……even I know it, don’t worry! But she’s the last one I promise.
Seriously though, how can a yarn crafter NOT make Gayle?! Unfortunately I’m not skilled enough to knit her like Mr. Frond, so here’s my crochet version.
Gotta love her no matter what 😂
Ok, all done with my Bob’s Burgers kick. On to something else!!
Still trying to use up all those rag strips I have.
I had this brilliant idea that a floor pillow would be a great way to do this. There’s a lot of floor sitting in this house, mister drawing at the coffee table, offspring playing video games, it seemed like the perfect solution. Little did I know that I was blistering up my fingers to make a glorified dog bed! 😂
Not that they don’t want to use it, they both love it, just that someone else claimed it. Couldn’t even take a photo of it finished without him jumping on, silly boy.
It was super easy to make, I just went with the basic circle, changed colors when I felt like, threw in a few spike stitches for fun and done.
The best part, it’s drawstring on bottom!! It’s stuffed with extra blankets, storage and functionality, can’t beat that.
Being a glutton for punishment I decided to keep going with those rag strips and a new rug was in order.
This one was a bit more planned. I graphed out the diamond pattern and simply repeated it three times. The colors were picked simply based on supplies. There was a ton of that blue and I figured it would be enough. The final product has bit of a “beachy” feel to it, completely unintentional, yet very pleasing.
It made its new home in the sunroom, right across from the bench!! Combined, they both seemed to lighten up the room, give it a more “airy” feel. And yet again, my little photo bomber has to get in the shot.
Still have SO much more of this stuff to use. I’m going to give my hands and arms a break and try to brain storm some new ideas.
My bathroom has been bothering me lately, the walls seem too bare. It’s a great old room with a deep claw foot tub, pedal-stool sink and flowered wallpaper. While the closet space is excellent, the counter top situation is lacking. I actually have an amazing vintage hamper that we use as a table in there. I threw a doily on top and the mister calls it “granny chic”. However right above it is that empty space that bothers me. So I dug through my yarn bin, found a bunch of cotton to play with and got to work.
I am extremely pleased with the outcome and wrote it up to share.
So I give you:
Hanging Bathroom Storage:
Supplies:
* G hook ( 4mm )
* 2 skeins Sugar n Cream cotton ( I used Overcast ) you can use acrylic yarn if you’d like but I feel cotton will hold up better in a steamy bathroom.
* 3 buttons ( 1 & 1/8 in or 28mm in size )
* Yarn needle
* 6 stitch markers
* Small amount of yarn or twine for hanging ( the length is entirely up to your preference on looks )
* Either a stick or dowel for hanging 1/2 inch in diameter and 12 & 3/4 – 13 inches long
* Optional: glue ( I used a dab of hot glue to hold the twine securely )
Terms:
* Ch – chain
* Hk – hook
* sc – single crochet
* st – stitch
Special stitch used: “Moss stitch ( or Granite stitch )” – will be explained in steps one and two.
Base:
Ch 62
1. starting in the 4th ch from the hk:
( sc, ch 1, skip next ch, sc in following ch, ch 1 )repeat across the entire ch – 30scs and 29 chs total.
2. ch 2, turn, ( sc in ch space, ch 1, skip next sc, sc in next ch space, ch 1 ) repeat across entire row.
3 – 45. repeat row #2 – each row will have 30scs and 29 chs
Fasten off, weave in ends.
Place stitch markers. When counting, make sure to count both stitches and chains. It helps to look at it from the top down.
Starting from the left side:
1. 5th stitch.
2. 11th stitch
3. 21st stitch
4. 31st stitch
5. 41st stitch
6. 51st stitch
Hanging tags:
Starting on the right side, insert your hk into the stitch with the 6th marker in it, slp st to join yarn.
1. sc across stopping in the stitch right before the next marker ( #5 ) – 9 make sure to use both the scs and chs.
2. ch1, turn, sc across – 9
3 – 14. repeat row #2 – 9 each row
15. ch 1, turn, sc 3, ch 3, skp next 3 stitches, sc in last 3 – 9
16. ch 1, turn, sc across ( using the 3 chs as well ) – 9
17 – 18. ch 1, turn, so across – 9 each row
Fasten off, weave in ends.
