Bee in my bonnet

I had a ton of pink sparkly yarn leftover from the Valentine project.  I just knew there was something I could make for Turtle.  Scarf?  No, Turtle is in a "no scarf will ever touch any part of my body" phase.  She asked for socks, but I'm not ready to attempt those.  Inspiration:  Hats! We can never find a hat for her when we need one -surely there must be a hat pattern out there simple enough for my basic crochet skills.

As luck would have it I found the perfect hat to make:

Not that the hat was made perfectly.

3/4 through the first attempt I realized I was using the newborn pattern.

3/4 through the second attempt I realized the pattern switched stitches 3 rows earlier.  Rather than start over for a third time, I kept calm and crocheted on (and switched to the appropriate stitch beginning the next row).

Turtle has been wearing it all morning so I think it is a hit.  If you want the pattern for yourself, go to Ravelry and look for McKinley's Perfect Springtime Hat.

Crochet Update: Dishcloths

I've been plugging away at the crochet this past week.  Its the easiest project to do with Turtle around since all I need is the hook and the yarn -and she's slowly learning not to pull mommy's yarn!  I found a pattern on the label of Lily Sugar-n-Cream Twist (country twist) for a dishcloth that I really liked & it looked easy enough for me to do.  I was correct and I'm totally addicted to this pattern now:

The bottom cloth is the country twist.  I picked it because I thought it would look good in my bathroom :)  This is one side of the cloth, and the other looks like................................................

THIS!

I love the texture that this cloth has.  I don't care for the size -its too small to fold and too big not to, so I'll try to monkey around with the sizing.  Yes, I'm becoming addicted to making dishcloths.  Before you think I've completely gone off the deep end, I actually have a purpose for indulging.  I'll need new linens for my brand-spanking new classroom next fall and I thought that having hand-made ones would be perfect!

BTW,  I really liked working with the Lily cotton yarn!  It held together beautifully as I mangled my way through the project.  The natural color was Lion brand cotton yarn  -it was OK, but my hook kept getting tangled inbetween the strands which didn't happen with the Lily.

Beginner's Crochet Luck

I dabbled in many sewing arts as a teen, and crochet was one of them.  My mom is a fantastic crocheter, but I've only managed a few basic stitches.  I recently completed a top secret project (I'll post pictures after the recipient gets it), but I wanted to do something that I could write about NOW.  So what does nearly every crochet beginner start with?  Washcloths of course!  No need for a silly pattern, just crochet until you think it is the right size.  The first one was a simple double-stitch affair.

Yes, the colors are a little funny but I originally thought I was going to start making some Arigurumi.  Ha to that!  Methinks little crocheted critters will have to wait for awhile.  Turtle took one look at this and as usual said,  "Oh, that is MINES!"  (ed. note:  mines is not a typo, she really says that.  Kinda cute: yours, mines....LOL)  Feeling bold, I decided to try the closed shell stitch.

Not bad for a first try :D I picked up some more yarn that has a pattern for an even fancier washcloth on the back of the label.  This time I chose colors that would look nice in the bathroom!

Handmade Treasure

Can you guess what this is?

It is a rug crocheted by my grandmother 30 years ago.  Now, can you guess what material she used to crochet this rug?  Bread wrappers.  Yes, you read that correctly -my grandmother saved her plastic bread wrappers and crocheted area rugs.  Can you tell that she was a Depression Era child?  This rug has been by my bed since she made it (save for my college years and that heavenly year spent living in San Francisco).  I would literally save it from a fire before any other posession!  I love this rug to bits and it has held up surprising well.  I do think at some point I may need to frame it in order to preserve it for future generations.  Every time I step on it I think of my Grandma and all the hours she spent making goodies for all of us  <3

I've checked the web to see if anyone is doing anything like this these days, but no luck so far.  Lots of people are making fab shopping bags by crocheting plastic grocery bags though!

If you are interested in making your own rug (plastic or fabric) check out the tutorial on This Vintage Chica.  The method seems to be what I remember my grandmother doing to make her rugs..  Now that I've found the tutorial, I'm beginning to imagine all the spots in my home that could use a new rug.............