It's a nice, rainy day around here thanks to the Former Hurricane Faye. I've been cleaning house and catching up. Yeah! Someday I might even get a head.

Things around here are calmer, Princess has gone back to school. She's attending a new school this year and was a little nervous on her first day. She got off the bus raving about how great her teacher is and how great the school is. She got the grand tour the first day and the kids are really friendly. Somehow I found the school of kids just like Princess (ah! The Horror! The Horror!). Her BFF is not only at the bus stop with her, but they sit near each other in class. I was worried about the move this summer, but it seems Princess not only survived, but is thriving.

We're all thriving around here. My muse has returned and boy has she been keeping me busy. The little knitting bag at the top is a pin that I just made. I'm working on a bunch of them in different styles. They are just so cute and fun.

We went to our first Stitch & Pitch last Saturday. It was sponsored by the Uncommon Threads. We had a blast. It was fun to take in America's Past time and knit at the same time. The base of the purple hat was knit at the game. And in a thrilling 9Th inning the York Revolution won the game! Yeah! After the game we had fireworks. I can't wait until next years Stitch & Pitch.




This is my latest baby hat. Purple Malibrigo. It's so soft and cute. While Hubby was sick on Sunday, I sat and untwisted all the yarn in the pom-pom to make a puffy ball. It was worth the effort.

Labels: Crochet, family, finished projects, Knitting, Princess, York county

Since the move is done, life is returning to "normal". I thought I'd take a few moments and share a few of my favorite things.


Socks on the hook. I'm in the process of crocheting a pair of socks. They are from my own toe up pattern and crocheted on a size D hook (small hook) from Lorna's Laces yarn. I'm loving them so far. I love the snug feel of a crochet foot . I'm thinking of transferring to knitting needles for the cuff. I can't remember the color's name or number at the moment, but it's just like a party for the feet.



Homemade iced lattes. They are so simple to make and so yummy. Nothing like cold caffeine to pass the time in the Summer. I have room on my kitchen counters now to keep my espresso maker. Yeah!

Empty boxes. Every time I unpack a box and get to yell "dead box" (our term for an empty box) I get a little thrill. We've done a lot of decluttering in our lives the last few months and put so much of our lives in boxes, that it's nice to find a place for things. Not that we are anywhere near done unpacking, but things are taking shape. I"ll have to share a picture of my studio with you soon.


Princess. I have discovered that she will do just about anything to avoid cleaning her room. She has taken to doing the laundry and loading/unloading the dishwasher. I'm not going to complain. She has also learned that the sooner the housework is done, the sooner we can go to the pool.

For the sake of balance in the Universe, I'll list my not favorite thing: Dial-up Internet. Until Friday, I'm on dial up. After 2 years of DSL, I forgot how slow dial up is. I admit it, on the Net, I am a speed girl. I like fast connections. The area we moved to doesn't have DSL coverage, so on Friday, a nice gentleman is coming to install a High speed cable connection to the Internet and cable TV. We are not going to know what to do with ourselves.

Labels: crafts, Crochet, family, Home, life., Princess, socks, the move

Light on the Water Chopstick Holder

Thousands of trees die each year so we can enjoy sushi and Chinese food with disposible chopsticks. There is an environmentally friendly way to use chopsticks and not hurt the Earth, use reusable chopsticks. This little chopstick sleeve is great for keeping your reusable chopsticks clean and safe between meals. I use one to keep my chopsticks clean in my purse. And chopsticks come in handy for more than just eating sushi; I use mine as coffee stirrers at the local coffee bar and they are perfect for eating salads. Just remember to rinse or wipe off your sticks before putting them back into the sleeve.

This chopstick sleeve is hand crocheted from a colorful recycled acrylic yarn. It is big enough to hold a pair of reusable Chinese style or Japanese style chopsticks (sleeve comes with a pair of semi-reusable bamboo chopsticks). It is also great for holding knitting needles and paintbrushes.

Care Instructions: remove chopsticks, machine wash and dry.

