Merry Christmas!

Hello again to everyone, and a very Merry Christmas!

I'm sorry for my lack of posting, you can be sure I have been wanting to, but I have not had a properly working computer for some time. But, for Christmas I asked for and received a new laptop! So, now I have no excuse in not keeping this blog up-to-date.

And to celebrate I am sharing a quick holiday pattern. I worked up this hat in a few hours.

You will need some worsted weight yarn in colors of your choice, and some fun fur in a coordinating color. I used an I/9-5.50MM hook and didn't keep track of gauge. This is really more of a guideline than a pattern.

To begin, ch. 4, work 5 DC in the 4th ch. from hook. Sl St. in the turning ch. ch. 3 and don't turn. Work one DC in each stitch around, while also adding 2 random increases on this round. On the next round, add two random increases, then switch to the next color. From here on, add 3 random increases evenly around on each row, changing colors when you feel like it (I did mine every two rows)When the hat fits around your head (once you reach about 65-70 stitches) then work a few rounds evenly (this was about 5 rows for me). Then switch over to your fun fur and work 2-3 rows for the brim. Make a pom-pom with your favorite method with the fun fur and attach to the top of the hat, and enjoy!

To make a longer hat you can work every other row without increases, or only work 2 increases on every row.

Even more Hats! (And a pattern!)

Hello again! I've been busy making hats again, even though

 the craft fair at my church was canceled. But when one
door closes, another one opens! I've been offered a spot
at my local farmer's market.

To the right, you can see my latest hats. The first is an apple (the color
didn't come out right in the picture, it's more of a Christmas red). It is
sized for an infant/newborn, and I am going to include my own pattern for it below.

 Next is a Cabbage Patch Kid inspired hat for a newborn. This one
took me a few tries to get right, as that loop stitch sent me for a,
well, loop. The pattern can be found at Repeatcrafterme.com.

And finally, some ear flap hats for kids. I made these with Deborah Norville Collection Everyday Soft Worsted, and they are soooo soft, shiny, and adorable!



Now go get out of the house this weekend and enjoy the lovely fall weather and local community.

 *
Little Apple Hat
Size, newborn/infant

You will need:
small amount red worsted weight yarn
remnants of green and brown

Hat
ch. 4, leaving the first stitch larger than normal.
row 1: 9 dc in first ch. , sl stitch in 3rd chain.  first 3 ch counts as first dc now and throughout. ch 3, turn
row 2: 1 dc in same stitch as join. 2 dc in each stitch around.
row 3: 2 dc in next st, 1 dc in next stitch. repeat around.
row 4: 1 dc in next stitch. 2 dc in next stitch. 1 dc in each of next 2 stitches. repeat around.
row 5: 1 dc in each of next 6stiches. *2 dc in next stitch. 1 dc in each of next 7 stitches*. repeat around.
Row 6-: work 1 dc in each stitch around. repeat row until hat is desired length.

Stem
ch. 2, 5 sc in first ch. do not join. work 1 sc in each stitch around until stem is about 1 inch long.

Leaf
ch. 6. working in back loop only, 2 sc in second ch. from hook. 2 hdc in next stitch. 2 dc in next stitch. 2 hdc in next stitch. 3 sc in next stitch. (this will make the curve, now work in the other side of ch.) 2 hdc in next stitch . 2 dc in next stitch. 2 hdc in next stitch. 1 sc in last stitch. join to first stitch and tie off.

weave in all ends. sew the stem and leaf to the crown of the hat and enjoy.

Hats and Scarves in Summer?

Summer finaly arrived with a vengence, which sent my hands itching for my cross stitch needle for awhile. But now I am back at my crocheting since my sister Lucile asked me to make a certain hat for her for her birthday. Since I haven't yet given her the hat, I can not post a picture of it, but I can post some other fun hats I've been working on for my next craft fair!

        The black and gold one is made of self striping         Red Heart Team Spirit yarn found at Jo-Ann's.
        The pretty blue one is Lion Brand Hometown,
        also from Jo-Ann's. And the really bright one is         made from Red Heart Supersaver in Blacklight         with a black brim. All three were made with             the same pattern.

        The fair will be on Saturday, September 28 at
                 Good Shepherd Lutheran Church,
                35300 Home Estate Dr. Slidell, LA


In other crafting news, I've started working on a Doctor Who scarf! Of course, I didn't do all of my research before starting it, so I have to make two scarves, which will total more than 20 feet of knitting when done. As I do not really like knitting, this is quite the challenge for me! Even more surprising is that I seem to be very proficient at knitting, since in six days I've already knit just over 2 feet.                                                  

Here is a picture from the park this afternoon           where I worked on the scarf for a few hours      
to take advantage of the mid 80's weather.      
The bag is full of yarn!



