tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-150340692024-03-07T13:46:59.482-10:00Crochet & BreastmilkSabrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13746486966764162127noreply@blogger.comBlogger166125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15034069.post-13453209612016305572008-08-06T13:57:00.002-10:002008-08-06T14:02:17.590-10:00My dears, I am moving.I'm porting all of my posts from this blog over here: <a href="http://mrsmorse.wordpress.com/">Sabra Crochets</a>.<br /><br />I love Blogger, and I am not leaving altogether. I still post on Trailer Park Paradise quite regularly. It is just that, as much as I have loved this blog and love it still, I cannot bring myself to come back to it. (Which makes moving the posts kinda weird, but it seemed right at the time.)<br /><br />Please visit me again, and on the off chance you've linked to me, please update your link.<br /><br />Thanks.Sabrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13746486966764162127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15034069.post-82912264482077554042007-10-30T09:59:00.000-10:002007-10-30T10:02:11.255-10:00A brief note.It's not the reason why I took a break from this blog, but I lost the baby. I have the urge to work out my feelings with hook and yarn, but there is nothing that comes to mind. I believe this pregnancy will be memorialized as much in unfinished projects as anything--I cannot bear to look at the baby blanket I was crocheting up until the day I got the news, nor the skirt I started to occupy my hands in the hospital. For now, it's enough. I'll be able to work something more eventually.<br /><br />If you're at all curious as to what's been going on, there are a few more posts over at my other blog, Trailer Park Paradise, which you can get to by clicking on my profile picture.Sabrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13746486966764162127noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15034069.post-30964138722159889762007-09-10T15:41:00.000-10:002007-09-10T15:42:36.286-10:00HiatusMuch as I wish it were otherwise, I am having some serious IRL issues right now, so I need to take a break from all my blogging.<br /><br />Anyone who reads this, please pray for my daughters.Sabrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13746486966764162127noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15034069.post-21563419672510077052007-08-29T10:08:00.000-10:002007-08-29T10:23:09.667-10:00Finally!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYitYMomFLes2hO17PqajSCATrSUdAY5JyPv2eFspR0VsB5xKY8yJJQ2is94CIDgw_sxrXEbyviGiMEzI27OfL0eN4Fuar5-4P-d5Wa40Z6bGnqjYeFFBcAptHwppJUbZacXOtJA/s1600-h/boy+outfit.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYitYMomFLes2hO17PqajSCATrSUdAY5JyPv2eFspR0VsB5xKY8yJJQ2is94CIDgw_sxrXEbyviGiMEzI27OfL0eN4Fuar5-4P-d5Wa40Z6bGnqjYeFFBcAptHwppJUbZacXOtJA/s400/boy+outfit.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5104217185492767794" border="0" /></a><br />I was starting to think I'd never get it done!<br /><br />The shorts were simple, though I did make them more difficult than they really needed to be when I was trying to figure it out.<br /><br />Then I spent a flippin' long amount of time trying to figure out what I wanted to do for a shirt. I'd first intended to crochet the whole thing, but I just wasn't making any progress on that, so I finally took a onesie and crocheted a turtle motif (yes, my own pattern) to sew on it.<br /><br />The booties are a variation of the ones I made for a girl, and the hat's just a tube I crocheted the top of closed. (Yes, I wanted it to look like that.)<br /><br />Very simple, and it all took perhaps half a 6oz skein of sport weight yarn (including several false starts that I simply cut loose & gave to the kids to play with).<br /><br />So, for all this, I am done! I'm going to consider the hexagonal blanket I made a while ago as being for the new baby (this is how much I hate making blankets), and anything else from here on out will just be for fun.Sabrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13746486966764162127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15034069.post-33945644727186742682007-08-26T19:20:00.000-10:002007-08-26T19:26:07.590-10:00Absolute sillinessConversations over at Mama Drama about what to give a breast-obsessed child for her first birthday and the butt obsession my own kids seem to have led to someone joking that I should knit my kids a butt for their birthday.<br /><br />Of course, I don't knit. So what I came up with was this:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcjaliVIa8EMWh2ylU_sgXAeJzV0lGmxuyCXnAkkFdDBFt7nJ57uyRCc7vFn7RRxSlj5kZZJn8oAVmgnO2XjIuC8V8sBFHWNhcRhyphenhyphenGgND83cOeQa50l8H04-fe7IIPYU5BAviy5Q/s1600-h/butt+1+small.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcjaliVIa8EMWh2ylU_sgXAeJzV0lGmxuyCXnAkkFdDBFt7nJ57uyRCc7vFn7RRxSlj5kZZJn8oAVmgnO2XjIuC8V8sBFHWNhcRhyphenhyphenGgND83cOeQa50l8H04-fe7IIPYU5BAviy5Q/s400/butt+1+small.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5103246269480801314" border="0" /></a>This, of course, is a butt-shaped bean bag. This is what happens when I am bored and in an ornery mood. I crochet rear-ends. (Well, actually, this is the only one I plan on ever making.)<br /><br />I'm a little scared by how quickly my mind solved the "how do I crochet a butt" conundrum. Answer? Make two hemispheres, whipstitch them together partially (then put another line of stitching further down, to hold the halves together), and then crochet around the unused stitches to bring it together & finish it off as one piece.<br /><br />I filled it with good ol' Texas pinto beans, which adds another layer to the joke.<br /><br />Sigh. Still no progress in the boy's shirt field, but should the little tyke be born assless, I know what to do for a prosthesis.Sabrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13746486966764162127noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15034069.post-38817056514951863272007-08-23T10:43:00.001-10:002007-08-23T10:44:53.600-10:00I am not feeling the love.Though I have made a cute little pair of shorts in case I have a boy, I haven't yet been able to make a shirt. I'm just not feeling it. Sigh. Hopefully things will clear up soon.Sabrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13746486966764162127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15034069.post-59652924543476076632007-08-14T07:41:00.001-10:002007-08-14T08:02:17.926-10:00Whoa, I lost about a week there.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibvaxyhT8GIQVYOQW6oeg-f4Id1fri463TWgQcob2daVii8cEw3UyhyphenhyphenkQ0KdDw5q_-GOJxOG8nTw2BqSIY-LUrI8ptodWxIc99y6gx96wuAgJfh6jgVFYbZKlD6SkG6y3uYy-eTQ/s1600-h/welcome+girl+outfit+1.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibvaxyhT8GIQVYOQW6oeg-f4Id1fri463TWgQcob2daVii8cEw3UyhyphenhyphenkQ0KdDw5q_-GOJxOG8nTw2BqSIY-LUrI8ptodWxIc99y6gx96wuAgJfh6jgVFYbZKlD6SkG6y3uYy-eTQ/s400/welcome+girl+outfit+1.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5098613081918353458" border="0" /></a>This is a photo of the completed baby girl outfit. I had almost all of it done within I'd say 48 hours of finding out I was pregnant, but then the first wave of morning sickness knocked me on my rear and I spent a week dozing on my cousin's couch. (Bless you, Maggie.) I finally felt well enough today to do the tiny bit of work it took to finish the hat.<br /><br />I don't really have a pattern for the dress. As you can tell from looking at it, I basically crocheted a skirt onto the bottom of a wrap-front shirt.