A Valentine for My Husband

Here is the deepest secret nobody knows.

Here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud

And the sky of the sky of a tree called life;

Which grows higher than soul can hope or mind can hide.

And this is the wonder that’s keeping the stars apart.

I carry your heart.

I carry it in my heart.

e.e.cummings

A Christmas Heart

May we keep Christmas in our hearts
Through every day of all the year. 
~Gertrude B. Holman

Okay, I know tomorrow is Valentine's Day, so why am I making a Christmas Heart?  I am part of a group on Ravelry which is making a different Christmas ornament each month.  I haven't finished my ornament for January yet and the suggested ornament for February is an adorable little snowman.  However, when I saw this pattern for this Decorative Heart, I just had to make it.  Used the same yarn as for my Valentine's Scarf--Cascade 220 Heathers in the Carmine colorway.  I am really trying to use yarn from my stash. I'm going to make several more for additional gifts, but this one is for my grandson. 

 

A Warm Heart, Part II

Memories are the treasures that we keep locked deep within the storehouse of our souls, to keep our hearts warm when we are lonely.  ~Becky Aligada

As I've mentioned a few times this month, I am somewhat obsessed with heart-themed projects.  I posted here on February 9, about the crocheted Valentine's Scarf I was beginning. Well, it is finished and I love it!

Now, I need to find just the right top to really set it off.  I'd like a boatneck or V-neck top, I think.  Even though it is wool, it is not bulky.  Hopefully, I will get some wear out of it before it turns too warm here.  I would like to thank Claire Ortega for making the pattern available for free on Crochet Spot.

Showing Some Progress

The great thing in the world is not so much where we stand, but in what direction we are moving.~Oliver Wendell Holmes

I am finally moving in the right direction with my Scrawl on the Wall Shawl. I have begun decreasing now after increasing to 120 stitches.  Many of my fellow members of this Ravelry group have finished their shawls--and they are all beautiful! I have been obsessed with making heart themed projects this month and have not devoted as much time to the shawl as I could have, but it is coming along nicely.  What do you think?

Vegan Bread

"Diabetes is not necessarily a one-way street. Early studies suggest that persons with diabetes can improve and, in some cases, even cure themselves of the disease by switching to an unrefined, vegan diet."

Andrew Nicholson, M.D., Physicians Committee
for Responsible Medicine Good Medicine
Magazine, Winter 1997

I'm still committed to a mostly vegan diet for health reasons and I have been searching for recipes online.  I love making (and eating) bread made in my bread machine. The best recipe I have found for bread thus far, Gary's Vegan Bread, can be found here. It rises beautifully, has great texture, keeps well, and tastes delicious. My husband likes it even better than non-vegan recipes I have made.

 

A Warm Heart

Keep love in your heart. . .The consciousness of loving and being loved brings a warmth and richness to life that nothing else can bring.  ~Oscar Wilde  

I was searching yesterday for another knitting or crochet pattern with a heart theme.  My love of hearts has turned into an obsession this month and I just can't stop making things with hearts.  I found a lovely crochet pattern here for a neckwarmer with hearts.  I am going to make it a bit longer and use it as a scarf.  I am using Cascade 220 Heathers yarn in the Carmine colorway. So far it has been a quick and easy pattern to follow. I have it memorized already.  I just started this afternoon and this is what I have completed:

And Even More Hearts

It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye. ~Antoine de Saint-Exupery

I bought a little artificial tree years ago for Christmas and really enjoyed placing small ornaments on it that I had made or bought over the years.  It always made me a bit sad to take those ornaments off and pack them and the tree up when Christmas time was over.  Then one day, a lovely idea came to me.  Why pack the tree away when it could be decorated throughout the year for the different seasons or holidays?  Here it is in its role as my Valentine's Tree:  

I made this heart garland for my mother-in-law to hang in her living area.  We won't see her for Valentine's Day, but I wanted her to know she was in our thoughts. I made it so she would have a visible proof of our love.  I used Peaches & Creme yarn in the Peppermint colorway.  The pattern Crochet Heart Garland can be found here.  Thanks, Suzetta of Suzies Stuff. It was a lot of fun to make and I love the way the variegated yarn made each heart unique.