Changing the Rules.

I've spent some time thinking about my goal for the year. I like the idea of completing a project each week, but I'm finding that it's really not practical. As I was looking for projects for this month, I kept being drawn to larger projects. I've decided that I'll be flexible about the "week" issue. I'll still post and mix in smaller projects that can be accomplished in a week or do a larger project over a couple of weeks. The point of the goal wasn't to be rigid, it was to make me take a little time each day to focus on enjoying crocheting! So the project that I couldn't get "away" from that made me realize that it was time to adjust my thinking was this amazing jacket. I had seen one similar in a store, solid fabric but the same basic shape, and loved it. Unfortunately it was out of my price range. I love this one even better, I think I'm going to go look for a good deal on the yarn suggested, this is worth investing a little more in instead of digging through my stash, although, if I can't find a good deal I'll look at the stash again! So here's the link for Caron International Yarns, Lightweight Zen Jacket. I'm happy to say that I'll be making a size L/XL and hope that it drapes nicely as I lose more weight :)
http://www.favecrafts.com/Crochet-Sweaters/Lightweight-Zen-Jacket

Have a great Crochet day!

March Already!

I'm working on planning March's projects. Now that the baby blanket is done I'm going to pick a few smaller projects. I've been seeing a lot of crocheted baskets on Pinterest, and I'm going to work on one for this week. I always need more baskets, especially in my kitchen. http://www.pickles.no/granny-basket/
I'm also going to start the Gene Smart anti-inflammatory diet this week. This new diet is restrictive in a few key ways, less protein and less COFFEE. As I was reading and working on Made to Crave bible study this week I was reading about foods being an issue when you don't want to give them up. Trust me when I say "6 ounces of coffee" is very restrictive to me! I'm trying to hold the coffee with an open hand to the Lord and not rebel. If this is what it takes to achieve my desired result then so be it. The good news is that I get to drink tea, lots of tea and I do enjoy tea, just not quite as much as I do coffee :) I've been doing a liberal amount of lean proteins so this is going to be an adjustment too.I'm trying to focus on all the things I get to enjoy eating and not focus on the things that I don't get to eat, or only get a little bit of. I will definitely need to spend time crocheting to distract myself the first few days.
Have a great Crochet day!

Picking Up the Pieces

After being sick, I'm still working on the baby blanket. I'm almost finished with the body of it. I have two more sets of repeats and then it will be time for the edge. I plan on trying a different edge than the pattern calls for because the shell stitch seems a little feminine to me, but with the shells in the body of the blanket I may decide to go back to the original edge called for in the pattern. We'll just have to wait and see how it looks and then I'll decide what I want to do. I'm hoping that I can get the blanket completed this week and get back on schedule for some new projects!
I'm also finishing up Cycle 1 of the 17-Day-Diet, so far I'm down 5 pounds. Last time I was on Cycle 1 I didn't lose any so I'm really excited about this, but I have to admit that I'm ready to move on to Cycle 2. I'm loving leading the Made to Crave bible study, I have a great group of women joining me on my journey! The great thing is that the study is available online. Check out Lysa's website: www.madetocrave.org.
Have a great Crochet day!

Nothing New to Report

I've not had much time to crochet, I'm getting back to it in just a few minutes! Our homeschool co-op is at our house tomorrow so I've been working on cleaning and straightening things up around here. I've been doing well on the 17-Day-Diet and enjoying the Made to Crave bible study. At the moment I'm fighting a headache and I wonder if some of it is from the low-carb meal plan I'm doing. Back to the baby blanket! Have a great Crochet day!

Busy Weekends and Slow Days!

This weekend flew by. Even more so than many others. I started teaching Made to Crave with a wonderful group of women. I'm very excited to see where the Lord takes us on this journey. I also started back on the 17-Day-Diet, I'm enjoying being  back on it, although, I'm really missing the carbs. I know it's just for 17 days so I can handle it, especially with the Lord's help!

Needless to say I didn't get to crochet a lot this weekend. I am making progress. Here's a picture of the baby blanket so far.

My plan for this week is to just finish up the blanket. My house needs some real attention so I'm hoping to finish the blanket mid-week and the dig in on shoveling out a couple of rooms of my house! Have a great Crochet day!

Still Working on It!

