sunburst granny square blanket w.i.p.

I am almost done joining the my sunburst granny squares. I am excited to see what the finished project will be. I love the sweet, feminine feel of sunburst grannies. I think they make a wonderful baby blanket for little girls.
God blessed!
hannaH

enjoy the simple things

With having a birthday just a few weeks ago, I started thinking about the simple pleasures in my young life. I fell in love with crochet a couple of years ago, & I could spend hours looking at different designs on Pinterest. I love baking cookies. I love looking up recipes for different kinds of cookies. I feel like my only vices are the same as an elderly grandmother.
But I do not feel alone, being a twenty-something female that is drawn to activities that have been a staple in women's domestic lives for centuries. I have seen it again and again in my day to day life with friends and loved ones, online, & television. May women and girls have a strong desire to use their hands and be creative. It is good for the female soul. Don't be embarrassed to take pleasure in the simple things.
God bless!
hannaH

She makes linen garments and sells them,
    and supplies the merchants with sashes.
                                       Proverbs 31:24

Therefore I perceived that there is nothing better than that a man should rejoice in his own works,
      for that is his portion; for who shall bring him to see what shall be after him?
                                         Ecclesiastes 3:22

instagram // 7.1 - 8.12

A month in instagram 

• 1) I made my first Vietnamese iced coffee a few weeks ago. Delicious! 
• 2) Chick-fil-a lunch
• 3) a mushroom thriving in this wet summer weather
• 4 & 5) walking with Amos
• 6) coffee & the word in the morning
• 7 & 8) granny square baby blanket for my church's mission trip to W.V.
• 9) Throw back photo 
• 10) sunburst grannies in progress 
• 11) And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. - Romans 8:28 ESV
• 12) More sunburst grannies
• 13) Sweet, sleepy Owen
• 14-15) Saturday breakfast with my brother
• 16) Grannies turning into a blanket

I am trucking along with my yarn stash busting. I think I am on my third project in attempts to clean out my left-over yarn.
Things are not as busy as the beginning of the summer with the two weddings back to back. But thing are still changing. I had my 24th birthday in July (hard to believe). School is starting for many this week. I am looking forward to what fall will hold for all of us.
Have a blessed week!
hannaH

Sunburst grannies

Photo via: http://www.flickr.com/photos/kasaa/4318940214/

As I mentioned in my last post, I am working on a sunburst blanket. I though I would post a couple of links of the pattern and a tutorial for anyone reading that is interested in trying this lovely pattern. 

Here is the written pattern by Priscilla Hewitt for the sunburst granny square. I have been using this pattern for the first three rows of the squares I have been crocheting for the past week.

 I will be using the join-as-you-go method to connect all my grannies, & will only be adding a fourth, maybe fifth row. The finished project should resemble this blanket tutorial from Nittybits blog.

I hope you all have a wonderful & blessed weekend, & enjoy what little time we have of the summer 2013!

hannaH 

Playing catch up

I have posted a picture I took of my sweet little Owie this morning. I thought this photo captures how I have been feeling about blogging for the past couple of months. I hate that I haven't posted anything in what seems like forever in the cyber world. I have gotten pretty lackadaisical in most all of my digital activities. I have ideas for post, I just haven't taken the time to take photos and finish writing the entries.  

 I do, however, have crochet a couple projects on my hooks that I have been working on for the past couple of weeks. I have been trying to "bust" my stash of yarn. I have never been a collector. If I have one of something, I am satisfied. I felt when I was a little child like I needed a collection of teddy bears or dolls because that is what others had but, I never had the drive to get another one. That changed when I started crocheting. I LOVE yarn. I love the many different fibers, textures, colors & weights. If I had an abundance of money and space I would have a whole closet dedicated solely to yarn. But alas, I am limited financially & in my current domain in haven't such a luxury. So I am trying to use up as much of my extra yarn as I can. I already made & donated a boy's granny square baby blanket for our church's recent mission trip. My current stash busting project is a sunburst granny blanket.  

