Project: Crochet Hook Roll

I was inspired by Toni to create this handy crochet hook organizer. The striped fabric is actually a Crate and Barrel napkin I recently found at the Goodwill Store. I think I got five 20x20 inch napkins and a (matching) drawstring bag for $2.00. I thought they were perfect for this project. Partly because I like stripes and partly because the stripes make great sewing guides to stitch a straight line . (Lazy, I know...but hey it works!)

::Crochet Hook Roll:

Fabric choices are up to you, but here's what I used:

Solid Color Fabric
1 - 20" square
1 - 20" x 4" strip

Patterned Fabric
1 - 20" square

1. With right sides together, sew the two 20" squares together. (I used a 3/8" seam allowance.) Leave a 4-5" opening at bottom.

2. Turn things inside out and press.

3. Machine stitch the opening closed.

4. With the 20" x 4" piece, fold each long edge to the center and press.

5. Fold long edges together again and press. You should end up with a strip that measures 20" long and about 1" wide. Machine stitch as close to the open edge as you can. Tuck in the ends of the strip and machine stitch closed. (This will become the tie to keep your case neatly wrapped up.)

4. Back to the square. With the solid color on top, turn up the bottom edge about 4-1/2 to 5" and press. [See photo.]

5. Fold the 20" strip in half longways and press.

6. Here's the tricky part. Carefully tuck in the folded edge of the strip so it's between the two layers of the square that you just folded up. [See photo.] Sew all the layers together. This becomes the edge of the main "pocket" to hold the crochet hooks.

7. Sew the other edge of the turned up edge. This will complete the main "pocket".

8. Decide how many "little pockets" you want your roll to have. I used the lines on the fabric as a guide and ended up with 20 (I think) pockets to hold the hooks and a pencil.

The finished project all rolled up:

Cute Packaging Idea ...

We had breakfast at the Essenhaus last Saturday morning. We live very, very close to the Amish community here in Northern Indiana. The Essenhaus is one of our favorite places to visit. The food is wonderful and they have some great home decor items for sale. There are several shops on the property, and we checked out our favorite one. Tons of cool Christmas stuff and a really large display of Jim Shore's creations. That man is very talented.

[The Bakery at Essenhaus]

These dishcloths caught my eye while we were shopping in the Bakery at Essenhaus. It was more the container and not the dishcloths that grabbed my attention. And...so we just had to buy some. The container is too cool. (Sorry for the crappy pictures -- I was in a hurry!)

As Promised: Sweet Treats for Classmates

Santa is over-flowing with treats for the kids. My wife made these up for all the kids in my sons' clasess. A yummy candy cane, a simple jingle bell and some red ribbon and you have a great Holiday Party treat!

[Treats for Son No. 2's Class]


[A closer look. I think these colors look so good together.]

Here are the treats for Son No. 1's class. Same basic idea, but she used gold cord instead of ribbon. (I really like this photo!)

[A box of goodies for all the kids.]

Christmas Goodies for Teachers and Students

Stay tuned for some great-looking photos of gifts my wife made for the boys' teachers and fellow-students. They are awesome!

"It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year"

Tick. Tock. Have you looked at the calendar? It's the 19th of December. HOLY CRAP! Do the math -- Christmas is just SIX days away. And, as usual, the list of handmade gifts that I was going to make this season is a 'dream list'. I swear every year that next year is going to be different. I tell myself that if I would start making things in October, I could get SO much done and wouldn't feel all guilty about waiting 'til the last minute. Ha! And every year it's the same: I run out of time. Crazy ain't it?

My wife and I were complaining to each other about how busy we are and how many things still need to get done before the big day. Like a message from heaven, my oldest son says, "It's okay...the main thing is we're together and we're healthy. All of that other stuff is not important." Wow! Some pretty good stuff from an eleven year old.

And while I completely agree, I'm still gonna burn the midnight oil and get a few things done. Makin' a list and checkin' it twice. There are gifts that I really want to make this year.

Frosty the Snowman - Dec., 2006

Frosty the Snowman - Dec., 2006
Originally uploaded by crafty dad.

And here's the result of brotherly love. T-E-A-M-W-O-R-K all the way. I knew I bought those great big buttons for some good reason. There. I've justified my thrift store visits. No guilty feelings here. :-)

First Snowball Fight of the Season

12-10-06 snowman 005
Originally uploaded by crafty dad.

The boys couldn't resist the urge to shove snow in each other's face. On a lighter note, they worked together to build a snowman. Complete with button eyes, a carrot nose and a stocking cap.

Pencil Pouch -- Complete!

