Hen and Chicks

* granny's chocolate rainbow *

That's the name I gave to daughter's afghan when I entered it in the fair.  I just LOVE the afghan I made for my mother-in-law  and based this afghan on that design.  I wanted it to be a scrap afghan, since my basket of scraps has been growing and growing.  Daughter chose brown as the background color, so I did two shades, a dark chocolate and a milky chocolate (actually the yarns are named Coffee and Toast, respectively ;-)

When I had all 600+ squares done, I laid them all out on the floor of our piano teacher's new house, and arranged them into a colorway/rainbow pattern from the top left corner to the bottom right corner.  Reds, orange/peach, yellow and yellow/pink, light green to medium green to darker green, light blues, turquoise, deep blues into pink, hot pink and lavendar, to deep purple and maroon.  I finished it all off with a ruffled shell edging.

I'm very pleased that it won not only first place in it's afghan class, but Best of Division for all the afghans!

Also, the afghan that I made for DS2, here, won first place in its class, too!

* eco-friendly crochet - eventually *

As always, why work on, focus, dedicate your time to one thing when you can multi-task and work on four or five, right?

Let me back track a minute though and play catch-up:  This month I finally finished the afghan for DS2 (picture below) that I had started in the fall of 2006.  Okay, so diligence is not one of my greatest character traits!

I've started a basketweave afghan for the Angel:

AND I finally got to visit with my in-laws so that I could get a picture of this afghan that I made for my mother-in-law two years ago:

Actually, what I wanted was a close up photo of this because I love it so much and this is the same pattern that I want to use to make Daughter her first full-size afghan -- but I have been unable to find the book I used or the pattern anywhere!  But, as I was hoping, with this photo I can figure the pattern out for myself.

The pattern for this very cute and small and basic Granny Square is:

With Contrast Color, ch.4, sl st in first ch to form ring.

R1: Ch 3 (counts as first dc), 2dc, {ch2, 3dc} 3 times, ch2, sl st in top of ch3 to complete round; finish off.

R2: with Main Color in any ch2 sp, join with sl st, ch3,2dc, ch2, 3dc, {in next ch2 sp, 3dc, ch2, 3dc} 3 times, join with sl st in top of ch3 to complete round; finish off.

Repeat about 300 times (half of the squares in color, half of the squares solid color) and you'll have a great afghan! 

Funny how it isn't like I remembered, but that's just fine.  It's even easier than I remembered!  Okay, so now that I have the pattern, I can get started on Daughter's afghan -- except that .  .  .  .

When I pulled out the Stained Glass Afghan for my Giveaway, I found this little gem wrapped up in it:

These are  various squares from a swap I did about 10 years ago, and two years ago when I was desperate for something to do, I picked out the best/most colorful, and put them together in a little throw.

Now (and here I'm finally getting to my point) that got me to thinking about this:

This is a bag of crocheted squares from a HUGE afghan my mother made about 20+ years ago.  It was too big to really use (she made it big enough to be a bedspread) and it was starting to come apart where she had sewn the squares together.  So about two or three years ago (man, I was really busy then, wasn't I?) I took it all apart thinking that I would put it back together as two or three smaller, usable blankets.  But as often happens, they were put in a bag for that very intangible "some day" and promptly forgotten.

Well, with the discovery of the little scrap afghan, I remembered these squares and thought how cute they would look done up in a scrappy-pull-whatever-color-out-of-the-bag-throw-type-thing!

So, here is my start:

Don't you think that the darker/bolder colors make the pastel squares really (I'm not one for using trendy words - but in this case it truly fits the situation) POP!   I think I may do a round or two of color and then put them together with a nice chocolate brown, which seems to be my color of choice lately.

Now, my point (finally!) is that I have committed to reduce my seemingly endless supply of yarn and fabric, reuse (or use up) what I have in constructive or creative ways - and if I can't then get rid of it and let someone else use it!! - and recycle, find a new use for something that isn't used anymore, again letting go and letting someone else enjoy it if I cannot. 

Voila!  Crochet that is good for my clutter cleaning, and good for the beneficiaries of my efforts (those who will receive these little throws), and good for putting an end to the mindless consumption that I have been partaking of for the past decade .  . or two .  .  .  . okay - three.  Look, nobody's really counting, are they?

What are you working on or what are you doing to re-use or re-purpose an item in your home?

* late-night sewing *

Last night, Dear Husband reminded me about making a blanket for one of his co-workers who is having a baby.  The hitch?  Tomorrow (read: TODAY!)  is her last day before her maternity leave starts!  Do I have something I could make a blanket with, please?  Of course!  Not a problem.

Fortunately, I did have a four squares cut and pieced together, so that was my starting point.  I sewed the squares together to make a small four block quilt and then got busy and made a backing from my scraps, did some quick basic quilting on the machine, and sewed the binding to the edges.  By this point it was about 9:00 p.m. and I still had to finish hand-stitching the binding down on the other side of the quilt.

The pink fabric is velvet soft with an imprinted rose pattern, the white chenille for some texture, and the pink fairy-tale toile for just the right amount of sweetness!

