Homeless Remembrance Blanket Project

Website:  https://memorialblanket.org/

Big DC Display will be December 21, 2022 - The shortest night of the year!

Sizes requested:  45 x 80 - or - 60 x 80

Well, I certainly jumped in with both feet!

             My donation for this year, 2022.

5 for the Homeless - Washington D.C.

Auspicious

Dolores

Frances

Georgina

Harry

GIFTED:  Isle of Deserted Mountains 

           My Dolores Afghan is right there! Second one in the bottom row...

The Auspicious Afghan

FINISHED, donated 2022

first one started, fourth one all sewn together (11/26/22)

8 rounds

5 x 9 (probably could've been 5x8?)

golden beige

The California Afghan

FINISHED year 2 on 11/22/23, donated 2023

8 rounds

5 x 8 = 40 squares

putty

The Carlisle Afghan

8 rounds

soft taupe

The Dolores Afghan

FINISHED, donated 2022

Michael's value economique off white

first one FINISHED!

7 rounds

6 x 8 = 48 squares

aran

The Elizabeth Afghan

FINISHED Yr. 2 11/24/23

5 rounds

aran

The Frances Afghan

FINISHED, donated 2022

6 rounds

7 x 10

classic gray

The Georgina Afghan

FINISHED, donated 2022

7 rounds

6 x 9

Michael's cheaper brand aran - I  think.....

The Harry Afghan

FINISHED!! Donated 2022

3rd one of this batch finished

7 rounds

6 x 9 rows = 54 squares

Impeccable (Michael's) aran

The Isle of Deserted Mountains (mdI)

FINISHED, gifted

Okay, so this one ended up NOT going to the Homeless Remembrance Blanket Project, it ended up going to NEVEAH!!

8 rounds

putty

The Josh-ee Afghan

 7 rounds

dark charcoal

The Kandinsky Afghan

8 rounds

2 center & 2 outer are putty

3and4, 5and6 are coordinating double rounds

putty

The London Afghan

8 rounds

3-3-1-1

soft taupe

The Madeline Afghan

FINISHED 8/26/23

10 rounds

4 x 6

Started at the Carlisle Expo Center at the start of the summer.

Pretty boring, but used up yarn I had.

The Novato Afghan

Crocheted at Dede's July 2023

Finished at home November 2023

11 rounds with border (Loops & Threads 7 oz skein of mustard) took 2 skeins

The Odds & Ends Afghan

FINISHED 2023

Crocheted in October 2023 when I wanted to use up the few colors I had left before buying more yarn....

Finished November 2023

4 x 6 blocks

11 rows including white border

The Pragmatic Afghan

FINISHED 2023

For this one I used 3-4 oz. skeins for verigated or striping yarn.  Never knew how they'd come out!

The Razzle Dazzle Afghan 

FINISHED 2023

4 x 7 blocks

10 rows, no border

Homeless Blanket Afghan #1 - The Auspicious Afghan

 The Auspicious Afghan

(auspicous means inspiring hope)

The Afghan That Started It All

9/16/22     21 blocks completely ready

                  5 blocks need the final/joining round

                  5 across x 4 already sewed together = 46 blocks

5 x 9 needs 45 blocks, so looks like there's more than enough ready....

IF 5 across is wide enough....

If not, will need 9 more blocks.

Impeccable "Golden Beige"

Homeless Blanket Afghan #2 - The California Afghan

 The California Afghan

Started with scraps from Dede, then added colors from stores n Petaluma and San Rafael

9/16/22     17 blocks done and waiting

                 5 across x 6 down already sewed together = 47 blocks ready

Was going to make this 5 x 8, which takes 40 squares, but since I've made 7 more than that, I'll probably make it bigger!  We'll see!

Impeccable "Putty"

Homeless Blanket Afghan #3 - The Carlisle

 The Carlisle Afghan

The Whole Project Started in Carlisle, right?

9/16/22   39 blocks ready

                none sewn together yet

48" wide

5 per row x 8 rows = 40 blocks needed

Gotta make 1 more block!

Impeccable "Soft Taupe"

Homeless Blanket Afghan #4 The Dolores Afghan - FINISHED!!

 The Dolores Afghan

#4 in the alphabet is D 

so of COURSE, this needs to be named this!

9/16/22  15 blocks ready & waiting

               4 x 6 sewn together = 39 blocks complete

It seems to measure 46' wide, each block seems about 8" or just a little less

Will probably make 8 blocks for the length?

6 x 8 blocks total needed

Only 9 blocks yet to be made!

Craftsmart Value Economique (Michael's) "Off White"

Homeless Blanket Afghan #6 - The Frances Afghan

 The Frances Afghan

   (Love ya, girl!)

9/16/22   15 blocks ready

                5 x 7 sewn together = 50 blocks done

Each block is about 6.75 ", the row of 7 (sewn together) is about 48"

Think I'll need 10 (possibly 11) rows total, but we'll say 10 for now.

