Merry Christmas, Everybody!

Luke 2

1 -5 About that time Caesar Augustus ordered a census to be taken throughout the Empire. This was the first census when Quirinius was governor of Syria. Everyone had to travel to his own ancestral hometown to be accounted for. So Joseph went from the Galilean town of Nazareth up to Bethlehem in Judah, David's town, for the census. As a descendant of David, he had to go there. He went with Mary, his fiancée, who was pregnant.
6 -7 While they were there, the time came for her to give birth. She gave birth to a son, her firstborn. She wrapped him in a blanket and laid him in a manger, because there was no room in the hostel.
8 -12 There were sheepherders camping in the neighborhood. They had set night watches over their sheep. Suddenly, God's angel stood among them and God's glory blazed around them. They were terrified. The angel said, "Don't be afraid. I'm here to announce a great and joyful event that is meant for everybody, worldwide: A Savior has just been born in David's town, a Savior who is Messiah and Master. This is what you're to look for: a baby wrapped in a blanket and lying in a manger."
13 -14 At once the angel was joined by a huge angelic choir singing God's praises: Glory to God in the heavenly heights, Peace to all men and women on earth who please him.
15 -18 As the angel choir withdrew into heaven, the sheepherders talked it over. "Let's get over to Bethlehem as fast as we can and see for ourselves what God has revealed to us." They left, running, and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in the manger. Seeing was believing. They told everyone they met what the angels had said about this child. All who heard the sheepherders were impressed.
19 -20 Mary kept all these things to herself, holding them dear, deep within herself. The sheepherders returned and let loose, glorifying and praising God for everything they had heard and seen. It turned out exactly the way they'd been told!

I wish you all joy and love and peace. I wish you Jesus.

Merry Christmas.

Christmas and Family

Christmas always makes me think of family. Every year, I wish I could go back and see my family, but something always gets in the way, usually work, finances, or both.

I grew up poor, but my parents loved Christmas. Mom and Dad both were big kids when it came to Christmas, and I tend to romanticize that, I'm sure. I remember wonderful Christmases, and lots of new toys. I'm sure they were cheap, Mom and Dad didn't have much money and there were eight of us to buy for, but we didn't care, they were new toys. Christmas was different back then, smaller things made a bigger difference. Now we live in a world of plenty, and kids are more spoiled. I'll talk about that in another blog, I'm sure. I remember when taking a candy cane off the tree to eat was a treat.

December 23 always makes me think of Dad. He used to say 'It's the Eve of Christmas Eve.' I used to love that. To this day, I say that. It seems to really make Christmas Day that much closer. It means as much to me as Christmas Eve. It stretches Christmas out more. Isn't that fun?

Ah, I'm rambling. Merry Christmas, y'all!

The house is all empty.....

The kids have gone off to their Dad's for a week. I'll pick them up Christmas day. Until then, the house is mine. It's nice, but I do miss my boys. A little. Ha! I'm sure I'll miss them more later, though right now, I am enjoying the peace and quiet. I'm getting the house clean, and crocheting, and reading, and watching what I want to watch on TV.

2010 Afghan Calendar

So I got my 2011 Afghan Calendar in the mail today. Do you know how much I love crocheted afghans? I tell you, I could make nothing but one afghan after another and be totally content. I love afghans. I love making them, and I love using them, and if I know someone else who likes them, I love giving them as gifts.

So I'm looking through this calendar, which is beautiful, and remembering 'Hey, I have the 2010 one downloaded, and haven't printed it out yet. I got it a while back, when it was on sale. It's available here, as a PDF file. It's totally worth it, even at full price, though I don't think it's full price even now. It's $8.95, and I'm sure it was more than that when you could have it mailed to you. I know I paid more than that for the 2011 one. Wait, I just checked. Nope, I paid $8.95, just the 'plus shipping' is where the extra came in. That's fine, totally worth it.

