Carson the Snake and a Red-Headed Sweeper (crochet and embroidery)

A friend of mine had a skein of variegated yarn (Red Heart Super Saver "primary" color) and wanted to see how long of a snake it would make if I used up the whole thing. So here he is...Carson the Snake! I didn't measure, but by an estimated guess, I would say roughly 10 feet long. The green tongue is by request!



Also finished the embroidery design I was trying out. I haven't done actual embroidery in years so I'm pretty happy with how it came out with me being out-of-practice. The design was from a store-bought set that you iron on to whatever you want it on. I just used a linen kitchen towel. Isn't she cute?? :) I have several others of the same type of design and will eventually get to them, too...need more towels first.

Cherry Purse, Ami Frappe, and Ami Gnome (crochet)

Hello everyone!! You can see what I've been busy with the last couple of days... I've also been picking up my embroidery materials for a few minutes here and there and I'll show that when it's finished (might be another few days).

The cherry purse is something I came up with on my own and figured I would give it a shot. It didn't turn out too bad, though I will admit I hate hand-sewing in zippers!!! lol Next to the purse is a cup of frappe with a big pile of whipped cream on top. :D And lastly, a GNOME!!! I LOVE gnomes!!! I'd like to have them all over the place, but I have to do it strategically so the hubster doesn't notice right away. ;) hehe There were patterns for both of those, but I was a bit disappointed with how they were coming out so I ended up changing it as I went anyway. I love the gnome! Did I mention that? :)

If anyone has any other gnome patterns or can point a finger toward some online patterns, I'd love to see more to try out. :D Hope everyone is having a happy weekend and staying COOOOOL!!!

5" Baby Doll with Cherry Swimsuit (crochet)

Here is an adorable little project that took me a few days to complete and is finally ready for showing off! This is a 5" baby doll, which I'd bought at a Craft Warehouse store. There are booklets with patterns to make them little outfits written for either crochet or knit. I bought the two crochet books I saw (and naturally there were like 4 or 5 for knitting...booooo) and this was the first one I thought I would try. It doesn't require snaps or buttons like most of the rest and it is a smaller outfit being just a swimsuit and sandals. Turned out pretty darn cute!!

Now she just needs a name and possibly a ruffled sunhat to match. :D ---oh yeah, she is wearing a visor in the pic but ultimately, even though I followed the pattern for that, it turned out WAY too small so it now sits atop one of the Barbie dolls instead (perfect fit).

If anyone knows of any other crochet booklet titles to make more outfits for these 5" dolls, I'd love to find some others! Please leave a comment with the titles if you do. :) Thanks!

Blues and Purple Owl Hat (crochet)

I figured now is a good time to start stocking (har har) up on hats for Fall/Winter coming up. I love using the Vanna White yarn for these because in my opinion, they aren't as scratchy as the cheap acrylic yarn even though this is also acrylic. Maybe their process of making the yarn involves an extra step that makes it so nice! Anyway, here is yet another version of the owl hat I like to make. This one is sized for adult but also fits younger kids. I love the purple with the different shades of blue! Eventually I will list this on Etsy, I'm sure, but if you'd like it sooner... shoot me an email. :D

Pearly Green Purse with Long Handle (crochet)

Tonight I am lucky enough to get to go to a concert with one of my best friends and I am so excited!!! BUT a problem I always have when I go to those kinds of things is what to do with my purse. I don't want to just set it on the nasty, sticky floor and risk someone swiping it...but I don't want to carry one on my shoulder or hold it in my hand the whole night. SO I came up with a solution.

I crocheted this green purse with an extra long handle in exactly the right size to hold my gnome wallet (yellow above) and my cell phone (purple above) and it can go messenger-bag style across me and hang by my hip. :D It only took about 1 1/2 hours to make and is all done with SC stitches working in a round. I used a light green somewhat fuzzy kind of yarn that I had no label for so I have no clue what brand/kind it is and doubled it up with a baby yarn in white-pearl color. The button I sewed on is a matching pearly color. I used an "I" hook and it's approximately 15 stitches wide. I didn't count the rows, just stopped when it fit my wallet without poking out the top anymore. The handle is 150 chains and then SC back across once.

So that wasn't exactly a pattern, but if you have crochet experience you can probably get the idea -- very simple and quick! :D

Mesh Bag and Slippers (crochet)

I received a fabulous mesh/tote bag from one of my SILs and loved it so much, I thought I would try to make one myself. She didn't have a pattern and neither did I (I don't have photos of hers but it is roughly twice the height and a little bigger around than mine here). I used double-strands of yarn for extra thickness and to make it sturdier. Purple on the bottom and top, and then a variegated one that was almost gone and was able to use up for this project for the center netted part. The above photo shows it all collapsed down into the bottom.

This pic shows it all at it's regular size :D Of course now it's filled up with crocheted toys and such! :D Perfect for that or as a yarn bag, laundry bag, take to the beach, etc...



Lastly for tonight is a pair of slippers! They are supposed to be one size fits all, but I find they are a little better for size 8 or smaller...but very easy to add a couple rows for bigger sizes anyway! The pattern is from a very old magazine (which I don't have, just have the page with the pattern :( ) and one of these days I am going to change-up some of it to get a better pattern for it and post here if possible when I get a chance.

Amigurumi Airplane, Ducky, and Scrappy Snake (crochet)

A few of the things I've made over the last couple days include this purple airplane ^^

This white and yellow variegated ducky ^^^
And this most awesome scrappy snake!! ^^^ I made him using up a bunch of my "ends" of cotton skeins I make most of my other toys with. What a perfect use and he is so unique!! (And very long...came out to be approximately 3 1/2 feet or so). :)