Just wanted to share...

I just wanted to share some of the items I have in my new shop... 

I started making these cute flower coasters and have fallen in love with them... I have been using "I Love This Cotton Yarn" from Hobby Lobby and it really is super soft and easy to work with!

Blue Flower Coasters

Blue and Green Flower Coaster

Green Flower Coasters

 You can never have too many cotton dish cloths. I love making these Granny Square ones. They work up so fast and it is fun to change the colors to alternate the designs...

Navy and White Dish Cloths

Yellow, Violet, and White Dish Cloths

Yellow and White Dish Cloths

Patriotic Dish Cloths

Pink, Blue, Aqua, and White Dish Cloths

I am not sure how long it will take me to get my first sale in my shop but I am so excited to see what happens. Maybe it will be successful enough that I can stop working my second job... Who knows, I can hope, right?

A Few Little Bumps

A few little bumps on ETSY

You can find a few little bumps on Etsy... It is not totally set up yet, and I only have one listing, but it is a shop nonetheless... I will have an awesome banner in the next week or two.

I hope to list more dish cloths next week. I finally found my camera cord, so I will be using my good camera to take some better photos soon too...

Crochet Blogs... I Stalk...I Mean, Adore...

I find myself stalking, I mean, browsing these blogs for ideas... 

Most of these blogs I have found from links on Pinterest

Crochet with Raymond

Crocheting the Day Away

Lost in Stash

Cozy Things

Little Tin Bird

Bunny Mummy

Bunte Nadel use Google Translate

Spud and Chloe

Inspiration comes from so many avenues... Color, texture, emotion, events, individuals... This post is just a little tribute to those who inspire my creativity...

On another note, my lovely new cousin Sarah, 

(yes new because be married my pain the @%& cousin Ryan bless her heart for loving him...) 

has created a wonderful blog Blissful Bucket List herself. One of her post is Flaunt it Friday where you can show off your hand made projects! 

I did and so can you!

Rub-A-Dub...

I needed a break from the big BYU afghan project... so, I made some more dish cloths... 

I absolutely love working with cotton yarn... It is so soft, and the colors are so bright and fun!

I love making these little gems up because they are finished so fast... 

and, they always come out different one from another...

I have big plans for the bright tri-colored ones... We have a wedding to attend this weekend and I already have an awesome gift! Woo hoo!

Much to my husband's dismay...

I started another project!


To all my friends on Facebook, it isn't a surprise that my husband laments my new found love affair with the crochet hook. Simply said, I think he would rather I devote all my attention in his direction... So, I thought I might convert him to crocheting by deliberately making something that would appeal to his love affair with BYU! I know it is shameless, but I just couldn't resist... 

It is hard to tell by the picture, but  this is a project with hexagons... in BYU blue... After joining my last project, I learned that I can join using the same method as I go. Once I get the third round finished I can just join it with the navy blue yarn onto the afghan... This method works up really quick and I am enjoying the simplicity of working the same hexagon after working with so many different combinations in my last project... 

I finished it!

I did it! I finished this huge afghan... Here are the completed pictures...

This blanket is huge... It covers my California King bed...

This is it folded in half and draped over our chair...

Here it is on the floor at the office...

I learned a lot about crocheting and granny squares in general...

First, I learned how to correctly change colors... 

Second, I learned how important it is to secure the squares with a couple of slip stitched when finishing them off... 

Third, I learned how to join squares into a completed blanket...

Most importantly, I learned how addicting it is working with granny squares and that there are countless possibilities... 

Sneak Peak...

The edge of my afghan is almost complete!!! Yes, I am so excited that I cannot wait to post pictures of it... 

I am on the last color... The gray will finish out the afghan's edge once then again with the Picot stitch... I am so happy with how this  blanket turned out. It is so snuggly and warm. 

I am amazed at how big this afghan is... We have a California King bed and the blanket actually covers almost the entire top, even falling over the side a few inches... I cannot wait to make more of these awesome Granny Square Afghans for all around the house... 

My New Dish Cloth...

I know, I know... you really don't want to see my new dish cloth...but I had to share since I learned a new style of granny square... I watched a little tutorial on You Tube by the Crochet Geek... It was fantastically easy to follow and I cannot wait to watch more of her awesome little videos... 


So... Big Reveal... Drum Roll Please...

I know the picture stinks... I will try and get a better one soon!

I really am addicted to crocheting... My mother brought me a huge stash of yarn and I am itching to make all sorts of new projects with it... My favorite is this thin wool yarn in natural colors... I think it might become some kind of scarf or shawl in an African flower motif... Well, maybe... I don't know... You will have to wait and see...

The Picot Stitch...

I learned a new stitch! Wonder of all wonders... The Picot stitch is so fun and easy to use to add boarders... I worked this cotton wash cloth up fairly quickly in light blue cotton and then added the edging in a fun orangy-red color. I simply love this wash cloth... Not sure if I want to use it, it is so pretty...

I made this cute wash cloth the other day and added the Picot stitch around the edge and it just makes it look complete... I think I will finish off my afghan with this cute stitch along the edge...


This stitch is so simple all you do is single crochet around your project and then single crochet, chain three and insert the hook into the first chain... then single crochet into the next space, and then begin again... (I know that might not make complete sense to beginners and for that I apologize!).

I Started...

I started joining my afghan last night! 

I actually started joining it about a week ago with the method Debi suggested in the comments below. After adding the row of single crochet around just one square I set it aside and just could n't get into it... I love the style, but the thought of going around all 50 squares with a layer of single crochet stopped me in my tracks...


