Adventures in Crocheting (Cardigans)...

I'm again late in updating my crochet blog -- it's been 4 months instead of the usual 3. There is a reason for that! This update will include what I am calling the first and last adult-size cardigan sweaters I will ever make. They did both eventually turn out well, but after a few false starts for both due to faulty patterns! More on that in a moment. First, here is the latest Barbie I completed, back in February. As described last time, she is "Miss January" from Annie's Attic "Turn of the Century Bridal Trousseau" collection. I used my beautiful discontinued Opera #10 thread in red with black trim, and light peach for her blouse. I think she is very elegant!

The next (quickie) project I crocheted was the bib below, for the new baby boy of a gal at my church. I'd gotten the baby a specific hat the mom requested and a cute stuffed blue bear, but wanted to add a little something I made and felt a bib would be perfect. This one is so cute and easy; I will be using this pattern again. I used Knit Picks' "Shine" yarn (one of my favorites) in River and Green Apple. I felt it needed a little applique to finish it off and when I saw the little froggy at JoAnn Fabrics, I knew he would be perfect!

After I finished the bib, I decided to use a discontinued light pink baby yarn called "Universal Bella DK" that I'd bought from Herrschners. I had enough for a post stitch baby jacket with matching bonnet, and a cute little pullover sweater with shell stitches down the sides and sleeves. (The sleeve instructions for the little pullover was poorly written -- I've been running into that a lot! But I improvised and it worked out...)

Next, I decided to implement the brilliant idea I've had for some time of crocheting myself a cardigan sweater -- a decision I soon came to regret. I'd seen a very pretty variegated yarn called "James C. Brett Marble yarn" I'd been longing to try, and lo and behold, Herrschners had a pretty (and free) cable cardigan pattern using that very yarn! I then ordered 8 skeins of the yarn from eBay in a combo called "Heathers" (gray, cream, burgundy and two shades of pink). I went a couple of sizes up on the hook size since I tend to crochet tightly (which is why I don't often make adult clothes). I was maybe 80% done making it when I realized it was going to be small on me -- and again, the sleeve instructions were poorly written. DANG!

I then looked through my many sweater patterns and picked one I loved in a popcorn and post stitch design. I not only went up on the hook size but the alleged completed size of the sweater. I was most of the way done with it when I again realized it was going to be small. I couldn't believe it! At that point, I made a decision that if I was going to have a sweater I crocheted that was going to fit, I was not going to use a pattern. I was going to revert to a stitch pattern I love and use a lot, "Mayfair", and basically make rectangles with shaping for the neck, then add the ribbing. So AGAIN, I made like a frog ('rip it, rip it") and started my sweater for the third time!

I wasn't far into my third try for my sweater when my dear sister-in-law in Arizona asked if I would please crochet her a little lightweight short-sleeved cardigan. You've got to be kidding! But I didn't let on how I was struggling with my own cardigan. I said, send me the pattern and yarn and I'll be glad to do it (feeling in need of divine intervention).....

Believe it or not, the pattern she sent me -- well, I tried to figure it out but it was absolutely screwy. It made NO sense. But thankfully, it was a simple enough design (half-double crochet in vertical rows) that I knew I could create it without a pattern, and so I did! Thankfully, she E-mailed me that she loved it (and I don't think she even realized that I didn't use a pattern...well, she will if she reads this)! The yarn she sent me was Herrschners' "Village Yarn Bahama Cotton" in a now-discontinued color' "Deep Blue Sea". It was very nice to work with, but there are only 85 yards in a skein so I was afraid I would run out. But I just made it! The detail doesn't show well in the pic, but here it is.

Yesterday, I finished MY sweater and even had enough of the yarn left to make a scarf in the same stitch. Here they are! (I'm not posting a pic of myself wearing it till I lose weight -- if I ever do...)

I think I'm starting another Barbie next. Her gown and matching jacket will be in two beautiful shades of green with matching lace, and the Barbie I chose has red hair, so she will be an Irish lass. It will be a relief to start a pretty thread project after the fiasco with the sweaters!

