Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Long Lost Ripple and Something New

Have you forgotten about my ripple? It seems like I sure did.


Over the last couple of months it has been seriously neglected. I haven't worked on it nearly as much as I wanted to. With all of my other projects it got pushed aside, obviously:D. I have managed to add a few colors. Blues, pink, red, white, orange, yellow, and purple. I can now say that I am over half way finished with it.


Now that the weather has started to change (YaAy!!!) I have found myself making more things for the home... Like the basket. I'm not so much in the mood to make scarves or mitts now. I have several new ideas as well.

I started two new projects


I'm sure you can guess what it is...it's not the chair or the curtains...tehe.

Yes, it's a bright, spring inspired rug. It's only half finished. I want to make it longer than what you see in the photo. This is a corner in Ireland's room. She thinks this rug is for her. It may end up going in her room in front of her little chair. I'm not sure yet.

Look at the back...I love it as much as the front (right side)


I'm also making another rug in a linen color. It's a solid color and a rectangle...not a runner. I'll give you all the details in my next post. I was inspired by the one pictured below. It is the Big Stitch Knit Rug at the Purl bee


My rugs are crocheted versions

I'm feeling better now that I have posted about my ripple. I felt guilty for neglecting it for so long. Maybe I'll get it finished by the time it reaches 90 degrees here:D

I'm hoping to finish the rugs by Friday or Saturday. I'll show you lots of photos with the super easy pattern.

I'm so excited about it. Especially about the one I haven't showed you yet!

Monday, February 27, 2012

Spud & Chloe Yarn Review

A few weeks ago I mentioned working with some new yarn, but I couldn't really go into great detail. I have been working on an important project with Spud & Chloe and now I'm going to write a post about my experience with this yummy yarn...kind of like a mini review.


I received a few hanks of the Fine or sock weight yarn and decided to take it to my LYS to wind it into balls. I also wanted to introduce it to the owner, Ruth. She doesn't carry the yarn and I knew she would be interested to see it, and hold it, and touch it. Ruth was busy with other customers, so she set me up with the winding contraption.

I started winding it into balls and was sooo pleasantly surprised to see that there was not one single break in any of the skeins or hanks. That is great for us crocheters/ knitters. We all know how frustrating it is to buy yarn and have to deal with the breaks and knots while working a project.


I have to say that my experience with this yarn has been great. First of all, I love the weight. I love working with fine or fingering weight yarn. You can use it for anything...socks, clothing, bikinis, bags, anything. I think it is also perfect for garments such as sweaters. You will not end up with a bulky or stiff garment from sock weight yarn.

The texture of Spud & Chloe Fine/sock is really nice. It feels so smooth to the touch. Michael (my other half) even ooohhed and aaaahhhed over it, tehe. Can you imagine, a man that doesn't crochet or knit, admiring yarn...funny huh?

There are no thin/ thick places in the skeins. It is consistent throughout each skein. Remember, I am working with five skeins here, not just one. Every single one is consistent.

Another important feature is splitting. We all know how frustrating it is to crochet with splitty yarn. It can really slow down the hook. There is no splitting with this yarn.


The colors are gorgeous as well. I don't think my little photos or photography skills do the colors any justice.


As you can tell, I love this yarn. I will definitely use it again. I really hope my LYS will carry it sometime in the future.

Each skein is Superwash 80% wool and 20% silk (nice huh)
65 grams and approximately 248 yards

You can also go to spudandchloe.com to find more info about the yarn and where you can find some for yourself. I'm sure you'll love it as much as I do.

In the near future, I will post more about the project that I made with this yarn.

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

A Long Weekend


This past weekend was a long one. Today is the first real day of the week for us here. Ireland went back to daycare today after being sick. If you read my last post you'll remember our little ski trip with no skiing. Well, I took Ireland to the doctor on Monday and found out she has strep. So we were home for two days.

I tried to find fun things for us to do and after leaving the dr's office we made a trip to the store to buy a few things to keep us busy...glitter, puzzles, stickers, new nail polish (because the 40 bottles we already have is just not enough:D) and junk food (for me...tehe). Oh... I can't forget the new Princess cup because she just had to have it...it had glitter and a little princess in the bottom. How can you say "no" to a sick child? She insisted that I take a picture of her new cup and lip gloss and nail polish.


I spend a lot of time on Pinterest. Yes...I'm totally addicted. One of my pin boards is all about projects that I want to try. So I thought this would be the perfect time to try a couple of them. Instead of just sitting around and pinning all the time, I should try to put the whole Pinterest thing to use. This is where the first photo comes into play. I dug out some thread and picked out some of my favorite colors.

