Yarn Krazy!!

This blog is MOVING.

2008-08-11T14:18:00.003+01:00

I have decided to move this blog over to Yarn Krazy (clicky-clicky). Moving it means I will probably update it more often than I've been for the last year plus. I haven't yet decided if I'm going to move all of my old posts or just leave this up as the old and continue on for the new. For now, I'm just starting over. If I decide to move everything over, I will leave another short announcement.

But starting now, please use the new link.

yarn fiend out.

Started a new project... finally!

2008-06-29T02:52:00.002+01:00

I haven't crocheted much in the past year. After moving last year, trying to make this new house a home, and simply having my time occupied by other things, I just didn't feel much desire to. But I recently found out that my best friend's niece is pregnant again, so I started a new blanket for her. She's only about 9 or 10 weeks along, so she has no idea what sex the baby is - so I chose a gender-neutral color.

It's going to be just a run-of-the-mill granny square afghan, but the yarn I'm using is American - you just can't find yarn like this out here. It was one of the many things that I'd inadvertently left behind when we moved from the US to the UK, and my grandmother sent it to me last summer.

Chloe's "Almost a Rainbow" Poncho

2007-04-07T00:11:00.000+01:00

A week ago, Chloe was home from school because she wasn't feeling well. She found Caitlin's poncho (not the one I made her, but another one that she'd gotten from one of Chloe's teachers last year) and was messing around with it. One minute she was wearing it, and the next it was her "hair." *lol* But after playing with it a while, she came to me and asked me if I could make her one like it. As it's a simple granny square poncho, my response was "what color?" :)

She decided that she wanted it in "rainbow colors, like Syrina's [scarf]." So I got started that night. I had kind of hoped, since it would be such a small poncho, that I could get it finished that night, because Hubby was due to take her out on a little "field trip" to Newcastle to see the Castle Keep on Saturday. Unfortunately, I only got to the end of the yellow band by the time I went to bed.

When they got back on Saturday, I tried it on her to see how many more colors I could fit into it, and she wanted me to just stop at the green! I told her it would be a little too short if I did that, so she changed her mind and decided I could put purple on it. That's why it's an "Almost a Rainbow" poncho - I had to skip over blue and indigo and go straight to purple.

Ah well... she loves it, I guess that's all that matters. :)

Wild & Woolie Swap Items Revealed

2007-04-06T20:58:00.000+01:00

I finally got around to resizing my photos so I could show y'all in blogger-ville what I made for Angie, my swap partner, for the Wild & Woolie Swap over at Crochetville.

The drawstring pouch is made with size 10 cotton thread, using my one and only thread hook. It's alternating rows of dc with shells. The lining is white satin.

The purse is made with chunky acrylic yarn, using an H hook. I had originally planned on putting some of that novelty yarn (I seem to have misplaced the yarn label and I forget what it's called) all the way down the purse, but when I got as far as the picture shows, I decided that looked perfect, so I stopped. It, too, is lined with white satin. I had considered making a small cell phone pouch for the inside of the lining, but my sewing skills aren't the greatest (huge understatement there! *lol*), so I didn't.

The bookmark is again made with size 10 thread - the same thread I used to make my pincushion, actually - and again, with my one and only thread hook.

The scarf is made from 100% Bamboo yarn. Oh. My. God. This stuff was a DREAM to work with! You'd think that, with it being made from BAMBOO, it would be rough. Just the opposite, actually. It was SO soft!!! And I just picked the colors at random - I didn't really think about which colors they were, I just wanted colors that looked good together. It wasn't until I finished the scarf and had hubby inspect it that he pointed out that it looked like Neapolitan ice cream! *lol* So I have to give him the credit for actually naming the scarf. *wink*

I made a little sachet for her, with Lavendar essential oil in the stuffing. Apparently she plans on using it for a pincushion. I didn't even think of a YARN pincushion! *lol* Whatever - I don't really care, as long as she USES it! *grin*

I picked up a few "extra goodies" as well. I wanted something that screamed out "Sunderland" - since that's where I live - but I didn't want it to be huge. So I went over to the tourism office and had a look-see. When I saw the magnet, it shouted out "pick me! Pick me!" So I did. :)

The Galaxy chocolate bar... well, if you'd ever HAD Galaxy chocolate, I wouldn't HAVE to explain why I sent it to her! It's absolute heaven!! I got her the hand cream because she said she liked hand cream (and I happened to need some, too, so I got her some when I got ME some), and the tea... well, again, she said she liked tea. And if I'm going to send her tea, I want to send her something that says "British." How much more British can you GET than Yorkshire tea? *grin*

But can you believe that I forgot to take a picture of the actual WOOL I bought her? *LOL*

I had a lot of fun in this swap, and knowing that I got everything out on time and didn't have a problem being able to afford the supplies I needed made it SO much better!

Comfortghan Package Has Been Sent!

2007-03-27T23:35:00.000+01:00

one of the girls' ghans
one of the girls' dolly ghans
stuffed toys for the girls
cards for Jessie and the girls
the other girls' dolly ghan
the other girls' ghan
One of MY squares!!!!
Jessie's 'ghan

Just look at that!!! I'm just glowing with the love and pride I feel for having been a part of making those gorgeous items up there. Krystal got them completely finished and sent off today. As it's only Tuesday, it's quite likely that Jessie could get them by the end of the week!!! I can't wait to hear what she thinks of them!

I definitely think I'm going to keep a better eye on the comfortghans forum from now on. All it took was 2 hours of crocheting time and less than £2 in postage for me to be part of this (not including the $$$ donation I put in there, but this was a special case... I wouldn't be doing that every time I sent out comfortghan squares). It's an amazing feeling, knowing you've been a part of something like this. Something meant to bring love and comfort to somebody. This time it's been somebody I know (albeit not WELL, but still...). Next time it might be a stranger. But the intent behind it would be the same, and this is such an awesome natural high I just can't even describe it!!

"Shades of the Rainbow" - a scarf for Syrina

2007-03-22T22:50:00.000Z

I just started this on Tuesday evening, and finished it last night. All I had to do today was weave in the ends.

The scarf in its entirety

A close-up... but fuzzier than I would have liked.

Syrina with her new scarf!!!

You'll have to excuse the way Syrina's looking in the picture. She's not been feeling well lately. She's stayed home from school for the past 2 days, and I have a sneaking feeling that she'll be staying home again tomorrow too. I was lucky I got her to sit still with the scarf on and look in my general direction to get the picture in the first place.

I hadn't actually planned this particular project. It all came from Syrina "stealing" a scarf from the hat/scarf/glove box in the front hallway on Tuesday morning. It was one of my scarves (I have several). I asked her if she'd like to borrow it for the day, and she nodded yes at me. As Syrina is severely autistic and completely non-verbal, a nod is a BIG deal when it comes to communication. It isn't the first time I've gotten a nod (or a shake, for that matter) when I've asked her a question, but simply asking a question doesn't necessarily mean that I'll GET a nod or a shake. So when she so obviously wanted to borrow it, I couldn't NOT let her.

That evening, when I was cleaning up after the kids having dinner and such, I found it on the floor of her bedroom. I picked it up to put it away, and the lightbulb went off over my head. "You really like this scarf, don't you, Syrina? Would you rather have one like this instead of a furry scarf?" (I asked this because I had plans to make her a furry scarf, because she'd seen me making her sisters' and seemed to like it.) I got ANOTHER nod - even more emphatic this time. "I can make you one if you want. Would you like that?" Yet another emphatic nod.

So I grabbed a few balls of yarn out of my stash to try and figure out what kind of color or color scheme she liked, but to be honest, she looked like she couldn't care less. What she really likes are the patterns and the textures of the stitches. I don't think she CARED what color it was.

So I got the idea to make a rainbow scarf. But seeing as I had 2 shades of pink, 2 of green, and 3 of blue, I figured I'd make it with every shade of every color I had. The one color in the rainbow I didn't have was orange, but rather than go out and buy a skein of orange just to make the scarf, I figured I'd just leave it out. Considering all the other colors I already had, I didn't think it would make a difference.

I really thought I would have it finished all in one night, but it took me 2 days. However, seeing as she ended up staying home from school and didn't really need to wear it anyway, it was just as well.

I'm thinking I might add something to it, though. It seemed almost TOO plain. I asked for suggestions over at the 'ville, and somebody suggested I do curly fringe. I did something like it for an amigurumi I did last year (if you search through the archives I'm sure you'll find it, because I posted it), but I just didn't think of it when I was looking at the scarf trying to figure out what to do. I'm seriously leaning towards doing that. I may change my mind, of course, but ya never know. :D

Jessie's Comfortghan

2007-03-21T20:49:00.000Z

Krystal's almost done putting the comfortghan together. Isn't it beautiful??

I gotta tell ya, I get a warm fuzzy feeling all over knowing that I've been a part of this. And the outpouring of support from the members of the 'ville has been astronomical. Krystal has had so many squares sent to her that she's got enough to make a 'ghan for Jessie, each of her 2 girls, AND Jessie's MIL!!!! And not only that, but a lot of members have sent money that Krystal is going to give to Jessie to help take care of the girls until they decide what to do (apparently they're considering moving after the girls' school year is out, to be closer to family).

I am just in awe at the amount of love and support that has gone into this thing. It's the first time I've ever been involved in a project of this magnitude, and I'm just amazed.

Caitlin's Purse

2007-03-19T23:43:00.000Z

The whole thing...

Close-up of the body of the purse...

And an even closer close-up, so you can see the cute little button I found for it!!!

Caitlin had gotten a little craft kit from one of her friends as a late Christmas present, and we were both disappointed to find out that it was for nothing but making pom-poms. Pom-poms are okay for certain things, but what the heck is a 10 year old supposed to do with a BUNCH of them???

So I came up with the idea of using the yarn inside to make a purse for her (which she'd been dying for anyway) instead. She absolutely loved that idea, so Saturday night I sat down with the box and started crocheting away.

She didn't even see the entire completed project before going to bed (because I still had to finish the lining) but already she kept asking me "are you going to finish that tonight, Mom?" So I'm guessing she likes it.

And really, that's all that matters. It's HER purse, so as long as SHE likes it, nobody else's opinions matter worth a damn anyway. ;)

Ellie's BICO

2007-03-16T21:40:00.000Z

Hayley asked me a few days ago to make Ellie a cardigan. I explained to her that I'd never done one before, but that I'd seen the posts on the 'ville about the BICO (Baby It's Cold Outside) cardigan from Crochet Me!, and it was supposed to be super-easy, so I'd try that one first.

