Eep!

Well, poop!  It's Wednesday, and I don't have a post.  I blame work.  My bestie, T, and I work together, and we were just up at Big Boss Lady's "cabin" (read: compound) in the North Woods of Wisconsin from Friday through Tuesday.  We had to plan, set up for, and execute our company's annual strategic meeting.  It went well, but we were completely knackered by the time we got home yesterday.

Hence, no crafty blog posted this morning.

Well, hell, I guess I'll just show y'all a picture of one of the beautiful sunrises, as viewed from the compound.

'Til next week (when I'll hopefully be better prepared!!!),
OCB

Photography: Birds

Autumn is my favorite time of year.  This particular autumn, our family "thing" is exploring the state parks around our house.  In our county, there are over 100 miles of hiking trails, and our goal is to get to know them all.

One place, in particular, has begun to feel a lot like home.  We end up here at least a few times a week, probably because it's so close and it has such a variety of habitats.  We get to see lots of wildlife and interesting plants here.

Today, I'd like to share some of my favorite bird pictures from this park...enjoy!

Mallard duck drake

Great blue heron

Mute swan

Sandhill crane

Wood duck

Mallard duck

Oh, and for those of you worrying that I'm not posting crochet stuff, rest assured: it's coming.  I just feel like I need to spend as much time outside as I can before it starts getting dark too early to enjoy it after work.

'Til next time,
OCB

P.S. And I shouldn't have to say it, but these photos are all mine.  Steal 'em, and I'll poop on your foot.

Photography: East Tennessee

Hey, y'all!

I think it's about time to share another one of my hobbies with you: photography.  I've gotten more and more interested in this over the last few months, and I'm having so much fun toting my camera with me everywhere I go.

For my first photography post, I'd like to share a few of my favorite pictures from a recent trip to East Tennessee.  Enjoy!

I have a feeling this hobby is going to continue to gain momentum in my life, much like crochet has in recent years.  If nothing else, it shows me that I really am capable of taking decent pictures, even though I'm never really happy with the pics of my crochet projects.  ;)

 Until next time...have a great week!
 ~OCB 

Oh, and P.S., all images appearing on this blog and in this post are property of me.  So, be a chum and don't steal 'em...k?  K.

Holding Myself Accountable

It's Fall, y'all!  My favorite time of the year. 

Somehow, I just can't seem to find the time to finish this sweater I've been wanting for the last couple of years.  I'm really close...seriously, about half a sleeve to go...but I keep finding other things to do with my time.  Go figure.

This is my way of holding myself accountable, I guess.  The next time you see this baby, I'll be wearin' it.  :)

~OCB

E's Baptism Prayer Shawl

In January of this year, our family was blessed with a new addition.  My beloved sis-in-law gave birth to our second niece, E.

The cherry on the sundae?  She asked The Hubbs and me to be godparents.  Before taking part in her baptism ceremony back in March, I stitched up a special baptism prayer shawl for my sweet little goddaughter.

It's all acrylic yarn, and - of course - I don't remember the dimensions.  What I do remember is that I really enjoyed making it.  I really do love this little girl.

A special thanks to my mother-in-law for taking these beautiful pictures.

I'm just so glad Jello and her family are back in the area now.  It sure is nice to see them more often.  :)

Bulky Fiber Necklace: Teal

I'm a hot-blooded person.  You know, one of those gals you see wearing only a tee shirt in weather that prompts others to don hoodies, hats and gloves?  Don't get me wrong; I love me a good hoodie, but my point is that I don't do well with heavy stuff all up in my grill.  I get hot, I get cranky.  I get cranky, you don't want to deal with me.  Capisce?

With that said, I've come up with a solution for fall and winter accessorizing.  I can't walk around in a full-out scarf all day, but I love the idea of the bright colors and fun drapey quality. 

Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the first in what I'm sure will become a series to include many colors of the Bulky Fiber Necklace:

This necklace has been constructed completely by hand using acrylic yarn.  I can't wait to share the other colors with y'all!

Interested in one of your own?  Let me know...these will be for sale soon.

Purses in Progress

I know I'm not the only one trying to figure out a more economical solution for round, wooden purse handles...someone out there has to have an idea.  My problem is that the 9" rattan hoops from Jo-Ann Fabrics are so darned expensive; I just can't afford to keep them on hand.

And so, until I come up with a brilliant idea, my completed Super-Fat bags look like this:

Not exactly ideal, but it's working out so far.  I figure I'll stash a few dollars away when I can, and each of these will get handles when I can afford to get them.

In the mean time, does anyone have any brilliant ideas for me?  The hoops I'm buying at the retail store are either $5.99 or $6.99 a set.  I'd love to hear any suggestions you may have.

Happy International Crochet Day!