I pinned these Friendship bracelet tutorials a few days ago...thinking I was definitely going to make a few.


Here is the link to the tutorial for these gorgeous bracelets


Ha ha ha...is all I can say about this idea. I had no idea what I was doing. It's quite embarassing...

Such pretty colors. I inherited this thread, along with other yarn and hooks from my late grandmother. I was excited about finally putting it to good use with her in mind.


Such a disaster


I totally failed at this. I thought this would be easy. Ireland quickly lost interest. It was waaay too tedious for a four year old.

So I got out the worsted weight yarn to practice with


Not much better as you can see. I am definitely not a friendship bracelet maker. The chevron pattern totally confused me. Any tips are appreciated from all you talented friendship bracelet makers. I need a lot of practice.

Here's a WIP. Yes...AnOtHeR Owl hat:) It looks really messy before sewing. Thank goodness the finished product looks much better


Well, that was our weekend. I hope you all have a great week:D

Sunday, February 19, 2012

The Winner of the February Giveaway


Yesterday we went back to Beech Mountain to take Ireland skiing, and she got sick last night with a fever. We decided to leave this morning at 7am to come home. So no skiing. Oh well, that's Ok with me, but I feel bad for Ireland. She lost her breakfast on the way home (in the car...that's never good). Now I feel a little under the weather. I'm not sure if I am being paranoid or if I've caught her stomach bug.


The weather was terrible also.

Enough about all of that. I know you want to hear who won the giveaway. So, I just went to Random.org and generated a winner.

True Random Number Generator
Min: 1
Max: 78
Result:
44

I took out all of my comments and there were 78 commenters. The 44th commenter is (if I'm not mistaken)

Principeta

So congrats Principeta. Please email me with your contact and shipping information.
I really hope you like the basket.

Thank you all for leaving a comment.

Have a great week!

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Chunky Crocheted Basket Pattern





I'm finally posting the pattern for the crocheted basket. Thank you so much for all of the comments and emails. I hope you like the pattern and the finished project as much as I do. (Scroll down to see the pattern for the larger basket)

Materials

3 Skeins super bulky yarn (I used Lion Brand Wool Ease Thick and Quick in Linen)
Size L (8.0mm) crochet hook
Yarn needle

Just a little note about the materials:
I would recommend using super bulky to create a stiff or sturdy texture. If you use a smaller weight yarn you will have to hold 3 or more strands together.
Do not use a larger hook. The stitches need to be tight so the basket will be stiff and stand up. Crochet pretty tightly (but try not to make your hands too sore) My next basket will be made with hemp doubled (the thick kind you can find at Walmart). That stuff is a real hand killer. But it's the sturdiest stuff you can use.

Measurements

smaller basket
8.5 inches in diameter
5.5 inches in height

larger basket
10 inches in diameter
10 inches in height


Pattern

Note: You will hold two strands of yarn together.
Do not turn when you finish each round. I joined each round. You can work in a continuous spiral if you prefer to get rid of the seam. (If you choose to make the seamless version I would recommend working the bottom with a seam and then work the body in a continuous round or spiral, marking your first st as you go)

Holding 2 strands together

Smaller basket

Ch 2

Rnd 1: 8 sc in 2nd ch from hook

Rnd 2: 2 hdc in each st. Join with sl st. (16 hdc)

Rnd 3: Ch 2, hdc in same st, hdc in next st, (2 hdc in next st, hdc in next st) around. Join with sl st. (24 hdc)

Rnd 4: Ch 2, hdc in same st, hdc in next 2 sts, (2 hdc in next st, hdc in next 2 sts) around. Join with sl st. (32 hdc)

Rnd 5: Ch 2, hdc in same st, hdc in next 3 sts, (2 hdc in next st, hdc in next 3 sts) around. Join with sl st. (40 hdc)

Rnd 6: Ch 2, hdc in same st, hdc in next 4 sts, (2 hdc in next st, hdc in next 4 sts) around. Join with sl st. (48 hdc)

The next round will be the first row of the body of the basket. You will be working into the back of each hdc.

Rnd 7: Ch 1, sc under the line or ridge on the back of the first st of previous round. (Half double crochet stitches have a line or ridge on the back of the stitch). You will be working under this line or ridge, not into the regular loops.


This will leave the two loops of the stitch


creating a seam separating the bottom and body of the basket


Continue working sc around. Join with a sl st.

Rnd 8: Ch 2, hdc into next st and in each st around. Join with sl st.