Anyway, so I'm printing out the patterns from the 2010 calendar, and I thought I would share those pictures, because these afghans are just gorgeous. They're all made with worsted weight yarn, except one baby afghan, but it's all easily accessible, even if Walmart is all you have close to you.

This is the January one, called Purple Majesty. It's pretty. I am working on a similar one, by Ellen Gormley, called the Sunny Spread. That one is based on squares, though, and this one is what, hexagons? I like it a lot.

Here the February Queen of Hearts. Oooohhhhhhh, pretty........

March is called Sunshine Lace. It does look like sunshine, doesn't it. That's just what we all are looking for in March, isn't it? Sunshine?

This is April's Heirloom Baby Afghan. It's the only one not made with worsted weight yarn. Duh, it's made with baby yarn. I don't make baby afghans, just because I don't know anyone with babies. If I did, I would make them an afghan. This one's pretty.

Well, I must make this! It's the May afghan, The Yellow Rose of Texas. Besides the fact that it is pretty, I do have a thing for the whole 'Yellow Rose of Texas' thing. I live in Texas now, and my boys are all born in Texas......... I'll get on that at some point. Ha!

The June afghan, Pineapple Promise. I like it. It's frilly and feminine. You need a little of that here and there, though I am not actually much of a froufy person. I like beautiful things, though.

How Americana. I love Americana. I like red, white, and blue things. This is July's afghan, called. America's Heart. Although I like this one quite a bit, I like the one in the 2011 calendar better, I think. I don't think I'll be making this at all, though I do like it.

This here is the afghan that made me want the calendar. It is August's Rose Recital. I love it. I like anything that is a piano design. I'll definitely make this one. My list gets longer......... sigh....

This is actually the afghan I like least. September's Woodland Ripple. I don't like granny ripples, and I do believe that is the only configuration in which I do not like grannies, or ripples. I love them pretty much any other way, particularly.........

this way. Okay, is this cool or what! I have to make this! It's the October Pinwheel Afghan. I am so loving this new twist on an old classic.

Here is a gorgeous one for November. It's called the Filet Ripple. Man, I love this. Dare I say I want to make it?

OOoooooooohhhhhhhhhh, and this........ so pretty. And while it doesn't scream 'Christmas', it definitely says it. I love this one.

I am totally thinking one of my New Year's goals may be an afghan a month, at least. Wouldn't that be fun? Heck, I have sooooooooo many afghan patterns, twelve would not even take a bite out of my list of afghans I plan to make........... There's still that beautiful calendar I got in the mail today after all...... maybe I'll post the pictures from that one another day here soon.....

Y'all have a fabulous day. Get your fingers out of that chocolate! Ah, never mind, getcha some...

You've come a long way?

Or is it just baby steps? Well, truth be told, it's probably somewhere in between the two. Ha ha. I have been crocheting since I was about fourteen or fifteen. I remember my grandmother crocheting all of us kids vests for Christmas one year, and Grandma was a great crocheter. I remember her working on several things, though I won't say every time I saw her she was crocheting. She did it enough that I equated crocheting with her, and still do. I still have aunts who crochet, I know Aunt Mandy does, I think Aunt Ruthie does, Aunt Julie used to for sure. But I didn't learn from my family. I learned in school, from my Home Economics teacher in seventh grade. And truth be told, she did some funny stitches. She called the slip stitch single crochet, and her double crochets were funny. But she provided the base, and I learned the rest from various books, and some magazines I think maybe my grandmother or mother had around the house. I remember when I first learned to crochet, my father put me to work making him a bunch of granny squares that he was gonna have someone put together into an afghan. He would show off those blocks to anyone who came by, but they somehow never became an afghan. Around that time I remember making a few purses, some scarves, and some mittens.

So up until about a year ago, the above picture was pretty much what I did with my crocheting. Ripple afghans, usually in three colors. Ha. I referred to myself as kind of a 'one trick pony'. I loved my crocheting, but didn't really venture out. That afghan I call 'Neopolitan', because it reminds me of Neopolitan ice cream, the colors and all. Those are all Red Heart colors. I don't think I had ever really shopped for crocheting supplies anywhere other than Walmart, although I had shopped at craft stores for all kinds of other things.

