I'm not so good at posting.... it's been a while, however, I've been as busy as usual. crocheting, designing, knitting and teaching French to 6-12th graders.
I'm trying to be more consistent with my online presence but... no promises!  (lol)

Take a look at some of the winter toboggans I knit:

Hugs, Jacqueline

Plus size Granny square dress

This is one of my favorite granny dresses to crochet.

Made from a vintage pattern.

I found this amazing pattern on Etsy called a "Serenity Gown".  Follow my journey as I make this amazing newborn gown.  I'm not sure if I'll put it in my Etsy shop or give it to someone special for a family heirloom.  I am in the second week and am nearing completion.

 As I began crocheting the gown, I remember thinking, "This is a summer project!"

This is where I am today, June 21. :->

The hem detail took several days and left lots of strings for me to weave in. :-<

So, as you can see, I am now adding the layers that go on top of the mesh work.  The up-turned portion will be held in place with 6mm pearls.

And here's what it will look like when completed!

OOAK Dreadi-Wraps by Uniquely Ewe

Customer appreciation photo wearing a Uniquely Ewe
Dreadi-wrap design

Irène in Red

I once saw this amazing mannequin on Flickr and just fell in love with her.  Unfortunately, the owner didn't want to part with her!  As fate would have it, one day, in the not too distant past, he posted that he was selling all of his mannequins!  Swoosh!  And the rest is history.....

This cowl fits a variety of sizes:

Girl pictured is 5'9" tall/ Dress size 5/6

Bust: 34C



This young lady wears a size 5/6 and is 5'9" tall.
Her bust size is 34C



Finished!  At last... the Katniss Cowl from  "The Hunger Games, Catching Fire" is complete and posted in my Etsy shop.  This was a lot of fun!

I've been working hard to finish this cowl!  I was able to find 3 more skeins of yarn yesterday and spent several hours adding to the bodice.  I'm nearing completion and then I'll have to try to figure out how to duplicate what has become a free-form design. (lol)

Katniss Cowl from the "Hunger Games, Catching Fire"

My high school took all the students to see the "Hunger Games, Catching Fire" and I sat through most of the movie trying to figure out how to make a crochet version of the cowl worn by Katniss in the beginning of the movie.  Sofar, I've only gotten as far as one round past the collar because I ran out of yarn and can't find anymore anywhere.  There must be a lot of other crafters trying their hand at this cowl!  (lol)
Enjjoy!

I'll keep you posted when I can get my hands on more yarn. :->

OOAK Patchwork Shawls

I've come to love making these one-of-a-kind (OOAK) shawls because they've helped me solve a decade's old problem - what to do with left-over yarn. :->  Not only is the process fun (because I never know how the finished product will look) but it's such a joy to have a person tell me they've just got to have it!  When I sit down to begin one of these projects, piles of yarn surround me and as I pluck one color after another, the stitches are just as randomly applied.  I hope noone ever asks me to repeat a design because... well, they're OOAK.

This lovely lady purchased one of my shawls at a recent Fall Festival.  She was such a beauty, I begged her to pose for a picture.

I've had such fun creating little hats and booties for Halloween photography props.  Here are just a few of my favorite items to make for a stylish evening of Trick or Treating.

Freeform Shawls

Freeform crochet is just so much fun! It's allows for such creativity and is so forgiving of mistakes. I've begun making shawls to use up left-over yarn from previous projects and I've found that freeform allows me the flexibility to use a variety of yarns and textures to create very unique items. No patterns to read, just crochet and go! Here's an example of a work in progress and photos of one shawl I just finished last week.

Dreadi-wraps

headwraps/headbands for women who have lots of long, curly hair

I love creating OOAK "Dreadi-wraps" using the freeform method of crochet because it's so much fun to see where the design is going to go. I may have one idea in mind when I begin but end up with a completely different product once completed. :-)

I found this to be a great way to use yarn left over from previous projects. Because the dreadi-wrap isn't very large (usually 23 x 8") all you really need to do is choose the color scheme and then just crochet away!

The Best Biscotti Ever!

Buo Cibo

I couldn't help myself! These biscotti looked so wonderful that I ordered a dozen of the coffee toffee and a dozen of the dark chocolate drippled brownie.

Well, today, they were delivered and OH, MY GOODNESS! I can't even begin to describe how absolutely delicious they are! Please, please try this shop at Etsy! I promise you won't be disappointed! I found it completely by accident but you have no excuse because how I've told you about Buon Cibo. You can order at http://www.ashleeglen.etsy.com/.

Bon appétit!

Peanut Brittle

I have always loved peanut brittle since childhood when my grandmother would make large batches of it in an iron fryin' pan. But, it wasn't until tonight that I finally decided to try my hand at this age old recipe.

I dug through loads of cookbooks I've collected over the years (grandmother never told me the recipe... I was the taster) and selected two which seemed to be doable. I wanted it to be simple and use ingredients that I already had on hand. Well... I did have to make a quick trip to the grocery to purchase a bag of raw peanuts.

