I'll be Back Very Soon =)

Abigail and I are in Delaware visiting a best friend who has been missing her LOTS.

The weather is very nice and we are having a great time.

Be back Monday morning!

Love ... Erin

XOXO

Autumn Jewel Blanket

A gift for my Niece.  =)

I started it last Fall ... I even Blogged about it!

 Granny Squares  +  Join As You Go = Hooking Gratification.

I did not darn in the yarn ends as I went along so it was not
Instant Hooking Gratification.

PSA ... Darn in Ends as You Go!

IMPORTANT DETAILS

Yarn:  Wool Ease purchased at an AC Moore in Delaware.
Color names ... Unknown.  Ball bands clutter up my project bag so they are promptly thrown away.  =)
The color order was random ... well, sort of random!

Hook:   I'm sure you guessed it ... Susan Bates H hook.  =)

Pattern:  Granny Squares ... my favorite Tutorial is at The Purl Bee.

Do you see the  "Oops!" ???

Thanks for letting me share another project with you.  =) 

The comments you leave Bring me Cheer and Brighten my Day!

Love ... Erin

5 Years & 250 Followers ... The WiNnEr!!!!

79 comments/entries from 13 different countries:

Germany ... Belgium ... USA ... Portugal ... Lebanon ... UK ... Netherlands ... Poland ... Spain ... Estonia ... Australia ... Canada ... India

That is SO cool ... we speak the universal language of Crochet.  =)

And the WINNER is .......................... Lynne @ pieceful

As soon as I click PUBLISH, I'm sending her an email!!!

On my Mind ...

Unloading the dishwasher is so much nicer when there are PRETTY dishes.

Visit Rhonda's blog to read more "On My Mind" posts.  =)

5 Years ... 250 Followers!!!!!

 All I can say is thank you, Thank You, THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!

I LOVE YOU all to the MOON and BACK.  =)

Let's celebrate with some Colorful Fiber Goodness.  =) =) =)

Leave a comment ... that's all you have to do!

I'll pick a winner on Monday (9/26/11)

Love ... Erin =)

Blocks N Balls Baby Blanket

Tee-Hee ... I thought I was pretty clever coming up with that name.  =) =) =)  

I am going to a baby shower on Saturday and just found out the Mama is having a BOY.  I took the leftover circles from the Fiesta Blanket, crocheted them together with navy and bright blue yarn, and added a colorful border.

Do you think I was successful????  I'm not sure since there are small bits of purple and pink but I think I definitely nailed Gender Neutral.  =)

My two favorite blocks:

IMPORTANT DETAILS

YARN - Style Craft DK from Deramores
HOOK - Susan Bates #7 (4.5mm)
PATTERN - Squaring the Big Circle ... free pattern @ Signed with an Owl

The Fiesta Blanket ... Ta Dah!

I started this blanket in April or May as a Vintage Vertical Stripe but I wasn't feeling the Love so I tucked it away for the Summer.  =)  The beginning of August I decided it must be Frogged!! Abigail and I spent a morning unraveling each row and carefully rolling all that yarn into neat little balls to be used on another project. 

One of my favorite blogs is Signed with an Owl and Kate has a wonderful tutorial for this Circle in a Square block.  Three weeks of hooking and the blanket is D.O.N.E.  I've never made a blanket so fast and I am so happy-happy-happy!!!! 

The border is my favorite part!

Oh my ... isn't it BeAuTiFuL?????  I made this for a Very Special Person's Birthday Present.  Alas, that is not until December but I am afraid if I keep it in my house much longer I will not be able to part with it.  So I will wrap it up in plastic, shove it into a Flat Mailer Box and send it to her this afternoon.  =)

Now for all the Important Details.  =)

YARN - Stylecraft Special DK in 13 different colors.  I bought all the Lucy colors from Deramores and used those for this blanket.

HOOK - Susan Bates #7 (4.5mm)

PATTERN - Squaring the Big Circle by Kate @ Signed with an Owl

The color sequence for each block was completely random.  I kept the project in a big LL Bean tote bag and would close my eyes, stick my hand in, and pull out the next color for the following round.

The border is 9 rows of granny trebles followed by a row of simple scallops. 

Fresh off the Hook ... Squaring the Circle Blanket

I'm in LOVE!!!!!!!!!!  

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

 

Granny Dolly Blanket for Felicity

I love simple projects that work up quickly and look so sweet when completed.  =)

 A few simple granny squares leftover from a pillow cover project joined together with natural wool yarn.

Edged in pink and and a bit more natural wool.

Felicity will be Warm and Cozy  this Winter.  =)

Happy Birthday to Me!

Can you guess how old I am???

Mr. K and Abigail baked me an Apple Pie instead of Birthday Cake.  =)

Abigail wrote me the sweetest Birthday Letter telling me how me how much loves my hugs, kisses, and snuggles.

