Navajo Plying

My friend Maven asked me to re-spin some silk for her.  The yarn was a lace weight and she wanted it a little thicker so she could use it.  It is more a sock or sport weight now. The first photo is how the yarn came to me.  The second and third photo is what the yarn is and dye lot encase someone likes it you can look for it.

 
If you want to see what it looked like after it was respun please go to the read-more area of this post
The 4th and 5th photos are of it re-spun with a Navajo ply technique one on the spinning wheel and the other off after it was wet and hung to get out kinks and then put back into hanks for shipping.

This type of plying which makes a spun yarn three times thicker than before it was re-plied.  It also make a more tweed like look to the yarn.  Below if the finished product back in hanks to be shipped to my friend today in New York.  Bad lighting on the photo below I will try and take another photo before I ship the yarn and update this post.

Mom's lace

I made this piece of Romanian Point lace when I was teaching myself many years ago from an image i saw on the internet.  It has lots of mistakes in it and things are a little wonky.  But you know she loved it and had it her front room for many many years.  Yesterday my father in law gave it back to me.  Sort of a happy bitter moment happy thoughts of mom bitter becasue I will not see her in this life again.

Gift from Sister

gift from sister in law, originally uploaded by sunshine's creations.

My sister (by marriage but a true sister in my heart) gave me this nice pair of gloves the other day that she made. We had discussed that I needed lots of gloves for winter and fall. I have been trying to make some but not progressing as fast as I would like and would need. I asked if she could help me with this. She was gracious and said yes I was happy to get all the supplies and needles for her so it wouldn't cost her a thing I was so grateful for the help. She made a pair for me. It was her very first set of gloves she has ever made. I feel very honored to wear them and they are made well too. She combined a few patterns to come up with these so not only are they her first pair but becasue she combined so many different pattern it is her own pattern as well because of all the modifications. thank you ever so much Danica.. Much love and appreciation.

Crochet Yo-yo giveaway...Blogiversary

I am celebrating my book and my blogs anniversary together.

I received a few copies of my book in the mail yesterday and want to share with my readers.  Please leave your comment at the end of this post to be entered into a drawing for a signed copy of this book.  The books winner will be drawn and announced on July 5th.

Make sure you leave a way for me to get a hold of you or I will have to draw a different winner.  thanks and good luck

Update: to answer a question in the comments yes I am willing to ship the prize any where in the world if the post goes there.

For those who are new to my blog this is where the pattern is for the crochet piece featured in my blog banner.

Friendship Bracelet

In high-school many years ago I learned how to make friendship bracelets no big deal. My friend Noelle was sitting across from me in art class making a simple one just stripes. We had both finished our art assignments so I just watched her for the last 5 mins. of class. That night I went home and tried to do what I had seen her do. Only I was on the opposite side of the table when watching her so it was all upside down and backwards. But because of that I figured out how the knot worked both forward and backwards. So I played with it for a few hours that night. By the time I went to bed I had figured out how to write words into the bands. After that I was making bracelets all the time for my Sk8ing buddies I probably made several hundred name ones by the time I left high school and probably over a thousand normal ones . I have made some since high-school but not many mainly for my children and such. Yesterday I found out one of those old buddies has a new baby so it seamed fitting to make this for John. From one old skater to another for his kids. I wonder how many of those old bracelets are still kicking around in my friends houses. Probably not to many. I have used cotton crochet thread for this one but I have used embroidery thread, sewing thread, flower thread and yarn for others in the past.

My Free patterns

I have made most of my Ravelry patterns free. The cape will go back to being for sale the other items will not. They will stay free for those who want to use them.

Part 2 Homemade Christmas

These are the handmade Christmas presents that my children gave to each other. The oldest two gave this doll to the youngest; the pattern came from a toaster-cover pattern that had belonged to my husband's grandmother. The children and I modified it to have legs and such so it could be an actual doll since the original had a piece of card board that you fit into the toaster slots to hold her up right. I don't know about you, but that sounds like a fire waiting to happen.

My Butterflygirl has an apron

My baby who isn't so little any more has a birthday this week and wanted an apron for the last few months. She even bought two fat quarters with her tooth-fairy money so she could have an apron. Of course two fat quarters were not quiet enough to make a full apron for her, so I let her go through my fabric and pick one more fabric so she added a tan fabric to the two fabrics she already had. I think she did a good job picking out fabrics.

The Amy Buttler fabric my daughter picked because it reminded her of butterflies; as for the other fabric, I have no idea what company it is, but she liked it so that was all that mattered.

When I was making it she said she wanted it to be her birthday present. So when I wanted to use her as a mannequin to see if it fit, she walked into the room where I was working on it with her eyes closed in order to not spoil the surprise. Totally cute considering she picked out the fabrics and the pattern, but she didn't want to see where I placed everything on it 'till it was done (yes, that square is a pocket) because she said it was to be a surprise. She even made me wrap it so it would be a present.

She is very proud of this apron. I finished it before church on Sunday, and she liked it so much she wore it to church over her dress. She said because she wore a pink dress to church it matched so it was OK to wear an apron to church. She was having so much fun with it I didn't mind at all. She wore the apron all day 'till bed time; she may have even worn it to bed for all I know.

I didn't make the embroidery in the background; I bought it from an old neighbor of ours years ago. I really like the doll; it was found at a thrift store. She is hand made got her a few years back too for $5.00.

Part 6: Revisiting the Butterfly Curtain

Today is Conference Saturday for my church, and we are listening to the afternoon session of it. I listened to the morning session while at work. Whenever I listen to conference at home, I always work on a project. So I decided I needed to get back to my daughter's butterfly curtains for her bedroom; these are the two butterflies I made today. I will do a few more tomorrow.

