A few months after I moved out to the Midwest, I was craving crochet badly, but didn’t have any yarn or patterns so I figured, I’ll just crochet something from a yarn wrapper, as they will show patterns and materials required. Odds are the blanket patterns are pretty easy to find and aren’t horrific. While in theory using free patterns seemed like a great idea, in the end I had to completely modify the pattern because of the turn chains, necessitating unraveling the blanket after being over half done. Probably my own fault for following a pattern from the back of a skein of yarn at Meijer, purchased at 2 am.

Anyways, once I fixed the pattern’s major flaws, it was easy to crochet while watching The Colbert Report and The Daily Show with John Stewart.

I think that gif sums up my reaction to the original problematic pattern.

What I love about this pattern now that I’ve fixed it is that it’s easy and looks impressive. I adore texture in crocheted and knitted projects, and I probably will make another blanket in light blue.

The main problem I had with this pattern was the turning chains, as the original pattern caused the edges to crumple up, as if someone had pulled the drawstring on a hood too tightly.  Notice how with corrected turn chains the edges lie smooth and flat:

Speaking of hoods, I also omitted the hood from this blanket as it seemed silly and superfluous.

I have completely reworked the original pattern, so much so that I’m not going to bother rewriting out the original, because it just doesn’t work. This blanket crochets up very quickly. I estimate that it took about 12 hours from start to finish, but I am probably not the fastest crocheter.

Yarn: (also source of original pattern, heavily modified) Lion Brand “Pound of Love” 4-ply worsted weight acrylic – 16 ounces/454 grams – 1020 yards/932 meters

Color: I choose yarn in Antique White, which honestly looks like a pale yellow

Hook: size J

Gauge: 3.5 single crochets and 4 rows = 1 inch – however, with most blankets and such, gauge is really not that important. I had tons of yarn left over.

Size: approximately 28″ by 32″

Pattern based off of Sedge Stitch II from Reader’s Digest’s The Ultimate Sourcebook of Knitting and Crochet Stitches, page 224 (see bibliography).

Ch 108

Row 1: Skip 2ch (count as 1 sc), 2dc into next ch, *skip 2 ch, [1sc, 2dc] into next ch; rep from * to last 3ch, skip 2ch, 1 sc into last ch, turn

Row 2: 1 ch (counts as 1 sc), 2dc into 1st st, *skip 2dc [1sc, 2dc] into next sc; rep from * to last 3 sts, skip 2dc, 1 sc into top of ch, turn

Rep 2nd row until the blanket is approximately 32 inches long (about 82 rows)

The finished blanket, looking much more peaceful than its origins would suggest:

Bibliography

Reader’s Digest. The Ultimate Sourcebook of Knitting and Crochet Stitches. Pleasantville, NY: Reader’s Digest Association, Inc., 2003 (224).

Ack! So much going on…  I’ve commited to completing four things by the end of the year:

1) Steampunk miniseries script.  I finished typing out my outline last night and have asked a couple of people to review it for gapping plot holes.  I’m kind of afraid it’ll be really boring for them, but it seems interesting to me.  Sadly, I can see myself reflected in the main character and I’ve always found that annoying in other people’s writing.  I’m hoping by encouraging more collaboration among friends that we’ll remove that blatant reflection and turn her into her own person. After I hear back from them and make changes, I’ll have to turn it into an actual script.

2) Business Plan.  I’m nearly finished with my primary rough draft based on a magazine article I read a few months ago.  Then I’ll go through it referencing a book that I’ve found usefull and add anything else that seems helpful.

3) Reference photos for web page and Steampunk miniseries.  I enjoy this athestic and am going to base my webpage on this anachronistic style. Warren needs some photos to help him see what I’m thinking of so he can build the page.  He also suggested I provide photos to the group as they work on the script so they can get an idea of the mood that I’m shooting for in the series.

