A Few Things to Wrap Up

I figured out what configuration the bricks embedded in my yard were in, a half-circle. I haven't dug them out yet and there are considerably less than I was hoping for so I'm going to have to rethink the usage of them.

I've had no luck with the tomatoes, they died and now I want to rush out and pick up some and maybe get green peppers as well. I have the spot cleared in the yard, need to lay out top soil and border the bed, then plant. Instead of tomatoes though I'll be moving my lilies to that bed. Still, I may end up getting a couple tomato plants just because the thought of garden fresh tomatoes is tantalizing and I'd already gotten my hopes up by picking up the starts that have died. Fresh tomatoes are the best!

On a crochet note, I am currently working up The Wrap for myself for this winter. I have a hard copy of the pattern, picked up from WalMart I'm sure. It's been on my list of things to do for quite some time I just hadn't figured out what yarn combination I wanted to make it with. I really like the pattern done in black Fiesta and R.H. super saver but since my ideal here is to use up what I have in my stash I just wouldn't let myself go purchase the yarn specifically for this project. Ironic that I'll go pick up some yarn from a sale bin and add that to the stash but rather than buy for any project specifically I'll pull out the determination card and force myself to either try and use from the stash or not buy, lol, and let me tell you that's a difficult thing to do indeed, not buy yarn! Anyway, I happen to have a load of R.H. Heather in Purple Heather and so I ran upon it again in a stash trolling spree and decided (this time at least) it was the perfect yarn for this particular project and so out it comes. I had to rip it out and restart because the N hook the project calls for was larger than the N hook I pulled from my supplies. Funny thing is, I did a swatch before I started and it seemed to come out right but it sure wasn't working up right. So far I'm enjoying, it's an easy pattern, works up lightening fast and I should have it completed inside a week I believe.

As filler projects for times I want a break I've been working with thread to create bookmarks to add to my craft fair stash. I haven't taken pictures yet but I promise they'll be posted soon.

My nephew graduates grade school tomorrow night. He called to invite me to the graduation. Seems like the kids grow up all too quickly. I wish I'd thought to make him something. I doubt he'd really appreciate a bookmark or scarf, lol! He's really into wrestling these days! Ugh!!!!! I swear here and now there won't be a "rasslin'" afghan made though I do think I'll be starting one for him soon that will see him off to college.

Ah, I also made a purse that I'm quite pleased with and promise with the next post to have pictures of all the little goodies that worked their way off my hook this last week. Till then, happy crocheting all!

Playing Catch Up

My latest creations in crochet. I've been busy making Rasta Hats, hoping to find a market for them in one of the local specialty shops here in town. I have two finished and more in the works.


These are done in traditional colors and ww yarn. I plan on making some in other shades and some in non-traditional colors as well. Here's hoping there is a market and they sell like hotcakes.

I made a Half Moon Shawl using Jewel Box yarn. It's small but very cute.

I made a couple triangle shawls done freeform. This one is made with a pretty pink ribbon yarn.


The other triangle shawl is also made freeform using one of those lovely Fuzhio yarns I purchased on sale at Hancock's. It's a lovely ocean color and so soft and cuddly.


I picked up some tomato plants today from a local Freecycler who had extras. Have some planting to do on them tomorrow. They are beefstake tomatoes, look healthy and I just love fresh garden tomatoes. The lady had so many of them that what I took was only about 1/6th of what she was giving away. I plan on sharing the plants with another friend of mine who also loves tomatoes. Afterall, how many tomatoes can one person eat at a time?

That's about it from my little corner of the net. I hope to have more Rasta Hats to post by the end of the weekend.

Three Projects, Two Complete

I've finished the Illusions shawl! Here's a picture.
First, the front:
As I said, I used 3 skeins of RH Light & Lofty in Salt & Pepper that I bought on sale three years or so ago. It's been just sitting here and when I saw the shawl pattern at the Bernat web page I immediately thought of this yarn. I think it turned out to be very lovely. It's a very thick shawl and will keep whoever ends up with it toasty this winter I'm sure.

