Seed Orders For 2013......phew! Glad That's done.

       I have been researching what seeds I want to order for weeks now. Reading online reviews and recommendation based on taste and productivity.  That was hard sometimes as what one person raved about, another may have poor results. These pics however, are based on many,many comments. Most of these are new to me. This list is just my new seed orders, I also have a  list of seeds I already have (mostly tomatoes) that I still havent narrowed down yet.

So here ya go, todays order list for 2013:

Pinetree Garden Seeds
PO Box 300
New Gloucester, ME  04260

Product #: 42-PREMIUM CROP BROC (F1 hybrid 6
Price: $1.75
 

Product #: 5802-PRIMERO CABBAGE (F1 72 days)
Price: $1.65
 

Product #: 5701-EARLY JERSEY WAKEFIELD (60-75 
Price: $1.25
 

Product #: 8001-AMAZING CAULIFLOWER (71 days)
Price: $1.65
 

Product #: 123-BON APPETIT CORN (hybrid 71 da
Price: $2.25
 

Product #: 141-HOMEMADE PICKLES CUCUMBER (54 
Price: $1.75
 

Product #: 24301-AILSA CRAIG 
Price: $1.65
 

Product #: W128-EMERITE POLE BEAN (58 days)
Price: $1.75
 

Product Total: $13.70
Discounts Applied: $0.00
Tax: $0.00
Shipping: $3.95
Special_Handling: $0.00
Order_Total: $17.65

 Totally Tomatoes

Dear tammy,

Thank you for your order on Totally Tomatoes.  Below are the details:

Order Date:
1/25/2013 8:41:51 AM
Confirmation Number:

Product Total:
$9.85
Standard Shipping:
$4.95
Tax:
$0.00
Order Total:
$14.80
 Gift Card Adjustment:
 0.00
 Coupon Savings (if applicable):
 $0.00
 Amount Billed To Credit Card:
 $14.80

Products Ordered

00524A
Omars Lebanese Tomato
1 @ $2.35
$2.35
03161A
Gourmet Pepper
1 @ $2.50
$2.50
00068A
Better Boy Hybrid Tomato
1 @ $2.55
$2.55
00526A
Opalka Tomato
1 @ $2.45
$2.45

Osborne Seed Order

Shopping Cart

Item
Qty
Price Per Unit
Total
Bean, Fortex


1/2 M (SOLD OUT)

Found In: (Bean) (Pole and Specialty) (Untreated)
1
$13.05
$13.05
Bean, Lewis (HMX 7112)


2 M

Found In: (Bean) (Bush) (Treated) (Untreated) (Osborne's Favorite)
1
$8.80
$8.80
Bean, Stringless Blue Lake S-7


1 lb

Found In: (Bean) (Pole and Specialty) (New) (Untreated)
1
$7.70
$7.70
Sub Total:
$29.55
Shipping for Myself (Best Available):
To Be Determined
Total:
$29.55

I am very excited about my bean orders. I have read so mnay rave reviews and recommnedations for all but Lewis. I cant find much about them, but they sure sounded good.

Lewis bush bean courtesy of Osborne Seed

Fortex pole bean, is raved about in many forums. I first read about this one on gardenweb.

Fortex pole bean courtesy of Osborne seed

A lot of these seeds (except for the beans) will do me for more than one year. Now to plan out "WHERE" I am planting these.

Hide Those Pipes!

    For the past few weeks, I have been cleaning and re-organizing my cabinets. I am going to get pictures of these soon. Anyway, the last one I worked on was under the kitchen sink. Admittedly it has been awhile. Actually, a LONG while. This cabinet seems to be a catch-all.
    As my bath towels are worn out, I cut them up into rags for cleaning. I have been throwing quite a few of these in this cabinet. I really need to divide them up and place some in the bathrooms, but thats another day. There was multiple cleaning supplies, etc.
    I also store my bag of onions under there as well. Guess what i found while cleaning? Yep, a bag shoved to the back with 3-4 rotted, watery onions in it. They had leaked out of the back into the cabinet in one corner as well. Now  I realize my choice of shelf liner was a mistake. I had used that open, waffle weave type plastic liner. This allowed that leaky mess to run onto the wood cabinet floor, staining it.

