Monday, 5/17/10 Another Day with Jackie

My sister called me on Saturday and said she needed my input on some projects she was working on. Since she had gotten most of her new fabric this week, she wanted me to also see them. This is one of many stacks of fabrics all over her basement—63 prints all together. I ended up helping her with choosing the fabrics for a couple of the quilts she was going to sew up and also helped her iron the fabrics.

I was really looking forward to seeing the faux crochet granny square fabric that Benartex made from my granny square afghan. Now, I need to pull out my Aunt Lydia’s crochet thread to see which ones look the best with the fabrics because, of course, she wants two receiving blankets edged with crochet for the Spring International Quilt Show this month. We had a great day, and I was exhausted when I got home just thinking about all the work that she still has left to do before she leaves.

Tell me about some of the fun things you do on Saturday.

5/14/10 Free Pattern Friday: Rococo Scarflette Crochet Pattern

Here’s another really cool temporarily free design for our Free Friday crochet pattern this time. This special scarf pattern will be a free downloadable pattern for a limited time of two weeks, so download it now.

The pattern calls for chunky yarn, but you know me, I had to do something different. I used…

…two strands of Bernat Softee Baby yarn for my scarf, and then dropped one of the colors on each end to make the ruffles. I think some cotton yarn would really look good, too, and a lighter scarf is always nice to have around for those cool spring nights.

Of course, I had to put my own spin on the closure, so I thought about poking-a-hole-in some “Exclusively You” faux leather and making a flower out of it. I used one of my plastic lids and traced around it to make my circle; then, I just placed some dots evenly around the circle…

…and punched holes in it.

Then, I crocheted around the circle.

I think my pin will be cool on the scarf and on other jackets or purses.

Remember to tell all your friends that this pattern is only available for a short time! I hope you have as much fun making the scarf as I did. This free scarf pattern is from a book called iCrochet: Museum Quality Hats-Scarves-Purses by Francine Toukou, so if you like this scarf, you might want to check out the book for some other really cool designs. Thank you, Francine, for allowing us to use your Rococo Scarflette pattern for our Free Pattern Friday.

Wednesday, 5/12/10 Another Repurposed Sweater

I can’t help myself; I have a problem with picking up sweaters like this one at the thrift store. I either like the color or I might just like the buttons. I bring sweaters home with me, and I launder them, and if they make it out of the washing machine in one piece, they hang around for a while until I get an idea for what to do with them. My ideas don’t always come right away and may even take a few days or months or years. My ideas may not come in the form of trims that I’ve seen, like the one for this sweater.

I saw a pattern for a baby afghan that had granny squares turned on point with zigzags running on the top and bottom of them. I found the pattern in a vintage 80’s pattern book by Jean Leinhauser and Rita Weis, and I thought of adding it to the sweater that had been hanging around for a few months. After I sewed the squares together and added the zigzag at the top, I decided to add my own design of stripey goodness for the bottom edge. Then, since I wasn’t quite finished, I decided instead of crocheting the edging onto the sweater, I thought it might look neat to button it onto the edging. I looked for 15 buttons of the same color in my button box and came up empty handed, so I found some buttons that were around the same size, and I crocheted around all of them.

I showed my new repurposed sweater to my friend Steph, and she was kind enough to try it on for me and model for the picture. I like the way it turned out, but I don’t think I’m quite done with it yet. I still think it needs to have one row of edging around the fronts and around the neck, just to tie it all together.

Monday, 5/10/10 Another One Hooked

I remember meeting Ms. Jackie at my LYS about 3 years ago. She was always interested in what I was crocheting, and I was always curious about what she was knitting. She would always say that she was going to really learn to crochet one of these days. Ms. Jackie is an amazing knitter, and she can even knit while she is looking at you and talking. I’m still amazed at what knitters can make.

Anyway, last Saturday, I walked into Twist, and I was welcomed by the knitters table and, as always, I stopped to chat and see what everyone was working on. To my amazement, Ms. Jackie was sitting with a Crochet Today magazine and some nice little piles of crocheted granny squares. She looked up at me and said, “I’m crocheting and have finished a hexagon table cover.” I sighed and said, "Do you like to crochet?" Ms. Jackie said, “Yes” and that she was having so much fun crocheting. This made me smile, and I told her and the knitters, “Yes! I’ve hooked another one.” Ha! Ha!

Tell me about some of the people you have hooked. (And, oh, if you think you might be hooked on making crocheted granny squares, you need to check out this book: Great Grannies! The seven scrap afghan patterns it offers prove that grannies don’t have to be square!)

5/7/10 Free Pattern Friday: Hats off to Mother Crochet Pattern

When I first saw the free crochet pattern for these little hats, I thought they were really cute. I have to admit I didn’t know if I would like making them, but as I was making the first one, I thought what a good way they were to use up the small amounts of thread that I have left from other projects.

I’m also in love with making these little hats. I can’t seem to stop; I want to make one in every color of thread that I have.

Here’s what I’ve made so far—12 of them.

Then, as I was making them, the wheels started turning. What else could I put in them besides potpourri? Oh, I found a strip of felt that I had used to make a tongue for the crocheted dog “Drama Dog”. I just rolled it up like a tape measure and sewed it together and stuffed it into the crown of the hat and…

…voila, it’s a tiny pincushion for those little appliqué pins.

Next up, I want to use some starch on some and give them a set of flowers and a pin back and make a lapel pin out them.

These are just a few things you can use these little hats for. I think they would make really cute Mother’s Day gifts. My hats are off to all the mothers out there and hope all of you have a Happy Mother’s Day.

Wednesday, 5/5/10 May Crochet Along

Well everyone it’s May and everything is blooming here in Kansas and I’m sure things are blooming where you are too. People have been talking here at Crochet Soiree about another Crochet Along, so we’ve decided to do another one. This time we’ll be using 2 patterns that are in the free patterns.

I loved this Berry Cute Coaster pattern and couldn’t stop making them. I used some of the Patons Grace crochet yarn and it made them larger and just big enough to use as trivets for hot things to sit on my table. The fun thing about these coasters is that as you crochet the pattern, it automatically makes it 2 sided and then just comes together at the bottom without even sewing (except hiding the tails). You’ll see when you make them how fun they are and how addictive they can be. I had to make them in all different colors and they are so bright and cheery and remind me of the strawberry patch where we used to pick our strawberries when we were kids.

The other pattern that I chose is the Bean Bag Kitty. I know I’m not eligible but I’d like to try and make mine out of all different colors of yarn and make my Kitten striped.

The rules are simple this time:

Make your projects off of either or both patterns and use any kind of yarn you want to, embellish, or change it up however you want for either pattern. The crochet along will end on May 31, 2010.

There will be a drawing again and the prizes are:

First Place, Doily made by Me (Tamara Gonzales)
Second and Third Place will be crocheted items made by 2 Crochet Soiree members (ssshhh! Don’t tell them that I told you but they’re Molly and BarbM) Ha Ha!

Monday, 5/3/10 Jennifer’s Crochet Tulip Afghan

My daughter Jennifer has been busy crocheting, too, and I am just as proud of her as I am about my son crocheting. After she made this afghan for one of my coworkers…

…she came over to my house for dinner the other night, and she pulled this out of her bag.

Gosh, it’s so pretty and springy looking. She’s using Bernat “Baby Softee” yarn and look at the pretty tulip design it makes.

Jennifer’s so talented and does such a good job and makes it look so easy. I asked where she got the pattern, and she said “Mommy, it’s a Leisure Arts publication called, A Year of Baby Afghans, Book 4, and you gave it to me.” Man, I’m a good Mom, aren’t I? Ha! Ha!