I used to have a knitting blog. Actually I had two. Things happened that made me not want to knit. People didn’t appreciate what I made for them, moths ate into my hand-knitted socks, people were unkind to me, and I suddenly had a whole bunch of lap dogs. So, I didn’t knit for a long time.
The dogs became calmer, I have a different set of people in my life, and I’m in a much better mental space nowadays. Hooray!
Since I’m back to knitting and crafting again, I’m collecting those posts, for those of you who are into fiber and not into horses, cows, chickens, and my musings.
Rainy Rain That Is Wet
I had a fun day of hiking and birding activities planned for today. However, it rained starting around 1:30. Luckily I’d gone out earlier, when the skies were blue and the temperatures perfect. I enjoyed the short nature trail nearby,…
Plus, I Met a Horseman
Today didn’t go quite as planned, but it ended up okay. After an enjoyable rainy morning chat with Kathleen about what’s going on and her plans for the immediate future, I got some work done. The sun came out soon…
A Day of Stuff I Like
It’s still all rainy, but I managed to do nothing but stuff I enjoy. There was no horse fun, just slogging through mud and arguing with Apache over his medicine. I had bird and plant fun, though. Whoopee, the bluebonnets…
It’s a Carousel, Life
Are there any activities or hobbies you’ve outgrown or lost interest in over time? Probably many of us have waxed and waned in interests throughout life. My hobbies have remained pretty darned consistent, though. I did stop sewing (mostly quilts)…
Five Fun Things on a Soggy Day
List five things you do for fun. Sure, I can list five things I do for fun. But let’s make it more interesting and find five fun things to do on a very wet and soggy day. 1. I can…
Playing Is for Grownups
Do you play in your daily life? What says “playtime” to you? I’ll answer this: yes, often. We all should play. I hang out with birds and plants every day, just for fun, and nominally for research. I’m not doing…
A Mood Blanket? In 2024?
One of my friends sent me a link to a Lion Brand pattern for a “mood blanket,” which they propose as an alternative to making a temperature blanket, like I’ve been making this year (in exciting news, it looks like…
Sometimes Simple Is Spectacular
Send good thoughts our family’s way, since we’re experiencing a loss. So let’s talk about yarn. Good idea. Since I’m still waiting for my pale yellow yarn to arrive so I can get back to the temperature blanket, I’m experimenting.…
The Hippie Takes a Day Off
What are your two favorite things to wear? I say I’m a hippie, because when I saw the prompt for the day, two things popped into my head: blue jeans and t-shirts. I have had that as my uniform since…
Hard Decisions That Turn Out OK
What’s the hardest decision you’ve ever had to make? Why? You ask that, do you? I agonized a very this for about three years, during which time my mother passed away followed immediately by a breakup with the love of…
Early Anniversary Gift – WOW
I am completely bowled over by the wonderful gift Lee made me for our 15th wedding anniversary. It may be “only” 15 years, but we’re very pleased to have had such a great time in our late-life relationship. I’d been…
Better Days Do Come
Sometimes when you have a long string of anxious and worried days, it’s nice to have one that builds you up. I hate it when I’m dealing with annoying physical symptoms and I’ve done all I can to get my…
It’s Easy to Guess My Favorite Subject in School
What was your favorite subject in school? It rained and rained and I worked and worked today, so I didn’t have any “adventures” to write about. I was glad to see the blog prompt for today, since it fit in…
Time Is Not Real
Do you need time? But it feels like it. Just like I can’t be my higher self and live in the moment, I feel like it’s necessary to act like time marches forward since everyone else thinks it does. I…
Am I Unfaithful to the Temperature Blanket?
What’s this? I’m knitting with hand spun yarn (by a person named Genevieve) that’s distinctly not acrylic sport weight. Why, it’s wool, silk, and sparkles! It’s not making a mitered square. It’s in the round! I’m enjoying doing something different,…
Can You Guess My Favorite Hobby?
What is your favorite hobby or pastime? Oh my. If you’ve known me for the past few years, you’ll probably have a good idea what my favorite hobby is. Or you’re saying, “Wait a minute, how can Suna choose between…
Life without a Computer Is Like Snow White in the Forest
Your life without a computer: what does it look like? Now, y’all may be surprised by my answer to this question, given that I have made my career in online activities and teaching folks about software. I made websites when…
Temperature Blanket Update
I had to re-do the key and description of the temperature blanket project I’m working on, because I’d submitted it to the Master Naturalist annual meeting, which is next week, because you’re not supposed to have your name on it.…
Three Jobs I’d Love
List three jobs you’d consider pursuing if money didn’t matter. Oh good, here’s a question that I don’t have to be as careful answering as yesterday’s (thanks for the positive feedback). I know the things I’d love to do if…
Do I Have Energy?