<br /><br />How I did it: I made a chainless single crochet band a bit longer than I thought I'd need, tacked down the starting end of it, then carefully sewed it to the bottom of the shirt (finding out along the way that you <span style="font-style: italic;">really</span> need to snap this kind of shirt closed first), then unraveled the extra. Second round was single crochet again, then next round got into my lace pattern. I believe this is called the fantail stitch. I was doing it (or a modified version thereof) from memory rather than my stitch pattern book. The first round of it was the fantail (9 alternate double crochets in one stitch), skip 2, single crochet, skip 2 around. This wasn't even, but it made a nicely full skirt in the end. After that initial round I went into the normal lace pattern. It's a 2-round repeat, basically like so: rnd 2 of the pattern is a single crochet in the middle (5th) stitch of the fantail, then chain 4, double crochet in the single crochet, chain 4 around. Then the next fantail round is to work the fantail in the single crochet, skip the chains, & single crochet in the double crochet.<br /><br />If memory serves, the original fantail stitch in my copy of <span style="font-style: italic;">300 Crochet Stitches</span> is actually something like 13 trebles instead of 9 alternate double crochets. I've never found it to be really workable in its original form, since trebles take me so blasted long to do, so I was happy to come up with this variation.<br /><br />I'm thinking of flattening it out to make a blanket, but I'm generally not too fond of openwork blankets. We shall see.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoBJdI9A9cvYSN2lwYQTNf-bXpHR4c2gjcAcjWJpmMJ8XjL1Bq0S7oGIT_FeQoeYryaUW20ZB3oBxofGmaqJIpzVtYBD3ibmFzF8qHrLJmsM-3LRvCdUuasS1fHS95sVFHAB8YZQ/s1600-h/welcome+girl+outfit+2.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoBJdI9A9cvYSN2lwYQTNf-bXpHR4c2gjcAcjWJpmMJ8XjL1Bq0S7oGIT_FeQoeYryaUW20ZB3oBxofGmaqJIpzVtYBD3ibmFzF8qHrLJmsM-3LRvCdUuasS1fHS95sVFHAB8YZQ/s400/welcome+girl+outfit+2.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5098613090508288066" border="0" /></a>The booties...I had wanted to use Pam Gillette's Mary Jane Slippers pattern, but she doesn't have a baby size. So I looked at the picture & figured out how I could make something that looked similar, and that's what I've done.<br /><br />They're really cute; unfortunately I have no idea if they'll actually fit. (Oh, & in spite of this picture, the "strap" isn't really crooked.) They're also a whopping 11 rounds/rows, and so work up in about 10 minutes. Here's to hoping I got the proportions reasonably correct.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8dO-w2C7YrjYjD04jUtYpIwl8O1ETrBczgn3IyTUEtItO28vZqkaQbNtaEmXtv3QtShyMaDN3mW2I6RpykQ0Rz6o-csoEVI-Sj52dj3wMfDJZcQ0R9lAw4aJCwYHhKAE2leSa3A/s1600-h/welcome+girl+outfit+3.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8dO-w2C7YrjYjD04jUtYpIwl8O1ETrBczgn3IyTUEtItO28vZqkaQbNtaEmXtv3QtShyMaDN3mW2I6RpykQ0Rz6o-csoEVI-Sj52dj3wMfDJZcQ0R9lAw4aJCwYHhKAE2leSa3A/s400/welcome+girl+outfit+3.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5098613090508288082" border="0" /></a> The hat was quite simple as well. I used the base of my hat pattern for the Beginner Baby Set, only from top down this time, and made it just short of 5" long before finishing with a couple of single crochet rounds to help it stay on (it was pretty loose with just the half double crochets).<br /><br />I'll post the patterns for the hat & booties here shortly; I really don't have one for the dress (which is why I went into such detail for it & not the others).Sabrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13746486966764162127noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15034069.post-37591137872086049142007-08-03T13:53:00.000-10:002007-08-03T13:57:29.649-10:00Tiny Baby DressWednesday I found out I'm pregnant for the fourth time.<br /><br />That same day I started a dress. I took a Gerber snap front tee and attached a crocheted skirt to it. Being that I was working at it from scratch, it took me some time to work out exactly what I wanted to do and how I needed to do it.<br /><br />I finished it today. I now have a tiny little baby dress. There's something about making newborn stuff that brings the reality of it all home.Sabrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13746486966764162127noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15034069.post-78295865885910051932007-07-29T18:34:00.000-10:002007-07-29T18:36:42.071-10:00New Blog Added to Sidebar<a href="http://li-lis-page.blogspot.com/">Ae's Page</a>.<br /><br />Very nice stuff there. I've added her after seeing her completed work in a couple of threads on Crochetville. She's quite creative, & has a great sense of color.Sabrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13746486966764162127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15034069.post-70234361364077351152007-07-28T20:44:00.001-10:002007-07-28T21:21:26.600-10:00Little Leaf Afghan w/Mini Pattern<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW3opKXl_9d7mxw9H_cE6tHLpB1_SgVOl-GWSTS0zp3VoWxyJruxJEiteUuU3PeHl3hJEtgvcwim3P7CMvnligoraSpb8BvdE-_udGov7cWi8p6-Sxa8E0NIXe9PKgXNMkx5hbYw/s1600-h/little+leaf+5.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW3opKXl_9d7mxw9H_cE6tHLpB1_SgVOl-GWSTS0zp3VoWxyJruxJEiteUuU3PeHl3hJEtgvcwim3P7CMvnligoraSpb8BvdE-_udGov7cWi8p6-Sxa8E0NIXe9PKgXNMkx5hbYw/s400/little+leaf+5.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5092506325618208658" border="0" /></a>I made this baby afghan for my cousin Becky, who is due in December.<br /><br />Generally speaking, I don't like making large items like blankets at all, even baby blankets. My round baby blanket, for example, I started while pregnant with my second daughter, & finished two years later when pregnant with my third daughter.<br /><br />But one of the things you can never have enough of, in my experience, is blankets. Especially for winter babies. So, the task was to make a blanket. And, since I am easily distracted, it had to be a <span style="font-style: italic;">simple</span> blanket and a <span style="font-style: italic;">quick</span> blanket. Thus, the Little Leaf Afghan was born. (I call it this because I believe the particular DC cluster stitch I use is called the leafhopper stitch, but I could be totally wrong about that.)<br /><br />The blanket is green and white to make it <span style="font-style: italic;">seem</span> to move faster--it's easy to gauge progress in terms of "OK, only four more stripes to go!" I have a nice picot edging on it because I wanted <span style="font-style: italic;">some </span>sort of edging, but it needed to be a gender neutral edging as Becky isn't sure yet what she's having. (She'll find out ahead of time, the party pooper.) For some reason, a ruffle just doesn't strike me as gender neutral. Fringe does, but what baby wants to deal with fringe?<br /><br />Anyhow, here's the pattern. Note that I am calling this a mini-pattern, as it's more of a schematic than an actual long crochet pattern like you typically see. (Another reason I don't make too many blankets is because the patterns tend to be asininely long.) With no further ado:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Little Leaf Afghan</span></span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Materials:</span><br />L (8 mm) hook<br />9 oz green worsted weight yarn<br />8 oz white worsted weight yarn<br />(These are guesses, as I used Caron yarn in pound skeins, & I estimate I used slightly less than half of each; better to have too much than not enough)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Leafhopper Stitch:</span> This is a 2-dc cluster stitch, worked as follows--Yarn over, draw up a loop in first stitch. Draw up a loop in next stitch. Yarn over & draw through two loops on hook twice. For the <span style="font-style: italic;">next </span>stitch, you'll draw up your first loop in the same stitch as you drew up the second loop in the last stitch. So, if you have stitches 1, 2, & 3, the first Leafhopper stitch will start in 1 and end end 2, and the second will start in 2 & end in 3. And so on. When you get to the end of the row, you'll work a normal double crochet in it after finishing the leafhopper stitch you were just working on. To wit: the last leafhopper stitch will be worked with the first leg in st 69 and the last leg in st 70. So you're going to put a DC in stitch 70. You <span style="font-style: italic;">must</span> do this, or you'll lose a stitch every leafhopper row, and your blanket will come out looking like an idiot made it.