What I Love

The best kind of projects are the ones that take 20 minutes or less.

Reflections

Looking back on recent posts, it's hard to believe those beautiful sunny days were so recent.  Spring must have taken that wrong turn at Albuquerque because it's nowhere to be found today.

Poor plants.  It's a confusing time.

As I was sorting laundry to be put away, I reflected on the odd mix of seasonal clothing we've worn the past four days.  In the baskets were thick flannel pj's - the kind that button all the way up to your chin to keep the winter out.  Right next to them were eensy little shorts and tank tops because there were a few days when it was so unbearably hot we could barely stand to wear our own skin.  It's hard to put one season's clothes away and pull out the next when we keep wearing All The Clothes from Every Season.

Mr. Weatherman assures me it will be somewhat stable next week.

The weather also creates havoc with my crafting.  I started this lovely reversible afghan for our newly decorated bedroom, but then I set it aside because I was SURE spring was coming and I wanted to make a spring dress.  Now I have both projects going at once.  On the hot days I can't stand to have a heavy blanket on my lap, so I work on the dress.  If it's below 60 degrees, the afghan gets a few new rows.  Makes slow progress doing two things at once.

Reminds me of eyelet fabric.  

The original design is done in a horrid color.  Looks like she is wearing a doily.  Ick.
I'm trying to modernize it a bit by going pink and adding contrast.

I also want to prepare for Summer, so I dug through the fabric stash to see what treasure was buried there.  I found this delightful gauzy white fabric with dots.  Matched it up with a sundress pattern.  This one will be so, so pretty and light!  If this pattern fits well I want to try it with knits too.  It's super simple and should only take an hour or two.

Lastly, my Nook bit the dust.  Fortunately I had purchased the extended warranty, so I was able to replace it with the Nook Tablet HD.  Such a fancy gadget!  The cover for the old one is about 2" too big, so I'm going to use the e-reader sleeve tutorial and make a new one, with upgrades!  Instead of the button closure, I'm going to do wrap-around elastic.  It'll slip into my purse easier that way because the button won't catch on things.

This fabric reminds me of that segment on Sesame Street from the 70's.  There were no words, just music, and a colored ball that went through rainbow tracks.  It was like being inside a pinball machine.  Anybody remember that?

Something Fishy

Last week I received a commission for a fish hat.

No joke.  The guy wanted a custom fish hat for his wife's birthday. People ask for the strangest things.

Halfway through creating this hat, I found out the intended recipient was expecting her first baby.   I couldn't resist using the leftover yarn to make a wee baby fish.

No pattern.  Made it up on the fly, loosely guided by some Google pictures.  I have a friend who calls this kind of made-up crochet McGuyvering*.    I like that.

*No bubble gum or duct tape was utilized in the creation of this project.**

**Unlike in sewing.  Day before yesterday I realized that clear tape can be used to hold the dang button in place while sewing it on with the machine.  Eureka!  No more swearing!  No more shifty buttons!  Why didn't I figure this out years ago?

Decisions, Decisions

In just a few short days it will be March.  MARCH!   Wasn't it just two weeks ago we were putting the Christmas decorations back in the closet?  Feels like it.

Anyhow.

It's almost March, which means I need to shift gears away from heavy bulky winter wear and into lightweight, layerable spring stuff.  I've been stockpiling ideas for a couple of weeks now and I've paired up some stash yarns with patterns.  Here's what I'm thinking:

Vintage gold yarn would make this lightweight summer top stunning.
So cute with capri's and wedge sandals!

Picture this dress in hot pink, about 6" shorter.      

This is 100% bamboo yarn which is light and perfect for summer.
Imagine this white top, but with shorter sleeves and longer body - about tunic length.  That's what I'm going for.

I like the idea of this top, but I'm not wild about the bell sleeves.  Who can wash dishes with sleeves like that?  This might stay in the idea bin until fall, and them maybe do a sweater dress to wear with leggings and boots.  Plum-colored yarn with a hint of silver would work, and it would go wonderfully with charcoal leggings and tall black boots.

