Saturday, June 28, 2014

Fun things today!

Today is my niece's birthday. I do believe Sakura is turning 10 (?) today (but I'm really not sure. Only been in this family for a little over a year officially, and have known my niece for two years now, so I'm not sure).

Any how...

I've decided to make something for her this year. I found a few headband patterns which all call for cotton thread, which (of course) I don't have. I did, however, substitute it with some baby yarn I still have lying around (in "Antique White" by Bernat Baby). I think it worked out pretty well, don't you? It worked a little bigger than one with thread, but that's not bad. I like this yarn very much. It's much easier to wash, if needed too. Awesome all in one.
Don't mind the tail, I hadn't tucked and trimmed yet.
The pattern I used is called MandyBand, written by Mandy England, who created both the flower and headband all by herself. How awesome is that? The flower, by itself, is very cute and had a multitude of uses. I may even use it again for something else. The pattern is a bit interesting to read, as she doesn't read patterns and doesn't write them the way I'm used to seeing them. However, she has included photos of every step, so it's extremely easy to follow.

I've also included some yarn, a handful of hooks, and a "I taught myself to Crochet" book in her bag. She really wants to learn how to crochet, so I figured, why not try and teach her this year. I've learned more within the last year than I knew last year and am sure that I can teach my niece how to crochet.

Wednesday, June 25, 2014

Wow... I'm finally finished

It's been a long time coming, but here it is...
Photo taken 9-4-2012
I don't know if y'all remember this blanket from September 4, 2012, but I finally finished it. It's officially done. It's taken my just a tad under two years to finally get this silly thing done. It's 100 rows exactly and that's 25 more than the pattern called for, but I don't care. Fits me just fine.

This, two years ago, was going to be my very first lapghan (lap afghan), but fate intervened and my youngest nephew got his blanket before I got this finished. I've been trying for a while to actually make an afghan, but I was always intimidated by them. They take lots of yarn and lots of time and excuse after excuse. Finally after I realized that I have so many skeins of this variegated yarn laying around, I finally searched through Red Heart's many afghan and blanket patterns, this seemed easiest and quickest. (Boy, do I feel silly for thinking that.)

In reality, this is a really easy pattern and the color changes the pattern calls for are simple. Especially if you follow a few of Moogly.blog's video tutorials or Moogly.blog's photo tutorials. Actually, now that I look at my photos, I love the way it sort of stripes itself. That's nifty. (If you're struggling to tell, the top photo is almost the entire afghan, the second is a closer photo, and the third is an extreme close up of the coloring/ripple.)
100 rows exactly and a lovely variegated yarn.
The pattern I used is Red Heart's Windsor Ripple Throw in Red Heart's Mexicana. Super easy, super fun. Now that I still have a ball of this yarn left, I'll probably make headbands or something for my nieces, or even coasters for all the glasses we use. Plenty of uses for Red Heart yarn in these colors. :D

Tuesday, June 17, 2014

Lookie lookie, I got visitors!

Well, not many here, but on Kota's Crochet Creations (the FB page). A bunch of new likes today alone! All thanks to SnApPy ToTs and their decision to spread the love around! I'm inclined to share, of course, so if you're seeing this and have a Facebook page business (of any kind, not just crochet) that you'd like me to "like", drop a comment either here or on my page and I'll definitely send a like your way!

In other news:
I've started making Christmas gifts already! I'm making teddy bears for my nephews and these bunnies (pictured below) for my nieces. Of course this is the tip of the ice burg as I plan on making a few more gifts as well. Got to get busy and play less video games, watch less t.v. and stop being an over-all slacker!

Bunnies for the gals
Nah, I kid! I have a lot going on right now, but I'll get back to posting stuff that I've made soon. Plus, I've been making updates to my blog, like the new pages on the top of the page! Check them out!
Want to take a look at a pattern that I posted, but can't remember what it's called? I now have a working "Patterns Page"! I have all the patterns I've used since the beginning of this blog posted on the Free Patterns page, which can be found at the top of the page! It's new and updated and full of free patterns, listed A-Z. If you find any broken links, have any questions, think I missed a pattern, feel free to let me know and I'll address the issue as needed. (Be kind and take a look? I spent a couple hours on it, just for you guys!)
There is also a Paid Patterns link at the top, in case you're wondering where I got all those patterns that aren't free. I've even posted the patterns I'm selling, should you be interested. If you don't see a pattern on either of these pages, but saw it in my blog, let me know. It may be a pattern that doesn't have a link or I just haven't written/posted it yet. If the latter is the case, give me a bit of time and I'll post the pattern up. I'll try and keep most of the patterns I write free, but don't be alarmed if I do charge. I promise it won't be much for any of them.

Thanks for all those who stopped by who were new. It's fantastic to see new faces around here! Hope you enjoy your stay and look forward to seeing lots of new stuff from me between now and Christmas! I'll be doing my Christmas Crochet Advent Calendar again, so keep that in mind should you like to be featured! (Check out December of 2013 for more information on that!)

Until next time friends, new and old!

Wednesday, June 4, 2014

Busy Little Bee!

I've been busy for a bit: working on the blue blanket from my last post, my husband's belt, our massive King sized blanket, and various other Works in Progress. I really should sit down and finish one thing before I start another, though I do like making things that work up fast so that I can take them with me while traveling around town (since I've been busy finishing up becoming a married woman!).

Like these ADORABLE little scrubbies. Okay, first things first... My husband, my darling husband, has let me buy more yarn that I need this past week, offering me his wallet TWICE to go and get more. So, thanks to his generosity, I have been able to get some 100% cotton yarn (Peaches and Creme, some great stuff) and I had no ideal what to use with it.
 The first yarn I got was "Hippi" by Peaches and Creme. I love the colors on this one, it's really pretty. The next one I got was Yuletide (and I have a couple of balls of them), that I'm going to hold off making until I go on my trip next month (gives me something to do). Those will be Christmas gifts. The next ball I got was "Stars and Stripes". It wasn't quite what I expected, though I do kinda like the Texas flag look to it (yeah, it's upside down in the photo, but I was tying to capture the colors, which took a while). Beautiful, isn't it?
Psychedelic by Peaches and Creme: two tones, one scrubbie!
My next purchase was "Psychedelic". I really like this yarn, since it gives two different color sets in one little scrubbie. Same with "Hippi", though this one is so much more colorful and bright! I really can't help but love these things. They're perfect for washing your face or yourself. Heck, they might even be good for dishes, though I'd like something with a little more texture/a rougher feeling to it for my dishes,so I'm going to try to make some with an old loofah with acrylic yarn (like Red Heart) for dishes and what-not. And if that doesn't work quite the way I want, I'm going to try to tulle with the acrylic yarn (since those are all over the internet).
If you want to make your very own scrubbies, stop by crochetpatternsonly.blogspot.com and check it out. There is also a YouTube video by Naztazia who tells you how to put them together (which the website doesn't explain 100% clearly). There are even sites out there to tell you how to switch the colors to make striped scrubbies.