Freebie Friday – Crochet/Yarn Hacks

How to lose two hours browsing the internet without even knowing it. You start your search with a very straight forward agenda that should only take a few minutes but somehow end up completely off base from where you started. Next thing you know, you’ve lost two hours (or more :-)) looking at things you had no business looking at. I started out innocently enough planning a quick search for items for a birthday wish list. Before I knew what hit me, I had deviated from that plan almost immediately.

I was looking for items I could put on my wish list for my upcoming birthday. I stumbled across these cute jewelry designs for crocheters that I thought were really awesome.

I can make this!

 

Instead of putting them on my wish list, my first thought was that I could make these. This naturally led to a search of small crochet hooks. I don’t know how much time I wasted on that errand but I found really cool hooks (but not the ones I was looking for).

I fell for this one which sent me on a side search for sterling silver crochet jewelry.

How awesome is this one? I love it.

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Progress on Crochet Sweaters

Now that the frenzy of Christmas is over, I can go back to finishing my projects languishing in craft bags all over my house. My number one priority at home is to finish my two sweaters. I profess that I will not start anything new until I’m done with at least one. I proclaim that I will wear one of those sweaters before winter ends. (Don’t hold me to any of that!!!)

My granny square sweater will NOT be worn this winter. Those plugs are taking for ever!!! I get discouraged more quickly so it gets put down more often. Instead, I’m working on a new sweater that actually has a chance of seeing the light of a cold day.

I’m working this new sweater in a beautiful star stitch with alternating and complementary colors from my yarn stash (I didn’t want to buy anymore yarn). As usual, I jumped in head first, armed with an idea and a plan. I arranged my colors and got to work. I thought I knew what I was doing. I’ve done the star stitch a million times (it’s one of my favorite stitches). I went for it measuring along my body and deciding lengths and widths that way.

As I was crocheting along, after row upon row of star stitches, I noticed a slight lean to my garment. I was supposed to be getting rectangular panels that I would sew together later but I was getting a parallelogram instead! When I first noticed the lean, I didn’t believe it. I convinced myself it was my imagination so I kept working. By the time I noticed it again, it was too late!

Those are some shifty rows there.

Freebie Friday – Crochet Skirts

I have been crocheting for a long time but I hardly ever make clothing. I’ve made many hats and scarves…that I hardly ever wear, except my holiday hats I pull out once a year. I even made mittens once as a request item but just the once. I mostly give the hats and scarves away. I’ve recently embarked in trying to finish two sweater coats (more posts on the way) that I’m loving but that’s about it. Oh, once I followed a pattern for a lacy top that I wore once and then gave away. But that’s really it! I guess I should count the costumes. I made two mermaid skirts and a dragon cloak. But again, costumes! Not real clothing. Clothing was just never my thing. I like making toys, costumes, whimsical things for the holidays and such.

But…one thing I think about often is making a crochet skirt.I’ve been wanting to make myself a crochet skirt for a long time now. It’s something that bounces around in my brain but hasn’t actually come out. Lately though, the itch to make it has become stronger. I’ve been puttering around the internet more often salivating at dresses and skirts. And now, I feel I’m ready to give a skirt a try. Not sure yet if I’ll make one up or if I’ll copy one already out there but here are some that looked easy to make (so that I might actually try it) and was something pretty that I would actually wear.

I love stripes and this one has the feel of stripes with a nice twist.

More stripes but chevrons make it different, right?  You have to register for this one but it’s free and it’s cute so I think it’s worth it.

 

Have to have a black skirt in the bunch.

This one doesn’t have a pattern and I wouldn’t wear it out in public but this would be great for the Renaissance Fair. I couldn’t resist a costume! I think I can make something similar without a pattern.

 

I am not affiliated with any websites nor do I make any money from these sites. They are simply patterns I like or would like to try myself. 

Scary Life Size Doll Head

I mentioned in a previous post that I was crocheting a life size doll of myself at work. Alas, I had to place it on the back burner in lieu of other, more pressing projects. Well, it’s day has come! I will not pick up any other projects until that doll is done. So I in that spirit…

I resumed work on the head. My little minions (Kindergarteners) couldn’t help themselves from helping me work on the doll. I had completed the head and had embroidered the face, using their suggestions of course. It was ready for stuffing.

Before I stuffed, I had to get up for something and left my work on the table. I can see all of you shaking your heads thinking to yourselves that I was asking for it. I see no pity in your eyes. I did indeed ask for it. I came back to a student running around with his hand in the opening of the doll head, using it like a puppet. A long string of yarn was tailing him around the room as it unwound from the ball of yarn. I quickly had him bring it back. Luckily, I had my stitch marker in so it didn’t unravel.

Can someone help me run around the room? I’m bored.

Now that she was rescued, it was time for stuffing. They love helping me stuff so I let them

Freebie Friday – Crochet Poop Emoji

 

Poop emoji, I can’t get away from it. The kids love it. Lately, it’s the biggest request I get from the students. They think it’s hilarious. I refused to  make it for the prize box. I could just hear all the silly poop jokes an inappropriate sounds. Let’s not even mention all the hijinks I’d be subjected to in the name of comedy. I did relent for the craft fair though. Hey, if they wanted to buy it who was I to argue? The parents would have to deal with the shenanigans at home. I just needed to figure out how to make one.

I went online to find other crochet poop emojis and what I found wasn’t exactly what I was

Crochet Doll for a friend

My co-worker and dear friend has gone off and left me to go back to college in another state.😔

I’m so sad she’s gone but supportive of her decision and extremely excited about her new adventure. Working with her made my job such a joy every single day. Her last day was also our last day before our holiday break. I wanted to give her a gift that was both a Christmas gift and a going away present. I hoped to make something special that would let her know how much I would miss her.

I thought about the different things I could make but in the end, it had to be a doll. Although I make and have made a variety of things, I’m a doll maker at heart and I couldn’t send her on her journey without her very own doll. But it had to be SPECIAL. Not

Crochet Star Stitch Pot Holder

At a family gathering during the holidays, my baby girl made an awesome turkey with delicious fixings. In the midst of all the cooking, I had forgotten that I threw away all my pot holders a few days prior. I had every intention of buying new ones but on three subsequent trips to the store, I forgot.

So there we were, up to our elbows with cooking and no pot holders to be seen. I was lamenting that I would probably need to run out and  buy some new ones. My sage sis looked at me and asked why I hadn’t whipped some up already. She correctly pointed out that I could probably crochet some really quick. Huh? What? She was absolutely right! I couldn’t believe I hadn’t thought of it. I try to make just about everything out of crochet (even things I really shouldn’t) and I hadn’t even considered making a pot holder. I didn’t try making one in that instant but I did make one the next day.