Thursday, July 7, 2011

MY SIXTH "BUILDING OUR HOMES" TOGETHER FOR THURSDAY - JULY 7TH























 I'M PARTICIPATING IN THE "BUILDING OUR HOMES TOGETHER...WITH JESUS" SERIES OVER AT PRAIRIE FLOWER FARM. IF YOU LIKE TO PARTICIPATE OR JUST PAY A NICE, FRIENDLY VISIT, CLICK HERE.  I ALWAYS ENJOY SPENDING TIME AT THE FARM. 

Hi everyone,

How has your week been so far? Mine has been good .  I'll talk some more about that at the end of this post.  I'm feeling especially crafty today. In truth, I'm feeling "especially crafty" EVERY day :) :)  Today, I thought I'd share a really cute, easy crocheted flag pattern with you.  I'm making up a bunch of these. It's fun, easy and quick.  You can make one in a day...actually way less than that, but I haven't actually timed it. I'm just enjoying this.
























  THIS IS WHAT'S ON MY MIND TODAY. OH, AND YES, THIS IS MY DINING ROOM TABLE. DO I USE IT FOR DINING? NO. IT'S A CRAFT TABLE NOW ;) :)  IN THE FOREGROUND IS THE CURRENT CROCHETED FLAG TABLE MAT THAT I'M WORKING ON.   I'LL BE EXPLAINING ABOUT SOME OF THE OTHER STUFF YOU SEE HERE, TOO  IF I FORGET, JUST LEAVE ME A COMMENT, AND I'LL RESPOND.

I found this pattern on the "Create and Decorate - The Blog" site. If you click on the title it will take you to the pattern. You can find the instructions there, if you'd like to crochet a flag for yourself. Let me tell you, I'm a beginning crocheter, and it's an easy pattern to follow, even with the three different colors. Oh, check out the "Create & Decorate" magazine, too. Here's the link to their website. If you click on the magazine tab, there's info there if you want to subscribe. I have been subscribing to this magazine for awhile now. It's FULL of really cute projects.

 In the background of the above photo, you'll see my Human Bean coffee granita cup with Hershey's syrup sitting on top of a flag that I crocheted. The mats aren't big, but just the right size to act as a mat for your cups and maybe a small plate of snacks. It's fun.  We have enough patriotic holidays in this country, that you could use these multiple times a year, or everyday, especially if you like Americana. I'm starting  to really LOVE it ;) :)


 THIS IS THE FLAG MAT THAT I'M CURRENTLY WORKING ON.   IT'S FUNNY BECAUSE, IT'S  SO ADDICTING AND FUN, THAT I LOSE TRACK OF TIME. I KEEP TELLING MYSELF "I'LL JUST CROCHET ONE MORE ROW". AN HOUR LATER, IT'S TIME FOR BED ;) :) :)

 I used different colors than what the pattern called for. In addition to that, I used a different brand of cotton yarn. The pattern calls for Lily's Sugar N' Cream yarn. I purchased Lion Brand cotton yarn instead for two reasons: 1) I didn't have enough gas to drive across town to Joann's Fabric store to purchase the yarn 2) My local Fred Meyer store is much closer. They have Lion Brand cotton yarn. It was on sale, I get more yarn, and it works great for this sort of project, too. 
            This pattern is especially nice, because you can manipulate it in different ways. Just have some fun with it.  Here are the yarns I used. I'll just post the photos, since the information on there will be self-explanatory if you have any questions. I tend to like the darker colors, or jewel-toned colors. The reason I chose these colors in particular, was because that is what was available at the store at the time. I would have preferred a slightly darker red, but this works great:












































































































Those are the yarns that I'm using for this project.  The yarn is really sturdy and it's knits/crochets up wonderfully. It's also 100 % cotton, so it's perfect for household projects that you might be working on, too.

These are a few of the extra supplies that I'm using:
I like to use an old-school wooden ruler with the metal blade to measure my work.  It's consistent meauring every time. It won't stretch out like a flexible measuring tape is wont to do.  A good pair of scissors are handy for cutting yarn, when it comes time for that. Oh, yeah, a crochet hook is helpful when making a crocheted flag... hee hee hee :) :) This particular crochet hook is a Size H8 - US / 5 MM.   Depending on your yarn choice and which size crochet hook you use, your flags may come out different that mine. That's perfectly okay. If you like your project and it makes you smile, it's good.






















