Pocket Mouse

Here is one of my previous crochet projects. It's a cute little mouse crocheted from a pattern I found on the internet: http://thecrochetworks.tripod.com/animals.html. It amazes me how there are so many fantastic patterns offered for free.

This little guy took only a couple of nights to do and was surprisingly easy to do. Each piece is done separately (body, nose, ears, arms, legs, and tail) and then sewn on, which if you're not fond of sewing can be a bit tedious. The sewing required for each piece is minimal but having to sewn on eight pieces is the tedious part. But it's well worth the effort for this cute little mouse. As you can see, the only real issue I seem to have had was lining up his eyes. Maybe I'll call him Drunky the Mouse.

I'm hoping to crochet his friends some day.

Hook size:
F

Materials used: Grey worsted weight yarn
Black yarn scrap, unraveled
Stuffing

"that's a wrap"

This is my second finished redesigned t-shirt project. The idea and instructions came from Generation T: 108 ways to transform a T-shirt by Megan Nicolay. It's project number 28 which involves transforming a t-shirt into a wrap shirt.


Now, I do love this book, it has great ideas and will help me reclaim the multitude of shapeless t-shirts that I just can't let go of but won't wear. The only issue I have is that the simplicity of the instructions means that things aren't exact which means the shirt won't always turn out exactly as it does in the picture. The other issue is that the models are skinny with less than ample bosoms. So the way the shirt looks on them is far different to the way the shirt looks on those of us who are less than skinny and actually require a bra.

The pattern calls for cutting and a bit of sewing for the belt. In reality, the large shirt that I used required more work. It was too bulky at the sides, especially after sewing the bottom of the armholes to make them smaller and fit better. When I realised the extent of this huge problem and how terrible it made the shirt look, I was disheartened. I felt better when I thought about just sewing the sides and cutting off the excess fabric to get a better fit. I was once again disheartened when I realised that t-shirts often get out of shape and no longer lay flat making them difficult to arrange to perfection. After much huffing and puffing and pouting, my trusty sewing machine did good by me and the sides to the shirt were sewn up. Much to my surprise the sewing job did the trick just as it was supposed to (note to those that would skip corners: I basted the shirt before sewing to make sure it would look right, this is not a step to be skipped as doing so could result in much yelling, crying, and throwing of things). It is not a perfect shirt. It will need to be worn with a tank underneath or with the "v" pinned to keep the "ladies" from peaking out. It would also look better if I were skinnier. But, it's wearable, though I'm not sure where I would wear it to. It does have kind of a martial arts pyjama feel to it which I think can be minimised by wearing it with a skirt rather than pants.

Materials used:
XL T-shirt
red Gutterman thread
blue thread (for basting)
needle
sewing machine
tailor's chalk
straight pins
ruler

Spiderweb Table Topper

It has begun. I have actually gotten my butt in gear soon enough to get going on holiday themed crafts before the holiday has come and gone. Because once the holiday is over the motivation for the themed crafts is gone and another year has to go by before I can think about doing them again.

In just over a month it will be Hallowe'en. Yay! Here is my very first Hallowe'en crochet project:

It's a spiderweb table topper. I was able to complete the project in just one evening. And I found out that not only does it look great on a table, but it's fantastic thrown over a lamp shade (please be very aware of the fire hazard putting it on a lampshade may pose). The whole thing is done with ch and tr and although it's listed as being medium difficulty, I found it very easy to do. My only advice is mark the first chain of each round to make navigating around the web a bit easier. It is possible to get a little lost if the web twists around at all.

Hook Size:
N

Materials used:
Black worsted weight yarn

Granny Square Afghan

This is one of the afghans that I've crocheted.

This was made from the Granny Square Afghan pattern in the Crochet Pattern-a-Day 2006 calendar. At first I was very frustrated with the pattern but that was mainly because I didn't really understand the concept of granny squares. As soon as I figured the basics out, it was easy sailing!

The one issue is that it's supposed to be a square afghan but if you lay this one out it's a little "off-square." Mind you that doesn't matter when you're curled up in it.

The idea with this pattern is to keep going until the afghan is as big as you want. The last couple of colour rounds on mine aren't to the width that the pattern specifies, but I'd had enough of buying yarn (or should I say getting Mel to pick up yarn) for this pattern that I just decided to end it.

Materials used:
Bernat Super Value worsted weight yarn in Sky (Thanks Mel!)
Bernat Super Value worsted weight yarn in Damson

Net Shopping Bag

I finally finished this bag!!! After starting it a while ago, I lost the size F hook I was using. I ended up moving onto other projects that used different sized hooks. Finally I went to a nearby knitting store, Knit-O-Matic, and picked up a size F hook. I treated myself and got one made out of bamboo. It's so increadibly light.


This was made from the Net Shopping Bag pattern in the Crochet Pattern-a-Day 2006 calendar. I've found that many of the patterns in this calendar are a bit wonky and I have to make some small adjustments on them to make them work out in a way that I like. With this one, the instructions for the handles were a bit odd but I adapted and they seemed to have worked out okay. I'll know for sure once I take this bag grocery shopping, with any luck my groceries won't end up all over the ground. There was also supposed to be a bag case crocheted into the bottom of the inside of the bag. I left that out.

Materials used:
Bernat Super Value worsted weight yarn in Honey