Modern Take on the Granny Square

Is it me, or is the granny square (kind of) back in?

Just me? Well anyway,

I wanted to work on a new project awhile back (while pregnant) that I could do sitting/laying down/being lazy

and also that I could pick up and bring with me anywhere.

I toyed with the idea of doing a hexy quilt like Jodi… but you know… it seemed a little too daunting at the time, so I landed on this granny square afghan. 

My inspiration and granny square pattern came from this post of a BEAUTIFUL rainbow blanket by Tangled Happy.

You can find the crochet pattern here.

I should also mention that the inspiration blanket was made with really gorgeous purl soho fibers, and you can even buy a kit here.

But here is my take on it.

I used a thicker yarn and larger needle and used fewer colors, opting out of the pinks and purples since I wanted to use this in the boys' room.

My fiber choice was Vickie Howell's "sheepish" collection by Caron.

They are nice bold colors and super soft.

The inside of the squares are the following colors: Gunmetal, Grey, Navy, Robin Egg, Turquoise, Teal, Red, Coral, Pumpkin, Yellow, Olive, Chartreuse, and Lime.

The border of each square is White (which is really an off white). I also used that to crochet my squares together.

This turned out to be a fairly large blanket. I hate it when blankets don't cover your whole self.

So all in all I used about two skeins of each color, and a heck of a lot of the white (I lost count, but maybe around 9 or 10?).

As mentioned above, I love granny squares because they're portable. Just my yarn and a crochet hook (size H/8-5.00mm), and I was set. You also don't have to bring the whole project with you to keep working.

I'm stoked with the way it turned out.

It just invites you to relax and have some more coffee, am I right?

Speaking of…

Until next time!

Another Milestone: Sewing Garments

Was anyone else out there totally inspired and motivated by Kids' Clothes Week

a few weeks ago?

I certainly was, and if you follow me on Pinterest or Instagram,

you've probably noticed that I've been somewhat addicted to finding some simple garments to sew

in order to boost my confidence in the pattern department.

For some reason kids' clothes seem so much less intimidating.

Luckily, I found these bubble shorts by Elegance and Elephants.

Not much needs to be said.

They are beyond cute and also beyond easy.

(!!!)

Which means they were perfect for my first try at sewing a real garment.

The pattern also comes with a variation for sailor style button front, which is so incredibly adorable, I can hardly stand it. That may be next on my list.

I don't have any female offspring, so I've been churning these shorts out for my nieces and Ben's little lady friend, Lucy.

I also found a free pattern for this toddler swing tank.

I added the peter pan collar with some extra fabric I had left over from the shorts.

For the shorts, I opted for a linen blend which gave me the look of linen, but more ease of care,

and the shirt is a quilting weight cotton print (both from Joann).

Super cute, right?

This endeavor went so well, I'm actually considering sewing something boy-friendly for my own child! haha.

I'll keep you posted.

Embroidered Sampler- It's Finished!

and FRAMED no less!

I can hardly believe it myself.

It only took me... ahem... a year...

anywho, it's complete, and I love it, and that's what matters.

I found this pattern when I was visiting my mom.

I had decided before the trip that I wasn't going to take any projects...

and after 2 days of that, I ventured over to Barnes and Noble and found this sampler in a magazine of all places.

I'm not a huge fan of most cross stitch patterns.

They're either too granny or too bizarre.... BTW have you seen some of the super geek patterns on Etsy? Ain't no body got time for that.

Actually, a lot of people obviously do if the abundance of star trek cross stitch patterns is any indication... but I digress...

This one is from a magazine called "Just Cross Stitch". I know, I'm chuckling to myself as I type this...

Anyway, it's the May/June 2012 Issue,

and yes, the back issues are available if you love this sampler.

Be forewarned, however, this magazine has it's fair share of kitsch (sorry "Just Cross Stitch" lovers!)

Details: "Peace Sampler"

designed by Carol Emmer

using 6 stranded embroidery floss

I used a 28 count dark linen (a little darker than what is called for, but I love. See note below).

So, things I loved:

The look of an older sampler mixed with some modern touches.

The color combination. You could, of course, pick your own colors, but I loved the selection that was provided.

The bees. I freaking love bees.

The variety of stitches. Some diversity but still doable for a beginner (in addition to a traditional cross stitch, it uses a Algerian Eye, Rhodes stitch, four-sided stitch, and a rice stitch).

The Scripture verse (Numbers 6:24-26) which is also often used as a Catholic blessing.

Things I didn't like:

The pattern calls for 32 count linen which is just a tad small for me, so I subbed a 28 count which made it larger overall, but I'm happy with it.

The pattern also called for some beading. I'm not a bead person, so I subbed french knots (I am definitely a french knot person) and I think it came out even better. Not to mention, I didn't have to buy beads.

