A Snail in a Pear

My latest amigurumi creation: a little snail and her pear home.

This was a lot of fun to make and my girls just love it; there is something about little containers and hiding things inside that these girls of mine just love.

Just like my bumble bee, the pattern for the snail and the pear can be found in the book Amigurumi Two: Crocheted Toys for Me and You and Baby Too.

Happy Tuesday!

An Autumn Doily

Hooray for two crafty posts in one week!

Today I am excited to show you my Autumn Doily. I began this shortly after I made my two new mandalas back in October, stashing it away in my crochet corner and working on it a bit at a time over the last few months. It was a bit tricky, this pattern, and required some serious counting and concentration, so I found that I could only work on it when I was certain I would not be interrupted.

Now this doily is quite large, a lot larger than I thought it was going to be (it measures 20 cm across). I currently have it sitting in the middle of the kitchen table and have tried placing a plant in the center but since that covers up where most of the colors are, I've decided I like how it looks without better. I may give it a more permanent home elsewhere in the house since we are always moving it on and off the table when we want to eat, do homework, craft etc. and that is becoming a little cumbersome.

My favorite thing about my doily is how the stitches and rounds work together to look like lace...so pretty.

As for my yarn choices, I only used yarn from my stash for this project. Between this project and my other stash busting creations, I have made a considerable dent in the amount of yarn I have in my cupboard. In fact I noticed yesterday that if I am going to do any more crocheting with cotton I am going to need to replenish my supplies...yarn levels are at an all time low and there is a severe shortage of color options.

You know, its funny, I never thought I would crochet a doily. I used to think they were old-fashioned and unnecessary, but my opinion has certainly changed after making this gorgeous one. It adds a little cozy to the room, a little handmade, and I love everything about that. And while I used mostly autumn colors this time, I think this pattern would work up beautifully in bright, cheerful, summer colors.

Hoot the Owl

My friend, for whom I made a little duck, also requested an owl and I was happy to oblige.

What a cute little guy he is...big owl eyes and a little beak...

To make him, I followed a pattern in my all time favorite amigurumi book; seriously this book, and the other two by the same author, are so full of crochet cuteness...if you have ever been interested in amigurumi, I would highly recommend these books. The patterns are clear and simple and the toys that you can make are adorable, as you can see here.

Here is Little Duck and Hoot together....

Finishing up these two and seeing them sitting side by side has really inspired me to make more amigurumi friends. I've earmarked the patterns that I want to do, but that is as far as it will go for now. For the next month before Christmas I need to focus on gifts that I want to make. I'll just add my amigurumi friends to my 'to make' list for the new year. Isn't it wonderful to have a lot of crafty ideas? Can you imagine how boring life would be if that was not the case?

I'm joining in with the Thistlebear Winter Project Link Party.

One Little Duck

I made a little duck for my friend to give to her daughter; her daughter loves ducks.

The pattern that I used (from this book) also included instructions for an apple hat which I made as well....because it is very cute, and what little girl does not want an accessory for her little friend.

I hope she loves it.

Of course now that my girls have seen this little duck, and my pattern book has been out on the kitchen table, I have received quite a few requests for toys that they would like....

I'll be busy crocheting...

Halloween Crochet Memories...

There is something so familiar and comforting about getting the same holiday decorations out year after year, and this seems especially true for children. My girls love to go down into the storage room, pull down the box we need, and excitedly take out the decorations that they remember so fondly from years past. Last night this happened as we got ready for Halloween, out of the box came these friends.

Wanda the Witch, Casper the Ghost, and Smiling Pumpkin Face - crochet Halloween decorations that I made years ago.

The girls remember exactly where in the house we had put each decoration the year before, they remember the games they played with them....they were so happy to see these friends reemerge for another year....

And I remember how the ghost fit so snugly in Claire's chubby three-year-old hand when she grasped it, and how delicately Bridget handled the witch after I finished it and told her how much work it had been - "it needs to be carried carefully, right Mommy" she said.

