MrsDoF's Dear Ones

On the Sunday before the Relief Sale, a table for display of donations was set up in the Fellowship Area at the church.
A pile of counted-cross-stitch bookmarkers were laid out between my pile of potholders and Aunt Deanie’s scrubbies and knitted dishcloths.
I looked through the whole bunch, each one a bit more lovely than the last.  We asked all around, but no one could put a name to who might have worked all those bookmarks.  There must have been 20 or so.
I believe someone knows someone, but I haven’t gotten a direct earful yet.

Anyway, I really liked one with a rainbow.  There is a loosely held rule which says that all donated items should go onward to the Interstate Center for the Sale.  The idea is to put the word out, not to have all the volunteers call dibs on beautiful things.

On that Friday, I did a bunch of set-up in the Dutch Pantry.  I had stuck a $5 bill in my pocket, then left my purse locked in the trunk of the car so I wouldn’t have to keep an eye on it.
On my dinner break, I went over to the Needlework Booth and bought scrubbies as promised for a friend.  A curly fries to eat cleared out the money I had on me.

I checked, and sho nuff, the rainbow bookmark was still on display.  I’m usually a person who wants to see direct results, to have the finish in hand rather than a theory for ‘someday’.
This tendency often brings sighs from my Husband.

However, I wasn’t about to go all the way out to the car for more money, then make it back to my work station in a limited time.

So I said to myself “If it is still there tomorrow, I’ll buy it then”.
I was so proud of myself, delayed pleasure.

On Saturday, I went to the Relief Sale to be shopping.
The first table I stopped at was Needlework, and YES, the bookmark with the rainbow was still there, along with only 4 others.

Of course, I bought it.  Destiny speaks.

I’ve got it holding place in a crochet pattern book.

~~love and Huggs, Diane

As so many of you mentioned, I haven’t been near this blog, nor even the computer, in quite awhile.  Not to worry, I’m still here, just not writing so much about what’s happening.
You may surmise that my creative juices were elsewhere.

The Illinois Mennonite Relief Sale happened last weekend.

for my donation to the Needlework Booth
I crocheted 12 pairs of potholders

done with 100% cotton 4-ply yarn, size G hook

These all got worked on after I finished the pastels baby blanket mentioned a couple posts back.
I tied and tagged them at $7 a pair, and when I checked near closing on Saturday, the only pair not sold was Christmas colors.  I guess it was difficult to think of Yuletide on St. Patrick’s Day.

Last Friday, I was out of bed at 5:50am and gone at 6:30am. I returned home once for about 20 minutes, then again for a shower and lunch.
For the Relief Sale, my main jobs were in the Dutch Pantry section.  I stocked for 3 hours, then clerked the baked goods table for 3 hours.
Finally in bed that night about 10:30pm.

This week, I worked up 2 more pairs of potholders as gifts, 4 straight bookmarks by a request, and a cross for a sympathy card.  I don’t have pictures of them.

My son Lucas was visiting and he said I really did have quite an output of crochet items while he was here.
His cat Scratchy is adorable.
Our cats are not gracious hosts.

Wednesday evening was the last of this season’s Family Fun Nights at church.  Other than a bit of paperwork, I consider it nice memories.

My husband says that when I get into the mood, in company with like-minded people, I am a little whirlwind of activity.
He says it would be good to be so busy while also bringing in wages, but I’m taking steps towards there.  Besides, nobody from the school district called me in as a TA Sub the last couple weeks (mixed blessing).

Yesterday, I began a bedspread cotton baby blanket for a little one expected at the end of May.
Creative hands keep working.

~~love and Huggs, Diane

From my point of view, my crochet is becoming a rerun.
Lately, I’ve been quite busy with real life, so the crochet is a heap of items where the patterns are easy, the stitches routine.

Most definitely, something nice does come of it.  A couple weeks ago, there were folks who paid good money at a fundraiser for a few of my cotton potholders and a couple bookmarks.

This past weekend, I was glad to have something handy which I didn’t have to count, it was just back and forth over and over, while Husband was snoozing with the IV drip going.

latest baby blanket was worked in double crochet in 10 days

The sides measure 42” by 44”.  The hook was a size I, much larger than recommended for the thread which is Aunt Lydia’s “Shimmer” Fashion of 64% cotton/ 36% rayon and gets a whole new story itself.

Ya see, when I’m making something for someone I know, someone I want to do a bit extra for, I will usually pay full price for yarn or thread and work a fine pattern.

Most of the time, when I crochet, I am simply working with hook and thread because I need to keep my hands busy, my ADD mind in rhythm.  I tend to look at Clearance bins, use coupons, take whatever anyone from church gives me in a bag to be able to have the next project.

This shimmer yarn usually has a price of $4.49 for 124 yards, probably because of the rayon blend.  One day last summer at Hobby Lobby, I found 4 yellow, 2 blue, 4 lilac in a basket for only 50c each.  Those are pastels baby colors, so I thought being such quality thread even at low price, I would work it up into something personal and soft.
However, the bag, still with receipt inside was on the top of my yarn bin, so it’s what got made next.

Whenever folks would see me working with such pretty yarn, they asked who would be the lucky giftee.  When I mentioned the 50c a ball, they could hardly believe it.  Most unusual, to discount certain types of thread.

With the tension of the last couple weeks, I’m thinking this nice thread won’t need to wait for just the right person.  I’m going to donate it to the Mennonite Relief Sale and let whoever wants to buy it believe it was made speshly for them.

I’m also going to work on a bunch of cotton potholders.  Apparently, they sell well in the Needlework Booth.

~~love and Huggs, Diane