Jazz Up Your Hoodies

I hope you’re all having a lovely Thanksgiving holiday. I hope to be visiting some etsy friends in another state, during the holiday which I’ll spend with one of my children and grandchildren. Pictures will soon follow.

I do have a little project for you to do while I’m on holiday and you’re at “loose ends” now that you’ve finished all your Thanksgiving preparations.

I call it “Jazzing Up A Hoodie”.  This is the second time I have done this process and both times I have been a pleased as punch by the results.

Both of the hoodies I have done this with are black (my favorite clothing color) and because of that it may be a bit difficult to see the results. I had thought about this process for quite a long while before I actually attempted it. I didn’t know how long it would take, if it would work, or if it would live up to my expectations. It fulfilled all criteria excellently.

I doesn’t take long at all. Perhaps an hour. The results are super and it exceeded my expectations. And now I have two awesome hoodies unlike any others on the planet. True “one of a kind-ers”.

This treatment is on a velour hoodie that is one half of a jogging suit (has matching pants). (as if there’s a chance that I’ll go jogging). But I like to look as if that might be a possibility.

Here’s how to get those results:

With crochet thread that matches your hoodie, take a running stitch all along the edge of the hood – from one side of the zipper, all the way around to the opposite side of the zipper. Make sure that this line of stitching is not tight but very relaxed. It’s into these stitches that you’ve just completed around the edge of your hood, that you’ll crochet a couple rows of single crochets with eyelash yarn. I used black yarn and black crochet thread on a black hoodie. But you also could use contrasting colors.  I, momentarily, gave a thought to crocheting with white eyelash yarn but didn’t want so much contrast. Plus the white would get soiled quickly. If using a contrasting color, I would still make the running stitches around the hood edge in the same color as the hood – so as to make them invisible. When you crochet into those stitches, they will be hidden and only the fuzzy crocheted rows will be visible. 

I have no idea why this hoodie looks forest green when it is actually black as coal. But there, you've got the idea. It's a fun project and completely changes the look of a casual hoodie to a super-cool hoodie.

Christmas Wreath

In my last week's post, I took you on a little jaunt in the country. One of the stops on that lovely day was to Mulberry Hollow, a sweet little shop that is so much fun to browse around. There are several rooms, each one more enchanting than the last. At the moment, it is filled with nostalgic Christmas decorations.

One of the things I noticed in the shop was a beautiful berry wreath. One look at it and I knew I had to have it - but I had all the makings for this wreath sitting idly by just waiting for me to gather them all up into a wreath for my front door. I had a "never used" straw wreath form and I had a garland of red berries. That was really all that was needed for this glorious wreath. I wired the berries onto the straw and then finished it up with a big red bow.

                               Voila ! Christmas is at the front door

Mulberry Hollow's Face Book page is:  https://www.facebook.com/pages/Mulberry-Hollow/311133045650231?fref=ts

A Ride in the Country on a Beautiful Fall Day

A couple weeks ago, on an absolutely gorgeous, sunny, Fall afternoon, I took a ride in the country. The main purpose for this trip was to scope out a venue where I would be doing a Christmas Craft Show. I took my camera and started out on a leisurely ride.

I found the venue quite easily, of course I had the MapQuest directions with me. I drove east and followed the Erie Canal the entire way. All the while thinking of the history of this area and our early settlers moving commodities slowly, by flat-bottomed canal boat pulled by mule, along the towpath which runs along side the canal. Seeing the names of the  old towns, Fair Port, Port Gibson. I passed through, Macedon, Palmyra, Rose, Arcadia and finally to Newark.

These "port" towns were where travelers and merchants would change horses or mules, where they could get a hot meal and perhaps a real bed for the night.

This wonderful invention opened up western New York to the rest of the world. This was wilderness before that.

At one point the canal waters were very wide, much wider that the normal width. In fact, I always thought this was a lake. There were even summer cottages along the banks. But I discovered that this is called "Wide Waters" and it is still canal.

                                                 Wide Waters


I took an entirely different and circuitous route on the way back. I wanted to see what was on the back roads.

                                        A Country Church

                             Apple Trees - Ready for Harvest - Apple Country

Visited a sweet little country shop. Mulberry Hollow in Palmyra, NY. In it's former life it was an auto dealership, gas station. Still around, 100 years later, and still making people happy.

This house was around the block from Mulberry Hollow - the gingerbread was awesome - the talent, and work, and skill, and materials that went into these "Painted Ladies" could not be duplicated today for a million dollars.                          

All in all, a totally lovely afternoon appreciating the sunshine, the seasons, and the 1000 gifts He gives us each day.