The Afghan and Sweater Set

Wow. Two posts in one day. This is the baby afghan I was talking about in my last post. I have done several of these afghans before, I love this pattern.  

A little closer up view of the edging. The baby's room is actually "Rose Gold" color. Who can find rose gold baby yarn though? So, after much brain work and a lot of "UGHHHH", I just decided to do regular pink!! Sheesh.  We don't live near a lot, and have to drive a ways to any craft or other stores. 

 I was just going to do the baby afghan. But then I decided to do a little sweater set. It's been a long time since I did a sweater set, since they cancelled the OB Ward thing I was sending to. I will have to find links for all these. The little mittens are my own pattern. The hat is the Pumpkin Side to Side hat. The booties are Christals' "Impatiently Waiting for Baby" pattern. I can't remember the sweater off the top of my head. I actually combined two patterns. (I did one sweater, but I added the little ties and edging from another pattern.) I need to start keeping track of all these things. I try and go back and see what pattern I used "for that one sweater I did", and I never put the link in for it! I am going to go see right now, so I don't forget.

Of course, I already put all the patterns away. I managed to find the sweater pattern I did. But, I used the ties and edging for this sweater pattern. I wanted something old fashioned looking. The hat pattern. Impatiently Waiting For Baby Booties pattern. My mittens pattern. OMG I forgot about my other blog. I don't even remember how to get into that blog! (Sigh...)  Anyway, I have all the links there for future reference. Finally got it together for once. 😜 Now let's see if I can get it together to mail these in time before the baby is born! 

I'm Still Here...

I was having problems signing in to my blogger account. (Sigh....)  Besides all my other,Real Life problems. 😔 But I am back. I haven't stopped crafting, or crocheting. I am still trying to find (and upload-- SIGH!!) all my pictures of everything I have been doing. But this is a start. I've been making a lot of cards. This bear was for a pen pal friend of mine who likes bears. I printed out the sentiment on word, or notepad or something. The bear stamp is really old- might have been one of my very first stamps ever that I have. 

A Halloween card I made, trying to use up some bright colored index cards and envelopes I had. 

I had made these two little notepads out of the five packs of notepads you get at Dollar Tree. (Dollar Twenty-Five Tree). I sent one of these in Happy Mail to another one of my pen pals.

This is a baby card I made for the same pen pals son and DIL, who are expecting a baby girl. I actually crocheted a baby afghan and a whole sweater/hat/booties/mittens set, too. (And I got a couple outfits).  That's another picture I need to find and upload.

Okay, another Halloween card.

               I didn't have any polka dot paper, so I made my own for the little circle...

And another background paper I made up of my own, with another really old stamp I have. This card, I used a Trick or Treat bag I got from DT as one of the background papers, too.

                     And this is a more recent card I finished (yesterday, as a matter of fact.). 

I was trying to find a picture of the stamp set I had bought that I used for this card. I had been wanting it forever. And they had all their stamps on sale one week, so I got the set finally. It's called the Tea Lovers stamp set.  

I watched one of her video tutorials to make some tea pockets, using that stamp set. I made this one yesterday, too. I made the tea pocket and above card for the same person I crocheted the baby set for (well, for her grandbaby).  She has been here for me a lot lately. 

These are some I made the same day I originally had watched her video tutorial. I went a little crazy making the pockets. 😜 I don't know what I was thinking. Who am I going to even give all of those to? LoL.... I will have a lot of little gifties to give to unexpected people. 

 This is the very first batch I made, with two that I actually decorated. 

So, the "other Real Life problems" I have been going through is: I was diagnosed with cancer last month. It was and still is a shock to me. Even though I have a family history of cancer; I am not an alcoholic, and I actually took care of myself, ate healthy, took vitamins, tried to exercise....  (The people in my family who had cancer did none of the above and were alcoholics). I went to a new doctor this week. And I was talking to one of the nurses before seeing the doctor. And she said it sounds like I just got some bad genes. And maybe I should get genetic testing. She said all of our boys should get screened for cancer young. 😢   I had been not feeling well, and had a busy summer with our two older boys coming to visit. I will try to update my blog, now that I finally got back in. I have been going crazy with stuff online, all my doctors and stuff I have to do online... 😖 I should be starting treatment(s) in a couple weeks. If you all can keep me in your prayers.  