Please note: I would love to make you a holder for your chopsticks, just email me and we can work out the details.


Chopstick holder can be found in my etsy shop www.mwstudios.etsy.com

Labels: business, Crochet, recycled yarn

Beginner's Crochet Class

Learn to crochet.

February 12-- the basics of crochet--> hooks, stitches, yarns, how to read patterns, everything you need to get started

February 19--The Granny Square --> learn to make the best known of crochet items and find out fun ways to use it.

February 26--Crochet Flowers --> learn to make crocheted flowers to dress up your projects and learn to make a bouquet scarf.

Supplies List: worsted weight yarn like Lambs Pride. Size F,G, or H hook

All classes will include a handout of class material and patterns for the projects done in class.

Classes are held at Uncommon Threads Yarn Store from 6-8 PM on the dates above.

Cost is $45 for all three classes.

For more information or to sign up for the class contact:
Uncommon Threads
294 W. Market Street
York, PA
1-866-323-9276


I'm teaching the class and I look forward to seeing you there.

Labels: business, Crochet

I learned to crochet when I was a wee thing. I'm the youngest of six kids and between me and my older sisters are three brothers. I admit it, I was a tomboy. When we would visit my father's parents, I liked to run around the farm with my brothers. Life was good when I was chasing geese and making mud pies. Unfortunately, or fortunately depending on how you look at it, my mother and grandmother didn't think it was becoming for a girl to be covered in mud and heaven's only knows what muck. They decided that I needed a feminine occupation to keep me busy when I was visiting. Making gourmet mud pies, I was informed, was not a feminine occupation.

At the age of 5, my grandmother sat me down, put a size F Boye hook in my hand, wound some yellow acrylic worsted weight around my fingers, and taught me to make chain stitches. I made lots of chain stitches that summer. Grandma wasn't going to teach me more stitches until my tension was perfect and I wasn't allowed to go play in the mud. So, I kept practicing and when I got to the end of my yarn, I learned how to tie another ball on. By the time I got my tension perfect, I figured I crocheted at least a mile of stitches. My father and my brothers decided to see how long my chain really was. I held on to one end and they started walking up the road towards my Aunt and Uncle's house. A while later and it seemed like forever to me, we got a call from my aunt. The chain reached as far as her garage. It was official, I chained a mile of stitches.

Part of me wishes I still had that chain. It would be cool to look back at it now and see how much my stitches have chained over the years. But being the frugal farm women types that my mother and grandmother were, they wasted nothing. All that work was pulled out and the yarn was reballed. Did I ever mention that I'm a Master Yarn Ball Winder? This was where I learned to wind neat yarn balls.

My next crochet lesson was where I learned that Grandma was just a little bit of a perfectionist. Not that being a perfectionist is a bad thing, but when you are 6 it is very annoying. I learned early to fix mistakes when they happen rather than let them in and hope they aren't noticed. Grandma would undo all the crochet until she got to the point where the error was made. It didn't matter if it was the first row and you just finished your 50th row. As much as I hated it then, I'm a perfectionist in my work now. Flaws in my work and others work drives me nuts. So far I haven't unraveled someone Else's' work.

After I mastered the mile of chain stitches, I was deemed ready to learn the standard of all crochet patters: The Granny Square. I learned how to make granny squares while sitting at the stool by Grandma's knee. My first squares were made from the yarn I used for my chain stitches. My first squares were joined in a blanket that was donated to Grandma's church to raise money for the poor.

Finally, I ran out of chain yarn and the next adventure was about to happen, My mother was going to take me yarn shopping.




Please note: The graphic is not mine. I found it on the internet and can't fine the name of the person who did it. I thank them and when I find their name I will post it.

Labels: Crochet, memories

Don't get too excited, I didn't bake them. I did bake a white cake with shocking lavender colored icing the other day, but that's not what I'm happy about.
I love cake, it's one of those delightful things that is great in any weather. I'm not a big chocolate cake eater, unless it's a from scratch chocolate cake. My favorite cake is carrot cake. I grew up on spice cakes, but carrot cakes are just better.

