Bulky headband earwarmer - FREE Pattern

Happy February!

I just wanted to share this quick, cute little project with you all my darling readers.
This project uses a Q, 15.75 or 16mm 'speed hook' and 2 strands of chunky weight yarn worked together (you should be able to get one out of a skein) and 2 buttons.

The Bulky headband.
Row 1: Chain 26 Turn, skip 3 spaces and double crochet in the fourth chain from the hook. Double crochet across to the end of the chain. You should have 23 double crochet.

Row 2: Chain 3 and turn, double crochet in each stitch across (23 double crochet).

Row 3:

Chain 3 and turn, double crochet in each stitch across (23 double crochet)

 Fasten off and weave in ends. Sew buttons near the top and bottom on one end. Then you just fasten with the buttons and away you go. Easy.

Variations:
You can  make this project smaller by making a shorter chain. I would recommend no smaller than 19 total stitches for an adult and around 13 for a child sized headband.

If you want to make it a tad wider I would recommend using a half double crochet stitch instead of a double crochet. Simply add an extra row for 4 rows of half double crochet rather than 3 rows of double crochet.

One slipper SIX animals! free patterns!

Happy winter internet!

I'm really bad at keeping this up to date. Bad blogger! Bad!

There's a good reason for that, I promise. The reason is very simply that I haven't been creating anything, I have nothing good to share.

With cold weather in full swing here in Calgary and Christmas well on the way I've been working to fill a decent sized order of slippers, so I thought I'd revisit this old standby of a patten and share some ways to make them unique.

The link I posted above will take you to my family of slippers post, which will give you a pattern for a toddler size as well as a link to one of the many very simple slipper patterns online, which I'm not going to rewrite because they're already widely available and I'm pretty sure this method of slipper making is as old as crochet.  I will add though, I've started adding an extra row of half double crochet around the tops of the slippers, it just makes 'em a bit cozier.

Slippers are always better when they're a little bit fun. So, I'm going to share with you some of the designs I'm working on.

All of my animals have button eyes, I'm all for the button eyes but you don't have to use 'em.


ch= chain
sc= single crochet
hdc= half double crochet

Everything is made in worsted weight yarn with a 5mm hook. 

 1.Little monkey.
 Ears.  Make 4.
Start off with chain 2, 5 hdc inside a magic ring, slst into the chain.
Turn (don't continue around) your work and work 2hdc in each stitch. Do not join. Fasten off.

Then you just sew the ears onto the sides of the slipper, near the toes and add little button eyes to the top of the toes.

2.Puppy.
Tongue make 2. In red chain 6. Sc in second chain from the hook and down the chain. Work 3 SC in the last chain and continue to work around the back of the chain, Sc back up to the top of the chain and fasten off. Sew onto the bottom of the toe.

Ears: make 4. Chain 9, hdc in third chain from hook, hdc along chain, working 3 hdc into last chain, Continue around, hdc back to the top of the chain and fasten off. Sew 'em on near the top of the toes. Add button eyes and taadaa!

3.Mouse.
Make 4. Magic ring, Chain 2, 5 HDC, slst into the chain.
Turn (don't continue around) your work and work 2hdc in each stitch. Do not join. Fasten off.
These ones you sew on right on the top of the toes where the opening is, so that they kind of stick up.
Sew button eyes on and use a little extra contrasting yarn for whiskers.

4.Bunny.
Make 4. Chain 7, HDC in second chain from hook, HDC down chain, work 3 HDC in last chain, working around the back of the peice, HDC back up to top of the chain. Fasten off.
Sew 'em on the tops of the toes, right where the opening is (much like the mouse) add button eyes and whiskers.

5.Kitty
Make 4. Row 1:Chain 2, 2sc in second chain from hook, ch1, turn
 2sc, 1sc, 2sc, ch 1, turn
2sc, 1sc, 1sc, 1sc, 2sc, ch1 turn
2sc, 1sc, 1sc, 1sc, 1sc, 1sc, 2sc. Fasten off.
Sew on the tops of the toes, like the mouse and bunny add button eyes and whiskers.

6. Owl (Not pictured)
Eyes.Make 4. In white.
Magic ring, ch2, 6 hdc, Slst in chain.
ch1 2hdc in each st around, slst in chain. Fasten off

Beak Make 2 in yellow or orange
Ch2, 2 sc in second ch from hook, ch1, turn
 2sc in each sc across, ch1, turn
2sc, 1sc, 2sc, fasten off.

Sew the eyes on the tops of the toes wherever you like 'em. Add buttons for pupils, sew the beaks between the eyes.

Of course you can always whip up any old simple flower patten to pretty them up a bit too.

I hope this helps serve as a bit of inspiration!

It's fall again!

Happy back to school internet!


I haven't got much for you in terms of projects. It's been a busy summer.

I do have some WIP's that I'd like to share though. No pictures yet, but I'd love to tell you about them.

Firstly I'm working on an 8bit afghan. It's going to be sonic the hedgehog, for my little boy.
It was inspired by the amazing epic gamer afghan, all of the charts for which can be found on ravelry. I was mostly just interested in sonic so rather than figure out the math to make the square bigger what I did was count out how many squares or 'pixels' of each color.

