Crochet Eye Candy

 

Whispers Shawl is finished!  I must say this has been one of my favorite crochet projects.  I credit it to the yarn and the simple pattern.  The pattern is a $4.50 download on Ravelry.  Quite the bargain if you ask me! 

 

 

I used 2 balls Chroma Fingering Weight in the color Roller Skate for the shawl, and crocheted it with a Size E Hook. 

 

Here is more eye-candy.

 

 

 

Phoebe also gave her stamp of approval! 

I have already started a new knitting project, which is working up very fast, so maybe I will have another post in a few days!!

Bye for now!

Hooky Color Goodness

Looky!!  I finally got a start on the Whispers Shawl!!   I am loving it.  It is working up so quick!  If you are wanting to give it a try I do have a couple of suggestions.  (1) use a fingering weight yarn, and a yarn that has the self striping change in colors.  Knitpicks has a line of yarn called Chroma that works perfectly for this.  (2) I am using a size E hook.  It may feel strange if you are a tight crocheter, but you will be happy with the results!  Both the yarn and the hook gives the shawl a gorgeous drape and weight.

I was so excited watching the colors change into each other I snapped a couple more pictures to post.

I have a feeling I will be wearing this quite a bit once the weather cools off!

I have been doing some knitting as well.  I found a fun pattern on Ravelry for this infinity scarf it is called the Honey Cowl and I am loving ir!!

The Yarn I was using is by Knitpicks, It was in my Thriftstore Yarn Score that I had posted a couple of weeks ago,  It is called Peciosa "'Mulled", 100% Merino Worsted Weight.  I don't believe they sell it any longer.  Shame, it knits up so pretty!

Pretty!!!!!

How's about a little selfie of me modeling the scarf and my fresh new hair did!!  I have decided to try and grow it out a little for a change.  I am also doing my best to do some low carbing, too!!!  I am at that point where it is still hard, it takes a while and a lot of determination to get my mind and body off the carbs!!!  They are so yummy, and I loves me some pizza and chocolate milk!  Oh the inhumanity of it all!!!

So Sunday is winding down, Monday is closing in...I am trying to get ready for the week.  The weekends go by so fast.  I am crossing my fingers for a good week, and going to do my best to stick with the diet!

Bye for now!!

Crocheted Leaves

I am ga-ga over these crocheted leaves!  I want to crochet a whole tree full, LOL!  And I think they go perfectly with tiny pumpkins.

I was on the search for the perfect crocheted maple leaf last week.  Google-ing, searching ravelry, and etsy...and some pinterest.  Pinterest led me to this etsy shop, ka-ching!!!!  Her shop GoldenLucy Crafts, is full of patterns for leaves and seashells.  I purchased her maple leaf pattern and it is awesome.  Easy to follow and she also has step by step photos.  Right now she has a pattern for an oak leaf that I am seriously eye-balling!  I'll probably get it, but first I want to make more maple leaves.

I experimented with some different yarns.  It's too hard to pick my favorite, they are all so pretty.

AUTUMN-EEEE!!

I finally finished up my third shawl.  I had a hard time trying to figure out what kind of edging to put on it.  I knew it needed one.  

I had this chenille by Lion Brand that I picked up from a sale bin that worked perfectly.  It really made the blue pop.

It is very "fringe-like" and so freakin soft!!  I do want to make more of these, maybe for Christmas or my etsy shop.  If you are interested in the pattern it's a Lion Brand freebie, called South Bay Shawlette.  The pattern doesn't have an edging, I added that myself.  

Isn't it yummy as a scarf!

And of course, worn like it was designed to be.

That's about it for now.  Enjoying a rainy Labor Day, with homemade soup and movies.  There is a Mash marathon on TVland my husband can't step away from!

I hope everyone has a great week!  Now I'm off to make more leaves.  (That seriously sounded like a "Martha Stuart" quote!)

Bye

Crochet, Crochet, Crochet!!!!

As promised, I am posting the sunflower pattern for those of you who would like it.

For flower center  (sc are worked in the back loop to give the flower center ridges)
Round 1: ch 2, 8 sc into 1st ch. Mark start of round with a contrasting thread.
Rounds 2-3: work 2 sc into each st around, move marker
Round 4: 1 sc, 2 sc around, move marker
Round 5: 1 sc around, move marker
Round 6:  1 sc, 2 sc around, move marker
Round 7:  1 sc around, and end round with 1 sl-st into 1st st. of round.
Work flower center twice. Then sandwich the wrong sides of the circles together and crochet together with sc brown.

Petals:  Using a yellow attach yarn to one sc of the flower center,
*(2dc, 2trc, chain 3, sl st in 2nd and 3rd ch from hook, 1tc, 2 dc) all in same stitch, ch 3, sl st into next sc of flower center,  - Petal made!
chain 3 and repeat at *, continue in this matter all the way around flower. After the last petal chain 3 and attach to beginning dc.

