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star swatch no.2: felted (i think)

It occurred to me last night after I posted the pic of my swatch that a before shot would have been nice. How else would you be able to tell that the stitch definition had been lost?

star blanket swatch

I crocheted another one last night and remembered to take a “before” shot this time. The second swatch was washed in cold. It also felted. Except that it didn’t shrink. Before and after are the same size and shape. Maybe “felted” is the wrong term.

It’s like the yarn is blooming. It’s incredibly soft. I’m starting to think I might even like it. I’m going to wash it again — maybe a few times — to see how it holds up. What’s more important to a newborn: soft and cuddly or nice stitch definition? I’m thinking soft and cuddly.

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star swatch no.1: felted

star blanket swatch

I usually don’t swatch. When I do, it’s never the 4×4 inch square I’m supposed to make. Mine are small. Calling them 2×2 inches is generous. Usually gauge doesn’t matter for a lot of the items I make.

Last week I made a swatch, not to check gauge, but to check the yarn label’s claim: machine washable and dryable. 100% virgin wool. Keyword that was missing: superwash. I put the swatch in with some linens on the warm setting. It didn’t felt that much, but a lot of the stitch definition has disappeared. I’m going to try another swatch washed in cold. After that, I’ll be stash diving for some cotton.

vintage yarn: I am in love with the color blue of this yarn. I read somewhere that a lot of wool used to contain recycled bits, so that’s why so many of the vintage yarns say 100% “virgin” wool. I can’t help but giggle when I read it. Apparently I have the sense of humor of a twelve-year-old.

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kearney cruise

It’s strange to go to a car event and not see a lot of cars, but it was brutally hot on Saturday. We spent a lot of time inside at lunch. Bella and Mason invented a new game: see who can drop the most balls down the pool table pockets.

We spent a lot of time in the shade under “our tree” and a few tents. (We seem to end up in this same spot every year.)

We ate cold treats to stay cool. Bella’s first taste of Dippin’ Dots.

We are also grateful that our party hosts let us hang out inside every once and awhile so the kids could cool off. We may not have seen a lot of cars, but we spent a lot of time with good friends. That’s the best part of cruisin’ for us.

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stitch patterns: crochet washcloths

crochet cotton washcloths

My latest gift-giving obsession continues: fancy soap and washcloths. I know so many people who deserve a little bit of pampering, but are too busy to take time for themselves. Hopefully these will help them relax and wash their stress away. They are crocheted out of the super soft Aunt Lydia’s cotton.

Want to make some yourself? Here are the patterns.

Note: You’ll notice that I don’t chain at the beginning of each row. I’ve started using faux double crochets instead. They really make your edges much neater.

crochet cotton washcloths

Basket Weave
gauge: 4 stitches per inch, blocked to 10 inches
first stitch in each row is a faux double crochet instead of chain 3

  • Row 1: chain 40
  • Row 2: dc across
  • Row 3-6: *5 dc through the front post, 5 dc through the back post* repeat until 5 stitches left, 5 dc through the front post
  • Row 7-10: *5 dc through the back post, 5 dc through the front post* repeat until 5 stitches left, 5 dc through the back post
  • Repeat rows 3-10 four more times.

crochet cotton washcloths

Columns
gauge: 4 stitches per inch, blocked to 10 inches
first stitch in each row is a faux double crochet instead of chain 3

  • Row 1: chain 39
  • Row 2: dc across
  • Row 3: *4 dc, dc through front post* repeat until 4 stitches left, 4 dc
  • Row 4: *4 dc, dc through back post* repeat until 4 stitches left, 4 dc
  • Repeat rows 3-4 until you have a square.
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zoo camp: coats of many colors

Today was the last day of Bella’s zoo camp: Coats of Many Colors. This week she touched a dove, a mouse and a rat. She refused to touch Spiny Bear the hedgehog, though. Her favorite was feeding the goats their breakfast.

The Zoo Crew helped the kids make scrapbooks of the things they saw this week. Isn’t that a neat idea? Here is Bella’s peacock.

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thrifty thursday

red sweater for unraveling

Last weekend I hit a few church sales that turned out to be a total bust. I decided to stop by Goodwill on the way home just to window shop. (Hey, I was in the neighborhood!) Not only did I find this great sweater, but when I checked out it rang up half price!

I have been thinking of making some Nebraska football inspired (i.e., red, red and more red) accessories for my shop in the Fall. I really like the black and red plied yarn for Husker Blackshirts fans.

recycle: The sweater is a super soft cotton/acrylic blend with perfect seams for unraveling. Score!

