WIPs

This is the Easter Egg Pot Holder I've been working on. I actually have almost all the pieces done. I just have to do the cotton batting and assemble them.... I don't know if I'm going to do the batting. It's not even done yet, but I started another project. (Sigh....)

I don't know WHY I started a shawl. Well, I kind of do. I was unpacking some bags yesterday. In one of the bags were sheets/pillowcases and all my shawls. I put one on because I was cold. Then I started looking on my blog to see what pattern that was....   Then I said "Oh yeah I still haven't made myself a purple one!" The very first one of these I started was the absolute best color. I have been wanting a (plum) purple one ever since then.And I remembered the purple yarn I bought for the hexagon sweater I started.. (Which I need to buy another color to start working on again...)  I really like the purple one I made for my sister in law (which I should have just kept for myself--- oh well hind sight is 20/20)...  I like this purple better, anyway it's my favorite color. I cannot find the Evening Shawl pattern online anymore.  My printed copy doesn't have a URL on it either. 👀  Those are all my W(orks)I(n)P(rogress)s for now....  

Just wanted to add that I crocheted a bunch of shawls when we lived in Tennessee- what's up with that?

New Stray Cat and New Project

First off, what am I, the Cat Whisperer? We haven't even been here in the new house for three weeks, yet. And a cat appears. I don't know if it's a stray, actually. Or someone's cat. I am not going to feed it! LoL

I was trying to get it's attention, tapping on the window... It reminds me of Bagheera. Bagheera was the best cat. 

I was looking for Easter themed crochet patterns this morning. There are so many cute ones. But I wanted to make a cute one you can actually use. Easter Egg Pot Holder. It says it's easy. I wanted to make sure I had enough yarn this time, before I started it. (The runner pattern did not have a yarn amount, technically... Even though I should have known..)  ~Anyway~ I still need to find my "I" hook to start it.

My hip and lower back is not hurting as bad today. (Knock on wood.) It's supposed to get super windy and snow today. 😭  For some reason yesterday I thought it was Friday. But today is Friday. 👀

My Runner Is Finished

I found two more skeins of the cotton in my yarn bins. I forgot about another drawer I started putting all my cotton yarn into and I said "I'll just look". I'm glad I did. Because Walmart did not have any Lily Sugar and Cream yarn. I did not feel like driving all over trying to find any. Traffic is insane and really irritating here.  Anyway. I use four skeins of Lily Sugar and Cream, "Ecru." I vaguely remember buying a bunch of it last summer because I was going to crochet a strawberry bucket hat. (That didn't happen..) 

Here's a close up of the pattern. I think it looks nice. It's the Easiest Crochet Table Runner Pattern.

I don't know why but my bones have been hurting. My collarbone was hurting for two days. Now my hip is hurting and I can barely walk. I don't know if it's from stress, unpacking, cleaning... Or the weather. We had massive hail yesterday.

This is how big of hail.. It had been 62, and blue skies and sunny out an hour and a half before it started to hail. What are we in Colorado? And it's supposed to be windy and then snow tomorrow. Ughhhhh..

A New Runner

I started a new runner today. I had been looking for one I could "customize" to the size I wanted. I needed 13 x 45 inches. And I didn't want anything four different colors, or anything fancy. I just wanted a basic one. I kind of liked this one. I found it on Pinterest. It's called the Easiest Crochet Table Runner. And it is. I just had to redo the first two rows about five or six times to get the right number. It says a multiple of 2 +1. I chained 50 and it measures exactly 13 inches across.

I wanted it to cover up the marks on this old hutch. I got the hutch free on Facebook Marketplace a few years ago, because we did not have enough cupboard space in our old house. My husband said he could paint it and refinish it. But..... It still isn't refinished. So...  Crochet to the rescue. 

I was thinking, I should just decorate for Easter while I'm unpacking. 🐇 I want to get some Easter tapered candles. If they make such a thing.