Rnd 9: Ch 1, Working in the back loop only, sc in the same st and in each st around. Join with sl st.

Rnd 10: Ch 2, hdc in next st and in each st around. Join with sl st.

Rnd 11: Ch 1. Sc in same st and in each st around. Join with sl st.

Rnd 12: Ch 2, hdc in next st and in each st around. Join with sl st.

Rnd 13: Ch 1, working in back loops only, sc in same st, and in each st around. Join with sl st.

You will create the handles in rnd 14


Rnd 14: Ch 2, hdc in next 8 sts. Ch 7, skip the next 5 sts. Hdc in the next 19 sts. Ch 7, skip the next 5 sts. Hdc in the next 10 sts. Join with sl st

Rnd 15: Ch 1, sc in same st and in the next 8 sts. Work 8 sc under the ch 7 space. (Do not work into the sts). Sc in next 19 sts. Work 8 sc under the ch 7 space. Sc in next 10 sts.

Finish off with the no knot finishing method. You can find a photo tutorial on this finishing method here


I have made a larger basket...I prefer the larger size (I'm in the process of adding the photos for the larger basket)

You will increase the bottom by one round.

Rnds 1-6: Refer to the instructions above

Rnd 7: Ch 2, hdc in same st. Hdc in next 5 sts. (2 hdc in next st, 5 hdc in next st) around, join with sl st. (56 hdc)

Rnd 8: Working under the line or ridge on the back of the hdc, sc in each st around. This round creates the seam (described above)

I added 3 rows to the body of the basket for the larger size. (if you need more detailed instructions for beginning and joining each round refer to the details of each round for the smaller basket)

Rnd 9: Hdc round

Rnd 10: Sc round

Rnd 11: Sc round in the back loop only

Rnd 12: Hdc round

Rnd 13: Sc round

Rnd 14: Hdc round

Rnd 15: Sc round

Rnd 16: Sc in the back loop only

Rnd 17: Ch 2, hdc in the next 9 sts, Ch 9, skip 8 sts, hdc in next 20 sts, Ch 9, skip next 8 sts, hdc in next 9 sts. Join with sl st.

Rnd 18: Sc round, working 10 sc under the ch 9 spaces (not into each st). Join and finish off.

Please feel free to leave me a comment or send me an email if you have any questions about the pattern.

Enjoy!

Edit: I have made a correction to rounds 17 and 18 of the large basket. So sorry about that. I hope it works out better now.

Saturday, February 11, 2012

February Giveaway

I know I say this every month, but I'm gonna say it again. It's that time again. My favorite time of the month...giveaway time. This month I am giving away a Goodie Basket.


I love this basket. It is made from 2 strands of super bulky weight yarn held together. This makes it very sturdy. It keeps its form and stands up well. I love using these baskets. If you're like me, you have more than one project going on at one time. I have yarn, buttons, hooks, etc lying around everywhere. This basket is not huge, but it's big enough for your hooks and balls of yarn or small projects. I like to keep one on the bookcase near the bed for night time crocheting.



I'm also including some of my favorite must haves. When I crochet I always keep a retractable tape measure close by. Checking gauge is so important, and I use one constantly. You'll also get some colorful buttons (see them in the top photo). I use them for eyes on my animal hats. I'm also throwing in some colorful pins for blocking or sewing. This is truly a goodie basket.


These are all the things that I love to use, and I thought it would be a great idea for a giveaway. The pattern is so easy...I'll write it out soon. I made this basket in two hours.

Just leave me a comment and I'll randomly choose a winner in about a week...next Sunday to be exact:D

Have a great weekend!

Friday, February 10, 2012

A Little Hint

It's almost time to tell you about this month's giveaway. I think I'll do it tomorrow. I haven't taken all of the photos yet. But I will give you a little hint...


Ok...that's all I'm going to show ya for today. Come back tomorrow and I'll give you the details. But for now I want to blog a little about the swap I recently participated in. I have always wanted to be a part of one and finally signed up last month. It is the Whimsical Winter Swap on Ravelry. Today I received my package from my partner. We didn't know who our partners were so it was all fun and mysterious. Here's what I got...I'm soooo happy


I received so many wonderful gifts from Kelly. She is a wonderful knitter and so so generous (click on the photos to see everything close up...the hat is amazing)


I wished I would have taken better, more artistic photos, but I was too excited to set it up


The hat is actually more of a turquoise or teal shade...and look at that beautiful journal behind it


I love all the strawberry goodies and chocolates, the vase, stitch markers, the journal, and the knitted hat. It's all so gorgeous. I love the heart shaped paperweight. I am a glass/paperweight fanatic. I'm so excited right now.

