Cabin Fever

A Beginners Knitting Project

2012-02-11T09:43:00.000-08:00

My sister in law gave me this pattern the last time I saw her, it's quick and easy, great for beginners:
I like working on simple projects like these when I'm trying to figure out what bigger project I want to start.

13 Point Washcloth:
Size 7 needles, 1 ball cotton thread
Cast on 16 stitches
Row 1: Knit accross
Row 2: K4, yo, K 10, 2 stitches left on needle, turn
Row 3: Knit
Row 4: K4, yo, K 9, 4 stitches left on needle, turn
Row 5: Knit
Row 6: K4, yo, K8, 6 stitches left on needle, turn
Row 7: Knit
Row 8: K4, yo, K7, 8 stitches left on needle, turn
Row 9: Knit
Row 10: Bind off 4 sts, Knit across remaining sts
Row 11: Knit across the 16 sts left on needle.
Repeat from Row 2 until you have 13 points, if cloth doesn't lay flat, and one more point for 14 ( I made 14)
After the 13th or 14th point, don't bind off, sew first and last rows together, then draw center sts together tightly.

Ice Storm of 2012

2012-02-05T08:11:00.000-08:00

When I was a kid I remember hearing my folks talk about "The big flood of 1960" or "The wind storm of 1965", it goes on and on. We'll I have one for them now......The Ice Storm of 2012. Boy did we get hit! I think there was over an inch of ice on my car that day, work was postponed until 10am, but I called and said I was not driving 40 minutes on ice, wasn't going to happen. The huge trees in our yard and all around us were covered in ice. During the day you could hear random branches snap and then fall. That evening is when ours couldn't take the weight of the ice any longer and started snapping and breaking. The first one to fall made a huge snap, just like gun fire, my husband and I were in the living room, looked
at each other and braced for the hit. That one landed right by the front door,
missing the house by inches.

I think we had a total of 4 huge branches fall that any one of them would have put a hole in the house had they hit, all missed us by inches. The big event was the branch that fell over the power line to the shop and my moms new place. My mom said it looked like fire works from her house. The hit knocked the line from the breaker box so it was jumping with live electricity between the shop and the bumper of my car! Then the line heated up and caught the transformer at the road on fire!

The shop and my mom were without power for a week. We had partial power that night and found that another branch had fallen on our power line. We got that cut off, but a crew had to come out and fix the live wire that was hanging from the pole that night, I think we got full power around midnight. We are so thankful to have had no fires or roof damage. I believe our Guardian Angels were working overtime that night! Now all we have left to do is pick up sticks.....

Crazy Weather

2012-01-15T20:03:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was 52 degrees out, warm, sunny................

Today we work up to SNOW and 32 degrees.............

Looks like January has finally arrived, and we are in for winter now.....at least this week!

2012!

2012-01-02T07:15:00.000-08:00

Where did the year go? I had such good intentions to keep up with this blog, and my Etsy shop. I have been crocheting like made and posting-nothing..............It was crazy just trying to keep up with Christmas presents and craft shows this winter.

My daughter wanted me to make a Monkey Hat, so this is what I came up with....simple pattern, easy to make, but now I think I am all Monkeyed out!

I'm looking for inspiration this new year, hoping to make a few sweaters, and to knit more, but these little hats and mittens are so darn cute, it will be hard not to add them to my Etsy Shop......

So here's to a Happy New Year, I hope yours is full of yarn, grandkids, chickens and a huge garden!

We are truly blessed.......................

A blankie for a great nephew

2011-10-22T22:28:00.000-07:00

This blanket seems so small after the crib size blankets I've been making, but this one really is newborn size.

I love these colors, and would even make an afghan for myself out of these colors and even this pattern. I started with just thinking I would do the smaller granny squares, and then decided to add the larger square with both colors. I think that really added to this blanket.

You would think with brown being such a popular color with babies now (pink and brown, blue and brown, green and brown, etc) that you would see a bigger selection of browns in the baby line of yarns. A softer yarn would have been the only thing I would have liked better with this blanket.

Potato Harvest

2011-10-08T16:07:00.000-07:00

Frank had a great idea to plant the lower field in purple potatoes this spring. He planted a couple of rows along with some onions, and corn, with intentions of putting up a deer fence before it all started to grow. The fence never happened and the deer loved the garden!

They ate all the tops out of the potato plants, along with nibbles on the corn too. They don't seem to like onions, so they were fine.

I don't think we'll be hosting a "corn maze" at our place this fall! But the small little ears that had some kernels was sugar sweet.....

We did end up with enough potatoes for us and friends to eat, plus some to keep for planting next year, in the fenced in garden area.

The purple potato is really purple, all the way through. I can't tell the difference in the taste, but they are supposed to be more nutritious then a white potato.

New Hat for "The Shop"

2011-09-21T06:14:00.000-07:00

I got this hat done in time to enter in the fair, brought me a first place........not bad. One thing about entering items in the fair is the constructive criticism you get when it's returned to you. Sometimes you get so caught up in your projects you forget the little things that make it more better. This hat was made with Lyons Brand Chunky Yarn, I think it's fairly new, and it's so soft and cushy.

There's no pattern to this hat. I just sat down with my new yarn and started crocheting, sometimes it's best just to let things flow.

I got this loaded into my Etsy Shop finally. I've really been neglecting that shop since going back to work, moving my mom, getting ready for the fair, I could go on and on! There's so many things I want to make and so little time!!!!

The Newest Grandbaby

2011-08-20T14:12:00.000-07:00

The newest grandbaby (boy) is due any day now, but his shower is tomorrow. I finished up his blanket just the other day. I don't know why, but I always think it's going to be too small and end up with a crib size, which is fine, it just takes longer to finish.......This is just double crochet, with the white as single crochet, then drop down into the previous white row with a double crochet. Seems complicated, but it's really pretty simple.

My daughter also wanted those little mittens for babies so they don't scratch their faces. I had some organic cotton yarn on hand, so I used that. It's a little hard to figure out how big to make them when you don't have a baby handy to measure by. With the leftover yarn I whipped up a little hat for the boy too.

She said something about some pictures she has of other items she would like me to make him too. I guess I'll just have to add them to my list of projects!

A Little Backwoods Boogie

2011-08-15T18:25:00.000-07:00

Our friends had their 10th annual Backwoods Boogie last week-end. I can't believe this is the first year we've made it, but I'm glad we finally did. There was a lot of homemade instruments to go around if you didn't happen to bring your own.

I think at one point there might have been more dogs then people! It was great, all ages were there, even Tamara's 95 year old dad who played excellent on the accordion He didn't stay after dark, but it was great listening to him when he was there. I think the music went on until 4 or 5am, I went to bed quit a few hours before that, but everytime I'd wake up I'd hear them still at it!

A quiet morning for sure!

Big Horn Sheep

2011-07-24T08:07:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago we made a trip down the Gorge. That is the strip of highway that goes between Oregon and Washington, from Portland to Boardman, along the Columbia river. I grew up in Portland, and having Multomah Falls an easy drive, we made many trips to those falls with my family. One of my favorite places is the Vista House on the old highway that overlooks the Gorge. There is something to see, or stop and see on this whole stretch of highway. If you are ever looking for a driving vacation, this is it. It would take days to see everything.

On our recent trip to Bend, my husband was determined to get some pictures of the Big Horn Sheep that have been transplanted from CA to the bluffs near Biggs, OR. I think they were "planted" there about 20 years ago and now there are more then 1 herd, and if you watch you will see bunches of them spread out for miles. This trip was no exception. We spotted these between Biggs and Arlington, pretty close to the road:

So many people say there is nothing to see once they reach the dry part of the Gorge, but I believe there is always something to see, no matter where you are....................just look closer.

