New Pattern: Textured Delicate Scarf

Is it just me or did this weekend fly by way too fast?  Hopefully everyone had fun and enjoyed it as much as we did.  I was hoping to do more posting and upload more patterns but the weekend go away from me and we spent a lot of time hanging out as a family and being unplugged which felt really good. 

The other day I know I said that I was going to post this new headband pattern for sale:

 Textured Headband Version 1

Version 1 Is not as long, perfect for those hot summer days where you don't want anything on your neck making you hotter. :)

Version 2

Version 2 Is longer and I think the longer ends look cute and fun with your hair in a up do. 

I still might post it .....I am mulling over what to do because it matches the scarf pattern that I have listed up there and I don't know if doing two patterns with similar stitches is really fair to do.  I was thinking about doing a double listing .....the scarf and the headband but then there are not enough spaces for photos! Maybe I am just having an off day but I can't seem to make up my mind.  lol 

I have listed the scarf pattern on in my etsy store and I have to say, I love the scarf! Its got so much texture but its also delicate looking.  Work it up with a light yarn like bamboo or silk and you have a fabulously soft spring/fall scarf.  Use a heavier wool blend and you can make it into a soft warm winter/early spring scarf.  You could even keep going with the rows to make it wider and create a really wide thick scarf for extra warmth in those cooler months.  

This tan and blue is worked up in a light bamboo blend yarn, its so soft and airy feeling with the light weight yarn. 

This red one is made out of a wool blend yarn, its warm and soft and also more sturdy if that makes sense.  For me this would be perfect for fall/early winter/early spring. 

You can view my listing here. 

So excited for Knitting and Crochet Blog week to start tomorrow, let the good times roll!! :)

Paying It Forward via Crochet Goodies

When I was going through my google reader today looking through all the posts at the awesome blogs I follow I was intrigued and then inspired by the post over at Eskimimi Makes  


Her post was about paying it forward and spreading the love of handmade goodness, something that is near and dear to me.  I love giving, esp. when its something handmade.  It just brings a certain joy to the table that store bought gifts just don't do for me.  


So here is the game! {Rules taken from Eskimimi Makes}


1.  I will send a surprise gift to the first three commenters on this post. The gift will be handmade by me.  It will be sent sometime in the next 365 days. It will be a surprise.  We all love getting surprises in the mail, right?


2. To sign up and receive a gift, you must play along, too. Pay it Forward on your blog, by promising to make a surprise for the first three people who comment on the post. 

3. You must have a blog (that is updated, as I will blog stalk you to find the right gift for you).

4. After commenting here, you must repost this or something similar to your blog in 48 hours.  If not, I will chose the next person who comments…


Its that simple!! :)


I am looking forward to playing this fun game with my fellow bloggers and making something special and handmade just for them.  


If you are a fellow yarn lover like me, you might want to check out Eskimimi Makes Knitting and Crochet Blog Week next week. The topics look like they are going to be so much fun.  I already have quite a few ideas brewing in my head for them and can't wait to put them in action. 


Tonight I am hoping to finish typing a pattern for a headband and scarf set I am working on but my heavy eyes have other ideas for me .....most likely working on a few rounds of a project while watching reruns of NCIS .....I love that show!! 


Here is a sneak peak at the headband pattern I am hoping to list tomorrow or Saturday in my etsy shop. 

Crocheting An American Girl Hat{Crocheting with Kids Part 3}

When it came to the third project I would teach my daughter I knew she would want to make something else for her American Girl Dolls.  She just loves those dolls and is always making them jewelry or pillows or other fun things to use when playing with them.  

I designed two simple hat patterns for her dolls that could be worked up fast and easy.  Perfect for a young budding crocheter. :)

Here is where I found her the couple days she was under the weather...thankfully the flu did not hit her hard this year.  She was laying in bed with her puzzles and yarn ....crocheting and playing away.  I love her room, its full of art, colors, tons of books, and things she has made. :)

Her first hat she made, she was so very proud of herself.  She even had me text my husband to tell him that she had finished.  To say she was bouncing up and down with excitement is an understatement.......about to burst with excitement might be more accurate. :)

Melts my heart to see her so happy and proud of herself. <3

She wanted to set up the photos I would take of her doll and the hat she had made.  I love that she went all artistic with these photos and even thought to bring in some plants too. 

