The Same... Only Different

I've been busy stitching but in a different form. I decided to take a break from quilting for a week so I could really concentrate on learning to crochet. I really wanted a portable craft for those times when I don't have a binding ready to sew on. After making the obligatory beginner scarf, it was time to move on to something cute and useful. What could fit that bill better than those darling little baby hats with the huge flowers that can be seen on every photography site on the Internet? Here is the fruit of my labor and I have to say, I think I am addicted.

 These can be made in just a few hours (even if you are a beginner) and are a perfect baby gift for those times when you don't have time to make a quilt or you don't know the new parents that well but still want to give them a home stitched gift.
  For an awesome FREE pattern I went to the Aesthetic Nest blog and found just what I was looking for... and a lot more! Here is the link for the tutorial and it is also available in PDF form there.

 And for the baby boys, I went to Anneliese's Etsy shop and purchased the baby earflap hat. Wouldn't want them to feel left out! That will be my next crochet project.

 That particular pattern comes with directions to make this adorable Ruffled Rose so I added it to a hat I already had made. It doesn't seem to matter that the flower is, in fact, larger than a newborn baby's head! It just makes it all that much cuter! lol

   Anneliese explained that crochet is more forgiving than knitting, which a big plus for me. It also is cool that it cannot be reproduced by a machine like knitting can.

  If you haven't learned to crochet yet, I encourage you to try it. It's a great, portable craft that yields beautiful results. I told my husband, "I cannot believe I am making something so cute out of a piece of string!"  Blessing to you~               

Yellow Ribbon Quilt

When a dear friend sadly told me her son was being deployed for the third time, I knew I wanted to make a quilt for her. Something to snuggle up in while she prays for him each day. A reminder that I care and will be "praying him home" along with her. 

You probably noticed there are apples on a tree that is supposed to be an "old OAK tree", as the song goes. Since we don't have oak trees where we live I thought it was more appropriate but sometimes I wish I had kept with the traditional song. The free pattern can be found here.
You can barely see it but I had his name embroidered on the ribbon to personalize it. I always hand write my labels, mostly because I don't have the right type of printer to make them on my computer. I do think it's kind of special to have the actual hand writing of the gift giver on the label of a hand made gift.

Blessings to you,

Felt Chicks

My day started with a smile when I read this post over at Myrtle & Eunice. Not only are these little guys adorable but the post is so funny that it's worth a visit just to read it! You really should use the links that inspired the chicky poses too. Hilarious!!!

Blessings to you,

Organizing Tote Basket

Sometimes, fellow bloggers give the rest of us the generous gift of a free pattern. Such is the case today! I'm excited to bring you this wonderful tutorial from 2littlehooligans. 
Doesn't this look like FUN? There are lots of beautiful pictures and detailed instructions so I have no excuse not to make it, right? Join me and then show me what yours look like. 

 
 
Blessings to you~ Luci

Doily Rag Rug

Knitting was never my obsession. It is tedious and takes so long to have anything to show for your work. That is, until I found this free Doily Rag Rug pattern over at cocoknits.com. Because the "yarn" and needles are so BIG you can quickly see results. *instant gratification*  It is SO much more elegant than the usual rag rug you may be familiar with. And considering it is only the second project I have knitted in the last thirty-five years, I would say it can be a beginner pattern.

I did watch some how-to videos to refresh my memory on knitting basics and asked one question of my knitting friends. The most time consuming part was the preparation of the strips prior to beginning. It took four hours to cut/tear the strips from the sheet and attach them to each other!

A second hand store sheet (washed, of course) makes this an inexpensive, elegant rug. Nice enough for a gift in my opinion. Even if you are a beginner, you should try this project. After all, one can only use SO many scarves! :o)

Blessings to you~ Luci