A Stitch in Time

The Blue & White Pink & White Baby Set

2007-10-01T16:04:00.000-04:00

Like I said, I'm not the only one having a baby right now. My high-school and college friend and her husband just had their first child, a sweet baby boy, and I made her a baby set (I'm loving them!).The pattern is Pink & White Baby Set, a free, vintage (1955) pattern from Celtwich's Angelfire site. Clearly, I made the set in blue. I also decided that sacque, mittens and booties are fine, but

Adorable Addie

2007-10-01T00:45:00.001-04:00

I'm not the only one having a baby girl! A friend of mine from church is due within a week of me, and is also having a girl. In addition to some (totally non-girly; it's a hazard of paternal profession shared by my daughters) cute cuddly (store bought) clothes, I made her this baby blanket as a baby shower gift. (By the way, in case you can't tell, that's a stuffed kangaroo with joey sitting

Lovely Lavender Baby Set

2007-09-28T14:40:00.000-04:00

In the past few months I have been on a layette kick. This is the set that kicked it off for me! I originally was going to make the set in white (you can read below why that one didn't work out), but I love the way it turned out with the lavender!The set uses about 4 ounces of yarn, plus about 45 yards of size 8 pearl cotton, all done with a D hook. I especially like that the pattern calls for

Crochet Enclosure Cards

2007-09-27T00:40:00.000-04:00

I had been looking for something to include with my crocheted gifts, and some way to enclose care instructions, too. I hadn't come up with much.There was the sew-in tag option. I could buy a pack of customizables, or get custom ones made, or make my own, but none seemed like a great solution to me. I wouldn't want a tag sewed onto an afghan or in a baby set, personally, so why would someone

Kaitlyn's "Big Sister Blanket"

2007-09-13T22:03:00.001-04:00

While I was working on Broccoli's baby blanket, I thought about my 2 1/2-year-old daughter, Kaitlyn. I hadn't made her an afghan since her baby blanket that I started the day I found out I was pregnant with her. Well, except for the kid version of Keith's blanket.Closeup of panel details -->Not to toot my own horn, but I have gotten better at crocheting since that time (or at least better at/

Broccoli's Baby Blanket

2007-09-13T21:36:00.000-04:00

I have a confession to make. I haven't updated this site in a while.Seriously, this is a confession? You think we couldn't tell this?I heard that.Yes, it's been about six months. A big six months. Where did I go? Well, I went and got pregnant. And early pregnancy does not agree with me. This is a crochet site, so I won't go too much into it, but suffice it to say I was barely up to being

A New Surface, A New Focus

2007-02-24T00:36:00.000-05:00

Recently, we bought the first piece to our new dining room- the sideboard: Next up is the table, which we will get stained to coordinate with the chairs and sideboard. (Link is to the unfinished furniture store's supplier, but the pertinent information is that it is 48" wide, and 72"/87"/102" long (two leaves))That's all very fine and well, you might be thinking, but what does this have to do

Valentine for My Sweetie

2007-02-19T18:00:00.000-05:00

My husband is really ridiculously supportive of my crocheting in general, but he doesn't have too much use for my recent fascination with doilies. I thought of a way to make him a believer, after being inspired by my aunt.My uncle has a valentine card my aunt made him years ago that featured a lace heart outline threaded with ribbon attached to a red card. I thought this was a perfect idea for

Little Hooks, pt 2

2007-02-11T23:22:00.000-05:00

After posting about trying out smaller threads, I made a crafting trip to Ben Franklin. What a pleasant trip! I just was looking for a change of pace from the same-old same-old at Michael's, but what I found just made my day.So what is it you are looking at, above? Well, to jump to the end of my story first, that is the doily I crocheted last night. I used sz. 80 DMC thread and a sz. 14 hook,

