Guess What I Did Now

I decided that my sewing blog just wasn't big enough for all the things I wanted to do. So, I created a crocheting blog, and that all seemed to be going great. But then....naturally that wasn't big enough, so here comes another blog. Since I am going to be reviewing books for Booksneeze some of the others and I were discussing it and they suggested I review all types of books, old and new ones. So I created "The Bookworm", original name huh? I would love to have y'all stop by and let me know what you think about it and if you are interested I would appreciate it if you would grab my button to take back home with you. My gosh, I hope I don't outgrow this one ;-)

The Bookworm
http://mollysabookworm.blogspot.com/

How Many Hearts Do You Have?

Have you been working on crocheting hearts for Valentine's Day? I sure have and I now know that I didn't start soon enough! We have lots of kids that live around us and the one thing they don't need is more candy. I also have several widowed ladies that I like to make things for, so as I said, I should have started Jan 1. The three hearts I am sharing today are very fast to make, two of them I have made using crochet thread and the other one was made using 4-ply worsted weight yarn.

The first and second hearts are made from the same pattern, the one on the right is a basic granny square with just two half circles added. Below are the links to the patterns for these hearts, enjoy and good luck.

Hearts #1 and #2

http://crochetroo.blogspot.com/2009/02/happy-hearts-free-crochet-pattern.html

Heart #3 without picot edging

http://undisthreadness.blogspot.com/2006/02/litle-granny-square-heart.html

Unbelievable Art

I know this is a crochet blog but every once in a while you run across something that just takes your breath away. This young lady creates amazing art right before your eyes using only sand and her hands. The story evolves with a scene showing a couple sitting holding hands on a bench under a starry sky, but then warplanes appear and the happy scene is blown away. It is then replaced with a womans crying face, and then a baby appears so the woman smiles again. Again war returns and the young artist (Miss Simonova) throws her sand everywhere and suddenly a young womans face shows up.

But she then becomes a widow with a sad and wrinkled face, it then turns into the monument for an Unknown Soldier. The artist then turns it into a window from which you are looking from the inside to the outside, and there is a man from the outside looking in, with his hands pressed against the glass as he says his goodbye.

Miss Simonova's creation here is just unbelievable, be aware of the people in the audience as they wipe their tears away....unashamedly. This is about war that was called the Great Patriotic War in the Ukraine, it is when Germany invaded in World War II. It resulted in out of the total population of 42 million they lost 8 to 11 million lives.


I hope this post and the video does not cause trouble between you and your heart. .

To see this in Full Screen mode click on the 4 arrows at the bottom of the YouTube bar, then hit Esc when you are through

How Did Elvis Die?

I review books for a company called Booksneeze and they have just sent me a complimentary copy of, 'THE KING AND DR. NICK What Really Happened To Elvis and Me.' The book was written by George Nichopoulos, M.D. and Rose Clayton Phillips and is one of those that once you start reading it you don't want to lay it down. Now see Dr. Nick becomes Elvis' physician there in Memphis but then the King decides he needs Dr. Nick to go on the tours with him to care for his medical needs and those of the others in his group. What starts out as just a patient and Doctor relationship quickly turns into a very close friendship that lasts for many years. This is not a "Whodunit" book but it does keep you interested and you want to know what really went on. Unfortunately we all know the end, what we don't know is how it got to that end. Check this book out it is really informative.

How Fast Can You Make A 6" Square?

