Crocheted Afghan Progress

It's been a while since I posted an afghan update.  I haven't worked on it too much lately, it's big enough that it's like having a blanket over me and the summer was just too hot to even think about it!  I put about 10 rows on it yesterday.  It's folded in half width-wise.  It's probably about 1/2 way there.  I'll know when it's long enough.

56 rows!  All double stitch.  I'm using Pound size skeins, it's taken nearly a full one of each color so I figure that it will probably take a total of 4 skeins, 2 green and 2 cream.  Which will leave me with two unused skeins of each color, but I've learned:  buy more than I think I'll need because the colors won't be there later on if I run short!  But it's good, soft yarn and I will use it.

I started row # 57, the safety pin is keeping the stitch from unravelling and has orange yarn on the end of it so I can see it easily.  I prefer to stop a project in the process of the next row, it's too easy to get confused and start on the wrong end or on the wrong side.

Now that the weather is finally getting cooler, I'm probably going to be working on this a lot.  I want to get it finished fairly soon, but I don't always have a lot of time during the week so it might be what I do for the next few Saturday afternoons.

Friday October 14 I Love Yarn Day!!!

(Pretend this was actually posted ON Friday. I didn't have enough time before sunset).

Today is a great day, one of my favorites.

It's I LOVE YARN DAY!!

Needless to say, I indulged in the celebration.  But you are probably not surprised, are you?

Zippered Pouch

(Although it doesn't look like it in the picture, it is in fact rectangular.)

Otter made this today.  It's similar to the felt ones she made a couple of years ago, one of which is already on here previously.  I use it to hold some of my crochet hooks.  Otter's not sure what this one will be for, it's a little small for pencils, but she'll find a use for it.

It's about 7" wide.  It's an easy pattern, all it needs is fabric, thread and a zipper.  This one has a 7" zipper.

Crochet Sock Monkey Hat

These look kind of creepy, but Otter likes hers a lot.

This one is Otter's.  The eyes are black buttons.

Froggy, this one is yours!  The eyes are also buttons, but they are black with a white outline.

The hats are easy and a variation of the same pattern I've used for the other caps I've made.  Single Stich, 14 rows.  The ears are crocheted seperately and attached, and so is the mouth.  The original pattern I had called for a black line to be stitched across the mouth, but I didn't like the way it looked.

Also, the original pattern called for a tan yarn, but I liked the grey better.

I still think they look creepy!  I tried crocheting black circles to use for the eyes, but they looked really strange and Otter said that she'd be afraid to wear a hat like that - it might come alive and come after her. :)

September is National Sewing Month

I don't sew very often, I leave that to Froggy and Otter.  But it's a skill that is worth learning.  It's also a lot of fun.  It can be difficult at times, but so can anything else.

September is National Sewing Month, so get busy!

Crochet Becoming More Mainstream?

Crochet Becoming More Popular

I have been noticing that crochet is popping up in more and more places lately.  I've seen quite a few examples on tv shows and movies, as well as pictures of assorted models & celebrities.  I'm not at all impressed with someone as a "celebrity", by the way.  But I am glad to see that so many different people are choosing crochet.  I've seen a few pictures of upscale designer's clothes lately, that have crochet either as the main construction or an accent piece.

The article I've linked is from a crochet magazine.

Crochet, like other crafts including knitting, goes in and out of fashion.  But I've been thinking lately that it's on the upswing, and that it might be a longer lasting trend this time.

Fine with me!

I don't really have a problem with knitting, other than the jokes about crochet vs. knitting being funny, and I'm just as glad to see knitting featured as I am to have seen so much crochet featured lately.

Bill's Latest Woodwork Project Desk Refinishing

A while back, Bill decided he needed a smaller desk in our office.  He has a modular unit that works, but it's huge.  I had a smaller desk which became Otter's a couple of years ago, and we bought me another desk at an auction.  The one I have is bigger than hers but smaller than the unit Bill uses.  My desk will fit his needs perfectly, as well as the space.  So we started looking for a new desk for me.  A neighbor was moving "back home to Texas" where the winter is "normal" and she had a desk a lot like Otter's for $10.00.  It came home with us.  In the trunk of the Impala!  Fortunately, she was just around the corner so we didn't have to go far.

Bill stripped the varnish off and made a couple of minor repairs.  Then he hit it with varnish and 3 coats of clear polyurethane.