So many memories in a bit of Halloween crochet...

Crochet Stash Baskets

I've made more of these baskets than I can remember. They are simple, quick, and then when they are done, so handy for storing things in. They have become a go-to project for me when I want to make something easy and useful. And they are great for using up leftover yarn from my stash.

I made the orange and yellow one when we were on holidays this summer - on the plane and while watching my girls and their cousins swimming - it was the perfect vacation/visiting project. I don't have anything stashed away in this basket just yet, but it is only a matter of time.

I started the brown and cream one on holidays as well, but just finished it the other day. This one is destined to hold all my soaps in the bathroom cupboard. I could just put the soap in the cupboard, or put it in a plastic container, but storing it in a handmade crochet basket is so much prettier and adds a homey detail that I just love.

Now for the details should you fancy making a basket for yourself:

• Yarn: Bernat Handicrafter Cotton in Natural Ombre, Lily Cotton in Creamsicle
• Hook: size 4 
• Pattern: available here for free. 

P.S. It feels fantastic to be posting a craft project again. Do you remember when this was a craft blog and I posted one project/craft/make after another? Oh, those were the good days. I'm trying to get back to that friends....trying so hard...

Two Purses for Two Sisters

While searching for small, portable crochet projects I came across a pattern for these adorable purses.

And I knew exactly who would love them - my girls. They are all about carrying things around, dressing up and looking fancy and pretty.

Bridget – my sweet, thoughtful, kind, compassionate girl, who wants to be a fashion designer when she grows up and live in Paris, and who has always listened and followed the rules - picked purple and pink for her purse.

And Claire – who is sometimes a little shy and always a bit mischievous, who is so empathetic, who colors Cinderella’s dress green rather than blue just because she wants to, and who has the funniest facial expressions and a definite dramatic flair - picked red and yellow for her purse.

I find it interesting that these are the colors that they chose...colors that really seem to match their personalities....somewhat telling of what the future might hold, maybe?

The pattern for the purses can be found here.

Have you made anything small and cute lately? If you have, or can direct me to a great pattern, I would love to know, so please leave a link in the comments. Lessons are starting up soon which means a lot of time watching and waiting and I need to have some small crochet project in my purse, at the ready, at all times.

Chubby Bird

I just finished crocheting this chubby bird, and he really lives up to his name.

No, he is not for my girls, he is for me. 

The pattern is available here should you wish to make a chubby bird of your own.

Sunshine Pillow Ta-Dah!

Good morning!

Well today is a happy day....I have the day off work to spend with my girls, the sun is shining, and I have a finished project to show you.

Presenting my Sunshine Pillow:

Isn't it gorgeous? I am absolutely thrilled with how it turned out.

I sometimes find variegated yarn a little iffy to work with, not knowing where the colors will change as I crochet along and how that will affect the overall finished project. Well, it turned out okay here if you ask me.

My Sunshine Pillow is at home on our bed, adding a pop of yellow to an all white duvet cover (that I put on the bed a few weeks ago when I could not stand the site of our 10 year old one anymore).

Little squares of sunshine for the front:

And sunshine stripes for the back:

All that remains of my variegated yarn is a very small scrap, so in addition to its absolute gorgeousness,  I can declare this pillow another stash-busting success. My yarn bin is getting emptier and emptier...

I am certain I have said this before, but as I add another crochet creation to my home, I feel the need to shout my love for the handmade from the rooftops (well, not really) again. Since I really got crocheting again, maybe five years ago now, I cannot believe all the things that I have made, many of them for my home. I love the homespun and cozy feel all these yarn creations add, the way they reflect my personal taste, and that they are unique and one of a kind. Hooray for handmade!

Wishing you a happy day full of sunshine.

Sunshine Pillow Update

I have had a bit of time off work to start the summer and have been working on my Sunshine Pillow.

For the front, I sewed together 36 little squares of sunshine and then darned in all the ends (phew...what a job). I also added two rows of double crochet to finish off the edge neatly.

