Some Small Projects and a Free Pattern

Last time I shared some of the larger projects that I completed in the last year or so today I thought I would share some of the smaller things that I have also completed.

Last Halloween, I crocheted part of my youngest son's costume. He wanted to be a knight so I made him a 'chain mail' hood and sleeves. He loved it, and I think it turned out great.

My bff gave me a Star Wars character crochet kit for Christmas. The designer is Lucy Collin and the characters are completely adorable! I made the Chewbacca first, and I have plans to make R2-D2 and Boba Fett next.

I also made an owl hat for a friend's daughter who is turning 3 soon. The pattern is from Repeat Crafter Me. I made a few small changes, and I love the way it turned out! So did my friend and her daughter. :)

My new little great-niece got a sweet hat too.

I also have four other WIPs sitting in my little sweater basket (another gift from by bff). One is a beautiful yellow mesh scarf that I haven't worked on in ages. The other is my tunic. You can't see it but it's buried down there. :) It's actually finished but I need to block it and sew it together (the parts of a project I dread doing - haha).

The last two WIPs are both Sophie's Universe by Dedri Uys -- I'm making them both with Red Heart Boutique Unforgettable. I love how the color changes work so well with this pattern. The color pictured below is Sunrise. With just one skein, I made it almost all the way to the end of the 25th round (not bad!). I shouldn't refer to these as small projects, but they're small for now! :)

Speaking of small projects, I have this little shamrock pattern to share with you.

Shamrock Motif:

C hook
Green Cotton Crochet Thread

Using 2 strands of crochet thread held together, ch 4, sl st in 1st ch to join and make loop.
Round 1: Ch 1, 7 hdc in loop, sl st to 1st hdc to join.
Round 2: Ch 1, *(2 dc, hdc, 2 dc) in next st, sl st in next st, rep from * 2 more times, sl st in next st, ch 3 (this will make the stem), sc in 2nd ch from hook, sc in next ch, sl st to connect stem to bottom of shamrock.
Finish off, leaving long tail for sewing if desired.

Please do not copy and redistribute my pattern as your own. Feel free to sell finished items -- please give me credit though for the original pattern by linking here. If you have any questions or problems with the patterns, please feel free to leave a comment here. Enjoy and Happy St. Patrick's Day!

New Market Bags and a New Look

I recently added new market bags to my Etsy shop:

One of my goals this summer is to finish some of my UFOs and restock the shop. I have at least 3 more market bags that just need finishing and photographing.

I also plan on finishing this chevron scarf (true confession - I started it in 2011 - yikes!):

And I'm still working on the secret project. And I haven't touched my tunic project in weeks. Sigh.

The shop also had a new look, courtesy of my son's friend who is a talented digital graphic artist. She created a new shop banner and avatar for me. I figured a change was due after 7 years! I have also commissioned a portrait of my sons -- cannot wait to share that with you!

WIPs - Blankets

I wanted to share some progress I'm making on some lovely blankets for my son and my great-niece who will arrive in July.

For my great-niece, I made this blanket (Happy throw pattern from Mamachee):

The yarn in Red Heart Soft yarn in Off White, Pink, Guacamole, Lilac, and Honey.

I am working now on a Chevron blanket (pattern by Mamachee) in White, Light Grey Heather, and a surprise color (to be revealed later)!

For my son, who is about to turn 13, a variation of the Chevron blanket in three shades of his favorite color:

I really like the ombre effect. The yarn is Red Heart Soft yarn in Seafoam, Deep Sea, and Teal.

 Truth be told, two of these blankets are "completed", except for the dreaded weaving of the ends. Of course, you can't tell that from the pictures (creative editing, haha).

The Latest WIPs

I was finally able to wrestle DS3's birthday blanket away from him to shoot a photo. He sleeps with it every night.

I used the five colors of yarn that I chose last year when I was working on a baby blanket for a friend's nephew. Originally, I thought I would make this in a ripple pattern (see below) but then I decided to make an oversized variation of a granny square. DS3 and I both love how it turned out!

This is the next primo blanket, a griddle stitch (alternating sc and dc) in purple, green, and yellow stripes. It reminds me of pansies!

I also recently finished a top (for me!) in a soft bamboo-blend yarn. I hope to post photos soon!

More WIPs

Okay, so school for my oldest 3 boys started last week, and the bookbag is not yet ready for DS3. One problem -- I ran out of the nylon thread. Here's what it looks like now:

Plus, I have been trying to finish a market bag for my sister. It's just missing the handles/drawstring, then weaving in the loose ends, and mailing it off. If I just sat for a day or so, I could finish it. I sure do love the self-striping yarn though.... (this is the view of the bottom of the bag.)

I'm also working on a market bag for a friend's 13yo daughter. She requested yellow, green, and purple, and I found this nylon thread that combines those colors with hot pink. Very girly.

Why am I working on all three of these projects at once? Crocheting Attention Deficit Disorder, I think. I usually have an upstairs project, a downstairs project, and a travelling project. This keeps me from getting bored. Hey, I just realized I'm a CADD.

WIPs and UFOs

My home is full of WIPs and UFOs. Before you get the wrong idea, WIPs are works in progress and UFOs are unfinished objects. Sounds like they are the same thing, but really UFOs are WIPs that have been tossed in a drawer and left untouched for a period of time. I admit I just looooove to start new projects, sometimes before the current ones are complete.

So to that end, I decided to finally finish some loooooong standing projects. I can't tell you how many years ago I started this cross-stitch sampler, but the magazine with the pattern on the cover is from 1988.

It sat unfinished for many, many, many years. I finally finished it recently, but I made a design change (gone are the teddies!). Now I just have to frame it! Yay!

I also finished Afghan 1 for los primos (the cousins). My mother asked me to make 7 afghans for her 1st cousins (children of her father's brother). Out of the 21(!) children born to my great-grandparents, only my grandfather and my great-uncle Nat lived to adulthood. Both of them died in 2001, and they are greatly missed by their children and grandchildren.

So Afghan 1 is finally ready:

Afghan 2 is almost complete (it looks finished here, but trust me, the side with all of the yarn ends looks horrible! If you know anything about me, you know I hate to work in the ends.):

I did manage to complete this great dinosaur skull shirt for DS3's birthday! It only took a couple of days to crochet, and a couple more days to sew it on the shirt. The pattern is by Regina Rioux Gonzalez and was published in the March/April 2009 issue of Crochet Today!

I have 2 more WIPs that I started yesterday (please don't ask why; I just don't know). Both are scarves -- one is made of cotton yarn, and the other is an acrylic/bamboo blend that I just couldn't resist. They will both be listed at The Lavender Lizard when they are completed (which, hopefully, is soon!).