made...

my niece's birthday was on friday and we are going to celebrate today prior to Trick-or-Treating. she likes to do crafty things so i knew i had to make her something [and quick, since i always wait til the last minute :)]. i used a free Knook Piggy Pattern created by Amy Gaines, added my own touches and decided to make it into a money holder by adding a pocket. here are the results...

she's not perfect, that's for sure, but i know my niece will love it and that's all that really matters, right?

everyone having a wonderful weekend?

i'm a guest

Sarah of sarahndipities has welcomed the new arrival of her sweet daughter and she has kindly allowed me to share my doily bowl tutorial over at her blog while she takes care of her growing family. so, if you're so inclined, you can check it out here...

H is for hook

this is my most favoritest hook in my little crochet world...

i inherited this and a bunch of others from my grandma. she kept them in this old olive jar... [hubby surprised me by putting the daffodil in the jar on easter morning]

there's all sorts of colors, sizes, and types in that jar- plastic, steel, aluminum and size 12 through P. but whenever the pattern warrants a G, H, or I hook, i always reach for the bright blue aluminum 'H'. she's served me well and has been called up to service once again...

we'll be making squares as we hook along with Melissa @ Hooked on Handmade during her CAL



she's even selected 30 square patterns to use- one for each day. how much easier could it be?! if you're interested in joining us, click the image above to get all of the details...i just know it's going to be a whole lot of fun!

swap

i joined a ravelry group in january called Dishcloths R Us and they have monthly swaps- just a dishcloth, knitted or crocheted, and a postcard from your area are to be sent... easy peasy and minimal time commitment. i have to say it's been a lot of fun!

in february, my swap partner was PaulaE, from the UK. her profile said she likes the colors purple and green so i hooked up and sent off this:

 and received in return this knitted beauty:

i signed up for march too and this time was paired up with Michele from Maine. this time i thought i would challenge myself to knitting a dishcloth in a pattern not written up by someone else. this is the result:

i have a pink sweater vest that has this knitted diamond pattern on it and used it as the basis. it was easier than i thought it would be to stitch it up, however i used needles twice as big as i should have so i ended up with a rectangle the size of a dishtowel. since the group was not named Dishtowels R Us, i decided to fold it in half, single crochet around the three sides and add a loop. i love the texture [and the color of course]! i have to say though, it took waaaayy longer to make than if i had crocheted one, but once the challenge has been made, there's no going back! [by the way, would anyone be interested in a tute for the diamond dishcloth?]

Michele sent me this fantastic dishcloth:

i just love the pattern and will have to see if i can find it on ravlery....you know, to add to all the other thousands of patterns in my favorites :)

granny egg tutorial

easter has snuck up on me with the stealth of a ninja and i figured i should get out a few decorations, but when i went through what i already had, i thought 'meh, i'm not really into so much pastel anymore'. so what to do, what to do... 

well, i had to go to hobby lobby for a few things for my son's school project and thought i would take a look to see what they had in their easter aisles. i came across ceramic eggs in a cream color and immediately thought 'i will grannify you eggs!' [yeah, i doubt grannify is a real word too]. i walked out with as eight eggs, paper grass and pipe cleaner chicks and ended up with these:

i made the up the granny eggs as i went and am excited to share the process with you guys. i know easter is less than one week away but these hook up really fast! you could even do this over plastic eggs you have laying around the house...

