Fibers on Friday: Charitable Knit, Anyone?

Hi there! Welcome to Fibers on Friday!! I'm happy to have you join this fun party dedicated to knitting, crochet, or anything else fiber related!

Would anyone be interested in a small, charitable, knitting project? My Mom is a horse riding instructor who has a barn and a business teaching horseback riding. Part of her program is a therapeutic riding program designed to help those with physical, emotional, or social differences (you can read more here on her website).

On May 22nd she's having a fundraising event for this program. We all know times are tough. People don't have the money to spend on "fun" things like horseback riding. Unfortunately, this means financial struggle for Mom and her business. So, the event she's planning is going to be lots of fun. Live music, pony rides, a bake sale, and games. I told her I'd try to think of something crafty to make and donate. Of course, I go directly to knitting projects. But what can I knit for such an event? Ohhhhhh, I know! This:

It's called Pete Dishcloth on ravelry

***** Edited to add: the pattern shown above is not a free download. Sorry I didn't realize that sooner.

But here's an equally adorable one that is written out and available for free. I would say perfect for the beginner knitter.******************

I know I won't be able to pound many of these out in under a month 'cuz I'm a pretty slow knitter (evidence is in my sock progress). And today I had a brainstorm. Ask my knitting friends to contribute!

So, if you're interested in knitting a washcloth and donating it to this cause, please let me know. Of course you could knit any horsey pattern washcloth because I think these horse people will FLIP over such a thing. First, because everyone loves a knitted washcloth. Second, because there's a HORSE on it.....So adorable! I would just need it sent to me before the 22nd of May and I'll put it up for grabs at the bake sale table and just ask for a donation in return. What do you think?

I haven't told Mom about this idea, but I know she'd be so happy! And I'd love to show up with more than 1 or 2 washcloths.

OK......thanks for considering my proposition! Now, onto Fibers on Friday! I've been knitting my second sock like a crazy lady. I'm actually back into it, thankfully! I really appreciate all of your advice on cable knitting from last week. I have bookmarked several of your ideas and intend to start a cable project as soon as I can make it all the way over to the yarn store (an hour away, soo sooo sad).

Wordless Wednesday: Trust

Winner! Winner! Chicken Dinner!

The winner of the Thirty One Accessibility Tote was #3, picked by random.org

Curls & Laughter!!!

Congratulations!! Thanks to everyone for making my first giveaway a fun event!

Please contact me, Curls & Laughter, to claim your prize.

Squinkies Satchel

Between the Squinkies and the Gomus I could not keep up with the little toy pieces strewn about the house. I made these little satchels to keep the girls' latest treasures. I really enjoyed the pattern and the tutorial found here.

Now it's so easy to have the girls pick up the pieces and they know exactly where to put them and where to hang the bag when they're done. Perfect!

Fibers on Friday: I'm Stuck

********* Don't forget to enter my first Giveaway!! *******
Details on how to win a Thirty One Tote bag can be found here.

Hi there! Welcome to Fibers on Friday!! I'm happy to have you join this fun party dedicated to knitting, crochet, or anything else fiber related!

I totally thought last night was Wednesday, so I'm late at getting this party going. It's Spring Break for my kids, so I'm a little out of whack! Also, it's their Birthday this weekend....on Easter Sunday actually. So, we have lots of stuff going on.

I need advice por favor: Where is the best place to start in terms of learning how to cable knit? That was one of my goals for this winter and it never happened. So, now I'm trying to choose something to knit for my Mom and I'd like it to have cables. I LOVE Elizabeth Zimmerman's Hand-to Hand Aran, and she says use whatever cable pattern you like. Thanks for your advice!

Here is sock #2 on my needles

I'm LONGING for a bigger project....must find time!!
For more Fiber Arts Fun, visit Wisdom Begins in Wonder!

Wordless Wednesday: Move

My First Give Away!! Thirty One Gifts!

You didn't see that coming did you? I sneaky sneaky.

I really should have had one when I hit 100 followers, but let's live on the edge! I like 134 better.




