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Monday, August 30, 2010

White Doll Dress: the pattern at last!

New and improved, I have tested and perfected the pattern used for the white doll dress. I am posting it here, as well as under the original post. Enjoy, and if you have any questions, please comment and I'll do my best to help!

Row 1: Ch 26. Dc in 4th chain from hook. *Dc in 1, 2 dc in next repeat from * to end of row
Row 2: Dc 4, 2 dc in next 2 dc, dc 4, 2 dc in next 2 dc, dc 10, 2 dc in next 2 dc, dc 4, 2 dc in next 2 dc, dc 5. Ch 3, turn.
Row 3: Sc in 7, ch 1, sc in 8, ch 1, sc in 14, ch 1, sc in 8, ch 1, sc in 7. Ch 3, turn.
Row 4: Dc in 7, 3 dc in ch 1 sp, dc in 8, 3 dc in ch 1 sp, dc in 14, 3 dc in ch 1 sp, dc in 8, 3 dc in ch 1 sp, dc in 7. Ch 3 turn.
Row 5: Sc in 8, 2 sc in next, sc in 10, 2 sc in next, sc in 16, 2 sc in next, sc in 10, 2 sc in next, sc in 8. Ch 3 turn.
Row 6:  Dc in 10, sk 10, dc in 20, sk 10, dc in 10. Ch 3, turn.
Row 7: *Dc in 3, 3 dc in next. Repeat from * to end. Ch 3, turn.
Row 8: *Dc in 3, 3 dc in center dc of 3dc group. Repeat from * to end. Ch 3, turn.
Row 9: Dc in dc to 3dc group, work 4 dc group in center dc of 3dc group. Ch 3, turn.
Row 10:  Dc in each dc up to 4 dc group, (work 2 dc in 2nd dc of group, ch 1, 2 dc, in next dc of 4 dc group. This makes a shell. ) dc in each plain dc. Repeat to end. Ch 3, turn.
Row 11:  *Dc in each dc up to shell, 5 dc in ch 1 sp of shell. Repeat from * to end of row. Ch 3, turn.
Row 12-16 : *Dc in middle 3 of each shell and 5 dc in third regular dc. Repeat from * to end of row. Ch 3, turn. Fasten off.

With needle and thread, sew up the back up to the waist. Fasten one or two buttons to the back to hold the dress shut.
For the sash, take three strands of yarn of a contrasting color and appropriate length and knot them together. Weave them in and out every other stitch somewhere at the waist (your choice). Tie in pretty bow  in the center.

Any questions, please comment!

Please remember that this is my pattern. Do not sell this pattern or reproduce it in any way, shape, or form. This is a free pattern. If you would like to share it, please do not copy and paste the pattern, but instead share the link to this page. All items made from this pattern are not to be sold under any circumstances, and are for personal use or charity only.

Thank you!

Thursday, August 19, 2010

new to Ravelry!

Hey, y'all! You can now find me on Ravelry here. I am all new to it and still trying to figure it out. Anyone else an expert who can share tips and tricks and fun things you can do?

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

My Top 5 Crochet Pet Peeves

1. Dropping my aluminum hooks on the hard wood floor. They clatter and are so loud, you can hear it through out the whole house. I especially hate it when I'm crocheting in a public place, because then, everything goes quiet and everyone stops what they are doing and stares!

2. When people ask me what I am "knitting". Its called CROCHET people! I take this moment as my time to educate the world...knitting is with needles, crochet is with a hook. Phew.

3. Tangled yarn. No matter how often I neatly organize and sort through my yarn stash, in just a few weeks, everything is a tangled mess. I don't have time to untangle it all either, so I end up just cutting it, and I feel like I'm wasting yarn. Any suggestions?

4. Frayed yarn. I hate it when my hook splits the yarn, or when I'm trying to thread it into a yarn needle, but it keeps fraying.

5. Multiple projects laying around. I can't help it, I'm a scatterbrain, and I easily tire of my projects. I have a whole trashbag in my closet full of projects I've begun and hope to finish "someday".

What are your biggest pet peeves about crocheting?

Kitty Cat Pencil Pouch

Its that time of year! School starts in a few weeks for most kids, and I wanted to design a couple of fun projects to take to school with me. This is my favorite...the kitty cat pencil pouch! Its big enough to fit pencils and pens as well as calculators, scissors, sticky notes, or whatever else you may need! The pencil pouch has two rings so it can easily fit inside a three ring binder. It even has a mini pocket on the front with a kitty cat applique. I designed it to look like the fat cat.;-)

I'm working on finishing the pattern right now. It should be up in a couple of days. Until then, enjoy the pictures! ;-)

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Ear Warmers...confessions of an avid crocheter

I made these gorgeously soft, to-die-for earwarmers tonight. Okay, I'll admit it. I CHEATED. I knitted them. I confess, though not very good at knitting, I like to take a break from crochet and knit every once in a while, just as a change of pace. I adore these ear warmers I made. They are so soft and comfy,  that even though it is the middle of August, I am still wearing them.
I guess the moral of the story is, though crochet is my passion, I enjoy knitting on the side too. I hope to perfect both someday. ;P

Doll Dress- Christmas verison

At last! The Christmas version of the doll dress, as promised! This was hard work, and is my own pattern. I will post the pattern later...but I am in love with this dress! I love the sleeves and the collar. Let me know what you think. Hopefully I will get the pattern up here soon, once I get it cleaned up.

Enjoy these pictures! I hope you love it as much as I do!


Halter Top- American Girl Dolls

You can't run out of cute summer clothing ideas for dolls. ;-) Heres a quick and easy halter top.