Well... here we are!

I used a different yarn and hook than what the pattern calls for, mainly because there's no way I could GET the yarn the pattern calls for (sold only in the U.S.). I ended up using baby dk yarn (slightly thinner than regular dk yarn) and an H hook. I made the pattern as indicated for the 12 month size, due to the changes in hook size and yarn.

It's hard to tell from the pictures, but it looks to me like this is something Ellie will be able to use now, instead of having to grow into.

I'll find out soon, though... I'm going to wash it tonight and hopefully I can get Hayley to bring Ellie over tomorrow for a fitting. Maybe she'll even let me take some pictures of Ellie in it! :D

Circle of Hope Tutorial

2007-03-14T22:11:00.000Z

A lady over at the 'ville tried to make my Circle of Hope pattern as written... but ran into problems. So I thought I'd create a pictorial tutorial (try saying THAT 3 times fast! *lol*) to help her and anybody else who might have a problem with the pattern as written. So here it is!!

Circle of Hope
Suzanne Barrow’s Version
February 2007

Largely based on Melissa R. Green’s Circle of
Hopehttp://www.geocities.com/alyssa5000/circle.html

Materials:
Size H hook
About ½ oz. yarn

Makes a 7 inch square

Ch 4, join with a sl st to form a ring

Rnd 1: ch 3, 11 dc in ring, join

Rnd 2: ch 3, dc in same sp, 2 dc in next st and in each st around, join

Rnd 3: ch 1, sc in same sp, [ch 3, skip next st, sc in next st], repeat from [ to ] around, join.

Rnd 4: sl st into ch-3 sp, ch 3, 2 dc in ch-3 sp, [3 dc in next ch-3 sp, ch 2, 3 dc in same ch-3 sp, 3 dc in next 2 ch-3 sp], repeat from [ to ] around, join.

making the first corner

starting to look more like a square
There you go! From a circle to a square!

Rnd 5: sl st in first 2 dc and in the sp between 2 dc clusters. Ch 3, 2 dc in between the two clusters, [3 dc – ch 2 – 3 dc in next sp, 3 dc in next sp], repeat from [ to ] around

starting the next round

Round 5 all done!
Rnd 6 – 8: repeat pattern from Rnd 5, putting 3 dc – ch 2 – 3 dc in every corner.

Round 6

Round 7
Round 8

Rnd 9: sc in each st around, putting 3 dc in each ch-2 sp in the corners.Fasten off, weave in ends.

Round 9

I hope this helps. If there are any other questions, please don't hesitate to leave me a comment!!

Thread Pincushion

2007-03-13T21:57:00.000Z

Made with Aunt Lydia's size 10 mercerized crochet cotton - "Ocean" color - using a Boye size 6 (1.80 mm) steel hook.

After making some of the "fun stuff" for my swap partner, and realizing I needed to buy straight pins, I realized I needed a pincushion. Hubby said to me "I can buy you one at the pound store, complete with pins and everything." But what fun would THAT be? Besides, I already BOUGHT the pins... I just needed something to stick them in!

And I just LOVE the color of this thread. I was dying to make something for myself with this stuff, but didn't know what. I need to make a pincushion, I have this thread that I want to use... make the pincushion with the thread!!!

I did take one suggestion from the hubby, though. He suggested I make it "smelly." So I put 5 drops of lavendar essential oil in the stuffing. It smells heavenly!!!

Wild & Woolie Swap

2007-03-13T16:46:00.000Z

Angie's swap package went in the post today. I'm SO relieved!! It was getting WAY too close to the deadline. I didn't think it would take me so long to finish, but then again, I made certain things for my swap partner that I'd never made before, and I underestimated how long it would take me to do them. I can't wait until she gets it, so I can show off what I've made. I'm very proud of them, even if I DO say so myself. Hey - they MUST be pretty good, because my SIL has requested exact duplicates of 2 of the items, and a 3rd thing to go with one of them.

I'm just glad I finally got it all off to her. It was fun shopping, planning, and creating for her, but with the deadline fast approaching, I was starting to stress.

Comfortghan Squares for Jessie's Girls

2007-03-12T00:28:00.000Z

These are the comfortghan squares I've done for Jessie's girls, Rory and Lori. Rory is around my Lexi's age (Lexi's 6), and Lori is only 2 1/2.

I know this isn't enough to take the pain of losing their father away from them, but I hope it helps even just a little bit. Hopefully when they're older, they'll understand what it is we're trying to do for them.

What they will never understand is that this is as much for us - those of us who are donating squares - as it is for them. Crochetville is a wonderful place, where people you don't even know will rally around you in your time of need, all you have to do is say something. I'd be willing to bet a lot of us are like me - meaning if circumstances allowed it, Jessie would have a huge group of people at her front door, asking what needed to be done. But we can't all do that, and so we've got to do SOMEthing. It's just the way we are.

Comfortghan Squares for Jessie

2007-03-11T01:35:00.001Z

Jessie, a woman I've been getting to know recently on the 'ville just lost her husband yesterday. She's a SAHM with 2 small children, and she's already had a lot to deal with lately. The timing of this couldn't be worse.

So another lady on the board immediately started organizing a comfortghan for her and her kids. I've still got a few finishing touches to put on my swap partner's package, but I decided this was important enough to put it off for just one day to get some squares done.

I'm going to do a couple more for the kids as well, but as it's already well past late here, they're going to have to wait until the morning.

My heart hurts for Jessie. She's been so supportive to a small group of us who are trying to do some "self-improvement," and like I said before, she's been through so much lately. It's times like this when I wish I was lucky enough to be rich. If I had an unlimited supply of money, I'd be on a plane right now. I'd just show up on her doorstep and say "what do you need me to do?" - AFTER I gave her a big hug, of course.

But I don't have an unlimited supply of money. So the closest thing to a hug she's going to get from me is to know that a couple of the squares in her 'ghan came from me. So I guess that'll have to do. It's not enough, but it's something.

WiP Wednesday, March 7, 2007

2007-03-07T21:51:00.000Z

I've been so busy working on my Wild & Woolie Swap partner's items that I haven't gotten anything else done this past week.

But I am really pleased with how they're turning out. They're nearly done - just a few finishing touches left that I need to do. Hopefully I'll be able to get her package out by this weekend - Monday at the very latest. Once I know that she's received it, I'll be posting pictures of what I've made her.

Also, I've had a request from Ellie's mom (Hayley) for a cardigan. I showed her the BICO, because I've heard they're super easy - and I've never actually DONE a wearable before that wasn't a poncho or a shawl. So I'm going to be starting that soon. I've already got the yarn for it, I just want to make sure I get this swap stuff done before I start on anything new.

Crochet is definitely "IN"!!

2007-03-05T19:38:00.000Z

I snapped this pic in the window of Monsoon in The Bridges today. From what I understand - from my SIL, and from the various people I've spoken to around town regarding shopping and fashion trends, Monsoon is one of THE places to shop. I'm talking like I'm a total freak of nature because I DON'T shop there.

But I happened to walk past there this morning on my way to another shop, and when I saw this, I just had to backtrack. I wasn't sure at first if it really was crocheted or not, but when I looked a bit closer, I saw that sure enough, it's definitely crocheted. So I had to whip out my phone and snap a pic (aren't camera phones great? *hehe*).

If they're putting things like this on display at a shop like this, then crochet is definitley "IN"! Now if only people would realize that these things ARE crocheted, then they wouldn't look at me like I've grown a second head when I tell them I crochet, NOT knit (or more accurately, I crochet WAY better than I knit!).

WiP Wednesday, February 28, 2007

2007-02-28T22:08:00.000Z

Sorry, photophiles (is that a word? *lol*) no pics this week.

Why?

Well... I'll tell ya! If you'll look to my sidebar on the right over there ~~~>, you'll see that I've joined another swap. The Wild & Woolie Swap over at the 'ville. I was reluctant to join another swap after the fiasco I made of the last one, but right before the signups opened, our financial situation changed drastically, and I knew I wouldn't have a problem being able to get supplies or getting it out on time.

So now that I've got all of Ellie's gifts done and out of the house, I've been concentrating on getting my partner's items done. She's getting some wool (obviously!!), and I'm also making a few little "extras" to put in her package. So far one item is about 30% done, another is 90% done, and another is 99% done (just need to weave in ends). I have TAKEN pics, but I'm not uploading them until I know my partner has gotten her package. Don't want to ruin the surprise!!!!

I'm having fun, though. A lot more fun than I did last time, because I don't have to worry. "Am I going to be able to get this done on time?" Yup. "Am I going to be able to get this OUT on time?" Yup. The only worry I have is whether or not she's going to like it, but then again, other people who have seen the items have had nothing but good things to say about them. My SIL wants an exact duplicate of one of the items, and even Hubby says I should make more of one of the other items and try selling them! So... *fingers crossed*... my partner (Angela) SHOULD like them.

I hope!!

Blue and Yellow Rectangular Granny Afghan

2007-02-25T22:21:00.000Z

Made from Erin Lindsay's rectangular granny square pattern, using baby dk weight yarn... although I can't remember what size hook. Because:

This is actually quite an old one. I started it back in June/July, and had it finished by mid-July. It was for my neighbor's niece (Ellie's mom's cousin), who had a baby boy in July.

I told my neighbor that it was done, and told her that when Gemma (her neice) came over to visit, to have her stop at my house and get her blanket. She never came. (Methinks my neighbor forgot to tell her.)

So while cleaning and organizing my stash, I put all of my FO's in a storage box, and this happened to be one of them.

Well, I happened to run into Gemma a couple of weeks back while the kids and I were out shopping, and I thought to mention this afghan that I have had for months... and months... and months!

Tonight (FINALLY!!), Hayley (my neighbor's daughter, Ellie's mom) came over and said that her aunt Carol (Gemma's mom) was over and had asked about the blanket.

So now I have a little more room in my FO box... what to put in it next? Decisions, decisions. *lol*

Ellie's Baby Granny

2007-02-23T21:10:00.000Z

I **FINALLY** finished it!!!!

This was, of course, made without a pattern. Just make-up-as-you-go.

There are 3 squares each of purple, pink, green, and yellow, sc'd together (as you can see if you look at the pictures above). I prefer to sc squares together - it's quicker and seems stronger to me.

