Cars Afghan

I promised to tell you the story about the Cars Afghan that I made for my new grandson.

(By the way he was born on May 7, weight 6 lbs. 9 oz. 18 inches long.  He was three weeks early.)

I always make an afghan as a gift for the baby shower.  And, of course,  if it is for a family member it has to be special.  I asked my daughter-in-law and son what was the theme for the baby's room.  At first they said they didn't know and would get back to me.  They decided on the Cars Movie them.  Since I know my son loves Mater (the tow truck), I thought that was the main theme in the room.  So I go on line looking for the pattern for Mater.  I found it - thank you cozyconcepts.  I ordered the pattern and was planning what yarns and what colors, etc.  You know all of the things you get together to make a project.   I was so proud of myself.  I was even going to be able to use up some of my stash  -  YEAH!!  Wrong :(

I was so excited I showed the pattern to my daughter and she said, "You know Mom they are doing the room in Lightening McQueen.  Oh no!!  Well back to the internet.  I found the pattern for Lightning McQueen.  But I only had a few colors in my stash ---- so off to Michael's to get the yarn to make this special afghan.  It was special - I finished it the day before the baby shower.

Here is the special afghan for my new grandson.

Starting Fresh

I know I have not blogged for a while but have decided to start blogging again.  I have always had problems trying to decide what to say.  So I have now decided to start telling the story of how I created a new item.  Why did I chose that color?  What was my inspiration?  Or was it just because.

I'm going to start with the afghan that I made for my granddaughter for her 6th birthday.   One thing you need to understand is that my granddaughters see me making afghans all of the time and let me know that they need a new one for their new room or for this or that.  This granddaughter loves zebra patterns and hearts.  So we talked about what type of afghan did she want since she was no longer into Tinker Bell.  She said she wanted a zebra pattern and hearts.  Soooooo ....  I suggested black and white stripes and hearts.  What color hearts?  She said she wanted pink.   I played around with the stripe pattern for a while.  I made up the squares and started to put them together.  I only had black and white stripes.  Something didn't look right so I made some squares with pink in them.  Ta da!!  We had it.  Then it was just a matter of just making the square and sewing it together.  Ten days later we have this afghan.

Check in again to find out what I made for my future grandson and why.

Where ideas come from

I know that I have been neglecting my blog for a while. Partly because of time and partly because I'm not sure what to blog about. But I thought I would start a blog about where some of my ideas come from. This blog will be about pot holders. Yes pot holders because they are the latest new type of idea I have listed in my shop.

Pot holders are a necessary item in the kitchen but they can also be a very decorative item. Pot holders are made from many things: Dish towels folded over for thickness, quilted fabric, asbestos mitts. Mine are crochet. I wonder if the early American people used leaves to make their pot holders. Oh well.

In fact the pot holder patterns that I have on the my cite ( http://www.etsy.com/shop/jbcrochetdelights ) where shown to me by a very dear friend. I would go visit her and she would say: "Hey do you want to see this pot holder that my daughter sent me or that my sister sent me. I figured out how to make it." Then we were off. Sometimes she would just tell me how to make it or sometimes she would show me.

The four pot holder set listed here. (I'm not able to show you the pictures of the pot holders but I listed the links below so that you can see them.) My friend showed me how to make. Then I think about what color yarn I have in the my stash that might work. The yellow, white, and green set was yarn left over from two Irish Flag Afghans that I made for someone. The green and white were left over from the same project.

I'm not sure what colors to do next. Let me know if you can think of some you think would work. It can be two colors or three.

http://www.etsy.com/listing/76320531/orange-green-and-white-hot-pad-pot

http://www.etsy.com/listing/76320317/green-and-white-pot-holder-hot-pad-pair

http://www.etsy.com/listing/73054149/pot-holders-crochet-in-bright-yellow-and

http://www.etsy.com/listing/75700749/red-white-and-blue-pot-holders

Creating a Gift Basket

I wanted to share with you how I came up with my gift basket. I wanted something different in my shop. I have been disappointed that my hand crocheted towels and body wash scrubs haven't been selling. Because I really like them. They are 100% cotton and are really nice to use. Besides I wasn't crazy about using the netting body wash scrub. My cotton ones really hold the water and soap. Well - I going off on a side track.

