J.C. Marie HandCrafts

I have quite a few items for sale right now over on my Facebook page...J.C.Marie Handcrafts.

The bibs above are sold, but you can order some in the color of your choice.

Christmas is coming and this newborn hat is ready to go...$15 includes shipping

The purple and mint newborn set...$15 includes shipping....If you order now, you pick the color and size..newborn to adult

Amy's new mittens and earflap hat...$20 includes shipping for both....you choose size and color

A size 2T hat on left and a newborn on right...these are sold but you can still order yours.

Downton Abbey inspired hats....all sizes....$15

Teenage sized earflap hat...you can add braids and a puff ball on the top

I also have very soft and fluffy baby blankets...$30 includes shipping..you choose the color 

Kimmy's winter hat....I love the colors of this one!

Place your orders now in time for Christmas.

Head on over to facebook at https://www.facebook.com/JCMHandCrafts/  to order by messaging me and while you are there you can check out other items I offer. 

Yarn Along --April 29

~ Two of my favorite things are knitting and reading. I love seeing what other people are knitting and reading as well. So, what are you knitting or crocheting right now? What are you reading? Take a photo and share it either on your blog, on Instagram (#yarnalong), or on Flickr. Leave a link below to share your photo with the rest of us! ~ From Ginny

I made a super cute sunhat for Kimberly this week....she pick out the colors and I think she made a wonderful choice. Here is a link to this fun pattern.

 I'm also finishing up my knitting for the Preemie Project. I LOVE this new to me pattern for stay on booties.  The pattern is on the Preemie Project page. 

My books are all about school this week.  We are studying Asia and India in general. 

Our fun read aloud is Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing...great fun for all the kids. 

Yarn Along

From Ginny~ Two of my favorite things are knitting and reading. I love seeing what other people are knitting and reading as well. So, what are you knitting or crocheting right now? What are you reading? Take a photo and share it either on your blog, on Instagram (#yarnalong), or on Flickr. Leave a link below to share your photo with the rest of us! ~

I wanted to just back on the bandwagon and join in this week's Yarn Along over at Ginny's Small Things blog.  I have to admit I don't read much (knitting and crocheting take up most free time), but I am between paying jobs right now so a woman can always dream.  

I have started, and found quite helpful, Father Jonathan Morris' book, The Way of Serenity-Finding Peace and Happiness in the Serenity Prayer.  I have been searching for a book that would be easy to read and comforting to the soul. This book is both! It needs to be easy to read because my concentration level right now is quite low. 

And this leads us to my other very easy, light, read: A Patchwork Murder--by Jan Fields. Cozy mysteries are just about my speed these days. 

Since I am between paying knitting jobs right now, I have dived head first into some charity knitting.  The charity I am knitting and crocheting for right now is The Preemie Project. There is a great need for these little items for the most precious little patients around the country.  The Preemie Project website offers patterns and sizing...which is very, very helpful.  

It's the middle of the "4th of July" hat and bootie drive.  We want these babies all decked out for the summer holidays. 

Now, head over to Ginny's blog and share your "Yarn Along....."  

Time is running out to order your hats and mittens before Christmas

 There's still 2 weeks to get your orders in to be ready for Christmas.

We have earflap hats with or without braids and with or without a pom pom.  

Adult sized hats are $20.00 

Kids hats $15.00

 Baby hat $15.00

 Tiny knitted  stocking ornaments $5.00 a pair....I'll do my best to get what ever color you are interested in. 

 Adult hats:$20.00

adult mittens: $10.00

kids mittens: $7.50

Craft Hope Project 25----We are Kenya

We Are Kenya is an organization who believes that one way to change a society is to change the future of it's youth. They are a nonprofit dedicated to feeding and educating sweet children in the slums of Soweto, Kenya. Soweto is the second largest slum in Kenya and home to We Are Kenya. Soweto is a large slum whose people daily struggle with sickness, crime, hunger, and hopelessness that results from severe poverty. In a slum where many children have one or no parent, the daily quest for food supersedes any hope for education.

 

They need handmade knitted/crochet hats, gloves, and scarves. Approximately 200 to be exact for kids ages 4-15. Winters get cold at night and we need to keep these sweet kids bundled up. Sewn hats and scarves are also welcome.

I made up some mittens with yarn I had on hand.  It is a small thing...but it can make a difference in a child's life.  If everyone does a little, a lot will be accomplished. 

The Project 25 mailing deadline is: November 15, 2014.  Please try to have all of your handmade items to them by this date.

We Are Kenya

10914 Hillcrest Drive

Laurel, MD 20723

A New Favorite Yarn-and hat pattern

I have discovered a great yarn for hats and mittens and scarfs...perfect for our freezing winter

Deborah Norville Serenity Chunky Weight.

My favorite hat pattern is a freebie from Red Heart...the Gotcha Covered #1 hat.  It is perfect for any yarn and has all sizes included in the free pattern.

Just perfect for all the snow we have been getting.

Amy's afghan is complete

Amy can head off to Christendom College...I have completed her "going to college" afghan!

One child is ready for the snow!

Off the needles....

My new favorite dishcloth: Flying Geese

Yarn Along....

From the founder of Yarn Along~ Two of my favorite things are knitting and reading, and the evidence of this often shows up in my photographs. I love seeing what other people are knitting and reading as well. So, what are you knitting or crocheting right now? What are you reading? As you can see, it is seed, plants, and tree week here at the homeschool. These books are what are taking up most of my time this week---reading the books, with many hands-on activities to following our reading sessions. I have begun Amon's Adventure: A Family Story for Easter as a read aloud. During Advent we read Bartholomew's Passage. Amon's Adventure takes place thirty years after Bartholomew's Passage during the days leading up to the first Easter.

I have 12 rows of garter stitch left on the basketweave baby blanket. This is a good thing because the baby shower is on Saturday. I love how it turned out!! Once this blanket is off the needles I will be starting something new to show you next week.

Off the needles...

I finished Becky's scarf and am very happy how it turned out..
and more importantly, so is she.
Becky picked out the beautiful colors herself. It is Caron Simply Soft yarn--dark sage and country blue knit together.
I used this pattern for the quick and easy, (but lovely) scarf.

Knit arm/wrist warmers, just in time for the blizzard

I knit these this past week, when it became obvious that we were going to have frostbite of the forearm if I didn't come up with some sort of solution.

I used a k1p1 ribbing for the entire warmers until the last 4 rows, which are all knit.

I knit them on straight needles with a side seam.
I used the needle size and stitch count as I would for the ribbing of my regular mittens.
For Gracie's, shown, I used size 7 needles, casting on 28 stitches, working the ribbing until they were nearly up to her elbows---I then knit 4 rows, binding off in knit stitches.
For Kim and Luke's warmers, I cast on 24 stitches.
Sew up the side seam, leaving a thumb hole. This falls right before the 4 knit rows in the ribbing.

No snow is getting up these sleeves during the snowstorm....and all the fun outdoors following the storm.

Cozy, cozy.....

Amy's scarf is finished!!

The Alpaca Scarf has Been Completed

It came out lovely.

I ended up knitting 5 rows of garter stitch and then a stockinette stitch with 3 stitches of garter stitch at the beginning and end of each row.

I ended with another 5 rows of garter stitch.

At first I tried a few different pattern stitches, but the alpaca was a little hard to work with so I thought the beauty of the yarn would be enough....I didn't feel like it needed a fancy pattern....and I was correct.

I just love how Laura put the scarf around her neck, in a sort of slipknot, and more importantly, Laura loves it!