A hat for Ella

It's after midnight, but I am so excited about this pretty beanie hat that I just finished for a little girl named Ella. I crocheted it using the palest pink, soft baby yarn. I sewed a kitty cat button in the center of the flower (she is holding a fish) because Ella lives in a cat-friendly home. I hope she will like it. If you want to see more views of this hat, go to my Etsy shop and you can look there. I just wanted to share this with you since as of late, I have become a crocheting (and knitting) fool, checking my list and crossing off the projects as I complete them. Only 12 more things to do...hope I can do it all before Christmas, ho, ho, hope I can! I'm feeling like Mrs. Claus over here, but that's ok. I LOVE Christmas and I love being able to do something others appreciate. Here's a set of five crocheted dish cloths that I crocheted the other day, using 100 % cotton yarn. They are amply sized, nice and thick and some of them could even be used as trivets or potholders. Now I'm off to sleep for a few hours and then will tackle another project in the morning. Poor Gizzy! He's been sleeping a lot because mom's crocheting so much.

The one that got away!

Today, I spent part of the afternoon outside with Gizzy, taking photos of butterflies, bumble bees and flowers. I think I got some very pretty shots due to the position of the sun, but I will post about that tomorrow. I don't have the energy to download all those photos right now.

I want to dedicate this one post to the butterfly that spreads his wings and flies in spite of them being torn. (I took this photo today) Maybe he got caught in a door or maybe a bird had him in his beak...but whatever it was, he kept flying and never thought: Oh my gosh, how am I going to look? No, he just kept flying, because even if your wings are torn, as long as they work - you go on living. Even if your heart is broken, you will live. Animals just go on and keep on living. They generally don't give up, they just keep going, because living and surviving is what they know.

Looking at this butterfly made me cry, because it reminds me of my friend. She recently gave up on life. She wanted to say good-bye to the world forever. She survived without any apparent damages, but the psychological reasoning behind it is a mystery to me, because I always have known her as such a survivor. It made me indescribably sad to think that someone is in such despair to not want to live anymore. I know it happens all the time, but it's not supposed to happen to anyone I know, right? Life is so precious, it comes around just once in a lifetime...appreciate every little single moment, because once that moment is gone, it's gone forever. I know we all get busy and preoccupied with our lives and duties - with things we think are important - but even if your responsibilities include children, a husband, a job, parents, whatever - be sure and take some time to just STOP! Just stop and stand still and allow yourself to feel - feel the moment, saviour the moment. I personally enjoy clocks. I enjoy listening to the ticking of the clocks...measurements of time. I should be upset over their ticking my life away, but somehow that steady, rhythmic sound of the various clocks gives me comfort. Probably because when you hear a clock ticking, everything else is pretty much silent or else you'd not be able to hear the ticking. I often stop and pause at the lake when Gizzy and I are walking and we find a place in the shade and just sit there and watch. At first you think there is nothing to see, but once you quietly sit there and don't move, you can see the movement around you, be it ever so subtle. Suddenly, you can just sit there and discover all sorts of things, the dragonflies' dance, the fish jumping, the egrets wading or flying...all of a sudden there is movement and life all around you, but you only notice it, if you stand absolutely still. I call it Gizzy TV, because he can sit there for hours, his little head turning from side to side, just watching the world go by. You can learn a lot from a dog. A dog lives in the moment. A dog never holds a grudge. He is happy whenever he gets the chance to be happy. I know of no other creature that can live life with such unbridled abandon like a dog. If you're feeling lonely or depressed, I highly recommend getting a dog! This is from today. Gizzy was tilting his head, because I'm making a very high pitched sound - on purpose, just to watch him do this. I hope you are all finding your center and the courage to be still. (...and remember to switch your cell phone to vibrate!) (I took these butterfly pictures today also.)

Pre-Thanksgiving treat

I adore fresh fruits and vegetables (with a few exceptions) and take every opportunity I get to eat fresh, raw and organic (IF I can find it). In my small town, there is usually a limited selection of produce, so I stick to seasonal, because that generally turns out to be the best. Around this time of year you can find fresh cranberries at the supermarkets, so naturally, I picked up a bag and also a small tray of kumquats. I've not had either for quite some time and decided to make my own cranberry relish. I also try to keep honey on hand for tea or a quick sweet fix, since I decided to stay away from white sugar as much as possible and only use a little brown sugar, if needed. Thankfully, I don't have a big sweet tooth, but I have to admit, that certain times of the year, I do indulge in things that I should not be eating (Easter and Christmas sweets are my faves). I also allow myself sweet, unsalted butter during the months of November and December, because I like to bake with unsweetened butter and since it's in the fridge, I enjoy a dab on my veggies or toast as well. To me, Butter rules! (and Gizzy agrees) Here's my pot with the fresh cranberries and kumquats. I added some water, honey and a stick of cinnamon and onto the burner they go. End Result: Delish! If you like the zest of the kumquat and the tartness of cranberries, you will love this. It has a nice kick unlike the tamed version in the can. (I do buy the cans throughout the year to use instead of jelly or jam.) You can always add more honey or sugar for more sweetness. I like mine a bit tart for pucker power! Don't forget to remove the cinnamon stick.

