Draft Snake Pattern Update

I hope everyone is already working on their five resolutions and trashing some of their stash in the process.

Before you all get too excited about them and finish all the projects I suggested for you, Vashti, the creator of the draft snake informed me that she's updated her pattern since posting it on her blog.

The updated pattern for this cute little fellow that will help keep your house draft-free, keep some cash in your wallet, and use up your scraps of yarn can be found here for free on Ravelry. com. The updated pattern includes instructions on how to crochet the forked tongue that you see in the photo.

Thanks again for a great pattern Vashti!

WIP Wednesday #2

Unfortunately Christmas kind of messed with my ambitious (for me at least) WIP Wednesday plans. For most of November and December I switched from crocheting to sewing.

Have you ever seen fabric panels like these?

I went on a spending spree at Joann Fabrics at the end of the summer and again in September or October on these panels. After several hours of labour and love, they sew up into the cutest little story books, perfect for a special little boy's first Christmas. This Night Before Christmas panel by Mary Engelbreit is one of about five or six I made for little A., who coincidentally was 100% not interested in Christmas presents by the time I got to see him. Even though he's only 9 months old, he figured out it was a special day and decided naps were a waste of time, so he was getting pretty tired by the time his Godmama got there with presents.

On the bright side, his Nagypapa was pretty excited about the books once he figured out that they were a) books and b) I had made them from just a piece of fabric. I would say he spent a good half an hour looking them over and reading them several times.

While we're briefly talking Christmas, I may as well show you the special surprise that A. and I made for Mom and Dad, as well as Nagymama and Nagypapa, Nonno, Nonna, and both his Godmamas because we all just love him to bits. Plus I was not fighting with a 9 month old to do handprints and not reaping the benefits myself and well, I don't think I could get away with doing one for me and one for Mom and Dad and not everyone else.

Before you ask, why yes I am superwoman. I got a 9 month old to make half decent hand prints while he was awake, and with him eating minimal amounts of paint. Usually the snowman handprint ornaments are made with the child grasping the ball so the palm is on the bottom of the ornament and you just see the "snowmen," but overall I'm pleased with how this turned out. My only regret was not using white-white paint for the handprint and instead choosing a pearlized paint because I think that would have shown up better.

Of course the ornament came with a little poem too:

These are five little snowmen as anyone can see,

I made them with my handprint which is a part of me.

Every year I'm growing and I'll be grown someday,

But these five tiny snowmen will never melt away!

Upon opening it, Mom immediately thought I had broken into their house in the middle of the night and covered her baby boy in paint while she was asleep across the hall. Fortunately for me though Mom leaves little A. with his Nagymama fairly regularly while she goes to the gym, giving me an ample window of time to sneak in, handprint, and sneak out.

Needless to say it was quite the hit and I think it will be a very special ornament for the rest of their lives.

Hmm now why are we here again? Oh right. WIP Wednesday.

Here's what I've been working on lately:

This project has been on the back burner for a long time. I bought the yarn over a year ago on one of those days where Michaels had an extra 20% off your entire purchase and they actually put something on sale for a good enough price to make a trip worthwhile. I'll take $3.25 a ball over $8-$9 a ball any day.

When it's done it will be a Five and a Half Hour Afghan. Now you may ask, if it's supposed to take only five and a half hours, why haven't I finished it already? It's been pulled out at least two or three times entirely. In fact the first time I was nearly finished, but then decided it was too skinny and I didn't like it. I can't remember the other times I've pulled it all out but I definitely know I've done it more than once.

Other factors impeding completion are the fact that I've made this same blanket in 3 other colours for a birthday gift last February and two Christmas presents this year. It's quick and easy and makes a cute afghan so it's a perfect pattern to keep in your back pocket, though I think they lie when they say five and a half hour. I think it took me closer to about 12, but maybe I'm just slow.

