Friday, July 23, 2010

Garden Granny Squares, Butterflies & Flowers

I am really enjoying making these garden granny squares! 
I have also learned how to make these little butterflies, and flowers by following  video tutorials.
Maybe I am not as much of a Dunderhead as I thought I was.  Now that I have studied the stitches, and the abbreviations, and learned the difference between a UK and US stitch abbreviation, I can read a pattern.  Well, a simple pattern, that is.
I have been playing with my telephoto lens lately to take pictures of the beautiful Orioles that come to my house for nectar and grape jelly.
Above are photos of a female Oriole. They are much lighter in color, as are all female birds.  Next picture is a young male Oriole, that has not yet developed his full rich color yet.
 And the  beautiful, brilliantly colored adult male Oriole.  I love these birds!
 This morning I was talking to my friend Rob, who is a photographer.  He told me to try a couple things in using the telephoto, and what setting to use on the camera. So for contrast, here is one I took after I talked to the pro.
 He said that using this setting would blur the other parts of the photo that were not the focal point.  I need to practice.  
Happy Friday everyone!  What are you doing this weekend?  My Unky Johnny is getting married to his long time girlfriend tomorrow here in town in their beautiful backyard.  All three of Johnny's girls will be here for this.  I can't wait to see them all.  And we are also celebrating Nana's birthday too. She will be 96 years young on August 1st.  She is something special!!!   Pictures to follow, for sure!

12 comments:

Unknown said...

Love the telephoto shots. A better one is on my list for Xmas. Last year, I got the Marco, moving on now.

Yes, UK and US are different. All I know is that TR = our DC....

Have a great weekend,
Kate

Nice Butterflies.

Diane said...

It is so exciting to see that you are crocheting! It is a big passion of mine and I love it when someone else gets the bug. I have read back over some of your recent posts and looked at your pictures. You are doing a great job! I have been super busy lately with family things. Tomorrow is my other sister, Danae's move and then I have some free time to catch up on reading and blogging! YEAH!!

Another thing I love is birds. I have bred many different kinds in the past. There was a period when I had several breeding pairs of canaries and several dozen babies as a result. It was a lot of fun (and work, too!) Your oriole pictures are stunning!

I am looking froward to seeing more pics of your crocheting, food, birds, and grandkids. I always love reading your blog!

Genn said...

Hi Mom,

cute granny squares. Way to go on learning how to read a pattern. Good shots with your zoom lens too. So what setting were you shooting in? Aperture?

Unknown said...

Gotta love those bird pics!

Happy Birthday to your Nana! 96! WOW!

LIsa

Linda - Behind My Red Door said...

Hi Kris,

Those close ups are amazing!! I am going to be looking for a new camera soon, what kind do you have?

Nope, central a/ c is not typical nor is heating with the ductwork installed already. Typically we have registers along the baseboards so installation of all the ductwork and venting in a finished home is very very expensive. It is not always easy or efficient to do that either.

Take care and have great weekend.

Debbiedoos said...

Hi Kris....I just discovered your colorful blog....I see you are friend with Kate too...I totally see that with your hobbies you have in common. I love the crocheted butterfly touch. If you are a thrifty gal I have a party every week that I would love for your to join. Also, I do a before and after party every other Wednesday as well.

Amy said...

Hey Kris...just trying to catch up. I loves the little squares and butterflies. I really like the shaving cream idea. I think I will let Taylor play with some for sure :)

terry said...

Luv them granny squares. As my mother aged with little to do, I bought her yarn and crochet hooks. Before long she had made a million or so granny squares that eventually became two afghans. She has since moved on and I have the two granny square afghans that are prominently displayed in my house. It amazes me that while I struggle with what fabric colors to combine, she so effortlessly put the colors together to form each square.

Thanks for the heads up on the orioles. I have a humming bird feeder outside my kitchen window and have seen the bird that you have identified as an adult male oriole coming to feed. He is gorgeous and now I know that he is an adult male oriole thanks to you.

Terry

Kris said...

Terry,
If you get this, leave me a way to contact you.
Kris

Jennifer said...

Wow - I think that last photo looks just like a pros!! You are a quick learner:) I would really like to learn to take goo pictures..something to add to my list! Enjoy that wedding as well as the birthday party - how exciting!! Happy Birthday Nana:)

Charlee said...

Nice squares!!! I wish I could figure out flowers for knitting... well thats once I finish my current baby blanket project

Tawny said...

What fun stuff to celebrate that you have coming up!!!