I want new projects!!

Wah! I want all these new projects I see...... got a ton of them in mind but I have so many WIP's right now and there's only one of me and since I have to do this thing called work for a living..... crochet often gets put aside. I gotta finish these WIP's that are driving me nuts so I can start on some new things. Here's what's waiting to get finished:

Doreen's afghan
Rainbow wool sock
Primary colors square baby blanket
Sugar plum stripe baby blanket
Scarf at home on the couch on knitting needles

And I have not cleaned my house (other than little tidbits) or decorated for fall yet... just not in the mood. In the mood to shop and look at and pick up new things and get ideas, yes.... but to actually clean up to put it out.... No. I've had a hubby off half the week being a pain in the butt, now he's back to work and my days off were spent keeping up with him.

I have several WIPs in mind, including a stocking or two for Christmas decor but I gotta finish a few things first. I'm also toying with starting another blog to post all my zany adventures at work. I do have some hilarious stories to tell.

If you have new projects or esp holiday projects/patterns, post them on your blogs- I'd love to see them!!

Hope everyone is well and keep that yarn moving!!

Marla
Marla's Nursery
Gifts of Love

A WIP Pic for you ..... Early

OK So it's not Wednesday for about 2 and a half hours yet... I'm putting this on while I have a chance to get the pics posted. The first one is a sock I started (who knows when it'll get finished) out of bargain bin Rainbow Wool Yarn from Hobby Lobby. I hit the jackpot the other day and they were in the process of marking some other yarns way down when I left today... stuff like $5-10 sock yarn, wool yarns, baby yarns etc for $1.50 to $3 or so.... boy how I wish I had an unlimited bank account!!! Anyway here's the starting of the sock out of one skein...

And an apple pic I found on the web to enlarge for our friend Doreen who lost all her apple kitchen stuff in a fire, save a few dishes. Her afghan I showed last post is still in progress.

Marla
Marla's Nursery
Gifts of Love

Current WIP

I realized I hadn't posted in a while so I thought I'd post my current wip.... I did make a boo boo on an end but didnt notice it til several rows later but I think I can fudge it and make it not noticeable when I do the edging.

A full size afghan (or will be) I'm making for Doreen, the lady I mentioned who waits on us at IHOP; her trailer burned Labor day and she's already gotten some help and is back to work but I'm going to try to get this done before cold weather. Right now she's living in an RV where her trailer was, no air, heat, electric, water etc. Hopefully she can get back on her feet enough to get her another trailer or apartment.  That trailer looked like it was barely big enough for one person much less her and her son before it burned anyway. Hopefully she can get something a little better.

It's humbling to know that someone you see every day could be living in such bad shape and it not be obvious. Shows you never know someone's situation just by looking at or talking to them, and the amount of people out there that need help yet it's not obvious. She never would have asked for help otherwise if she hadn't lost everything.

So most of my baby blankets etc. have been put on hold until I finish this one. Maybe a small project here and there but this one comes first.

Marla
Marla's Nursery
Gifts of Love

Nashville

Here's a few pics from my trip I promised well over three days ago...




ATT Building AKA the Bat Building



















Hard Rock Cafe Nashville- LP (Titans) field in background




Wildhorse Saloon Hostess Stand





Wildhorse Dance floor- Line dancing lessons in progress



My friends Tammy and Lisa

Sorry guys the few concert pics I took turned out crappy.... we had great seats, about 30-40ft from the stage for George Strait and Reba but my camera isnt equipped for concert photos. The two of them were great as usual.... I'd never seen George before but he was very enjoyable if the music had been turned down about 20db or so.... and I'm literally deaf without my hearing aid and it was still too loud once he went on.

Lee Ann Wommack Opened for them and I thought I'd enjoy her show as she's normally a very pretty girl with a nice voice.... her performance was cut short and what she did was so bad half the people walked out til the next act went on. Her normally pretty hair was unkept and very stringy, not stage like or professional at all and her clothes were worn, baggy and sloppy. Not the norm for this lady at all- I hope the people seeing her know she can do much better and not hold a bad performance (I hope it's just one) against her.

