Wrap-Up of Ravellenics 2014

I participated in my first Ravellenic games this year! Ravellenics coincides with the Olympics and it's a time where fiber artists challenge themselves to complete projects and compete on teams.

I was on the team TreeHouse Crochet and started out the games by not pushing myself too hard. I coasted through the first 4 or 5 projects and chose one project that took an entire week of focus to complete. 

Aerial Unwind

This was by far the easiest competition that I participated in. I was making a scarf for a swap and ended up not having enough wool to complete the scarf. 

I used every inch of yarn, then had to frog it (unwind it). It was really hard to unravel that many hours of work, but it was also incredibly freeing! I may start unwinding a little more regularly in the future. 

Hat Halfpipe

I watched a lot of Olympics on NBC simply because I was competing in Ravellenics. I caught the Women's Halfpipe event and was so sad to hear the story of Sarah Burke. Her story and the coverage of this event was truly inspiring and, even now, I continue reflecting on the comments of her parents in the interview. They are truly amazing parents whom I aspire to be like.

Toy Tobogganing

Of course this was the most fun event of all! Who doesn't smile when they make fun toys for kids? We have named this dog puppet, Scout, since that's the name of the dog in our church's Sunday School lessons. The kids love Scout! I get to teach Sunday school next week and can't wait to use him with the kids. 

Free pattern from Stitch 11

WIPs Dancing

Intended for a charity collection seeking 70 animals for children in a women's shelter, Owen the Monkey quickly fell through the cracks last fall. I had finished crocheting all the pieces (including his head/body and facial features not shown in this fun photo) last October, but her remained in pieces until now.

 And here he is all finished next to his favorite monkey friend, Peach.

Scarf Super-G and Mitten Moguls

Do you remember that scarf above where I ran out of yarn? I remade it creating a pattern as I went and here's the finished scarf.

Since this scarf is a little more open-work, I ended up having enough wool remaining to barely squeeze out this matching pair of fingerless gloves.

Sweaterboard Cross

This is the area where I challenged myself. I never make garments. I typically refuse requests to make dresses, clothing and blankets. These projects take so much time and just aren't worth it. But, I decided that I would make a sweater once for myself. The total project cost for this sweater was $20.00 and this includes the price of the yarn and the price of the pattern.

I need to get better photos of the sweater. It's called the Simply Elegant Sweater designed by Jenny King. It's a gorgeous, loose-fitting design that I truly believe would look great on any body type. I wore it to church today and it got a lot of positive feedback. I don't know why, but I'm always a little embarrassed when things I make get that much attention.

This sweater weighs close to 20 oz. and used between 950-1,000 yards of Caron Simply Soft yarn.

Conclusion of Ravellenics 2014

I thoroughly enjoyed the games! I really pushed myself to make the sweater and I'm so happy to have actually finished it in time. I can't believe that I fit in SIX projects aside from this one. I'm completely amazed at what we can accomplish when we push ourselves to reach our goals.

My team, Treehouse Crochet, had a competition running based on projects completed during the games and the total yardage of our projects. But, I'm satisfied in earning the Ravthlete badge! I'll be wearing it proudly as my Ravatar for many weeks to come. 

FO Friday: Assembling the Minions

My younger son turned 4 last week and started preschool this past Monday. He demanded that I make him a Minion backpack for preschool. I was hesitant and we talked him into buying a camouflage dinosaur backpack instead. I kind-of felt bad for not making him the backpack, so I made him a Minion hat.

While I was working on it, he kept asking if it was his Minion backpack. And, I kept reminding him about his really cool dinosaur backpack. He wouldn't relent. A couple of weeks ago, I was driving to work when an idea came to me on how I could make the backpack.

So, I took about 5 minutes and drew out a couple of sketches:

Introducing....BERT-MERN

BatBaby hat and Mask being modeled by Miss Peach, my 3 year old's Build-a-Bear Monkey.

I have made several cape sets designed by the uber talented Calleigh's Clips and Crochet Creations, but I have to say that this Bat Baby set may be very high on my list of favorites from her! I tend to stay away from licensed/trademarked characters unless someone asks, which was the case here. A friend asked if I could make anything Superhero and I was immediately drawn to BatMan. 

BatMan is a registered logo and this cape is really for a Batbaby and not 100% batman. The actual logo is not included in the pattern as that would be a violation. It's easy enough to consult with Google and trace, draw or free-stitch your own batman symbol onto the patch.

Isn't this cape set just the cutest thing? It looks even more awesome being modeled by Miss Peach, my three year old's reward for using the potty!!!

Want to make your own superhero without buying a pattern? Check out CCCC's free cape & mask pattern!

January Wrap-up

I set goals in January and I am trying my best to keep up with them. Let's recap them real quick.

• Crochet more for Charity
• Rest once a week
• Always Take Photos/Create a Ravelry Project Page
• Design More

So, January is over....how did I do?

Sock Monkey - Free Preemie Pattern for Rosie's Cozies

My friend Elisabeth at Calleigh's Clips and Crochet Creations created a new Preemie Tiger pattern for Rosie's Cozies. I would have never known about this project if it hadn't been for her. She inspired me to come up with my own design to fit a Zooish theme. 

Rosie's Cozies is a project created to honor the families of those fighting for the lives of their children in the NICU. 

Rosanna DeVries was born at 23 weeks and after two rollercoaster weeks, the Lord chose to take her home.  This project is meant to honor little Rosie's life and the family who fought for her.

Winter Gift Exchange Hosted by Craftaholics Anonymous

Twice a year there is this fabulous gift exchange that takes place for crafters of any kind. You sign up to make a handmade gift and you receive a handmade gift in exchange. You can ask Secret Q & A questions and it's lots of fun!

I exchanged gifts with Dara from Not in Jersey. She made me this absolutely gorgeous hat! Ignore the person in the picture...I should have at least put on make-up or something before taking a picture of myself. lol!

10 Crochet Hats for Him

Men aren't always easy to buy for and it's even harder to make them something. Have no fear! Here is a round-up of 10 Crochet Patterns of various styles and ages that will work for the guys on your Christmas list.