Well, here it is-the project I had been working on last time I posted.

A simple baby sweater with a playful touch.

Modeled by a little cutie.

I knew this color would look smashing next to the baby blues on this little guy!

Click here to view this listing for sale on my Etsy

Since I've made this, I have made a few other baby sweaters, and have designed a few more little girl hats, as well as a lacey head covering out of natural tan and brown flecked yarn. Very pretty, but needs more alterations. I have more pictures to follow-hopefully.
Here's to hoping I get a new camera soon so I can start posting new pictures and posting new sale items on my Etsy quicker than I have been lately. I guess as they say-all in good time.
Off to another day of busyness. That's all for now!

How Much Ease Should You Should Put in Your Knitted or Crocheted Garment?

With all sweater patterns, the amount of "ease" or looseness is a personal preference. Negative ease is a measurement smaller than your body measurement to create a tight fitting garment. Positive ease is a measurement larger than your body for a looser fit. The best way to decide on any size is to measure a sweater that you own (whose fit you like) and check the pattern schematic or measurements to choose a size you like.

Here's a general fit guideline:

Very close = 0 ease

Close Fit = chest + 1 - 2 inches ease

Standard Fit = chest + 2 - 4 inches ease

Lose Fit = chest + 4 - 6 inches ease

Oversized = chest + 6 inches and up

Compliments of Lion Brand's Website

WHAT COLORS ARE HOT FOR THE COOL WEATHER? (click here to view the full fashion report)

 

Just a little something I'd like to try sometime

Another super Sunday in the house of the Lord today! Choir practice, Sunday School, Morning service, choir special, I sang a solo today, a little grocery shopping, came home and made pizza, napped for an hour and a half (slept all of 3 1/2 hours last night), made it to choir practice 1/2 hour late, practiced for an hour in choir, sang soprano in choir today (a great accomplishment for alto is to sing soprano and hit an "F"-I was so happy I actually hit the note), played my flute in the service, listened to a great message from a visiting missionary, practiced a duet with a woman after church, and came home and crocheted as my husband goofed around with my youngest acting all crazy and silly. The house is quiet now, and this is when I tend to let the hours slip by-a quiet home, when you have five kids, is a bit of heaven. But, I need to get in and sleep sometime tonight-I ache all over from lack of sleep and going non stop today (well, almost), but my newest crochet project is calling to me still-I havent spent much time with it today.
It certainly has been a long long while since I've posted anything, however! Life has been busy. Church, home, my kids, husband, and daily life has taken over much of my time, as well as catching up on some crocheting orders and gifts I had to finish, as well as posting many new projects on my Etsy.
  I checked my blog for the first time in what seems forever, and found this beautiful, creative pillow someone had posted. If you click on the link at the top of this post, it will lead you to it). Another creative crochet I'd like to try out sometime in coordinating colors for my room, (I've been wanting to make a pillow or two to sit on my bed, but I fail to be inspired by what I see for ideas for such, and I am not spending any extra brain power in the thoughts of such a thing, as I have so many other things I need to be thinking on instead) so i thought I would share it here, so I will always know where it is, if the day ever arises that I decide to make something for myself.
  Another busy day tomorrow. Getting my hair done-YAY! and I  have a flute lesson to give, as well as a busy day of shopping and cleaning and schooling my daughter a bit. Mondays are usually my "day of rest", as Sundays are no day of rest to me, being as active as I am in church, but a few changes had to be made for my day tomorrow. Oh well. Perhaps Tuesday I can "rest" a bit.
  Well, Im off to sleepy land soon, but first, I need to go work a bit more on a 12 month old size sweater before retiring for the night.
  Good night you all. Pleasant dreams.

Spring time coasters

Here's a lovely little coaster pattern I found as I searched a crocheting website looking at different projects. Aren't they just sweet? So simple, yet cheery.  I can't wait till I have a few minutes to sit and make a few to sell at a new consignment shop around the corner from me.

Free Pattern Maker

I have been searching periodically for quite some time where I could take a picture and have it changed into a cross stitch pattern, and I finally found it!

