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I love digging into other people’s craft stashes. Anybody who does a lot of crafting has a big stash, often multiple stashes. My cousin’s wife, Sheryl, has one of the best stashes anywhere. Make that multiple stashes. Whenever Morgan’s working on something like a social studies project, she likes to put her board together at Sheryl’s house and dig into her office stash. Sheryl has all the cool colored papers, colored printer inks, markers, special scissors, stickers, stencils, and so on. I stopped by over there the other day while waiting on picking up kids (because I didn’t want to drive back and forth across the harrowing road more than necessary–once I go out, I stay out till everything’s completed!) and I took the opportunity to dig into her knit/crochet stash. I had brought my own knitting with me (the dishcloth I’m working on) but I had forgotten to bring my piece of paper where I keep track of where I am in the pattern. That’s the thing with knitting–you gotta keep track. Since I couldn’t remember what row I was on, I pestered Sheryl to show me everything she was working on. She uses a laundry basket to keep all her latest projects and materials handy.
This is a baby blanket made using cro-hooks. It’s almost finished.
A cro-hook is an enormous crochet hook with hooks on both ends. I don’t really understand how it works, but Sheryl keeps telling me it’s easy.
These are some really pretty (and easy even to me!) crocheted scarves. She’s got about half a dozen of them made. It’s all done in single crochet, 15 sc across, in a yarn she got from Wal-Mart that is self-striping. Look for “pattern stripes” in the description on the package.
She’s almost done with them–she just has to add fringes on the ends. I’m wheedling that pink one out of her.
This is another baby blankie she’s working on. It’s a round blanket.
And look at this one!
Isn’t that gorgeous? She has it almost finished but for piecing the strips together and working the cross-stitch pattern on the yellow strips.
It almost makes me want to have another baby just so I can wheedle that blankie out of her.
This little crochet dishcloth is the newest project Shery’s started. As with most crafty people, she has project attention deficit disorder (PADD), so she has numerous projects going at the same time.
The dishcloth is from this book:
I like this market bag from the book.
This little hat and sweater are cute. I wonder if the baby comes with it?
Then I needed more. MORE. Take me to papa. So we went upstairs to her guest/craft room where she keeps her big craft booklet stash. (Minus the other multiple stashes of multiple varieties in her attic. We didn’t make it up there.)
This box was filled to the brim with all sorts of crafty booklets, mostly knit and crochet, but also quilting and even macrame. These macrame books are original 1970s editions.
I really like these cute little crocheted farm animals. I love the sheep one the most.
I bet Dookie would be nicer to me if I made him one of these doggy sweaters.
Or not. Dookie has had three sweaters in the last three years. He took every one of them off (in some magic feat he performs only when alone) and lost each one.
My favorite booklets in the whole craft stash box were these old ones from the 1960s.
These booklets originally belonged to Georgia.
Georgia invented the word frugal, so I’m not surprised she had these books. And kept them all these years.
Scrap crafts!
She had a whole series of these little booklets from the 60s. They’re filled with odd projects like this faux milk glass vase.
You glue split peas to the sides of a vase (or other container) then spray the whole thing with white enamel paint. I’m going to have to inspect all the milk glass at Georgia’s house for split peas now.
You could also make chimes or a night light from cardboard rolls!
Or create flowers out of plastic wrap.
Or an Indian head plaque out of macaroni.
Make a mock ivory box out of those foam trays from the grocery store!
You could make an angel out of foam trays, too.
You could have an entire foam tray-themed holiday celebration! Make all your yuletide gifts and decorations. You could make anything out of foam trays. Build a foam tray world!
Or if that’s too much for you, you could make angels out of old paperback books instead.
Here are the instructions in case you want to give that a try.
Sheryl keeps her Suzanne McMinn book collection on a shelf in her craft room–on the same shelf with her royalty book collection.
Only that isn’t even half of the books I’ve written and I know I’ve given all of them to Sheryl. Methinks now that some of them were turned into PAPERBACK ANGELS!!!!!
At the end of these little booklets, the last few pages were advertisements for pen pals.
Judy from Minnesota was 10 and she listed the Monkees among her hobbies.
Mrs. Adeline Howell’s hobbies were towels and pillowcases. She was born in 1913.
Mrs. John Guessen was wishing for a birthday twin. Her birthday was June 10, 1922. If your birthday is on June 10, maybe it’s not too late to write her.
And by then it was time to go pick up kids. I’d gotten no knitting done as originally planned, but I did make a meandering detour via baby blankets back to the 1960s and it changed my life forever. I’m going to go find some grocery store foam trays now and build a barn!
Posted by Suzanne McMinn on February 24, 2010
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And I didn’t realize I had an official disorder……PADD. Now I know, now I can embrace it! LOL!
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Love the new layout.
Granny Trace
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I remember making those book angels! My little sis and I used to love making them! We’d get the pages all folded down, then take the book outside and lightly spray paint it with silver or gold paint to give it a little shine. We’d use a styrofoam ball for the head, with yarn for hair.
I’d love to know how to use those huge crochet needles. Think you could get your friend to give us a demo?
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Fun.
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I had to laugh. My home is filled with SO MANY craft stashes… hat-making, purse-making, jewelry-making, stamping, slide scanning, sewing, canning, gift-wrapping,…just too many to name. It comes from being creative and ADOS (Attention deficit Oh Shiny!)
Susan
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The year I was trying to make the yellow baby blanket is the year I broke my left thumb and had it in a splint for 5 weeks. The baby was born and I didn’t have it finished. I think I will save that blanket for my first grandchild!
Have you ever made a Christmas tree out of a Reader’s Digest magazine? Just fold the pages and spray paint green. You can glue little flat ornaments to the edges of the pages (tree surface).
Suzanne – I have the rest of your books – - just in another “book stash!”
Minna – I will look at the doggy sweater patterns and see if they are adjustable for larger dogs.
Happy Crafting everyone!
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Deb
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Euni
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They are a treasure trove of history and change in the crafting world…This is the artist in me, so I have APDD. I sometimes look back at some of the “tacky” looking things I’ve made in the past….What fun! Things do improve with practice!
My parents were from the depression…and “made do” projects..
We “made do” in the 60′s….
and now are recycling and “making do” now..name change but stays the same…LOL The advances in our crafting supplies, new glitters, hair, wire materials can make our paper-back angels, egg carton ornaments and macaroni beads truly works of art…
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Of course, I have a lot more here, but I’ve seen all that. I guess I could be content finding an old box I haven’t opened for a while, or dig to the back of the closet….
Grace in CA
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Not finishing projects was only one thing about myself that I thought I should change. I finally realized that all of my quirky habits are what make me who I am, and now I accept and embrace each one.
P.S. I have a very large stash. And I’m frugal.
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Our church’s youth group made angels out of old hymnals as a fundraiser this past Christmas.
Lastly, I was struck by the innocence of it all. I have had to deal a lot lately with kids (not necessarily mine) and their rather snarky attitudes and sense of entitlement, and these craft magazines using basically recycled goods and the desire to connect with a penpal was just sweet.
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I have a craft stash like no other I fear. It threatens to consume the house. Anyone need to dive in?
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Of course, I brought home a ton of her stuff and everyday I think of something else I wish we’d saved.
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I’m with Tabitha, I’d love to know how to use those big crochet hooks.
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I now know what I have: PADD! Awesome lol. I’m trying to cut back on things that I start before I’ve finished one….small things kind of work lol. But I still have a lot of “small” projects.
I love reading your blog & am glad you’re able to update multiple times a day (if you want
). Thanks!
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