The Lil Hat Shack

Then one day, cold and gray I packed a bag and moved away......

I'm listening to the a Prairie Home Companion on my laptop now and GK is singing a sad song about home.  My post title just happens to be one of the lines.  But in reality - it is cold and gray here in Texas today.  Yesterday morning I was awoken by the pounds of 'hail' on my roof...as I peered out of my window and amidst the flashes of lightning and little white balls falling down the roof slopes, I could see lights coming on all over the complex.  Some areas had golf ball size, but I think we only had pea or dime size hail.  Here's  what we got on the east side of town. No damage for me, my car was in the garage.

That led to a nasty dreary day with lots of rain and storms, but I was determined I wasn't going to waste it, so I trodded off to IKEA for a Billy bookcase about 15" wide - they had them on sale for $59 and I had a coupon for $10 off.  I'm not a huge fan of IKEA, its just not my type of furniture normally, but it is durable and it certainly works for my spare room.  I bought the table w/saw horse legs that is extendable last year for my desk and this matches perfectly.  Easy to put together and holds all my knit/crochet/organize books and all my magazines that I can't seem to part with.

I was surfin around etsy the other day and came across a beautiful scarf, by ebay artisan mkcarroll It looked to me like the 'fan stitch' on some of the patterns I have, but I loved her version and purchased through her.  Her pattern is easy to follow if you have crocheted quite a bit, if you are a beginner - not sure, as there are couple things in the pattern a beginner may not be able to catch...omitted row - but she does offer a chart, only I found a few problems there....maybe i'm just picky.  After I had purchased, I found a similar free one (ugh) on ravelry....its a Queen Anne's lace pattern too - but I think all in all - MK's is cleaner, the fan stitches are more defined - if that makes sense.  Here's mine on the blocking board.

There are 160 pins in this monster - here's the proof....

But the end result is great and I think i'll make another one for mom....I love this scarf!!! (made out of scrap cotton yarn in from my stash - 2 strands held)

Also looks great with a vintage pin (or in this case - vintage barrette)

So since that is complete - (FO #4 for the year) i'm working more religiously on French Girl's 'Fawne' that I purchased from Jimmy Beans Wool (my fav online yarn/pattern retailer) and I love this pattern  - its super easy to follow and instructions are well written.  I decided to try Vannas yarn (yarn snobs its okay really) - mainly because I wanted to see how this yarn works up  - the color is honey...the yarn is fine - will need a bath of softener as all acrylic does once its complete - but here's my progress so far. I have one sleeve and most of the body complete.  It works up quickly....can't wait til its complete - hopefully within the week.

And that's all the crochet I have to show today....January was full of knit and February is turning into a crocheter's month. 

I'm still working on genealogy, its such an obsessive hobby.  Some evenings I come home from work get on ancestry.com and look up and its 10pm.  I have found quite a bit of family information and met some wonderful resources in the forms of distant cousins.  I was organizing my file cabinet the other evening...top drawer - patterns, 2nd drawer - genealogy, 3rd & 4th - personal junk.  So in going through drawer #2, I found a story that one of my cousins sent to me.  It was written by her mother Henrietta.  Henrietta's mother, Ina Belle and my great grandmother, Lucinda were sisters.  So Henrietta was a writer, most of her stories are based on the tales told down to her from her mother about life on the Pomme De Terre in Missouri.  Some of these stories she wrote were published in local magazines.  I love reading and researching these ancestors that inspired such stories and tales.  I'll leave you with Henrietta's beautiful dedication to her mother for her story 'Shadows on the Autumn Moon', by Henrietta Driskill.

   "To my Mother, and to an old road that winds its way across the hills and over the vales of my childhood home.  To a river, the Pomme De Terre River, that had influenced the settling of this particular region.   To the beautiful hills, that holds its secrets, locked in its bosom.  Not a sign, a breath or a word of what has been held there, so securely, for a hundred years.  And the shadows, the shadows that move along the old road, at the full of the moon.  They move across the hills and whisper of the past.  I understand and listen and I hear the stomp of horses feet and the jingle of their harness.  I hear the whoop of a feathered red man and the slap of rope on his horses hide.  I hear the quiet step of a work weary woman, as she treads this road.  I listen.  Where have they gone?  These people that once lived and worked here.  They are mine, ghosts of my past.  My shadows, against the Autumn Moon."

Isn't that beautiful, I think so.  I haven't read all of the story yet - but I think she's a good writer....and what a legacy to leave. 

Have a great weekend crocheters, knitters, genealogists and writers and readers of the past.  Garde tous bien!

Passion's only half impossibility....................

That's one of my favorite lines from a great Susan Warner song....St. Mary's of Regret.  This month my passion has definitely been yarn crafts...knit and crochet.  Finally the Lace Wrap is off the block board and on to my mannequin for a quick photo.  I love the color way - a very quick knit and easy pattern to follow.  Louisa Harding is probably my favorite knit designer. 

Lace Wrap, pattern by Louisa Harding

That completes my second FO for 2008 and now here's my 3rd.  My sister bought this skein of Bernat's alpaca yarn color is tundra.  Finished it over 2 nights - just a couple hours each night.  Once you get the cable pattern memorized, your off to the races.  I'm going to make one for me, as this is the softest yarn ever; only thing its a little sheddy - I don't recommend wearing black while your knitting.  This picture doesn't do it justice, its really super soft and cables turned out great....I want a pink one!

I started a little mini collection since Christmas....after my Grandma died, my grandpa gave me one of her cameo's - it's a mourining cameo...brooch post then at Christmas my folks gave me one and my mother then later gave me one that was her mothers, passed down from her grandmother.  We've had alot of changes at work and a very nice lady and good friend of mine, won't be working together anymore, as she's moved to a new area....she knew I collected cameo's so she gave me one that she had had for years and never wore.  I wanted to display them so I bought some velvet and put them in a little frame - they turned out nice, in place of honor next to my glass kerosene lamps that once belonged to Mrs. Mabel Wagner, who lived across the street from my Grandma and Grandpa Cook from the late 40s to the late 80s.   They are so pretty....they survived a housefire and my mother cleaned them all up and gave them back to me.  When I look at them, I can't help but be reminded of the sadness that the Wagner's endured during their lives.  They had two sons....and when their oldest son was 17 Mr. Wagner took him for a test drive a new car...they wrecked and their son died.  Then only 16 years later their other son was killed in a car accident too.  After another 13 years, Mr Wagner died too and for the next 25 years, Mrs. Wagner lived alone in her little house across the street from my grandparents, until she wasn't able to care for herself and her grandson put her in a nursing home where she died in 1994 at the age of 95.  He didn't want her little house, so he gave it to my cousin.  They sold her belongings in various garage sales and threw other items away.  I was lucky enough to get these before they made it local trash bin. 

here's a closeup of the cameos....

I saw two great movies this past weekend....The BRave One with Jodi Foster and Terrence Howard.  She's such a great actress - definitely a worthwhile rental.  Also rented on demand 3:10 to Yuma - I LOVED it - but I really love westerns too.  Russell Crowe and Christian Bale are so good in this movie - also the guy that plays Russell's sidekick is awesome, but I can't think of his name.  This movie so good, I watched it twice and definitely will be purchasing it. 

Okay, off to bed - goodnight all you crocheters, knitters and movie watchers - garde tous bien!