Babette Update #2

Remember those lazy days of summer between school years?

Not having the responsibility of school is really agreeing with my oldest daughter, Elizabeth. She loves sleeping in a little later, puttering around the house, playing with her little sister and brother, and spending long afternoons and evenings with her crocheting. All this, of course, when she isn't working!

Here's a picture of the progress she has made so far on her Babette...


She is so happy with how it is turning out, and even my husband commented on how much he likes it! I think what is keeping her interested in this project for so long is the frequent color changes, and the variety of block sizes for each section. She also has the incentive of wanting to have this complete before she begins her college career on September 2, so she just keeps plugging away a little bit each day.

Since she purchased the larger skeins of Red Heart yarn for this project, she will have lots leftover and is already planning what she will do with that. I'm guessing another afghan, but I'm not sure if she'll jump right into another Babette right away!

Happy Stitching!

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New Yarn Purchased for Babette Blanket - but not for me :(

Now that the warmer weather is on its way, her high school career is over and college doesn't start until the fall, my older daughter has decided it's time to put away the heavy zig zag afghan she's been working on and start on something new and different. She fell in love with Babette after seeing some of my favorite versions of her recently, HERE and HERE, and then there was no stopping her!


Having the budget of a high school student who still needs to save for a car and college, she decided to go with what she knew and could afford. About 15 minutes in the yarn department of our local Walmart netted her 20 skeins of Red Heart worsted weight yarn in colors she thought would be fun to put together in totally random ways.


As soon as we got home, she got right to work with the pattern and the skein of teal yarn. The first thing she discovered is that she had never learned how to read a pattern since she has always just made up what she wanted to do, or asked me how to do it and I showed her. So we had a little lesson in pattern reading, the proper way to change yarn colors from row to row, and how to pick up both loops of a stitch instead of just the front or back. Now she is busy busy busy pulling out different colors of yarn to add rounds to the first big block.

Remember that feeling of freedom you felt once school was out and you had months of Nothing But Time looming ahead of you before school began again? What a feeling! It's wonderful seeing her filling up some of that time making something she will be able to treasure for years to come.

Happy Stitching!

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Dr. Seuss Knitted Scarf for Special Olympics

The deadline for sending in the knitted or crocheted scarves for the Special Olympics is fast approaching, so I've been working on this fourth scarf whenever I go somewhere knowing I'll have to sit and wait. I may have to put the wedding gift afghan (which I'll show you soon) on hold and just get this scarf done though.

Anyway, I came across a stitch in a book of needlework (which I'll also show you soon) that I thought would make a fun scarf and I gave it a try with the Red Heart Delft Blue and White yarns of the Special Olympics Scarf project. It is coming out very much like something you would find in a Dr. Seuss book! This is not the look I anticipated, but I really like it and I think someone will enjoy wearing it just because it is so different.


I think I'm about not quite half way finished with it at this point. I don't like scarves to be too short.


Don't you just love the blue and white? Those little rings are a hoot, don't you think?


Here's a close up of one of the blue sections. You can see that the parts between the rings are knit in stockinette stitch. The rings are not actually rings since this is knit flat, but the edges curl up on their own which gives the illusion of rings.


Here's where the white joins the blue. The ring sections are actually knit in reverse stockinette. I'll share the pattern below if you would like to try it.


I've gradually lengthened the stockinette sections as I work towards the middle of the scarf. Once I decide I'm half way finished, I'll start shortening them to match the first half and also alternate the colors to match on each side as well.

So here's the pattern:

Cast on 21 stitches.

Work in stockinette stitch for about an inch ending with a knit row.

*Beginning the reverse stockinette ring section, knit into the front and back of each stitch on next row. Now you have 42 stitches.

Continue in reverse stockinette stitch for about an inch ending with a knit row.

Returning to stockinette stitch, knit 2 together all the way across next row. Now you have 21 stitches again.

Continue in stockinette stitch for as many rows as you like, ending with a knit row. *

Repeating from * to *, alternate between stockinette stitch with 21 stitches and reverse stockinette stitch with 42 stitches until scarf is desired length. Bind off and weave in loose ends.

NOTE:
Stockinette Stitch is made by working the right side row in knit and the wrong side row in purl.

Reverse Stockinette Stitch is made by working the right side row in purl and the wrong side row in knit.

Here are links to videos you may find useful for this pattern:

• Cast on
• Knit
• Purl
• Increase by knitting into front and back of each stitch
  
• Knit 2 together decrease
  
• Bind off

These links and others with useful videos and information can be found on my sidebar under Hooked On Needles Links.

