Any Testers?

Hi all,

since I am short on time at the moment, can anyone test the cocoon pattern for small newborns on my previous post and let me know how the measurements come out? I revamped my larger one I was working on and the measurements came out right but haven't worked the whole thing start to finish. Let me know if you have to use a G hook instead- I crochet sort of tight.

If anyone has time to do this, I'd appreciate it and would appreciate a picture even more- your credit of course.

Marla
Meow Creations Etsy Shop- Supplies and Crochet
Marla's Nursery
Gifts of Love

Preemie/Small Newborn Baby Cocoon Pattern

In reading Relief Share and other charity blogs, I've found that the pattern I have made for a cocoon is more for a 8-10lb baby or 0-3mo size. So I've sort of amended my pattern for a large preemie or smaller newborn as follows:

Materials:

SOFT worsted weight yarn or double baby yarn,
6oz worsted for 5-6lb
size H hook.
Note: Do NOT turn after Joining. Ch 2 at first of round counts as a DC. If you have counted correctly your 2dc space with be made in the first stitch of the 2dc stitch on the row below.

Chain 3

1: Dc 11 times in the end chain. Join with a slip stitch. (12 Dc made)

2: Ch 2, DC in same space, 2dc in each stitch around. Join. (24 DC made)

3: Ch 2, Dc in same stitch, (Dc in next stitch, 2 dc in next stitch) around. Join. (36 Dc made)

4: Ch 2, Dc in same stitch, (Dc in next 2 stitches, 2dc in next stitch) around. Join. (48 Dc made).

5: Ch 2, Dc in same stitch, (Dc in next 3 stitches, 2dc in next stitch) around. Join. (60 Dc made)

6: Ch 2, Dc in NEXT stitch and each stitch around. Join.

For 5-6lb size:
 Repeat Row 6, until cocoon reaches about 17-18″

Add Edging if desired.

You may adjust pattern if needed or hook size so that cocoon measures 8" across (16" around) by 18" long.


Marla
Meow Creations Etsy Shop- Supplies and Crochet
Marla's Nursery
Gifts of Love

The Perfect Template

Yarn and a kitten- how perfect for me! I was looking for something different after Christmas for my template and didn't like much else I found... was looking through the animal section and BAM! This one hit me like a ton of bricks. It just had to be. A kitten curled up in a ball of yarn.... how cute and appropriate.

For those of you who don't know, I have 5 felines myself. I keep most of my yarn put up in the back room so there isn't a ton of cat hair, claws, etc. in it and they do try to sneak in from time to time when I'm going in and out. Very seldom do they make it and usually get caught and removed immediately. "But MOOMMMMM, you go in there- why can't I go with you???"

I do have a new toy I got for Christmas if I can just find the time to use it.... a new digital camera! Right now there are no pics of the cats, yarn room, projects, etc. mainly for lack of time and the fact the house is a mess you don't want to see. I'll get some cleaning up done once hubby goes back to work from vacation (or supposed to be) this week. Off 2 days and he already is talking about going back. Geez. MEN.

OK I'm off on my day off to do a little surfing, mail an etsy package, and some crochet and maybe a nap. Not necessarily in that order. Hope everyone had a great Christmas!

Marla
Meow Creations Etsy Shop- Supplies and Crochet
Marla's Nursery
Gifts of Love

Etsy sale and Christmas wishes

Hey what a great way to open my email! To an Etsy sale of $20.00! Cool considering most of my stuff listed on there is like $5-10. I'll try to get it sent out Thursday but if not will have to be after Christmas. It was 2 skeins of Epais yarn from Hobby Lobby that has been taking up much room ever since I bought it then thought, "I'm not sure I like the project I was going to do with it after all". Merry Christmas to someone!

In fact, Merry Christmas to you all. I'll try to take some pics of works in progress tomorrow if time allows or as soon as time allows. I know I have a new digital camera coming for Christmas- hopefully it will show colors better than my old cheap one. Even though our Christmas will be small this year it should be nice- just close family and maybe a couple of neighbors who may come over.

Nice to hear from everyone from Pammy, Alice and Raymond of Crochet with Raymond (We love you too Raymond!) and everyone I've missed and last but most especially great to hear from my good friend MIMI!! May your family be blessed with good health and a wonderful Christmas and I can't wait to see your grandson in his orange SCARP!!

I'll be back before the big day but hope everyone is having a lovely Christmas season. Always pray for those who are having trouble this Christmas. (Notice I didn't say HOLIDAY!!)

