Tuesday, March 29, 2016

Spring time!

It's spring time!

That means flowers blooming, sunshine, and playing outside. To us crocheters it also means it is time to make Spring time items.

At this time of year I don't always like to make big afghans and blankets. I like to find smaller projects to make like hats and amigurumi.

Here are a few of my favorites that I've made over the years.

Just this year I wanted to make Easter bunnies for my son and nieces. They turned out so cute!
Here is the pattern for these cute bunnies http://www.yarnplaza.com/blog/crochet-easter-bunny/

Here are a few sun hats that I've made also. They turned out nice. I don't have pictures with the girls wearing them so here is my kitty modeling them :) 


Amigurumi crochet is also something that I have made at this time of year. I'm just getting started making things like this so to me, they don't always turn out as good as I would want. (I'm kind of a perfectionist when it comes to my crocheting!) Here are a few items that I've made.

Sock monkeys
These are little sock monkeys that I made. They are based on this pattern http://www.yarnspirations.com/patterns/basic-crochet-sock-monkey.html but smaller since they were for smaller children.

This is the above pattern http://www.yarnspirations.com/patterns/basic-crochet-sock-monkey.html done as it's written. As you can see, I did like making these. They were fairly easy!

Kitties
I have made a few different kinds of kitties. Here is one:
Pattern here http://www.lionbrand.com/patterns/70585AD.html (think you have to subscribe to the Lion Brand site to be able to view it)

My favorite kitty pattern is this one
As you can see, I've a few of these :) This isn't even all of them that I've made! Here is the pattern http://marmaladerose.blogspot.com/2009/04/crochet-kitten-pattern.html. It is so easy!

I hope you like these patterns as much as I do! If you have any questions about any of them, please don't hesitate to contact me or the creator of the pattern that is listed on each site.

Enjoy!




Thursday, March 17, 2016

Starting & Storing Your Projects

Starting a project is my favorite part about a project. You basically get to start with yarn and make it into whatever you want it to be.

My go-to place to look for a pattern is www.ravelry.com. The way I like to describe it is that it's almost like a Facebook for crocheters and knitters. They have patterns for almost anything you can think of. You can also search through other members' projects and see how they may have worked up a certain pattern. It has been very helpful to me if I'm questioning how to crochet a certain pattern.


When you search on Ravelry, the patterns are from all over the internet. Users, like myself, can also post their own patterns that you may not be able to easily find if you just use a normal search engine. I have found many patterns that have become some of my favorite patterns because of Ravelry!


You may or may not have decided on the color and type of yarn before finding the perfect pattern. One of my favorite yarns to use is Red Heart. They seem to offer a variety of colors so no matter what color I want to make my project, they seem to have it available.


Red Heart has many different types of yarn also. Just a few that I have used are:



Red Heart Super SaverSuper Saver solids have No-Dye-Lot so if you end up needing more yarn than you anticipated, it’s not the end of the world, just the end of that skein. It is durable enough to last year after year and wash after wash. Make something for charity, yourself or as a gift that will be cherished for generations.

Red Heart SoftSoft yarn is made with premium acrylic fibers that make it one of the softest yarns in the market. Ideal for knit and crochet projects for the entire family, from apparel to accents for your home.

Red Heart Baby TLC - With an ultra- soft hand and shimmering luster, it's perfect for blankets, layettes and kids' wear.

Red Heart with Love - perfect for blankets, throws, hats, scarves and more! Over 30 colors that include mixable multis and no-dye-lot solids.

All this information was taken from www.redheart.com.



Storing your project

Once you get started on your project, you will need to have somewhere you can store it when you aren't able to work on it. That is, unless you are doing a small, quick project like a hat or a washcloth.

I use a large reusable grocery bag. It seems to work for almost any project that I work on and keeps my son from being curious. He knows not to mess with what is in this bag:

I hope I may have given you some tips on how to start and store your crochet projects! if you have any tips of your own feel free to comment below and let me know.

Tuesday, March 8, 2016

Traditions...

Families have many traditions. Whether it be holiday traditions, or just passing something down. In my family, one of those traditions is crafting with yarn.

For as long as I can remember my mom knit. When she found out that someone was going to have a baby she would get out her knitting needles and make them a blanket. She had her go-to pattern that she would make everyone. When she passed, I got all of her yarn and some of her knitting needles. When I was going through some of her unfinished projects I found a blanket that she had started. Since I didn't knit, I sent it to her best friend in Indianapolis who finished it for me to give to my son. I am so glad that she was able to do this for him. She would have made him all kinds of things if she were still with us.

I have tried and tried to knit like my mom did but have never been able to figure it out. So, I decided to try and crochet.

I always knew that my grandmother crocheted. She won all kinds of awards at fairs for her craft. I hope to one day be able to crochet as well as she did. Since I have started to crochet, I've learned that she isn't the only one in the family that crocheted. My Great-Great Grandma Briddle was also a crocheter! In fact, a few of my hooks may have actually come from her! I had no idea that my favorite hobby went so far back in my family. I am so glad that this is a tradition that I am able to carry on.

One tradition that my grandmother had is that she made everyone in our family a rainbow blanket and
a teddy bear blanket. Once I started crocheting, everyone was so happy that I could carry on this tradition one day. I have her patterns and yarn, but have not been able to do them justice like she did.

One tradition that I have carried on from my mom is that when I found out that a friend or family
member is going to have a baby I get out my crochet hook and start making them a blanket. My dad knows that I enjoy doing this so last year, he asked me to make an American Flag blanket for a co-worker who was pregnant. My family absolutely fell in love with the finished product and have decided that this will be my blanket that I should make everyone, just like my grandmother had her blanket that she made everyone. They understand that I wanted to have my own tradition and not try and copy my grandmother. I think that my grandmother would love that I have found a way to carry on this tradition and that I have chosen a design of my own. Carrying on a family tradition, just with a little uniqueness to create my own legacy.