Crochet mood blanket: February recap

This year seems to be moving quickly--two months of 2014 have already come and gone.  I'm glad to say that they were two really good months filled with happiness, friends, and family.

My crochet mood blanket is really coming along--it is taking shape and I can really see a "blanket."  This month I realized that I made a mistake in the number of squares in my blanket.  I always wanted it to be 18x20 = 360.  That's just about a square a day with some room for a day or two of border making.  However, somehow last month I only made the width 15 squares.  So I played catch up and just added 9 squares to the end of the first 3 rows when I realized.  It doesn't go in order anymore, but I'm ok with that.

Now on to the pictures!

Crochet mood blanket January recap

So it has been one month since the crochet mood blanket crochet along started.  I can't believe a whole month of 2014 has come and gone--time really does fly!  Each day of the past month I've crocheted a granny square.  They are supposed to be colors that coordinate with your mood that day, but I decided to pick the color that I like the most each day and use that.  :)  I started with  13 colors, then added 7 more, and then added 6 more after that.  As I started to progress I realized that I might not have enough yarn.  Honestly, who wants to go adding new colors in the middle or the end of the year?  I'd like to have it mixed in as I go along.  If I run out from what I'm using now I'll just add stash.

The last 31 days have been good.  I've been posting each day on Instagram (follow me! @Jessicle322) and I add a little blurb (usually) about why the color I picked attracted me.  It is interesting how I get a few days of subdued colors and then shots of bright colors or sparkles.  I'm working in rows of 15, moving right to left.  January 1st starts with the sliver square at the bottom right corner of the "blanket" in the picture below and January 31st is the sparkly purple square 2 rows above.

So far I'm loving it!  It is a little slow going--I just want to keep making squares! BUT in the end it will be great!  I'm making 360 squares and using the remaining 5 days of the year to do an edging and any finishing that needs to be done.  This is definitely going to be a large blanket--it hangs off the bed widthwise already and will only get wider with the border.

I'll check back in with my progress at the beginning of March :). (And I do hope to blog more often--I've just been crafting in all my spare time!)

Newborn photo props

One of my close friends is a photographer. You can check out some of his work here.  Well, recently he asked me to make him some props for photos of newborns.  He showed me some pictures and described what he was looking for and I went right to work!  He requested 4 different outfits--a fisherman with fish, a cap and matching pants, a pumpkin cocoon and hat, and a cute hat for a girl with a flower.  So far I've finished 3 of the 4 requests.  (Moving sure does take away crafting time!)

I'm so excited by these little outfits! I tried to make things adjustable--because I know even newborns come in different shapes and sizes.  I can't wait to see the photos he will take with these outfits!

Here we have a matching set--a news boy cap and pants.  I used a gray tweedy yarn and big dark wood buttons!

Next I made two different size white hats.  I used multiple strands of yarn, including one with a little shimmer.  I wanted to get a cute look, but not something very bulky.  The flowers are attached using a button, so they can be switched between sizes :).

And finally this is the fisherman set.  I LOVE the way this came out.  I made a diaper cover that can be adjusted because the buttons fit anywhere on the tabs.  Also, the suspender portion is attached before the bottom is closed to (hopefully) make it easier to get a little one into the outfit.  The fish are attached on a yarn-chain.  AND I adore the little feathers in the hat!  I seriously cannot wait to see this on a little baby!

Tunisian crochet potholders

In February I stumbled upon a fantastic pattern for potholders.  The pattern is free on Ravelry and can be found here.  I've been playing a bit with Tunisian crochet, but never really made anything with it.  Just sort of played around trying to learn the stitches.  These potholders were a great way to practice Tunisian simple stitch (TSS).  The only downside is that the pattern doesn't tell you how to do TSS, so I had to do some googling to get the instructions down pat.

However, the finished product is amazing!  It is thick and double sided.  You construct a rectangle and then fold it over and add the border through both pieces--so cool!  It really is good for handing hot lids and handles while cooking.  If you're looking to try Tunisian crochet I suggest starting here (and with some YouTube)..the result is great!