TIP # 1: USE a waterproof shelf liner! You never know when pipes or something else is going to leak.

Ok, grit your teeth, and be ready to run, here is my cabinet BEFORE:

I warned you,lol. Admittedly, it could be worse. Now I get to another thing bugging me. Those ugly pipes! They have been there since the kitchen was remodeled about 10 yrs ago. While under there, I did clean them, but I still hated the way they look. Ugggg! There has to be some way to hide them.
     Then it dawned on me, what about a wrap? Yea thats it! I measured how big around my pipes were in the large areas, then measured how long the side "Y" leg was from just under the sink to the center connection before it goes to the bottom leg. I added roughly 6" to length, and about 2" to width. I cut a rectangle, and hemmed the long edges. I then  made a small cuff in the bottom and top to hold a small piece of 1/4" elastic. Threaded the elastic thru and stitched the ends to hold in place. I then sewed on velcro pieces along the long edge, placing one on each end over the elastic. Make two of these.
       Now make same measurements to the lower leg of the "Y". Make another piece in the same manner. Now cut a rectangle about 8" wide x 12" long. Hem all edges.
      Now slip one section around the left leg, and velcro in place, slip the right leg piece over and velcro in place. Lay the small rectangle you made last over the join to cover where the two upper pieces meet. Pull it down on front and back and slip the ends under the lower wrap to hold in place.
     There you go.... pipes are pretty, and the piece can easily be pulled off quick if there is a leak.

I know your probably thinking, "that lady has too much time on her hands", lol.  Well,.....they do look better, right?

    Now for the organization part. On the left door, I wanted a small rack to hold dish soap etc. I did not want to screw through my beautiful solid oak , custom made cabinets. I read somewhere on the web that someone used command strips to hold it on the door. So I gave it a try. Its been about 4 days, and it's still hanging. 

     I bought 2 green baskets from the Dollar Tree to use under here, but unfortunately it only fit on the left side. The right side, i am having hubby make me a narrow bin type thing to hold potatoes and onions in it on the right.  On the left I would love one of those side mounted drawers that pull out, but gotta wait till hubby gets "round to it",lol.

    The box on the left is a temporary holder for my rags. Here is a closeup of the wrap:

I know ... a little "cutesy", but its clean  :)

That's what happens when I am home alone a little too much!

    

Woo Hoo... My 20,000 Visit Today!

      You might say I am excited! I just checked my blog stats, and I just had my 20,000 visitor!

I Have My First Blog Award!

     

Today, January 9, 2013, I have been honored with the Liebster Award!. My first first blog award. I must thank Garden Chef from  Garden Chef's Needle and Pen Blog for granting me this award. I recently found her blog, and have enjoyed it a great deal. Please take the time to visit when you can. There are lots of great recipes and more to enjoy.
http://gardenchefsneedleandpen.blogspot.com/2013/01/gardenchef-gets-liebster-blog-award.html

Hey! A week later, and I just realized I was given this award on my 4th blogaversary!

Rules For The  Liebster Blog Award: 

1. Answer the 11 questions posed by the person who nominated you
2. Give 11 facts about yourself
3. Nominate 11 other bloggers for the award
4. Post 11 questions for your nominees to answer
5. Tell them you have tagged them and pay it forward

 11 questions I was asked to  answer by Garden Chef:

1. If you were a Miss Universe finalist and one of the judges asks the question, "What is the greatest challenge in your life?" what will be your answer? Raising my children to be happy, healthy, productive adults. The most difficult, is holding my protective instincts in check to allow my adult children to  learn from their on mistakes.
2. What was your favorite subject in grade school? English
3. Favorite quotation? 

   "Life is not measured by the number of breaths you take but by the moments that take your breath away?"