Now the fun!  do a chain stitch with a tapestry needle and a bright green at base of petals around flower.  I chose to put a pretty button in the center, but several small buttons would also look great.

With this little sunflower you can do so much, it is great attached to a granny square.  The brown base can be filled with fiberfil to make a great little pincushion!

As you can see above,  I have created a little wall hanging which also includes little birds!

Scotty's Place had the cutest little birdies she had been making which caught my eye; I was able to find the pattern on ravelry, so I got  it. http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/bird-applique-2.  It's a very nice upload!!!  I did them in black to make the little crows. 

Isn't it cute???!!!!  I promise you, once you make a sunflower, you will have to make another!!  The little birds take all of 10 minutes to work up.

Of course, a beaded tassel is a necessity!!! 

It's been quite a week here.  HOT, for one thing.  Miserably hot.  Work has been busy and a bit on the insane side!  So, once I get home in the evening, I change into some cool and comfy and decompress in the a/c with my yarn at my side!  Friday I did get to the thrift store at lunch and found a couple treasures.

I snagged this granny square blanket for $7!!!!  It is beautifully crocheted, I couldn't walk out of the place without it! 

Phoebe totally approves!  I got it home, stuck it in the washer, and it's already in use!  (It has inspired me to start a granny blanket!!)  Yup, a trip yesterday afternoon to A.C. Moore and the insanity has already begun.  I can't wait to share once I get started!

I got a pretty little scarf crocheted up.  It took all of two evenings.  Isn't it pretty!
I am so ready for Fall!! 

I cannot wait until it is cool enough that I can start wearing this.  I crocheted this shawl years ago in this super dooper soft purple yarn.  I have had some requests for the pattern, but for the life of my I cannot get my fingers on it.  I'll keep looking.  It is in one of my crochet books, so I know it is around this house somewhere.

I cannot wait to wear it!

And the pictures don't lie, It is extremely soft!!!


I have been getting a lot of questions about this blanket from my Happy Hookah Goodness posting.

I do not have the exact colors I used, but I can tell you some of them.  The variegated yarns in these squares is Red Heart's TLC Essentials.  I used three colors: "sedona", "coraline", and "island".  I love the red one, "sedona", and use it in a lot of my crochet.  Fore those wanting to doe something similar to this I can give you my formula.  I kept the center of the large squares the same, blue.  Each square has white, and sedona in it.  If you keep the white and the red in the large squares you can change out the other yarns.  You can see I used some yellows and a pretty mint green.  I hope this helps.   If anyone has a question for me, I am happy to answer, but it would be best to email me at the address on my profile so I will be sure to see it!!

That's about it for now.  Phoebe says to tell everyone to have a great week and stay cool!

Pomp-A-Doodle Scarf-A-Doodle

Well, things have slowly returned to normal around my house!  Since finishing up my rug a couple weeks ago, I have needed some quick yarn satisfaction.  This Pomp-a-Doodle yarn has got my mojo to flowing!  I LOVE this stuff.  It is so unbelievably squishy soft.  I know were in the middle of summer, and it's hard to think about cold weather, but I have a feeling I will be reaching for this quite a bit when winter gets here.

Isn't it pretty?  I used two skeins and simply did a garter stitch.  You can't get much easier than that. 

They also have this yarn in a  pretty red, which I wouldn't mind knitting up.

I do have plans to start another afgan, which I will soon be beginning.  My nephew has asked me a couple times now if I have started his blanket.  So, with some planning and a trip to Hobby Lobby I will be starting that for him.

In the meantime I am working on a ruffle scarf out of some $1 Big Lots yarn...and it is so neat, I can't wait to share that with everyone!

Monday is almost upon us again....ick!  I have a long day tomorrow and a busy week!  But I am leaving on Friday to head to the Mountains for a long weekend with my family!  I can't wait!

 Phoebe and I wish everyone a great, productive, and happy week!

Granny Blanket in the Making

Here lately I have been inspired with all the granny squares I have seen people doing on flickr and ravelry.  Needless to say, I had to join in!

Once again the Granny Square bug has bitten me.  I am now officially obsessed with cranking out these red and black octagons!  I have been wanting to do a granny blanket with black in it for some time.  And I do love red!!  So I grabbed some yarn from my stash and started putting colors together.

After crocheting up a few of these octagons and laying them out I knew I had the makings of an afghan.  I think this is really going to be pretty.  I plan on joining my octagons with a tapestry needle and black yarn, it will be a lot of stitching, but I think it will be well worth it.  The tones of red along with the one variegated yarn are really pleasing me. 


I used Square #31 from the Crochet Motifs book.  (I do love me this book!)