I made an orange one for myself (not pictured) and these two for my mom.  They were her Valentine's Day gift, so I cross stitched a little heart on each of them.  (That might be one of my favorite things about TSS--it's perfect for cross stitching on!)

Yoga mat bags

If you don't know this about me already, you need to know that I love yoga.  Everything about yoga--the message, the spirit, the teachings, the poses, and the way that it is part of everything in life.  My love of yoga ties with my love for yarn (now that's saying something, isn't it?).  As you know Matt just completed his yoga teacher training and he has been teaching me a lot about yoga and its foundations.  He specifically has been teaching me about Raja yoga and its 8 limbs.  I have been trying to abide by the yamas (the first limb that represents the social code) and the niyamas (the second limb that have to do with the 'self').  One of the yamas is Aparigraha which says that one should not hoard things and should be non possessive.  I do have a problem with this sometimes (evidenced by my growing yarn stash).  So I have been trying to work on this in various ways.  I've been gathering items to donate, trying to get rid of items that are unnecessary to me, and also trying to destash when possible.  I am definitely not an expert on the yamas or how to live by them, but I am trying my best.

So what does this all have to do with knitting and crocheting?  Well, I have been making yoga mat bags with my stash.  I am planning on "selling" them at my yoga studio very soon.  The yoga studio has a boutique and it would be a perfect place to sell these items.  So far I have made 4 different bags and have at least one more planned before I'm going to bring them to the studio.  I've used a bag for my yoga mat that I knit back in 2011 and I'm ALWAYS getting complemented about it.  I really like it--it is machine washable and dry-able and is perfect for quickly stashing a sweaty yoga mat.  However, there were things that I could improve on--the strap was too long and the drawstring tie would come untied or be a bit of a pain to tie.  So I improved on these things with the new bags I made.

Here are the first two I've made for the studio.  The purple one is crocheted out of cotton in a ripple pattern.  You can see how they feature a shorter strap and a drawstring that cinches closed when you pick up the bag.  That's my favorite part :).  The second one is knit out of acrylic and also features the same shorter strap and cinching drawstring!

I have two others--one that looks like a tree and a blue lacy one that I developed the pattern for.  I'll post those in another entry when I get some decent photos of them.  I'll also be posting the pattern for my lacy mat bag--so keep an eye on my blog for that :).

Baby Mermaid

Let's rewind to the beginning of the year.  One of my close friends was pregnant with her second child (I believe she was due in March).  She already had a boy back in 2009 and this time she was having a little girl!  I know she was super excited for dresses and other girly things!  I had crafted a few things for her son--a little puppy, a blanket, and some bibs--you can see the post here.  So, I obviously wanted to make various things for her daughter too!

I've been trying to be on a destash mission--which has worked some what, but I must admit that I've also purchased yarn...tisk tisk tisk, Jessica.  However, back at the beginning of the year I was TOTALLY on the "cold sheep" "use only from stash" bandwagon!  I've also been trying to use patterns that I already own, rather than finding something new or buying a new one.

So with that in mind, I found the cutest pattern from a Crochet Today! magazine to make for my friend's daughter!  The pattern is called "Mermaid Cocoon" and is from the July/August 2012 issue of Crochet Today!  I totally fell in love with this pattern when I first saw it.

I was pretty lucky that I had both mint green and teal yarn in my stash!  I just reversed the colors of the tail--making the teal the main color and the mint the accent.  I also had white and purple!  They are all simply soft yarns, so you can just imagine how soft and snugly this outfit is before washing and how much softer it will get!

I added little white buttons to it rather than colored ones.  I spent an awfully long time standing in the button aisle of Jo-ann's picking out the 'perfect' buttons :).

The construction of the garment is so interesting!  It is all made in one piece without seaming.  You start with the bodice, then work the arms, and then the tail portion.  It was so quick and only took me four days to make!  I'm so pleased with it and can't wait to see pictures of little Keira in it!

