The Velorum Scarf - Free Crochet Pattern

This scarf was 100% inspired by my recent scarf swap partner whose Ravelry ID contains the word astronomy and her color choices were cosmic! I looked to the night sky for a name representing the V-stitch used in this super easy scarf pattern! There was only on name I had ever heard of: Velorum. If you are geeky like me, then you'll recognize the name from Star Wars:

I call for a vote of no confidence in Chancellor Velorum.

Aside from that, Velorum is a star system in the constellation Vela.

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. 

Crocheting for Valentine's Day

Here are just a few of the projects (and a small amount of candy-making) that I have done in preparation for Valentine's Day. Enjoy! All of the patterns linked in this post are free crochet patterns! Be sure you check them out. XO

Cross Your Heart Coffee Cozy

This was my first Valentine's project. I made it in January while my mom was in surgery. It works up so fast and makes a great teacher's gift!

This didn't quite fit on my cup, but it was the perfect size for a wrist warmer. I'm keeping it for myself and need to make a second one for the other hand. This is the perfect project for those scrap yarns!

Cross Your Heart Coffee Cozy

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:

Playing with Clay

When I get out clay and the pasta machine, I can't make just a few things. I have to fill the entire baking sheet. I am so excited about how some of these turned out!

Everyone Loves Owls

Owls are such an easy shape for anyone who wants to give polymer clay a try. Just make an oval, then pinch the top two corners to form the ear-looking things. Then, make a teardrop shape and flatten it. Attach to either side and you have a lovely little owl. The eyes were made with the end of a jewelry pin (which you'll need if you are making stitch markers). 

The flowers came from an old bracelet that I didn't love. But, the components on the bracelet are awesome! I will never regret the day that I ripped that bracelet apart. They were the perfect addition to these little owl stitch markers.

Monster Love

I love monsters in any shape and size, but my all-time favorites are the Pac-Man monsters. 

The pink/blue mixed (purple) is sort-of what the monsters look like when Pac-Man can chomp them! I had to work with the colors I had on hand. I know these aren't 100% accurate, but I still think they are awesome!

Adding Clay to Hooks

I started out by using scraps of clay to build up the handles. That part went really well. Then, I used this technique I learned nearly 10 years ago to create a gradual blend of two colors. I used pink and pearl blue. The pearl really shimmers. 

The hooks aren't perfect. I didn't get all the air bubbles out and I think you can see them. But, I still think they are good enough for gifting. Speaking of...there's a giveaway where you have a chance to win these hooks. I have some matching stitch markers to go with them and a matching hook to go with the owls above.

Non-Clay Stitch Markers

I also made another set of these stitch markers over the weekend. They are intended for those of us who are forgetful of which hook size we are using on a project. You can even make your own for under $10.

Perfectionism...A Few Hours Later

I am making this beautiful scarf as a gift for my co-worker:

Free Pattern from People Webs: Chunky Circle Scarf

I was nearly to the end of the second row when I came across this:

I know not everyone crochets. Basically, those wheel looking things should not have been so far apart (6 stitches apart in this photo and they should have been only 3 stitches apart).

When I make a mistake, I cannot go on.

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.

Stretching my Craft Skills

Welcome back to another edition of Pintastic Tuesday where I pick a thing or two from Pinterest and try it, then tell you if it was a success (pinTastic) or failure (pinDrastic).

Today's Pinspiration (Pin + Inspiration)

Sewing Baby Shoes

Source: Pinterest | Original Source: Pamela Susan Fine Jewelry & Gifts

Crafting One-of-a-Kind Button Art

Source: Pinterest | Original Source: Busted Button

Source: Pinterest | Original Source: Busted Button

Simple Headband Flowers - Pintastic Tuesday 07

I have so much fun browsing Pinterest and drawing inspiration from what others have done. Seriously, is there anything better than Pinterest to actually make me want to clean my house and have fun doing it?

This week's crafty inspiration was originally pinned on my Hair Clips / Headbands board.

The Project:

Source: Pinterest | Original Source: iCandy Handmade

I love, love, love to make photography props and all things baby! I don't have a baby girl of my very own. As much as I would love to have another baby, my love says we are done. So, I have two boys at home and I'm the only lady in the house. So, if I can't have any more babies of my own, then I can at least make beautiful things for babies and live vicariously through my little prop shop, right?

Pintastic Tuesday 04

Welcome back for another Pintastic Tuesday! I hope this inspires you to try out some of the things you find on pinterest. This week I want to introduce you to an almost pin-drastic experiment.