Another Finished Project!

Not that I'm trying to push winter and Christmas out of the way, but ... I found some really great green apple print fabric and decided it would be perfect for a baby bib. Here's the result:

(Front)

(Back)

This bib [and another one (same print, different back)] are now in my Etsy shop.

Those Darned Playmobil People ...

Have invaded our computer desk again! Son No. 2 was taking inventory of his Playmobil people this weekend. Seems to me that there are plenty, but he wants more for Christmas. My wife and I took him to see Santa at the mall yesterday. It's official: Santa has been put on alert. Now, if my little guy can just stay on the "nice list" we'll be okay! :-)

Projects and Thrift Store Finds

My five-year-old son is working on a Christmas tree project. (Dad is helping). We'll sew this up into a little pillow when we're all done with the "backstitching" as the boys call it.

My oldest son is working on holly and berries. As you can see, he's just getting started. It seems playing video games are way more fun than making Christmas gifts. There are times that I threaten to take all the televisions and video games out of our house. Have you ever had that thought? Oh, for the simpler times!

Prototype pencil pouches in felt.

A peek inside. This one needs modified. It looks really nice now, but once the pencils become shorter, it will be tough to get them out of the pouch. But hey...that's why this is a prototype.

Some thrift store finds. Big, big hoops and small, small prices.

Thoughts and Prayers

My thoughts and prayers are with the Kim family today. God bless them all.

Raw Materials

Here's the stack of fabric that I'm currently working with. The weekend went by too quickly and was filled with too many non-craft projects. (Darn it.) So...I'm hoping to get some things done this week after the kids go to bed. Lord help me!

And, here's a bib I'm working on. (Thinking ahead to Spring!)


And one last photo. (Just because I'm having so much fun with Paint Shop Pro X.)

My boys have a (bad) habit of pushing the pins all the way into the pin cushion. Egads!

A Whole Lot of Crafting (NOT) Going On ...

My last few posts have been very non-craft-related. I'm planning to get several things made this weekend. We'll see what happens.

Oh, by the way, it's snowing. Our 59 degree weather has been replaced with a Winter Weather Advisory. Tonite, the temperature is supposed to drop to a low of 18 degrees. Gotta love that.

Have a great weekend!

"A" is for Academics

Since I bragged about my youngest son the other day, it's only fair that my oldest son get his time in the spotlight too. He's in sixth grade this year and received straight A's on his first report card. His school had its monthly award ceremony this week and my wife and I were both able to see him receive an Academic Excellence award. We are very proud of him. Way to go, dude! Keep up the good work. It will pay off!

I Got a New Toy Today -- Corel Paint Shop Pro X

Oh. My. Gosh.

I am in love with this program. Here's something I came up with after only a few minutes of fiddling around.




Just think what I can do after I read the user's guide!

"Oh the weather outside is" .... really warm!

The weather has been totally un-seasonal here in northern Indiana. We took advantage of the 60 degree temps and did some more outdoor Holiday decorating. It was a also a great day for picture taking. I'm trying to learn more about my "old" digital camera. I see so many really great photos on the blogs I visit. There are some very multi-talented folks out there. And I applaud you! Here are some shots of various trees and bushes that live in our yard.







Here's my youngest son (in the yellow jacket, sitting under the fort). He's busy whittling a stick using his new Cub Scout pocket knife. Speaking of Cub Scouts: I was SO proud of him last night. We had a Pack Meeting and toward the end of snack time, one of the boys thought he'd play a little joke and knock off the Scout cap one of the other boys was wearing. Well...in doing so he caused the boy to spill his drink all over the floor and all over his shirt. Here's the cool part: My son ran to the back of the room to grab a roll of paper towel, brought it over and started mopping up the floor! I was (am) a very proud father! He had nothing to do with the incident but wanted to help. On the way home I told him how proud I was of him, to which he replied, "Well, Dad, that's what Cub Scouts do." You bet it is! Love ya buddy!

[Click on the picture for a larger image]

Favorite Tree Ornaments

This one is actually one of my wife's favorite ornaments. Nothing fancy or frilly. No glitter or glitz. Just a simple pair of snowshoes. They make her smile. And that makes me smile.




This is our first "married couple" ornament. The annual tradition is for us to place it on the tree together, before any other ornaments are allowed on the tree. And, it's the last one off the tree at the end of the Holiday season. Silly. But sweet.

Tree Lighting Ceremony

We've officially kicked-off the Holiday season at our house. The tree is up and the lights are on. All 1,200 of them to be exact.

