AuntieElle's Blog

Bobble Hanger Cover - Free Crochet Pattern

2011-10-18T17:46:00.009+11:00

Copyright © October 2011 by Letitia Sherriff

Materials Needed:•
* Approximately 35 grams of Lily Sugar’n Cream Cotton (or substitute any worsted weight yarn)
* 4.00mm crochet hook (US size G)
* One adult-sized wooden craft hanger
* Yarn needle for finishing
* Scissors
* (Optional) Approximately 15 cms (6 inches) of plastic tubing

Abbreviations Used:
CH = chain
SC = single crochet
ST = stitch
WS = wrong side
RS = right side
(US crochet terminology used)

Special Stitches:
Bobble Stitch = yarn over and insert hook in stitch, yarn over and draw up a loop (3 loops on hook), yarn over and draw through two loops (two loops on hook). Yarn over and insert hook in same stitch, yarn over and draw up a loop (four loops on hook), yarn over and draw through two loops (three loops on hook). Yarn over and insert hook in same stitch again, yarn over and draw up a loop (5 loops on hook), yarn over and draw through two loops (4 loops on hook), yarn over and draw through all four loops, leaving one loop on hook.

Hanger Cover:
Ch-52
Row 1: SC in 2nd CH from hook and each CH to end (51 SC).
Row 2: CH-1, turn. (WS) *SC in first ST, bobble (see special stitches) in next ST*. Repeat from * to * 24 times ending with SC in last ST. (26 SC & 25 bobbles made).
Tip: try to pull your SC stitches tight so the bobbles will “pop” more.
Row 3: ch-1, turn. (RS) SC in each ST. (51 sc)
Row 4: (WS) repeat row 3.
Row 5: (RS) repeat row 3.
Row 6: (WS) repeat row 2.
Row 7: (RS) repeat row 3.
Row 8: (WS) repeat row 3.

Finishing: Leaving tail of approximately 60 centimetres (24 inches), break yarn and secure last stitch. With RS facing out, whipstitch last row and beginning chain together. Insert hanger and align so bobbles are on the sides of the hanger, and whip stitch ends closed as well. Put plastic tubing over hanger hook if desired. You’re done!

Please note: This pattern is for free PERSONAL USE ONLY. You may not sell items made from this pattern, or republish this pattern in any form without the express written permission from the author.

Hang up

2010-12-03T16:02:00.009+11:00

Perhaps it's from seeing Mommie Dearest too many times growing up, but I can NOT bring myself to use wire hangers.

The next natural choice, of course, is plastic. I've been using plastic hangers for as long as I can remember and have never had any problems. Now either they just don't make them like they used to, or the plastic hangers available here in Australia are just bad quality. But between my husband and I, we seem to break an average of 2 or 3 plastic hangers a week. It's expensive, it's wasteful, and it's frustrating.

I NEVER thought I'd be the kind of person who would want, or use, a crocheted hanger. I've always thought they were a bit daggy. Not to mention op shops / thrift stores seem to be choking with old unwanted ones. I suppose part of me never wanted to make one because it made me sad to think it would end up some day as an unwanted item in an op shop. But as they say, never say never.

Due to my frustration of the broken plastic hangers, I used some of my leftover Sugar & Cream and Peaches & Cream cotton to cover two hangers. Hhhhmmm, not too bad. They aren't too ugly. And they help cushion the clothes a bit versus just plain wood (and don't seem to leave those little pointed shoulder marks).

Recently the Crochet Lover's Victoria group on Ravelry had a trio of hangers swap. After looking up some of my partner's likes & dislikes in regard to colour, I got to work. First out of the gate was a plain SC hanger cover made from Moda Vera Isabella. It's acrylic but very soft and squishy. It's a fun bright blue with little flecks in it as well. I was worried my partner would think the hanger was a bit plain as is, so I picked up the yellow and orange of some of the flecks, and added a crocheted flower to it.

One down. Two to go. Second on the list was a lovely Tiffany-esque blue in Kate Espiga cotton. It's super soft and really shows off stitches well. I winged my own pattern of bobble stitches for the second hanger. I'm super happy with the results. I had a little bit of trouble sending this one off, I have to say!

Two down. One to go! For the third and final hanger, I decided to make a striped hanger. My partner's birthday is the 5th of December so I alternated the stripes based on those numbers... 5, 1, 2, repeat. This idea is good in theory, and I think it came out well, but the ends.... oh the ends!!!!! I didn't realise until I was about halfway done how many ends I would have to weave in! Trust me when I say I won't be doing this again. It took me about two hours to weave all those ends in. Way too much work for a hanger! Live and learn. For the finishing touch, I used the two colours together to add a little curlique.

I also received three lovely hangers in return from the person who had me for the swap.

While I was feeling the hanger vibe, I decided to make a couple more for myself. I'd eventually like to get rid of all those plastic hangers. I'm sure it won't take long. I'm not buying any more, and with how many break each week...

These may well end up unwanted in an op shop someday, but I'm okay with that now. In the mean time they will be used and appreciated. And they will save me from all the frustration of nearly daily snapped plastic hangers. I think Mommie Dearest would be proud, too.

The Babette is Done!

2010-11-17T00:41:00.005+11:00

Yippee, it's done, it's done!!!! Even after having to put it on hold for two weeks due to running out of the main colour, I still finished this sucker in less than a month. Not to toot my own horn, but I'm so proud of myself. I usually get "start-itis" - love starting things, but the finishing? Not so much.

Here are some (okay, a lot) of pics of the finished product.

Okay, I'm off to go do my happy dance now :)

Edited to add: I posted the following information for a fellow Babette-maker on Ravelry and was told it was very useful. So, I've decided to post it here in case anyone else is interested.

SPECIAL NOTES - HOW MUCH YARN I USED…

Well, I used 14 colours - and they were all 200 gram balls. But with the exception of the almond/cream which I ended up using a total of 280 grams of, I had heaps left over of the other 13 colours.

Being a bit of a nerd, and so I’d know for future Babette making, I actually went and weighed all my balls at the end to see how much I’d actually used. So in addition to the 280 grams of almond, here’s what else I used.

Celery (light green) = 115 grams
Guava (dark green) = 49 grams
Aster (lavender) = 115 grams
Blueberry (dark purple) = 90 grams
Butternut (peach) = 98 grams
Pumpkin (orange) = 92 grams
Rose pink (light pink) = 86 grams
Lipstick pink (dark pink) = 88 grams
Maize (light yellow) = 76 grams
Seaquest (light turquoise) = 72 grams
Poseidon (dark turquoise) = 85 grams
Iris (blue) = 97 grams
Periwinkle (light blue) = 88 grams

So that’s 1431 grams all up, which includes the SC join and two rounds of SC border. The actual blanket probably weights a little bit less as that includes all the yarn I used… so tails have been eliminated. I used a 4mm hook and BWM 8ply wool.

Babette

2010-11-04T17:38:00.011+11:00

At the beginning of the year, when I received my new 2010 shade card from Bendigo Woollen Mills, several of the colours really jumped out at me. I'd previously seen the Babette blanket pattern and was very keen to make one. I pulled the appropriate colours from the shade card & set them aside for future "Babette-making."

Fast forward to October (geez, where'd the time go) and I FINALLY ordered the wool to make a Babette. Isn't it pretty?

Of course, this very wool went on sale less than a week after I'd ordered it all, but hey, them's the breaks.

I got to work that very day on making the Babette. The blanket is assembled in 10 different sections. I decided I would make the sections in order and assemble them as I go to help keep all those many, many squares organised. I also decided that I would follow the pattern as written, substituting my Bendigo Woollen Mills colours for the ones outlined in the pattern. The only main alteration I made was using a single crochet join instead of whipstitch.

It wasn't long before I had sections 1 through 5 complete.

Plus section 6....

Plus section 7...

And sections 8 and 9 ...

Then just as I was starting in to section 10 (the final section), I ran out of the cream/almond main colour! Oops. I quickly ordered some more. I was on such a roll and I'm so bummed I've had to put this project on hold for a week and a half now. Every day I wait for the wool delivery to come, but I'm still waiting... sigh...

In the meantime, my adorable doggie has given the blanket-thus-far her seal of approval.

Now if the postie would just hurry up with that wool already!

It's Snowing - My Snowflake Addiction

2010-09-23T11:50:00.010+10:00

I've been going a little snowflake crazy lately. They are just so much fun to make!

Here are the first 19 I made. Since this photo was taken, I've got another 16 or so that I've completed. These suckers are addicting...

*Sorry the photo is a little blurry*

I am using bits and pieces of leftover yarn that I have from different projects, as well as sample yarns from Wangaratta Mills to make the first 5 rounds of the square. I am then doing the last two rows in Bendigo Woollen Mills 8ply Luxury in black.

Woolly's Snowflake Square - Free Crochet Patterns

2010-08-28T13:32:00.024+10:00

On a recent crochet retreat, one of the members (1woollywombat) shared a beautiful crochet blanket she found at an op shop for only $3 or $4! It's a beautiful blanket and I really love the squares it used.

Later that night I set about trying to replicate the square while I had the original in front of me - I reckon I got it spot on, or at the least, very darn close!

I used a 4mm hook and approximately 8ply yarn (DK weight) which gave me a perfect 6 inch square. I reckon if you were to make it with a worsted weight/10ply yarn and a 5mm hook, it would give you an 8 inch square.

