Keeping your hands busy-Again

While mom was in the hospital this time, I tried to keep busy crocheting again, I tried to do as many butterflies as I could, and I did a few more white with smaller thread, and a multi-colored and a hot pink one... but I was interrupted so often that I kind of gave up... one day I took my beads with me, thinking that there was the possibility of getting some of my swap n hop projects done... nope... the only time that there would have been enough time at a stretch to work on them was during the night... the first few nights after surgery, the nurses were in the room every half hour after that, they were in every hour, and the last night it was two hours in between!! YES! Honestly, I wasn't able to sleep much but I couldn't really work either. The lights needed to be low because Mom was so tired, she needed every bit of rest that she could get... so I sat in the dark or semi-dark and either crocheted or just sat.
It is so hard for me to just sit...

keeping your hands busy

While my mother was in the hospital recently, I needed to keep busy while visiting. I can't sit long, and when I am sitting, I have to have something in my hand or I go crazy. When it was time for her to eat, I was ok. I helped her eat and I was occupied, but when it was quiet, and nothing to keep my mind from roaming... it was pretty boring and well...you know me.. when I'm bored, I can get into trouble... What is that saying about idle hands being ?

I took some thread to work with to keep me out of trouble. Not that it helped much, I still had way too much time on my hands. But... I did get a couple of things made. First a shawl for Mom. It started out to be a lap blanket, but when I realized that she was going to leave the hospital and her dress to leave in was sleeveless, I turned it into a quick shawl for her shoulders. I didn't take a picture of it, or her... and I could kick myself. The dress looked very, very nice on her.
The other item I made was a baby wrap. It is a piece of linen that I've had forever, and thought it would be a nice summer blanket for a little one. It is a turquoise color of linen that I picked out when I needed a couple of shirts after I had my son. I thought the linen would be nice and cool... but I never made the shirts. When I would start to sew, my son would be fussy and I just gave up trying to get much done. I folded the linen and put it away, and forgot about it!

just started to tack down

A few years ago, I came across the linen pieces while cleaning up my sewing room and moving things out. I used some of the coral color that I purchased at the same time. It was used in a quilt and a few bonnets, but I saved the turquoise.
I think it is coming out ok. First the crocheted edging and then I made a crocheted butterfly for the body of the blanket. I like this pattern. I've used it for over 30 years for numerous projects. I think the first was for a blanket for my daughter... then a skirt, pillowslips... and back to blankets! It is fast, and pretty and I really love that it looks like a butterfly.

I just got started stitching it down to the linen when they announced that Mom was going to be dismissed, so I haven't finished tacking it down, but it will look better when fully finished. Crochet is a lovely way to keep the hands busy. I think next time I'll make a set of mittens or something a little smaller. Maybe a cap... this size is pretty small (30"x30") but it was hard to keep from shifting off my lap. Think a smaller project would be easier to handle. Last time she was in... I knit an infinity scarf... it turned out ok and was easy to handle.

One day at a time

The weeks have flown by, never a dull moment with me and my house.
The first of the year brought cold, colds, and lots of work.
My mother had a bad cold that left her feeling terrible. She turned 90 the end of the month and she seemed to be going downhill quickly. But she perked up a bit, after she was over the 'cold' or whatever she had... We had it in the house as well, my son came down with it first, so I am pretty sure it came from school. He now has manflu... not just a cold anymore. sheesh.
So, February brought my birthday, Valentine's, and work, work, work...
March brought the Scottish-Irish Faire... and more work,work, work...
April has brought more sickness for my mother. She's been in the hospital again, which is so sad. It is hard to see her suffering. But... for 90, I guess no one can be without some problems?
There are so many projects that I started, some that I never finished due to time, energy, and money restraints... and some that I have finished and am pretty proud of.
I made a couple of mirror frames for a two little girls, I think they came out pretty well. Was happy that they were delivered without too much trouble...
I say without too much... I broke a mirror.... before I put it in the frame, then one that I had already put in the frame... yikes!  but got them to their house without more trouble...


 They were totally different themes, one was faeries, Pegasus, and flowers, the other was underwater theme... with mermaids and fishes... I like how they turned out.

swaps and hops

I received my package from my beed peeps partner Alicia Marinache and was so excited to see the goodies that she sent! I love that we have similar tastes and similar ideas of what to send. Neither one of us had any idea what the other would send... but it was similar none the less!
she sent some of the prettiest etched brass components that I have ever seen! I think they are quite lovely and can't wait to use them!!!
She also sent a glass pendant, a ceramic pendant, and a beautiful worn shell, one that has been washed by the tide and sand and is smooth and beautiful!!! I love working with shells!!!


By the way, I never buy purple for myself, but I felt like adding some glass beads that I had received and never used, and they had blue and purple together... so I bought some purple beads to go along with them! And what did Alicia send me?? Nearly the same colors!!! When I sent them, I thought... hmmmm.... those are really pretty! I nearly kept them! LOL!!!  So.. I sent her some resin 'sea' components... and she sent me some polymer 'sea' components!!  I LOVE THEM!

Somehow I missed this picture! I love the color~

            I sent her some purple glass... she sent me some purple!! I love this swap!~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Items that I sent to Alicia were very similar in color and material! I sent a polymer clay mokume gane  that I made, some resin 'shells' and resin pendants  and ceramic beads and a Lapis Lazuli teardrop and some glass, Czech, and crystals and even a few seed beads to play around with... I had a few spools of wire that I threw in, oh, and a strip of 'silk' that I thought she might be able to work in somehow. I had hand dyed it and then found out that it wasn't silk well, it is half silk and half polyester! anyway, I thought it was pretty!!!