Baby Pinafore

I've been really into making items for babies lately.  I think that I've been drawn to small projects that I can work on during my lunch break.  I also have been loving projects that finish quickly, use up bits of yarn, and are simply "totally adorable."

Recently I finished making a sweet little pinafore.  I used some yarn that my mom got me from Jo-ann's.  It's called "Breeze Self Patterning" by Jo-ann's Sensations.  It has nice long color changes that created a pretty rainbow look to this dress.  

This dress seems very easy to customize to make larger sizes.  In fact, I saw a pattern for larger sizes on Etsy and Bernat also has a free pattern for child-size dresses.  They all look like the same dress, but in different sizes.  Honestly, just change your initial chain length and it should be pretty easy to customize.  I think that you would add or subtract multiples of 4 to get larger or smaller sizes.

Some people on Ravelry have added a decoration to the front of the dress, but I left mine plain since the yarn is sort of busy.  I'll definitely be making this pattern again!  It could definitely be made in a few hours.  Great last minute baby gift!

The Dillon Hat

I have been making custom items for my friends and family, at their requests, for some time now.  However, recently it has really taken off and I have had lots of requests for custom knit and crocheted goods.  I can do custom items in many ways--my friends can describe an idea and I'll find patterns that fit the description or they can show me various photos of knit/crocheted items and I can come up with a design that combines the aspects of each photo that they like best.

Up until recently I had never tried to create an item from a photograph that was NOT of a knit/crocheted item.  At the end of 2012 one of my friends asked me if I would be able to make a newborn-sized hat that looked like the family's bulldog.  She sent me a few different photographs of the dog (what a cutie!) and with a bit of trial and error, I was able to produce a crocheted version of him!

Here are two of the pictures of Dillon that I used as my inspiration.

Here is the final hat that I made!

And here it is on little Gianna!  She is just so adorable and could make any hat look cute! :)  I'd like to send a big thank you to her mommy, Jazmin, for sending me these pictures of her little one in the hat and letting me use them on my blog :).

FO: Puppy Hats

Not too long ago one of my favorite blogs, Repeat Crafter Me, posted a new free "Puppy Hat" pattern. This pattern has a very high cuteness factor!  I love this blog for a few reasons 1) it's loaded full of great  ideas and patterns (she is the creator of the Owl Hats that I've made so many of), 2) it's well written and fun to read, and 3) she let's you use her patterns as you wish as long as you give her credit.  I absolutely love that because then I can use her patterns and make things to sell--perfect!

So far I've made two of these puppy hats.  One in child size and one in the smallest size (0-3 months).

Pattern: "Puppy Hat" from Repeat Crafter Me

Yarn: Both hats are made from Vanna's choice yarn--oatmeal for the puppy part and other colors for the accents.

Size: The blue hat is made in child size and the pink hat is 0-3 months.

Hook Size: H, 5.0 mm for both hats.

Notes: Love the pattern and everything about it.  Super quick and super cute.  You can make a few of these in a day.  My only problem was that the child size hat fit my head....and I don't have a tiny adult-sized head.  My gauge was spot on, so I'm not really sure if I had some other issue.  Good thing is that children's heads grow--so it will fit my friend's nephew perfectly at some point.

FO: Sweet and Swingy Dress

My friend Alyson is expecting her second baby in March--a girl!!  I'm so excited for her family and their upcoming addition.  I've been crafting away making a few things just for the occasion!  I've known Alyson and her family since I was in the 6th grade...so for like 18 years (WOW!)  I'm actually going to be in her sister Alexandra's wedding in October as a bridesmaid :)...Alex and I are yarn buddies and have been pals since we met in our 6th grade class...but I'm getting off topic.

Pattern: "Sweet and Swingy Dress" by Ellen Gormley which is available in the May/June 2009 issue of Crochet Today!

Yarn: TLC Baby Solid in powder pink with accents of Patons Beehive Baby Sport in Big Girl.