Happy crafting my friends!

Preparing for Summer!

Hello Again!

With the weather having been so mild lately, I have been working blankets longer into the year than I normally do. I found The Crochet Crowd on Facebook and have been stitching up their monthly challenge. I began the Ocean Waves Afghan as a gift for a friend's baby boy who was born the day before my own birthday last month. Saddly, I have run out of yarn before the project is of an acceptable length. I'll get back to it when I can get enough 40-50% off coupons for Jo-Ann's stashed away.

In other news, family vacation is coming up in just two weeks! To celebrate, I have been working on some crocheted beach bags, one for my sister Amber, and the other for myself. Here's Amber's, and the yarn for mine. The yarn is Bernat Handicrafter 100% Cotton from Jo-Ann's. Normaly $10, I got each skein with coupons for arround $5.50. Can't beat that deal for 12oz of cotton!

I got the pattern here from Lion Brand Yarns. (Warning! You will need to sign up for the site to access the pattern.) I modified the strap from 9 rows to 20 for a better fit and used a size I/9-5.50MM crochet hook. I also added a zipper and unrequired button loops at the midpoint of the handle. The buttons are shells, adding to the beach theme.
Happy Crafting Everyone!

Please note the cute little monster kitten, AKA Clara, who has been keeping me from working very fast the past three weeks.

It's Cold Outside!

Hello again craft world! How has everyone been since my last update? Are you staying warm in this crazy weather? As many of you know, I live in Southern Louisiana where the temperature is normally just hot, but this year it has been crazy. In January it felt like March, and now that it is March, we have a freeze warning tonight! With that little rant, I believe it is time to share some blankets I've been working on.

First up, a spiral blanket worked in four colors. You can find the pattern for this here on Ravelry, but be warned, this is not for the novice crocheter! Working with four skeins of yarn at one time is challenging, even if the pattern itself is easy. 

Next up, a Mile-A-Minute project I started today. I've been wanting to try this technique for many years, but never got around to finding a pattern. While at Hobby Lobby today I found a book that show how to do this step-by-step. Now, I don't need such basic instructions, as you should all know by looking at my work, but I have a friend who is learning to crochet and while at her house the other day her grandma was talking of mile-a-minute blankets she used to make in her younger days. I think this book will help my friend once I'm done with it. 

In other crafting news, I'm now on Etsy! I have one pattern up for sale, with another on it's way. Click here to see my shop! It's only got one pattern for sale so far, but more are on the way. This next picture is of a coming soon pattern. It's Luther's Rose and would be wonderful for any church, pastor, or home!

And I've learned how to use a bead loom! Look how many bracelets I made in two weeks!

Ya'll be blessed and stay warm!

Passing on the Arts

Well, it has not been as productive of a weekend as I had hoped for, but I did get some work done.

First, I want to brag about my younger sister. She has been watching her three older sisters doing art work her entire life (all seven years) and has been wanting to learn how to cross stitch from me for the last two years. For her birthday, I got her a small kit with that in mind, then lost the kit. So I thought I would give it to her for Christmas... It got to her a week ago. Oh well. Here are some pictures of her work. Granted, I have to hold the fabric for her and remind her where to place the needle, but I think she's doing very well for her age ^.^                                                                          
                                                                                     

The first picture is of her progress so far...





     




...And this shows how neat the back of her work is.

 Here are some dish cloth bunnies that I made up quickly today. I plan on selling these along with lots more of their buddies in my church and on Etsy to help raise some funds for my upcoming trip to the LCMS National Senior Youth Gathering in San Antonio this July.







The only other project I worked on this weekend was a cross stitch piece for a family member that I don't want to reveal until after I have sent it to them and I am no where near the end of that project.

Good night for now everyone, I'm off for some more stitching before heading to bed.

First Projects of the Year

Hello again! Can you believe that we are already nearing the end of January? Where did the time go in this first month of a new year? Though I have not been posting, I have been busy. Here are the first two projects that have been completed this year, though they are by no means the only projects I have going at the moment.

First, a new Kindle jacket! The fabric features owls,
Butterflies and flowers, some of my favorite things!








Next, hot out of the hoop, is this cute owl picture! Sorry for the creases in the fabric, but I just had to share it and don't have time to iron it right now.

A side note about this piece, I challenged Amber to complete this same project, and the looser has to buy the other a frappe. Looks like I'll be enjoying one soon ^.^




I have this weekend off and plan on working on some of my other projects, one at least that I know can be completed in a few hours if I sit down and do it. More pictures coming soon!