Feather Wing: A Crochet Tale

Funky Monkey

2012-01-16T09:17:00.002-05:00

Hello out there! I hope everyone had a great holiday season and are enjoying the new year so far. I had a great time visiting with friends and family. I think that may be the best part of the holidays for me!
So I've been a busy girl crossing items off of my w.i.p. list. I haven't been so great at sharing everything :o( But I will catch up! My latest item to fly off the hook is a sock monkey hat for my oldest daughter. I was browsing on Ravelry (what a surprise) and found this cute pattern. It works up quickly and you can add so many personal touches to make each one as unique as the lucky girl or boy you will be giving it to.

I opted to go with a pink monkey for my daughter. She absolutely LOVES it. And nothing feels better than when someone truly appreciates the work and thought that goes in to creating a gift made especially for them. I posted this on Facebook and I am getting so much wonderful feedback from friends and family, so thank you if you're reading. I always enjoy the confidence boost lol.
The pattern can be purchased through Ravelry . If you're not on Ravelry, what are you waiting for??? But seriously, here is a link for you, Sock Monkey Hat . The pattern is very well written and includes many sizes and even an optional flower for a pretty finishing touch. Well I'm off to enjoy my day off making another hat for my youngest daughter!

Thanks for looking, and happy hooking!

Work In Progress

2011-09-30T10:25:00.001-04:00

Happy Fall to everyone! I especially love this time of year. I am a creature of comfort all the way. Sweaters, afghans, slippers ahhhh. Anyhoo, this time of year is also pretty busy. My oldest daughter just started junior kindergarten this year. And in our district that means all day every day. Some kids aren't adjusting too well to their new routine, but my girl just loves school! With being so busy I have been neglecting my crochet :o(
Not by choice of course, I'm just too darn tired! I have a few projects on the go, and the strong urge to keep starting new ones.
On my w.i.p. list I have, a ripple afghan, a throw cushion, a large pineapple table topper doily and a gorgeous cowl I found on Ravelry. With the weather turning cool I have requests for hats, scarves and afghans. And the new issue of Interweave Crochet has me doing cartwheels to start the cover project "Lace Canopy Cardi Wrap" (if you haven't seen this beauty check it out on Ravelry!), not to mention The Best Guy Hat Ever, and the Turtle Tracks Blanket.
What's a girl to do? I absolutely love crocheting, and when I haven't held that hook and yarn in my hands for awhile I start to get cranky. I feel like crochet is therapy for the soul. You somehow get lost in the loops and it is so relaxing and satisfying. Does anyone else have a few projects on the go? What are you working on?

Happy Hooking!

Carry Me Away Market Bag

2011-07-30T20:34:00.004-04:00

Hello everyone, I hope your summer has been yarny! We just got over a major heat wave here in Southern Ontario. Our temperatures peaked near 120 degrees fahrenheit on July 21. What a scorcher! I have been very grateful to have a working air conditioner :o)
So with all of this steamy, hot and sticky weather I don't really feel like working on a heavy afghan, can you blame me? Smaller projects are perfect for hot summer days. I just started a great throw cushion that will look amazing when I'm done. I love watching it come together stitch by stitch.
On my search for smaller projects, I came across a beautiful market bag on Ravelry. I just love Ravelry, if you're not a member, what are you waiting for?? Check it out!! Anyhoo, I have quite a large yarn stash so I dug out some Red Heart Super Saver and got started.

I just love the design on this bag. The picture doesn't do it any justice. The structural design on the 'arches' are reinforced and made strong so you won't have any sagging while your bag is full of goodies. And it works up quickly, I finished mine in the evenings on a weekend after the kiddies were in bed. I love bringing it to work as my lunch bag, or just roll it up and keep it in my purse for unexpected trips to the store. The pattern offers two sizes, I made the smaller bag. The pattern can be found here, Ravelry Carry Me Away Market Bag If you aren't a member of Ravelry use this link, Etsy Carry Me Away Market Bag
Thanks for looking, and Happy Hooking!

Wrapped in Love Beanie

2011-04-25T09:31:00.000-04:00

Well hello again! And welcome to the new followers, I am so glad you like my blog! I feel terrible that it has been so long since my last post but a lot of things have changed around here since October. I've been back to work after a long 4 years :o) I cannot tell you how happy this makes me! Slowly things are turning around and we are getting back on our feet. I am so happy to take some of the burden off of my wonderful Hubby. He still works everyday at a job he absolutely despises and for this I am eternally grateful <3
So anyhoo now that we're all caught up, on to today's post! I was on the computer one morning surfing on Ravelry and came across the cutest hat. I just HAD to make it for my girls. I very rarely buy patterns but with this much cuteness I couldn't resist. Now since being back to work, I haven't had much time to crochet :o( So when I sat down to do this hat I was in hooker heaven, it only took me about 2 hours to make! The instant gratification of completing a project in such a small amount of time was just what I needed. I made another one the next day for my other daughter. They both love the new hat and wear it around the house all day. Here is the hat I made for my oldest daughter;

I told you it was cute!!

The pattern is available here Wrapped in Love Beanie It includes many different sizes for the hat, two sizes for the 'ribbon' and two sizes for the bow. I made the larger bow for this hat and the smaller bow for my youngest daughter. The sizes for my girls ages were a bit off in the pattern but my kids are pretty small for their size, so I just tweaked it a little to fit them better. Other than that, the pattern is very well written and I would recommend it to anyone. Thanks for looking, comments always welcome!
Happy Hooking :o)

Custom Baby Blanket

2010-10-26T09:30:00.000-04:00

Wow look at me rolling out all of these afghans! I have been a busy lady lately, with many thanks to wonderful friends and family requesting my talents for making gifts. Hopefully when my girls are older we can set up our own little crochet business lol.
Anyways, an old friend had asked me to make a special baby blanket for her friend who lives in Léone, France. How cool is that?! The colours were requested to be dark green and a darker colour yellow. These colours are special to their group of friends, so of course I did my best to find the perfect colours! I am so happy to say that this wonderful blanket only took me a few days to complete. I have noticed that ever since completing the two giant never-ending afghans I worked on forever, I can crochet pretty quickly.
I sent my friend a list of links to free patterns on the web so she could pick what she liked, and she picked Baby Granny Three Ways . What a great pattern! Super easy to remember, but this was more dense than a regular granny blanket. It wasn't so open and 'holey', which is great, you don't want those little toes getting tangled up! The colours don't photograph very well and I apologize.

The dark green rows are the same pattern repeat as the yellow rows. The middle row of each colour has crossed stitches in it, they give the blanket a lovely unique look.

Again, I apologize for the horrible picture. I really should take a class or something lol!
It's only a baby afghan so it is not super huge by any means, but it was the perfect size for a lapghan or even for someone in a wheelchair. I plan on making one for my 3 yr old daughter, but I'll be making it larger. And she wants it to look like a rainbow :o)
And now it's off to Léone, France! It's so cool to know that something I made will be on the other side of the world :o)
Happy Hooking everyone!

