Monday's Link to Free Crochet Pattern (06 October 2014)

Lately, evenings have a chill in the air. There is still time to crochet a Christmas afghan. Here is a nice looking one, called Christmas Granny Afghan that would be great to curl up on the couch with to watch television, read a good book or surprise, surprise--crochet.

Doc McStuffins Toys

Monday's Link to Free Crochet Pattern (29 September 2014)

The weather is getting a little cooler especially the evenings. I like to break out a shawl to ward off the chilliness. Here is a pattern for a pretty looking shawl.

Hope y'all are doing well!
Sharon


Patterns for Shawls

Toddler Slippers for Boy and Girl

The toddler slippers I mentioned yesterday are finished. I think the pattern is cute and it's pretty easy too. I made one pair in boy colors and 1 pair for a girl. Here they are--

Pattern

Hope these fit the little people I made them for. 

It's great to be back with all of you again.

Hugs,
Sharon

I'm Still Here...

It is hard to believe that I have been gone from here for so long. Hubby and I went down to Florida for 3 weeks and worked on the trailer we bought for our winter home. It needs more work than we expected. Lesson learned--don't depend on a home inspector to give an honest opinion on what is good and what is not. I've been feeling rather strange lately and was just diagnosed with diabetes.

Anyway, we didn't have Internet in Florida and I fell behind on my blog. It has taken me a while to get back in the groove after not feeling too swift also. I have completed some smaller projects and an afghan and I  want to share some pictures of these projects with you.

Here are the dishcloths I made from cotton odds and ends. I'll use these as everyday dishcloths. I don't like to waste yarn if I can still use the odd bits for something.

Here are a few that I made and put in the gift drawer--

Click for pattern information for above dishcloths

Here are a couple that I used a new-to-me pattern for--

Pattern Information

I made a few pairs of slippers--

Click for Pattern Information

Pattern

Pattern

And I made an afghan out of a super-sized granny square. I wonder why the middle square is so wonky? I never had that happen before although I had read about this phenomenon several times on the Internet. This is going in the guest room in our winter place.

I have 2 WIPs. I'm making toddler slippers and I'm spool-knitting acrylic scraps and crocheting with an S-hook into a rug for Nellie Belle to take naps on this winter.

This is it for now. Hope everyone is doing good.

Hugs, Sharon

Yarn Lovers Alive & Well in Kentucky

Just happened to see this when I was stopped at a red light the other day.

Amazon Fire TV

I'm Still Here...

I know I haven't posted lately but life has been a bit chaotic. We decided not to buy the Florida townhouse. I loved it but because it has a flat roof, the insurance was going to cost up to 150% more than a comparable home with a traditional roof. Since the plan is to ultimately move down there when I'm eligible for Social Security, we're just getting a manufactured home in a 55 and older community and taking what would have been a down payment for a townhouse and pay cash for a manufactured home. That way, we can save more money, and easily sell it or rent it when time comes to permanently move down there. When that time comes, we'll sell out here in Kentucky and buy a house down there. Hopefully by downsizing, we won't end up with a mortgage. We're headed for Florida sometime next month to do a quick move in and maybe paint some walls and that sort of thing. We had a home inspection done and it was in very good shape although needs a little tlc to make it pretty.

I have accomplished a few crochet projects and I have an afghan in the works. Here is an afghan that was supposed to be for a baby but I got a little carried away with the size.

No pattern, I just graphed it out on graph paper to use a variety of sizes of traditional granny squares.

Here are a few more dishcloths that I made from a pattern found in the Leisure Arts book Dishcloths (12 Designs).  This is pattern #8 by Barbara Clark. I picked this book up at WalMart and I think (not sure) that it is one of those Walmart exclusive things. 

I love this dishcloth pattern so much, that I am using it as the basis for the afghan I am making for our Florida place. Here's a little glimpse at it.

The green is a mills end that I picked up at Joanns in Tavares, Florida earlier this year. The red and white are Red Heart Super Saver. This afghan is a bit slow going because it is made completely of single crochets. Not sure how big it's going to be--all depends on how long the yarn lasts.

Take care everyone! Hope you are enjoying your summer.

Hugs,

Sharon

So Very Sorry--

I have been neglectful to some of you and absent for some time now. I have been rather busy but that's no excuse.  First, let me show you what I received from a giveaway hosted by Debi. I love the color of the yarns and I think it will make a pretty scarf and hat for a special young lady. I love the hook--seems as my hands become more arthritic, these thicker-handled hooks make a difference. Thank you Debi, I am so sorry for being slow about thanking you.

We have finally finished our bathroom remodel! 13 months ago, we started collecting/assembling/purchasing what we thought we needed and/or wanted for it. Hubby gutted it and everything from ceiling to floors was replaced with the exception of the bathtub and we had that refinished by a "tub guy." By saving, getting things on sale and getting everything a little at a time we were able to keep the credit cards in our wallets and not use them. Husband did most of the work himself and his buddy helped a bunch too.