So overall, I really enjoyed this long-term project.

As the linen settles, I'll keep stretching it out a bit to get rid of the rest of those wrinkles,

but I have to say, it already looks pretty handsome in my dining room.

Mommy Poppins Bag [Pattern Test and Review]

When the lovely Jodi over at Sew Fearless asked me to test her new pattern for this here bag,

there was little hesitation.

My actual thought in response to her email was, "omg... okay so wait at least 5 minutes before you respond or she'll think you're a total stalking freak."

You see, Jodi made her first Mommy Poppins Bag what feels to me like FOREVER ago,

and I've been borderline coveting it ever since.

(Okay, NOW she'll think I'm a total stalking freak.)

Anywayz... I've used Jodi's patterns before for my nephew's Christmas gift Pajama Eaters (link to pattern here),

and for Ben's Sidekick Suitcase (link to pattern here), which I have to say we use about every weekend.

Jodi is super talented sewing things herself, but she really shines in the clarity of her patterns.

The directions are not only thorough, but there are plenty of pics alongside.

PLUS, whenever I've had a problem, she always obliges me with a quick and helpful tip.

Monday marked the release of this new pattern, and if you head over to Sew Fearless,

which I strongly suggest you do, you can enter (this week) her giveaway for some free bag patterns and one lucky person will win all the necessary hardware (my favorite part).

So the details:

The Mommy Poppins Bag is a nice roomy handled bag with a "carpet bag" style closure at the top.

It has four, count em FOUR good sized pockets on the interior in addition to the main compartment, as well as two exterior pockets, one featuring a nice accent flap.

I used this geometric print from Joann's for my main fabric.

I chose that first, loved it, and then chose my accents from there.

The brown corduroy seemed to match nicely, and then I got a little funky with the floral print for the lining. 

I know, I'm crazy like that.

The pattern includes directions for attaching the handles to the D rings by sewing, which I had originally planned to do as I have never riveted anything before,

but once I got started and saw how everything was coming along...

I just knew.

I knew the way you know about a good melon.

Had to rivet.

And I'm beyond happy with the results.

I had a hard time finding double capped rivets (without waiting ions of 2 days for delivery), so I ended up with single capped rivets, and I just made sure to the put the capped side on the exterior of the handles.

All in all, I LOVE this bag, and the pattern was a nice new challenge for me, but not so difficult that I got frustrated. For those of you who know me or have been following the blog for awhile, you'll know that I'm somewhat pattern illiterate.

In my opinion, though, this pattern reads more like a lot of online tutorials than a pattern you would find at the store, but with much more clarity than many tutorials. Best of both worlds.

So give it a shot!

If I can do you, SEW can you!

See what I did there?

Cabled Cowl [Knitting Pattern]

I mentioned a couple weeks ago that I was sucked in to the Downton Abbey Knit Along,

and then in my excitement proceeded to crochet (and finish) my project in the very first episode.










All has ended well, though,
because I started a new project,
knitting this time.



















I was in the mood to knit,
and more specifically,
make a project that included some cabling.

So here's how it turned out!

If you've been following along, you'll notice that this pattern is very similar to my cabled wrap.
Another project which I love and wear all. the. time.

 

Reasons I like this project:





It's cabled (I love cables).

It's toasty warm.








It's long enough that you can wear it long like in this pic
(blurry, yes, but you get the point)









lazy eye

or you can wear it doubled up for super warmth.











So here's what you'll need:
Yarn (duh). I used less than one skein fisherman's wool (medium/4)
Size  9 (5.5 mm) circular knitting needles
cable needle
yarn needle to weave in ends

Abbrevs:
st- stitch(es)
rnd(s)- round(s)
K- knit
P- purl
C6B- place 6 st on cable needle and place at the back of your work, K6, K the 6 st on your cable needle


Cast on 144 stitches. Join the end to the beginning so you have a loop.
Rnd 1: Knit
Rnd 2: Purl
Rnd 3: Knit
Rnd 4: Purl
Rnds 5-19: *P4, K12, P4, K16, repeat from * around until you reach the beginning (4x total)
Rnd 20: *P4, C6B, P4, K16, repeat from * around until you reach the beginning (4x total)
Rnds 21-32:*P4, K12, P4, K16, repeat from * around until you reach the beginning (4x total)

Repeat Rnds 20-32 twice more (you will have cabled this sequence three times total).
Next 15 rnds: *P4, K12, P4, K16, repeat from * around until you reach the beginning (4x total)
Next rnd: Purl
Next rnd: Knit
Next rnd: Purl
Next rnd: Knit
Last round: Cast off and weave in ends.

Boom. Finished.

Downton Abbey Knit Along {and Pattern Review}

I saw the teaser for Luv In the Mommyhood's

Downton Abbey Knit Along

a couple of weeks ago, and I wasn't going to do it.

