Cuteness Overload

Remember those baby hats I crocheted a while ago?  Well here are some pictures of the recipient, baby Madison.  All of the pictures were taken by her mom, my friend Leah.  Enjoy the cuteness.

First, the Cheri hat:

And the owl hat:

Thanks for sharing the pictures, Leah.  She really is adorable.

Lacy Cowl Complete (Late FO Friday)

Pattern:  Lacy Mohair Cowl
Needles:  US size 15
This was made as a Christmas gift for my hair stylist.

I am a little lot embarrassed that I typed my blog address incorrectly on the tag.  It should have been dashes, not underscores.  Ooops.  I will never make that mistake again.

Check out other FO's at Tami's Amis.

WIP Wednesday: Groovyghan and a Fuzzy Lacy Cowl

Check out Tami's Amis for more great WIPs.

I have started a Groovyghan. I have been wanting to crochet an afghan for a while now, and when my husband saw the Groovyghan on Ravelry, the decision was made. I am using stash yarns and an H hook.

On Monday, I decided to cast on a cowl to give to my hair stylist as a Christmas gift. I searched Ravelry and found a simple but pretty lacy cowl pattern. I hope she likes it.

Sorry for the crappy pictures. I used my Ipad, and the colors are not accurate. The cowl is a very pretty green color. I will post better pictures next time.

WIP Wednesday: Mitts and a Moose

I have two works in progress(wips) this week.  I have been making myself some fingerless mitts.  I had a great pair that I knit a few years ago, but I cannot find them anywhere, which is actually not a surprise since all my winter accessories are in a pile in a closet.  I really need to get them organized.

Pattern:  V Stitch Fingerless Gloves
Hook:  G
I made a mistake reading the pattern for row 6 and didn't notice until I had almost completed the first mitt.  I decided to just continue with my mistake instead of starting over :)  I also changed the ribbed cuff to a plain sc cuff.

So far this pattern is going well.  The second mitt is feeling a little smaller than the first one, though.

My second wip is for a group challenge on Ravelry.  The challenge is over, but I am still planning to complete my moose head.

Pattern:  Bucky, the Stuffed Moose
Needle: size 4
I love this pattern so far.  I decided to knit in a solid color instead of the multicolored patches.

It's a difficult project to photograph, but I think you can see how the shaping is turning out.  I am also in the planning stages of a groovyghan and thinking about knitting some gloves with fingers as a Christmas gift.

Join in the fun and visit other bloggers and their wips at Tami's Amis.

It's a Cowllage!

Get it?  Hehehe.

Cowls, Cowls and More Cowls

Pattern:  Marian

Needles:  Size 19, 29 inch circular

This first cowl I actually completed and gifted a while ago, but I have not posted it yet.  After I made the original Marian cowl, I had a lot of requests.  Everyone wanted a chunky seed stitch cowl.  This first cowl was knit for my mom.  She chose the color.

The next one was a birthday gift for my sister-in-law.  Same color as my mom's.  I picked the color.  And, yes, I look silly in this picture.  Awful posing.

Finally I knit this one for my godmother.  She wanted me to choose the color, and when I saw this yarn I immediately thought of her.  I used a different yarn for this cowl, so it ended up skinnier than the other four that I have knit, but it's still really beautiful.

If you have not already seen the other two Marian cowls, here is a link to my taupe cowl and my sister's grey cowl.  I really love this pattern.  It is so quick, easy, and satisfying.

Kia Headband

I finished my first color work design and my first attempt at mosaic knitting.  This headband was inspired by my cute white kitty, Kia.

I entered this in a designer's challenge on Ravelry this month. I'm pretty sure that I will not win, though. Some of the entries are amazing! I am just glad that I started creating my own designs again.

Graphing a New Design

I am working on a design for a challenge in a group on Ravelry. The design requires color work, so I am trying mosaic knitting. I started graphing my design using an online charting software. Right now I am modifying this design to make it work better with mosaic knitting and will start knitting this weekend.

Baby Hats

A friend of mine has a six-month-old baby girl, Madison.  She found a picture on Pinterest of a baby in a cute newsboy hat and asked me if I could make something similar.  I searched for some patterns, my friend bought some yarn she liked, and here is what we ended up with: pure cuteness.

Pattern:  Cheri hat

Size Made:  6-12 months

Hook Size:  G, H

The flower was made using a Zinnia pattern that I found at crochetpatterncentral.com.

I had a bunch of extra yarn, so I decided to make another hat.  I couldn't help myself :)

 

Pattern:  Owl Hat

Size Made:  6-12 months

Hook Size:  H

 

These hats were so quick and satifying (and cute).  I think I may be addicted to making baby hats :)

Summer Crafting: Taupe Cowl

I knit myself a cowl this summer also.  Today was the first day I wore it, so I took a couple of photos, finally.

Pattern:  Marian Cowl

Needles:  size 19 circular, 29 in.

Yarn:  Lion Brand Wool Ease Thick and Quick

The yarn feels nice against my skin, although it did leave lots of fuzzies on the sweater I was wearing.  This cowl will be great to wear on those cold, winter days that are coming our way.

