Sunday, April 15, 2007

Granny Square start



Like my coasters? Actually they're the centers of the start of my next lap blanket. \

Because so much of the leftover yarn was too short in length to be part of the ripple blanket, they're perfect for this granny square!

Found the pattern in an old book I have Illustrated Pathwork Crochet by Bella Scharf (published by Butterick Publishing in 1976). It's called Graphic Granny One and I'm looking forward to playing with the circles and squares. So far I'm just crocheting the circles. Then I'll choose a color(s) for the surrounding crochet that wraps the circle and creates a square.

By the way, all this yarn is from my mom - and this blanket will be a memory piece for me.

Sentimental Ripple Lap Blanket




I also got caught up in the ripple craze ... especially when cleaning/organizing my mom's work room. Boxes and boxes of yarn - some for future projects and lots of small plastic bags with yarn from sweaters she's made over the years (30+ years of knitting). Each bag had the year and name of the person she knitted the sweater for. Because of the alkheimers she doesn't remember, and so much of what she has she doesn't want to do any more. So I asked my dad if I could have the yarn scraps and knew this was the perfect project for them.

It's sized to cover a lap rather than a bed - and is more of the soft ripple. Every row is a different color, and it was an interesting process of mixing colors into combinations I wouldn't usually think of.


My brother's birthday is coming up at the end of this month, so I told my dad I want to give it to him for his birthday, and because it's a part of our mom and memories that he wouldn't otherwise have since he doesn't knit/crochet. I'm happy with how it turned out, and want to share it with him. Happy birthday bro!


Monday, April 9, 2007

Library Project


It's been an interesting process setting up the library area. Table in, table out. Chair in, chair out. What's left in the final version is bookshelves and a footstool (covered with a prayer rug from Saudi Arabia).
The project is the (faux) Japanese screen with the cranes ... faux because it is material and paper glued to a canvas. It still needs "something" but I haven't visualized yet what it is, so for now the canvases just lean up against the wall.

More Kitchen Pictures



Kitchen Update


Finally got around to putting the pictures back in the kitchen. WOW did not realize how much I missed the color they added!

Sunday, April 8, 2007

Playroom



Storage area on the left side of the door that needs a curtain panel to hide the clutter ...

Playroom


Storage area on the right side of the door

Playroom Progress

Have moved materials and tools to my "playroom" and over the past months arranged storage. The pictures show progress during ... what's left to do on this side is sew up a panel to cover the bookshelf. Everything I've used is recycled from other parts of the house or marked down at the store. The spring green paint only cost $1 for a quart!

I still need to mount closet rod holders for a curtain panel on the left side of the door to hide the storage units there. Then I need to decide how I want to finish the glass panel on the door - I have the white film that lets light thru ... or I could glue rice paper for more texture. The film will obscure while the rice paper will still allow a view into the next room. Or I could just leave it clear or paint a design. So many options :-)