My Most Favorite Pattern

The other day I posted a swatch of this project ~ my most favorite pattern of all time ~ the loveliest of tissue box covers.

It is from the magazine I posted on the same day as the swatch: Women’s Household Crochet Spring 1994. The pattern was created by Katherine Eng who seems to still be designing. Recently I visited a friend’s cottage in Idaho and was thrilled to discover that the cover I had made for her was lovingly displayed in the guest bathroom.

All of the covers I made with this pattern were to give to friends, so this weekend I whipped one up for my living room and started another one to add to a little stash I am hoping to earn a little money with. I recently became a grandma and would love to visit my little mister in California often! I’m also thinking of a trip to Houston next January with a good friend. It’ll take a lot of crocheting, but then again I have a lot more patterns and a little more yarn

From the cottage, with love

Tina

Tina’s Treasures

Downsizing from one cottage to another wasn’t easy and we still have some things in storage. On a rare occasion I was with DH while he was paying the bill for the storage unit so I asked if we could take a peek.

Of course I had an ulterior motive … I’ve been looking for a favorite pattern and thought maybe it might be in one of the boxes that was stowed away. I also knew I had yarn and thread safely tucked away in plastic totes

Five totes later we were on our way home only to discover that the pattern I was looking for wasn’t in the box I thought it was. Bummer. But moving things around the unit had inspired my hubby and in his travels through a storage room at the house, he came across my Crochet Stitch Bible. That was a great find too and I asked him where he’d found it.

He also mentioned there were other books and patterns in the box. Could it be…? Yes! The magazine with the pattern I wanted was in there! Along with some other treasures … not the least of which are several old Workbasket magazines that belonged to my Nonna. Here’s the one I was looking for:

I’ve been dying to make a tissue box cover that is in this magazine, and because the magazine is out of print … well, there was no finding the pattern. Believe me, this magazine is not going back into a box anytime soon! With my enormous stash now safely home, I started in right away:

The reddish tint to the swatch is my phone flash I think but I should have the finished project ready to view tomorrow. Oh, how I have missed crocheting in the cottage! Tomorrow is Crochet with Jane day … a new harbor friend and fellow blogger. I can’t wait to settle with some tea and a have good long visit over our hooks (hers might be those pointy ones …) and see what we shall see!

Hope you’re having some fun today too! From the cottage, with love,

Tina

What’s a Blogger to Do?

So after that last thrilling post some three years ago my crochet habit just waned. It isn’t that I haven’t crocheted at all in the past three years, I just didn’t find the time or inclination to blog about it. No great loss for you really but even so … why have a blog if I’m not going to use it, right? So what’s a blogger to do?

Well, just pick up where I left off, much like any other work-in-progress. Speaking of which, I was looking through some old posts the other day and realized I haven’t finished my Bye Bye Birdie Blanket. Oh, Chloe would be pleased to see that done!

I also have some other unfinished projects (no big surprise there!) that I am systematically planning to tackle. A couple of baby blankets that I will probably donate to CareNet, a doily or two, a scarf, some dishcloths. Okay! So I’m really hooked here … pun intended.

I am hopeful though that many of these projects are going to get tackled this year. Partly because I am going through a process of organizing at home and partly because I have some motivation from a group of friends who also love to crochet and knit. We held our first Crochet and Pray the other day, and have plans to get together again soon. We found a great Groupon for yarn!

So like all good works-in-progress, don’t give up on the Cottage yet. I think we have a great year ahead of us!