We had a nice Thanksgiving at my sister’s house, along with my mom, my brother, and the kids.  My other sister, wanted to have Thanksgiving with just her immediate family – but we popped in to say hello for a few minutes since my two sisters live across the street from each other.  (Although until a couple of weeks ago they shared a house – but that is a looooong story and I won’t bore you all with the details).

We provided the plates, napkins, cups, turkey, stuffing, a few veggies, two appetizers and two desserts for the Thanksgiving meal.   We even provided one of the tables – since my sister just moved in a couple of weeks ago she doesn’t have a kitchen table yet or have her kitchen stocked up yet.   She  made the potatoes, yams and green beans.  My brother brought a cherry pie.  All togther there were six adults and four kids, and everyone had a relaxing and enjoyable meal.  The next day my hubby, Teacherman, made a wonderful turkey and rice soup.  Friday and Saturday we spent home, getting a few chores done and a little shopping.

Sunday the weather was very nice so we headed up to New York on the train to visit Dylan’s Candy Bar.  We had been looking forward to it ever since we heard about the candy store on a tv show. It is located on the corner of 60th and Third.  It is three floors of sugery goodness with a huge variety, including nostalgic candies from decades past.  They had free samples of candies and candy cane milkshake to try.  The first floor (entrance) had many, many bins of candy sold by the pound and there were a variety of containers to chose from to scoop your selections in to, and a lot of holiday goodies.  On the bottom floor was a chocolate fountain with a varity of items to dip into it (for a small fee), a large variety of fudges and other items.  We didn’t make it to the top floor – but upstairs is the cafe and party rooms.

My daughter, Angelgirl, picked out a small gift for each of her friends for Christmas and filled a small container with a variety of candy from the many bins for herself. I picked out a nice tree ornament for us. Teacherman picked up a few candy bars for friend’s. I had fun picking up a few gifts too – for three friends at the office, Mama Kelly, and the most fun was putting together a container of goodies for my 2 Goddess-daughters (Mama Kelly’s girls). The container was $10 for all the candy you could stuff inside, so I picked up a wide selection and tried to get the most unusual items I could find from the bins. In one container I put all the gummy, sour, sugary treats and in the other I put a variety of chocolate items. Once the containers were full, I looked around for tiny candies that I scooped over the top and shook it down so the little bits filled in every bit of space. It was a bit of struggle to get the lids closed but I did it. When I got home I divided everything equally into zip lock bags. There was 20 or more different kinds of candy all together, and I can’t wait to share all the goodies with them. 

From there we strolled over to Central Park and took a horse and carriage ride around the park.  It was the first time for Angelgirl, and she really enjoyed it.  Then we  stopped in FAO Schwartz  (toy store) and saw the big piano just in time for the show where they perform a few songs and after wards they let in small groups of folks at a time to hop on the big piano keys.  I also picked out a small but fun Harry Potter gift for my two Goddess-daughters.  I resisted the urge to get anything for myself. 

It’s beginning to feel a lot like Xmas!   I have all my shopping done now and only a few  more items have to arrive in the mail, everything else is all ready.  I even picked up wrapping paper, gift boxes, etc. this weekend.   I’m looking forward to wrapping and putting the presents, gifts bags and baskets all together.  I can’t wait for the holidays!   **big grin**

Hope everyone had a lovely Thanksgiving.

Bright blessings, Lady Rose

Written by Lady RoseTags:candy, gifts, new york, Thanksgiving

“Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.” ~ Pablo Picasso

As a praticing wiccan for over 30 years, I have found that being creative and making handmade gifts for others and items for my home is a wonderful way to connect with the Goddess within as well as honor the Divine. The act of creating can itself be a form of sacred expression and celebration of spirit.   A handmade gift doesn’t have to be complicated to be special, it can be a fresh dozen of baked cookies, a warming scarf, a new pot holder.  What makes the gift special is the personal touch of adding intent and positive energy.

Crocheting is a craft I have come back to time and time again, and the one I do the most. I find it to be meditative and calming, as well as being portable so I can take it with me any where. But with any craft or creative expression I do, my approach is to focus my thoughts, heart, and spirit in order to add a sacred, purposeful intent to the act of creating whether it is crocheting, quilling, making a Yule tree ornament, or whipping up a dish in the kitchen. Being creative has helped me through dark days and added a wonderful dimension to celebrating and enjoying every day. I especially enjoy sharing arts and crafts with my daughter, building memories together and helping her find ways to express her creative ideas and share with others. Adding a touch of magic, spirit, and sacredness to creative projects can add so much more to the joy of being creative, whether a simple blessing or repeating a positive affirmation while making something or planning a ritual to bless the item.

