A Surprise Visit!

Yesterday I was sitting in the living room, crocheting away, while my son was baking peanut butter cookies. (isn't he a good boy? LOL!)

He said something to me, but I thought, no, I couldn't have heard that right! There's no way he said what I thought he said. So, I asked him to repeat himself. Sure enough, he had said what I thought I heard.

"Mommy, there's a horse walking up our driveway!"

They visited with us for a while, walking around our front and back yard, visiting with Otis, our goat. Then, in his excitement my son spooked them and they ran off before their owners could come get them. They didn't go far, just to the field across the road, though, so it wasn't a problem to catch them.

It was certainly an exciting half an hour or so. Even living in the country, this isn't something that happens every day. I've had cows in my front yard, but never a horse. :)

Sneak Peek!

I have a sneak peek for you! I'm currently working on a kitchen set ebook. In it I will have matching sets of dishcloths, potholders, cup cozies, that sort of thing. I'm making each item available individually in my shops, as well as each pattern available individually, or you'll be able to purchase the whole book to have them all.

They're not ready yet, but I thought I'd give you a little peek into what I have so far.

This is two of the dishcloths I've made up. They are available for purchase now in my Craft is Art shop and the patterns for these two will be coming either later today or tomorrow.

New Pattern - Daisy Baby-ghan

It's finally finished! I've been telling you all about the baby-ghan I've been working on and I finally have it completed and the pattern written up for sale. Whew! LOL!

So, without further ado, here it is!

Daisy Baby-ghan

This cute pattern is available in PDF format from my Artfire Studio simply by clicking on the photo above, for only $5.95. 

Enjoy!

Just Braggin' On The Boy!

I haven't had a chance to post in the past few days (busy with the daycare). Now that I have a day off, it's time to update you with some proud mama braggin'!

About 2 weeks ago, we received a notice from my son's school that his artwork had been chosen to be displayed at a winter art show! This was a huge surprise for everyone, since my son had no idea his had even been submitted.

Thursday night was the big event. It was a nice little gathering of all the student artists as well as the board members and the CEO of the hospital where the art will be displayed. There was  nice little presentation with a slide show of all the artwork, and each student received a certificate to take home as a memento.

After some cookies and juice, it was off to see the displays! This is my son's piece

and him posing with it

He's so proud, can you tell? He even got his photo taken for the local newspaper! He's had such a hard time this year at school with bullying, this honour couldn't have come at a better time. In a few short months he's went from a confident and self assured young man to an insecure little boy because of the way he's treated at school. This definitely helped!

And the art is good too!

:)

Snow Bound!!

Wow, what a winter storm we are experiencing right now! It's a literal blizzard out there.

We've been largely lucky this year with snow. We've been getting a little bit every day, but nothing serious, no storms to speak of. Well, we can't say that anymore!

The wind is blowing so much, I can barely see my garden because of the blowing snow.

If anyone is out and about today, stay safe!

Myself, I'm going to curl up with my hook and yarn and create the day away! I have a baby blanket pattern I'm working on that you all are going to love! The body is almost done and that will leave only the applique's then it will be added for all of you! I would estimate about a week and you'll be able to love it as much as I do.

Happy crocheting everyone!

New Pattern - Promise 6" Crocheted Afghan Square

I named this one "Promise" because for some reason it made me think of spring. It's just about February right now and spring is only a future promise. Maybe I'm thinking too much about no snow. :)

6" Promise Afghan Square

Finally Friday!!

Some weeks it seems like Friday will never come, doesn't it?

Today is extra special for me. I have no daycare children, which means an entire day completely open for crocheting and working on my new patterns. I'm so excited!

Plus, tonight is my son's piano recital. He's very excited about this. He's quite good and loves to show off his talent to anyone that will listen!

I'm off to park in my favourite spot on my couch, turn on my favourite tv shows and work on my favourite hobby, crocheting.

Happy hooking everyone!

New Pattern - Soft Facial Scrubbie

 

A New Look!

As you can see, I have a brand new look to my blog. I'm very pleased with the "clean-ness" of it. I know, I know, that's not actually a word, but it works, right? LOL!

Now that I have a new look, I'll have some new patterns to show you sometime this week. I have two free patterns that are just about ready to post, and of course, the Flower Garden Afghan pattern that I'm working on. I'm so pleased with how it's turning out. It's going to be gorgeous! I can't wait to show it to you.

I also have a new applique design that I'm working on, just for my son. But when it's done, the pattern will be made available for all of you as well.

In the meantime, I have one little one today who is going to help me with my free patterns. He's 1 1/2 and I'm sure you can tell, a bit help when it comes to getting things done. LOL !