4) Red dress photo shoot. This is a fun 1950’s era dress that I made for myself.  It’s the first dress I fitted using my duct-tape body double and it turned out so nice!  I actually like it and wear it! But now we need to take some pictures for the web page and in preparation for a rainy-day project I’d like to do soon…

SPEAKING of other projects… Here are some other things that I want to do:

5) Crochet gauntlets and hooded scarf. I bought a bunch of yarn and need to get these made – it’s cold enough!

6) Rainy-day project. My friend is going to dress in a 1950’s milk-man’s outfit and carry a crate with single-serve milk boxes while I wear my red dress and we pass out home-made cookies to people on the MAX. Covert photos to document the memory and/or arrest. I won’t be SELLING anthying, so I’m hoping that doesn’t happen…

7) A friend’s bride’s maid dress. The wedding is January 1st. She (the bride’s maid) is pregnant and getting bigger, so I’m putting the sewing off as long as possible before the wedding… a tight balance!

Pattern drafting. I have drafted a lovely hip-block that I’m using to make perfectly fitted garments.  Skirts are good for me right now because they are simple and are easier to refit since I’m loosing so much weight (50 pounds so far!).  I need to hurry and draft a pants pattern based on it before I loose much more weight, though, to make sure I know how the process works. I’ll have to do the whole thing over again when I reach my goal, but I figure a couple pairs of pants will be nice, since all of my pants are falling off!

Phew – lots to do!

When I started my Etsy business in February, I never dreamed that I would someday spend all of my time making . . . “Harry Potter” scarves! And let me say this: I love every minute of it. I sold my first two scarves — in Gryffindor colors — to a customer for a movie premiere in July, and I couldn’t even begin to recreate the Supreme Dance Of Joy I did when that order came through. Especially since I was just about to throw myself an epic pity party and begin whining about how things just don’t seem to work out for me (which is patently untrue, but sometimes it feels true — trust me).

Since that fateful day, I’ve made more than twenty “Harry Potter” scarves for Halloween costumes, birthday gifts and just-for-me presents for people all over the U.S. and in Canada (!). Each has been in the classic burgundy-and-gold color scheme of the Gryffindor House at Hogwarts, the boarding school which teaches witchcraft and wizardry to its magically-inclined student body — which includes one Harry Potter himself.

I’m a huge fan of the series and originally created my first Gryffindor scarf to be worn by yours truly! I was still working at the bookstore when Harry Potter And the Deathly Hallows was released, and I got the great idea that I would dress as a Hogwarts student . . . until I was named mistress of ceremonies for our store-wide event. Because I’m awesome. (And, well, because no one else was willing to speak publicly and lead themed games for more than a thousand people in a very confined space. But let’s just go with I’m awesome.)

So the Gryffindor scarves have been a hit, and I’m very thankful — having projects to complete each night adds a totally new dimension of productivity to my evenings! And getting emails from folks who opened my work and are thrilled to death with the final product warms my wizard-loving heart. But this past weekend? I decided it was time to expand my product line. I have other scarves for sale, sure, but nothing else in the HP line. Allow me to present . . .

The Slytherin Scarf.

Will evil now triumph over good? I’ll keep you informed . . .

Sábado 28 de noviembre del 2009.- TOUS nos presumió su nueva colección para Primavera-Verano 2010 dentro de un concepto super cool…fuimos invitadas a tomar el té con el Sombrerero Loco y con Alicia del país de las maravillas!!!! Y bueno, entre todo este ambiente, pudimos disfrutar de lo que muy pronto haremos nuestro, como anillos con la piedra en forma vertical, collares en oro simulando pétalos de rosa, plata en primera ley, aretes y anillos con un mini espejo vintage.

Te dejamos fotos de esta nueva propuesta en joyería y accesorios de TOUS para que vayas viendo cómo lo combinarás en primavera.

I know your not supposed to show Christmas gifts but Mark never reads this blog so I am not worried. This little ninja is for Mark. He is crocheted. I think he is so cute! I made him in a handful of hours. He even has a little throwing star. He’s from the book Creepy Cute Crochet.

I will have a blanket very shortly. (well, shorter than I originally thought!)

