bits and bobs: A random assortment of things; small remaining pieces and things
A large golf umbrella for only $4.97. What a deal. Seriously. It seems like deals are far and few between these days. I think this is a great price.
Have you ever used a sauna before? Did you enjoy it? I think maybe I tried one when I was a teenager. I would never buy one, but I thought the shape of this one was kind of cool.
Did you know Fig Newtons were made in Mexico?
Have you seen the ads for the $50 cashmere sweaters from Quince? They look so cozy and the reviews are fantastic but I don’t like buying clothing online because returns can be such a pain.
Have you ever bought anything from the Quince website? If so I’d love to hear what you think about their products.
I spied this granny square steering wheel cover in someone’s car and it made me smile.
I LOVE the granny square! I tried crochet once and it did not go well. But maybe I should give it another go? I wonder how long it would take to make one.
And last but not least, this is what the front garden looked like last year on this day.
Rain is in the forecast {2.5″} for the next two days so no playing in the yard for me. Oh well. I guess means I’ll just have to stay indoors and work on my rugs. Maybe I’ll make a pot of wild rice chicken soup.
How about you? What are you up to day? Anything good?
~Mavis
Rebecca says
I have one of the Quince cashmere sweaters, It’s perfect! Light but not too light, soft and a great cut. It looks good layered over button-ups or just by itself. Can’t beat it for the price, although I would actually pay more since I like it so much!!
Dawn says
My husband learned to crochet 5 years ago starting with a granny square! He loves it. My 2 coworkers also just learned to crochet after watching me do it on my lunch hour. I suggest watching TL yarn crafts on YouTube. She is an incredible teacher.
Christa H says
Thanks Dawn. I will check this YT person out. I also tried to crochet by learning at am in-person class and left half way through in tears. LOL I was the only person out of 10 that couldn’t do it and the instructor got frustrated when my left fingers couldn’t move the way she wanted them to. I took off during the break and have never tried again. I love granny squares and wanted to learn how to do them.
Sue says
Christa H, I sympathize! I took a crochet class that was a real fail for me as well. While the instructor was an expert, she wasn’t a teacher.
I had a terrible time keeping tension with my left hand, and all she could do was show me how SHE did it. “Like this! Like this!” An experienced teacher would have been able to me different ways of doing it.
Brianna says
I grew up with a sauna in my house that my dad built and it was big enough for 6 people to lay down. I used to turn it on in the winter before school and warm up or on snowy days when I was cold to the core. My dad used the sauna pretty much everyday, often reading the newspaper in it while his sweat dripped onto the paper, yuck. I love the smell of a sauna, but it wouldn’t personally own one now.
Newtons used to be so good and a favorite of mine, cranberry and fig were the best! They have changed them way too much over the past twenty years that they taste nothing like they should. They are way too sweet and dense and all cake and no filling. I stopped buying certain candy that is made in Mexico now too, like reese’s. The chocolate and filling has just gone downhill and don’t taste good and artificial. I wish they would go back to using real chocolate again and not cheap fillers.
Patty says
I have 2 of the Quince cashmere sweaters that I purchased to wear on a trip to Ireland. While they are not as soft as the much more expensive cashmere sweaters, for the price, they are great. I give them a thumbs up!
Jenell says
I absolutely love Quince clothing And returns there are very easy:)
Connie says
My grandmother taught me to crochet.
I watch attic24 an English site. She lives in Victorian house and walks countryside. And crochets. Delightful.
Over the years I’ve done different projects. Still have a large striped wool bag I store my yarns in and a snowflake garland I hang at Christmas. My neighbor can help me read actual patterns.
Lisa says
I taught my 9 year old granddaughter how to crochet by starting with finger crochet. We initially started with a hook and she was completely frustrated even though she really wanted to learn. We switched to finger crochet so she could get a feel for how to hold the yarn & tension. She caught on quickly, we then transitioned to using an actual hook. Because she had the basic foundation of how the stitches should look & feel it was a success.
