Fleece Blankets

Got fleece? Got blanket binding? Good! Let's make some blankets..
For a baby or child you can use 1 to 1 1/2 yards of fleece & 1- 2 packages of blanket binding.
For an adult 2 yards of fleece and 2 packages of binding will make a nice sized blanket. First, calculate how many yards of binding you'll need for your blanket & sew together enough binding to go all the way around plus another 12 inches for overlapping the ends and the seam allowance. Sew the beginning of one package of binding to the end of the other in order to match the fold in the binding. Press the matching ends open; sew a 1/2 inch seam. Press the seam open then re-press the fold where you joined the binding.

Trim any curling or undyed selveges from the sides of the fleece. Pin the binding onto the fleece along one side. Do not begin at a corner.

Zigzag stitch to the corner, backstitch a few stitches & break the thread.

Miter the corner & pin in place. Mitering is easy after you've sewn all the way to the corner. Start zigzag stitching a few inches before the corner and proceed to the next corner mitering each corner as before. When you reach where you started cut the binding leaving plenty to fold under & overlap ends. Pin in place & finish sewing, backstitching the last stitches. Finished...

I sure got a good reaction when this horse blanket was opened. :)

I made a total of four of these blankets (with binding) last week to give as gifts.

Latte anyone?

Go for a spin?

And I couldn't find blanket binding in a color that looked good with this one so I did blanket stitching around it using worsted weight yarn & a big-eyed needle. Have a great week, Y'all!

Linking with Farmgirl Friday Blog Hop,  The Art of Home-Making Mondays

Turtle Time in Tennessee

Happy Holidays, Y'all! Our weather roller coaster brought snow flurries over the weekend..at least we saw some snowflakes.

I thought I'd share my favorite holiday recipe with you today. These turtles are the best I've ever tasted. The pecans are full of anti-oxidants, the chocolate will make you a wonderful person to be around & the caramel is buttery soft and delicous. They're so tasty they have to be good for you. ;)

Turtles

2 pkgs. Hershey's Special Dark Chocolate chips

14 ozs. Kraft caramels

1 large tray of pecan halves

2 ozs. paraffin

1/2 stick butter

1/4 cup heavy cream (hold back 1 tablespoon then add later if needed to thin caramel mixture)

Melt caramels with butter & milk over low heat. Place pecans on two buttered or wax papered cookie sheets in stacks of: 2 parallel on the bottom with 1 atop crosswise as in the picture.

Spoon small amount of the caramel mixture over the 3-stacked pecans and let cool.

Meanwhile, melt the chocolate chips with the paraffin in a double boiler. Lift the cooled pecan stacks with a fork and dip into chocolate mixture. Place on waxed paper to cool. Store in air-tight containers.

The grandgals and I made these yesterday & one container is already nearly gone.

Have a wonderful holiday, Y'all!

Featured at Homegrown on the Hill

Shared at Farmgirl Friday Blog Hop, The Art of Homemaking Mondays

Sparkle Flake

Sparkle Flake
Materials:
Size 6 needles
Worsted weight cotton yarn

CO 41 stitches

Rows 1-6 knit
Row 7: k4, p16, k1, p16, k4
Row 8: knit across
Row 9: k4, p16, k1, p16, k4
Row 10: knit across
Row 11: k4, p16, k1, p16, k4
Row 12: k19, p1, k1, p1, k19
Row 13: k4, p16, k1, p16, k4
Row 14: knit across
Row 15: k4, p14, (k1, p1) x2, k1, p14, k4
Row 16: k19, p1, k1, p1, k19
Row 17: k4, p4, k1, p11, k1, p11, k1, p4, k4
Row 18: k9, p1, k21, p1, k9
Row 19: k4, p6, k1, p1, k1, p5, (k1, p1) x2, k1, p5, k1, p1, k1, p6, k4
Row 20: k11, p1, k7, p1, k1, p1, k7, p1, k11
Row 21: k4, p6, k1, p1, k1, p7, k1, p7, k1, p1, k1, p6, k4
Row 22: k13, p1, k1, p1, k9, p1, k1, p1, k13
Row 23: k4, p10, k1, p5, k1, p5, k1, p10, k4
Row 24: k13, p1, k1, p1, k3, p1, k1, p1, k3, p1, k1, p1, k13
Row 25: k4, p12, k1, p3, k1, p3, k1, p12, k4
Row 26: k17, p1, k5, p1, k17
Row 27: k4, p3, k1, p10, (k1, p1) x2, k1, p10, k1, p3, k4
Row 28: k8, p1, k3, p1, k15, p1, k3, p1, k8
Row 29: k 4, (p1, k1) x16, p1, k4
Rows 30-57 Repeat Rows 1-28 in descending order, i.e.; first Row 28, then Row 27, etc. until all rows are repeated.