4. If you have a husband or boyfriend, your theme song? Otherwise, your favorite song. Dont know.
5. How did you become a blogger? I had been trying to start a written journal about my plants and garden. In attempt to remember what I plant from year to year, but never seem to keep track of it or to remember to write in it. So I decided to start this blog in attempt to record things going on in the garden, and it kind of grew from there to entail all my interests.
6. Have you ever written a poem or lyrics of a song? Could you write a stanza or two? Don't think I ever have. My interest in school was more to writing stories.
7. Your favorite craft website and why? Ravelry. It is loaded with crochet  and knit patterns from very talented artists.
8. Your fairy godmother gave you a crown that you should pass on to a person you admire most. Who would that person be? This is a tough one. 
9. Given funds for a new wardrobe, what design or style would you collect? (e.g., executive, casual, sporty, formal, etc.) casual
10. Name an award you received in high school . None, I was too quiet and backward
11. If you have enough savings to build a house, where would you prefer to build it --- in the city, along the beach, in the valley, top of the hill, mountain top, lake shore, etc.? I love the beach, but storm season would scare me. I love living in the country, walking in the woods, and room to breath. So my choice would be a lake shore.

Now for my 11 questions to the blogs that are well deserving of this award:

    1. What is your favorite summer time activity?

    2. Why did you start blogging?

    3. What is your favorite movie?

    4. If you grow a vegetable or flower garden, what is your favorite to grow...which vegetable, flower, or both?

    5. If you were suddenly awarded an all expense trip to anywhere in the world, where would you go?

    6. If you are a crafter, what is your favorite craft?
    7. Do you have plans to learn something new over the next yr?
    8. What are your top three New Year's Resolutions for 2013?
    9. What nationality are your favorite foods, ex. Mexican, Italian, etc?
  10. Do you can foods and why?
  11. If you could live just one day over again, what day would that be and why?

Another part of this award is to list 11 facts about myself. Here ya go:
  1. I am a quiet, introspective type of individual.
  2. I don't anger easily, but I am a very protective mother.
 3. I love living in the country. I love being able to feel safe in my home. Growing my own vegetables, fruits
      and flowers. There is no more satisfying life.
 4. I am a nurse. I graduated from nursing school in 1984. I have been retired from it since 1984 due to
      fibromyalgia. The most satisfying thing about nursing is helping others, by teaching , or hands on care.
 5. I have 5 children. Ages: 32, 30, 26,23,23. The last were twins weighing 8.6, and 8.3
 6. I married my soul-mate. We will be married  35 yrs this summer.
 7. I love learning new things, to try and challenge myself sometimes. Last winter, I learned to knit socks. 
     I recently started on my 3rd pair. 
 8. I absolutely love the beach. Listening to the crash of waves is so relaxing.
 9. My husband and I bought our first camper about 16 years ago after a weekend trip to an amusement
    park.when our kids were little. It costs $700. We figured we could invest in a camper, and take the kids
    camping with friends and family every other weekend for lots of mini vacations and one long one this way
  . The kids loved camping, fishing, and boating over the years. we recently traded up to a toy hauler so we
     can take our motorcycle with us now.  We still frequently go with kids, but now its grandkids,lol.
10. I enjoy a variety of skills. We built and designed our own home (which includes knowing lots of different
    skills), I am a nurse, I knit, crochet, embroidery by machine and hand, I digitize machine embroidery 
      designs, sewing,
    gardening, starting plants from seeds and cuttings, saving seeds, cooking, canning and more.
11. We built our own home in 1979. Neither of us had built anything more than a doghouse before that. He
      was 21 and I was 18. We
    bought property, and used it for collateral for a small home loan of $25,000. Small home town bank, that
    worked with us, allowing us to build it ourselves. Now you cant do that.  There just doesnt seem to be the
  "hometown" feel anymore. You know....Mayberry! We started with a 28x40 ranch, then added on over the
    years to now have about a 4000 sq ft home, with a huge covered porch on the front, and 6 bedrooms in
    the country on 2 acres. We just planted 2 apple trees and a peach tree last year.

Like  the song by Rascal Flats : " I miss Mayberry, sittin on the front porch, drinking ice cold....cherry... coke."
                           "Where people pass by and you call them by their first name"

   Now for the awards! Below are the 11 blogs that I think are deserving of being honored:
1. Lulabelle's View:  I just love laura's blog. She has a wonderfully sweet way in which she views life, and it comes out in her writing. She shares her love of gardening, and quilting , and healthy eating. What first attracted me to her blog a few years ago, was her gorgeous potager, or kitchen garden. You have got to see this.

