Hanging Hearts

I was reading in a magazine that had a bit of advertising for vintage handmade items. One of those were hanging hearts made from old fabric - the big flowered type - and hung with that thin rope....what do you call it? Oh - TWINE.

So the old fabric and the twine gave it a vintage feel.  How much, you say?  $45.00 BIG  ONES!  I about died. They looked to be about four inches tall, maybe six.  But $45.00????  I say not.  I was trying to find things to recommend for Christmas gifts, but in THIS case, I think I would have to recommend that you make your own.  And if you don't believe me, I also looked it up here. View at your own risk!

Now this little dove heart is one is from information linked below. The site is called Live, Laugh Love and I think you WILL love it!

This site is what I found while embarking on a search for some handmade hearts that were not so darn expensive...and I found some rather lovely ones if I do say so myself. Are you up for hanging one from your tree this Christmas?  Or are you going to give your heart away? 

These are not here is the US, but they live with our brethren in the UK. :o)  Now these little gems are just perfect - perfectly priced, and perfectly beautiful!

Happy Hunting!

Gifts, etc.

Well - today I saw a beautiful pattern by Lily Go.  It is called Blue Lagoon.  They are doing a CAL on it in Ravelry so I think I might join just as a relaxation exercise.  Something for me.  She has both crocheted and knitted shawls...other things, too I think. All her work is simply beautiful!  And she is so young!!!! 

Come join the fun! I'll post my ever so s-l-o-w progress.  I am working faster, instead, on my nephews afghan which will be, unfortunately, late for Christmas. I'll get some photos of that, also.

I am also thinking of some items to purchase for Christmas.  I was introduced last year to a place called Solitude Wool by a friend.  I think you can tell by the name that they sell wool. Located in the east.  The two ladies have their own sheep, but also buy wool from small farms, and you can buy just the most wonderful yarn.  Pricey, but beautiful.  It's fun to check out the web page to just look at the sheep!

AWWWWWWW!

American Made Gifts

I was thinking about our economy this week, and about how as a consumer I could help a little.  People are cutting back, but not stopping, on their Christmas shopping.

I began to think about all the wonderful craft type places here in the states and our close neighbors, that produce items from scratch....none from China! ;o)

So, today I present you with History Lives which is a small company in New England, and is a division of Cooper Fife Drum Company.

Here you will find some objects replicated from historical facts, including Tops, Whirly-gigs, and Table Top Nine Pins.  I plan on buying Jacob's Ladder for a nephew named Jacob! ;o)

There are many other wonderful companies in America that are suffering.  I am sure that there are others in our neighboring countries, as well as in Europe.  Should you find one that sells specialty items we can afford, let me know.  I think we can all save a little money and do our part to help the "little man" afford their turkey for this Christmas.

Blessings to you all.

Halloween......(and then Thanksgiving-time flies!)

So much to be happy about...beautiful weather, great friends, a wonderful family, and having hubby around to share it all.  If only we could hold onto these moments.

Photos are really a great way to do that....grabbing those moments in time with a loved one. Videos are great, too.  I wish I had more of both of my own mother, but right now it isn't too late for you.  Ask your mom a question that you have always wondered about...her first date, how she met your dad, was she afraid when she found out she was pregnant?  All sorts of personal questions abound...and you can take a short video of her answer.  These will be moments for you to cherish as the years go by, and when you chance to do such a thing is no longer available.

We live too far away from the road, and in too remote a location, to have little kids come by for candy. The only thing I think that is good about that (other than not having the expenditure) is that we don't have the BIG kids coming by.  I would hope that more families would make room for their teens who want to celebrate, and join together with the school or church or neighborhood so they can celebrate in peace (not necessarily quiet) and safety.  Leave the trick or treating to the children of lesser years.

Last year the granddaughters were some sort of ghouls for Halloween, but my favorite was when the oldest was Darth Vader and the youngest was Eeyore! This is 3 years ago.

This year one is going to be Tinkerbell and youngest is going to be Jack Skelton (I think the same as last year), her most favorite person in all the world.

I asked The Daughter what she was going to be for Halloween.  

She said a tired mama.

Christmas is Coming! Heh, heh, heh.....

So, we are past the middle of October, slowly closing in on November when all the sales start.  We are approaching the snow season for some areas of the country, and there are those of us who want to get our shopping done prior to being snowed in.