Please be advised, I am NOT claiming credit for this square, and I am NOT claiming to have designed it. Unfortunately I just don't know the origins of the square and/or if a pattern for the original exists somewhere out there.

Woolly's Snowflake Square - FREE Crochet Pattern
6 inch / 8 inch version

To make the 6 inch version, use a 4mm hook and 8ply (DK weight) yarn
To make the 8 inch version, use a 5mm hook and 10 ply (worsted weight) yarn

Stitches Used
Ch = chain
Sl-st = Slip Stitch
SC = Single Crochet
DC = Double Crochet
V-Stitch = DC, ch-1, DC (into same stitch or space)
Double-V-Stitch = 2DC, ch-2, 2DC (into same stitch or space)
Triple-V-Stich = 3DC, ch-3, 3DC (into same stitch or space)

Ch-6. Sl-st to first ch to form a ring.

Round 1: Ch-3. 15 DC into ring. Sl-st to top of beg ch-3. (16 DC made).

Round 2: Sl-st between any two DC of round 1. Ch-4, then DC in the same space (counts as first V-stitch). *Skip next 2DC and V-Stitch between DCs.* Repeat from * to * 6 times. Sl-st to 3rd ch of beg ch-4. (8 V-Stitches made).

Round 3: Sl-st to ch-1 space of any V-Stitch from round 2. (Ch-3, DC, ch-2, 2DC) into same Ch-1 space (first Double-V-Stitch made). *Double-V-Stitch in next ch-1 space.* Repeat from * to * 6 times. Sl-st to top of beg ch-3. (8 Double-V-Stitches made).

Round 4: Sl-st to ch-2 space of any Double-V-Stitch from round 3. (Ch-3, 2DC, ch-3, 3DC) into same ch-2 space (first Triple-V-Stitch made). *Triple-V-Stitch into next ch-2 space.* Repeat from * to * 6 times. Sl-st to top of beg ch-3. (8 Triple-V-Stitches made).

Round 5: Sl-st to ch-3 space of any Triple-V-Stitch from round 4. (Ch-3, 3DC, ch-2, 4DC) into the same ch-3 space (corner made). *8DC in next ch-3 space (side made). (4DC, ch-2, 4DC) in next ch-3 space.* Repeat from * to * 2 times. 8 DC in the last ch-3 space. Sl-st to top of beg ch-3. (4 corners & 4 sides made).

Round 6: Sl-st to any corner ch-2 space. (Note: with the exception of the corners, where you will be working into the chain spaces, all other stitches in this round are worked BETWEEN the stitches... this is what will give the previous round the spikey/snowflake-like appearance).

(Ch-3, DC, ch-2, 2DC) in the same corner space. *Now, do a SC between, the next 2 sts, HDC between the following two sts, and DC between the next two sts. DC between the group of 4 DC and 8 DC. Working between the stitches of the next 8 DC, you will do the following 7 stitches. DC, HDC, SC, SC, SC, HDC, DC. Now DC between the group of 8 and the next group of 4. Between the next 4 DC, you will DC, HDC, SC respectively. This takes you to the next corner ch-2 space. (2DC, ch-2, 2DC) in the corner space.* Repeat from * to * for each side. Sl-st to top of beg ch-3.

Round 7: Sl-st to any corner ch-2 space. (Ch-3, DC, ch-2, 2DC) in same space. DC in each st from previous row. In each corner ch-2 space (2DC, ch-2, 2DC). Continue around square. Sl-st to top of beg ch-3. Finish off.

10 OR 12 INCH VERSION - (Extended Remix Version)

As much as I love the square, I have a blanket of 12 inch squares, so I decided to keep going and create what I like to call the "extended remix."

To make a 10 or 12 inch version of this square, complete all of the instructions for the 6 or 8 inch version then continue on with rounds 8 - 11. Using a 4mm hook and 8ply (DK weight) yearn should give you a 10 inch square. Using a 5mm hook and 10 ply (DK weight) yarn should give you a 12 inch square.

Round 8: Sl-st to any ch-2 corner space. (Ch-3, DC, ch-2, 2DC) in same corner space. *Skip the next two DC of round 7 and V-stich into the third DC. Skip one st. V-stitch - repeat. Skip the last two DC of the side and (2DC, ch-2, 2DC) into the corner ch-2 space.* Repeat from * to * for the remaining three sides. (You should end up with 10 V-stitches on each side - not counting the corner stitches).

Round 9: Repeat row 8.

Round 10: SC in every stich of row 9 and (2SC, ch-2, 2SC) in each corner.

Round 11: Repeat row 10

I hope all of the instructions make sense - I'm a bit under the weather as I post this, so they make sense TO ME... hopefully they'll make sense to you, too! :)

Facewasher Frenzy

2010-07-07T11:36:00.010+10:00

When I was in the US in May, Joann's had a sale on Peaches N Cream and Sugar N Cream cotton. I LOVE that stuff, and it is hard and/or expensive to get here in Australia. Needless to say, I stocked up. And when I say stocked up, I mean STOCKED UP! Let's just say, it wouldn't all fit in one of the Joann's supersized shopping bags.

I'm a big fan of cotton - it's soft, it's breathable, no one is allergic to it. Lots of lovely reasons. But to be honest, I've never really understood the whole crochet or knitted dishcloth/washcloth/facewasher thing.

I once made a crocheted dishcloth out of corn fibre (I really got a kick out of the idea of washing my food off my dishes with... well, food!). Unfortunately I only had a little bit of the corn remainging from a scarf project so the dishcloth was pretty small. Too small. Second, my husband doesn't like the idea of a crochet dishcloth - he thought it was to Nanna-esque and he kept hiding it under the sink! Hmm, so much for that.

While I was overseas, I crocheted a few washcloths to give me something to do while relaxing. I decided I'd go ahead and use up a few of the "orphan" balls I'd rescued. (An orphan ball is a ball of yarn where there is only one of that particular colourway left in the shop. I always feel bad for that ball, figuring no one is going to want to buy it because, really, who buys only one ball of something?)

Anyhoo, after making said washcloths, I started using them in the shower. Hey, these are pretty nice. I think I get it now! They're soft yet scrubby. And it's kind of cool using a washcloth that you made.

It's currently winter here in Australia and quite cold. Most people would think it's the perfect time of year to work on nice heavy wool projects. Yes, in some respects it is. But my hands are soooo dry from this winter weather, that cotton is pretty much the only thing my hands feel like working with at the moment.

So first off was a birthday present for birthday swap. The recipient stated that she likes bright colours, so I worked up this little number for her.

I really liked the way it came out, and I still have half a ball left, so I made one for myself, too!

Then I went on to Ravelry and started looking up free dishcloth/washcloth patterns. I found a super cute Fish Washcloth Pattern and a cute little heart pattern, too. During the course of watching one TV show, I was able to whip out two little fishies in a blue, yellow and white colourway. I was then able to crank out a cute little pink and white heart.

When asking my husband what kind of washcloth he'd like me to make for him in the orphaned ball of camoflauge coloured cottoned I'd picked up for him, he chose the fish.

And I was so in love with the pink heart, I had to make another one.

One of the fish and one of the hearts are destined for gifts, but I'm looking forward to enjoying the other two myself.

Face Case

2010-07-01T15:30:00.002+10:00

I was really tempted to call it Head Case but at least you get the rhyming with Face Case. :)

I made this little bag to keep my new mineral makeup travel compact safe and secure while floating around in my handbag. I love the fun bright pink colour - which also makes it easy to locate.

The case protects the compact from getting scratched up and I don't have to worry about it accidentally popping open when it shouldn't.

Girkey

2010-07-01T14:58:00.005+10:00

My apologies to Lion Brand, it’s not the pattern… it’s me. I really really stink at making amigurumi. In fact, I should be banned from doing so again in the future.

This “creature” started out as a giraffe, and then ended up looking like some weird monkey-like creature… I have therefore renamed him “Girkey” (pronounced Jerky).

I made this for a swap partner who likes amigurumi and giraffes, but dislikes the colour brown. I thought I’d be clever and make it for her in one of her favourite colours… purple. That was my first mistake.

After I’d completely finished the body, I realised that it wasn’t looking very giraffe-like. It seems I’d forgotten to do rows 14-25 (aka “the neck”). Second mistake.

I was running out of time to finish and get this posted off in time, so I decided to make my own decorations/embellishments and turn it into a slighly different creature. Yep. That was my third mistake.

And the fourth and worst mistake of all? The face. I really don’t have the knack for making cute faces. My husband wasn’t lucky enough to see this “creation” in person, but when I showed him the photos he remarked “That looks like something out of some poor kid’s nightmare.” Under other circumstances I may have been insulted, but unfortunately he was 100% right.

White & Silver Ballroom Scarves

2010-06-22T16:56:00.006+10:00

There is a really fun sparkly yarn available from Spotlight called Moda Vera Ballroom. The problem? It's usually $8.99 for a 50 gram ball. That's a little bit rich for me, especially for an unknown, potentially "disastrous-to-work-with" ball of yarn.

It's always looked quite intriguing and I've been eyeing it off every time I go to Spotlight, but it's never been on sale... until recently! Back in May, Ballroom was FINALLY on sale - time to play :)
I'm not really a bling/sparkly kind of person, but I thought my younger nieces might each enjoy a sparkly scarf. I bought two balls of the white with silver Ballroom. I was able to squeeze one scarf out of each 50 gram ball for a total of two scarves. They were a quite skinny (which I liked), but a bit shorter than I would have preferred. Luckily they were for kids :)

I just made the scarfs out of a loose double crochet to help show off the silver sparkles of the yarn and give the blingy bits room to shine through.

