Washcloth and a Bandana

 This week has been super busy and I feel terrible because I've been trying to make two posts a week. My manager is on vacation this week so I've been getting more hours, which I can't complain. I have had finished projects, but I've just been lazy on posting.

This dish/washcloth was part of last weeks Mystery Crochet-A-Long (MCAL) and I didn't post it last week because it wasn't revealed until Friday and I didn't want to ruin the reveal. I really like it though. It is a FREE pattern to download and is called the Snapdragon Dishcloth by Willow Yarns Design Team. I think that it would make a beautiful afghan made of these squares but I do really love it. The camera doesn't really do the color justice. It is sort of a darker teal, it looks more green in the picture than it is.

Since I have finished the Wrapped in Love blanket (coupon code ILY4EVER, good through June 1, 2016) I have been searching for new projects that aren't blankets. I still have to work on my blanket for this year's Afghan Swap but I'm taking a small break on that one. I found a little pattern, and I apologize for not being able to link it to you, it is not available for download, for a pup's bandana I absolutely love this pattern and I wish I could share it with you. It was an older free pattern from a craft store and I'm not sure which one. There is a button to secure the bandana and the spaces around the collar make it adjustable. Sasha loved her bandana so much that she wouldn't let me take it off of her, all day. In this picture she was a little more interested in the squirrels than looking at the camera but I think it is a good shot. I will probably be making more of these bandanas for her, in the future.

That is all of the projects that I have finished, right now. 

What have you been working on?

Let me know in the comments below. Also, check out my other posts! I always enjoy hearing from you.

Please remember that you are beautiful and well loved.

Washcloths!

Hey, there! I hope that you are having a wonderful week. Now that I finished the "Wrapped in Love" blanket, I have been trying to find projects to do. I joined this group on Ravelry that hosts a KAL (Knit-a-long) and CAL (Crochet-a-long) washcloth every week, throughout the year. So far I have three cloths finished. One is a work in progress and I'm going to show you two of them today.

I am only showing you the first two because this week is a Mystery CAL, which means that we get the pattern in portions and it is revealed at the end. The reveal is tomorrow, so I don't want to spoil the surprise. It is really a beautiful cloth though. I will probably make more.

 This first cloth was actually taken from an afghan square. It is a free pattern to download, so you should check it out! I never thought to use afghan squares as cloths but now that the idea has been pressed in my brain, I will be making more in the future.

This second cloth is also a free pattern and is a corner to corner cloth. I love it because I had just finished the corner to corner blanket before this was posted.

Now, one of the very first things I realized is that there are 52 weeks in a year. I'm a little behind this year so I won't have so many cloths from this group but I love these cloths and will be making at least one a week. That being said, I had no idea what I would do with 52 cloths.

As it turns out, my Sister-by-law is going to be getting her own place within the year. She will be turning 18 and I'm not sure what things the company she is going through will provide for her. She has made such great progress in keeping herself together and we are both so proud of her. So, we are starting to get things around for her place because she doesn't have much of her own, right now. I thought that these cloths would be a great idea! Who doesn't love handmade washcloths? I just hope she uses them. I have had a couple people say that the cloths were too beautiful to use and so they sit on a shelf. In my personal oppinion, it isn't a dish/wash cloth unless you use it as one. But, to each their own.

Beyond the washcloths, I'm a little bit lost on what to make for her. I do plan on making her a throw/afghan but that's going to take some time. We are looking for sales on house things too but I want her to have more than just cloths that are homemade. 

What are some of your ideas? Let me know in the comments below! Also, check out some of my other posts. I always love hearing from you.

Remember that you are beautiful and well loved.

Wrapped in Love (C2C) Finished!

And now...For the moment I have been waiting for...It is finished! Well, it doesn't have a border yet but the main part is finished and I don't always like adding borders to blankets. I will probably add one, but for the moment, it is fine.

I just published the pattern to my Ravelry Store. If you use the coupon code: ILY4EVER you can get this pattern for free, until the end of June 1 (my wedding anniversary).

