I'm Taking a Break

I am going to be taking a break from this blog... perhaps permanently. I just don't crochet anymore like I used to, as I have gotten more into sewing, quilting, crafting and using my Silhouette Cameo. I will still continue to post projects I make in those areas on my other blog, www.sandysewz.blogspot.com. I pretty much just use that blog as a place of reference for myself for projects I have made.

I have also become kind of .... hmmm, what's a good word... disillusioned with blogging. I guess that word will do. It is not as much fun as it was when I first started, and I rarely get comments anymore.

Thank you to those who have been with me through this journey. I wish you good health, happiness and many blessings.

Sandy

A Star in our Midst

I have some amazing news to share with all of you.

Our adorable little Malti-poo, Lulu, is going to be in a movie!! A real live, Hollywood kind of movie! Can you believe it??? We are still trying to wrap our brains around it ourselves!

This is the picture that started it all. Here is what happened.

We have a wonderful dog trainer/instructor named Vicki, who is so wonderful with dogs. She has a dog named Kate that can do just about any kind of trick and is so talented that she has her own agent and has been in commercials. Vicki was contacted about this movie role and submitted a video of Kate, but the producers told her Kate was too big, they were looking for a small dog and did she know of any? Vicki told them about Lulu and another small dog that she trains. The producer contacted us and asked if we could send in a picture and video of Lulu. I sent them this picture, along with a video I had taken on my phone of Lulu doing some of her tricks.

A few days later, the producer asked if we could bring Lulu to the Big City for an audition, and of course we said yes!!! I was so amazed at how well Lulu did at the audition - I mean, I know she is a smart dog, but it seemed that she just knew exactly what to do and when. The director fell in love with her, and told me that when he envisioned the dog for this part, it looked just like Lulu. Weeks went by and still no word, and I was starting to wonder if maybe they were going to choose another dog.

Last Friday night, I got an e-mail from the producer that Lulu had been chosen!!  The movie will shoot here in Arizona starting in mid-October, and most of Lulu's scenes will be shot in a town that is about an hour and a half drive away from us. There are some new things that Lulu will need to learn, so we are getting together with Vicki today to start training them.

To say we are excited about this would be a huge understatement! We are so proud of our little dog, and never in a million years would we have thought she would ever get an opportunity like this. Vicki told us that it never, ever happens this way, and that most of the time a dog needs an agent and lots of exposure, so it is really a miracle that this just fell into our laps.

We have had so much interest about this from friends and family that Lulu now has a Facebook page!! If you would like to follow her and her journey through the movie process, just search for Lulu Townsend and look for the above picture.  You can "like" her page and be able to see the updates as I post them there. I will update here on the blog for those of you who don't use Facebook.

I will be crazy busy for the next few months trying to get some holiday crafting and sewing done, as well as shuttling Lulu to rehearsals and filming. Wow, it sounds weird to even type that.. ha ha!  However, I will try to post when I can to keep you all updated. Wish us luck as we start this crazy journey :)

Zpagetti Anyone?

No, I didn't spell that wrong... the word is Zpagetti... as in Zpagetti yarn.

I have been wanting to try this yarn for ages, but have never seen it in any of the craft stores that I frequent (and that includes Jo-Anns, Hobby Lobby and Michael's). I happened to need something the other day from a local craft supplies shop here in my small town and lo and behold, they had stocked it! This yarn isn't cheap (it was $10.64) but then again, it isn't really yarn. It is more like T-shirt material.

I made up a basket with it:

This took me no time at all to make. I used a "Q" hook, but I think I will go down a few hook sizes for the next one I make and see if I like that better. Plus I would like to add some handles to it. 

I did not find this hard to work with at all. I have seen reviews of it where people complain about how it is hard on your hands and shoulders, but I did not find that to be the case. That may change when I use a smaller hook - I will let you know.

Have any of you used this yarn before? How did you like it, and what did you make with it? I would love to hear :)

Yummy New Yarn

I ordered some Comfy Worsted from Knit Picks to make up a few baby hats with a new pattern I found. Stay tuned!

New Project in the Works

I started a new crochet project and wanted to share it with you, because I absolutely love this pattern.

