Fingerless Mittens

These come from a recent issue of Crochet Today. In fact, they are on the cover, in yellow yarn. I used what I had on hand. They went together quickly, although I did have to pull out a few rows to get them to fit my hands. 

What really surprised me was how easy the cables were to crochet! Now I want to make something with this same design, again. 

Little Bird

Why, yes, I am writing this at 12:17 a.m. EST. I'm tired but I don't want to go to bed yet. Anyway, here's a little bird I made from Paperclay and glitter:

I can see a spot where I need to add extra glitter, and I'd like to put eyes on him. There is a hole through him for a ribbon or gold cord, as he is an ornament.

Most of my Christmas decorations are down from the attic. I unpacked boxes today but have not yet set out anything, although I did hang up my wreaths. I'll be working on the decorating over the next few days.

I hate it when Thanksgiving comes early. It doesn't feel right to put Christmas things out when it is still November.

Snowman Favor

This is made with a small canning jar, felt, and garland. I bought dimensional paint for the eyes but did not like how it came out of the bottle, so I just used a cotton swab to make the face. There's felt on the jar lid, which helps the styrofoam head stick a little better. I'm making a few of these and will fill them with candy for the kids who come to my Christmas Eve party.

Easy Dog Ornament

You can either use a photo of your pup to trace a silhouette, or get a picture from the internet. This is a chihuahua, like my Shadow Dante! It is made from two layers of felt glued together. I traced a little bit in from the edge with glue and added glitter, then filled in the rest with glue/glitter. Super, super easy!

Christmas Pillow #2

This one is crocheted. I think it will have a dark green border, and that the back will be made of cloth.

Christmas Pillow #1

A patchwork of ribbon, cotton and corduroy. I used the insert from another pillow. The cover of that one, which was too dirty to clean again, turned into a bed-bag for Rocky the Ferret.

Just a smidgen of hand-sewing needed here, hence the needle in the green patch.

Generator Crafting

This is one of the projects I have been working on this past week, mostly by lights powered by the generator, or by sunlight. It is a jacket for a baby boy. It will have a button front when it is finished and is supposed to fit 3-6 months. 

It's from a book called "Crochet in a Day for Baby." I really think someone who sets her/his mind to it could do this in a day. I did a bit at a time. The original is green and white, but I liked these colors together.

Hurricane Cooking

If you want to know the rest of the story, besides killing time with crafts and crochet, you can visit my other blog. Meantime, here we go.

Sorry there are no pictures. I don't feel like it right now. Tired and maybe coming down with a cold. But it's been too long since I posted!

Okay, so...earlier in the Fall I had purchased a magazine from Taste of Home about "Ultimate Freezer Cooking." I made a few of the recipes and froze some small casseroles.

You don't know how great those have come in this past week! We've been without power, and even with a brand-new generator I still can't cook in the house. (Too much of a drain on the genny.) So we've been making big use of the barbecue.

Since my chest freezer doesn't get power from the generator (it's too far away from the source) many things are thawing out. Luckily, I didn't have much in the way of meat in there, and pretty much was able to salvage most of it.

I've been transferring the casseroles into a metal 9X11 pan and cooking them on the grill. We've had baked cavatelli (think, baked ziti with a different pasta) and Pesto Parmesan chicken. Chili mac is another upcoming meal. I also have some pulled pork to cook.

The East coast was hit two years in a row by hurricanes. The last serious one I remember was back around 1984! Will it happen again next year? I don't know, but I do know I'm going to start making and freezing casseroles again. If we aren't hit, no loss as they will be winter dinners. And if we are, we'll be ready--provided we remember to fill the propane tank for the grill, LOL!

If you've read this far, maybe you'll appreciate this caveat:

You know the trick where you line a casserole with foil, freeze the casserole, then lift it out? So you can put it back in the casserole when you're ready to cook? It doesn't work if the food thaws out...and you pick the damned thing up and it opens...

You get the picture. A lovely mess to clean up in the bottom of the freezer. Next year, I'll put the foil package in another, plastic bag!