Based on the size I'm looking at making I decided each square should be 2 inches by 2 inches. Then I'll put it all together and build sonic. Fun right? To finish it, I'm not sure if I'll just leave it shaped like sonic or lay it on a background.

I'll give you some more details in about 250 more squares. I'll add some pictures when I get a little further along.

The second thing I'm working on is a heart shaped blanket. I'm just using a basic heart shape and using a thicker yarn/bigger hook, as well as multiplying the number of stitches by 3. I'll try to give you a more concise breakdown of what I did when I finish.

Thirdly. Hooded scarfs with ears for the kids! I haven't started anything yet they're just so cute.

I also was gifted a sewing machine very recently, so expect the seamstress diaries to start soon too.
I'm already playing with some sewing basics and managed to turn out a couple of circle skirts and pj pants.

My granny square bag.

Happy Summer internet!

I know, I'm terrible, TERRIBLE for posting in the warmer months. I'm even worse because I don't even have a new pattern for you. (Bad blogger! Bad!) I hope you'll still stick it out with me. I've been gardening and cleaning up the yard for  the summer season.

I have been working on a few things though, not much. But a few things. I decided a needed a new bag and after much searching I decided to make this granny square bag. I figured it would be a good way to use up some yarns that have been kicking around my stash so away I went.

The pattern is charted out with minimal instruction but it's just a really big granny square that's lined and gathered at the sides. It does get a tad confusing when you get to the instructions for the sides and the pattern also suggests lining the bag after it's finished. But that didn't make sense. So I didn't do that. I lined mine first, then continued on with the sides and mouth. yarn over, pull through has a really awesome post that outlines this process. Including some great clarification on the sides/mouth charts

I also stuck a divider in the middle. I just cut a rectangle about half the side of the liner and sewed the bottom edge down the middle of the liner. Then since the divider is the same width as the liner I just pinned and sewed the whole mess to my granny square.

 For the straps I used 3 strands of the grey and one of the multicolored yarns I used for the bag and made a really long chain (I wanted it to be able to be a cross body bag) then I double crocheted back down the length of my chain with a 7.5mm hook. I think the straps are a bit thick though and would use 1 less strand of yarn next time.

I also added buttons to the end of each strap to make it adjustable. Boom.

Weekend slouchy hat - Free pattern

Good day internet.

 

 

I thought I'd share my latest little something or other with all of you out there.

I wanted a nice light slouchy hat, since the weather is getting warmer but I needed it to have a little warmth to it so I chose bernat's roving (in flint if anyone is interested)

This project uses pretty much an entire ball of yarn (I had a tiny tiny bit left over.) and a 6.5mm hook.

I also used some 1.5 inch ribbon  I had lying around.

 

The pattern:

Ch 6 sl st to form ring.
Round 1: Ch 4 (counts as first dc here and throughout) *dcin ring, ch 1,* six times, slst to ch 4 space.
Round 2: Ch 4, dc in same space, *ch 1, dc in next space, ch 1, dc in same space* repeat around  slst to ch 4 space.
Round 3: Ch 4, dc in same space, *ch1, dc in next space, ch1, dc in next space, ch1, dc in same space* repeat around. slst to ch 4 space
Round 4: Ch 4, dc in same space, *ch 1, dc in next space, ch 1, dc in next space, ch1, dc in next space, ch 1, dc in same space* repeat around, slst to ch 4 space.
Round 5: ch 4. dc in same space * ch 1, dc in next space, ch 1, dc in next space, ch 1, dc in next space, ch 1, dc in next space, ch 1 dc in same space* repeat around, sl st to ch 4 space.
Round 6 -11 : Ch 4, dc in next space, *ch 1, dc in next space* repeat around, slst to ch 4 space.
round 12: Ch 3 (counts as first hdc here and throughout), hdc in next space and each ch 1 space around (do not hdc in the actual stitched of the last round. just the chain 1 spaces). Slst to chain 3 sp.
Round 13-17, Ch 3, hdc in next stitch, hdc in each stitch around. sl st to ch 3 space. Fasten off at the end of round 17 and weave in ends.
I used 1.5 " Offray robbon in "mudpie" to embellish mine. Just use your crochet hook to weave your ribbon in and out of round 11. I went "over" 2 stitches, "under" 1 around and finished off with a little bow. Burning the cut edges of my ribbon with a lighter to prevent fraying.

PS Sorry for the not so awesome pictures. I posted them via my tablet.

Sweet Spring baby hat

It's been a while since I made a new post!

I haven't been working on new patterns lately but I did whip a little something fairly recently to go along with the little star blanket.

It's just a little hat, but it sure is some sweet - so I thought I'd share it with you, internet. 'Cause I love you like that.

What I used:

A small amount of baby weight yarn, doubled. - feel free to use sport or worsted weight

hook to match yarn wieght- I used a 5mm hook

yarn needle.

My hat measures about six inches long and about seven and a half across the brim.
It's meant to be a newborn to three month size. - you can adjust the size by adding or subtracting a few stitches in the beginning round or adding/subtracting a round of increases.

I used a contrasting color on round 9, if you want to do this just join the second color in the slip stitch of the previous round and change back to your main color when you slip stitch round 9 closed.

