Square Dancing

I've been doing a lot of crocheting in the last few weeks, with the election, loss, illness, and even just having some free time and a new tv show that I like ("Arrow," another superhero.)  Anyway, one of my projects was a king-sized rainbow granny square afghan using up my leftover yarn and some of my favorite colors of Lion Brand Homespun.   By the time it was done, it was so heavy that I had to finish the edging with the blanket on the bed!  It came out well and feels so soft.  I actually like it rumpled more than "made."  The cats like it either way.


Giant Rainbow Granny Square Afghan with Lion Brand Homespun
 This was my blanket du jour for most of 2015.  I gave several away and donated some as raffles to the historic house, including the one on the right.   

adapted from Knitterly Arts

I've removed the ch 1 sp between side sets of 3 dcs.

Rnd 1: Ch 4, join with sl st to first ch made to form ring. Ch 5 (counts as 1 dc + 2 chs),

*work 3 dc in ring, ch 2, rep from *twice more, work 2 dc in ring; join with a sl st to 

3rd ch of beg ch-5. (four ch-2 corners) DO NOT TURN WORK.

Rnd 2: Ch 1, sl st into next ch-2 sp, ch 5, work 3 dc in this ch-2 sp, *ch 1

(3 dc, ch 2, 3 dc) in next ch-2 sp, rep from * twice more, work 2 dc in final ch-2 

sp (which is right beside the beg ch-5); join with sl st to 3rd ch of beg ch-5.

Rnd 3: Ch 1, sl st into next ch-2 sp, ch 5, work 3 dc in this ch-2 sp, *work 3dc in 

next sp (side), work (3 dc, ch 2, 3 dc) in next ch-2 sp (corner), rep from * 

twice more, work 3 dc in next sp (side), work 2 dc in final ch-2 sp 

(which is right beside the beg ch-5); join with sl st to 3rd ch of beg ch-5. 

*Continue working rounds like Rnd 3 until afghan reaches desired size.  Edge as desired.

1. Cherry Blossom (pink variegated)
2. Cotton Candy (solid pink)
3. Cherry Blossom (pink and purple with white)
4. Solid hot pink (Tulips or Peony?)
5. Ambrosia (hot pink and purple)
6. Corinthian (multicolored variegated with orange highlights)
7. Sierra (orange and brown with white)
8.  Golden (solid yellow)
9. Fiesta (green, yellow, red)
10. Herb garden (darker green)
11. Windsor (light blue)
12. (browns and blues--Pueblo?)
13.  Colonial (dark blue)
14. Celestial Stripes (dark purples and green)
15. Gothic (deep purple)
16. Mixed Berries (purple, hot pink, and white)
17. Tudor (white and multi-colored)
18. Wisteria (pinks and purples)
19. Great Plains (reds)
20. Ambrosia (hot pinks and purple)
21. Cherry blossom (pink and purple and white)
22. Parfait (pinks, whites, and creams)
23. Cotton Candy (solid pink)
24. Mimosa (pinks, oranges, blues, purples, white)
25. Coral Reef (pinks, oranges, purples)
26. Sierra (orange and brown with white)
27. Golden (solid yellow)
28. Quartz (beige with greens, pinks, purple)
29. Sundae Stripes (pink, green)?
30. Forest (green)
31. Lagoon (Blue/green)
32. Ocean (Blue, green, white)
33. Delft (blue, white)
34. Blue Mountain (blue, dark gray)
35. Purple Aster (light purple)
36. Barrington (purple)
37. Baroque (purple)
38. Vineyard (purples, yellow, green, reds)
39. Gothic (deep purple)

Comfort

Some sadness this week, but things keep going.

I'm working on a lovely, bright afghan, with tiny (for me) DK yarn, so it takes a long time.  But the colors make me smile.

I'm playing withe my WT starter kit and the samples, also looking up recipes.  I love to cook and even more, I love to read recipes.  Sure, I like cookbooks with stories better, but these are fun, too.  The kids have even liked two of them this week--a Honey Balsamic Chicken and an Apple Balsamic Pork (each one is vinegar + sweetness + flavorings + protein in slow cooker for 6-8 hours on LOW.)