I forgot to take any pictures of the actual scarves, but fortunately I snapped this pic of Niece10 modelling one of them.

More Kool-Aid Dyeing

2010-06-17T10:24:00.005+10:00

Sunday mornings seem to be a good day for my microwave dyeing. My husband dislikes the smell of the cooking wool, so I can "stink up the house" while he is away at the fire brigade. :)

This past Sunday I did some more Kool-Aid dyeing... this time with the "real" stuff. I dyed 50 grams each of orange, lemon-lime and strawberry. I used two packets per 50 grams of wool. Here are the results I got...

I'm happy with how the colours came out. And as always with Kool-Aid dyeing, you get the added bonus of a fainty yummy fruity smell at the end.

Walmart's Generic Great Value Kool Aid

2010-06-07T08:18:00.007+10:00

On my recent trip to the US I decided to stock up on Kool Aid for wool dyeing. As luck would have it, I happened to do my Kool Aid shopping while I was at Walmart. In addition to Strawberry, Lemon-Lime and Orange Kool Aid brand, I also decided to pick up some of Walmart's generic "Kool Aid" in cherry, grape and lemonade.

I can't remember the exact price of the Kool Aid versus the Walmart brand, but it was definitely a significant savings. Maybe somewhere in the neighbourhood of half the price? Well, for that kind of savings, I figured it was worth a go. Plus a lot of generic brands are made in the exact same factories as the name brand stuff - so who cares what the package says?

Yesterday was a rainy Sunday afternoon, so I thought it would be a good opportunity to get some trial dyeing done. I dyed 50 grams each of the cherry, grape and lemonade. I used two packets per each 50 grams... except for the lemonade. After putting two packets of lemonade in, the water was still extremely light in colour. I decided to put in four packets instead to make it more yellow.

Here are my dyeing results...

Some More Hats & Scarfs

2010-06-05T17:18:00.004+10:00

Sometime between Christmas and May, I'm not really sure when, I whipped up a few more doll hats and scarfs for my nieces American Girl dolls. Can't forget the fluffy/furry stuff for the trim!

The top one was made with a yellow, green and white acrylic from Carnival and trimmed with some white fun fur.

The second is brown acrylic, Carnival again I think, trimmed with some brown and red fun fur.

The third one is made from red striped Carnival acrylic, trimmed with red eyelash yarn.

Nice, fun, quick & easy projects that are great for using those last little bits of a ball of yarn.

Elmo Hat

2010-06-05T17:05:00.006+10:00

I made this hat for a girl at work who really loves Elmo. It was a fast easy project. I whipped up the beanie while watching TV the other evening. Then I made the eyes and nose and attached them the following day at work.

The hat is made from some red 10? or 12? ply wool from Wangaratta Mill (at least, that's what I think it is as I received it in a swap). Then the eyes and nose were made with acrylic (as I didn't have any wool in the appropriate colours).

Bigger Than I Thought

2010-04-04T16:35:00.003+10:00

Wow, the R2D2 blanket is going to be a bit bigger than I thought. My calculations, based on 2 inch squares, had the blanket at approximately 3.5 feet wide by 5.3 feet tall - and that's before adding the border.

Well, my squares all must be a smidge bigger than 2 inches as the blanket is currently 6' 8" tall - zoinks! That'll bring it to over 7 feet by the time the border is added on. I guess there's no need for me to worry about him growing out of it :)

R2D2 update... 180 squares made, of which 160 have been assembled. 418 squares left to go.

R2D2 Star Wars Blanket

2010-03-31T22:57:00.006+11:00

I must be crazy. I've decided to make an R2D2 blanket for one of my nephews. Shhh, it's a suprise!

I'm going off a knitting graph I found at angelfire.com. But instead of using it as a knitting graph, I'm making a 2 round granny square for each "square" of the graph. That's a whopping total of 608 granny squares - yikes! (Special thanks to Shilo from Ravelry from whom I ~~stole~~ borrowed the concept).

I received the wool in the post five days ago, and I've been deligently working on making squares, weaving in ends and assembling some of the squares. To date I've made 129 squares, of which I've put 103 together. Not that I'm counting or anything. ;-)

Here's a looksy at how R2 is coming together.

It's so nice to actually be able to see him taking shape and coming together! It's a great motivator to keep me going.

I'm making this blanket out of Bendigo Woollen Mills 10 ply Luxury and a 5.0 mm hook. This is my first time working with the Luxury and it is divine. It is very soft and squishy and I really love it. I'm using shade 332 Lake for the blue, 342 Ghost for the white/light silver, 353 Koala for the gray/dark silver, and 304 black for the background. I used a bit of some 12 ply Wangaratta Mills red that I received in a karma swap for the lone red square.

Twin Pink Doll Cardigans & Berets

2010-02-21T15:22:00.006+11:00

When speaking to Niece10 on the phone a few weeks back, I asked her if she had any special requests in the way of doll clothes/items. She said that she would love a set of something matching so that she and her friend could dress their dolls alike. Here are the results...

These were made with Carnival 8ply acrylic in a variegated pink colourway with a 4mm hook. It took about 150 grams to complete the two sets (1.5 balls). The berets are just improvised and the cardigans are from the pattern Premie Angel Shell Sweater by Beth Parson.

Berries in the Garden - Microwave Dyeing

2010-02-15T21:44:00.007+11:00

Through the Aussie Swappers Group on http://www.ravelry.com/ I got 3 cream balls of Panda Woolbale. They'd been sitting on the desk in the office since their arrival, and I screaming out "dye me! dye me!"

After using my trusty office chair to wind them into hanks, and then soaking them in a tepid vinegar bath for about 45 minutes, it was time to let the mad scientist get to work.

Once again, using Queen's food colouring and my plastic mustard and ketchup squirt bottles, I began the fun (if a bit messy and stinky) process. All went smoothly until a completely full bottle of blue food colouring slipped out of my hand, bounced off the kitchen counter top and fell on the floor.!

It got on the sink, on the counter, down the front of the dishwasher, down some of the cabinets, splashes on my feet and legs, on the kitchen floor and into the grout, and some of it started creeping under the dishwasher.

Long story short I spent the next hour+ trying to get all of it up, but there just seemed to be more and more blue everywhere I looked. And note to self for the future... do NOT try and spray cleaning products on the food colour to clean it. It just dilutes and SPREADS it. Ergh.

Well in the end, it was worth it because I am very happy with the results. It also came out almost EXACTLY how I'd planned.

I've named this colourway "Berries in the Garden" as the green is very "grass green" with bits of blueberrys, raspberries, and one other kind of berry I can't think of the name of at the moment.

I've Been Nominated for a Bobby Award

2010-01-21T15:55:00.003+11:00

How exciting... my "Barbie's Toilet, Toilet Roll Cover" has been nominated for a Bobby Award for "Most Unusual Project" at Ravelry.com! I'm thrilled!

As the old cliche goes, it is an honour just to be nominated. And I actually mean that in all honesty. Okay, sure, I'd definitely like to win, of course, but I'm really excited just about the nomination.

To view the entries, you can visit www.ravelry.com/bobbys. Lots of great creative stuff to see. And if you'd like to vote for me, I won't stop you. :) No pressure...

Odyssey 12 inch Square - Free Crochet Pattern

2010-01-15T19:41:00.020+11:00

Copyright 2010 by Letitia Sherriff

Materials Used

Carnival 8ply Acrylic in Turquoise (Colour A)
Spotlight Marvel 8ply Acrylic in Hot Pink (Colour B)
4mm crochet hook

Pattern written using US crochet terminology

Stitch Guide

Treble Cross (Trx) = Yo twice, insert hook in next st, yo and pull up a lp (4 lps on hook), yo, draw through 2 lps (3 lps on hook), sk next st, yo, insert hook in next st, yo and pull up a lp (5 lps on hook), [yo, draw through 2 lps] 4 times (1 lp on hook), ch-1, yo, insert hook halfway down st just made in space where lower legs join, yo and pull up a lp, [yo, draw through 2 lps] twice.

Odyssey 12 inch Square
Ch-4, join with a sl-st to first chain to form ring.

Round 1: With Colour A... ch-3 (counts as first dc), 11 dc into ring. Join with sl-st to beg ch-3. (12 dc)

Round 2: Ch-3, dc into first st, 2 dc into each remaining st. Join with sl-st to beg ch-3. (24 dc)

Round 3: Skip first st of round 2, *5 dc into next st (shell made), skip on st, sl-st in next st, skip st,* repeat from * to * 5 times, sl-st to beg of round (6 shells). Finish off Colour A.

Round 4: Attach Colour B in the middle (3rd) stitch of any shell. Ch-1, *sc in same st, hdc, dc, tc, dc, hdc.* Repeat from * to * 5 times. Sl-st to first sc. (36 sts)

Round 5: Ch-1, *sc in first sc, sc in second st, 2 sc in the next stitch*. Repeat from * to * all the way around. Join with a sl-st to first sc. (48 sc). Finish off Colour B.

Round 6: Attach Colour A with a sl-st in first sc of round 5. Skip first sc of round 5, *5 dc into next st (shell made), skip one st, sl-st in next st, skip st.* Repeat from * to * 11 times, sl-st to beg of round (12 shells). Finish off Colour A.

