They Multiply

Granny Squares are really easy to make and don't require a ton of attention.  I like to make them in the car (not while driving), while watching TV, sitting at sports' practices, etc.  They are also a great use of leftover yarn from other projects.  Quick, easy, colorful - what's not to love?

After a while though, they multiply.  Especially when one has not thought out a long term plan for these guys.  So, I made a bunch over the course of the summer and now I have a big container full of different colored granny squares.  I've started to stitch some together for other small projects but mostly, I just have a large amount of granny squares.  What would a group of granny squares be called in the wild?  A rocker?  A spectacle?  Other terms associated with grannies?  Maybe a moth ball of granny squares?

I've been sitting on this granny square post for a while.  Mostly because granny squares are not that exciting to other people, I realize.  They aren't that different from other things that multiply quickly though.  My weight after having 3 kids is similar.  In addition to crocheting granny squares, I also enjoy sitting and doing things like eating and partaking in alcohol sometimes, unfortunately that results in another form of multiplication - mostly of my lower half.  It's not nearly as pretty as a box of colorful granny squares, I'm afraid. 

Negative thoughts multiply too.  Think one critical thing about yourself and then try to stop at just that one.  It's impossible.  You start down that road and it's one thing after another.  Every now and then my insecure 18 year old self starts its self-torture of negative (and vain) thoughts and it's downhill from there.  She needs a good punch in the throat sometimes. 

The decibel level of a conversation between children multiplies.  Rather than listen to what the other has to say, they tend to just get louder and try to talk over one another.  A spirited conversation between my children (not even an argument) can get quite loud very quickly. 

Clean laundry that needs to be put away when no one really wants to do it.  That pile grows more quickly than anything.  We will go out of our way to move the clean laundry from the bed to the floor and then back to the bed over and over but refuse to just walk a few extra steps to put it away properly.  Lately we end up having to rewash a lot because it goes on too long.  Why does the act of putting away laundry seem like such a herculean task come 11:00 at night?

The hours in a work day leading up to a heavily anticipated vacation seem to multiply.  I don't think science has been able to prove this theory but I'm pretty sure it exists.  I wish I had an awesome vacation planned so I could test out this theory.

Some other things that multiply? 

• Time spent on Facebook and Pinterest in one evening
• An itch that you scratch and then suddenly you have twelve other itches
• Giggles
• Fruit flies (currently the bane of my existence)
• The amount of times a room full of boys can say 'dude'
• My love of Project Runway!  I love it more every season.  The creative process always fascinates me.
• My calculator at work.  Good thing too because my brain has become too dependent on it over the years. 

So there's a post about granny squares for the masses (or at least for the few family and friends who read my blog).  I hope my readership multiplies (wink, wink).  Thanks for hanging in there and tolerating my terrible pun.

Button Flowers

I'm not very good with real flowers.  They are so pretty and brighten up a room but I'm terrible with keeping them alive for more than a couple of days.  I'm that way with any plant really.  Exhibit A -- a Mother's Day gift that didn't even make it until the end of May...

I don't know how my kids and pets survive but somehow I can keep them plugging along.  Summer started with 3 healthy kids and school recently started with 3 healthy kids - SCORE!

To brighten up the house (and also for my upcoming craft show), I decided to start making these colorful button flowers.  My plan is to make a boat load of these because they are so cute in vases, Mason jars, tied with ribbon, etc.  I've been making multi-colored flowers but will be making monochromatic flowers and I have some other ideas for non-button flowers.  I'm just hoping I can part with them when the time comes because I find them to be so cheery and adorable.

I will be posting some instructions in a later post on how to make some of these for your own house.  They are pretty easy to make and can be really fun too.

So far all of my button flowers are still alive and no wilting has occurred!  I'm hoping to buy some buttons in bulk online -- any supplier suggestions???