A Source for Patterns - Russian Sites

2007-02-11T15:51:00.000-05:00

I have spent the afternoon surfing the web in fascination - on pages where I can't even make out the letters (my Cryllic is rusty :-) ). Why? Because of the beautiful patterns! I have been looking at a plethora of Russian sites, where there are some truly beautiful patterns available."If you can't read Russian," I hear you asking, "how will the patterns help you?"Luckily for me - and other

A Star from My Aunt

2007-02-09T16:42:00.000-05:00

You may remember my mentioning of my Aunt Whee, the crocheting sister of my mother. It is so fun to have a crocheter in the family! I did not learn to crochet from my Aunt Whee, but I do get inspired by all of the beautiful items she has created throughout the years - and I can see them when I go to the home of anyone in our family.She gives me great ideas beyond just for projects - it was her

Little Hooks

2007-02-09T12:13:00.000-05:00

One year ago I had never crocheted a doily. The only thread crochet I had done was a set of about a dozen stars for my Christmas tree (my then-boyfriend-now-husband and I swapped ornaments from our trees that year, and to this day he has one crocheted star on "his tree" and I have a red bow on "my tree").I jumped right in with doilies, and my first doily was somewhat of a behemoth. My second

Fleecy Little Lion

2007-02-06T15:45:00.000-05:00

So often I make "little" crocheted projects that I just don't get photographed or uploaded. I am making a more concerted effort to at least take the pictures (even if they don't all make it online!) of these different projects.I like the way this turned out - it is a simple edged fleece blanket. I bought the blanket with the appliqué already on it, and when I was brainstorming a good project

Scarves for Children's Choir

2007-01-27T01:01:00.000-05:00

After a late-in-the-game call for scarves for the African Children's Choir, eight scarves were gathered and sent to join with others to keep the new choir warm when they arrive on February 1.Joining me in sending scarves were Joyce (jmccrochet at Crochetville) and my favorite sister-in-law, Kristina (unfortunately, the only place you can see her super-pretty UNC colored scarf is in the box ready

LYS Etiquette?

2007-01-25T16:12:00.000-05:00

As many of you know, I have a thing for etiquette books - especially vintage etiquette books. I don't just line them up on my shelf - I read them, ingest them, and try to apply them.But I have something that's not in any of my etiquette books. What is proper etiquette for visiting a LYS?When I walk into a yarn shop, clearly I want bring home all of the yarn, but do I even need to say that I

Six Weird Things

2007-01-25T00:00:00.000-05:00

I have been tagged by Anna or this meme. I will go ahead and tell you I am going to cheat. I don't think I know 6 people to tag when I'm done, so I'm going to make this post Six Weird Crafty/Crochet things about me, and then "tag" myself for my other blogs. If you want to volunteer to be tagged, leave me a message or shoot me an email, so that I can link to you :-)THE RULES: Each player of this

A New Look

2007-01-24T23:10:00.000-05:00

My blog is now over a year old - can you believe it?And in this year my crocheting has evolved. My web knowledge has evolved. But the blog really hadn't.Until now.I broke myself in by updating my family blog, then my personal blog, then my crochet group's blog, all to build up to my favorite blog. How do you like my new look?

Yarn Tales

2007-01-19T15:42:00.000-05:00

A poster with Crochet Partners' Yahoo!Group made a list of needlework-related (knitting, crocheting, etc.) books and the like. I was surprised how many children's books there were, and excited to track down a few for Mini-Me.Also linked on the page was a set of works referencing knitting at Wool Works. This is a really great looking site that calls itself "The Online Knitting Compendium". You

Scarves for the African Children's Choir

2007-01-08T17:36:00.000-05:00

You know who could use a scarf? The 12 boys and 12 girls (and their leaders!) of the African Children's Choir group that is coming to North Carolina.The African Children's Choir is made up of children - most who have lost one or both of their parents - from countries around Africa. They are chosen not only as singers for an opportunity to sing, but on potential and for a scholarship opportunity