Linking To:

Today's Creative Blog

Creation Corner

A Little Knick Knack

5 Resolutions You Can Make

For most people, a new year means new resolutions. I will openly admit that I break resolutions about ten minutes after I make them for the most part. In elementary school the first assignment we had when we were back from Christmas vacation was always to write down our resolutions for the new year and every year I resolved to write neater.

Guess what? Not only is my writing still messy, but it's probably gotten worse over the years. Good luck if you ever wanted to borrow notes from me in university, all you're going to get is a few pages of chicken scratch comprised of my own unique blend of printing and cursive writing.

Needless to say, I've kind of given up on this resolution business. Especially now that my marks don't depend on it like they did back in the day.

However, those who are resolution inclined I have good news for you. Even though I don't really do resolutions, I can certainly help you out with yours! And another bonus, a lot of these ideas are good stash busters too.

Resolution #1: Get More Organized

You've decided. This is the year you're going to go through all your junk and finally get rid of it. You're going to go out and buy cute baskets and bins and actually use them. But wait, why buy baskets and bins when you can crochet some instead?

Side note: I can only dream that one day my stash will fit in this stash basket.

Stash Basket

Resolution #2: Lose Weight

Sadly, while crocheting all night might keep your hands busy so you can't chow down on unhealthy snacks, it isn't a big calorie burner. This is proven by the fact that I've gained about 10 pounds in the past few months. For those of you that have resolved to slim down this year, what better way to inspire you is a cute bag to carry around your yoga mat?

Namaste Yoga Mat Bag

Resolution #3: Save Money

Saving money is another very popular resolution to make because well, who wouldn't love some extra cash in their bank account? This project saves you money on two fronts: it uses extra leftover yarn from your stash, and it helps to keep your house warmer and save on those nasty wintertime heating bills that creep higher every year it seems. This little critter will use up any little bits of yarn you have left over and keep drafts from sneaking in under the door.

Draft Snake

Resolution #4: Be More Eco-Friendly

We all know that if everyone in the world made some small changes our planet would be much better off. Obviously everyone in the world will not drop their habits and instantly change, but you can help this change happen. There are lots of crochet options out there to replace disposable items we use every single day. The best part? A lot of these things are quick to whip up so you can make some for yourself and your family and friends.

First off, raise your hand if you use paper towels for everything. Guess what? You don't need to. You can crochet yourself some basic dish cloths and save money and the environment.

Dishcloth

Plastic bags are another bad guy. They take a ridiculous amount of time to actually biodegrade and everyone ends up with a huge mess of bags shoved in a closet at home that just take up space and never get used or recycled. Not to mention that the 5 cents a bag most stores around here are charging for a plastic bag adds up.

The solution? Reusable bags. Reusable bags that you a) don't have to buy from the grocery store and b) you can toss in with your laundry when they get dirty. (Really, what are all those stores selling the reusable bags made out of that heavier plastic thinking?)

String Market Bag

Finally, how many of you are guilty of using lots of cotton balls or kleenex to remove your makeup at night too? Why not whip up some makeup remover pads and their storage bag. Just like with a cotton ball or kleenex these are still use and toss, only instead of tossing in the garbage, you toss into the laundry.

Eco-Friendly Makeup Remover Pads and Bag

Resolution #5: Finish What You've Started

I'm pretty sure that this one comes up for a crafter of any sort. If you're anything like me, you have about a million projects on the go at one time. How about starting one more small project that will help you finish up all those other WIPs? A perfect size to grab as you run out the door to your appointment, use on your commute to work (so long as you aren't driving!), or to pull out of your purse when your friend is late for your coffee date and it holds all your crochet essentials.

Crochet on the Go!

So there you have it. 5 good resolutions. 5 good solutions. In the meantime, I'll still be working on writing neater.

Linking to:

Today's Creative Blog

Creation Corner

A Little Knick Knack

New Year, New Start

I'll admit it. I'm a bad blogger. I always start off ambitious and then lose momentum. I'm also bad at following my own goals for myself.

