A few weeks ago I decided to have a booth in our Christmas Boutique at our church. Several friends of mine and I are all having booths of our favorite hand crafted items. I am making angels crocheted with thread, snowflake Christmas ornaments, and many other Christmas items. One of my friends is making potpourri jars with Christmas lights and florals. I am also making Christmas chocolate lollipops and chocolates.

Have you ever taken the time to think about what the reasons are that you like to crochet so much?

Well I have thought about it from time to time. I also like to knit but my first passion is crocheting. I think the biggest reason for this is I learned to crochet first. Your reasons for crocheting could of course be different then mine so I thought I would give 5 reasons why people probably like to crochet.

1. Crocheting is relaxing. Most crocheters find out very quickly that crocheting can be very relaxing. A very hectic day can easily be calmed by sitting down in your favorite easy chair and manipulating the yarn with your fingers while you quietly count the stitches to yourself. After a while you will feel your breathing slow and you will soon realize that you are a lot calmer then when you first sat down.
2. Crocheting keep you company. I often take a small crocheting project along with me if I have a lengthy ride in the car to give me something to occupy my hands with. I also love to crochet while I watch TV, watch a sporting event, or even while I visit and catch up with a friend.  I find that I can make very good use of my time if I can get a few rounds or rows done on a project while I am doing something else.
3. Crocheting is good finger exercise. For a few months I didn’t have the time to crochet and was focused on some other crafts. I started to notice that my fingers started to become stiff and painful. I examined my activities and came to the conclusion that it was because I was not crocheting as much. The crocheting was actually giving my fingers the right amount of exercise that it kept them very limber. Well the simple answer to this dilemma is to not stop crocheting and pick up a project to work on at least a couple times a week.
4. Crocheting creates useful handmade items. Crocheting is a great way to create unusual handmade items. When I first started crocheting I made a lot of dish cloths.  My friends and family were very excited to receive one of these for Christmas or their birthday.  Why? Because they could get a dish cloth that looked nice in their kitchen or bathroom and they knew I put a lot of love and attention into it just for them.
5. Crocheting is a Cheap Hobby. Crocheting is very inexpensive hobby. A person can purchase a skein of yarn for about $2-3 and a crochet hook for about the same and enjoy making several projects from it whether it is a scarf, granny square, or a dishcloth or potholder if you purchased the cotton yarn.

That is all until next time,

Sara Dee

Today I would like to introduce to you Sarandipity Crafts favorite little crafting helper. Her name is Mia. She is my little 2.5 lb. Chihuahua.

She is really cute but then I might be a little biased. She sits with me while I blog for this website and while I knit, crochet or do any other craft I might be working on. From time to time I will talk about Mia in this blog so I thought I should introduce her to you so you know who she is.

Do any of you have little helpers that sit and hang out with you while you do your crafts? We would love to hear about them.

Have a great weekend,

Sara Dee

For US crochet patterns the abbreviations

ch = one chain ch sp = chain space
sc = single crochet hdc = half double crochet
dc = double crochet
tr = treble crochet, or triple crochet

dtr = double treble crochet
sl st = slip stitch
sp(s) = space(s) tog = together
sk = skip
rnd(s) = round(s)
lp(s) = loop(s) yo = yarn over
MC = main color
CC = contrasting color RS = right side of work

How to Read Crochet Abbreviations | eHow.com.

If you have any questions or confusions please comment below.

Happy Crocheting ,

Sara Dee

Scrapbooking is a very popular craft these days among crafters. One of the things that really cuts  down on the time involved for scrapbookers is the cricut machines.

This from ABC Digital Books “These die cut equipment stand for an innovative new way in personalizing just about anything. There’s no limit in what these machines can do for you, it could be for layouts for your scrap book, signage, and classroom decors and lots more. They have around 50 varieties of cartridges to select from.”

Also check out below the beginner scrapbook article from Suite 101 for all of our beginner scrapbookers. This article gives a very nice over view of how to get started scrapbooking.

Happy Crafting,

Sara Dee

Let’s start with this butterfly mobile I found over on Bugs and Fishes blog by Lupin. This butterfly mobile looks like great fun. As you will learn I am very fond of butterflies.

If you try this mobile let us all know and send me your pictures. I always love to see other peoples projects when they complete them. I am sure I will be making this mobile for my house. I think I may put some things on mine that makes noise so it works like a set of chimes like pieces of brass, or glass beads, sequins, and anything that would catch the light would also be pretty.

Let us know how they turn out.

Sara Dee

Welcome to Sarandipity Crafts. Grab a cup of your favorite beverage and sit down and relax while we visit about whatever craft you are working on or want to learn about!

Happy Crafting,

Sara Dee