This seems to be the month for crochet magazines, doesn’t it? ;-) Better Homes and Gardens came out with the long-awaited second issue of Simply Creative Crochet (the first was in 2003) and Woman’s Day published the premiere issue of Quick & Easy Knitting & Crocheting. There are even a few crochet patterns in the Holiday 2004 issue of Family Circle’s Easy Knitting. The popularity of every craft waxes and wanes over time and we are waxing now!

I learned to crochet the last time it was the big thing, in the 70′s. I was in grade school. I made all sorts of little things–wallets (yes crocheted wallets!), those little covers for the arms and headrest of a chair (ugh, in lime green, no less!), a purse (which, incidentally, wound up being used to store my yarn-label patterns), and lots more I can’t remember. But my first big project was, yes, indeed… you knew it wad coming… a poncho. Gosh, I wish I still had that! It was baby blue with a white ruffle around the bottom. I asked my mom to see if she could dig out a photo of me in it, but she didn’t find even a single one. I was sad about that. Oh well, I did so many crafts when I was a kid that my parents probably got burned out on taking photos of them. :-P

Back to the magazines… I bought the BHG mag at Books-A-Million, but I’ve seen it lots of other places–seems like everywhere. Thank you to Tiff for picking up a copy of the Woman’s Day issue for me. I couldn’t find it anywhere. (Wouldn’t you know? I saw it at the checkout stand at Walmart a couple of days after I received it from Tiff.) Thanks also to Julie for sending me the one from Family Circle. I’ve quite enjoyed reading it, but crocheters should note that this one has only a few crochet patterns, several knit-and-crochet, and the rest knit. [It's a good magazine, but I didn't want to lead you astray.]

So yesterday I said I picked up a free pattern leaflet from Walmart for a cute Fun Fur Christmas stocking. Here’s my progress! Okay, maybe it’s not looking all that cute right now, but it’s hard to be cute when you’re just a rectangle. :-)

Speaking of Walmart… the jar I bought for my corks went back to Pier 1. I stumbled upon one nearly twice as big, for $12 rather than $15, at Walmart. And it’s more attractive because it doesn’t have the big plastic seal around the lid.