Back from our RV Trip

Back from a Longggggggggggggggggg trip in the RV....glad to be back to my stash...lol....I missed access to all my yarn and goodies...I did get to crochet a bit whilke camping and made a few goodies....read 2 books, wrote a few pen pals, saw a ton of scenery that should be on post cards, swam, enjoyed chatting with some other RVers, and just chilled.... :) now that I am all rested up I am ready to "rock n' stitch"....

I'll post a few pics from our trip and then have to go and catch up on all the other fun things around the house that have been ignored for the past 2 weeks...amazing how fast plants and grass grow....here is my "fav" store to shop in while in Bass Lake...and of course found some yarn at the local thrift store....Foxy was all decked out in her hat ..

New Computer Finishing up UFOs and New Projects

Good morning all...I am on my new laptop out on the patio. My desktop got a "trojan virus" yuck! And is in the shop...so we had wanted a new laptop for awhile now and decided to go and get one. We looked online and went to several stores and finally decided on a Toshiba at Best buy. It is perfect for what we wanted to do, which is have availablity to the Internet in the mts, on camping trips and be able to take it around town and use it around the house on the battery. It has a 3 hr battery and seems to be perfect without the HUGE cost that we could of spent for a deluxe one and mine is being fixed, wiped clean, :( ..... we have a 15" screen and a full keyboard, its light and has a lot of power... plus through Best Buy we were able to buy a plug in that is a one time fee and then "pay as you use it" for world wide Internet usage. Its a great deal with Virgin and the fees are low, $20 for something like 20 hours....that way if we ever get somewhere on the road we just pay for using it then and then there is no monthly fees when we don't need it.. :)

I have been working on finishing all projects that I started and have those loose ends left to complete. You know those ones that we hate to do when the project is done but need those ends weaved in or those details like hair, embellishments, or just those last few rows....I am proud to say I have finished several and I feel great.!!

One of my projects is a Ami bee and I used a large washer for weight on the bottom and covered it with colored foam to make it stand. Then I finished my pens by adding a ribbon and some rhinestones, next I finished a beach hat in peach and yellow and green cotton #3 thread...it is from Knit Simple spring/summer magazine project #24, a crochet summer hat, at the top is my visor hat with a flower...they are fun to make..

Of course hubby does not want me to clog this computer up with all my photos so I will not put them into here just yet??? Well maybe just a few.... :)

Pink Saturday and Harry Potter's

Today over at Beansies Blog is "Pink Saturday" and if your a HP fan you may want to join me by posting your pink socks in honor of Dobby...In Hp series Dobby, the house elf, was very fond and sentimental about socks. After being enslaved by the Malfoys for so long, it was a sock that Harry gave him, that set him free! Dobby loved socks so much, in fact, that he would even buy yarn to knit some of his own! Isn't that wonderful?!

So here are my "pinkies" ... they are pink bootie sockies.... :)

Some Fun Things

This is what I sent a swap friend, the little scrubbies are so much fun to make. They are the Japanese twist patterns, and then I made some napkin rings to match.... :)

The before and after of felting my little bag...I loved this yarn but was disap

pointed when it came from my hooks and yarn monthly kits from Annie's and there was no label or identification as to the name or brand it was...

I made these little flag pins with pins.. :) I love this as a cute small little gift to give a friend or g-daughter... :)

Summer Exchange Party and Games

It's summer and we had our summer exchange party with a "Beach" theme this year for my stitching club....8 gals showed up and we had a complete blast....played some fun crochet and knit games, and contests, along with our "kit" exchange,[each person brought the yarn, pattern, and materials to complete a project] that was fun. I made up a story with left, right, and across in it and every time I said those words you had to pass your package in that direction. Then when the story ended whatever package was in front of you was yours. All packages were in "grab" bag style so you didn't know what you got till you opened it.... I got a wonderful pink floral bag filled with older Crochet magazines, yarn, and a pattern for a pretty shawl....yippeee....I also win the game and ended up with 21 skeins of yarn!!! We played a simular game with dice of Left, Center, Right.....that is a blast. Everyone starts with 3 skeins of yarn or $3 or 3 quarters, and then you throw the die until one person is left with a skein and the rest are in the middle...and that person left was ME!!!!!!

