Monday....

Monday was a long day.

A really long day.

But we're finally back home now.

I'm going to do this post a bit out of order.  Kind of like my brain today.  I'm tired.

Anyway....here goes......

 This is what the Neat Ripple looks like.

I took it with me to the hospital Monday morning and in the end, I did about 10 rows total on it.

I measured it a bit ago, and it's approximately 52 inches long.  I've still got a little way to go.

Now, on to the important stuff.

 Here's Small T before her surgery on Monday.

It's a wonder that she's smiling.  Really.  We ended up having a 4 1/2 hour wait in pre-op.  She was supposed to have surgery at 9:30 and she went in at 1:55.

 The initial time in Recovery wasn't that great.  She was having some pretty bad pain issues with her ears and then she was suffering with nausea.

Once she got to her room, the nausea really took hold.  She was sick, sick, sick....all afternoon and evening and into the night.  This is not easy to suffer with when you've had facial surgery.  Imagine how much it hurts when you're hurling.  AND she had a constant nosebleed going on as well.  Poor kid.  But, she's doing well today and was able to come home.  She looks much, much better than in these last two photos and she plans to attend school tomorrow whether we like it or not.  So...we'll see.

That's my update on Monday's activities as well as this mornings.  I hope everyone had a good couple of days while I was gone.

Be Back Soon....

I will be gone for a couple of days.  Small T is having surgery Monday morning (tomorrow).  Once we get back home, I'll be checking in.  Until then, I hope everyone has a lovely week.

CAL Update

Squares for Week 6.

I added the colors Lilac, Ranch Red, Coral, and Delft Blue.

All are Red Heart Super Saver.

Mask in a Hat - Free Pattern

 *with eye holes folded down*

*with eye hole area folded up in a brim*

Mask In A Hat - Free Pattern

This is a teen/adult sized hat.

If you need a small to medium sized hat, use a size G hook. 

If you need a bigger hat, use a size H or I hook.  But beware, the I hook makes a really large hat.

Materials:

Caron's Simply Soft yarn

size G Crochet Hook

This hat is worked in one rectangle piece then folded in half and sewn together.  To adjust the size of this hat, measure around your head with a tape measure.  Divide that number in half.  This is how wide you should make the rectangle.  Mine is 11 inches wide for the largest size hat.  Try to make it a bit less than the width you need though as it will stretch.  As for the length of the rectangle, I made mine about 16 inches long.  You can make it shorter by crocheting less rows.

ch 43.

1- dc in 4th ch from hook and in each ch across. 

2- ch 4, turn.  tr in next 9 dc, ch 8, sk 8 sts, tr in next 5 dc, ch 8, sk 8 sts, tr in next 9 dc and in the 3rd ch of the ch 3.  (NOTE: You may work this row in dc if you wish.  I wear glasses so I used tr to allow for them.)

3- ch 3, turn.  dc in each tr and ch across and in the 4th ch of the ch 4.

4 thru 28- ch 3, turn.  dc in each dc across.  at the end of row 28, finish off.
**At this point, you may add a row of sc or hdc around the bottom edge of the hat if you like.  I'm adding one to mine to make it cover more of my nose.**

Finishing:

Fold the rectangle in half (with wrong side facing out).  Sew the sides of the rectangle together.  Weave in all ends.  Turn the hat right side out.  

I hope you enjoy my free pattern.  Please be kind and give credit where credit is due.  Do not claim ownership of the pattern.  Please link back here.  Thanks!

Latest Design

Pattern coming tomorrow.

Enjoy the photos.

LOL

 Isn't she cute?

My husband says I'm a dork.

I think I'm going to add a row of sc to the bottom of the hat.  Hmmmm....

Big C's Adventure

Big C has been busy this morning.

He's been cutting willow and reeds.

And starting the whole process of hiding the duck blind for hunting season.

So far, he's making a good start.

He's got a long way to go though.

CAL Update

I grew tired of working on the Ripple, so I took a quick crochet break and finished up Week 5 of the CAL. Here are my squares for Part 2 (of Week 5).

I have a black circle outlined in bright yellow, a perfect pink circle outlined in white, and a teal circle outlined in charcoal.

Confession

O.K., I admit it.

I have a huge addiction to generic cheese curls.

In fact, I ate them for breakfast this morning.

*Hanging my head in shame.*

This Morning...

 We had a hard frost.  I'm so not ready for Winter to be here.

 My view of the windshield from inside the truck while defrosting the windows, etc..  Interesting design, hey?

