Crocheted Baby Elephant

I'M BAAAAACCCKKKK!!!

Okay, here is the promised crocheted elephant, finally finished. I have learned that one has to actually WORK a project if one wants to ever see it FINISHED! (hahahaha)
This is very easy, but I was just lazy about crocheting. I'd crochet about once a week, and for only a little while at a time. I made up my mind last night that I was going to finish it today, so set out to do just that. I was tired of waiting to see the end result. And, boy oh boy, am I glad I did...

   ...isn't this little guy just the cutest thing???

 This is a close up of where the "arm" attaches to the "neck".

 And this is where the leg is sewn onto the bottom of the elephant.

For anyone that may want to make one of their own crocheted baby elephants, I got the pattern off of red heart yarn website. It is free, downloads in pdf format so it is easy to print, and they have LOTS more free patterns also. Here is a link to the elephant pattern:

http://www.redheart.com/free-patterns/babys-elephant
 
 I hope it works for you. I'm still new at this blogging stuff and sharing links, etc. Thanks for bearing with me while I learn. :-)

Well, I hope you all have enjoyed seeing my latest finished project. My Mom and I are thinking about crocheting and knitting my brother a little jacket and a bed for his new puppy. If we decide to do them, I will be putting them on here. I want to put some soap here also, but am waiting to get a good camera so the pictures look better.

Thanks for visiting and hope you come back again.

Crocheted Bangle Bracelet

Hello again blog world. I have been away too long. I'll get right onto the bracelet now.

I finally finished the crocheted bracelet that I have been promising you all. It isn't bad for my first attempt, but I am a bit disappointed in the size. I have very small wrists and the "bangle" made from the glass is a bit big on me...but the granny squares turned out great and I am very happy with them. I will be making another bracelet WITHOUT the plastic bangle insert. That is another blog, though.

Here are all the supplies I used for the crocheted part (the only other item used is the plastic "bangle" made from the glass-see previous blog:. Four different colors of size 10 crochet thread, and a size 5 hook.

I have a few granny squares started (sitting on top of the pink thread). I made a total of six granny squares for this bracelet, but you can make as many or as few as you choose to. Only one would look quite striking on a solid background.

Here they are after the second round has been crocheted. (Aren't they such cute little things?)

And this is after the third round has been added. Looks like a granny square now. (I just love these colors!)


Once the granny squares were completed, I started joining them with a sc (single crochet). I held two squares together with the wrong sides together, and I worked sc in each stitch from one corner to the other. Once I reached the corner, I opened the two joined squares and continued to sc along the edge of ONE square. When I reached the next corner, I placed another square wrong side to the wrong side of the square I just stitched and I worked sc in each stitch of BOTH squares from that corner to the next. I then opened those squares up and proceeded to sc along up the remaining "raw" edge of the middle square and then continued along the raw edge of the other "original" (the first two squares) middle square. Once I reached the far corner of the second original beginning square, I placed a fourth square wrong side to the wrong side of second original square and worked sc through them both from corner to corner. I opened those squares up and worked sc back down the last raw edge of the second original square. I now have four squares joined, with sc worked completely around the center two. I tied off and cut thread.

Now I attached the thread at the corner where I joined the first and third squares. I worked sc along the edge until I got to the corner, then I joined the fifth square to the third from corner to corner. Then I worked sc on the third square back to the opposite corner where I joined the first square to the third square. I now have squares one, two and three completely surrounded. I tied and cut thread. I repeated this step to add the sixth square to the fourth square on the opposite end.

After all the squares are joined, I have to finish the edging on the fifth and sixth squares. So I attached the thread at the corner where the third and fifth squares are joined and worked sc around the fifth square, tying off and cutting thread at the opposite corner where the third and fifth squares join. I attached thread again at the corner where the fourth and sixth squares are joined and worked sc around as I did before.

Whooooo...Now the hard part is over! From here on out, I just worked sc back and forth on one end until the bracelet was long enough to go around the plastic bangle. (If leaving the plastic out, make it long enough to fit comfortably around your wrist...remembering to take into consideration the method you will use as a fastener.) * Do NOT cut thread.*

Once it was long enough, I started working sc down the long edge of one side to make the bracelet wide enough to wrap around the inside of the bangle. I worked sc back and forth until it was wide enough, then tied off and cut thread, leaving a tail long enough to lace or stitch the crocheted piece around the plastic piece.

So now I whip stitched the ends together, slid the plastic bracelet into the crocheted sleeve and proceeded to whip stitch the edge together around the plastic. Tie off and weave in loose ends.
NOTE: some of the loose ends can be hidden under other sc stitches as you crochet and/or hidden when you sew the crochet onto the plastic.

And FINALLY here is the finished product!

