Three day weekend, towels, and the rest of the rows.

So, had a coworker not said "see ya Tuesday" and me replied "Tuesday? where am I gonna be Monday?"... I would have been the only bus driver at the school on Monday! I can see me standing there in front of the locked gate wondering where everyone was at... yep, I had no idea that we didn't have school Monday! I forgot about that little perk of living in the Middle of Nowhere Michigan - The First Day of Deer Season is like a Holiday, and we don't have school on holidays!!!



Seeing as how I just posted yesterday, you'd think my "what I'm working on" would be the same as yesterday... well, you'd be wrong :)

I'm a person with many interests, and being such, I bore easily! While I used to crochet with the mentality that I start one project - I finish one project, then I start another project, it doesn't work for me anymore! At any given time, I may have anywhere from one project to 10 projects going... like I said, I bore easily.

So, I still have 3 Landon's Blankies for Molly Bears hooked, and I haven't worked on them in the last couple of days, I also still have my neck warmer on my needles, but I have been working on that... and here's my progress since yesterday!

Starting to take on a pretty nice shape, if I do say so myself! Now, I do have to admit... I've already said that I kinda suck at knitting, that's a given! But I also realized that I have NO clue as to how to change yarn while knitting. This neck warmer has an area that I need to stop knitting, and I need to start knitting in another area... clueless, that's me. So, do I call grandma? No, she could show me, but probably wouldn't be so great at telling me. Do I google it? Do I youtube it? Nope, I figure it out on my own, like I did with crochet! Trial and error - that's my motto!

I also have a couple more crochet projects :) I made a couple of crochet-top towels! I have actually made some of these a couple of weeks ago... I had no pattern, I just did my own thing and through trial and error I have decided on the exact look I like, and then, in true go-getter fashion, I made like 20 towels! Well, then I looked around the kitchen and realized that I don't have any handles to hang them on... I have knobs. Great. So, I fashioned another towel! Here is my creation... perfect for knobs, don't you think?? Granted, it is the first two I've done, so I'll probably tweek them a bit more, but pretty cool, I think anyway!


And I've bought a couple more towels to practice on :)



And now, back to you... ready to do another row??? Great, but how do I go from this...


to this...

Simple! You are still working in single stitches, so your turning chain will be 1. That's right, you need to simply chain 1. You know how to do this, just wrap the yarn around the hook and pull it through the loop!

Now turn your work and you are ready to start the next row! When turning your work, I like to always turn it the same... hold the left side of your work steady, and flip the right side away from you and back around to the other side... viola, you have turned your work!

For all the rest of our rows, we will now work in two loops of our previous row. If you are working on a pattern and you are not supposed to work in two loops, it will say 'working in back loop only' or 'working in front loop only' - we will learn about these later. If you hold your crochet like this, you will be able to see the loops easier.


For our projects, we are going to always count the turning chains as the first stitch! Yes, I said always! And when I'm following a pattern that says not to, I adjust the pattern! Your crochet will look much neater if you do this, you just have to know how to adjust your patterns.


Our second stitch (remember, we always count our turning chain as our first stitch, cuz we're crochet snobs) our second stitch will go here.







You need to put your crochet hook through both loops, like this...






Now simply wrap the yarn around your hook from back to front, turn the hook toward the ground, and pull through those loops, wrap it around again, and pull through both loops... just like we learned in our last lesson :) second stitch made!

Repeat this to the second to last stitch.

For the last stitch, in the row, you are actually inserting your hook into your "chain 1" from the previous row... this will make a much cleaner line in your finished project, which is why I always count this as the first stitch, it won't look so "knotty", and we all know how I like clean lines!



Double check your work by counting your stitches... got 15? good! No? :) frog it and start over!

Want to do another row? Easy! Chain 1, turn, and start over, count the stitches to verify you have 15 and BAMMO - you're crocheting! Now practice, practice, practice... and stay tuned for the next lesson, where you'll finally learn MY WAY for starting the yarn in your skein, and how to finish the last row!

Back to work, knitting, and the single stitch.