 2. Heirloom Gardener  , a wonderful blog with lots of gardening info, and beautiful pictures.  I loved her post on starting a garden journal. 
3. Hocking Hill's Garden, Lona's  blog is absolutely stunning. Beautiful, professional looking photo's of plants and places. If you love gardening, dont miss her blog. 
4.Beloved Knits, Katie has a fantastic collection of knit patterns. You have to see the beautiful designs there.
5. BeppyCat & co., A Homemade Life ; Is a sweet blog about raised bed gardening, crafts, canning and more. Right up my alley.

6. Throwback Road, Julia has a wonderful blog about gardening, cooking, and just getting back to the basics. she also has a fantastic writing style that is easily enjoyed.
7. Read Between The Limes, I recently found Carrie's wonderful blog when following a link about  her seed starting rack. What a wonderful idea!
8. Stitchin' The day Away. An adorable blog full of ideas for crafting with fabrics, and quilting. Lots of fabulous fun ideas.
9.Dimples and Delights, April has some fabulous recipes that i can't wait to try. First being her Mock Girl's Scouts Thin mints.
10. Gardening 4 life, This Texas Master Gardener has done a wonderful job on her blog. Lots of ideas, and information, and photo's  put together to form a very interesting read. 
11. The Worm Girl News, I just found this blog when researching irrigating raised beds. She has a wonderful article on this and other things.

Pass it on fellow bloggers.

Coconut Oil For Healthy Lashes and to Stop Loss

  For many years, 38 yrs to be more exact, I have used  petroleum jelly to remove my waterproof mascara. For most of these years my lashes have been okay. I have never had exceptionally long or thick lashes. Just average. I spoke with a young woman in Lowes once who had gorgeous lashes. She told me her's were so long that she had to trim them to keep them from dragging her glasses. Oh to be so lucky.
   Anyway, for the past 3 yrs or so, I have been having a great deal of problem with sections of my lashes falling out. You can use mascara to thicken lashes or make them look longer, but not much can be done when their missing. This baldness can't even be corrected by a comb-over ,lol.  They would no more than grow back on one eye, then fall out on the other, or the same eye again. Never all of them from one lid, just 3/8" to 1/2" sections. Bad enough though. I have fought this for years. Trying regular store bought stuff made specifically to remove the lashes. This stuff, made it a little more difficult to remove tho. I tried non waterproof mascara, but hated the raccoon look if I cried, or my eyes watered. I tried tea tree oil since it is supposed to have antibacterial and antimicrobial properties. Still no relief.  I even tried Olive oil, it made removal easy, but after months I was still losing my lashes. it is great stuff, but just didnt help my lash problem. I also bought stuff called Talika, that was supposed cause similar benefits as the prescription stuff. Still no help.
    Then one day, while researching on the internet, i came upon info about the benefits of coconut oil. It was supposed to be great for skin, hair, and over-all health. Check out the info on Dr. Oz HERE. I couldn't believe all the good this stuff was supposed to do. Always a little skeptical, I decided to give it a try. I had nothing to lose, since I already had a partial bucket of this from soap making. Still, I figured if olive oil did nothing, I had little hope this oil would work.
    Coconut oil, is a solid at room temperature, but softens very quickly with the heat of your hands. So about 8 months ago, I took a small container and poured some warm coconut oil into a small container and took it to my bedroom. My usual routine is to remove my mascara after my shower before bed. So after my shower, i would rub my finger over the top of the oil a few times, to soften . then I would gently rub over my lashes a few times to soften the mascara, then gently wipe with a tissue. I would get more oil on my finger if needed. It only takes a few swipes. Much less than the traditional removers. I didnt try to remove all the oil from around my eyes. Sometimes i would also smear a little more on and leave it. I never have any burning, or irritation. I have now noticed that I havent had any lash loss for several months. I hesitated to post this, because I figured if i just wait a little longer, they will fall out again. but they havent. I still dont have extremely thick or long lashes, but they are NORMAL again! I can be happy with that.
   Maybe if I am lucky they will even keep the crows feet at bay. At 52, my eyes still dont look too bad. If you already have decent lashes, maybe you will get more lushness. Who knows. Its not too expensive to try, and I have even seen the oil at Walmart. If you try it, leave me a comment and let me know how it goes.