Sneak peak of one of the curtains in progress. Also one of the butterflies in the last photo has a quarter next to for a size reference to give you an idea of scale.

Part1: butterfly 1
Part 2: butterfly 2 and 3
Part 3: butterfly 4 and 5
Part4: butterfly curtain patterns
Part 5: butterfly 6
part 6: butterfly 7 and 8
Part 7: butterfly 9 - 15

Blogiversary: win an apron

So, July 5th is my blog's anniversary (blogiversary). I can't believe it has been two years since my first post. I decided I wanted to give away a reproduction copy of one of GGH aprons (which apron reproduction that can be won is still a surprise that will be posted the day before the winner is announced). You haven't even seen all of the aprons yet, so it is a big surprise (over 30 of them); way more to come. All are welcome to enter; just leave a comment on this post about either something you learned from my blog in the last 2 years, or something you just liked that I posted, or something you would like to see more of on my blog (no profanity or anything of that sort), or all of the above is fine, too, and please leave a way for me to contact you. A winner will be drawn on July 19th; that gives you a few weeks to leave a comment. Tell all your friends. This should be fun. I will close entries at 5 p.m. on the 19th, Utah time. Plus I should have all of Great Grandma Harbaugh's aprons posted by then, too, for your viewing pleasure.

Thanks, sunshine

Update on braided rug

The rug is about 4 rows from the next step in the tutorial. It is hard to tell in the photo, but it is almost five feet across now. The length of measuring tape that is extended beyond both sides of the rug shows five feet, my goal. So, I will be posting the last two tutorials in the round rug series very soon. This would have been done sooner, but as you noticed I had an absence with working, and commuting 20 hours a week and two holidays with crazy hours, 70-hour work weeks, a death in the family, and being sick on top of it all. It was all I could do to get up in the mornings lately. I think I am back on top of things. This should be done in the next 10 to 12 days.

Jacket number 2 for child number 3

Yes, I need to make another jacket; this one is for the butterfly-princess daughter of mine. Same problem as the last dress: no sleeves. She has been wearing a little white jacket with it, but the jacket looks more Easter- like and is bothering me. I want it to look more winter and to be warmer.

The previous dress, with the cream jacket, the ladybug princess was happy with. She wore it to church yesterday. Prior she wore a little caplet with it that had a spring feel to it . This was before I made the jacket; it just wasn't warm and didn't cover well.

I figured if I used wine or black it would be too heavy a color for a little girl of six years. This will make it a little brighter, plus I can place wine ribbon roses on it to add some of the color of the dress into the jacket. I am going to make a similar jacket to the last one. Still don't have a pattern, but it was simple enough the first time; I don't think I need one.

The details on bottom of dress: the sequins seem to shin a little green, thus the green I am using in the jacket.

WIP for my middle daughter

My middle daughter's Christmas gift. She can't wear it because it has no sleeves, and she's a very modest child. Which I am very happy about. So, of course, the question of "Mae, please make a jacket".

I started to make a shrug this morning, but I just didn't like the way the pattern was working out. Plus, I didn't think it would cover her in a way she would be comfortable with. SO I frogged that piece.

Then I just started to crochet without a pattern, and this isn't finished yet. It still needs the all important sleeves. But, even as it currently stands, it covers more of her than the top of the dress did.

Could someone explain to me why stores in Utah, where there is snow, don't put sleeves on Christmas dresses to keep little girls warmer? I would think it common sense that, "oh my, it is cold and there is snow out -- maybe sleeves would be good on the clothing for this region." Oh well, I know how to crochet and with a little bit of chenille and two ribbon roses, a cute jacket can be made.

I debated on adding a silver thread to the crochet to make it match the skirt portion of the dress more. The more I thought about it, the more I thought it a bad idea. Chenille is so soft, and metallic threads are so rough and scratchy. Why make a little girl itchy in her clothes when she could have warm fuzzy instead. So, no silver. Not bad for only one mornings work and no pattern

Update: finished it Saturday night. I am thinking it might need buttons or some sort of closure; what do you think?

Christmas swap at MJF

Group1

1. creatmyworld : Beaded Wreath ornament sun catcher.
2. smoothiejuice : I can't remember which was in which swap -- hot cocoa and Santa mitten.
   
   
3. sunshine : Boa scarves.
4. botanical bath: I can't remember if soap was in group one or group two; same goes for the lotion she made, but you either got this or lotion.
5. Gaias Rose : Hand-made ornaments.
6. Willowtreecreek : hand decorated notebook.
7. Bertha : Pin in box with ornament decoration on box.
8. Rebekka Mae : Citrus ornament and needle case.
9. Cheryl : Hand towels, there are 4 styles; each person gets one, not all four. I kept a tree.
10. Tina Michelle : Heart ornaments and bookmarks.
11. Farmgirlwannabe : Embroidered Christmas sock with Sees candies inside.
    
    
    Group2
    

1. creatmyworld : Snow flake beaded ornament sun catcher.
2. smoothiejuice: I can't remember which was in which swap: hot cocoa and Santa mitten.
   
3. sunshine : Handmade brooch.
4. botanical bath: I can't remember if lotion was in group one or group two; same goes for the soap she made, but you either got this or soap.
5. Gaias Rose : Tree-shaped ornaments.
6. Willowtreecreek : Hand-made pin.
7. yarnmamma
   
   
8. ktknits : Basket.
9. allee: She sent a crocheted tree; can't find photo of it, don't know why.
   
10. dropped
    
11. dropped

My last two weeks have been too busy and this post shows it. Yikes!