Bumbleride Indie Natural, what?

The Baby Guy is having a giveaway for a Bumbleride Indie Natrual stroller! You can find the contest here @ Baby Guy Gear Guide

Good luck to me & good luck to you, if you enter!

So here's the thing...

I had grand plans for National Craft Month - grand plans! Alas, it's been 3ish months & nary a post. My deepest and most sincere apologies.

The thing is, I'm approaching the end of my Master's Degree and this semester snuck up on me right around March. Thus, crafts, and blogging about crafts, had to sit on the sidelines. I was able to crochet a teeny tiny bit for my cousin's birthday (a post I will be uploading soon).

Hopefully I'll be able to become a bit more consistent with crafts & posting now that the summer is here. Sadly, I still have a thesis to write, so it won't be a full-time job quite yet.... Oh & I should probably find a full-time job, so that will probably take up a bit of time as well, but I promise promise promise I'll find time for you.

March is National Craft Month!

What should I make?

Sewing Machine Cover, take 1.

This week's challenge was to either make a car cozy or a piece of baby clothing. Seeing as I have ZERO children, I really have no use for a cozy to carry my hot wheels in, nor do I need baby clothes. I really debated about whether or not I wanted to even participate this week, but then I decided I could make a previous week's unchosen option.

I had been debating a sewing machine cover since moving my machine to the kitchen table, and I happened to have some fabric (from pillow cases that went awry) that would otherwise go to waste (and that I really wanted to use in one way or another). The idea in my head seemed easy enough, though the actual execution was much harder than I thought.

Looking at it now, I think I could have done a better job. Not a single corner is sewn the same - mainly because I had no clue what I was doing. Also, by the time I finished I didn't want to iron anymore, so it is definitely in need of an ironing, which will make it more crisp. I tried really hard to make sure the sides were all the same, and yet I still managed to make it just wonky enough to make it look like I have no clue what I'm doing.


I'm thinking there might have been an easier way, and I'm debating if I want to try it out. I would definitely prefer a cover that was a little more put together, but I'm not sure if I want to tackle another cover (it was a bit stressful getting it all put together). I also feel like it needs to be lined inside and I had no clue had to do it this time around. Maybe I'll redo the outside & then use my first one as the lining for the new one... hmmmm

Weekly Sew-a-long Challenge. Week 3.

This week our challenge was to make something "Picture Perfect". That is, make something camera or picture related. I've been wanting to purchase a really cute case for my camera, so I figured this would be the perfect opportunity to make one. All of the tutorials I found required bias tape for the finished piece. Sadly, I'm not prepared to make my own bias tape, and I was unwilling to go purchase any (I'm pretty much over buying anything I can make myself). So, this left me with 2 options: find another tutorial or make something up myself.

After debating this issue all week long I decided to just do it. I used the ugliest fabric I had to practice with, and figured if it turned out, I could always re-make it with a cuter fabric. I'm not sure I love it, so I haven't re-made it. I think I'll mess around with some more fabric before I settle on my final camera case, but for the sake of this last week's challenge, it's completed.

To make it, all I did was take 2 pieces of fabric (one about 1 inch longer top-to-bottom than the other piece) and a piece of leftover felt (to measure, I just wrapped it around my camera & made sure I had ample seam allowances) and sandwiched them together.

To start, I took the piece that was a bit longer and placed it wrong side up. I folded down the top about 1/2 an inch & then ironed it, then I folded it down another 1/2 inch & ironed it again. This basically created a double hem at the top of the fabric. I then slid the felt and the other piece of fabric (wrong side down) between the bottom fabric & the hem, so that when sewn, the hem would encase the felt & fabric. I then sewed a basic straight stitch across the top. The top fabric (the one with the hem showing) became my "inside" fabric, and the longer piece which created my hem would be the "outer" fabric.

Here is where I made my mistake. A buttonhole should be made at this time. I didn't and had to rip my almost-finished case apart to do this. Pick a spot where you'd like a strap hole. Set your machine up to make a buttonhole, & then place your fabric inside piece up & make a buttonhole. I practiced this a few times on a scrap of fabric to make sure the hole I was making was exactly the size I wanted it to be. I wasn't using a button, so I had to adjust my buttonhole foot a couple times before I had the perfect size. I also had to play around with my stitch length and width before I had a good stitch. I 100% recommend you do the same before attempting this on your case. Carefully use a seam ripper or snips to cut your buttonhole (make sure you don't cut your stitches).

I then folded the fabric sandwich in half lengthwise, so that the hem was visible on the outside. I lined up my sides & bottom and pinned them. I slid my camera in between the fabric a few times just to make sure the fit was correct (I wanted to make sure the fit was snug, so that my camera would not slip out of the case willy-nilly). Then I sewed around the edge and bottom, making sure to backstitch at the beginning and end. I trimmed my excess threads and seam allowances, then I turned it right-side out (the hem should not be visible from the outside), slid my camera in, and basked in it's "glory".

It's not exactly what I'm looking for in a camera case, but it works as a simple soft cover to keep your camera from getting scratched up if you throw it in your purse or bag.

Also, in case you noticed my fail of a camera strap, that is what happens when you are attempting to take pictures of a project "in action" and get your camera strap a little too close to the hot iron. It completely melted the outside strap, thus leaving me with the task of having to clean melted goo off my iron. My camera strap is now really ugly too! Maybe I'll make a new cover for it :)

Time flies...