Well, it really isn't a race but a very good friend of mine, Sue, is doing such a fantastic project that I wanted to make sure everybody knew about it. She is taking 6" crocheted squares, any style, and putting them together to make blankets to give to the elderly. Now all this came about because of her loving Grandmother that lived to be 103 years old. Sue wanted to do something in her honor and I think this is a great project. Anyway, she is accepting squares from anyone that has the time to make them, and she will assemble the blankets. I have given the link to her blog below and she has a great story revealing how special her Grandmother was to her. Plus she has some beautiful slide shows of the squares she has already received. So.....I was just thinking, how fast can you make a 6" square? How about using up all those little bits of leftover yarn and putting them together to make something bright and cheery for others. She is happy to receive one square or 30 squares, but honestly. How fast can you make a 6" square? This could be a carry in the car project while you are waiting for the kids from school, sitting in the gym during practice, or waiting for that crazy traffic jam to clear up. But please do me a favor. Go by and check out her blog, read about her Grandmother, and look at the squares she already has received. I got involved because it made me think of the Grandmothers that I never knew, so I want to sort of adopt one and help keep her warm. Thanks for listening and please do go by and visit, she is such a talented lady, and I am very proud to call her my friend.

Mrs. Twins
http://suesfavouritethings.blogspot.com/

Message Delivered

You know that saying about neither rain, nor sleet, nor snow..... Well here in South Dakota there have been days that we haven't gotten our mail because we could barely get to our car and then nobody could get to the streets to try to make it to the Post Office. You know that when they close the Air Force Base down it's pretty bad out and you probably don't want to be there anyway. So if you are expecting a package, like I am, you become a nervous wreck worrying about what the weather will be like tomorrow. It makes me think way back to the Pony Express days, now how in the heck did those poor horses make it through all the uneven ground that was filled with snow? At least we are on smooth streets, well of course we have ditches full of snow to deal with. This whole rambling post does have a happy ending, I got on my computer this morning and found a very interesting email. Not from the Post Office but from my very own personal Pony Express guy. So I decided I would share the message with all of y'all, plus let you know that he is a keeper that's for sure.

Jay went out this morning around 5:00am and decided to make me a message. So he stomped around and designed me a heart, with an arrow going through the middle of it with a big J + M written in it. It doesn't get any sweeter than this does it? You just have to ignore the cat footprints and the bunny rabbits ones also, I guess they were helping him. I just thought this was adorable and had to share it. I can't wait for Valentine's Day, how is he going to top this?

A "Hex" Of A Project

Yes, I know I spelled it wrong, but it was suppose to be funny. So......don't quit my day job huh?? The project today is a little baby sweater and it's one of the easiest and fastest things you will ever make. You only have to make two hexagons and then you fold them a certain way, and sew them together and you're done. I've included the link to Bev's Country Cottage where the pattern is, and if you know Bev you know the quality of her workmanship. She has a very good photo tutorial that will lead you step by step through the whole project process. Plus she has 2 of the cutest babies that are modeling them. But the neat thing is, once you make one of these you've got it down and will not have any trouble making a bunch very quickly. Also the size can be changed by different size yarn and by the number of rows worked in the hexagon. So take a look at the first one I made, excuse the lousy photography though. I still don't have the buttons on it, I can't remember to pick them up. Take a stop over at Bev's and see what other great things she has.

Bev's Country Cottage

http://www.bevscountrycottage.com/hexagon-jacket.html

Birds in the Attic

Okay, maybe that's not really true because we don't have an attic. But if you are a follower of talented Lucy over at Attic 24 you will know what I'm talking about. She made these birds ages ago and very generously shared the pattern and of course I had to try it out, so I made 5 of them. Do you see 5 in the photo? NO, because I gave them away to some of the single ladies out here that just needed something to perk their day up. So when I was cleaning up my yarn mess today (yes, I actually did clean), I ran across this one little lonely bird. He looked so cute just laying there, so I just took his photo. I named him the Bluebird of Happiness. I couldn't believe that I made all those birds and didn't have a photo of any of them. But on to Lucy's blog, I have included the link to her below. She has such a colorful and interesting blog to read, so you must go by and check it out. She has so many great and easy patterns that she is more than willing to share with all of us, and she just comes up with them in her head. Smart lady here. So take a run by there and do a little reading.