Since it was her special moment I def. wanted to take the photos the way that she wanted, she was so full of happiness over the whole thing.  It was adorable to watch her ponder over how to set her doll up and what way I should take the photos.  I love how our mini rosebush looks in the photos too.  

Sharing my love of crochet and photography with her these past few weeks has been priceless.  I'm looking forward to the many more priceless memories will will share.  :)

This pattern is available in my etsy store as part of a set: Granny Two Ways

Perfect for gifts for holidays and birthdays and work up fast enough that you could make them to give out as party favors for your doll lover's next birthday party. 

DIY: Cape for an American Girl Doll {Kid made and designed!}

Its official, my crazy craftiness has spread like wildfire to my little one....and I couldn't be more thrilled. :)

This week I was working hard on finishing up Victoria's new Easter shirt, I will share that soon, the pattern is adorable and matches one of the AG doll dresses I made for her.  While I was doing that and when she was not crocheting birds she went ahead and made a cape for her American Girl doll all by herself.  That's right, kid designed and made 100% kid made!

I kept asking her what she was doing and her response at first was,
     "Its a surprise!!" Then the little kid in me just had to know what she was doing so I may have asked a few...okay more than a few more times. ;)
Then she told me,
     " A cape for my doll, l'm busy working here!" Her response def made me giggle. :)  I left her alone to work on her design and project taking quick little peaks..... when she was not looking of course!

 Here is Victoria with her finished cape for her doll Kit.  For an all by herself project at 8, she did a really good job and I am so proud of her.

She measured how wide the shoulders were on the doll.  Then she remember to add a little extra for the seams....I couldn't believe she remember that from when we sewed her skirts.  I swear kids are like little sponges and suck in everything around them!

She then folded her sides over about 1/2 an inch and sewed them down so that the cape would have a nice clean finished edge.

Then she sewed a button on the top corner and then cut a button hole on the opposite side so it lined up with the button that she sewed on.

After trimming all of her stray threads from sewing she tried it on her doll and came running to me with sheer joy all over her face to show me that it fit and to show off her awesome finished piece.

She is thinking about sewing some lace or other embellishment along the bottom edge to make it more fancy.

 How it looks from the front view.  Like the hats? In a few days time they will be for sale in my etsy store, stay tuned! :)

Showing off her finished cape. :)

She was so very proud of this piece, and I loved watching her dream up how to do it and then create it, even though she thought I was not peaking. ;)  

Updated photo, now both her dolls have matching capes, too cute! :)

There's something truly special about watching your child create things all on their own, its like a little glimpse into the inner workings of their mind.  I love that she loves and finds joy in crafting toys, things for her room, and other fun objects for herself and others.  I hope its a trait that stays with her as she gets older. :)

Off to finish up one of her Easter presents, my first ever Amigurumi project.  I am working on a mini owl for my daughter because her love for owls keeps growing and growing. Can't wait to share it with you this week! :)

I'm linking this post to Petite Hermine's Sunday Linky Party and to Frontier Dreams: Keep Calm Craft On

New Crochet Pattern for Sale: Victoria's American Girl Doll Party Dress

Its no secret that most things that I crochet or make are for my little one, I find so much joy in creating things for her and seeing her reactions to them.  Its such a precious mom moment for me. <3

This time around, I asked Victoria what she wanted her new American Girl Doll dress to look like.  She gave me some ideas, told me some stitch patterns for other things I have made that she really liked and picked out the colors as well.  I took her ideas, drew a couple sketches out and then got on my way to creating a fun party dress for her doll Kit.

I love how this one came out! So cute that if I had the time or energy I would want to make a dress like this for me. ;)  

Victoria's giggles along the way and her whispers of  "That's so pretty Mom!!" as I was working made this pattern experience so much better and more rewarding than any other pattern I have wrote.  She was truly melting my heart. :)

The dress has a simple look to the top and then a fun textured stitch for the bottom skirt part, I love the edging on the dress as well, it looks like petals coming off the bottom of her dress. 

