Saturday, December 1, 2012

Happy December everyone!

I've been knitting and working on crochet projects like crazy but since they're all presents, I can't post any on here until after Christmas... I don't wanna give away any spoilers to my friends :)
I do have 3 small freebie patterns I'm also working on and I promise to get at least one up before the end of December so please be patient with my slow posting this month. December gets crazy around here  :)
In the mean time I hope you all have a truly wonderful and friend/family filled holiday season... And remember, it's not about the presents. It's about the LOVE  :)

Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Happy Thanks Giving!!! (free hat pattern)

Happy Thanks Giving!!! (well tomorrow it is) I hope you are all enjoying a wonderful day filled with family and yummy food... diets are OFF today Ladies and Gentlemen :)
September 2, 2012 (6)
I made this with FANCY YARN  :D   haha, ok maybe it’s not to you but to me it is and I love it. I found it at a cute little knitting shop up near my grandma’s. This stuff is great but let me tell you it is hard trying to think of a project for a skein so tiny. I’m used to between 250 to 300 yards. This one is less then 100. I eventually decided to make a hat because I thought the yarn looked like it would have an awesome self striping effect… and I was right  :)  So I got a super cute hat out of it and I wanted to share the pattern.
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This yarn is called Mochi Plus. It is 80% Merino Wool and 20% Nylon… My first Wool!!!! I’m such a nerd, I know  :)  This yarn was not consistent in size. There were some areas that were thicker and some areas that were thinner. Not hugely different but enough to notice. I would classify it as slightly smaller than Worsted weight so if you are using worsted weight for this hat, it may come out a bit too big. Just a warning.
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I used a H/8 5.0mm hook …I know, I’ve been favoring this one lately and truthfully I prefer one bigger but this one has a super comfy rubber handle that my Wal-Mart hooks don’t have (got it at the same place near my grandmother’s house) and yes I refer to it as my “fancy hook” so it has become my go to hook.
 
This pattern IS mine  :) and you can have it here:
 
The abbreviations I use are as follows:
ch – chain
sl st – slip stitch
sc – single crochet
dc – double crochet
 
* ch 6, sl st together to make a circle
Row 1 – ch 1 (counts as first st here and throughout pattern) 1 sc in same st, 2 sc in each st around (12 st)
Row 2 – repeat row 1 (24 st)
Row 3 – ch 1, 2 sc in next st, 1 sc in next. repeat 1-2-1-2 around (36 st)
Row 4 – ch 2, dc in same st, 1 dc in next st, 2 dc in next st. repeat 1-2-1-2 around (54 st)
Row 5 – ch 1, sc in each st around
Row 6 – ch 2, 1 dc in next 5 st, 3 dc in next st. repeat 1-1-1-1-1-1-3-1-1-1-1-1-1-3 around (68 st)
Row 7 – ch 1, 1 sc in each st around
Row 8 – ch 2, 1 dc in each st around
Row 9 – repeat row 7
Row 10 – repeat row 8
Row 11 – ch 2, 2 dc in same st (makes shell) sk 2 st, 3 dc in next st. repeat shell pattern around.
Row 12 – repeat row 7
Row 13 – repeat row 8
Row 14 – repeat row 11
Row 15 – repeat row 7
Row 16 – repeat row 7
Row 17 – ch 2, sk 1 st, 1 sc, ch 1, sk 1 st, Repeat *1 sc, ch1, sk 1 st* all around.
Row 18 – repeat row 8
Finish off and weave in ends.

You’ll notice from my hat photos that my row 18 is solid black. That is because this tiny skein ran out on me 1 row too soon so I had to add on some plain black worsted weight. I think you can tell from the photos that the black is a bit larger/thicker then the primary yarn. I really love how it turned out and I wear it all the time.
I hope you like my fun hat and I would love to see what you do with this pattern.

Tuesday, November 20, 2012

The matching gloves

Do you remember when I posted about my favorite hat? Well these are the matching gloves. I am so happy with how they turned out. I got the buttons on clearance at wally world for 75 cents. I thought they looked a little like snowflakes (which I love) so I picked them up without any project in mind and they turned out absolutely perfect for these fingerless gloves. They are toasty and comfy. And the first pair I’ve made that I actually get to keep for me  :)
Note about the pattern:
When I was making these I really thought that they were going to end up way too small. But I stayed with the pattern anyways. The yarn I used had a great stretch to them so they fit perfectly now. If the yarn you're using doesn't stretch, I would suggest making them bigger for adult size gloves.
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This pattern is not mine. You can find it HERE

Saturday, November 17, 2012

My crocheted Halloween

This year, my best friend and I dressed up as Day of the Dead sugar skulls. She did a traditional head-dress of flowers. I went for a tiny hat and spider web veil… Which I of course made myself  :)
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Super fun, right? I just love how it turned out.
This year, My bestie and I made trick or treat bags for the kiddos to match their costumes. I already showed you my son’s Hulk bag but I later added a nose and mouth to it so I have to show it off again  :)
This is us Halloween night:
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These patterns are not mine.
The witch bag was designed by my friend so I’m sorry but I don’t have a pattern I can link to.
The Hulk bag was loosely based off of a Frankenstein bag I found HERE (this bag is tiny, I made mine a lot bigger)
The veil pattern can be found HERE (there is a link to the hat pattern with the veil)

