Thursday's Tricks (03 April 2014)

Put Your Dishwasher on Double Duty

You've finally learned how to load it correctly, but are you really taking full advantage of your dishwasher's scour power? A dishwasher can reach 155 degrees Fahrenheit to kill bacteria — just the ticket for sanitizing some of the more unsavory items in your household. Tossing these 10 soiled staples in the dishwasher will save time when hand washing or the washing machine just doesn't hold water.

Rubber boots and flip flops*. Freshen your step from summer's sweaty buildup by placing shoes horizontally in the dishwasher rack (make sure to remove the boot liners before hitting START).  Add a little baking soda to the mix for extra deep cleaning.

Plastic hair brushes. To zap all the dirt, skin and debris that collect in the bristles, first use a comb to remove all the excess hair. Then, toss brushes in the quickest cycle available and finish the job by running the dry cycle.  Note: Do not wash brushes with wooden handles

Stove burner grates. A hassle to clean by hand but a dream to throw in your dishwasher's bottom rack.

Potatoes. Yes, potatoes! Lay them flat in a dish or place them on the top rack and give them a bath in the rinse cycle sans detergent. A lifesaver during the holidays.

Baseball caps*. While caps can lose their shape in the washing machine, they do magnificently well in the dishwasher. The normal cycle is all it takes to tidy up these toppers.

Athletic accessories*. There's nothing like the smell of ripe sports paraphernalia to make the whole family run screaming out the door. Shin guards and knee pads are safe for the top rack. Just skip the dry cycle.

Dish sponges. Often the germiest frenemies in the entire kitchen, dish sponges can be successfully sanitized in the dishwasher with the rest of your dishes through a full wash and dry cycle.

Plastic or metal-handle garden tools. No wooden handles, please.

Refrigerator shelving. Newer models are usually dishwasher safe, but consult your user's manual to be certain. You may have to do some maneuvering to fit the shelves in the bottom rack.

Toothbrushes*. Sterilize brushes in the top rack. Your dentist will thank you.

*Avoid washing with dirty dishes

Tip: items that should NOT be placed in the dishwasher include:
Wood (it warps)
Cast iron (it rusts)
Crystal (it cracks)

The above hints are from Scott Brand. Go to their web site for more helpful hints and coupons too.

Dishwasher Clean/Dirty Magnets

3 Projects I Want to Chuck out the Window!!!

Yes, you read that title right, I have 3 projects I want to toss out the window and forget I ever started them. 

• The 1st I talked about last week. It is painfully slow making this men's hat.  Maybe it's not the hat, maybe it's my CADD (crochet attention deficiet disorder) and this hat is largely made out of slip stitches so it takes forever to get anywhere with it.

Should look like

(Picture courtesy of Ravelry)

Mine

• The 2nd project is a deerstalkers hat. Love the look of this and thought it would make a nice gift for someone. The problem is, after working 91 rounds, I don't know where to attach the brim. I mean theoretically, I know where it goes, but I just don't know where to put it if that makes sense to you. I was going to take a picture of what I've done so far but I couldn't find it so chances are I did toss it out the window and it's blowing in the wind as the old song goes. 

Should look like

(picture from here at freepatterns.com)

• The 3rd project, the zen sweater designed by Doris Chan, almost has me crying in my beer because it should be so beautiful. I have frogged and frogged this baby more times than I can count and it needs to be frogged again. I should have 12 fans at this stage and I only have 10. I should have known this was going to be a problem when I ordered light gray yarn and I ended up with a light tan.

Should look like

(Picture courtesy of Ravelry) 

Mine

So, the plan right now is to work on the 1st project I wrote about here and get it done and out of the way. Then move on to the zen sweater and lastly the deerstalker hat if I haven't really tossed it out the window.

That's all for now...

Hugs,

Sharon

Monday's Link to Free Crochet Pattern (31 March 2014)

picture courtesy of Lion Brand

This slouchy beanie is a free pattern available at Lion Brand. I think this would be a great hat for the guys and the girls you make things for. These hats are made of super bulky weight yarn and will have you quickly churning them out hand over fist.

