what I've been doing with the cooler weather :)

Long Winded and Picture Heavy ~ just so you know

I've taken a little time and learned a couple of new "stitches". I have seen the crocodile stitch before and I've loved it, but it has never really made me think 'crocodile', it's more like dragon to my mind. so I learned how the basics of this stitch worked and I fiddled and once I felt comfortable with what I was doing... voila, dragon scale mug cover



once I had it finished I made another one and had them at my desk and I caught a glimpse of it out of the corner of my eye. it was upside down and looked like a lotus flower and so was born
the lotus flower mug cover.

I really like cables. some days more than others. I also love a cold drink in the summer. along with this comes the condensation and that is so annoying. I have been making water bottle sleeves for the last couple of years... but just for myself. I can't be the only one who has this problem. In fact I KNOW that I'm not. I used to work with a woman who would freeze her water bottles every night and then have ice cold water all day at work. her solution to the condensation was to put a tube sock on the water bottle. okay, good idea, but there must be something prettier than a sock.....

wouldn't you know it, there is something prettier than a tube sock.


next I figured I should make a present for my friend who is having a birthday in a couple of days. something quick to have it in the mail so she would get it in time for her day.


I decided to revisit the lotus. this time no buttons to close it, it is continuous rounds. I don't know if she will like it. I hope so, but I guess if she doesn't ever use it I'll never know. ;)


then I figured that I would love to do more of the sleeves... for the shop and for the craft sale this fall.
so I really want more than one or two different varieties. most water bottle sleeves and mug/cup covers tend to be so plain. I really wanted to make one last year that looked like a sweater. so I then thought why not do cables like all terrific sweaters have. My favorite sweater that I wore until it had holes that I could no longer patch up had those wonderful classic cables.
after learning how to do cables in tunisian crochet, I had wished that I had waited a day or two to send Jen her present. I would have made something more like this






well, there's always Christmas and maybe by then I'll be good enough at this to make mittens