Anyway, last April or so, I decided to venture out, and learn more about crocheting. I knew I could do it, I had tried an odd project or so with a little success, and anyway, it's easier to succeed at something you love, right? I was going to start with a garment, because I had never made anything wearable beyond those mittens so long ago. I was about to start with a cardigan from Crochet! magazine when my aunt asked me to make her a cape. That cape was kind of ugly, and I didn't like it, but she did, and I felt like I did a pretty good job with it. Then I went on with the cardigan, which I did finish, and have never taken a picture of it. It's made with worsted weight yarn, and I felt like it was too heavy to wear, so I haven't. Ah well.

Then I went on to this cute little hat. I like it. Ignore that little old lady beneath the brim, she's just some crazy mothering chick who happenned by. Ha ha ha.

Poor old Danny modeled the top so I could get a picture. I promised I wouldn't show his face.

Anyway, I think I've done pretty well this year with the branching out and all. I've made purses, afghans in different shapes, tree skirts, all kinds of things. I've played with new stitches, new yarns, all kinds of things. Even started that big beautiful Cathedral Window Afghan, though I haven't gotten far. I want to try even more things in the coming year. I want to do more thread crochet, make more mittens, make more practical things (though, to be honest, what's more practical than a nice crocheted blanket, and I make bunches of those.....) and all kinds of other stuff. There are a million more projects I have waiting in line, I have become addicted to downloading patterns, and don't even go there about all the magazines I like to buy, not to mention my digital subscriptions to Crochet! and Crochet World. Yeesh, where will it end. Well, heck, who says it ever has to! Hope there are hooks in Heaven!

Ha ha.

Y'all have a wonderful day.

He's 16, He's beautiful, and He's mine.

Today is Number Three's birthday. He's sixteen. I'da thought he'da been driving by now, but not yet. Just not that excited about it. It'd be nice for me, I'd love to turn over the wheel, but whatever. I'm sure he'll be driving before too long. He's a good boy, he helps me out a lot. I always say, the good thing about your kids is they are just how you like them, and Tim is just how I like him. He's got this weird sense of humor, and he helps me around the house a lot, from watching David while I work to figuring out all the computing crap I can't. Ha.

Here he is with his Baskin-Robbins ice cream cake. I love ya, baby, happy birthday.

Y'all have a great day.

Ta - Dah!

Look, it's a tree skirt! All done! Ta-dah! This is Katherine Eng's '7-Hour Tree Skirt', with a little Julie added in. This pattern is in the December, '08 edition of Crochet Today, or you can get it at e-patterns dot com. I'm thinking I've seen it somewhere else as well, but I can't remember where.

I made it in 'I Love This Yarn' red sparkle, and I made it bigger than the pattern. I put more rows between the shell rows to make it bigger. I also added the edge to it. To me, the edge in the pattern was a little anti-climactic, it lacked oomph. I wanted a bigger edge, kind of finishing with a flourish. I looked for patterns for an edge, but couldn't find what I had in mind, so I kind of made one up. It's just a shell like in the pattern, five double crochets in one space, then two double crochets in each of those five, then for the last row, it was a double crochet and a picot in each of those ten stitches. I think it turned out very pretty. I may use this edge again, you never know. I also didn't add a tie, and I didn't finish the inner edges. I frankly didn't see the need. I wrap a skirt around the base of the tree, so it doesn't need a lot, and the edges were pretty as they were, I thought. Anyway, it turned out just like I had it pictured in my head. Isn't it nice when that happens? It did, however, take more than seven hours to complete, but that's because I went bigger.

My son's cat, Kasumi, approves. So nice to know!

Y'all have a great day!

