18 March 2014

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.



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. 


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

17 March 2014

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

Chick

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.





16 March 2014

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

03 March 2014

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

17 February 2014

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




15 February 2014

Another Pair of Slippers--5 More Pairs to Go...

This is a man's pair of slippers. 5 more pairs of slippers to go! The latest pair shown below is made of one strand of navy blue and one strand of black yarns.


Hope everyone is enjoying their weekend.

Hugs,
Sharon

13 February 2014

Slipper Socks for a Man

Once again, I am showing you a pair of slippers. These are for a man. The yarn I used for these was 1 strand of Red Hearts Team Spirit yarn in navy blue and white and one strand of navy blue. Here they are...


Take care everyone.

Hugs,
Sharon

Thursday's Tricks (13 February 2014)

Since I'm getting ready to go on a trip I'm going to share a few travel trips that I learned to follow the hard way.
  • If you pack medications in a pill keeper, put a piece of tape on the lid to keep it shut. Fold under one end of the tape so that it is easy to grab and pull off. After my meds bounced around in my carry-on, the pill keeper popped open and I had medicinal crumbs all over the inside of my bag.

  • Before you pack the clothes you are taking with you, inspect them to ensure they fit, are in good repair and aren't stained. A friend recently packed some brand new clothes without trying on before packing and unfortunately they didn't fit.


  • After missing a connecting flight because of weather, I learned to always put in my carry-on bag basic hygiene necessities such as deodorant, tooth brush, paste and also a clean set of undies. :-)



Hope you're having a good week and are staying warm.

Hugs,
Sharon

11 February 2014

Slippers for a Child

I'm still churning out slippers. These are a pretty peach and green color; the color isn't "true" in my lighting. Many more pairs to finish before the end of the month. I should really stockpile these because most people seem to like them unless they have tender feet then the ridges seem to be irritating.

Here's the picture of the latest pair:


Take care everyone and hugs to all...
Sharon

10 February 2014

Monday's Link to Free Crochet Pattern (10 February 2014)

I keep coming back to this pattern. I love the classy look of this hat. I make it with a larger hook so that my hair doesn't get mashed down so much.   Here are a couple of my versions of this hat. On the variegated version I put a flower instead of a bow.








09 February 2014

Hash Browns and the Waffle Iron

A few days ago I posted pictures of hash browns cooking in a waffle iron. Last night I tried this myself and it worked out great! I have a small waffle iron and since there are only 2 of us it worked out great. I used frozen hash browns and cooked them on the waffle iron after spraying the waffle iron with Pam cooking spray. They turned out great and weren't greasy at all!  My opinion of these--definitely a winning recipe and will do again.

Place frozen hash browns on preheated waffle iron that has been sprayed with Pam


Close the lid and latch. Cook until steaming is almost gone.

Check once in a while to see if they're done to your taste.

Put a little ketchup on and YUMMY!








08 February 2014

Another Pair of Slippers

This pair of slippers is the regular size for men. The yarn I used was one strand of red from Caron pounders and the other strand was a navy and white color from Red Hearts Team Spirit line. I like the patriotic look of these. Here they are:


These slippers are great during the cold winter months. My feet are very cold, has something to do with thyroid problems, and I make the women's slippers from this pattern and often wear them over socks to bed at night to keep the ol' tootsies warm.

Hope y'all are staying warm and cozy.

Hugs,
Sharon




XL Slippers for a Man


Here's a pair of slippers that I made for a large man. It is hard to tell from the picture, but these slippers are a good-looking dark green and black color.

I haven't forgotten to show you the picture of the afghan I was working on. It is finished with the exception of weaving in a bunch of ends. 

Take care everyone and stay warm!

Hugs,
Sharon


07 February 2014

Testing, Testing Thursday's Tricks...

After yesterday's post, I decided to test the scrambled egg in a shell. I shook a few eggs up, I thought maybe I'd have some golden yellow eggs and some marble-like eggs if I didn't shake them too much. Well, it must take a heck of a lot of Richard Simmons-type shaking to end up with golden yellow hard-boiled eggs because I ended up with plain ol' hard-boiled eggs. I did some googling and found this page and the following video.





I put my egg in a pair of panty-hose (am I the only one who still wears these?) and spun it around and around about a dozen times.


I cooked my egg and couldn't even wait until it was cooled before I started peeling it. Alas, another failure...


I think you need to use Home Depot's paint mixer to shake these babies up. What a disappointment. Has anyone had good luck doing this?




06 February 2014

Thursday's Tricks

I saw a posting that had some great tricks for cooking. Here are 2 of them that I think are interesting and helpful.

I would never have come up with this idea on my own but it looks like a super easy way to make hash browns. Spread out a layer of grated potatoes in your preheated waffle iron then cook 'em up.  I'm not sure if you use frozen ones or ones made from scratch but it may not matter anyway. Has anyone tried this?

To get a yellow hard-boiled egg, you are supposed to shake the egg before boiling it. I don't think I need to remind you not to hold the egg too tightly when shaking it lol.  I think these eggs would be great in potato salad or sliced on chefs salad or just to munch on. I'm going to test this and let you know how it turns out. Let me know if you tried this and how yours turned out.

That's it for now. Take care...
--Sharon

05 February 2014

Baby It's Cold Outside!

I shouldn't be a cry baby because it really doesn't get as cold here in Kentucky as it does in the more northern states. I am a cry baby about being in extreme temperatures though I do appreciate the beauty of the ice we seem to have an abundance of today. Here's a glimpse of what you'd see if you were at my home today.







I don't know where the falling snow came from in this one. I thought I took a still photo.