I Want to Crochet a Rug!

OMG crocheted rug!

I have nothing better to do

... than browse the internet and troll through archives! Stuff that I have open tabs for:


OMG, General Tso's Chicken


I want to can a bushel of tomatoes! Now where to find them... :-P


The shoes that I want to turn into bike shoes -- but I can't convince myself to spend $45 on a pair of shoes that I'm going to take a dremel to...


How-to make a loom out of a cardboard box


From a post on packing lunches I like how she does portion control by having two containers of the same size. Filling one with veggies, and the other half of carbs, half of protein.


Although in Polish, ornaments made from leftover icing from gingerbread


Argyle Ornaments


Fabric Artichoke Ornaments


Crocheted Trivet

Lots of Ideas!

Thanks to Francesca, I have a new blog to read! It's called Craft Leftovers and she's a greenie, rides bikes, crafts, has chickens, all sorts of awesome things! Add in the fact that she's planning her wedding, and I am there.

While browsing her archives (I went back a few years at least) I came across many, many things that are super inspiring.


Picnic Bowl Cover


Crocheted Plastic Grocery Bag (which I've already marked as awesome)


Garterlac Dishcloth on the creators blog and ravelry. This is basically "babies first entrelac pattern".


How to Sew a Duvet Cover -- I have wanted to do this for some time as my duvet cover is light, faded green, and Mister's is white. Ick.


Wedding Cake Stacked Cookies is a different take on the "cookie cake" theme that I'd like to do :-P


Recycled Magazine Coasters -- we need coasters, and I've considered felted crocheted coasters as well as a couple other cute, crafty ones that Mister has vetoed. :-P


One of the things that this delightful crafter is having for her wedding is strings of paper cranes as decorations. I will need to run this kind of thing by Mister (oh shit... I gave him decorations...) but this would be cute.

Here also are a couple of crocheted, bike skirt guards that are SUPER CUTE!


From here


From here


From here

Thoughts on a skirt guard


Unexpected Crochet for the Home by Leisure Arts has some awesome looking projects including a sturdy rug that is crocheted over rope.

New Project!

I'm making a shawl! I'm pretty sure I'm going to wear it at my wedding... and every other day of my life! (I got over a year, I'm good.) Thus far it's about 12" across the top there.



It's hard to get a good close-up as between the yarn (merino lace weight wool, grey heather colored) and the density of the stitches it gets a wee bit fuzzy.

To give an idea of how much I have to do on it, each side of the shawl (it's crocheted top down) has a pattern of shells that increases by one each repeat. I'm on 7 shells, and I need about 25 per side. :-P

The pattern I'm using is called Fantasm and it looks MUCH crisper and cleaner in it's photos than in my creation! However, I'm not complaining as it's super fuzzy and cuddly.

Links and More Links

As always, lemme clean out my browser windows:

my favorite gutters comic


Fruit and Custard Pie

Galit Barak's blog -- a jeweler who crochets wire and attached semi-precious gems (and a lot of pearls!)


Skillet Cornbread


An interesting granny square

Obelisk Fiber Arts' Etsy specializing in weaving


An adorable embroidered pillow


A recipe for spoon bread

Things to Keep Track Of

I would love to make some pillows like this for the living room!



Crocheted necklaces -- I can totally do this! (Perhaps I should open an etsy...)

Three Hundred Things a Bright Girl Can Do by Lilla Elizabeth Kelley, published 1903

Big flower accessories a possible favor/family gift for the ladies at the wedding?



High heeled saddle shoes!



Darling red high heels!

Ostrich Feather Fandango Shawl pattern

Talia vest pattern

Some Crochet Stitches

Striped Chevrons -- currently making a baby blanket with this one

Alicia Stitch

Crochet Cable

Crazy Stitch

Crocodile Stitch

Fanfare Stitch

Projects

I have been fairly lax in the "doing stuff" department, so I've signed myself up for quite a few things to get me back in the swing of things.

1 -- I have to make an outfit for my mother by Easter (skirt, jacket, and maybe a poofy underskirt)

2 -- I have to FINISH Sharon's tablecloth and get it mailed to her

3 -- I have to finish the baby blanket that I've started for my mom's boyfriend's son's wife ('s fetus -- couldn't help myself!). To make it short, I'm calling her my step-sister. Either finish it, or decide to rip it out and begin anew. I suck at deciding how wide I should start so usually end up with double-wides that I turn sideways.

4 -- I have volunteered my needles to Sharon to make a few 8x8 squares for afghans and perhaps to make additional actual blankets. They aren't hard, all they take are time. I'll probably crochet over knit since knitting takes friggin' forever.

I'll put pics up in due course (I'm currently posting from work (*shock!)).

Holiday Preps

Just a few notes and pics of what Mister and I have been up to these past couple days (and so much of it tonight of course...)



Got around to pressing and starching that scarf -- what a difference it makes! Even though I KNOW it makes a difference, it always surprises me.



Free, on-the-side-of-the-road scarf has now been washed by hand and is drying on our window screens.



Just about half of a batch of dough waiting for pierogi filling (sadly, I ran out of flour, so these are 1/2 whole wheat flour...)



Lookit the cute lil' pierogi! Who's a nommy dumpling? You!



Me, with my ghetto sifter, making chocolate cake.



OM NOM NOM CHEX MIX. On a side note, it's really difficult to get them to crisp when you use too much butter...