The border is 4 rounds of sc and 1 round of 3sc, ch 3, 3sc (without skipping any sc's). that's what gives it the ruffly/key-hole look.

The whole thing was made with dk baby yarn and an H hook.

Ellie's Baby Bonnet

2007-02-23T20:56:00.000Z

Made from this pattern here.

I hadn't actually PLANNED on making a bonnet... but I had a pretty long bus ride to my oldest dd's school, and went looking for a small and quick project I could take with me to work on during the ride. I found this and just could NOT resist.

It's made with dk baby yarn and an F hook. I finished most of it on the bus ride and only had a few rows to do when I got home that afternoon.

As you can see, her baby doll is the model, as Ellie herself hasn't even seen it yet. I just washed it and it's in the dryer now. As it's already 9 p.m. here, I'll give it to her in the morning.

Ellie's Baby Doll

2007-02-19T22:53:00.000Z

This is, of course, her head

And her bod.

A leg.

Her hair (as cute as it looks, it's a pain in the ASS to do!!!).

And here she is in her entirety.

I didn't follow a pattern when I made her... I made up my own!!! *yay me!!* *lol*

I wrote it down as I went along, and I'm going to share it here, just in case anybody's interested in making one like it.

Ellie – a baby doll to crochet
Suzanne Barrow
© 2007

Materials needed:
Yarn of your choice
Complimentary hook (you don’t want to wear the skin off your fingers trying to push the hook through your work, but you DO want your stitches nice and tight).
Stitch markers
Stuffing

Notes:
Use your stitch marker to mark the first stitch in the ring.
The adjustable ring can be found here.

Head

Using an adjustable ring, sc 6 sts into ring, and pull to close.

Round 1: 2 sc in each st around (12 sts)
Round 2: {2 sc in first st, 1 sc in next st}, repeat from { to } around (18 sts)
Round 3: {2 sc in first st, 1 sc in next 2 sts}, repeat from { to } around (24 sts)
Round 4: {2 sc in first st, 1 sc in next 3 sts}, repeat from { to } around (30 sts)
Round 5: {2 sc in first st, 1 sc in next 4 sts}, repeat from { to } around (36 sts)
Round 6: {2 sc in first st, 1 sc in next 5 sts}, repeat from { to } around (42 sts)
Round 7: {2 sc in first st, 1 sc in next 6 sts}, repeat from { to } around (48 sts)
Round 8: {2 sc in first st, 1 sc in next 7 sts}, repeat from { to } around (54 sts)
Round 9: {2 sc in first st, 1 sc in next 8 sts}, repeat from { to } around (60 sts)
Round 10: {2 sc in first st, 1 sc in next 9 sts}, repeat from { to } around (66 sts)
Round 11: {2 sc in first st, 1 sc in next 10 sts}, repeat from { to } around (72 sts)
Rounds 12 – 23: sc in each st around (72 sts)
Round 24: {sc 2 tog [sc dec], 1 sc in next 10 sts}, repeat from { to } around (66 sts)
Round 25: {sc 2 tog, 1 sc in next 9 sts}, repeat from { to } around (60 sts)
Round 26: {sc 2 tog, 1 sc in next 8 sts}, repeat from { to } around (54 sts)
Round 27: {sc 2 tog, 1 sc in next 7 sts}, repeat from { to } around (48 sts)
Round 28: {sc 2 tog, 1 sc in next 6 sts}, repeat from { to } around (42 sts)
Round 29: {sc 2 tog, 1 sc in next 5 sts}, repeat from { to } around (36 sts)
Round 30: {sc 2 tog, 1 sc in next 4 sts}, repeat from { to } around (30 sts)
Fasten off, leaving a long tail for sewing.

Body

Using an adjustable ring, sc 6 sts into ring, and pull to close. Use your stitch marker to mark the first stitch in the ring.
Round 1: 2 sc in each st around (12 sts)
Round 2: {2 sc in first st, 1 sc in next st}, repeat from { to } around (18 sts)
Round 3: {2 sc in first st, 1 sc in next 2 sts}, repeat from { to } around (24 sts)
Round 4: {2 sc in first st, 1 sc in next 3 sts}, repeat from { to } around (30 sts)
Round 5: {2 sc in first st, 1 sc in next 4 sts}, repeat from { to } around (36 sts)
Round 6: {2 sc in first st, 1 sc in next 5 sts}, repeat from { to } around (42 sts)
Round 7: {2 sc in first st, 1 sc in next 6 sts}, repeat from { to } around (48 sts)
Round 8: {2 sc in first st, 1 sc in next 7 sts}, repeat from { to } around (54 sts)
Round 9: {2 sc in first st, 1 sc in next 8 sts}, repeat from { to } around (60 sts)
Rounds 10-34: sc in each st around (60 sts)
Round 35: {sc 2 tog, 1 st in next 8 sts}, repeat from { to } around (54 sts)
Round 36: sc in each st around (54 sts)
Round 37: {sc 2 tog, 1 st in next 7 sts}, repeat from { to } around (48 sts)
Round 38: sc in each st around (48 sts)
Round 39: {sc 2 tog, 1 st in next 6 sts}, repeat from { to } around (42 sts)
Round 40: sc in each st around (42 sts)
Round 41: {sc 2 tog, 1 st in next 5 sts}, repeat from { to } around (36 sts)
Round 42: sc in each st around (36 sts)
Round 43: {sc 2 tog, 1 st in next 4 sts}, repeat from { to } around (30 sts)
Round 44: sc in each st around (30 sts)
Fasten off

Arms (make 2)

Using an adjustable ring, sc 6 sts into ring, and pull to close. Use your stitch marker to mark the first stitch in the ring.
Round 1: 2 sc in each st around (12 sts)
Round 2: {2 sc in first st, 1 sc in next st}, repeat from { to } around (18 sts)
Round 3: {2 sc in first st, 1 sc in next 2 sts}, repeat from { to } around (24 sts)
Round 4: {2 sc in first st, 1 sc in next 3 sts}, repeat from { to } around (30 sts)
Round 5-9: sc in each st around (30 sts)
Round 10: {sc 2 tog, 1 sc in next 3 sts}, repeat from { to } around (24 sts)
Round 11: sc in each st around (24 sts)
Round 12: {sc 2 tog, 1 sc in next 2 sts}, repeat from { to } around (18 sts)
Round 13-29: sc in each st around (18 sts)
Round 30: {sc 2 tog, 1 sc in next st}, repeat from { to } around (12 sts)
Round 31: sc in each st around (12 sts)
Fasten off, leaving a long tail for sewing.

Legs (make 2)

Using an adjustable ring, sc 6 sts into ring, and pull to close. Use your stitch marker to mark the first stitch in the ring.
Round 1: 2 sc in each st around (12 sts)
Round 2: {2 sc in first st, 1 sc in next st}, repeat from { to } around (18 sts)
Round 3: {2 sc in first st, 1 sc in next 2 sts}, repeat from { to } around (24 sts)
Round 4: {2 sc in first st, 1 sc in next 3 sts}, repeat from { to } around (30 sts)
Round 5: {2 sc in first st, 1 sc in next 4 sts}, repeat from { to } around (36 sts)
Round 6-10: sc in each st around (36 sts)
Round 7: {sc 2 tog, 1 sc in next 4 sts}, repeat from { to } around (30 sts)
Round 8: sc in each st around (30 sts)
Round 9: {sc 2 tog, 1 sc in next 3 sts}, repeat from { to } around (24 sts)
Round 10-30: sc in each st around (24 sts)
Round 31: {sc 2 tog, 1 sc in next 2 sts}, repeat from { to } around (18 sts)
Round 32: sc in each st around (18 sts)
Fasten off, leaving a long tail for sewing.

Sew head to body; arms to body; and legs to body. If you want to add hair, add it any way you want. If you want to make clothes for your doll, by all means do so. But if you prefer your dolls nekkid, that’s okay too.

Comfortghan Squares

2007-02-10T20:30:00.000Z

I decided to whip up a couple of squares for a comfortghan for a lady on the 'ville whose mother has been diagnosed with cancer.

I was trying to make the Circle of Hope square, but wasn't having much luck. It didn't matter how many times I frogged it and started over, it just never looked right. I don't know if there's an error in the pattern somewhere, if I kept making the same mistake over and over, or if I was just having a really long blond moment. *lol* Whatever it was, I just could NOT get it, no matter what I did.

So I had the wonderful idea of frogging back to a certain point and making it up on my own as I went. That worked! And I liked the "Circle of Hope" idea so much that I ditched the idea I'd had for the second square and just made another one in another color.

I've written up the instructions for what I did in case somebody would like to copy my idea. I really just followed the original pattern for the first few rounds, but rather than send somebody flipping through 2 different patterns back and forth, I wrote it all down. I have to give credit where credit is due, however, and reiterate that the first few rounds are NOT my creation. It's only from Round 4-on that is MY creation. It's not exactly a difficult pattern, but ya never know when some crochet newbie might stumble along on my blog, see this and think "I wanna do that!" In that case, a pattern would be a good thing. :)

Circle of Hope
Suzanne Barrow’s Version
February 2007

Largely based on Melissa R. Green’s Circle of Hope
http://www.geocities.com/alyssa5000/circle.html

Materials:
Size H hook
About ½ oz. yarn

Makes a 7 inch square

Ch 4, join with a sl st to form a ring

Rnd 1: ch 3, 11 dc in ring, join
Rnd 2: ch 3, dc in same sp, 2 dc in next st and in each st around, join
Rnd 3: ch 1, sc in same sp, [ch 3, skip next st, sc in next st], repeat from [ to ] around, join.
Rnd 4: sl st into ch-3 sp, ch 3, 2 dc in ch-3 sp, [3 dc in next ch-3 sp, ch 2, 3 dc in same ch-3 sp, 3 dc in next 2 ch-3 sp], repeat from [ to ] around, join.
Rnd 5: sl st in first 2 dc and in the sp between 2 dc clusters. Ch 3, 2 dc in between the two clusters, [3 dc – ch 2 – 3 dc in next sp, 3 dc in next sp], repeat from [ to ] around
Rnd 6 – 8: repeat pattern from Rnd 5, putting 3 dc – ch 2 – 3 dc in every corner.
Rnd 9: sc in each st around, putting 3 dc in each ch-2 sp in the corners.

Fasten off, weave in ends.