Marla
Meow Creations Etsy Shop- Supplies and Crochet
Marla's Nursery
Gifts of Love

Almost Ready for Christmas

Well, the shopping is done (except for one last minute thing and the mashed potatoes and rolls for Christmas dinner) and the last gifts will be wrapped today. Depending on when my Vet is in the office, a poinsetta and bottle of wine will be delivered to him. One short trip to post office and Wal-mart this morning. Of course there's no tree at my house this year- we've both worked too much to get it out much less decorate it. There are a few decorations spread about but not much this year for lack of time in our busy schedules.

Seems our family dinner had dwindled down to just 5 of us as the rest of the family had other family to eat with then my aunt from Nashville decided she would be able to come in Christmas day this year as she'd usually had to work. A couple of Neighbors who just lost their husband and father will be invited, not sure if they'll come but they'll be asked anyway.

Seems blogland is dead this morning- everyone must be out doing Christmassy things. I'm trying a new experiment in my spare time- using my knitting loom and double yarn and going to see how a cocoon comes out that way. Will let you know how that comes out.

Scott has been on Vacation last week, has to work 3 days this week then off til the New Year. He sure deserves a rest. He doesnt think he is getting much for Christmas but he has plenty of surprises coming. A couple things he wanted I told him we couldn't afford then some other things he forgot about.

Well, I'm off to wrap and do last minute or so things- hope everyone has a great day getting ready for Christmas!



Marla
Meow Creations Etsy Shop- Supplies and Crochet
Marla's Nursery
Gifts of Love

Well, I asked for it!

Seems like I got my wish- was wishing it'd come a good snow so I wouldn't have to work! We've got a couple inches so far and it's beautiful though messy driving. Here's outside my dad's house, it's a mess but very pretty.

Hope Everyone is staying warm. Only one problem- I forgot my crocheting so will have to settle for whatever I have here to work on.


Marla
Meow Creations Etsy Shop- Supplies and Crochet
Marla's Nursery
Gifts of Love

Rain and Ribbit!

OK So I'm being silly.

It's about 40 something here and raining. Hard. Nasty- I'd rather have the cold temps, snow, anything but a nasty cold rain. It'll probably freeze tonight making the roads slick and I have to work late. And since they mentioned snow/ice, people will be crazier. Great. Why can't work be crochet by a warm fire? OK enough- I sound like my mother. I really WOULD rather be crocheting and getting some of this yarn that is all over the place worked out. I was going by Hobby Lobby today but between the nasty weather and the fact I have too much yarn (Is that possible??) I didn't.

In the works in crochet? 2 baby cocoons, a loom knit hat and other various projects a couple of which may get frogged. The hat got frogged that I was crocheting and turned into a baby cocoon starter. (That's why the ribbit- the frogging.)  I like those lately although I wouldnt use one myself, a lot of the charities and hospitals are calling for them. Sometimes I like my patterns and making them up better than I would like the product myself if someone gave it to me.

Off to try to crochet a bit before work maybe. Please remember the Heisers in your prayers, my parents' neighbor Tony died this morning. Ginger and Cracker Jack came from them, and they still have their sister, Nome. Hope everyone is getting over bugs and having better weather than us. I asked for a bunch of SNOW you stupid mother nature- NOT RAIN!! GET IT RIGHT!!! LOL

Now someone go crochet something I would since I am strapped for time. LOL Later all!

Marla
Meow Creations Etsy Shop- Supplies and Crochet
Marla's Nursery
Gifts of Love

A Christmas Miracle

Hi Everyone,

No, before you skip over this, this is not one of those pass-along Christmas stories that everyone seems to come up with, although you are welcome to share it. This actually happened to one of my regular customers I see nearly every day. I believe I mentioned a while back that Mrs. Vasseur, a dear lady was ill, never woke up after heart surgery and we learned she had passed away. We kept looking for her name in the paper for funeral arrangements but never saw it. I was quite upset, we saw these people every day literally in the store. He would buy a bag of candy, walk around and talk to and hand out candy to all the cashiers, the service desk, the fitting room, any associate he could find while she rode a cart through the store and did the shopping. They are more than customers- they are friends to the whole store.

