imbolc, spring cleaning, and going green

happy belated Imbolc / candlemas / groundhog day to all!

you may have noticed that i'm a nature worshiper in my profile. well, to be more specific, i'm essentially a non-practicing wiccan. a what? yeah. non-practicing. i'm afraid i've pretty much let my religious side slide badly since my kids have been born. i intend to do.... well, things... rituals and the like... but i quite simply don't have then energy for it. (couldn't have anything to do with the 13 mo old sucking the life ... er.. milk.. out of me, could it?!?!)

so this spring, my intent is to  increase the energy i put towards my religious/ faith-based self, and begin making an effort to practice with my pendulum and possibly start doing some energy-work again on at least a weekly basis.
i had hoped to do something for imbolc, but again, a lack of energy prevented more than the thought. i think i'm going to put one thing on my 'to do' table, though, and make myself a bratach brid, or healing blanket, to be blessed next imbolc (for more info, and pronunciation help, try this link for lots of imbolc traditions )

as for spring cleaning? well... i'm not a neat, tidy person. i never have been. and my darling hubby is worse than i, which makes it HARD to make progress in the mess... but i will be trying to make headway in making my home more friendly and mess-free. hopefully in part by sending bags full of stuff to a local thrift shop. that might help a bit!

as part of my cleaning, i'm hoping to begin switching to more 'green' and 'eco-friendly' products..  for me,. this is a 'baby steps' kind of thing. i'm not going to go out and spend a huge chunk of change on a crate of cleaning products that either work poorly, or aren't quite as green as they proclaim to be. i change one thing at a time, and test to see if it works.

so yes, happy thoughts of a waning winter and groundhog-sized shadows to all!

Works in progress

well, i actually got some things done over the past few days!
i completed my scarf project (YAY!)

 

this is a poor picture, i'll admit, but the scarf looks great peeking out of a winter coat  (i know, it's a gift, but i had to try it on!)

2-tone ruffled scarf

materials: 2 balls sport weight yarn, red
1 ball sport weight yarn, ivory
4mm hook, or as desired

row 1: ch203. Dc in 3rd chain from hook. Dc across. turn.
rows 2-6 : ch3, (Dc in next st, 2dc in next st) across. turn
row 7: finish off red, join in white, work as per rows 2-6. finish off. weave in ends.
enjoy!

note: i reserve no rights for this pattern, as ruffled scarf patterns are widely available. i simply provide the pattern in case you like this one in particular, and want to make one the same/similar.

also, i made a gift for a little boy. i hope he likes it.

 

isn't it cute?

 

and look, he fits inside!

the baby hedgehog is a slight adaptation of a pattern from the book Amigurumi World, and the Mushroom pattern is found here. (i used the larger adaptation of the instructions)

my next project is going to be for ME! i know... greedy, ain't i? i plan on making a lovely summery top to wear once it warms up!

i'm also slowly working towards getting ready to make a rug. i've been searching my house for scrap fabric, sheets and the like to make into yarn. not ready to actually start MAKING the rug yet, it's going to be a while until i have sufficient material stockpiled.

oh, and i was thrift shopping earlier in the week... picked up some nice finds, including a hemp blend shirt (gotta love hemp!) and a Woman's Day book on crochet patterns, published in the 80's. man, some of them are FUGLY! however, i think i might actually try a few of the salvageable ones, just to see how they turn out. time will tell.

Happy Imbolc everyone!