hand eye crafts

The first projuect I finished with yarn bought at Stitches South is this drop stitch cowl: This , obviously, isn't blocked, but still shows the colors of the yarn off very well, I think.  It is Vizionz by Plymouth, and I bought it, plus the pattern, in a kit.  I'm all about kits this year. The trip back to Nashville meant visiting my parents' graves for the first time in a while.  Naturally, lots of things had changed.   When I was standing at their headstone, I noticed a huge marble arch to my right, that I know  had not been there before.  It said "Jones," and I figured that was the entry to and the name of a section of the cemetery.  (There are several different areas --- my parents, for example, are buried in the Dogwood Garden.)  Anyway, there was the arch. As I began to drive away, I came across a plaque that said, "Garden of The Grand Tour."  And it hit me --- this was George Jones' grave! I know y'all can't, but I c...

Ten Things I Did Last Week 1. Lost my last uncle-by-blood --- my mother's baby brother, Tommy. 2.  Visited my parents' graves 3.  Went to Stitches South 4.  Met up with a grade school/high school friend I hadn't seen in 25+ years. 5.  Had my regular room service breakfast of Eggs Benedict. 6.  Played a LOT of Coin Dozer on my Nook. 7.  Made more toys for Davis House and Elephants Remember Joplin .  That was the only knitting I took with me. 8.  Watched a woman pay $405 for yarn for one shawl. 9.  Managed to keep my sanity despite my hotel room having a round table NOT centered under a round light fixture. 10.  Resisted buying cowboy boots.  (Well, they didn't have the kind I wanted in my size, but still. . .)

Last Tuesday was a beautiful day for a drive.  I made it to Opryland in 5 hours, which is great  time.   My room was nice, and interestingly laid-out: The view as I walked in;  bathroom on my immediate left. Around a corner for a full view of the bed (which is a pull-out sofa, but quite comfy.) The full wall in front of the bed (which you can see in the picture above.) Then, around that far corner, on one's right if sitting on the bed or in the chair, was The Table.  See previous post for that.  It will bug me for All Time. And my room is all I got pictures of, because from Wednesday on, it felt like I was completely out of my body.  Everything's pretty much a blur.  As I said last time, Wednesday started with the news that my Uncle Tommy had died.  By that night, I knew that visitation was Friday and the funeral Sunday.   A solid hour-and-45-minute drive from where I was. You don't pack a funeral-appropriate...

I had a gorgeous day for a drive yesterday, and made very good time.  My room is small, and awkwardly-shaped, but very nice.  One thing about it is driving me crazy , though : How do you not  center a round table under a round  light fixture?   There's plenty of room --- it's sort of making me twitch.  And, yes, I tried to move the table.  It's cast iron and weighs a ton;  I couldn't budge it even a teeny bit. The main reason I came up early (Stitches starts tomorrow) was because today is my Daddy's birthday, and I wanted to go to the cemetery.  It was tough --- I haven't been here in 3+ years.  I'm skirting around the parts of town that would open the floodgates.  My twinnie sent me a message a while back saying, ". . .you are strong and you can do this."  I don't know how many times I've repeated that to myself even before I got here.  And I sure said it a lot today.  Thanks, Twinster --- you helped get me...

Well, these two aren't really working toward anything, but I'm trying to. My third Mother Bear bear.  I tried their skirt pattern on this one;  it's rather fetching.  I've still got to block the hem down, but I'm happy with her. I was looking through the Stitches South book a few days ago, and came across an ad for this organization .  They're going to have a booth there, accepting elephants.  I made one up the other day, and am working on another right now.  They work up in a jiffy, and are dadgum cute.

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150 years ago tonight, President Lincoln went to Ford's Theatre.  These are the things he had in his pockets: This is the hat he wore: And the gloves: What is there to say?

My vision is sort of a weeping willow vibe: Do those look anything at all like stitches?

The movie theater where my son works is showing The Masters golf tournament for free on one of its screens.  I went in this afternoon to watch, and had such a nice time.  I was the only person in the place, the ball of yarn I had taken with me to work with fit perfectly  into the cupholder on the chair arm. . .  And, after checking my work, I find that I didn't make any mistakes, which I guess is pretty good for knitting 3+ hours in the dark.  It was a surprisingly relaxing experience. When Briton's shift was done, he and I went out for dinner.  Now I'm back home, listening to a thunderstorm rumble outside.  From all the trees and flowery shrubbery at Augusta, to our Reading/Knitting Tree, buck naked: Hannah drew the owl and the Mama Bird with her eggs: For some reason, she wouldn't let us put "leaves" over the owl.  The nest was completely hidden, though. Finally, not a tree, nor a plant, but a green shirt on my latest Mo...

Just a couple of weeks until Stitches South!  Are any of you going, or do you know anyone who is?  My usual partner in Stitches' crime  can't make it.  I'm looking forward to being back in Nashville;  it's been a very long time since I was there. My therapist asked me today if I had thought about how being back there might make me feel.  I haven't, honestly.  Where I'll be and where Mama and Daddy's house is are quite a distance apart, so it's not like I won't be able to avoid any unpleasantness from that.  It's the drive up that she's got me thinking about now.

A rainy morning found me only wanting to read.  I didn't turn on anything that produces sound, but just read while listening to the drops.  Right now, I'm working on Kafka On The Shore .  It's been a good run for me lately --- I've finished several really good books in the last few weeks. Speaking of books, I hereby submit this photo of Finn to be the definition of "lap dog" in a visual dictionary:

I spent almost all afternoon at Revival , as it is Free Knit Friday.  Had a quiet time with the owners, Cara and Lindsay, and Lindsay's baby girl.  Having a comfortable, friendly place to knit is such a luxury.  Sure, I have to shower , and get dressed , and leave the house , but it makes for a nice time. It has never bothered me, as far as allergies or and kind of discomfort, but Pollen is here.  The clearest sign of it at this house?  Rupert's toes go yellow every time he goes outside: I'm not a fan of Sping, in large part because it signals the end of my regular boot wearing.  When the temperatures go up, the boots are a bit too heavy and hot to wear much.  So, a last look at another foot-related seasonal trouble: Maybe there'll be some cool nights for us.  We can hope. . .