A Long Overdue Thank You and Still Stashbusting

A few months ago, I entered a giveaway over at From the Hearth Room the lovely Christina was hosting. She has a very sweet blog; if you haven't been there, you should check it out :-) Well, I didn't win the giveaway, but she contacted me and asked for my address anyway. I was so thrilled to receive a lovely surprise from her in the mail soon after:

Wasn't that so sweet? She sent me three skeins of cotton yarn, a packet of pretty wildflower seeds, some lovely cards, and a chocolate hazelnut teabag. I can't tell you how absolutely ecstatic this package made me. It's very long overdue, but thank you so much, Christina!

I took a couple pics of my newest WIPs:

A flower lattice shawl (pattern here) made with Malabrigo sock yarn. I picked this yarn up during the yarn crawl and it's probably the nicest yarn I've ever used. But at $19 for 3.5 ounces, I'll only be getting it as a special treat.

Here's a closeup of the flowers. The color's called Dewberry.

 I'm halfway through the Maureen Scarf, using another of my Yarn Crawl purchases.

I just started this today for a friend's baby shower. I guess this qualifies as a Stashbuster; I've had a lot of pink baby yarn for awhile and glad to have a reason to use it. The pattern is from a Leisure Arts booklet, #2509 Grannies for Baby. I like that it's join as you go. 

Here's a Stashbuster project I finished today. This was a really quick blanket to make. It's the Pretty Clusters pattern from Bernat, and it took 2 skeins of green yarn and 1 1/2 skeins of white, all Lion Brand Impeccable.

Well, that's all for now. I hope everyone is doing great, and I hope to be catching up on your blogs soon.

Thanks for reading!

Blessings :-)

WIP Wednesday

OK, maybe WIP Thursday is a better title; it'll be Thursday in two minutes.

I finally finished the squares for the polka dot blanket. 

And I finished the roses; I think I made 8 this week.

I finished the light blue round on the Wool Eater.

And made more squares for the Placemats. I'm trying not to let all the long loose ends drive me crazy; I know I'll be grateful for them when I start sewing the squares together.

I made more granny squares (16 more and I'm done!) and more yo yo's (98 more to the end!), but I didn't take pictures of those. 

And that's it! A lot of basic crochet this week :-)

Tomorrow (or later today, if you prefer), I'll let you know about an adventure I'll be going on during the next week: The Orange Blossom Yarn Crawl. Without Googling it, any guesses as to what it is?

Thanks for reading!

Blessings :-)

Daily Inspiration

Two Tuesday, Stashbuster #9 and Granny Squares

Don't forget! If you haven't already entered my giveaway, there's still time! Just leave a comment on this post telling me you want the prize. You have until I post tomorrow.

Two things I'm grateful for:

1. My job. I really like what I do. It's fun to get dressed up, play in jewelry and eat snacks. And when it's all over, someone has new bling for free. Of course, it has it's problems, too (what job doesn't), but it enables me to be a stay at home mom and homeschool Hope, two things I will always be grateful for.

2. Shopping with Hope. This one's because of number 1; before we met with one of my hostesses today, Hope and I went to Kohl's for a quick shopping trip. She picked up a new shirt and pair of pants. I didn't find anything I liked, but it was still a lot of fun.

Two patterns I think are neat:

1.Crochet Shamrock Garland from Skip to My Lou.
2. Four Leaf Clover Throw from Red Heart.

Stashbuster #9

I finished the Subway Scarf last night ( pattern here). I have to admit it came out pretty good; I had my reservations about how it would look. I didn't do the last repeat because I thought it was wide enough, and I made the fringe in color B instead of A. I just hope my friend likes it; his birthday is tomorrow, so we'll see :-) I used one skein of Loops and Threads Impeccable in Amethyst and a little over 1 skein in True Grey.

Granny Square a Week

I'm almost caught up on these. I've decided to give them numbers instead of dates; the closer I get to 52, the closer I get to finishing.

Granny Square #4

Sunburst Granny Square

This pattern from Priscilla's Crochet was fun to make, and I got to practice making the puff stitch. It kind of looks like a chrysanthemum. More flowers!