 

Homemade Coconut Balls (faux Mounds)

    I have become the kind of cook/baker I used to hate. I remember after I got married asking my mother in law and grandmother how they make a certain recipe. They both would tell me ... oh just a pinch of this or a handfull of that. I hated trying to figure this out. sometimes it worked, sometimes not. Now I do the same thing. I have been doing some Christmas baking the past coule of days. last night I made peanut butter balls . These taste almost like peanut butter cups. Then hubby asked for his usual coconut balls last night. So this morning I have been working on these this morning.
                                                    COCONUT BALLS

14 oz bag of flaked coconut
1 stick of cold butter or margarine
1 Tablespoon plus 1 tsp vanilla
32 oz bag of powdered sugar

combine about 2/3 of a bag of powdered sugar and remaining ingredients. Using your hands combine ingredients. At first it will feel like there is no way its going to come together, but the heat of your hands softens the butter a little. It should have sort of a play doh consistency. You may need to add the remaining powdered sugar.

Start melting your chocolate chips and wax for the chocolate coating in a double boiler, or just use two small pans. Recipe for coating is below.

Now roll your filling into 1" balls. I got about 52 from the above recipe.

CHOCOLATE COATING

approx 2/3 bag of semi sweet chocolate chips

shave some parafin baking wax ( this part I dont understand, but I was taught to use this many yrs ago, and have even seen it used online. I notice it does make the chocolate a little thinner, and thereby making the balls easier to coat.)

Place ingredients into a double boiler over low heat. Once melted, roll your balls into the chocolate with a fork, and lay out onto wax paper. I had to lay mine on plastic wrap as I was out of wax paper You may need to refridgerate  for a little while before placing them into container. 

TIP: You could also roll up an almond inside for  Almond Joys with nuts.

Thanks for visiting. I am joining:
StoneGable Tutorials, Tips, and Tidbits

Little Crochet Acorns

My daughter showed me a pic of some crochet acorn's that she found on the computer tonight. She fell in love with them, and wanted some. She asked if I could make them. well a couple hours later while watching a Christmas show on TV, this is what i came up with:

They work up very quickly and easily. here is basically how i did them.

1. Ch 2, 4 sc in first ch , join to first sc and ch 1

2. Sc in same joining space, and sc in same space again. Continue with 2 sc in each sc of row below.Join,

    ch 1

3. Sc in same joining space, and sc in same space again. 2 sc in each sc of row below. Join, and ch 1

4. Sc  in each sc in row below. Join, ch 1 . Repeat this row 6 more times. Tie off.

5. Now for the cap. Ch 17, and join. Make sure this loop will fit around the top of your acorn. if it doesnt 

     easily, separate and add or subtract a chain. Ch 1

6. Sc in each ch, join, and ch 1. repeat this row once more.

7. Skip next sc and sc in next one. Skip one sc, and sc in the next. Continue around , not joining, just 

     working in a spiral.

8.Continue  step 7 until you reach the very tip, and creat a little nub at the top, cut, and pull end thru loop.

9. Put a little bit of glue around the inside edge of cap. Stuff acorn, and push cap on and let dry.

Wouldnt these look adorable strung on twine to form garland and hung on the tree, or mantle? Or how about filling a little basket or bowl?Or even in a small nest and placed on the tree?

How To Make a Badge For Your Blog

       If you visit many blogs, you will notice a LOT are adding badges to represent their blog with special code listed below it. This ever popular and growing trend is to allow the reader to copy the code and paste it into their own blog. This allows their readers to click on this badge and visit that block. Gradually increasing your reader base.
      The popular "Linky Parties" are a good place for these. Host a party and virtual party goers can share your badge . I am still learning about this side of blogging, and considering hosting my own someday soon.
      While considering these parties, I was trying to figure out how to get this badge with its grab code to show up on my blog. I tried several different HTML codes from several different sites, and nothing worked.That is until I stumbled upon "My Cool Realm". This site should be considered "Badges For Dummies" It couldnt have been made any easier. Just follow the steps listed to add in your blog address, url for our badge, and your website title. It worked... just look at mine on my sidebar. Here are the steps to make yours:

1. Design your badge. Most sites recommend a badge no bigger than 125 pixels x 125 pixels to easily fit others sidebar. Some say no more than 200 pixels. I found 200 a little large for my sidebar. But 125 seemed way to small for my old eyes to read, so mine is 150 pixels square.

