tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-47508324709235654882024-02-07T05:11:34.327-08:00Needlework Patterns & GadgetsCrochet, knitting, loom weaving, lace making and embroidery and all the gadgets and patterns that make them fun.Shari Tombshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05274538917971508225noreply@blogger.comBlogger34125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4750832470923565488.post-92108078012886441602011-04-12T16:21:00.000-07:002011-04-12T16:21:22.187-07:00Glorious Spring (& other flights of fancy)Spring must be here - the snow is finally melting (& flooding the town) and the garter snakes are coming out in droves!
Hopefully I will do a better job this year of getting patterns written down & posted in our Etsy store.
So many ideas, so little time.
I blame it all on the government wanting their share (aka taxes) & me being the resident bean counter. I think some chocolate may Shari Tombshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05274538917971508225noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4750832470923565488.post-76892744614171086222011-03-19T11:07:00.000-07:002011-03-19T11:07:40.807-07:00We're Back!Just came back 2 weeks from a fabulous 3 month holiday down in the US. Living in a 24' RV for all that time sure opened up my eyes to how much junk we've accumulated over the year in our house, so I've gone into major de-cluttering mode around the house. The reward for all of this hard work? Time well spent crocheting, of course! :)Shari Tombshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05274538917971508225noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4750832470923565488.post-70844594706761534072010-11-08T16:04:00.000-08:002010-11-08T16:38:11.419-08:00Long Overdue UpdateBut then, that is so typical of me, a chronic procrastinator! o_0My girls have really caught the crafting bug, so I have spent the summer teaching them all sorts of crafty things (not all related to fiber arts). Spoonflower has been particularly addictive for my oldest daughter Deborah, while Rachel has been experimenting with weaving.However, the latest fiber craze at our house has been felt Shari Tombshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05274538917971508225noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4750832470923565488.post-59062505340864222132010-02-24T16:32:00.000-08:002010-02-24T17:06:05.009-08:00Just An UpdateJust after making my last post our family got knocked down by a very nasty flu bug that's been hard to shake. With 6 kids & both parents sick at once, it actually wasn't too bad - everybody pretty much stayed in bed & slurped up soup & tea the whole time.Now that we're all better, I'm going at 90 km/hr trying to get caught up on a lot of projects that got neglected during that time. Shari Tombshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05274538917971508225noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4750832470923565488.post-70871649449748378042010-02-13T01:20:00.000-08:002010-02-12T23:30:00.950-08:00Fabulous Friends & February ChallengeI'm so thankful for the new friends that I have met on Etsy over the past month. It all started with a sale that I made to a wonderful lady named Helen of Helensharvest. She was kind enough to tell me about a great team on Etsy called the Christian Artists Street Team, or CAST for short.I had thought about joining up with a Team on Etsy before, but with homeschooling & mothering 6 children, Shari Tombshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05274538917971508225noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4750832470923565488.post-75272882608660874132010-01-08T00:21:00.000-08:002010-01-08T16:54:24.094-08:00When the Wheels Start Spinning In My HeadIt's been fabulously cold for the beginning of January - fabulous because it meant that I was able to play around with lots of wool :)I have 4 barrels full of wool that I've been slowly working through. After I spent the time cleaning it & dying it with kool-aid last summer, I had a real conundrum of whether or not to sell it or keep it for myself....Amazing what a packet of Kool-aid can do Shari Tombshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05274538917971508225noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4750832470923565488.post-28591657797395827152009-12-28T07:57:00.000-08:002009-12-28T10:19:51.549-08:00A Happy Ending to the Year :)As per usual, I have let my blogging lay aside too long. I could get all remorseful about it, but quite truthfully, I just didn't have the desire to put in the time to keep up with it. That's where I love Twitter - I can just fill in those 140 characters & be done with it when I have the time to put into it - blogs are just so much more daunting to me.However, I still hope to make a post hereShari Tombshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05274538917971508225noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4750832470923565488.post-89708572367076443122009-09-02T19:46:00.000-07:002009-09-02T19:48:08.017-07:00Will Work For EggsI'm not getting anywhere with my tote bag - other people's priorities have put mine on the back burner for now. Things like getting my DH's passport arranged for when he makes his trip to Interbike later this month, sleep-overs & pool parties for the kids, unexpected company, getting ready for the new school year & the like. This is not a complaint, just a fact of life with me - my plans Shari Tombshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05274538917971508225noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4750832470923565488.post-68561184178263551972009-08-24T15:42:00.000-07:002009-08-24T16:48:29.965-07:00Updates