flower pens and crocheted asshats

my aunt and uncle have been in extremely bad health.  they’re in their 80s, so it’s somewhat to be expected, but it’s never easy to watch the people you love suffer.  it was with a sad heart that i went to visit them recently, after my uncle was placed in a nursing home.  wanting to get my aunt away for a bit, we took her out to a little mexican restaurant in new braunfels.  we finish eating and she pops dessert for us OUT OF HER PURSE (pie!).  PIE!  (it was good, too!)  then, as we’re leaving, my aunt goes to all the restaurant employees and gives them a flower pen that she’s made.  she does this *everywhere she goes*.  sweetest thing EVER. 

the infamous flower pens:

it reminded me of all the summers that i’d spent at their home in canyon lake, texas (beautiful, beautiful area) and during those visits, i learned to love heehaw (pfft! she was gone!), square dancin’ (yes, i CAN acey deucey AND load the boat!), and crocheting.  in all these years, i’ve never given my aunt anything that i’d crocheted and, wanting to send her something, i decided on a little donkey that i’d made not too long ago.  yet, it needed ~something~... and thus, the crocheted asshat was borned!

so far, i’ve been able to refrain from passing these out to random strangers, but give me a few years   lord knows i’ve had the proper training :D

and just cuz…

heehaw

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Tagged as: crochet,crafts,videos October 06, 2009 @ 12:02 pm

crocheted baby snuggle pattern

i’d planned to post this, but hadn’t ever gotten to it, then someone requested it, so ~here ‘tis~!  the pattern for the crocheted baby snuggle (hooded baby blanket)!  ~tada~

this isn’t a pattern of my own creation, but something i copied down YEARS ago.  it’s become my favorite baby gift because it’s just absolutely beautiful once completed.  i’ve made it so many times over the years that i now only use my notes as a rough guide. 

yarn:
bernat’s cottontots - pastel dreams (approx 5 skeins? it’s yarn i usually have on hand so i’ve not ever really kept track of how much i used.  5 seems about right.)
1 skein of a contrasting cotton yarn (yellow, blue, pink, green, white?) for the trim.

hook:
size h

(i have never ever worried about gauge on this blanket.)

pattern:

blanket:
ch 115
row 1: work dc in 5th chain from hook and in each remaining, ch 3 and turn.
row 2: in 3rd dc, make a shell (2 dc, ch 1, 2 dc) *skip 3 sts, shell in next dc, repeat from *, dc in last dc, ch 3 and turn.
row 3 - 6: make a shell in the center st of each shell below, dc in last dc, ch 3 and turn.
row 7:  increase shell to (3 dc, ch 1, 3 dc) across, dc in last dc, ch 3 and turn.
row 8 - 12: repeat row 7.
row 13: increase shell to (4 dc, ch 1, 4 dc) across, dc in last dc, ch 3 and turn.
row 14 - 30: repeat row 13. 
Fasten off.

hood:
in beginning row of blanket, join yarn with a sl st in the 28th dc.  (7 shells on blanket extend beyond either side of hood.)
row 1: ch 3, *skip 3 dc, make a shell (2 dc, ch 1, 2 dc), repeat from *, dc in last dc, ch 3 and turn. (13 shells)
row 2 - 10: repeat row 1 from *.
Fold hood in half, sew across top edge, fasten off.

trim:
worked in contrasting color.
join yarn with sl st in beginning sl st of hood.
hood: skip the starting ch 3 of the 1st row, *make shell (3 dc, picot (ch 3, sl st through 1st st of chain), 3 dc) in ch 3 of next row.  repeat from * around hood. 
left side: sc in each dc along front edge of blanket, 3 sc in corner, increase *shell (4 dc, picot, 4 dc), sc in starting ch of next row.  repeat from * down side of blanket, 3 sc in corner.
bottom: make shell over shell along bottom edge of the blanket (5 dc, picot, 5 dc), 3 sc in corner.
right side: repeat left side, *shell (4 dc, picot, 4 dc), sc in starting ch of next row, 3 sc in corner, sc across each dc along front edge.
attach where joined, fasten off.

drawstring:
worked in contrasting color.
double yarn and ch 120.
thread through first row of dc on blanket, going over and under 2 dc at a time. 
make 2 tassels, attach to ends of drawstring.

(to make the tassels: i wrap lots and lots of yarn around my outspread fingers (making the tassel roughly 3 or 4 inches or so?), then feed a piece of yarn through the middle and tie it tightly at the top.  wrap another piece of yarn around the body of the tassel about a half inch from the top, tie that tightly, then cut the yarn at the bottom and trim the ends even.) - made in same color as blanket.

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Tagged as: crochet,crafts,patterns July 11, 2009 @ 09:10 am

crocheted basket

i LOVE that basket!

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Tagged as: crochet,crafts,hobbies,patterns June 17, 2009 @ 02:53 pm

“crocheted” flip flop thongs

summer has all but officially arrived in houston… temps are well into the 90s.  hot hot hot! ...and what better way to keep cool than these crocheted flip flop thongs!

i’m making a pair for my stepdaughter and now i’m glad that i bought enough to be able to make a pair for me as well.  i don’t often wear flip flops but these are just too darn cute!  anyone who has ever made those yarn covered coat hangers should have absolutely no problem making these thongs.  the technique is exactly the same. 

materials:
pair of flip flops
2 skeins of lion brand “fun fur”
for crocheters, use a size J hook
for non-crocheters, you can easily do this by hand

instructions:

1. make a slip knot in the end of the yarn and, with the toe of the shoe facing you, bring the loop of the slip knot under the left strap.
2. bring yarn up and over the strap and pull through the slip knot.
3. with hook (or finger holding the loop), reach under the strap, loop yarn over and bring up (2 loops on hook, or finger).  yarn over hook (or finger) and pull through the 2 loops.
4. repeat.  alot.  and then some more.
5. when you get to the toe, you’ll flip the shoe around so that the heel is facing you.  work all the way to the top of the right strap, cut yarn, pull through and weave in ends.

note: as you do the stitches, push them together so that the strap is densely covered.  (you can make it as dense as you like, i went full on fuzzy!)

enjoy the flip flops!  i can’t wait to finish my pair!

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Tagged as: crochet,hobbies,patterns June 08, 2009 @ 11:29 am

crocheted baby gifts!

my closest friend is expecting his first baby (his wife’s doing all the work, of course!) and today was the baby shower!  teh mommy to be looked absolutely radiant and daddy to be didn’t look entirely terrified… just a bit!

i skipped the baby registry and crocheted for them instead:

the baby snuggle (hooded baby blanket) crocheted in cotton pastels.  it’s one of my favorite baby gifts to make.

my friend used to wear his fedora everywhere and went by the nick ‘catman’, so the crocheted lion complete with fedora seemed fitting!

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Tagged as: crochet,crafts,hobbies April 11, 2009 @ 11:11 pm