Avid Odd Ball Crocheter

I think that I have found my niche in life. I get immense satisfaction from turning part balls of wool into something. It seems to give me greater pleasure than buying expensive wool and turning out a garment. I think it's my background of make do and mend. Re-using things until they drop to pieces. They say that you learn from your background and mine was certainly frugal in many ways. My mother could turn out a great meal out of bits of nothing, Sadly I didn't inherit her culinary skills but I must have her genes for the crafting.
My aunt was a tailoress and used to unpick and remodel clothes. She was very popular during the war years when clothing was scarce. She would take the good parts from adults dresses or skirts and make things for me out of them.

This little jacket that I have just finished is once again the free cardigan pattern by Rindy Carpenter but made larger. The main part of the wool is Magi-Knit DK from James C Brett shade YW2 which has all the lovely shades of Autumn. I eked out the wool with oddments of gold ,green and brown. My oddment jackets aren't meant for 'best' but just for useful extra warmth for playtime or night time.

I had a couple of nice surprises today. the first was my copy of Interweave Crochet Summer 2010. I love the cover Midsummer Night's Shawl by Lisa Naskrent. Like the Kristen Omdahl patterns it is done in Laceweight but on a 4.25 hook which is not a UK size so I will have to work out whether to use a 4mm or a 4,50mm hook. The pattern looks quite complicated but is actually only a 4 row pattern so I might have a try at the pattern stitch as I do like the shawl. I will take more photos of the magazine tomorrow. There is an openwork shawl in Tunisian that you might like Bev. One day I will master it. I wish that I lived closer to Bev and could join her Tunisian lessons.

My second nice surprise was that not only did my neighbours cut my hedge for me they offered to walk Buster. I wasn't sure that he would go but he is used to their two dogs. He actually went with them. Admittedly he didn't stay out with them long but he did come back puffing and panting so at least he got some exercise. He is getting rather bored with me and my ball throwing so it was nice for him to have a walk, I think that he will be glad to see my son tomorrow. When he got home he barked like fury to let me know that the ice cream cart was on it's way. I swear that he can hear the chimes a few blocks away.I would have taken a photo of him eating his cornet but it was gone before I could get the camera out. He then sat and waited to eat the rest of my ice cream.

I haven't done any crochet or knitting today so far. I have been busy with other things. I had an old friend contact me on Facebook and we exchanged a few to and fro messages and caught up with some news. We drifted apart some years ago, for no particular reason as people do sometimes, and so it's nice to hear from her again.

Coffee time now and I think that I will browse in my patterns to find something small to make until Buster goes home tomorrow eve and then I can start on the Laceweight.