This has no particular pattern, but instructions for the motif can be found on Lucy’s blog here. The whole thing is made of entirely sock yarn mill ends, a few full skeins from my stash, and a few purchased pals that were going to be used for the Shelly Kang blanket (ravelry link). My plan was to a) use up most of the sock yarn stash that I had that wasn’t quite enough for a pair of socks, but in colors that didn’t necessarily work together without some help from other colors, and b) have a blanket so I wouldn’t freeze while my family plays chicken with the gas company so to speak (PGW is a racket, I swear). The only rule to picking the colors was that there would be no reds, oranges, yellows, blues or black. The end result reminds me of an English garden and when DC mentioned it one day, I knew that was the color scheme to stick to. It’s easier sometimes to recognize and go with what you don’t want as opposed to trying to force colors together.

It was a nicely-paced project, crocheting hexagon by hexagon, joining as I went. The best stage was when it got big enough to cover my legs & feet while adding more hexagons. Tightly-plied fingering-weight merino is quite warm, let me just say. All I need is another outer ring of only green hexagons and then an outer ring of only brown ones. If you’re wondering about the amount of ends I will have to weave in, don’t worry; I worked the ends underneath the layers of each hexagon as I changed colors. After I wash it and block it, I’ll just turn it over and cut all of the ends.

I didn’t have any plans at the beginning of the year to cut down my stash as much as I have so I’m ecstatic that most of my stash of Koigu mill ends & full skeins/Louet Gems Fingering/Claudia Hand Painted Fingering is almost gone. (That drawer of sportweight tweed/heather yarns is another issue.) Maybe I’ll make a pair of striped socks or legwarmers out of the remaining pinks & purples until they run out. The process was enjoyable mostly because there was no deadline. The projects that I worked on that were more urgent got finished and then I’d pick this back up and crochet a few more splotches of color onto it.

I’ve got another planned in Cascade 220 and maybepossiblyhopefullydeliciously another one after the new year in Manos Rittenhouse 5-Ply Merino. Mmmmmmmmmmm.

]]> http://wolfcrochet.wordpress.com/2009/11/29/charlis-sweater-is-finished/ Sun, 29 Nov 2009 20:12:56 +0000 wolfcrochet http://wolfcrochet.wordpress.com/2009/11/29/charlis-sweater-is-finished/

As I wrote previously, I was having a bit of a problem with fit while making this sweater for my granddaughter, Charli.

Charli is a beautiful young lady of 8.  However, size 8 or 10 clothes do not fit her.  I decided to alter this free pattern and redesign it as a cardigan.  I also increased stitches at the sides so that the sweater became a “swing” style.  This enabled the fronts to cover her belly.  So that the fronts could hang free, I added 4 acrylic star buttons just below the neckline.  I won’t see Charli until Christmas Eve so I had to use my mannikin as a model.

The yarn I used is Moda Dea Eclipse in mauve.  This yarn is a blend of  60% extra fine wool and 40% nylon.  It is very soft and was easy to work with. It will need to be dry cleaned or hand washed.  In the photo below, you can see the pretty acrylic star buttons.

Birthday Present for a Friend:

she likes pink and sparkles, so i had to add lots of sparkles to this tin (it was just pink before…)
she is also getting some Earrings (one watermelon, the cherry, and the loop-y ones):

I also started an ornament for a friend:

(it needs legs!!)

I’m part way thru a clock, but I haven’t taken pics of it yet…so that’s all for now!

YESTERDAY ~  these were my best friends:

So I was feeling under the weather yesterday, like I was coming down with something, so I put into play my secret remedy! This works for me every single time!

The most important part of my secret is Zinc, whenever I feel like I am coming down with something I always take Zinc, it boosts the immune system and helps your body fight whatever is going on.  The key is that you must take it on a full stomach.

The second step is always a cup of tea. Tea cures everything, and even if it doesn’t it makes me feel good!

The third step is to relax.  For me that is a good movie and some sort of needle and yarn.