Now on to another talented blogger. Crochet Dad is one of my followers and we are also belong to another crochet forum. There is a link below to his blog also. Now he is one of the most talented designers and crochet artists that you'll ever meet. He makes the most fantastic hats, and they aren't just regular cap styles, although he does make those. But to me his highlights are the hats that are more of the Fedora style. You just have to stop by and check out his work. Gene also shows some crochet how-to's, like I said he is very talented. So now you have two places that you must go and visit and make sure you leave them a comment, they will love them. Take care.

Attic 24
http://attic24.typepad.com/weblog/


Crochet Dad
http://crochetdad.blogspot.com/

Flat Braid Joining

I just love YouTube, do you? I can read instructions over and over but still not quite get it. As the old saying goes, "A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words" comes to mind because I can watch a video and BINGO! I understand what they were trying to tell me. Now I was trying to get the Flat Braid Joining for granny squares to work and I could get just so far and then my brain would quit on me. I just could not understand where to go from there. Naturally I head over to YouTube and yep, I found my answer. These 4 videos were a lifesaver (mmm candy!) okay back to thinking. These videos were just so easy for me that I thought maybe they could help some of you also. Now I know that there is no reason for me to post them here when y'all can easily find them yourself, but this way they are at least in an easy place to find for me too. Of course I had to try this procedure out just to make sure I understood it, now did I have 4 squares that matched....NO. Did I have 4 squares that I was going to use anyway....YES. I was very impressed with the ease of making this and I know this is going to sound dumb but the Flat Braid joining made me think of lattice boards. No thanks, I've already had my medicine for today. I don't know why but the way it was so lacy and the color of the squares just made me think of spring flowers and since I was using white yarn that made me think of lattice boards. I must admit that I could think of times that I would need the support of joining one square straight to another square, stability reasons for one. I think I would be concerned that the lacy connection might get stretched out of whack. But I really do like the look of it. The reason there are 4 videos is because each one shows a particular step to the finished project. So watch them and see what you think (lattice boards), and if you decide to give it a try let me give you a tip. Use 4 squares that are the same size, okay? Take care.

Look What I Received In The Mail

I must admit this photo just does not do this hook justice. It is a beautiful dark green wood and is a size 7 steel hook. I received this as a Random Act of Kindness gift. Now whether this person knows me or not I'm not sure of, but what I am sure of, is that I can't wait to get started on a project using it. I have trouble holding onto the steel hooks because of my MS. So this wooden handle will really be a huge help for me. But Jay says he can just see me in the Doctors waiting room (where I do a lot of crocheting) and instead of crocheting I would just sit there and smile and wave my hook around like a model. I'm a member of Crochet Soiree which is just a super duper place, we have a RAK group there. Then I'm also a member of Ravelry and we have a RAK group there. So that is my problem, I don't know where to put my Thank You so I'm just going to tell everybody all over the place Thank You and how much I appreciate this fantastic hook. I'm sure that it will crochet much prettier things than just my plain old steel hook would. So to the very nice and thoughtful person that has gifted me with it, if you ever want to borrow it just ask--at least that way I'll know where it came from. AgainThank You.

Do You Know What March Is?

Yes, I know it is the month between Feb. and April, but do you know what else? It is National Crochet Month. Like we needed a month long holiday to have a reason to make something? Not me. Of course I am working on Christmas and Birthday gifts, but...Easter is getting closer you know. There is always "somebunny" who needs a little gift, sorry I just couldn't resist that one. I have included a link to a bunch of Rabbits and Bunnies so surely you will be able to find something in this list that will fit your needs. Plus there is also a link with Easter Items listed, so hopefully I have saved you a bunch of running around looking for a pattern. Last, but certainly not least, is a link to the Lion Brand Yarn site where they have the cutest little bunny blankie that is just the perfect size for the little ones to sleep with or maybe for them to drag around without it being huge. My oldest daughter use to sit in front of the washer and then the dryer while her teddy bear was being washed. My gosh she was impossible until it was back in her hands. She has 3 boys and I made sure that I bought each of them 2 matching bears so they could have one while the other was being washed, plus each boy had a different color bear. It may take me awhile, but I finally do catch on. Do you go to the yarn company sites and check out their free patterns? You really should because they are a wealth of neat patterns and yarn suggestions. Of course, I am a little hardheaded (NO!) and it takes me a long time to decide what yarn I'm going to use and then what color. So don't be like me, check out the patterns and decide on your yarn and colors faster than I do. Make sure you post photos of your finished projects so I can come visit you and check them out.