Ravishing Round Ripple

2010-09-13T09:22:00.000-04:00

Happy Monday everyone! My hook has been on fire this past week. I have finished the round ripple throw for my grandmother. She had bought a kit from Mary Maxim and asked me if I would make it for her. She has been knitting and crocheting since I can remember, but for the past year or so she has had some problems with her shoulders and it is preventing her from doing any repetitive motions. I of course was happy to help her out, that's what being a happy hooker is all about after all!
I started this around the same time as my cousin's wavy blanky, I just kept switching between the two when I would get bored of such a big project. The yarn that came with the kit is a self striping worsted weight called Serene. It has the same characteristics as a bouclé, but it is much stronger. I find that bouclé tends to have the consistency of cotton candy, well at least the brand that I'm familiar with. The first few rounds were maddening, I was having trouble seeing the stitches. I started to feel rather than look and that's when I really picked up speed. It is absolutely beautiful, and sooooooo soft. Like I said with my cousin's afghan, I have fallen in love and don't want to give it back lol. The pattern is great and I really like the round look, so I know I will be making many more for gifts to cut down my ginormous yarn stash.
Here she is,

The colours are a bit brighter than this picture shows. It kind of reminds me of Neopolitan ice cream :o)
It feels so wonderful to finally be done these two afghans. And of course I found a WIP in my closet to finish. The chromium star afghan for my youngest daughter. Good thing she's only 18 months, she doesn't mind how long it takes! It should be done in a few weeks if I don't get bored of it!
Thanks for looking and until next time,
Happy Hooking!

Farewell Summer of the Beast

2010-09-06T12:18:00.002-04:00

Happy September everyone! I hope the summer was good to everybody. I live in southern Ontario and it was a hot, humid sticky mess of a summer. We had some pretty big storms, but I can't complain about that when the rest of the world is really feeling some nasty conditions. My heart goes out to all in Pakistan and I hope they will get the help they need soon. And in these last few days there have been earthquakes everywhere. What is going on in this world? The man upstairs is upset about something...
On to today's post blogworld. I have FINALLY finished the wavy ripple afghan for my wonderful cousin!! I call it the beast, and since I worked on it so much despite the heat it was the summer of the beast for me lol. This afghan is by far the biggest project to date that I have finished. I am so happy to be done with it. But it is so hard to part with it. I have fallen in love with it's warmth, and it's drape and it's hypnotizing pattern. I will definitely be making another afghan of this size just for me and hubby to snuggle under!

In this picture, the afghan is folded in half. When it is fully spread, it almost covers the top of my queen size bed. Also, the colour isn't very accurate in this photo. It is not black and white, it is the most beautiful, rich purple colour. I love it! Both were Red Heart giant 16 oz skeins. I used 2 of each colour and a size H hook.
The pattern is super easy to remember and is so soothing, at least I thought it was. Crochet is great meditation for me! This wonderful pattern is available for free here Wavy Blanky and if you are on ravelry it is also available here Ravelry Library Wavy Blanky

I changed colours every 2 rows. I finished off the afghan with a scalloped edging on the top and bottom edges of the afghan.

The new owner of this beauty hasn't been able to use it yet since we live so far from each other. She will hopefully be visiting for Thanksgiving (Canadian thanksgiving), so that's only a few weeks away. Thank goodness for facebook, she's already been able to see the finished product and she really likes it. But I can't wait to see her face when she can hold it for the first time, like a brand new baby, hahaha, well maybe that's a bit too much!
Now with this behind me, I can finish the other afghan I've been working on, hopefully it doesn't take too much longer, I've got many holiday gifts to start stitching!!
Until next time, happy hooking!!

Happy Belated Birthday

2010-07-23T09:55:00.000-04:00

Well, I think I'm enjoying the new look of my blog. It's not as pretty as before, but it will do for now! Blogger has made some really great changes and you can now easily change anything with the click of a button. Before you had to fiddle with html codes and that was a nightmare since I don't speak that language! But anyhoo, on to today's topic. I just realized that my little blog has turned 1 on July 4! Happy Birthday Blog! I hope you followers out there enjoy my blog as much as I do. I hope the next year brings some new and exciting news, projects and all around goodness. Happy hooking!

Under Construction

2010-07-21T16:40:00.000-04:00

So apparently my background isn't going to available anymore :o( I'm not sure why. I found at The Custest Blog on the Block. They offered quite a few awesome designs, but I received a message telling me that it will no longer be available. I tried visiting the website and it was unresponsive. So hopefully my quest for a new design doesn't turn everything topsy turvy. Wish me luck...

Checking In

2010-07-08T12:55:00.001-04:00

Hello fellow crocheters, I'm just checking in!
I noticed that my last post was in April *eeeek* Sorry!
But life is busy with two little ones and all this warm weather keeps them going like Energizer Bunnies! I'm still working on the two afghans (one giant ripple/wave, one medium round ripple) posted about earlier, they seem to be never-ending. I remember why I love small projects so much! Besides working on the afghans, my skills have been commissioned by some lovely family members and friends. The request? Dishcloths and towel toppers! Aaaah, so wonderful to finish a project in one sitting! I didn't take pics of most of them, I just finished them and they were out the door. But I am making some for myself and I will post some pics when I have a chance. I absolutely LOVE this dishcloth pattern using Tunisian crochet. I am totally new to this technique and I was 'hooked' on it right away. Sorry for the horrible pun, I couldn't resist hahaha! If you have never used this technique before, please don't be afraid to try it. It is incredibly easy and the end result is fantastic. Here is the link to the pattern, Tunisian Short Row Dishcloth. There is no picture on this website unfortunately, but if you are a Ravelry member, here is the Ravelry link, Tunisian Short Row Dishcloth.
I really hope you try it out, it is so addictive. The cloth itself when finished is very durable and great for scrubbing. The towel topper pattern I am using is a cross between a Maggie Weldon pattern, Towel Topper and a LadynThread pattern, Towel Topper 2. They work up quick and look great. I am pumping these babies out like crazy, no wonder those afghans aren't getting finished *sigh*
Till next time, happy hooking, and have a great summer everyone!

Shooting Star Appliqué

2010-04-14T16:32:00.000-04:00

Hello again blogworld! As promised I have written out the pattern for my shooting star appliqué that goes with the Summer Wishes Shirt posted earlier. I gave this one to my daughter. She told me she's going to put it under her pillow at night and make wishes with it. She also told me that I have to make another one to put on a shirt so she can look like her doll! And without further adieu...

Shooting Star Appliqué

By Connie Stieler

This pattern is copyrighted. You can sell items made from this pattern. DO NOT sell this pattern or claim it as your own. DO NOT use my pictures without my permission. Please feel free to link to this page. Please respect the hard work it takes to figure out a pattern and please respect my generosity in sharing it with you. Thanks.

