French knots and Wooden Pendants

Recently hugsarefun.com, aka my friend Rebecca, participated in the January Artisan Collective.

Wherein she sold her wooden pendants along with many other very cool stitchery.  I particularly wanted to try the wood and plastic pendants.  They are laser cut and gorgeous.  The woodis bamboo and it even SMELLS like bamboo.  I really enjoyed to whole experience of stitching on them. Ambiance, if you will.

They are cut and also sold by Beaudeux.  And Included in these adorable kits from Hugs are Fun. They include everything you would need and are great for a new stitcher.

I'm always trying to find new things to stitch on and have wanted to try these everything I would hear about them from Rebecca.  They are great for cross stitch. But I wanted to try French knots in some capacity for a while.  I'm planning a color wheel for the bigger one and absolutely love how this turned out.  I like the open holes and the wood grain with a classic-ish embroidery idea of flowers.

I found this pattern on pinterest, but messed it up so I it's half pattern, half winging it  :)  

Anyone interested in these or similar flowers as a pattern?  

Lil Cross Stitch Buttons. Wheeeee!

I have been knocking out little projects and working on larger ones.  I made a list yesterday, I have 14.  Not including the things still in my head.  I'm gunna need a nanny. 

I've been cross stitching for about 3 months and I'm ready to expand.  I like working with the smaller project.  It's really satisfying to complete something nearly daily and be much more portable.  An afghan can take months and it's going to sit in the same spot for a while. 

First was these...

Which I LOVE.  The colors are perfect.  I made them into earrings but they felt weird and I don't have the guts to wear them. So I'm going to rip off the earring back and make them buttons also. 

But I'm wearing them everydamnwhere.

Then this - 
I experimented with an idea I saw on Pinterest.  I LOVE this. 

I buttoned it and threw it on my pea coat.

Then I did a heart and a skull.

These are just something cute for Violet's coat.

The skull is done in Kreinik Metallics.  This stuff is great.  I have a huge assortment of colors to play with.  :D

She loves skulls and monsters.  She calls them "rawrs". 

The buttons are 7/8" and 1".  They have a few different sizes and I'm mos def going to be making more.  I love me some buttons. 

I'm planning a tutorial for the buttons.  That is.  If you want one...

It's good to have crafty friends! Handmade baby gifts.

I obviously love to make things.  I'm lucky that I have people around me that also love to make things.  It seems that all us craft nerds have really similar styles, or at least get each other's style pretty easily.

Gail made me a tons of stuff.  She's the resident seamstress. A baby carrier, burp cloths, bibs and blankets.  I LOOOOVE these shapes.  I had a little panic attack for a minute because I couldn't find the blanket.  It was in the hospital bag.  DUH.

Rebecca made the Solar System cross stitch.  This is perfect for his room.  And I was coveting it for months since she showed me her original. 

The chrome Robot is from Target, the shelf from IKEA and the W is also a gift from Rebecca.  Check out the artist at jimbot.com very cool collection. 

Jasmin, the master of combining fabric patterns and colors.  She made a couple of these for Violet, I'll have to get photos of them, cause they are gorgeous. 

Marsha, my aunt.  She made hats for Violet before she was born because I couldn't crochet yet.  She's an inspirational crafter.   :)  Just lookit that edge. 

Mom, my mom put together this laundry basket.  OMG.  You know how cute it is. 

Then there is a few things I made.  The booties were made from this pattern and the blanket that started the CHEVRON fever.  I bought this fabric at 4 weeks pregnant.  I was sure it was a boy.  I started and finished the blanket the week after our 20 week ultrasound.

This kid is going to be warm and comfy!

...He can get here now...

Perfect Puff Bow

I had this idea...
that I would make little bows and turn them into necklaces. I've seen this idea and I'm not sure if it was completely mine. I'm going to claim it though cause why would I have seen it if I didn't do a search for it. Crafter logic.

So I haven't found a bow that I really liked and looked like what was in my head so I came up with one.
Here are the prototypes.  They sizes are slightly different, and can all be used for different things.

The best mod was adding those pellets.  :)

Update:  The pattern is done and for sale!

I made one more modification here.  I switched from dc to hdc.  It made it slightly more compact and it holds the pellets a bit better.

Toddler Owl Purse

If I have learned anything in my last couple years of crocheting and crafting it's that people love them some owls.

As it is Sunday, Jeff is home so he is helping me chase our little monster around the house.  I tagged him in and I hopped on Ravelry looking for an idea for something completely different.

Violet is starting to pick thing up and "collect" them.  Rocks and things.  And by collect I mean she brings them to me to hold onto.  On a whim I made her this little purse to collect her treasures.  It took about 30-45 mins.  I took it apart once and started over so I'm not sure exactly.  

The pattern isn't mine. It's here.

She loves anything made of yarn.  Especially anything that she can point out it's eyes and nose.  

My chicken is getting TOO big!

A Little Dress and Some George Jones

My gramma died almost 7 years ago.  She taught me to crochet and embroider.  She was the matriarch and the queen crafter of the family.

I have very recently acquired some of her hooks.  She's got every kind I've ever seen and some bamboo and white plastic ones (which I've never seen in the store).  She never had much so I feel like these are just random hooks she picked up here and there with a random skein to play around.