It really does! I feel like I haven't had the time to do anything crafty, so I don't have anything to post about! Then, when I do find time, I screw it all up & it is an absolute waste! Take last Monday, for example: I spent all day attempting to make something I was unable to find a tutorial for. I had an idea in my head & felt I could execute it decently. After spending the entire day working on it I had to scrap it all because it just never came together like it should have.

Fast forward to last night and my decision to finally tackle the last of my throw pillow covers. I had made one ages ago and just never got around to finishing the rest up. I've had the fabric for the rest just sitting around and decided I would finally finish them. I spent Sunday night measuring and cutting fabric, and then yesterday I finished piecing them together and getting them sewed up. A few hours and a good amount of fabric later I went to slip my pillows into their covers and they didn't fit! Somehow I managed to make the covers a few inches too small!

I'm quite upset and I'm not even sure if it's because of the wasted fabric! I am upset about the fabric, don't get me wrong. I love this fabric & had specifically purchased it to make throw pillow covers, and now I don't think I have enough to get more pillows out of (and I don't think I'll be able to find it for a decent price anywhere, because I bought it ages ago). I am more upset, however, about the waste of time it all was! I could have spent that time making something else and actually having something to show for my time.

Le Sigh.

I love when my hands are covered in paint.

I wasn't able to get much done today, as I was busy getting job applications together and in the mail (I need a job. Desperately.) However, I was able to slap a few coats of paint on some $2 frames I picked up at Target on clearance. It's not much, but I feel like at least I used a little crafty energy today.

I have an idea of where I'm going to hang these three, but I'm not 100% positive what I'm going to frame with them. I'm thinking I might want to throw some of my favorite fabric in them, rather than pictures. I hope I'm able to translate the idea I have in my head into something decent to hang on my wall.

Another apology for the picture. This time it's because the green & yellow frames are wet from their latest coat of paint, so I couldn't move them. I'll make sure to take a better picture once they're done.

Back to the drawing board

As it turns out, I'm not exactly an expert "fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants-coming-up-with-stuff" person. After hours of tedious work, I ended up having to scrap the whole thing because it was just a big mess. I spent more time today ripping seams than actually sewing them. Needless to say, I think I went about this the hard way... which also happens to be the wrong way. I've got an idea in my head about how I might be able to do this in an easier way, but I'll have to get back to that another time. For now, my back is killing me and I'm thoroughly frustrated. I hope to have something crafty to show you tomorrow, but we'll have to see if I can manage to whip something fun up in between doing some soon-to-be-due school-work.

Mobile Blogging, My Ass.

I have my cell phone set up so I can send blog posts via text messages when I'm not on my computer. I'm in the midst of a new adventure today & thought I'd drop a quick note about it and try out my mobile blogging in one shot. Well apparently it didn't post. I shake my fist at you Blogger!

The post that should have been:

Designing something of my own imagination. Hit a few bumps in the road, but can't wait to reveal it. Should be done by the end of the day!!

Also, blogging by text message (or trying to anyway). What a fun way for quick updates!! (if it actually worked, that is.)

A quick pic of me tearing the whole thing apart because I messed up haha, whoops!

Valentine's is made for crafting!

I know it's been a few days since my last post (4, to be exact), and I do have to apologize for that. We've been sick on this side of town, so the thought of doing anything has not been appealing.... just ask my dishes.

On the plus side, I do have a fun post today! The reason this post is so. much. fun. is because everything I am posting right. this. second. was made for less than $5! Now, I did manage to get some sale items, so that definitely helped the wallet, but overall I worked with inexpensive materials. Felt, to be exact. $0.20 felt, to be even more exact! Plus I was able to get some super cute Valentine's ribbon on sale for $0.99, which we all know I love me some dollar ribbon!!

This week for the sew-a-long challenge we were given a choice of making pajamas or anything Valentine's. Well, I don't know if you'll believe this, but I am in no way prepared to jump into pajama making. Add to that I don't own pajama-making fabric, and was not looking forward to buying any. So that left me with the Valentine's project. I'm sure you can tell that I'm not one for actually coming up with ideas on my own, so this proved to be a challenge in and of itself. After some uneventful Googling, the hubs and I headed to JoAnn's so I could have a look-see. I decided on the felt because it was cheap & in my head I had an idea for some hair clips. Add to that some ribbon and you've (or I've, or my cousins' daughters) got some super cute Valentine's barrettes.


 I think they're pretty darn cute. Sadly, not very much sewing actually went into these. In fact, I only actually sewed two lines. In the top & middle set, you can see the line down the middle of the hearts where I sewed to attach the hearts to one another. The rest was good ol' Tacky Glue. Heck, the bottom set doesn't have any sewing, period!

So what is a gal to do? Well, I did have to come up with something else, that's for sure! So I sat, and I thought, and I cut out hearts. I did this until I got an idea. I cut off a slice of felt, sewed on some of those hearts I had, and voila! instant bracelet.

Sadly, my "bracelet" left something to be desired. So I sat, and I thought, and I cut out some more hearts until I had an even better idea. Napkin rings! Simple, inexpensive, Valentine's... perfect!

