Are you prepared?

Preparedness Pantry Blog Food Storage Analyzer™

Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Wow! Want to be more "Green" in your everyday life?

Check out this idea from Mother Earth News telling us how to make our own plastic wrap from 100% cotton fabric and bees wax! Beeswax Fabric

I would never have thought of this, but love the idea.  Can't use it for hubby's daily work lunch due to his job.  Everything he carries through the gates must be in clear, see-through bags or containers.  But for anyone on a "normal" job, this is a great idea!

There are a ton of other great ideas on MEN as well.  Ways to go Green, as well as ways to simply live Life easier and better.

Check them out, I don't think you'd be disappointed at all.

Happy Summer!

beeswax bag

Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Spiderman Fan's Afghan

If you have gotten the pattern more than just a few days ago, but have not yet begun to make the afghan, please go back to the pattern here on my blog to see if there are updates you should have.

Due to so many questions from people about certain aspects of the pattern, I have altered some of the wording to help make it easier to understand, and have added a few "notes" for things that are not the same on a round ripple as on a square/rectangular ripple afghan.

And as always, if you have any problems or questions about it, you can reach me at
Stitch_n_Frog  at  mchsi  dot  com

Happy Hooking!

Tuesday, May 7, 2013

Healthy Hands for Crocheters, taken from Crochet World's Talking Crochet Newsletter

This is not my smarts showing, rather it is from Talking Crochet, the newsletter by Crochet World magazine.  And is excellent advice.

You can read it here or at Healthy Hands at Talking Crochet Newsletter

I receive their newsletter and it always has good advice, great ideas, and even give-aways.  It's free, no cost to us, and very enjoyable to get in your In Box.  There's a link at the bottom that will take you to their home page, where you can look around and sign up to receive it too if you want.

 * * * * * * * * *

Healthy Hands


Many of you are such ardent crocheters that you spend several hours a day working the hook. That's wonderful, but it also raises some concerns about maintaining good hand health. Activities that require small, repetitive movements can cause muscle disorders; therefore, it's important for crafters to be aware of the risks and to do what they can to minimize them.

Of course, if you feel pain when you crochet, the best thing to do is consult your doctor. The medical community has been trying to tackle the issue of repetitive muscle disorders for several decades and has made progress in understanding its causes and cures. From my own experience, as someone who crochets many hours a day and has a bit of arthritis, I have learned to follow certain guidelines. Let me share them.

  1. Maintain good posture while working.
  2. Avoid a tight grip on the hook or yarn; keep hands relaxed.
  3. Take breaks.
  4. Stretch the hands, fingers, wrists and other parts of the upper arm regularly.
  5. Use ergonomic hooks.

By being attentive to these factors, I have been able to continue to crochet for long periods without causing additional discomfort.

If you'd like to learn more about this topic, there is some interesting information at the U.S. Occupational Safety & Health Administration at this link. The focus here is on workers who do commercial sewing, but there is much that relates to crochet.

Talking Crochet Newsletter

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

S. L. O. W. Crocheting Year So Far

Have you ever hit a 'slump' in your favorite hobby/pastime?  Every now and then, I hit a slump where I simply can't crochet . . .  And it's horrible!  I miss doing it, and want to do it, but just can't sit still or concentrate enough to manage.

A very nice lady (whom I do not know at all) ordered a Piggy Cell Phone Pouch this past Saturday. Aaaaaargh!  I've been in this slump since January and did not think to remove the finished items from my Etsy store . . . .

So I bit the bullet, got out the yarn and hooks, and got going on it.  It was not easy, and I had to do it in many many short sessions.  About ten minutes was all I could stand to sit 'n crochet at a time.  But it is done, and in the mail as of late yesterday afternoon~  Yay!

This is him/it.  Hopefully she will like it Ok.

It's not proven yet, but it may have shaken me from the slump.  At least I am now working on an Angry Bird scarf for a great-nephew in Arizona.  We're mailing a box out there Friday, and I wanted the scarf to go in along with the two hats for his Mom and Grandmother. 

So, howz your week shaping up?  If my crocheting urge continues, my week is Great!

Monday, March 25, 2013

And the winner is . . . .

Would Joan Robertson and Dannie-K118 please send your email addresses to me at Stitch_n_Frog@mchsi.com so that I can send the patterns to you?

Since there were only your two comments, I decided to declare the drawing a Tie and give both patterns to both of you~

Happy Hooking!

Saturday, March 23, 2013

Do you ever want to keep an eye on someone?

If so, now is your chance!  To win the pattern for my Bloodshot Eyeball, so you can keep an eye on someone, AND a pattern for my OctoGottcha, leave a comment and a winner will be randomly chosen Monday morning.

The Bloodshot Eyeball is a hacky sack with "blood vessels" hanging from the back of the eyeball. It is approximately 6 inches across, and when filled with synthetic fiberfill, is lightweight.