TODAY ~

So yesterday my secret remedy worked because I feel 100% better.  I did accomplish something yesterday:

I made the above scrubbie (aka Tawashi) and a dishcloth.  I made the scrubbie with acrylic yarn using this pattern, and the dishcloth was made using cotton and single crocheting in the back loops.  I used a small hook so that it came out very tight.

I gave them each a loop so that I could hang them to dry.

I have used green, non-toxic cleaners for a long time and I like the idea that I can use a dishcloth for a couple of days and then throw it in the washer and reuse it.  I have never liked sponges, they just scream germs to me. So even though I am going to move onto something more complicated in my knitting and crocheting for today I am super excited that I am going to make one for each day of the week!

Here they are after the morning dishes.  I am one of those people that never has dirty dishes in the sink.  I do the dishes as I cook and then just stack the plates after the meal.  I like to walk into a clean kitchen.  I think it is so much easier to cook or get a snack when you start with a clean slate sink!

TOMORRROW ~

So tomorrow is my last day off before starting my new job, so I will make sure the house is in order and the laundry is all done. I will have less time for my crafts but I will have more money for lovely yarns!  Oh, the trade off!

half of my household left before I even got up this morning!

it’s weird how things can get back to normal so quickly.

and now that my Thanksgiving break is almost up, back to work! (homework and college stuff, that is)

I got a lot of crafting done this past break, though:
- present for my friend’s birthday (that was yesterday)
- decorated a clock (not finished yet, tho)
- made five pairs of earrings, 3 of which are for presents
- started another Christmas present for someone – an octopus ornament, it’s really cute!

pictures to come =)

on a happy note, tho, one of my sisters comes home in like 2 weeks! yay! only 26 more days ’til Christmas!!

I’ve nearly finished my colour wheel and it’s been great fun. I’ve loved having a wee project that I can work on in the evenings after I get back from work. As there’s no space to have my sewing machine permanently set up, whenever I want to sew, I have to tidy the kitchen table, move the machine and set it up. It doesn’t take that long, but it’s not something I can do in the 15 mins before dinner, or the other spares minutes of the day I end up with.

So I think I’m going to try and learn crochet. I’ve asked for a couple of crochet books for Christmas and then I’m going to try making a scarf!

I’ve also decided I want to do a few more projects for me! Pretty much everything I’ve made so far, bar the cathedral window pincushion, has  been a present. Now I love giving presents, but I’ve decided to make some time for “me” projects as well!

I’ve been wanting to make a bag for ages as my current handbag is decidedly tatty. So yesterday I bought the Amy Butler frenchy bags pattern and I can’t wait to make it!

Well, I figured I’d share with you guys the collection of crochet I’ve been working on of late. These are my latest designs specifically for the toddler/preschool sized head. I’m putting together a collection of items to go in a local gift store and I have a custom order with some special considerations, so it was good timing for the two right now. These are all created from some of the softest fibers I’ve worked with and with the exception of one hat in this collection so far, out of fibers that are no longer available. The bows you see are not permanently attached to the hats yet, just in case my customers do not want a bow, with the exception of the orange hat, which I have already permanently secured. It has a blend made with a very unusual fiber that happens to be the softest of the bunch. The glass globe you see is the perfect size to display these.

Hopefully these designs will be just the thing for each of my customers!

Baby Blue Bear Pink Bow 2 Baby Blue Bear Pink Bow

Black Brown Bear 2

Black Brown Bear 3

Blue White Green Pink Bear 2

Blue White Green Pink Bear

Orange Bear Pink Bow 2

Orange Bear Pink Bow

Pink Green White Bear Pink Bow 2

Pink Green White Bear Pink Bow

Und noch die Zitronen….

and finally the lemons…

Porcini

Pears

strawberriesLemons

Endlich wie versprochen hier noch die Fotos von meinen weiteren Kaufladen Artikel für mein Patenkind. Zur Zeit stelle ich noch den Salat fertig, der sich als sehr aufwenig erwies. Danach gibts wohl noch Äpfel und vielleicht nochmals Birnen in einem anderen Grünton noch und denn ist es wohl komplett.

