I haven’t been creating crochet patterns lately, but I have been doing a little bit of crochet work. My favorite projects are small and quick!  Here is a sweet little fish dishcloth. The pattern is Lily Sugar’n Cream Tropical Fish Dishcloth.  I think you need to register and log in at the Lily site to be able to see the pattern. The colors I used are Mod Green and Robins Egg Blue.

 My other recent project is another dishcloth from Lily Sugar’n Cream.  It is the Granny Corner Dishcloth. You also need to log in at Lily to view this pattern. I decided to use one ball of yarn throughout on this one.  The color is Midnight Magic. I didn’t change colors so it made this pattern super simple, because it is one continuous strand of yarn throughout! I only had the beginning and ending yarn tails to weave in!  I also added a little hanger for this dishcloth.

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I was recently sent a bottle of Dove Intensive Repair Daily Treatment Conditioner to try. I have always been a fan of Dove products. I like their quality and affordability! I’ve been using the conditioner for a couple of weeks now. After shampooing with a Dove shampoo that I purchased myself I follow up with this conditioner. I really like the conditioner. I followed the instructions, which are to massage in a quarter sized portion of conditioner after shampooing, and to leave it in for one minute. Then rinse it out thoroughly. The first thing I like is that you are only using a quarter sized amount at a time. That means that the 8 ounce bottle is going to last a long time! The fragrance is very light and pleasant. That is perfect for me. I don’t like a conditioner with an overpowering smell that I keep noticing all day! It massaged in nicely and the quarter sized amount was just right for my shoulder length hair. It rinsed out quickly and easily. After my shower, my hair was smooth and easy to comb out. I sometimes blow my hair dry and sometimes let it air dry. I tried both methods with the Dove Intensive Repair Daily Treatment Conditioner. I have color treated hair that is wavy and it sometimes can be frizzy when the weather around here is humid. With both blow drying and air drying I definitely noticed than my hair felt softer that with other conditioners. My hair also seems to air dry with much less frizz than with other conditioners. That is a big plus for me because air drying is so much easier and better for my hair! Also? I am not very good with the blow dryer! With this conditioner, on the days that I do blow dry my hair, it is smooth and shiny without any greasy look or feel.

My conclusion is, when I use the Dove Intensive Repair Daily Treatment Conditioner on my hair, whether blown dry or air dried, it is softer and smoother and has more shine! Have you ever tried one of Dove’s Damage Therapy conditioners? What did you think of them?

Enter to win a $1,000 Spafinder gift certificate!

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COMMENTS TO THIS POST ARE NOT SWEEPSTAKES ENTRIES. PLEASE SEE BELOW FOR ENTRY METHODS FOR THIS SWEEPSTAKES.

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This sweepstakes runs from 9/4/2012 – 9/30/2012

Be sure to visit Dove^®Hair.com to get a coupon for $1.50 off Dove Hair Therapy products.

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Here’s my pup, Timmy! I know you haven’t seen him in a while. I can’t believe he’s 6-1/2 years old already! I can’t believe I have a son who is a  sophomore in college, a daughter who is a junior in high school and a son who is a sophomore in high school!  Where does the time go?!!!!

Timmy has been an unhappy dog at bedtime for the past two weeks.  I can’t figure out what is going on with him.  We have always crated him at night.  He is right next to my side of the bed and he has always settled right down and slept happily all night.  Beginning two weeks ago he started whining and panting and seeming very upset in the crate.  He will sleep for a little while and then be upset for a little while and then sleep again.  I let him out to do his business, but that doesn’t seem to be the problem.  He wants to sleep with my husband and I!  I’m fine with it, but hubby says, “No!”

What am I going to do with this pooch?!

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I hope you are able to spend some time enjoying nature this August!  Spiders aren’t my favorite thing in nature, but they certainly are amazing artists!

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Here’s a little crochet project I started today.  It’s a dishcloth.  The pattern is Lily Sugar ‘n Cream Granny Stripes Dishcloth from a 2012 crochet box calendar. I love the colors for summer.  They remind me of the beach!  Sun and water!  The colors I’m using are Sunshine and Shaded Denim.

Do you have any summer craft projects going?

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Milford, CT

Several summers throughout my life have included a week long stay in Milford, Connecticut. Beginning when I was just a baby Milford has been a favorite of my family. It’s so cool to look back at those old photos. I love to remember the family memories that were being made. We also visited Milford when I was a teenager and that brought with it all sorts of new fun adventures to experience! That’s when I discovered that there were teenaged boys at the beach, too! One particular summer we shared a two family rental house with a family that had two delightfully gorgeous teenaged boys! Woo hoo! That vacation was one of my favorite vacations of my teenaged years. My mom and my aunt rented the upstairs half of a house, right on the beach. It was my mom, my aunt, my cousin, my niece, my nephew and myself. My cousin and I spent days with the boys downstairs flying kites, fishing, and walking to Charles Island. Yes, that’s right, walking! You need to start walking as the tide is going out and you can’t stay on the island too long or your walkway back to shore will be under water! That made it all the more exciting!

Charles Island, Milford, CT

The beach is beautiful. No matter which vacation it was, we always spent part of each day just sitting on the lovely, sandy beach enjoying the sun and the shore breezes. There are colorful sailboats gliding peacefully out on the water. I daydream about who is aboard. There are catamarans and little row boats. Sometimes you’ll see a barge going by way out in the distance. Also, totally awesome? You can see Long Island in the distance!

Crab – Don’t worry, we always put all of the sea life back where we found it!

One of my family’s favorite things to do in Milford is at low tide. We love searching the tidal pools for all kinds of marine life! I must admit, I love the hermit crabs! They are just so cute…in their own way! We have found starfish – so cool!, crabs, lobsters, spider crabs, oysters, mussels and clams.