Come back tomorrow and find out about the new giveaway. I'm gonna go play with my new stuff:D

Monday, February 6, 2012

Another Owl Hat

This weekend I made progress on my pattern for the yarn co, worked on my ripple, watched the Super Bowl, and made this new hat for Ireland. I get lots and lots of messages about the owl hat, so I wanted to add details about this one with lots of photos.


I've made several of these hats, but none for Ireland. So I decided to make one for her with the leftover scraps from previous hats. It actually started as a piggy hat, but morphed into an owl because I ran out of pink. It's not a piggy, but she still likes it. She has a piggy hat on the brain so I think I'm still going to have to make one of those too.

I changed a few details for this hat. The original is here.

For this one, I obviously made it larger.


I also made the eyes larger by adding a couple of rounds. The larger the hat, the larger the eyes need to be.


Eyes (I used blue for rounds 1 and 2, then white for rounds 3-5)
Ch 2
Rnd 1: 8 sc in the 2nd ch from hook.(8 sc)
Rnd 2: 2 hdc in each st around. Join with sl st to first st (16 hdc)
Rnd 3: 2 sc in first st, sc in next st. (2 sc in next st, sc in next st) around. Join with sl st. (24 sc)
Rnd 4: Ch 3 (counts as first dc). Dc in same st. Dc in next 2 sts. (2 dc in next st, dc in next 2 sts) around. Join with sl st. (32 dc)
Rnd 5: 2 sc in first st. sc in next 3 sts. (2 sc in next st, sc in next 3 sts). Join with sl st. (40 sc)

I added the eyebrows later after the eyes were sewn onto the hat. I worked a sc around 16 sts. Refer to the photos.

Nose
Ch 8
Sc in 2nd ch from hook and in each ch across. Ch 1, turn. (7 sc)
Sc2tog in first 2 sts, sc in remaining sts across. Ch 1, turn (6 sc)
Sc2tog in first 2 sts, sc in rem sts across. Ch 1, turn. (5 sc)
Repeat the decreases ending with one stitch. Finish off leaving tail long enough for sewing.


I also changed the edging. I wanted 2 colors for the edge and a more finished look. Recently, I've gotten a couple of comments asking me how to make projects look more neat and finished. Basically, for edgings, I always add a round in the same color before changing to the contrast color. If you change to the contrast color for edges (like the sides of the earflaps) then the edges will not be as neat as possible.

Then for this hat I added an extra round of edging with the blue. I worked into the back loop to make the pink/ blue combo look even neater (is that a word?)


Also, to make the face look neat, try to take lots of time to center the eyes and nose. When sewing, only work under the first layer of the stitch on the hat so the back side will be tidy. You won't have a mess on the inside of the project. And if I'm not happy about the face, I'll redo it until it looks like I want it to.


Raveled here

I used worsted weight yarn and a G (4mm) hook.
White and pink is Caron Simply Soft
Yellow is Caron Simply Soft Eco
Blue is Vanna's Choice
Orange is Red Heart


It's a new month so that means giveaway! I'll be back in a couple of days with the details.

Thursday, February 2, 2012

My Noro Shawl

Ok...I think I'm back in love again.


If you read my last post you'll remember my little rant about the Noro Kureyon Sock yarn that I was using for my latest project. I said I was breaking up with Noro, because it frustrated me so much while crocheting this shawl. The thick and thin places, the knotting, and tangling were reeeaaally getting on my nerves. Well... after blocking this shawl, I started warming up to the yarn yet again.
It's a vicious cycle:D


The colors are so striking and beautiful. I just wish I could photograph the colors accurately. They are much more vibrant in person. I tried to photoshop them, but they still don't look true to life. After modeling for the photos, I wore the shawl the rest of the day. I loooove it.


But I am staying strong. I will not use Noro anytime soon. However, after wearing this shawl I realize that I can't say that I will never ever use (Noro) again...tehe:D

Never say never...knowing me I will be tempted again.



Here's the details about this project.

Raveled Here

I found the pattern on Ravelry. It is a Lion Brand pattern called Bridal Shawl and it's free:)
I used 1 skein of Noro Kureyon Sock Yarn (color 184). It took the entire skein, which is about 450 yards.
4.0mm crochet hook (G hook)

I've wanted to post the Hello Kitty hat pattern but have decided to get going on my paying project pattern. The due date will be here before long, and it's a priority right now. I'm hoping to finish this weekend and have the Hello Kitty pattern available by Sunday.