Maybe we'll go play in the snow for a while today now that the freezing cold is gone.

Have a fantastic day and happy hooking everyone!

A Day To Myself??

I have to tell you, I'm just a bit excited about today. This will be the first day in over 2 months that I've had an entire day, all to myself. Completely and utterly all about me. My husband will be here, but he'll be sleeping after a midnights shift and the kids are in school. I don't have any daycare kids on Monday's right now, so that leaves me.

Just me.

All alone.

It's going to be wonderful!

I'm going to curl up on the couch with my hook, my yarn and my Flower Afghan pattern and work on the full size afghan I'm creating right now. And don't forget the hot chocolate and chick flicks! Oh, it's going to be amazing!

I can't wait for my son to get on the bus and hubby to go to bed so I can start my "all about me day!!"

Early Mornings...

Since I opened my home daycare, my mornings have been starting earlier and earlier. Most days, now, I have to be up at 5:30 am just so I can be somewhat awake by the time the kids start showing up. I don't mind it too much, in fact, I'm starting to get used to it.

But, when the weekend comes, oh my do I look forward to not having to set my alarm. I don't usually sleep in anymore, my body is used to getting up now. But the simple  fact of not having to be up by a particular time is heavenly.

So, you can imagine just how pleased (notice sarcasm here!) I was when my son's puppy Charlie, woke me up at 6 am to go outside. My one day this week I had to sleep in (I had a baby here yesterday from 7-12) and that darned dog has to wake me up before the sun rises.

One nice thing about early mornings with no kids, though, is that I have time to think and to plan. And time to be creative. This morning, I was able to put together another free pattern for all of you! It's not quite ready yet, I still need to get pictures, but by tomorrow or the next day, it will be ready for sharing.

I have also completed almost all of the squares I need to finish up the Flower Garden afghan to go along with the Flower Garden square pattern. It's going to be gorgeous, I promise. Not to toot my own horn, but I'm incredibly pleased with how it's coming together.

After that, my son has already planned out what will be next. He's put in a request for his very own applique afghan, so that will be not only the next thing on my list of wips, but also the next big project that I'll be offering here. I'm very excited to start working on it. I have it all planned out in my head, it's just a matter of getting it on my hook!

Well, it's a cold, cold morning here and I have a fire that needs tending. And more coffee to drink. Maybe I'll go snuggle up under my afghan to keep warm. :)

Happy crocheting everyone!

Free Pattern - Prayer Shawl

Prayer Shawl Pattern

This is a very quick and easy pattern to work when you need a Prayer Shawl in a hurry. It's comfortable and warm and will make a great gift for someone who is in need of cheering up.

Finished Size: approx. 21" x 60"

Materials: 12 oz. Comfort Sport
                Size 5 (H) Hook

Instructions:

Row 1. Ch 91, 2 dc in 3rd ch. *ski 3 ch, sc in next ch, ch 3, dc in next 3 ch. Repeat from * around. Turn.

Row 2. Ch 3, 2 dc in 1st sc, skip 3 dc *sc in next ch 3 sp, ch 3, 2dc in same sp, 1 dc in next sc. Repeat from * around, ending with sc. Turn.

Repeat Row 2 until shawl measures approximately 60" or desired length.

Printer friendly PDF file here

8" Flower Garden Afghan Square

This is my newest pattern and I'm so pleased with how it turned out. This one is available for purchase through my Artfire studio.

All you have to do is click on the photo and you'll be taken directly to my Studio where you can purchase the pattern for $1.50.

Soon, I'll be adding a full afghan pattern to go with this square. It works up very quickly and it's absolutely lovely if I do say so myself! :)

What A Great Day!

Well, yesterday was a fantastic day!

Not only did I post my very first afghan square design, 6" Sunburst Square, but not long after that, I received an email from AllFreeCrochetAfghans.com letting me know that they had featured my square on their site! Isn't that the most exciting news? What a way to start my day today! :)

I was also able to finish up the Noah's Ark baby blanket I've been working on. This isn't my own design, it came from Annies Attic, but I adore the look of it. I'm overall happy with the result, although my house is a bit lopsided. I figure the ark must be on a wave, so that explains it. Right? :)

And finally, I started on my very first baby blanket design. I'm going to need more yarn, which I'll pick up this weekend, but I'm very excited about how it's turning out so far. It's a nice basic design for the body, but it's the added little extras (that I'm not telling you about, you're just going to have to wait to see!) that will really make the blanket extra special.

