I love it when someone can take a simple object like a crochet hook and make it come to life bursting with personality. That’s what Stephanie of Obey Crochet does with her irreverent and oh-so-funny hook humor.
She doesn’t mean to incite a battle between crocheters and knitters, but it is too funny to resist.
Even though I am mostly a knitter and only an occasional crocheter, I can’t help but crack a smile at her hook humor. Then I come to discover that she’s a fellow Texan! Go grab some more laughs at Obey Crochet. I will close with one more drawing that all hookers and sticksters can surely agree on.
It seemed fitting to close out this HOT summer in flames. Andrea and the wonderful Miss D from I Love Schnauzers shared the Blog on Fire award with Agujas. When I came across I Love Schnauzers, I was hooked. Andrea knits a little bit of everything and makes the cutest doggie sweaters – and Miss D is the perfect model. Thank you Andrea and Miss D for heating up my day!
The rules are to share 8 unusual things about yourself (or your pet) and then share the award with 8 other bloggers who are on fire! Since this honor was bestowed by a line of dog lovers, most of them wrote about their pets, so I will too. My pets have been gone a long time, so this is in memoriam.
Despite their spirited names, Tequila (terrier-schnauzer mix adopted from the SPCA) and Vodka (blonde pomapoo adopted from friends) only imbibed non-alcoholic beverages.
Tequila liked his on the rocks. Give him an ice cube and he would slip and slide all over the kitchen floor chasing it until he crunched it all up.
Tequila was the athletic type – extremely agile and fast. He could jump 2-3 feet into the air like a jackrabbit on steroids.
Tequila had cat-like qualities. He could jump onto the sofa or bed without making a single sound.
Vodka was the dreamer. He would follow Tequila faithfully on their romps but was easily distracted. He would give chase to butterflies and then look around in panic when Tequila was out of his line of sight.
Vodka would nudge his nose under my hand until he was nestled under it so that I could rub his neck.
Vodka was clumsy. If he ran too fast, his short legs would give way under him and he would run into things.
They were mischievous. Once I left them in the backyard to get fresh air and sunshine. Apparently, they broke out of the yard and roamed the neighborhood because when I drove up to the house, there they were both sitting at the front door with very guilty looks on their faces.
Here are Tequila (black-bearded fella) and Vodka (blondie). DISCLAIMER: This picture was taken a LONG time ago.
In the spirit of these blog awards, here are 8 blogs that are on fire that I encourage you to visit.
Grackle and Sun – learn how to use natural dyes for your yarn
And to end summer on an even lovelier note, thanks to Seascapes AUS for sharing the One Lovely Blog award with Agujas. Since this honor was already bestowed, I just want to say thanks and encourage all of you to go see the lovely paintings of the sea.
After organizing my yarn and taking inventory, I entered my stash into my Vogue Knitting app.
The app is simple to use and well-organized with sections for Projects, Needles, Hooks, and Yarn. I often refer to the needle listing to avoid buying duplicates.
The yarn listing is helpful to determine if I have the right gauge and quantity of yarn for projects. I also like that I can track progress on my WIPs using the electronic row counters in the Projects section.
My one concern is that this app is not very stable. It often shuts down in the middle of searching my inventory or entering new items. The app goes for $3.99 which is not a lot but then most apps are either free or sell for only 99¢. I submitted a review for the app with these concerns and read that others are experiencing the same problem. I hope they fix it soon.
Or the equivalent of 14,733 meters or 14.7 kilometers for my metric friends.
That’s the size of my yarn stash.
83 skeins or balls of yarn.
This does not include batts, rovings, locks or any other unspun fiber in my possession.
This past Christmas, I told my husband I wanted pretty baskets in which to keep my yarn. I had yarn stashed away in mis-matched baskets scattered around the house in closets, the guest bedroom, and in the living room. He selected these three baskets with lids from Pottery Barn. They’re perfect for hiding, I mean organizing my yarn.
I use this hand-woven basket we brought back from Oaxaca, Mexico for corralling knitting-related items.
I still have some random baskets. This small round one is from Morocco and is probably meant to hold bread but I keep pretty fiber in it.
I wonder if yarn is covered under my homeowner’s policy?
Summer is coming to an end. The back-to-school sales are in full swing and soon my daily commute will take longer when the school zones reactivate.
We didn’t venture far from home this summer. Earlier this year, we knew we would have to install a new air conditioning system in our home before the sweltering heat of summer arrived. That pretty much ate up any travel plans we might have had, but it made for a much more bearable summer.
Then there was Mom’s surgery in June. I took her to her 6 week follow-up appointment and the doctor gave her a seal of approval. Mom is doing splendidly and is back home. She just hit a milestone birthday – 70. My brothers and their kids took her to dinner and we surprised her afterward with a mariachi band that serenaded her in her front yard. She danced with my brother under the stars surrounded by her grandchildren.
The boys are ready to go back to school and see their friends every day and show off their driving permits. They’ve had their fill of hot, lazy days full of video games, Batman, days at the beach, swimming in the neighborhood pool, and outdoor grilling.
Our boys are growing up. They will be Sophomores in high school next year. Only three more years before they are marching across the stage in their caps and gowns and then driving off to start their independent lives. Have we prepared them? What is left to be done in only three years in the midst of homework, exams, work and sleep?
I tell my husband, “In only three years, it will be just you and me.” He looks at me guardedly from the corner of his eye and asks, “Why do you say that like it’s a threat?” That cracks a big smile on my face. I can’t think of anyone else I’d rather be with than him.
Here are some glimpses of our summer.
The waters of the Gulf of Mexico off Galveston Island.Flowering plant from my aunt’s home in Southwest Texas.It’s Texas – there are cacti everywhere.Driving past on our way to visit Mom. I used to swim in the cold waters of the Nueces River as a little girl.Pink roses “just because” from the husband.The ever-present knitting project.
Agujas 