handmade for Christmas

we're mostly packed up here waiting to move into our new house, so my crochet stuff is really the only craft stuff I have access to anymore... not that I've been doing much else in the way of crafts for a while now!  I'm looking forward to having a room again that I can keep my sewing machine set up in, and maybe a table to work on my jewelry.  until then I'm just crocheting when I get a chance.  here are some gifts I made and sent to my brother in Shreveport for Christmas.

I made a square hat for Abbie with a zig-zag puff stitch.  I had to make the construction of this hat up as I went, but it's pretty forgiving since it doesn't have any shaping to it.  joining the puff stitches in each round was the hard part, but I made it work.  this could totally be done as a flat piece and then seamed together, though.  I put tassels on the top corners to look like pig tails, and I made some boots with puff stitch flowers on them to match the hat.

Ava got a striped slouchy hat (another pattern I made up as I went) and I added a puff stitch flower to the bottom band.  I used Red Heart Soft for all of these hats, which gets even softer when you steam or wash it.  I steamed the slouchy part of this hat which made it lay really nice, but I made sure to leave the band at the bottom alone in case it relaxed too much.

Ashton's hat is an earflap beanie that I decided to find an actual pattern for.  I used Micah Makes free pattern, but I added an extra row of single crochet to the edge and put a line of fringe on top for a mohawk.

advent calendar garland: finished!

this was a fun project to work on, and I finished it just in time!  the garland is hung with some clear command hooks in our entryway, but I'm hoping next Christmas, in our new house, we'll have a better place to hang it.

I wasn't sure how to hang these up to begin with, but after I finished them all off I decided to just make a long chain and attach them at each loop.  I might do something different with them later on, but I'd just have to undo to chain and they'll all be detached again.  maybe when the kids are older they can be hung on the tree after each day.

I used some number beads and buttons on each one, which are also easily removable in case I brainstorm a different way of hanging and numbering them in the future.  Leo has been good at keeping track of what day it is, so if nothing else I'm really glad to have this to help him understand dates!

I stuffed each one with a small goody for the boys to have everyday until Christmas, and the boys were already excited about it after the first day.  they wake me up early each morning to see what is in the next one.

advent calendar garland: crochet hats

I winged this pattern the first time and it came out exactly as I hoped, so I wrote it down.  I did it bottom up, which I normally don't like to do, but this one made sense to do that way since it was pointy, and the ribbing would match the look of the mittens and stockings (patterns available here and here).  you'll need 12 hats for the garland.

hat pattern

ribbing:
ch 7, 1 sc into back bump of 2nd ch from hook and following 5 sts, ch 1 and turn.
1 sc into back loop of each st across, ch 1 turn.  repeat for 26 more rows.
fold ribbing in half and sl st closed.

body of hat:
ch 1, make 30 sc sts, equally spaced, around the top edge of ribbing, sl st to join round.
ch 1, sc into each stitch around, sl st to join.  repeat for 4 more rounds.

decreasing:
ch 1, *1 sc into next 4 sts, 1 sc2tog, repeat from * 4 more times, sl st to join.
ch 1, 1 sc into each st around, sl st to join.
ch 1, *1 sc into next 3 sts, 1 sc2tog, repeat from * 4 more times, sl st to join.
ch 1, 1 sc into each st around, sl st to join.
ch 1, *1 sc into next 2 sts, 1 sc2tog, repeat from * 4 more times, sl st to join.
ch 1, 1 sc into each st around, sl st to join.
ch 1, *1 sc into next sts, 1 sc2tog, repeat from * 4 more times, sl st to join.
ch 1, 1 sc into each st around, sl st to join.
ch 1, 5 sc2tog, sl st to join.
ch 1, 1 sc into each st around, sl st to join.
fasten off with a 10" tail, using yarn needle, thread yarn tail through the front loop of the remaining 8 sts and pull tight.
weave in ends.

attach pom pom to top of hat.

optional loop:
fold hat in half, attach yarn to the top left corner of ribbing, ch 10, sl st to first ch, tie knot with starting tail and weave in ends.

advent calendar garland: crochet stockings

I sorta mixed-n-matched some patterns to make a stocking.  I used the basic starting point of the mittens (check out the previous post here for the pattern), but didn't increase for the thumb part of the hand.  when it was long enough to my liking, I did the heel and toe like Yolanda demonstrates in her Christmas stocking video tutorials.  you'll need 7 stockings for the garland.