on the Tote & Other ThingsNow I know why I'm a fan of needlework, & not a sewing - I totally cut out the pieces for my tote bag wrong. You would think that with the paper pattern being just squares, that there wouldn't be too much that could go wrong.Unless you're me.Somehow I missed the part on the instructions that says that you are to lay the pattern on the fold of the fabric. Turns out that if you fail to do that,Shari Tombshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05274538917971508225noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4750832470923565488.post-15203725098902140382009-08-19T14:50:00.000-07:002009-08-19T15:20:29.367-07:00The Sasktel SagaDidn't get to the denim tote like I had hoped - Ben's friends came earlier than I expected, & he had two instead of one - making a total of 6 rowdy boys in our little house on the prairies! Couldn't get much done, much less get any quiet around here, but that's ok - a good time was had by all :)Just before they left, I found out that my VOIP service was cancelled, leaving me wiht no phone. Shari Tombshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05274538917971508225noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4750832470923565488.post-71405096837589256252009-08-18T12:59:00.000-07:002009-08-18T13:41:24.426-07:00Tatting, Tatting, Tatting....Finished my cro-tat edging last night - er, I guess at 3 am it is technically early in the morning...Today I'm going to piece together the recycled denim tote (or at least try) from a Quick Sew pattern that I picked up at the local thrift store for $0.25 last week. I already have 5 canvas totes around the house that I use for holding various needlework projects & 2 that I use for groceries, Shari Tombshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05274538917971508225noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4750832470923565488.post-35207153345449451122009-08-17T19:00:00.000-07:002009-08-17T18:21:28.227-07:00So Much for Rain & Finishing ProjectsI had almost completely forgotten that today the town was having all the pipes flushed - so no water would be available here - a real pain when you have a family of 8 and a mountain of laundry to do! So instead of finishing my cro-tatted edging yesterday after Brianna left, I spent rest of the day doing 6 loads of laundry.Normally I do one load a day & that keeps me on top of things, but I Shari Tombshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05274538917971508225noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4750832470923565488.post-40476724163872683022009-08-17T17:54:00.000-07:002009-08-17T18:08:05.433-07:00Knitting Pledge After-EffectsMy DD Deborah had a friend over this past Sunday afternoon, Brianna. The original plan was to bake a large batch of sugar cookies, but I had no butter or margarine in the house, and our small town doesn't have a store open on Sundays. While thinking of something else to do, Deb showed Brianna the knitted scarf that she has been working on. I asked Brianna if she knits (no, but she crochets, so I Shari Tombshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05274538917971508225noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4750832470923565488.post-15404698868999670182009-08-15T14:27:00.000-07:002009-08-15T15:27:34.390-07:00On to other things & Cro-tattingThe contest still didn't turn out as well as I had hoped for - I only had one entrant & hundreds of spam messages. Phooey! I'm thinking that I'd be better off doing a contest in winter, when people are cocooning at home & more likely to be checking out other blogs that they don't normally go to.I've also realized that I'm a terrible blogger - I've had this blog for nearly a year, and Shari Tombshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05274538917971508225noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4750832470923565488.post-88788618432070109382009-07-09T16:08:00.000-07:002009-07-09T15:08:15.680-07:00Contest Extension - New Date, July 31stWell, I guess I either didn't do things right, or I didn't do things right with my contest - I didn't even get one person respond to it with an entry. I checked to make sure that my email address on my profile page is working. Since that wasn't the problem, I'm going to guess that the two main reasons were that1) I didn't leave enough time for people to enter2) I just didn't "plug" my contest Shari Tombshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05274538917971508225noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4750832470923565488.post-8034917437256227582009-06-17T16:29:00.000-07:002009-06-17T18:07:38.063-07:00Mega Craft Collection CD GiveawayAs promised, here's the contest to celebrate my first 100 followers on Twitter!I'm going to giveaway 5 of my Mega Craft Collection CDs. On each CD is a compilation of craft ebooks that I have bought the resale rights to over the past 3 years - There are about 25+ ebooks in all. Some of the topics are crochet, knitting, scrap booking, wood finishing, kids crafts, soap & candle making, gift Shari Tombshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05274538917971508225noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4750832470923565488.post-47751993008187819752009-05-28T11:25:00.000-07:002009-05-28T11:39:59.622-07:00Nothing to see here - except maybe a contest.....Nothing new to report in the needlework world for me. I've been spending all of my free time getting into the garden, watching TOS Star Trek episodes & playing Mafia Wars.In my not so free time, I've been