Crochet Christmas

2007-01-01T22:07:00.000-05:00

One of the things I love so much about my husband is how supportive and appreciative he is of my crochet addiction hobby.This was evidenced once again by his great gift to me for Christmas.We have a spending limit for each other, so we add a layer of creativity. This year my husband really wowed me - he made me a set of crates to keep my crochet projects in in the den!The crates were purchased,

Autumn Cables Carpet Bag

2006-12-22T00:31:00.000-05:00

Can I start by saying how much I love this bag? I've been using it ever since I finished it - and I could hardly wait to finish!The pattern is Autumn Cables Carpet Bag, from Lullabies and Lace. I was given the pattern as a Christmas gift from a fellow Crochetviller. I can tell you that this pattern will get lots of use. The pattern name and the purse make me think of Anne of Green Gables, who

Holiday RAOK Elves have been here

2006-12-06T23:13:00.000-05:00

The ornament exchange isn't the only thing that's been keeping my postman busy this past week; C'ville Holiday RAoK elves are an active bunch, and some of there work ended up in my possession (lucky me! thankful me!)What have the elves been putting in my shoes (wait, wrong elves)?The Crochet Dude's pattern Allison: A Purse to CrochetSome animal stickers for my daughterA festive Christmas card

Crochetville Ornament Exchange

2006-12-06T22:53:00.000-05:00

Do I have great swap partners, or what? Let me tell you what you are looking at in the slideshow above (although I have to say, my pictures aren't the best - it's always tough to capture the true beauty of items, but these are especially subpar pictures; I apologize):My swap package from Jimmie Lu included the beautiful hand-stamped tree card, which accompanied a wonderfully soft and beautiful

The Twelve Days of Crochet Christmas

2006-12-04T01:19:00.000-05:00

This was posted by Kathy to Crochet Partners list. She received it from another crocheter, who got it from another crocheter... and no one knows exactly where it came from. If you know the origin of the poem, please let me know! I hope you enjoy this as much as I did.On the first day of Christmas my true love sent to me:A new crochet hook, size GOn the second day of Christmas my true love sent

A New Design

2006-11-22T18:08:00.000-05:00

Where has Katherine been? I'll tell you where - crocheting up a storm! With Christmas upon us, I've been working furiously on crocheted ornaments and gifts afghans, all of my own design, which adds a certain level of frogging as you make something work best.I'm very excited that in addition to my crocheted items, I am nearly ready to release my doily pattern. Part of the delay is that now my

Blocking Guides - for Doilies and Snowflakes

2006-11-14T00:50:00.000-05:00

Let it be known (as it pretty well is) that I am somewhat on the anal-retentive end of the spectrum when it comes to blocking doilies and snowflakes. I bought a big piece of foam insulation, and carved it into planks and squares, which I took a protractor, ruler, and sharpie pens to to create mathamatically exact blocking guides. I cover my boards with cling wrap, and pin away!Since there are

Game Day Afghan Pattern

2006-11-13T23:29:00.000-05:00

I've had some requests for the pattern for my Game Day Afghan, so I've typed it up and have it available as a pdf. Since I can't post attachments to the blog, I've hosted it with Box.net. Click here to open the download page (opens in new window), or email me if you have any problems and would like the pattern!Alternately, you can save the image files of each page. Each small image is a link

Lessons Learned from Pattern Testing

2006-10-16T18:31:00.000-04:00

Recently I besought my fellow Crochetvillians and CPListers to help me test the doily I mentioned I designed as the fourth and final doily in a set for my MIL.I was overwhelmed with responses. I was completely unprepared for how willing crocheters would be to help! Are we just a helpful bunch? Do we just love doilies? Do we love to get a preview of a pattern? I don't know, but I do know that I am

She's at it again...

2006-10-12T16:59:00.000-04:00

If Mommy's blocking out doilies, it now seems a given that she'll have little hands helping. My husband caught our daughter in the act as she "helped" me pin out the Petite Pineapple doily.

