The Shtick I Do

So this week has been full of excitement! As some of you know, I'm going to be adding the title "Nana" to my repertoire sometime in late January or early February. I also have found out that someone else very close to me is, as I type, about 5.5 weeks along. Plus, a friend at church delivered a couple weeks early and had a beautiful 4 pound baby girl. (I'm happy to report that both mom and daughter are doing exceptionally well) And I can think of two other women that are due within the next few months . . . Babies everywhere! There are very few things that excite me as much as babies can. What a joyous blessing for a family! And who doesn't smile when they see a new baby with his head wobbling back and forth trying to look at whatever it is that babies see. So with babies on the brain I had someone message me on Facebook and ask if I could make a pair of booties for a friend of hers. I've seen these booties before and do what most women do when they see some...

Talk Like a Pirate Day has been a day of celebration for those that love pirates or just a random day to do something different. Conceived by a bunch of friends and made a national sensation by Dave Barry, National Talk Like a Pirate Day has had people by the eye-patch for about 10 years. Maybe longer in some areas. In honor of this frivolous and fun "holiday", here are some links to patterns from other crafters that can help you celebrate your inner swashbuckler. Here are some Granny Squares to help get you in the mood: Repeat Crafter Me How about an outfit for that office party on September 19th? Or even Halloween? Redheart Yarns If you aren't into a complete outfit, try the essential pirate accessory! DIY Geekery And last but not least, the hard core swashbuckler's favorite friend, Polly! (Polly is a pattern available for purchase on Etsy. But his name isn't Polly, that's just what I would have called him.) Amigurumi Parrot So the...

Alrighty, I'm plugging along on all these WiP's I have and I just completed this baby blanket last night. My youngest (who is 16) keeps telling me it looks like an Easter egg, LoL! I love the soft colors and the edging is something I kinda tossed on there to add more inches. It ended up being perfect! So here's my Corner-to-Corner with Edging pattern for you to use as well. I hope you enjoy it! This blanket is worked entirely with Caron Simply Soft and a size G/4.25MM Hook. Link to video for the Corner-to-Corner pattern I used:  Crochet Crowd Corner-to-Corner blanket pattern Edging Pattern:  Orange DC worked in top (proper position) of Purple DC stitches Keep in mind that crocheting around a C2C project can be a bit difficult. It took 2 or 3 tries for me to get the right number of stitches in the first row of edging simply because of the way C2C project stitches are worked. Only 3 stitches at a time are actually turned in the proper position, the next...

I'm still making and swapping Granny Squares and I received a few in the mail that I'll share with you. But today my main focus is ..... Did you make 5 hats and donate them? Hmmmm?  Well, if you didn't I can understand. Labor Day and back to school are busy, busy times. And the beginning of Christmas Present Making Season is upon us! There are only 110 DAYS until Christmas is upon us! So that makes most of us crafters Busy to the Nth power! But I still encourage you to take the time to help others. I did make hats and donate them, but mine went to the Cancer Center here in town. I'm told they were very excited and appreciative of the gift. Doing something like that brings a satisfaction that's comforting, I like to imagine that's the feeling Christ had when He performed miracles for nothing in return. But I like to imagine a lot of things (like me winning the lottery!). I also managed to get a baby bootie pattern that was quick and easy. Those are m...

This is a fantastic way to handle the Sashay style yarns from Red Heart and other companies. Spread it out and roll it up on a cardboard tube (I used one from toilet tissue). Now all you have to do is set it up on a spindle and crochet away! A standing paper towel holder is perfect for this or a knitting needle poked through a sturdy cardboard box. What can I say - I'm a redneck! Hopefully this will help anyone that has the same issues I have with this type of yarn - it's hard as heck to handle the way it's originally packaged. Especially for me since I have arthritis and carpal tunnel.  Re-spooling the yarn this way makes it much easier to use and not get cramps, pain or tingling simply from handling the yarn. Hope this helps you! Peace and Blessings! ~~Karen~~