Homespun Dreams

Disappointed....

2012-01-20T16:17:00.000-08:00

Recently, I found out that someone is ,(despite my specifically asking people not to do this,) using my R2-D2 pattern and selling the hats for their own profit on a well known craft website :-(

So, unfortunately, until further notice, I am taking my R2D2 hat and my Minion slippers patterns down.

And if you are the seller of those particular items....please give credit where credit is due.

Also, an anonymous poster had asked

Anonymous Jan 1, 2012 04:29 PM
Can you tell me what the gauge is? Thank you for that and the pattern.

To which I replied....
michelle Jan 5, 2012 10:55 AM
Unfortunately I really don't know how to measure gauge....There are 4 stitches per inch...does that help? (Sorry!)
And then I received another ( somewhat rude) reply....

Anonymous Jan 7, 2012 04:33 PM

The gauge is on the freaking needle................ In your pictures its 4.25mm

I just wanted to point out, (not so much to her, but to other beginners like myself,) that this is wrong.

The numbers on the hook ( not needle) are just the diameter of the hook itself.

According to this article on Annie's Attic
(Wow...see how easy that was to give credit where credit is due?!....)

What is gauge?

Gauge is the number of stitches per inch and the number of rows per inch a crocheter or knitter gets when stitching with a particular size of yarn and a specific crochet hook or knitting needles.
Gauge varies from stitcher to stitcher, even when they are using exactly the same yarn and hook or needles. It is very personal. One person may get 4 stitches to the inch with a worsted-weight yarn and a size G crochet hook, while another gets 3.5 stitches to the inch. This may not sound like much, but that half stitch per inch can make your finished garment several inches too big or too small. This is why making a test swatch is so important.

I really don't mean to be snarky. As I said when I started this blog, I am pretty new at crochet myself, and certainly *very* new at pattern making. It's a fun hobby for me, and I honestly had hoped to just pass my patterns along to those who wanted to make cute stuff for their own kids/grandkids, and I was happy to see that some used my patterns in those ways.

In the future I will no longer be posting patterns for my creations. If you know me personally, and would like a pattern, you may email me and I would be happy to share it with you. Also, I will no longer be allowing anonymous comments, and I am pondering making this blog by invitation only.

I know it's 'just a hat' - so I'm not going to get in to an argument about it with anyone....but if you happen to go to 'that certain well known craft website' and you see some R2D2 hats that
~~are an exact copy of my pattern~~ similar to mine -
I would ask that you possibly refrain from purchasing them from that seller.
(*Note: there are several other 'R2' hats that are decidedly different from mine, and I have NO problem whatsoever with those! It is quite obvious which hats have been made from my pattern.)

Thanks,

Michelle

Monkey and Owl

2012-01-03T12:01:00.000-08:00

A couple of new hats for my cousin's boys.

The first one was a sock monkey!

This was sort-of a mix between this pattern here, and the pattern found here on this blog
(I made the 9-12 month size - minus the ears, and I used a strand of cream and a strand of gray worked together to get the 'tweed' look for his head)

The second hat is a cute little owl

I didn't have a pattern for this one...I just sort of 'winged it' (no pun intended) following these photos.

I also didn't have any life-size models,

but you can take my word for it....they looked much cuter on the actual recipients. ;-)

Peg dolls - round 2

2011-12-23T09:34:00.000-08:00

A set of peg dolls for my other daughter who is ~~a tomboy~~ a bit more adventurous. ;-)

Wooden peg dolls

2011-12-20T18:51:00.000-08:00

I have been obsessed with peg dolls lately.

Actually - my fascination with them started decades ago.
I think that these were my all time favorite childhood toy...and I still have quite a collection of them.

But lately, my fascination has shifted to a 'craftier' sort of peg doll, and thanks to the (highly addicting) Pinterest and Etsy websites, I've had no shortage of sources for inspiration.
It was there that I ran across this blog.

Her directions seemed easy enough, so I decided to try a few of my own as a Christmas gift for my youngest daughter, (who shares my love of the vintage Fisher Price dolls.)

I found the doll forms at my local craft store. I bought some smaller versions, too - as my daughter is sure to want a full family. Pleasantly, both sets were just a couple dollars each, so at least my new ~~obsession~~ hobby won't break our bank account.

In addition to the wooden doll forms, I had the additional supplies already on hand: acryllic craft paints, and very tiny paintbrushes.

