GRANNY BUNTING

Every holiday Frannie and I sneak over to Granny's house and decorate her tree.  You see, Granny, my husband's aunt, lives next door.  She is 99 years old and pretty much house-bound due to very painful arthritis.  Still, everyday, she makes her way to her front window and enjoys the sunshine and the what's going on down our little street.  Sometimes she is very surprised when she looks out.  Early yesterday morning Frannie and I strung up a "Granny Bunting", which I crocheted in patriotic colors.  Granny loves anything hand-made, and was once quite the seamstress and crocheter, herself.  She was overjoyed and so were we.

Pattern for granny bunting and flowers from Attic 24.  Pattern for star from A Foothill Home Companion.

S.W.A.K.

P.S. - I used Red Heart Super Saver yarn and a size H crochet hook.  (I figured this stuff could take any kind of weather.)  The buntings measure 10" on each side after blocking.  I attached all the grannies together by chaining 80, single crochet across the top of a triangle, chain 6 between and then attach another triangle, again chain 6, and so on, ending with another 80 chains after the last one.  Next, chain 2, turn, sc across all.  Keep this up until your edge is the depth you like.

ONE FINE DAY

One fine day last week I squeezed in a trip to a thrift shop and an estate sale.  I scored big!

Six skeins Tahki Cotton Classic (I love this yarn) in one of my favorite colors - $4 (that's for all of them).

Five skeins of Manos del Uruguay - handcrafted kettle dyed pure wool - again $4.

Six cordial glasses - my favorite color - perfect condition - $5.

Vintage knitting bag/purse - $4.  I plan to disassemble this and use the original as a pattern to make a new purse with that lovely wooden frame.

Vintage pillowcases - I plan to repurpose these as well - not sure what exactly, but something - $2.

S.W.A.K.

P.S. - Frannie had another orchestra concert last night.  She wore the cherries.  I told you they would look cute.

OLLIE OOP

Here's the snazzy little sweater I told you about.  Oliver will need one for each day of the week during the cool weather.  I'm going to make them up in different, happy, circus-like designs with polka-dots and such, and call it his Ollie Oop collection.  I found the basic pattern here (Pinterest), although I did modify it somewhat.  I have other modifications I'd like to make the next time as well - and maybe even turn it into a crochet pattern.

S.W.A.K.