Crochet Me Crazy

 Set up at the craft market on Saturday.  It was soooo cold...Like 22 degrees setting up and I wasn't sure I was gonna be able to do it.  Well, turns out I didn't have to.  It was a bust and we packed up early and went home.  There were literally hardly any vendors and no customers.  Since it is a small town, I was told there was funeral and there was a big yearly fund raiser that day for the local animal control.  All the vendors were there instead of the farmers/craft market.  No vendors, no customers and it was just too cold.  I got to practice setting up again with more tables and hanging my hats.  I forgot my blanket rack.  I still don't like the hat display.  Gonna have to think of something else.  I just have too much stuff for people to look at.

 Here's fair warning for you!  If raising animals for meat bothers you, then please don't read these posts!  We will be raising the rabbits for meat for health and financial reasons.  I want healthy non-hormone, organic meat and food is becoming more and more expensive.  Spring is coming up and there will be a fair amount of animal and gardening project posts coming soon.  We will be starting to get our garden beds ready and we are about to order hatching eggs.  If our plan goes right, this will be the LAST year we ever have to order or buy chicks from an outside source.  My chickens are laying terrible right now.  I have way too many old chickens.  23 hens and only getting 8 eggs a day.  Not 100 percent sure how we will do this yet ridding ourselves of the older birds but will record more on that as we go along.  I will either give them away if I can find homes or we will cull the flock for food.  

For now though we got our first Tamuk Meat Bunny on Saturday!  This is Lucky!  I named her Lucky as a suggestion from my sister because well...she is very lucky!  She was one of the last two bunnies left in the butcher pen as my Rabbitry who is mentoring me through this process.  She will be our breeding Doe.  

I got a great deal on the bunny cages on Facebook marketplace.  She seems to be doing well...eating, drinking, pooping fertilizer for our garden already!  FYI: Bunny dropping are unique in that they do not have to be composted before adding to your garden.  All other have to go through a composting process of which I have yet to be successfull at.  Mainly because we just don't do it.  lol

So there's that.  

But later in the evening, my husband got it out of the trash and I started ripping again.  I eventually got it worked out.  I can make the bowl cozies now but they are difficult to get perfect.  I made my last one today that I had cut out.  I'm probably not going to make anymore of these.  I decided I don't particular enjoy making them.
But I've made a couple of wallets.  This is my first one.  I struggled.  Had to tweek and I snapped my pocket together.  But it works.

I made another one and it turned out much better:

Today I made a origami style pot holder.  Turned out pretty good.  If I had prettier fabrics this would be a lot cuter!  I'll probably make another one of these.  You can do make it where it is squares instead of triangles too.  

 

 I got started making these little crochet succulant plants!  They are so cute!  I love them! 

This first one is my favorite and also the quickest to make.  Hope these sell good.  I'm gonna put $10 on these little ones

This big prickly pear took quite a bit longer to make.  Not sure I'll make this again because I'll have to price this one at $20.

 I've got 4 additional ones the hook right now...pictures coming soon!  

 Oh wow I'm tired!  Gotta say, these other crafts I'm picking up are a lot more tiring that crocheting is!  

It's a rainy and very cold day here today.  I decided to sit down and try to see if I can figure out how to start make the Amish toothbrush rag rug I've been wanting to try.  It was between this and making the rug with another braided method I saw on You-Tube.  I may still try that way and see which I like better.  I had a false start and took it out and started over but once I got it, it is pretty easy.  

I did not crochet at all today.  I cut out some 10 inch squares from fabric and batting to attempt to make the bowl cozies.  I made my first one last week and was pretty proud of myself.  

It's not perfect and has some flaws.  Let's see how I do on the next ones.  I have enough material to make a few.

I went to the thrift store on Friday and found fabric there!  Cheap!  I tried to sew a bag on Saturday with a crochet square sewed to it.  It was a disaster.  I ruined my squares and got so confused.  BUT my Bernina sewing machine sewed through the material and the crochet squares, even the thick parts with NO problem.  So now I know that this machine with have no issues with combining my crafts.   Here's the material that I got.

Now here are the completed crochet projects I have finished in the past week or so.  





Getting ready for the craft market in a couple of weeks!

 I made this little chicken the free chicken pattern on the sweet softies website.  You actually have to watch the You-Tube tutorial to get it for free.  I really dis-like working pattern from You-Tube videos.  I prefer a written pattern but so be it.  lol

 https://www.sweetsofties.com/2023/03/pocket-chicken-family.html

I gotta say though...I love this little chicken pattern.  It's very quick to work up and perfect for craft sales.  I'll sell these little gals for $10 each.  Will see how many I get made before the sale but for now, here's what I got.  

 Also, I bought a used Bernina Sport 801 sewing machine on Facebook market place.  She came with the antique sewing table.  Here she is!

So apparently, without really realizing it, I fell managed to purchase some sought after elite type sewing maching with an amazing reputation among experienced sewers and quilters.  These machines are made in Switzerland and are built like tanks and will run forever.  This machine is basic and not fancy or complicated which appealed to me.  I don't need a bunch of bells and whistles for my purposes.  

I got the the machine and the table for $100!  I've been watching You-Tube videos to see if I can actually sew something. 

I have two patterns picked out and I went to JoAnne yesterday and bought supplies and fabric.  I'm going to try to make a simple elastic skirt for  Treelyn first.  

2nd project will be a bowl cozy.  

Also on my list of new project for the year that are not crochet:  An Amish Toothbrush Rug!  I bought some fabric to make this as well for my first rug.  It cost me $23 for the materials to make this rug.