Covid-19 Face Mask for Mom

My mom (who thanks to the virus, I haven't seen in real life for ages) texted me in a panic. "Can you make me a face mask? I have to go to the doctor and they say we should wear masks."

Now, during the self-isolation, I haven't really left the house. I mean, I've taken walks and stuff, but I haven't been to the grocery or been around people, so I had no need for a mask, and DH has a face cover he's been wearing. So while people around me have been making masks, my sewing machine has just been collecting dust. I don't think I've had it out for two years. 

This was the only scrap fabric I had (which is still pretty darn cute) so I thought I'd give her mask-making a shot. I called up one of the video tutorials, managed to get the bobbin thread caught under the needle and in about two hours, I had a cute little face mask for my mother. (Although she didn't like the elastic and preferred the over-the-ear variety, so I don't know if she actually wore this more than once. Still, it's there and it's washable, and it's at least stylish at the pet stores. 

METHOD:
Following instructions. 

AND WHAT DID WE LEARN?
Sewing is fun :) And my mother was very grateful.

Crochet Headband (Ribbed Headband with Button)

This was the first official project in the "Startup Library Crochet" class both on Great Courses and on Bluprint. I had to take it apart a couple of times because I'm learning to crochet and so the stitches aren't very orderly and uniform yet, but finally I managed to get a piece that looks roughly like what the instructor made. My yarn was thicker than hers so the piece is a little bigger, but I still think it's wearable. I didn't add the button yet because I don't have one I particularly like. 

METHOD:
Done in LionBrand Wool Ease Thick and Quick, from the "Fisherman" color in my stash. 

AND WHAT DID WE LEARN?
1. Single and Half Double Crochet stitches. Yay for me, learning something new (although technically I've tried crochet in the past but it didn't "stick." 

2. This yarn is insanely thick and working with an oversized crochet hook is crazy awkward. 

3. Now I will be able to crochet my own stuff! 

My first Homemade Breads!

I wasn't actually planning on doing a baking blog, but after doing so much baking of banana breads and bread machine breads, I took the plunge, watched a class from King Arthur flour and tried it. It really wasn't hard at all! I put off doing the kneading because I thought that was the hard part, but it was really the fun part and Little Bear did a lot of it. 

There's a run on yeast at the stores right now, but when things settle down, I might end up making homemade bread like this a lot. Maybe retire the bread machine for good :)

METHOD:
Basic White Bread - made from King Arthur recipe, yields 2 loaves

AND WHAT DID WE LEARN?
Bread making is fun! And the kitchen smells wonderful while it's cooking. 

New Classes! And a Crochet Necklace

Because there just wasn't enough to do on The Great Courses Plus (lol) I signed up for Bluprint, since I thought I might actually teach myself to crochet while we're on the self-isolation from Covid-19. I went for quite a while without knitting or doing anything particularly crafty, so it's kind of fun to pick up these old skills and learn some new ones.  

METHOD:
There was a demonstration on Bluprint that showed a long crocheted chain that someone looped and added beads to. I had some spun yarn that I got from Bevin that I didn't know what to do with, so I figured it might make an interesting necklace. I chained all of it, looped it, and then added way too many beads. 

AND WHAT DID WE LEARN?
How to do chain stitch in crochet.