July GG ~ Craft Group Distractions

Guess what, guys!  It finally went one whole week without raining!  YAY.  Of course, it is supposed to get very hot now so not sure if I'm 100% on board with this change.  The grass will still grow, and mowing in extreme heat is probably one of the grossest, most tiring, foolish things ever.  Don't worry, I take a ton of breaks so I don't suffer heat stroke but it still turns one half of the yard into a whole day affair.  Maybe I should just xeriscape. Or create a wildebeest habitat à la Jo.

click for more info!

I have a bit of progress on the double-knit potholder, being worked up for a friend.  I thought it was a great project to take to craft group, especially now that the "main" image is complete.

before

after

Of course, when you get to talking you stop paying attention and wind up with a glaring mistake that will have to be removed.  I've no idea how it happened as this should just be alternating colors at this point! I do not like mistakes in double knitting; it's very tedious to undo them.  Instead of pulling out the stitches, I "tink" or unknit everything, one stitch at a time. Cross stitch is so much easier (but probably not any less demoralizing) with a snip-snip!

don't do this to me

So now this project is in time out to think about the error of its ways.

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image found through Google search

Lastly, here is the next giveaway and the winner of the last chart!   The winner of The Bee Book chart from last month is RJ at Stitching Friends Forever!  They're having an amazing giveaway of their own now if you'd like to check that out.  RJ, I don't have your address so drop an email when you can and I'll get it sent out.

giveaway as stitched by me!

The pattern up for grabs this month is Southwest Spirit, a design by Gloria Eriksen and is one I have actually stitched, way back in 2010!  I picked it up in a thrift store, along with the already-started fabric.  I finished off the stitch and loved it, especially that little brown pot on the left.  It was a highly enjoyable piece to work on, maybe because the colors are so soothing.  The original owner unfortunately did not make a working copy of the pattern and so, there are pen marks on it, crossing out stitched places.   This is mostly on the buildings in the upper left.  Since the piece has some fairly large bricks of color, it doesn't make it difficult to know what color to use, nor where to use it.  Just keep in mind this is not going to be a very pristine chart!

Southwest Spirit

Since I did it on the original 14-count Aida, it worked out to be 13" x 10" which at the time was really, really big for my ventures into cross-stitching haha!  This is also the first piece I ever did on my floor stand and caused me to fall in love with two-handed stitching!  You will not be receiving the efforts of my hard work, however.  My mother liked this stitch very much!  :)

Gifted Gorgeousness Giveaway Guidelines

1. Be a minion follower (upper right corner of my blog)!  Feedly, bloglovin', etc. do not count as there is no way to show it!  I am sorry; blame blogger for this one.
2. Comment and tell me you would like to be included in the drawing!
3. Open worldwide! 
4. No winning twice in a row (example: the winner of October's drawing would not be eligible for November's).
5. Closing date: July 29th, 2019 23:59 CST.

it's a trap

And that is all for this edition of Ishkabibble Babble!

GG June ~ A Different Mojo

I think the blogging mojo has drifted into a lack of crafting mojo as well.  I used to get really upset when my crafting mojo vanishes thinking I've become some sort of failure but this time, I'm rolling with it.  Instead, my reading mojo has skyrocketed!  Catching up on my neglected National Geographics (I've made it to 2019 finally), and tons of manga (really, I've probably read around 200 volumes worth so far).  Tastes change, things I'm interested in change (often) so I know I'll eventually come back to crafts.  This tends to happen with any one of my hobbies, really.  I notice it most with gaming but typing this out makes me realize everything I enjoy doing seems to take a cycle.

It's still raining quite a bit here too, something I'm getting quite tired of dealing with.  Usually by this time of year, I can cut back to mowing the yard once a week.  Alas.  It's still every 4-5 days which is really starting to wear on me.  Hiring it out is looking awfully tempting.  I'm sure this is part of the reason the crafting mojo took a hit; I just get too tired in the evenings.  Anyway, you are here for GG!

click for more info!

