Projects and thoughts on what's next

Here's a view of that last horse from above so that you can see the designs on the top and the back.

Here are a few cards I made today from the supplies I was given recently. They were fun and seemed to work out really well.

After finishing that I went back to crocheting another pot holder which sadly is the only present I can give my hubby this year.

Starting any business is a hard and slow process with a lot of lean times. It helps us to keep going to know how many people are really wanting us to succeed, we'd hate to let them down.

On the bright side, having some new potholders made baking a few holiday cookies more fun.

17 row crochet pot holder

I was just about to finish this when I thought that you might like to see how it goes together. It's really easy to make:

worsted weight cotton yarn
size G, H or I hook  The size of hook you use depends on whether you crochet loose or tight. I like to use a G because it works best for me and smaller stitches keep the heat from getting through it.

Chain 37 then single crochet in all of the chains all the way around. (instead of going back and forth on rows as you would on most projects you crochet this in one long round) You're finished when you lay it down on a table and the ends meet as shown and you can sew them together. After that all you have to do is weave in the end of the yarn for a few inches.

Indoors and out

Well, I went as far as I could go with those bags and packed away the ones in progress when I ran out of straps and lining fabric. I'll pick up with them the next time I get supplies.

As you can see I've gone back to the portrait I've been painting and made myself another cotton pot holder.

It's been kind of a dull but peaceful week  I wish I had something a bit more interesting for you to be reading just now but on the other hand, perhaps the fact that things are quiet and peaceful here is just the thing to divert your attention from your busy day and have a bit of a vacation with me.

The warmer weather has had the birds back in the garden and a few have even seemed to take up residence in some of the brightly painted bird houses out on the arbor. Clearly, they think it's spring in spite of the date on my calendar.

There are lots of nice garden catalogs in my mailbox these days and I begin to dream about the new season.

Just Finished

 Both of these pictures are the same potholder. It always amuses me how different they look. This one is for our kitchen-Merry Christmas to us!

 This hat will be going along to the next crochet group meeting to be donated to whatever cause we're sending to that week. There are a lot of people and places that need them this time of year. I hope to finish one or two more before I go back next time.

Other projects today

 Yes, there are always more cotton potholders to crochet and I keep it interesting by combining lots of different variegated yarns together to give the same type of charm as a rag rug, home spun and handcrafted. I love the way it looks and really enjoy having them around.

 I went back to work trying to paint poinsettia's on cards to answer today's mail with. Any of them that I really like may also get scanned and used on Zazzle.

I like the lighter approach I used this time-which one did you like best?

Progress Report

 I continue to work on those Dala horse ornaments in between other projects.

 I made this hat to use up some odd bits of yarns. I actually got about half of it done while waiting in line at one of the local food programs this morning. It made the time pass quickly and gave a few of us something to talk about besides the state of the economy or hard times. I finished a pot holder too but forgot to get a picture of that for you.

 I've actually gotten more done on these red horses but haven't shot pictures of that too.

I knit these slippers on the knitting machine tonight. My holiday gift to the family is to make sure they have something warm so I'm packing a big bag of things to take along when we get together for Thanksgiving dinner.

A busy morning's work

I started the purple hat for an elderly friend, finished 2 hats I donated to a program for women Veterans and their families and then I went back to work on potholders.

All of that before noon today. Who knows what's next? There's still a lot of the day left.

Step by Step to Finishing a Crochet Potholder

 You'll know your potholder is ready to finish when you place it on a table and the edges meet in the middle. At that point, do a slip stitch, cut the yarn about 3 feet from the end of your potholder and pull it through the last stitch.

 Thread the tail through a yarn needle and use it to sew the potholder together.

 Once it's sewn together you can work in the tail as it is or add a hanging loop. There are two different ways to add a loop. You could just crochet a short chain and sew it in place or you could finish them the way that I do.

 I sew through the corner of the potholder and around my thumb 2 or 3 times to make a loop the size I like and then I wrap and finish it as shown. It's a lot like a blanket stitch in embroidery but a lot closer together.

If you have any further questions on how to do this be sure to leave them in the comments and I'll try to explain further.

Not exciting but useful

 I finished another potholder and scanned both sides so you can see how differently they work up. Using all the scrap bits of yarn helps keep my supplies organized and untangled so feel good about this little project.

Dala Horses with hats

 A friend cut the blanks for these tiny Dala horses and I'm learning how to carve the edges so of course I couldn't resist painting them too.

 I'm still crocheting a lot of hats and potholders too.

It's kind of fun to see how the different yarns work up. I'm working on a white one now.

Time Sure Flies

The day shot by fast but I did manage to finish this working off and on in between other projects. Sorting out the worktable seems to be the most important thing these days as I need more space to work on.

I made an interesting discovery as we went back to work making repairs on that back building. For some reason a couple of pieces of painted furniture I'd started years ago ended up in there so we rescued them and are in the process of cleaning them now. I've decided to sand and repaint at least one of them so it's a good thing I had cleared more work space. Isn't it great when things come together?

3 squirrels, a woodpecker and lots of birds

It's cool and windy so I was surprised to see so much activity while taking the trash out to the dumpster today. The squirrels were cleaning up around the base of the bird feeders and the woodpecker was checking out some old stumps out near the campfire ring. The other birds apparently just stopped by for lunch which reminds me that I'd better cook some for myself.
I hope your day is a pleasant one filled with things that interest you too. I'll be finishing that potholder and getting back to that dot acrylic painting so I'll have photos to post later.

Potholder Patterns, Friendship and the meaning of life

 The gal who taught me to crochet these potholders 30 years ago couldn't remember where she'd learned it and I continued to make them and teach others ever since. It got to be kind of a joke that when people were over at the homes of friends and family and saw them they's say "I see Julie's been here". Yesterday I took a few over to donate to the Senior Center Kitchen so of course today I'm making more of them and you never know where they'll go next.

I finally found the pattern in print on page 30 and 31 of this book which should be available at your local library or book store. If you can't find them there my copy is listed on either Amazon or half, I don't quite remember but I'm sure a lot of other sellers have them to so you shouldn't have too much trouble finding it and there are a lot of other great patterns in it as well.

As far as the meaning of life goes, it's different for everyone...for me it's creating something useful and having fun helping someone else do it too.