Annette says
Your flowers, bird house, picket fence. Love love.
maureen detmer says
i took up crocheting again after many years and find it very calming. i just do a basic granny square but am contemplating more complex patterns. you do have to concentrate a bit at first which can be overwhelming but once you are over that hump it is rather enjoyable.
Sue in SoCal says
I’m a knitter and crocheter and no I didn’t get it the first time either. Who does? When you were a baby just walking did you get get up and walk? Its called learning and the more you do anything the better you’ll get. Been doing it for over 40 years and I’ll tell you it’s the best stress reliever ever!
Sbk says
I have a quince cashmere sweater and it’s nice but definitely pilled a lot after a few wears (the listing indicates this would happen). I did purchase a depiller thingie and that took care of it (and now I walk around looking for things to depill since the sound is quite satisfying !)
Annette says
My grandson loves Woobles — beginner crochet kits that make small quirky animals. I need him to teach me!
Jeri says
I recently bought some of the kits. I haven’t tried them yet, but was thinking that I’d share them with my almost 7 year old granddaughter, neither of us know how to crochet, lol. How old is your grandson?
Annette says
He’s 15 now and started woobles about three years ago. Now he makes up his own designs. I hope your granddaughter has fun with them.
sandy says
QUINCE! 100%
My sister is in a movie biz-I visited her awhile back and her entire house was a Quince catalog ( if they had one) because everyone on sets are all Quince fans.
She gave me a gift card for Quince and I haven’t looked back. I have so many items from them I stopped counting. My husband is outfitted in them as well. I cannot say enough positive things about Quince. I have shoes, sweaters, pants, jewelry, purses,home goods, baby goods, Linen is great, cashmere and even better-the cotton sweaters are my daily go to. I love the quality of the pants, all of it. Everything fits different-so read the reviews of each item. The $50 cashmere sweaters are perfect. I even bought my 9 month old grandson a cashmere sweater…you are never too young to wear cashmere…cheers
SueD says
Mondelez has ruined so many things I used to eat, by using cheaper ingredients and shrinking the size of items. Regarding Reese, whilst Mondelez owns them, the family still has some control over what is done, and apparently told Mondelez to go back to the original recipe. I make my own.
Katherine says
I’ve been digging up and moving baby purple coneflowers that popped up from self-seeding. I love a free plant! I found a box turtle has taken up residence in one of my flower beds against the house that I had not fully removed all the leaves between the Sedums. I feel lucky that it feels safe in my yard.
I discovered baby chipmunks in one of my raised beds where zucchini is planted. Next year I will be put chicken wire on top of the soil to keep the little cuties from digging in my veg beds.
sclindah says
What caught my eye about the fig newtons is that they contain bioengineered food ingredients. I’ve taken a deep dive into our food system and it’s scary what we call food today.
Joyce says
I picked up knitting after decades away by watching YouTube videos and then learned crochet the same way. I just stopped the video every few seconds to make the same motion. I would never have figured out either approach by reading and looking at the drawn illustrations. You can do it, if I did it!
Pam says
You should try Quince. I have a few cashmere sweaters. Some are fuzzy and thicker and some are thinner but still soft. They wash well. I have a few of their quilts too l, the linen is my favorite. Everything holds up and launders well. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed for the price
maureen detmer says
i forgot to mention i ordered two of the umbrellas from home depot, for some reason the the costco near me didn’t offer them at that price online, anyway, too good of a deal to pass up and they are getting delivered for free, so i didn’t even have to move to get them. all our umbrellas never work properly, they don’t go up sometimes, then don’t go down, then only go halfway up, thanks for the tip
Stacey says
I love the Granny square steering wheel cover and I’m wondering if my husband would go with it. Currently, I am planning on making a vest with some Granny squares to go with a top that came my way that is a little too form fitting for comfort. I’m also planning on making some boho.Granny square tops for my granddaughtersthis summer. Since you are also a lover of granny squares, Mavis, you should definitely try again! It may be easier to get comfortable with straight stitches before you try to make a square, though.
Carole Parker says
And the fig newtons have a “bioengineered food ingredient” where’s the outrage? it used to be called GMO and everyone yelled, now not so much. I avoid all items with BE ingredients!!