I pretty much followed the tutorial step-by-step on the other blog for the first few steps.

I did use some of her clothing designs, but I tried to personalize others....
and when I was done - I had a nice little group of dolls. :-)

There were women....

and children....

and even a set of grandparents....

but ....uh...only one guy.

We decided that we didn't want our daughter to have to play 'Sister Wives',
so I made a few more friends for him.

(And with that second batch I think I improved my 'hair techniques, too.)
Hint: dry brush and think 'wispy.'

I still need to varnish/seal them, (I'm going to try Mod Podge,)
and I'm also making them some little felt beds/sleeping bags.

Hopefully my daughter will love them as much as the Fisher Price ones. :-)

Beautiful gifts from a friend!

2011-03-30T07:43:00.000-07:00

It has taken me WAAAAY too long to say "Thank You" to a dear friend.

Kristi had a blog contest for a handmade apron - and I entered it...and won!
She did such a beautiful job and I just have to show off her lovely work.

And because she is so sweet, she also sent me a WONDERFUl bar of handmade soap, and a pretty cotton washcloth that she crocheted!

She is one of the most talented people I know - seriously....check out her blog!
She's always got something going on in the garden, or the kitchen, or the schoolroom.
She recently learned cake decorating with her daughter and their cakes look beautiful!

Kristi, thanks again and......you rock! :-)

Odds and ends

2011-03-20T14:31:00.000-07:00

I've made a hodge-podge of crafty stuff lately:

An 'aviator' hat for my cousin's baby - due any day now.

A bunny blankie and some booties for another little one (also due any day)

And for my own special someone - a little blue duck - to replace a 'lovey' that was lost.

My Despicable project

2011-02-10T08:39:00.000-08:00

We have a winner!

Butomysoul guessed both that they were "Despicable Me" minions

and also (by process of elimination, LOL) that they were slippers.

I'll be in touch with you to go over the details about your hat (size, color, etc)
Congratulations!

GIVEAWAY! (Guess the UFOs)

2011-02-06T11:19:00.000-08:00

I thought I'd have a little giveaway....

If anyone can guess what my UFOs (unfinished objects) below are going to be, I will make them one of my flowered beanie hats in the color(s) of your choice - (from anything I already own in my yarn stash) ;-)

Ready....set....GUESS!

(And try to be as specific as possible)

I'll close the contest Wednesday at midnight.

If more than one person guesses correctly, (or if NO one guesses correctly)
I'll enter your names into a random drawing.

The winner will be announced on Thursday.

Each day (Mon.-Wed.) I'll post a clue.

Monday's clue: It's something you wear.
Tuesday's clue: It's going to be a birthday gift for my son. (So it's nothing 'girly') ;-)
Wednesday's clue: It's based on a character/characters from one of his favorite movies from this past year.

Flappy hat

2011-01-07T10:38:00.000-08:00

My daughter is recovering from an ear infection, so I wanted to make something to warm her head and protect her ears from the bitter winter wind.

This was the result

Julie's Flappy Hat

I worked this hat with 2 strands of (Lion Homespun) yarn - worked together - and a size “N” hook

Chain 4 and sl st to form a ring, Ch 2

Rnd 1 - In the ring HDC 9 times, join w/ sl st to the first HDC, CH 2

Rnd 2 - 2 HDC in each stitch around, (join, ch 2 )

Rnd 3 - 2 HDC in the first stitch, 1 HDC in the next – (repeat , join, ch 2)

Rnd 4 - 2 HDC in the first stitch, HDC in the next 2 stitches - (repeat , join, ch 2)

Rnd 5 - 2 HDC in the first stitch, HDC in the next 3 stitches

Rnd 6 - 2 HDC in the first stitch, HDC in the next 4 stitches

Rnd 7 - 2 HDC in the first stitch, HDC in the next 5 stitches

change colors

Rnds 8-12

to make a sm/med sized hat (which is what I made) for rows 8-12 HDC in every stitch around increasing one stitch in each row by adding a second HDC to the starting stitch.
To make a med/lg hat, follow the 'increase pattern from above through row 10 and then just do the last 2 rows in HDC

For the ear flaps

First, I put the above cap on my DD and used a stitch marker to mark where her ears were on each side.

Then I counted our 4 stitches in front and back of that stitch (for a total of 9 stitches)

I joined my yarn at the start of the 9^th stitch and.....

