instagram: #365

i have never ever ever wanted to do a 365/photo-a-day project.  and on the heels of my epic 52 week granny square fail, i really should have just said no.  but.  when i read the dainty squid's "project 365 + why you should do one too!"  i contemplated it, if just for a moment.  then a few days later i picked up a new stampington & company magazine, bella grace, and read an article about a photographer who's photographed her coffee cup every morning for the last three and a half years.  i know.  it sounds crazy, but the photos were really awesome.  after reading her tips for creative #365 photography i was hooked.  hooked for a month, that is.  i took on the photo-a-day challenge for the month of january and happened to walk right into the subject matter, my feet, on day one.  i really only got tired/bored/unmotivated with the project on three different days.  that's not bad out of 31 total.  i probably cheated with make-up days (photographed the day after) about three times as well, but you already knew i'm prone to that sort of thing.  this supercute calendar with all my daily january feet photos (created with the collect app) has me doing the happy dance.  i love it!  and i'm hooked!  at least for another month.  for february, i've decided to play along with alissa fast's "28 days of love" project using fatmumslim's #fmsphotoaday challenge on instagram.  wish me luck!

p.s. i am doris sander on instagram in case you want to see the february photos hot off the press :)

one little word: happy new year!

happy new year!

i had intended to greet 2015 with my eyes wide open, but g and i had a blast at our friends' house last night and didn't let go of 2014 till 3:00 in the morning.  i'm a little sleepy around the edges today, and g is still sleeping.  life is good, right?

i couldn't find any great unshared photos, so this is what you get.  a little peek at what will be my first layout of 2015.  it was a good 90% done yesterday, is still a good 90% done today, and will likely still be a good 90% done tomorrow.  it's all good.

i've chosen my word for 2015.  "changes."  the thing is, 2014 was good.  really good.  g and i enjoyed it thoroughly.  i'm tempted to just say "more of the same."  but, changes are inevitable for us this year.  jenni has embraced a new future for her business, so now i have the freedom to rethink how papercrafting fits into my life.  g crosses over from cub scouts to boys scouts in march and then graduates the 5th grade and starts middle school in the fall.  woah.  and, darn it!, i really do want to paint my house this year!

so, changes are on the horizon.  i feel we should greet them with arms wide open.  embrace them.  make them our own.

i signed up for ali's "one little word" class for the first time ever.  that's a change, right?

i hope this first day of a brand new year is finding you open to the opportunities for happiness that life presents.

(go seminoles! ;),

doris

52 weeks: february squares

wah!  i seem to be falling behind on all my year long projects!  i think it's the combination of changing seasons and winter lasting too darn long.  for example, i was going strong on my granny squares until basketball season ended.  without realizing it, i had gotten into the habit of carrying my crochet bag to practices and games.  i could usually get a square done in that time and still enjoy the game and atmosphere.  i know i'll enjoy carrying my crochet bag to the lake this summer as well.  it and a good book kept me company under a shade tree on many hot afternoons as the boys splashed.  now is the problem though.  i like to crochet while i'm doing something else.  yes, i'm a multi-tasker.  this week i've gotten into a rhythm of crocheting on the couch with g while he watches netflix on his ipad and i watch the flight 370 mystery on cnn.  the february squares are finally done.  maybe i will start the march squares at the farm this saturday.  hooray for a three day weekend!  and warmer weather!  and picnics in the great outdoors!

it's still so neat to me to document our lives in color.  the first squares were for our cub scout blue and gold banquet, the second for our kitty, pepito, the third for valentine's day, and the fourth for the olympics.

