Vincas

I have never grown Vincas before.  When I was looking for some flowers to put in pots this past Spring I came across them and thought why not give them a try.  They apparently love the heat and sun because they never waivered during our heat wave and dry summer.  I did water them daily which I am sure helped.  They were too pretty to let go when it got cold so I brought them in thinking I could keep them for a couple of weeks. Nope the little things are just blooming like crazy and growing so much that they need a bigger pot.  I saved some of the little seeds that have fallen on the floor and will plant them to see if I can get patch started this Spring.  They provide a bit of Spring to this cold snowy winter day.  Aren't they pretty?

Week 2 The Art of Gentle Domesticity

What crafts or creative domestic activities did you pursue when you were young?

Have you continued with them?

Is there one or more that fell by the wayside but which you'd like to try again?

What inspired you in our study this week?

 

 

 

We are beginning our study of the book this week.  The introduction is all about how the women's movement told us we were to give up our domestic activities such as knitting, baking, gardening, embroidery, cross stitch, sewing, etc.  WHY?  I love doing these things, I don't want nor am I giving them up until I die.  Why can't I work outside the home AND do all these things as well.  I feel blessed that my parents taught me how to be self-sufficient.  My dad taught me to change a tire, sheet-rock, paint, garden, wire, plumb for gas, etc. and gave me my love of books. My mother taught me to cook, bake, do laundry, embroidery, sew, iron, etc.  My paternal grandmother taught me to knit and crochet.  I taught myself to cross stitch.  

When I was 4 my paternal grandmother taught me to knit and crochet because they are skills she thought I might need someday.  Boy was she ever right.  I knit a lot more than I crochet and I would love to take her to the yarn stores today.  She sat me on the floor in front of her because she was left handed and taught me.  

When cross stitch seemed to be a booming craft I picked it up. I tried needlepoint but never really got into it.  I tired of cross stitch because you can't wear it and it is not really functional and how many cross stitch items do I really need?  I do still cross stitch once in a while and am currently working on 12 Christmas villages. 

I never really cared to learn to quilt. Too many pieces and too much perfection in making all those pieces and corners line up.  Then there is the whole quilting of that large piece of fabric. Nope not for me. 

 

I took a tatting class at the library, or I should say I started it but my mother had a heart attack and had to drop out.  They have never had the class again and it is something I would like to learn, I have a couple of books and there are some you tubes out there, so maybe I will try that again.

 

I am not an artist, I can't draw a stick figure. My niece talked me into one of these paint nites and boy was it fun.  We have attended 2 so far and have a cardinal one scheduled for next week. I have bought some canvasses from Hobby Lobby and thought I might make some and hang around the house.  

I discovered on one vacation when I was in High School I am allergic to the sun. If I am outside in the sun over a couple of hours I break in water blisters and boy do they itch.  So knowing how to do several crafts and my love of reading keeps me busy when I can not go outside.  In the summer I am up at 6 (normal for me) and do my yard work so that when the sun comes up over the houses across the street I can go inside.  I do my "chores" and at noon when I sit down for lunch, I quit for the day and do what I want which includes some type of craft work.  I try to read every night before I retire for the day.

 

Don't let anyone tell you can't do something because it does not meet the "cause."  You do what you want and have fun.

Snow Part 2

The neighbor girls made a snowman, he is so cute, and much taller than the little girl who lives there.  Not much prettier than the stark red of a cardinal against the stark white of snow.

First 2019 Snow

It has been snowing since noon yesterday, often big flakes.  Not sure when it will stop but any minute would be fine with me. When I got up this morning it was a bit dark and the pictures are kind of cool with the street lights on.  I have to admit these are beautiful but it does not make me like snow or winter any more.  The city came by and plowed and made a mess of things.  Since they plowed we have added another inch or two with more on the way.  I think the whole state has closed down due to this storm. 

Banniversary

March marks the banning of so many conservatives off of Ravelry.  What you say; it is a knitting website, well beware fellow knitters when you enter that world for it is only left friendly.  I wont go into the crapstorm that happened 10 years but suffice it to say the site is not 1st amendment friendly unless you lean left.  There is a lot of vile, crude, etc stuff that goes on there and you should be careful where you let your children go.

One of my friends on FB created a Build the Wall Hat. It is free and many of the quiet righties loved it but then the word go out and here come the left.  SO for now the hat is deemed racist by pajama boy and here we go again.  There is nothing racist about building the wall, have you seen the Vatican, have you seen Obama's DC house, have you seen Clintons house, Pelosi's house, etc. They all have walls around them.  The main reason we have a gov is to keep the country and it's citizens safe.

We don't have the money to take care of takers, we have enough of those already, we need legal immigrants who can help support the country.  The only reason the left wants the illegals is because they are going to allow them to vote illegally and they will vote democrat and we will never have a Republican POTUS or Congress again.  It is their way of controlling and ruining the country.

