(note: this picture is supposed to be sideways, the program keeps flipping it)
I found a great way to use up leftover stash yarn and make scarves quickly! Four strands of yarn in complimenting colors and a huge crochet hook! Genius!
I thought I was finished making scarves, but then I received an email about Special Olympics scarves, so here I go again. This year's colors are Red Heart's Blue and Turqua. I'm hoping to get three more scarves made out of the yarn shown below:
Double duty: more scarves to add to my 60 scarves in 60 days challenge that will be donated to the Special Olympics!
Clockwise from the top left: Fern, Topaz, Forest, Natural and Lavender.
We began with a simple sc, dc square. Next was a granny square. Last week's clue was a V-stitch pattern. Each week the patterns get a little more complicated. I'm really enjoying this "mystery" because sampler afghans are one of my favorite projects...and not knowing what's coming next makes me look forward to each new clue!
As you can see, my first scarf worked up very quickly! The pattern above is a simple shell pattern that creates a nice scalloped edge along the long sides as you go. I can't wait to try a variegated yarn with this pattern.
I am hoping to get my 6 pledged scarves completed quickly because I have a lot going on this fall crochet-wise, including a Mystery Crochet Along hosted by Bernat yarn. I've never participated in a CAL, so I'm looking forward to this project, and the fact that the end result is a mystery makes it all the more fun!
Aren't those colors lovely? With the Patons yarn below I plan to make the toe, heel and cuff with the greyish color in the center and the foot and ankle sections with the heathery-blue yarn.
I read about something called "monster socks" where you alternate rows of your funky colored leftover sock yarns along with a main solid color yarn. That's what led me to buy the basic black yarn on the left in the picture below. Why did I buy the rest of the yarn in the picture? So I could get free shipping. And because I have an addiction to buying sock yarn.
I even have the pattern picked out for my next pair of socks. The pattern is called Ravissant Socks by Robyn Chachula and I plan to use a fingering weight spring green tonal colored yarn.
But first, I should finish my current project. The pattern below is called Step By Step Socks. I have one sock completed so far.
I really like the linked double crochet stitches used to create the sole of the sock. It makes a very sturdy fabric. The top of the foot and ankle sections are made up of alternating rows of a v-stitch and a dc ch 1 stitch. I modified the original pattern slightly. Instead of using 16 rows of single crochet to construct the after-thought heel, I continued with 8 rows of linked dc. I also made the ankle section longer, but I shortened the length of the cuff from 9 stitches to 5. Another thing I like about making this pattern is that counting your rows is very easy, so I'll be sure to make another sock in exactly the same length.
The only pattern deviation I made was that I added a front post/back post double crochet cuff. 
I believe I unknowingly told a fib in my last post about the content of the yarn I was using. I reported that I was using 100% acrylic mill end yarn. When I went to the yarn closet to grab another skein I took a better look at the packaging and found that the yarn is actually 100% unknown fiber mill end yarn. It looks like acrylic and feels like acrylic, so I'm just going to pretend it's acrylic. OK? OK.
Can you believe this is the first washcloth I've ever made? Why? Because my mom makes knitted dishcloths, so I've never had to make my own. :-) I WAS going to give this washcloth to my mom because she supplied the yarn so I could make this washcloth, but she complained that it was too small, so guess what? I'm keeping it!
I am still mulling over patterns I'd like to try. I'm leaning towards a toe-up pattern since you can try them on as you go to ensure a perfect fit. Wish me luck!
The pattern is an Easy+ pattern constructed mostly of double crochet stitches and clusters.
Anyone want to take a guess at how many "songs" I've listened to today? Actually, I think she's going to do well at the trombone. She's already able to make good sound and she has nice tone. I'm thinking about getting her a beginner book so she can start practicing now while she's enthusiastic about her new endeavor.
He looks like he did when he was 5. Only he's as tall as me now. He (and his sister) can both stop growing and getting older any day now...I won't mind.
