Tis the season to make things

My boyfriend's sister was quite happy with the hood I made for her -even if I didn't really like it. She said it was very warm and would keep everything else warm when she was walking around town.
I am pleased.
For my boyfriend's aunt, we picked her up an iPhone case (later to realize she had an iTouch). Because I wasn't fully sure, I made a case for the case.
Quickly I made up a rectangle and crocheted the sides together. I added a frilly lip to it, because I thought it would look neat against the yarn pattern.


For my friend Sam, I made her a cow -which still has to visit the post office (I did not forget you).
I picked up Super-Super Cute Crochet by Brigitte Read.
The cow was super cute, and super easy to do.
I like things that are simple. The best thing about the book, is in the back is a glossary of stitches and a diagram of how to do the stitches. It definately comes in handy because I usually have to Google them, only to go "Right..I knew that".


My brain decided that I wanted to make a penguin. Not just any penguin, a PINK penguin.
So, I did.
No pattern, just m brain.
I am amazed by how well it turned out.
The only problem is, it reminds me of something...and I just can't place it.
If you know, help a girl out?!


I am also working on a blanket. No picture yet.
I showed my boyfriend and said I was just doing it free-hand and mind. His response: "I can tell".
Gee thanks!

My dad bought me 2 of those plastic storage containers with drawers for my yarn -instead of it sitting in a giant bucket.
One of these days before the new year I shall untangle the mess and put them all in their new home.

And I leave you with this:

I am surprised that my broccoli plant decided to bear some vegetable....but also sad. When I was out to take the picture I exclaimed - I COULD HAVE EATEN YOU!!

Azuzu the snow yeti

Azuzu lives in a small village. Thursdays were her day to go down to the dock to go fishing. She gathered up her rod and snatched her neckwarmer before heading out the door. Yetis might be furry allover, but they prefer to have some sort of stylish flair.

She arrived at the edge of the ocean and set her hook. Waiting. Waiting. Waiting.
Azuzu watched the birds soar above the water. She listened to the waves crash against the ocean. Her rod jiggled. She grabbed it and quickly reeled it in.

TAH-DAH!
She took the fish off the hook and looked at it.
"An orange fish? I have never seen an orange fish?!"

*******************************************************************************


I bought the snow monster pattern from Lucy Ravenscar because I fell in love with the adorableness of it.
The yarn I used to make the body was not very co-operative. I could have ripped it out, but as I was attempting to it ripped. From that point, I decided to just keep going.
Since it was not quite accurate to the pattern, I gave my monster the same hands as feet (but obviously smaller).
Mine is still 6" tall.
I am going to re-attempt to make it with a yarn that is not so fluffy.

The goldfish was just something quick from my head.

A Dolls Life

I enjoy making dolls.
I don't really need a pattern, because I can see the human body shape in my head.
With people, you can customize them and they can become anything you can dream. Famous people, family, friends, aliens, anything.
For my most recent, I made my friend Riana.
The hair is not quite right, and after 30 mins of brushing it -I gave up. Most of it is loose.
I was trying to make it as if she straightened her curls. The front was the hardest. She usually pins it to the side...but the bangs were cut a little short.

When I made the Marie doll, I basically gave her no hands. With this newest, I tried to see what would come of "hands". She kind of has flippers, but you can tell they're hands.

Riana has a classical style. I was going to give her a simple cocktail gown, but I than came up with an everyday dress with a little bit of flair.

Here she is from naked alien baby to human being:

Its a girl....

I can't seem to crochet without having someone or something implanted into my head.
I decided to make my friend Marie her very own "Marie" doll, based on her.
She is 6.5 inches of adorable.
I had nothing better to do on a lazy Sunday, so yesterday I made the base. Today, I tackled dressing her.
Upon attempting to make a shirt, I know I made the bust a teeeeny bit too big. She just keeps popping out all over the place.
I settled on a tank top, after my attempt at a tiny hoodie failed.
I knew I wanted to give her tiny flipflops and capri jeans, so the tank seems like it just goes.
I don't see the Real Marie in animal print, so this just adds the little bit of fun, flirty confidence -along with the feminine touch of a bow in the back belt.

