Hark, How the Bells! Sweet red and white bells!

Getting all my Christmas potholders out there. A Christmas bell in red and white is always a welcomed sight. Again, this was picked up somewhere on Pinterest. 

 

My Divas gift this year

Every Christmas, my Diva group has a holiday party and gift exchange. Normally, we meet every six weeks or so, but this is the gathering in which we invite our hubbies. It is one of the best celebrations of the year. 

Our group met years ago when our children were in high school and we were all active in the theater and music departments. Our kids moved on to college and careers, but we stayed together. Those kids are now in their 30's and 40's, but we are still together.

I try to make something special for my friend for this Christmas so this year, I got some cotton terry cloth yarn and made face cloths. I also purchased some fancy soaps to go with them. I got wonderful gifts too, such as a hand painted pictures of the five of us, hand soap, socks, a journal, and ornaments. Great Christmas haul! 

 

Christmas Dove

This potholder is celebrating peace for the holiday season. The colored yarn is Hipster in Desert Skies  and the other is dark blue. It came out so beautiful. The pattern is, again, from Pinterest, just typing in "dove."

The dove is flying hoping for all of you to have wonderful holiday season.

 

What a Good Stretch!

This potholder is in honor of our wonderful black kitty Omi. She still misses our kitty Wookie (oh, so do I) so she is more affectionate now. She is in my lap right now, and will stay there until I move her. 

 

 

Catching up on some Scrubbies

I am doing a small craft gathering this weekend, so I had to catch up on my supply of scrubbies. These are really one of my best sellers. I give one to a friend and she almost always comes back to me willing to buy more as gifts. They are really quick to knit up; in fact, I can complete one on the trip from our home to Fort Collins to visit our son.

So here is my most recent stash of scrubbies.

Looking for Big Foot, the safe way

If you know me, you know I have a healthy interest in Bigfoot. I have never seen one, nor had any occurrence that could be construed as possible. Actually, the only way I would want to see one is if one was passing in front of us while driving, and I would like to catch it on our dashcam. 

However, they fascinate me to the point that I have been to the Sasquatch Museum twice. If you have a chance, visit it in Bailey, Colorado. www.sasquatchoutpost.com. Bailey is a small town in the mountains southwest of the Denver area. I bet you will leave that place believing there is a good chance Big Foot exists. It is really a blast!

 

Lady Bug Potholder

Basically, I have a bug phobia. However, my son points out to me that my phobia is not pure. I like butterflies, dragonflies, and lady bugs, and I tolerate bees. Okay, I'll give him that. Just don't make me like any other, and especially spiders. I cherish my phobias (bridges make me very nervous).

I got this design from Pinterest so I don't have link to the pattern. However, type in "ladybug chart" in the search engine, and you will get many sizes and designs. I also have a lot of red yarn to use up.

 

Tree of Life potholder

I am not sure where I got this pattern, probably Pinterest. I wasn't able to find it again to give credit. There are lots of Tree of Life patterns though. I am not crazy about the colors, so I will probably make it again down the road.

 

The Only Turkey I Made Today!

Today is Thanksgiving Day here in the United States, the day we celebrate turkey and food. I have made turkeys for years for family and friends. However today, it is just our son who came down from Fort Collins, his two dogs, Ken, and me. We will zoom with our other son and his partner, who live in LA later today. 

We couldn't see making a big turkey for the three of us, so I am making chicken, potatoes and a circus salad. Our son brought a pecan pie. No pumpkin. Not a big fan.

This turkey potholder is a free pattern, so use the link to download your own pattern. It was a fun pattern.

Free pattern on Ravelry: https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/potholder-turkey

Hibiscus potholder

Another potholder in the flower series. After the holidays, I plan to do a bunch of flower-related potholders. I have a lot of colorful yarns that does not work well with animals. I will use them up with flowers

Peacock not so much fun

 This peacock was actually not as much fun as many of the other designs. It was the tail. Even though it is a silhouette, it seemed to change yarn just about every other stitch. My eyes were crossing by the time I was done. It is cute though, but I doubt I will ever do it again.

Up, Up and Away

Okay, it is not exactly the southwest theme, but it would be if you have ever been to Albuquerque, New Mexico in October. It is the Balloon Festival and it is really a sight to see. Hundreds of hot air balloons in all sizes and shapes.

New Mexico is one of our favorite places to vacation, not only because it is close to Colorado, but also because there is so much to see and do. From Chaco Canyon and Carlsbad Caverns to the wonderful cities of Santa Fe and Taos, it is a wonderful paradise.

The background is again Premier Hipster, this time in Summer Splash. 

 

Howling in the Southwest with a Coyote

This picture does not do justice to this cute little coyote howling at the moon. The colors are more dramatic in real life. If I had a darker brown, it probably would have been better, but this is as dark as my stash had. There background is again Premier Hipster in Desert Sunset.

Here is Colorado, we have coyotes, and they are not as cute as the one in this potholder. It is why we need to keep our kitties and dogs in at night. Coyotes, as well as owls, bobcats, bears, and cougars. Our pets are just safer inside.

 

Keeping with the Southwest Theme

I have to admit this is one of my favorite patterns to make. It goes very fast because of the straight lines, but the true fun is the sunset colors. I use Premier Hipster cotton yarn and this color is even called Desert Sunset. Using a darker color for the contrast, it makes a very dramatic scene. 

There is another southwest theme potholder coming up in another couple of days so stay tuned.

https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/southwest-potholders

 

Sun Spiral Potholder

I love southwest designs, and this is one of my favorites. I have made this design several times and every time, I end up selling it or giving it away. Let's see how long this one lasts this time. Stay tuned for my cactus that I am working on now.

 

Corgi potholder -- longer than tall

I have a friend who loves corgis. She has had several throughout her life, so it is only fitting that she needs a potholder to match her baby. I think she actually had a corgi once named Baby, and one named Foxy. They were rescue corgis so they had those names before she got them so it was not her fault. All I remember about those is they barked a lot, but after that they were adorable. She only has one corgi now who is sweet and quieter.

Moon and Stars

 Sometimes my potholders don't turn out well, and this is one. I think it was that I used sport-weight cotton yarn instead of a heavier weight. Anyway, I still liked the moon and stars design, which I found on Pinterest. Not sure what I will do with it though.

Happy Sunflower Potholder

 I guess I have always been a simple girl. Instead of fancy clothes, give me jeans and a tee shirt. Instead of umbrella drinks, give me a beer. And instead of orchids and roses, give me a sunflower. It's not that I don't like those things, I just prefer the simpler things. So here are my cotton potholder of a sunflower. Even though summer is ending (yay!), I can still celebrate my sunflowers.