So, now that I'm home... I've gone back to work. Seriously, I really can't remember exactly what it is about my job that I love - I just can't remember.



I drive a school bus, and the kids have become... well, annoying, to say the least. I yell so much that I'm sick of myself! Ugh!



What I'm working on right now... well, I have a cute little wash cloth and a matching hot pad that I've made. Also, I have a couple things going on crochet hooks, and I'm knitting! On the hooks - I have 3 Landon's Blankies hooked, a beautiful pink and yellow, a cute blue and brown, and a gorgeous teal and brown.



On the needles - I'm working on knitting a "neck warmer" type scarf. It's my first knitting project, I've knitted a couple of wash cloths before - I kinda suck at knitting, but whatever, at least I try!



Onto the next lesson - the first row in single stitch!

So, how do I go from this...

to this...


Well, let me show you!

Ok, we know how to make the knot, we know how to make a chain... now, if we EVER want to be able to make something more than a chained necklace ;) then we HAVE to know how to do the first row! **Please remember** I do my own thing... if you have been learning from a book, or videos, or someone else is showing you, you may notice that I do a few things slightly different - that's because I'm a crochet snob. I like a certain look and I've figured out how to achieve that look, so that's what I do. And whenever I teach someone how to crochet, I show them "my" way... and that's what I'm showing you.

Now we have a chain, before you can do the first row, you need to make what's commonly referred to as a "turning chain". Usually a pattern will say something like ch2 and turn or turn and ch2 or something similar. I would like you to start with a chain of 15. We are starting with 15 simply because as we work this up, we are going to also practice counting to be sure we are keeping the correct number of stitches so our projects don't look lopsided... crochet snobs don't like lopsided. ;)


Since you are learning a single stitch (sc) you will chain 1 for your turning chain. I like to hold my finger on my last original chain (which would be 15) and then chain my turning link(s), it should now look like this...





You will work into the stitch you are holding. When working the first row, I prefer to only work in one loop of the original chain... I have experimented with several different ways, and I will show you what I like best. You will put your hook in the loop like this...



Now you need to wrap the yarn around the hook (also called looping it around or loop around, etc) from back to front like this...






Pull the yarn through the loop, now it should look look like this...







Wrap the yarn around your hook again, back to front, and simply pull the yarn through the two loops at the same time, I like to turn my hook toward the floor when I pull it through the loops...





You have made your actual first single stitch (also known as single crochet or sc).


Repeat in the next loop. Be careful. When I started crocheting, I had an awful time trying to find the next loop that I was supposed to crochet in... look at the arrows I've drawn on the picture, I've counted out the next 5 loops for you.





Repeat this all the way to the end. Now we are going to quickly count our stitches to be sure we have 15, like we started with... Trust me, do this when you are first starting - soon enough, you will be able to just know that you've done it right and you will no longer need to verify. If by chance you only have 14 or less, this can be easily corrected a couple of ways... and if you have 16 or more, this can easily be corrected as well. I will show you these tricks later... for now, if you don't have 15 stitches, you will need to pull it out back to the beginning chain and start over (also known as frogging it) :)

Practice this numerous times - and remember, in my opinion, this is the hardest row! Look for the next lesson... the rest of the rows!

Angelversary, names in the sand, and making a chain.

Angelversary... unless you are an "angel mommy" you probably don't know what this means. An angelversary is the anniversary of the day you lost your baby - the day that had your baby lived, would have been their birthday.

I had an angelversary yesterday... 4 years ago yesterday, I lost my second pregnancy, and gained my third angel. I now have 3 angelversaries to "celebrate" if you can call it that. Yesterday was a good angelversary. I got to meet 3 other angel mom's - I can't even begin to describe how it feels to meet someone in person and give/receive a real hug from someone else who truly knows exactly how you feel.

I also got to visit the Pacific for the first time in my life, and I wrote my angel Landon's name in the sand.


Isn't it just gorgeous... could there be a sweeter picture of my baby at the beach...

My project for the day...