Doll Marie was super fun to make. I wonder who else I could make. I know if I try to make myself, she will get wrecked. That tends to happen when I make something for myself.
I like to give what I make away...so this works out fabulously.

It's almost Christmas, so maybe summer dressed Marie will hang out in the green house with the plants to stay warm --and safe from the kitties until Real Marie flys into town in less than a month.

...who or what should I make next!?

Fancy that, Annie made a hat!

I found a hat pattern.
First time I started with the 19 stitches, and it was not long enough for me.
I undid it, and re-started with 25. Not too many, just enough to add a little extra length.
The pattern was super easy to follow, once I got passed the "how will this work" moment. Staring at the pattern, it did not make sense in my brain, but once it was on the hook, it was definately easy to visualize.
I would say this hat took about 3-4 hours. The skills needed were just basic.
I always forget what a HDC (half double crochet) is, but Google and I re-unite.

My brother wanted a dark hat for Christmas, but he is getting this one. It's made a little longer so he can have a fold down/up brim to keep his ears warm. It's got some dark colours. Plus, its made with bulky yarn so it's super warm.

I dont wear hats myself, but I was considering making myself a pink and white one.

Need Moar Scarves

I am about 2 scarves short.
I have also made them all different lengths because in all honesty, I got bored.
They just seemed to be taking forever.
The first pattern crocheted up quick, but then the others dragged on and on.
I do like the pattern, it's quick and easy.
I do like the style, it's unique.
I do think that trying to make a bunch of them, while working for a month straight, killed my creative buzz.

I know I have to make a hat for my brother..so hopefully that works out alright.
I should troll Ravelry right now and find a good, quick crochet pattern.
The downside of it being colder out is my Raynaud's is acting up.
It's not as bad as the pictures in the wiki, but my hands get cold and than hot and than refuse to work. Sometimes they just refuse to work due to pain.
To combat the winter owwies, I bought USB gloves..however, they do not work so well while crocheting.

I know some people will be without a Christmas scarf - a crochted one anyway. I have a tote full of fleece. If you're not disgusted by fleece, you might get a scarf.
Yes, I know a few people who dislike fleece!

Anyway..off to become a RavTroll :D

Wrong kind of "Doctor"

After putting it on the back burner, I finally finished making The Doctor.
Yes, he does not have a red tie -in the show-, but he is a Christmas present and thought he would dress up.
I started him on September 7th, but he was placed up on the shelf without a head, eyes, ears, or anything put together.
I admit to having problems with the legs, arms, and jacket.
The hair, body, head were easy peasy.
I highly reccommend the pattern if you're a Doctor fan.

After completing him, posing him, and playing with him...I want to keep him.
As my boyfriend pointed out, I can always make another...but it wont be the same.
I am going to stick him in a Tardis decorated box and wrap that up for Mr.Zac.
Seeing as Zac now lives in the United Kingdom, and is coming back to town for Christmas, I think it will be quite fitting.
My little mister stands only 6 inches tall, so he shall be a lovely travel companion.

I have started again on my Christmas mesh scarves. I just finished a pink and orange one with fringe. Today, I started a black one, without counting stitches or actually paying any attention to what it looks like. I am hoping it turns out neat looking.
I like the idea of mesh scarves, because they can be used year round. Hopefully they're liked.

I have been working alot, 2 jobs. I am hoping I have time and ambition to finish enough home-made presents.
I've just been feeling "meh".

The opened bottle of nailpolish infront of me is threatening to fall on me if I do not use it.
I should go make my fingernails all purdy...

...for now.

Psychic Fair

This is not so much artistical but neat.

Today I went to the Psychic Fair in town, and this is what I learned via palm reading about myself:

Palm Reading -no order
*There is a life change when I'm 27
*I have witch blood in me
*I have strong psychic connection
*I am a "waterbaby"
*I am capable of having 3 kids
*I need to cure my acne
*I will be moving around alot -Kingston is not my home
*No job prospects in my town, without me settling
*I am connected strongly to family obligations
*My love life is in limbo -does not connect to my life line
*I have a long life
*Heart problems run in my family
*I need to be less of a shrew and work on constructive arguments [pick my timing]
*Jake needs to stop smoking
*My lover is a diamond in the rough
*I need less stress and to mellow out
*I have a disconnected family
*I had early interruptions in my life
*My hair should be its natural colour
*I have brains, when I choose to use them.
*Should have a job where I am working with my hands and with people
*Good natured
*Close connection with nature

