Seashell Tote

This was a spur of the moment project that I found in the Summer 2009 issue of Interweave Crochet. I never made a tote like this before and I liked the design. I especially like it because you can add rows to the base and it doesnt affect the pattern....you only have to adjust the handle row accordingly. You can also use just about any cotton or acrylic yarn for it. It makes a great beach or market tote and its very easy. Might give it as a gift....not sure yet.


I used Bernat Cool Crochet and a G hook for the body of the tote....and F hook for the handle portion. Cool Crochet is a nice cotton blend yarn. And now that its available in 8.5 oz skeins, its even better. Its on the list of discontinued yarns but you can still find it at the craft stores. If you can get a copy of the Summer IC magazine, this one is a great carry along project. Give it a try!

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One More.... :)

I decided to show you the other piece I made for my partner. This is called the Starburst Hotpad. For a first attempt, it came out pretty well. Its a neat proceedure. You can find the pattern HERE, and you can find a video that explains how to create the starburst HERE. I didnt find the video till AFTER I was finished but I did figure it out on my own eventually.

I liked this one so much, I made another one for myself....

So now that I have the technique down, I can make more pretty easily and I dont need the pattern now. Give it a try.

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More Kitch

Working on a potholder swap that I have to send out by the 8th. So being the efficient person that I am, I decided to make my potholder ahead of time by starting it before I got paired up and surprise my partner by mailing it off right away. Thats the first one.....from the Spring Hotpads/Potholders pattern from Annie's POTD. You may have that one saved if you follow the free patterns. I got a nice e-mail from my partner saying she doesnt care about the color....except she doesnt like pink. OH NO! :) So I dove into potholder patterns and I found the Clownfish (you can find the pattern HERE). A really easy pattern EXCEPT for weaving in the ends. If you hate that, you might want to make the fish in a single color. :)

I will probably make another potholder for my partner, NOT in pink :)....and send her 2, since I still have some time. The flower potholder I will hang onto for another swap.

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Still Here

I know its been awhile since I have posted. I have NOT stopped crocheting....just seems like I am only adding to my already big list of WIP's. I am frogging a couple projects that I am not happy with. Not that they are coming out wrong....they just dont LOOK right on me. Not a major deal. I have been involved with some quickie swaps but forgot to take photos....DUH! Oh well. I promise I WILL take pics of the things I am making for the new swap. Potholders again.....but different ones. I finished one and it came out really nice. Why is it I always make nice things and have to give them away?....LOL! Anyway, when I finish the second one (should be a day or 2) I will post pics.....I think you will like them. :)

I started an outing set for a baby and finished the top. Not sure if I am going to keep it or not. I will post a pic of that, too. I did make a mistake in it but it was a mistake of omission so no one would realize it.......doesnt affect the look at all . Still, I bought better yarn to make it again. Might just donate it to charity. Or maybe someone out there might want to buy it.

My b/day was last week. I treated myself with some money my bro sent to me and went to my LYS. Got some nice baby DK, Mary Beth Temple's book, Hooked For Life and the Mission Falls Goes Crochet pattern booklet. Nearly $100 for everything, but it was nice to be able to spend some money in a local business instead of the BBS's all the time.

Thats about all the catch up news for now. I passed my Blogiversary again. Its been 2 years now that I have been recording my crochet life. Its fun and I hope that everyone that comes here enjoys what I share. I will be back real soon with more projects.

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Sydney's Bobble Dress

Actually, the pattern is called Coco's Bobble Dress. The pattern is VERY detailed with many photos of the WIP, so check it out. I think its a cute dress. I did use Cascade Heritage to make it which isnt really appropriate for a dress to be worn in the summer, but I figure its not a play dress and she can wear it with a short sleeve blouse or shirt indoors in the A/C. I might make another one with cotton blend sock yarn, but cotton yarns are even heavier. We'll see :)

I havent blocked it yet...thats the next project. And I bought 4 hanks of the Cascade when I didnt even need 2....so I have more than 2 hanks left. Might have to make something else with it. Any ideas? Each hank is 437 yds.