* Repeat these steps between markers #1 & #2 and between markers #3 & #4.
Sew on buttons:
I pretty much just eyeballed it here. Line them up in the middle, I used the last row of the base as a guide line.
Pouch:
Ch 62
Repeat rows #1 – #17 of the base.
Fasten off, leave an extra long tail for sewing.
* Pin the pouch to the bottom of the base and sew down each side and across the bottom.
* To divide, I placed a few pins, keeping 22 stitches on each side. This gave me two larger and one small section. Sew down.
Weave in all ends.
– Wrap your twine or yarn around the ends of your stick, attach your pouch and enjoy!
– Finished size 8 & 1/2 inches tall, 10 & 1/2 inches wide
– You can make it wider if you like by increasing your starting ch and following the same moss stitch pattern. Just make sure to start with an even number ch.
Recently I was at my cousins house raiding his attic, oops I mean visiting.
He lives in my grandparents old house and has pretty much inherited everything with it, so when I’m looking to up cycle, straight to cousins I go! Trust me, he’s more than happy when I take something away 😂
My original reason for stopping by was lawn ornaments. I suddenly felt a huge need for some colorful creatures hanging out outside and I knew the grands had tons. One quick text later and I’m standing in a shed with my cousin laughing at me cringing and stepping away from shelves of gnomes. Sorry, those suckers creep me ( and the mister ) out…
We scored an amazing toadstool and an old cement frog that just makes me think of my gram when I see it. But the best thing ever, my side eyeing, you know he’s judging your life choices duck!! Fantastic, I love him 😂
They’re all so lovely and will look even better when the flowers and grass decide to finally grow again.
Anyway, back to the attic. A few months back I said to mister, we need a bench for the sunroom. He nodded ( probably just agreeing, he knows it’s easier that way ) I took it as a complete yes and started the search. I couldn’t seem to find what I was looking for. It had to be small, the rooms not very large, it had to be simple, and it had to be pretty. My attention span being what it is, after a few store visits, I gave up and completely forgot. And that’s how I found myself moving boxes and digging through the attic. Sure enough, buried in one of the back rooms under bird cages and behind a crib, my perfect little bench!
I completely looked it over last time I was there. I blame the horrible color just blending into shadows and walls. A quick trip to the hardware store for some sandpaper and paint, some elbow grease from mister, I totally started sanding it myself but being the kind guy he is he took over, and :
The perfect little pretty bench! It’s just so happy now and excellent for sitting to take off or put on your shoes.
Yet again Bobs Burgers has infiltrated my crochet world. Louise has the best toys in her room and all I ever want to do is make real versions of them! Bakeneko has always been my favorite of her collection and after catching “Flu-ouise” on repeat again the other evening I knew I had to just do it.
My main criteria for him was that he had to be true to size. Best way to do that, blanket yarn! It made him super soft and squishy as well. I decided to go darker in his color and followed the triangle pattern from the actual episode as opposed to when he’s just lying around her room.
I have to say, blanket yarn is a bit trying to work with when you’re intentionally making tight stitches!! He took a bit longer than I expected to work out, however I’m very pleased with him now that he’s done. Now, whenever I walk into my living room, this 19inch Bakeneko stares at me from the corner. All I can hear is him singing! 😂
He’s oh so cute!
I’ve been having fun playing around with different techniques lately. First with making something glow in the dark and now with making bendable limbs. After messing around with a few different approaches, it seems the simplest way is the best way!
So here’s how I made a little monkey that can grab at fingers!
Supplies:
* F – hook ( 3.75mm )
* Worsted weight yarn in two colors ( main color, second color for details )
* Small amounts of poly-fil stuffing
* Pipe cleaners ( 2 per animal )
* scissors ( no need for super special sharp ones )
* Yarn needle
* Black yarn for eyes
* Stuffing tool ( not 100% necessary, however I find it extremely helpful. My favorite is the one that comes in the bag of poly-fil )
Terms used:
* ch – chain
* sc – single crochet
* inc – increase
* dec – decrease
These require following the pattern in perfect order.
We’re going to start by preparing the pipe cleaners.
