Spares?

Isn’t Instagram inspiring? My graddaughter was inspired to forward pictures of a portable quilted checkerboard that led a double life as a tic tac toe game. 

I was inspired to make it for her.

I rifled through my fabric stash and found some leftover bits from making her baby quilt! And I chopped up (upcycled) a denim shirt and pondered checkers. 

Wooden checkers! Drat!  I used to have the exact checkers for this moment, but they had been carted off to the thrift shop as we downsized once and then twice. 

Back to the thrift shop I went. 

Sure enough.  Lovely wooden checkers. Brown and cream. But not enough. At least that is what I mistakenly thought. And so I bought another set.  At a different thrift shop.  It came bundled with two other sets. I had needed 24 checkers.  I now had 96! It’s good to have spares, right? 

Poised and ready

Isn’t it amazing that fruit is picked and processed in a flash with zero effort on our part. And is kept just for us in the frozen food aisle, poised and ready for action? I usually buy blueberries and have them waiting in the wings for muffins and waffle topping.  It’s become a family tradition. I suppose it’s that tradition that led me astray. I knew blueberries would be on the menu and somehow, knowing and assuming became one. As I stood staring into the freezer at Save On, adding strawberries seemed a lovely extra.  Sliced of course.  But there had been a run on sliced strawberries and the shelf was empty.  Down, down I glanced and there, to the rescue was a giant bag, several bags worth but I bought it anyway.  When you have decided on sliced strawberries, nothing else will do but sliced strawberries.  

At home I opened the freezer and stared in amazement.  Nary a blueberry to be seen. But there were three bags of sliced strawberries.  

They always are

I have just recently realized that I am married to a gnome! 

Why didn’t I notice this before? 

It was only after he grew a beard; a wonderfully white and gnome-ish beard, that I realized what had been hiding in plain sight all these years.  Ah, but now it all comes together.

Would a gnome be a wood carver?  Yes

Would he be on a first name basis with birds? Absolutely.  That’s a given too.

Would he be a tree whisperer? Of course, they always are.  

Gradient granny

This is the only photo I have of the kerchief I crocheted for my granddaughter.  And the only item I’ve ever crocheted out of cotton yarn. And the first time I’ve ever blocked a crocheted piece. Blocking is done with water or steam and the piece is wrangled into shape on a thick and thirsty towel whence it dries into the shape it was destined to have.  That explanation completely overlooks the magic though.  When I finished crocheting, the kerchief seemed thick and awkward.  As I dunked it up and down in water it seemed a confusing jumble.  But the moment I spread it out on the towel,  a lacy, light and lovely thing of beauty emerged.  This pattern is called Gradient Granny Kerchief and I think the gradient is so charming.  A dainty picot edge and an open lace gradually transforming into a granny square at the same time.  Flower Child meets Babushka.  

Time will tell

I have a handful of crocheted daisies; leftovers from a long ago project. Will I ever use them all up? Time will tell. 

Granny

 

In 1885, the granny square pattern was published and crochet hooks have rejoiced ever since. The pattern thrives on using a plethora of colors. Leftover lengths of yarn are elevated and celebrated.  It’s just as it should be that two world wars and the Great Depression made the granny square attain crochet 101 standing.  But it was the 1970’s that made it cool.  And if it was cool then, baby it’s cool now.  This groovy sweater has four greens, four purples and three blues, all making encore appearances.  

Little chicks