I came across this little dress.  I generally dress my daughter like a little tomboy.  She loves the outside so I just don't see a reason to put a dress on her that will inhibit her movements.  But this dress is so cute, and warm.  It's also a vintage pattern, which I love.  It felt like to right thing to use the green I hook.  That I remember learning on when I was in elementary school.  

The pattern itself is a little intimidating,  but it was easier to follow than I thought it would be.  Lots of dc.

Here is is on Ravelry.  ----  http://www.ravelry.com/projects/GraceFaithHope/angel-wings-pinafore

 I used my gramma's I hook and 4 ply yarn to size up from the 0-3 months to my smallish 14 month old (she wears 12-18 month shirts and 9-12 month pants).  I should also say, I figured it would be too short since the pattern is for a 0-3 mo.  So I made it 21 rows, the pattern calls for 18, but it was too long.  I pulled out to 18 and it comes just above her knee.  Shes 29 inches tall.  

I listened to George Jones and crocheted faster than I ever have, I think.  I took about 2.5 hours.

The yarn is "Seafoam" by Red Heart Soft.  Its a really nice green/blue/gray and reminded me of the kid's eyes.

For My Baldy

Just something cute  :)

Aw lookit! A lil owl!

Violet's backpack got me thinking about owls.  

I made a little coffee cozy for my mom with an owl on it and it turned out cute so I wanted to share the steps and the pattern I came up with  :)

Here is the finished product I made for my mom.  

Let me know in the comments if you want that pattern too.  (p.s.: it feels good not needing to credit a pattern.  Cause I made it up all by myself!  :D)

AHEM.

Anyway.

You can use any gauge or yarn.  Its a very simple pattern.  I choose an G for the cosy owl and an I for the following one.   I ended up liking the smaller size of the G better.  

***The complete pattern as I've written it at the bottom of the blog, feel free to skip my rambling.***

Begin with a magic circle and 5 sc (singe crochet)  into the circle.  As was the case with the daisies the loop on the hook is going to be the 6th sc.

Join the circle and sc into each st (stitch).  You are increasing the circle, this is how it comes out flat.  Total of 12 sc around.

 We are changing color next.  I honestly don't like changing colors.  It looks nice.  I want to be good at it.  I'm just not really.  I have to practice more.  I'm just being lazy about it and this is for me and it was an experiment so who cares right?!  Right. Thank you. 

You can see the lack of expertise with the red starting abruptly and the oddness of this.  In a big project it wouldn't be noticeable   

This row is another increase.  We want to keep this as flat as we can, so do 2sc in each st to beg (beginning).  You will have 24 sc.

 OK.  That's the body.  Lets start the head. Continue with 2sc for the next three stitches.  You are going to want 6 sc st on the top.

 Those scs are the foundation of the head.  Ch(chain) 3 and turn.

 The head is really just two roundish bumps to accommode the eyes.  Now dc (double crochet) in the SAME place as the beginning of the chain.  And do two more dc.  You are going to have 4 columns now.
 To create the bump down sl (slip stitch) in the next SC.  Then continue with 3 more dc in the next three stitches. At this point you will have a very straight side and a rounded side.  To balance the sides chain 2 and sl into the next st.

BODY DONE!

Now for eyes.

Magic circle, 4 sc DO NOT JOIN, tie tails together.  This makes a not quite round circle.

Figure out your placement.  And sew them on.  This is where you will need a yarn needle.  Normally you would sew in the ends.  But in this case I tie them.  It is a bit of an old school crochet no-no.  But who cares.  I don't want them showing through the other color yarn so I tie em.

The pupils of my slightly cross eyed owl are achieved with a technique called a French Knot.  Learn it, love it.  I learned this one when doing embroidery.  It's tricky at first but an invaluable yarn art skill. 

The beak is a yellow sewn in piece of yarn.  More embroidery here.   Cut a piece about this size.

Insert the needle from the back slightly underneath the eye.  

 Then insert it right underneath the other eye.  Leave some slack.  This is where the magic happens.

Now insert the needle from the back to the point that you want the tip of your beak.  Pull it tighter.

Pull the yarn to make it snug.

Now insert the needle in the SAME hole you just made.  This pulls the tip and you can only see that it is joined this way if you know what you are looking for.  Sew in the end then tie it to the first tail from the first needle poke. 

DONE!  

I think he's cute.  

I tend to enjoy off colors. But I like animals with colors that don't happen to those animals in nature.  :shrug:

 Here is a size comparison
Left - I hook, 2.5inches wide by 3 inches tall
Right - G hook, 2 inches wide by 2.5 inches tall


Hmm...  I wonder what this guy would look like with a super bulky yarn and over sized needle.... 

Pattern:

Supplies:
Hook - G or I
Yarn - Worsted Weight - 4 ply, two or three colors
Scissors 
Yarn needle

Body

magic circle
Row 1:
6sc
join and work a sc in the same st  

Row 2:
2sc in each st (12)  cut off tail

Row 3:
change color
2Sc in each st (24)

Row 4:
2sc in each of the next 3 st ch 2 and turn

Row 5:
dc into same st and 2 st
sl into the next st
dc into the next 3 st
ch2 and sl into next sl
tie off and weave in


Eyes
magic circle
4 sc do not join
tie tails together.  

Beak

4 inch yellow
sew in

Attach to clothes, headband, hat, whatever :)