Monday's Link to Free Crochet Pattern (06 May 2013)

Next month is June and many weddings take place in this month. Here's a pattern for a wedding related afghan. There's still time to make one if you plan to gift some newlyweds with an afghan.

Have a great week everyone!




More Wedding Cake Toppers

I'm Baaack!

Yep, I've been gone from here for much of the time lately. Need to catch up with my blog reading and all that. Today I'm sharing my latest finished object. Ta Dah--it's an afghan made of granny squares! I've been piddling around with this one for quite a while now. Sometimes I suffer from lack of motivation when it comes to working with squares although, granny square afghans are some of my favorites to have and see. This goes to a high school chum now living in Florida. I wanted to get it to her in time for her birthday but that's Tuesday and I don't think the post office is fast enough. Anyway, she's also been in the hospital lately too so I need to be sure and get to the post office first thing tomorrow. Afghan's in the wash now and tomorrow it's off to the post office.

Time to start my next project--a Spiderman Baby/Toddler 'Ghan.

Have a great week everyone.

Hugs, Sharon

Thank You

Thank you for all your prayers. They helped locate my friend's granddaughter. She's been found--alive but a bit battered. I won't go into details because she's only 14. Again, thank you so very much for your prayers.

Missing Girl

Found!

My friend's granddaughter is missing. Please, if you see her, or know where she is then please call the Hemet, California Police Departmet at Phone: (951) 765-2400 .

"My daughter Angelisa Whisnant ran away from homeland CA last night at 12:30...she may be in Hemet....she is mentally handicapped and requires meds...ANGELISA MOMMY LOVES YOU SO VERY MUCH..PLEASE PLEASE COME HOME!!" (from facebook)

She takes medications that she needs.

Please share this if you know someone in the Hemet, California area.

Thank you very much.

Monday's Link to Free Crochet Pattern (29 April 2013)

Today's featured free pattern would be great for a musician. It's a scarf that resembles a musical keyboard.

Hope everyone is doing ok. I've been absent from blogland lately. Seems like life has gotten a bit busy lately. I hope to have something to share with you soon.

Hugs,
Sharon

Shower Curtains

Monday's Link to Free Crochet Pattern (22 April 2013)

Tired of scrubbing those pots and pans that have food literally stuck to them? Here's a pattern that will help you with that chore.

Wishing everyone a great week.

Hugs,
Sharon

Monday's Link to Free Crochet Pattern (15 April 2013)

It's a Spiderman afghan! I love these afghan's and have already made a baby one and one for a child. Soon, I'm going to be making another one because our neighbor's daughter is expecting a baby and she's decorating the nursery in super heroes. The picture is of one I made a few years ago (not sure if I used this exact pattern or not).

Hugs,
Sharon

Let's Pause Our Lives for a Moment--

It's time to take a moment and pray for the people in Boston. I can not imagine anyone having so much anger that they would destroy innocent lives. People of Boston, America and much of the world is praying for you. 

As I was reading the news about this horrific event, I actually cried. I am flabbergasted at the amount of hatred in some people and groups to do this. 

For up-to-date information, CNN's blog has the latest news.

Spring Is in the Air

Spring is in the air in our neck of the woods.

I almost wish that dandelions were more "controllable." They're a pretty, cheerful yellow and it would be nice to contain them in flower beds. Unfortunately, they're uncontrollable and plant themselves wherever they darn well please. The tiny violets that grow wild everywhere around here are very pretty too and I don't have any problem with them planting themselves wherever they please since they don't stand-out as much as the dandelions do.

Yesterday, the weather was beautiful--about 80 degrees and sunny with a little bit of a breeze. Hubby brought home some petunias and I put together our hanging baskets and outdoor planters.

I know, they look kind of puny right now but, in a couple weeks they'll fill out and I paid a fraction of the price that pre-planted baskets cost. You can see my neighbor in the first picture tilling up our garden for us. Hubby asked to borrow his tiller but our nice neighbor came over and did it himself. Hubby is going to aerate the neighbors yard for him so it's a win-win situation.

We have a small tiller--a mantis. You may have seen them on television. Our soil isn't the best and it is better to use the big tiller to break ground in the spring. Hubby went to the store and came back with some manure this morning.

He's taking it out to the garden and will be working it in the soil with our mantis tiller.

Opi has been enjoying our weather too. A normally lazy boy, he's outdoors frolicking in the yard for long periods during the sun shiny times.

I've been working on my afghan some more. After my fiasco with using the wrong hook for about 1/2 of the squares I made I'm not sure if I'm going to meet my dead-line with this. Get motivated Sharon!

That's it for now. Y'all have a great day...

Hugs,

Sharon

Monday's Link to Free Crochet Pattern--One Day Late this Week :)

Thought I had scheduled yesterday's free pattern link but I didn't--my excuse is my old age disease called "old-timers". Anyway, I have a link to a pattern for a beautiful afghan. Go here and check it out! 

