ripply update

So, the ripple blanket progresses:

Currently, I have about one and two-thirds of a skein of yarn left to knit with, and the blanket almost stetches across the end of the bed. It’s likely destined to become a cozy foot-warming sort of throw, for times when  it’s too hot for a duvet but too chilly for just the bedsheets. Since it’s cotton, it should be a nice summer-weight blanket, and I may even use it for snuggling on the couch in the evening. It’s made entirely with various colours of  Bernat worsted-weight Handicrafter Cotton, and a 4.0mm* hook.

I may progress a bit more tonight; it’s awfully thunderstorm-y and I have laundry to look forward to, so some crochet time might be in order, I think!

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*As I mentioned,  I started this blanket ages ago– January, to be precise. About a month ago when I picked it up again, I couldn’t remember what hook I’d been using, so I grabbed the nearest one- a 4.5mm, and rippled away. It was only after using up the rest of that skein of cotton and more that I realized the stitches looked a teeny bit looser than those at the beginning of the blanket. It then occurred to me that I should be using a 4.0mm hook, which I intend to finish off the blanket with.

PS- I finished that last sentence with a preposition on purpose. Sometimes “with which I intend to finish” just gives off the wrong tone. Ah, grammatical rules.

summer’s here

… and we need to install our air conditioner. Although, rumour has it that the upcoming week will be cool and rainy. We shall see.

PS: listen to this (click on the text at the centre of the page to play.)

pretties

Take a look:

I stole this idea from Real Simple magazine, this special “organization” issue my mum lent me one time. What’s this? Well, you know how you have a bunch of earrings and you’ve lost the plastic thingies they come on when you buy them, and sometimes you really want to wear a certain pair or earrings, but since they’re all jumbled up in a dish on your dresser, you can only ever find one? And you know how you also have a stash of random odd buttons that came with sweaters you’ve bought over the years and have held onto just in case you needed to use them, but you never have actually had to use these buttons for anything? (Or is that just me?)

Anyways, this is the solution:

Yep! You keep each pair on a separate button, and ~le voila!~ easy to find both earrings when you want to. I love neat uses for random objects like that.

On a possibly related topic, do you like looking at other people’s jewellery boxes and dressers and pretty stuff like that? I love it. So here’s some pictures of how I keep things on my dresser.

I recently lucked out and found this white owl dish to keep my owl earrings, which in this photo are hidden under my watch.

This box holds various rings, and a small mirror that has come unglued from its backing, but which I still use by holding it together tightly. (Not sure why!!)

I got the idea for these boards in Blueprint magazine, which sadly is no longer in print. They suggested using wooden boards and decorative hooks, but I cheaped out and used dollar store canvas covered in dollar store cardstock, and then stuck plastic pins in it to hang things off of.

But what’s that thing on the right, you ask?

It’s a vignette (!) I created years ago, which has moved house with me no fewer than three times, made up of i. a weeping yogi wooden statuette, ii. some marbles, and iii. some decorative stones with messages painted on, gifts from teachers and loved ones. Everything sits in a wooden dish made by my grandfather.

This isn’t my dresser anymore, but I came into the library to write this, and Leela-cat was in one of her (many) favourite spots: lying on top of the table, beside a magazine, watching the outdoors through the window.

Have a nice weekend! (I’m working, but I do get mornings off, which means sleeping in…!)

weekend!

In a stroke of pure brilliant luck, I was sent home from work early today since there were scarcely any orders coming in to proofread. This also happens to be my weekend off, which means early start to the weekend! Yay!

Outside on le balcony, we now have:

a pot full of golden flowers, rather than just the promise of flowers. I’d have snapped a better shot, but it just so happens that all the blooms are facing the other way… away from the balcony towards the sunlight.

So, what shall I do with this bonus afternoon away from work?

Meet my ripple blanket. I started it ages ago when I first learned crochet as a way to “use up some cotton scraps.” As so often happens with my projects, I’ve since had to purchase additional yarn to continue the blanket. Ah well. It was a super-deal at (of all places) Giant Tiger, where they are selling mill’s ends of cotton yarn at $5 per pound. For me, this equalled three skeins of 100% cotton, in the same ivory colour I recently ran out of.

Since the weather is actually wonderful, and the predicted thunderstorm doesn’t seem to be happening, I’m planning to sit on le balcony for a while and keep rippling away.

Here is a close-up, avec kitty paws:

Later on if I need a break from all that strenuous work (!), I’ve got magazines and three library books to keep me busy. Himself gets home at 9 p.m., but I forgot, once again, to take the lovely raspberry trifle (store-bought, people, store-bought!) out of the freezer to defrost. As it is currently 4 p.m. and said trifle takes approx. 8 hours to defrost, I regret to say we won’t be having it tonight. Sorry, love!

snuggle up

The 5 skeins of Cascade Pima Tencel turned out to be just the right amount to make a cushion cover.

Here it is, enjoying its spot beside my cabled knit pillow. The back of the pillowcase is just a section of a thrift-store sweater (in a lovely pale teal blue), and I had to do some pretty creative joining as a result of the non-straight-edged shape that came when I joined five rows of hexagons together.

I do quite love it, actually. My other ongoing project is what I’m hoping will be a lap blanket or throw:

Those are Summer Garden granny squares from the pattern on Attic 24. I accidentally joined one wrong-side-up, and was too lazy to undo it. It’s now snugged in the middle of a row, with another two rows blocking it in for good measure, so I figure I’ll just leave it and no one will likely notice. I’m using Patons Grace for this blanket, eleven balls of which were gifted to me by my lovely mum. Even if I have to buy more to make it truly blanket-sized, it will still be a super bargain.

The warmer spring/summer weather has really been prompting me to use cotton yarn, and somehow crocheting is less warming than knitting. Something about how you never have a whole line of stitches on your hook, I guess. Or I’m just randomly enjoying a crochet spell. Tant pis.

On a completely different note– ever been to this site? Well I have. I love how, despite the fact that it’s meant for the most part to be satire and tongue-in-cheek, it is nevertheless quite true. Peacoats? I have one. Vespas? Sure want one. Grammar? Grammar?? I hardly think this one needs mentioning. But the point of this random subject change was to mention that Wes Anderson movies appears in the top ten things. (It is in fact, #10 itself). And in the past few weeks, I have watched no fewer than 4 of his movies.

We started with The Royal Tenenbaums, which I had never previously seen. Enjoyment of this prompted Himself to remark that we should also watch: The Darjeeling Limited, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, and most recently, Rushmore. And what the hell? I liked them all! I also have a newfound respect for Owen Wilson’s acting (having previously associated him with the “Shanghai Noon”/ “Shanghai Twelve-Thirty” gems, to what I now realize is his great discredit). Also- Bill Murray? Still very very funny. And now forever associated in my mind with Jacques Cousteau.