Blankie, Barbie, and More Babies

I'm a bit later than usual in my goal to update this crochet blog with my newest creations once per quarter. But, January 2012 has been a weird month. I plan to write more about that shortly on my narrative blog, "The Evergreen Refuge Blog". But for now, back to the crochet projects!

The afghan below, "Floral Bouquet", is one of my favorite afghans I've made. But the problem is, I like it SO much that I've had it put away in a plastic bag, afraid that with our three large dogs, it would get dirty or, worse yet, scratched by their nails. I'll have to figure out what to do about this, since I do want to display it. I used Caron "Simply Soft" (so it is cuddly in addition to being pretty) in bone with accents of grape, burgundy, rose and what they are calling sage, though it's more of an apple green to me. The closeup pic gives a bit more detail of the colors and stitches.





I've gotten a skein of lilac Omega Sinfonia yarn in an eBay assortment a couple years ago and had been trying to decide what to make with it. I decided to order one more lilac and some dark magenta, and make a little girl's sweater (for a future craft fair or possible gift) I'd been wanting to try for some time. It was fun to make and afterwards, I had a lot of the yarn left, especially the dark magenta. So I then decided to make the same sweater in the next size up with the colors reversed. When it looked like I may run low on the magenta, I alternated the two colors on the sleeves, and the quantity turned out just right! Here are the two results:

My next project was another Barbie. I decided to make another of the same beaded dress pattern, "Dotted Delight", which was one of the first Barbie gowns I made a few years ago. I'd ordered some beautiful orange variegated beads from eBay and decided they would look beautiful combined with #10 Opera medium peach thread, and I was right! See page 4 of my 2000-08 crochet projects here for the first "Dotted Delight" I made -- and the new one below.

Next, I decided to make another of the pretty baby dresses I'd made previously in lavender and in red from a pattern in an 80's magazine. I just love the way these turn out and I understand the first two were a hit at my best friend's daughter-in-law craft/consignment store. I'd ordered some pink #10 "Department 71" thread from Herrschner's so I decided that would be a great color for this little dress. (The thread was nice to work with, but I think I still prefer Opera or Cebelia.)

Next, I had a small amount of the Opera #10 peach thread left. So I decided to make another of the six pineapple doily below which is one of my favorite doilies to make. They are so pretty and it's such a great way to use small amounts of thread, since you have the option of making each pineapple a different color or using 2 or 3 different pineapple colors, or all the same color. Also, I designed the star motif in the middle, since the original pattern just had a big hole in the middle and I didn't like the way that looked. (The yellow and sage thread are #10 Cebelia.)

Finally, here's the last project I finished. My coworker is having a baby boy and will be getting this at her shower at work tomorrow. I don't have many patterns for baby boys, but found this one and LOVE the way it turned out. I used "Satin Sport" yarn by Bernat -- the variegated is "Seashore" and the blue and tan trims are "Clear Sky" and "Taupe". Though this was time-consuming to make, I'm tempted to pick up some more of the "Seashore" and make another of these little sets to sell on consignment.

I've started another Barbie -- "Miss January" from the Annie's Attic "Turn of the Century Bridal Trousseau" collection, but I changed the colors. Her dress and parasol are bright red with black braid trim and her blouse is light peach. I also have definite plans for the next two Barbies after that. Hope to have pics of all three posted here on my next update!

More Babies and Barbies, Oh My!

This weekend definitely felt like time to post my last several crochet projects. I realized I've been doing this about once a quarter since starting this blog late last year, though I didn't plan it that way. I also see I last updated this blog on a three-day weekend (Memorial Day, and it's now Labor Day weekend). That works out well, since it takes time to get pics of my projects, upload them, crop them and write the descriptions. This time, I'll be posting 3 baby items or ensembles that I'll put on consignment at Craft City (my friend Dianne's daughter-in-law's shop), followed by two more Barbies in gowns for my own collection.

The first pics below are one of my favorite baby ensembles I've made, consisting of a jacket, hat and panties. I used Caron Simply Soft yarn in pale rose.

