By Special Request

I'm feeling pretty darned popular! I have two special request afghans I am working on and the granny square one is moving along pretty well. (This is an old photo of the first one I made. The one I'm working on now looks just like it, except it's further along so I didn't see the point of taking another photo.
The blue afghan is also going well. I have 9 squares done - I'm pretty sure it's 9, if not then 7, maybe 10. I don't know how many squares total will be in the final project. I'm steam blocking two squares at a time and I'm getting a kick out of that, too.
Both projects will be making the trip with us - since we are traveling in the new vehicle, there's plenty of room for yarn projects so the huge bag of blue yarn and the huge bag of granny square yarn will both have room and I can happily go between projects. I'm thinking the squares will have to be shown the landmarks along the way - and as soon as I discover what landmarks there are along the way I'll be sure to point them out.

Poor Mr. Honey! He has sciatica and yesterday it decided to flair and he's been walking around like he's in a slow motion replay. Just the thing he needed before a vacation. Please send prayers for his recovery. He's really miserable when this happens because he can't do all he'd like. And an unhappy hubby is an unhappy me.

The Return of the Top Ten

I did not forget the Top Ten. It just seems like I've forgotten the top ten...I did not though. I am listing the top ten finds I've run across trolling on Etsy. And here's a new twist. If anyone on the top ten wishes it, they can have a 4ft free table space at the June19th Craft Cafe. That's a savings of $15. So they can have a 4ft. space for nothing or an 8ft space for just $10!


So, without further ado, here's the Top Ten finds on Etsy this week:

1. Chicago Jewels - Lincoln Park Pretty Botanicals
It's simple and it's pretty.

2.Chicago Vintage - Earrings
I recently met someone who makes jewelry from paper and it was stunning. These are great and I would spend the money for them. I would make sure the weather didn't have a chance of rain!

3.Girl Savage - Bunny Rabbit
You just have to go look for yourself. I swear if she had a unicorn, i'd be tempted.

4. Gloria Lynn Glass - Glass Heart
Love the color! Love the shape! Love the color!

5. Leaves of Glass - Vintage Earrings
These would be an excuse to go shopping as I do already have clothes to go with them but would want something special!

While we have this pause in the action, I want to give a shout to Breezy who is our latest follower: she also follows

Blonde Chicken Boutique -

Chicago Craft Social -

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Check out what she checks out and we might all learn something..let's do the last 5

6. Creative Apples - Unicorn Card
Speaking of unicorns....

7.Substance Designs - Filigree Earrings
iwanem...iwanem...iwanem...

8.Hier apparel - Obi Sling Bag
And the only questions the veterans are asking is why it took so long for a bag to show up on the list.

9. Camille Star - Colorblock bag
..and now that she's started will she stop? This bag is smoking!!

10. Nac Jac Studio - Azalea
And the answer is yes, so you can look at this gorgeous photo!

There you have it. Did you miss it? I enjoyed going through and finding things. The talent never ceases to amaze me and it's always fun finding people, places and things so close to me. I feel great that so many talented folks are within reach. I hope to see them out and about (and maybe even a few of them at the Craft Cafe!!)

7 Day Afghans

This is probably the first book of patterns I bought and believe it or not, I bought it because of the crochet patterns. There was a time when crochet was over knitting. So, I got this book and there are notes of when I tried to do some of the afghans and how many rows i did before I gave up - probably because I couldn't keep the side edges from going wonky. That would have been enough go me to stop trying it.

But now that I've matured some and I've taken up crochet once more, I have again turned to this book for inspiration. It has a lot of granny square afghans. And it also has lots of rippled afghans. Thankfully, they don't have many pictures of the hairstyles and clothes that were worn back then in the mid 80's. The few I have seen have reminded me they weren't all that fashionable when they were in fashion. Best they stick with the patterns and they do. There's a very adorable pattern that if you make the squares the way they tell you to and you lay them out following their instructions, you will have crocheted an afghan with toy train motifs all over it. One day I will have to give that a go.

There are over 40 patterns given by Jean Leinhauser and Rita Weiss and with the exception of just one or two (OK no more than 4) they are all something I would at least attempt to make. I can't attempt any of them right now because I have two special order afghans I have to kick out and less than a month to get them both done. But right after that might not be a bad time to start on the first afghan in the book - a classic granny square afghan. Why not, it will go quickly and I can use stash yarn.

