crochet amanitas!

With fall in full swing and winter around the corner (ack!) I've caught a wicked crochet bug and even though I am attempting to prep up for my next craft show (eep! less than 3 weeks away!), I really want to get my hook out and make up some cute things - like these (link):

(source)

Oh man - add a little wide eyed smile on these and I'm sold.  Maybe I will get ahead on my crafty prep and me able to whip up some happy little amigurimi pals to sell at my booth too! What a thought! Have you ever knit/crochet for profit? Is it ever actually worth it (other than fun of course)?

yip-yip-yip-yip

I usually stray away from crochet projects in the summer months (I feel like yarn crafts are more of a fall/winter thing) but this amazing hanging monster basket (link) may have to be an exception:

(source)

Isn't he adorable? Just the right amount of usefulness and quirk to fit in perfectly in my house! Plus if you add some pipe cleaner/pom pom antennae he would be surprisingly reminiscent of the yip yip aliens from 1970s Sesame Street: 

(source)

If you don't currently have the "yip-yip-yip" song in your head right now, you've been missing out on some seriously memorable muppets! I guess you'd need to add a few tentacles to get the full yip-yip effect - but if you're just digging the monster part you can also make this smaller, one-eyed version: 

(source)

Isn't he darling? I feel like they would come in super handy too! Some uses that immediately come to mind for my home:

1. put it on the back of the bathroom door to hold the hair clips I always seem to lose in drawers (especially helpful since I usually go grabbing for them when I'm washing my face and can't see a single thing without my glasses on)

2. hang him by the front door or hallway closet to hold spare keys (or a dog leash if you're a pet owner)

3. put it up inside of a kitchen cupboard to stow away the kazillion grocery bags I plan to reuse (but usually just hoard)

4. let me keep your favourite few scarves in easy reach in your closet

or

5. who actually cares what he is used for - he's adorable. You could find a use....believe me...

Have I sold you yet? (It's a pretty awesome deal for a mere $2.99 on Ravelry (link)) Do you at least fondly remember the yip yips? Any thoughts? 

Tortoiose Cozies

I'm not sure if anyone has a tortoise as a pet - but if you do you need to make it some lovely crochet shell cozies. They are adorable, hilarious, and ready for any holiday occasion! Check it out:

(source)

Ahaha! I laughed way too hard at these and am especially fond of the shark fin! The little tortoise doesn't even look super angry that he is being dressed up either (unlike many crochet cat costumes I have seen)! Too bad I'm not interested in adopting a tortoise any time soon....but maybe I will get one of those robotic vacuums one day and I can make costumes for it. Yep. Sounds like a solid plan. 

pusheen!

I've been a fan of Pusheen the cat for quite some time.  He's everything I love - adorable, a cat, chubs, and full of personality! If you haven't browsed through his blog I definitely recommend it (link) when you're craving some cute gifs. 

Fraser also happens to be a Pusheen fan so this past xmas I decided to make him his own version of our favourite little grey and black pal in crochet form! Isn't he a cutie?

Oh Pusheen! He melts my heart every time I see him and I can just imagine all the cat-like hijinks he gets into when we aren't home (most of which probably involve binge eating). 

He was pretty quick to whip up and probably would have only taken one evening if I wasn't trying to make him behind Fraser's back and not spoil the surprise. I got the pattern here (link) and since I'm quite proficient in amigurumi, found it super simple to follow along. The only change I made was using slightly larger safety eyes than the ones recommended. I am super thrilled with how he turned out and he is now enjoying his new home on our radio in the living room! Hooray! Are you a loyal Pusheen follower too? 

All sorts of chain stitches

Nothing makes a big bold handmade statement quite like this crochet chain necklace and I must say I'm swooning:

(source)

Isn't it wonderful? I love the mash of texture and shape and the mix of actual chain in there so it isn't super bulky around the neck! Oh my! Looks like I need to get my hook out and get makin'! Any thoughts? 

