Always Busy Doing Something

When I was a kid I was always busy doing some thing.  I could amuse myself quite well.  Being the first born and alone, until my sister came along by the time I was five, I had drawings to do, daydreams to have, a special imaginary friend, and a grandmother with her own creative and imaginative spirit.

My grandmother lived with us.  She would draw pictures, make her own dolls, sew and knit clothes, and tell me the stories of her life.  We were a lot alike that way.  She taught me how to use a tiny crochet hook to make lace doilies with french crochet threads I can barely see with glasses now.   She told us stories of when she was young in Greece, how they made their own toys.  Her brothers and sisters were older and she had to amuse herself, too.  Later, when she came here to the U.S., in the middle of the Great Depression she had to make do with what she had.  Many times a dress she knit that she no longer favored ended up being reknit into a sweater, and later on, a blanket!  She'd just rip it out, untangle the skeins and knit a new item.  Talk about reuse, repurpose and recycle.

I always have many projects going on at once.  This time I finished a couple of things!  The new baby was welcomed with two handknit blankets.  The teal item I showed you here a little while ago was a pretty, knit lap sized baby blanket with a wavy border all around it.  The second was a crocheted afghan in a fun shell pattern, large enough for when she gets older and has a big bed.  Covering all the bases here!  The fact that I finished two items was an accomplishment.

Above are my projects at the moment.  Three pairs of socks, one of which is just for me.  I think I deserve a pair of handknit socks, too.  The pastel thing is a baby sweater I started when I first picked up knitting after years of not knitting.  I chose a baby sweater because I thought it was a nice small item that I wouldn't have to really size to a regular body.  I had knit scarves before, and crocheted plenty of blankets and doilies, but not a garment.

What did I learn from knitting a baby sweater?  I learned that the yarn is thinner and so it takes longer to knit!  Great.  And, since I hadn't finished putting it together, needing to knit another sleeve, I realized my gauge was off anyway and ripped the whole thing out.  I took it apart and reknit the front, the back, the little pocket and the one sleeve.  Now that I have a baby to give it to I would like it to look right.  When gauge is off baby, it's not going to fit anything, anyone, even a baby!

See those rocks on the side up there?  I took them from the beach when we went on our excursion to Greenport, NY.  My plan is to throw them together with the sea shells from Pt. Lookout beach near my home and paint them.  Next up, quick still life.  Umm, I'm ignoring the hydrangea for now.  Doing alot of that lately.  Yes, I'm busy.