Cat Yarn Bowl Is Perfect

 

 

 

I usually have my yarn in a basket but this is tidier and the ball rolls nicely and is easy to pull through the paws.

 

Here's the Etsy Store for the artist  https://www.etsy.com/shop/ShopBeckyZee

 

and her Facebook Page  https://www.facebook.com/PotsWithPersonality

Etsy

I made my first Etsy purchase!  I decided I wanted a Yarn Bowl after reading an article that said using one can help maintain consistent tension.

I'm still having a tension problem.  Maybe I'm too relaxed because my tension is now very loose no matter how hard I try to tighten it up.

There are many beautiful ceramic yarn bowls on Etsy but only one will do:

There was only one available according to the site.  What if someone else ordered it ahead of me and I don't get it?  No idea how Etsy works but I'll be watching for a confirmation.

Despite my better instincts I appear to be building up a small stash of cotton yarn.  The projects I'm interested in are all small so two of each color seems reasonable.

Aquaman

Aquaman

So Not Aquaman

This is why DC Comics movies fail.  DC Comics features heroes, good guys to the core.  They are not misanthropic, misunderstood outcasts.   In order to play to the audiences wanting dark "maybe heroes", likely at-the-core villains, they change the very fundamentals of who these characters are and nobody is happy.

A Few More Craft Blogs For You

I keep finding all of these charming blogs with beautifully crafted things.

From the Little Treasures Blog, a sweet Crochet Heart

http://thelittletreasures.blogspot.com/2015/02/crochet-heart-free-pattern.html

I'm able to follow her instructions (in my mind) till the rows one and two.  When she talks about a "picot round" yikes.  Crochet patterns and their terminology are still largely mysterious to me.


I love the colors used by the Made with Loops blogger  http://madewithloops.co.uk/?p=2851

At Hopeful Honey, a beautiful scarf.  I like the way she learns new stitches then creates a pattern to use that stitch.  Very creative and lovely.   http://www.hopefulhoney.com/2015/01/chunky-popcorn-scarf-crochet-pattern.html

Another beautiful scarf at A Creative Being using Tunisian Crochet (over my head but oh so pretty).

http://winkieflash.nl/2015/01/21/free-pattern-tunisian-skinny-scarf/

Happy Fifth Blogiversary to the D.O.A. Blog!

Five years ago today I posted my first DOA post right here.

Adorably brief, yet witty.  That would be me!   I found a nice little skellie reading a book for my avatar.

Then I used one of the many image editing sites from 23 Things On a Stick to make it my own.

I'm glad that I kept writing here after the 23 Things program ended.  I'm surprised how much I've enjoyed it.

Thanks to anyone who stops by regularly, or even once in awhile, or for the first time.  You're always welcome at DOA Central.

Garden Bloggers Bloom Day February 15

Here is my beloved veggie garden in mid-February.  Little snow but bitterly cold.  

My Nectarine is overwintering nicely in the garage for its fifth (?) year perhaps.  I almost planted it in the ground last summer/fall but couldn't decide on a location.  Yes that is a strawberry in a bowl behind it.  I think it will make it through the winter too.  They never made  it into the vaunted "strawberry pyramid" because the "directions" were incomprehensible.  I could not even find a picture of one anywhere so I could get an idea of how it should be.  Blah blah, onward!

Scathingly Brilliant

So, I was twitching to look at crochet patterns and yarn and cotton thread.  This is known to some as "the thrill of the hunt".  The pleasure of acquisition!

There were of course some lovely yarns.  I don't have what could be called a yarn stash and I don't want one.  So I'm disciplining myself to only getting new yarn or thread for a particular project.

I have two in progress that I'm enjoying.  I find that after years of making only afghans I want more practical yet beautiful homey things like placemats and table runners and scarves.

Today I found some lovely crochet project pamphlets and books.  They are just the sort of thing I've been hoping for and some were on sale.  So my thinking is, I can hunt for patterns rather than all that yarn.  It takes up far less space and is most pleasing to dream over.

I didn't see any cotton yarn today that went with any of my project patterns.

Off I went though, happy with my things. I've decided that it would be fun to treasure hunt the sorts of things I like so next stop is the library to see what they have for me.

Mail Ordering Seeds

I enjoy ordering seeds by mail for the vast variety of choices.

This year I'm finding myself thinking that if I can just find the seeds in a local garden center rack, I should purchase them that way, particularly for warm season vegetables which can be started later on once we see what kind of spring we are getting.

Some favorite garden centers have folded in the last year or so, making it a bit harder to shop this way. 

It's a balance!  

I did place a few orders anyway, and I am made a little happier for it on this sunny but very cold winters day.

"Looks Like Work" Said A Voice

I haven't got my seed orders in yet because I'm a slug.

I really want some onions so I plucked a couple of packages off the rack at Cub.

Out of nowhere a voice says "Looks like work to me." 

The guy stocking magazines is apparently not a gardener.

"Looks like food to me", I said.

Catalog shopping is obviously safer for the daydreaming gardener...

Craft Room Bits

 

 

Parts of my craft room are interesting.  The goal is for the entire place to be fun and functional.  Getting there!

New Craft Blogs Added

I am having such fun with my crochet and immersion in crafts that I am made additionally happy by reading the blogs on my Craft Blogs List daily.  I keep finding new and charming inspirations.  You'll note I moved the Craft Blogs up the list on the sidebar so you too can easily find and be charmed by these creative folk.

My current Filet Crochet project above, only I'm doing it in PINK :)

Crochet: Granny Square

My long neglected Granny Square crochet has been behind my efforts.  I think they have paid off because this morning I was emboldened to try a new square.

It isn't perfect but it is essentially right.  I thought my problem was that I couldn't turn corners.

In fact the problems were legion.

I could not read the patterns.

I did not actually understand double crochet from single crochet or a hole in the wall.

I wasn't holding the hook effectively.

My tension on the hook and yarn was really TENSE.

Ten year old or so square on the bottom, today's effort on the top.  Not stopping till I complete this.  Go me!