Pink Bear

I've had the pieces of this bear in a bag for awhile. (+6 months) Everything was finished except for assembly. Which wasnt hard. I didn't even have the original instructions. It was a no brainer. So why did it sit in a bag? Who knows. It wasn't "for" anyone. I believe I had a skein of pink yarn I was probly never going to use and was looking for something to crochet with it. So yesterday I found it and ta-da. It's done. I really have no clue at the moment where the original pattern came from. The purple bow wasn't part of the pattern.  It was just too much pink for me. He will go back in a bag now and to the emergency gift section of my storage. XD

Project Update: Bag of many colors

 

I decided from looking at my pictures that the sewn over line was NOT substantial enough. So I went back and slip stitched black over the lines, which worked perfectly! One of my main concerns had been keeping those lines straight so the pattern would look good across the stitches. This did just the trick and I'm glad it worked out this way. It looks much better. I "outlined" the diamond patterns on the sides of the bag as well and they cleaned up nicely. I still havent lined the bag as I'm trying to decide if I should insert something to help it keep it's shape and what that something should be. I had considered foam board but one bend or crack and any shaping would be lost. So this is still a work in progress.

Cowls...

I was looking for something to make for my grandmother for christmas. She is Always cold. My mother mentioned something about her wanting high neck tops and I thought something like a crochet fake turtle neck would work great. She could switch them out with outfits and keep the draft off her neck. I particularly liked the mobius cowls but they arn't quite what I'm looking for here. I really want something that starts below the shirt, is snug but not too tight and maybe even taper up towards the chin. As of yet I haven't found just what I'm looking for. There are many amazing patterns out there and this seems like an ideal gift this year for anyone looking for last minute ideals. Something that isn't a huge time sapper, is in fashion, and extremely useful. The two cowls I made were done in one evening of experimenting. I so far prefer the bulkier yarns. The white was done in the baby clouds yarn and the other was a red heart I had left over from the scarf. (which I honestly thought of dismembering in favor of making a few of the cowls)

I'm still searching for the ideal pattern. I hope I find it before xmas.

Winter Scarf

So there was left over yarn from the mile o minute that wasn't project and I thought I'd put it to use on a holiday scarf. One holiday...no no no. The piece is made up of Granny squares made with a K hook. Only 3 rounds. and joined together with a loop stitch doubling as trim. On either end there is a square with a pattern sc n chained across the top. originally it was a web for the spider but it doesn't jump out with the other appliques are put on.
The accents are made with button holes and each end square has a button sewn on. The black spider with silver eyes and the white and silver Autumn leaves look nice. The 3 circle snow man and the snowflake are still in the planning stages. The appliques were all found online but the scarf Ideal is mine alone.

Baby Winter Gown

This is my own creation. It was a gift that never made it's appearance. I remember when my youngest was an infant I had all these gowns. They looked like long dresses with a drawstring at the bottom. I was told they were Not dresses. They were made like that to keep the baby warm. OK so this is my Winter Gown. it was originally for a little boy but I was told not to give him a dress so it sits in my finished but homeless projects pile. I thought it would be nice for car seats and the like that had that between the leg strap, being open at the bottom you could maneuver this around  unlike some of the buntings I saw. I could have made a ghetto looking baby hoodie but his legs would get cold but what do I know. if your having a baby at 16 you probably do care more about what his clothes look like then if he is warm. End rant. (even if it could double as a christening gown if they didnt have anything....ok I'm done now)

I'll be posting pattern in an edit as soon as I get it off my other hd 

Plush Baby Throw

This project was started when I found out our neighbor was pregnant, really pregnant. So I figure this would throw together easily in time to make her a nice gift basket or something with the other neighbors. But no one was interested. Ha. Then my son went over their house for their older little girls birthday party. When I finally got him out of the house he was crying and upset. The kid had painted, not just his nails, but his toes and most of his fingers in dark burgundy nail polish. She is a bit of a bully but I thought my son would speak up or something if it upset him this much. It took all the remover I had and a soak in a warm bath before he was good again. So... I don't tell my son to be nice anymore when he snaps at her, nor do I wonder why none of the other kids will play with her. My son was the only one who even went to her party. And the neighbor probably isn't getting the blanket unless I'm having a weak moment when she brings her next spawn home.