Granny Square #5

Rippling Loops Square

This pattern from DragonFlyMomof2Designs was interesting. She gives very detailed directions, so it was pretty easy. I like the lacy look it has. The neat thing is, I think you could easily continue working the square until it becomes a blanket.

Granny Square #6

Wiggles Square

This pattern comes from one of my favorite blogs, Dly's Hooks and Yarns. It's been on my to make pile forever, and I'm really glad I finally got to it. It was very quick and easy to make, and a lot of fun, too.

Thanks for reading!

Blessings :-)

Daily Inspiration

WIP Wednesday and a Giveaway

The fair wore me out more than I thought; I've spent the last two days sleeping! I've done a good amount of work too; the contacts I picked up at the fair have required a lot of follow up.

Giveaway details first! During the last few hectic weeks, my little blog passed the 50 followers mark. 50! I never thought it would get that high.

Simple rules: be a follower and leave a comment on this post only telling me you'd like the prize. I'll do the drawing next Wednesday the 27th, and you'll have one week to claim your goodies.

So what's up for grabs?

2 skeins of Red Heart Boutique Sashay yarn and a P hook 

6 handmade cards for spring

4 Rose in Bloom dishcloths

and a sparkly 4 leaf clover embellishment because I'm so lucky to have all of you!

On the hook this week is Stashbuster # 8: The Wool Eater. This one's going to take awhile, but I'm putting it in the stashbuster category because I'm only using stash yarn. 

I'm also working on Stashbuster #9: Subway Scarf. I thought this looked neat, and it's perfect for my friend's birthday next week. He travels to work very early in the morning and often says he needs a scarf, and his favorite color is purple.

And then there's Stashbuster #10: Place mats. Inspired by the Little Squares Doll Blanket made by Lucy at Attic 24. It looks like a bright cheery place mat, and I love any type of linens. So I'm making tiny little one round granny squares to sew together to make place mats. I'm not sure how many I'll need yet; I just know I enjoy making them. 

I've been also working on two scrap blankets I started last August (they're not counted in the Stashbuster Challenge for that reason). Nothing special, just another yo yo afghan and a granny square afghan. I've been making the yo yo's and squares whenever I have a spare moment and little yarn, but I'm reaching the end so my production has picked up lately. That, and I love simple mindless crochet sometimes :-)

The granny stripe is no more; I loved the pattern but came to the realization I didn't like the way the colors looked together. So I frogged the whole thing and added the yarn to my stash bins. I think I'd like to make another one with all different colors. Later.

I did get more black yarn finally so I can continue on with my Polka Dot blanket.

And, finally, I didn't forget about Stashbuster #5: the No Beginning Chain Egg Blanket. Here it is!

It's very small; 35" by 27". One half ended up being fluffier than the other because I ran out of Lion Brand Baby Homespun and had to use a couple skeins of Red Heart Baby Clouds. I was thinking it would be very nice blanket for a small dog.

My camera was lost the last few days so I don't have any pictures for my Photo a Day Challenge. And I'm working on getting caught up with my Dishcloth a Day Challenge and Granny Square a Week Challenge. Too busy life = too little hooky time!

Thanks for reading!

Blessings :-)

Daily Inspiration

Stashbusters

I'll take a break from the fair posts to show you what I've finished for the Stashbuster Challenge this week.

Stashbuster #3

Granny Heart Bunting

(don't forget the link to the photo tutorial)

After much deliberation, I decided to leave them plain. I like the simplicity of the hearts by themselves. I ended up making 2 buntings from all the hearts I made (15 total), one for the living room and one for the dining room.

Stashbuster #4

Teeny Tiny Hearts

These were so much fun to make! I think I'm addicted to making tiny crochet: yo yos, hearts, etc. There's just something about miniatures.

I'm almost done with Stashbuster #5, the No Beginning Chain Egg Blanket, so pics yet.

Stashbuster #6

From the Heart Bunting

More hearts! I love the lattice look in the middle of these, plus the two-colored chain was fun to make. And more miniatures: tiny clothespins to hang them! 

Stashbuster #7

Joe Penguin

It's finally happened; I've crossed the border into..GASP..AMIGURUMI! I made my first stuffed animal. He came out cute, but I still don't like sewing the pieces on.

