another one done

“Always remember, your focus determines your reality.”
― George Lucas

 

I knew the project I have been waiting to do with my thread would not take long. And I was right. It is already on the blocking board. It is even all written up. As I stated yesterday I had it already planned and the kinks worked out. I was just waiting for the threads I wanted to use.

So now I can concentrate on the project I have been packing around with me the past couple of weekends. Won't take all that long now that it will be my major focus.

First though I think it's time to find the desk top once more. I always amazes me how cluttered it can get when I am in creative mode. Won't take too long to clean up. Mainly put all my lovely threads away until I need them again.

 

I promised pictures of our Sunday hike today so here they are.

 

 

We haven't had much rain this winter so the water holes are starting to dry up.

It was a pleasure to see this pool of crystal clear water

We were inspected by this Cardinal.

He didn't hang around long once he realized I was taking his picture.

We visited the old cattle station. You can see the old windmill in the back ground behind the loading chute.

Of course the 4 peaks posed for me. Love the shadow of the cloud on it.

Marv enjoying himself.

Marv caught the gnarl on this tree for me.

A Close up of part of the gnarl.

Pip enjoying his hike. He gets so excited when he thinks we are going hiking.

A Cave we saw on the trail. Big enough to stand up in.

Part of the old fence line of the cattle station.

 

Oh the Joy

“Happiness is not something ready made. It comes from your own actions.”
― Dalai Lama XIV

 

I swear there is no sweeter joy than the joy of completion. Putting the last stitch in today on a large project made me want to do the happy dance. But I decided to wait until it was blocking to do my little dance. Well I have now made a fool of myself and danced around my living room and dining room with reckless abandon. Thankfully there was no one to see me.

If you can't tell the afghan is done.

It would have been done yesterday , But I didn't double check my foundation rnd for the final section and had one space too many. Of course I did not discover it until the last quarter of the final rnd. I was so close to being done and I had to frog the whole days work and then some. Needless to say todays joy was sweeter because of this.

Now I can indulge my self and break out the thread that arrived on Thursday of last week. I made myself leave it alone until I finished this project. It hasn't been easy as it is some delicious colors from Lizbeth threads. As soon as I am done here I am digging out my thread hooks for this project and immerse myself in this design. All the prelim work has been done so it's just do the final in the colors I wanted and write up the pattern.

 

As Promised here is the rest of the floral pictures from this weekend. Tomorrow will the hike shots.

Marv took this shot for me. I am enthralled with this color. I love the soft tangerine wish I could find thread or yarn in this shade. But alas what I normally find is too bright and gaudy to match this

I do enjoy these tiny blossoms.

When something stands alone it can be so beautiful.

Need I say more.

These Thistle are getting ready to bloom. but are still lovely at this stage too.

A close up of the tiny little blossoms that so intrigue me

Most of the desert is subdued shades of green. So the vibrant greens in this plant drew me like a magnet.

Of course I had to take a shot of one of the Fairy dusters

Another view of these small wonders.

And these are even smaller yet.

They do amaze me with there delicate and striking beauty.

If you didn't look closely at these you would never realize how lovely they truly are.

What a difference a hook makes.........

“Simplicity is the keynote of all true elegance.”
― Coco Chanel

 

My big project sat on the side lines this weekend. Should finish it up today.

Instead I was working on a more portable project involving bullion stitches. Well on Saturday evening I decided to revamp the whole design. Which meant starting over. Couldn't quite face it that evening so set it aside and just finished the night working on the big project.

Sunday morning we decided to go hit the big swap meet in Mesa. There is a yarn shop in there that I always visit when we cruise the meet. They are nice people that run it.

Well I noticed she had some older Susan Bates hooks so I snatched them up. The new ones I had bought a while back just didn't seem to be working as well for the bullion stitches as I remembered. OH MY! What a difference. Now the bullion stitches are so easy to do I don't even have to really think about doing them. So the project that I started over is going so much smoother and much faster.

It just amazes me the difference the right tool makes. It also makes me sad that the quality of the hooks being made these day is so much less than they used to be. It's not just the Bates hooks but the Boye hooks also. I now scour the yard sales and thrift stores for the older hooks so if I ever have to replace a hook I have a quality hook to use. Sad but true.

But I am such a happy camper and so glad I picked up those hooks. They will go in my special spot for my bullion stitch hooks and be jealously guarded. Because the right tool for the right job is essential......

Oh and I noticed that the yarn shop had a copy of my Irish Crochet book, So I asked the owner if she would like me to sign it in the hopes that it would make it more attractive as a sell able item. She thought that was wonderful. So I signed it and offered to put it back on the shelf, and she said NO WAY. The book was now going home with her...... Made me feel good.

Today I am going to pick a good movie or two and get this afghan done. 4 rnds and it will be done. the are long rnds  so it might take 2 movies.

Saturday we did spend a good part of the day having a good time. Bowling in the morning and hiking in the afternoon. Will be posting lots of pictures this week of flowers and the actual hike.  It always takes us a while these days to do our hikes as we are so busy stopping and taking pictures. But the desert has a short period of time that it blooms and it changes each week as to what it offers us. So we try and capture everything we see that inspires us while we can. I will have more flower shots the next time I post.

