Give Your Fingers A Work-Out

It's Thursday so it's my day to go out to lunch.  My good friend of many years picks me up almost every Thursday and off we go, usually to our favorite haunt - The Village Grill.  If it's cool enough we try to sit outside on the patio.  The patio is probably at least 5 degrees cooler than what the real temp is because it is almost completely covered by an old camphor tree.  Plus they have umbrellas up over all of the tables.  We know most of the waitresses  by name and we usually get real good service.  Of course, it might also be because we usually tip quite well.  9 times out of 10 I will order the same thing - a salad called The Mixed Grill Salad.  It consists of romaine and spinach leaves, grilled chicken cut into bite size pieces, dried cranberries, pineapple chunks, pears, and raspberry vinaigrette salad dressing.  It also comes with walnuts and cucumbers but I have them hold those - have trouble swallowing the walnuts (due to ALS) and can't stand the taste of cucumbers.  My BFF tries to have something different every week but lately has been heading down the salad lane as he says that he is getting "fat".  I keep telling him it comes with age, after all, he is on the downhill side of 50 - LOL!!!  They only serve breakfast and lunch, sure wish they had dinner service.  Their breakfasts are fantastic too, plus you can get those all day, so sometimes it's breakfast for lunch.

Remember the Project Linus afghan I talked about last week.  Here is the pattern that I promised.

I originally posted this picture under my first blog, More Than Quilts

Shell Afghan Pattern


Approximate Size: 45 X 45"

Materials:  4 1/2 skeins Red Heart Super Saver  (7 ounces each) - I don't count the rows but use up 4 complete skeins of the Super Saver and with the 5 skein I add 8 more rows. 

I use crochet hook size I/9

Abbreviations:
ch = chain
sc = single chain
dc = double chain


Chain 134 loosely.

Row 1:  In the 5th chain from hook, work 1 single chain, chain 2, and 2 double chain, *skip 2 ch, work 1 sc, ch 2, and 2 dc all in the next ch.  Repeat from * across to last 3 ch, skip 2 ch, work 1 dc in the last ch.

Row 2:  Chain 3, turn. Work 1 sc, ch 2 and 2 dc clustered all in the first ch-2 loop. Repeat in all loops across to last loop. Work 1 dc in ch-3 space at the end of row.

Repeat Row 2 until piece measures approximately 45". Here you have two options: Option 1: Do not break off yarn. Continue around the corner and the remaining 3 sides of the blanket, working 1 sc-ch 2-2 dc clusters in each space. Slip st at the end. Break off with 3 inches of yarn and weave in yarn ends.  Option 2: Break off yarn, start a contrasting color and continue around the corner and the remaining 3 sides of the blanket, working 1 sc-ch 2-2 dc clusters in each space. Slip st at the end. Break off with 3 inches of yarn and weave in the ends.

Admire your work and then bring it to your nearest Project Linus coordinator to be give to a child in need!  The nurses in the hospitals where Project Linus blankets are delivered really like this pattern as there are not many holes to get tubes and things tangled in.  Of course, you can always use this for making afghans for all of your loved ones and adjust the size to the person you are making it for.  I try to use bright colors when creating the afghans for the kids.  The current one I am working on is green but I haven't decided on the border color as of yet.  I usually try to make them unisex (or metro-sexual, I suppose, is the "proper" terminology) so that is makes it easier on those handing out the afghans.

This is really a simple pattern.  I'm able to crochet this while watching tv and rarely have to look down to see where I am on the row.  I have found that I like crocheting much better than knitting as it is much easier to pull out rows to correct mistakes.  And I don't have the trouble of dropping stitches like I did with knitting.

Update on my Hawaiian quilt pattern.  Thought I was finished with my design but the instructor made some very good suggestions, so it's back to the drawing (and erasing) board for me.  I knew that I wasn't much of a freehand artist and this is certainly confirming that thought!  I know the basis of the first lesson is designing but it's about ready to kick my butt.  Hopefully today will be the final draft!

I just signed up for a quilting challenge.  It is called the Brown Bag Quilt Contest.  The rules are as follows:
Gather four, 1/2 yard cuts of fabric, 8 fat quaters or a total of 2 yds. (Nice, clean, smoke-free, pet-free, quilting fabric preferably from your stash.)

2. Wrap it up securely for shipping (Include a little note of introduction, maybe a photo & any information you want your new "Brown Bag Quilt" friend to know about you.)

3. Leave a comment after this post & email your request to participate along with your mailing address to: thelittleredhen.quilts@gmail.com

4. Wait for a reply matching you to your new "Brown Bag Quilt" friend. You will also be sent a participant number to use later.

5. Mail your lovely "Brown Bag" fabric package to your exchange friend.

6. When your fabric arrives, construct a quilt using 90% of the fabric in your "Brown Bag". You may add: Any percentage of fabric from your stash & you may add 1 newly purchased  fabric piece. There is no min. or max. quilt size required.

The quilt will be yours to keep.

For more information and to join in the fun go to (link below picture):

http://stashmanicure.blogspot.com/2010/08/brown-bag-quilt-contest.html

Happy Thursday!  If it's not, just remember that tomorrow is FRIDAY! Stay cool and we will chat tomorrow.