2. Once this badge is designed, you will need some place to store it. I have read of a few different places, but photobucket seemed to be the most popular and easiest. So upload your badge.

3. Now while on photobucket, when it is uploaded you will see the pic show up below the upload box. Click on this to go to the image. On this page you will see a box to the right that looks like this:

see the box below the black box on the right? There is some URL's and HTML listed in the boxes. Click in the second box that is labeled " direct link". This will automatically copy the address for  your badge. 

4.Now go to mycoolrealm, and fill in the blanks. This address you just copied gets pasted into the box labeled: "Your Image URL". 

5. There are soem settings listed for colors and code box options below . I didnt mess with these, just left the default values, and my badge showed up just like I wanted, but feel free to experiment. You can easily re-do it if its not the way you want.

6. Now click "preview". This brings a pop-up box with your badge and a box that says something like "grab code" or similar. Click This.

7. Now this box disappears and at the bottom of the original page is a box with all your precious HTML coding to make your very own Grab Button.  Just click on "select" below this and it highlights your code. Now right click over this, and left click "copy", now we go to your blog.

8. I use blogger, so I am not real familiar with how the other blogs work. On blogger, go to "design" at the top of your blog. then to "layout". Now "add a widget" in your desired spot. Most use the sidebar. I have seen a few at the bottom.

9. Click on the tab to add HTML, and paste your code in here. be sure and click "SAVE", and your  done.

Check out your handiwork, and celebrate. A little cheering, a little dancing. Be careful....dont hurt yourself  :)

Sew Easy Method for Lining a Tote....Perfectly

        Ever make a beautiful tote bag to have it ruined by a lining that was not a perfect fit? You try to tops stitch the opening, just to have one side or the other bunch up because they dont match. You try and try, but your seam allowances just arent perfectly the same on both the tote and the lining.
        Sounds like I have some first hand experience huh. Who me? Never..........well, more times than I care to admit.
        Today, while trying to put together a quick tote for my granddaughter, I decided to try a shortcut. I have never done this before, nor seen it anywhere else, but believe me....I will be doing it again.  I didnt take pics along the way, simply cause I figured I would be ripping it out. But I did create a quickie tutorial using paint. If you have any questions, dont hesitate to leave a comment below.

When you decide on your bag dimensions, then add a little extra for thickness of your depth of bag. For example if you want to hold a book that is 1" thick, then we need to make sure the bag will have a 1" bottom, and still be the dimensions you wanted. So if you wanted your bag 10" wide, then add 1/2" to each sides width (A)

To figure the height of bag (1/2 of B), if you make the bottom 1" deep, then add this amount to B.

You can click on these pics to enlarge   

1. As indicated above, lay fabrics together with right sides facing together. stitch along edge A, leaving approximately 3" space for turning as indicated by red arrow. On the right edge, stitch clear down.

2. Now roll tube around, so seam lines are lined up against each other down the middle. Its best to have one seam facing one way and the other going in the opposite direction to kinda lock the seam lines together perfectly. Wrong sides are still facing out.

Now stitch the long edges as indicated by dotted lines.

3. Turn right sides out thru opening, and then slip lining INTO tote. Push corners down firmly into each other, turn back so lining is on the outside. Flatten corner so seam line goes down the middle

With corner flattened out so seam line runs right down the MIDDLE as indicated by black dotted line, figure out how thick you want your bag to be, depth of bag.

If you decide on thickness of bottom being 1", then lay ruler across red line, and slide down until red line measures 1". The distance down A and B should be equal. draw a line and stitch on this line (red line), These flaps will just fold over on the inside. Now turn back so outside of tote is back on the outside and lining on the inside. 

Add straps, and closures as desired.

TIP: you could sew the handles inside, between the layers when you do step 1.

German (Russian) Lace Tutorial Series 4

    Now we will get ready to start the repeats. From here on out, you will repeat the following steps to make your lace your desired length.
This is were you currently are:

You previously completed up to row 8 shown top left of above. The cluster section.

