Tag: Crochet

Posted in Moments and Musings

Three Months Later…

Posted on by Vikki Lynn Sorensen

Hello all! I’m back from a bit of a break. Three months, to be exact. I didn’t plan it and I certainly haven’t been idle. These months have been a bit crazy.

So first, I moved into a new home. It takes time to settle into a new space. From unpacking to repacking stuff you thought you needed but now realize you can live without to decorating, it’s all very joyful, very tiring and very time consuming. There are new routines to discover and build. I moved to a completely new area so I’m learning my way around the town. I am adjusting to a new work from home space. My dog also needed some TLC as he sniffed and smelled his way around his new digs. I’m living with family members I haven’t lived with for years and years and while we get along, living with them is definitely different from visiting with them. We moved closer to my dad and stepmom so that was also an adjustment. I’m even adjusting to new weather patterns as weather here on the south side tends to be a bit more dramatic than what I’ve been used to. Isn’t that something?

Then the cicadas came. Boy, did they ever. My neighborhood was swarmed with them. They covered our trees, flew in our faces and were so very loud. I’m not a huge bug fan so this was not fun for me at all. Each morning, I rose early to get Percy out on his first long walk of the day while they were still clicking away in their sleep. Once they woke up, it was a quick run out, praying for Percy to be quick about his business before heading into the garage to shake myself down, not wanting to invite any of these things into my new home. I managed but my poor sister didn’t fare as well. After doing some gardening, she brought one into the house, clinging precariously to her jeans. Thankfully, my older sister was able to quickly show it the door. In steamy hot temperatures, I covered myself head to toe each time to walk Percy and even then, I still had to pull a few off of me. I hate bugs! I hate cicadas!

Shelby’s hours changed and since I’m her ride to and from work, my sleep hours changed as well. She went from working 8pm to 630am to 5am to 130pm. I get up at 4am now during the week which I’m not a fan of. But I am a fan of Shelby (😊) so I endure. It’s actually been good for our bank accounts as before, we were running through Stan’s Donuts, Dunkin Donuts or Starbucks on the way home when she got off at 630am. We no longer do that as many places are still closed at 430am when we’re leaving. So yay for more money. We only have about 6 different ways to make and enjoy coffee here in our new home so why we still feel we need to buy coffee out is beyond me. Yet, I do it as often as I can.

Coffee and yarn are two pleasure purchases for me. I can never have enough of either.

Shelby and I found a new church – yes, even that changed for us. I love meeting new people and then I don’t like meeting new people. I always feel like I wear everything that’s wrong with me on the outside, like a paper tag clipped to clothing. And it all points to them deciding I’m not worth knowing. Ah…the fear of rejection. Someday, this too shall be conquered within my soul, and I’ll be the beaming ray of sunshine I long to be without any hesitation or hindrance. So far, the only way I know to overcome this is to dive into the deep end, put myself out there and just be me.

I’ve also been crocheting a lot. I haven’t touched an embroidery needle since we moved. I’ve bought patterns but there’s been no actual execution. Crochet, planning crochet, buying yarn, and looking up new patterns has been a huge focus for me at the moment.

And then, as if that wasn’t enough, I treated myself to a Nintendo Switch Lite. I bought the game Animal Crossing; New Horizons. What a time suck!! But so much fun!!! I struggle with enjoying things like this because I always feel I SHOULD be productive, even in my down time. I tend to be pretty hard on myself so giving myself permission to do something fun like this has been…well…nice. I’m enjoying it.

So, what’s next? Getting back to Friday Fives, because they’re conversational and I like a good quiz. Posts showing more crochet projects and what I’m working on. I went on a small trip recently that was really fun and informative. And some personal news to share as soon as I’m able.

Until then, have faith in God that everything’s going to be ok, give yourself some love because you deserve it and find joy in imperfect things (and people).

Posted in Crochet

Lake Mist and Seashells

Posted on by Vikki Lynn Sorensen

Amidst all the packing going on here, I managed to finish this C2C crochet blanket. I’ve been obsessed with these colors ever since I saw this yarn. It’s by Caron and it’s called Lake Mist. Fitting since these colors remind me of water. I was thinking more sea or ocean but I guess “lake” works well also.

I’m making a sister blanket using Caron yarn called “Seashells”. I can’t wait to see them both side by side.

Posted in Moments and Musings

Move With Me: 7 Weeks to Go

Posted on by Vikki Lynn Sorensen

While my closing date is 3/22, my moving date will be slightly delayed. My two sisters will move into the house immediately after closing but we need extra bedrooms for Shelby and myself to be constructed in the lower level of the house. Plus, we need to live out our lease here in our current apartment.

