WIP Wednesday (16 May 2012)

Yep, it's another baby blanket. I have a cousin expecting twins and I want to make baby blankets for each of the precious little ones. Problem is, I don't know if they're going to be boys, girls or one of each. What I'm doing is gambling on at least 1 little girl and I'm making this in girly colors. No one in my family reads my blog so I can post this here without spoiling the surprise. Just started this last night so not too much progress yet.

I might live in a different state but I can "cuddle" the little ones with baby blankets.  I have some bright yarn in my stash that will make a great boy version of this blanket too. I plan to make both blankets out of the same pattern but different colors and other slight variations.

Signing off now....




Ripple Crochet Patterns

Baby Blue Blanket

Hi everyone. I made this out of a basic granny square. I edged it with shell stitches. The blue is Paton's Me Mine yarn and the edge is out of Red Heart Buttercup. I love this yarn except that finished objects made from these yarns have to be hand-washed and dried flat.  I'm fortunate that my machine has a hand-wash cycle and things like this I put in a large mesh bag and wash them in the  machine. Here's the pictures:

A closer look at the edging--

That's it for this post! Have a good evening.

I Saw This Old Article...

Read this article this morning and I must share it with you. It's about the world's largest yarn stash. WOW! Looks more like the interior of a yarn store rather than an individual's stash. Check it out here. Maybe you've seen this before but it's great to go back to it and show hubby when he asks "Don't you have enough yarn?" Nope dear, I haven't even come close to having a big enough stash. "Big enough"-- I'm not sure how to define the meaning of those two words.

A $2 haul in 2008 added to stash. ;)

This is it for now. Hugs...

Storage for yarn idea

Monday's Link to Free Crochet Pattern

I'm looking at finishing up a few bigger projects and then when the weather is really hot, I'll be concentrating on some smaller projects. One thing I'd like to make is a set of golf club covers. Hubby used to golf, but hasn't in quite a while so maybe if I make some covers for his clubs he'll take the time to hit the links and enjoy himself. Here's a nice set.

Have a great week everyone!

A Bit of Catching Up

First and foremost, I want to send out positive wishes for Mothers Day to all of you who have ever "mothered" anyone. You may be a traditional mom, a single mom or even a dad who fills the shoes of a mom. To all of you, may you have a blessed day.

Thanks going out to Christy of Crochet Happiness. She had a giveaway and I won! She gave away a spool knitter. I used to have one of those a while ago but it broke. Now, I have a nice, sturdy one. I had fun playing with it the other night as I watched television. Thank you Christy!

The other day when I went to Hobby Lobby in Louisville, I did not find the yarn to make a border/edging for the blue baby blanket. I did however, find a yarn I like at Meijers. I should be finishing this up very soon.

Ray was getting my flower boxes ready to go on the front porch. A few wave petunias and some transplanted vine-like plants should do the trick . He's a good guy when he wants to be. ;)

I've been trying to work up a pattern for a clothes pin bag. I bought some clothes line at Dollar Tree. This yarn is made of 3 strands. Ray helped me divide the strands--a real pain in the behind (the job, not Ray lol). This stuff is a bit more difficult to crochet with. It's not impossible, just seems like it takes more energy and I'd have to stop frequently and rub my hands and shake them out. Besides the sore hands, I am liking it. What I've made so far has used up an entire "skein" of the clothes line. Here's a few pics:

I think I've caught up for now. Have a great week. Hugs to all....

A WIP I Forgot

I forgot about this wip and found it the other day and recommenced working on it. Geez, that CADD and Old-Timers is really kicking in here. It's going to be a baby blankie when it grows up is finished. Anyway, I'm just using the basic granny square design for this. The yarn is soft and fluffy--Be Mine by Patons that I got cheap some time ago. I was on the hunt this morning for a unique background for the picture. I think I failed in that when I used the bushes in front of the house. There's only so many places to take pictures around here. Maybe I should have made my bed since my comforter is a pretty blue and tan design that might have looked nice, maybe next time. ;) Here it is (alas it's a bit dark-looking):

I'm going to Louisville today and Hobby Lobby is there so I'm going to look for a contrasting color yarn to use as the border. Speaking of border, is the correct term border or is it edging or does it really matter? I seem to use both terms interchangeably.

Take care everyone, I'm off to get ready to go to the "big" city!

