Sherwood's New Hat

I got to crochet tonight! Even though last night was not productive craft wise, tonight I was able to sit down while watching "The Terminator" with Aaron and crochet Sherwood's hat. I found a pattern online to get me started but really it is my own pattern. Here's what I did:

1. Chain 4, double crochet 11 in the 4th chain from the hook, slip stitch into the first chain.

2. Slip stitch into the top of the next two double crochets. Then chain 3. Double crochet into the same stitch. Skip a stitch and do two double crochets. Continue in this manner around the circle. Slip stitch into the third stitch of the chain (that was made at the beginning of this step).

3. Continue in like manner until the hat is large enough. I continued to increase stitches by adding two double crochets right next to the original chain of 3 in each row.

4. Tie off (can finish by slip stitching around the rim but I didn't do that so that it would be stretchy).

That's it. Simple. And then I turned it inside out because I liked the look of the ribs that were inside the hat. And viola! Here's the finished product. Can't wait to get a picture of it on my little one's head!

The finished product:

Upside down but here you can see some of the details:

Next to the model:

Frustrations in Crafting

I fully intended to begin work on a cute little beanie for my little one to wear after he is born. I actually even started on it. But thanks to the movers the yarn was a tangled mess. So after being frustrated, throwing the yarn on the floor, and cutting off the part that I had started, I began the process of untangling the messy yarn. It took me two hours! I was very irritated by the amount of time it took and am even more irritated that it means that there will be no more crocheting for me tonight. Hopefully tomorrow I will have better luck. But here is a picture of the beautiful ball of yarn, the little piece that I did actually accomplish (and didn't rip out), my crochet hook, the scissors that were very necessary in the process of untangling the yarn, and a little hat I am using as a size guide. Looking forward to having something more concrete to show you this weekend. Gotta get my craft on!

Yesterday and today...

I didn't craft at all yesterday. I wanted to but my stomach was so upset that I just couldn't bring myself to risk destroying my creations. I spent the day in bed or laying on the couch cuddling in my hubby's arms.

Today I worked more on Mother's Day crafts. Didn't spend a whole lot of time on it but have made some progress. Maybe tonight I will bring down the other tools that I need and complete it. We will see. So another boring blog post for you. But have no fears. Crafting continues and pictures will come. :)

Mother's Day Part I

Mother's Day is coming up quickly. With our mothers being on the other side of the country I thought it might be a good idea to get started on crafting gifts. Due to the fact that they are gifts and cards to be sent to our mothers I will not be posting any pictures until I know that our mothers have received them. Cards are in the works tonight.

Idina's New Dress Part I

I have never made any kind of clothing (doll, dog, human) without a pattern before. I thought it was about time I tried. But rather than be overwhelmed by making something that was made for a myself or one of my loved ones (the human variety) I decided to start with something for my little dog.

First of all let me preface this with the fact that she loves to wear clothes. Weird, I know. But she gets so excited when I put clothes on her and gets upset when I take them off. I discovered this shortly after adopting her. It was winter and she kept shivering and burying herself under blankets. I was at the store and saw a cute little sweater that was around $5-10. I got it for her and brought it home, having no idea what she would think. Well, she didn't even want me to take it off the hanger that it came on, she was so excited about it. Since then I have done my share of buying her clothes and she has a nice mini wardrobe.

Last August I had to take her to the vet for a uti and while she was there the vet said that she needed to lose some weight. She has done an awesome job of it but it has made it so that many of her dresses are just a bit too big for her. Plus, her favorite dress (picture included) is getting a bit raggy. I'm not going to retire it quite yet but I thought it was time to try my hand at making her a dress.

The fabric that I am using for the skirt is some that I picked up years ago on sale at Joann's for some project and it has moved around with me. The top part is left over from Christmas projects, and the yellow is binding from Sherwood's quilt. It will have the binding (probably) as straps and some red ribbon as well. I am a bit concerned that it will be big enough for Idina's belly and if it is not than I may add little buttons and loops on the bottom. As you can tell, I am still in the designing phase and am basing things on what will fit my little girl who still has some weight to lose in the belly. I may just tie ribbons as the straps and under her belly so it can adjust as she gets smaller. But we will see.

Idina's favorite dress (bought at Target):

The beginning of the dress (the red is the bodice even though it has no shape right now):

Crochet My Heart Away

I've been in a bit of a rut the last few days I suppose by sticking to my crocheting, despite the fact that I have a whole list of projects that I want to get done. I suppose it has to do with the fact that crocheting is so easy to do while sitting on the couch with my husband and my dog. It also works well for watching tv/movies.

Today I have been fighting being sick to my stomach. It has not been a good day. So I wanted to do something creative that didn't require a lot of thought or effort on my part. So I pulled out my favorite crochet book (my mom bought it for me a few years ago for Christmas) and decided tonight was the perfect night to try a variety of different stitches that I had been longing to try.

So there aren't any pictures for tonight. Maybe tomorrow I will post some of the little things that I come up with. But since I am mostly trying stitches and then ripping them out there is very little to show. Hopefully I will come up with a stitch that I love.

The book that I am using is by Sasha Kagan and is called "Crochet Inspiration." It has a huge number of different stitches and a few patterns at the back that utilize the stitches in the rest of the book. Great for anyone looking to expand their knowledge of crochet stitches or even just starting out.

