Candy Cane Sleeves Pattern

I have made about 3 dozen of theses in the last few weeks to go on my tree, and to us as gift tags. I have added the pattern below. I just looked at a picture I found online, and did my best to copy it.

Materials:

size 10 cotton

ribbon

candy cane.

Chain 50

Row 1: 1 hdc in second from hook, to end chain 1 turn

Row 2: sc in first two stitches *chain 5, skip 1 st, sc in next* repeat till last two sc in each, turn

Row 3. sc in first two stitches, *sc,hdc,3dc,hdc,sc, in each ch 5 loop* repeat to end, sc in last two st.

Then add a ribbon loop for hanging. I have also hotglued, bows approx. halfway down.

Christmas Ornament Diaster

I went down into the basement today, with plans to pull out my xmas ornaments and start getting ready to decorate. When I grabbed my tote of ornaments, I heard a very startling sound of broken glass. My glass ornaments were broken!!!!!

We spent most of the summer renovating our basement, and totes and boxes had been shuffled around. So, it seems that in the shuffle, our ornaments were victim. I am going to head out to the store, and by a few replacements, however, I will not be able to replace them all till after Christmas, when I can hit the sales. So, being a crafter. I am going to get busy and start making a few of my own ornaments.

I started by making some candy cane covers last night. There were great fun, and really easy to whip up. I used size 10 crochet cotton, and I am going to pick up some Christmas Ribbon from Micheal's to dress them up.

I had also being participating in Crochetville's Snowflake Mondays so I have quite a few beautiful snowflakes in red and white to go in the tree this year as well. I am sure that with a little time and some creativity, I can save the tree from looking so bare.

Is it ever going to end

I have been working on clearing out my stash. I have been working at it one tote, bag or box at a time. I have ended up refilling an empty tote with finished projects lol. Scarves for xmas gifts have been made, squares for blankets, slippers for next years donation to the hospital and so on.



I have recently come across a box full of Cotton. I never realized that I had sooooo very much of it lying around. I have made enough round clothes to make 8 more flower pots, and now I am working on just normal dishcloths. My goal had been not to move onto another bag until the one I was currently on was finished. I really don't think that I can do this with the cotton. Hopefully, I can suck it up and keep going, only 4 more big balls to go, how hard can that be???????

Where have my hooks gone?????

I have lost my crochet hooks.............not just one or two.............all of them!!!!! I keep them nicely organized in a crochet case that was once my grandmothers, and I can not find it. At first I thought I had just misplaced it, and now I discover that it is lost.

My house has been torn inside out,(and is exceptionally clean now) in my hunt for my hooks. My children and husband, have been interrogated and still nothing. I must say I am devastated. Hooks that had once been my grandmothers, and her beautiful case are gone. For 12 years I have toted that case and needles along side me, and never lost a one. Now they are all gone.

Not only do I have to deal with the lose of so special an item, I now have NO CROCHET HOOKS!!!!! I have managed to look into some of my hibernating projects and dug out a few hooks. I have a 3.5,6.5 and a 4. Now I only have to fill in the gaps.

I am off today to replace the hooks, and I hope beyond all hope that I find the hooks that mean so very much to me. If I do ever find them again, I am going to put them away where they can not get lost. My heart truly aches to know that I will never work another stitch with my gramma right there with me.

Christmas Countdown

OMG...........I just now realize that Xmas is not that far away. I have been sooo busy planning for my Xmas craft sale, that I completely forgot about my own Xmas crochet list. I have barely made a dent in my HUGE list for this year. I definitely see that some things will sadly have to go.

I am also on a wool strike, and not buying any wool (or yarn) yes I do need to specify, till November 1 YIKES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! What was I thinking so close to Xmas. I am sure I am going to need to start attending some sort of Crafters Anonymous meetings.

So here I am stuck about 86 days away from Xmas, a huge list of projects, and banned from buying and wool. (or yarn). I do have a pretty impressive stash (hence the need for the strike) however I know for a fact that I would really need to buy some specific types and colours for a few of my bigger projects.