I found it on Pinterest - the new mecca of all things crafty :)

Here is what I have so far:

You may be thinking, oh no, not another ripple. Well, actually, it is not even called a ripple, the pattern is called Chevron Crochet Baby Blanket. Chevron is so hot right now, you see it everywhere. I guess it really is a form of a ripple blanket, but it is sooooo much easier than any ripple I have tried before. For some reason, ripples and I never get along.

This pattern, however, is so easy. Now that I've done a few rows, I don't even have to refer to the pattern anymore. Love that!

Laura at the blog The Experimental Home shared the pattern for this HERE.

I am using my all time favorite yarn, Hobby Lobby I Love This Yarn, in pink, white and grey. I'm making it for my dental hygienist, who is finally pregnant after years of trying. She is such a sweetheart and I am so excited for her. I will of course be making lots of things for baby Madison besides this blanket. I love making stuff for babies, it is so much fun.

Hope everyone is having a great week.

What's Up??

Just thought I'd check in with you all. Not much crocheting going on. Every time I start something, I don't end up finishing it. I have so many WIPs sitting around here that it is unbelievable. I always think I want to do a big project, but then once I start it, I lose interest fast and have to work on something smaller. Does that happen to anybody else??? Please tell me it does!

I seem to be more into crafting and sewing lately too. Since this is my crochet blog, I don't post that stuff over here (if you're interested, you can go check it out at my other blog, www.sandysewz.blogspot.com).   I just did a bunch of quick, cheap and easy crafts for July 4th.

Hope everyone is doing well. It is incredibly hot here now, pretty much in the 100s every day, so I'm trying to stay in the A/C as much as I can.

Oh, and since I can't stand posts without pictures, here is a cute little rabbit that visited us the other morning:

Bye for now :)

Baby Dress

I crocheted this baby dress this weekend, just because. I wanted to crochet something, but I didn't want to start a big project.

This actually started because I fell in love with the yarn - I saw it over at Trish' blog here.  I asked her about the yarn and she said she didn't know the brand, she had picked it up at Wal-mart in the baby yarn section. I happened to find it at my local Wal-mart, it is Bernat Softee Baby and the color is called Pyjama Party.

I used a pattern I had used before, only a different variation on it. It is the Angel Wings Pinafore pattern by Maxine Gonser, but Suzetta at Susie's Stuff re-worked the pattern so that it is worked in the round. I really loved it, will definitely use it again. The pattern can be found here.

Sad News

We got the dreaded telephone call early this past Sunday morning that my father-in-law had passed away sometime during the night. As you may or may not know, he had been battling lung cancer. It was still quite a shock, because he had just seen the oncologist on Friday and, although he was going to go in for more radiation, things weren't as bad as we had thought. We're still not sure exactly what happened, but it is suspected that he either had a massive heart attack or stroke.

We are thankful that we were just there the weekend before celebrating Mother's Day with my husband's family and got to hug him and tell him we loved him. Now he is at peace, and thankfully will not have any more pain.

Even though he was not my husband's biological father, he treated him as his son from the very beginning and was a great adoptive dad to my husband and his sister. He will be greatly missed.

This 'n That

Just a mix of different things to show you today. I have been busy crafting and sewing lately, so not that much crochet to show you.  I did make a mug cozy for my sister-in-law who is crazy about purple:

I found a free sewing pattern for a dog harness, so I made one for Lulu:

A friend of mine saw the picture of it I posted on Facebook, and asked if I would make some for her dogs too. She wanted girly colors, so here is what I made:

I hope she likes them. 

Here is another picture of our sweet Lulu with one of her favorite toys:

She is the smartest, cutest dog in the world! Course I might just be a tad bit prejudiced.. ha ha!

Hope everyone has a great week. 

Mickey Mouse Baby Set

I finished the Mickey Mouse Baby Set (thanks so much Debi for your help with the booties pattern!) and was able to get it to my friend in time... yay!

She is a huge lover of all things Disney -  even her bathroom is decorated in a Disney theme! She asked me to make her this set and I think it came out really cute:

The back of the diaper cover even has a little tail:

I can't wait to see pictures of her new baby boy in his Mickey Mouse set - she is due to deliver in early May, so it could be any day now. 