And speaking of stash yarn. The other day, Mr. Honey remarked he didn't know how I managed to knit and crochet so much. I told him it part of the job and besides, I had to bust the yarn stash and then he said the magic words:

"Where did all that yarn go?"
"It's all over."
"Well, it seems to be disappearing."

I swear I in no way induced this statement. He wasn't plied with booze, good food or hanky panky. He said it all on his own. This is the best reinforcement there can be. The man who once said the yarn put us over the top can apparently see the top and the middle as well.

Now I know there's a lot left to get through but the fact that Mr. Honey has noticed we are not being overrun and because I know it's not like I have it hiding somewhere means progress is being made.

Another cool thing: I didn't have to restock the fiber to make the special order afghan. I have enough left over from the last one I made. Now, I was also making another afghan with that yarn and I may not have enough to finish that one off so on my shopping day (I will tell you about the designated shopping day) I will pick up a ball of each other colors. That should be enough to do because the block afghan is 1/3 done. Don't even suggest I frog in case I need some more. I worked hard on that afghan and I won't have it undone when there's nice new balls at the store. (Yes, i said and I won't even rewrite it!)

I'm really thrilled to be hitting the stash so hard that Mr. Honey notices it getting smaller. Love being on that right track.

I need to eat some protein.

The New Normal

Susie wants to know if she can borrow Mr. Honey to clean out her car. Well, you can. In fact, I have offered Mr. Honey out to my female friends for all sorts of tasks around the house. So far, he has only done a few of those things I've listed in the Mr. Honey brochure. He's helped Lois with her toilet. He helped Gayle with some problem or another. He hasn't taken any of the stud jobs my friends have asked about. I can certainly ask if he would like to travel to New York for the purpose of cleaning out a car. We will be in the east next week. We'll see.

I've decided i need to go 'back to work.' I don't mean return to corporate America - that's just crazy talk. I mean I have to go back to that eight hour work day. It makes sense given all that I have to do to make these little ventures profitable. I can't really play at working - I have to work at working. So the last few days I've been doing that eight hour thing.

Can't believe I actually used to do this every day. Get up go to an office and work for three hours, take a fifteen minute break, work another hour, take an hour lunch work two hours, take another fifteen minute break and work two hours. Who thought of this torture? I used to do this and there were days I remember I enjoyed it!

Perhaps because when I worked for someone else, my tasks were set out for me and I have to follow the formula. Now that I am the one who is trying to drive the bus, I determine stuff and it gets me a little flux sometimes.

They don't really tell you this part in entrepreneur school - well, maybe they do but since I haven't gone to entrepreneur school, I wouldn't have gotten the lesson. Don't get me wrong - love that I'm taking this shot, but I have been too long spoiled and bringing myself back to this is a bit hard. The key to free time is planning the not so free time well. Establishing oneself takes a great deal of time and commitment and the truth is: I'm a little scared. I believe I have created a step to take in the right direction to getting a crowd to the next sale and I'm a little afraid to try it. I am excited about it - but frightened. Oh, I'm going to do it. But I don't understand why it makes me nervous that it just might work.

If somebody can explain the fear of success, please do so. I believe that's what I'm dealing with. In the meantime, I have hours of work to do and then I have to write my sermon because I'm preaching tomorrow on Psalms 104:24-34 and it's all in my head but I need to get it down on paper.

I'm extremely grateful for the life I have - I just wish I treated it better.

Karkaritis

This was a happy day in Mr Honey's life. It was the first almost new car he's purchased since we've known each other. But since that day, he has been inflicted with a condition which I understand many men suffer from. Mr. Honey has an acute case of karkaritis.
(Pronounced CAR-CARE-itis.)
This condition manifests itself in the most unusual ways. For instance, I had a meeting at church and Mr. Honey was not yet home from his part time job. He arrived shortly before I left, this will be important to note. He was upstairs and I left the house to go to my car.

Usually when I open my car door on the driver side, I throw my purse on to the passenger seat. I opened the door to the car and started to throw the purse in when I noticed there was no passenger seat. It was gone. No seat at all.

