Baby Blanket

Maybe it is my skill level but not going to lie, this was a really difficult blanket to crochet.  

 Took FOREVER too.

 It is a gift for a little girl I recently met.  She is so sweet, I wanted to do something special for her.

It is kind of cool though.

Diana

Granny Square Blanket in Yellow and Gray

I am such a fan of giant granny square blankets!  While they do take a lot of time to make, just like any crochet blanket, the stitches are easy, almost mindless.  Great handiwork to pass the time or for late night TV watching.

 This is the third GS blanket I've made this year.

I think the color combo is quite trendy and modern.  The yarn is so soft you can help but want to cuddle under this blanket when the weather dips down.

Diana

Gray Orange and White Granny Square Blanket

After many hours I have completed another granny square blanket!  This one is a little different from the last one I made both in color and stripe width.  I think the wider stripe look more modern.

 I love the burnt orange and gray together and the white keeps it from getting too dark.

And this blanket is also much larger......3 skeins larger.......bringing the total to 9 six ounce skeins.  Many more hours in this larger size too.  You would think that I would be tired of making these blankets but I already have a new color combo in mind for the next one........going to take a little break and then start it.......

Diana

Granny Square Blanket

Oooooh, look what I made!

One giant granny square,  That's it.  I think what makes it special is the color combination.  Not very granny like, I know, but it will fit perfectly in my master bedroom once I paint over the brown.  And get new gray carpet......

Diana

Small Green Doily

Remember the other day when I was whining about how hard it is to read crochet patterns?  Remember when I asked why they couldn't include pictures?

Little did I know there is a form of pattern instructions that is done entirely in pictures.

Here is the finished doily.

Here is the pattern from Anabelia Craft Design.  And it doesn't matter that the blog is in another language cuz.........the directions are just one big picture!!!!!  Yippee.

Diana

Brooches From Oopsies

This post is about making something usable from your craft mistakes, which we all know we make from time to time.   Sooo, today's theme is brooches.

 What do you do if you mix up too much resin?  Pull out a mold and fill up the cavities until you run out of resin.  These resin hearts were allowed to harden and then I slapped some scrap book paper on the backs with some modpodge.  

 Once the modpodge dries, gorilla glue a pin on the back.

 This crocheted flower was the beginning of a pot holder that, at last, never came to be.

 Some felt and another pin and I now have an adorable daisy for a dress.

 Still more resin filled molds?  Before the resin sets up add some fish aquarium pebbles (that I forget to put in my Pocket Aquarium).  Once the resin has set up, paint the backs and attached more pins

See, with just a little extra work, some of your oopsies can become useful too!

Diana

Old Fashion Crocheted Potholders

In between bigger projects I have been turning out these vintage looking potholders!

 It has been fun searching for patterns that I could whip up fast but would teach me new stitches. 

 I love the granny square potholder and the little red and white one that I made up as I went along.

 Who wouldn't love these color combos.

The simple pale green potholder was just as fun to make as the more elaborate one on the right.

I haven't yet decided what to do with these cuties......maybe they would look good in our vintage camper.......on tucked into baskets with home made goodies for friends?

Diana

Polka Dot Doily

In the latest issue of Molly Makes Magazine, there was the cutest doily pattern.  I knew I had to try to make it cuz it looked a little more cottage-y than most doilies.

 It took a lot of trial and error (read that as yanking out yards of finished but incorrect stitches) but I believe I finally ended up with a sweet little spot of color for my guest room.

I had a little difficulty following the pattern (chalk that down to my inexperience) but I was able to look at the picture in the magazine and duplicate it on my own.......

It really looks pretty and just makes me happy.  

Diana

Egg Gathering Basket

 Ever since I saw this cute vintage egg gathering basket over at The Beehive Cottage I have been wanting one!  Not at all obsessive.  No, not me.  Searched the net and found nothing like it.  This was not going to be easy.  I would have to make one myself.  I started searching for patterns.  It didn't have to be just like it, just something cute to give to a chicken loving friend.  That sounded weird, didn't it.

 Here is what I ended up making!  It is so cute I can't stand it.  It is tiny, just big enough for about 6 or 7 eggs.  I got the pattern here and modified it into this much smaller bag by using number 10 thread and a number 7 needle.  I also reduced the chain length in the main body of the bag.

 Seriously, how adorable will it be to gather eggs in this.

 And it is in my favorite color combo.

So my newly acquired doily making skills are already coming in handy.

Diana

Pretty Pink and White Doily

Yep, it's another doily.  This time I made no errors!  At least none that I've noticed.

And why is it that errors made early on are never evident until you have spent hours crocheting only to find out you are one stitch off!!!!   So frustrating..... so many stitches ripped out......and sometimes I really think it is all the pattern's fault!  Can we please start putting pictures in those things.

  

Alrighty then, glad I got that off my chest.  You wouldn't have guessed it but I am enjoying making these.

Sooo, does anyone have any tips on blocking these cuties?  I know that is necessary but I was hoping someone has a foolproof method.....with pictures.

Diana

Second Try at Doilies

I wrote yesterday of my taking up crocheting doilies.  Here is my second attempt.

Still making mistakes but they aren't noticeable as the ones on my last doily, that is unless you are counting my stitches or have really good eyesight.  I do really love this color.  If you want to try doily making here is a site that has a ton of free patterns!  You do need to have some crochet experience but not a lot.  I am at a beginner level so if I can do it most anyone should be able to.