Just an Update

2011-07-14T06:15:00.000-07:00

Remember those peas a few posts back, holy cow, have they grown. Once the warm weather took hold everything has gone out of control, faster then we can keep up. Have you ever heard the saying "my eyes are too big for my stomach?", well, I guess that is what happened with us..............

We have to pick peas everyday to keep up, and now the raspberries have started, we never did get all the spinach picked before it went bad, just crazy!

Moms house is coming right along too, I can't believe the difference a porch makes! Move in day is Labor Day week-end, I sure hope she settles in nice and likes her knew place.....

Next project a blue and brown crocheted baby blanket for the upcoming grandbaby due in Sept. Time, all I need is time!

The Lacy Bolero

2011-06-19T09:46:00.000-07:00

I've had this done for weeks now, and all it needed was the trim, boy work sure gets in the way of my crochet time!

I really like it now that I look at the pictures, but the day I wore it, it just didn't seem like "me". On the original one the sleeves seemed a little too long and so did the ties.

So the one I made for my Esty shop has a little bit shorter sleeves and the ties are shorter, actually, that's the one in the picture. The first one I made I ended up giving to a friend, and she loves it.

Having the tie front, makes it easy to adjust sizes. And it's actually pretty warm even with the lacy pattern.

The Lizard Lounge

2011-06-15T06:35:00.000-07:00

When I got home from work yesterday, the husband takes my hand and says "I want to show you something.....I'm calling it the Lizard Lounge," "you have to be quiet while we go there." So I am thinking, "we have lizards here?"
He'd hung the hammock I'd bought a few weeks ago, once settled in it, it is quite cozy. Once I was settled in, he pointed up into the plum tree......There was this owl and her baby, dad was over in another tree, they were watching us as close as we were watching them. Frank thought they had to be Great Horned Owls, but I was thinking Barn Owls, and when he looked them up, we found out they are Screech Owls............

The baby is all fuzzy, no real feathers yet.

The Old Misener Place

2011-06-13T06:15:00.000-07:00

Like my gardening hat? Picked it up at the thrift store, and I finally had the opportunity to wear it last week-end. I spent the whole week-end working in the yard, and that hat really worked at keeping the sun out of my face, blew off a couple of times, but what the hay! I love these trees, huge maples that must have been planted over 100 years ago, they will keep our house cool all summer. I can't help but wonder who planted these trees so long ago.

When I'm out pulling weeds and trying to manage all of these beautiful flowers I think about the lady that planted them, and I hope she's not cringing as she's looking down from heaven at the terrible job I'm doing to maintain her flower garden. When we tell people where we live, they say, "OH, the Old Misener Place" I don't think they were the ones who planted the maples, but I hear Mrs. Misener's flower garden was spectacular in the day. So, Thank You, Mrs. Misener, you sure do have a beautiful garden, and I'll try and do it justice.................

A Place for Mom

2011-06-04T05:48:00.000-07:00

I always said to my brother and sister I would take care of mom someday. Well, that day is getting closer. Mom is doing great, she'll be 77 and is still driving and going to Curves! But she just needs to be closer then the 8 hour drive it takes to get to her now, and I'm the closest child to her. She hates being alone in the winter, and I know she loves the beach, and the thought of having to move is really hard on her. But we've been talking about it since we moved back from Alaska and she's warming up to it now. Sounds like she may be getting excited now that it's really happening.............Broke ground yesterday out behind our house.

Doesn't look like that big of a spot in the dirt, but she'll have a nice 3 bedroom modular in less then 2 months! I'm so glad she's decided to sell her place and move here while she can, and not when she has too. This way she'll have her own space and still be able to visit when all the grandkids, and great grandkids, plus other relatives come to visit. When we ordered the modular I didn't even realize she picked the same color as this garage she'll be using too! How funny is that!

They left the big trucks out back...........I wonder if the keys are still in them......mmmmmmm

I'm so thankful I still have my mom and for the opportunity to have her near us at this time in her life. If you have your parents still, call them and tell them you love them, or better yet, go see them!

The Talented Husband of Mine

2011-05-24T21:35:00.000-07:00

Our chickens were attacked by a dog, this is one that survived. Dr. Byrd fixed his broken leg, yet another use for Duct Tape! The leg doesn't want to heal straight, but I think he'll survive. Now he can add broken chicken legs to his animal fixes, once I had to hold the cat so he could stitch up a wound she received jumping on the fence.

His green house is bursting with green, just waiting to be planted, it's just amazing to me. Left to me it would all be brown.

And his pea trellis he just built. I love it, so do the
peas,it's only been a couple of days and they are
already crawling up it. Soon it will be covered and
you won't be able to see how cool it is......

Feedbags And More Feedbags

2011-05-17T20:05:00.000-07:00

I started making market bags out of our old chicken feed sacks, when my friends saw them they started saving all of their similar tough plastic feed bags for me too. I think I'm almost done with the last 15 I received, and I know there are more waiting for me........

I think I've given all of my friends one, and now I have them listed on my Etsy shop. I have chickens, dogs, cows, bunnies, birds, it's crazy, who knew there were so many different kinds of these plastic bags. I find that I am shopping for chicken food by what's on the bag, and if I have it already!

My biggest problem I've noticed is when I go upstairs in my craft room now that most of my stuff is stashed in one of these bags......I keep thinking this one is cute, I'll just keep it for me.......I think I best start using them for gift bags next.

How Does Your Garden Grow?

2011-05-16T07:06:00.000-07:00

I have the ultimate "brown thumbs", even my dad who had a fantastic green house quit giving me plants because I'd end up killing them. We don't have any house plants, and I dread getting one as a gift, because I know it will be dead the next time that person comes to visit, and it will probably still be sitting where I put it all brown and dead the next time they come over. Fortunately for me my husband has 2 perfect green thumbs.....our new place has a huge fenced in garden area to keep the deer and other critters out. It has raised beds that were begging to be planted. It also came with a small green house that hadn't seen anything green in a long, long time.(Looks like I had been taking care of it) My husband has been ordering and starting seeds, tilling and planting in the raised beds, and now we are starting to see results.....

The starts in the green house are just about ready to get put into bigger pots or the garden itself.

I don't go here, I'm afraid everything will turn brown if I step inside the fenced in area.....

A neighbor gave us some rhubarb starts, I'm really hoping we'll be able to eat some of this, this year.

The raspberries I can handle, I cut out the old vines without managing to kill the new.......maybe there is hope for me yet. I can't wait to pick!

Chick, Chick, Chick

2011-05-03T18:10:00.000-07:00

I didn't think I liked chickens. The last time I was around them I was a teenager, they chased me, they are mean, and boy are they stupid.So, of course the husband had to have chickens on the mini farm. But, in his defense he has had chickens before, so he knows what they are all about, how to take care of them, and most of all he's not afraid of them. And he built a fenced in area for them and me. Our first batch of about 19 were so pretty, and not mean at all. It worked out great, we let them out to run amuck and at dusk they go into their pen to roost for the night, how easy is that. I did not realize though that I had to keep an eye on them when they were out. Within a couple of weeks of this routine, I was home alone, the chickens were out, and I was in the house minding my own business. Frank got home from work to find dead chickens all over our 2 acres, it was devastating. Some dog had come into our yard to chase and kill chickens. Some had escaped across the street to the neighbors house, one had gotten on a branch across the creek (Frank had to put his waiters on and go rescue her), but over half of our flock had been killed. And of course we had company coming for the week-end who showed up in the middle of all this commotion and aggravation. It was absolutely heart breaking.
Now I am older (by a month), and wiser, this will not happen on my watch again, plus I have a shotgun by the back door. Now we only let them "free range" for an hour in the evenings. We have bought more and have hatched 7 in one batch and 3 in our latest batch. And guess what? I am NOT afraid of chickens, we have a ton of fresh eggs, and they are absolutely hilarious to watch because they really aren't very smart, just entertaining. I have not passed the insanity on, so the grandkids love them too!