Ch 32.
Row 1: Hdc in each ch across. turn, ch 1
Row 2-9: Hdc in each dc across. ch 1 and turn at the end of each row.
Row 8: slip stitch in first 9 hdc. In 9th hdc, work 1 hdc. Hdc in the next 13 hdc. Do not go to the end of the row. Turn and ch 1.
Row 9-11: hdc in each hdc. ch 1 and turn at the end of each row.
Row 12: sc in each hdc across. Fasten off.

For straps: ch 46. Fasten off and securely knot both ends. Weave strap through the two center hdc in top row of halter top.
And there you have it! Lovely halter top thats both cute and summery. Vannah is my model.





Please remember that this is my pattern. Do not sell this pattern or reproduce it in any way, shape, or form. This is a free pattern. If you would like to share it, please do not copy and paste the pattern, but instead share the link to this page. All items made from this pattern are not to be sold under any circumstances, and are for personal use or charity only.

Thank you!

Summer Retro Outfit- American Girl Dolls

Summer is almost over... I just had to make at least one summer doll outfit. I love this one! Its so adorable. The pattern is mine, except for the peace sign applique, which is thanks to Rachel Choi from The Crochet Spot. You can find the pattern here: http://www.crochetspot.com/crochet-pattern-peace-sign/
I hope to post my personal pattern for the top and capri's later. For now, enjoy the pictures! Vannah is my lovely model.

Making Pom- Poms

I posted a Bernat pattern in July for baby booties. The booties are adorable, but the messy looking, chain stich bow in the front just dosn't do them justice. I decided to put pom poms on the front. Now, aren't they cute?
Pom poms are fun, because you can use them to jazz up anything you make. They're great on hats, the ends of scarves, slippers, purses, and just about anything. ;-) So I decided to post a quick tutorial on the blog. Pom poms are very easy to make. You don't even need your crochet hook! Just yarn and scissors, and follow these instructions.

Step 1: First, take your yarn and wrap it around your two fingers several times. You can also wrap it around your hand. It depends on how big you want the pom pom to be. I didn't want my pom poms to be bigger than the booties, so I used my fingers.

Step 2: Carefully remove the yarn from your fingers and set it down. Take another piece of yarn and tie it tightly around the center of your loops.
Step 3:  Cut your longer ends. Then take a scissors and cut your loops loose so that they are stringy like a little pom pom.
Step 5: Fluff the strings out so that it looks round like a ball. Make sure it sufficiently hids the yarn tied around the center.
Step 6: Now all thats left is to sew the pom pom to whatever you want. I sewed it to the booties. Make sure you sew it on from the yarn tied around the center. Secure it tightly in place, and tie a double knot to make sure it dosn't fall off.

And TA DA! You've got cute little pom poms! Go, embellish your entire inventory with these cute little guys. And remember, the sky's the limit!


Granny Square Baby Blanket

Baby blanket are such fun to make, and make great gifts too. This one was fun, and easy to carry along because I made the seperate granny squares and sewed them together at the end. It turned out beautifully! I shall post a pattern for granny squares shortly.


Find my granny pattern, and use that to make 36 squares. (You can make them solid colors, different colors in the center, or every other one like I did. It dosn't matter. Creativity is key)
Arrange the squares in whatever pattern you want. Makes sure they are in rows of six.
Using the same yarn as your granny squares, slip stitch the squares together, first in strips of 6. When you have done that, slip stitch the strips together. Be sure to keep it even and precise.
Weave in any loose ends, or cut them off.
Do one row of dc all the way around the blanket, to give it a nice, even, finished look. If its for a girl, I would suggest ruffles.
To make ruffles: in every other stitch: sc,dc, trip c, dc, sc. Do it in another color for a cool accent!
Hope you enjoy this baby blanket! Its so cute and easy, its practically irresistable!

Plese remember that this is my pattern. Do not sell this pattern or reproduce it in any way, shape, or form. This is a free pattern. If you would like to share it, please do not copy and paste the pattern, but instead share the link to this page. All blankets made from this pattern are not to be sold under any circumstances, and are for personal use or charity only.

Thank you!

Adult Hat pattern

Used some colorful yarn to make a hat today. This hat fits any adult, and its simple to make. Here is the basic pattern for making an adult hat.





This pattern uses medium worsted weight yarn (I used Red Heart) and a G 4.25 hook.

Row 1: ch 4, sl st into first ch to make a ring. sc 8 into ring
Row 2: sc 2 into first sc (mark as beginning of your row), sc 2 into every sc around to end
Row 3: sc into first sc, *2 sc in next sc, 1 sc in next sc, repeat from * all the way around
Row 4: *2 sc in first sc, 2 sc, repeat from * all the way around
Row 5: *2 sc in first sc, 3 sc, repeat from * all the way around
Row 6: *2 sc in first, 4 sc, repeat from * all the way around
Row 7-10: work dc in each st all the way around
Row 8: end with sl st, all the way around edge. Fasten off.

This pattern is very basic. There are lots of variations, for example, making the hat larger or smaller, or putting frills on the end or a pom pom on top. Once you get the hang of it, mess around and see what you can do! Be creative, and let me know what you come up with!

Plese remember that this is my pattern. Do not sell this pattern or reproduce it in any way, shape, or form. This is a free pattern. If you would like to share it, please do not copy and paste the pattern, but instead share the link to this page. All hats made from this pattern are not to be sold under any circumstances, and are for personal use or charity only.

Thank you!

Sunday, August 1, 2010

Tic-Tac-Toe

Okay, you gotta stop and stare at this one. While sorting through some patterns, I found one for a portable tic-tac-toe board...so I made it today, and my sister and I love it! Its fun to play, and its absolutely a beautiful piece. Fun for a gift...or for a long trip.
Find the pattern here:  http://www.lionbrand.com/patterns/90713AD.html

And you have to love the dandy little pocket for the the pieces, so they don't get lost!