The lovely alpaca yarn yet again. Couldn't resist the color. I used the same pattern as on the baby blanket below. Hmmmm....now for the buttons, what will I choose? :)
Not Pictured: I also made a black angora shawl with matching wrist warmers for my mom that I forgot to take pictures of but I will soon!
I used a very soft Organic cotton from Lion Brand on my Grandma's neck warmer and chose buttons that I knew she would love since they resembled abalone. I am quickly developing a love of button shopping now! Fun stuff! I'm sure I will be keeping my eyes peeled for them where ever we go from now on!
And Theresa's neck warmer is a boucle yarn made from angora. I discovered that angora is 7 times warmer than wool! I have also discovered that I don't care to crochet with boucle yarn:) I like the finished look but man was it tricky!
This was a purchased pattern, here is a link to it (I omitted the flowers).
My Aunt Janet is such a gracious hostess. Her house is in the perfect location for my dad's side of the family to have get-togethers so she nicely offers her house for BOTH Thanksgiving and Christmas!! And this year she and my Uncle Randy did it even though Uncle Randy has been fighting cancer for the past several months. He received great news and is feeling much better just in time for the holidays but I know that hosting this year must have been especially challenging.
Aunt Janet loves nature so I used this hand-painted baby alpaca yarn for her wrist warmers. She is a serious crafter, has her own work space out in the garage, so these will come in very handy, allowing her to still work with her fingers while keeping warm.
Not Pictured: I also made a scarf with this yarn but forgot to get a picture. I LOVE this yarn brand. Chris does too and he has a special place in his heart for alpaca yarn. He is already commissioning me to make him an afghan with it! There is a big yarn sale on New Year's Day so that will be my next project! He is requesting dark blue, maroon, and tan. I can't wait because this is fabulous yarn to work with. Here is a link to it.
How cute is this wrapping? Ben and Abby's teachers received wool wrist warmers before Xmas. I just rolled them up and "wrapped" them in yarn! These days I have found that wrist warmers are best made by simply crocheting a rectangle to the appropriate size to wrap around, then when seaming the ends together you leave a gap for the thumb! Simple as that! It's a great one-skein (or less) project! I even used one of mine as a cup cozy the other day when my coffee was too hot (I have given all of my cup cozies away so I don't have my own)!
My first lace work. The free pattern is here, it's called the Violet Points Scarf and it is very easy:) This picture shows the color and fuzziness accurately but the pattern is lost with this dark background.
So here is a shot that you can see the repeating pattern clearly but the color is off. And most excitingly, this was my first time blocking my work. I left one end unblocked (I can finish it later) to see if there really was going to be a difference. And there is! I think the photo below speaks for itself. I used a very simple blocking method. I put a towel on the floor, pinned the scarf to it (in the position that I wanted the final product to be in), and sprayed the whole scarf with warm water. I patted the water into the scarf to ensure that it absorbed. I also patted it with a paper towel to soak up extra water. I let it dry for a couple days and it was done! It's taller than me, it's a gift and I think the recipient will enjoy wearing it folded in half and ends tucked through the fold so it needed to be long. Oh, hmmm, I guess there's something missing here. I should be documenting the yarn I used and the hook size. I will try to remember looking at the yarn label next time I am at the yarn shop because I certainly don't have the label any longer. I do know it took two skeins! Give it a try! It's soft and cuddly!
Update: I gave this to my mother-in-law for Christmas and she absolutely loves it. She wears this color a lot and was extremely excited about the color choice:)
Found this simple pattern for wrist warmers after looking long and hard for a good one. There are plenty of frilly ones out there and this one is actually supposed to have a scalloped edge and a flower on it but I omitted them for now. I can always add them later if I feel like making them more feminine:)
Apparently, Alice wears knitted some wrist warmers in the second Twilight movie and now they are all the rage! I do find them most useful and will definitely be gifting them in the future! I can wear them all the time, typing, crocheting, well, not while doing dishes I guess:) In fact, I'm wearing them right now! My fingers are always the coldest part of my hands so it seems like these would be useless since they are left uncovered BUT I do notice a difference in my overall warmth while wearing them!
They are as simple as making a rectangle and leaving an opening for the thumb when you seam the side together! This yarn is Mochi Plus (the bigger version of the Mini Mochi from my previous post) and so far I absolutely love it. I think I used a size I hook, ah, I can't believe I already forgot when I made these yesterday! I will probably try a slightly smaller hook next time to make the stitches a bit more compact. And, note to self: leave a longer tail when finishing off each rectangle so it can be used to seam them together!
The thinnest yarn I have worked with in a while. It takes longer and I like instant gratification so this is a big challenge for me but I fell in love with this yarn! It is Mini Mochi and it is very soft and lovely. My yarn shop is getting it in worsted weight in a couple days! There are several colors to choose from and it was hard to decide because they are all beautiful! I love how they gradually change from one color to the next. Here is a site that shows the other colors.