Now, following chart, work the first 4 rows of the cluster section again. Indicated inside the red brackets.

when you end the 4th row of repeat, ch 7, and ss into the top of the first dc of row 2 as indicated by blue arrow. You are working in direction of red arrow.

Now ch 3, and 12 dc back in ch 7 space.

ch 7 and dc in 7th dc from hook of previous row. Working again in direction of red arrow. Working on the section the red arrow is pointing to, ch 1, dc in next dc below, ch 1, and dc in next dc below. repeat until you have completed 6 dc.

ch 2, ss into top of dc of cluster from row 8 indicated by yellow arrow.Ch 2, dc into first ch 1 space of row before, working back up towards red arrow.

Now the chart indicates a picot here. See the circle at the tip of the first arrow at the bottom? But we wont do a picot now, since we ar going to join where this picot SHOULD be to where it is on the previous row.

see the 3 black arrows on the first chart above? These are where things are joined. Now follow these steps:

ss into first picot from row below, ch 1, dc into next ch 1 space, ss into second picot of row below, ch 1, dc into next ch 1 space of row below, ss into third picot, ch 1, dc into next ch 1 space of row below, now form a picot by chaining 3, ss back into tip of dc just completed, and ch 1, dc into next ch 1 space of row below, form a picot, and ch 1.

Now do 12 dc into ch 7 space directly to the right of the red arrow above , moving in the opposite direction of this red arrow.

beginning at red arrow, moving in direction of red arrow. Ch 7, dc in 7th dc from hook in row below.

Ch1, dc in next dc below, ch 1, dc, ch 1, dc, repeat till you have made 6 dc, ch 3 and turn to start back in direction of yellow arrow.

dc in first ch 1 space of row below, make a picot, dc in next ch 1 space, picot,ch 1, repeat until you have formed 5 picot, then ch 1, and make 12 dc into ch 7 space. End at green arrow at top of chart.

Now beginning at red arrow, ch 7, and dc in 7th dc from hook of row below. ch 1, dc in nect dc, and repeat until you have completed 6 dc. Ch 3 and work along yellow arrow in that direction. dc in first ch 1 space of row below, picot, ch 1, dc in next ch 1 space, picot, ch 1 and repeat until you have completed 5 dc with picots at the tip, 12 dc into ch 7 space, at begiining of green arrow, working in its direction now, ch 7 and dc in 7th dc from hook of row below, ch 1, dc,and repeat until you have completed 6 dc, and end at tip of green arrow.

Beginning at the end of the red arrow, ch 3 and crochet in direction of arrow. Dc in first ch 1 space of row below, make a picot, ch 1, repeat in next ch 1 space until you have completed 5 dc with picots at the tip, ch 1, then 12 dc into ch 7  space below. Ending at pointer of yellow arrow.

Now if you want to do it like the chart, skip the next blue step then go on. 3 dc into space indicated by green arrow.Ch 1.

Complete this step to do it like I did: 3 dc into space indicated by pointer of pink arrow. ch 1

Beginning at the red arrow, 3 dc into ch 3 space between clusters below at yellow arrow. ch 3, 3 dc in same space. working in direction of green arrow, ch 3, sc in 3rd ch below, ch 3, 3 dc into ch 3 space between clusters, ch 3, 3 dc. This completes row 5 of repeat as indicated on chart

Ch 4 and start row 6.

Beginning at red arrow, 3 dc in between clusters below, ch 3, 3 dc in same space. ch 5, 3 dc in next cluster space, ch 3, 3 dc into same space, ending at yellow arrow. Ch 1 and ss into 7th dc of 12 dc group as indicated by yellow arrow.,ch 2. 3 dc into space of cluster group, ch 3, sc into 3rd ch, ch 3 and 3 dc in between next cluster group. Ch 3, 3dc into same space. You have now completed row 7 of repeat.

ch 4, 3 dc in center of next cluster group, Ch 3, 3 dc in same space. Ch 5, 3 dc in next cluster group, ch 3, 3 dc in same space. You have now completed row 8 and we are FINALLY at the end of your first repeat.