Yes, this means I caved to the Michaels Boxing Week flyer and bought more yarn. About 12 balls, with a plan for them at least. Hopefully I can use them up quickly.

Worse yet, I got a subscription to Crochet Today for Christmas. This was a good gift and a bad gift. You see, I am a complete sucker for making hats for little A., and clearly this Valentine's Day one was too cute to pass up:

He'll be having a blue and white version of this hat because you know, he's a boy. Thanks to some incorrect signage at Michaels, I got the yarn half off too and I should have plenty left over for other hats or who knows what other projects I'll dream up.

As for the good side of receiving the subscription, I found a pattern that will help me use up my oodles and oodles of Red Heart Baby Clouds yarn:

I love this kind of yarn. I was actually skeptical about it at first because I don't think it looks that nice when its in a skein, but once you start making it into an afghan it turns out so beautiful and soft and fluffy. Another plus about it? It's very bulky and works up quickly which I love. I'm definitely glad I grabbed some on clearance to try out. Little man got a blanket made from it when he was born, and most recently a friend's baby girl got a flower one made from this yarn too. Sadly, pictures of those blankets are on my old laptop that decided one day it wasn't going to turn back on and lazy me hasn't tried to recover data off it yet.

I also managed to find my pattern book made specifically for this yarn at my Grandparents house over the weekend, so hopefully I can get some cute baby things made up and I can make myself stop buying yarn and using up what I have.

Ideas to Inspire

Last week I showed you what I made for Thanksgiving this year. Now I have a roundup of a few Thanksgiving patterns for you.

Amigurumi Turkey

Turkey Talk Afghan

Indian Corn

Turkey Bib

Turkey Lollipop Holder

Thanksgiving Cornucopia

Change of Plans

Turns out that it was a good thing I didn't have time to start making my slippers. After I finished balling up some yarn that I have for my amigurumi projects I found a free pattern sheet I found at Michaels recently. It turns out the pattern calls for the yarn I was thinking of putting towards the slippers and it just so happens to require 9 balls of the yarn, which is exactly how many I have.

The yarn I originally bought because I loved the colour of it and it was $3 a ball instead of somewhere in the neighbourhood of $7-$8. Even when Michaels has it on sale, you're still paying at least $6 a ball. I've searched numerous times and come up just short on the required amount of yarn, or occasionally too much which would force me to find a second smaller project.

So the new plan as it stands now is that I will be making a Ripple Effect Throw (though it will have to be a solid colour because that's all I have). Slippers will have to be put on hold now because I'm not certain which yarn I have that I will use to make them now, but I will be using up 9 balls that I really had no clue what to use them for.

It looks cozy doesn't it? I can't wait to get started on it!

A's First Holiday Hat

Well, I failed at yesterday's goal. I didn't even make it to the fabric store to see if there was something in the remnant bin suitable to use on the bottom of the slippers. Instead all that I accomplished yesterday was returning our leased vehicle to the dealership and picking up our new Honda Civic, and then promptly leaving again to go visit my #1 man, M. for the rest of the evening.

In fact, October isn't looking like a good month for accomplishing things as much as I want to. This month my weekends are already almost booked between Thanksgiving, Halloween, birthday parties, lunches, possible hockey games, and becoming Godmother to little A.

However, I have gotten some of my highly important October crocheting done. You see, little A. needed a completely ridiculous hat to celebrate Thanksgiving in, especially after I found this hat. The only problem? I don't loom knit. I didn't even know loom knitting was a thing actually, so I ended up doing my own thing and a lot of single crochets later, I was the proud owner of a turkey hat.

I ended up getting quite lucky, any smaller and I don't think the hat would have fit on his head! I really should bring my measuring tape some day when I go to visit A. and his mom so I have an accurate measurement to go by for future ridiculous holiday-related hats. All I can say is that it's a good thing that we celebrate Thanksgiving in October in Canada, I'm not sure it would have worked in November the way he grows!

Linking to:

A Little Knick Knack