Upcoming Home Improvement Project

We're going to be gutting our main bathroom and redoing it. I've spruced up the old bathroom with color but it's still looking shabby so that's the reason we're going to redo the entire thing. My husband will be doing the majority of the work so this won't be a quick project. The other day, the new vanity was delivered. It's gorgeous--looks like an antique piece of furniture.

I'm totally in love with this! It's about a foot shorter than the old one but that's ok because the old one butted up next to the wall. We're going to be getting faucets that are finished in a bronze look.

I've been looking online at shower curtains but the ones I like are very expensive so I'll be shopping around a while longer for it. Amazon has 300+ pages of shower curtains that I've gone through so far. I may just have to go to actual stores.

This is all that's news today.

Take care and have a great weekend.

Sharon

I Did Something Dumb

Yes, I really did something dumb. I must have picked up a different sized hook when I was crocheting these squares because all 130 of them are done but I have 2 different sizes! I feel so stupid--grrrrrr!

Here's the big pile of 130 squares:

But notice the difference in size:

Time for a redesign of how I'm making this afghan. More on this fiasco later!

WIP Wednesday (03 April 2013)

I'm still cranking out granny squares for the afghan I'm making for a friend. It's rather boring to weave in soooo many ends and that makes me rather slow about making these. The end is coming closer though because I only have 1 round to do on the last 4 multicolored grannies! I've been weaving in the ends as I go along. Here's a large bag of squares that I've done so far whoo-whoo!

   

 I have most of the solid ones to do but I expect they'll be faster to make. Here's the layout I'm using for my squares:

 

I am really looking forward to sending this to my friend. She's a friend from high school and it was just a few years ago that we reconnected. She has some health issues and her sister and I wanted to do something nice for her--hence this afghan.

OK, I have nothing else. Take care everyone and have a great day.

Hugs,
Sharon

Garden Shears & Loppers

Monday's Link to Free Crochet Pattern (01 April 2013)

I love making round afghans and here's a pattern for a round rug that would be great to make too. Here's the link for this beautiful rug.

Hope everyone had a nice Easter.

Hugs,
Sharon

Easter Greetings

Greetings to you and your families on this important day. Let us not forget the ultimate gift of salvation that was given to us by our Lord.

Are You in the Dark?

If you find yourself trying to crochet and the lighting is too dim, then here's a giveaway that's for you.All Free Knitting is giving a Stitch Light by Buffy Ann Designs to one lucky winner.   If you've ever found yourself in a position where you're eager to get to work on your latest project, but there isn't enough light, you're about to meet a nifty little gadget that will change the way you work.  Introducing the Stitch Light: a portable, lightweight light-and-zippered-pouch combination that's ideal for both knitters and crocheters.  Whether you're working on a project on the couch and it's just a bit too dim or if you're out and about trying to finish up your latest design, this Stitch Light is bound to come in handy.  The digital LED light, which is battery operated using 3 AAA batteries, has three modes (bright, normal and flash) as well as a zoomable lense, meaning crafters can easily adjust the light to be as close to the work as desired.  So go here and put your entry in!

  More Ott Lights

Monday's Link to Free Crochet Pattern (25 March 2013)

Today's link is to an afghan made out of a variety of squares and shapes. It is designated as an easy pattern so even if your crochet skills are still being developed, you can create a beautiful afghan that will be appreciated for many years to come.

Our weather has been rainy and cold. I hope everyone is staying warm. Eventually we may see spring weather!

Hugs,
Sharon

WIP Wednesday--20 March 2013

I'm sloooowly turning out the granny squares for the afghan I'm making for an old high school chum with disabilities. I make the squares in batches of 5 because it makes me feel like I've accomplished something when I finish a batch. I know, sometimes I can be goofy.  Here's the "batch" I'm working on now.

Not much going on today. The mil came over for coffee and after she left, I went to the commissary on post to get some dog food and milk. I came home with over $200 of groceries. I should of had lunch before I left the house because I was hungry and started feeling starved as soon as I walked in the commissary's front door. I rarely go anywhere so I was surprised when I was driving back home to notice my gas light was on. Usually, I only put $20 in the tank at a time and it lasts me a month because I'm a hermit and don't go too many places. I filled my tank and I had to reminisce about the first new car I had. It was a 1980 Dodge Colt and it used to take $12 to fill it from dry to full. Those were the days of gas shortages too. Today it took $49 to fill from bone dry to topped off. I really miss those old days sometimes. 

Take care everyone and thanks for visiting...
Sharon

Two on Tuesday (19 March 2013)

• The gloominess and cold of winter is almost over! Spring pops up and the flowers bloom relieving the bleakness of winter.

First flowers to pop-up this year in our yard.

• When I was younger, I used to say I didn't care about clothing brands. Now that I'm a ripe old 56, I get "tickled" when I find "designer" brands at deep discounts at Burkes Outlet and Rugged Warehouse. I also choose certain brands because not all brands fit alike especially in pants (for me anyway). Bandolino is the way to go for my jeans and I find them at Sam's Club's locations (not online) or the PX at Ft. Knox for a very reasonable price when they get marked down.

That's it for now. Take care everyone!

