Christmas gift recap! [FINALLY!]

Ahhhh, finally I have the time to present all of my finished Christmas gifts!  This past Christmas I decided to make as many presents as I could.  I get such enjoyment out of making gifts and it's also a good way to save some money!  I believe that I made something for each person on my list--definitely a successful holiday!

I knit a cowl with carved wood buttons for each of my bosses.

For Sean, I knit a scarf and hat set and also made a Sheldon the Turtle in Giant's colors!

I added the year to to bottom of Sheldon's shell so that Sean will always remember which Christmas I gave him Sheldon.

For my cousin Kyle, I crocheted a rocket pillow.  He told me and my mom that this was one of his favorite Christmas gifts--which means a lot to me, coming from a 6 year old, especially when he got different video games and electronics from Santa and our family!

For my mom, I finally finished the ripple crochet blanket that I started 2 years ago!  It was worth the wait--she loved it!

I also made a vest for my mom....but it came out a little large and looked like armor on me!  I think she ended up giving it to a friend who it fit better.

And as usual I edged a couple of dishtowels for my mom and even monogrammed one too!

I also made my mom a snowflake fridge towel and one for Sean's mom as well.

I also made another fridge towel for Sean's mom as well as two crochet-edged towels!

And....I made a bunch of crocheted ornaments for Sean's mom as well. She loved them all.

For my Aunt Cathy and Uncle Dan's cats I crocheted 3 cat toys and stuffed them with catnip!  They were a big hit.

And last, but certainly not least, I finished Matt's sweater!!  It looks so good on him and he loved it!  I'm happy I was able to finish it and give it to him this year!

It was definitely a busy holiday craft season, as I'm sure you can tell, but it was wonderful!  I love giving handmade gifts to my loved ones!  I'm already thinking about next Christmas--because, you know, it's never too early to start!

Busy busy busy...

The title of this post definitely describes what my 2013 experience has been like up to now.  I feel like I'm going a mile a minute and none of those minutes have allowed me to do any blogging :-/, boo.  I'm sorry if you all feel like I'm ignoring you--because I'm definitely not!

I have been thinking about blogging....I just haven't been able to sit down at my computer and write the entries and post the pictures...but here's a little bit of the posts I'll be posting soon!

• Ta-da moments of my Christmas crafts
• A crochet pattern for infant sandals
• Ta-das of the 2013 FOs (of which there have be 12 already!)
• Some chatter about CraftiniMarini
• Perhaps a small poll about items to sell on Etsy

So, what have I been doing when I've been so busy?  Well, I worked on all of the analysis for the simulation portion of my dissertation and wrote up and submitted a draft of that to my advisor!  I've also been working on a bunch of special request projects for my friends--mainly hats and baby items.  And I've been making yoga mat bags to hopefully sell at my yoga studio!  Busy busy busy!  I do feel very accomplished (especially with my school stuff)...so the blogging part will come.

As always, you can follow me on Facebook: CraftiniMarini
Or on Twitter: @CraftiniMarini
Or on Instagram (which I update VERY frequently): Jessicle322
Or email my new CraftiniMarini email!

I do promise a more interesting post in the very near future!  But until then, why not let me know how your 2013 has been! Have you done anything extra special?  Crafted something great?

Welcome 2013!

Happy New Year!!  I hope that everyone had a safe and enjoyable transition into 2013.  We kept it nice and low key here--annual Chinese food dinner with my mom and the Twilight Zone marathon after.  Sean and I did have a little bit of trouble staying awake to see the ball drop--but we did it!!

I'm not one for "resolutions" for the new year.  I guess that is because so many people talk about breaking their new year's resolutions...and why would I want to set myself up for possible failure?  I like to try and think of things that I want to become more aware of in the new year.  I've come up with a small list of things that I'd like to cultivate and increase my awareness of this year:

1) I feel as if the culture that I live in is one of quantity, rather than quality.  It is as if we always need to have the latest thing or multiples of different products (case and point my yarn stash...which I'll get to later).  I'm going to try and be more aware of the goods that I buy and what I actually need and can consume.  I started cultivating this awareness over the past year and I found that I was able to decrease the amount I bought at the food store without going without what I need....so I really think that this can translate to other aspects of my life.