Granny Mandala Is Finished

I loved doing this. It was relatively quick and didn't require too much concentration so I was able to listen to an audio book as I did it. Here's the pic:

I didn't have quite enough yarn to make it solid white so I thought that the yarn I chose for the last round worked out fairly well. My walls are painted a little darker green that what was in the yarn so it's a close match. I used ww cottons to make this. I did a quick block-job by using my steam iron and shaping it as I ironed. 

Here's the pattern link if you would like to have it.

Take care everyone...

See Avenue Plus Size Clothing for your summer wardrobe.

WIP Wednesday (09 May 2012)

I started a granny mandala last night. The plan is to make it in solid white but if I run out of yarn then I'll make the last row in a coordinating color. I think I'll put this on my dining room table. Here it is:

A tutorial for making these is found here if anyone is interested.

Hugs...

Homemade Window Cleaner

I ran out of window cleaner and decided to make my own. I went to this webpage and tried recipe #2 because it looked simple, made a small batch and I had all the ingredients. It does a so-so job of cleaning. I'm not terribly impressed with it so I'm going to try another recipe later on. Does anyone make their own and if so, are you willing to share your recipe?


From Amazon: The Pantry Cleaner--Kindle and print versions

No Wonder Why I Need to Dust!

Monday's Link to Free Crochet Pattern

Here's a link to a lacy afghan that would be perfect for those summer evenings that have a chill in the air. Enjoy everyone!

Pink Wavy Round Ripple Baby Blanket

Finished a baby blanket last night. I'm pretty happy with this one. I do have to do a quick wash and block it though because it has a slight "ruffliness" to it. I based it on this pattern but did my own edging. My doll Rosie likes it ;).

The edging:

I'm working on a blue baby blanket now; more on that later.

Y'all have a great week!


Shop Amazon - Mother's Day Gifts

Win Recycled Silk Yarn

Here's another interesting contest. You can win silk yarn that is made from vintage saris. Go to http://stitchandunwind.com/new-yarn-giveaway-from-allfreecrochetafghanpatterns/ and check it out.

Chance to Win "The Best of Interweave"

Go here for your chance to win a copy of "The Best of Interweave." Good luck blogger buddies! :)

No crocheting yesterday, and I don't know if I'll have time to do any today :(. Doing some work in the yard. My new Kindle Fire should be here today and I've been like a kid waiting for Santa Claus! So, I'm going to be hard-pressed trying to concentrated on my chores when it gets here.

Take care everyone...:)

Great Tuesday

Today when dh and I were sitting on the patio, we were watching all the wildlife in our backyard. A cardinal was in the birdbath sprucing up while a robin was in her nest in a bend of the gutter. A rose-breasted grosbeak was also chowing down at the bird feeder too.A chipmunk was eating from the bird feeder and a silly squirrel was doing acrobatics trying to get the bird food too! Here's a look at the limber squirrel eating from the bird feeder:

Really need to fix the one feeder!

I also went to get some plants and seeds for the garden. Derby weekend is almost here and that's the right time to get gardens in here in Kentucky.

The egg cartons have flower seeds in them that I started the other day.

I had to go to 4 different places to find cucumber plants. I don't need many of them, just enough to eat through the summer so I didn't get seeds. So, we're going to have tomatoes, cucumbers, broccoli, potatoes, watermelon, zucchini, strawberries, cabbage and green beans. I also got a few perennials that were marked down. Love the flowers but not the prices.

Hope everyone's having a fun week. Take care...

Monday's Link to Free Crochet Pattern (30 April 2012)

Here's a cute pair of baby booties to crochet. They look like cowboy boots complete with spurs! This is an interesting pattern and small enough to make on those hot summer days that are coming up. Enjoy!

Not Much Going on Today

Not too much is going on today. I'm washing clothes and I'll be putting them on the clothes line in a few minutes.  Ummmmm, having some Starbucks coffee. Nah, I'm not a coffee snob, I just get such a good deal on it at a salvage grocery store in Louisville that I've been buying it lately. Another thing I've been wasting time on doing is making stick figures  online. Here's my little empty nest family--

Okay, I don't hear the washer anymore, time to hang some clothes. Think I'll work on a baby blanket while I watch the clothes dry. Take care....

Another Quick, I Want to Share with You Posts ;)

I saw this and thought it was so cute and fun that I wanted to pass it on with you. This blog shows you how to make scratch off tickets! Check it out!