Walking along the beach at high tide is another great activity for families. There are so many shells to find. We love to find shells that have a little hole in them. They’re all ready to make jewelry with!

If you get a rainy day in Milford? No problem! You can wander around town visiting shops and restaurants or you can visit the mall.

I think my favorite thing to do in Milford is search the tidal pools! What would your favorite activity be?

Hmmm…I think I know where my family will be going for summer vacation this year!

Which Connecticut destination would you like to visit? Leave a comment below and you will be entered into a sweepstakes from BlogHer to win $1,000 to help you plan your trip!

For travel information and inspiration, visit CTVisit.com!

Visit BlogHer.com to read other Connecticut travel stories.

Sweepstakes Rules:

No duplicate comments.

You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry methods:
a) Leave a comment in response to the sweepstakes prompt on this post
b) Tweet about this promotion and leave the URL to that tweet in a comment on this post
c) Blog about this promotion and leave the URL to that post in a comment on this post
d) For those with no Twitter or blog, read the official rules to learn about an alternate form of entry.

This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older. Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail. You have 72 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.

The Official Rules are available here.
This sweepstakes runs from 6/14 – 8/8.

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I hope you are having a wonderful week!

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Hope your weekend is wonderful!

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I hope you have a wonderful day!  Happy Easter!

Here’s a cute little crochet duck for you to make!  She’s wearing a scarf in beautiful spring colors to keep her warm in these last days of winter and thinking about maybe showing up in some Easter baskets.  (My daughter named her duck Lily.)

This is another small, easy and quick project so you can make a flock of them if you want to!

Crochet Duck

Pattern created by Gayle www.planetmfiles.com

Size: Approximately 4 inches long

Materials:

• Worsted weight yarn.  I used off-white for the duck.  I don’t know what specific brand or color it is.  I got it in a bargain bin! Also a small amount of yellow yarn for making the beak. And, I used Red Heart Super Saver Yarn in the color Monet for the scarf.
• Stitch marker (I use a small piece of a contrasting color of yarn)
• Crochet Hook – Size G
• Fiberfill Stuffing
• 6 mm half round Darice eyes – 2  Note: If you are giving this to a child, use black yarn and embroider eyes, don’t use the plastic eyes that little fingers can pull off!
• Glue for gluing on eyes, if you are using the Darice eyes

Gauge: Not important

Abbreviations: sc = single crochet, ch = chain, sc dec = single crochet decrease,  sc inc = single crochet increase, sl st = slip stitch, st = stitch, dc = double crochet

Notes: Rounds are worked in continuous spirals, do not join.  Do not turn at the end of each round.

Body

1. chain 2.
2. 6 sc in 2nd ch from hook. Mark first st for beginning of round and move marker up for each round.
3. 2 sc in each sc around – 12 sc.
4. *sc inc, 1 sc in next 2 sc* around – 16 sc.
5. sc in each sc around for 4 rounds – 16 sc in each round.
6. *sc dec, 1 sc in next 2 sc* around – 12 sc.
7. *sc dec, 1 sc in next 4 sc* around – 10 sc.
8. sc in each sc around for 2 rounds – 10 sc in each round.
9. *sc dec, 1 sc in next 3 sc* around – 8 sc.
10. *sc dec, 1 sc in next 2 sc* around – 6 sc.
11. Finish off leaving a long tail for sewing opening closed.
12. Stuff with fiberfill.
13. Flatten opening and sew it closed flat. (See photo below for flattened opening.)

1. chain 2.
2. 8 sc in 2nd ch from hook.  Mark first st for beginning of round and move marker up for each round.
3. *sc inc, sc in next sc around* – 12 sc.
4. *sc inc, sc in next 2 sc* around – 16 sc.
5. sc in each sc around - 16 sc.
6. *sc dec, sc in next 2 sc* around – 12 sc.
7. sc in each sc around – 12 sc.
8. *sc dec, sc in next 4 sc* around – 10 sc.
9. At end of last round work a slip stitch and finish off leaving a long tail.
10. Don’t stuff yet.

Duck Scarf - Not worked in rounds

1. Ch about 40 (or however long you want the scarf to be.)
2. dc in the 4th ch from the hook.
3. dc in the remaining chains.
4. Finish off and weave in ends.

Assembly

• Fold the beak in half and sew it to the head.

  

  Folded Beak

• If you are embroidering on the eyes do that now.
• Stuff head.
• Glue eyes onto head now, if you are using the plastic eyes.
• Sew wings onto body.
• Sew head onto body.
• Using a blunt needle thread all yarn ends into the body. Cut off any excess.

Your duck is finished!  I hope you enjoy this pattern!

This pattern is my own and is protected by copyright laws.  It is intended for your personal use only.  All other uses are strictly prohibited.  This pattern and items made from it may not be sold or used for monetary gains.

This pattern and all photographs are copyrighted.

All Rights Reserved.

© 2008 to the end of time – Planet M Files

If you have any questions, you can leave them in the comments or email me: gayle at planetmfiles dot com

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I love creating new crochet patterns and sharing them with you!

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This is a photo of my son’s college campus from across the river.  We went to visit him in February for his 19th birthday!  I can’t believe that already he is just five weeks away from final exams to complete his freshman year at college.  Wow!  Time is flying by so much faster than it ever has.  It has been a year of highs and lows.  I’m so proud of him.  He already has his sophomore year classes planned out.  He and his new friends (next year’s roommates) are already planning which campus housing they want to get into.  He has become such an independent man during this year.  Did I mention I’m a proud mama?!

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