MrsDoF's Dear Ones

For my own crochet potholders, I use 4-ply cotton yarn,
pounds have been purchased from Peaches-n-Creme Yarn

size 4.5mm crochet hook, which is between a G and an H

foundation begin with 37 chain stitches, but shorter or longer will work

and my own little preference is to grab only the back loop which makes a nice ridge providing friction when picking up a hot dish
I whip stitch the edges together

okay, I found some links, many with pictures

Mielke’s Fiber Arts, LLC/> is the closest to what I crochet

My Boring Life

Thrifty Fun this one shows pictures of how to crochet on the hanging loop

Nightly Knitter’s Lotsa Stitches which links back to Mielke’s

if you need more, look up a ‘Net search saying
Crochet Diagonal Potholders

I hope this gets ya going.
I need a nap.

~~love and Huggs, Diane
update Wednesday afternoon: received a phone call asking how much yarn to purchase
Usually, I find that about 2 ounces Peaches-n-Creme cotton makes one potholder, which is what the ombre colors are
a solid ball weighs 2.5 ounces
if using scraps, I just tie a knot and keep working, making sure the knot goes to the back and will be folded inside when finished

My sister’s hat is inside a sealed package, waiting for me to shovel out and get going to the post office.  I completely forgot to take a picture, but here is what is left of the skein of yarn.

I also forgot to print off the story about how the kids in the waiting room at the car place gave it their blessings, so now I’ll be sending a separate piece of mail.

Also knitted up a girlie hat in Red Heart Baby Clouds yarn

Husband wants it for a co-worker’s newly adopted daughter.

What’s on the loom now is for me.  The color is called Cranapple Stripe, in Hobby Lobby’s house brand line called
I LOVE THIS YARN.

I knitted a blue ombre hat of this type for my sister Darla and it turned out so nice that I want one to keep.

I have a trio of requests for the pattern for crocheted potholders.  There is even hope to have it in time to make a few Christmas gifts? and today is already the first of December.

I’m still thinking how to go about putting it in print.  The lady who showed me how to do it more than 20 years ago says she never wrote it down, she just learned it from her mother.
I work it so fast that I would really have to puzzle out the step-by-step lesson.
My cousin Brenda makes ‘em, too, so she might know clues.

Gonna go now.  A box just got left on the front porch.

~~love and Huggs, Diane

There’s a Baby Shower happening at church this coming Friday afternoon.
I’ve known there was a “bun in the oven” for quite awhile now, back in September I began to crochet an aphgan while riding in the van going to Women’s Retreat.
After about 10 inches or so, that project just did not feel right, as if the color or texture would not be favored by the little one.  I tend to go with my instincts on most of my projects, and if I don’t listen to the inner voice from the start, I usually have more frustrations in the end.

So, I set aside the cotton aphgan.
I’ll get going on it again, just not for this baby.

Then I went through my yarn closet and found some lovely pastels 3-ply acrylic, and began working with it, doing a simple double crochet stitch and letting the colors work their own pattern.
The blankie now covers my lap, so last evening I spread it out to see if I might be getting close to being able to put the border on it.  Only two and a half days until the party, doncha know.

I’m not happy with it.  The center looks like I missed a stitch but didn’t realize, and one corner is lopsided, even though the stitch count is correct.

Hhmm.  I love the yarn, but the work hasn’t been going well.

I’m gonna pull it out and start over.
I cain’t finish knowing the mistakes are visible.

There’s no way I’ll expect my weak hands to crochet a full blankie done by Friday, so it looks like I’ll have to give the momma an I.O.U. note alongside the two baby hats done on peg looms.

Meanwhile, on today’s To Do List, there’s grocery shopping for holiday dinner, filling the scrip for my thyroid medicine, buying envelopes and stamps for Christmas newsletter, and using a coupon for a latte at a shoppe I rarely stop in.

Times are lookin’ good, and I’m off until 01 December.

~~love and Huggs, Diane

Lots of fun, I’ve been having.

A friend asked if I would be willing to work up some hats for baby dolls in time for holidays with the grand-kids.  Even gave me some Fun Fur yarn to get started, and I did make a couple hats using it.
Not happy doing those, I am not so fond of tickley yarn,

but I did manage to get a couple done using it, and they do turn out cute.

Anyway, some of the fun was finding suitable yarns, a bunch of love while doing the peg loom knitting, and the rest was for showing off the finished products.

At least three times I got to pull the hats out of a basket or bag, one at a time so that each could be ooohed over.
One comment was that the bag must be bottomless.

This morning during church Fellowship Hour, I had them on a table top in the corner so folks could see the whole deal before they got paid for with satisfaction, and carried away for her family togetherness. 

click to embiggen

Gotta get hooking on the current baby blankie.

I’ve already walked 20 minutes on the treadmill, but must remain quiet while Husband is having a Sunday siesta.

~~love and Huggs, Diane

Last winter I peg-loomed a purple hat as a gift for my youngest sister.  She wanted one to match her coat, and says the one I sent was ju-ust right.  Then she mentioned that her husband would like one in dark blue and orange, so I bought the yarn then, tucked it away, and forgot about it until a week or so ago when my wonderful spouse put up a new shelf unit in my yarn closet.
Stuff came out from the corners all new in my eyes again.

Oh yeah, I’d better get on that, the weather is down to 31^oF and snow is happening in his part of the country.

the navy blue and orange stripe hat is for brother-in-law Joe
the holiday colors hat is for a baby due 09 December, but the shower is this coming Friday
potholders as always (ain’t the peach and brown self-stripe yarn real purty?)

I gave a pair to a friend for her birthday in April.  She says there were several admirers in her kitchen at a recent family gathering, so she has asked if I will crochet up a few for money, then she’ll be able to wrap ‘em up as gifts.  Since most of the cash earned from finished items goes right back into new yarn, I said I’d be glad to do it.  (I am working on a couple more pair, picture later)

The weather here is gray and gloomy, so today I’ve been inside with a crochet hook in hand.  I have about 24” done on the blankie, so that is the current urgent project, what with the party in less than a week.
It’s in 3-ply sport yarn, so the going is s.l.o.w.

The guys are in the living room watching some disaster movie, all the while with laptops in front of ‘em.

Lucas says the plot of the movie does not require full attention, so surfing the net and showing me a cute squirrel picture at The Onion website brought a couple grins.

I called my mom the other evening and got filled up on news from the Valley.  I think that if it weren’t for church meetings and doctor’s appointments she could get pretty bored.  She is having a bunch of folks at her house for Turkey Day, so she’s making preps for then.

It’s about time to rustle up some grub for supper.  I think there’s a package of boneless chicken breasts in the fridge, so probably a rice casserole will go into the oven soon.  Bland food as bland can get.

Lucas is leaving on a jet plane early in the morning and does not want digestion woes alongside sinus aches.

~~love and Huggs, Diane