It doesn’t matter what religion, tradition, or path one follows, adding the dimension of positive intent and “magic” (or spiritual connection) to the process of being creative is healing, transforming, and uplifting for the person creating the item and for the person receiving the item as well.

In this season of giving and sharing, I encourage everyone to made a few handmade items or give crafting kits as a gift, or spend time with members of your family or friends creating or cooking or projects to give away to help others.

Bright Blessings, Lady Rose

Written by Lady RoseTags:creativity, gifts, spirituality

Mama Kelly made Angelgirl a lovely crocheted hat and scarf for Christmas last year. Angelgirl loves the hat and wore it almost constantly all winter. I think Mama Kelly has started Angelgirl on a fashion trend.

Angelgirl liked it so much she wanted to have a few in different colors and in a lighter version for warmer weather too. So last spring I offered to make her a lighter weight hat with a more open pattern but similar style. Not having a pattern I experimented a bit. I found some thin (2 ply) pale pink yarn in my extra yarn bin to use. I estimate it took about 4 oz of yarn. I used a G hook. It only took a couple hours from start to finish.

 -

Crochet Pattern for Hat

Hook size G
Yarn: 2 ply, about 4 ounces
Size – It fits Angelgirl, she is 12, petite, wears size 8 to 10 clothes

Pattern can easily be adapted for smaller or larger size.
When I first made it, it was about 2 sizes to small (only had 6 rows of dc and then started the shell rows).
Circumference – lessen or increase the number of double crochet rows (1-9), if increasing do two dc every 12 or so stictches evenly all around increasing in a multiple of 3 to keep circle flat.
Length – reduce or increase the number Shell\SC & Chain rows

Chain 4, slip stitch together to form a circle.
Row 1 – Chain 3 (counts as first double crochet), dc 9 in circle (total 10)
Row 2 – Chain 3 and dc in first stitch, 2 dc each of the remaining 9 stiches (total 20)
Row 3 – Chain 3 and dc in first stitch, *dc crochet in next and two dc in next*, repeat from * for a total of 30 dc
Row 4 – Same as Row 3, for a total of 45 dc
Row 5 – Chain 3 and dc in first stitch, *dc in next 8 and two dc in 9th, repeat from * for a total of 50 dc
Row 6 – Chain 3 and doc in first stich, *dc in next 9 and two dc in 10th, repeat from * for a total 55
Row 7 – Chain 3 and doc in first stich, *dc in next 10 and two dc in 11th, repeat from * for a total of 60
Row 8 – Chain 3 and doc in first stich, *dc in next 4 and two dc in 5th, repeat from * for a total of 72
Row 9 – Chain 3 and doc in first stich, *dc in next 11 and two dc in 12th, repeat from * for a total of 78
Row 10 – SC and Chain Space Row: chain 1, single crochet in first 3 dc, chain 3 and skip 3 dc, *single crochet in next 3 dc, chain 3, repeat from * all way around, end with slip stitch to first sc
Row 11 – Shell Row: slip stitch to second (middle) sc, chain 1 and sc, *five dc in chain space (shell), sc in middle sc, repeat from * all way around, end with slip stitch to first sc
Row 12 – SC and Chain Space: slip stich to 2nd dc, sc in middle three dc, chain 3, *sc in dc 2,3,4 of next shell, chain 3, repeat from * all way around, end with a slip stitch to first sc
Repeat Row 11 and 12 four more times, or more for desired length to fit the child; end with a repeat of row 12 (SC and Chain Space row)
Last three rows:
3 sc in each of the sc and 3 sc in chain space, all way around.
Optional – For one or two more rows sc crochet in each stitch all way around. This creates a nice edge that can be worn flat or turned up. I prefer having a total of three rows of sc to finish the hat, it just gives it a more finished look to me.

Note: I’ve never done a pattern before so I hope these directions are clear.

Bright blessings, Lady Rose

Written by Lady RoseTags:crochet, gifts, pattern

It’s not too early to start thinking about Yule gifts.  If you have the ability to burn CDs – this is a great way to make an inexpensive Holiday gift for friends and family.

