New Year's Resolutions for (Yarn) Hookers

5 Things I'd like to do this year with my darn yarn! 

1. I'd like to finish the Christmas tree skirt I started. I actually got the hard part finished but wouldn't you know it. Walmart doesn't carry the Christmas yarn I used...and I am so rural that Walmart is the only store I have in my county. So...I am resolving to find the matching yarn and finish it for next Christmas. 
2. Make afghan for my nearly new furniture I am getting. A white living room set which will have a hay day with a house full of kids. Couch covers are too expensive so I am making my own protectors. Wish me luck!
3. Finish my oldest grandchild's afghan I've been working on before her birthday in February. I better get busy, huh?
4. I want to make one small item a day to add to my crafter's bundle, so I can sell them at local festivals this year. And I'd like to start on a bigger project to sell.
5. Make several baby blankets to sell and finish my sisters afghan I started last summer. I am not happy with it, so knowing me I'll be tearing it apart and reusing the yarn in another project. 

By the way I am easily distracted and suffer from ADD....unmedicated...I will be doing something and then it's like, "Oh, look there's a squirrel!"...and I forget what I am doing and start something new. So, I am going to do my best to resolve to stay more focused!

Oh look another great crochet site! Starting Chain

Daily Deals on Amazon (Free e-books)

Slow Cooker Tips and Recipes

I love cooking and here a few e-books that are free on Amazon today!

Kitchen Table Businesses

One Pot Dinners

Crockpot Recipes

Food Glorious Food

Cleaning for the new year

Cleaning for the new year is on my agenda today. Sweeping out the old and ushering in the new. Still have my Christmas decorations up and will keep them up until after January 6 - the Epiphany.

I made homemade pizza today if that counts for doing anything creative. And I started on a new scarf but didn't like the color so I squared it off and made a dishcloth out of it. I promise to catch up on my photo uploads for these projects but until then I'll post a photo from the Internet and a pattern.

Basic stitches for dishcloths for beginners

Crochet dishcloths

How to crochet dishcloths and washcloths

Purple Passion Dishcloth

Lacy Granny Dishcloth

Other Dishcloth patterns

This is what I am starting on tonight.

Braided Infinity Scarf

I crocheted a camo-scarf today...

Turquoise Broomstick Scarf
Redheart.com

Today I made a camouflaged crochet scarf and even added fringe. I am a big Duck Dynasty fan and many of my friends and family are too, so I wanted to try out a camo-color scarf to see what it would look like. I will attempt to post a photo tomorrow but this chicka is off to bed.

Here are a few crochet links for scarves, if you get lost go to You Tube and see some of the tutorials to get you on track. I love to crochet so you'll be seeing a lot more post from me on my favorite pastime.

Top 3 Crochet video makers on You Tube:

1. Teresa a.k.a. Crochet Geek
2. The Crochet Crowed with Michael Sellick
3. BobWilson123

I am a huge granny square fan, so my next project that I started tonight is another blogger's pattern. This granny square style scarf is a stitch I am familiar with so I hope the scarf won't take long. I haven't decided if the scarf will have fringe on it or not. The pattern doesn't have one, but I really liked the fringe on my camo-style one, so I'll be thinking about that as I work on this scarf.

Until tomorrow....Granny Square Style Scarf

Favorite place for free patterns and e-books can be found at AllFreeCrochet.com

I had a great Christmas and hope all of you did too, for me it's not so much about material things as much as it was making things for others which was very enjoyable. I have a request for some more of my famous homemade cookies and candies by family and friends, which I have promised to do this week. I love to spoil people with treats so they must taste good. When looking for the best recipe, I try several until I get the flavor I want then I mix the recipe up my way and make it my own. But if the original can't be beat then I use it and file it away on my favorite holiday recipe lists.

Today I made Snowballs which are better known as Nut Crescents sans the nuts because I am out of them after all of my holiday baking plus some of the people eating them do not have all their teeth.  The other recipe is a peanut butter cookie which is too sweet for me, it only has 3 simple ingredients and I just don't like the bland flavor of that one. I am definitely scratching that one off my cookie list. 

Both of the recipes come from Taste of Home. (For photo credit follow the link attached to the photo.)

Best cookie recipe ever!

Nut crescents get an excellent 5 star rating! I don't give 5 stars lightly but this is probably one of my most favorite cookies. My sister begs me to make them every year. I sometimes substitute the vanilla for almond extract and of course I use almonds in place of the pecans or walnuts when I use the almond extract.

Snowball Cookies a.k.a. Nut Crescent Cookie Recipe

Eh...

Hmmm...so so! I am diabetic so I don't like my cookies to have that sugary blast to them. This one does unfortunately even if you have a sweet tooth, do you really want to just taste a peanut buttery sugar flavor. I'll give this one a 3 star and that's being generous. It is a good cookie but not the one I want to give to others.

Peanut Butter Cookie Recipe

Now I am going to cuddle up on the couch with a book I am reading and crochet a little of a camo-style scarf for a young girl who loves Duck Dynasty and hunting. My better half made her a jewelry hope chest for her father to give her because he is very sick and can't give her anything this year. He hinted that he'd love a keepsake box like that himself. We are going to work that in when we can.

My New Year's resolution is just one thing make something every day of the year. Anything. Just be creative or work on a crochet piece.  I sit in front of my computer procrastinating too much. I want to make things to sell, I give away everything and I need to make money like everyone else. So got to tighten down my boot straps and get busy working for money...it's less stressful to work for others when its not expected but that doesn't pay the bills.