Completion of Master Bedroom Curtains

My previous post about these curtains was at the end of October 2016 and titled Saga of Curtains for Master Bedroom. That post described an abandoned design plan, some back-to-the-drawing-board revisions, and a few angled pleat challenges, but I persevered. I am calling the curtains completed but not without a lot more drama. The curtains are stationary and hang by drapery hooks looped into eyelets screwed into a mounting board. The wood piece, outfitted with a row of eyelets, is then attached to an L-shaped bracket that is screwed onto the wall.

The curtains are now up, but the installation job started by my husband, Frank, had to be completed twelve days later by my son and son-in-law, when they were here visiting. We have a new interpretation of the twelve days of Christmas.

During the final stage of driving the screws through the bracket and into the wall, in order to reach high enough up into that vaulted ceiling, my husband set a step ladder within the window seat and stood on the lowest step. He pushed on the drill but the drill pushed back. Frank slipped off the ladder, fell to the hardwood floor below, and could not get up due to extreme pain. After a call to 911, an ambulance ride to the hospital emergency room, and an X-ray diagnosis of a fractured hip, he underwent surgery for an emergency complete hip replacement. I captured a photo of him on his way being rolled into the operating arena. His two thumbs up are somewhat half-hearted but he did joke with me, "For your blog, right?" Twenty three hours after he fell, Frank became a bionic man and would be laid up for weeks and position-constrained for months.

It is ironic. The bedroom redecorating has been in the works since September 2014 when Frank laid the hickory hardwood floor. We fussed over the plank arrangement enough that I dubbed a post about it a Wooden Quilt. Frank was dismayed that he'd fallen, yes but also somewhat annoyed. As the paramedics were scooping him onto a metal stretcher he directed them, "I installed this hardwood floor. Don't scratch it!" The curtains are finally up now but Frank cannot enjoy them since instead of sleeping in our second floor bedroom he is relegated to the hospital bed set up in our first floor living room. He will see the finished room eventually but for now, until he progresses to climbing stairs, he will only see the room in my blog pictures. I have not slept in our master bedroom either. Frank came home from the hospital December 3rd and I have been sleeping on the couch next to the hospital bed until I am certain he will not need my assistance during the night. Sleeping with the bathing beauty pillows on the bed (made at the end of June 2016) will need to wait, too. Although now that I think of it, I could bring them down to the hospital bed, but that is not quite the same thing.

The window on the side has only a valance. That was all there was wall space for with the metal sculpture off to the left. In the corner is a Funstripes Jeffan rattan chair and a rope floor lamp. 

Working the view counterclockwise around the room are the other theme pieces. There are beach umbrella pillows on each side in the corners of the window seat propped on striped seat cushions that match the drapes. I blogged about Velcro closing those striped seat cushions in my post for November 23, 2016.

Above the half circle shutter is a Beach House sign. Below the window in the center is a lumbar shaped accent pillow and beneath it a long framed poster showing a white adirondack beach chair with a coral scarf blowing in the breeze, an inspiration for the window seat color.

On top of our armoire is a funky painted metal art piece we bought just because it made us smile.

There are some small details for the drapes remaining that shall remain undone. For example, a small dowel wedged behind those drapery hooks and against the plank, underneath the eyelets, will push the pleated header more upright and vertical instead of leaning forward as it does now. I'd also intended to paint visible parts of the mounting board and glue a strip of sisal rope on the raw exposed edge end. For now I am calling it good though. Neither I nor my husband are getting up on a ladder anytime soon!

You become aware of all the friends you have when you get laid up. There have been numerous phone calls and visits from well-wishers. We even have a generous supply baby sitters, folks who gladly and willingly come and stay with Frank while I run errands since I do not want to leave him alone. I am happy to be social now as well, but in the online way. I am off to link up to Let's Bee Social #156.

Going in Circles Again

I knitted a circular blanket for my 1½ year old grandson Isaiah. I completed it just the night before his family was to arrive at our house for an early mid-December Christmas celebration. It is the third one of these blankets I have made in the past three years. This pattern, made on 10½ size needles with two strands of Loops & Threads® Snuggly Wuggly™ yarn is relatively easy. The twelve sector design in garter stitch works up into a roughly 50" diameter circle with a lovely drape. The story of how I came to start knitting these blankets is told in my December 26, 2013 post, complete with a poem that tells the historic significance of this traditional blanket as related to my son 30+ years ago.

What gives interest to the simple garter stitch blanket, in addition to its round shape, is the choice of yarn color. The previous two blankets were for my granddaughters Vivian and Lillian. They were each made from variegated yarn and are described in my blog posts for December 26, 2013, and March 21, 2016. Since each row varies in number of stitches, the mottled effect is not repetitious. But I saw no variegated yarn options I liked for a boy. I ventured instead to combine two solid colors - a bright lime green and a lively turquoise. Yes, in the following closeup view of the stitches I did fail to pick up one of the two strands of yarn. But I spotted the error early enough, within the wedge, that I was able to remedy the half-dropped stitch without ripping down, using a crochet hook and a bit of manipulative hooking. Knitting is much more forgiving than crocheting in that aspect.

At first I was not too sure about the tweedy look of the two different colors. I thought it was too subtle. But I hung in there and as I knitted a larger sample, the subtlety actually gave way to a soft variation on a larger scale that I liked. By the time I had completed one wedge and begun the second I had made up my mind that I did indeed like the solid lime and turquoise combination.

The yarn selections I made for each of the three blankets are shown next, followed by how they work up.

Isaiah must have approved because when I phoned my daughter and asked her to send me a picture of him with the blanket, she told me he was asleep under it. If I could wait until the next day she would have better lighting. I said send the picture anyway. What better endorsement is there than a vision of peaceful sleep?

I have given the instructions for these blankets in my other posts but I am repeating them here for convenience.The idea is to knit partway across a row toward the center of the circle, then all the way back on the next row toward the outside. On the next row toward the center, knit two more stitches, then reverse back again and knit all the way to the outer edge.

Cast on 70.
Knit 2 (toward center), TURN, knit back over those 2 (toward outer edge).
Knit 4 (toward center), TURN, knit back over those 4 (toward outer edge).
Knit 6(toward center), TURN, knit back over those 6 (toward outer edge).
Can you see a wedge developing?
Continue this way. Two short rows of 8, then 10, then 12, then 14, etc. up to 70.
Once you've knitted across 70 stitches, turned, and knitted back you've finished the first wedge.
Do 12 wedges and you have finished your blanket. Just sew your last row to your first cast on row.

Ok. It is now the light of day and here is another view of the blanket ... and my grandson, of course. He looks so cozy there I am considering making another, a bit larger and in different color combo for my own use in our family room. Hmmm... maybe in 2017...