Reinventing the Star Blanket

I didn't like the Granny-ish Star pattern or two out there for the Star Blanket so I'm starting from scratch and creating my own. What ya think?

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

Dryer Balls on Etsy

Well I got one set of dryer balls up on Etsy, I have another set if I can ever get them photographed, photos edited etc. and up. Also found some old crochet patterns and may list a few I won't use like the thread or macrame patterns. Here's the set I have listed. I was a skeptic on dryer balls til I tried them- they are wonderful!!!

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

OK so I'm an Idiot..... (Pictures included)

Yep, a complete one. Go to the bathroom before reading this to prevent any accidents from laughing too hard.

Idiot act #1:

Monday I finally found the yarn I'd been waiting so long for Walmart to get more of that color in and bought it along with some clearance yarn at HL. Like an idiot I left it all in my truck.

Idiot act #2:

Tuesday I went in to work, 98 degrees on the truck when I went in locked it and left the windows open about an inch. About 9pm we had a horrific thunderstorm (after a forecast of total sun and NO chance of rain by the way). Needless to say my truck got washed on the inside, yarn and all. It was still pouring when I arrived home and I had been sitting in a wet truck so I went on in, used the automatic start on my truck a few times to run the air and dry things out a bit. Yeah right, who am I kidding.....

Idiot act #3:

The next day it was still wet so after sunshine I rolled the windows down to let it dry in the sun and 90-odd degree heat, took everything out that was wet and separated it into what had to air dry and what could go in the dryer. Or so I thought.....


Apparently I missed something that should NOT have gone into the dryer in its CURRENT form......

Remember the yarn I finally found? The one that looked all pastel and pretty in a nice skein like this?

Yeah well somehow it ended up thrown in the dryer.... luckily it was acrylic.....

Need I say more????? It took the better part of 3, almost 4 hours to sort out.

I give up..... after three idiot stunts in a row..... I confess.... call me an idiot. I deserve it. Any idiot who puts a 6oz skein of yarn in the dryer......

OK go ahead... laugh. It's funny now that it's all over.

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

I got an Idea....

Beware Everyone-

Marla's got an IDEA! You know its dangerous when I start thinking. A new pattern is about to be born. Whether that pattern will be shared here for free, sold on Etsy, or not shared at all with the finished project to be sold on Etsy and donated.... remains to be seen. I haven't decided that yet.

I'll give you a hint... it's a BABY item not usually crocheted but it will be hereafter. I've only seen one pattern for something like this out there and it was CRAPPY... Mine sure won't be.

Stay tuned for pics if I can finish it today around getting all this other crap done.

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

Here's my latest Entry on Etsy:

One of my favorite bibs done in a pretty pastel yarn I rescued from a discarded child's vest. Listed under Crochet in general. What do ya think? Pretty for any baby girl. I've been on a bib kick lately- thats about all I've had time to make. Work has been horrendous with the amount of people coming in- its been simply grueling. No time to stop even for a second to go to the bathroom or get a drink until your break which have been very late lately due to being so busy trying to get all the workers breaks in. If only crochet were work....

Just a note to those looking at/for my items on Etsy other than thru my meowcreations shop, my items will generally be listed under the general category crochet. Unless of course, they are another craft. The more specific children's, adult, etc. categories are so crowded you can't find anything.

Noone is posting much- what is everyone making?? Besides dinner that is... I got a great recipe for Baked Spaghetti from Pammy Sue. Go check it out- Scotty's Place.

OK, I'm off to do more crocheting, before I have to clean the junk outta my truck. Later all- I'll be back- have a little jacket to add to Etsy, and a sweater set to finish. Just contemplating how I want to do them. CIAO!!

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

Pictures of Etsy items

I don't have them posted yet as some are not ready for sale yet but here are the pictures I promised. These will all be going on my Etsy shop as soon as I can ready them and get them posted.



Stay tuned for these to appear in MeowCreations' Etsy shop along with a few other items. Hopefully this will boost sales a bit- they have been flat for a month or more.
 
Marla

Meow Creations Etsy Shop- Supplies and Crochet

Marla's Nursery

Gifts of Love

Happy 4th of July!

Happy Independence day everyone! We are wet at the moment from a storm this morning but  will be going to a friend's later regardless rain or shine. All this water AGAIN- Yuck! Hope you all are drier than we are. I'm crocheting a hat at the moment to celebrate. Now... what to go with it.... Sweater? Booties? Mitts? Afghan.... NAH not enough of that yarn. Time will tell.

Also on Verdict watch - waiting for Casey Anthony Jury... may be a while but I don't think so. I think it'll be about 1 day, 2 days tops. Guilty as charged. That's my prediction. Death penalty? I think it should apply (and I'm not normally a fan of that, only in extreme cases but come on, a 2 year old???) but its questionable with this jury. Logically, noone else could have done this and I think they know it. Stay tuned to CNN to see.

Have a great 4th all!! I still owe you some pictures.