Thursday I saw Mr. Vasseur in the store while I was shopping. I went up and hugged him and said "I heard you lost Mrs. Vasseur."  He had tears in his eyes and replied "I almost did". I stared at him, puzzled. "What do you mean almost? I was told she passed away?" His Response- "SHE DID." He went on to describe that she died shortly after surgery and was placed on life support at the family's request until they were certain there was no hope. He went on, "She laid in that ICU for 16 days on life support, no sign of life when they would turn it off for a minute or two, and finally on the 15th day they told us we needed to make a decision whether to leave her on it possibly forever or turn it off. We decided to turn it off the next day. The next morning I made the call from the waiting room to the funeral home to come in that afternoon and make arrangements. As soon as I hung up the phone, the nurse came in 'Mr. Vasseur, I need to see you.' and I just asked point blank, 'Is she gone?' The nurse looked at me in awe and replied 'NO- SHE'S AWAKE'. That was a week ago and she is now at home in the recliner with a nurse with her on the road to recovery from her surgery. She'll likely be back in the store before Christmas. I just got all I could ask for for Christmas."

I just hugged him and cried and replied "You know what Mr. Vasseur? I think I did too!"

Merry Christmas Everyone- and whether you believe or not, God is with you.

Marla
Meow Creations Etsy Shop- Supplies and Crochet
Marla's Nursery
Gifts of Love

Blogging among other things

Hi all,
 
a nice day off hopefully I can finish Christmas shopping today. Not much left to get done, just a couple little things and picking up a weather station of my dad's for Christmas. It's the only thing I can think of he hasn't got or already bought that he'd enjoy.

I've heard several of you talk about your blogs being boring, or not having much crochet to talk about. Of course I Enjoy reading the crochet aspect but I enjoy hearing about everyone's personal lives and other crafts too. The only blogs I get bored with? The ones that show a finished object and don't share any details about it or share any patterns or personals. Just a picture with a caption. Now that's boring. If you guys just pop in now and then to say hi everyone, I like reading that too and knowing what everyone else is going thru. Noone's life is perfect but everyone's is interesting.

Those of you who don't want to blog anymore, good luck, but I enjoy your blogs or I would not read them. Please don't think yourselves boring because not every post is crochet. Or knitting or whatever your craft is. We're all friends so please do drop in here and there to say hello and let us know.

I gotta run so bye for now.

Marla
Meow Creations Etsy Shop- Supplies and Crochet
Marla's Nursery
Gifts of Love

Hat to match baby cocoon and freezing here

Brrrrr!! How many of you are freezing your tails off the last few days?? Good staying inside crocheting weather which I can't really do. Work calls today for a while anyway and still stuff to be done. Christmas shopping is almost done with the last being done this weekend after Scott and I both get paid. Just got to pick up my dad's, a couple small things and the baby bathtub for the baby I was talking about and get his stuff to Walmart.

Didn't get much done last night, went to bed early sleepy and ears bothering me... probably sinuses. I'll really be glad when Scott gets a break or off straight nights one or the other so I can at least spend some time with him. I rarely get to see him.

One thing I almost have done (but don't have a picture of either yet) is a baby hat, beanie style to match the baby cocoon I made up the pattern for. I have tons of yarn, just not enough time. This thing called work is for the birds- it doesn't involve crochet!! LOL Oh well, it is slow out this morning so I'm hoping work will be a little slower- they've about killed me the last couple weeks.

Gotta go time and things to do slipping up on me! Hope everyone has a great day, its dead so far in blogland today. Hope everyone is feeling better!!

Marla
Meow Creations Etsy Shop- Supplies and Crochet
Marla's Nursery
Gifts of Love

Brrrrr.......

Are the rest of you freezing too? We woke up to a frigid 16 degrees this morning. No snow or anything but we're freezing our butts off around here. Would be a good day to stay in and crochet on my day off except I have to run a couple errands and I have a lady doing some work at the house while Scott's asleep so I have to go back and pay her. After dropping off some fleece pajama pants to be cut off and hemmed for my short legs, maybe I'll get some time to myself to crochet. Lord knows I need it!

Hope everyone is staying warm and getting over their bugs! Hoping to come back to some more postings in blogland this afternoon! Take care all!!

Marla
Meow Creations Etsy Shop- Supplies and Crochet
Marla's Nursery
Gifts of Love

Grrr stupid internet.... and more work

Hi all,

with a whirlwind work schedule this week/weekend and internet all over town acting crazy because of unexplained power/phone outages here and there I'm way behind on blogs. Some will load and some won't. Stupid Internet. Haven't even had time to crochet last few days and I hate that.

Hope everyone under weather is feeling better and glad to see everyone back on line especially MIMI!

Have a great day everyone and consider yourself lucky if it's snowing- I'd kill for a foot of snow right now to not have to do ANYTHING but sit and crochet and relax.

Marla
Meow Creations Etsy Shop- Supplies and Crochet
Marla's Nursery
Gifts of Love