your old VHS tapes

I bet you're thinking "Gee, what am I going to do with that VHS of 'Pretty Woman' ? I've seen it _way_ too many times, but it seems wasteful just to toss it. If there only was a way to recycle it...."
well, ponder that problem no longer. There's a site that shows you how to take apart a VHS tape to harvest the tape within. And from this bountiful harvest, you can make yourself (or anyone else) a cool little purse:
http://www.craftbits.com/viewProject.do?projectID=1816

Think how happy you would be, carrying a crocheted video to your next movie outing or to work. I haven't tried this yet, but I'm curious. It could be difficult to work with, being sort of slippery, but I am going to give it a shot. After all, you could say some major Oscar winners had a part in making your new purse - and you'd be right;)

_enjoy_

Payton Update:
Tomorrow Payton and his family are going to Busch Gardens courtesy of WIYY, 98 Rock. The family is very happy and excited to go. My sister (Payton's grandmother) said she will be quite happy to push the stroller for Payton's younger brother, John Charles. It sounds as if a good time will be had by all.



Link

Another freebie

I know Annie's Attic does a free crochet pattern a day
http://www.anniesattic.com/free_pattern_day/index.html
and there's some very cool patterns there. The other day Annie's Attic featured a pattern by one of my friends, Angel Rhett - and that was very cool. (I've crocheted for Angel before)...

but here's another one:

Click here: Free Crochet Pattern of the Day from The Daily Crocheter


so now you have at least _2_ free patterns to check out a day:) That's always a good thing.

And since we're on the subject of free patterns, I particularly like Lion Brand Yarns website.
here's their link:http://www.lionbrand.com/content-crochetPatternIndex.html
They have some great free patterns. I have to tell you that when I buy Lion Brand Yarns, I not only search for the dye lot number, but also I check out the patterns. I have been known to buy a skein of yarn I wasn't that interested in (color wise) because of the pattern on the sleeve. Stupid, I know, but if you ever searched for their sock pattern or the famous "tiny teddy", you know what I mean.

Speaking of Lion Brand Yarns, Jo-ann Fabrics is having a yarn sale at their stores. I purchased a few skeins of "Mystery" because this was the first time I remember seeing it and it was on sale to boot. As the clerk rang up the sale, she stated that Jo-ann's wouldn't be carrying that particular color anymore. I don't know if some colors are being phased out, but I thought "good grief, they are discontinuing yarn before I even have a chance to try it out". How can that even be possible? Are I just slow to catch on to the new yarn? Or do the companies get rid of yarn a lot quicker than they once did?

By the way, I don't get any kickback from any company I mentioned. I'd take it in supplies;)

Payton update:
He is recovering from the broken arm nicely. Hopefully, he will soon be able to enjoy his new playground in his back yard.

take me seriosly;)

It wasn't a great day at work. The posion ivy rash I have itches (not a big deal, it's the way I know summer is officially here)
But here's a link to a video that makes me laugh and I hope it will make you laugh, also....
or at least bring a grin to your face...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yyI_aueGvho


_enjoy_.....no I don't get a kickback from YouTube....but as always, I can be bought...(just don't go for the "by the pound rate" - you will definitely be sorry;))

When the numbers get serious

Wonder how companies decide whether to publish knitting or crocheting patterns? Probably based on the number requests they receive from knitters or crocheters. Berocco had a poll and the numbers are skewered towards knitting. That seems weird to me because everything I have read says there are more crocheters than knitters. Do knitters contact yarn companies more? Are crocheters too quiet?
Check out the results.


http://berroco.yarn-shops.com/polls/pollpage.php

Crochet in?

Apparently there was a bit of a ruckus at the TNNA (The National Needlearts Association) summer trade show. The crocheters decided to make some noise and have a "crochet-in". Nope, I wasn't there, but I read all about it at this link:

Click here: DesigningVashti: TNNA Report #1: Crocheters Unite!

You may recognize M's Braha's name as she is a very popular designer (and rightly so) and she also is running a '70's crochet book read-along. Check out her site if you want to see more.

Payton update:
As you know, the healing from the chemical burns will take a very long time. His family decided to build Payton and his brother John Charles a playground in the backyard. Seems reasonable, after all they could enjoy it whenever they wanted to. Payton fell off and broke his arm. The doctors don't expect any complications from it and will re-evaluate it in a week to see if the arm still needs a splint. I know "boys will be boys" but this is just ridiculous.

Croq, "The Trash Issue"

In the mail today, I received the May 2007, issue 9 of "Croq". I had ordered it, so that's not a big surprise to me. I took a quick glance at it before fixing supper and what I seen _did_ surprise me.
On page 5, there's a picture of the two bees I made for my great-nephews. Now, I knew I sent the photos, but I didn't expect to see them so quickly (it wasn't that long ago when I emailed them).
My short email is under the picture.
The current issue has another great amigurumi pattern by Tamie Snow of Roxycraft.com
This pattern is of MoMo the octopus. I think I will make 2 of them in contrasting colors for my greatnephews, but I'll embroider the eyes instead of using buttons.
If you're interested in getting a copy of "Croq" (the current or the back issues) , here's the website:
www.CROQzine.com
Check it out, there's an article about making your plastic bags into "yarn", tax pointers for the indie business owner as well as a lot of other cool projects. I can tell you one project I probably won't try and that's the soap making project. Way back, many years ago, when dinosaurs roamed the earth;) I was in high school and took physical science. One of the labs was making a bar of soap. My teammates and I created the most potent soap_ever_. It ate through the aluminum foil holder and into the desk. We followed the directions and used the proper proportions. The teacher said she had never seen that happen before. (And it didn't happen to my other classmates, either). So I think that might be a project better left undone by me.