This will be a neck warmer. It's a very simple pattern I got from this site. Check out her pictures of all the different ways to wear it!
I also treated myself to very nice buttons to go with it. They are made out of nuts! Or maybe it's nutshells? Anyways, they are gorgeous.
Here is a clearer picture with the flash but it doesn't show the colors accurately so I included the above shot to do that.
I will be posting more projects in the making soon. I am working on several Christmas projects at the same time and completing 2-3 rows here and there on this in the meantime.
I am creating this post in early November but will not be posting it until after Christmas since it is a gift. This baby blanket is made from Lion Organic Cotton using this pattern (altered the size though). It is a very cute design with bumps on top and on the underside. It should be a nice snuggly blanky for Katelyn when she is in her car seat.
Close-up of the "bumps". Update: Katelyn's mommy LOVES it:)
Well, the baby slept well after going to bed tonight so I finished! It took a while since I was using a skinny hook and sock yarn. Most of this was done in half-double crochet stitches in the back loop only which leaves a decorative ribbing around each row. The rows are joined on one side and the bottom was stitched together (it was made like a tube).
The flap was single crochets. The button hole was fun, first time for me. I found the button (I want to replace this someday with a way cooler button!) which was the width of 3 stitches so I chained 3 and skipped over 3 stitches then kept on with the single crochets in that row. The end of the flap looks curved because I went across the last row with bigger then smaller stitches. sc, hdc, hdc, dc, dc, dc, hdc, hdc, sc. When I was finished with the main part I went around the entire opening with a sc edge to give it a finished look.
And then there is the pretty purple case my hubby picked out. This is of course offering plenty of protection for the back and sides but not the beautiful touch screen.
Now on to all of the Christmas presents I want to crochet before I run out of time!
I finished this little guy at 2:00 AM last night, just in time to slip her into Amber's bedroom with a Birthday Girl ribbon pinned to it. I adapted the pattern from here. Really, all I did was change the eyes and add a tail. For the feet, beak and tail, I intertwined yarn and embroidery thread for a neat multi-color look. And my penguin-loving birthday princess loves it!!
I have been looking at neck warmer patterns for Christmas presents. We aren't gifting for adults but I wanted to crochet something special for grandmas. Here are some of my favorites so far. Different colors would be used of course. All of these are made from a basic rectangle!
The next three are variations of the same pattern starting with the least frilly version.
I like this pattern much better! I would suggest having a cup on hand so you can keep trying it on and making adjustments. Depending on your yarn size, hook size, and how tightly you crochet you will need to make adjustments.
Blurry picture since I wanted to get one without the flash brightening the colors (like the pic below). Made it with Paton's Wool yarn. Pattern is here, same person as the previous pattern. It's called the Divine Hat. Now I need to line the rim of it since it's itchy! I usually don't wear hats because I easily get hat-hair but it sure was nice wearing it the other day to cover up my messy hair when I went to pick Abby up from school the other day!
Still to come: I am working on a shawl for a Christmas present but I guess I can't show it until after Christmas!
Katrina commissioned me to make a hat for her rainbow-loving daughter so we searched for patterns, decided on shades of color, and found this free Lattice Hat pattern that fit the bill! I practiced with a different skein of yarn since there were some new-to-me stitches and got to work! It took about 3 hours or so. And the most important part....she loves it!
It's a great pattern once you figure out how the author intended how the rows should start and end. She has designed it so one can hardly tell where the rows begin and end! Oh, the hat pattern is for an adult. To make it child size just start with 8 dc in the ring instead of 9!
I brought the small purple bowl to my mom and the instant she saw it, without knowing it was for her, she focused in on it "ooooh, what's this?" she said with a hopeful look on her face. She loved it. I knew she would!
I recently splurged on a very nice wool yarn to try my hand at felting. I was able to get TWO large bowls and one tiny bowl out of it! That is very exciting, makes the yarn seem more cost worthy:) This is Cascade Yarn's "Magnum" 100% wool, it is thick and beautiful and fabulous to work with. Get this, one skein cost $18.99!!! Luckily I had a 20% off coupon. Getting 3 bowls from the skein made my day!
On to business. I wanted to felt something and I love felted bowls so....with a little online research I gave it my best. We have a gentle front loading washing machine so my only choice was to do this by hand as you need a lot of rough agitation for this task. In the future, I think I will find a friend with a top loading machine and give my arms a break, it was tough work!
I forgot to take before pictures of all of the bowls but here is a picture of the biggest one. The other large one is a tad smaller. Notice the very obvious stitches, single crochets in a round. Felting blends these stitches together and completely changes the fabric. Very hot water, a little dish soap, and a lot of elbow grease does the job.
Here is a picture of the small bowl after it has been felted! More pics tomorrow!
And a close-up of this gorgeous yarn.
I also made Abby a purple hooded scarf with a black edging and it is adorable. I will post a picture soon.
