Granny Square Pillow

This is simply two large granny square panels joined with a row of single crochet over an ivory pillow. I'm not sure if I want to add some tassles at the corners or leave it as is.

Syringa vulgaris ‘Lucie Baltet’

'Lucie Baltet' Lilac, originally uploaded by lkenyon66.

This past weekend we made the short trip to Highland Park in Rochester, NY to check out the annual Lilac Festival. We hadn't been there more than half an hour when the skies opened up and it started pouring! It didn't take long for us to get soaked and the umbrellas didn't help our pants much as it was coming down at an angle. Luckily, it didn't last too long and then the rest of the time we were there was dry.
My mom and I had been on the lookout for a pink bush when we ran across this beauty. It is the variety 'Lucie Baltet' and dates back to France 1888. I love that the buds start out a dark pink and open to a lighter pink, plus the fact that it isn't a pinky purple, but truly pink. I absolutely am getting one of these for my yard, but it's looking like I may have to order it online as I haven't had any luck finding it at a local nursery.

New Dishcloth Pattern

Finished this new pattern up this morning. I used Lily Sugar and Cream, 100% cotton yarn for this.

2009 Syracuse St. Patty's Day Parade

Bikini Top

After several restarts and one major blunder, I've finally finished half of my latest project! Let's just say that I am now familiar with the practice of frogging. And if having to rip out everything and start over (more than once btw) isn't bad enough, it was nothing (and I mean nothing) compared to untangling the mess I ended up with after trying to make a center pull ball of yarn. Not quite sure where I went wrong, but it took me and my husband several hours to get the yarn rewound and workable again. Anywho, here's hoping that I can make the other side come out the same. ;-)

Sedge Stitch Washcloth

Another beginner project completed, yippie!! This is the free Bark Sedge Stitch Washcloth pattern from the Lion Brand website. I used their Cotton Ease yarn (50% cotton/50% acrylic) in the color stone instead of Organic Cotton like the pattern called for. Compared to the 100% acrylic's I've been working with thus far, it was quite a bit nicer to crochet with. Overall, I'm pleased with the result and think I'll do some up for Christmas gifts this year seeing how quick they are stitch up.

But for now, it's on to my next project... a string bikini top in lime green mercerized cotton. Hopefully I'll have it done before I take off for Florida in a few weeks. ;-)

Irish flicks to help get you in the spirit!

Last March, our local newspaper printed a list of what they consider standout Irish themed films. Even if you're only Irish for a day, why not expand your celebration beyond the parades, green beer, corned beef and cabbage and check some of these out. All of the films have an overall rating of 4 stars or better at Amazon. You can click on the titles to read the user reviews.

FYI - if you're in the CNY area and want to save some $, check out the Onondaga County Public Library before heading to the video store. All the titles I've seen so far came from there.

OK, time to reveal their list....
_________________________________________________________

Films that I've seen -

"Michael Collins" (1996)
"The Wind that Shakes the Barley" (2006)
"In the Name of the Father" (1993)
"The Boxer" (1997)
"My Left Foot" (1989)

"Michael Collins" is my favorite of the bunch - very powerful and moving. The accents are pretty thick in "The Wind that Shakes the Barley" so I would recommend seeing this one on DVD where you can turn on the English subtitles. The last 3 films all feature the very talented Daniel Day-Lewis as the lead actor. I found "My Left Foot" to be a little tougher to get into compared to the others, but well worth checking out nonetheless. It is based on the real life story of the writer Christy Brown.
_________________________________________________________

The remaining 8 that I have yet to see -

"The Informer" (1935)
"Odd Man Out (1947)
"Bloody Sunday" (2002)
"Some Mother's Son" (1996) - I have reserved a copy of this one - hope to get it in the next few days!
"Into the West" (1993)
"In America" (2003)
"The Secret of Roan Irish" (1994)
"Dancing at Lughnasa" (1998)
_________________________________________________________

A couple other Irish related movies not on their list, but ones that I found entertaining are -

"Patriot Games" (1992) with Harrison Ford and
"Darby O'Gill and the Little People" (1959) a Walt Disney classic

If anyone else has any recommendations, please feel free to leave a comment.

Cheers,
Linda


PS - In case you're wondering, those are magnetic salt and pepper shakers in the pic. Aren't they just adorable? You can find them here http://www.funtocollect.com/mwahleprachaunandpotgoldsaltandpepperset.html