Wrap it up!

2011-05-02T07:48:00.000-07:00

I've been wanting to try crocheting the pineapple pattern forever, it always seemed so daunting though. And it's true, once you get the hang of it, it's really not that hard. It was actually kind of fun, since every row is different until you complete a pineapple. Now, I'm addicted to pineapples!

Here are two of my latest "pineapples":

(Sorry, Janice, got your eyes closed...) This tank top was featured on Knit and Crochet today, and it was so fun to make, I've made 2 already. It's made with a cotton yarn, but it seems kind of thick, but a thinner thread almost seems to have no shape, but I think the finished top looks great.

I've been holding onto this gray cashmere yarn for a few years now, I was planning on making me a sweater with it, but since that never happened I used it for this shawl. I found this pattern in a book that was given to me for my birthday this year.

I love how this came out and the cashmere makes it feel so nice against your skin.
That's Kodiak sneaking in the bottom there.............Both pieces have both been listed on my Esty shop. OH! And I had my first sale yesterday!!

Where am I?

2011-04-30T08:29:00.000-07:00

I couldn't decide if I wanted to keep this blog or not, pretty obvious huh?

Today I was looking for a pattern on my computer that I thought I had saved, and then remembered my blog, surely I had posted it on my blog.................not. But what I did find was a fun trip down memory lane, and a renewed since of blogging. So here I am, back to the blog world.

I've been busy, I've been bored, I've been fired (yes, FIRED!) from my job, very humbling, and so I've been crocheting and knitting, learning to garden and learning to not be afraid of chickens. I've been baking and gaining weight, applying for jobs, and I started an Etsy shop. Yes, I took the plunge and now I feel like I need to be crafting every second my hands are free.

My Estsy shop is: http://www.etsy.com/people/MargiesWorld?ref=si_pr And I'm probably supposed to have some kind of pretty little link there, but in time, I just need time. And now I will be going back to work in the real world once again, I start May 9th. What was I saying about time..........................................

My goal will be to post on my blog at least once a week, or you'll be able to see what I am up to at my Etsy shop, but I seem to be my worst critic, I'll finish a project and then feel it is not good enough for my shop, and so my shop does not have a lot for sale at this time. I'm thinking I need to create a place in my shop for the mis-shapens, the odd balls, a clearance room so to speak.........of course it probably wouldn't look to good to have more in my clearance room then in my shop!

Birthday Afghan

2010-05-11T07:58:00.003-07:00

I decided this year to make an afghan for each of the kids for their birthdays. I had JC look at a few patterns to get an idea of what he liked and colors. Since I like this pattern too, this is the one I selected to do. It's from an old Vanna White book I found. I used Caron Simply Soft yarn, which is washable, I thought that would be best since they have 2 kids!

I finished it with time to spare, his birthday isn't for another 2 weeks. That will give me the summer to work on Autumns for her birthday in September. She wants something with "stars", oh boy!

Mothers Day Slippers

2010-05-06T20:21:00.004-07:00

Finished and in the mail.............snugly soft slippers for my mom for Mothers Day, she'll probably get them on Monday. They're made out of Modea Soft yarn, after I finished them I realized that I should have used another yarn with this soft stuff, just to make the finished slippers a little firmer. But these will be fine for summer. I lined the inside with some thick soft fleece I found at the thrift store. My moms feet are always cold, so these should work all the way into winter for her.

Blueberry Hand Pies

2010-05-02T08:08:00.003-07:00

I made these the other day for a bake sale at the local yard sale. I was planning on making apple pies, but I had some thawed out blueberries that needed to be used up. I ended up making only 12 of them, and since all of them turned out looking pretty good, I didn't sample. I was thinking there would be at least 1 or 2 left to try after the sale............not. But I'm thinking since people were coming to the table asking if that was where the blueberry pies were that they were a hit. I used the Pampered Chefs round cut/out crimper tool to make these. It worked great! I will definitely be making these for the Farmers Market that starts in June.

Lace Socks

2010-04-19T13:05:00.002-07:00

I finally finished these socks. I had seen this pattern on interweave a while back and was really looking forward to trying to make them. It's really an easy pattern and not as boring as strait knitting, plus with this pattern they seemed worked up fast. I should have used a finer yarn, but since I wasn't sure if I would be able to figure out the pattern with my limited knitting knowledge I just used some cotton that was in my stash. I will definitely make these again, but with a thinner and better quality yarn. Now off to work on my moms slippers for Mothers Day!

A Great Find

2010-04-14T15:17:00.005-07:00

I found this great crochet book in the thrift store last week, it was published in 1989. Once I got past everyone's hair dos I noticed there are some really GREAT sweaters in there. The book was translated to English, so the patterns are going to take a little to figure out, but I think they will be well worth it. Of course all of their sweaters are made with such wonderful (expensive) yarns, that mine will probably never look like theirs, it's so hard for me to splurge on yarn and then worry that I'll ruin it, or worse never make anything with it.

So I thought I would try some sweaters out first with some yarn from my stash. This is some Bernat baby yarn, not fingering weight like they suggest, but I think it will work, and since it will be for my grandson who will be a size 4T next winter, it just may work. If not I don't think I'll be out a lot of $.
Here's the example of the "cable" as the book calls it for this sweater. There are so many cabled sweaters in here. So as soon as I finish knitting my socks (almost done), my sons afghan for his birthday, my moms slippers for mothers day, I think I'll start some sweaters. It's so hard not to start now, but I just don't dare start one more project without finishing up at least one of the others!

Spring Has Sprung, Tulip Throw

2010-03-20T08:24:00.004-07:00

I made this throw for my sisters birthday. I used Bernat Softee Chunkee yarn, which I just love. But towards the end I ran out of yellow, and could not find any for weeks. I finally emailed Bernat and was told it was discontinued. I almost gave up on this, then I found 2 skeins in Canada through the internet. So I ordered both of them along with some red, and quickly went to the store and got the other colors so I could make another throw. This works up so fast and easy I can't wait to make another one. I'd like to do one in light and dark purples too, so I'll be on the look-out for another brand of chunky yarn.

It's cool how they really look like rows of tulips.

The pattern is from Moda Dea, which is another discontinued yarn (why do they do that!) But here is the link to the pattern: http://www.coatsandclark.com/cgi-bin/MsmGo.exe?grab_id=58&page_id=12323072&query=tulip+throw&hiword=THROWN+THROWS+TULIPS+throw+tulip+

Hello, Cupcake!

2010-03-19T08:21:00.003-07:00

2010 and this is my first post of the year..............where have I been?! Seems like I'm always working on a project, but I guess my blog wasn't one of those. I have a few things all coming together shortly. These cupcake hats I just finished. I was commissioned to make one for a woman's new grand daughter, while crocheting up the one I just got carried away, so now I have a variety of sizes. I changed the edge where the "icing" meets the cake, I like it a lot better now that it "drips" over the edge. When I was working on these I was thinking how cute this pattern would be as a potholder, but I need to finish a couple other projects first.

