Happy Birthday!

Well, technically a belated birthday.  I can finally show you the gifts I made for my sister because her birthday was yesterday.  First up is the "snood", or what Bernat calls a "hooded cowl."  DH says it is half-scarf and half-hood, hence "scood."

Snood, aka "Scood"


This was super easy to crochet but I made mistakes anyway.  I'm not diligent about stitch counting or marking, and you need to do that when you crochet in the round.  The busy yarn is hiding my mistakes nicely though.  I used Melody Bulky Wool blend yarn in Harlequin.  The cowl is basically a really tall tube so an adventurous crocheter could change the stitch design easily.





My sister fell in love with some fingerless gloves I made over the Christmas break.  I found the patterns at NaturallyCaron.com.  I made both pairs of gloves with Naturally Caron Country yarn.

Slouchy Gloves in Charcoal and Silver Service (Charleston Fingerless Gloves)





These gloves run super large.  I know they are supposed to be slouchy but they would fall right off if you made them in the size you would normally wear.  I used a smaller crochet hook to shrink the size some but the palm and wrist are still too big.  Just a warning in case you try these for yourself.



Peacock Gloves (Memphis Fingerless Gloves)



These were made according to the gauge and look small but actually fit quite well.


I'm actually making another pair of the Peacock gloves for myself. The color is just gorgeous and the yarn is so silky to the touch.

My mother's birthday is just around the corner. DH and I are moving on my mother's birthday so I've decided it was crazy of me to attempt to sew anything for her. I've been working on a cowl. She just might get that as a present instead.

My sister-in-law liked the baby Converse I made for her son. I think they are pretty cute too but I cursed throughout the construction process so I won't be making those again.

It's moving time.  DH has politely reminded me several times that the moving truck is coming in a week so I need to wrap up my projects and start packing.  Honestly, I'd rather struggle with a poorly fitted muslin than pack and organize our belongings.  We're off to a better place and hopefully a promising next chapter in our lives so I guess I'll quite griping.

I'll post next time from our new home.
--Julie

Rihanna at the Grammys

(www.huffingtonpost.com)


(Photo credit: laurieire on Photobucket)

If Rihanna had used a 3-ply roll, she could've finished the dress.

Still hookin'

Still hookin' with a crochet hook (not on the street).

I'm almost finished with crocheting my sister's presents.  I'll post them after February 22 so she doesn't get a sneak peek on this site.  I was searching the web for some free patterns and stumbled on some crochet blogs.  Some are so funny that I almost spit out my lunch because I was laughing so hard.  I have also found tons of amigurumi patterns online.  I'll admit I'm fascinated by the amigurumi technique.  Granted, many items fall into the why-would-you-bother category but others would make great gag gifts or fun toys for kids.  I'll hold onto the why-bother patterns for my later years.  My goal is to be the crazy lady on the block with purple hair, ridiculous housecoats and 20 cats.  Wouldn't a collection of crocheted tea cups and vegetable/fruit platters fit in nicely?

But I digress...the award for "So Funny I Almost Peed" goes to....

What Not to Crochet

Seriously, check that site out.  Who would crochet this stuff?!!

If you are looking for amigurumi patterns, this site delivers on a regular basis:  Free Amigurumi Patterns
Granted, there are some why-bother and what-the-hell patterns, but I enjoy browsing nonetheless. 

In case you're wondering if I've forgotten that this is a sewing blog, I haven't.  My mother, who doesn't read my blog or even know what a blog is, will probably receive some sewn tops/jackets from me for her birthday.  (Notice the word "probably"--gives me a an easy out if I fall behind and can't produce the gifts on time.)

I have a huge stash of fabric to purge but it just occurred to me that several of those fabrics, although not in good colors for me, are of good quality and possibly in better colors for my mother. 

My mother is a fan of baggie tops that fall below her hips and she loves turtlenecks and oversized button-front blouses.  It's difficult to sew clothes to fit someone who lives too far away to be available for an actual fitting.  I guess I'm lucky she prefers baggie clothes to fitted ones.  There were several contenders for her birthday present but I have narrowed it down to two.


Butterick 5467


View C is basically what she loves to wear but it doesn't have buttons and it is a tad shorter.  Somehow wearing a shirt open looks better when it doesn't have buttons, therefore, it is a jacket.  I have a pretty pink poplin or a light blue with white stripe broadcloth-like fabric to use for this.

Butterick 5254


Love, love, love this pattern!  Several different fabrics are suitable for this, including fleece.  I have a charcoal gray and a navy fleece; both with just enough yardage to pull off view A or view D.  I'd like to use a nice wool but I promised myself (and my husband) that I would shop from my stash only.  The pink poplin and blue broadcloth are also from my stash.  Heck, I even have threads, buttons, and interfacing!!

Keeping my fingers crossed that I finish at least one of these tops.  It would be nice to actually show you some sewing progress.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

-Julie