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Picot:</span> This is for the edging. The picot is worked like this: Single crochet in the proper stitch. Chain 3. Slip stitch into the back of the third chain.<br /><br />Base chain is 71 stitches. The first row is 70 single crochet. (Be sure you don't deviate from the stripe pattern; you don't want an extra row of single crochet.)<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Stripe:</span> Work 1 row of single crochet, then 1 row of leafhopper stitch, then 1 row of single crochet, then 1 row of leafhopper stitch. Change colors (stop & cut your yarn with 2 loops left on the hook, line up the next color & draw it through the last 2 loops to finish the stitch) at the end of the fourth row. So: each stripe is 4 rows: Single crochet. Leafhopper. Single crochet. Leafhopper (with color change).<br /><br />Work 15 stripes. The first & last stripes will be white. Do <span style="font-style: italic;">not</span> finish off at the end, just switch to the green so you can do the border with a lot less trouble.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Border:</span> In green: Single crochet evenly down the sides. I put 2 single crochets in the side of each leafhopper row & one in the side of each single crochet row. Single crochet two or three times in each corner stitch; you'll be able to tell where this is. Single crochet in the free bumps of the starting chain, back up the other side, and in each stitch in your final (leafhopper) row. In the next round of the border, you'll single crochet in two stitches & then put a Picot in every third stitch. Be sure to put one or two extra stitches in your corner stitches again this round, to keep everything flat.<br /><br />***<br /><br />Note that you can mess with a <span style="font-style: italic;">lot</span> with this pattern. Obviously, you can use different yarn. You can use a different size hook (changing the number of stitches as necessary to get the desired width) and any number of stitches. You can even do this in all one color.<br /><br />However, there is one thing you do <span style="font-style: italic;">not</span> want to change about this pattern. Don't mess around with where you start & end the stripes too much. You want to always change colors at the end of a leafhopper row. This pattern has a very obvious front & back. Change colors at the proper place, and you can easily crochet over the yarn ends & hide them nicely at the back underneath single crochets. Otherwise you'll have a metric butt ton of ends to weave in, & who the hell wants to do that?<br /><br />More pix:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjzu2L6hVGWT1ZQCvH2WeD_UJd2KkTxB5oGIPwDTftjrkziJZ1jv-bDrX2ruHgVH0W-hulLihRdHzokugTzVggb7x4i8lEhr7OXi35MpcnTQbDCNER2EjwtbYaHnMiCKdCp8L_Kw/s1600-h/little+leaf+7.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjzu2L6hVGWT1ZQCvH2WeD_UJd2KkTxB5oGIPwDTftjrkziJZ1jv-bDrX2ruHgVH0W-hulLihRdHzokugTzVggb7x4i8lEhr7OXi35MpcnTQbDCNER2EjwtbYaHnMiCKdCp8L_Kw/s320/little+leaf+7.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5092512583385558946" border="0" /></a>This is a close-up of the stitch. This is the front of the leafhopper stitch. The back just looks like a long line of yarn going straight up; there's absolutely no interest to it. By contrast, the front looks a <span style="font-style: italic;">lot</span> more complicated than it really is. This stitch goes fast, please believe me. There's no way I'd have stuck with it if it was slow. It's a bit open because of the large hook used, but judging by having it on my lap as I worked, it's still quite warm.<br /><br />This is a handy stitch for a lot of things. I'm going to be making a sweater & hat using the same stitch to go along with it.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDIT_KRpnsCOTzA_H_s71BPjpgEgvNktSHGaoBzCjrNm_5QCoTrJGb1jiMNzpyPTEu0tpOFkvWaO5xJ4siWbgt98JtNpl2OGg15MZsSc7qpJU8fAsc9ElhkkSgQ0zysHjaiNwCvg/s1600-h/little+leaf+6.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDIT_KRpnsCOTzA_H_s71BPjpgEgvNktSHGaoBzCjrNm_5QCoTrJGb1jiMNzpyPTEu0tpOFkvWaO5xJ4siWbgt98JtNpl2OGg15MZsSc7qpJU8fAsc9ElhkkSgQ0zysHjaiNwCvg/s320/little+leaf+6.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5092513652832415666" border="0" /></a><br />This is a somewhat close-up of the edging on the blanket. I frequently have problems with wanting to put my picots too close together; this is definitely one stitch you don't want to stack up on top of itself.<br /><br />Overall, this is a good "wow" factor afghan--it looks like it was a lot more complicated than it really is to make.<br /><br />You could probably make this in two or three days. It took me a while, but that's because I'm lazy as hell & day before yesterday I only made one stripe. Yesterday, this sucker was only half done (7 stripes), so I know it can be made quickly.<br /><br /><br /><br /></div></div>Sabrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13746486966764162127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15034069.post-49589468484425833752007-07-24T10:05:00.001-10:002007-07-24T10:15:19.643-10:00Crocheted Bunny from a Knitting Pattern<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3qxf8apAYJqByH_QyLWpDUhTatnxaVBVbYQhVTsis3uU_50r5n0O_SBxPBjrloUYsOKXf6dygUVS20aG8wrg_Ql6l67R-TqhziwCYC1G_IbIi9in12W8IDWJtc5gea5uzaXPviQ/s1600-h/bunny.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3qxf8apAYJqByH_QyLWpDUhTatnxaVBVbYQhVTsis3uU_50r5n0O_SBxPBjrloUYsOKXf6dygUVS20aG8wrg_Ql6l67R-TqhziwCYC1G_IbIi9in12W8IDWJtc5gea5uzaXPviQ/s400/bunny.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5090857307284647730" border="0" /></a>Jo has this tutorial for making a <a href="http://www.artsy-fartsy-mama.com/index.php?itemid=162">bunny out of a knitted square</a> up on her blog artsy fartsy mama.<br /><br />I had been planning to make a crocheted version of this for a while but I never got around to it and eventually forgot I had the tut bookmarked. I came across it again last night after arranging the links in my Crochet & Crafts bookmark folder alphabetically and decided I'd have to take the time to make it today.<br /><br />I used an I hook and some spare DK weight yarn of uncertain origin. I did it in Tunisian crochet because I never do anything in that technique, but I have no doubt it can be used with any stitch. One of the commenters at the author's site suggests it's a great use for gauge swatches, and I'm certain that's true for the folks who don't frog theirs like I do. (Every little bit of yarn should be used, right?)