As I said, it's a bit big for my wrist but it fit my Mom perfect. :-)

I am now working on a crocheted stuffed baby elephant for my oldest niece's baby boy. He will be here in April (her birth month also!) so I have a bit of time to finish it. It is REALLY easy though, so I will be done with it WAY before then. I got the pattern from redheart.com. Instead of using boring ole gray yarn like they did, I'm using some pretty variegated blue/white/mauve yarn. I think Cole will love it. (Babies do like colors!) I will post pictures when it is finished. I will be writing a blog with pictures of all the stuff I made for baby Cole!

Wire jewelry

Hello again Blog World.

I have been busy crocheting the "wrapping" for my bangle bracelet, going to doctors appointments and trying to stay WARM. (My desert blood isn't used to this chill!) It's been raining for several days now and will be for several more days. Higher elevations are getting LOTS of snow, so the skiing should be good this year.

I am just going to share some rather lousy pictures of my first few attempts at wire wrapping.
I LOVE the look of wire wrap jewelry, but have been intimidated by it so have never tried it. I just love it though, so I finally broke down and am starting to try to learn how to do it. I started off just looking at others work on the Internet and then I started getting books out of my local library. (They only just started buying them so there are only a few.)
As you can see from the following pictures, I still need LOTS of practice!!! But it is really fun so I will keep doing it. They say "practice makes perfect"...I better get back to practicing right after I type this blog, cause I have a LONG way to go!
I apologize before hand for the horrible quality of the pictures. I took them on my cell phone camera and it isn't good for closeups. I am working on getting a good camera, but I'm not sure exactly when I will have it in my hands and can start using it. I hope soon because I think the photos in a blog are what make the blog. They tell a story that words can't. (I think the story mine are telling must be horror stories!)   ;-)


Okay, here goes...are you ready?


My very first attempt at wire wrapping...a delicate little ring. It's called a knot but I think mine looks almost like a rose. What do you think? (Besides that the photo is seriously yucky? Lol.)

Here is another shot of it.

Okay, on to the second project I made. Another ring, made the same day as the previous one. Not quite so delicate, this one. (Picture are still horrid though. Sorry.)

And another one...

Hang in there...there is just one more project...then I promise you can go rinse your eyes out so they may be able to recover from this horrible photography. 


Here is my first attempt at adding beads to the wire. And its my first bracelet.

And one more photo of the bracelet...

I promise, I will keep practicing (although I can't promise that it will make me better.) I do have faith in this mysterious "they" that says "Practice make Perfect", so maybe there is hope for me yet. (And None will be as glad as I when I finally get my camera and can start showing you all half way decent photos!)

Thanks for hanging out with me once more. Remember, I'm working on the crocheted bracelet and will be posting it (hopefully soon!)

See you again next time.

Beginnings of a few bangles

I was reading this blog http://www.michlinla.com/2010/12/lime-green-bangle.html the other day and thought "This is a good idea for making bangles to cover with other stuff instead of buying them", so I went to my local dollar store and got a three pack of plastic glasses (cost $1.50 for the three) and cut one up today. This post is about that; a future one will be about the finished bangles that I make with them.


BEFORE:

AFTER:

First I ran a length of masking tape around the glass at the width I wanted the bangle. Then I started cutting it.
I had quite a time finding a way to cut the glass up without breaking it but after trying scissors (as suggested in Mich. L. in L.A.'s blog), an Exacto knife, and a saw, I finally thought of the thing that I found worked best for me...

...a soldering/wood burning iron!

It leaves a wider "cut", 

but it worked wonders for cutting the plastic into slices without breaking it.

In the photo above you can see where I tried using scotch tape when I was using the saw and Exacto knife. I don't recommend it if you are using the iron. It melts too! If you are using scissors to cut your glass, it will work just fine to define the "cut line", but NOT if you melting it like I did.

I kept a rag handy to wipe the hot tip on when it got goopy with melted plastic.

 It's actually the toe of a sock that has long ago lost it's partner. (I knew it would come in handy for something if I kept it!)

Okay, now comes the time consuming part. The iron melts the plastic, which leaves a ridge of melted plastic on the edges of the bangles. I used an Exacto knife to CAREFULLY cut away that melted ridge. I couldn't get photos because I had to use both hands to handle the bangle, but if you hold it at the right angle and kinda "pop" the plastic off, it works rather well. Just be VERY CAREFUL to not cut yourself. There is no fun in creating pretty things when you end up minus a thumb!!! I held the blade flat against the bangle and slid it along under the melted ridge and kinda lifted once in awhile to pop the ridge away from the bangle.
Then I took the scissors and trimmed up the edges and made them a bit more uniform in width. (I wasn't very careful and got mine really uneven when I melted them.) If needed you can use an emery board or file to smooth out any rough spots. I didn't worry too much about getting mine perfect as they will be covered soon anyway.