There are others of us who want to get our shopping done and have someone else mail it out for us! Personally, I think that is why God made the internet. ;o)

I have purchased a few little goodies for my family so far to include in the packages I mail out.  I also am going to make one small item for each package (and in some cases that is ALL that will be in the package).  So I wanted to share with you a couple of the items that I have ready.  These come from Mitchell-Larsen Studio in St. Croix.  I may have shared the clock that she sent to me in another post, or the doggie plate.

The top one is like one of the White House ornaments that I believe will be hanging on the White House Christmas tree.  They are really really cute!  There are two more that I'll photograph later.

This second one is a cat eating a fish....I love cats and have several 'cat friends' who collect such things.  There are also several dogs, as well as all sorts of birds or butterflies or whatever! 

These can be hung on a tree or in the window dangling from a clear acrylic wire (like fishing line) attached at the top of a window casing.

More to come.....happy shopping!

Pumpkins Galore!

The annual Pumpkin Hunt and Claim your Prize!

Hmm...this one is mine now. I'll sit & relax here until Dad comes for it.

What a find! I'll just carry this over myself!

Okay, I'm tired....this one's good and I'm not moving another muscle.

Did we do good, or what! ;o)

Elephants and other cutie pies........

Do you like Elephants?  Do you like Amigurumi? (I know, Bev, you don't. Heh, heh!).  Well, I think there is at least one convert out there, Ms. Tavish herself.

I have posted this on Ravelry, but think it is worth posting here.  I do so love these Tooterphants!  Talk about CUTE!

These are from LucyRavenscar - Crochet Creatures.  She had all sorts of little creatures and all sorts of patterns on her Etsy shop.

If you truly love little creatures to make that are unusual, and that children would love, you should definitely try something that she designs. Awesome!

Too cute! - The Baby Porcupine

Want to make a REALLY CUTE potholder?  Try this Tutorial.  It is for this potholder below!

Now this little fellow  directly below is beyond cute! 

 

                                   

The bottom photos are of the Cat House….my once feral cat that can't come into the house due to the dogs who are not friendly, and the hubby who is not terribly cat friendly himself. ;o)

It is finished…one room, two windows in the room and a little observation room with a deck,  two little windows, and a cat door so he can get out and sit on the roof…or even on top of the observation house.  So cute - and he seems to like being in there quite a lot. Has toys, food, blankets, rugs, cat scratching post, and ramps going up and down, plus a little "attic" with a fuzzy blanket where he sleeps and can look out the big front window. The insulated steel door has a little cat door on the bottom.  When he finally gets use to it he will come and go as he pleases…well he does now, but he goes OUT but doesn't come back IN so I have taped it open for the time being.

Talk about spoiled!

THE TINY  CABIN

A social  worker from a big City (Houston) recently transferred to Tatum, Tx...  a small community. This  was on the first tour of her new territory when she came  upon the tiniest cabin she had ever seen in her  life..

Intrigued, she went up and knocked on the door.  'Anybody home?' she asked.
'Yep,' came a kid's voice  through the door.
'Is your father there?' asked the social worker..
'Pa?  Nope, he left before Ma came in,' said the kid.
'Well, is your  mother there?' persisted the social worker.
'Ma? Nope, she left  just before I got here,' said the kid.

'But,' protested the  social worker, 'are you never together as a family?' 

'Sure,  but not here,' said the kid through the door....... 'This is  the Outhouse!' 

I'm in the middle holding the doors. Betty McClure to the right and Jean to the left. This is an old two holer outhouse that was once part of a complex built in the early '30's for the community. The privy is all that is left.  I can't remember the name of the group off hand, but at the time they were a celebrated bunch of educated ladies who were sponsored by a gentleman back east who wanted to make sure women were educated. American something-er-orther.

 
FOUND IT!  This is the American Woman's League Chapter House (the outhouse is off to the left and you can't see it).  Interesting group - look them up and see if they were in your area, too!

Lions and Tigers and Bears! Oh My!

Well, perhaps no Bears, but other large animals for sure!  Here is the "near" completed baby blanket. I am on the final rows for the border, in a darker Purple. Ran out of the Dusty Purple, and don't want to purchase more yarn. I have WAY too much already.

 

 

 

Another web site with Crochet (and some knit, too)

This is a pic on Doris Chan's Ravelry page, and belongs to Webs, which is new to me. The yarn used is that which belongs to the people who run the web page, Valley Yarns.