I'm still working on the baby blanket. Not much progress to report. It's been a busy day with homeschooling and co-op and groceries. I'll post pictures on Saturday or Sunday when I get more done. On another note I'm switching diets. I'm excited to get back to the 17-Day-Diet and have more fruits and veggies, I'll miss the carbs that I've had on the Belly-Fat Cure, but I only lost 1 pound this last week while exercising 4 out-of  5 days. I think it's just too many carbs for my body. I'm also going to lead Made to Crave by Lysa TerKeurst starting tomorrow morning. I love this study and the way it's made me look at my relationship with food and the Lord. I highly recommend it! I need to go crochet so I can make more progress on this baby blanket! Have a great Crochet day!

Here's yesterdays progress:

Baby Blanket Bliss

Yesterday I shared with you that many times I've tried out a new baby blanket pattern only to pull out my stitches and start over with my old stand by the diagonal stitch pattern. I love the diagonal stitch pattern, it's easy, simple & beautiful. This blog has challenged me to change things up and not rely on my old stand by. So I've started a new pattern. I'm loving it! It is well written and easy to follow and it's working up beautifully. It is a repeat of 3 rows and I only have 16 more repeats to go! :) Here's the link again http://www.redheart.com/free-patterns/cuddle-coo-blanket
and a picture of my progress

Change of Plans!

Sometimes you come to a fork in the road and have to do U-turn! The project I started for this week is not going well at all. I'm kinda bummed about it, but not giving up. I found the pattern to be very confusing. Then I went back and read the comments section on it which I don't normally do, and found that a lot of other people found it confusing too. So at least I don't feel alone. If you want to give it a try here are my suggestions, print it out and  mark up the pattern. They describe a "triple crochet 2 together" but really give you directions for a triple crochet/double crochet 2 together. I've spent most of the last 24 hours trying to work on this and just not accomplishing anything but a headache. I really wouldn't recommend this pattern. So here's the new plan I'm going to try a Celtic Knot dishcloth! Using the same materials. http://www.sugarncream.com/pattern.php?PID=5136

I'm going to take something for my headache, work-out, do school with my son and start over. Have a great Crochet day!

My Week 4 Project is Finished :)

I'm doing another happy dance! I finished the hat I wove in the ends just a little while ago. The hat is to small for me to wear, so I'm looking forward to passing it on to someone else!

I think it turned out pretty nice.

I'm looking forward to next weeks project, here's the link: http://www.favecrafts.com/Crochet-Bags/Everyday-Market-Bag-from-Bernat

On another note I did my first party as myself! It felt really strange not having my wig, make-up and costume as a buffer! It went really well and everyone had a great time!!! Have a great Crochet day!

Progress is slow!

I've gotten a little more work done on the hat. I'm really enjoying it. Unfortunately, my husbands truck is going to need a major repair. I'm a little distracted in trying to decide if we should repair an old truck or not. I'll be posting pictures of my progress this weekend. My goal is to have the hat completed on Sunday then I'll be ready to go on to the next project! In the meantime here's a great article on organizing your yarn stash from Lion Brand Yarns. http://blog.lionbrand.com/2012/02/02/12-tips-on-how-to-organize-your-yarn-stash/
Have a great Crochet Day!

Oops, here's the start & progress of this weeks project!

I was so ready to start this new project that I forgot to take a picture of my supplies before I started. Here's the link for this weeks project. http://www.crochetville.org/forum/showthread.php?t=107990

I got started and I'm liking the project so far. I didn't have the correct size pin for the broomstick lace portion, but I used what I had. I may need to add a few more rows along the way because my broomstick lace isn't as big as in the original.. I chose my yarn from my stash and unfortunately it didn't have a label, but it is a standard weight acrylic. I won't be choosing any non-acrylics, I'm allergic to wool and alpaca so I've given up trying those fibers.
On another note, it's over 60 degrees in Southern Indiana and we have SUNSHINE!!! We went for a walk as part of our Homeschool day. I would have liked to have made it much longer, I need the exercise, but we have other things to do today! I woke up to a beautiful foggy sunny day and just had to take pictures.

Have a Great Crochet Day!

Learning from Mistakes!

It's been a crazy day! I had an appointment that I thought would take about an hour, 3 hours later I'm home! The good news is I took my project with me and that helped keep busy. Unfortunately I found I had made a mistake in one the first rows. that mistake was one extra stitch that I didn't find, but it was leading to multiple extra stitches with each subsequent row. I did not want to pull out all of my progress, maybe pull out my hair, so I was glad to have time to sit a figure out how to "fix" the problem. I ended up decreasing until the extra stitches were gone, one corner of my wrap will be a little wonky, but that's okay. If you don't look close you won't notice and it's just not a big enough problem to undo two days of work. If I didn't feel that I was on a "deadline" I might start over. But, this forced to me to think about was to continue and make adjustments.