These are so cute on little girls, but I did make an adult size one too! Now I think I'll go bake.....

Autumns Baby Shower

2009-11-12T16:19:00.003-08:00

I was glad to be here to help with Autumns shower, just wish I would have been set up in my own house prior.
Not a very good picture of the cupcakes, but they were chocolate with white ganache filling.

This was the first try at a diaper cake, really wasn't that hard, and I liked the results.

The baby blanket I crocheted, everytime I do squares I swear that will be the last time. And these were 3 inch ones, so it seemed like I had to make a million, but the results were worth it.

A few minutes

2009-09-04T14:42:00.002-07:00

I've been so busy this summer, when I get a chance to sit and crochet or knit I have been working on my daughters baby blanket (sure hope we're having a girl), but when that gets boring and I want to whip out something quick I go for hats. I love this swirl design, while working on the hat I came up with the mitten idea, and while working on the mittens I came up with the bootie idea. I love these red hats and mittens, I think Kyler and Danny will look good in matching caps this winter.
Here's the bootie and hat one, I think I'll make more in brighter colors when I can get to some more yarn!

Mis-matched

2009-08-13T12:59:00.002-07:00

Really, I've been knitting this summer, but I can't seem to make more then 1 sock, then I want to go on to another one! What's with that! I am making myself finish the footie sock though, it's for our friend Chase, man he has big feet! Slowly but surely! I love the blue stripped yarn and I'm planning on keeping this pair (if it's ever finished) for me!!!!

Scruffins?

2009-06-29T20:03:00.002-07:00

I got this recipe from the Good Things Catered blog. I had been calling them Scruffins, then I went to make a copy of the recipe for a friend and Frank noticed that they are not Scruffins, but Scuffins! Makes more sense since they are a cross between a muffin and a scone, no "r" in there anywhere! Good Things Catered had them as lemon poppy seed, but I changed it to blueberry lemon. They all got great reviews from the customers on our charters last week, and from our friends over the week-end.
Not such a great picture, but here's the great recipe:

Lemon Poppy Seed Scuffins

Ingredients:

2 1/4 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 c. granulated sugar
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
8 Tbsp butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
1 egg
1/4 c. yogurt
1/2 c. cream
1/4 c. freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 Tbsp lemon zest
1 tsp lemon extract
1 tsp vanilla extract
5 tsp poppy seeds

powdered sugar for dusting

Directions:

-Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line baking sheet with parchment.
-In small bowl, combine egg, yogurt, cream, lemon juice, zest, extracts and whisk to combine thoroughly; set aside.
-In large bowl combine flour, sugar, powder, salt, poppy seeds and whisk to combine.
-Using pastry cutter or two knives, cut butter into flour until all pieces are smaller than pea-sized.
-Add wet ingredients to dry and mix in lightly with fork until dough just comes together.
-Using cookie scoop or hands, grab loose balls of dough and place onto prepared baking sheet.
-Place baking sheet in the oven.
-Bake until turn slightly brown, about 20-25 minutes.
-Remove from oven and let cool on baking sheet for 10 minutes.
-Transfer to a wire rack and let cool.
-Dust with powdered sugar and serve.

A Blanket for Danny

2009-05-31T21:54:00.002-07:00

I finished the baby blanket for the new grandson that is due in July. JC and Courtney are having a boy, Danny Ramero. I crocheted it in the same colors as Kylers, thought that would be kind of cute, both have the same colors, just different patterns.
This shell pattern is from the Lions Brand website. I think it would look good in a thicker yarn using a bigger needle too.

I knitted up these little socks, I don't know what I was thinking, but for some reason I didn't think there was that much pink in the yarn. So I don't think these will work for Danny, maybe I'll get a girl grandbaby someday. I think a little knitted hat would be a cute match with these. I picked up this pattern when I was over in Juneau last, now I'll have to search for a hat pattern.

And What Did I Get In Return?

2009-05-28T18:06:00.004-07:00

This is what I received in return for the slippers and purse:

It has so many little pockets for my knitting needles, scissors, and circular needles, plus it's just like I wanted, it is made to hang on the wall. "Luckdragon" on Craftster did such a great job!
As a bonus she put in some Sensations yarn too, I'm not sure what I will make out of it yet, but there is enough for something cute I'm sure.

A Personal Swap

2009-05-21T07:50:00.004-07:00

I just finished these for a personal swap on Craftster. I'll be getting a holder to hang on the wall or back of a door for my knitting needles. I seem to keep getting more of them....

Both of these patterns are in Debbie Strollers Happy Hooker Crochet. I modified the slippers though since the pattern was a little hard to figure out.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Munchies

2009-04-29T15:03:00.003-07:00

With summer fast approaching I decided to try one of the many cookie recipes I've been collecting over the winter. I try and have homemade cookies on board the boat for our guests, just as an extra treat. Plus, since I love to bake, this is a good excuse to do so without eating everything that comes out of the oven. I found these on the Bake or Break Recipe Blog but I know I've seen them on other blogs too. Instead of rolling them into balls, I just did them one at a time, rolled one in my hand, then flattened it in my hand added the peanut butter filling, oh and I added a small marshmallow too, then rolled it all back up keeping the filling inside. Seemed easier. I was expecting a big chocolate, marshmallow, peanuty mess when I opened the oven, but they came out looking great, and tasted so good I had to share too.

Ingredients:
1½ cups all-purpose flour
½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
½ tsp. baking soda
½ cup butter, softened
½ cup sugar
½ cup packed brown sugar
¼ cup peanut butter
1 egg
1 Tbsp. milk
1 tsp. vanilla
3/4 cup sifted powdered sugar
½ cup peanut butter
2 Tbsp. granulated sugar

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Stir together flour, cocoa powder and baking soda. Set flour mixture aside.

In a large mixing bowl, beat together butter, sugar, brown sugar, and the ¼ cup peanut butter with an electric mixer until combined. Add egg, milk and vanilla; beat well. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Form chocolate dough into 32 balls about 1¼ inches in diameter. Set aside.

In a medium mixing bowl, combine powdered sugar and remaining ½ cup peanut butter till smooth. Shape into 32 (3/4-inch) balls. I used chunky peanut butter, so it was a little on the dry side when I mixed this up, so I just added a little milk and it worked great.

Slightly flatten a chocolate dough ball and top with a peanut butter ball. Shape the chocolate dough over the peanut butter filling, completely covering the filling. Roll dough into a ball. Repeat with the remaining chocolate dough and peanut butter filling.

Place 2 inches apart on prepared cookie sheets. Lightly flatten with bottom of glass dipped in remaining sugar.

Bake at 350F for 8 minutes, or until just set and surface is slightly cracked. Let cookies stand for 1 minute. Transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool. Makes 32 cookies.

The "Crazy Quilt" Afghan

2009-04-05T10:22:00.002-07:00

Here it is, all the squares put together. I wasn't sure if it was going to be semi squared the way it was going together. But I am really pleased with the results. Now all I need is a red room to put it in.....
I used Genova yarn that I had bought on Smiley's website. It's a really soft yarn for being acrylic, but I wanted something washable.

A Granny Oblong?