 I borrowed  a couple of crochet books from my local library the other day. One of them is Pop Goes Crochet by Vickie Howell. I am getting excited over the ideas I have running through my brain at the moment. But I will be waiting until after I finish up on my extra yarn before starting these.

Have a blessed day!

hannaH 

instagram 6/24-6/30

Last week's snap-shots:

• colors in the teddy bear I am working on
• Amos chillin'
• a beautiful rose of Sharon in the back yard
• my first attempt at a upside-down French braid with a bun
• a single serving, deep dish chocolate chip cookie with ice cream (recipe)
• my dad's chaste tree

Ah! Here it is, July 1st. It is the first day of my birthday month, & I have no problem sharing this with anyone who will listen. The day of my birth is just a few short weeks away people! It's kinda big deal.
Any who,, this first week of July includes, as you should know, Independence Day. The Fourth of July is one of my favorite Holidays. I love to grill-out, spend time with family & friends, and FIREWORKS. With this being said, July 4th stole my heart at a very young age. There are no definite plans as of yet for Thursday, but I am sure something will come together before then.
This weekend I am in a wedding for a very dear friend. I am so happy for this couple, I pray that God will bless them with a long, happy life together.
I am almost finished with a crochet teddy bear. After that project I will focus on a baby blanket.
I hope you all have a wonder week!
God bless,
hannaH

Where to follow me

Since GFC/ Google Reader is coming to a end this Monday, July 1st, I thought I would be sure to inform anyone interested of the many other ways to follow Granny Square Flair. You can find me on:

Bloglovin', Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, & Pinterest

 

I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

God bless,

hannaH 

instagram 5/20-6/22



A lot has happened in the last month; my sweet, baby brother married his sweetheart, my mom's dear friend, Mika, from Japan stayed for eight days (us ladies spent two of those days in the mountains for a girls get-a-way), we got to a point on my bathroom & closet that was presentable just a day before Mika arrived, than Father's Day, & my other brother had a birthday this weekend.
There were many precious memories made this past month that I will cherish for the rest of my life. I have been enjoying the feelings of love, fun, laughter, and hope for what the future will bring.
Next, I am a bridesmaid in another wedding of a dear friend in less than two weeks. I am looking forward to that event!
I starting back to crochet last week. Slowly but surely. I worked on a couple of rows on my rippled afghan and started another teddy bear. While cleaning out my room for Mika's stay, I realized how much extra yarn I have! I need to use it up before I purchase anymore yarn. I just don't have the space! There is a mission trip plan for my church in August. They need baby blankets, so I will try to knock some out for that trip. Maybe even some teddy bears.
Take care & God bless,
hannaH

Mom's finished granny square afghan

 

I am so happy with how my mom's afghan turned out! I love the colors. I think the gray does a wonderful job of contrasting each color. I started this project the beginning of February and finished it on April 24. It is the largest crochet project I have ever completed. The best thing about the afghan is that my mom loves it!

 

I connected all the squares using the join-as-you-go method. There are tons of tutorials on the method all over the web. Here is the joining granny squares as-you-go tutorial from Attic24.

I knew that I wanted to add a single crochet boarder to the afghan, but wasn't sure how I was going to execute it. I finally decided on using a moss stitch (a.k.a. tweed stitch)  for the colorful boarder. I am now in love with this stitch and plan on using it on other projects. Here is a video tutorial of how to crochet the moss stitch. Of course you can see that I changed the yarn color for each row compared to using one color. This gives the boarded the tweed look.

 

For any readers interested in creating a granny square, check the Purl Bee's tutorial of how to crochet a granny square. Their instructions and photos are very easy to follow. 

 

Thanks for reading & have a wonderful day!

God bless,

hannaH



instagram // 5.13 - 5.20

-Cuddling with Ms. Molly Mae
- Jordan & me returning a baby robin to his nest.
-Free kittens in search for a home
-The selection of colored duct tape at my local Lowe's
- A pretty robin's egg.

