In The Loop

Easter Purse

2011-04-30T15:30:00.000-07:00

I looked high & low for an Easter Pocketbook, and at the last minute decided to make my own out of some leftover yarn. I was pleased with the look, and filled with a bag of cheerio's this little angel loved it! I used red heart lustersheen and an E hook. I sc 4 rows for the base, then alternated sc & front post dc around. This created a nice thick pocket book that is soft, yet won't let little treasures fall through. I usually make these in all cotton yarn, but the acrylic lustersheen did not stretch as much, so the "pocket", as she calls it, kept it's shape.

Toddler Bed Throw

2010-08-11T17:00:00.000-07:00

I made this quick blanket for a friend's little girl. She had gotten a princess toddler bed and just moved into a new home. She still drags around the pink & blue blanket I made before she was born, so I decided to step up to some "big girl" colors. Now she drags around both of them! Such a sweetheart. The pattern was quick and easy and FREE from the Bernat website: http://www.bernat.com/pattern.php?PID=2301 (Double Diamond Blanket). I crocheted the squares together with a sc, instead of sewing them together. It made a nice ridge that made the squares stand out. The sc can also withstand the tugging & pulling better than sewn squares.

Easter Doily

2010-03-01T09:00:00.001-08:00

This is a quick and easy doily from the magazine Crochet World, April 2010. There is a coaster pattern that goes with it, but with a #10 thread, the doily could pass for a coaster too. I love the over / under affect of the colored thread. I think it would look equally good in red / green for Christmas. I used #10 DMC Cebelia instead of the recommended Aunt Lydia's. I won't use anything else for thread work. It slides easily without tangling, and has a classy-looking sheen to the finished product. I also understand that it holds up well over time, for anything you want to be an heirloom. The balls look small, but there is thread packed on there. I can't believe how long one ball lasts!

The larger doily was made using DMC Senso Microfiber. It didn't come out as pretty, but then again the detail is lost by using a larger (#3) thread.

Toddler Bibs

2010-02-23T17:26:00.001-08:00

Even toddlers need bibs sometimes, that is if you don't want them staining their good clothes learning to feed themselves. Those little infant bibs won't do the job. I crocheted these just for that reason, with Bernat Cottontots--the softest cotton yarn on the market! I have not washed them, and I suspect they will shrink as most all cotton fabrics do. They were made similar to the baby bib pattern you can download for free on the Bernat website. I just increased the starting width, and the length. I also used the "seed stitch", (sc, ch-1, skip next st; sc, ch-1, skip next st...) I like this stitch better than sc in each sc because it makes for a less bulky bib.

The heart, is "tapestry crochet" of which I am terrible at! I was using scrap yarn, and running out, so I gave it a go with this heart. After all, bibs eventually end up stained and in the trash anyway--so what if it isn't perfect? The flower is just your standard 5 petal flower, with a little embroidery (embroidery is also not a talent of mine). I used velcro for closure. On the last bibs I made I used huge snaps, so the velcro wouldn't cling to everything in the wash. Trouble was they were so secure it was hard to get the bib off the baby's neck.

If you want to make a useful baby gift, go for the all-cotton bibs!

Snow Bunny

2010-02-22T07:00:00.000-08:00

Recently, I was stuck in the house for about a week, while my family and I recovered from a respiratory bug. Nothing to do but crochet and watch TCM (hubby was out of town the whole week), but I didn't feel up to going out and buying new yarn. With such a stash of scrap yarn collecting dust, I searched Ravelry for some free patterns. It lead me to this cute bunny on this blog:

http://www.darncatcrochet.blogspot.com/

The instructions were a little tricky, but I got through it using some Peter Pan by Wendy and an E hook. Turned out to be perfect yarn for a bunny!

State Fair 2009

2010-02-22T06:35:00.000-08:00

Yes, a little behind on my blogging, but still reeling from the excitement of the State Fair! Here are the results:

7 1st Place Ribbons (blue) & 3 2nd Place (red)

Blue: Baby Bonnet, Baby Sweater, Amigurumi Monkey, Purple Doll Dress, Peach & White Baby Dress, (what my family affectionately calls) The Ugly Doll, and the one I am most pleased with, my Lady Bug Dress won First Place in the Crochet Designer's division!