October Doily Set

2006-10-11T23:06:00.000-04:00

I know what you're thinking... orange doilies? That's what the lady wanted! The lady in question is my dear mother-in-law, who goes all out when she decorates. Fall is for scarecrows and pumpkins. And, now, orange doilies. I made her four. Why only three pictured? The fourth is of my own design and I am still in pattern testing.All four are made with Royale size 10 thread - the only one I could

Sweet Baby Booties

2006-10-11T22:33:00.000-04:00

My sister-in-law and I were checking out a second-hand bookstore. Somehow I overlooked the leaflet of baby booties, but Kris brought it to my attention. "You have to get this book," she declared, "or I might have to get it." Seeing as how she's not much of a crocheter, I can't imagine what she would do with it, but she was right - I had to get the book!The leaflet is called simply "Bootie

Setting the Record Straight

2006-10-09T22:15:00.000-04:00

The Story of How I Learned to Crochet or "Reading a Book Doesn't Work for Everyone"In my post yesterday I quickly skimmed over learning to crochet thusly:My friend and I taught ourselves to crochet in college from a book (ICan't Believe I'm Crocheting!), ...The "my friend" in question, Mandy, then commented with:We didn't learn together! I learned and taught you. Let the record stand!So how did

Start Them Out Young

2006-10-08T22:04:00.000-04:00

This evening I was blocking out some doilies. I've been doing that a lot, lately, and so my box of pins and blocking boards (with me hunched over!) are no new sight to my nearly two-year-old daughter. Usually she goes about her business, playing or watching some. This evening she really wanted to help - and you know what good "helpers" toddlers are!I got over my fear she would stab herself with a

A Fair to Remember

2006-10-05T23:58:00.000-04:00

Today was the day - we went to Richmond for the State Fair.First up was the Nimble Fingers Crochet Contest. To report just the facts, I won first place. Or, as my husband jokes, I came in third from last. Where were the crocheters? Last year there were about ten crocheters, this year we were down to just three. There were twice as many no-shows as there were crocheters. The three of us,

Someone in Michigan love me

2006-10-03T16:51:00.000-04:00

I got a great surprise in my mailbox! Mary Card's Crochet Book Number 1. I hadn't heard of this book before, but it is fascinating. I not only read through the book, I looked online for more information.Mary Card was an Australian lace designer of the early 20th century. The crochet is done on, in, and around linen, to create more than just insertions and edgings, but a melding of cloth and lace

Crocheting in the Dark

2006-09-29T16:24:00.000-04:00

Last night, as tornadic thunderstorms passed through the area, the power flickered and then cut out fully in our neighborhood. Within 15 minutes there was a glow of candles and flashlights, as my daughter and I "hunkered down" in the family room for power-free fun.I pulled down my MAM afghan I am working on, a project I was sure would be easy to work on, since I generally carry one

WIP Wednesday

2006-09-27T22:45:00.000-04:00

What's laying on top of (or in, under, around) my crochet basket?A Mile-a-Minute afghan I am making for my brother-in-law. It is offwhite and navy blue, with square ended strips. I have 5-1/2 (out of probably 8) strip middlesAutumn Doily Set for my mother-in-law. I have one doily done, but not blocked; one half done, that I am designing; and two more (probably) to go. All in pumpkin

Going to the Fair!