Labels: Crochet, finished projects, food

My friend's daughter just turned two. She's a sweet little girl who just brings smiles to everyone who meets her. Princess helped watch her at Market this summer and the two of them are BFF's. I wanted to come up with something special for her for her birthday that wasn't a) the same as what every other two year old girl was getting and b) fit the fairy girl's personality. I came up with the idea of a fairy skirt. I think it turned out great. FairyGirl wanted to wear it yesterday at the party and she loved it. I think it turned out really cute. The skirt came with a matching wand because everyone knows that a fairy needs to be properly accessorized.

The cake was made by one of the restaurant owners at Market and it was delicious. It was a candy carousel. How cool is that? I'll have to try to find one of the pics I took of it. It was a gathering of family and friends. Princess took over corralling the little ones and it wore her out. It was nice hanging out with grownups and socializing, even if I hurt all over.

This morning I woke up in pain still. My right arm hurts and my shoulder is very stiff. My knee still looks raw and skinned and I can't put any pressure on it. I'm taking it easy today, watching movies on Netflix and working of the flowers for Princess's curtain. Tonight, hubby is going to give my shoulder a tiger balm massage.

Labels: Crochet, family, food, friends, Princess

Princess is 9 years old and that means that everytime she takes a bath, the bathroom rug gets soaked. We have yet to figure out how this happens. Our problem is that we have only two rugs for in the bathroom (small room, you need tiny rugs). So I see a need, we need more rugs for in the bathroom. I'm working on filling that need by making a few rugs for in the bathroom using recycled cotton and acrylic yarn. The first one is red cotton single crocheted into a big rectangle. It's two strands of worsted weight held together, so it is a nice thick rug.

Labels: Crochet

Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Mr. Tibbles and I am a member of the rare Wool-Silk Crocheted Catnip Mouse Clan. Don't le the long name fool you, I'm just a humble crocheted mouse with a wool-silk body filled with cotton and organic catnip. My hobbies include playing hide and seek with felines (I'm very good at hiding). Like all my family, I find it most relaxing to be chewed upon by a cat (massage at it's best). I'm looking for a playful feline roommate. I'm very quiet and require nothing in terms of food. Will you give me a home.

Labels: Crochet, finished projects

Just what I need, another skill. For a while I've wanted to learn how to do wire crochet. So the other week I purchased some 34 gauge wire and crocheted myself a bracelet. This bracelet looks so pretty in real life. It's just a simple inch + wide band of wire and beads. I'm really impressed with it. It is a fantastic piece. One for the Jewelry collection.

I've been a little busy lately. I never realized how much candy people in York County eat for the holidays. Not that I'm complaining, mind you, I like working. But the amounts are staggering. Now that I'm hooked on top quality dark chocolate, I can't imagine why anyone would want to eat anything else.

I'm almost finished with my holiday knitting. I have everyone finished by the Princess and the cats.

Labels: Crochet, holiday knitting., work

This is the progress I've made on the rug for Princess' room. It doesn't look like a lot but each circle is 12 inches across. Two down and I think 10 to go. The rug is crocheted around a washline core. Very simple, very quick single crochet. I found bright pink washline for the core so if it does show through, it'll still match Princess' room. I'm just using recycled scrap yarn for the rug, so it should be very bright and colorful when I"m done. There's a blend of cotton, wool, and acrylic in this rug. It's very soft and should make her floor warmer to walk on. I need to hit the hardware store again soon. I can get 2 circles out of 50 yards of washline. I have enough washline to make 2 more circles.

The Holiday knitting is going well. I have presents done for 2 people. I've taken to working on my holiday knitting in the evenings while watching TV. Last night I watched "A Nightmare Before Christmas" and knit away. It's keeps me from getting antsy and eating while watching TV.

Labels: Crochet, Holiday Knitting, Princess