I'm also bingeing on "X-Files" episodes, getting ready for the new show in a few weeks.  I forget how much I like it--and it's aged pretty well.  Love Scully.

All of which is to say, I'm taking it easy, just like the doctor said.  And with an early dismissal today and a holiday Monday, it's a nice, slow weekend.

Yarn-cation

This might be my summer of crocheting.  I have really been enjoying both making mandalas from Wink's 12-round pattern and using cotton yarn, a departure from my usual acrylic or wool.  And now I can't decide which mandala to send into the #MandalasforMarinke collection I've discussed here before.  I have the first, straightforward, rainbow-esque burst:

And the second, variegated rainbow with embedded pastel rainbow, which I experimented with today (after Sis and I ran to the craft store for more polymer clay, inspired as she was by Goo's visit):

I'm not sure which I like best, nor which I'll send along.  

My cat has made her choice.

I

Rainbow Love and Marriage

As you can well imagine, Friday was a wonderful, emotional day of us here in the Hungry household.

And I had barely remembered that the SCOTUS would be handing down their ruling, except I saw something about it that George Takei posted on FB about it.  So I posted on my timeline a letter to SCOTUS asking for them please to give legalized same-sex marriage in all 50 states to Mama for her birthday, which was that day.

Less than an hour later, I picked up my phone and saw the NYTimes breaking news alert.

The kids were playing a computer game, when I burst into tears.  Both ran over to see what was the matter.  When I told them, we all hugged.

I called Mama crying; she hadn't heard.  I think she was as surprised as I was.  Truly, I figured the court would vote against it.  I never expected that they would pass it.  Sure, 5-4, but a miss is as good as a mile, my dad says.

I called Gommie and Pop, who I knew were in a media black-out at the bay--they hardly even get signal, much less news (and who would want to, with the burning of 6 black churches and the massacre of 39+ tourists at a beach in beautiful Sousse, Tunisia--I was there in 1990 and am so saddened by the extremism attacking their country.)  They cheered and we all got sniffly and they promised to celebrate.  They are so amazingly supportive of us and have rooted for same-sex marriage and rights all the way.  Thanks, Mom and Dad, and Hannah, for your constant acceptance, love, support, and enthusiasm.  Fly that rainbow flag!

We immediately decided to make another rainbow cake, like we did two years ago on Mama's birthday to celebrate the federal approval of same-sex marriage in states that had legalized it, including our own.  We got cake mix and ice cream at the store, deciding to make it a pineapple upside-down cake, which is one of Mama's favorites.  A rainbow pineapple upside-down cake!



I spent the rest of the day checking FB off and on, sharing everything remotely rainbow:  a cartoon of the lowering of the Confederate battle flag and the raising of the rainbow pride flag; a compilation of photos of all the buildings lit rainbow, including the White House and Disney Castle; a collection of rainbow pride ads; thank-yous to the various plaintiffs; the photo of the running of the interns to take the decision to the waiting media; the LOTR-inspired "I am NO Man" meme of the three female justices; a gathering of FB memes including Obama on a rainbow unicorn; the meme about the battle between Skittles and the Confederate flag; the Star Wars meme about "a million homophobes cried out and were suddenly silenced"; the funny conservatives "moving to Canada" meme (where there has been gay marriage for 10 years!); the SCOTUS decision haiku;  the cartoon of God out of lightening strikes to destroy gays--"All we have in stock are rainbows"; a link to Obama's speech; a link to the full 100+ page decision; a pic of Ben & Jerry's I Dough, I Dough honorary flavor; the "can we just call it 'marriage' now?"; and the exploding FB rainbow computer meme, plus many others.  And yes, I changed my profile picture to a rainbow image of Mama and I where we met.  Yep, I was a part of the social media rainbow.  And the glow is still with me.