 I've spent a few moments working on the ripple while watching "Alaska State Troopers" on TV.  I'm on Row 39 at this point.  I figure I will need about 120 rows.  Maybe.

I'm currently sitting at the computer desk drinking my 2nd cup of coffee and visiting a few blogs, answering some emails, and updating my blog.

Up to this point, I've been enjoying the solitude of the house.  But, I just heard Big Daddy go into the bathroom.  So...no more peace and quiet for me today.  Oh well.  I plan to spend the day in my pajamas (nightgown, sweatpants, socks, slouchy hat) and veg out on the couch while crocheting.  A lovely lazy day after a busy week.

The Price of Gasoline...

keeps going down and down here in our town.

A little over a week ago it was $3.58 a gallon.  Now it's $3.29.  That's a 29 cent decrease!  Woo Hoo!  This is probably the best thing about the upcoming elections!

Weekend Misc.

Last weekend, we were fairly busy.  This is how we spent our Saturday morning and afternoon.

 We volunteered our help in building the FCCLA Recycling Barn at school.

Big Daddy is sharing his knowledge with one of the kids in regards to the building trades.

 Then, Small T made a stop at the school greenhouse to check on her poinsetta's.

She is growing them for her FFA SAE.

They are fairly tricky plants to grow.  She has 100 of them.  They should be fully grown by Thanksgiving, which is when she will have them up for sale.

 I spent some time marveling at the changing colors.  We are finally getting some Fall colors on the trees that didn't lose all their leaves in the drought this summer.  I love the burgundy color on this tree.

 Then there are the bright yellow leaves of this smaller tree.  It looks like the top ones have already blown away.  It's been very windy the past week or so.

 And I love the rustic look of the woods across from the school with all the shades of brown, yellow and green.  There might even be a bit of red in there somewhere.

 Then there's this.  I was bored.  I started taking photos of everyone's shadow while waiting to help on the recycling barn at school.  This is me and my rendition of The Statue of Liberty.  LOL

And finally, we have Small T.  She's helping Bobby put together some of the inside supports for the recycling barn. It was a bit out of her element but she was game to try.

So, that's a bit of what a typical weekend is like for us.  Hope you enjoyed it!

CAL Update

Today, I have finished....

 Week 3 (adding the color Grey Heather in Red Heart Super Saver yarn),

 Week 4 (adding the colors Bright Yellow and Charcoal...also Red Heart Super Saver yarn)

and Week 5 - Part 1 (adding the colors Perfect Pink and Black in the same brand of yarn).

I'm having a lot of fun with this CAL.  I should have did one of these before now.

CAL

I needed a portable project since the ripple is getting too big to carry with me.  Yesterday, I started following the CAL over at "Wise Craft"  http://blairpeter.typepad.com/.  Of course, I'm really far behind everyone else, but that's ok.  The above photo shows the squares for Weeks 1 & 2.  Now, I just  have 16+ weeks to go.  At this point, I'm using the following Red Heart Super Saver yarn colors:  White, Teal and Aruba Sea.  My camera isn't doing the Teal color justice.  It's really much prettier.

Ripple Update

I haven't had much time to work on the ripple so far this week, but I now have 20 rows done.  Just 100+ rows to go.  :)

Next Afghan....

I've started my next project.  Here's a quick look.

I'm using the Neat Ripple pattern off of the Attic 24 blog.

http://attic24.typepad.com/weblog/neat-ripple-pattern.html

This is an easy pattern to follow and works up quickly.

It will be done using the colors Black and Amethyst.  Both are Red Heart Super Saver yarn.  I'm using an I crochet hook.

The Santa Fe Afghan - Free Pattern

Last night, I finished the Santa Fe Afghan.  

I like how it turned out.

It's a very basic, simple design.  No fuss.  Just stark lines.  Pops of color.

I took this photo with my phone, so all of that isn't shining through very well.  

The colors are Soft White, Carrot, Dark Sage, Ranch Red and Cafe Latte.  All are Red Heart Super Saver yarn.  I used 3 of the huge skeins of Soft White and one regular skein of each of the other colors.  I had some of each color left over.  

I used a size I crochet hook.

I hope you all enjoy my new pattern.  I had fun making it and hope you will too!