Payton update:
He is slowly getting used to being home, he's started the physical therapy on an outpatient basis. He seems okay, but it's a long road to recovery.

Link

crocheted butterflies

You're probably familiar with Noreen Crone-Findlay's lovely crochet work (there's a great book, "Creative Crocheted Dolls: 50 Whimisical Designs") . She also does spool knitting (she has a blog about it -http://www.lionbrand.com/lbyarnblog7/)
and loom weaving, among her many other talents. She did a beautiful ccrocheted butterfly wrap in "Knit 1" magazine last year. I'm not a knitter, but I did buy the magazine for that shawl pattern. Currently, M's Crone-Findlay is preparing for her daughter's wedding and creating beautiful crocheted butterflies in silk thread for her daughter's wedding gown. I subscribe to M's Crone-Findlay's blog "Hankering for Yarn" and I am alway delighted by what she creates. I was thinking last night I want to put some butterflies on a pair of capris I have - just to make them a little different I'd been kicking the idea around, thinking would I really embroider these capris before the end of summer. M's Crone-Findlay's blog entry for today showed up, along with her beautiful crocheted butterfly instructions. I'd encourage any of you who are interested in various crochetings to check out her blog. It is terrific. And no, I do not get a kickback or any sort of payment from M's Crone-Findlay. (I would take it, though)
Here's the website: http://www.hankeringforyarn.com

Payton update:
Payton is home and quite happy to be home (and so is his family). He has to returnon an outpatient basis for physical therapy and monitoring, but hopefully he wil have a good and less stressful summer. He's also happy to see his little brother.
A local radio station (WIYY, 98Rock, Baltimore, MD) is sponsoring a trip to Busch Gardens as a benefit for Payton. Here's the website if you live in the area and would like to go on this bus trip:
http://www.98online.com/mickey-amelia.asp

Now for your next cook-out;)

This blog is really a fun blog. The person crochets the item, than writes a little story about it. But what she has is a free pattern for (are you ready - drum roll, please) a crocheted hot dog. How cool is that? The pattern is clear and precises and looks really cute.
I also like the watermelon slice purse (and the story). She doesn't have a pattern for it (I asked) but it should be easy to figure out.
So if you're wondering what to do for your next cook-out, check this link out:
http://bittersweetblog.wordpress.com/tag/crochet/

I wonder how it would look with mustard and relish on it;)

Payton update:
Payton will be leaving Mount Washington Pediatric Hospital on June 6, 2007. He still faces a long time of rehab. Poor kid has to wear Jobst stockings for 23 out of 24 hours a day. But we're quite happy he's going to be out of the hospital and be home. Thanks for all the support and kindness

hot crochet

Okay, I know that term probably has been used to death in connection with this particular link, but it works.
You may (or may not) be familiar with Bjork, an Icelandic singer. She was originally with the Sugarcubes, she did a song for the opening of the 2004 Summer Olympics ("Oceania") and Madonna sings one of her songs "Bedtime Story" on Madonna's cd "Bedtime Stories". If you don't know her music, this may trigger your memory as to who she is - she is the performer that wore the "swan dress" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bjork#The_swan_dress

Anyway, she has a new cd out ("Volta") and the "alternative cover" (for Poland and Latin America) is this little number
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Voltalatino.png

A crocheted outfit that has flames coming off of it! How hot is _that_? I have no idea whether she made it herself or purchased it, but it's definitely a different look for crochet. I don't know why it is the alternative cover just for Poland and Latin America, perhaps it has a deeper meaning for those folks? Check it out for yourself.

Payton Update:
It looks as if Payton will be coming home on Wednesday, June 6. He still has a cery long way to go with the rehab, but I know Payton will be happy to be back home.

The sea creatures you'll see

I haven't been to the beach in ages. I _like_ the beach, but I also don't like getting sunburnned. I can stay outside for 15 minutes & get a sunburn. As to sunscreens, they do work - but not as well as I think they should. I mean, SPF 45 should allow me to stay outside 45 times longer than what I could without it (that's my reasoning) without getting fried. It doesn't work that way for me. Sometimes I think I should just use Crisco;) When I smeeled the skin burning, I'd know it was time to get out of the sun.
But I do have a deep appreciation of the ocean and the creatures that live in it. I was a volunteer at the National Aquarium in Baltimore for about a year or so and I really liked talking about the displays and doing demonstrations. I don't have any pet fish because I flunked goldfish.

So you're wondering, what does this have to do with crochet? well, here's the link
http://hellejorgensen.typepad.com/photos/artcraft/index.html
M's Jorgensen has made some fantastic looking sea creatures out of crochet. I don't remember seeing any of them at the National Aquarium (or at the beaches I've been to) but they are amazing to look at - the polypod is cool but the sea aneome is really awesome. There's also an interview with her in the April issue of "Crochet Insider"

http://crochetinsider.com/Helle.html

Her work reminds me of something I read, where the crochet artist spoke of using her crochet hook as a sculpturing tool. (Was that "Crocheting in Plain English" by Maggie Righetti or maybe the freeform team of Sylvia Cosh and James Walters - "The Crochet Workbook" ? I'm not sure.)

So if you're limited to beach excursions because of that whole work thing (having to pay the mortgage, feed the bunny and buy yarn), you can see a little ocean beauty in crochet. I don't think there are patterns for the creatures, but you could get inspired enough to try to make them on your own.
_enjoy_

Link