afghan

So here is the project I've been working on for the past ten days or so.  It's made of four colors that represent the favorite colors of four family members {a mother, father, son, and daughter}.  It's laid out in the traditional log cabin quilt design.  Each granny square is made using the double crochet stitch.  Until all the rows are connected, thread is connecting individual squares in each row, such that when the entire thing is down {all rows joined using claret yarn as these six are}, then the columns will be joined with claret as well...replacing the thread with yarn~~the seams are done in a slip stitch.  I'll post more pix as the project progresses.

new chair

My husband has been needing a good recliner for quite some time.  Something that will last and be sturdy.  So we'd stopped by Woodlawn a few times to get a few idears of what might work.  Woodlawn's school system merged with another a couple few years back, freeing up the campus.  Woodlawn Furniture, a large wholesale/retail facility, set up shop in the five or ten buildings.  Next to the main office is a large wooden board that most likely had been where the school posted announcements for the public.  Woodlawn Furniture's map is the entire board.  And you do need the map, cuz things are pretty well organized, but it is a large area to browse.  So we went to building five, where the recliners are, and took a look~see.  Twice, in the past six months.

This morning, my husband suggested going to a factory outlet here in Starkville.  I'd heard of this place, but had never been.  Flexsteel makes a variety of products, and some of their items end up a little off of perfect, but are still functional and in pretty good condition.  This chair was in the warehouse space they use for those items and also for bolts of upholstery {heavy material in a huge variety of patterns}.  For the price, comfort, durability, I'd say we got a good thing here!

Now that I know where the store is, I'll return.  There are a few bins of remnants, marked at a dollar.  These are very suitable for tote bags, purses, and other items.  I have a few projects in mind, so some Thursday, Friday, or Saturday, I will visit this place again.

My mother will probably come to visit in March.  She asked what project I'd like to work on, as there are a few areas in the house still unpainted {like the master suite}~~which is what her major present to us had been for our wedding.  I said that I thought a non~working visit might be nice.  She and I had picked up some material last October for me to make a slip cover for my sofa and also I had bought enough so that I can redo the seats of our dining chairs.  She suggested that we work on that project, which would be very nice, as my mom is a seamstress and I am not.  I could probably do it, but I'd rather have her input, as that is one area of her expertise!

Kitty in a doggy~suit

Our Sophie truly is a kitty in a doggie suit!  She loves to curl up atop the chairs' backs, just like a kitty.  I have never known another dog to do this, tho I'm sure there are.  Sophie is such a cuddle bug.  She makes do with me, but is truly a poppy's girl.  My husband comes home, she meets him at the door, begs to be picked up and snuggled, and then spends the evening in his lap while he watches the TV.  When we go to bed, she slips under the covers, by his legs.  I wake during the night, to find her curled around his head, burrowed into the pillow with him.  In the morning, after he leaves, she shuffles over, so that she is tucked into me.  All day, she is my baby, but as soon as my husband appears, Sophie is alllllllllllllllllllll about him!  That's more than ok, cuz I am too.

uhm

Earlier today, my husband and I went to town to run a few errands and we'd stopped at Chili's to have lunch.  I saw one of their signs for a margarita special and ordered one.  The waitress asked for my ID.  I stared at her for a moment, in disbelief.  She just carded me.  Because my husband was driving his GMC pickmeup, I didn't bring my purse with my license.  I was sure she was joking, so I told her that I appreciated the compliment, but really, I'm forty.  Then she did a double take and said, "uhm, noooOOOooo....you're not.  And I can't serve you, unless I can see your ID."

Honestly folks, this face might not look forty per se, but it sure as hell doesn't look under 21!

Puppy love

It's been a little while since I posted anything about Sophie, our almost twenty week chiweenie.  She romps about in bed when we first lay down.  Then she settles, usually under the covers between us, or by our legs.  As the night goes on, she gets a little too warm, and wriggles her way partially out.  So that she ends up in this position, as shown, with her head and upper arms out of the covers and her lower body still covered:  just like her humans!  It's just way too cute and I know that I have an unreasonably deep affection for her.  We spoil her and hold her and cuddle her and she just has this complete trust that she is the center of our world and that her safety is secure.

Even Shaddow indulges Sophie's play.  There are times when Shaddow is not up for messing with Sophie, esp when Shaddow is tired and wants to rest.  She gives a warning growl and then a nip in Sophie's direction if not heeded.  But every evening, the two canines romp about, mouthing each other.  Sophie fearlessly tugs on Shaddow's lips,  even putting her head inside Shaddow's mouth.  It's strange to see Shaddow let her do that!

