Thursday, February 25, 2010

Bunnies for Easter


A few years ago, my Aunt Kathleen sent a bunch of her craft magazines and papers to me by way of my mom. Included in those things was a handwritten pattern for a bunny pin.

I made a couple of changes: crocheting the tail, instead of adding a pompom, lengthening the ears and making them different lengths. Anyway, I have no idea of the patterns origins, but here is my version if you want to make one yourself.

By the way, the two bunnies on the right are wrong side up, just because I thought the picture looked better that way rather than having them all face the same way.
It takes about 3 yards of worsted weight yarn to make one. With lighter weight yarn you can make one with shorter lengths.

Crocheted Bunny Pin


any weight yarn or thread
hook appropriate to the yarn or thread being used
pin back or safety pin

gauge: not important, as long as this ends up looking like a bunny

chain 4, slip stitch in 1st chain to form ring

chain 2, 5 double crochet in ring, chain 3, slip stitch in top of 5th double crochet (tail formed), 7 double crochet in ring, join with slip stitch to the top of the chain 2
(body formed)

chain 3, 3 double crochet in next double crochet, turn (head formed)

chain 10, slip stitch in double crochet, chain 9, slip stitch in double crochet (ears formed). Fasten off.

weave in ends. attach pin back of safety pin.

Bee Sting

I got my first bee sting today, which is pretty good considering my age, which is older than most people are when they get their first bee sting, if they are the sort to get bee stings.
The thing is, the bee did not sting me. I managed to impale myself on the poor thing while I was cleaning up some pruning my husband had done. I was felt the sting as I was moving my arm back and brushed into some of the branches. I looked at my arm and could see the stinger and part of the poor thing's butt sticking out. When I looked down I could see her (bees are mostly 'her's, aren't they?) writhing on the ground.
I am sure her last thought was "Mom always said 'They're just as afraid of you as you are of them. Just don't bother them and they won't bother you.'Yeah, right."
In honor of the poor bee:

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

A Line is Fine ATC


A Line is Fine ATC
Originally uploaded by joanieponytail57
It has been a while since I have done a zentangly sort of thing only because there are just so many things that can be done that it is hard to stay on one thing for a long time, but when I do do this I enjoy it and I know it will stay in the rotation for the foreseeable future.
This was clearly done by me -- it has my lines and patterns -- but it is also a bit different in ways that I like so I think it has worked out well that it was set aside for other things for a time.
I shouldn't say I haven't done any tangledoodling. A while ago we were doing some organizing at work and we ended up only using the middle parts of the some labels leaving strips of about half an inch of labels on each end. Being the creative (or crazy -- I've heard it both ways) type I saved those. Last month I drew various zentangle patterns on them and have been using them as stickers on envelopes. The best part is I can be sloppy around the edges but when I peel the label remnant off the sloppy edges stay behind and it looks so clean, like I was much more careful than I actually was.
Anyway, this went out to my swap-bot partner today. Hope she likes it.

Monday, February 15, 2010

Like Macaroni and Cheese


Cheesy grits
Originally uploaded by StellaTex
In our house lunch is almost always a fend for yourself affair. As I was thinking about what I wanted for lunch today I thought I might have a bowl of cereal. (I know. You can't believe my family doesn't beg me everyday to please, please, PLEASE include them in my lunch plans.) Then I remembered that I had some Cream of Wheat that I usually forget about until after breakfast. I really should use that up before the use by date (10/2010) which given how often I think to eat it is not that far away.
The thing is, it's lunch time and I really want something cheesy. That's when it hit me: instead of adding my usual butter, brown sugar and milk to the Cream of Wheat I could add some grated cheese. It's not like the Cream of Wheat police have a camera in my kitchen. (It's not like I do either, which is why I borrowed this picture of cheesy grits from Stella Tex on flickr.)
I should say at this point that the two things my Mom (hi, Mom) taught me about cooking were "350 degrees for 1 hour" and "a little more cheese couldn't hurt," so it isn't a giant leap for me to think to add cheese to something, but I hadn't thought of it before today in connection to Cream of Wheat and I have to say it was so good. Like a warm, gooey, stringy bowl of macaroni and cheese without the bother of chewing.

Monday, February 1, 2010

Another Year Older

Today is my birthday. I like having my birthday on February first. That way January is just practice for my new year. It gives me time to think about what I want to do and what I might actually do during the year while I have time to come off that holiday high.

During the last month I read a blog from a 25 year old woman who was lamenting her wasted youth and the fact that she was too old to do some of the things she has wanted to do but hasn't had a chance to do yet, like getting her belly button pierced. She did not want to end up like the man she had seen driving some hot sports car while wearing a leather jacket and cool sunglasses with the wind blowing through the few strands of hair he had left. I guess when you get to be a certain age you no longer feel joy or excitement or the thrill of driving with the top down.

My grandma lived in a retirement home for many years and I remember her telling me how it would always surprise her that there were so many old folks around and then she would get a look at herself in the mirror and remember that she was supposed to be old, too.

I hope I am one of those people who has to be reminded by my mirror that I am getting older. I don't want to lose the thrill and joy of life. I certainly don't want to embrace my inner crotchety old lady. And if this is the year I finally lose weight I may even get my belly button pierced.

While I was surfing the web yesterday I found this hilarious story that started with the drawings on one man's birthday cake. I hope you enjoy it. Read all three parts.