Stocking Caps/Beanies

In addition to the Skater Beanie pattern, I also find this pattern to be wonderful. It is a free pattern and can be found here http://web.archive.org/web/20080602221208/http://www.yarncat.com/Solitude.html . This pattern works up extremely fast. I can start and finish one in less than one hour. I've been using Vanna's Choice yarn and an I hook. I have two finished and one almost finished. I ran out of the black yarn with less than a row to go of that color. (sigh) It always happens, doesn't it? I have found that the Wal-Mart in Marshall, MO has started selling Vanna's Choice yarn in their craft section, so I will be picking some of it up tomorrow afternoon when we are there for Chance's ortho surgeon appt.. Then I will be able to finish the red hat plus make a few more. I have a few requests for them and I don't have the colors here at home. I would say that you could use any worsted weight yarn for these hats, but since I started them in Vanna's Choice, I will continue on with that type of yarn. I am using this pattern to make Christmas gifts for a few of my nieces at Christmas.

What I've Been Doing This Past Week

This is what I've been doing this past week, in my spare time. I've been making Skater Beanies. The free pattern can be found here http://chiescrochetandknitting.blogspot.com/2005/11/very-simple-skateboarder-beanie.html . I have 14 total at this point and I need a minimum of 16 for the older nieces and nephews. These are going to be part of their Christmas gifts from my family. I am in the process of working on #15 so I should be able to finish it and the last one by the end of today. I've been using Caron's Simply Soft yarn in three colors...black, gray and maroon....and either an I hook (for the larger size) or a G hook (for the smaller size). If, and this is a big if, I am able to get all of my other projects/gifts done before the first weekend in December (which is our family Christmas party) then I will make 5 more of these....all in black, for my three older nephews that are married men, and for my two great nephews. This is a great pattern, very easy to follow, and it turns out a wonderful finished product.

A New Recipe

I got this recipe from a couple of friends. I have no idea what you would call it other than a pie. I'm sure there's a formal recipe for it out there on the internet somewhere, but I haven't tried to find one yet. Anyway, here's how it goes:

1. Mix together 1 pkg. jello and 1/4 cup of boiling water. Let cool for a little bit.
2. Stir in 2 small containers of flavored yogurt. (Match the flavor to the jello)
3. Fold in 1 regular sized container of Cool Whip.
4. Pour into a graham cracker pie crust shell.
5. Refrigerate until set.

Sounds good, doesn't it? My friend brought one of these to work out at the farm the other day. Hers was peach flavor.

No Bake Cookies (No Peanut Butter Version)

Have I ever mentioned that everyone in my family has food allergies? Probably not. But, my husband and I, and all three kids are allergic to different types of foods. Three of us are allergic to peanuts. So what is a kid to do, when everyone else is eating No Bake Cookies? Well...they would eat this version of them. I've been using this recipe for many years now and the cookies taste great.

No Bake Cookies (No Peanut Butter Version)

Mix in a saucepan:

2 cups sugar
1/4 cup cocoa
1/2 cup milk
1 stick butter

Bring to a boil and boil for one minute.

Stir in:

3 cups quick cooking oatmeal
1 tsp. vanilla

Mix well and drop by tablespoonfuls onto wax paper.

Skater Beanies

At the time of this photo being taken, I had three more Skater Beanies finished. Since then, I've finished one more. The free pattern can be found here http://chiescrochetandknitting.blogspot.com/2005/11/very-simple-skateboarder-beanie.html . After some trial and error, I've figured out how to make two sizes of these. One for the teen girls and one for the teen boys. Now that I have it down pat, I'm working these up rather quickly. They will all be Christmas presents for my kids and my horde of nieces and nephews.

77 Degrees

If you look south east off my front porch, you can see the bank clock downtown. It was 77 degrees yesterday. Imagine that!!! And here it is ... almost the end of October. Weird!

These are...

the last of the blooms in my yard.

The Grass is...

turning brown. Guess what that means?

Finally Found...

a tree with yellow leaves. Everything around here has reddish colored leaves this year.

Winter is Coming...

I know this because my bushes/shrubs are getting their berries. See...

Haircut

My poor doggies got their hair cut on Tuesday. This is where they've been ever since...buried in the afghans. They are cold. But...it was time for it to be done and they were stinking from all the sweat so my house was getting smelly too. I love they way they look like this and they also quit itching when their hair is short. Aren't they cute? See the sad eyes? LOL

Chicken Pox???

So tell me...do these look like Chicken Pox? If so, Tianna has them again. For the fourth time. She is covered in them. And the first three times she had maybe two dozen of them total. That's why she keeps getting them, according to our doctor. (sigh)

Beret

The Beret is finished!!! Woo Hoo! This is the second one. I had to rip the first one out...it was really, really tiny. I still think this one is a bit small, but my daughter said it's fine. She's the model. The pattern can be found in the previous post....for the one skein scarf and cap project. It's a free pattern.