Easter Items
http://www.crochetpatterncentral.com/directory/easter.php

Rabbits and Bunnies
http://www.crochetpatterncentral.com/directory/bunnies_rabbits.php

Small Bunny Blankie
http://www.lionbrand.com/patterns/50722-2.html

A Great Baby Sweater

Now the link below is really not to a pattern but it is to a tutorial on how to construct your own style of baby sweater. She does excellent photos to help you along the way as she explains what she is doing. My gosh, I can't do that because y'all can't see my hands moving around, I look like there is a wasp after me or something. Jay wants me to do a tutorial because I bought him a new video camera for Christmas. Now if I had known he was going to want to film me I'd have bought him a sweater. For those of you that don't know this I was born and lived in Texas until 2004 when we had to leave the heat and move someplace cooler. Now I have noticed that when I type I don't have a southern accent.....but when I talk, (Katie bar the door) 'cause my words get real loooong. Anyway, I've had a few ladies ask me about Hairpin Lace and I have tried to explain it to them, here go the hands again, but they have trouble getting certain parts of it. So, here we are back at Jay's camera, should've gotten him a sweater. Now how did I get off the sweater tutorial? Anyhooo, she does just great on it. So if you are thinking about making a sweater or perhaps a dress and sort of want some help in the design department, go check it out. Then for supper have some beans and cornbread. Enjoy!

http://bellabambinaknits.blogspot.com/2009/11/how-to-make-sweater.html

Keyhole Scarf

A bunch of us are making scarves and donating them because January is Heart Awareness Month. I made this one very fast, it is just a small one but fits nicely around your neck and is just as good as a fashion piece or a warmth addition. It is worked lengthwise and you only have 12 rows to do and you are finished. It doesn't get much easier that that. I am including the link to a whole page of scarves from Crochet Pattern Central, there are Keyhole scarves in it also plus regular types of scarves. If you decide to help with this worthy project I am also including the address where you should mail yours.

This all came about because of a very good friend of mine and a very sweet person by the name of Barbara Moore. She and her husband went on a trip to visit her son so naturally she crocheted while Leroy drove....sounds like a perfect arrangement to me. Anyway, she was telling us that she actually finished her red scarf on the trip. Well, we all wanted to know about this red scarf project. We are sort of like the Muskeeters--One For All And One For All. So she explained that January is Heart Awareness Month and February is Womens Heart Awareness Month and that is why she was working so hard on getting her scarf finished so she could start another one. Of course, the whole bunch of us jumped in and said we'd help make them also.

Finally this long story gets to an end...sure it does! One more idea. I know all you sweet people have your own favorite charities and you work all year on items to send to them. If you could find it in your busy schedule to make just one red scarf you would not only be just making a scarf you would be adding some warmth to the world and a smile on so many faces. I'm not begging I'm simply asking you to think about it. Thank you ever so much for listening to my long story, and "Thanks" to all that decide to help us. But especially thanks to Barbara Moore for brining this to our attention, you go girl!!


