Saturday: Bits of This and That

Sigh.

If you decide to make a patchwork anything, work in your ends as you go. Otherwise, you'll find yourself sitting on the couch and staring at a...thing...that looks like this:



What a cobwebby mess. Nothing a darning needle and a LOT of patience won't fix. Hopefully I'll find some time (and patience) to finish this over the weekend.

There was a rummage sale at the big RC church down the street this morning. For a whopping 85 cents, I got these two doilies...


...and three books, including this one on soap making:



After swearing up and down to my grandmother that my house would never have a doily in it, I've started collecting them. I think I have about a dozen or so stashed away now. They're for a Christmas craft project that I'm sure I'll be starting soon.

As for the soap book...well...that big 5-cent purchase brings me one step closer to my craft fantasy of making my own homemade bars someday. (Maybe next summer....? Can I wait that long?)

The bargains didn't end there, though. On my walk back from the post office, I also scored all of this yarn for only 12.00 at the thrift store:


With tacky names like "Bling Bling," "Cha Cha" and "Fun Fur," I'm sure the appeal is lost on some. But I have plans for this bizarre stuff. Stay tuned...

Pumped About The Pumpkin Hat

Here's the finished project! I ended up adding a few extra rows of hdc, but otherwise, it's pretty much the same as the pattern I found here:

http://www.favecrafts.com/Crochet-for-Baby/Baby-Pumpkin-Crochet-Beanie#

The yarn is Bernat Super Value in "Pumpkin" and "Fern."

Can't wait to see what this looks like on my little munchkin niece!

Friday Night Project

It's Friday, and I'm out of energy after a busy week at school. After work today (PD Day--these can be either energizing or totally draining...we'll see), I'm stopping at the store to get the yarn I need to make....PUMPKIN HATS. Nothing like a one-nighter kinda project to help me relax and make me feel like I've accomplished something whilst sipping coffee and sitting on the couch with my feet up.

I've found two free patterns online that I hope to use as my inspiration:
http://www.favecrafts.com/Crochet-for-Baby/Baby-Pumpkin-Crochet-Beanie#
http://osuraccoon.blogspot.com/2010/10/pumpkin-hat-crochet-pattern.html



Stay tuned for updates on how this works out...

How to Make Dorset Buttons - CraftStylish

How to Make Dorset Buttons - CraftStylish - Love this. :)

Loopy Pom-Pom Scarf Tutorial

This thing feels SO GOOD around my neck that I'm wearing it while I type this post. Soft, plush and cozy: it's like wearing a teddy bear. :)

MATERIALS REQUIRED FOR THIS PROJECT:

- approximately 50g of "regular" yarn (I used some mill ends--I think it was Bernat Super Value, but something like Redheart Super Saver or Loops & Threads Impeccable or Vanna's Choice would work, too)
- 2 balls of Loops & Threads Pom-Pom yarn in "Outdoors"

- size N crochet hook (or something similar)
- size I crochet hook


This project is crocheted in two stages. First you make the "base" using the larger hook and the regular yarn. This will show through a teensy bit so pick a neutral colour or one that matches your pom-pom yarn. After the base scarf has been created, you "cover" it with pom-poms. So fun.

Loopy Pom-Pom Scarf

Yesterday I was home sick. While crocheting on the couch is a great thing to do when you're feeling under the weather, it didn't take me long to realize that working on a few crocheted gifts that I'm making would be a bad idea. ("Here's a nice gift for your new baby, and some free germs, too.")

Still, crafting is a great distraction, so I had a guilt-free chance to work on something that was just for me! I decided to pull out the single ball of pom-pom yarn I purchased this summer and see if I could turn the scarf I was dreaming up into a reality. (Guess what? It worked!)

It turns out I'm going to need a little bit more than one ball to finish this project, so I'm heading to the store later today to pick up the rest, but here's a quick preview of what I've got so far:



p.s. The picture is crummy because we can't find the battery recharger for our camera. Had to settle for an iPad photo. ;(

Beautiful Bamboo

I'm on a roll with stashbusting lately. I had a suitcase full of beautiful Baby Bamboo yarn (24 balls) and I've been using it up rather quickly lately. Based on about 47.3 seconds of high-quality internet research, this appears to be a discontinued line of yarn from Bernat, so the challenge is to use it up without having to head to the store for a little bit more of one colour, or without having a ball or two left over at the end. Seven balls went to this lovely v-stitch baby blanket:




The yarn is 55% acrylic and 45% bamboo viscose, so it works up into this lovely, silky-soft and cool feeling fabric. This seems like a spring and fall-weight yarn to me. Also, the green and white seems 100% gender-neutral. :)

The pattern is a very simple one from Lionbrand.com. I modified the pattern a bit to make it bigger and to precisely use up the 6 balls of green yarn I had. Changing the pattern width is simple: just add more ch stitches to the foundation row in multiples of 3. The picot edging provides a bit of contrast and gives the mesh-y stitches some structure. I would recommend this as a great starting pattern for anyone interested in trying out a crochet project...

Colourful Cozy Comfort For A Corner Of The Classroom

I've decided my classroom needs a few touches of homemade craftiness. My first project was a pillow. I found the pattern on a blog called Attic 24. The pattern is listed as a "Blooming Flower Cushion," and while it looks like a flower on the Attic 24 page, when worked up in one colour, it almost likes like an alien flower or a funky piece of coral or something. Whatever it is, I think it looks super cute on my kid-sized IKEA chair in my Book Nook.




The pattern is pretty cool--working in front loops to create shells and back loops to create plain dc backing.



Finding a round pillow form was NOT EASY. After hunting through Michaels, Len's Mill, Fabricland and Zellers, I finally found a gorgeous one at....Goodwill! It was in excellent shape and better quality than a typical craft store pillow form.


Sooo..... total cost for this project:


$0.00 for the yarn (it was scraps from an afghan I made 2 years ago)
$1.00 for the pillow form
================
$1.00

WOW!. Cheapest craft yet. ;)