This pattern was tough to write. Mostly because I made a graph (yes, it has a graph! For those of you who have my Boston Red Sox Blanket pattern, I'm going to work on graphing that one too) in Excell and spent at least three hours trying to figure out how to merge it to a word document. Now that I did that the first page is blank. Yes, the first page is blank but do not worry! You aren't missing out on any information! Apparently when I tried to have only the chart page landscaped, Word decided that adding a polar bear lost in a snow storm, would be a great idea. Lovely.

So, once I figure out how to do that, which I though I had it figured out and then I sent it to PDF...poor polar bear is still lost in a snow storm, I will post a pattern update.

This pattern is very dear to my heart. I minored in American Sign Language, in college and got to know some really cool people who use ASL. This sign is one of the ways that I can communicate to my husband (who is not deaf or hard of hearing) when we are in a room full of people, after I have a seizure or just because.

I think that this pattern does well with just two colors, but I'm wondering how it would look with either the background or the hand striped. It came out to be a 49"x46" blanket. So, big enough for a child or just as a couch throw.

Check out the pattern and let me know what you think in the comments below!
Also, check out some of my other patterns and posts!

Remember that you are beautiful and well loved!

My Toy-Yoda

I received a Star Wars Crochet Amigurmi kit for Christmas and didn't really touch it until recently. For some reason the tiny characters and the safety eyes seemed a bit overwhelming. Talk about making mountains out of mole-hills. These little things are so easy to make!

The kit came with enough stuff for a Storm Trooper and a Yoda.

Because I like color more than mostly white things, I decided to try my hand at the tiny Jedi master, Yoda.

Here's how it turned out:

The most difficult part was attaching the tiny sleeves (just barely big enough to go around the tip of my pinky) to the tunic/coat/thingy.

Safety eyes is seriously just a matter of finding the right place so it doesn't look like a fish and doesn't look cross-eyed either. Not that there is anything wrong with being cross-eyed...I mean, I did it to freak out my babysitter's when I was a kid. One of them actually refused to babysit us after that and the "I can pour my own hot chocolate" incident (which no one was harmed in). I was amused by the things that freaked her out. It was far more entertaining than going to bed.

Anyhow, this little dude is just the most adorable thing I have ever made. My dear husband has taken to it, and by that I mean, he has taken off with it. He also managed to make a friend mad at us by saying "We found a car...It's a toy-Yoda" while pulling out this innocent little thing. Poor guy.

Have you made any tiny critters? What seems like a daunting task, when it comes to crafting?

Let me know what you think, in the comments below. Also, check out some of my other blog posts!

Remember that you are beautiful and well loved.

Happy Women's Day!

I know that it is "Mother's Day" and to all of the mothers out there, great job! You truly do make a difference and should consider yourself, very blessed. You do what others cannot and it is amazing! I know that the job doesn't pay and you are not always shown appreciation through out the year. Especially the new mothers with babies who do not know how to communicate and aren't old enough to give back. The single mothers, or mothers whose spouces are often gone, you shoulder your household and your children often do not see that.

Step mums, you are amazing in your own right! You accept children, who are not yours by blood, as your own. Often times, kids are partial to their birth parents and you need a lot of patience in waiting for them to come to you. I know, I have a wonderful step-mum but it wasn't until recently that I began including her in the Mother package. Just keep holding on. You are wonderful and do a spectacular service.

Mother figures, the children may not be yours but you care for them as if they were. You are a different strength and source of encouragement. I have an aunt who has been in my corner since day one. She is my personal cheer-leader, my voice of reason and my worry stone. In the rare times that I am so upset that I cannot think clearly, she has calmed me and helped me find the light. She has wonderful kids of her own and still finds time for me.

Then, there are those who want to be mothers but may not have them yet or cannot have them at all. I fall in this category. Mother's day is difficult for me, for many reasons. One of them is that my doctors have told me that I may never be able to actually have children of my own. All the stuff is there to get pregnant and carry a child. However, because my vitamins are so low, getting pregnant may just as well be signing my death certificate. Babies will take whatever they need and if I barely have enough for myself because my body isn't absorbing the vitamins like it should or goes through them too fast...well, apparently you can't survive long without any nutrition. I have been married for almost three years now, but I am not a mother, even though I want it so badly.  I have known others in similar situations. It is difficult but there are ways around it. We have all talked about adoption and eventually, my husband and I will be able to become parents.