What things give you energy? This question made me laugh. I’m not the most energetic person on earth. But I’m more energetic than I was when younger, thanks to developing outdoor hobbies. Admittedly, one thing that’s giving me energy these…
My Favorite Album(s)
What’s your all-time favorite album? How could a music lover pick only one album as a favorite? But I have a couple. They are all kind of old. But so am I. Quadrophenia by the Who. Pete Townshend’s finest work.…
Is There an Ideal Week?
Describe your ideal week. I thought about this all day long today, and I had plenty of time to think as I worked in the actual Dell Technologies offices today. The scenery didn’t distract me, even though I had a…
Is There an Ideal Home?
What does your ideal home look like? Today’s prompt is something I think about often. I’ve designed a few homes and liked each, but none are my dream home. The Hermits’ Rest ranch house has a floor plan I like,…
Sitting and Knitting
Today, I was casting my mind back to times when I felt safe and secure. I don’t feel that way much of the time these days. Too much animosity and too much that baffles me. The one time I truly…
I’m Not a Good Painter
Nope. I’m not, probably due to lack of practice, because I think it can be taught. But I really needed to do something to take my mind off things that are completely out of my control. So I went to…
Happy for My Friend
Today was special, because my friend Pamela worked very hard to get her ceramics studio showroom ready for public viewing. Today she had the official Chamber of Commerce ribbon cutting for the gallery at Neeley Fine Art Studio. The gallery…
Am I an Expert?
On what subject(s) are you an authority? I read this blogging prompt and it made me say, “Hmm.” I hesitate to declare myself an authority on anything. Why? I know perfectly well that there’s always more to learn about anything.…
Bloggers Need Topics
I don’t have a topic today. Things are going along all right, with few exciting developments that I can talk about. That’s not bad at all. We all need some mostly drama-free periods in our lives. The best thing about…
Living in a Zoo
Honestly, I often feel like I live in a zoo. There are just so many critters everywhere I look. This morning I went in to feed the chickens, and realized the rat snake exhibit had moved back in. The BIG…
My Favorite Luxury
What’s the one luxury you can’t live without? Ha ha, today’s blog prompt has saved me from posting a picture of a caterpillar and a horse, and that’s it. Now I can answer this! I’m not averse to luxury, I…
I’d Do It for Free
What job would you do for free? …a job, that is. This blog prompt is probably too easy, since I’ve done a LOT of volunteer work, some of it hard and thankless. My favorite one, though, has always been reaching…
Roses Are Red, but Bluebonnets Are REALLY Blue
Not much exciting going on today, so I’m sharing some jaw-dropping photos of bluebonnets on our property, taken by the great photographer and legendary hermit, Ernest Lee Bruns, Jr. My contribution to the theme is the latest temperature blanket square,…
Working through Horse Challenges (and others) Pays Off
It’s been a challenging few days. Have you ever been through a period where even the simplest things turn complicated? It’s felt like that lately. I mean, I just wanted to wash my car yesterday and every one I went…
Everyone Is Busy
You hear that a lot, right? That people fill their lives with too much stuff, make their kids too busy, etc. true, I like to be doing things and am no good at just sitting. But I declare that some…
Book Report: Two Crafty Pleasures AND Temperature Blanket Update
I ordered more yarn for the popular colors in my temperature blanket, and while on the Knitpick website I saw two books that looked interesting. First, let’s see how the blanket is coming along. You can definitely see that the…
Happy (?) March
It felt like the longest day ever. 11 meetings. Lots of challenges. Sweat (me and Apache). Learning. Helping others. Receiving help. Normal stuff, just lots of it.
Signs of Spring
Wheeze wheeze. I guess I’ll wheeze forever. I’m ok if I do things slowly, so I hang out with the horses and wander around thanking Mother Nature for showing us signs of spring. I think she’s blowing it in from…
The News from Walker’s Creek
Honestly there is not much news from here. I rested most of today to let the healing continue. The antibiotics seem to be helping, so I’m less wheezy. I am up to January 8 on the temperature blanket. So far…
What’s a Temperature Blanket?