Chain 4 and slst to form a ring

Round 1: ch3, 14 DC in ring, sl st top of ch 3.

Round 2: Ch 3, Dc in same stitch, *DC in next stitch, 2 DC in next stitch* around. Slst in top of ch 3.

Round 3: Ch 3, Dc in same stitch, *Dc in next stitch, 2 DC in next stich* around. Slst in top chain 3.

Round 4: Ch 3, Dc in same stitch, Dc in each stitch around. Slst in top of chain 3.

Round 5-9: Ch 3, Dc in same stitch, DC in each stitch around, SlSt in top of chain 3

Round 10: Ch 4, dc in next stitch, ch 2, 2 DC in same stitch, Ch1, skip 2 stitches (2 DC, ch2, 2 DC) in next stitch - first shell made, *Ch 1, skip 2 stitches, shell in next stitch* repeat around, slst in third chain of ch4.

Round 11- 13: Chain 4, Dc in first chain 2 space, chain 2, 2 dc in same space *ch1, shell in next ch2 space* repeat around, slst in third chain of ch4.

Fasten off and weave in ends.

I used this pretty little flower to embellish mine and we're done.

A cute, quick little pattern for those warmer days ahead.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Happy 2013 everyone!

Life has been crazy this past year. I've learned so much experienced new things and am feeling better about myself, my life, my skills and pushing my comfort zone than ever before.

I've never been one for the new year's stuff. The sense of change, the resolutions, the notion of a "fresh start" has always seemed a little bit on the silly side to me. I seem to be changing in my adult years though. Maybe it's the fact that I  have children now, maybe it's experiencing a sharp, personal loss recently, maybe it's the fact that I've noticed my first grey hairs. Whatever it is, the passing of time is being more keenly noticed.


Since the birth of my daughter, it's been hard, financially spiritually, emotionally. The birth of my son made things harder, but all the more worth it. I feel like we're finally getting the hang of it, even if it did take a few years. The lessons those hard times have taught me will keep me moving forward. The hard times we've made it through, I hope, will keep me humble enough to stay open to the many lessons I have left to learn.

I finally have a clear idea of what I wish to improve about myself this year.

Here is my list:
1. I want to improve my health. Eat better, move more.
2. I want to improve my patience
3. I want to improve my mind, read more, learn more expose myself to more
4. I want to improve my self discipline, not one of my strong suits.

With all of that in mind, my New Years resolution is simple:  I resolve, this year to simply try harder to be better. That's it.

I think this is attainable, I think it's reasonable. Whenever "I don't wanna" I will simply remind myself to try harder at being better. I want to be a better, happier, more satisfied me. So, I will try harder.

Luck, love and happiness to each and every one of you in 2013. Let's make this year one of the best we've ever seen.  

Stay tuned for more crochet coming soon!

Sophia's (Twinkle Twinkle) Little Star shaped Baby blanket - Free Pattern

EDIT#1: You may have noticed the title of this post and the name of the blanket has changed a bit. I did this because the little lady to be that I designed this blanket for now has a name and so does the pattern. 

EDIT#2: Thanks to a very helpful commenter and fellow blogger loose ends the issue that's been causing people's design to go wonky has been noticed and amended. My apologies for not finding the mistake sooner/myself. 

EDIT#2: I had someone ask me in the comments how much yarn I used. I wanted to put it up here.
I used about 1lb of worsted weight yarn for this blanket. 2 strands of worsted are worked together.

If you want to use baby or sport weight use 3 strands together.

By all means, this pattern can be worked with a super bulky yarn that's actually meant to be used on a hook this large


Sophia's (Twinkle Twinkle) Little Star shaped Baby blanket

Corrections: I orriginally posted the pattern with the shell as follows: 2DC, CH1, 2DC. I have changed the CH1 to CH 2. (jan 8/13)

 Notes:
My finished measurements are about 35 inches from point to point.

2 strands of worsted are being worked together with my trusty 10mm (P) hook.

Shell = 2 double crochet, chain 2, 2 double crochet in same stitch or chain space.

SC2TOG (decrease) =  Draw up loop on each of the next 2 stitches, yarn over and draw through all loops on hook

I'm kind of writing it as I go so please let me know if  you find any mistakes.
Here we go!
Round 1:  work 9 HDC in magic ring. Slst to first Stitch  

Round 2: Ch 1, SC in same stitch, *3 DC in next stitch, SC* Repeat around. Slst to first DC.

Round 3: Ch 3, *DC, in next stitch, shell in next stitch,  DC, skip SC* repeat around. Slst to first DC

Round 4: Ch 3, Dc in next stitch, *Shell in chain space, DC in next 2 stitches, SC2TOG, DC in next 2 stitches* Repeat around. SC2TOG over last 2 stitches. SLST to top of ch3.

round 5 complete

Up until this point the piece still looks pretty round (I should've snapped a picture) but you'll see the star start to form after these next two rounds.- I did get pictures of that.
                          
