Bonita Pattern's Crocodile Booty #2 & Greece

I am on the last of the booty rows and have just started the bottom crocodile scales.  Silly me, ripped out a whole row of the scales as thought I was on the wrong side of the booty.
Sigh.
I should finished this up today if things stay on track!

Greece

I wondered what had happened to the stock market this morning when checking my accounts.  They took a huge hit.  Hmmm, I say…what's going on.

Greece is going on.  Greece owes 1.8 billion dollars and can't pay it.  So, their banks are closed and they are going to go bankrupt.
WHY?
They have 11+ million people.  If each person gave the government $100 they would have nearly all the money they owed and could pay their debt.  The rather over paid politicians could each donate $500 as they seem to have been the ones voting in the welfare payoffs and the income increases for the government workers plunging them into this debt crisis!  It just doesn't make sense to me.

I would even would donate $100 to them in a Go Fund Me account to recover my $$$$ of plummeting funds!  Come on people, get a grip!!!

And after the payoff, they would, of course, owe more…but that would surely get them on their feet, give them some breathing room, and allow them to make some changes to their social services and other areas (like politician pay) to get things going in the right direction.  A small change goes a long way over time.

What's in Your Wallet?

If I were able to spell it out to all of you, I'd say this:

Watch out….the same tune is coming to the state near you!

We all need to work on lowering government spending on frivolous things, and stick to building the infrastructure, keep the workers working for fair (not exorbitant) wages, and get people back to work and on their feet.

It's a WE thing, not a THEY thing.

New Book to me….

Designer Crochet: 32 Patterns to Elevate  Your Style

I just ordered a book on Amazon.  It isn't that I need a new crochet book, or really want a new crochet book…it is more that I just have to have it!!

I didn't know that several of the designs I have loved were from this designer, Shannon Mullet-Bowlsby.  He has many of his designs in Crochet! (which is where he has the Hinterland Throw I have loved and had NO idea where the pattern was located!  I had seen the photo and that was all: May, 2011).

His latest patterns in his book are very nice - livable!  One thing that surprised me is that there is a great look in his designs which make them appear more knit.  

Another wonderful thing?  There are THIRTY TWO designs in the book…Designer Crochet: 32 Patterns to Elevate Your Style.    

The link, as usual, is to a Ravelry page.  Not all his designs are for the skinny-minnie either! Most, perhaps, but not all!

I'd like to list all the photos, but did not ask permission, so check out the links. You won't be sorry!!

Or better yet, look on Amazon.  Only $15 for 32 fab designs!

Finished….on to the booties and a new tote!

The shawl is crescent and very lovely.  The sequins are only on the border of lace.  This version won't block well so that the lace won't show how pretty it is.  The last photo is the true color.  I used Lion Bands Baby Soft for the shawl, and used String Me Along to add the sequins with it on the lace.

Tunisian crochet, done in two panels, join as you go with the lace.  Edged with a picot.

I only did 30 repeats of the body as my DGD is small and it was pretty large just with those repeats.

I'm also making her a gauntlet set just as I did for her sister. It's small, dark blue, made with Vanna's Glamour by Lion Brand.  Unfortunately it makes the "scales" pucker and curl.  Might try another pair later with a larger hook and less scales to see if it will keep it flat.  She loves them any way!

The group is going to do a CAL/KAL on a purse or tote for July. It's a pick your own pattern and everyone crochet or knit along together.  I am thinking of doing a pattern in wool and felting it.  ???  We shall see.

I'm staying inside again today.  Never did cool off lower than 73 last night, which under normal circumstances would be fine, but humidity is almost as high and the air is stagnant…with clouds keeping the humidity down.  Better than 115 though!!

The Pax Shawl and more helpful hints!

I am working on the Pax shawl, a design by Aoibhe Ni, from Ireland. The link is to her Ravelry page.