I cut out a few more slices of felt, added some decorative stitches to the edges, and created a makeshift button hole (to keep the felt from ripping as you slide the hearts through) (also, they're makeshift because my buttonhole setting is temperamental, and while I was able to make fantastic buttonholes the other day, for some reason I was unable to get my machine to cooperate today - thus a simple box sewed 2 times over). The hearts act as buttons to keep the ring closed. I suppose I could have just sewn the circle closed, but to be honest, I didn't think of that until just now.

I don't actually own fabric napkins, so I slid some leftover felt through instead. Tada! Valentine's napkin rings!! Of course, this could easily be adapted into a cute bracelet for little wrists, so feel free to wrap a Valentine's napkin ring around whatever you deem fit!

And just to ease your frustration when you attempt this on your own (because why wouldn't you?), you'll never cut two hearts the same, ever. So just stop trying now. If you get two that are even remotely similar, thank your lucky stars and move on!

Also, I know I need to get better at taking pictures. My apologies, and I promise I'll try harder.

Midnight Crochet, Party of One.

I was determined to make this ice cream cozy work. I had a pint of ice cream sitting in my freezer just begging to be eaten, but I refused to eat it without a cozy! So I decided the extra large cozy must have been user error, as we all know I crochet big. I chose my 4.00 hook and went at it. At the end I had a cozy to keep my hands warm while I dug into my Phish Food.

I'm in love with this green gradated yarn, but I'm 100% positive it's not the right color for an ice cream cozy. The yarn itself is Lily The Original Sugar 'n Cream in Lime Stripes. It's 100% cotton worsted weight. I love this yarn. It's so easy to work with and is super cheap. 

It's not the purple I wanted it to be, but that's because my purple yarn was tied up (pun intended) in a half-finished ipod cozy. Now that the ipod cozy is finished, and my purple yarn is free, I'll be making another ice cream cozy. This purple yarn is also Sugar 'n Cream in Country Side Ombre. I found the pattern for the ipod cozy on Ravelry. You'll have to sign up to view it, but it's free and awesome, so you should already be signed up! The actual listing is:

patterns > injenuity > Ribbed iPod Touch/iPhone Sock (iPod cozy)

I'm thinking I definitely want to add a flower motif applique.

 

So disappointed.

I've had 2 failures today. My first was the ice cream cozy. I finished the cozy up and asked the hubs to bring me home a pint so I could try it out. When he got here, I was was sad to see that my cozy was far too large. I imagine my gauge was just way off. I knew it didn't look like the picture, but I hadn't imagined it was that off. I unraveled it and will hopefully be able to figure it out soon.

The 2nd failure was my 5.00 hook. As I tried out a new pattern for an electronics cozy I noticed that my hook kept getting caught in the yarn. I finally took a close look at the hook & noticed there was a chip in it! Needless to say, I can't keep crocheting with it. I am so so so upset by this. I had been wanting to purchase a set of bamboo hooks forever and just never had the money to build a set (usually you have to buy them individually). I love the look of the bamboo hooks & I really liked the idea that they were made from a sustainable material. I'm going to have to return these, as I've only had them in my possession for 10 days & I only started using my 5.00 today!!! I'm also really hesitant to purchase another set of bamboo hooks, for fear of it happening again. For now, I think I'll return these and purchase a set of aluminum hooks. Maybe one day I'll be able to afford to acquire a better quality set of bamboo hooks individually.

I'll take a picture of my chipped hook in the am.

Warm hands

...wrapped around a pint of ice cream is one of my all-time favorite things. Let me tell you, there is nothing worse than freezing your butt & your hands off on a very cold day as you try to get your ice cream on. I've been meaning to alter my coffee cozy (yes, I know I need to make a post about that) to fit a pint, but I just have not gotten around to it. I think that is partially because I've been laying off the pints recently, but mostly just because I'm lazy (holla!).

Well I recently found this pattern at Ragabaebe and seeing as it's a quick crochet, I figured I'd just whip one up. This saves me the trouble of having to adjust the measurements of my coffee cozy, cut out the pattern, trace the pattern, cut out the fabric (I. Hate. Cutting.) and then sew it all together just to see if it fits!!! That's very important to note, because... well... it might not fit the first time! This way I'm only out a couple minutes if it doesn't fit, & unraveling yarn is far less stressful than having to use my seam ripper or throw away the fabric. Plus, yarn is so easy to reuse!

Unintentionally matching my cozy to the pint

I'm waiting for a response on a question I had about said pattern, so while I'm taking a crochet intermission, I thought I'd share my progress! I'm only on Row 4, so not very far, but I'm happy with what I've managed to whip up so far. I believe I'm at the point where the cozy will turn up and wrap around the sides of the pint. I cannot wait until it's finished so I can try it out. I also can't wait to make sure it works ok, because I have an aunt who will be going into surgery soon and I thought this would be the perfect get-well-quickly-while-eating-pints-of-ice-cream present! So very excited!

Maybe I should run to the market while I wait for a response!!

Will update with finished product soon!