A Few Things I've Finished

I wanted to crochet a "bunny" doily for a friend for an Easter package. I couldn't find any free patterns, but then I saw one on YouTube. (Yay!) I haven't crocheted a doily in a long time. And I hadn't ever crocheted one from a YouTube pattern. It was pretty easy, though. I didn't think it would turn out, because it was all bunched up like it wouldn't block right. But, it did. 

A close up of one of the "bunnies". This is the link to the pattern I used.

And, I finished a little "bear" sweater. I had started one in 2018, but I couldn't find it anywhere in my yarn bins. I remember that I realized I was using Caron worsted weight yarn, and the pattern calls for baby yarn. I vaguely remember ripping it out. But. I now have one finished. I've been trying to make things up for if I ever get a grandbaby..  :P So far I have three sweaters done, and a couple toys. Here is a direct link to the sweater pattern on Yarnspirations.

When I was looking for the bear sweater I had started, I found this mouse. The body was done, I just stuffed it and sewed it up, and added the tail. I have no idea what pattern I used for this.

And I finished a little turtle. This was in the latest Crochet World issue; and the whole reason I even bought the magazine. I couldn't find my yarn needle to finish it, so it took me longer to finish this.

It's hard to get a good picture of it. You can see a photo bomber in this picture. :P
 

We Moved...

....Again. I hope this will be the last move for a long, long time. But we had to get out of the house we were in. We could not take it anymore.  It's been a lot of work, but we're trying to make it here. The sunrises are beautiful. And you can see thousands of stars in the sky at night here. Living in the city, we couldn't. 

We had a "historic" ice storm not long after we moved here. Our power was out for three days and nights. It was not fun. We are on a well, so we didn't even have water. The ice was thick. Online it said it was equivalent to the weight of a piano on the electric wires. 

Tree limbs were down (and power lines in some places) everywhere. 

I decided to start another quilt. (I need another project like I need a hole in my head). None of our things really match the color of the walls in this house. And, I really want  a new bedspread anyway. I dug through my fabric to see what I could find to match the walls in our bedroom. I found some green fabric that I've had forever. It pays to hold on to fabric from the early 90's. 😝

                I am doing one quilt block at a time. Probably will take me forever.

This is the first block done. It's called the Sawtooth Star. Only 67 more squares to go. 👀

And this is a sweater I had started in 2018. (Well, not this sweater. But the same pattern.) I couldn't find it anywhere. I know I had started it then realized I was using worsted weight yarn and it was coming out really huge. So maybe I frogged it. This one is coming out more to the right size. I have actually finished the neck edging, and sewn the ears on since I took this picture. I just need to sew buttons on for the eyes, and do the nose/mouth embroidery. I'm doing the bear. It's the Character Sweater pattern, by Yarnspirations.  I used to love crocheting baby things. But the group I was in (which, I will admit I did get burned out from it now and then) doesn't send baby things any more. So I don't really have anyone to make baby items for. But I decided to start making a stockpile of them, for if we ever have any grandbabies. 
 

Balaclava

I finished the balaclava for my son, after Christmas. But it was during a particularly cold spell. I used a pattern from the book Homespun Handknit.   I always forget how to do the face opening. So this time I took pictures. I honestly don't know if that will even help me next time. LoL.

You knit a contrasting color yarn for a specific amount of stitches. Then the next row you knit as usual. 

Then when the top of the hat is finished, you pull (carefully) the contrasting color out, catching each stitch on a needle. I had to rearrange the needles afterward, so they would be facing the correct way to just crochet the edge on.

I think he liked it. I asked him if I could take a picture of him with it on. He said "Hold on I have to get a prop." 😄 He had bought a fabric on online before Christmas. I said "Why did you buy one? I can knit you one!" And I started one that day, I think.