Sites I Visit

I wanted to yack about the links I put on here and tell you why I like them. I'll just go down the list!

Blogs

• What Not To Crochet Is a site I ran into while browsing other crochet blogs. It brings together patterns that are so nauseating to look at or... just... UGH, but of course, very entertaining.
• Coffee Crochet My two FAVORITE things. Witty entries and great patterns. Pull up a seat and grab a cup.
• Crochet by the Hook A wonderful designer named Dot. I've been watching this blog for quite some time. Awsome patterns: Hats, Scarves, Ponchos, and much more.
• Good Hooking Another blog I found while browsing (which I do quite a bit).
• Karen's Knitting and Crochet Parlor She has GREAT TASTE!
• Gadgetfreaks Park OK OK OK, I have another fetish... Gadgets. I spend a small fortune on batteries every year. My kids? Yes, they have lots of gadgets too. I have a $300 Dell Axim X5, a very expensive calculator. I love it. My cell phone for instance, camera, calendar, e-mail, web, calculator, I.M. What do I use it for? To talk to people. period. Do I want the new phone that does it all? OF COURSE! It has a camera, keyboard, walkie talkie, calculator... what would I do with it? Talk to people. (does everything have a calculator?)

Other sites I visit

• Annies Attic I visit this site AT LEAST once a day, sometimes more. Ever since they updated their site, I have to see what the pattern of the day is, do the poll and read the blog. Most of my crochet supplies and patterns have probably come from Annies Attic.
• Crochet Pattern Central The First place I look when looking for something specific. A HUGE collection of free patterns nicely organized into easy to find catagories. If you haven't seen this site... GO THERE NOW!
• Crochet Me and For the Love of Yarn Online magazines with patterns, tips, articles, and classified ads.
• Berocco The patterns are WOW. Check out the funky 70's colors shrug I made. And where can you buy Berocco yarn?
• at Yarn Market of course.
• WOOT!!! What can I say about Woot? One thing a day, $5 s & h. Remember my gadget fettish? I try to get here right when the new product is starting, wouldn't want to miss out because when it's gone... it's gone.
• USGS Recent Earthquake Activity What is USGS you say? United States Geological Survey. You may have seen that I am going for a batchelors in geology. Yes... Rocks. I love rocks. As one professor proclaims, "they have feelings too." I've been almost a Junior at ISU for quite a while. I WILL return and finish. Food first.
• Pogo Games... what else is there to say... LOTS AND LOTS of games.
• Apogee Design Inc. This is what my husband is doing. He graduated with an engineering degree in computer science and instead of working for somebody else, is giving this a go. EVERYBODY WISH HIM LOTS O'LUCK.
• Silver Jewelry Club You know those crackpot get stuff for free sites? This really is legit. Well, $5.99 s & h and you get yourself a very cool... piece of silver jewelry. They have 4 item online at a time and it revolves in and out throughout the day so check back often.
• Think Geek Stuff for the smart masses! hehe, lots of gadgets, caffeine, funny shirts (everybody loves funny shirts).

And last but not least

• Joann Fabric and Craft Another craft store, but I tend to just visit their store we have in town. Good sales.

That's that. Most of my favorite places on the big w.w.w. These are mostly the reason I don't get more crocheting done.

Crocheted purse

I finished my nylon thread purse!

It's been a looooong week. Last night was my 7th grave shift in a row and I'm exhausted. Finaly had time to finish the purse though. It didn't use as much of the thread as I thought it would. I still have a roll and half of each color left. Enough to make ANOTHER purse! Maybe some accessory holders, cell phone, PDA, change, etc. I love purses but they have to have LOTS of pockets.

My next project???????? No idea. I just bought the new Interweave Crochet Spring 2006 issue. I LOVE the Juanita Top and the Lacy Leaf Cacoon. Eenie Meenie Miney Moe. Of course, I also bought a khaki shoulder strap for a new purse. I'll have to look in my stash to see if I have anything that would match.

I would like to take time tonight and tell you about the links I put on my site. In the last week or so I have been reading other crochet blogs and have ran across some awsome ones. I plan on adding a "Great Blogs" list to my sidebar also. And since it's back to work tomarrow night for the rest of the week I'd better get this done tonight.

Hand made stitch markers

A couple of months ago I saw some handmade beaded stitch markers on E-bay and thought, "I can make those." So, off to the craft store to buy beads and wire. I just wanted a couple sets for myself and a few select friends. I got carried away and ended up making around 30 sets of all colors and sizes. SOOOOOOO, well, I tried to sell them on e-bay! I only sold 2 sets and now i have a few sets of knit stitch markers that fit onto the needles and I have open ended stitch markers that just fit over the work.

If you are interested in purchasing any just drop me a note. I would be happy to show you more.

HAPPY EASTER!!!

HAPPY EASTER EVERYBODY!


I hope everybody has a wonderful holiday with LOTS OF CANDY!!!

I've found that working with the nylon is a little ... stiff. I love the way it looks and the way it hangs though. I'm also pretty happy with the colors. I'm having trouble finding time to do anything except work or sleep.