<br /><br />I'm a little unclear on parts of the shaping, so I winged it some, but overall it's an excellent tutorial. Plenty of pictures, easily understood text, etc. The big difference, aside of course from using crochet, was that I didn't do a felted tail like she did; mine is several chain stitch loops. I didn't want something Esther could pull off easily. Of course, she was trying to take it from my hands before I was even done with it, but she managed to carry it off and leave it somewhere unknown during the short time I was moving the pictures from my camera onto my computer, so I think this is the record for the least amount of time it's taken her to lose something.Sabrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13746486966764162127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15034069.post-78168233432310782542007-07-22T19:56:00.000-10:002007-07-22T20:03:30.974-10:00Baby Blankets: An AverageSo I'm working on designing a blankie for my cousin Becky's baby, and as usual I am stumped by the fact that I'm not sure what size to make it. Nothing I'm crocheting looks quite right, and I don't have any receiving blankets on hand to base it off of, like I usually do.<br /><br />Brilliant me decided to go to<a href="http://www.crochetpatterncentral.com/directory/baby_afghans.php"> Crochet Pattern Central's baby afghans page</a> and see what was there. This somehow morphed into the idea of getting the measurements off of all the blankets with measurements and then averaging them.<br /><br />I left off patterns that required registration, and anything that was obviously not a "normal" size (there were a couple that purported to be for car seats). After I assembled my list, I knocked the highest & lowest values off both measurements. This left me with 63 numbers, ranging from 25" on the width side on up to 50" on the height side. (Yeah, <span style="font-style: italic;">that'd</span> be an interesting-looking afghan!) <br /><br />Anyway, a little time with the calculator later, & this is what I came up with for an average baby blanket: 33" wide by 38" long (both rounded off).<br /><br />I am publishing this because I know that the question of what size to make baby blankets has popped up many a time on Crochetville. My number, of course, is as arbitrary as any other, but it does seem like a handy size just by looking at it.Sabrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13746486966764162127noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15034069.post-52063830846676271922007-07-22T09:11:00.001-10:002007-07-22T09:27:41.883-10:00I'm not a bitch.I think I stepped through the looking glass, and somehow wound up in a world where it's an insult to be called a lady but it's great to be called a bitch. <br /><br />I kind of rolled my eyes at <span style="font-style: italic;">Stitch & Bitch</span> when it came out, as the name just reeks of trying too hard to be cutting edge; nonetheless I own that book as well as <span style="font-style: italic;">Stitch & Bitch Nation </span>and the design journal (which I've never actually used, sadly enough; when I go to designing stuff I grab a spiral notebook by reflex).<br /><br />I know there's a neofeminist magazine called <span style="font-style: italic;">Bitch</span>, but I'm no more a neofeminist than a neoconservative. Rather, I am distinctly old-school in both respects. (And in regards to feminism, I mean <span style="font-style: italic;">old</span> old school. Susan B Anthony rather than Gloria Steinem.)<br /><br />Being that my best friend is gay, I'm well-conversant with the concept of conscripting insulting words in an effort to remove their sting. Be that as it may, I have to draw the line somewhere; I'd no more use the word bitch in reference to myself than I'd use the word nigger in reference to my black friends and acquaintances, or fagot in reference to Mark.<br /><br />I have nothing to prove when it comes to hipness and craftiness. I've been crafting since before it once again became au courant, and I will continue to do so long after it leaves popular culture. I feel no need to declare myself hip and edgy by using a curse word to describe myself any more than I feel the need to declare myself hip and edgy by knitting a Hogwarts scarf.<br /><br />I'd like to join a crafting group, but I'm not going to hook up with anyone obviously trying to declare themselves to be Really Really Different (and face it, these days a craft circle with the word bitch in it is about as counterculture as your average mall Goth). I like my tea cozies without irony, thank you very much, and although I have the deepest respect for folks who reconstruct clothing (witness the Wardrobe Reconstruction button in my sidebar), craft from found objects et cetera, I am forced to note that it really <span style="font-style: italic;">isn't</span> anything new, although this drive towards proud self-deprecation certainly seems to be.Sabrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13746486966764162127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15034069.post-27957489891840678482007-07-21T19:44:00.000-10:002007-07-21T20:42:37.430-10:00Here we go again...<blockquote>However, i think knitting is more versatile - there is so much more you can do with shaping, the type of fabric you're creating, designs in the knitting fabric, etc. Each stitch just seems to afford more detail than crochet to me, and crochet is often a very thick fabric, whereas knitting is thinner and therefore more versatile.</blockquote><br /><br />Grr. It's a good thing you cannot use the magic of the internet to bitchslap people, or my hands would hurt.<br /><br />I've seen this argument put forth in many different forms lately, and it doesn't get any more accurate with the repetition.<br /><br />I recall another thread on the same site (MotheringDotCommune) wherein a lady said she wanted to crochet some socks but her mother (in law?) told her you can't crochet socks, only knit them. My response to her is my response to the "you can do more with knitting" theory in general--Just because <span style="font-style: italic;">you</span> can't do it, doesn't mean it can't be done.<br /><br />Actually, the "you can't crochet socks" thing is the most laughable knitting vs crochet argument in existence, considering I can think of two books devoted to it off the top of my head, & could probably provide you with 20 links for crocheted socks with about 30 seconds worth of searching. Hell, I myself have created two different patterns for crocheted socks! (Only wrote down one, sadly.)<br /><br />You know, I couldn't knit a doily if my life depended on it. Does that mean it's impossible? <a href="http://www.knittingpatterncentral.com/directory/doilies.php">Er, no</a>.<br /><br />If your stitches have no definition, it means you're using crappy yarn, or a bad hook/yarn combo. (I knitted a skirt for Esther, & the eyelets I put in the bottom had shitty definition, probably because I was using a fairly thick yarn for the size needles I had.)<br /><br />I think one of the best illustrations of "I can do anything you can do" is over at Bev's Country Cottage. (Bev, have I mentioned lately how much I love you? I haven't? Shame on me. I love you. Er, in a platonic, crocheting sort of way.) You can see her original Very Easy Booties <a href="http://www.bevscountrycottage.com/bevsbooties2.html">here</a>, and there is a knitted version <a href="http://www.geocities.com/lindaslists/knitbooties.htm">here</a>. Some day I'll make both to illustrate how much alike they are, but trust me there's very little difference.<br /><br />I've personally crocheted a version of the baby hat from <span style="font-style: italic;">Stitch & Bitch</span>. (Umbilical baby hat? Is that it?) I have a whole book that is dedicated to crocheted versions of common knit stitches.