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.