Charles Dickens--A Christmas Carol

In honor of the season, and for your enjoyment, I present to you the audio for the Charles Dicken's novel: A Christmas Carol. This recording is divided into 5 parts, when each part finishes playing, the next will start and the new timer (for that part of the story) will show up on the player.

A Christmas Carol movies

Happy Thanksgiving Folks!

To all of you I'm sending wishes and prayers for a happy and safe day for you, your friends and family.

Looking Back--Vintage Crochet

Here is another vintage booklet that I have found for your enjoyment. Sometimes I whine about how patterns are written today, but today's patterns are well advanced in written form when compared to patterns the folks back in 1912 had to use when this booklet was published.

 

Hope you've enjoyed todays post.

Hugs,

Sharon

Monday's Link to Free Crochet Pattern (23 November 2015)

Let's not forget about making the family pooch something for Christmas. Here is a great looking Christmas sweater for your fur baby.

Be back later---

Sharon

A Few More Finished Projects

I recently had some more projects come off my hook. Some of them are things I've made many times before and there is a hat that I made from a new-to-me pattern. Here they are:

Slippers

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Hat made from Rubylene pattern

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Hat made from Big Girl Hat #1 pattern

This pattern calls for 2 different sizes of hooks. The large hook, I had to downsize 1 hook size. This is an interesting and fun pattern to make. I will try to throw in something different when I show you items made from the same ol' patterns so that the posts here will have some variety. Speaking of something different, here's my new model for crocheted items:

Actually, this is my son. He may be 36, but he'll always be my little boy. ;)

We will be leaving at "oh dark thirty" for Florida Monday morning. We're going to take it more leisurely this trip and stop for the night somewhere in Georgia. Nellie Belle's car seat is in the truck and everything is pretty much packed. Just going to wash the clothes we wore today so there isn't laundry waiting for us next spring.

Later Gator--

Sharon

Help Seniors and Veterans

I am enclosing the contents of an email I received from the DAV. I am a life-time member of the DAV and I hope that you will consider writing to your state's members of Congress about this in an attempt to help out our seniors and disabled veterans.

On October, 15, 2015, the Social Security Administration (SSA) announced that due to low inflation this year, no cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) would be made in 2016 for Social Security beneficiaries. Since that decision would also apply to veterans receiving financial benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs, DAV issued a Commander's Action Network alert on November 4, 2015, calling on our members and supporters to contact their House Members and Senators to urge them to introduce and enact legislation that would guarantee a reasonable COLA for wounded, injured, and ill veterans and their dependents and survivors. 

Senator Elizabeth Warren and 18 of her colleagues have jointly introduced a bill, S. 2251, the Seniors and Veterans Emergency Benefit Act. The bill would provide veterans and others in receipt of VA financial support a one-time payment of about $580 (calculated based on 3.9 percent of the average annual Social Security payment). This one-time payment would soften the financial blow associated with the lack of an increase through a COLA, and the payment would be tax free. Payments would be disbursed to beneficiaries beginning 120 days after enactment. Even if eligible for multiple federal benefits payments, individuals could receive only one payment under this bill. 

A one-time payment is not comparable to an annual COLA, and a one-time payment becomes less valuable to more seriously disabled veterans because of their higher cost of living. However, in absence of a COLA or other viable alternative, DAV calls upon its members and supporters to contact their elected officials in Congress and urge their support, co-sponsorship ad passage of S. 2251. A letter for this purpose has been prepared for your use, or you may write a personalized message to inform your House Member and Senatonrs of your support for this bill. 

Thank you for your participation in the Commander's Action Network, and for your support of DAV and our mission on behalf of wounded, injured and ill wartime veterans. Your activism makes DAV a more effective organization.

If you go to this DAV page there is a letter you can send to your your state's members of Congress. Thanks for your help with this.

Sharon

Vintage Crochet for Girls

Here is another vintage crochet book but this time it is for girls ages 8 - 12 years of age. Check out the picture on page 19--I always thought I could use a couple similar devices when my sons were little, they're 1 year, 1 month and 11 days apart in age.

I hope you enjoyed this little book. I plan to include more of these found treasures for you over the next few weeks.

Hugs,

Sharon

My First Crochet Book: Learn To Crochet: Kids

Monday's Link to Free Crochet Pattern (16 November 2015)

Today's link takes us to a pattern for a Christmas ornament that looks like an old fashioned Christmas light bulb that I remember from my childhood. This should be a quick and fun project to make. I think this ornament would not only look good on the tree but also as a decoration on Christmas gifts.

Take care my friends,

Sharon

Christmas Lights--Many Kinds

Being a Lookie-Loo on the Internet

I was just lookie-looing around on the Internet and I found this interesting pattern book on the Internet Archives. You might enjoy this to make something from or just to look at. I have a problem of buying many pattern books and using them more often for reading material than crocheting patterns. Interesting to note that this book was published when my maternal grandmother was a mere 10 years old. My how things have changed!

  VTech Kidizoom Smartwatch

For Love of Country

I am proud to have served...

                                      

Served July 1975 to June 1978

and

November 1980 to December 1992

Some Finished Projects

I've been piling finished projects on the coffee table next to where I sit crocheting in the evenings and it's about time that I show them to you. So here goes---

That's all of them piled up and now I'll get serious and show you the finished projects one at a time and give you the links to the patterns because all the patterns are free and online.

The following hats were all made from the same pattern and I used left-over yarn to make most of them. I like the little slouchy effect.


Red and white hat:

Christmas colors:

Teal green:

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Two pairs of matching men's slipper socks:

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Christmas stocking-- I left the shell edges off the cuff:

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Crochet Seafarer's Cap--I love, love, love this pattern. It looks like a traditional hat for men.

I have used this pattern several times before with no problems. For some reason, this time the hat turned out sized for a child rather than an adult man. Maybe since my hands have stiffened up I'm possibly making tighter stitches. The next time I made a hat from this pattern I upsized my hook by 1 size and it seems to have worked out nicely as you can see in the next photo.

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This next pattern I liked because it was easy to make and it came in several sizes. Crochet Slouchy Hat:

 After I finished it, it reminded me of one of the dwarf friends of Snow White.

This is all I have for now. Hope you're having a great week.

Hugs,

Sharon

Snow White & The Seven Dwarfs DVD

Monday's Link to Free Crochet Pattern (09 November 2015)

Sticking with the Christmas theme, today's link takes us to a vintage pattern for a Christmas tree shaped potholder. Should be able to whip one of these out pretty fast to use when cooking the holiday meal. 

Hope you enjoy this one and this is all for now.

Hugs,

Sharon

My Baby--

Just wanted to take a minute to wish my "baby boy" a happy 36th birthday. Happy birthday Justin!

Monday's Link to Free Crochet Patterns (02 November 2015)

Are you looking for some variety in projects you make out of granny squares? Here's a link to an archived page with a plethora of granny square patterns. The link is to an archived site and I did spot check several patterns and they're still available even if the link on the referring page doesn't have a picture--the pattern and picture both were available on the pattern page, I think you could have a lot of fun crocheting some of these squares.  I foresee many Christmas gifts made of squares! ;)

Have fun, 
Sharon

Added: Looks like I posted this a day early--very unusual for me.

The Granny Square Book