Proud To Announce!

WooHoo...Can you say FREE??? I like free and free likes me.....and my pocket book. :)

Free Newsletters are a constant source of new patterns and ideas. Free E-books are the sweetest little trend to come down the pike! I've been blessed enough to have my Sweet & Simple Shawl pattern published in a free E-book. I love that my pattern is in the hands of many people at NO COST to them.

I have the distinct pleasure of being able to provide you, my readers, with some free Newsletters and E-Books from All-Free Crochet and All-Free Knitting! ------------->>>>

On the right hand side bar of my blog you will find two pictures, one crochet, one knitting. Click on those to take you to the website to take advantage of your free Newsletters & E-Books. I already get their newsletters and I look forward to each one. But I went ahead and downloaded both E-Books too. I'm excited!! :) Some highlights of the One-Skein Crochet E-Book are some lovely shawl patterns, a really cute bunny and a baby ear flap hat. The Kniting E-Book has a great variety of accessories, clothing items including plus sizes and some home decor items. I can't wait to dive into each of them!

Always remember....great resources don't always have to come at great cost.

Thank you AllFreeCrochet.com and AllFreeKnitting.com for being such great resources of FREE and FUN patterns and ideas! :)

Happy Crocheting....and Knitting!! ;-)

So....I got a haircut.....

I have been in a very unhappy place with my hair since moving to Florida. I miss my stylist, Dani, so much. I could just sit down in the chair and say Ok....make it shaggy, make it edgy, make it look good and I loved it every time. She would just ask me, ok, how short? So after being here for a year and finding a stylist I'm ok with, I've been contemplating how hard would it be to become rich and famous so I could just charter a jet and fly Dani down to see me every 6 weeks or so?

I like what Rhonda did with my hair this time. And we are working towards this haircut:
I found an article about the shape of your face and what kind of haircut you should have to accent your face shape, etc. Apparently, I have had the wrong hair cut for at least 2 years now. What a bummer! I need to grow my hair quite a bit. Shouldn't take too long. My hair grows really fast. Rhonda asked me if I was going to go blonde with it.....? Um. I don't think so. I was blonde in my youth. I don't think it's my "look" anymore. :) We'll see though. I am Florida "babe" now. LOL!!

I have been doing a fat loss program for 2-1/2 weeks now. I have only lost about 10lbs, but my body is shrinking like a shrinky dink. Here's the website. It is a great program. In the last two days I have been terrible about drinking my water (I drink a 1/2 gallon a day) and eating when I'm supposed to. AND I've been craving cupcakes and crappy food like crazy. I have to keep telling myself..." I will not sabotage myself!" over and over again. I had gotten really, really big over the last year and I'm so glad to be doing something proactive towards a healthier me. However, I do realize that I didn't get this way over night and I won't lose all the weight over night. This is a marathon, not a sprint. I was never very good at running no matter the distance...so thank God my husband has decided to jump into the "coach" role with me to keep me motivated. Love that man.....

Anyway, with this new body starting to happen, I want to define my look a little differently than I have in the past. I am tired of looking like the frumpy dumpy 40 year old mama. Hence, the growing out of the hair and the new do. I will never have Jessica Simpson's neck....oh I wish. I will forever have a 3" neck...my trapezius muscles are just too big from all those years of lifting weights and now all the stress causes me to look "bunchy" and "squat". Oh well, I am what I am and that's all that I am.....

I am a small woman. I'm only 5'1". I would love any suggestions on different clothing cuts to look for......all you crafty people with an eye for fashion.....:)

Hector The Tiny Puppy pattern

Hector The Tiny Puppy
By Elizabeth Mareno 2012

Supplies:
Small amts each of:
Tan WW yarn (used Caron SS 'Bone')
Darker brown ww for contrast color (used 'I love this yarn' from Hobby Lobby)
Black for eyes and mouth
F hook
Lg eye needle for assembly & embroidery
Fiberfill stuffing

