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How to Avoid Weaving in Ends in Crochet
If there was one thing that I fully understood in physics class, it was the maxim that entropy rules. Things tend to move from order to disorder, and crochet is no exception. Even though I am very thorough about weaving in the ends on my crochet projects, I still notice that the occasional tail works…
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Blackwatch Plaid Crochet Blanket
According to the Scots Language Centre, the word plaid originally comes from the Gaelic word plaide, meaning blanket. Nowadays, when we hear the word plaid, we think of distinctive checked patterns seen on flannel shirts. Some of these plaid patterns originate from Scottish tartans. The Scottish Registry of Tartans is an official registry of restricted…
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How to Make Owning a Dog Easier
Dog is God spelled backwards. I always get a little burst of joy when I am reminded of that connection. Anyone who has experienced the unconditional love of a dog knows what I mean. That said, puppy or young dog is demon spelled backwards. OK, it isn’t, but it should be. Shelters are full of…
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My Heart Dog, Hobbes
HobbesFebruary 12, 2010 – April 22, 2024 We never intended to be a two dog family. Daisy, our Westie, kept our house in a state of perpetual chaos, but as I’ve written about my beloved friend and arch nemesis, she wasn’t affectionate. My eight year old daughter, who had done all of the work in…
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How to Blend Double Crochet Color Changes in a Graphghan
“The Devil is in the Details” Making something from a pattern has its challenges, but it’s generally a safe bet. For me, designing something from scratch typically has an “Oh bleep” moment when I realize that I have failed to consider some major detail. After I finished my first graphghan pattern, The Daisy Pillow, I…
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Gardening Mistakes To Avoid
According to Janet Kilburn Phillips, “There are no gardening mistakes, only experiments.” At this rate of experimentation, I should be a candidate for the Nobel Prize in Gardening. One of the main things that I have learned as a gardener is a very deep appreciation for farmers. Feeding all of us requires a combination of…
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The Crochet Daisy Pillow
“Measure once and cut twice” was the ironic warning that the professor gave to my daughter’s sculpture class and that saying makes me smile when I think about my long history of crocheting errors. Luckily, with crochet, nothing is permanently ruined, except maybe my ego, and it’s fairly easy to rip out incorrect stitches and…
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The French Ticking Stripe Crochet Throw
I love watching Joanna Gaines and Erin Napier transform homes on HGTV, and I so wish that I had their talent. I am way more hit or miss in my decorating abilities, and I’ve had some major misses. I once picked out what I thought was a nice gray paint color for the exterior of…
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Free Rainbow Bobble Crochet Blanket Pattern
“Now I know we had no moneyBut I was rich as I could beIn my coat of many colorsMy momma made for me.”Dolly Parton A lot has been written about grit and how important it is for success. The psychologist Angela Lee Duckworth has given a TED Talk about how when working as math teacher…
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How to Crochet a Rope Basket
I’ll never forget my reaction after the winner was announced on the first season of the Great British Bake Off. I went bananas. Flaming bananas. Bananas Foster bananas. After watching the contestants labor over 30 different baking challenges for 10 episodes under intense time pressure and with exacting judges, what did the winner get? A…
DaisyGardenCrochet 