a 45 doily

Isn't this the cutest thing? I had seen mention of it's likeness on a blog i read once. One day i was inspired to crochet my own only i used wool so i could felt it. I'd like to use it more as a trivet of sorts for hot mugs of coffee or veggies.

This one i made for my WW leader. I made it a little frillier for her because she likes all that frilles! :O) I love how even though it's felted you still get the effect of the hole that would fit onto the post in the stereo. Love Love Love it! I think now that it is felted, it would be cool to go back over the top with her favorite song or singer. I'll think about doing that before i give it to her.

I think when i make mine, i'll make it less frilly and i'll stitch RCA or Victorola on it.

It certainly was an experiment, because i had never crocheted in the round before and i had never felted before! Turned out pretty good for a novice, don't you think?

No, it's not the revival of the Elvis capes...

It's the Superkids! I finally got one of the Superkids capes done. Ever since my daughter and her friend had heard the Tickle Typhoon's rendition of "Superkids", it's been on my dockit to make them capes. Then when i saw this pattern in Vickie Howell's knitting book, New Knits on the Block, i had to knit it for them.

Super cute!

Not Too Bad

Well, i did pretty good considering that the fair at Cookie Monster's school wasn't really well attended. Me and one other lady were the only people there with original items, every thing else was Pampered Chef or Partylite or the like.

I sold all of my bowls for "movie lovers" (they are made out of the ticket rolls and filled with candy and popcorn.) And i sold a pack of firefighter cards and some chocolate coated candy canes. Not too bad, but definitely would try another venue before throwing in the towel to this idea ever again.

Christmas Craftiness

Every year when we visit markets or craft fairs and i peruse through people's wares i always have this tugging in my heart that says, "Psst, excuse me, but you could be doing this!" (My heart is a very kind organ indeed, who oddly enough sounds like the Geico gecko.) :o)

So this year, i decided to try and start small with Cookie Monster's school fair. And her wonderful ballet teacher was nice enough to let me bring a few photos to her so she could leave them out at the fair she is working this wkend.

We'll see how it goes...i really hope the photo cards do well, cause that's really i have time for right now. The peppermint soap turned out all wrong (Martha needs to tweak her instructions in her holiday mag or i just need to come to the realisation that i could never work for Martha-hee hee), so i ended up melting most of it back down and shaping it into heart molds. "Lumps of Love" i call them, as an alternative to "Lumps of coal". ;o)

The movie bowls are really what i hope will sell well! I saw this idea once...basically it's a bowl made of "admit one" tickets and i've filled them with a couple candy bars and popcorn and the cute paper popcorn sacks. All someone would need to add is a gift card to the local movie rental store or moive theatre, or a DVD or two. I stuffed one with train videos for my dear dad one Christmas and he is the one who got me thinking that i could profit off my craftiness. :o)

The "berry medley" is the labels that Mom embroidered for my jam. They look super cute that way! Thanks Mom!

Wish me luck!

Sockity Socks

Here's what staying up late at night until 2am with a pair of #2's and some 100% merino sock yarn from A Swell Yarn Shop will get ya---me and my dear friend, J, treat ourselves to a craft classes for our birthdays. Since it was my birthday last, i choose the Toe Up Sock Class with the Magic Loop Cast On (all this taught in 4 hours of class time over the period of a week) at our local yarn shop, Renaissance Yarns. Oy vey! What a challenge! However, the sock looks pritty darn spiffy for a beginner, if i do say so myself. I think the work's good enough it could pass QC #18 when i have to work in a sweatshop once China takes us over; i just need to knit faster if i want to make more than 2 cents a day. :o)

Still need to finish the cuff today and tonight at our final class we are going to construct the "afterthought heel". I'll place a photo once we get that done. Then i have to figure out when i am going to have time to finish the poor lonely sock's mate. :o) LOL

Starting this blog...

In starting this blog, i hope that it can serve as a journal of inspiration for me. To serve as "2-d" evidence of what i have done, to challenge me to finish what i haven't, and as a place for documenting cool finds.

This year, i would really like to focus on homemaking. Some of the old fashioned kind with new era ideas. Just to help bless my family and find peace in the responsibility that i have accepted.

And, since i manage two blogs (one, for the family about family and this one for the average everyday interests of mine) it might be a little hit or miss, but i hope to create something that might inspire others or at least bring a smile.

Amen! A Bear Dishcloth--tweaking--pls don't knit this

Knitters of kitchy dishcloths, REJOICE, and pick up a pair of needles.

I had found frustration, also, in the lack of a decent bear patterned dc that wasn't a teddy bear or wasn't free. Here is my contribution to the free pattern effort: a dc inspired by my daughter's love of the polar bear.

And since i am trying to revolt against the Made In (fill in the blank with country other than US) as much as i can, i figured i could knit my new washcloths for the bathroom this year with MADE IN THE *USA* yarns, eh? All i needed was the pattern and here is what a Sunday's worth of effort will get ya.

Come and knit along with me, the best bear dishcloth is yet to be.


Cast on 42

rows 1 - 5: knit across

6 and all other even numbered rows: K4, P34, K4

7 K across

9: K11, P6, K9, P7, K9

11: K11, P7, K8, P8, K8

13: K12, P7, K8, P8, K8

15: K12, P6, K9, P7, K8

17: K13, P5, K10, P7, K7

19: K13, P5, K7, P2, K1, P7, K7

21: K13, P5, K6, P2, K1, P8, K7

23: K13, P6, K5, P1, K1, P9, K7

25: K13, P6, K5, P1, K1, P9, K7

27: K13, P6, K4, P2, K1, P10, K6

29: K6, P2, K4, P13, K1, P10, K6

31: K5, P1, K1, P2, K3 , P13, K1, P10, K6

33: K5, P5, K2, P13, K1, P10, K6

35: K5, P20, K1, P10, K6

37: K5, P20 , K1, P10, K6

39: K5, P21, K1, P9, K6

41: K5, P22, K1, P8, K6

43: K5, P2, K1, P19, K1, P8, K6

45: K5, P23, K1, P7,K6

47: K5, P24, K1, P7, K5

49: K5, P4, K1, P20, K1, P6, K5

51: K5, P3, K2, P27, K5

53: K6, P30, K6

55: K6, P30, K6

57: K7, P29, K6

59: K7, P28, K7

61: K8, P27, K7

63: K8, P26, K8

65: K9, P25, K8

67: K10, P23, K9

69: K12, P20, K10

71: K across

73-77: knit across

this is going to knit up a little bigger than your average dishcloth because this is my first time designing something and i made a few mistakes while teaching myself the designing process. ;o)

couple things i learned i'd like to share with someone incase they are going to start designing their dream dishcloth of a wooly mammoth (or something like that):

1. before drawing your design on your graph chart, make sure you mark out your borders you want (if you want a specific size dc) as then you will know the EXACT space you'll have to work with.

2. next time i think i would try to design the outline of the object first, write down the coordinates, then fill in the object and write the coordinates--then you'd have a "two fer" for all your hard work!! :o)

I'll post a picture as soon as i get my cloth finished. If you use this pattern, please use it only for the purposes intended--for making yourself a nice bear cloth from a free pattern and not for submitting to a publication. Thanks!