Eating Breakfast

my attempt at capturing time.

last night i was talking with gene about how fast aryn is growing up. i told him i feel like all i have to do is turn around, and there she would be... the baby, not genevieve.

and then this morning, i watched this video: Birth to 12 years in less than 3 minutes via designmom.

 my thoughts made concrete.

Fabric Yarn

have you ever turned fabric into yarn?

last night was my first time ever. i cut up an old sheet following the directions from quick crochet huge hooks by sally harding. but then today i found a great tutorial by petals to picots on the same thing.

what a great way to reuse!

this picture has inspired me into thinking i can crochet a basket.

Adventure Day

thursdays are adventure days.

this thursday was my day. (i take turns with my friend. her little boy is asher's friend.) we took a hike down to the river.

when my dad was a boy, his dad owned a farm down here. he spent most of his youth down in this area working. he has lots of stories.

it is interesting how time changes things.

when we got home, asher and i made a monoprint following this tutorial. he loves to paint. (the green is the river. the gray are the lava rocks.)

isaac was here.

this has become his little trademark. leaving dishes in this one spot on the table.(no matter how many times i tell him to clean up.)

kind of funny. sometimes annoying. and i want to remember.

Bed Painting

around here, when you want something done, you've just got to do it yourself.

she is determined to get a room ready for herself.

she's been sanding and priming and painting a little hand-me-down bed for the last few days.

all by herself.

Modern Romantic Cushion Cover Pattern

it is with some trepidation that i share this pattern. i'm nervous that there may be mistakes or that my instructions may not be clear in parts. you see, i am not an expert crocheter. i am mostly self taught and my skills are pretty basic. however, i thought these cushion covers turned out so lovely that i wanted to share.

the bumpy texture is formed by the triple crochet in one stitch followed by a single crochet in the next stitch. i saw it on this dishcloth, and it got me to thinking about what i could make. that is how this cushion cover got started!

i made the cushion cover with a button edge, so that i could slip it on and off for cleaning. i haven't washed the cover yet, so i don't know how much the yarn will shrink. i definitely will not dry the covers in the dryer.

the cover fits just right over the insert. i didn't want it to be too loose. 

enjoy!

Materials

1 cone (approx. 706 yards/ 645 meters) 100% cotton 4-ply yarn in white

size J (6mm) crochet hook

1 20" x 20" (50cm x 50cm) feather and down pillow insert

6  3/4" white buttons

needle and thread

Gauge

3" x 3" = 9 sts x 8 rows (2 repeats of rows 2-5)

Finished Measurements

approx. 20" x 20" (50cm x 50cm)

US Terms Used

ch= chain                                                                          sk= skip

dc= double crochet                                                           st(s)= stitch(es)

sc= single crochet                                                              tr= triple crochet

Notes: 

chains at the beginning of each row DO count as a stitch

           

when working the final round of sc evenly around three sides of the panels, be sure to place two sc on the dc row

Panel (make 2)

ch 57

row 1: sc in 3rd ch from hook, and in each ch across. ch 2, turn.

row 2: sc in first st, tr in next st. alternate between sc and tr across the row, making sure to end with a sc. ch 2, turn.

row 3: sc in each st across. ch 3, turn.

row 4: dc in each st across. ch 2, turn.

row 5: sc in each st across. ch 2, turn.

repeat rows 2-5 eleven more times for a total of 12 repetitions.

panel 1 (button holes): sc in the next 4 sts. [ch 2, sk next two sts, sc in next seven sts] 4 times. ch 2, sk next two sts. sc in each of the next four sts. work 3 sc in last st, turn. work 1 round sc evenly around three sides with 3 sc in each corner. fasten off. weave in ends. 

panel 2: sc in each st across row. work 3 sc in the last st, turn. work 1 round sc evenly around three sides with 3 sc in each corner. sew buttons on right side. do not fasten off yarn.  

Finishing

with wrong sides of panels together, pin corners. working through both thicknesses, join and work 1 round sc evenly around three sides. fasten off and weave in end. remove pins. insert pillow form and button close.

  

i finished the two cushion covers! can you see them in the background?

i will be posting the pattern on wednesday!