National Crochet Month Post #7: Washcloths

I recently became fascinated with making crocheted washcloths.  I make mostly simple ones, all double crocheted rows, measuring approximately 8.5" x 9".  I love all the colors of yarn that exist and making quick items like washcloths makes me feel a sense of completion that I just don't get with things like afghans.

I wrote a post about my washcloths here.  And here are some pics, including some I didn't use on my previous post.  All yarns are either Lily Sugar'n Cream or Peaches and Creme yarn.

I hope you enjoyed your first Saturday of National Crochet Month!

National Crochet Month Post #6: Kitchen Rug

Last summer, I decided to try something new--making a crocheted rug.  I bought a whole bunch of cotton yarn (Lily's Sugar'n Cream yarn) in super bright colors and I got to work.  I decided to make the stripes random sizes and I quite like how it looks.  

What do you think?  

Here's a link to the post I made about this last summer.  

National Crochet Month Post #5: Soap Savers

I learned how to make soap savers last summer.  I must made 30 different ones while watching "McLeod's Daughters" and at the same time, learning some nifty Australian slang.  I wrote a post about these several months ago.

A soap saver helps lengthen the life of your soap because you can slip several slivers of soap into the saver and still be able to use the soap.  The saver helps lather up your soap and gets you squeaky clean.  It is made of 100% cotton yarn and it is soft and colorful.  Find a link to that post here.

These are all made with Lily Sugar'n Cream yarn.  And now for some pictures:

Happy showering!

And tomorrow is Friday!

Crochet, crochet, crochet! And a very Happy New Year to you!

The word crochet means "hook" in French. I know this because I am a French teacher and because I know what crocheting is. Well, to be honest, most people know what crochet is, don't they?


If you are still unclear, www.Dictionary.reference.com defines it this way:

crochet

[kroh-shey; British kroh-shey, -shee]  

• Examples
• Word Origin

noun

1.

needlework done with a needle having a small hook at one end for drawing the    thread or yarn through intertwined loops.

verb (used with object), verb (used without object),crocheted 

 [kroh-sheyd; British kroh-sheyd, -sheed] (Show IPA),crocheting 

 [kroh-shey-ing; British kroh-shey-ing, -shee-ing] (Show IPA)

2.

to form by crochet.

And until I read that definition, I had no idea anyone ever pronounced it [kroh-shee]! Silly Brits!

I have been doing a lot of needlework with a small hook at one end and drawing yarn through intertwined loops lately. Here is a photo of several projects I have done within the last month or two:

Lots of crocheted goodies!

In this photo, you will see scarves, cowls, hats, wristlets, and amigurumi birds. I have used single crochet, half-double crochet, double crochet, back stitch only crochet, and I've knitted with fingers and my arms. I cannot tell you how much I adore crochet. But I think you already knew that, didn't you?

Here are some of the items along with yours truly:

Cowl using Lion Brand Heartland in Hot Springs

.

Scarf using Red Heart Sashay Sequins in Phlox.

Cowl using Lion Brand Landscapes yarn in Tropics.

Cowl using Red Heart Boutique Unforgettable in Dragonfly.

Cowl using Red Heart Boutique Unforgettable in Petunia.

Cowl using Red Heart Boutique Unforgettable in Winery.

Cowl using Red Heart Boutique Unforgettable in Tidal.

Cowl using Lion Brand Landscapes in Desert Spring.

Wristers using Lion Brand Unique yarn in Passion Fruit. Find the pattern here.

Arm-knitted Scarf using Lion Brand Wool-Ease Thick & Quick in Claret.

For this scarf, I watched Crafty Gemini's online tutorial found here.

~~~~~~~~~~

I also made a couple of amigurumi from my Craftsy class Woodland Animals. It was designed by Stacey Trock. If you are interested in learning how to make these cute little guys plus a raccoon, a deer, and a bear, go here.

Me and the Bleu, the Bluebird of Happiness. I used Red Heart Soft yarn in turquoise and Vanna's Choice yarn in radiant yellow. I also used Darice craft eyes from Jo-Ann.

My son, me, and Larry, my daughter's bird with two different sized eyes. (She wanted him that way!) I used Vanna's Choice yarn in sapphire and radiant yellow. I also used Darice craft eyes from Jo-Ann.

~~~~~~~~~~

I also made washcloths, but I gave those away as Christmas gifts. Here is a pic:

I used Lily Sugar'n Cream solids in sage green, ecru, light blue, and sunshine. You can find those at Jo-Ann also.

~~~~~~~~~~

As you may be able to decipher by now, I am a crochet-a-holic. I found these great photos from a blog I've just discovered, The Little Bee. They pretty much sum up how I feel about crochet.





Well said, Little Bee. Bien dit, petite abeille!





Alas, I must return to work tomorrow after an extended winter break. I am so glad I have been able to pursue my creative endeavors this winter.


I am also changing the name of my Etsy shop from Prairie Sunshine Soaps to Prairie Sunshine Shop so I may begin selling items other than soap or those related to soap. I would like to expand to include lots of cute crocheted goodies and patterns eventually. I am looking forward to this next phase in the Prairie Sunshine story!

~~~~~~~~~~

I hope everyone is doing well and I hope you are staying warm wherever you are. Take good care and Happy New Year 2015!

--Jenn

Crocheted kitchen rug is done, thanks to McLeod's Daughters

Yes, it's true.  I actually finished a crochet project!  My kitchen rug has been placed in front of the kitchen sink and now I can finally do the dishes and cook!  Just kidding.  Now I will have an absorbent cotton handmade rug to soak up all the stray drops of water that may find their way to the floor.

I used Sugar'n Cream cotton yarn made by Lily.  I originally used the stash I had but I did have to go pick up a couple more balls at Michael's.  I love bright colors and I am happy with the way the rug turned out.  I will need some non-slip backing for the rug before I will feel confident that it won't move around on us, but I have worked long and hard on this rug and I wanted to get it down as quickly as I could.  The colors are hot blue, hot green, yellow, hot purple, hot orange, and hot pink.

I started out by crocheting five rows of each of the colors but decided I wanted it just a little wonkier and not so rigid.  I just decided to crochet one color until I felt like adding another one.   I think the rug looks pretty nice and the colors make me smile.

So what enabled me to crochet so quickly when I normally take many weeks to do a project of similar scope?  Well, McLeod's Daughters of course.  "What is that?" you ask.  It is an Australian television show that aired from 2001-2009.  I was looking for a show to watch while I crocheted and this one fit the bill.  It is the story of Claire and Tess McLeod who are reunited after their father dies and run the family ranch, Drovers Run, in South Australia.  Being a prospective farm owner myself (some day I would like to be a lavender farmer), I was interested in the premise of this story.  You get to see sheep being sheared, bulls courting cows, a foal being born, and much more!

The cast is rounded out by characters who help keep up the place,  mostly female.  It is pretty cool to see a farm run by women.  Of course, there are the gorgeous hunky neighbors, Nick and Alex Ryan.  They make the show much nicer to watch as well.  I am currently in season 3.  If you're interested in watching it, check it out on Netflix.

One word of warning, if you watch multiple episodes of this show, you may start singing the theme song out of the blue.  You may need to watch McLeod's Daughters with closed captioning on and with an Australian slang dictionary at the ready.  And lastly, you may also randomly start speaking with an Aussie accent.

Well, I reckon I'd better go fix the fence on the chook paddock, mate.  G'day!