2006-09-24T00:52:00.000-04:00

Today I dropped off eight items for the VA State Fair. Several of them I just blogged about! There is the 63 Squares Afghan, crocheted lion, duct tape purse/wallet, plastic bag bag, and christening gown, plus a wire and bead bracelet, my "Hospitality" doily, and something else I can't share right now. :-)Of course the category I am most excited about is the Nimble Fingers contest, a speed

Duct Tape Purse/Wallet

2006-09-24T00:20:00.000-04:00

In my college days, I went through a phase where I made things out of duct tape. It started with a wallet, then a purse to hold the wallet in, then a messenger bag that became my regular school bag... until I was actually stopped in the Pit by someone who said "Hey, did you make that? Are you... you're the duct tape girl!" Out of a school of tens of thousands, I was a "Hey! It's that girl!" I'll

Plastic Bag Bag

2006-09-23T23:56:00.000-04:00

While I've done a lot of bag saving, folding, cutting, joining and crocheting, this is my first actually finished plastic bag bag - and it's not technically made of plastic bags. Working on a tip from another poster at Crochetville, I used mainly plastic tablecloths (like you get for parties), and working on ANOTHER tip, I used copious amounts of vaseline on the hook to make it glide a little

Lions and ... well, just lions. And just one. So, Lion

2006-09-23T23:24:00.000-04:00

Have I ever mentioned that I am really, really good at coming up with projects to do? I am really, really good at figuring out how to make something. Once I've figured it out, and know it will work, I'm really, really bad at finishing. Grr.Here is one of those things that I "almost" finished two years ago. I started a set of stuffed animals for my daughter's nursery, to match the animals on the

63 Squares Afghan is DONE!

2006-09-23T22:58:00.000-04:00

Well, a long time ago (or at least it seems like a long time ago), I posted about the 63 Squares afghan I was making for my dear, dear husband. I am proud to report that it is done!!After finishing all of the squares, I crocheted them together in strips, then the strips together, then around the outside. For joining, I placed the squares (and then strips) back-to-back and then (slip stitched in

Christening Dress Pattern Test

2006-09-23T22:20:00.000-04:00

I had mostly finished this christening dress that I was testing the pattern for (all but the blocking and the actual buttons), but actually sucked it up and finished completely to enter it in the fairs this year. The Chesterfield County Fair has already passed, and it took Third Place for children's apparel (crocheted). I didn't make a soaker (diaper cover) to go with the dress, or line it, so

Secret Pal Strikes Again!

2006-09-18T17:15:00.000-04:00

Thank you , Imma!!Look at this amazing package I received today from my Secret Pal, Imma. Included was a card and 4 packages wrapped in Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer Christmas paper (since I had said that getting such wonderful packages was like Christmas :-) ) My daughter wanted to help me unwrap the presents, but I decided it would be best to curb my curiosity for 15 minutes until she could go

Button!

2006-09-15T23:30:00.000-04:00

Well, I have been updating my blog with the buttons of swaps and sites and such, that I had just never figured out how to put in my sidebar before.I became so inspired that I made a button for THIS blog!This is the larger size, but most blog links I've seen use about a 100px wide button, so here is the smaller size:

When you can't show anything...

2006-09-15T17:08:00.000-04:00

Well, I feel kind of bad about not posting anything in a while, since I got back in the habit of posting. It is tough when you are making secret things, and people might be "nosing about!"First off, people might be nosing about because of the Autumn Secret Pals Swap at Crochetville. You saw below what I got in my wonderful first package from my secret pal, but keep in mind that I am working on

2006-09-06T16:56:00.000-04:00

After looking at the Crochet Stitch Bible for nearly a year now, and having dedicated funds since Christmas, I now own it!Why did it take so long? The one copy at our local JoAnn has a tear in the spine casing. I didn't want to buy it (even with a coupon) with the tear. My gift card was to JoAnn (or Michaels- I had a few), and I didn't want to spend shipping when I was sure I could just "wait it

Doily Swap Received!