The Project: Post-it Present

Source: Pinterest | Original Source: Paper Wings

The Story:

I bought all of the supplies to make this 6 months ago. I had the scrapbooking supplies on hand and purchased a really cute package of post-it notes that were butterfly shaped along with the plastic frame. I intended to make this as a gift numerous times for my son's 3rd grade teacher. The school year ended and the supplies were still sitting on my desk. So, when I needed just one extra thing in my handmade gift for the Craftaholics Anonymous Handmade Gift Exchange, this seemed like the perfect thing!

I made on of my favorite hats as the main part of the gift:

Beanie Brim Cap by Hannah Levine

The Results:

Honestly, this one started out being a little pinDrastic. I couldn't even get the post-it notes to stay attached long enough to snap the picture. If anyone does this craft as a gift, I think the standard square Post-Its would work better because the adhesive is at the top. The adhesive on mine is down the center of the butterfly shape. 

When I was about to give up and scrap this gift, I had the idea to attach a smaller quanity of Post-It notes. Maybe the weight of the whole package was too much. The smaller quantity of Post-It notes worked much better!

Just for good measure, I tied some leftover yarn from the hat around the post-it notes so they should at least arrive in tact. 

Have you made anything fun from Pinterest this week? Join in and spread the fun by leaving your link below! NOTE: The text you type in "Your Name" will display representing your link. It says a comment is required. You aren't required to comment on this post, but please comment on at least one blog post you visit.

Pintastic Tuesday 03

Welcome back for Pintastic Tuesday #3! I hope to inspire you to try a few of the things you find on pinterest and share with the rest of the world how it worked for you! Did that soap scum remover work? Were the instructions clear, etc? Was it pintastic or pindrastic? Trust me! I have had a pin-drastic failures.

The Project: The Backrub Shirt for Father's Day

Here is how this works. Dad lays on the floor wearing this shirt. The kid(s) drive their little cars around on the back of the shirt. Dad gets a massage. The kids think he is playing with them. It's a win-win!

Source: Pinterest | Original Source: The Blue Basket

The Story:

My eight year old was talking one day about how he always hand-makes gifts for me for Mother's Day. Mother's Day happens near the end of the school year, so they always do something special for moms. But, he's on his own when it comes to Father's Day. When I found this pin, I knew my son would love to make this!

Here are just a few other random reasons for doing it:

1. It looked like tons of fun!
2. Dad can "play" with the kids
3. It involves Hot Wheels
4. The car massages as the kids drive around
5. I thought it would be a fun project for my Sunday School kids to make for their dads

 

The Results:

The kids loved the shirts! We were away on vacation last week and have been so swamped last week. We haven't had a chance to try them out yet, but I was very happy with how they turned out and my Sunday School kids had fun making them.

 

 On a side note...The two pictures above are of one of my kids who has only his mom. He made his shirt for her and wrote, "Happy Mother's Day...Even though it isn't Mother's Day".

The two shirts above were designed with roads wide enough for a Hot Wheel to drive on. 

And my sweet little niece went wild with the glitter for her dad's shirt. 

Have you made anything fun from Pinterest this week? Join in and spread the fun by leaving your link below! NOTE: The text you type in "Your Name" will display representing your link. It says a comment is required. You aren't required to comment on this post, but please comment on at least one blog post you visit.

One Hour Fingerless Gloves

This is my very first original pattern, so please leave comments and feel free to post pictures on my Facebook Wall. The pattern is also on Ravelry as a free download. I would love to see what you come up with!







Materials
Size P Hook
40 yards Super Bulky
I used ½ skein of Lion
Brand Hometown USA.

Pattern
Ch 12 & Join with slip stitch
Round 1-3: Ch 2, HDC 11, Join with slip stitch
*For longer gloves: Repeat Ch 2, HDC 11, Join with
slip stitch until desired length is reached. For the pink gloves, there we no extra rows. For the grayish gloves, I did one extra row.
Round 4-5: Ch 2, HDC to end, turn
Round 6: Ch 2, HDC to end, Join to first stitch with a
slip stitch
Round 7: Ch 2, HDC around, Join with slip stitch

For Left Hand:
Round 8: Do not Ch 2. HDC into same stitch as slip
stitch, HDC 7 and slip stitch into next stitch, Turn.
Round 9: Sc in next stitch, then sc 8 stitches and slip
stitch at end. Bind off and weave in ends.

For Right Hand:
Round 8: Turn, HDC into next stitch, then HDC 7
stitches and slip stitch into next stitch. Turn.
Round 9: Sc in next stitch, then sc 8 stitches and slip
stitch at end. Bind off and weave in ends.

Notes: I used Lion Brand Hometown USA, but any Super Bulky yarn (or two strands of Worsted Weight) should work.