Round 5: Ch 3, 1 DC in next 4 stitches,*Shell in next chsp, 1 DC in next 4 stitches, skip stitch, 1DC in next 4* repeat around, skip last stitch and Slst to ch3

Round 6: Ch 3, 1 DC in next 5 stitches, *shell in ch sp, DC in next 5 stitches, SC2TOG, DC in next 5 stitches* repeat around, sc2tog over last 2 stitches and Slst to ch3.

round 6 complete

Round 7: Ch 3, 1 DC in next 7 stitches, *Shell in ch sp, DC in next 7 stitches, skip stitch* Repeat around, skip last stitch and Slst to ch3.

Round 8: Ch 3, 1 DC in next 8 stitches, *Shell in ch sp, DC in next 8 stitches, SC2TOG, DC in  next 8 stitches* Repeat around, SC2TOG over last 2 stitches and sl st in ch 3 sp.


Round 9: Ch 3, Dc in next 10 stitches, *Shell in ch sp, DC in next 10 stitches, skip stitch, DC in next 10* Repeat around, skip last stitch ans Slst in ch3.

Round 10: Ch 3, Dc in next 11 stitches * Shell in Ch sp, Dc in next 11 stitches, SC2TOG, Dc in next 11 stitches* repeat around, sc2tog over last 2 stitches and Slst to CH3

Round11: Ch 3, Dc in next 13 stitches *Shell in Ch, DC in next 13 stitches, skip stitch, DC in next 13 stitches* Repeat around, Skip last stitch and Slst to Ch3.

Round 12: Ch 3. Dc in next14 stitches *shell in Ch sp, DC in next 14 stitches, SC2TOG, DC in next 14 stitches* Repeat around, sc2tog over last 2 stitches and slst to Ch3.

Round: 13: Ch 3  Dc in next 16 stitches *Shell in Ch, DC in next 16 stitches, skip stitch, DC in next 16 stitches* Repeat around, Skip last stitch and Slst to Ch3.

Round 14: Ch 3. Dc in next 17 stitches *shell in Ch sp, DC in next 17 stitches, SC2TOG, DC in next 17 stitches* Repeat around, sc2tog over last 2 stitches and slst to Ch3.

Round: 15: Ch 3  Dc in next 18 stitches *Shell in Ch, DC in next 18 stitches, skip stitch, DC in next 18 stitches* Repeat around, Skip last stitch and Slst to Ch3.

(I changed colours on the last round, just because I can
Round 16: Ch 3. Dc in next 20 stitches *shell in Ch sp, DC in next 20 stitches, SC2TOG, DC in next 20 stitches* Repeat around, sc2tog over last 2 stitches and slst to Ch3. 
 
 Fasten off and weave in ends.

You can continue on as above for as many rounds as you like if you want a bigger blanket.

Happy wovember (moveber)

don't let the look on my face fool you. I'm THRILLED!

It's November!
Halloween is over, my boy just turned 2, remembrance/veterans day has just passed holiday music is creeping into radio rotation, there's SNOW on the ground (yep, that's right like a good foot of the white stuff!)! Holiday themed coffees and early Christmas shopping aside November has also become what we all know and love as Movember (we'll celebrate movember in a different post). Recently I've learned that November is the month to celebrate real wool. Not blends or "wooly/woolen" fabrics/yarns but real honest to goodness wool from a real honest to goodness sheep.
 Knit, crochet or felt with it, wear it and appreciate the wonderful properties of wool! They call it Wovember and it's a movement I can get behind. What's better than a beautiful wool garment? Not much. So grab a skein (or those wool socks nanny made you) and celebrate sheep, wool and the people who make it happen for us. 

pardon my messy yarn

If you're anything like me you're probably already eyeballs deep in winter or Christmas projects and while you're at it why don't you pick up some good old fashioned 100% real wool (or, if you're anything like me just pull some out of your never ending stash) and make a little something for yourself or someone else.


 I've been needing an excuse to make something for myself so I pulled out a couple of (4oz) skeins Of a wonderful wool my mother in law sent me for Christmas last year called heritage by Briggs and Little it is beautiful 100% Canadian (made in New Brunswick) real [like there were some bits of hay still in it] wool yarn. Apparently Briggs and Little is Canada's oldest woollen mill so yay! totally fitting! The pattern I decided to go for was this lovely hooded cowl/"infinity scarf"  from string with style.

WHAT is happening with my hair?

I'll admit that I altered the pattern, like I do with every pattern I use.. I used the same hook size and the same thickness of yarn as the pattern called for. I did add an extra row to the width of the piece, I like thick scarves- In fact now that it's finished I might go around the bottom of it once (or twice) more to make it even thicker.



  I also added an extra row or two to the hood and I made the entire project in one piece rather than fastening off, making a hood, sewing it together and then sewing it on. That seemed like a lot more work than my lazy butt had in mind.

 I just continued on with the first row of the hood on top of the last row of the scarf. It worked out rather well and I'm pretty pleased with the result. It's a nice fast project and will serve me well. Yay wool!

Just a quick update. Also a quick tutorial of those sweet little crocodile stitch baby booties

Happy October everyone!
I've been super super busy with the cold weather coming up. Making hats and slippers, blankets and a few gifts. I'm planning a trip to Nova Scotia/ Prince Edward Island next week and I've been doing some quick finishing up of projects I wanted to share with you all out there.

picot flowers

I finally finished something for myself this week! I made this slouchy hat out of some bernart roving in a lovely coral colour and embellished it with a couple of these picot flowers and a few leaves of my own design. It's warm, soft and fuzzy, even if the flowers are a bit too big.

