Afghan Needs a Name

This afghan needs a name. When I first laid out these donated squares (Liz from Bridge and Beyond), fall foliage hit my brain; later as I began to work on it, I thought perhaps Garden Patch....and now not so sure. They are fall colors, but something about the squares made me think garden. This isn't a very good picture, I'm not edging it in white though it looks like it, it's off white/ivory. The squares had nice long tails and so I used the green Liz had edge them all with to sew them together, then decided to increase a bit by edging the strip in the off white. Current plan is to join the strips then with the off white, and find dark green in my stash to do a couple of rows around the whole ghan, then maybe a row of orange and finish it in green?

Thoughts on a name? This is another of afghans made to be donated to Bridge and Beyond.

I've promised myself I will work on a scarf I started long ago this week..., but am close to finishing this ghan, so ....we'll see.

What are you working on for Work in Progress Wednesday? Badges and links in the sidebar. Asking everyone using on of the linky's to please get rid of your captcha's. The filters for blogspot work great, you really don't need them. Having captcha's and approving all your comments is doubly un-necessary. The new captcha's are even harder to see then they used to be. Some have seen post this request before...I did for our Sunday YOP. Try it without for 2 wks, I'd be surprised if you'll have any trouble without it.

Yippee Skippee, I have lots to share on Sunday

Mother Earth Done, literally just finished the border last night before bed. Still have a few tails to weave in, launder and block and then this baby will be donated to Bridge and Beyond for Project "Welcome Home. Very happy with the way the colors played out here, even though once I started joining it, I had to make a few adjustments from the original design.
Crocheted Camo scarf, now finished and has already been donated to Bridge and Beyond, my charity (hop over to the blog and check it out). In fact, this has already been delivered, as I made 2 large donations this past week.
A red and black chunky scarf in the works, on the needles as we speak. This is the 4th scarf I've made/worked on that wasn't ever on "the list".

Since last weeks, YOP post, I've completed The Cotton Cloth Calendar Challenge and it's pictured a few days ago, HERE, on Finished Object Friday. I finished Mother Earth, and I've almost figured out where I left off on the scarf on the WIP list, Diagonal Buckeye, and plan to work on it this week; as I decide which afghan to work on next. The afghan list never ends. Feels good though to move a few more items to the done list. My updated YOP list is found in the tab across the top of the blog.

Badge, and link for YOP in the sidebar, please join in on the fun.

The Calendar is Full

This is the cotton cloth for the month of March, doesn't it look like an Easter Basket? Though I think the pattern, Garter Stitch Checks would show up better with a solid fiber, you can see it looks a bit like a basket. Or maybe that's because I know that's what it's suppose to be? What do you think? I love the colors, it's very springy looking to me. This completes my Cotton Cloth Calendar Challenge, so this is sorta a Done and DONE on this finished object Friday post. hehe

January = White and snow
February = Red and Valentines Heart
March = Easter Springy colors, and a basket pattern
April = Green and white, fresh and growing after the rains
May = pretty pink flowers
June = Beachy-ness
July = Red, White, and Blue Patriotism
August = Scourching hot, bright yellow and orange sunny
September = Fading Colors of summer
October = Brown, and orange Candy Corn
November = Green, orange, gold leaves changing colors
December = Red, Green, and White Christmas


This was a fun project, I learned some new knitting stitches/patterns in the process. With the exception of January, the cable stitch learning to do new things on small scale like a cotton cloth is a good idea....the cable wasn't a good idea, as cotton has no stretch when your knitting and it was rather hard on the hands.

Finished Object Friday Badge and link in sidebar

Darling Daughter asked for a mound a cotton cloths, not for dishes body clothes. I've been giving them to her as I made them. The last one was mailed 2 days ago. Enjoy, DD.

**Please let me again ask everyone who enjoys meme's, linky parties to please please please stop using those dang captcha's on your blog's. It is soooooo time consuming, and sooooooooo frustrating, and in many cases truly over kill. Most of you who use them, also have your settings set to approve comments. If you're approving them anyway, why use captcha. You're going to delete spam. AND, the filters on blogspot are so good, they catch the spam without comments needing to be approved and without using captcha. Please at least try blogging without the captcha for a 2wk period and see how well the filters work. Those things are killing my eyesite.**
sigh...steps off soap box

