GO, ROYALS!

I'm still rooting for the Kansas City Royals, my hometown team.  I know I'm a Jenny Come Lately to this Royals team and I know I don't attend (m)any games, but I hope to change that next season.  My brother and his wife are huge fans, as well as many of my Facebook friends.  I love seeing pictures of them enjoying Royals' games at Kauffman Stadium.

My fair weather fandom doesn't matter during the next several days because our boys in blue have made it into the World Series yet again, and they even won the first game in 14 innings very early this morning.  During that game, I couldn't stand how close the score was and I needed something to do with my hands.  So I went in search of blue yarn and I decided to make a crocheted cowl.  I used Lion Brand's 45-minute cowl pattern, but I used Homespun yarn instead of Amazing.  The reason for that is I already have cowls with nearly every color of Amazing, and I had some seriously gorgeous Homespun yarn just calling out my name to be made into something #Royal blue.  I used Montana Sky and Windsor held together and crocheted with a Q-size hook (16 mm).  One way to ensure your crochet project whips up nicely is to use a huge hook.

I really like how it turned out.  How about you?  I wore it at school today because the heat in our 53 year-old building is having a hard time finding the rooms in my hallway, but that just makes for an exciting day.

If tonight's game is close, I will most likely make some fingerless gloves to go along with my Royal blue cowl.

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I remember when the Royals won the World Series in 1985.  Thirty years ago, I was in high school, um, I mean Kindergarten--LOL!  It was a surreal experience then and it is electrifying living through it again.  I'd say thirty years is enough time to go without a World Series win.  Let's bring it back home again, lads!

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Go, Royals!  You are the scrappiest team in the major league.  Your hearts are in the right place and you make us Kansas Citians proud!


#ForeverRoyal  #TaketheCrown  #World Series  #KansasCityRoyals



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PEACE.



                                        LOVE.




                                                                             KANSAS CITY ROYALS!






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Gray fox amigurumi

It has been a tough week for me at work.  I sat in on three teacher interviews, we had our second annual French National Honor Society induction ceremony, and I came down with sinus/allergy issues to top it all off.  I took today off to recover and rest, and I am glad I did.

I was able to finish this sweet little gray fox amigurumi that my daughter requested.  I got the pattern from Pepika's Etsy store, and it is adorable.  Initially, I had a few problems figuring out how the head was made which resulted in this little guy's head being a bit too big for his body.  But that's OK.  I still think he is precious and so does my daughter.

 

What project are you working on?

Paz.

J

National Crochet Month Post #10: Wristers

We have been blessed with warmer weather for the last few days, which makes everyone just a little more cheerful, I believe.  So imagine my surprise when I walked into my classroom today to a very chilled environment:  it was a mere 63°Fahrenheit!  I had to get my space heater out of the closet so my students (many of whom were dressed in shorts and t-shirts) would not freeze their derrières off.

When I sat down at my Mac to open my grade book, my hands were super cold.  So I brought out these wristers I made back in January and went about teaching my class while wearing them.  A few girls asked me about them and were impressed that I had made them.  One even asked if I would make some for her.  As much as I would have loved to sit down and start crocheting right then and there (if for no other reason, so I could warm my fingers up even more), I had the very important task of teaching French to my French 2 class that hour.  But the experience made me decide to make wristers my Day #10 topic.

Here I am wearing the first pair of wristers I made.  They are really fabulous and warm, and they still allow you to use your fingers for fine motor activities.

Of course, this is a Lion Brand pattern and I used Lion Brand Unique yarn in the Passion Fruit colorway.


I have also made another pair for myself using Harvest.

And I made a pair for my daughter using Oceania. She didn't really want me to take her picture and hence, no smile for Mom.

I love these wonderful little wristers.  Why don't you try your hand at making some too?


Oh, and if you didn't quite believe that my classroom was that frigid today, take a look at this:

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Pax.

National Crochet Month Post #9: My Daughter's Afghan

It is no secret that I like to crochet.  Sometimes I pick projects that take a lot of concentration and effort, but sometimes I like to just keep my hands busy without having to count or pay too close attention to my stitches.  It is times like these that I like to make double crochet afghans.  I have several sitting around the house that we all like to use.  The first one I want to share with you is my daughter's afghan I made in 2013.

She picked Lion Brand Homespun yarn, which is a wonderful choice because it is super soft!  And it is made in the good old U.S.A.  I made this afghan for her using the Coral Reef colorway.  It is a simple pattern but is self-striping so it looks like I put a lot more effort into than I really did.  I quite like how it turned out.

Here is a link to the original post:  Lizzie's afghan

National Crochet Month Post #8: Amigurumi Cat

Oops!  With the time change, visiting my dad in the hospital (he is doing better), grading Spanish quizzes, and The Walking Dead, I forgot to post yesterday.

