Award Update

Since my original post about this award, I have had two other blog friends pass this award on to me as well. Because of my limited time related to health issues, I am only going to follow two of the rules, # 2 and #3.

2. Thank the blogger who gave it to you.

3. Mention 7 random things about yourself.

So, thank you Karisma (again), Tracey, and Mary.


Karisma was one of my first followers, when I discovered and posted on Tuesdays Tallies at Gingerbread Girl.  Like me, she crochets quite a bit, and enjoys taking pictures.  She lives in Australia, and maybe even lives in the same province as I did when I was there.  She blogs about her crocheting at Karisma's Kraft.

I "met" Tracey through Creative Every Day, and we are part of what I call a "mutual admiration society."  She also crochets and is participating in the Granny A Day 2012 project, like me.  She is also 40-something, and has a husband, two boys and a couple of pets. Her blog is called Whistle Stop Crochet 

The third person to pass on this award to me is Mary.  She is one of my newer followers, through my new Linky Follower button.  I haven't done much posting about this, but we share the love of cooking, and both deal every day with a chronic illness.  It is wonderful to find people that understand a little better what I go though.  Mary's primary blog is Go Ahead...Take A Bite.

And now, seven more random things about me.

1.  I have lived in 21 houses/places in my (almost) 48 years.

2.  I was late at becoming a mom, for the first time, at 32 years old (young?).  

3.  I married a man with two children (my bonus kids), and my daughter had her first child (a son) six months before I had my first, also a son.  My last grandchild (a granddaughter) was born 20 months after my last child (a daughter).  There is one other granddaughter in between.

4.  Before I had children, I was very active in community theater.

5.  I love to sing, but since I am a "working woman", I don't have the energy to participate in any choirs/groups like I did before Multiple Sclerosis.

6.  I write poems.  I post some of my poetry here, and some at Mlissabeth's Musings.  I also write small stones there, and if you click on the link above, it explains what they are.

7.  I am a foodie.  I love to cook, but don't do as much as I used to because of  a family of picky eaters and a lack of time.  But I still love to look at recipes online, and collect cookbooks.

Okay.  I wanted to share a little more, and acknowledge some good blog friends.  Mission accomplished.

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Christmas Ornaments

My children sing in a local youth choir, and they had their final performance of this year on Sunday.  I wanted to make the director and her assistant something special, and they both know I crochet.  So, I made them each an ornament, with a Size 7 steel hook and bedspread weight cotton, using patterns I found in a book of granny square patterns, probably from the seventies.  Of course, Christmas ornaments are timeless.  I believe they are magical, in the precious creations of a hook and thread.

You can see more Magical Mondays here . I am also posting here in Creative Everyday, and on Gingerbread Girl.

Ruffled Yarn Wreath Tutorial

I have seen many patterns lately for wreaths made of yarn.  I want to share with all of you readers a photo of a wreath I made.  Our front door has a window in it that looks like it was made for the wreath.  I didn't even know when I designed and crocheted the wreath that it was the same size as the window!

The pattern is very simple, and I think even a beginning crocheter could create one.  I hope it is easy to understand.

Yarn Wreath

3 balls (about 12 oz.) Super Chunky Yarn

Size M crochet hook

Row 1:  Chain 40, and join ends with a slip stitch, making sure the chain does not twist.

Row 2:  Chain 3, and dc in each stitch around.  Join to first stitch with slip stitch.

Row 3:  Chain 3, dc in the same stitch as joined, and 2 dc in each stitch around.  Join to first stitch with slip stitch.

Row 4:  Chain 3, 2 dc in same stitch as joined, and 3 dc in each stitch around.  Join to first stitch with slip stitch, and fasten off.

Finishing:  I removed the "hook" part of a wire coat hanger, and opened the bottom portion.  I wove the wire through the third and fourth rows of the wreath, and bent the wire into a circle, trying to stretch the wire out as much as possible, so that the middle was taut.  I added a ribbon decoration.

I hope you like it!  If you use this pattern, please post on your blog and leave a comment with the link in my comments below.  Thank you. 

