Crochet away

Today I'll show you charity crochet projects that have moved out of the house that They already live with someone else or will in the future as intended.

At left are the chemo hats that Rockford Crochet made for a local woman who lost her hair due to cancer treatments. The ones I made are on the bottom and can be seen in a previous post when they still resided in my home.



Below are the items that me and my friend donated on Tuesday the 18th which will help people in the surrounding community also. What do we see there? A crocheted hat, two winter scarves, dish cloths, shampoo, toothpaste, Irish Spring with Aloe soap bars that I had a lot of, cups that I didn't use, crackers that I got from the restaurant where I last dined, plastic tableware and straws accumulated over time. The two bags on the right are filled with clothes that I chopped up to transform into cleaning rags along with a number of crocheted cloths that I made a couple years ago to use up leftover yarn.

It's good that I have the photo to remind me of what is gone now so I don't think it's still here and search for it the next time I want to start a donation pile.






The donations nicely consolidated on the porch waiting to be picked up by the woman who made me aware of the needs of the organization that will distribute the items.










This is an Aran Fleck scarf that I made a long time ago using half double crochet stitches. Maybe the second longest scarf I've made. Thought it would be good for a man. That stitch pattern took a long time and I'm glad to not see that scarf around here anymore as a reminder.

Today I started a brown winter beanie for my new eating buddy. I haven't decided what color I'll do the stripes in. Thinking Aran Fleck.

Pretty flowers!

On the sun-warmed porch this afternoon while listening to Definitely Dead by Charlaine Harris, I glued rhinestones onto the centers of some of the millefiore flowers that I crocheted. Very pretty!




Here's my gradated half double crochet blanket. I finally finished weaving in the ends which made it an official blanket. I use it while I sit on the couch in the living room.











I like making these multi-colored blankets with scrap yarn. I just tie the ends of extra yarn together to form a ball. The ends that hang out are a design feature. Exciting to make because you don't know how all the colors are going to look together. I used a second strand of white throughout for this one to make it extra warm. I'd like to try one like this with black when I have enough black to make a large lap blanket like this. This one is destined for a nursing home.

I have a ravenous appetite for making blankets! This is the one I'm working on now using two and three strands at a time. It's double crocheted and destined for the charity of my choice. It's going to be different from others that I've made.











I just need to make one more baby washcloth to finish this set which I mentioned in a previous post. Here you can see the blue, peach and white variegated baby yarn that I mentioned.





I've been working on other things. Man, I crochet a lot! If I didn't have to go bed at night, I'm sure I'd do it even more.





You know what? I also started knitting my first hat on straight needles rather than on a loom. I've cast on in Simply Soft Heather Grey for the knit 1, purl 1 band. I'm thinking about making the main body of it in Soft Yellow. We'll see what color I feel like when I get to that part.

I've got lots more to tell you and more pics to share. I'll have to make a second post for sure this week.

I've been making things that I don't usually make, learning new patterns. I made this motif a little while ago. It's called "Briar Rose" and it called to me from the pages of the Reader's Digest book, The Ultimate Sourcebook of Knitting and Crochet Stitches that I own.









Items that I sent to the winner of Rockford Crochet's BINGO winner last Monday.










This thing I can only call a swatch of some sort. Started off as a scarf, but the simple half double crochet stitch pattern was going to take too long with that yarn so I did single crochet around it and gave it away.










My spider plant is thriving. It continues to shoot out runners, flower, and have babies.

I have made many, many small flowers from a very simple pattern called "Millefiore" in different colors over the past couple of days. They can be used as appliques. They are very easy to make while watching movies or listening to audiobooks. Because I have made so many, I have many ends to weave in. I think I'll start embellishing some of the things that I make more. Depends on how many steps I want to take.

Yesterday I finished crocheting a Soft Blue scarf that I'll use three of the flowers on. I missed a stitch and there's a small hole that a flower would conceal perfectly. I'm going to glue rhinestones in the middle which will look cool with the icy blue. I've already cut some fringe for the scarf. Added steps. Think a hat with the flowers would go nicely with it too.

I finished listening to Living Dead in Dallas by Charlaine Harris on the porch then started listening to Tick Tock by Dean Koontz. Worked on that yellow thing as seen in a previous entry with the bunny. Was going to be a blanket, but Paris/Bushy Stitch just takes too long to make a large project!

Porch pumpkin patch

I last sold two sets of pumpkins to my friend Kathy to give to her daughters. I happened to think to set them in a nest of raffia for the photo that I took of them on the porch.

Today I crocheted two baby washcloths using variegated pastel blue, peach and white yarn. Planning on having a crafts & bake sale this month and in December with one of Kathy's daughters. I'll do the crafting and she'll do the baking.

This morning I gathered items around the house that I can transform into crafty saleable gift items. I'm going to make more washcloths and package them with a bar of soap. You'll see what else I come up with. I spent time online this morning looking for quick crafts for fundraising. Saw some non-crochet ideas that I would like to pursue. I'm trying not to go out and buy things. I combined a baby blanket, the yellow stuffed bunny as seen two entries ago with a Peter Cottontail book to be sold as a set.

I can see already that making gift baskets would become habit-forming for me. I imagine combining different related items into one set or bundle. I see some practical, awesome ones in my head already. I'll make an effort to use what I already have first. I have lots of craft stuff so I just need to calm down and go into an exhilarating creative frenzy. I'm going to have to whip out my hot glue gun for some of the things that I have in mind.

For some of you, the pics below will look familiar. In the past, I shared the one on the left my face-to-face associates and online pen pals to illustrate what yarn ends look like before they are woven in with a needle.

This was an order that Kathy gave me to make for the daughter who bakes. There are 2 hot pads, 6 climbing shells dishcloths, 5 rose pins, and 4 drink coasters.

Actually, I'm pretty sure that I want to use the same edging around the baby washcloths that I used for the dishcloths. I'm going to use white baby yarn with the sparkly thread of rayon going through it. I have a lot of that kind of yarn. It's a nice feeling to think about yarn.

Saturday in Soft Blue

These are in-progress pics of the the Soft Blue blanket that I've since finished and have been weaving the ends on today while listening to From Dead to Worse, A Sookie Stackhouse Vampire Mystery by Charlaine Harris. I used a cross-stitch double crochet stich here and there.












Oh! This is also a project that is now basically finished. My first sweater. Grew some brain cells for sure trying to understand the pattern in order to crochet in such dimensions to form, in one piece, what looks like a T-shaped sweater when folded over. Used half double crochet.

I'm probably going to add Heather Grey around the edges after I weave in the ends and sew the seams. I'll have to measure it to see what size person it would fit for sure. Going to donate it somewhere.

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.