Fall is in the air.. AGAIN!! Wow how time does fly!

My Cheap Hobbies
October 6, 2014

Summer ended rather suddenly here in the South. Athens, Georgia, a bit southwest of here, set a record low temperature two nights ago. I had to win a coin toss with my dad last night to block him from turning the heat on (I told him to add a blanket to his bed). I think this "Global Warming" trend is going to freeze us all! LOL

On the upside, fall is back-to-school time and shoppers start thinking about the holidays ahead. Halloween is only a few weeks away, and the stores are loaded with costumes, candies and every facial expression imaginable on artificial pumpkins! So, what's a crafter to do? Make my own Halloween accessories, of course! There are many free patterns available for everything with skulls on them - slippers, gloves, mittens, hats, scarves, shawls (some really pretty ones!), table runners, doilies, and even cup cozies! Skulls not your thing? Mine either, but pumpkins are nice.. hats, scarves.. well, you get the gist!

Baby Pumpkin Hat
in My Little Crochet Shop

Baby Pumpkin Hat
in My Little Crochet Shop

Here is my first Baby Pumpkin Hat - I reworked a pattern I found so the ribs were more straight than the original design (the pumpkins in my garden don't swirl, so I wanted to downplay that feature).  < Baby Pumpkin Hat >

The tendril is simply a chain of 18, with 3 single crochets in each chain to create the swirl. I slipped the last 3 chains so it is straight near the stem. The leaf and stem are tied on (I sewed the leaf in 3 places so it won't flop around).
The leaf pattern I found here: Hawthorn + Rosehip: Red Currant Afghan Square Pattern

Baby Santa Hat
in My Little Crochet Shop 

With Christmas right around the corner,  I want to get a head start this season... I have already started on Baby Santa Hats! These were a hit in My Little Crochet Shop last year, and I was selling them as fast as I could make them!   "head start" : hats.. LOL ...sorry, I couldn't resist!

With a little yarn and a free pattern, you can create something special for those on your holiday gift-shopping list without emptying your piggy bank! Here are some sites I use to find free patterns, inspiration, and how-to-crochet:
www.AllFreeCrochet.com
www.Yarnspirations.com
www.Ravelry.com
www.LionBrand.com
www.RedHeart.com

 I would love to see what you are creating! Feel free to share below (please keep it clean... my young nieces like to read my page! Thanks!)
 HAPPY AUTUMN!

Princess Socks RULE!

Okay, these aren't Princess Socks.. but summertime's calling me!

Ah, the joys of summer! Around here, the weather is still warm and pleasant.. even today, the 3rd of June! If global warming means milder summers, I'm in! (it also means less snow in winter... I'M IN!!) Grab your flip-flops and head for the shore! And when you need something a little more "appropriate" for dinner attire, you can fancy your little girls' feet in PRINCESS SOCKS!! um... what? I didn't show you? Here are the newest ones I made this week:

Princess Socks in My Little Crochet Shop

This lovely pair with orange and blue is sure to be a fast favorite (if your favorite team's colors are blue and orange!) ..

Princess Socks in My Little Crochet Shop

OR if you are more of a lucky-clover ...

I didn't leave out the little sisters of the bunch! I made these precious pastels for little feet:

Princess Socks in My Little Crochet Shop

My nieces just LOVE these unique socks!

I recently started back to "Saturdays in Saxapahaw" at the Haw River Ballroom in Saxapahaw, NC. A local farmers' market and craft market with live music, food, "homemade waterslide", lots of fun! Here's their website for more info:  http://www.rivermillvillage.com/saturdays-in-saxapahaw-2

Maybe I'll see you there?

One Ball Crochet! Who Knew!