Work in progress

I also did some delving into the crocodile stitch. Finally. There are a lot of different tutorials out there to get the desired effect. I find this one to be the best/easiest.

I decided to try to figure my own method of making those cute crocodile stitch booties I keep seeing everywhere. It was super easy. But I did learn a couple of helpful hints that I'll share with you.

I just made a pair of baby slippers in a "mary jane" style and omitted the strap then added an extra round decreases and another round of stitches at the top of the slipper, fasten off as you normally would then tie your yarn on what will be the "outside" of the bootie and began the round of crocodile stitches. (as you'll see mine have the "seam/buttons" up the back- I should've done 'em up the side).

I found it beneficial to skip a stitch between my V stitch and Single crochet when I set up the "scale" on the first go around. You'll also want to to a chain and turn (working back and forth rather than in rounds) on the crocodile stitches. Starting a new colour is easy enough, just fasten off and tie on at the end of the "scale" and set up your row of V stitches in the new colour (you want the set up and the scale in the same colour). Then you just fasten off and weave in your ends as with every other crochet project and add some cute little buttons.

I just used the "turning chains" as button holes but you can sew little loops on for button holes. So, there you have it. They're super cute and really easy. I'm working on a big pair of boots with jute bottoms in this style for myself.

Oh My Little Ponies!

she still needs her cutie mark

I loved  My Little Pony when I was a kid, I mean who didn't right? They're so cute and the show was seriously fun.

Of course we all know that our favorite (and some new) ponies made a comeback a few years ago with my little pony friendship is magic. I couldn't even believe that they got cuter. But they did.

Of course, little miss (and little guy) are super in love with the show and the lovable characters (we have many, many pony toys to prove it).

It's Pinky Pie!

Which is why, with my recent forays into toy making  I started looking for pony patterns (among other bits of geeky awesomeness), because you know, I'm the coolest mom ever. There are some pretty cute options out there for making little ponies, which are completely adorable, I can't wait to give them a try. I'm thinking they'll be great little stocking stuffers.

Lucky for me I found the mother of all stuffed pony patterns. Go. look. It's amazing. Like wow! So impressed by this one. It's clear, detailed and simple to follow and it just comes together like nothing. 

needs more stuffing and patience

I decided to try this pattern out for myself and made a pinky pie for my little ones. She's awesome. The kids are in love with it and so am I. I must admit she's wonky because I rushed through the pattern, I was just too excited to take my time. Which I didn't. At. All. It shows in the final construction of the pony. She's all wonky but the kids love her and did I mention how freakin excited I am about this pattern?! Seriously.Go. Make a pony.  I'm going to finish her cutie mark up and start another one for little man. So exciting! Such a wonderful pattern! 

A family of slippers!

I wrote about that time of year in my last post. Fall and chilly weather mean chilly feet. Chilly feet means one of my favorite instant gratification projects: Slippers! I didn't get a chance to make some for myself and husband last year because I was too busy with other projects.

Little miss's well worn slippers from last year

I did get some made for the kids though, I made them slippers in this style last year.My daughter's still fit her and she's still very happy with them. Adjusting the length of my foundation chain according to their foot sizes as per this tutorial. It's super easy if you want to give it a shot. 

finished product. I decided to omit the strap.

A quick rule of thumb for figuring out the length of your foundation chain is to measure the length of your foot then the width of your foot and subtract the width from the length. This is how long you'll need the foundation chain to be. Then you just do 3 stitches in the "corners" (take a look at the first link for the chart- you can follow their basic design only bigger/smaller according to your needs).

black for the husband.

This year I went for something a little bit different. I made mine and my husband's with this pattern. I just didn't add the strap and contrasting color.  This pattern as is makes slippers to fit my size 9 (American women's sizes) feet as well as my husband's size 8 foot with no alterations. She does include some instructions on making them bigger/smaller in the printer friendly version.Basically, you just need to make sure it fits on your toes nicely like in her pictures. Seriously. Go look at her pictures. So. Much. Easier.

 I used the double ring method to start mine (my favorite new trick) but you can use any method of starting in the round.

I had a hard time finding and existing pattern for slippers to fit my little guy. It seems like everything is in baby sizes (this pattern is easy to make a bit bigger by adding an extra round of increases plus adding a bit of length) so I just adjusted this method to make him some. You can easily make these a bit bigger by adding an extra round of increases and then adding an extra row or 2 of length. If you need them smaller. I recommend altering the baby pattern i linked above to be a little bit bigger. Basically you want the toes to fit over the toes your making them for like a little cup.


Here's what I came up with. These fit his little 22 month foot which is 4.5  inches long by 2 inches wide.
I used a 5mm hook and worsted yarn. a small amount of contrasting color and a yarn needle

Round 1: In double ring (or magic ring OR ch4 and in third ch from hook) Work 6 dc. slst in first crochet. Chain 2
round 2: 2 dc in stitch around (12 dc)
Round 3: *2 dc in same stitch, 1dc in next stitch* Repeat around. Join in chsp. (18)

Little slippers for little man.