<br /><br />I defy anyone to come up with something knitted that I couldn't do in crochet. Oh, and to come up with a decent-looking <a href="http://www.p2designs.com/images/patterns/afgh-KnitGranny.html">knitted granny square</a>.Sabrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13746486966764162127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15034069.post-46354808121374031462007-07-20T06:35:00.001-10:002007-07-20T15:25:35.744-10:00New dolls for a customer.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAOxjIfixtObOuxg6c_XvRK8L7XvYhX08HeE_36gRuSbaS3b25VlH5EhzSrDicFde2A4bdozXBWWku2gdJDk1VDhDsEDPyfmhqd5EToyDiWFdGzVdn88XL-ngxAkvN0UYxcdt_jA/s1600-h/redhead+2.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAOxjIfixtObOuxg6c_XvRK8L7XvYhX08HeE_36gRuSbaS3b25VlH5EhzSrDicFde2A4bdozXBWWku2gdJDk1VDhDsEDPyfmhqd5EToyDiWFdGzVdn88XL-ngxAkvN0UYxcdt_jA/s400/redhead+2.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5089318790342274114" border="0" /></a>This redhead was made first. I made her with the plan of selling her, and was lucky enough to find a lady who wanted not only her but also a cousin for her.<br /><br />So I made the blonde, finished her up last night in fact. I had a lot of fun with that dress, I wanted a princessy sort of look.<br /><br />Both of these were made with a 4mm hook and yarn I already had on hand. The orange dress the redhead has on is Microspun; I can't remember the brand of. It's my usual soft baby yarn, anyway.<br /><br />I make the bodies and hair of these dolls from worsted weight yarn, & then go down to sport weight for their clothes, which seems to work out the best.<br /><br />I am also nearly finished with the mermaid; she awaits only her arms. Of course, I put her aside for the customer.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdyl1Xz8NEz1U05m6q9Fx7mZPHc-yDnTvndja2UkCL_28M0_oqpA2gDGHDEoLkZDHaaD2ethqsCBKvcdqLyL421Td0KZ9VqfSxvquxEUQBSBR1AOJAU6M2AOBZ_D7VFgp1EQ_E8A/s1600-h/princess+1.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdyl1Xz8NEz1U05m6q9Fx7mZPHc-yDnTvndja2UkCL_28M0_oqpA2gDGHDEoLkZDHaaD2ethqsCBKvcdqLyL421Td0KZ9VqfSxvquxEUQBSBR1AOJAU6M2AOBZ_D7VFgp1EQ_E8A/s400/princess+1.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5089318871946652754" border="0" /></a>Sabrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13746486966764162127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15034069.post-26848723672768158492007-07-11T19:54:00.000-10:002007-07-11T20:16:40.135-10:00Sometimes, it's too EasyYou wouldn't guess it by looking at me, but my favorite thing to do at the gym is lift weights. I'm talking freeweights, baby--serious iron. (OK, by looking at me you wouldn't think I exercise at all, but that's beside the point.) I did upper-body work Tuesday, about half barbell & half dumbbell.<br /><br />I used the 50lb barbell for most of what I did. I'm the only woman I've ever seen hoisting that sucker, or even the 40lb'er. I did some biceps curls with an EZ curl barbell, but it was only a 30lb'er. By then it was late enough in my workout that I couldn't use the 50lb anymore. And yet the 30lb felt <span style="font-style: italic;">too</span> easy, as if I was wimping out.<br /><br />The first time I had the cojones to do freeweights at this gym, I didn't know what weight to use, so I grabbed the lightest one--2olbs. I did a couple of curls with it and then re-racked it in disgust, because it was so easy it made me feel like an idiot. (Side note: this is the barbell I see other women with. I've never seen a gal with a heavier barbell at that gym. I'm sure they could handle it if they had any faith in themselves, but even the personal trainers--who should really know better--give women only the 20lb one.)<br /><br />Anyway, I will now masterfully connect pumping iron to crocheting, because I rock like that.<br /><br />My cousin Becky dropped by my cousin Maggie's (her sister) when I was over there tonight. She is pregnant again and due in December. This only enables me, y'know.<br /><br />I promised her a baby blanket, amongst assorted other goodies. (Boy, the look she gave me when I waxed enthusiastic over getting to make sweaters!) I have a mostly-unused Pound of Love from Lion Brand in pale yellow, & I'm using this.<br /><br />So, the question comes, what stitch pattern do I use? I know I don't have the patience to follow anyone else's pattern (though, of course, props to y'all who write 'em). So I'd have to come up with my own. And I opened up Notepad to write it down so I can post it to my free patterns site.<br /><br />I intended to begin with to do horizontal stripes of a sort--plain DC interspersed with a lacier stitch. But this <span style="font-style: italic;">is</span> a December baby, and it gets cold here in January/February time frame. So I wanted something not holey. Then I remembered a hat I'd made during Lent. Specifically, this one:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjebiLGxI9a39eEAB1S79urjlCUlJFHTdTUGds0jBXONaHlFgMn6vF7LGT8VuRHI4RShOyN3QzZTpgzAgneYurD9XLQvI5X3ETfGxQ02-THyGUDqlE4Vbm2wwIV0tfX9zop9ovQ_g/s1600-h/IMG_2127.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjebiLGxI9a39eEAB1S79urjlCUlJFHTdTUGds0jBXONaHlFgMn6vF7LGT8VuRHI4RShOyN3QzZTpgzAgneYurD9XLQvI5X3ETfGxQ02-THyGUDqlE4Vbm2wwIV0tfX9zop9ovQ_g/s400/IMG_2127.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5086187668989176866" border="0" /></a>Alternating several double crochets with several single crochets, all on the same row, gives a sort of rippled look, without the pain in the rear that actual ripple patterns always give me. (I don't know why they do, but they do.)<br /><br />So, I came up with a "pattern." And I WILL post it to my patterns site when I am done with the blanket, and I will call it the Lazy Ripple Baby Blanket. What I'm <span style="font-style: italic;">tempted</span> to call it, on the other hand, is "The Dumbass Ripple Blankie", because that's what I feel like when I sit down to write this down as a pattern.<br /><br />There are so many possible variations on this it's silly. If I remember right--I didn't write anything down at the time--the hat is 2 sc followed by 3 dc. The blanket is 3 sc followed by 3 dc. There are two ways to do this--either a multiple of 3 or a multiple of 6 (depending on whether you want it to end with sc or dc--a multiple of 3 but <span style="font-style: italic;">not</span> 6 is necessary to end with the same stitch you start with), plus 1. You just sc in the scs and dc in the dcs. It's really that simple. I'm working with a starting chain of 121, which means I'm ending with 3 dcs. But you could do a starting chain with a multiple of four, five, or seven or more plus 1 (you always need 1 extra st when you start with a single crochet), and then do 5 sc followed by 5 dc, or you could have a multiple of 5 with an uneven breakdown, as with the hat.<br /><br />It's so simple a pattern, just 3 rows, two of which are the pattern repeat (only different because of the starting stitch, which means a different number of turning chains). It's the crochet equivalent of the 20lb barbell. I can do it, but I feel silly doing it because it requires so little effort.<br /><br />I'll post a picture of the blanket when I'm done; truthfully that's going to be the hardest part. Finishing the blanket. I tend to lose interest partway through blankets of any sort, but hopefully there's enough variation in this one to keep me entertained.Sabrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13746486966764162127noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15034069.post-19399845043288782652007-07-08T08:08:00.001-10:002007-07-08T08:13:54.233-10:00It's a head!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDMBDKHs93D5yzHiwsEvoVhFFUl5iTzOOd-0s39FlL8f9uOmj-mx1yL1WwJu-rJG19RVmU2evbjPP0PCHxFAHj8Bk10SusurcVDINrnVSDYYLVdiMHc-x0KJeSpEHwdU_Qeh06gA/s1600-h/mermaid+head+small.