I really wasn't.

Too much going on....

But then on TOP of the teaser,

Shannon posted (via a Pinterest board) many a Downton inspired knit and crocheted projects,

and I saw this:

photo credit and pattern

I die.

Here's my finished product

Soooooo..... I'm in.

Put Meg down for one crocheted cowl, please.

because, yes, I need another cowl.

I have to be competely honest with you all, though...

We're only one episode in, and in my excitement...

I already finished.

In my defense, it was a 2 hour ep... sooo....

I know, I know. Less of a "knit along" and more of an "I just knit that".

Oh well. What are you gonna do?

The good news is

I. Love. This.

Love the yarn.

Love the pattern.

Very very simple and quick thanks to all of the negative space that makes this cowl look lacey.

It's a less than one skein project (hooray!)

The one con I can think of:

not exactly practical for Pittsburgh winter... but Spring Still Winter is just around the corner, right?

I believe that the yarn in the pattern is an acrylic.
I chose a natural wool because I don't always like how some acrylics are "slippery" when you're working with them.
You'll see right off the bat that there are some pros to working with an acrylic yarn for this pattern.
Because it's smoother, it lays a little more nicely (see pattern pic above).
You can also see the stitches more clearly, giving the pattern a more gentile, lacey look.

And here's some pics from the unintentionally
patriotic photo shoot

The wool is stiffer, which I don't mind at all.
It also has a rougher feel, which I also don't mind.
While I love the look of the pattern's pic, I don't know that I'll be wearing mine with a tank, so the wool will not really be against my skin.

To get this crochet pattern, click here.

Highly recommend.

To check in to the knit along and see what everyone else is up to, click this there button below.


Flower Newborn Hat {Crochet Pattern}

Wow! A lot of you have been trying out the newborn slippers,

and I'm so glad to hear it.

Always nice to know that I'm not typing all this out for my own sake

(although I guess that would be fine too).

 

And many of you have asked for the pattern for the matching hat.

Welp! Here it is!

 

If you've made the slippers, you'll find this hat super easy.

 

This is the size of hat that I give for moms-to-be at showers,

and I call it a "newborn" hat,

but those of you that know anything about newborn heads

know that they can vary greatly,

but no worries!

I think you'll find that this pattern is easy to add/subtract stitches to make the size you need.

 

So here we go:

 

I use a medium weight 100% cotton yarn and a 5 mm (size J) crochet hook.

*This one is Bernat 'Cottontots' in White and Pretty in Pink

 

I like the cotton because it's good for sensitive skin and it's nice and soft.

Cotton fibers don't stretch quite as much as some others, but if you've not worked with 100% cotton before, you'll acclimate quickly. I promise.

 

Abbreviations:

st- stitch

ch- chain

sc- single crochet

hdc- half double crochet

dc- double crochet

bpsc- back post single crochet

sl st- slip stitch

 

With Color A (mine was white), chain 3 and join to make a loop.

*you'll be making the hat by working around and around this loop.

Round 1: ch 2, 10 hdc in loop, sl st to join. (10 st)

Round 2: ch 2, 2 hdc in each st around, sl st to join. (20 st)

Round 3: ch 2, 2 hdc in next st, hdc in next st, continue in this manner around, sl st to join. (30 st)

Round 4: ch 2, 2 hdc in next st, hdc in next 2 st, continue in this manner around, sl st to join. (40 st)

Rounds 5 through 10- ch 2, hdc in each st around, sl st to join.

Rounds 11 through 12- switch to Color B (mine was pink), ch 2, hdc in each st around, sl st to join. bind off.

 

With Color B (for flower), chain 3, join making a loop.

*you'll also be working in the round for the flower.

Round 1: ch 1, 10 sc in the loop, sl st to join to your first sc.

Round 2: ch 1, sc in same st, ch 3, skip 1 sc, sc in the next st (one petal), continue around in this manner to make 5 petals total. For your last petal, after you ch 3, sl st to the first sc to join.

Round 3: ch 1, 5 dc in loop, ch 1, sl st in next sc, continue in this manner around for all 5 petals.

Round 4: ch 1, bpsc around the post of the sc from round 2, ch 5, continue in this manner around for 5 back petals. sl st to join.

Round 5: ch 1, 8 dc in the loop, ch 1, sl st in the next sc, continue in this manner around for all 5 back petals. bind off.

 

Attach your flower to your hat and weave in your ends.

Done and done!

 

 



Crocheted Mickey Mouse [Pattern Review]

So I promised some of you that I would have this up yesterday, but then I fell down some stairs (I wish I was kidding), slightly injured my tailbone,

and the thought of sitting at my desk literally made me throw up in my mouth.

I know. You don't care, so here's the actual post:

I got a request for a crocheted Mickey Mouse a week or so ago,

and thought it would be fun, so what the hey.