stocking pattern

ribbing:
ch 7, 1 sc into back bump of 2nd ch from hook and following 5 sts, ch 1 and turn.
1 sc into back loop of each st across, ch 1 turn.  repeat for 20 more rows.
fold ribbing in half and sl st closed.

body of stocking:
use the same color yarn or attach new color.
ch 1, make 24 sc sts, equally spaced, around the top edge of ribbing, sl st to join round.
ch 1, sc into each stitch around, sl st to join.  repeat for 8 more rounds.

heel:
use the same color yarn or attach new color.
ch 1, sc into 12 sts, ch 1 and turn.
sc2tog into first 2 sts, 1 sc into each st across, sc2tog into last 2 sts, ch 1 and turn.
repeat decreasing row until you have 4 sts left.
2 sc into first st, 1 sc into each st across, 2 sc into last st, ch 1 and turn.
repeat increasing row until you have 12 sts again, ch 1 turn.
1 sc into all 12 sts across.
fold heel in half, right sides facing, and sl st or whip stitch seams together. 

foot:
use the same color yarn or pick up yarn from before the start of the heel.
ch 1, sc around ankle and heel (24 sts), sl st to join, ch 1 and turn.
1 sc into each st around, sl st to join, ch 1 and turn. repeat for 6 more rounds.

toe:
use the same color yarn or attach new color.
ch 1, *1 sc into first 4 sts, sc2tog.  repeat from * around, sl st to join, ch 1 and turn.
*1 sc into 3 sts, sc2tog.  repeat from * around, sl st to join, ch 1 and turn.
*1 sc into 2 sts, sc2tog.  repeat from * around, sl st to join, ch 1 and turn.
*1 sc into 1 st, sc2tog.  repeat from * around, sl st to join, ch 1 and turn.
sc2tog 4 times, sl st to join.
fasten off with a 10" tail, using yarn needle, thread yarn tail through the front loop of the remaining 4 sts and pull tight.
weave in ends.

optional loop:
fold stocking in half with heel on the left side, attach yarn to the top left corner of ribbing, ch 10, sl st to first ch, tie knot with starting tail and weave in ends.

advent calendar garland: crochet mittens

I saw a mini mitten garland in one of the shops on the Strand in Galveston and thought along with some stockings and hats, it would make a cute little advent calendar.

I started crocheting November 1st, my goal to make one a day so by December 1st it would be ready to go.  I always cram too much into my holiday seasons, why would being pregnant, having an ill household, and house hunting make the slightest difference in the workload I put on myself? :\  so far it's going okay, though.  one a day is definitely a doable goal.

I'm using up leftover scraps from my yarn stash, other stuff I had on hand, and the patterns are free.  this project mostly cost me my time in the evenings while I watch TV, so besides it coming along to be adorable, it is practically free and I love that! :)

so this first pattern is mittens.  you'll only need 6 of these. I would say this is the more difficult of the patterns, so once you learn this one the rest will come easier.

the preschool size mittens pattern from CrochetMe is what I'm using.  I usually prefer videos, but this written pattern is easy enough to follow.  I think hers is worked in a continuous circle from the way it's written, but the copy I have below is written so that each round is joined.  it's still basically the same, I just typed it out so it was easier for me to work from.

mitten pattern

ribbing:
ch 7, 1 sc into back bump of 2nd ch from hook and following 5 sts, ch 1 and turn.
1 sc into back loop of each st across, ch 1 turn.  repeat for 19 more rows.
fold ribbing in half and sl st closed.

body of mitten:
ch 1, make 23 sc sts, equally spaced, around the top edge of ribbing, sl st to join.
ch 1, 1 sc into each of the next 10 sts, 2 sc into the next st, 1 sc into each of the next 2 sts, 2 sc into the next st, 1 sc into each of the next 9 sts, sl st to join.

ch 1, 1 sc into each st around, sl st to join.

ch 1, 1 sc into each of the next 11 sts, 2 sc into the next st, 1 sc into each of the next 2 sts, 2 sc into the next st, 1 sc into each of the next 10 sts, sl st to join.

ch 1, 1 sc into each st around, sl st to join.

ch 1, 1 sc into each of the next 12 sts, 2 sc into the next st, 1 sc into each of the next 2 sts, 2 sc into the next st, 1 sc into each of the next 11 sts, sl st to join.