2009-04-02T19:00:00.006-07:00

I haven't just been taking morning naps, followed by afternoon naps! I'm determined to get my red and white afghan done before we go on vacation next week. I'm in the process of joining my squares now. I wanted to do a "crazy quilt" type afghan using only red and white for colors. I can picture the outcome in my head, we'll see if it actually looks like I plan when I'm done. I had a hard time figuring out how to do an oblong granny, I had found a small granny square I liked from my handy dandy Readers Digest book on needle craft:
The largest squares I adapted from a pattern on Lions Brand website, they look kind of like poinsettias to me. I hope that will not make this afghan look too Christmasy:
I couldn't find any patterns to adapt for the oblong sections, so I just made my own:
The oblong granny.............Finished "Crazy Quilt" will be posted next. And as I hook it together, it is getting more and more crazy!

The Hannah Sweater

2009-03-31T13:57:00.003-07:00

Well, I'm hoping for a grand daughter in November, and for Autumn to her Hannah. That's not too much to ask for is it? Since Craftster was running a challenge for the shell stitch in their crochet forum and I had never entered one before I thought this would be a good opportunity. I used 2 skeins of Bernat Cottontots, I love the feel of this, it is so soft. But with this stitch it made the sweater feel more like a jacket. Oh well, it's still cute, I just wish I had a new born handy to try it on.

This is called a Ripple Stitch, it's a form of a shell stitch. I love this yarn so much I may just have to make me something out of it.

Blocking A Finished Item

2009-03-14T12:05:00.008-07:00

I've read many ways on how to block an item after it's finished. I still like the way my dad used to block his crocheted items though. This scarf I knitted, YES, I KNITTED, what a feeling, really needed some blocking done to it as you can see.
I just use a big towel to lay it on, pin it in place, get a damp cloth to lay on top of it. Then use the iron on the steam setting to press it flat. This scarf was really curled, so after steaming I let it cool while still pinned in place.

On items that are not out of proportion too bad, a lot of time I don't pin them down, and just shape them when they are warm from the iron. But always use a damp cloth between your iron and finished product so you don't scorch all of your hard work.

I think this scarf will be used more as an accessory instead of warmth. I used Jaeger Roma yarn that I had bought online at Smiley's Yarn I didn't realize I would LOVE this yarn as much as I do, and now I'm kicking myself for not buying more. Of course they are out of this now at the price I got it at, but I will keep checking back.
Like Frank says, at least my holes are where I want them now!

Fuzzy Feet

2009-03-07T10:08:00.003-08:00

These are some of the cutest booties and slippers I make, I think anyway. They don't take that long and don't take much yarn either. I can't figure out why all the little ones I know don't have these on their feet though. I really don't like to mass produce anything, so that's probably it. My daughter, who has the same size foot as me, thinks she would like a pair too, (in pink, of course!) I haven't made adult sizes yet, but they might be kind of cute. If nothing else it's a good way to use up any fun fur you may have laying around.

To Market, to market

2009-03-03T08:53:00.003-08:00

I just finished this market bag for a personal swap I'm doing. Last week I received from my chocolate swap, and the bar lotion I got I just love. And being the greedy gus that I am, I want more! Actually, I'd like to use some for presents, so Shadeweaver from Craftster agreed to do a personal swap for some more. This is the bag I came up with:
I got the stitch from my dads old (1979, has it really been that long ago?) Reader Digest book, Complete Guide to Needlework. I love that book! It has a lot of stitches, but not a lot of patterns, so you have to figure that part out for yourself. This is the "Bushy Stitch", very easy. I just used cotton yarn.

Chain in multiples of 3, plus 1
Row 1: sk 3 ch (1 dc, ch2, 1sc) in next chain, *sk 2 ch (2dc, ch2, 1sc) in next stitch* , repeat after * to end, ch 2, turn.
Row 2: *(2 dc, ch2, 1sc ) in each 2-chain space*, repeat to end, ch 2 turn.
Repeat from Row 2

Oh the laziness of it all!

2009-02-25T12:08:00.004-08:00

I can't figure out what the block is, but I have the yarn to make a red and white afghan for me. I've almost got the design figured out and have started on a few of the squares, but for some reason I keep finding other projects to work on. I will even go exercise before picking up my red and white yarn. I love the yarn it is so soft and feels so good in my fingers, easy to work with too, but there is this wall or drudgery when it comes time for me to actually work on the squares. Last week-end I made 4 pairs of fingerless gloves, 2 wash clothes (knitted even) and now I've started a pair of slippers. I'm looking through my books for other ideas of things to make, just so I don't have to work on THE afghan. I have got to get over this. The only thing I can think of is that I have yet to figure out the oblong 3x6 block that will be needed. So I am going to just make 1 square a day until it is done. (sounds like a good plan anyway)

The knitted wash cloth. Lots of mistakes, but I learned A LOT making this. The first time through I didn't have the pattern figured out and it was all a mess, until the last 12 rows something clicked, and it looked so good. So I took it all out and started again. I crocheted an edge all the way around, I just like the finished look that gives. I'm looking forward to the day I take on a knitted sweater!

Be My Valentine, or Not

2009-02-12T14:13:00.003-08:00

I hardly bake anymore since it's just me and Frank, we'd end up more over weight then we already are. I used to make sugar cookies when the kids were home and they would help me decorate them. I sure miss those times. I always seem to break down at Valentines and Christmas and make my sugar cookies. I don't like Royal Icing, it gets so hard and there's no flavor, I'm sure it's easier to decorate with, but I'm all about flavor. I used buttercream on these, like always. Too soft to work with, but so good to eat. Happy Valentines Day, I'll eat a cookie for you!

Broomstick Lace

2009-02-11T10:13:00.002-08:00

I love the look of Broomstick Lace, I've only tried it once, and well it was a disaster. So when I joined on of my last swaps on Craftster, the sweat shoppe swap, and this scarf from Broomstick lace was being offered I had to make it my first choice. In this swap you make 5 items all the same and then pick your top 5+ items and hopefully you get some that you picked.
The finer the yarn you use the more lacy it looks.
The gal who made this scarf goes by Guineverefree, I think she did a really good job. It's inspired me to try it again.
I also got this tile necklace. Made by Klum78. A lot of the items I get I use for presents, but I really like the looks of this, so I'll probably keep it, and maybe someday I'll even wear it! I guess I could use it as my "fishing" necklace, since I don't have fishing "diamonds"!

A Little More Tie Action

2009-02-07T16:41:00.003-08:00

When I talked with my friend Zonia last, she mentioned the tie aprons I was supposed to be making, in other words get off my butt and get busy! They seemed to go together really easy, I'm thinking it was a nice break from crocheting. I would have modeled them, but for some reason aprons and short chunky people don't go together. I think you need to be tall and thin for an apron, at least these aprons! So the pictures aren't that great, but here are 4 of the 7 that I managed to crank out the last couple of days:

I was hoping to use most of my stash of ties, but it barely made a dent. So I supposed I could always make more if needed.

A Little Chocolate for Inspiration

2009-02-06T17:59:00.003-08:00

I joined a chocolate swap on Craftster while I was in Washington, made most of my stuff while I was gone, but finished up and sent the last item this week. Since she has received I can post pictures now. I had seen this swamp and had wanted to participate for a while, so I'm glad I finally had the opportunity. I'm still waiting to receive my package, but will post pictures when it arrives. Along with the chocolatey goodness like, Seattle Chocolates, Mocha chocolate bar from Sitka, a Cadbury Flake bar, plus other chocolate bars and some chocolate peanut butter rice crispy treats, I did craft these items to send too:
A magnetic recipe holder, with the chocolate rice crispy recipe,

A chocolate inspired scarf, Chocolate Squares, with pockets to either keep your stash or keep your hands warm,
And some long fingerless gloves that my partner had on her "wist" list. How better to eat chocolate and keep you hands warm?!