Round 7: Attach Colour B in the middle (3rd) stitch of any shell. Ch-1, *sc in the same st, hdc, dc, tc, dc, hdc*. Repeat from * to * 11 times. Sl-st to first sc. (72 sts)

Round 8: Ch-1, *one sc in each of the first 4 sts, 2 sc in the next st.* Repeat from * to * all the way around (13 times). Finish off the round with one sc in each of the last two sts. Join with sl-st to first sc. (86 sc). Finish off Colour B.

Round 9: Join Colour A in any sc of round 8. Ch-4, Trx in next st (see special stitches). Repeat with Trx's around. In second to last stitch... yo twice, insert hook in second to last st, you and pull up a lp (4 lps on hook), yo, draw through 2 lps (3 lps on hook), yo, insert hook in 2nd chain of beg ch-4, yo and pull up loop (5 lps on hook), [yo draw through 2 lps] 4 times (1 lp on hook), ch-1, sl-st to 4th chain of beg ch-4. (29 Trx).

Round 10: Ch-1, sc once in each st. Join with sl-st to first sc. (86 sc). (Hint: each Trx of previous round receives three sc - one in the top of the right leg, one in the middle of the two legs, and one in the top of the left leg). Finish off Colour A.

Round 11: Attach Colour B in any sc of round 10. Ch-1, *sc in each of the first four sts, 2 sc in next st.* Repeat from * to * all the way around. Finish off the round with one additional sc, then join with a sl-st to first sc. (103 sc). Finish off Colour B.

Round 12: Join Colour A in a sc that is in line with the centre of one of the six shells from round 3 (this will ensure that your centre motif is straight inside your finished square). Ch-3, one dc in each of the next 12 sts, *tc, tc, (2tc, ch-2, 2tc) in the next st, tc, tc, one dc in each of the next 21 sts*. Repeat from * to * 3 times (ending with 9 dc in the last repeat). Sl-st to top of beg ch-3. Finish off colour A.

Round 13: Join Colour B in any dc of round 12. Ch-1, one sc in each st all the way around, and (2 dc, ch-2, 2 dc] in each corner ch-2 space. Join with sl-st to beg sc. Finish off Colour B. (Special note: no, that is not a typo. This round is all sc, except the corners which are dc).

Round 14: Join Colour A in any sc of round 13. Ch-3, dc in each st, and [2 dc, ch-2, 2 dc] in each corner ch-2 space. Join with sl-st to top of beg ch-3. Finish off Colour A.

Round 15: Join Colour B in any dc of round 14. Ch-1, sc in each st, and [2 dc, ch-2, 2 dc] in each corner ch-2 space. Join with sl-st to beg sc. Finish off Colour B.

Weave in all ends and you're done!

*(21 January 2010). Special thanks to HappyPeacock and Margate of Ravelry for pointing out a few typos on my original!

Barbie's Toilet - Toilet Paper Roll Cover

2009-08-05T17:31:00.013+10:00

Once upon a time (back in January & February) the Crochet Lovers Victoria group on Ravelry had a toilet roll cover design competition. We entered our creations anonymously.

After contemplating several different ideas of what I could make for the comp, when falling asleep one night an idea popped into my head. I'd make a toilet! And I could have someone falling into the toilet with their pants around their ankles. I could even make a tiny roll of toilet paper hanging off one side, and a magazine rack on the other. Yep this was the one.

The next morning a sketched out my idea and started to plan how I'd make this come to life.

A few days later I got to work. I started with a large blue circle to represent the water in the toilet (and a hole in the center for the "person" to fall in to. I then moved on to the toilet seat. I worked down from there to create the base of the toilet, and then I attached a toilet lid. I then created the tank or cistern behind this and stuffed it with hobbyfill to make it more solid.

I added two different sized buttons to the top of the tank to represent the half flush and full flush buttons we have here in Australia. I then manipulated a small paper clip and some paper towel into a toilet roll and attached it to the side of the tank. (I have to say, the little roll of toilet paper is probably my favourite part!)

Then it came time to making the person to go down the hole. I got some flesh coloured yarn and started with the legs. Ugh! It looked awful and it definitely didn't look anything like a leg. I grabbed one of my old childhood Barbie dolls to get some perspective and to use as a model for my crocheted person. Well dang - this toilet was the perfect size for Barbie. She looks pretty darn funny sitting there atop the toilet.

That's it! I'll use Barbie. Oh I loved this idea 100 times more than making a crochet person for the toilet. It was like Barbie thumbing her nose at all those people who have made her stand inside a roll of toilet paper in some horrible garrish enormously puffy dress with some equally awful hat on her head. Love it!

Of my Barbies, my Miss Amercia 1970s Quick Curl Barbie won the honours. I changed her into a short dress that one of my other Barbies had been wearing (to hike up around her waist so she could use the toilet). She also had the advantage of having bent arms.... perfect for holding the newspaper! I also love the fact that she looks so much like a TV character Kath, from a show here called "Kath and Kim." The exact same frizzy hair and all.

My one regret is that I didn't not have a tiny pair of Barbie panties to put around Barbie's ankles, but I was still super happy with the result. I know it made me laugh, and I hoped it would give others a good laugh, too. Well, it must of worked because I won the competition! Yippee!

I wrote down the pattern whilst making Barbie's toilet. I will endeavour to get it up here on my blog sometime in the next week or so. So stay tuned!

HERE'S THE PATTERN

Barbie’s Toilet, Toilet Paper Roll Cover Pattern
Copyright August 2009 by Letitia Sherriff

Materials used:
3mm hook
*Carnival 8ply Acrylic White (approx 50 grams)
*Carnival 8ply Acrylic Turquoise (approx 10 grams or less)
*Any DK weight yarn (or 8ply) may be substituted for these yarns
Approximately two handfuls of hobby fiber-fill
Two different sized buttons (or one oblong shaped button)
One small paperclip
A small scrap of toilet paper or paper towel
Two small pieces of clear sticky tape
Two stitch markers
Yarn needle to darn in the ends
Barbie (optional)
Old sheet of newspaper (optional)
Roll of toilet paper to sit inside

TOILET BASE
With turquoise blue colour (this forms the “water” for the inside of the toilet)
Ch-22, slip stitch to first chain to form a ring.

Round 1: ch-1. SC once into each chain around (slip stitch into the first SC to finish the round, for this and every subsequent round). (22 SC made).

Round 2: ch-1. *Two SC into the first stitch. 1 SC into the next stitch.* Repeat from * to * around. (33 SC made).

Round 3: ch-1. *Two SC into the first stitch. 1 SC into each of the next 2 stitches.* Repeat from * to * around. (44 SC made). Finish off blue.

You are now going to be working the “toilet seat”.

Round 4: Attach white yarn in first SC of Round 3. *Ch-1, 2 SC in the first stitch. 1 SC into each of the next 3 stitches.* Repeat from * to * around.

Round 5: Ch-1. *2 SC into first stitch. 1 SC into each of next 5 stitches.* Repeat from * to * around.

Round 6: Repeat Round 5. (You should now check that the circle you’ve made is the same size as the top of the roll of toilet paper you are going to use to put inside the cover. Roll sizes vary greatly from brand to brand. If necessary, you can repeat round 6 to make it larger… or rip out a row if it is too big).

Round 7: TURN WORK OVER TO THE “WRONG SIDE.” You are now going to surface crochet (around the post) on the bottom of side of Round 6. 1 SC around each stitch of Round 6.

You are now going to be woking the base of the toilet, under the toilet seat.

Round 8. Ch-1. 1 SC into each stitch.

Round 9. Ch-1. *1 SC into each of the next 4 stitches. You are now going to do a SC decrease over the next two stitches (aka SC2TOG).* Repeat from * to * around.

Round 10: Ch-1. 1 SC into each stitch.

Round 11: Repeat Round 10.

Round 12: Repeat Round 9.

Rounds 13-22: Ch-1. 1 SC into each stitch.
At the end of round 22, you should make sure to check that your item now adequately covers your roll of toilet paper. If it is not long enough, you can add additional row(s) of SC. Fasten off.

LID
With white… Ch-4. Slip stitch into first chain to form a ring.

Round 1: Ch-1. 10 SC into the center of the ring. Slip stitch to first SC to join round (here and at the end of every subsequent round). (10 SC made).

Round 2: Ch-1. 2 SC into each stitch around. (20 SC made).

Round 3: Ch-1. *2 SC into first stitch. 1 SC into next stitch.* Repeat from * to * around. (30 SC made).

Round 4: Ch-1. *2 SC into first stitch. 1 SC into each of the next 2 stitches.* Repeat from * to * around. (40 SC made).

Round 5: Ch-1. *2 SC into first stitch. 1 SC into each of the next 3 stitches.* Repeat from * to * around. (50 SC made).

Round 6: Ch-1. *2 SC into first stitch. 1 SC into each of the next 4 stitches.* Repeat from * to * around. (60 SC made).

Attached lid to base of toilet by single crocheting the two together over approximately 8 stitches. Attach the lid at the raised round that forms the outside edge of the toilet seat above.

CISTERN / TANK
With white… Ch-17.

Row 1: SC into the 2nd chain from the hook and into each chain across (16 SC made). Ch-1 and turn.

Rows 2-77: SC into each stitch across. Ch-1 and turn. (work should measure 16 inches long. If work is not 16 inches long, you should add additional rows of SC as necessary or rip out rows if too long).

Measure six inches down on each side of the work and place a stitch marker on each side.

Turn your work ¼ turn clockwise. You will now be working one of the sides of the cistern (as indicated by the A & F in the diagram).