I'm so excited! For over a year I've been saving points from various things I'm doing on the Internet and finally had enough to cash in for gift cards at Amazon and I bought a Kindle Fire. Whoo, hoo! I love my 3G Kindle and I'm like a kid at Christmas time waiting for my Fire.

Y'all enjoy your weekend...

Make Your Own Buttons

One of my friends on Facebook posted this link and I have to share it with you before I forget. Here's how to make your own buttons out of bone rings or other similar round objects. Really great idea when you consider how expensive buttons have gotten. Here's the link .

Shawl Is Done!

Here's the finished shawl.

 Closeup of the Edge--

For the edging, I made shells out of triple crochet. I ended up with less than 3 inches to weave in of the darker yarn!

Next project is started. I'm making a baby blanket out of pink and off-white. Not sure if  I'm going to use another color or not. I have to make up my mind soon.

We got our garden tilled up today. Down here, folks say to plant your garden on Derby weekend and that's coming up soon.

Later my friends...

Quick Trip to Thrift Store Yesterday

I made a quick trip to the local thrift store yesterday just because I had a few dollars burning a hole in my pocket and also because I hadn't visited there for a while. I bought only 2 things but I'm pretty darned happy with what I got.

The first thing I got was a pretty summer top in new condition. It's an Old Navy brand and was only $3. It should go with most everything because it's white and I think it may look nice belted with a sash to wear with a broomstick skirt--I'll have to check this out though..

And then for $5, I got this serving dish that matches my Pfaltzgraff dishes. I'm always on the look out for odds and ends to match these except I do not need any more plates (I have 70+), saucers or coffee cups. Serving pieces and bowls are what I'm scoping out.

There's a story about these dishes. When dh and I were newlyweds, he brought me back a basic set of these dishes from the Navy Exchange overseas in the Philippines. There were only 4 place settings so I  kept them packed away like a sentimental keepsake or something. I started finding odds and ends of this design at thrift stores and yard sales. I have an aunt who is seemingly able to find anything and she bought me a gazillion pieces too. So for the last 10 years we have been using these dishes. DH doesn't like them because they get very hot in the microwave so I keep a couple odd plates just to reheat things on. I love these dishes and the thoughtfulness of my non-domestic husband surprising me with the original set. Sometimes he amazes me. :)

Only 2 more rows to go on my shawl! I've been bad about keeping up with weaving in the ends when I change colors at the end of every row. Maybe I can "hide the ends" to take a picture in the next day or too so you can see the "finished" project. ;)

Have a great weekend everyone!

Pfaltzgraff Dishes Available at Amazon

A Bit of Musical Humor for You Today

I've had this sitting in my email box for quite a while meaning to share it with you but oh, well, it's that darned old timers making me forgetful. Anyway, what was I saying??? Oh yeah, I want to share this funny musical video with you. Enjoy everyone!

Just Letting You Know--

I found a yarn giveaway. Go to allfreeknitting and put in your entry. There will be 5 winners and each winner will receive 2 skeins of Alp Natural yarn. Good luck everyone!

Hmmm, What's Wrong with this Picture??

I was looking at the picture of the shawl I'm working on and I realized that the spacing between the groups of  3 double crochets, seems to have a bigger "gap" between them since I picked up this project to work on after not doing anything with it for a while. See what I mean?

Then I realized that I didn't put the ch 1 between the sets of  3 dc when I first started! I sometimes get confused because all "basic granny" patterns are not the same. Some have the ch 1 between the groups of  3 dc and some don't. Some patterns have a ch 2 in the corners and some have a ch 1. I'm so confused! The pattern I'm using doesn't say to put the ch 1 between the groups so I should have reread the pattern before I resumed work on this. If this was only a single color I would frog it but I'm going to say that I wanted a smaller "gap" at the top/neck of the shawl to make it warmer around the neck. Yep, that's my story and I'm sticking to it!

Comes in Ebook format too!

WIP Wednesday for 25 April 2012

I've started working on one of my ufos and I should be finishing it up soon. It's going to be a nice, warm shawl that I plan to wear with jeans or denim skirts this fall and winter. The yarn I'm using is Caron Dazzleaire that I found at the Dollar Tree.

