Happy new year!

May all your dreams and wishes come true on this new year.  XOXO

:Trying to reboot my yarnyness :

Boy its been a while!
But I'm going to try again. Don't think that I haven't been keeping my fingers busy, I've made a lot of things since my last post, and even before that. But every time I try to sit down and blog about I get jellyhead. I really do miss this little cyberspace of mine, and even more all of you nice ladies who came to visit and left such kind and lovely comments. So, in an attempt to bring new life to this here little blog, I will share a few pictures of some of my not so recent creations. I hope you like!

:: Told ya I'd be back ::

Good morning! And a happy hump day to all.  :)

So trying to get my crochet groove back has not been easy. But I think I'm almost there, as I mentioned in my last post I want to share with you a few of the projects that I've recently worked on.

I made this cute little skirt for my grandaughter Ireland. She saw one that I made for myself and of course, being the fashion diva that she is, immediately asked for her own. And of course I was more than happy to oblige.

This is 100% cotton yarn that I purchased a few years back on our trip to Chile. It's very soft and oh so nice to work with. I added a little vent to the back for added ease in walking/running.

This is the skirt I made for myself,  it is a totally different stitch pattern but I don't think little miss is too picky.

I like how mine turned out it is so swingy and feminine.  

The pattern for my skirt is from the July/August 2009 Crochet Today magazine.  I tweaked it a bit to customize it for my own fit. 

Can't wait till summer is in full swing to wear it with flip flops and a cute linen top.

Well my friends I guess this is it for now. I hope everyone has a great rest of the day.  XOXO. <3

Note: pattern for little girls skirt is from christinassunshineheaven.com

:: Once Again ::

For a few months now I have been trying to find my way back to this little space of mine. I have written, erased, written and erased way too many times.

It's not that I haven't been busy doing what I like doing best, ( yarnystuff stuff) it's just that writing is probably not one of the things I do best. That combined with writers block and a few other personal things here and there make

for a very neglected blog. :(

I know, not good. 

So I will give it another shot. No pics this time ( well maybe one, if I could find a good one). 

I will try to post a few of my recent crochet projects in the coming weeks. And we'll see if things can get up and running again.

A great weekend to everyone!!!!  

XOXO

More grannymania

Good mornin' everyone!

It's a fine day here in Southern Cali today. We woke up to some much needed rain and I'm loving it!! That means that we will get a bit of cool weather afterwards which means that I can actually wear some of my hand made woolens. I love winter!!! 

I've been working on a few things lately which I will share over the next few weeks. 

This blanket was requested by my dear daughter in law Crystal. She asked if I could please make her an all white granny throw, and that's how it started out, but then I got really bored with just the white and decided to add just one color, I like this aqua-ish Tiffany green-ish color. Don't you?

Do you think she'll notice?    :)

Have a great day everyone !!!

Fall inspiration

Well it sure has been a while since I've been in this little space of mine. 

I've had a lot to keep me busy lately. Too much going on in my life .

Never the less , my hooks and needles haven't stopped. 

Just want to share a bit of fall inspiration.

I came up with this on whim this morning. My backyard is full of fall color, and I needed a bit of hooky therapy, so I decided to give a simple olive jar a quick make over.

I love the fall color combo, and the few cosmos still blooming in my garden. Not too shabby if I must say so myself .

Have a great rest of your weekend !

 

Getting back my hooky groove

Wow! It's been a while hasn't it?

I couldn't come up with a good enough excuse for staying away so long. So, truth be told, it's laziness, plain old laziness. I've been doing what I always do, but have become to lazy to post anything. (I guess summer fun has something to do with it)

But here we go again. 

I've started a new crochet project which I will share with you later. 

And I am also swatching for a possible holiday project. All the while putting together fabric for a quilt I'd like to make real soon. A bit on that later though.

For now, back to my soft blue yarn, Caron simply soft it so nice to work with. 

Take care and hugs to one and all.  

Long time no bloggy

Hi there friends!