Updates

As you can hopefully already see, I'm adding some new updates to the blog. A lot of this will probably be under construction for some time yet, but here's a look at what's to come:

• Tabs: You can see at the top that I'm adding tabs to the page. This will allow you to easily access some fun new additions to tianamatopoeia, including a "How to Crochet" page for all you would-be crocheters! 
• Picture watermarking/stamping: I'm not saying that my pictures or my crafts are so spectacular that you're all clambering about to mark them as your own, but you never know who is out there. This is a work in progress to back-stamp my already pictures, and I will start stamping new ones from here on out. Now you'll know the pictures & crafts you're looking at are truly a product of tianamatopoeia. 
•  HTML: I'll be editing the HTML on the blog. Right now I'm using a stock Blogger template, but I hope to be making some changes which will make tianamatopoeia unique.
• I'm hoping to have a fun new title block soon too!

I hope you all enjoy the changes that are coming. Please bear with me while I make them. In the end I hope to have a much more professional-looking blog that is fun to hang around on!

Crochet Hook Case

I'm so very excited to have completed my first week of the sew-a-long! I made a crochet hook case and I think it turned out pretty darn cute. I was lucky enough to have the materials already, so really all I had to do was get it done. I half wish I had practiced it in a different fabric, because I did make a few mistakes. Overall, though, I'm quite happy with the end product.



About halfway done I realized I should have taken pictures from the get-go. This is my hook pocket basted (my least favorite thing to do ever) on top of the inner fabric and the batting. I used disappearing ink (it's not just for gags anymore) to mark the lines I needed to sew for the individual hook pockets.

I'm not a fan of how the case pulls when I put my hooks inside of it. Though I think that is because I've got some pretty large hooks. I probably won't carry around the real big ones, ever, so hopefully that won't be much of an issue. I also messed up when attached my ribbon to the inside, so I modified the ribbon and button placement. I'm actually quite pleased with the result of my modification.

In case you're wondering: yes, I do realize I need to iron my ribbon. Also, as a reminder, I used the tutorial for "Rachel's Crochet Hook Case" from the Sometimes Crafter.

Reduce Reuse Recycle

It's something we all learned about when we were kids and it truly does seem simple enough: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.

Reduce: Stop buying so much crap! The more we buy, the more we throw away. If we cut back on our consumption there will be more to go around and less to go into landfills!

Reuse: When you absolutely must buy something, reuse it (or its packaging) to the best of your abilities. The more we reuse, the less to go into landfills and the less we need to buy new stuff!

Recycle: If you can't reduce, and you can't reuse, recycle. This seems to be the one everyone remembers and a lot of people succeed at it. Sadly, this should be the last stop on the R-R-R Railroad.



Part of the reason I decided I wanted to learn to crochet, and sew, and be crafty in general, was because I wanted to stop buying stuff. I figured if I could make it then I wouldn't need to buy it. Step one: Stop Consuming - check!

What about all that stuff I haven't learned to make yet? Like pasta sauce? Sure, I should start buying locally grown veggies from the farmer's market, but until I learn to make it I need to buy it from the store. This presented me with a dilemma: what do I do with all these empty glass jars afterward? Step two: re-purpose them!

Clean!

Full of glue residue

So that's just what I did! I saved a handful of mason jars from our pasta dinners, I rinsed them out, and then I ran them through the dishwasher. I did have to clean off all the excess glue from the label, but that is easily remedied with some nail polish remover (make sure it's one with acetone) (BTW: this works for getting sticker residue off of any glass, like picture frames!).

I'm thinking I might wrap some ribbon around a jar, or maybe cover one in fabric just to spice things up. Then I'm going to fill them up with notions like buttons... and other things. One day I'll have a wonderful craft room and then I'll fill it up with re-purposed mason jars! I can't wait to find something else I can re-purpose.

Weekly Sew-a-long Challenge!

I belong to a discussion board for crafting/sewing, & this past week we decided we would do a weekly challenge or "sew-a-long". We'll be given 2 options each Monday to choose from & we should have our project completed by the following Sunday. I'm really excited, as this should get me sewing more.

This week our options are either a crochet hook case/roll or a sewing machine cover. I'll be doing the crochet hook case, as I was thinking of doing one anyway & I don't need a sewing machine cover. I haven't chosen if I'll follow a tutorial or just wing it, but if I do a tut, it will either be this one or this one.

Another fun note is that my friend Michelle is going to try & find some time for our Sewing Extravaganzas again! I really enjoy being able to sew with her, and it gives us some time to spend together. I can't wait until we can finalize the plans on this.

Also, I know I still owe you a Boyfriend's Hat, but I have to admit that it's going to be awhile longer. It's very time consuming & I'd like to give time to some of my other craft things. So, for now, it's on hold. On the upside, I was able to pick up some $2 picture frames from Target that were in need in saving. I also made my way back to Michael's for some more yarn, paint, and a $0.01 roll of ribbon (man I really wish I had grabbed a couple more when I had the chance, but I didn't know the price until I was at the register). More about this weekend's booty to come!

Where's the carpet, Smee?

In case you're confused, I've deemed myself akin to none other than the infamous Capt. Hook. Why, you ask? Well, because of my new hooks of course! Ok ok, you can stop laughing at my lameness now!

Let me tell you about these new hooks. First off, they are lovely! They're super smooth & have nice deep hooks. My yarn was constantly coming off of my plastic hooks, so I'm glad to have something which will hold the yarn better. I've done just a few practice things with them and so far, so good. I bought them here and you get 13 hooks for $25, which seems to be a pretty decent deal. On top of that, these hooks have amazing reviews, so I'm pretty happy about that too!