Finished size: 3-1/4" tall

Body:
R1- ch2, 6sc in 2nd ch from hook, do not join (6)
R2- 2sc in each sc around (12)
R3- (sc in 1sc, 2sc in next sc) around, (18)
R4- (sc in 2sc, 2sc in next sc) around (24)
R5-R7- sc in each sc (24)
R8- (sc in 2sc, sc dec) around (18)
R9- sc in each sc
R10- (sc in 1sc, sc dec) around (12)STUFF
R11- (sc dec) around (6)
R12- sc in each.
Finish off. Tuck in ends

Head:
R1-R3- Repeat as for body
R4-R5- sc in each (18)
R6- (sc in 1sc, sc dec) around (12)
R7- sc in each. STUFF
R8- (sc in 1sc, sc dec) around (8)
Finish off. Leave a long end for attaching the head. Sew the head centered on the body.

Muzzle: w/contrasting color
R1- ch2, 8sc in 2nd ch from hook (8)
R2- sc in each
Finish off. Leave long end for attaching. Do not stuff.
**embroider nose on with black before attaching to the front of the face**
Sew muzzle to front of face.

Ears: w/contrasting color Make 2
R1- ch2, 7sc in 2nd ch from hook (7)
R2-5- sc in each sc
R6- (sc in 1sc, sc dec) twice, sc in last sc (5)
Finish off, leaving long end. Flatten end and sew one to each side of the head.

Tail: w/contrasting color
Ch6, sc in 2nd ch and next ch, hdc in last 3 ch's.
Finish off and sew to butt with 'curve' facing up.

Back Legs: w/contrasting color
RIGHT:
R1- ch3, sc in 2nd ch, 3rd in next ch, 2sc in same sp as 1st sc. (6)
R2- 2sc in 2sc, sc in 1, 2sc in 2sc, sc in last sc, join. (10) do not cut.
Foot: ch4, 4sc in 2nd ch, sl st in last 2 ch, sl st to leg in sm sp as chain 4 and finish off.
Sew to right side of body

LEFT: repeat as for right side
After 'join', sl st in 5, repeat foot.
Sew to left side of body

Front legs, make 2: ch 6, 4sc in 2nd ch from hook, sl st in remaining ch's.
Finish off and sew to front of body.

Happy Crocheting!

How To Whipstitch Afghan Squares

I have had a request from a beginner to explain "how to" put afghan squares together. I thought this might be a fun challenge to see if I can explain it and I'm always up for using my camera. :)

This is my style for whipstitching just about every afghan square together, no matter what blanket I am making. If I am making a blanket with very specific colors, I make sure that the yarn I am using for assembly matches my square edging so that my assembly does not stick out like a sore thumb. However, if I am making a scrap afghan, I will just use the yarn from the square that I am currently working on to attach to the next square.

This first picture shows the length of yarn I typically leave on the square (of this size) so that I can attach it to another scrap square.
Then I will weave my yarn through the back loops of the next two stitches so that I can get over to the "corner". It makes it look so much neater.

This picture shows that I am in the corner and ready to start whipstitching in the "next" stitch, which I will show you in the next set of pictures.

Here the squares are facing you with their "right sides".
Put the "right sides" of your squares together.
This would be the "next stitch" from the corner as shown in the previous pictures. Insert needle from back to front of work.
Go through all four loops, matching up stitch for stitch on both squares.
Here you see the yarn through all four of the first set of loops.Now entering from the same direction as the first set of stitches, do it again. Go through all four loops. You are essentially sewing a "circle" through your stitches.
See how the yarn makes a "circle" or "loop" over the stitches as you pull your yarn through?Continue down the length of the square. I always "end" my whipstitching where I "started" my whipstitching so that my sides are even. I always start my square in the "corner" and end in the "corner". First stitches only, otherwise you will end up throwing off your edging. Every single square gets whipstitched together the exact same way. That way when you go to do your edging and assembly everything fits together perfect, regardless of yarn differences that may make one square stitch up slightly smaller than another. It won't matter to you because you made sure that you had the right amount of stitches at the end of your square and you whipstitched every one of them the same.
Voila, we are done. This is what your whipstitching will look like from the front of your work, with your right sides facing you again.

