Monday Mini

I downloaded a little booklet to my Nook called "Garden Friends Crochet Pattern Embellishments." The author is Sharon Santorum. I'm not sure it's available other than as a Nook booklet (it only cost 99 cents) but there are some cute designs that make it worth trying to find.

Here is a little dragonfly I made today. He's barely 3 inches tall. He'll be a cute addition to a future baby outfit or blanket.

I like this quick projects!

Another day to veg and crochet

This is the view outside my back door this morning. We got another 17 inches, bringing us about halfway to the record of 75 inches for the winter of 94-95.

Yep, I'm glad I'm a crafter and I have reading, too--or I'd have cabin fever by now. I'm not even sure if I'll have work tonight!

Finished!

I just finished the pair of socks I started about a year ago! The last 25% went by really quickly. I'm sure I'm like a lot of people when I say I'm motivated to get something done when the finish line is close.

As I said in a previous post, I sort of 'get it' now. I actually started a second pair last night, even before these were finished. I divided the yarn I have into 2 balls and I'm alternating between each sock so they will be done together. Can you believe that in one evening I've already gotten them to the heel part? Okay, full disclosure: for these I'm using medium weight yarn and a slightly larger hook. They may end up being slippers if they are too thick for shoes, but I'll have fun with them.

The pair above are from the booklet "Paton's Stretch Socks: Sweet to Your Feet." Honestly, I got impatient with the tiny little single-crochet rows. You can see where I switched to half double crochet. You (the handful of faithful readers I have) know me--I never make anything 'exactly' the way it is written out.

BTW, yesterday was my 55th birthday. Mike and the kids took me out to a Chinese Buffet. And...they bought me a NOOK color! It is awesome! I've already downloaded things onto it. LOL, I can even read this blog on it, since I can get on the internet.

My first download? "Food Network Magazine." I also found a slow-cooker cookbook for about a dollar. How cool is that?

BTW...is it sox, or socks? Oh, never mind--"sox" gets a squiggly line.

The end is in sight

The end for the socks I started about a year ago, that is! I'm about 2 rounds away from decreasing for the toes.

The second one has gone together a lot more quickly than the first and I'm really starting to 'get it.' Now I can't wait to start another pair. I've learned a few things along the way. For instance, no matter what the pattern tells you, it's a good idea to try on as you go to make sure the sock fits. I had to tear out about five rounds because the sock was waaaay too big around. Now it fits just right.

I think I've said this before, but I'm jealous of anyone who can knit or crochet a whole pair of socks in an evening.

I need to go out and buy yarn for some projects, including a baby blanket I started a few months ago (and put away to make Christmas things) and the white and pink baby outfit. But it is 13 degrees outside and I'm not sure I want to go anywhere. Brrrrrr!

Frugal Friday: Save on printer ink

No, not on buying it. You save here by using less in the first place!

What does this have to do with creativity? Well, you know you print out a lot of instructions and recipes, right? All those pages take lots of ink, and (of course) the colored ink is especially expensive.

So this is what you do:

1. Highlight exactly what you want to print by left clicking at the start, then dragging the mouse until you get to the end. You don't really need to print out 37 comments, do you?

2. Open up "Print" then, under "Print Range," click on "Selection"

3. Now, under "Properties" click on "Fast" and "Grayscale." Grayscale means you won't use colored ink. Really, unless you want to keep a permanent copy (and why would you until you have made a test run?) you don't need this in color.

I hope this little Frugal tip helps! I am going to join in "Frugal Friday" over at "Life as Mom." Go check it out--lots of great tips over there!

http://lifeasmom.com/2011/01/saving-money-by-learning-from-your-mistakes-frugal-friday.html

A few projects & Housework

An afghan I've been working on here and there. It's about 4 feet wide by (as of now) 3 1/2 feet long. I found the multi-color on clearance and bought the solid to match. It's a dusty blue that is a bit darker than this picture shows. The repeat is one row of 5 chains and 3 single crochets in one row, then 7 doubles in the chain space (for the shell) and one single in the middle single crochet. It will be like this when done: a section of multi-colored, a large section of blue, another section of the multi, then finished with either just the blue or multi if I have any left.

Close up.




I took out a project I'd started before Christmas: a little boy's bucket hat. This is flannel which I've lined with some interfacing. This will probably be the inside, although it should be reversible. I don't know what I'm doing for the outside--maybe denim. When it's done, it goes in my giftie box.

The fabric is a remnant of moire that I found on clearance. It has a shine to it. It's just one of those things I picked up because it was cheap and pretty. Then I realized there was enough to make new curtains for my office/sewing room. I have finished almost all the edges and now am at the point where I have to break out the ironing board.

Housework? Not my favorite, but ya gotta do it. My big project of the day is straightening up the laundry room. Mostly because I have exactly one of every sock that I own! So I gathered up all the socks I could find and threw them in the wash. I'm also sorting out things by categories, like towels or things that need to be ironed. Hmmm, I guess I will be taking that ironing board out soon!

Gloomy, rainy day

It's been raining all day. That's fine with me if it washes away most of the snow. Trouble is flooding that makes big puddles that will freeze. Right now, it's all yucky slush out there besides big piles of snow.

My squirrel babies came to visit and looked terribly pathetic with their wet coats. I gave them lots of peanuts. Of course, the birds got their seeds, too.

This was a good day to blog hop and crochet. In between blogs I'm working on the socks I started a million years ago. So far today I think I've done 10 rounds, which makes about 600 stitches. I am jealous of these people who can turn out one pair after another. This is my first and I'm only working on it a little at a time.

I took a break from hopping and crocheting to write in my own blog, before the laptop battery runs out. I'm sitting on my bed with it.

Don't you think if someone is meant to be portable and on your lap it would have a battery that lasts longer than an hour?