To increase length of lace simply repeat this series. Congratulations, you now have a beautiful piece of lace. If your not happy, just pull it out and start over. Practice makes perfect. Its just string. Relax and enjoy the process. If you hve any questions about the pattern, comments, or requests, just leave me a comment below.

Motorcycle Ride In December? Your Kidding, Right?

       I was on the floor in sweats wrapping Christmas presents, when hubby came in the door, and said he was taking the Goldwing to town ( 1/2 hr away) to get some drill bits. Without even thinking, "well sure" came out of my mouth. I never pass up a ride. Admittedly it was 60 degrees out. we have gone when it was colder.

Good Lord! Where are the hot flashes when I need them? Noooooo.......I have to get them in the middle of the night.

German Lace Tutorial Series 3

      Well, its getting late, but I thought I would try and add a few more steps in. So here we go:

Now we are going to work our way back in the direction of the red arrow, beginning at the blue arrow.
Ch 3, dc in the first ch 1 space below. make a picot at the tip as you have done before. ch 1, dc in the next ch 1 space, and picot again. Ch 1, and repeat until you have completed 5 dc with picot's at the tip. End with ch 1. Do 12 dc into the next ch 7 space below, and ending at the tip of the red arrow.

Your piece should look like this.

Now ch 7 and turn. You will be working in the direction of the red arrow, beginning at the blue arrow.

dc in the 7th dc from the hook in the row below. ch 1, dc in the next dc, continue until you have 6 dc made, and with the dc. You will now be at the tip of the red arrow.

Now you will start at the blue arrow and work in the direction of the red arrow. Ch 3, and dc into first ch 1 space below. make a picot at the top, ch 1, then dc in next ch 1 space,picot and ch 1. Continue until you have 5 dc with picots, end with ch 1.

Complete 12 dc in ch 7 space below, and end at the tip of the red arrow.

Your piece now looks like the one above. 

THERE WILL BE AN OPTIONAL STEP HERE

Work the following part in black print, or skip this section and go immediately to the red print

According to the  chart above you will start at the blue arrow and work in the direction of the red arrow. 

Dc into the end of the 12 dc group as indicated by the green arrow. You may need to slide the group back a tad to make room. Then ch 2 and 3 dc back into ch 3 space between cluster group of row 4, ch 3, and 3 more dc in smae space to form another cluster group for row 5.

Your piece will look like this:

Note, I did not care for the way this last step layed. So I made a slight change. You can do it either way, But since we are also learning to read charts, I wanted to show you the way the chart indicated too. 

above in the chart method, you started with the 3 dc into the end of the 12 dc group as indicated by the red arrow in the green piece above. Instead, make this 3 dc group in the space indicated by the red arrow. No ch 2, and do 3 dc into ch 3 space between cluster group of row 4. Ch 3, and do 3 more dc in same space. Ch 3, sc into 3rd  ch of  row below. Ch 3 and do 3 dc into ch 3 space between cluster group of row 4 below. 3 more dc into same space. You have just completed row 5. 

I think this change makes it lay a little flatter, and a little nicer.

Now we will continue to follow the chart. Start at blue arrow, ch 4 and turn. Work in direction of red arrow. 3 dc into ch 3 space of cluster group below. Ch 3, 3 dc in same space. Ch 5 and 3 dc in ch 3 space of cluster group. Ch 3, 3 dc in same space. End at tip of red arrow.

According to chart above, ch 1 and ss into 7th dc of 12 dc group to right as indicated by red arrow. Ch 2, working in direction of blue arrow, 3 dc into ch3 space of cluster group. Ch 3, 3 dc back into same space. h 3, sc into 3rd chain below. Ch 3, 3 dc into ch 3 space of cluster group, ch 3, 3 dc back into same space. You have just completed row 7. 

This shows two repeats done. Tomorrow I will get a pic of just the first repeat in the blue. Congratulations, you are doing very well. You have gotten this far on a pretty complicated pattern. hang in there for the next series and you will learn how to join the first row of the next repeat to your last (8th) row.Then you will be able to start your next repeat, and make this baby as long as you need.

PS, The link for each series will be listed under the "Tutorials" tab above so you can easily go back and forth between them as you need.