Pretty Little Collar and Cuffs

So I was an infomercial, and I noticed this. This is Petula Clark singing 'Downtown' on an old episode of Ed Sullivan, but what I'm looking at is that pretty little collar and cuffs on that basic black dress. I like those. I like them a lot. I could do that, I think.

Y'all have a great day!

Katherine Eng......... I love her!

Look at these two afghans! Aren't they beautiful? I really like them both. Would love to make them both, and I may, but don't hold your breath. My list of things to make is really loooooooonnnnnnnnngggggggg.................... the by-product of too many subscriptions, and a rich availability of patterns on-line. I think I'm a pattern hoarder. Pity. Or not. LOL

These patterns are both available at the Red Heart site for free. They are also both designed by Katherine Eng. So many patterns I find that I love are designed by her. Right now, I am less than a row away from finishing her 7-hour Tree Skirt, and have a few of her other things on that long list. I'm sure she has a blog somewhere. I need to find it. Then again, would that really be a good idea......... I'm sure I'd just find more things for my list.............

I admire great designers. I wish I could do that.

In case you want them, here are the links for those two patterns.

Carousel Throw

Sampler Throw

Y'all have a great day.

Absence....

....makes the heart grow fonder? Yeesh, one can only hope, right? I haven't blogged in like, three weeks. Tut, tut, tut..... Terrible, terrible.

I've been crocheting, been working on my tree skirt. I'm using that 7-hour Tree Skirt pattern, but I'm adding to it, making it bigger. I like my tree skirts big. I'll show it when I'm done, which should be very soon. I'm also still working on that Granny Stripe Afghan, which is also very nearly done. Christmas, you know, that takes a lot of time. Things come to a screeching halt this time of year, without my meaning for them to do so.

Meantime, of course I've been shopping at the Salvation Army. I went there one day because I really need a different sofa. That one I got for free has seen its last days. Precious David. It took him a while, but he worked on it bit by bit, and finally tore up that back cushion. Got it right off of the couch, piece by piece. Sometimes you just gotta laugh. But I digress.

Anyway, so I'm at the Salvation Army, and I find this sweet little writing desk. I wanna think it's vintage or something, but that little hole cut out of the back makes me question that. Why would someone put a hole in the back, other than to allow a plug through? So it's probably not as old as I would like to think it is..... but I love it anyway. I like the tole painting on it, and it's just cute. I think it makes a nice addition to my bedroom. The little chair came with it, though I'm not sure it really 'goes with' it. I'm thinking maybe it's just something someone used with it. I do not like the 1984 blue cushion cover. I think it needs something in needlepoint. I can fix that, though.

There. That's my little desk. Now for my rant. LOL

So I saw "The Twilight Saga - Eclipse" last night. Rented it. Man, I am so glad I rented it, as opposed to seeing it in the theater. Man, do these movies get more and more over-acted? It's almost too predictable, just how much that Edward is going to brood. There's very little smiling, even when they are supposed to be doing a 'love scene'. And the kisses. Not attractive at all. They just don't really look like they're enjoying kissing each other. I don't know. I'm sure I'm going to keep watching until they're resolved, but I'm more and more disappointed by those crazy movies............

Anyway, y'all have a great day. I'll try to get more blogging done.... LOL

What, not even a mug?

So I got this lovely set of dishes for Christmas the other day. They were at H.E.B., the local grocery store, but I thought they were nice, and I don't have any Christmas dishes, so I got them. What I didn't realize was, there are no cups in this set. Look at that on the box, because I did not notice it when I was buying them. It's a 12-piece set. Four dinner plates, four dessert plates, and four bowls. What? No cup and saucer? Not even a mug. Nothing to drink from. Yes, I know, there are goblets out there, and I have some, and there is crystal, and I love that as well. And Christmas is eggnog time, served from a punch bowl and cup (is punch bowl one word or two?) but I like tea, and I like to drink tea from a cup and saucer. Dang it! Now you know good and well, I will not take those dishes back, I will use them. But they should have some kind of a cup with them, shouldn't they? Yeesh!

