MLM @ the March Flea

I gave the Flea another go this month and now I'm done for the summer.  Knitting projects got me through the winter and now I'm ready to put the needles down (mostly) for outdoor travel, sports and adventure.  What's left is packed up in a suitcase for sales at a later date.  Thanks for supporting Miss Lanora's Miscellany and I'll see y'all in the Fall.

Cozy Winter, I Love You So!

For being such a sun worshiper, I sure like winter.  It gives us a chance to sit still, watch a movie, the Superbowl or just about anything for that matter.  And of course, there's lots of knitting and crochet.  More hats for the next flea market and more repurposed shirts that I sneak off for an hour at a time to sew on my sewing machine upstairs in my craft room.  Add several inches of snow and I'm that much more thrilled about winter.  I enjoy it completely while it's here.

November Flea Market

I pulled together a nice inventory of hand mades to take out to our monthly flea market setting up next to a fun friend and her collection of antiques -- and we ROCKED the flea.  I had the Pistol Annies playing the back ground and I sold soooo much of my stuff.  My things tend to have an edgy western flair from cowgirl train cases, repurposed western shirts, pendants and my hand knits.  And boy did those hand knits sell like hotcakes!  Everything from fingerless mitts, boot cuffs, hats and scarves.  It was a huge success and we are signed up to do it all again next month so I gotta get busy on a new inventory!

A Busy July

July has been passing by quickly.  It's a month with plans every weekend.  The work days have been busy.  I've caught a few rounds of golf on the week days, the top has been off of my Jeep and the warm temperatures have me spending time at the pool working on my tan.  Summer projects have turned to the crochet hook making swimsuit coverups.

And a patriotic crochet Star Spangled Banner bunting for the front porch.

Independence Day (and weekend) was spent shooting fireworks with the neighbors and a block party of sorts stay-cation campout in the front yard.  The kids loved it almost as much as the adults.

Time has passed slowly at the lake(s) with the dogs, friends and my inflatable kayak.

I absolutely LOVE summer!

Beach Bag

My knitta, Jackie, always inspires me with her cool projects.  We met for breakfast and she was working on a crochet beach bag for her daughter and I had to go straight home and start one for myself.  It's too hot to do much else than sit in the shade anyways.  The bag is stretchy with plenty of holes to allow sand to shake out or carry my yoga clothes to work.  Quick and easy!

Beehive Baby Blanket

I found my favorite baby blanket crochet pattern in this book (mine is without stripes) using 4 skeins of Patons Beehive Baby sport yarn in Grey on a #G hook.   I like this bias pattern because I can make a triangle with half the yarn I choose and then decrease for the remainder to make a square blanket that typically measures 36".  I finished it just in time for a coworkers baby shower this weekend.

Shamrock Love

I encouraged my coworker, Lesley, to crochet shamrocks to spread around downtown like we did for Valentine's Day.  She did a great job!

Snowed In

I woke to a dream come true - a snow storm with work cancelled for the day.  So what's a girl to do when snowed in but, Knit!  I completed a slouchy hat from the last of my yarn from Heartland Farm and a crocheted hat for neice's baby, Gray.  It turned out to be quite a productive day of knitting and shoveling.  Wichita set a record for the 2nd most snowfall in history at 14.2".

Spinning Sunday

I can't always make the 3rd Sunday Spinning group but when I can, we have a lot of fun and it's inspiring to see all the different kinds of wheels and spinning techniques. I recently got a jumbo flyer that has a large orifice for making chunky yarns and tried it out today on some wool roving I got years ago in Estes, CO. And then later tonight, I made another hat with enough yarn leftover for a matching pair of mitts.

Fun with the Nuns

I spent the day in Great Bend with the Sisters at the Dominican Sisters of Peace working the annual mission bazaar. They think I'm helping them by donating hats to sell when in all actuality, their kindness and spirit takes me right back to nostalgic and heartwarming times with my grandma and aunts.

A Whole Lotta Hats

On top of a hectic work schedule, somehow I managed to crank out 20 hats in the past couple of weeks to donate to charity. I think I'm just about done with these for a while.

Wool Fidel

I just can't stop making these hats. Of course, I had to use leftover fishermen's wool from my vest to make a matching hat. I carried another heathered yarn with it just to make it appear slighting different and used the same buttons.

Fidel (Crochet) Hat

It was a lazy Sunday morning. We were watching movies and I sat down with 80 yards of bulky handspun wool from That'll Do Ranch that I picked up at the festival in Winfield and a crochet hook. I looked at several hat patterns and made some modifications to this one and came up with my own crochet fidel hat. Update: Gifted it to someone special.

Kansas Barn Sale

Following our morning at Woofstock, I drove out to Hesston for the Kansas Barn Sale. The temperature dropped and a light drizzle fell making it almost too cold to shop for antiques and handmades. But I was able to spend some time with my friend Tamara at her booth and get one of her crochet flower embellished hats. She's a master at crochet.

Fiber and Inspiration

I met up with Karen and her daughter, Jamie to shop at the arts fair. There were a couple yarn and fiber vendors. Jamie picked out a handspun yarn and Karen went straight to work knitting Jamie a hat. I was low on cash and only purchased some handmade soaps and an event mug. I did see this interesting 14" crocheted doily that a woman used to make a hat. She added feathers and other trinkets to the design and in this kind of hippie festival it looked right a home.

Northwest Vacation

Once again, I'm very fortunate to be able to take off for the Northwest again to visit friends and family. Just like last year, the first part of my week I'll stay with my high school BFF, Laura outside Seattle and then on to visit my aunts in Portland/Vancouver.

Laura picked me up at the airport and took me directly to a knit shop, All Points Yarn in Des Moines, WA where I purchased two great crocheted patterns the owner, Morgan Hicks (pictured) designed using Noro yarn. What a great find! Then we were off to Redondo Beach for a seafood lunch at Saltys -- a great place we like on the water.

Crochet Baby Blanket

We have a new baby coming to our family so I used my family crochet pattern for the 36" square body from Bella Shimmer and then added a scalloped edging in green and brown Comfort DK.

Loop Cowl (Crochet)

I saw something like this at a shop in KC made out of jersey material. Then this week, a coworker, Pat, came to me describing a woman at church who had a neck full of what looked like knitted or crochet chains. I told her I'd do some checking and wouldn't you know, found a pattern on Ravelry. It couldn't be more simple - crochet a chain from an entire skein of yarn. It can hang around your neck or double over for a cozy cowl. Now I'll have to help Pat to make her very own.

Granny Squares

It was a perfect, rainy day to sit outside on my covered patio and finish this crochet granny square blanket for one special little girl's upcoming birthday. Chose a vintage color scheme in Berroco Comfort enjoying the change from knitting to crochet. Found a great tutorial for a continous join that saved me from having to seam each square together then added a simple scalloped edge.
YAY -- Got it completed a week early!