Supplies [chick not required]:

*i used creme de la creme yarn and an 'F' hook OR cotton crochet thread and a 'D' hook, but this can vary depending on the size of your egg

Stitches [US terms]:
magic ring= great tutorial here [use through step 3]
sl st = slip stitch
sp = space
ch = chain
sc = single crochet
dc = double crochet
granny stitch = 3dc, ch1 [i doubt this stitch is in any book, it's just what i call it :) ]
granny increase = ch3, 1dc in same space, ch1, 2dc in same space, ch1


Pattern:
Round 1: in magic ring, ch3, 2dc, ch1, 4 granny stitches, sl st in top of ch3; before pulling yarn end tight to close the hole, feed it through hole to the right side


Round 2: sl st in next 2dc and ch1 sp, granny increase, *granny stitch in next ch1 sp* four times, sl st in top of ch3


Round 3: sl st in next dc and ch1 sp, ch3, 2dc in same sp, ch1, *granny in next ch1 sp* five times, sl st in top of ch3

Round 4: sl st in next 2dc and ch1 sp, ch3, 2dc in same sp, ch1, *granny in next ch1 sp* five times, sl st in top of ch3

Round 5: sl st in next 2dc and ch1 sp, ch3, 2dc in same sp, *3dc in next ch1 sp* five times, insert egg into cup you've created, sl st in top of ch3; from this point you are working in the round with the egg inserted

Round 6: repeat Round 5, minus the egg insertion

Round 7: sl st in next 2dc and ch1 sp, ch3, 1dc in same sp, ch1, *2dc, ch1 in next ch1 sp* five times, sl st in top of ch3

Round 8: sl st in next dc and ch1 space, ch1, sc in same space, sc in next ch1 sp 5 times pulling yarn tight around the small end of the egg, sl st in first sc of round; fasten off; weave in ends

the pattern as written above is for the thicker yarn and bigger hook [fuschia and yellow eggs in picture above]. the white, red and pink eggs made with the crochet thread required an extra granny increase row in the beginning and an extra row of 3dc w/o ch1 in between [like Round 5 above]. the pattern is truly customizable to your egg, yarn and personal preferences. 

another feature you could add would be a chain loop to hang your egg with, like this one:

please let me know if you have any questions or find any errors... enjoy!

m.i.a

well, it appears i've been away for longer than i thought! my daytime job has been kicking my a+double dollar signs...i should call it my day, night, and weekend time job. but, there is light at the end of the tunnel and the craziness should be over by the first week in may. and it cannot come soon enough! i miss writing, crafting, surfing [the web kind, of course] and spending time with my family.

but i have found some time today to touch base and write up some posts to share what i have been able to do with any spare seconds from the last couple of weeks or when i just needed a sanity check!

like this, for example:

i was looking through my adhesive bin for glue for my son the other day and came across a bottle fabric stiffener that has been in there i don't know how long. i thought 'i want to make a doily bowl' and so, i did! 

i crocheted the minty green doily, put the stiffener in a plastic container with water, dunked and soaked the doily and molded it around a pyrex mixing bowl. and when i got up this morning, voila, it was a pretty bowl. just stiff enough but not too hard or crunchy. i was worried that with sitting and age, the stiffener might have lost it's effectiveness but i'm really pleased with the results!

these are super simple and fun to make! i think i might make some up in other non-traditional colors and various sizes to use in displays and sell at Market Day [which is another reason i can't wait to be done with this big project at work...i need to get ready for the first show of the season on May 28th!].

i would love to hear what you all have been up to in the last two weeks!

**update: found 'Crowns Surround' pattern by Cille Heckenbach on Ravelry but i did not stitch the last round in the pattern

tutorial @ wild olive

i'm sure a lot of you are familiar with the super-talented Mollie from Wild Olive. but if you have yet to be introduced, click the image below. i'll wait...

she really is a fantastic designer, illustrator, crafter and embroiderer! and as an extension, her blog is equally wonderful! i really love her style- simple, clean, fun and colorful!


last month, one of her posts mentioned sponsorship spots were available on her blog. the beauty of her sponsor program is that only your blog -not your shop- can sponsor her blog,  which really intrigued me. so i shot off an email and she accepted my blog as sponsor-worthy!

as a added bonus, she has fun and interactive posts each month where she asks her sponsors a question and each person provides an answer. this month's "the story of:" was about sneaking away from everyday life for a while- where would you go and what would you do. there was some great answers and it was a good way for me to get to know my fellow bloggers.