Homemade beauty

I've always been a sucker for new beauty products. I'm not sure what brainwashes me into splurging on new creams, washes, and do-dads but I have always enjoyed a beauty product shopping spree and lately I've come to realize that 1) it is a ridiculously unnecessary expense, 2) It doesn't matter what product I end up with it never really seems to do the trick in the long run and 3) they're usually full with all sorts of chemicals that I can barely pronounce! Oh dear!  Luckily I've been inspired by good old Pinterest (specifically Lindsay's hand made beauty page) to try my my hand at making my own beauty products from stuff I already have at home and it has been going pretty well! How lovely! I'm still in my 6 week trial period (where I try out concoctions and see which actually work in the long run for me) but I'll be sure to share my findings once the trials are complete! Ahha! 

So far my adventures in homemade cleansers and creams has been pretty enjoyable and although not all of the recipes have worked out (I once did a hair mask that resulted in my spilling apple cider vinegar in my eyes and smelling like salad dressing...) it has been fun nonetheless. I've also discovered that making my own products has cut down on waste substantially and has even helped out the budget! How nice! I figure I should just keep rolling with the waste reduction, home making, and budget savings and try my hand at making my own cotton facial scrubby pouf things like they did at "little Z handmade" (link):

(source)

Don't they just look dreamy in that picture? And to think - I would never again need to buy another wasteful tube of cotton pad things for toner or makeup remover! It may also let me avoid ever having to walk past the dreaded cotton ball aisle which, in case you were wondering, gives me awful tingles up and down my spine! Ah! Does anyone else out there have an irrational fear of cotton balls? Want to make your own reusable, washable, adorable little cotton facial pads with me? 

Friday Find: Seams To Be

With November wrapping up, it's time to bundle up and prepare for the chilly winter temperatures of December! No better way to winter-it-up than with some chunky amazing crochet goodies from Etsy's Seams to Be (link)! Here are a few of my faves:

(source)

Oh my! All those jewel tones, texture, and added layers of warmth! I'm in love - and let's not even get started about how much I love that giant pom pom! OoOo! Don't take my word on it - take a browse for yourself. Oh and while you're at it pop by Lyndsay's blog (link) and check them out in action! Happy Friday! 

foxy

I finally got around to taking some pictures of the fox costume I freestyle crocheted for Halloween and I am oh so thrilled with how it turned out! Turns out my skills weren't all that rusty and I whipped up something on my first try! Hooray! Take a peek at the fox ear headband I made:

Okay, that picture sort of looks like a sad clown/frog face, but I'm sure you get the point. I think the headband will be nice and cool for my work day and I figure if the ears start slipping I can always throw some bobby pins in there for good measure. I am particularly happy with how the ears turned out too! I did two orange triangles, then sewed on a smaller offwhite triangle for the center of the ear, and sewed on some black bits for the tips. Here's a better front and back view for you:

Next it was tail time! Jim told me to take the tail the same length as my body and since I didn't want it to be too heavy (which would be awkward for wearing all day) I didn't make it too thick. After making a big long orange cone, I topped it with some scallop-y white tail bit that I did loads of increasing and decreasing on to get a little flip at the end. Lastly I just had to make a little hoop to attach it to the belt, stuff it, and tie up the loose ends! Here she is:

Hehe! What a fun craft project that was! I will have to try to get some pictures of this baby in action on Halloween! Yipee! What are you dressing up as for Halloween this year? Do you get lots of trick-or-treat-ers in your parts? 

Crochet Lessons with Kate

This past weekend I decided I would teach my friend Hetty how to crochet. I am a huge crochet enthusiast and love being able to spread my yarn hooking love with others! I have already attempted to teach both Jacqui and Lindsay crochet techniques and although I'm not sure either of them were quite as thrilled about hooking as I am, it is always a fun challenge! I really feel that crochet is easier to learn than knitting because if you screw up, you can just unpick a knot or two and try again (unlike when you mess up knitting and need to unravel a ton). Heck, if nothing else it's certainly a great way to spend a weekend afternoon with a pal! 

