African Flower Bag

I've been wanting to try these flowers. http://heidibearscreative.blogspot.com/2010/05/african-flower-hexagon-crochet-tutorial.html So a CAL for this bag on ravelry was the perfect excuse. http://www.ravelry.com/projects/chitweed/african-flower-hexagon

Getting started.

Turning into flowers now.

Joining as I go on the last round. http://heidibearscreative.blogspot.com/2011/02/african-flower-hexagon-join-as-you-go.html

Mine's shaped different because, well I apparently suck at placement while joining as I go.(sigh)

Just need to add handles & a closure, then line it.

A Kaldred in Every Color

Okay, not every color........yet. But isn't this pattern just fabulous. http://www.fourth-edition.co.uk/2011/06/pattern-kaldred/ So simple & pretty. I think my favorites are with the #10 cotton.

#3cotton&D hook(3.25mm)

#10 cotton & 7hook(1.65mm) with glass E beads.

Aunt Lydia's Quick Cotton& F hook(3.75mm)

Worsted weight & G hook(4mm).

The Easy Peasy in Neon

Found this great bag pattern.http://laughingpurplegoldfish.com/2008/08/14/easy-peasy-crochet-bag/ Mine is 2 strands of Sugar & Creme held together & using a M (9mm) hook. It worked up really fast. I changed up the straps. Like on this bag,but bigger. http://tangledhappy.blogspot.com/2010/11/granny-stripe-boutique-bag.html I chained 40 then did 1 round of single crochet(us) around top & straps & 1 round sc on inside of each strap.

The closure is just ch & sc to make the loop.

16 Years of Wedded Bliss

I can hardly believe it's been 16 years, & we're still crazy in love.(well sometimes we're just crazy, but mostly it's the love thing) Here we are all fresh faced & dewy eyed on the day.


And here we are now. 16 years wiser(snort)

Hexagon Update

Just a tiny post to update you on my long neglected Lucy Hexagon Afghan. I got 31 more hexes added last month. Hoping to keep up the one a day thing for this month too. So far so good.

This pic is from about halfway through July.

My First Haekelbeutel

I love, love, love this bag. http://www.stricksucht.de/anleitungen/crochetedbag.pdf I see many more in my crochet future. I did regular granny squares & joined as I went.(that took a little more thought) I used an I hook & Red Heart solid, Red Heart multi, & a mystery skein of burnt orange(gotta love inherited stash).


In progress pics.





The straps are each ch70 then half double crochet(us) around strap & top of bag twice(once in orange & once in green).


And finally TA-DAA! I'm just loving the color combo. So pretty. I might eventually line it, but not till I decide what I'm gonna use it for.

Giant Granny Ta-Da

I finally finished up the giant granny afghan. I used this pattern to get started. http://iamtotallyobsessedwithyarn.blogspot.com/2006/01/granny-square-pattern-with-pictures.html Then grannied to my hearts content. It's so relaxing. Made with Red Heart Super Saver and an I hook.

The edging is just 4 rounds of single crochet.(us) I think it gives a nice finish.

VVS Baby

Sorry for the lack of posts. I hadn't been crafting for a while. I started crocheting again in June. There should be a few ta-daa posts coming up. I've been crocheting like crazy. lol


I've been wanting to make an afghan using this pattern. http://belladia.typepad.com/bella_dia/2006/11/vintage_vertica.html I finally did it. Using up a bunch of Bernat Baby Coordinates and Caron's Simply Soft scraps that I had left over from other projects. It's 90 stitches long & 55 rows wide. I held 2 strands together & used a N hook. I love how it turned out. It's so very soft & plushy.



The edging is a round of single crochet(us), then a round of reverse single crochet.(link in my sidebar under crochet 101)


I had a bunch of scraps left still so I started a giant granny to use some more up. Here's the start. 2 strands held together & a N hook. Have to wait for some more simply soft left overs to finish it.

Ripple TaDa!

I finally finished the ripple for the livingroom. Hubby has already claimed it. LOL It's been 8 months in the making. The post I did at the beginning of this is here.

The trim is 2 rows of single crochet.

I had a bunch of yarn leftover so I've decided to do a giant granny to use it up. I might have to buy a little bit more. ;)

Another February Kit

While I was digging through my stash for February, I also found these papers. I decided on the others but then went back & made these into a kit too. I just can't stop myself. LOL Go here to see what all this counterfeiting is about. http://counterfeitkitchallenge.blogspot.com/

Patterned Paper~I can't, for the life of me, figure out where this paper is from. It's from a stack of some kind. If anyone know's the manufacturer, please let me know. I love it though.

Cardstock~Some Bazzil Bling, some Imagine that, & a few other misc. pieces.

Specialty Paper~cream velvet paper, cream vellum, cream & brown mulberry paper, & brown mulberry paper with gold pattern.

Embellishments~includes buttons, brads, eyelets, shimmer sprayed flowers, misc. bling, chipboard flourishes, felt, handmade stick-pins, & bead charms, from an old pair of earings.

Also includes 5 ribbons, 2 fibers & 2 kinds of embroidery floss wound together to look like bakers twine.

Here's a close up of the faux bakers twine.

Also added, some shimmery sprayed punch flowers, brown faux dew drops(vase filler drops colored with Bic mark-it), & K&Company's life's journey words.

A close up to show the shimmer.

Alphabets~some chipboard letters & 3 stamps sets.

left to right~Treasured Memories"Traditional", Image Tree"Typewriter", The Paper Studio"Filigree". All have been in my stash for years.

Color Kit~more homemade shimmer spray, acrylic paint, Plaid's dimentional magic, Studio G's brown glitter glue, & Decoart's Pearlizing medium.

DIY Tutorials & Links

I made some of the pieces of my Feb. counterfeit kit. I decided to make a post with links to tutorials & pics of my handmade stuff.

Stick-pins~I got my 2" pins at Wal-mart for $3 for a box of 90. They had pearl or crystal tops. The beads are misc. ones I've had in my stash for ages.


Shimmer Paints~ No tutorial necessary. Just mix pearlizing medium with acrylic paint. Mine is by Deco Art. A little goes a long way. I added a little water to the mix when I painted the flowers. It makes it more of a wash. I then covered a few pieces with the glitter paint. Wow, serious shine.

My messy glass mat.

Shimmer Watercolors ~I found a thread on 2peas years ago on how to make these. Scroll down to the 5th post on the link. I've made a bunch of different colors.

Shimmer Sprays~I've found you can use many different types of coloring in these. The 3 I've shown below are watercolor paint, acrylic paint,& Rit dye. They all turn out great. I use pearl-ex so I have to add glue to make the shimmer stick. I used Aleene's tacky glue.

Here's some test spray pieces.

This is the box I use to keep my space free of overspray.

Lace Flowers~Mine aren't decorated yet. I did spray one with my shimmer spray. The only difference between mine and the link is after I knot the thread I stitch the ends together. It gives a neater edge.