Vintage Ann Ta-Dah!!

Have you ever had a project that you fell in love with after just one square?
I can honestly say that this is one of those kind of projects.

The first 50 squares

I have loved every second of this blanket.

 

70 squares

85 squares and 1 photobombing dog...

I love when they are big enough to wrap up in early on a cold winter morning. 

Also loved the fact that I kept up with those pesky ends!
Tara left a comment wanting to know how many ends...I figured there were around 1400!

Used Lucy's join-as-you-go method (as always.)

I used every scrap from my stash. 

Wool, acrylic, bamboo, silk... 

The only yarn I bought for this project was the Charcoal Gray. 

 

The border...what to do?! 

I Finally decided after a few fails with different colors

that solid grey was what was needed. 

Blocking...so many pins!

and blocking

and more blocking!!

Don't you just love the open-ness of the edging?

 

Naughty Mr. Norris.  It was still wet, had a hundred pins sticking in it everywhere

and 2 fans blowing on it.  He doesn't seem to mind.

Total color randomness

So soft and drapey and full of all my favorite colors...

170 squares in total, 10 rows for the border,  316 picots to finish it off.

 

Ta-dah!!  Total blanket happiness!
 

(The start of this project is Here and a bit of an update here.)

While I was waiting  for the blanket to block and dry,

I found a little bag of hearts left over from Valentines day. 

 Can one room every have too much crochet? 

 

I don't think so. 

 

These sweet little hearts are now hanging above my closet. 

I can lay under my wonderful, happy, every color of the rainbow blanket and look up at these...

I am extremely happy, happy!

Now on to the next project!!

 

Linking up with

Erika

Nicole
Wanda Ann
Kathe

Gratitude Sunday

 

Linking up with Taryn for Gratitude Sunday

Sunday's heartfelt tradition. A time to slow down, to reflect, to be grateful. A list of gratitudes.

A nice afternoon out with my husband and son.  A wonderful lunch, a little shopping and a walk around the lake. 

A good cleaning out and organizational week.  These don't happen enough.  But I am grateful when they do.

Enough leftovers from last Sunday that I didn't have to cook once this week.

Grateful that the leftovers are gone!

Time this week to do what I needed to get done.

Sitting in the shade watching them play.

A rainy Sunday afternoon!  A perfect time to crochet by an open window!

A Happy Sunday!

I love Sunday afternoons.  The kids have gone home.

 The house is semi-straightened, (as good as it is going to get anyway!)

It is peaceful and  quiet!


He asked if I wanted to get out for a little while. 
Yes, always.
 

 

A beautiful blue Spring sky

 

 

 

The mountains were looking an extra shade of lovely green

 

 

It was such a pretty day. 

We drove around with no destination in mind.

 

We followed the sun, talking and singing...
Playing name that song from the 80's channel.

 

 

 

loving the sound of quickly flowing water over the rocks

 

Must remember it is still Spring, not Summer yet.  The water was freezing!

 

Amazing dappled sunlight through the trees

 

Such a quiet and peaceful spot

 

Spring always feels so clean and fresh and cool and bright and new

 

 

 

A very happy Sunday indeed.

Home Sweet Home!

 Week 6 in the Crochet challenge was make a scrap project using your yarn stash. 

Well that is easy enough.

I was searching through pintrest and other blogs for something new

when I happened across Alessandra's blog!

 

Oh! My! Goodness!! 

 

I immediately grabbed my hook and some scraps and got started.

I modified her pattern slightly.  But really, it is perfect just as it is.

 

 

For the very first time I did some hand-stitching to add the home, sweet, home...

I need to practice.  A LOT!   

 

 

A little felted heart for the center...

 

 

I added one of Lucy's scrappy birds...and hung it up by the front door.

I am so happy with this little scrap project. 

 

 

 

 

I also have been adding to this crazy, never-ending afghan. 

Scraps from every project I have been working on. 

Sort of like a memory quilt, but a crochet version.

 

 

One square has 31 color changes!!  I am using a size 5 hook and joining as I go.

Trying to weave in the ends before they get too out of hand.

 

 

 

 This is what 31 color-changes looks like from behind!   

62 ends in one square?!  What was I thinking?

 

 

Linking up with

Erika

Nicole

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mandala Update...

I have been looking for a different walking trail.  I love the one we currently use, but it is really for bikes and I always feel like I am in the way.  Well I found one...straight up....a mountain!  It took about 2 hours to hike halfway up.  There was still a lot of mountain left.  But we were exhausted. 

My goal is to make it all the way to the top by the end of the summer.

 

This is where we started...already quite a ways up. 

We parked the car and off we went!

 

 

I had been talking for about 10 minutes...I had asked him a question that he didn't answer. 

 I looked over at him and this is what I saw.  I had been totally tuned out! 

Oh well, it was nice to just have him with me.

Phew...we are about half way up at this point.

 Time to turned around and try again another day.  Such a perfect blue sky! 

 The mountains in the distance are beginning to turn green. 

I am going to enjoy my new trail.

Mandala Madness has struck here! 

I have been busy discovering new patterns and creating some Easter gifts.

 

This one is for a friend who after 35 years finds herself on her own for the first time. 

She has bought the cutest little house and my goal is to decorate it in mandalas

and throws and pillows!  Hope she thinks that it is ok!

 

(pattern here)

 

She spotted this while we were out one day.   

I love the way it throws little circles everywhere.

 

This was my original plan...but it hides the openness of the mandala

 

and then I thought about this...to help catch anything that is to small from falling out. 

 But you lose the details of the basket...

But I guess it is really not up to me!  I just hope she likes it.

 

 

This was a set of salt and pepper shakers that my mother-in-law had. 

 I think they are probably from the 50's! 

We don't use them, but they are so pretty to look at!

 

This one is for my daughter.

(pattern here)

 

I love these candles from Wal-Mart. 

They are similar to Bath and Body works, but are about $6.00 cheaper per candle. 

 The label peels off easily so all you see is the pretty colored wax.

They smell really good and have names like

Honeysuckle, Lilac Breeze, Lemon Basil, Clean Cotton.

 

This one has a total of 13 rounds to it. 

At round 7 I got totally frustrated and decided I was done!

It is not the pattern, it's me. 

 I have it on my to-do list to go back and tray to figure out rounds 8-13.

(pattern here)

 

Mandalas are done (for today anyway) 

I still have 3 more I want to make before Friday to give away to some of the girls at work. 

 Wish me luck!

Here are some little happies that I pulled out as we begin to decorate for Easter.

Salt and pepper shakers...

Mr. and Mrs. Bunny.  Chloe said that I had to buy both so they wouldn't be lonely! 

Seeing them together, she was right of course.

 

I am linking up with

Erika

 Chrissie
Nicole
Hannapat
Sara