This is a "facial basket" that sits on your sink and holds several facial scrubbies. I saw them online and thought 'I can figure that out' and I made one for myself. I had to make several of them to get it to look "just right"... if you'll recall, I am a bit of a crochet snob, but after a few awful attempts - I finally had a product I approved of and I wrote out my pattern. I haven't made one in a while, and I didn't have my pattern with me, so when I decided to make one for my sis-in-law I struggled to recall exactly what I had done to get the perfect end product. I failed at remembering, but I do think this one turned out lovely just the same.

And now for the next lesson, making a chain... please remember - these lessons are intended for the absolute beginner.

So, for the lesson... making a chain. How do you go from this...


to this...


Well, let me show you!

First, make a knot - I've already taught you how to do this!

There are a couple of ways to hold your crochet hook - I am only going to show you my way, because this is my blog ;) and it's the most comfortable for me, and it allows me to work at a tremendous pace - I can whip out a dish cloth in about 15 minutes!


With your palm facing toward you lay the crochet hook across your hand like this...






Now close your bottom three fingers around and onto the hook like this...





Close your thumb onto the hook in this position, creating the tension needed so the hook doesn't slip from your hand... **your pointer finger will hold the knot, well, mine does anyway!**




Next you will need to hold the yarn with your left hand...




Face your palm toward you and wrap your yarn loosely around your pinky from bottom to top and front to back, like this...





**note** if you close your ring finger into your pinky like this... you can see how you will provide tension when you are actually crocheting - go ahead and play with it for a few seconds, pull your hook away, then pull it back from the bottom... ok, that's enough, let's move on...





With your ring finger providing the tension to your yarn, bring the yarn up in front of the bottom three fingers and behind your pointer finger...





You will hold the tail end of your work between your thumb and middle finger, your knot should be at the bottom of your hook like this...





Now, turn your hand into position... you will have your pointer finger closest to you and your pinky finger furthest from you, like this...




This is where my instructions may differ from others - just remember... I crochet evenly, beautifully, and quickly... I'm just saying!!!!



I use my right hand to tip my hook toward the middle finger of my left hand, like this...





Now, using my left hand, I wrap my yarn from back to front around my hook... **this is called many different things like 'making a loop' 'draw a loop' 'wrap it around' - if you are working on a pattern and have a question, just let me know.**





Tip your right hand back, so your hook is angled back and with the hook pointed down...






And pull that yarn right through your original loop...





Now, count yourself "1" and lift your hook straight back up to the sky!





Congratulations - you have made one link in your chain... do you feel proud? I do!!!!

Ok, simply start this process over... tilt your hook, wrap the yarn around, point your hook to the ground and slip that hook right through your new loop... count "2" and start over! You will have to move the hold with your left thumb and middle finger up as your work progresses, I like to move mine up every 5 stitches when I'm making the chain - this also helps me keep a pretty accurate count, and if my husband starts talking to me, I simply hold onto the stitch and say out loud the number I'm on, then when I'm ready to begin again, I always know that stitch was "30" and I don't have to worry about losing count!

If you are following a pattern, they will usually start with something along the lines of ch20... this simply means chain 20 - you simply do this until your count is 20! If you're quite the ambitious one and you're wanting to do a blanket - many many many of those patterns start out with ch102 or ch240 or ch309!!! Trust me - if you start counting now - it will be like second nature to you and you'll never miss a chain... there isn't much worse than following a pattern that starts out chain 309 and finding out you've messed up your count because you will not find that out until you are at the END of your NEXT row!!! and that sucks!!!!!

So go on, practice making a chain, practice, practice, practice... then take out your hook and pull it all out!!!! Then practice again, and look for the next lesson... the first row and the single stitch!

Landon's Blankie and "making the knot"

This is the sunset behind the mountains seen from the window of my brother and his wife's bedroom! I think it's gorgeous - they've seen better. Being an "east coast" or "midwest" girl, depending on where you're from you call me one or the other, but both ways, I am completely mesmerized by mountains. I LOVE looking out and seeing them standing all tall and proud and making the horizon, giving it character... I could look at them all day. At home, every once in a while, the clouds in the early morning look just like mountains... but it never lasts, the sun rises, the day continues, the clouds burn off and it's flat again.


