Wow, It's been entirely too long!!

Hello out there.
I realized that it has been entirely too long since I've posted to my blog. Almost 10 months! My little bubba will be a year old next month!
I've been taking a look at where I want Crochet by LadyDay to go. What goals do I have for my blog, my Etsy shop, my Facebook page and my twitter account. And, let's not forget Google+.

After talking to some people, and getting a little nudge from a new friend (Apollonia), I've decided not to give up on the blog. I will not be posting every day, I will post once or twice a week. This way I feel like I have something to say, something to catch everyone up on. I am also going to reorganize the format.

I will have blog pages (Obviously), a photo gallery, and I am going to try to post as many new patterns of my own design as possible. The patterns will be a separate section. Along with patterns, I will also post my work in progress. Whether it's my original design or another pattern that I am working on.

If anyone has any ideas on different sections for my blog, or any suggestions or criticisms (please be polite with critiques) I can handle negative reviews as long as they are given with tact.

Since my last post, many things have happened in my life. As I said, my grandson was born last March. He is almost 11 months old, and he is just about walking. I kind of have this feeling that my daughter hasn't told me that he's walking because I am going down to see them this weekend and she may surprise me. She sends me photos and videos almost everyday and I try to get down to see him at lease once a month for a few days. We live about 100 miles away from them. This is difficult because I want to spend as much time with him as possible, but I also love the laid back atmosphere of living in a small town in the mountains. It seems to work OK this way, at least I get to spend quality time with him when I go down.

My husband, who is 54 years old, had a heart attack with quadruple by-pass surgery in 2007. This year he has been having a lot of problems. He has been in the hospital several times for chest pain, extremely high blood pressure and other cardiac and respiratory issues. He gave me a few good scares. Unfortunately, this also means he misses a lot of work d that reflects in his pay check. It's already tight enough with me being on disability, but with him missing work, it is really getting tight.
We have both had issues with our backs, in particular, sciatica. I've had several intra muscular injections that held me over until I could get an epidural and that helped me tremendously. Now he has been in excruciating pain, some days he can barely walk and when he tries, the pain drops him to his knees. Of course, he is stubborn and I've been trying to get him to go to the emergency room to get the Intramuscular injection until his doctor figures out how she wants to handle it, but it's like leading a horse to water. You just can't make him drink! I'm, going to pull out the big guns and call his doctor myself today!

My youngest son just turned 16 on Feb. 5th. He is bugging the heck out of me to take him to get his learners permit. I am going to try to take him on Saturday, if not, then after school on Monday or Tuesday. If anyone lives in Northeaster Pennsylvania, you may want to pay extra attention on the roads for a while! lol. He is a good kid. He is a Boy Scout, and he will achieve the highest rank in Scouting by the spring. He will get his Eagle. He has worked really hard over the years to stay on top of advancing in rank and earning the necessary merit badges. He also completed an incredible Eagle project. For those of you who are not familiar, Scouts have to do a large project that will benefit the community as a whole. He did a large project that really helped the local reservoir and dam. I will post more about that in deatail another time.

So, as you can see, there have been many things in my life, good and bad that I've had to deal with. I am going to separate my blog into sections and post in the appropriate section as I go.

It's good to be back. Please pass on the word about Crochet by LadyDay. I will do the same for you.

Happy Hooking!!
Laurie

Getting Back on Track

Hello everyone,
Since my adorable little grandson was born, I haven't and barely crocheting. I am working on a large throw for my niece.
So, now it's time to get back on planet earth and get working. There is a craft show coming up on May 5th at the Hometown Farmers Market. The place is huge! I am hoping to do well setting up a table and selling some of my items. Then I can clean out and re-organize what I have left to get a better idea of what is selling and what is not.
I have been working on Amiguruimi animals lately. My mother gave me a book that she bought for me that is full of little critters to crochet.
I was trying to put pics of all of my amigurumi animals in my gallery, but I am having trouble getting them to download to my blog. That won't stop me for long, I am determined!
If any one has any ideas for topics for me to blog about, please let me know and I will do my best to get it on here.
Keep an eye out for those pics, they are coming your way soon!
Happy Hooking!

Meet Logan Patrick Slemmer!

I would like to introduce my new grandson, Logan Patrick! He came into this world yesterday, March 25, 2013 in the afternoon. He weighs 7lbs 10oz and is 20 inches long. He is such a beautiful baby. He is very alert, darting his eyes all around in the direction of any sound. His little hands move around kneading like a kitten. It is so cute.
I have wanted to be a grandmother for a very long time now. I am the last of my frie nd to join this wonderful club.
My husband and I live 100 miles away from the rest of the family. My son-in-law called me at 4:30 in the morning. He told us that My daughter was in labor! I was thrilled to hear that. I woke up my husband and told him and neither of us could get back to sleep. We were so pumped up on adrenaline. We had to wait before we could go down. My son had school, and my husband went into work for 1/2 a day. We shot down there after we got my son out of school early.
Logan arrived about 5 or 10 minutes after we got to the hospital.
I'll tell you, after being up on adrenaline for so long, and the emotions of the day, I am crashing really hard today! I'm having trouble keeping my eyes open! lol.
Needless to say, I am super excited to have him here and finally able to hold him. He is precious and we Love him very much.

