Happy Birthday America!

Happy Birthday USA - 235 years old this Monday! A mere infant by country standards. I think one of my most memorable 4ths was the bicentennial back in 1976. I was 12 and very hopped up on the festivities. I remember lots of parades and parties. My aunt had a great country home with about 4 acres and an in-ground swimming pool. We spent every summer holiday there, but 1976 was the big one. I'm sure there were hot dogs and flag cakes and too many fireworks and we had a blast. I'd also pretty much guarantee there were plenty of crocheted beer can hats all around - a particular favorite of my Grandma Katie. She was a self-taught crocheter and she taught me to crochet as well. She passed away the following year and I still think about her often. Here's to you Katie - I'll have a beer this weekend for you.

Possible Project

I was thinking of doing this for my next project while waiting for the American flag one but I'd do it in Christmas colors. I have yarn that is multi-colored with white, red and green. Then figured the three layers could be in that order. Or I could even have white be on the end to border the blanket. Not sure though if I really want to try and do Christmas projects in the middle of June though.

On the other hand, I have enough yarn to start a second American flag blanket while waiting for my first one. (Yes, I packed up on that much red, white, blue and green when my neighbor was getting rid of her mother-in-law's treasure trove of yarn.)

My Patriotic Series

I got my yarn today and I am ready to start a new project or maybe I should say a series of projects. I am planning a 4th of July series, dishcloth, pot holder, hanging towels, placemats, coasters and napkin rings. I ordered my yarn from Herrshners. It is called Red Heart
Eco-Cotton Blend. It is made from recycled materials. It is 75% cotton and 25% polyester. It is soft and I think it will be easy to work with but it not bright. The colors are the faded type. I always think the flag colors should be bright. I've started the dishcoth. When I finish it I will post it.

I've done a little web surfing lately and I've found some interesting sites. I thought I would share them with you. One is http://www.bestfreecrochet.com/. This one has lots of dishcloths. Some are gorgeous.

Another is http://www.maggiescrochet.com/. This one also has free patterns, videos, tips and links to other places.

Look the sites over. You may find things that interest you.