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDMBDKHs93D5yzHiwsEvoVhFFUl5iTzOOd-0s39FlL8f9uOmj-mx1yL1WwJu-rJG19RVmU2evbjPP0PCHxFAHj8Bk10SusurcVDINrnVSDYYLVdiMHc-x0KJeSpEHwdU_Qeh06gA/s320/mermaid+head+small.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5084889850469863090" border="0" /></a>I was semi-participating in a virtual sewing/crocheting circle last night, so I took this picture of the mermaid I'm working on. The hair on this thing is a pain. It's a nice wool yarn that's two different-colored strands entwined, with some thicker slubs here & there of almost raw wool. So what I've been doing after sewing it in place is to unwind the strands and attack them with a hair brush to rough it up some. You can see that to the left in the picture; on the right is the way it starts out. Very cool-looking. I'm taking a break from that til I'm finished with the rest of it, as it's very tedious work.<br /><br />I didn't post too much to the circle last night; I figured out early on that the problem with such virtual klatching is that I'd have to stop working to post. Not gonna happen. I should look into joining the local Craft Mafia, or see about scaring up a crochet/sewing/embroider circle locally. There might be such a thing; I just really don't want to join in on something knitting-dominated.<br /><br />Anyway, I'm about to go back to working on my mermaid. Fair warning, it's going to be made to Shooter Jennings, Los Lonely Boys and maybe even some Steve Earle.Sabrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13746486966764162127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15034069.post-41296538811996074592007-07-02T12:39:00.000-10:002007-07-02T13:05:52.198-10:00DollsMy temp job has ended, but not before I developed the perfect doll. Well, perfect for me anyway; I like the size, the proportions, & the hands & feet. I still need to tweak some details, like the hair, and I haven't had much luck in writing a pattern, but those are minor details.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4GiWZPNsY7nd0M6DyOcMkTsJ0C0-UXWIXilIVnkw7s08KLjwvoCgt-uuZiI5sR8vcp3yNjAl8pqhj47-jZuNqfsHUa3LnMthEB0b2k4nyeV4R-WPl422cfYvJ9EaOqGkHWXeHSw/s1600-h/IMG_2218.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4GiWZPNsY7nd0M6DyOcMkTsJ0C0-UXWIXilIVnkw7s08KLjwvoCgt-uuZiI5sR8vcp3yNjAl8pqhj47-jZuNqfsHUa3LnMthEB0b2k4nyeV4R-WPl422cfYvJ9EaOqGkHWXeHSw/s400/IMG_2218.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5082733235721391730" border="0" /></a><br />This is the first one I made; I gave it to Esther. I haven't changed the doll much from that way of making it. The major change is the way of attaching the arms; I finally figured out how to do it so they're attached in a more natural manner; on this doll one is sticking straight out because I sewed it on in the round & the other has some forward/backward motion because I pinched the starting end together & sewed it shut & then sewed it on the doll. I've since changed the method to have them 'hinged' up & down, with the free end sewn shut. (There was a very brief interlude where I crocheted the start end shut, but it make the arms too long.)<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU4h8bZGgWZGlkwSRuuaFSrgOXGb3jP7kogm8_HfHBZvDUDJBID0uBvQENnjF7wLH6nDkzj_W1dKRDeEOl7p_HfI8drEJGrduK_WMiUkoXOu3ka_O8EcSCZos9cQPmSdqUOG8QFg/s1600-h/IMG_2216.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU4h8bZGgWZGlkwSRuuaFSrgOXGb3jP7kogm8_HfHBZvDUDJBID0uBvQENnjF7wLH6nDkzj_W1dKRDeEOl7p_HfI8drEJGrduK_WMiUkoXOu3ka_O8EcSCZos9cQPmSdqUOG8QFg/s320/IMG_2216.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5082735301600661122" border="0" /></a>This is a bit of a close-up of the face. I actually haven't changed the way I do the face since this one. The eyes are simple rectangles, the lips a double-thickness line and then a little rectangle or triangle for the bottom lip. The nose is done in matching yarn, I also used it to trace around the eyes and add a little bit more detail.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinfnhpNx_MtRaWNKqc2HpItKHaWI0fX5jK6tedrufkJVVfUrQxrLqvhvsfOTZAh2He4Fo2-PaJZ280KN4X_HmhJrn1XFB2kU2QJvuh0o9YlI2XNrEU09WYxXidSu2aNczHj7_2hQ/s1600-h/IMG_2217.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinfnhpNx_MtRaWNKqc2HpItKHaWI0fX5jK6tedrufkJVVfUrQxrLqvhvsfOTZAh2He4Fo2-PaJZ280KN4X_HmhJrn1XFB2kU2QJvuh0o9YlI2XNrEU09WYxXidSu2aNczHj7_2hQ/s320/IMG_2217.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5082735885716213394" border="0" /></a>One last picture of this doll, a close-up of the hair. I laid two long strands over the top of the head & backstitched them down. This isn't as sturdy as I'd like, so I took backstitches on the sides as much as there was room for, & I have refined this with each subsequent doll until the most recent one has almost all the hair sewn down on the sides as well.<br /><br />This doll took all day to make, but I did finish the doll itself at work; I had to make the dress at home. The next day I made another doll for a neighbor child, which unfortunately I forgot to take pictures of. That doll I used a 4.25 mm hook for instead of the 4.0 mm used on this one. It is actually a significantly larger doll. I used a different hook size because of how much my hand hurt by the end of that first day, but it was worse the second day. The Clover Softouch hooks make all the difference. All subsequent dolls will be made with the 4.0 mm hook, as it gives a much nicer appearance overall.<br /><br />I actually sold the third doll I made. As I was finishing up the second one, the gentleman who sits behind me asked if I could make a personalized one for his daughter. I quoted a price of $25, but browsing Etsy suggests any more should be priced higher. It's OK, though, I still think I got a good price. His daughter is of mixed-race, & he wanted one that looked a bit more like her, so I used tan yarn from Red Heart for the "skin" & Light & Lofty yarn in a sort of caramel color for the hair. I really love that yarn for hair, it should fray into something quite lovely. The final product was finished in just under half a day of work, & had a very nice tonal look going for it.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIP81ezyZ4l1mPx2PTFJaZ5AWPvWb2O-BmnijJK-BzT-epcgq4xq0eLrii5fY4BrIDaw5LwVorYSWubojvD-4zT33cg84NyIZEX_Hq5ziBAdeyY9SM1gC0z_hXhBPDg8y89bzoNA/s1600-h/IMG_2219.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIP81ezyZ4l1mPx2PTFJaZ5AWPvWb2O-BmnijJK-BzT-epcgq4xq0eLrii5fY4BrIDaw5LwVorYSWubojvD-4zT33cg84NyIZEX_Hq5ziBAdeyY9SM1gC0z_hXhBPDg8y89bzoNA/s320/IMG_2219.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5082738067559599778" border="0" /></a><br />I don't have a photo of the finished project because I wasn't certain Tracey would be OK with it, but this is the doll without any clothes. I made a sundress for her all in single crochet so I could embroider on it. Not something I plan on doing in the future. Tracey loved it & I'm certain his daughter will as well.<br /><br />I have a fourth doll almost finished, lacking merely an arm. I'll edit this post later today to post pix once I'm totally done. While working on this one I fell in love with the tan yarn & so the one I'm currently on uses the same color, & I've got a sort of brick colored yarn I'm using for the hair.<br /><br />Most of these use Red Heart Super Saver yarn. Economical, & holds up well. Stash yarn, mostly. I bought some yarn from Michael's Friday evening, all wool, that I will use to make a mermaid. That and the doll I am working on currently will soon be up for sale at Etsy; I'll post here when they're listed.