ch 1, 1 sc into each st around, sl st to join.

ch 1,1 sc into each of the next 13 sts, 2 sc into the next st, 1 sc into each of the next 2 sts, 2 sc into the next st, 1 sc into each of the next 12 sts, sl st to join.

ch 1, 1 sc into each st around, sl st to join.

ch 1, 1 sc into each of the next 14 sts, 2 sc into the next st, 1 sc into each of the next 2 sts, 2 sc into the next st, 1 sc into each of the next 13 sts, sl st to join.

ch 1, 1 sc into each of the next 12 sts, skip the next 10 sts (for thumb), 1 sc into each of the next 11 sts, sl st to join.

ch 1, 1 sc into each st around, sl st to join.

repeat previous round for 9 more rounds.

ch 1, [1 sc into each of the next 6 sts, sctog] 2 times, 1 sc into each of the next 5 sts, sc2tog, sl st to join.

ch 1, [1 sc into each of the next 3 sts, sc2tog] 4 times, sl st to join.

ch 1, 1 sc into each st around, sl st to join.

ch 1, sc2tog 8 times, sl st to join.

fasten off with a 10" tail, using yarn needle, thread yarn tail through the front loop of the remaining 8 sts and pull tight.

weave in ends.

thumb:

join yarn to any thumb stitch and make 10 sc stitches around, sl st to join.

ch 1, 1 sc into each st around, sl st to join. repeat for 5 more rows.

ch 1, sc2tog 5 times, sl st to join.

fasten off with a 10" tail, and using yarn needle, thread yarn tail through the front loop of the remaining 5 sts and pull tight.

weave in ends.

optional loop:
fold mitten in half with thumb on the right side, attach yarn to the top left corner of ribbing, ch 10, sl st to first ch, tie knot with starting tail and weave in ends.

corner to corner triangle shawl

I crocheted this shawl for a friend of mine using the corner to corner afghan tutorial from The Crochet Crowd, with 4 skeins of Caron Simply Soft yarn, and a 6mm hook.

I've made scarves with this pattern in the past, but this is the first time I've used a solid color yarn.  with variegated yarn the focus is the patchwork of color, so I never noticed before the cool texture it makes!

instead of a rectangle or a square, I did a triangle.  I just increased like the pattern says to, and when I thought it was long enough I simply didn't decrease back down to the other corner.  I did a scallop around the two straight edges to match the "unfinished" long edge, but this is totally optional and I think I'd skip it if I did this one again.

if watching a video isn't your thing, here's a link to a written pattern provided by Artiamus Imura: Corner to Corner Triangle Shawl

crochet slippers

yeah... it's WAY too hot for slippers right now, but I've been thinking about fall to take myself to a cooler place this summer, so I made these slippers for my mom (surprise, mom!).  I think they came out pretty cute for just kinda winging it :)  I took inspiration from these slippers on Etsy from daisychain - I love the big buttons and contrasting colors she uses.

here is a basic slipper pattern from 2 create in color.  I did mine in single crochet and I did rounds instead of a going in a spiral around the toe, but the shape and construction is the same as all other basic crochet slippers.  I used Red Heart Soft in Sea Foam, with a 4.25 mm hook which gives it a more dense feeling.

toe:

make a magic ring

round 1:  ch 2, 9 dc into magic ring, sl st to join, pull ring tight - 10 sts

round 2:  ch 1, 2 sc into each st around, sl st to join - 20 sts

round 3:  ch 1, sc increase into every other st around, sl st. to join - 30 sts

(make more increase rounds to accommodate the width of your foot.)

round 4:  ch 1, sc into each st around, sl st to join - 30 sts (or maintain the amount of sts you have after you finish the increase rounds)

repeat round 4 until you have the toe of your slipper as long as you want minus 1/2" for the edging.

sides and sole:

row 1:  ch 1, sc into each st across, leaving the last sts un-worked for the opening across the top of the foot (I left about 2"), ch 1 and turn.

row 2:  sc into each st across, ch 1 and turn.

repeat row 2 until you reach your heel - you will want this to be a little snug so it doesn't slip off your heel, but not pulled so tight it cramps your toes.

sl st the heel closed and turn right side out.

edging:

round 1:  attach yarn at the center of the top of the foot, ch 1, sc around the edge, sl st to join.

round 2:  ch 1, sc until you reach the side of the slipper, then sc2tog every other st until you reach the toe again, then sc to the end and sl st to join.