All the pictures are in the living room, which is as far as Bill brought it the other day.  It's still there.  It will be for a few more days, he's going to see about taking his modular unit apart on Sunday and then moving my old desk over.  Then, the new desk will be moved into my spot.

Visible at the bottom of the picture is one of the dog toys.  Maggie had been playing tug, but she got tired and left the toy there.  Behind the desk is the ever-expanding Fenton collection and some dvds.  The desk is the object of the pictures!

There are some variations in the wood but it looks really good.

A close-up of the drawers.  Ignore the plastic wrapped doll house behind the desk.  The dollhouse is a future project, it's going to be redone and then stored correctly for Otter.  It was our project for vacation week, but the heat changed our plans.

Turquoise Blue Crocheted Soft Scarf

This is the latest scarf project.  It's a silky soft yarn that is in fact acrylic but feels like silk.

Here's a better picture that shows the edging which is a ruffle.  The edging makes it look like a flower in the first picture, it was rolled up.

The end has a ruffle on each side, but it was folded over when I took the picture so it looks uneven.

It's all double stitch.  The yarn is Lion Brand Micro Spun, unltra soft microfiber sports weight.  This one was a gift for Nana but I still have quite a bit of this yarn left so I might make myself one, or something else with it.

Crochet Toy Minion

This is a Minion.  He's from the movie Despicable Me.  Funny movie, the minions are the bad guy's helpers.  He's not really a bad guy after all, and his helpers are not slaves.  I was looking for a different crochet project and came across a pattern online.  It was on the blog of a 14-year old girl who crochets and she created this pattern.  I think she did a great job.  Minions can have one eye or two, I liked the idea of two eyes.  Also, we think it looks like a twinkie.

I gave this one to Otter, although the beagle really wanted it!

I can't get the picture oriented correctly.  Also, I didn't realize that it was on a black background and his feet and hands don't show up!

Minions wear overalls, the entire piece is yellow and the overalls are a separate piece.

The eyes are regular googly eyes with a crocheted frame, and then a black crocheted strap but they are actually sewn on.

Acrylic yarn, single stitch.

Crochet Swiffer Mop Cover

I have a ceramic tile floor in the kitchen.  The best thing to clean it with is a swiffer.  However, the swiffer covers are scented (there is really no such thing as non-scented) and it sometimes bothers our allergies.  Also, they can be pricey to buy new ones.  They are similar to a baby wipe in feel & manufacture.  I've seen a pattern for a washable, reusable cover that was sewn but never quite got around to making one.  Then, last summer when I was visiting Froggy, I found a crocheted cover at a craft mall.  It was somewhere around $2.50, but I would have paid more for it.  I brought it home with intention of copying the pattern and making more.  But it got used (many times!) and even though it's not wool**, the yarn did mesh together enough that it was difficult to count stitches, etc., so I forgot about making more.  Then I found a pattern on line.  It was a little different, but I made one.  Then I realized that it didn't work, so I got out the one I bought last summer.  I frogged out some of what I'd made and then was able to copy the original one.

The pink camo is the one I bought last year.  The blue with multicolor spots is the one I made.

The one I made is a little bigger, but that is mostly because it's cotton yarn and it shrinks when washed.  They are slightly larger on one side, one side fits up over the swiffer.  They are washable and can be turned inside out, as both sides can be used.

Single stitch, back post.  And a lot of fun!

**Wool does what is called felting when it's washed in warm water.  Felting is exactly what it sounds like - the fibers will mesh together and it will resemble felt.  Felting makes it a thicker, stronger fabric.  Cotton doesn't felt exactly, but it does mesh together a bit.  Because I am allergic to wool, nothing I make will be felted.  This is cotton yarn, and it is strong yarn.

I made a second one, in yellow.  But I forgot to take a picture of it before I gave it to Sweetie for Mother's Day.  I'm trying to remember to take pictures.

**(EDITED)** Mason or Canning Jar Soap Pump

Bill got to help with this one!  Mostly because he said I would hurt myself with the drill press - keep in mind that he's the one who had to get his thumb stitched up a couple of years back because of the drill press!

This was a fun project.  It was fairly easy and cost effective (also known as cheap!).  I had the jars & lids already, the only thing I actually had to buy was the pump mechanism.  I got it at the dollar store, as part of a bottle of anti-bacterial hand cleaner.  The hand cleaner got poured into a big bottle I have of the stuff, the empty bottle was recycled and the pump part was re-used.