Being in an office waiting for people to come and go and help me, my project was a real conversation starter. This pattern definitely is an attention grabber. I think it opened doors for people to be friendlier and they are always curious about what I'm working on. I love that crochet provides such opportunities!

Now I need to work on cleaning my house, school work and all the other things that didn't get done while I was waiting! I'll post a picture of my progress tomorrow! I'm giving myself until Sunday to get the project complete, so instead of wearing it this weekend I may still be working on it and that is okay! I'm not pursing perfection, just trying to make time to relax and enjoy one of my favorite crafts.

Have a great Crochet day!

Starting over!

I'm glad I started over. It is a pain in the neck, but I know that if I'm not happy with the way it looks while I'm crocheting it, I'll never like the finished project. the size K hook is producing the look I want. That makes me happy! After posting yesterday I pulled every stitch out including the chain. That is a big deal for me, I hate counting 159 chains. I used stitch markers every 25 and it went much faster. I always tell my students to use stitch markers, but frankly sometimes I'm lazy and just don't bother, then I tend to end up spending 3 times longer creating the chain because I get distracted and lose count. So, I took my own advice and had success the first time around and it saved a lot of time. I need that time because I feel behind on this project.

We've been having some issues with homeschooling, he's just not wanting to get started on the work. One of the reasons I enjoy homeschooling is because we can start school at a time that is better for him, mood and focus wise. We're just not getting a time where he's wanting to do it. I don't want it to come down to a fight. I am instituting a "no electronics" policy after what I feel is the appropriate time to get down to business on the school work. We've seen so much progress on the behavioral side of his issues with autism since we began homeschooling and I don't want to trade them off for anything, but we need to be disciplined and do the work. Striking another balance in me life...

I was disappointed that I my weight didn't go down. It's okay, I know one of the major reasons is I'm not making the time to exercise! I need to be more disciplined about that and so many other areas of my life.

Have a great Crochet day and I look forward to sharing more progress with you tomorrow!

Why Gauge is important to crocheting

I've not made much progress on this weeks project. I was using the size N hook like the directions indicate. I was getting a very loose fabric. I do not like very loose crochet. I switched to a L hook and still was unhappy with the look of  it. I've started over completely with a K hook and I am much happier. I am pretty sure that the gauge will still be right. It is still measuring according to the pattern. I've not completed the number of rows required to measure the gauge that way, but it appears that it will be within tolerance for the gauge.

I do not normally create swatch to check for gauge, I know I should and it would have probably saved me time. Many times it honestly doesn't matter. If the gauge is off for this project, it will not be the end of the world. I think it is large enough that it will still be fine. My only concern is not having enough yarn. Obviously, projects like clothing require always checking your gauge to get the proper size and fit.

I don't really have any progress to show. I'll post pictures tomorrow! Have a great Crochet day!

Week 4 Project

I'm amazed that January is almost over! This week's project is going to be a little more challenging. I want to point out that this one "skein" project does use a 1 pound skein. I hope you'll join me and make your own version of this wrap this week! Here's the link to the pattern http://www.favecrafts.com/Crochet-Sweaters/Simple-One-Skein-Wrap-from-Caron . Here are my supplies: Caron One Pound Skein in white, size N crochet hook, and a yarn needle.

I'm hoping to be able to wear this wrap this weekend, I'm going to a Ladies' retreat, I hope to be refreshed and renewed and come back more prepared to homeschool, lead the Made to Crave bible study, and stick with the Belly Fat Cure. I'm going to be challenged to stick with my meal plan and exercise while I'm away from home but since I will be with my sister's in Christ and discussing the study we'll be starting, I will be aware of my choices. Accountability is a powerful thing! Have a great Crochet day!

Happy Weekend, February's Plan

I've almost finished the "diet" bracelet. Talk about using "higher" math I planned it to count 4 16oz glasses of water, 6 servings of carbs and 15 grams of sugar to correspond with my current meal plan "The Belly Fat Cure". Then I needed to add beads just to make it large enough to fit my wrist. Here is a picture of the (almost) finished project. I need to pick-up a new tube of hypo-allergenic jewelry glue to finish off the knot securely and some jump rings to attach the charms to lobster claw clasps. Once it's completed I can move the charms for each item I'm counting and keep track of what I eat throughout the day. I plan on making another in colors that are a little more neutral sometime in the future.

