Posies are for Sharing!

Well...

I know it's not CROCHET,

but...

one of my other passions 

is gardening,

and specifically,

FLOWERS!

And this Lovely demands

to be shared:

This hydrangea bloom was SO blue on the plant
that it almost looked purple.


God's creativity surpasses anyone else's;
that's an ABSOLUTE truth!!!

Rose and Bow Headband

I love little girl accessories!

God has a sense of humor,

you know, so...

I have 4 boys!

So my outlet for little girliness is

the new moms at my church.

I ALWAYS make something

homemade for them.

As a matter of fact,

I don't even put my name

on my present because

once they open it,

EVERYONE

knows it was from me.

Well, this past Sunday was no different.

After a long run of boys,

one of our mamas had a little girl!

So...

I made her these cutie booties:

Then, I asked her if she was a mama that likes

headbands or one who doesn't.

And she did!

So, I let her have her pick:

She chose pink.

The "Bow Beautiful Headband" pattern is from

Heirloom Thread Crochet For Baby - #1310 - American School of Needlework
designed by Kelly Robinson.

The "Pink Flowers" bootie pattern is from

Bootie Collection (Crochet/Knitting) (Leisure Arts #3052)
designed by Kay Meadors.

A Shawl for Me

I so seldom make anything for myself.

Are any of you like that?

There are so many occasions for gifts!

And I love to give people some special I've made.

But THIS one, I made for me.

And I love it!

This pattern is called "Breezy Wrap".

It is from the book,

Total Crochet Fashions

I, personally, did not care for all the patterns in this book,

but THIS one I love.  Besides, most books have things

that appeal to different personalities.

To me, this wrap looks like 1/2 of a HUGE doily!!!

And YOU know I LOVE doilies!

So why not wear one?

If you want to check the original pattern out,

it's on the front cover of the book.

I did not do the fringe because I had small boys at the time
and a very feisty, playful kitty.  :)

Tools of the Trade - Crochet Thread Style

I was inspired by Erica over at Crochet by Day!   Last week, she had a great idea for showing us the Tool of the Trade she uses for holding multiple skeins of yarn for a color-filled project.  Awesome!

Her idea made me think of something similar I bought; only I had crochet thread in mind.  Here is a picture of my crochet thread holder, purchased at Wal-Mart.

I also got something a bit smaller for travelling

with projects with less colors:

I don't know if WM carries them any more, but it's worth a look.

BUT...

These thread carriers are not
as dear to me as
my favorite
thread crochet tool.

My FAVORITE tool for thread crochet is...

a free-standing paper-towel holder!

I put the crochet thread on the paper towel holder,

which holds it, keeping it from the inevitable bounce

off the lap maneuver.  The thread rotates
and unwinds easily while I'm crocheting.

I'm sure others who are TCV (Thread Crochet Veterans)
have already thought of this, or something similar.

But those of you who are new to this
wonderful medium might appreciate this tip.
A Thread Crochet spool bouncing off your
lap onto the dirty floor is an annoying experience,
and so is having to chase after it.

(My dh suggested you might like to know this trick, so

I'm giving him full credit for that!  He is also the one

who inspired me to blog in the first place.
This is ONE of many reasons we are bff.)

Adventurous Oval

Well...I told myself I wouldn't do it.  I told myself I would finish the sweater first and work on the Springtime Floral Doily.  That's what I told myself.

BUT...

I COULDN'T WAIT!

I have been SO inspired by the thread crochet artists on Ravelry who are using color so exquisitely and intricately in doilies.  I have been crocheting doilies for YEARS, but almost always white.  I usually don't care for doilies that use only one color (with white as the exception, obviously).  Also, I have never personally met anyone who makes doilies besides me, except for my mother.  And she always uses white too.  I had barely started the 'Windsor Oval' in my Absolutely Gorgeous Doilies pattern book as my first 'relief' from blue sweateriness (because I must have breaks from repetitious patterns)...

AND I COULDN'T STAND IT ANY LONGER!!!

I HAD to try

a "Preliminary Experiment"

in color with this 

Patricia Kristoffersen masterpiece.

I'll admit I was nervous.  I mean, I've never tried this before.  What if it looked terrible?  What if my color choices were sub-par?  What if I fail?

And then...

I remembered

I CAN ALWAYS FROG IT AND START OVER!!!

Silly me.  

All that angst and panic over NOTHING!

Philippians 4:13 for pete's sake!

So...I took a deep breath and brought out my thread stash:

And I chose this:

And I 

PLUNGED!!!

Here's what I have so far.

I don't know where I'm going from here.

I don't really care.

I just know it will be COLORFUL!  :)

(Now, just in case you're wondering, I do KNOW that my color choice isn't actually wild or exciting.  I'm pretty conservative in most areas of life and this is no exception.  So I just have to take joy in the fact that I have made a START and who knows where the road of color thread crochet will take me from here!)

I love making personal progress in my JOURNEY, 

no matter which part of it is progressing!  :)

Summer Breeze Sweater Mid-Point

Well, I have made it half-way through the Delft sweater!  I have gone beyond the RECTANGLE and have started the front.  I especially like the sloped edge. 

Persevering with steadiness through a repetitive pattern has ever been a challenge for me.  

I like the variety of doily rows.  The constantly changing pattern keeps me engaged mentally.  

But I have DONE IT!  

Now I am that I am seeing shape emerge, I am getting excited!

Mukluks Improvised

For these booties,

I got a wild hair and

went off on a 

creative tangent.

I used the basic bootie pattern for the sole

and worked my way up from there.

When I got to the finishing top edge,

I wanted it to pull the black and white 

from the bootie together.

So I figured out how to

alternate the colors

and I LOVE it!

Probably not a very exciting move for those who have

been experimenting with color for a long time,

but I'm new to branching out

in this area, and

it's exciting to me!

Plus, I didn't just stick to a standard

pattern I had, but implemented some

of my own ideas and changes.

That's just FUN!!!

CROCHET STYLE!!!