My husband and I are slowly working our way through our travel bucket list, and July was a double. Not only did we get to see Queen in Houston, but a few days later we saw the Rolling Stones. It was one day after Mick Jagger’s 76th birthday and just a few months after heart surgery, but he hasn’t slowed down a bit which left us all wondering, where does he get the stamina? It was an amazing show. NRG stadium was filled to capacity. Opening act was Bishop Gun, a Natchez, Mississippi band, probably the first opening act I have ever enjoyed.
Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Ronnie Wood, and Charlie Watts showed us that they have no intention of slowing down, even after 55 years of performing.
I’m not sure what will be next on the bucket list as far as music, but next week’s post will be about our trip to Los Angeles. What’s on your bucket list?
Football is back!
Last night’s game between the Texans and the Green Bay Packers didn’t turn out the way that I hoped, but at least it was an exciting game to watch. I love autumn – football, cooler weather, Halloween. It’s also when I get serious about crocheting items for my Christmas gift list. This week’s freebie is actually a knitting pattern, but it’s a simple pattern that works up quickly on a circular needle with worsted weight yarn. Use brown and white for traditional football colors, or use your favorite team’s colors. I would love to see photos of your earwarmer on my Instagram at http://instagram.com/myfingersfly.
The soundtrack of my teen years consisted of some of the greatest rock bands of all time. During my high school years, Queen quickly became one of the top bands to fuel our teenage obsession with music. Although I have always wanted to see them in concert, Freddy Mercury’s untimely death put an end to that dream for Queen fans.Fast forward a few decades, and American Idol was the TV show for me. I fell in love with Adam Lambert, a baby-faced singer with an amazing stage presence. Being the mother of four Italian children, I wanted to take him home and cook him a lasagna. With his dark hair and blue eyes, he looked like the boy next door but with an extra serving of charisma.Then last year came the movie, Bohemian Rhapsody. It’s a must see for Queen fans, and it refueled my love of their music. Rami Malek brought Freddy back to life. That evening on the way home, I started searching the internet for anything related to Queen. Much to my delight, they were on tour with Adam Lambert joining them as the lead singer. I bought tickets immediately for the Houston show, and we were privileged to see these true rock icons in concert this week. Sitting in the Toyota Center listening to their music, I was 16 again. Brian May and Roger Taylor have aged (as have we all), but they were the same amazing musicians that they were 40 years ago. Adam Lambert paid homage to Freddy in words and in his performance. It was truly a magical night.
We’re headed back to Houston today for another legendary band, the Rolling Stones. What an awesome way to spend my birthday weekend! I’ll share the details next week.Since it’s the last week of July, I have the final Christmas in July free pattern, a Santa Claus gift basket made on the Addi king knitting machine. They’re easy to work up. Then fill them with your favorite holiday treats and pass them out to neighbors and coworkers. Make a few extra to have on hand as hostess gifts for those last-minute party invites.
I recently had the opportunity to visit Manchester for the first time. All my preconceived ideas of New England came true! It’s such a beautiful city, full of history. I only wish I could have stayed longer. The people, the food, the weather – everything was lovely!
I can’t believe that I’ve been crocheting for most of my life but only found out about the Crochet Guild of America a few years ago. The conference was so much fun – meeting other crocheters from around the world, seeing their creations, hearing their ideas for new projects. Talk about idea overload! I may not sleep for a month with all the designs floating around in my head. One of the classes I took was Irish crochet, and I have so many ideas for future projects. For anyone who wants to learn, Susan Lowman does beautiful work, and she explains everything so well. My class piece isn’t finished yet, but hopefully this weekend I can get to it.
To thank all the wonderful people I met and learned from, My Fingers Fly is offering free shipping on t-shirts and leggings for crocheters. Just use code CGOA by July 31, 2019. https://www.myfingersfly.com/collections/t-shirts
This week’s free pattern is another Christmas in July theme. These little elf gift bags are so cute and versatile.
Materials:
Small amounts of worsted yarn – ivory, brown or black, red or green.
Crochet hook size H
Small pom poms, google eyes, 2 jingle bells
Directions:
Rnd 1: With ivory yarn, ch 2. Sc 6 in second ch from hook. Do not join.
Rnd 2: 2 sc in each sc (12 sc).
Rnd 3: 1 sc in next sc, 2 sc in next sc, repeat (18 sc).
Rnd 4: 1 sc in next 2 sc, 2 sc in next sc, repeat (24 sc).
Rnd 5: 1 sc in next 3 sc, 2 sc in next sc, repeat (30 sc).
Rnd 6: 1 sc in next 4 sc, 2 sc in next sc, repeat (36 sc).
Rnds 7-13: Work even. Finish off ivory. Turn.
