little sock monkey cozy

This was a super cute pattern! It turned out a little small for a cup but it fits one of my candle votives perfectly. The pattern is free but you must sign up on the website to be able to view the pattern.

Click here for the sock monkey cup cozy pattern

headband wip

pattern: Simple & Bulky Garter Stitch Headband

I'm using this simple pattern to practice slip stitching the edge for a cleaner edge. I'm using some super bulky yarn I spun up before Christmas. Hoping I have enough to finish!

granny hat

This pattern was for a child's hat but once it was finished I decided it was too big for a child. I think this is more of a women's hat.

Hat pattern: Autumn Hat by The Green Dragonfly
Flower pattern: Six-Petal Flower Motif by Lion Brand

free pattern: granny cowl

Anyone who makes handmade gifts for Christmas knows how stressful it is getting it all done in time so we always appreciate a quick project that is useful & pretty. This cowl is really easy and looks beautiful when worn. I love how this yarn drapes with this cowl! I am posting this pattern for you guys that I wrote for those last minute gifts.



Materials
1 skein of Lion Brand Homespun
Size N crochet hook
Size J crochet hook
Tapestry needle

Abbreviations
CH - chain
Sl st - slip stitch
DC - double crochet
st(s) - stitch(s)
sp - space

With N crochet hook
chain 80. Sl St to join being careful not to twist.
Round 1: CH 2. DC in each chain. Sl St at top of beginning chain to join.
With J crochet hook
Round 2: chain 2. DC in next 2 sts. CH 1, skip 1 st. *DC in next 3 sts. CH 1, skip 1 st.* around. sl st at top of beginning chain to join.
Round 3: Sl st to 1st chain space *3DC in chain space. cH 1* around. Sl St at the top of beginning chain.
Round 4 - 14: Repeat round 3 12 more times (13 rounds of granny stitch total)
Round 15: Chain 2. DC in each st & sp. Sl st at beginning DC. Cut tail and weave in ends.



I am no professional at writing patterns so if you see a mistake please let me know! If you make a cowl leave a link with a picture. I would love to see your creations!

I give you permission to sell what you make using this pattern as long as you provide a link back to this pattern in your listing. Please do not copy or sell this pattern. Thank you!

lumberjack beanie

A friend of mine asked me to make her a beard beanie so I looked around Etsy and found this fun pattern by  SimplyCollectible. It wasn't a really hard pattern but with the Lion Brand Homespun yarn it was kind of difficult to see the stitches however the hardest part was probably sewing the beard on straight. It is a great pattern though and I LOVE the finished hat!

some FOs

I have finished a few small projects already this week. There is nothing that makes me feel more accomplished than finished projects and small ones like these are great for that!

I made a slouch hat using the yarn I had bought from Arrow Rock last weekend.


and with the leftover yarn I made this ornament using the simple statement ornament pattern  by Lisa Gutierrez of Goodknits.

I finished this handkerchief scarf by Lindsay Haynie of Love City yesterday morning.

wip: hot pink & purple cowl

This cooler weather has me on a knitting kick lately. I finished a pair of fingerless mitts with the wool I bought  this past weekend but I still need to take a good photo of them. I started on a cowl last night using some scrap yarn I had. The pink is Caron Simply Soft and the pink/purple yarn was an unlabeled yarn I found at a thrift store a while back. I'm using the Some Sort of Scarf pattern by Caitlin ffrench but I don't think I am doing it quite right. It doesn't look like the picture but oh well. I like the texture it is making anyway.

knit night

I finally got the chance to go to a knit circle here in town. I had been wanting to go for a few weeks but something was always going on. Panera just opened up in town and they started meeting there. I worked on a light crocheted spring scarf but mostly admired the amazing work of the other girls! I really enjoyed myself and loved meeting some other yarn crafters!

When I got home Seth had already gotten Blake to bed so I got to continue crocheting. I started an adorable fuzzy bear hat by Alli Hyer of Alli Crafts. It worked up really fast and I think it turned out adorable!

I also used the same yarn to make a few simple coasters.


And today I used some scrap yarn I had to make a cover for a can using Rachel's of Cornflower Blue pattern.

flower & pearl headband

Flower & Pearl Headband made using this pattern by Jay's Boutique Blog.

some finished projects

I have finished a few projects this past week and I wanted to show you what I had been up to!

First off I made this cover for some jars that I had been saving. I used this pattern by Nature Nut Notes. It is a really simple pattern and I finished it in no time. Since then I have covered a plain votive candle  and a baby jar with the same pattern! It looks so lovely when the candle is lit!

Then I made this warm beverage sweater using this pattern by Color My World Crochet. This pattern is crazy simple and I love how the combination of SC & HDC stitches shape it to fit the cup nicely. I found these wooden buttons on sale at Walmart awhile back.

I saw this adorable flying disc toy by  LittleWoollyThings on Etsy. I thought I could easily make one for Blake to play with when he gets a little older. I added bells on some of the beads for a little extra fun! He already enjoys playing with it because of the bells!

