Knit or Go Home

I love Halloween - I’m not even sure why, but I just love it! Something about getting to be whatever you want, planning the outfit, the people to dress up with, and how to celebrate it right - especially when you get to celebrate it for multiple nights, multiple parties. Good times, especially with brightly-colored wigs. So to honor the occasion, some crochet Halloween items.

A crochet pumpkin - I love the twisty stem the most. This project is so simple - try it today! Sorry this isn’t the greatest picture.

Pattern from: Craftbits.com

And my favorite, the crochet skull. I’ve already made 3, they take almost no time at all. For felting newbies, be sure you use 100% wool yarn (or other animal fiber) of the felting won’t work and you’ll just have a goofy looking skull. Then just toss them in a pillow case in a washer full of jeans, and you’ve got yourself a felted skull the make your Halloween spooooooky. Have fun!

Pattern from: LionBrand.com (you may have to register to view)

As a San Diego resident, things are a bit crazy right now - so many people have evacuated, so many have lost homes, and so many are left to worry. I’m safe so far where I live, but my heart goes out to those displaced and endangered by these insane fires. Stay safe.

Updates: www.sdcountyemergency.com

This is a favorite idea of mine - well, not my idea, but favorite idea I’ve seen. It is just so quirky, and I’ve taken the idea and run with it. I already did a knit version and love that one, but I needed a crochet one too of course. Now it adorns my new apartment’s bathroom wall, helping me get to work on time. (= It is made of Sugar ‘n Cream in red, made of bobbles and half-doubles, then black yarn was added around the edges.

The pictures don’t do it justice, but I tried - but take my word, it’s quite cute. My boyfriend is asking for a blue one for his office - I’m just working on a way to make it more masculine.

I used big square buttons mixed with little black ones in place of numbers - just too cute, I can’t stand it!

So my friends and I started meeting once a week - we pick various coffee shops and restaurants, bring our latest knit and crochet projects, and catch up about our weeks. We’ve be doing it for over a month now and I just love it. Who knew 20-somethings could be so crafty! We’ve even become famous at our Starbucks and they give us pastries - yum. We all have our little knit or crochet beverage sleeves (which they teased us about, but I just think they’re jealous) and we just take over for a couple of hours. The catalyst for these meetings was teaching one of my friends to crochet, and teaching her this bag.

It’s called the fat-bottom bag and it is just fantastic. Easy to make, inexpensive, and ultimately stylist. I completed mine and lined it with fabric from my trip to Tanzania, and her’s turned out amazing as well. The handles are easy to find in any craft store, and make this purse a keeper. Try it yourself!

Of course it is from my favorite book, the Happy Hooker. Surprised?

So just a quick post for a quick project: I teach crochet at my local Michael’s Craft Store, and had to do some updated projects to give my demo board a facelift - and what better than to go punk rock with a skull dishcloth - in teal and white, no less. Quick and easy, teaches people how to change colors, and makes any kitchen cooler.

Plus the pattern is from my all-time favorite book, The Happy Hooker. I swear, they should pay me for how much I promote them. (=

It’s pink and tiny and ready to hit the street - if only its wearer could walk…

These baby booties are nothing ordinary - they are designed to look like tiny high-tops and they are oh so cute. The pattern isn’t so easy to understand, but once I figured out how they meant to attach the pieces, these little booties work up quickly. Complete with tiny strewn-about laces, I just love these. And you should know, I’m not the biggest kid or kid thing person, but these are just too good.

Pattern from: Crochet Today (September 07 issue) - this magazine, by the way, is pretty darn reliable for good patterns - I’m liking it a lot right now.

PS: I swear I still knit, just in a bit of a crochet rut. Plus I feel it is a bit under-represented in the yarn world, so I’m doing my part to give it a boost. (=

So I have to say, I’ve made a lot of the little turtles (and posted one before too), and these are by far my most favorite ever. It was a bit of a light bulb going off when I came up with the idea. A friend of mine loved my little turtle and kept asking for his own - I made his, but he’s getting married in a couple of weeks, and I decided his bride-to-be needed one as well. And what better than to dress them for the occasion - voila! A cute little couple - they can’t help but make me smile!!! (=

I made the groom a hat and bowtie from black felt, and the bride has a veil made of sparkly white felt and some white mesh. Aww. romance! (=

I sent them in a cute little box through the mail, even though he doesn’t live so far from me because the element of surprise makes them even more exciting. I got the call that he had received them, and was so excited, they are going to display them at the wedding! Quite a big display for such a tiny couple.

Pattern for turtles from: Pattern Central

So I know I made this once before, and that I owe some new projects with all this time - I have actually been crocheting like crazy, but I’ve been a little slow on the uploading. But here’s a little something to hold you over - my second crochet frog. I made him for my aunt, who saw it on this site and was my first order of sorts. She got him today, so now I can post him. I think he turned out better, and my favorite upgrade is that his legs snap and unsnap - so they can be tucked or hanging - so cute!!

See: tucked…

…and hanging!

So I know I’ve made 2 already, but here’s a third for the perfect trifecta - my other friend had a birthday and needed a bed buddy of her own. (= Every girl needs one really, so pick up a copy of Naughty Needles and make your own! This one is to-be-named still, but oh so cute!

The hot pink feet and spikey hair really make this one a keeper in my book! Plus I did a combination of Simply Soft Bulky and a novelty yarn - very cute. Felt beak, eyes and wings complete the look. Make it your own!

So my post a while back about my first felting adventure is finally complete - took way too long between, mostly because I have a hard time getting myself to pull out the sewing machine, even though it isn’t that big of a deal. Point being, I finally finished it off - after the initial felted rectangle, the project just needed a crocheted piece to put the hooks in, which was sewn on one side of the felted piece. Then I glued ribbon along the sewn edge, attached a button, and filled it up! I think it turned out pretty cute, not to mention a great way to organize my bamboo crochet hooks!

All rolled up…

So orderly. (=

Pattern from: Kluster Happy crocheting!

So I taught a friend of mine to crochet 3 weeks ago, and she has taken off!! Not surprising, given her personality - in her own words, “My team never loses!!” So with that mentality, she took my instructions and ran with them - armed with her own hooks and yarn, and the Happy Hooker book, she completed a dish cloth and a purse already! So I’m here to brag and post the picture of her cute pink purse. (= Hope she doesn’t mind.

Pattern same as the one I used for my green purse from the Happy Hooker. If you are learning to crochet, I recommend this book very highly - just beware that unfortunately, it is error filled, but you can find the corrections on their website. Now if only I got paid for every time I mentioned this book. (=

Go Colleen, go!

So I’m searching and searching for the right patterns to use up the bins of yarn in my house with little success. It seems that the yarns I always want to use for something just won’t stack up. I don’t if you have those same problems, but I found this chart online and found it endlessly helpful. I don’t know why people haven’t just picked a yarn standard for each weight and stuck with it, but it seems like every pattern has a different name for yarn weights, and many just neglect to say it at all. So here are two vital websites for yarn substitutions:

A yarn weight system chart: Yarn Standards

And a yarn index, doesn’t have it all, but darn close: YarnDex

Hope these help with your substitution choices, and check back soon - I have many projects in the their final phases - many pictures and patterns to come soon!