Happy Stitching!

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Easy Crocheted Oddball Afghan

After working on many different knit and crocheted items over the past few years, I accumulated quite a few partial skeins of yarn. Any whole skeins, I return to the store. Any very small scraps, I throw away. But somewhere in between, I hang on to the remains and figure that someday I'll use it for something.

The other day my daughter was cleaning out her closet and found a crochet project she had started quite a long time ago out of some leftover variegated yarn. She started working on it again and quickly ran out of yarn. She wondered how she should continue the project without having to make a trip to the store to try and match the yarn and I suggested to her that she make an 'oddball' blanket using the remains of other yarns I had stashed in my sewing room, much like the blankets I have signed up for on the knitting forum I have mentioned here before. She thought that was a great idea, being as frugal as her mother, and this is what she has created so far...


She had started with Red Heart's Aspen Print variegated yarn which was leftover from the Ripple Stitch afghan I made for our bedroom. I showed some pictures of it at the end of the article on how to do the Ripple Stitch in crochet.

Then she picked up the variegated blues yarn also leftover from a Ripple Stitch afghan I had made for a friend.

After that is Red Heart's Painted Dessert variegated yarn, leftover from another Ripple Stitch afghan I had made for a wedding gift.

Then she decided she wanted bright colors alternating with the more neutral colors, and she bought the red, white and blue variegated yarn. She found a few more neutral yarns from my stash that she will use, and she bought a few more bright colors for in between.

Isn't this a great way to use up leftover yarn? Take a look at the way this afghan is made...


This is the center, started with a simple chain of 8, and worked in single crochet around in a continuous spiral, adding 2 chains at each corner. I'll write out the pattern at the end in case you want to try it.


This shows one of the corners made by the chain 2, and also clearly shows the nice ridge line that is made by working the single crochets in the back loop only. How to crochet in the back loop only is demonstrated towards the end of my video tutorial on single crochet if you would like to see how it is done.


Here's another close-up of a corner. Elizabeth does nice even work and her afghans always turn out cozy and warm.

The beauty of working an afghan in a spiral like this is that you can actually use up all of each yarn crocheting over the tails each time you join a new one, then when all your yarn is gone, simply pull the tail through the last loop and weave in the end and the afghan is finished. You don't have to worry about having enough yarn to work some kind of color pattern. You also don't have to figure out how wide to start the blanket and hope that you can get enough length on it before running out of yarn. This spiral pattern allows you to simply crochet until you run out, and then you have a square blanket and no leftover yarn.

This is also a very easy pattern which, once you get established, doesn't require much attention at all. You don't have to count stitches or worry about missing that last stitch at the end of the row, or how many chains you need to turn. So if you're looking for a very easy crochet afghan pattern to use up the yarn you have on hand, here's the pattern for you...

NOTE: Single crochet in back loop only if you want the ridge line on the front of the piece. If you don't want that ridge, then work each single crochet through both loops.

Chain 8. Single crochet (sc) in the 8th chain from the hook forming a loop and in the next chain. Chain 2. Sc in the next two chains. Chain 2. Sc in the next two chains. Chain 2. Sc in the next two chains. Chain 2.

Single crochet in each single crochet across, then in one chain. Chain 2.

*Single crochet in chain, then in each single crochet across, then in one chain. Chain 2. *

Repeat from * to * until your afghan is as big as you want it, or until you run out of yarn. Weave in ends and enjoy.

You may also add any type of border you like around the outside edge of this afghan. The Reverse Single Crochet border is one of my favorites for a blanket like this. Or you could use a simple scallop border you make up yourself or use this one I put onto a knitted blanket.

So there you have a simple pattern to use up leftover yarn, or even to make with freshly purchased yarn for a special gift.

Happy Stitching!

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Election Day Project -- Special Olympics Scarf #3 Complete

We all know that this past Tuesday in the United States was election day, but you might not know this little detail of my professional life. Whenever we have an election here in my precinct, whether it is The Big One like we just had or a local election, I get to spend the day at my local polling place as an Election Inspector. It is actually a fun day with lots of socializing since the precinct is really just a big neighborhood, so I get to visit with lots of people I know and spend the day doing something other than the usual. Not what I'd like to do every day of my life, that is for sure! But once or twice a year, it's different and fun.

It's a long day, from 6:30 in the morning until about 8:30 at night, and it is not always busy so I make sure I bring my own form of entertainment. Take a look at the project I worked on this time around...