2) I often find that I work really well under pressure.  However, I can be somewhat...um...high strung at times, and when I'm under pressure I think that this comes out even more.  So, I'm going to try and take my tasks and break them up into many smaller pieces, make a list of these pieces, and then tackle them one at a time.  The first half of this year is going to be very busy for me--I'm trying to finish my dissertation and graduate in May.  I should rephrase that.  I'm finishing my dissertation and graduating in May, so I really need to be on the ball for time management and stress management.

3) I'd also like to cultivate being less timid.  As you might have noticed in #2 I was hesitant to be firm about my graduation plans...I need to stop that self doubt and be firm at what I'm going to do :).

ANNNNND now for the yarn related goals!

4) I never knit a fair isle or other knit color work piece in 2012 (or ever), so I want to get that in this year :).

5) Decrease my stash.  No really, I need to decrease my stash.  I have so much yarn, it isn't funny.  I love just about every skein (there are some weird ones I got random places that I'm not too fond of LOL, but most of it I love).  I'm very determined not to buy any more yarn this year.  There are only 2 conditions that I will allow myself to buy yarn. The first is if a custom CraftiniMarini order requires me to buy a specific yarn.  The second is if it is for a very specific gift that I cannot use anything in my stash to make.  Other than that, I will not be buying any yarn.

Want to see why I'm so set on this?

Well...this is my stash....

Here is a different angle...yep, it takes up just about my entire living room floor.

There are some of those large ziploc bags filled with vanna's choice and another filled with other random worsted weight and bulky weight scraps and half used skeins...

I knew that I had a lot of yarn, but I didn't actually realize I have THIS much yarn!  You can see how happy it makes me, however :).

I have a good amount of Knit Picks yarn in my stash.  A lot of this I've purchased with specific projects in mind--a few sweaters including brava bulky in tranquil for Aidez, some comfy sport in sweet potato for Deco by Kate Davies, some wool of the andes in Lullaby for Girl Friday, comfy worsted in whisker for Hey, Teach!, and some comfy worsted in Lady Slipper for the Jetsetter Sweater; a blanket using comfy sport with knit squares of different colors (gray and blues, greens, and purples) or maybe hexagons; some dishy to make market bags; and 5 colors of felici sport to make zig zag baby blankets.  The rest I'll need to find projects for....

It was definitely fun to take out all of my yarn and photograph it (and boy was I glad to have Matt there to help me!), but that I had to make sure I organized it nice and neatly!  I was actually able to organize it better than it was before.  I have a shelf in my room with fabric draws where I store the majority of my stash, two floor bins for yarn, two large plastic tubs in my closet, two large bags in my closet, and a few other smaller boxes (also in the closet).  Before this photo opt, I had other bags filled with yarn, and skeins randomly stashed in my closet...but after, everything had a home!

Here you can see my neatly organized set of yarn draws.

And my two floor bins (and knitting needles).  I like how I have a bunch of my stuffed animals guarding some of my yarn (they are also sitting on a bunch).  I didn't take a photo of my closet, but those storage bins are tightly packed, but nice and neat too!

6) To facility my goal of stash diving, destashing, and going "cold sheep" I'm also planning on working projects off of my Ravelry queue.  I think I have 6 or more pages of projects I'd like to complete, so I'd like to work on some of those during this coming year.

I think I can do it! I also hope to post some more patterns on my blog and try and be as active a blogger as I can manage.  Obviously, my priority is my dissertation, graduating, and getting a job :).  These rest will be full of yarny details when possible!

Happy 2013!!!

A Recipe for a Towel Topper

Over the past 3 or 4 years I have given my mom towels for the kitchen as a Christmas gift.  Each year she loves them.  Maybe it is the practicality of them or the handmade-ness.  Whatever the reason is, I always know that they will be a hit.

