Child's Play Square

Today I completed the Child's Play Square.  I thought the look of this square was interesting enough to make a square of my own even though I don't have a project in mind for it.  I love the way it turned out and it wasn't that complicated to complete.  The author of the pattern included written instructions and a pictorial tutorial.  Although you wouldn't know it by looking at the photo, the colors I used were Dark Orchid and Spring Green in Red Heart Super Saver.

I also want to share a photo of one of the German smokers that my husband and I have purchased since we have been living here in Germany.  Most people use incense in them but we  use the smokers for decoration only.  If you shop around at the different Christmas markets you can usually find ones that aren't super expensive.  I will definitely miss shopping at the Christmas markets here when we move to Hawaii.  I guess I will have to comfort myself next December by lounging around on the beach!

Christmas Placemats

When my husband was deployed a few years ago I crocheted a few Christmas placemats. I used the same Bernat cotton yarn for this as I did for the Christmas Potholders I made recently.  Nothing to exciting about the pattern itself, it's just single crochet stitches.  But this simple pattern kept me busy for awhile while the hubby was away.

Speaking of my husband, I spent a wonderful day with him in Rothenburg ob der Tauber for Thanksgiving.  We got to do some shopping for Christmas nutcrackers and smokers.  Unfortunately, the store I wanted to go to for pottery was closed for the week.  November is considered the off season there and it was kinda crazy how few people there were walking around, especially in the famous Christmas store.  The 5 or 6 other times we have visited it has always been packed.  Next week when the Christmas markets start it will go back to being very busy.

As always, don't forget to check out the link parties at the bottom of the page!

WIP Wednesday: Another Mermaid Tears Purse

I was so happy with the outcome of my Mermaid Tears Purse that I decided I should make another one.  I'm using Red Heart Super Saver in Windsor Blue.  I haven't yet decided whether or not I will add a flower this time.  I might just go ahead and make one and then decide if I want to attach it at the end.  I really like how the purse is coming together so far.  It really is an easy pattern and like I mentioned before there is a video tutorial if you have a hard time following the written pattern.

I hope all my American blogger friends have a wonderful Thanksgiving tomorrow!  Since my husband and I aren't going to be here in Germany much longer we decided to pass on celebrating at home and will instead visit a nearby German town and do some shopping.  We want to stock up on some German kitchen items before we leave. 

Star Dishcloth

Slightly lost my crochet mojo these last couple of days but I did manage to finish a dishcloth.  Janelle's Star Dishcloth is a free pattern that was simple to follow and took hardly any time to finish. 

So it looks like our time in Germany will be coming to an end soon.  Finally after two months of waiting for the paperwork to be approved we got word that we will be out of here in the next few months.  Am I still a little bitter that all of this was caused due to a clerical error? Yes.  Am I even more ticked off that it took two months to correct a mistake?  Of course.  Am I surprised that nobody bothered to change our original leave date and just assumes its easy to make all the necessary appointments without official orders?  No, I am not surprised at this point the people that are in charge of our future did not think about the 2 week wait time for orders and the fact there are shortened work weeks in November due to Veteran's Day and Thanksgiving.  This makes it even more difficult to plan a move.  At least some people were looking out for us and are helping us get the necessary paperwork signed so we have a little extra time.  Yes, the extra time will mean we won't make it back to the States for Christmas but it also means we don't have to run around like chickens with our heads chopped off trying to get everything done at a rapid pace for a move literally halfway across the globe.  But on the bright side, even though our leave date is still up in the air at least now we know it is official that we will not have to spend another year here.  I wouldn't trade the experience of living in Germany for anything but these last 6 months have been so stressful that it really is time to move on. 

And once again to the readers of my blog, thank you for letting me vent.  Ranting about the military every once in awhile on my blog is helping to keep me sane.  I'm hoping when we get to Hawaii I will have more positive stories to share because these past 6 months it has all been negativity.

FO Friday: Tulip Washcloth

I don't have anything super exciting to share with you all this Friday other than a washcloth.  I followed the pattern for the Tulip Stitch Cloth.  Easy pattern to follow and did not take more than a few hours to complete.  I love projects that are easy enough to do while watching a tv show.

I am now debating what I should make for my next project.  I'm seriously considering doing another purse since I've had such good results lately.  At some point in time I will have to try making the Fat Owl Bag.  My husband and I started collecting owl related items since we moved here to Germany.  We've gotten items from quite a few different countries.  The only thing missing is an owl that I have crocheted.  So I think once I have the right yarn for the bag, I will have to tackle this project.  But for now I think I will search for a different handbag pattern.

Wishing everyone a fantastic Friday!  Also don't forget to check out the different link parties at the bottom of the page!

Christmas Tree and Candy Cane Afghan

Last year was the first year my husband and I got to spend Christmas together since we've been married. Well technically, it was our first Christmas spent together in our apartment.  The year we moved to Germany 3 days before Christmas* we were stuck in a hotel on base.  It's hard to get into the Christmas spirit when you are heating up Easy Mac in the microwave and knowing that your husband will be deploying in a few months.  And did I mention the wonderful jet lag we were experiencing?  On the bright side at least we were together.  The following year we were thousands of miles apart due to his deployment.