That's it. Easy-peasy, lemon-squeezy, as they say out here. Once I decided to do it MY way, these two squares took me less than 2 hours to complete, including weaving in ends and everything. Not bad for a night's work. I just hope the recipient likes them as much as I do!

The Round Ripple is FINITO!!!!

2007-02-09T21:01:00.000Z

Finally!!!

Of course, to be honest, it really didn't take me all that long. But it FELT like it took forever. Now that I think about it, the baby afghans that I made for my children and my niece and nephew took longer, but this one seemed to drag on and on forever.

Now that it's finished, I'll tell y'all the details. It's made from dk (double knitting) weight yarn, with an F (Susan Bates) hook. Since I used 2 partial skeins for the 2 different shades of pink and not even a whole skein of the white, I can't be absolutely certain, but if I had to guess, I'd say it used about 1 1/2 skeins of yarn (100g skeins). It's not very big, but it's not supposed to be. The baby granny is going to be much bigger. I'm thinking this one would be great to use in her buggy when it starts getting a bit warmer out, but it's not so warm that she wouldn't need anything at all. (Of course, to be quite honest, it rarely gets that warm here anyway.)

I got the pattern here. I have to thank the ladies of the 'ville for that - I kept seeing these round ripples all over the place, and didn't know where to find the pattern. But the 'ville has this really nifty search option, so I did a search, and whaddya know? Somebody had posted the link to the pattern. Lucky me! *lol*

It still needs to be washed (I ALWAYS wash items before gifting them - it softens up the yarn and they get the delicious smell of my fabric softener! *lol*), but I'm not giving it to Ellie until I get her other stuff done anyway. I may start assembling her baby granny tonight, if I have time. Regardless, it should only be a few days more before I've got everything finished (I'm making her a little stuffy with the scraps left over as well) and can take it all next door.

WiP Wednesday - February 7, 2007

2007-02-07T11:34:00.000Z

I'm nearly there!!!!

The baby granny is ready to assemble. That's all that needs to be done, aside from a border - but I can't put a border on it until I ASSEMBLE it! *cheeky grin*

And the round ripple is well on its way to being done. I've got another row to do of the white, and then I think I'm going to do one row of the coral/peachy-pink, one white, one light pink, one white... and then that's it. This one isn't going to be very big - but it's not SUPPOSED to be very big. I'm thinking it'll be good for use on the buggy, especially when it gets warmer but not warm enough to go without anything.

I've also done a bonnet for the baby, but I need one of the kids to find me a model (read: baby doll) before I can take a proper picture of it.

And I've decided something. For every project I finish, I'm allowed to start a new one. BUT... I ALSO have to work on a UFO while I'm working on the new project. I used to be able to just work on one project at a time, but nowadays, I get bored working on the same thing day after day after day. Which is why I've had so many WiPs going at once. But I've got a few things that have been sitting in the UFO pile for almost a year. So this way, I get to work on more than one thing at a time, I DO get to work on something new, BUT I also get some of my UFOs out of the way, too.

I think the green & white shawl I started back in AUGUST will be the first UFO to be pulled out of the pile. I've got some that have been sitting there longer, but if i don't get this shawl done soon, then it's going to be too warm for the person it's intended for to USE. But... it's getting frogged before it gets finished. I've decided I don't want to do it in the shape I have it now. I want to try a half-moon shape instead. It looks better, in my opinion, and it looks like it would be easier to wear at the same time. So (hopefully) that'll be on my WiP Wednesday page for next week.

Happy Hookin'!!!

iPod nano cosy

2007-02-04T15:36:00.000Z

I made this as a "just for the hell of it" gift for my SIL, Vicci (the one who brought me that GORGEOUS yarn that I'm making a scarf from). She got a new blue iPod for Christmas from her boyfriend, and she was moaning to me that she couldn't find "socks" for it. And I just happened to have the perfect thread to match her iPod, so I figured... why the hell not?

I used Aunt Lydia's crochet thread (mercerized cotton), size 10, variegated color "Ocean." It's crocheted in rounds, alternating 11 rounds of sc, 3 rounds of dc, 9 rounds of sc, 3 rounds of dc, and 11 rounds of sc. Very simple.

I got the actual dimensions of the iPod online, thanks to Argos website. I made a chain, measured it, did one round, measured again to make sure, and just went from there until it was the right height. So simple it's not even funny.

I'm considering making more of these and selling them online at Etsy. I'm just waiting for the "experts" at the 'ville to give me some feedback before I make a final decision. Of course, I wouldn't exactly complain if I got some feedback here, either! ;)

WiP Wednesday - January 31, 2007

2007-01-31T12:16:00.000Z

Well I've had a busy week - unfortunately not a busy CROCHETING week. Life as a domestic goddess can get quite hectic at times. And now that Hubby is in college, it's even worse. Since he's gone from 6:45 a.m. - 6:15 p.m., he's not around even to get my oldest off the taxi at the end of the day, so I find myself rushing back and forth between home and the other kids' school. It's crazy.

But I did get some work done on the round ripple I started. And if you'll scroll down, you'll see the fun fur scarf I knitted for Caitlin (9 y.o) last weekend.

Last night I started on one of the final squares I need for the baby granny I'm doing for my friend's granddaughter. I haven't even done 4 rounds of it yet, but hey... a start is a start, right? :)

And I got something nice in the mail today. I posted a request on the 'ville for a copy of the December issue of Better Homes and Gardens' Simply Creative Crochet. It's got a pattern in there for an absolutely gorgeous bell-sleeved tunic sweater that I just HAD to have. But living in the UK, it's almost impossible for me to get on my own. Well, a very kind member, Sherrie (aka krzykajun) sent me a copy - and wouldn't accept anything in return, even though I offered! It arrived today, and after I finished putting my grocery shopping away, I sat here for a good 20 minutes just looking through it. I LOVE it! There are quite a few patterns in there - not just the one I specifically wanted - that I think I'd like to try. I'm so happy I was literally doing the happy dance when I saw what it was!

Hopefully by this time next week I'll be finished with the baby afghans. If not, I hope I'm at least CLOSE to finishing!!

Hope is never a bad thing, right? ;)

Kn*tted Fun Fur Scarf

2007-01-28T12:35:00.000Z

I just finished this one last night. Actually, I only just STARTED it on Friday night... so it was only a 24-hour project (or thereabouts). It's the 3rd one I've made with the same type and color of fun fur, but this one has turned out the best. Lexi's has stretched out into a NOODLE... and Chloe promptly lost hers at school the first time she wore it! *grrrr!!!*

This one was made on 8 mm needles using one strand of fun fur and one strand of plain white acrylic (dk weight) held together. You can't even see the white acrylic, but it gives it a lot more structure - not to mention thickness.

As you can see in the second picture, she absolutely loves it. :)

I still have one more that I have to make, for Syrina. But if I do it the same way I made this one, it should work up really quickly.

It's really good for a quick project, and gives me a sense of accomplishment. Which is a really good thing, when you consider the other WiPs I have going at the moment seem to be taking for-freaking-ever!!!

WiP Wednesday

2007-01-24T14:55:00.000Z

I saw this on the 'ville and thought I'd steal it. I like the idea of having one day a week devoted solely to WiPs, and I thought it might help me to make sure I keep this blog updated. Not to mention it'll help me keep it all straight in my head! *lol*

This is the makings of a "baby granny" afghan I'm making. I've been working on it off and on for a while, but I really need to get it done... especially since the baby it's for was born last Saturday!!! You can see the green, yellow, and pink squares, but there are also going to be purple ones. Very girly. :) I actually only have 4 more squares to make before I can start assembling it. The problem is just that I have so many WiPs going at the moment!

And this second picture is that of a round ripple I just started today. I've been wanting to start it for a while, but I wasn't sure if I had enough of the right colors of yarn... so I bought some more today. As you can see, I'm starting it with a very small ball of a peachy-pink color. Since I'm making this for the same baby as the baby granny, I wanted girly colors, and I thought this would go quite nicely. And since it's such a small ball, I thought it would be perfect for the very middle of the 'ghan. I'm also going to add the same shade of pink as in the first picture, and white. I might add some other colors from my stash as I go, but at least I know I have enough pink and white to make a pretty good sized 'ghan. :)

The only other WiP that I'm actively working on at the moment is my "Oh-So-Soft" scarf. But as I just posted a WiP picture of that one the other day, I thought it would be a little redundant to post yet ANOTHER one. So you'll just have to wait until I finish it and see the end result! :-P

Blasts From the Past and Updates

2007-01-22T16:42:00.000Z

This top one, obviously, is a poncho. It's one I made for my now 9-year old daughter, Caitlin. These are the colors she specifically asked for, but it was my idea to edge it in fun fur. It turned out a bit bigger than I'd thought it would - it fits ME!!! - so I threaded some elastic through the neckhole, and tied it off. When she's wearing it, you can't even see the elastic, so nobody knows the difference! :)

The second one is the baby blanket I crocheted for my youngest, about 4 years ago. Actually, it was meant for my nephew - only everybody thought he was going to be a niece. Even his mother - my sister - thought so. I hadn't made Chloe one at first, because she was born at the end of May. The end of May in Illinois is VERY warm. The last thing she was going to need was a crocheted blanket! So I made this later that year, but when my sister actually HAD the baby and realized it was a boy, I figured Chloe could have this one. (I made another one very similar to this one - but in blue and white - for my nephew).

The second picture is simply a close-up of the stitches on the baby

blanket.

And this last picture is my progress so far on my scarf that I'm making with the "oh-my-gosh-I-love-this-stuff-it's-so-soft" yarn. :) I've had to frog it 3 times, but I like how it's finally turning out.

I should have it completely finished in a day or two, and I'll definitely be posting pictures then! :)

I LOVE my SIL!!

2007-01-18T20:55:00.000Z

Lookie what she brought me!!!!

The picture just does NOT do this stuff justice. I call the yarn on the right the oh-my-gosh-I-love-this-stuff-it's-so-soft yarn. I can't put into words just HOW soft this stuff is!!!

She picked it up from work. She's the Asst. Mgr. for a soft furnishings store, and they were selling kits for knitting a pair of slippers - complete kits. Needles, yarn, the whole "kit & caboodle," so to speak. Well, some lady brought this stuff in, saying she'd bought one of the kits and all it had in it was the yarn. *Yeah, right.* She's the one responsible for making sure that all the stock on the shelves is up-to-date and in good condition. She knows for a fact that there weren't any incomplete kits. But "the customer is always right".... so they had to "write off" this yarn. And since they had to do that anyway... she brought it to me!!!!