Red: Outfit on Doll, Booties, Baby Afghan

In our fair, the judges don't give a lot of feedback. So you can imagine how tickled I was to get a comment written on the tag of my thread crochet baby bonnet-- one word, "fabulous".

Everything was my own design except the monkey and the star blanket.

Happy Halloween!

2009-10-29T09:19:00.000-07:00

Even if you don't "celebrate" halloween, fall is such a fun time for pumpkin hats! Here is one I made to cover up her bald head while at the State Fair and trick-or-treating. It is made with Lily's sugar n cream yarn, which isn't the softest yarn on the market. Still, it is all cotton (good for her excema) and comes in a variety of colors. Not to mention I happen to have enough scrap yarn in this color!

Thread Crochet Booties for Sundays

2009-10-04T11:20:00.000-07:00

"She needs something on her feet" my husband said, when we learned we'd be taking this baby church. So sweet, but she didn't have any socks. So I made up some with a little thread I had. I love this thread. I never thought I'd say that about a thread. I had given up thread crochet--so tired of the tangling, and it sometimes cut my dry cracked winter-hands. Someone suggested I try DMC Cebelia, in #10, and I love it! Don't be put off by the small balls, because there is a ton of thread wound on! It slides so easily. I can tell it will hold up to heirlooms much better--and isn't that what we want after all that thread work? To be able to hand it down? I hope this little gal will pass these on to her babies one day.

Starry Night Baby Blanket

2009-09-05T11:30:00.000-07:00

When it comes to baby blankets and afghans I pretty much go for the traditional rectangular --not the shaped variety. This pattern was just so cute to me, I had to give it a whirl. I did have a little trouble following the directions. Could be crocheter's block or something. I used Bernat Softee baby yarn--and loved the final results (so soft & cuddly) BUT it was hard to see my stitches when I was making the small stars, making the pattern even harder. My stitch count on the cloud border did not come out like the pattern said, but not a real problem. After all, they are CLOUDS--no rules--just make them uneven. The FREE pattern can be found on this site: http://www.innerchildcrochet.com/patterns/starry_starry_night.php

Update: Won 2nd place for Crochet Baby Afghans in the State Fair!

Sponge Bob Purse

2009-08-03T17:11:00.001-07:00

I have a friend who has a daughter that is crazy about "Bob-bob". She also loves pocketbooks--so I put the two together and came up with this! The pattern is available for free on thecrochetcradle.com
Please report any errors through the "contact me" link on the Crochet Cradle's website. Enjoy!

Baby Bibs

2009-07-18T08:39:00.000-07:00

These Baby Bibs I made for a special couple that I watched grow up. They are expecting their first child, soon after getting married & graduating college. This couple was longtime sweethearts that grew up in the church together. Something you thought you only read about in storybooks! Anyway, these bibs were made for their--boy or girl? and came from the Bernat website--free: http://www.bernat.com/search.php?key=bib&searchResults=&PATTERNS=Search
Super easy pattern. I altered it a little to make each just a little different. In one I sc, ch-1 (sk next st),sc across. It made a pretty pattern. I believe this is called the seed stitch.

मोंकेय क्रोचेत

2009-06-12T12:02:00.001-07:00

My friend's oldest daughter is having her first child soon, and is decorating her nursery in a monkey-theme. My first thought was--oh my, what on earth can I crochet in this theme??? I almost bailed out and made her an afghan in baby colors. With some help from my crochet partners message board I found this pattern. I loved it! It was so easy to follow and best of all--free. I think I can size it down to make a pacifier holder from the monkey head. I'd like to make a hat for the baby with the same yarn & theme. All single crochet--so it can't be but so hard. Here is the site:
http://quesera.ojaru.jp/osaru-pattern.html
Note that it appears to be a Japanese site and someone translated the pattern into English. Whoever did this did a great job & I found no errors in the pattern.

Easy Springtime Dress

2009-06-07T18:55:00.000-07:00

I made this dress in just a couple of days--it was so easy! You can get the pattern for FREE at thecrochetcradle.com . It is pictured here on a very chubby 4 month old baby. Isn't she cute? Such a sweetie! The thread is one of my favorites: DMC senso in rainbow & white.