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my creative space

my creative space

In my creative space today, and for the next few weeks, I’ll be writing — journaling actually — about where I want to be this time next year. My daughter is enrolled in some morning camps and I’ll be hanging out in the coffee shop nearby with a notebook and pen (and banana bread for breakfast!).

I can’t believe my “baby” will be entering kindergarten in the Fall of 2011, which is all day in Nebraska. (Do any school systems still do half-day kindergarten?) I don’t think I want to go back to a regular 9-5 job. I really enjoy being self-employed. I’m trying to decide whether I want to continue and expand my freelance business or take my eco-friendly crafting to the next level: write for publications, write a book, pattern design or wholesaling.

Tomorrow I’ll be back with a thrifty find and Friday I’ll have two washcloth stitch patterns to share.

You can see what everyone else is up to over at Kirsty’s blog.

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signs your child watches too much dinosaur train

She goes into a tv trance whenever the show airs.

You ask her, “What’s another word that begins with the letter ‘i’?” and she says, “Iguanodon!”

At dinner she says, “Mom’s a vegetarian just like Ned the brontosaurus.”

You hear la-la-loooo and graaaak coming from her room during “quiet” time.

She insists that you help her draw the entire Pteranodon family. (Dad drew the short straw for this request.)

The dinosaur in the middle is Buddy. He’s a T-Rex. Am I the only one who thinks Mrs. Pteranodon has some explaining to do?

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the perfect pants pattern!

butterick pants pattern

In addition to the perfect t-shirt, I’m also trying to find the perfect lounge pants. I know it’s hard with elastic waistbands — the fabric always seems to bunch up in the front when you sit down — but I would like to minimize the amount of bunching!

Remember these pajamas? They are from Simplicity 3935. I’m pretty sure I made them a size too big, but even still, they’re kind of baggy around the tummy. I’m hoping to give them a little makeover soon.

Next are the lounge pants from Sewing Green. I love these pants, especially the little curve in the leg and the small boot cut flare. I was so excited to make a muslin and so disappointed when they didn’t work out. Great pattern, just not the right pattern for me.

Just as I was about to give up, I was looking around online and found an easy straight leg pattern — a style that works well for me. Better yet, Hancock was having a 99 cent pattern sale over the weekend. I drove up Saturday and purchased it on the spot. Success! Finally!

Now I’m planning an assembly line of production. I’ve been squirreling away thrifted sheets for jammies. I’ve also got some thrifted pants that I’ve been dying to refashion. They’re the real reason I wanted to find a non-bunchy pattern. I’d like to actually wear them outside of the house!

sales: Have you ever paid full price for a pattern? Whenever I find something I like, I stalk the fabric store flyers until 99 cent pattern day. Such a bargain!

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recipe: thrifty crispies

homemade bread and croutons

Around the same time that I was reading Silverstone’s Kind Diet, Elli Metz was sharing her thoughts about Pollan’s In Defense of Food. Her post made me get up and check the label on my favorite store-bought bread. It didn’t have 32 ingredients, but it did have 16, most of which I couldn’t pronounce.

I decided to pull out my bread machine and we’ve been eating homemade ever since. When I bake bread in the oven, I use the Artisan Bread recipe and make small loaves. It’s too hot in my kitchen during the summer months to use the oven, and the bread machine makes such large loaves. It’s hard to finish it before it goes stale.

One day last week I made a big batch of hummus and realized I had nothing for dipping. Then I thought: stale end of bread = croutons! I made mine really big and now I’ve also eliminated store-bought pita chips for snacks.

Thrifty Crispies (or just really big croutons)

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.

Using a serrated knife, cut that stale hunk of bread into dipping-sized pieces. Watch your fingers! Depending on how much bread you have, put 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil in a bowl and add some seasonings. I use a little salt, pepper, garlic powder and onion powder. Add the bread to the bowl and toss until lightly coated.

Place them single layer in a baking pan or cookie sheet and bake for 6-8 minutes. Stir once and then bake the other side for 3-4 minutes. The time will depend on how big you cut your pieces. Don’t let them burn!

Cool and store in an air tight container.

These don’t last very long in our house. I like them with hummus, but my husband and daughter snack on them straight out of the container.

thrifting: I got my first bread machine on freecycle. It was a little dusty, but with some elbow grease, it cleaned up nicely. Plus, it was free! My current machine came from a garage sale and was a little pricey relatively speaking, but it matches my kitchen appliances. You can usually find them “as-is” at the thrift store for around $10.