Trying to Add Links in Sidebar

Well I am trying to add some links in my sidebar to sites I like or think are useful. But... as you can see, I don't really know what I am doing! But I got them to link to the right sites! Woo Hoo. I'm such a computer dummy..... :( I just don't know how to make them be on their own line... or add a 'Title', like 'Useful or Interesting Links'... Well the Heartmade Blessings is for 12 inch comfortghan squares, like it says. The 'Ladies in Red' is a really cool site (IMO) for redwork. LOTS of free redwork patterns. I should get back into doing it some more. Well I hope you all are having a nice weekend. It's the last weekend of 2006. If you like to do filet crochet, here is a filet pattern for 2007. And a whole page of filet crochet!

The Dora Bag is Completely Finished! Woo Hoo!

For all you who were wondering what the inside/back looked like (of Dora)... It's a mess. :) Here it is with the ends all woven in as best I could.

Then, I had to buy, wash, dry, and iron the fabric. That took a while, because I bought the fabric. Then washed and dried it. Went to iron it.... Ugh! There is black stuff all over the iron. So then I brushed it off the fabric. Got out my cleaning gloves, sponge with a scrubby side... tried to scrub off all the black stuff.... Oi... "Honey, we need a new iron...." (I knew he just got a little extra money from his boss... hee hee...) So finally get the new iron (it's great!) and iron the fabric.... Ugh! I know I have hot pink thread in this sewing basket somewhere.... nope... So back to the store I go. Might as well see if they have snaps, too. If I'm going to put a lining in, it might as well be really nice.... Well here it is all sewed in. I am not the best at sewing. But I think it looks pretty nice. (Especially for a three and a half year old!!) :D My husband said 'That's pretty good.' (Insert rolling eyes into the back of the head smiley here....) I just looked at him.... Ahem.... 'I think it's the best thing you've ever done'.... :D Actually not to toot my own horn, but I am pretty impressed with it, too. And thanks to Mary Jo~ I wouldn't have been able to do it at all if she hadn't helped me! :D

Here's the goodies I am putting inside... Two Dora coloring books (one is paints). Crayons. (I love brand new crayons.) Two sticker sets... I got the Princess ones then later found some Dora ones...

Dora Underoos!! WOO HOO! The only thing is; they are size 2T-3T. I hope they will fit her... :/ Then, the cell phone I posted about a while back, with the cell phone tote... and a ($1) pink bear, and a 'I bet you're proud' card.... I hope this is a big enough 'Big Sister' gift. (I think it is, and more...) I hardly ever buy her anything, so I guess this is good enough. I still have to wrap it all and put it in the box and send it... (Back to the store I go.... no wrapping paper, either...) ;p

Turtle Float Pals

Here's another thing I finished up today. Turtle Float Pals. :) They are turtle soap holders. I got the pattern in the February 2007 issue of Crochet World. If you decide to make this, there is a problem with row 14. I tried re-crocheting it like three times. I thought it was *just me*. But, it isn't. I looked at the picture and did it the way it looked. And wala, when I did rows 15 & 16, it worked perfectly. I emailed the editor. I haven't heard back from them. I was hoping I might get a job out of the whole ordeal. You know, an editing job. LOL... Oh well I can dream can't I? Hee Hee. Anyway I think they are really cute. I want to make one for my Grandma's bathroom in lavender. But I have to get some lavender thread first... So I thought I would try out the pattern first for my own bathroom. Guess which one goes better in my bathroom? ;)

Finally!! I finished another gift item...

