remake- sheet to baskets

I saw the idea for making little nesting baskets out of fabric strips at Petals to Picots, which I found via pinterest. Mine don't really fit inside each other very well, but they aren't ending up together in the end.  I tried to follow that pattern at first, but ended up loosing count on the stitches and just winging it. It's easy crochet- Just a single crochet all the way around.

My youngest sister sent me a full size sheet with a hole in the middle.  Most would not re-gift such an item, but I was pleased to get it and knew just what to make with it.  That makes this a remake-  sheet to basket.  It got cut or ripped in about 1 inch strips.  If you sort of zig zag them, you can do the hole piece of fabric in 1 continuous super long strip.  To see the zig zag cutting pattern, click on that link above to the original source.

The medium one is on the kitchen counter holding lunch box notes I printed off various blogs I found through pinterest and the tiny one is in Bee's room holding treasures.  The biggest was sent back to the sister- who is the proud new resident of a dorm room. 

I've been making others now too.  They are great to keep my hands busy when we are traveling. I made a colorful one that is rainbow-ed with different fabric scraps and a white one that Lou requested and I'm working on a series of denim nesting baskets for preschool.  They are leftovers of the never ending denim project that is now done and I'll photograph next week. I'll share all that after we get back from labor day travels.

baby hats

My current job share partner just became a grandma again.  This is her third.  She text(ed) {is text the past, present and future tense of the word?} me a photo she had taken of a computer screen that had a picture of a baby in a newsboy hat displayed.  Through this rough random photo, I knew what she was wanting.  I did a quick raverly search and found a free pattern for a baby newsboy hat at Hands Full of Happiness.  It was an easy to use pattern and being only one kind of stitch, would be a good one for a newer crocheter.

The green hat was my rough draft.  She wanted the hat (cream with wooden buttons) to be for infant pictures so I made up the infant size.  It turned out to be really really small.  It was probably either because of my gauge or yarn thickness.   I went with the next baby size up, and ended up with a hat in just the right size. 

In fact, I've made two more identical hats this week for other new babies.  This cream yarn is just from Joann Fabric, and of course, the paper label is missing now.  It is super soft, but not fuzzy and hard to work with.  

This is going to be one of those spring/summers full of babies around here.  Not in our house, but bunches of our friends are having their third or (gulp) fourth kiddo.  There will be more hats and more dresses. 

This project also gave me some motivation to organize all my knit and crochet patterns.   

They were random and disorganized and in various locations.  They are now nice and tidy and organized.  Oh happy day.

chevron scarf is done

I finally finished this knitted chevron scarf that I've been working on since October. Knitting takes so much more time than crocheting. 

It's not as long as I had hoped, but I ran out of yarn and had already used all my yarn budget on it.  It's made from MinnowMerino wool, so there's where my money went.  It's soft and I love the colors. The colors are bluette, chartreuse and tangerine (although it's very much a pink).  I had some grays and blues picked out and then saw these more fun colors close to the register and changed my mind altogether. 

Because it's not as long as I had planned, I added a little loop and a big button to help it stay crossed.   The pattern was found here at the purl bee, which I found via pinterest.  I love the finished look but it did require careful counting.  Careful, careful counting.  I pulled out as many rows as I stitched in.  If you get off count anywhere in the row, it will be evident and must be fixed.  But, the finished result is so pretty and reminds me that if I slow down, pay attention to details, and do things carefully and correctly, the results will be better.

The next project is a pair of matching gloves.  I have a fingerless pair pattern picked out.... I'm gong to need to be brave and get working with a pair of double pointed needles though.

Have you been curling your hair with a sock too?  It's pinned like a million times on pinterest and there are dozens of youtube videos about it so you might be. I'm finally figuring it out and can even do it in the morning while I'm getting ready and still get the same amount of curl in 30 minutes that I get from all night.  I can't get into the showering at night thing, so I needed to make this work for my morning routine.  This is the youtube video where I learned this method.  Bee wishes her hair was straight and I want curls.  Go figure.

car trip -the yarn projects

Here' my other road trip work.   The paper piecing project goes on each trip and gets a few minutes of attention, but I can't get settled into again. 

A girl I teach with asked me to make up two little baby girl hats for her to gift this Christmas. 

I used this pattern from Aesthetic Nest which I've used several times before and enjoy.  I used yarn on hand so I don't know what it was.  Even if you are new to crocheting or it's been awhile, this is pretty easy, just two basic stitches.  Two stitches is my kind of project for one you have to count with.