Sweet Violets

2009-05-31T12:12:00.000-07:00

Here is a little something I have worked on off & on for a while. I was trying out a new pattern stitch, and a new technique. I used (again) the red heart lustersheen yarn. It works up so nice for me, so I use it a lot. I just wish it came in more colors, which is my usual complaint with yarns & threads.

Lady Bug Dress & Hat

2009-04-16T11:33:00.000-07:00

After finishing the Bumble Bee dress, I got a request to do a Lady Bug one. This outfit is for a toddler. The person who requested it is a relatively new crocheter so I wanted to make it easy to follow. I hope I succeeded here. I made it as repetitive as possible while still making it interesting to look at. It mostly consists of dc, sc, or trc. I chose half double crochet for the edging so it would show up nicer. A single crochet would work too. I have a couple of testers trying out the pattern, so hopefully it will be available to the public soon. If you have any ideas for another design, I'd love to hear it! My next thought is a sunflower dress--the bodice could be like the center of the flower (maybe brown with popcorns?) and the skirt could simulate the yellow petals somehow. I will definitely have to think on that one for a while :)

Thread Used: Aunt Lydia's #3 Fashion Thread (NOT the #10 or 30 doily thread) and an E hook

Bumble Bee Dress & Hat

2009-02-26T17:45:00.000-08:00

Well, I have had enough requests for patterns, that I am trying my hand at writing some down. Definitely a new area for me! It sure slows down my crocheting, but it will be nice to have some written down in case I want to remake something. Here I have what I designed with Bumble Bees in mind. My youngest son thinks it might look good made in "team colors" as well. I am also working on making a website. It will eventually be at thecrochetcradle.com (The Crochet Cradle). This pattern is available on etsy.com as a PDF file or I can mail it to you. Look for my shop name: The Crochet Cradle type in thecrochetcradle as one word. Or try thecrochetcradle.etsy.com

(The doll is a 1985 Berjusa I bought on ebay. The yarn is my favorite: Red Heart Lustersheen. It took less than 2 skeins to make this 0-3 months size ensemble!)

NC State Fair Results

2009-01-16T15:11:00.001-08:00

Here are the results of my first NC State Fair entry in crochet (2008)

Christening Dress Update

2009-01-16T14:57:00.000-08:00

I have been quite busy since the state fair. My father recovered from a brain tumor (& will celebrate his 83rd birthday in February!) Then there was Thanksgiving, Christmas....now January is half over! I am honored that someone on saw my Christening Dress & wants to purchase the pattern. I have been diligently working on crocheting a copy, and writing it down as I go. So far, it is going well considering this is a big first for me! Meaning--I have this thing that I never make the same thing twice! :) I love the challenge of making something new, and not being real sure what it will look like when I am done. In fact, I can't remember one thing I have made twice ever! (Well, baby boys I guess qualify--I have 4 of them). I never did finish posting all of the NC State Fair pictures, so I will add the ones of the Christening Dress to this post. I added a gold cross tot he front, tied with a ribbon, and pearls to the flowers to spruce it up a bit (from the previous posted pictures)

State Fair Baby Sweater

2008-11-05T13:04:00.001-08:00

This is a baby sweater I made for the NC State Fair. It is a pattern I created using #3 crochet thread called DMC Senso Microfiber. I really enjoy this thread, although it can be hard to find. I order it off the internet. I like the Microfiber because it is not quite 100% cotton, and is smoother to crochet with. Also, it doesn't shrink so bad when it is washed. I was very pleased to have won something with this sweater. The yellow butterflies were crocheted from yellow ribbon.

State Fair Boy's Romper

2008-11-05T12:57:00.000-08:00

The NC State Fair was, I am happy to say, a big success. I will eventually post all the photos, but here's one for starters. This is a boy's romper, that won first place! I was very excited! I made it in a weekend, just a make-up as you go kinda pattern. Sometimes these things work out, and sometimes not. This I am happy to say did work out. It was one of the few baby boy things I saw out there too.