I love this pattern for a baby blanket from Mary Maxim. It uses 2 strands of Bernat Baby Coordinate held together and finishes up soft. I had to substitute for the peach in the original and used a darker pink instead.

Scrap yarn scarves Using size 50 knitting needles and 4-6 strands of specialty yarns combined with sport and worsted weight yarn.

Ok, speaking of knitting... I've tried, I can, I just can't get into it. The only problem is I LOVE THE LOOK. So, i'm biting my tongue and once in a while i'll pick up the needles and work on a sweater for the baby that I started. I bought a beginners knitting machine, played with it twice last year, haven't picked it up again. Maybe when I have a few days to do nothing but sit and knit I'll start a small project that I can finish.

graveyard shift

I've been working the graveyard shift at the restaurant I work at and it totaly screws up my days. It's not too bad because my husband works from home so I get to sleep. It also takes away most of my crochet time which is usually after the kids go to bed. BUT, I have had a chance to start the nylon thread ripple stitch purse I wanted to make!!! I'll try to get some pix posted as I go along. For now it's get the kids off to school and get some sleep.

Finished!

Now I can start on another purse. I'll be using the J.P. Coats Crochet Nylon that I bought. I was going to go for a chevron stitch. There is a pattern for one in my new purse pattern book I ALSO bought!

I would like to mention a new online crochet magazine called For the Love of Yarn. I ran across this while reading other crochet blogs. I will most definatley be adding this site to my site links. I LOVE IT. It incorporates patterns, articles, classifieds, and more into one easy to navigate, great looking site. CHECK IT OUT!!!

Just a couple more of my finished projects.

These are my most recent ones. I mentioned the Berocco shrug already (yesterday I think), what I didn't mention is what I did with the extra yarn. CrochetMe magazine has and AWSOME spike stitch pattern tutorial. I used this to make a matching drawstring clutch to go with the shrug.



The other project I just finished was in One Skein Kitchen Projects from Annies Attic. I made the placemats, hanging wall pocket, and shopping bag (alot smaller than I thought it was) for a friend who just bought a new house.

Went shopping!

Is it so terrible to get excited about a craft store closing? I mean... doesn't it mean that EVERYTHING goes on SALE? I just had to go. I couldn't see buying more yarn (even on sale) when I've been trying to get rid of excess anyway. Instead... I bought nylon thread! Pale pink and beige. I've seen the neatest purses made out of this and have been dying to try it out. I have a huge purse fettish anyway.
Since the store has been closing for two weeks, the pattern selection was down to doilies and dishcloths, I did happen to find two books that i've been thinking about getting "sometime". Lion Brands Just Scarves and Crochet Bags by Candi Jensen, speaking of purses. At 30% off I couldn't pass them up.
Now I just need to finish up the bag I'm working on now. I just have to finish up the strap, and then I can get to work! I'll also work on putting on more pictures of finished projects.

This is my sister-in-law Emily.

I mad this lapghan from Lion Brand Homespun for my sister-in-law Lindsi and her new husband Tim.

Isn't the carpet HIDEOUS??? It came with our house that was built in 1930. The baby blanket on the other hand is one of my favorites.

let's get started

<-- What i'm doing in almost all pictures of me. This is my wedding in 2001.





Maybe a good place to start is by showing you some of my projects that i've done over the last few years.

I made this for my daughter Mariah on her 4th birthday. She was going to be a big sister and to make her feel a little better about not being the baby anymore we remodled her room into a "big girl" room.

The dress in the middle ended up finding it's home on a Cabbage Patch Kid of my friends daughter. The dress on the bottom took me about 3 weeks. It's done with #10 thread and I searched forever for the pattern. It's in a discontinued book called Frilly Frocks. Since then, I have made one more (pictured on my Gypsy monster) and have had yet another sitting in a bag to "work on when I have time."

Lately I've just been trying to get rid of my leftovers. I went and bought a set of 50 knitting needles and have been using 5-6 strands of whatever I have (some even sort of match!) and making scarves. Maybe I should have done that BEFORE winter started. Oh well.

I've also been making shrugs and boleros. I made this awsome shrug last month. I even ordered the yarn so it was exactly the same colors (reminds me of my 70's baby blankie!) and it's soooo soft. One thing I found out... winding hanks into balls by hand is a real pain. Maybe I should invest in a ball winder... hmmmm.

Hello there!
I'm Fadrah and I'm going to give this blog thing a shot, I felt a little left out.
I have a few interests... OK, OK, OK, I have little nooks all around the house with "stuff of interest."
*BOOKS --> I LOVE to read, I think i've read 4-5 books in the last month, and no, they don't have pictures. All kinds of books, I'm on a fantasy kick right now.
*CROCHET --> learned how to do a chain when I was little... really got "hooked" (sorry) when I was sitting home preggo with #3 (she's an... active... child) in 2004. I haven't put it down since. *ROCKS --> Along with being a full time + mother & wife and Full time + restaurant slave I sometimes work on getting my bachelors degree in geology. I've been almost a Junior for... oh... 3 years. It's sort of a one class at a time deal while my husband is getting his business going (www.apogeeinvent.com).

WELCOME TO MY LIFE!