I enjoyed working on this project. It was quick, it was easy and best of all, it has a flattering fit. The buttons on the back add a nice touch. It also seems like this will be an easy pattern to create in a smaller version for Jalen.
What to do with all this freshness? Well, I sliced up 5 zucchini and froze them in two bags to be used later for zucchini lasagna...just replace the noodles with the zucchini slices. Once frozen they are soft. You can use fresh sliced zucchini, but you have to bake it longer. Can you say YUMMY and HEALTHY?
One of my favorite recipes is for Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Zucchini Cookies. Peeled and shredded zucchini makes these cookies super moist.
Another favorite is "crab" cakes....without the crab. Mix together 2 cups peeled shredded zucchini, 1 cup Italian bread crumbs, 1 tablespoon Old Bay Seasoning, 1 tablespoon mayonnaise and 2 eggs. Shape into patties and fry until golden brown on each side. Makes 6-8 "crab" cakes. I like to sprinkle a little extra Old Bay Seasoning on while they're cooking.
I picked up this next wheel a few days ago. This model happens to also be a planter and it makes me happy to see it perched on my front porch. Can you believe I only paid $5.00 for each of these? Like I said...I love yard sales!
My third spinning wheel is the real deal....only I've never actually used it, so it might as well be a decoration. This spinning wheel is an Ashford Scholar Mark I single treadle model. You see, I attended my first Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival this year and within one week of spending the day amongst all those sheep, beautiful fiber and many, many spinners, my yarn obsession took on a whole new life and I found myself bidding on eBay for this used wheel.
I bought a book on spinning and read it from cover to cover. When I felt I had read everything I needed to know I got out the fiber and gave it a spin (hehehe). Let's just say those 30 minutes didn't go so well and I haven't touched it since. Yes, I know it takes practice. Yes, I know it takes patience. And yes, I know I shouldn't expect to crank out a beautiful spool of yarn on my first try. But I have high expectations of myself. I did a little searching and have found a local shepherdess who is an experienced spinner and who is willing to teach me the basics. That is my goal for July...set up a learning session so the Ashford makes the transition from expensive decoration to useful tool.
Did you notice that over-sized Ball jar in the picture with the black wheel? It's about half full of "Granny's Daughters". What is a Granny's Daughter? It's the first round of a traditional granny square. I have literally made THOUSANDS of these. No lie. THOUSANDS. The full size afghan requires 836 motifs and nicely covers the top of a double bed. I've been known to reduced the pattern to make a crib/toddler bed afghan that uses 375 squares. Each motif is less than two inches and can be made in under two minutes. I love the portability of this project, it goes everywhere you go! An evening of football/cheer leading practice can yield 30-50 motifs (depending on how much chatting is going on). And it's the perfect way to use up your scrap yarn. Motifs are joined in strips with a main color and each strip is attached as you go, so there's no dreaded "putting it all together" at the end of the project.
Granny's Daughter is a Vanna White pattern from Vanna's Afghan and Crochet Favorites collection and ranks high on my list of all-time favorite projects. I made the afghan you see at the right for myself using jewel or earth toned scraps with an off-white main color. It was entered in my local county fair where it earned a first place ribbon in the large afghan category.
Sitting at all those practices waiting on the kids leaves me with lots of time to get my "yarning" done. That's what Jalen calls it. She's a "yarner" too. Yesterday she conned a new set of crochet hooks out of me. Her arguement was that she really should have her own hooks to work with so she doesn't have to borrow mine all the time. Smart girl. She is currently working on a chunky pink/brown fabric that she plans to make a pillowcase out of. She went "shopping" for her yarn in my stash (a.k.a. the yarn closet).
My current project is a summer tank top for myself. It is the Sea Breeze Top from www.lionbrand.com. This is an Easy+ pattern worked in half double crochet stitches. I am using Lion Brand's Cotton-Ease yarn in the color Maize. See that messy pile of knots? I had a whole skein of yarn stitched into the empire bodice and ripped it out because I just wasn't happy with it. An entire evening's work frogged.
