Tag Archives: kids

Crochet Knees

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ScannedImageIf you have read my blog for a while you may have realized that I am a little, let’s see, what’s the word…ah yes, thrifty. So in the spirit of thirstiness, I have been attempting to get some more life out of blue jeans my children run wild in.

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One knee mended, one more to go. Crochet patches tend to have more stretch

I am not sure if something has changed in the manufacturing over time, but the knees on their pants tend to split open in a relatively short period of time. Maybe it is the tree climbing, the running, or the playing in dirt that my kids still do within our rural lifestyle, but it seems that they are hard on their clothes. So of course that means that we have “good” clothes and “play” clothes. However when the knees get bad enough that they can stick a leg threw, I find a way to mend them to get a little more time out of them.

Sure I could cut them and make them shorts, but trust me they have an abundance of those. I have used fabric patches, but they do not tend to last as long as I would like, tearing out and just becoming flaps over the open knees. So I have taken to making my own, with crochet.

I crochet a few motifs, different shapes like flowers, and different colors. My kids enjoy coming up with ideas for me to crochet into patches, and the stitches seem to allow the fabric to stretch more and thus do not wear out as quickly as the fabric patches. I then pin them in place and reluctantly sew. I say reluctantly as sewing is not my number one favorite skill, but at least this way I get to enjoy some crochet in the chore.

I keep telling them that it is a new fashion statement, who knows maybe it will be. I just really hope that they are not tearing out the knees so that they can keep up with this “new” fashion.

Keeping the Holiday Spirit… In My Shoes

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ScannedImageI am attempting to get into the holiday mood….the last few years that has proven to be a little bit of a challenge. This is, I feel, that I have felt overwhelmed with everything that is expected and all the extras that need to be done…the decorating (guess I should clean the house), the baking (hope these cookies actually make it to the neighbors instead of in my dessert pile), the gifts (what do I get so-&-so? I need ideas), wrapping (hide in the bed room, attempting to make that roll of paper last for one more odd sized package), and the cards (okay, I actually like this one, it is the one time a year that I actually sit back go through my address book, the old fashion paper book kind, and think of friends and family…realizing yet again that too much time has passed since our last visit).

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Elf Slippers, adult and child sized

So far I have not hit my “holiday wall” yet, and to help keep that spirit alive and not turning bitter I have been working on a holiday design. Elf Slippers. My kids love these, and I admit that they are pretty fun. They are worked in Red Heart Super Saver, and 1 skein actually makes at least a couple of pairs. I have them sized for adults and kids, as well as notation on how to customize them for any size.

They are a quick stitch pattern, and the addition of the bells gives them quite a bit of charm. So if you have a love for stitching, want to create some quick gifts, or just want to keep the spirit alive, check them out at:…

Ravelry or Craftsy

Little Thing to Remember

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ScannedImageUsually for me the hardest deadlines to keep are the ones that I have set for myself. I have no problem stepping up and meeting deadlines set by others, no matter how unrealistic they might be at times, but keeping a simple deadline for myself can be a little more of a challenge. Mine get pushed back for various reasons; other peoples deadlines, kids activities, sleep, family, sometimes even just that next chapter of the book I am reading.

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Out with the kids…

Why is this? Do I not value myself as much as everything else? Or could it be that I am simply being a little too hard on myself.  In my other work lives, I was able to leave work at work; I came home and started my other life. My time was measured, I could see the productivity of my day in the hours I was at my job, but now that model is on its head.  I would love to say that I have set work hours that I dedicate to crochet, separate time scheduled for house cleaning and grocery shopping. That does work occasionally, but then life happens and they overlap and mush together more than I thought they would. I have late nights, as the late afternoons and evenings are family time (okay, they are fight about homework, fix dinner, get ready for bed times, but who is judging). Mornings are reserved for getting everyone out the door, so I have mid-morning until school lets out, plenty of time. But then I have to go into town to ship some packages, and since I drove all the way in I should stop by the grocery store, well now I have, a couple of hours before I pick up the kids….

I need to find a way to focus more on one task at a time, and quit multitasking as much, but I also need to remember that I am allowed to have free time. I often find it easy to beat myself up about what I should have gotten done, instead of looking at what I have accomplished. This is a little thing I need to remember…life is more then work.