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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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!