Star Afghans

Introducing...two "Beth's Little Star Afghans"...future Christmas presents for two of my wonderful nephews. The free pattern for this afghan can be found here http://www.angelfire.com/va3/heartfeltangels/littlestarafghan.html . I did my afghans a bit different in that I held two strands of worsted weight (Red Heart) yarn together and used a P hook to crochet them. Otherwise, I followed the pattern exactly.

The colors in this afghan are Spring Green, Pumpkin, and Paddy Green, held together with a strand of White yarn. I finished this one up this evening.

The colors in this afghan are Royal, Light Blue and Soft Navy, held together with a strand of White yarn. I finished this one up last night.

I did 21 rows total for the size of the afghan. Basically, it will be the size of a throw. I figure they will put them on top of their twin beds or use them when they are on the couch. You never know with these two. They may keep them in the truck too, for warmth when traveling. That's what they did with the throws I made them last year for Christmas.

7" Wrist Warmers - Free Pattern

I developed a quick pattern yesterday while I had a couple of my nephews here visiting. It's for a 7" Wrist Warmer. I was dumbfounded that my 9 year old nephew has a 7" (circumference) of his hand. His hands seem so small! But, the wrist warmer also fits his mom, who has small hands as well. So...here's the pattern. Enjoy!

7" Wrist Warmers - Free Pattern

WW yarn (I used Red Heart in the color Black)

I crochet hook

ch 25. Join to form a ring (without twisting).

Round 1- ch 1, sc in next ch and in each ch around, join with a sl st to beg ch 1. (24 sc)

Round 2- ch 1, sc in next sc and in each sc around, join with a sl st to beg ch 1. (24 sc)

Round 3 thru 6- Repeat Round 2.

Round 7- ch 1, sc in next 4 sc, ch 5, sk 5 sc, sc in the next 15 sc, join with a sl st to beg ch 1.

Round 8- ch 1, sc in each sc and ch around, join with a sl st to beg ch 1. (24 sc)

Round 9- ch 1, sc in next sc and in each sc around, join with a sl st to beg ch 1. (24 sc)

Round 10 thru 16- repeat Round 9.

Round 17- ch 1, *sc in next 6 sc, sc dec over next 2 sc*, repeat from * to * around, join with a sl st to beg ch 1. fasten off. weave in ends. (18 sc, 3 sc dec)

NOTE: There are lots and lots of patterns for 7" wrist warmers out there. I did NOT copy anyone's pattern. I just sat down on the couch with my paper and pen and worked this out. I would be more than happy to take a photo of my paper and post it here, if that would ease anyone's mind. That being said, please feel free to make as many of these as you want. I've got no problem with the selling of these items. Mainly because this isn't a really "original" pattern since there are tons of these available out there. So...happy crocheting!

Star Afghan

I decided that I need to make two of my nephews a funky throw for when they are watching TV all snuggled up on the couch. So...with that in mind, I chose to make this. Beth's Little Star Afghan. Here's the link to the free pattern http://www.angelfire.com/va3/heartfeltangels/littlestarafghan.html . I am doing it a bit differently though, in that I am using two skeins of yarn held together and a P hook. Otherwise, I'm following the pattern exactly. This afghan will be for Dub. He's 9 years old. And his favorite colors are shown above. Green and Orange. So far, I've used the colors Spring Green and Pumpkin held together with a strand of white. I've stopped at this point, because I think I need to buy another skein of pumpkin. I'd like the orange bit to be a bit larger than it is now. I'll check at the dimestore here in town tomorrow and if they have a skein of it, then I can continue on. If not, it will be sitting in a baggie until I can get to Wal-Mart. After the orange bit, I will add some Paddy Green to the afghan. I'm using Red Heart WW yarn for this project.

Tomorrow, I will start the afghan for Dub's brother...Mickey. His will be in various shades of blue held together with a strand of white. At this point, I have the colors Royal Blue, Light Blue and Soft Navy. The only color that I have "just less than a skein of" is the Royal Blue, so I will use it for the middle section or start of the afghan.

