Sew Crafty

I made a shawl and matching scrunchie for my daughter. (This is for SEW CRAFT FRIDAY at Waiting For Him. Head over and post your in-progress pictures of whatever YOU are working on.)
The shawl is actually folded in half (the top of the picture is also the top of the shawl). It was too big to fit across my dining table. As you can see, I have not sewn in the ends yet. You should be able to click on the picture to see the detail. She loves it. You should have heard all the oooooohhhhhsss and aaaaahhhhhhhsss and how beeeaaaauuuuuutifuls coming from my daughters as I was making this!!! :D

I am such a proud Momma. These are only TWO of all the pictures I took of my beautiful precious EE..
This was REALLY simple. It was all chain stitches, slip stitches and double crochet (maybe a single crochet too?). You started at the bottom, and then just added more and more until you had a HUGE triangle! Even the scrunchie was pretty simple. The only difficulty I had to get over was dc inside the ponytail holder. It was more difficult than I thought (even though I had no problem dc inside loops on the shawl! LOL!).

This is my second and third project since completing the headbands. It was REALLY fun and quick to do.

I got the pattern from this book:
CROCHET by Jane Davis.

I REALLY like this book! It explains all of the stitches in easy to understand words and pictures (am I the only one who learns better from a child's instructional book than from an adult's instructional book?). And the projects go from easy (chain stitch only shoe laces) and get a little more stitches added and a little more technique added as you go through each project in the book. Each new project builds on the techniques you learned in the previous project. VERY nice!

My next project is one for myself. (Although if it gets TOO difficult, I might have to thrown in some stuff for the girls, or switch to a more simple shawl for myself at first and come back to this one later.) It is THIS shawl. EEK! Be sure to click on the link or the picture to see all the pictures of this shawl (I especially love the edging on this!). I am going to at least try. I may have to give up and get some more crochet in under my belt before I am able to actually DO this one. I will admit that I found a video in the library that explains and shows this VERY simply! Makes it easy to learn (at least it LOOKS easy). And since I love to cross-stitch, I think I will be able to do this OK.

I have learned recently, that when it comes to books (and my addiction to books), that a lot of stuff can now be found for FREE on the web or in the library. This pattern for the shawl I am making for myself is an online pattern. Whereas before I really started becoming frugal, I would rationalize buying a book with the pattern for fifty cents. But now, I see I can be even MORE frugal and can save money getting things FREE online rather than buying a book and using only ONE pattern. (Or even wasting a credit from PaperBack Swap to get this pattern.) :) And the stuff I made for the girls (that book I may actually Paperback Swap so I have it for the TOD-KAH curriculum), was made in enough time (one week) that I am able to make it and get the book back to the library.

I am learning that when it comes to crafts, recipes, directions and how-to's, for the most part, you can save money (even if the book only costs $.50) by looking it up online or in a book at the library. Save your money for those simply MUST HAVE books (like the old time recipe books where everything -even the tomato sauce- is from scratch and the books that you just can't find online - like raising godly children and girls who are helpmeets and boys who are godly men/leaders).

I also wanted to mention a newsletter for your kids that has crafts for them to do (including crochet!). It is called By Kids 4 Kids. It is free to subscribe. Looks SEW FUN! (hahaha - get it?? SEW fun?!?! :D )

Tee-hee I just have to add that baby JJ has commandeered the scrunchie as his own and is LOVING playing with it! LOL!!!