Wow! Summer has sure caught up with me!  Lately my outdoor activities has been a priority, and crafting has sort of taken a back seat. Never the less a few things have been crocheted, knitted, and sewn around here. I'm trying to put some of these together to share with you in the next couple of days.

In the meantime, keep cool, and for heavens sake keep crafting!!!!!

( I found this on Pinterest) sooo true!

:: playing and learning ::

Hello friends!

Hope everyone is having a great start to spring, I know I have. Even though horrible allergies and an even worse flu have had their grip on me for a few weeks now, I've still managed to play with some yarn, and learn a thing or two in the process.

I decided to make a tiny flower garland to welcome the nice spring weather we've been having lately,  I've been loving all the soft pastel colors that this season brings with it. I'm especially rediscovering pink, I've always loved how that soft color adds a touch of femininity to everything. Hard as it may be to include into  my household decor, (Mr. W. is not too crazy about pink)

I will at least try to accent a bit here and there with the most subtle shades that I can find.

What I'm most excited about is how much my knitting has progressed, I've been practicing a lot lately, and have dared to try more than just garter and stockinette stitches.

The little leaf pattern looked difficult, but once I started and got the hang of it I was amazed at how easy it was.          So two lovely girls in my family got skinny scarves made out out of these little leaves. My biggest challenge was knitting a lace pattern.  Did I get it? Yes, so easy peasy!!!  Not too shabby for a beginner if I must say so....

Gotta go now, More hooky things to finish up, and a bit of knitting too.

XOXO.  SEE YA!!!

Anna E. DeSoto

:: My backyard, part two ::

Hello my dear friends,

Just a short post to say hi, and to show you a bit of what goes on in my springtime.
This year has been really good for Calla Lilies, I've had fresh bouquets every week for the past 3 weeks. These are such elegant and sturdy flowers, they last from Friday to Friday as long as I change the water a couple of times a week. I also want to show you my first spring rose. Next to the blooming Wisteria, my first spring rose is something I really look forward to.
My roses are doing exceptionally good this spring as well. I'm looking forward to a few bouquets before summer.

I am most excited about our little tomato patch, so far so good. But more about that later. :)

Have a great weekend everyone.
Blessings!!!!

Spring in my backyard

Hello my dear friends!

I hope that this spring has brought newness and freshness to everyone.
I realize that many of you are still dealing with the tail end of winter. I know last week my family in Chicago was still dealing with freezing weather.
But take heart, spring always comes around, and when it does, it brings with it such beauty and a desire to start fresh, that its well worth the wait.

One of my favorite springtime events is watching my Wisteria bloom. First the velvety buds, then a flower or two, and before I realize it I step out of my back door and stand under a canopy of the beautiful lavender blue blooms that hang almost like bunches of grapes.
The scent is heavenly, and to hear the bees and bumble bees just buzzing and collecting pollen everywhere, is almost too much. I sometimes can't believe that all this beauty is in my own backyard!!!
I cannot even begin to describe the total loveliness, just beautiful blooms on bare wood, no leaves to distract or take away from their beauty.
I enjoy being in my backyard as much as I can, I try to sit out there to read, enjoy a cup of coffee or tea, or just sit and do absolutely nothing.
In a week or two, the blooms will all have fallen, (that's another beautiful stage, it's like flowers falling from the sky) and new leaves will start to grow. These will be our much needed summertime shade. This is the most beautiful climber I have ever seen anywhere.

So many other things going on in my backyard, and I will share them all with you over the next couple of weeks.

For now, I hope you all have a wonderful week, full of all of Gods
awesome creations.


Hugs and hugs to all!!!!

:: A little bit of this and that ::

Hello my dear friends!


Once again I've gone and disappeared for a bit. I really don't know what it is lately, maybe I get too busy with my hook and needles that everything else just gets put on the back burner ( on low). I really don't know what it is, but I can assure you, there is always yarn in my hands. I'm either crocheting or knitting something, as you can see from my pics. I'll share the completed pieces later.