SC 9 stitches across, ch 1, turn

9 SC , ch 1, turn

SC 2 together, SC 2 together, SC 2 together, SC 2 together, SC, Ch 1 , turn

5 SC , ch 1, turn

SC 2 together, SC 2 together, SC 1, ch 1 turn

3SC, ch 1 turn

SC 2 together, ch1, turn

SC the final 2 together, - pull yarn through and finish off.

To finish – I switched to a smaller needle (“I” maybe?) and just did a row of SC all the way around.

Ties

I just pulled three longer pieces of yarn through the ends of the flaps and braided them, then tied them off.

(I'd still like to put a pom pom on top, but the homespun yarn is too fuzzy.)

Time to go yarn shopping I guess. :-)

***You could also increase the size of this hat by using a larger hook or by using DC instead of HDC,

or decrease it by using a smaller hook and SC

For a very special itty bitty someone.....

2010-12-23T12:16:00.000-08:00

My friend welcomed a beautiful baby girl recently, and it was discovered that the baby had spina bifida.
I pray these small gifts keep her warm and cozy while she recovers from surgery.

Welcome to the world - Lil' Bit!

American Girl Chrismas dresses

2010-12-08T14:02:00.000-08:00

My three daughters are all very much into their "American Girl" dolls, and so I decided to make them some home-made Christmas outfits for gifts this year.

My oldest will be receiving a red 'Santa-like' outfit - trimmed with white furry 'eyelash' yarn. I also made a white mesh cap to go with this one.

My youngest will get a green dress, trimmed with sparkly white., and a matching white bonnet.

And my middle daughter (who has the Native American "Kaya" AG doll) will be getting this ivory dress - trimmed with cranberry and 'natural' colored wooden beads

I just love the gold flecks in this yarn ~ It is so festive!

I hope to make a matching headband and perhaps some moccasins to go with this dress.

I used this pattern for the basis of all three dresses,
although I made several modifications to all of them so that I could personalize them for my girls.

http://fatcatcrochetcorner.blogspot.com/2010/09/autumn-celebration-dress_02.html

Butterfly hat

2010-11-10T09:53:00.000-08:00

My middle daughter has been patiently waiting for me to make her a hat, and she really wanted one with a butterfly.

I thought about making her this one
http://whipup.net/2009/06/22/butterfly-crochet-hat/
It is so cute and it is a fairly easy pattern> However, I got to thinking about how cold the winter wind is here, and so I thought that just maybe I'd better make a hat with no 'holes' in it so she stays warm.

I ended up not using a pattern for the hat itself - but to make the butterfly I followed this pattern which actually says to crochet a flower - and then fold it in half.
http://www.allfreecrafts.com/crochet/crocheted-butterfly.shtml

I think it turned out pretty cute (but then I'm prejudiced about the model) ;-)

R2D2 crocheted hat pattern.

2010-10-18T10:16:00.000-07:00

*EDITED 1/20/12 : Due to people not honoring the following request, I am taking this pattern down. :-(

I would really appreciate if you didn't 'steal' the pattern.
You are welcome to use this for your own personal use, but please link back/give credit, and please do not sell this pattern (or the hats) for your own personal monetary gain.

Thanks!
Copyright: Michelle Weller - October 18, 2010

R2D2 Where are you?

2010-10-15T09:06:00.000-07:00

This was my first 'free form' crochet project ever.

My son came to me one day and said that he wanted a R2D2 hat.
I had no pattern, but I had seen pictures of other hats online and I thought...How hard could it be?"

Apparently harder than I thought.
I had to 'rip it out' several times until I got the size right, but once I got the basic size of the crown correct - things went much smoother after that.

This hat is a jumbled mix of DC, HDC and SC, and I messed up the tension a bit in the middle.
I'm not even sure if I could do it again, as I didn't write anything down as I went along.

But my son loves it...so I guess that's all that really matters.

Koala Girl

2010-09-05T18:30:00.000-07:00

The girly counterpart to the little guy in my avatar.

I made this one as a birthday gift for my daughter's friend.

Patterns for this cutie can be found either in this book

http://www.amazon.com/Tiny-Yarn-Animals-Amigurumi-Friends/dp/1557885303

Or online here
http://www.womansday.com/Articles/Crafts....ures-Koala.html

Cloche to you

2010-08-06T18:51:00.000-07:00

This week I worked on a couple of homespun cloche hats for a dear friend that recently found out she has thyroid cancer.