toe strap:

while standing, measure from the ground at the ball of your foot to where you want your button to go on the top and make a chain that length.

row 1:  ch 2, hdc into each st across, hdc 4 more times into the last ch, and hdc down the other side of the ch, ch 2 and turn.

row 2:  hdc into each st, and 2 hdc into each of the 5 sts on the center of the curve, then hdc into each st back down the other side, ch 1 and turn.

row 3:  sc into each st, and 2 sc into each of the 6 sts on the center of the curve, then sc unto each st back down the other side.

row 4:  change colors (optional), ch 1, sc into each st around.

attach strap to the slipper and sew on button.  this is easiest to measure while the slipper is on.

I felt like the large button was a very important element, so I had to give the illusion of a bigger button by making a crochet circle to frame the smaller buttons I had.  this was done the same as the very beginning of the slipper, but I squeezed 13 double crochets into the ring instead of only 10 to make a little crochet disc that I could nest the buttons into.

only 3 hot months left before it's time to cover up chilly feet.... yes, you have plenty of time to make yourself a pair ;)

hats and booties for Nigeria

the sewing group I'm in sends newborn hats and booties to The Eku Hospital in Nigeria.  these are the patterns that I like to use:

Booties pattern by Paula Daniele from Crochet Hooks You.  these are pretty simple to do, and they look great.  she does her double crochet 2 together different, but I'm sure any way will do fine.

I can't seem to find the exact hat pattern I use from memory, but it could be that the pattern in my head is a mixture of a bunch of different hats I've made!

round 1:  make a magic circle, ch 2 (counts as 1st dc), dc 9 times into loop, sl st into top of ch 2 to join, pull tail tight to close hole (10 sts)

round 2:  ch 2, dc into same st, 2dc into each st around, sl st into top of ch 2 to join (20 sts)

round 3:  ch 2, dc into same st, *dc into next st, 2 dc into next st, repeat from * to end, sl st into top of ch 2 to join (30 sts)

round 4:  ch 2, dc into same st, *dc into next two sts, 2 dc into next st, repeat from * to end, sl st into top of ch 2 to join (40 sts)

round 5:  ch 2, dc into each st around, sl st into top of ch 2 to join (40 sts)

repeat round 5 until desired length is reached (I did 7" to have enough for a cuff), fasten off, and weave in ends.

I've attached buttons, flowers, and bows to the hats I've made, but they can definitely stay plain and still be cute.  I also use different yarns and hook sizes, so depending on what I use I check this chart to see if the sizing is good.

scalloped washcloth pattern

I saw some dishcloths online and wanted to make my own as washcloths for Mother's Day with some cotton twine I had.  I studied the picture and came up with how to do it.  while writing my pattern it seemed a little difficult to follow, but this is really an easy one to do - I just don't know how to write it out so it's not confusing!

a cotton yarn like Sugar and Cream with a size 5.5mm hook works well with this pattern.

ch = chain

dc = double crochet

sc = single crochet

sk = skip

sl st = slip stitch

st = stitch

round 1:

make a magic loop

12 sc into loop, pull tail tight, sl st into 1st st to join round

round 2:

ch 5 (counts as 1 dc and ch 2 corner)

*1 dc in next 3 sts, ch 2 to make corner, repeat from * 3 times

sl st in top of the first dc (the ch 3) to join round, and sl st into ch 2 corner space

total of 12 dc sts (including beginning ch 3)

rounds 3-8:

ch 3 (counts as first dc)

1 dc, ch 2, 2 dc into corner space

*1 dc in between each dc from previous row

2 dc into the ch 2 corner space, ch 2, 2 dc into same ch 2 corner space

repeat from * 2 more times

1 dc in between each dc on the last side

sl st to join into first dc (the ch 3 from beginning of row), and sl st into ch 2 corner space

total of 24, 36, 48, 60, 72, and 84 dc sts (including beginning ch 3)

round 9:

ch 3 (counts as first dc)

8 dc into ch 2 corner space

side: (sk 2 dc sts and sc in between dc sts, sk 2 dc sts and do 7 dc in between dc sts) - repeat 3 times

corner: (sk 2 dc sts and sc in between dc sts, 9 dc into ch 2 corner space - you'll be skipping 3 dc sts this time)

repeat side and corner for the next 2 sides

repeat side once more, then sl st into the top of the ch 3 of the 1st corner to join round

weave in ends

total of 168 sts (including beginning ch 3)

optional:

if you want to add a loop to hang the washcloth from, when you get to the 4th corner, between the 4th and 5th dc, make a ch 10 and sl st to the first chain, then continue in the pattern.

