A Clean Sweep

Thanks  to Pinterest and to well meaning friends, my list of unfinished projects is swelling instead of shrinking.   A while back, my daughter sent me a "pin" from Pinterest for a "Swiffer" cover. Oh, she knows me so well. Washable and reusable this nifty little cover was a perfect idea for me. I hated buying the  "pricey" but necessary Swiffer sheets, I think they are expensive and a waste of money, not to mention I don't like adding to the world's "waste" problem.   As soon as I could I ran out and got a pretty, peachy pink, cotton yarn to crochet the cover. I downloaded the pattern and checked that I had the correct size hook. I could hardly wait for the perfect time to start. Well, the perfect time never seems to come and my supplies stayed inside the Joann's bag next to my sofa until I eventually moved them into my closet where they stayed. Every single time I swept my wood floors I'd experience a "ping of regret and smidge of shame" about abandoning the "Swiffer" project and so then I would recommit to it again. Finally I did it, here it is and however small,  I have completed another project!. The thick cotton cover grabs at the dust like you won't believe. Washing and drying actually makes it softer so it works even better.

I LOVE IT! 

You can find this cover pattern on

Ravelry.com

Enjoy!

CAT NIP

It all started as a bad joke. For my retirement, my friend gave me a book of knit and crochet patterns for Cat Hats.  We all had a good laugh  at the absurdity of it all and moved on. Or so I thought.  I mean really, hats for cats?  I don't even have a cat. I have a few friends however that do and a couple who even treat their  friendly felines like family. It was one such friend who first requested that I make a hat for her kitty, I complied; little did I know that it would be so popular. It seems that for some people dressing up those furry feline friends and posting the  photos on social media for all to see is a popular past time. Well,  you know how it goes, one becomes two and two becomes three and so on and so on and now I'm hooked.  Sure I told myself it was all  an attempt to use up my yarn stash but truth be told I have become fixated with these silly "CAT HATS". I love making them and love seeing the cats wearing them.  At this pace though I will get nowhere fast in my attempt to FINALLY FINISH  all my incomplete projects. These tiny caps don't use much yarn so my stash isn't shrinking as I had hoped. As they say....

IT IS WHAT IT IS! 

SO today I add  this little shark to the collection of "kitties lidders"   that I have created and if I do say so myself 

George sports the "fin"quite well.

                                           

JUST BAG IT!

The most overwhelming part of my Finally Finishing journey for me is looking at the massive yarn and fabric stash that I have acquired and then making a decision of what to use it for. Some of it was purchased for a specific project which I started and inevitably never completed; while some was collected with an idea in mind. (which of course, never materialized.) I guess it doesn’t matter. There is still a mountain of stash that needs to be put to good use!  This next project utilizes two categories, stash and unfinished business. A couple of years ago I decided to make “grocery bag holders” for my sisters for Christmas.

I really hope the road to Hell

 is NOT 

paved with good intentions.

 Someone had given me one and I love it. I searched out a great pattern and collected pretty fabric keeping in mind the recipient’s kitchen colors. Life happened and Christmas came and went….and came and went, and came and went. Well here it is. I actually made two; one for my mother and one for my daughter who both, in my opinion needed them. 

They LOVE

them. Hmm I think I will make them for my sisters 

NEXT Christmas!

Go Granny..Go, Go, Go!

It is hard to believe that it has been over 40 years since I first saw this adorable little crochet sweater pattern. It was 1974 and I was expecting my first child. Granny Squares were making a comeback and were all the "rage." The stitch pattern was "throwback" from another time; I recall my own grandmother creating lovely afghans from the many colorful granny squares she had crocheted. But by '74 the "Hippie" generation began making their mark with these funky geometric squares, pocketbooks, ponchos and even bathing suits were showing up in the fashion scene.  I knew the basics of crochet and I was eager to try my hand at making granny squares. I was longing to make something hand made for my first born child. So sure enough I went to the local yarn store, bought the supplies that I needed and set to work. Back then we didn't have the benefit of knowing what sex the baby would be but in my "heart of hearts" I knew it would be a girl and that she would wear this tiny sweater set home from the hospital. That my friends is where it began and ended. I managed to mastered the stitch pattern but quickly became bored. The thought of having to sew all the pieces together overwhelmed me so eventually I stashed the whole thing into a bag and threw it in the rubbish. On June 23rd I gave birth to a beautiful (and big) 9 lb. baby boy who would never have fit into it anyway.  So here I am, some 42 years later and having come across the pattern buried in all the stuff I have saved over the years.  I think of my younger self so eager to create something beautiful for my new baby and I feel a little sad that I didn't finish it. It still feels like a failure. So here it is folks, I'll set it aside and gift it to the next little "flower child" to be born.