Ooooh Shiny!

I've recently started looking around at all the crafty blogs there are out there, and boy are there a lot!  To keep myself from being overwhelmed by craftiness I only look when I've got time.  I can easily waste hours in front of the computer screen jumping from one to the next, so I try to limit myself!  I came across this tutorial for a sequined Christmas tree and fell in love!   I figured this cheap craft turned super-cute decoration had to be a part of my decor this year.

I used turquoise and bright green to make the sequin tree, and then, since I can't just have one of any decoration, I decided to make two other coordinating trees.  It took hours to make the one sequined tree, so that wasn't going to happen again!  I decided instead to get some matching fabric to cover the other two.  The little one is covered in turquoise fabric with a "garland" of green fabric, and the big one is covered in the green fabric, with a swirl of turquoise then accented with sequin "ornaments".   I love the set and can see them being a favorite decoration for years to come!

Another

Just another Gina Giraffe.  This time in pink and brown for a darling little baby girl.  I get to make her 2 cute little hats too :)  I love what I do!

 

Doubly Divine

 
After the post about mine and Anna's Divine Hats, my friend Anne requested some for her girls.  She wanted a neutral hat with some interchangeable bright flowers.  She figured this way she could make the hat coordinate with whatever she bought for her girls' winter coats.

We decided to go with a white hat.  I had a huge cone of Lion Brand Kitchen Cotton.  I wasn't sure how this would work up for a hat, but it is gorgeous!  Its warm, its soft, and best of all it won't make the girls' foreheads itch like wool or acrylic might.

I made 2 different types of flowers, the Picot Flower and the 5-Petal Flower (two of my favorites!).  Anne gave me some color preferences and I was able to use scraps leftover from other projects to make her the 4 flowers.

I sewed a large button on the back of each flower.  It fits perfectly in the shell spaces from the pattern but doesn't stick out much on the backside of the hat.  This way the flowers can be easily and quickly changed on the hats, or even left off if my friend needs to bleach the hats (little girls and white fabric typically lead to a good soak in bleach now and again!).  Anna modeled both hats for me and didn't complain about the button on her head at all :)

Twin Blankets

A friend commissioned me to make 2 more baby quilts for her dear friend who is expecting twin girls in January.  This time I FINALLY figured out how to do that silky blanket binding without it slipping all around and getting bunchy.  This was a major accomplishment for me - it only took making 4 blankets to get it right!  She wanted pink and brown, but she didn't want the blankets to be identical.

Using the pink and brown color scheme, I made these two blankets with the same pattern, but opposite colors.  I used the same pink and brown butterfly fabric to tie them together.  Backed with the softest minky fabric, I hope these blankets will be treasured for years by their soon-to-be owners!

Simply Divine

Saturday afternoon, between a fundraiser for our neighbor with leukemia and the traditional trick-or-treating I was able to squeeze a couple hours of crocheting in.  I realized that my winter gear was severely lacking (as in I have about 30 scarves and no hats or gloves) and decided it was time to break down and make something.  Central Indiana can be frigid mid-winter, and I'm notorious for not drying my hair before I go out, so a hat is an absolute must!  I used the Divine Hat pattern, which has been a favorite of mine.  Its simple, quick, stylish, and super warm (and it matches my scarf - bonus!).

After seeing mine Anna decided that she wanted one too, so today after church we picked out the colors (the multi-colored and orange yarns are leftover from the Fiddlehead Mittens I made last year).  She requested a little flower for hers.  She really wanted to wear that flower right up front "like a soldier" (her words, not mine), but I convinced her to wear it on the side for me for at least one or two shots.  We took a walk around the neighborhood this afternoon looking for a place to take some pics of her new hat, and Anna took the shots of me above - not bad for 4 years old!

If you're interested in the changes to the pattern, check out the details on my Ravelry page

A Little Something For Me

As most crafters I rarely make something for me.  I may make things that benefit me (like clothes for my little girl) but I rarely craft something simply for me to use.  I found this amazing yarn a few months ago at a sale in a LYS in Indy (Stitches and Scones).  I couldn't resist buying it simply for the colors.  Isn't it gorgeous?!  Its also amazingly soft and a dream to work with.  It is Skacel Zauberball Crazy, a sock yarn that is fairly new.

this photo from the Webs website

I wanted a simple pattern for this yarn to show off the colors.  It was a fine gauge and I figured it would make a perfect airy scarf for fall.  I chose the Clapoits pattern.  I had been eyeing this pattern for a while, just not sure when or whom to make it for.

 In my opinion it turned out perfectly.  The colors are very striking and perfect to wear in fall.   The pattern shows off the yarn without dominating it with too much pattern, but still adding visual interest with the ladders.  I will most definitely make this scarf again.  The pattern is easy to memorize and its the perfect type of project to stick in my purse and work on while I wait in the line to pick up or drop my kids off at school!  I don't have a picture of me wearing it yet, but I have had it on almost every day since its completion :)

Dino Baby Set

Here is another burp cloth/rattle set (for the same client as the giraffe set - she's got lots of pregnant friends!).  We chose this darling dino fabric (Oh Boy! by David Walker for Free Spirit) and coordinating stripes from My Needle and Thread.  The backing is a blue flannel.

The dinosaur is the Oliver pattern.  I love the spines down the back and the cute little nostrils on his nose!  This pattern has some cleaver construction, but is a little difficult to interpret.  I'd say the pattern is for an advanced crocheter.