I love the shape of this, but not so much how it looks like a giant red heart at the top.
I have some beautiful apple green yarn in the stash that might be just the thing (esp. paired with  cute leather sandals)

By the time I get these done, it'll be time to haul the decorations back out again!

I'm also planning some quilted pillow shams to match our new bedding.  The fabric I want is no longer available at the quilt shop (go figure) so I need to track it down online.  I'm also felting some 100% wool sweaters, which I'll chop up and make into decorative pillows.  Our new bedroom will be beautiful!

My daughter is excited about her new room too.  On Saturday we took her old bedskirt, cut it in half, and made it into two window valances.  In about a month we should have everything assembled and the sewing projects done, and then I'll post before/after pics.

A blizzard is coming!

And it's about time!  After the non-winter last year, I'm ready for a Real Winter Storm.  Just in time for Christmas, too.

Lots of snow also means lots of hats!  I do love hat making.  It's about as close to instant gratification you can get in the world of handmade.  A simple hat can be completed in the time it takes to watch a movie with the family.  (Well...they watch.  I crochet.  And glance up at the screen from time to time and try not to miss any important parts.)

Recently my husband found this picture somewhere on the Interwebs.

It just oozes awesomeness.

And he jokingly said," I want one of these!"  At least I think he was joking.  Not sure on that.  Either way, the take home message here is Never Ever Joke About Goofy Crochet Projects with a Crocheter, because you never know what they might do when left alone with hooks, yarn, and a 2-hour block of time.

Yeah, that's my husband.

Absolutely it's hinged and functional!

And, he actually wears it.  In public.  Like, to stores and stuff.  He's a good man.  (on a related note, today is our 14-year anniversary.  Go us!)

I have no idea who the original designer of this Knight Hat is, but whoever you are, thanks for the inspiration!

My daughter also got a new hat this season, because I had some hot pink and white sparkly yarn hanging around that matched her coat.  I made this one weeks ago but I kept forgetting to snap a photo when she's home to model it.

So, I asked the cat to model it instead.

Hey lady, I don't recall signing a modeling contract.

Teddy Bear is more cooperative.  He refused to smile though.

Simple staggered shell stitch pattern

Love the big flower and button detail.

My daughter is also a crafter in her own right.  This weekend, after listening to hours of the "I'm soooo boooorred!" wailing, she made an owl from some fabric scraps.  I cut the pieces; she stitched it together and stuffed it.  This is a pattern I found at a delightful quilt shop in Wichita, KS.  The designer has a blog, here, and she has other stuffed creature designs.  They're really easy and fun to make.

Meet Olive the Owl

Between now and Christmas, I'm going to try and finish the Kitty Couch (just about done!) and a last minute sweater for me.  Because I'm always cold.  More to come soon!

Taa-Daa!

The front edges DO line up.  I was standing crooked.

Finished up the non smoking jacket.  It doesn't look exactly like what it set out to be, but it's a keeper anyway.  :-)  The post stitches give it some 3D texture, and I love the vertical stripe effect.

It was supposed to have a shawl collar and belt.  But I didn't like the belt, and I didn't like how the collar hung open more than I wanted it to.  So I added 6 buttons and made it a double-breasted jacket instead.

And the good news is I actually WROTE DOWN THE PATTERN this time!  Sort of.  It's in my own crochet shorthand and partially charted, but at least I can make it again sometime.

In other news, you may have heard about a recent small event called Hurricane Sandy.  Well, one of my fellow Ravelers lives in a part of New York that was impacted, and she is collecting hand knit and crocheted items to distribute.  I quickly whipped up a baby afghan to pop in the mail.

