REDnesday - My Red, White & Blue WIP

American Beauty - The first three rounds of color!

I was inspired by Elizabeth at Bluebird Papercrafts (here).   

I've featured Elizabeth before because I'm in love with her creations.

Everytime I visited her blog...which is frequently...I would drool over a crocheted blanket in red, white and blue she has featured in a sidebar photo.  I would go away thinking someday...someday... I want to make a throw like hers.  

Well, the other day I was in Michaels and thought of Elizabeth's Red, White and Blue Beauty and started grabbing yarns in those colors.

Edged in white

For the blue I'm using my old stand by...Caron Simply Soft acrylic yarn in "Blueberry".  My Michaels use to carry a huge selection of colors of Simply Soft but lately their color selection has shrunk for some reason unknown.

So... for the other two colors I am trying Loop & Threads Silky Soft acrylic yarn in "Bright Red" and "White".  This is my first time using Loop & Threads yarn.  I'm using an H hook.   The first row is ten granny squares.  I want a small throw so I'm thinking maybe doing ten by eight granny squares in size. 

Using the "join as you go" method 

I love connecting the granny squares with the "join as you go" method.  Here's an excellent video to learn that method.  This is Part 1 of 2.  You can find fantastic videos on YouTube on crochet.

Three new yummy crochet books!

Yesterday to celebrate my birthday we went to the Cheesecake Factory for lunch.  We had never been to one.  This is a brand new restaurant built in a mall in Delaware.  The food was delicious but the portions were huge and sadly we had no room for cheesecake for dessert.  

While at the mall I couldn't resist visiting Barnes & Noble (a two story B and N!!) and bought some books for my birthday...three of them were new crochet books.  These are fantastic books...great photos and in addition to the lovely patterns they have excellent diagrams.   I love doing borders and fancy edges.

More REDs to enjoy with our lovely host, Sue, at 

It's A Very Cherry World

(here) 

for REDnesday!

Don't forget to enter my First Give Away (here)!  It runs until Sunday night 11/21 at midnight.  

It features RED and Christmas!

When I'm Sixty-Four

"When I'm Sixty-Four (64)" by the Beatles

"When I get older losing my hair,

Many years from now.

Will you still be sending me a valentine

Birthday greetings bottle of wine.

If I'd been out till quarter to three

Would you lock the door,

Will you still need me, will you still feed me,

When I'm sixty-four.

You'll be older too,

And if you say the word,

I could stay with you.

I could be handy, mending a fuse

When your lights have gone.

You can knit a sweater by the fireside

Sunday mornings go for a ride.

Doing the garden, digging the weeds,

Who could ask for more.

Will you still need me, will you still feed me,

When I'm sixty-four.

Every summer we can rent a cottage,

In the Isle of Wight, if it's not too dear

We shall scrimp and save

Grandchildren on your knee

Vera, Chuck & Dave

Send me a postcard, drop me a line,

Stating point of view

Indicate precisely what you mean to say

Yours sincerely, wasting away

Give me your answer, fill in a form

Mine for evermore

Will you still need me, will you still feed me,

When I'm sixty-four. "

While in college back in the early 70s my roommates and I  played this fantastic Beatles album, St. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band, over and over probably a million times.   It has great songs and I must admit at the time age 64 seemed...well...

 so far away and really OLD! 

This past year I kept asking my sweet hubby if he will still need me (and love me) when I'm 64.  Luckily for me he has answered "yes" every time! 

And now it is here.  

Today I reach that milestone. 

Me and My Mom

No fancy baby pictures...it's the late 1940s...I'm the 3rd and last child and money is tight.  I was a preemie...3 pounds, 10 oz. and three months early.  I was born in Mt. Sinai Hospital.  They had to transfer me to John Hopkins because it was the only hospital with an incubator.  I was in the hospital for a month and not released until I was 5 pounds.  Being a preemie isn't that unusual today but way back then it was.  

My grandmother told me years later that the hospital wanted me to be in a long term study to look at the effects of being born premature.  Apparently my parents declined.  My grandfather said I was so tiny he could hold me in his hand and that I looked like a shriveled up baby bird.   

Unfortunately there are no pictures of me at birth.  This is the earliest one I could find in my parents photos probably taken in early 1947.  Wasn't my Mom pretty!  My Dad was very handsome too.  I wasn't much to look at though.  

Don't forget to enter my First Give Away (here)!  It runs until Sunday night 11/21 at midnight. 

Good-Bye...I'm off to celebrate my day with my sweetheart!   

My FIRST Blogoversary and Give Away!

Thanks for being my Friend!

One Year Blogoversary 

Today is the day!  I find it hard to believe that just one year ago I started my adventure in blogland.  I was scared to death.  And like many of you I wasn't sure what I would post about and if anyone would bother to read anything little old me wrote.   

Now... here I am one year later with over 200 posts...over a hundred forty followers and over 42,000 hits.   WOW!  

I've learned so much...about Blogger...my computer...my camera...taking photos...downloading photos...Flickr...Ravelry... and best of all about YOU my fellow bloggers.  The list goes on and I'm still learning something new everyday.  

I've found wonderful friends that I treasure.  You have inspired me...made me laugh..made me cry...and most of all impressed me with your kindness and generosity. 

 Thank you for making blogging so much fun! 

THE GIVE-AWAY

In appreciation of you my followers I'm having my first give away.  I want to keep this simple.  There are NO rules to my give away except one.

Just post a comment here in this post and you are entered.  

You don't have to be a follower...you don't have to post about my little give-away on your blog.  You don't have to grab my button.   All you have to do is leave a comment that you would like to participate in my give away.  It's open to anyone...anywhere.  

Enter from today until 11:59 PM EST November 21.   

I'll announce the winner on Tuesday, November 23.  Please leave me your email address if you don't have a blog so I can contact you to get your address.

I'll use one of those number generators to pick a winner (assuming I can figure them out) - if not I'll fall back on picking those numbered little slips of paper out of a hat.

Here's a sneak peek of my little give away...it combines my love of RED and Christmas.

A Bag (or Sack) Just For You!

A Pretty Christmas Tree Garland!

A Good Book To Read!

My Little Give Away For The Lucky Winner!

Don't forget to leave a comment here to enter!  

What a wonderful year of blogging thanks to all of you!

God Bless Each and Everyone of You!