When Mama got home, we celebrated both her birthday--with lots of rainbow-wrapped presents--and of course, the ruling with the gay cake (beautiful but not all that tasty; it was a box mix that used egg whites instead of full eggs probably to preserve the color, but it made a tasteless, light cake.)  Lots of hugs, some more tears, and occasional sharing of rainbow FB posts.  I'm not even sure I can articulate most of what I'm feeling and why.  We've been lucky to have this kind of support from our families and community for years; it was great to see it backed up legally and to have gay and lesbian folks receive this legal support for the first time and hopefully their loved ones and families will come around--in fact, the first lesbian I knew and the first woman who kissed me can now marry her longtime girlfriend!

And I'll admit that I was not just a little happy that SCOTUS delivered a kind of "f**k you" to conservative homophobes.  The fact that some will now willingly disregard the ruling (I'm looking at you, Texas Attorney General Paxton) because they don't like it and are sore losers makes me crazy (insert meme comparing Christians who want their brand of religion to be the rule of the US to the Islamic Sate.  Quippy but true.)    But I'm still glad we won.  (It has been a pretty good week for liberals, for a change.)

We're still thrilled, of course (and perhaps a little amazed) and I have been ignoring, for the most part (see previous rant), the negative reactions.  Just basking in the win . . . .

Twenty years to the week after I first met Mama . . . . . Happy Birthday, Mama!!

It just got better!

Studying My Craft

I have two colorful but scratchy (old acrylic yarn) Granny Square afghans, one from each of my grandmothers, I believe.  And even though that description covers them both, they are totally different. 

Hermione likes them both but not that I woke her up!

First, there is my paternal grandmother's with variegated rainbow squares outlined in black.  It's like a stained-glass window.  

Second, there is my maternal grandmother's with a variety of yarns--some variegated, some squares more solid--in all sorts of colors, outlined in gray.

And were we to put one of my afghans next to theirs, mine would be fluffier, looser, bigger stitches--but still with lots of colors.  And still acrylic yarn. I think I remember Grandmother's rainbow afghan on the back of her sofa at Raucous, their rural home in Denton; it was one of the things I asked for when she died when I was 14.  Except I never had thought how it was made.  And I didn't learn to crochet until I was an adult, from a friend of mine, Miss V, who stayed with us when her husband was in Iraq.  Though, I did fingerweave as a kid.  I didn't actually know the other afghan was from Bammie until a few years ago.  I know she was crafty, but I hadn't known she crocheted.

Closer inspection reveals that my maternal grandmother Bammie's stitches are small, tight, and very neat.  I can't imagine what small hook she used to crochet.  My other grandmother's stitches are looser and bigger, though still smaller than I like to crochet.

I think they're patterns are slightly different; the edging and connections definitely are.  The Rainbow afghan even has a diamond outline!

I'm told by dear Aunt Sis that my grandmother took up crochet late in life to keep her fingers nimble.  I'm not sure about Bammie.  Bammie's afghan seems more utilitarian, with its varied scraps and straight pattern.  She is also more precise and careful, down to the chain outlined round around the shell edge! Her pattern is also more challenging with a decrease from 4 to 3 double crochets after the first round, and the double crochet edge around each square.which gives it an airy feel.  And she even changed yarn between rounds sometimes--each square is a work of art.  Lots of hard work.  My paternal grandmother's rainbow seems more artsy, with the rainbow and black contrast and the diagonal diamond edge; otherwise, the pattern is very straightforward and the skill level is not as advanced.

Bammie's afghan is in fabulous shape; the rainbow one has some broken stitches.  Neither is soft at all, so I'm not sure I'm ever going to use them.  I'm considering making pillows and/or mounting some squares in a picture frames so that I can see and enjoy them everyday.  Though, now that I've studied the afghans, it might be hard to take them apart.  





These are my best bets as to the patterns: 

Rainbow Afghan
Each Granny Square:

Rnd 1: Working in rainbow variegated yarn, ch 4, join with sl st to first ch made to form ring. Ch 5 (counts as 1 dc + 2 chs),*work 3 dc in ring, ch 2, rep from *twice more, work 2 dc in ring; join with a sl st to 3rd ch of beg ch-5. (four ch-2 corners) DO NOT TURN WORK.

