MY SIXTH "BUILDING OUR HOMES" TOGETHER FOR THURSDAY - JULY 7TH

 I'M PARTICIPATING IN THE "BUILDING OUR HOMES TOGETHER...WITH JESUS" SERIES OVER AT PRAIRIE FLOWER FARM. IF YOU LIKE TO PARTICIPATE OR JUST PAY A NICE, FRIENDLY VISIT, CLICK HERE.  I ALWAYS ENJOY SPENDING TIME AT THE FARM. 

Hi everyone,

How has your week been so far? Mine has been good .  I'll talk some more about that at the end of this post.  I'm feeling especially crafty today. In truth, I'm feeling "especially crafty" EVERY day :) :)  Today, I thought I'd share a really cute, easy crocheted flag pattern with you.  I'm making up a bunch of these. It's fun, easy and quick.  You can make one in a day...actually way less than that, but I haven't actually timed it. I'm just enjoying this.

  THIS IS WHAT'S ON MY MIND TODAY. OH, AND YES, THIS IS MY DINING ROOM TABLE. DO I USE IT FOR DINING? NO. IT'S A CRAFT TABLE NOW ;) :)  IN THE FOREGROUND IS THE CURRENT CROCHETED FLAG TABLE MAT THAT I'M WORKING ON.   I'LL BE EXPLAINING ABOUT SOME OF THE OTHER STUFF YOU SEE HERE, TOO  IF I FORGET, JUST LEAVE ME A COMMENT, AND I'LL RESPOND.

I found this pattern on the "Create and Decorate - The Blog" site. If you click on the title it will take you to the pattern. You can find the instructions there, if you'd like to crochet a flag for yourself. Let me tell you, I'm a beginning crocheter, and it's an easy pattern to follow, even with the three different colors. Oh, check out the "Create & Decorate" magazine, too. Here's the link to their website. If you click on the magazine tab, there's info there if you want to subscribe. I have been subscribing to this magazine for awhile now. It's FULL of really cute projects.

 In the background of the above photo, you'll see my Human Bean coffee granita cup with Hershey's syrup sitting on top of a flag that I crocheted. The mats aren't big, but just the right size to act as a mat for your cups and maybe a small plate of snacks. It's fun.  We have enough patriotic holidays in this country, that you could use these multiple times a year, or everyday, especially if you like Americana. I'm starting  to really LOVE it ;) :)

 THIS IS THE FLAG MAT THAT I'M CURRENTLY WORKING ON.   IT'S FUNNY BECAUSE, IT'S  SO ADDICTING AND FUN, THAT I LOSE TRACK OF TIME. I KEEP TELLING MYSELF "I'LL JUST CROCHET ONE MORE ROW". AN HOUR LATER, IT'S TIME FOR BED ;) :) :)

 I used different colors than what the pattern called for. In addition to that, I used a different brand of cotton yarn. The pattern calls for Lily's Sugar N' Cream yarn. I purchased Lion Brand cotton yarn instead for two reasons: 1) I didn't have enough gas to drive across town to Joann's Fabric store to purchase the yarn 2) My local Fred Meyer store is much closer. They have Lion Brand cotton yarn. It was on sale, I get more yarn, and it works great for this sort of project, too. 
            This pattern is especially nice, because you can manipulate it in different ways. Just have some fun with it.  Here are the yarns I used. I'll just post the photos, since the information on there will be self-explanatory if you have any questions. I tend to like the darker colors, or jewel-toned colors. The reason I chose these colors in particular, was because that is what was available at the store at the time. I would have preferred a slightly darker red, but this works great:







Those are the yarns that I'm using for this project.  The yarn is really sturdy and it's knits/crochets up wonderfully. It's also 100 % cotton, so it's perfect for household projects that you might be working on, too.

These are a few of the extra supplies that I'm using:

I like to use an old-school wooden ruler with the metal blade to measure my work.  It's consistent meauring every time. It won't stretch out like a flexible measuring tape is wont to do.  A good pair of scissors are handy for cutting yarn, when it comes time for that. Oh, yeah, a crochet hook is helpful when making a crocheted flag... hee hee hee :) :) This particular crochet hook is a Size H8 - US / 5 MM.   Depending on your yarn choice and which size crochet hook you use, your flags may come out different that mine. That's perfectly okay. If you like your project and it makes you smile, it's good.

THIS IS WHAT I ACTUALLY BOUGHT WHEN I FINALLY MADE IT TO JOANN'S FABRIC STORE.  I LOVE LILY'S SUGAR 'N CREAM YARN. IT'S FUN. THEY DO NEED TO MAKE SOME MORE JEWEL-TONED DARKER COLORS. HOWEVER, THE CURRENT SELECTION IS ALSO REALLY NICE. 

This will be turned into a different project, which I'll probably share with you next week :) :)  It knits up in really nice red, white and blue stripes. Oh, tip, save the labels from these skeins of yarn. They always include a free pattern. You can save them and maybe print them out for your own personal pattern book.  It's a great reference source for gift ideas.


THIS IS THE BACK LABEL ON THE YARN, IF YOU NEED IT FOR INFORMATION.  IF YOU LOOK CLOSELY, THIS PARTICULAR LABEL INCLUDES A PATTERN FOR MAKING YOUR OWN PLACEMATS.

 So that's what I'm up to today.  I've been keeping up with my devotions.  It really does make a HUGE difference in my day. It keeps me sane and really puts a focus and direction on my day :) :) :)  
            I had errands to run yesterday and today. Yesterday, I was really complaining about having to leave the house. I do like going out, but yesterday, I just wanted to stay home. However, there are things in life that HAVE to be done, including paying bills etc ;) :)  Well, the errands went much more smoothly than I had anticipated. It was a gorgeous day. Everything went so FAST. 
            Today I had some errands to run. I had to get money out of the bank to pay rent.   That went really smoothly, too. So now I'm home and working on my craft projects and enjoying the air conditioning. Summer is officially here in Oregon. It's in the 90s  today...and it's HOT.  So I'm staying indoors and keeping as many lights off as I can. It helps to keep things cooler :) :) Oh, I think I need a nice iced tea right about  NOW :) :)
            Oh, I almost forgot, here's a close-up photo of Linda Stubb's Americana flag fabric. You can find this at Joann's fabric. It's a gorgeous fabric. It's Americana, it's vintage. I purchased two yards of this fabric. I'm not sure what I' ll make with it, yet. It's so pretty, that I just keep looking at it. Click here to visit Prairie Flower Farm and Linda. She's the fabulous lady who designed this fabric.

            Thanks for visiting me. Oh, yes, welcome to the new followers. I'm so happy you are here. Feel free to leave a comment and say hello :) :)  That's the news from Oregon today. Love and hugs, Heather :) :) :)