J's Shawl

2009-01-31T10:55:00.003-08:00

Here is the shawl I made and forgot to take pictures of for J at Christmas. I made sure I got some pictures when we stopped at her house before getting home:

The color fades from light to dark purple, there is no red in the yarn, that is J's sweatshirt showing through.
I used Sensations boulce yarn, it has a great feel, but was hard to crochet since you couldn't see the stitches, I had to mostly go by feel. The pattern is here:

http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=147576.0

It's a crochet along, so there are many pictures of this pattern with different types of yarn.

A Scarf For ME!

2009-01-28T12:35:00.004-08:00

It's for me because it's not good enough to give as a present. And I haven't made me a scarf yet, so, looks like this one is mine. I love the feel of it, soft and cushy. I made it out of chunky yarn, and I wish I could put the link to the pattern here, but I don't have it! I was cruising blogs and found it, but didn't link to it! ARGH!

But it's for beginners, very simple, cast on 18 (or sets of 3)
then * k1, yo, k2 tog, repeat from *

Both sides are the same, so you don't have to worry about a front or back. Easy, unless you are watching tv, mess up and have to take some rows out!

Knitting, What a Concept

2009-01-17T16:42:00.002-08:00

Thanks to Ruth and all of her help I was able to knit another wash cloth, this time with an actual pattern, the basket weave. Being able to watch someone and ask questions makes all the difference in the world when learning something new. I still had a couple of small holes in this when I was finished, but I'm actually starting to see what a purl looks like vs what a knit looks like and how to count my stitches. I think I will try a scarf next........I do need to get some smaller needles though, I think that will also help.
I finished the edges on this baby blanket from The Happy Hooker Crochet book, no holes in this or missed stitches! Weaving the braid in the ends really finishes off the look of this blanket.

Not Just Twiddling My Thumbs....

2008-12-21T19:25:00.002-08:00

Really I haven’t been just sitting around watching Frank do work around my moms house. I finished a shawl got it in the mail, and oops, forgot to take a picture of it! Dang. With the leftover yarn I made a little hat for Riley, I sure hope it fits……

I’ve been practicing my knitting, if you can call it knitting. I only can do the knit stitch, I’m totally baffled by the purl stitch. I’ll have to have Ruth show me when I see her next, but I do need more practice doing the knit stitch, so I’ll keep at it.
How does it look bh?

Then I started a baby blanket, the pattern is out of the Happy Hooker Crochet book. In the book it is a small blanket for the car seat, but I wanted it for a crib size and I’ve probably managed to even get it bigger then that. I could run the stripes the long way though, so I’ll consider doing that. The colors remind me of that Brachs candy with the coconut.

Stocking Cap

2008-11-23T09:53:00.003-08:00

Being on the Ferry to Washington with another crocheter, I learned how to make a simple stocking cap. Instead of crocheting in the round, you make a chain of 25 or so and then just single crochet back and forth in the back loop only. It looks a lot like you are making a scarf, but when it gets to the length to wrap around a head you slip stitch the ends together. Weave a double length of yard in and out of one end, pull tight, tie and you have a stocking cap with a different look.
I like it better with the edge rolled up, but the wind was really blowing so we wanted my grandson to keep his ears covered. I didn't add the pom pom that was recommended for the top either.

More Fingerless Gloves

2008-11-06T18:05:00.003-08:00

I made these on the ferry ride down from Juneau. I like all of the colors, I think I'm going to have to make myself a pair when I find some green yarn to match my coat. I had picked up this yarn at Walmart, they only had one skein, so I'll have to look for more down here.

The Cassia Scarf

2008-10-23T11:51:00.003-07:00

I made this Cassia scarf from A slice of Life blog, in some red yarn I had leftover from something....but I love this pattern. It works up easy and fast. Of course I changed it a little, I didn't make it as wide as the original and I didn't read the directions all the way through, oops, so I didn't start again from the middle and work the other end, so both ends would be the same.

I'm making another one in some green mohair that I have, this one I will work from the center to ends so they will both match. I think this would look great in a shawl too.

Arachne's Tears Scarf

2008-10-20T19:14:00.003-07:00

I've been getting Interweave Crochet magazine in the mail for almost a year now, and this is the first thing I've made from one of them. This scarf was in the spring 2008 issue. I've really enjoyed the magazine, it really inspires me, don't know why I haven't made anything until now.............but this scarf is very simple, with a simple design, sometimes less is more.............
I didn't sew the beads on it like in the magazine, mainly because I have none, and where would I buy some here. I think I am actually going to keep this one for myself, and I might even wear it!

Cable Slippers

2008-10-16T15:49:00.004-07:00

This is the first time I've ever written a pattern (pictures included, they always help me when I am learning something new) for anyone but myself. That takes time to write those! If anyone would like to try it out and give me feedback, I would really appreciate it.
Womens size 7 1/2 -8
Size J hook, red heart super saver yarn

Sole: Chain 21, sc down and around chain to beginning, keep working around for 7-9 rows (or to get to desired size) Adding and extra 1-3 sc’s on each end to keep it flat. If sole ends up too wide and too short for your foot, start over with a longer chain. I cut out and sew a fleece bottom to the inside (wrong side) of sole. If you do, make sure you leave the last row of stitches open.

Top (working from the top of the toes up):
Row 1: Chain 14, dc in 4th chain from end (this counts as 1st dc), and in every chain, for 12 dc’s across. Chain 3, turn.
Row 2: fpdc (front post double crochet) in next 3 dc’s, bpdc (back post double crochet) in next 4 dc’s, fpdc in last 4 dc’s. Chain 3, turn.
Row 3: bpdc in next 3 dc’s, skip next 2 dc’s and fpdc in 3rd and 4th dc, then go back and fpdc in 1st and 2nd dc’s that were skipped. Bpdc in last 4 dc’s. Chain 3, turn.
Row 4: fpdc in next 3 dc’s, bpdc in next 4 dc’s (these will be scrunched together due to the cross over, just separated them to find the right ones), fpdc in last 4 dc’s.
Row 5: bpdc in next 3 dc’s, fpdc in next 4 dc’s, bpdc in last 4 dc’s. Chain 3, turn.
Row 6: Repeat row 4
Row 7: Repeat row 3
Row 8: Repeat row 4
Row 9: Repeat row 5
Row 10: Repeat row 4
Row 11: Repeat row 3
Row 12: Repeat row 4
This completes the top, do not end.

Sides and heal:
Chain 22 and attach to other side of top with slip stitch, opposite of beginning of chain. (lengthen or shorten chain according to fit).
Row 1: With front side facing you, sc down top and all the way around (including chain) putting 2 sc’s in corners of toes. ( I ended up with about 20 sc’s on each side, not counting the heel). Slip stitch when you get to beginning. Chain one.

Row 2-3: sc all the way around in back sc only.

Check here for fit against the sole for fit. Mine were a little big so on the 4th row I decreased sc’s, about 1 per side. After the 4th row you can end or make a big loop and start from there when you secure to sole.

Attach to Sole:

Pin top to sole, wrong sides together, starting with a pin at the toes and heel to make it even. Slip stitch around. You can end here or add a cuff.