I may have mentioned recently that I was waiting on yarn to arrive so that I can make a 2023 temperature blanket. The yarn arrived yesterday, which made being sick at least a little less annoying. Because I still hate…
Animals, Accidents, etc.
Today was fun until it wasn’t. I mostly practiced Tunisian crochet, thanks to a little book called Tunisian Crochet Workshop that I found on Kindle for free. It has good photos and clear instructions, so I was able to get…
Filet Gumbo and Filet Crow
What a nice day it was, through a bit nippy. So much got done that I felt like a paragon of efficiency. The Red House is ready for the next visitors, I got a fun custom sweatshirt from the talented…
You Can Certainly Fill an Empty Day
Welcome rain showed up overnight and throughout the day. That made us all happy but sure changed our plans! I had worked really hard to arrange to get the farrier to do the horses’ feet in time for me to…
Trials and Triumphs with Crochet
As you are probably aware, I’ve been on a crocheting kick for about six months or so. It’s nice to take a break sometimes, even though I’m still a knitter in my mind! I did finally finish the rug or…
Happiness Is Birds and Beasts
This is an interesting part of my life. Outside of me, things are challenging. Inside of me, I’m feeling better than I ever have. I wish I’d learned to focus on what I can influence and let other stuff go…
Crafty Crafting
It’s nice to be back to normal. Life here is just fine, working hard, playing with horses, and enjoying new plants as they return each season. No complaints. I’m glad I’ve relaxed about a lot of things, like caring about…
Rug Making
I finally got all the squares for the rug or thick blanket I made for a Christmas gift sewn together. That was not easy on my hands and arm, because I used a twisty joining stitch, the same one I’ve…
Rural Excitement
Lots of excitement here in rural Milam County today. Mostly good! This morning I got ingredients and made bean soup to use leftover Christmas ham. It was great. No photos. We ate it. I then ran into the mobile office…
Community Holiday Joy
Maybe residents of our small town are sick of hearing about it, but I’m gonna say it again: Cameron is like a new town this season. I’m so grateful to all the folks who have worked so hard to turn…
Oh, Germs
My strep symptoms are NOT going away as fast as I’d like. Oh well, it rained off and on all day again, so I couldn’t have done much other than work, anyway. At least I didn’t have to talk much.…
Good day for a cozy blanket
Well well. I had good timing in finishing the main part of the rather large blanket I’ve been making for myself to sit under at the tack room. All that’s left is the border, which will be simple black clusters.…
Cozy
There isn’t much going on. It threatened to rain here all day, but didn’t until evening. Lee and I went to the Lowe’s and Target stores in Temple (the town, not a synagogue, even though it was Friday afternoon), where…
Corner to Corner Crochet Success
I’m late to the party on this, but when I saw a friend’s scrappy and fun blanket made with this technique (also called c2c by the cool kids), I knew it had to be the one I’d use for the…
Hearts and Borders
Yesterday was lots of fun and I’ll share pictures tomorrow. Today I took it easy, other than cleaning, and got the border put on the heart afghan. I was glad the squares matched up well. The border really sets off…
Enjoying Life
Why not? I was all tired after helping a lot of folks at work, but when I went out to see the horses, I felt so much better that I did my scheduled ride and enjoyed the nice afternoon. The…
Hearts, Hay, Horses, and Headaches
The letter for today is apparently H. I shall start with hearts, since it’s a cheerful topic and something to be proud of. After finishing the camo blanket, I went back to work on my heart afghan I was making…
I Finished Something but You Can’t See It
Just kidding. I can’t help that the Camo Blanket is practically invisible! It makes me invisible, too! I think it came out the way we intended it to. Kathleen says the colors look better than she feared they would, and…
Old Patterns
I’m thinking a lot the past couple of days about old patterns. One I’m happy to keep around. I’m still enjoying the granny squares. My 63 camo squares are now nine green burritos that are actually strips of seven squares.…
What’s in My Sloth Bag?