Crochet Hat Patterns on Your Kindle

Ta Da--a Finished Scarf

Gosh, I love this pattern. It's the 3rd time I've made a scarf from it. It lends itself very well to being made into a longer or shorter scarf. Here's my latest version of it--

Pattern

Ravelry Link

The yarn I used was Red Heart with Love and the color is Fruit Punch. This yarn is a bit pricier than Red Heart Super Saver but not that much more. It is very soft--like a much more expensive yarn.  Nope, I'm not getting paid to promote this yarn, just freely giving my 2 cents worth.

Here's another project off to the gift drawer. It is very nice now that no one smokes in the house because I don't have to wash everything before I give it away. Now, I mainly pre wash baby items and larger items like afghans that have had to withstand Nellie Belle sneaking in for some cuddle-time with them.

Take care everyone.

Hugs,
Sharon

Blog Background Went POOF!

Editted--The Cutest Blog on the Block is back. I checked 31 March 2014.--Sharon

Just threw this pic in here for the heck of it!

My blog background disappeared and as I was snooping around trying to find out what happened, I discovered that "the cutest blog on the block" had disappeared and with it my blog background. At first, I was kind of aggravated about it. Then, I started thinking that how kind it actually was of the designer to offer for free the backgrounds (s)he put time and talent into designing. I did find the new background for my blog at Blog Designs by Dani.  So, if your blog background went "poof" and your blog looked like it was loading for an extremely long time, then the host for your background may have gone out of business.

Take care everyone.

Hugs,
Sharon




Google Blogger For Dummies

Here's a Finished Hat

I was confused a few times making the trim on this hat and frogged the trim a few times but eventually I got it. Pattern is called Julia's Hat designed by Natasha Robarge from the magazine Interweave Crochet Accessories Special Issue 2010.  I've had this magazine since probably 2010 and this is the first time I've made something from it. If you don't have the magazine, the pattern is available for download at Ravelry for $5.50. Might be more economical to see if you can get the magazine on interlibrary loan or borrow it from a friend. I had fun making this hat but I don't think it was fun enough to make this my go-to hat pattern for ladies. Anyway, here's my pics--

This hat did use up some left-over yarn--yay!!!

Take care everyone!

Hugs,

Sharon

Subscribe to Interweave Crochet print edition

Subscribe to Interweave Crochet Kindle edition

I Like This Hat but...

This is a boring hat pattern. I think it is boring because many of the stitches used are slip stitches and the hat grows very slowly and I lose interest quite often. I do like the appearance of the completed hat so it's up in the air whether or not I'll finish this hat or it will end up stuck in the corner of a closet as another ufo. I have some yarn I ordered at WalMart that I need to pickup for another project.

Take care everyone. 

Hugs,

Sharon

Buttons - Navy Pea Coat 1 Dz - Black

Thursday's Tricks (27 March 2014)

The following hints for using microfiber cloths come from my husband's favorite newspaper and online columnist--Heloise.

Uses for Microfiber Cloths

Auto
Keep several microfiber cloths underneath the front seat of your vehicle. Use them to dust off the dashboard, radio and steering wheel.

Bathroom, Kitchen
Store a couple of microfiber cloths in these locations because they will clean and shine the chrome, spiff up mirrors and are great for wiping off the sink. When the cloths become dirty, toss them into the washing machine.

Pets
Freshen up your dog by lightly dampening a microfiber cloth with water and wiping over its fur. If your cat or dog needs to get the gunk out of its eyes, a microfiber cloth will do the job nicely. And if your pet, like Cabbie, my miniature schnauzer, gets a dirty beard after eating, the cloth will remove that food crud.

Plants
To take dust off live or artificial leaves, lightly dampen a microfiber cloth and wipe over the leaves. This will also add a bit of moisture to the real plants too.

Visit Heloise's page to read more of her helpful hints.


Microfiber Cloths

Monday's Link to Free Crochet Pattern (24 March 2014)

Twinkie Chan, the upbeat lady of crochet offers this free tutorial on crocheting a cupcake-shaped dishcloth.