Other than a respiratory infection I still can't get rid of the last of, it was all a very enjoyable weekend. Hope you enjoyed a few pics!

Marla

Marla's Nursery
Gifts of Love

I'm Too Sexy....

For those of you with dirty minds thinking this post is dirty.... I'm not the one thinking I'm too sexy.....

 

Looks like Miss Ginger needs to learn some manners....

Marla
Marla's Nursery
Gifts of Love

Roses and Angels

I'll get to the pictures I still need to post later but for now you must hear this odd story.....

My 59 year old uncle passed away a year ago at the end of this month at the same time I was in the ICU with my diabetes. He lived 2hrs away in Nashville, rarely came in to see my grandparents and us, wouldn't stay more than overnight when he did, but called them to talk every morning. We didn't find out until he died that he didn't want the family to know he was more or less an alcoholic. When he was dying for a brief period my aunt asked my dad to come down there and he was about to, then I got sick and there was noone to take his mother since she won't stay with just anyone.

My 91 year old grandmother lives with my dad, last night they were at Cracker Barrel eating and this older gentleman was sitting by himself just having coffee while they were eating. My dad kept noticing he was watching them, and finally the old man left smiling then about 30 minutes later he  reappeared with a dozen roses in his hand. My dad told my mom, "Someone's having a birthday". Suddenly the older man came back to my parents' table and said "I hope you don't mind but I bought her some roses, she's as beautiful as ever". Puzzled, my dad said that was fine and thanked the man and asked if he knew my grandmother from somewhere, the older man replied "I never got to say goodbye, mother.", handed her the roses and walked away.

I have to wonder if that wasn't my uncle checking on my grandmother in some form of an Angel. Even if not, I do believe in Angels. The last one I saw was when my grandfather died, I didn't tell anyone for ages thinkjing they'd think I was crazy, until one day my grandmother mentioned "the man standing by the bed when Pappy died".  I questioned her about it and she said "There was a man wearing a white gown standing by the bed when Pappy died." She went on to describe exactly what I saw three years ago now when her husband died. I can't help but wonder if this was her son visiting. If that was you Rendy, we haven't forgotten you.


Marla
Marla's Nursery
Gifts of Love

Headed to Nashville

Hi All- will try to post some pics soon as I get a chance, I'm headed out to Nashville for a reunion with a couple friends and a good concert. Everyone say a prayer for my safe trip and return and also in remembrance of 9/11 and those who died and lost loved ones.

Talk to you all soon!! Hopefully with pics!

Marla
Marla's Nursery
Gifts of Love

Where's Noah when you need him??

We need old Noah here to build us an ark. It's been raining since yesterday afternoon, now a soggy, wet mess. not fit for man or beast. Supposed to go to a concert in Nashville this weekend and meet a couple of friends and it's turning out to be a real disaster. First they moved the date, one friend isn't even staying with us (after that was the original plan) and the other friend is running straight into town then straight out after the concert.... not much to do in Nashville right now since Opry Mills is closed and most of the rest of the stuff is on the other side of town. Thanks a lot Gaylord for selling Opryland.... I could get lost in that place.

I've been having trouble finding padded hangers lately.... the type you'd hang a robe or lingerie on as our stores here don't carry them much anymore. They're the type I like to crochet around but they're scarce anymore.

Oh well looks like not many people on here today either.... gonna run do some crocheting before I gotta get stuff ready to go tonight so I can leave in the morning. May post from Nashville if I get bored.

Marla
Marla's Nursery
Gifts of Love

A pic I missed somehow ....

This pic was the main reason I posted the kitty pics..... I have NO idea how it got missed.... maybe blogger failed to upload, can't remember.  Anyway here's the missing one. I managed to catch 4 cats sound asleep all in a row...... From Front to back.... Cracker Jack, Harley, Shadow and Ginger.