Hmm, I sure took a large bag with me on this evening’s drive. Cute bag, isn’t it? I got three or four of them to hold knitting stuff and am getting a lot of use out of them. I’ve been…
Book Report: Block by Block Crochet
4 stars I’m too tired to write my planned post so hey, here’s a book that I just received and am already loving. Block by Block Crochet: Quilt-Inspired Patchwork Blocks to Mix and Match, by Leonie Morgan, came out in…
Things We Like
My spouse and I do have a few things in common. Today I was reminded of some of them. That made me feel all warm and fuzzy, which I needed, since the dogs killed another animal friend and that made…
Yarn Failure – DOH
Sometimes I wonder about myself. Other times I laugh about myself. Today I am laughing. You may recall that I am making an afghan that looks kind of like a quilt with a heart in it for Kathleen. When the…
Hi There
Not much is going on other than the dizzy thing and working hard. Work is good, of course. I could do without queasy and dizzy. The liquor is a prop, as is the hat. We were celebrating a coworker’s birthday…
Old Friends Return
Some of my things from Austin I don’t miss at all, while others have left a bit of a hole in my heart. Today some of my favorite things returned and it feels good. I had most of my needlepoint…
Granny Squares
I heard it was recently International Granny Square Day. So glad I was working on some at the time. I have two rows done on the current project, which consists mostly of granny squares divided diagonally into two halves. It…
It’s a Ruana. A Giant Square.
I finished this project. It’s so ridiculous it’s cute. Random yarns that are no longer available to buy, and much patience. It’s Augustina from a Noro magazine. You, too, could buy a kit. Mine is big. It’s ok. It’s soft…
Handy Crafting
I’ve been steaming away on my latest project, which is a crocheted ruana called Augustina. I used a bunch of leftover yarn from other projects (mostly that Lion Brand Mandala, but with a couple of other “el cheapo” Red Heart…
Why Acrylic and Superwash Wool are My New Friends
Those of you who know I love to knit and crochet may be scratching your heads and wondering what in earth has happened to their Suna. It’s true. Suna loves natural fibers like wool, silk, mohair, alpaca, linen…mmm. She loves…
Um. Let’s Crochet Stuff
Home life has me so upset and sad that I don’t want to talk about it. So, hey, I finished my giant ripple blanket made of leftover Mandala yarn. Yay. I enjoyed this humongous project so much. It kept me…
Murders and Knots
We are staying in a condo that overlooks an empty lot that’s been mown down. Future construction? Who knows. The resident murder of crows is very fond of this patch of land. Every evening around 6:30 pm they gather and…
More Painting, but Mostly Indoors
The guys finished trimming out the shipping containers today. There were a few clouds in the sky, which helped. Vlassic and Lee approved. I, too, painted. Kathleen set up a fundraiser for the Alzheimer’s Foundation today, sponsored by our personal…
Too Hot to Paint but It Happened
I felt bad for my kid today. He is a very hard worker, not doing what he thought he’d be doing at this point in his life, but learning a lot. But wow it’s hot right now. And he’s been…
Things You Find when Looking for Something Else
My spouse is trying his hand at book binding. He needed a needle he could thread dental floss through to sew the binding in. So, I went through my unorganized craft stuff to find something. I found a needlepoint needle,…
Finished a Shawl, Finally
And it came out great! This shawl is what I was working on before I started making all those baby blankets. I started on January 15 and was almost finished in February when I sat the project aside. I knew…
Mojo Sinking
Wondering if Jim Morrison was singing about mojo rising. Mine is sinking. But I had the energy to look up that song. Mr Mojo Risin is an anagram (A word, phrase, or name formed by rearranging the letters of another)…
Cat Butts, by Request
That’s right. Cat butts. Really, cat assholes. My friend Dorothy sent me a photo of some coasters that look like the back view of a cat. Could I make those? I figured I could. So, I looked for a pattern…
Sculpture! Birds! Nature Surprises! Beauty?
