Crocheted Troll Hat

This will be quick, as I'm blogging when I should be making supper. But, a friend of mine asked me to make her a Troll hat for her infant. Since I was up for a challenge, I headed over to KnottybyNeedles and bought the pattern listed here.

Then, through some trial and error, I worked it up!



And then, since my daughter was so envious, I let her choose some colors out of my stash, and worked one up for her as well.





What can I say? I'm just a softie.

swimming turtles

So, almost a year ago, one of my brothers announced that they were expecting their fourth child. A few months later, they announced that this child would be a boy. A few weeks after that, I went on a pinterest hunt, looking for a crochet baby blanket that would be just the right spot of adorable-ness for this new nephew-to-be. As I was searching along, I found a picture of a darling ripple afghan, worked in shades of blue with just a bit of tan and white, which then had five crochet turtles sewn to the blanket, as if they were headed out to the sea.

Just the right spot of adorableness.  

I went to the site (sewloca.com), where Cristina broke down her process of designing, and then making the afghan. She included a link to a free ripple afghan pattern, and described how she worked the ripples, then added some bobbles in the white to make the "foamy" look. Entranced and encouraged, I decided to try my own luck at making a swimming turtle blanket.








It turned out well. So well in fact, that I decided to make another one, and this time write out the pattern as I went so that I didn't have to rely on other sites for my own future reference. Turtle blanket  #1 was sent to the new babe, and I started work on turtle blanket #2.

I decided to make the foamy part of the sea a little bit thicker, this time around, and I added an extra turtle.


Also, it was winter by the time I finished this one, so the grass background looks much worse for the wear than in the photos of blanket #1.













After I'd finished making the blanket and writing up the pattern, I decided that just for easy reference, I'd post my version of the pattern here. I do sell a few patterns in my etsy shop, but since I got the idea and the building blocks of this blanket entirely from from the goodness of some other people's hearts, it feels right to keep this pattern here, where anyone who wants to access it can do so for free.

So, here it is:

SWIMMING TURTLES PATTERN
(inspired by Cristina at sewloca.com)

Yarn-5 skeins of worsted weight yarn, one in each of the following colors: Dark Blue, Medium Blue, Light Blue, White, and Tan. Also some yarn in differing shades of green, brown, tan, etc, for the turtles. (I used Caron Simply Soft for all aspects of this project)

Crochet Hook-Size G (This is what works for me. You might want to use a size H hook here, I crochet more loosely than just about anyone I know)

Pattern:

BLANKET
Starting with the darkest blue, chain 171 across

R1: Dc in 4th ch from hook, *dc in next 4 st, dec 2 times, dc in next 4 st, 2 dc in each of next 2 st * repeat from * to * across, ending with 2 dc in last st.

Follow this pattern for 16 rows, then switch to medium blue for 16 rows, then to light blue for 16 rows.

Switch to white, follow pattern for 3 rows. On the 4th row, working in back loops only, make a cluster stitch every other stitch or so (this makes the "foam" of your ocean), switch to tan/creme at end of row.

Using tan/creme, working in free loops of the white row, continue the pattern. Once you get to row 2 of the tan, use both loops, and continue until you have made 16 rows. Fasten off.















TURTLES
Make 6 (or five, if you prefer)

SHELL
RND 1: Starting with Green (or whatever color you want the head and legs and tail to be), chain 3(counts as first hdc), then hdc in beg chain, *ch 2, 2 hdc in beg ch* 4 times. Join, switching to brown You should have five ch 2 spaces.

RND 2: in any ch 2 space, ch 3, 2 dc in same space, *ch 2, 3 dc in next sp*,  four times. Join, fasten off.

Rnd 3: With green, ch 2 in middle st of any 3dc cluster, *sc in next st, sc, dc in stitch below, sc in next ch 2 space, sc in each of next three dc* repeat around row, chain 2

Rnd 4: Working in front loops only, sc around, decreasing every five stitches or so. Finish off.



FRONT LEGS AND HEAD

LEG: Using the picture as a guide, and working in the unused back loops of Rnd 3, sl stitch in the stitch where you want the front right leg to be. Ch 5, then turn and, working in back loops, sc, hdc, dc, hdc, sc in next five stitches. sl stitch to Rnd three, and sc to where you want the head to be.

HEAD: sl st where you want the head to be, then chain 4. Working in back loops of ch, hdc four times in next sc, sc in each of next three ch. sl stitch, and sc to where you want the other leg to be. Repeat process for leg, finish off.

BACK LEGS AND TAIL

LEG:  Using the picture as a guide, and working in the unused back loops of Rnd 3, sl stitch in the stitch where you want the back left leg to be. Ch 4, sc in back loops of sc, sc in unused loops of rnd 3. until you get to where you want the tail. Make tail by sl st, ch 2, sl st in same stitch. Sc in unused loops of Rnd 3 until you get to where you want the other leg to be, repeat process for leg, finish off.

Weave in ends, stitch turtles to blanket.

Christmas is coming, the goose is getting fat!

A little less than a year ago, one of my dear friends asked me if she could pay me to make her some Christmas stockings using a pattern that she had found online. I said that I'd be happy to do that, as long as she was okay to not get them in time for Christmas. She was. So, she purchased the pattern for me, as well as the yarn in colors that she wanted, and once I got through my list of crochet "to do's", I started on them. I think it was February or so.