Now, if I can just keep myself and the rest of the house healthy, I should have the body of the blanket done this weekend. We've had a bad chest cold go through the house. I've managed to avoid it so far, but I'm not sure how much longer I'll be able to. I'm not feeling well at all this morning, and I'm afraid it may have finally caught up with me. I'm stubborn though, so the virus and I will have to duke it out today and see if I can come out on top again. :)

6" Sunburst Square - Crocheted Afghan Square Pattern

 This is a fantastic scrap buster pattern. It uses small amounts of any colour you would like to add. Have fun with different colour combinations to make either a fun, scrappy afghan, or an elegant, colour co-ordinated throw.


Size: 6" Square
Materials: Small amounts of worsted weight yarn yellow (A), fuschia (B) and white (C).
                Hook size 5 (H)

Special Stitches:

Beginning Cluster: in space indicated, ch 3, then leaving last loop of each stitch on hook, dc twice in same space, loop over and draw through all three loops on hook. 


Cluster: In space indicated, leaving last loop of each stich on hook, dc 3 times in same space, loop yarn over and draw through all four loops on hook.

Instructions:

Row 1: With colour A, ch 4, slip st to form ring. Ch 3 (counts as first dc here and throughout), dc 11 times in ring (12 dc). Finish off.

Row 2: With colour B, join with sl st in any dc. Beg. cluster (see special stitches), *ch 1, cluster (see special stitches)  in each dc around. Join with sl st in beg ch 3. Finish.

Row 3: With colour C, join with sl st in and ch 1 sp, ch 3, 2 dc, ch 2, 3 dc in same space (corner made) ch 1 *3 dc in next ch 1 sp (twice), ch 1, 3 dc, ch 3, 3 dc in next ch 1 space (corner made). Rep from * around. Finish off.

Row 4: with Colour B, join with sl st in corner ch 2 sp. Ch 3, 2dc, ch 2, 3 dc in same space (corner made) *ch 1, [dc, ch 1, dc in next ch 1 sp (V stitch made)] three times, 3 dc, ch 2, 3 dc in corner ch 2 space (corner made). Repeat from * around. Finish off.

Row 5. With Colour C join with sl st in corner ch 2 sp. Ch 3, 2 dc, ch 2, 3 dc in same space (corner made) * (ch 1, dc in next ch 1 space, ch 1, cluster in next V st) three times, ch 1 3 dc, ch 2, 3 dc in corner ch 2 sp. Repeat from * around

Monday, Monday

Welcome to Monday, January 17, everyone! According to a story on CTV News, this is apparently the most depressing day of the year. Isn't that just such a cheery thought? LOL!

So, lets think of a few ways we can beat the blues, shall we?

1. As always, grabbing a hook and yarn is a fantastic way to beat the blues, any day of the year! Today, though, make something bright and colourful and fun, and just for you!

2. If you have snow, throw a few snowballs at a tree. It's fun, trust me!

3. Call a friend and set up a time to meet for coffee or tea, or even go out to lunch. Talk about good times you've had.

4. Call your mom and tell her you love her. It will give you a warm fuzzy feeling.

5. Take a trip to your local SPCA and walk the dogs or pet the kitties.

6. Do something completely silly and out of character for yourself; make a snow angel, sit and talk with a stranger at the bus stop, pay for someone in line in front of you at the coffee shop, just make sure it's something that will make you happy.

Those are just a few ways to maybe help you beat the blues today, if you have them. If you don't then spread some of your cheer! You never know who might be out there that needs it today.

Stay tuned, everyone! Later this week I'll have another new pattern for you!

Charity Scarf Pattern

Free Charity Scarf Pattern

This is a very easy, quick to make up pattern that is perfect for charity crocheting. 

Size: 6" wide
Materials: Worsted Weight Yarn approx. 7 oz
Hook Size: 5 (H) 

Instructions

Row 1: Chain 35, dc in 3rd ch from hook, *skip 3 ch, sc in next ch, dc in next 3 ch, ch 3, repeat from *. Turn

Row 2: Ch 3, 2 dc in 1st sc, skip 3 dc,  * sc in next ch 3 loop, ch 3, 2dc in same loop, 1 dc in next sc. Rep from *, ending with sc in last dc. Turn.

Repeat row 2 until scarf measures desired length.

 

Printer Friendly PDF File here

 

It's The Weekend!!!

I have never in my life, been so happy to see Saturday morning! What a long and horrid week it was!

But, it's Saturday now and I have two whole days to myself to do what I want to do. I have no drippy noses to wipe, no stinky bums to clean. It's like heaven! LOL!

