Crochet Hook Pouch

When I read this, I thought to myself, one thing in my bag, do you realize how many bags I have?  I am obsessed with bags.  I have several craft bags, work bags, computer bags, handbags, plastic grocery bags, you name it, I have a bag for it.

There is one think I carry in all these bags and that is my F Hook.  I use the F crochet hook for all my crocheting, not unless I am working with thread.  I love the the size of stitch it makes, the feel of the hook in my hand.  Someday, I would like a sterling silver F hook, but that is someday.

I carry my F hook and my thread hooks in a pouch I made.

These little pouches are so easy to make.  

Here is my pattern for making one of the pouches.  They can be used to hold your needles, your pencils, pen, chap stick.  

Supplies:

Your favorite hook

Yarn of your choice

Split Ring

Button

Chain 2

Make 5 hdc in 2nd chain from hook (5 hdc)

Work in rounds.

Make 2 hdc in each of the 5 hdc (10 hdc)

At this point you just keep working in rounds with HDC until you have the length you want.  

Once you have the length that you want, you will now make the flap.  

*5 hdc, chain 1 turn*

Keep completing the above until you have the length you want minus 2 rows. 

 Each of the pouches I make has a different size pouch flap. 

Once I have the length of the pouch flap I make 2 hdc, chain1, skip one hdc and complete 2 hdc, chain 1.

Complete one more row of 5 hdc, fasten off and sew in ends.  

Attach a button as you always attach buttons.  

I don't cook as much as I would like to.  I just don't find the need one person.  It is easy to put together a salad, sandwich and eat some fresh fruits and vegetables.  This year I do plan on cooking more and sharing some of my most favorite dishes.  

I am a big, big milk drinker.  Love milk, the colder the better.  I would have to say that is the favorite thing in my fridge, and even better with cocoa and candy canes.....

On thing in my heart is being the best and doing the best I can.  That doesn't mean, doing better than others or being better than others.  It means to me, meeting God's expectations that were designed for me.

There are times that I will finish a project.  It is acceptable and encouragement is there from people, but I look at it and say, "there is a higher expectation".  I have to ask myself, is this God speaking to me? I think it is....

Classic example are the salt dough ornaments I gave a tutorial on.  I started those on a Friday night and finished on Saturday morning and was pleased.  I hung it on the tree, but inside, there was something that said, this is not your highest expectation.  When this happens, I pursue further without stopping until I hear that voice that says, you have reached and met the expectation. I could be way off, but to me that is God telling me, that in this particular instance, there is a higher expectation.  

After it was all felt and done, the final result was, I gave a good basic tutorial for salt dough ornaments but it was expected of me to go beyond and give a great tutorial.  I worked all day on those yesterday, and way into the night until I heard what I needed to hear.....

I will of course stay with the basic tutorial and add to it in time, but there was and is more to write on this subject....

I'm hoping that I can become a better writer.......

Vintage Craft Books

I love vintage craft books.  I make  special trips to the thrift stores to try and find them. What worked then works now.  The color scheme and shapes may be a little different but the concept is there.  I found a set of Golden Hands crafts books dated 1973.  I have all the volumes and they have totally consumed me.

Of course as you know, I try to find ways to keep things out of the landfills and this particular chapter on crochet covered rings attracted my attention. They use the metal rings that you can purchase at the craft store and then it dawned on me that I can use the plastic ring from any plastic bottle.

I am not really much of a curtain person when it comes to my windows.  I like the openness.  The wooden blinds satisfy me, but a valance of crocheted plastic rings would bring in the color I am looking for.  

I am just trying to decide if I should incorporate beads or a fancy border.  

To cover a ring you insert hook through the ring and draw a loop of yarn back through the ring.  Loop over and pull yarn through.  *Continue to insert hook through the ring and draw a loop of yarn back through the ring and yarn over and pull yarn through the yarn on the hook.*  Repeat * until the ring is covered.  Slip stitch into first single crochet and fasten off.   

This is a project that I can use my scrap yarns and take with me anywhere.  

I love seeing my Daughter.  Even though she still lives with me, our schedules are so different that our paths don't cross as frequently as I would like, but I will take what I can get.  She has grown into such a wonderful adult.  On that note, I am spending a couple of minutes with her to get her opinions on my crafts and share a moment.  