Mail your finished scarves to: Women Heart Scarves Program c/o Big Show Fulfillment 1525 Gin Road Gold Hill, NC 28071


Lots Of Scarf Patterns
http://www.crochetpatterncentral.com/directory/scarves.php


Barbara Moore's Blog--a neat place, go visit her
http://barbara-moorewhimsies.blogspot.com/

Granny Square Bag

I just finished this bag and really enjoyed how quickly it went together. Of course since it is made up only 16 squares you'd expect it to be a fast project. This one is made in my Mother's favorite colors and I'm just going to add it to my trunk of other gifts. One of my resolutions for 2010 is to get more items made up that could be used for any type of gift giving that is needed throughout the year. So I got this big trunk and just started filling it up with all sorts of things. Here is the link where the pattern for this bag is, enjoy it.

http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/ingas-haekelbeutel

Are you like me, do you bookmark all these great patterns that you want to make sometime? But do you remember and go back and work on them? I always bookmark them with good intentions of making them as soon as I have some free time, but so far that day hasn't gotten here yet!! I have all these g-kids that are posted on top of this blog and some of them are getting to the age where they don't want "granny" sort of stuff. So I figured I don't have much longer that I can make for them. The older ones will get an afghan next Christmas so that's another reason why I have to start early in the year. I suppose I'd better quit chatting and get to work.....or maybe go make some pumpkin bread....or a batch of cookies. So much to do and not much time to get it done, only 11 more months!!

Something So Pretty

For those of you that don't know it we live in South Dakota in a little town. We are right outside the Air Force Base gate and behind the Police Station. This is the sort of traffic we get in our little community, and he had 6 pretty ladies along with him. I think we are going to call him Tiger the Deer, after all he lives in the Woods. Okay, okay, I'll hush now. They were all just gorgeous and not worried about Jay at all as he walked up and took their picture. We sat there for awhile just watching them walk around and eat. It was very relaxing. It makes me feel strange knowing I have venison in my deep freeze.

I belong to a forum called Crochet Soiree, it is just a fantastic place full of all kinds of groups to join and all the people there are very friendly and sharing. Well, we sort of started a group called Random Acts of Kindness (RAK). You just send somebody a little something you think they might like for no reason at all, hence Random Act. Now you can tell them who it is from or not. Tonight I received a marvelous book from Leisure Arts called 50 Fabulous Crochet Thread Motifs by Jean Leinhauser, and they did not tell me who it was from. But let me tell you this is one great book. There are 55 pages in it and there are great photos of each motif and the instructions are very well written. So if you have a little Christmas money left over and like to crochet with thread check this one out, you won't be sorry you did. But I must admit I do have one problem. I'm not going to get anything else done 'cause I'm gonna be busy looking through here trying to decide what to make next. Y'all take care and try to stay warm.

Big Mistake Corrected

For anybody that was nice enough to take my Angel Button and place it on their blog....the code is wrong. Yep, that's what I said, it's wrong. I discovered it and went in and corrected it. So....now that the code is correct and if you wouldn't mind I would still appreciate being on your blog BUT......correctly *LOL* Thanks a bunch 8>)

From A Circle To A Square

The title reminds me of that old song, "From a Jack to a King." Remember that one? Okay I'm showing my age here, but it was a good song. Since Christmas is over and we can work on other projects I have been just running through all of my WIP's to see what I would like to finish first. Well, they all came in 3rd or 4th, nothing jumped out at me and said "Finish me please". So of course that means I get to play all day just checking out what everybody else is doing. Naturally I wind up at YouTube and at Teresa's place and discover her tutorial on how to first crochet a circle then change it into a square. Now I thought that was a pretty neat trick to learn so that is the big thing I have done today. So below I have posted her video so you can see how it comes out. Maybe tomorrow I will actually get some work done...probably not. 8>) Jay has to go with the Patriot Guard tomorrow for two funerals, and it is going to be so cold and windy, plus there is a good chance of snow.

