July travel

 This past week we made our annual trek to visit family in Kansas for the fourth of July. This year, we were able to be away for an entire week, with a couple of days of driving each way. Of course, I brought along yarn and hooks for the time in the car. I wasn't very focused on crochet this time for some reason but I managed 4 and a half caps along with another several small bags and purses that I was finishing up for other projects.

One other stop we made on the trip was at the cemetery. The last time I went, there was a wasp nest that nearly scared me to death as I was moving the flower vase. Thankfully this time I was able to clean up a bit (the cemetery does a great job with maintenance) and close up the vase without any unexpected visitors.

Birthday Caps

Each year for my birthday, I love to celebrate and have fun! Seriously, who doesn't? I mean, why wouldn't you want to do that? But I also want to do something for someone else, a reminder that I am a piece of a larger world especially on my special day. There are so many ways to do this, volunteering, donating, or otherwise contributing. As you know, or figured out reading this blog, I have my own little charity in "Q's Caps" and it is something I work on often, although I have continued to get worse about updating the blog. While this is certainly not the only way I like to be a part of the bigger picture, this is my most frequent activity. This weekend, I picked up the hook and yarn and got a couple of caps made while we were in the car. I had hoped to make more but I had some fights with my yarn! The troubles of crochet (and knitting) from time to time. I also worked on one of the scarves I'm making for the 2018 Special Olympics Scarf project (see my last post). Also during my birthday weekend, we visited with some of the volunteers (Friends of Galveston Island State Park) and decided maybe I'd better start learning a little more in a specific area (or two) so I can become a Texas Master Naturalist and volunteer at some of the State Parks in the future. I challenge you all to find something you can do and share it with others. That is my birthday wish.

Stash buster project

It's only been a couple of weeks since my last post, I know you are shocked :)
I would like to share a project I'm working on that some of you might be interested in although it's not specifically related to caps. Special Olympics Texas holds annual games and they give scarves to the participants. These scarves are made (crochet or knit) by volunteers.  Each year, there is a set of colors and this year's will be really fun for anyone who has done yarn arts for awhile, it's black plus at least two other colors. That means you can use yarn from your stash and make some fun and funky scarves. I'm hoping to try some new stitches from a book I recently checked out at our library.


Here is the information from their site:
"This year’s scarf project is taking on a new look, and it goes like this……
When your drawers are full ….Ain’t got no room…..Who you gonna call? STASH BUSTERS

So, this is a year to use up your stash but with one caveat. We will have only one MAIN COLOR this year -BLACK- and you can complement the black with as many beautiful stash colors as you want (minimum of 2 colors ). The common thread of black in each scarf will signify that it is the scarf for 2018, but it will be complimented with many other colors.

Our theme this year is “Every scarf will be as unique as the athlete who receives it.”

The other guidelines are similar to years past:
1) Dimensions are 6” x 60” (approximately)
2) Machine washable and dryable yarns
3) No Ziploc bags
4) Attach a small personal note with yarn to your scarf encouraging and/or congratulating the athlete who receives it.
5) Include your name and mailing address on a separate piece of paper so that one of our athletes can write you a thank you note.
6) If you are sending in a box of scarves, a note on the inside with the number of scarves included would be so helpful to those that open and count.
7) Please remember to visit your locally owned yarn stores. They have really been supportive of the project. If the stores in your area are not yet on board, let’s talk to them this year and get them involved!
8) Please talk to everyone you know about the project."

If you would like to join in or follow the project, here is the link to the Facebook page for the 2018 scarves: https://www.facebook.com/events/1846357842302104/

If you have yarn that you would like to donate for this project, please let me know. 

From once a month to once a year

I've never been a great writer, writing was never one of my passions or skills. Why do I start my blog with this statement? Obviously because I've let it go 14 months without a post. Basically, I need an event or a special reason to force me to write. Despite my lack of posts, I continue my work on Q's caps. Recently I took a few caps (pictured) to Kansas with me so my cousin can deliver them to the Cancer Center in Salina. Also, for those of you that recall, it's a rather long drive and I like to get some crochet done while we are in the car. I finished a few additional caps and a scarf during our time driving the 1460 mile round trip. Special thanks to those of you that have followed this journey since the beginning and still pay attention when I finally get around to posting!