THIS IS WHAT I ACTUALLY BOUGHT WHEN I FINALLY MADE IT TO JOANN'S FABRIC STORE.  I LOVE LILY'S SUGAR 'N CREAM YARN. IT'S FUN. THEY DO NEED TO MAKE SOME MORE JEWEL-TONED DARKER COLORS. HOWEVER, THE CURRENT SELECTION IS ALSO REALLY NICE. 

This will be turned into a different project, which I'll probably share with you next week :) :)  It knits up in really nice red, white and blue stripes. Oh, tip, save the labels from these skeins of yarn. They always include a free pattern. You can save them and maybe print them out for your own personal pattern book.  It's a great reference source for gift ideas.

THIS IS THE BACK LABEL ON THE YARN, IF YOU NEED IT FOR INFORMATION.  IF YOU LOOK CLOSELY, THIS PARTICULAR LABEL INCLUDES A PATTERN FOR MAKING YOUR OWN PLACEMATS.

 So that's what I'm up to today.  I've been keeping up with my devotions.  It really does make a HUGE difference in my day. It keeps me sane and really puts a focus and direction on my day :) :) :)  
            I had errands to run yesterday and today. Yesterday, I was really complaining about having to leave the house. I do like going out, but yesterday, I just wanted to stay home. However, there are things in life that HAVE to be done, including paying bills etc ;) :)  Well, the errands went much more smoothly than I had anticipated. It was a gorgeous day. Everything went so FAST. 
            Today I had some errands to run. I had to get money out of the bank to pay rent.   That went really smoothly, too. So now I'm home and working on my craft projects and enjoying the air conditioning. Summer is officially here in Oregon. It's in the 90s  today...and it's HOT.  So I'm staying indoors and keeping as many lights off as I can. It helps to keep things cooler :) :) Oh, I think I need a nice iced tea right about  NOW :) :)
            Oh, I almost forgot, here's a close-up photo of Linda Stubb's Americana flag fabric. You can find this at Joann's fabric. It's a gorgeous fabric. It's Americana, it's vintage. I purchased two yards of this fabric. I'm not sure what I' ll make with it, yet. It's so pretty, that I just keep looking at it. Click here to visit Prairie Flower Farm and Linda. She's the fabulous lady who designed this fabric.

            Thanks for visiting me. Oh, yes, welcome to the new followers. I'm so happy you are here. Feel free to leave a comment and say hello :) :)  That's the news from Oregon today. Love and hugs, Heather :) :) :)

20 comments:

Patty Sumner said...

You have been quite the crafty woman today. I love the flag pattern. Lately my dining table and island in my kitchen are covered with crats. Keep on creating....Blessings!

Domesblissity said...

Wow Heather! A crocheted flag. What a lovely idea. I think it'd make a good cushion too.

Thanks for stopping by my blog. Ah yes. Midnight Oil. A favourite of mine in the 1980's and I saw them a few times. Would you believe the lead singer is now a Federal Minister in our government now? He was always very outspoken back in the 80's and a great believer in equality for all Australians. Now all he's interested in is lining his own pockets with the ridiculous amounts of money we pay our politicians! You're welcome to come any time. The door is always open. xx

Anne @ Domesblissity

Heather's Blog-o-rama said...

@Patty - thanks :) :) This flag pattern is so easy. I feel like I'm on a roll with crochet today :) :) I can make flags for everyone :) :)

@Anne - You could probably crochet an Australian flag, too. Although, it would have to be worked differently. I'll need to study your flag and give it a try...like an Australian version of "Americana". Does that make sense? Australiana?

Thanks for visiting me today :) :) :) I'm off to do some more crochet and watch national news :)

Mrs.T said...

What an adorable flag mat! I think I need to make one (or more) of these. Thanks for sharing!

Heather said...

Very nice, Heather! While I consider myself crafty too, I have never learned to crochet or knit. Looks like you're doing great for a beginner!

My Mad World said...

Love the flag!! Great job! I will def have to make some too. Wish we had the lionbrand cotton around here. Love to try that from time to time.

Also like that sugar n creme yarn! I have been looking for something like that for a long time!!! Now I at least know it exists. lol

Hope you have a great weekend!

My Mad World said...

tried to reply from my phone and it didn't go through :(

Love this flag pattern and I know I will be making some! I just need to get some more red.
I would love to find some of that Lion Brand cotton but I haven't found it here in OK. I do like Sugar n Creme but sometimes it splits so much on me I get tired of fighting it!
Also love that variegated yarn! I have been looking for something like that for a LONG time! Haven't found it here... I will just keep looking since i know it's out there! lol
Have a great weekend!

Heather's Blog-o-rama said...