He's almost here!!!

I am very excited as I nervously type this out because my daughter is in labor and about to deliver my first grandchild!!

I've spent the past 8 months crocheting baby clothes, booties, blankets, hats, diaper covers, bibs, a mobile, etc. and now the time has finally come. I will get to meet our little man in a few short hours. Although those 'short' hours feel like an eternity when you are waiting, lol.

I can tell you, this baby is blessed right from the start. He is coming into a large, close, loving family. He will have everything he needs and most of what he wants. And more love than he will know what to do with. His mommy and daddy are a wonderful couple.

Mommy has always wanted kids. Since she was a teenager she had a plan set in place for getting married, getting a house, and having children. And it all fell into place for her.
Daddy is a very level headed man who is also great with kids. He made sure my daughter had the wedding she wanted, he is fantastic with keeping finances in place to make sure his family is provided for.

Mommy is beautiful and daddy is handsome, so they are also a great looking couple.

Grandmom and Grandpop (on both sides) are very excited and will spoil this child and shower him with love.
Great-Grandmom and Great Grandpop will shower him with just as much love and I know they will spoil him just as much.

Please send your happy prayers asking God to give this child a long, happy, successful life filled with love and good will.

A very nervous grandmom will update you when he is here.  :-)

Small turtle dishcloth pattern

 

 

This is the pattern for the small turtle dishcloth. It can also be used as a coaster.

 

 

Materials:

 

100% Cotton Yarn (2 colors)

 

Tan variegated for center, Sage green for outside edge and feet.

 

Size G crochet hook

 

Tapestry needle

Stitch Markers (5 orange, 4 teal)

 

Abbreviations:

Ch=chain, sc= single crochet, slst= slip stitch, TP= Triple Picot, sc2tog= single crochet 2 together,  st(s) = stitch(es), Rnd = round,  TN=Tapestry Needle, SM=Stitch Markers

 

Special instructions:

Piece is worked in rounds, join each round with a slip stitch.

I used 2 different color stitch markers to mark head & tail, and feet. I used 3 orange markers for the head, 2 orange markers for the tail, and 4 teal markers for the feet

Feet are made asymmetrical to give the illusion that the turtle is walking.

 

Special Stitches:

Triple Picot:

Ch 3, slst in 2nd ch from hook, sc in next ch, ch 2 slst in 2nd ch from hook, sc in same as 1st sc, ch 2 slst in 2nd ch from hook, sc in same as 1st sc.

This will make 1 foot with 3 toes.

 

Directions:

 

With tan variegated

Ch 2

Rnd 1: 6 sc in 2nd ch from hook, join with slst (6 sts)

 

Rnd 2: Ch 1, sc in same as ch 1 space, 2 sc in each st around, join. (12 sts)

 

Rnd 3: ch 1, sc in same as ch 1 space, *2 sc in next st, 1 sc in next st*, * to * 6 times, join. (18 sts)

 

Rnd 4: ch 1, sc in same as ch 1 space, sc in next st, *2 sc in next st, sc in next 2 sts* repeat * to * 6 times, join. (24 sts)

 

Rnd 5: ch 1, sc in same as ch 1 space, sc in next 2 sts, *2 sc in next, sc in next 3 sts* repeat *to * 6 times, join (30 sts)

 

Rnd 6: ch 1, sc in same as ch 1 space, sc in next 3 sts, *2 sc in next st, sc in next 4 sts* repeat *to* 6 times, join (36 sts)

 

Rnd 7: ch 1, sc in same as ch 1 space, sc in next 4 sts, *2 sc in next st, sc in next 5 sts* repeat *to* 6 times, join (42 sts)

finish off center, sew in ends with TN

 

 

 

Place orange SM in joining slst and 1 on each side (3 SM to mark head)

 

DO NOT COUNT CENTER MARKER

Starting at marker to the left, count 21 sts, place SM in 21st st.

Starting at marker to the right, count 21 sts, place SM in 21st st.

You should have 2 orange markers next to each other to mark the tail (see illustration above)

 

DO NOT COUNT MARKERS FOR HEAD

Count 5 sts on both sides of head, place teal SM in 5th st on each side to mark front feet

DO NOT COUNT MARKERS FOR TAIL

Count 6 sts on either sde of the tail, place teal SM in 6th st on each side to mark back feet

 

Rnd 8: Join 2nd color 2 sts to the right of head markers, sc in same as joining st and sc in next 9 sts. (be sure to move SM for head up to this row)

sc in next st, TP, sc in next st (1st foot)

sc in next 7 sts

sc in next st, TP, sc in next st (2nd foot)

sc in next 4 sts

sc in next st, ch 3, sl st in next 2 chs, sc in next st (tail)

sc in next 5 sts,

sc in next st, TP, sc in next st (3rd foot)

sc in next 7 sts

sc in next st, TP, sc in next st (4th foot)

sc in next 2 sts, join with slst to 1st sc

 

Head:

Slst in next st, ch 1 sc in next 3 sts, slst in next st, ch1, turn (5 sts)

Slst, sc, sc, slst, ch1,  turn (4 sts)

sc2tog 2 times, ch 1, turn (2 sts)

sc2tog, (1 st)

 

finish, sew in ends with TN

 

 

 

This pattern has not been tested by anyone other than myself. Any mistakes or any problems, please let me know so I can fix them.