Materials
1 6oz skein of Red hearts baby clouds super bulky yarn in pink
1 6ok skein  "                                   "                           in  light blue
small amount of same in brighter blue
1/2 skein of same in white
you will need a large eyed craft needle ( I used my steal craft needle but threading was a pain)

plastic N hook

Square:
ch 12
row1: sc in second ch from hook, sc across, ch 1, turn (9)
row2-11: sc across, ch 1 turn
row12: 2 sc in first st,sc across to last st, 2 sc in st, pivot work to continue down side of rows, sc in end of each row, pivot at bottom edge to work across back of starting ch, 2 sc in first sc of starting ch, sc across to last st, 2 sc in last st, pivot to work along row edge, sc in each row up, sl st in first sc of row 10, fasten off

This makes 13x13 squares

Make:
5 light pink
4 light blue

Lay out your blocks, pink on each corner and in the middle , blue to fill in 4 sides. You could reverse that if you wanter more blue then pink, I used the brighter blue to help even out the colors so you may want to switch that as well, or you could do the blanket in light and dark blue if you knew it was for a boy. I used white to whip stitch the blocks together. After joining pick a spot to start your edging, everything is in sc, with 3 sc in the corners. This blanket has rounds in this order:

2 white
1 pink
2 brighter blue
1 white

The blanket measures about 2 1/2' x 2 1/2 ' (Square) It's smaller then an afghan but it's big enough to wrap around baby or over a car seat/stroller or to lay baby down for a nap on. It is decadently soft. This material washes well on delicate and dries flat or equally supported over rails/lines

 This blanket works up super fast. I finished the entire project in a day. This yarn used to be available at WalMart but thier selection keeps getting smaller. A craft store would have more color selection. I've even seen this type in dark burguny, green and gold as well as the other typical "baby" colors; green, yellow, and purple. It's the same yarn I use to top off my chirstmas stockings

Bag of Many Colors

I was interested in crocheting something similar to a stained glass design. I never found an afghan I was interested enough in to pursue a pattern. Then I was watching you tube videos and ran across a vid from Bethintx1. Her Stain Glass throw slide show shows her progression on a blanket that caught my attention. She purchased this pattern in a book, 50 Sensational Crochet Afghans & Throws edited by Bobbie Matela, published in 2007 by The Needlecraft Shop. ( Last seen on amazon for $6) The book was rather expensive when I looked it up and being made of many small pieces I didnt think I'd ever finish it. So what's a crafter to do. Recreate a panal as an experiment and see how it goes. The bold thick lines crochet across the tops I replaced with yarn sewn embrodery style with a craft needle and I made it up as I went along. I think it was the bright colors cantrasting against the black that drew me to this project. Once I completed a panel (yeah not enough attention span to make this into a throw) I did decide a bag would be perfect and my stained glass panal would be the front. The same colors in stripes across the back and diamond motif on the sides. The bag still needs it's long handles attached and I want to also line it. It turned out bigger then I intended which is ok because it wasnt really a hand bag. More like a bag to carry library books to and fro....or maybe carry about my next project. I'll have to remember to make side pockets for hooks and scissors. I have a graph and the pattern recorded...somewhere.


front "StainGlass" panel




back panel, stripes




Side and front

 Hmmm... perhaps taking pics of a black bag against a black chair wasnt a great ideal. I may decide to go over those sewn lines with a thicker crochet line. I was worried about keeping it straight but the sewn line will act as a great guide and base for stitches.
I'll decide before I line it definitly.

Bethintx1 did have another video on something like stained glass granny squares. They are worked in 4 small squares joined to make larger ones. Definitly would be one of those long range projects for me. But the effect is awsome. Stained Glass Window Square