Cuff:

Attach yarn where the heel and top join.
Sc around back of heel in back stitches only, work around back of heel to top (do not work across the top yet), slip stitch into top, chain one, turn and sc back along heel in back stitch only, this time go all the way around across the top, ending where you started. Chain 2 (turn ?) This is a good time to try on and see if the heel is too loose)

Working back across the top (clockwise) dc in all the sc’s (decrease in heel if needed) all the way around, you want an even number of dc’s. I decrease randomly until I have 30 all the way around. Join at the top of your chain 2 with slip stitch. Chain 2 (counts as your 1st dc)

Row 2: fpdc in next dc, bpdc in next dc, fpdc in next dc, switching back and forth all the way around. Join with slip stitch. Chain 2.

Row 3: fpdc in next fpdc, bpdc in next, etc, working your way around so you have the front posts in the front posts and back posts in the back posts. Slip stitch to join.

Don't forget to add some "no slip" on the bottoms. I use that rubber stuff from craft, and just cut out any shape and hand sew it on.

Swirly Hats

2008-10-16T15:34:00.003-07:00

It has been doing nothing but raining for weeks now, so I've been doing nothing but crocheting! I was working on slippers when an idea came into my head for some hats with fun fur. I wanted to make a hat for my great nephew who will be 2 years old in November. I love the swirl pattern, and thought that would be really cute on little kids' heads. Here's what I came up with:

It's a good way to use up fun fur when you are tired of making slippers!

Look! No Fingers!

2008-10-13T19:12:00.003-07:00

I was messing around with the Tunisian (afghan) stitch and came up with these using the lace stitch. Even though they aren't something I would wear, they are pretty comfy. They don't take much yarn so it's a good way to burn up some of my leftovers in my stash.

ooooh, I still love my wedding rings too :) But I was trying to show the pattern better, more then my ring!

What the...............

2008-10-04T12:14:00.006-07:00

So I ended up taking out the last row and just doing the ruffle edge, I can tell, which of course bugs the crap out of me...............but will a non-crocheter know?

I keep thinking I should do "something" of my own. I always have ideas in my head, so why not try it. I found this yarn at the thrift store and it is so soft. There were 2 skeins so I thought for sure I'd have enough. I really like how the Luna Scarf is made from the middle out, so thought I would do the same for this scarf. One side took one skein, so why wouldn't I have enough for both sides?

There isn't enough yarn to do the ruffley thing on the edge, so a couple of solutions: Frank said to leave it as it is........uuuuh no, could take out that last row then put the ruffley edge on, then just give it away (Autumn always likes my stuff), or just take it out and make a hat out of it. Any ideas?

The Luna Scarf

2008-10-03T20:10:00.003-07:00

I got this pattern off of Craftster. It's easy and fast to do, plus it looks great. I made a few changes (always) but still like the results. I'll probably put them in the Christmas bazaar I'm going to be doing in November when I'm in Washington. Last year they had this great Alpaca yarn that for some reason I didn't buy any of, maybe I'll make enough from my sales that I "won't not" buy any this year.

I'm thinking red would be nice too............I'll have to dig though my stash.

Finally finished something

2008-09-11T19:24:00.006-07:00

Guess I haven't posted in a while, ah, that is because I haven't had time to make anything! I started this purse for Mikayla thinking I would work on it all summer and have it finished in no time. Well I finally got it finished, and that is because I wanted to take it with me this week-end. Hope she likes it:

Yet more purses!

2008-06-29T15:34:00.003-07:00

I managed to finish a few more purses, but I'm thinking these will be my last for a while this summer. I saw a purse shaped like this a couple of weeks ago, and loved it, so adapted it to my ties. I really like the green one. I'm trying to finish up the purse I crocheted for Franks daughters birthday, it's just waiting for Frank to make the handles.

Tank Top

2008-06-19T21:23:00.004-07:00

It fits! Here it is all done and modeled......
I'm surprised I had any time to crochet since our summer season is really picking up, but I did manage to make this tank top for a personal swap on craftster. My swap partner picked out the pattern and I made it with some yarn that was included in some yarn I had ordered a while back.At first I was all worried that I would run out of yarn and that would be the end of it. I sure hope it fits her, I think it would have been better to have her close enough to try it on from time to time to make sure. The pattern is called the "cowgirl tank top" from DIY. Front, pictures don't do it justice. It's made to be form fitting.
Back, maybe I'll be able to get my swap partner to send a picture with it on.....if it fits!

Market bag

2008-06-05T12:02:00.003-07:00

Finished this bag for Stephanie's bridal shower, since they'll be living in Seattle, I thought she should have one, can't use plastic in Seattle! But I'm really hoping the straps don't stretch too much! I hope she can get some use out of it.

Childrens Washcloths

2008-05-21T16:42:00.003-07:00

I saw some knitted lion washcloths on crafters the other day and wanted to try and crochet them. This is my version:
I'd like to make a few more, but I will do the face a little different, more embroidery on them. I like that they are little too, for little hands.

Favorite Tie Purse So Far.....

2008-05-18T15:13:00.002-07:00

I just finished this purse today, I love how it came out, it's going to be another one that I hate to get rid of.................but I really will hardly ever use it, so I'll send it to WA, see if it will sell. Maybe my friend Zonia will want to keep this one for herself.

On the bottom under the points I put ties going the other direction, I didn't want there to be a seem across the ties so I attached them to the liner.

On the inside I made a couple of pockets from one of the left over ties.

First pair of socks?

2008-05-11T12:59:00.003-07:00

They're supposed to be socks anyway! I followed the directions and it said to go all the way to the middle of the heel before making the space for the heel, when I make them again, I will go to where my heel starts and add the space there. I think these would fit someone with a size 10 foot better. Plus I was thinking this yarn would be thin enough for socks but now that they are done I think I need even thinner yarn, these are more like slipper socks. Oh well............

Slippers

2008-05-02T13:43:00.002-07:00

I ran out of the fun fur yarn when I was making these slippers. Thanks to my sister and my friend Zonia, now I have enough for a couple more pairs! I think these are such cute kids slippers.

Potholders in the round

2008-05-01T20:45:00.002-07:00

I saw this the the latest Crochet magazine, I was using this in another project and thought they would make cute potholders. I think I'll add them to the wedding present for next week-end. Simple easy and cute!

Personal swap

2008-04-28T15:37:00.003-07:00

I just got this magazine holder today in the mail from a personal swap. She got some of my coasters. I like how it has "his" and "hers" spots for magazines! Frank has decided it needs to go in the bathroom on the back of the door.

Something different

2008-04-28T12:09:00.003-07:00

I made my first doily this last week-end, wasn't as hard as I thought it was going to be, but if the directions had not had a picture I wouldn't have been able to follow them, http://jpfun.com/ This is for a wedding we are going to here in town in a couple of weeks.

And these earrings are for a swap I'm doing (I hope she doesn't look!) I got into Franks stash of small arrowheads he made and found a couple that come close to matching. I like how they turned out so much I think I'm going to have to make me a pair, except there are no more that come close to being alike so I'll have to have him knapp out some more!

Things in the works

2008-04-27T06:49:00.003-07:00

YEAH! I finished "the afghan"!! It's boxed up with the cookbook and ready to go. I'll post pictures of it later. I'm working on 2 swaps right now, one is almost ready to send and I have a couple items made for the other one. We have a wedding to go to here in town in a couple of weeks, so I thought I'd make a small basket of stuff for it. Started a heart doily, never done one before so we'll see how that turns out, and a set of turk knot coasters. Since I was making coasters I decided to make as many as I could from my supplies, I think I just finished knotting 4 pairs, now just need to finish the ends. I finished moms slippers for mothers day, her feet are so small. They look like the blue ones already posted.