 

In the spirit of trying to Return to a Routine , I am going to post my meal ideas for the week.  =)

Lasagna Casserole or Baked Ziti:  
There is a jar of sauce in the refrigerator that did not seal in the water bath canner so I will use that before it goes bad.  I bought a carton of cottage cheese at Aldi on Saturday and I always have dry pasta on hand.

Quiche with Bacon:
I have a lot of eggs and a bit of bacon that needs to be used up, so I thought "Let's make a quiche."  I  need a recipe, though, as I've never made quiche.  =)

Homemade Pizza:

Every Monday I mix up a batch of pizza dough.  It sits out on the counter all day to rise and then I pop it in the refrigerator to use sometime during the week.  If we aren't in the mood for pizza, I can use the dough for homemade hot pockets.

Chicken Noodle Soup with Grilled Cheese:
It is September so I can make soup once again.  =)  Mr. K loves it ... I love it ... Abigail doesn't, so that's why I serve it with Grilled Cheese.

Pancakes and Scrambled Eggs:
The week wouldn't be complete without a Brinner Meal.  I like to make a Big Batch of Pancakes so that there is leftovers for the following morning's breakfast.

Crocheted Bunting Pattern

One Sunday afternoon this Summer I started crocheting these triangles and before I knew it there were enough for a bunting! 

A quick puff of steam from the iron and a bit of tugging made all the points Pretty and Perky.  =)  I was delighted with the results and set about to find the Perfect Place to display my new bunting.

Across the mantel ... no.

Tacked to the bookcase ... no. 

Sewing Room window ... yes!

Here is a close up off the triangle:

And here is the pattern:

Crocheted Triangle Bunting

Rowan Cotton 4 ply yarn & Susan Bates size E hook

Round 1:

• Chain 6 and join with slip stitch to form circle.

• Ch 3 (= 1 DC), 4 DC, Ch 3 ... 1st side and corner done

• 5 DC, Ch 3 ... 2nd side and corner done

• 5 DC, Ch 3 ... 3rd side and corner done

• Slip stitch to top of first ch 3 to finish round

• Clip yarn and pull through loop to fasten.

Round 2:

• Slip stitch new color in any Ch3 corner to join

• Chain 3 (= 1 DC), 2 DC, Ch3, 3DC ... 1st corner done 

• 1 DC in the next 5DC ... 1st side done

• 3DC, Ch3, 3 DC in the chain 3 loop ... 2nd corner done

• 1 DC in the next 5DC ... 2nd side done

• 3DC, Ch3, 3 DC in the chain 3 loop ... 3rd corner done

• 1 DC in the next 5DC ... 3rd side done

• Slip stitch to top of first ch 3 to finish round

• Clip yarn and pull through loop to fasten.

Round 3:

• The corners are made the same way as in Round 2 - 3DC, Ch3, 3DC

• The sides are made the same way as in Round 2, except you will make 11 DC instead of 5 DC.

• Slip stitch to join round.

• Clip yarn to pull through loop and fasten off.

Round 4: 

• The corners are made the same way as in Round 3 - 3DC, Ch3, 3DC
  

• The sides are made the same way as in Round 3, except you will make 17 DC instead of 11 DC.
  

• Slip stitch to join round.
  

• Clip yarn to pull through loop and fasten off.

Joining Triangles:

• Layout triangles in the order you'd like them connected and choose the yarn you want to use across the tops to join them

• Chain 25 to 30 to form a string for attaching to wall, bookcase, or mantel.

• SC across the top of the first triangle ... 23 stitches total.

• Pick up the 2nd triangle and SC across the top of it ... 23 stitches total.

• Continue in this manner until all triangles are connected.

• Chain 25 or 30 for the second string to match the other side.  

Ta-Dah!!!!

Labor Day Weekend 2011

I canned ... Italian Cooking Sauce.

I baked ... Banana Muffins.

I baked some more ... Whole Grain Bread.

I did not clean ... but Mr. K and Abigail did.  =)

I crocheted ... granny circles that will turn into squares and become a blanket for someone's Special Birthday.

I would love to hear how your Labor Day Weekend went ... was it busy or relaxing? 

I have a Second Grader

Wednesday was the first day of school for Abigail.  She had a great day and came with home with a spiffy new homework folder.  =)

Look how tall she's grown this summer! 

I always take a "Daddy-Daughter" photo ...

For what it's worth, there are 272 days until the last day of school.  

But who's counting.  =)

Colorado in Pictures

It is a good day to share vacation snapshots with you as 

the weather is cloudy and rainy.  

I brought a crochet project with me but I'll share that with you on a 

sunny day when pictures will do it justice.  =)

Crystal Reservoir

Summit of Pikes Peak ... temp = 48 degrees ... Brrrrr!

Garden of the Gods

Bridge over Royal Gorge

Cliff Dwellings @ Mesa Verde National Park

Hiking in Estes Park

Lovebug's Favorite ... Trail Riding.  =)