 
The OctoGottcha looks like an Octopus, but it steals the brain of whoever's head it is placed on. It then puts those brains into their child's head, so please warn the recepient to be very careful not to put it on an animal's head, because he/she will then be given animal brains by their OctoGottcha!

And we don't want to find our children out chasing cars or sprinkling on water hydrants!

A Winner will be chosen early monday morning~

Thursday, March 21, 2013

Sybil's Knit Slippers

My dear Mother-in-love taught me to make these knit slippers soon after hubby and I were married.  I've made them for the entire family through the years, more than one pair.  They are comfortable, and warm. They can be below the ankle, to/above the ankle, or up the calf as high as you want.

Grab a pair of needles and make some for yourself, you'll love them!



Sybil’s Knit Slippers

I got this pattern verbally from my dear Mother
I use two skeins of worsted weight yarn, Red Heart Super

Size 8 needles

Use 2 strands 4-ply yarn held together throughout the pattern.

 
For slippers that reach just below the ankle:

Cast on 31 stitches

Row 1: k10, p1, k9, p1, k10

Row 2: k across

Repeat rows 1 & 2 for 4-1/2" for men, 4” fo

Row 1 of foot body: k1, p1 on 11 stitches, k9, p1, k1 on last 11 stitches.

Row 2 of foos body: p1, k1 on 10 stitches, k11, p1, k1 to end.

Repeat these two rows to desired foot length, measuring from heel to to

Next k2tog for 3 rows. Bind off, leaving a long tail to sew slipper together.

Fold up along the P1 line of sitches to shape the slipper. Stitch up the back of the heel. Then stitch

from the toe from tip to start of vertical ribbing to complete the s

 
For Calf-high slippers:
 
cast on 91sts

Row 1: k40, p1, k9, p1, k40

Row 2: k across

Repeat these two rows for 4-1/2" for men,

4” for women. End with row 1.

Next; bind off 30sts, repeat row 2 to end.

Next; bind off 30sts, k1, p1 on 11 st, k9,

p1, k1 on last 11 stitches.

Row 1 of foot body: k1, p1 on 11 stitches,

k9, p1, k1 on last 11 stitches.

Row 2 of foos body: p1, k1 on 10 stitches,

k11, p1, k1 to end.

Repeat these two rows to desired foot

length, measuring from heel to toe.

Next k2tog for 3 rows. Bind off, leaving a very long tail for sewing up slipper.

Fold up along the P1 line of sitches to shape the slipper.

the top of the leg. Then stitch from the toe from tip to start of vertical ribbing, continue up the leg to complete the slipper.

Sunday, February 24, 2013

A Beauty Webinar

Cherelynn is doing a free webinar for beauty consultants, if you know an Avon, Arbonne or MaryKay lady who could use more sales and bridal clients, would you share this link? Thanks!

Visit http://makeupuniversity.blogspot.com/2013/02/free-webinar-how-to-build-your-bridal_23.html

She won't steer you wrong!  Go check it out, you'll be glad you did!

Thursday, February 21, 2013

Finally!

I finally finished the Kissy! Kissy! Fish Face Hat!  Yay!
I love it, but due to illness and exhaustion, have had a terrible time in completing it.  And I'm very happy to have it done so I can mail it to the pattern writer for donation to a children's cancer clinic.

The lady who wrote the pattern has a shop on Ravelry Crochet By Darleen Hopkins

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Moving within the home is a pain in the Everywhere!

Our adult daughter has lived with us for the past few years, and just recently moved into her own apartment.  So we are in the process of moving, but without leaving home~

My old yarn room is going to become the pantry we never had, and my new yarn room is being set up in the den which was her room for those years.  The room is much larger, and better lit than my old yarn room, thanks to this room having 8 windows.

Currently it looks a bit like this - - -

And that's just one side of the room!  So it may take me a good while to locate specific yarn, or pattern, or magazine, or even the container of buttons that I need to finish the new curtain tie-backs that I'm crocheting.

But when it is finished, it will be my Happy Room!  A place that I can go to just to sit in my rocking chair, and enjoy being surrounded by yarn and projects in various stages of completion.  In other words, my dream room~

And possibly the best thing of all, our daughter likes her apartment and likes doing things her way, when she wants to do them. So I don't even have to feel guilty about using "her room" for my yarny goodness.  Besides, her yarn is out there too!  ~LOL~

Tuesday, February 5, 2013

It just doesn't come any cuter than this!


Little Owl's Hut

I bought the pattern the day it hit her store, and am SO anxious to start work on it!  The patterns at this store are amazing and every time I think they can't come up with another one even half as good as the last, they come up with one equal to or better!

Go take a look and you'll see for yourself.  I do not get anything at all for posting about their patterns.  I do it only so maybe they will get known by more and more people.  And because I believe that their work is of such quality that they deserve every Kudo and Pat On The Back that we can give to them.

Happy Hooking!