Tulip Stitch Baby Afghan

It has almost been a year since I posted about Lady A's Star Burst Crochet Stitch Blankie and it is time to share my latest one with you.

I am so excited. Lady #2 will be joining us in April so I got it done just in time. The yarn I like to use for the little ones is Caron Simply Soft Yarn because it is just that, nice and soft for their soft skin.

Like the Star Burst afghan I pulled a stitch from my go to book and turned it into an afghan again.

Since I only used three colors I was able to leave the different skeins attached instead of constantly cutting and re-attaching the next color with every row. For example, as I finished up the row of purple and would need to move onto white, I simple grabbed both yarn strands to create my chain. Then let go of the purple and carried on with the row of white.

When placing the grey binding around the sides where the two yarns were used to create the chain,  it was covered up nicely. So it was a win win!!

Does that make sense? I hope so. If not please leave me a comment and I'll try to re-explain it.

Items needed for this project:
'Handbook of Crochet Stitches' by Betty Barnden
Hook I/9-5.50MM 
Scissors
Colors used for this blanket.
White
Sunshine
Orchid
Grey Heather
{I used about 8 oz of the first three colors, so 1 1/3 skeins of each and just enough Grey Heather to go around for a binding} 

Good luck on your next project. Be sure to share with me if you decide to make one. I would love to see it.

Project Crochet-a-Long for February

I noticed that a few of the ladies I follow are doing a crochet-a-long for the month of February and I thought this would be great to get in on. There are a couple of projects that I am wanting to get done {and soon} before Lady #2 gets here.

Hosted by Kim from 733blog

Heather from Twin Dragonfly Designs

and Mandy from Sugar Bee Crafts

These ladies have all chosen some great projects to work on and I'm excited to see how they turn out.

Here are some of my past crochet projects and designs.

Star Burst Blankie

Cowl Scarf

For the #ProjectCrochet this month I need to do a blankie for Lady #2. I think I have finally decided on colors and a pattern, now to just buckle down and do it. I am going to make a floor pouf, boot cuffs and little booties ~ maybe a matching ones for big and little sister. I'll be making up these patterns as I go, if they work out I will be sharing them later when all the projects are done.

You can follow my progress on Facebook and Instagram.

Twin Dragonfly Designs

Twin Dragonfly Designs

Star Burst Crochet Stitch Blankie

Lady A has a blankie that she absolutely loves. This thing has been all over with us and the white yarn is more of a gray color now. I made her a new one but it was the wrong type of yarn, she used it a couple times but doesn't really cuddle with it like she does the original.

I found this Star Burst pattern on pinterest, loved it and so I wanted to give it a try. The stitch came from the 'Handbook of Crochet Stitches' by Betty Barnden. A very reasonable price for a book of 200 stitches. To make the stitches a bit more loose I used a hook one size larger than the suggested hook on the yarn packaging. I simply repeated the stitch until it was the width I wanted and just kept going, row after row, until it was done. Because I wanted the scallop to frame the entire blankie, once I finished the last row, I continued doing the same stitch pattern around the entire piece.

As I was going along with the stitch I noticed how similar this stitch was looking to one I had designed. I will share my stitch with you but you will have to get the handbook if you want the Star Burst stitch that I used for Lady A's blankie.

I got the yarn type right this time but it is super thick compared to her favorite one. Great for cuddling and keeping warm. Now I think I will move onto making one for the summer, a simple one that she can wrap around her like a shall or scarf, the same way she uses the one she has now.

Items needed for this project:
'Handbook of Crochet Stitches' by Betty Barnden
Hook I/9-5.50MM
Scissors
Colors used for this blanket.
White
Sunshine
Pistachio
Grey Heather
{I used one 6oz. skein of each}

Half Shell Stitch

Key:

CH ~ chain

ST ~ stitch

SC ~ single crochet

DC ~ double crochet

TOG ~ together (this is done like a decrease stitch but with more than just two stitches)

{} ~ from precious row

* ~ repeat

Foundation: ch st in multiples of 4, +1

Row 1: Skip 2 CH, *5 DC in next CH, skip 1 CH, 1 SC in next CH, skip 1 CH* end with 1 SC in last st, turn.