The result? Hetty is a crochet queen! Once she got over the frustrating tension and first row problems she was on a roll. We've decided to make the boot cuffs I posted about last Tuesday together so I taught her how to chain, single crochet, double crochet, and work in spacing! She even whipped up a cute little hair bow out of one her single crochet practise runs and a bobby pin:

How cute is that? Heather is certainly a good sport when it comes to crochet and she's decided to practise up this week and weekend while she is out of town! What fun! Welcome to the world of yarn crafts Hetty - I hope you enjoy your stay! 

Crochet Boot Cuffs

After seeing the amazing boot cuffs from Lumi's Etsy shop last Friday (link), I've had crochet cuffs on the brain! You can imagine how thrilled I was when I found a similar free pattern over on Crafting On A Dime's blog (link)! Just look how cute those are:

(source)

Eeep! So cute! I think I may alter these a smidge when I attempt them and go for a darker more wintry shade of yarn, but otherwise am stoked to have come across them! I love nestling into the couch with some tea, Fringe, and a crochet project! In fact - it may just be the perfect way to spend a chilly afternoon! I wonder how many episodes it will take for me to finish the cuffs? Any guesses? What is your idea for a perfect fall afternoon?

Cozy Sunday

All the way back in 2003 I started a granny square blanket. I worked on that thing on and off for years and after a while completely lost momentum. I think I lay out the grey and blue squares and realized that 1) they were not a consistent size,  2) I didn't make enough squares for a proper size blanket, and 3) it would be a giant pain in the butt to sew together. Alas. I changed my foul mood on making granny square blankets when I saw this adorable cross patterned one:

(source)

Isn't it awesome? I love the idea of using the squares like pixels to make a bigger shape! Even though the original post showing off this lovely handmade creation is in some sort of European language I can't read, you get the gist of the blanket from the images and that frilly border is cute too! I really like the interesting choice of colours and totally want to make one just like it! I figure maybe if I sewed the squares together as I went it would be less overwhelming near the end of the project. Hmm. What do you think? Have you ever made a blanket from yarn? Any tips?

Granny Love

The other day I showed you the progress I was making on a new granny square craft I was working on and I am happy to say it is finally finished! Even though I really enjoyed hearing your guesses on what it was going to be, no one pegged it. How about taking a closer look at the squares now and see if you can guess:


What's this? Glowing light coming from them? Yup! I made a granny square lamp shade cover! Finished project reveal!:


Hooray! I actually blogged about wanting to make one of these back in January (link) and unlike many of my dreamed about but never executed projects, I actually made this one! It was, however, much more difficult than I had ever expected and hope this little lamp lasts my lifetime so I never have to try to recreate it.

So how did I manage to make this one? Well it started with a lamp. I searched many a thrift store in hopes of finding a simple and inexpensive lamp base but sadly was unsuccessful. I figured I might be able to find one at Wal-Mart and yet again there were no lamps to be found! Finally Fraser and I decided to try out Zellers and behold - one beat up bright red suede table lamp:


Yay! It was even 30% off making it a reasonable price for my experimental crafting. When I got it home I carefully ripped the red suede off the lamp shade and recovered it with some off white cotton I had left over from my craft show table cloth. I really wanted the finished product to have a nice neutral backdrop behind the squares and since the red certainly would not d0, the off white cotton was perfect! The stretched cotton turned out pretty well and I figure if I ever need a new career I should consider lamp shade recovering!