This next baby jacket and dress are from an Annie's Attic booklet called "Baby's Sunday Best". It was pictured in off white with rose trim, which was nice, but I decided to make it more colorful, using Knit Picks "Shine" yarn in ocean with cherry trim.

I saw some #5 pearl cotton on eBay and decided I wanted to try using it for a baby dress. This dress is called "Sweet Pea" and was from a 2008 "Crochet World" magazine. It was fun to make and turned out cute, but I will try making it in the future with baby yarn. The #5 cotton had only 50 yards per ball, so this little dress took 12 balls! The color is "watermelon".

I mentioned planning on starting the Barbie below when I last posted in May. I worked on part of her skirt during my train trip to Portland in June, since it was a lot of repetitive but relaxing basic single crochet. I used #10 Cebelia in garnet and cream, with accents of #10 Opera in parasol pink. I think she is very elegant, prim and proper!

Hey, it's "Sweet Little Alice Blue Gown" (and if you remember that song, you must be older than me or into music trivia!). I just finished this girl a few days ago and she is one of my favorite Barbies I've made. I think she is just SO pretty. It's hard to tell in the pictures, but there are close to 800 of the light blue cat's eye beads in the bottom part of her skirt, over 200 in her jacket, and more in her hat and parasol. I used #10 Opera thread in atlantis. It was hard to find the right color beads (at a price I could afford) but finally found them at artbeads.com

The project I'm presently working on is an afghan called Floral Bouquet, which consists of squares with alternating colors of flowers with popcorn stitch petals, in neutral squares with more popcorn stitches. More on that next time!

Oh, You Beautiful Dolls!

On this rare 3-day weekend, I'm glad to have a moment to update my blog with my most recent projects which (with the exception of a shawl I crocheted for a graduating senior at my church; I forgot to photograph it but maybe I can get a picture soon with the young lady who will be receiving it), I've continued to concentrate on the fancy Barbies I love creatiing -- three for my own collection and one will be winging her way to a special friend (pardon the pun; it's an angel doll!).

I had mentioned at the end of my last entry that I was about to start at least one and maybe more dolls in the profusely ruffled "Miss Holly" collection of gowns, depending on how it went. It turned out I made just one gown from that pattern, due to the sizing being off. Because I crochet tightly, I go up several sizes on the hook I use for Barbie gowns, and that almost always works fine. But this time, the "Miss Holly" gown was still too small for the Barbie I intended it for. However -- I discovered it fit one of my 10-inch "Skipper" dolls (Barbie's little sister) just fine. So she ended up with this frothy concoction. I used #10 Opera thread in tapestry rose, with cream and black trim (also #10 Opera).

Several months ago, I bought a beautiful African-American Barbie from eBay. This gal looks like she stepped right off a Caribbean island, and I've been looking forward to creating a bright jewel-toned outfit for her. I used #10 Opera thread in a bright royal blue (not sure of color name) together with the #10 Opera in tapestry rose, and am very pleased with how she turned out. I generally never name my Barbies, but this one reminds me so much of one of this year's "American Idol" contestants, whose first name was Naima (pronounced Nye-EE-ma) that this is what I ended up calling her!

The next gown I decided to create, using one of my very favorite colors of my beloved discontinued #10 Opera thread (official name is Wintergreen, but I call it seafoam), turned out to be one of my more ambitious efforts, due to the dozens of roses that it called for attaching to her full skirt. The pattern called for crocheting the tiny roses, but I didn't care for the way they looked. So I searched on eBay and found some tiny iridescent ribbon roses in the exact same shade! I attached each of the tiny roses with fabric glue and also tacked them in place with the thread. She turned out to be one of my favorites; I think she is absolutely gorgeous!

