Spotted Cowl

Well hello there stranger! I was referring to me. I'm so sorry it has taken me so long to update this blog. Lots of big changes going on...

But you didn't come here to hear about me. You came here for projects and ideas (I hope).

Have I got a good one coming your way! I am so excited to share this beauty with you. I love it and I hope you do to! :)

Isn't that pattern pretty?

It took me a little while to figure it out, and then to remember what I figured out and write it all down. But once you get the idea, its a quick project. I turned it into a cowl and I love it! :)

Here is the pattern for those interested in whipping up their own spotted cowl :)





:::Terms used:::

ch = chain
sc = single crochet
dc = double crochet
st = stitch
slst = slip stitch
*-* = repeat pattern

If you want to know what that means, youtube can be very helpful :)



:::Material:::

Hook size F/5

Worsted weight yarn in two colors (or more if you want each spotted row to be a different color)

Scissors

Yarn needle





:::Pattern:::


Ch 135, join to form a loop by slst to first ch.

Row 1 (white): Ch 3, dc all the way across. Join with slst to top of ch3

Row 2 (black): Ch 3, skip 3 st. Sc in space between dc. *ch2, skip 3 st. sc in space between dc* all the way across. Join with slst to the first ch.

Row 3 (white): Ch 3, 2dc on ch2 of previous row, *3dc on ch2 of previous row* all the way across. Join with slst.

Repeat row 2 and 3 nine (9) times or until desired width.

When you are done, fasten off and weave in the ends.



Pretty straight forward once you get the hang of it. I know some sections are confusing, so I took some pictures which will hopefully help answer any questions.

(black row ch3)

(here is where you do the stitch)

...

(end of the black row)

(slst goes here to join)

(before you pull the yarn through, grab the other color instead. This makes for a neater color transition)

(beginning of next row)

(see how you dc on the previous rows chain?)

Well, that sums it up, I hope that made a little bit of sense. Feel free to ask any questions and I will try my best to clarify. 

Thanks for stopping by! 

(Here is a sneak peak at my next blog post coming soon)

Happy hooking!

The Nut House

Hello there!

This post may be a little bit different than my other posts. Ok, a lot different, but that's ok. 

I built a squirrel nesting box!

Very random, I know. And it wasn't just me. I couldn't have made it without my wonderful husband who supports me in all my crazy endeavors. This was a fun one and I am quite proud of it. :)

It all started one morning, when I glanced out the window and spotted a massive gray squirrel scurrying along our fence. I have seen tons of squirrels so they are nothing new to me. However, they are new to the neighborhood. I had never seen one in my backyard. I got so excited! The dog scenes from the movie UP flashed through my head as I yelled "SQUIRREL!!!" I watched it investigate the trees in my yard then leave the way it came. 

I wanted this particular squirrel to make its home in my backyard. This urge to create a home for it filled me. Call me crazy, but I was excited to watch a squirrel live. See what it did everyday. Get to know it. 

I decided to make a house for it. What did a squirrel make its home out of? (leaves, fur, hair, fuzzy stuff...) What were squirrel homes called? (nests) Where do squirrels make their homes? (tree hollows, branches, attics, porches, birdhouses...) I did quite a bit of research and found this Nesting Box Plan and decided to give it a try. :)

 We hopped on over to Home Depot and got to work. I didn't know my hubby really knew woodwork. :) He is amazing!

Baby girl helping Daddy

As the daylight faded, I heard the squirrel chattering in the tree behind me. It came by to watch the progress of its new house. :)

Soon, it got too dark to work outside, so we relocated to the garage to finish up. 

The front. Like the cute little steps?

Putting it together.

We ran into a couple hang ups, but they were smoothed out in no time.

All done!

This plan includes a cool door so you can clean it out 

and or checkout the babies (if any). Just be careful not

to disturb these little critters.

 You may be wondering why the inside it set up that way. Well, the squirrel goes in the hole in the front corner, goes across the floor and into the other hole in the opposite corner. The first floor is if a predator like a cat or raccoon is trying to get the babies, they can't reach past the first floor into the second.

'

The back post which will attach to the tree.

TA-DAH!