She requested brown on brown and cream on cream for the colors. I was happy to oblige.

I just love Lion Brand's Homespun yarn. It is so soft and silky and this particular pattern works up so nicely with it.

I also printed up some little cards to attach to the hats.

Sending them off with hugs and prayers.

Cradle roll booties

2010-07-08T19:33:00.000-07:00

I was asked by our pastor to head up the 'cradle roll' for our church, and part of my job is to prepare a welcome basket for all of the new babies.

I made these little booties to go in the baskets.
It's nice because they whip up really quickly and I can get several pairs out of one skein of yarn,
(or use up some of my odd and ends.)

I hope to make more of the little headbands for the baby girls, too!

Here is the pattern that I used for the booties
http://susan.kraus.net/pages/pattern6.html

Cute cut-offs

2010-06-07T09:02:00.000-07:00

My middle daughter, is SO rough on her pants - she is constantly wearing holes in the knees.
Rather than just toss them out, I have been saving them to turn into cut-offs for this summer - but I decided to 'dress them up' a bit.

One pair of pants...cut to the desired length

Some fabric - (This was 45" across, but for bigger kids... or bigger ruffles...you could use 60" fabric.)

I cut two 4" wide strips and folded them over into 2" strips. Then I sewed two rows of loose threads side by side and I pulled on thread to 'gather' the fabric into ruffles. (Use strong thread or it will break!)

Keep gathering until it is the same length as the opening of your pants leg.

Then sew right sides together. I used several rows of the zig-zag stitch (to prevent the fabric form unraveling.) It isn't pretty...but this part won't be seen anyways.

Then flip this part under and top-stitch near the seam for a nicer finish

Do the other leg and ....and...

Cotton mop cover

2010-05-28T10:44:00.000-07:00

Washable, reusable....boring but functional.

I didn't have a pattern for this one...I just measured my Swiffer and added enough length to fold over the ends. It's basically just a long rectangle. I made a few rows 'ribbed' by crocheting in the back loops, so that it has more scrubbing power.

Then I sewed 3 sides closed, and left the 3rd open so that it's easier to get on and off the mop, and added strings to tie it in place.

I made mine with 100% cotton yarn because I plan to use it wet,
but if you just want to use it dry for dusting hardwood floors, you could also make it with acrylic.

Crowns of Glory

2010-05-27T15:08:00.000-07:00

I made my first couple of hats for my charity...which I have named "Crowns of Glory" based on
Isaiah 62:3 You will be a crown of splendor in the LORD's hand, a royal diadem in the hand of your God.

A good friend of mine told me that she had a friend going through chemotherapy, and asked me if I could please make her something special.

This is what we came up with

A nice cream-colored homespun with several different inter-changeable options for flowers

And a Fun Fur Juliette cap.
It has a more open weave, but the 'furriness' fills in the gaps. I figure it will be a cooler alternative for summer.

I'd like to make more hats with the Fun Fur.
It's a nice, colorful alternative for those having 'no hair days.' ;-)

Baby, Baby

2010-04-08T07:00:00.000-07:00

My next hats were so fun to make!

Two of my friends had darling baby girls within a couple months of each other, and so I had to send them little gifts for their new blessings. (I have since been dubbed "Auntie Michelle" - a title I quite enjoy - LOL.)

Since I don't have a baby of my own any more - a doll has to suffice for a model. ;-)

And possibly my favorite hat ever ( which is why it's my header...)

I can't think of a better reason to crochet, than to welcome a new little one into the world with something soft and warm.

My inspiration

2010-03-29T12:58:00.000-07:00

My next hats were made under much sadder circumstances.

A good friend of mine was diagnosed with leukemia the week after Christmas.
Knowing that she would be going through chemo I wanted to send her something that would bring her comfort and warmth, and most importantly.... let her know that she was loved.

I wanted something soft and close-fitting, so I used Lion-Brand Homespun yarn and the Amelia pattern from YarnCat, and I made them in my friend's favorite colors...purple and blue.

I have discovered that this (easy) pattern is one of my all-time favorites. It takes less than one skein of yarn, I can make one up in a few hours. I can dress it up or leave it plain, and it is pretty and cozy.

Here are some more 'Amelias' - (some I made with two colors worked together.)