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

Etsy projects

Hi All,

as computer time is limited, (sorry for the absence lately) I've been working on a few projects for Etsy as well as for Charity. The blankets will go to charity with some other items but a few things I've made are going on etsy. A sweater and hat set, Newborn jacket and booties, dryer balls and a crocheted bib will all go on Etsy. Pics to come when I can get them posted. Gotta go- having a heck of a time typing- Darn these fingernails!!!

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

New Blog to Check out

While Blog surfing I've come across a new blog I like featuring new patterns etc. It's Called Tangled Happy at tangledhappy.blogspot.com. It's got some really neat links and patterns. Go check it out!

P.S. New charity pattern coming as soon as I have time to get it posted! Will be great for any disaster relief, burnout, homeless, etc.

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

Where is the Sun and warmth?

Oh and I almost forgot..... PRAY FOR SUNSHINE AND WARM WEATHER!!!! We have almost been drowned here by rain and wet, cold, damp, dreary weather. Where is the spring the 'hog said we'd get 6 wks early?? I got a major bone to pick with him- HIS!! Whoever's doing the rain dance.... please stop.

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

New Design

Well, How ya like my new template? Ever since the kitten and yarn picture disappeared on me (and no luck finding it again) I've been on the lookout for something different. I only WISH my house looked like this!! Neat huh? I've made a few more dryer balls this week and a little crocheting on a blanket that will probably never get fully done but I've had a good excuse for not getting much done- EVERYTHING else has gone on around here!! Money is almost non existent at the moment, Scott's truck is in the shop, you name it it's gone on around here.

I'll post some positive and some more pics when I have them to post. Thanks for your prayers guys and hope you like the new Design at Marla's House. Now if it only had a cat picture on it..... or five....

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

The Dryer Balls project

Wow! The dryer balls I made worked beautifully! I honestly thought it was all a big bunch of hooey and just another craft fad, these things couldn't work as well as fabric softener. THEY WORKED BETTER!!! I used 4 in my large capacity dryer, and they did the trick like a charm- my laundry was soooo soft. And the Recycled wool I had felted Great! Great opportunity for you "Greenies" who want to save energy, cut out the commercial fabric softener and recycle all at the same time. Here's 2 of the ones I made:

Try it- hope they work as well for you! I may post a few of these in my Etsy shop, much cheaper than the ones out there of course- some of those prices are ridiculous. Trouble is there's not much out there in the way of wool sweaters at Goodwill Etc. lately- they have mostly summer stuff. I tried some of the yarn from my stash- some worked great and some didn't. Cleckheaton does NOT felt and came apart in the washer even inside panty hose. The Rainbow wool didn't do much either and I've had to do the Bernat Felting wool 2-3 times now with no success. On the other hand, the Recycled Wool works great from my sweaters, and I Love This Wool from Hobby Lobby works great. Just some tips if you're planning on trying this. Good Luck! If you don't want to try this I'll probably be posting a few in my etsy shop when I get some more done.

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

Dryer Balls Update

An update on the dryer balls experiment..... I had two yarns wound for dryer balls- one was a 100% wool yarn that came from a grey sweater I recycled the wool from that said DO NOT WASH or something to that effect. These came out very nicely after a couple or three trips through the washer and dryer. They're drying for the last time now. Pictures later.

The other brand, Cleckheaton 100% wool, WILL NOT FELT!!! It came apart and came out a tangled mess, did not felt and had to be tossed. It said it couldn't be washed so it should have come out nicely. A shame since it was a pretty variegated teal too. Would have been pretty. It wasn't superwash wool either.

Soooo..... pictures later when they get done. I'll let you know how they do in the laundry.

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

Dryer Balls and Goodwill Trip .... almost empty handed

Hi Everyone,

for my latest project I've been making wool dryer balls. WHAT???? Yes, dryer balls. I'll try them out and if I like them I'll sell some on Etsy. They are supposed to get your clothes dryer and softer just like fabric softener without the chemicals. We'll see.

Took a trip to Goodwill today.... found several t-shirts for ME but nothing in the way of sweaters to recycle.... Everything was Acrylic which I have tons of or cotton blends. YUCK- don't like cotton either. I was looking for wool to recycle but found only one- a vest. Everything else was a blend which won't felt. Normally I hate felting but this serves the purpose for this project.

If you google or search for HOW TO MAKE WOOL DRYER BALLS you'll find tons of links and tutorials. So we'll find out if this works or not. Wish me luck!!

Gotta go tonight is shopping night with my Mom's best friend as we do every Wed. night. Later!!

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

Some of my latest Creations (And a few old ones)

Been busy working on some recycled crayons and recycled yarn to go into my etsy shop. A few were made for gifts too. Things are slow on the crochet front... no completed projects lately due to most of my time off has been spent taking care of crap that's come up and having to run for someone else. Time for some time off to myself, if I can get it.

Gas is eating everyone up so I'm finding more to do indoors. Now, if only people were buying things like they are at my store.... Bunch of Quilters for the AQS quilt show here this week. I like the quilts.... not the people.