Once the glass is cut up into bangles and smoothed out (if desired), they are ready to be covered with your choice of "pretty".

I found instructions on Red Heart yarns website for crocheted and knitted bangles and am going to try that on these bangles. Maybe try some ribbon wrapped around them or even glue a bit of batting on them and then wrap them with fabric to make a pretty, "puffy" bangle.

I will be making another post once I have a few made, with pictures to show you all what they end up looking like.   (Wish me luck!!!)   :-)

*I will be getting a better camera soon, so hopefully after I learn to use it, the photos in my posts will be better. Right now I'm using the camera on my phone! :-/

Thank you for once again joining me, and I hope you have fun coming up with all sorts of ways to decorate your own bangles. Good day my fellow crafters....

Heaven is for REAL Deluxe Edition

I know, this isn't crafting or creating, but I love to read and I loved this book so thought I'd share the review I wrote after reading it. Who knows, maybe you'll want to read it also. Interesting to say the least.

Wow, this is an amazing story. After I read it, I let my Mom read it and she loved it also. My Mom recommended it to her sister, and Aunt Ruth Ellen is going to try to find it through her library. My brother read it after we were done and he really liked it. then he loaned it to our Uncle Earl and he said he couldn't put it down. 
This book is very easy to read and the story goes quickly, so even those of you that don't like to read shouldn't have a problem reading this in no time. My Mom got through it in one day. I took three different days to read it, but I only read before going to bed, so it really only took me a matter of a few hours to read it also. 
I have never read a book about "near death experience" or "life after death" that was anything like this book. A little boy goes to heaven while he is in surgery for a ruptured appendix that had gotten infected. Over the next few months and even years he talked to his parents about what he saw and did while he was "dead". His Dad is the one who wrote the book and it is from his perspective although he does quote his son in some instances. He tells how he and his wife responded to the things that their son said in the months after the surgery and how they finally started to believe that there was no way that their 4 year old could be making any of this up. (Like how he met his sister whom his Mom miscarried before he was even born. His parents had NEVER mentioned that miscarriage in Colton's hearing.)
Even if you don't believe in heaven and hell, or God and Satan, this is still a good book to read. I really enjoyed it, as I DO believe in heaven; but it is a pleasant story to read even if you are reading it only for the entertainment factor. 
My father died three weeks ago and I received this book for free to review shortly after he died. I believe in heaven and my father was a great man of God so I believe he is in heaven now with Jesus, but even believing that, reading this book touched my spirit in a way that no other book ever has. It left a feeling of comfort and peace in it's wake. 
This is not just another "near death" book. This book will touch your heart!
I am recommending that everyone that knows how to read give this book a try. It is worth the few hours that it takes to get through it!

Thanksgiving Thankfulness

     Hello,
My name is Elizabeth and I am starting a new blog. I have never done anything like this before so I hope I don't mess up TOO badly! :-)
  First I would like to share 10 things I am grateful for since it IS Thanksgiving evening.

1. My dear Mom. (I lost my Dad last month, so it means even more to me to have my Mom so close. She is my best friend.)
2. My Dad. (He is gone now, but I learned a lot from him while he was here. Wish I could have learned more.)
3. The roof over my head. (Not everyone is so lucky. and it happens to be raining right now!)
4. My car. (Even though gas prices are higher than I like, it is still nice to not have to walk everywhere.)
5. All of the many websites and blogs that I have been to in recent months to learn new things, and improve things I already knew.
6. Answered prayers. (I believe in Jesus and He is one of the things I am grateful for so it is on my list!) 
7. All of my dear family and friends. (True friends are hard to come by so I don't take mine lightly.)
8. My job. (I may not make a lot of money but I love what I do and there are many people that can't say that.)
9. All the rough spots in life that have taught me that I AM tougher than I think I am. I am a survivor! 
10. And last but not least...the delicious Pecan Topped Carrot Pie that I made today!

It really isn't as gross as it sounds (and believe me, when you don't like carrots, it sounds pretty gross!) It tastes like a combination of pumpkin and pecan pie. I love both so for me it is the best of both worlds! I found the recipe in the February/March 2008 issue of Taste of Home magazine, (Page 17 if anyone cares.) 

Of course, this didn't have enough calories in it so I have to add just a few more...

It was SO worth the extra workout that I will have to do to burn those calories, though! A little slice of heaven, it was. 