New items in My Little Crochet Shop on Etsy.com

Wow! I don't know how I didn't think of this before! Glad I realized it in time for gift-making frenzy late in the year! One ball crochet projects! It is amazing! No color-lot frustration, no "oh, I need one more ball of yarn for that" ... just "here you go!" I was the star of Christmas (again!) <sly grin>

Actually, my sister found a one-ball scarf pattern on the RedHeart Boutique yarn "Sashay" and decided to try it. If it was not too much trouble, she would make several for gifts. It must have been fairly simple, as she completed two within a week even with painting and packing in preparations to move! So, when I returned home, I decided to give it a go. Wow! Ok, this is technically a knitting project, but it is SOOOO simple! And, the resulting scarf is FAB-YOU-LUSH! One tip for you: different styles of "Sashay" have different ball lengths, so the scarves are different lengths if you finish to the end of the ball. For example: "Sashay sequins" (very fancy! has  sparkly sequins along the decorated edge) is only 20 yds per 100g, but the original Sashay (no special name) "Sashay metallic" are 30 yds per 100g!

 The "sequins" makes a scarf approximately 5 ft long (when I make it... depending on your stitch spacing, your scarf may be different). My finished teal scarf is shown above. The ivory scarf at left is 6 ft long from "Sashay Sparkle" (35 yds per 100g). 

If I had been paying attention to this, I could have stopped when I was at the length of the other scarves...but, I kept on to the end of the ball...

So... another is fingerless mittens (fingerless gloves)! I messed around with some previously used patterns. I didn't particularly like how the mittens fit. They were too short on my wrist, too open at the fingers (too much cold air gets in and they are floppy at the pinky), and the thumbs are not well insulated. Wow! That is a list of complaints! I had to devise my own pattern to make snug mittens that are long enough for tall people (with longer bones) and protects the thumb. Ta-Dah! I bring you... my one ball fingerless mittens!

New fingerless gloves

Well... usually one ball.. I honestly don't know what happens! I am using LionBrand HometownUSA yarn in solid colors (81 yds per 5 oz - multicolor are 64 yds per 4oz, so I know to use 2 balls there)... and I use the same J/10-hook (6.00mm).. and the same pattern, carefully counting stitches and rows.. and sometimes, I have a little yarn left over (less than 3 yds) and sometimes I am a couple yards short! I don't think changes in yarn tension can account for this much difference. I must be doing something that adds yarn.. maybe I slip to join rounds where I previously crocheted in the round? One mitten is 18 rows, so that doesn't quite add up to a few yards? I just don't know.
Not to worry, remember those extra yards from some mittens? I use them to put a stripe in the short ones. Now, that is smart! And the multicolor yarn that I need 2 balls give back enough to make cuffs for a new pair. All is well that ends well! - Happy New Year! May you enjoy good health, fabulous wealth, and great friends!

Summer Recap

Where to start? This summer has gone by so quickly! Time really does fly when you are having fun! Here are some of the cheap hobbies I took advantage of this summer. I am ready for cooler days and less humid nights! 

My Charity Pals are gaining some friends in My Little Crochet Shop! I have the yarn and stuffing to make A LOT more, I just need to get busy!

I took my crochet crafts to the Saturdays at Saxapahaw outdoor festival several of the Saturdays. If afternoon thunderstorms popped up, I opted to stay home.. even if the storm may not reach the festival, I wasn't taking any chances!

My spread at the local craft fair

Chalk art

Chalk art was a staple activity when babysitting. "Chalk is cheap," and creativity is limitless! We even tried to chalk our hair! (pastel chalks work better... they are brighter!)

Swatting tennis balls at the park
is fun exercise!

Tennis anyone? While I have never played the sport, and have no clue how to keep score, it is exciting to connect with the ball and watch my opponent go scrambling after it! Not to worry, I chased my fair share of runaway balls!

Free exhibit at the local Arts Council!

The Art of the Brick is a free exhibit of Lego sculptures by Nathan Sawaya. Graham Arts Council included an activity tent where youngsters can play and discover new ways to assemble cool inventions.