As you can see, I fondly named it The Nut House :)

Isn't it pretty up there :)

And there it is, The Nut House, sittin' pretty in a tree. What squirrel wouldn't love to live there. Sadly, I have yet to see another squirrel. Looks like the big gray traveler moved on and I was too late, but it was still a fun, relatively quick project. Occasionally I will hike the 2 feet from the lawn to see if occupants have moved in, but no luck yet. 

Happy building everyone! or creating anything your heart desires :)

My love of Fall

Good Morning!!!!

We are finally having a break in the weather and getting the first rain of the season. Can I just tell you how much I love fall? I LOVE FALL!!!!! I LOVE IT I LOVE IT I LOVE IT!!!!!! Ok, Thanks for letting me get that out of my system. :) Actually, I don't think it will ever leave my system till the end of my days. That's how much I love fall. 

Things I love about fall:

• Crisp air (no more grossly hot summer)
• Layers
• Hot chocolate
• October
• Seasons changing
• Beautiful leaves
• Crafts
• CROCHET!

When it is rainy all I want to do is curl up and crochet. My baby girl is turning into a toddler so she is into EVERYTHING! I now only get 5 minute spurts unless it's during naptime (but then either I am napping too or doing some other household responsibility) Still, the feeling in the air gets me all excited about crocheting. I am so sorry I haven't been posting anything lately. I will get better!

I decided to update you on my Ripple Blanket progress.

I may or may not have had a minor panic attack yesterday. I pulled out my blanket (mind you, we have moved so its been months since I have seen it) and I grabbed the nearest hook. Then I realized there were 5 other hooks nearby and I had no clue which hook I was supposed to use. AH! Fortunately I found the right hook and now I can continue on my merry way. :) Here are some pictures of this gorgeous blanket :) I am in love!

(look at these colors!)

(gorgeousness!!!!)

The way I am choosing the colors is... random :) I love finishing a row and finding out what the next row will bring. I am so in love with this blanket. At the rate I am going, it probably won't be done until next fall, but oh well. It will get finished!

I hope y'all are having a wonderful year. Feel free to show me the projects you're working on. Let's inspire each other!

Easter Fun

HAPPY EASTER!!!!

I hope everyone had a splendid day! And for those who don't celebrate Easter, I hope your day was full of joy as well. :) 

I love the holidays! Easter is fun because...

• Colorful!
• Celebrating Christs Resurrection :)
• Tapping into (sometimes hidden) artistic abilities in the form of decorating eggs.
•  Seeing the joy of children when they find a hidden egg. 

The list can go on.

My baby girl isn't quite ready for the challenge of Easter Egg Hunting, seeing as she is only 5 months old, but next year should be a blast. My wonderful hubby and I still decorated eggs together. He is very excited for the mound of egg-salad that will be produced. (eeeeewwwww!!!!!) Pinterest has been a great ally in my egg decorating quest. I am sure you all have seen this idea...

Well, I decided to try it....

Not too bad huh? Its easy-peasy!

Hard boil an egg

Crack it all over

Soak in egg dye

Take off shell

Wha-la!

......

I whipped up another simple project for Easter, little bunny ears for my baby. (Head on over to the pattern here) I wanted to finish them before Hubby came home, but Baby Girl slept on my chest for what seemed like forever. Not that I minded though. I love her so much! Poor thing has been sick with RSV lately, so she has been my little cuddle-bug. Anywho, I did complete the ears and attached them to a headband. She was so stinkin' cute!

Beautiful girl!

Good luck eating that with no teeth!

I even got the dog to wear them :)

So that was my Easter. I had fun though, being creative. As it says in my "about me"...

"Creation brings deep satisfaction and fulfillment. We develop ourselves and others when we take unorganized matter into our hands and mold it into something of beauty." 

-DIETER F. UCHTDORF

Creation Rocks! :) I hope you enjoyed your day. Feel free to share your Easter creations with me, I am always looking for new ideas. :)

Thanks for stopping by!

Arm Knit Cowl!

Wow Wow WOW!!!!!!

I have found the most wonderful tutorial!!!!

Arm knitting...