Materials
Size 10 cotton thread
yellow/glittery white - or whatever you like
Size 7 steel hook

With yellow make magic ring.
R1) 10 hdc in ring. Pull tail to close ring. Ch 1, turn
R2) ( 2 hdc in next st, hdc in next st) around. Sl st to top of beg hdc, ch 1, turn. (15 st)
R3) Hdc in next 3 st. Leave remaining st unworked. Ch 1, turn.
R4) Hdc2tog, hdc in next st. Ch 1, turn.
R5) Hdc2tog, ch1, sl st down side of triangle, back to where triangle meets the circle, sl st here. Begin next triangle in next hdc. Rep from R3 until there are 5 points on star. After sl st down the last triangle, FO.

Attach glittery white 1 st next to your previous FO towards the point of the 1st triangle.
R1) Ch 2 (counts as hdc now and throughout), hdc in next 6 spaces. Ch 2, turn. (7 hdc)
R2) Hdc across row.
R3-7) Rep previous row. At end of row 7, ch 1, turn.
R8) *Sc in next st, ch 3, sl st through top of last sc made*. Picot made. Continue this across the row, ending with sc. 4 picots made. FO.

If you have any problems or questions, please feel free to email me or leave a comment. Happy Hooking!

Summer Wishes Shirt

2010-04-12T13:01:00.002-04:00

Hello all! Lately I've been super busy working on two different afghans, one for my wonderful cousin and the other a kit from Mary Maxim for my grandmother. They're both coming along great, but giant projects bore the crap out of me! I found some spare time to whip up this shirt for my daughter's Disney Princess Dolls. She has Belle and Tinkerbell, both given to her as gifts. She just turned 3 and dressing up her dolls is one of her new favourite things to do. Unfortunately, these dolls don't come with extra outfits. She just gets them both naked and switches their clothes for hours. I started feeling sorry for her lol. So far I just have this shirt done, but I hope to make a matching skirt or something to complete the outfit, and she has already requested a sweater and dresses and purses, what have I gotten myself into??

This pattern is copyrighted. You can sell items made from this pattern. DO NOT sell this pattern or claim it as your own. DO NOT use my pictures without my permission. Please feel free to link to this page. Please respect the hard work it takes to figure out a pattern and please respect my generosity in sharing it with you. Thanks.

Summer Wishes Shirt

by Connie Stieler

Fits 15" doll

Materials
Worsted Weight Yarn ( I used Red Heart Super Saver)
Hooks sized E, F
small button
yarn needle
Special Stitches
Extended Single Crochet ( ESC )
Insert hook in to stitch indicated, YO pull through. YO pull through 1 loop, YO pull through remaining loops on hook.

**Please note that this pattern has only been used by myself. If you notice an error, please email or leave a comment so I may fix it, thanks!**

(Ch 2 counts as 1st st)

Using smaller hook, ch 40 * leave a good tail length for sewing back seam *
R1) Dc in 2nd ch from hook, and in each across (38 dc)
R2) Ch 2, turn. FPDC around 1st dc. BPDC around next dc. Continue this pattern until the end of the row.

Switch to larger hook.
R3) Ch 2, turn. ESC across row.
*rep last row until piece measures 2 1/2 ", not including the ribbing* For me, this took 6 rows total.

Ch 2, turn. ESC in next 5 st. Ch 16, skip 5 st, ESC in next st. Hdc2tog twice. ESC in next 8 st. Hdc2tog twice. ESC in next 16 st. Skip next 5 st. ESC in last 5 st.

Ch 2, turn. ESC in next 4 st. ESC entire ch, Hdc2tog twice. ESC in next 6 st. (This side is slightly longer for button placement)

Ch 2, turn. ESC in next 4 st. Hdc2tog 3 times. ESC in next 5 st. Hdc2tog 3 times. * Sc in next 2 st, ch 2 sl st through top of last sc * repeat 3 times more. End with 2 sc. Hdc2tog 3 times. ESC in next 5 st. Hdc2tog 3 times. Hdc2tog 3 times. ESC in next 4 st. Fasten off.
Seam the back of shirt, starting at the bottom working upwards. 7 rows should be seamed together.
Attach small button to the last row.

I made a shooting star applique for the front of the shirt. I will post a pattern for that and a better pic as soon as I can!

I made the sleeves loose so they can worn off the shoulder if desired. If you want a tighter sleeve, just adjust the length of chain made. Happy hooking!

Best Booties Free Pattern

2010-03-14T19:47:00.003-04:00

And suddenly its March?! February is insanely busy at my house. Both of my girls have their birthday in Feb. and the youngest just celebrated her very first birthday, so exciting! I had a baby shower to attend at the beginning of March so I made these little booties. I had made a similar pair for my daughter as a baby but I didn't have a blog then, so I'm 'releasing' the pattern now. I also made a Packer's football, because I know that's the new daddy's fave team. I personally don't watch football, I'm more of a hockey girl! Here's the pattern for the football. I modified it as usual to suit my liking. For the stripes on the ends I used surface ch stitches. For the laces on top I crocheted a separate piece and then attached it with a criss-cross pattern. I couldn't get a decent pic of that to show you, sorry!

And for the packer's logo I crocheted a small circle and used surface ch stitches to form the G, then attached it. I was pretty pleased with how it came out.

And here are my booties. This pattern is copyrighted. You can sell items made from this pattern. DO NOT sell this pattern or claim it as your own. DO NOT use my pictures without my permission. Please feel free to link to this page. Please respect the hard work it takes to figure out a pattern and please respect my generosity in sharing it with you. Thanks.

Best Booties

by Connie Stieler

**Please note that this pattern has only been used by myself. If you notice an error, please email or leave a comment so I may fix it, thanks!**

Materials:

worsted weight yarn ( I used red heart Eco-Ways in "Storm")

US D3/3.25 mm hook

Gauge 5 dc = 1"

Fits newborn-3 months

**Join rounds with sl st.**

Sole - make 2

R1)Ch 15, dc in 4th ch from hook. Dc in next 10 st. Sk 1 st, 4 dc in last ch. Rounding to other side of ch, dc in next 10 st. Join to top of ch 3. (25dc)

R2)Ch 3(counts as 1st st now and throughout) Dc in next 11 st, 2dc in next 5 dc, dc in next 8 st, 2 dc in next dc. Join to top of ch 3.

R3)Ch 3, dc in sm sp, dc in next 13 dc. (2dc in next dc, dc in next st) 3 times. Dc in next 11 st, 2 dc in next st. Join to top of ch 3. (37dc)

R4)Ch 2(counts as 1st hdc)working in bl only for this round, hdc around. Join to top of ch 2.

R5)Ch 2, hdc around. Join to top of ch 2.

R6) Rep R5

R7)Ch 2, hdc in next 11 st. Hdc2tog 7 times. Hdc in next 11 st. Join to top of ch 2.

R8)Ch 2, hdc in next 10 st. Hdc2tog 4 times. Hdc2tog once more, starting in the last hdc2tog. Hdc in next 10 st. Join to top of ch 2.