You can even make it an annual tradition and label them accordingly:

YourName Family
Holiday Music
2007

Free MP3 downloads for the Christmas Holiday

You can also add a few of  these selections from Amazon.com’s MP3 store, most are only $0.99 and have been selected to have a secular slant and to highlight a mix of well-known performers and also a few pagan selections:

(There’s No Place Like) Home For The Holidays – the Carpenters
The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire) – Bing Crosby
Deck The Halls – Elvis
Overture And A Holly Jolly Christmas – Burl Ives
Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas – Judy Garland
Here Comes Santa Claus – Kidz Bop
Frosty The Snowman – Ella Fitzgerald
Santa Baby – Eartha Kitt
The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year – Andy Williams
Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow! – Lena Horne
Jingle Bell Rock – Bobby Helms
Run Rudolf Run – The Smithereens
Welcome Christmas – from The Grinch who Stole Christmas (“fa-who forez, da-who dorez”)

Here are a couple of Pagan-friendly titles:

Apple Tree Wassail and Nou is Yole Comen

And from Paul Winter’s album Wintersong (instrumental):

Tomorrow Is My Dancing Day.
Joy.
Dance Of The Golden Bough.
Little One.
Swedish Song.
The Cherry Tree.
Wintersong.
Peasant Revels.
Beautiful Star.

Holiday Blessings, Mama Kelly and Lady Rose

Written by Lady RoseTags:Christmas, gifts, mp3, pagan music, Yule

Had a bit of creative inspiration yesterday (while pondering my current diet troubles of gaining for no reason) and I wrote a hiaku:

Life is not on hold
Waiting for some ideal goal
Go forth, and live bold.

I think I should stick to crocheting! LOL I’m much better with the hook then with poetry.

So far out of the 22 projects I have on my list to make for birthday and xmas gifts I have completed 14 – done are two blankets (3rd blanket is almost done), 6 scarves and 4 hats (2 hats left to make), and 2 out of 4 shawls I need to make, plus I still need to design the patterns and then make the two big projects for my goddaughters (a Ron Weasley sweater and a pink hooded cape) and a shawl\wrap for one of my friends at work. I have finished 14 projects so far and I have 8 more projects to go (out of a total of 22).

Here are some photos:

A blue and black (varigated) blanket for my niece for her birthday (Jan.09). I made her a poncho for this year’s birthday in a smilar yarn and she really liked it.

Big Orange – this blanket is for my youngest nephew. His favorite color is orange. His birthday isn’t until June, but I gave him the blanket now so he can enjoy it while the weather is still cold.

A Platoon of Hats and Scarves for the nephews (each done in a different camouflage yarn). I still need to make the matching hats for the two nieces. These will be xmas gifts (I’ll tuck the usual gift card inside the hat).

Yarn mountain (photo) is getting smaller, but it’s still pretty big!

I have a lot more ideas for things I want to crochet and I’m also jotting down a lot of ideas for a variety of arts and crafts with a pagan\wiccan flair. I hope to one day have a really nice collection that Mama Kelly and I can create together to share with every one.

Bright Blessings, Lady Rose

Cross posted on Diet Pulpit.

Written by Lady RoseTags:crocheting, gifts

SO MUCH YARN SO LITTLE TIME….

But I have my mighty magical HOOK…

This is almost all the yarn I need for my 20+ projects I will be crocheting this year for Xmas gifts and a few birthday gifts.  Plus I have a ton of ideas for other things I’d like to make too. I sure wish I knew Mrs. Weasley’s spell that she used on her knitting needles, I wonder if it would work on a crochet hook too.

Any one else planning some crafts? We’d love to hear about them.

Bright Blessings, Lady Rose

Written by Lady RoseTags:crocheting, gifts

Here are some details and more photos of the Mrs Weasley Sweater I made as a Yule gift for my very dear friend Mama Kelly (photos of her opening the gift HERE), and had

The pattern I used is called “Coat of Many Colors”, and the entire sweater is done in crochet – I purchased it from Crochet Cabin (cost $7). The sleeves are awesome and I prefer them to the pattern in the book Charmed Knits.

