and a little something else

Click here: Tree Of Life Silent Auction

These lovely freeform ornaments are being auctioned off for charity. The bidding starts off at $10. ANd no, not a single one is a lump of coal.
The deadline is December 3, 2007.

http://adoptalamb.blogspot.com
Don't know what to get that particular person on your gift list this year? You can adopt a lamb in that person's name and get a cool thank you from your lamb / sheep / ram. Or you could adopt a lamb for yuorself or buy a t-shirt that says "I saved the lambs" or cards. The lambs don't come to your house and sit for 4 hours, eating up all your leftovers and wondering why you're not refilling their glass of soda as frequently as they would like. They also don't borrow money from you or call you up asking you stupid questions. (hmmm, I think I'm venting here.) Definitely worth checking out.

And here's a little piece of free advice from me - do _not_ ever leave the weaving in the ends part of a granny square project until after the assembly. I have no idea what I was thinking, perhaps I thought the "weave in ends fairy" was going to stop by and do it for me. But nope, didn't happen. I am currently making a granny square tree skirt for my sons and this is just what I did, waited until the end. *wow* am I _dumb_! but I got to finish that part so I can put an edging on it. Maybe it's just me, but doing it all at once seems so long and _boring_....but I definitely learned my lesson - and hopefully you won't make that mistake...
what _was_I thinking? Must be too much Diet Caffeine Free Pepsi....

fm 2 weeks worth

*See "shameless plug" at the bottom of this post.

Sorry for disappearing last week. Blogger apparently was not happy and would not post this blog. I tried for a few days but I gave up Wednesday night. I had to worry about putting together a Thanksgiving dinner.

Okay, here's a mixed bag of freebies as well as interesting articles for you:


Want to whip up a quick gift? This dishcloth looks really cool. You could co-ordinate it to match your or someone else's kitchen. Who couldn't use more dishclothes?
Crochet Garterlac Dishcloth
Crochet Patterns Only - http://crochetpatternsonly.blogspot.com/

Want to know what Vickie Howell from "Knitty Gritty" is doing while she's not on tv? I mean, besides writing books and making personal appearances? She's got a blog where you can learn more about the show and Vickie:
http://vickiehowell.blogspot.com

Do you get inspiration from a photograph? This is beautiful, but the site says it can also be used as a wine bag. Would it be proper to put Boones Farm Strawberry wine in a $100 bag;)
check it out:
Christensen & Sigersen Crochet Purse Evening Bag
http://allwomenstalk.com/christensen-sigersen-crochet-purse-evening-bag/

Soap bags - despite the name of the blog, the soap bags are crocheted. They are pretty neat.
Simple Knits - http://simpleknits.blogspot.com/
Despite the name, it's crocheted. It's also beautiful.

If you getting a gift for a child this year, you might want to think about making it instead of buying it due to all the Chinese toys being recalled (and more every day). Check out this site for Caron Rainbow Bear
http://www.michaels.com/art/online/projectsheet?pid=e06095&categoryid=122011

Here's a site that haws a lot of free crochet toy patterns:

Click here: A Crochet Toy Chest: Retro Patterns

Here's something I think is unusual - a Darth Vader Tabasco cover - crocheted. I'm not a Tabasco eater, but I imagine it could be useful for somebody:
http://dayna.tdgservices.com/ShowPattern.aspx?PatternID=31

A brain slug is what I feel like somedays. Apparently, now I can crochet one:

Click here: crochetcrochet: free brain slug pattern

This site has patterns for some of the most amazing crocheted animals I have ever seen. The detail is wonderful - you have to see it.
http://littlegreen.typepad.com/romansock/

Here is the code for free shipping from Herrschners for orders over $35.00 until December 24, 2007: B12
www.herrschners.com

Want to make something a little different for yourself or a loved one? How about bead crocheting? Here's a tutorial from the "Beadwrangler" herself:
Click here: bead crochet dot com



*This is a shameless plug for my own Cafe' Press store:
http://www.cafepress.com/whitelionshop
And yes, if you buy something from this particular Cafe' Press store, I do make money off of it. I d0 _not_ make money off the other sites given. I would take a kickback, but nobody offers me one;)

freebie Monday 11/12/07

Most of you probably know about the "Annie's Attic" site, but I especially liked this one:
_Annie's Hooked on Crochet!: Free Pattern of the Week - Ribbon Candy Afghan_
(http://www.annieshookedoncrochet.com/freepatternoftheweek.html)


I like Stevie Nicks, from Fleetwood Mac to her solo career. Another crocheter likes her so much, a lot of her crocheting has to do with Stevie Nicks:
http://www.theedgeof17.com/crochet/


How about a crocheted earring tutorial? This is really cool.
kardemumma - http://krumbukta.blogspot.com/