More Bitty Bunny Bags

All the Bitty Bunny Bags I've done so far. For Alice. I just need one more little toy, maybe a hot wheel...  I also have little popper keychains in each one. I got them at the Dollar (twenty five plus) store, though. A package of 6 for $1.25. They're all ducks, eggs, rabbits... And I got the Easter pencils there, too. I don't know how many grandkids, or great grandkids she has. I don't remember how many kids she has, either. I've been sending her things since our youngest was three. So... 20 years I've been sending her stuff... Wow. I just realized that. 😐I joined the Yahoo Group for Pine Ridge in January of 2006.  I feel like I should put more things in each bag. I don't know what I could do though. (Without going broke-r, LoL). If I get little chapsticks at the dollar store, that's still over $5. I still have to have money to mail the box, too. Since I'm not on Ravelry any more and not in the Pine Ridge groups, I don't have anywhere to post what I send... So I thought I would blog about it. 🙄 I kind of miss that about Ravelry.  I'm going to go crochet something now. (I started another hexagon cardigan for myself, I don't know if I posted about that.) I cleaned all day yesterday. 

~That's all for now~

You'll Never Believe What I Just Found...

My crochet hook I lost last year. Unbelievable. I wasn't looking for it (of course, I was trying to find something else...) And we are in the middle of unpacking after moving. How crazy. But a good crazy. It has to be a good sign.  I feel like I should crochet something with it now. 😝

Happy Valentine's Day

My husband brought me home flowers and a card. I was so busy all day, I feel bad I didn't get him anything. I thought about it. But... 😞   They are my favorite color purple, too.

The Bunny Bags Are Multiplying

I finished another Bitty Bunny Bag, this morning. And I weaved in all my ends. 😒 I don't know why I crocheted these. I must miss when our boys were little... (Not really, lol). I will probably send these to Alice (the woman I send things to on Pine Ridge Reservation). I don't know how many grandchildren she has, though. Going to have to go shopping for stuff to put inside them. I'm thinking Chapsticks, fun erasers, stampers, maybe the little lego packs. I'll have to go see what I can find.

Random Blog Post

I was just looking for a new pattern to crochet this morning...  I am burnt out from cleaning and unpacking.  I found these Itty Bitty Bunny Bags on Pinterest. First there was a YouTube video, then I tried the Facebook page.... Apparently the easiest way to get to the pattern is from the YouTube video. I just thought these were so cute. I'm making a third one now, in "boy" colors. I don't even know why I'm crocheting these. When our youngest son is 23 now....  👀  

Guess what else I found, without even looking for it? It was an ad while I was playing a game on my phone. Remember this post? Well I found these Chocolate Covered Strawberries! I literally tried to find a pattern like that toy, for days....    

I need a nap now, but it's too late for a nap. 

~That's all for now~

My First Box In The New House

I couldn't find "Light Raspberry" Red Heart Yarn at Walmart anywhere. I looked in two WalMarts. Hobby Lobby doesn't have Red Heart. And last time I went to Michaels I couldn't find any either. So, I ordered a skein. The shipping was over $10. Ridiculous. For one skein of yarn. Well, now I know partly why. Look at this huge box, for ONE skein!?  It was delivered Fed Ex. And the box was open when I got it. Getting anything in the mail is unreliable anymore.  

But, I got it. And it matched the one I have. So I finished the other slipper today. 

I've made some just like these before, for myself. I made these for someone on the Pine Ridge Reservation. I don't know why I still send things to her. 

The pattern is Ruby's Slippers.

A Valentine's Day Project

Valentine's Day is in four more days. I was in the mood to crochet a bunch of Valentine's Day stuff. But this is all I have done, so far. Amazing I even got this finished, with moving and everything that's been going on.  Besides having to clear out all of my uncle's things and clean here, and clean the other house.... Packing and moving...   We realized that the fridge did not work. So we had to get a new fridge. And my husband got a dishwasher, too. Because there isn't one here. This place has major cabin vibes.   Well not even two days after we got the new fridge, the dryer quit working. 