Some New Swap Projects I Made

I am in crochetswapbuddies and was in a "small Ami" swap so I decided to make my partner a little mouse in pink. She came out so cute... And she sent me the cutest frog!!

I am also in a Yummy Recipe Swap and we had to make something to do with this month's theme of "Cooking Tips" I had fun and made 2 crockpot recipes for breakfast and then made a whole sheet of cooking tips. So I decided to crochet and stuff a little tea bag. I also beaded the words tea on the

smaller tea square. I stuck a flower on it and finished it off with a netted bag to hold it.

I Finished my Chelshire Cat!!!

I finally finished my Chelshire Cat I designed for my swap pal Craftsty....I sure hope she likes it. It was a bit difficult to get it to look like the photo and I had to do some "frogging" but alas he is completed and mailed!

I think he turned out pretty cute and I even wrote down the pattern this time. Once I get it formalized it will be available... This swap was from the April "Alice in Wonderland" ....

Swapping Stuff

These items, cell phone pocket and crocheted pen I made for an online swap partner for April....hope she likes them. These are some of the prettiest glass beads I got from one of my swap friends....I also got these cute little skottie dogs, aren't they just the cutest? And this handmade card with butterflies is so pretty!

My "B" Day, Shopping, and Return from Florida

Saturday was my "B" day and got so many nice gifts go check out them at my other blog, PBDesigns and I also want shopping on Sunday with my group to one of my favorite LYS and of course got some more yarn, broke my NY Resolution, just a wee bit though...and then went to my fav Craft shop, TallMouse...and bought some more wonderful fabric..they have the best!!!!

We just got back from visiting my sis in Florida and it was so warm and pretty there.. :0 We are going back again next Spring for maybe a week and stay right on the sand....its just like CA but I get to visit with sis... :)

Then I went with my LG and went to LYS and shopped....I got some wonderful yarn and also went to Tall Mouse and got more yummy fabric!!!

An Apron Give Away

There are 3 tea towel aprons in this give away over at Not Just Bags, by Trish' blog , the orange one has coffee fabric, the lime green (middle one) has teacups and the blue one has tea pots. leave a comment on which one you would like. since there are not a lot of "followers", you should have a good chance at winning! Its open till Monday March 30th. The winner will be announced on Tuesday the 31st...NOT on April 1st!!! This is her first give away...and she will be having some more "stash busting" giveaways soon, she needs some space!

Saturday Surfing

Its Saturday and I am at the computer surfing for great ideas on things to make...I love that....I was over at Checkout Girl's blog and I am amazed at her work. she is so creative...love the felting houses and portraits... :)

The picture is a street in my area that is all bloomed out with purple flowers, isn't it lovely and makes spring time a favorite season...

The weather has been so nice and now today it's a "gloomy" cool day!! About 65' out... great time to finish my postcard I am making for my "Handmade Theme" group on Flickr.....

What to Crochet Next?

As you know I have vowed to try and get some of my yarn and "WIP"projects off the ground and finished so that I can make room for new yarn....oh I am bad... you know the saying.... "Do you experience palpatations when you pass a yarn shop?", then you are an obbsessive crocheter....TADA!!! that is me..... :)

So... since Jan I have finished my Magnetic Ball, napkins, napkin rings, and a hot pad for an online swap friend, my Pigs in the Basket game for my g-daughter [opps I forgot to give it to ] hee hee... I just love to play it myself...I also finsihed lining 3 bags, and started a shawl with huge pockets for me...I am using yarn that I had bought eons ago for an afghan that I never really started, sooooo...I am putting th Caanadian "Chunky" to good use. I am using a pattern that uses patriotic colors and I switched and I am using sage, cream, and hot pink, my "fav" color.... :)

Cute Idea for Cupcakes and Knit Designs

Wow what a clever idea:

Rain Rain Go Away..Come Again Another Day

So how many of you remember "Rain Rain Go Away, Come Again Another Day?" I remember my mom saying that all the time, of course growing up in upstate NY made that phrase a popular one, since it rains alot there....ny here in So CA we don't see very much of the rain, although after a day of it and then having it again teh next week for a day...we get tired of it FAST...spoiled by the 362 days a year of sunshine... :)

I went to Tall Mouse today...I sure love that store for getting ideas...they had so many new bags made up and then aprons....yum yum...I got tons of ideas....I just love their material...and being it is Friday the 13th everyone got 13% off today on all your purchases...