I'm still working slowly on a few items, including the little cherry potholder which will be a gift for a friend.  I'm glad I started it when I did; there's no real timeline to finish but when you work slowly.... well.  Don't be blown away by my mountains of progress.

before

after

I'm also working on a shawl made from the sweater I unraveled but it's not a GG contestant unless I do some serious shoehorning haha.  I took this to our local crafty group one night and they were suitably impressed with this little bit and the yarn from the sweater!  The red and purple strands are "lifelines" -- the lower color is 100% correct, the upper color seems correct.  After I knit another pair of rows, I move the lower color up as I now know the upper line is definitely correct.  It makes sense while working haha.  I've already had to use them -- this it NOT a project to actually work on during craft night.  Too much brain power making sure those lace patterns work out correctly; one missed YO and I'm doomed hahah.  The beads have been fun though.  I probably should've used size 8/0 but I couldn't find any.  6/0 it is.

a slow process

And here's the next GG offering~  This month's giveaway is a Stitches from the Heartland chart titled "The Bee Book".  I am not sure this company exists anymore, or maybe has been renamed/absorbed into CC & Company out near Kansas City, MO.  This pattern is a totally clean, slightly primitive design with hand-drawn charts featuring our helpful gardening friends.  It does call for some Mill Hill and Debbie Mumm buttons which I don't have, but I know some of you have collections to use up, right?  ;)

The Bee Book

Gifted Gorgeousness Giveaway Guidelines

1. Be a minion follower (upper right corner of my blog)!  Feedly, bloglovin', etc. do not count as there is no way to show it!  I am sorry; blame blogger for this one.
2. Comment and tell me you would like to be included in the drawing!
3. Open worldwide! 
4. No winning twice in a row (example: the winner of October's drawing would not be eligible for November's).
5. Closing date: June 29th, 2019 23:59 CST.

a closer look at the small chart

Re: Previous Giveaways!  No one was interested in Those Darn Accessories from last month, so I donated it to the thrift store.  I had been keeping my eyes on my email (and spam section) for the winner of the Victoria Sampler piece, but never received word, so I have redrawn the name, none other than our fabulous GG hostess, Jo!  I'm pretty sure I have your address unless you've moved house suddenly!  Miniz Diary, who won the Calico Crossroads chart way back in March, has gotten (mostly) settled in her new abode, so I have sent that chart on its way.  We're both curious how long it will take as the mail to her previous location could be... Interesting!

It's been really fun sending these all around the world!  :D  That's all from me this time, a rather rambly post for nothing going on haha.  Adios, friends~  

GG May ~ A Severe Lack of Mojo

I think somehow we all fear titles like that. In my case, it's thankfully not a lack of crafting mojo, just blogging mojo!  I think a lot of it is the mowing schedule, or lack thereof.  We've been having scandalous amounts of rain here and it's basically turned into mowing whenever it's dry enough to get out... and that usually means the whole yard in one day because the grass is growing so fast!  Which absolutely exhausts me and reminds me I'm not kid anymore, hrmph.  And that one day is enough to throw all the others off kilter!  Guess I'm a creature of habit.  Let's just dive right into the Gorgeousness of the Gifted world, shall we~?

click for more info!

before

after

I feel like I had decent progress on this huck towel but when I think the last update was March... well... But another flower has bloomed and this one confused me excessively while working on it. I print the black-and-white versions of these patterns it did NOT make sense! At least, not until I started stitching it and realized the flower is facing "away"!  If you need reminding, this counts for GG because the huck towel itself was a gift from TiffStitches and makes use of some floss gifted to me by my husband~

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before

after

There's also been a bit more progress on the double-knit potholder, enough that you might have an educated guess what the motif is now!  This has been a nice project to take along to places where I know I'll have a good sit down time.  Maybe next update there will be enough to flip up and show the backside and what this double knitting is all about!  This little creation will be a gift for a friend.

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image found through Google search

Lastly, the giveaway part!  Both old and new this time as I didn't get up my regularly scheduled "everything else" post at the end of April/beginning of May.  I had a whopping five entrants last time (I suspected a Victoria Sampler would be popular).  The random number generator chose #1 who is Elfie, congrats!  I do not have your address so we'll need to get into contact with each other.

Those Darn Accessories

This time the chart is charmingly titled "Those Darn Accessories" by Hillside Samplings.  This is a rather nice primitive design chart featuring a cute sampler-like sewing case about darning over eggs... and what we say today haha.  The little pincushion is in this chart as well.  There were other items that matched this set floating about out there; I think you can still purchase "That Darn Basket" pattern but I don't know about the scissor keep.  This giveaway is just for the accessories chart!

