Happy Thanksgiving!

After an entire adolescence of no holiday spirit whatsoever (other than greed) I've got it back and I'm so excited about making goodies and giving thanks...I'm trying this new recipe today for my family's dinner. Maybe you'd like it too! http://pie.allrecipes.com/az/pplBttrPmpkinPi.asp
It's called Apple Butter Pumpkin Pie. May you all have many, many people and blessings to be thank ful for today and always.

I feel like I just saw a real whale in the ocean...

I can't believe this! This incredible woman recycles sweaters to make her own yarn, and it's beautiful! And she is generous enough to put a complete tutorial on the web so we can do it too! I knew there had to be an affordable alternative to Walmart's stupid Red Heart!

Other than raising sheep, of course.....

http://www.livejournal.com/users/neau/7653.html

These are from this site: http://www.geocities.com/febmommy/openmitten.html

Well, that homework's really coming along....

I CANNOT seem to do anything today. I made cranberry orange muffins, which are the most delicious muffins in the multiverse, and I rolled all my yarn into balls, and I found these open mittens I want to make...
And that's it.
Crochet projects I found huddling in the bottom of my big messy basket today:
My mom's Christmas present which needs to be redone, now that I actually know how to crochet....
A Stained Glass afghan I started to use up scrap yarn, which also needs to be done over and finished....
A granny square hat that, midway, no longer appealed to me. Should I unravel it? Finish it? Leave it to moulder? Ha, we all know what's going to happen.
And Thanksgivingbreak starts Friday! I'm going home to my parentt's house, and since they work a lot, I'll be crocheting so much I'll have callouses like hamsters. I can't wait.

Isn't it scary that I really mean that?

Buddha

I tried making a stuffed Buddha, but he didn't come out like I'd imagined. I'm going to try to make one who's more spherical. Don't be deceived, this one has plenty of nips and tucks--he's not all plain crochet....I guess I still like him okay. But I want one shaped like the little happy buddha statuettes you get in Chinatown.
I have an English term paper, a lesson plan for the ninth grader I tutor, and an Oceanography test picking at my sleeve reminding me they're all due tomorrow. And what do I want to do?

Why, create silly crochet monsters, of course.

Where's my ambition when I need it.....

He could be a lot better...but he looks happy anyway.

Fingerless Gloves

Here are my fingerless gloves. These fit me, but I want to make some for my friend for her birthday and she has bigger hands, we'll see how that goes. Instructions: http://www.geocities.com/thelibrarian18/gloves.html


I also put up a picture of the Hippie Scarf. It's just a long piece of a mesh stitch I found here:
done with a thicker thread (I think it's Aunt Lydia's denim) and an I hook. I tied it behind my ear.
http://crochetlegacy.com/Stitches/OpenMesh.htm

The flowers save it from being too "English hobo"...

I wish I'd made it a little wider.

Finally, crafts for cool people

Craftster.org is what I've been waiting for all my life.

Sea Turtle Soap Saver

Isn't he great? I can't wait to use him! And I made him all by myself. Here's my pattern.
http://www.geocities.com/thelibrarian18/seaturtle.html

This turtle loves Rick Wakeman.

Victorian Bead Necklace

Victorian Bead Necklace

I wrote down my pattern for this, and here it is:
http://www.geocities.com/thelibrarian18/necklace.html

Thelonius Monkey

My newest creation. Thelonius Monkey! My boyfriend named him after the musical genius because of his penchant for funny hats. He's a great way to teach yourself crochet design, I've tried to explain how I did it.
http://www.geocities.com/thelibrarian18/monkeypattern.html

I love Thelonius..

Lovely lovely hat. I love this hat.

The Anthropologie Hat

I've got pictures up of a great hat design by Midnight Knitter! Check them out! There's the link for the pattern too.
http://www.geocities.com/thelibrarian18/hat.html

Coming soon to a shady grove near you...

In the next few days I'll be counting stitches, since I never wrote down how I was making my creations, and putting up patterns for:

Sea Turtle Soap Saver
Gem Choker Necklace
Fingerless Gloves (My pride and joy)
Hippie Hair Scarf
Butterfly Headband
Fur-Topped Slippers
Funky Monkey
Pretty Sachets

And a few links to patterns I didn't come up with, but you all should see, if you haven't run across them yet.

