AMANDA'S BASKETS: ANOTHER SINGLE CROCHET ORNAMENT

Thursday, October 9, 2014

ANOTHER SINGLE CROCHET ORNAMENT

Look at what was on the outside of my window this morning...

A lot better than what I have been dealing with lately. When I arrived at Statesville, it was about 25 degrees warmer than Asheville and guess what was out in droves? You got it....stink bugs. A friend found out that there is a nationwide outburst of stink bugs. How wonderful!!! Once again, I cleaned the trailer. A lot fewer bugs, but more than I wanted.

On a brighter note, I took these pictures at a rest stop on the way. Simply beautiful...

ANOTHER SINGLE CROCHET ORNAMENT:
Another ornament and more fun with the single crochet stitch. This ornament is very easy to make and can be adapted to just about any size wanted. It's a tree. I was thinking that the tiny battery operated lights would look cute. The cords and battery could be hid inside with the lights poking out. Other ideas for decorating include adding beads, sequins, shiny garland etc.

Supplies: Green yarn, crochet hook size E, scissors.

To begin,

chain 5 and form a ring by chaining into the first chain

Round 1,

5 sc (single crochet) into the center of the chains

Round 2,

2sc in first sc, 1 sc into second sc, 2sc into third sc, 1sc into fourth sc, 2 sc into fifth sc.

Round 3,

1 sc into each sc (total 8)

Round 4 and continuing...

2 sc into first sc, 1 sc into next 4sc, 2 sc into next sc, 1 sc into next 4 sc, and continuing...

This is what the tree looks like after the 2sc in round 4. It kind of looks like an acorn cap...

At this point turn the tree inside out so it looks like this. Continue crocheting with the pattern in round 4 above.

Make it as tall as you want. If you want a tree that is fatter, reduce the number of 4 sc into each sc between the 2sc into 1 sc by one and have only 3sc between the sc with 2sc in it.

To finish,

When it is as large as you want, finish it by crocheting 1sc into each sc for one round

Next rounds...

Skip 1 sc, crochet 1sc in the next 4sc, skip 1 sc, crochet 1 sc into the next 4sc, etc.

Continue until you have reduced the bottom of the tree so it curves inward. If desired, you can continue until there is only a small hole.

ANOTHER IDEA:

If you used red yarn and closed the bottom, then dot with white yarn, it would look like a strawberry!

I'm not the best at writing instructions, but the above crochet pattern is what I created to make this tree.

Tomorrow, if all goes right, I will be at the Old Salem Village in Winston-Salem. I promise pictures...

Thanks for checking things out here...

Talk to you tomorrow...

CRAFTING IDEAS

I am always looking for a small piece of paper to write down something which will later be disposed of. I decided to use some of the scrap paper of which I have a ton. I mostly use the paper for glueing projects. I decided to cut the paper into a small size. (Six pieces from a piece of copy paper.). But just having them sitting on my desk would get messy without a container. So, using a cardboard box, I cut it down to size and using a hot glue gun I glued the ends together. Using a picture from a magazine cut into pieces and stick craft glue, I glued the pieces to the box inside and out. I also used some decorative tape for the outside edges. And to finish the top corners which were not covered, I used straight pins with colorful tops. Looks nice and works well.

MAGAZINE IDEAS

(New) One article in the Farmer's Almanac 2024 is a list of trends. One I knew about is the trend to downsize in just about every area. Another trend that I was surprised about was called ''The Human Library' which offers people on loan to talk about specific subjects. Finally, more folks are adding pets to their family and as a result, stores are adding more pet food, toys and medication to their offerings. There's also a nice garden article which suggests mixing vegetables and flowers together for success.

RECIPE IDEAS

Have you every made Cherry Dump Cake. It calls for 2 cans of Cherry Pie Filling (21 ounces), a white cake mix, 1/4 -1/2 cup butter, melted & 1/2 cup coarsely chopped pecans. In a 9 by 13 pan, spread both cans of cherry pie filling. Add the melted butter to the cake mix and break apart the resulting mixture and crumble it evenly over the pie filling. Sprinkle the pecans evenly over the mixture. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 35 - 45 minutes until the topping is golden brown. Serve with vanilla ice cream. Fast, easy and very delicious.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

What if you want to establish better habits, then decide what habit you want to work on. Again, try an easier one first for that good feeling of success. Let's consider more exercise. Start small. Don't try to run a marathon right away. Set the amount of time, the type of exercise and when to do it to begin making sure that it is within your reach. If it works for you each week add a bit more. Walking is one of the best ways to get good overall movement but there are many exercise videos on YouTube of varying lengths and difficulty to check out. Change your exercise routines to eliminate getting bored. For hardcore exercise with weights, give yourself a day in-between to recover. Even on days you would rather not exercise, do it and see if you feel better. It takes an average of 66 days to establish a habit. Just think 66 days to establish a good habit for a lifetime. Sounds like a good thing to me...how about you?