Salt Dough

I have always enjoyed crafting.  During the past few years, a change has taken place with how I craft.  It is not about going to the craft store and buying a pattern and sitting down and making something that someone else designed. I have become the designer, the creator of my crafts.  As I create, I create with products that could possibly end up in our landfills.  It gives me a sense that I am protecting what God created and not a part of the destruction that is taking place with our planet.  I am showing respect to my Creator.

To take something and transform it into something new brings me a great deal of pleasure.  I feel like I am on the playground that God plays on.  Granted I didn't create the product, but the transformation of that product rather then it ending up in heaps of trash is much more attractive, don't you think?

I bought a huge bag of flour several years back and I used some of it.  Today, that bag sits on the kitchen floor. It is old, but I can't just throw it away.  The guilt, knowing that I have wasted something that was to be consumed, is to much to bear.   So it sits there year after year.  I know it has purpose, other than thrown away.

Today, I will be making salt dough ornaments with this old flour.  It will give me the opportunity to use my new cookie cutters and rubber stamps.  Of course, I will incorporate a blue ornament.

This is a great craft for kids and adults.  So the next time you haven't used your flour, consider using it as dough for ornament or even paper mache.

I will be back later this evening with a tutorial.

I am back.  I may not finish this tonight because of the time it takes to bake these, but I will finish up tomorrow with it.

I am sure there are lots of mixtures out there for salt dough.  I keep it really simple.  One part of each  of the ingredients and you are set to go.

1 cup of flour
1/2 cup of salt
1/2 cup of water

Mix all of these together really well.  You know the routine, if it is too sticky add more flour.  If it crumbles add more water.  Knead it until it is well mixed like bread dough.

I am not up with technology on all the great new products out there.  I still like to stir with a spoon, mix with my hands, and use what is ever available to get the result.  I just feel more connected the more elbow grease I put into it.

The next step is to roll it out on a floured surface. I use a floured glass as my rolling pin.

Pull out those cookie cutters next.  I am still in Christmas mode, so I am making ornaments for next year. Then I will head on to make some hearts for valentines.  Stamp your cookie cutter into some flour as needed and start cutting.  

Look, I keep my cookie cutters in a vintage coffee peculator and it has blue in it!!!!!

Now, I have to admit, I do spend money on my bake ware.  I love the stoneware and I will pay good money to have it.  The more you use it the more seasoned it becomes and the food turns out heavenly.  Oh, I need to get back on track here......Since this is old flour, I don't want to put it directly on my stoneware, so I lay a piece of foil down, which by the way can be used over and over again.  Take a plastic straw, and insert it where you want the hole to be for your ribbon, yarn, or whatever you are going to use to hang your ornament.  I twist it and kinda wiggle it a little bit so that the flour draws up into the hole of the straw.  

It is now ready for the oven.  Set your oven as low as it will go.  Around 100 degrees if possible.  Mine will only go down to 175, so I watch them every thirty minutes.  It takes quite a few hours to bake, usually around 3 hours or so. I pull mine out sooner and let them air dry because I don't want them to crack.  

I probably won't be back until tomorrow with the painting and sealer process, but this gets you started.   

I have some other projects and I also want to try stamping some flour salt dough.  I will spend my evening working with different cookie cutters and stamps for the evening.  

See you tomorrow to finish up the tutorial.....

Once the ornaments is baked you are ready to paint.  I use acrylic paints.  This one I just did a simple white.

You can do a a few coats, up to you,  I just did one.  Now for the embellishments.  Since I am trying to recycle, I cut small snowflakes from my junk mail.  Martha Stewart has a great tutorial on making snowflakes from paper.  I went with the blue of course.  I used decoupage to glue my snowflake on.  I love the idea of a paper snowflake, because no two are alike.....

I spray a sealer.  Probably not necessary, the decoupage is a pretty good sealer, but I like the shine.  Then I sprinkled glitter on the top and let dry.  Add some ribbon or scraps of material to hang.  I think a whole tree filled with these would be awesome.   

Potholder Loom

This year I am focusing on socks as crafts.  I had bought this potholder loom at Walmart for $5.00 and have made 2 potholders.  Now to start cutting those socks that I only have one of.  How one mysteriously disappear, I will never figure out.  I have several followers. doing the same thing.  These are so easy to make yet so functional.