 (FYI: Charmed Knits: Projects for Fans of Harry Potter, the body of the sweater is knitted but the arms are crocheted (so for non-knitters you could just attach the sleeves to another crochet sweater pattern) – I wasn’t fond on this pattern though for the sleeves. The book has tons of awesome patterns though, and even though I don’t knit I hope to be able to convert some of the patterns to crocheting (there is a how to book: From Needles to Hook: Complete Guide to Converting Knit Patterns to Crochet).

Body of the sweater yarn used: Lion Brand Vanna’s Choice Yarn-Dusty Rose. For the sleeves, I used 2 brands of soft yarns (Caron Simply Soft Yarns and Red Heart Soft Yarns)in order to get the variety of colors (13 colors in all for sleeves) that I wanted so they would be close to the original in the movie and the one’s called for in the pattern. The body of the sweater I wanted to be sturdier so I chose Vanna’s Choice yarn because I’ve become very fond of this brand of yarn – it holds it’s shape but is still comfortable and soft to wear. The sleeves I wanted to be very, very soft and not itchy at all, so that it could be worn without having to have long sleeves worn under.

Mama Kelly wearing the Mrs. Weasley Sweater of Many Colors:

The whole sleeve:

Top of the sleeve and shoulder:

The buttons (total of three used on the sweater):

The buttons I chose came from ebay, they are beautiful, handpainted glass. They catch the light and are a rainbow of color that sparkle and change depending on how the light hits them. The “ruffled” pattern on the buttons, I felt, was a wonderful reflection on the many rows of color in the billowing sleeves.

Close up of just button:

I have visions in my head of other items I’d like to make with a similar magical flare, but I’m not ready to tackle anything this big yet for awhile. Some day I wouldn’t mind having a Mrs. Weasley sweater of my own – though I would probably change the color of the yarn used for the body of the sweater (probably a shade of purple since that is my favorite color). Perhaps by the time the next Harry Potter movie is released I will get one done for myself, and then Mama Kelly and I can wear our Mrs. Weasley sweaters when we go see the movie together.

Bright Blessings, Lady Rose

Written by Lady RoseTags:Christmas, crochet, gifts, harry potter

Mama Kelly’s Mrs. Weasly Sweater – I can’t tell you how much I enjoyed making this sweater for my dear friend Mama Kelly and she looks awesome in it – it is so HER! I was even more thrilled that I managed to actually get it done in time to give it to her for Yule and that I manged to get the sizing just about right (since my crochet projects prior to this have been much easier type patterns like blankets, ponchos, scarves, etc.).

I managed to find a box big enough to use to wrap the sweater in (a big American Girl box that we had), inside I also covered it with lots of tissue paper, and added on top of the tissue paper a printed out photo from the movie of Mrs. Weasley in the sweater that I added the message: Happy Yule from Mrs. Weasley!

It was so hard keeping the secret too. But I knew if I posted even a hint about making something special that Mama Kelly would some how guess, but I wanted her to be totally surprised so I managed to keep it a secret. All the ladies I work with got to see it in progress and when it was done and they are all anxiously awaiting to see the photos too. They were all keeping their fingers crossed for me that I would win the bid on the buttons (the auction on ebay was not an easy one to win and I almost lost them!) – everyone agreed they were the “perfect” buttons (though I did get a few other buttons on auction just as a backup in case I lost the bid).

As Mama Kelly mentioned in her post yesterday, there is a pattern for a sweater like this in Charmed Knits: Projects for Fans of Harry Potter, the body of the sweater is knitted and the arms are crocheted (so for non-knitters you could just attach the sleeves to another crochet sweater pattern). Great patterns in the book – but I didn’t like the Mrs. Weasley sweater sleeves.

The pattern I used is “Coat of Many Colors”, and is for the entire sweater done in crochet – I purchased it from Crochet Cabin (cost $7).

Here’s a photo of just a sleeve:

I started making the sweater Dec 16, finished Dec. 24 – except for the last rows of trim along the front where the buttons would go since I had to wait for the buttons to arrive to know how to place them and where to put the buttonholes. I won the button ebay auction a couple of days before Christmas, and they arrived Dec. 29 so I managed to get the whole thing completed by Dec. 30. The body of sweater took 9 balls of Vanna’s choice yarn (dusty rose), and for the arms I used 13 different colors (two different brands of soft yarns to get the color variety I wanted – Caron Simply Soft and Red Heart Soft Yarn).