Rnd 14-15: With black (or brown) yarn, loop st in each st around. Join with sl st. Fasten off.
Rnds 16: Ch1, turn. Attach desired color for hat. Work even on 36 sc. Do not join.
Drawstring: Using same color yarn as hat, make a chain 12″ long and knot both ends. Pull through loops made in Rnd 22 of hat.
Ears: (Make 2)
With ivory yarn, ch 9, 3 dc in 4th ch from hook, 1 dc in each of next 2 ch, hdc next ch, sc next ch, sl st next ch, ch 1, sl st in this ch. (This makes point of ear.) Working down opposite side of starting ch, sl st next ch, sc next ch, hdc next ch, 1 dc in each of next 2 ch, 3 dc last ch. Join with sl st to beg ch-3. Sew one ear to each side of face from Rnds 9-13.
Glue on google eyes and pom pom for nose. Embroidery with straight stitch in pink or red for mouth. Sew a jingle bell to each side of drawstring.
Decorate hat as you wish with pom poms, rick rack, etc. You can sc Rnd 16 of hat with eyelash or bulky yarn to make a fringe. For the elf in the picture with the red hat, I used Yarn Bee Cameo Bulky in white.
This weekend I will be catching up on housework (and crochet) and resting a bit before we’re off to Houston next week to see Queen and The Rolling Stones. Hopefully I can get my Adam Lambert and Brian May dolls finished before we leave.
Unfortunately, our Houston mini vacation has been postponed due to Mick Jagger’s health. Disappointing for us, but I’m sure it’s more frustrating for the Rolling Stones. Hopefully he will heal quickly, and the tour will be rescheduled. Facebook rumors say it will be rescheduled for October, so we’ll see.
We also had tickets for the San Antonio Commanders final home game this weekend, but the Alliance of American Football abruptly shut down the league this week. It’s so disappointing for San Antonio football fans. We attended all the home games, and the fans were great! Texas is definitely football country.
From an entertainment standpoint, we definitely won’t be bored. April is definitely a good time of year to be in San Antonio. This weekend is the Poteet Strawberry Festival, which has always been a favorite for our family. Great music, carnival rides, and all the typical fair food including anything you can think of that is made of strawberries. If the rain holds off on Saturday, we will go see David Lee Garza y Los Musicales, one of my husband’s favorite Tejano bands.
Next week I’ll be getting the house ready for Easter. The Ferrel Family tradition is fajitas for Easter dinner – beef, chicken, and sausage. There will also be rice and beans, potato salad, guacamole, pico de gallo, tortillas, and I’m still working on ideas for a dessert to impress. Family, good food, children running in and out, and of course, cascarones, confetti eggs to crack on someone’s head.
My go-to gift for the children for Easter is a bunny bag filled with candy. The pattern is available in my Ravelry shop as a free download with any purchase through Easter.
My newest Easter pattern will be available only on the blog this month – Easter Bunny Scrubby using Red Heart Scrubby Sparkle. Make a few as hostess gifts, or add a couple to your teen’s Easter basket as a gag gift.
Materials:
Red Heart Scrubby Sparkle – ¼ oz.
Size G crochet hook
Yarn needle
Directions:
BODY:
Rnd 1: Ch 2, 6 sc in 2nd ch from hook. Do not join.
Rnd 2: 2 sc in each st (12 sc).
Rnd 3: *Sc in next st, 2 sc in next st, repeat around (18 sc).
Rnd 4: *Sc in each of next 2 sts, 2 sc in next st, * repeat around (24 sc).
Rnd 5: *Sc in each of next 3 sc, 2 sc in next st,* repeat around (30 sc).
Rnd 6: *Sc in each of next 4 sts, 2 sc in next st,* repeat around (36 sc).
Rnd 7: *Sc in each of next 5 sc, 2 sc in next st,* repeat around (42 sc). Join with sl st. Do not fasten off.
HEAD:
Row 1: Ch 1, 6 hdc in next st.
Row 2: Ch 1, turn, hdc in each st.
Row 3: Ch 1, turn, dec, hdc in next 2 sts, dec, sl st in base of same st. Do not fasten off.
EARS:
*Ch 4, sc in 2nd ch and next 2 ch,* sl st in Row 3 of head. Sl st in Row 2, repeat * to *, sl st in
Row 1 of head. Fasten off.
TAIL:
Ch 3, 10 dc in 3rd ch from hook. Join with sl st in top of 1st dc. Fasten off leaving 6” length. Sew tail securely to body. Weave in all ends.
April is also Month of the Military Child. My Military Baby Pattern Book was inspired by my daughter’s fatigues. Living in Military City, USA, I am very proud of these designs. Through April 10, you have a chance to win a free Kindle copy by liking my Amazon Author Page.