Work in Progress

The crochet project that I currently have in the works is called the One-Skein Crochet Beret and Scarf off the Joann's website. This link will direct you to the project where you can download the PDF file http://www.joann.com/joann/catalog/projectdetail.jsp?PRODID=xprd73705&CATID= . I'm using a different type of yarn that what the project calls for. I'm using Caron's Simply Soft because it's what I had on hand. I've got the scarf finished and now I'm working on the beret. These will be a Christmas gift for a friend's teenage daughter.

Happy Hallow

Since Halloween is approaching, I wanted to share a piece of unimportant, weird information with you all. We have a road here in town called Happy Hallow. It's a gravel road, not lit by street lights, and is quite scary in the dark. It would be a perfect place to be scared spitless on Halloween, don't you think?

Heading Home

When you come into my town from the north, this is what you'll see. There's a big hill you have to drive down. It's a little dusty in the photo as farmer's are bringing in their crops. Then, when you turn east at the bottom of the hill, you'll come across this sign...photo two...welcoming you to Brunswick.

Signs of the Season

I wanted to show some of the beautiful Fall colors around my area. During my drive, I noticed that there are very few of the leaves changing over to yellow. Most are going to red or a deep orange/brown color with reddish tinge to it. I wonder if this has any significance for the upcoming season? Anyone know?

Signs of the Holiday Season

We were on the road yesterday and I just happened to bring my camera with me. I took a couple of photos of my favorite sights along the way home. The first is of a roadside farm stand featuring lots of pumpkins and gourds and other fall items for sale. The second photo is of a farm that decorates for the season. In this case, a hay bale featured as a big jack-o-lantern. Cute, huh?

Stocking Cap/Beanie

I made this stocking cap/beanie (free pattern can be found here http://web.archive.org/web/20080602221208/http://www.yarncat.com/Solitude.html ). If this link doesn't work, go to yarncat's blog http://www.yarncat.com . Anyway, this pattern is called Solitude. It's quite pretty when worked up. My photo doesn't do it justice. I used Vanna's Choice yarn and an I hook. This worked up to be a soft cap with lots of stretch. It fit everyone from my daughter to my husband.

Skateboarder Beanie

I made this skateboarder beanie (free pattern can be found here http://chiescrochetandknitting.blogspot.com/2005/11/very-simple-skateboarder-beanie.html ). My daughter is the model. I used Caron's Simply soft yarn and an H hook. This made a fairly small beanie. It fit her, but not my son's. And not me. So...the next one I make, I will use a larger hook and see how it works. But, I love this pattern and the finished product.

Book Review

I'm going to do another book review. It's on "The Death and Life of Charlie St. Cloud" by Ben Sherwood. I absolutely loved this book. I give it an 8 out of 10. Maybe a 9. It's a great story!!! It's easy to read and family friendly. I can't wait to see the movie now. Basically, it's the story of two brothers, and what happens when one of them dies. Absolutely beautiful!

Book Review

I decided to do another book review. This one is one "The Girl Who Played With Fire" by Stieg Larsson. This is the second book in the series. The first book is called "The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo" and I did a book review on this back in September. Anyway, this book has the same basic characters as the first one, with a few additions to make it interesting. There is a new plot, which it should have, and I thoroughly enjoyed this book. More than the first one, in fact. I give this book a 7 out of 10. This seems like a very vague book review, but if I tell you about it, then you won't want to read it. However, I will say that it's a type of mystery with some thrills and chills in it, and a lot of innuendo. These two books are not for children or pre-teens. You definitely need to be more mature to read them. Sometimes the content is a bit too much. But, overall....it's quite interesting and I would read it again.

Fall Is Here

I saw this tree while we were out running around the country side today. You can't tell from the photo, but the leaves are actually turning gold, yellow and reddish orange. I will try to find a better photo of this phenomenon as I drove past a tree here in town that's a beautiful yellow green color.

Road Tripping Today

I went road tripping today with a friend of mine, Cheryl. One of the places that we visited is Sumner, MO. It's a really small town but it does have a tourist spot. It's Maxie, The World's Largest Goose. I took a few photos and I wanted to share them with everyone. What do you think?

Christmas Stockings

I have started to work on my Christmas projects. I made these six stockings for one of my sisters. She got married this summer so her family expanded by six. Last year, I made four of these, in the colors that they chose, for her and her three kids. The pattern I used is a free one and can be found here http://www.knitting-n-crochet.com/free-crochet-Christmas-patterns.html . Theses are all made using Red Heart yarn (in various colors) and a K hook.