Bind off & weave in ends.

Copyright © 2007 Toni in the Foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains, All Rights Reserved

The Knitting Protegé & Tennessee Valley Weather

Welcome to the Tennnessee Valley, Y'all, where snow is as scarce as frog teeth. We were all set for wintry weather last week, hoping for even a flake of illusive snow but, alas, we're now in the middle of a warming trend. Ah well, the sunsets are beautiful here.Our newest knitter, A is 8 years old. Big sister T has been knitting for about 2 years.

The scarf below was knit with Yarn Bee Frosting in Barely Iced Pink.

This yarn is buttery soft & warm.Another Fancy Fur Scarf that I was making to wear with my coat, but I don't think it's me at all. Get off my coat, you animal!

Whiles I should be knitting on the many projects I've started, here I'm charting a new pattern. It's not finished or blocked but any guesses?... 'cause if you can't tell what it is then I won't be posting the pattern.
We're snow-needy, send us some snow, Y'all!

Have a great weekend, Y'all and knitlikeyoumeanit!

Greetings From the Chilly South, Y'all

It looks like cooler weather has officially come callin' in the South, Y'all. The leaves on all our trees dropped like rocks while we were in Virginia for Thanksgiving. Hope you're all staying warm. These two cloths were the November mid-month knitalong at Monthly Dishcloths.
In case the pic isn't clear for you this one says My Pal in Lion Brand cotton worsted.In Royal cotton worsted from Peaches & Creme this one says Friend.

Eeeeek! Colored popcorn stuck in my hairbrush? _snicker_

No, it's two lovely fancy fur scarves that Nana, moi, made for her dgds to play with when they're taking a spot of tea in their "dressup clothes." The yarn is Lion Brand Fancy Fur in Color Slide. It sure did, too. ;) That's a jar of Spiced Tea mix modeling one of the scarves. I thought everyone on earth had tried this lovely, heart warming concoction, but lo, I hear they haven't so look below for the recipe.

I'm a-workin' on yet another Shells and Fans afghan. I'm using Lion Brand Wool-Ease in Chestnut Heather for this one. I started it the day after Thanksgiving, and I've crocheted about 20 inches so far with only four more feet to go.

Spiced Tea
1 lb. Tang (or other orange-flavored breakfast drink mix)

1 cup instant tea

2 cups sugar

2 teaspoons cinnamon

2 teaspoons ground cloves

2 pkgs. lemonade drink mix

Mix all ingredients together stirring well and store in a tight container.

Use about 2 tablespoons of mix per cup of hot water.
Note: You can use the same amount of Splenda instead of the sugar if you need to limit sugar in your diet.

Our little propane heater...all the warmth of a fireplace without all the work! ;) Stay warm, Y'all!

Thanksgiving...it's the least we can do, Y'all

A lot of this blog's readers are knitting friends so I took a break from my yuletide knitting, which I can't post about for obvious reasons, and knit this little guy so I could add him here. It's a Gary the Gobbler dishcloth. The pattern can be found here.

I just couldn't resist a blue one for my kitchen...it is blue, afterall.Yes, I'm the thankful type so leave now if you don't want to hear it. Here we are sandwiched between halloween (wouldn't the pilgrims turn over in their graves..) & and the biggest moneymaker of the year. We're living in a country where bountiful tables are so numerous; we should be thankful for our blessings...so I'm thankful first for a saviour who took on mortal flesh to pay the penalty for my sins, I'm, also, thankful for my family, friends and a free country...
and I'm thankful we're getting to see beautiful color after such a long, dry summer. :)Here's a closeup of one of our sugar maples. Those speckles on the leaves are a testament to a very tough growing season. It was the driest summer the South has seen in a good while.

Here's my old Hoosier cabinet in the kitchen decorated for the season. I usually have it covered with a pile of schoolwork to grade or a batch of soap to dry, but this is much easier on the eyes. It took a while to collect a few leaves to add, but they're finally colorful enough to use. The big ol' turkey is a ceramic one that I bought and painted; he's about 12 years old. I hope everyone has a very Happy Thanksgiving, Y'all!

