It's time to get SERIOUS!

Okay, y'all.  So I'm officially trying to make this blog workout.  Flex the ol' blog muscle, if you will.  ...or maybe not?  That sounds super weird.  Okay, anyway, I'm going to get serious about this blog and I'm going to try to make it work for me while I work for you!

I want to share my thoughts, ideas, tips, tricks, recipes, patterns, you name it!  I want this to be a place for you to come and interact and be a real community: friends and neighbors just doing our thang!  No?  That didn't work, did it?  But anyway, a place where you can come and relax and hopefully get some good information and inspiration, or at least a little laugh!  

So let me introduce myself (again).  

I'm Elise, I live on a cattle ranch in Southern Missouri, with my husband and our beautiful son.  We run a cow/calf pair operation and both work full-time "in town".  We have a passion for the outdoors and leaving it just the way we found it, if not better.  We love to fish and are blessed to live in such a great area for it!  We're surrounded by water and try to get to the river at least once a month for some serious trout fishing fun!  (There just aren't many things better than a day spent on the river with family!)  I have a quiet passion for crochet and crafting, and I'm trying to make this a bigger part of my day-to-day!  It's something I truly enjoy more than I ever dreamed I would, and I have decided to go all-in and make this fantasy a reality!  (FYI, the adorable hat I'm wearing is a pattern by the wonderful, Jessica from The Hook Nook; check her out!)

I struggled to find a good hobby for years, (see <basically> all of my previous blog posts, ha) and I finally did when I YouTube'd "learn to crochet" and watched every video it provided!  It's super amazing to see a ball of yarn turn into a beanie, or a dish rag (check out this link... Alexis and her blog, Persia Lou, are super duper amazing and I made her Color Block Washcloth pattern for a friend's housewarming; see a picture below), or a gorgeous shawl, and I can't wait to share this art with you!  I hope you learn something either about yourself or your skill each time you visit my blog!  

That being said, WELCOME, FRIENDS!!!  I appreciate you stopping by and I hope to see you again very soon!  :)

The comfort shawl...

So here's a link to a wonderful pattern that's not only amazingly beautiful, but beginner friendly (YAY!), and so full of soul that it brings tears to my eyes!  The Serene Comfort Shawl.  

The Comfort Shawl, y'all.  Wow.  You know all those times where you're like "oh I'm so sorry, I'm keeping you in my thoughts", and then you're just lost?  Like, you know the words are so appreciated and for a brief moment floated through the air and uplifted the recipient, but then what?  You're left thinking "man, I wish there was something I could do..." well search no more!  The idea behind a Comfort Shawl is epic.  Utterly amazing.  Sweet, pure, and so so kind.  It's a wonderful blanket-ish, sweater-ish hug!  ...that lasts forever!  Seriously.  Can you think of a more heartfelt gesture?  Nope.  I would just die if someone did something so incredible for me!  And they don't have to be strictly for times of sadness; you could do them for expectant mothers, or graduates, or anything really!  

And for reals, there are tons upon tons of patterns for these puppies!  They're also called Prayer Shawls, so you may want to reference that as well!  I actually ordered this book from knitpicks.com for $3.59, and while it's called Everyday Shawls they have several books specifically for Prayer/Healing/Comfort Shawl patterns!  I would assume that all these guys are interchangeable, though, no?  A shawl is a shawl is a shawl... It's all about the love and thought you put into it as you're making it.  Heck, you could make dishrags and send them, just as long as you make them with all your love, amiright?  

Also, you can put little cards or poems or notes or whatever with the item that sort of state the purpose... here is what I came up with after doing some research about the shawls and reading <what felt like> thousands of examples (note: I did not compose this 100%, but you could say that I put my own "Melania" spin on it.  Too soon?):

This shawl contains no magic; it has no enchantment or mystical powers.  It is intended to be an object of comfort for the one who receives it.  It is a warm embrace and a reminder that you are loved.

…and I hope that in it, you find comfort from all that appears too much to bear.

  

        May this shawl be a shelter in time of overwhelming grief, a glimmer of hope in times of sorrow too deep for words, and a shield from times of unimaginable loss.

        May you be comforted by the presence of those who love and support you, by faith in the everlasting, and by the memories you hold nearest to your heart.

