Operation Completion

While discussing possible journal topics with Avery last Friday, I asked her, "If you could do anything this weekend, what would it be?" Her answer: snowboarding. OK, fall just barely arrived, and already we are expecting snow. She settled for shopping for snowboarding clothes, and while she was out shopping with dad, I got to thinking, If I could do anything this weekend, what would it be?

This is where you find out how truly boring I am, because my answer was: finish Aidan's socks. Not to brag, but I am extremely good at starting projects; I could start a million a day. What I am not good at is finishing projects; I have a one in a million completion rate. So finishing the socks I started months ago was a truly worthwhile goal (plus it prevented me from starting a new project). I knit through a few episodes of Men in Trees on abc.com (I'm a sucker for shows with obvious metaphors and voice over monologues), knit in between errands (George drove), kitchenered just before reading books at bedtime, and voila.

Did you know handmade socks are extremely slippery on wood floors? Aidan had us in hysterics with his risky business moves Saturday night (that's debris from my floor on his sock, not a hole). In addition to new socks, Aidan has a new skill.


It's official, the boy can ride a bike. "Mom, isn't it fun to watch me ride a two wheeler?" Aidan asked. Yes my son, extremely fun and cool; just a little bit sad, but mostly exciting. Go easy on your mom and don't ride too far too fast.

Although Avery didn't find the perfect snowboarding outfit this weekend, she did find a new hobby. This is what happens when your children read the blogs of crafty women.

Avery spied the rag rug tutorial over on Eren's blog and immediately grabbed her stash and her Ginghers. Yes, she has her own stash thanks to Grandma's leftovers, trips to the thrift store (where we sometimes fight over remnants) and good old rummaging through the trash can when mom purges.

Avery: "I'm making a rug Mom."

Me: "You know you could make a basket."

Avery: "It's a rug Mom."

Me: "You could make a potholder."

It's not that I want to discourage her from making a rug, I just know how much of me is in her and how good she is at starting projects that rarely become finished projects. She doesn't often acquiesce, so I was extremely pleased when I opened up my kitchen drawer and found I had been secretly gifted a new potholder. I love it Avery. Of course, she came home from Grandma's with a huge bag of scraps after dinner Sunday night because she still plans on making a rug. You go, girl.

While I knit, Avery hooked and Aidan slid merrily across the floor, George hijacked my camera and took some blurry photos (though he claims it's me who is blurry, not the photos). This one is for my friend Becca, who claims there are not nearly enough pictures of me on my blog. To be honest, I see too much of me me me and I I I on this here blog; to add a picture of myself would be too much me. Yet here it is, a fuzzy picture for a far away friend. And now I'm off to start another project, or two, actually three, but it may be a while before you see them finished.

Have a Heart

My garden spoke to me this morning. As I was watering the cherry tree, the water pooled in a heart shape. If I had only had my camera! But alas, water and cameras don't mix. (Although, I did just buy Avery a waterproof one-time use camera to congratulate her on taking 3rd place in her first synchronized swim meet!)

Here is a pattern for a crochet heart, which I came up with last winter during a crochet jag, but never bothered to write down. I gave all the women in my husband's family invitations to crochet lessons, and pinned these crochet hearts on the card with a crochet hook, like Cupid's arrow. My sister-in-law recently asked me to make a few hearts for her hand-crafted Raggedy Ann and Andy dolls, and I decided to write down the pattern so I wouldn't forget (like the way I forgot my PIN yesterday at the grocery store).

Crochet Heart

Using cotton crochet yarn, such as Aunt Lydia's, and the smallest hook you have, chain 2.

Row 1: sc in 2nd stitch from hook, 1ch, turn.

Row 2: sc in first stitch, 2 sc in second stitch, 1ch, turn. (you should now have 3 stitches)

Row3: sc in two stitches, 2 sc in third stitch, 1ch, turn.

Row 4: sc in three stitches, 2 sc in fourth stitch, 1ch, turn.

Row 5: skip first stitch, 3 dc in 2nd stitch, anchor with slip stitch in 3rd stitch, 3 dc in 4th stitch, slip stitch in 5th stitch, cast off leaving a tail to weave in -OR- chain stitch around base of heart for a finished edge.

To make a bigger heart, crochet two more rows after row 4, increasing with two sc in last stitch of each row.

Row 7: skip first two stitches, 5 dc in third stitch, slip stitch in fourth stitch, 5 dc in fifth stitch, slip stitch in 7th (last) stitch. Finish as above.

There are so many possibilities for these hearts. They would look adorable appliqued onto clothes or bags, affixed with a blanket stitch or chain stitch. Sew two together and stuff for a sweet ornament. Sew six in a circle for a flower. Experiment with different yarns, ribbons or even thin gauge wire. Happy hooking!