Beginning the ribbed cuff -

R9) Ch 2, *fpdc in next st, bpdc in next st* rep from * around. Join with sl st.

R10-11) Rep R9. Fasten off. Weave in ends.

Yarn Bomb!!

2010-02-08T21:00:00.001-05:00

Hello blogworld! Lately I've been thinking about Yarn Bombs. And Howie Woo's latest creation has just fueled my fire! I see pics all over the internet of random public objects being covered with knitted or crocheted creations. I look around this town and it is BORING! I want to crochet it up a little bit, or maybe a lot!
There are lots of things to consider first.
1. Location!!
I want lots of people to see it and enjoy it. Maybe even confuse them a little :o)
2. The Public
As in any community there are the 'bad seeds' and I don't want my hard work being destroyed by people that weren't taught decency and respect.
3. What the Heck Do I Make???
I find myself standing in my way. As I usually do. I tend to have a roadblock in my brain lately when it comes to creating something unique and totally awesome. I think it's all of this cold weather freezing my brain!
There is absolutely nothing in this town covered in yarn and it makes me sad! It's a pretty small town so I have limited space to choose from. There's a nice downtown area but there are no fences to create a pretty flowery vine or whatnot. There is a nice park but I think this is definitely where anything put here would be ruined in a matter of hours. I'll keep scratching my brain until I find the perfect spot, I will make it my mission to yarn bomb this town in 2010!!! Any ideas are welcome!
Check out Howie Woo's latest creation at http://woowork.blogspot.com/
Happy Hooking!

Rotten Week = New hat for me!

2010-02-02T14:11:00.001-05:00

Last week was a living hell for me. I think it had something to do with the full moon. Everything just seemed to go wrong, and the kids were a NIGHTMARE! Since hubby and I are both out of work, retail therapy was not an option so I went through my yarn stash and made myself a new hat. It's a free pattern from Rheatheylia. I love it. It's very thick and warm! The pattern was easy to follow and I look forward to using more of her patterns in the future. This pattern is definitely not for beginners! But I would recommend it for anyone comfortable with fpdc and bpdc.
Here I am being my usual dorky self, while enjoying my new hat...

This shows the hat from the top down...

And finally, a close up shot of the wonderful lattice pattern

The free pattern can be found here Lattice Hat
Until next time, happy hooking!

Fan Bookmark

2010-01-23T12:03:00.003-05:00

I love working with cotton thread. The end result always looks so delicate, and people think it must be so hard, those stitches are so small! Ahahaha how I laugh at them, well not really! I find working with the thread very easy once you are used to the smaller size hooks, and the tension of the thread itself. I made this bookmark for my best friend Jen awhile back after we went to Clem's Book Exchange. The greatest bookstore in our area by far! Thousands of books, thousands!! And for a cheap price, that makes me happy :o)
Anyhoo, I didn't post it sooner because I didn't want to ruin the surprise. I gave it to her yesterday and she loved it! So here it is for everyone else to enjoy (I hope!)

Here is an ultra crappy pic, but it shows the tassel

The free pattern can be found here
http://crochetroo.blogspot.com/2006/05/fan-bookmark.html
The first pattern is in Australian terms, but scroll down and the American/Canadian pattern is there!!!
Happy hooking!

The Curse of the Blue Crayon

2010-01-22T09:43:00.003-05:00

Good morning blogvillians, today I present to you The Curse of the Blue Crayon...

The events occurred on Sunday morning. My day started off like any other day, wake up, have breakfast with the girls and have my couple cups of coffee. Then I made my way into the kitchen to start some laundry. Now my girls are about to turn 3 and 1, so as you can imagine I am buried in laundry most days. Also I am mildly obsessed about certain things, so I go through laundry piece by piece. With my bottle of Shout stain remover not too far from my grasp, I lovingly doused most of the girls' clothes with Shout, I want them to have great looking stainless clothes after all. Blah blah blah, I put the clothes in the washer and then the dryer and started a new load of laundry in the washing machine. So when my dryer called out to me with a loud BUZZZZZZZ, I opened the door and started folding the clothes.
This was my first glimpse of the Curse of the Blue Crayon. Yes, there was blue crayon on EVERYTHING. I was so horribly upset. I check every pocket, every possible place that a tissue or chunk of play-doh might find a home, so I don't even have the slightest idea where this chunk of crayon came from. My only conclusion is that it must have been on the floor and when I grabbed everything after the Shout application I must have scooped it up and thrown it in the washing machine. Oi Vay what a nightmare. And of course I didn't have the internet on Sunday. So someone googled crayon removal for me and told me that WD-40 looked like a popular solution. So I gave it a try. Well, it didn't work. I'm sure if I had noticed the crayon before putting everything into the dryer, it would have worked.
So now I can't get the smell of WD-40 out of the clothes. I have washed them in super hot water with vinegar a few times, then washed with detergent a few more times. But still, the smell won't come off. I imagine that being sprayed by a skunk wouldn't be as bad. So that bring me to today, I'm going to soak the clothes with some Palmolive and hope for the best. I hate crayons right now! If you have had a similar situation I would love to hear about it, and if you had any success with removing it!!!

My next crochet project is a cupcake scarf and a cupcake hat. I plan on giving the scarf to my oldest daughter and the hat to my youngest daughter on their birthdays. When I'm finished I of course will post pics and a link for the pattern I found, happy hooking!

Hooray for Boobies!!! * adult yarn content!* PICS UPDATE

2010-01-10T11:17:00.004-05:00

**** Well hooray for web updates! I am adding the pics directly from my hard drive instead of using an online picture hosting site. So enjoy my boobs lol :o) I strongly recommend this project, everyone seems to like it a lot when it's finished, and it's so customizable, why not use green yarn for your sci-fi lover, some nice Martian boobies!!!! Or pink for a breast cancer survivor. So many possibilities, happy hooking! ****

Pics finally!!!! This beauty has been done for awhile now, but I have been hibernating lately! My family had a great time playing with this before we gave it away. My brother in law was quite pleased with how it came out. I had it sitting on my couch for a few days after I had finished it and once in a while I would have to do a double take because I kept forgetting it was there lol. I really like how it turned out in the end. I almost hated to give it away, but I know my B.I.L. will have a great time amusing his friends and gf with the boobies.
The pattern I used was pretty simple, but I did modify it to suit my liking a little more. I will tell you what I did, maybe you would use my modifications as well...First off, the pattern for the pillow base uses dc, but I didn't want the pillow to be so 'holey', so I used hdc instead. For the edging of the pillow I did one round of sc, and then a second round using hdc. For the boobs I did the first 2 rounds in the darker tan color for the areolas and then switched to the lighter tan to finish each boob. And lastly the pattern called for the use of brown latex bottle nipples, but I'm a cheap ass and crocheted super sized nipples using the same darker color tan from the areolas and then attached them separately. They are quite large, but I wanted it to be funny and keep that novelty feel to it.
Here is the pattern Booby Pillow .