today, Mollie is featuring great giveaways [think embroidery patterns, embroidery supplies, a baby blanket, a shop credit and a fawn necklace] and diys [creative packaging and a crocheted Granny Square Tutorial] from her sponsors. can you guess by reading that list which is mine? :) i would be most humbled if you would check out my crocheted Granny Square Tutorial and let me know what you think...

orange

i just love the color orange, don't you? i recently purchased this canister set at a flea market here in town... 

my original intention was to buy them to sell in my Etsy shop, but once they made their way into my kitchen, i could not part with their orange-y goodness!

i'm guessing there is one size missing from the set that would fit in between the largest and the next smallest, but i really don't care :)


and the canisters served as a bit of inspiration for helping me decide my color choices for a little spontaneous crochet/recycling project. 

the can held peanuts and is much like a crescent roll package - paper on the outside, metallic inside and metal bottom. so, i carefully washed out the inside of the can and hooked up a cozy for it. and here is the final result...

it's pretty tall which makes it perfect for holding longer items and looks nice sitting next to the canisters.


what spontaneous projects have you finished lately?

pattern : crocheted wrist warmers

as promised, here is my very first written pattern! it's for these wrist warmers...

i'm really nervous about posting this for fear that it won't make sense to anyone but me :)
but here we go....



'Warm Your Wrists'


Supplies:
~F hook [3.75mm]
~worsted weight yarn [i used wool ease yarn for these. I LOVE this yarn!]
~yarn needle

Stitches used [in US crochet terms]:
ch = chain
ss = slip stitch
sc = single crochet
dc = double crochet

Tips:
~check the fit of the first glove [including the thumb hole size] as you go, you'll be glad you did! and make adjustments whenever necessary...these are very customizable.
~in order to have evenly spaced scallops, it helps if you have an even number of rows at the end of step 5
~this pattern assumes the mitts are a single color. to make stripes like mine, you just need to pick up and drop colors as you're moving back and forth across the rows

Left hand glove:
1. ch 28
2. row 1: dc in third chain from hook (counts as first dc); dc in each chain across; [27 dc total]
3. row 2: ch 2 (counts as first dc); turn; dc in next stitch from previous row and in each stitch across [27 dc total]
4. rows 3-14: repeat row 2
5. check for size by wrapping around hand/wrist. it should be a little smaller since it will stretch when you put it on...I used 14 rows total for my mitts.
6. do not finish off but fold rectangle in half with rows running horizontally
7. sl stitch two sides together until you are 9 stitches from the end
8. stitch only on side closest to you for 5 stitches, creating a thumb hole and then continue stitching sides together to the end; do not finish off
9. ch 1, sc in same stitch; *in next gap between row stitches 3 dc, in next gap 1 sc*, repeat pattern evenly around and join in first sc [this is the top where your fingers will come out]
10. now you can finish off [can you tell I don't like ends :D]
11. join yarn at seam on opposite side, ch 1 in same stitch, *in next gap between row stitches 5 dc, in next gap 1 sc*, repeat pattern evenly around and join in first sc, finish off.
12. weave in ends

Right hand glove:
1-6. same as left hand
7. sl stitch two sides together for 4 stitches
8. repeat step 8 above
9. ch 1, sc in same stitch; *in next gap between row stitches 5 dc, in next gap 1 sc*, repeat pattern evenly around and join in first sc
10. finish off
11. join yarn at seam on opposite side, ch 1 in same stitch, *in next gap between row stitches 3 dc, in next gap 1 sc*, repeat pattern evenly around and join in first sc, finish off.
12. weave in ends

Options:
~i added little woolie flowers to my pair [ch 4, join, *ch 5, sl stitch in center* repeat 4 more times, finish off and use ends to attach to mitt], but you can embellish anyway you choose.
~use a larger hook for fewer rows and a faster finish

I have the pattern out on Ravelry too- you can find it here. 