Round 4: Dc in each stitch around (18 dc). Join in chsp.
Round 5: Ch2 Dc in next 13. Ch2 turn.
Rows 6-11: Dc in next 13. Ch2, turn.
Row 12: Dc in next 5, Dc 3tog, Dc in next 5. fasten off leaving a long tail.
Use the tail to slst or whip stitch the back of the slipper together creating the heel.
Round 13: Attach yarn above heel and sc down side. When you reach the "corner" by the toes sc 3tog.  Dc across toes, sc 3tog at corner and sc up the other side. (If you wish fasten off here and attach a contrasting yarn)
Round 15: sc down side, sc 3 tog at toes, Dc across toes, sc 3tog at corner, Sc up side, Fasten off and weave in ends.

If you like you can add a little button or other embellishment or attach a loop made from a chain halfway down for a little strap. Sky is the limit.

Stay on Stroller blanket. FREE Crochet pattern

It's that time of year again, there is an abundance of fresh produce, the evenings are cooling off, parents are counting the hours until school is back in session. Fall is upon us!

With the mornings and evenings cooling we're digging for sweaters, socks and long pants again and I'm finding we have a lack of suitable stroller blanket. A non-issue previous couple of falls, with little dude both being small enough and preferring to travel everywhere in the carrier.

Not so much these days, at a hefty 21 months he prefers the freedom and ride of the stroller.I figured it was about time to make him a nice little stroller blanket. I have a really nice multi-hued yarn that reminds me of fall, which I've been meaning to use up and a really beautiful Scottish wool in lovely red that I've been saving for something special so I set out hoping to incorporate those into this project.

 I remembered a wonderful idea I had pinned recently for a super pretty little car seat blanket designed by string with style, which I cannot wait to make. It's just delicious! The brilliant bit about it is there is a little slit crocheted into the blanket for the bottom clip of the car seat to clip around so the blanket will stay on. So friggin smart.

I just needed something a bit bigger for little dude's stroller. So, I used the basic idea and made a different little blanket. It's super simple, just worked in a half double crochet stitch. The texture is achieved by alternating crocheting through the front loop only then back loop only across your rows.

I used a 11.5mm hook
 2 strands of worsted weight yarn worked together, I used the red and multi-hued yarn as well as some grey for the edging (I'm so terrible, I have so much random yarn in my stash I never have any idea how much I use).

Ch 54

Row 1: Skip first ch, SC in next 53

Rows 2-20: Ch 2, turn, *Hdc in FLO (front loop only) of next stitch, HDC in BLO (back loop only) of next stitch*    repeat across.

Row 21: Ch2, turn, *HDC in FLO, HDC in BLO* Repeat across for 24 stitches, you should end in the back loop, SC in next stitch CH3, skip 3, SC in next stitch,  HDC in FLO of next stitch, HDC in BLO of next stitch* repeat across last 25 stitches

Row 22: Ch 2, turn, *Hdc in FLO (front loop only) of next stitch, HDC in BLO (back loop only) of next stitch*    repeat across. Don't worry about trying to crochet in front and back loops on the ch 3. Just crochet across the chain as normal.

Row 23: Ch 2, turn, *Hdc in FLO (front loop only) of next stitch, HDC in BLO (back loop only) of next stitch*    repeat across.

Row 24:   Ch2, turn, *HDC in FLO, HDC in BLO* Repeat across for 24 stitches, you should end in the back loop, SC in next stitch CH3, skip 3, SC in next stitch,  HDC in FLO of next stitch, HDC in BLO of next stitch* repeat across last 25 stitches

Row 25: Ch 2, turn, *Hdc in FLO (front loop only) of next stitch, HDC in BLO (back loop only) of next stitch*    repeat across. Don't worry about trying to crochet in front and back loops on the ch 3. Just crochet across the chain as normal.

Row 26-43:  Ch 2, turn, *Hdc in FLO (front loop only) of next stitch, HDC in BLO (back loop only) of next stitch*    repeat across.

Row 44: Ch1 turn, SC through both loops in next stitch SC across, Fasten off.

Edging is worked in rounds along the edge of the blanket:

Round 1: Tie on contrasting yarn in any corner work CH3, DC, CH 1, (all in corner), DC in next stitch, *DC in each stitch across, work DC, CH1, DC, CH1 in corners* join with SLST in CH3 space.

Round 2: CH3, DC, CH 1, (all in corner), DC in next stitch, *DC in each stitch across, work DC, CH1, DC, CH1 in corners* (you will work your DC into the DC made in the previous round) join with SLST in CH3 space.

So, that's what I've come up with for a stroller variation of the no slip car seat blanket. I sure hope we get good use out of it.  I'll get some pictures of in in action ASAP. 

If you wanna be a viking say YAAAA!

Everybody say YAA!

Who doesn't love a viking helmet?

I know I do! So do my kids and husband and the rest of everyone ever.

I've seen a lot of them out there for sale and a handful of free patterns just didn't have what I was looking for in the horn area. Which, I must admit I'm pretty picky about.

Just when I thought all hope was lost and I'd have to fight like a mad woman to figure something out or suffer sub par horns I came across this pattern/tutorial. I gotta tell ya, it was love at first sight!