This is the dryer. The door wouldn't stay closed, so my uncle put a block of wood to keep it closed. But it was working when we first got here.    

Sigh....  As if moving wasn't stressful enough. And life isn't expensive enough...   We got the New Homeowner's Curse.

Then there's this issue...   She looks so innocent. (Still have stuff on the counter, I am in the process of cleaning the cupboards and putting new shelf liners down.) She has been meowing non-stop every single night, just about all night long, ever since we got here! It's been over a week. I would think she would like it here. No more Elsie to stalk and chase her, so she doesn't have to stay upstairs all day... (She chose to do that.)  Sigh....   😔  I hope she gets used to the new place soon.  Another thing that is weird, she is afraid to go in the basement here. It's a finished basement. I said to her, "Oh, you went in the scary basement in the other house, but you won't go in this basement here?" Silly kitty. She just has to get used to her new surroundings. 

Cosmo is like The Honey Badger he don't care....  Just give me food, he says.

ETA: We have all our stuff here now, and we cleaned the other house on Sunday. We just need to finish unpacking and clean here. We are going to wash the walls in the basement this weekend. (Where the guy who rented from my uncle lived, and smoked in the house.) Then paint with Killz.

Moving Progress

We are still not all moved in. (Sigh...)  Pack, clean, go to the other house. Unpack, clean... Go to the other house. Repeat. I am exhausted. I don't know if I wrote that I fell, too. Last Wednesday. I am still a little sore. My foot still hurts. But I'm okay.   The night we brought all our stuff so we could start staying here, and the cats and Jaxson.. It was a Winter Weather Advisory, bad roads. The cats were meowing, Jaxson was whining... I was holding Cosmo on my lap and trying to keep him there so he wouldn't jump on my husband and send us in the ditch or worse.. It was over an hour with the roads. Sigh... But we made it.  

The man who lived in the basement/apartment here fed the deer. I met him one day we were over here and I was cleaning. He told me he feeds them corn in the winter, and apples in the summer. Well.... They are waiting for their food. 😔 I can't afford to feed the deer, and all our animals...  

This one was looking up at the house. It looked away right when I took the picture.

They are so pretty. I saw seven of them in total.

There's no fenced in back yard here. So we have been having to take Jaxson out on a leash. We got him a tie out chain, but we still have to go out because he tries to keep going (down the hill) and gets stuck.  So we still end up having to go out there.  

And Eri..... Sigh...  She has been meowing non stop all night long since we got here.  We did not bring Spuds. 😔 He bit me again. I don't know if I wrote about that. I just went out to give him food and water. I was walking back in the house and he bit my leg.  Our son is staying there, and he has been feeding him. And we left the cat shelter set up. 

I looked at Walmart for the Light Raspberry Red Heart yarn the other night. (To finish the slipper with.) Of course they don't have it. But, I ordered a skein online (ridiculous-$10 for shipping!!)  I haven't been in the new house a week yet and I already ordered some yarn. Is this a good sign? 😁  I also started a little heart project. But, my stuffing is either packed or still at the other house. We were going to go there tomorrow morning to finish packing and cleaning. But my husband ordered a new refrigerator (after I spent two days cleaning the one that's here, we realized it doesn't freeze or keep things very cold... sigh..)  Now I have to stay here and wait for them to deliver the fridge. Ughhhh....   

I Lost At Yarn Chicken

 

I meant to post this yesterday, since it was the first day of February. But... Life was lifing. O.o 

We were *going* to move in to the new house yesterday. But.... The guy who my uncle had living in the basement (he was supposed to be out of there-get the truck at noon and two guys to help him move)..... He got the U-Haul stuck in the driveway. 🙄 I saw the whole thing. We got there at about 12:30. I was washing/cleaning the shelves and drawers in the fridge, standing at the sink watching. I said "What the %&*@ is he doing???" He was backing the U-Haul into the driveway, and just backed it right into the ditch and into a tree. My husband went down and tried to help, but it was stuck. 

