The Post That Wasn't

Sometimes it's not possible to stop and wait for photos:

My poor family and the meals they've had to wait to eat and are eaten cold due to blog photography.

This one did not make it to the "before" photography stage.

"After" is all that I can give you.

Coffee and Cummings Chocolates.

It's all good!

Thank you All Free Crochet!

So happy to announce that

Apple Blossom Dreams 

received an award for being one of 

All Free Crochet's 

2014's top 100 blogs,

for a free scarf pattern found here:

I call it the 

"Chevron Infinity Scarf in HDC",

All Free Crochet calls it the

"Candy Crush Infinity Scarf"

It can really be changed up with different colors:

To go directly to the post with step-by-step photo instructions click here.

In the event that you make the scarf, please send me photos and I would love to

 feature your scarf on the Apple Blossom Dreams blog.

(email astri.bowlin@gmail.com)

Unfamiliar Color Combination

I would like your opinion, please,

 Do you like this color combination?

I've never mixed these colors before.

I'm thinking of an afghan that would coordinate with
 red oak floors and a big cushiony denim chair and a half.

The yarn is Stylecraft Special DK in:

Gold, Camel, Stone, Denim

(Spice, Parchment and Cream are on their way,

I'm excited to see how they will look, as well.)

Suggestions?

Recommendations?

(Gosh, this is fun!)

Multekrem

There's a very special dessert in Norway:

Multebær og Krem

(Cloudberries with Cream)

Cloudberries are pretty much a delicacy in Norway,

and most Norwegians love them.

If you are served this dessert after a meal, you can be certain that you are loved!

The recipe is simple:

Cloudberries a top whipped cream.

See recipe in Norwegian here.

 And now we've turned this luscious dessert into a cocktail:

Our 1 liter of alcohol, that was legally allowed,

 on our return trip from Norway,

included Cloudberry Liquor.

Mixed with a little French Pinnacle Whipped Cream Vodka and there you have it.

(Next time I'll dilute this strong drink with some half and half for an extra creamy delight.)

Norway, France and the USA living happily together in a glass!

"You've Got a Friend"

1000 Followers and a Giveaway!!!

Hello my lovely bloggy friends!

I am happy to announce that  

Apple Blossom Dreams 
now has 1000 Followers!

With a happy heart and joyful soul I want to take this opportunity to 

thank all of you for your interest in this little slice of my world.

In celebration of this gratuitous event I would like to give away 10 patterns from my Etsy shop,

as this shop would have never existed without all of you!

The first 10 followers to leave a comment,

stating which pattern you like best and why, 

will receive the .pdf pattern for free.

We have ten winners now, 
please see comment section for the lucky peeps!
Congratulations winners!!! 
I hope you have many happy crochet moments!

 Remember if you are a non-reply commenter, please do leave a comment but additionally please email me your email address to astri.bowlin@gmail.com so the pattern can be delivered.

You can choose from any pattern in my shop; however, here are some of the most popular:

Five steps to the Granny Rose Pattern    La Vie En Rose Afghan with Border

Mitered Dishcloth                          Meadow Larksfoot Infinity Scarf

Puffy NOLA Sunset Afghan                            Towel Topper

P.S. I tried to contact follower #1000, without success.

(Kathleen, if you read this, please email me and I have something special for you!)

Oh and a funny thing, there are 1001 followers this morning, but #1001, is me, 

and I followed a long time ago, haha.

It's like I am my own ghost. 

Very strange.

Thank you all once again for following!

Good luck and happy crocheting!

Apple Blossom Artistic Effects

Sometimes it's fun to play around on the computer.

This is Apple Blossom Dream's background photo of crocheted apple blossoms,

with different effects:

Which one do you like best?

(These were done up like this in Microsoft Word then pasted into Microsoft Publisher.)

This free apple blossom crochet pattern can be found here.

Just a random Friday evening bit o' fun!

TGIF!

Stained Glass Version of The Puffy NOLA Sunset Afghan

Here's what's on my hook:

It's a stained glass version of The Puffy NOLA Sunset Afghan:

Pattern found here.

This afghan is being worked with one strand of Stylecraft Special DK, in
Black, Petrol, Green, Bottle, Matador Red, Lipstick, Bluebell, Meadow, and Royal.

Every other row is black and then the rest of the rows in-between are
 bright vibrant colors as listed above, all from my stash. Yeah!

You see how much more Bluebell I have and how little Royal I have left?
This just means I will need to have a strategy.
That's easy; I will crochet more rows of Bluebell and less of Royal.
Simple as that!
Rows are random - no set pattern or this would not work.
I like winding the skeins into balls, because then I can see how much I
have left of each color and plan accordingly.
The only rule is...no two colors next to each other.

This will make a handsome afghan for a little fella' that I know,
but could actually be turned into an infinity scarf at this point.
That could be stunning, especially with a black coat.
I picture it being worn to a church, a church with stained glass. ;-)

I sooooooo very much love this hobby.
It's calming and fun, at the same time.
I have recently rearranged our living room around the fireplace to
create a cozy space to work on this hobby and this afghan.

 The NVO sits beside me there on the white love seat.
Generally he studies Norwegian or Jiu Jitsu while I crochet.
It's a very good life and I am grateful for it!!!

Cheers to hobbies!
I hope you have one that you enjoy too!

Hey, Apple Blossom Dreams has 996 followers (not including Bloglovin' followers),
 I think it's time for a giveaway once that number hits 1000!
Stay Tuned!