Mountain Frost Hat- Free Pattern

I ran into Joann's looking for something totally unrelated to yarn and then walked out with more yarn! I've been trying to destash my yarn collection not add to it. There were a few balls of this Thick & Thin yarn on clearance, how could I just leave it there? If you follow me on Instagram, you know I've been focused on creating hats and scarves for Operation Gratitude for most of this year. You can read more about that here. Once in a while, I come across a project or a yarn that inspires me to drop what I'm doing and start something else.

Fleece Dog Bed

Making a simple fleece dog bed is SO easy! In fact, it's so easy you could make more than one. You could have one for upstairs, downstairs and this would make a perfect dog crate pad.

This blog post about DIY'ing a dog bed is really an excuse to show off my crazy cute puppy! His name is Frankie and he's a Jack Russel mix.

I found this fabric remnant for sale at Walmart for a couple bucks. I whipped this together one evening while watching tv. At the time, I wasn't thinking of doing a tutorial, so I never actually measured it. You can get a piece of fleece any size you want. Remember, if you're trying to fit to the size of a crate, make sure to add a couple inches to your measurement to account for puffing up stuffing and seam allowance. My finished bed measures 21x26

Military Appreciation Month- Crochet and Knit Donations

This year I decided to dedicate my time and my yarn stash to supporting the troops!

I've been working hard these past few months and I plan to send my handmade hats and scarves to service members. Being a military veteran myself, I know it's important for those in service to feel appreciated and connected to home when away from family. Also, who doesn't love getting mail?!

Operation Gratitude is an amazing organization that sends care packages to deployed troops, veterans, first responders, recruit graduates, wounded warriors, their caregivers, and military families. Every box has useful items donated from individuals and service-friendly companies. To date, they have sent out over 2 million care packages!!

If this sounds like your jam, there are so many ways to help! Click HERE to see how you can donate items, your time, or organize a collection drive. You can also request a package for a service member you love.

I really hope this post inspires my fellow makers to donate some of your time and skills this year for our military and first responders!

You're probably here because you knit or crochet and may be interested in the patterns I use. I'm mostly doing hats because they're my fav and maybe I'll throw in a few scarves to mix things up a little. There are some pattern suggestions on the Operation Gratitude website but you can use any you like. I know men outnumber women in the military, but I can't bring myself to make only big man head sized hats. I want anyone who receives one of my hats to be able to actually wear it so I tried to find hats that are more one-size-fits-all designs. There are some I like more than others. Check my Ravelry project page for notes. Here are some patterns I've used that are pictured...

The Dark Rainbow Scarf

Free Crochet Dark Rainbow Scarf Pattern

I've been thinking about this scarf for a while. I wanted to make something rainbow that would be appropriate for an adult and not look like something for a little girl. I saw a woven one online that I really loved. I've been back and forth on how to replicate something like it. I screwed around with multiple swatches before I landed on this pattern that I feel looks like what I was imagining in my head. My intention was for this to be a Pride scarf, but it also has a very Pink Floyd vibe. Whatever you see when you look at this design, I hope you love it like I do!

Materials:

• Worsted weight yarn. My black yarn is Michael's Loops & Threads-Impeccable(1 ball), rainbow colors are Red Heart Super Saver
• K(6.5mm) hook for main color AND N(9mm) hook for rainbow
• Tapestry needle for weaving in ends

Stitches used: American Crochet Terms

• FSC = foundation single crochet
• slst = slip stitch
• sc = single crochet
• ch = chain
• BLO = back loop only

Add to favorites on Ravelry!

A few things first...

• You don't have to count all these stitches! Just start your FSC and go until it's as long as you want it to be, easy peasy. 
• Same goes for the width. You like how mine looks? Cool, do that many rows. Add or subtract rows to make it the width you prefer. 
• Now, the one thing you have to listen to me on is the two size hooks. The black FSCs and the single crochets are done in the smaller hook. The slip stitch rainbow is done with the larger hook. I tried multiple times to use the same hook with the slip stitches. Even though I was really conscious of keeping it loose, it still got tight enough to pull those rows out of whack. You could see it in the overall shape of the scarf and especially on the bottom edge of the scarf. If you don't have those exact size hooks, just get close and give it try, it will depend greatly on your own personal tension anyway.
• There is a black slip stitch row on top of the purple before I switch to the single crochets. If you don't do that, the purple row will disappear on one side. Just trust me.
• Consider doing the Russian join method for the rainbow. It's pretty hard to weave ends into slip stitch rows.

Get Started!

Row 1  with smaller hook(6.5mm) in black yarn, FSC until it measures about 64 inches or whatever you prefer. Ok, I counted, it's 180 FSC

Row 2  with larger hook(9mm) change to red yarn. ch 1, turn. slst across in BLO

Row 3  change to orange yarn. ch 1, turn. slst across in BLO

Row 4  change to yellow yarn. ch 1, turn. slst across in BLO

Row 5  change to green yarn. ch 1, turn. slst across in BLO

Row 6  change to blue yarn. ch 1, turn. slst across in BLO

Row 7  change to purple yarn. ch 1, turn. slst across in BLO

Row 8  change to black yarn. ch 1, turn. slst across in BLO. ch 1, turn

Row 9-22 with smaller hook(6.5) sc across in BLO, ch 1, turn (14 rows)
Tie off yarn after the last stitch.
I wove in my ends, but it would also look great to do fringe. Weaving ends is a little tricky with the slip stitch colors. You have to kind of sew back over your stitches to blend it in. Make sure you double back so it doesn't come out.
*My finished scarf measures 64"long x 5"wide

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Trip To Barcelona, Spain

My International Travel Adventure

This past fall my family went to Barcelona, Spain! This was mine and my kid's first international trip ever! Here are some tips, ideas, and observations that you may find helpful if you're planning a European vacation.