Christmas Swap Package for Jeanut

Here are the pictures I promised to post after Jeanut received the package.   I am thrilled that she was thrilled.

As you can see she received useful items and just plain fun items.  

Jeanut I got a picture with the Chick-O-Stick!

Apparently the Chick-O-Stick didn't last long after her package was opened and I don't blame her one bit, it has been one of my favorites over the years too. 

Giving Hearts & Comfortghans

I found a pattern online for a chrocheted anatomical heart.  I thought this was just too funny and decided to make it and give it to my family doctor for Valentines Day.  I also used my own pattern to make each of his nurses stethascope cozies.  I love Dr. Tucker and his nurses, Betty and Chris.  They are such a great team.  Dr. Tucker and Chris helped me out so much when I was diagnosed with breast cancer and as I was going thru my breast cancer treatments.  Betty joined the staff after I had already been thru everything, but I found her to be my cheerleader for weight loss.  She has such a great heart and a great sense of humor.  They all took time out to pose with their Valentine gifts.   

I found out earlier in the year that Chris had cancer.  I was so shocked.  She was an angel and I couldn't really do anything for her except for trying to cheer her up.  I enlisted my friend, Linda, to help.  Linda belongs to a chrochet group called Heart Felt Blessings.  We got together with them and made a comfortghan for her.  Pictured is Chris holding her comfortghan.  She was so surprised when Linda and I presented it to her.  She did get to enjoy her comfortghan for a short time before passing away.  Chris we will miss you, but we will never forget you.  

Recycled-Wine Rack Becomes Yarn Stasher

This past summer as I was shopping at a thrift store, I came upon an old homemade wine rack. I thought it looked interesting.  I'm not a drinker so I had no use for it, or did I?  Because of the size and weight of it, I  passed it by.  A week or two had passed and I returned to shop at the thrift store and noticed that the rack was still there.  If I remember correctly, it had a price tag of $40 on it.  I decided to haggle the price with them.  I offered them $10 and told them I would find someone to help me load it.  Much to my surprise, they accepted just in order to get rid of it.  A bigger surprise was that my exhusband paid for it and loaded it for me.  Although we're divorced, we still remain best friends.  Whoever made it used solid wood for the frame work and had recycled old clay sewer pipes cut just the right length to hold a bottle of wine.  They had stained it and had a piece of heavy glass cut to fit on top.  I thought the design was quite ingenious myself.  I bet it did make a great wine rack but I had other ideas for it, I thought it would make a great stash/storage unit for some of my yarn.  I placed it between a couple of easy chairs in my living room and began stuffing each pipe with its own skein of yarn.  I had a few used skeins and balls left, so I found a nice basket and loaded it up and placed it in front of my newly repurposed wine rack.  Now when I sit in my chair all my yarn is handy as can be.  Oops!  Not all of my yarn.  It does work great for the yarn I am currently using but I still have several large, clear, plastic storage bins with the rest of my stash.  As I've said before, I'm a crochet addict.  I would be lost without my stash of yarn.  Because of my interesting repurposing, it makes me wonder what other unique yarn storages you out there in cyber land may have.  Drop me a comment and let me know.  Curious yarn addicts also want to know.    

University of Arkansas-Razorback Inspired

I recently was presented with a chance to see a live Razorback game.  I drove a bus load of high school band students to watch the U of A band warm up for the game and then actually got to see them perform and watch the game live.  

I'm not really into going anywhere with large crowds of people so this was quite an experience for me.  While there waiting for the game to begin, I whipped out my crochet and began to develope my version of the U of A mascot.  I worked on him during the game.  A little girl that was obviously a big Razorback fan (she was sporting the hog nose), kept turning around watching in curiosity.  The game was half way thru when she managed to finally ask me what I was making.  When I told her it was a Razorback, she gave me a huge smile.  She then proceeded to tell her older sister what I was doing.  I couldn't help but giggle to myself.  

The game was nearly over, Arkansas was kicking butt, so I decided to make my way thru the sea of people and try to get back to my bus which was several blocks away.  I was almost done with him when the kids arrived.  I packed him away and finished him the next day.  Arkansas won!!!  

Now I introduce to you, Tusk.  He turned out so cute, even if I say so myself. Anyone need a Christmas present for a hog wild Razorback fan?  

Meet the Egg Heads

Recently when driving my school bus, I noticed that a few of my students were carrying real eggs around with them and asked them what they were doing.  They said that it was a class assignment.  They had to be responsible for and take care of their egg babies.  This was to simulate what it would be like to be a parent.  I can tell you from my experience, this isn't even close to what is like being a real parent.  One of the girls asked me to crochet a hat for her baby which ended up being more than one.  She had twins.  I laughed at first and then decided I was up for the challenge.  I crocheted little matching bonnets for her twins, a bonnet for another girl, and a earflap beanie complete with pompom on top for a boy in the class.  The eggs in the picture are not their actual eggs.  I drew on faces of these eggs so that I could have models for the hats just for you.  I hope you get a kick out of it as much as I did.  I told the kids that they should ask for extra credit since they had custom clothes made for their egg babies.   

Lion Slippers for Stacy

I recently bought a slipper pattern booklet off our favorite auction site, ebay.  This was one of the patterns in the booklet.  My friend Stacy's birthday was the end of July so I gave them to her.  What a great gift for a Leo.  She absolutely loves them.     

Cute & Warm

Here is a hat, fingerless gloves, and scarf set I made.  I used a pattern for the hat and gloves.  The scarf was my own pattern. I added a floral embellishment to all three items.  The scarf is extra long and skinny so you can wrap it several times.  High school girls love these long skinny scarves.  Someone has offered to buy this set from me but I have no idea what I would charge.  Plus, I really like the set and might keep it for myself.