Wednesday, November 14, 2012

Star Bag Whoopsie

This post is really late. I swear I thought I had posted this before but I guess I forgot. I was chosen to help test a pattern for Julie from Gleeful Things. It’s a star bag and I was so excited because I LOVE the star hat she made and I had never made a bag before. This pattern is AMAZING! Seriously, I love it.
I knew right away that I was going to make a Halloween bag. I am obsessed with it after all  :)  I picked out my fabric first and made the interior of the bag. I used two fabrics, one that would show in the interior and one that would peak out from under the yarn. I loved it! The first yarn I started out with a rainbow color but then because of bad planning I ran out half way through.October 26, 2012 (22)
I wasn’t going yarn shopping anytime soon (I live in the middle of nowhere and going to the yarn store is a big deal) so I switched to a solid purple yarn. I was bummed that I had to switch colors but it turned out awesome! Check it out:
StarBag (1)StarBag (2)StarBag (3)
I first used the bag to hold yarn and hooks for my current projects. It was wonderful until I accidentally poured hot wax all over it  :(  Well after getting all the wax off, I threw it into the washer… Now this was my big Whoopsie. It turns out I didn’t prewash the fabric (rookie mistake, I know,  I’m so embarassed) and the bag came out of the dryer all distorted. The fabric had shrunk and the yarn had stretched. There was a good nine inch gap between the bottom of the fabric bag and the bottom of the crocheted bag.
Lucky for me, I am a very resourcefull girl. I got out my seam ripper and separated my bags. The exterior is now used to hold all of my winter hats (we have a LOT) this bag is awesome and huge! I haven’t even stuffed it full yet, there is plenty more room.October 26, 2012 (26)
And my fabric bag will soon be reunited with the original yarn I had intended  :)
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To check out this seriously awesome pattern, go HERE

Sunday, November 11, 2012

Snowflake Hat

I LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE winter. So when I saw this hat, I had to squeal a little (I know, I do it a lot) It kind of form the same way the spider web hat worked and I wasn’t a fan of having holes in a winter hat so I changed the pattern a bit and made the last half of the hat solid double crochet.
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This pattern is not mine. You can find it HERE.

Thursday, November 8, 2012

Free Infant Bear Hat Crochet Pattern

Those adorable sandals (found here) I made were not the only presents I gave to my cousin for her new baby. I also made her this:
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Aren’t they adorable? The Mitts pattern is not mine. I just added the cute little bear claws. You can find the mitts pattern HERE.
 
The adorable bear hat IS mine  :)
To make this cutie, I used worsted weight yarn in Brown and Cream (both from Red Heart) and a size H/8 5.0 mm hook.
 
The Abbreviations I use are the American versions.
ch – chain
sc – single crochet
dc – double crochet
sl st – slip stitch
st – stitch
sk – skip
hdc – half double crochet
 
Pattern:
* Using primary color (I used cream) ch 5 and sl st together to form a circle.
Row 1 – ch 2 (counts as first dc here and from now on) 5 dc around and sl st together.    *I finish all rows with a sl st. If you’d prefer to work continuously the pattern will be the same, you just need to keep track of your stitches. (7 st)
Row 2 – ch 2, 1 dc in next st, 2 dc in each st after (14 st)
Row 3 – ch 2, 1 dc in next 2 st, 2 dc in next. repeat 1-2-1-2 pattern around. (21 st)
Row 4 –  repeat row 3 (30 st)
Row 5 – repeat row 3 (44 st)
Row 6 – ch 2, 1 dc in next 4 st, 2 dc in next. repeat 1-1-1-1-1-2-1-1-1-1-1-2 around (51 st)
Row 7 and 8 – ch 2, 1 dc in each st around (51 st)
 
Row 9 – (start of earflaps)
          ch 2, 8 dc (1 hdc in each st here and throughout earflaps)
*9 hdc, ch 2, turn. 9 hdc, ch 2, turn. sk 1 st, 8 hdc, ch 2, turn. sk 1 st, 7 hdc, ch 2, turn. sk 1 st, 6 hdc, ch 2, turn. sk 1 st, 5 hdc, ch 2, turn. sk 1 st, 4 hdc*
sl st down earflap 1 towards front of the hat. when you get to the end of the earflap 16 dc (1 in each st)
repeat between the *
sl st down earflap 2 towards the back of the hat. when you get to the end of the earflap 8 dc (1 in each st) finish off.
Row 10 – join next color (I used dark brown) 1 sc in each stitch around. finish off and weave in ends.
 
Ears – (make two) I used cream for my ears but you could switch up the colors for more contrast.
7 dc in a magic ring, ch 2, turn. dc in each st. finish off and pull ring tight. Sew ears onto hat and weave in ends.
For eyes, I used dark brown and stitched 2 curves into the bottom of the hat to make the bear look like it’s sleeping.
 
Well I hope you all like my bear and I would love to see your versions so feel free to comment with links to your projects.

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Slouchy Hat

This hat probably has my favorite color combination. I just love the teal and the cream. It worked up in a flash and is very warm. Win  :)
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This pattern isn’t mine. You can find it HERE

Saturday, November 3, 2012

Beautiful Cowl

This is a gift for my Bestie… And it took FOREVER to finish… Seriously, the loooooooooooooooooooongest project I have ever done. But totally worth it. It is so beautiful and I just know my girl is going to love it!
October 26, 2012 (16)
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Please excuse the stray string in the photo above, I hadn’t sew in my edges yet when I took the photo.
This pattern is not mine. You can find it HERE

Monday, October 29, 2012

Cute little Sandals

One of my beautiful cousins is having a baby in December so I’ve been in baby mode. This is one of the first projects I made for her.
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This pattern is not mine. You can find the pattern HERE