I received sizes: 2.75mm (C), 3.25mm (D), 3.5mm (E), 3.75mm (F), 4.0mm (G), 4.5mm (US 7), 5.00mm (H), 5.5mm (I), 6.00mm (J), 6.5mm (K), 8.00mm (L), 9.00mm (M), & 10.00mm (N)

Don't ask me why 4.75 doesn't have a letter, I don't know. Also, please don't ask me what happened to 7.00, as I don't know that either. The sizes above I took straight off the hooks & are metric. If you'd like to know how they relate to US sizes, I found this chart here. I will probably continue to refer to my hooks by their mm size, as that is what is printed on them & easiest for me.

Perfectly Pulchritudinous Plum

Most adorable picture of my cousin Chase

After about 10 coats of paint, I finally finished painting that picture frame! I'm new to a lot of this DIY/crafting stuff, so I didn't realize I should have sanded the frame prior to starting to paint. Needless to say, my first couple of coats mostly just got smeared around a lot. I started letting the frame dry and then would apply another coat, and eventually the frame actually looked decent. A few more coats after that, just to get the color I wanted and now the frame looks great! I half wish I had bought a clear coat to go on top to make the frame look glossy, but I also am kind of digging the matte/velvety finish.

Teeny tiny nail

Attaching the saw tooth hanger to the back is proving to be a bit more challenging. First of all, these nails are less than 1/2 inch tall. How the heck am I supposed to hold them in place while I hammer? Even if I had someone else holding or hammering, our fingers are larger than the nails, so the hammer would never even touch the nail head! I did manage to use some scotch tape to hold the saw tooth hanger & nail in place while I hammered, but for some reason the nail doesn't want to go into the frame. Le sigh. I'll keep at it & hopefully soon I'll have a perfect plum frame to hang on my wall!

P.s. I received my new hooks yesterday and have already given them a go. Will post more about them later. (also, boyfriend's hat is taking way longer than expected.)

Booty!

I convinced the hubs to drive me to Michael's today so I could pick up some yarn. Thank goodness he did too, because he was the one that noticed the $1 ribbon bin tucked under the eave before we even walked into the store! On top of that, he plunged his arm all the way down to the bottom of said ribbon bin and got me all the good stuff! I love my husband! The top 5 rolls are definitely older, but no clue how old. They're in great shape & are very classic, which is an even bigger score for $1/roll. The bottom 3 are definitely new/trendy, but super cute.

From the top:

• Brown satin w/white boxes on the trim
• Light mint green, ribbed
• Butter yellow, ribbed (thin)
• Green gingham
• Navy satin (wide)
• Light blue w/diamond pattern, ribbed
• Black w/white fleur patterns
• Brown w/multi color polka dots, ribbed

There were a ton more, including one which said "EASTER" all the way around, and another which said "FROM THE MR. AND THE MRS." Neither were my cup of tea, but I'm sure they'll make some lucky buyer just as excited as I am for my find (or the husband's, as the case may be)

As far as yarn goes, I could have done better. I probably should have hit up JoAnn's, but if I had, I wouldn't have found all that $1 ribbon! I suppose the trade-off was a less than stellar yarn-buying trip. I ended up with just a couple rolls, only 2 of which were the exact brand of yarn my pattern called for. The other rolls are just some similar weights that some of my patterns call for.

From left:

• 2 rolls of Lion's Brand Wool-Ease, Oxford Grey (per the Boyfriend's Hat pattern)
• Sugar & Spice 100% cotton worsted weight in Lime Stripes
• Sugar & Spice 100% cotton worsted weight in Yellow
• Naturallycaron.com bamboo blend Light worsted in Green Sheen

I also bought some craft paint to cover an old & slightly hideous picture frame I own. I realize now I should have taken a picture of the "before", but alas I was too excited to start painting it. I will show you an "after" picture when I've decided I'm happy with the final result. I also picked up some much needed sawtooth picture frame hangers - which will turn my tabletop frames into wall frames (which we desperately need because we don't have a lot of tabletops!)

Now that I've got my "official" Boyfriend's Hat yarn (which my husband would like me to note is, in fact, not for a boyfriend at all, but rather him: my husband), I hope I can finish off a real one tomorrow (or later today, as it were). Wish me luck!

New hooks!

I just ordered myself some new hooks. Thirteen of them, to be exact. They're bamboo & got great reviews on Amazon. They should be here by Tuesday & I'll come back and let you know how I like them. If they're spectacular, I'll post a link!!

Boyfriend's hat

I'm a little hesitant to start this piece, as the "finishing" part seems daunting. I know I don't have enough yarn to complete this, so I've just been practicing my "*hdc into back loop only*". It's actually pretty neat what happens when you do that. I'm thinking that would make for a cute scarf, or even just a cute embellishment on a hat or gloves (if I ever get that far) for just a couple rows. 

You'll notice that my starting row (bottom left) is curved inward. I think I picked up the wrong st when I finished off row 3, thus pulling rows 1 & 2 inward. For the record: you're going to (ch 2, turn. st 19, ch 2, turn, st 19). When you come back around & need to hdc st #19 into the one of the loops made by that 1st ch 2 - do so into the loop closest to the previous hdc. The same goes for all the following sts #19.

