A new scarf for the princess

Living in Georgia, you wouldn't think that a scarf would be all that necessary. However, we've even had a few chilly days down here that really made a scarf a good idea for the pretty princess to wear on the way to day care in the mornings. On top of that, my girl loves to wear the stuff I make for her as a fashion accessory, even more so than wearing it to protect her from the cold.

Hence wearing both the scarf and headband... inside the house... which was easily like 73* at the time this picture was taken. 😂 According to her daycare teachers, she'll wear them all day at daycare too (which is great advertising for my business!) She's also got kind of a funky way of wearing the scarf, but it seems to work for her.

I love the colors I used for it. I used these same colors to make a blanket for my baby niece a couple of months before, and had been looking for an excuse to use up the rest of the yarn. I've made so many blankets for my house that I wasn't sure making another one would be a good idea. Luckily, the amount of yarn I had left over was exactly enough to make the scarf.

I adapted this wonderful pattern for the blankets I made for my niece and nephew. You can find the original blanket pattern here.

Here's what I used:
1 skein gauge 4 worsted weight yarn in primary color (I used Caron Jumbo in Rosewood)
1 skein gauge 4 worsted weight yarn in contrast color (I used I Love This Yarn in Metallic Ivory)
Size Q hook
large plastic needle (for sewing the scarf closed and weaving in ends)

Abbreviations (pattern uses American crochet terms):
Ch: chain
sc: single crochet
dc: double crochet
st: stitch

Pattern is in multiples of 3 +2 (in case you want a wider or more narrow scarf).

Holding both colors together, ch 17.
Row 1: sc in 2nd ch from hook and each ch across (16 sc)
Row 2: Ch 1, turn. sc+2dc in first sc, *skip 2, sc+2dc in next st, repeat from * across, sc in last sc (5 sc+2dc clusters).
Row 3: Ch 1, turn. sc+2dc in first sc, *skip2, sc+2dc in next sc, repeat from * across, sc in last sc.

Repeat row 3 until the scarf measures the length you want. I made my daughter's scarf about 60".

Last row: Ch 1, turn. sc in each st across (16 sc). Finish off, leaving a long tail to sew the scarf closed (if you're making an infinity scarf, that is). Fold the scarf so that the 2 ends match up, and whip stitch across to close the scarf. Weave in your ends, and you're done! :)

     

    

She's lucky she's so stinkin' cute... she's always stealing my hooks!

As you can see in the picture a little further up, I did not make my first row all single crochets. Not doing so led to this happening when the scarf was stitched together and my daughter started wearing it because the first row of stitches for all stretched out because of skipping chains in the foundation chain...

Yeah, not one of my prouder moments. That's why I changed up the pattern to have both the first and last row be a sc row because it made closing the scarf look neater. However, if you want to leave your scarf open, you are more than welcome to leave those off and do row 2 pattern directly into the foundation chains. This will leave your corners a bit more rounded.

The lovely thing about this pattern is that it is so versatile. If you want a wider scarf, just add chains to your foundation chain. If you want a thicker scarf, use more colors. If you only want to use one color, go right ahead. If you want tighter stitches, use a smaller hook. The possibilities are endless!

Not gonna lie, guys-- I'm still kinda new to writing and sharing my patterns. Let me know in the comments if you think the instructions are clear, or if you have any suggestions for edits.

Until next time...

Getting back in the daily grind- Making Homemade Baby Food

Wow, I can't believe it's been such a long time since my last post! And what a year it's been... My little shop finally reached 100 sales, I've had a baby, my job has been going wonderfully. So I think it's about time I get back on my blog and start posting again.
My son is now 5 months old, and last month he started eating solid foods. I know, I can't believe how big he's getting either. I knew, though, that when I started him on solid foods that I wanted to make his baby food same way I did for my daughter. It's so cheap and easy, and really takes very little time to do it. When all is said and done, it only ends up costing about 10-15¢ per serving! Here's how I do it:

Depending on what is available and how much it costs, I'll either use a bag of frozen veggies or get fresh veggies. This latest batch I used all frozen veggies, each cost 84¢ per bag. Another time, I bought 2 sweet potatoes for $1.10 (they were 98¢ per pound).

For my frozen veggies, I get the steam-in-bag and steam them right in the microwave for about 5 minutes.

Once they're good and cooked, I pour them into the food processor and add some water to help get the right consistency--for things like carrots, sweet potatoes, and squash I add just enough water to almost cover the veggies, while for peas and green beans I'll only cover about half way.

Let the food processor go until you get the consistency you're looking for, depending on how smooth or chunky your baby can handle.

Once it's pureed, transfer the food into an ice cube tray and freeze it overnight. Once it's frozen, you can pop the food out into a zip-top bag to keep in your freezer.

What are some of your favorite ways to save money? Tell me in the comments!

Until next time!