TWO MONTHS OF CLBMX BOOKMARKS!

I found this post I drafted last year which I never posted. So I'm posting it now, a year later!

From March 2011...


I wanted to share with you the two bookmarks that I've received in the past two months.  They're super cool!

This first bookmark was from Maria Lits for the January 2011 CLBMX.  Her first bookmark was lost in the mail or is being enjoyed by someone else, but she said she thinks this second one turned out better.  I don't know if it's "better" or not, but it sure is wonderful!  I love teapots and teacups, and I love the color pink.  And isn't it sweet how she incorporated letter beads to spell out "tea"?

The second bookmark was for the February 2011 CLBMX and was crocheted by Kurt Decker.  Now I haven't swapped with Kurt before this exchange though I've been with the CLBMX for years!  So this was a treat to have a "new" partner.  His contribution left me laughing hard.  First of all, when the mail arrived, I saw this looonnnnggg handmade brown cardboard envelope and it left me asking "What's that?!"  When I saw it was from Kurt, I thought "Cool!  A bookmark!"  Still wondering why the supersized envelope, but hey, I was determined to open it and find out!

I was laughing as I slid out this loonnnggg red thread bookmark.  Seems the pattern Kurt used online called for size 10 thread, but this filet rose pattern is really big!  It could almost be used as a wall decoration!  I LOVE it, though.  It's just the BIGGEST bookmark I've ever received.  And I needed the laugh.  Thank you again, Kurt!

Kurt's going to let me know where he found the pattern online.  I would like to crochet this myself.  But I think I will use Size 20 or Size 30 thread.  ;-)

BOOKMARKS AND A DISHCLOTH, TOO!

We have been having beautiful, warm, Spring-like weather this week!  It has been wonderful that the children have been able to get outside and play.  They've been jumping on the trampoline, writing in our driveway and sidewalk with chalk, and even picking flowers for me!  I found out I have some crocus growing in the backyard, and I didn't even plant them!  Should I be thanking the birds?  I do want to dig the patch of crocus up, though, and move them to my garden area since they are just growing wildly in the backyard.  They'll get trampled!

  I have been crocheting these bookmarks since last month.  They are a bit time-consuming because every row alternates the two colors.  So I crochet a row, leave a length to work into the fringed end, cut it and start the other color for the next row.  But the effect really is beautiful.  The first one I crocheted with #10 cotton thread, but the last three (red, purple, and turquoise) are crocheted in a #8 perle.  They are about half the size of the one worked up in the #10.  I like both sizes, though.

I plan on keeping the burgandy and cream bookmark since it was my first one.  I figure I should keep something that I make!  Don't you agree?  The red one was made for my partner in the February round of the CLBMX (hope it has arrived by now, Kurt!).  The purple one is for my daughter Jessica (it still needs to be blocked), and the turquoise one will be for my daughter Kelley.  I still haven't finished that turquoise one, but perhaps tomorrow will be a good time to work on it as I'll be waiting in the hospital as hubby has back surgery to fuse two discs in his neck/shoulder area.  If you're interested in finding this pattern for yourself, this pattern can be found in the no-longer-published magazine "Crochet With Heart", February 1999.

Last week I received this lovely puffy from Claudia D. from the DishclothsRUs yahoogroup.  I love using this dishcloth, and I'm really looking forward to making the afghan featured on one of the free pattern sheets that Claudia sent to me.  It looks so cozy!  Not to be overlooked, look at the adorable crocheted butterfly ornament she made!  I love that!  I am familiar with this pattern as I love to make this pattern myself when I want to make a butterfly.

MORE CROCHET PROJECTS TO SHARE!

Here are photos of the bookmark I made for November's CLBMX. For that month we were to send a bookmark and a little something extra. I chose to make a bookmark similar to one that I had made a previous year for this same exchange. It's a hat and mittens bookmark!

The pattern for the miniature hat and mittens is online here.  After crocheting each individual piece, I created a crocheted band, affixing the hat on one end and the mitten set on the other.




Some of my readers might remember the first one of these bookmarks I created.  I loved adding the snowflakes!  They were crocheted with sewing thread which is how I managed for them to come out small enough to use in a bookmark.  I gave this in a "Christmas in July" exchange back in July 2005...I can't believe that was almost 6 years ago!  It seems like yesterday!







For the "little surprise" part of November's CLBMX, I crocheted another set of the hat and mittens and assembled it into an ornament!  Cool, huh?