This week, my city experienced the worst tropical storm to hit the US since the 1950s with catastrophic flooding and destruction. The days felt so long, at one point I thought the flash flooding and tornado weather would never end.

My family is somehow fortunate enough that we had zero damage to our home, but tens of thousands of others have lost everything, and some their lives as the death toll rises.

The relieving stories of last-minute rescue and the heartbreaking ones of lives lost are making for emotional news reading. My aunt, Emily Wax is a journalist who writes for the Washington Post and she and my uncle had been in town visiting when Harvey came in. Reporting from Katy, TX, a Houston suburb, she drafted up some articles on the storm and how it has brought everyone together in the rescue efforts, even from across state lines in Louisiana. The warming tales of The Cajun Navy and so many other rescue teams looking to pay it forward since Hurricane Katrina flooded Louisiana more than a decade agoI’m so proud of these articles! You can find her on the Washington Post site here. Check out her Facebook page for her recommended Hurricane Harvey reads.

We are exhausted and truly basking in the sun and fresh air today after being trapped indoors for the past 4 days. I wanted to accomplish a monumentous amount of hooky while I was confined to my art-space, but with four kiddoes asking about the tornado warnings and my husband offshore on an oil rig for the entire storm, I could not stay focused.  So, welcome to the tour of some bits and bobs that were born out of the Hurricane Harvey tragedy.

I worked on my green blanket – VVCAL blanket pattern – and began joining granny squares using my new technique Row by Row JAYG, or the “boomerang join” – which I documented as my first YouTube video tutorial. Read the latest update here to see all the deets and pics! 

As I had a lot of time on my hands and was looking for something I could control, I decided to tackle the task of finishing off my Cotton 8 yarn pegs. Now they’re all neatly tied off and ready to be used. I did leave the ends about 1.5in long because I like them better slightly messy!

Organize by color for your viewing pleasure.

In organizing my yarn pegs I started putting a palette together for an upcoming blanket. 

And I also made some headway on a few designs for my upcoming hexie projects. September is Hexagon Month here at CypressTextiles! Here’s one of the hexies I have in store – “Callie”

Below, you’ll find the Catona palette I pulled for my IG Live Session last week.

And the motif I’m working up for a blanket named “Shep” 

I’m seriously giving thought to making these two blankets part of a paired pattern. A 2 for 1! I’ll be using some Scheepjes Stone Washed, Catona, and Cotton 8 for my hexie surprises. I can’t wait to share it all!ll

Scheepjes is having its annual Bloggers’ Days in the Netherlands, and I am deeply saddened that I will not make it due to airport closures and high waters. I really looked forward to meeting the other bloggers that I interact with on a daily basis in my yarny Internet hijinks. There’s always next year, and I’ve asked my Scheepjes friends to fondle lots of yarn for me at HQ. Including these new 10g Catona “Cutie Pies” 🙂

While we have had a somber end to August, I’m committed to making it a bright and productive September, with the help of the comfort of my yarn and a zillion granny squares lol.

Cheers!

Rachele C.