I had a ball making them. I love granny squares anyway, and so putting granny squares together into Christmas stockings was just a treat for me. In fact, it was so much of a treat that I tried to just give the stockings to my Amanda for free (she had bought the pattern and the yarn after all), but she wouldn't have it. (She's generous like that.)

Amanda has three daughters, hence the three stockings with a little bit of pink thrown in here and there.

After I finished with Amanda's stockings, I decided that, as long as I already had the pattern in my mind and in my fingers, I might as well experiment with some other color and design combinations:

And that my friends, is how I ended up spending a good portion of 2014 experimenting with Christmas Stockings. Not a bad way to spend a year, you know?

Angel Wings

I've been trying some new things lately.  One of them is this Angel Wings Pinafore, a lovely little number that I found via Pinterest.



The pattern is courtesy of Bev's Country Cottage (pattern made by Maxine Gonser), and can be found (for free!) here.



I played around with the dimensions a bit, hoping to get something a little bit bigger than newborn size, and I managed to get this dress, which fit a little girl that is around a year old. So, I'd call it a success.



I think I'll try it again soon-ish, perhaps in different colors. We'll see.

Basket Weave Purse - partial pattern (of sorts)

I've been working on a new purse pattern lately. It didn't start out that way though.

Originally I was looking through my copy of contest favorite afghan squares, in an effort to use up some of my yarn stash.



I found a square that I quite liked, and worked it up.  (You can purchase the pattern here. It's not mine, so it wouldn't be fair or kind to post it here now, would it?)



Once I had the square made, I thought to myself, "Hey, that looks like it might make a pretty cute purse."  So, I crocheted two of them together, crocheted a strap or two, added a button, and got my super seamstress mom to give me a little "lining tutorial" and Voila! Purses!









If you've got the square tutorial and would like a little more information on how I did the other parts, read on for my rough-draft notes:


Weave strips together with 4 sc in ends of each strip, three chains in between sides, followed by one round of sc in one loop of all, followed by another round of sc with three sc in each corner--finish off.

Slip stitch the two squares together, with wrong sides facing, leaving top unstitched.

Crochet holders for brass D rings by making 5-6 rows of 4-5 sc. fold over around D ring and sew down. Repeat for other side.

For strap, chain 166, turn and sc in each chain, go around and sc in bottom side of chain. Go another round if you like or want the strip to be thicker. to finish off, sl stitch in each sc around, finish off, thread through D rings, and sew together.

Make lining for purse, secure with snaps, magnetic clasps, a zipper, or a button.

Ipad sleeve pattern (off-the-cuff)

After having it on my WIP list for over a year, I finally made myself a sleeve for my iPad.



I love it.

I love it so much that I thought I'd write down my pattern here. It's not one of my "this has been checked and double-checked and is written in standardized terms" patterns, it's more of a "smidgen of this and a smidgen of that" kind of pattern. But, it's straightforward enough that it will hopefully be of help to the blog-reading masses.

I used wool blend yarn for this project (the brown I reclaimed from a thrift-store sweater a few years back, the green my mom snagged for me at a total liquidation sale awhile back), and I think when I make more (my brother-in-law wants one for his chromebook and my husband wants one for his nook), I will do the same again. I like the feel of the yarn, and the wool blend gives it a little extra water-resistance over cotton, and a little more durability (in my opinion) than acrylic.



Size G Crochet hook

Chain 50

Sc in each ch, form a ring and join.

Do 10 rows of contrasting color, then 4 rows of main color, then 3 of contrasting,then 1 of main, then 1 of contrasting, then 24 of main( or however are needed to finish ).

Sew up the seam.

Sew a button on the front, and then starting around the middle of the sleeve, make a chain slip stitch "rope" (i.e.--chain however many chains you want--probably 10-20, and then slip stitch in each chain to give it more substance). Make sure it fits the button well, and slip stitch it (in a few places--for a more sturdy join) in place.



Weave in ends. 

Sashay

A bit ago, a young neighbor of mine (who knows that I crochet) pointed to a beautiful frilly crochet scarf that another of our neighbors was wearing, and asked if I could teach her how to make one. 

I didn't know, but I figured I could probably find out, and so I asked her for a bit of reconnaissance time. After a google search or two, I found what I was looking for at good old redheart.com

Specifically, I found this pattern. The yarn needed is called Red Heart Sashay, and it's more ribbon than yarn, which accounts for the frills all through the scarf.

And then, I worked up this scarf:



Would you believe that this whole scarf is made up of a foundation chain row, followed by row after row of 4 single crochet stitches? Getting my fingers used to working with the ribbon yarn has been kind of tricky, but not unenjoyable.

 

Regardless of all of this, the scarf is frilly, fun, and I love the texture of it. I can see me making more like them in the future.  

(And I recently taught my young neighbor as well.)

From Sweaters to Dresses!

A bit ago, Janelle at PontePretties let it be known that she was looking for testers of a new halter-top/dress pattern that she had created. The dress was adorable, and so I immediately offered to test the pattern for her.


I'm absolutely delighted with how it turned out.

So delighted that I thought I'd make another one:

So fun!