If you don't have kids, this is still your day. Sure, you may not be a mother but that instinct is still there. Even if you never want to have kids, I won't judge. In fact, there is some need for women who don't want kids, in the career industry. How horrible of me to say, right? But get this: the women who have kids have obligations that trump work (no shaming here either). Those who don't, are the ones who step in so that you can enjoy your child's graduation, care for them when they are sick...etc. Women who don't want to have kids are amazing in their own way. I applaud every person who has kids or doesn't. You all rock!

So, happy Women's Day, to everyone!  To all the mothers, happy Mother's day!

Stay Strong!  Remember that you are beautiful and well loved, and not just on this day.

Special shout outs to:
Lisa (my mother), Debbie (my step-mum) and Aunt Amy (my life cheerleader)! You are amazing and I have been very blessed to have three women who care for me as much as you do.

Irish Sea Boot Cuffs

Back in March (yes, I'm still playing catch up), I decided to try my hand at crocheting some boot cuffs. I figured that I like the legwarmers that we sold, at my store and boot cuffs were just shorter versions of that. Right? Sure, whatever helps me sleep at night, I guess. I honestly have no idea the purpose of boot cuffs but they look cool and people wear them in the winter time.

I won a bid, on Ebay, for a Leisure Arts #75472, Boot Cuffs and Earwarmers, booklet. There is some great stuff in there! I actually look forward to making more sets for this coming winter. I flipped through the pages and fell in love with the Irish Sea Boot Cuff pattern.

It was an easy work up but they are too big for me, if I'm wearing ankle boots. They are also a bit too big if I'm wearing taller boots but, the boots keep it in place so I guess it works out. Again, I'm not sure the purpose of these. Maybe they are just to keep the snow out, in case you have to tread through knee high snow? Or maybe they are just a style thing. I have no idea but it was fun and easy to make.

Do you have any idea what these things are actually supposed to do? Let me know in the comments below! Also, check out some of my other posts!

Remember that you are beautiful and well loved.

"Hello, My Name is Inigo Montoya..."

A couple of weeks ago, my swap partner and I met at  Los Palaminos, the local, authentic Mexican place, to...well, swap our packages. I throuoghly enjoyed our visit and am so happy that I can now share with you the puns that hurt my dear husband, so much.

At the beginning of the swap, I found out that K really likes "The Princess Bride" both the movie and the book were on her list of favorites. I have been wanting to do themed packages this year, so I decided that was what I was going to do. The first month of the swap, I spent more time actually planning out the packages than making the package. Oops!

This first package, I thought it would be fitting if I went with the quote "Hello, my name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die." because we were just meeting. So, I included some note cards that said "Hello" on the front, I made a basket out dark blue yarn...I was trying to go for "Indigo" yarn but my Local Craft Shops didn't have any in stock and I was running short on time, so I couldn't order it. Then my favorite part was the actual pun.

I asked K if she liked to dye things (oh, yeah, I went there!) and because she said that she had no interest, I decided to try my hand at tie dying a project bag for her.  "Prepare to dye" was what I was going for and it still makes me giggle, because I'm a child at heart and I enjoy a good pun. My dear husband, however just shakes his head at me. It took a couple of tries to figure it out because the dye came in bottles so there was no dipping involved. This confused me even more but I'm glad that I don't have a blue or green pan/bowl/bucket now. The first try, there was more white space than I wanted. Pretty much, just the corners were dyed. It was bad. So I dyed it again and it came out much better.

I'm not sure that I will try tie-dying, using bottles again. But, it was fun and I hope that K enjoys all of the little things that were in the package, beyond just the themed stuff. I am excited to work on the second package, which isn't due until August. Now that I have the planning done, I can spend more time on the packages.

Feel free to check out my other posts about the swaps! Let me know what you think in the comments below.

Remember that you are beautiful and well loved.

**The basket was made from the "Colorful Catchalls" pattern in the August 2015 issue of Crochet World Magazine