Only problem was, I've been waaaaay too busy with saint dolls to sit down and work out the pattern myself.

Luckily for me, I found this gem.

I mean, come on... the tail!

This Etsy shop has a TON of crochet patterns for all of your favorite characters

(I'm basically coveting this Paddington Bear),

and if they're half as nice as this one for Mickey,

I would highly recommend them.

This guy turned out great, thanks to some really clear instructions and simple crochet stitches.

While it's perhaps not for the crochet beginner,

it's not as difficult as it looks,

and if you can follow a simple pattern,

know your single, double, half double, and single decreases,

you are good. to. go.

The pattern maker hails from Hong Kong, but the directions were in perfect English

and although I wasn't able to use the exact yarn and hook size she uses,

it still came out great.

This was due largely to the fact that she uses measurements by stitch count and not just centimeters.

Therefore, I'm fairly certain that you can adjust this pattern to any size by changing the weight of the yarn and using the appropriately sized hook.

Body Parts. Creepy.

Anywho, here are some pics of how it all came together.

Facial Parts. Also kind of creepy.

Now he's coming together.

Almost finished.

*I was in no way compensated for this review. I paid for it fair and square, so you can be sure of my unbiased opinion, and it is just that... an opinion. I simply found this pattern, tried it, liked it, and and now recommending it. :)

See ya next time, folks!

Crocheted Newborn Slippers

I got an order a couple of days ago for some newborn slippers and hat.

Sounds pretty simple (and it eventually turned out to be).

After all, I have made plenty of slippers before,

but not newborn.

I was a little stumped on the sizing,

until I remembered that I had Ben's footprint from moments after he was born.

It's hard for me to believe that his feet were ever that small,

but there it is: proof.

From there, I was able to re size my pattern fairly easily to make these happen.

So small... sigh...

Anyway, scroll all the way down to find the pattern if you're interested,

and please let me know if anything is unclear

so I can correct it.

For those of you who don't crochet,

I'll be having these "take home" sets available in my Etsy shop in the coming weeks.

And Maria, if you're reading this:

thanks for the order

(and the motivation to figure these slippers out),

and more importantly, CONGRATULATIONS.

:)

Newborn Slippers Crochet Pattern:

Abbreviations:

CH- chain stitch

SL ST- slip stitch

SC- single crochet

HDCD- half double crochet decrease

For the Slippers:

I used a medium weight (4) 100% cotton yarn and a US H/8 (5 mm) crochet hook.
(please note that I reversed the colors for the pictures below, using pink for the slipper and white for hte flower)

*This has been edited and I've added pictures since the original post due to so many comments that y'all were having a difficult time. Thanks for letting me know!
And special shout out to my reader, Katelin, who helped me immesely by simplifying the pattern! I hope it helps!

CH 10
 

Row 1: Skip first chain, SC in next 8 chains, 3 SC in final chain.

 

turn,*you're now going to SC in next 7 st along the back side of the chain,

2 SC in last st. SL ST to join.

Row 2: CH1, SC in next 8 st

2 SC in next st, SC 1, 2 SC in next st

SC in next 8 st, 2 SC in last st, SL ST to join.

Row 3: CH1, SC in next 9 st, 2 SC in next st, SC in next st, 2 SC in next st, SC in next 9 st, 2 SC in next 2 sts, SL ST to join.
 

 

Row 4: CH 1, SC in the BACK of each st around (see pic below), SL ST to join (you will have 27 sts total).

See the two threads that you would normally stitch through?
You're just going to stitch through the back one.

See?

You'll now have the sole of the slipper with a little rim around the bottom.

Starting to take shape, yes?

Row 5: CH 1, SC in next 12 st, 2 HDCD (half double crochet decrease) over next 4 st
*this means you're going to be decreasing by 2,
over the four stitches at the "toe", yarn over, pull a loop through the first sc, yarn over, pull a loop through the second sc, yarn over and pull through ALL of the loops on your hook (then repeat once for the next 2 sc stitches),
SC in the next 11 sts, SL ST to join.

so now you should have a toe shape

 

Row 6: CH 1, SC in next 11 sts, 2 HDCD over next 4 st, SC in next 10 st, SL ST to join, tie off and weave in ends.
 

tah dah!

Repeat to make a second slipper.

For the Flower:

CH 4, join to make a large loop.

Within that loop, SC 1, CH 3, SC 1 into loop, CH 3, SC 1 into loop, CH 3, SC 1 into loop, CH 3, SC 1 into loop, CH 3, SL ST to first SC (five petals).

Tie off, using left over tails to attach the flower to the slipper where ever you want it. Weave in ends.

Again, I hope that's clear!

Let me know if you have questions. :)

***This just in: the pattern for the Flower Newborn Hat is up! To take a gander, click here!***