I didn't finish it (including finding a bag to put it in) until about 11:00 p.m.  but I'm very happy with how it came out.  And I really love the hand-sewing part of sewing.  I love to curl up in my chair or in the corner of the couch and just weave with needle, thread and thimble - needle in, pull, needle in, pull, needle in .  .  .  .    It is very relaxing and fulfilling in a simple, nostalgic way.  And it has sparked me wanting to get some more sewing done.  So today, you can find me at the table, with fabric and scissors and pins and needles and the sewing machine quietly "whirring" as I make two dresses for a friends granddaughter.

Maybe Henrietta will stop in and give you an update of what's happening later today!

* the fun of corking *

Now if you are at all like me, you'll read 'corking' and think, "Huh?" 

That's what I thought when I first saw this book during my library seach for easy knitting projects.  And as usual, if I want to know something, I go to my knowledgeable Uncle Google.  And as usual, he gave me some great information as well as some really cool links and ideas!

Corking, also known as a knitting spool, knitting Nancy, or knitting knobby is simply knitting a tube using pegs and a blunt needle instead of knitting needles.  So we got the book from the library - it's cool and fun and just FULL of crafts and projects and toys that you can make with your tubes - and daughter promptly discovered it and decided that she wanted to make a small spool, like the one on the cover, so she could make a rope.  (She loves to tie things up!)  Younger son saw us making hers and he decided he'd like one, too!  By the time we were done making younger sons, middle son wanted in on all this knitting action as well.

They are pretty easy to make.  All you need is something round and hollow, 1" cloth tape, finishing nails (they are straight with no heads to speak of), yarn and a yarn needle or smaller crochet hook.

We used a toilet paper tube, a 15 oz. can and an large yogurt container.   For the toilet paper tube, you cut it along the side, roll it until it is doubled (till the cut sides are even when rolled double-thick - does that make sense?),  and tape it closed with the cloth tape.  Put a strip of the cloth tape sticky side out around the top of your spool, then you place the two nails together (as one peg) on the tape at 12 o'clock, 3 o'clock, 6 o'clock and 9 o'clock, having the nail heads 1/2" above the rim of your spool.   Cover that strip with another strip of cloth tape.  Then you seal the top edge, and secure the nails in place by cutting strips of the 1" tape in half lengthwise and taping in between each nail set.  That's it! 

The instructions for the larger containers are essentially the same, except in placing the nail sets around the rim you will space them 5/8" apart.  You may also cover your corker with felt or fabric to make it more decorative, if you wish.

This produces a really nice tube and each of the children are very excited about their progress.   They all love how easy it is and have a plan for each of their projects.  As I mentioned above, daughter plans to make a rope, younger son wants to make a snake (Yuck!), and middle son is planning on a pair of socks.  :-)

The work you see here - each son is about halway down his tube in length, and daughter's is coming out the end - was done in the time since Dad came home from work.  Not too bad.    The best part about it for each of them is that they made it all themselves from things we have here (although I did have to run to the drugstore and get some more cloth tape!)

Here are a few links if you'd like to learn more or get started yourself in corking.

• How to Make a Corker (using a wooden spool)
• How to Use a Knitting Spool
• The Lost Art of Knitting Nancy's (lots of history as well as neat information here!)
• Spool Knitting Links from Needelepointers.com 
• How to make a cute Bear

And of course, don't forget to look for this great book, Corking by Judy Ann Sadler, at your local library or bookstore!

Some extra information:  If you don't knit, like me :-( then you can use this same principle to make a straight knitter, which is what I am going to do.  History: I found some adorable specialty yarn on sale and had visions of knitting a cute something for daughter and granddaughter.  Reality: It didn't work.  At. All.    But now I see that I can simply make a straight corker - a piece of 1x4 wood maybe 8" long with the nails/pegs evenly spaced along the top - and 'knit' some scarves that way.  Yeah!!  Besides, the children were telling me all evening to make my own because I kept asking them to let me try theirs "just for a minute" ;-)

I'll post a Tutorial on how to make the spool if anyone is interested or would like more information than the directions above.

* oh, the simple pleasures *

We took a holiday from school because of Dad's new job promotion and here is a photographic account of where the day has taken us.

We started off at JoAnn's for their sale .  .  .  .  . 

.  .  and got some fabric to make a few things for my granddaughter (the adorable butterflies will be a dress with a pink band at the bottom and a matching hat with pink lining, the green floral will be a dress with matching hat, with the green stripe for the lining, and the blue will be a tiered skirt with the light blue as a tiered top!  see patterns below) .  .  .  . 

.  .  .  . and they had patterns on sale, too!  I might have been able to resist but they were only 99 cents!!  You know, of course, of my weakness. 

And - while we were over at that side of town, we might as well stop in at a few of the thrift shops and see if there's anything new!

I was soooooo happy to find a lovely pitcher and large covered candy dish to add to my collection.  What a treat!   I was also able to find a small cruet with stopper, a tumbler, and a relish tray.   All had for under $15 total!!

Then went home for lunch and chores.

Son is replanting some of our garden - cucumbers, tomatoes and eggplants, I think.