The corner looks a little wonky and out of shape, but I had just thrown it on the bed and took a quick pic...

The uber huge nipples...

Thanks for looking, I had a lot of fun with this project! Happy Hooking!

Goodbye Grandma and the Quest for the Purple Hook

2010-01-03T12:31:00.000-05:00

Hello everyone, sorry to be gone for almost an entire month eeek!! I hope everyone had a great holiday season. Happy New Year to you, I'm sure 2010 will be much better for everyone. Sooooo awhile back I had posted about my paternal grandmother who gave me some of her knitting needles and yarn, etc. Well, unfortunately she ended up passing away on December 15. She had fallen ill in autumn, and was later diagnosed with liver failure and pancreatic cancer. She couldn't eat or drink anything. She was starving to death I'm sure.My father and my oldest daughter (who is almost 3) and I were planning on making the 5 hour trip to see her and then the amount of snow they had gotten all of a sudden stopped us from going. This was on Saturday the 12th. Later that night she had suffered a stroke. Sunday afternoon we left to go up and see her. We went on Monday morning to visit with her for a few hours. It was so hard to see her so weak, she had always been such a strong woman, so full of life. Later that night she had a heart attack and died in her sleep. It makes me happy to know that she is in peace, and with my grandfather again, but I will miss her terribly. I'm glad that I can share her love for yarn crafts and cooking and santa claus :o)
For the past two months I have been trying to find a Boye size H hook. The purple one! It has to be the easiest thing to find. It was at Walmart, Zellers, and a few other stores around here. But as soon as I go to actually buy the stupid thing, it is no where to be found. And of course I never know when I'll be going to the city to visit Michaels's. So when my grandmother passed what does my wonderful cousin find in her side table drawer? The purple hook that I have been looking for for so long. She left it for me. I have many size H hooks, I have hooks in every size. But I wanted to start my Boye collection for their wonderful colors, you know what you're grabbing without having to search on the shaft for the sizes. I couldn't believe that she had it there just waiting for me. She was so happy that I crochet, that someone else loved the craft as much as she did. And now that purple hook is so much more special to me. I will have it forever, and I've already been using it a lot. Thank you Gramma, I love you!

Let it Snow!

2009-12-08T18:36:00.002-05:00

Well, as I promised myself a few weeks ago, I have finished the booby pillow thank frickn god!!!!! Actually, I still have to stuff the 'boobs' and attach them to the pillow form. But before I can do that I have to find some brown latex baby bottle nipples. Hahaha boobs...I'm sure my B.I.L. will love it :) I will post pics as soon as the finishing touches are complete.
Snow? Snow you say? It has snowed here a few times now, but none of it has stayed. I'm making my bestest friend some snowflakes for her pretty Xmas tree. I have two done, and I plan on making at least 4 more with different patterns, no two snowflakes are alike after all. I haven't starched these two yet but was itching to post something, so here they are in all their glory.

Chain Loop Snowflake, this one is my fave so far, its just so pretty!

And here is the Open Loop Snowflake

The pattern is here Snowflakes
Happy Holidays!

Star Stuffie

2009-12-02T13:26:00.003-05:00

Last night I finished up my very own Star Stuffie for my youngest daughter. I embroidered a little face on one side and she just loves staring at it. She's nine months old so I couldn't use buttons or beads that could be chewed or pulled off. I think it is so cute, it worked up really fast and the pattern was very easy to follow.

The pattern is courtesy of April Draven's Star Stuffie . She has lots of other great patterns on her blog too, check it out!

Gingerbread Man

2009-12-02T13:04:00.003-05:00

Happy December to everyone! I love December, not because of Christmas and all of the holiday spirit. My birthday is in a few days! I also love how beautiful freshly fallen snow looks as it clings to evergreens and hugs the edges of your windowsills. Christmas is also great, not because of presents (don't get me wrong, I love presents!), but it brings families together, and mostly everyone is in a good mood. Mostly. We all have at least one Scrooge or Grinch in the family! On today's post topic, I made my oldest daughter this cute little Gingerbread Man Amigurumi. The pattern is available for free here, Gleeful Gingerbread Man . It was super easy to make, and my daughter loves him! I did change a few details to suit my own liking. And also I didn't have a lighter shade of brown, so it can be a difficult to see his little eyes. So I have a close up pic so you can see his face better. I apologize in advance for the not so great photography, I have horrible lighting in my house, and sometimes the pics are great, sometimes they are terrible so please bear with me!!!

Taking Time to Bitch

2009-11-30T10:02:00.000-05:00

GRRRrrrrrrr!!!!! I am just so livid right now. I know no one cares, but I need to be heard! I am so sick of this economy. It has been 3 years since I have worked. I was on maternity leave up until 2 years ago. When I was pregnant for my first daughter I was so sick, I couldn't work more than a few days a week and my husband was continually laid off until the company he worked for shut their doors completely. So when I did go on mat leave, we had to get rid of our car, or live in it. Fast forward one year later, no car, hubby finally gets a new job. But since we have no transportation, I can't return to my job. But with hubby's job we were getting by. Fast forward to now, hubby is laid off once more, it's been about 5 weeks so far, but this is lay off number 3 this year. And they told us to expect to be off until after Christmas. We are still with no car because I cannot find a job in this dinky town. Before I was married I went to school and received my certification for Med Lab Technician. I was pregnant soon after and didn't get to write my licensing exam which costs around $200. Sooooo even though I have this awesome resume, I still cannot find a job...
The only solution that I can see is to move! We obviously aren't improving our lives by staying around here, but we need money and a vehicle to move, and we can't get a vehicle unless I have a job, and I can't get a job unless I have a vehicle. Do you see where I'm going with this? I just don't know what to do anymore. I am being sucked in to this horrible never ending circle. I have two little girls that deserve the whole universe, and I want to be able to give that to them. I am so lucky that they are so young, they won't remember these hard times when they are older. But I am stressing out in the mean time, not sure where to turn. I just wish some very friendly millionaire or some very friendly business owner might read this and help me because the universe sure isn't!!!! I would love to be a more talented designer so I could sell patterns or things that I have made or even be a pattern tester. I honestly could just go on and on and on...thanks for letting me bitch a little. I know I'm not the only one having hard times right now, but we all need to stick together and help each other out. I need to crochet something before I explode!!!! Hugs and stitches xxoxoxoxx

Friendship Mittens

2009-11-27T13:51:00.001-05:00

Ahhh, it's been too long again since I've posted! Time just seems to be flying away from me once more. Lately I've been scrambling to finish up some projects that have been on going for just way too long. Like the booby pillow for my brother-in-law. I was supposed to make it for his birthday in August!!! So far I have the actual pillow base complete. It's stuffed and sewn together. I have to make the boobies complete with baby bottle nipples. The problem is, I HATE the yarn I'm using. It is so unbelievably ROUGH. It actually rips the skin off my thumb after working with it for awhile. So I've been putting it aside for months. I really don't like having 'yarn thumb'. And with my thumb ripped apart, I can't crochet anything else. I know I'm disappointing him and it's bugging me to no end. I love making things for other people. So I am determined to get this stupid thing done by the end of the weekend!! Anyhoo, awhile back I finished my mittens to match my hat and scarf. This pattern was very interesting indeed. I had to learn 3 new stitches. Extended single crochet, foundation single crochet, and foundation double crochet. I really like the ESC, it gives you a nice dense fabric, but it still has some flexibility. The foundation stitches were a little difficult to understand at first. I plan on posting a tutorial on those later. Basically the foundation stitches give you the beginning chain and the first row of crochet at the same time, this way the beginning chain is just as elasticy as the rest of your piece. This is especially nice for garments because you don't get that tight feeling that the ordinary chain stitches give you. I really enjoy working with cables, so this was a perfect pattern for me!

