha!  We've had LOTS of rain and thunderstorms.  Last Thursday at about 2am, the Weather Alert on my iPhone went off... I'm not sure how much good it's going to do to warn you about flooding if it causes you to have a heart attack in the process of warning you!  Mercy!  Took me forever to go back to sleep.  And, it was NOT because I was worried about being washed away in a flood. 

The little Sedums have liked the rainy days.  They are going strong.  To tell the truth, we've still had lots of fun in spite of the gloom.
 

A friend made Hatch green chili enchiladas for us that were ah-maz-ing.  Good food.  Good company.  Nothing wrong with that.

Our grandgirls brought lots of chuckles and fun.  Do you think she's thinking her sister's ice cream scoop is bigger than hers?  LOL!

And, there have been BRIEF reprieves... Which we have savored!

 This day, the blue skies lasted about 45 minutes... I happy danced the whole time.  ;)

And, I'm not hating on this yarn or the k4tog anymore (it helps this was the last row of the lace).  Most of the time, stuff just grows on me if I stay with it.  Don't know what that says about me.  LOL!  But, now, I'm getting excited to see what it will be like finished.  Oh, I hope it will be good!

The rain is REALLY falling right now.  I'm going to finish this up and then start the stockinette part of my knitting project.  A little mindless meditation.  Good therapy. 

I hope, whatever your weather, there is good mixed in with the gloom!

blessings ~ tanna

Gray Days

May you see hope in a daffodil... or the last light of day...

blessings ~ tanna

Leftover Hat Love and Swatch H*%#

A very happy use of my leftover Noro yarn!  Love this little hat!

Free pattern:  Rusc by Harlee Wentworth.  I'd give this pattern my highest marks!  Love the texture and way it worked up!

I did do a little modification to make it a pillbox shape.  The notes are here on my Ravelry page.  I'm thinking I may need to do another following the pattern all the way.  Just a wonderful, thick feel!

So... I swatched... and, I swatched... and, I swatched....  I ended up having to go up two needle sizes to get gauge (I hope).  Makes me seriously wonder what went awry with my Flat Rib Popover Vest! How could it have turned out so large, when my usual sin is on the tight side.  Hmmm... still a mystery.

So... I have finally just taken off knitting... Remembering how much I LOVE doing lace...

Then, coming to the realization I don't particularly like the feel of this yarn... I don't like doing k4tog... ever.  And, it's a LONG way around.  Not boding well for this project so far...

Frustrations with the swatch business... with the feel business... and with the FREQUENT use of k4tog over 340 stitches... All adding up to make the likelihood of this becoming a finished object a teensy bit at risk.

More to be revealed...

Like life... a little good and happy... a little hard and frustrating...

Wishing you all as much of the good and happy as you can get!

blessings ~ tanna

Share a Little Love...

I love handmade Valentines...

If you're looking for a way to share a little love with one (or MORE, as in my case) of your Valentines, I highly recommend this Heart Garland by Sarahndipities! 

It is super simple and I LOVE the shape of the hearts!!  Making them is like eating potato chips... hard to quit!  LOL! This one is not attached like the pattern called for (I had started making the hearts and didn't take the pattern with me before I was ready to connect them to make a garland).

Isn't that a sweet shape???

The one below is attached like the pattern called to do (cloudy day, bad light).  I liked them either way.  I changed it up a bit by making a small heart (just the inner row of the heart) on the end and continuing across with the chain to connect all the hearts and then another small heart at the other end.  

I'm going to leave you today with a couple of my favorite old posts on LOVE and all my best wishes for you to feel LOVE settle into your bones today...

Moments

The Love Bug

Happy Valentine's Week!  blessings ~ tanna

Couldn't Stand It

Okay, y'all.  I just couldn't stand to not use all of the beautiful Noro Taiyo yarn I ordered for this project.  So... I added the sleeves called for in the pattern.

Unfortunately, I STILL have a skein and a good part of a second one left.  My brain is whirring on what I could do to use all of this beautiful yarn.... a hat... a scarf... add length to the jacket...

The good news is that I LOVE. THIS. JACKET!!  I really liked it as a vest, but I love it even more as designed!  So glad I couldn't stand the waste of yarn.  My Beloved laughed and shook his head saying, "Oh, my frugal bride."  I'm not sure I could consider my yarn addiction frugal.  Ha! But, I'm not a waster of the yarn goodness.  ;)

(Knitaddict, I added what I could about the underarm decreases on my Ravelry page here.)

I was so sad when our LYS closed it's doors (for a second time).  But, I have to say, I've become quite fond of receiving these beautiful packages in the mail!  It's like Christmas every. single. time!

I'm excited and nervous... I'm seriously considering swatching after my last experience with the Flat Rib Popover Vest.  Considering.

Hoping I can resist the urge to just take off without the SWATCH!  Ha!

blessings ~ tanna

The Promise...

I smelled it the other day.

Spring.

That wet, earthy, bathed-in-sunshine smell... a promise of new life.

Renewal.

Growth.

Warmth.

My little sedums... always the first to push forth... reaching for sunshine... heralding spring!

The last berries of winter... beautiful in their farewell...

Oh, the glory of God's creations...

Bringing JOY to every day.

There's JOY in watching these little guys play, too.  Roo, number 14, is a scoring machine!  This photo is so blurred and the ones of Alex even worse, but seeing them definitely brought JOY this weekend.  ;)

The house thing.  Well it would have been a big waste of time with all the frenzy of getting the house ready to show.... except that the house is VERY tidy and clean.  LOL!    Prompted me to tackle some things I'd put off in favor of knitting or blogging.  Ha!  Haven't heard a peep from the realtor since they were here.  Seems we are safe from having to make any big decisions about a move.  ;)

Wishing you all a wonderful week filled with JOYFUL moments!  blessings ~ tanna

Mystery Solved.

The Mystery Mitts are no longer a mystery...

This WILD little yarn does NOTHING to show the Winding Staircase and Beads!

Or my Vikkel Braid... LOL!  (It's the stitches going sideways between the diagonal lines) A new one for me.

Sacrificed one rosewood size 2 needle to this experiment... trying to work the right cross cable without a cable needle... but, I guess it was fun enough to make that okay... sort of...  have I mentioned I get attached to my tools??   LOL

The Noro jacket will stay a vest, confirmed by you ladies.  I will finish the arm holes with the same finish as the body, block and call it done.  FUN little project!

Nancy and knittaddict, thank you so much for your input.  I can't find a way to respond other than here.  Knittaddict, I hope you love your sleeves; please, let me know.  Nancy, I'd love to see your quilts! 

A little out of the ordinary happened yesterday... a realtor rang the doorbell and asked if we might consider selling our home... said she had someone interested.  Nothing will probably come of it; but, of course, it starts the wheels turning.  Restless.   Distracted.  Will I ever feel completely settled after leaving The Brick Street Bungalow?  Arrrrrgggghhhh....

Have a wonderful day, my friends.  blessings ~ tanna