crochet and other crafts
Last year’s Black Friday, I had a good haul of this Heartland yarn by Lion Brand. This has been my on-the-go project because it’s just a big ol’ granny square!
I just made a granny square as wide as my arm span. Then slip stitched together the side into itself to form the sleeve. A single crochet edge around the openings. And there you have it!
Really, that’s it.
The top part is folded over to make it look like a collar.
Warm and comfy. But in this Hawaii summer, this sweater will have to wait.
Here’s another cutie that made a recent comeback on my workstation. It’s also been a while since his picture was last taken, so we did another photo shoot for him! Just adorable!
Here’s another addition to my Lalaylala creations. Lupo the Lamb!
This one uses a bobble stitch to create the lamb texture. It is also crocheted legs first, then body, and straight up to the top of the head. Which is not for me, so I think I’ll change that next time. I may just use a head from a different Lalylala and attach the head to the body by sewing. This way is easier for me to create a more stable neck.
At this point, there’s nothing much else to say about these dolls anymore. They’re just so darn cute, how can you not share more photos?
My current go-to yarn is Red Heart With Love, and I would like to share my thoughts about this yarn with you!
Red Heart With Love is a worsted weight/”4″ yarn made with 100% acrylic. This is much softer than Red Heart’s Super Saver economy line, and the quality is much more consistent. The current price range on Amazon is $4.50-9.45, depending on the color. Basic colors tend to be cheaper than bolder and multi color skeins.
One of my favorite With Love projects is the Mermaid Tail Blanket. This one shown below is crocheted using two strands at a time. One strand each of the colors Lilac and Waterlily. Being a soft acrylic yarn, the end product turned out to be squishy soft! Very comfy!
Red Heart recommends this yarn to be machine washed and dried. Blankets I have made with With Love has survived this recommendation. My general rule for crochet items in the washing machine is to put the cycle setting at the most delicate setting available, with the water set at the cold temperature. For the dryer, the lowest temperature as well. Every once in a while, my items accidentally get put in other settings like “permanent press,” but they still manage to survive. My ends stay woven in and (so far) there is no piling. They are still soft as ever!
Shown above is my daughter’s Magic Rainbow Blanket. Although this project uses different brands and types of yarn, Red Heart with Love still helped a lot to make it a soft and comfortable blanket. This yarn is soft enough to use for wearables like mittens. Shown below is the Mommy Hold My Hand Mitten. It’s thick enough to provide warmth, but soft enough to not be scratchy.
Overall, I love this line of yarn! Very reasonably priced, great selection of colors, and versatile! My most common projects for this yarn are blankets and amigurumi. I personally try to stock up when it is on sale or (since I’m in Hawaii) when there’s a free shipping offer on the Red Heart website.
April is National Stress Awareness month! I am celebrating Craft Yarn Council style, and I am making lemon stress balls!
This month, we take note of what causes us stress and rid of them in a healthy way. Standing in a slow line? Take it out on a lemon while you wait! Be aware of what stresses you out and find a healthy outlet. My go-to is crocheting, but other crafts work for me too. I try to scrapbook and knit. Whatever floats your boat, maybe you enjoy floating on a boat!
Keep in mind that having a hobby does not mean the stressor goes away permanently. if your taxes are stressing you out for example, settle them ASAP. Neighbors getting on your nerves? Talk to them about the issue, and move on to the proper authorities if they’re not cooperative. Do something to help the situation, constantly running away from it does not always help.
Want to crochet lemons too? The pattern I’m using is linked below.
Check out the hashtag #stitchawaystress on social media to see what others are making for National Stress Awareness month!
Tamara Kelly from Moogly recently released a new item in her Leaping Stripes design, the Mersmerizing Mini Bag!
Mine came out to a cute size of 8×11 inches. Small enough to put valuables in for trips to the beach, or as a dress-up accessory for your little cutie!
The pattern is very easy to understand, as always. Once you get the hang of this stitch, you can easily get into a rhythm and finish up this project quickly. This stitch can also be made as a throw/blanket, a larger bag, and even a hat. All of these can be found in the Mooglyblog website.
Want one but don’t crochet? This bag is available my shop for ordering and customization!
I have finally finished Luna’s blanket! And photos are finally here!
For this blanket, I used Moogly’s Magic Rainbow Baby Blanket pattern. I added enough squares to make it fit a twin size bed. Used various yarns like Red Heart Super Saver and Vanna’s Choice. Pretty much whatever I seemed to have enough of in my stash. For my full list, click here. Again for this project, I used my favorite hook, Furls Odyssey.
I altered the last couple rounds of the square so I don’t have any ends to weave in, I just crocheted over each color change. The only sewing in I did were the ends after joining each square to another.
This pattern is pretty easy. You don’t need much experience in crochet. As long as you know how to read written patterns, you’ll be fine. The squares are easy to memorize once you get the hang of it, maybe 5-10 squares for me.
Hi everyone! Welcome to my new website! I just recently started this and still new to the ins and outs of WordPress, so please bear with me. Here, you will see what I have been up to and shop my items all in one place! I’ll be slowly adding items as there are so many I could put.
Thank you all for joining me on my never-ending crafting journey, and may you be inspired to create something as well!
Something by Vera 