Picture it, three small children, smitten with half of a life size doll. I finally attached arms to my doll and three of my Kindergarten students couldn’t stop hugging her and dare I mention, one of them couldn’t stop kissing her. The doll is a bit heavy because I stuffed her body with rags but that didn’t stop them from picking her up and squeezing her (and kissing her). Continue reading
For those who read my post on crochet/yarn hacks, you know I wanted to make a crochet caddy. The sad truth is that there are many, many things that I want to make that get forgotten or, due to lack of hours in a day, never get made. But this is a post about what did get made so, YAY!
I guess I really was pumped up about that post because, not one, but two crochet hook caddies was born and are already in use. There was the added desire to have something pretty to store my new Clover Armour crochet hooks I got for my birthday.
At this stage (below), this one was in two pieces, the outer bottom and the snug upper layer. There was no top and it looked pretty nice but I wanted to give the hooks more separation.
Almost done!
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.
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 Continue reading
I couldn’t help myself! I couldn’t wait until I was done plugging up all the holes on my old sweater. I haven’t even finished it and it’s already ‘my old sweater’. Sheesh! I did manage to plug up the granny squares on the outer rim of the sweater.
24 finished squares is good for now.
I just couldn’t do one more square. Images of a new crochet sweater just wouldn’t leave me alone. I kept asking myself why I had become obsessed with making a new sweater when I had a perfectly lovely sweater that just needed finishing. What would be so great about starting a new sweater? I asked the universe (my yarn stash) and the universe answered. It was because I wasn’t crocheting, I was sewing and no matter how I sliced it, sewing just isn’t as much fun as crocheting. I needed a break from the sewing and needed to be creative for a bit. That’s why I needed, NEEDED, to start a new project. That’s all the excuse I needed to start rummaging through my stash to see if I had enough yarn to start a new sweater. The answer was yes, if I used different colors and didn’t bother trying to make sure the yarn was all the same type. What was the worst that could happen? If I didn’t like it, no harm no foul. I could always go back to plugging holes.
But I’m liking the look of the new sweater. I’m using the star stitch and so far I like the colors. This is going to be the bottom panel. I’m going to repeat the color pattern one more time and then start on the vertical rows (as mentioned in the previous post).
I feel better now. I think I can alternate between crocheting this sweater and plugging up the other one without getting all twitchy. I’ll probably finish them up at the same time and then I’ll have two sweaters. 🙂
I was talking on the phone with hubby and my hands felt idle. It was the perfect opportunity to grab some yarn and make an emoji. I had the idea rattling in my brain since one of my students requested (turned into a suggestion, no more personal requests 🙂 I make one. It was an easy and quick project to work on while gabbing away. I almost got it done by the time we hung up. We do talk for a long time. Love my hubby.
This one didn’t last long in the prize box. It was snatched up right away. There’s nothing worse than making something I think the kids like only to have the poor item sitting in the box for months and, eek, forever. I always feel a little thrill when they pick one of my pieces and run around with it. It’s all about the little pleasures. 🙂
I plan on making more and experimenting with different faces and edgings. These seem so natural for the prize box. Continue reading
One happy student walked away with this YouTube pillow. Unfortunately it wasn’t the student who asked for it. I didn’t think anyone else wanted it so I threw it in the prize box. I know I said I wouldn’t take anymore personal requests BUT I’m telling myself it isn’t a personal request just because I’m making a new one and hiding it until this student makes it to prize box and then I’ll sneakily put it back in. I’m innocent I say!
It’s super simple to make so I’m almost ashamed to call it a Freebie Friday pattern but still…here it is. Continue reading
I often try using my left hand instead of my right hand for various things (writing, tennis, racquet ball, baseball) just to challenge myself. I’ve read articles that state that switching hands creates neurons in the brain. Here’s an article stating just that! I’m all for creating neurons in the brain! What better way to make my brain stronger than with left-handed crochet! I had never tried to do this until…
Today, I was trying to teach someone how to crochet left-handed. I am a right-handed crocheter. It was hard. I got frustrated. I got aggravated. I almost gave up. I was the student and I was a tough student.
I have been crocheting ever since I can remember. How is it possible that my left hand (LH) is acting like it has never seen a hook!? It’s been working with my right hand (RH) all along! I had to keep switching the hook to my right hand to see how it holds the hook and yarn. It’s just always been automatic. When I switched to my left hand, I had no clue what I was doing.
What I thought was going to happen when I tried using my left hand ended up being different from what actually happened. I thought using my left hand was going to feel Continue reading
My eyes are getting old. I need reading glasses. I hate to admit it. I don’t want to believe it. But alas, there it is. Pulling things I need to focus on further and further from my face isn’t working anymore. I look ridiculous scrunching my eyes while simultaneously holding the offending object I am trying to read in my outstretched hand as far as it will extend…and still not being able to focus. If my son is at hand, say we’re shopping and I need to read the ingredients list of something, he’s gotten very used to me handing him something and saying, “Read that to me. Is there any wheat in that?”
But then, I don a pair of reading glasses and it’s all crystal clear. It makes me feel better that the magnification I need is still relatively low. That means my eyes aren’t that bad, right? I don’t need glasses for seeing in the distance so that’s good too, right? Anybody with me? I used to be able to get away with all that arm stretching but now I’m resolved to stashing reading glasses all over the place (my sisters do too so at least I’m in good company :-)). Oh lovely reading glasses, let me count the ways: the bathroom, the kitchen, my bedroom, my purse, my office, at work, and my crochet bag. I even have one of those large magnifying glasses that my kids loved to play with as children. It sits right next to my computer and I use it when I don’t want to put on the glasses. The family always pauses to look at me when I’m looking at something through the thing. No, I don’t look silly at all trying to avoid putting on the glasses.
Saddest of all, having all these strategically placed glasses in every nook and cranny is no longer good enough. Before, when I needed a little extra seeing help, I could reach for a pair. Now, I need that little push more often. I need a more permanent solution to keep a set ON me. I attempted to crochet a cute cord/necklace thing to do just that but I didn’t like it. I found myself looking for a better solution. I went internet browsing and came across some cute solutions.
I discovered magnetic eyeglasses clips/holders.
I am so excited! So excited, in fact, I needed to share my discovery. There is a free website where you can create crochet diagrams for your projects. It’s called Stitch Fiddle and I’m having a fun time trying to figure it out. I wanted the ability to make a diagram for the crochet tooth I made. I ended up using graph paper but I just knew there had to be something out there that would allow me to do it on my computer. My frugal self was even willing to pay for it. I kept finding things that only worked on other platforms I couldn’t use (I’m an Apple user) but this one works straight from the web (no need to download anything) which was perfect. The only problem I’m having is that I don’t see any tutorials. It’s supposed to be intuitive and easy but ‘easy’ is subjective. The Help section directs you to a forum but what I really want is a tutorial. Even YouTube let me down on this one. So for now, I’m going to play with it and try to figure it out on my own. It’s seems easy enough that I think with some trial and error, I’ll get better at it. 🙂 In the mean time, I hope you enjoy it too.
Here is a sample of what I’ve created so far with the program. It’s rows 1-9 of the small tooth. It’s not great but it’s helping me learn the program.
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.
yochet 