Row 1 (Side A/F): Ch-1. Place 10 SC evenly spaced over these 6 inches (as indicated by your stitch marker). Ch-1 and turn.

Row 2 (Side A/F): SC in each stitch across. Ch-1 and turn.

Rows 3-10 (Side A/F): Single crochet in each stitch across… until the side measures 6 inches.

Rotate work ¼ turn clockwise. Work 10 SC over the side of the cistern side you just made (indicated by A in the diagram). Continue with an additional 10 SC over the top of your work (indicated by B in the diagram). Turn work ¼ turn counterclockwise then flip.

You will now repeat the instructions that you did for Side A/F, but now for Side C/G.

Turn work ¼ clockwise and work 10 SC over the side (indicated by C in the diagram). Slip stitch to last adjoining stitch of area B and finish off.

IMPORTANT: At this point please remove about 2 feet of white yarn from your ball or skein and set aside.

Making Up (all will be done with SC).
With white… Join yarn at the corner where G & H meet.
You are now going to join sides G & H together.
Continue by joining areas E & K together.
Continue by joining C & M together.
Continue by joining B & N together.
Continue by joining A & L together.
Continue by joining D & J together.
BEFORE YOU DO THE FINAL JOIN OF F & H…..
Now is a good time to sew on any “flusher buttons” or items that you intend to attach to the cistern while you still have access to both the interior and exterior of your work.

You will also need to attach the cistern to the base of the toilet at this point. Make sure you line it up properly with where the toilet lid is attached to the base. Using the two feet of white yarn you set aside earlier, threaded through a yarn needle, just whip stitch the two together, attaching the front of the cistern to the back of the toilet in a few spots.

Now take your hobby/fiber fill and stuff it into the cistern. I recommend stuffing it pretty full so that the cistern is nice and firm and will stand up well. If you run out of hobby fill you can even use some paper towel, toilet paper, etc to fill it up. I DO recommend using something white to stuff it so no colour shows through your white yarn.

You are now ready to finish up the cistern by joining sides F & H with SC. Finish off and weave in your ends. Ta-da!

You can now add your toilet paper roll to the side by manipulating a small paper clip and using some toilet paper or paper towel. (You may need a small piece of clear sticky tape to start the roll and to finish the roll). Don’t forget to leave some of the roll dangling!

Now you just need to find a Barbie to put on the top and you’re done!

Three 12 inch Squares

2009-04-12T16:21:00.003+10:00

I was asked to make a 12 inch square to contribute to a special blanket. I was watching TV one evening, got a little carried away, and ended up making three instead.

The first is in an interesting Carnival variegated with different shades of blue and white from a pattern called Arches by Dayna Audirsch.

I also wanted to use some of the "eyelash" art yarns, and ended up making two traditional granny square style squares (since the gaps make it less difficult to use the art yarn). One was in turquoise blue/green with nearly identical eyelash yarn.

The second one was in a soft blue with a variegated eyelash yarn with different shades of blue and white (which you can't really see in the pictures).

I'm excited to see the finished blanket when it is done - it is going to a very deserving recipient!

Niece 9's Birthday Shawl

2009-04-03T12:03:00.007+11:00

I recently finished a shawl for my 9 year old niece. Her birthday is August 12th (aka - 8-12). I used her birthday as a guide for my row changes. I used an eyelash yarn from the Palette Collection in Wisteria (a lovely shade of purple) as well as some Moda Vera Wisp yarn in a lavender and silver colour.

So I had 8 rows of eyelash, 1 row of wisp, and 2 rows of eyelash. I then reversed it... 8 rows of wisp, 1 row of eyelash and 2 rows of wisp. And then back to the original set of 8 rows of eyelash, 1 row of wisp and 2 rows of eyelash.

I am so happy with how well the purple's match and I'm so pleased that the set of three repeats gave me a perfectly sized shawl for my niece. It is super soft and squishy - exactly what a shawl should be.

I have now started on a similar one for Niece 6 (who's birthday is May 31, aka 5-31, therefore 5 rows, 3 rows, 1 row, repeat twice).

These will be the first crocheted items I will be able to give my nieces in person (the rest have been posted or delivered by someone else). I am really looking forward to seeing their reactions to their shawls. I know how excited I'd have been at their ages to get something like that!

Aaron's Blanket

2009-03-31T17:57:00.005+11:00

A dear friend's best friend has a little four year old boy with cancer (Ewings Sarcoma). With the help of several lovely ladies from Ravelry's Crochet Lovers Victoria, we were able to make him a blanket in green and yellow (which I'm told are his favourite colours). Some of the ladies also made Aaron some cute cuddle toys and hats!

Many, many, many, many thanks to Cathy, Dawn, Daphne, Tess, Sharon, Lyn, Julie and Michelle for all of your help! (aka: CRC, DawnieDear, HappyPeacock, KingsvilleTess, LaughingPurple, lyndymb, Shilo and Yarnplay67)

More Dyeing - Food Colour Attempt Two

2009-03-21T17:22:00.007+11:00

This past week I made another attempt at food colour dyeing. This time I was more prepared wtih plenty of food colour on hand as well as my plastic mustard and ketchup picnic bottles to squirt on the colour (a tip I received from someone... sorry, I can't remember who, but thank you whoever you are!). Edited to add: Oh, I just looked it up. It was Meagan who gave me the plastic bottle tip. Thank Meagan - they worked PERFECTLY!

I have been using Queen food colours from the supermarket. This time I used an entire bottle of rose pink, an entire bottle of conchineal (sp?), an entire bottle of blue, and about half a bottle of green. All that for just 200 grams of wool!

I was aiming for mostly red to pink (and varieties in between). When I was squirting the dye on, the red and the pink looked nearly exactly the same and I was afraid I'd end up with more or less just one colour all over. That's fine, but that's not why I was doing home dyeing. I then decided to try and add a little bit of "turquoise" to the mix.

I REALLY saturated the wool because I wanted nice strong bright colours and I didn't want any of the natural colour of the wool showing. I followed the same directions as my first attempt - soaking in vinegar, putting it in cling wrap, squirting on the colours, then microwaving. After giving it a post microwave rinse in tepid water in the laundry sink, I noticed A TON of colour was coming out. And since, from my previous experience, I didn't want a residual vinegar smell, I decided to let it soak in some wool wash for awhile.

Later that night I was on my way out to dinner when I realised - oops! I'd left the wool soaking in the sink and had forgotten to take it out! Not much I could do about it at that stage, so it had to wait until I got home a few hours later. Because a lot of the colour that was coming out in the sink was of the blue/green variety, I believe it affected the rest of the colours.

Although I still have a bit of red and pink colours, more of that has turned to purple. Ultimately though, I am really happy with the colours and I love how they look. I started making a hat with the wool and it was working up beautifully. Unfortunately the pattern was awful and although this was supposed to be a large sized adult hat, it ended up being a good size for one of my niece's doll. I ended up having to frog it and will have to just wing a hat pattern as I go. Can't wait to finish it. Oh, I think that means I have to start it first!

Part Two - I Would Dye For You

2009-03-02T18:45:00.005+11:00

In the end, I really love microwave dyeing and have since tried it with Kool-Aid. Yes, I sacrificed some of my precious Grape Kool-Aid to dye some alpaca that was very gray and gummy looking. Can't let perfectly lovely alpaca go to waste!

Jumping back to my first batch, after it was all dry, I realised it was still a bit stinky from the vinegar. I was advised that I might want to give it a hand wash in some tepid water with wool wash (being careful not to agitate it!).

I then balled it up and used about two of my three balls to make myself a tam style beret (which I haven't photographed yet).

As for the alpaca, I followed nearly the same directions as the food colour dyeing, however, this time, instead of squirting on the colours, I microwaved the alpaca in a bowl of Kool-Aid water. I read elsewhere on the internet that you just continue to microwave (in 2 minute intervals, 2 minutes of rest) until the water is clear and your fibre has absorbed all the colour.
I would have liked it to be a tad more purple, but I only had two packets of Kool-Aid for 200 grams of alpaca, and according to the calculations I got off the internet, I should have had about 6 for that much fibre. Ah well! I much happier with it than I was before. And it has a slightly grape-ish odour as an added bonus. :)

Pre-dyeing colour.

Soaking in vinegar for about an hour. (I've read you don't need to the vinegar soak for Kool-Aid dyeing because the Kool-Aid is already acidic. But I figured I'd rather be safe than sorry).

My two Grape Kool-Aid packets from the American food shop (must remember to stock up on Kool-Aid on my next trip back to the US!)

Ready for the microwave.

Outside drying.

I Would Dye for You

2009-02-11T18:19:00.006+11:00

Well, I did it for myself actually, but it was so easy, I would do it for other people, too!

I've been wanting to try dyeing wool for quite some time, but it just seemed so messy! I was also very worried about ruining my pots and pans. Then I saw a blog by Laughing Purple Goldfish Designs where she dyed some wool in the microwave - yes, the microwave!

Well I had no idea this was even possible! I was so excited, I had to give it a try. In addition to reading several of Laughing Purple Goldfish's related blogs, I also searched the internet for any other tips and tricks that might come in handy.

I started with three balls of Spotlight's Basic Harvest Wool (please be advised that if you are using food dye, you want to use 100% animal fibre).

Using the back of my office chair, I wound them into hanks and tied them together with some alpaca I was not particularly found of (a little test to see how the alpaca would take to the dyeing).

