I DONE GOT MEME'D: Tag I'm It

I've been Meme'd by Deb-VA at My Dzire for Yarn. First, I was like "what is a Meme?" But this seems like a fun way to learn more about bloggers that I've found interesting. Okay, here's the way it goes:

"The rules of the game get posted at the beginning. Each player answers the questions about themselves. At the end of the post, the player then tags 5 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know they’ve been tagged and asking them to read your blog. Let the person who tagged you know when you’ve posted your answer."

1) What was I doing 10 years ago?

• Getting acclimated in a new city, starting a new job, dealing with teens.

2) What are 5 things on my to-do list for today?

• Catch up on work that has accummulated while out on leave.


• Balance biz acct and email partner.
  
• Finish crocheting 2nd sleeve top of Blusa Queen.


• Prepare for work for tomorrow.


• Late night "meeting" with SO (maybe).

3) Snacks I enjoy:

• Chips, hummus, spinach dip, carrot cake, peach cobbler, cookies, dried fruit

4) Things I would do if I were a billionaire:

• Make sure family is taken care of, donate where I see fit, volunteer, travel, invest, take classes and spend on whatever gets my juices flowing. I'd spend at least 1/2 of everyday crocheting.

5) Places I have lived:

• Ohio, Maryland, Georgia, Germany

6) Jobs I have had:

• Secretary -- different jobs with different duties, same title

7) Bloggers I am tagging who you will enjoy getting to know better:

• Crocheted!


• Lisalicious


• Life in the Zu


• Collective Elements


• Knitology

These are bloggers I'd like to get to know better. I hope this is fun. Tag, y'all are it.

Lost in Translation? Maybe Not

Well, I can do a little Samba, but I cannot speak nor read Portuguese. I do know that Penguin is Pingouin, though, and I do know how to read a symbol chart. I am so glad I can because . . .

Blusa Queen is a beautiful pattern from this Brasilian website. I started this last week, and it is going well.

For those of you who might want to give this one a try, I have some observations:

• Try using a larger hook and if necessary thicker yarn if you need a larger size.


• Begin with the round motifs, joining them as you go.


• After you have the strip of connected round motifs, begin the filler mesh, and then do the pineapples.


• Part 2 begins with 2 dc, ch 1 across the last row of the pineapples. There should be a total of 288 stitches, including turning chain. 36 stitches evenly over each circle motif below.

I'll share more observations later, if I have any.

Graced with Lace

• Purchased IC magazine in 2004


• Began Lily Chin Lace Dress in 2005


• Completed in 2006


• Wove in the ends and blocked in April 2008


• Finally, posting pictures almost four years later in May 2008

LOL!

I made this with Patons Grace in Tangelo. I am not nude underneath. Instead of a slip, I'm wearing a skin-toned body shaper. It extends from below my bra to above my knees. If you wear this, you can see through the lace, but you are well-covered.

I need to update my Blog Roll. There are several blogs I want to add.

Legacy

I was very fortunate to have had a mother who taught me to crochet when I was a very small child. She was patient and taught me how to do different stitches and to make clothes for my Barbie doll. I made dresses and little berets for them to wear. They were so FLY!

I would sit and watch my mother as she worked on her projects. I was soaking in everything she did. I'd ask her what she was making and about the stitches she was using. Sometimes I'd ask her if I could try a few stitches, and she'd let me do a few of them. I learned to do Tunisian, Hairpin, Broomstick and more from her back then. Who knew all those techniques would become so popular again?

I remember my mother made these red and white striped ponchos for me and my sister. You COULD NOT tell us we weren't "bad." We wore them with white clogs with wooden heels in the summer, and in the fall we wore them with these black Go Go Boots that we begged to get. It didn't matter that the boys told us our boots didn't fit and made our skinny legs look like toothpicks. (The boys sure love the legs now, though. LOL) We wore those ponchos until they couldn't be worn anymore.

My mother was so talented with anything involving creating with her hands. Besides crochet, she was a skilled seamstress, a fantastic cook and did hair better than any hairdresser. I learned everything from her. If my mother was still alive, I'm sure she would be designing crochet garments that would rival anything out here.

But I titled this post "Legacy," didn't I? So that means things didn't start with my mother. My grandmother's also a skilled crocheter, and I spent time watching her, leafing through her patterns, and asking questions. Of course, my grandmother excelled at cooking, sewing and she was also a licensed hairdresser.

So from grandmother to my mother to me, the gift of crocheting along with many other gifts have been passed down. My sister had no interest in learning from my mother and other sisters were very young when my mother died so they never learned. I am blessed to have been the recipient of these gifts.

I guess it is my duty to pass things on in the family. So far, my daughter has not been interested in learning anything, but I'm hoping that this will change now that she will be giving birth to her daughter in a few days. I'm still going to try to get my daughter interested in learning, and I look forward to the day I can teach my granddaughter to crochet.

I've already started teaching some of my nieces, and I'm going to have a crochet party later this year and give the girls more lessons. I still haven't written off my sisters either. I'm hoping that one day they might just want to pick up a hook and give it a try.

Happy Mothers' Day

Recovery and Revisiting Old Projects

Recovery

I'm regaining my strength after illness and surgery. Recovery is a process that has to be measured in daily increments with a few setbacks along the way. I am making progress though.

Thank goodness I have my crochet. It has gotten me through pain, insomnia and boredom with being bedridden.

I am so grateful to my loved ones for taking care of me.

Revisiting of the Old

During the moments when I am strong and energetic, I've been pulling out old crochet projects and UFOs. I had several UFOs that were completed except I never wove in the ends, blocked, added buttons, etc. Finishing is NOT my favorite part of crochet. Usually I want to keep my hook going and start on something else as soon as I'm done. That's why I try to keep several projects going at one time.

I finally put the finishing touches on my Lily Chin Lace Dress that I made ages ago. I will take a photo as soon as I find a slip to wear underneath.

I found a jacket/coat I made a few years back and when I tried it on, I was surprised at how CUTE it was. It was very simple to make and more of an experiment so I never really looked at it. I'm going to finish weaving in the ends and put on the buttons. I think I can even retro-engineer a pattern from it just from looking at it.

I also finished a mystery project that I was working on. I cannot wait to share that with everyone. It is the sexy hotness IMO.