I am starting to miss crochet. I am trying to get started on some more projects. I am hoping that after the wedding I will feel more motivation.
God bless,
hannaH

Instagram // 5.6 - 5.13

- One of my favorite pictures of my mom, grandmother & me. Don't you just love a good photo of three generations?
- Some lovely flowers in my neighbor's yard.
- A tiny bird nest filled with 5 baby birds in a bucket in the back yard.
- Owen waiting anxiously for my mom to return to my Jeep.

I am thankful for my wonderful mom & all the other godly motherfigures in my life!
God bless,
hannaH

instagram 4.29 - 5.6

 

-One of my favorite scripture passages, Psalms 1

- A fire hydrant in the middle of a country field

- How my tailor spelled my name

I hate that I have not been posted like I should! I have to post the photos of the finished afghan.

I haven't done a lot of crocheting lately. I am in two weddings that are less than 30 days apart. First is my little brother's wedding the beginning of June, & a dear friend's the beginning of July.

So other than just a small project to practice  tapestry crochet, I have had very little crochet on my brain, or on my hook. :/

I hope to get back in the rhythm of things very soon.

God bless!

hannaH

instagram // 4.22 - 4.29

I am very excited to announce that I finished mom's afghan. Yay! I am so pleases with how it turned out. I am trying to figure out the best way to photograph it. Once that is done I will post the photos as soon as I can.

To reference some of the other photos, I found an awesome Beatles t-shirt at Old Navy on clearance. I love it. I also instagram-ed Amos' picture the day we found him along with a photo I took of him this week. It is nice to see what a healthy & handsome cat he has become.

I had a nice time yesterday worshipping at church. There is nothing like studying God's word & praising Jesus' name with other believers.

I hope you all have a wonderful week!

God bless,

hannaH



instagram // 4.15-4.22

{follow me on instagram}

 

Here is my Monday Instagram post two days late.

The family and I spent the weekend at the beach. It was a cool, over cast couple of days, but we had fun together. I think it was refreshing to all of us. I was super excited when I found some crochet TOMS while shopping at the beach. I have been salivating at the thoughts of owing a pair for a couple of months now. I am happy to announce that I am a happing owning of a beautiful silver pair.

I am just short a round and a half from finishing mom's afghan. I should be posting the finished project very soon! I am so happy at how it has turned out!

 

I hope you are having a wonderful week!

God bless,

hannaH

 



p i n s p i r a t i o n / c r o c h e t . b a g s

It has been a while since I have worked on a bag. I have been wanting to start a new project, & this is what I have found on Pinterest that has whet my appetite.


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You can see all of my inspirations by following me on Pinterest.
I hope you have a wonderful day.
God bless,
hannaH

instagram / 4.8 - 4.15

{follow me on instagram}

I can not believe that we are halfway through the month of April! This April has been a beautiful one. The only problem I have had with it is the overload of pollen on my allergies. You can see a yellow haze over everything outside.
I finished joining the squares to mom's afghan this weekend! Happy day! Yesterday I started on the border. I am so excited to see how it will all turn out.

After I started writing this post, the horrific explosions at the Boston Marathon occurred. I am saddened and disgusted by the news. I am praying for the victims & their loved ones.
God bless
hannaH

Mom's week

Wednesday was my mom's birthday. I have yet to finish her afghan, but I am close.
We have weekend plans to celebrate. It will be fun.

And to my wonderful mother, I love you! Happy birthday week!
God bless,
hannaH

instagram/ 4.1-4.7

I enjoyed last week. Nothing spectacular jumps out at me, it was just a nice week in April with warmer weather & flowers blooming. I had some good laughs with loved ones, and I nice time of worship at church on Sunday morning. There was a beautiful wedding shower for my baby brother & his fiance, yesterday afternoon.
Mom's birthday is Wednesday, and I still have a lot of work to do on the afghan. I might be staying up late tonight.
I hope you had a wonderful weekend!
God bless,
hannaH

four rows

While I was trying to photograph mom's afghan, Amos, the cat decided that he should be in the shot. I finished the 4th row, leaving only 3 more to go.
I hope you are having a wonderful week!
God bless,
hannaH

Some lovely Christian ladies

Since I started blogging, I have discovered & began following other's blogs. I love reading & seeing their creativity. It has inspired me to no end.
I am excited that I have discovered other young Christian ladies who document aspects of their lives, but also serve the Lord.  Here are just a few of the girls I have found:

Megan, from I have thoughts

Kiki, from Paint Chip Madness

Erin, from Mr. & Mrs. Toews

Rebecca, from Discovering Delight

I hope you will visit these ladies' on-line homes.

