Happy National Crochet Month!

I just found out that March is National Crochet Month!  My dad has been in the hospital for a few days and I haven't been crocheting much, but he seems to be doing better.  So I hope to crochet at least a little bit every day this month. 

Here are a few snapshots of what I have been working on lately.  There are no finished projects to show off yet, but I'll get there!

Take care, everyone!

"Friend"ly Washcloths

For the last several weeks, I have been making washcloths during my spare moments.  In the evenings after school or on the weekends, I have been perfecting my crocheted washcloth making abilities.  I have finally listed some of them in my Etsy shop.  Here is a link and here are some photos:

The reason I call these "Friend"ly Washcloths is because I watched several episodes of "Friends" on Netflix while making them.  They were made with laughter and a positive vibe from Phoebe, Joey, Monica, Ross, Rachel, and Chandler.   :)

 

I keep going back and forth trying to decide which character is my favorite.  Among the men, I think I would probably get along with Ross the best, but I just love Chandler Bing!  As for the women, Phoebe and I would get along the best.

Yes, I do realize they are fictional characters, but I must ask which character do you like the best?  Watching "Friends" has been like taking a stroll down memory lane.  It's hard to believe that the show first aired more than 20 years ago.  Who feels old now?

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Well, in any case, have a bright, sunshiny day!

Could your day BE any sunshinier?










--J

New Soaps, February Birthdays, and Winter is Coming!

Two new soaps in the shop today:

Monkey Farts Handmade Soap.  The shop description says:  "Fresh banana blended with sweet grapefruit, mandarin orange, kiwi, coconut cream, pink raspberries, strawberries and apples.  This soap is a wonderfully colorful and fragrant additional to your bath time routine!  Your kids will love it and so will you!"

Twigs & Berries: "Rich currant is blended with soft woods, cinnamon and a hint of peach and orange.  A sweet and pleasant fragrance, this soap is like taking a springtime walk through the woods."

Today was the February birthday party for my brother, my son, and myself.  Here is a pic of the three of us:

And today, we may actually get a fair amount of snow on the ground for the first time this winter.  After the last several years of brutal winters with heaps of snow, we have gotten off lightly here in my neck of the woods, especially when I see what places like Boston have gone through.  There are no pictures of snow just yet, but stay tuned.  

Happy mid-February, everyone!  

I'm in love with this SOAP!

I know it sounds slightly irrational, but I made this Apricot Freesia soap a couple of days ago and just cut it this evening.  I am in LOVE with it!  J'adore ce savon!

The apricot color is of course reminiscent of actual apricots.  And I used white and yellow to represent freesia.  It smells like a lovely late spring day!  Lovely!

Watch me cut the soap here:

and unveil it here:

And here are the crêpes that Sean made for school.  Elles sont délicieuses!

I hope you have a lovely week!

--J

Råskog

I hadn't been to our local IKEA in a long time but decided to go today.  I was in search of the lovely Råskog cart.

My yarn mess was getting the best of my kitchen table and I believed the Råskog would help out.  Here is the what my kitchen table crafting situation looked like a few hours ago:

Did you notice the half-eaten Ikea cinnamon roll?   I needed energy to put this bad boy together.  If you have ever put your own furniture together yourself, you should understand.  Luckily, with hubby's help, the Råskog came together quite quickly.  I was quite impressed.  Here it is:

And now here it is filled with yarn, library books, and finished birds.  The birds won't stay in the cart long; I just thought they looked cute in the picture.  

Pretty adorable, n'est-ce pas?  And the best part about it?  The Råskog now costs $20 less than it did last September when I first saw it.  It only costs $29.  That means I might get a couple more for other items soon.  Or for yarn.  It would take several to contain my entire yarn stash.  And by several, I mean 20.  Or 50.  I'm not really sure at this point.  

Find the Råskog on Ikea's website here.  Lycklig shopping!

And here is my current collection of amigurumi birds:  

Ciao, oiseaux!  

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

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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