Look What Else I Found

Pepper. Catching a snooze on the couch. With my afghan. The dogs just have to have a pillow when they nap! He kept peeking at me while I was trying to snap his photo but in this one, he was pretending to be asleep. LOL

Look What I Found

Look what I found. Cocoa. Asleep. By my bag of yarn that I was using. He had originally used it as a pillow, but I heard the bag rustle when he rolled over. My dogs just love my yarn!

Pixie Purse

This pattern is called the Pixie Purse. I found it on Ravelry. It's a free download. I'm sorry I don't have the link for this. I made this purse for one of my nieces. It will be a Christmas present.

Dot's Little Ditty Bag

This is another Christmas gift for one of my nieces. It's called Dot's Little Ditty Bag. It's a free pattern and can be found here http://www.crochetville.org/forum/showthread.php?t=107955 . I think these bags are cute, but they are pretty little. Just the right size to hold one of the very small cans of pop. Or in my niece's case, a few little toys.

Scrubbies

I've finished up a few more Christmas gifts. These are called Spring Cleaning Scrubbies. The free pattern is by Lion Brand and can be found here http://www.lionbrand.com/patterns/90131AD.html . I used Sugar and Creme crochet cotton and a "G" hook. Now I just need to make about 6 more of these and I'll have enough of them for all of the adult women in my family.

Little Gadabout Bags

I made one of these last night and one this morning. I used this pattern for the Little Gadabout Bag http://patternsbydot.blogspot.com/2006/02/little-gadabout-bag.html . These will be Christmas gifts for my niece and great-niece. I used Red Heart yarn in the colors Pink Camo and Banana Berry with an "I" hook.

Long Sleeved Diaper Wrap Shirt

The Long Sleeved Diaper Wrap Shirt is finished! I used this pattern for the basis in making this. https://www.bevscountrycottage.com/hdc-shirt.html I just altered the sleeves in this method... when you are joining at the corners to make the sleeve, hdc in the first corner then ch 4 and hdc in the next corner. If you read the pattern, it will make sense. Then, after working the body, I added to the sleeves by doing 12 rows of hdc for each sleeve. I used an "I" hook and the newborn pattern. I did this because I wanted it to be bigger than the actual newborn size, which requires a "G" hook.

New Recliner

I wanted to buy my husband a new recliner for Christmas last year, but he just kept saying he didn't want one. Well, as soon as the new year began, he started in on saying that he wanted one after all. (sigh) So, after 9 months of listening to him whine about it, we went Sat. so he could pick one out. Here he is in the photo sitting in his new recliner pretending to be awake....he's been snoozing in it since it was delivered this afternoon. I think he's happy now. LOL

The Two Sick Family Members

Here are my two sick family members....Pepper and my daughter, T. Pepper is in the corner on the floor and T is on the couch under my latest never ending granny square blanket. This one was made in several colors of blue, maroon, and a partial skein of a green color. All of these colors were partial skeins and were crocheted while being held together with a strand of white yarn. I used a "P" hook.

Pepper

Here's Pepper....my poor, sick baby. He's got pancreatitus. Throwing up, bloody diarrhea....they aren't my idea of a good time....but it's been very scary since he started doing this yesterday. We took him to the vet this morning and he gave him a shot and said no food until he comes back on Wed. for another shot. He said if he doesn't improve by Wed., he may have to be put down. Ughhhh.....it just breaks my heart. I love my little doggie so much!

Project I'm Working On

This is the project I'm currently working on. Can you tell what it is? It's going to be a long sleeved diaper wrap shirt. I'm using this pattern https://www.bevscountrycottage.com/hdc-shirt.html but adding to the sleeves to make them longer. I'm also using "I Love This Yarn" in sportweight and an "I" hook to make the shirt a 3 month size.

Newborn Diaper Shirt

I made another newborn diaper shirt. The free pattern can be found here https://www.bevscountrycottage.com/hdc-shirt.html . I used Baby Bee yarn in the color Baby Pastels and a G hook. The color doesn't show up very well in the photo, but it's white with flecks of blue, green, pink, and purple.

Boucle Cardigan

These photos show the cardigan I made using Bernat Baby Boucle in white. The free pattern can be found here https://docs.google.com/View?id=dp8xs77_7dmn4r7hb .

Finished Sweater Coat

This is a photo of the finished sweater coat. The free pattern can be found here https://docs.google.com/View?id-dp8xs77_13dtqck4gt . This is the same sweater coat as in a previous post, but now it's finished (with the buttons added). I used Bernat Baby Boucle yarn and an "I" hook to make it a 3 month size.