A Whole Lotta Needlecrafting Goin' On!

I'm getting better now at doing simple crochet stitches. Nothing fancy, but that's okay.

Here's the green dishcloth I made for my Mom on St Patrick's Day:


When I finished it, she asked if she could have TWO, so I made another one with thicker yarn:


The first cloth was made with DK yarn (Plymouth Stone Cotton) and a size F hook. I used Bernat's free pattern called "Handicrafter Cotton Dishcloth for Beginners". I added a border all around, using one round of single crochet, and another round of half-double crochet. I like it!

The second cloth was made with worsted weight Lily Sugar 'n Cream cotton and a size H hook. I made it the same way, to help make the cloths look like a set. I think my Mom likes them! :)

I posted photos of the cloths on my Facebook page, and some of my friends started asking if they could buy some from me. Then, the secretary at my church asked for one also. So, I grabbed a skein of Kraemer Yarns Tatamy Tweed DK, with a size F hook, and quickly made one for her. She hugged me when I handed it to her this past Sunday! :)


I'm also making a bathroom rug, holding together two strands of Bernat Handicrafter cotton yarn. The colors of the yarn are Pilgrim Peach, and Country Blue.


To make that rug, I measured the size of the floor I'm wanting to cover. Then, I did a little swatch, to see how many stitches per inch I got. Then, I multiplied that number by the number of inches I wanted it to be. That told me how many chain stitches I would need to start off with. Now, I'm just doing single crochet every row until it's long enough. It's slow going, but I'm halfway there!

In the middle of these projects, I also knit two sections on an Oddball Blanket.


Last week, I decided to make some quick slippers for my Grandma. It's her 90th birthday! She loves the slippers I make for her, and calls them her "booties".


I made those slippers in one day, using the "Slipper Sock" pattern by Tropical Yarns. Instead of using two strands of worsted weight yarn, I used one strand of Bernat Softee Chunky. Worked perfectly!

Now, I'm making another pair for my son Josh, in red. Photos soon!

Knit Something Green for St Patrick's Day!

Happy St Patrick's Day!

One of my ancestors (William Simpson) came from Ballymoney, Ireland to America back in 1772, landing on the coast of Charleston, South Carolina. He brought his wife (Martha Orr Simpson) and 3 children with him. The youngest child (James Simpson) was my Great Great Great Great Grandfather. He was just a baby at the time he arrived here.

It's nice to know my connection to Irish heritage. :)

I was born with red hair, and had a temper from the start. Ha!
But, I sure was cute, wasn't I?


Since I have a valid connection to Ireland, I usually enjoy watching St Patrick's Day festivities. I won't go as far as drinking green beer, because I don't like the taste of beer. But, I usually wear green, and try to spout out a few Irish sayings with a pretended accent. It's fun!

Today, I have no piano lessons, and no other reason to leave the house. So, I think I'll just make something green for the day. My mother has asked for a green dishcloth, so I'll grab a crochet hook or some knitting needles, and get on it.

My Pretty Crocheted Dishcloth!

Yay! I really like the look of my first crocheted dishcloth from a pattern, even though I didn't do it right. HA!

Here's my "wrong way" dishcloth - all pretty and lacy.


Funny thing.....while I was finishing up the cloth on our sofa in the living room, I noticed that I had orange things all around me. An orange knitting bag, an orange tea cup and saucer, as well as an orange box of ginger snaps. Incredible!

Preemie Baby Set Complete

After finishing the knitting on the booties and mitts for the Bernat Preemie Garter Stitch Set, I set it all aside and put off the seaming for about a week.


I don't know why I put it off, because when I finally sat down to take care of it, it only took about 30 minutes. :P Silly me!

So, now my little preemie baby set is finished, and ready to mail to charity. I hope the family that receives it enjoys it! :)


I used Bernat Baby Coordinates in "Daisy Yellow", with the pattern "Preemie Garter Stitch Set", found in the "Traditions" pattern booklet. Quick and easy, and fun to make. Baby stuff is always so precious!

Learning to Crochet!

You know, it's been 20 years since I've tried crochet. The only thing I ever did before was practice...and make granny squares. I've never followed an actual crochet pattern before in my life.

So, I want to learn to do it RIGHT.

I've been collecting those "Crochet Lite" hooks whenever I could find them on sale, and now I have a pretty good set. I think the lights on the hooks will help me with finding the stitches. My eyesight is just not what it used to be.

Since I'm a blogger for Bernat, I've decided to make a crochet project on the blog, to help me stay motivated with learning this craft. Before diving into my blog project, I chose to practice a little. So, I pulled up the Bernat website, and looked at their Beginning Crochet stuff. I also asked some of the crocheters on the Knitting Help Forum for their advice. They gave me some links to crochet videos and glossaries. After perusing the internet a while, I felt a little more confident.

So, I found a beginner crochet pattern for a dishcloth on the Bernat site. Then, I looked in my stash of cotton yarn for a bright, happy color of yarn. (I chose orange) I'm using one of my new lighted crochet hooks - size I.

I did the beginning chain pretty easily, taking care to keep the stitches loose. (That's one of the things I learned on the websites I studied.) Then, I looked at the next part of the pattern. I had a little trouble working into my chain stitches, so I guess I need to loosen up even more on that part.

The next row gave me a little trouble, because I'm not confident in "reading" the crochet stitches. The good thing about knitting is that the stitches on each row are obvious...they are all waiting on the needle for you! But, crochet takes a little more eyeballing. Time for all the bright lights to be on in the craft room!

I made a few mistakes, trying to do that next row. I ended up having to search the internet again, to figure out what "SP" means. (It means "space", by the way.) I was very frustrated when I didn't understand what that meant. I thought it might be a special kind of stitch or something. (tee-hee)

So, I continued my work, and was very happy with the way it was going. :)


Next, I posted a photo of my creation on Knitting Help, to see what the expert crocheters had to say. My bubble was soon burst, because they told me I was doing it wrong. :( I had been working "in the chain" instead of "in the space". (So THAT'S why the pattern kept mentioning the space!! - Duh!)

So, I've learned what I did wrong, and I'm feeling better about the whole thing. It's so nice to know that I can get help from my friends on the internet to figure out this crochet thing. :)

By the way, I decided to finish up my washcloth with the mistake stitching, because I like the way it looks. I'll make another one the CORRECT way. ;)

Preemie Baby Set

The Preemie Garter Stitch Set in the Bernat "Traditions" pattern book is going fast! Such a fun, easy knit. I just love knitting precious, tiny baby clothes! :)

Last night, I seamed up the sleeves of the jacket, and made the little matching bonnet. Adorable!


I tried the set on a small baby doll. Her arms are too short for the jacket, but it still looks good.


Now, I'm making the booties and mitts. They should go very quickly. When the set is finished, I will donate it to the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. They need preemie baby clothes right now.

My New Lovely Alpaca Leaf Pullover

I have fallen in love with my new handknit sweater. It only took a month to knit this lovely "Leaf Pullover", using Bernat's Alpaca yarn.


I decided to make half-sleeves instead of long sleeves, because it's just more comfortable for me that way. Also, the alpaca yarn is VERY WARM, and I've been so hot lately. (must be having hot flashes - HA!)


The pattern for the pullover is in Bernat's "All Alpaca" book. Quick and easy!