A Measure of Crafting in September 2021

Ahoy!  Welcome to a view of the biggest Bird House gourd growing on the trellis on my patio.  It has been great fun to watch the gourd develop over the last few months.  Will it grow large enough for a bird to call it home?

This view of the gourd gave me hope...the sky is the limit!

The last gathering of cucumbers from the vines helped me feel hopeful as well, and gave me enough cucumbers to share with neighbors!

Then this last week I decided to try to measure the gourd and gauge if it is big enough for a bird nest.  It is about six inches long, perhaps if it is hollowed out it could support a hummingbird nest!

A friend took my measurements a few years ago and knit this vest freehand for me!  I enjoyed wearing it to a meeting recently and several of the ladies admired it and my friend's talented knitting and design, as do I...such a generous kind gift.

The crocheted baby blanket I have been putting a few rows on each week is growing and I am enjoying the wavey edging I am creating by starting each row with two chains.

I tried a new recipe, Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Puffs.  They are a lightweight cookie, a type of meringue that is both crisp and chewy and gluten-free and dairy-free. If you are interested in trying the recipe let me know in the comments and I will post the recipe in the next post.

Have you done a measure of crafting lately? 

Gracie ((hugs)) (-:

For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. Ephesians 2:10 NKJV

 

Midsummer Crafting

Ahoy from 95F/35C weather near Portland, Oregon, USA!  I know some of you endure hotter temps than that on a routine basis, and I admire your ability to do that when I just want to complain about having to rarely cope with such heat!

July 1, 2021, I needed to supply a headshot jpg to apply for security clearance to potentially work with some students learning to crochet and knit in August so I crafted the above selfie that my phone camera labeled a portrait. When I attached the photo to an email to submit it I noted I did not know how to produce a jpg photo, but would the attached photo be acceptable?  It was!  I was relieved it was and glad that I passed the security clearance a few days later. Sadly for me, the classes were just canceled, though.

Some of you know I am particularly fond of the color purple, sheep, and processing wool.  A young friend saw these socks and sent them to me to enjoy!  Such fun!

This Spring my youngest daughter grew some Birdhouse Gourd seeds under grow lights inside her house and trusted me with this little vine to plant where the Sweet Pea vines had been a month ago.

The triple-digit weather we had at the end of June was very hard on plants, but so far these have survived and I am hoping they will thrive!

One day when the weather was perfect I was able to gather with some friends at a nearby friend's house for a luncheon backyard picnic...a lovely way to craft our friendships! 

On the way home from the picnic I was pleasantly surprised to see Mt. Hood!  The snowpack is quickly melting, but I enjoyed stopping to appreciate the view and craft a photo of it. 

Remember the little Birdhouse Gourd vine my youngest daughter gave me to plant? This is how big it is now at the end of July!

It is fascinating to see the tendrils that grow from vines to help them to climb. I have never grown or processed a gourd to craft it into a birdhouse. Have you ever tried to do that?

This month I have done a little stitching.  I crafted a few more rows on the crocheted baby blanket I am making, and I finished knitting this little Grandma's Dishcloth. Have you been stitching?

When I see Mt. Hood I often think of the Psalmist's observation:

"I look up to the mountains- does my help come from there?  My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth!

Psalm 121:1-2NLT

Blessings and ((hugs)),

Gracie :)