A yarn a then Some

In Memory of Hannah Chisolm, born Augst 15, 1865, died June 19, 1944. This is a work in progress. I've spent about 10 hours researching this small, hand carved stone. This stone and others are in a very small cemetery I spotted from my bike on a recent vacation on Hilton Head Island. The brief story is, the cemetery is that of slaves and descendants of slaves. About half the stones were like this, hand carved, others a bit rougher, and a few more modern. Only several families of names, Williams, Chisolm the most prevalent. I assumed it was a slave, and or someone very indigent since the stone was hand made. You could easily pass this little unmarked graveyard by, the stones are small and covered with thick pine needles and low hanging branches of trees. It's in the backyard, so to speak of a large very upscale condo building which faces the 18th green on the famous Harbour Town Links Golf Course. I knew enough of the history of the Island to know it had been inhabited by Union forces early in The Civil War, that the rich plantation owners had fled when The Confederates lost control of the Island. I knew other slaves flocked here for protection The Union Forces offered, and remained after the war,when the Island was virtually abandoned. There was no bridge or electric to the area until 1950-1956. The Slaves and their descendants had meager lives with little involvement of the outside world. The Bridge, Electric, and interest in lumber then vacations ended that.

This stone has the earliest birth date visible/readable; plus there are probably many buried souls unaccounted for under the layers of pine needles, where wooden markers have gone by the wayside through the years. Was Hannah a slave? Was she born free? I couldn't help but wonder. My research so far into whom this woman was is inconclusive. One fellow researcher believes he's found her on census with husband and children; I'm not so sure of his findings, as I find information about several large plantations in the area with listings of a slave named Hannah. I question her last name, is it hers, or did it belong to her owner? A work in progress that puzzles me. I've blogged a great deal about this trip and 2 others to Hilton Head, pop over to my travel blog if your interested. Traveling Suitcase.
I would truly love to find the whole yarn/story of Hannah
Meanwhile.......Mother Earth Afghan is slightly over half put together and work on it continues. I assemble many afghans for Project, "Welcome Home", you can read all it on my charity blog, Bridge and Beyond.
A basket type stitch here on this cotton washcloth, though I believe it's difficult to see with the pretty variegated Easter Colors. The stitch/pattern would probably show up better with a solid color. Even so, I think it's pretty. This is March's cloth, the 12th cloth in my Cotton Cloth Calendar Challenge.

Not pictured but on the needles is a bulky red/black scarf. Size 15 needles if that gives you any idea of the bulkiness of the yarn.

Work in Progress Wed Badges and links in sidebar. Hope you're all keeping busy.

Mother Earth and List Adjustments

Mother Earth Afghan in the works here. I named this Mother Earth because of the various browns representing the earth, blues for the skies, greens for the grass and trees etc. These squares are very nicely made by my friend from HS, Joy. After designing the ghan, I selected off white/light tan for join and have edged all the squares and will join with a single crochet...which I've been calling join as you go incorrectly. Was watching video's a few days ago and realized my mistake. I've not yet done the join as you go, and after watching the video and realizing it's not joined at every stitch won't be using that method. These ghans need to be sturdy as they're donated through Bridge and Beyond, my charity blog for Project, "Welcome Home". I often sew squares together and find when the squares are all different sizes this works well.
This crocheted camo scarf is the 3rd scarf I've made of late that hasn't been on my YOP list. It too will be donated to Bridge and Beyond when completed. I should focus more on my list, but often need easy no count type projects that travel and thus............scarves, which are always needed. On Friday, you saw Red Marble a knitted scarf, and prior to that the gray shades version also using Marble yarn.

Rather then redo my list every Sunday, please click on the tab across the top of the blog to see the changes and updates. Notable since my last post completion of another ghan (Red Brick), and completion of the 11th of 12th cotton cloth for the Cotton Cloth Calendar Challenge which were both shown on Friday's FO post.

YOP Badge and link in sidebar, join in the more the merrier

Red Friday

Finally, folks...home playing catch up and here's a picture of the finished Red Brick Afghan you've seen on work in progress Wed etc. I'm pleased with how it turned out. All the different sizes of squares and rectangles, knitted and crocheted were cemented together with Red. Had thought I'd include some brown, but nixed that idea once I saw it coming together nicely with the red, and once I reviewed my brown available in my stash. This afghan was donated to Bridge and Beyond (my charity blog), through our program, Project "Welcome Home".

Staying with the Red theme, here's the February cloth for my DD for my Cotton Cloth Calendar Challenge. 11 are now done, and in her hands. The only month remaining is March which will be Easter type colors.
Side 1, though since I photographed this I decided to add a bit to the edge and crocheted a couple of rows. It just didn't lay nicely in my opinion.
Side 2 here.