Rnd 2: Ch 1, sl st into next ch-2 sp, ch 5, work 3 dc in this ch-2 sp, *ch 1(3 dc, ch 2, 3 dc) in next ch-2 sp, rep from * twice more, work 2 dc in final ch-2 sp (which is right beside the beg ch-5); join with sl st to 3rd ch of beg ch-5.

Rnd 3: Ch 1, sl st into next ch-2 sp, ch 5, work 3 dc in this ch-2 sp, *work 3dc in next sp (side), work (3 dc, ch 2, 3 dc) in next ch-2 sp (corner), rep from * twice more, work 3 dc in next sp (side), work 2 dc in final ch-2 sp (which is right beside the beg ch-5); join with sl st to 3rd ch of beg ch-5. 

Rnd 4: Working in black, Ch 1, sl st into next ch-2 sp, ch 5, work 3 dc in this ch-2 sp, *work 3dc in next sp (side), work (3 dc, ch 2, 3 dc) in next ch-2 sp (corner), rep from * twice more, work 3 dc in next sp (side), work 2 dc in final ch-2 sp (which is right beside the beg ch-5); join with sl st to 3rd ch of beg ch-5. Finish off.

Make as many squares as needed for size desired.

To put together:  
Arrange squares on a diagonal, so that there is a zigzag edge.
I believe it is pieced together with a sewn seam (essentially, lay with squares right side facing and lace up like shoes, working through the stitches back to front.  Pull to draw together.)

Edging:  *Work 2 dc in each ch-2 sp, ch 3* repeat, (work 6 dc in corners)

Gray Scrap Granny Square Afghan
Each Granny Square:
Rnd 1: Working in colored yarn, ch 4, join with sl st to first ch made to form ring. Ch 5 (counts as 1 dc + 2 chs),*work 4 dc in ring, ch 2, rep from *twice more, work 3 dc in ring; join with a sl st to 3rd ch of beg ch-5. (four ch-2 corners) DO NOT TURN WORK.

Rnd 2: Ch 1, sl st into next ch-2 sp, ch 5, work 3 dc in this ch-2 sp, *ch 1(3 dc, ch 2, 3 dc) in next ch-2 sp, rep from * twice more, work 2 dc in final ch-2 sp (which is right beside the beg ch-5); join with sl st to 3rd ch of beg ch-5.

Rnd 3: Ch 1, sl st into next ch-2 sp, ch 5, work 3 dc in this ch-2 sp, *work 3dc in next sp (side), work (3 dc, ch 2, 3 dc) in next ch-2 sp (corner), rep from * twice more, work 3 dc in next sp (side), work 2 dc in final ch-2 sp (which is right beside the beg ch-5); join with sl st to 3rd ch of beg ch-5. 

Look!  I think that rainbow variegated
 is the same as my other grandmother's!

Rnd 4: (This is confusing) Working in gray, dc in top of first and third dc, ch 3, and repeat.  Finish off.

Make as many squares as needed for size desired.

To put together:  
Afghan is a giant rectangle.  I believe it is pieced together with a sewn seam (essentially, lay with squares right side facing and lace up like shoes, working through the stitches back to front.  Pull to draw together.)
Traditional shell edging (*sc, skip 1 sp, 4 dc, skip 1* repeat, with a ch round outlining (around shell:  begin in any space, sc with chosen yarn, ch 3, sc in next sp, repeat until end, sl st together and finish off.)

Yarn Therapy

Working something for me!  It's my favorite Lion Brand yarn, though I don't actually know it's name.  I lost the labels years ago (I thought it was Tudor, but it has too much of the whole rainbow in it perhaps; wonder if it is Pacifica or Ocean. )  I had made it into an awkwardly-shaped shawl, which really was going to be a small cat blanket, but I had more yarn than I thought and so it got bigger.  I didn't use it though, so I decided to make it into a blanket, not long and thin but more twin-bed shaped.  It won't be that big, though.  I love the colors, makes me happy just looking at it.  

