What's not to love about a pigeon?
Winter Ravelympics has begun on Ravelry! I've entered the Skelegurumi event and hope to medal for Team Sennott by crocheting the lovable Alfred the Pigeon. My much more challenging event will be the Mitten Moguls. I'm still in training for that event.
I was totally happy when I received my very own Chickadee Cowl knit by my sister, Jackie. I love the colors. Sheep Shop 2 yarn if I remember correctly. Thanks, Jackie!
Then I was way happy at the beginning of this week when I finished knitting my Buttermilk Sky cowl designed by my sister, Bonnie. Knit in Berroco Pure Merino. Such a great texture and great fun to knit.
Cowl Happy
My apologies, here's a really blurry photo of me wearing them. I seemed to have deleted the good photo! Oh well.
Made while watching the US Open. Elsebeth Lavold Hempathy, 2.75 mm hook. The stunning cloth underneath was a handwoven gift from my sister, Jenny.
Every time I finish a crochet project using linen, I use the leftovers to make coasters. The four coasters above are my latest. The flower-like coaster is a freebie from Clover's Japan website. I think it has a Mexican vibe to it though. The square one is a Daisy Square from an old Harmony Guide. The circle and triangle are from the Lacy Crochet book, but I didn't crochet all the rounds to the patterns since I was using sportweight yarn instead of thread. I think the triangle would look great as joined together motifs for a tablecloth, throw or shawl. Maybe that will be a future project. I really love the yarn-Berroco's Naturlin. I love how it softens and drapes after it's been blocked. I used this maize color for the tablerunner below, a birthday gift for my sister, Jackie. It was a happy accident that the diamonds in the runner echoed the diamonds in the chairs.
It's a cliched image but I see these tracks every day, just down the street. This line doesn't go too far - west out to Fitchburg and east to North Station. I never tire of seeing railroad tracks fade into the distance. I've always been partial to the romance and symbolism of the rail. How can you resist travel to a new destination, movin' along, the sounds of a train, the people along the way. As a little kid, "I've been working on the railroad" was a favorite song, and before the area was built up, from the second floor of the house, you could see and hear trains passing in the distance. I still have the book my Dad gave me for my first train trip from Chicago to St. Louis. And how could I forget the "Ride this Train" feature on Johnny Cash's television show? So it's really no surprise "The Darjeeling Limited" was a must see for me last year.
Speaking of Cash, working on the Johnny Cash #2 rug got derailed for quite awhile. I've been trying to work on it again and I'm determined to get it done by the end of the year by working on it a little bit every day. Maybe a listen to "Orange Blossom Special" or "Hey, Porter" will be the ticket. Here's where the rug stands at the moment.
And so, the Ravelympics are over and I finished all my events. I received some really wonderful prizes from my sisters. From Bonnie, I received the the soft and fragrant Summer Blossoms prize. And from Jenny, this Weeping Willow bag, an original weaving design of hers. Isn't it the perfect fit for my camera? Thank you, Jenny and Bonnie!
After a long absence I've returned to blogging.
A recently completed scarf, artfully modeled by my Chicago OrkPoster. My sister said I should name the scarf Waveland. When I lived in Chicago I always felt compelled to wave anytime my path crossed with Waveland Ave. What can I say-it's a happy street name. I think I'm going to have to make a shawl using this stitch pattern. 
My sisters and I are all on Ravelry and competing in Ravelympics while the Olympics are going on. Check out Bonnie's entertaining updates of our Ravelympics progress. I medaled in WIP Wrestling and completed 2 unfinished crochet projects.
I'm competing in one more event, the Sweater Sprint. Despite some setbacks, I'm hoping to make it to the finals, producing a bolero with this fabulous yarn.
Okay, bye, bye!
I was in Dallas for a few days attending a conference for work. While I was there I visited with an aunt and cousin. I gave my aunt this Blue Curacao shawl for a belated ninetieth birthday present. The pattern is from Doris Chan's Amazing Crochet Lace, using Valley Yarns' Goshen, a lovely silk/cotton blend.
During flight times, I crocheted up the beginnings of a table runner, using Berroco's Naturlin yarn.
From the same book, I made myself a vintage looking potholder. And I will confess that there are more of Lacy Crochet's cute little things in the works.
While I'm riding the bus or waiting for class to start, I've been working on a simple scarf with one of the yarns my sister gave me. This week I've been doing it in style with the Lantern Moon project bag Bonnie gave me. It's a beautiful dusty purple color that changes color. The scarf is a simple stitch so l decided to add a beaded edge once the bulk of the scarf is done.
I have the best sisters! Bonnie sent me these 2 skeins of KnitPicks Shadow laceweight yarn. They're such pretty colors. I wound the Sunset color into a ball yesterday. Now I'm at the library to check out a crochet stitch guide and find a nice stitch for a scarf. Thanks alot, Bonnie!