Using one ( the average sized ones you can purchase at Walmart, Michaels, etc. I believe they are 12inches in length ):
* Fold the pipe cleaner in half
* Cut right at the bend
* Repeat on second pipe cleaner
* You now have four 6 inch pieces
Body/Head:
The head and body are one piece worked from the body up.
Ch2 in main color
1. 5sc in the second ch from hk – 5
2. 2sc in each st – around
3. ( sc, inc )5x – 15
4. sc around – 15
5. ( sc, dec )5x – 10
6. sc around – 10
7. sc around – 10
* Insert pipe cleaner for legs ( see end of pattern for instructions )
* Stuff the body halfway
8. dec, sc, dec, sc, dec, sc, sc – 7
* Insert pipe cleaner for arms ( see end of pattern for instructions )
* Continue stuffing body ( this where the stuffing tool can come in handy, it will help to make sure your stuffing under and around the pipe cleaner, not just above )
9. inc, sc, inc, sc, inc, sc, sc – 10
10. ( sc, inc )5x – 15
11. ( sc 2, inc )5x – 20
12. sc around – 20
13. sc around – 20
14. ( sc 2, dec )5x – 15
15. ( sc, dec )5x – 10
16. dec 5
Fasten off, weave in ends.
Arms: ( make two )
Ch 2 in second color
1. sc 4 in second ch from hook – 4
2. sc around – 4
* Switch to main color
3 – 10. sc around – 4 ( each row )
Fasten off, leave long tail for sewing. Do not stuff.
* Another good use for the stuffing tool, every few rows, insert the thinner end into the arm ( legs and tail ) it will open up the piece and help you see your stitches.
Legs: ( make two )
Ch 2 in second color
1. 5sc in second ch from hk – 5
2. sc around – 5
* Switch to main color
3 – 9. sc around – 5 ( each row )
Fasten off, leave long tail for sewing. Do not stuff.
Tail:
Ch 2
1. sc 4 in second ch from hk – 4
2 – 12. so around – 4 ( each row )
Fasten off, leave long tail for sewing. Do not stuff.
Ears: ( make two )
Ch 2 using second color
1. 5sc in second ch from hk – 5
* Switch to main color
2. 2sc in each st around – 10
Fasten off, leave long tail for sewing.
Muzzle:
Using second color:
4sc in a magic circle.
Pull circle tight and slip stitch into the first sc.
Fasten off, leave long tail for sewing.
Inserting the pipe cleaners for arms and legs:
* The process for setting up the bendable arms and legs can be a bit trying. It will take some practice and patience to line them up the way you’d like.
* Use your finger to hold open the body while inserting the first side. You’re going to go from the outside in, then run the pipe cleaner through the body coming out the second leg location.
* My example has the legs set up at just above row #3.
* The arms are set one row below the neckline.
* I find when pulling the second side through, it’s helpful to insert your hk where you’d like the pipe cleaner to exit the body. It will open up the stitch a bit making it easier to find.
Legs:
Arms:
Construction:
* Sew muzzle onto head. It can face any direction you’d like.
* Sew on eyes
* Sew on ears
* We’re now going to add limbs and tail:
1. Make sure the pipe cleaners are as even as possible on each side of body.
2. Line up one arm to the pipe cleaner, fold over at the end. You want it as close as possible to the length of the arm, however shorter is better than longer here!
3. Wrap the excess around itself, leaving a small loop at the end.
4. Run yarn through the loop, thread BOTH ends of the yarn through the needle.
5. Insert the needle through the arm, making sure to come through the center of the arm.
6. Use the yarn ( threaded through the pipe cleaner loop ) to pull the pipe cleaner up, while pulling the arm down.
7. Sew the arm into place before moving into the next one.
8. Repeat the process for both legs.
9. For the tail, take a piece of pipe cleaner, make the loop on the end and loop yarn through for helping to place in tail. Fold any excess length ( after sizing against your tail ) and wrap ALL of it around itself. I like the tail to have the extra thickness and stability. Sew in place.