I'm lucky, I am. :)

I think I'm going to make a scarf out of it. I'm going to do the body of the scarf in the oh-my-gosh-I-love-this-stuff-it's-so-soft yarn, and then do the ends in the fun fur. I had thought of doing both together... but that would take away from the softness of the yarn itself, and I don't want to do that. It's too gorgeous for that.

Add another WiP to the list!!!

WIP updates

2007-01-17T12:01:00.000Z

I don't have any pictures to show, but I thought I'd give an update on what I'm working on right now.

On the hook:

Baby Granny Square Afghan - I'm not using a set pattern, just making it up as I go along. I'm doing the same kind of squares I used in the Green & White afghan. But I'm making them a LOT smaller, and in baby pastels. The girl I'm doing it for - who happens to be the daughter of the woman I made the green & white afghan for - is supposed to be having a girl, so I'm using pink, purple, yellow, and green. I'm doing 12 squares, and I've already got 7 of them done. I've promised myself to make at least one square a day - and I'm doing good so far - and if I keep up with it, then I should be able to start assembling the afghan Sunday night or Monday, depending on how much time I've got.

On the needles:

Yes, I said "needles." I'm actually KNITTING something! I'm totally a novice knitter, but my girls asked for fun fur scarves. And I thought they'd look better - not to mention use up less yarn - if they were knitted. The girls really wanted them for Christmas, but I didn't have the money to get the yarn until just 2 days before Christmas. And then my littlest demon - that would be "child" - ruined the first one I started. She pulled it off my needles so she could use them as "drumsticks" while I was in the shower one night. And if you've ever worked with fun fur yarn, you know that frogging it is almost impossible. So I've got an almost-finished scarf that I can't do anything with and can't frog. *sigh* I've got 1 scarf done so far, and I'm nearly finished with another. I need to get some more yarn, though, because I've decided I need 3 balls for Caitlin's scarf... and now it seems my oldest wants one too. Every time I've got it out to work on, she stands there and stares at it. So I've told her I'll make her one too. Thankfully, I get paid in 2 days so I can go and get some more yarn then. I'm hoping I might be able to get hers done quickly, as her birthday is tomorrow! I'm also going to make the 2 little ones matching hats. I saw a pattern for a hat using regular acrylic yarn and fun fur, so I'm going to copy the idea, tweaking it just a bit. More on that when I actually get it done.

And I've got lots of ideas running through my head. I really ought to write them down in one of my crochet notebooks (I have 2 of them).

I'm already planning Christmas presents for next year. Yes, already. Why now, you might ask? Because if I start planning NOW, I just MIGHT actually get them DONE by Christmas! *lol*

For Christmas 2005, I made my aunt Denise a purple shawl with fun fur edging. She says she loves it and uses it all the time in the cold weather (she lives in Colorado). As I was working on the fun fur scarves for my kids, it dawned on me that this aunt would probably love a fun fur scarf for Christmas - in purple, of course! And I can't leave her husband - Uncle Michael - out... so I was thinking "make him a scarf, too!" Obviously not fun fur... that's a little too feminine. But I can always make him a simple scarf in a "manly" color.

And I had the greatest idea this morning for another thing to make with fun fur (can you tell I actually LIKE fun fur? *lol*). A throw rug! I don't want to say too much right now, because it's going to be an original pattern (which I WILL post when I'm done), but it's something I want to make for my daughter's room (the oldest, Syrina). I used to have a "furry" throw rug for my bedroom when I was a teenager, and I loved it. As she's going to be 12 tomorrow, and as I know she likes the fun fur, I think it would be a great (late) birthday present. I have a sneaking suspicion that my other girls are going to want one when they see it, though.

On top of all that, I'm planning a lapghan for my oldest daughter for use when she's in her wheelchair. She doesn't use the chair all the time, but when I need to take her somewhere, she does. She walks just fine, but gets very tired very easily, and when she does, she stops and simply refuses to move. And physically dragging a 12 year old child is VERY difficult. As she REALLY doesn't like the cold, I wanted to make her something to help keep her legs warm when she's in her chair. I've already decided what yarn I want to use, but I'm going to have to order it from the USA. It actually works out cheaper that way - because I can't find any yarn in Worsted Weight out here in the UK. I'd have to buy twice as much in the double knitting to get the thickness I want. And as Red Heart is pretty cheap in the USA, and I know a place that will only charge me $4-something for shipping, buying it online will be the better option. Not to mention they've got some GREAT colors!!

So many yarns... so many patterns... so little time!!! *lol*

Wavy Gravy Rasta Snood

2007-01-14T20:08:00.000Z

The inspiration for this project was two-fold. For one thing, I wanted something that I could easily work up in one day, and for another, I was tired of looking like a freak. You know the
expression "bad hair day"? EVERY day is a bad hair day for me. I NEVER have a "good hair day". The BEST I can hope for is an "okay" hair day. More often than not, what I have is a "kinda-sorta-almost-okay hair day". If you have atrocious hair like mine, then you'll understand the desperation for something to hide the freak of nature that god decided to crap on my head. (That's what it feels like some days - like God decided to just take a crap on my head. Or mother nature. Whatever. You know what I mean.)

I spent a few hours last night trying to make Dot's Owata Hat pattern. I followed all of her directions, to the letter except that I added one row to it.

But guess what????
.....................................

....................
It's too effing small!!!!!

I was literally in tears once I realized that I had sat here and spent all that time, energy, and yarn on absolutely nothing. (The fact that I was going through nicotine withdrawal at the time didn't help either.)

So I figured I'd try the Wavy Gravy Rasta "Tam" Snood instead. I would have started it as soon as I realized the Owata Hat was too small, but it was past 2 a.m. ... and I thought maybe I should get some sleepSo after breakfast this morning, I pulled out my yarn and hooks and worked this one up. It's not quite as big as I thought it would be, but at least this friggin thing FITS!!!!!

I'm back!

2007-01-09T22:38:00.000Z

I kind of "disappeared" a few months back... between having the kids home for the summer holidays and 'puter problems, it was just damned near impossible to keep this thing updated properly. But Hubby fixed my puter, and the kids just went back to school (THANK GOD - they were driving me NUTS again), so I thought I'd post up one of the things I crocheted for Christmas.

I didn't think of taking a picture of the red & white ripple afghan I made for my sister-in-law for HER Christmas present. Dammit. It was nice, even if I do say so myself. Even hubby liked it, and he's not all that "interested" in my projects.

But this one... well, not only did I get the picture, but I technically only just gave it to the person this past Sunday (January 7). I didn't have enough supplies (I wasn't following a pattern, just making it up as I went along, so I had no idea how much yarn I would need in the first place), and every time I went to get some more, they didn't have the green I needed. But wouldn't you know it... 2 DAYS before Christmas, they finally had some in. So I got what I needed, but of course I didn't have the time in those 2 days to get it finished. So between cleaning house, killing my kids (JOKE!!), and running them back and forth to various appointments, I managed to at least get it finished by Saturday night.

I also got RAOK'd a few days ago!

2006-07-18T22:55:00.000+01:00

These came the same day... Saturday, I think... but I waited until I had a chance to snap a pic before I posted anything about them.

One's a postcard from one of the 'ville members, and another was a nice package from a different member. The package included a bunch of patterns (and one can NEVER have too many patterns!!!!), a nice card, and a crocheted washcloth.

For anybody who doesn't know what an RAOK is... lemme give ya the low-down.

RAOK stands for Random Acts of Kindness. Over at the 'ville, we can put wish lists up, and anybody who wants to can spontaneously grant someone's wish... just because. Just because they want to, just because they can. I've been RAOK'd a few times now. Just little stuff, but you'd be amazed the effect a few free patterns that someone collected from a store and took the time to send to a person can do. It's the realization that somebody thought of you that day, and the excitement of "oooh... what'd I get???" It doesn't matter WHAT you got, you're just happy that you got SOMEthing.

It just brightens your day.

Swap Swap Swappity Swap!!!

2006-07-18T19:27:00.000+01:00

I got my swap items today!!!! Yay me!

Actually, they came first thing in the morning. I'd thought it was my daughter's taxi to school - she did too; she was hanging by the front door waiting to go out - but it was Postman Pat with my box.

I was so excited I took it in my room, put it on the bed, and just pet the box for a while. Yeah, but I'm NOT kidding.

My swap partner absolutely spoiled me. If you click on the picture, you'll see everything she sent me - I even labelled it all. (Yeah, I know... could I BE any more geeky? )

I already used the purse. I immediately took the most important things out of the purse I was already using (wallet, keys, cell phone), and tossed it in my new GORGEOUS FELTED PURSE and took it out with me. The people who have noticed it have made some nice comments, and my neighbors even thought it was something *I* made. But I was gleefully honest. "Nope, *I* didn't make it, but somebody made it FOR me!!!!" All said with a HUGE grin on my face.

Now I really feel like a shit because I haven't even sent hers out yet. But I CAN'T send them out yet because - as my mechanic father would say - I'm waiting on some parts. Seriously, I've ordered something online - something absolutely vital for this particular item - for something I'm making for her, and it hasn't arrived yet. BUT, I do expect it pretty much any day now, so hopefully it won't be long. I don't like feeling like a shit.

Super Soap Saver

2006-07-17T15:06:00.000+01:00

If you're Polish (like me) and you're reading this, it's going to make perfect sense. Anybody else might think I've gone crackers, but believe me... it's a serious problem.

Little bits of soap. You Polish people KNOW that you can't just throw away the little bits of soap! You can still use them!!!! But how? You try to use them and they just slip right out of your hand. You try sticking a bunch of them together and they just come apart when you try to use them. What do you do?

Well, if you're Polish and know how to crochet AND have a bit of cotton yarn at your disposal... you crochet the Super Soap Saver!!!

And let me tell you people, the Super Soap Saver is SUPER EASY!!!

SUPER SOAP SAVER

Materials Used: small amount cotton yarn
Size G hook

Chain 15, turn

Row 1: sc in 2nd ch from hook and in each st across. Ch 1, turn.
Row 2: sc in each st across. Ch 3, turn.
Row 3: dc in each st across. Ch 1, turn.
Rows 4 - 34: sc in each st across. Ch 3, turn.
Row 35: dc in each st across. Ch 1, turn.
Row 36: sc in each st across. Ch 1, turn.
Row 37: sc in each st across. Fasten off, weave in ends.

