Tabby Cat Hat and Fall Daisy Scarf

I'm in the process of packing and sorting and tossing and selling and donating stuff so that I can make the move from TX to PA.

Along the way, I have made several full car trips to Goodwill and have also donated three GIANT trash bags of YARN to two different local charities. One charity gives the yarn to 5th graders who are taught how to knit after school. They make items for preemies in the hospitals. It helps give the kids something positive to do while learning an awesome hobby. The charity donations are coordinated by Stacey who owns and runs The Knitting Nest in South Austin. I've been to The Knitting Nest a number of times. It's a great place with a wonderful selection and plenty of space to sit and stitch.

The second charity gives yarn to knitters and crocheters who make hats for cancer patients both in the hospital and at home. The donations for that charity are coordinated by Susan who owns and runs Yarnorama in Paige, TX. I hadn't been out to Paige before and I felt like such a city girl. It was a long drive and the town is very small. But, the shop is great. The selection is very extensive. There is plenty of space to sit and stitch as well as a cafe with coffee and treats. I was impressed & wanted to purchase all sorts of beautiful fiber... I had to remind myself that I was there to donate yarn - not accumulate more!

It's weird being somewhat stash-free. I did save a few skeins, but for the most part, I have no stash right now. I'm sure that before I know it, I will have a giant, ridiculous stash again... it feels great knowing that the yarn is going towards people who will really appreciate it and will be worked into projects that will brighten someone's day.

Anyway-- I had a few projects I wanted to finish before the move. I still have one more to go (it's about 3/4ths done)... and will post pictures when it is complete.

These are the projects that I finished this week...

Matching Tabby Cat Hats for Baby and Mama

My friend Audrey commissioned me to make her two hats. One for her sister and one for her sister's baby-to-be. The idea was to make them look like orange tabby cats - complete with cat ears - because her sister has been looking for an adult hat with ears for awhile now. The baby and mama hats would match -- and would be given at the baby shower.

I hunted around for the purrrrfect orange tabby yarn and found Vanna's Choice Tangerine Mist. Of course, after going to every Michaels and a few Hobby Lobbys in the area-- I still couldn't find this color. So Audrey ended up ordering it online for me--which worked out well.

Anyway-- eventually (in a month or so), I hope to post pictures of the mama and me coordinating hats. For now, here is a picture of me modeling the mama hat. The baby hat is identical (well, smaller, but same stitch and border) with the addition of earflaps and ties that look like cat tails. Both are my own design... but there are tons of cat hats out there in knit and crochet if you are looking for a good pattern.

Fall Daisy Scarf

My other project was for my friend Dana. She loves wearing warm oranges and yellows and I wanted to make her a scarf as a thank you gift. I bought some Vanna's Choice yarn in assorted fall colors from Michael's and used the daisy square that I made as an addition to my friend Kate's blanket for inspiration. The daisy square pattern can be found here, though, I did modify it some for this scarf. After I made several squares, I stitched them together and then did an improvised border in a shell stitch. The scarf is very long and thick and warm - I'm really happy with it. Once it was finished, I washed it with fabric softener and it feels amazing.

Here are the pictures -- they aren't awesome because the scarf isn't modeled, but will give you an idea of it. For the first picture taken in my cube, the scarf hadn't been washed & blocked yet... and yes, those are ends that had yet to be woven in... but I couldn't resist taking a picture of the progress. :o)

Thanks for looking! I'm not sure that I'll be posting again until after the big move.

Cowgirl Booties

My friend & coworker Justin saw the cowboy booties that I made for a silent auction and asked if could make a pair for his niece-to-be. She is due in a few weeks, so I made them this weekend in Caron Simply Soft Pink and Red Heart Super Saver Buff. The Cowboy Booties pattern is one of the very few patterns that I actually follow without changing it up. Actually, maybe the only one! The booties are sized for a newborn and super-cute!

In other news, the Wags and Whiskers Annual Dinner Auction to Benefit the Humane League of Lancaster County was held on Saturday. It was a huge success and everyone had a great time. This morning, my sister sent me this adorable picture of the lucky recipient of the GI Joe dog sweater that I donated. His name is Mickey, isn't he adorable? ... er, I mean, isn't he super-tough in his camo?

On the Catwalk...

My sister received my contributions to the Wags and Whiskers Annual Dinner Auction to benefit the Humane League of Lancaster County. She even took some pictures of a few of the sweaters on some "dogs". So, thanks to her, you can have a better idea of what these dog sweaters will look like when their future owner struts their stuff in them.