Then it was time to figure out my gauge so I could make a strip of squares that would match the size of the shade. Then it was just a matter of crocheting those squares, sewing them together, and getting them on the shade to get the finished product:


Tada! It would have been a much less frustrating project if I hadn't run out of the white cotton yarn halfway through, but that is just the way things go sometimes. My least favourite (and most time consuming) step was definitely trying to attach the granny square cozy to the shade. What a picky finicky mess that turned out to be! I single crocheted two rows on either side of the squares in hopes to have it slightly fold over the top and bottom of the shade. I then attempted to thread a draw string on either edge to cinch the cozy on, but the threaded draw strings kept snapping and after many attempted I figured it was hopeless. The granny square cozy really needed to be tight against the shade to look nice so I ended up running string inside the shade at the edge of each square like so:


Then it was just a matter of sewing the ends in and putting it on the lamp! Hurrah! Take a peek at the lamp when the light is off:


Yay! I love how it turned out, but I am particularly fond of how it looks with the light on:


Yipee! Although I do enjoy how nice it looked on the bookshelf in the living room, I did make the lamp for use in my craft room but with the rainy (and mild) weather we've been having I decided the bright daylight from the patio window doors would give me the best light to photograph with. So I'm dying to know - what do you think? Are you ready to attempt your own granny square lamp cozy?

Squares in progress!

I'm still working away on my craft project and I thought I'd take a moment to let you in on what I've been doing! Granny squares! Yay! And unlike the one colour granny square blanket I started a million years ago and lost interest in - these squares are multi-coloured! Take a peek:


OoOo! Is it ever fun mixing colours together and I love how the center of the square sort of looks like a flower. Plus it helps me burn through my yarn stash which is always a bonus right? Here's another peep at some of my favourite squares so far:


Yipee! Now to get some more of that off white yarn so I can finish up the project! Any guesses on what it will be?

Playin' on the Heart String

Well you may be tired of hearing about crochet cotton hearts...but I'm still smitten with them so I've got one more day of them! After some lovely responses to my last two posts, I thought I'd take some reader advice and make a garland out of my excitedly overproduced crafts! I really liked the cute granny triangle heart garland Michelle made (link) but since I was looking for a project using the hearts without spending a ton of time making new parts I just braided together some coral yarn and sewed them on. Take a peek at the finished product:


Not too shabby eh? I am quite pleased with how it turned out and like the look of the different colours of hearts strung together. Plus the heart string turned out to be the perfect size for my new bulletin board board. Let's check it out from another angle:


Ah! I love it! In attempt to spruce up the blank walls of my craft room I think the cork board is a great place to start. So far it just has a few cards on it, some kitten pins, a moon screen print I won, and an experimental teal flower pin I crocheted (oh and the heart garland of course)! What do you think?


I'm excited to fill it up with inspiring snips of papers and things, but am really pleased with how it looks so far. What do you use for inspiration? Any cork board users? What would you pin on there?

I may have over done it...

Unlike my usual "find a cute tutorial and never get around to trying it," I went crochet crazy yesterday! Once I made one heart I just couldn't stop - take a peek at my morning accomplishment:


Eee! So many cute pink hearts! I'm hoping to put most of them together in one big fantastic project but I'm a little undecided on what that will be yet. I did enjoy using them as handmade heart confetti to throw at Fraser (which I'm sure he was just thrilled about). I really like the idea of using them as decoration on a valentine and am really fond of the mid tone coral the best:


I fell for that heart so much I put a pin on it!


Hooray! A lovely cotton crochet pin perfect for the yarn craving winter months and upcoming Valentine's! I can't wait for some more sunny spring weather to pop in so I can sport this baby on a cardigan! I made a matching pin for Fraser to wear on his nice black coat for Valentines too. Perhaps not the most masculine of lapel wear, but Fraser is a great sport and is loving and supportive of my craftiness. Heck - maybe it will be the new trend in 31 year old males! Yipee! What do you think I should do with the rest of the hearts I made?

crochet saturday

Back in December I featured the lovely crochet works of Cornflower Blue Studios as one of my Friday Finds. Well, I may not have got around to picking up my hook over the holidays like I had hoped, but I am still craving some yarn crafting while winter is still around! I started searching through Rachel's blog and found this darling tutorial for crochet hearts!


