Get your crochet on!

I've been feeling better each day since I've started my antibiotics. My fever is gone and it seems that I'm able to regulate my temperature once more. Thank goodness. I also am able to accomplish a few household chores before I need to take a rest. Slowly but surely, the precariously balanced tower of dirty dishes we've been stacking with the skill of professional Jenga players, is becoming less and less impressive. And even though everyone's dressers and closets are empty of wear-able clothes, we can still wear our favorite outfits because they are all clean. Although it is a bit of an adventure finding them in the pile of laundry on our couch. The five loads double as a climbing wall and amphitheatre, keeping the kids happy and entertained. I'm just happy I can finally change out of my "just in case I run out of laundry" underwear.

I've been feeling better, but I hadn't been able to blog until today. (I don't know if it is a good or bad indicator, but it takes a good deal of my brain to come up with my posts.) So what have I been doing in the meantime? Crochet!

Unbeknownst to me at the time, it seems to be a far-flung passion as of late. Three of my friends have also taken it up. My grandmother taught me years ago and I go through seasons of love-crochet/don't love it enough to keep it up-crochet. 'Tis the season to love-crochet!

It started as hats. I made myself a little beanie out of brown cotton. I added a little white flower. But the hat was too big. I washed it and guess what? As is the pattern of late, it's now too small. So now my dear daughter #2 has a cute hat that matches her personality and hair coloring perfectly. Not too big of a loss, really.



Son #2 wanted an elf hat with ear flaps in turquoise, brown and yellow stripes. He carried the yarn around for a whole day while I finished his sister's hat. I have to admit it came out super-cute. Made a hat for son #1, but when he saw son #2's cool elf-hat, he promptly gave his lightning beanie to his friend (before I had the energy to snap a pic) and sweetly asked for a elf-hat for himself. We went to the store and after much deliberation, the colors black and red were chosen. His reasoning:






"Mom, I know that black and red are evil colors, but I don't care."

"God made all the colors, son, they aren't evil."

"I know, Mom, but on shows the bad guys are always red and black. The good guys are always blue and white."

Touche. What could I say? He's right.


Made two white and pink-striped hats for the two daughters, complete with flowers, but only daughter #1's turned out. Daughter #2's looked more like a clown hat, but it ended up okay because she got my brown hat, remember? Clown hat goes into dress-up and we're all winners.

Then I visited my friend Mej and made two hats for her daughters. One was a cream elf-hat with a pom-pom and a huge green flower right in the front. It is my favorite hat so far and of course I don't have a picture. (I actually made the conscious decision not to bring my camera. I have no idea what I was thinking.) I started the other hat but didn't finish it until I got home. It is shown at right on daughter #1.

Then it happened. I was looking around online and found the Babette blanket. (There it is on the right.) It's beautiful. I love it. And since it's a bunch of little guys put together, it looks like I might be able to finish it. (I have a slight crochet-attention-deficit-disorder problem. Hence the reason for all the different hats.) To cement the devotion, I bought and downloaded the pattern, went to the store and bought the yarn. $56 later, I'm committed. (to the blanket anyway, still no word on any institutions that would take me.) I told the hubby I just saved him $247! Which is completely true. The yarn that they recommend making the blanket with was $13.50/skein and it required 22 skeins! My yarn was only $3.19 and I only needed 15 of them.

So that's where I am now. I just started the Babette. I'm pretty excited.

More to come...

ps Can you tell my kids have been sick too? Daugher #2 was the only one who wanted to pose. Son #1 acquiesced; Son #2 and Daughter #1 fought tooth and nail. Hey, at least they weren't crying in the pics, right?