Whew..... Now I only have one more to go. This is for my brother and his fiance. Technically they aren't married yet, so it isn't his wife... (Long story...) This is from the 'Big Book of Crochet'. Second thing I've made from this book. (Gavins' blankie was the other thing.) I really like how it turned out. It's 10 and a half inches wide by 16 inches long. I decided to not make it too long. Not many people have big long tables anymore. Especially couples in L.A., I would think.... I still haven't blocked it. Maybe by the time they get married it will be blocked.... LOL

And here is a doggy sweater I made for Gerty. :D I joined the 'Duds for Doggies CAL' at Crochetville last night. (Oh the name of the CAL was just recently changed to 'Duds for Doggies and Furry Ingrates CAL'. LOL. Can't forget the feline friends, they get cold, too!) And, I finished this last night, too. LOL! It worked up so fast. I used a sweater for Chis pattern. I added a row of sc in fur around the two ends, too. I hope it isn't too big!! She is so tiny. Well if it is too big she can grow into it. My friend is always talking about the cute dog sweaters at the pet shop. She got her one. I thought I'd make her another one. This may be a new obsession with me... I hope not. I think this one is cute, too. For my brother's dog. (Which, incidentally, is also a Boston like the one in the picture...) :p Oh, by the way, while I am posting.... I cannot leave a comment on my own blog... :( I don't know what is going on. Ever since blogger switched to beta I can't figure anything out... But I meant to say thank you everyone for your comments! :D

Something Else I Have Been Working On....

This table runner for my brother and his wife. I am pretty sure my brother doesn't read my blog at all; so I feel safe posting it. You can see how long this has taken me to do. I started it around this post.... I think this is as big as I am going to make it. I have no idea what kind of furniture they have, etc... So I am making it smaller rather than bigger. I started on the edging last night. (Top row of dcs...) I hope they'll like it. It's one of those 'What do you get the couple who has everything, or can buy it?' type things.... And they didn't register anywhere, either so you have no idea of colors, styles.... Well just so you didn't think all I crochet is cell phone pouches lately... :D

Two More...

With fun fur. I forgot about the black fun fur I had since forever ago... Don't even remember what I originally bought it for... LOL! Oh well. Then I had some leftover Lion Suede from this project :D (I'm still using yarn that 'Peekaboo' sent me!).... that matched the green eyelash 'fur', so I made one with that. It did turn out a bit bigger than the other ones... :( But maybe someone will like it. I also have some Lion Chenille Sensations that I have had forever... the skeins are so tiny that you couldn't really make anything with them (except maybe a cell phone pouch like this!) Man, I think I am going cell phone crazy here. I think I just needed an instant gratification break from the afghans and totes and sweaters!!!!

More Cell Phone Pouches!

They are so addictive! I have made these all just 2:36 pm in the afternoon. It is 4:32 pm now. That is how fast they work up. I first made the pink one on the lef,t for my niece (last post). Then I made another pink one. Then our four year old wanted one for his phone (I got him a 'Cars' phone, just like his cousins'.) That was the second one from the right. But he didn't like the handle. He wanted two handles. ???? Ever meet a four year old who knows exactly what he wants? So I had to make him another one with two handles. (Thank goodness he hasn't noticed it is one row shorter than the other ones! Cuz I ran out of yarn...) Then, last but not least, I made the green one. I decided to do a row of fun fur on the last row. It's my favorite one. I put my phone in it, and it is mine. :D I would like to make some more with fun fur, too. I only have this color though, and a dark green. These are great 'instant gratification' projects. And a great last minute gift. (Don't know if I said that in my last post???)

A Hot Pink Cell Phone Pouch

Isn't it coooool? I love it. It worked up fast, too. In less than a half an hour! Actually less than twenty minutes. I like it a lot. I think it is really cool. I want to make a couple for myself. Maybe one just like this, and one in green!!! Cooool...

This is the phone it is for. Hee hee. My niece. She's three and a half. She's always playing with my mom's cell phone to take pictures with it. Well this doesn't actually take pictures, but it makes a sound (when you push a button) like you are taking a picture. I thought it was cute. It's going in the big sister bag with a bunch of other stuff. You can find the pattern here.

Finally Some FO's!!