I had a few ideas in my head for the actual helmet part, the thing is I want to attach a big beard to it and give my son a little toy axe, slap some fun fur and a dollar store chest plate on him and send him out dressed as "stoik the vast" from How to train your dragon. So I wanted it to be good and helmety.

The horns are a bit tricky both to make, I'm pretty sure I lost count more than twice and place (I'm impatient and terrible at taking my time to do things properly) but that will get easier with practise. I kind of like them a little bit wonky.  

The hat itself can be made with any hat patten, ever and adding some popcorn stitches about 3/4 of the way down. The piping is made from chains just sewn into place and are totally optional. Heck you don't even need to make them 2 toned.

I'm probably going to end up making  a lot of these.

Home made ketchup (catsup..? ketchup..?) recipe. Serious yum (and healthy!)

Actually, it's different names for the same thing. Home made ketchup is a wonderful thing. It doesn't take long to make, it's delicious and you get to control how much salt and sugar goes into it and hey, no worries about that high fructose corn syrup everyone is so worried about. Best of all, if you have  a little one old enough to help stir the pot. They love to help stir..

Recently we were given whole a box of tomatoes. When I say a box. I mean, like a case of them. It was intense. There were so many of them we didn't even know what to do with them (ah, the joys of late summer), So, there was a mad rush to roast off as many as we could, sauce making and salad eating. Which hardly seemed to make a dent. I ended up freezing a bunch of the roasted tomatoes but not after using a bunch of them (and some fresh ones) to make some ketchup.

   Having 2 small kids means we go through a lot of.. well condiments in general.. But they do eat a lot of ketchup so when we were running low and I had an abundance of produce, why not try making some?!

I looked up a few different recipes online but it's all a pretty basic method. Here's what I used:

Roasted and raw tomatoes-probably about 8-10 (you could use canned tomatoes)- I didn't peel them or anything I just threw them in. you might want to cut them up or squish them a bit first.
1 small onion, diced (really really small)
1 red pepper, diced (really really small)
2 cloves garlic, diced
 vinegar to taste (about 1/2 cup- white or cider, use what you have)
sugar to taste (I used about 2 tblsp)
salt and pepper to taste
garlic powder to taste (1-2 tblsp)
pinch (1/2 tsp each) ground cloves, nutmeg and Cinnamon  (most recipes called for allspice. I don't have allspice.)
 corn starch and water to thicken (optional)

Some recipes include molasses some don't. I'm all about using what is on hand, I'm not about to go out and buy something just for one recipe. Especially in cases like allspice and molasses, which I'm not likely to use again for a long long time. 

What I did:

cook the onions on med/low until soft. add in garlic and red pepper, Cook until red pepper is soft. Add tomatoes and seasonings, and let the whole thing simmer for a long time. I did mine for about 45 minutes, stirring quite often to keep it from burning. 

If you have a blender (immersion blender-even better) you'll want to toss the whole mess in the blender until smooth and cook it down a bit more to reduce. Which should leave it thick enough.

I don't have a blender, so I processed mine through a food mill a few times then added some corn starch and water (just follow the box directions) to thicken it a bit. It's got bits of skin and onion in it still. I quite like it that way. 

When it cooled, I just tossed it in our empty, washed out ketchup bottle.

There you have it, home made ketchup. I encourage you all to give it a try next time your drowning in extra tomatoes. It's well worth the bit of work. I also recommend roasting your tomatoes first. It sweetens them up so much (yay adding less sugar) and gives it all a lovely taste.

Images from http://www.123rf.com/

Wonder woman and dragons and amigurumi oh my!

Lately I've been working on a few different types of projects than I usually work on. I usually direct my attention to fairly quick and easy, practical projects like mittens, hats, slippers, baby photo props  and a few pretties like headbands, little tiaras and necklaces now and then.

I like using basic designs and adding on to them, making them extra cute and extra personal kitty cat slippers for my little girl, viking hats for my boy. little bows and whatnot. I like the ease of using the 4mm-6mm hooks and how quickly these little projects tend to come together. I'm not big on  using little hooks and thread, they're a pain. 

I've been wanting to try working on some different types of projects lately and with my kids being sick this week it was a good time to try my hand at some amigurumi friends for them. 

Little girl demanded (asked nicely for) a wonder woman. And my little dude likes anything with wheels or that goes "RAAAA" so I began scouring for patterns. 

Wonder woman was easy enough to figure out. I used the basic amigurumi body here. Which was a fine pattern, It calls for a hook bigger than I wanted to use (I'm paranoid about stuffing showing through). I used a slightly smaller hook and altered it a bit to make her a little thicker. I used the star pattern here on a 1.5mm hook with size 10 thread for her tiara and improvised little stars for her shorts.. I'm not sure where her little lasso of truth was when I took the picture but I did make one. I just braided some yellow yarn and tied an adjustable slipknot in it.

The dragon was super fun, quick and easy. I used  Lucy Ravenscar's Fierce little dragon pattern and button eyes. Little guy picked out the colors and away I went. It was a breeze to make. The pattern is very well written and simple to follow. 

The end results are pretty great. Wonder woman still needs a couple of touches, like her hair needs a bit of fixing and she still needs her second W but little girl is so pleased.. I'm planning on making her own wonder woman tiara to match.