Have y'all been watching all the diet commercials on TV? They keep saying to start 2010 off right, let's lose weight. Now that would be great, if it meant to just not eat as much as usual. But noooo, they want me to stop eating certain foods completely. Well, that's just not normal. If I wasn't suppose to eat ice cream then it would be illegal to sell it, and if bread wasn't good for me they would do away with it also. I figure that as long as it is for sale I should be able to buy it and eat it. Now you know when you see the sign that says "limit 3"? I respect that and only eat 3 of them. So to me there is no problem what so ever. Okay, my rant is over for today. I'll think about that diet tomorrow, after all tomorrow is another day. quote from Scarlett O'Hara

Tunisian Knit Stitch

I'm sure you all know about Teresa's videos online and they are just super. To me she talks in plain english and also does a slow motion segment that I think really helps you to see the stitch and understand how it is made. If you have done Tunisian or the Afghan stitch before then this method just has one little step that will be different for you. A lot of us like the look of knit but don't really want to learn how to do it. This procedure will surprise you as it really looks knitted. I enjoy working this because I feel like I don't really have to think about what I am doing, I can just keep on working. For those that know me will understand that I don't like to do a bunch of thinking....I get a headache. So watch this video and then you can give it a try on dishcloths, scarves, slippers, caps, oh no. I feel that headache coming on, I think I'll just go to the movie. Take care everybody and enjoy the show.

Pretty As A Postcard

Yes we are having a little snow. But our biggest problem is the wind, it is gusting up to 57 mph. Jay went outside and walked around the building and he said it was very hard for him to walk, that there was no way I could make it. Of course I had no intention of even trying !! This photo is just down one of our side streets before the snow got here, yep that's what I said. You can't see anything now because of the snow blowing around everywhere.

Thank heavens I have bunches of little projects to work on. Now that Christmas is over it is time to just play around with some of them, or to try out some patterns and see if they are good ones or bad ones.

This little angel bell is one of those that I am trying out, it turned out very well although my photography is the pits. The dress is really emerald green but it just didn't show up very well. It took about 10 minutes to make it and it is very simple. This is one that I am going to make during the year so that by next Christmas I will have lots of Angels.

Free Angel Bell Crochet Pattern
Materials:
Small amount worsted weight yarn
Small amount fiberfill for stuffing
Size H crochet hook

Note: Weave in loose ends as work progresses.

Rnd 1: Ch 2, 6 sc in 2nd ch from hk, join w sl st in 1st sc (6 sc).

Rnd 2: Ch 1, 2 sc in each sc around, join as before (12 sc).

Rnds 3 and 4: Ch 1, sc in each sc around, join as before (12 sc).

Rnd 5: Ch 1, sc in same sc, sc dec over next 2 sc, * sc in next sc, sc dec over next 2 sc, rep from * around, join as before (8 sc).

Stuff head with fiberfill.

Rnd 6: Ch 1, sc dec over 1st 2 sc, * sc dec over next 2 sc, rep from * around, join as before (4 sc).

Push a little bit more stuffing into bottom of head and neck.

Rnd 7: Ch 3, 2 dc in same sc, 3 dc in next sc and in each sc around, join w sl st in top of ch 3 (12 dc).

Rnd 8: Ch 3, dc in next dc, 2 dc in next dc, * dc in next 2 dc, 2 dc in next dc, rep from * around, join as before (16 dc).

Rnds 9 and 10: Ch 3, dc in each dc around, join as before (16 dc).

Rnd 11: Ch 3, dc in same dc, 2 dc in next dc and in each dc around, join as before, fasten off (32 dc).

Right wing: Flatten angel so that joining rnd is in back and join yarn in side of Rnd 8 (the 5th dc to right of beg ch 3 counting beg ch 3 as one dc) Ch 4, 5 trc along side of dc, ch 4, sl st in same st, fasten off (7 trc).

Left wing: Join yarn in side of dc of Rnd 8 5th dc to left of beg ch 3 on the opposite side (close to head and working down) and rep as for right wing, fasten off (7 trc).

Change in instructions

The pattern below seemed to me a little hard to understand, so....I just changed it some. So go back and see if it makes more sense to you. I made my changes in the old pattern instead of redoing the whole thing. Did that make sense?? What I mean is, I didn't make another pattern post, I just changed the original post. How was that??