2006-09-06T00:26:00.000-04:00

This is the absolute stunning doily I received from Lavelle26 (aka Anna) in the Crochetville Doily Swap. This picture does absolutely no justice to the gorgeousness that is this doily. You can tell it is a beautiful doily. But what you can't see is each of the intricate details - spiraling center, crossing arches, and spiral spans. You can't feel how softly it drapes and the body it has. You

My Second Doily -Doily Swap

2006-09-05T23:57:00.000-04:00

This was my contribution to the Doily Swap. I believe the name was "Grapes Galore". I made this for GoldKeeper (aka Ana), who wanted a classic looking doily. I thought this one was great, and it was a lot of fun to make. Well, I don't love popcorns, and I don't love picots, but I am falling madly in love with making doilies!!This was before I discovered Cebilia thread, so the best I could get was

My First Doily

2006-09-05T23:35:00.000-04:00

This pattern is called Hospitality. Pineapples are a symbol of Southern Hospitality, so all of the pineapples in this pattern make the doily live up to the name! This was my first doily ever. It's pretty darn big. I'd guess about 27". I used DMC Baroque thread in size 10, and it sat balled up for nearly a month before I got up the guts and determination to block it. What a difference 100 rust

Thank You, Imma!

2006-09-05T23:10:00.000-04:00

My secret pal, "Imma" (as in "Imma Secret"), sent me this wonderful Secret Pal Birthday Package. All I can say is WOW. The pictures do no justice to how gorgeous these doilies are. All three are Patricia Kristofferson doilies. The lavender is size 40 thread, the lilac is 20, and the rose and ecru is size 10. Also included was a wonderful note and two bars of Imma's favorite French soaps. So

SWAPS

2006-07-09T23:21:00.000-04:00

I'm so excited to be starting my second Crochetville swap! A "Doily Swap"! Ijust finished my first doily - it is about 20" and done in ecru DMC Baroque. I need to block it and then get some pictures up.I also have the items from the Accessory Swap to take pictures of (besides the bracelet below). The best part about crocheting might just be sharing it with people who truly appreciat it. And

Wire-o-rama!

2006-06-20T21:47:00.000-04:00

This marks my entrance into the world of wire crochet!After a few disappointing attempts that more resembled chicken wire than anything I would call "jewelry", I got a tip from another fledgling wire crocheter at Crochetville.Try thinner wire.Ohhhhhhhhh... what a difference!That didn't mean that my next attempts were a lot better (notice I don't have any pictures of a blue necklace...). I still

Crochet is Good for Your Health...

2006-06-08T23:44:00.000-04:00

We all know crochet is good for us. Maybe not our wallet. Maybe not other projects. But it makes us happy, and now I have identified a few other ways that crochet is good for your health...A good diet is full of fiber. So is a well-stocked crochet room!You have $5. Do you buy a skein of yarn, or pint of Ben & Jerry's? Thanks to crochet, that Cherry Garcia is safe, and so is your calorie

The Crochet Workout (or Sweating to the Stitches)

2006-06-08T23:20:00.000-04:00

I discovered something this week that has had a profound impact on my ongoing health...I can crochet while I ride my stationary bike.This is amazing! My two biggest beefs about working out at home were (1) it's boring boring boring and (2) I keep thinking of all of the other things I could be doing around the house (including crocheting).The boring aspect made it a real chore to make it 30

Tour de Yarn

2006-06-03T22:23:00.000-04:00

Today my friend, Toni, and I (with the ever-present mini-me) set forth on a Tour de Yarn de Richmond.We loaded up the van at 11 am and set forth for fiber-ous pastures.First stop, Hardees. Did you know they don't serve biscuits after 11? Us either. OK, straight to the yarn!Got Yarn? This was a really neat yarn shop on Midlothian Turnpike, with a lot of funky, unique yarns. There were neat shawls,

Crochet Along!

2006-05-25T23:15:00.000-04:00

I'm so excited to join the 63 Squares Crochet Along at Crochetville (well, I havne't officially joined, as that page is down temporarily). Other people working on the same afghan I am, but they will all look so different (and many have already finished, with stunning results).