I would love to hear how the pattern hooks up for you if you decide to try it! 

friends

every year right before the holidays, i get together with long-time friends for an ornament exchange. in years past, we would get together in the evening during the week, but this year we changed it up and had Sunday brunch with mimosas and bloody marys...yummm. as usual the food was delicious and it was great to see everyone!

and of course, everyone brought awesome ornaments.. we exchange dirty santa style and everyone secretly wants to be the person who brings the ornament(s) that get 'stolen' the most. the ones i took home were awesome [didn't get a photo before packing them away] but here is a picture of the ones i brought- modeled by my good friend Steph @ iowaharleygirl [and yes, she rides her own Harley...isn't that awesome!?]

for the last couple of years i have been making ornaments for this exchange and this year i went with a matching set. the ball is from Pip's crocheted christmas baubles and the hex is an African Flower on one side and a hex pattern I found at Attic24 in the same color scheme on the other.

i look forward to getting together with this crazy bunch every year and 2010 was no disappointment! no matter how long it's been since we've all seen each other, it seems like we just pick right up where we left off at our last get-together. do you have friends like that ?

ravelry love

ravelry crochet patterns recently added to my favorites....

1. happy groundhog day by Trish Young of genuine mudpie
2. octoberfest doily by Denise Augostine
3. crochet mobius cowl by Marilyn Wallace of marilyn knits
4. cabled jacket by Treva McCain

community

i'm sure many of you follow Sarah London's blog and are already aware of her new project to gather granny squares for afghans to be provided to those impacted by the flooding in Australia, but i wanted to continue spreading the word... if you can help out all, please sign up here and get hooking! [and if you need help with crocheting a granny square, please let me know.]

hook

i haven't been feeling up to snuff in the last four days. i twisted my back- not sure how but woke up with it all knotted up on Sunday morning. then on Monday, i started feeling flu-ish in the afternoon. needless to say, i've spent the last two and a half days with an electric hot pad on my back and a cool wash cloth on my forehead. awful!


i'm hoping to get back on my feet and back to work tomorrow- just in time to have Friday off for a three day weekend and do the things that didn't get done this past weekend. i haven't been out of the house yet this week and would really like to have a chance to wear these fingerless gloves i made...

i was going to just do the simple quick rectangle sewn up the side leaving a hole for my thumb but then i thought 'why not try stripes?'. which the led to small scallops on the top and larger scallops on the cuff.

and when they were finished, i read my husband's mind which was saying 'oh god, another gray/black item in her wardrobe- imagine that' and i knew i needed to add a little pop of color to throw him off track. 

i'm thinking that the next pair i make i will sew on a small round button and then make flowers in various colors and interchangeable. i'm also contemplating making this my first ever tutorial...would you be interested?

it all starts with the magic ring...

i've been busy with the 'F' hook and cotton

[top pic is side one, bottom is side two]

1. i made the cozy for a recycled glass jar... perfect for pencils, paintbrushes, etc
2. the granny square potholder i decided to do off-center
3. the round potholder is your standard increasing circle
4. the circle to square pattern i found on Lion Brand Yarn
5. the scalloped potholder is a design by Priscilla Hewitt


have you been hooking lately? ;)

my creative space...

... lots of crocheting goin' on. I've been trying out new color combos and product ideas...

Share your creative space at kootoyo....

pincushion swap sent...

 ...which included this pincushion and needle book.

I really like how they turned out and am very proud of myself for several reasons...

First, with inspiration from sew ritzy-titzy's daisy chatelaine tutorial, I created my own crochet pattern for the pincushion. I'm a chronic pattern-follower but decided it was time to break out! My thread colors were dictated by my second proud moment...