I'm going to be sitting down today with my hook and yarn and crocheting the weekend away. I also am going to start sharing some of my own patterns with all of you. I have some potholder, dishcloth, square, afghan, scarf and I'm not sure what else, all stored in my head. So, I thought I would get them out of there, and online for all of you to use and share as well. That is my big goal for this weekend.

But, for now, the coffeepot is still calling me. Have a great day everyone!

Is It Possible?

Today is a tough day for the kids. I have 2 one year olds, a 1.5 year old and a three year old. Nap time is a challenge. For instance, I'm trying to get two babies, both one year old, to sleep at the same time, in the same room. Is it possible?

I think probably not.

But, lack of room makes some things, while seemingly impossible, necessary.

The other two are good. The three year old is playing video games with my daughter who is home sick from school and the 1.5 year old is eating in the high chair.

Only 4 more hours to go! Can we do it?

Potholders!

As promised yesterday, here are the potholders I made for my exchange partner.

This is by far my favourite pattern for potholders. It works up quick and easy, it's thick and durable and it's pretty too! I made this set while watching Letters To Juliet, so two hours start to finish for a full set of potholders. Not too bad, if you ask me. :)

I wish I could share the pattern with you, but I got it from a book I no longer have. I can't remember what book it is, and for all I know I've changed the pattern since I first tried it, but copyright rule and all that make it impossible for me to share. :( If I ever come across it again, I'll be sure to link to the pattern for all of you.

Lookie What I Did!

About a week ago, I finished this lovely little doily called a Small Exchange Doily from Panda Crochet. Isn't it gorgeous?

I'll be mailing it off this weekend, when I finally have time to get to the post office to my exchange partner from my Ravelry group Crochet and Knit Exchange. (I know, not the most imaginative name, but it's straight and to the point and people can find it!)

If I have time tomorrow, I'll show you photo's of the potholders and 12" square I have ready to mail too. I'm very proud!

One of Those Weeks....

This past week is going to go down as one of those "What was I thinking?" times.

I will say, I love running a home daycare. It's perfect for my lifestyle. I'm able to be home for my own kids, I get to hold and play with babies that I can send home at the end of the day when they're getting fussy, and I get to make a bit of money at the same time. What could be better, right?

This week has been a bit of a challenge, though. It might have something to do with the fact that I only had one day off last week. But, I think it has more to do with the fact that being around so many babies, I'm getting sick.

Of course dealing with two one year olds that are both teething, one of which also has a horrible chest cold that I wouldn't be surprised if it has developed into pneumonia, plus a 1.5 year old that is sick and not sleeping at night so he's grumpy.

Add to that I'm catching their cold, and it's made for a very, very long week so far.

Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't change anything, I love doing this. But, this week, I wouldn't complain if someone cancelled. Really, it wouldn't bother me at all. :)

Day 6 - The Muffin

I know, I know, this one is late. And not that good. But, I do have an excuse of sorts! As you may or may not know, I run a home daycare. Yesterday I had a very fussy, feverish and teething one year old who wouldn't let me do anything except hold him. So, this was the best I could do during his only 15 minute nap all day.  It might be  boring, but I'm proud of myself for finding the time to take it! :)

The Muffin
Yummy, delicious muffin, straight from the oven. Mmmmmm..... 

365 in 2011 Challenge

I found out about this challenge on January 2nd, so I was a bit late getting started but I am on a roll now!

If you're not familiar, the concept is simple. You take a photo every day and post it somewhere. There are plenty of groups and websites out there that you can use, or you can post on your blog. Right now, I'm posting to Shuttercal, Flickr, and a group on Ravelry. But what I really wanted was a place to have all my photo's together that was mine, I could customize the site as I wanted etc. Then I remembered. I have a blog! :)

So, I'm going to be using this blog to showcase my daily photo's. Some are good, some not so much. But this will be a great way to not only show off my pics, but also keep myself accountable to my blog which is really quite sorely neglected.

We're already on Day 6, so I'm going to put all the photo's to date in one post, then afterwards, each photo will have it's own day.

Without further ado, or chatting from me, here is what I have so far!

Day 1 - Peeping Tom
This is my tom cat, Tom, peeking at me from the top of the stairs.

Day Two - Sammy
My adorable chihuahua puppy, Sammy, taking a nap.

Day Three - Boo
A pensive kitty...

Day Four - He See's You When You're Sleeping.
The creepiest Santa decoration I've ever seen!

Day Five - Charlie and Caesar
I'm not very happy with how blue this shot turned out, but I love the action of Charlie jumping over Caesar.

And that get's us all up to date. I'll have a new photo for today to post later.

It's a lot of fun! If you enjoy taking photo's and would like to challenge yourself, this is a great way to do it. :)