As I've read, I then soaked these hanks in the laundry sink full of tepid water with about 1 cup of vinegar. I've read you should soak them for at least half an hour, so I did it for one hour. (By the way, make sure your water is not too cold or too hot or run the risk of inadvertently felting your wool).

While my wool was soaking in the vinegar and water mix, I got the rest of my items ready to go. Food colouring, cups, some old takeaway food chopsticks for mixing, cling wrap, and some more vinegar.

Then I set about mixing my food dye colours with water and vinegar and trying to get some cool colours. (Long story short, these were not the colours I was aiming for at all, but they are pretty fun nonetheless).

I've read that a turkey baster is recommended for squirting the colours on, but I don't have one. Ironically I needed a "potty break" and came across this little dropper thingy in the bathroom that came with a perfume atomizer - that'll work!

So I drained the hanks, gave them a little bit of a "hug" in a towel and then laid them out on a couple of sheets of cling wrap (with some old towels underneath just in case).

Now it was time to put the colours on!!! Weeee!!!! Okay the perfume atomizer thingy was a little small, but beggars can't be choosers. (I reckon I will invest in a turkey baster though for future dyeing).

Then I rolled it up in the clingwrap and popped it into a microwave safe dish.

Cook for two minutes, rest for two minutes, cook for two minutes, rest for two minutes, cook for another two minutes. Obviously since I've just been cooking this thing for a total of six minutes, this puppy was hot. I carefully took it over to the laundry sink with my oven mitts and popped it into the sink. I then very carefully unwrapped it, being sure to avoid any steam burns.

I wish you could see the steam coming off of this thing in the photo!

Then it was time to give it rinse with some tepid to warmish water (you don't want to hot or too cold so you don't accidentally felt it). Then another big hug in the towel to get some of the excess water out - and TA-DA! It's ready to go outside and dry!!!

I can't wait until these are dry so I can put them into balls and then start crocheting with them!

This was just so easy, so fast, and pretty mess-free. Because it's just food colouring, the glasses and bowl were just popped into the dishwasher and the chopsticks and cling wrap were popped into the garbage can. Clean-up complete! Too easy!

Obviously adult supervision is needed for this - especially with the microwaving and post-microwave unwrapping, but I think it would be so much fun for kids to be able to mix their own colours and squirt them onto the wool themselves. And it's totally safe since it's just food colouring. How excited would they be to have something made for them with wool they dyed themselves? :)))

Hip to be square

2009-02-11T17:28:00.005+11:00

It seems like I've been making a lot of squares lately. In addition to the block-a-month crochet-along (where I'm actually doing both squares each month), I've also been organising a blanket for a friend of a friend's little 3 year-old boy who has cancer.

Some of the lovely ladies of Crochet Lover's Victoria on Ravelry have made some squares for the blanket (in addition to a couple of hats and toys as well - they are very generous!). I've personally completed three squares for the blanket so far.

Apparently the little boy's favourite colours are yellow and green, so everyone has been making squares in those colours.

I've made one of my 3-5-3-5-3 Squares

A center heart square

And a Mandala square. (I made this one on accident - I thought I was making a different square, and was already too far into it when I realised I'd grabbed the wrong pattern - oh well).
I've also finished my second January square (that Mandala pattern I don't care for.)

And this "two-tone" square pattern.

The center heart square is also one of February's patterns so I still need to make that in the blue and cream for myself now.

"I Felt the Earth Move" Handbag

2009-01-17T18:25:00.013+11:00

After making my '2 Bizarre 4 the Car' blanket I had several scrap balls of Cleckheaton Vintage Hues leftover, and nearly 2/3 of one complete ball as well. I'd heard that Vintage Hues "felts beautifully... whether you want it to or not."

I received a lovely felted coin purse kit for Christmas, but have been scared to use it. I've never felted before and I didn't want to screw it up. I decided using these scraps would be the perfect opportunity to practice felting, and if it didn't work - oh well - no biggee.

I know items shrink when they felt, I was going on the principle of about 1/2 shrinkage in size. I wanted a small bag to throw a few things in. I ended up getting a little carried away and the bag got a bit larger on me than I'd originally intended. Here's a photo prior to washing/felting. That's a 12 inch ruler below the bag.

Thanks to the wonderful ladies of Crochet Lovers Victoria on Ravelry, I was able to give it a go! One item that was especially helpful was this blog from Laughing Purple Goldfish Designs.

Since I didn't have much to bash around the item in the washing machine, it took four rounds to get all of this puppy to felt.

I am sooooooo happy with the end result! I love the shape, I love the size it ended up being in the end. Even MrElle, who tries his best to be enthusiastic about some of my crocheted items, seemed genuinely impressed with my final result.

Here are some post felting photos. The bag is still wet in these photos (and stuffed with plastic bags so it will retain it's shape while drying). Check out the difference between the first photos (the size of the bag in comparison to the ruler) and the post felting ones.

This was my own improvised design. I'm quite happy with how it came out. A few people have asked me for the pattern, so I'm in the process of putting it to paper (or screen?). Watch this space....

PATTERN ADDED 20 JANUARY 20089

"I Felt the Earth Move" Handbag Crochet Pattern

*Although I am happy to offer this pattern to you for free, please do not reprint this pattern or make this pattern for items for sale. Pattern is written in US crochet terminology.

Materials Used

Cleckheaton Vintage Hues 50 gram balls (Shade 1268)- 3 balls should be more than sufficient. (If substituting yarn, please be advised it must be 100% animal fibre for it to felt) (ETA: 2-March 2009, I have been advised by someone who made this bag that they used 5 balls of wool, though I am not sure what type/brand they used - FYI).
8.0mm crochet hook

Directions

Chain 50
Starting the second chain from the hook, sc in each chain across and 2sc in the last chain (50 stitches made). Remember to crochet loosely (not too tight) so that the item will felt properly.
Continuing along the OTHER side of the chain, sc all the way across and 2sc in the last chain (50 sc made).
You are now going to continue crocheting "in the round" making a very elongated oval / rectangle. Do not join or fasten off at the end of a round, just continue working in a spiral. You may wish to use a stitch marker just to keep track of where you are in terms of rounds.
At each corner (4 corners total) you will do 2sc into the same stitch. All other stitches will just receive 1sc each. You are currently making the base/bottom of the bag. (Please note, pattern originally called for 3sc in each corner, but found this to be a bit too bulbous).
Continue in this manner (2sc in each corner, 1sc in all others) for 10 rounds
Now do one round of surface crochet on each stitch of the previous round. (Stitch explanation - surface crochet: If you are doing single crochet and lay the item flat on a table, the "V's" will be facing away from you. When you do the surface crochet, instead of putting the hook through the top of the stitch by the V's, you are actually going around the stitch itself. As you can hopefully see in the photo below, the purple is done laying flat, with the V's facing away, and the yellow is done on the surface, with the V's FACING THE CEILING). Hook in the photo is placed where the next stitch would go.

Working into this surface crochet that you just did (like it is a regular stitch now), you will do 1sc into each stitch. You are now working up the sides of the bag.
Continuing in a spiral, do 12 more rounds of sc - 1 sc in each stitch.
#*For the next round, do a sc in each of the next 8 stitches, then sc2tog to decrease* continue from * to * for two rounds. Then do one round of sc in each stitch. # Repeat from # to # two more times.
Now you are going to be decreasing only at the short sides of the bag. Although the bag is technically more of an oval than a rectangle, if you think of it as a rectangle the "ends" of the bag are the short sides.
#*sc all along the long sides of the bag. When you get to the short end you are going to do 2 sc, sc2tog. Do this three times on the side of the bag. Now continue along the other long side of the bag all in sc. When you get to the other short end, do the same as you did on the other side (sc, sc, sc2tog, sc, sc, sc2tog, sc, sc, sc2tog). * Repeat from * to * one more time. Now do one round of just sc#. Repeat from # to # two more times.
Do one final round of all sc, ending on the short side of the bag. Do NOT fasten off.
You are now going to start the handle. SC over 10 stitches, making sure they are centred over the short end of the bag. Ch-1 and turn. *SC once into each of the previous 10 scs. Ch-1 and turn. * Repeat from * to * another 48 times (or more depending on how long you would like the handle to be).
Now sc the handle to the other short end of the bag to attach the handle. (Don't worry, this will "disappear" when the bag is felted.) Fasten off! Your done!
Now you are ready to felt it, baby!

January Block-a-Month

2009-01-17T18:18:00.003+11:00

I am participating in a crochet-along (CAL) through a Ravelry group. The idea is that you make one 12 inch square per month and end up with 12 at the end of the year. Each month, two different patterns are posted and you pick the one you'd like to do.

Seeing 12 squares would only make a 3' x 4' blanket - which isn't of too much use to me - I've decided to do both blocks each month. That's 24 squares by the end of the year instead, which will make a nice sized 4' x 6' blanket instead... much more useful.

Here's the first of my two squares for January from a pattern called Esther.

Sock it to me baby!

2009-01-08T17:26:00.005+11:00

I have to admit, I never really got the whole sock obsession thing with knitters and crocheters. I guess I had two 'areas of resistance' with the whole thing (or maybe three).

First - Having lived through the 80's, when all socks HAD to match the rest of your outfit, I've now gone to the other extreme. I have white socks and I have black socks. That's it. Not even any navy blue. Nothing.

Second - I guess, I just had trouble getting my head around paying somewhere in the neighbourhood of at least $5 for some sock yarn, when I could just go to Target (or similar) and buy a perfectly good pair of socks for less than that - and I didn't have to do any work.

