Cozy Crochet Slippers

 I'm on a slippers kick!

Also, I'm amazing with puns.

 Puff-ball ballet flats...  

Pattern here.

And party-button Mary Janes. 

Pattern here.

My craze was all started by this gift of SUPER CUTE and ULTRA COZY slippers from my amazingly crafty friend.  Look at those buttons!  She made those too!

GREAT birthday gift!

Unfortunately, her pattern is knit.  And I'm just not in a knitting mood these days.  So I got on Google to look up some free crochet patterns.  As usual, following the pattern gave me a seriously over-sized slipper.  History:  The first pair of slippers I ever made came out the size of bathmats. This time I was smarter, and tried them on multiple times throughout the process, reducing stitches, and deleting rows when I noticed them being gigantic.  Also, I got better at ripping out rows and starting over, rather than powering through.  That said, my 4th attempt was still WAY TOO BIG (pictured below).

Eventually, the pattern that worked for me was to do everything in HDC instead of DC, and to HDC2TOG all the way around to finish (yellow yarn).  This made an appropriately sized slipper that hugged the foot at the top.

Then I attached the puffs, because I love flair.

Too cute.

The next pair I made was similarly problematic with the sizing.  They fit somewhat snugly around the sides, but they were SUPER long.  To solve my problem this time, I deleted rows 10-13.

 Then I went to my button stash. 

 And decided a plethora was better than just one.

 Cute and cozy!

Now to find a good pattern for Alan...

Beard Beanie 2.0: Now With More Mustache

Remember the first week of this blog?  When I made beard beanies for two of my favorite guys?  Check out the pattern at Week 1: New Beards Eve.

After those first beards, I got some requests for a few more:
One for a creative friend...

 Who turned it backwards to make a "surfer dude beanie,"

And one for a friend in Chicago.

For most of the year, only a handful of friends checked out the pattern, but as the weather turned cooler, this became one of my most frequently read posts, with over 1000 reads.

So this year I updated it...

Merry Mustache Christmas!

Thank you to my gorgeous siblings for modeling the "handlebar beanie" a monster beanie.

I followed this pattern for the mustache, and then added three buttons to the back of it, so it can be removed from the beard. I also used a button on each side of the beard so that the beanie can be worn by its self.  

For the monster beanie I used my top down beanie pattern, and added some teeny tiny bunting for the teeth. 

Merry Christmas Clowns.  Love you both.

Blanket Ministery

We stayed with Alan's parents for a few days this week.  I was out of crafts, but itching for something to do with my hands.  Luckily, Alan's mom heads up a crochet donation group with her church.  Members of the church donated TONS of yarn, and Kitty has been collecting it to share with her group at the next meeting.  She let me pick some out to make a baby blanket to donate to the cause. 

 I used 5 skeins of yarn to make a 36"x36" granny square.  

I started at the middle, with a magic circle, and 4 little "bundles".  Each bundle is made of 3 double stitches, with 2 chains between each.  

 Each new row was made in a different color.  In the chain 2 spaces of the row below, crochet a bundle. At each corner add 2 bundles.

 As you can see, the down side to yarn donations is maybe not having enough of the right color yarn.

 I hope this blanket brings warmth and comfort to a new mother and her little one.

Week 19: Jungle Finger Puppets

 Back in January my cousin, Misty, requested that I craft something for her son.  Only he hates hats, and I was in a hat craze.  So I kept Misty in the back of my mind, and now here we are in May, and I just now got to it.  Misty asked me to make something she and her son could play with, which I was thrilled to do, but again, I was left wishing I had my sewing machine, or a good craft store that sells felt, and other goodies.

This past week I started crocheting through my over-flowing basket-o-yarn, in preparation to leave Turkey with as little luggage as possible.  The yarn isn't going to make the cut.  So I started making produce bags again (cus those things are a hit).  But that got boring fast.  It was time for something new.  Out of my boredom a jungle of finger puppets was born.

I laugh every time I look at them.

And, I'm proud to say that I used zero internet inspiration for these bad boys, because the internet in our apartment has been down all week.  (Probably why I've been so productive).

They were pretty easy and fun to make, each one taking around an hour.

I love them so much that I play with them while I'm on the couch.  I line them up on the table, and hide them in the flowers. They've become my new friends. And now they will be yours too.

Meet Leroy. This Zebra loves long walks on the plains, and long talks with good friends. He is usually pretty mellow and laid back, but talk smack on his favourite lacrosse team and you see a whole different side of him.

This is Mathilda.  She is one shy and quiet elephant, although she will argue that most elephants are on the shy side.  She loves to read, her favourite authors being Hemingway and Shakespeare. Get a few glasses of bubbly in her and she may even perform a sonnet or two.

Oh Howard... Howey is not your usual crocodile.  He gave up his meat-eating-ways when he made friends with all of his food options. His diet now consists of organically grown leafy greens, and pond scum, but his friends don't running screaming from him anymore, so it's a good trade. 