What a fun (and quick!) Saturday project don't you think? After swooning over Velma's crochet hearts she was making on instagram I figured this was a great craft! They would be super fun strung up in a garland, or maybe pinned onto your toque or lapel? Oh the possibilities! What do you think? What would you do with your handmade hearts?

Granny Please

I seem to be having a love affair with crochet granny squares lately. I keep seeing them around the internet and swooning over their fun colours and simplicity. I think I am particularly drawn to them because, well, I know how to make them (and can pretty much do so with my eyes closed). It's always a plus when I see crafts I am actually capable of (unlike most knit items). With no further ado, here are my three favourite granny square projects I can't wait to try out:

Project #1 - Granny Square Lamp Shade. I love the colours on this one and how it really jazzes up a normally quite simple table lamp. I think it would fit in perfectly in my living room (even though I doubt any more lighting is really required there...). Perhaps I'll hunt down an old lamp from a thrift shop and give it a new grann-i-fied life for my craft room!


Project #2 - Giant Granny Square Blanket. This one is particularly interesting since I started a granny square blanket back in 2003 and never finished it. After making a million little squares I realized they weren't a consistent size and would be a giant pain to sew together. This one, however, is just one giant square that gets bigger as you go! Hooray! No sewing at the end!


Project #3 - Granny Square Ear Warmer. I spotted this one on the wonderfully fashionable (and cat loving) Elycia a while back and totally went head over heals for it! I've been dying to make myself an ear warmer for my walks by the ocean and this one is super cute. Now to decide what colour to make it...


So what are your thoughts? Are you sold on the awesomeness of granny squares? What crochet projects would you make out of them? And (most importantly) which should I do first!?

Take a pill

Being a person who suffers from chronic illness, I seem to take a lot of prescriptions. Each morning during breakfast I take out my pill case (yes, I am an old lady with one of those days of the week pill containers), pour myself a cup of milk, and admire the pretty assortment of different pills I am about to take. When I came across these crochet pills from Greedy for Colour, I fell in love! Finally someone else who enjoys the beauty (and novelty) of capsules:


Hehe! Aren't they fun? I love the colours they picked and they totally remind me of Dr. Mario (a game my mom is insanely addicted to). I think these little guys would make perfect get well gifts, or even funny to pass along to any stressed out pals (as chill pills)! Heck, you could even stack them all in a glass jar and have one interesting center piece! I think they'd be particularly appealing with some little wide set eye smiles on there so when I get around to making some, I'll be sure to show you the results! After all, they are a pretty tiny so they'd be quick to whip up and Greedy for Colours tutorial is clear and easy to follow! What's to lose? What do you think? What would you do with your own set of yarn pills?

Crochet Must.

I may not be requiring a nursery any time soon, but I certainly think I need to get myself some crocheted lamp shades. Seriously - what could be better? These things are amazing:


Oooo! The texture! The colours! The yarn-y goodness! I'm just smitten! I think these would be just perfect in the craft room (perhaps as part of a tissue pom pom light piece?). Looks like I need to work on my popcorn stitch and get practicing! What do you think? Have you ever made your own lampshade (and how dusty do you think these would get)?

Friday Find: Cornflower Blue Studios

Today's find is the lovely fibre art wonders of etsy's Cornflower Blue Studios! Nothing like a little free style crochet to inspire some craftiness don't you think? Check out this magnificent piece:


Isn't it amazing? I love how it sort of looks like it came from the sea and think it would look super awesome hanging up in my apartment! Yellow not your colour? Not to worry - Rachel has a variety of awe inspiring fibre art pieces in all colours and shapes (link)! Still not your cup of tea? How do you feel about some adorable red or green xmas wrapping bows, hand drawn silly kitties, or embroidered love notes:


Ahh! I love them all! What can't that girl do? Maybe I will take a note from the page of Cornflower Blue Studios in a few weeks while I take some holiday time and do some craft projects for me! What do you think? Are you swooning over crochet art?