Chasing Rainbows

Yesterday evening, we rushed out of the house when we noticed the rain falling through the sunshine.  And look what we saw!  Of course, it's not the quadruple rainbow seen in NYC recently, but we always like finding a rainbow.

Going Over the Rainbow

"What is he going to do, Mom?" Bud asked in anguish.  The mother of a new church friend was dying, leaving behind two young children.  I had been talking to a church staff member about sending cards to them and then had to explain it to our kids.

The death of a mom with young children.  I knew this was one of my nightmares, but hearing Bud and looking at Sis, who was so serious and concerned, I was reminded that this was also one of their nightmares come to life.  Sure, it happened to Harry Potter.  And Luke and Leia.  But this was different and new; we'd never known a mom to die.

"How old was she?  Older than you?"  I didn't really know and probably should have told them it really didn't matter, that all bodies die and age isn't always a factor, but I said she was older.  "And I'm not sick," I told them, having explained that she had cancer.  But, I continued, "this reminds us to live and love each other everyday."  We stopped talking about it soon after, but Bud was clingy until the arrival of their babysitter and a trip to the hotel pool distracted them.

As I left the hotel for a great night out with friends new and old, I savored the beautiful rainbow that followed some dramatic clouds, rain, and lightning, grateful to be in that moment and to be reminded of the beauty in and after darkness, however temporary.

This morning, I learned that she died last night.  Bud had even asked me about her in the car this morning, before I knew.  Clearly it was still on our minds.  I'll tell them both after camp today and we'll make cards for the kids.  And give each other extra hugs, savoring today even as we know that nothing is permanent.  And today that makes me sad.

"Prettiest Rainbow Ever!"

Of Sunshowers and Rainbows

Color Me Happy

Knowing my love of rainbows, Miss T has sent me two links recently, one on a rainbow jello salad made in a bundt pan (funny, the blogger has removed the page, which I'll link to anyway in case it's a glitch) and one for tie-dye cookies. My friend in Chicago used to make rainbow jello cups in those plastic see-through cups every year for proud. And I had seen tie-dye cupcakes by Sandra Lee. But both of these versions are extra fun, perhaps even easier, and thus worth trying. Since I have sugar cookies in the house, as birthday party preparations, I think we'll give those a try today.

P.S. We just made the cookies but I think the icing was too thin, as it didn't quite cover the cookie and all the colors ran together in the bowl. But then, I let the kids dip the cookies in the icing, so it might have been technique more than ingredients! They had a blast, though, so who cares!

The Rainbow Raccoon Strikes Again

My friend Mommy Goose sent me a link to a rainbow cake recipe, knowing I would love the colorful confection. Wow! It's an edible circle of concentric rainbow colors. Such fun.

But the comments weren't--why do I read those? Paraphrasing Virginia Woolf, anonymous was a hater. I did find a few constructive ones: try it in black and white for a zebra cake, or in your school colors. Also, because this is a "diet" cake, made with mix and diet soda, there were lots of comments on nutrition. Very useful was one comment to use a can of pumpkin puree (not pie mix--though, truthfully, I'm not sure I know the difference--isn't Libby's puree?) instead of diet soda, or eggs, or oil, in various baked goods for moisture. I'm going to try that. Plain seltzer apparently works too. I know applesauce does. Unhelpful comments castigated the blogger for chemicals, dyes, aspartame, artificial flavors, not being organic, ad nauseum. Okay, so I don't feed my kids many fake ingredients much either, believing Michael Pollan's "eat food," but I can adapt the great idea (which several commentors noted had appeared on other blogs earlier) to what I will let them eat.

And until I do, I love looking at the rainbow colors!