This is another scarf for the Special Olympics which I have mentioned here a few times in recent months. I used a fun stitch that makes a wave pattern, the same stitch I demonstrated for Merryknitter from Knittinghelp.com.

I started out with the Red Heart Delft Blue and worked a chain of 230 stitches which was exactly double what Merryknitter's pattern called for. Since it was for a scarf, it had to be much wider than the baby blanket that the pattern was written for. Then I worked the first pattern row in blue, the second in white, and continued alternating until I had worked seven pattern rows.

I didn't even weave in the ends. Instead, I pulled them into the same color fringe at each end of the scarf. Now that's what I call an easy project!

This pattern is very easy to work once you get the first pattern row complete, but as with most crochet projects, the first row is the hardest. I have a hard time holding on to the chain while trying to follow a pattern and count stitches and work multiple stitches into one chain. But once that is done and I have verified that I did it correctly, then the subsequent rows are easy and fun to work.

Is anyone else out there making scarves for the Special Olympics? There is still time! The deadline for sending them in isn't until January 15th and what a nice thing to do for a special someone you don't even know!

Happy Stitching!

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Wedding Gift Crocheted Afghan Coming Along

In my recent post about the Close Scallops Stitch in crochet, I showed you a video on how to work the stitch and shared with you the written pattern. Today you get to see the project I am working on using this stitch. As I mentioned before, it is an afghan for my niece's wedding gift and it's working up rather quickly. Yippee! That is exciting for two reasons. The first is that the wedding is in November and it would be nice to send it to her before the wedding. The second reason is a little more selfish and that is because it's getting very cold here in New England and the longer the afghan gets, the warmer it keeps me while I am working on it!

Here are a few pictures of the project and the stitch:

This is how far I've gotten since starting to work on it not quite a week ago. I think I'm on my fifth skein of yarn already. The yarn I am using is Red Heart's Easy Tweed bulky weight yarn which calls for a size J crochet hook, but I am using a size K. The color is called Pistachio and when I first received it in the mail I was just a little bit apprehensive about the color. It was a little more ... uh ... green than I expected it to be. But now that I have worked with it and I see how it looks in this pattern, I really like it.


The picture above shows the beginning of the piece. You can see how straight the bottom and side edges are, and notice that you can't really see the holes from where the scallops are formed in the single crochet like you could on the sample from the video. This is because of the yarn being bulky weight combined with the use of a crochet hook that is closer to the size recommended for the yarn being used.


This picture shows the top edge with the pretty scallop the stitch makes. When I am finished crocheting the afghan, I will stitch one row of single crochet on the bottom edge of the afghan and work a pattern row so that the scallops will be on both ends. Then I will work a single crochet row on each side of the afghan and a pattern row. This will put a nice scalloped border all the way around the afghan, as well as add a little bit to the width of the afghan.

So what do you think of the Close Scallops stitch? Could you see yourself cuddled up under an afghan like this? Why don't you give it a try!

Happy Stitching!

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Learn to Crochet -- Close Scallops Stitch

The Close Scallops Crochet Stitch which I am going to show you in the following video is what I am using to make an afghan which will be a wedding gift for one of my nieces who is getting married in November. I chose this stitch for several reasons:

• It is a stitch I had not used before and I wanted to see if it would be a good one for an afghan.
• It is reversible and that has become a prerequisite for any stitch I use to make an afghan. I really do not like afghans or baby blankets that have a right and wrong side.
• It is a stitch pattern that is a simple repetition of one single crochet and four doubles so it does not require following a complicated pattern.
• It is a fairly flat stitch pattern, with just a little bit of texture to it, and it doesn't leave big holes in the fabric for fingers and toes to get stuck in.
  
• It is a pattern that works up quickly because of the double crochets, and combined with the bulky weight yarn I am using and the size K crochet hook, this afghan is coming along pretty quickly. It might even arrive before the wedding!
  

So here's the video showing how to work the Close Scallops Stitch in Crochet.




If you are interested in trying this stitch, here is the pattern for it:

Chain multiple of 6 plus 1.

Row 1: Sk first 3 ch, 2 dc in next ch, * sk 2 ch, sc in next ch, sk 2 ch, 4 dc.* Repeat from * to * until 3 ch remain. Sk 2 ch, sc in last chain.

Row 2: Ch 3, turn. 2 dc in first sc, * sc between posts of 2nd and 3rd dc, 4 dc in sc.* Repeat from * to * until last half scallop remains. Sc in space between turning chain and dc.

Repeat Row 2 to desired size.