Here is the recipe in case any of you want to try it:

Pecan-Topped Carrot Pie

Prep: 35 min / Bake: 45-50 min + cooling

Darlene King   Estevan, Saskatchewan

4 cups sliced fresh carrots (or, as I use, 1 can of carrots ~ E)

1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk

2 eggs

1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (I use homemade pumpkin pie spice from a recipe I found at SparkPeople.com)

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Dash of salt

1 unbaked pie shell (9 inch)

1 cup chopped pecans

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

3 tablespoons butter, melted

*Add 1 inch of water to a large sauce pan; add carrots. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and cook for 9-11 minutes or until tender. Drain and cool.*

  Place the carrots, milk, eggs, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon and salt in a blender. Cover and process until pureed; blend 1 minute longer. Pour into pastry shell. Combine the pecans, brown sugar and butter; sprinkle over filling.

  Bake at 375 degrees for 45-50 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean and edges are browned. (Cover edges of crust with foil during the last 20 minutes, if necessary, to prevent overbrowning.) Cool on a wire rack. Refrigerate leftovers.

  Yields: 6-8 servings.

*Skip this step if using canned carrots.*

Well, it took me long enough to do my first blog that it is now officially Black Friday instead of Thanksgiving! So you all be safe and have fun SHOPPING!!!!!

There's no telling what will be showing up here next, so stay tuned. Thanks for stopping by, and I hope to see you again soon.  :-)  

Heaven is for REAL Deluxe Edition

Wow, this is an amazing story. After I read it, I let my Mom read it and she loved it also. Next I'm going to let my brother read it. My Mom recommended it to her sister, and Aunt Ruth Ellen is going to try to find it through her library. 
This book is very easy to read and the story goes quickly, so even those of you that don't like to read shouldn't have a problem reading this in no time. My Mom got through it in one day. I took three different days to read it, but I only read before going to bed, so it really only took me a matter of a few hours to read it also. 
I have never read a book about "near death experience" or "life after death" that was anything like this book. A little boy goes to heaven while he is in surgery for a ruptured appendix that had gotten infected. Over the next few months and even years he talked to his parents about what he saw and did while he was "dead". His Dad is the one who wrote the book and it is from his perspective although he does quote his son in some instances. He tells how he and his wife responded to the things that their son said in the months after the surgery and how they finally started to believe that there was no way that their 4 year old could be making any of this up. (Like how he met his sister whom his Mom miscarried before he was even born. His parents had NEVER mentioned that miscarriage in Colton's hearing.)
Even if you don't believe in heaven and hell, or God and Satan, this is still a good book toread. I really enjoyed it, as I DO believe in heaven; but it is a pleasant story to read even if you are reading it only for the entertainment factor. 
My father died three weeks ago and I received this book for free to review shortly after he died. I believe in heaven and my father was a great man of God so I believe he is in heaven now with Jesus, but even believing that, reading this book touched my spirit in a way that no other book ever has. It left a feeling of comfort and peace in it's wake. 
This is not just another "near death" book. This book will touch your heart!
I am recommending that everyone that knows how to read give this book a try. It is worth the few hours that it takes to get through it!


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Disclaimer: I got this book free from Book Sneeze and in exchange I am to give my honest opinion of the book. I do not have to give a positive review. In no way is my review the opinion of Book Sneeze or Thomas Nelson (the Publisher). It is simply my opinion.

Right from the Heart

I got the nicest book free from Book Sneeze. It is truly a beautiful bound book. Turning your day toward God. Right from the Heart. A 365 devotional. By Bryant Wright.
I had never heard of this author so I wasn't sure I would like this book, but I must say I am very pleased with it. It is laid out with each page devoted to one day of the year and it starts out with a scripture, then a short story or experience that Bryant shares. Each day is about a different subject.  It has beautiful pages and it pleasant to just look at. (I consider it kind of an "old world" look.) But of course, if you get this book, you will want to do more than just Look at it...you'll want to READ it. Even the most busy person should have time to read a page a day. (The book is on the smallish size; maybe about 5X7?) So it goes quick. Well, I'm going to go ahead and post this and then read my page for today! (I usually do it in the morning, but didn't get to it yet today. It is a refreshing way to start the day off.)

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Free knitting book from Book Sneeze

This is the first blog I have done here, so I may not be doing it right. They say practice makes perfect, though, so here goes.

I got this amazing book free from Book Sneeze and since I am learning how to knit, I figured it would be a good choice. I am a beginner so it was somewhat confusing to me to try to convert the knee-high pattern to the sock pattern. I finally thought I had it right but wanted to make sure so I took the book to my knitting teacher and had her go through it. We finally decided that I was ready to start making a pair of socks! I have not got them finished yet, but I have to say that I love the patterns in this book and plan on making some more once I'm done. It has charts for the patterns so I am learning to read those as I go. It may be a bit tough for a beginner, but I think it is a good book and I plan to get a lot of use out of it in the future. Even if I have to ask my knitting teacher more questions! I think I will learn a lot from it. Thank you Book Sneeze for the amazing selection of books you have.