Fold the material in half (right side together) so that the rows of dc line up. Use your preferred method to close up the sides (I sc'd up both sides - I hate sewing, and it was faster.) Weave in your ends. Turn the material right-side out.

Chain any amount of stitches - make it however long you want, and then fasten it off. Weave it through the dc stitches to make a drawstring. (I used 2, and weaved them in opposite directions.) Put your little bits of soap in, close your drawstring, and there you go!

Lexi's Water Bottle Caddy

2006-07-17T13:45:00.000+01:00

This, like a lot of people's projects, came out of a need. A need for my 5-year old daughter to have some way to carry her water bottle back and forth to school by herself. She's a lazy little $#!t, and was always begging either me or her 9-year old sister to carry it for her (because it wouldn't fit in her book bag).

One night a few weeks ago, I couldn't sleep due to some pain I was in (abcess in my mouth), so I grabbed a ball of cotton twine I'd bought for the accessories swap (more on that on a later date) and whipped this up.

It's very simple. I just crocheted into a circle, making it big enough to cover the bottom of the water bottle, and then crocheted up, alternating dc rows and dc-ch 1 rows as I saw fit, adding a couple of sc rows to the top. I actually crocheted the strap into the top row, so there was nothing to attach later.

It's proven so popular that one of her teachers even said that I should make a bunch of them and sell them, because SHE'D buy one!

If anybody's interested in explicit pattern directions, let me know. I don't have it on me right now (because she's got it at school WITH her!!), but I can easily write a pattern down if anybody wants one.

Chopsticks Holder

2006-07-08T23:25:00.000+01:00

Do you, like me, have chopsticks rattling around in your silverware or utensil drawer? Do you have to sift through chopsticks, recipes you meant to file away, can openers, rolling pins, and assorted kitchen tools to find what you're looking for? Ever wonder what the heck you could do with those chopsticks to keep them together and keep them relatively clean?

Well I did!!!

And inspiration hit me... make a caddy!!

So I did!

It's really easy to make, too... so here's the pattern that I used.

Chopsticks Caddy

Materials Used:
a few ounces DK yarn in 2 colors (of course you could make it all in one color, but I was using up scrap yarn and didn't have enough of one color to complete the whole thing)
Size G hook

Side 1

Chain 15
Row 1: hdc in 2nd ch from hook. hdc in each st across. (13 stitches) Ch 2, turn.
Row 2 - 41: same as Row 1.
Row 42: hdc in each st across, ch 3, turn.
Row 43: dc in each st across. ch 2, turn.
Row 44: hdc in each st across. Fasten off, weave in ends.

Side 2

Same as Side 1.

Place both sides together, right sides facing each other.
Use your preferred method of joining - whipstitch, slip stitch, single crochet... whichever you like, use it. Close up 3 sides, leaving the end with the dc stitches at the top open.
Make a long chain to use as a tie. Weave it through the dc stitches.
Put your chopsticks in, close, and the next time you get yourself a yummy chinese take-out, you won't have to go sifting through the drawer for the chopsticks!!

Now don't YOU feel clever?

Bad, Suzi, BAD!!

2006-06-23T23:22:00.000+01:00

I bet some of you are wondering why I haven’t updated this in a week.

It’s a good answer.

I finally got re-started on my sister’s blanket!!!! I was going to do a pillowghan, but I started out wrong, so rather than have to frog it AGAIN, I've decided it’s just a regular afghan. But I completely changed the way I was combining the colors, and I like it a LOT better. I really think she’s going to like it.

I’m not going to show pics, because I gave said sister the URL for this blog, and I don’t want to ruin the surprise, should she be checking up on me.

But I’ve decided that I absolutely HAVE to work on this thing at least a little bit every day (even if it's only 5 or 10 minutes), and this way I’ll be sure to have it done by November, which is when I plan on sending it. I’m also putting in a few goodies, which I haven’t actually GOT yet, so it gives me time to get that done as well.

My swap partner’s items are on hold right now… I skipped over beading (I might still do that, but wanted to get this other thing done first) to make something I’ve never done before. But it seemed easier than beading, so it was a better choice for me. But I’ve temporarily run out of supplies. I haven’t been able to get into town to get any more this week, because I’ve had one kid home sick all week.

That’s WHY I’ve re-started on my sister’s afghan. I already have the yarn for it – I’m just frogging my first attempt and using the yarn again.

Oh yeah, and I’m doing something with said afghan which is another thing I’ve never done before. I don’t know WHY I’ve never done it before, because it’s usually one of the first things people learning crochet actually DO. But somehow I just skipped right over that part of learning. And since I’ve got so much experience with all of these stitches already, it was a breeze. I was even amazed to find out that my gauge is RIGHT ON!! I’ve NEVER had that happen before... well… the times I’ve checked, anyway. A lot of times I do projects where I don’t really care if my gauge is off – things like blankets and washcloths and such.

I’m glad I finally GOT it re-started, though. Redoing it the way I AM redoing it has actually inspired me! I’ve got a mental list of the other things I’m sending, along with full-color Panavision mental pictures.

I should have done this a long time ago. I think it was just the disappointment I felt when I realized I’d made a mistake that put me in a funk about the whole thing. For a long time, every time I looked at it, I just turned my nose up at it, seeing nothing but that mistake.

But now I’m back where I started. With enough yarn, a hook, and renewed inspiration.

It’s a lovely feeling.

Sanity Questionable

2006-06-17T01:26:00.000+01:00

I’m in possession of questionable sanity.

I sat here, browsing through patterns on Thursday night, and I get it in my head to make something to wear to Daniel’s birthday party (my neighbor’s only son, it’s his 18th tomorrow). At first I thought “poncho.” See… I’ve always liked ponchos, even in the 80’s when they were “so yesterday.” And I’ve been meaning to make myself a poncho for the last year.

But on the other hand, I’m really liking some of these shrug patterns, too. Especially the ones that are written with the bigger people in mind. Or those that can be adapted to any size.

So I went over to the ‘ville, and asked for some opinions. Poncho or shrug? It’s pretty much unanimous, they all think I should make a shrug. Somebody mentioned shrug-a-licious, but when I looked at the pattern, it looked too difficult to figure out how to adapt it to MY size. Not that the pattern itself is difficult, but it would take a lot of figuring, a lot of math, in order to adapt it. But the Mrs. Who/Fluffy Pink Shrug… now that I could do! Especially since it’s pretty much done in one piece!

So I’m working on that now. I’ve had to frog it once, because even though I measured like the directions say, when I put it over my arm to check how far I had left to go, I realized that it wasn’t going to fit around my fat chicken wing arms. Not to mention the fact that my daughter walked off with the piece I’d had done so far, and ended up accidentally frogging about 1/3 of it on her own!

So now I’ve got about the same amount done as I’d had done the first time, but this time I KNOW it’s going to fit me. I just did the same thing again, checking to make sure.

I’m going to make it a little shorter in the arms than the pattern says, because I decided I want to put some bell-type cuffs on the sleeves.

Cross your fingers for me that I get it done in time. Of course, if I absolutely have to, I can work on it all day tomorrow. But I’m really hoping that, now that I seem to be on a roll, I can get it done faster than I’ve done so far.

I can HOPE, anyway!

First swap item finished.

2006-06-13T00:03:00.000+01:00

Well, a certain someone's first swap item is finished. I think it'll look a lot better with blocking, but it's done.

Just for the heck of it, I wore it today, just to see if it would get any attention, and if so, what KIND. Well... so far, it's gotten only rave reviews. One person said they couldn't believe I made it myself, and another said that it didn't "look homemade." Shall I take that as a compliment? Methinks I shall.

I'm really glad I went for the skein of yarn that was £0.50 more than the other one. They were the same TYPE of yarn, but different brands. One was £2.49 for 25 grams, and the other was £2.99 for 50 grams. Well, the Polish in me said "only 50 pence more for twice the weight? Oh YEAH, baby!" If I'd gone with the original yarn I was going to go for, I wouldn't have had nearly enough to finish what I'd made... and it would have meant a mad dash back into town, hoping against hope that they still had the same color I'd originally bought!!!

NOW... on to the other item. I'm see-saw-ing back and forth between two different things. Both very similar, but I'm just having a hard time deciding which to do. If I knew for sure I had enough materials, I'd just do both, call 'em a "set," and count them as one "item." But I DON'T know for sure, and I don't really know where I can get more of what I have... so I've GOT to choose. But which one????

God, this is so hard.

But ya know what? I'm having fun with it, too. Sure, there's a lot of anxiety attached to all this, but knowing that I'm going to be surprising somebody with something I've made, and that she'll be surprising me as well... hell, it's downright exciting!!

I'll definitely join another swap sometime in the future. But hopefully, next time it'll be something I'm a little more familiar with, something I have more confidence in. If not... well, there'll be another "swap anxiety" post in my future.

Swap Anxiety

2006-06-11T19:28:00.000+01:00

I'm probably not the only one who's ever felt this, but right now I'm suffering from a severe case of swap anxiety.

This is my first swap - EVER. And although I HAVE been crocheting for over 20 years, I would have to say that my skill level is still at "intermediate" at BEST.

I'm not sure exactly what level my swap partner is at, but I'm working on some of her swap items and I'm sitting here second-guessing everything. Will this be good enough? Will she like this yarn? Will she see the colors I've chosen the same way I do? (Because a lot of this stuff IS subjective, after all.)

And that's not even going into the other item I'm planning. I haven't started it yet, but it's got me in some serious heebie-jeebies. It's something I've never done before, and I can't find a pattern I really like, so I've decided to just "wing it."

On a slightly more upbeat note, however, I've come to really like this yarn I'm working with (no pics just yet, because I don't want to give anything away, just in case my swap partner happens to read this). I have decided that as soon as I can afford it (sometime in the next 2 weeks), I'm going to get myself another skein of this stuff - probably in a different color, something a little bolder - and I'm going to make myself a summer top. I was looking at this pattern, and decided I'm going to use that as a "starting point" and add my own touch to it. I'll be more specific when I get it done, because it'll take me so long that I'm SURE my swap partner will have received her items by then, so I won't have to worry about "giving anything away."

Celia, I've done it!!!!!