Hugs,

Sharon

Monday's Link to Free Crochet Pattern (18 March 2013)

Have cold tootsies? This may be the pattern for you. These are some cute slippers. The flower on each slipper makes these cute and feminine. Check them out now. Thanks for looking.

Hugs,
Sharon


 

A "Thank You" and My Current Project (WIP)

Yesterday, the doorbell rang and it was our mailman with 2 packages in his hands. The 1st package was a box of cute buttons and ribbons--the expression "buttons and bows" is running through my mind now. I knew it was from a song so I couldn't resist including a video clip of the song sung by Bob Hope. Debi from Dly's Hooks and Yarn sent this to me because she is a nice lady. "Thank you" very much Debi. The other box was the yarn I ordered from Joanns because I was running short of this color for an afghan I'm making. It is only some Red Heart Super Saver but after checking 3 stores in person for this color I had to order this particular color from an online source and Joanns just happened to have it on sale--SCORE!  This project is working up rather slowly, it's made mostly from granny squares and I'm attempting to be disciplined about weaving in the ends as I make the squares so I don't have to face a gazillion of ends (only half a gazillion) to weave in after joining all the squares together. When I just went to Joanns to get their link information (to copy and paste here) I noticed they have a flat rate shipping of 7 cents today!

These are the crafty goodies sent to me by Debi of DLY's Hooks and Yarns. Her blog is similar to a treasure chest with all sorts of goodies inside. She shows some pretty projects she has created and there are many free patterns for you that she has developed and shares with all of us. Oh, and she's a nice person too!

I ordered 4 of these although I'll probably only need 1 or 2. It's better to have too much rather than too little.

This is the basic layout of the squares for this afghan. The "X "squares will be black and the "green dot" squares will be a 5 color granny--lots of end weaving going on here lol! I will probably treat this as one "giant" granny after all the squares are together and crochet a few times around the assembled squares and finish it up with a shell type edging/border. I still have a while to go on it. So far I have 80+ of the multi-colored grannies done and just a few of the solid black ones.

Color is a bit off here but this is the best I can do today with a gloomy day and artificial lighting. This is actually black, brown, dark sage green, a burgundy-ish, and gold colors. My table cloth color is in reality, cream!

This is about it for now other than an Irish wish for you today, St. Patrick's Day:

May you live a long life

Full of gladness and health,

With a pocket full of gold

As the least of your wealth.

May the dreams you hold dearest,

Be those which come true,

The kindness you spread,

Keep returning to you.

Have a happy St. Paddy's Day and a wonderful week.

Hugs,

Sharon 

Where's the Windows 8 Start Button???

A couple weeks ago, I got a new computer with Windows 8. My old computer operated on Vista so I was really surprised at the setup of the new Windows. I don't care for the smartphone looking start screen (maybe because my cell phone is low tech) so I go to the desktop. There are 2 problems with the desktop--if you have a 64 bit computer, you have to use java for 32 bit computer. No biggie really except when I went to update java, only the 64 bit updated and I had to install and update the 32 bit too. What really peeved me was the lack of a start button. I did some online sleuthing and found a free program that installs a start button. This free program is called Start Menu 8 and you can find it at CNET. Now that I have it I'm a happy computer-er. 

Might snow here tonight. I hope y'all are staying warm and cozy. That's it for now.

Later Gator,
Sharon

Freebies for E Readers

For those of you who enjoy reading romance novels, Harlequin offers a selection of free eBooks. They are in E Pub or pdf format but if your e reader uses a different format, you can download calibre to convert it to whatever your device uses. I'm always out for a good deal so I wanted to share this with you too.

Happy reading!

Edited:  Unfortunately, I discovered that for some reason Calibre will not convert these books. You can read them with Adobe Digital Edition Reader for your PC. There are other programs (not free) that you can use to convert these books so they can be read on Kindles but I know nothing about them. Sorry for misleading you, that wasn't my intention. I thought I found a good deal and wanted to share it.

More Kindles

Monday's Link to Free Crochet Pattern (11 March 2013)

Today's free pattern is for a simple dog sweater. I like this one because you don't have to make leg openings so it is an easy sweater for someone without much experience crocheting. A few years ago I made one for a friend's puppy and it worked up in no time.

Have a great week everyone!

More Crochet Patterns for Your Dog

A Previous UFO--Now a WIP

I am working on what was previously a neglected ufo. It will be an afghan when it's finished. I have promised to make an afghan for a friend and I had started one but it is buried somewhere in the yarn warehouse. I decided that since I've been procrastinating and struggling to regain my crochet mojo that I would finish this one since it is further along than the other one. It is just going to be made of simple granny squares and perhaps a wide border when I see how big it is when it's put together. Last night I played around with graph paper and figured out how I'm going to sew together the solids with the multi-colored squares. Stay tuned...

Finished Object Friday--08 March 2013

I'm trying to get back into my crocheting but I see to have the blahs and only end up making dishcloths lately. Maybe it's the gloominess of the sky and the cold weather that affect me this way. Anyway, here are the 2 dishcloths I finished this week.

Pattern

Hope everyone has a great weekend.