Seriously, where is the warm weather?

I guess I can't complain too much about the weather - there has been less than a half of an inch for the city. Which is great for still getting around the city with a car, parking in a space that hasn't been occupied by someone's lawn chair (if you move the chair, your car will be keyed), and wearing nice shoes without getting them salty.

I've recently posted these two scarves for sale on my Etsy store. As I was taking photos and writing their description for my shop, I was imagining myself on a beach with the warm sun shining. Then, I immediately told Steve I want to go on vacation by the end of February and it must be a beach with a warm 80 degree sun, or it would be worthless. I spent about an hour and a half looking up flights and vacation deals, only to realize I don't have that kind of money, especially with our wedding in October of this year.

So until I get that beach, I will live vicariously though the lives of these scarves, which I picture as a sarong for beach goers, or accessory on a floppy beach hat. Sigh.

Vintage Oscar de la Renta silk scarf (it's huge - approx 33"x35"). Great to wear around your waist or shoulders walking to and from the beach. The design is so gorgeous, looks like watercolors printed on silk.

Vintage tropical chiffon scarf, no label. This scarf is so light and airy, would be great to shield your hair from the sun while still keeping your head cool. Oh the pattern is lovely - Black and lime green with coral red tropical flowers. Can you feel the sun now?

Chevron baby blanket

Many times, I look up a pattern with full anticipation that my finished product will turn out so much better with a real pattern with real results. Wrong. Usually after round 2 of crocheting a project, I realize the pattern is not right (or I'm not right) and I have to alter it to suit what I need it to be. Take this blanket I made for my nephew, Adam. I looked up a basic chevron blanket pattern from lion brand. While the general pattern worked well, the gauge was not right (when I was using the proper hook size) and the blanket was to be the width of half my arm. Good for a baby doll maybe, not a human. Anywho, I altered it to suit my needs, and it worked well (I think).
The yarn is Caron's super soft yarn (and it is super soft!) and the colors go so well together. It took me a lot longer than I anticipated, probably 16-18 hours total. I was working on it on the 5 hour car ride home for Christmas (until the sun set and I couldn't see anymore) and I worked on it for about 30 minutes on Christmas eve night seconds before I wrapped it. SO MUCH CROCHETING TO DO! (I'm now taking a bit of a break...)

I made this blanket with full intentions of this being Adam's security blankie.. who didn't have one?? Since we live so far apart I wanted Adam to know that every time he hugs his blanket, he is hugging his Auntie :)

keeping secrets!

I couldn't post about the progression of this afghan because it was a Christmas present for my mom! (and she's the only one who reads my blog!).


I started this afghan in november and decided to piece it together like an assembly line. I made 30 squares of the pattern "Willow" from 200 Crochet Blocks for blankets, throws, and afghans by Jan Eaton. So, I made 30 of the first round of colors (5 different colors, six of each), 30 of the second round of colors, and so on and so forth. It made the squares piece together quicker (since I only had to reference the pattern for the first two of each round, I could remember it from memory for the last 28. I set a goal of doing at least 3 parts a day (ie. the first round i would do 3 a day). But I would slack off, or be too tired (or be working on crocheted coasters since my mom asked for those for Christmas - little did she know I was making this beast!). I brought it to my 3 day trip to Atlanta in November, brought it for small road trips, and worked almost non-stop until I went to bed each night. When I finally attached all the squares together, I didn't finish til the border was on! It was so much fun to make, but I'm happy to take a break and read for a bit (5 books for Christmas!!!)




















the squares finished, sans border.




















squares attached, without border





and finally, my mom enjoying her new afghan! it's not a full blanket, but more of a lap blanket!

Christmas happenings...

I've been baking and making the last few weeks, preparing for Christmas goodies. Crocheting items for family and friends has been a must, and I will admit, I will be crocheting until I pull into the driveway of my parents house (I'm not driving, don't worry. don't crochet and drive, people).



I decided to make these for my dad and his infamous mustache: I had a pattern I was using, but it didn't work out (at all), so I made up this pattern. If anyone is interested, I could write out this pattern, it's super easy (and probably not technically correct, but it works!).. (I could not get this image to upload properly, hence why it is on it's side... you get the idea).












Also, made my mom's aunt mary's pizzelle cookies for steve's two grandma's... they both loved receiving them and telling us they were not going to share with anyone. ah, the holiday spirit!


















and finally, I made this recipe by martha stewart (no lies, she has the best recipes that ALWAYS work)... they are called chocolate crackle cookies.
I used super, super, dark chocolate (85% cocoa, I don't know why I bought that bar... but when I went to use the package, I noticed it had been opened and someone snuck a piece of chocolate. not to my surprise, it was only a tiny piece. i asked steve why he ate it, and of course he thought it was going to be yummy chocolate which he thought he could sneak from me... well, it was so bitter, he only had a nibble and put it back!). anywho, i mixed half the super strong chocolate with another half of chocolate chips, and it made the cookies really rich and yummy! the kind of cookie you can have one of and be done with (or 3 in steve's case).

oh, did i tell you i'm getting married?

for my wedding next October, I want to make as many items as I can... not only to save money, but it will be something fun to do while waiting for my day.

I saw crochet votives on BHLDN's website, and for $8 each, I don't know who would buy them. But I wanted them! and I knew I could make them cheaper than $1 a piece.

So, I'm saving all my old food jars (small ones, like little pesto jars, etc) and using my leftover yarn from other projects to crochet covers on the jars. I also have a ton of glass tea light holders from my sister's wedding. I think the different sized glasses and colors of our wedding (grey, yellow, red) crocheted on the votive will look better than $8 candle holders. Plus, I'm going to use real candles, not tea lights - will last longer and probably produce better lighting, (25 bucks for 80 real candles? yes!)

Here's the first one I made, and I have two others as well. Just waiting to eat some food and reuse the jars :)I just guessed on the pattern - double crochets with two chain stitches in between. Another one I made is all the scallop stitch - very pretty with the light shining through!

alright, i'll update

my mom started a blog about her crafts and findings and whatnot. her blog is better than mine, only due to her years she has on me (i love you mom). you can check out her blog here! and go to her etsy store, she has some great vintage crafting supplies for super cheap. here's the link to her etsy store, Patalier!


So, I finally finished that granny square blanket. I estimated it took me about 130 hours to complete. Which is a pretty scary amount of hours, start to finish. Each block took me 1.5-2 hours to make, then I used a single crochet to attach all the squares together. The border is a round of double crochet, a round of treble crochet, then I used a scallop stitch to make a cute border. I don't think I will ever make a blanket out of 63 different patterns ever again.

small kitchen updates

small kitchen updates? let's be real. i just bought a bunch of stuff. i have an overload of kitchen items (not a bad thing) but it made me realize i really need a kitchen with display cabinets. well, maybe two to keep things on display. i like to shove everything else behind the doors and forget about it. so this is my favorite nook in my kitchen :)