Who stole my car seat? Who would break in a car and steal just the seat? No one. I walked back into the house and yelled upstairs: "Where's my seat?" To which Mr. Honey replied;

"Where's your feet?"
"Where...is..my..car..seat?"
"It's in the garage - OK?"
(Oh, so he's gonna get an attitude with me?) "No, not OK. you don't remove somebody's seat without telling them especially when you might not have been home when I discovered it. What's it doing in the garage?"

"I'm cleaning it. Take the van."

Karkaritis strikes. He has removed both seats. He has cleaned the mats. The seats. Everything. One morning I went into the car and was assaulted by that fake new car smell. And there it was - that little pine tree shaped thing hanging from the radio. Not only that. The car has been waxed.

Waxed. Like a Brazilian model.

I got the nerve to look in the trunk. Neat. I can actually kill someone, put them in the trunk and cart them off to a dump of my choice and they'd be comfortable. Provided I killed them in a way that did not drip blood.

He's not done. I don't know what else is left to do but he's been on the internet looking up cleaning stuff and he says he's not done.

You know the other thing about karkaritis? It spreads between men. His best friend lives down the street from Mr. H's sister and of course they had to do that men grunting over the new car thing and his friend told him to stop by the house because he had a gift for him.

Of course it was car related. I stepped into the new car and there were new floor mats. But not those fuzzy car mats..no..these were GI Joe car mats. Big, honking ones with ridges and valleys. "They catch the dirt." (From where? Eyjafjallajökull?)

I now feel the need to replace the ashtray that was stolen from the car because it would complete the look. I also can no longer eat in the car - either car. As I said before, that might not be a bad thing.

I am enjoying his obvious delight and don't wish to neutralize his good works so I will maintain the vehicle. My ten year old Corolla (which we've had for six years) has been renewed - and so has Mr. Honey. And considering how I have overloaded his life with yarn. It seems a pretty good trade off.

Nothing's better than a room full of yarn - and a happy hubby in the house.

The Game Plan

I had a moment - I've had several moments over the last few days. I have rocked my own world.
I have three projects going at the moment and it is having an effect on the resolution to cull the stash. I had to go in search of blue yarn because I have to make another blue afghan - remember the wedding afghan? Same premise but using different squares. I went through the upstairs stash and I think I came away with two skeins. I went to the downstairs stash - the stash mecca. I came away with five small skeins - maybe 150 yards each. That's all that's left of the color since I did the wedding afghan last August. As you can see, used lots of blues and I can't recall replacing it so I had to scavenge and what I've noticed is that some boxes and bags are more than half empty (or less than half full for those who view the world differently.) By my calculation and I have no idea if this is accurate or not, I should be able to make 10 - 15 squares with what I've collected so far, I have two squares already done and with the yarn I had from the living room stash, I should be OK with making the really big afghan I need to have done by next month - and that should get rid effectively use about ten skeins.

The second project - the granny square afghan - has one strip made and one strip one square short of being made. Haven't decided how many strips there will be. The squares are 10 inches and the strip has seven squares so even if I make it with just 42 squares that would be a nice size - though 7x7 seems really cozy and the yarn is soooooo soft. I don't think I'll run out of yarn for this one and it looks like it will use about 8 -12 skeins.

The last project is also a block afghan using six different colors. It will have 5 strips (I'm almost sure) and that will use another 11 skeins.

How about that, huh? I don't want to pretend there's going to be a yarn void in the Honey household any time soon cuz that would be crazy talk, but progress is a good thing! I can combine some boxes of yarn and have empty boxes that can be thrown away or reused for other stuff!

My heart will always want sable (stash acquisition beyond life expectancy) but having the leaner, meaner stash is better for the sake of our sanity.

I Would Have Done It

Susie says she is certain Mr. Honey wakes up and feels the same way about me that I do about him. I can tell you Mr. Honey certainly does not think that. He loves me to pieces and he thinks I'm fun, but I am a drain on that man's sensibilities.

Case in point: y'all remember me saying that since I can drive the new vehicle that we are now a two car family: his car is my car, my car is his car we now have options when we leave the house. He is free to take the car when he feels that would be a better choice than taking the van and because of that, I had to clean out the car which could no longer be a storage area for my stuff.