Today I got to have all the funs, to celebrate an actual day off, and have some emotional recharge. And of course I had to do some deep thinking. I’m on a roll with wonder and wondering. You may remember…
A Shiny Baby Blanket
I finally finished this special project, which is a blanket for my friend Mandi’s upcoming surprise baby. It took a long time, because I used small needles and only have about an hour of knitting time per day. I recommend…
Baby Blanket Bonanza
Yeppers, I’m making more baby blankets. It’s rewarding to me. And relaxing. I found some fun yarn to use for the next two. It has both long color changes and sequins! Woo. The yarn is weird in that it doesn’t…
Normal Horse Activity
This is exciting! Sara and I rode our horses around our pastures and it was uneventful! Woo! I promised I’d just write about horses for a while. So yep. Aragorn and Apache were good guys and checked out lots of…
I’ll Just Show My Knitting
After the most disturbing evening of television watching EVER last night, I hope the poor shawl I’m working on won’t forever be linked with the dismal 2022 Winter Olympics. It’s not the shawl’s fault I was holding it in disbelief…
Knittin’ and Readin’ and Regerts
Today it is windy as all heck. All my chairs, all the barrels in the horse area, and everything else that isn’t tied down has blown to new and interesting locations. Lee and I had tried to put together a…
Yes, You Can Mix Knitting and Crochet
Now, if you are a fan of Franklin Habit, you’ll know this. But in case you’ve never heard of such a thing, it is perfectly acceptable to mix in a bit of crochet with your knitting or vice versa. See…
Let’s Knit Stuff
Knitting has always been my go-to centering activity (after actually meditating, of course). I’ve been knitting up a storm the past month or two, which explains the lack of book report posts! I’ve finished one thing and almost finished another…
Empathy for Those in Chronic Pain
It’s been a rather painful couple of weeks for me. Since my ungraceful exit off Apache, I’ve been healing in some ways and getting worse in others. What does an “older” person expect, anyway? The funniest injury I found turned…
Square Simplicity
It was suggested that I make a giant Grandma’s Favorite dishcloth pattern as a baby blanket. It’s also been suggested that babies no longer use blankets. So, it is also a “tummy time mat” or whatever modern babies use. I…
Hexagonal Rainbow Stripy Glory
Hooray! My mistaken “invention” is finished! It’s perky, trippy, stripy, and glorious. If I were a baby, I’d want it for my floor mat, and I’d want to gum those wormy fringes. I had so much fun watching the stripes…
Sunset and Dining in the Rockies
I ended up spending the entire day yesterday with my patient friend, Cathy. I crammed a week’s worth of fun into that one day! I also crammed more than a week’s worth of exercise points in, but I feel absolutely…
Under the Weather in Chilly Weather
I have no idea why, but I felt awful today. I was sleepy, fuzzy headed, and stuffy. It made being all brilliant and with-it difficult. Of course, times being as they are, I was sure I had a coronavirus. I…
Knitting Report: Regrouping and Planning
I spent a lot of time knitting for the past couple of days, as well as talking about knitting while my friend Kathy was here. It’s really a rare treat to have someone around who is an expert knitter to…
Happy Reunion
Today’s highlight was a visit from a high school friend, Kathy Herzog Evans. I’m so glad these interesting people keep reappearing in my life! It was so kind of her to drive over to see me from where she lives.…
Why is This Baby So Happy?
Baby Suna and her mom were really happy the day Suna climbed up onto the dresser to look at herself in the mirror. Suna was around 9 months old, a bit young for climbing. But, mirrors have always enticed her.…
The Other Horse Gets a Turn
I’ve been concentrating a lot on Apache lately, but that doesn’t mean I have forgotten Drew! He won’t let me forget him, anyway, since every time he sees me, he comes up to see what’s going on. That’s really a…
Progress, Despite Heat
It’s the time of year that we can’t get much done outdoors, but Lee and I are getting a few things accomplished (mostly Lee). His pond project has made it to the “proof of concept” phase, in which he connected…
Lazy Day, with Lego
Today I ended up not doing much after riding Apache in the morning. Partly that’s because I got a shingles vaccine yesterday, and I was tired (fell asleep for a while after lunch). And then my evening activities with Kathleen…
Very Brief Knitting Update
I thought it would be a good idea to briefly share how my current shawl is going. I’m really enjoying the border, because it’s simple as heck. It does amuse me that I still occasionally mess up, which just goes…
Solace at the Sea, and Travel Planning
Even though I had meetings that went until almost 6 pm yesterday, Lee and I vowed to have at least a little fun at the beach. And the late afternoon is a wonderful time to go out and enjoy the…
Knitting My Way to Calabash
In addition to all that reading, I’ve been knitting the last few days. Today, after playing on the beach and hot tubbing (it was finally empty), Lee and I decided to explore the area north of us. I brought my…
Practically Finishing a Knitted Object!
I’ve been diligently knitting away on the Tangerine Eyelet Wrap that’s half entrelac and half lace. It took longer, because I doubled the lace part. Today I finally bound off! I am glad I’m done, because toward the end there,…
What Did I Want to Do When I Grew Up?
Hello from the road to South Carolina. I love road trips. You can sure think a lot. You can also knit a lot. I’ve actually arrived at the end of the pattern I’m making, but because I’m using different yarn…
The Hermits' Rest 