Seems bang on to me. Yet, things I have already know. I paid extra for a "past lives form", which stated I have Native American in my blood and a strong sense of self.
Do I believe that there is a fate for everyone?
Yes.
However, I also belive that Humans have a will and can work either against, beside, or with Fate.
Right now when I am thinking about it, it feels like a bunch of mumbo-jumbo in my head...but I also have always known who I am. What I want. Just not fully how to get it.
I am a walking self-help book, because people always come to me with their things, because I've been told I "get it".

Anyway, I'm going to "get" absorbed into a tea and a Dexter [[I hate how he walks with his hands in his pockets all the time]].

T-1day until Jake leaves for 2 weeks

Dr. Who now?

Christmas is approaching.
I love Christmas, so don't hate me for saying the C-word before the H-word!
Don't get me started on Hallowe'en, it shall have it's own post soon enough.

Anyway, for a male friend of mine, I am making him David Tenant's Doctor Who [the 10th Doctor].
As you can see from the picture, his main body is done.
I finished the head yesterday and have started on his jacket. The jacket looks kind of funny, but I am only half way done. Here's hoping I can do it properly, or even good enough.
The pattern is for an intermediate crocheter, and I have no idea what I am. So, wish me lotsa luck!
The Pattern


The other day I was walking downtown and I saw that the cannon in the park was YarnBombed. It made my day, so I am sharing it with you.
I even emailed them some fan-mail! <3

Mesh scarf

Yea, basically every female I know will be getting a scarf for Christmas.
The will either be plain, multi coloured, or have something on them.
I just finished one that I like to call Mermaid colours. It's dark green, red, orange, blues, a little bit of purple.
I am going to add a bright yellow starfish to it.
Simple, handmade, practical, and hopefully appreciated.

I am fully drained from a long day of trying to tackle our public transportation...so I am going to leave you with a picture of the scarf...and a baby in the scarf!

Try Try Try again

There once was a little elephant that lived by the sea...oh wait! That was a magic dragon.
I was out with a friend today and at The Market was saw amigurumi elephants. That reminded me that I wanted to try to make the LionBrand pattern that's online.
I came home and did just that.
It took about 3 hours to make a tiny little guy.
Unfortunately, I have Raynaud's and my hand was hurting. I glued the ears and legs on.



...but than I decided I wanted to make a scarf. I found this amazing pattern and decided to attempt it. Let me tell you, SUPER easy. The bit pictured, I did while watching a movie. Once you get the hang of it in the first 2-3 rows, you don't really have to pay attention. I might even make a few of these as Christmas presents...since my first attempt at glove making was a failure.

The other night, I thought I would try to crochet fingerless gloves. I was half way done and I either got confused, lost in the pattern, and just plain messed up. I was so far in that I just decided to keep going and see what I got -without aid.
What I got was uncomfortable and is sitting in the trash right now.
What I learned was I like mixing my thin colours together, as seen on the scarf.
I will attempt to make gloves again...maybe not this pattern and maybe not fingerless. Mittens?

In like a lion

My friends birthday is coming up. She likes lions. I wanted to make her a lion stuffed animal, but whatever I tried never seemed to work.
I was talking to another friend -the one who the giraffe is for- and came up with the idea for a pillow.
The friend recieving the pillow, has a small girl, so everything is double sewed on.
Please excuse the fugly couch and the paintball mask to the side.

On the flower front, I think fertilizing the lilies "might" have worked. One ovary seems to be larger than all the others and not shrivelling up in the heat.

One Two Cha Cha Cha

I ended the last post with hats, so let's start this one with hats.
The other one was too small for myself, too small for Tesah. I put bells in the ears, so it's like a toy on it's own. She put it on her rocking horse! Giddey-UP!
I bought new yarn, altered the pattern, and made my own hat. It turned out very warrior like [mine is the one with the teeth].


Since then, I have made 2 other hats, to be sent to friends across the pond.



