Everytime I do Front Post or Back Post stitch in the Short N' Sweet sweater thing (which there are a lot of), I am reminded of the "swing the Picket Fence" scene in Hoosiers. Strange, but it makes me smile. I like Hoosiers.

Summer of Hooks 2010

I haven't written here for two weeks, and I have a whole lotta stuff with which to feed the blog.

The funny thing about not working, is that I'm as busy as ever. I honestly don't know how we keep things going when I was working. I just find things to do, and I think I will for perpetuity.

Things are growing in the garden, the pool has reopened for the summer, and I've been crocheting. The house, by the way, is still a mess. Although I did clean out my closet and reorganize my stash. I have a lot of craft store yarns....

I've decided this post will mostly be about the crocheting/knitting side of my life. I've taken to the crocheting thing, because its hot and for the most part I am not feeling the wool, and I feel learning something.

As you will recall this all started with some dishrags I made on our trip to Hilton Head. When I got home I restarted my DC blanket. The original one was way to large at 250 stitches (it was about king sized), and I started it when I was pregnant and the man was on a business trip to London. This one has a more manageable 150. And I like the way the stripes grow randomly. It is made with Red Heart Super Saver in various colors I had in my stash (see cheap craft store yarn and stash above). It is goinging, but all DC all the time gets boring.

First I want a definitive volume on crochet technique, so of course, I went to Debbie Strollers "the Happy Hooker." And in I quite friendly way it introduce me to basic techniques.

Then I picked up Eddie Eckman's "Crochet Motif" book , which is absolutely addictive, and great for scraps of yarn. I've basically made myself I bunch of Christmas tree ornaments! So my tree which has been bare ( I believe in slowly collecting ornaments, and making them), will look fuller next season, so that nobody can come over to see it.

Then one the way home form the pool one afternoon. I spied this shop (The Yarn Spot). Which I went to this weekend and bought some three irish girls yarn (Georgia Peach) and some denim yarn to make "short n' sweet" from aforementioned Debbie Stroller book.

I'm also still working on the "On Hold" socks, but I want to finish them so I can start socks with the Ga Peach....

So basically, I'm having a wonderful creative time, and it sure is nice to have very nice yarn shop 5 minutes from my house. Maybe I will make it over for needlework time one day.... (a mom can dream can't she?).

Vacation

I brought three projects with me to the beach: the 2nd green sweater, a blue sock, and a bunch of sugar n' cream cotton and a crochet hook. Who knew crocheting dishcloths is such a great car trip project?

Didn't touch the sweater (too hot to knit alpaca), and I worked on the sock on the trip home.

However, it might be a crochet kind of summer mostly. I crochet to big dish towel, and started the little striped one, as well as completing a 2nd dishrag that was in use. I found it strangely relaxing.

Hilton Head, SC or Beach 2010 pt 1

What a difference a year makes! Last year the boy was terrified of the ocean. This year, he actually asked to go out there. (However, he still admitted to being a little scared sometimes).

Hilton Head is a really nice beach. We had great weather. We played in the sand. We played in the surf. We played in our pool. Nobody got sunburnt. All in all a great vacation.