I know: the normal way to put lights on a tree is the "around-and-around" approach, right? Well...last year (for some reason) I decided to try something a bit different. Rather than go around the tree, I placed the lights on each individual branch. Here's what I do: I start at the trunk of the tree and work the lights to the tip of the branch, then (still on the same branch) take the lights back to the trunk. Then it's over to the the next branch, up to the tip, back to the trunk. As you can imagine, it takes a lot more lights for this application. More than you think.

I really like the way it ends up though. The tree is absolutely beautiful -- full of light. It may seem a bit bright in the photos, but by the time the ornaments are put on, it's just right.

So...run out to Target or WalMart today and stock up on lights. C'mon, try it!

Ready for lights!

After the first few strands of lights.

Almost done!

Voila! The tree of lights.
(Notice the reflection in the French doors?)

'Twas the Night Before Thanksgiving ...

...and all through the house there was food, food and more food!

:: Making Cranberry Relish ::

I started with cranberries.

And added a few other ingredients.

The turkey in the family room kept an eye on me the whole time I was cooking.



:: My Wife's Wonderful Pumpkin Bread ::

Pumpkin breads in the oven.

Pumpkin breads out of the oven.

Let me know if you want the recipe for either the Cranberry Relish (it's easy) and/or the Pumpkin Bread (super, super yummy).

:: Gather 'round the Table ::

The kitchen table ... where homework, bill-paying, breakfast, lunch, dinner and a hundred other things take place. Here are a couple photos of a quiet time (pretty rare event).

Whew! It's 11:37 p.m. And to all a good night!

~-~-~-~-~- Happy Thanksgiving! ~-~-~-~-~

Two Small Projects -- 100% Finished!

Finally, I finished something. It seems there is hardly enough time in the day to get it all done. But somehow I managed to crank out two little projects last night. And here they are:




I am very thankful for SO many things. But especially for a wife who puts up with a crafty husband. Honey, I really do appreciate my 'craft' time.

Monday Morning

== Need I say more? ==

Last night I undid the 'hat' that I've been crocheting for my youngest son. We were at Hobby Lobby on Saturday and took a stroll through the yarn aisles. Wow...quite a selection! He saw a skein of variegated yarn and said, "Dad, can you make me a hat out of this?". To which I replied, "Well, sure." Uh-oh! And then, not to be out-done, my oldest son quickly chimes in with "I want one too. Let me pick out some yarn." Double uh-oh! What have I gotten myself into?

I've never made anything 'in the round' but didn't think it would be rocket science. I found a couple simple hat patterns on the Web and had printed them out a few weeks ago. Cuz it's getting cold out, and everybody should have a handmade hat, right?

My first attempt at the stocking cap was awful. And no, I didn't take a picture. (I have some pride, you know.) It's been frogged and turned into Mistake No. 2. The first "hat" was way too small. I have no idea what I did, but it ended up looking more like a small Easter basket than a hat. Figuring out that I didn't increase my stitches enough (duh!), I tried again. This time I ended up with what looks like a big, wavy, green flower. Oops...that's not a hat. So...third time will be charm. God help me!

I really think I understand the instructions now. I found a sample video online that made the light bulb come on. So...tonight might be the night. Stay tuned for further developments.

Weekend Warrior

It's the weekend. Woo Hoo! And it's time to get all those things done that didn't get done during the week. Sound familiar? We'll be grocery shopping, taking Holiday wreaths to the cemetary, cleaning house, doing laundry, and (hopefully) making a quick trip to Hobby Lobby to grab the winter edition of Cutting Edge magazine [Hillary, from Wee Wonderfuls is featured in this issue] and get some yarn (it's on sale).

Speaking of yarn. Here's why I don't think knitting is my cup of tea:

(the photo quality is about the same as the knitting quality -- poor!)

And here's why I prefer crochet:

(Just a swatch - I like this pattern)

Here's another reason:

(Dishcloth I finished last night)

And in non-yarn-related news, here are some WIPs:

(The two on the right are actually 99% complete)

Okay...time to get moving on today's tasks.

Have a good day!

I'm Still Here!

Hey all! It's been a long time since my last entry. I've been very busy with work and things at home. Wow...it's just been a crazy time. And with the Holidays approaching, it could get worse. Eeeeooowwwwww!

The knitting thing has been put on hold. I got really frustrated with it and decided to just put. it. away. I've become best friends with my crochet hook and have been making a few things to give as Christmas gifts. Nothing fancy, but handmade says "I made it with love." And you can't beat that, now can you?

Have a great weekend. I'll try to sneak back in here a.s.a.p.

:-)