52 weeks: january squares

i'm five weeks into my 52 week project and loving it!  how fun are these squares?  and looking at them, i am totally amazed that i can document my life in color.  radical!

i'm making two squares per week to ensure that my granny square afghan fits the queen size bed with room to spare.  go big or go home!  for the second square, i'm simply reversing my color sequence for variety (or in the case of the black one, flipping the colors).

week two:  my seminoles played in the rose bowl and winning the national championship!  i actually stress crocheted these during the game.  and ironically, it was the first national championship game that i've ever watched them play in as i was living in guatemala in 1993 and in honduras in 1999.

week three:  represents my kitty, chichi.  she's grey and white with green eyes and a little pink nose.

week four:  martin luther king, jr's birthday.  i so appreciate the way he lived his life.

week five:  coming home (basketball homecoming) at my morning high school.  go bears!

i know the color mix when they are all together is rather outlandish, but i like it.  i just love color.  i mean, who doesn't love opening up a 64 count box of crayolas?

i'm going to enjoy watching this stack grow this year.  :)

52 weeks: 104 + 4 granny squares

oh!  i have been so excited about this project ever since i discovered it back in the early summer.  i have been dusting off my crochet skills and collecting cotton yarn ever since and anxiously awaiting the new year so i could get started.  the idea is to crochet a granny square each week, choosing the colors based on the season, a holiday, or a major even that might be happening at the time.

i finally began practicing squares in earnest in mid-december.  the one on the right is a vintage granny square pattern from 1891.  i crocheted it in the lighter weight cotton-ish yarn as i thought i might make a little doll blanket for my niece.  it is lovely and delicate, but i decided i wanted to go with the traditional granny square for my 52 week design.  the cammo square to the left is my practice square for that one.  the patterns i read didn't really make sense to me, especially since i wanted to be able to make some rows continuous (without cutting my yarn and starting with a new color), so i modified it just a tiny bit.  it seems to be working well for me now.  and i guess you noticed that my 52 week project has quickly turned into three projects.  ha!  that's usually how it works with me.

next i had to think about dimensions.  in the background you see one of my grandmother's granny square afgans.  she used acrylic yarn and a larger crochet hook than the one i use.  her squares measure 9 inches across while mine measure 6.  hmmm.  ok!  so i'll make two granny squares a week!  problem solved and project made bigger!  hurrah!  and then i'll have to make four extra in the end as 52 x 2 = 104 which does not work well for aligning rows and columns of granny squares so the completed afghan turns out perfectly rectangular.  52 x 2 + 4 = 108 and 9 x 12 = 108.  yes, that will work nicely!  by my calculations, my afghan should be approximately 4.5 feet x 6 feet.

i chose my colors this week based on the weather.  we had a chance of snow.  i was thinking winter whites and blues, but then realized that pantone's color of the year would be perfect!  the finished square reminds me of my beloved pansies.  i've decided my second square each week will be an exact reversal of my original color choices.  isn't it amazing how different the two squares look, even though they were made from the exact same colors.  that seems like a lovely analogy for life in general; how the smallest decisions can effect the pattern that our life takes.  profound.

top squares are made from 4-ply 100% cotton with a size E crochet hook.  sugar n' cream cornflower, grape, and white, and bernat seaspray.  bottom left is also 4-ply 100% cotton with a size E crochet hook.  sugar n' cream renegade.  the small square is light (3) weight 55% cotton/ 45% acrylic with a size D crochet hook.  cotton-ish by bernat in cotton gin, grey t-shirt, spinning ginny, and cotton field.

traditional granny square pattern (modified by me):

round 1: chain 6, slip stitch to form ring, *chain 5, 3 double crochet in ring, chain 2, 3 double crochet in ring, chain 2, 3 double crochet in ring, chain 2, 2 double crochet in ring, slip stitch to opening formed by chain *chain 5.

round 2: (either continue with same color, or slip stitch a new color to a corner hole) chain 5, 3 double crochet in corner hole, chain 1, 3 double crochet in side hole, chain 1, 3 double crochet in corner hole, chain 2, 3 double crochet in same corner hole, chain 1 . . . continue this pattern around square.  in the end you will again just need to put two double crochet in the corner you started and slip stitch onto your chain 5 to complete that round.

rounds 3 and on:  more of the same!

and look!  my granny square forecast was correct!  we had snow flurries this morning as i was completeing the second one.  :)