Works in progress

by Kelly

Shop updates - Baby shower bears...

A bear for lazy summer days...

and my first headband. Now all I have to do is sew it with silk fabric and add the crochet. (*snaps fingers*) Piece of cake.

ABC Blanket

I've finally finished the baby blanket I was making. I think it turned out really cute. I ended up doing a separate search for the edging since the original pattern didn't have one. I found one that had v stitches around the edges followed by picots (sp?). I think in the end they match well together.

I was going to post it on the store site so I can finally have something on there with a note that it takes three weeks to complete. I figured once I get more made on hand that I'd update the info. But I was wondering which would be the best picture to use. Below are the two I took this morning.

Or should I go for this one.

My newest obsession

I have been crocheting many years and never made dishcloths. I decided to make one a few weeks ago and since then I have seen so many pretty patterns and I just want to try them all. Soon I will have as much cotton yarn as I do acrylic yarn and thread. Every time I buy some more yarn my husband asks me why. He thinks I have enough yarn. He is probably right but I just can't resist. Same way with patterns and books. I just can't resist.

I have been working on my patriotic placemats and it wasn't going well. I made one using a hook a size smaller than recommended and it was still too big by two and a half inches. So I took it all apart. I was very frustrated so I took a break and made dishcloths. The picture is above. I'm back working on the placemats again. I'm using a hook two sizes smaller than recommended. I have one placemat finished and a second one half done. Since everything is going well I don't have an excuse to quit and make dishcloths. Another day!

Towel Day

by Kelly

Pattern Hunt Wednesday


Crochet washcloths

unique lace here

and here


And some towel topper ideas...

Sugar and Cream pattern

Pansy Towel Topper  pattern

Stained Glass Towel Topper pattern

Crochet and Knitting Contests for 2011

by Kelly

Ending June 13th - Mary Maxim - Original design afghan and Holiday Crafts Contest. Top prize is $2000. The link is here.

Ending June 15th - Herrschners - Original design afghan contest. Top prize is $2500. The link is here.

These first two were only included because they seem to be annual events. No guarantee that they will be held next year, but there's a pretty good chance.


Ending June 30th - Good Karma Farm Knitting and Crochet contest. Knit or crochet a scarf using only one skein of Good Karma Farm wool. Prize is eight skeins of their Merino/Alpaca yarn. The link is here.

Ending August 15th - Knitting and Crochet 2013 Calender contest. Original designs in knit or crochet. Short patterns only. First prize is $500, and you receive a free calendar with every entry. The link is here.

Ending August 31st - CGOA Design Competition. You must be a member of CGOA to participate. Original design contest with seven categories including fashion, accessories, small scale and afghans. Prizes - An unspecified grand prize, $300 first prize, $200 second prize, and $100 third prize in each category.  The link is here, look in their right sidebar for the contest.


And finally, here's an easy one. Red Heart is having a Retweet contest for June 2011. No original design required, just retweet their post and earn an entry for a chance to win some of their new Red Heart yarn.

Knitpro

by Kelly

 Knitpro is a free site (that PayPal button they have is for donations) that turns your image into a cross stitch, crochet, or knit pattern. It's really easy to use - input your image, choose the kind of pattern you need, and click the submit button. In no time you'll have a printable version.

Just don't try to do anything too complicated.  Simple patterns with few colors are best. I tried a sunset scene and it turned out really well. Now if only I had ink for my printer.

Surprisingly Edible Plants

by Kelly

In honor of the heavy-duty gardening that I suspect is going on  outside Dawn and Donna's homes today, i thought I'd share something surprising that I found on Modish.

Everyone knows some of the standard edible flowers - dandelions, clover, violets, nasturtiums, roses and the like. Here's a list I found at Wikipedia.

I was surprised to see Lilacs and Sunflowers (yes, the flower, not just the seeds) on the list. However, I was even more surprised to find out that this common garden plant is also edible - Hostas!


Here's the article, if you're interested. In one recipe, you boil the leaves for one and a half minutes, rinse them, and serve them with salad dressing.

I would imagine you would have to be very careful as to exactly which Hostas you decide to eat, and probably the young leaves would taste the best.

Also. no one volunteers exactly what the leaves taste like. It might be an acquired taste, like spinach, or so bland that you can't describe it, like iceberg lettuce. So it might be best to sample them (carefully) first, before you dish some up for your next garden party.

I always found Hostas pretty boring compared to ferns or actual flowering garden plants, but maybe I'll have some in my garden in the future.