Finally as promised more pictures form my little shop items. I just finish a salat at the moment which is complex as thought. I crocket maybe afterwards some apples and pears in a different color and then I hope my work is done for a moment.

Just a quick post today to show you something I made yesterday. After months of the long cold walk to work (and back) my headphones had started to look a little bit worse for wear. The foam earpads (apparently thats what they are called) on my Koss portapro headphones had worn away and had tears along the edges. I looked into buying some new ones but I decided to try and make my own instead and I think the results look pretty cool!

They are really quick and easy to make and when I have a spare 5 minutes I’m going to write up the pattern and post it online. For more info on the wool and hook check out ravelry.

I finially finished and blocked my Autumn Crocus Bud Shawl.    All I need now is an outfit to wear it with and one of these pins, or  these  or these.

Made with Jojoland Melody Superwash.

Red and Gold Ornaments

Originally uploaded by Crafty Kitten

CLF member AmandaLynn made these amazing Christmas Ornaments! You have to check out her project page on Ravelry, if for no other reason than to check out the project picture with the antique hook used to make these pretties! She inherited from her grandmother and it’s phenominal!

Just like our creative crocheter’s skills! AmandaLynn has come up with a fabulous idea to trim your own tree or to give friends, family, teachers, and special someones’ gifts.

If I read her project notes correctly, she is willing to write the pattern if folks are interested. AmandaLynn, I think you need to start designing seriously, you have mad crochet skillz!

My grandfather told me once that when he was a kid, it was a priviledge to be able to buy something for yourself at all. It was something you were thankful for. Thankful for the money, thankful for the experience of bringing something new into your life, thankful to all the people involved in the process of making that item available in your community, thankful of the person who created the item that blessed your life. Today, we take all this for granted.

The mentality behind a disposable society I think has begun to hurt us, as we lose appreciation of the process at work behind getting anything in the world that we want.  To the point that we devalue it and even devalue ourselves. I think the world of crochet especially understands this, as it is the last fiber art left that cannot be replicated by machine. There are no machines that can replicate the complexity of stitches that only the human hand can create. In saying this, it’s probably important to note that the terms crochet and knit are often used interchangeably outside of the US. And if you Google “crochet machine” you will find some, but they are either knitting machines or they set up “chain stitches.”  Several of us crocheters are always watching and wondering, though, when the day might come.  True crochet work, however, is all done by hand somewhere, even mass produced, even by children. And even with the fastest of us crocheters, creating a piece from beginning to end takes a lot of time and planning. Even time undoing and redoing.

There is something very organic about the handmade process that is much less sterile and puts us closer to the human community. You’re not just purchasing an end product, but even every “failure” that led up to its success as well, with quite a story embedded in its very fibers. And the person who is behind that handmade item, actually has the focus and wish for their items to be truly enjoyed.

To me, this process embodies what handmade is all about. A real person, a real story, a real process from beginning to end and a real intent of positive impact behind each handmade piece. And that, also makes me as a creator more real too, and less a carbon copy of others or shadow of some nebulous process.

Handmade, simply, feeds our souls:  individually and as a community.

Well, I figured I’d share with you guys the collection of crochet I’ve been working on of late.  These are my latest designs specifically for the toddler/preschool sized head.  I’m putting together a collection of items to go in a local gift store and I have a custom order with some special considerations, so it was good timing for the two right now.  These are all created from some of the softest fibers I’ve worked with and with the exception of one hat in this collection so far, out of fibers that are no longer available.  The bows you see are not permanently attached to the hats yet, just in case my customers do not want a bow, with the exception of the orange hat, which I have already permanently secured.  It has a blend made with a very unusual fiber that happens to be the softest of the bunch.  The glass globe you see is the perfect size to display these. 

Hopefully these designs will be just the thing for each of my customers!

Hi yous…

Today I want to tell and show you about a good friend of mine: maedchenmitherz.

Katja.

It’s just amazing how creative she is… all the time she has some cute new ideas.