Although I'm not a fan of small hooks and tight stitches I'm really enjoying making toys. The kids are so happy about them and they're pretty darn cute. I'm already trying my hand at some baby toys as my extended family is about to get even larger.. But that's another post.

If anyone has a basic doll pattern that they like to use would you please share it with me in the comments? I'm still searching for the perfect one. 

Who wants to learn how to crochet an Octopus?

I thought so!

Twofer today! this has been sitting unpublished in my dashboard for months!

Okay, so this project came into my head and heart earlier this week. A friend drew a picture of two lovey octopuses and it got me thinking that I would love to make one. So after trying it a few times And failing miserably ( I just couldn't get the legs right) I did an interweb search (all hail lord Google!) and came up with some wonderful pictures of the Octopus pattern from Ruby submerine and I found me a free pattern from PaulaGail over at squidoo and I knew what I wanted and now have a fairly good idea of how to achieve my desired effect (Start with the legs! who knew!).


So, Now I'm going to walk to through what I've come up with, with the help of the pattern I found from Squidoo and a few tweaks of my own:

Leg 1: Chain 21. Starting in 2nd ch from end,
5 sc, 13 hdc, 2 dc. Leg should have a natural twist.

Legs 2-8: Without cutting the yarn, repeat steps for leg 1 seven more times. You will have eight curly legs all in a row. Join the legs into a circle with a slip stitch in the first chain of the first leg.

Head and body:

Working from the legs in continuous rounds without turning:
Round 1: Work 2 sc through the dc at the base of each leg (16 st).
Round 2:*1 sc in each of next 2 st, work 2 st together* 4 times (12 st).
Rounds 3, 4: Sc in each sc around (12 st).
Round 5: *1 sc in each of next 2 st, 2 sc in 3rd st* 4 times (16 st).
Round 6: *1 sc in each of next 3 st, 2 sc in 4th st* 4 times (20 st).
Rounds 7-9: Sc in each sc around (20 st).
Round 10: 1 sc in each of next 3 st, work 2 st together* 4 times (16 st).
Round 11: *1 sc in each of next 2 st, work 2 st together* 4 times (12 st).
Round 12: *1 sc in next st, work 2 st together* 4 times (8 st).
Round 13: *Work 2 st together* 4 times (4 st).

Cut yarn. You probably will not have a hole at the top with only 4 st, but if you do,
use yarn end to stitch hole shut. Work in yarn ends.

I attached sew-on googly eyes to the sides and taa-daa!

This one I SC an extra round before I started the major decrease in the head/body. 

He's still not quite right but I'm getting there

Happy Summer! I made an angel!

"festival shawl"

Whew!
It's been a while! I hope everyone out there in interweb land is having a wonderful, relaxing and productive summer. I know I am.
With the dog days of summer and the husband taking some time off work I've been spending less and less time at the computer and just enjoying some time with my family. And crocheting. Always crocheting.

disgruntled bird

I've been working on some cool weather projects. A lovely shawl in mohair for myself, viking hats for the children and some fun stuff for my nieces and nephew etc.. But lately it's been far too hot to think about wooly warm goodness so I've finally worked up the nerve to work on some lacy things.

little panda

"Penny rose" necklace

Tiny hooks, thread and  the colour white make me nervous. So this is a big step for me and of course my being who I am I don't start small.. No no. My first project... A friggin 9 inch tree topper angel for my Mother in law (shhhh don't tell her. It's a seceret).

head and torso formed, beginning work on the skirt

I cannot tell you how happy I am with how it turned out. Especially considering I used a smaller crochet hook than the pattern calls for and made a little bit up as I went along.  I was a bit nervous in a couple of spots. Like the head/neck and right where you join it to make the sleeves for the dress. I just kept chugging along and I met with success.

So close

Because I used a smaller hook and I wanted to maintain the size I added a couple of extra rounds in the head, body and skirt as well as I changed up the skirt just a tad and did a round of V stitches near the bottom. I also added a round of picot stitches around the wings to give them a little extra fancy. 

halo

 I also thought it could use a little extra sparkle so I used a thread with a strand of silver woven into it for the wings and halo. 

you can't really see the sparkle..

Over all it was much easier than I thought working with thread this small would be (especially with children around). Honestly, my biggest fear was getting it dirty. White and I just aren't friends.



Starching it was a bit of a pain too. I used a couple of coats of spray starch on both the angel and her wings before I sewed them on.

 

letting the starch dry

To keep her shape I taped a ring of newspaper around a wine bottle and covered it with plastic bags and i cinched her waist with a little bit of yarn then just let her dry outside.

After I put the wings on I used a 1/3 white glue and 2/3 water solution in a spray bottle and soaked her really good, letting her dry a bit and shaping her as I went. After she dried a bit I took her off the wine bottle and stuffed the body a bit with a little newspaper. Then I just lay her down on some plastic

I did that so I could rotate her front to back to keep the head and wings in place. I let her dry over night and repeated the glue/water soaking and even hung her upside down for a bit to keep her neck straight. Serious pain. Bus SO worth it.

finished front

wings

For the finishing touches I improvised a little green sash and bow and we're calling this project done! Isn't she lovely, despite my poor photography skills?!