Also in my need to reduce, I am trying to whip up as many one skein projects as possible as I seem to have a huge tote full of 1 skeins. It seems that I tend to be cautious when buying for a project and always over estimate, then when I finish, the extra all goes into the OVERFLOW tote, that is now litterally overflowing. Hopefully I can find some quick and easy projects to help use this up, and at the same time fill the void for some of my Xmas list.

Well enough chatting about my predicament.............time to hunt down some patterns!

Christmas Inspiration

With the Christmas Craft sale just around the corner, I have been frantically adding some last touches to my inventory. Dishclothes are always a good bet. It never fails whenever I attend a sale, that I come home empty handed of dishclothes. Tired of making the same ole pattern, I went on a search, and found a picture of a Dishcloth flower pot. I figured to myself how hard could that be.

I looked for some round dishcloth patterns, and never found one that quite fit what my mind saw. So I played around and came up with two patterns that I just love. I folded, and then rolled the clothes, and placed them into a glass bowl. I just love how they turned out. I am hoping to have a few more made for the sale. I hope they go over well.

De Stashing

I have finally started the dreaded task of destashing.............I almost do not like even saying it. However it is a necessary evil to make way for new wool. In the last 4 days, I have managed to get rid of 7 balls of wool. BIG Balls!!!!!!!! I am made a lapgan for both girls using double strands....It was a fine and very satisfying way to use up some yarn. I have also managed a start for xmas gifts.......3 scarves are finished, with hats to match in the works. I have also started a happy scrappy granny square, for all the odds of yarn I just can not part with. It is being worked, in double strand, and using a 10mm hook. I just keep joining a new colour when one runs out. It is actually looking pretty good. I think I will keep it at work when it is all finished.

I still have more yarn to de stash however, I truly do have a great sense of accomplishment getting as much as I have busted.

Amigurmi Crazy

I have been wanting to try my hand at making an Amigurmi for some time now, and always found something else to make. Well after seeing a girl at work make the most adorable little witch, I had to give it a whirl. I found an easy pattern for a pretty shapeless creature from Lion Heart and went to work. It turned out to be very cute, with two dd, I had to make two of the same, and by the time I finished the second one, I must say I am thorughly hooked. My DD, has found a new best friend in her little Ami Gurl..........

I am currently on the hunt for another easy pattern for more practice before tackling the Witch. I think my biggest obsticle will be refraining from giving everyone I make to my dd's.

Crochet Poem

With hook in hand
wool by my side
I settle in
for a productive night

Not a though in my mind
Not a care in the world,
Just as long as my yarn
is not twisted or torn.

Slippers or socks,
pillow or bag
one never knows how
an item will be tagged

Christmas is a coming!!

Well the holidays always seem to have a way of sneaking up on me...so I am trying to get a head start on some of my projects. I had seen some pics of some beaded garland, with crocheted lace around it. I am a big fan of red on my tree, as all my ornaments are red, with white lights.......sooo I dug through my xmas boxes, and dug out some of my red beaded garland, and started on my lace. I was not prepared for the hours of labour that would be involved, but man was it ever worth it!!! I had come across some patterns however I made mine following my own pattern. Each strand is a little different, and I am sure that these will make awesome items to hand down to the kids!

Dishclothes and Tawashis

Tawashis! They have become an excellent outlet for my creative juices. I love the versitility of them. Round, Square, foot print............the list is endless. It even makes doing dishes seem more fun when you get to us a cute scrubber. I have been making these little cuties by the dozen, and stashing them away for some unexpected craft sale, that I just know the school will have some day.

However not everyone shares my appreciation of Tawashis. My mother in law thinks it is absolutely riddiculos to wash her dishes with a flower. She was a big fan of the knitted dishclothes. Constantly I was being asked to make her another couple of dishclothes. Now dont get me wrong, I don't mind knitting however crocheting is my true passion. One night while at work, with a list of dishclothes needing to be knitting, I realized that I had left my needles at home. Desperate for something to do and with only cotton on hand I started crocheting some very simple dishclothes. Just a dozen and a half rows of hdc, and I was done. Well I just whipped though a pile of them in no time. Quite proud of the results, I treked on to my darling mother in law, crocheted(not knitted) dishclothes in hand, and does she just love them!! Now I do not mind as much when I hear..........."You know I could use a few new dishclothes" (personally I think she is selling them on the side.....one little ole lady should not have that many dishes I tell you. And if she truely does, maybe a dishwasher would be a great xmas gift.)

