Hooked on Needles


Thursday, September 26, 2013

Mary's Wedding Gift Afghan ~ Finished and On Its Way!

Mary's Wedding Gift Afghan is finally heading to its new home in Texas! I actually finished it quite a while ago, but with school starting and now a new job, finding time to photograph it and package it up and mail it was proving difficult.

So here it is for one last peek...


This afghan was crocheted using THIS pattern from the Red Heart website and Bernat's Waverly yarn in Thistle, which is actually a pale lavendar color, although I think it shows up more blue on the computer screen. Well, on mine anyway.


The border on this afghan turned out so pretty, and it complements the afghan design so nicely. I just love it!


Here are a couple more close up shots of that pretty border!


Usually for the border of a crocheted afghan, I would just do a few rounds of single crochet and maybe a round of reverse single crochet (also called crab stitch), or maybe even a simple scallop. For some afghans, I have actually just done one round of single crochet and left it at that so as not to have the border compete with the afghan design, as shown in the last picture on THIS POST of the afghan on our bed. But this border was part of the pattern, and really works so beautifully with this afghan pattern and finishes it off just perfectly. It's very "Mary" too, so girly and feminine!

So that's one of my recent finishes. If you are looking for a nice afghan pattern to crochet, this one was very easy to do once the four-row pattern was established. It would be pretty in multiple colors too, maybe changing colors after every pattern repeat. For all you new crocheters out there, this might be a good one to try if you are feeling adventurous and want to step out of your comfort zone.

Soon I'll have a fun fall tote bag to show you which will be available for purchase in my Etsy shop. The crochet project I am working on right now is the surprise I've mentioned that I can't show you, so that will have to wait a while to be revealed. I'm pretty sure you are not too interested in seeing some of the other things that have taken up my time recently, like close up pictures of the nervous system, the endocrine system and the reproductive system! We'll just stick with fun, crafty, needlework kind of stuff for now! You're very welcome!

Have a great weekend!

Happy Stitching!

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Sunday, September 22, 2013

Jan's Crocheted Basketweave Afghan

Today is the first day of my very favorite season, so Happy Fall to all my readers out there! The days are getting shorter, the nights are getting colder, and it is time to haul out those cozy crocheted, knitted and quilted blankets for some serious cuddling. Of course, this time of year also means I'm back in school. This semester I am only taking two courses, my last two prerequisites before submitting my application to the nursing program in January. I am also starting work at a part time job this week, so there will be even less time than ever for me to pop in here and update you on my handiwork! Of course that does not mean handiwork won't be happening! On the contrary, my hands will still be busy stitching when I can, but posting about it will just have to wait.

So today I'd like to share with you a very cozy, perfect-for-fall, crocheted basketweave afghan that Jan made using my basketweave tutorial. She was kind enough to send pictures, and was so proud of her work. Take a look and see why...


Thick and cozy, just perfect for the cool weather of fall and the cold of winter that is right around the corner!


I'd say Jan has every right to be proud of this lovely crocheted afghan. Thanks so much, Jan, for sharing your work with me and hopefully inspiring others to give it a try too!

I finished Mary's wedding gift afghan, but have not yet mailed it. I still need to take some pictures of the finished afghan, and find a box to mail it! I am also working on another crochet project which is coming along very nicely. Pictures will have to wait though because it is a surprise for someone special who just might read this blog! And I have been doing a little sewing in my spare time too, getting my Impromptu quilt backing pieced, and also piecing a quilt of Deb Strain's Saltbox Harvest that I bought in a kit a few years ago. So I have two quilts ready for the long arm now. Also using the leftovers of the Saltbox Harvest yardage and a jelly roll that I purchased at the same time as the kit, I am making this fun tote bag pattern from the Moda Bake Shop. It will appear in my Etsy shop when it is finished, hopefully within the next week or so since it is so perfect for fall!

Speaking of my Etsy shop, did you notice it's been updated? Lots of finished quilts of all sizes, knitted and crocheted scarves, some aprons for all your fall and holiday baking, updated zippered accessory bag listing, as well as an updated listing of crocheted cotton washcloths. And of course some cozy afghans and awesome tote bags too!

So lots going on here in all areas of life. If you don't hear from me for a while, it's not because I have nothing to share. It's most likely because I am spending what would be my blog time studying the reproductive system or the endocrine system or some other fascinating part of our human anatomy, or writing papers about different aspects of society for my sociology class! Have a great fall and I'll be back when the semester is over!

Happy Stitching!

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Thursday, September 12, 2013

Yee Haw! It's Rodeo Time! ~ Redo of Too-short Denim Skirt

Well howdy y'all! I'm no southerner and I'm no cowgirl, but when the rodeo is in town, words like "howdy" and "y'all" seem to be appropriate! Tomorrow is the annual Welcome Back Barbecue at the school my children attend and the theme this year is Rodeo! So Yee Haw to y'all and howdy all around!

The school children are allowed to be out of uniform for the school day tomorrow and are encouraged to dress in Rodeo fashion. Oh boy! I really didn't have time to come up with any detailed costumes this time around, but a quick trip through a big box store that I hate to shop so I won't name netted a pair of jeans and a plaid shirt for my son. That was easy. Grace was a little harder to outfit since she is such a girly girl and only loves to wear girly things! I don't think she has ever owned a pair of jeans, but she did have a denim skirt that was recently put in the Doesn't Fit pile because it was way too short for her to wear anymore. So we fished it out and added some length to it in the form of colorful bandannas from the craft store, where we also picked up a couple inexpensive cowboy hats and some rope to put around them.

Here's the result:


Rodeo worthy, I'd say!

Here's a close-up of the new bandanna hem on the outside of the skirt.

And this is what it looks like on the inside of the skirt. I placed the red bandanna sashing just above the original denim hem stitching so that it would not look like the bandanna hem was just stuck on the bottom of the skirt. Then I stitched again just underneath the red sashing through the middle of the original hemline so the new bandanna hem would hang straight down.

I used what was left of the red bandanna to poke out of the pockets for a little cowgirl color up near the waist, and this pile of chopped up bandannas is all that I have left.

Now if she only had a pair of boots!

If you want to see other ways I have upcycled denim from old jeans, click HERE. It's fun to make useful things out of the wonderful, sturdy denim fabric that is left after an old pair of jeans can no longer be worn as jeans! Don't throw them away...get creative!

Happy Stitching!

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Thursday, September 5, 2013

Summer is Over ~ New Quilt Listings

Summer is over and the school year is in full swing here for both of my children and for me too! I had set a goal to have all my quilts bound, washed, photographed and listed in my Etsy shop before I started my classes, and I just barely made it! My classes started this morning, and last night I got the last of my quilts listed! Here they are:


To get more information about each quilt, just click on the quilt name below the picture. If you have any other questions, feel free to email me!

Sudoku Quilt


Fandango Zig Zag Quilt
SOLD!

Animal Alphabet Quilt
SOLD!


I Spy Quilt


Love U Quilt
SOLD!

Reverse Plus Quilt


Plus Quilt


Prayer Flag Quilt


Riviera Quilt


Happy Stitching!

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