I have always been partial to mermaids. I love mermaids and I often wished I could be a mermaid. I love stories and books about mermaids and I’ve even written stories and poems about mermaids. Don’t run for cover! I wouldn’t subject you to my mermaid writings. This is a blog about crochet after all. I WILL subject you to my mermaid inspired crochet. đ I’ve made four mermaid dolls (two were cute but the other two were questionable).
I’m the cute one.
One of the benefits of cleaning up and decluttering your space is that you find things you forgot you had. I was helping my son declutter his room and encouraging him to toss or donate the things he no longer needed or no longer had any meaning to him. In the process, we came across some crochet pieces I had made for him years ago. He had them on display in a bookshelf that he hardly ever looked at anymore. There were some things there that went into a donation box. I asked him if we should donate the crochet pieces too.
When he was younger, he was very into a game called Crash Bandicoot. He loved it so much, he asked me to make him a couple of items from the game. There was this box that the main character used to jump on and break. There were Gems as well. He laughed when he saw the crocheted gems and said they didn’t look quite like the gems he remembered from the video game.
This was the type of reference I had for the gems.
Purplicious is done. She is fully assembled and more importantly, clothed.
I’m ready for my debut!
Once finished, it surprised me that some family members thought she looked like my daughter. First thing out of hubby’s mouth was, “She looks like Daughter.” On a different day my sister said, “She looks like Niece.” Why? Because she’s purple? Daughter’s favorite color is purple. My favorite color is purple. No one thinks she looks like me. They both said the doll just does. Works for me. đ Continue reading
My second attempt at a crochet tooth is more in line with the vision I had for the project. I shall call him Bumpy.
First off, I made sure I had plenty of yarn to finish him. Plenty of yarn! Bumpy was done in a similar way as Prototype but I added an extra stitch to my increases and had some strategic decreases. So instead of two single crochets in one stitch, I had three. To keep the pattern as I did with Prototype, I had to decrease some stitches in the next rounds. This had the added bonus of making the fabric pucker in just the right way. It was looking pretty good. I was falling in love with Bumpy. I added the face, made the chains that divide the head (for making the roots), added some stuffing and then started on the roots. I was still in love with Bumpy. Continue reading
My modus operandi strikes again!
I’m working on a doll using only shades of purple yarn. I had a light colored ball of yarn that I thought would be perfect for her (why is it always a her?) head and body.
What do you mean there’s not enough  yarn for my legs?!!!
She was coming along nicely but in my typical fashion, my ball of yarn was very small when it came time to make the legs. Never daunted by running out of un-replaceable yarn, I opted to mix colors for the legs.
Looking a little raggedy there but she’ll look fine when she’s completed.
In this case, I’m glad I ran out of yarn. I like the legs much better than if they had just been one plain color. đ
Running out of yarn keeps my mind sharp! (Yes, I’m sticking to that story. :-))
In looking for ideas to make a crochet tooth for my son’s dentist, I looked over the patterns I found and  thought them confusing. I probably could have figured them out if I had invested more time but I was busy (lazy). I watched some videos to see how others made a tooth.  I was inspired but decided to go my own way. I wanted to work in the round but didn’t want the rounded look for the molar. What I ended up doing was clustering my increases together instead of evenly distributing them as you would typically do when crocheting in the round. I was hoping to get four bumps on the top but what came out was a more square top with no bumps. I still like it better than if I had just crocheted in the round in the usual way (even though it still looks pretty round in the picture :-)). Ultimately, my tooth looks a lot like the other teeth out there but I think my pattern is simpler than what I was looking at. One video I saw was pretty easy but I thought it was too easy. I’m satisfied with what I created.
I’m Prototype đ
Modus Operandi: A particular way or method of doing something, especially one that is characteristic or well-established.Â
I have a modus operandi. That would be running out of yarn, a yarn I can’t replace, when I’m close to finishing a project. It happens so often, I don’t get alarmed anymore. I would even argue it keeps my mind sharp. How, do you ask? Am I spinning it so I don’t sound disorganized or unrealistic about how much I can stretch a ball of yarn? Nay, I say! I have many balls and skeins of yarn I’ve acquired in varied ways. There were yard sales, donations, thrift stores, and the collection I received from my mom. It’s almost impossible to get more. Sometimes I CAN get more yarn but unless the project is mission critical (it almost never is), I’m usually too busy (lazy) to run out and get more. This naturally forces me to come up with a solution to my dilemma. I have to rethink and regroup and find another yarn in my hodgepodge stash that would make my project just as good if not even better. Sometimes I fail but sometimes I come up with something I  love even more than what I originally planned. It keeps my mind sharp!
Talking about the crochet tooth (who was talking about the tooth?), Â once I figured out the design I wanted, I got to work…and ran out of yarn. At least I was able to finish the top portion of the molar. This is a yarn (off white) I could get more of, but this was a prototype anyway, so being busy (lazy), I didn’t bother.
Go get some more yarn woman!
Recently, I’ve been brainstorming unique gift ideas for my son’s dentist. I started taking my daughter to her pediatric practice when she was six years old (she’s 27 now, yikes!) and then started taking my son to her when he was three (he’s now 16, double yikes!). His next appointment will probably be his last with her. Firstly, he’s ready to transition out of going to a pediatric dentist and secondly, she’s added two new dentists to her office and her availability has decreased dramatically. They didn’t say it but it sounds to me like she’s planning to retire from her practice.
I feel so fortunate to have found her. I always felt she had my children’s best interest at heart and not her pocket-book. I trusted her. Best of all, my children never feared going to the dentist when they saw her. Even when we moved out of the area, I drove the extra hour to her practice. My kids have been going to her for 21 years and I want to give her something special to let her know how much was appreciated her.
At first I thought I might make her a doll but then I came across these cute crocheted molars.
All Photos courtesy of Pinterest
This one is my favorite one. I love the toothbrush. This is a paid pattern (not my pattern) but it’s a great picture for inspiration.