This is my sons' dishcloth. I think it turned out really nice. He said I could have it, after all... :) I don't think I will use it for dishes, though. Since I pouted so much when he said he wasn't making it for me. ;) I'll have to find a pretty knick knack to put on it in a special place. :D

And, Heeeeere's Dora! (As Tampa Doll says...) ;p This tote bag with Dora was totally inspired by Tampa Doll's Dora afghan. She helped me with the graph, and has been my cheerleader and encouraging me along the way. :) I don't know if I would have taken on graph crochet if I hadn't seen how cute the afghans turned out. Now, I had some moments while I was making this.... Mostly because my yarn would get all tangled up and I had four or five skeins going at one time during this project. I would just put it down when I started getting frustrated. The other thing was I wasn't so sure it was going to look that good. But now that it is finished and all sewn together, I am really happy I stuck with it. I hope my niece will like it as much as I do.

And the finished Big Sister side. I still have to line it. Which will be sewing.... Ugh... But. I have decided I'm not even going to attempt to mail it until after the holidays are over. The post office is insane. So it isn't a big rush to finish. I am so glad I got this finished as fast as I have.

Dora Progress.....

I am getting there.... I think it looks a lot better in the picture than in real life. I hope my niece will like it. I have been working on my table runner, too. For my brother. Dora at home, table runner in car pool. :) Well that's about all for today. Just a quick update. :D

Remember Blossom from Australia?

Here she is having scones with lemon curd and tea. :p She has been doing very well adjusting to life in the United States. Weeeeelll..... Now I can make Blossom some Koala friends!! Cupcake has just put up the pattern at her Etsy store!! Koala Kapers by Cupcake under the Crohetroo banner. Wow if that isn't a tongue twister... I have already ordered mine. I don't know if you had noticed, but I also added Cupcake's button in my sidebar.

Big Sister Tote Bag Progress....

Well this is what I have been able to get done so far. I have just been working on it in scraps of time lately. I have to do it in front of the computer for one thing. We are out of printer ink; and the library only prints in black and white.... I don't mind though. I am actually getting kind of excited with how far I am. I hope it looks good when it is finished.

And here's the front. I posted this one before. So now you know what each side will look like. I will probably have to line it. Well I know I will. The back of the Dora side is a mess. I have two Dora coloring books, crayons, Dora and Princess stickers, and Dora Underoos!! (To put inside the bag.) Our boys love those. The only thing is they are size 2-3T. So I hope they will fit. Has anyone else had problems since Blogger switched over to Beta blogger Google whatever it is..... I have to sign in. Then sign in to the Google.... Why can't you just sign in to the Google and be done with it? Every time I try it says 'invalid password'. I have to try four times. Then, I can't leave a comment on my own blog either! Unless it is after I just posted and am 'signed in'...... It's really getting on my nerves.

My Fourteen Year Old Sons Dishcloths.....

As you can see, he started young in his crocheting career. :p He was under two here. He used to get into my crochet hooks and yarn. So I got him a ball of yarn and a big plastic hook (so he wouldn't poke his eyes out.) He would sit there with his binky in his mouth and try to crochet. :D

This is his latest WIP. I was putting a movie in for the four year old yesterday and noticed a dishcloth rolled up; sitting on top of the entertainment center. I said 'Huh?' and unrolled it to find this. LOL. The reason it is in the dishcloth is because he had started one and asked me 'Is this big enough?' I said 'No. Go get a regular dishcloth out of the drawer and you can measure it that way.' So he was trying to get it the right size. I bought him his own size G hook today so he can have his own. (I need mine for the Dora bag.) ;p And I'll give him his own 'crochet hook holder'- a m&m's mega tube. I asked him if he was making it for me and he said 'No'. :( I said 'Who's it for?' 'I don't know. I just wanted to make it.' He has crocheted dishcloths for his teachers....

For his Great-Grandma....

And it remains to be seen who this latest dishcloth is for.... Stay tuned for more details in future posts.... :p

I Got a Mailbox Full of Snowmen Yesterday! :D

Look at these cute little guys. I don't know if you can see the little one on the back of the envelope, too. This was a total unexpected (but welcome!) surprise. Thank you again, Mimi. :) They are sitting on my dresser next to the snowman I crocheted a while back for the snowman CAL. Now he has a couple little buddies. :p Although when I was putting them by him, our four year old said 'Is that the mumma, and that the baby?' Hee Hee..