I also managed to put some left over Noro to some good use with another Queen Anne's Lace scarf!

I was in JoAnne's Fabrics and saw this book!  When I got home I grabbed my new book and a cup of tea, I couldn't wait to sit down and look it over from cover to cover.  As I was flipping pages I thought to myself, "this really looks familiar".  Well...it should be, because I had a copy of this same book on my bookshelf.  LOL!!  Can you guess I have a lot of knitting and crochet books??!  I could take it back, but I decided a crochet bud will enjoy having this so I am giving it to her.  If you haven't had a chance to check this book out, I totally recommend it.  It is truly full of inspiration!

I hope everyone has a great week!

Look at my pom-poms!

I haven't officially named her...but for some reason the name "LuLu" comes to mind when I look at this little snow-girl.  That hat!!!  It's an instant smile to look at her.  I made her a little seed stitch neck warmer and attached a ceramic flower button.

"Cloe"

Look at this little hat.  I wanted to try a cloche hat.  I will definitely do more!  I added a little crochet flower to it.  And she is so tiny!  I am still perfecting my snowman process and tried a different bottom where I decreased instead of gathering up the ends.  It works quite well!  

And here she is with her Man!  I cabled his scarf.  The little cable scarves are so fun to do.  

I was actually wanting to get a couple more of these done, but have been under the weather.  The doctor gave me this antibiotic (which is heinous!).  The cure has almost been as bad as the infection.  I didn't even look at any yarn for about four days.  My husband tells me, I know you are sick if you do not knit or crochet.  He's so right.  I make time for yarn every day!!

Happily I am feeling a lot better and back to my normal daily indulgence.  I have a couple more snowmen bodies done and ready to be stuff and faces added.  I hope I'm not boring everyone with these little guys!

(If you would like to see more pics of the snow people you can click on the "Snow People" tab above.)

I just noticed that I use a lot of exclamation point when I post!  LOL!! 

 

There's no man like a 'Snowman"!

I am back in snowman production!!  I had forgotten how much fun they are to work up.  And when I finish one up, well...they just make me smile!

I finished this little guy up this morning.  Is he not just the cutest thing??!!  I like to give them names.  I'm thinking, "Smiley".

"Peggy Tails"

I made Peggy Tails for a girl I knit with.  Notice her little "stripe-ity" scarf!!  She loved it!  

This little "snowgirl" was a special order.  She asked for one with a birthday hat and in pink.  I think she turned out quite cute!

I am getting emails on the pattern for these.  I really have none.  It's just a little tube.  They look like a tylenol capsules before I put the faces and dress them.  I am using the "magic loop" method on a size US1 circular needle for them.  If you haven't tried it you need to!!  My Knitting Bud taught me and it opened a whole new world to me.  I would fight with double pointed needles.  She is an awesome sock knitter and a magic loop goddess!  You can visit her blog, "House of Tater" to check out her knitting!

Well, I finally found it!  Some Lion Brand "Amazing" yarn.  Where?  At A.C. Moore!  And it is truly amazing!  Although I wanted the "Ruby" they were out, so I came home with "Mesa".   This is pretty yarn.  I want more!  I am thinking of doing another one of these scarves but doing it half the length.  I'm putting that on my to do list.

I made this one for my sister.  I used this new yarn call Mosaic by Bernat, in the color "Ninja".  Two skeins exactly.  If you crochet loosely you may want to get three skeins. 

Before I go, I just have to share my freakishly long ruffle scarf!  I came across it this weekend when I was organizing all my scarves.  I did this after I first learned to knit.  Something went wrong somewhere.  I kept running out of yarn and back to the craft store to get more.  When I bound it off, I realized it was a bit long!

I don't know what else I can say, LOL!

The roast is in the oven and smelling really good, my headache is gone, and I am going to settle in and work on another snowman.  I love Sundays!

More Poncho Pictures.

As promised, I wanted to share some finished pictures of my poncho design.  I am so pleased with it, you cannot imagine! 

Here is an up close and personal look at the stitches.  Yummy color and texture!

All together it was a beautiful weekend, full of sunshine.  I was able to spend some time working on repotting plants and getting the screened in porch cleaned off and prepped for some prime time to be spent out there! 

As I was waiting for a yarn order to come in to begin a custom order I once again found myself going through my scrappy stash!  Oh how I love doing that!  I found a good amount of yardage of two variegated yarns, perfect for a new stitch I wanted to try. 

I used "I Love This Yarn" from Hobby Lobby in two of their "Stripes" colors.  Now I have to say, this really looks like it is woven.  I am so wanting to do another I can't stand myself.  It's an easy pattern, you can find it here!  I warn you though, it is very addictive!

I have intentions on experimenting with solid scraps of yarn. 

Well, I'm off to the races.  Monday is upon us again...so there are things to be done.

Toodles!