I LOVE THE COLOR!!

This Webs page was also listed in the Doris Chan pattern page on Ravelry. I see that the patterns listed on Webs are not expensive, very cute, and some different ones at that.  

I thought we all needed another place to check out patterns! Garnstudio and NaturallyCaron are still my favorite places, though, but I need to check this out.  Might come in a close 3rd. Both Garnstudio and NaturallyCaron use their own yarn, just like this site. I do buy their yarns just to keep the sites available for free patterns.

I honestly have to say that the Drops yarns are some of the best and least expensive of the better yarns out there.  I buy it from a place in California called NordicMart. They are not only full of great yarn and prices, they are also one of the most responsive places for customer service that I have ever used. You can also buy the Drops catalogs for a song if you don't want to go to the web site all the time and print out the patterns. Mostly knit, so I stick to the web pages although have been known to purchase one or two just to see how the other half lives - and to see IF I can every make a knit pattern into a crochet pattern. 

Let me know what you think of the Cowl and the pattern.  Of course, I thought a Cowl was around the neck......what do I know. Looks like a mobius shawl to me!

Cute Way to Make a Potholder

This potholder was a gift in a swap.  I have made one or two like this, but not as large, and not as intricate a pattern.  This is a cool way to make a lovely potholder out of one of your favorite afghan squares.

 FRONT

I know that a lot of us fold our afghan squares this way when we ship them in smaller envelopes - but just imagine sewing it together this way.

 BACK

The back makes a great geometric design, and the colors are really vivid and lively! Just right to brighten up my kitchen!

Baby Afghan

A young girl I know is having her second child. The first child she had was born the day after my birthday, and I gave the young couple money to put away ... thinking it would grow to more, but NOT in this economy.

This time I decided to make an afghan for her second which I hear is supposed to be a boy.

I was making a square out of the book called "A Year of Baby Afghans, Book 4" when I remembered the reason I purchased the book for for the August afghan. It should be called "Animal Crackers" as the lower panels have lots of little animals on them...all in 3D.

This is what I have so far!

I'll add a photo of a finished afghan soon.....have to ask Sara if I can use hers! ;o)

ETA:  SARA SAID YES!!

Isn't this the cutest blankie ever!!??!!

New Booklet

The Complete Guide to THREAD CROCHET.....25 designs!!!

I do not need this, but as thread crochet was how I first learned, I thought it would be nice to get back to my roots.  Then I'd like to keep what I make rather than swap it ..... what a concept!

The Green Thing

In the line at the store, the cashier told the older woman that she should bring her own grocery bag because plastic bags weren't good for the environment.

The woman apologized to him and explained, "We didn't have the green thing back in my day."

The clerk responded, "That's our problem today. The former generation did not care enough to save our environment."

He was right, that generation didn't have the green thing in its day.

Back then, they returned their milk bottles, soda bottles and beer bottles to the store. The store sent them back to the plant to be washed and sterilized and refilled, so it could use the same bottles over and over. So they really were recycled.

But they didn't have the green thing back in that customer's day.

In her day, they walked up stairs, because they didn't have an escalator in every store and office building. They walked to the grocery store and didn't climb into a 300-horsepower machine every time they had to go two blocks.

But she was right. They didn't have the green thing in her day.

Back then, they washed the baby's diapers because they didn't have the throw-away kind. They dried clothes on a line, not in an energy gobbling machine burning up 220 volts - wind and solar power really did dry the clothes. Kids got hand-me-down clothes from their brothers or sisters, not always brand-new clothing. They shared bedrooms, too - you'd get three to five kids in one room, where they kept their clothes and their toys in one box - not all over the house in four rooms, every kid to their own room, including the baby. We slept in the large dresser drawer until our folks could afford a crib.

But that old lady is right, they didn't have the green thing back in her day.

Back then, they had one TV, or radio, in the house - not a TV in every room. And the TV had a small screen the size of a handkerchief, not a screen the size of the state of Montana. In the kitchen, they blended and stirred by hand because they didn't have electric machines to do everything for you.

When they packaged a fragile item to send in the mail, they used a wadded up old newspaper to cushion it, not Styrofoam or plastic bubble wrap. Used it for Christmas wrap, too, along with brown paper bags.

Back then, they didn't fire up an engine and burn gasoline just to cut the lawn. They used a push mower that ran on human power. They exercised by working so they didn't need to go to a health club to run on treadmills that operate on electricity.