For Katrina, a great friend who loves tea, the color red, and sewing (yup, it's a pincushion)! I don't own the little pellets they recommend to weigh it down so I used pea gravel!
Abby, Lily, Amelia, three sweet girls who met in preschool 3 years ago and formed a pretty strong friendship. Amelia moved to New Zealand several months ago. Not quite understanding exactly how far away NZ is, Abby sometimes asks if Amelia can come to certain parties, etc. Well, she is finally coming "home" for a visit and we are very excited to have a sleepover with Amelia and Lily this week!!! Amelia just turned 6 so we will celebrate that as well! We thought it would be fun to make each of the girls their own ladybugs with "ALA" embroidered on their bellies. ALA (which Abby pronounces Ayla) represents their initials and hopefully the girls will think of each other whenever they play with them. Oh, I should also mention that Lily and Amelia's moms are fabulous as well and we always have a great time together:) Abby's very first sleepover was at Lily's house and it was VERY memorable!
The idea for the ladybug came from the Lion Brand yarn website (and I just realized I need to put antennae on these three!) but I changed it a bit.
Why am I the only one posting here? Hmmmmm? Shanan, get working!!! LOL!
Anyway, my cousin Theresa saw the previous mermaid and reminded me how much our cousin Aubrie loves mermaids and since her college graduation is coming up I set out to make this UW Huskie mermaid (yellow hair, purple hooters). She's a curvaceous hottie!
She needed some bling to have her stand out a little so she is sporting some freshwater pearls...
and an abalone hair piece!
She went to her new home today and will be loved, I'm sure of it:) Congrats Brie! Love ya!
(PS- it's also an appropriate grad gift since her major is Aquatic and Fisheries Sciences....oh, and Theresa gets credit for the abalone idea too!)
Isn't he the cutest? Another creation but I didn't do a great job at making notes of what I did as I did it. I did make notes on the basics. I know how I made all the individual pieces but the construction was interesting.
I have been crocheting on and off for years. A friend’s mom taught me to crochet a bit in grade school over 25 years ago, but I hadn’t done anything with it until a few years ago when I re-taught myself using a simple book. I have crocheted baby blankets for my children and completed a handful of other small projects. I love all things crafty but I don’t do near as much as I used to now that I have three children under the age of 6. Crocheting is the perfect craft for my life right now, relax in my recliner after the kids go to bed and stitch up some great things for them to wear, use, and play with!
Shanan
I'm a total crochet novice, having picked up the hobby in February of 2009. I am learning by surfing the internet, watching videos on YouTube, and playing around with things that are way too hard for a beginner! It's a joy for me to be doing something that appeals so much to both my creativity, and to my logical and mathematical side. I also enjoy golf, yoga, playing music (flute, violin, hammered dulcimer) and spending time with my husband and our four kids.
I used a very soft Organic cotton from Lion Brand on my Grandma's neck warmer and chose buttons that I knew she would love since they resembled abalone. I am quickly developing a love of button shopping now! Fun stuff! I'm sure I will be keeping my eyes peeled for them where ever we go from now on!
I looked online for some Monkey patterns and didn't find anything I loved so I made this one up. It's for a dear little monkey I know. :)
It's very simple, the head is a ball with a color switch. The snout is part of a ball sewn onto the face. The ears are little discs!
Blurry picture since I wanted to get one without the flash brightening the colors (like the pic below). Made it with Paton's Wool yarn. Pattern is here, same person as the previous pattern. It's called the Divine Hat. Now I need to line the rim of it since it's itchy! I usually don't wear hats because I easily get hat-hair but it sure was nice wearing it the other day to cover up my messy hair when I went to pick Abby up from school the other day!
Still to come: I am working on a shawl for a Christmas present but I guess I can't show it until after Christmas!
Katrina commissioned me to make a hat for her rainbow-loving daughter so we searched for patterns, decided on shades of color, and found this free Lattice Hat pattern that fit the bill! I practiced with a different skein of yarn since there were some new-to-me stitches and got to work! It took about 3 hours or so. And the most important part....she loves it!
It's a great pattern once you figure out how the author intended how the rows should start and end. She has designed it so one can hardly tell where the rows begin and end! Oh, the hat pattern is for an adult. To make it child size just start with 8 dc in the ring instead of 9!
I forgot to take before pictures of all of the bowls but here is a picture of the biggest one. The other large one is a tad smaller. Notice the very obvious stitches, single crochets in a round. Felting blends these stitches together and completely changes the fabric. Very hot water, a little dish soap, and a lot of elbow grease does the job.
Here is a picture of the small bowl after it has been felted! More pics tomorrow!
And a close-up of this gorgeous yarn.
For Katrina, a great friend who loves tea, the color red, and sewing (yup, it's a pincushion)!
She needed some bling to have her stand out a little so she is sporting some freshwater pearls...
She went to her new home today and will be loved, I'm sure of it:) Congrats Brie! Love ya!