This pattern is a freebie, called Cerulean Harmony Throw, designed by Carrie Carpenter.  If you're new to changing colors in crochet without cutting the yarn, this is an excellent pattern to learn the technique.   I modified her pattern an eensy bit, and only did two rows of each color instead of three, like the pattern states.  

Close up of the color changes.  Work 4 double-crochets, then drop the yarn and switch to the other color.  The unused yarn is carried along inside the stitch.  Very clever.

So I made this afghan, and I like it very much.  So much, that I decided to swap it with the one I made months ago for my BFF's baby girl, due this Friday.  I had made her a rainbow stripe afghan because at the time, she didn't know the gender.  Now that she knows she is having a girl, it makes more practical sense to give her this girly pink and purple sparkly thing, and to mail the gender-neutral rainbow stripe one to New York.  It will find an appropriate home there, no doubt.  

Rainbow Ripple baby afghan, for a Hurricane Sandy baby.

It's also germ-central around here.  Both of my kids have been sick, and they have different ailments no less. So there isn't one icky bug in here, but two!  I made an emergency trip to Walgreen's for antibacterial wipes and we're spraying down everything with Lysol.  I do NOT want to spend Thanksgiving in bed with a bucket, thank you very much.

In between the fevers and chills, my son read a couple of the Ugly Guide books, based on the Ugly Dolls.  Then he drew pictures of two of the critters from the books and asked if I could make him some new cuddly creatures.  We rooted through the craft bucket for some fleece scraps and buttons, and whipped out these guys.  

The yellow guy supposedly has 3 brains; one in each piece of his head.

The drawings that inspired the creatures.

There's nothing like new cuddle friends to make you feel better.  I guess Tylenol works too, though.

It's a Bird! It's a Plane! It's a retro tablecloth refashioned into purse!

Browsing through Goodwill last week, I found this lovely, lovely 1960's era tablecloth in a golden yellow.

Best $1.69 I've spent in a long time.  It's got a wonderful thick texture to it, and it just begged to be something more than a tablecloth.

So it was up-cycled into a vintage-inspired bag designed by the lovely Long Ladies at Marie-Madeline Studio.  If you're not familiar with their designs, check them out.  They create patterns for wonderful skirts, dresses and accessories, and they use delicious color combinations.  Very inspiring stuff indeed.  This particular bag is called the Laraine.  

I followed the pattern exactly with the exception of one small additional zippered pocket tucked into the back lining.  Without it the band-aids and Tylenol and chapstick roll around everywhere and nobody wants that.  :-)  Oh, and I divided the other pocket panel into 3 pockets, instead of the 2 the pattern called for.  It fit my iPhone and sunglasses better that way.  

Show and tell time.

Roomy interior

3 open pockets on one side; small zipper pocket on the other.

My Mother made one too.  Hers is out of airplane seat fabric she found at an aircraft supply store.
It's practically indestructible. 

It holds an amazing amount of crap, despite it's deceptively small size.

Which reminds me of something...

The Silent Treatment

People are starting to ask where I've been.

Awww...I've missed you too.   No, it wasn't something you did or said.  And you don't deserve the silent treatment.  The truth is I just haven't felt particularly chatty.

(insert collective gasp sountrack here)

Yeah I know.  Husband is enjoying it I bet.

Anyway, in lieu of my typical gab-a-thon, today I'll present a Wordless Wednesday.  a.k.a a bombardment of photos from what I've been filling the silence with.

Girly Wallet

Learning Shirring

24-Hour Quilt

Mmmmmm....Homemade Donuts

Reading Nook for Daughter

Ginny Weasley Cardigan that she wears in the Harry Potter movies.  No pattern.  Made it up.

Flower Pincushion

Felted Wool thing-a-ma-bob (was supposed to be the front of a  Bermuda Bag; might actually be a trivet)

Sweater out of my head.  Really wish I'd written the pattern down.

Zipper pouch made from an upholstery scrap

Super Secret Fortress for Son

Cuddly sweater for son.  Didn't write that pattern down either.  I never learn.