scarf & mitt

My very first ever official crocheted item was a light blue scarf in Red Heart's super saver yarn--all single crochet, with a fringe. Certainly not exciting. It was for my daughter, because, well, it had to have some purpose and I was growing bored this simple project and wanted to make is smaller, not longer. But my crochet world expanded rapidly after that and I became aware of the many other options available to me. Suddenly, it was not good enough!

So, in my ever-increasing list of projects I want to get done, I added "Scarf for Miss C" into it. And I let her choose a yarn. A light blue, of course. I hesitated for a while since it was a more of a chunky chenille style that intimidated me. I got it for 99 cents (well, $2.97--I indulged in three!) since it's discontinued (Patons Be Mine).


Then, she fell in love with Lion Brand's Wool-Ease in a white with a shimmery ribbon running through it. I really don't know why she's always shopping in the yarn department; I should make her stop! I only bought one of them since there was no grand 99 cent sale and I had no grand plans, either.


My mind worked around this over and over, contemplating what to do and finally I decided she'd get her scarf -- with both yarns run together. She scored a hand-warming mitt, too. I ran out of the white in the last 2 stitches, but that was just funny to me, since you can't tell. I also made the super thick scarf to short and wide and therefore, my one day project became two as I unravelled the entire thing and redid it a bit narrower, allowing for more length.


I created it myself, but it's certainly not a novel idea since I'm sure a thousand patterns follow this same stitching--2 double crochets in one stitch, skip a stitch, 2 dc in one st, etc...the rest of the rows use the space between the dc's as the spot for your 2 dc's.


The mitt is shorter and wider and stitched together to give it the roundness...that's it.


And Miss C kindly posed with her lollipop in her mouth, watching tv...

preemie things

I, too, wanted to make a hat for Laurel's friend with the newborn preemie. My first attempt did not seem to be quite what I expected from the directions and gauge (though that could just as easily be my own fault), so I tried again with bigger yarn and found a nice pattern for booties as well.

I have two pictures to share. The first is a baby doll around our house--the really small kind--trying the hat and booties on for sizing purposes.

The second is both hats and the booties with an 8.5 oz water bottle that shows the smallness of everything. ON the water bottle cap was that first, too-small attempt. Next to it you will see the matching hat and booties that will go to Henry. As I was at the pediatrician's this past week, I asked which hat would work best. Since the bigger one was not too stretchy, that one was the better choice. But the smaller one might not have been too far off--and would probably fit a 400 gram baby, I was told. Which says maybe the pattern wasn't as off as I thought.

Now I need to mail it off before he's too big...

So-Soft Baby Hat

Quick and Easy Bootie

Tapestry Crochet

Has done a probject using tapestry crochet or something similar? I am trying to do an afghan with one background color and a design in a contrasting color. The pattern isn't too hard to read, and I have figured out carrying the contrasting yarn under the main color but am wondering how to make the changes of color "neat". I have a bleed-over problem when I pick up and drop off the design color. It's only about 1/2 of a stitch, but it's driving me crazy (unless it's supposed to do that, in which case, I'm doing really well). I found an online video through You Tube, but her design is so small and it's not an up close video, so I can't tell if her stitches are doing that. Just wondering if anyone has any ideas.

Getting ready for Christmas

If you want to make handmade things for the holidays, it is not too early to start preparing. If you started a stocking now, you should have plenty of time to finish one for December 25th. Here are the four I have knitted for our family.

Snowman Pattern
(I bought this as a kit from my local yarn store so I didn't have to pick out my own yarn. It is wool so it needs to be stored properly in the summertime. It would be so sad to find a moth hole come Christmastime.)

Cabin Pattern

This pattern was found in a book from my local library. It was my first stocking and is also the easiest pattern. The snowman and snowballs are not part of the stocking but were knit afterward separately and just sewed on. It also is the only stocking that was not knit in the round (either with double pointed needles or circular needles). But it was knit flat and the seam was sewed up the side. Easier for a beginner.

Snowman Pattern

I must confess that they do not hold heavy items well, so in our house Santa takes them off the mantle and puts them on the couch or somewhere nearby the mantle after he fills them. If I try to put heavy items in (like fruit), it sags way down. I do not think this is because of something I did wrong but just a limitation of a hand knit stocking. Oh well, nobody seems to mind on Christmas morning!

Too early birthday preemie hat

My friend Nikki's son Henry Paul decided to make his appearance 14 weeks early. Now, I would supremely preferred if he could have held on for a few more weeks. But we're still glad to meet him, and his little head needs a hat even more than a full-term baby. Here's the Too Early Birthday hat pattern I followed for this hat, using Bunny hop yarn. (However, I used size 6 needles rather than the size 7 specified in the pattern since Henry is so very tiny.) The second picture is for scale with my husband's cell phone.


I really enjoyed knitting this hat for Henry because I feel so powerless to help him. I was glad to at least feel productive in making him something. When I have more time, I can see mass-producing hats like this for all those tiny infants in the NICUs who need any extra love they can receive.

teething star

I had a tiny whim on my over stretched budget one day--I wanted to buy a bit of the glow-in-the-dark yarn by Bernat for my kids. I decided if it was pricey, they'd each get to choose a color and I'd do something fun. That is exactly how it turned out, and I made small animals that were blurry in their pictures--a dragon and a "melon ball" kitty. Then, I was perusing the Bernat site looking at patterns which is a desparate addiction for me--ahem--and I found a star pattern using that yarn. Of course, I got to thinking about it and changed it up. Rather than using the glowy yarn, I used their Cottontots (something I bought that same day since I wanted to experiment with some different yarns for upcoming baby gifts).