One of my favorite shows on t.v. right now is Bobs Burgers. We don’t really watch shows, mainly the television is just on for background noise, but come Sunday nights the yarn gets put aside, my guy puts down his drawings and all attention goes to Bobs. There’s just something about this show….. We see ourselves in the characters a little too easily!! Linda is my spirit animal, my guy is Bob ( the amount of times a day he says “oh my god” in response to something myself or offspring has said or done 😂 ) and somehow offspring is all three of the kids rolled into one!
And then there’s kuchi kopi. My guy loves the episodes where he “comes to life”, so I knew I had to make him. My problem was I wanted him to glow. Looking online I only found glow in the dark yarn that was white and we all know that wouldn’t do! So after many trial and error prototypes and I found what I think is the best solution. ( cats not complaining, he has quite a few little crocheted balls that glow in dark to bat around the house now 😃 )
Here he is in all his glowing happiness, hope you like him.
Kuchi Kopi:
Supplies:
* Cotton yarn, I prefer the cotton for this project due to its absorbent qualities. ( I used Lily Sugar’n Cream Hot Green ) one skein is plenty.
* G – hook ( 4mm )
* Poly-fil stuffing
* Yarn needle
* Small amount of white ( again I used cotton, for eyes )
* 1 can of Tulip Color Shot glow in the dark fabric spray ( I purchased this at Michaels )
* Black craft paint for pupils
* Gloves ( either disposable or dish, doesn’t matter, but make sure to wear gloves! )
* Circle of cardboard ( optional. The circle will need to be big enough to fit in the bottom of the body. Do not use cardboard if you intend on having to wash him )
Terms:
* Ch – chain
* Hk – hook
* St – stitch
* Sc – single crochet
* Inc – increase
* Dec – decrease
Eyes: make two
* We’re going to work eyes first.
Using white: ch 2
1. 4sc in second ch from hk – 4
2. 2sc in each st around – 8
3. ( sc, inc )4x – 12
* Slip stitch into next st, fasten off, leave long tail for sewing
* Set aside
Body/Head:
* The body is worked from bottom up
Ch 2
1. 5sc in the second ch from hk – 5
2. 2sc in each st around – 10
3. ( sc, inc )5x – 15
4. ( sc 2, inc )5x – 20
5. ( sc 3, inc )5x – 25
6. ( sc 4, inc )5x – 30
7. ( sc 5, inc )5x – 35
* If using cardboard, trace the base now and cut out. Put the cardboard circle aside for now.
8. *in back loops only* ( sc 6, inc )5x – 40
9. sc around – 40 each row
10. ( sc 7, inc )5x – 45
11. ( sc 8, inc )5x – 50
12 – 18. sc around – 50 each row
19. ( sc 8, dec )5x – 45
20. sc around – 45
21. ( sc 7, dec )5x – 40
22. sc around – 40
23. ( sc 6, dec )5x – 35
24. sc around – 35
* Insert cardboard now
25. ( sc 5, dec )5x – 30
26. sc around – 30
* Begin stuffing, make sure to stuff firmly throughout.
27. ( sc 5, inc )5x – 35
28. ( sc 6, inc )5x – 40
29. ( sc 7, inc )5x – 45
30 – 37. sc around – 45 each row
38. ( sc 7, dec )5x – 40
39. ( sc 6, dec )5x – 35
40. ( sc 5, dec )5x – 30
41. ( sc 4, dec )5x – 25
42. ( sc 3, dec )5x – 20
43. ( sc 2, dec )5x – 15
44. ( sc, dec )5x – 10
45. dec 5
Fasten off, sew shut, weave in ends.
Arms: ( make two )
Ch 2
1. 5sc in second ch from hk – 5
2. 2sc in each st around – 10
3 – 7. sc around – 10 each row
Stuff just the bottom lightly, fasten off, leave long tail for sewing.
Ears: ( make two )
Ch 2
1. 3sc in the second ch from hk – 3
2. ch1, turn, inc, sc, inc
Fasten off, leave long tail for sewing.
* Sew arms, ears, and eye whites onto body
* In a well ventilated area, evenly coat the entire piece with glow spray. I can’t stress enough how important gloves are right now, my hands were glowing for days…..
* Set aside to dry.