The little one is 0-3 and even fits Lou's Boy.  The other is the 3-6 size.  These work up in an hours and a half or so. 

I also used the same pattern to make the 'girls' size hat, which for my gauge, actually fits an adult woman.  I had another co-worker ask for one of those.   I've made this hat several times  too and think it's pretty cute. 

Then I tried a new kind of rose shaped flower.  It turned out huge!  It's a little big and heavy for a hat, but I'm sure I'll find a use some day.  I used this pattern.

Yeah, so this didn't work out how I thought. I saw this pattern and thought, I love it, surely I can find something similar for free.  I've already pulled the stitches out and will be using this help from Slugs on the Refrigerator for better sizing.

I used this pattern (ravelry link and pinterest link) and am not sure if it was my gauge or I just don't care for the fullness of the hat...  The stitching in the picture looks tighter.

I wanted slightly newsboys fullness... just slightly.  I did wear it black Friday shopping since I brought no other hat.  I've pulled the stitches and when things in the shop slowdown (Oh my goodness!) I'll work on it again. 

I also started a knitted chevron scarf, but I've lost my momentum. It can wait for another time.   Luckily winter comes each year.

little pumpkin

I wanted to make some little yarn pumpkins but didn't know how.  I spent a few minutes on pinterest and a few minutes on raverly.com and came up with several possible crochet patterns.   Pretty sure I can't be Amish at this point.  I love the internet.  The pattern I started with is from Roots and Wings. 

I needed to add an additional row to the bottom of the pumpkin adding two more decreases (which is actually the top ring of the bottom piece) to make it stand a little taller. 

The kids also requested I add a leaf, which I sort of worked up with a chain and some double and triple crochets. 

The kids think they are very sneaky hiding candy inside the pumpkins.  Luckily all the candy left in the house from Easter is stuff no one really likes or it would be gone. 

car trip = project done

We took a car trip this weekend to see my Grandma. Road trips mean that I get some handwork done in the car.  I finished this baby blanket that I started in the winter.  It's called a slanted shell stitch.  Now I just need a friend to have a baby girl so I can gift it.

It's not a hard stitch but sure looks different than a regular DC, which was my old go-to for a blanket. 

Row 1:  Created a chain for the length of the blanket. Slanted shell is done in multiples of 5 (+2).
Row 2: 3 DC in the 3rd chain from the hook, Skip 3 chains, single crochet in the next chain, *chain 3, 3 double crochet in the next chain. Skip 3 chains, single crochet in the next chain. Repeat from * for the width of piece.
Row 3: Chain 4, 3 double crochet in the 3rd chain from the hook. *Skip the 3 double crochet, single crochet in the chain 3 space, chain 3, Work 3 double crochet in the same chain 3 space. Repeat across from * for the width  of piece.
Continue with row 3 for the preferred height of piece. 

Batman hat- finally done

The second lost post was about this batman hat. I finished up Lou's batman hat.  It's knitted in a long rectangle, folded in half and then blanket stitched straight down the sides. Easy stuff. Knitting just takes me longer, so it was a drawn out project.  That explains why I finished this hat in late April.  I probably started it in February, maybe January!

The straight lined top on a curved head makes the bat ears by itself.

Lou really likes it. 

The only not so basic thing about this hat is that it has eye holes.  If you roll down the band, you can use them.  Lou prefers not to use them. They are just buttonholes stitched in .

Here's the kicker though.  I don't know where I saw the idea.  It's one of those things that I saw somewhere and I thought, "interesting, but not for me."  Then I couldn't stop thinking about it.  I tried to google it and look through my history, but it's no where to be found.  It had a funny name and I just can't remember.  If you've seen it somewhere, help me out.  If not, I'm sure I'll come across it someday and then I can update.   

something fishy

Something fishy is going on with blogger.com. I seem to have lost my last two posts, after having even publishing them. It's weird. I wasn't able to log in for two days due to some maintenance issue.