Here are the projects that I'm currently planning on for February:

Anytime Market Bag from AllFreeCrochet.com
http://www.allfreecrochet.com/SummerBags/Anytime-Market-Bag/ct/1

Lovely in Lace Hat
http://www.crochetville.org/forum/showthread.php?t=107990

Beaded Coffee Cup Cozy
http://jspirik.blogspot.com/2009/07/beaded-coffee-cup-cozy.html

That's what I've planned so far in addition to the baby blanket for a friend! Have a great weekend! I'm looking forward to next weeks goal project, it will be more challenging than this weeks! Caron One Skein Wrap
http://www.favecrafts.com/Crochet-Sweaters/Simple-One-Skein-Wrap-from-Caron


Have a great Crochet day!

Where do I find crochet patterns???

I thought I would take today to let you know how, where etc. to find crochet patterns. First of all, I don't have a lot of money to spend on buying patterns. I use two main sources, the internet and thrift stores. There are many sources for patterns on the internet, www.etsy.com, www.interweave.com and www.ebay.com are a few of the ones out there. My favorites are the FREE ones, www.allfreecrochet.com is basically links to thousands of free patterns on the internet! All of the major yarn manufacturers have websites with free patterns, but they are listed at all free crochet. So when I am looking for ideas for projects or specific styles of patterns my first stop is this website!
I also pick up craft and crochet books at thrift stores, yard sales etc. Some are very "vintage" the colors may not be my style but the pattern is great, especially when I apply a modern color palette to it. Although I noticed the latest JoAnn's ad had very 70's colors and patterns on the front. www.joanns.com I'm not sure I'm ready to return to the oranges and browns of the 70's.
My other option is to buy Crochet books or magazines using one of www.hobbylobby.com, http://www.michaels.com/ or JoAnn's great coupons or sales. There are also many books available at your local library, the only downside is you have to return it in a relatively short period of time.

I hope you have a great weekend and enjoy exploring the amazing resources for crochet patterns! Have a great Crochet day!

Week 2 project started!

I got this week's project started last night. It went really well, which means the pattern was written extremely well if I could follow it while I wasn't feeling anywhere near 100%! I love well written patterns, I also enjoy the challenge of figuring out some of the less well written ones. You know the ones, the ones that assume you will do certain things without being told or over complicate things  I've found the same issues with sewing patterns, knitting patterns and other craft patterns, it's just a fact of life!
So here are my supplies:

 I chose this yarn from my stash. Patons Silk Bamboo. It is very soft and was the "light" number 3 that the directions called for. I love the softness but it does come with a caution,  it is almost like working with embroidery floss. See the picture below. This caused a few "snags" as I was crocheting.

The yarn split very easily and I had a few issues with not being able to pull the crochet hook through smoothly and having a strand or two stuck from a previous stitch in my current one. It wasn't a big deal, it just slowed me down more than I would like.

I was able to finish one cuff! Unfortunately it is too small for me! I am going to make two more and I think I'm going to add a row of the broomstick lace and a couple of the single crochet (sc) rows to get the size I need. Maybe losing a few more pounds will help ;) .

I'm on the road to recovery, still not 100% but working towards it. I'm really enjoying working toward my goal of completing one project a week. As a bonus, I'm trying to focus on it when the "mindless munchies" are trying to attack! Distraction is an amazing weapon in parenting and dieting!
Happy Crocheting!

Week 2 project

I have an upper respiratory infection :( I started medications yesterday and am feeling somewhat better. I plan on starting my week 2 project this evening! Which can is the cuff I found of Ravelry. http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/longmeadow-cuff

I know only a few people have found my blog so far, I'd love to hear any comments and suggestions you might have. I know a ramble at times, sorry about that. I'm new to this and want to be improving as I go. Please let me know what you find helpful and what you don't!

Dieting when you are sick is stinks, I'm trying to stick with the plan and just increase the carbs a little to help my body combat the infection. Exercise is not in the picture at the moment, which has me bummed because it was 56 degrees today and for January 10th in Indiana! I would have loved to get out and enjoy the sunshine and warmer temps. Oh well, there will be other days to enjoy I am sure. Have a great Crochet day!

Week 1 goal complete!

I completed my week 1 goal last night. After a busy day running errands etc. I finally sat down and finished it. Then I got cold and couldn't get warm and realized I was running a fever. I'm bummed, being sick was not part of the plan for this week! Oh well, life goes on! Here is the picture of the finished project. Happy Crocheting!

I'm also considering adding a couple more flowers to make it longer. But that's for another time :)