Booties

2008-09-28T11:47:00.000-07:00

Here are some new booties I made from weaving thread. They turned out nice and soft--not what I would have expected from weaving thread. I was looking for a cheaper alternative to standard crochet thread. I don't think I would use this again for crocheting because the thread did want to separate, rather than stay wound . It was nice, however, to have a variety of colors to choose from! The thread came from http://www.camillavalleyfarm.com/knit/mcotton.htm I would recommend this company for it's quality & service.

Daisy Yellow Baby Dress

2008-09-11T18:53:00.000-07:00

This baby dress is made with yellow & green red heart lustersheen yarn. The yoke is pretty much a circle, folded in half. The pattern stitches are shells made by 3 dc with one chain between. A really quick project once you get started.

Baby Booties

2008-07-22T08:18:00.000-07:00

Well, I was stuck at home for a couple of weeks after my tonsillectomy. (Not a fun thing at 43!) I didn't want a big project to do, but I found out a my son grew up with is having a baby boy! Now you would think having 4 boys of my own I would groan at the thought of making something blue. No sir, it brought back a whirlwind of pleasant memories that I hope she will have too! I didn't want something big, just a little something to get my mind off myself while I recovered. A few weeks earlier I found a copy of the only crochet book I owned when I first learned to crochet. I remember trying the patterns, but most of them wouldn't come out right. It was nice to see I have learned something in all these years. I have to be honest and say that I was reminded why I gave up making booties so many years ago ~~I have a devil of a time getting two the same size! Here they are, with the booklet the pattern came from. Gee, I don't remember it costing 35 cents! I guess that was before the inflation of the Nixon years??

(yarn: Red Heart ersheen)

Christening Dress

2008-06-22T09:30:00.000-07:00

I finally found the thread, & finished my first Christening dress! It was easier than I thought it would be. I used Aunt Lydia's #3 thread. My goal was to make something worthy of entering the NC State Fair in October. I would love some feedback on whether this is good enough or any tips from someone who has entered a fair before. The bonnet has flowers on each side like the ruffle on the bottom of the dress. I will take some better pictures of the dress off the doll so you can see the dress better. I am wondering about the off white thread. Do Christening dresses come in off white? Or should I make another one in white thread? Thanks to all who respond!

Johnny Cash Blanket

2008-05-22T14:39:00.000-07:00

Well, my oldest son left for Marine Boot Camp on Mother's Day (sigh). He plans on being in the reserves until he graduates college. A while back he drew this picture of Johnny Cash. We all liked it so much that I had it framed. Recently, I saw some crochet portrait afghans that other people had made so I thought I'd give it a try with this picture. I uploaded the drawing on knitpro:
http://www.microrevolt.org/knitPro/
This site will make any picture into a graph then you can cross stitch, needle point, crochet---whatever! The blanket is not perfect--but it was my first attempt, and more importantly, kept me busy the first 2 weeks he was gone.

Vintage Baby Sweater

2008-04-23T20:10:00.001-07:00

Lately I have been hard at work on a Christening Dress which I hope to enter in the State Fair if it is good enough. It is taking much more thread than I anticipated & all the stores around here are sold OUT! So...I had to take a break. I bought several vintage crochet books off ebay & figured I would try one of the easier patterns to take up some scrap yarn. Here is the book and original pattern photo, along with my version:

Vintage Pattern Dress & Bonnet

2008-03-24T14:13:00.000-07:00

Mom just celebrated her 82nd birthday! For part of her present, I crocheted a vintage-looking dress & bonnet for one of her old dolls. I was hoping to bring back memories. My mom was raised in a large family during the depression & didn't get her first doll until she was 16! This is what lead her to be such a doll collector in her later years. She said it did remind her of the old days, which is what I was going for. The stitch pattern I borrowed from a 1940's pattern for a baby sweater (free on the internet). I have searched & searched to find the link, but it is now gone. The thread came from Camilla Valley Farm in Canada. It is mercerized cotton, probably meant for weaving, but was much more cost effective than what I was using. Here is the link: http://www.camillavalleyfarm.com/knit/mcotton.htm I used the 4/8 thickness. BTW: Yes, she desperately needs a slip--Do babies not wear them anymore?? I raised boys, but I do know my modest mother made us wear slips! I couldn't find one for this dress in time for Mama's birthday.
ADD NOTE: Here is the link for the bonnet, booties & sweater for the dress:
http://www.freevintagecrochet.com/baby/no101-baby-set-pattern.html
This is a FREE pattern from 1950. I altered it to make the dress & bonnet you see here. The pattern is very easy to follow (not all vintage patterns are) & fairly quick to make. 4/29/08

