Long time, no see :)))

Just had to share my latest yarn haul.....Hit the motherlode of all yarny garage sales, and got all this yarn for $90....

And of course, I could not resist demonstrating that I'm in yarn heaven.....

So yes, I'm all set for this winter.....I see lots and lots of crocheting in my future :D :D

You can be a part of all the proceedings by "liking" my store FB page RetirementFunned. 

Please share in comments if you ever experienced a similar yarn haul!!

Crochet tulip applique- FREE PATTERN!!!

Making a C2C pink colored blanket, and finally feeling like Spring in Minnesota after a tough winter, I wanted to add tulip appliques onto my blanket. Could not really find an existing pattern that I liked! So of course, I had to write up my own to match what I had in mind. I have to say that it worked really well since my blanket looks awesome!!

Without keeping you waiting, here it is!

And no, it has not been tested other than me making like 3 more tulips from this, so please use at your own risk :D

CROCHETED TULIP APPLIQUE' PATTERN

Worsted weight yarn

 sz 5 hook

Ch 10, sc in 2d ch from hook, 1 hdc each in next 2 ch, 1 dc each in next 2 ch, 1 tr each in next 2 ch, 1 dc each in next ch, 1 hdc each in next ch, 4 ch in end ch to turn and then work on bottoms of the ch, 1 hdc in next ch, 1 dc, 2 tr, 2 dc, 2 hdc, 1 sc, sl st in beg ch, fasten off, cut yarn leaving 6” tail to sew.

Make starting loop, pull through on 6^th ch from where you fastened off (shown in photo above), ch 4, 2 tr in same st, 2 dc in next ch twice, 1 dc in next, 1 hdc in next, 1 sc in next 2 ch, 3 sc in next ch, 1 sc in next 2, 1 hdc in next,  2 dc in next 3 ch, 3 tr in next ch, fasten off.

Here are my tulips on my pink C2C blanket, soon to be listed in my Ebay store!

I would love to hear from you, if you do try it out!!

FB Business page for my Ebay store!

Spent my day off from school creating an FB page for my Ebay store! Baby steps are good, better than no steps, I say! I looked into all the drawing apps available to come up with a banner for my FB page, and all the info online said that there are graphic designers to do that kind of work for me, but me being me, I always question...what is it that the graphic designer is able to do, and that I cannot do :D Plus, being cheap me, decided to putz around with different apps, none of which gave me a satisfactory result, so ended up going with my trustworthy PicCollage itself, and while not perfect, I am (currently) happy with what I was able to come up with. Here goes...

Go check out my FB page, and please please please, be so kind as to like it, or better yet, support a crafter by purchasing an item from my store :)

BERNAT SOFTEE CHUNKY BEANIE SKI HAT- free pattern!!

I bought a ton of Bernat Softee Chunky yarn for 99 cents each at Michaels, so of course, I had to find a suitable pattern for making beanies with it. I could not find a satisfactory one on the internets, so I ended up modifying existing ones till I was satisfied with it. So here you go, I am sharing it with you!

BERNAT SOFTEE CHUNKY BEANIE SKI HAT- free pattern!!

If making it in one color, you will end up using less than 1 skein of Bernat Softee Chunky yarn.

With sz K hook, Ch 4, sl st in 1^st ch to make a ring,

Rd 1: ch 2, 12 dc in ring, sl st to top of 1^st dc (12 dc),

Rd 2: switch to sz N hook, ch 2, 2 dc in each, sl st to top of 1^st dc (24 dc),

Rd 3:  ch 2, *2 dc in 1^st dc, 1 dc in next*, ** repeat till end, sl st to top of 1^st dc (36 dc),

Rd 4: You have to do 7 increases in this round- try to spread them evenly- ch 2, 2 dc in 1^st dc, 1 dc in next dc twice- repeat as needed to add a total of 7 dc, sl st to top of 1^st dc (43 dc),

Rd 5-10: ch 2, 1 dc in each dc, l st to top of 1^st dc (43 dc),

Rd 11: switch back to sz K hook, ch 1, 1 sc in each dc, sl st to 1^st sc. Fasten off, leave a 3” tail and weave in.

This will make a standard men's/ women's/ teen 20-22" head circumference size hat. I have several listed (also in team colors!!) in my Ebay store here, and also in My Etsy store!

Please leave me a comment if you try it out!!

Pina Colada kheer! Pineapple coconut pudding!

I have company coming over, and decided to try this new recipe for Pina Colada kheer from Manjula's kitchen! Turned out great, I must say! I can't wait to try out some other awesome recipes from Manjula's Youtube channel!! Next on my list are her Stuffed Bell Pepper Rings ( I love her idea to do the rings instead of using whole small peppers), and dahi baingan!!
Thanks, Manjula!

Reviving my Etsy store!

I know....it's like I disappeared from blogosphere! Back for a quick post.
I decided to reopen my Etsy store! I gave up on it since traffic was sooooo slow on Etsy for me, and Ebay kinda took off! But now, I feel that I need to offer my items to Etsy shoppers, and so here goes.....Ta Da....
My Etsy store!
Check out the Sheep baby blanket! My own pattern too.
Thanks everyone for visiting my store, and also my blog, and keep on crafting!!!

Crochet Lariat necklace- FREE PATTERN!!

I crocheted a couple of Rose Lariat Necklaces, with a detachable rose brooch, listed here and here, inspired by a photo from http://pinkrosecrochet.blogspot.com/.

Since they did not provide a pattern, and I foresee myself making more of these, I decided to write down what I did to make my first one. And then, of course, I decided to share the goodness with the crafty interwebs! So here you go!

NECKLACE COLLAR

Ch 6, sc in 2^nd ch from hook, hdc in next ch, 2 dc in next 2 ch, sc in last (leaf made),

Ch 130, sc in 31^st ch from hook, ch 8, skip 8 st, sc in 9^th one ( repeat 9 more times),

Ch 25, sc in 2^nd ch from hook, hdc in next st, 2 dc in next 2 st, sc in next 20 sts (2^nd leaf made),

Ch 28, sc in 2^nd ch from hook, hdc in next st, 2 dc in next 2 st, sc in next 23 sts (3^rd leaf made),

Ch 28, sc in 2^nd ch from hook, hdc in next st, 2 dc in next 2 st, sc in next 23 sts (4^th leaf made),

Working back on the long part of the necklace on the “O”-shaped loops (shown below), we will be working sc-in to the loops, not individual ch.

5 Sc , ch3 picot, 5 sc in 1^st “O”, move to next “O” loop, repeat 5 sc, ch 3 picot, 5 sc, 9 more times,

44 sc in 30 ch end loop,

Working back on the other side of the  long part of the necklace on the “O”-shaped loops,

5 Sc , ch3 picot, 5 sc in 1^st “O”, move to next “O” loop, repeat 5 sc, ch 3 picot, 5 sc, 9 nore times, sl st into O-loop, fasten off, weave in the end.

I used a rose pattern (free one, of course) that I found online, but unfortunately did not pin, so I cannot share with you. 

If you do try out my pattern, I would love to hear from you, or you could even leave a comment with a link to your blog! As always, please keep in mind that I am not a professional crochet pattern writer, so if you do find mistakes, please just check with me, and I will try my best to help you out!!
If you would like to purchase one that I made, you can do so here! (Thank U :))

Wishing you all crafty times always!!