Here are two examples of things I was working on:

#1: A flower (same pattern as that used on Idina's leash)

#2: Double Crochet Granny Square

Idina's Leash Part II

I finished Idina's leash today. The biggest trick was how to take the head piece and make it tight when its on but have it still be loose, like I made it, to get over her head. Solution was to make a little crochet ball and a single crochet hoop to loop over it. I finished the leash part, and made flowers to add decoration to it. The pictures don't do it justice. Need to try to retake them in the daylight, I guess. But Idina was excited when I put it on. She was ready for a walk! Good sign. We'll try it out tomorrow morning.

Idina sporting her new leash:

The whole leash, all finished:

A close up of the button (its kinda hard to see, sorry):

One of the flowers close up (again, kinda hard to see since it is attached to yarn of the same color, but you get the idea):

Monday, April 26: Idina and I have been using the new leash the last few days and she loves it! Its bigger than the other one so it allows her to have a little more room in the legs, and I made it longer so it allows her to explore just a bit more than the other one did. There are a few things I would do differently if I make another one but I'm so glad it was a success. :)

Idina's Leash Part I

I love getting things for my little doggy because she always gets so excited about them. I wanted a new leash for her but knew that we don't have the money to get something like that which is unnecessary. However, I do have a nice collection of random yarns and I do know how to crochet. So I decided to try to create my own halter leash. I haven't figured out how to tighten the head part once it is on and I haven't finished it but I made progress tonight. Here are the two pieces that I have so far. The halter is finished (minus the tightening method) and the leash part is almost finished. I want to add flowers to it when I am done tucking in the ends and everything. So stay tuned for the finished product. :)

Here it is next to the original leash (yes, it is a bit bigger than the original):

Here's the whole thing:

Winter Wonderland?

I wanted to make Aaron a scarf for Christmas, but with the move and everything it didn't quite happen as planned. Shortly after moving to Delaware we went to Michael's to pick out some yarn so that I could start making one.

I did get part of it done in time for the second round of snowstorms but Aaron decided he wanted it to be a lot thicker, and that required more yarn. I went to the store sometime after the snowstorms cleared and was able to pick up some more yarn.

But it had warmed up quite a bit by that point. And my wrists (which ache at times anyway) were causing me to be in too much pain to crochet. So the scarf got put aside and was only about a third of the way done.

Tonight I decided it was time to finish it. Just in time for shorts, tank tops, and swim suits. Oh well. At least he will have it when the first snow storm hits next year or the first really cold night. And I feel good in having FINALLY accomplishing what I had set out to do.

I made it extra long so that he can wrap it around his neck a couple times. The color of red is a bit darker than it looks in the picture (its the same color as our couch, lol!). I used a basic double crochet stitch. Nothing fancy. Three rows and then I switched colors.   Weaved in the ends and here's the results.

MONKEYS!!

Let me start out by saying that I am not really an artist in the sense that I don't normally draw pictures and things of that nature. If I do they are usually tiny and for the purposes of cards and scrapbooking. But I got it into my head that I wanted to do a monkey painting for my little monkey's room.

Tonight I gathered a couple of monkeys that I really like and started sketching. I sketched for a little over an hour and here is what I came up with. They are very rough sketches. The biggest problem is that I have to make it bigger because it has to fit on part of a canvas that is 11" by 14" (I have a saying that will go on the other 2/3 to 1/2 of the canvas). But its a start. Let me know what you think and which one you like best.

#1:

#2:

#3:

#4:

#5:

#6:

#7:

And here's the saying that I am going to put on the other side of the canvas. I found it on a friend's facebook and it was taken from art-moms.com. As far as I can tell it isn't copyrighted. I would love to give credit to the writer if someone knows who it was written by but if not I will be happy to give the website credit.

Before you were born

I dreamed of you,

I imagined you,

I prayed for you.

Now that you're here

I hope for you,

I love you,

And I thank God for you.

Thinking of you...

A friend of mine sadly lost her daughter last week. Bridget was 21 years old and had major health issues, including a mental disorder. Basically she was a three year old trapped in an adult's body. Over the years my friend had struggled to take care of her daughter, reaping the benefits of loving on her, and dealing with the heartache of all the set backs. Bridget was about to graduate from high school through the special education program this May.

I don't know all the details of what led up to her death. I do know that she was having breathing difficulties. I also know that no matter what caused the death, it was tragic. Maybe not as much for Bridget who is now in Heaven with God, and who is now without pain or suffering, but for the loved ones that she left behind. Being across the country has made it hard for me, as I can't go to my friend and comfort her. My mother has been in contact with her (they are also friends) and has sent my condolences, but I really wanted to send her a little handmade card to show my love.

Last week I kept meaning to ask Aaron to bring the cricuit downstairs so that I could use it. Finally tonight, with this blog on my mind, I asked him and I got to work on a simple condolence card. Its not complicated. It shouldn't have taken me as long as it did to make. But hopefully it will bring a smile to my friend's face and let her know that she is loved, even from across the country.

A new beginning

A new chapter of my life is starting. I suppose it technically started in December when we moved across the country from Arizona to Delaware. But within the next few weeks a new life will be entering the world and charming my heart. Meanwhile, I have been feeling as though a part of my life, and my creativity has been compromised. I have spent the last four months concentrating on the move, setting up the house (which still needs lots of work), preparing for our little one's arrival, and basically living life.

Currently I am sitting on the couch, my cute little dog all snuggled in an afghan next to me, watching "Julie and Julia." It was there that I got an idea. What if I create a blog in which I challenge myself to do something creative every day for the next year?

So its a stolen idea. To some extent. But I am hoping that perhaps with a place to load my ideas and pictures of the things I come up with, perhaps it will help me to keep a part of me, the creative part of me, alive even as I take up a new role in life.

Here's hoping that I can keep motivated. Now, as to what to do today? Another post to come later tonight.