72 years. That’s how long the Southern Highland Craft Guild has been holding this fair. This year they held it in the US Cellular Center in Asheville from October 17-21 and brought 180 artists together on two floors and under one roof.
We haven’t been in Asheville long but one of the things that made us want to stay for a while is the arts and crafts community here. You can’t go a mile without tripping over a dozen artists of one kind or another. Glass, metal, paint, wood, fiber, precious metals and the list goes on. Continue reading Craft Fair Of The Southern Highlands
A Canon EOS Rebel SL1 with 18-55mm STM lens (glass screen protector, belt adapter, 32Gb SD card) was stolen from Trinity Hall in Dallas on the night of June 11, 2014
Do you know this guy? The man is wearing light colored shoes and either has a belt or kerchief hanging from his hip (see left leg as he walks). He is also wearing a thick necklace of some kind.
He enters the building at 21:10:51
Walks past our dance class at 21:11:00
Makes a short circuit and sees a nice camera at 21:11:16
Hangs out at the waiter’s station for a moment to see if anyone’s watching.
Moves something on the table at 21:11:31 and looks to see if anyone has noticed.
Makes a grab for the camera at 21:11:50 and leaves the pub with it
Note that the colors are all wrong. The benches are medium brown.
Some of you wanted gross-out pictures from the inside of my head so here you go.
First is the required non-squeamishy picture, not of my dog this time but rather a picture of a tasty sangria that I can’t have right now. Not that I would anyway since it’s 3am when I’m writing this but if it were 3pm I still couldn’t have one with the meds I’m on.
Go on, just look at that frosty glass and tasty, tasty liquid. You know you want one.
Excellent. Now that you’re all soothed, here come the crime-scene photos.
Ahh, Friday night. It’s my favorite time of the week, when hubby and I unwind with our favorite beverage. As designated bartender, I squeeze the limes and mix top shelf tequila with Paula’s Texas Orange to create those smooth margaritas that kick off the weekend. The ubiquitous cactus-stemmed glasses work best – not too sloshy, not too big, just right. In this achingly hot summer of 2011, ‘ritas and rocks cause cactus condensation that fills our thirsty stone coasters. What’s a margarita lover to do? Crochet an extra coaster layer, of course. How to make something that will resist the naughty glass’ efforts to tip over when the second round is poured? How about a tree skirt for the cactus? In the fiesta spirit, it doubles as a mini sombrero. ¡Que te diviertas!
Notes & Abbreviations
Ch 1 at the beginning of a row counts as one single crochet stitch.
CC: contrasting color (yellow in photo) Ch: chain MC: main color (red in photo) Sc: single crochet Sl st: slip stitch Tbl: through back loops
Supplies
Approx. 10 yards worsted weight cotton yarn in 2 colors, about 6 yds MC to 4 yds CC.
Size G crochet hook, tapestry needle
Gauge
Rather than a normal gauge, I’m adding tips so you can check the fit on your favorite margarita glass as you work and adjust hook size if needed.
Instructions
• Leaving a 6” yarn tail, ch 13 in MC.
• Sc in 2nd ch from hook and in next 11 sts, switching to CC in loop pulled through final sc. (12 sc) Turn.
Tip: Hold your work around the stem of a margarita glass. It should fit gently around with the initial chain about ½” – ¾” above the glass base, not overlapping but not stretched.
• Ch 1. Sc in next 11 sts across. (12 sts) Turn.
• Ch 1. Sc tbl in next 11 sts across, changing back to MC in final sc. (12 sts) Turn.
• Ch 1. 1 sc in same st, 2 sc in next 11 sts across. (24 sts) Turn.
• Ch 1. 1 sc in same st. *1 sc in next 2 sts, 2 sc in next st. Repeat from * until 4 sts remain unworked. 1 sc in each of the next 3 sts, 2 sc in final st (turning chain). Change to CC in final sc. (31 sts) Turn.
Tip: Hold your work around the stem again. The row worked tbl should form a turning point around the bottom of the stem so the two rows below flare out onto the glass base. All rows should meet around the glass without stretching or overlapping.
• Ch 1. 1 sc in the same st and in the next 30 sts. (32 sts) Cut CC yarn and pull through final loop.
• Move to the other end of the piece, which has the working MC yarn tail emerging through the front side. Move the MC yarn to the back around the edge of the piece, and pull up a loop through the turning chain of CC.
• Ch 1. 1 sl st in the next 31 sts. Work loosely to avoid tightening the edge. (32 sts)
• Cut yarn to leave a 6” tail. Ch 1, and draw yarn tail through final loop.
Finishing
Weave in CC yarn ends.
Thread each MC tail onto a tapestry needle, weave to the edge of the row worked through back loops, and tie a knot in the end of each to prevent unraveling. Wrap the sombrero / tree skirt around your glass stem, tie the MC yarn tails together, fill the glass with your favorite margarita, and shout “¡Vamos a rumbear!”
Would you like a nice, printer-friendly PDF of this pattern that fits on one page? Here ya go.
