1400 Page Views Today!!!

I know I've been on the quiet side lately, however I have not been far from the hook; but I wanted to mark today as a milestone - 1400 blog visitors! Unbelievable! Heck, I had always hoped but never could imagine that there would be that many views - and I appreciate every single one of those views.

I also have been realizing that I haven't followed up on a few promises. One of which is getting pictures for the cozy/coaster pattern; well I purchased new batteries for my camera and hope to take those within the near future.

In addition to working on my own projects I've also become a Pattern Tester! (yes, when I say that I hear it in a super hero announcer voice & it echoes). If you are someone that may not feel that experienced but would love to attempt new projects and have new networking contacts, I highly suggest it. I have made quite a few valuable connections through certain groups on Facebook. Just realize that as you're testing these patterns for other people, they're depending on you to be honest and up front with them. Don't just jerk them around for the free pattern, it's not worth it.

I'm also contemplating the idea of starting a series of blog posts on stores, creators, crafters that I follow or are in contact with or even just have a scope of work that I adore.

What do you think? Who should I express a profile on first - just as a note, I'm not planning on promoting these pages or stores, I just want you to see what they're doing as I have done many times and it always sends my brain spinning with ideas and creativity.

So let me know what you think in the comments below, I'd love to hear from you!

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day to all the folks out there that play a "Mommy" role in someone's life.

Since my son had plans with his father of this weekend he wasn't able to spend Mother's Day with me for the first time in 13 years. (sad) Instead of celebrating it on Sunday without him we started Friday night when we had all the kids with us.

I don't know how he did it, but Amazing Adam, being as amazing as ever, was able to find time in his running errands, playing school bus and chaperoning a field trip to the Children's Hands on Museum to get prizes for me.

When I arrived home, there were flowers waiting for me on the table, which my initial thrill was damped by darling Aurora walking in behind me and claiming that it smelled like pee in the house. (gee thanks!)

Pretty aren't they? I love the daisies and Adam's favorite is purple carnations!

Close up of the card... yes it does say "With Deepest Sympathy"!

Then as things settled down and people found some calm Amazing Adam called the children forward and each handed them a gift. The first one was from Aurora:

Love it! 

And a view of the poem on the reverse side:

So sweet!

I adore the fact that her teacher let her make two crafts as she still had one for her "Mommy." I brought this project to my desk at work to display proudly.

The the other prizes started revealing themselves from behind backs, under shirts and out of pockets!

A Hot Wheels '71 Plymouth Road Runner - black with flames
A Hot Wheels '66 Chevy Nova - blue and black
A Michael's Gift Card (of yarn) from Riley's pocket

Blind Box LEGO Mini Fig from Amazing Adam's pocket

So overall, it was quite a thrilling evening of prizes. Riley went off with his dad early Saturday morning with the warning that if he fails to call his Mother on Mother's Day he will be on a certain shit-list for the next 364 days. 

On Saturday, we had a great evening at the local speedway for car racing. Lots of crashes and fires under speeding vehicles. Amazing Adam's co-worker races there, he even took a break after his races to come visit us. You'd think Sponge Bob just came and sat with us from the way Jacob kept wanting his attention!

All the while on both Saturday and Sunday I was trying to get my project done for my Mother. She just got an RV so I wanted to make something to make it a bit homier, so I came up with the idea to make coasters with a holder for her. 

I found a pattern for Daisy Coasters by Whiskers and Wool and the inspiration started. I knew that I still had scraps of Lily Sugar & Cream cotton yarn at home, so I thought I'd start and see where it took me.

Finding that I still had rainbow colors, here is what my coasters ended up like:

Love them, odd tweak in the blue one, but oh well...

Then I thought that they'd be in the RV, rolling around flying everywhere as they went driving all over hell an' gone, so I wanted to make something to hold them in. This is what I came up with:

An adorable rainbow bowl to put them in! I free handed the base starting with red then every two rows changed colors, narrowing towards the top so they didn't need a fastener to keep them in the bowl. Just cram the stack in there and they stay!

I love this! Thinking of making more...

She loved them! I also made her a small white trinket bowl so that on their adventures if she found a rock or a shell, she'd have somewhere to start placing them, a collection of memories!

After we got home from delivering this to my mom, I finally received a Facebook message from Riley: "Do I still have to call?"