And here is the palm side of the mitten.

They are very warm, and they fit great! The pattern can be found here Friendship Mittens . Until next time, happy hooking <3

Button-Flower Beanie

2009-11-16T11:06:00.002-05:00

So last week I was feeling lethargic and robotic and much like a machine. As I'm sure most mother's do sometimes. When the girls were finally in bed I was happy to go through my stash of yarn and start creating. I realized that I hadn't made my youngest daughter a hat, and so I began. I really am so pleased with how this turned out. It's my first original hat pattern. It's a very simple pattern, and can be easily customized for larger or smaller sizes.

Button-Flower Beanie

by Connie Stieler

This pattern is copyrighted, please do not sell my pattern or claim as your own. Please do not post this pattern on another website/blog or other types of media without permission. Feel free to post a link to this page. For personal use only. Thank you for respecting this copyright.

Size:

6-9 months

Materials:

(Hat)

5.00 mm/H/hook

approximately 2.5-3 oz worsted weight yarn

(Button-Flower)

3/4" button

small amount worsted weight yarn in desired colours

Note: Ch 2 counts as 1st hdc of round. Join rounds with sl st unless otherwise stated.

Beginning with hat;

R1) Ch 3, 9 hdc in 3rd ch from hook, join to 1st hdc (10 hdc)

R2) Ch 2, hdc in same sp as ch 2, 2 hdc in each st around.(20 hdc)

R3) Ch 2, hdc in same sp as ch 2, (hdc in next st, 2 hdc in next st) around. (30 hdc)

R4) Ch 2, hdc in same sp as ch 2, (hdc in next 2 st, 2 hdc in next st) around. (40 hdc)

R5) Ch 2, hdc in same sp as ch 2, (hdc in next 3 st, 2 hdc in next st) around. (50 hdc)

R6-15) Ch 2, hdc in each st around.

R16) Ch 1, sc in same sp. Skip 1 st, 6dc in next st. (Skip 1 st, sc in next st, skip 1 st, 6 dc in next st)around. Finish off and weave in ends

*** If you want a larger hat, continue increasing after R5 by hdc in next 4 st, 2 hdc in next st, and so on until desired size. If you want a smaller hat, stop increasing after you have reached the desired size in R3-5.***

Button-Flower

Join rounds with sl st

Using desired center colour,

R1) Ch 4, join to form ring, (sc, ch 3, sc) 5 times.

R2) (Sc, ch 1, 3 dc, ch 1, sc) in each loop.

R3) Switching colours and working behind first row of petals, (sc around the 'spoke' or base of petal, ch 4) rep around.

R4) (Sc, ch 1, 5 dc, ch 1, sc) around. Fasten off after joining to first st.

Sew button to center of flower using coordinating colour, then sew flower to hat. I attached my flower to the beginning of rows 12 and 13, this hides your seam nicely!

The Hep Hat

2009-10-17T20:46:00.000-04:00

Hello blogworld, I've been a bit behind on my posts. BUT I have finished my wonderful hat to match my scarf!! Yay, excitement! I searched a long time to find the perfect hat. I'm so picky about things its ridiculous. I found a pattern on Craftster for a Swirls Cap, (someone else just posted it actually and did a great job), but then I saw this pattern for a Hep Hat. It looked a little less time consuming, and that was the key thing for me!

And here's the view from the top,

I made the whole hat in a few hours one night while I was waiting for the baby to go to sleep! I finished the trim in the morning. I've been getting tons of compliments on this hat and my bestest friend in the whole wide world requested one for her very own. So we went to the local wool shop and she picked out some dark charcoal grey Patons Decor yarn. It's a little bit different than the Bernat Worsted that I used, but so far the guage is the same, so no worries! Here's the pattern for the Hep Hat I hope you enjoy it as much as I did! So now I'm working on my mittens. I was originally gonna make some fingerless gloves, but it seems as though Autumn has just skipped right over us and winter is knocking on my door, so I'm going for the full coverage of some yummy warm mittens! When I have them done I'll model the whole set!

My New Scarf

2009-10-07T19:31:00.001-04:00

I just finished my Queen Anne's Lace Scarf. I had seen it posted by someone on Craftster, and as soon as I saw it I just fell in love! It's just gorgeous, I'm really happy with how it turned out. It was soooooo ridiculously easy to make. I might whip up a few more for gifts, I haven't decided yet. I used Bernat Great Value Worsted yarn in Wine. I just love this colour! And since the skein of yarn is so big, 14 oz to be exact, I have tons left over to make a matching hat and some mittens! I never make things for myself, so I am extremely excited about this lol.

The scarf would only take a few hours to complete, but I'm constantly putting my crocheting down to do some Mommy related business. So this beauty took me about a week to finish off and on. If you are a beginner I think this would be a great project. It looks hard at a quick glance, but all this involves is double crochet, single crochet and chains and turning and turning and turning! The pattern can be found here Queen Anne's Lace Scarf . There is no pictures on this site, but I found it through a posting in Ravelry and can assure you this is the pattern to use! Until next time, happy hooking!

Knitting!

2009-10-05T20:45:00.000-04:00

Wow, time seems to be picking up pace lately. My 2 1/2 year old daughter is sprouting before my eyes, and my 7 month old daughter is changing every day. I've been busy with crocheting, family events, friends, daily life. But still my mind was not being challenged enough, so I've been teaching myself to knit over the last week. A few years ago, right before my first daughter was born, my paternal grandmother was being moved in to a senior's home and had to get rid of a lot of things. So she gave me a collection of her knitting needles and craft books, a little bit of yarn. And some knick knacks that I had always admired as a child. Not until this last week was I able to actually do anything beyond casting on. This means such a great deal to me to be able to use her needles. The same needles that she herself had used over the years. And when my girls are bigger, they are learning how to do both knitting and crocheting, I'll make sure of it! I was always playing with string from as young as I can remember, starting with friendship bracelets, dream catchers, beaded necklaces, hemp necklaces and bracelets, cross stitch, crochet and now knitting. I feel pretty damn good right about now.