I bought some pretty Swarovski Crystals and finally found the crochet cotton I was looking for to finish my napkins...but back to the crystals...they had a sample bag in Japanese material with these crystals dotted all over it as in the trees....it was so pretty.... and then there was a huge bag made from tea towels with pockets like an apron pocket...real clever...but I mostly loved feeling the material and looking through it all....I have tons so got ideas...

It started to rain so I headed back home...ahh to now crochet a little and watch LifeTime channel....relaxing and entertaining....

I just love this pattern..so cute...and who doesn't love kitties?

I also love fish....

Colds, No Crocheting, Fun Projects!

Has anyone taken Airborne? IT is made of Chinese herbs and all kinds of vitamins to help you stay healthier when flying or working with the little ones....hmmmm...well after 3 days in a cloased classroom with a bunch of runny noses and hacking 2nd graders last week it did not help!

I got the very long nasty cold and came down with it last Friday,.............. so not much has gotten done around here. :( But I am thinking of trying a little crocheting today... :) I did make the magnetic ball I wanted to and I was pleased with how it turned out! I took a photo holding it to show how big it is...fun to play around with...like those office toys for men?

I also got my book back that I had lent to a friend and I critiqued it over on my "Reading site" for the publisher... Now I might make some more projects from it. :)

The material I got from JoAnn's to use on the bottom of my slippers is still sitting as I have not finished any of the slippers I planned on making... :( off doing other things as usual...reminds me I need to go and mail some things and get rested so I can try and work on Friday...

Bag History and a Free Pattern.

Vintage Crochet Sovereign Purse

I found this information on All Free Crafts site. It was really interesting to learn about bags and their history...

This sovereign purse is one of several purse patterns, including a Bridal Beaded Purse which were first published in Beeton's Book of Needlework, 1870. According to A Brief History of Bags and Purses from the Hampshire Museum in England, sovereign purses were coin purses with metal fastenings. The museum holds a delightful collection of several hundred bags and purses from the 18th century to the present day.

There were small knitted, netted or crocheted silk, cotton coin purses are also characteristic of [the Victorian] period and were known as stocking purses, and miser' purses. By the mid century these bags had metal fastenings and the whole was often made of a delicate metal chain, which supported sovereigns and half sovereigns, hence the term 'sovereign purse'. Chamois leather was also used, together with metal rings to secure the coins.

Sovereign cases were of circular metal design, with an internal spring to release a coin at a time. It is worth noting that in North America handbags are still called purses, which may refer back to their introduction there from Europe after 1800, when they were still primarily coin purses.

You can search the museum's extensive gallery of antique bags and purses, which is a great tool if you're trying to date or research a vintage purse.

This site also has a free pattern for the above bag. And her is a wonderful Foxglove Tea Cozy pattern.

Some Unique Things I Found and Liked

Ok, believe it or not, these “woolly breasts,” from page 9 of Simply Knitting, Issue 27, Spring 2007 ARE for a good cause - they are used as teaching tools for midwives and “health visitors” at Liverpool Women’s Hospital. so, if you want to knit for a good cause make one or two of these. You can find the pattern : http://www.lcgb.org/knittedbreastpattern.pdf and when you’re done with your breasts send them to:
Kate McFadden, c/o Neo Natal Unit, Liverpool Women’s NHS Foundation Trust, FREEPOST, NAT 13868, Liverpool, L8 7BR
(for everyone not happening to reside in the UK…yours truly included…obviously, the FREEPOST portion of the address above won’t work, but if you’ve taken the time to knit some woolly breast fugage, surely paying for the postage is but a minor inconvenience?)

I thought that this lady in the mirror picture was really cute for sewing...and the ginger bread men made in felt are very cute... :)

This guy is surrounded by beer bottles and it was amazing what you can do with beer bottles. Below is the cutest dress ever. I just love "sock" monkeys and this dress just says it all!

Ahh now who doesn't love this crocheted sucker turkey?

And this doggy looks like my granny??? LOL