2006-06-06T12:57:00.000+01:00

Okay, so I'm talking to someone who's been dead for nearly 3 years, but hey... if I can meet my future husband in cyberspace, I can talk to dead people in cyberspace too!!!!

Back when I was like 17 or so, my cousin Celia tried to teach me how to crochet doilies. She took me shopping (okay, so grandma took us shopping really, but that's only because Celia didn't know how to drive at the time), bought me the thread and the hook, came over to our house, and sat me down and tried to teach me. But I thought I just couldn't get it right, so I gave up on it.

Now that I've done this, I realize what the problem was. It wasn't that I couldn't get it right, it's that I expected what I was working on to look like what the finished product should look like. I didn't realize that it could buckle and bow and still be okay. I didn't know there was such a thing as "blocking," and that any "imperfections" in the doily would be "fixed" after doing it.

But after seeing some absolutely gorgeous doilies on Crochetville, I got it in my head that maybe... just maybe... I could actually do it now. And I couldn't get the thought OUT of my head. After all, I've only been able to read a pattern for a year. (They always confused me before, but a year ago something "clicked" in my brain and they suddenly made sense! ) And I STILL had the same thread and hook that Celia bought me oh so many moons ago, stashed away in my yarn box.

So I went searching for a pattern that called for the same size hook I have (a Boye size 6), and that didn't look too difficult. I finally found one, and got to work on it. I could have gotten it done in one night, but I've got so many WIP's right now it's not even funny. And I'm not used to working with thread, so I could only do a little bit at a time.

But I finished it last night, and blocked it this morning. And it looks okay, even if I do say so myself!

So Celia, if you can see me... I finally got it! Aren't you proud of me?

In progress, but nearly done.

Same level of progress, but a different view.

All done, all blocked, and all better!!!

An Oldie but a Goodie

2006-06-03T21:55:00.000+01:00

I made this blanket 6 years ago (God, it doesn't seem like that long ago!!!) when I was pregnant with my 3rd child, who's now 5 1/2.

I didn't know for sure what I was going to have - boy or girl. We'd had several scans (lots of health scares with this one!), but never, not once in any of them, was she in a position where we could tell definitively whether she was a boy or a girl. I had a feeling it was a girl, but I didn't want to put all my faith in that feeling. So I opted to make a blanket with neutral coloring, so that no matter what I had, it would be appropriate.

It's done in pastel shades of purple, green, and yellow, and done all in single crochet. I wanted it as warm as possible, because I was due at the end of September and it can get VERY cold in the Chicago area at the end of September! You never know what the weather's going to be like. It can be 90 degrees one day, and 30 degrees the next.

The border is a mix of single crochet and shells. Shells at the top and bottom, single crochet on the sides.

I'm quite proud of this one, because it was done long before I ever learned to read a pattern, so it was all off the top of my head. And because of the fact that I obviously did a good enough job that it's stood up to countless washings, 3 moves, and the kids dragging it around all over the place.

I wouldn't exactly call it my BEST work, but it ain't too shabby, either!

Closeup view of the stitches.

Teddy Bear Poncho

2006-06-02T13:28:00.000+01:00

I just whipped this up in an hour for one of the kids' teddy bears. It was looking kinda nekkid, and I had my craft basket next to me, so I just grabbed the end of a yarn and a hook and got to working on it.

It's one of the easiest things to make in the entire freaking world, if you ask me.

You just chain any multiple of 4 (check to make sure it's going to fit over the head of the toy you're making it for) +1, turn. Hdc in every ch across, and join with a sl st to form a ring (you might want to use something to mark that stitch, as it is the ONLY join you're going to do). Now comes the "tricky" part - although it's really not all that tricky. Divide your beginning ch by 4 (mine was 32 ch, so 32 divided by 4 = 8), and that gives you the number of stitches to do before you increase. Using my example, I hdc 7 sts, and on the 8th st I increased, by putting 3 hdc in the 8th st. Continue around until you reach the last stitch.

Keep going in this pattern, increasing in the middle stitch of every 3 hdc increase. This will increase your stitches between increases by 1 stitch on every row. (Again, using my example, it was 8 stitches on row 1, 9 stitches on row 2, 10 stitches on row 3, etc.) Continue until the piece is the desired size (I kept trying it on the bear to make sure it wasn't getting too big or too small). Join with a sl st and fasten off, weaving in ends.

You can finish it off any way you want. Some like fun fur, some like fringe (in which case you don't need to weave in the end, just trim it to match the rest of the fringe). I used tassles for this one.

That's it. Easy peasy, lemon squeazy, as Lexi (my 5 yo) likes to say.

It's Kid Approved!

I finished my "Jimbo Washcloth" set :)

2006-06-01T14:25:00.000+01:00

I just couldn't help myself. I think it was the excitement over my Jimbo Hook, combined with the feel of this cotton yarn. It's just as soft as the other skein, but in a different way. It doesn't feel like suede, like the other one did. It just feels... soft. It's hard to explain, but I'd be willing to bet that the other yarn addicts out there will know exactly what I'm talking about.

Not only that, but I do have a habit of single-mindedly going at something until it's finished. I think that's most definitely my grandmother's perfectionism rearing it's ugly head. What can I say? Being brainwashed for a lifetime has a tendency to get to ya.

But... now that my washcloths are done, and I can get to working on my shawl. I have no idea how long it's going to take me, but if I keep working like I've been... NOT VERY! *LOL*

I got my JIMBO HOOK!! I got my JIMBO HOOK!!!

2006-05-31T15:32:00.000+01:00

My hubby woke me up this morning by giving me my mail. There was a box, and a postcard from my fairy godmother in Wisconsin.

I looked at the box, and before I even saw what the address label said, I just KNEW it was my Jimbo Hook. I just KNEW it.

It took me for-freaking-ever to get the darned thing open, though. MAN, that man uses a lot of tape! *lol* I ended up having to ask hubby for his pocket knife, because otherwise, there was no way in hell I was going to get the thing open!

But finally, I got it open, and out comes this absolutely beautiful hook.

And of course... what does one DO when one recieves a piece of art that is a Jimbo Hook? One USES it, of course!

I immediately whipped out my last ball of cotton yarn and got to work on another washcloth. I'd read another pattern I wanted to try last night, so I figured why not try it with my brand-spankin'-new Jimbo Hook?

:)

I'm planning on making another one shortly, again with my Jimbo Hook and my cotton yarn, but I think I'm going to try a different pattern. I haven't decided what yet, but I'm definitely gonna do it.

And then, when I'm done, I'll get to work on my shawl. I wanted to make something for me with this hook - yes, I'm going to be selfish, just this once - and I've got this pretty blue and purple yarn that would make a lovely shawl. And considering that even though it's nearly summer here, it gets pretty darned chilly in the evenings, I figured that would be something I could use... like NOW! :)

I'm one happy hooker today, that's fer sho'!

Washcloths!

2006-05-31T00:34:00.000+01:00

Can you believe that after over 20 years of crocheting, I've never made dishcloths before today? Or... well... yesterday, to be technical.

I bought this yarn a while ago. I was shopping at a place called E. Kemp's, just about 3/4 of a mile or so away from my house, and they had this stuff on clearance sale. It didn't have a label, so I didn't know what it was, but for only £0.30 a skein, it was a deal I just could NOT pass up. And the colors are beautiful. These pictures just don't do it justice. It's a variegated, in pink, light lavendar, and dark lavendar. Very spring/summer-ish.

But yesterday, I was looking in my yarn box for something else, and I came across this ball of yarn. And I remembered a thread I'd read on Crochetville about how you could figure out what a yarn was made from by how it acts when it's burned. And that's one of the reasons I'd never used this yarn, because I didn't know what it was made from. So I snipped off a small piece and burned it, and sho 'nuff, this stuff is cotton yarn.

The first one I made is a simple one. It's all single crochet. That's it.

The second one was a little more difficult, but once I got going, it wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. It's a combination of hdc and cross-stitch, with a border of sc.

I found the pattern on Crochet Pattern Central. If I could remember PRECISELY which pattern it was, I'd give y'all the link. But for the life of me, I can't remember which one. I've looked at so many (I've got Christmas gift lists going in my head right now because this has inspired me) in the last two days that I just can't remember which one it was.

The last one I made, which I just finished about an hour or so ago, I would have to say is my favorite. This is the first one I think I'll use when I do get to use them. It's all hdc, but in the back loops only.

To me, it not only looks neater, but with the ridges created by going through the back loop, it should give a scrubbing/exfoliating action. And this yarn is so SOFT! It feels - and even looks vaguely like - SUEDE! I'm only sorry that I only had the one ball. I could easily see this yarn made up into some sort of wearable. A shawl or a shrug, for example. But hey... I've got me some brand spankin' new, absolutely divine washcloths to use the next time I need a wash.

And best of all, I've got some practice in, so when it comes time to start planning and making Christmas gifts this year, I won't be making myself crazy.

Edited to add: I actually did use that last one in the shower, and I was right. The ridges made by crocheting into the back loops only made for a GREAT scrubbing action, while at the same time it felt REALLY soft. I am DEFINITELY making some of these for Christmas gifts this year!!

Tiffany's Kioko

2006-05-29T17:25:00.000+01:00

Here it is, the amigurumi I made for my neighbor's daughter, who turned 15 today.

I named it Kioko, which means "Happy Child" in Japanese - because I was hoping it would make Tiffany happy. :)

I actually did have her 99% finished last night - the only thing I had to do to her this morning was finish her hair. Because I gave her straight hair, I had to attach each strand separately, and it took a looooooooong time!

She's made with 100% acrylic, DK pink yarn. Pink because that's her favorite color (I asked her mom). Her face is embroidered on using DMC embroidery floss (I liked the shine it made, and thought it would look better than just using yarn). Her hair is a mixture of DK acrylic and WW yarn that I had in my stash. I'm not sure if you can tell from the picture, but the pink in her hair and the pink skirt is made from the same yarn. The edging on her skirt and her top are both made from white DK yarn.

Not only does Tiffany already have her, but while trying to type up this entry, she came to the door, wanting help with binding off a knitted top she'd made for the doll! :D I'm just so glad she liked it. I know that at 15, girls aren't very likely to play with dolls, but I was hoping she'd see it as what *I* saw it - a very cute, very unique thing to decorate her room with.

I'm just so glad she likes it!