Gifted Gorgeousness Giveaway Guidelines

1. Be a minion follower (upper right corner of my blog)!  Feedly, bloglovin', etc. do not count as there is no way to show it!  I am sorry; blame blogger for this one.
2. Comment and tell me you would like to be included in the drawing!
3. Open worldwide! 
4. No winning twice in a row (example: the winner of June's drawing would not be eligible for July's).
5. Closing date: May 29th, 2019 23:59 CST.

Okay, that's all folks! I've been trying to get this post typed for two weeks now, whenever I got the chance to sit down at the computer. Makes it hard when you just want to zone out instead hah!

April GG ~ Plodding Along

Hiya!  I've kind of had a continuation of a sparse month.  No sickness, no real busy-ness, just a sort of lethargy as we start throwing ourselves into spring.  I did the first mowing of the season last week and am amazed at just how many dandelions are in our yard!  Where did they all come from?!  I won't spray them though... they're the first thing bees tend to go for and bees are having a hard enough time in the USA as it is.  As for the weather, well... typical for a Midwest spring, it was in the 80s (26C+) and now it's snowing.  Let's not ponder the mysteries of the atmosphere just now and dive into Gifted Gorgeousness, where we parade our gifts given, being made, being used, being received, being shoehorned in.

click for more info!

a picture grows

For my sad little addition to the crafting world, a bit of knitting.  This will be a large potholder for a friend but I won't say any details until it's finished and received as I'm not sure if said friend spies on my blog!  I don't think they do but one can never tell.  It's done in double-knitting which is a way of knitting both sides of a design at the same time but with the image colors/design reversed.  This is a new-to-me technique and I have found it to be sooo slooow to progress.  It's neat watching the pattern emerge though.  If there's any technique out there that's taught me how to read my stitches, it's this one, whew!

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one day my yard will look like this

total bliss

My husband took me and our bikes to a local nature reserve where there are thousands and thousands of daffodils.  This is probably one of my favorite places on earth to see in spring time.  The weather was amazing to be out in and I wound up with a serious case of Post-Winter Bicycle Butt ahaha.  Some of the hills had to be walked up!

his

hers

You guys seemed to enjoy the last milkshakes we had so why not some more?  This time it is a  S'mores shake (with a gigantic marshmallow covered in chocolate and graham cracker dust) and a Gooey shake (topped and mixed with gooey butter cake).  These were perfect after our daffodil bike excursion!  Since the weather was so beautiful, the line at the shop stretched out onto the sidewalk.  It moved along quickly so we didn't perish from hunger or anticipation.

A side note on the Gooey Butter Cake -- if you've never had nor heard of this amazing delicacy, you might owe it to your stomachs to try it once.  It is very, Very, VERY sweet and rich (look at the amount of butter involved)!  A small piece goes a long way.  Here is a recipe if you're just dying to try it.  Many of the recipes online start with a box of yellow cake mix but it's really better from scratch... though it does take quite a while to make (it has a yeast crust that needs time to rise).  The cake mix versions don't taste or feel authentic.

...I promise, we're generally healthy individuals.

EDIT: I tried to direct link the recipe for ease of printing...  That didn't work out so well so the main page is linked and if you scroll enough, you eventually get to the recipe!

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Victoria Sampler ~ Thoughts of You

Lastly, another Gifted Gorgeous Giveaway in a rather dark photo!  This is for a discontinued Victoria Sampler set of patterns by Thea Dueck that contain options for the sampler/needle-roll, scissor case, and chatelaine.  The teeny tiny name tag pictured on the front is actually an additional, matching pattern that can be found for free here!  It's a totally clean pattern featuring cute little pansies which are done in ribbon embroidery.  This giveaway is just the chart, not the fancy pack of materials that you used to be able to order.  You'll get to make your own rainbow pansies!

Gifted Gorgeousness Giveaway Guidelines

1. Be a minion follower (upper right corner of my blog)!  Feedly, bloglovin', etc. do not count as there is no way to show it!  I am sorry; blame blogger for this one.
2. Comment and tell me you would like to be included in the drawing!
3. Open worldwide! 
4. No winning twice in a row (example: the winner of June's drawing would not be eligible for July's).
5. Closing date: April 29th, 2019 23:59 CST.

That's all, folks!  I'll see you soon enough for Jo's Easter Blog Hop!  \:D/