 

Marv took this picture. Talk about striking. I just love it.

Natures perfection at it's best

I am still enjoying my camera. Like how this one came out. Love the colors in this flower.

These are a small flower that you don't even realize how beautiful they are until you get up close and personal with them.

I was amazed that I could talk my camera into this shot.

 

We only found this flower in one spot of our hike. Down in the canyon sheltered from the elements.

Of course daisies are always a bright spot in the flower world.

I liked the contrast of the lupine against this rock.

Marv can capture the really small flowers so much easier than I can. These are so delicate.

Most of the flowers we find in the desert are small but beautiful. These are no exception.

Marv captured these

And another group of the same. I just love the colors here.

These are just starting to bloom and we only found a few that were starting to strut their stuff.

Marv caught these for me.

I love the shadows on this flower. You can almost tell it's late afternoon from the colors and the shadows.

 

Steady progress and distractions

“I like flaws. I think they make things interesting.”
― Sarah Dessen, The Truth About Forever

 

I haven't posted for the last couple days. 

Tuesday was a play day.  Went up to Prescott to get together with the crochet group I belong to up there. The are so wonderful and I alway have such a great day. Definitely worth the drive.  It's great to chat with others of like mind as myself.

Yesterday I made myself knuckle down and put some serious work on my current project. I am bound and determined to get this done and the pattern ready to go by the end of the weekend. It's a doable goal as I feel I am on the home stretch.

Last night I did take time out and did a couple swatches of some ideas that floated into my brain while working yesterday. You know I seriously doubt that I will ever hit a point where I have nothing new to crochet. My stack of ideas just keeps growing and growing. I have added at least 4 to it this week and it's not over yet.

I did get my thread for my next project today. It's sitting here calling to me, but I am being good and ignoring it so far. If it gets to insistent I will stuff it in a drawer. That or hide my thread hooks. I am bound and determined to finish this afghan before I allow my self the pure joy of thread work.

 

I am posting the Flower pictures we took this weekend on our Sunday walk.

 

Marv caught the beauty of these delicate flowers. Love the blue

These were just beginning to open up. Can't wait to see one in full bloom.

More blue Flowers. My shot didn't turn out quite so blue as Marv's

Playing with setting gave the a purplish cast.

 But I love how you can almost see through the petals on these.

These were so bright and cheery looking

Of course the Lupine is in bloom everywhere.

The trees are beginning to strut their stuff also.

Marv's camera still works best for the really tiny flowers. He can control his setting so much more than I can. But then his camera is much more intense than mine.

Again another shot Marv had to capture.

When we got home I decided to catch a shot of my bougainvillea. It is finally starting to bloom.

 

Busy weekend.

“I needed to stop being what everyone thought I was.”
― Sarah Addison Allen

 

What a long weekend. I hate car shopping. But that is done and over and Marv is happy with his new to him vehicle. I think it will fit our needs nicely.

But it really did kill most of the weekend. We were both exhausted by the time we were done.

Though we did sneak off Sunday morning and took a long walk along the Salt river. Made Pip happy. It was  great day for a walk and we thoroughly enjoy ourselves.

I did get some work done on a new design this weekend. Had to have my busy work with me for when we were driving or waiting.  I will set this design aside though now and get back to work on the large project I have going and just work on it when I need to go someplace until the more pressing project is done.

I am shooting for the end of the week for that project.  Here is a shot of all the motifs done and ready for me to finish up the afghan. Oh there is much more to the afghan than just these motifs. But they are the base. The stack is already about a third of the way assembled. So it will not take me too much longer to get this done.

 

I love this shot of Marv and Pip. It just looks so serene.

I liked how the tree framed the view of the river for me.

They have raised the level of the water in the river.

These are the end of the bluffs along our walk.

Looking down the river towards Red mountain.

Marve took this shot of the tree stump with it's interesting rings.

Wonder what sort of tale it could tell.

We have quit hauling home every rock that catches our eyes. So Marv took a picture of the beauty of this one.

Love the colors and the suggestion of a scene in it.

 

1 year today

"I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I intended to be." - Douglas Adams

Today marks the 1 year anniversary of my arriving down here in Arizona. It has been a year of adjustments. Not all of them easy. But my outlook is better these days and I no longer cry when I look across the desert and don't see the beautiful green forests of my previous home. I have learned to embrace the beauty of the desert and to quit comparing the two. That wasn't fair. Sort of like comparing apples and oranges. 
I am happy being able to pursue my dream of being a crochet designer. That has been a anchor for me when things got a bit rough. And yes it has gotten rough at times. You don't make such a major change in one's life without things getting a bit rocky at times. But I decided that I would not dwell on what isn't and learn to enjoy what is.
So I will continue to share pictures of my new world as I discover the beauty and the joy that it offers me if I remember to open my eyes and my heart to it.
Today I am sharing some of my favorites that I have taken since we started our hikes,

View of the 4 peaks mountain Range

The Salt river in the late afternoon.

The Superstition mountains that I see everyday

Marv thoroughly enjoying himself.

Me on the heights

Pip telling us to get a move on it.......

peaceful waters

Proof there are real trees in Arizona

A pool in the late afternoon.

The desert flowers

The Salt river canyon.