Kitchen Things

I'm am still obsessed with dishcloths and have some more to show you. Before I post them, I'm going to show you what I made with the sewing machine I received for Christmas. I made this curtain to go inside the glass door of a kitchen cabinet. I think it turned out cute. I am trying to include something "different" here when I become obsessed with the same crochet things.

And here's the dishcloths--

Halloween colors in this one.

We came to Florida to stay warm in the winter but this morning, it was 38 degrees when hubby got up to take our Nellie Belle for a walk--BRRRRRRR! Stay warm everyone.

Take care,

Sharon

New Snowbird Kitchen

I have been asked several times recently about how the remodel on our snowbird kitchen turned out. It turned out GREAT! Husband did a fantastic job with some assistance from our neighbor. Everything had to be done on the "cheap." The sink and faucets are "hand-me-downs" from someone who had recently remodeled their kitchen. The cabinets mainly came from a scratch and dent store and a few were unfinished ones from Home Depot. The flooring was purchased with a military discount. The original cabinets were warped and sagging. They were made from particle board and had been water damaged. The original counters slanted. The flooring was in bad shape both functionally and aesthetically. I had tried to "dress things up" a bit with my red accessories and small appliances but it didn't help much. The following slide show video gives you a look at how things ended up. Enjoy!

Hugs,
Sharon

Kitchen Stuff!

Greetings y'all. I've been a bit scarce here lately but I have still been working with my hooks. I made a few things for the kitchen. I tried Scrubby yarn by Red Heart and it's okay to work with but I'm not totally thrilled with it. Here's what I have for you:

• 2 Bubble Dishcloths. When you get to the link for this pattern, it "blacks out" and gives an error message. You will notice that the blacked out area has an "x" in your upper right hand corner. Just click on the x and then the pattern is visible. The only change I made to this pattern was to make 2 rounds instead of 1 to make a border.

close up

• Bumpy Dishcloth. I like this dishcloth but it is hard on the hands making it because it calls for a small hook (E) and the stitches are tight. However, I will probably leisurely make it again because I am happy with the end result.

close up

• Scrubby Pads. I used Red Heart Scrubby Yarn. No pattern. I used a G hook and chained 21. I crocheted 22 rows of single crochets on 20 stitches. Easy to make.

close up

This is it for now folks. Hope you are staying comfy-cozy. Take care my friends.

Sharon

Husband Finished His Chores

A week ago our combination microwave and exhaust vent died. Since this is the 2nd one we've been through we decided to get an "old fashioned" counter top microwave and the traditional range vent hood. After removing the old microwave, we noticed our tile back splash had been tiled around the bottom edge of the old microwave and  we had to put something there that would coordinate/complement the old. I walked into the kitchen a few minutes ago and saw that Ray finally finished up the back splash  The new vent is great too; the bottom is sealed and cleanup is a snap. Here's the new look:

Husband told me to let you know that the kitchen is not crooked, my photography is! Take care...

For the Kitchen...

I just finished crocheting a few kitchen things and I thought I'd make one post instead of several.  The pattern for the dishcloths is based on the Granny Mandala tutorial and the towel ring is from this pattern.  OK, now that I have the pattern information out of the way, here's the pictures...!

Nice red dishcloth.  Nice for washing dishes on Christmas.

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Pretty pink, red and white variegated yarn

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Crisp fall color for this hanging towel and dishcloth matching set

I like the edging on this dishcloth best.

I just used a 5DC shell stitch without any other stitches in between.

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I'm thinking of stockpiling these and maybe do a craft show next year.  Do you think they'll sell?  I'd bundle the 2 dishcloths with another in similar color that I made and do the matching hanging towel and dishcloth as a set.  Am I crazy or would these sell?  I'd have to get really busy if I want to do it.   

Kitchen Appliances Go Kaput

This week I was reading on one of my favorite websites and a lady wrote in that when a kitchen appliance dies that you should beware that it usually happens in 3s. Well, I'm almost there. This week, the door on the dishwasher wouldn't open. Finally, it did and a small piece of plastic popped out onto the floor. Luckily (I guess) it is still under warranty. We bought it in December last year. OK, repairman was here this morning and he has ordered parts and will be back in a week to install them.

Appliance #2, the microwave, started making a grinding noise reminiscent of a rock tumbler! I decided it might not be wise to use it (duh, ya think?? lol). We happened to mention it to the repairman and he said that it would be better to get a new one. DH is on the way to Lowes to pick-up one that is on sale. Folks, we are spoiled. I have been totally at a disadvantage this week with meal prep. I really admire my mom and other ladies who managed to put three hot squares on the table everyday and did it with only the ol' kitchen stove.

The repairman did give us a few helpful hints about maintaining our dishwasher. He said that no matter if your dishwasher has a built-in garbage disposal or not, never put dishes in that have food chunks stuck to them. He said that the commercials that show someone putting a cake in the washer to demonstrate its effectiveness will cause the pump to bog down and end up costing the consumer for repairs or replacement. Another good hint was to every now and then run a cup of bleach through an empty washer to kill germs and molds that grow in all dishwashers because the drainpipes contain water that breeds these evils. The third tip he gave was to help minimize the build-up of minerals on the heating element, every now and then run the dishwasher (empty) with a cup of vinegar in the bottom. It's the same principal as using vinegar to clean a coffee maker. Hope these hints and my rambling on has given you some good advice or entertainment! Hugs to all of you...