The Catwings.
Now, this pattern is definitely not my own creation. I used the bird body from this great pattern, Caroline's Birds. http://www.marloscrochetcorner.com/birds.html
I left off the beak and added kitty ears, tail and whiskers and paws... so it's a catwing. I hope it's okay to adapt things as long as you give credit where it's due. I was really amazed by how clever this bird pattern is! The wings are of my own design, They bend either way and would work well for birds, angels, anything really.
Wings
Ch 4. Turn and do 1 sc in each of next 3 ch sps. Ch 1, turn.
3 sc, ch 3. turn. 3 sc on chain, 3 hdc on the three sc. Ch1, turn.
3 sc, ch 4. Sl st in 2nd ch from hook, 3 sc in chain, 3 hdc. Ch1, turn.
4 sc, ch 5, sl st in 2nd ch from hook, 3 sc in ch, 3 hdc, ch 3 turn.
*Work 4 dc decreases down the edge of wing opposite the feaher ends. Ch 3, turn, repeat from * once. Fasten off.

Catwings.

Catwings.

Click Here

Front View.

Gopher Funk.

The Funk Has Arrived

This is one of my Funk Gophers. I was inspired by Sally George's Pocket Animals design, which is the most adorable toy pattern I've ever seen. I give full credit to her and this site for the body design. http://www.sarahanns.com/crochetworks/animals.html
So I've adapted the Funk Gophers from that pattern. They have egg-shaped bodies, long skinny arms, and every kind of funkalicious hairstyle you can imagine. I'm working on a mullet Gopher right now.
Here is the pattern:

Worsted weight yarn in any color you like. F hook. These guys end up being about 3 inches tall, but you could make them bigger or smaller by using a different hook and yarn. You don't join the rounds, it's worked in a spiral like a hat or any other egg shape. I've found a hairpin works beautifully to mark the end of the round so you don't have to count stitches. I stuff them with dried beans so they feel like hackysacks, but you could fill them with stuffing instead.

Body: Ch 2.
Rnd 1. 4 sc in 2nd ch from hook.
Rnd 2. 2 sc in each sc around.
Rnd 3-4. *1 sc in next sc, 2 sc in the next one, repeat around.
Rnd 5. Sc in each sc around.
Rnd 6. * 1 sc in each of next 2 sc, 2sc in the next one, repeat around.
Rnd 7. Sc in each sc around.
Rnd 8. *1 sc in each of next 3 sc, 2 sc in next one, repeat around.
Rnd 9-17. Sc in each sc around.
Round 18. Decrease over every 2 sc around. That means insert hook into next sc, pull up a loop, insert hook into next sc, pull up a loop, yarn over and pull through all loops on hook.
Fasten off.

Bottom: Ch 2.
Rnd 1. 5 sc in 2nd ch from hook.
Rnd 2. 3 sc in each sc around.
Fasten off, leaving a tail to sew the bottom on with.

Fill the body with stuffing and sew the bottom on.

Arms: Ch2. 4 sc in 2nd ch from hook. One sc in each sc around until the arms are as long as you want them to be. Decrease around until the hole is closed, fasten off leaving a tail to sew them on with.

Feet: Same as arms, but much shorter.

Ears: Ch 2. 4 hdc in 2nd ch from hook. Join with a sl st, fasten off leaving tail to sew on with.

Eyes and nose: Use black yarn in a whip stitch to make little dots. You need a tapestry needle.
Nose: Ch 2, 4 sc in 2nd ch from hook.
Rnd 2-3: 1 sc in next sc, 2 sc in next sc, repeat around. fasten off leaving tail to sew nose on with.


Hair: Cut a lot of 3 inch lengths of yarn and attach to gophers' head like you would do a latchhook rug. Put your hook under and through a stitch, pull hair through by the middle, and pull ends through the loop. Cover his head, add beads or whatever, and style as you please. FUNK!

I honestly don't know what the copyright laws are regarding adapted patterns. I hope I'm not infringing on anyone. I've emailed the Pocket animals site to ask permission to link to it. I would never sell these little fellas and you shouldn't either--you should make them for all your friends. Because Gophers are for love, not money.

This is me.

Welcome to my room

I am tentatively working on this little page for the purpose of sharing some of my adventures in crochet. I just discovered the existence of crochet blogs, and I love the idea...however, I hope that I will be able to put a plethora of orginal patterns on here, and links to some of the truly lovely and fun patterns I've found on the web. I don't want to talk about my frustrations or tantalize you all with gorgeous designs that I decline to post the pattern for. I want to share, share, and share some more! I've got some wonderful little funky toys I invented, like the Funk Gophers and Catwings; cute hair decorations, sachets, slippers, and fingerless gloves. This is stuff people my age will enjoy, I hope. I'll also slip in some of the pithier thoughts I pick up in my classes. Here's one to start off:
"The aim of life is to live, and to live means to be aware; joyously, drunkenly, serenely, divinely aware."--henry miller

Patterns tomorrow!