I am involved in a potholder swap on K&C....looking forward to showing off my potholder here soon!

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Lacy Layette

I have always enjoyed making baby outfits and since I haven't made anything for a couple years, I felt like crocheting a baby layette. I have several patterns I have never tried, so I went into my file and found Leisure Arts booklet #2937 with this pattern on the cover.

I used Bernat Softee Baby yarn....soft but VERY splitty. Still it makes a nice set. I let my doll Emily model it for the photos. Although it's a 5 piece set, it's only a 3 pc. set in the booklet but I made booties to match.....I found a cute pattern and substituted the set pattern stitch for the original cuff.

I hope to offer this set for sale soon. It's a 0-3 mos. size. I am also working on a Christening Gown. I hope to sell that as well. It's made from thread and will take me some time to finish. But no hurry :)

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My New Toy

I never had any interest in a ball winder. I thought they were more for people who spin or only buy hanks of yarn. Well, JoAnn was having a sale and I was getting a lot of positive feedback about winders. I recently bought some mill ends and they were a mess....

But here is what they look like now....

I Russian Joined the ends of the hanks together while I was winding. That saves a lot of time when I go to use the yarn. I would certainly recommend that if you do a lot of crocheting and have a stash that could use some organization, you would do well to have one of these. They are real easy to use. This model was on sale for $30.

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Back to the Kitch-en

I was inspired by a very nice lady on Ravelry named Kim, who featured the Strawberry Potholder in her projects. I thought it was terrific, so I asked her where she got the pattern. She wrote and told me it was from the Leisure Arts Leaflet # 851. Somewhere in the back of my mind, that sounded familiar, so I went into my pattern file and, lo and behold, I HAD that leaflet! So I made the Strawberry Potholder, but I couldn't stop there. I also made the Rose Square and the Ridged Hexigon. I dug deeper into my patterns and found the #281 leaflet and made the Heart Potholder. I also did the hexigon potholder from leaflet #429. These are all older leaflets from the 80's and I dont think they are still in print but you might be able to find them on E-bay or a similar site.

And then I thought about one more. So I went into my copies of free online patterns and I found the Polish Star Potholder. Something tells me I tried this one years ago and gave up. Well, this time I was able to figure it out and I have to admit it came out pretty nice. You can find the pattern for that one at http://www.freepatterns.com/ . It would make a nice afghan if I had about 10 years of my life to devote to it...LOL!

I will probably sell these, since I already have plenty of potholders. Or if I end up involved in a potholder swap, I am all set. :)

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The Flamies

Here ye, here ye! All crocheters, newbies or old timers! Its time to vote for the best in crochet. Time to vote for The Flamies Awards. Laurie Wheeler, founder the the Crochet Liberation Front, has created these awards to honor and acknowledge those talented people responsible for the best in crochet. Just click on THIS LINK and vote for your favorites. This event coincides with the beginning of NATCROMO (National Crochet Month) in March. So go and vote....support your favorite yarn craft and on behalf of all those nominated, thank you!

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12 to 24 Point Round Ripple Afghan

Ever since I saw this design about a year or so ago, I have been wanting to try one of these. Its not as elaborate as some I have seen, but I didnt want to drag this project out too long. I bought the yarn months ago....the Bernat Chunky was being closed out and the price was great for those 11 oz. skeins. I finally decided to give it a go about a couple weeks ago. And you see the result. I think it came out rather nicely. I used the round ripple instructions on Crochetville as a guide but the increase they use from 12 to 24 is to make small granny squares, sew these on and then continue in the ripple pattern. I am way to lazy to bother with that :D So I improvised a way to stitch diamonds into the ghan for the increases. It worked. I found out later that someone else did their increases in their ghan in a similar fashion. You can find the proceedure HERE.

I gave the ghan to my b/f.....he really liked it. I only wish the Bernat wasnt discontinued....it was a great yarn for this project. If I can find a similar yarn, I may make another one. My son has a round bed and can you imagine how cool this would look on a round bed? :)

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