I've decided this makes a most perfect teething toy when not stuffed. My baby boy finds it so easy to hold and chew on versus the hard platic toys or bulky washcloths or whatever else there is. I can also easily add enough yarn length to attach it to strollers or car seats--safely.

Baby blanket

Here is the baby blanket I knit for my second son.

I knit it before I knew he was a boy - we were surprised at birth - so I picked colors and a design that would work for a girl or boy. I used this lovely yarn. I don't have a link to the pattern - I found it in a library book. By the way, the library is a great source for free patterns. Yes, I'm cheap but I have yet to pay money to buy a pattern. Of course it helps that my aunt and uncle own this shop and are very generous. :)

Slippers

Here are two different patterns of slippers I knit last month.

Number one (made for my older son) was super easy. I did a tiger design because he requested it. You can do whatever color scheme you want.



Number two (made for my younger son) was harder but not too difficult for those who know how to use double pointed needles (a skill relatively new to me).

Here he is modeling them. I love that my kids are still young enough to think handmade things are the best. Hopefully they'll keep that appreciation for years to come!

Hello from the knitter

Hi. My name is Laurel. And the picture above is of one of my favorite things to shop for - yarn. I am not normally someone who enjoys shopping (I know, I'm one of the rare women and my husband is glad for it!)

I guess I'm the odd one out here. I do not know how to crochet but love knitting. I began about 4 years ago and haven't looked back since.

When someone wants to begin to learn knitting, the best beginning project is a scarf because you can do a simple garter scarf that looks good but is very easy. I made at least 5 scarfs for my first projects. I now have ventured out little by little and enjoy the challenge of learning new stitches. The web is full of very helpful videos for new stitches or techniques. For me, I must see something new before I can learn to do it myself.

Baby Gear

I have been blessed to have many friends recently who have had babies. Since I'm not fortunate yet to have any of my own, my friends' kids are definite bright spots in my life. When you visit my house, you will find a fridge so covered in photos that it can be hard to tell the actual color of the fridge unless you look at the bottom. I love stitching something soft for the new blessings that join our group. I just finished a few more for a baby girl due in October.





This blanket is from a Vanna's Choice Baby pattern I found on the "freebie" pattern pad at Michaels. You can get a lot of really great patterns for free at craft stores and Wal Mart. While they are always "conveniently" next to the yarn you'll need for the project, you can usually find fairly good substitutes.









The bib, burp cloths and wash cloths are from Lily's Cream n' Sugar patterns I found online at www.lily.com. They're all made with cotton yarn so they wash easy.

The blanket, of course, took the longest. But, I've discovered that if you do all the centers, then the middles, then the outside, it goes a lot faster. I've also learned you should always stitch the squares and strips together on the WRONG side to avoid the bumpy lines that show up otherwise. If you have a suggestion for avoiding bumpy seams altogether, please let me know. The others stitch up fairly quick as they are flat with the same stitch repeated for the pattern. The bib required some improvisation because I have a hard time stitching right to left for the left side neck hole. But, they make easy, quick, last minute gifts if needed. Enjoy.

Introducing Bluehose

I'm Bluehose, the other half of Cjoy's creative side. Yes, I know what a bluehose is (you can find out at www.presby.edu) and am very proud to have been one since 1994. Cjoy invited me to share in this blog about crocheting as it's a love of mine. I started four years ago while my husband was on active duty with the Navy. I decided I needed a hobby and should teach myself how to do something. Both my mom and grandmother knit, and while I understand the concept, my fingers have never quite mastered 2 needles. A single hook, I can do. I started with a great beginner book that promised to teach me to crochet in 10 minutes a day and even had a few simple patterns in it. No pun intended, but I got hooked pretty quickly. Over time, I've learned how to read the pattern and It's easy enough that I can do it while watching TV, yet produces beautiful gifts for loved ones. Over time, I've gotten brave enough to venture away from single stitch afghans to multi-yarn blankets, burp cloths & bibs, hats & gloves & scarves, coasters & placements, napkin rings, and prayer shawls. Although it's become an expensive addiction, and my husband now rolls his eyes when he hears I'm going to the craft store, I love to help others pick up this great hobby. I love it when they discover what they can make and look forward to the next project. I'm excited to join you and Cjoy on this fun adventure.

September's Charity

Each month, we want to try to "sponsor" a charity. This is a goal, and may not be a complete reality, but we will try.

Our intent is to encourage our readers (and ourselves) to make something for somebody else. If you choose to make something and give it to a different charity or someone you know in need, you've still met that goal. You will hopefully find a growing list of charities we especially like in the sidebar if you would like to do this but for a different cause.

This month, I'm especially drawn to the idea of making scarves for participants in the Special Olympics. I appreciate the simplicity of the requirements and the heart behind it. The following are some basic instructions, but you can read more about it here.

No special patterns or skills are required to create a scarf. Beginners,
schools, scout troops and other local groups are actively encouraged to
participate. "Our only rule," says Blizzard, "is that the scarves are knitted or
crocheted by hand using delft blue (885) and white (311) Red Heart Super Saver
yarn, because these colors perfectly match the Special Olympics logo and were
chosen specifically by the World Winter Games organizers."

Coats is providing a knitted pattern and a crochet pattern but any pattern
from basic stitches to complicated colorwork and stitch patterns may be
used. Personal notes from knitters and crocheters who want to send their
best wishes to the athletes are encouraged and should be firmly attached to the
scarves, which will be handed out before the Opening Ceremony.

Completed scarves must arrive by January 15, 2009, and should be sent
to:
2009 Special Olympics World Winter Games Scarf Project
3150 West Main Street
Boise, Idaho 83702