My most recent Barbie, which I just finished last week, will soon be on her way to a special friend, who I hope will enjoy and be comforted by her. As I shared a few months ago on my narrative blog at evergreenrefuge.blogspot.com, my joining Facebook several months ago has not only been fun but has reunited me with two special ladies I'd lost touch with many years ago. My cousin's daughter Janet in Chicago found me at the end of last year (after my favorite aunt/her grandma passed away last Nov. and no one bothered to tell us...) and it's been incredible catching up with her. Then a few days later, Ellayne in Massachusetts who was a special long letter pen pal for MANY years on and off since the early 70s (YIKES) but who I lost touch with in '95, found me. I was SO thrilled to find her again and learn she was happily remarried. Then, a mere four weeks later, her beloved husband passed away. As glad as I am to be back in touch with her, I was broken-hearted at what she was now going through. I wanted to do something for her other than pray (though that's important, of course). So I asked her to let me make her a Barbie angel and asked what color gown she would like.

Since my friend likes green, I decided to use the same seafoam I used for the last doll with the roses gown, since I find it a very soothing color. I decided to use a Barbie with beautiful long brown hair and a sweet face. I had trouble getting the lighting to accurately capture her coloring even though I tried several settings on my beloved Nikon Coolpix. She is actually not an African-American doll, but a brunette with a light tan. I still don't think the photo does her justice; she is prettier in person. I hope my friend will cherish her and that she will be comforted in her recent loss, and that we will remain in touch always.

I've started a new Barbie for my collection; a very Victorian-looking gown with a ruffled blouse and a full striped skirt. I'm using #10 Cebelia thread in cream and in #815 Garnet. Picture coming later this year!

Baby Dresses and More!

Well, it has been two months since I started my new crochet blog, and this weekend I finally got around to taking photos of some items I have crocheted since then. The first, a thread crochet baby dress from the Annie's Attic booklet "Frilly Frocks", I had actually crocheted late last year but had not photographed.

Fittingly, the name of the above gown in the booklet was "Blue Bliss". I used #10 Opera thread in Atlantis. I don't often crochet items in the same color shown in the pattern; this one just worked out that way. Though I was pleased with it, it took quite some time to make -- and even though I went up a couple of sizes on the hook than what was specified, it still basically came out newborn size. So I decided to sell the pattern booklet on eBay rather than try any of the other four dresses, and seek another source for a thread baby dress. I decided to try a pattern from an old issue of Crochet World magazine and quickly found it was poorly written. I often had to stop and figure out what the designer meant, and made many notations on the pattern itself. However, I was thrilled with the final result:

This dress is a 6-month size (according to my friend Dianne; it's hard for me to judge, never having had babies) and I used #10 Cebelia thread in #210 Lavender. I liked it so much that I decided to make another in burgundy (#10 Cebelia in #815 Garnet):

The blue and lavender dresses are presently on consignment at Dianne's daughter-in-law's new craft store, and hopefully they will sell. The burgundy dress will join them there, next time I see Dianne. At some point in the future, I will try making this little dress in a larger size. Now that I have figured out the errors in the pattern, it seems like it should lend itself well to my increasing the number of stitches to adjust the size.

After I made the burgundy dress, I took advantage of JoAnn Fabrics' recent coupon offer of $5 off any regular priced item costing $5 or more. I looooove their Sensations "Angel Hair" yarn for scarves and hats, but at $5.99 each, I only buy it on sale. I was gradually able to obtain 4 at this great price, just enough to make my favorite 6-foot scarf and cuffed hat in the Mayfair stitch (this set will also go on consignment). This color is just called "blue", but as you can see, it is much more than just a basic blue!

And now for the most recent creation I finished just yesterday! As some of you may know, I love crocheting doll gowns and have most of a glass cabinet full of Barbies I have created thread gowns for. You will see a few of them in the Dec. entries of this blog and many others in the 5-page crochet section of evergreenrefuge.org. I also have four 16 to 18-inch girl dolls and have crocheted worsted weight yarn gowns in the past couple years for three of them. I had never gotten around to crocheting a gown for Samantha, partly because I did like the peach dress and hat that she came with. But Sammi was feeling left out, not having a special handmade gown like her "sisters". So I felt I would eventually make one for her. I decided the time would be this month.