This is the sample piece I made while doing the video. You can see the small holes that are made from stitching the 4 double crochet stitches into the single crochet from the previous row. This is happening on the sample because, for demonstration purposes, I am using a crochet hook that is two sizes larger than what is recommended for this yarn. In the pictures of the afghan I am making with this stitch which I will show you tomorrow, you will see that the holes all but disappear. Some people don't have a hang-up about holes in afghans, but I do!

One other note on this video: I mention towards the end that this stitch pattern does not require stitching into the top of any stitches, only in the spaces between stitches. This is not accurate because the scallops themselves are stitched into the single crochet stitch between the scallops of the previous row. It is the single crochet that is stitched between the posts of the doubles and into the space made by the turning chain. I just thought I should clarify that in case it caused any confusion.

If you're looking for a quick-to-stitch project, pick up some chunky or bulky weight yarn and a big hook and give Close Scallops a try. Let me know if you like it.

Happy Stitching!

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Crocheted Basketweave Afghan Finished

Early in the spring, I started crocheting an afghan which I had hoped to finish before the warm weather arrived. That was not to be though, and it sat there all through the warm summer months, only getting a few minutes attention now and then when the evening temperatures dropped enough to make it tolerable to have all that coziness sitting on my lap. Finally the cool weather returned here to beautiful New England and just the other night I finished the afghan. Hip hip hooray!

This afghan is crocheted entirely in Basketweave Stitch with a simple single crochet border around the edge to finish it off.

Here are a few pictures of it before I wrapped it up to send off to my old friend out in Kansas City, Missouri:

Here you can see what an interesting design and texture the Basketweave stitch gives to the afghan. It is entirely double crochet, stitched around the post from the front three times and then from the back three times, which gives it the Basketweave effect, so it was easy to crochet. I like projects where, once I have the pattern established, I don't have to look at the instructions. This is that type of pattern.

I also insist on using a stitch for an afghan that is the same on the front and the back. The Basketweave Stitch in crochet is reversible so the front and back are the same.


Here you can see the very simple Single Crochet border that I put around this afghan. This gives the border a nicely finished look and also provides an easy way to catch in all those loose ends on the edge from where the new skeins were added on. The process of adding a new skein is described in my article on how to change colors, but adding a new skein of the same color uses the same method. By doing this border and crocheting over the loose ends at the same time, I only had the final tail of yarn to weave in when I was finished. That's my kind of finish work!


And here it is, crocheted with love and ready to be wrapped up and mailed to an old friend.

In making this afghan, I used eight 7-ounce skeins of Red Heart Super Saver yarn in Ranch Red.

I have already started working on an afghan, using Red Heart Easy Tweed in Pistachio green, which will be a wedding gift to my niece who is getting married in November. I have chosen a new stitch called Close Scallops that I really like and I'm looking forward to sharing it with you in a video tutorial very soon.

Don't forget to enter my fall giveaway by October 14th for a chance to win a very nice pincushion bag and other fall goodies. Good luck!

Happy Stitching!

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Crocheted Scarves for Special Olympics

I have finished my second crocheted scarf for the Special Olympics and I love the Red Heart Delft Blue and White combination. The scarves are quick to work up too so I got some pretty instant gratification. I'm not usually a fringe kind of person, especially on something like an afghan which will be up around my face, but I thought these scarves would look nice with fringe, so I put some on and discovered something in the process.

Here's how I did it:



After finishing this scarf, crocheted entirely in the half double crochet stitch, I worked a single crochet stitch border around the whole thing, working one stitch into the end of each row along the sides. Across the two short ends, I worked one single crochet then a chain stitch, then worked another single crochet into the second stitch from the hook and then another chain all the way across. This left nice little holes into which I knotted my fringe.

I got my supplies together which included a very large (size N I think) plastic crochet hook, my latch hook which I had never used for fringe before, my scissors, my white yarn and something to wind it around to make the fringe. That happened to be the plastic packaging in which some linen fabric came. It was sturdy and just the right size for the fringe I wanted on this scarf.


I wanted white fringe on this scarf so I wrapped my white yarn around the plastic 4 times, with the beginning and end of the yarn at the bottom. I held all strands together at the bottom then snipped right through all the loops, at the bottom only.


Then I took the 4 lengths of yarn off the plastic from the top which was the middle of the lengths. I folded the yarn at the middle and hooked all 4 pieces with my big crochet hook that I had put from back to front through one of the holes on the end of the scarf.