One of the things that I had always wanted to make was a towel that hangs on the fridge.  I've made a knit versions before--these and these, but I had always wanted to use an actual towel because I find them to be more absorbent.  I just needed to attempt to "top a towel." 

I had read some tutorials...they all involved cutting a dish towel in half and then crocheting over the cut side to make the topper...and that is great and all, but I didn't want to have a raw edge.  So I went to the store and bought some "bar mop towels" to use instead.  These are smaller than dish towels (definitely length-wise smaller maybe width-wise too) and have a finished edge on all sides.  

Now I needed to decide what to use to pierce the fabric so I could crochet the topper.  Should I use scissors? Purchase a sharp crochet hook? Use a needle and thread?  I remembered that I had purchased a skip stitch blade for my rotary cutter a month or two ago to use on a blanket edging...and I wondered if I could use that to top the towels too!

So, I got out my self-healing cutting mat, my rotary cutter, and the skip stitch blade and gave it a try.  The blade did go through the layers of the finished edge with adequate pressure--which is totally great! I then tried different sized crochet hooks to figure out which was best for this project--I ended up settling on a G hook with worsted weight yarn.  The G hook allows the tension in that first row to begin to ripple the towel.

I found that the best placement for the holes was sort of in the middle of the finished edge--not too close to the end of the towel.  Going in more, toward the body of the towel isn't terrible....you'll just need to adjust your tension on your first row of single crochets.

Now, so far I've tried 4 different towels and I get different numbers of holes in the pass with the skip stitch blade.  Sometimes it is 25, sometimes 27, sometimes 28, etc.  Because of this, I can't post an exact "pattern" for the topper--at least for the starting row, but I can give you a recipe on what to do.

Materials:

-Bar mop sized towel

-worsted weight yarn

-size G crochet hook

-a smaller crochet hook and maybe a pointy one just in case.

-a yarn needle for sewing in ends

-a button

-needle and thread

-skip stitch blade and rotary cutter

-self-healing cutting mat

Directions:

Place your cutting mat on a sturdy hard surface.  

Load the skip stitch blade into the rotary cutter.

Run the blade along the top finished edge of the towel, approximately in the middle of the finished edge.

Be sure to make a hole close to the beginning and close to the end of the towel (where the finished edge is the thickest).

Crochet one row of single crochets across the top of the towel--this is where you work directly into the holes you just created.

Crochet one more row of single crochets and take note of the number of stitches in the row.

Now, here comes the recipe.

Recalling the number of stitches in your row...is it even or odd?

If it is even, figure out where the middle of your row is, you will be working a double crochet two together decrease on these two stitches.

Chain 2 (this does not count as a double crochet).  Double crochet two together, then double crochet until you reach 1 stitch before your middle two stitches (aka work right up to the middle two stitches).  Double crochet these two together, and then double crochet until there are two more stitches left to work.  Double crochet these together.

For example, if you end up with 28 stitches, the middle stitches are the 14th and 15th stitch, so you will be decreasing these two together.  So what you would do would be ch 2, dc2tog, dc 11, dc2tog, dc 11, dc2tog.  This will leave you with 25 stitches.

If you have an odd number of stitches in your row you can ignore finding the middle two stitches and work as follows:
ch 2 (doesn't count as a dc), dc2tog, dc across until there are two stitches left to work, dc2tog.

Example: 29: ch 2, dc2tog, dc 25 times, dc2tog, resulting in 27 stitches.

Did you follow that?  What you want is to end up with an odd stitch count.  If my method confuses you, decrease any way you'd like as long as you have an odd number in the first row of double crochets.

The "pattern" really starts when you have 25 stitches in your previous row.

Just as before, the chain 2 in the beginning of each row does not count as a stitch.

Once you have 25 stitches....
--Ch 2, dc2tog, dc 21 times, dc2tog, turn. (23 stitches)
--Ch 2, dc2tog, dc 19 times, dc2tog, turn (21 stitches).
--Ch 2, *dc2tog, dc* repeat from * to * across, turn (14 stitches).
--Ch 2, dc2tog across, turn (7 stitches).
--Ch 2, dc2tog, 3 dc, dc2tog, turn (5 stitches).