However, my purpose is not to create a cross stitch with it, but rather a crocheted afghan using single crochet and changing colors throughout it. I have made a smaller scale item transferring a picture onto graph paper myself, but an entire afghan with  a picture was way out of my league!

So I searched, and prayed, and hoped, and searched, and prayed some more.  I knew what I was looking for was out there, yet couldn't find it.

Well, I was looking again on the internet last night, and boom! There is was!  (Kinda makes me wonder why I never could find anything before, but alas! I found it! And its even FREE! 

The sunset is a picture I am planning on making sometime, but I first need to get a picture and get started on the project  of my original intent-my beautiful church.

This is the only possible workable picture I had, so I tried it,  but sad to say, it will not work. There is not enough contrast between the steeple and the sky, and there are too many shadows along the front and sides. The pattern this picture created did not appear that it would work too well, so I need to keep trying others.

I had taken a few pictures of the church at dusk a while back. I need to find them, download them, and give them a try.  It was taken pretty much strait on, the stark white steeple contrasted nicely against the darkened twilight sky, and all the lights were on inside and outside the church, accenting nicely the architecture of the church. I don't think there are quite so many variations and shades in the colors as well, so I'm thinking the overall colors in the pattern would be more simpler, without all the shading, giving the afghans overall appearance a more commanding presence, with less eye movement going on for the viewer. Normally I like to create items with the latter in mind, but I don't wish to do so with this one. I just want to picture to "POP" of the afghan,  and make a commanding first impression.  Since I am purposing to make it as a gift to the church, I am hoping it will be displayed in its front foyer as a wall hanging out of honor for the church and all those who have served there, but we shall see.


***When using the website, be sure to remember to save the list of all the colors for the pattern BEFORE you click the link to download the pattern-YOU DO NOT GET AN ITEMIZED LIST OF NAMES OF THE RECOMMENDED COLORS AND THE CORRELATED NUMBERS ONCE YOU DO SO!  

ONCE YOU DOWNLOAD THE PATTERN, YOU ONLY GET THE NUMBERS TO THOSE RECOMMENDED COLORS THAT GO ALONG WITH THE SYMBOLS ON THE PATTERN.

And so begins another chapter in my life of crocheting.

HERE'S TO A HAPPY DAY EVERYONE!!

Morning Glory Doily

Here is a lovely doily/motif pattern I found on Ravelry.  When I attempted to copy the pattern for myself, I could not, so I am posting the link here to share with you, as well as for my enjoyment when I get around to making a few of these.

  Enjoy!

Its been a while

  So, ya, I've been a bit busy these past few weeks since my last post. Had a few crochet orders to fill, a granny square afghan to repair (took like 10 hours!!), a wedding gift to make (which I never have finished yet), a wedding to prepare for and play my flute at, and attended a two day ladies Seminar which our church hosted to about 300 ladies, at which I sang, played my flute in, and served the luncheon at. I am continuing to  homeschooling my nine year old. Also, throughout this time,  my oldest son moved out of the house and went back to college simultaneously as my second oldest child moved back in, due to her friends new husband  taking her place in the townhouse.

  Well, the whether has finally begun to show some resemblance of spring around here, although only periodically, but the flowers are out and the grass is finally green and full. Its been very cool for this time of year, but I am not complaining. I love to cuddle up under an afghan on a cool night.

Welcome Spring!

  

This is one little guy I have had a few orders on already which I have made recently.

Grant the Giraffe is 17" X 13", can sit, stand, and loves to be cuddled!! Too cute!

Here are a few pictures I have so far of our Seminar at our church:

Us ladies singing a music special. I am the third from the left to right. Isn't our church beautiful?

Here I am with a sweet young lady from the church, Suzie. We're just about ready to begin playing the prelude before the Seminar begins. Isn't she beautiful?  We have so much fun playing and practicing together.

Here is a closer picture of myself (on the right) and two friends of mine as we sing one of our music specials.

   We had such a wonderful weekend. The time always goes by way too fast, but we always walk away from them blessed to have been a part of them. :)

  

   Last but not least before I retire... the wedding of a friend of the family. Here are a few pictures so far-just a few of two of my boys, but they are nice pictures, so I'll brag a moment on them by putting the pictures here of them. Once the professional pictures are finished, I know there will be a few more nice ones to add.