The looms are plastic now, growing up I remember them being metal.  Eventually, I would like to try yarn and plarn to make scrubbies with them, but for now I am just having some fun......

My potholders:

Cousin Makayla

Great Niece Rylee

Outside, Inside, On A Plate

About 23 years ago my Daughter's grandfather had passed away on her father's side of the family. We packed up the car and the kids and prepared for a long trip across country.  We only had three days to reach our destination and I just didn't know how we were going to accomplish this. It was a day and night drive for 3 days.  God only knows how we made it in that time frame with a car load of kids.  The only break I do remember from that drive is stopping in Colorado.  I can't even remember if it was the side of the road or a rest stop, all I do remember are the rocks.  My Daughter's father was so intrigued by these rocks that he loaded up the car with quite a few of them.  I was in awe that he was actually loading the car with rocks. It wasn't until we got back home that the rocks were pulled out of the trunk and put on a shelf for display, that I really started looking at them and even today I can look at them and remember that trip like it was yesterday.  23 years later, I am still collecting rocks on the side of the road.  Whenever we travel, or go to an event there is something about collecting something from nature that brings me closer to God.  I guess it makes it feel more material and real, that God is truly there with me.  God created it, so there must be a part of God in there.

Of course, I have to add my own touch, to say, hey I exist.  I am here, don't forget about me.  Out comes the the hook and thread and I crochet over the rock. It is not a planned pattern.  The rock could sit there for months or even years before I pick it up a start to crochet.  Maybe it is an expression of the trip or how I am feeling at the given moment.  Maybe it is a way for me to talk to God or bring me closer.  Was this my true calling, that I perhaps missed?

I feel the same way about the walls in my home.  I am very grateful that I have home and walls to protect me.  Walls in a home are like a canvas.  I was so pleasantly surprised when my Daughter decided to pull out her art and display it on my walls.  She hung her work and surrounded her work with a piece that I created using magazine pages.  Is that her way of saying hey, I am here, I exist?

One of my favorite meals is a stew that my Mother always made.  Stew is just basically a bunch of whatever you like thrown together.  I like to cook it in the slow cooker as my mother did.  The only difference is she didn't use water as the liquid, she used canned tomatoes.  A bowl of stew, sitting on a plate with bread surrounding it is so satisfying. 

LaVonne's Stew

1 pound of stew meat

2 15 oz cans of stewed tomatoes

3 potatoes quartered

2 cans of veg-all (undrained)

1 can of your favorite vegetable (undrained)

Salt

Pepper

Put the meat in the slow cooker and turn on high.  Lightly brown the meat.  Add all other ingredients and set on low/medium for 6  to 8 hours.  

You can always add more spices, or more of your favorite vegetables.   

Ham Hocks

I do love getting up early in the morning. My grandmother always did. When I would spend the summer with my grandparents, I would get up with her. No words were spoken it was and still is as she said, "The most peaceful time of the day". A time to hear your inner voice without distraction. The calm and peace of it all really puts a different perspective on life.

As I start my first day of the new year, I brew my coffee, I go in to check on my Daughter and we tell each other, I love you, and I sit quietly and listen to my inner voice. No big decisions, no worries, no task at hand, just Peace.....

Some of my most creative thoughts come from the early morning beginnings and with that said, I need to put together the ham bone and beans. I don't think they really bring good luck but it is a tradition and it always seems right to stick with it, it does bring back some wonderful memories.

I bought myself a potholder loom yesterday, I think I can take this to a new level. I think it will be a great why to re-purpose tee shirts, bed sheets and other materials into potholders, fabric panels, and help me work with colors. This year, I am focusing on socks and the potholder loom is a way for me to recycle socks and hosiery that would otherwise ind up in the trash.

I will still be putting together other patterns and projects, but the sock is my main focus, then again it could change. Once I get going, and take a step outside, ideas come to mind, with what someone said, something I passed by, or something i heard and I am known to drop everything and put it to life. Hopefully, my pattern writing will get better over the next year.

With all this said, I am going to take a quiet moment and then take a step outside.. I hope you can join me with the Joy Dare Challenge and I hope your New Year will be a prosperous and healthy one.