Third - although technically speaking a blanket, or a scarf, or a hat could last for years or even generations, socks really have a limited lifespan.

On the other hand though, I can see some appeal to them. They are small and portable, can be worked up quit quickly, can be easily adjustable for odd sized feet, and can be made in so many varieties of colours and fibres - absorbent cotton to warm wool.

So as they say, don't knock it till you try it. With all the sock fuss, I figured maybe there is something to it that I'm just missing out on. Sooooo, I am now in the process of attempting my first pair of crocheted sock. I'm about halfway through the first sock (which I think I am making a little too large). I really love the colourful yarn I am using - so they will be fun when they are finished. I'm coming up to the tricky part, so we'll see how it goes from here.

Possum: 'Raspberry Beret,' 'There's a Possum on My Head!' and "Neckwarmer'

2009-01-04T16:36:00.009+11:00

RASPBERRY BERET
For Christmas this year (er, well, 2008 anyway) I made my Dad's wife Cathy a beret style hat with the red possum/merino/silk wool I picked up on my trip to New Zealand. I LUUURRVVEEE how soft this wool is. And I just love the uniqueness of the the possum fur! I picked out this lovely shade of red for Cathy as I thought it would look very nice with her colouring and very pretty against her gorgeous snow white hair.

Cathy has thanked me on the phone for her hat, and it sounds like she likes it. I forgot to ask her if it fits though! Fingers crossed...

THERE'S A POSSUM ON MY HEAD! HAT & NECKWARMER
For my Dad, I made two items. The first was the "I've Got a Possum on My Head" hat/beanie - which was just an improvised design. I also made him a neckwarmer in griddle stitch. I made the neckwarmer large enough to be able to slip over his head without fussing with buttons, and to have the alternate use of being used as earwarmers. (I made both of his items in the natural colour as I thought it was the most blokey of the lot).

"2 Bizarre 4 the Car" Blanket is finished!

2009-01-03T16:25:00.004+11:00

I began work on this blanket/rug for my car back in early November. With all the holiday "craziness" I've had to put it aside for quite awhile. Now that Christmas is finished I had some time to get back to it. My goal was to finish it by the end of the week. Check!

I was intending to make the joins very noticeable with a SC-join, but either I wasn't doing something right or it just looked funny. In the end I whipstitched them together and added two rounds of SC for the edging.

The 3-5-3-5-3 Crochet Square Pattern

2008-12-31T13:37:00.005+11:00

I needed to make a 12 inch square for a charity donation. I decided to improvise my own design. Here's what I came up with... The 3-5-3-5-3 Square.

*Please be advised this is my own pattern. Although I am happy for you to use it for your own personal use, please do not reprint the pattern or use this pattern for items for sale. Thanks.*

Materials:

Carnival 8ply acryclic - Red

Size G / 4.25mm hook

Needle to darn in ends

*Pattern written using USA crochet terms*

Ch 50

Row 1: SC in 2nd chain from hook and each chain across (49 SC made).

Row 2: ch-1 and turn. #SC, ch-1 and skip next stitch# repeat from # to # across - ending with a SC in the last stitch.

Row 3: ch-3 and turn. #DC in ch-1 space, ch-1#, repeat from # to # all the way across, DC in last ch-1 space, NO CHAIN and then a DC in final stitch.

Row 4: ch-4 and turn. (skipping both the turning chain and the first DC of the previous row) #DC in ch-1 space, ch-1#, repeat from # to # all the way across ending with a DC in the last stitch.

Row 5: Repeat row 3.

THAT COMPLETES THE FIRST LOT OF "3" IN THE 3-5-3-5-3 PATTERN.

Row 6: ch-1 and turn. SC in each stitch across.

Row 7: ch-1 and turn. #SC, ch-1 and skip next stitch# repeat from # to # across - ending with a sc in the last stitch.

Rows 8-12: Repeat row 3, repeat row 4, repeat row 3, repeat row 4, repeat row 3.

THAT COMPLETES THE FIRST LOT OF "5" IN THE 3-5-3-5-3 PATTERN.

Rows 13-14: Repeat rows 6 and 7.

Rows 15-17: Repeat row 3, repeat row 4, repeat row 3.

THAT COMPLETES THE SECOND LOT OF "3" IN THE 3-5-3-5-3 PATTERN.

Rows 18-19: Repeat rows 6 and 7.

Rows 20-24: Repeat row 3, repeat row 4, repeat row 3, repeat row 4, repeat row 3.

THAT COMPLETES THE SECOND LOT OF "5" IN THE 3-5-3-5-3 PATTERN.

Rows 25-26: Repeat rows 6 and 7.

Row 27-29: Repeat row 3, repeat row 4, repeat row 3.

THAT COMPLETES THE LAST LOT OF "3" IN THE 3-5-3-5-3 PATTERN.

Row 30: ch-1 and turn. SC in each stitch across.

Row 31: ch-1 and turn. SC in each stitch across, ending with 2 SC in the final stitch from the previous row.

FINISHING....

You will now continue along THE SIDE of the work - by rotating your square one quarter turn in a clockwise direction.

SC all the way along the side of the work. When you reach the end, ch-1 and turn. SC all the way back to where you came from. Finish off.

Now join with a slip stitch to the OTHER SIDE of the square. SC all the way along the side. When you reach the end, ch-1 and turn. SC all the way back to where you came from. Finish off.

Now just weave in your ends and your square is complete. Cheers!

*Please be advised this is my own pattern. Although I am happy for you to use it for your own personal use, please do not reprint the pattern or use this pattern for items for sale. Thanks.*

Wherefore art thou, Dolly?

2008-12-20T16:45:00.004+11:00

I recently sent a Christmas package to the US, which included some more items I made for my niece's American girl dolls (among other things). They told me they really loved the capes/shawls I previously made for their dolls, so I've decided to make them each another one.

For their birthdays this year I made them each a blanket. For Niece 6, I made a matching blanket for her doll. For Niece 9, I didn't have a chance to do it, but instead made her a little doll purse. To even things up, I've reversed it for Christmas. I made Niece 6 the doll purse, and Niece 9 will finally get her matching dolly blanket (to match her big blanket).

I 'designed' the doll purse myself - and seeing I hate joining things together, I made it so it is all in one piece. I only had to weave in the beginning tail and the ending tail, sew on the button and ta-da! I've called it the "I'm Bringing Frilly Back" doll purse. Look out Justin Timberlake!

Cat's Curlique Scarf

2008-12-10T17:32:00.004+11:00

I recently finished this curlique (curlicue?) scarf for my good friend Cat who just moved to Florida. I'm not sure what the weather is like in Florida, but I'm guessing not that cold. This fun curlique scarf both suits her personality, and shouldn't be too warm as it's rather light.

As a side note, I've been have a bad run of luck lately in the way of yarn. I keep starting all these projects, thinking I have enough wool, and then running out before I am finished. This project was one of those as well. I was 97 percent done with the scarf and ran out of the coffee brown colour. A couple of days later I had a "Christmas miracle" and found a half a skein of the coffee hiding in a drawer where no yarn should be. I was so glad!

Stop Reading My Blog!

2008-12-10T17:31:00.001+11:00

I've recently made something, about which I am quite excited. Unfortunately I can not blog about it because the gift recipient reads my blog. Guess I'll have to wait until after Christmas - hope the excitement hasn't worn off by then. :)

Pink, purple & pumpkin

2008-12-06T18:52:00.005+11:00

Back in September? or October? when I was being a really good girl and getting a nice earlier start on my Christmas presents, I made my sister a scarf and beret. I chose a pretty pumpkin colour (it is not "orange" like it looks in the photos) to go with her warm colouring.

I decided I'd make my nieces similiar style scarfs to match their mum's so all "the girls" would have the same.

I'm intending, time permitting, to also make the girls berets as well, in the same colour as the outside shell borders of their scarfs.

If you look closely I wove in the darker outside colour through the middle of the scarf. I was quite pleased with this idea (go me!) as I think it gives it a more finished look. (Not to be mistaken with Finnish from Finlad - ha! ha!).

Goldie the Goldfish Toilet Roll Cover

2008-11-30T15:20:00.006+11:00

When I first learned to crochet my husband kept telling me that I needed to make a toilet roll cover. I'm pretty sure he meant it in jest, and I'm pretty sure he meant one of those ones where you put a barbie doll in the middle and her crocheted dress covers the roll of toilet paper.

On the lovely Ravelry group - Crochet Lovers Victoria - we are planning on having a toilet paper cover design competition after Christmas. Well, I couldn't wait that long! I can't remember but I may have even been the one to recommend we wait until after Christmas because I was too busy! LOL

Well, instead of working on Christmas presents like I should be, last night I designed and made this goldfish toilet paper roll cover instead. I'm exceedingly proud of myself - seeing I envisioned this thing in my head, winged it - having never made a toilet cover of any kind - used techniques I've never used before, and ended up with something that, if I do say so myself, is pretty cute!

First I drew a sketch (I know, I know... don't give up my day job to be an artist)

Then I grabbed the orange acrylic and started with the "face" - making sure it was the right size to fit the loo roll.

I decided I wanted to make and attach the eyes and mouth before proceeding any further as they would be harder to attach later on. First the eyes...

I was originally thinking red lips, but it was just too close too the orange. I pulled out some different shades, and found I like the purple lips the best. I made a small set of lips and a bigger set of lips. Unfortunately the bigger set made it look like a duck instead of a fish, so I went with the smaller ones.