Details:

Pattern can be found here. 

I used Red Heart Super Saver Yarn in Black, White, Bright Yellow and Hot Red. 

Pattern Help Needed ASAP Please!!

Hi everyone!

I am working on a pattern for a Mickey Mouse Baby Set for a friend, and was hoping to drop it off to her tomorrow. Of course, waiting till the last minute to try to finish it was not a good idea, as I am stuck on the pattern for the booties.

Normally I would contact the author of the pattern, but she has closed Comments on this post and I cannot find an e-mail address or any way to contact her anywhere on her blog.

Here are the exact directions:

Bootie (make 2) with yellow hook size 5 mm

chain 2

row 1: 12 sc in second chain from hook, slip stitch to join, ch 1 turn (12 sc)
row 2 to 7: sc in each sc around, slip stitch to join,ch 1 turn (12 sc)
row 8 to 13: sc in each sc around ch 1 turn, do not slip stitch to join
join the end of the bootie by slip stitch every stitch fasten off
join yarn at the space left were you did not slip stich to join every row sc around repeat two more row

I have gotten through Row 13 with no problem, but now I am totally confused as to what to do next. The directions make no sense to me, starting with "join the end of the bootie by slip stitch..."  Maybe I haven't had any coffee yet today??!!

Can any of you please explain this to me so that it makes more sense?? Thanks in advance for your help :)

Ain't Too Proud To Beg ...

For crochet help that is!

I finished my Attic 24 Granny Stripe Blanket with only a day to spare until the baby shower - talk about cutting it close! Here is the finished product:

 

After completing all the rows of granny stripes, I had tons of ends that needed to be woven in before I could start on the border. As I started to weave in the ends, I began to find spots where my work was literally coming apart!  In some spots I had to add more yarn to bring the work together. Here is what I mean:

 

I had to add some black yarn to connect that part with the yellow . And here:

 

I had to add some yellow yarn to keep this part together, but as you can see, the cream colored stitch at the end doesn't look the same as the rest in that row.

 

I could not believe this was happening - to make matters worse, after I washed and dried it, there were more areas that needed repair. I certainly hope I was able to fix everything, because I gave this away as a gift and would be mortified if it came apart!

 

Here is the part where you come in - what am I doing wrong??

 

What I did on this blanket was after finishing with a color I would fasten off the yarn (to me that is cutting off my yarn and bringing the end through the loop and tightening it). Then I would start again with a new color by making a slip knot and beginning again in the first stitch of the next row. Now that I think about it, though, there is one row of this pattern that has you bring the yarn through the first open space of the previous row, not a stitch, so maybe that is the row I was having troubles on. Since I don't have the blanket anymore, there is no way for me to check. Her instructions said to insert your hook in that space and bring the yarn from the back to the front (which I did by putting the slip knot onto my hook and pulling it through) then starting my chain 3. Maybe this did not secure it enough?

 

I was so frustrated after finishing this blanket that I swore I would never crochet another blanket again! This is why I usually only do projects that use one color yarn throughout, or a variegated yarn - I don't have these problems.

 

I sure hope all of my blathering on makes sense!! If anyone can help me figure this out, I would be so grateful.

 

 

For those interested, here are the particulars for this blanket:

 

Pattern: Granny Stripe Blanket by Attic 24 - pattern is available for free on Ravelry.

Crochet Hook: Size K

Yarn: Red Heart with Love. Colors were: Iced Aqua, Black, Eggshell, Tan, Pewter and Daffodil.

Border: I did a simple edging of a row of Granny Clusters around the whole blanket, followed by a row of DC, a row of HDC and then finally a row of SC.

Size: 41 X 46.

 

 

 

A Finished Project, Crochet Books and a WIP

While my great-niece Ashley was here staying with us, I made her something very special. She absolutely adores cows, and we just could not find a cute stuffed cow in any of the local stores. I decided I should just make her one instead, and after looking through many patterns, I chose to make the Chibi Cow pattern that I found on Ravelry. It was a really easy pattern to follow, with well-written directions.

Ashley was absolutely thrilled with it (even though the udders somehow got sewn on sideways!)