Road Trip to Kyle Carver's Orchard in Cosby, Tennessee

I've been taking a break from knitting, sorta. Sigh. Well, I did knit this little Nubbins Dishcloths in Peaches & Creme Royal. I started it on the road trip.
Also, I've spent some time reading Lynn Austin's 3-book series titled Refiner's Fire set in the Civil War Era. It's very thought provoking to say the least.

We took a little road trip, Y'all, to Kyle Carver's Orchard in Cosby, Tenn. The scenery made the trip nearly as fun as getting to the orchard.

We were in search of some old fashioned Winesaps (and a few peppers since the price was right. Have you noticed what they're wanting for red peppers in the grocery stores?) These were .25.

It took about an hour to get there. It's a very popular spot with their 100 varieties of apples grown on their 220 some acres of rolling hills. Here's one of the barns.

A view of the orchard from the restuarant. Oh, yes, the food is good! I had catfish w/ coleslaw and pinto beans. Yum! They serve you a small glass of cider with a couple of apple fritters per person while you wait. Try to get a table near the windows if you go, and allow plenty of time to look around. There are lots of apples to choose from and a candy store on the premises, too. It's a nice little trip.

Have a good week, Y'all!

Ravelry, Rain, Smoky Mountain Spinnery & Turnip Greens

Alas, I've been in Ravelry about two weeks. It's big, very big. Sufficient is the description is all I have time to say about it today.

We got some very refreshing rain this week. Thank the Lord! \O/ We needed it badly.
(Note the drops of rain on the turnip greens below. :)

Ain't it purty..I got this beautiful yarn a few months ago, and I thought I'd share the picture since I had it loaded for my Stash folder in Ravelry. Consider it the "flower" of the week pic. ;)

I've been asked several times if there were any yarn stores in the Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge area, so I'm a-tellin' y'all, happily, there is a lovely little shop in Gatlinburg called Smoky Mountain Spinnery. The owner is helpful and pleasant. Here's the address and a pic of the store:
SMOKY MOUNTAIN SPINNERY In Winery Square
456 Brookside Village Way
Gatlinburg, TN 37738
(865) 436-9080
email: smokymtnspinnery@aol.com
Actually, I got the yarn pictured above at the Spinnery. If you get a chance to visit the shop check out the owner's cash register. It's a beauty from bygone days. Here's a picture of the back of the shop which is in the back of Winery Square, not visible from the main road. Call ahead for directions, Y'all. They're ready! My turnip greens are finally ready to be picked and eaten. I can see these on my plate; all cooked & seasoned & gone in a heartbeat. :) Have a great weekend, Y'all. :)

Wonderful Weather in the South, Y'all & UFOs

We're having wonderful weather in the South! It was a long time coming this year, but I'm so glad the temperatures are finally in the 70s and 80s in the daytime and dipping into the 50s at night. Yay! I'll be having to bring this begonia in the house soon, but I'm so ready for fall. I don't have anything to show you that I've finished since last week, so I thought I'd show you a few(chuckle) of my UFOs (unfinished objects) I'm finally getting back into knitting socks. I ran into a wonderful sock tutorial with loads, I mean loads of pictures so you know you're on the right track all the way through the process. It's called Silver's Sock Class. She has tutorials on different methods of knitting socks. Check it out; you'll be glad you did. I'm using one size 4 circular needles and an old ball of Lion Brand Imagine yarn. I'm using sport weight yarn because it's been so long since I knitted a pair of socks I thought I should start with something thicker than sock weight yarn. I'm not sure if I'm liking this method better than using double point needles though. I'll let you know when they're finished.I ran across this when I was looking for something else earlier this week. This 1/4 finished Shells & Lace afghan has been in the UFO bin for over a year. I'm using Caron Simply Soft yarn with a G crochet hook. At the time I started it I wanted to make a much larger afghan for someone, and this one just wasn't going to be large enough so I squirreled it away for later. Now, I'm working on it again..looks like it's going to take awhile to finish.
The afghan pattern is from an old Leisure Arts booklet called Victorian Beauties. It's the one shown in blue below. It's a great booklet, easy to understand, and I like most of the patterns.

Here are more of the mints that I made for a baby shower last weekend; buggies, bears, bottles and pins. Tney were made by pushing mint dough into a rubber mold and turning it out onto waxed paper. It's easy but time consuming.
Have a good week, Y'all!