Well, it's 2:44 am and I should be off to bed. All of the company that arrived this evening is bedded down (as is most of my own family unit) so I can safely retire now. Even though I took a small nap this afternoon, I'm feeling the effects of being up so late. So...I'll see you all tomorrow sometime. Good night! Or Good Early Morning to ya!

Beautiful Skyline

I went out on the front porch for something last night and ended up being captivated by the night sky. Isn't it beautiful? It was all pinks and oranges mixed in with the clouds and the lowering sun. I'm wondering if we were seeing the "Northern Lights" again last night?

Thanksgiving...The Lead Up

Thanksgiving Day was rather uneventful here. I was the first one up (as usual), so I made a pot of coffee and went down for a shower. When I came back upstairs, I found Uncle D at the door. It was 9:20 am. Dinner wasn't until 1. *sigh* So Uncle D went to the restaurant for coffee and then to visit with my mom until my family started waking up. By this time, Big Daddy was getting awake and ready for some coffee. Once we got our coffee buzz going on, we started getting things ready for the dinner. Then, around noon, Small T woke up. I finally woke Big C up at 1 and told him we'd be eating in about 15 minutes. Uncle D arrived. And Big Daddy went to get Grandma. We all had a good meal then settled in to watch some football (or take naps...in my case). The rest of the day was spent watching TV, crocheting, getting in some computer time, or reading a book. Big C spent the afternoon/evening cleaning up the basement as we are having company today from out of town.

Big Daddy cooking up something in the kitchen.

Small T catching up on her reading for school.

Convertible Cowl

I started this last night, and finished it up this morning. I just love this pattern http://thecrimsonowl.blogspot.com/2009/08/convertible-cowl-free-pattern.html . I'm not really big on scarves or hats, but I could totally wear this. I used two strands of Red Heart WW yarn held together. And the N hook as suggested. However, I chained 75 instead of 55 because I have such a big head. And I added two extra rows at the end of the project. Another row of dc and another row of hdc. It just wasn't long enough to come up and over my head. Once again, probably because I have such a big head! LOL Anyway, enjoy the photos.

With it drawn up over my head.

With it scrunched around my neck.

I love it!

More Dishcloths

First things first...let me apologize for the state of these photos. Apparently, my camera's flash is not being co-operative today. *sigh* Murphy's Law. I guess. But, I will not let that hold me back. LOL I made three dishcloths yesterday.

This one is called My Simple Dishcloth and the free pattern can be found here http://www.nancyscrochet.com/MySimpleDishcloth.pdf .

This one is called the Plain & Simple Dish Cloth/Wash Cloth and the free pattern can be found here http://biggirljewelry.blogspot.com/2011/04/two-in-one-month-free-crochet-pattern.html .

This one is called the Granny Dishcloth and the free pattern can be found here http://www.bernat.com/pattern.php?PID=2385&cps=21191 .

These dishcloths plus the other round one will all be a Christmas present for someone.

Round Dishcloth

So, I'm off on another spree of making Christmas presents now that the Nana Square Afghan is finished. This batch of presents will be various dishcloths.

I completed the "Round Dishcloth" found here http://anastaciaknits.net/?p=291 last night before I headed to bed. I used Peaches and Creme 4 ply cotton in white. And an H hook. (I found the big cone of cotton on the clearance rack for $4. What a deal!)

Yesterday Was Baking Day

A view of most of the items...homemade pumpkin bread, homemade bread, homemade rolls, a crumb topped apple pie, pumpkin pies.

The last two loaves of bread made last night at midnight. They look yummy, don't they?

A better view of the pies. They won't last long today.

Nana Square Afghan Edging

Here is a close up view of the edging.

Tutorial - Nana Square Afghan Edging

I decided to do a tutorial for the edging I put on the Nana Square Afghan.

To begin with, I did 3 rows of dc around the edge of the blanket. Two rows of light blue and one row of navy blue. In each corner, I put 2 dc, ch 1, 2 dc. And 1 dc in each st around.

Then, I did one row of (white) sc. With a special stitch to make it look like it was sewn.

In this row, I put 2 sc, ch 1, 2 sc in each corner. Then I did 1 sc in each of the next 3 sts, then the special stitch. Instructions are as follows:

Yo,

Insert hook in the next st directly below this row (in the navy blue row). So, where your next st should be made, go to the row below to insert the hook. I hope this makes sense.

