I wasn't tired last night...

Caitlyn's RWB afghan was set aside;  I wasn't feeling in the right mood to work on it anymore last night.  So, I started playing around with another Granny Square.... and another.... and another.  LOL

I ran out of "Caitlyn's" yarn, so I grabbed "Candace's" yarn (the lighter tan/brown/blue).  Plans for these:  I think I'm going to TRY to make up some cute lil' bags for each of the girls using "their" yarns.  Hook I/9 -- just in case I get sidetracked with something else and forget what size hook I used. 

Candace ended up posing here, but know that I grabbed the camera to get a shot of this wacka-doodle as she was scootin' through the kitchen.  August 2nd:  84 degrees, shorts, sports-bra and a SCARF!  LOL.  She is still so proud of her finish.

Honest engine; I HAVE been doing other things around here besides simply crocheting the hours away :)  The past two mornings, I have picked and picked raspberries, and I STILL haven't picked every row.  Each 'older' row has taken me two hours to pick (Cassie did help a bit two days ago); each row has filled a 5-quart bucket.  There are SO many berries out in those rows!   I have one more 'big' row to do, and then 4 rows of newer transplanted berries from two years ago.  Those rows are a bit more weeded over and haven't had lots of time to spread-spread-spread yet.  All of those rows might give me another 5-quart bucket together.  All-in-all... our raspberry patch is nearing the stage of out-growing our needs.  And hopefully, when Paul wakes up later and the day cools off, he'll be willing to help me pick the rest of the berries.  He finished up his string of night-shifts last night/this morning.  Now, he gets a few days off.  Therefore, we plan to head up to the farm for a couple of days.  MIL called earlier and said she'd LOVE to take some berries off my hands and make a pie.  10-4 good buddy!  Works for me :)

An update on the raspberry syrup recipe.

Recall I used 4 cups berry juice with 5.5 cups sugar.  Now that a jar has resided in the fridge for a couple of days (ALMOST empty now, mind you!), we've noticed it gels up a bit more than what a syrup should.  We simply shake it up, microwave what we want for a few seconds, and life is all good.  However, for the batches today, I cut back on the sugar to 5 cups. 

ALSO, I followed a recipe in our Kitchen Aide Ice Cream maker instruction booklet for Raspberry Sorbet.  The raspberry and syrup parts have to chill for at least 8 hours, so I should be able to work on that lil' goody later on tonight!   :D  Can't wait!

While making up the batches of syrup, dishes constantly needed to be washed, rinsed, dried, repeat.  I went through towels something fierce today, plus I have a bunch in the washing machine.  I hit the bare bottom of my towel drawer!!!  Hiding on the bottom was this 2-pack of Christmas towels, UNUSED; still with tags on them.  I have NO recollection of where/who/when we were given these, but they gave me a reminder idea I had last week -- Crochet-top towels that hang from the stove and/or fridge.  

Deb/VTQuilter posted a couple of weeks back these awesome crochet-top towels (post seen here), and she shared her instructions via email with me....

Deb's instructions:  (I HOPE she doesn't mind that I'm sharing these -- I simply don't want to lose the email.  I can always find the "recipe" on my blog now :)

Deb writes:
I don't have a set pattern. 
I cut it in the middle to make two. 
Then I do a chain stitch across the cut part. 
Turn and do a single crochet across. 
Then do a decrease stitch on the side, double crochet in each next 3 or 4 stitches and then do a decrease. 
Repeat that pattern until the end ending with a decrease. 
Turn and continue until you get down to 5-7 stitches to make the top part that hooks over the stove handle. 
I just do a double crochet in each stitch on each row until it is the length I want. Then I do a decrease, dc, decrease (with 5 stitches). Then a decrease for the last three stitches and end off. Add a button and you have a towel. 
Can you tell I make it up as I go .

So, with the afternoon sun still a bit too warm for outside work, I'm going to give these towels a try!  Naturally, I don't want to mess up the new, unused ones.  Instead, I cut up an older one I have.  Around this house, you can NEVER have enough kitchen towels!

Happy Friday everyone!