So here is yesterday's post:

Day 8:  Amigurumi Cat

I made this amigurumi cat last summer just for the fun of it.  I love the looks of cute little crocheted friends (what amigurumi means in Japanese), but it takes a lot of time, concentration, and counting to finish one successfully.  I used Lilleliis' pattern from her Etsy shop, which you can find here.

Here is a link to the post from last summer:  Limey

National Crochet Month Post #3: Cowls

I have posted about cowls a few times, but I have to tell you that I just love cowls.  They warm up my neck against the cold and I don't have to worry about wrapping them around my neck, stepping on them, or getting them caught in the car door.  They are far superior to scarves and here are a couple I have made:

I got my pattern from Lion Brand Yarn's website.  It is their 45-minute cowl, tweaked just a little, and using Red Heart yarn for these two cowls.  Here is that pattern:

http://www.lionbrand.com/patterns/L20326B.html

Tomorrow is Wednesday and I hope to "Hook on Hump Day."  Check back then.  ;)  

National Crochet Month Post #2: Shamrocks

I am hoping to post every day this month some sort of crocheted goodness that I love.  Some days it will be things I have already made.  Other days it will be something I have recently learned to make.  Here is today's newly learned craft:  my own cute little shamrocks.  

Being an Irish-American gal, I love the color green, the land of my ancestors, and its national symbol, the shamrock.  Did you know that the word shamrock comes from the Irish word seamróg?  This means "little clover" and it was what St. Patrick used to teach people about the Trinity.

I learned how to make these little beauties from Kim Layton on the Everything Etsy website.  She includes written instructions as well as a video teaching you how to make the sweet little shamrocks.  Take a look here.  

I used Vanna's Choice by Lion Brand in fern, kelly green, and lime.  

I have plans to make garlands and decorate my home and classroom with these fun decorations.  

It's never too early to start planning for St. Patrick's Day!

Go raibh maith agat!

Quality Time

I like to think of myself as a crafty kind of gal, but my prowess does not usually extend into the kitchen.  However, my kids and I decided to make some delectable things this weekend, which turned out to taste pretty darn good.  Most likely, this was due to my children's very presence.  I really enjoyed spending quality time with them.  I hope they decide to take over kitchen duties for me permanently.  ;)

My 15-year-old son and I made this yummy homemade pizza:

And my 11-year-old daughter and I made these scrumptious snickerdoodles:

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And then I made a couple of batches of soap; Twigs & Berries and Monkey Farts:

I will post more on these soap when I remove them from their molds.

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I have also been crocheting.  I made these wristers using Lion Brand Unique yarn in Harvest:

And this adorable little junior bluebird of happiness.  I will admit that he was made unintentionally small because I made an error while following the pattern.  Namely, I left out 9 rows of crochet.  But I still think he is cute!

How is YOUR weekend going?

Gros bisous!  
--J

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.

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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.

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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.

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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!

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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

Crochet and More

It's no secret that I love to crochet. As a result, you can often find me with a crochet hook in my hand, madly making something out of yarn for someone in my family.  I finally finished my daughter's stocking cap, complete with pompom.

The is from a pattern by Maggie Weldon.  Here is a link.  She made a great video to go along with the pattern and it is super easy to make.

I used Country Loom yarn by Loops & Threads from Michael's. This yarn is a little too big for the pattern, so I had to adjust it a little bit.  The color is Steel Grey because it's what my sweet girl chose.  She was quite specific about it having a pompom as well.  Having never made one, it took a couple of failed attempts before I finally figured out how to do it.

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Also on the crochet agenda for the weekend is this cowl made with Wool-Ease Quick and Thick in Barley.  It is a bit too stiff for the type of cowl I like to wear, but it is nice and warm.

I  used Lion Brand's free crochet pattern Openwork Crocheted Cowl.  You can find it here.  I wanted it a little wider than what they made, so I started with 53 stitches instead of the 37 called for in the pattern.  The color is wonderful!

Here's another pic, but with my girl and her hat.

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And another highlight of my weekend is finding this yarn:

It's called Landscapes by Lion Brand and I LOVE it!  It is so soft and bright!  I started making a garment using the Tropics colorway but I went back to the store this afternoon and discovered my Joann's didn't have anymore of it.  So I picked this one up; it's called Broadway.  Landscapes is a self-striping yarn in gorgeous colors.  I really hope I can figure out the pattern.  I started it last night but got stuck at the end of the first row.  I must have miscounted on my foundation chain.  Wouldn't this be a wonderful poncho to have?

Alas, now it's Sunday evening and The Walking Dead season 5 is about to premiere.  I also have to teach in the morning.  I guess I have to put away my crochet hook and yarn pretty soon.  

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Happy Thanksgiving Day in Canada and Happy Columbus Day in the U.S.!  

Have a marvelous week!

Peace!  Paix!  Paz!  Pax!  Friede!  

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I Love Yarn!

It may be the beautiful colors, the soft texture, or the wonderful feeling of creativity and accomplishment that working with yarn gives me.  Whatever the case may be, I LOVE YARN!!!

HAPPY I LOVE YARN DAY 2014!!!