More Necklaces

Tassel and Bead Necklace

Ocean Blue

MS Awareness

I have taken a break from knitting a baby blanket and crocheting a prayer shawl this week to fiddle with some beads, thread and hook. All are based off of designs from the Lion Brand free patterns, with my usual twist. I am thinking I need to either stop making these, or start selling them, since I almost have more than I can wear myself!

Simplicity Cowl

I liked the pattern I found for free at Michael's called Simplicity Cowl.  It was made from Lion brand's "Homespun" yarn and looked so soft and warm.  I had several yarn scraps from other projects that I thought I could combine to make the pattern, since I didn't have enough of any one skein.  I love how it turned out!  Luckily, each color matched hues with other colors of the yarns.  Two of the colors were solids, while the other two were tweed-like blends.  As I have said before, I rarely use a pattern completely as it is written.  I like to put my own "spin" on it.

Yarndoodle

I had some left-over yarn from a project, and decided to play with it and see what I could come up with.  I took ten dark-colored and ten light-colored wooden beads, and made this necklace.  I liked it, and wore it once, but the cord kept twisting  where I wanted it to be in line.  So, I slightly redid it, making smaller scallops on each side.  I think the beads stand out a little more.

Flowers and Beads

Just little poseys I made in between my much larger projects, plus a couple more Bookmark Necklaces.  They are so easy, I just may have to make a couple of both for each gift!

Crochet Flip Flop Redo

Granny Triangle Flip Flop DIY

After I saw Scotti's crochet Granny Triangle Flip Flops, I was interested in redoing some flip flops that my son had broken earlier this summer.  Of course, I wasn't going to do anything fancy for a guy, but I used her idea to start.

I used two strands of acrylic worsted weight yarn, in black and royal blue, and attached the yarn with a slip stitch to one side, through the hole.  Then I chained a length equal to the size of the former straps, in this case, a chain of 36.  Next, I attached the yarn with another slip stitch to the other side, and did single crochets up through the first 17 chains, 3 sc in the middle chain, and then single crocheted each stitch to the other end and fastened it off.   To attach the loop that was crocheted to the top of the flip flop, I cut two strands of yarn about 4 inches long, threaded them through the bottom of the three middle sc's and tied the two sides together with half-square knots, making a  base for the part that goes between the toes.  Finally, I threaded all four strands of yarn though the hole at the top, and made a double knot, tucking in the edges as Scotti did.  I liked how they turned out.  They were comfortable, and I couldn't feel the knots through the sole.  I had to take a picture of them on my feet, so that you could see the straps better.  The pretty flowers are on my toenails,  not my son's! : )

Update:  The slip stitches I made on the sides wore through really fast.  So, I made knots in the ends after I poked them through.  I may have to use some superglue to hold them, since I don't have a hot glue gun.  I will just have to make sure they are completly dry before my son wears them again.

Bookmark Necklace

I have been making a lot of afghans and prayer shawls lately, that take a lot of time.  I wanted something quick and easy to do for a break.

I had seen a pattern for a bracelet with a loop at one end, and beads or a charm on the other end. I decided I wanted to try a necklace.

 I had also seen a pattern for an elastic bookmark, where the elastic was made into a loop that you could put around the page of a book, and it wouldn't fall off.  Then I decided I would make one thing for two purposes, and this is the result!

Can you tell I like pink?  :)

Choices

“Beauty at the finish,” I said.

At the time I was in a good place.

I was able to accept my situation

As temporary, then,

But today is different.

I know why I hurt,

But I don’t know how long.

Yet, I never know how long the pain will last.

 The thought is no different than any other day.

Today, I am choosing to wallow in my pity.

 I can, however, choose to think differently.

“Adaptability curve,” she said.

We have to adjust to

 Anything life throws at us.

We have to work at it.

 We must reconcile our feelings with our situations.

If we don’t try to fight,

We have chosen to be miserable.

I have to choose every day.

I choose to claim my power and fight.

“Beauty at the finish,” I say.

For the Babies

These are charity blankets given to the local hospitals for new parents to use when taking home their babies.  I love combining the colors of the yarns to make each one unique.