Rainbow Sparkle Scarf- Beginner Pattern

Rainbow Sparkle Scarf - Beginner
by Elizabeth Mareno 2012

Materials Used:
Yarn Bee- Diva Sequin - Color "Bali"- 1 ball
I Hook
Lg eye needle for finishing

Row 1- Ch22, dc in 6th ch from hook (cts as "dc, ch1"), *ch1, sk next ch, dc in next ch*, repeat *to* across. (10dc, 9 ch1 spaces)
Row 2- ch4, (cts as dc, ch1), turn,*sk ch1 space, dc in next dc, ch1*, repeat *to* across, dc in 5th ch from original ch 6 from the row below.
Row 3- ch4, turn, *sk ch1 space, dc in next dc, ch1*, repeat *to* across, dc in 3rd ch from ch4 from row 2.
Row 4- Finish: Repeat row 3 till you run out of yarn. Finish off and weave in yarn ends.

Do It Your Way Afghan Pattern

Do It Your Way Afghan Pattern
by Elizabeth Mareno 2012

Supplies:
H hook
Scrap worsted weight yarn
Large eye needle for assembly

**I made 90 squares for this lap size blanket. You can use any color combination you want. You can change colors to make rows, or you can make all of the squares the same color. It's all up to you and your creativity! :)**

REGULAR SQUARE:
R1: ch4, sl st to 1st ch to join and make a circle. ch3, make 16 dc in the center of the circle. Join to first dc w/ a sl st. (16 dc)
R2: ch3, (cts as dc), dc in same sp as join, ch2, 2dc in same space (corner made), dc in next 3dc,
*(2dc, ch2, 2dc) in next dc, dc in next 3dc*, repeat from * to * two more times. sl st in next dc and ch 2 sp. (28dc, 4 ch2 sp)
R3: ch3, (cts as dc), dc in ch2 sp, ch2, 2dc in ch2 sp, (corner made), dc in 6dc, *(2dc, ch2, 2dc) in next ch2 sp, dc in 6dc, * repeat from *to* two more times. sl st in ch3 to join. (44dc, 4 ch2 sp)

STRIPED SQUARE:
Repeat the same for regular square through Row 2. Cut yarn after Row 2 and join with a different color for Row 3.

Cut. Leave a long end to whipstich to next square. (I go from one corner ch2 sp to the other) The original version has 9 squares whipstitched in a row. You can do as many squares as you want. This will determine your blanket's width. Once you have your row whipstitched together, put a border on that row.

BORDER: Use a "Main Color"
Starting in the "upper right" corner of your row, join with a sl st in a ch2 space.( Sc, ch2, sc in corner ch2 space, sc in each sc, hdc dec in the ch2 spaces between squares) repeat this around the row, finish with a slip stitch to the first sc. Finish off, leaving a very long end of yarn to whipstitch your rows together.

My personal suggestion would be that you use the same color as your "Main Color" throughout the blanket. This will help to anchor the blanket and pull all of the crazy color combinations together. :)

Create as many rows as you want. My blanket had 10 rows. This will determine the length of your blanket.

When you have all the rows you want, repeat the border around the outside of the whole blanket.

The biggest deal about this blanket?? Have fun with it! Be creative! Use your imagination! :)

Howdy!

Holy cow people! I have been on this roller coaster of food for the last week and a half.

Last week I started doing the Daniel Fast. Www.Daniel-fast.com and I was going to do it for 21 days. Had quite a bit of success. Was feeling really good. Then I had the whole heart scare. I wasn't feeling good that whole day, nor the next few days. But, I was still Danielling it. I dropped 8.2lbs last week.

Then, Sunday, a lady at church asked me if she could sponsor me in the 90 day faith and fat loss challenge that our church is hosting. I was supposed to be helping her with admin stuff for this 90 day challenge. But, getting sick I couldn't be there. I had wanted to do the challenge, but it's a $250 registration and we just didn't have the extra $. So for her to sponsor me is a pretty big deal to me!
More info: www.faithandfatloss.com

I am starting today. I'm really excited. If you go to the website, it's the Pensacola challenge. You can win $ in this thing. And honestly? I feel up to the challenge!! :-)

So....wish me luck. I'm even planning on posting pictures of myself. Just promise me you won't run away screaming "My Eyes!!! My Eyes!!"