Lindsay's Hat

2009-09-24T11:47:00.001-04:00

Good morning blog world! I haven't been posting as often as I would like. I've just been so busy! Over on Craftster there seems to be a Hat-Making disease going around. And I am not immune to anything going around on Craftster lol! Now I have a list about a mile long of hats that I want to make that I've found around the internet. The hat that I just made is very simple, and would make a great base for any hat. I made it for my oldest daughter the other night after she went to bed. It only took me a few hours to make it, and I surprised her with it in the morning. She is only 2, so trying to get her to sit still and model was a nightmare! I must have taken a million pics of her lol. I really should invest in a mannequin head, but it's kinda creepy I think.

Here she is, enjoying her new hat!

Here is the link for the pattern; Butterfly Hat

Her blog is very nice, and she has a few other patterns as well as some nice photography. Happy hooking!

Are You Kidding Me?

2009-09-08T22:35:00.000-04:00

Well, sometimes life takes a step forward and then two steps back. For example, my husband is back to work, things are looking up, and then I happen to wake up Saturday morning to find my side by side refrigerator, freezer combo is completely room temperature. Including all of the contents. This is fridge number five in three years. I'm sick of used and abused things!!! So just when I thought the coast was clear, I have to up and buy a brand new refrigerator!!!! Hence the title of today's post. Are you kidding me? For real? It seems as though every year around this time, something expensive happens. That's life I guess. Something is bound to happen when you least expect it to, and when you want it the least! In crochet news, I am scrambling to get to the post office to buy a stamp so I can renew my subscription to Crochet World. I love this magazine. I recommend it to anyone looking for a good pattern source. Also, I am working on that Queen Anne's Lace Scarf. It's about half done right now. I wasn't sure if I liked it while I was making it. But as it's getting longer, I like it more and more. I found a cute hat to go with it too, so I'm pretty excited!! Now I'm just hoping that my nice winter coat still fits after having baby number 2 last February! Hugs and Stitches!

Summer's End

2009-08-27T11:04:00.001-04:00

Wow, I can't believe that next week will be the end of August! I've noticed how fast time goes by as you get older. I don't like it one bit! Today is pretty cold in southern Ontario, I'm wearing a sweater, and I love it! I would love to live somewhere that is always cool enough to wear a sweater, but never hot enough to break a sweat. I was born in December, so my theory is because I'm a winter baby, I don't like the hot weather. My hubby was born in July and he loves the summer weather, so I guess for our family this theory is true! As the winter months are quickly approaching, the panic of Christmas is setting in. I have to start buying gifts so I'm not stuck at the last minute with no money! I'm trying to finish up all the projects I've got going so I can start making scarves and gloves for friends and family. I found a pattern for a Queen Anne's Lace scarf that I absolutely love, so I'm going to actually make something for myself.
http://mkcarroll.typepad.com/mk_carroll/2007/12/anne-crochet-la.html
I also plan on making some matching mittens. I would really love to make a hat to go with the set, but I can't find anything I like yet. And with two little girls under the age of 3, I have nooooo time to create my own design!

Hooray for the Internet!

2009-08-16T11:09:00.000-04:00

My computer has been broken for the last few weeks, and I finally am back on the net!!! It never occurred to me just how much time I spend on the computer. But then I noticed how much free time I had! So in lieu of surfing the web, I of course started a new project lol. My brother gave me a Monster Ball from phantex for Xmas last year. I started an afghan and didn't like it, so I frogged it. And I started looking through my Crochet World magazines. I found an Infant Aran Hoodie, and fell in love!! I'm making it for Madison, I've never made clothing before, but so far it's going good. I'll be sure to post a pic when I get finished! I have a subscription to this great magazine, and recommend it to everyone!! This is the issue that the hoodie is featured in, you can order this as a back issue from the crochet world website.

Back at Work

2009-07-30T20:54:00.001-04:00

Hooray!! Hubby is back to work after being laid off for about 3 months. Yes, lots of other people have been laid off for a lot longer than that, but our second daughter was only 2 months old when this lay off happened. And of course panic set in. This seems to be a horrible pattern for our family. When our first daughter was born he was laid off right away too. So we have decided on no more children lol. Well truthfully, we decided on no more children for many other reasons. Like my having to have a c-section every time, and the horrible healing afterwards. So even though we didn't get our son, we have two beautiful daughters, and I wouldn't trade them for anything.

Bookmark

2009-07-28T23:34:00.002-04:00

So hubby was bugging me for a bookmark. He's not the most avid reader, but whatever, I aim to please. So of course it took me FOREVER to think of what I should do. I tried to make a filet crocheted bookmark, but apparently I suck at filet crochet. Well, to be fair I've never tried it before, so I didn't really know what I was doing. I would love to learn how to do filet, I've seen so many beautiful masterpieces!! But that's another story altogether. I decided I would make hubby a manly square and add a chain and tassel to it.

That seemed to satisfy him. At the time, I couldn't afford to go out and buy new crochet cotton, so I used my variegated orange. I think it looks nice.

There isn't really a pattern for this. I just picked a nice square that I thought he would like, and when I had joined the last round, I slip stitched to the end corner on one side, and then made a length of chains. I cut the end of the string, and made a slip knot, then I cut off about 10 lengths of string, fed them through the slip knot, and tightened the knot. Then I folded the lengths of string in half, and used the end of the slip knot string and wound it around a few times, and then tied it off and blended it in with the other lengths of string. Whew, hopefully you can understand all of that!! If you need any clarification just let me know, I would be happy to help!

Butterfly

2009-07-25T13:54:00.007-04:00

I've been quite busy with so many projects on the go. But that's the way I like it! I get bored so easily with bigger projects, I need to have something small to work on. I think it's the feeling of almost instant gratification with smaller projects. I feel as though I've accomplished something, so I start working on the bigger things again with more steam in my hook! These are some of my butterflies. I'm going to be putting magnets on the back of them. My grandmother requested 22 of these bad boys to give as gifts to some friends in her social clubs.

This pattern is copyrighted. Do not sell this pattern. You may sell what you make from this pattern. Feel free to post a link to this page on your blog or website.
Materials:
Small amount size 10 cotton thread
Steel Hook #5/1.7 mm
Small amount of black embroidery thread or sz 10 cotton thread (for body)
Magnet or Pin
hot glue

Ch 8. Join with sl st to form ring. I tuck my tail from the ring in behind my stitches as I do the next few rounds, to weave it in as I go.

(Beginning Ch 3 counts as 1 dc)

R1) Ch 3, 2 dc. *ch3, 3 dc* rep 5 times more. Join with sl st at top of beg ch 3(first dc). (8 ch 3 sp)
R2) Sl st to 1st ch 3 sp. Make a shell; Ch 3, 2 dc, ch3, 3 dc in all in sm sp. Make a shell in next ch 3 sp; 3dc, ch 3, 3 dc. Continue shell in every ch 3 space from R1. Join with sl st at top of beg ch 3(first dc)

R3). 10 dc in first ch 3 sp. *Make 1 sc in space between shells from previous row. 10 dc in next ch 3 sp. * Repeat for each ch3 sp. Join with sl st to first dc. Sl st once more and fasten off, pulling tight on your thread tail. Weave in ends.

