Friday October 14 I Love Yarn Day!!!

(Pretend this was actually posted ON Friday. I didn't have enough time before sunset).

Today is a great day, one of my favorites.

It's I LOVE YARN DAY!!

Needless to say, I indulged in the celebration.  But you are probably not surprised, are you?

Zippered Pouch

(Although it doesn't look like it in the picture, it is in fact rectangular.)

Otter made this today.  It's similar to the felt ones she made a couple of years ago, one of which is already on here previously.  I use it to hold some of my crochet hooks.  Otter's not sure what this one will be for, it's a little small for pencils, but she'll find a use for it.

It's about 7" wide.  It's an easy pattern, all it needs is fabric, thread and a zipper.  This one has a 7" zipper.

Crochet Sock Monkey Hat

These look kind of creepy, but Otter likes hers a lot.

This one is Otter's.  The eyes are black buttons.

Froggy, this one is yours!  The eyes are also buttons, but they are black with a white outline.

The hats are easy and a variation of the same pattern I've used for the other caps I've made.  Single Stich, 14 rows.  The ears are crocheted seperately and attached, and so is the mouth.  The original pattern I had called for a black line to be stitched across the mouth, but I didn't like the way it looked.

Also, the original pattern called for a tan yarn, but I liked the grey better.

I still think they look creepy!  I tried crocheting black circles to use for the eyes, but they looked really strange and Otter said that she'd be afraid to wear a hat like that - it might come alive and come after her. :)

September is National Sewing Month

I don't sew very often, I leave that to Froggy and Otter.  But it's a skill that is worth learning.  It's also a lot of fun.  It can be difficult at times, but so can anything else.

September is National Sewing Month, so get busy!

Crochet Becoming More Mainstream?

Crochet Becoming More Popular

I have been noticing that crochet is popping up in more and more places lately.  I've seen quite a few examples on tv shows and movies, as well as pictures of assorted models & celebrities.  I'm not at all impressed with someone as a "celebrity", by the way.  But I am glad to see that so many different people are choosing crochet.  I've seen a few pictures of upscale designer's clothes lately, that have crochet either as the main construction or an accent piece.

The article I've linked is from a crochet magazine.

Crochet, like other crafts including knitting, goes in and out of fashion.  But I've been thinking lately that it's on the upswing, and that it might be a longer lasting trend this time.

Fine with me!

I don't really have a problem with knitting, other than the jokes about crochet vs. knitting being funny, and I'm just as glad to see knitting featured as I am to have seen so much crochet featured lately.

Bill's Latest Woodwork Project Desk Refinishing

A while back, Bill decided he needed a smaller desk in our office.  He has a modular unit that works, but it's huge.  I had a smaller desk which became Otter's a couple of years ago, and we bought me another desk at an auction.  The one I have is bigger than hers but smaller than the unit Bill uses.  My desk will fit his needs perfectly, as well as the space.  So we started looking for a new desk for me.  A neighbor was moving "back home to Texas" where the winter is "normal" and she had a desk a lot like Otter's for $10.00.  It came home with us.  In the trunk of the Impala!  Fortunately, she was just around the corner so we didn't have to go far.

Bill stripped the varnish off and made a couple of minor repairs.  Then he hit it with varnish and 3 coats of clear polyurethane.

All the pictures are in the living room, which is as far as Bill brought it the other day.  It's still there.  It will be for a few more days, he's going to see about taking his modular unit apart on Sunday and then moving my old desk over.  Then, the new desk will be moved into my spot.

Visible at the bottom of the picture is one of the dog toys.  Maggie had been playing tug, but she got tired and left the toy there.  Behind the desk is the ever-expanding Fenton collection and some dvds.  The desk is the object of the pictures!

There are some variations in the wood but it looks really good.

A close-up of the drawers.  Ignore the plastic wrapped doll house behind the desk.  The dollhouse is a future project, it's going to be redone and then stored correctly for Otter.  It was our project for vacation week, but the heat changed our plans.

Turquoise Blue Crocheted Soft Scarf

This is the latest scarf project.  It's a silky soft yarn that is in fact acrylic but feels like silk.

Here's a better picture that shows the edging which is a ruffle.  The edging makes it look like a flower in the first picture, it was rolled up.

The end has a ruffle on each side, but it was folded over when I took the picture so it looks uneven.

It's all double stitch.  The yarn is Lion Brand Micro Spun, unltra soft microfiber sports weight.  This one was a gift for Nana but I still have quite a bit of this yarn left so I might make myself one, or something else with it.