 

This past weekend I went to visit my sister in the big city and got to go to Hobby Lobby and Jo-Ann. I found some great crochet books and magazines that I wanted to share with you.

 

The first crochet book I found was called Farmhouse Crochet:

 

 

I don't know if you can see it in the photo, but this book was marked down to $2.36... such a steal! There are several great projects in here that I want to make, including this pillow:

 

And these cushions for my kitchen chairs:

I also liked this Yo Yo Afghan:

There are quite a few nice projects in this book, and the price just couldn't be beat!

These are the two magazines I bought:

I purchased the Crochet Gifts to Go for this pattern:

I fell in love with this table runner - isn't it pretty? It is also a join-as-you-go project, which makes it even better. There was lots of variety in this book, including some really nice cardigans and tops, as well as baby items, placemats, socks, and afghans. The retail price for this one is $9.99, but I got it with my 40% off coupon.


I found the Glorious Granny Squares magazine at Jo-Ann, and since it was already 10% off the retail price of $9.99, I wasn't able to use a coupon for it. I thought it was well worth the money, though, as there are almost 40 projects included, ranging from home decor items to clothing to afghans. Look at this beautiful afghan:

After I finish my baby blanket that I'm working on, I think I will start one of these projects.

I finally started my Attic 24 Granny Stripe blanket.  Thankfully it is one of those easy patterns that you can memorize quickly. Here is what I've done so far:

I added the black yarn to hopefully make the colors pop and also to make it not so girly, since it is for a baby boy. I haven't decided yet what kind of border/edging I will put on it. As you can see, I'm going to have lots of ends to weave in :( 

Oh, also wanted to let you know that I changed my blog so that you can now find my reply to your comment immediately underneath yours in the comment section (think it is called a thread??) I have always been lax about replying via e-mail, so this way will be much easier.

That's it for now - hope everyone has a great week :)

 

 

Still Here!

Yes, I am still here! Sorry it has been soooo long since I've posted. We had our niece and great niece staying with us for three weeks. Niece went back home and we decided to keep great niece with us, so she is with us for awhile. Long story - family stuff - but she is doing well and seems happy to be here. Plus I am teaching her to crochet and craft when she is not doing her on-line schooling.  :)

While I was away I won a couple of giveaways on some blogs - will post more on that another day.

I finished the pink baby blanket I told you about.

 

Here are the specifics if you are interested:

 

Pattern: Gossamer Crochet Baby Blanket (pattern available as a free Ravelry download or you can find it here.)

Yarn:  Red Heart Baby Love in Blush (I have only found this yarn at Wal-mart)

Hook: Size K

 

 Notes: I made this using 2 strands of yarn held together. I chained 72 at the beginning. For the border I did 3 rows of SC (still holding 2 strands together) then did a row of bobbles (one strand only). It ended up being the perfect sized baby blanket.

 

 

It has been mailed off to my friend in Kansas who is due to deliver her baby girl soon (after two boys!). I also sewed her some things, as well as made this cute Baby Turban:

 

Karen shared her free pattern for it HERE.

I need to start the Attic 24 Granny Stripe blanket ASAP, as it is going to a family friend whose baby shower is March 23.

That's about it for now - hope everyone has a fantastic week.


Linked up to:

 

New Year, New Post

Hello all! Hope you had a wonderful holiday season. Ours was really nice, as we got to stay home for Christmas for the first time in our married life! Every year we have gone to my parents house for Christmas, but this year we talked them into coming here. Mr. S. deep-fried a turkey, and my Mom, sister and I made all the side dishes. It was a great day.  New Year's Eve was quietly spent at home, as always. I put away all of the inside decorations yesterday, and Mr. S. will put away the outside decorations this weekend. All in all, a very lovely holiday here at our house.

My blog posting will continue to be sporadic, at best. We will be having some unplanned houseguests for awhile, which will keep me busy.

I am, however, going to be working on not one but two crocheted baby blankets. One friend is having her first girl after two boys, so I am happily making her a pink one! The other friend and her husband have chosen not to know the gender of the baby beforehand, but have picked out nursery colors of teal, yellow and grey. I am adding eggshell white and black to that mix and making the Granny Stripe blanket from Attic 24.

Wishing you all a wonderful week.