Hook Size: H, 5.0 mm

Size: According to Ravelry, this pattern runs REALLY small.  Since the baby isn't born yet, I figured that this wouldn't be too much of an issue and picked the 12 month size to make.

Notes: I have to say that I don't think this is a dress sized for a 12-month-old.  I don't have a baby to compare it to, but it just seems small...which is perfectly fine because the baby will only be a few months old this summer and maybe it will fit perfectly then!  I really loved making this dress.  The way to do the accent crab stitch around certain areas is genius!

I decided to add a little flower to the front of the dress.  I did this for two reasons-- 1) the back of the dress is identical to the front and I wanted to tuck my ends and start the accent colors on the back of the dress to make any finishing less noticble and 2) I wanted a little more detail and I didn't like the look of the three rounds of detailed edging on the bodice of the dress.  The flower is called the "10 minute flower" by Boomie and can be found for free online.  Scroll down to the bottom of the page for the English instructions.

What would I change if I was do make this again (which I will be doing)?  I would either make one shoulder have buttons so that it would be easier to put on/take off of the baby or try and incorporate a slit and button hole on the back of the dress.  The neck line is stretchy and wide-ish, but I just would feel better knowing it would be easy for mommy or daddy to dress the baby.

FO: Shades of Yellow and Green

My first project of 2013 (which took me just over a week) was a baby blanket.  My friend requested a ripple baby blanket in gender-neutral colors including yellow and green.  This is what I came up with.

Pattern: "Shades of Coral" by Jan Eaton, found in the book 200 Ripple Stitch Patterns

Yarn: Mostly Vanna's Choice and Vanna's Baby and a little bit of Lion Brand Pound of Love.  I picked greens and yellows first and then added beige and white to round out the colors.  I like using acrylic for baby items because of its softness, durability, and how easy it is to care for.

Hook size: I, 5.5 mm.

Size: I measured the blanket agains the quilt I used to have in MY crib as a baby ("Quilty").  Although I didn't record the finished dimensions, this blanket would be called "crib-sized" so it will won't be out grown for a while (if ever).

Notes: This was a really great and fast project.  I actually began at the end of December (12/30) and finished it by January 9th!  I tucked the ends in as I went along, so that I didn't have to worry about them after it was done.  The border is one row of single crochet.  I didn't do any adjustments along the top and bottom ripples as I made the border.  I'm very happy with this project!

FO: Crocheted Flower Motif String Bag

I came across this pattern when I was looking for Christmas gift ideas.  I actually made the pink bag for one of my friends, but we've yet to seen each other for the holidays, so I might just end up with it for myself.  The pattern is a really nice pattern (although I found that some of the counts were off).  It's free and quick (took about a week of off and on crocheting) and easy!  I definitely recommend this one.

Pattern: "Crochet Flower Motif String Bag" by LisaJedi Gwinner and it's available as a free Ravelry download.

Yarn: The pink bag is made using Knit Picks Cotlin yarn in Cerise and took about 1.75 skeins.  The green bag is made using Elsebeth Lavold Hempathy in colorway 017 and took about 1.5 balls.  Both I had in my stash--the Cerise from my spring/summer crocheted cardigan and the Hempathy from my I-91 Shop Hop vacation.

Hook size: F, 3.75 mm

Size: The size was as written in the pattern.  My only issue was that I ended up with more loops in the final round than the pattern states.  I think I had 111 or something like that.  Really, it's not a big deal because all you're doing is the top edging and then adding the handles.  This happened both times I made the bag.  To compensate for this difference I just recalculated where to place the handles of the bag.  Easy peasy :).

Notes: The bag holds WAY more than you think it would.  Seriously this bag is awesome!  You can see that I have a few boxes of cereal in the first one and I think some cans and whatever else I had in the kitchen that I could stuff into the bag :).  The green one is now being used as my "stuff carrying bag" for yoga--which is working out really well!  My towel and clothes are all sweaty and gross (eww but AHH) when I'm done with class and the meshiness of this bag allows it to dry really easily.

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!

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.