I have a ton of ideas for other things I’d like to make with a similar “magical” flare but not sure when I’ll be up to tackling a huge project again – probably not for awhile. I would some day like a Mrs. Weasley sweater of my own – though I would probably use a more purple color yarn for the body of the sweater (since purple is my favorite color). It would be awesome to have one done by the time the next Harry Potter movie is released – then Mama Kelly and I could both be wearing one and go see the movie together.

Wish I had taken a picture of her stirring the big pot of yummy soup on the stove while she was wearing the sweater – she really did look like she belonged in a magical home like The Burrow.

I will post more close up photos later this week. (Update: More photos HERE.)

Bright Blessings, Lady Rose

Written by Lady RoseTags:Christmas, crochet, gifts, harry potter

Just had to share – A Harry Potter Christmas and Belated Yuletide Festivities
We had a lovely, and all too short visit with Lady Rose and AngelGirl. We exchanged our Yule gifts and overall all three girls seemed to really like what they received. Lady Rose seemed to like her gifts, even though I wished to no end that they could’ve been more. GamerDude was given 2 cookbooks in Lady Rose’s subtle (*cough*) way of telling him he should learn to cook a few meals. And I was spoiled!!!

A few weeks ago Lady Rose had stopped by when I was at work and in the process of her brief stay my hubby, GamerDude mentioned that I had always wanted a sweater like the one worn by Mrs. Weasley in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.

Imagine my shock when I opened my last gift to find inside a replica of that very same sweater. Not only was I moved to misty eyes by her thoughtfulness, time, effort, sweat, etc. that went into the crafting of this beautiful gift that will be a part of my wardrobe, as weather allows, for the rest of my life but can you believe that she made it in under 2 weeks! She amazes me to no end.

I am feeling like the luckiest Harry Potter fan-girl in the world right now.

Update – Lady Rose’s post with details and photos added of Mrs. Weasley Sweater.

Blessings to you all, Mama Kelly

Related Reading – if you are interested in knitted Harry Potter Crafts this book is great
Charmed Knits: Projects for Fans of Harry Potter for the pattern, making some changes to convert it from knit to crochet.

Written by Mama KellyTags:Christmas, crochet, gifts, harry potter

Crochet Projects Galore - since Thanksgiving I have been crocheting a lot (most were for Yule gifts). As promised here are some photos of items I made recently.

Light Blue Rectangular Shawl, with matching fingerless gloves and wide headband (Yule gift for my mom). Shawl pattern is from my favorite book that I use a lot for blankets, also is the pattern source for the triangular shawl and extra wide scarf pictured below: The Prayer Shawl Ministry: Reaching Those in Need.

Pink Poncho (for my daughter, Angelgirl)

Vest in varigated white and pink (for my daughter, Angelgirl) – this was made earlier this year, but finally got a photo taken of it.

Granny Square Blanket in varigated white and purple (Christmas gift for my friend B.) – made one BIG square, with last row simple border.

Not sure yet what I’m doing with these two items below:

Ying/Yang Extra-Wide Scarf (two colors: deep plum and light plum). I made another one like this in white and dark green that I will be donating.

Triangular Shawl (Alpaca yarn) – I made two others likes this also last year but in different colors as Christmas gifts, one for friend Mama Kelly and one for my friend B.

Other projects:
I also made an extra long scarf in a soft gray alpaca yarn for hubby, but we couldn’t find it at the time we were taking photos. Early this morning I finished up a tri-colored throw blanket (no photo yet) of light blue, pale green and white – not sure what I’m doing with it, possibly donating.

I have one project in the works with only 5 more rows to go – a deep plum poncho in adult size like the pink one I made for my daughter which I will most likely keep for me.

My first project for the new year will be using a recently purchased very cool batch of a purple\black sparkly yarn (multi stranded of mixed types thread woven together). I am not sure what I’m going to make from it yet. There were only three balls (100 grams) of it left in an ebay auction, from a seller that makes only small batches of one of kind blended yarns. I have never worked with anything like it before but it is just lovely. Mostly like I will make an open type stitch patterned wrap\shrawl. I’ll be sure to post photos once I finished.

As a Yule gift to myself I ordered some wiccan crafts books and crochet pattern books from Amazon and ebay. I also have a set of birch wood crochet hooks that I blessed and keep on my altar when not in use. I am looking forward to a new year filled with lots of arts and crafts.

Bright Blessings, Lady Rose

Written by Lady RoseTags:crocheting, gifts