Also, when the pattern says that "each hdc and each turning ch 2 count as 1 st", it means that they each individually count as a single stitch, not together. I was confused about this at first, but made myself count stitches this time around. My ch 2 is st #1, and then I have 18 hdc, with st #19 hooking into the previous row's ch 2. (I do hope this makes sense, and if not, please let me know & I will try to explain it better)

I started this practice piece with 20 chains, followed by 19 sts (turning ch 2 & 18 hdc). I even checked my gauge this time around and you'll be glad to know that 18 sts is approx 4" (or 4.5", to be exact). I am using my 5.00 hook, per the pattern, so I probably need to make my sts a little smaller.

This is a Skill Level 2 (from CCK/Cozy Crochet Kit)
Stitches and techniques

Chain, half double crochet

Working into back loops only

Sewing seams

Materials

Lion Brand's Wool-Ease (worsted weight; 80% acrylic/20% wool; 3 oz/ 85 g; approx 197 yd/177 m), 2 balls Denim #114

Crochet hook, size H/8 (5.00 mm) or size needed to obtain gauge

Gauge

In patt, 18 sts = 4"

Note

Each hdc and turning ch-2 counts as 1 st.

Finished size
Fits a man's head

Pattern

Ch 50.

Foundation Row (RS): Hdc into third ch from hook and into each ch across (49 sts). Ch 2, turn.

Patt Row: Skip first hdc, *hdc INTO BACK LOOK ONLY of next hdc. Repeat from * across, ending row with hdc into top of turning-ch-2. Ch 2, turn.

Repeat Patt Row until piece measures approx 22" from beg. Fasten off.

Finishing

Sew top of last row to bottom of foundation row. Weave yarn through sides of rows and pull tightly for top of hat.

Fold lower 3 1/2" for cuff.


Variations 
To make a matching woman's hat, ch 43. Work pattern as given above, having 42 sts every row, until piece measures approx 20: from beg. Fasten off. Follow the rest of the instructions for the man's version. Add a pom-pom to top, if desired.

Flower Motif Applique

I'm pretty sure this is my favorite pattern to date. It's quick, fairly simple, & uses a variety of stitches. You also don't have a lot of counting to do on this one, which makes it nice & far less nerve-wracking.

This is a Skill Level 2 pattern. (from the Cozy Crochet Kit)
Stitches and techniques used
Chain stitch, slip stitch, single crochet, double crochet, triple crochet
Working into ring
Working in the round

Materials
Aurora Yarns/Garnstudio's Muskat (sport weight [note that sport weight is also referred to as Double Knit or DK]; 100% Egyptian cotton; each approx 1 3/4 oz/50 g and 100 yd/100 m), 1 ball Mango #51
Crochet hook, size F/5 (3.75 mm) or size needed to obtain gauge


Gauge
In pattern, after Rnd 1, motif measures approx 1" in diameter

Finished size
Approx 2 1/4" diameter

Pattern
Ch 8. Join with slip st to form ring.

Rnd 1 (RS): Ch 1, 15 sc into ring. Join with slip st to first sc.

Rnd 2: Ch 1, sc into same st as last slip st, *ch 3, skip next 2 sc, sc into next sc. Repeat from * around, ending round with ch 3, slip st to first sc.

Rnd 3: Slip st into next ch-3 sp, *(sc, ch 2, dc, 3 tr, dc, ch 2, sc) into ch-3 sp. Repeat from * around, ending rnd with slip st to first sc. Fasten off.

Variation:     

For a more colorful flower, work Rnd 1 in a contrasting color. The samples shown in the photograph use combinations of Butter #30, Orange #47, and Mango #51.

 My first attempt left much to desire in the way of Flower Motif Appliques. I made the mistake of repeating the entire instruction for Rnd 3 instead of just the details between the asterisks. That basically means that each time I started a new petal, I would slip stitch the last petal to the space made by the Ch-3. Then I would proceed with my *sc, ch 2, etc.*

This is possibly why the FMA looks as sad as it does. The petals are not in the least uniform, which makes the entire piece wonky. Then at the end I've got a big jumbled mess of yarn connecting the last petal to the 1st (see: the area about where my hook is still connected to the piece).

After attempting this once, though, I definitely felt more confident in a second attempt. In fact, I even looked forward to it.

My second attempt is ages better. As you can see, the petals are all uniform in size. None of them are squished together or twisting this way and that. What's that? Why are there 6 petals on this FMA when there are clearly only 5 petals on both the pattern photograph and my first attempt?

Well, to be honest, I don't really know. I suppose I could wager a guess in that the top petal there isn't really attached to a ch-3 sp. In fact, that space is only a ch-2. I'm not sure how it got there, but if I had to guess, I'd say that is the spot where I was supposed to slip st the last sc to the first sc. I'm not positive though.

You should also note that I didn't complete this piece to the pattern. I apparently forgot that I was supposed to do 3 tr in the middle of the petals, and instead only did 1. I realized this as I typed the pattern here.

Ahhh, my 3rd attempt. My attempt which was supposed to blow away all other attempts. It's pretty, isn't it? I used my favorite yarn for this one, as I was sure it was going to be perfect and something I would cherish forever.

This yarn is fingering weight (I know it's really thin, that's about it). It also makes a cute little FMA. In fact, it's a bit smaller than it's supposed to be. I'd like to blame that on the yarn (and it definitely contributes to the FMAs small stature), but sadly I repeated my mistake all over again with this one. You'll notice this one only has 5 petals (hooray for lucking into that one), though it's missing those extra tr in the middle of each petal.