Sigh.....  So, we didn't move in yesterday. Now we might be moving in today after my husband gets home from work. And it will be a long night...  🙄 He had to call a tow truck. We went back almost four hours later (went home and got more stuff), and the tow truck was JUST then getting there. I need more eye rolling emojis...  Then, we got all the stuff out (after driving around for a while because the tow truck and U-Haul were still blocking the driveway...) and the two guys to help him were just then showing up. It was 6:45 pm. Who knows how long they were there loading the U-Haul... I feel sorry for the place he was moving into. If he can't even drive into a driveway, how is he going to navigate a U-Haul in a parking lot full of cars? (He's moving into an apartment building.)  My husband is going there after work to see if he is gone yet. If he is, he will leave his work van, get the truck and come home, get our stuff and we will go. So the house doesn't sit empty.

And, I lost at yarn chicken. I knew I was going to. I don't think I have any more of the pink yarn. I have one more bin (at the other house). I'll have to look later.  

Let's Play a Little Game...

...called Yarn Chicken. I don't think I am going to win. Sighh....  I try to use up the yarn I have for a project. But end up running out of yarn and I will have to see if I can even find any of this color now.

 

 

I saw a post on Facebook about Dalgona coffee. It reminded me of the coffee Eon made for me once... (I'm sure he made it more than once). But I don't think I ever posted about it. It was so yummy! We used this recipe from YouTube.  We only had instant coffee from the dollar tree. We had used Folgers or another kind too, but I like the dollar tree kind the best!

I guess I'm trash. LoL. I don't care...  Now I want one. I am going to have to go to the dollar store soon...

P.S. I think I hurt myself worse than I thought. I won't go into details.. 

Chronicles of Crochetia

I don't know how, but I finished one slipper. I have been packing and cleaning. Then taking things over to the other house, unpacking (into the garage-lonnnnng story), and cleaning over there. We are moving into my uncle's house. Because he is in a home (he has dementia and will not be returning to his house). I don't know how long he has had dementia. But the kitchen is really bad. He has an expensive stove, but it is filthy. (I was trying to clean it up last night- ,my gloves and sponges are black now. It's going to take a lot of work to get it into usable condition.) We will take over the bills there, so that my other uncle (power of attorney) won't have to pay them. Sigh.... I did not want to move there. But.... I also don't love this house. It's right next to the highway. 126 years old. Michigan basement. Mice and snakes get in...  Our road is terrible. I don't like the town. So......  Anyway. I have been trying to pack and do all I can. Even though I just had surgery last year and any time I do too much, I start hurting again. Then, I was carrying some stuff out to my car on Wednesday, and I fell!!  😢 I didn't hurt myself too bad. But, I hurt my foot and now I am sore all over. So..... I might finish the other slipper too.  We "technically" have 11 days until we have to be out. I mean, we probably have more. But our lease is up in 11 days. It's a long complicated story. I have packed a lot so far, and cleaned a lot, too...   Crochet Take Me Away!  (Who needs Calgon?...) LoL  

 

Valentine's Day is Coming.....

I was going to clean or pack something yesterday but my back (and neck) still was hurting a lot. I don't know what I did (except for all the stress lately..). My husband said "You should just take it easy and crochet today". I said "I think I'm going to." 👀 If I could just turn off my brain, too. (Sigh.....)  I started a new project (to add to my stress. LoL). A pair of Ruby's Slippers. I made a pair for myself in the exact colors I'm using now. I haven't made those in years. I was trying to think of something to make for the "elder" I have sent things to for years... I no longer officially "sponsor" her, but I still try to send things to her when I can.  It has been BITTER cold here. It was -19 yesterday morning. And, we are out of propane.... (Sigh. Long story) So we have no heat. Except our little space heaters. We have four or five.  It's COLD!! We went yesterday to Menard's and got another space heater, to use in the basement. Because the pipes in the kitchen froze up.  The pipe for the kitchen is right by the rock wall... Anyway. We went to Walmart afterwards to get a few things (I was going to get an electric blanket, but they didn't' have any).  I was looking at all the Valentine's Day stuff.. And yarn. I did get a skein of yarn, Red Heart Purple Ombre yarn.

