I Rock Rough and Stuff with My Suffolk Puffs

We can thank Lady of Rage and her obscure early 90s song Afro Puffs for my title today, oh and a little place called Suffolk, and its patchwork technique used by its peasants a long, long time ago ... and this is pretty much where the history lesson ends.

There are some theories as to how the name came about ... I'm thinking, where's the secret? They're puffy, and apparently popular in Suffolk (once upon a time) enough for them to absorb the name. They made a come back in the 1930s and 1940s thanks to a little something we call a depression, and the convenience of these stylish little puffs being created out of rather small pieces, and scraps of fabric. We may be seeing them make another come back if the economy keeps it up (Dow up a hundred points? Heh, we'll see). Ok, enough mini-rant. Anyway, somewhere along the way they picked up the name Yo-yo ... which I found confusing the first time I heard it, I guess I'm too literal. I mean, sure they're round like the two outside pieces of a yo-yo, but lots of things are round, and there's no middle thingy, and where's the string?

As you can see I only got so far with my research on the origins of Suffolk Puffs. Really, I should be satisfied, but I somehow want more. But that's not important, what is important is the fact that I need about 974 more puffs for the future quilt I plan to make (at the rate I'm going, I may have that done by the time I'm 60. Perhaps that's a slight exaggeration, ok, I'll only be 59 by the time I'm finished). I'm kind of excited about this undertaking, even though I'm approaching it with the vigor of a garden slug, I like the idea of taking something traditional but doing it in unexpected materials, or more lively colors to get a different result. I hate to say it, but I find a lot of crafts, or projects extremely doubty, and tired looking, and completely uninspired. So that's why I've decided to rock some Suffolk Puffs ... my way!

She's Here, She's Here, She's Finally Here!!!

Spring that is. I just hope she's really ready to come out and play, and give poor PMSing March a break. Her nerves must be shot by now, with what her mood swings have been doing to my internal clock, surely my little bi-polar bear of a month needs a rest! Snowing one minute, 50* the next, a Pacific Northwest version of a monsoon the moment after that ... girl, I need a break, and frankly you do too.

So here's the deal. I'll stop talking about you behind your back, if you just promise to tone it down a little with the weather. I'm not asking you to move mountains here, just pick a season already. Truce?

I'm sorry, I don't have an olive branch, will these do?

Heather Bailey™ Bitty Booties™ Pattern: Here

*Edit: I don't exactly know which part of the truce thunder, hail, and sunshine is, but I do admire your sense of humor.

So How Did YOO Spend the First Day of Winter?

Mine went a little like this:

Take a hot bath,

Investigate the perv outside,

Let the cat out,

Check the Neighbors' progress,

Make sure the snow is still here,

Make Peppermint Bark (thanks to this recipe),

PLAY TIME!!!

The Approach...

The Flop...

Check out that form! If only it could be an Olympic sport...

The Dismount...

The Dustoff...

The Snowball (which can often go unreconized as part of the snow angel making process, but it is crutial. Really, it is.)

Somewhere in there I watched the Wizard of Oz, finished a book, caught old episodes of Wonder Showzen, and knitted a few rows on a scarf. Overall, it was a nice way to officially welcome winter.
xoxo

Snow...

It won't be long before we'll all be there with snow

Snow ... I want to wash my hands, my face and hair with snow ...

Er, ok maybe that's pushing it, and we only got a little dusting of it anyway, and by the looks of things we're still 11 days out from Christmas, and I've already seen way too many holiday movies. But it can't detract from the issue that I'm a proper fool when it comes to snow! Where I grew up it wasn't promised every year. I can only count a handful of times when there was actually enough snow to play in, so every snowfall to me is such a treat. Oooh, and when it falls at night, it's even better! I love how it turns a cold, dreary night into a softly lit, nearly silent, pastel world, when you swear the whole universe stands still to witness what's happening right where you are.

The Weather-Man promises more, and the dark, moody sky to the west is definitely backing up his claim ... here's to more snow!

  I'll soon be there with snow
I'll wash my hair with snow
And with a spade of snow
I'll build a man that's made of snow
I'd love to stay up with you but I recommend a little shuteye
Go to sleep
And dream
Of snow

It's Beginning to Look a lot Like Awesome

Iiiiiin my living room ... do bee dodododododo ya da da da da dada ...

Have I mentioned I love winter?

Black Friday

I'm baffled year after year not only that people actually venture out for a shopping spree the day after Thanksgiving, but the VOLUME of people who still go out shopping on the day after Thanksgiving. Personally, I boycott every year ... it's a small opposition, but I feel that I'm doing my part to stick it to the man (I'm sure the man is totally bummed out that he's not getting any ever saddening US dollars out of me today).

I've always wondered if the "savings" were really so great that suddenly putting yourself at risk of a major trampling made it all somehow worth it. To be honest, I've seen better deals on ebay, and you can have your things delivered to you, and you don't have to cram all your shopping into one hellish, nightmare of a day. So I have to wonder, why do people do it? I mean, in the end are you really saving? I guess it's a good thing that laptop was only $399 because now you need the other $800 for hospital bills ... IF, of course, you survived in the first place!

So here we are, another year, another barrage of discount, superstore trampling fatalities proving that you, in fact, can put a price on a human life. Does this seem weird to anyone else? Is stuff this important? Is that all we're about anymore? I'd like to think not, and I keep believing we're not so utterly blinded by greed, and possessions that we've completely lost sight of what matters, but I find myself in the same conversations as last year, "Have you watched the news? Did you hear ... ? Sad, isn't it." It is sad. I hope this post-turkey tradition fizzles into a distant memory, and we can all celebrate in ways that promote family, togetherness, and thoughtfulness, and not just stuff, and we can go on to have truly happy holidays.
I guess I am the true believer, just ask me about my thoughts on Santa! ; )

Ever Get the Feeling You're Being Watched?

No? Look harder, and in the meantime I'll type.

So it's been a while, hasn't it? Let's see, I'm another year older, and none the wiser I'm sure of it this time ... Halloween came, and went (grand total of 2 trick-or-treaters) ... then I missed my chance for an oh-so-clever "seems like just yesterday was October" post, then election day, followed closely by the 5th (which of course we shan't forget!) ... then I thought I could round it out with a cozy mid-November post, but I missed that by a few days, and we're still waiting for two more babies! It's been strangly calm, and busy at the same time, if that's possible. I'm sure it must be, how else would we get the phrase "hurry up and wait," surely there's a lot to that one!

Idle Hands ...

It started out innocently enough ... I just wanted to see what it would look like on the needles, and then I promised myself I'd stop. Little did I know it would turn into a full-blown scarf.

Ok, I kind of suspected it would, but I wanted to see if I could finally get my edges tight instead of all authority. I knew I was wrapping something wrong somewhere, and hey, she knows what she's talking about! I got snug edges out of it anyway! A small, but tasty victory.
baggy, and floppy. So, naturally, I had to go to the