<br /><br />Oh, & I'll have the pattern from the previous post up as soon as I locate the paper I wrote it on.Sabrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13746486966764162127noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15034069.post-33629253762202101382007-06-21T13:25:00.001-10:002007-06-21T13:36:31.092-10:00A couple of my work projects:<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKc9GttoEo275ZNBQyru06L1goaJkCsAPshkca_gDL38L331DB8Jv-f5xATYTwrrGfAVasMrkLYI9dHHbiGFK_LpGqXzq-iKToThIshNBPFIbWYm1RyS7GgPFqt-iTksbTyz0SvA/s1600-h/IMG_2205.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKc9GttoEo275ZNBQyru06L1goaJkCsAPshkca_gDL38L331DB8Jv-f5xATYTwrrGfAVasMrkLYI9dHHbiGFK_LpGqXzq-iKToThIshNBPFIbWYm1RyS7GgPFqt-iTksbTyz0SvA/s400/IMG_2205.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5078663062362825218" border="0" /></a>The jacket is from <a href="http://www.bevscountrycottage.com/bevs-baby-jacket.html">this pattern</a>, from Bev's Country Cottage. You really can't beat Bev's patterns for instant gratification and newbie-friendliness. (I have a shirt from one of her patterns as well, just not with me to photograph at the moment.)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLS_DgIxwmhutzTSCpUt8QHCfdmuN4Z3F_zaNajzPaU7HzH3R14devykTWMSwJ6tKNyYgsGdSF_WNo-G8OpCO6LJ9CA9EYkVJ1vdS9FZsU7pirDUJ4Reuvtq7_l8c2nh4l-7rtfg/s1600-h/IMG_2206.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLS_DgIxwmhutzTSCpUt8QHCfdmuN4Z3F_zaNajzPaU7HzH3R14devykTWMSwJ6tKNyYgsGdSF_WNo-G8OpCO6LJ9CA9EYkVJ1vdS9FZsU7pirDUJ4Reuvtq7_l8c2nh4l-7rtfg/s400/IMG_2206.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5078663070952759826" border="0" /></a>The dress uses the same neckline-shaping technique as the sweater (and a handful of other patterns). It is my own pattern, though. I'll put it up on my site shortly, as soon as I figure out the button issue. I'm calling it the Fiesta baby dress, as it reminds me strongly of the Mexican dresses for sale hereabouts.<br /><br />Since it's sized for a newborn, the ruffle on the front <span style="font-style: italic;">does not</span> go completely around. There's no ruffle on the back, in other words. It has always struck me that ruffles on the back cannot be comfortable for newborns to lay on. It will need a flat button for the same reason (comfort).<br /><br />I have made both of these this week. In the past two days, in fact. I probably won't have this temp job for very long, but man it's good for my crocheting.Sabrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13746486966764162127noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15034069.post-11490369553740786842007-06-19T16:33:00.001-10:002007-06-19T16:37:26.767-10:00I love my job.I am working outside the home again, temping in customer service. I'm working for Frost Bank, a big Texas bank, taking calls for commercial customers dealing with a new security system they've put in place starting Monday.<br /><br />I didn't take anything to do last Thursday, which was my first day. I remedied that the next day. Friday, yesterday, & today, I made a baby blanket, a baby shirt, and half a baby sweater. The last two today. We <span style="font-style: italic;">are</span> live, and we <span style="font-style: italic;">are</span> taking calls, but we've got a decent amount of down-time in there. As I told Emile, one of my coworkers today, I have finally found a way to get paid for crocheting! I'll be crocheting tomorrow, & I'll remember this time to put a pair of scissors in my purse. It was heck sawing yarn off with a key.<br /><br />Life is good. I might buy some yarn this payday.Sabrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13746486966764162127noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15034069.post-5618682034938072302007-06-17T16:26:00.000-10:002007-06-17T16:33:32.474-10:00New Blog/Site in the Links<a href="http://www.myrecycledbags.com/">My Recycled Bags.com</a><br /><br />Wanna guess what it is? Bags of all type, crocheted from recycled materials. The front page right now has a VHS tape/ribbon yarn tote bag, plastic bag pot scrubbers, a granny square tote again out of plastic bags, & a recycled plastic grocery tote bag.<br /><br />There are also tutorials (like on how to use VHS tape for yarn) and patterns--for the aforementioned grocery tote bag, for starters. Many of the projects are also for sale.<br /><br />You can't go wrong with DIY recycling. (OK, ok, you can, but there's no fire involved in this, at least.)Sabrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13746486966764162127noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15034069.post-45691197278091243492007-06-11T12:34:00.000-10:002007-06-11T12:51:20.191-10:00Three for the price of one.Remember <a href="http://bellalindacrochets.blogspot.com/2007/05/yummy-yarn-goodness.html">this yarn</a>? I finally used one of the skeins:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoOVXH9CnxzuxRPKq4XSu7zM7iQY73x3Izi_JGO0_1Xu2v_JZvRgGOHda5NqsqJos3pW8CE1f5xzoyIwU6nlR0wwsf2B6b7-aZlm2fHtTvyT-44Eo_ROn0M71YTkz8j-NfQ02c2w/s1600-h/rainbow+3.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoOVXH9CnxzuxRPKq4XSu7zM7iQY73x3Izi_JGO0_1Xu2v_JZvRgGOHda5NqsqJos3pW8CE1f5xzoyIwU6nlR0wwsf2B6b7-aZlm2fHtTvyT-44Eo_ROn0M71YTkz8j-NfQ02c2w/s400/rainbow+3.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5074939239817847234" border="0" /></a>First, I made this shirt for Bobbie, using the aforementioned easiest sweater pattern. I used a K hook & a simple DC to keep it nice & airy for summer wear.<br /><br />Then, I made this halter top for Linda:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_ElYSpHiFvmGnmJoepEMv0vKqDe6knpmxkTAab95Io1eJd4goV2LKKw76UNsZCp2-HuF7H4qdld3W-hAXQj43PNSLac07SAF7LLlH5BWSpUAj9KUJdtHZHdYuHA77wjneA7yAuQ/s1600-h/rainbow+1.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_ElYSpHiFvmGnmJoepEMv0vKqDe6knpmxkTAab95Io1eJd4goV2LKKw76UNsZCp2-HuF7H4qdld3W-hAXQj43PNSLac07SAF7LLlH5BWSpUAj9KUJdtHZHdYuHA77wjneA7yAuQ/s400/rainbow+1.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5074939690789413330" border="0" /></a><br /><br />I used one size hook (don't remember the size) for the bodice and a P hook for the bottom part. Again, just a simple double crochet for a lacy look.<br /><br />Esther's was last, done while she was asleep. Which meant that I didn't get to fit it on her as well as I'd have liked. But it still fits quite well. Her halter is very, very simple. I just started out with 5 dc and increased at the beginning & end of every row for about five or six rows until it was wide enough & then went straight down until it was long enough. The whole thing was actually made in one piece, including the ruffles on the sides and the ties at top & bottom. I hate weaving in ends, which is why I did it that way. Esther's:<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcqEPOhhMdc9elQvukKYUj34jvruGl_tTNif9dEszCPRbWO-xMkp-Oc4XNZl3A0Xb1ITbLj4PbjjeAFjXcHKOq7A-wN5HWseYcqz45tmMdC3oHjrfDcUdt5vnE8Ur3gm5DG2kxZQ/s1600-h/rainbow+2.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcqEPOhhMdc9elQvukKYUj34jvruGl_tTNif9dEszCPRbWO-xMkp-Oc4XNZl3A0Xb1ITbLj4PbjjeAFjXcHKOq7A-wN5HWseYcqz45tmMdC3oHjrfDcUdt5vnE8Ur3gm5DG2kxZQ/s400/rainbow+2.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5074941228387705314" border="0" /></a><br />This is pretty much backless, which keeps it cool and makes nibbling on the adorable back a very easy thing. Oh, I used a K hook for the center part & an I for the ruffles & ties.<br /><br />The girls wore their new tops to the Folklife Festival yesterday (one of Robert's customers gave him wristbands for us & under six was free). Well-slathered in sunscreen, they stayed relatively comfortable.