I saw these by the cards. I LOVE the little strawberry guy on the left. I told my husband I want it with some real chocolate covered strawberries for Valentine's Day. He said "Okay"..... (Stay tuned to see if he gets it for me... LoL)  Then when I got home I (naturally) was thinking, I wonder if there's any crochet patterns like that?  I have been searching and searching.........  I haven't found anything just like it. I found a bunch of strawberry toys and some heart toys...   And, I bought this Jelly Cat  Heart Crochet Pattern. It doesn't look like the strawberry toy, but it is really cute...  It actually looks more like the one on the right. Oh well.  Maybe my husband will buy me it. 

Back to the slippers and it being bitter cold... It made me think of the people on the reservation and how a lot of them don't even have electricity or heat...  And so I started a pair of slippers for her. Since I'm not on Ravelry any more, I'm not in any groups for Pine Ridge. That is one thing I miss. So, I just try to send things to the woman I used to sponsor, when I can.   I should get her an electric blanket! Everything is so expensive though....   The only other site (besides a couple Facebook pages I follow, which really don't have a way to donate..) is One Spirit Lakota. If you click on "Okini List and Family Sponsorships", you can sponsor a family that way.

Enough rambling, I am going to work on the slippers.

~Until Next Time~

Bakers Crafters Makers Day

Today is "National Bakers Crafters Makers Day." This morning I was trying to think what else I can pack or clean today... Now I want to just crochet and forget all of my problems...

I thought I would take a picture of my desk all cleaned out. 😅 

 

Creepy Crawlies...

First off, Cosmo is feeling better I think. He's acting more like his old grumpy "FEED ME!" self... (Sigh...Waking me up every morning at almost 2:21 or 2:28 on the dot, for food..) And his eye is not half closed and gunky anymore.    Matter of fact he is in here now meowing for food... (And I keep ignoring him... He's already been feed twice by me and treats, plus I don't know how many times my husband fed him.)

I started a new project- don't even ask me why lol..  🙄   I haven't crocheted one of my Love Bugs in a while. I went on to my other page for some reason, and noticed there was some comments I hadn't seen. Asking about the "bumps"/what I meant... So, I am crocheting one to see what I was talking about. 👀  I'm using the same yarn I used for my dinosaur (which is almost done-but I have to sew one more spot on). It's Red Heart Super Saver Jumbo Speckles, "Light Blue Speckle". I thought "Oh, that would be cute for a love bug"...  I overdid it packing yesterday and I moved another book shelf out of my bedroom which I probably shouldn't have done; and now I hurt... My  husband said I should take it easy and just sit and crochet today. But there's still so much to do! Sigh.... I got all the windows upstairs washed. In the middle of January. That was fun. Speaking of bugs! There are so many of those little Asian Beetles ? They look like lady bugs but they're not. They keep getting in the window somehow and it's driving me nuts! I just cleaned the window and I went upstairs yesterday and there was about 20 of them on the window in my room-that I just cleaned! Now I just have to do all the downstairs windows. And clean the whole house and finish packing... And move. And change our address, and, and, and, and.....  I probably started a new crochet project to get my mind off everything I have to do. 😁

 

Kitty Cold..

Cosmo is feeling under the weather today. I noticed this morning his eye was half closed, and leaking. He had been sneezing for a couple of days. I don't know if he has a kitty cold. I said to my husband, "It's too bad they don't have Kitty NyQuil. KittyQuil." 😹 I googled it, and they do have stuff you can buy! L-Lysine. (I googled it more though and there can be some bad side effects.)  By the time it arrived, he would probably be better, anyway. He has been sleeping on the couch since about 11:30 this morning; and he just was waking up when I took the picture a couple minutes ago. His eye wasn't leaking any more. So maybe he is starting to feel better. I was wondering why he didn't wake me up at 2:30 this morning for food... LoL He probably didn't feel good...  😞  I tried cleaning his eye up (he did not like that). But I brushed him and cuddled him afterwards and he was purring. So I don't think he was too mad. He is a spoiled kitty.    