Spoiled brats were all spread out between the kitchen and Living room so you couldnt get through without stepping on at least one of them. It's rare to catch them together like that. Only Angel was asleep by the door a few feet away, not part of the "pile".

Oh well at least they weren't on top of my crocheting!!

Marla
Marla's Nursery
Gifts of Love

Some Labor day pics for you

I did manage to catch a couple of pics on Labor Day... Although none of me or crochet. This is all you get right now since I've been busy working and fighting a nasty respiratory infection that isn't going away.

My ornery hubby  who hates having his picture taken..... finally got him to cooperate.

And a rather large leaf hopper crawling on the glass door.... couldn't get as good of a pic as I got a view of him from the inside but not bad.....

Now working on an afghan for a lady who waits on us at IHOP nearly every morning; her house burned on Labor day and was pretty much a total loss. Wish me luck as I'm slow at getting full size afghans done. I picked a pretty Mixed Berry color in HL's I Love This Yarn and a label pattern sort of a shell pattern. Only a bit fancier. May take a day or two off work and see if I can get rid of this nagging sinus/cough. Would give me some extra time to work on it anyway.

Marla
Marla's Nursery
Gifts of Love

Some Pics For You

Hi Everyone,

I have a few pics for you.... but still forgot to take the pics of the mittens before they're put together. Anyhow here are a few I caught of my meow babies, and the work in progress on the square blanket. I'm getting bored with these colors now so I started a new one as this one is almost done.

Here's the kitties, my co-hosts.  Here's Mr. Harley about 4 mos old now....

Mom please.... you're interrupting my nap time.

Shadow: Alright Mom but hurry it up will ya?

Harley: You called, Mom?

Ms. Angel Asleep by the door

and last but not least here's the pic of the square blankie I've been working on. The yellow stripe was an accident but I like it. I thought I had bought mismatched skeins of yarn so I started on the yellow then after a couple rows found more of the crayon color to finish it that I knew I bought in the first place. Starting on a girl's version now. The pic doesnt really show the colors as well. Now if I can just remember to get a pic of those kids' mittens and post the changes to the pattern.....

Marla

Marla's Nursery

Gifts of Love

Mittens in progress

The pattern is my own for Warm Snuggly Mittens found at http://giftsoflove.bravehost.com/ and I've tweaked it a bit to make them smaller for kids. If the adjustments work they'll be added to the pattern. Pictures to come! I didnt realize I didnt have a picture of them up. Soon as they're together I'll get a pic up and one on the page.

Marla
Marla's Nursery
Gifts of Love

New Solid Square Blanket pattern - testers welcome

This may have been thought of before but I had to add some things to make it work and not curl on the edges as with traditional solid square patterns. I've made one or two but not finished with the current one.... if you test this please send me a picture of yours. If you make this please make one for a baby in need as well.

Solid Square Blankie

H Hook and Baby yarn for Preemie or newborn
J hook for Baby/Toddler or larger.

Ch 3, join to form ring.

Row 1: Ch 2, 11 dc in ring. Join to ch 2 you first made. (12 dc)

Row 2: Ch 2, Dc in same stitch, 2 dc in each remaining stitch around. Join. (24 dc)

Row 3: Ch 2, dc in next 2 stitches, *2 dc in next stitch, 3 dc in next stitch, 2 dc in next stitch (corner made), dc in next three stitches, repeat from * around. Join to first ch 2.

Row 4: Ch 2, *dc to 3dc group (corner), 2 dc in first stitch, 3 dc in next stitch, 2 dc in next stitch, dc in each stitch to 3dc group and repeat from * around. Join with a slip stitch to first ch 2.

Repeat Row 4 to desired size. If desired you may do the last 3 rows in a coordinating color for edging. A great way to use up scraps or solid colors. If you make one for personal use or a gift please make another one for charity as cold weather is coming up.

Testers are welcome- please do send me a picture as the one I'm working on isnt finished yet.

Marla
Marla's Nursery
Gifts of Love