Next a good picture of the back:
You can't tell from the picture but the pattern is a repeat of a row of v-stitches followed by a row with three dc clusters. The stitches are placed in the space between stitches on both of the pattern rows and it ends up with an alternating lacy and cozy effect. I am going hunting for another yarn to make another of these with because I like it so much.




I have stitched up the sides of the cell phone pouch and now am trying to decide on handles.
After some reflection I've decided that the clothesline is too thick for the pouch so I'm trying to come up with an alternative to that for the handles. Haven't made a decision but when I do I'll have pictures of the finished product for everyone to see. For now, here are views of the pouch open and closed. You can see in the picture where the pouch is open that I left an opening for the antenna because the pouch is so close fitting over the phone.

Last night I was sitting around after I had finished tucking in the ends on the shawl. I was trying to come up with ideas on handles for the cell phone pouch and decided I needed to keep my hands busy so I whipped up a little cotton bag. It was a fun project and didn't take much time so I may make a few more of these in the kitchen cottons I have stashed away.

Stash Designs

I think life has finally settled down enough to be able to actually devote time to a post today (here's hoping anyway). I wanted to show you all pictures of the recently completed Skipping Stones Afghan. I finally tucked the ends in Sunday night and got out this morning to get pictures. This afghan was both easy and difficult. The pattern, the stitches used and the sequence of the pattern were not particularly difficult; the part that got me was that it wasn't something I could work on with my mind off on other things. I had to use markers to keep my stitch count correct and found it too easy to mess up the count even with them while trying to watch television as I crocheted. I frogged this poor piece many many times before I finally got it finished. I am grateful that I decided to use good old R.H. yarn because I'm positive most other yarns wouldn't have been so forgiving of the frogging. This particular pattern is one I've had in my WIM's folder for as long as I've been back crocheting. I just hadn't found the yarn I wanted; was looking for a nice bulky weight in vibrant red which is actually what the pattern itself calls for and more importantly (since I tend to make patterns in whatever colors I actually want to use) my absolute favorite color. I am just tickled with the outcome of this endeavor.

I've been reading a lot lately about how crocheters' design. It's fascinating to see inside the minds of people whose works I am creating for myself now. I am, as you know, a budding designer but so newly into the venture that I am in awe of some of the creations I'm seeing published these days and quite certain I'll never be able to come up with such delightful and intricate items like this crocheted halter dress http://www.medidit.com/free/sleezy.html or this crocheted lace dress http://www.interweavecrochet.com/projects/crochet_LaceDress.pdf.
As with all thinking processes, people approach the idea of crochet designing from many angles. Some people are visual, some are textual. I like that not everyone does it the same way. Would be a boring crochet world then for sure! It also assures me that if I keep learning and working very hard at it I will eventually begin some of this type of processing myself. Maybe then I will get bold and begin designing skirts, dresses, shrugs, jackets and other intricate items. Makes me a bit impatient with the scarves and scrunchies that I'm currently drumming up, but then I've always been the sort of person who wanted to run before walking. I love how some people just play with different yarns, or pick up a particular yarn and ponder on it, or pick up hooks and ruminate over them and how yet others sketch something out in their minds or on paper. The results are exploding attitudes about crochet within the general population who sometimes tend to want to impose the cliché umbrella image of little old ladies crocheting shawls and air freshener covers. I'm sure many of you remember the air freshener commercial that did such an injustice to crochet as an art and a craft insulting crocheters everywhere! How awful to think that the masses have such attitudes about our incredible craft.

I have been a bad bad crocheter again! I suppose if I actually HAD any of that jelly yarn http://www.3dimillus.com/ around someone would have to give me twenty lashes with it. I imagine it might actually hurt . My best crochet buddy and I went to Hancock's Fabrics the other day and there were two bins of yarn marked down from $5.99 to $1.20. Needless to say that resolution on no yarn buying until I cleared out my stash went out the window yet again. I ended up with such yummy yarns that I've just got to share the pictures.