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Monday, January 31, 2011

weekend

some things i do


last week i decided i need to finally crochet a blanket. right now it's just the size of a throw blanket, but i am planning to keep going until it's nice and big. so that is what i worked on a lot this weekend, just using mostly yarn i already had. and the best part is that i can cover up in it as i work now that it's getting real blanket sized.  here is the catherine's wheel stitch i've been using:

using colors A and B

with color A, ch a multiple of 10 stitches, plus one

row 1:  turn. ch 1, 2 sc,  *skip 3 chs, 7 dcs in next st, sk 3 chs, 3 scs* ; repeat from * to * ending with 2 scs. 

row 2:  turn.  change to color b, ch 2.  dc4together over (sc, sc, dc, dc),  *ch 3, 3 scs, ch 3, dc7tog over (dc, dc, sc, sc, sc, dc, dc)*;  repeat from * to * across, ending with dc4tog over (dc, dc, sc, sc), sk tch. 

row 3:  turn.  ch 2.  4 dcs in dc4tog,  *sk ch-3, 3 scs, sk ch-3, 7 dcs in dc7tog*;  repeat from * to * across, ending with 4 dcs in dc4tog, sk turning ch. 

row 4:  turn.  change to color a, ch 1.  2 scs,  *ch 3, dc7tog (over dc, dc, sc, sc, sc, dc, dc),  ch 3,  3 scs*;  repeat from * to * across, ending with 2 scs, sk turning ch.

repeat rows 1-4



 also this weekend was really nice outside, so we took our pig to the park


 and i got some packages ready to send


and i acquired this owl bank i had been wanting. pale green is one of my faves.
-l

Saturday, January 29, 2011

friday date



we are happy about our first official date night this year!
we usually try to go out every friday, but we haven't been since before christmas. so to begin again, yesterday we went walking around to the river in savannah and then to t-rex mex to eat burritos. 







Thursday, January 20, 2011

this week

this week was mostly spent watching new in town and veronica mars a lot, reading and picking up all the many books i ordered from the library (thanks for the recommendations!),  
and working on crafts.


i made a bow belt,




 some book plates, i saw these in martha stewart while looking through valentine issues. 




 and i put some cream and grey circle scarves in my shop.

Sunday, January 16, 2011

pattern: chunky circle scarf


i said to myself, i need a big chunky circular scarf to wear all the time.. and this is what came of it.  

i am putting this grey one in my etsy shop, and also, here is the pattern:
( this pattern is intended for personal use only, thank you! )

chunky circle scarf

you will need:  
2 skeins of worsted weight yarn (i used caron simply soft) using both strands at once throughout, otherwise you could use bulky weight yarn
10 mm crochet hook , or any large hook (i crochet quite loosely, so if you don't, a hook larger than the one i used will work better)
large needle for weaving in ends

stitches used: 
ch: chain
sc: single crochet
dc: double crochet
dc4tog: double crochet 4 stitches together: yarn over once, insert the hook into the stitch, draw up 1 loop (3 loops on hook), yarn over, draw through 2 loops (2 loops remaining) 
now leave those 2 remaining loops on the hook and yarn over once, insert hook into the next stitch, draw up 1 loop (4 loops on hook), yarn over, draw through 2 loops (3 loops remaining)
leave the 3 loops on hook, yarn over once, insert hook into the next stitch, draw up 1 loop (5 loops on hook), yarn over, draw through 2 loops (4 loops remaining)
leave the 4 loops on hook, yarn over once, insert hook into the next stitch, draw up 1 loop (6 loops on hook), yarn over, draw through 2 loops (5 loops remaining)
 to finish the dc4together, yarn over once, and draw through all 5 loops at once.

dc7tog: double crochet 7 stitches together: same as dc4tog, but instead of finishing off by drawing through all 5 loops, keep going over next 3 stitches: leave the 5 loops on hook, yarn over once, insert hook into the next stitch, draw up 1 loop (7 loops on hook), yarn over, draw through 2 loops (6 loops remaining)
leave the 6 loops on hook, yarn over once, insert hook into the next stitch, draw up 1 loop (8 loops on hook), yarn over, draw through 2 loops (7 loops remaining) leave the 7 loops on hook, yarn over once, insert hook into the next stitch, draw up 1 loop (9 loops on hook), yarn over, draw through 2 loops (8 loops remaining)
to finish the dc7together, yarn over once, and draw through all 8 loops at once.

gauge: 
4 rows are a little over three inches tall,
and one pattern repeat (10 stitches, the stitch patterns between the *'s) are about 4 and a quarter inches long

finished size:
about 60 inches around, and 10 inches wide 




using both strands of yarn at once, chain 131

(NOTE: i crochet quite loosely, so if your scarf is coming out too short, just add multiples of ten chains to the original 131 chains)

row 1:  turn. ch 1, 2 sc,  *skip 3 chs, 7 dcs in next stitch, skip 3 chs, 3 scs* ; repeat from * to * ending with 2 scs. 

row 2:  turn.  ch 2.  dc4together over (sc, sc, dc, dc),  *ch 3, 3 scs, ch 3, dc7tog over (dc, dc, sc, sc, sc, dc, dc)*;  repeat from * to * across, ending with dc4tog over (dc, dc, sc, sc), skip turning ch. 

row 3:  turn.  ch 2.  4 dcs in dc4tog,  *skip ch-3, 3 scs, skip ch-3, 7 dcs in dc7tog*;  repeat from * to * across, ending with 4 dcs in dc4tog, skip turning ch. 

row 4:  turn.  ch 1.  2 scs,  *ch 3, dc7tog (over dc, dc, sc, sc, sc, dc, dc),  ch 3,  3 scs*;  repeat from * to * across, ending with 2 scs, skip turning ch.

repeat rows 1-4, 2 more times. do not bind off.

connect the two ends of the scarf  to create a circle and slip stitch them together. bind off and weave in ends.




Thursday, January 13, 2011

book club


   a new year is a good time for a new reading list. my sister stacia and i have our own little book club and our list for the year is made up of cassic books all written by women. half are by authors we already love, and half are by authors we haven't read before. 



:::sister book club list:::

 january:   sense and sensibility,  by jane austen
february:   my life in france,   by julia child
march:   mrs. miniver,  by jan struther
april:   betsy and the great world,  by maud hart lovelace
may:   miss pettigrew lives for a day,  by winifred watson
june:   emily of new moon,   by l.m. montgomery
july:   the tenant of wildfell hall,   by anne bronte
august:   a little princess,   by frances hodgson burnett
september:   a tree grows in brooklyn,   by betty smith
october:   rebecca,   by daphne de maurier
november:   cold comfort farm,   by stella gibbons
december:   jo's boys,   by louisa may alcott



 what books do you love?

Sunday, January 9, 2011

lace collar and cozy and scarf and bread

here i am!
happy new year!
after christmas we drove down from minnesota to florida to spend new year's with mike's family, and then his parents stayed with us for a bit and spoiled us a whole lot.  
but all good fun holidays must end and now it is back to real life..and making food for my own self again. among other things.

i have been without my camera for a little while, since i forgot my charger up in mn. but it came back to me in the mail from my mom yesterday, so i have been taking a whole bunch of pictures of the things i've been working on:

crochet lace collar







 more phone cozies


chunky circle scarf



and here are a few pictures of what mike has been working on:
  while we were in minnesota mike learned under my mom's tutelage how to make homemade wheat bread, garlic naan, and chicken curry.(which i didn't get a picture of) 
i usually cook all of our meals, so this is a big deal! 
they were all really really good, and now i want him to make them all the time.


 mmmmm.