My son, Tim, and his girl friend.

Sean and his little buddy-a nephew of the bride.

Again, Tim and his girl friend. Cute.

Mother's Day Weekend

  A beautiful Saturday afternoon, and I am here, on my computer, at twelve thirty in the afternoon, still in my PJ's, trying to finish my first coffee.

So much to do, so many ideas racing through my mind!!

I think I will take a few hours, take my youngest outside,  pray, read my Bible, sit in the warmth of the Spring Sun, re-write my goals and to do's for the future, and enjoy the beauty of God's creation for the day-before my husband and boys get home from junk yard shopping for a car hood, and disturb the quietness I now am enjoying. A re-focusing is needed for me, and to get proper direction as to just how I should go about in the days ahead.

Homeschooling my daughter and of course house work and caring for my family is top on the list. Then there is Vacation Bible Time, which I will be teaching at next month. Then there is teaching the ladies Sunday
School class, which I will be starting to teach again soon. Then there is the ladies Seminar at the end of this month, and music specials to prepare for as well. Tomorrow I will be singing a special with my son  for mothers day at church, before he heads back off to the college at the end of next week where he will live and work for the summer. Then there is my third child's graduation and party to think about and plan.
Then there is my daughter's friend's Wedding next Saturday-the Ceremony at which I will be playing my flute at, and another one of my sons singing at. We just got the music from her yesterday (ugg), I still need to contact the pianist, and get together with her to practice the songs. :/   All the while I have a million Crochet projects I have flying in my head that I just want to sit and make, future craft fairs I want to begin planning for and working on, and a few Granny Square Afghans I need to begin fixing in conjunction with my first video tutorial I will be putting together.

Here is a picture of the beginnings of a gift I am making for the bride to be. I will be adding hopefully something sheer and sexy and flowing to finish it up as a baby doll nightie. So, then there is fabric shopping to do as well. I ended up making it a bit too wide, not using the proper size hook (Duh me, thinking I could wing it-I dislike crocheting with super small hooks-way too time consuming for me!!!) so now I will have to be adding an elastic to the top to make it fit. So much for saving time!!  Perhaps it will work out better, (I hope it will!!!!), thus allowing stretch for comfort (she is a well endowed girl), and it will allow for a bit of room for growth in future years if need be.(Having babies can do a number on any sized bust, especially on ones that are blessed to begin with!)
  My husband commented on it, and said it was real pretty, which says a lot, as he is not one to throw out compliments or praise too freely. The picture really doesn't do the look justice. I want to make one for me next!

Yesterday my daughter came to visit with an early Mother's Day gift for me. Knowing she dislikes my taste in certain things makes me appreciate all the more the fact that she picked out this gift for me. Pink and flowers and roses are not her taste at all. Here is the Mix and Match Tea Set she found at a quaint little Second-Hand Country Gift Shop a few towns over from where we live. I just love things like this, with all their own unique charm.

  She knows that over the 22 years, raising her and her brothers and sister have caused a great loss to me of anything pretty and breakable, up till perhaps 7 years ago, when they all began to grow up a bit more, and be more in control of their playful, energetic spirits. It all started with my oldest at age 2, when he tried climbing my Curio Cabinet chock full of Crystal and china and such. He was fine after it toppled over. However, the case and all that resided in it did not fare quite so well. Thus, lacking dainty knick knacks strewn about the house became my plight,  replaced with toys, crayons,  rubber balls, stuffed toys, and anything child play worthy for years.
  I have been able to begin building up my treasured trinkets and such again, but slow is the go, and the use of money is limited and goes towards obviously daily needs, bills, tithing, and school books and classes for the kids. So, her little gift is much appreciated, and loved. :)

Well, enough...off to the beautiful outdoors and to clear my head. The blue sky is calling.....

Winter Wonderland Hat and Scarf Set- PDF Pattern

Hat and Scarf set

PDF file Crochet Pattern 

This elegant, stylish hat and scarf pattern is for the advanced crocheter. Perfect for Christmas gifts!!

Works up quickly, using double strand method with size N and H crochet hooks and Vannas Choice White with Bernat Softee Ocean yarns.  Hat size is adult.