But she's right, they didn't have the green thing back then.

They drank from a fountain when they were thirsty instead of using a cup or a plastic bottle every time they had a drink of water. They refilled their writing pens with ink instead of buying a new pen, and they replaced the razor blades in a razor instead of throwing away the whole razor just because the blade got dull.

But they didn't have the green thing back then.

Back then, people took the streetcar or a bus and kids rode their bikes to school or rode the school bus instead of turning their moms into a 24-hour taxi service. They had one electrical outlet in a room, not an entire bank of sockets to power a dozen appliances.

And they didn't need a computerized gadget to receive a signal beamed from satellites 2,000 miles out in space in order to find the nearest pizza joint. 

But isn't it sad the current generation laments how wasteful the old folks were just because they didn't have the green thing back then?

But we did have the brown thing - paper bags which were recycled material that they have practically made us quit using. Funny how now, thinking back, our old brown thing was a good thing, and the new generation made us use the plastic bags with the constant breaking handles and tearing at the bottom, and now they want us to use the green thing that you must PURCHASE and it lasts 3 or 4 times!

Progress  - our most important product.

Time to get back to the brown thing.

~Author Unknown~

Grandma's Darling -

This  week was full of special events for my eldest granddaughter.  She not only lost a front (lower) tooth, but she also graduated from Pre-School.  

Cap and gown, nonetheless.  Hopefully parents don't have to pay for these.  I have to admit she is absolutely the cutest thing.

Do public schools do this, too? Hopefully not - I can think of better ways for the parents of young children to spend their hard earned money (like food and gas), and certainly don't think schools should be using taxpayer's money to fund this activity (like books and teaching them math). 

Summer is right around the corner - or IS it?

Today it was less than 50 degrees at 7:00 a.m. here in sunny Idaho.  That is so amazing to me - and even more amazing is that we had only two days above 80 in May, and since it has been in the 60's until this week.  Now we are creeping into the 70's by late in the day.

I have heard that we can expect 90, or near 90, degrees next week - but am hoping they are going to be wrong on that one. I like the 70's thank you.

We have birds galore on our various feeders - Bullock's Oriole, Kingbird, various Finch, various Sparrow, Blackbird, Magpie, Mourning Dove, California Quail, Robin (who only feed on the worms under the feeder!), Hummingbird, and then an occasional Kestrel will fly through, not to mention the Red-tailed Hawk and the Swainson's Hawk.

I kind of have the blues today, carried over from yesterday. Partly due to the various health issues flying around the family and myself, but partly due to Crochet! Magazine.  I pitched a fit already once, but feel like doing it again on line. ;o)

I am trying something new here...a Ravelry "button" - hope it works

Leaves of Summer Vest

I started a lovely vest they have in their latest magazine - designed by Doris Chan.  I read on her thread in Ravelry that there is an errata because Crochet! did not print the design right.  Now mind you, the design is turned in about 9 months BEFORE it is published, so the magazine has at least that long to get it printed out correctly.  What happened to proof readers?  I hate the excuse they give that "we try" but "we aren't perfect" - WHY NOT! You SHOULD be professionals, at least, who TRY to be perfect.

So there I am on row 9 (further along than above) and I thought I was home free...but went back to read the errata once again and see I wasn't reading it correctly. I need to pull out four rows.  Her patterns are not the easiest to follow, so it has taken all my strength and stamina to get this far - now I have to rip it out. Frustrating - very frustrating. I don't know if I have the strength to finish this vest.

Fisherman's Ring Potholder

I thought I would try my hand at one of Patricia Hewitt's patterns for a potholder. I used the Hobby Lobby's I Love This Cotton and a G hook. It's amazing that I can use an F or G easily with this cotton, but not with the Lion's Brand or with the other kitchen type cottons.

The square ended up at about 6", but thought it was too small. I then added edging #130 from Edie Eckman's book. If you have her book for crocheted edgings, note that the second round is wrong ... it says to dc in the dc below - but the "below" stitches are all sc.

The photos were taken with my iPod so are a tad fuzzy. ;o)

Happy June!!!

The Other Side

Bright!!

Most know that I am not a lover of bright colors like Paula/Tavish. I have been attempting to spread my wings via the potholder medium. This is one side of one I made with a stash of old cotton yarn I found when cleaning out the basement.

Love it! Fun!