Now you start the band that will wrap around your refrigerator handle.
--Ch 2, 5 dc across, turn.

Repeat this until it is slightly shorter than the desired length.

Begin the button hole part:
--Ch 1, 5 sc across, turn.
--Ch 4, join with slip stitch to the 5th sc in the previous row.

Fasten off and weave in ends!
Sew on a button and enjoy.

I do apologize if any of this "recipe" is confusing--let me know if you have any issues!  I hope you all have fun making your towel toppers!

Merry Christmas!

Today is Christmas Eve and my family and I will be celebrating later.  I have been so busy crafting projects lately!  I will have a post showing them, once I give most of them away :).  Yesterday I gave Matt his Christmas gift...the sweater I had been working on since before LAST CHRISTMAS and a few other things.  It made my heart melt when he totally fell in love with it when he opened it!  :).  I'm so happy he liked it and I'm so thankful for a best friend like him!

Whether or not you are celebrating today or tomorrow I still wish you all the best of the season!

Thermal Tweed Scarf

Maybe it is just me, but I have trouble finding scarves that look "manly."  When I make something for a guy I'm always worried that he isn't going to like it or maybe he will find it too feminine.  (I'm not one for gender labeling, but you never know how a recipient of a gift will feel.)  Well, I think that I found a nice manly/gender neutral scarf.

I present to you, the knit Thermal Tweed Scarf.

Supplies:
3 skeins of Vanna's choice tweed yarn
Size 9 and 10.5 knitting needles
Gauge: 16 stitches = 4 inches in stockinette stitch (on size 9 needles or whatever size gives you gauge)
yarn needle for weaving in ends.

Instructions:
Cast on 31 stitches using the larger needles then switch to smaller needles to knit the scarf.  (If you'd like a wider or skinnier scarf just make sure that the cast on number of stitches is an odd number.)

Just as a note, the first and last stitch will make the border of the scarf.

Row 1: K1, *K1, P1*, repeat * to * until 1 stitch before end, K1.
Row 2: K1, *P1, K1* , repeat * to * until the end.
Row 3: K all stitches
Row 4: K all stitches.

Repeat this pattern until about a half inch from desired length.  A good idea of the "proper" scarf length is the height of the person wearing it or just a tiny bit shorter.  This will allow it to be wrapped around the neck or halved and then slipped through.

Once you reach this length, repeat Row 1 and Row 2 and then bind off knit wise using the larger needle.

Weave in ends and enjoy!


Here is a close up of the detail of the pattern and how it looks in the tweed yarn.  Nice and textured, but still simple and clean looking!

Teething/nursing necklace

What a busy month December has been! Between school work, crafting gifts, and preparing for the holidays I've simply not been able to find the time to blog! (But that doesn't mean that I haven't been thinking about you guys :)).  I've actually been working on a few new patterns that you'll hear about today and in the next few days/weeks.  There will also be a few "ta-da" moments when I'll present my finished Christmas gifts, but that will definitely come after Christmas so I don't spoil any surprises!

So without further ado, I present you with my new pattern for a teething/nursing necklace!

Here is the back story...about a week and a half ago my friend asked me if I could make a necklace that she could wear when she is feeding her 5 month old son, because he is so alert that he is getting distracted by all the visuals in the room as he is eating.  She showed me a picture of something she found online and asked if I could make something similar.  The necklace she showed me had wooden beads of different sizes, wooden beads covered by crochet, and a crocheted cord.  A necklace like this would also be good when he starts teething.  She told me that she wanted a few beads and gave me the supplies (a ribbon and the wooden beads) to use for the necklace.  The colors she wanted were blues and greens.  Now, since I'm trying to use yarn that is in my stash, I looked to see what I had in those colors.  Turns out I had a nice amount of Vanna's choice.  Then I tried to find a pattern to crochet around a wooden bead, using aran weight yarn...but I couldn't find one.  So....I made my own!