The Santa Fe Afghan - Free Pattern

Skill Level - Easy

Stitches Used - chain (ch) and double crochet (dc)

Materials Needed:

Red Heart Super Saver Yarn in Soft White, Cafe Latte, Barn Red, Dark Sage, and Carrot

I crochet hook

NOTE: This afghan is made in two strips then joined down the middle.  Or, you can use the Dottie Angel method of joining as you go.  I actually prefer this method.  You can learn all about it by clicking here http://dottieangel.blogspot.com/2010/06/ordinarily-extraordinary-blanket-how-to.html.

On to the pattern:

Strip #1:

With Soft White, ch 78.

Row 1- Dc in 4th ch from hook and in each ch across.

Rows 2 thru 4 - ch 3, turn.  dc in each st across.

Switch to Carrot,

Rows 5 thru 8 - ch 3, turn.  dc in each st across.

Switch to Soft White,

Rows 9 thru 12 - ch 3, turn.  dc in each st across.

Switch to Dark Sage,

Rows 13 thru 16 - ch 3, turn.  dc in each st across.

Switch to Soft White,

Rows 17 thru 20 - ch 3, turn.  dc in each st across.

Switch to Ranch Red,

Rows 21 thru 24 - ch 3, turn.  dc in each st across.

Switch to Soft White,

Rows 25 thru 28 - ch 3, turn.  dc in each st across.

Switch to Cafe Latte, 

Rows 29 thru 32 - ch 3, turn.  dc in each st across.

Switch to Soft White,

Rows 33 thru 68 - ch 3, turn.  dc in each st across.

Switch to Cafe Latte,

Rows 69 thru 72 - ch 3, turn.  dc in each st across.

Switch to Soft White,

Rows 73 thru 76 - ch 3, turn.  dc in each st across.

Switch to Ranch Red,

Rows 77 thru 80 - ch 3, turn.  dc in each st across.

Switch to Soft White,

Rows 81 thru 84 - ch 3, turn.  dc in each st across.

Switch to Dark Sage,

Rows 85 thru 88 - ch 3, turn.  dc in each st across.

Switch to Soft White,

Rows 89 thru 92 - ch 3, turn.  dc in each st across.

Switch to Carrot,

Rows 93 thru 96 - ch 3, turn.  dc in each st across.

Switch to Soft White,

Rows 97 thru 100 - ch 3, turn.  dc in each st across. 

At the end of Row 100, fasten off.

Strip #2:

With Soft White,  ch 78.

Row 1 - dc in 4th ch from hook and in each ch across.

Rows 2 thru 36 - ch 3, turn.  dc in each st across.

Switch to Cafe Latte,

Rows 37 thru 40 - ch 3, turn.  dc in each st across.

Switch to Soft White,

Rows 41 thru 44 - ch 3, turn.  dc in each st across.

Switch to Dark Sage,

Rows 45 thru 48 - ch 3, turn.  dc in each st across.

Switch to Soft White,

Rows 49 thru 52 - ch 3, turn.  dc in each st across.

Switch to Carrot,

Rows 53 thru 56 - ch 3, turn.  dc in each st across.

Switch to Soft White,

Rows 57 thru 60 - ch 3, turn.  dc in each st across.

Switch to Ranch Red,

Rows 61 thru 64 - ch 3, turn.  dc in each st across.

Switch to Soft White,

Rows 65 thru 100 - ch 3, turn.  dc in each st across.

At the end of Row 100, fasten off.

Using whatever method you like best, sew the two strips together down the middle.

Weave in all ends.

I did not use an edging as I like the rustic look for this afghan.

I hope you all enjoy this pattern!

However, as always, please don't take credit for this pattern.  It's mine.  Please give credit, where credit is due.  Thanks.

Vegetable Soup

Friday afternoon, I made Vegetable Soup.  A very large pot of it.  I find it hard to make a small amount.  I guess I'm so used to having a large family that making huge quantities of food is the norm for me.

For this pot of soup, I did something different.  Something that I've never done before.  I didn't use a roast for the meat.  I used hamburger.  Over the years, I've heard that some people do this and I've always wanted to give it a try.  So I did.  I must say...it turned out great!  I would definitely do it again!

About my vegetable soup, it has the following ingredients in it:  Hamburger, Potatoes, Carrots, Onions, Tomato Juice, Canned Corn, Green Beans and Peas.  I also like to add Cabbage, but I didn't have any.

Here's my method of making this:

1.  Brown the hamburger, drain and set aside.

2.  Peel and dice the potatoes, carrots and onion.  In a large pan, cover with water and tomato juice and cook until tender.

3.  Add the hamburger to the pan along with the drained cans of corn, green beans and peas.  Add more tomato juice as needed.  Cook until heated through.

