In a League of My Own

So I decided to enter a few things in the local county fair's Home and Family Arts Show this year. Not knowing what the competition would be like I thought I'd enter one knit and one crochet item. I entered my original JoJo that I made for my daughter for Christmas and the Vineyard washcloth, my first continental knitting project. To my amazement... both won first place in their category! The thrill, however, was slightly offset by the fact that I was the only entrant in both categories. Hah! It was still fun, and I may enter again next year. The "real" competition was for the Best of Show ribbons, which I did not win. Its not too bad of a showing considering I decided to enter something the week of and used stuff that was already sitting around the house. Next year I may go for something that took a little more effort - if I have the time! So, without further ado... here are my two blue ribbons, proving I'm the best me I can be :)




Oh, and I forgot to mention. The only thing that irked me about the whole thing was the judges comment that the edges of my washcloth were "a little wobbly". Now correct me if I'm wrong, y'all, but isn't lace supposed to have a contoured edge? I mean seriously, I blocked the thing, but you can't go against what the fiber is doing.... Can I get an "amen!"??

Calorimetry

I just mailed off a gift for a friend who moved to Oregon this month as a part of a church plant through our church. I don't know what the winter weather is like near Portland, but I figured a girl's got to have a stylish way to keep her head warm, don't you think?!


I had seen the Calorimetry pattern when I first joined Ravelry, and vowed to knit it. My friend reminds me some what of the girl in the pattern photos on Knitty, so I figured it was meant to be! I used the recommended yarn, Filatura di Crosa 127 Print (I used color #33). I LOVED this yarn! It was a 100% wool single-ply worsted weight yarn. The base color was a dark grey-blue with these surprisingly bright and beautiful small sections of colors. All the colors of the rainbow it seemed! Its perfect to go with just about anything.


The yarn had a lot of stretch to it, but also lots of "memory" so it shouldn't stretch out too much with wear. I should have done a little more reading before casting on for this one, as it seems everyone else had the same issue I did with the pattern, it came out WAY too big! But, I figured, more wool-more warmth, and doesn't my friend deserve the best anyway? So I just attached an extra button to make the whole thing very adjustable and called it a day.

JoJo Blanket Pattern

This darling blanket is just the right size to use as a changing pad for a newborn, play mat for an older baby, and a toddler's "blankie". The texture and shapes are sure to hold a child's attention, while the drape of the material is soft and cozy. This pattern was made to go along with my JoJo the Giraffe amigurumi pattern. Make them both and give them together as the perfect baby shower gift or as a Christmas present to your favorite toddler!

The JoJo Blanket pattern consists of a chart for the body of the blanket, an edging pattern, and tips on making the blanket using your choice of either Tunisian or single crochet. The listed photos show the finished product using Tunisian crochet technique. The pattern has been tested by several independent testers to insure quality and clarity.

*Click link for pattern to JoJo the Giraffe*

The JoJo Blanket Pattern

The JoJo Chart Blanket Chart

Happy Birthday, Baby!

My nephew recently celebrated his 1st birthday. This little bundle was a surprise to the whole family, coming 10 years behind his older brother! He has been a blessing to the whole family too - one more grandson for my parents to enjoy, a completion of the family my sister always wanted, and the 3rd baby I'd love to have had if not for my terrible pregnancies! I have the pleasure of taking care of him while my sister is working, and as the typical fiber lover I had to make a few things for his big day!

The first is the Child's Striped Cap from Hooked on Crochet. I modified it to have only one stripe set.


The second is another Dino Hat. Again, there's no real pattern for the hat, but the dinosaur appliqué pattern is from Crochetville. My sister has informed me that he'll be sporting one or both on their trip overseas this winter. She said he'd be easy to spot with his little red head bobbing through the crowds in Rome!

Baby Owl

peek-a-boo!

This is my newest creation! I made this baby owl to go along with some burp cloths I plan to sell on Etsy. I figured that having a little baby rattle to go along with them might make the items stand out from the crowd (there are lots of burp cloths for sale on Etsy!)