Fiesta Print with Sage Trim

GI Joe

He's an American Hero, you know....

Barbie and GI Joe...

or Miss Piggy since she obviously is begging for attention...

Enjoy!

Ready To Wear: Dog Fashion

I reallyreally wish that I had these dog sweaters photographed on an adorable dog... but alas... You'll have to just pretend. I considered buying a life-sized plushie to model the sweaters, but then I figured Beethoven would tear the poor, defenseless toy to shreds before I ever got around to the photo shoot...

so imagine these on adorable puppies.

The sweaters will be part of the silent auction "Wags and Whiskers" to benefit The Humane League of Lancaster County where my sister works.

The great thing about these sweaters is that they work up super-quickly!

Camoflage Print

Sized XS in a pull over sweater. Let the neighborhood know that he’s boss.

I used this pattern and only made small adjustments and made it in Bernat Camo yarn. It's pretty tiny, but I think it will fit a chihuahua nicely.

Lilac and Lace

Sized S and fastens around the neck and tummy band. Pretty and sweet.

I crocheted this one in lavender (caron Simply soft) with cream trim (hobby lobby cottontots). It's a hybrid of several patterns with the addition of a lace stitch from a book of stitches that I have. I added a few buttons to close it and a bow at the neck. I used this free pattern as part of the pattern "suggestion"... but I took a lot of liberties with it.

Hot Pink Diva with Fur Trim

Sized S in a pull over sweater. She’s Ready for her Close-up!

For this sassy number, I didn't use a pattern. I just used the other already made sweaters as a guide. this is the only one that isn't washable-- and that's because of the fur trim.

Fiesta Print with Sage Trim

Sized XS in a pull over sweater. Perfect for a Party Girl.

Lily-Cat is jealous because it isn't in her size.
I used this pattern with minimal adjustments and made it in red heart yarn... I washed it with fabric softener and a dryer sheet and now it feels nice and soft.

Pink Camoflage

Sized S in a pull over sweater. For the girl who’s a bit of a tomboy.

Just updated with pictures. I made it in Rose Camo by Bernat. I was actually disappointed by this yarn because it barely looks camo since there are only two colors (pink and green) instead of three. Oh, well. I used this pattern again... but changed it up a lot... mostly because the camo wasn't striping well (it looked like a checkerboard!)... so I did different stitches... I'll take a picture tonight.

Thanks for looking!

Hope these items help raise money for lots of lil cuties.

Finished Pair of Chucks

I wanted to share the finished chucks that I will be donating to the silent auction at The Humane League of Lancaster County where my sister works. They are my own pattern (as mentioned below) and take very little time compared to other booties I've made. I think that another cute use for these would be to tie them together and put them over your car's review mirror instead of fuzzy dice...

Thanks for checking them out -- and happy Friday!

Baby Chucks

Recently, I taught my friend Nicole how to crochet. Since then, she has made two adorable baby sweaters (which hopefully I'll have pictures of soon). One sweater is in a pink that is sweet as frosting. The other is black for a friend who wanted some alternative baby clothes, much to the chagrin of her very traditional and conservative mother. To match the black baby jacket, she wanted to make some cute baby shoes. I hunted around online... and thought, what would be better than baby chucks?

I saw many knit versions online... but no crochet patterns.

She came over yesterday and we got started on a sneaker pattern that we hoped to modify into hi-top converses.

After an hour or so of making the soles, I realized that I wasn't loving the pattern. The result was that it looked a lot like the hi-top converse (I'll post a picture tonight of chuck model 1.0), but it was too big for a baby and just way too time intensive.



So we scrapped the plan.



I decided that a more abstract and less exact version would be faster, less annoying, and still cute. Basically, get the point across without trying to make a perfect copy. I drew up a schematic and we went to work.


The result was a bootie in 1/2 the time. I haven't added the star yet and didn't finish both booties, but thought I'd share the first one for now.



This pair will be added to the other donations I'm making for a silent auction to benefit The Humane League of Lancaster County where my sister works.

Silent Auction Items for Q's Preschool

Last year, I crocheted a bunch o' hats for a silent auction that benefitted my nephew's preschool. As a long-distance auntie, you really look for any opportunity to get involved with your nephew's life.

So, when the auction came up this year, I was excited to partake. Of course, with a new lil niece (or nephew?) on the way, I had a lot of different projects in queue and couldn't commit to the volume that I donated last year.

But, I did what I could.