I have never knitted in my life. Honestly it looks confusing. However, I found this lovely blog through Pinterest and in it, a tutorial of how to arm-knit a scarf/cowl. She even posted a neat video that explains it so well. A beginner like me could understand and be successful on the first try :) Thanks Maggie!!!

My wonderful hubby took Baby Girl, and I was able to make this beauty in exactly 30min with 1 skein of Lion Brand- Wool Ease Thick and Chunky, and my arms of course. :) Neat huh?

I think I have found a new favorite. I know what I am going to give for gifts this year :)

So soft and warm!

Ah! This makes me so happy. I think I found a new favorite :)

I still consider myself a crocheter, but I might start dabbling in knitting... who knows.

Braided Eternity Scarf

Hey all!

Well, here is my first attempt at my own pattern. Woohoo!!! I'm sure I'm not the first to create this scarf. Actually, I'm positive I'm not cause I saw a picture of a similar scarf on Pinterest. :) That was my inspiration. But I didn't find a pattern. Soooooo... I created one!

(Ta-Da!)

Please forgive any mistakes I made. If you have any questions about the pattern, feel free to ask and I will try by best to clarify :)

For starters, I think I used about 3oz of yarn (you can pretty much use scraps for this scarf)

I used an H (5mm) crochet hook

(This pattern is pretty flexible, so you can use whatever size hook you feel inclined to use) :)

-------PATTERN-------

:::Terms used:::

Ch: Chain

St: Stitch

DC: Double Crochet

SC: Single Crochet

----

Ch 150

DC in 3rd st from hook

DC all the way across. 

Ch 2, turn. DC all the way across, DC in top of Ch 3.

*Ch 2, turn, DC across*

Repeat *-* 2 more times or until desired thickness (mine was 5 rows total)

Fasten off

Repeat pattern 2 more times (3 "strands" total)

Optional: 

SC along the long sides in a contrasting color

Now, Line up the 3 strands side by side and SC across the top (attaching them together)

Braid them, then line up the ends and SC across to hold together. Bring the two sides together and SC or whip stitch them together. Weave in ends

There you have it! 

Pretty cool, huh

Have fun crocheting and good luck! :)

Ripple Fun

Well hello everyone! Welcome to my little creative corner.

I have created this blog as an outlet for my creativity. I absolutely LOVE making and creating things! Crochet has been my newest hobby. When winter hits and snow falls, all I want to do is curl up with my hooks, some yarn, fun music and create. I find crochet completely relaxing. I feel so accomplished when I finish a project, don't you? Lately I have been making various earwarmers for myself, friends, and my new baby girl. I am still new to crochet, so I have not made many patterns myself, but I love finding free patterns online and adding my own touch.

 For starters, I am about to embark on a new project/journey. A blanket. And not just any blanket... a RIPPLE Blanket! Daunting, yes. I have heard many stories of people starting blankets, fully meaning to finish, but for some reason or another unable to complete it. My hope and goal is that since I have this blog, and I have you readers to answer to, You will help keep me motivated. :)

 I found this wonderfully awesome pattern on this wonderfully awesome blog. Lucy does such an amazing job explaining her pattern. :) Thanks Lucy!!!

 Well, last night I took the first step on this journey. I picked and bought the colors. AAAAAHHHHHH!!!!! Big decisions! I live in a small town and so don't have a lot of yarn options, but there is a Joanns near by. Since I am still relatively new with crochet, I don't have a ton of experience with yarn. I am kinda picky with textures and I LOVE soft fabrics. I have found that Caron Simply Soft is exactly what I'm looking for, so I will make my Ripple Blanket with it. Now to the colors. There are soooooo many to choose from. So many color combos. I had to decide what feeling I was going for. Bright and cheery, soft and relaxed, bold and wild. I have always loved the colors associated with the northern coast. Calm blues and grays of various shades. Well, I found what I was looking for in the isles of Joanns.

Cute basket huh? I got it from my sister-in-law :) It's perfect for housing my projects.

My wonderful puppy Kami, posing for the camera :) I love her.

Lovely isn't it? I can't wait to be wrapped in this rippling goodness. Wish me luck on this new adventure.