Lately though, I decided to dust off the old sewing machine. I'll admit, I have sewn a few things which I have neglected to share. ( trust me, nothing too spectacular.). But lately I've been in kind of a recycling, restyling, repurposing kinda mood. You know how it is, you want to get rid of stuff, but then you start to think, hmm, how can I reuse this, or the fabric on this shirt is too nice to throw out, or or or...... Ya know.
Well, last week it came down to one pair of jeans! Yes my dears just one little pair that were still in really good condition but for some reason were not all that comfy. I really never wore them much. I'm a strong believer in spending a few more bucks for a well fitting comfortable pair of jeans. Soooo, I remembered that back in the 70's ( I'm giving away my age huh?) my sister and I got into the "turn- your- old- jeans-into a-skirt" craze.
I think we kinda went overboard and ended up with these horribly sewn denim skirt and no jeans to wear. Waa waa waa.
Anyway, armed with a bit more sewing experience, and a few hints from really good tutorials, I decided to try and recycle these barely worn pair of jeans.
And you know what? They're not turning out so bad. I'm not quite done with them yet, I still have to add a new waistband. And I'm trying to decide on weather to hem them, let them fray naturally, or crochet a nice little edging. I guess that'll be the last thing I'll do. I'll share when I'm done.
For now, back to finishing everything else. Sometimes I wish I were an octopus with hands and fingers. :-/

Well my dear friends, thank you so much for stopping by. I really do appreciate all of you. Hugs, and more hugs to all.

P.S, I apologize for the bad pics, I'm working on that, really. :)

:: One project at a time ::

Good morning friends,

Just a quick note to share one of my latest projects. I crocheted this fancy frock for my granddaughter from a pattern I found in one of my old Interweave crochet magazines. The only difference from the original is that I chose not to add the cap sleeves.
The bodice is simple double crochet, and the skirt is an open work stitch.
I lined the skirt with coordinating 100% cotton. ( fat quarters )
And voila!!!!
She loves it.

Have a great day everyone!!!

:: The sweater that never was ::

Hello my darlings,
I've been away too long. Sometimes I come to this little place that in the past was often updated and always visited, and wonder where have I been?
It's a bit stale and dusty this little bloggy space of mine. But here I go again! A new year, a new beginning.

Back in October I wrote about my trip to my hometown of Chicago. By the way, I took pics but since my camera stayed behind my phone pics were not good enough for posting.
Anyway, for my trip I decided to crochet myself a Bonnie new sweater. With much enthusiasm and very little time I started to crochet this wrap sweater from the stitch n' bitch book by Debbie Stoller. It seemed to be coming along just fine! But then I decided to try it on before I crocheted the lacy edge.
That's where everything short circuited.
OMG!!!!! It was horrible!!!! My gauge was good, it looked ok, but the fit was really awkward. Too snug in the under arms, the collar was kind of funky, and the sleeves made no sense at all !!!!
Don't get me wrong now, I'm not blaming the pattern, I must've done something terribly wrong!!!
So, after all that work ( more then three quarters of the way). I did the unthinkable, I frogged it!!!! It was very frustrating.
Not only that, but now I'm stuck with a gazillion skeins of red yearn that I wasn't even too sure about to begin with.
Enter, my little Ireland and her love of the color red. My daughter gave me a few ideas, and voila!!!! This little knitted tunic top was the result.
She loves it!!! And I loved knitting it.

One little problem, what will I make with the rest of that yarn? Red isn't exactly one of my favorite colors to wear. I guess I'll add it to the bottom of my stash, who knows what ideas Valentines day may bring. Well my dears, if you have any suggestions please feel free to share.

Have great weekend!!!! XOXOXO

:: Have a great and blessed new year :;

:: Merry Christmas ::

Wishing everyone a very merry Christmas!!!!

Feliz Navidad!!!!

~ My Goings On ~

Hello everyone!!!
I am so glad to be back to a [normal?]
routine.
Ever since my return from my mini Chicago vacation it's been a strange kinda time. First, there was Thanksgiving, then missing my family gets me down for a few weeks. I also had to deal with a broken finger, which made life a bit difficult for a while, but all in all I managed to get a few projects completed.
I'm sharing just a few today because I haven't yet taken pics of everything.

