MY FIRST ATTEMPT AT MAKING A PREEMIE HAT

Here is my first viable attempt at making a preemie cap. the knit \crochet group that i have been meeting with donates preemie hats to a local hospital.

i made this with my mitten loom from in the attic. the yarn is bernat baby coordinates in iced mint. the tie is made with some acrylic from my stash.

the hat is open at the top and uses a drawstring to close...this is to accommodate tubes or wires.

THINK PINK

Here is the felted pink bangle wristlet. i am not entirely happy with how it turned out... the handle is a little off center... but i believe that i can work on this piece and make it better.

PURPLE FELTED WRISTLET

And here is the purple variegated bangle wristlet... i think this one turned out better.

it's just the right size to hold a mobile phone and some moolah... put it on your wrist and go!

PROJECT UPDATE

well... got the piece out from the washer and was a little bummed out. it looked NOTHING like i had imagined...but that's the adventure of felting, right?

after all of the crazy shaping, the darn thing came out round! the "holey" sections that i thought were big enough to stay open... felted together.

on the other hand, the bobble stitches came out very nice... and the binder clips made some texture... i will definitely keep experimenting with clips...will also try those little alligator hair clips... i wonder what rubberbands will do?

but i digress...

i did not like the round shape ... so while it was still damp, i started pulling it into a more oblong shape and then clipped it.

i will let it dry this way and see how it looks then.

keep your fingers crossed!

DREAM PROJECT IS READY TO BE FELTED/FULLED

alrighty, the dream project is finally crocheted.

now it is time for embellishment... i adorned it with three vintage buttons.

in my dream, i used hair clips, like the alligator clips, to achieve texture during the fulling process. i am to impatient... i dont have any of thoses clips...so i looked around and found some binder clips. i attach them... hope this works !

now it is in the washing machine with a little baking soda and HOT water.

wish me luck!!!!

binder clip placement

DANG IT!

I was working on one of my WIPs...when i ran out of yarn...dang it! I hate it when that happens!

As you can see, my first attempt at matching dyelots hasnt really worked out. The original is more pink...while the first replacement attempt is more "purpley"... dammit!

wish me luck!

HAVE YOU EVER DREAMED ABOUT A PROJECT?

Here is another sneak peek of another wip.

the other night, i dreamed that i was working on a project...that's all...just me crocheting and then doing a felting technique with hairclips...

when i woke up, i felt compelled to try to replicate it...so here goes. i do know that it will be felted /fulled using the hairclips... i dont even know if this idea will work, i havent seen anyone online mention it... so i am compelled to try it... but i dont want to say anything more...dont want to jinx my crochet mojo!

has that ever happened to you... dreaming about the creation of a project? if so, how did it turn out?

BANGLE WRISTLET #2

Here is a 2nd bangle wristlet... a small purse crocheted onto bangle bracelets. My idea was a small purse... just hold some keys...some money...maybe a mobile phone. I am playing around with different sizes.

Bangle Wristlet

This is a bangle wristlet... ready to be felted... now where's my baking soda??

Say it ain't so...

I just read on the mobile cnn site that john edwards has admitted to a fairly recent affair. i feel sad ... disappointed... and frankly duped --- i thought he was one of the good guys

A SNEAK PEEK AT A WIP

Here are a few phone pics of a WIP.

What do you think about it so far? Right now I have to say it's looking a little like ET...which is NOT my goal...lol.

SQUARE

Here is a square that I made for the knit\crochet group that I have started meeting with.

Everyone is going to do a square and then all squares will be worked into an afghan for a gift to the owner of the coffee shop where the group meets.

My New & Beautiful Chophook: made by Jimbo

Feast your eyes on my newest Jimbo acquisition... one of his very neat "chophooks".

If you are not familiar with Jimbo's work... visit http://www.jimbosfrontporch.blogspot.com/.

He makes very beautiful and functional crochet hooks; and auctions them off on his blog. I don't know if he still does special orders... but he made a hook for me (quite a while back) to fit my crazy grip.... i sent him pics of me crocheting... and i have to say, it is the most comfortable hook i own! Now with the chophook, i am "mama" to 4 Jimbo hooks!

He does the chophooks to raise money to help find a cure for Friedreich's Ataxia ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friedreich's_ataxia ), which is an inherited disesase that affects the nervous system.

Here is his blog post about it: http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=34291453&postID=3018539839512396579.

All he asks is a minimum of $10 to the organization (you can even do it via his blog), and he will send you one of these really cool hooks.

VINTAGE KNITTING

Thought you might want to see this blast from the past...this is a sweater vest that was made for me by my great aunt elizabeth. i was most likey less than 6 so it is over 33 years old.

i was digging around in the closet and came across this...i freaking love it! I think this was inspired by a trip that she and my uncle made out west.

I am not sure if she used a pattern for this or not.

Crocheting In A Group...More Fun Than I Thought

I was invited to visit a Knit/Crochet Group by someone (Nina, bunnyjean08 on ravelry) who saw my projects on Ravelry.

On the one hand, I was thrilled that someone had looked at my pieces and wanted me to be part of their group... on the other hand, I was terrified of going into the midst of a group of people I didn't know... people who might critique the way that I hold my hook (unconventional at best), the yarns that I choose, or the projects I love to do.

Although members of my extended family will dispute this... I am kind of a loner... I am not lonely... I am not a recluse from the world... and I have friends and family with whom I am extremely comfortable with... but for the most part, I choose to spend my free time at home, doing crafts, cooking, reading... whatever.

So when I got Nina's invite... I was a little nervous... I had never crafted with a group (unless you count elementary school, which I don't). I emailed her back, thanking her for her compliments of my work... exclaiming over hers (definitely check her out next time you are on Ravelry... she does fair isle knitting... beautiful!)... and then told her that I wasn't much of a "joiner".

She replied promptly ... telling me that it was ok if I wasn't a joiner... it was an informal group... they meet at a coffee house (which is about 5 miles from my house)...and that I should reconsider... she then proceeded to tell me about the group.

I made up my mind to go last night... and I am glad that I did!

Everyone was very friendly... there were lots of knitters... and I wasn't the only one there with a hook! I saw all kinds of yarn being used... not just the high-end yarn "crack". I also really enjoyed the diversity of the group... there were all ages...and lots of different "walks of life" there. There were all levels... and all kinds of projects. There was talk of charity projects (not mandatory... but I will definitely participate!)

I got some ooohh's and ahhhh's over my skullerific tote... and some, thanks to Nina, were already familiar with my projects. And they even gave me a cute little gift (see above)! (They were prepared... with crochet hooks!)

It really was nice being in a group... lots of laughter... lots of conversation...lots of projects... it was really a creative environment!

So I recommend that if you havent met with a group... maybe you should...You might just have more fun that you thought you would! I certainly did...

who knows? I might even become a regular!

RAVELRY LOOT!!!

Check out the cool buttons that I ordered from the Ravelry mini mall... love, love, love them!

I am gonna stick 'em on my WIP bag.

STASH-BUSTING SCARF... Fit For A Luchador!

And now for your consideration: a scarf made of red heart that was hiding in my stash.

The scarf was knit on a knifty knitter as a flat panel; and then edged with hdc crochet. I folded the scarf in half and stitched about 6 or 7 inches together to make a "hat".

Geesh... look at the model I have to deal with!

NO EXPLANATION NECESSARY...

Whatchoo talking about Willis?

Bonnie & Clyde?

No! It's our sweet little goats, Bunny (black and white) and Jasmine!