I went to Florida again. I went there to go house shopping for a winter getaway. I did a whirl wind week of looking at places that didn't need much work, were in a safe neighborhood and met my minimal budget. I found a townhouse that I liked and seemed to meet most of our criteria. I did a walk-through video that I ended up having to post on youtube because the file was too large to email to my husband. We are scheduled to close on June 13th (Friday) but there is a very good chance that we will close sooner since we scurried around hither and yon and got all the paperwork/red tape taken care of. Here's the video I sent to hubby.



Of course after all of this running around I had to get sick. I'm recovering from another URI--scary since I recently came back from an area close to Orlando, FL where that new MERS disease has infected people. Slowly recovering and now hubby has it--poor guy.

I want to stress the point that we are not rich, both of our houses cost less than what many people commonly pay for one. This year we paid off our house and we're also into the sweat equity thing. This place in Florida is very dated as you can tell by the appliances and cabinetry. It's in very good repair though and I'm not in a big hurry to change everything out. This place is our get away from the winter place to go and it is a perfect size if one of us should be end up a widow(er). That's really a gruesome thought!

I am finishing up a baby blanket that I'm late getting done and it has grown to a small afghan. Maybe I should use patterns instead of winging it!

I hope you all are well and that signs of spring-time are warming you up and putting smiles on your faces.

Take care my friends....
Sharon

Monday's Link to Free Crochet Pattern (05 May 2014)

Today's link is for a pattern for mini plant hangers. The designer uses hers for growing herbs.  I remember my first apartment and one of the few decorative touches I was able to afford was a plant in a similar (but larger) hanger hanging from the ceiling. Ahh, the memories this pattern brings back. :)

Enjoy!

Thursday's Tricks (24 April 2014)

Use chalk to remove grease stains from clothes. Simply rub white chalk on the affected area and wash as normal - the chalk will absorb the grease and be washed away in the cycle. Has anyone tried this one? It sounds like an inexpensive way to get the grease off.

Wrap rubber bands around the ends of a hanger to help keep clothes from slipping off. This is another good idea. I've started switching over to velvet hangers (they work very good too) but this is worth a try before I spend money on more hangers.

 More slip-proof velvet hangers

Monday's Link to Free Crochet Pattern (21 April 2014)

Sometimes you just have to have flowers as the finishing touch on your crocheted projects. Today's link is to a pattern for 2 versions of crocheted daisies.

To go along with the idea of "daisies" is Doris Day singing Please Don't Eat the Daisies.




 





Buy the video "Please Don't Eat the Daisies"

Switched to Crocheting Dishcloths for a While

I wanted something brainless to crochet so I broke out my patterns and found what I was looking for in Dishcloths (12 crochet designs) published by Leisure Arts. I saw this pattern for a dishcloth that is crocheted corner-to-corner and I thought I'd give it a whirl. After making 5 of them, suffice it to say that I enjoy this pattern very much. A couple of the dishcloths I made out of scraps of yarn. These will be for everyday use here at home. The "nicer ones" are going in the gift drawer to be gifted to someone at a later day. And here's some pictures--

Crochet Patterns for Dishcloths

Monday's Link to Free Crochet Pattern (14 April 2014)

Here's an elegant and feminine shawl that would look beautiful for a bride or for a young lady to wear to the prom. I don't think it would take more than a few days to make either.

Have fun everyone!
Sharon

It's the Easter Bunny!

Sitting like a lady

Showing off the booty tail 

Here is my latest FO--the Easter Bunny. This pattern needs a bit of tweeking and proofing but overall, I like the design and how it turned out for me. I want to figure out a way to make it part of our Easter centerpiece. Maybe I'll sit it on a large decorative dish with Easter grass and put some foil wrapped candies around it. Hope you all have a wonderful week.

Hugs,
Sharon

Thursday's Tricks (10 April 2014)

• Brown sugar get hard? Toss a couple of the larger sized marshmallows into the bag with the brown sugar and then seal it up.
• Keep your dishwasher extra clean with white vinegar. Pour ½ cup into the detergent cups and run the empty machine for a complete cycle. 

There's a couple hints for this week that I found. Hope everyone is enjoying the spring-time weather and blooms. 

Take care--

Sharon

Free Ebook at Amazon

Browsing around some groups I belong to on Facebook, I found this link for Crochet Rag Rugs Basic Pattern Collection in Kindle ebook format. I thought that I would share it with you. The price is right--FREE! It is for Kindle, but there is a free converter called Calibre that is available so you can convert it to another format for other book readers.

Monday's Link to Free Crochet Pattern (07 April 2014)

Here it is--it's a crocodile flower! Actually, it's a crocheted square made with crocodile stitches. It's has a very striking appearance. So go here and check it out.
Enjoy,
Sharon