I think I mentioned that my daughter sent a lot of her belongings home last summer by UPS. Unfortunately the truck her things were in was involved in an accident, and she lost three of her large boxes. (Fortunately, no one was hurt in the accident!) So here comes another “unfortunately”>>> She lost three of her work suits, and many other items, including an afghan I had crocheted for her when she was little. She was quite attached to the afghan, not because I am a great crocheter, but for sentimental reasons.
The yarn company no longer makes that multi-colored yarn, so we spent several days at the beginning of the summer trying to find a yarn that would closely resemble the previous afghan’s yarn. We came up with two different colors, one of which matches her current bedspread at her home, and the other which matches her bedspread at our house.
I am glad to say that I finally finished her afghan. My husband and I took it up to her this past weekend. I hope this afghan becomes as cherished to her as her lost/destroyed one. For some reason, it took me longer to crochet this one than it did the last one. Of course, it could just be my memory playing tricks on me. Perhaps I just think I whipped the last one out in record breaking speed because time seemed to go so much faster – back when I had little ones at home.
Steve Miller knew what he was talking about: “Time keeps on slippin’, slippin’, slippin’ – Into the future”
Ann says
I’m sure this one will be just as precious. I am so sorry that she lost some of her boxes. The one thing that was precious that I lost during a move is my baby book. These items from our childhood just can’t be replaced.
Ann
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Oh, Ann! A baby book is, as you know, truly irreplaceable. How very sad!
"Auntie" says
Sweet, that you *replaced* the treasured item… 🙂
Danna - cozy mystery list says
And, Auntie, the odd thing about this is that my husband and I drove up to help her ship her things. We could have brought home a lot more in our car, but decided it would be easier to just ship most of the boxes.
marion says
I’m sure she’ll love the new afghan because YOU made it besides for itself. I have many things that are precious to me, not because they have intrinsic value, but because of their association with loved ones. It is too bad she lost her things but thank goodness no one was hurt. It is funny during moves how you can lose items and, on your life, you thought you packed them. Haven’t talked to you lately but I read mysteries in spurts and I’ve been off them for the last couple of months. However, I got Christie’s Dead Man’s Folly and George’s Murder on a Girls’ Night Out off the library’s paperback rack yesterday so maybe I’ll get a couple read. At the moment, I’m focusing on a CD of Dicken’s David Copperfield. All 64 discs of it! I’m about to start number 15 so I may be busy for a while! But I think of all of you. All my love and best wishes.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Marion, 64 discs! Yow!!!
(I’m glad to see you’re doing well, and hope you enjoy Anne George’s Murder on a Girls’ Night Out. I love that series!)
marion says
Turned out I misread the packaging of the CD set. It’s one from the library and is broken into 2 packs. 20 in the first pack and 12 in the second. For a total of 37 and three-quarters hours. Still challenging but much more like it. Thank heavens. I have read part of George’s Murder on a Girl’s…. I think I will like it. I’m thinking of refocusing on Christie. I could always read her in college even when I could settle down to very little. Very straight-forward stories. By the way, I am so glad I can get the comments on my emails. Since I slowed down on my mysteries, I had forgotten to check on your blog and I had really missed all of you. Can’t possibly miss you now! I have taken up my container gardening and several other projects and enjoy them but have been, consequently, more tired and forgetting to do things like checking on my favorite blog! Glad to have help remembering. Again, all my love.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Marion, 32 CDs sounds a little more reasonable >>> like something you could get done before 2013 … maybe!
Good luck on your container gardening. It sounds like fun!
Maria (BearMountainBooks) says
The fact that you were able to make another and took time to do so??? PRICELESS. Even more cherished!!! You’re an awesome mom!
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Maria, I don’t know about being “awesome” – however I know she really wanted another afghan. I thought she would leave it here, but she asked us to take it up to her, which (secretly) made me happy.
Sheila says
I can relate to the crochet afghan incident. I am also a crocheter. I made my great niece Daisy a baby afghan that she used as here favorite blankie from the time of her birth. They went on a vacation and the blanket got thrown out or was just taken by whoever was cleaning the room. Was she devastated. She was only 9 at the time and loved that afghan. Like you Danna, I made her another afghan.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Sheila, what a shame Daisy’s blankie was lost. Did you end up making her the same afghan? I made this afghan a whole lot larger and subsequently, heavier. (My daughter is always cold.)
Sheila says
I made a granny square afghan using bright pink and lime green (the colors in her room). Of course this one is much longer (she loves snuggling up in it).
marion says
Such a shame about the first disappearing but hooray that you made another for her. You’re a great great-aunt!
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Sheila, your description of Daisy’s afghan sounds darling. (I just looked up a “granny square afghan” – it looks a lot more complicated than I could do!)
AndieP says
There are a few vendors on eBay and other online auction sites that offer “vintage” yarns, including the variegated yarns popular in earlier decades.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
AndieP, I tried that route before we bought new colors. She really wanted the same variegated color. But it turned out to (apparently) not be a very popular color, and luckily, she likes these new colors.
(It’s nice to see you, again!)
Susan Sundwall says
What a good mom you are to make a new one. She’ll think of your love and effort when she snuggles up!
Danna - cozy mystery list says
I sure hope so, Susan. Now that she is on her own, there aren’t a lot of things I “need” to do for her.
Susie says
You’re such a great mom!
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Thanks, Susie. Sure hope both my children thing so!
