My new headliner

I love my old '95 Saturn and I keep "taping" together what seems to be falling apart.  Since I used to do a lot of work on cars, I have been fairly successful in keeping my old Sat running and in good shape.  In the last couple years, however, my headliner began to fall down, droop and tear.  I had to finally just rip it out.  Unfortunately, underneath the fabric of the headliner was a rather gross looking type of foam which had hardened and become crumbly.  Something had to be done.  Not being very wealthy and somewhat frugal, I decided to put my crocheting skills to work.  I crocheted mini granny squares and joined them to make blocks to attach to the roof.  Since the foam had become so crumbly, glue would not work so I used blocking pins to secure the blocks of granny squares to the roof.  Most people who have seen it just laugh.  My best friend says it looks like something Cheech and Chong would do.  I don't care.  It keeps the disintegrating foam from crumbling all over the interior.  I love my old Saturn and will keep it till it runs no more doing anything possible to keep it as long as possible.

 This is still a work in progress and, yes, the sun visors will have to be done next!

No Bees in My Beer Can Cozy

With warm weather approaching, we all like to enjoy our favorite beverage outside.  Unfortunately, bees, flies, and other crawly pests like our beverages too.  Here is a simple crochet pattern for a can cozy with a top to stop those pesky invaders from ruining your drink.  Or even worse yet, getting a bee sting.

I ended with a simple FLO (front loop only) sc on the rim
and a ch 10 for the loop

No bees, bugs or anything crawly will swim in your beverage again!  The written pattern is also available on Ravelry for free HERE.

You will need worsted weight yarn.  (less than half a skein)  I used Red Heart SS in camo and pink camo, and an H (5mm) hook.

Pattern Notes
Work in continuous rounds; do not join rounds or turn unless otherwise instructed.

Crab stitch or reverse single crochet is optional to finish the edges. Crab stitch is basically a single crochet worked back along your work. Meaning you work a sc back around to the right instead of the left (if you are right handed.) There are some great tutorials for this stitch on the web!

Directions
Start with a magic circle (or ch 2 if you haven’t quite mastered the magic circle).

Rnd 1: Work 6 sc in magic circle (or in 2nd ch from hook). Place marker for
beginning of rnd; move marker up as each rnd is completed. Or use yarn marker.

white yarn is my stitch marker

Tutorial for yarn marking on my blog HERE.

Rnd 2: 2 sc in each st around (12 sts.)

Rnd 3: *2 sc in next st, sc in next st; rep from * around (18 sts).

Rnd 4: *2 sc in next st, sc in next 2 sts; rep from * around (24 sts).

Rnd 5: *2 sc in next st, sc in next 3 sts; rep from * around (30 sts).

Rnd 6: Working in back loops only, sc in each st around (30 sts).

Rnds 7-21: 1 sc in each st around. Slip stitch to first sc of last round.

Finish off (leaving approx 10” tail to sew top on) or do another round of sc in front loop only for a more finished look. If you are more ambitious, do a round of
“crab stitch” for the rim.  Or not.

I used a white piece of yarn to
mark the rounds

Cozy should fit snuggly around can as it will stretch a bit after using.

For the top:
Complete rnds 1-6 for cozy.

Rnd 7-12: 1 sc in each st around.

Slip stitch to first sc of last round.

Finish off with a round of front loop only sc, or crab stitch for rim. You can also ch 10 and attach with slip stitch to form a loop so you can “flip” the top on and off easily.

Using tail from finished cozy, sew top on (through about 4
stitches), finish off and weave in ends.

            

This one I crab stitched the rim before
 I attached the top

Have a happy bug-free beverage!

Easy way to count rounds for single crochet projects

Sometimes we all have a problem with counting rounds on a project that is small, all single crochet, and in continuing rounds. Using stitch markers for a smaller project can sometimes be a pain and you can quickly lose count of your rounds.  Here is the method I use for counting rounds and marking the first stitch in my smaller projects.


First, cut a piece of yarn about as tall as the project you are making.  Make sure the yarn is a contrasting color so it stands out!  Pull "marker yarn" through the first stitch of the round.  After next round, lay yarn over your working yarn and make the first stitch of the round over the marker yarn.  The marker yarn will be in your first stitch, but make sure it's not part of the stitch!

After each round, lay yarn over the first stitch of the previous round before you make the first stitch of that new round.  Make the first sc and continue around alternating marker yarn from front to back on each row.

This will become easier as you progress.  You are literally just "weaving" your maker yarn through the first stitch of every round.

 

After a few rounds, you can see where each first stitch of the round is.  You can count the rounds by counting each bump as two rounds since the marker yarn weaves back to front, then front to back.

In this example I am making a can cozy and am able to easily count the rounds.  And since the yarn is just weaving through the rounds, you can just slip it out after you are finished!  I love this method because I don't need to constantly pull my stitch marker out after each round!

YAY!

Postal Plaid Pillow

This pillow pattern (still in progress) really caught my eye last week.  It looks so intricate and complicated, but once you do a few rounds, it is really easy!  I used RHSS in Light Periwinkle, Gold and Soft White.  On the flip side, I am using the same colors, only switching out colors A and B.  First side is almost done and I'll be working on the second side today.  I love that you can customize it to fit any size pillow form by adding or subtracting rows!  Hope mom will like it for Mother's Day!

The pattern is actually a short CAL on the Crochet Memories blog.  Here's the link Postal Plaid Pillow.

Finished!

  Hope mom likes it!

South Bay Shawlette

 This is one of my favorite shawl patterns.  It works up beautifully and you can do this with different yarns and still get a perfect result!  It is similar to the virus shawl pattern, but a little more lacy and elegant.  The border is perfection! You can get the pattern for free if you register with Lion Brand HERE.

I used serenity sport weight yarn and, unfortunately, I found out I can't get this yarn anymore.  Such a shame because it came out so soft and drapey!  (is that a word?)  And I would have loved to make a light blue one in this yarn!

I got 3 balls of this yarn on clearance and used two for this project. Wish I would have gotten more!

Retro Hand Towels

I guess these are considered "retro" because I saw them on Mom's and Grandmom's oven back in the day.  But retro or not, they are very useful!  And look nice!  I made these out of worsted cotton that I found at A.C. Moore in the "mill ends" bin.  The pattern is from Snappy Tots and you can find her pattern HERE.  I did alter the pattern a bit by adding a few rows of dc in the middle of the blue one.  Love them!