Crochet in the Movies

2008-03-13T09:31:00.000-07:00

Did you know that Bette Davis crocheted in many of her movies? Rent a copy of "The Letter "(a good classic flick) and watch a nervous Bette crochet away. Joan Crawford also crocheted, but was more known for her knitting. In her movie "Whatever Happened to Baby Jane", with Bette, she can be seen knitting for much of the movie.

• Joan Crawford and Davis had feuded for years and during the making of “What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?” Bette had a Coca-Cola machine installed on the set due to Joan Crawford’s affiliation with Pepsi. (Joan was the widow of Pepsi’s CEO.) Joan got her revenge by putting weights in her pockets when Davis had to drag Crawford across the floor during certain scenes.
• On her tombstone is written “She did it the hard way.”

•From a Christmas card Joan sent Betty in 1976:
“I am so at peace with the world, that I’m even having good thoughts about Bette Davis.”

Website Link: http://www.bettedavis.com/about/facts.htm

Doll Dress w/ Homemade Ribbon Flowers

2008-02-22T16:20:00.000-08:00

My mom rescued this naked collectible doll from my niece's toy box and asked me to make a dress for her. I wanted it to be nice, since I was making it for mama :). I purchased some yarn called Peter Pan by Wendy that I'm told is a popular baby yarn in England. I couldn't get it in the US, so I won some on ebay. It is very nice, soft yarn, but reasonably priced. I was nervous about using it at first because it has a lot of nylon in it, & I usually use all cotton. It might have been better used for a sweater than a dress, but I wanted to use something special for this particular project. For the yellow ribbon flowers, I followed a technique for ribbon embroidery I saw on show on DIY. You can find the directions on this link:
http://www.stitching.com/CDA/stitch/stitches/petal.html
I'd love to hear your comments.

My First Button-holes

2008-02-07T13:09:00.001-08:00

I have no idea if what I have in my head will come out through the hook. This dress was soooo easy. I decided to put button holes in this one. I can't believe I have been so intimidated by putting in button holes before! I added twice as many DC to make the skirt fuller than the bodice, but somehow those extra stitches got "absorbed". The skirt wasn't as full as I would have liked, but oh well. The bodice is a sc, but the shell pattern for the skirt goes like this: Row 1 of skirt (after putting 2 sc in each sc of bodice): 1 sc in next 3 sc, ch 3, skip 2 sc repeat to end of row. Row 2: 5 dc in the ch-3 space (shell), sc in middle of the 3 sc set, repeat Row 3: 1 sc into each the middle 3 dc in the shell, ch 3, skip next 3 stitches, 1 sc into ea of next 3 dc in middle of shell repeat.
Hopefully you get the general idea :) I suppose I should have made booties, 'cause her feet look awfully cold, don't they?

Doily Dress

2008-01-25T13:41:00.000-08:00

This is a dress that I crocheted using a doily pattern as a guide. I used patons grace yarn. It turned out a little full, but looks pretty good in the photo (which I hope you can see--as it is a mystery as to when blog photos will decide to appear!)
The doll is an Adora "name your own baby" that my mom got me from a trip to the NC Mountains.

My First Post

2008-01-18T19:28:00.000-08:00

This is my first post, so bear with me. Here is a photo of one of many doll outfits I made over Christmas. I wanted to learn how to make something other than blankets & doilies. Since dolls in a home of 4 boys are few, my mom gave me this baby born for my (imagine!) 43rd birthday. This was test project, but I thought it turned out pretty cute. I couldn't decide what I was doing, and it was getting too tight to be a dress...so I fashioned a cover for her bottom and made it into a romper. The ruffle is there mainly to cover where it was seamed together (which ended up in the front) and to make the outfit prettier. This very much an original design~~I am pretty sure even I couldn't recreate this one!
(I am having trouble getting photos to load into a post. We'll see if it shows up!)