hastily trying to catch up with inputting the data for my DH's businesses so that I can file our income tax (In Canada, if you own a business, you have until June 15th to file). I just Shari Tombshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05274538917971508225noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4750832470923565488.post-77346219936513430652009-04-05T12:27:00.000-07:002009-04-06T11:05:08.020-07:00Crochet Pledge Progress - Day One - Part TwoThough I never got around to posting again last Thursday, both the girls made a wonderful start that day.Deborah was a little nervous about trying knitting - she was thinking that two needles would be too complicated compared to one hook. She told me that she wanted to knit something that was a simple as possible, but still something that she could wear, so she thought a scarf would be nice. We Shari Tombshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05274538917971508225noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4750832470923565488.post-87258018199106991662009-04-02T12:50:00.000-07:002009-04-02T13:49:51.401-07:00Crochet Pledge Progress - Day One - Part OneI've had to catch up on some paperwork earlier this week, so I didn't get to fulfilling the actual teaching of the skill part of my pledge just yet. However, I'm going to be teaching two students now. My oldest daughter, Deborah (12), has decided that she wants to learn how to knit (I already taught her how to crochet when she was 8). This is going to be one fun fiber week for me :)Rachel has Shari Tombshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05274538917971508225noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4750832470923565488.post-8116031515575445132009-03-27T17:23:00.000-07:002009-04-02T12:50:21.525-07:00Take the Pledge - Teach Crochet or KnittingNational Crochet Month is almost at an end, so why not let it go out with a bang - teach somebody how to crochet! Angela Pallatto, Editor of Knit Luck, came up with a great idea to help encourage others during the economic slowdown - take a pledge to teach somebody to knit. I talked her into accepting crocheters too, as though I knit, crochet is much more so my passion :)I've already signed up, Shari Tombshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05274538917971508225noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4750832470923565488.post-41083481043368216012009-03-22T18:20:00.000-07:002009-03-22T19:07:43.137-07:00Me, the Sheep & EweHere I thought that I would be better at updating this blog, due to the easy access I have to it online, but I've certainly been wrong about that! I have recently discovered the simplicity of posting on Twitter, which has not only sucked me away from blogging, but other self-imposed crafting responsibilities. Still, it's nice to only be committed to 140 words at a time when I sit down to write. :Shari Tombshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05274538917971508225noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4750832470923565488.post-73055126673869100852008-12-10T15:18:00.000-08:002008-12-10T16:17:52.717-08:00Simply Scarves - Super Simple Skinny ScarfThis next scarf is my favourite one to date for wearing just for fun. I'm normally so "granola" in the way I dress that when I fling this scarf around me & head to the bank, I sure get these weird looks from the villagers. I love being unpredictable :PThe only thing difficult about this pattern is trying to see the stitches as you knit. It's not meant to keep you warm, but to be a piece of Shari Tombshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05274538917971508225noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4750832470923565488.post-32268839909856623292008-12-09T11:39:00.001-08:002008-12-09T13:07:13.918-08:00Simply Scarves - Striped scarfIt's that time of year when scarves are on everybody's mind, so I thought I'd share some knit & crocheted ones that I've made that are simple to do. Here's the first one:The striping in this scarf was based on a number pattern known as the Fibonacci series, which goes like so: 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, 89,...etc. Leonardo Fibonacci was an Italian mathematician who came up with this Shari Tombshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05274538917971508225noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4750832470923565488.post-77150859463430313922008-12-05T13:46:00.000-08:002008-12-05T14:09:04.321-08:00Update to the Tea & A Cup of Crochet WebsiteI've finally done it - I've got my Tea & A Cup of Crochet website up and running in a way that I feel good about. My biggest hurdle has been getting over my own perfectionism & just "gettin' er done". If you like crochet, just pop on over to the site, where I have a free crochet pattern of this Lemon Blossom Motif to download:I hope you enjoy it - this would make a nice & quick Shari Tombshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05274538917971508225noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4750832470923565488.post-23994689424314460392008-11-28T16:18:00.000-08:002008-12-02T23:55:34.904-08:00Giving ThanksHappy Belated Thanksgiving to all of my family & friends down south :) I know that I have many things to be thankful for, despite the trying times with our finances over the past 3 years:I am thankful for family & friends that care about us enough to continually pray for us and to help us out when they are able. I am thankful for these same family & friends to be able to return the Shari Tombshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05274538917971508225noreply@blogger.com0