One of the lost posts was about these hats. I'm not retyping the post, it may resurface at some point. At least it wasn't a long one! Anyway, this pattern is from Aesthetic Nest.

travel projects

I don't mind long car rides, as long as I'm just the passenger.  I just pack along a few hand sewing  or yarn projects and I'm good.  I think this  would be what it would be like if the kids would just go play in their rooms for a few hours leaving me quiet in the living room.  I imagine that's what it would be like.  That doesn't exactly happen at my house.  I'm sure when they're teenagers and just shut them selves up in their rooms and I have all the yarn work'en time I want, I'll miss their play all over the living room

I worked on this basket weave hat from a pattern I purchased from Mon Petit Violon on etsy.   I followed the pattern for 6-9 months.  Apparently I had a bit of a gauge issue.  Lou has not been 6-9 months for over 3 years.

I also whipped up another little newborn hat.  I've made a few of them before and do really like the pattern. It's from Imagine.  So far, they've all turned out the right size.  Not sure what to do with the blue hat.  This is when I switched to a new hand sewing project. I'll be showing more of that tomorrow.

the chunky hat

I've been enjoying the quick project of the crocheted cloche hat (also here).  I told Bee she could pick out whatever yarn she wanted for hers.  I didn't think too much about it when she chose a chunky yarn.  I followed the same pattern from Aesthetic Nest but ended up with this HUGE hat.  Oh, that sneaky chunky yarn.

I worked it, tested out the size, pulled out rows and rows and reworked it.  Five times.

I finally got it. 

Here are the changes I had to make to this pattern so I could use the chunky yarn. I started with the size 18-24 month hat pattern (for my 5 year old).  

I followed the pattern until row 8.  

For row 8:  1 hdc in each stitch.  (49 stitches)

row 9-11 repeat 8

12:   decrease to (44 stitches) using the directions in the written pattern's row 15.

13: follow directions from written patterns row 16 for stitching the eyelets.

14:  follow directions for shell edging in written pattern. 

For the flower, I used the smallest flower that she has on the pattern.  It's pretty huge, but Bee's ok with that. 

I'm linking up to some of these fine parties.  If any party people can tell me how to make a linky thing that I post with all the buttons on my post, I'd love to know. 

I just love them- another crocheted hat

I do just love them... the kids...  and the new hats.   I used the pattern I wrote about earlier this week to make little girl sizes.  First I made the 5-6 year old size for my 5-6 year old.  It was huge (you'll see it at the bottom) This hat is the 3-4 year old size.  I grow big heads at my house, so this was surprising. 

This hat came together in one evening TV vegg session.  Hubby got his paperwork done early (he usually does it after the kids are in bed, so we miss most evenings together) and all we wanted to do was hang out on the couch.  I don't feel so lazy if I have a little hand work project going.

We picked up some tulips at the grocery and Bee and Lou have been all over them.  I keep telling them to leave them alone so they stay pretty.  Lou is certain that Bee's have been in the house since he sees pollen.   

Because I had to make a second hat, I had to pull apart some of an afghan I'm slowly working on.  I've decided it's not that pretty anyway.  It's not going to get finished unless there is a cross country driving trip. 

This is the size large flower on size 3-4.  It's available here at Aesthetic Nest.

Lou seriously wanted in on the flower photography.

Bee's eyes are cracking me up.  She is barely tolerating her brother interrupting this photo shoot.

One of us must have said something to him about being nice or waling away from our photo taking wall.

The first hat (size 5-6 year old) was huge.  It fit me.   A little too big for Bee.

This one was supposed to be for a friend that often gives us bags of hand me down clothes.  She'll be getting the smaller hat and I'll have to make Bee another one.

new crochet project... or me dealing with my ADD

I have several projects going right now, I really need to settle in and focus on finishing a few before starting anything new.   I think I have adult onset ADD.  Here's what's been distracting me lately. 

Baby hats.  Jessica at Happy Together shared this same hat and she was so right, it's just so stinking cute.  The pattern is from Aesthetic Nest.

I don't even have any baby girls to give this to right now.  There is still one mystery gender baby coming to a friend.  I'm seriously crossing my fingers that it's a girl.

This is the baby size. Next, I'll be trying the big girl size.

Determined to find one for the boys, I searched and found a basic baby beanie from Imagine.

It's tiny.  so tiny.  I don't thing my big headed babies would have ever fit in this hat.  I had a student in my class have a new baby brother this week and I excitedly wrapped up this tiny guy for him.  He is so dinky, I think it's going to fit.

I think I turned this hat out inside out.  I thought this side was prettier.  This was an easy hat, but did require a stitch marker since it's stitched in a spiral.  It took a few tries to get it all counted out right.