From a distance you can not even tell that it is many little squares sewn together, which then seems to surprise people when they look at it closer. And making this out of cotton, has made for a very sturdy piece of crocheted fabric. 

I decided on what to do for the back based on the amounts of yarn that I have left. I would have loved to do the entire back in the yellow-white variegated yarn, but am sure I would run out so I decided to do a stripe of the variegated followed by a stripe of white. So far so good...

I love the feeling of progress as a larger project moves along. Seeing how much I have done, thinking about and planning the next steps, working away....it all makes me so happy.

Little Yellow Squares of Sunshine

About two weeks ago, I grabbed my bag of yellow and white variegated yarn and my 4.5 mm hook and started making little granny squares.

I have had this yarn for a few years now and have made a few things with it – this basket for Claire’s fishing game and this purse – but wanted to find some other use for it.

I made square after square, they just flew off my hook, and when people asked me what I was making all these squares for I told them I was not sure....because  I really wasn't.

But as my pile of sunshine squares grew, I decided what I was going to do with them all.

I was going to make a pillow. Join all these little squares together for the front of a pillow.

I am at the joining stage right now...and then I need to sew in all those ends.

And figure out what to do for the back of the pillow.

I am calling this my Sunshine Pillow...for obvious reasons, and it is the perfect project to be working on during the summer.

Petals and Puffs Mandala

So I made another mandala.

I wasn't going to, but then I saw this pattern for a Petals and Puffs Mandala and I just could not resist.

This brings my total mandala count up to six (including the one I mailed to Yarndale and was so happy to see that it arrived safe and sound after its trip across the ocean.)

And I am now going to stop. Because I am running out of colors.

Moving on to other crochet projects....

My Ying Yang Mandala

Most mandalas I have seen are very colorful, and while I have said that my favorite part of making these circles is deciding which color to use next , I decided to try something a little different with this mandala: using only black and white yarn and alternating these two colors.

It is definitely striking, but I am undecided if I like it.

What do you think? Are the multicolored mandalas more to your liking or is a two color version something you would try?

Granny Mandala

I have another mandala to show you today.

I used more muted colors for this one, mostly because making these circles has used a considerable amount of yarn from my stash and my available color options are dwindling.

The pattern is available here.

Attic 24 Mandala

What really got me started on all this mandala making was this post.

Lucy from Attic 24 has asked people the world over to crochet a mandala and send it to her so that she can create a breathtaking wall display of mandalas for Yarndale. When I read her request I was giddy with excitement imagining how absolutely stunning such a display will look; I knew I had to be a part of this.

This is the mandala I made to send off:

The pattern is the same as this one I showed you last week, though once I finished this one, I realized that I had misread the pattern on the first mandala (nothing major, just a few too many stitches making for a larger mandala than is wanted for Yarndale).

The larger mandala has found a home under a spider plant on my dining room table.

And my contribution to Yarndale has been mailed. I am so excited to see how the display comes together, to see all the colorful crochet, and to hear from where in the world all the mandalas came from.

I currently have one mandala on my hook and several new ideas for color combinations floating around my creative mind. I know I said I wasn't going to buy any more yarn until the big yarn sale in the summer but I may need to pick up just a few small balls of cotton so that I can keep going. Because I just can not stop making these wonderful circles.

Mandala Maddness

I now completely understand the current mandala obsession in Blogland.

They are so fun to make!!!! The best part, in my opinion, is deciding which color to work the next round in. I have collected all my cotton yarn into one basket and put it at my end of the couch where I have sat this week happily working the rounds and smiling while I pick which color to use next. It has been a very happy crochet week.

I have made these two mandalas already and am currently working on my third....with thoughts of a fourth not far off.

The pattern for this one can be found here.

And this pattern can be found here.

So pretty and so much fun to make.

What A Hoot!

I finally finished this owl.

Interrupted and distracted by many other projects, it took me a long time to get it done. This girl was so patient and so happy when she finally got to hug her new friend.

I used yarn from my stash and the free pattern available here.