I pulled the loop through the hole just enough to open it up and draw the ends of the yarn through the loop.


Then I tightened up the loop against the edge of the scarf and one fringe bundle was complete. Pretty easy. And pretty looking too!


I decided to try my latch hook instead of the big crochet hook to see how that would work and I was quite surprised. I grabbed the middle of the yarn with the hook and pulled it through the hole.


Then grabbed the tails of the yarn and pulled them through the loop with no problem at all. In fact it was much easier using the latch hook than the crochet hook mainly because the latch hook has that little latch that closes over the yarn so it doesn't slip out of the hook and goes through the loop very easily. I had heard of others using a latch hook for fringe, but I always thought the many lengths of yarn would be too thick for a latch hook. I was glad I tried it!


So this is a close-up of the scarf I put the long white fringe on. It is worked widthwise in half double crochet stitch throughout and has three 2-row stripes of white towards each end of the scarf. The white and blue yarns were carried up the side of the piece between stripes as shown in this tutorial, so I only had a few ends to work in after I was finished. I also worked a single crochet border around the scarf using the blue yarn. This was mainly to crochet over the yarn ends and the yarn that was carried up the side for the color changes. It just makes the finished product look neater.


This scarf was crocheted lengthwise using the woven stitch, one of my all-time favorites! The colors were carried up the side in this scarf as well so there were only two ends of each color to weave in afterwards. The fringe covered up where the yarn was carried up the side since it was on the short end. The short fringe on this one was worked in blue and white to match the stripes.


These scarves were fun and quick projects to make and I hope the special athletes who receive them will wear them with pride throughout the games and beyond.


Happy Stitching!

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Knit or Crochet Scarves for Some Special People

The article I have included below is from the August 26th issue of "Talking Crochet with Carol Alexander" and I thought it was worth sharing with you. You can subscribe to Carol's newsletter and many others by clicking here.

If you would like some ideas for a simple stitch to use to make a scarf, I can recommend the Woven Stitch, the Basketweave Stitch or the Ripple Stitch, which are three of my very favorites. My daughter and I will be making a few to send along for the Special Olympians. I'd love to hear from others who plan to participate in this worthwhile and rewarding project too.

Keep reading and see how you can get involved.

Make a Special Scarf for Some Very Special Athletes!
Crocheters and knitters are well known as some of the most caring and giving folks around, and the Special Olympics always seem to touch a special chord when it comes to lending support to some very deserving individuals. Participating in the Special Olympics can be such a positive and life-changing experience for children and adults with intellectual disabilities. I have witnessed it firsthand and seen the joy and have sense of pride and accomplishment that being part of the Special Olympics gives these extraordinary people who work so hard to achieve their athletic goals.

Knitters and crocheters have a wonderful opportunity to extend a warm gesture (literally!) to these special athletes in the form of cozy, handmade scarves stitched in the colors of the 2009 Special Olympics World Winter Games logo. What a wonderful way to give them a personal "hug" to wish them well in their upcoming games! Please read the following press release from Coats and Clark, sponsor of the scarf project, and show your support for the Special Olympics athletes with the heartfelt gift of a handmade scarf.

Coats & Clark Sponsors Scarf Project for the 2009 Special Olympics World Winter Games
Athletes at the 2009 Special Olympics World Winter Games in Idaho will be wrapped in a little handmade love, courtesy of knitters and crocheters across the country. Charlotte-based Coats & Clark is sponsoring a project to provide each athlete with a scarf created in white and delft blue Red Heart® Super Saver® yarns, which happen to perfectly match the colors of the 2009 Special Olympics World Winter Games logo.

The Special Olympics World Winter Games Scarf Project is now in its second year. The program began in 2007 when World Winter Games organizers decided to give handcrafted scarves to athletes to wear to the Opening Ceremony. They asked local crafters to participate, and the headquarters office was inundated with over 1,000 scarves!

David Gish, an athlete from Idaho who participated in the 2008 Special Olympics Invitational Winter Games, says his scarf is a symbolic memento from the event. "Getting the scarves was very special for the athletes because we knew someone spent their time to make them especially for us," says Gish. "It is something I will have forever, and I know they will be just as special to the athletes next year at the World Winter Games."

This year, the World Winter Games aims to give a scarf to each athlete, the delegates supporting them and various dignitaries who will be visiting the Games, and they need help to meet that mark. This is where Coats & Clark comes into the picture.

"We're thrilled to sponsor this project. Our goal is to see 5,000 scarves donated. It's a big number, but I'm confident we can do it," says Vicki Blizzard, media relations and special promotions director for Coats & Clark. "Knitters and crocheters are dedicated and generous and are known for rising to this type of challenge."