Finishing up

Well, I am just finishing up the stripes on my Granny Stripes Blanket. It's just about time to move on to the border. So now I have to decide just what that border will be.

I have been looking through this fabulous border book. It has lots of ideas, lots of great pictures of things to put on the edge of your project. It's a great book. I have several options I'm considering. I want something that will go with the granny stripes, not too open weave, not too light and airy, but I don't want to flat up repeat what is going on with the stripes. I also want the border to be substantial, not an afterthough.

Here are some I think would be nice.


This is border #5. I like that it is substantial, and curvy, with the shells, which I think would go well with the grannies. I would add a few rows of color first, because I think the border needs to be as colorful as the stripes.

I like this, too. It's border #15. This is, is it too like the grannies? Would it not stand out, or would it look like I'm just hurrying through the border?

I like this, too, it's border #24. Only thing is, I wonder if it is too open. I wonder if it would go with the grannies. Those stripes are fairly substantial. Could this border work with the blanket?

This is one I like as well. It's border #121. Only thing is, while yes, it is substantial, I wonder if it is TOO substantial. Is it too much? Will it overpower the blanket, especially if I add a couple of rows of color as a beginning border. My thought is that I am going to do first a row of grannies around the edge, just to establish an even edge, then go with maybe a couple of rows of solid color, solid double crochet, just to kind of solidify the edge, then do the chosen border.

Well, what do y'all think?

Out shopping.....

Well, I put my Granny Stripes blanket down for a minute, and I made up this little washcloth. I think I'm gonna use it in my kitchen this holiday season. See, I found this book at Hobby Lobby this past week. Cute, isn't it? All about towel toppers and dishcloths. Looking at this book, the first thing I noticed is, am I crazy, or are all those towels available at your local Walmart? Hmmmm.... oh well, doesn't matter, I'm at Walmart way too much anyway... heck, I got a lil crush on one of the managers. LOL More about that if ever anything develops. Ha ha ha ha ha! Anyway, I'm gonna make me some little towel toppers when I'm in the mood, they just take a couple of hours to do. These are not those old ones where you cute the towel in half, either. You make these up and insert the towel without cutting it, if I read these right. That's cool to me.

I'm still working on that Granny Stripes blanket, though. In fact, I'm about done with the stripes. Just two or three more color stripes, which is four or six rows, then I'm on to the border. I actually am still trying to decide on the border I want, but that's no biggee. It's probably just more excuse to look through my borders book. Ha ha. As an aside, while I was shopping, I picked up that 'Beyond the Square' book that I've been wanting. Yeesh, yep, it's an addiction.

Anyway, I got me this hook, too, in a G. I use the G more than any other hook, I find. I am still deciding, but I think I like that little extra handle. I'm still working it out, but I may buy some more of these.

Also bought me a little some'pn, some'pn. Looked too good to pass up. Pumpkin is one of my favorite flavors, and you know, 'tis the season and all....... y'all wanna join me? I'm just about to settle in.................

Y'all have a lovely evening...................

Ack! My house is a mess!

Boy, it is chaos here. I have been trading bedrooms with the boys, and the house is crazy. We're kind of arranging the boys' room, because this is, I'm sure, one of the very few times it will look presentable for a long while. LMHO

David's corner looks so cute. I was going to buy him a cheap little $40 Walmart dresser to put his toys on, but he chose something else. A little shelving unit from Walmart, but it's cute. Then he put his trains into a couple of little tubs on the bottom shelf, and his boom box on the top shelf so he can listen to his tunes........ so cute. I've put some toys and books on the other shelves, I'm sure those will change often, and I hung his favorite numbers poster above it, and he's all set, in his bottom bunk (Jon's bed is the top bunk.) with his table, and access to his toys.

My room is crazy. I'm not posting a picture of it, because it looks terrible. Ha. It'll be really pretty before long, though, and I'll show you pictures then.

Y'all have a wonderful day!

