Catching Dreams

A few weeks ago I was in Michaels, and after I ran past the Halloween decorations (already!?), I noticed a very pretty kit to make a dream catcher. My first thought was "I could crochet something like that" so I went home, and a few days later, I did.

I made a simple mandala for the top and some chains braided together to hang off the bottom.

To give the mandala a little more rigidity, I painted white glue on the back; the glue dries clear and keeps the crochet from flopping around too much. I didn't paint the braids with glue as I wanted then to hang and dangle freely.

Making something from what I already have on hand, without having to buy any additional supplies is one of my favorite things.

And is it just me, or are dream catchers everywhere lately?

35/52

"A portrait of my girls, once a week, every week, in 2017."

For most of the summer you girls have been in hyper-crafting mode, making everything and anything for your dolls, Jackie and Willow. Using foam, paint, glue, modeling clay, and whatever you scavenge from the recycling box, you have made beds, a kitchen, burgers, lattes, canned food, shoes, couches, pet hamsters, homes for the hamsters, artwork, mermaid costumes, rugs....really anything you can think of. The basement floor is littered with craft debris, a little paint got spilled on the carpet, and there have been a few glue-gun burns, but I have never seen you two more excited and absorbed in anything; crafting is your happy place and you have had a happy summer crafting.

Inspired by The 52 Week Project at Practicing Simplicity.

A Crochet Cactus Garden

I've always loved cacti and succulents; they are the most unusual and beautiful plants.

When I was a little girl, maybe twelve years old, I had a cactus garden growing in a pink ceramic pot on my dresser. I was in love with all things southwestern at the time and even had a cow skull decoration in my cactus garden. One cactus I had grew so well, and I was so amazed by its growth, that I measured it weekly, keeping a little log sheet. Unfortunately his spurt came to an abrupt end when he suddenly got all mushy and died. It was disappointing, but my love of cacti remained strong.

When Steve and I were newly married and living in our first home, we bought a cactus for our living room. There was a part of the cactus that looked very much like someone waving so we affectionately named our cactus "Yo". Unfortunately he died as well - got mushy and died, poor guy.

I don't have many places in my house now where plants survive, (not to mention, while I love cactus, I do not have the best track record when it comes to keeping them alive), so I decided to crochet myself a little cactus garden.

I wanted to make this all with scraps, so lacking an assortment of greens, I opted for some different colors. I love how it turned out....colorful cacti in a polka dot mug.

I've thought of finding some old tea cups at the thrift store and then crocheting some cacti and succulents for inside them....just a thought right now, a fun creative idea....we'll see if it comes to be.

Pattern: crochet succulents
Yarn: scraps of Stylecraft DK
Care Instructions: no watering needed, no specific light requirements

34/52

"A portrait of my girls, once a week, every week, in 2017."

A day at Canada's Wonderland. The best part of the day was when we went on the Dragon Fire as a family: a big hill, two upside down loops, a corkscrew and a lot of screaming - our first big roller coaster together. So much fun. We all walked off the ride windswept and laughing.

Inspired by The 52 Week Project at Practicing Simplicity.

33/52

"A portrait of my girls, once a week, every week, in 2017."

Summer fun: running through the sprinkler on a hot day, giggling and screaming.

Inspired by The 52 Week Project at Practicing Simplicity.

The State of the Vegetable Garden

The vegetable garden has really been hit or miss this year. In the early days of summer we harvested kohlrabi and arugula, both of which were delicious.

One of our eggplant plants shriveled up and died, but we do have one eggplant growing and ready for harvest soon.

The parsley and the onions have really done well.

And I am excited to roast up all these beets with a little rosemary.

Our kale crop is okay, no where near what it was last year, and the same can be said for the chard.

Perhaps the most disappointing is the broccoli and cauliflower that amounted to nothing.

Like I said, a hit or miss year, but that is just how it goes sometimes with gardening.

How's your garden growing?

32/52

"A portrait of my girls, once a week, every week, in 2017."

A weekend at Papa and Grandma Sandi's house on the lake: playing with your cousins, paddle boarding, tubing, jumping off the dock, swimming....a great summer weekend!

Inspired by The 52 Week Project at Practicing Simplicity.

A Summer Blanket

I don't often make blankets in the summer, preferring to work on smaller projects like toys, but I have finally fallen in love with the blanket that I started back in March, so as long as it does not get too hot to work on, I'm charging ahead, in full on blanket making mode.

I bought the yarn for this blanket after Christmas for an incredible bargain, and was planning to make a Cedar River Blanket. Unfortunately my squares were not working out, and after several attempts to get the tension correct, using different hook sizes, I became incredibly frustrated and just let the whole thing lie in a basket for a while. I then decided to scrap the whole Cedar River Blanket idea and pick a much simpler design. I settled on a diamond stitch and got to work. After a few rows I was still not loving the outcome so my project sat untouched for another month or so....

But then last week, while I was on vacation, the weather was absolutely gorgeous one afternoon, so I made myself a cup of tea, sat on the deck, and worked on my blanket in the sunshine for two whole hours. It was lovely, and at the end of the afternoon, I finally loved what my blanket was becoming.

Since then it has been all-go, row after row being added, my blanket growing beautifully. We are going away for the long weekend and have a brutal drive to endure so I am going to bring along my blanket to work on in the car - think of how lovely it will be after all those hours when there is nothing else for me to do but crochet.

(I should darn in all those ends as I go. I know this, but I am ignoring it...I'll regret it, I know.)

Oscar the Fish

A coworker of mine, who owns several aquariums and many fish, has been trying to persuade me to get a pet fish of my own for some time now. Since that is not going to happen (no pets for this lady), I decided that the next best thing would be a to crochet a fish.

Meet Oscar - he does not need to be fed regularly and his tank never needs to be cleaned.

He was a bit more difficult to make, with all the little pieces that needed sewing on, but still a fun little project.

Another little amigurumi friend to add to my collection, and let me tell you, I have quite the collection all made by me over the years. I've had the idea to get all my amigurumi friends together for a little photo shoot....to see everything I've made all together in one place....it could be fun?

Pattern: Amigurumi Two: Crochet Toys for Me and You and Baby Too
Yarn: Bernat Handicrafter Cotton
Is this a substitute for an actual fish?: absolutely