For some reason, I wasn't satisfied with the two recipes I'd found so I made a last ditch effort to locate an easier recipe on the internet. The first site contained about 10 recipes but none of them caught my eye. Ingredients were similar but the one which had a 5-star rating also had "difficult" beside it.

Just when I was about to give up for the night, I came across this recipe - simple, tested and rated with 5 stars and with a name like Mama's best peanut brittle I thought, "How can I go wrong!" It is absolutely wonderful and for that reason I decided to share it with my fellow bloggers and friends.

First, a word of caution... assemble ALL the ingredients and have them handy because once the sugar begins to reach the proper temperature you'll have to move at light speed so you won't burn the peanuts and sugar and before it begins to solidify.

First, lightly spray a cookie sheet with non-stick spray.

Next, into a large sauce pan, (I used an aluminum frying pan) put :

1 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

Don't turn on the heat yet.

Next, I measured (into little plastic containers but use what you've got):

1/2 cup of light corn syrup

1/4 cup water

Then, I set aside:

2 tablespoons softened butter ( I just cut the stick on the 2 Tblsp line and set it aside)

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup of raw peanuts ( I'd shelled them the night before and, let me tell you... DON'T buy them in the shell if you can avoid it because the skins stick to raw peanuts and you have to scrape them off! What was I thinking???? It took me two hours to prepare 2 cups.. I'm saving one cup for another batch with coconut added)

O.K. here's the easy part:

You've got your sugar and salt on the stove in the pan . Turn the heat to medium/high and pour in the water and corn syrup. Begin stirring until the sugar is dissolved and not grainy. Oh, about 4 or 5 minutes.

Add the peanuts

Stir, stir, stir

NOW, if you have a candy thermometer, you let the syrup mixture reach 300 degrees. BUT, if you're like me and you DON'T have a candy thermometer here's what you'll have to do.

Watch the sugar mixture carefully. It will begin to turn a light tan and then gradually begin to thicken, bubbling the entire time. White foamy bubbles will form. Continue stirring!

The peanuts will slowly begin to tan. When the syrup reaches the correct temperature it will darken quickly and become a golden AMBER color and be very sticky. Remove from heat (just tranfer the pan to an eye on the stove that isn't on) QUICKLY add the butter stirring rapidly. Add the baking soda. Stir rapidly. Quickly pour the mixture onto the cookie sheet and spread it thin. It will begin to solidy very fast but will still be too hot to break into pieces.

Let it cool completely, then break into pieces and enjoy!

I'm Gaga for You!

I suppose you could say I'm a glutton for punishment, but nothing gets me motivated like the tag "experienced" in a pattern description.

Well, this time, I almost met my match!



You know, "Vogue Knitting" has been around for eons but I'd rarely seen a "Vogue Knitting.. Crochet" mag, so when I spied this one (sporting Jennifer Flaven Stallone on the cover, no less) I snapped it up. It's just chock full of gorgeous crochet patterns, some labeled "very easy" others, "experienced". Of course, knowing me and my love of puzzles, I was instantly drawn to the "experienced" patterns. I must confess that I never actually tried one until now and let me tell you...it is one of those, "I'll sleep on it" kind of deals! Whew! They weren't kidding when they labeled it "experienced". Honestly... if you aren't good at reading minds, DON"T attempt this pattern! (lol)

I've been working on it now for 2 days and as I near completion, I have a new found respect for designers. Pattern writing is no easy task and when you've got a pattern with as many twists and turns as this one I can fully understand why the designer would think that only an experienced person would understand some of the tiny bits of information left out. I mean, after all, the pattern took up two single-spaced pages of the magazine and part of a third page.

Now, take into account that I DIDN'T use the yarn or the hook size recommended ( yeah, I'm a rebel like that) the finished garment has more "umph" to it because it's a 4 ply cotton yarn.

So, now that I see that I've conquered this one, it's on to the next "Experienced" pattern ( Ha! I laugh in your face!)......

a dramatic 3/4 length granny square jacket in beige and black. Gorgeous!

I've never seen a "Vogue Knitting... Crochet" magazine since but I'm sure having fun making all the fabulous creations in this one!

Another of My Favorite Reborn Artists

One of my FAVORITE reborn artists is Stacey Haskins of HaskinsHeavenlyBabies.

As you can see, from the pictures posted of this beautiful reborn doll, Stacey uses only the finest quality products in her reborn process.

Baby's hair is soft and silky and is rooted strand by strand and actually appears to be growing right out of her scalp. Stacey only uses the best of the best in mohair when selecting "hair" for her babies.

Another thing that you'll notice about Stacey's babies is her attention to details and the beautiful skintone on each of her reborns. She uses subtle shading techniques and paints layer upon layer of translucent paints to achieve a very realistic appearance. If you'd like to own one of her beautiful creations, she can be reached on her website, http://www.haskinsheavenlybabies.com/ This is a collectible that you'll treasure for years to come. You'll see many of her "adopted" babies on her site. Enjoy!