63 to Crochet

2006-05-19T16:11:00.000-04:00

I've been working on the 63 Easy-to-Crochet Pattern Stitches sampler afghan as a secret present for my husband. I like making a squares afghan, because if he sees any one square, I can claim it's for an exchange, and he won't get suspicious (maybe; but then again, he's paid to be suspicious).I've got a chart below of the square so I can update as I go. The italic squares are not yet done. I am

Mystic Pizza...Hotpad

2006-05-12T23:51:00.000-04:00

My foray into cloth-strip crochet, this is a hot pad for our pizza stone. My family is big into homemade pizza, and this is just the right size for our stone. It get's a weekly workout, and just looking at it makes me want some cheesy pizza!

Good Grief!

2006-05-12T23:38:00.000-04:00

Has it really been nearly 2 months since I have last blogged? Oh, how busy I have been!!!First off... I took the plunge and I know am bi-fibrous. That is, I now knit, in addition to crocheting. My first project? The recently completed pair of Two-At-Once Toe-Up socks (from the KnitPicks site). I need to get some pictures; I am VERY proud of them! I used some lovely white/light blue/dark blue

DCX, Redux

2006-02-22T18:56:00.000-05:00

This is the second dishcloth I ever crocheted.I thought about what I liked in dishcloths. I like them to be thick and I like them to be "texture-y". So I just took my hook and my yarn and started crocheting. I really like the finished effect! Materials used: Peaches n' Cream cotton (less than one ball); H/8 hookChain 26.Row 1: DC in 3rd chain from hook (skipped 2 ch count as first dc) and every

Q Hook Madness

2006-02-22T18:22:00.000-05:00

Colonial FreedomI made this afghan for my mom and dad for Christmas last year. It used double strands of Mainstays yarn in a dusty blue, brick red, and cream and a Q hook (plus a sc gold border). There are 13 stars on each side (it just didn't feel right with them only on the "right" side).For years my parents had a torn and tattered American flag with this arrangement (replica, I'm sure)

P as in "Phoebe", H as in "Hoebe" ... E as in "'ello, mate!"

2006-02-21T19:41:00.000-05:00

I made this baby blanket for my cousin Amy's baby Phoebe (my model is my daughter's friend, Mr. Bear). I can't for the life of me remember the book from which the pattern came! If anyone recognizes it, please let me know because I would like to use that edging again.The body is a simple mesh; it's the edging that gives the blanket the "spark". Update: 2/23/2006 - Mystery solved! The blanket is

Go Tar Heels!

2006-02-21T19:05:00.000-05:00

This is the afghan I made my dear sister-in-law for Christmas. She is a huge fan of my alma matter, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, so I made her a "Game Day" blanket. I used Mainstays yarn, an I hook, and a basic chevron pattern.I didn't have a pattern, per se. I merely chained as wide as I wanted (keeping in mind the multiples+ needed for the chevron pattern I wanted), and went

Crochet Book Bonanza

2006-02-07T12:15:00.000-05:00

Ever since I was a child, I would look forward to trips to the library. Poring over the books, cracking musty spines, picking books based on their covers (I did!), and long wooden boxes from the card catalogue could entrance me for hours... not to mention once I started actually READING the books!When I got to the age where I was doing research papers, I discovered the joy of borrowing books from

I .:heart:. Recycled Sweaters

2006-01-17T18:16:00.000-05:00

**This was originally a post to the Crochet Partners list**I have read the great tutorial on recycling sweater yarn posted a while back (http://neauveau.com/recycledyarn.html); I have unravelled more than a few yards of yarn in countless types of projects. But I still didn't think it completely through before I started my quest for recycled yarn.Here are a few tips for anyone else that has in the

A Dilemma

2006-01-09T13:42:00.000-05:00

So back in... September? October? ... I entered my first "speedy crochet" contest at the State Fair of Virginia. They call it the Nimble Fingers contest. And I won! It was a very exhilarating time.That's me in the middle... check out the honkin' ribbon! -->At this point I do want to put in a plug for Kathy's yarn shop - Holly Spring Homespun. Beautiful, gorgeous yarns from all ranges; natural

My First Dishcloth

2006-01-06T18:23:00.000-05:00

My first dishcloth is finished! I joined the Dishcloth Exchange at Crochet Partners.com, and worked this up for my first assignment and first ever dishcloth.I used Peaches N' Cream 100% worsted weight cotton (about 1-1/2 ounces) and an H-hook.This pattern, called Frilly Dishcloth (though it lays mostly flat), was submitted to the Crochet Partners email list, and I thought it quite lovely. I've

Oh, Baby!