I initially chose a thread gown in a booklet for 18" dolls and started crocheting it with #10 Opera thread in peach. But I realized early in the process that this pattern was not going to work out. So now what? I again looked through my patterns, but for her size, they were yarn patterns and I didn't have peach yarn on hand and didn't want to buy any. I then looked through my booklet of five Victorian gowns for 15" dolls (which included the teal and rose gown I made for the doll I gave Dianne for Christmas, posted earlier in this blog). I really liked these gowns and knew I could adjust the size slightly to fit Sammi. But what yarn? It didn't HAVE to be peach. What other color would look good on a redhead? I looked through the other colors I had on hand when.....DING! Light bulb moment! Dianne had given me some yarn during her recent process of sorting her huge stash for her move. Among this yarn was Impeccable worsted weight in Forest (medium sage) and Sage Butter Ombre (a pretty variegated sage, tan and white). I sensed these would be PERFECT for the gown called "Abigail" in this booklet -- and I was right! Here, resplendent in her new outfit, is the beautiful Sammi!

The next project I plan to start is matching ruffled gowns (in dark rose with cream and black trim) from a leaflet called "Miss Holly" -- one for a Barbie and the matching gown for a 7-inch Stacie doll. (The booklet also contains the same dress sized for a 9 to 10-inch Skipper doll -- I MAY do that also, depending on how the first two go!) Thanks for viewing my latest creations!

More 2010 Creations

After making the Barbie wedding party, I felt like taking a little break from doll gowns. We still are using two afghans in our great room that I made many years ago and that are now falling apart and need to be replaced. Near the bottom of page 5 of my site's crochet section is a pic of a tri-color puff stitch ripple baby afghan. I enjoyed making this pattern very much and decided I wanted to use it to make a full-size ghan for our great room. I used TLC Heathers yarn in burgundy, teal and purple.

Then it was back to dolls for awhile. I crocheted a simple but elegant sage green outfit with gold and peach accents using a pattern called "Corrine's Sporting Suit" from the Ladies of Fashion series. As with the wedding party outfits, I used Opera #10 thread. I actually didn't crochet her companion's outfit till a few months later. Here are their front and back views.

In between the two above dolls came the second most ambitious gown I have made (the bride being first). This gown features six ruffled layers in her skirt, a striped jacket, and a belt with about 30 little tassels. It's a Paradise pattern called "1875 Mother's Sunday Frock". I really enjoyed creating this lovely lady! I used Opera #10 in wood violet and tea rose. Front and back views:

My friend Dianne and I had seen the "Itty Bitty Babies" dolls and booklets of crochet outfits for them in our shopping trips and thought they were the cutest things. I finally had to go ahead and buy two of the dollies (the first pic below) and one of the pattern books. The second two dollies' outfits were created a few months later (before the above Ken doll). All were made using various shades of Opera #10.

Dianne and I will be having a belated Christmas in January, and the doll below will be one of her presents. (I don't have to worry about her seeing it ahead of time, since she hardly ever goes online, totally unlike me!) I saw a book of Victorian outfits for a larger 15" fashion doll on eBay, so I bought the book and also found the perfect old-fashioned doll on eBay. The doll with this outfit in the book was named Marabel, and I think it suits her! I used TLC Heathers in Teal and Bernat Berella 4 in Rich Pink. Front and back views:

I then took a little break from the dolls and spent a little time crocheting baby afghans. I sold a couple of them to my boss' mother. I didn't take pictures of them, but I used some of my same favorite patterns, examples of which are shown throughout my Comfort N'Joy crochet section on my site: diagonal brick stitch, puff ripple, spiderweb, fanfare, mayfair, and pineapple. Then a few weeks ago, a lady I see on my ferry commute to work asked if I would crochet a tea cozy for her pot. I had never made one, but felt it would be fun and easy and saw a lot of cute patterns online. But when she lent me her pot to fit the cozy onto, it was shaped more like a mini-coffeepot than a teapot. So I ended up making up the cozy as I went along! I used three shades of Knit Picks "Shine" yarn, a blend of cotton and modal which is ideal for kitchen items (as well as apparel). Here are the after and before pics:

The past few weeks, I've been crocheting Christmas doilies and lacy covers for Cnristmas ornaments. I haven't photographed those yet, so they will get posted sometime in 2011!