@Mrs T - this particular pattern is so easy. I can crochet them while watching tv :) :) Definitely, make some of these :) :)

@Heather - thank you :) :) I can do a teeny tiny bit of quilting, but I really wish I could make a really nice quilt like I see at quilt shows and such :)

@Nicole - Sugar N Cream ya rn i s fabulous. I love it. I haven't had it unravel totally on me..but it is just a basic cotton yarn, so sometimes the strands seperate...but otherwise, I've had great success knitting with it. Oh, You can order the Lion Brand yarns on-line if you want to. I think you can do the same with the Lily Sugar N Cream yarn, too...but that might be an option if you can't find Lion Brand anywhere. I find it at Michael's Joann's, Fred Meyer and Craft World here in my town. So if ou have any of those places, check it out. Oh, I even found some at WalMart once...but I'm not sure what they're doing with their crafty stuff these days :)


thanks for visiting me everyone :) :) I'm off to crochet some more and knit. My dad is making the breakfast so I can feed my crafting habit :) :)

Prairiemaid said...

Heather, I like your place mats. They are adorable. I can see lots of uses for them.

Linda's new material is sweet, isn't it...I need to think of a special place and a special project!!

It's hot here too! 101 today...yesterday 108!!! I'm wilting.;)

Blessings,
Cheryl

goatldi said...

Great projects and great blog! How do you like the Lion brand vs. the Sugar and Cream? I am making multiple washcloths as Christmas gifts with the Sugar and Cream. The Micheal's in the town closest to our little valley had it on sale. Thought it would make a nice gift with a bar of homemade goat milk soap tucked in and wrapped with a ribbon.

From what you write and do I would say you are well on your way to being a Urban homesteader!

Heather's Blog-o-rama said...

@Cheryl/Prairie Maid - yes, I absoultely love Linda's fabric. I just want to stare at all day long ;) :) That's why I haven't done anything with it yet. I'm waiting for that right burst of inspiration. Oh, I just had one...not gonna say a peep. I'll save it for a blog post ;0 :) It's only been in the 80s today here in Southern Oregon...but it's also super-humid...so it feels much hotter.

@goatidi - thanks for visiting me ;) :) I like both Lion Brand & sugar N Cream very well...although, if given the choice, I would tend towards the Sugar N Cream. I think it feels a bit softer than the other one. Also, the Sugar N Cream yarn is a bit thicker, too, in my opinion..a bit of a heavier cotton yarn. However one skein of that is small. With the Lion Brand Yarn it costs more per skein, but you also get quite a bit...so you could make more with that :) :)Oh, but, the Lion Brand website has super cute patterns that you can receive free via email, including dishcloth patterns. :) :) :) Having said all that, both would be excellent for projects :) :)


thanks for visiting me , everyone :) :) I love it when you stop by :) :) It makes me smile :)

Sue said...

I have said it before Heather, but will repeat it now, You are so gifted with your hands your creations are beautiful. I am hoping to get back to crocheting this fall, it has been years since I crocheted anything, you do motivate me!
Thank you for sharing. Enjoy your week.
Hugs,
Sue

Kim B said...

Hi Heather,
Thats a very pretty flag that you crocheted. I use to have a bedroom in the Americana theme but I changed from a country decor. That fabric is too cute too. I made my son a yarn tied quilt when he was young using a Americana fabric. I hope you have a great weekend and now the 90s have finally hit Oregon, well try to keep cool. Hugs, Kim

Angie Berry ~ Berry Homespun Primitives said...

Heather, I love it, love the dark colors!! Okay, I want some... how much?? =] I am going to be a sponsor at church camp and will try to check my phone late nights. Please let me know and I'll get back with you as soon as I can. It might be the following week... July 18th before you hear from me again. I just want you to know that so you don't think I am ignoring you. Which means I have to wait till then to get to Joann's to buy some of Linda's awesome fabric! =[ Hope there's some left.

If I don't talk to you again, have a wonderful week and we'll talk when I get back!

Chris said...

Oh, I like your flag up top! This is looking great!! Enjoy the weekend. :)

Victorian1885 said...

Hello Heather
Thank you for commenting on my Antique sale post today..I wish you could have attended! Have a great week!
Hugs,
Wanda

Susan said...

Heather,
I really like your flag mats. I love patriotic decorations. I want something made out of Linda's fabric, but I haven't thought of what it should be. It is so cute :)

Hugs,

Susan Montgomery

Cindy Adkins said...

Oh wow, I love your flag!! and I'll go visit the farm!!
Xo
Cindy

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