Have a wonderful day!
God bless,
hannaH

instagram // 3.23-4.1

My instagram post is a day late this week.
The weekend was wonderful. I had a great time celebrating Jesus' resurrection at church and with family for a delicious lunch.
I hoping that springtime has finally arrived in the Carolinas. I will try to finish mom's afghan out on the porch.
Have a wonderful week!
God bless!
hannaH

He is Risen

Rembrandt's The Raising of the Cross

Last year during Sunday school, I was fascinated when my teacher read about Rembrandt van Rijn.

I have heard of Rembrandt and seen his artwork my entire life, but I did not know he was a Christian. It was touching to hear how he used his God-giving skills to share his testimony.
I found this blog article by Joel J. Miller mentioning this particular work by Rembrandt:

I think there is much to gain from meditating on Rembrandt’s Raising of the Cross. The painting features a remarkable self-portrait. There in the middle of the scene Rembrandt wears a blue beret and actively helps to hoist the cross upon which Christ is nailed, saying in effect, “My sins are why Jesus is on the cross — I put him here.”

Meditating on the cross compels us to look down at the hammer in our right hand and the nails in our left, to wipe away the beads of sweat from our terrible labors. 

But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.

-Isaiah 53:5

Thank you, Jesus.
God bless,
hannaH

first 2 rows

Mom's afghan is really coming along! Two rows are finished, six more to go & a border will finish it.
I can't believe that this Sunday is Resurrection (a.k.a. Easter) Sunday! It hasn't felt like the week before Easter. The past week has been so chilly outside, & the dogwoods, which are always an indicator of the season,  haven't started to bloom. But I am glad to see that this weekend should have more pleasant temperatures.
Happy Thursday!
God bless,
hannaH

Why I crochet

 

I love to crochet. I love looking at different patterns and designs. I love yarn & it's different colors & textures. The repetitive motion of creating the stitches is soothing to me.
I have always wanted to crochet. My mom & grandmother will crochet a little every couple of years. I would try crochet every year or so, I would look at different books and patterns, then I would get frustrated with it and put my hook and yarn away for a year or two before I would try it again. I didn't have the patience for it. It is funny for my to look back & realize that the time that I feel in love with crochet, & really start to understand it, was during a time when I was the least patient.
I went through a bout of depression and anxiety a couple of years ago. It was a time when my sad thoughts and fears where constant companions & I was looking for something to occupy my mind, but not many things could distract me long enough.
I can't remember how I started thinking about crochet again, but I did. Winter was on it's way so it was a nice time to start a yarn project. I started looking up how-to videos on Youtube, mostly hat tutorials. And for some reason it stuck this time. Unlike my past attempts, crochet was calming, and it was something to look forward to. Learning crochet, as with anything else, is by trial & error. You need to learn the stitches & come up with the technique that works best for you.

I can't tell you that crochet is the reason why I am better, because it isn't. During the depression I really had to seek & draw closer to the Lord. Prayer and scripture were and are vital. I am also very blessed with loved ones who were there for me and helped me along the way. Crochet was not the cure to my aliment, but it was a wonderful supplement for a weary mind. Creating is a wonderful thing for one to do. God design us to be productive, work with our hands & see that work finished.  I was amazed to find something new that I enjoyed during this period of time. It is boost to my confidence to find a pattern and sit down and create a replica with my own hands. Crochet was and is a way to release stress. It is something I hope to be capable of for a long, long time.

I would encourage anyone feeling down to find something you enjoy doing and develop and hone it into a skill; writing, painting, music, gardening, whatever. Just try it. We live in a time where information is right at our fingertips. Tips and tutorials are just clicks away. Utilize them.
But if there is something deeper, I will be willing to pray for you.

Have a wonderful week!
God bless,
hannaH