And daughter came outside to finish the little counted cross stitch she started yesterday.

It's so sweet -- both of her brothers have commented on what a great job she's doing.  This is her first time doing counted cross stitch and after I helped her how to find the middle and count outward, she did the rest totally on her own.  She's very pleased and ready to tackle something a little bigger!

Our dog-girl wanted a picture,too!  She's a Corgi-mix that we were thrilled to find at the animal shelter last year as a second dog & companion for our little dog-boy, who is a Russell Terrier/Dachsund mix (another shelter find!)

That's it.  The rest of the day will be spent ironing and in cleaning up my kitchen table - AGAIN!

* my pseudo-ripple afghan *

Over halfway through with it!  (It's for middle son and I will probably enter it in the Fair.)

* hello, my name is . . . . *

.  .  .  .  Denise, and I'm a pattern-a-holic.

I don't mean to be, really.  I don't know what comes over me.  I can look through all the pattern books and see nothing I really want -- but then let those same patterns go on sale for $0.99 or $1.99 and suddenly I don't have enough paper to keep track of my want list!

And it's not like I don't have a variety of patterns, either.  Because I've got it all.  From Men's shirts and pajamas, to costume patterns I used to make capes for the boys, to every imaginable type of dress for daughter - except for anything with zippers!  I don't do zippers.  We just don't get along.  I've tried a few times since my dismal failure 18 or so years ago, but it just hasn't worked out between the two of us.  Although now even a zipper on a pattern can't stop me since I've figured out how to convert zipper patterns to ones that button!!  I have all types of animal, apron, bag, organizer, and puppet patterns, not that I've ever made a puppet, but they're cute and one day I might want to, right?  You DO see, don't you?  I haven't made a dress for myself for a few years, but does that stop me from buying patterns still?  Not on your life!  Some day the perfect combination of fabric + pattern + mood will strike and BAM!  I'll have another dress.  But how can I do that if I don't have just that right pattern I saw 5 years ago?

That's my other reason for collecting patterns - and a good one, too.  Did you know they don't care if a pattern is your favorite or not.  When they want to, they can just stop making it.  No notification, no warning.  One day you blissfully walk into the fabric store determined to finally buy that pattern you've been looking at for so long and make something from it - or even worse, it's your most used pattern and you need a new one or a bigger size - only to discover that it is no longer in the pattern book.  Not in the drawer.  It's been Discontinued!

So, back to my pattern gathering.   My newest weakness, problem, brilliant idea is to buy the desired pattern in multiple sizes so that I am prepared for any possibility.  You can see how this expands my list expotentially. 

At this particular time, I won't go into the patterns I've bought on-line through specialty shops and e-Bay, and I certainly won't mention garage sales!  (A memorable one is a box of about 50 patterns for $5.00!)

What do I do with all these patterns?  There's the problem of storage.  I don't have "A Spot", so they are in this box here and that bag there, patterns I'm currently using and patterns that are in line (that have fabric & notions already purchased and ready to go) - which also means that there are times I buy a duplicate pattern because I forgot I have it already.  You know, if you like it once, it is sure to catch your eye again!

Is there hope for me?  Am I alone?  Will I ever recover?   Or should I just give in and relish, delight and dream of all the things I can make "One Day"?

p.s. This isn't all of the patterns I own.  Just the ones I could get out without too much trouble.  ;-)

* sewing seeds in mail *

Done, Done, Done!

It was a lot of fun making these and now they are on their way to Randi.

Please check her site and see all the other great skirts that are making their way to Africa at the end of the month.

Thank you, Randi for letting us be a part of blessing others!

* run, run, as fast as you can *

  *

*

They're the Gingerbread Men!

* quilling fun *

Did you know that with just a few simple tools you and your children can have fun and make some sweet and beautiful artwork?

Quilling is the name of a centuries old paper craft also known as Paper Filigree.  All quilling designs are based upon a handful of easily learned shapes.  How you combine these basic shapes into a "picture" can be as simple or as fancy as your imagination allows.

  Last night the children pulled out the Quilling Kit that I had bought awhile ago and, on their own, made a few little things.  Son made this great flower, and daughter made the little bunny!

*   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *

These are very simple little designs, easily made with a little bit of care and patience. 

The more intricate designs are just stunning -- I stare at them and think  "That is PAPER?"

If you are interested in learning more about this great family craft, here are some  resources to get you started:

• North American Quilling Guild
• Quilled Creations
• Lake City Craft Co.
• Quilling Information at Handcrafters Village
• Paper Quilling
• The Quilling Superstore
• Whimsiquills

The quilled calendar above is from the North American Quilling Guild Web-site. 

This little duck on the water was created by daughter this morning from the Little Critters kit made by Lake City Craft Co. and purchased at Create-For-Less)

And I just couldn't resist putting up this fun "Quill-A-Day" calendar.

Please take a minute to browse through the sites above (and no, I am in no way affiliated with them and receive nothing from them) and even if you don't give Quilling a try, at least you will know what it is, and appreciate the work that goes into some of the beautiful artwork you may see in the future!

Blessings to you!