Fair Winnings Part One: Needlecraft

Okay, I mentioned before that we entered 13 projects in the fair and won 12 ribbons.  Now I want to share our projects and rather than doing one really long post with everything, I thought I'd break it down into manageable chunks.  So, here is the first installment: Needlecraft

When I get to the clay stuff, I will post a little about how each item was made but on the needlework I just followed a pattern or whatever- there really isn't anything to share about technique.

The first thing of mine we found was the baby dress I crocheted for Josie's blessing almost 4 years ago:

The little figurine in front was not mine. :)



I love the granny squares on the bodice and the yarn I used was a really soft baby yarn that was white with a tiny bit of various colors streaked through it.  The pink yarn had a shiny white thread through it.

Here's the next project we found:

I'm really surprised that this one got a ribbon at all considering the fact that apparently they couldn't tell that it's a picture of a horse- it's upside-down!  You can see the ears hanging down next to the ribbon.  Here's a better picture:

For those of you who don't crochet, this is called fillet crochet and is it ever boring!  This was my first and last project using this technique.  I'm going to make it into a throw pillow for Kjeri.  It will have a black background and a black and pink ruffle.  The fair lady told me that I can enter it again next year if I do that.  Maybe I will place better if it's a pillow...

On to the next project:

I made this afghan for my bed.  I get cold easily at night and Rock doesn't so I wanted something that would cover just me... plus, it's pretty.  I'm not the best crocheter in the world so I didn't think I'd do well in this area but I figured it couldn't hurt to try.

Anyway, I've got one last item in the needlecraft building:



I made this for Sarah and she's been using it since last winter so you could tell it wasn't brand-new but it was worth a try.  It was the first quilt I have ever quilted by myself.  It was a lot of fun, too.

I hope you enjoyed seeing some of my work- although the needlecrafts are not my forte.

Next time I'll start showing off some of my clay stuff.



Fun at the Fair!

Is that a cheesy title or what?  So, on Saturday, Rock and I took all six kids to the Eastern Idaho State Fair. They decided they weren't interested in the parade so we skipped that.  At the petting zoo, we fed the goats, learned the difference between a llama and an alpaca (the alpacas are the ones with the big fluffy bangs, petted the bunnies, and repeatedly said, "No, we can't get a puppy."
In the exhibit buildings we searched for all of the things we entered and found out that I won 9 ribbons (out of 10 projects entered), Kjeri won 2 ribbons (out of 2 projects) and Emmy won 1 ribbon (out of 1 project).  Not bad!  Emmy learned that she is a lot better at crafting that she previously believed, Sarah learned that the hobbies and crafts building is a good place to lose Mom and Dad, and Rock and I learned that it is next to impossible to keep track of a busy one-year-old and a cranky three-year-old and still get to look at the exhibits together.  (We ended up taking turns.)  Eli and Miri learned that they are old enough to enter stuff in the fair after all.
Outside the antiques building, Sarah tasted a snowcone for the first time and Miri decided that it looked like a lot of fun to fall off a mechanical bull (but Mom didn't agree).
In the food court we all learned that too much greasy/sugary food can give anyone a tummyache and that that stuff is equally as hard on the pocketbook, but it sure is tasty!
In the commercial buildings, we got out pictures taken with Darth Vader and a Stormtrooper, talked to the guy in the flannel board booth about getting my paper dolls printed on felt, watched the waterless cookware demonstration (if we had any money, we would have been sold on it), watched an embroidery machine at work, waited forever for Kjeri to look a jewelry, and shopped for grab bags for Emmy and Eli.
We didn't go anywhere near the rides as we knew we couldn't afford them and it would be just too much temptation.  However, Rock rode a bubble bike, Sarah played in the sandbox, Josie went kiddie bowling and we all watched dogs jump into water.
All in all, we had a great time and enjoyed one another's company and we can't wait to do it next year!

Sarah, the amazing escape artist!

Miri really needed a rest after all that walking...

Eli was ready to go again after lunch.

I think Kjeri was up to something...

...and I think Josie was in on it!

"No way! We're innocent!"

Sarah stayed in the stroller really well... as long as she was buckled in!

A rare view of the elusive Emmy!