May 18, 2008
· Filed under Crochet, Ideas · Tagged future projects
There are so many projects I want to work on. I get inspired all the time by past projects, by things I see in stores, by beautiful yarn and accessories. I’ve decided to start a list of upcoming projects, so I don’t forget what I want to do.
Today I bought wire- gold colored and coppery colored. I saw a cool necklace in a magazine- it was a granny square crocheted in wire. It’s fairly simple, though I’ve never crocheted jewelry, so that may open up a whole new bag of yarn (ba dum da)
I have a beautiful, soft dusky blue yarn that I want to make a shawl from. My grandma made me a purple poncho that I still wear, and can convert to a shawl. It’s neat, so I want to try to make some kind of wrap/shawl. (Completed June 2008)
I bought a neat tweed-like yarn, that I’d like to make a new scarf from. I also have a chunky grey and pink that I’m thinking would make a neat hooded scarf.
I have material for about 7 more baby blankets.
I promised one student a blue scarf, so I bought a variegated blue/navy blue/dark purple yarn for her (completed 5/24/08). Another student is getting a variegated cream,blue,purple, green scarf (Completed plus another one June 2008). Both are making me a scarf, in exchange for me making them one.
I bought 4 sets of purse handles today, so a few purses are on the horizon. I’m making myself a creamy purple one with u-shaped bamboo handles.
I’d like to try making multi-piece clothes- a little jacket or something. I think I’ll try baby clothes, first.
I’m eager to make amigurumi- the little Japanese character crochet. Check out this flickr site of adorable amigurumi!
And finally. I’m saving all my yarn odds and ends to make granny squares. I want to make a big granny square afghan for my future house!
May 18, 2008
· Filed under Crochet · Tagged In progress
This is the top of a bucket hat. I’m just at the stage where I’m making the sides. I don’t think it will have much of a brim, it will just flare out.
Theses are two baby blankets I’m making for Stitches from the Heart, a charity based in Santa Monica that donates baby stuff to hospitals for preemies. They’re the same pattern, a simple shell with a front and back post stitch separating each shell. The blue one will be about 30×30 when complete and the pink will be 22×22. I’m hoping to finish them this summer.
This is probably my favorite thing I’ve made so far. I’m a teacher and I have a wonderful assistant. She fell in love with the purse with the bamboo handles that I’d made. I promised her a purse as an end of the year thank you gift. This past week, I found out she might be leaving the school to pursue another career. So I had to get going on her purse. It’s a cute A-Line. I’m almost finished. I need to to do three more rows of ruffles (Completed 5/20/08- See 5/25/08 post). A friend is going to sew in the lining for me- a beige and purple batik print. I got the basic pattern from the book Crochet Bags!
I’m also working on a blue and white striped blanket to donate to Afghans for Afghan ( I know, but what do you expect from crocheters?) It was inspired by the Red Cross.
May 18, 2008
· Filed under Crochet, Uncategorized · Tagged Finished
A skull potholder. It’s not completely done, I have to weave in the ends, and sew a backing on it. This was my first try at making designs with crochet. I love the colors- hot pink and lime green! The pattern is from the Happy Hooker book.
The top scarf is the first one I made in my crochet class. It’s a pattern of single, double, half-double, and triple stitches. I love the color. The bottom scarf I made one Sunday afternoon- it’s double crochet in alternating spaces- super easy. The variegated yarn makes it look more complicated than it is.
Hats! The top one is my first try at a hat. I found a simple pattern and taught myself to crochet in the round. It’s totally lopsided, and pointy in the back. The bottom hat also comes from the Happy Hooker. It has ear flaps! I used cheap cheap yarn and made it to see if I could follow the pattern in the round. I actually really like this hat. Sorry the pics are sideways, I keep saving them correctly, and yet they don’t show up rotated here.
Here’s my yoga bag. I loved this project! It’s a pretty sea green and cream, which are so calming. I got the basic pattern from the Joyful Abode website, which is great (everything from tomato pie recipes to yoga bag crochet patterns!). I alternated front and back loop stitches, so there’s some texture.
I also made a beautiful blue-green purse with circular bamboo handles. I lined it with a soft, thin dark brown sweater that I was going to get rid of because it had a snag. I’ll post a picture later. It’s at school right now.
May 18, 2008
· Filed under Welcome · Tagged Welcome
For some reason the first few really hot days of summer spark my crafty side. I didn’t actually discover this crafty side until about a year ago. I decided to take crochet lessons. Knitting seemed too trendy, and quite honestly, I’m not the most skilled at doing things with two hands at the same time. So, I signed up for classes and instantly fell in love. I was doing extra projects between classes, because I’d finish the homework in a day or two. So, as you may know, once the craft bug hits, it’s all over. You’re skulking around fabric stores, yarn stores, bookstores, the internet, all for more- more patterns, more yarn, more purse handles.
Here’s the thing, though. I don’t really need, or want any crocheted items. I like my scarves. Now that I’ve made some cool purses, I could see keeping one or two. But mostly, I just like taking a project from start to finish. I don’t want to randomly make things for people, because then they feel obliged to wear it, or keep it, or whatever, and I don’t want to force my crafts on anyone. So I decided to find charities that take donated craft items. I’ll spend some time later blogging about those. I haven’t actually finished anything to donate yet, but in my next post I’ll show you two baby blankets I’m working on for Stitches From the Heart.
Another hobby/habit/obsession, though not a new one, is reading. I’m constantly in the middle of twelve books. I pick them up, put them down, come back to them months later, join book clubs, buy lots of books, read in the bathroom/bedroom/kitchen, make lists of future reads. So I thought I’d not only chronicle my crochet projects, but I’d also write about the books I’m reading. It’s mostly for me, self-reflection and thinking about my reading- but maybe you’ll get something out of my ramblings.
So- howdy!
P.S.- happy birthday to my baby sister- 23 years old!