The easiest way to find the center of a circle is to trace & cut out a piece of paper. 

Fold it in half, then in half again which is 4ths, the center point should be the center of the circle.  I marked it with a sharpie marker.

Then Bill drilled the center hole, after first marking it with a nail because he thought he needed to in order to be able to see the center when he attached it to the drill press.

The finished lid.  It had to be smoothed off at this point, there were a few sharp points on the cut edges.  Also, the size of the hole needs to be the same size as the largest part of the pump that will be under the lid.  It needs to be as close to the same size as possible, in order to have a good seal.

I used a mason jar that I had on hand.

Bill had some JB Weld brand epoxy that he had, being an engineer means that you generally have every tool known to man and frequently in multiple quantities.  The pump needs to fit snug on the lid, and it needs to be attached so it won't come off.  He held the piece upside down after putting it through the hole, then he coated both the lid and the pump piece with the JB Weld.  It had to be held upside down for about 24 hours to cure, so it was hanging from my plant stand and attached with clothes pins.  After it was dry, I held it up to the jar, marked with a sharpie where I thought the bottom of the jar would be and cut just above it.  Which was actually a touch long, so I had to cut off another small piece.  It's cut at a slight angle.  It needs to be just above the bottom of the jar but not actually touching the bottom.  (Bill said that JB Weld is about the only thing out there that will stick to both plastic and metal.)

The pump tube is just barely off the bottom of the jar.

Filled with dish soap, the entire lid is on and it's now at my kitchen sink!

Even if I'd had to go buy the jar & lid, it would have been a fairly inexpensive project to make.  Vintage jars would be fun, also.

**EDIT**:  I strongly suggest that you coat the metal pieces with a shellac or laquer, a varnish might work as well.  This needs to be done on the inside parts of the ring as well as the inner, flat part of the lid.  The reason for this is because the metal will rust.  I didn't do this with mine, and it eventually rusted to the point where I had to throw the metal pieces out and make a new one.  You don't want to use anything too thick, or it will possibly keep the ring from fitting on to the screw threads on the jar.

March is International Crochet Month

So, go get your hooks and get busy!

Otter's 13 Year Quilt

So named because it took me about that long to make it!

It's slightly larger than her double bed.  The backing isn't in any of these pictures, but it's a solid dark blue.  Somewhere between navy blue and cobalt.

Some of the fabric is from specific things, like the carousel horse curtains that Grammy (my Mom) made for Otter's room when she was a baby.  There are also some pieces that are from flour sacks, which has to do with my previous employment.  Some of it is excess from Christmas ornaments with Otter's picture that we made for grandparents a few years.  And some of it is just fabric that we liked, or Otter picked out.

The starry fabric was a cover for the small table that held Otter's pet mice.  To the right is a floral print, that's one of those flour sacks.  To the left is part of the carousel horse fabric.

The cow print might be left over for something we made for Froggy when her kitchen was black & white cow decor, but I'm not positive.  The blue is just a color that Otter liked, the blue background with a pattern was left from the beanie baby holders that were on Otter's wall when she had a million beanie babies.  I think that the floral pattern next to the butterfly pattern might have been something of Grammy's.

The yarn is one of my favorites, it's called Mexicana and is a very bright multi-color variegated yarn.

Otter reports that the quilt is very warm.

Crochet Granny Square Blanket

I've finally finished Bill's blanket!  It was a way to use up spare yarn, and I didn't think I'd be through any time soon.  But I finished a row on it yesterday and decided to put it on the bed to check the size.  Which is when we realized that it's big enough already.  So, I tied off the row and called it done.

Otter took the pictures, the first one doesn't really show the colors right.  I'm not sure what setting she had the camera on.  It does have some yellow, but there are a lot of blues, greens, pinks and reds as well as some browns and a small amount of orange and camo colors.

It's a lot of different colors and many rows consist of multiple color/yarn changes.

This is a close-up of some of the stitches.

And this is the reason we had to hurry and take the picture, which didn't leave Otter enough time to adjust the settings!  Those are my feet in the background, but one beagle foot was already on the edge of the blanket.

It's triple stitch, and 55 rows.  It fits on the top of our king-sized bed and hangs over the side just a bit.  I have no idea how much yarn is in the blanket, but it's literally miles.  I really enjoyed this project.  I think I started it last spring or early summer and it's been added to as I would finish up a project and have a small amount of yarn left.