Rainbow Raccoon

Like raccoons who are supposedly attracted to shiny things, I love colors, preferrably the full rainbow spectrum, usually in order. Is it a lesbian thing? I doubt it. But I have long loved rainbow things (though, purple is my favorite individual color--and I'm disenchanted when objects, usually children's things, exclude it. Is purple an adult color? Or are rainbows for children somehow too gay? Would, say, a Fisher-Price ring stacker with purple somehow "convert" an otherwise "normal" child??). As a youngster, I had a room with rainbow-brushstrokes wallpaper and a concentric rainbow square comforter. There was a rainbow windsock, prisms casting rainbows from the window, and lots of rainbow-decorated objects. As I grew older, there were rainbow slinkies and various rainbow-colored manipulatives (you know, twisty blocks and metal bendables with beads) for my desk. And of course, as a proud lesbian, I had a few rainbow flags, in pin, earring, t-shirt, and freedom ring form. For a time, I made paintings of sunsets in rainbow hues and later crocheted rainbow blankets for me and the babes. Mama tolerates, is amused by, my love of the color spectrum. Which is good, because even now, the walls of our house, taking all the rooms together, include most of the colors of the rainbow (toned down and varied somewhat). There is no telling how many things I've bought or been drawn to because it contained the rainbow spectrum. But it's not insignificant.

And so, today, when I saw the Martha Stewart Living magazine (I imagine this link will only work for this month, as there wasn't a page just of the cover, so go look now) with the rainbow-hued cupcakes arrayed in a heart, I bought it immediately. It helped that it contained an article on lots of different kinds of flavors and designs for cupcakes, which instantly reminded me of my friend Miss T (which is why I called you tonight but you couldn't hear me, though I heard you just fine). I've already pulled the cover off and put it on my magnetic chalkboard. Looking at those colors just makes me happy.

So I guess it is a gay thing.

Language and Perception

There is an article in this week's NYTimes about colors, language, and perception, and I was fascinated to learn that English is one of the few languages to distinguish between blue and green. For instance, apparently, Russians do light and dark blues but not green. (Is this like the word "snow" and the Inuits, with all their names for it, except one word like "snow" since they perceive it as different precipitation when we do not??)

In our Chinese class we learned blue yesterday, "lan se." We already knew green, "le se" (I think that's the Pinyin). "Se" is added to all the color names (unless the color is being used as an adjective, I think). So I guess they differentiate the colors too. Or has English influenced them?

Anyway, sometimes the kiddos get confused. Yesterday, Sis identified a tree as "green se" and the water as "blue se."

I'm fascinated by how they learn language, especially because they pronounce it better than I do, even if they are slower to remember new words.

We only need purple and then will have the whole rainbow!

(Hmmm, do people see the rainbow differently? Does the gay flag confuse the Russians?)

I'm Always Chasing . . . Ice Cream

One of my parents' favorite things to eat here in Connecticut is Rich Farm's ice cream. Served from a shack in an idyllic pastoral setting, complete with corn rows and cow smell, this ice cream is frozen heaven. I don't even want to know the butterfat content; it's so rich and creamy.

The babes were asleep on the ride home from the Bronx Zoo on Saturday and we decided to make the swazu for ice cream. We stopped by the house to pick up the Rice Dream vanilla "ice cream" that I had purchased just for this purpose and headed off for our own grown-up treat with the kids still miraculously asleep.

The sky was darkening and we hoped that our ice cream run wouldn't be rained out. Though we would certainly have braved a torrential downpour for caramel apple, sweet cream, toasted almond, pumpkin and the like, we didn't know if they closed the outdoor set up if it rained.

And there before us, in the quirky dark/bright dichotomy of a rainstorm in the afternoon, with the fall trees glowing in the contrast, a rainbow appeared. And not just any rainbow, but a full double-bowed arch. End to end, all the colors, twice. I've only seen one other pair of rainbows like it, on a similar stormy afternoon during a drive to a childhood friend's house. It was beautiful.

DS awoke about that time and marveled with us at the colors in the sky as we sang the rainbow songs we could think of. Unfortunately, DD missed it completely, so asleep was she.

But she awoke in time for the ice cream, enjoying two whole bowls to her brother's three, while the four adults put away 7 1/2 scoops between us.

And we all felt the rainbow was a sign that this ice cream was divine.