I dont believe any political stuff should be on Ravelry based on what happens but since it is there, both sides should be able to have their patterns there.  There is  a button to hid any pattern you don't want to see. I use it a lot to block lefty patterns, but I don't go running to pajama boy about it, not that it would do any good, I would be the one being banned.  So just put your big girl panties on and block the pattern from your view and move on. But you can't because you just can't live with the fact that Trump is your President too.

I am so over the left and their hate, where is my safe space, it sure isn't on Ravelry.

The Gentle Art of Domesticity

I follow a blog http://www.elefantz.com/ who is a christian woman living on the other side of the world.  Her blog is full of embroidered items that make a home more beautiful and homey.  She shares her life, her recipes, her patterns and her belief and stumbles in God.  Reading her blog is very calming which brings me to this blog post.

She has often referred to a book The Gentle Art of Domesticity.  Being raised in the femi-nazi era women were told to put their house-making skills to the side because after all we should be going after men only jobs.  Really why couldn't I do both.  As a child I learned to knit, crochet, embroider, cross stitch, and sew.  As a person with outside allergies my time outside was limited so i filled my time with projects and books. 

Don't even get me started on how much time I spend on Pinterest, my boards have become my file cabinets full of ideas.  I had an Amazon gift card so I decided to purchase a copy of the book especially since on her blog this year we are working our way through the book.  I received my copy this week.  Yesterday I read through the first chapter and I so identified with the author.  I can't wait to work our way through the book and make my house more domesticated with my craftwork.  Being retired I thought I would have more time to devote to my crafts but somehow others things keep taking my time. This year I am taking time for myself and working on my crafts, after all all those craft items in the basement won't make theirselves. 

If you want to join along subscribe to her blog and work through the book with us. She also has a Facebook page and her patterns are being moved from Craftsy to Etsy. 

Purple Socks on a Plane

I am probably the last person who knits socks to make the Socks on a Plane pattern.  Last year I did not make one single pair of socks and I needed to cast on a pair, so I thought I might as well.  Somewhere along the line i made 2 right socks and I am not frogging the left one. I did use the After Thought Heel.  So my first pair of socks and first project completed for 2019.  Yarn is Bella Dulce Yarns.  Never used it before but it was a nice yarn to work with, a bit of stretch to it as well.  Love the color.

Poe

Poe was up today finishing off the feral cat food and then moving on to the bowl of sunflower seeds for the squirrels.  She has a pink ridge on her ears. Her toes are long and bright pink and look at her toenails.  She needs a pedicure.

Santa's Village

When I was in 7th grade, a few years ago the English teacher gave us a paper village to put together and write a story about the village.  The buildings were orange, green, teal, and gold.  I put them together had all the stores, had some one and two story houses and I don't remember if there were any other objects.  I have no idea what my story was about and over the years I have lost most of the pieces.  Last year one of my Facebook group members posted these cross kit pieces for a Santa's Village.  There are 12 pieces all together.  I  purchased the 12 items and began my stitching.  I have not got very far, about 2/3 done with the first one.  So today since Joans had a big after Christmas sale I went and got fabric and some trim and some fir trees to re-create my village.  I am gonna make a box from the pattern and put a piece of styrofoam inside and coordinating fabric on the back.  I am sure I will do further embellishing as I get each piece done.  I would like to get one done a month but not sure that is possible so come next Dec 25 we will see how far I have come.  Meanwhile enjoy the journey with me. Maybe I will even write a story to go along with my new village.

Poe and the Squirrel

I have a new possum on the deck, she is black and white and isn't she cute?  My niece named her Poe.  My gray feral cat kept checking her out but not getting too close as she spent about 3 hours "hiding" from everyone. She had a nap here and finally left.  This little squirrel came up on the deck and was like Whoa what is that as he looked at me and then her.  Looks like he is losing the end of his winter tail, he might want to keep that as it is to get cold again and possible snow this weekend.

Feeling DIscombobulated

It has been one of those years. My niece had her tonsils removed and part of her uvula in March for which I was there.  Shortly after her husband moved in with me because he got a job here.  May we went out for her graduation and moved them here, they lived in my basement for 6 months.  Now I am slowly putting my house back together.  If that isn't enough to discombobulate one, the real reason has to be that I have NOT knitted one pair or socks this year.  That is so unlike me.  SO since we celebrated Christmas yesterday because they are working lots of hours tomorrow I shall spend the day in quiet solitude making a pair of socks.

Christmas Cactus

My pink girl is going nuts with the blooms this year.  The other one my mom almost killed.  2 summers ago when I brought it home it had a couple of leaves and that was it. So i babied it and it now has 2 blooms. I think it was a red one.

First Snow

I am never ready for the first snow because I just don't like winter.  Technically it is not Winter yet, but you know what I mean.  I prefer Spring and Summer where the weather is nice and no snow, ice, sunless days on end and bitter cold temps.

We are to get around an inch but still it is snow and with the temps dropping the roads may get icy in the morning. I dont have to go anywhere but my niece has to go go work and get off in the morning. I will worry about her.

I went out and fed my ferals with extra kibbles for the night and took some pics.