My current project... Landon's Blankie for Molly Bears.

Above is a picture of my Molly Bear Landon wrapped in his blankie :) he's so snuggly!! So, my current project is... I make blankies and mail them to mommies who are grieving the loss of their precious child.


A friend of mine, Bridget, lost her little girl, Molly, 2 months after I lost Landon. Bridget offered to make a teddy bear for me that was the same weight as Landon was when he was born, so when I was aching to hold my baby, I could at the very least, hold a teddy bear the exact same weight. I graciously accepted Bridget's offer and received my bear shortly thereafter. He was perfect in every way, but he needed a blankie, so I modified a traditional ripple pattern to look adorable with my little bear and I made him his very own blankie. I offered to make one for Bridget and she accepted - Landon's Blankie for Molly Bear is pictured above.


Then I thought that I could include a blankie with the bears that Bridget makes, after discussing this with Bridget and deciding the best way to do this, Bridget gives my information to the recipients of Molly Bears. Seriously, how cute is Cai Bear sitting on his blankie above??? And what about Trystian Bear with his blankie below??? Too cute, that's how cute!!!


Bridget makes the bears free of charge for the grieving families and I make the blankies free of charge as well. If you would like to donate to Molly Bears for a grieving family, visit www.mollybears.com and Bridget has information set up there. If you would like to donate for blankies, I have a donate button set up on the side of this page. I will also be donating to Molly Bears from time to time, so you would be helping us both comfort grieving mothers such as ourselves.

And now for your first lesson!!! Please remember, my crochet lessons are intended for the absolute beginner... absolute! There will be lots of pictures to help the beginners that will seem tedious if you know what you are doing. If at any time, a question comes up, or something is just not clear, let me know and I'll figure out a different way to explain it. If you need another picture, or if I explained something without a picture and you need one, let me know. Also, if you know what you are doing - you may think that some of the things I do are "wrong" but... I like things that are aesthetically pleasing... I like straight lines... I like what I will call "even holes" - meaning if there's a hole in one spot - I want a hole opposite that spot... All crochet is NOT pleasing to my eye's palette, so I have modified anything that I've needed to modify in order to make my crochet look just like I want it. So to the beginners, it is possible that if you are showing a "seasoned crocheter" what you've learned, they may say "that's not how you do it" or "you don't need to do that" but just remember, I like to make things that make a seasoned crocheter say "wow, how did you make it look like that!"

So, for the first lesson... making the knot. How do you go from this...



to this...



Well, let me show you step by step :) Let me first say that it is NOT necessary to "ball" up your yarn, in fact, it makes it harder to work with! I'll take pics with my next skein of yarn to show you my fool proof way of pulling the yarn off the skein super easily that makes for easy crocheting! But I've already taken care of this skein so I'll do that for the next lesson.

I will show you two ways to make the knot, my preference is first.


You will need to hold out your right hand and drape the yarn over the top draping the yarn from front to back...





Next, cross one string over the other by turning your hand towards the left...







Now you need to pull the string that is on the right through your loop from the back...





Now with your left hand, hang on to the end of the string and pull to tighten the knot around your loop while keeping your fingers in the loop so you don't pull it right out :)





You should now have a fairly large loop... turn so the loose end of the string is now on the right, and the end connected to your skein of yarn is on the left... place your crochet hook into the loop from right to left...





Place your hook in the palm of your hand, hold onto the end of your yarn with your right hand between your pointer finger and thumb...





Using your left hand, simply pull the string that is attached to the skein away from the hook and this will tighten the loop around your crochet hook...





If that was a bit confusing... let's take another look... everyone doesn't learn the same!!



Lay out your string and form a loop, making sure the string from the loose end of your yarn is beneath the string attatched to the skein




Lift up your loop, move it slightly to the right and set it down right on top of the string...






With your right hand, hold the string, and at the same time, using your left hand, hang on to the loose end and pull to tighten the knot around the string and continue using the above directions to place the hook and tighten the loop around the hook!



Practice making the knot and look for the next lesson... making chains!!!!