I bought some pencil roving from a local seller awhile back and spun it up but because it was just a small amount of yarn I wasn't sure what I wanted to do with it. I thought it would make an adorable star ornament. I used this pattern by A Foothill Home Companion to make it. This pattern is so cute. It's simple and can be worked up so fast. I crocheted two of them and sewed them together to make it thicker and it keeps the edges from curling up.

This last one has been done for awhile but I haven't gotten around to posting about it but remember the handspun yarn I bought from the yarn shop while in Iowa? I finally decided what to do with that. I needed a cover for the strap on my camera. All I did was do rows of HDC and when it was long enough I sewed the edges together to make a long tube and slipped over the strap! I love how it is functional by making it feel softer around my neck (and in the winter it will also keep my neck warm!) plus it looks really cute!


Whew! That is what I had been making lately! Do you have any recently finished projects?

flower coasters

I  made these coasters for my mom using this pattern from The Yvestown Shop. Very pretty pattern!

free pattern: delicate flowers

This pattern is an oldie but I wanted to transfer it to my current blog so all my patterns can be found in one place. It's a super simple pattern but I love the results, especially with a bunch of them together. There are so many uses for these adorable little flowers!
What you need:-I used a small amount of vintage acrylic sport weight yarn in white & eggshell that I had in my stash for this project. You can use any color you wish.
-Size G (4.25mm) crochet hook

chain 4
slip stitch in 1st chain to form a ring.
(chain 3, 2 dc in ring, slip stitch) 5 times - makes 5 petals
slip stitch in the 1st chain 3 to finish
weave in tails

sew on button or bead for center of you flower. I attached floral wire to the back of the flower and wrapped it with green yarn for the stem.

Make several and display them in your favorite vase! These can also be used as embellishments on your crochet/knit or scrapbook projects!

free pattern: soap saver sack

It's been a while since my last post! Life is busy with a baby! Who would have thought?

I'm here today with a new pattern for you guys. I love using bar soap but it never seems to last long enough. It makes a huge mess too. I hate cleaning the soap dish. Using a soap saver sack will lessen the mess & make your soap last longer!



This is crocheted in the round without joining unless noted in the pattern.

Materials
worsted weight 100% cotton yarn
E hook (3.50MM)
bar of soap

Pattern
Leave a long tail at the beginning to sew up the bottom of the bag.
Chain 32, join without twisting.
RND1: Ch3. *skip 1 chain and hdc in next.* repeat * all the way around. (16 sts)
place a marker at the beginning of the round and move up as you finish each round.
RND2-13: Hdc in the spaces of the last row all the way around. (16 sts)
after round 13 slip stitch to join.
RND14: Ch5. Skip 1 stitch. DC in next. *Ch2. skip 1 stitch. DC in next* repeat * around. Slip stitch to join at the top of the 1st DC. (7 sts)
RND15: *Ch3. Sc in the chain space between each DC* repeat * all the way around. Sl stitch at the beginning of the round.
RND16: *3sc in chain space. Slip stitch in the sc from last round.* repeat * all the way around. Slip Stitch to finish.

Cut yarn and weave into your work. Using the long tail at the beginning of your work, whip stitch the bottom of the bag shut.

Bag tie
using the same color of yarn or a contrasting color
chain 70. Weave in ends and make knots at both ends of the chain.
Weave the tie into the DC row of your bag.

Insert soap, tie the sack shut and enjoy!

For another variation of the soap saver sack hold 3 strands of cotton thread together.



If you make this pattern I would love to see! Just leave a link to your soap saver sack in the comments so I can check it out!

Free Pattern: Hacky Sack

I remember in high school before classes started each morning a bunch of kids would play hacky sack. I was not coordinated enough to play but I did love to watch.

I am still not coordinated enough to play so my way of getting involved in this sport is to crochet the hacky sacks!

I wrote up this quick and easy free pattern for hacky sacks. They are filled with dried beans. I have used pinto & black beans but any dried bean could be used.



These are crocheted in the round without joining at the beginning of each round.

Materials
worsted weight acrylic yarn
F hook (3.75MM)
dried beans

Pattern
chain 2
RND1: sc 6 in 2nd ch from hook. (6 sts)
RND2: 2sc in each st. (12 sts)
RND3: *2sc in next st, sc in next st; rep from * 5 times (18 sts)
RND4: *2sc in next st, sc in next 2 sts; rep from * 5 times (24 sts)
RND5-10: sc in each st. (24 sts)
RND11: *sc2tog, sc in next 2 sts; rep from * 5 times (18 sts)
RND12: *sc2tog, sc in next st; rep from * 5 times (12 sts)

-fill mostly up with dried beans

RND13: *sc2tog; rep from * 5 times (6 sts)

Finishing:
cut yarn leaving tail. Use the tail to sew the hole shut. Weave in ends and cut tail.