Family weekend

Happy birthday, David! Yesterday was his birthday. We had a busy day, he had fun, and we capped it with Boston Creme birthday cake and Butterfinger ice cream. He enjoyed it.

I've had a nice weekend. Well, Friday evening and Saturday morning. I am working this weekend, which always tears the weekend up, I think. I work two twelve-hour shifts on the weekend, so it's pretty much a wash after Saturday. I have the Friday off before the weekends I work, so I can do something Friday evening, and early Saturday, before I go to work at 6 on Saturday. But I had a good time. My oldest son, Dan, came up (with his Dad, but that's another story you don't want to hear... LOL ) to visit me. He's a sugar. He needed school clothes, said he only had one shirt that he's washing every day, didn't have shoes except his flip flops, and needed a jacket. So I took some of that car money and took him shopping. I'll buy the car next week. LOL Took him to Old Navy and got him some shirts, oh that's a nice store. I also got him a sweat jacket, and another little sleeveless jacket, that oughtta be enough for Texas. Then I took him to a little shoe store with great prices, spent $25 and got him two pairs of shoes, and then to Target, where I got him some pants and a backpack, because he said his was tearing up. It was fun to shop with him, and fun to spoil him some, too. I'm so glad to have a job again, where I can do that now and then.

When Dan and his dad got here, they brought Jon a present. His Aunt had found him a little dog that needed rescued. He had been found on the side of the road a couple of months back as a puppy, and a friend of hers took him in, but she (the friend) had way too many dogs, and this one needed a good home. Well, Jon's been bugging me for a dog, and he wanted a weenie dog, and this one is some sort of a weenie dog mix, so it's a perfect fit. We are all in love with Mario.

I'll be off Monday to rest up from the weekend, and will probably crochet some more then. Meantime, y'all have a great day!

Cathedral Window Afghan and a giveaway!

So I've been wanting to make this afghan for a while. Good night, I know. I always have so many things going. But I work on them all. This is the thing I'm using right now for those 'I just have a few minutes, but I wanna crochet.' moments. It's all about making small pieces to piece together right now, so it works for that. I've made the center, see how I'm using Fall colors for it? That's because I picture this eventually in my living room, and I love greens, reds, and golds in my living room. Heck, I love greens, red, and golds anywhere. LOL I'm using Red Heart Fall for this. I'm also using burgundy, coffee, and buff, also Red Heart. I plan to use this afghan decoratively, not for cuddling in, so the Red Heart is fine. I've got the center made, and I'm working on the little pentagons surrounding it now. Those pentagons are made using two strands of yarn together. That's the first time I've done that, and it's not hard to do like I thought it would be. This center octagon kind of curls up, but I'm not worried about that. The weight of those pentagons is gonna straighten it out, I'm sure. Once I've got all the pentagons done, I'll show you another picture. Don't hold your breath, because I'm not going to hurry with this one, I think it'll take a while. But I'll let you know. LOL

Meanwhile, a lovely young lady found my blog, and invited me to participate in her giveaway. Her name is Catlyn Berry, and her blog is here. She makes lovely bags, and is giving one away for Thanksgiving. Nice? Yes. Y'all drop by and register. It's a beautiful bag, isn't it?

WIP - More Granny Stripes

Well, there I am, crocheting away on my Granny Stripes. It's getting bigger. In fact, my journey with the stripes is drawing to a close. I laid the thing on the bed last night, and it's about big enough. I think just one more repeat of the colors will do it. That will be about 78 inches of stripes. Then, I have the border left, and I am still trying to decide which will be the perfect border. I'm looking through the book Around The Corner Crochet Borders by Edie Eckman to try to find the border I want. I kind of have an idea of what I want, just haven't made my final decision. Anyway, first I've got to get these stripes finished. I'm anxious to have this thing done. It's so pretty, I can't wait to get it on my bed.

I'm linking up with Marie Anne at Every Day Crochet for WIP Wednesday. Come on over there and see what everybody else is making. I'm headed there from here.

What is it with these things?