        May you be strengthened in your daily comings and goings, in the excitement of new beginnings, and in the memories that await you!

Here's to New Adventures!!! ...and coconut milk in your coffee.

OKAY!  So, this blog (much like my intense search for a hobby...) started off slow and with a very passionate attempt at starting an Etsy shop and selling printed t-shirts!  I had my big amazing idea of Hay ____ shirts (think: Hay Mom, Hay Girl, Hay Dude...) and while I did sell one, I still have a stack of them at home and will probably either end up cutting them into t-shirt yarn or giving them away to friends over the next few years!  :)  Either way, it's totally okay!  

I have had a pretty weird obsession with yarn for years, but have never been able to do any kind of fiber art!  My Nanny (loooove you!) taught me to crochet a chain probably 20 years ago, but that's about as far as that went!  She crochets like a machine and I couldn't for-the-life-of-me wrap my mind around turning and crocheting into the loop!  While that didn't pan out, I never gave up the dream of learning it!  Therefore, I've bought yarn like a pro for several years!  

When I was pregnant, I even bought a Learn-to-Crochet set that came with everything I needed to get going!  Of that experience, I only have this say:  Please do not ever attempt to learn anything whilst preggo.  Just.  Don't.  I also had a terribly fancy and fuzzy yarn, which now I realize was more than likely the issue!  But I cried a lot and it really was not a good time.  

Anywho, I laid that to rest and raised by son for nearly two years before crossing paths with fiber art again!  This time it was in the form of ARM KNITTING!  OH EM GEE, y'all.  I love arm knitting!  But holy cow, who has the money to throw at that?!  I just cannot justify 18 skeins of chunky yarn for one small blanket!  I made two blankets... one needs frogged because it's totes wrong, but it actually looks cool draped over a chair, and the second I made for my adorable Gran (I missssss you!) while she was in hospice care.  Now like I mentioned, 18 skeins of yarn.  So I went with something pretty affordable ($3/ea) but it was entirely too heavy for the project, since arm knitting tends to end up pretty loose.  The blanket was gorgeous, but heavy and not terribly user-friendly.  Way too much drape.  A nice, lightweight chunky wool would be your best bet.  But at that price, buying a nice blanket would be another option.  :)  

At this point I had a pretty good idea of how to work with yarn and the in's and out's of the movements, albeit on a massive scale!  I decided to take on regular, everyday knitting!  I made a "koozie" for my favorite coffee cup (which I got here!) and I started a dishrag!  "Started" being the key word... sure I was on the hunt for an awesome hobby, but I seriously have NO time for one!  Between working, momming, wifing, and farming, I have like 30 minutes of free-time a day and this is when I have to bathe!  I figured out super quick, and after three or four nights of knitting while I could, that this was going to take WAY too long.  

So out comes the Learn-to-Crochet set!  Still having serious trouble learning from the book, I decided to do what we millennials (I think I'm a millennial?) do best, and Google it!  After spending my lunch break watching YouTube videos, with no yarn in sight, I felt confident I could do a chain and a single crochet!  I could not WAIT for Ikey to go to sleep that night, and when he did, I grabbed a ball of Peaches & Creme in Rosemary and got to work on my new dish rag!  Was it perfect?  Nope.  Was it even a square?  Honestly, not really.  But was I in love?!  TOTALLY.  My tension was all over the place, but I've since figured out how to hold my yarn, which has seriously improved that problem, and I made a basket for Ikey's room, I have a shrug in process, and started a puff stitch beanie for Ikey last night in this dreamy bamboo mix yarn that seriously feels like clouds!  I can't think of the name, but I'll post a picture of the finished project and a link to the yarn!  

Seriously, though, Crochet, y'all.  For reals.  It's quick, easy to put down, easy to pick back up, quiet, it travels well, it's extremely versatile, and amazingly gorgeous!!!  I could NOT be more excited!  I finally found a way to make pretty things that's fun, simple, and fits into my mom-schedule beautifully!  I hope to be able to share my projects, mistakes, tips and tricks, and life through words and photos on this little blog!  

OH!  And coconut oil in your coffee.  You'll thank me later.  
**UPDATE**: Do NOT put coconut oil in your coffee if you have acne prone skin.  OMG.