7 x 10 = 70 blocks total needed

20 blocks yet to be made

Impeccable (Michael's) "Classic Gray"

Homeless Blanket Afghan #5 - The Elizabeth Afghan

 The Elizabeth Afghan

(Love ya, Mom)

 

If I could see better to use black yarn, I think this would look SUPER cool.  Maybe the next one?

9/16/22   27 blocks ready

               3 x 8 sewn together = 51 blocks done

Each block is about 5/5 inches, a row sewn together is about 46" wide

I'm guessing 12 rows (possibly 13, but for now I'll go with 12) for a total of 96 blocks all together.

45 more blocks to be made

Impeccable (Michael's) "Aran"

Homeless Blanket Afghan #8 - The Harry Afghan

 The Harry Afghan

(Queen Elizabeth II just died, and Harry looks so sad...)

I really love the look of this block, however, I'm afraid it'll be too much white when they're all attached together.  We'll see.

9/16/22     22 blocks ready

                  2 x 6 rows sewed together = 34 blocks done

Each block is just a smidge less than 8", so the 6-block row measures about 46 inches wide

To be 72" long, it'll need 9-ish blocks for length

6 x 9 = 54 blocks total needed

20 blocks to be made

Impeccable (Michael's) "Aran"

 

49. The Hidden One (#14 Kate Burkholder) by Linda Castillo

listened on Audible

2022
320 pgs.
Adult Murder Mystery - Series

Finished 7/12/22
Goodreads rating: 4.35
My rating: 4
Setting: Contemporary Lewistown, PA

My comments: This episode takes Kate to just outside Lewistown, Pennsylvania, where she is investigating a murder charge that has been imposed on her first love/lover.  The story of their encounters when she was 15 and he was 19 are interspersed throughout the story.  The murder was of an 86-year old Bishop who was an over-the-top asshole and as she discovers more and more about him the pieces start fitting together. There were a lot of coincidences ... need to sharpen up the story and make it either more believable or less believable, right now I'm not sure!  Kept my attention, better than some of her previous ones.

Goodreads synopsis:  The discovery of an Amish bishop's remains leads chief of police Kate Burkholder to unearth a chilling secret in The Hidden One, a new thriller from bestselling author Linda Castillo.

Over a decade ago, beloved Amish bishop Ananias Stoltzfus disappeared without a trace. When skeletal remains showing evidence of foul play are unearthed, his disappearance becomes even more sinister.

The town’s elders arrive in Painters Mill to ask chief of police Kate Burkholder for help, but she quickly realizes she has a personal connection to the crime. The handsome Amish man who stands accused of the murder, Jonas Bowman, was Kate’s first love. Forced to confront a painful episode from her past, Kate travels to Pennsylvania’s Kishacoquillas Valley, where the Amish culture differs dramatically from the traditions she knows. Though Bishop Stoltzfus was highly respected, she soon hears about a dark side to this complex man. What was he hiding that resulted in his own brutal death?

Someone doesn’t want Kate asking questions. But even after being accosted and threatened in the dead of night, she refuses to back down. Is she too close to the case―and to Jonas―to see clearly? There’s a killer in the Valley who will stop at nothing to keep the past buried. Will they get to Kate before she can expose the truth? Or will the bishop’s secrets remain hidden forever?

47. The Ghost Fields by Elly Griffiths

#7 Ruth Galloway

read on Kindle
2015

370 pgs.
Genre/Level
Finished 7/5/2022
Goodreads rating: 4.09
My rating: 4
Setting: Contemporary Norfolk, England

My comments: Kate is now five years old.  The mystery is interesting, a three generation family, the Blackstocks, that live in a huge old manor, finds one of the first generation's sons shot in the head and buried in an airplane in a place where he did not die.  Outside of the mystery, Michelle spends a good part of the year cheating on Nelson...and Ruth and Frank get together, though Ruth admits she's in love with someone else (Nelson of course)  A good one, though lots of bleakness.

Goodreads synopsis:  The chilling discovery of a downed World War II plane with a body inside leads Ruth and DCI Nelson to uncover a wealthy family’s secrets in the seventh Ruth Galloway mystery.

Norfolk is suffering from record summer heat when a construction crew unearths a macabre discovery—a downed World War II plane with the pilot still inside. Forensic archaeologist Ruth Galloway quickly realizes that the skeleton couldn’t possibly be the pilot, and DNA tests identify the man as Fred Blackstock, a local aristocrat who had been reported dead at sea. When the remaining members of the Blackstock family learn about the discovery, they seem strangely frightened by the news.

Events are further complicated by a TV company that wants to make a film about Norfolk’s deserted air force bases, the so-called Ghost Fields, which have been partially converted into a pig farm run by one of the younger Blackstocks. As production begins, Ruth notices a mysterious man lurking on the outskirts of Fred Blackstock’s memorial service. Then human bones are found on the family’s pig farm. Can the team outrace a looming flood to find a killer?

