The first step

The first step in hand sewing of any kind ...

Threading a needle!

Hubby found this one last evening, and when I finally got done laughing I begged him to send it to me.

While I'm at it, here's the official opinion of two of my three furry purr-monsters:

cat humor

Just substitute the big fat fluffy or the neurotic cuddle-kitty for the tuxedo cat in the pic, and this could be my house.  Although I have no idea where the cat fur is hiding in the pic!

Changes

I've been grumpy lately ... so has hubby.  We don't quite like a lot of the changes that have been happening.  This morning as I started my first mug of coffee, I heard the familiar and distinct sound of a building being torn down and dropped into an empty dump truck.  It's familiar because the local college tore down every house across the street from me.  Instead of the college tearing another house down, this time it's the city, tearing down the pool house in the public park next door:

Backhoe and bulldozer at the pool house

They stopped opening the pool about three years ago, probably due to the economy ... but last time I peeked into the pool earlier this year I saw a small sapling growing in a crack in the concrete.  Pools take money to maintain (which is why I don't want one) so it's cheaper to tear it down, tear it up, then fill it in than to maintain it or even keep people out to avoid liability shtuff.

The backhoe and 'dozers will be busy again, probably within the week as my last neighbor on this end of the street sold to the college and moved out this past weekend.  We are now the last family on this side of the S-curve.  I doubt the college will wait long at all to knock the two houses down, at which point it will be visually obvious we are the last house standing.

We have already purchased our next house, and as soon as hubby gets out of the army we'll be gone as well.  It could be about six months - or it could be less or even more.  We're just waiting on the paperwork.

Son is off to college, doing a two-week "jump start" program for incoming freshmen.  According to his voicemail, they are keeping him too busy to get homesick or to even call at a decent time in the evening.  I do hope he's studying his books in addition to his classmates.  When I tried to call him, he said he was *at*dinner* ... with heavy emphasis on the "at dinner" part (and female voices in the background).

About the only thing I've been working on lately is my crochet, as that's about all I can do comfortably due to my back acting up with storm systems, yard clean-up, and keeping up on the housework.  Hubby's unit is currently obsessed with working late (actually, sitting around waiting for information on what needs to be done, which seems to always be handed out ten minutes after the deadline) so it's pretty much just me taking care of everything now that son is away at college.

Y'all have been waiting about two weeks for a post, and I put up a rant ... but I really don't like a lot of these changes going on right now.

Crochet baby blankie for new nephew

OK, another storm and another power outage last night ... which jogged my memory about posting the baby blankie for our almost-4-month-old nephew.

Baby blankie in cotton yarn

mostly square, about 4 foot each side

It isn't soft - I used the same cotton yarn I make washcloths and bags out of - but it is sturdy and textured and will be perfect to set down on the floor or ground and give the little guy something to scoot around on as he learns how to propel himself.

For those who would like to hook one up, the pattern is here.

Crochet sweater vest started

I finished up the baby blankie I've been working on since late March (I thought I posted it ...?  I must have been interrupted) after the first power outages in the storms a little over a week ago or so ... we got rain!  We sure needed it, since even the dandelions and quackgrass in the yard were giving up the ghost.  Not all of the garden survived (the sunflowers were knocked down by storms and didn't recover) but the squash is finally producing fruit, the 'maters survived both storms and hornworm, and the green beans are slowly coming off strike.

Now that the baby blankie is finally off the hook, I've been spending down time between yardwork trying to figure what to make next.  Yesterday's trip to Hobby Lobby yielded a project as 6 skeins of bamboo-wool yarn jumped off the clearance table and into my cart (of course, it cried, "Take me home!").  A thrift store book score from last month yielded the pattern: an 80s-style sweater vest.

Sleeveless shell top - aka 80s sweater vest

As you can see, I got started on it already this morning (after doing up a test square last night in some of my variegated cotton worsted, which will probably end up as a cute little bag).  I only have one skein of the blue, and want to stretch it out, with two of the "grape" purple and three of the red ... so it's seems obvious to me the shell part on the body should be red.

A quick pic of the book, for those whose tastes match mine who may wish to hunt this one up:

Granny Crochet Favorites - Leinhauser & Weiss, c 1989

It has a lot more than just afghans ... along with a dog blanket, bags, placemats, and whatnot there is also a nice pullover long-sleeved sweater pattern in it I plan to try once I get enough yarn all in the same fiber and weight.

Note to self: post the baby blankie pics soon.

Garden flowers and crazy cat

Just a little pic update - more garden flowers, and the crazy cuddle-kitty who provided quite the chuckle this morning (and held still long enough for a pic!)

Double sunflower bloom

Cuddle-kitty, guarding the dog's bone