This photo is in the beginning of the portion of "lace" for the border.  I used a DK weight instead of lace as wanted to be able to see and understand what I was doing for my first completed Aoibhe project.  I, unfortunately, do not find the way she describes her work or writes her charts to be easily translated into crochet.  It took a group of ladies in my Ravelry group, explaining it all to me in normal Tunisian terms, for me to be able to "get it".

Her are three repeats finished.  I used a lovely thread lace weight called String Me Along that was the same color and had sequins attached ever inch or so.  

This is for my 7 year old granddaughter so none of the errors matter all that much as most are not noticeable and the sparkle is what counts!

These buttons are from the Mitchell Larsen Studio in Christiansted, Virgin Islands.  Hand made and unlike any other!  I am planning on using three of the sets for the crocodile stitch booties I am making for my three adult nieces.

Only one bootie finished, though!

STAY COOL!  The hints I received from friends are first, don't use your oven.  If you HAVE to bake, use the small toaster oven.  If you run the dishwasher or wash clothes, do it in the EARLY morning hours when you first get up.  The use of electricity in the afternoon hours (even lights) is to be discouraged so that the running a/c's will not over load the system.  

Also, you could sprinkle your lawn early for just a few minutes in back so if you do have animals that have to go out, the evaporation will help keep them cool (or coolish, or not at all in AZ!).  Put up shade cloth, umbrellas, etc. to offer some shade (after about 93 or so degrees shade and wind don't matter much, wet T-shirts do! Perhaps a wet dog would be appreciative?)

One other friend said NOT to put ice in the dog's or cat's water bowl.  It can cause cramps and make them throw up.  Ugh.

~ ❄️  Stay Cool  ❄️ ~

Heat Wave!!!

The Heat is On!  Here are some tips I have learned over the years of trying to conserve on my electric bill. There were some days in the 115 heat in Hemet, CA that I wore a wet T-shirt around the house with fans running and no a/c!

Of course, the biggest saver of all is insulation.  I am lucky that this house has double drywall on the outside walls, a wonderful attic fan, a crawl space that keeps the floors cool, and the vinyl siding which has an additional insulation under it, so my home stays about 74 throughout the day with NO a/c until around 4 to 5 if it is above 84 or so. I still follow these rules, though.

First REMEMBER YOUR PETS!  Water, folks.  They need clean (CLEAN) fresh water.  They need to be brought in during the hot days…smaller dogs especially have a hard time breathing (like pugs and Shitz Tzu's…those with short muzzles).  They can't pant fast enough to cool their little bodies down.

First, bring in the cooler air. Open windows and doors and if you have a fan, position one to bring in air. Some people put them in the door to pull air in, some to push air out. However, my fireman brother let me in on a secret. Heat is high, cool air is low, so if you are using the fan in a doorway, bring the air IN. The warmer higher heat will be forced out at the top of the windows and doorways. Also turn on exhaust fans to draw it away.

Then close your house up. If the house is still warmer than outside turn on the a/c now before it is tooooo hot, and before the hoards begin a brown-out process! Just get the house cooler. Turn all your window blinds so that the front of the blind is down and the back, toward the window side, is up. Heat rises you know! 

Turn on a vent over the stove and keep the exhaust fan in the bathroom on. They both take the upper heat out VERY effectively. You'd be smart to have an attic fan installed, too. All in all, these will help keep your house cooler for 3 to 5 degrees at less than 1/8 the cost of the a/c for the same time period.

Keep all your windows covered to help stem heat transfer, put your ceiling fans on so they are blowing air down…doesn't make a difference in air temp either way, up or down, but down means it is blowing on you and THAT is why it feels cooler. If all your seating and bed areas are against the wall, set it so it flows up to the ceiling and the air then moves down the wall to where you might be sitting. You will find that you won't be using the a/c as long, and may even use at a higher setting and still feel quite comfy! Helps a lot!!

STAY COOL!!

Put your feet in water!!!!!

(for my AZ friends, our heat wave starts at 90! heh, heh! But we are to be in the 100's for a couple of days).