A new project, a trombone and a haircut

After I finished my Sea Breeze Top, I sat for a few days with "no project"...which means...I have afghans to work on, but I'd rather be crocheting something else. Something that I can carry around with me wherever I go. Something that won't take months and months to finish. Something that I (or Jalen) can wear.

The project I settled on is another Lion Brand free crochet pattern called Giovanna's Cardi and I'm making it for Jalen. I've had this pattern in my "someday" binder for a year or so. The pattern calls for Vanna's Choice Yarn in Dusty Purple, but that's not what I'm using. The yarn I chose came straight out of the Yarn Closet. I don't even know exactly WHAT this yarn is...other than a dusty purple 100% acrylic mill end yarn. This is what it looks like so far:

The pattern is an Easy+ pattern constructed mostly of double crochet stitches and clusters.

On the kid front...

Miss Jalen has decided that she will follow in her brother's footsteps and play the trombone in the elementary school band next school year. Since Troy is still using his trombone, we found a used trombone for Jalen to play.

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.

Troy left today for boy scout camp. But not before getting his annual haircut. No, he doesn't get one haircut a year, he gets a few trims throughout the year...but he usually ends up getting one "major" haircut each year.

BEFORE

AFTER

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.

Sea Breeze Top

My Sea Breeze Top is finished! Just in time too, it's going to be H.O.T. this weekend.

I used Lion Brand's Cotton-Ease yarn. This is a 50% Acrylic/50% Cotton blend, perfect for summertime garments. The color is Maize.

The pattern is rated Easy+ and is worked in half double crochet stitches. Two different hook sizes are used (F and I are recommended). The smaller hook creates a firmer material for the straps and top panel, while a larger hook loosens the drape for the bottom portion. You can find this pattern at www.lionbrand.com.

Buttons are used to to connect the straps at the back and along the back closure. I just happened to have some maize-colored buttons in my button tin.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.

And now...I'm going to brag a little. I recently completed the Crochet Guild of America's Master of Advanced Crochet Stitches and Techniques program. The program asks you to demonstrate your skills in understanding and following crochet instructions, as well as your mastery of several advanced stitches and techniques. I knew that I turned in a solidly-worked portfolio...but you never know...ya know? Well, I received my review last night and am pleased to announce that I have been granted the title of "Master Crocheter". Yay me! What does this mean? Honestly, I'm not sure, but I love the bragging rights that come with the title "Master Crocheter"! Seriously though, I have hopes of working as a contract crocheter or pattern tester and this accomplishment takes me one step closer in that direction. Anyway, I'll say it again...YAY ME!

My Garden Overfloweth...ALREADY!

The garden may be small, but it's packed and overflowing with yummy veggies...and it's only the first official day of Summer!

Today's harvest...1 green pepper, 8 zucchini, 2 bunches broccoli.

We've already eaten 3 heads of cabbage and the remaining 3 are just about ready to be picked.

It looks as though I'll be up to my eyeballs in cucumbers in another week!

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?

It's been an excellent year for broccoli. What I can't eat right away gets blanched and frozen.

Last year I had so many zucchini I had to get creative finding different ways to eat it. I have made an "apple" pie...with no apples, only zucchini. You can't tell the difference.

One of my favorite recipes is for Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Zucchini Cookies. Peeled and shredded zucchini makes these cookies super moist.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Zucchini Cookies
1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 cups peeled, shredded zucchini
1 1/2 cups flour
2 cups oatmeal
2 cups chocolate chips

Cream butter and sugar. Add vanilla, egg, baking soda, zucchini and mix well. Mix in flour. Stir in (by hand) oatmeal and chocolate chips. Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes.



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.

It looks like I'm going to have a bumper crop of zucchini this year. If YOU have any favorite zucchini recipes, please pass them along! I'm always looking for new ways to disguise one of my favorite vegetables so my kids will eat it!

Great Deals on Spinning Wheels

I have a small collection of spinning wheels. I suppose I should admit that I LOVE yard sales almost as much as I love yarn. That's how I came to acquire my two decorative spinning wheels. I came across this black one a couple years ago and found a home for it in the corner of my living room.
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.

Let Me Introduce Myself....

I'm going to give this blog thing a try. Let me introduce myself....my name is Olive Yarn (not really, but I do love yarn!). I'm a yarn addict. I love to crochet and I can do the very basics in knitting. I always have at least 3 projects going at a time, but isn't that normal?

I have two kids Troy, age 14 and Jalen, age 9. No, those are not their real names. They are the names I WANTED (but wasn't allowed) to give them. Troy is an active boy scout, plays football and basketball, sings in the chorus, performs in the show choir and plays the trombone. Basically, your well-rounded kid. Jalen recently "bridged" from Brownies to Junior Girl Scouts and is a cheerleader with an All-Star Cheerleading Team.

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.

The couch is calling my name. And so is that pile of knots. Happy stitching!