Whatcha Got? Wednesdays LINK UP!

 
 
As many of you know there have been some things come up the past couple of weeks that have led to us making a few changes around here. One of them being that we’ve had to put the podcasts on hold for now since Brandon’s upcoming deployment will leave me without a co-host 🙁
So, that made time in our weekly posts to bring you the link-up I’ve been wanting wanting to host for a while now. YIPPPEEEE!!
Starting this week I’ll be hosting “Whatcha Got?”, every Wednesday at noon EST I will open a link up for you to share ‘whatcha got’. The only thing I ask is that you share our button and link it back to the weekly link up post, OR link back to this post in a way you feel comfortable with, and come back and check out what others have ‘got’ this week.
In addition to the link up I’ll be sharing with you ‘what I’ve got’ and on Fridays I’ll feature a few of the link-ups you’ve shared.
Ready to get the party started?
I know I am, so let’s go!
This is what I’ve got for you this week:
A few weeks ago I was on Pinterest and ran across a ‘pin’ that showcased a granny square afghan. It sparked a sweet memory I have of the day my Great Grandmother; Granny Jewel, taught me how to crochet. I was around 9 or 10 and had gone to stay with her for a few days. The first thing she was taught me was the simple chain stitch, I must have chained a mile of thread before we moved onto more complicated stitches. I remember sitting on her couch taking everything in, eager to get started. She spent about 30 minutes or so getting me started and eventually I was crocheting on my own. Before I knew it I had made a square all by myself. But I wanted to keep going, I could have easily crocheted a blanket big enough to fit her bed that day. Okay maybe not, but I was definitely on a roll. After another hour or so I didn’t end up with a blanket, but I did end up with a square big enough to fold the corners in and make a pillow.
So that’s what we did.
My Granny Jewel was the saver of all savers. Brandon has referred to her as the ‘poster child for living green and recycling’. She lived in a time when you saved and re-used/re-cycled EVERYTHING.
Which brings me to what we used for the ‘insert’ for my pillow. She had a chenille blanket that had lost some of it’s ‘fuzzy swirls’ (why yes, that is what they’re called) She had saved it ‘in case’ she needed it for something. We got to work measuring the fabric and sewing it, by hand. Then we needed something to ‘stuff’ the pillow with, so she found a bag of plastic bread sacks she had saved; again ‘just in case’. Once we were finished stuffing and sewing I had a pillow I could put on my bed and to remember the day with every time I looked at it.
I still have it almost 30 years later…my pillow sure is getting old-er 😉

Well, I think think I may have attempted to crochet a few things after that day, but nothing that ever amounted to anything or ever got finished.
Until last week that is.
I found a few patterns online, watched a couple of YouTube videos and I was ready. It was like riding a bicycle.
So here’s a sneak peek at the blanket I’ve been working on for Lexie, she chose the colors to match some things she’s picked out for her bedroom makeover. When it’s completed it will fit her full size bed. I plan on teaching her how to make a granny square so she can make her own pillow to be proud of, and hopefully one day teach her great-grandchildren how to crochet too!

One of the patterns I found was this one:

It can be found here and even though I couldn’t understand a word it said, I could read the chart. The website is filled with tons of gorgeous patterns. YouTube was definitely helpful in making sure I had remembered the stitches correctly. There are a ton of them on there, if you do a search I know you can find one that helps you. There were even ones for left-handed crocheting for those of you that are interested.

 
My Granny Jewel never learned to drive. But, she could crochet and make anything your imagination dreamed up with things she saved ‘just in case’. I’ll never forget the day she taught me how to crochet and to use ‘whatcha got’, and I’m glad I could share that with you today, on our first “Whatcha Got?” Wednesday!
 
Now it’s your turn. Link up what you’d like to share this week. Don’t forget to link back to this post either by linking back with my button or through a link in your post. And please come back to see what everyone else has ‘got’ this week. The link up will close on Midnight EST Thursdays.
 

 

To get the link-up to work, just grab all of this code – ‘ctrl+a’ works best – and paste it into your linked-up post, or add a regular text link to this post’s address. This way others can find their way over here also! 
Thank You and don’t forget to check back Friday to see what’s featured.