<br /><br />I still have some of the first skein of yarn left, and one more large skein as well. This is what I have planned for it:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQo-Yr08qsrv4BIxr4ebdOqSmRuVSEKn6rAzp1O3nXBCM9ElMN6RxJS1JvQeoWa-bwmlVtn70wl4zNhyy0DancxrvRP0yb5SOMFmQsn44vEBk88SGwPIqBX6M5_5RD4q50z6oS0Q/s1600-h/rainbow+4.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQo-Yr08qsrv4BIxr4ebdOqSmRuVSEKn6rAzp1O3nXBCM9ElMN6RxJS1JvQeoWa-bwmlVtn70wl4zNhyy0DancxrvRP0yb5SOMFmQsn44vEBk88SGwPIqBX6M5_5RD4q50z6oS0Q/s400/rainbow+4.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5074941962827112946" border="0" /></a>It's a granny pentagon baby blanket. I was planning on a hexagon, but I couldn't get it to sit flat, so I switched to a pentagon. I plan on using up all the rest of the multicolored yarn and perhaps some white cotton yarn I have as well, if the multi doesn't get me a big enough blanket, though it probably will.<br /><br />I'm also planning on giving in, joining the herd, & making the <a href="http://www.crochetme.com/Feb_Mar_2005/patt_baby_sweater.html">Baby It's Cold Outside jacket</a>. My cousin Becky is pregnant yet again, & that gives me an excuse to make baby stuff.Sabrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13746486966764162127noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15034069.post-82591421318405963482007-06-07T18:39:00.000-10:002007-06-07T18:52:19.764-10:00Instant Gratification #2--Esther's Going to be so Happy<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXslampzcDEpqrHdEoIQLWe4VM4OX-zATHMyEiHdUxrdes21PTwsNtuiusQINWiQ7mjbBpjd46vPuA2qcVW6B-LrpvR8H7CTMnSjSZpLV73_XvSjqq4pVWtqPYqPR0xe3ihTXPlg/s1600-h/IMG_2200.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXslampzcDEpqrHdEoIQLWe4VM4OX-zATHMyEiHdUxrdes21PTwsNtuiusQINWiQ7mjbBpjd46vPuA2qcVW6B-LrpvR8H7CTMnSjSZpLV73_XvSjqq4pVWtqPYqPR0xe3ihTXPlg/s400/IMG_2200.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5073548812875243954" border="0" /></a>I made this a couple of nights ago & hid it in my closet until I could get batteries for my camera to take pictures.<br /><br />It's obviously just a simple Barbie outfit. I like this type of Barbie because of the feet, which are natural looking. But that has nothing to do with crochet, so now I'll talk about the clothes.<br /><br />The skirt...No clue what the yarn is. Some sort of cotton that was given to my mother & then to me. It's 20 stitches long, 8 hdcs followed by 12 dcs, which gave it the shaping; it's obviously worked sideways.<br /><br />The shirt is a version of what I belive to be called "The Simplest Sweater in the World" or something of the sort. I cannot find the link to it right now, which is upsetting as I seriously want to give credit where it is due. It's the only truly one-piece sweater pattern I know of, and as is obvious from this picture it is adaptable to <span style="font-style: italic;">any</span> size. I'll keep looking and give the sweater its own post--which it well deserves--as soon as I find it. <br /><br />To let you know how much I love this sweater pattern, I am making a shirt for my eldest based off of it.<br /><br />The reasoning behind this project, by the way, was simply to see what I could come up with in only about two hours' time. Usually I take a very long time to make anything, because I constantly frog it and start over. I am proud to say that I only frogged each of these pieces once. I undoubtedly would have messed around more without the self-imposed deadline. I'm going to do this more often, as the very pretty Flanders Poppy from my Memorial Day entry was also a spur-of-the-moment creation.<br /><br />Overthinking is bad.Sabrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13746486966764162127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15034069.post-75266121734252654342007-06-04T20:02:00.000-10:002007-06-04T20:16:31.143-10:00Cafe Press Store Now OpenI've opened a <a href="http://www.cafepress.com/sabramorse">Crochet & Breastmilk Cafe Press store</a>.<br /><br />I have lots of advocacy stuff, mostly breastfeeding, but in my own special way there's plenty of stuff about crocheting as well. I spent tonight working on it. Everything there is 100% my own design, from the graphics to the words to how it's all put together.<br /><br />Some examples:<br /><a href="http://photobucket.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a353/SabraEllen/138503656v3_240x240_Front_Color-Whi.jpg" alt="Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://photobucket.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a353/SabraEllen/138485755v5_240x240_Front.jpg" alt="Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://photobucket.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a353/SabraEllen/138485751v5_240x240_Front.jpg" alt="Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://photobucket.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a353/SabraEllen/138426650v3_240x240_Front_Color-Whi.jpg" alt="Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://photobucket.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a353/SabraEllen/138503657v3_240x240_Front_Color-Whi.jpg" alt="Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://photobucket.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a353/SabraEllen/138485759v3_240x240_Front_Color-Whi.jpg" alt="Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://photobucket.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a353/SabraEllen/138485756v3_240x240_Front.jpg" alt="Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://photobucket.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a353/SabraEllen/138499949v5_240x240_Front_Color-Whi.jpg" alt="Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket" border="0" /></a><br />The first one is my favorite. It's nearly impossible to read there, so here's a bigger version:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhStDXsh2kchBeM3rBDZae-w87z5Pg4SZuv7jH4xdozRmAsNnNfK2SqdhG0KjhQwsJboDaMxti-F2E90e1LGTrR8CQD4VPdMBH1gDKw1M3T5f9wJLKcjw76en1ZaOAs0lHa5EbXrA/s1600-h/breastfeeding+equals+more+money+for+yarn.png"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhStDXsh2kchBeM3rBDZae-w87z5Pg4SZuv7jH4xdozRmAsNnNfK2SqdhG0KjhQwsJboDaMxti-F2E90e1LGTrR8CQD4VPdMBH1gDKw1M3T5f9wJLKcjw76en1ZaOAs0lHa5EbXrA/s400/breastfeeding+equals+more+money+for+yarn.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5072459287046431138" border="0" /></a>I actually did more calculations than that, but I had to cut it down so it would show up better on the products. That figure for formula is actually a lowball one. The brand-name stuff the hospitals get you hooked on costs more (I was thankfully only given formula for one kid, but it was the $20 a can stuff--not that I used it).<br /><br />I like to put the cost equation in easy-to-understand terms. It came up at Mothering one time that a woman was trying to convince her husband it was a good idea to breastfeed, and that's when I did a little sleuthing & discovered you can buy a big-screen HDTV for the cost of a year's worth of formula (again, with that lowball figure).<br /><br />But I don't care about televisions. I care about yarn.Sabrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13746486966764162127noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15034069.post-33347879433941414292007-06-01T10:55:00.001-10:002007-06-01T10:56:22.989-10:00Have you linked to me?I want to beef up my blog roll. If by chance you have a link to my blog on yours & I don't have a link back, let me know & I'll add you in. For that matter, even if you're not linked to me, use the comments section to let me know about your blog & I'll check it out and see about adding it in.Sabrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13746486966764162127noreply@blogger.com3