Sadly.... my friend never had a chance to wear her Amelia hats.
She passed away just 3 short weeks after her diagnosis. :-(

Now, I have been pondering starting a charity of sorts in her honor, and in honor of my own mother, (who also lost her battle with cancer many years ago.)

So...if and when I find the resources, (time and $ for supplies,) I hope to begin a ministry to donate these hats to those going through chemo and radiation.
Right now it's only in the 'prayerful consideration' stage,
but I know that if the Lord wills it...it's bound to happen.

Putting my 'learning hat' on....

2010-03-24T15:59:00.000-07:00

I have discovered that one of my very favorite things to make are hats.

When I started making hats earlier this year my first few attempts didn't quite turn out as planned.

My very first 'hat' was actually a basic 'bun cover
(The pattern came form the book Get Your Crochet On - Hip Hats and Cool Caps.

This was a FUN book, although I learned the hard way that it was mostly geared for 'ethnic' hair,

(not thin/fine hair like mine.) The bun cover turned out HUGE!

I wasn't quite sure what to do with it.... until my daughter offered a very creative solution.

One of my dear friends fell in love with the 'cloche' style of hats and asked if I could make her one.

I tried.

I failed

My next try = success!
(sort of ... it was still a bit too big for her)...

But at least it turned out the way it was supposed to, which gave me the confidence to try again.

A long time ago, in a galaxay far, far away....

2010-03-24T13:21:00.000-07:00

For all of you Star Wars fans ...how cute are these?!!

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=43345204

I don't usually pay so much for patterns - but this one might be too hard to resist!

2010-03-12T12:59:00.000-08:00

By far, the next little amigurami has been one of my favorite projects of all.

Not wanting to be left-out, my son wanted me to make something for him - but he said it couldn't be too 'girly.'
I found this book - and the patterns seemed to fit the bill.

So this little guy was a birthday present for my son.

Two button eyes

One grey visor

and one knight in shining armor

He's a brave little soldier :-)

Little loveys

2010-03-10T12:38:00.000-08:00

My children loved stuffed animals.
Despite my frequent rummage sales and Goodwill donations, we still have we have literally hundreds of them.

So why on earth would I make more?
Because they are so cute, of course!

These little critters, as well as Ollie the Octopus, came from the book
Tiny Yarn Animals: Amigurumi Friends to Make and Enjoy

I thought that the patterns in this book were easy to follow, and for a beginner like myself - that was a huge positive!

These stuffed loveys have now found a home in the beds of my youngest daughters...along with a million other dolls and bears. Yet my girls tell me that these ones are special because "Mommy made them."

And so I'll keep adding to the pile.

How I learned to crochet...

2010-02-26T08:00:00.000-08:00

I learned to crochet many years ago when I was a Girl Scout.
I learned how to make chains, how to slip stitch, and I think we learned the single crochet stitch.

When I was a teenager I taught myself the double crochet, and my own version of the half-double -(I didn't get that one quite right until I looked it up in a book!) But still - I could only go in straight lines, and I knew absolutely nothing about increasing or decreasing.
So I made lots (and LOTS) of: scarves, washcloths, baby blankets, afghans - and other things that are square or rectangular.

I looked longingly at crochet patterns, (especially the ones hanging on the yarn displays,) but all of the numbers and abbreviations intimidated me tremendously:
SC, HDC, DC, SL ST, CH, RND
And then some of them had charts for patterns - Good grief...those were WORSE!

It was like some weird, secret language that I couldn't comprehend.
I got books from the library and I tried to follow along, but the pictures often just confused me more.

But this past summer, (after drooling over the gorgeous creations on Etsy,)
I made a promise to myself that I would learn!

This book helped me tremendously

But I think the thing that helped me the most was watching videos on YouTube.
(Gotta love the internet sometimes) ;-)

Actually seeing a real live person demonstrate where to put the hook and how to do increases and decreases was invaluable to me.

And then I discovered amigurami. Oh.So.Cute.
So, putting it all into practice...I made my first creation.

It started as just a group of ball shaped objects...

But it became...Ollie!

He was well received.

And I ....was hooked.... (pun intended.) ;-)

The reason for this blog

2010-02-26T07:40:00.000-08:00

I have decided to start another blog for my crafts, so that I don't clutter up my homeschool blog.

It's more for me, because most of my projects I end up giving away, so I thought this would be nice to remember/document what I've made.
(And...it's fun to show & tell.) :-)