* I strongly suggest going for it in one go. I had issues with this spray, it works amazing the first time but gets a little difficult when you try to use it again. So to combat struggling, I used the entire can in one sitting. Just try to keep it as even as possible. ( it is worth the effort! )
* Repeat if necessary as many times as you’d like.
* Add the pupils to the eyes once the piece has dried. Set under a light, let charge up and enjoy!
Last spring we moved into an old house. Built in the 1870s, it has all the charm and little details one would expect. And while I like the majority of them, creaky floors, low narrow staircase and “quaint” bedroom, there is one thing that I can’t get used to. Those old creaky floors…. Love the sound, love the look, hate the cold!! In the summer, they’re great, in the winter, not so much. There’s nothing worse than getting out of bed to use the bathroom and freezing the soles of your feet instantly.
Luckily I was gifted quite a few bags of rag strips and knew what had to be done!
I grabbed my Q hook, dug through the bags, picked out a couple of colors and got to work. Unfortunately I learned quickly that what looks like a lot of material is in fact not as much as you think…. so it came out a bit more eclectic than I planned, however the more I look at it the more I love it! It matches the wallpaper, fits perfectly next to my bed in my tiny little room and no more cold feet!!
I googled away and found this great pattern here: crafts.tutsplus.com
I’m already pairing up colors for more, planning a half circle for in front of the kitchen sink and possibly an oval for the upstairs hallway.
Using the rag strips makes it so thick and squishy under foot, and the animals love laying on it!
If you don’t have pre-stripped material you can use t-shirt yarn ( as the original pattern suggests ) or cut up old sheets for yourself.( your local thrift store is a great place to buy them cheap!)
There’s something so satisfying about making something instead of buying it, plus the final product will be unique to you, your home, and your family!
My daughter loves yoga and really “needed” a pair of yoga socks. I can knit with circular needles if I’m working something decent sized such as a hat, however dpns still give me a hard time. Plus in usual fashion I wasn’t feeling going out and spending money on sock yarn or new needles. So, I jumped on the Internet and began the search. Criteria: knit flat, worsted weight yarn, an entire evening wasted, couldn’t find a thing! Plenty of crochet versions, but she really wanted knit and momma was not going to disappoint. I almost appreciate the fact I couldn’t find a pattern that would work, it pushed me to try something I’ve never done before. I wrote it as I did it, I’ve never written a knit pattern before, so hopefully it’s easy to understand.
These will fit a size 7 1/2 to 8 woman’s foot ( American sizes ). They do stretch around, so I assume adding a few extra rows in the “bridge” section will adjust them to a bigger foot.
Hope you enjoy!
Yoga Socks
Materials:
* Worsted weight yarn ( I used Lion Brand Heartland, less than one skein )
* Size 8 flat needles
* Yarn needle
Terms:
* K – knit
* P – purl
* RS – right side ( all knit )
* WS – wrong side ( all purls )
* sts – stitches
Pattern:
Toe edging:
Cast on 40 stitches
1. K1, P1 across – 40
2. K1, P1 across -40
* Repeat rows 1 and 2 ( rib stitch ) until it measures 1 inch.
Bridge of foot:
1. Knit across – 40
2. purl across – 40
* Repeat rows 1 and 2 ( stockinette stitch ) until entire piece ( including edging measures 3 1/2 inches )
* Make sure to end with a WS row
Heel/Ankle:
1. Bind off 20 sts, K next 20 – 20
2. Purl 20, using the working yarn, cast on 20 sts – 40
3. Knit across – 40
4. Purl across – 40
* Photo above: what cast on stitches will look like, row 2
* Repeat row 3 and 4 until cast on 20sts measures 2 inches, ending with a WS row.
* Main part of the foot should measure about 6 1/2 inches.
5. K1, P1 across – 40
6. K1, P1 across – 40
* Repeat row 5 and 6 once more, binding off on row 6 ( WS row )
* Fasten off, seam shut.
* Optional: use H hook, join yarn with slip stitch and continue to slip stitch around the heel opening.
I like to knit them at the same time. It helps me make sure I’m doing the exact same number of rows and my tension is consistent.
I use both the center pull and outside end of the skein ( just make sure they don’t twist too much while knitting ) each sock has its own separate working yarn strand.