Scuppernongs

So this is the project I started yesterday.  I drew up the graph, planned it out, and then started to crochet it.  I finished it about half an hour ago.  What's left for me to do, is to frame it, or finish it for hanging.  Or I can make an afghan, featuring this piece.  Options, options, options.

Bill's wall~hanging

Our best~man, Bill, has a nautical room in his remodeled home.  So, my husband picked out the subject {ship's navigation wheel} and the shades {Bill's favorite colors are blue and brown}.  I graphed out a design {which took about two hours} and started to crochet it this afternoon.  Here it is, half done.

Project Status: DONE

 So about a month ago, I started this afghan.  It's now finished.  It's king sized, and then some!  I finished the second side at about the stroke of midnight, tucked in all the loose ends, rolled it out, and took some pix.  On to the next project, an afghan for our wedding's best man and his wife, whom we will be visiting in April.

Snow, in Mississippi {again}

Well, late this afternoon, it began to flurry and then those flurries added up to a few inches of snow.  I've been living here ten years, and this is the most snow we've ever gotten.  And twice!  In one winter, wow.  I know that to you who are not this far south, ya'll are probably thinking, "what's the big fuckin' deal?!?"  And to that I got one word....

Mississippi.

project status: one side completed

 This afghan is folded up so that it makes it a tad easier for me to maneuver it while working on it.  What you see here is what would normally drape over the side of the bed.  I have a feeling that this afghan no longer is for a queen sized mattress, but has now grown to king size.  I mean, this is placed diagonally on the queen and still flopped over the ends!



This features a rendition of my husband's eldest son's artist's stamp.  An artist's stamp is what you'd see on the bottom of most potters' pieces.  It's a signature of sorts that shows creatorship.


Here you can see the stylized Ws.  It's actually the center gold marking.  I just replicated the stamp across the width of the afghan {actually the length of the side}.  It's a diamond with hash marks, but is actually W's {the family surname}.


So, I have one side left on this afghan and then this piece will be completed!

New bed

My Shaddow Lane has had her own sofa since she was a puppy over nine years ago.  The one she'd had out on the farm for the first few years of her life was given away at one point to people who needed it more than she did {wasn't that nice of her to give it up?  yeah, I thought so too}.  Since last year, she's been sleeping one an over~stuffed nice number.  I usually make it up with sheets and then when those sheets need it, I change them out.  I've got quite a few set aside for her, cuz they are for one reason or the other not good for human guest use, but fine for her!

But Shaddow is over nine now, and she is getting slower in some ways and stiffer and it hurts her sometimes to climb up on the sofa.  So my husband built her a lower bed.  We moved the sofa off to the side and one of my husband's children is going to pick it up when she moves into her new place this month.

The new bed seemed strange to Shaddow at first and it took some time for her to give it a try, but eventually she stepped up on it and circled about and got comfy.  Now she loves it.  It actually gives her move room to stretch out than the sofa did!  It's a bit wider too, so she can lie in a few different positions that she couldn't manage with the sofa.

When Shaddow was not having much to do with the new bed, she tried to fit herself onto Sophie's bed.  Sophie then hopped up onto Shaddow's new bed as though she were showing Shaddow that this is what ya do!  The other night, they were both curled up on the new bed, cuz they are getting along much better more often now.





Awwww, ain't thet kah~YUTE~ah?

sharing the snicks

This pic and several different versions of the story are circulating again thru eMail.  I'm guessing it's due to the amount of snow falling over much of the country and how very tired folks are of the whole situation.  So if humor can be found, yea!!

Hope you find it as humorous as my husband and I did.

project status: psi symbol completed

 The Psi~symbol has been completed!  Yea!!  Compare to the symbol found online pictured in the last entry.

 ...next up, sides!  I have to first graph and plan them before working on them.  They will be based on my husband's eldest son's artist's stamp.  His pottery stamp is a stylized set of "W"s that sort of resembles a diamond shape with hash~marks.  I think.  I mean, when we examined our pottery pieces, that's what both my husband and I came up with.  I'm fairly certain that he {the eldest son} doesn't read my blog and if he does {HI!} then I guess the surprise has been spoiled.  But that's the main reason why I don't just say, "hey, yeah, I was wondering, would you draw your artist's stamp out for me, thanks!"