A Finished Afghan + How-To Fringe/Tassels

 I finished my afghan and love it!  The only problem now is that I don't want to stop! 

I am already thinking about what I want to crochet next....

I finished off my afghan with super easy and fun fringe. Or tassels. Whichever you prefer! 

I thought I'd share with you today how I made them.

 1. 4 strands of yarn approximately 15" long. Or however long you want it to be. Keep in mind that your cut measurement will be divided in half.

 2. Fold your four strands of yarn in half. Pull through two loops 

(in this case, at the top and bottom of each ripple).

 3. Tuck your yarn "tails" through your loops.

 4. Pull at your "tails" evenly until it's nice and tight up against your afghan.

There you have it!  xox Abi

Poncho!

I have the sweetest Nanny in the whole entire world.

You'd think she could make anything she puts her mind to.

And she can! 

She offered to make me a poncho when she was here. 

I've never had a poncho before, but I was super excited about it! 

We picked out the yarn together, just me and her.

 It was really fabulous.

While she was working on my poncho, I was working on my afghan. 

It worked out quite nicely!

For the first time in my life, I'm wanting a couple more cool spring days

so I can wear my new poncho out and about!!!  

I love you, Nan!!!!  xoxoxo Abs

Learning to Crochet Something New

My Nanny taught me to crochet a loooooooong time ago. I only did a simple stitch and only tackled the simplest things like washcloths and scarves. When our Nan came down for her last visit, I warned her ahead of time that I realllllllly wanted to crochet an afghan. Of course, I knew this would more work than the washcloths or scarves had been, but I thought it would be worth it.

Now that I'm this far (and a whole lot further!), I know it's completely worth my time!  I'm doing a basic ripple pattern and absolutely love it!!!!

Thanks for teaching me, Nanny!!!  I love you!!!
xoxoxo Abi

There's Beauty in Bedmaking.

Some chores aren't the most exciting. Like sweeping or vaccuming - I take that time to sing. 

Or dusting - I take that time to dance. Call me crazy, but it automatically makes the chore 

more fun. And who doesn't like that?!

Thankfully, I can say that there's not many house chores (chores period) that I can't 

stand doing. Making beds is something that I actually enjoy doing and love pulling out some 

different combinations every time.

I must say that this one is probably one of my favorites. I made the bed up for my brother, Joe, when he recently came home for a visit. The bottom quilt is one that I made when I was about 15. 

I pulled out a bunch of leftover and favored pieces and whipped it up. It was the beginning of our 

marie-madeline studio Happy Scrappy Quilt. I hand quilted it too. 

The polka dot comforter was giving to my sisters and me by a super sweet lady from our grandparents church. Seeing it makes me think of how thoughtful she was.... The comforter has remained a special blankie that we now can't seem to part with.

A vintage quilt from my Nanny and Paps. 

And a cozy channel bedspread from my Mom. 

Lots of things that make me happy. 

What do you pull out to make your bedmaking something other than a dreaded chore? 

xx Abi

Nanny's here!

Nan's here!  Late nights watching Perry Mason on TV, new pillows for the family room, lots of lunchmeat sandwiches, crocheting & knitting, card games, shopping, hugs only nanny can give ... It's been awesome! 

Nan taught me how to make a new pillowslip! I'm so stoked about it and know you will be too!  I'll try and share a tutorial soon.

Have a beautiful Friday.
xx Abi