Bunny's first crochet

Either this motivated bunny taught itself how to crochet or that's the project I started working on earlier today on the sun-warmed porch. With the intention of making a blanket in the same color as the bunny, I started using Paris a.k.a. Bushy Stitch. It's a beautiful stitch pattern with a lot going on in one chain. Think it burns calories.

Today I found out that my female pen pal who lives in South Korea received the package that I sent to her a couple weeks ago. I sent several handmade crafts as you can see below. A white rose black ink pen, a sparkly pink rose pin, a bookmark, a mini gift bag made with chenille yarn in Antique White, 3 face scrubbies, 3 hair scrunchies. Left click for a closer look.

I recently made this pretty pink & grey hat for someone using Caron Simply Soft yarns. I just need to weave in the ends and away it can go to its intended owner.



















A decorative scarf that I started several weeks ago using Simply Soft "Bone" and Bernat Matrix ribbon yarn in Natural Network. I'll pick it up and finish it when I get into a finishing zone. It's in a box in my bedroom with a few other items that need to be finished.












Slate Blue brushed acrylic yarn transformed into a hat. I just wanted to use up the yarn to see what it looked like. Going to donate the double-stranded hat somewhere, somewhere.

Today I'll probably finish the last few rows of the sweater I've been making and decide which sweater pattern I'll start on next.

Capture color

It's 7:54 a.m. I've been awake since 4 something. I've already crocheted today. I've been in my bedroom listening to Club Dead by Charlaine Harris read by Johanna Parker. It's a Sookie Stackhouse mystery. The only vampire novel that has held my attention. Very entertaining. I want to see more of the new HBO show, True Blood, based on the books. I saw some of the first episode online. It was good. Anna Paquin (Rogue from the X-Men movies) plays Sookie and she's appropriate for the role.

Color. Below are my Lilliput zinnias that live in the back yard for now. The cold hasn't killed them yet. There are some bright yellow ones back there which have had their leaves gobbled up by insects. My first time sowing that variety. Last year I had the giant profusely blooming zinnias that you see above which I loved. Next year I'd like to have gladiolas and lilies.

Yarn that I bought last year. My meditation room and bedroom are painted a deep pink coral color which is why there is a reddish overtone in some of my photos. Mmm, yarn memories.

I made this hat last year along with 6 others with the intention of donating it, but it called to me over and over again to keep it. I reasoned that I had a right to keep it since I bought the yarn and made it afterall. The others hats did make it to the non-profit agency so it all worked out. I have been wearing the pink & black hat inside the house lately. A house hat. I received several compliments when I wore it last year. I could make more like it.

This is the colorful blanket that I'm going to donate to the local youth foster home when finished. I think I'll stop with the Paddy Green round. It's already fairly large and I've got other crochet projects going on that I can't keep my hands off of.

I've worked on the Soft Blue blanket and sweater already today. I took pictures of those items plus more pumpkins that I made. My mind told to me to stage them with raffia for an organic, realistic look. I've made 13 pumpkins and I am so over making pumpkins. Too many steps. No more!

I really like looking at the pics on this site and what the group members have done for charity. http://www.halfknits.com/photos.htm

I took a closer look at the photo shown of hair scrunchies on a table. Delicious. I have cranked out so many of those. I'll have to make more and put them in a colorful pile like that and stare at them. I'm going to donate a small bag of them with the colorful blanket. I'd think they'd be handy for teen girls.

Yarn and more yarn

The most yarn I've ever brought home at once. I got four trash bags full of it at an estate garage sale earlier this month.








I got lots of really good yarn, packages that had never been opened, skeins that had never been used. All of this yarn cost me only $32. My hands are shaking just looking at this picture. I remember the day I brought it all home.








On Tuesday, October 14th, I opened my front door to check the temperature and saw a box sitting on the steps. I knew what it was. (I didn't scream because I was getting ready to go out and didn't have time.) Caron yarn company rapidly responded to my email request for free yarn for community charity projects. I mentioned that I LOVE Simply Soft yarns which are very soft with a sheen and that's what they sent me. The colors received are Soft Yellow and Soft Blue. New to me. I have used several of the 60 three ounce skeins that they sent. I have been crocheting a lot as usual.

I've been working on this blanket today. I started it recently when I just wanted to see how the yarn would look. It's double-stranded, thick and warm. I think this is going to be a large toddler blanket or lap blanket. We'll see what happens. Yesterday I started making my first sweater in the same color. I have it in mind to make and donate sweaters to a local low-income preschool program. I've made good progress on it so far. Of course, I'll post pics of it at another time.

Fresh off the loom

My hands have been very busy with all sorts of things. I do indoor gardening now. I had to move my container plants into the house to protect them from the cold. The orange blooms you see are nasturtium and they have a scent. My first time growing them. I set the plants up in the living room and turned on a lamp with three bulbs for them. There's a tomato plant behind them. I noticed today that a tiny green tomato is growing. Think it was last year when I had green peppers growing in the living room.
















After reading an article on Lion Brand yarn company's site about their charity of the month, Knit One, Save One, I got in the mood to knit a baby hat on one of my Knifty Knitter looms. Hadn't used them in several months so I had to get the instruction manual out to make sure I remembered correctly what I was doing. I started the baby hat this morning and finished it a short time ago. I'm surprised that I weaved in all of the ends and everything in one day. My first pompom.