once you get the hang of these, they whip up in no time.  this one is sort of a mindless project for me, but I think a video might work better to see that than my written pattern.  I will try to work on that.

drawstring pouch

earlier in the year we spent a lot of time watching TV when Matt came home at night and on the weekends.  we thought we should cut back and not watch TV during the week, so we've been playing cards and dominoes or working the occasional puzzle in the evening after the kids go to bed.  I looked online to see what new games I could find and I came across rules for a simple domino game called Matador.  it's played with double sixes and it's pretty easy.  I think the boys will like playing this one when they're older.

inspired by a little pouch a friend gave me a long time ago, I crocheted a little drawstring pouch to hold the mini dominoes, then made another to give away.

I used a size 3.25mm hook and embroidery floss.
round 1: 12 SC into a magic loop, pull tight (do not sl st to join the round - this is worked in a continuous spiral)
round 2: 1 inc. (2 SC into 1 st) in each st around (24 sts)
round 3: 2 SC, 1 inc. repeat around (32 sts)
round 4: 3 SC, 1 inc. repeat around (40 sts)
round 5-30: 1 SC into each st around (40 sts), sl st to last st to even out the top of the round, and weave in the ends.  use crocheted or braided embroidery floss for the drawstring.

fold the pouch flat,

start on one side and weave between the stitches until you reach the side you started on.

repeat for the opposite side

and tie the ends in knots so they don't come out.

I wasn't sold on crocheting in a spiral because the uneven break in the stripe kinda bugged me on the ombre-ish bag and I tried to hide the color change step on the side, but the black and white stripes made it look cool, so I positioned it for the front (or back) of the bag.

little orange bunny

I wanted to crochet a jackalope for Jack, so I watched some videos on the basics of Amigurumi and made up this little test bunny.  I'll definitely need to go up to a larger size when I do the next one, but this is just too cute :)  I like his big feet and head, but the little tail is my favorite part, and it helps him sit upright.

as soon as Leo saw this guy with just one ear on he wanted it, so I tried to hurry and finish it up so he could have it.  it's funny the things he gets excited about.

he followed me outside to get some pics of it before I handed it over and he roughed it up, but he was actually very gentle with it... at first.  then he started hitting the plants with it.  boys!

crochet pacifier clip

a friend of ours had a baby girl recently and I wanted to make her something, so I searched to see what would be cute and quick to do.  I decided on a crochet pacifier clip like this one from BerryCuteBaby.

with doubled embroidery floss and a 3.25mm hook, I did a row of foundation double crochet until it looked about as long as I wanted, then did a row of double crochet down the other side and ended with a chain loop.  I fed the end through the end of a suspender clip and stitched it down real good, then stitched down a flower over that because to get it tight and secure on the clip it looked kinda... meh.  the flower made it cute and served its purpose to cover my sewing.

even if she ends up not liking pacifiers, this works good as a leash for teething toys.

Mother's Day gifts

for mother's day I did a couple of gift baskets for my mom and Matt's mom... and forgot to get a pic of them when they were finished!  this has become a common problem for me lately :(

I made 2012 Mixbooks - I think a year without one would be a disappointment!  I feel bad that Jack isn't in there (except for the sonogram pics) but he shoulda showed up sooner! ;)

 

I did get some pics of the grandmothers with both boys, so they'll at least have those.  I framed them and also put them on the fronts of some pocket mirrors I found at Michaels.

     

I saw this set of washcloths and made my own with some cotton twine, and added a loop on one of the corners so it could be hung up on a Command hook in the shower.  or, over the stove and used to set hot pots on.  they're cute and they were fun to make however they get used :)

after seeing so many posts around about using transparencies in liquid soap dispensers, it gave me the idea to laminate pressed flowers (some from my yard, some snatched here and there!) and submerge them in liquid hand soap dispensers that I peeled the labels off of.  these were a hit, and I'm totally making myself one next.

I used some fabric napkins I had leftover from the granny square pillow to put in the baskets as liners, and added some bar soap from World Market that smelled sooo good, and Ghirardelli chocolate assortments.  gift baskets are so much fun to put together :)