New items in Shop

Amigurumi Pal - each one unique-ish

I have started making Amigurumi Pals for My Little Crochet Shop. My idea is to donate proceeds from Pal sales to my local food pantry. After learning how many children rely on free school lunches for their ONE MEAL A DAY, I want to do something to help. A local church has started a multi-stream food drive and fundraising campaign to raise awareness of hunger in our communities and offer meals to needy families, especially those with children.

My nephew has started making Para-cord bracelets and key-fobs to earn money for his college fund. He just turned 16, so the college fund may be preempted by a 'car fund.' Either way, he is working generate income for himself while learning the ropes of time management and a good work ethic. During the warm months, he also mows grass for a few neighbors.

I've started taking my wares out to a local craft fair/farmers' market on Saturdays. My cousin makes wire-wrapped jewelry, and set me up with him at the market. I am making a lot of contacts.

That's the news. Thanks for checking in! =)

It's that time of year again! The Great Backyard Bird Count is going on all weekend - and this year it has gone global! The online submissions allow birdwatchers to enter their data no matter where they observe these feathered wonders! Unfortunately, there was a mess of snow and rain in my backyard today, and not too many birds ventured out into the miserable weather. Hopefully, the sun will come out tomorrow... (were you just singing? LOL)... and the birds will flock to the feeder! I even added a birdbath basin under the tree (the squirrel kept knocking off the pedestal, so I put it on the ground). It hasn't attracted any new species to the hub, but my regular visitors seem to like it.

In other news of my cheap hobbies, I have been successful with My Little Crochet Shop on Etsy.com. I have crocheted lip balm cozies, dishcloths, scarves, shawls, coaster sets ("mug rugs").. and now I am working on an amigurumi design for an alien doll. I gave upcycled tshirts to my nephews for Christmas in the form of "ugly dolls" - free form monster dolls with button eyes and crude embroidery mouths and stuffed with poly-fill. They LOVED them! .. I should make more! I can make monsters faster than I can crochet! LOL

All right, you guys (and gals!)... It's 1am and I promised myself I would not stay up until 3am (again!). So, I am off to dream of springtime when I can get back to panning for precious yellow flakes buried in the sand. Until next time.....

Happy New Year - 2013

photo courtesy of www.freedigitalphotos.net

Well, well, well... and I sincerely hope you ARE well! Thanks for reading! - Today is January 1, 2013... the first day of the new year... time to revisit and revise the bucket lists.. the short term and the long term lists.

photo courtesy of www.freedigitalphotos.net

One thing that keeps popping up on my list: SAVE MONEY... as in "PUT MONEY IN SAVINGS" ! That should get crossed off at least once, one would think? Somehow, I maintain a level of pent-up demand such that when I do acquire (earn or receive) a bit of cash, I can immediately find a use for it! Nothing goes to savings, or at least, not for long. So, today, I began reading personal finance articles online to realign my thought patterns with a savings attitude. I learned a few things...

(1.) It is totally possible that I sabotage my savings attempts! There are multiple vices at work, including but not limited to procrastination, weak goal-setting, and lack of accountability.

(2.) I am hoping for a miracle... lotto, Publishers' Clearing House Sweepstakes, super job opportunity, gold strike, etc... when what I really need to focus on is securing a steady income.

(3.) I don't have a budget. Well, honestly, I shunt responsibility on this one, claiming that without a steady income, budgeting is impossible... yet, I still have bills to pay like car insurance and cell phone!

photo courtesy of www.freedigitalphotos.net

What to do? I have a nice little crochet business going on Etsy.com. I even call it My Little Crochet Shop.  I have one, maybe two, textbooks I can sell on Amazon... might rustle up a few items for eBay, but those are only short term shots. With a steady check, those extra shots could go to savings... did you notice I said "could" ... phooey. Am I still not on board?

So, my most promising hobby right now, until the US government again makes it unlawful to do so, is gold panning. It produces only a little every day I pan (no where near an ounce per week), but with patience, practice and persistence, those little bits will add up. Location is not the limiting factor, oddly enough... but self-discipline.

I just had that AH-HAH! moment... when I've finally put my finger on the problem... I need an accountability partner!