Stitchin' Fool

I've recently decided I needed to relearn how to crochet. It's a skill my mother learned from her mother & grandmother. I'm thinking it's something that I should work on and learn more about so I can pass the skill on to my daughter when she's older. Some things should just not be forgotten, whether it's a life lesson or something as simple as crochet. Plus, there's something to be said about yarn therapy. Anything that can help you get your mind off of stressful stuff is a good thing!

I've started and stopped various projects several times throughout the years when it comes to crochet. I've made a few different things, but would also start on an afghan and give up. I really tried to make a baby blanket for Ally before she was born, but gave up on it after she was born. There just hasn't seemed to be enough time to work on anything since.

 I've also tried to relearn how to knit, but I get to a certain point and just can't get it to go any further without huge errors. My 6th grade teacher, Mr. Clark, made us learn how to knit as a class. My project was a duster mitt and I learned quite a bit about knitting. However, those days are long past and I can't remember hardly a thing about it now. It was, unfortunately, a skill I didn't keep practicing. I'm pretty sure I gave it all up as soon as the project was done for class.

I came to the decision to start crochet again with a little help from some friends. We have a little group gathering every Saturday morning to stitch and bitch. It's so much fun and they are way more adept at crocheting! It really helps to have them there to let me know how I can change something or to explain a stitch to me. I love it! And since I've started going to the group, I've actually finished a scarf for myself. I'm pretty proud of it too! :) Here it is:

Don't you just love the colors?! Purple and green are such a striking combination! And it was a very simple pattern...all single crochet stitches. What a great way to practice stitches!

Almost as soon as I finished the scarf, I started getting what my friends refer to as "yarn fever". I found myself in WalMart, of all places, looking at all the yarn they had on sale. Along with my groceries, I ended up walking out with about 5 skeins of yarn. Yikes! The obsession has begun! And a new project will begin shortly....

Homemade Powder Laundry Detergent

 Are you tired of spending so much money on laundry detergent? Isn't it frustrating how the "cheap" detergent costs so much as well? I've read various posts about making your own laundry detergent....powder and liquid. It sounded like a great idea and a wonderful way to save a little money. I wanted to try the powder detergent first as I thought it would be easier to keep on hand than the liquid form It was very easy to make and I promise....it works!

Homemade Powder Laundry Detergent

1 Bar Shaved Fels Naptha Soap
1 cup of Borax
1 cup of Arm & Hammer Washing Soda
1 cup of Downy Unstopables (any scent you choose)

Directions:
Stir the ingredients together (after shaving the soap) and use 2 TBS per load of laundry. It's low-suds recipe and is great if you have any skin sensitivities too!

Not sure if you're saving anything by making your own detergent? Well, according to Walmart prices 40 loads of Tide are around $9.24. The cost of ingredients for the homemade detergent ended up being around $2.80 at Walmart. So yes, you are saving money. And as it only takes about 5 minutes to make and is easily stored, you just can't beat it!