Smack in the middle of Winter!

Well, I think winter is finally catching up with us here in the midwest!  A few inches fell last night with more to come for today and tomorrow.  We have had a very good winter so far and are very fortunate compared to last year's massive snow amounts.  We were buried under about 10 foot of snow last January.  It made for wonderful rabbit hunting, but I can't remember anything else pleasant about it! 

I have an itching for making warm snuggy things this time of year.  I found some great sites for free crochet patterns.  One site is http://www.ravelry.com/ .  Some patterns are for sale, but loads and loads are free! You need to sign up and become a member, but worth it I say.  I found an easy pattern for fingerless mittens.  Here is a pic of my version...

I used Lily cotton yarn. Love that yarn, soft and can be found just about any where in many colors.  These are for a friend of mine.  I wore mine out one evening and had orders for 3 pairs by the end of the night!  They are great for anyone who LOVES their texting!  I also discovered these are good for archery!  Two of my kids received bow and arrow sets for Christmas and wear these when out "hunting" :)


Another one of my crochet projects was to make some more blankets for us.  After about 11 years of marriage, our blankets we got as wedding gifts are wearing thin!  One is still in the works, but here is my finished star blanket.

This one is called "Granny Round Ripple".  I also found this one on the Ravelry site and is free too.  I think it is a very easy pattern, just using double crochets in clusters and working in a round.  I used a poly blend yarn for this one.  Can't remeber the exact name, but it is from Vanna White's line of yarn.  Much softer than just plain ol' polyester yarn. Pretty and functional for our bedroom.  It is serving double duty to cover up some rips in our old comforter!!

Soap!
I made two different kinds last week.  Chocolate mint swirl and an Oatmeal/Honey/Goat milk version.  My room where I dry my soap smells heavenly!!  I am now waiting on the UPS guy to deliver my newest order of oils and butters so I can keep going. I won't hold my breath today though.  He doesn't like coming out here period, let alone with about 8" of snow on the roads!  Up this week will be Honey/Carrot, Orange, and Coffee. 
I will have some pics of them next week.

Debbie