The monkey is Maurice. He isn't as shy as this picture might suggest.  He's messing with you.  As one of 14 monkey siblings, he's learned to wrestle, tickle and throw poop with the best of them.  He's famous in this group of friends for being able to lighten any mood.

Lester is a little grumpy right now, but that isn't always the case.  His general disposition is bright and cheerful, but get a camera out before he's had a chance to style his mane, and this is the scowl you'll get.

Gertrude is one of a kind (aren't we all?).  Born with a rare fur disorder, Gertrude is the only giraffe she has ever met who is turquoise. Be she doesn't see it as a curse, blue is her favourite colour!

Time to say good-bye to my little friends.  They're off to Washington to play with Lucian.  I hope he has as much fun with them as I did. Happy Mother's Day Misty!

 

All of the animals bodies were made the same way:

Magic loop, 5 single stitches into the center, pull tight.

Round 2: 2 single stitches into each stitch

Round 3 to finish: single stitch all around. 

Eyes, spots and stripes were added after with a yarn needle.

Muzzles are mini versions of the bodies: Magic loop, five single stitches, single stitch around for a few rows.   

Ears were all made differently, by trial and error kind of.  

Leroy's mane is made by tying all of those strings on and double knotting.  Giving him a hair cut was fun.

Lester's mane was made with a loop stitch, and was quite a pain in the butt.  I added the hair as I was making the body (the only way I could crochet from the inside of something so small). I don't recommend trying this if you get frustrated easily. 

I'm way too lazy to make patterns for all of these little guys right now, but if anyone out there is dying for a tutorial, I'll make it happen.  Let me know.

Week 16: Kindle Case

 Week 16 was a week of family visits and traveling! We met Alan's parents, sister, and brother-in-law in Istanbul, and then headed over to see Kapadokya as well. Woohoo!

 So this craft comes not from my couch, but from two planes, four bus rides, and two hotels. Also, it comes from being scrunched in a carry on bag, so I apologize for the wrinkles.  Also, it's challenging to hold a craft and a camera on my lap while on an airplane, so sorry about the lack of mid-craft pictures. 

 I also brought this little buddy along with me on the trip... and it was shouting at me about how badly it needed a case.  

I drop it plenty even when I'm not traveling, but now that I'm on the move, it's in serious danger. 

So Kindle, my trusty friend... a case for you it is! 

I chose some of my favorite unused yarn, and planned out a cover that might end up looking like a retro hard-cover-book. (The kind where the spine is a different colour than the rest of the cover).

Insert wrinkly picture. 

I started at the bottom of this picture.  I chained a length of yarn that (without stretching) reached from the top to the bottom of my Kindle.  Then I added about 5 extra chains. (26 total.) 

Turn and single stitch across. Do 16 rows like this. 

I attached the teal, and continued on in the same way, for 15 more rows. 

I reattached the beige, and added 16 more rows.

At this point I had a tall rectangle.  I tested it out by folding it around the Kindle to make sure that I had a little overlap on all sides.
  

When I was sure it was right, I added on the flap.  I did this with 5 decreasing rows (Ss2tog at the beginning and at the end of each row).

Sorry about the bad picture, but if you look really closely (maybe magic-eye it), you can see the edges slanting in.

Button holes.  Terrible explanation below...

Then I needed a button hole row.  Luckily crochet button holes are WAY easier than sewing machine button holes.  Decide where you want the button holes, and how big you want them (mine are really big), then chain rather than single stitching in the place of the hole.  I started with 3 single stitches, then chained 3, and skipped 3 from the row below, and single stitched back into the 7th stitch of the row below. I did 2 more single stitches, chained 3 again, skipped 3, and single stitched to the end of the row (3 more stitches).
Wow.  That sounds so confusing.  But I promise button holes are super easy.  
 Maybe this diagram will help:

XXX - - - XXX - - - XXX
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
X=single stitch
- = chain

After the button hole row, I added three more decreasing rows, and fastened off.

To attach the sides, I lined the edges up carefully and then whip stitched them together with matching yarn and a yarn needle.  Truthfully, I didn't love how this looked, so I tried again using a crochet hook, and single stitching the sides together.  I think it made a cleaner edge.

Whip stitched together:

Single stitched together:

Once the sides were attached, I Slip Stitched around the opening to clean up the rough edges.

Also I crocheted a little "T" for Tana, because my mom's Kindle needs a snuggly case too.

For the "T," I Chained 7, turned, and single crocheted across for 2 rows. On the 3rd row, I Slip stitched the first 2 stitches, and single chained the next two, then turned.  I added 4 rows of single chaining only in those middle 2 stitches. Then I slip stitched all the way around to clean up the edges.

This is also confusing, and that diagram was fun, so let's try that again. It's upside down, because that's how you'll crochet it.

 * * 

*XX*

*XX*

*XX*

*XX*

*XXXX*

*XXXX*

-  -  -  -  -

* * * *

X= single stitch

- = original chain

*= slip stitch around, added last   

I attached the "T" to the front using a yarn needle.

