Ugly Crochet Slippers

Yes, my new slippers are ugly. Yes, they are square, like the ones I made before. Maybe that’s what makes them ugly. Or, maybe, it’s all the hodgepodge yarn I used. Doesn’t matter, I like them. They are comfy and warm and fit my feet really well.

Speaking of my old crochet slippers,I’ve been wearing the heck out of them. They are way too big for my feet and I go slip sliding around in them. Yeah, those. But I love them anyway. However, I wanted to make another pair. A pair that would actually fit, you know, my feet.

So I rummaged through my stash looking for something warm and comfy and found this thick, chunky yarn in a variegated brownish color. I grabbed a matching Tunisian crochet hook (size L) that looked good for the yarn size and I was set.

This is what was left after the soles and tops were done.

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Freebie Friday – Crochet Emergency!

I asked my 16 year old son how his day had been.

He said, “Well, I have some bad news.”

He didn’t seem alarmed or agitated so I didn’t panic. In a split second, scenarios of what it could be ran through my head. Bad grade on an assignment, a minor problem with his car, something that happened to one of his friends…

“Is it BIG bad news?” says I.

Son said, “No.”

“Is it small bad news?” I asked.

Son said, “Well, it isn’t small. I lost my crochet iPhone case.”

Phew! Very minor bad news.

The Prodigal Doll Returns!

This story was inspired by the passing of my oldest sister due to complications of diabetes…

So I made this doll back in 2010. I had just learned about Tunisian crochet and I experimented making some dolls with it. I loved the knitted look that could be achieved and since I was lousy with knitting, I wanted to give it a go. This particular doll was my third attempt at making a doll with this style of crochet. When I was done with her, I thought she was ugly (but I never told her that. I wouldn’t break her confidence that way!). I was happy with the overall doll but I wasn’t too happy with her face. I didn’t do such a hot job with her hair either but she was a prototype so I wasn’t too concerned.

What surprised me about this doll was the reaction some family members had to her. My sis-in-law and close friend fell in love with her and kept cuddling her and asked me if she could have her. She begged me for her. I’m pretty sure she begged me for her :-). I still wanted to make the doll an outfit and take some pictures of her. This doll wasn’t intended for anyone. I wanted to keep her as future reference for other dolls but I had written a pattern already and my friend wanted her so badly that I agreed to let her keep her, but not until I was done finishing her up.

Then, my mom-in-law came to visit and had almost the same reaction as my friend. She also asked if she could keep her but let her know that I had already promised her to someone else but that I would make her a new one (I did eventually make her a new one but it took me over a year to deliver, oops!). I told my friend about it in the event she was feeling generous and would want me to give her to my mom-in-law but she said no way.

Well, on a day my extended family gathered for the holidays, I had intended to give the doll to my friend. I had made her a bassinet, pillow, blanket, an outfit and bought her some clothes. My niece saw the doll and asked me if she could have her too. I let her know that it was already given to someone else and besides, I had already given her some dolls I’d made.

I gave the doll to my sis-in-law (notice she is no longer my close friend at this point) who enjoyed her all of 15 minutes before she gave the doll to my niece! In her defense (this was her defense, not mine), my niece came up to her and let her know how much she loved the doll. My niece, 10 years old at the time, looked pretty cute and convincing. My sis-in-law then said, “Well, dolls should be loved and played with by kids. Will you promise to take care of her?” My niece was no sucker and said that of course she would take care of her. My now not so loved (I’m joking of course!) sis-in-law handed the doll over and that was that.

A couple of things went through my mind in that moment. What just happened???!!! Did she really just give away the doll she begged me for to my niece to whom I had already given dolls to? It could have gone to my mom-in-law (it’s never a bad thing to score brownie points with the mom-in-law), who I was pretty confident would not have given her away in less than 15 minutes.

I don’t blame my niece for wanting her and asking for her but I did NOT expect my sis-in-law to cave in so easily! I felt like snatching the doll back up and giving her to my mom-in-law (brownie points!). But then I came to acceptance. What was done was done. She belonged to my niece now. She conned sis-in-law out of it fair and square. My niece reads this blog and she knows it’s true!