Diana

Grandma Mergie's Legacy

 Mergie H Moore

My dear grandmother passed away last month.  She was an fiercely independent woman who lived a full life.  But at 92 her body finally failed her and she passed away after a short illness.  She will forever be my role model and to honor her I took up one of her many hobbies.  She made the most beautiful doilies that she generously gave away to both family and friends.  She also crocheted other items including intricate tablecloths.  I have one she did in a pineapple pattern.  I know she made one for all her daughters and grandchildren.  

It seemed tragic that our family would no longer have someone in it that crocheted as  masterfully as she did.  So, I am teaching myself to do the time consuming art of doily making.

Here is my first attempt.  I made so many mistakes.......but the finished doily doesn't look too bad......

and as I made it, in between muttering to myself as I tore out stitches, I thought of my grandmother.....and hoped she'd approve.

Diana

Little Pink Hankie

Why carry around a paper tissue when you can have a pretty little hankie instead.

 Used some leftover fabric from a dress I made and crocheted a delicate edging.

How cute will this look in my purse!

Details:

fabric cut 7 1/ x 7 1/4

1/8 inch rolled hem

number 10 crochet thread and US 7 hook

Using an awl or tapestry needle, poke holes along hem every 5/8 inch.

Attach thread in corner hole,  sc, *chain 3, sc, chain 7, sc, chain 3, sc all in same corner hole,*    **chain 7, sc, chain 3, sc in next hole**  (repeat ** until you reach next corner hole and then repeat *).  Continue around hankie until you meet up with first sc.  slip stitch into first sc.

Diana

New Way To Add Yarn While Knitting NO KNOTS OR ENDS TO WEAVE IN

I was knitting this morning and just when I started making some real progress my yarn had a nasty knot in it.  Not the kind of knot where I tangled it but instead the kind where the manufacturer tied the end of one run to the beginning of the next one.  Drat!  Hate those.  

I hate having the knot show in my "perfect" knitting and I don't like how bulky it looks if I use the traditional method of adding yarn.   I had been toying with an idea for a while and now I decided put it to the test.  Get out your needle felting stuff and I will walk you through it.

First, start with the end of your yarn and the beginning of the yarn you want to add. 

Overlap them about 1/2 inch and punch your needle felting pen into that area, rolling and punching about twenty times.

 It will look pretty funky but continue punching until you can not pull the yarns apart with a gentle tug.

Trim off any fuzz until the yarn is the same width as the rest.  That's it!  You can't even tell that you added yarn and you can't see it in your project.

I tested several different types of yarn......acrylics, blends, wool and straight cotton.  The only one it didn't work with was the 100 cotton (the kind that you make dish clothes with) because it wasn't fuzzy enough.  The needle just made a mess......see above.  Oh well......

I love this method and now I keep my needle felting stuff with my knitting basket for quick fixes.

Diana

Hubs And Doilies

Just a few more pictures on our progress with the 1963 Yellowstone camper.  Below are the new half moon hubcaps.  Don't they look sweet? 

 Next is the pillow I put together using an old doily and some leftover fabric.  I thought the pink and aqua combo was perfect for the camper. 

My husband has been working hard on the lights so that she will be ready for her maiden voyage this Saturday.  We also got her registered so we are legal! 

Diana

Crocheting in the Dark

Just thought I would show you all the dish cloth I crocheted during the power outage.  I didn't have a pattern because the computer was down, as was all the lights, so I winged it.  It is very similar to one I had done a month or so ago.It is going out to the cabin to brighten things up.  Diana

Vintage Dishcloths

I am not a big fan of handwashing dishes, in fact, I try to fit EVERYTHING into the dishwasher!  If my dishwasher is broke I am devastated.  As in fall on the ground and cry like a baby from the stress of putting myself through handwashing pots and pans.  Yuck.  But, it wasn't pratical to put a dishwaher in our tiny cabin's almost completed kitchen so.........I will be washing dishes.  I am trying to ease myself into the unpleasant task which lies ahead by making lots of pretties for the job.  That includes these sweet dishcloths I crocheted!

 I mean, I almost feel like a princess to be able to used something as frilly as these beauties.  Aqua and red......LOVE IT!!!!!!

 And this one in lime green and lilac is a dream........no ugly dishrag for me! 

Now I just need a pretty container for my dishsoap and I will almost enjoy this chore.........   Not really, but at least I will have something to distract me.    Diana

Amigurumi Mushroom and Octopus

Totally useless but oh so cute.

Turn him around and there is his little face.

And here is a squirmy little octopus.Diana

Scrubby

Handmade soap and a pretty scrubby for the bath......what luxury. I had made one of these before but I had to cut my netting myself. I didn't do a neat job cutting so the finished project was a little rough looking. Yesterday, while shopping at JoAnns I found rolls of netting that were just the right widths! And at $2.50 these scrubbies are inexpensive to make too! I crocheted this in just a few minutes. Using a large hook, chain 4 and form a loop. Chain 2 and then double crochet in the loop until you have a nice disk that lies flat with no distortions. For the next round chain 2 and then double crochet 3 times in each stitch. Single crochet in each stitch for one round. Now start decreasing by double crocheting every other stitch until you have about a one inch hole left. Now single crochet until hole is closed and tie off . Stuff any extra net into into the center and it's done. I know those instructions are a little casual but that is how I crochet! Diana