Just in time…

Just in time for the cooler temperatures coming… I whipped up this scarf! There is no temperature control in my office at work – it’s either sweating hot or freezing cold. In the fall/winter, it’s almost always the latter. To help keep warm I made this scaft from Red Heart Yarn in Aran Fleck. It is soooo toasty warm! And did I mention, I even added little pockets to the bottom to put my hands in to keep them warm too! Since the pattern is a bit open, I can even fit my fingers through the stitches to operate my computer mouse!

This Surreybelle Scarf pattern came from Sarah Cooper on Ravelry. (I’m pretty sure you need to register to be able to see that link)
Her instructions were simple and easy to understand, which was perfect for me since I still consider myself a novice when it comes to crochet. The whole thing worked up VERY fast. I worked on it a few hours at a clip and still got in done in little over a week. Once I become a faster crocheter, I’m sure this would could be done in no time flat.

The Pockets!

What I’ve been up to…

I’ve had several crafty projects in the works for the past few months. Now that I’ve given the recipient hers at her baby shower, I can post them here!

First up is a car seat blanket I made using granny squares. I call this a car seat blanket because it’s just the right size not to drag the ground when covering up the baby while in the seat. It works out well for strollers too! I used Caron Simply Soft and Red Heart baby yarns, and I love how it turned out!

Detail of the stitches:

Next up is a little hat with ears. This project taught me to be sure to check my guage. I didn’t with my first attempt and it came out waaaaaay too small…so here’s round 2. I found the pattern on Ravelry by Squishy Chocolate. Her instructions were so clear and concise…it made it an easy project!

I have a couple more projects in the works… I’ll be posting them soon, promise!

Crochet!

The majority of the projects I’ve been posting lately have been papercraft related. I love all things crafty – so I’ve pulled a couple crochet projects I worked on recently to showcase here.

These crochet dishcloths and pot scrubbies are not only cute – but green too! Made with 100% cotton, these can be washed over and over again. Much more environmentally friendly than paper towels or sponges!

I used Lily Sugar and Cream yarn for all these. It’s super soft, and is easy to care for. The dishcloth patterns came from the Leisure Arts ‘Kitchen Basics in Cotton’ book, whereas the scrubbies are a modified version of a pattern I pulled from the ‘Beyond the Square – Crochet Motifs’ book. Each of these worked up really quickly – which is good for someone like me that gets bored really quickly!

Yarn: Lily Sugar & Cream 100% Cotton in Ecru and Yellow

Super Easy Crocheted Baby Blanket

A buddy of mine at work and his wife just had their baby girl this week – 5 weeks early. Mom and baby are doing great! Because she was early, of course I wasn’t prepared, so I had to be quick and hurry up and finish this work in progress baby blanket I had! I promise I’ll get back to posting some more cards now that it’s done. I have to make them a card to go with this, afterall!

I used Vanna’s Choice yarn for this blanket, which I like because it’s soft and strong all at the same time. Not to mention economical. The design is nothing more than a big ‘ole granny square – I just kept working rounds and rounds and rounds til it was the size I liked. This measures about 33 inches square. The smaller size is good for using with car seats.

And a close up of the detail:

I have until January until another friend’s baby is due, so I have plenty of time to get that one done!!

Blankie for Rylee

My great-niece’s first birthday is quickly approaching. She’s a blankie baby — loves having one around. For her birthday I wanted to crochet her a blanket – but I was pretty short on time.

I used my Edgerydoo template to make the holes in a piece of fleece I purchased from Joann’s. This was my first time using it, and I have to say, I’m pretty impressed! The holes came out perfectly.

I chose a nice pretty scalloped border pattern from the Edgerydoo website. I was able to finish this in less than a week – I’m a very slow crocheter so I’m sure the normal person could do it much much faster!

Pattern for the crocheted In Color flowers

A few folks had asked about the pattern I used for the In Color flowers I posted yesterday. I wish I was creative enough to have designed these myself, but I’m not quite to that level yet!

When I taught myself to crochet, I used two books – Teach Yourself Visually Crocheting and I Taught Myself Crochet (this is an updated version from what I used). Both books were great at teaching someone with no crochet knowledge, although I do think that the Teach Yourself Visually version was a bit easier to use since it has photos of each step.

The pattern I used to make the flowers was from the Teach Yourself Visually book. It’s a pretty simplistic pattern to follow, which only requires basic crochet stitches. I used a Susan Bates US1/2.35mm hook for these.

Round One: CH2. 5SC in second CH from Hook.
Round Two: [CH2, 3DC, CH2, slip stich] in first SC. One petal made. Slip Stitch in next SC. Repeat for a total of 5 petals.
Fasten off and weave in ends.

I usually work in worsted weight yarn, so at first, working with the fine embroidery floss was a little challenging for me, but once I got the hang of it, these worked up pretty quickly.

Enjoy!

In Colors + Crochet =

Purty flowers!!

I spent 20 minutes at my local AC Moore this evening attempting to match up DMC embroidery floss to the new Stampin’ Up! In Colors. Here’s my results…I think I got pretty close!

The colors I matched are as follows (from left to right):
Rich Razzleberry – DMC#3802
Soft Suede – DMC#3790
Dusty Durango – DMC#920
Crushed Curry – DMC#725
Bermuda Bay – DMC#3848
Melon Mambo – DMC#3804

Now I just need to figure out what to use the flowers for…stay tuned!

Hello there, Cupcake!

Introducing…the first crochet project I’m showcasing on my blog!

My sister is an amazing crocheter. When I was younger, I was absolutely amazed by the stuff she made – everything from a simple picot trim on a kitchen towel to a gorgeous tablecloth. She attempted to teach me once – we didn’t get too far. I was convinced I could never learn the intricacies of weaving yarn into knots with a hook.

Fast forward to now (oh, about 20 years later!), and I love crocheting! It’s very relaxing to to work with the yarn and the hook – almost hypnotic. About 2 years ago, I taught myself from a book I picked up with a 50% off coupon from AC Moore on a whim (ya know I couldn’t let the coupon go to waste now!). My very first project was a scarf made from granny squares.

Enough about all that – onto the Cupcake! 

I made this little guy from a pattern in Ana Paula Rimoli’s book – Amigurumi World: Seriously Cute Crochet – ISBN-10: 1564778479

Mr. Cupcake was super easy to make following the pattern in the book. The instructions were clearly written, so that even I – a complete novice at crocheting – could succeed!

The pink  frosting yarn is Vanna’s Choice and the tan yarn is Red Heart Designer Sport.

I haven’t decided quite yet what to do with Mr. Cupcake yet. My friend Liz owns a baking business – Cookies to Cocktails – http://www.cookiestococktails.com/ - so I’m thinking Mr. Cupcake might like to go to live with her.