Crochet goodies!

From top to bottom we have: a panda coffee-cozy, slippers and a belt! I've been busy the last couple of days whipping these up. The belt is a tunison-stitch..very basic and then 2 d-rings sewn on one end. The panda cozy is actually something I made up from a few ideas I've seen and this is my version. The slippers are the same as the last ones posted, but made with one hook size larger (no other changes to pattern or yarn type).

Slippers (crochet)

These are my first successful attempt at making slippers from crochet. They are a tiny bit smaller than I expected but do stretch to fit. I used Sugar & Cream 100% cotton yarn (one 120 yard ball of the red color and just a few yards of the green) so it's nice to know they can be made with one skein. The cotton makes them pretty durable as well. :) Time to make more!

Stocking Cap and Beanie w/ Flower (crochet)

Finished these both up yesterday and decided that I will have to make another of the stocking caps with a different stitch. The one I used was mostly all "single crochet" and it came out very dense and warm but not very stretchy. That's what I get for following a pattern sometimes! lol With a few adjustments I think I could get one a little stretchier and even adults can wear it ;) Bottom hat is a simple beanie pattern with a crocheted flower sewn on. :) Both patterns are from the book "Hooked Hats" by Margaret Hubert.

Freezer Paper Shirts and Bag

Good morning!! I know everyone on the planet has probably seen/tried these before, but it was a first time for me yesterday and I'm loving how they turned out! Top shirt is an owl... I used 3 different shades of blue to sort of "fade" the colors. Middle is a drawstring backpack from the $1 bin at Michaels Craft Store and has a cupcake stenciled on. And the bottom shirt has a gnome and his mushroom home! (The shirts were $2 at Michaels on sale this week). I bought a roll of freezer paper at Walmart (but you can get it anywhere you buy foil, plastic wrap, ziplock bags, etc..) for about $5.50 and you get 150 feet.

Basic instructions for making these: find your silhouette/design and trace it onto a piece of the freezer paper. Make sure to give yourself a border of a couple inches so you have room to work with the paint. Next, cut out the design carefully so you have the outline to place onto your shirt (or whatever fabric). ** Placing the PLASTIC side of the freezer paper DOWN, iron over it with a hot iron for a few seconds (that's all it takes) until all the edges are sealed. It is a good idea to place a piece of paper (regular paper) between the layers of fabric so when you paint, it doesn't go through to the back. Next you take your acrylic paint and paint brush or foam brush and go to town on the coloring! Hang it up to dry and afterward, carefully peel off the freezer paper. :) All done!

**The owl one I did had more details to cut out (the eyes and stomach portions) so you have to place those and iron them down separately from the rest of the outline part.

If you wanted, once it is dry, you could put a piece of paper over the top of the dry painted part and run the iron over it real quick again to "set it" more, but I don't think it is completely necessary. When washing, turn the item inside out if possible. :) Have fun trying this out!! It can be quite addictive once you do one and think of possibilities.... :)

Sesame Street Hats (crochet)

I love these hats!! It's one of those projects that I've had on my back-burner for a while now and finally decided it was time to try it out. I used a different "beanie hat" pattern than the one in the tutorial only because it was one I have used before and knew how to do pretty quick. But for all the face-parts, I used this site. I need to find a better way to make the pupils of the eyes, I think...but for a first attempt I am happy! :)

Hackey Sack, Cupcake and Coffee Cozy (crochet)

From top to bottom... a stuffed cupcake, hackey sack and coffee cozy. All crocheted using 100% cotton yarn, which is my current favorite to work with. My SIL had made me a cupcake not too long ago that I LOVED so I wanted to see if I could try my hand at one from a pattern I found online. I don't care for the face too much, but the rest of it turned out good. :) Next time I'm thinking of trying beads or something along those lines for the face.

The hackey sack is a great way to use up those last bits of yarn because it takes very little to make one and you can change the colors around as much as you want to. Nice stocking stuffers, I say! I'll be making a bunch more for Christmas time as I get toward the end of skeins I am using on other projects lately. :)

3 More Coffee Cozies (crochet)

I debate over whether or not to post these things lately since some may end up as gifts, but at least no one will know which one would be theirs! I'm also trying to make up some for Etsy because let's face it... we can all use some extra spending money around the holidays.

All 3 of these are crocheted. The top and bottom 2 are the same pattern but different yarns. I like the multi-colored look of the top one. The middle has a different border along the top. That was officially the first crocheted thing I ever made using a pattern but changing to make it a little different. Now that I'm figuring out patterns more and more, I hope to be able to learn how to make up something from my head without a pattern someday. That is the goal! :)