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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It's Finally Finished....

.....and I can cross another WIP off my list. This is another Lotus Bag, which I promised my D I would make for her over a year and a half ago. I had the bag crocheted....it was the hand sewing that made me put it off. Well, this morning, I got up and said to myself, "I am going to finish that bag today."...and I did.

She is going to faint......she thought I would NEVER finish it....he,he,he...

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More Socks

I have been working on this pair of socks for my SIL for a couple weeks, off and on. I think this is the nicest pair I have made yet. I used Regia Silk Color....its a very soft yarn. And not stiff like some sock yarns I have used. Not splitty, either. I am going to get more of this yarn and see if I can find similar types. I want to try making myself a pair.

I have sock making down to a science, now. I can make a pair of socks without a pattern. As long as you understand the parts of a sock and how each relates to the other, its fairly easy to construct one. And if the yarn has enough stretch, it can be very forgiving and you dont have to be perfect on the measurments. After all, socks you buy in a store stretch to fit many foot shapes and sizes. Crocheted socks should do the same.

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Sweetheart Ripple Afghan

I have the flu......lucky me. So I am housebound again...sigh....

But that made it a perfect time for me to start working on this ghan. I am making it for my mother for Valentines Day, so that forces me to finish it :) This design can be found in the current issue of Crochet World Magazine.....its on the cover. Kim Guzman is the designer......she is so clever! I love the fact that this ghan is reversable. The heart design is so cute....I know my mother is going to love it! I had to use different yarn because the specified yarn (Simply Soft Heather) wasnt available so I went with RH Soft and its working up just fine.

I didnt work to gauge so this ghan is smaller than it should be, but thats ok because I really want it to be a coverlet for her bed in the nursing home. Because its a hospital bed, everything has to be tucked under the mattress so there is nothing interfering with the bed guards and the mechanism. I didnt want this to be tucked in, so its just wide enough to lay on top of the sheets.

Go out and get this magazine if you can and give it a try. I will post a photo of the finished ghan when I am done.

1/27 - Here is the finished afghan!

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Merry Christmas!

Here is our tree....with gifts ready to be unwrapped in the morning. It takes up most of the open space in the living room....its a wide tree but I think it looks great.

I want to take this opportunity to wish you a very Merry Christmas! Enjoy your holiday......be safe.

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