Shopping Day

With the holidays over and done with, my couponing king is back. For those who don't know - my DH (Darling Husband) is a bit addicted to couponing. The holidays set him back a bit, no time to devote to his second favorite hobby (baseball ranks #1), but back he is and with a vengeance! He did a number of shopping trips this weekend and I'll post his big haul momentarily, but first I have to show this one...

This may not look too impressive until I tell you that he spent 69 cents for it (95% savings).

• 1 roll foil


• 1 roll plastic wrap


• 1 box of potatoes


• 2 seasoning mixes


• 20 string cheese

Wow! I was impressed. The bigger trip looked like this...

• 9 twelve packs soda


• 4 nine rolls paper towels


• 10 salad dressings


• 4 dishwashing liquid


• 3 boxes Wheat Thins


• 2 boxes dishwasher tabs


• 3 boxes (45 ct) trash bags


• 5 boxes freezer bags


• 4 pouches potatoes
  

Retail was $210 - DH spent $65 - for a savings of 69%!

He's back baby...

Craft Cruise

Is it wrong to ask your husband to spend his 15th anniversary on a crochet cruise?

I really hope the answer is no because after much searching and hoping and letter writing, my wait is finally over - the perfect craft cruise!

http://www.craftcruises.com/ offers some amazing knitting cruises. I have been stalking their site for over a year waiting for a crochet cruise. I even resorted to writing an email to them to ask if they were doing any crochet cruises this year. Well here it is...

A 6 night Bermuda cruise featuring guest host Drew Emborsky (aka The Crochet Dude)! Pink Sand, Afternoon Tea and Shorts! Plus the cruise leaves from Baltimore (an easy drive for us), we've been wanting to do a Bermuda trip and it's over our anniversary - sounds perfect to me. It's on Royal Carribean Enchantment of the Seas (we just went on a Royal cruise in November and it was great). They will have classes on board and yarn shopping excursions - I mean really, what's not to love.

All aboard?

Weird Crochet

I'm pretty much a hat, scarf and afghan kinda girl. Oh sure, once in a while, I'll branch out into an article of clothing to crochet or maybe even something as wild as fingerless gloves, but as God as my witness, not once have I EVER thought, hmmm, let's crochet a chair! Wow, call me impressed as I found this listing on Etsy the other day. And for those who like to put their feet up, yes, there is a matching ottoman. Amazing.

Makes you wonder what other weird crocheted items lurk out in cyberspace.

Still looking for that perfect accessory to hang over the fireplace, how about a crocheted deer?

Looks like a 6-pointer! If you've had some trouble finding that elusive buck, maybe a native American dance would help. If only you had the right costume - well look no further...

And lastly, for your knight in shining armour, his own breastplate, great for duals to the death or just knocking around the house.

It's all a bit much for me, I think I'll stick with a scarf.

Some Why's of Knitting/Crocheting

Well, well, well, you learn something new every day.

Now I've been crocheting for about...wow...17 years. Yet, I never really looked into the why's of crocheting. Why make a gauge? Why am I supposed to use this yarn? Why can't I use another type of hook?

And the big one....WHY are there so many types of yarns and what do they mean?

Well....I'll tell you!

I did some searching and found a great article. It is mainly pointed towards knitters but it's interesting for crocheters too. It explains why the type, or weight, of yarn used matters, why your gauge matters and even how to adjust your pattern and/or needles to accommodate a different type of yarn. This is done via a chart showing the average difference between the yarns in regards to stitches.

Now, all of this still depends on if you tend to stitch loosely or tightly. I always stitch tighter so a lot of times I have to use a hook one size up to get the correct gauge.

Happy Knitting/Crocheting!!!

Inspiration

Long about this time of year you may be looking for a little inspiration in your crafting. What is it that excites you about a project? For me, I think it's mostly color. I simply can't resist those richly colored yarns and end up with stashes of them waiting for inspiration to strike. A couple of fun books I've gotten out of the library recently might help in your quest for something different.



Pop Goes Crochet is a fun book with projects inspired by pop culture icons. Worth a browse.







Yarn Cocktails is a book that Donna got me for Christmas. It draws inspiration from classic drinks like a Brandy Alexander belt or a Raspberry Margarita fingerless glove set.







And last but certainly not least is Twinkie Chan's Crochet Goodies for Fashion Foodies - I mean come on, who doesn't need a bacon scarf?

Sophia's Newest Headgear

I really loved the look of this hooded scarf and just had to try making it. I seldom wear a hat or scarf but I was sure Sophia wouldn't mind trying on something new to wear.


This pattern is rated as easy and according to the directions requires about 300 yards of yarn. I actually used 350 yards of yarn. The hat has a ridged design and open work around the face. The scarf has open work in it and could have the ridged design if you wanted it. That would require more yarn, of course. If you would like to try making it you can find the pattern here.


This hooded scarf is for sale in our shop. Check it out!

Multi-Color Scarf Contest

Want to win $250 dollars in yarn! Who doesn't? Enter the Tahki Yarns Cotton Classic and Cotton Classic Lite COLORPLAY Reader Challenge - check out http://www.crochetme.com/content/Contests.aspx

Readers cast their votes for the most creative knit and crochet scarfs - must use at least 4 colors of Cotton Classic or Cotton Classic Lite.

This sounds like a nice contest to enter - since I know you can all makes scarves!