Crochet Fun

I've kept busy crocheting consistently throughout the summer & fall.  I crocheted during our trip down to Utah in June.   It started with a Rainbow Bear for Sarah.  She was so excited for the finished product I never was able to take a picture of it.  It's just like the twins, except the ears & paws are yellow and the muzzle is orange (I think).  So here's another shot of Emma's & Kara's Rainbow Bear:

Then Emmy asked for a Lady Bug to match the colors of her room.  Colorful, huh?!

 

Nick, Nathan, & Michael asked for a Penguin, Doggie, and a Lion.  Obviously Michael's is still in the works, but I have Nick's & Nathan's finished!  

I made a few new decorations for the Halloween spirit.  Two Tombstones and a fun ghost.  The pumpkin is not crocheted, it's the real thing:)  I also started a Skeleton, but have not yet finished that.  *Sigh*  Michael's Lion & my Skeleton are in need of attention!

Brynn played on her Jr. High Volleyball team.  She took her clothes/shoes with her everyday to school in a Walmart sack.  I asked her if she'd like a crocheted bag for her stuff.  She quickly said yes and asked for it in her school colors.  She also chose the style of bag.  I used a pattern from a book I have.  Of course I made alterations!  I should have taken a picture of the inside of the bag.  I created my own inner seam to sew a lining to and it isn't visible on the outside of the bag.  Brynn also wanted her last name on it.  I had nothing but graph paper for a pattern.  I had to make it up as I went.  

There were a few people at her school that wanted a bag, too.  When Brynn told them the price ($50 + $2 per letter) they all declined.  I guess they all think it's great to spend almost $30 for a Volleyball sweatshirt, but NO WAY for a handmade bag with hours of work put into it for another $20.  Crazy.

Isn't she HOT!

Scarecrow

While on Vacation, I wanted to make Sally's birthday present.  I loved this pattern when I saw it!  

I loved the patches on the scarecrow.  I even put one on his butt:)

The crow was simple and I also loved the straw hair on his head, arms & legs.  There's just so much detail in this pattern I can't name them all.  I had a TON of fun making this for my mom-in-law!

Now I just need to make ME one:)

Animals & Lady Bug

This year I wanted to make each of the Squirrels an stuffed animal to put in their Spring Baskets.  Here's what I came up with:

I made this Rainbow Bear for Emma. It's made with the same yarn as the blanket I made for her last birthday. Emma loves the color orange, so that's what I crocheted the ears, paws, & feet. I found cute peace sign ribbon at the store that had splashes of color that matched the yarn. Perfect. The bear is 10.5" tall from head to toe.

I made this Lady Bug for Olivia. The pattern was for a finished size of 2". But I increased each step to make it much larger. Finished size is 5.5"x9". There are 8 spots that I made & sewed on separately. I also added antennae. I used Simply Soft Caron Yarn, colors Autumn and Black. Even the legs are slightly stuffed.

I made this Sock Monkey for Brynn. She loves monkeys! And when I saw this pattern I just couldn't pass it up. I love the tail. It curls around at the end & is just as long as his arms & legs. This project was the funnest to put together. But the other ones were fun in their own ways.

Finished size is 23" from head to toe. I glued on wiggly eyes and added more hair. I also added brown ribbon with blue & lighter brown squares. The blue was perfect because that's Brynn's favorite color.

I made this Rainbow Bear for Kara. It's made with the same yarn as the blanket I made for her last birthday. Kara loves the color blue, so that's what I crocheted the ears, paws, & feet. The bear is 10.5" tall from head to toe. Same as Emma's. It was fun to sit the bear on top of the Lady Bug as if it were getting a ride.

Emma wanted both hers & Kara's bears in a picture together. I thought it fitting that the bears are the same pattern, yet different in color placements and the shape of their noses. The same-yet different.

Ducky

Ducky sits at 11" tall.  His hair-do was inspired by my dad.  Love ya, dad!  He needed a splash of color, so I made a hot pink daisy for him to hold.

HAPPY SPRING!

More Head Bands & Accessories

I have decided to sell these Head Bands and Accessories on an order by order basis.  I have enjoyed making them for my girls as well as for friends.   Spread the word!

These crocheted head bands are made with Caron Simply Soft Yarn and snap closed at the nape of the neck. I make them in widths of 2", 3", or 4". Crocheted accessories are also made from Caron Simply Soft Yarn and are glued to clips that are interchangeable to allow for matching your girl's outfit. The head band is $5 and the accessory is $3.

4" wide Heather Gray head band with a 2.5" white daisy accessory.

3" White head band with a 2.5" Loopy Flower made with 3 different shades of brown yarn.

4" wide Chocolate head band with a 3" Chocolate 2 layered flower accessory.

2" White head band with a snap closing. Smaller Soft Pink Daisy with a yellow center is 2", the larger one is 2.5". Black peace heart with white edging and white 1/8" ribbon measures 3".

Small Soft Pink Daisy with a yellow center is 2", Large one is 2.5".

White Hippy Flower with a yellow center is 3.25".

Heart accessories are 3". Peace signs are made with 1/8" ribbon. Ribbon bows are tied with 1/4" ribbon.

Brown Loopy Flower & the Light Blue Daisy with a cream center is 2.5". Light Blue Hippy Flower with a yellow center is 3.25". Dark Purple Rose with dark yellow center is 2.75".