Tiffany's Pillow

2006-05-27T16:39:00.000+01:00

I just finished this pillow for my neighbor's youngest daughter, Tiffany, for her birthday on Monday. I don't have a lot of money (talk about an understatement!), but I wanted to do something for her, since she's always helping me and the kids out. When it's nice out, she recruits a bunch of her friends and takes all 3 of my younger children out to the park and to the beach. I found this pattern here. I did change up the pattern just a little bit - instead of doing both sides of the top of the T from the outside edges, I did the FIRST side from the outside edge, and did the SECOND one from the 15th stitch in and crocheted outwards. It made the stitches look more uniform. I also noticed that there's an error in the pattern. On Row 14, where it says "you should have 3 skipped stitches on either side of this row," there's actually 3 stitches on one side and 4 on the other. In order to not confuse myself with the rest of the pattern, on the side that had 4 stitches, I did a decrease stitch (single crocheted 2 stitches together) to make 3 stitches. I'm sure I could have just adjusted the rest of the pattern to the extra stitch, but I was too tired when I started that part of the pillow and frankly, just couldn't be bothered.

I'm also going to make her an amigurumi dudette, so keep an eye on this... I'm hoping to have it done by tomorrow night at the latest (since her birthday's the very next day!).

Just a night's work. :)

2006-05-27T00:21:00.000+01:00

Well, the dreaded birthday is now officially over. My "baby" turned 4 today, and got spoiled rotten, considering it's pretty much just us and her aunt Vicci that has anything to do with her.

But my neighbor's youngest daughter gave her a doll set for her birthday... and it has a BUNCH of tiny little pieces. Most of them are so small I could suck them up in the vacuum cleaner and not even notice. So I wanted to give her some way to at least TRY and keep them together. So the lightbulb went on over my head, and I thought "why not make her a little bag?" :) So I did. I did some stash-diving, got out my small scraps, and whipped this up tonight.

I wouldn't exactly call it my best work, but considering I was just making it so that a 4 year old could keep all her toys together, I really don't care. If I was going to make it for any other reason, I would. But for this.... *shrug* ... who shives a git? ;)

I've won me a JIMBO HOOK!!!!!!

2006-05-24T20:56:00.000+01:00

Can you tell how excited I am?

If you don't know what I'm talking about, you've GOT to go check out his blog. He hand-carves (or "whittles," as he likes to say sometimes) these GORGEOUS crochet hooks from wood he (mostly) just happens to find while walking around on his property. He does sometimes use different woods - like African Padauk - but the majority of the wood he uses he just finds in the natural habitat around him.

I've been seeing his work around Crochetville and on his own blog, and I gotta tell you... I could only DREAM of the day I could own my very own Jimbo hook. I just read this post here from another Crochetville member, and it only proves to solidify my already high opinion of them. They're gorgeous, but for the amount of money his go for (he auctions them off, and the highest bidder gets it - usually about $20 or $25 U.S.D.), there's just no way I'd be able to afford one. I can't spend that much money in an entire month on ALL my crocheting supplies, never mind just one hook!

But I WON one! I won! I won! I won!

He said on his blog that he was giving them away because he didn't like the finish he used on them - it was an experiment that didn't go quite the way he'd hoped. But ya know what? I DON'T CARE! I can't WAIT to get it!

I've already decided what I'm going to do with it. First, I'm going to make something for myself. Yes, I'm going to be selfish just this once. Then, I'm going to use it to make my sister's pillowghan that I'm re-doing, and I think I might do the same for my neighbor. She's been a great friend (heck, my ONLY friend) since I moved here, and she just mentioned a few weeks ago that she wanted an afghan. So I think I'm gonna make her a pillowghan for Christmas... or maybe her birthday. Depends on how soon I get it done.

I've got PLANS for this thing! And it ain't even HERE yet! *LOL*

Amigurumi Dress and Hair Pattern

2006-05-21T23:30:00.000+01:00

It occured to me, after exchanging like 5 or 6 pm's with another member of Crochetville, that maybe I oughta put the pattern for the hair and the dress I made for my Dudette up here.

It honestly just never occurred to me before - it's like I have this thing in my head that says that all other crocheters out there are better than me, and therefore wouldn't want ME telling them what to do. As I said to the other member in one of the pm's: maybe I should have more faith in my OWN crocheting abilities, huh?!

Hair

You will need:
any yarn of your choice
complementary hook
(I used double knitting weight yarn, and a 3.00 mm hook)

*Note* You will be making EACH STRAND of hair individually.

Ch 21 for shorter hair, 26 for longer hair.

Row 1: sc in the 2nd ch from hook and in each ch across, fasten off

The work will automatically curl a bit, because of the closeness and the type of stitches used. You can either leave it as is or twist it around a bit to make it even more curly. That's what I did with mine (I wanted Dudette's hair to resemble mine a bit ;).

Use the ends of the work to sew it onto your amigurumi's head, wherever you'd like. (In my version, I started with the beginning round and progressively worked my way down until I felt she had enough hair).

Repeat until you've got the amount of hair you desire.

Dress

You will need:
any yarn of your choice
complementary hook
(I used double knitting weight yarn, and a 3.00 mm hook)

*Note: you will be making the dress in 2 pieces and then joining them together.

For the skirt:
Chain the same amount of stitches as the circumference of your amigurumi (as said in the previous post, I used Crochet Me's "Amigurumi Dude" pattern, and the circumference of the body was 30 stitches, so I chained 30), join with a sl st to form a ring, ch 1.

Row 1: 2 sc in each st around, join.

Row 2: ch 2, 1 dc in each st around, join.

Row 3: ch 2, 1 dc in 1st st, 2 dc in next st (1 dc in each of the next 2 sts, 2 dc in next st). Repeat from ( to ) around. Join.

Row 4: same as row 3.

Fasten off, weaving in ends.

For the bodice:

ch 5

Row 1: 2 dc in 2nd ch from hook, 3 dc in next ch, 2 sc in last ch. ch 2, turn.

Row 2: (ch 2 counts as first dc) 1 dc in 1st st, 2 dc in each of the next 2 sts, 3 dc in next st, 2 dc in each of the next 3 sts. Fasten off, weaving in ONLY the LAST end.

Use the BEGINNING tail to whipstitch the bodice to the skirt, making sure the seam you made in the skirt is at the BACK.

Using 1 strand for each side, attach yarn to the sides of the bodice for straps, wrap them around your amigurumi's neck, and tie with a bow on the back. (Doing it this way, you can make different dresses and change your amigurumi's clothes whenever the mood strikes you!)

On a personal note: this is the first time I've ever written a pattern for others to use. Please let me know if there's anything I should add or do differently if you have a problem with these directions. If I'm going to bother writing patterns, I'd like to do it right the FIRST time! KWIM? :)

Amigurumi Dudette!!

2006-05-21T17:36:00.000+01:00

I used Crochet Me's "Amigurumi Dude" pattern to make her. I just picked up the first ball of yarn my hands touched and started it. But it was such a pretty pastel color that, before I was even finished, I just knew it was a SHE, not a HE. So I gave her a mop of curly pink hair, and when she was finished, decided she had to have a dress. Self-respecting amigurumi girls don't walk around town NEKKID! I'm really pleased how she turned out. The kids like her, too - they won't leave her alone!

I'm seriously thinking about making one for my grandmother for either her birthday or mother's day. Yes, I know Mother's Day was weeks ago, but I couldn't send her anything because money is just too tight. But I've already got a ton of yarn, so all it would cost me to make her an amigurumi is a little of my time and postage costs. THAT'S doable!

Here she is, nekkid:

And after I made her a dress:

A little closer...

Crocheters Anonymous

2006-05-16T23:06:00.000+01:00

Hello, my name is Suzi and I'm addicted to crochet.

Man, those are words I never thought I'd even THINK, never mind saying out loud or... *gasp*... write in a blog!

But it's true. And man, is it ever catching up with me. I can't count the number of times over the past few days that the thoughts "just one more row," or "I'm almost finished, I may as well stay awake until it's done" have entered my mind. I think the earliest I've gone to bed since last week was 1 a.m. No joke.

And today my arse is a-draggin'! To make matters worse, today was the field trip to the farm with my youngest daughter's nursery class. Some days I can talk her into taking a nap with me - or at the very least, sitting on the couch with me watching telly while *I* take a nap! No chance of that today - I left the house with the kids at 8:45 a.m. and didn't walk back in the door until nearly 4 p.m. The only time I really got to sit down was on the BUS on the way to and from the farm!

And here it is, 11 p.m., I've got a hat that's 99% done, I'm on the VERY last row, and something in me just will NOT let me set it aside for tomorrow. Something in me keeps telling me I HAVE to finish it.

Part of me wonders if that's not my grandmother's perfectionism biting my arse... or if it's just the crochet addiction. And God knows I'm addicted. I even finished the crown to a different hat on the bus taking (above mentioned) daughter to the Eye Infirmary yesterday. The ENTIRE crown, not just a few stitches here and there.

Good Lord... am I sad or WHAT??

Ripple Blanket and tons of HATS!

2006-05-14T20:36:00.000+01:00

I finally found the camera and charged it up, so I can finally post pictures of what I've been doing for the last week.

Pink & Lilac Ripple Baby Blanket:

Hats, hats, hats, and more HATS!!!

Pink hat

Lilac Hat (yes, it's really lilac, although I realize it LOOKS blue)

Brimmed Lilac Hat with Pink Rosette

Pink & Lilac Striped Hat

As you can see, my 2 youngest kids are absolutely LOVING being my models. Of course, the fact that I have a bunch of CAMERA HOGS for children doesn't hurt any! :)

Crocheting with plastic bags?!

2006-05-07T19:48:00.000+01:00

I never thought of that one before, until I read a thread on Crochetville regarding "unusual" crocheting supplies.

Now, considering the fact that my house is over-run by plastic shopping bags, this one doesn't sound like such a bad idea.

And I can always have hubby and his best friend take whatever I make to the boot sale and see if it sells.

All in all, not a bad idea. I already have the supplies (and then some!!), all it's going to cost me is a little of my time.

New blog; old obsession

2006-05-06T16:16:00.000+01:00

So here I go again. This is what? ......... my 6th blog in the last few years, something like that. But I'm thinking that maybe, since my obsession with yarn and the things I can make with it stems from the age of 7, when my grandma taught me to crochet my first chain.... well, maybe... just maybe... I'll be able to stick with it.

Besides, what better place to keep all my photos of my FO's than in a blog? Huh?