2005-12-29T12:31:00.000-05:00

Recently - right in the middle of my Christmas/birthday/poncho crochet marathon - my good friend and her husband were chosen to adopt a beautiful baby girl! While I was excited for them, I was in a bit of a frenzy to make her baby afghan.I have a personal policy for crocheted gifts - I don't make afghans ahead of time. I mean, I don't make wedding afghans or baby afghans to have on hand. I make

Love My Baby

2005-12-27T14:34:00.000-05:00

I have been too busy crocheting (and cleaning and wrapping and mailing and working and...) to write about it!Back at the beginning of December, my baby turned one. I made her a poncho/hat/scarf set as her "clothes" item from my husband and me for her birthday (we always do something to read, something to play with, and something to wear).I started with a big ball of the Sensations pink tonal

Crochet-a-palooza!

2005-11-21T14:28:00.000-05:00

For any crafter, Christmas is a busy busy busy season. (Who am I kidding? Christmas is a busy season for everyone.)But it's compounded when "husband's birthday season" stretches until the end of October. And then "daughter's birthday season" overlaps (poor kid has a Dec. 1 birthday). And now "very good friend's adoption comes through with one week notice season" is here, too! Yikes!For my

Blast From the Past - Hubby's Second Afghan

2005-11-16T13:06:00.000-05:00

Thrilled with the first afghan I made him, my husband (then boyfriend) asked me to make him another afghan for his (now our) family room. He poured through my afghan books, and even checked out ones at the store, and decided on this one called (I believe) Idyllic from Afghans for All Seasons, Book 3. (I really love this book. It's by Leisure Arts. Get it!)He picked out the colors and yarn (the

Michael's Yarn Event - from Boo! to Yay!

2005-11-14T22:25:00.000-05:00

To make a long story short - I won a speed crochet contest at our local Michael's, AND I just got a call that I won a Kniffty Knitter set in a raffle! But short stories aren't as fun because they don't tell the whole story...This past weekend Michael's had a "5 Hour Yarn Event", supposidly with a speed knitting and crocheting contest and all sorts of other stuff.After church my husband was

Blast from the Past - Wedding Afghan

2005-10-22T23:03:00.000-04:00

Another one from Afghans for All Seasons (seriously, buy it!), this one called Lavender Dream or something like that.<-- Full view; not quite queen sized ;-)I liked it better than the afghan officially considered "Bridal", and in white it still has a very delicate lacy look.<--Edging detailIt's Ã1⁄4ber-soft, too, made with Caron Simply Soft. It worked up a lot quicker than I had projected, taking

Blast from the Past - Hubby's First Afghan

2005-10-21T22:51:00.000-04:00

This is the first afghan I made for my husband (way back in the days when he was my boyfriend :-) ). The colors are for Penn State and use a navy Red Heart and one of the Red Heart Heathers for the white. I used an H-hook and a star stitch. This blanket took roughly forever. The white squares are softer than the blue, due to the yarn series. The color not being used is carried underneath the

Welcome to My Yarn Stash

2005-10-21T14:52:00.000-04:00

This is my first foray into the world of blogging. I thought it would be a great way to post about crocheting - the projects I'm working on, the items I've designed, and pictures!Right now I'm working on three present afghans, in addition to my regularly scheduled Works In Progress:A colonial-style American flag (13 stars on the field) in country colors of my own design. It's basically a double