Fun with G-Daddy at Maymont Park

Basket O' Goodness

I ordered several items last week from Heather of Highland Handmades and received them lickety-split! Look at all that goodness.

The only bad thing … I can’t decide what to start on first. The good thing … I have more stuff on the way. (hehe)

Sweet Dreams

I made this pillowcase for my granddaughter's birthday . . .

Sweet dreams, Addisyn.

Silliness with G-Daddy

This video is cute but shaky.  Katherine and I were laughing so hard that we missed some of the funniest part because we thought we were recording and we weren't (which you can hear us discussing at the beginning).  Near the end, Addisyn says, "Mommy, let's go to Grandmother's", who is my mom a/k/a Betty.  Her grandchildren learn at a very early age to say "Grandmother."

 

 

 

He Says He Loves Them

What can you knit for a University of South Carolina Gamecocks fan who plays ALOT the occasional game of golf that he is guaranteed to love and use all the time?

I knit the Five Wood, Three Wood and Driver covers using Laura's Loop:  Knit Golf Club Covers pattern on The Purl Bee.

 

 

 

 

Then The Hood a/k/a USC Gamecocks fan said, "Can you make a putter cover?"  And I thought to myself, "I don't see why not.  I'm so smart and all."  (hehe)

The Hood has an Odyssey White Hot XG Rossie putter.  So I took the 5 Wood pattern and modified it...

This first attempt was okay but had design flaws.  Notice I was so optimistic, though, I finished it completely and even put in the color changes.  :-}


So I modified again...

This second attempt was better, but not there yet.  By now I'm wondering if I really am as smart as I thought.  But I did stop before I finished the top!


And I modified again...

I used pink for the third attempt thinking if I got it right, I could use it.  There were still issues with the backside that covers the face of the putter.  I shortened the bottom and top so as not to waste time.  I am smart!  :~\ 


Once again I modified...

This fourth attempt was on point.  The slant was right and it fit the flat side of the putter exactly. 


Finally...

He says he loves them. But then, he has to say that. ;-)

 

Lazy Sunday Afternoon

Where is Spring!?!

It is snowing.

Again.

 

It Happened Yesterday

 

It involved the storm door, Wishbone, the cats and my foot.  Don't worry, the storm door and animals are fine.  My heel, however, has 5 stitches.  On the bright side, maybe I will get a project (or 2) completed while I am convalescing.

Handmade Knitting Needle Cases

I had this problem.  Too many knitting needles to fit into this pink box.

Oh, yes, there are several needles for every size from 0 to 13 (no room for the bigger ones).  I was always frustrated digging through them trying to find the ones I needed.

I looked for a nice needle case (one that was actually designed for the job), but they are expensive! And I could not find one that I loved enough to pay $40+.

So I did what any girl who took home ec in high school would do.  I pulled out my sewing machine, dug around in my fabrics, found some notions and made my own.

And the best part  - -  I already had everything! I re-purposed an old denim jumper that I used to wear, an old ironing board cover (see the one with the green, blue, yellow and pink stripes), a yellow and white fat-quarter square I bought sometime ago at a quilt shop because I liked it, binding tape and snaps.  How's that for savings!?!


Here are a few features you might not notice right away:

Tie closures...

Snaps to keep my needles secure...

They roll up just like the store-bought ones...

So they are easy to tuck into my knitting bag just in case I stumble upon a new project which I must start immediately (that happens occasionally).

Some things are just better when you make them yourself.  ;-)

Outside Looking In

Good Eats!

Homemade.

From Scratch.

Pizza

Cupcakes

Nuff said.

Too Cute

A Tiny Sweater Wine Tag!

I made this mini sweater using Susan B. Anderson's Tiny Top-Down Pullover Sweater pattern.  Easy Peasy.  A small amount of worsted weight merino yarn and a little bit of time.  Adorable!  I definitely will be making more of these (maybe as Christmas ornaments next year).

   

Spicy Garlic Oil

This stuff is like liquid gold . . .

Use as a dipping oil for bread.  Drizzle on pizza.  Add a little when browning hamburger and onions for spaghetti sauce to give your sauce some extra flavor.  You can use it anytime in place of olive oil when you want to add some spice.  It is super simple to make and smells heavenly!

1/2 cup Olive Oil (any kind, does not need to be extra virgin)
2 teaspoons Paprika
2 teaspoons Red Pepper Flakes
2 cloves Garlic, coarsely chopped
1/4 teaspoon Salt

Bring all ingredients to a boil in a small saucepan over medium heat.  Reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes.  Remove pan from heat and let cool for 30 minutes before using.

Store in a jar in the refrigerator.  It will keep for 3 months.  There will be some separation and the oil will thicken as it chills, so remove it from the refrigerator an hour or so before using and stir well.
 
Enjoy!

Skinny Peacock Scarf

A long time ago I bought some "Fat Annie" roving (a Texel/Cotswold cross) from The Crazy Sheep Lady at Punkin's Patch. A lovely white roving. It never crossed my mind to take a picture (that's how long ago it was).

Some time ago I dyed the roving using Country Classic Dyes, some Saran Wrap and a large dye pot. It crossed my mind to take a picture, but it never happened.

Recently, I spun about 1 ounce of the green-dyed roving and 1 ounce of the blue/green-dyed roving and then made this 2-ply yarn (about 130 yards). The colors remind me of a peacock.

I wanted knit something simple and quick to see if I was on track with my dying and spinning skills (eek). So last month I picked the chevron and eyelet pattern from Vogue Knitting:  The Ultimate Knitting Book, decided on a 4-stitch garter border to help it lie flat, grabbed my Size 7 DPN's and cast on.  It ended up being 3 1/2 inches x 80 inches.  I could not stop knitting this pattern over and over again!  And now I have this scarf to keep me warm . . .

Ta-Da!

Saturday Smile

Ding-A-Ling

This was my perspective at 8:15 a.m. last Saturday morning while attending a Virginia Baptist Handbell Festival with the Brandermill Church Branderbell Ding-a-Lings Choir.

We put in lots of hard work and practice, and made some beautiful music.  Did you know when you ring a bell, the sound comes out of the side of the casing not the top?

Our Branderbell Choir director gave us each a goodie bag like this . . .

Inside was a bottle of water for those rare breaks during practice, munchies to sustain us until lunch and something no goodie bag would be complete without -- chocolate!  Thanks, Dawn!

Wait!  Are those knitting needles in my lap?  Well, of course.  I will share more about that later.

Oh, Happy Day!

So glad to finally be able to share these pictures...

An Apology from Wishbone

A couple of weeks ago it was snowing at my house and I wanted to go outside. Five minutes later (after scarfing up all the cat food), I wanted to come back inside. While I stood at the back door with Friskies crumbs on my nose and the most pitiful look I could make, my dad took my picture. Now my dad is receiving hate mail. My mom said I had to apologize . . . 

 

Sorry, Dad.  *sigh*

 

Wednesday Words

Most days life is uneventful.  Some days, however, life happens.