Turned out very nicely using Red Heart "Monet." I have a freezer bag with 4 other baby hats that I made in the past that I'm going to put it in until I decide where to donate it.








Yesterday, I began crocheting a blanket that I intend to donate using the Simply Soft yarn that I received from the company for FREE on Tuesday the 14th. I'll share more about that later. You can see the in-progress blanket above behind the hat on the loom.

I have yet another colorful large blanket that I've been working on. One that I started before the Soft Blue one. It's in the colors of the rainbow. I plan on donating it to a local youth home when I finish it along with many other items that I've made, purchased, and acquired for free.

Yarn shock

I knit up some black & white yarn that I combined into one ball just to see what it would look like. That happened some time ago. With black & white novelty yarn I crocheted around a white flower thinking it would accent the knitted fabric quite nicely if I made a pouch with it. I set a heart-shaped silver button in the middle of the flower. Someday I'm going to actually sew up the seams of that pouch and attach the flower and buttons so it can be used.


I got a yarn shock yesterday. I had written an email to the public relations dept. of Caron yarn company last week wanting to know what I had to do to get free yarn for community charity projects. I had forgotten about it. I got a response! I was instructed to write another email with my name, address, phone number and email address along with what I do. I had read somewhere that yarn companies have a budget allotment for product donations, so I decided to give requesting some a try. If I get a box of yarn from Caron, I will never stop screaming--in the good way.

A blanket that I made a long time ago using double crochet stitches, a scallop shell edging. I just wanted to use up those oddly-colored yarns that I must've gotten at a thrift store. I'm going to donate this blanket.









I keep churning the projects out. Below is the second poncho I've crocheted. I single crocheted it together. I want to say that I made it in the spring. I used Red Heart in Shocking Pink which truly is quite jarring to the retinas in person. I made two panels for a black poncho in Softee Chunky yarn a long time ago that still needs to be assembled. It's not hard to do, I just haven't done it!

















This is a closeup of my first attempt with Brick Stitch using yummy Caron Simply Soft "Mango" yarn and my red plastic G hook. I'll have to insert a better pic later to better show you how delicious that shade is.








Last night I finished crocheting the Soft Navy hat that I'm going donate. Really, I'm in the mood to make a large, thick BLANKET.

I finished crocheting the large, double-stranded gradated stripes one that I made for myself, I just need to weave the ends in. Loose ends haven't stopped me from using it though. It measures 46 1/2" wide. Don't know how long it is for sure. I made it to cover me from my toes up to my shoulders.


Have it in mind to start knitting something. I've never knit anything from a pattern since I prefer my knitting to be on the mindless side. I do have a crochet blanket that I can finish up. It just needs to be a bit wider. I'll have a day for weaving in loose ends to officially complete some projects and there will be lots of short pieces of yarn all over the carpet.

Oh, the crochet excitement!

This is a white half double crochet mat that I had lying around, approximately 9 1/2 x 12". I couldn't remember what it was created for so I called my friend Kathy and asked her if she would want a present. I crocheted simple shells around the sides and shoved it in a bag along with two bookmarks that I made using stickers that she can't remember giving to me. She called to report that she loved the peach & white "doily" and knew just where she was going to put it.




On a whim, I began making a hat (which will probably morph into a bonnet with ties) using Caron Simply Soft in Autumn Red for Daniel recently. Yes, he is pink. I've had him for 21 years--since I was 11-years-old. (Added more stuffing to his insides to firm him up.) I put a hole in the top for his ears to stick out. I'm thinking about making an entire outfit for him. Tempted to make a poncho for him. Yes, I think he would like that since it's been getting colder.

Colorful, striped blanket that I started a few days ago. I've been weaving in the ends as I go along so I won't be faced with weaving them all in when the crocheting fun comes to an end. I'll probably give it away when I'm done making it. I just want to see how those stripes will look.

Yesterday Karen from Rockford Crochet picked up the cheery "Happiness" blanket as seen in a previous entry which will begin it's journey to an elderly woman residing in a Nebraska nursing home. She also brought me some YARN!!! which I've already begun using for charity items.

This morning I began making a second ribbed charity hat in Red Heart Soft Navy yarn. I also collected five others that I made some time ago that I have in mind to donate to a nursing home for indoor wear.

It's terribly exciting donating crocheted items. I never would have imagined how much so. Causes an adrenaline rush, I believe. I've discovered that I giving FREE things is just as thrilling as getting them. So exciting. I came across another Yahoo! crochet group called Stitches of Love which is about crocheting things for the elderly who live in nursing homes and retirement centers. My membership has already been approved!

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Stitches_of_Love/

Pumpkins in progress

Three of the orange pumpkins you see below in a hunter green basket live with someone else now. I gave them as gifts for the recipient to do as she sees fit since I don't particularly like pumpkins as decorations. It's normal for me to make things that I don't want to keep as long as I have my fun with yarn first.

The pumpkins started off as rectangles of fabric. I half double crocheted in the back loop only. I made them whatever size I felt like at the time so there were a variety of sizes.

I gathered the bottom of the pumpkins into a round shape by weaving a strand of yarn through the tops and bottoms, cinching them closed.
They were stuffed with polyester fiber.













I used Red Heart Paddy Green for the stems on the orange ones and "Light Chocolate" wool yarn for the Soft White ones. I put the orange pumpkins in a basket that I had made months ago to conserve space the day of my yard & porch sale. I will be making more pumpkins in the near future due to public interest.