Coats & Clark is promoting this project through its Web site, electronic newsletters, various consumer shows and magazines, so that knitters and crocheters around the country (and around the world) can send scarves to be given to the athletes. No special patterns or skills are required to create a scarf. Crocheters of all ages and skill levels, as well as schools, scout troops and other local groups are actively encouraged to participate. "Our only rule," says Blizzard, "is that the scarves are knitted or crocheted by hand using delft blue and white Super Saver yarn, because these colors were chosen specifically by the World Winter Games organizers."

Scarves can be simple or complex -- last year's scarves ran the gamut from basic stitches to complicated colorwork and stitch patterns. Personal notes from knitters and crocheters who want to send their best wishes to the athletes are encouraged and should be firmly attached to the scarves, which will be handed out before the Opening Ceremony.

Completed scarves must arrive by January 15, 2009, and should be sent to:
2009 Special Olympics World Winter Games Scarf Project
3150 West Main Street
Boise, Idaho 83702

Reprinted with permission from Talking Crochet e-newsletter, copyright Aug. 26, 2008, published by DRG and edited by Carol Alexander.

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Super Easy Knit Baby Blanket

Before each of my children was born, I made them a baby blanket or two just because I think that babies should have something warm and cozy made especially for them. This baby blanket that I am going to show you today is not one that I made. It was knitted by my husband's Aunt Margaret and was given to us as a gift before my younger daughter was born. It's been used a lot and washed many times and is still as cozy as ever. And if you are looking for an easy baby blanket pattern, this one just couldn't be any easier. Take a look.


This is the blanket spread out flat so you could see the neat way the colors formed a sort of watercolor marble effect. The yarn used was Red Heart Baby Clouds which is a fluffy, airy, 100% acrylic super bulky weight yarn that calls for size 15 knitting needles. You can imagine that this would work up pretty quickly!



Here is a close-up picture of the surface of the blanket. You can see that it has rows of little bumps. This is because the blanket was made by simply knitting every row. The result is called Garter Stitch.



Here is one of the corners close-up. You can see the detail of the garter stitch. It's a great stitch to use for a baby blanket because it has some texture to it. Babies love soft cozy things with texture! Also notice that, even though this was knitted with large needles, there are no holes in the blanket because the yarn itself is quite thick. I like baby blankets that do not have holes for little fingers and toes to get stuck in.




I threw in this picture because I thought it was a fun shot of the blanket showing all the different colors and the texture of the garter stitch.

So if you're looking for a quick and easy baby blanket to knit, go buy yourself a few skeins of Red Heart Baby Clouds yarn and a pair of size 15 needles. Cast on however many stitches will make the width you want your blanket to be, and then start knitting! When it's as big as you want it, bind off, weave in the ends, and there you have it.

Enjoy!

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New yarn just arrived! What a bargain from Herrschner's!

One of my nieces is getting married this fall and I love to give newly married couples a handmade afghan as a wedding gift. I usually use regular old Red Heart worsted weight yarn, purchased from my local Walmart or Michael's store because I like Red Heart. It is reliable, resilient, easy to work with, and most importantly it is machine wash and dry! It holds its shape well, doesn't pill and lasts a really long time. It is also affordable and fairly easy to find.

However, sometimes I come upon a bargain that I just can't pass up. The other day I was browsing around Herrschner's yarn pages and I found a Red Heart variety that I have never tried -- Red Heart Easy Tweed...

...which is a textured yarn that has the look of tweed. It's mostly acrylic, machine wash and dry, uses a size K crochet hook, which is fairly large, and is usually priced at $4.49 for a 3.5 ounce skein. That is way out of my price range, even for a wedding gift! Well, it was on sale for 97 cents a skein! Can you believe that? Less than $1.00 a skein! And they had 10 colors to choose from!

Well, I got on the phone and called my sister. I told her to have her daughter check out the site, look at all the colors and let me know which one she liked best. I had found the yarn I was going to use for her afghan! Yippee!

I ordered 35 skeins of the Pistachio color and just yesterday look what that nice man in the brown uniform left on my doorstep...


Doesn't it just make your heart skip a beat when you open a box and see all that Potential?

Since I already have a full size afghan in the works, which I will share with you shortly, this one will have to wait in line. But I will certainly let you know when I begin. It's just nice to know I have all the yarn I will need right at my fingertips, and for such a bargain! I'm happy.

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