Some knitting

 I've begun some Christmas knitting lately.

There are two feather and fan scarves. I made the mistake of starting the second scarf immediately after finishing the first. Mistake! I was so bored with this pattern, which I usually enjoy, that I could hardly wait to cast off the second scarf.

The pattern calls for three repeats of the pattern, and the scarf on the left is done that way. I decided three repeats made for an awfully wide scarf, though, so I did only two repeats for the second scarf. (I've provided a link to a feather and fan pattern above, but I can't say for sure if it's the pattern I used.)

I've also knit three Barley Hats for charity donations. Some police departments in Maine collect handmade hats to give to the homeless. I'll be taking these to an area police department.

The Barley Hat pattern is free and well-written. The link above will take you to the free pattern.

I never thought it would come to this.

I've been painting rocks.

And you know what? It's really fun. It gives me a chance to create something pretty in very little time,...and forget the state of our country for awhile. I then hide the rock for others to find. I hope these rocks bring the finders a smile.

I began noticing painted rocks on Pinterest and admiring their beauty.

I have no natural artistic talent, so I tried a few styles before finding the one that works best for me.

I also witnessed a young girl (pictured here) finding someone's painted rock on Bailey Island a few weeks ago. The girl, about ten or so, was walking just ahead of me by the shore and found this beauty.

She hadn't heard of the painted rock movement, so I explained to her that she could either keep the rock, or she could hide it for someone else to find. She said without hesitation, "I want to keep it." She's from Connecticut, so that's where this beautifully painted rock now resides.


...and, I should admit,  I was jealous that she had found the rock before I could find it myself!

As I said before, I have no natural artistic talent, so it took some experimenting for me to find just the design that I can create successfully.

I mailed this box of four rocks to my sister who's visiting in Idaho at the moment. She promptly hid them around town, and she has kept me posted on which of them have been found.





I've decided mandalas work best for me. I've always admired the beauty of mandalas .

My mandala-painting equipment is simple: a toothpick with one flat (blunt) end, some acrylic paint, some acrylic sealer, and some rocks.

Craft stores sell bags of nice, smooth river-bottom rocks, Dollar Tree sells these for $1, and I also find rocks when I'm out walking.

The large rock on the left has been sitting in my small flower garden for years. Recently I brought it inside, cleaned it, and painted a mandala on it. It's back in my flower garden now.

 I spotted this rock in a neighbor's driveway last week. It looked as if it would appreciate some gussying-up, so I pocketed it, brought it home...

...added a mandala...

...and returned it to its home yesterday. I checked this morning, and it's still sitting where I placed it, so I don't think the homeowners have found it yet.
















If you're on Facebook, you can find several sites there for painted rocks that have been found and enjoyed.

I've yet to find a painted rock, but I'll keep looking.