Family Heirlooms, Knitting and Crocheting and Selling a Family Home

This antique filet crochet doily is a family piece.  I don't know who made it, or how old it is; as I've never seen it before.  When the brothers and I were cleaning out and organizing my Dad's house to prepare it for sale, we found this in a badly broken old frame.  If you click to enlarge the picture, you can see the stains.........both of age, and on the two edges that were touching the frame.  Believe it absorbed the stain from the frame.  I examined it carefully and could see no signs of instability and so decided I would chance washing it.  I washed in cold water, in light detergent in a laundry bag for fine linens to protect it.  It's now dried and looks more clean, but the stain is still present...just better.  I plan to find an appropriate sized shadow box frame for it.  The old frame isn't repairable and wasn't the right size to begin with, which is how the edges were all matted against the frame and some of the filet wasn't actually visible in the old frame.  What a find!  Just wish I had seen this before, when I could have asked my mother, or grandmother, or one of my great aunts who made it, where it came from, who's house it had belonged to.  Such a shame to have family pieces without knowing the story.

Finished my shawl!  Just need to weave in the ends.  Really wanted another section of the pretty green, but wasn't sure I had enough yarn left to continue the next repeat.  Each repeat was 10 rows, and at the end of the 10 rows you bind off 4 to give you the pointed edge.  I ended up with 24 points, pattern indicated you might get 25 from the cake of yarn.  Love the points edge...very pretty, and the scooped edge that will be the neck edge (you can see it if you click to enlarge picture...it's the top edge where you do the increases with kfb.  The right edge is the edge you bind off.  Debating whether or not I should try to crochet a little edge there...or whether it would look weird, even if I do have enough yarn to do that..........love your thoughts gang.

And so, I've started another one.  This one won't be as colorful...black, gray and white.  So far it's hard to see any shading in the colors.  If you remember, I had to rip out the pink and green one when I was close to half way through, and lost some yarn in the process.  Since, I now know the pattern that shouldn't happen, and presumably I should be able to get the 25 points?  Time will tell.  This one is for a friend who requested the black, gray and white.  

Coffee Latte is continuing to grow.  Am working on the dark brown section now that you see at the bottom of the picture.  Completed 2 more sections since the last picture and it now measures 38 (before blocking) inches in depth.  The previous large dark brown section is the middle point of the afghan.

Some of  you know I've been blogging less due to being super busy dealing with my Dad being in an assisted living center...and working on his house to prepare for sale.  This is his house, fingers and toes crossed...we have a contract.  Just waiting on the inspection now.  Will be a huge relief to get this taken care of.

Knitting and Yoga

Spotted this the other day on Facebook and thought it was too funny not to share.  I especially like downward facing cake, lol.  I'm not really even a big lover of cake, prefer pie...but it made me laugh.

Making headway with my shawl............the 2nd time through.  I was farther along than the previous picture shows when I realized I had a major error, I wasn't able to fix it, so totally un-knitted it and started over.  Currently I have 18 scallops for the edge, pattern says they will be about 25 when finished.  Wasn't happy about having to totally rip it out and start over; but I didn't put a marker for the right side in, which got my count off...my own fault.  The 2nd time I put the marker in.  Lesson learned.  LOL.  What I can't visualize is how my long un-scalloped edge is going to shape up.  Seems too long to only get 7 more scallops in..........time will tell I guess.

Haven't worked on this drop stitch lace shawl in awhile, but hope to in the next couple of days.  

Coffee Latte is now over half way.  The current section of variegated starts the 2nd half (at the top of the photo), with the dark brown section being the middle.

This is a series hubby and I are watching.  It's an interesting view of Atlantic City back in the day with crime bosses and Capone and I love the clothes of the period.

Been out of town a bit, and very busy with Dad at the Assisted Living Center, and preparing his house for sale.  Thus, the being behind with blogging.

Knitting a Shawl for Me, Myself, and I

Northern Lights Spiral Shawl.  Are you all shocked!!!  I’m working on something that’s not an afghan for a change...and it’s actually something for myself, not my charity, Bridge and Beyond.  I’m having fun with the colors changing on a whim.  Size 8 needles, and simply garter stitches with increases each row alternating between increasing at the front of the row vs the end of the row, a 10 row repeat and at the end of the 10th row you bind off 4.  Found it odd the pattern didn’t suggest what length to use.  I’ve purchased a long set while here, 47 inches and hope it’s going to be be long enough.

Been away from blogging a bit with working on things for my Dad and or his house, as we prepare it for sell.

Short. Post today, hope you’re all doing well.

Knitting, and Yoga........both good for Stress!

Coffee latte continues to grow and grow.  Believe it was about 22-23 inches at this point.  I've now completed a good part of the tan section after the variegated you see in this photo.  Pleased this one is coming along so quickly.  