Anyway, as last Christmas approached I realized I was in serious need of some Christmas decorations.  Luckily, Germany is amazing with all of their Christmas Markets.  I've bought a ton of ornaments, nutcrackers, and holiday decorations since I've been here.  Since I obviously love to crochet I decided that I needed a holiday afghan or two.

I decided to make an afghan using the Christmas Cheer Tree and Christmas Cheer Candy Cane patterns.  I'm pretty pleased with the final product.  The patterns were easy to follow which is always a plus.  Off the top of my head I don't remember the exact names of the yarn colors but I know I used Caron One Pounders.

*Military, stop moving people during the holidays!  Just wait until the new year. You can't transition into your new life in a different country when nothing is open on base like housing, etc.  due to the holidays.

Don't forget to check out these link parties and also the ones at the bottom of the page!

Crocheting to keep me sane

Still working on items for the Crochetville Charity CAL.  These items will eventually be donated to the Bridge and Beyond.  The hat was made with Caron One Pounder yarn and the black was maybe Red Heart Super Saver.  The blue dishcloth was made with German cotton yarn and the variegated green one was Sugar 'n Cream.

Crocheting has been keeping me busy while my husband is away but I still feel a little down in the dumps.  As much as I have loved living in Germany, I think I'm ready for the fresh start in Hawaii.  Living on a military base in a foreign country is almost like living with people you go to high school with.  And it really is literally living with people you work with.  Traveling has been a escape for us where we aren't constantly surrounded by all the drama.  I've become close friends with a few people here but for the most part I keep to myself.   I'm hoping in Hawaii I'll be able to meet people outside of the military community. 

Déjà vu: Movie Night and Washcloths

After over 2 years of not seeing a movie at the theater my husband and I have seen 2 in the last week.  Last night Hunger Games finally made its way to the theater on base.  While the movie was good, I still think the book was better.  If you only watch the movie without reading the book you will miss out on some of the important details. 

I managed to get a few more washcloths done.  I used 3 leftover balls of the German cotton yarn and was able to make another washcloth.  The blue, yellow, and lavender one was previously started. I ran out of yarn so I added a lavender border. 

Tomorrow I leave for my trip to Amsterdam with a good friend of mine.  During our husbands' deployment we discussed going when they got back as kind of a reward for sticking it out here in Germany when so many of the spouses decided to go back to the States for the year.  It was a difficult year because most of us had just arrived in Germany when we found out our soldiers would be deploying in just a few months.  So I'm proud of the small group that took on the challenge of staying here and trying to make the most out of the year.  It's just going to be the two of us on the trip because our husbands don't have any interest in seeing the tulip fields. 

Washcloths

I've been working on washcloths for the Bridge and Beyond the last few days.  As you can see I made two more washcloths using the German cotton yarn I bought.  The lavender and other multi-colored one were made with Sugar 'n Cream yarn.  And the dark green washcloths were made with I Love This Cotton.  I have made dishcloths with all of these brands before and the ILTC brand seems to hold up the best and is definitely the softest to the touch.  

German Washcloth

Yesterday I went downtown to the industrial area to get some cotton yarn.  The last time I bought yarn it was 1 euro per cotton skein which is a pretty decent deal.  This time the price was $1.85 euros which is a little bit more than I like to spend but I bought 3 skiens anyway.  Each skein is 85 meters.  I have no idea what the name of the skein is but it is made up of the colors red, blue, green, and yellow.  I managed to finish a washcloth last night as my husband and I were watching tv.

Navy Blue

Before we moved to Germany, I bought 3 or 4 Red Heart Jumbo Super Saver skeins in Soft Navy.  I can't remember what price I paid for them but they were on clearance at Walmart.  I also purchased some skeins in Orange with the plan being I would make some type of afghan using the U of Illinois colors.  Well, I never got around to making the afghan so instead I've been using the navy blue to make hats and scarves.  So anyway, I've completed one scarf and hat this weekend and am working on another scarf. These items are not part of the items I posted yesterday that are packed and ready to ship.  These items were either completed or started after I made yesterday's post.  So as you can see,  I've made a ton of items with this color. And while I like the color, I'm looking forward for my yarn shipment to arrive so I can alternate back and forth in between different colors.

First Post!

I started crocheting in 2009 but I wish I had learned sooner.  I have found it's a great way to calm my nerves.  Crocheting helped pass the time when my now husband left for Basic Training and AIT.  It helped me relax when after only being married for a few months we PCS'd to Germany.  And of course it got me through the year I was in Germany having just moved there while my husband was sent to Afghanistan.  And now I have my fingers crossed that it will help keep my mind off our big move to Hawaii later this year. 

I tend to crochet mostly for charity because I love the feeling of turning a pile of yarn into something that can be used by someone else.  I mostly crochet for HAP  and the Bridge and Beyond.  I'm always on the lookout for a new charity to support so please feel free to share with me in the comment section if you know of another worthy cause.