Preemie Hats and Booties

Growing up I was inspired by my Grandmother.  She was always there for me, and was always giving something back.  Every year on her birthday, she would take a trip to the local hospital, and drop of a years worth of preemie hats and booties.  She had been doing this since the year after I was born, ( I was a preemie). 

In her memory I have started doing the same thing.  I have used a few patterns that I have found online, and have created a few of my own.  I will be adding my own patterns here as I get them written.   Hopefully you will use them to share with your local hospital.

Here is a picture of just one type of the booties I am currenly working on.  I had debated on leaving the backs on these ones open so there was room for an I.V.  but at the last minute decided other wise.

Dolls Clothes Revisited

Well my girls have had me at it.........More doll clothes. The trouble is now they are enjoying the new outfits that I believe they are purposely hiding previously made outfits so I can make more. One baby doll has had three outfits already. I think it is now time to put an end to this and just make outfits and put them away for Christmas. I am thinking about putting together a chest of outfits , one for each daughter, with a new baby doll. I just know that they are into dolls enough that I think they will appreciate this. I will add some pics of the outfits as they are made to this link.

Slippers for Charity

I have been working on making 30 pairs of slippers to be donated to the local hospital for Christmas. The ladies auxiliary provides gifts for the patients in long term care, and to help them out each gift will contain a pair of slippers. So far I have 11 pairs made, and still counting. I have been working on them exclusively while I am at work. Most nights I can get a min. of 3 pairs made, on a great night I have made 4.

I had a hard time finding a pattern that I enjoyed making, so I made one up as I went. I added additional stitches for men's sizes. They work up really quick and easy, and a great way to use up my stash . Please let me know if there are any errors, this is the first pattern I have put down in writing.

Materials

Scraps of worsted weight yarn

4.50mm hook

fits 7-9 women

add add 2 stitches to starting rnd and continue to as follow for men's

(worked in rounds)

Rnd 1. Chain 3, work 7 hdc in starting chain, (Ch 3 counts as starting stitch throughout) join with slip stitch to top of chain three, (8 hdc in rnd)

Rnd 2. chain 2, work hdc in same stitch, *1hdc in next st, 2hdc in next* repeat around, join with slip stitch to top of chain two,

Rnd 3. chain 2, hdc in same stitch, * 1 hdc in next 2 st, 2hdc in next st* repeat around, join with slip stitch to top of chain two.

Rnd 4. Work in hdc in stitch around, join with slip stitch to top of chain two.

Rnd 5-8 repeat row 4

Rnd 9. work hdc around leaving 5 hdc unworked. chain 2 and turn(no longer worked in rounds)

repeat round 9 until foot reaches desired length. end and sew up the heel (approx 11 rows for a womens size 7-9)

Cuff

Join with contrasting colour, in the first of the unworked hdc from round 8. chain 2 work hdc in each of the five hdc, and continue around the sides and back of slippers. Join with a slip stitch in the top of the chain 2.

Rnd 2. chain 1work sc in each stitch around, join with slip stitch into top of chain. end.

Doll Clothes Bonanza

I have started making doll clothes for my DD's many naked dolls. Heaven knows how long they will stay on, however it is a great way to us odd and ends of wool. After searching for patterns, for various sized dolls, I decided to just make them for each doll as I went. Here is the first of hopefully many outfits for the girls. I may even try to make a few to put away for Christmas.

This was made in white and blue Red Heart Super Saver. Left over from a blanket I whipped up on my Kniffty Knitter Loom. The waist of the dress was crocheted around a thick hair elastic. The poncho was done is strips, then crocheted around for the added lenght.