Here is part of the Dora graph I have been working on. I have a little more than this done so far. I can't seem to get motivated to finish it. :(

And, finally, some slippers I crocheted for myself. For the Slipper CAL at Crochetville. I finished the second one last night. I've made I don't know how many of these but never any for myself. I don't know if I ever posted about the slippers I made for my husband. He doesn't like them. Well he might like them but they keep falling off. I washed them to see if they would shrink. They aren't wool. Wool-Ease, but not wool.... (They didn't shrink.) So I am going to have to get motivated one day and see if I can crochet some elastic around the edge or something....

Anothe BICO done...

Well, technically, it's been done for a while. I just got some buttons for it and sewed them on today. I made this one in Lion Boucle 'Snowcone'. And Red Heart 'Turqua' for the trim. I don't know if I will make anything else to go with this or not. If I do; it will probably be the same hat I made to go with the pink one I did.

Here's a close-up of the buttons. I thought they were cute for a girl. This picture is closer to the actual colors in the sweater, though not quite...

One Side Is Done...

I went from this ....

To this....

Then last night I finished this side of the 'Big Sister' tote bag. I think it turned out pretty good for my first time doing graph crochet. Now to do the 'Dora' side.... (sigh...) That is going to be hard.

Nothing Much to Blog About....

Well for some reason blogger won't let me post a picture today. No way no how... I was going to post a picture of my progress on the 'Big Sister' tote bag... It is snowing here today. I am going to go see my old dog at her new home this afternoon. I wonder if she will remember us. Last time we saw her, she did. If you like to crochet (or knit) doll clothes, have you ever seen the Close Knit Press patterns? Click on 'Patterns' in the toolbar on top. They have both knit and crochet. I've ordered both. Hope you are all having a nice weekend.

I Got It, Sister!

Hee Hee. I mean, I got 'Sister' done... I love it so far!! It looks like there is a blurb of pink under the big S. Oh, I guess there is in real life, too. From the yarn being carried, I guess.... Well, it isn't 'perfect' so far; but I think it is okay especially for my first time doing graph crochet.

Here is another first for me in crochet... Filet crochet. It is actually so easy. And kind of similar to the graph crochet, in that you follow a chart. But I am kind of stuck on the edge (to the left.) The top was crocheted right along with the graph. But then you have to reattach the thread to do the side, and it doesn't really tell you how to do it. I can't remember exactly; but I think I am off and I don't want to have to rip out all I have done so far! I got so irritated with it that I just put it up. It has been a couple months at least. Since before I joined the tea cozy swap... Any one an expert in filet crochet? I might post a thread in Crochetville to get some help when I start working on it again...

A Baby Blanket for Gavin

I finally finished my nephews' baby afghan this morning. The pattern is in "The Big Book of Crochet"; a book that was gifted to me by a former Secret Pal who goes by the Alias 'Peekaboo'. ;) I like this afghan; I hope they will, too. And, so his big sister (My niece) doesn't get jealous over her baby brother getting all these gifts, I am making her this:

It is going to be a tote bag that says 'I'm a Big Sister'. On the back I am going to do a graph of Dora the Explorer. (She loves Dora.) And put a bunch of stuff inside the bag. Two coloring books, stickers, a pink teddy bear... And if I can find a toy 'kids camera phone' I might put that in there, too. I guess she loves camera phones. (I don't even have one, though, so I'm not sure...) The tote bag pattern is in the December 2006 issue of Crochet World.

I'm An Aunt! (Again) :)

Yay! I wish I knew of some cute baby type picture I could put in here. (Not computer smart like that, though...) Anyway...My newest nephew was born today; about three hours ago! He weighed 8 lbs, 4 oz.; and was 21 1/2 inches long. He has a full head of black hair. Aaaaaw!!! I wish I could see him and hold him. Who knows when I will get to see him, ever. We probably are never going to where they live. And vice versa.... So I will have to rely on pictures... that hopefully my mom will send me. :( I won't get to see him be a newborn, though. I am still excited to be an aunt again and now our boys are not the only boy grandkids on my side of the family.

Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow...

Just kidding! I don't really want it to snow at all. This is the closest I want to get to snow. :) This is a snowman I just finished up this morning. I've made about three of these now. So far my four year old hasn't said he wants him. So he might be mine. If he wants him though I'll probably give him to him. I made one for our (now) nine year old. He was about five when I made it for him. I know we still have it somewhere; but I think it might actually still be in storage (in Michigan...) :0 He never really played with it, but now that I made this one, I know it will be *his favorite toy in the world* or something.... :p Well that's my crochet for today. Hope you all are having a nice week.

I Got an RAOK yesterday!

Hmmm... yes, I think it was yesterday. Mary Jo sent me these two pattern books from Tampa Bay Florida! She had asked me what kinds of things I like to crochet so I told her slippers (and I forget if I told her anything else.) But, I am in the slipper CAL at Crochetville so these will be perfect. And, there is knitting patterns in it, too. And she sent me a booklet for legwarmers. I have never made legwarmers. I used to have a pair when I was young. Ha ha... I never thought I would actually make a pair! Thanks so much Mary Jo!

Well remember my last post about the candy canes... I finished this one today. I crocheted it last night; and sewed it up about five minutes ago. I think it is very close to the one in that link. Close enough for me anyway! I think it's so cute. I don't know what I'll do with it now, but... :p Maybe I'll put it with the snowman I am crocheting.

And here it is to my coffee cup; to show you how big it is. (Or little...)

Crocheted Candy Canes

They're so cute! I don't even know where or why I started thinking about a crocheted candy cane. But yesterday I was doing a Google Search to try and find any patterns online. I think I went through the whole internet. There are some, but not many. And none like these. :( I did find a pattern (the most similar) in the 2007 CPAD Calendar. The Dec. 21st pattern. I made it last night. (Just have to sew it up and all...) I still want the ones in that link though. They're so cute. Well now that you all are interested in candy canes, I guess I should post some links huh? ;) This one I have bookmarked, it's the one I liked the most. Kreinek candy cane. Another candy cane and wreath. Buttercup miniatures (scroll down...) Maggie's Crochet has one. I don't know why I am all of a sudden obsessed with candy canes. Maybe I was having a craving... (Although I don't even really like candy canes.) I did see some 'Peppermint Chocolate Bark' (white chocolate) at the Starbucks in Safeway the other day; that looked soooo yummy. Of course I didn't have any money to buy it, so maybe it is making me want it even more. You know how that goes... And, a couple hours before the candy cane I was obsessed with snowmen. See what I mean about 'I think I haveCrochetObessiveCompulsiveDisorder'...... :( Well I hope everyone is having a nice week. I'll post a picture of my candy cane when I get it finished...

When In Doubt, Google!

Here is one of the comfortghans my squares were put in to. My square in this one is the top left hand corner, the plum heart.
And here is the other side; this time the bottom left is mine...
And my granny squares (four of them) are in this one. The lavender and blue little ones in the middle on the left, the blue one towards the bottom in the middle, and the lavender one in the middle on the right; next to the white and blue granny square. These afghans are going to the families of the Amish shooting victims. :( I wanted to do *something*; what can you do for someone you've never met; let alone an Amish person? A comfortghan! That's about the only thing I can think of, other than sending a sympathy card. (Which I've also done...) I went to the American Kennel Club site (so, technically, I didn't *Google*, guess that was a lie....) and went down the line to find the breed of my friends' dog. She told me it about three times but the only thing I could remember was Brussel. It is a Brussels Griffon. In case you are interested. I really have been missing our dog; and regretting that I gave her away. :(( I want to go to the persons' house we gave her to and say 'I changed my mind, I want her back...' But I kind of can't. We aren't allowed to have pets here, for one thing. I do miss her though. Well I hope you are all having a nice week. :) Thanks for coming by!