This really made me laugh.  Been awhile since I've done my yoga.  Was trying to do it several times a week using a video from Amazon Prime, but my time has been so filled with things revolving around Dad moving into an Assisted Living Center.

Just this past Tuesday, Dad turned 93.  The facility let us gather for his birthday cake in the private dining room they have.  Myself, older brother Chuck, and younger brother Mike.  Our spouses all joined us as well, just not in the picture.

I hadn't planned to continue to watch this show, McLeod's Daughters, but several people told me it was still good even after the star, Claire (pictured far left here in grayish hat), left the show.  So, I've started watching it again.  It's different, still enjoyable; but I do miss Claire and the relationship she and Alex had.

**Did you notice the new addition to my right side bar?  My frequent visitors...Made a special list to say thank you.  If you've not been to their blogs, please do.**

Knitting Afghans and Watching McCleod's Daughters

Chocolate Latte is growing quickly.  Believe it currently measures about 17 inches.  Need to take another look at how much yarn I have and decide if I need to introduce a 4th color or if I'll enough with the colors you see thus far.  That's always the problem with winging it, not using a pattern and trying to use what's available in your stash.  

Perhaps I should switch gears again and get back to working on Blue Ocean.  It was only at 10 inches when I laid it aside to start Chocolate Latte.

I also have a shawl started that I've not done anything with in months!

This is the last quilt I made.  No real quilt pattern, just fabric I liked.  It's hand quilted, outlining some of the designs and or zig zagging through smaller prints.  Made this years ago for my Mom who loved Poinsettia's.  Dad gave it back to me a few years ago and I always put it out as part of my Christmas Decorations.

Not a good picture, but for my x-stitch friends thought I'd share.  I made this for a friend's wedding present long ago.  I love the saying.  She did too at the time.  Sadly, there must not have been that oneness between them.  It was a short lived marriage.

Another quote I kept from Facebook sometime back that, that might make you smile.  Though I think sometimes the things that have happened under this administration leave little reason to smile, we must keep our since of humor or go nuts!

I've now watched through episode 39 of season 3 of McLeod's Daughters, this show is about  strong women; the relationships between the characters and the scenery of the "bush", and Love stories.  But, 2 of the characters are now gone from the show...actually 3, but 2 that were primary characters and because of that, I've not decided if I'll bother to continue watching.  Very disappointed.  People often come and go in a long series, but NOT the primary character.  

Seriously, this couple has been the focus, and she's gone.  Assumed while finishing up episode 39, that would be the end of the show with the primary character gone.  But, google tells me the show actually continued for 8 seasons....write ups all include unhappiness at the loss of main characters, the writing of the series going down hill and dislike of replacement characters.

It's like watching NCIS without Gibs in the show, what's the point!

PLEASE let me know if you watched, if you liked it, if you would recommend it.  Until episode 39 in season 3, I did recommend it......now........not so much.  As I said, not sure I'll bother to finish watching it.

Been watching and knitting, have been sick for a week, so not up to do much of anything else.

Chocolate Latte and Assisted Living Centers Oh My

Startitis hit me.  No, I'm not done with Blue Ocean, but felt the need to start another afghan.  Partially because I needed something I didn't have to count as I was toting it back and forth to my Dad's skilled nursing facility and then from there to Assisted Living Center.  This is good old garter stitch, no counting necessary.  As you can see I've knitted a brown variegated section and have switched to dark brown for the second section.  I've included a tan for the 3rd color in my project bag.  This one measures 2.5 inches right by 57 inches.  I cast on 200 stitches, which is just 1 stitch more than Blue Ocean, but since this one doesn't have decreases and increased will measure a bit wider.  

And now for a name.....I've thought of Milk Chocolate, Cocoa, Chocolate Latte, or Coffee.  I'm leaning towards Chocolate Latte I think.

Here's a glimpse of Dad's Assisted Living Room.  It's a small studio type.  The cabinet provides some storage space for him.  My cross stitch friends will note the pillow on the blue chair is cross stitched.  My Mother made it.  Haven't hung any pictures yet.

You can see the little kitchenette area beside his bed.  A second cross stitch pillow Mom made.

The brown recliner in the corner is a new chair we got for him that's electric.  Less strenuous to operate, but will take some getting used to by him.  This has been quite a process and we're still working on trying to get him VA benefits to help with the medical costs.  We met with an elder attorney the other day....more paper work and costs involved with that.  Getting old sure isn't easy!!

Horrified to learn this, lol!  My steps have been up and down of late with all the Dad related stuff vs my ability to actually walk and or exercise.  You'll note my Walking 4 Fun Badge in the right sidebar