I made a baby hat and jacket set with beige trim. The navy yarn is almost denim-like, but I think is more of a tweed. It's washable and from some mill ends that my mom picked up. The jacket is sized for 6-12 mos. The hat is for a baby approx 9mos old (or with a head that is 19" around).

The body of the jacket is a hybrid of few patterns and some own touches-- honestly, I just looked at a few patterns and then picked what I liked from each one and then modified as I saw fit as I went along. The hat was just a standard hat in half double crochet... with a picot edge to match the sleeve edges.

Next up, a modified version of this hoodie pattern (which I also used for the dragon baby jacket for my nephew Atticus). I used Caron Simply Soft Yarn for the body and homespun for the edges. This one is sized for 18-24 mos.

Crafty Goals for '08

My (Somewhat Lofty) Crafty Goals for the New Year

1. Write patterns of my crochet designs.
2. Learn how to follow sewing patterns so that I can branch out a bit in my new hobby.
3. Take another Sewing class at Craftorama.
4. Design a few new crocheted bags.
5. Open an Etsy shop.
6. Sell a few items through local boutiques in Austin.
7. Teach more of my friends how to crochet.
8. Participate in more Silent Auctions for Charity.
9. Crochet a Blanket for Project Rest Assured (goes to a foster care child in Cleveland, my hometown) and a few hats for Hats 4 the Homeless.

Projects on the docket for the New Year

1. Baby Gift for Betsy and Andy
2. Silent Auction entry for Q's Preschool
3. Cowboy Baby Booties
4. Mary Jane Baby Booties
5. Blanket for Sheila

Silent Auction + Benefit Concert for the Mexican Flood Victims

Some of my crocheted items will be auctioned off during this concert to benefit the Mexican Flood Victims...

good music + fun people + great cause = super happy fun time

Mexican Flood Benefit Concert

Threadgills

Sunday - December 2nd

2 p.m. to 7p.m.

301 West Riverside Austin, Texas

2 p.m.: Southpaw Jones

3 p.m.: The Daze

4 p.m.: The Harold Ambler Project

5 p.m.: Sam and Henry

6 p.m.: The Shelley King Band

Hosted by your emcee, Spike Gillespie.

Silent art auction.

Admission $10; $5 for 18-and-under.

about:
On Sunday, December 2, local musicians, artists, and businesses are holding a benefit for the victims of the recent flooding in Tabasco, Mexico. Although no longer in the news, Tropical Storm Noel and its aftermath have left devastation in Mexico that will take months and years from which to rebound. In addition to damaging the homes of almost a million people, or about half of Tabasco's population, the flood also devastated crops of corn, bananas and beans that provide the livelihood for thousands.

For Adoption during the Auction: Miss Bunny

Miss Bunny is a freehanded crochet doll complete with Swarovski Crystal earrings. Fancy!

The varigated yarn is actually Belgian yarn that my Aunt Kathy gave to me. She bought it years and years ago - and like any yarn that's taken care of, it's in excellent condition.

The solid color yarn is in lion brand microspun... and the scarf is in fancy fur novelty yarn.

The majority of Miss Bunny was done in single crochet... with the exception of parts of the heart and part of her ears. She is 100% one of a kind.

Also up for auction...

The cutest lil' boots in Texas!

Adorable Cowboy Baby Booties for a brand new Native Texan ;)

They are soo tiny and cute. I want to make a ton of pairs in every color. These were done in Caron Simply Soft Chocolate and Red Heart Buff yarn. I actually followed a pattern for once... and was impressed with myself for not changing it up too much ;)

If you are in Austin - please try to come on Sunday!

CaseyBarnes.org

I wanted to spread the word about a fundraising website that my friend Marty decided to start for her daughter Casey. Despite a healthy pregnancy, Casey has had a really rough start to her life. She is legally blind, has little hearing, and can't swallow, gag, or blink. Marty used to work with me, but after Casey was born she decided to become a SAHM so that she could make all of Casey's medical appointments, which are multiple every week, and give Casey the around the clock care that she needs. Marty is a good friend of mine and I'm really glad that they set up the new site to tell Casey's story and to help raise money for her care, which is mostly out of pocket. They are selling Casey bracelets (Like the Lance Armstrong ones) for $4 and raising money for specific goals – like a special needs stroller. Of course, keeping Casey in your thoughts and prayers works, too! She's a brave little girl and a figher, but she appreciates support and encouragement :o)

Here is Casey's site


Please feel free to pass along this info and let me know if you have any questions.

Thanks!