 I actually got up the courage to cut into one of my vintage feedsacks! (You can do it too, Courtney :D ) I used the feedsack as the inside cover of the pincushion, for the pocket on the back cover of the needle book and the closure on the book. The closure leads me to my other proud moment...

I finally found the nerve to use that intimidating piece of metal, the Crop-a-dile, to set the snap for the closure on the needle book! It really is a wonderful piece of machinery but I'm sure it will take me five years to figure out all of its multi-tool potential.

I really had fun making these and I hope the recipient -who lives in a far-away land- likes them. even just a little bit...

And of course, Kate @ Foxs Lane deserves a very big 'THANK YOU' for putting this swap together! I'm so grateful I had a chance to participate!

what i've been up to...

The weather is wonderful! 

The boys and I have started golf lessons... Golf = Summer around here!

On Friday evening, Mr Dill and I spent what seemed like hours unwrapping all the loveliness sent by Cathe @ JSIM. I still can't believe I won her giveaway! I was mentally creating projects for the items as they were coming out of the box! I spent the rest of the evening organizing it all, using mostly the containers included in the package. Thanks again, Cathe!!

I spent a lot of time Sunday cleaning off my three season porch. Actually it's really more of a two season porch- in Spring and Fall it is totally usable but not so much in summer or winter since there is no heat or air conditioning out there. If we leave the doors from the main part of the house open, we can cool or heat the area but only to certain low or high temps. Last summer, I set up the porch as my Etsy space, where I keep the vintage stuff I've listed and the kazillion things I have not listed yet [and wouldn't you know it that garage sale/flea market/auction season is here and so my pile to list is growing already!] I'm really hoping to get the porch set up so it's easier to take pics [windows on all three sides make for wonderful natural light out there] and list items as well as have some crafting space for work and/or storage. We'll see how it goes and how quickly the weather gets really hot!

And here is a bracelet I finished up last week...

It is six joined granny squares with a loop and vintage mustard yellow button. I really love how it turned out and was the brain child of the random crocheted shapes I mentioned in a previous post.

So what have you all been up to?

color inspiration...

...from one of my vintage feedsacks. I was looking for color inspiration for all the cotton yarn I have and decided to use this

to determine my colors for these

 I really love the gray and yellow... who am I kidding? I love just about any color with gray :D

Would it be sacrilegious to make a tea towel out of part of a vintage feedsack? It would make for a really cute dish set, no?

busy bee...

... I can't believe it's been a full week since my last post! So, what have I been up to?

-Flying to Columbus OH for work for a couple of days. It snowed our last night there (Thursday) and I took these somewhere between Columbus and Detroit the next morning

 

 

-Lounging around the house all weekend after I got back to Des Moines since I wasn't feeling well (sorry, no picture of that!)

-And when I was feeling like it, making stuff like these granny circle earrings after making various granny shapes (and I have a plan for the squares too)

-and this ruffled granny square dishcloth

This particular granny square was an experiment. I had seen a larger square in color quadrants made of smaller grannies and then sewn together. I wanted to see if there was a way to create the quadrants within one larger square but without having to re-start each color in every round. And I think it worked out great! Now, I'm sure someone else has thought of this long before me and who knows, there is probably a pattern out there, but this one I actually figured out on my own... and to be honest, I'm pretty proud of myself! :)

It looked really cool without the ruffled edge too, but I decided to add yellow to the outside since that was in the center. And then I thought: "Hey, maybe I can submit this to the Ruffle Your Stuff craft contest being held by Disney at rufflesandstuff!" There's a lot of really cute things being submitted, so you really should go check it out and/or submit your ruffles, if you haven't already!


Now tell me what you all have been up to in the last week?

flickr favorites...

... are all about colorful, circular crochet. So bright, lovely and inspirational!

1. Cushion in progress, 2. Chair pad, 3. African Flower blanket, 4. striped pouf

Would you like to play Flickr Favorites? Stop by ArtMind and submit your faves and/or view all of the other beautiful mosaics!