Here's a look at my progress:

A closeup look at the yarn:

The pattern I'm using is very basic. I found it somewhere on the Internet years ago and neglected to include the url or other reference. If someone knows who to give credit to let me know, but it is such a basic thing that it might not belong to anyone. Anyway, here it is:

Basic Half Granny Square Shawl:
Ch 4
Row 1: 2dc ch2 3dc in fourth Ch from hook. Ch 3 turn. (ch3 = first dc now and throughout)
Row 2: 2dc in first dc, (3dc ch2 3dc) in next sp (in between 3dc groups), 3 dc in top of turning chain. Ch 3 turn.
Row 3: 2dc in first dc, 3 dc in next sp, (3dc ch2 3dc, Point made) in next
sp, 3dc in next sp, 3dc in last dc.
Repeat row 3 until the shawl is the desired size. Then add a border, fringe or finish however else you may want.


And here's my never-ending piece of work--Nellie Belle!

Don't Forget Mother's Day.

Not Happy with Blogger...

Don't care for this new blogger. Had a hard time posting pictures--said I didn't have enough room to post more.  Then it let me do it. I wonder what is going on??? With this new layout, I forget to put labels on my posts and this will make it harder for me to find certain posts in the future. I also forgot to put the title on because of where the new spot is to put one. Hmmmm......

Pink Chenille Scarf

I made this scarf from a stitch pattern I found in The Complete Photo Guide to Crochet. This book is great to learn new stitches/designs from. Because one end was scalloped and the other straight, I made 2 sections of the same size and whipped stitched them together so both ends had the scalloped look to them. I used a chenille-type yarn from my stash Hobby Lobby and it is so soft. I think I made this a bit big but that's okay; I can wrap it around my neck a few times for extra warmth. Here's the pics:

I'm also working on a ufo shawl that I started a few months ago and put aside because it has lots of ends to weave in and that sometimes frustrates me. I really want to finish it because it's starting to look nice. That's a picture for another day.
It's really been chilly here the last week or two. Hope y'all are staying warm! Take care...

Monday's Link to Free Crochet Pattern (23 April 2012)

I've been looking at many afghan patterns lately online and in some books I have. I ran across this one and really thought it was cute although not necessarily what I'm looking for at the present time.  What is nice about this one is it would probably be one that a boy would like and sometimes it is hard to find things to crochet for boys.

Have to get to the post office today. I'm way overdue mailing something out...Sometimes it is tough being a hermit. Take care everyone and y'all have a great week....

Shop Amazon - Mother's Day Gifts

Love This Square But...

Love this:

But not this:

Gee, my walls look a strange color here. 

I think I might use these squares as accent squares but not to do the entire afghan. I think it took me about 20 minutes to weave in the ends on one square so it would take quite a few hours to weave the ends in on all the squares in an afghan.

Looking for a Pattern

I have promised to make a queen size afghan for a friend of mine, my choice of patterns. It is for another Minnesota Vikings fan so it will be in purple, white and gold. I was thinking I could enlarge this pattern enough to make it the right size and play around with the placement of the squares to make a really interesting look to it. I'm still searching in case I can find something "better." I know that with the weather warming up, I don't want something too big to work on so squares seem the way to go. I am definitely open to suggestions about other patterns. Send me your ideas....

Hope everyone is having a great weekend! Take care....


Caron Natura 1-lb. Yarn at Amazon

Today's Project Is a Purple Scarflette

Just whipped this up today. I saw some purple novelty yarn in my stash and decided to make this as a quick project to use up some novelty yarn called "Knitting Funky Fringe' and a partial skein of purple yarn. I used a wave stitch and kept on going until I used two things of the novelty yarn.  Maybe I should have used a more lacy stitch to show off the yarn. Anyway, here's a picture:

Y'all have a nice weekend....

Baby Blues Sweater...

It's finished! I frogged the collar and crocheted shells around the neckline. I sewed ribbons to the top to have a pretty closure. I also applied fray check to the ends of the ribbons to well, prevent fray. ;) Anyway, I am so glad it is done. Here's the finished product:

Oops, looks like I didn't smooth the front down before snapping a pic.  The color is off in this picture, the sweater is darker blue and the background is actually sage green and rust stripes. The sweater is going to get a quick wash and then put in my gift drawer. 

Think I  may resume work on a shawl that is currently languishing in UFO limbo.

Take care y'all...