MIssing Spring

Several days of wind, rain and dark skies are really wearing on me. When I ran an errand at noon today it was 38 degrees out. So of course I am seeking out bright colors to enhance my mood.

Instead of working on UFOs like I should be I am indulging in some crumb block play while listening to an audio book and watching Elsa leap from window to window entertained by the poor birds trying to stay warm and/or dry.

My husband put out the bird feeders yesterday and they have been claimed much to Elsa's delight! She also has a large rabbit to keep an eye on that we think has moved in under our front porch so she spends a lot of time on various window sills.

This has become a common sight over the last few weeks. Tucker tolerates Elsa on "his" space as long she is actually wanting to sleep. Fortunately he had a reprieve this morning when Elsa realized that my newest yarn project was gone from the high shelf. She is slightly obsessed with yarn!

I am in love with this yard (Tweed Stripes by Lion Brand) and am enjoying my first crochet project in a long while. This will be a long scarf and I think this simple double crochet pattern from inside the wrapper shows the colors off so well. It's a fun and quick project.

Last night we were watching a movie and Elsa totally crashed next to me. As soon as the quilt comes out she is usually ready for a nice snuggle - especially after dark when the windows lose their view. Since it looks like we are stuck in this weather pattern through at least Friday there will be lots of indoor time this week.

At least one member of the family isn't complaining!

Golf, Needles and Hooks

Yesterday was one of those days that wandered down it's own path. My husband enjoys golf and I was keeping him company with my morning coffee when Phil Mickelson started lighting up the British Open. I can't say I'm an avid fan of golf... but I do love watching the improbable happen in ANY sport! So I grabbed my knitting needles, brewed some more coffee and settled in.

I finished up these dishcloths, started rummaging through my bin and found these.

A while back I was wandering the craft aisles at our Wal-mart looking for something and the cute dishcloths caught my eye. I haven't crocheted in years so I added the package of hooks and the Pocket Guide to Crochet to my cart.

Yesterday I started looking through the dishcloth book with one eye on the TV and then I remembered those Craftsy emails I'd been getting all week about sale classes... sure enough there was an intro level class called Crochet Lab on sale for $9.99. Click to purchase!

I set everything aside to watch the last 3 holes of the Open and had both arms raised just like Phil as he sank his putt on 18. Exhilarating!

Photo from online.wsj.com

Here are my samples of single and double crochet from the Craftsy lessons I watched yesterday afternoon. I do love the format that Craftsy uses... watching made it so easy to pick up those stitches. I felt like I had last crocheted yesterday instead of decades ago! The class finishes off with 2 projects that I need to round up some yarn for... an iPhone/iPod cover and granny squares. I last made granny squares in Junior High so that will be fun!  I'll have to pull out the afghan that my Mom put together for me for a photo session.

Ravelry.com!!! What can I say to describe this AMAZING site? I had signed up in March but hadn't really taken the time to explore until yesterday. I burned several hours looking at patterns, looking up yarns from my stash and getting completely inspired. I started the multi-color chevron scarf last night using a free Ravelry pattern called "One Skein Chevron Scarf" (I figured I might as well practice my double crochet on something real!).

I'm hoping to get my stash set up by the end of the week (this is drawer 1 of 3) and start a Ravelry "to-do" list.  My user ID is asimplelife so if you are on Ravelry let me know.

So, it was a great Sunday at my house! Do you savor unexpected days like this as much I do?