Row 2: 3 CH, skip SC, 2 DC TOG, * 2 CH, 1 SC in next DC {center of 5 dc}, 1 CH, 5 DC TOG {over 2 dc, 1 sc, 2 dc}* end 3 DC TOG {2 dc, 1 ch}, turn.

Row 3: 4 CH, 2 DC {in top of 3 dc tog}, *skip 1 CH, 1 SC {in sc}, 5 DC {top of 5 dc tog},* end 3 DC {top of 2 dc tog}.

Row 4: 2 CH, skip DC, *5 DC TOG {2 dc, 1 sc, 2 dc}, 2 CH, 1 DC {center of 5 dc}, 1 CH,* end 1 SC {in 4th of 4 ch}, turn.

Row 5: 1 CH, skip SC *skip 2 CH, 5 DC {top of 5 dc tog}, skip 1 CH, 1 SC {in sc},* end SC {first of 2 ch}.

Repeat row 2-5

Halloween Yarn Wreath

This is my first wreath I have attempted and am so excited to do more. I have seen a lot of yarn wreaths and love how they look so I wanted to try my own hand at it.

I have seen some tutorials where it has been suggested to use a straight piece of pipe foam and then use something like duct tape to bring the two ends together. This would definitely make wrapping the yarn around a lot easier but over time the pipe foam will start to slip. If you are planning on only using the wreath or other project for a one time display I would suggest using that but if you want your craft to last, just spend the time, buckle down and use a round foam wreath.

{Please excuse the photos. My daughter broke my camera so I have had to use my phone camera and Photoshop tricks to get photos up for the blog.}

Materials:
Foam circle
Yarn (1-3 colors of your choice)
Ribbon 6" x 1/4"
Felt to match yarn
Glitter (1-3 colors of your choice)
Hot glue gun
ModPodge

Hot glue about 1.5" of one end  of the ribbon to the back. Glue down the yarn on the inside of the ribbon. To help with winding the yarn I put the yarn onto yarn balls, it really helped lot.

I turned the wreath so the right side was facing me. Then sparsely wind the under colors to the left about 6", back to the right and left again. Now wind the black (top) yarn around the foam. As you wind over the first two colors leave little spaces to let the purple and grey peek through.

Hint: As working the sections, to keep the yarn tight, use the glue gun to hold the yarn in place at the end of the section.

It will take some time, but stick with it. Soon enough you'll have the whole thing done.

The rosettes:

Cut a 4.5" x 4.5" square then round out the corners. Now cut a round in a spiral leaving a round piece in the center about the size of a quarter. I like to make it a little wavy, this way as the rosette is wound up the flower will have some dimension to it. {Do the same with creating a 2.5" x 2.5" square.}

Mix the glitter (if using more than one color) in a little pile on a piece of paper.

Use your finger or tongue depressor to place little dots of ModPodge around the outside edges of the of the felt cut spiral. Dip in glitter while still wet.

Hint: Once the ModPodge is dry I took the spiral piece of felt and shock off the excess outside.

Starting from the outside tail of the spiral roll the felt and use the glue gun to secure the quarter size center to the bottom of the rosette.

Glue the rosettes in place where you want to.

Draw out a simple bat, cut it out of card stock {scrap paper} laying around then use it as a template to cut a bat out of the black felt.

String two pieces of yarn across the back of the wreath and use the Glue gun to hold in place and secure the bat in a desired location.

Baby Bear Beanie with Fuzzy Ears and Brim

I wish I had this little beanie finished when my little lady was born. How cute is that!?!?!

This soft and cozy Bear Beanie is an adorable finishing touch for your little ones outfit to out out on those chilly days. It's also a great photo prop, you won't be able to resist those round cheeks. This one fits up to 14 inches and is stretchy.