Also I sewed on some fab buttons.

Lastly, I chained a really long (3 foot?) chain, and then sewed it on as a cursive reminder. 

I think that's my favourite part.

Week 9: Baby Granny Squares

I know this is a craft blog.  But I have some craft-related, self-aimed ranting to do.  So I mixed in my craft pictures, so you would have something to look at while reading.  Because I love you.

So here's the thing... I believe boys can and should like pink, and girls should love blue.  Who made up these rules that say that certain colours are only for one gender?!?  

I mean... do you know what colour is?  It's light being bent into different wave lengths, or something else equally confusing right? Wave lengths don't have genders, so there isn't anything inherent in the colours them selves that makes them specifically appropriate for one sex. 

So if it isn't about the colours, has it got something to do with the way humans are made? Is there some part of a baby boy's brain that is decorated in blue and green plaid, while the baby girl's is decorated in pink polka-dots? I don't think so. 

I'm sure, rather, it's our own cycle of brainwashing that occurs with each generation. Think about it... THE ANIMAL KINGDOM, HAS MALES AND FEMALES OF EVERY SINGLE SPECIES... yet for some reason there are animals that we always associate with boys: t-rex, rhino, snake, bugs, and some that are designated as only girl animals: butterfly, kitten, dolphin?! (I have been specifically told by another teacher that dolphins aren't for boys.) What is that?!  Why are we doing this?

In a world where little boys are only given cars, blocks, and superhero toys, and little girls are only given dolls, dress-up clothes, and play house sets, I'm dying for something different for my own children. Partially because different kinds of toys foster different kinds of brain growth, and I don't want any of my children to be deficient in an area because they weren't exposed to that kind of learning through play.  And partially because I always want my children to feel free to make choices based on who they are, rather than who the world says they should be. 

 I'm personally praying for a little boy that spends part of his childhood dancing around in tu-tus, and a little girl who can wrestle him to the ground after a good round of pretending to shoot each other with finger guns. I don't want complete gender reversal, I just don't want there to be a difference between what my girls and boys feel like they can do.

That being said, I don't have any of my own yet.  When I craft baby blankets, and hats, and toys, I'm making them for someone else's baby.  And of course I want the same wonderful things for every child, that I want for my own.  But does the mother want that? Does the father?  Shouldn't I be crafting things they actually want, not something they would never use for their baby, because they feel like I made it for the wrong gender?  

When my best friend told me she was having a baby, and didn't know the sex yet, I was glad.  Because then I could select fabric colours and design a pattern that I felt was equally appropriate for either gender. So I did.  I picked a periwinkle background, and added browns, and creams, and teal, and green, and just a little dark pink.  I made the quilt into a tree with birds in it, because as previously discussed, animals come in every gender. But then she found out it was a boy.  Now every time I looked at it, all I could see was that VERY purple periwinkle, and OMG-SO-MUCH-PINK!  And birds?!?!  Birds are clearly only for girls. 

WHAT WAS WRONG WITH ME?!?  I sent it off anyway, because I had put so much work into it, and because I was being ridiculous.  Or was I?  He isn't my baby. I didn't ask her if she wanted a gender neutral baby.  I just forced my hippie beliefs on that family. (Click here to see the quilt.  Please.  then tell me if you think it's too girly.)

And now I'm doing it again.  I had all of these lovely yarns that needed to be used up.  And I was itching to learn how to make granny squares.  So I found this lovely pattern, and I started crocheting with no real plan other than using up my yarn on something pretty. 

I used pink, and orange, and yellow, and brown, and blues, and green, and purples, and cream.  

While these Grannies were fun to make, I knew I couldn't make big blanket out of them.  That would take FOREVER.  So when I heard that my coworker was pregnant, I was so excited to turn my squares into a little baby blanket. And when she told me she didn't know yet whether it was going to be a girl or a boy, I thought "perfect."  Again.  Idiot.

 So I continued crocheting along, just sure that both girls and boys love rainbows, right?  But now I find out she's having a boy.  And again, the pinks look SO pink, and the purples are laughing at me.  And all I can think is that she wont want to wrap her little boy in this. 

I added some blue, and I used green to attach all the squares, and edged it in brown and my FAVOURITE colour turquoise, but I still look at this blanket and think she wont want it.  

I have no friends that are so forward as to take a handmade gift and not at least pretend to LOVE it. But after all the hard work and care that went into this blanket, I want someone to actually love it.   I hate to think of it stuffed into the closet with no one to snuggle it.

So I'm asking you.  All of you mothers, and future mothers, and about-to have-a-baby-any-second-prego-friends:  What do you think? Do you want gender specific gifts for you baby?  If you were having a boy, would you like this blanket?  Should I save it for a friend expecting a girl? 

I promise, no judgment.  Raise your child the way would think is best. Just help me know what to craft for your little ones.