Garden Chef's Needle and Pen

It’s been more than a year since I crocheted. Oh, how I miss my yarn and crochet hooks! I gave away yarn from my stash to unload and declutter before we moved to our new residence last year.  

Love at first sight, it was again for me, the moment I saw the  crocheted clothes hanger cover  by Naztazia. Even in my sleep, I kept seeing the colorful hanger covers she made with  kanzashi  flowers as embellishment.

My crocheted scarf blending with the colors of autumn in Nami Island.

While preparing for a family trip to Seoul, South Korea in November of 2017, I searched my cabinet for cold weather outfit. Below 10 degrees was the temperature, according to the world weather forecast. Everyone of us kept track of the temperature as we had to decide which type of clothes to bring. We planned our travel wardrobe for a week-long trip. Out came my sweat shirts, scarves, mittens, neck warmers, leggings  and tadah--- the newsboy hat I crocheted four years ago! Wohoho! Seeing this hat after hiding in my closet for years evoked memories of the past--- Zurich!!!! Zurich with its brrrrrrbrrrrry cold weather. It was mid-February then, with a temperature of 5 degrees, if my memory serves me right. See the barren trees behind me? We didn't get to see the snow though. 

It's been months since I made this flower pot cozy. My hands ached to try the pattern the moment I found the design from... hmmm... sorry I couldn't remember if it was from Pinterest or from a link party I attended. Flower Pot Cozy

A blessed Resurrection Sunday! Hello, how did you celebrate the Holy Week? Did you visit churches or do the Stations of the Cross as many people do? A lot of friends send, using the social media, messages on the significance of Christ’s death on the Cross of Calvary.  Here, I’m also featuring the cross... I mean, the Lacy Cross. That is, the Lacy Cross Crochet Bookmark I made, inspired by the pattern I got from   Petals to Picots .  The Lacy Cross Crochet Bookmark 

It is the time you have wasted for your rose that makes your rose so important. Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, The Little Prince. My mother got sick after Christmas last year. She had abdominal pain that was not relieved by analgesics. I was worried with the persistence of the on and off pain that we brought her to the hospital where she was subsequently admitted, after abdominal CT scan and MRI revealed enlarged and inflamed gall bladder with gall stones. She was subjected to Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy (removal of the gall bladder through four small punctures in her abdomen). Amazing how she was able to survive the surgery at the age of 93! Praises to God! But this post is not about the surgery or how she recovered from the ordeal.

This is my own version of the Sweetheart Beaded Choker  by Oombawka Design. I fell in love with this the first time I saw it a couple of months ago. I was able to post this photo in Instagram and Facebook but failed to write about it despite several attempts. While I was doing this, I've been wondering why it was so named. "Sweetheart," intrigued, I read the post a number of times to get an idea as to the story behind it. I gave the photos a scrutiny. Do the beads have anything to do with the name? Hmmm, I don't think so! How about the stitches --- the special stitch. Oh, yes, could it be the shell stitch? Two hdc, ch 2, two hdc. Oh, well, I rest my case to Rhondda to reveal the making of her Sweetheart Beaded Choker. Rhondda is the person behind Oombawka Design.  I liked working on this pattern. It was very easy to follow. Doing the shell stitches was so addicting, I had no difficulty memorizing the steps as I went along. I was able to finish the choker...

This is one of those days when you leave the house, late for work, walk down five blocks to the bus stop under the scorching heat of the sun. For each stride you take, you feel a strong urge to plunge into the tempting waters of the beach or swimming pool. I'm no swimmer so I really don't have any other choice but stand by the gutter of the pool to watch people frolic. At times, I do regret having dropped my swimming lessons in one of the four P.E. subjects required in college.  Seated in the bus, feeling eeewww, a few minutes after finally landing on a vacant seat, I still continue to imagine the blue waters. I close my eyes and for a moment I see myself walking along white sands barefoot. Barefoot! Now, I remember those cute sandals I crocheted the previous year. Where have they all gone? Oh, yes, how could I forget? I have given out several pairs to some friends and colleagues at work. Using blue and light green variegated yarn, here are two pairs I made, inspired...

My last post about crochet was the marathon of the Fingerless Gloves. I promised to post the Loving Hugs Newborn Booties next so, as promised, here it is... the making of a pair of booties especially for the baby of my officemate, Julie.  See the invitation personally made by Lee.   When we first planned about having a shower party, I immediately thought of making a pair of socks as gift. (Actually, I've been thinking of crocheting a pair of socks for months now. The desire came about the moment I signed up in Make Socks, a group initiated by Cheryl Isenberg in Stitchtalk, a sewing community. I joined the group hoping to be able to make at least a pair so that I could share it, but the project just brewed in my mind and has never materialized.) "Now is the time," I said to myself. I just thought crocheting a pair of socks would be a perfect gift for a baby shower.  So the first thing I did was to look for a pattern as I had none in my files. I had only a few d...

Hello! It's been exactly two weeks since my last post. It's Christmas season and everybody is just too busy with gifts and gift-giving! While holiday shopping seems to be the only thing that matters for many this season, I ventured into a holiday crochet marathon which started more than a week ago.  I began the marathon by browsing over the patterns from my crochet files and the Internet. Since both Christmas and New Year's Day fall on weekends this year, we don't have extra days for vacation. No extended days off from work. That means less time for my crochet projects. :( Oh, how I miss my crochet hook after several months! For this year I thought of choosing easy-to-finish projects to be given as gifts for my friends. Last year, I gave away some USB / MP3 holders made by Ana Cristina, my younger daughter. (I have featured her works in my previous post .) But before I embark on my intended crochet give a ways, I already started running the marathon and finishe...