My first Afghan

I'm finally done with my Americana Afghan! It took me a lot longer than I thought it would because all 3 of my kids got sick. Not all at the same time either. They all took turns, back to back. Ugh. Well now that they are healthy again, I finished it up. I really do love it and since I still have lots of yarn left from this color lot, I'm thinking of making a Chevron Afghan to match! Ahhhh... I love crochet. If you want the pattern, I did put the link to the blog where I originally found the granny square in my previous posts. I just joined the squares with the 5 stitch flat braid join and then double crocheted for the border and added a little bit of a scallop for the last row to give it the ruffle look. Feel free to send me questions or comments!

Still in progress....

Well...... I am so impatient that I had to start putting my squares together before I had enough squares made for the project. :/  I just couldn't wait to test out the Flat Braid Join Method using a Ch5 (which I am in love with). I wanted more of a thick separation between my granny squares because the I really wanted my contrasting color to stand out and be noticeable.  The Slip Stitch method is nice and simple but just not enough color.

I of course got this granny square pattern from the blog of MilleMakes. Here is the link again. 

Something Pretty Granny Square

Her blog really sparked my interest in Granny Squares, I had never made one before. So with her pattern in front of me, I made my very first Granny Square. 

Instagram / My 1st Square

And then I made a few more squares and planned on doing an afghan very similar to the one that Mille made. 

My squares

So I got a little frustrated because my gauge was off and all of my squares were coming out different sizes.  Needless to say, I put it away and moved on to something else. But that pattern stuck with me. It really is just beautiful and unique. So I started again and this time I think I have it figured out. Yay!

As you can see, this time I am going with a Red White and Blue theme. I think the flowers really resemble fireworks. I am dubbing this one my "Americana" Afghan. I still have 17 more squares to make, then I will join them and crochet around it with a nice border. I can't wait. I really love this pattern. After it is all done, I will try to write out the complete pattern for the whole afghan and not just the square. :o)

My first afghan in progress

I found this pattern a while back and was instantly in love with it. I can't even remember how I found it or what I was actually looking for, but I knew when I found it that I had to make an afghan with it. Here is the link for the original pattern :

http://millemakes.wordpress.com/2011/05/22/something-pretty-the-pattern/

(Great blog btw)

Something about the chunky texture of this double layered flower is just so pretty. It is very 3D and fluffy. I originally was going with a very similar color combination that Mille used but lost interest and stopped after making four granny squares.

My mother-in-law gave me a bunch of yarn in Navy Fleck by Red Heart and a creamy color by Spinloft. I'm pretty sure they are quite old from the look of the wrappers. She picked them up from a local thrift store she works for. Probably used to be in some little old lady's stash. The colors inspire me to start again.

So.... This time around I am using WAY different colors and will be joining them in a completely different way using another contrasting color. These are just pics of what I have made so far. I want the afghan to be somewhere around twin size so I still have lots more squares to make. I hope to start putting it all together in a week or so. :)

Need to do some catching up :/

Well it's been a while since I've blogged and I really need to because I have been crocheting, cooking and discovering new cool little things everyday it seems. Needless to say, I've been busy with kids and dogs too so time is short and precious. I also want to start sharing my personal product reviews and I have a good one to start it off. But, I have to put it off till later cause its time to feed everyone breakfast and get the day going!

CrockPot New England Clam Chowder

CrockPot New England Clam Chowder

Ingredients

6-8 Medium Potatoes, peeled and cubed

4 cans of minced clams in clam juice

3 cups chicken stock

1 cup water

1 large yellow onion, finely chopped

1/2 pound bacon, diced

1 cup heavy whipping cream

2 tbsp. butter

3 tbsp. flour

2 tsp garlic powder

2 tsp Old Bay Seasoning 

2 Bay leaves

Fresh cracked pepper

*Old Bay Seasoning has salt in it so there is no need for additional salt unless you like it really salty!*

 Brown bacon in pan, when crisp, add 2 tbsp butter and melt

 After butter has melted add chopped onions and bay leaves.

Cook till onions are soft and translucent but do not brown. 

 Add 3 tbsp flour and stir thoroughly to make a roux base.

 Add to CrockPot in order:

cubed potatoes

water

chicken broth

onion roux mixture

clam juice from all 4 cans of clams

seasoning

 Put clam meat in a container and refrigerate for later.

 Your concoction should look like milky water. Cook on low for 4 hours.

 After 4 hours, turn the CrockPot off and let the stew cool at room temp so the flavors can "marry" together.

Below is what it will look like after it has cooled. Now is the time to take your ladle and skim off the extra fat and oil that has surfaced to ensure a creamy soup. (I forgot this step but it still turned out delish. :o) 

Add the 2 cups of heavy whipping cream and the minced clam meat. 

Cook on low for one more hour and then it is ready to serve! Enjoy! 

Crocheted Leg Warmers

Leg Warmers!!!

I've finally finished crocheting my leg warmers. I was winging this one so I don't have a pattern written yet. I will try to write it up and post it tomorrow. I think I like them. Despite the lacy texture, they are quite warm. They have some stretch so I can pull them up around my calves for higher boots as well. They look really cute with flats too. Yay! They also work up fairly quickly if you can sit and crochet uninterrupted. :o)

CrockPot Chicken Tortilla Soup

Chicken Tortilla Soup in the CrockPot

I LOVE my CrockPot. If it can be made in a CrockPot, I will try it, at least once. Well this little beauty above is a repeat. One of my fave's to say the least. Once you try this super easy recipe it will probably be on your favorites list as well. I always get requests for the recipe, so here it is!

Ingredients

• 6 Boneless skinless chicken breasts (uncooked, uncut - Yay!)
• 1 C. Water
• 2 C. Chicken Broth
• 1 Tbsp Chili Powder
• 2 tsp Cumin
• 1 Tbsp Lawry's Seasoning Salt
• 1 - 10oz can of red enchilada sauce
• 1 - 10oz can of Ro-Tel Original Diced Tomatoes & Green Chilies
• 1 - 14oz can of black beans (or whatever beans you like)
• 1 C. frozen corn
• 1 large sweet yellow onion (chopped- boo)
• 6 cloves garlic (minced- darn)
• 1/4 C. Mezzetta Roasted Bell Peppers (chopped-agh!) - Optional
• 1/2 C. Heavy Whipping Cream - Optional as well
• 6 Corn tortillas ripped into pieces

Directions

Turn your CrockPot on High. Pour in the olive oil and spread around when it gets warm. Put the diced onion and garlic in the bottom and sprinkle with a little salt. Place the raw chicken breasts on top of the onion and garlic. Next sprinkle all of your spices over the chicken. Add the water and all of the canned ingredients evenly over the top of the chicken. Throw in the frozen corn and chopped bell pepper too. Layer the top with the ripped up tortillas, no stirring required. Cover and cook on high for about 4 hours. When the chicken has floated to the top and falls apart easily, break the chicken apart with a spoon and add your heavy whipping cream. Turn to low and let simmer for another hour or so.  Or you can cook it on low for 8 hours if you are going to make this while you are at work.

Serve this soup garnished with sour cream, shredded cheese, cilantro and maybe even some chopped avocado. Delicious! Enjoy!