Supplies:
What you'll need are some wooden beads--I used round 1 inch wooden beads--you can find these at a craft store.

Aran (or worsted) weight yarn, like Vanna's choice.

A G crochet hook.

Some ribbon or extra yarn to chain a necklace

And a yarn needle for sewing in ends/threading beads onto the necklace.

Abbreviations:

ch = chain

sc = single crochet

sc2tog = single crochet 2 together

ss = slip stitch

Gauge: Not really important, but try not to crochet TOO tightly as it will be harder to get the bead inside the crocheted outer "cup."

The beads are actually very simple to make.  They are worked in the round, so do not join the rounds with ss.

Round 1: Start by ch 3, and ss to the first stitch to make a tiny loop.

Round 2: Make 6 sc into this loop.(6 sc)

Round 3: Make 2 sc into each stitch in the previous round (12 sc).

Round 4: Make *2 sc in next stitch, 1 sc in next* around (18 sc).

Round 5: sc in each stitch around (18 sc).

Round 6: *sc2tog, sc* around (12 sc).

Up until this point you have not worked with the bead.  You'll place the wooden bead into this little crocheted "cup" during the next round.

What you have should look something like this

Begin Round 7: sc2og around (6 sc)-- when you've completed maybe 2 of the 6 stitches in this round, insert the bead.

Push the bead inside.

I've found it works better to pull up the "cup" over the bead as you work the sc2tog. 

When all the stitches of Round 7 are complete, join to the next stitch (aka the first stitch of round 7) with a ss.

Tuck in ends.  I found it works well to place a crochet hook through the center of the bead/covering so that you can sew in the ends.  This also makes sure that everything lines up appropriately.

For my necklace I made 7 beads in different colors.

Next, string them on to your desired length of ribbon.  Rather not use a ribbon? Chain a desired amount with a yarn of your choice and string the beads on that.  Want to mix in some wooden non-crocheted beads too? Go ahead! :).  To clean it, you can soak it in cool water and let it dry.

Happy crocheting!  Feel free to use this pattern as you please, just do not reproduce the text or pictures without my permission.

Tis the season!

Somehow this yearn has FLOWN by!  It seems as if it was just the beginning of September...and now here we are approaching December!  I do have to say that I had a WONDERFUL Thanksgiving :), the best I've had in a long time!  I have such a wonderful family and it meant the world to me that Sean could spend the day with me and my family :).

When I was little we never put the Christmas tree up RIGHT after Thanksgiving...we sort of waited a week or two (?) or maybe even more depending on schedules!  However, since I started grad school I've learned that if I don't get the tree up on Black Friday it might not even get up! Sooo...that's exactly what Sean and I did on Friday :).  We put the tree up! It really was a lovely time....Christmas music playing as we fluffed up the branches of the tree that was in the attic for a year.  I was highly amused every time Sean said "wow you have more ornaments to go up?" :).  What can I say...I like my tree with lots of ornaments on it!  The bow I made back in...um..2008 I think, still looks pretty good atop my tree!

What do you think?

We also have an "Our 1st Christmas" ornament this year :).  Sean bought it for me at a Holiday Boutique we went to two weeks ago....he's so thoughtful.

I have a crocheted nativity under the tree.  I bought this a few years back before I ever tried to make an amigurumi.  I'd love to make myself a nativity one day.  For now, I adore this set!

This year, I also decided to make myself a holiday bunting.  Last year I had participated in an Attic24 themed swap on Ravelry and I had received 4 little granny trees as part of my package.  I had them hanging in my office last year, but I knew that they needed a better way to be displayed! (Especially since I have only been in my school office 1 time a week lately.)  So....I made 3 others (the yellow, orange, and dark purple ones) using the same pattern--Grandma Tree by the Royal Sisters.  I attached them all together using a glitter eyelash yarn from Martha Stewart. Then I hung glittery snowflake ornaments that I found at Target (2 for $1! can't beat that!).  I'm in love with my sweet garland bunting!!

Decorating for the holidays just makes me so happy :).