I'm starting to think that maybe I should have paid more attention to my counting.

Fourth time's a charm? Using the same fingering weight yarn as before, I managed to get all my tr chains into 5 petals for a most darling result. I'm sure if I used the recommended sport weight (DK), the flower would be a tad larger, though smaller flowers can also be useful. Looking at this FMA, I can imagine using some thread to attach this to just about anything for a cute flowery embellishment. Right now I'm wondering if I can find hair clips that are round and have a hole in the middle. I think this would make the cutest hair accessory. This might also be the perfect little flower to turn the Beary Cute Hat into a Beary Cute Hat for Girls. There seems to be a plethora of opportunity packed into this simple little flower.




Next up: Boyfriend's Hat

Soft Coaster, Take 2.

This is what I came up with when I tried my hand at the Soft Coaster for a second time. This one is much less wonky (read: more round) but I still have my issues with it. For one, it curls up on the edges. I'm sure this has something to do with my gauge (which I'll learn to check as I go along at some point). I used a 3.75 hook (though the pattern calls for a 4.00) and I still managed to get the coaster to be 4" in diameter, per the pattern. I think this works out because I tend to crochet larger stitches to make it easier for me to pass the hook through. You can also see that this coaster is missing the gaping holes the previous one had, which I'm proud of. I'd still like to try these again with proper yarn and a 4.00 hook and see what I come up with.

I came across one problem with this pattern, though it might just be me. The pattern gives you the number of stitches in each round. I did not manage to count that same amount of stitches in my coaster. Both round 3 & round 4 were 3 less stitches than I should have had. I'm not really sure how this happened, as I followed the directions precisely, and the coaster is the appropriate size. I wonder if my missing stitches are user error or pattern error. I also wonder if this is why my coaster curls up on the sides a bit. Sadly, I'll probably never know, as I can't seem to figure out where I would put those extra 3 stitches.

For now, I think I'll leave it be.

Next up: Flower Motif Applique

Weekends weren't made for crocheting.

Sorry I missed you over the long weekend. We ended up being a lot busier than I expected, so I wasn't able to get much crafting done.

I did, however, try my hand at those soft coasters. My first shot (done with my blue practice yarn) was a lot more difficult than I expected. I already understood how to crochet "in the round", so I really expected it to be a cinch.

You can see that it's a little wonky. It's not quite round and there are some large holes that shouldn't be in there. I'm not sure if those were made because I may have missed a stitch or two, or what, but I will be paying attention when I try it again. I'm sure the lack of roundness comes from me crocheting at different tautness (your guess is as good as mine to whether that's a real word or not). Basically, sometimes I crochet smaller stitches and other times larger stitches. I really need to work on making them more uniform.

Incidentally, I became so frustrated with this soft coaster I ended up not trying it a second time. Instead, I attempted a pattern for a Flower Motif Applique.

The pattern for this (which I will post later, when I decide to tackle it again) was harder to read than the soft coaster, however I feel like it was easier to actually execute (despite being a skill level 2). I still need to make a trip to the store for some more yarn (as what I have is not suitable for the projects I want to try). Until then, though, I will try my hand at the soft coaster again. I'm hoping it will fare better this time.

Soft Coasters

I purchased the Cozy Crochet Kit, which included this pattern, from Barnes and Noble a few years back for $23. I've attempted to find it online, in case you wanted to buy it, but for some reason people are trying to sell it for over $100. I even found one site which is charging over $200! I have no clue why, but don't buy it. It's so-called "simple instructions" are anything but, and it's barely worth the $23 I paid for it. If you want to learn to crochet, do yourself a favor and go buy a Crochet Magazine. Look in the back and make sure the edition you have has instructions for a Single Crochet and a Double Crochet (at the very least, it will get you started). That is what I did, and I wouldn't be crocheting today if I hadn't.

Now onto the soft coaster. This is what the coaster should look like (according the the picture which accompanied the pattern.)

This is a skill level 1 pattern.
Stitches and techniques used

Chain, double crochet, slip stitch

Increasing

Working in the round

Materials

Elmore-Pisgah's Peaches & Creme (worsted weight; 100% cotton; each approx 2 1/2 oz/71 g and 122 yd/112m), Williamsburg Blue #24 and Chocolate #121; 2 balls will make 4 coasters.

Crochet hook, size G/6 (4.00 mm) or size needed to obtain gauge

Gauge

In pattern, Rounds 1 and 2 measure 2" in diameter.

Note

Each DC and ch-3 counts as 1 stitch.

Finished size
Approx 4" in diameter


Pattern

Ch 4.

Rnd 1 (RS): 11 dc into fourth ch from hook. Join with slip st to top of ch-3 (12 sts.)


Rnd 2: Ch 3, dc into same st as slip st, *2 dc into next dc. Repeat from * around, ending row with slip st to top of ch-3 (24 sts.)

Rnd 3: Ch 3, dc into same st ans alip st, *dc into next dc, 2 dc into each of next dc, dc into next dc, 2 dc into next dc. Repeat from * around, ending rnd with dc into next dc, 2 dc into each of the next 2 dc. Slip st to top of ch-3 (39 dc)

Rnd 4: Ch 3, dc into same st as slip st, *dc into next dc, 2 dc into next dc. Repeat from * around. Join with slip st to ch-3 (59 sts). Fasten off.