Well, this article here says that the McRib is back. For the next six weeks, apparently, we can go to our local McDonald's and order up what I (and my son, Tim) think is summer goodness. Okay, yep, it's November, but that sandwich says summer to me, and when I sit in McDonald's eating one, it reminds me of backyard barbecues, fireworks, and swimming pools. In my mind, I see kids riding on bikes past houses with bunting hanging on the porch. Pretty Norman Rockwell, huh? Ha, ha, I just like this sandwich that much.

What is about the McRib? Do you know that they have 26 grams of fat? Yeesh, 26? 26! Wow. That's a lot of weight gain. Well, they're out for six weeks, apparently, so maybe I can keep it down to one this go-round. I'm gonna try. I'm trying to lose some weight I've gained lately, so I don't want to blow it all on a sandwich, but it's a good sandwich, and I do wanna have it once.

You know McDonald's keeps us loving the McRib by not having it all the time. I'm sure if they put on their menu permanently, we would get tired of it and start fussing about all that fat. But since it just comes out to play occassionally, we consider that some sort of special occassion, and run out to get them. Heck, we plan a trip to McDonald's just for the purpose of getting one. Ridiculous!

What about y'all, will you go get a McRib? Do you like them?

Gorgeous Scarf

Isn't it nice when you find just what you're looking for? I mean, you picture it in your mind, you know just what you want, and lo and behold, somebody else had exactly the same thought, and figured it all out for you? I have been thinking I want to make something I can throw on over a T-shirt to dress it up, not a necklace, not a scarf, kind of a cross between the two. I had something white and sparkly, maybe kinda lacy, maybe kinda not, all pictured in my mind. Turns out Robin Chachula had the same idea. This is my version of her Beatrice's Scarf. I'm doing it in Vanna's Glamour white (diamond) yarn, so it's sparkly. I think it's gorgeous so far, if I do say so myself. I can't wait to have it finished. I know, I have so many projects going, but it's okay, they all get worked on. See, I need this scarf, though.

Here's Robin's version, in a pretty yellow. It's in the new Interweave Crochet Accessories magazine, which is chock-full of wonderful things to make. Wanna see?

This is the cover. That scarf is, um, interesting. I still haven't decided if I like it or not. Spread out, it looks better than it does on the cover. There's a better picture inside.

That little chain scarf is cute, too. I don't know if I'll ever make it, but I might, it could be fun.

I like Maria's Scarf, too. I might make it. I'm actually thinking I might see if I can figure out how to make it wider, and use it as a table scarf. It's really pretty. I find it interesting that the names of the scarves in this magazine are all possessive, Maria's Scarf, Beatrice's Scarf, Piper's Chain Scarf, Carmen's Jazz Scarf, like that.

I might make those socks, too. I like to make socks, and crocheted socks are nice to wear around the house. They keep your feet all toasty warm, but you're not wearing shoes, so it's perfect for me.

Lots of help making hats. Patterns, several of them, and an article called "Circle In On The Perfect Hat". Helps you kind of wing it yourself.

These purses are cute, too. I love to make purses. Wouldn't it be nice if they would sell like I wish they would, then I would have an excuse to make purse after purse after purse. I would be in Hog Heaven!

Look at all the pretty jewelry patterns. I am going through a thing where I wanna make crocheted jewelry, and there are lots of patterns here. Fabulous!

I love this book. I'm seriously going to make several things out of it. I think I'll still be pulling out this magazine next year, there are so many projects in it I want to make. And for less than ten bucks, I think that's fabulous. Interweave Crochet has a preview of the magazine (I have not put anything near all the pictures in.) here. Go check it out. Seriously, there are a lot of beautiful projects here. And I really don't think there are many, if any, that would take much time to complete.

And, by the way, I'm loving the afghan in the advertisement on the back cover of the magazine, too, so it's literally a cover-to-cover thing for me. Ha ha ha. That afghan is a free download here.

Y'all have a wonderful day! Happy hooking!