Nevertheless, the packing has begun!

We’re seven weeks out from our tentative moving date of 4/27. This date is special because on 4/27/18, I lost my mother unexpectedly. This year will be the 6th anniversary. Typically, my sister, Kathleen, and I would go to her grave with some water and paper towels. We’d clean off her gravestone and then pull any weeds surrounding it. Just make it nice and pretty.

I wanted to remember this day with joy instead of only sadness and grief so we’re going to have a new beginning of a different kind – a joyful kind.

At this point, the purging is almost complete. That’s step one in this long process that will most likely go by much quicker that it will feel. I really do not want to pack stuff that I will then unpack only to donate.

If it doesn’t bring me joy now, out it goes!

I did most of the kitchen last week. I have no clue why we ever owned so many coffee mugs! Shelby doesn’t drink hot drinks at all and Emilie only drank tea on occasion. Yet, we gave away about 20 coffee mugs! I also gave away two stacks of small dessert dishes and a set of pudding bowls.

I also did a purge of my books. What I didn’t want went to Half Price Books. I made $39 dollars, which I used to treat Shelby and I to some dinner and Dairy Queen. But my books are packed along with my Build-A-Bears.

Yes, I collect them. They’re adorable and it’s the of the few things I can share with Shelby.

So once the purging is complete, the goal is go through each room and pack what I don’t need to see or use for the next 7 weeks. And that’s the challenge. There’s something inside of us that feels a little panic-y when we put something in a box and seal it all up. I have to remind myself that I WILL see it again.

Weird!

Purging is hard, however, even for someone as non-sentimental as me! After so many moves in my life, I’ve learned the value of letting go of stuff while holding onto the memory or the feeling it gave me.

My mother also helped. By the time she passed, we had a whole basement full of stuff she wanted to keep “just in case” up to and including information from houses sold long ago. Boxes of paperwork from a business she hadn’t had in years and years….so much stuff! In the midst of loss, it’s overwhelming to have to go through that much stuff. So I’ve learned to make memories. And crochet a blanket or two to wrap those memories up in.

I did pack 90% of my yarn!! We’ll see how that goes. The real test will be not buying more yarn these next 7 weeks.

Decisions, decisions!

Posted in Crochet

Vintage Baby Blanket

Posted on by Vikki Lynn Sorensen

As soon as my daughter told me her sister-in-law was expecting a baby girl, I immediately began to look for a crochet baby blanket pattern.

I love vintage-type colors. I love color combinations that go beyond a basic “blue for boy and pink for girl”. So when I stumbled across this combination, compliments of Pinterest, I knew this was it.

For this blanket, I used Caron One Pound yarns in rose, succulent and off white. I did a simple continuous granny square with a single crochet border. Very simple, easy and quick.

I typically make my blankets bigger than normal as I like for them to be able to use them as toddlers. I remember when I was pregnant with Shelby and some kind soul made a blanket for her. She slept with that thing until she was 10 years old! It was her “pink blankie” and she loved it to shreds. Literally. It was beyond repaid when we finally laid it to rest.

So whenever I make a blanket, I like to give it some room to grow.

Do you have any favorite color combinations that are a little outside of the box?

Posted in Crochet

Fuzzy and Warm Crochet

Posted on by Vikki Lynn Sorensen

I’m a scroller.

I get on Instagram or Pinterest each night when I go to bed and I scroll through both, pinning ideas to a virtual board or saving them to a new collection.

I have tons of yarn and tons of patterns and ideas saved to both. Yet still, the second I see something new that inspires me, I have to go for it. Such as was this blanket.

The actual pattern and idea for this can be found at https://cjdesignblog.com/not-your-abuelitas-blanket/ and it’s called Not Your Abuelitas Blanket.

I couldn’t wait to make this. Now, here’s the thing. It’s important to know your yarn, I believe. I’d never worked with Bernat blanket yarn before this project so I struggled with this just a bit as a beginner to chunky yarn.

Yet I persevered and within a week, I had a happy pile of perfect squares.

I also subbed out a few colors since my Joann’s didn’t have the exact colors in the pattern. No worries. This is where creativity comes in (and where I start to battle the perfectionist side of me).

Joining them was another story and something I really do need to practice with this grade of yarn. Nevertheless, I did my own thing here and I don’t think it came out too bad.

This blanket is on my bed now as my fall covering and I have to say I love it! My blanket base is a simple white cotton quilt on which I like to add seasonal, handmade accents from blankets to pillows (eventually). It’s very soft and just that right weight and warmness (my own word) not to overheat this very menopausal girl.

This pattern – total hit for me! So glad I made it and I can’t wait to make more and perfect this technique.