Laced with dry humor and anchored by perennial fan favorite Ruth, The Ghost Fields will delight fans new and old.

47. The Verifiers by Jane Pek

listened on Libby

First in a new series!

2022
358 pgs.
Adult mystery
Finished 6/21/2022
Goodreads rating: 3.51
My rating: Wish I could remember, but I'm pretty sure I liked it, so I'll give it a four....

My comments: Well.  As I go to write this five months and 40 books later, I discover I never left any notes.  Woe is me!  From CriminalElement blog:  "Claudia Lin was more than happy to leave the stodgy world of corporate finance behind her in order to work at Veracity, a firm that seeks to help the lovelorn verify whether the potential matches they’re talking to online are actually who they say they are. Obsessed with mystery novels since she was a child, Claudia loves the investigative aspects of her new job, where she works in a small office under the supervision of her bosses, Komla Atsina and Becks Rittel."

Goodreads synopsis:  Introducing a sharp-witted heroine for the 21st century: a new amateur sleuth exploring the landscape—both physical and virtual—of New York in a debut novel about love, technology, and murder.

Claudia Lin is used to disregarding her fractious family’s model-minority expectations: she has no interest in finding either a conventional career or a nice Chinese boy. She’s also used to keeping secrets from them, such as that she prefers girls—and that she's just been stealth-recruited by Veracity, a referrals-only online-dating detective agency.

A lifelong mystery reader who wrote her senior thesis on Jane Austen, Claudia believes she's landed her ideal job. But when a client goes missing, Claudia breaks protocol to investigate—and uncovers a maelstrom of personal and corporate deceit. Part literary mystery, part family story, The Verifiers is a clever and incisive examination of how technology shapes our choices, and the nature of romantic love in the digital age.

42. Kismet by Lauren Blakely

2022

251 pgs.
Adult romance
Finished 5/27/2022
Goodreads rating: 3.60
My rating: 3
Setting: contemporary London

My comments: Unusual in that about 2/3 of the way through the book there s no heartbreaking secret that is finally exposed to the other half of the romantic couple!  There is nervous anticipation about what is going to happen about the two protagonists being up for the same job, but you never have any kind of nervousness about it because you know it will all be solved.  So, no strife, visiting places in London...quite a bit of steam, way too repetititive.....but a very non-angsty feel good novel.

Goodreads synopsis:  My first evening in London feels like kismet when I bump into a charming, book-loving Englishman, and by the end of the night, he’s making me see stars. I’m floating when we make plans to meet again.

Then fate decides to pull a fast one on me.

Turns out my smoldering new lover is my red-hot competition, and we’re vying for the same promotion at the elite auction house I crossed an ocean for.

If that’s not enough, the hottie and I are forced to work together on a brand new collection.
Every. Single. Tempting. Day.

What's an American woman in London to do?

Staying far, far away would be the safe choice, especially when I learn about his past and how it mirrors mine.

But I don’t always play it safe with my heart…

Contents Include: A grumpy/sunshine office romance, secret gardens, knee-weakening kisses by the river and a hero who loves books.

Banana Nut Oatmeal Cups

Ingredients
3 cups rolled oats
1 ½ cups low-fat milk
2 ripe bananas mashed (about ¾ cup)
1/3 c. packed brown sugar
2 lg. eggs, lightly beaten
1 t. baking powder
1 t. cinnamon
1 t. vanilla
½ t. salt
½ c. chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Coat muffin tin with cooking spray
Combine all ingredients, fold in pecans last.  Divide into muffin cups.
Bake about 25 minutes at 375 degrees – test with toothpick
Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan.  Can freeze for up to 3 months.

Nutrition Facts
 
176 calories; protein 5.2g; carbohydrates 26.4g; dietary fiber 3.1g; sugars 10.5g; fat 6.2g; saturated fat 1.2g; cholesterol

36. Thornyhold by Mary Stewart

read on Kindle

1988
207 pgs.
Adult Historical Fiction
Finished 5/1/2022
Goodreads rating: 3.83
My rating: 5
Setting: southern England

My comments: I’m sure I read this book years and years ago when I first got married… I read a lot of Mary Stewart that I found at the Northeast Harbor Library, where I hung out while Steve was at basic training. However, since this one was written in 1988 and Steve's basic training was in 1971, I must be wrong.  I did read lots of Mary Stewart's back then, though!

     I decided to read this book instead of listen to it. So I was able to digest it a little more slowly, and I completely enjoyed it. The Gothic feel of it, the witchiness, the description of cleaning out an old, isolated house in southern England… it’s flowers and brambles and old gardens. … with a thoroughly lovely, satisfying ending!

Goodreads synopsis:  The story is about a lonely child who is made to see the world through her cousin's unusual eyes. When the child becomes a young woman, she inherits her dead cousin's house, as well as her reputation among the local community as a witch. However, as she finds out, this is no normal community, and worries quickly present themselves.