Seems like these coasters are pretty popular, thought I'd send some down to Washington in my next box. I saw these at the Oregon coast a few years ago and didn't want to pay $18 for them, so recently I found how to make them on the web, where I can't remember, it was after a lot of searching!

More tie purses

2008-04-17T18:26:00.003-07:00

I think I'm addicted to making these purses! I made 4 more today, I like this one so much I may end up keeping it for a gift.

I really love the back of it.

This one I did a switch up on the handle. After looking at the picture I don't think I like the stitching along the outside of the tie part, I may have to take that out and do something different.
Zonia wants me to keep making wine bottle holders, but I don't know I think purses will go over better.

Finished the Baby Sweater!

2008-04-15T13:10:00.003-07:00

I thought I would finish this on the ferry, but I slept instead, fun week-end in Juneau!

This was a fun and easy sweater, I'm thinking I'd like to change it and make another one for Kyler, no opening in the front, make it more boyish, and of course I'd have to make it bigger so he could wear it next winter, gives me lots of time!

I really need to work the THE afghan! I'm going to make myself do a few rows everynight. Joined 2 more swaps, probably will be my last until after summer...........

The Baby Sweater

2008-04-10T11:08:00.003-07:00

OK, here is where I am right now on Josh and Audra's babies sweater:
I finished sewing up the sides and now I need to decide on what color to do the trim in. This is the "Baby it's cold outside" sweater from Skamama. But I didn't use a bulky yarn, so I ended up adding more stitches, plus I made the inside front a little wider since there were a lot of comments about the babies tummy peeking thru there. It was a lot easier then I expected it to be, and worked up with only 1 skien of yarn. I have a few ideas on how I want to do the trim, I think I'll end up doing more of these, since it was so much fun. I'm not sure what size mine is going to be, but I'm sure it's around 6-12months, which will be a good fall sweater and might fit by then.

Birthday Present

2008-04-10T11:02:00.004-07:00

My mom sent me the Happy Hooker crochet book by Debbie Stoller, THANKS MOM! Here are a couple of the things I've made out of it so far:

Autumn has snagged a scarf and wants a potholder in hot pink and black though. I'm thinking JC and Mikayla are going to want some potholders too. Plus BH wants me to make one, popular item! I've learned alot from this book already, like my half double crochet that I thought was a half double crochet was really a heirloom half double crochet, oops..........It's also given me the courage to take on projects I've never tried before, like the baby sweater, I sewed up the seams today, it's looking good.

My Dad

2008-04-10T10:11:00.004-07:00

My dad passed away 3 years ago today. So since he was the one who taught me how to crochet I thought today would be a good day to say something about him. I started crocheting when I was in high school, dad would read the pattern then show me how to do it. So I never learned how to read a pattern. After high school I quit crocheting and didn't pick up a hook again until 3 years ago when I got most of his yarn, hooks and books. I haven't been able to put down my crochet hooks since, and I've had to learn to read a pattern, it really wasn't that hard.......This is one of my favorite afghans that my dad made way back when, I'm embarrassed by the spots and snags, and tears in it, guess I need to give it a little maintenance. I think he even got a blue ribbon at the fair for this one.

I'd sure like to give him a call and talk about what I'm working on now............

Works in progress

2008-04-08T11:51:00.002-07:00

This internet connection is working so slow, to make me not go crazy I crochet while I'm waiting for pages to come up. Right now I can't load pictures or links.............maybe someday. The other night I was having a glass of red wine, and clumsy me knocked it over. Of course the big splash had to hit on Kevin and Stephanie's afghan that I'm making for their wedding (was that a secret?), good thing for spray and wash. When I ordered the chenille yarn I'm using for the afghan I didn't realize what a pain it is going to be for them to keep it. But so far the chenille isn't shedding, which seems to be a big problem a lot of people have. I tied knots in all the ends, but I don't know if that is what is helping or not. But it also can't be thrown in the washer.............so I guess they'll have to just spot clean it or use Dryel when needed. I did notice the blue/grey wants to bleed onto the white when I was getting the wine out of it. Still have a small spot I need to work on. But it's looking really good, besides the red blotches (just kidding), it's big enough now to keep me warm while I'm working on it, but it's a pain when I have to turn and work on the next row. I want it to be big enough for both of them to use at the same time, too bad Kevin is so dang tall!

I also started a baby sweater for Josh and Audra's girl that is due in June. First time making a sweater, so we'll see how it turns out. It's the "Baby it's cold outside" sweater from Skamamma (as soon as I get my links working I'll add that one). Since the baby is due in June and the Tri-Cities are hotter then Hades in the summer, I'm making it out of Caron's Simply Soft in lavender for a lighter version, plus it will probably be too big to wear until Sept. anyway. I'm really hoping it won't turn out all crooked..........

2008 projects

2008-04-07T06:56:00.000-07:00

I started seeing things made out of ties. All I had to do was let my friend Zonia know I needed some and the boxes started arriving in the mail. There was no getting out of this one! In exchange I needed to make her a purse. I found a few patterns online, but was totally intimidated by them, my skills are not up to those and neither is my 30 year old sewing machine! For starters I made a few wine bottle holders, they came out pretty good. They've been sent back to Washington, to the wine country to see how they will sell. Thank you Zonia. Oh, the purse......Zonia finally pinned me down last week to see how her purse was coming along. UGH! On Saturday I told Frank to not let me pick up a crochet hook until I had made Zonia her purse. Finally, I just threw out the directions I was trying to follow and came up with my own design, the quality isn't up to most of the purses I've been seeing online, but I was pretty satisfied with the results, and it was actually (gasp) FUN! I even put in a liner, didn't think I could pull that one off. I made 3 more! On a couple of them I used the wide tip of the tie (unfolded) for the inside pocket, I think that came out too cute.

I also came up with a new design for the wine bottle holders only using 2 ties instead of 4 and they look great, plus take less time to make. They just seem to design themselves.

A couple of potholders made from scraps. These I just love, but take more work then anything else I've done. I'm thinking I may have to keep these for myself.
A big box of goodies will be shipped to Zonia this week, she will be so proud! I wonder which purse she will keep for herself...

Fall 2007 project

2008-04-07T06:38:00.000-07:00

I'll start with the fall projects. I had my first grand child last November, so that was a good place to start. I thought I would make him a blanket. I found this pattern in Lily Chen's book, and have made it twice now. It comes out big enough to fit the whole crib:
(I'll add the photo later)

Next came the slippers. I started off making me a pair of slippers, but they came out too big so Frank ended up with them and named them the Armadillo slippers:

I ended up making 3 or 4 more pairs like this, and finally made me a pair that looks nothing like this, but I didn't like the way the yarn feels on my feet so I lined them with fleece and that made them so much better. Eventually, the pattern evolved into, I think, a better looking pair of slippers:Maybe someday I'll make me a pair that looks like this. These were done for a swap, now I'm really liking this pattern. I've also been making some children's and baby booties using the fun fur so they look like little bear feet.

2008-04-07T06:31:00.000-07:00

OK, I've finally broken down and made a blog. Since my computer and myspace hate each other I had to do something to keep in touch with friends and family. Plus I think this will be easier to display everything I've been up to this past winter. I came prepared for winter this year, I stocked up on my yarn and crafting supplies and kept myself pretty busy over the winter. I have a ton of stuff to show for it too. Once I found the Craftser website there was no turning back, that kept me full of ideas and swaps. Now all I need is more room for all of my stuff!