On the Needles: Stash Bustin’

I’m in between big projects right now – not really ready to start on another blanket or something big, so I decided to finish off some cotton yarn I had and make some washcloths. Quick, easy and gives you a sense of accomplishment because you can usually do one in a day…

So I’m chugging along here – the one above is a single crochet I started this evening while watching Duck Dynasty with the family… probably finish it off tomorrow.

And this one I made on Sunday afternoon – I think I did a double crochet, but I honestly can’t remember. (I’ve slept twice since then, you know?)

It’s about 9×8 inches… They shrink quite a bit when they’re dried, so I make them larger to allow for that shrinkage. If you air dry them and stretch them back out while they dry they’ll hold their size and shape pretty well, but I’m lazy and usually just throw them in the dryer with the other towels.

They are extremely durable – they hold up to pot scrubbing, face washing, counter cleaning – you name it – and bleaching. I have some knitted ones that are close to three years old now and they look just like they did when I first made them. (Especially the ones the girls claimed for Barbie blankets LOL)

Do you crochet or knit household linens?

Off the needles: Baby Blanket (thoughtsalonglifeshighway.com)
New Needle Crafts (vernellc.typepad.com)
I am Totally Hooked on Yarn! (francineclouden.typepad.com)

On the Needles (or off)

Happy Super Tuesday! If you live in the United States, I hope you have, or are planning to vote today. Regardless of who you vote for, I just hope you exercise your right to vote.

We voted two weeks ago – I love early voting!

I thought I’d share with you some of the recent yarn projects I’ve been working on. It seems the more hectic life gets, the more I have retreated in my free time into my yarn crafts. I think it is because it is simple, repetitive, tactile and relaxing. I don’t have to think. I don’t have to plan. I don’t have to react. I can just sit quietly and weave the yarn and watch something beautiful develop. And right now, for me, that is very therapeutic.

I’ve finished this little item –

But I can’t share more with you (yet) as it is a gift and I want to give it to my special someone first before doing any more of a reveal.

I also decided on Saturday that I wanted to finish my shawl – the one I had earmarked as my “church shawl” – that I would wear on Sundays in Church when they have the air conditioning on “freeze yer hiney off” and I am shivering.

I’ve been working on it off and on for a month or two. I ran out of yarn, had to order more, and then finally decided it was getting cold enough that I really needed to focus on finishing so I wouldn’t turn into a popsicle in church on Sunday.

It’s a basic shawl – a big rectangle, really. I did it in a half-double crochet and then made a ruffle on the ends by doing four double crochets in each loop. I think it turned out really pretty.

The yarn is Lion Brand Homespun in Ocean. Mom had given it to me a few years ago as part of a yarn package Christmas gift. The yarn is a pain to knit with but it wasn’t too bad to crochet with. I used a large needle (L, I think) and tried really hard to control my tension (in more ways than one!)

It was serendipitous that the colors actually match the colors on our volunteer “uniform” shirts for church. So, I look very coordinated, even though it was a total accident.

And, I used it on Sunday. It was so warm – like snuggling in a blanket!

Although, I have to say, I think my model is even more beautiful than my shawl! Don’t you?!?

Now, I’m vacillating between which project to do next. Finish the shawl that seems to be turning into a lap blanket? Start a scarf and hat project that will be quick and easy? Tackle some finer yarns that I’ve purchased because I love but am afraid to do something with for fear of messing it up?

Decisions, Decisions.

I’m sure I’ll figure something out.

I’ve got plenty of yarn to choose from. That’s for sure!

Stitchy Twitchy (thoughtsalonglifeshighway.com)
Sunday Afternoon Knitting – Again! (letissierdesigns.com)

On the needles

I stumbled across a hat crochet pattern the other day and decided to see if I could figure it out to make a hat for Little Bit.

After some consultation with Mom (thank goodness for FaceTime!) getting the initial circle going, it was a really quick job and I was completely finished about two hours after I started – and that was with kid interruptions included!

It was so quick – and so easy. It is the first thing I’ve done with increases in crochet and the very first hat I’ve ever made.

I have to say I was very pleased with the results.

So much so that I made one for Big Girl the next day.

And I’m already thinking about who will be getting one for Christmas!

The girls loved them, too, which is especially nice because they are for them!

Here is a link to the pattern in case you want to try your hands at the hat yourself!

For the Big Girl’s I just added about three more sets of increase rows than I did in the original one for Little Bit. I would probably do the same thing for an adult hat, but this is an easily adaptable pattern.

Give it a try!

Crochet Missy Headbands (crochetmissy.wordpress.com)

What? A Scrapbooking Post?

I know, I know… those of you who originally started following my blog to see scrapbooking related posts have probably gotten really disappointed in me lately… the scrapbooking has been rather absent. As a matter of fact, if you’re still hanging around, I have a special message for you…

Thank you.

I know I have been rather lax in the scrapbooking department. But, I have no good excuses for you – Life just gets in the way sometimes, you know?

But, the good news is that I have two scrapbooking retreats this fall – one was this past weekend and one is in October. I think I have found my scrapping mojo again – although it took me most of this past weekend to find it!

Here are a few pages I did over the weekend. For those of you who are Creative Memories software users, I’ll post some templates later in the week.