Yo,

Pull the yarn back through the st and up even with the white row of sts, yo, and pull yarn through all three loops on hook.

Basically this is an elongated sc st where you've inserted the hook in the row below. To me, it looks similar to a blanket stitch (sort of).

Here is the condensed version of how to make the stitch:

Yo, insert hook in the st of the previous row directly below the next st you would be using, yo, pull yarn through st and up even with the row of white sts, yo, pull yarn through all 3 sts on hook.

Presenting...

The Nana Square Afghan.

330 lovely little squares.

3 rows of dc edging plus 1 row of special sc.

All made with Red Heart worsted weight yarn and an I hook.

A Christmas Gift for Big Daddy.

Whew!

Nana Square Throw - Preview

I finally have enough squares for the afghan! Woo Hoo! And Whew! Both at the same time!

I finished sewing it all together this morning. (can you hear my relieved sigh???)

Now, today I will start on the border.

I'm so excited to have finally reached this point! I can't hardly stand it! :)

Can you tell that there are 330 Nana Squares sewn together? It doesn't look like it, does it? But it's true. Trust me!

I love the whole "Quilt" look of this afghan. I probably will never make another one, but I'm proud of this one to the nth degree. I will be giving it to Big Daddy for Christmas and thus, it will stay in my house forever.

The Last of the Nana Squares

Yesterday I finished crocheting up the last of the Nana Squares for the Afghan.

I added these squares to the pile:

9 Soft Navy

8 Coffee

8 Amethyst

5 Turqua

4 Light Raspberry

4 Light Sage

5 Medium Purple

6 Soft White

5 Light Blue

3 Paddy Green

5 White

These are the last 110 squares to be added to the afghan.

I laid the afghan out on the carpet in the living room and with Small T's help, started putting the squares out in rows so I could get their placement down.

Then, I started sewing them together. This was quite a chore. Honestly. In fact, I stayed up until 3:30 am this morning working on it. I'm dedicated, aren't I? Actually, I have to admit that I'm just tired of adding squares. So I couldn't wait to get the strips put together and sewn to the existing blanket. I didn't get it finished up last night though. After putting one of the strips on upside down, I ripped it back out and started adding it again and then went to bed.

Isn't She Lovely...

I'm biased. I admit it. She's a pretty girl.

She left me this photo on the camera. Imagine that! She likes taking photos (of herself). LOL

When she was in the hospital this past weekend, our family doctor (who's from Poland and has a heavy accent) had this to say "Forgive me. I am old enough to be your grandparent. But darling, you are beautiful." And Small T said "thank you." And she grinned. She kills me sometimes. And then our doctor gave her the talk about teens and the rising issue of low morality and how she should be careful these days. I am so proud of our doctor for backing up everything I am always telling her. Thank you Dr. Dymek.

Started My Shopping

I started my Christmas gift shopping on Monday. And I even did the unthinkable...I wrapped the gifts when I got them home instead of waiting until the last minute. :)

More Crocheting Done at the Hospital This Week

Having spent the last week at the hospital with a couple of family members, I managed to get some crochet time in. I had posted previously about finishing the stockings and adding another 110 squares to the Nana Afghan, but I also got a few other things done (or added to).

I made a project that I've been wanting to try for quite some time now. It's the Tea Wrap on the lionbrand site. I tried to post a link but lionbrand wasn't coming up for me this morning. I'm not sure why. I used one skein of Caron's Simply Soft yarn (in black) and a N hook. This will be a gift for a family friend. This is the view of what it looks like when you wear the "V" to the back. (Small T wants me to remind the viewers that she just got out of the hospital, so please don't look at her appearance.)

This is the view if you wear the "V" at the front. I like it this way.

I also managed to add a few more Nana Squares to the pile. This photo doesn't show all of them. My current running total is:

8 Spring Green

4 Real Teal

6 Pumpkin

9 Cherry Red

10 Bright Yellow

5 (Light Brown?) I'm not sure of the name.

6 Pale Green

That's 48 squares so far. Out of 110 that I need.