Working on the first of five crocheted loofas. Luckily, I don't need this done until Monday or so.



Happy holidays folks, and may all of your preps be as tasty as mine.

Update on Scarf

So, I started the scarf for Mister's sister in early December.

Look at how it's grown up!



And some close up detail:



It merely wants pressing to be done. The final pattern (as I've recreated it) is as follows (again I apologize for the terrible pattern writing):

[This scarf was created using a 1.4mm hook and size 10, 3-ply crochet thread.]

1 -- ch20. sc in last ch.

2 -- ch4. dc in 3rd ch from sc. *ch2, dc in 3rd ch from dc. Repeat from star until across the row.

Repeat grid pattern until you have a 6x6 square.

3 -- 3sc in 1st square, 2sc in next square, 2sc in next square, 2sc in next square. ch8, attach by slst to 3rd sc from the last one made. ch1, flip work so that when it's facing you, you have on the left of your hook the plain grid and a loop. 3sc in loop, ch4, 2sc, ch4, sc1, ch4, sc1, ch4 sc2, ch4, sc3 (one picot of ch-4, two sc, three picots of ch-4, two sc, one picot of ch-4 surrounded by 3sc). Continue sc-ing in the grid. 2sc in next square, 3sc in next square, ch1 and turn work 90 degrees clockwise.

Repeat row three 3x, until all around the square, and slst in the base of the first sc.

4 -- ch6, sc in 2nd picot on the loop. ch8, sc in 4th picot on the loop. ch6, sc in corner of the grid.

Repeat row four 3x, until all around the square and slst in the base of the first ch.

5 -- 3sc over the ch-6, ch4, sc, ch4, sc, ch4, 3sc (ch-6 loop (three picots of ch-4 surrounded by 3sc)). 4sc over the ch-8, ch4, sc, ch4, sc, ch4, 4sc (ch-8 loop (three picots of ch-4 surrounded by 4sc)). 3sc over the ch-6, ch4, sc, ch4, sc, ch4, 3sc (ch-6 loop (three picots of ch-4 surrounded by 3sc)).

Repeat row five 3x, until all around the square and slst in the base of the first sc and break thread.

** In every motif except the first, on your final repeat of row five, please attach to another motif by crocheting: 3sc over the ch-6, ch4, sc, ch4, sc, ch4, 3sc (ch-6 loop). 4 sc over the ch-8, ch2, slst through ch-4 loop #1 on other motif, ch2, sc, ch2, slst through ch-4 loop #2 on other motif, ch2, sc, ch2, slst through ch-4 loop #3 on other motif, ch2, 4sc (ch-8 loop). 3sc over the ch-6, ch4, sc, ch4, sc, ch4, 3sc (ch-6 loop), slst into base of next sc and break thread.

After completing and attaching as many motifs as you need for length (for my scarf, I used 16 motifs), set foundation for final round.

Attach thread at one end of the scarf, in the center of the ch-4 picots.

1 -- ch10, sc in next center picot. Always sc-ing in the center picots of the last round, ch10 all around the motif, with ch12 between one motif and the next (paralleling the slst connection attaching picot to picot). Continue all the way around.

2 -- In ch-10 loop: 5sc, ch4, sc, ch4, sc, ch4, 5sc (three picots of ch-4 with 5-sc on either side). In ch-12 loop: 5sc, ch4, sc, ch4, sc, ch4, sc, ch4, sc, ch4, 5sc (five picots of ch-4 with 5-sc on either side). When all around scarf, slst in base of first sc and break thread.

3 -- Weave in ends.

Crocheted Scarf

So remember this scarf? Lemme put a pic up just in case you've forgotten.



Ah yes, that one. The one where the creator was requiring $7 for directions, yet gave up close pictures to enable cheapskates to discern its pattern. Let me show you my start on it.



Yes, there are some discrepancies. An obvious one is that the previous pattern had a 5x5 square, and I have a 6x6. But here is my pattern thus far (I apologize for any terrible pattern writing).

1 -- ch20. sc in last ch.

2 -- ch4. dc in 3rd ch from sc. *ch2, dc in 3rd ch from dc. Repeat from star until across the row.

Repeat grid pattern until you have a 6x6 square.

3 -- 3sc in 1st square, 2sc in next square, 2sc in next square, 2sc in next square. ch8, attach by slst to 3rd sc from the last one made. ch1, flip work so that when it's facing you, you have on the left of your hook the plain grid and a loop. 3sc in loop, ch4, 2sc, ch4, sc1, ch4, sc1, ch4 sc2, ch4, sc3. Continue sc-ing in the grid. 2sc in next square, 3sc in next square, ch1 and turn work 90 degrees clockwise.

Repeat row three 3x, until all around the square, and slst in the base of the first sc.

4 -- ch6, sc in 2nd picot on the loop. ch8, sc in 4th picot on the loop. ch6, sc in corner of the grid.

Repeat row four 3x, until all around the square and slst in the base of the first ch.

5 -- 3sc over the ch-6, ch4, sc, ch4, sc, ch4, 3sc (ch-6 loop). 4sc over the ch-8, ch4, sc, ch4, sc, ch4, 4sc (ch-8 loop). 3sc over the ch-6, ch4, sc, ch4, sc, ch4, 3sc (ch-6 loop).

Repeat row five 3x, until all around the square and slst in the base of the first sc and break thread.




Take that Ms. I'mma-charge-money-for-my-pattern!