I didn't say when I would clean out the car. Just that I would have to clean out the car. It wasn't that messed up to begin with. On Mr. Honey's planet, something shouldn't 'have to be cleaned' it should just 'be cleaned.' On my planet: something to do; on his planet: something that's done.

So I walked into the basement the other day and noticed my car mats were shampooed and hanging to dry. I did not do that. I'm pretty sure the dog didn't do that. That only leaves Mr. Honey or the guy who broke into my car and took the ashtray of change out and I don't think he would do it.

I was afraid to look in the car because I know he committed a cleaning. I had to take the car somewhere and when I walked out and looked in it I saw nothing. Not a scrap of paper, not my little basket of trinkets, not my music. Nothing. All of it gone. I'm going to assume it's in the trunk and not in the garbage but I'm too afraid to look and I don't want to ask.

I cannot tell whether or not I am complaining. I do know this, I left the house to ship off an order and stopped at Popeye's for some rice. It would not have been unusual for me to get a biscuit to nibble on. I couldn't do it. I have imposed a rule that I cannot eat in my car. I cannot eat in my car because it is no longer my car. It is now the car. Cannot eat in the car. Sure as heck cannot eat in the van.

This could actually be a good thing.

See? I'm not complaining. But I would have cleaned out the car - eventually. But since he's done it, I am obligated to maintain it. That man knows how work his woman. He knows me quite well.

Here are the two projects I am working on: one on the needles and the other on the hook: the one on the left is a strip from an afghan I am knitting. The colors are just a little faded but it is made from the same yarn I used to make the white granny afghan. It's very interesting how the same yarn can look so different when used in a different pattern. The one on the right is the new granny square afghan. This time granny's deep red and purple though in the photo she looks a little brown. I'm working them both every day and it's hard to tell which one is going faster. I started the strip one first just days before the granny. It's hard to tell but Mr. Honey took a look at the granny and said, "You're making fast progress on that one."

Neat and observant.

It Could End at Any Moment

Mr. Honey and I are in the midst of celebrating our 14th wedding anniversary. The actual date was two days ago but we decided to celebrate today - except our plans were delayed. We wanted to go to Miller's Pub, a restaurant downtown where our beloved nephew, Matt, is a waiter. But Matt called to say he didn't have to go in today and we want to leave him the big tip so we are going tomorrow when he will be on duty.

So, 14 years ago today we were in Toronto because we wanted to leave the country for our honeymoon - I don't really think that was the reason, I think I wanted to go to the other country that was attached to this one. Been to Mexico so that left our neighbors to the north, eh.

Now the thing to do would be to post a wedding photo or one of the honeymoon but that would mean pulling out the albums and the proofs and selecting one and scanning it and...just take my word for it - we're legally married.

My brother performed the ceremony and I kept asking him - during the ceremony - if he was sure he was ordained. This was his first wedding and I wanted to make sure there were no loop holes. After the service was over, I asked him if Mr. Honey and I were actually married at that moment or if there was that three day waiting thing that people get. Married. Totally. From the moment he announced it to the world.

I made the point after we exchanged vows to inform Mr. Honey that now it would take an attorney.

Before you think I was a total spaz at the altar, I should tell you that when my brother was taking Mr. Honey through his vows he said: "Repeat after me, I, Mr. Honey, take you Beverly to be my lawfully wedded wife." And Mr. Honey said...

Nothing.

OK not quite. He said , "Uh..."
I swear someone in the audience said, "Oh, oh..."
My brother said, "Not sure?"
Mr. Honey said, "I didn't hear you."

Yeah, because my brother was standing so damn far away.
My brother said, "You want me to repeat it?" (As opposed to what?)
"Yes, please."
So my brother repeated it..slowly..and Mr. Honey said the words and the show went on.
And it's been going on ever since. Considering I never imagined me getting married, I'm blown away it's still going.

As far as marriages go, this one is pretty good. It isn't perfect - I could be so much better as a wife - but every morning when I wake up I ask myself if I want to be married that day. And there hasn't been a day when I didn't want to be married to that guy. Two of my favorite words: my husband.

We have a lot of fun and there are hardly any arguments - nothing to argue about really. No mortgage. No kid at home. His family lives close enough we can see them regularly but not so close that I feel they are in our business. Life is pretty good. Marriage is even better.