After attaching the eyes and lips, I went back to my orange, created the "dorsal fin" curlique on top of the head, made a seam around the face (by doing what I think is called going around the post) then continued on until the body was "almost" the length I wanted.

I then switched to this variegated blue and white mixture for the water and waves. I made a few more rows with this colour, did the "going around the post thing - I think" and then made the waves around the bottom with triple crochet shells of five stitches each.

After I was done with the water and waves, I improvised some fins, popped them on, and TA-DA! My first toilet roll cover design was complete!

It would be very easy to modify this design for any colour fish... add some black stripes to make him like Nemo... do smaller cross eyes for a goofy fish, all sorts of variations.

I was hoping this would satisfy my husband desire for a toilet roll cover, but now he's talking about me making the entire cast of Nemo. Er, I don't think so!

Tricia's Christmas Scarf

2008-11-25T12:38:00.003+11:00

I'm trying to get things crossed of my Christmas to-do list. On Sunday, I was on a roll and was able to both start AND finish a scarf for my dear friend Tricia. She has lovely Auburn coloured hair and I thought this coffee brown Patons soft haze would look very pretty on her.

This is a modification of the "One skein scarf" pattern from the "Happy Hooker" book. (Always takes me two to three skeins - just for the record). I'll post this at the end of the week so it will get to her sometime in December (along with a packet of Tim Tams for her cookie obsessed husband).

Some New Zealand Treasures

2008-11-21T16:40:00.006+11:00

My husband and I just got back from a wonderful trip to New Zealand. In addition to all the lovely scenery and activities there were, of course, lots of sheep! And sheep make lovely wool. :)

There were a few purchases I just couldn't resist making. The first was an adorable little stuffed sheep wearing a pink hoodie. I've named him Jelly (short for Mint Jelly).

I also found some gorgeous NZ wool called "Touch" that is so incredibly soft, you just have to, well, TOUCH it! It was a bit expensive (okay a lot expensive), but it was a special treat for myself.

I also had to pick up some Possum/Merino/Silk wool that I found. You can buy the possum/merino products all over New Zealand but they are SOOOOO crazy expensive. The wool was pretty expensive as well, but it was just so different with the possum in it, I had to get it. I'm using it for some Christmas presents... which will have to remain secret for now.

Avatar Part 2

2008-11-11T10:54:00.001+11:00

I spent quite a long time on my avatar yesterday, making sure it was accurate as possible, even making sure to add crow's feet by the eyes. I was quite proud of myself. Then I showed it to my husband and he said "Why do you have an F on your scarf?" Aaaahhhhhh!

I don't know how that F got there, and it is really annoying me. Especially since I can't think of anything that I could "make" it stand for. Ergh!

Avatar

2008-11-10T17:58:00.002+11:00

I created a new avatar for myself today. I had to do this on my own without help from anyone else. I found it kind of hard actually because it's hard to know what you look like - shape of your eyes, face, nose, etc. I hope I did okay, but I'll have to get some feedback from people who know what I look like! :)

2 Bizarre 4 the Car

2008-11-08T14:15:00.004+11:00

Several months ago, when I was pretty new to crochet, I boughtsome wool from Bendigo Woollen Mills to make a blanket for me car. Unfortunately, I severely underestimated how much I would need. What I've done so far will need to be repurposed for something else now.

A new Spotlight opened up last week and I was able to pick up some Cleckheaton's "Vintage Hues" wool for the wonderful bargain price of $1.29 a ball. I think I originally put 18 -20 in my basket, but I think some fell out and I ended up with 16. A good number though.

Some of the other colourways of this wool were going for $5.99 per ball, so I'm gonna take a wild guess that this colour wasn't selling so well. It's an "interesting" combination of purples, yellows and a little bit of green. There's something about it that is kind of ugly, but for some reason I am drawn to it anyway.

Well, for the price I couldn't pass it up, and picked it up to work on a blanket for the car. It's wool so it should be nice and durable, and with the "odd" colour combinations, you shouldn't really be able to notice if it gets a little dirty in the car.

As I'm starting to work with it, it is growing on me a bit more. I've made three squares (of 10 rounds each), and it's quite interesting how different all three of the squares have turned out - from where the colours happen to fall. Right now I'm getting one square per ball (with a bit leftover) so I am planning to make 16 squares all together for a 4x4 blanket.

I know I just finished making the granny square baby blanket, but I thought the granny square format would show off the different colours well, and seeing it is kind of a heavy wool, I thought the nice open granny square pattern would keep it from being too heavy or hot.

My goal is to have this finished by the end of the year - just in time for summer - ha! ha!

Blue Skies Baby Blanket

2008-11-04T21:06:00.003+11:00

A friend recently had a baby boy. Since they are technically my husband's friends, I let him pick out the yarn for the blanket. I think he did a pretty good job. I'm not a big fan of the pastel type baby colours, so this bright blue blanket is very cheery in my opinion.

It is made of 9 granny squares (3x3) with 10 rounds per square. I whipstitched the squares together and finished it off with a row of SC border. The photo is a bit dark as I just finished it at about 7.30pm and it was getting dark outside.

Touche Scarf

2008-11-03T18:41:00.002+11:00

I have some wonderfully soft yarn from Lincraft called "Entice" that is just soooo amazingly soft. I was looking at it and feeling it the other day and it made me think of my dad's wife's aunt. A very sweet lady who is unfortunately losing her vision. I thought this would be wonderful yarn to make something for her since it is so very soft. I'm working on this scarf for her for Christmas at the moment. Just a simple scarf of 10sc across. It's my understanding that she has a tiny bit of vision on the side (don't know how to spell "perrifreal???") so hopefully she will be able to get a glimpse of the pretty salmon colour as well.

Purple & Gray Days

2008-10-31T16:11:00.003+11:00

Another hat and scarf set for my nieces' dolls. This one with mittens!

For their birthday doll items, I made a set of mittens with string in the middle. Unfortunately I made them a little too small so I thought I'd try again. These mittens have some stretchy elastic under the cuff of the "wristband." I tried to make them on the bigger side so they would fit the dolls' hands, and added the elastic, in case they were TOO big.

These were made with some 8 ply acrylic as well as some gray "hope" yarn around the edges for some fluffy softness. I ran out of the gray fluffy stuff when I was almost finished with the hat. I added the three little crocheted flowers near the brim to help disguise the fact that I ran out of the fluffy stuff! :) It was a happy accident because I quite like the result.

Once again, my good old friend Mandy, although 2/3 the size of the doll these are intended for, is a good sport and standing in as a model once again. What a good dolly! :)

Citrus Sunshine Doll Beanie & Scarf

2008-10-30T19:23:00.004+11:00

Two of my nieces LOVE their American Girl dolls. For their birthdays this year, I made some crochet items for their dolls and they were a big hit. Don't you just love it when your work is appreciated? :)

I've been working on making a few more things for their dolls for Christmas. This particular set is made from a fun "citrus" coloured variegated yarn (Carnival). One of my nieces told me that they "especially love the furry and fuzzy stuff" so I've made sure to include it in the doll projects. I finished this beanie and hat off with a fun "flurry" yarn.
Both the doll scarf and beanie I just improvised as I went along. I have some measurements for the American Girl dolls so I just try to make sure they will fit.

The doll modelling is my old childhood doll "My Friend Mandy." She is probably about 2/3 the size of an American Girl doll so the items are all a bit too big for her.

Jewel Tone Stripes and Stripes Forever Scarf

2008-10-29T16:16:00.004+11:00

The colours for this scarf were very loosely inspired by an outfit Cameron Diaz wore at a red carpet appearance. This scarf started out as an "easy" project to be a good girl and use up some of my stash and little bits of remaining wool. Primarily speaking, the turquoise colour that appears in the scarf.

I had, what I assumed to be, about a quarter of a skein of the turquoise wool left which I thought would be plenty to make the three rows of sc needed for this pattern. As it turned out, I only had enough for two rows, and truly, just barely at that. If the scarf had even be two or three stitches longer, I wouldn't have had enough. At this point, I was really loving the colour combination and didn't want to have to go another route.

Over the next several weeks, I went to every Spotlight I could find to try and get more of the turquoise colour wool. Nobody had any!!! I was absolutely crushed and so terribly disappointed. Some projects you just get more attached to than others, and I was quite attached to this one.

Thanks to some wonderfully kind and generous people on Ravelry, I was able to get a bit more of the right wool. Unfortunately not having the ball band for the partial skein anymore, I could only guess at the colour. I was able to purchase two balls from one kind-hearted soul, only to have it arrive and find out it was the wrong colour.

Another amazingly generous person sent me as much as she could fit in a standard 55 cent envelope and it ended up being a perfect match. Yippee!

Two days after I was finished making the scarf, I make a quick stop into a Spotlight to find something else, and wouldn't you know it, they had more of the teal/turquoise wool! LOL I had to buy 3 skeins while it was there... just in case! Pluse I do like these colours together and may make this scarf again for someone else.

I was originally intending for this scarf to be a Christmas gift for someone, but I'm just too darn attached to it now, I'll have to keep it for myself. But now that I've found more of the turquoise, I think I'll make another one.

Crochet Pink Ribbons

2008-10-28T21:11:00.004+11:00

In honour of October being Breast Cancer Awareness Month,

I have crocheted these two different versions of a pink ribbon.

2008-10-28T14:10:00.002+11:00

Hello and welcome to my blog! I've finally entered the 'aughts!