Still apparently focused on Red, though it wasn't really planned that way, lol. Here's the Red Marble Scarf you've seen some of on WIPW.

It might get donated to Bridge and Beyond too, but it might (haven't yet decided) find it's way into my closet. Been a couple of years since I've made myself a scarf....hum...though I did just recently purchased yarn in Hilton Head (I blogged about it on my Travel blog, check it out) at a really cool yarn shop for a scarf for myself...it's barely started.

Hope you're all keeping busy and finishing up lots of projects. Links for Finished Object Friday in my sidebar. Come join the fun.

**Since writing and scheduling this post, the Red Marble Scarf was added to the donations for Bridge and Beyond. Like I said above, I did just buy some yummy yarn in Hilton Head for myself.

Red Brick now Cemented

Red Brick is now Cemented! That's right, the building of it is complete...cemented together. The afghan measured 56 square before it was blocked and gained about 2-3 inches once it was blocked. Made from many different donated squares of lots of different sizes (some square, some rectangle, some knit, some crocheted); it was pieced together using the whip stitch method and single crochet around the edges. Not the same number of rows of sc, adjustments made to fit it together.

I'm pleased with how this turned out and both hubby and my Dad said they liked it. This afghan has been donated to Bridge and Beyond for Project Welcome Home.

That's it for todays, Finished Object Friday. Link in side bar, which takes you to lots of other interesting FO.

Hum?? apparently,I never got the picture posted, and can't now as I'm not on my home computer. Sorry bout that folks, I scheduled this post to publish and thought I had also posted the picture before we left town. Will have to catch up on posts, pictures and visits on my return.

I'm in Red Mode

LOL. Just realized I'm really in Red Mode. Some of you have probably seen the red afghan (Red Brick) I've been working on, and heard me talk about The Red Cotton Cloth I've been working (which has since been frogged for a different pattern (stay turned); and now......drum roll. A red scarf!

This scarf is made from The Marble Yarn I used on a gray scarf recently knitted for Bridge and Beyond. It's nice yarn and works up quickly since it's chunky. Think this will be a good piece to take on an up-coming car ride. Mindless things are good for that.

Plan on taking the red cotton and new pattern with me on the trip with the hopes of getting it done. It's February's cloth after all. The pattern calls for lots of counting, a good quiet time project.



WIPW badges and links are in the sidebar if you'd like to join us, please do.

Ivory Afghan

The other day I was visiting my Dad when I realized I had never taken a photo of this afghan I made Mom many years ago. It's solid ivory, not a color I use often but fit her decor and was what she requested. She asked me to make her a lacy, but not too lacy afghan when she bought a new sofa and love seat. She wanted something not too big to fit the back of the love seat to protect it against the rays that came in from a window. Not sure what stitch I actually used....can't remember, but it's crocheted shells of some sort.

Just thought I'd share this with you all. It's different then most of the afghans I've made through the years, in that it's more decorative. Normally, I make something for warmth both for family and all the ghans I've made for various charities through the years.

Laundry is calling my name, I'm trying to ignore it; but it's getting louder!

Building Red Brick

I assemble (build) afghans from donated squares through my charity blog, Bridge and Beyond. One of two things happens as the squares come in. Depending on what I'm working on and how many squares I have on hand...I either design a ghan with the squares, label and bag it for future assembling, OR the squares go into my square collection area. Then periodically I dump sort and design those squares in the collection area. Such was the case here. This group of red and brown squares (lots of sizes), were bagged and labeled as I worked on other afghans. I always take pictures so I remember how I had it layed out.

Reviewed the above, measured it and thought it a bit small, and if I added lots of edging rows thought it wouldn't quite be what I wanted. So, looked through my squares collection area...after all, since the original design in picture 1, other squares had come in. I added about a dozen squares and felt this would work be an appropriate size.

Unlike real bricks and mortar knitted and crocheted squares can be moved around. Since there were sooooooo many different sizes here of both squares and rectangles, things needed to be moved to better fit. A real work in progress. Hoping to have this finished in short order. After it's all pieced together, I'll edge with several rows of red, then some brown...at least that's my current plan. I enjoy how funky and different these ghans come out when made from lots of different squares, but they do require extra work to get them together....much like a puzzle.

Since last week's YOP blog post, Got Brown Afghan has been completed, as has the shades of gray scarf. Both were pictured on Finished Object Friday's Post Here. Additionally, I've started working on the Feb cloth for Cotton Cloth Calendar Challenge; but....need to frog it, or at least part of it.