Regina V says
Danna, Reading about your knitting experiences plus decorating for Christmas brought some memories to me. My sister is an avid needleworker. When my children were born, she made each of them a Christmas stocking. A glitch happened while she was doing my son’s and it turned out to be 4 feet long. As he is also my middle child when we hang the stockings over the fireplace, his occupies the middle spot,the perfect decoration. He is now 51 and my sister is 84, but she keeps threatening to re -knit it. My daughter has just learned to knit, and she is making a scarf for her daughter who is a freshman in college. It is a race to finish it before she comes home from college and by Christmas. As for myself, I can only knit simple things like washcloths.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Regina, I am guessing your son didn’t mind it when Santa filled his four foot long stocking!
Donna says
How sad that the first afghan was lost, but how wonderful that you created a new masterpiece for her! Reading this post and all the comments has been a blessing to me. I recently lost my Dad after a long illness. I usually love Christmas, but this year it’s tough. I had almost decided not to bother with the usual tradition of creating an old fashioned thread-crochet ornament for family and close friends, but reading this thread has changed my mind. Little things that don’t seem very important in the grand scheme can turn out to be those things others will cherish in years to come.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Donna, I’m sorry about your father. You are in my thoughts.
I’m glad you will be continuing your tradition of creating thread-crochet ornaments for your family and friends. You’re right about un-expected things holding cherished memories in the future.
linda c says
Danna, because I have read so many novels with sewing handcrafts as themes I decided just last week to try to construct hanging quilts as gifts for my two sisters for Christmas this year. Now I know how to sew! After all, I worked in a sewing factory for almost 30 years working on insulated underwear. I thought whipping up a machine sewn quilt should be a breeze, right?? As the Grinch said last night on the Christmas movie that DH and I watched “Wrong oh”. My problem is that my sisters both have “perfected” their handcrafted skills to almost craft show worthy status. My mother, my grandmother and several aunts were all very good at this stuff. I still have several things that these women had made many years ago.
Because of my sisters contributions as gifts to me are so well done, I think that hey, we all three came from the same set of parents (or so I was told!) I should be able to do just as good a job as they seem to be able to do, right! Again to paraphrase Jim Cary “WRONG OH!!
The material that I picked out has 4 different pictures of horses in a barn yard with other barn yard animals. Very beautiful. So, since I don’t really know how to quilt, I thought I would try teaching myself by sewing four hanging quilts for each of my two sisters. What could go wrong? I bought the material, the thread, the batting. I had everything the books told me to get. People have been quilting for centuries. How hard can this be, right? ” Wrong Oh”
I have 4 of the hanging quilts done. I have 4 more to go. But I don’t know as if I will give these to my sisters. I can just see their facial expressions now. I know they will both wonder like me if all three of us did indeed come from the same set of parents. DH said I am being too hard on myself. Just maybe I will give each sister the other two sets of pictures and they can finish on their own. I can just see both of them showing me what they did “differently.!”
As I browsed through the fabric shop looking for just the right material for these quilts I found a book that tells step by step to beginner crocheters. I bought that book, a needle, a ball of thread, followed the book. The sales clerk said it was easy. Another customer in the store told me what all to buy. You think I would have been able to learn to crochet with ease, right? “Wrong Oh.” I could crochet the first string of stitches but could not figure out how to go back down the other side. A 13 year old niece told me she had been knitting since she was 7 years old. Some peoples’ kids!!
Just maybe I will stick to just reading books and novels about “fictional” people who can do these age old crafts. Maybe one thing I need to realize is that these books that I read are products of some writers’ ” fictional” characters. Just maybe the ability for all of these characters to be able to crochet, knit and/or quilt is purely “fictional.” Just maybe someone just made up these stories about women who can do these things!! But I refuse to give up!! I will try again!! Take that!! Darling sisters of mine!!
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Linda, I’m not sure if two weeks before Christmas is a good time to start a major quilting project! I hear quilts take a long time to make!
Good luck!
linda c says
So Danna, You are telling me that just maybe I should have given myself a little more time!!??
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Well, maybe just a little more time, Linda! Again, good luck!!!
BB says
Linda, I can’t speak to the quilting, but I also learned the basics of crocheting last year – after a friend tried to show me how (which just confused me because she had to redo it several times since it had been so long she had almost forgotten how!) and watching SEVERAL youtube videos multiple times. I went by directions in a pamphlet for making an item, but didn’t realize until near that end that I’d been using the wrong stitch! It turned out good, though, because I found out my “mistake stitch” was better for the item, anyway. Ha!
At any rate, maybe you can go back to the store and get the owner or an employee to show you how to crochet. They’d probably enjoy it.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
BB, that’s a great idea about going to youtube to check out how something is done. My daughter sent me a video that came in really handy putting the strings on my guitar. (My husband had changed all of the strings, and put them on a different way than what I used to do. Recently I wanted to restring it, and couldn’t remember my method. The youtube video was a lot of help.)
marion says
“Crocheting in Plain English” by Maggie Reghetti (sp?) and the “Stitch and Bitch” book covering crocheting (author?) have been the most helpful books for me regarding crocheting instruction. I also have a book of crocheting patterns that utilize graphs with international symbols for each type of stitch as well as written instructions. I find it much easier to follow a diagram than the typical crocheting written instructions. You might find it more useful too once you’ve learned which symbol stands for which stitch. check with your library because my book was written in the early to middle 70s.
Melissa B says
Im so sorry to hear that your Daughter’s afghan was lost / destroyed!
your new replacement sounds really nice!
Happy Holidays!
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Melissa, it was too bad her first afghan was lost, as it was a sentimental favorite for her. But, all is not lost >>> She likes her current afghan, and I’m hoping it will become as dear to her as the first one.