This is what you should have when you're all done! Next, line up your edges evenly, and fold in half.

With the butterfly folded, tie the black embroidery thread or whatever you are using, small pipecleaner is cute too, down the middle of the butterfly, creating the body of the butterfly. Tie your knot near the top, and cut the ends of the thread fairly short. I use these short thread ends for the antennae of the butterfly. Now you can glue a magnet or pin to the backside if you like. These are super cute, and work up quickly! Enjoy.

Starghan

2009-07-19T21:38:00.002-04:00

Wellllll, I am still hunting for the elusive USB cable. I have so many projects to post!!!
I am currently working on a purple themed Starghan for my second daughter, Madison. She was born in February, so purple is perfect for her very own special blanket. I'm really loving how quickly this blanket is working up. I want to make it pretty big, so I finally have a use for most of my yarn stash lol. My hubby will be thrilled about that! I made a continuous granny square blanket for my first daughter, she's now two, and the poor blanket is falling apart. This upsets me terribly. I am so careful to make sure that I weave in my yarn tails so securely, So this just means that she loved it to death lol. So after I'm done with little Madison's blanket, Lindsay and I are off to the 'string store' as she calls it, so I can make her a bigger, better blanket!
Here's the pattern I'm using for the starghan, I will post a pic soon of my progress!
Happy Hooking
Chromium Star Blanket
****UPDATE**** Hooray for technology! I finally can start posting my photos!!! So here is the starghan that I've been working on for Madison.

Farewell

2009-07-16T19:33:00.001-04:00

Saying goodbye is never easy. Especially when you're saying goodbye to someone who's always been there. My little brother has moved away to start living his life on his terms. Moved too far away for my liking! He left this morning, and all day long I cried, and worried, and cried some more. He moved about 18 + hours away. So although he hasn't left the country, it feels as though we're oceans apart. I just finally received a phone call from him, reassuring me that he has arrived safely and found his new home with no problems. Although he did have a bumpy landing at the airport, he wasn't delayed for any reason, the weather is good, and now he is waiting to meet his new roommates. He hopes to start college in the fall, if everything works out with the student loan people. But I swear that guy has a horse shoe up his butt, it all seems to fall in to place for him. I know he will have a great time in Thunderbay, and although he has only been gone since noon, I miss him already!

Family Fishing Day

2009-07-14T08:29:00.000-04:00

Well, here in Canada we have Family Fishing Weekend, every year in July. It's the only time you are legally allowed to go fishing without a proper license. So for the last two years my brother-in-law has gotten everyone together to have a fun day of fishing. One of our uncle's brings his bbq and we all bring a little something to eat. This year was great! We go to a great little park with lots of prime fishing and a playground to boot. So our oldest, who is 2, had a great time on the slides and swings, and watching mommy and daddy 'fiffin' as she calls it. We were lucky enough to have Chris's mom watch the baby for us also. Blue gill were biting all day long, and one enormous carp, I've never seen a fish so big! I can't post any of my own photos, I lost my stupid USB cable for the camera!!! So here's a pic of the water snake that kept swimming in front of our lines, and scared some of the cousins!!

Construction

2009-07-11T12:29:00.001-04:00

Wow, so much to do in blog world! I'm really getting in to 'accessorizing' my blog right now. I've been searching for the perfect template and layout, and extras. There is so much to choose from, I wonder if I'll ever be finished customizing! On another note, my venture in to the world of Socks, isn't going so well. My bouclé yarn is just way too bulky for this type of pattern. I've scrapped it after 4 attempts. And man is that yarn HARD to unravel! It's so delicate, almost like cotton candy the way it just separates from itself. So that's been taking even longer, being so slooooooow unraveling, and it just melts away from itself. I've been tying it back on, good thing the bouclé texture is so lumpy and crazy, my knots blend right in! I think I'm going to save this yummy yarn for some warm mittens!

Socks

2009-07-07T08:19:00.005-04:00

I just started crocheting my first pair of socks last night. I glanced at the pattern really quick while my hubby and I were watching t.v. I guess I should've been wearing my glasses. I had crocheted 40 rows of sc just to find out that it was all supposed to be in back loop, creating the ribbing. Grrrr.
It was frogged sadly. I was so mad at myself!! I am using a soft bouclé yarn, and I've never tried this kind of yarn before. It was pretty hard at first to see the stitches, but then I got in to it and loved it. I will definitely be using this yarn more often. It creates such a dense fabric. It will be perfect for mittens in the winter time! Here's a link to the pattern I'm using, I'll post my own pic of the socks when they are done!
http://www.canadianliving.com/crafts/crochet/basic_crocheted_socks.php
The pattern creates a sock in one flat piece, and then you join the seams together. I still want to try a pattern where you begin at the toe and work up, but haven't found the perfect pattern yet!
Happy Hooking!

First Post!

2009-07-04T18:00:00.001-04:00

So, here we are! I have to admit, I am a little excited about this. My very own blog, it took me long enough to conform to the world that is blogging lol. I lurk everyday in the blogging shadows, admiring the daily musings of fellow crafters, finding great patterns and recipes, and other things in blog world. So I thought to myself this morning, I want to have my own blog! I doubt that anyone will read it, but it's nice to have somewhere to share a thought, to escape from housework, and vent a little. And that brings us to now, my little baby blog. I took forever thinking up a name, and then changing it a zillion times. I still don't know if I like it lol. Oh wells. I eventually hope to post some pictures of projects, I have a 35 mm Nikon that takes beautiful pictures. Sadly, the digital camera I have compares nowhere on the same scale. It looks more like a cell phone picture. You'll see the difference! I will definitely post some links to my favourite places, and share my family with you. Chow for now

Feather Wing: A Crochet Tale

Funky Monkey

Work In Progress

Carry Me Away Market Bag

Wrapped in Love Beanie

Custom Baby Blanket

Ravishing Round Ripple

Farewell Summer of the Beast

Happy Belated Birthday

Under Construction

Checking In

Shooting Star Appliqué

Summer Wishes Shirt

Best Booties ***Free Pattern***

Yarn Bomb!!

Rotten Week = New hat for me!

Fan Bookmark

The Curse of the Blue Crayon

Hooray for Boobies!!! *** adult yarn content!*** PICS UPDATE

Goodbye Grandma and the Quest for the Purple Hook

Let it Snow!

Star Stuffie

Gingerbread Man

Taking Time to Bitch

Friendship Mittens

Button-Flower Beanie

The Hep Hat

My New Scarf

Knitting!

Lindsay's Hat

Are You Kidding Me?

Summer's End

Hooray for the Internet!

Back at Work

Bookmark

Butterfly

Starghan

Farewell

Family Fishing Day

Construction

Socks

First Post!

Best Booties Free Pattern

Hooray for Boobies!!! * adult yarn content!* PICS UPDATE