Lately I have been a bit "Cowl Crazy".
I just love making and wearing this very odd accessory. They knit up quickly in thick yarn, and are very much in vogue these days. The orangy one I made for my daughter from just one skein of homespun, the other, cest pour moi, that one from just one skein of loops and threads charisma.

I've also had time to whip up a cardi for my granddaughter Milla. This pattern is so cute, and oh so easy to knit!!! (I am not a knitter)
"In threes cardigan" you can find it on Ravelry.com
I made a second cardi for the little granddaughter but I'll show that later.

And last but not least, a quick and easy pair of slippers for the little one of course, at her request, mind you.
It hasn't been easy to knit or crochet lately, but where there is a will or a special request, there is a way.

As I write, I'm sitting on the floor surrounded by my yarn stash, man how it has multiplied!! I think I have gone overboard buying yarn lately, so one of my New Years resolutions is to use up all the yarn in my stash before I make any more purchases, ya think???

NOT!!!!!
I am already looking into some baby alpaca which I will order directly from Peru. Yes, I have the Peruvian hook ups ( no pun intended ).

Well my dears, I will stop for now.
(You can tell I've been gone too long huh?)

I hope everyone is having a calm and happy pre holiday week.
In the hustle and bustle of this joyous season pease remember to hug your loved ones a bit tighter, and smile at the stranger that passes you by.


Hugs and hugs for all!!!!

:: Newtown Ct. ::

There isn't much that anyone can really express but sadness, anger, frustration, and a very deep sense of loss, after the
horrible tragedy which took place today at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown Ct.

I can only hope that we can all as a nation get on bended knee and ask the Lord to bring comfort to the families of all the victims during this difficult time.





Anna E. DeSoto

Hiya!!!!

Hello everyone!
I've ( this blog) been experiencing a few technical difficulties lately, so if you are reading this that means that the problem has been fixed, and I will soon return to my wregular writing wroutine. :). Hehehe

Bye for now!!! Have a great day!!!!

:: Chicago bound, and Roses from England ::

Hope everyone is having a great weekend. :)
I know I know, my posts have been very few and far between lately. I'm still in sort of a slump, but maybe what I need is a change of scenery.

This week has been sort of bitter sweet,
For one I've been fighting a flu since Sunday (bitter)

On the other hand, I've been in total grandma bliss, my granddaughter has been visiting us from Arizona. (Sweet).
I have had a lot of hugging and playing to make up for. It's been almost a year since I last saw her ( custody battles are always heart breaking), but I'm taking full advantage!!!!

And to add to the sweet part, this week I received a beautiful card from my friend Lory all the way from England. It is always nice to open ones mail box and find a hand written envelope.
Thank you so much Lorybelle for your sweet and thoughtful words. They really brought a smile to my face. :)

Now, for that change of scenery, well, next Wednesday, I will taking a much needed trip to the Windy City, I have been preparing for about a month or so, you know trying to lose a few pounds, crocheting warm things to wear and things like that. But the only thing that worked out is my oh so simple neck warmer. After looking through my stash and feeling all the wonderful alpaca, wool, silk, cotton, and yes, acrylic blends, I decided to go with this humble 100% cotton, yes, you know the kind we make wash cloths out of. It's very simple, easy to care for, and just the right shade of taupe, it goes with my Chicago wardrobe.
Anyway, about my trip. I will be attending a family wedding on the 20th, but in order to spend precious time with my parents and family I'm leaving a week earlier then my husband. I'm hoping to get in a bit of the museums, stroll Lake shore drive, a little shopping on Michigan ave. and soak in a bit of the local color. My parents live in an awesome neighborhood called Bucktown/Wicker Park. (Don't know how to link on my smartphone, but you can google it if you like) And of course I will visit a few of the LYS. All in all I hope to have a good time. Even if I don't get to do all of the above mentioned, it will be enough to just be with family.

I guess I'll keep prepping for my trip. See y'all soon!!!

P.S. I do make my blog rounds, I'm amazed at how many of you keep up.
It's great to read all your wonderful posts.