I hope you enjoy this pattern.

 



Happy Hooking!

Turtle Dish Cloth pattern

I've been making these turtle dishcloths and listing them for auction on listia.com. I thought I would write out the pattern so others could try making them as well/ I found a pattern on another site for turtle dish cloths but I had a hard time getting the number of stitches to work out. I just could not get the pattern to work. I modified what I found and came up with this.
This pattern has not been tested by anyone other than myself. Please let me know if you run into any problems with it. Thanks.

Materials:
2 colors of 100% cotton yarn.
Variegated tan for the center and a medium tone green for the outside.
Size G hook (I use different sizes to create different size wash cloths and I created a 'family' of turtles. I used a size H for the large turtle and a size G for the medium. The small turtle I had to change the pattern. I will post that pattern in a few days.
Tapestry Needle
Stitch Markers (2 different colors)

Abbreviations:
Ch = chain, Slst = Slip Stitch SC = Single Crochet, DC = Double Crochet, Sc2tog = single crochet 2 together, TP = Triple Picot, St(s) = stitche(s), Rnd - Round,  TN = Tapestry Needle.

Special Stitches:
Triple Picot
Ch 3, Slst in 2nd Ch from hook, SC in next ch, Ch 2, Slst in 2nd ch from hook, SC in same as 1st SC, Ch 2, Slst in 2nd Ch from hook, SC in same as 1st SC
(This will make a foot with 3 toes)

Special Instructions:
Use 2 different color stitch markers I used orange to mark sts for head and tail, and teal to mark the sts for the feet
The feet are assymetrical to give the illusion that the turtle is walking.
This pattern is worked in rounds. At the end of each row Slst to first st to finish the round.

With Variegated Tan,
Ch 4, Slst to 1st chain to form a ring. Be careful to keep the ch straight and avoid twisting.

Rnd 1:
Ch 3 (counts as 1st st here and throughout), DC 11 times in ring, join with slst (12 sts)

Rnd 2:
Ch 3, Dc in same st as ch, 2 DC in each DC around, join with slst, (24 sts)

Rnd 3:
Ch 3, DC in same as ch, DC in next st, *2 DC in next st, DC in next st*, repeat from *to* 11 times, join with slst (36 sts)

Rnd 4:
Ch 3, DC in same as ch, DC in next 2 sts *2 DC in next st, DC in next 2 sts* repeat from *to* 11 times, join with slst (48 sts)

Rnd 5:
Ch 3, DC in same as ch, DC in next 3 sts *2 DC in next st, DC in next 3 sts* repeat from *to* 11 times, join with slst (60 sts)

Finish off, sew in ends with TN

Place Stitch marker in joining Slst and in st to either side (3 stitch markers, orange) This will be for the head

Counting from center stitch marker, count around circle 30 stitches on each side, place stitch markers in 30th sts (2 stitch markers, orange) This will mark the tail

DO NOT COUNT HEAD MARKERS, place stitch marker in 8th stitch from head on each side to mark front feet. (Teal stitch markers)
Place Stitch marker in 8th stitch from tail on each side to mark back feet (teal stitch markers)

See the pic below for reference

 

 

Rnd 6:



Join 2nd color with stst in 2nd st to the right of head, SC in same as joining st, SC in each st around, join with sl st. (60 sts) move stitch markers up one row as you crochet around.

Rnd 7:
Ch 1, SC in same as ch 1 space, SC in next 12 sts, (be sure to replace markers for head),
SC in next st, TP, SC in next st (1st foot)
SC in next 11 sts,
SC in next st, TP, SC in next st (2nd foot)
SC in next 6 sts
SC in next st, Ch 3, Slst in next 2 chs, SC in next st (tail)
SC in next 7 Sts,
SC in next st, TP, SC in next st (3rd foot)
SC in next 9 sts,
SC in next st, TP, SC in next st (4th foot)
SC in next 4 sts, join with Slst to 1st SC.

Head:
Slst in next 2 SC, Ch 1
SC where 3 st markers are, Slst in next SC, Ch 1 Turn
Sc2tog 2 times, Ch1 turn,
Sc2tog, finish off. Use TN to sew in ends.

I hope you enjoy this pattern.
Happy Hooking!

Itty-bitty-turtle

I've been making these cute little amigurumi turtles and someone asked me if I could post the pattern. Someone sent me this link and asked me to make these for them. They seem to be pretty popular and I've auctioned a few off on listia.com. If you are interested in making them, here is the link to the pattern.

http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/itty-bitty-turtle

the pics below are a couple of the ones I made.

I hope you enjoy making these as much as I did.