Mother's Day

Hope all the moms out there had a wonderful Mother's Day.  We had a great day complete with sunshine.  And of course there were cards--beautiful handmade cards.

Cards

And in honour of Mother's Day, I present a completed set of shoes with matching hat for a mom-to-be.

Booties and Hat

The shoes were a quick project.  I worked up each shoe over lunch and nap time.  Perhaps the most work was seaming, sewing on the buttons and weaving in the ends.

Shoe Detail

I still have to sew together the crochet booties and I've got a new project on the go . . . but I'll share those next time.  Have a great week! :)

Babies, Babies Everywhere!

So many babies . . . so many baby knits!  Remember I mentioned a co-worker was pregnant?  I managed to finish the baby hat for her yet-to-be-born baby girl.  I like the pink trim along the edge.  The plan is to add a pink flower. 

Crochet Hat

I also crocheted matching booties in white.  The pattern came from the Bernat website (you have to register with Bernat to access their patterns; however, once you save a pattern to your username, you still have access to the pattern even if Bernat takes it off their main website).  It was a surprisingly easy pattern as well as a quick project (I was able to finish one bootie in one night). To match the hat, I think I'll add a little pink trim along the edge.

Crochet Booties

I also decided to make a strawberry hat with matching pink shoes---for no reason other than just 'cuz.  I have yet to make the shoes, but the pattern comes from a Bernat booklet (Ravelry link) for Baby Cakes which I suspect would be hard to find as the yarn is now discontinued (still disappointed about that).

Pink Shoes

The "matching" pink hat is a free online pattern from the blog Random Stitches.  The hat is so cute.  The only change I made was to add a ribbed brim instead of a rolled one.

Baby Hat

Top View

The nice thing about baby knits is that besides being super cute, the projects are often quick too.  And I can confidently say that there will be plenty of baby knits in my future (and no they won't be my babies; my baby days are over).  There'll be new babies in the family come fall, so I'll be busy with more booties and hats . . . babies, babies everywhere!

A Little Crochet

I've been busy with me hook.  First off, meet my newest friend: Toadette.  I opted not to give her a vest.  And I used little buttons painted black for eyes.  Essentially she's finished except for the braids--they're so small and fiddly, but she'll get them nevertheless.  In fact there are little people in the house who will ensure she gets properly finished.

Toadette

She's a wee bit smaller than the other Toads I've made.  Checking Ravelry, I noticed my previous projects used a larger hook..  So I started another Toadette using a larger hook.


This second Toadette is gonna be a lovely raspberry colour.  Resorted to using Patons Classic Wool 'cuz I couldn't find anything comparable in cotton (and I wasn't sure I wanted to use acrylic--I know.  My name is acrylic-girl.  Go figure).  Haven't quite finished all the pieces, although all the major components are complete.

Toadette the Second

I probably would have finished it if not for another project.  One of my co-workers is expecting a baby girl soon.  So I started a baby project: a wee hat and matching booties.  I tried one hat pattern that sadly turned out too big.  On the plus side it fit my niece rather well.  Happy someone will use it.

Toddler/Preschool Summer Hat

The hat is a free pattern called "Rose is Rose" over at Pickles & Ice Cream.  I'm sure the pattern could be easily adjusted to fit a newborn head, but I wasn't prepared to do the math.


Instead I opted to try another free pattern (Ravelry link) called McKinley's Springtime Hat.  Thus far it is working out much smaller than the previous one.  So I'm hoping this pattern will be a good newborn size.

Newborn Hat

Once I finish the hat, I'll tackle the booties.  Hopefully I can then finish my Toadette.  And after that, I can tackle the rest of the amigurumi requests . . . whew!


Have a great week. :)

An Ending and a Beginning

So I finally have an FO to share!  Say hello to my new socks.

Finished Toe-Up Ribbed Socks

These were a pair I started before the holidays (remember my first toe-up socks?  I had used Liat Gat's Beginner's Toe-Up Socks). These blue socks are a much better fit than my first fingering pair.  I made a few changes from the last pair (even though I've essentially used the same pattern).

Perfect Fit

Here's a list of my modifications:

• first I used smaller needles; 2.75mm made a snugger fit than 3.25mm
• eliminated the cuff altogether and just worked my K3P1 rib till the end
• to ensure a loose bind-off, I worked the last round using 3.25mm needles and I also cast off with the bigger needles

When I cast off the last stitch, I had decided no more socks.  But now that I'm wearing them, I wanna make more.  They don't have to be finished right away; and they do make a wonderful portable project, especially when I need a mindless activity.  Guess I better look through the stash for more sock yarn.  And I think I'm gonna peruse my patterns too.  It'll be nice to try something different.