Well, that's it for my summer crafting.  I did not do a lot of knitting and crocheting this summer, but I have already started the fall and winter crafting, so more posts to come soon.

Summer Crafting: Barefoot Sandals

No pattern, made just for fun.  I really like them.  I think I would like to make more, maybe beaded.

Summer Crafting: Yoda Hat

I love how this hat turned out.  I used some vintage yarn that I got on Craigslist, used a basic ear flap hat pattern, and added some ears and fiberfill for hair.  

Summer Crafting: City Girl and a Lesson in Gauge

All last winter I really wanted a hat to go with my new coat.  My husband was not happy with any of the hats I already owned because they did not match my awesome red shoes that I wear almost all winter long, so I decided to make myself a nice red hat.

Pattern:  City Girl

Hook Size:  Too big :(

I really like this pattern, especially the pattern that the post double crochet stitches create.  

I think I learned a valuable lesson about checking gauge for crochet projects.  I have never checked gauge for a crochet project, but I often do with knitting projects.  This hat works well if I slouch a lot of the hat to the back of my head, but as you can see, the hat is actually big enough to cover my entire head!   It's huge!  Oh well, I will probably still wear it this winter :)

Eyeball Hacky Sack

This is the second eyeball hacky sack that I have made.  The first one was blue, but I never took a picture.  It was one of the few items that sold when I did a craft fair a couple years ago.  It's my own pattern. 

 Pattern:  My own
Crochet Hook:  7/1.65 mm
Yarn:  DMC embroidery floss

A Gift for Liz

My aunt and godmother, Liz, started chemotherapy this week, so I made a little care package for her.

First, some earrings inspired by a pair we saw at an artist's open house over Thanksgiving.  The chain is sterling silver, which is so beautiful I decided it was worth the extra cost.  I really like the texture on the heart charms.  The chain is so delicate that I was afraid it would slip through the tiny space in the jump rings.  I decided to try soldering for the first time.  It worked out well.  I am really happy with how these earrings turned out, and it was fun to use my new tools.

 I also made her a chemo hat.  I chose the softest yarn I could find in my stash and found the button at JoAnn's.

 Pattern:  Robin's Egg Blue Hat
Needles:  Size 10 straight

I knit this flat instead of in the round because I could not find my size 10 circular needles.  I need to get more organized.  I'm pretty happy with the results and I hope she really likes it.

New Beading Tools

I love my new tools!  They are comfortable and easy to use, and they come with their own storage case!!  It's really too exciting for words.  I am currently using my new tools to make a pair of earrings for my godmother.  Pictures will be here soon :)

Yoda Hat Progress

Pattern:  Lion Brand Earflap Hat

Size I crochet hook

Yarn:  Not sure.  I got it free on Craigslist :)

 Right now I just want to use it as a crocheted bowl :)

I am using the Lion Brand pattern as a base and then will be adding some large Yoda ears.  I wanted to add eyes too, but Hubby doesn't want them(and the hat is for him after all).  So far the pattern is really easy; all I have left is the earflaps.  I am hoping to be finished this week, so I can start a cute, soft hat for my aunt who will soon be starting chemo treatments.

Finally, Swirl is Complete

Pattern:  Swirl by Kristin Omdahl

I added a bunch of extra rows because the original pattern turned out too small.  I also made my own sleeves.  I crocheted a simple tube, then added a ruffle at the ends.

 I still need to find the perfect pin to use as a closure, but I am loving my new sweater/wrap.

You can check out my Ravelry page for this project here.

Random Sunday Ramblings

1. The A to Z challenge, which I participated in on my Project 365 blog, is over.  I survived!  And now I should be back to posting more regularly on this blog.

2.  I bought a Kindle Fire recently.  My husband convinced me to buy it for myself; he even made the purchase for me.  I never thought I would want an e-reader, but now that I have it, I love it.  I can use it to view knitting/crochet patterns, read books, surf the web, etc., etc.

3.  Speaking of crochet patterns, I am trying to crochet a Yoda hat for my husband.  More details to come later.

4.  I finished the Swirl sweater that I have been working on for two years.  I even wore it one day!  I'm still searching for the perfect pin/brooch to use as a closure, but I have a pin I can use temporarily.  I will post pictures soon, maybe tomorrow.

5.  I'm thinking of making some barefoot sandals.

6.  I also want to make a crochet jellyfish.

What's going on in your life right now?

Sparkly Blue Nails

I have always had difficulties with my nails.  For as long as I can remember, I have been a nailbiter.  I go through phases where I let my nails grow, but eventually I always end up destroying them again.  The strange thing is that I have been able to let my nails grow during some of the most stressful times of my life and have destroyed them when feeling totally calm and at peace.

As I mentioned in a recent post, Pinterest has sparked my interest in nail art.  I thought it would be a great inspiration for me to keep my nails healthy.  So this weekend I tried painting my nails for the first time in many many years.  Sorry for the blurry pic :)

Sally Hansen's Blew Me Away covered with Old Navy's Holiday

It's really weird having blue nails but I am totally digging it.  They surprise me every time I see them and have made me smile so many times today :)  I can't wait to try the next color and, hopefully, get better at applying nail polish.