And here are my Photo a Day Challenge pics for the last week:

February 7, 2013

Your Name

This is my name badge for my jewelry business. After 7 years, it's a little beat up; I really should order a new one.

February 8, 2013

Something Orange

I love navel oranges. So bright and cheery. 

February 9, 2013

Guilty Pleasure

For me, it's definitely Girl Scout Thin Mints. Every year, I buy 2 boxes, one for the family, and one just for me. I put mine in the freezer. There's nothing like a frozen thin mint. Yumm! I think I should go check the freezer to see if I have any left...

February 10, 2013

3:00

Of course, we were at the fair at 3:00 on the 10th. I love pictures of Ferris Wheels, but I don't like riding them. Too high!

February 11, 2013

Entrance

Missed this one, but it probably would have been the entrance to the fair.

February 12, 2013

Where You Ate Lunch

A nice little place called home :-) Here's my pizza going in circles in the microwave.

February 13, 2013

Walking

Before my shift started at the fair, I took a walk over to the iced tea booth. On the way, I passed a tractor exhibit. I like the pink one best :-)

February 14, 2013

Love Is...

A hand drawn picture from Hope. I think it's sweet how she incorporates my love of owls in every card she makes for me. This one also includes my love of coffee.

February 15, 2013

Inside Your Fridge

There's not much in there; because of our hectic schedules this week, we've been either eating out or cooking quick convenience foods (very bad for us; we'll have to do some serious redeeming when this week is over!).

I hope you have a FUNtastic Friday!

Thanks for reading.

Blessings :-)

Daily Inspiration

WIP Wednesday

I hope everyone's having a great week so far :-)

I need to get more black yarn for my polka dot blanket, so it's on the back burner for now. I need to find a home for my granny stripe blanket; maybe it'll help make it more of a priority.

I have been working on my Stashbuster #3: The Granny Heart Bunting:

If you clicked on the link I gave on Monday, it'll take you to the Ravelry page. But the pattern may seem confusing to some; luckily for us, Sandra at Cherry Heart also provided a wonderful photo tutorial to go with her pattern. So I've been having fun making these.

I've also started Stashbuster #4: Teeny Tiny Hearts but haven't taken any pictures yet. I'm using the same yarn as the Granny Heart Bunting. The pattern can be found over at Attic 24.

And I've started Stashbuster #5: No Beginning Chain Egg Blanket:

While perusing my yarns, I noticed how much baby yarn I've somehow accumulated. I had 4 skeins of Baby Homespun to use, and I remembered seeing this pattern over at Mama's Stitchery Projects.

Seems like a lot, but I'm trying to jumpstart my crochet mojo. It seems to be getting better; I'm still struggling with pattern comprehension, but I also seem to be making less mistakes.

I also made a few dishcloths yesterday and today; number #28 is my favorite. 

Thanks for reading!

Blessings :-)

Dishcloth a Day #25

Granny Corner Dishcloth

This one's kinda neat looking; looks as though I cut off the corner of a blanket :-) My stitch count didn't come out the same as the pattern's, but it still looks good.

Dishcloth a Day #26

Ladder Stitch Dishcloth

This one has a nice texture to it. My edging's a little wonky; I'm still struggling with "single crochet evenly around". Without a number, my sides aren't the same.

Dishcloth a Day #27

Eyelets Dishcloth

This was a nice simple pattern with alternating rounds of single crochet and half double crochet. I really love the colors; looks like a swimming pool surrounded by brown tiles.

Dishcloth a Day #28

The Crazy Cloth

I was so impressed with the way this one came out. When I first read the pattern, I said "no way". It sounded too complicated. Even when I started on it, I had misgivings. If she hadn't put a great photo tutorial with it, I don't think I would have gotten it. But with her pictures, it was very easy and came out very nice. I may have to keep this one instead of putting it in the gift drawer :-)

Photo a Day February 5, 2013

This is actually funny. I was unable to do this one. The prompt was Something You Smelled. I  don't have a sense of smell, so I couldn't participate in this one :-)

Photo a Day February 6, 2013

Today's prompt was Soft. This is an extreme closeup of the Homestyle Baby yarn I'm using in my Stashbuster #3 project.

Daily Inspiration