Vote Earth (by December 16)

'this the season to be openly thankful. I am thankful every day for the air I breathe, the green grass and the trees that I see. I am thankful for the oceans and the mountains and I am thankful for all the beauty that has been given to us to appreciate, preserve and protect. We are responsible for protecting and caring not only for each other, but our environment and the animals that have a right to live here too.

Today, I'm posting about a subject near and dear to my heart. No, not Gizzy or the honeybees, but Global Warming. I'm not a political person, but I try to do my part, be it ever so humble, in helping in small ways and try to keep this world a better place for future generations, so I casted my vote. Just one vote, that's all it takes! Together, we are 6,797,843,955 strong (as of Nov. 18, 2009) - now that is a force to be reckoned with. Can you imagine if just for one day every single human being on this planet would see things with one mind and one heart? Oh, what a wonderful world that would be! Mother Earth needs our help. Hasn't she been good to us? Hasn't she provided and produced in spite of all the chemicals we spewed into the air and all the garbage we dumped into her landfills and oceans? What about covering up her soil with asphalt causing her to suffocate and overheat? Surely you've seen the heat rise up from the asphalt on a long road in the summertime? Still, we eat her fruits and vegetables and ...somehow we survive, but will she? Vote Earth and help make a difference. We owe it to ourselves to at least try! If you don't want to watch the video, just click here to cast your vote on EarthHour.org. You can learn more about this issue at the World Wildlife Fund's website. Please cast your vote by December 16th!

I am also thankful for friends who appreciate and talk about my handmade crafts in knit and crochet. It's nice to be recognized for one's work, isn't it? Thank you Krafty Max!

Another knitted handbag completed

I just finished a handbag that I knitted as part of a custom order for a dear friend who picked the colors for this attractive looking purse. It's knitted in one piece on a circular needle including the lining. The handle is an I-cord that I personally like to knit with 4 needles (instead of 2) because I find that method less stressful for my fingers and hands. Also, I wanted a button that matched this bag exactly, so I just took one of my ordinary metal buttons and crocheted a cover around it in the same yarn as the bag, voila! You can see more images of this bag in my shop on Etsy. I crocheted this pattern of handbag earlier for my mother in Germany who wanted one in her favorite colors of lilac and/or lavender. This is the one I made for my mom last year that she still talks about and loves very much (probably mostly because I made it for her.) I can envision knitting this handbag in white, maybe with a pale silver/grey accent and then adding a sparkly bright red poinsettia on the side for a festive touch. That will be on my to do list after I get the next 15 things out of the way. Well, at least I won't be bored anytime soon.

Waiting on the leaves to change

I'm getting a little impatient, because we have almost mid-November and the leaves on my two ornamental pear trees have not turned color yet. We've had a lot of rain this year and it's still pretty warm, so I'm sure that has a lot to do with it. But so far, this is all I get. This is what I'm looking forward to:
My "cottage" (apartment) is right on the corner and I'm blessedly wedged between those two big, shade giving trees that bloom white in the spring and give me brilliant color in the fall - eventually! In fact, it's so nice and warm today, the butterflies are fluttering on the Lantana bush (as usual).
I saw a little green face peeking at me when I opened the back door and noticed this little lizard stuck between the screen and the glass window, so I left the door propped open and slid my hand up inside to make sure there's plenty of room for him to escape. I think he's the little one that lives in the compressor out back and when my cat Middi sits on the windowsill, he comes out and dances for her, blowing his red balloon throat and bobbing up and down on his little lizard legs like he's moving to some inaudible beat. I think it's funny. That must be the most impossible courtship I've ever seen, IF indeed that's what it is. Maybe he's just teasing her because she can't get out. Gizzy and I had our walk around the lake earlier and now he's convalescing on the chair beside me with his sock on. He kept chewing on his pad till it got infected, so I keep it clean, medicated and under wrap for it to heal. He's pretty good about walking with it and keeping it on.

Crocheted flowers and a pair of hawks

Have you ever been so obsessed with a project that you totally lost track of time? I'm sure it has happened to everyone. These crocheted flowers are the reason my eyes are burning this morning. I stayed up till 2 am crocheting flowers last night. When I get so absorbed in a project, I just don't know when to quit. One of my dear customers (and friends) who is also the mom of Baby, the cat in my Pet Costume Contest last month, wants me to make her some flowers that she can use to make her barrettes. She likes wearing matching flowers with her outfits, which is only understandable, and I enjoy to crochet, so it all works out. I never use patterns for my flowers and just make them up as I go. Sometimes the outcome even surprises me. It's kind of fun doing it that way, plus it gives me a chance to use up some of my specialty yarn that I don't use very often. My customer specifically ordered also dark colored pedals to go with her various outfits and not just bright ones, which I will be making more of later. As I hurriedly walked back inside from photographing these flowers, (it is a very windy and chilly morning) something made me turn around. Look what I saw, sitting together on a bare branch of the crepe myrtle.

Look closer: Aw, winter love! Aren't they beautiful?

I know now that they are two red-shouldered hawks cuddling (because a dear blogger friend has taught me that.) I love observing and learning of wildlife! There are so many of these magnificent creatures here. I see them all the time when walking down by the lake. They look so dignified and proud. I just love them! No matter how hard I try, or how late I stay up to do it, I can never match nature's beauty!