Heart accessory is with and off white decorative button and 1/4" white ribbon tied in a bow is 3". Shamrock on white Loopy Flower is 2.5". Lavendar 6 Petal Flower with a yellow center is 2.75".

Send me an email or comment if you would like to place an order:)

Towel Dog & Sweater #1

I have been busy trying my hand at crocheting a dog sweater.  I know, I don't have a dog.  So what am I doing?  I'm broadening my horizons:)   No, really, my sister asked me if I could make one for HER dog. 

Sure, I can try to figure it out!   How hard can it be anyway?  My sister lives in Utah.  Her dog, Wickett, is a Shit zu.  Small dog and freezing winters make dog sweaters a necessity.  

So I looked on the internet and found some crochet patterns.  Most of which my sister & I didn't like.  But she chose one for me to try.  She gave me some measurements of Wickett & I set to work.  By the time I finished the main portion of the sweater, I decided I didn't like how big the stitches were.  The sweater was far too drafty for my liking.  So I undid the entire thing and began again.  Yes, I am a perfectionist.  This time I used a smaller hook and used 2 strands of yarn to make it less drafty.  But then I ran out of yarn and couldn't find that same kind anywhere here in poe-dunk-ville!!  I was frustrated, but determined to figure this out.  So I decided to bag that pattern and come up with my own.  

Coming up with my own pattern was harder than I thought it would be, but it was VERY satisfying.  At first I struggled because I couldn't gauge when to make the sweater longer or wider or if I was making it too short.  I don't have a dog and I certainly didn't want someone else's dog for a model.   So I came up with an original idea:  Make my own "towel" dog.   I'm so smart. *snarky*   I love that word!  It means snobby or smug but it's a lot more fun to say "snarky".

With my Towel dog, I was able to make it 18 inches long, which is how long Wickett is.  The narrow end is Wickett's butt.  Then I gradually increased the circumference for her belly & rib cage and ended with her 21 inch chest.  Not bad, huh?  Towel dog lived on my bed for a week.  I referred to it over & over.  It was a huge help!

Now for the neck.  Wickett's neck is 12 inches around.  Guess what the circumference of a new skein of yarn is?  You are so smart!   So this is Towel dog and it's removable neck.  It's all recyclable and it doesn't poop:)  

This is a front shot of the dog sweater.  You're looking directly into the neck.  The solid brown square is the chest & belly band.  It's crocheted directly onto the main sweater which makes this sweater entirely one piece.  I sewed on 6 snaps.  With the sweater over Wickett's head and neck, the chest/belly band just  goes through her front 2 legs and snaps underneath to each side of the sweater.

Towel dog is upside down, ready for the band to be snapped in place.

This is a top view.  Because I ran out of yarn with the first pattern I tried, I was worried that I'd run out before I finished this one.  The entire sweater is made with single & double crochet stitches.  I substituted plain coffee brown for three 2 inch stripes.  I also used the plain brown for the neck and belly band.  It's a good thing, too.  I wouldn't have had enough of the varigated yarn.

Towel dog modeling the sweater.   Isn't it great?  It worked pretty good, but because it wasn't an exact replica of Wickett, I worried about the final fitting.  So I mailed the sweater to my sister with a request for pictures of Wickett wearing it.  I figured the snaps would need to be adjusted at the very least.  I didn't know if my sister would even like it.  It is just so different from the sweaters she's had for Wickett before. 

The sweater arrived today!  This is Wickett.  Isn't she cute?!  As you can see, the sweater IS a bit long.  I didn't take into account the posture of a sitting dog.  But apparently the snaps are placed perfectly and the neck is just the right size.

Thanks, Kirk!  You're such a good sport:)

O.k., I think I can shorten it by at least 3 inches.  Don't want her pooping on it now, do we?  Although, there is a lot of brown to camouflage it!  

Thanks, Tawnya, for asking me to make her some sweaters.  I'm ready to do more!  Like maybe red, forrest green.........

Head Wraps

A friend asked me if I could make these head wraps that she found for sale on a website.  She sent me a picture of them.  (Shown below)  They were selling for $14.99 each.

I didn't have a pattern, so I went on the hunt.  I love free patterns!  I found a pattern & made slight alterations with it and came up with this:

It is supposed to cover the tops of the ears & buttons in the back.  I made 3 button holes for sizing purposes.  The daisy flower is another free pattern I found on the internet.

Livvy wanted a purple rose with a yellow middle on a dusty pink head wrap.

Emma was one of my models for this one.  This brown head wrap was the first one I made.  It, too, has the rose sewn onto it.

Kara didn't want her wrap to cover her ears,  so I didn't make it as wide.  She chose a loopy flower with various shades of brown.  Love it!

With more practice, I decided to glue each flower to hair clips that can be clipped right onto the head wraps.  This way, the girls can interchange them to match outfits or be more festive.

By the time I got to Kara's wrap, Brynn suggested using snaps instead of buttons.  She's so smart.  I didn't even know they made bigger snaps!  They are much easier to fasten, not to mention the time I save on skipping the button hole steps.

It costs about $3.00 to make one wrap.  The flowers cost just a bit less.  It's a far cry from $14.99!

A big THANK YOU to my friend for the challenge!  It was a lot of fun!