Cosmos sez you have to feed a cold. 😹 I think all he cares about is food and cuddles. But I hope he feels better soon.

 

"Friendship? Yes, Please" Tea Bag Holder

Don't ask me why I was in the mood to make this this morning... When I should be packing!! Because we are going to be moving... AGAIN... That's another whole post though. And don't ask me why I am making a tea bag holder when the cost to send something like this in the mail is RIDICULOUS now.... But, I was in the mood to make a card or something this morning. Then I remembered the tea bag holder I made before. I tried to find the instructions on Pinterest. They are no longer there. So..... I decided to just go for it myself. (Good idea, dummy...)  I tried to write everything down so I can remember for the next time I try to make one. These are not the best tutorial/instructions, but maybe you can make sense of them...

This is the stamp I used, it's from Stampin' Up I think? And I have no idea where you can get one. I think they are discontinued. But, you could use any stamp really. Or a sticker, a die cut... Whatever.

After four attempts I stamped it onto the color cardstock I wanted to use, THEN I used the punch to cut it out. I have these pictures backwards I think... This is the two colors I used to color the inside of it.."Maroon", and "Rasberry".

Lined up the image inside as best as I could to see where to punch it out... (Nervewracking-well maybe just for me. I had two dogs and one cat I thought for sure was going to jump up on the chair next to me,  and startle me or something....) 

Then, I folded the piece of cardstock in half  widthwise (?) and cut down to 3 1/2" wide x 4 3/4' tall. Then, approximately one inch from the folded edge, put a pencil mark. Then, turning the piece with the folded edge on the bottom, approximately 2 1/4" to the next dot, put another pencil mark and make a diagonal line, lining up the ruler from dot to dot. Cut. 

Cut a darker/contrast color piece of cardstock 3 1/2" x 2 1/4" (ish). Then cut another piece of patterned paper 3 1/2" x 1 1/4". (this will also go on the inside of the tea bag holder/card, too so make sure you have enough for both pieces). Secure to the darker piece approximately 1/4" from the top. Then, secure the whole strip to the tea bag card lining up side and bottom. Now glue/secure the "Friendship" circle to the card... Then, cut a piece of the patterned paper approximately 4 1/4" (plus one dot more?) by 3 1/8", glue to the inside of the back piece of the tea bag card/holder. Using a hole punch, punch two holes- one just above the strip and a little over 1/4" away from the outer edge, the other one just a little bit to the top of the halfway point of the patterned paper, the same amount away from the edge. I just eyeballed it... Then measured it later.  Then you put a ribbon in and tie in the front.

Here's the finished tea bag holder.  Since I couldn't find a tutorial online (and I don't write things down or put links in my blog for things-ughhhhhh-I need to start doing that better), I thought I would write it all down here.  This is the one I made about 10 years ago. (No real notes, as you can see, but you can see the picture...) Maybe I'll make a purple one now. 😀No! I need to pack....  Stay focused.. LoL

 

Happy 2026

Today is the first day of 2026. Wow. I am not into that "New Year, New Me" BS....  It's just another day to me. But... "Happy New Year". I remember when it turned 2000. I couldn't believe it. (Remember "Y2K"? 🙄) Now it's already 2026...  

I picked apart the pink edging on the baby basket, and I redid it in all hdc's. You can't really tell from the pictures, but it lays better. And I like it better. Then I said "This baby needs a blanket. It's only 22 degrees outside." (LoL).  (It was actually only 9 degrees out this morning!) So I crocheted one I found on Pinterest. But, I did not do the whole thing. I only chained 24, and I did five rows. Then I did the edging. 

Here it is, all bundled up. Now what to crochet.... 

Okay, I took a picture of the side view. You can see it isn't all tight around the bottom like it was before, and pulling in. I must crochet single crochets tighter than half double crochets. Who knows...