As you may surmise, my socks represent "an ending" to a project I started in December (can't believe its been that long!).  As for "the beginning", take a gander at this sight:  what was once tall dried grass and brush is now a plowed field.

Overgrown Grass and Brush

Plowed Field

I just love it!  Not only did our neighbour plow under all the growth with his tractor, he also added some cow poop--its a farmer's black gold!  A day later, he came back to till the soil.  Now it's just so beautiful!  I love it!  I'm so excited to get planting.  Just hafta wait for all our ordered seeds to arrive (the chickens will be coming soon too . . . squeee!). 

Front Flower Bed

Even the front of the house is getting a re-make.  What was once an over-grown bush has been cut back severely.  The area has been expanded too.  I must have dug up hundreds of rocks--great big ones!  Used the rocks to make a border round the newly expanded flower bed.  Not sure yet what's gonna go in there, but I'll be visiting the local nurseries soon to check out their perennials. 


Hope your week is a good one!

Spring . . . .

Yup, spring is coming.  And although I didn't get 'round to planting bulbs last fall (too busy with the move and the unpacking), a few pretty flowers have sprouted.

Crocuses in Grass

Rest assured I'll be planting plenty of bulbs come this fall.  It's certainly been fun dreaming and planning 'bout the big flower bed out front.


I noticed a few other things growing 'round the yarn.  Don't recognize the blue flowers below.  They look almost purple-blue and are star-shaped.

Mystery Flower

And I'm not sure what's sprouting here.  I seriously doubt they're tulips 'cuz the leaves are lighter in colour and thicker . . . I'll be watching closely.

Mystery Plant

Sadly I have done little crafting this weekend (although my socks and amigurumi are almost done).  I managed to dig up a million rocks in the front flower bed; hung clothes on the line outside; finished some overdue paperwork for work and managed to finish my taxes and hubby's without having a brain implosion.


Hope your weekend was a good one too. :)

Egg-cellent

Chick with Eggs

Having an egg-cellent day!  Hope you're enjoying your Easter weekend with family and friends too (and yes, that is snow outside *grumble, grumble*).   


In spite of the weather, I love long weekends.  Even more so since we've moved to the country.  There's always something to do: blogging, crafting and baking; some gardening (getting the flowerbeds cleaned up); and always cleaning and re-organizing (when is one truly "moved in"?  Is it when the very last box disappears?  Suffice to say we're not quite there yet.).


Have a good one! :D

More Amigurumi

Yup, still crochetin'.  And still makin' more amigurumi.  This time I'm making a cute little Toadette.  I just love how happy--and pink--she is.  She exudes such joy.

The Real Toadette

Most of her body parts are complete--except for the little balls needed to create her braid.  I'm hoping to get her stuffed and assembled during the week.

Yarny Toadette in Pieces

I've used this pattern before to make a pair of Toads for my boys a few years ago.  Perhaps you may remember these little fellas:

The Toads

Recently those Toads have started blogging 'bout their adventures in the farmhouse and living in the country Please check out their blog called Mushrooms and Octopi.   It's rather silly, but me and the boys get a kick out of reading it.


Strangely enough Toadette will be a wee bit smaller than the Toads.  For some reason I'm using a smaller hook.  Instead of 5.0mm used in the original project, I'm using 4.0mm.  Even though I'm using essentially similar yarn, the smaller hook size has changed my gauge--go figure how gauge can do that.

Waiting to be Assembled

Originally I'd used Red Heart Super Saver for the Toads.  I'm still using that yarn in the tan, but the rest is being done with Bernat Baby Cakes (sadly this yarn looks like its discontinued).  I definitely recommend a cotton or cotton-blend for amigurumi as it is less likely to pill.  Plain ol' acrylic generally works well unless the recipient will hug their toy.  All that lovin' eventually leads to pills.  Some acrylics are better than others, but best to use a cotton or cotton blend (FYI: Cthulhu is all cotton-blend although I suspect he won't get hugged too much--although maybe I'm wrong.  Maybe hubby gives him hugs when I'm not looking . . . ).


By the way, the pattern is a free one designed by Linda Potts (aka WolfDreamer).  Check it out over at Ravelry or go directly to the website Wolfdreamer where the designer has lots of other Mario and Pokemon characters for the intrepid crocheter.  Her instructions are very clear and easy to follow.


Here's hoping there's a new critter in the family come next week. ;)