Today is International Crochet Day, one of my favorite days of the year!

My mom and grandma taught me to crochet when I was a little girl.  I drifted away from it due to boredom and frustration more times than I can count, but somehow the timing was just right after I had my own daughter.  I asked my mom to - once again - show me the basic stitches, and I was off and running...haven't stopped since.  I've found over the last couple of years that I absolutely love to crochet.  In fact, I find it difficult to remember a time when I didn't love this craft.

To celebrate, I think I'll sit myself down with the sweater I've been working on and see if I can't finish off that lower left sleeve...it's the last bit I need to do before I put the whole thing together, and the weather here is getting delightfully fall-like, especially in the morning and evening hours.

Fall is my favorite time of year, and I'm starting to get excited.  Cooler weather means snuggling up under a hand-made blanket with a mug of hot tea, reading a good book...or snuggling up in front of a favorite movie and working on those heavier projects I don't want to deal with in the summer months.

Since International Crochet Day falls at the beginning of that seasonal transition, I really couldn't be happier to see it come around again.  Not only is it a reason to celebrate this craft I love so much, but it's also a sign that the bright colors and crisp weather are on their way.

Short-Sleeved Shruggy Sweater Thing

Mm-hmm.  I'm gettin' all technical on ya with the names, now.  :)

I love cardigans and sweaters of all kinds.  My problem is that I tend to run warm, so here's my solution...at least for the summer months when all I really need is a little something for when the office AC tries to turn me into a girl-sicle.

When I decided what I wanted to do, I visited the ol' Mountain-O-Yarn in the basement and picked out one of my favorite colors of Red Heart Super Saver.  It took about 3 of the 5-oz skeins to complete, and I'm typically a 2X or size 18-20.  In my neck of the woods, that would make the total investment about $9, plus time.
The really cool part?  I already had this yarn from a trade or previous craft store raid, so it was essentially free.  Bonus!

It's really comfy, too.  I think I'm going to end up making another one or two in different colors.

If you want one, you know where to find me.  ;)

Sam the Dragon Amigurumi Prototype

In case you haven't heard, The Hubbs is an aspiring comic strip artist - has been since he was a kid - and he's amazing (and I'm not biased at all).

My very favorite of all of the characters he's created is Sam the Dragon.  Sam was born in 1984 as a way to entertain The Hubbs' little sister, Jello, and he's been drifting in and out of The Hubbs' life ever since.  We are now working as a team to put Sam out there for the whole world to see, and I'm working on a new blog featuring Sam a few times a week.

Naturally, with Sam on the brain, he's managed to seep into my crochet as well.  Here are some (okay, way too many, but I can never choose) pics of the prototype.

I'm ridiculously proud of his fingers, toes and elbows.  They all turned out better than I had hoped, and all on the first try!

Some slight modifications are needed before I'm totally happy with the final product, but this little guy should do nicely as a fourth birthday present for Jello's little girl, K-Bear.  K recently found a book of Sam strips that The Hubbs published about five years ago, and she's been running around the house pretending to be Sam ever since.  Thanks to the wonders of the All-Knowing Internet, this post should be appearing on my blog as we are still at her party.  Here's hoping Sam and K-Bear will be very happy together. 

And if he ever gets lonely, he can always hang with the Totoro I made for her birthday last year.  :)

Work in Progress: Lacy Checkered Afghan

Hey, y'all!

Long time, no see.  This has been a busy summer at our little yellow house, and I realize I've been neglecting you.  Not to worry...you're not alone.  I just sat down and replied to a couple of emails that were over a month old.

I guess it's time to catch up, eh?

Even though summer isn't always the most comfortable time to crochet, I've completed a few things since I last posted, and I have more in progress.  I'll post the completed projects after they've been given to their new owners - wouldn't want to ruin any surprises! - but in the meantime, here's a sneak-peek at a current work in progress:

These grey and purple motifs are almost 12" square, and I'll be joining 25 of them together to make a checkerboard afghan.  I'm using bulky acrylic yarn that I got through a trade, and I think the combo of the bulky yarn and the lacy motif will make this blankie quite interesting.  I'm about halfway to the finish line on this one...stay tuned for more pics of the completed project!


See you soon,
One Crafty Broad

Juggling Balls

The Hubbs taught himself to juggle as a kid.  On a road trip.  In the back of the family car.  With a book and a starter set of three juggling balls.

He still has that set of three juggling balls, and he's still damn good.  The Princess loves it when he juggles, and she presents him with his juggling balls multiple times every day.

Recently, he's expressed an interest in learning to incorporate more than three objects into his juggling fun-time.  Our only concern with this is that we're rather skint of late, and we're trying to be good little donkeys by sticking to our extremely strict budget.