A few words about our sponsor, who happens to be one of my bestest buds, Stephanie. She is a consultant with Thirty One Gifts and she is giving away an awesome bag just because she loves me, loves my blog, and loves to have fun. Thirty One is a home-based business that specializes in personalized handbags and totes. Let me show you some of the bags I have:

I have this exact purse, the Ruffle Skirt Purse.


Now, this exact pattern isn't in the current catalog, but this beauty is.
Go browse the catalog, these skirt purses are interchangeable! You buy the body of the bag and different skirts snap on and off with ease! No more changing out the contents of your bag...just change the skirt! Genius!

I also have this Utility Tote. It stays in my car and is perfect for loading groceries from Costco or any other big box store that doesn't bag your stuff. It's also perfect for carrying gifts to or from a party, or beach towels and toys to the beach, or to load all your goodies when you're out antiquing or thrift store shopping.

I also have this smaller Organizing Utility Tote, which is not only smaller than the large utility tote, but has outer pockets. I use this bag for trips to and from swim lessons. It nicely fits two towels, a change of clothes, and the pockets hold swim caps and ear plugs.

So, there you have a small sampling of the bags I own and love. Take a minute now to browse the Thirty One Catalog and dream about some bags that would work for you....and don't forget to think about personalization! Everything can be monogrammed in your choice of font and color!

And then come back and leave me comment for your chance to win this bag.

This is the Accessibility Tote in Criss Cross. It says "Crafty Chick" because that's what all are here.

And because Steph is extra generous and ThirtyWonderful, she's offering free shipping to readers of Visions of Sugar Plums this week! If you'd like to take advantage of this offer, contact her through her website to arrange payment minus the shipping costs! Sweet!!

How to enter:

~Leave me a comment! That's it! Make sure you include an e-mail I can use to contact you if you win.

I will randomly draw the winner on Tuesday, April 26th. I have no idea how to do this at this point, but that gives me a week to figure it out!

Meatless Monday! Chipotle Burritos

Yes! A new Meatless Monday recipe! These burritos were delicious and easy. The chipotle chili powder adds just enough zip to kick these up a notch from a taco bell burrito (in terms of taste), but not too hot to ruin the meal.

The recipe is from Cooking Light.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon chipotle chile powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup water
• 1 (15-ounce) can organic black beans, drained
• 1 (15-ounce) can organic kidney beans, drained
• 3 tablespoons refrigerated fresh salsa
• 6 (10-inch) reduced-fat flour tortillas (such as Mission)
• 1 cup (4 ounces) preshredded reduced-fat 4-cheese Mexican blend cheese
• 1 1/2 cups chopped plum tomato (about 3)
• 1 1/2 cups shredded romaine lettuce
• 6 tablespoons thinly sliced green onions
• 6 tablespoons light sour cream

Preparation

• 1. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add garlic to pan; cook 1 minute, stirring frequently. Stir in chile powder and salt; cook 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Stir in 1/3 cup water and beans; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in salsa. Partially mash bean mixture with a fork.
• 2. Warm tortillas according to package directions. Spoon about 1/3 cup bean mixture into center of each tortilla. Top each serving with about 2 1/2 tablespoons cheese, 1/4 cup tomato, 1/4 cup lettuce, 1 tablespoon onions, and 1 tablespoon sour cream; roll up.

Fibers on Friday

Hi there! Welcome to Fibers on Friday!! I'm happy to have you join this fun party dedicated to knitting, crochet, or anything else fiber related!

As you may have guessed, my travels last weekend left me little time for knitting (I was the driver!) I worked a little on my sock (still singular at this point) last night and this afternoon. I'm going to tune into a couple of missed shows right now and try to finish it up ( I will post pics as soon as it's done). I need to finish this pair and that's probably it. I'm not really loving knitting socks.....too slow....too boring....too little pay off.

OK, here's one down!

A Couple of Things....Revisited

I'm doing two things today that I love and have blogged about before, so I thought I'd share the ideas again real quick.

First, I'm going to the post office to ship out my collection of bottle caps for recycling. You can read about the Aveda recycling program here.

Then, I'm making a batch of my homemade laundry detergent. The recipe can be found here.

Have a great day!!