My mums birthday is coming up. I made her a dragon of her very own. A pink dragon with very gauche eyelashes!5.5 hours of hand sewing -the machine kept trying to vomit the bobbin. The dragon can also be seen on this blog. Yes, I submitted her myself, but shh!


Our garden is coming along. Some tomatoes are turning red already! Hurrah!


The flowers have lost most of their beauty due to the heat and the rain, but I am still seed collecting. I am trying to hybrid my lilies. They look like aliens, what with the foil over their stamens. It will either work, or not work.

Cat-Tastic

Following the pattern precisely, granted I used the wrong yarn, the hat shrunk ALOT!
I had a problem putting it on Jingle Bear.
I am hoping Tesah has dolls or stuffies that would like a new hat.
I have decided not to use the pattern much anymore. I used it to start the ring. I will be using it for the ears and eyes.
For my most recent hat, I picked up Bernat Chunky. It's a #5 bulky. I added stiches, lots of stitches. To be on the safe side, I also added a whole row of double crochets.
Three hours into making the main hat, I realized it did not fit. I ripped it apart (except for the starting circle) and decided to just keep adding and adding until it fit both mine and my boyfriends heads.
I have come to the realization that when I crochet, most patterns do not work for me.



Here's some "love-in-the-mist", courtesy of my garden
...I think I like the idea of ending my posts with a flower from my garden! Yes!

Mew

*quick, should be getting ready for work*

Using the pattern from Crochet Me that a friend of mine found (and made some awesome hats), I decided to try to make my own for myself. So far, it's a failure.
I either crochet too tightly, or am using the wrong yarn -RedHeart I forget the number. My hook is only a six when it should be a 5.5.
As you can see, its TEEEENY!
I called a friend with a little girl today and was like "how big is her head? Ok..she gets a hat."
I hope to have it finshed by -if not before- next Friday. I have no life, and dont work at all tomorrow...so probably will be done tomorrow.

Dont Look A Gift Giraffe In The Mouth

Previously, I said I was going to try to make a giraffe. Well, I tried.
She reminds me of a child's rendition of a giraffe.
Hand-sewn from my own imagination. Large cartoon-y eye. A horn and an ear. A blush of pink for the added adorable-ness, and even a heart shaped spot.

She will be going to a friend of mine for her birthday next month. Hopefully, she will be loved.
I will need to work on making a lion for another friend. The lion will have to be more child-friendly.
The giraffe has a large bead for an eye and her spots and cheek are glued on.
I will have to ponder...

...I don't think I can write anymore. I am starved and need to clean up the fabric explosion around me.

Happy Friday

Trial and Error

A friend of mine wanted me to make a dog, doberman, for her friend's birthday. I dont have my own dog patterns, and I couldnt really find some online. I did however find this pattern.
It was for a jack russel. There were no real instructions, but if you know how to sew, you can figure it out.
I am guessing I dont know how to sew.
The pattern was easy to do...converting it from a jack russel to a doberman didn't really seem to work out.
This pup measures 3 inches by 2 inches tall.
My friend requested something small and cute.
We shall see...there's still a month until her friends birthday if she doesnt like it.

Ch-ch-ch-Changes [sorry]

I am thinking of changing my blog layout, but I have no idea what I want it to be. As much as I love the piece of drift wood on the sand, it's been there since the beginning.
Any opinions?
If you're a random person, stumbling upon my blog, feel free to say hello, follow, share!

I am going to try to make a lion and a giraffe for 2 good friends' birthdays. They're not until August, so I have some time to do some testing. Would anyone be willing to help me test patterns?



It's grey and rainy out.
Please enjoy the pictures of my flowers on the side. With the wind, they have lost some petals.So of course these are old. I sure hope my lilies bloom soon. *sad*
Poor baby flowers!

Witch ya want?

My friend over at Diary Of A Bald Girl and I are going to do a doll trade. Once something comes up, if I have the materials, I have to start right away. I was going to use the patterns from the dress I was going to make, but I lent those out to a friend to scale down for me. Impatient, I decided to try to make my own doll pattern without the dress.
I tried to make her "modern" and fun.
I have never made a doll before [it was easy-peasy]. The hardest part was trying to figure out the shoes.
Hopefully she will be loved.




Made from: felt, safety eyes, shell necklace bits, poly-fil, yarn