Most of the time I use a pattern already written and add my own flair.  Once and a while, I make up my own pattern as I go.  I love seeing it all coming together.

An Easy Crocheted Skinny Scarf

Rhonda, at the Dollar Store Crafts blog, made a really cute scarf that she called "The World's Easiest Crochet Scarf" .   The scarf is made with left-over yarn, and all you need to know is how to do the chain stitch.  She showed a scarf she had made using 15 strands of  yarn chains, and one using 24 strands of yarn chains.  She also commented about  being excited to wear them in the fall.

Well, I didn't want to wait 'til fall!  I have seen many patterns for skinny scarves in crochet magazines, and decided I would use less strands and be able to wear it now, to add a little color to a plain tank top.  I used worsted weight yarn in a variegated blues and pinks, a variegated pink, a maroon, and a turquoise, a light weight yarn in turquoise, and chains of variegated pink, dark pink and dark turquoise size 10 crochet thread and a maroon fun fur.  I made chains that were about 9 ft long, and tied them all together every eight inches using an overhand knot.  It was fun and easy, and I am very happy with how it turned out.

Mesh Scarf and Bracelet

Even on vacation I can't stay away from my yarn and hooks.  I had a skein of this yarn, and decided to make a scarf to match the yellow top and turquoise Capri pants I have.  I even had some left over yarn, and made this bracelet with it.  

We are at the Barbershop Harmony Society International Contest in Kansas City, MO.  I found this sleeveless polo shirt that says "Life is a song."  I thought they all went together perfectly. :)

Granny Squares

A dozen squares made for the "Crochet a Rainbow" project for the Queensland flood victims.  I have a special place in my heart for Australians, having  lived in a suburb of Melbourne for a year in my youth.  In fact, that was where I learned to knit, and where I improved my crocheting skills.  At that time, in the early '70s, we would even bring our yarn, hooks, and needles to school, and do that outside at recess while others were playing kickball.

I just went to look for the address/sign up and cannot find it.  I thought the woman coordinating this project was making then all year.  I guess these squares will be a part of another project I do, like maybe part of a shawl or baby blanket...

Prayer Shawl

This shawl is made from an ombre Red Heart yarn called "Monet,"  so aptly named for the color mix in many of this impressionist artist's work.  It is one of my favorite color combinations, and  I picked up the sage and grape colors in it to have a few contrasting stripes.


I often adapt a pattern to my own ideas of color combinations, sometimes out of necessity, when I don't have enough yarn.  For you fellow hookers, do you stay true to the pattern or put in your own twist?

Plastic Hat and Purse

As I have said, I like to repurpose things, and I like things that are free.  This project served both of those purposes.  I save all of the plastic bags from shopping and make "plarn," a yarn of sorts from cutting the bag into strips.  The printing on the bag gives it a little splash of color, and colored bags give a little stripe amongst the white.  Now I have waterproof gear for the beach, and can keep the sun out of my eyes.

Lacy Blanket

This is another blanket for charity.  The yarn on the sides is a really soft mohair-like yarn.  I can just picture a little baby or toddler rubbing it between her fingers to find comfort, and there are a lot of little holes to discover and stick her fingers through.  This crochet piece was a calming activity for me admidst some stress as of late.

Big Sky

My daughter took this picture, and I cropped it a little, and zoomed in on the best part.  I love how the Light radiates from the little country church.

Baby's Cloud Blanket

This blanket is so cuddly and soft, like a cloud looks.  The yarn for this was really interesting. I got it at the local Big Lots store, at $1 per skien. It was made of polyester thread and at various intervals it had the puffs of color mixed in.  I used the BIGgest size hook I could find in my stash--an M.  I may just have to go back and get some more of that yarn.

Star Baby Afghan

I heard that our local mission needed baby blankets for the layette sets they send to the local hospitals.  They just donated about 15 sets last week, and were in need of more blankets.  I had several small scraps of pretty yarn, and started on a pentagon shape.  Eventually, I decided to make it into a star shape.  It is just the right size for a cover for a newborn, or to use in a baby carrier.  I was pleased with the combinations of colors.