Flour Sack Dish Towels

Thursday's Tricks (20 March 2014)

• Make a zigzag pattern with hot glue on common plastic hangers to keep shirts from slipping off hanger.

• Use buttons to keep pairs of earrings together for storage and travel.

Today's tricks come from Craft Passions. See this page to read a few more tricks that are up her sleeves..

Hints from Heloise Books

A UFO--Now a FO

That's right, I've now turned an unfinished object into a finished one!  This poor afghan has been languishing since the holidays waiting to get the ends woven in. Last night I finished it and washed it. Now it is time to get my rear in gear and get it to the post office. I made this so long ago that I don't know where I got the pattern from. I know it was from a magazine and I went through my stack of them and couldn't find it. When I run across that pattern I'll let you know where you can find it if you want it. Lucy at Attic 24 has a similar pattern except that it's more of a tutorial and doesn't tell you how big it will be and I don't like surprises especially if I'm buying yarn specifically for a project. I like knowing approximately how much or little of a color I need. Anyway, here's the picture--

 I love the autumn like colors of this one.

Take care everyone. Spring is coming!

Hugs,
Sharon

Crochet Magazines from Amazon

Another Hat and a Scarf

Here's a couple more projects I did on vacation. Here's another of the hats I seem to be fond of. This one I used yarn I had picked up at a thrift store. It was $2 for the colors I used plus a few almost complete skeins of baby yarns.

pattern

For a little variety, I made a scarf. I had used this pattern one other time and liked it. I seem to fall back to the familiar things and sometimes have to talk myself into leaving my comfort zone and trying different patterns. 

Pattern

Recovering from the upper respiratory infection that I became laid up with virtually as soon as we got back to Kentucky; I noticed that my fingers stiffened up but after a little bit of crocheting they loosened up and felt ok again. Crochet-- a stress reducer and a great boon for arthritic hands too!

Take care everyone!

Hugs,
Sharon

Free (but don't know for how long)--12 Halloween Crafts to Crochet: DIY Home Decor

Halloween Costume Ideas, and More 

Large Selection of Crochet Hooks

How to Make a Magic Circle.

This came from Facebook and I thought it was well worth while to share it. I've been lazy learning how to make a magic circle so this tutorial will come in handy. Oh, and if you click on it, it will enlarge the tutorial picture and then it will be easier to read.

That's all for now. Time for nighty-night. ;)

Monday's Link to Free Crochet Pattern

Here's a pattern for a cute little chick that would look great in someone's Easter basket. It is hard to believe that it is Lent and that our schools are having a snow day. I'll be so glad when the weather warms up.

Easter Basket Goodies

A Few Hats I Made on Vacation--

I got off the slipper kick for a while and made some some hats. I used a pattern that I have previously used but modified it by putting a flower and a button on the side instead of a bow. Here's the ones I made:

I love the brightness of the yellow hat and I wonder why we wear darker things in the winter. It might cheer us up to wear bright things. As I'm typing away about bright clothes in the winter I'm going to tell you that the 3rd and 4th pictures are of the hat that I'm going to keep for myself--the darkest of the batch. Guess it's hard to break old habits. ;)

Take care everyone...







Chargers for Cell Phones

Monday's Link to Free Crochet Pattern (03 March 2014)

Here's a cute newsboy slouch hat pattern. I've always wanted to make a newsboy hat but so far I've been distracted by other projects. Maybe I'll get to this one soon since I still have some time before I get in a bind with making things for Christmas.

Have fun!
Sharon

Luggage at Amazon

Monday's Link to Free Crochet Pattern (24 February 2014)

Here's a sweet pair of baby booties that resemble ugg boots. This pattern comes in 4 sizes for babies.

Take care,
Sharon

Monday's Link to Free Crochet Patterns (17 February 2014)

Granny squares make beautiful afghans and other crocheted items. There are many, many different types of squares. Here is one I found on the Internet for you.

The pattern is in symbols here. I'm not too good at reading the symbols but I'm learning.

Have a great week everyone!

Hugs,
Sharon

Amazon has Yarn!!!