And last but not least, I finally added a few more rows to the Majestic Afghan. I added a total of 10 red rows and 8 purple rows. If you remember, this afghan will have the stripes running vertically. And in this photo, the afghan is folded in half, so you aren't seeing all of it.

That's it for the week of hospital crocheting.

Meet The Wildcats

Friday, the 18th, was "Meet The Wildcats" at school. This is where the High School basketball teams are introduced before the upcoming season starts (the week after Thanksgiving). It's a "fun" night where the boy's team splits up and plays a scrimmage game against each other. Basically a JV vs V game. In this photo, Big C is in JV red.

Big C. #55

Small T. Cheering for the JV team.

2nd game. Big C in V white.

Big C going up for a shot.

Small T. Doing her thing.

MIA Yet Again

Sorry I haven't posted any new blog entries this week. But, it's been a real humdinger of a week. My mom was hospitalized five days, then Small T for two days and now Big Daddy is in the hospital. I think I have permanent "hospital recliner rear end" as I've slept in one every night but one this week. I have managed to work on some crochet projects, so hopefully I can post some photos soon. Hope every one has a good Thanksgiving week!

More Yarn

I finally bought more yarn to add to the Majestic Afghan. I plan to work on it today and tomorrow at the hospital (since I'm not feeling like working on more Nana squares today).

A Gift

My Uncle D (yes...I've always called him Uncle D) gave me an early Christmas gift on Monday. It's a beautiful quilt. Here in the photo, it's folded in half. Isn't it lovely?

Nana Square Throw - Update

My mom has been in the hospital since Monday morning. (She was in the ER on Sunday all day too.) To keep busy while I take my turns sitting with her, I've been catching up on my crochet. Originally, I had 110 squares sewn together for this throw. Since it's going to be my husband's Christmas present, and he's a tall guy, I decided to add another 110 squares. I already had 78 of those extra squares done and finished up the 32 squares yesterday. Then I sat down and sewed all of these 110 squares together into strips of 10. Then added those to the throw. This took me a long time to do yesterday. Then about midnight last night, I started to add the edging. But now, I'm thinking..."it's not wide enough". I'm not sure how many rows I'm going to need to add to the width of the throw, but there are 22 squares in each vertical row, so I will need to get to working on more squares now. If I add 5 more rows, that's another 110 squares. *sigh* I wonder if I will ever get this throw/blanket done. So...after I take Small T to school this morning, I'm going to rip the edging off and go from there.

**edited to add- I think the only reason I keep working on this throw is because Big Daddy just loves how it looks. He thinks it looks like a quilt.**

Stockings Are Finished

I finally finished all of the stockings for my sister Lea's clan. All 10 of them are done! Yay!

The hot pink one was one of the last two to be worked on. I started it on Sunday while sitting at the hospital with my mom. Also shown are the royal/pumpkin stocking and the black/royal stocking. The black and royal colors actually look fabulous together. You just can't tell it in these photos.

The turqua one was the very last one to be completed. I finished it Monday after sitting at the hospital. I had lots of time to work on it. Also shown in the photo (from left to right) is the royal blue/black stocking, the turqua/spring green stocking, and the pretty in pink/turqua stocking.

Lea was here Sunday and Monday and went home Tuesday, so I was able to send all of the stockings home with her. She loved them! And now she can put them up along the fireplace mantle when she puts up her Christmas decorations. I still find it hard to believe that there are 8 kids to go with the two parents!

Big C's Birthday

Big C's birthday was this past Sunday. He had to wait for his party until after Small T arrived home from Minnesota. It was "killing" him. LOL

He blew all of the candles out at one time! I was shocked! I think that's the first time any of my kids have ever done that!

The cake!

Acting silly over a package of socks. He's my "crazy guy". And he's 17 now.

Small T Is Home!

Last Thursday, Small T and Miss B along with their advisor Mrs. W, left on a trip to Minneapolis, Minnesota. They attended the FCCLA National Leadership Meeting/Convention.

Both girls were about to embark on their first airplane ride.

The three adventuring "girls".

I didn't know that you could take a ride in this type of conveyance in Minneapolis.

One of the many "huge" foods that they took their photo with. LOL

They arrived home Sunday night. They learned a lot and are already writing their speeches for the assembly that's coming up soon.