Then since Mother's Day is coming - I thought about what would I like. My friend always says she likes to soak in her tub. Another friend likes going to the spa. And several of my friends have baskets in their bathroom to hold their bath items. A light bulb went off. Why not a gift basket with my towel, wash cloths, and body was scrub. So that is what I created. I went to my favorite craft store for the basket and candle. Of course, the cotton yarn. Then to another store for the body wash. Netting, ribbon. Then I came home and made up the basket. Even if I say so myself, I really liked the way it came out.

The basket has a handle for later use, 2 wash cloths, a hand towel, body wash scrub, candle, and body wash. What more could you want for a nice soak in the tub?

Check it out.

http://www.etsy.com/listing/73587836/bath-and-beauty-gift-basket

This week's question from the Createcrochet Team : What is my most cherished handmade possession

What is my most cherished handmade possession? That is a difficult question for me since there was creative talent throughout the family.

My maternal Grandma was always crocheting something. I have doilies and pillowcases that she made. She even crocheted a lampshade. That is really nice.

My paternal Grandma knitted and crocheted. She crocheted a fushia sweater for me when I was in my pre-teens. Yes I still have it.

My Dad did many crafts. He made ceramics, jewelry, sewed, woodwork. I guess my favorite from his many crafts is a cameo necklace, and a jade necklace, earrings and ring set that he had designed for my mother and I. Matching sets.

My Mom crocheted, embroidered, and sewed. I have many of the pillowcases that she embroidered and then trimmed with crocheted lace.

My aunt made me a porcelain doll. She painted the doll's head and hands. Then put the doll together and made clothes for the doll. It was really special since it was the last thing she made for me before she passed. I will always cherish it.

As you can see I have many handmade cherished items. The most cherished thing of all is that each were made by hand by a loved one. Each item was made with love.

Remember when you see a handmade item, someone made it with their own hands and they made it with love.

This week's question from the Createcrochet Team : Which is your favorite season and why?

Our Team question, which is your favorite season? MMMMMMM.

Well you can call me fickle but I like all of the seasons. I'm not sure if I would be happy somewhere, where I only had one season.

My most favorite season is spring. Spring is when everything is starting to bloom. Bringing new life to the dreary season of winter. There are flowers everywhere. Even some trees have flowers. The temperature is warmer than winter but still cooler than summer.

However, I love to watch it snow. Fresh snow is always so pretty and white. If you are lucky you will see little animal foot prints on the snow and know that nature is all around you. Although I don't like to play in the snow anymore, I really do like to watch it fall.

Summer is the season for fun. I remember my childhood days when I would go to my grandma's house for a week. I would sit in her maple tree and read my book. She was always telling me to go outside. So I did but I really wanted to read my book. My grandparent's backyard was one big vegetable garden, with tomatoes, green peppers, garlic, onions, lettuce, corn, etc. I would watch my grandma pick the vegetables in the morning and my grandfather would hoe the garden in the evening. Fond memories.

Fall is the season when I anticipate the holidays. All three of my children were born in the last half of the year. I look forward to the pumpkins of halloween, Thanksgiving dinner, and Christmas.

So you see - I really enjoy all of the seasons for various reasons.

Let is Snow, Let it snow, let it snow

YEAH!! We will have a white Christmas here in Maryland. I know that for some there is a groan. Last minute shopping. Food for Christmas dinner. Yeah!! I know the feeling but put those thoughts aside and look at the pictures.

We have been blessed with a beautiful picture of what God can provide. Today the sun is shining and I took several pictures around my house of the beautiful snow. (I took them from the doorways.)

The snow is still white and no one has walked on it yet. So enjoy.