Wondering on Wednesday ~ What makes you happy?

I was thinking about how happy I’ve been lately. Granted, there’s been some stress in my life, but even with that, I just have this overall feeling of contentment. Life is good. I’m blessed with a job that I love and can do from home, a schedule that allows me to focus on my kids when I need to and juggle other responsibilities. I have a husband who loves me and supports me in all my crazy ideas and two not-so-little girls that I adore (and who like me most of the time, too).

On top of all that, there are the little things that make me happy.

Here are a few little things that have made me happy lately:

Werther’s Original Sugar Free Caramel Coffee candies
These are sooo good. You can’t tell they are sugar free and they give a great coffee and caramel flavor. Very rich tasting. I feel like I’m getting away with something when I eat one of these.
My Droid
How did I ever survive without this thing? Seriously. I take it EVERYWHERE
(even the bathroom, but that is probably TMI, isn’t it?)
It’s like having a laptop in your pocket. I can find out anything I want to know anytime, anywhere. Directions, updates from my friends on Facebook, emails from work, movie times, restaurants, etc. I’m so addicted, the darn thing should probably have a name (like Beatrice Nook does)
My Knitting

After stepping away from the hot yarn for the summer, I’m so enjoying getting back into my knitting. I find such peace as I’m sitting at the dance studio waiting for the girls to finish up classes and knitting my little heart out. I guess I’m a kinesthetic person, because the physical act of knitting is like a balm to my soul. It just really calms me and focuses me. I have started knitting in the evenings for about 30 minutes before the bedtime rush. It has been really interesting to do that – I find I’m a lot more patient and calm for the monkeys’ bedtime when I do that.
Beatrice Nook
I love being able to read anything whenever/wherever I want. I also love the fact that I have the Nook software on my Droid so I can read even if I forget Beatrice (the horror!) and find myself with a few extra moments somewhere.
(this one may sound crazy to you) Arm & Hammer Plus OxiClean Detergent
Maybe crazy sounding, but I am loving this stuff. It gets out all kinds of stains and it has the best scent! I don't even think I need a dryer sheet when I’m finished with the washing. The clothes are fresh, clean, and soft when I’m folding them. Love it.

So, today, I’m wondering…

What makes you happy?

Enter a comment below
and tell me your five things that make you happy today.

It’s official

I am a knitter!

I had such fun last night with the ladies at the knitting circle. It reminded me a lot of what crops are like, minus lugging the paper, trimmers, pictures and other paraphernalia I take when I go to a crop. I traveled lightly. I took a little tote bag with two different skeins of yarn and my knitting needles. I also took my knitting board and a scarf I had made using it because I wanted to show them that I had at least done something before showing up last night.

You might remember this little scarf I made over the Thanksgiving break. I used the knitting board for that. It was part of what got me so interested in learning to knit.

A little back story here.

There is a really sweet lady at church that I have met through our mutual volunteer responsibilities. She has also been so kind to my girls and they look forward to seeing her every Sunday morning and loving on her between services. I mean, they just crawl all over her (literally) and tell her all about their week and what is going on. She is so patient and kind with them. It’s really touching.

She also happens to crochet. Beautifully. And I have seen some of her finished pieces. One Sunday I made a comment about how I would love to be able to learn to crochet like she does. We chatted a bit more and I confided that what I really wanted to do was learn to knit. She reached around and pointed to a lady sitting about three rows in front of us. “You need to talk to her,” she said.

So, you know what I did?

I just got right up (it was before the service started, don’t worry) and marched up there and introduced myself. I told her I had heard that she was an awesome knitter and that I had always wanted to knit. I asked her if she knew of anywhere I could go to learn to knit. She said she would teach me. She mentioned a knitting circle that she had started and that they met on Thursday nights at the local Starbuck’s. She invited me to join them (hooray!) the next time they met.

So, Thursday night I met with them for the first time.

I was so excited and a little intimidated as these ladies had obviously been knitting for a long time. They had all these patterns and elaborate projects (beautiful, elaborate projects with the most gorgeous yarn I’d ever seen) they were working on.

Finally, Jane sat me down and showed me how to get started. I was scared to death to take the needles from her and get started. I was afraid I’d mess up what she had done. But, you can’t learn if you don’t do. So, I took them and got going. Before I knew it, I was knitting! I was actually knitting. So cool.

By the end of the night I had knitted a very nice little bedspread for a Polly Pocket.

Ha!

It was not really supposed to be that, but it was about that big. Little Bit decided that she really, really needed it for her Polly Pocket so it may actually end up being a bedspread after all. Which would be ok, I guess, because I want to learn how to cast on/off stitches myself and that would give me the excuse to do so.

One thing I realized last night, as I was driving home from my knitting night out, was that this could quickly become a new hobby of mine. The knitting circle is a lot like the crop – the social aspect anyway – minus all the extra luggage. I enjoyed the time I spent relaxing, chatting with and getting to know these ladies. And the tactile part of knitting was very soothing to me. Which is something I’m missing now that so much of my scrapbooking is digital.

It will be interesting to see how this develops. But don’t worry, I’m sure I’ll keep you posted. 🙂

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