A friend came over today to crochet and have coffee. She brought her little girl to play, too. She brought her new puppy- I cannot remember the name of the breed, it's a rare breed and very expensive. Brussel something.... They only get to about five or six pounds. She laid in my lap the whole time. I put her on our sons'lap, and she got up and came over to mine. :p She did that twice. Then I just left her there. She is so sweet. Well we ended up talking and didn't get any crocheting done at all. But it was still nice. I made some cookies to go with our coffee. (These aren't them- I made these yesterday; 'Pumpkin Spiced and Iced' cookies.) They are all gone. (I took them somewhere last night, though; we didn't eat them all.)
These are the ones I made today. Just peanut butter cookies. I took a dozen to my sons' teacher, and we are eating the rest.
Not much news in the crochet world. Speaking of which, I got an issue of that ('Crochet World') in the mail. I thought I cancelled it, but they keep sending it to me..... There is a baby blanket, a scarf, a set of three Barbie outfits, a pajama bag doll, a schoolgirl and holiday dress for dolls, a penguin doll to crochet... how many dolls can one issue have? There was a capelet pattern and a child's weater pattern. A wrap and a hat... Overall not very impressive (maybe why I cancelled it...) Anyway. The comfortghan squares I sent in have been put into a comfortghan. I'll post about that next time...

Some Things I Have Been Working On

...and trying to get finished up... This is the sweater I posted about already that is for my great niece. Here it is with the hat. I may or may not make a pair of Mary Janes to go with this. (Probably not, as I am so backed up in my crocheting... and I've already sent an afghan and toys that I've crocheted, too.)
And the sweater for my nephew (due this month). Both hats are from FCEC Fall 2006 issue. If you are planning on making them, be forewarned: I made them with the yarn indicated (the girls'), and a hook size bigger, and it still was not the right size. In order to get a six month size, I had to make the 24 month size. Same thing for the boys. (Fortunately I was going for a newborn size then...)
Here are two comfortghan squares I made for Lisa from Crochetville for her Grandmothers Comfortghan. You can read about it here. And I got the pattern here. I've made this square before. You can read about that here, if you want. ;p
And this is a comfortghan square for Jessie, you can read all about it here. This is Bobby's Square, which I've also made before. Sheesh! I hope all these links work, cuz I don't feel like going back and fixing them all now. ;p Oh, and I almost forgot, I did six other comfortghan squares, too. For the Amish school shooting tragedy. A bunch of us at Crochetville got together to make squares, and Mary is putting all the comfortghans together. You can read about that, here. And since I forgot to post the picture, you can look at my squares here. :)

Some More FO's...

Baby sweaters. :) This one is the 'Baby It's Cold Outside!' sweater, from Crochet Me. It worked up SOOO fast! I still can't believe how fast it was. I finished it mostly yesterday (and, I started yesterday at about 1 in the afternoon!) Between going to pick up kids at two different schools, and making dinner... Then this morning all I had left was the sewing up the seams, borders, and the buttons. I want to make this hat to go with it. If I can figure out how to size it for a six month old. I saw KnicKnacs', and it must have been what I needed to finally make one. I've had the pattern printed out and been wanting to forever. This one will go to my brother and his wife for their baby boy who's due in November. (I will probably make more stuff for him, too, so stay tuned for that...) :) It's supposed to be sized for a six months, but I just measured it and it is 1/2 inch smaller. So maybe it's technically a three month size... I've actually already started another one of these, in pink and white, for my (great) niece.

Here is the Cuddle Me Hooded Baby Sweater I've also finished. This one is going to Pine Ridge. I used a G hook I think instead of an I. The I seemed too loose for me. So I'm not sure what size this is, either. I'm guessing a 6-12 months, but I don't know. The size it's supposed to work up to is a 12 months, but mine measured 11 inches across the chest. I don't have the pattern right here in front of me, so I don't know.. Well if you're looking for baby sweaters, there's two links for ya, anyway. ;) Have a Nice Day everyone! Thanks for stopping by. :)