Until Sunday evening she has a cute give-away for you. If you check her blog and tell her what you like about it, her or about her crafting, you have the chance to win great stuff like this coffee-to-go brooch

or this colourful autumnally headband…

Oh before I forget… you can buy her beautiful art… here

And I want to show you my words for her <3 :

“… I love and really respect how you manage to blog something cute every day! You are kind of my role model with this

For me would be great to see and read about how to make so wonderful and cute selfportraits

It’s late now and I have to catch some sleep.

Tomorrow we will finally watch New Moon in the cinema and I’m sooo nervous, nearly can’t wait anymore…

Have you seen it yet? Did you like it??

Goodnight… :-*

Russian Matryoshka amigurumi babushka Dolls, originally uploaded by Handmadekittypics.

*Dying of cute*

Went for lunch with a good friend today, which was nice. It’s good that we’re seeing each other more again, there was a while where we just seemed to drift apart but we’re back to the closeness again which is good

Spoke to my dad today, mainly about the job thing. It’s really difficult trying to get the balance between being optimistic and not getting my hopes up. I think I have to accept that I haven’t got any of last week’s jobs, and if it turns out that I have then that’s brilliant, but hopefully it’ll lessen the blow if I end up being right. I just have to keep trying.

Had a friend over tonight for films and pizza (and Count Duckula!), which took an unexpected turn, which I’m not complaining about! I should be seeing him again on Friday it would seem. And apparently I’m beautiful… It’s nice when things happen out of the blue, I’ve fancied him for years! But, once again, not getting my hopes up. I don’t know that I’m really in the right headspace for a relationship, and I don’t know what he’s looking for. But we’ll see.

Oh, and I finished crocheting my dad’s Yule present today and am about 1/4 of the way through my mum’s. Need to carry on crocheting the quilt she wants and make a start on assignment number two tomorrow, fun times!

I finished the pattern…but this is NOT what I needed….

It makes a great beanie for my build a bear….

So I frogged it and am starting the last three rounds again….

This morning I have:

• made breakfast for the girls
• drank two cups of tea and one cup of coffee
• cut out 5 skirts and 5 bags to be made up later for the market
• done 4 loads of washing and got it on the line (another 2 to go but that’s because I went op shopping yesterday and found LOTS of material!!)
• photographed some things I made earlier this week

and IT’S NOT YET 10AM!!!! 

Am I superwoman?  No.  I was just woken up at the incredibly antisocial hour of 5.25am.  Ah well the rain has stopped and it’s blue, sunny skies all around so I can’t really complain.

So onto finished items!  Last week I had a peek over at Attic24 and saw that Lucy had some really cool crochet birds up on her blog – and  a tutorial to boot.  So I got me some yarn from the stash and set about making up the robins.  I have joined up for the Handmade Christmas Ornament Swap run by Louise over at Twenty Cent Mixutre and thought these might just be the answer.

One more to go and then can all fly away to their new homes.  And all way before the posting deadline – I have to say I’m very impressed with myself!

So I followed the link on Attic24 over to The Royal Sisters blog because I really wanted to see more of the Grandma Twinkles!!  Great tutorial and I got making. 

I spent the time at the beach with my crochet bag and I loved it!  Since finishing this blanket (and I use the word finishing loosely because the ends STILL need darning in!) I’ve not crochet anything and I find I’ve missed it.  It’s easy, it’s relaxing and I can do it with the girls right there!  Little Miss Brown was watching eagerly whilst I made up a star and then stated: “Wow Mum that used to be just rope!”  Then I saw the Grandma Trees so of course that came next.

So I was a happy hooker for a couple of days and am still going strong when I’m just too tired to do anything else!  Isn’t blogland wonderful?  You find these lovely blogs full of inspiration and tutorials for how to make them yourselves.  I also need to say a BIG THANKYOU to the two lovely ladies who have said it’s OK for me to sell things made from their tutorials at my first ever market – how COOL IS THAT?!!!  Many, many thanks ladies. xx