MATERIAL & CARE:
100% Super Soft Acrylic - Cap
98% Acrylic, 2% Polyester - Ears/Brim
CARE: Use gentle detergent, warm water. Pat dry, lay flat to re-shape and finish drying. Do not bleach or iron

If you want to order one for your little darling check out my shop here.

Open Weave Beanie with Ear Flaps and Tassels ~ Choose You Colors

~*~*~*~*~*~ Can I just say how much I LOVE this beanie ~*~*~*~*~*~

I made a beanie for my niece the first Christmas after she was born. Her parents tell me all the time how much she loves her beanie and share pictures of her in her every day activities wearing the beanie. Over the summer I made a larger one for her {she is growing} so that her mom could take turns washing them and in case the beanie gets left somewhere on accident {it happened once and was not pretty}. The beanies are the exact same color and style so my niece won't realize when she is wearing the 2nd beanie.

She now has a sister and of course I need to make her one but I wanted to make sure it was one just for her. This is the beanie I came up with and could not be more pleased. I immediately made one for my little girl ~ now I just need to get her to leave it on her head, she doesn't even like bows clipped in her hair. But the beanie is cute enough that I will keep putting it on her until I win the battle.

Check out my shop if you want one for your little one too!

Queen Annes' Lace Scarf ~ Latest Custom Order

Here are pictures of my latest custom order.

I Love this scarf!!

Fall is Coming

I went into my local craft store the other day to look for a couple of items and all the fun fall items are out. I love the colors of fall, they are such warm colors that make you feel wrapped up in a nice cozy blanket. This inspired me to work on some fall projects.

I love these frames!!

They are so much fun to rearrange for every holiday.

The Black and White flower is the pattern that I designed.
I think the Green flower with the little bead in the middle turned out so great.

I am so excited I finally learned how to do flowers they are going on everything.

My Perfect Flower

Well, I have been looking for a flower pattern to use and add to my beanies but I haven’t been able to find one that is what I am looking for. The ones I have found either don’t have a pattern or one that makes no sense to me. After playing around with a couple of patterns and understanding how a flower pattern works ~ I finally came up with my own. I love how it turned out. It works perfect with the beanies and I’m sure it will work great on the headbands. I have been thinking about using a giant button in the center or getting some beads and putting a cluster in the center.

What do you think?.....

Beanie Sale ~ 20% Off

Now that the weather is warming up,
{except up here where we are at}
we need to sale a bunch of the left over beanies from this last winter.
Every Beanie is 20% off.
Click on the banner to go to my store!

Spiral Two Toned Beanie - Child Teen Adult

Spiral Two Toned Beanie - Child Teen Adult

These beanies have been fun to make. There were two different patterns that I liked so I decided to pick the parts I wanted and put them together. They fit child, teen and adult. I love how they fit me and a younger girl (maybe elementary / Jr. High age) purchased one the other day, it fit her just a little big so it covered her whole head and her hair flipped out from under it. She loved it.

The last photo shows some of the available colors. If you have specific colors in mind but do not see them here convo me.

MATERIAL & CARE:
100% Acrylic - they don’t shrink, won't itch.
CARE: Machine wash, warm gentle cycle. Machine dry, low heat, delicate cycle.
INFO ON SIZE AND COLORS
..........................................
AVAILABLE SIZES:
0-3 months fits heads up to 14"
3-6 months = 15"-16"
6-12 months = 16"-17.5"
12-24 months = 17.5"-18.5"
2T-4T years = 18.5"-19.5"
5T-preteen years = 19.5" to 20.5"
Teens = 20.5"-22"
Adult = 22"-24"
~Larger adult sizes are available upon request
~Sizes in inches are approximate and will usually stretch larger

Color chart coming soon to help you pick your own custom color combination.

Note: Colors may vary slightly from picture due to current yarn dye lots and computer monitor projections.