This is one of the dolls I had given my niece. Just in case there was any doubt I gave her good things!

My Top 6 Best Crochet Discoveries

I’ve been crocheting for a long time and every now and then I stumble across something new that totally excites me, inspires me, or just makes me extremely happy. Here are the top five things that blew my mind when I discovered them. I know these things have been around forever but at one time they were new to me and I’m so happy I found them.

1. Tunisian crochet

I was looking for a phone case idea (a very long time ago) and found a pattern for a really cute one but it looked knitted. I had just learned how to read patterns but the pattern looked completely foreign to me. Even though the pattern said crochet, it wasn’t any crochet I knew. I liked the case and it said crochet so I was determined to learn its language. It said it was done in Tunisian knit stitch so I looked it up and the heavens opened up for me. I was frustrated with knitting and abandoned it but still liked how it looked and this type of crochet was beautiful and allowed me to pretend I could knit. I’ve been Tunisian crocheting ever since and I absolutely love it!

The phone case that started it all!

Crochet Cell Phone Cases

I make a ton of crocheted pieces but I don’t actually use many of them. I tend to give them away as gifts. I love making beanies but I can’t stand having things on my head. Most of my dolls have been sold or given away. Even the blankets I’ve made have been given away. But one thing I do use religiously is a cell phone case. When I’m at work (after school program) I get many calls or texts from parents so it’s important that I have my cell phone on me at all times. I usually wear shorts or jeans so I have belt loops. When I first started working there, I realized I needed a solution for my phone that would keep it near, keep it safe, and keep it accessible. In the beginning, I bought phone cases that had a clip but they would constantly slip of. I tried putting the phone in my pocket but sometimes I didn’t have pockets or it felt awkward in there. Worst of all was when I would sit on it because I forgot it was there! I decided I could make something that would work much better. I made my own cases with flaps and a button for closure (so the phone wouldn’t slip out) and attached a lobster claw key ring so I could hook it onto my belt loop so it wouldn’t slip off.

I have made several phone cases over the years in colors that match the colors I wear most often. The kids really like it when I switch them up. They always comment about the cases when they notice I’m using a different one.

Here’s a sampling of some that I have made over the years. My older cases are too small now since phones keep getting bigger! I’m trying to repurpose them for other uses. They’re also starting to show signs of wear so I think it’s time to make up some new ones.

My favorites are the black one and the orangie one on the top right. My students tend to favor the rainbow one.

Memyselfandpi Minecraft Doll

One of my students requested a Minecraft doll called Memyselfandpi. I’m not sure if that’s what it’s really called but he said it was a Youtuber character. This all went over my head but I looked the character up to assure him and myself I could make it. This is what he looks like:

He looks an awful like Steve from Minecraft to me 🙂

Very easy to do. Basically, he looks just like Steve but with a different color shirt and what appears to be a Rubic’s Cube on his hands. But I wanted to try something new with these dolls so I shook things up and made him with Tunisian crochet. I love Tunisian crochet and the ability to make fabric that looks like knitting. I thought it would look good on this character. Here’s what I came up with:

The hands didn’t turn out exactly right but I think it was close enough for this round. I keep all the little scraps of yarn we collect at work so I used those to make the different colors on his hands. Since they would be hidden, I made individual cross stitches and tied them up with a double knot inside.

My student (and his dad 🙂 loved him so I was quite pleased with the result.

One of my kinder students wanted a Mario Minecraft doll. What?! There’s a Mario Minecraft doll? Sure enough, I found an example of this character doing a google search. Where would I be without the internet to help me out! (clueless I’m sure LOL)

That character is a bit more complicated so I’m spending some time contemplating how best to approach that project (while my student is in the background asking me if I’m done already!). In the meantime, I’m finishing up a rag doll style mermaid. The head is made up of two abandoned square pieces made by a co-worker. I hate wasting anything so I took this time to work on something other than Minecraft and turned the head into a wannabe Ariel from the little mermaid. I’m working the body in the round instead of my rag doll motif of rectangles and squares. Should be interesting: square head and round body. Hey, it’s my doll and I can do whatever I want. 🙂 I will post pictures when I am done, even if it looks wonky.