If you're confused, you're not alone. If I figure it out, you'll be the first to know! For the record, I won't be using the suggested yarn or the suggested crochet hook, because I have neither. Instead I'll be attempting it first with my blue practice yarn and either my 3.75 or my 5.00 hook (as that's the closest I have to 4.00). It looks like I might be going hook shopping this weekend!

Wish me luck!

A beary cute hat. Take two.

Success!

The new/original yarn definitely tested my patience. It's pretty fuzzy, which makes it difficult to see the loops in the chains. I did find out that this yarn is "worsted weight" and it's also "medium", so that's good. I finally figured it out and managed to whip up this cutey. It did take me a couple hours to make this (and really it should have only taken about an hour), but I'm still a beginner. The fact that I was able to get this done in less than a day is pretty impressive in my book. I did use a larger hook than the pattern called for, but that's because it's what worked best for me. The final piece ended up being 7"x7", so it might be a tad bigger than hoped for. Sadly, I don't have any newborns to try it on.

I attempted to wing the ears with an idea I had for them, but that failed. So I went back to the pattern and followed her directions for the ears. Once those were done, I sewed them on, wove in all my ends, and then sat back and smiled at my beary cute hat!

My previously mentioned friend Julie, told me about this pretty neat site with tons of free patterns. It's called Ravelry and I plan on tackling some of their patterns in the future. I also have the "Cozy Crochet Kit" I purchased when I first decided I wanted to learn to crochet. I've gone through the patterns that came with the kit and I'll be working through them one by one.

Next up: Soft Coaster.

I'm pretty sure newborns aren't this small.

My not-quite-completed hat

To begin with, this thing is tiny. Too tiny. I know newborns are small, but I've been around enough to know they're not this small. I'm sure my problem is that I used too thin of yarn & I think I might crochet small. My finished project should be 6 inches wide, when flat. My actual hat is 5 inches wide. That's actually a lot better than I thought. However, it should be 7 inches long, and is only 3.

I ended up using my 5.50 hook, as the 3.75 was beyond too small. I also ended up using a different yarn than I had originally planned. The blue yarn you see here is my practice yarn. It's quite scratchy, but easy to learn with. Sadly, I ran out of yarn, which explains why the hat is 4 inches too short and sans ears.

As a first go, I'm pretty proud of myself. Though the hat is unusable, I wouldn't be using this yarn anyway, so I'm ok with that. I plan on trying again with the original yarn and my 5.50 hook. I'm hoping I will have an easier time with this yarn now that I understand the pattern and what is expected of me from it. Luckily I have plenty of this other yarn, so I should have no problem completing one this time. I am also hoping this yarn is thicker, allowing for a larger final product. I will also be attempting to keep my chains larger, both to make a larger hat and to make it easier to maneuver all around.

Wish me luck.

A beary cute hat.

Yes, I am that cheesy.

My friend Julie crocheted the most adorable bear hat I have ever seen. Now, don't get your panties in a wad while you point out that I have not seen that many bear hats in my day. While it may be true, I stand by what I said. I don't know where she got her pattern, but the hat looks like this:

I scoured the internet (for about 1.5 seconds while I consulted Google) for a "crochet bear hat pattern." I was eventually led to a nice lady named Naida and her site here. She has the pattern listed and I didn't even notice her name for it until just now. That is how observant I am.

So I'll be starting this today. I don't have a 4.00 hook, so I'll be using my trusty 3.75. I have no clue what worsted yarn is, but I have some medium yarn I think I'll use. Lastly, I have no idea how to read a pattern, so I'll be referring to the Craft Yarn Council. No clue if I'll be able to figure it out, but you'll be the first to know if I do!

Wish me luck!

Here I am!

I'm a self-taught crafter. Though my family owned a craft store when I was young, for some reason no one ever thought to teach me how to craft. How I wish we still owned that store.

Right now I "specialize" in fiber arts (I'm so fancy). At the moment this means crochet and sewing. I hope to eventually add knitting to my repertoire. I truly enjoy using my hands to create something tangible. As it were, neither crochet, nor sewing, are too hard to pick up. I'm not extravagant in my creations and I've yet to learn to read a pattern, but I suppose all of that comes in time. Until then, I kind of like my wonky creations. 

I first picked up a crochet hook in 2007 when I decided to try my hand at an art that possibly needed less talent, but more heart. I received plenty of strange looks and questions about why I felt the need to perpetuate "woman's work". To me, I was just trying to find something that was distinctly me. I felt good with a hook in my hand and I took pride in the art I created.

I bought my sewing machine in 2009 for less than $100 at Target. My pockets were full of birthday cash and it happened to be on sale. It was as if the stars aligned to show me my calling. Ok, maybe that's a bit far, but sewing has become second nature to me. I find zen in the bobbing of that needle as it pierces the fabric I feed through it. I'm constantly buying fabric for projects I have no business making, and I own more sewing books than I know what to do with, but I figure I'll get there soon enough.

I've taken an extended break from both crochet & sewing, but I'm ready to get back in the swing of things. I've picked up my hook and am ready to tackle a pattern (my first). I'm going to document my trials and tribulations here, for you to see. I hope I can inspire you.