Thinking outside the box, I grabbed my hook and some spare yarn from my stash, and I started stitching.  The first one felt okay, so I made three more to start (we can always add more later), along with a spiffy little storage bag.

The juggling balls are constructed using acrylic worsted weight yarn and pinto beans, and the bag is all acrylic yarn.

While looking at the finished product does make me feel rather resourceful, I prefer seeing them in action.

Ladies and Gentlemen, it's my pleasure to present the love of my life...(drumroll)...The Hubbs!

Hope your summer is going as swimmingly as ours is.  Have fun, y'all!

Olivia's Baby Gifts

One of my good pals at work is about to become a grandmother.  She recently commissioned my services to make an oversized baby blanket, and the shower was this past weekend. 

When I realized the amount of yarn I had left over after the blanket was done, I decided to contribute a couple of gifts of my own as well.

The blanket measures 48" by 48" and the dress is sized or a newborn baby girl.

Here's a close-up of the stitch pattern on the blankie and the dress.

I love working with this stitch, and I think I'll be making something for myself using it soon.  The fabric is so soft and cozy.

Olivia's one-of-a-kind dress.

The granny-to-be saw the dress and blankie, and apologetically asked if I might be able to make a headband to go with it.  Giggling, I told her that I had already started the process...it just wasn't done yet. 

I'm hoping to see a picture or two of the little one with her new loot when she sees fit to join us.  With her family's permission, of course, I'll try to post at least one here for all to see.

Crocheting for a Cause: Cancer Caps

Working in the local hospital, I have to admit I'm in a good spot.  Whenever anything is needed as far as handmade pieces go, my folks are really good about letting me know.

On Friday, one of the ladies from the cancer center told me that she had received a request for cancer caps.  There's a group of ladies in town here who make them, and some of the patients are requesting more muted colors and a more simplistic shape.  There are also a few men in need of caps, and all of the donations that are currently available in the cancer center are overtly feminine.

Well, heck.  Hats, I can do!  I designed this simplistic stocking cap for The Hubbs a few weeks ago, and it seems to fit the bill perfectly.

Okay, so this isn't particularly manly, I know.  But the colors are pretty and fairly muted, so I thought I'd slip it in.

I'm not sure how they'll feel about the color changes in this and the next one, but I'm willing to take a chance...I didn't have enough of either of these yarns to make a full cap, but they're so soft it would be a shame to let them go to waste.

Color-change cap #2: I really like this one.

Plain brown...can't go wrong with plain brown.  :)

And here's a picture of the four I'm donating today.

Ooh-Ooh the Monkey

My brother's step-grandson turned one recently.  I wasn't sure what little A would like, so I went to Hambone for ideas.  He said they call him "Monkey."

This seemed as good a time as any to see about modifying that kitty I've been making into a different animal. 

Here's Ooh-Ooh's  sweet little face.

Ooh-Ooh side view



Ooh-Ooh's caboose  :)



I'm pretty happy with how little Ooh-Ooh turned out.  I have a few other animals I'd like to try making in this simplistic style, and I'll post each of them as they're completed.

And if, by chance, you're in love with Ooh-Ooh here, I can make one especially for you.  Just let me know.  ;)

Couch Arm Remote Holder

If your house is anything like mine, your coffee table is covered in remote controls. I've seen mass-produced canvas pouches for storing them over a couch arm, and I thought I'd give it a whirl.

There are a couple of major bonuses to this particular project:

First, I got to use up some of my leftover bits of yarn from previous projects.

Unfortunately, the color just doesn't want to come across properly here.  For the blues, think jeans.  And the red is more barn than fire engine in real life.

And second, perhaps by separating the remotes into their individual pouches, they'll finally stop multiplying. :)

Lacy Bedspread: Completed!

And this post, my friends, could be alternately titled, "FINALLY." 

Let the record show that today, January 25, 2012, I completed my first motif project.  Holy crap balls, did this thing take forever, but it was worth it. 

I have a feeling it won't be my last motif project, either.  Not by a long shot.  While it lacked the whole instant gratification factor of the smaller projects I've previously completed, there's something satisfying about putting all the little pieces together to make something ginormous.

So, without further ado, I present the completed lacy bedspread.

View of the details, from the foot of our bed

See?  It covers the whole darn thing!  Bonus.  :)



I think this may be my favorite shot so far of the completed bedspread.

Our bed is a queen, and the bedspread is constructed completely out of Lion's Pound of Love baby yarn in antique white.  I believe there are 69 squares, including the giant one in the center.  The border is simple double crochet, and I'm really happy I didn't try anything fancier.  There's enough detail in the bedspread itself without adding frilly poopers on the edges.

In case you can't tell, I'm pretty happy with it.  Not bad for a first foray into motifs, creating my own and winging it much of the time, eh?  Whaddaya think?