Designing....

a new project....an afghan.  

It will be an easy or beginner pattern.

DC all the way.

Pattern coming soon.

Neat Ripple

The Neat Ripple is FINISHED!!!!!

Started on Sunday, Finished on Tuesday.

I used Lucy's pattern off her blog, Attic 24, called the Neat Ripple.

http://attic24.typepad.com/weblog/neat-ripple-pattern.html

As for the particulars, I used an I crochet hook and Caron's Simply Soft yarn in the following colors:  Orchid, Ocean, Lemon, Strawberry, White, Mango, Light Blue, Limelight, Soft Pink, Blue Mint, Watermelon, Off White, and Sunshine.  All of this yarn came out of my stash.  Most of the skeins were partial skeins.  I had two skeins of Orchid, the main color, but didn't use all of the second one.

I really, really, really like this blanket!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Tator Tots and Ripples

Today......

 Small T fixed dinner.  Tator Tot Casserole.

I worked on the Neat Ripple.  It's coming along quickly.

They're Back.....

Woo Hoo!  My page views are back!  Wonder how that happened?  I guess it doesn't really matter.  I'm just glad they are back!

I'm so upset.....

I had over 38,000 page views on my blog and they have disappeared and restarted at 0.  *sigh*  I wonder if there is any way to get them back?  This is a big bummer!!!!

Blog Spotlight

Today....I would like to spotlight two blogs that I have been avidly viewing this weekend.

They are:

BECK to Vintage  http://becktovintage.blogspot.com/

and

homemade@myplace http://homemadeatmyplace.blogspot.com/.

I have thoroughly enjoyed browsing these two blogs this weekend.  I hope you stop by and visit them!

The Weekend....

This weekend has been about food and crochet.

 Making grilled cheese with french bread.  Yum!

 Hot chocolate with marshmallows in my favorite mug.  Double yum!

 Finishing the scrap granny baby blanket.

42 squares total.  4 rows of edging.

Red Heart Super Saver yarn in the colors:  Amethyst, Pale Plum, Aruba Sea, Bright Yellow, Pretty 'N Pink, Spring Green, Cherry Red, Pumpkin, Petal Pink, Light Coral, White, Delft Blue, Pale Yellow, Turqua, Shocking Pink, Perfect Pink, Soft Navy, Light Blue, and Soft White.

The edging is done in Delft Blue, Spring Green and Pumpkin.

I used an I crochet hook.

 Crescent Cinnamon Rolls.  Triple yum!

http://www.thehungryhousewife.com/2012/03/crescent-cinnamon-rolls.html

I found this on Pinterest and I've made them twice now.  My family loves them!

The Neat Ripple.

http://attic24.typepad.com/weblog/neat-ripple-pattern.html

I started it today while watching the movie, "Joyful Noise", with the family.

I'm using Caron's Simply Soft yarn out of my stash of partial skeins and a few full skeins along with my favorite size I crochet hook.

Out With The Old???

 My favorite (grey heather) slouchy hat was getting pretty stretched out from being worn so much.

So I decided to make me a new one today.  It's a country blue color.  I'm not sure how I feel about it yet.  But at least I have another one now.  Just in case.  lol

Halloween Dance / Costume Party

Headed out to the Halloween Dance / Costume Party.

 Fred and Wilma.

(Big C and Kelsie)

I made these costumes yesterday.

In a hurry.

Took 9 1/2 hours.

 Haleigh and Big C.

 Erica and Small T.

(Cowgirl and Flapper)

Small T and Colten.

(Flapper and Gangster)

Small Granny Square Throw

Here is the latest project that I've started.  I've been working on it since yesterday.  Well, actually....I had the first two squares...the Amethyst and the Pale Plum already put together.  They have been in the bottom of my WIP plastic container waiting for some attention.  I have a gazillion other projects that I need to be working on, but I just don't "feel" them right now.  So...I'm having a little creative fun by using up my partial skeins of yarn and making this little granny square throw.

So far, I have used these colors:

Amethyst, Pale Plum, Aruba Sea, Bright Yellow, Pretty 'N Pink, Spring Green, Cherry Red (all on the first row), Pumpkin, Petal Pink, Spring Green, Light Coral, White, Delft Blue, Pale Plum (all on the second row), and Pale Yellow (the beginning of the third row).  These are all Red Heart Super Saver yarn.

I'm using the Basic Granny Square Pattern found here http://bookfairy43.blogspot.com/2012/08/the-basic-granny-square.html and a size I crochet hook.