Flower Pillow = Flowers Squared

Normally, i'm against using other people's patterns, but browsing the crochet section of a book store recently, I found a book of patterns intriguing enough to actually purchase. 

200 Crochet Blocks is just that. 200 patterns for squares that are mix & matchable. I've been toying with making an afghan or three, so it's a great book for inspiration and ideas.  

Designing an afghan however, is a much bigger project that one might imagine. So to get a little bit of use out of the book right away, I decided to cover a pillow I already had.

The back is 4 plain granny squares, and I used a flower I found in the book for the squares on front. But true to form, I had to tweak the pattern before i was satisfied, so not even this is anything  you could find in the book. I just refuse to make anything that isn't just the way I want it. 

1 Scarf, 2 Scarf...

That's right. More scarves!! But it's winter people, don't judge. And these two are special deliveries for my favorite gals in Colorado. So they really need these. 


Red Scarf:
First is up is a super fluffy, super warm red swirly scarf for my kooky Aunt Rachel. It's a bit like a feather boa made out of yarn. It took more yarn than I originally anticipated but in the end, it turned out just the way I imagined. 

I also swayed from my usual yarn for a more earthy red mix. "Country Loom" by Loops & Threads in Hollyhock. 

Bonus! This scarf matches the headband I gave to her for Christmas!

Blue Scarf:

The pattern for the next scarf is a bit simpler, because the yarn is so pretty it shows off itself. It's for my cousin Trina who snowboards, so my goal was sporty but feminine, and this pattern/yarn combo hit the nail right on the head, don't you think? This yarn is "It's a Wrap" by Sensations in turquoise. 

Which came first? The cats or the yarn?

Izzy
(my princess)

Can someone please explain to me the correlation between cats and yarn? 


I understand that to be a cat means you must be unequivocally fascinated by yarn. It's in their blood.
That's not what I'm talking about.


What I would like to know is why are people who knit and crochet, (aka "yarn people") more likely to have a cat than a dog?


They don't even have to actually own a pet. From my experience, if someone knits or crochet's they are more cat friendly than dog friendly. 
Maybe it's a demeanor thing? But I don't believe that, because cats, dogs, and people alike come with a wide spectrum of personalities.


Is this even true? It could just be me, but it just seems that "cat people" and "yarn people" seem to, quite often, be the same people.


So am I getting this idea from the dozen or so people that I can think of? Or is this a universal thing?
Am I just assuming incorrectly there are masses of people like me? 




~No new projects to put up at the moment. I've got a handful of things "in progress" so I thought I'd try my hand at a more narrative blog.~ 

Baby it's Cold Outside

Even though Christmas this year was more green than white, this winter is still supposed to be really bad. I'm honestly a bit afraid of what February is going to be like.
So whether we get the snow storm of the century, or just the "usual" bitter Michigan winter, my friends and family cannot blame me if their necks are cold. I crocheted 10 scarves this season as gifts, and one more for myself this past week. 


The scarf to the left is the one I made for myself. This one, the two shown below, and the one scarf not shown are all basically the same shell pattern. Using the right size hook creates a very pretty lacy effect, without loosing too much warmth. I always make sure my scarves are long enough to wrap all the way around the neck at least once with decent "tails." I did however, make my purple one a bit longer because I like a lot of scarf (and I had more time after the holidays).

I made two scarves for my mom this year (below). The scarf to the left is made from very chunky yarn that she picked out, and I had to go out and buy a special hook. I used the same shell pattern but with fewer across. Even with the bigger hook, it still ended up a very warm and chunky scarf. Great for blizzard conditions. 


The scarf on the right is made with fuzzy angel hair yarn that isn't the easiest to deal with, so I used the giant hook for funsies. It's entirely single crochets, but the giant hook gives it that lacy-ness. It is also very long and can be wrapped around multiple times for warmth.

The next 3 scarves were made similarly as well. Instead of starting at the short end, and crocheting until the scarf is long enough, with these I started with the long end. This technique makes vertical stripes very easy, and the shorter ends tend to be more uniform. The blue and black scarf is very long and warm (for my brother), and has a tighter gauge to help make it more masculine. 

Arianna & Haleigh modeling their new scarves.

The final scarf of the Christmas season was more simple. Brown to match a hat I previously made for my friend Josh, it's entirely front loop only half-double crochets. The front loop only creates a bit of a striped look within the stitches, and half-doubles are a bit warmer than other stitches. 

A Curious Christmas Present

My cousin's son Brennen  asked for books for Christmas, and when my mom decided that we were going to give him Curious George books, volunteering to make him a Curious George plushie only seemed natural. 

I wrote a monkey pattern this summer for fun, so just adapted it a bit to look specifically like the iconic George. It was definitely the most involved project this season, but I love projects that make me  think and get creative. Fun fact: his arms & tail are poseable. :)

A couple close ups:

Brennen was trying to take a silly picture. He loves his George.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!! Welcome to 2012.

At the moment it feels exactly like 2011, except it has 365 more days of potential. 365 because it's leap year and there are a total of 366 days this year. Fun fact. 


Along with the new year comes my (hopefully) regular updates to this blog. My goal is to put something new up at least one a week, but I'll be posting a bit more often until I get all my Christmas crafting up here.







First up is  a crocheted penguin hat I made for my brother. Simplicity at its best, it's my own design (as are the majority of my crafty creations) and made 100% of my favorite brand of yarn, Caron Simply Soft.