For those of you who can't get enough granny squares, here's a picture of a "granny square rec room".
http://pattihaskins.files.wordpress.com/2007/11/mocca_4.jpg


And here's the pattern for the purse you'll need in the "granny square rec room". You might lose it there, but what the heck: http://www.berroco.com/exclusives/mika/mika.html

Wondering want to whip up quickly for a gift exchange? Try this fancy dish cloth:
http://crochet.about.com/od/kitchenpatterns/a/cstfancloth.htm


Priscilla Hewitt has some lovely free patterns for Christmas (and other times as well). Check out her terrific website: http://members.aol.com/lffunt/christmas.htm

Another "quickie" for a gift exchange - you could make them in Christmas colors or maybe to match something else:
http://www.craftzine.com/blog/archive/2007/11/crochet_coaster_flower_pattern.html?CMP=OTC-5JF307375954

And now for the winner of the Sylvia Cosh "The Crochet Sweater Book". It's CrochetLassie, I have emailed her for her snail mail address. Thanks to all who participated in the contest.

"Comfie Bear"

I've said this before, I have the "Crochet Pattern A Day 2007" on my desk at work. There's many great patterns in there, but the Wednesday, November 7 pattern really touched me. (It's also for the 8th & 9th.) It's by Noreen Crone-Findlay and it's "small but powerful". I am a great fan of M's Crone-Findlay's work and love reading her blog - especially the "Tottie Tomato" stories.
www.crone-findlay.com

The pattern in the calendar is for a small bear, maybe all of two inches. The head is shaped perfectly, the face has a lot of character to it. That's always hard to do with stuffed animals - or at least I think so. M's Crone-Findlay has a lot of experience making great dolls and animals - she wrote the "Creative Crocheted Dolls: 50 Whimisical Designs" book which I find very helpful. Maybe to me the most powerful image is the heart button. It reminds me in some vague way of the panda bear I made to be buried with my younger sister. Something about this little bear image comforts me in a way I don't quite understand. I just wanted to bring attention to this particular pattern to see if anybody else felt the same way.

As usual, I get no kickbacks from anything I mentioned. And as usual, I will say I am always open to kickbacks;) I'm just pointing out a sweet little pattern.

F.M. 11/5/07

I'm _baaacckk_. I'm not totally "with it" but then again, I never have been.
So here's your first for this Freebie Monday.

Want to learn how to do seamless single crochet, which is very important in amigurami and hats - here's the tutorial for you:
http://www.futuregirl.com/craft_blog/2006/10/tutorial-seamless-single-crochet.html

Another one of my favorite spots, Purple Kitty, has free vintage Christmas crochet (as well as knit) patterns:
www.purplekittyyarns.com/

I know this is late for Halloween, but I will forget this completely by next year. My cats would never stand for being dressed, but my oldest sister dresses up her cats all the time - go figure that one out.
http://www.craftzine.com/blog/archive/2007/10/crochet_candy_corn_pet_sweater.html?CMP=OTC-5JF307375954


http://crochet-patterns-techniques.suite101.com/article.cfm/the_crochet_circle_recipe_i
--
Have you ever looked at a size 7 steel hook and wondered "gee, I wonder if I could perform surgery with this? No, I haven't either. But a surgeon did look at it and currently uses it to repair varicose veins - check it out:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071022122214.htm

I don't know if the next two are repeats. If so, I apolegize:

Tiny cake patterns
http://www.normalynn.info/freepatterns.html

This one would have been better suited for Halloween, but as I said, I'll just forget it by next year - a crochet hamburger dress:
http://www.craftzine.com/blog/archive/2007/10/crochet_hamburger_dress.html?CMP=OTC-5JF307375954

This would also have been better suited for Halloween, but maybe you need a gift for a quirky friend of family member. Not exactly my cup of tea, but Lady Linoleum always has cool stuff.
The Saw That Dripped Blood...SCARF!
Monster Crochet - http://monstercrochet.blogspot.com/

Stitch markers seem mostly made for knitters. Here's a site that shows you stitch markers for crocheters. Pretty cool stuff and looks relatively easy. You could whip up some for yourself or a crocheting friend:
Crafty Daisies - http://craftydaisies.com
http://crochet-patterns-techniques.suite101.com/article.cfm/the_crochet_circle_recipe_ii


Another one suited for Halloween but I am considering making this for my younger son (26 years old). He loved "The Nightmare before Christmas and I think he'd like the dog. This is a great pattern:
jack skellington's dog
http://lizville.livejournal.com/100801.html


and here's the last freebie of the day. I am having a drawing for the book "The Crochet Sweater Book" by Sylvia Cosh with James Walters. You may be more familiar with those names due to their freeform work. Just email me - 1 email per person please - and I will announce the winner next Monday. Please, no whining, begging or pleading - I get enough of that at work;)

_enjoy_