Feels good to get Projects Finished!

Here's Got Brown as it was designed.
And here's Got Brown Completed, laundered and blocked. I really loved how this ghan turned out. It has already been donated to Homeless Families Foundation through Bridge and Beyond's Operations Welcome Home Program.
I was waiting for Finished Object Friday to share it with you. The donated squares were all crocheted, and I added 2 rows of black edging to all the squares and joined with black using the join as you go method.

This gray shaded scarf is now also complete and has been donated to Bridge and Beyond. If you're not familiar with Bridge and Beyond, it's one of my other blogs, dedicated to helping the homeless through knitting and crocheting. This is simply good old garter stitch. I love how the shades show up nicely. The scarf measures about 7 inches wide and about 70 inches long, should be nice and warm for a man in need.

Sweet Potato Gnocchi, Yummy

First of all, let me say this is not my work in progress but my Darling Daughter while she was home over The Christmas Holidays. She loves to cook and is a good cook. She had tried this recipe once before, and wanted to fix it for us. Now...having the lap top in the kitchen near food is not something I do, or probably would do. Then again, I don't use a laptop. However, I could find the recipe on the net, print it or write it down for reference. She had music playing on her laptop, and had the recipe there for reference. She was going to make us Sweet Potato Gnocchi with a Gouda Cheese Sauce.
She likes space in the kitchen so I didn't get pictures of her actually making the dough. I was knitting in the other room. She cooked the potatoes in the microwave, scooped out the potato, mixed with flour to make her dough, then set it aside to rest while she got the ingredients read for her sauce. Then began rolling 4 long tubes/snakes. Cut the snakes into appropriate pieces ...about an inch.

Rolling the individual pieces lightly on the back of the tines of a fork to obtain the ridges, then laid them carefully to dry a bit on wax paper on a cooking sheet.

Having cut up and measured her sauce ingredients earlier, she was ready to begin making her Rue while the pasta dried slightly. After she made her Rue she added her cheese. I don't have pictures of it all, and timing, amounts etc....but thought I'd share the process a bit.

I helped by setting the table, and prepared the Martini's. Opened the wine for dinner so it could breathe while we enjoyed our Martini's.
She finished it off by making a nice spinach salad with red peppers and walnuts and light dressing. Outstanding!

link for recipe here,
Darling Daughter says she would suggest 1/2 smoked and 1/2 non-smoked Gouda Cheese to lessen how rich the sauce is.

Bought myself and DD a pedometer for Christmas. Was going to wear it daily and record steps taken and how many miles I went. Fell behind from the get go it seems. wasn't doing much here for the first couple of weeks after Christmas, and so didn't put it on. Then forgot to put it on at work. Finally, this week got started. Monday 16th walked 13,806 steps for 5.017 miles. Felt it to when I got home from work. But, yesterday.....19,852 steps and 7.214 miles by the time I sat down after work. And this morning....am still feeling it. Have added a tab here on the blog to keep track of my walking/steps etc.

Snowy Sunday

This scarf wasn't on my YOP list (see tab above) , however...it might be the replacement scarf for Liberty Lace. I just haven't been able to my way clear to restart that. It's been frogged and is now on the back burner. This scarf is gray, though looks a bit blueish in the picture. Nothing fancy; but I'm really enjoying it, both in appearance and because it's so straight forward. Nothing but good old garter stitch, with the shading in the yarn, I don't believe you need anything else. This is being knit on size 10 needles with Marble Chunky yarn. The yarn has a wonderful feel, is 100% acrylic and therefore washable. It doesn't feel like acyrlic, it's light to touch and is a pleasure to knit with. When I started this, I thought it might be mine......since Liberty Lace was a failure...but, it's nice and warm and large enough, might work well for Bridge and Beyond. Jury's out until it's finished where it will end up.
This lovely green lace scarf moves from a WIP to a FO and is for my DD. Made with Cascade Yarns, Lana Bambu (79& wool and 21% Bamboo) on size 9 needles. I LOVE this yarn and plan to gt more. It has some a fabulous feel, a neat texture to it with good body.
Got Brown is coming along nicely! It should be finished soon and will be donated to Bridge and Beyond for Project Welcome Home.

So, rather then redo the list each time for YOP, I'll make the changes above, you can also click the tab to see the whole list.

Plan for the week with regard to the list, start the February cloth for the Cotton Cloth Calendar Challenge, only 2 more to go, February and March.