I had so much fun trying to translate the cute little owlets from the fabric into a 3-D ami... and he turned out just how I wanted!

I love everything about him, right down to his round belly and little toes!

Blog Review - Cocoa Cream's Craft Closet

Today we're exploring the world of Cocoa Cream's Craft Closet. Cocoa is a crochet aficionado, photographer, seamstress, and designer. Her blog shows off her finished projects, patterns, photos, tutorials, and her lovable kitties (along with other, general, life-stuff). We're focusing on the crochet side of her blog today, but be sure to check it all out for inspiration in other areas!

Cocoa has a long-time love for crochet. She often uses her talents to produce gifts for family and friends, while still working on a thing or two for herself! She doesn't have a huge repertoire of patterns available to the public, but the patterns Cocoa has posted on her blog are all beautiful!

Below you will find Cocoa's email interview.

How long have you been crocheting?
I started crocheting when I was about 13, so I guess that would be 14 years ago now. My grandmother taught me how to crochet rugs using a hand-carved wooden hook and strips of old material sewn together. I didn't begin crocheting with yarn until college when a friend taught me how to make a scarf. After that, I just started teaching myself basic stitches using old pattern books my mother had.

What's the project you're most proud of?
Hmmm...that's a tough one! I am very proud of the first wearable I made, a Circle Jacket from Caron designed by Doris Chan. It was a big step for me to go beyond the basic rectangles and circles and make something lacy and feminine to wear.

What's your favorite thing about crochet?
I love the forgiving nature of crochet. I am a huge perfectionist, so if I can see a mistake in something I made I feel very frustrated. When I crochet, even if I miss a stitch or misread part of a pattern, the finished product usually still looks great. And if the mistake is too obvious to go on, it's easy to just frog back to the mistake and fix it!

What type of projects do you enjoy working on the most?
I really enjoy making things for other people. Whether it be baby afghans, hats, scarves, or kitchen sets...I just get the most gratification out of making things to give as gifts. I seem to have more motivation to finish a project when it's a gift, too, which helps me crochet more quickly!

What's your favorite design you've ever created?
I think it would have to be shawl/wrap I designed for a craft bazaar a couple of years ago. It was a simple design, but it turned out looking so elegant and feminine that I didn't want to part with it!

How do you go about designing?
I usually design things out of necessity. It starts with a specific project I have in mind, and I begin searching the internet for pattern to fit my idea. When I don't find what I'm looking for, I often go to my stitch pattern books, looking for inspiration. Once I have decided what stitch pattern and colors I want to use, I just start crocheting what's in my head. Sometimes I write out what I'm doing as I go so that I can post a pattern for it later, and other times I just shoot for the final product. I'm not very organized or professional about how I design things, no charts or graphs or anything like that. I just go where ever inspiration leads!


What else are you interested in?
I also enjoy other crafts besides crochet, such as sewing, embroidery and paper projects. Cooking is become more of a hobby for me since I quit my job to be a full-time housewife. I also enjoy blogging, obviously, and exploring on the internet. Music is a huge part of my life...it was my major in college, and my husband is the full-time Music Minister of our church. I love to sing, and I also play the piano and clarinet. My faith is the center of my life, so I am very involved in my church, not only in the music program, but women's Bible studies as well. I also love working with children, so I'll probably be getting plugged into our children's ministry soon, as well!


Is there anything else you want people to know about you?
Not much, oh, except that my three kittens Molly, Max and Maggie want to say "hi." They will probably be trying to take over my blog any day now, so watch out!

Thanks to Cocoa for joining the Blog Review!

Fourth of July Giftset

My mom has a co-worker getting married this weekend. With its close proximity to Independence Day and my mom already giving a grilling gift basket, she thought some Fourth of July themed handmade items would be a good finishing touch. Mom provided me with some Lion Brand solid red and blue and white variegated cotton yarn and these were my final products. I used all free patterns (hot pad, oven mitt, dishcloth) except the star on the hot pad (improvised!). I always love coming back to these easy and quickly satisfying types of projects.