Happy anniversary, Mr. Honey. I'd do it all over again in a second.

Gone, Just Like That

And it's gone...well, it's still here but it officially doesn't belong to me anymore. The afghan sold overnight. I didn't have time to become attached to it before someone else became attached to it and paid for the privilege of calling it their own. I didn't even get the coordinating pillows up in the shop. But that's how it goes. I guess it means I have to start a new one.

I do have starting a new project on the to do list for today so it might as well be a new granny square afghan since I recently purchased a new book of granny squares.

The universe has a way of working with us even if we're down on some aspect of ourselves, if we leave just one part of us open to new experiences and the blessings that surround us in abundance, one of them will make its way in and bring you back to harmony and balance. I always have to fight my natural laziness and I am given incentive by seeing my work appreciated or a kind note from someone (like the kind email I received from Mrs. Collman. These things bring me back to the goodness of the world and the people stomping around on it.

I still don't know what I will be working on during the vacation time - feel free to provide suggestions. I haven't started the vacation countdown. I will start that after the next craft show in a few weeks.

In the meantime, I have to get that new afghan started and the other one sent on its way.

Vacation Prep

I don't remember the last time we went on vacation. A real vacation where we left town and everything. But we're going to embark on one soon and I have no idea what knitting project to take. I mean we will be traveling by car so there will be plenty of opportunity to knit while sitting beside Mr. Honey. (He has determined that he can stretch out quite comfortably in the back of the as yet unnamed new vehicle so I can expect that's where he will be when it is my turn to drive.)

I am thinking it might be something of a nice challenge to do blocks - one for each state we pass through on the way there and on the way back. It wouldn't make for a very large blanket cuz it's not like we're going way cross country.

And I don't do socks so that won't happen. Hmmm. I must have something to do. Any ideas? We won't be gone that long - away on Sunday and back on Wednesday. It's not for a couple of weeks so there's time for all the suggestions you can throw my way. There will be lots of room for lots of yarn and projects so there's a chance for more than one to go and I can do a little work on each of them.

Give me ideas! I need ideas!

Cushy

Lest you think that I have been out joy riding in Mr. Honey's new car this past week - which I have not been - I have driven it twice at his request and once at mine - I want you to see what I have been up to.

I have finished the white granny afghan. Complete with a single crochet edging, I might add. Finished it up last week and even I have to admit it's a little on the cute side. The colors are much more spring like than they appear in the photo but even the photo shows a nice afghan.

But that wasn't the thing that kept me away from you. Recall me saying I wanted to make pillows and afghans to match or coordinate?
Behold some cushion pillows! It goes with the fur trimmed one I showed you before. Do you see what has kept me so busy? I love these pillows. I had to go out and get the 16 inch form because I made the one in the middle too big for the 14 inches I had in stash. But it turned out. My first crocheted pillow - yes, let us take a moment.
My library now includes at least three crochet books and I gave away a crochet stitch dictionary last year some time. I do not regret it but little did I know I would add it to my repertoire. (That's French for skilz.)

I have an afghan on the needles and it appears as if it will be a quick knit so I should have that to show you shortly. I started it late last night and it's twenty squares and I am already on square three. It's a stash buster.

And speaking of 4953 - the afghan took 10 skeins, the big pillow took 3, the pom-pom pillow took 2 and the sequin pillow took 1. So now we are down to 4937 and I went to Joann to pick up the pillow form and not one skein of yarn even made it to my hand let along the basket.

I know this is enough for the stash enhanced to talk about kicking me out of the club, but I do this for the greater good. One it is embarrassing how much yarn is all over my living room. One cannot have a stash this big if one is not going to be organized and I cannot seem to manage that for any length of time.

Two, really do we really need a huge stash? No, we don't. I love having it around, too, but really, it's a cute form of OCD and at my age, cute ain't that cute anymore.

I am knitting myself out of the stash and hopefully will give Mr. Honey his clean house back for his birthday - six months from now.

In the meantime, I have one more 14 inch and one more 16 inch pillow form. I need to make pillows and afghans to go with them and I will get started on that as soon as the other afghan is completed. The stash bust continues..

It's a good thing!