Family Christmas Quilts

This is perhaps a bit of cheat post, in that this finished object was made years ago. I made this (my first quilt) for Mom who loved Poinsettia's. From looking back through family Christmas Pictures, it seems it was probably made sometime before 2002; though I can't say for certain. It's not a traditional quilt pattern, in that the pieces weren't cut to any specification, nor was it stitched in known quilt pattern. I cut pieces basically the size I wanted (actually thinking back I don';t think I cut them at all, I believe I tore them...based on what an elderly quilt maker told me). I hand sewed the pieces together, used solid red for the backing with batting in-between and green basis tape for the edge. I used a circle quilt frame.
Mom always put it out as part of her Christmas decorations. The last couple of years, since Mom's death it stayed in it's zippered bag. This year I mentioned it to Dad, and after Christmas he gave it back to me to use and enjoy. The stitching/quilting portion was done around all edges of the separate pieces, a Zig zag was used on the red striped which you can see, I did x on some of the squares. Basically each different fabric had a different design in terms of stitching. The Poinsettia's were all stitched around to make them pop a bit.

The year (whatever year it was), after making this quilt I made one for my 2 brothers and their families. My older brother always liked Norman Rockwell and I use a famous Rockwell Christmas print for the center of his quilt, though I didn't take a picture of it. Need to ask him to do so. My younger brother and his wife, love blue and Olde Time Village Christmas decorations so this is the one I made for them. I was able to photograph it as part of their traditional Christmas Decorations several years ago.

I always intended to make one for myself, but never quite got around to it. I do believe I still have fabric somewhere. Perhaps one day I'll find the fabric and make one for my DD. There are nice to display year after year. I'll now be able to do that with the one I made Mom and Dad.

**Since most who visit this blog are crafters (knitters, crocheters, quilters etc.), could I ask that you scroll back to the previous post. Would love some insight, thoughts etc. on repairing an antique afghan.**

Treasures from our Ancestors

This is an old afghan, a family afghan made by Granny, my Great-Grandmother. She was born just 4 years before the start of The Civil War, on Oct, 7th, 1861 in Hopetown, Ohio. Hopetown is a small little down between Columbus and Chillicothe, closer to Chillicothe. It was a rural farming community in the day, and not much more today. Granny was the daughter of Adam and Melissa Gartner, whom we believed to have been Mennonites. More on that later. Granny lived to be 95 years old. I was just 6 when she died. I do remember her. Sadly, I was afraid of her. She had huge eyes, and very large veins that stuck up on her skin. I wasn't used to being around elderly. She lived in her own home on Mill Street in Chillicothe, the states first capital. She died 56 years ago tomorrow, on January 13th, 1956. She gave birth to 5 children, and 4 survived. Her only son, is my Grandfather....my Dad's Dad. Dad gaved me this afghan yesterday to ask if I might be able to repair it. It's really in pretty good shape considering how old it is. When you take care of things, it's pretty amazing how long things can last. The ghan like Granny has had a long life.

I need to see if I have some yarn to match and see what I can do in the way of repairs. This ghan was used alot through the years; though in recent years, it's been tucked away to preserve it. Mom and Dad had it on their sofa for years, before that my grandparents used it and before that my Great Aunts who lived at Granny's house. If only this ghan could talk, wonder what it might reveal.

Granny was married on Thanksgiving Day November 29th, 1888, at the age of 27. Getting married at the age of 27 was rather old for those times, generally speaking. But, Granny....wasn't ordinary. She was, I believe a woman before her time. She raced horses, and not against other women. She raced and often won against men. A strong willed and very capable woman indeed.

She was a beauty too, would imagine except for her wild spirit, she was probably sought after by a good many men before marrying my Great Grandfather. I don't know if this was the picture taken for her wedding photo or not, but I would imagine it was close to that time frame.

This is later is life, long after her horse racing days were over.

This photo was taken on her 90th birthday. An article appeared in The Chillicothe Gazette discussing how even as a Octogenarian she had a full head of black hair, and another article was written when she turned 90 (which is where this photo came from), discussing her racing horses, being a tomboy and how sharp she was with telling family stories and remember child hood friends names.

I don't know how old Granny was when she crocheted this afghan, but I'm thrilled to have something from her hands. I won't jump into repairing it, as I want to study it a bit to determine the best method, and find the best match in terms of colors....I know that won't be easy, certainly after the long life this afghan has had, it's faded.