Then Saturday, as I sat working on yet another project, my husband asked me when I was going to finish "all those squares." I defended myself by saying I was overwhelmed with the method I chose and he looked at me as if I was talking jibberish... 


This conversation made me realize that I certainly didn't have to join my afghan the way I had planned and set me into motion. Last night, I  YouTube'd how to join granny squares and found this other method...I only watched the second video and was on my way... and before bed I had my first row stitched together... this morning I added four more squares before heading to work... 


I am so excited! I might actually get this thing done after all!

Doily Love...

My plant...on my cool new Doily...

I figured out the flat circle...and I made my first doily. It was super fun and extremely quick to crochet. It is now perched under my plant at work. I used some left over thread yard from another project. I sure wish I had some in a bright pink or lime green... I would make another in a heartbeat... (My co-workers are jealous!)

A happy accident...

The other day I was attempting to crochet a flat circle without a pattern... Everything was fine until I got to the third or fourth row. I guess I added too many stitches and things started to go all skewampus... My flat circle didn't want to be a flat circle...

My flat circle started to bump up and I didn't have the heart to undo all that work so... My flat circle became my new yarn bag... 

I just kept adding row upon row and it just grew...OUT and not up... So, (you can see on the light blue row) I decreased every fifth double crochet and it finally started growing upwards... into a very fun yarn bag... 

I continued adding row after row, only decreasing one other time almost to the top... It was a good project that just took it's own direction... I love all the colors... As a beginner, I know I will have many projects that turn out like this... 

Now, I carry my little projects with me in this fun bag... I also found a tutorial on Pinterest that will show me how to create the flat circle affect I was attempting on my own. The only problem is the tutorial is in Norwegian! Good thing we have access to Google Translate! I might just figure the flat circle out, eventually...

So, now instead of a bright flat circle mat... I have a very cute yarn bag to tote all my projects around in... I think I like this happy accident...

More blogs of note...

Here are a few more of the blogs I have been frequenting lately... The ideas are so fun and I just thought I would share some of the links here. 


The Crochet Way
With Love Ibizatas Must use google translate for this one...
Teri Crews Designs: Tutorials
Crochet Spot
Polka Dot Cottage
Tipsy Tess Must use google translate for this one too...
The 8th Gem

Enjoy!

50 Granny Squares Complete!

I need to learn how to take better photographs...

I finished 50, 8 inch Granny Squares.... 

One of these little babies is going to be left out of the 7X7 afghan I have planned, although, I am not sure which one yet...

Now, I need to actually stitch them together!

Five of each multi-color square...

I have several thoughts buzzing around in my head...

Can I do this? 

I have never done this before...

I think I can... 

I have been watching How To videos on You Tube... 

Now if I can just follow directions...

Who knows... 


I hope I didn't just crochet 50 squares to sit in my closet for years on end...

Five of each tri-color square...

I don't think this was a waste of my time... 

If I did, I don't think I would have invested in several skeins of Heather Gray yarn.

The plan is to use this yarn to connect all my squares...

I just need to decide on the style I want to use and then I can begin...

I wonder how long it is going to take to get these connected?

Wish me luck!

Oh boy... Crochet Blogs...

I am addicted.... I have all these ideas for projects and the one I am working on is turning our super cute and taking too long...(I cannot start a new project until this one is competed...) The culprit of this massive creative surge, you ask?

Pinterest  started the problem and now... I have discovered an amazing assortment of crochet blogs. They are adding to the growing list in my brain of things I must make...or have to try and make...

Here is a list of a few that I have been fequenting during slow moments at work...

Petitevanou

Maybe Matilda

Paper, Wool, and Yarn

Hooks and Yarns

Egg Bird Designs

Attic 24

What am I supposed to do with all these ideas? Working two jobs, traveling to Cali, little kids, a husband... I need some more time in the day so I can complete some of these awesome projects...

I guess for now I need to be content with the little bit of creativity I have time for and save up my ideas for the months to come. I have gifts rolling around in my head... I hope they someday come to fruition...

My current project, a bright granny square afghan, is taking shape... I have finished 25 tri-color squared and have 3 of 25 six-color squares completed. I love the bright yellow, pink, green, blue, and purple yarn... Eventually all the brightness will be toned down with some heather gray to bring it all together once I join all those squares... Don't worry, I will keep you posted...

Little Macks Marie...

Alomst a year ago... Kevin and I eloped... Well, we did this on my cousin Rika and her cutie John's wedding day... So, we share a very special day with two very special people... Well, when she and John announced they were having a baby I knew I needed to make them something special...

I began by procrastinating... Then about three weeks ago I began pinning all things crochet on my crochet pinboard on Pinterest. I had some cotton yarn left over from another project and my mother reminded me how to begin a granny square... and well, I began a new addiction and little Macks Marie's baby gift. This project was a labor of love. I have been somewhat consumed with my own issues and working on this project let me focus on someone other than myself. I enjoyed the process and noticed a much happier me... I worked on it whenever I could, during breaks at work, traveling to see Nicholle, Emma, and Micah in California, at home and completed it only hours before the shower. It turned out super cute...and now I have serveral new projects outlines in my head.

Completed Cotton Blanket

Macks Marie Warr - Born 4/30/2012

Although this little project didn't take my problems away, it did help me focus on something positive in my life: family and new life... making the bumps a little more bearable.