Wow, I can’t believe it has already been a week since I posted last. In that time we got the dirt for our garden and planted a few herbs, I started a rug, finished a few hats and am working on getting my Etsy page up. My cards arrived in the mail a few days ago. They do not have my Etsy page on it, so I will be handwriting the address once it is set up. I have a picture of the rug in progress. I cannot sit down and just do it. I am not used to working with three strands of yarn at a time and I just need to practice a little more. Usually when I start a something I have never tried before I take the yarn I already have in my stash to see if it is feasible. I just happened to have the correct amounts of red, gray and black. I think it will be pretty when it is done. Unfortunately they are rival school colors, but no one has to know which school.
Crochet rug in progress
3 strands of yarn
I am excited about the garden. My husband ordered tomato and pepper plants. They should be arriving next week. We wanted to have the raised beds ready, so all we have to do is plant.
Raised beds ready to plant
Area for herbs
Well, Erik, my plumber loves his tam. I have to make a few adjustments and then make him another. I am thrilled. I am kind of on a hat kick at the moment and since I am making all of these, I should start an Etsy page. I want to have at least 10 items so a few more hat and dishcloth sets and I can get started. I am also planning on doing a few bags and maybe even a rug or two. I am looking forward to making a profit, even if small, with my crochet.
My plumber came by the other day to fix my dishwasher. He was wearing a black and yellow crocheted tam to keep his dreadlocks out of his face. I looked at him and said. I can make those. His eyes lit up and asked “Can you really?” This one is getting too small. So here is my version. He requested black and I chose cotton yarn. The summers get hot here and crawling under houses for plumbing repairs can really make a person sweat. I thought this would be a little more light weight. Hope he likes it.
As we all know, Spring is the season for growth. Growing a garden was one of the main reasons we wanted this house. There is plenty of room to grow the garden that my husband and I have wanted for many years. We wanted to include the children, so we decided to let them plant the herbs and flowers. We are using a little green house that we purchased from Home Depot, to allow the seeds to germinate. I got this amazing (well, we will see how amazing it truly is) idea to put in tooth picks and stickers to identify the plants. They have not all remained sticky but we have a general idea of what is where. Not all of the seeds have germinated as of yet. But we are hopeful and know that they do germinate at different times. We have planted, dill, basil, chives, sage and cilantro. For the flowers we decided on zinnia, sunflowers, impatiens, and gypsophila. We will be planting some radishes soon and the tomato and pepper plants will be arriving in May. I cannot wait to have the fresh vegetables and herbs from our own garden. YUM
I have started making a scarf that goes with the yellow hat. I used a book mark pattern that I found and I tweaked it a little. It makes a beautiful scarf. The pattern is available at: http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Valley/2344/crochet/pattern1.html. Thank you. I love wearing scarves, especially thin ones that you can make a little thicker by wrapping around a few times. This is a thicker material, but I think it would be beautiful in a thinner yarn or a fuzzier one. Maybe I should experiment with both.
So I am sitting here on a rainy April day and am wondering, what can I do that is new and different in the world of crochet? Now, I am not a free form crocheter and am not looking to do anything that defies the laws of gravity. I am just wanting to come up with an original design. Do you ever have that moment when you can see what you want to do in your head? You have it all planned out, you know what it is supposed to look like, how long it is, what shape it is, and what materials you are going to use? I do too. But when it comes to actually doing it, what a whole different ball game. Now, I can read a pattern with the best of them. I am adept with using a wide variety of materials, even though I clearly have my favorites. To actually come up with my own original design is a whole different matter. Trial and error has been my friend (and enemy). It is the only way I can decide what will actually work in the real world versus what works in my head. I finally came up with a pattern for a hat. It looks the way I want it to look. It fits, ok, (I will adjust that later) and it is close to the vision in my head. WOOHOO. Now on to the matching scarf. Ah yes, please do not forget to write down the pattern you finally come up with. The trial and error thing. It only works when you are not sure of what you want, not when you have it.