Boy, lemme tell you, I unleashed the caps lock on him, "YES!"

So I got the call from my little boy. I was happy.

Finished off the very last few minutes of the night, realizing that Amazing Adam had given me one of the best Mother's Day weekends I can ever remember. I had time to crochet and watch numerous episodes of Supernatural, I had prizes, I attended an event (more to his benefit than mine, but had a great time), and best of all, I have an amazing family.

None of us are really "morning people," we all have a tenancy to be quite cantankerous, quite a few of us want our way one way or another, but when push comes to shove, there is almost always one moment everyday that I can think of that is nothing but pure chaotic perfection. I wouldn't trade it for the world.

Please let me know in the comments below if you have any questions or would like to see patterns for anything I've posted, previous or current. 

29 Days and Counting!

Meep!

Here it is, November 2nd and the River Ridge Craft Fair is fast approaching on December 1st. I have completed a TON of coffee cozies and coasters. I've priced my order forms and receipts and I've bought some baskets and containers to work on the table display to create height and lean towards a "geeky" theme. I'm even thinking of using some NES systems as display stands too! I have an idea of the floor plan and where we'll be located. Things seem to be going well enough at this point, except...

I haven't started any hats! I have two made and a lot of yarn to make more. I think I just need to stop on the cozies and coasters and start full speed ahead on the hats.

So here we go! 4 weekends and counting, wish me luck!

PS: I'm hoping to have the boyfriend help me take pictures to update into the Coffee Cozy & Coaster Pattern that I posted previously so stay tuned!

FREE PATTERN: Cup Cozy & Coaster Set

Materials:
Yarn of choice, I prefer Sugar & Cream 100% cotton yarn because it is absorbent and easy to clean.
I Crochet Hook
Stitch Markers

ABBREVIATIONS
ch - chain
sl st - slip stitch
st - stitch
sc - single crochet stitch
dc - double crochet stitch

COASTER (both loops throughout)
1. Ch 4 sc, insert hook into the 1st st, sl st together to form a loop (you can also use a magic circle instead of chaining four together).
2. Ch 2 (do not count this st), crochet 16 dc into the loop, sl st into the 1st st to close the round. (16)
3. Ch 2 (do not count this st), crochet 2 dc into the same st you joined the round in, then in each dc from the first round, sl st to the 1st st to close the round. (32)
4. Ch 2 (do not count this st), crochet 1 dc into the same st you joined the round in, 2 dc in the next st, *1dc in the next st, 2 dc in the next st* until you reach the beginning of the round, sl st to the 1st st to close the round. (48)
5. Ch 1 (do not count this st), sc in each dc from the previous round, sl st to close the round.
6. Tie off and hide your ends!

COZY (both loops throughout)
1. Rows 1 & 2: Chain 11, sc in each st, ch 1, turn
2. Rows 3 - 30: sc in each st, ch 1, turn.
3. At the end of Row 30, turn the rectangle sideways so the long side is towards your left hand, you're now going to sc along the edge. Ch 1, then start in the 10th st of Row 30, push the hook through both loops & pull the yarn over the end, pulling it over the side. Sc 29 more sts along the long side of the rectangle until you reach st 1 of Row 1, completing the sc.
4. Ch 1, slip hook into the first st of Row 1, pull the tail over the hook, then push the hook into the 10th st of Row 30, yarn over into a sc. Continue joining Row 30 to Row 1 with sc until you reach stitch 10 of Row 1. If you keep pulling the tail into your stitches at this point, it will line it up better to finish off your ends later.
5. Ch 1, now finish off the other end of the sleeve with 30 sc st (do not join any further or it will seal off the sleeve making a pocket). Once you reach the end of the last long side, sl st to the 1st st of the row.
6. Tie off, finish off your ends. I usually turn the sleeve wrong side out, pull the last tail through to the back and using the back of the joining stitches pull the tails under the joining stitches midway and tie off in the middle. Turn it right side out.

I love this pattern, and cannot for the life of me remember where I found the ideas for it. I learned circles from a crochet book from the 70's that my mom gave me a few years back. Another benefit to this pattern is that it is endlessly customisable. Use different yarns, change colors on rounds/rows or on the last round of single crochet on the coaster or joining the cozy, I've even used fun fur yarns on the edging on both the cozy and coaster.