Month of Macro: Crochet projects

For a while now, I've been crocheting hats to donate to a good cause.

The other day I wanted to count up how many I had crocheted so far...

And once they were all unpacked from the various places I had stored them, I decided to snap a few photos with my macro lens.

It was so interesting seeing what the hats looked like up-close.

Even though I used the same stitch for all the hats...

Since I used different yarns...

Each one looked so different up-close!

See what I mean?

I especially like this shot, because it makes my stitches look really even (even though they usually aren't)!

And this one shows the braided tassels on a snowboarder-type hat!

Of course, I'm always in the midst of a new project...

So I took some photos of that as well. From the hook...

To the yarn...

I think it looks pretty cool- and I can't wait to see the finished product!

Thanks for stopping by- I hope you had a great weekend!

Hats, hats... and more hats!

I've started a new craft project, which is a pretty regular occurrence around these parts. But much like my project last summer, the fruits of my labor are going to a good cause.
So over the long weekend, I got to work with some fun yarn like this:
And whipped up a comfy project like this:
Obviously this hat is not for me (since my head hasn't been that small in 20 years). I actually made it to donate to The Hat Box Foundation.
Have you heard of this wonderful foundation? They accept hand-made hats that they give to people with cancer.
The foundation prefers hats that are softer, since many of the patients have little to no hair.
They also prefer that the hats be longer to cover the ears and nape of the neck. (I tried this pattern as the brim can be folded to the appropriate length.)
And finally, the foundation prefers that the crochet stitch be tighter to provide adequate coverage of the recipients' heads.
As you can tell, I've been getting busy on these little hats.
I'm having a blast making them. And knowing that they'll be sent to people who need them is even better! I'll be crocheting during my time off this summer- I hope to have a nice little box of caps to send off to the foundation by the end of the season!
If you'd like to send some hats to be donated, the address is:

Hat Box Foundation
3471 Caminito Sierra, #P202
Carlsbad, CA 92009

Thanks for stopping by- I hope you have a wonderful day!

Up at the crack of dawn

I don't have to go to work today. And yet, I woke up bright and early a few minutes ago!

You see, I got a new phone- and I'm still learning how to program it! Last night I thought I turned off the alarm... but I guess I didn't!
So now I'm awake, and I don't have to be anywhere until later in the morning! I have miraculously been given an unexpected handful of hours to waste any way I want... and the possibilities are endless! I could catch up on TiVo...
Or dive into a new book I picked up...
Or start a new crochet project with some beautiful yarn my brother bought me...
Or watch the training video for my lighthouse keeper program...
Or paint my nails...
Or I could just go back to bed!
I haven't made my decision quite yet- but with all these choices I can't go wrong! I hope you have a wonderful weekend... see you Monday!

This could be trouble...

Sunday marked a really huge moment in the history of New York City. The first Michael's Craft Store opened on the island of Manhattan. To say I'm excited about it would the understatement of the month. This little gem is located about 30 blocks from my office, and I was on hand to make sure their opening day was a success.

As is the case with many stores in NYC, this Michael's was built into the basement of a new apartment complex, so after a little ride down the escalator...
I came upon a cave of wonders (I know- I'm being totally dorky, but this is SO exciting! Up until this point, the closest Michael's was way out in Queen's, and getting there would take me over an hour each way!)
Being the scrapper that I am, my first stop was the Martha Stewart craft aisle. They had so much more product than I'm used to seeing- I was a little overwhelmed, but in a REALLY good way!
Of course, the next stop on my trip was the yarn area. I love buying yarn- I always feel so enthused to start new projects when I feel all the lovely textures and see all the alluring colors!
As I wandered around, I couldn't help but take pictures. Like the ribbon wall- isn't it wonderful?
And with a baking aisle like this, I won't have to horde my melting chocolate for Bakerella-esque desserts.
Now don't worry- I didn't go nuts by buying Christmas decorations... but I might have been a little tempted... can you blame me?
And the paints... think of all the wonderful things I could do with these... if only I could learn how to paint...
The store had these mini-shopping-carts, which I filled up in NO time!
Okay- so maybe I filled it up with my giant purse... but that still counts! This is what I came away with- quite modest, wouldn't you say?
And as if shopping in a brand new craft store wasn't amazing, I got to catch up with my friend KS. She creates the most amazing cards, projects, and layouts. I was so thrilled that we got to chat and shop (but mostly chat) for a while!

Thanks for stopping by and sharing in my excitement- I hope you have a great Thursday!

Sending some scarves

For the past few months, I've been crocheting scarves to donate to a couple different charities. (I mentioned it on this post a while ago.) This is that stack I've completed so far: So I decided that today I'm going to package them up, and send them on their way. But I wanted to take pictures of a few of my favorites...
I also wanted to make special tags for the Knit Your Bit donations (they'll be given to WWII veterans). So, I grabbed some patriotic paper, and printed some tags.
I try to save all my yarn labels, and I staple a few inches of yarn to each tag so I remember what was what.That way I can reference the label and complete the information for each scarf.
To make it easier on the organization, I put each scarf in a plastic bag. I did the same thing for the Hats for the Homeless donations- those scarves will be distributed to homeless people in NYC during the Christmas season.
Now that everything is packaged up, the next step is to carry the boxes to the post office... which is over 10 blocks away- wish me luck!

That's it for me- I hope you have a wonderful weekend!