Here's some of my latest creations going into my Etsy shop if not already there:

Recycled Crayons and Yarn:

100% wool recycled yarn

Hope everyone's getting a few dry days- we need it!!


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

Saturday (or part of it) was mine

No, noone brought me any Easter basket or treats this morning. Shoot. Gonna have to pick a few bones of that Bunny's. Yes, I am a Christian and perfectly aware of why and how we should celebrate Easter and I went to church this morning (groggily after the storm last night) but I like to have a little fun too.

I did have part of the day to myself yesterday- after taking my hubby's truck to be worked on and haggling with him, I did manage to make several sets of crayons. Some were to give away at the IHOP I eat breakfast at but the Teddy Bear set and the dinosaurs will be going to my Etsy shop once I get them posted.

I also have TONS of sweaters I need to recycle the yarn from too but will have to wait til hubby is safely back at work. I lost one or two sweaters that the yarn looked good but didn't come apart well or frayed so much coming apart they were about useless.

Me, I'm about to take a short nap before work. Yes, I do have to work today but much later than normal and I'm grateful for that. Hope Everyone had a great Easter. Even if the Bunny came to see you, remember to reflect on the true meaning of Easter- in which Jesus died for us then rose again on the 3rd day and promised to come get us again at the appointed time.

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

Crayons and Crochet.... or lack of

What a week- My days off so far this week have been filled with taking care of crap that's arisen that a certain credit union has created, running to help clear out some stuff at my dad's (yes, still cleaning out after my mother's death and will be for some time) and trying to keep my own house taken care of and in shape to look at if someone wants to see. Luckily noone's wanted to see it this week- I couldn't have fit another thing in.

Which is my main gripe.... I haven't had time to crochet or make a single CRAYON for sale or for favor this week. I have plenty stacked for several batches where a local restaurant is saving their used crayons for me that would otherwise go in the trash, and someone else gave me a huge bag of crayolas that had been in a fire.... you couldn't even tell it except for some soot on the outside of the ziploc they were in! Amazing!!

So.... my Saturday off is ALL MINE.... I will be making crayons by day and crocheting in front of the TV at night. I think maybe I got 2 small rows of knitting in before I fell asleep in front of the TV the other night. Well whoever has something for me to do
Saturday can just wait!! LOL

I did find a cute pattern at cute crochet blog patterns for a clothespin bag and dress dishcloth. Don't like the pattern on the clothespin bag though... may have to come up with my own if I can get some time alone... to myself... for crocheting!!

Right now, slavery (I mean work) calls..... Later Everyone!

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

Happy Saturday!

Hi Everyone-

Happy Saturday! My day off although not totally enjoyable due to some things that came up and some unexpected expenses, I may have some time later to mess with my new hobby- recycling crayons! Then maybe some knitting later tonight. How's everyone- it's great to see what you all have accomplished since I last logged in and there's always new ideas and projects. My latest accomplishments are posted on Etsy: Sea Creature Crayons, pretzel crayons, and car truck and plane crayons along with a couple of others. The jewelry (vintage) hasn't sold too well so far but I'm hoping maybe.... I was going to post some pics but cant get blogger to cooperate. Check out http://etsy.com/meowcreations to see pics.

Now back to seeing if I can get some Etsy done and some other things to make $$ we badly need. Later all!!



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

Hi Everyone and More Etsy

Hi Everyone,

I'm still here just not getting much puter time lately. Got the majority of Mom's stuff cleaned out, working on my own house as it's for sale. We're getting a few showings but not tons and no offers yet. I've also been working on some projects for Etsy- Posted lots of vintage jewelry pieces and making some recycled crayons that I'm about to post. One thing I want to try is wool dryer balls- they are supposed to work great so we'll see.

Sorry so long between posts I've been wild lately trying to keep things done and keep up with it all plus hubby too. got a very early showing of the house tomorrow so I need to be up there working instead of at my dad's but with gas almost $4 a gal (avg. $3.75 here most places) it's hard to run back and forth. Hence a big part of the reason for moving- we're about 20 mi from town, 25 from the mall area, 15 from southside of town, 10 from my dad..... you get the idea. Only a cracker barrel and a few fast food places in the little town we live in and they try to roll up the streets at about 7pm. And the one little grocery store..... we won't even talk about the prices!! It'd break me to buy a loaf of bread and lunchmeat there! In short.... I WANNA MOVE ASAP. Can you tell?? LOL

Now that my rant is over gonna go see what I can get done. Thanks for following and be in touch as soon as I can. Love you guys!

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

I'm still here

I'm still here- no, I haven't dropped off the face of the earth. Since I went back to work after my mom's death and trying to clean out her things with my dad and trying to get my house in shape to sell (hopefully) my time has been limited at the puter.

I have been posting a few things on Etsy- some stash items and also some vintage jewelry and other items.

Thank you to everyone for your kind comments during and after my mother's illness and death- I really appreciate them. It was nice to open the computer to all your kind words.

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