The pattern is for sale in my etsy shop here:

or 

on my Ravelry page here:

Coming soon {for Victoria's birthday} I am making a girls shirt to match this dress. :)

New Patterns For Sale: Victoria's Cowl Child & Adult Versions

I posted a new crochet pattern for sale in my shop today.  I love this pattern because it works up so quick and if you use a super soft yarn like I did, then it feels amazingly soft and squishy when wearing it.  I used different hooks with both patterns and the adult pattern is made using two strands held together at the same time.  I love how the patterns match but they also fit for a child wearing it as well as an adult.  I wanted to use the same stitch on both so that they would be matching pieces but I wanted the child one to have smaller stitches better suited to a child and the adult version to have big chunky stitches.

Victoria loves to wear hers two and from ballet when we get out late and its chilly or if we are out shopping in the late afternoon/evening.  It does not get too cold where we live {thankfully no snow!!} but it def. does get chilly.  I love cowls because they stay on you and there is nothing hanging down like you have with the more traditional scarf.  Victoria loves that her jacket slips over this with ease and it covers her shoulders and part of her chest, which tend to get cold wearing a ballet leo going to and from class. ;)

And yes, in the second photo my daughter is wearing a  Horcrux. 

She adores and loves all things Harry Potter. :D

The back of the cowl.  No buttons, ties or anything.  Just one piece.

I love the texture in this piece.

The adult version has a bigger chunky stitch that suits an adult better than a child.  I think a bigger stitch like this would be over powering for the smaller frame of a child.  The bigger stitch makes it extra squishy and cozy.  I made mine shorter than Victoria's because I don't like having too much stuff around my neck.  The patterns will give you instructions on how to get the perfect size for you and you get to choose the length :)

Victoria loves hers long so she can pull it up over most of her face and pretend she is playing secret spy agent and her mission is top secret and no one can know who she is. ;)

The cowls also make great mommy & daughter{s} matching pieces as well. :)

Info on the cowl from my etsy page:

The pattern is written in US Crochet Terms.

Both patterns include info on how to make adjustments to get a custom fit for the person who will be wearing it. My email is included in the pattern for support if needed while completing the patterns.

These cowls work up really quick, in a weekend you can have one or both {if you are a fast crocheter ;) } done and ready to wear for Monday. These make wonderful quick and easy gifts that will keep the wearer nice and toasty warm in the cooler months.

The stitch provides a nice stretch so it can slip over your head with ease. My little one loves wearing these to and from ballet on cold nights. If you make it longer like I made hers {the length is up to you!} then the neck and some of the chest will be covered. Perfect for keeping warm when you are running to the car from ballet on a cold winter night :)

Patterns are for personal use only.

Listing can be viewed here:

http://www.etsy.com/listing/88595214/crochet-cowl-pattern-pdf

Today Victoria finished up her Hatching Magic art piece and is working on another art project about Colonial Villages.  Will be posting those projects hopefully this week.  Hoping we will get some sun so I have better light in my house for photo taking. :)

American Girl Head warmer/ Ear Warmer Crochet Pattern

This pattern is part of a set that I am selling on etsy.  Since the headband/ear warmer goes so well with this shawl I throw in this headband/ear warmer pattern as an extra free of charge.  I have made quite a few of these headbands/ear warmers for my daughter and for her friends and they are always a big hit.

I love how quick and easy they are to work up, you will be making  these in all sorts of colors for every American Girl Doll outfit your little one has in no time.  Not like I know that from experience or anything ;)   Every time Victoria gets a new outfit for her dolls she always asks if she can get a new headband to match it {stash colors permitting of course! :) }

This headband/ear warmer can have a fancy, vintage feel with a delicate yarn or a more natural cozy feel with a thicker yarn.

For this pattern you will need:

Your yarn of choice, when I first wrote this pattern I just used yarn out of my stash of my favorite blends.  You can make a couple out of each ball of yarn depending on the size of the ball.

My favorite yarn for this {and most projects} is Naturally Caron Spa or Country Blend

4.00 mm Crochet Hook

Yarn needle

You may sell things made from my personal patterns BUT DO NOT sell my patterns as your own work.  If you sell something made from one of my patterns please credit me for the pattern, Thanks in advance!! :)

Pattern is for personal use only. 

Stitches Used: 

Half Double Crochet (hdc)

Double Crochet (dc)

Single Crochet (sc)

Slip Stitch

chain (ch)

This pattern will give you directions on how to create the headband and the ear warmer for an American Girl Doll.  Its just a simple matter of rows. :)

To Start:

Ch 42 and being careful not to twist your yarn, join your ends to create a circle.

Round 1:

ch 2

hdc around

Join with a slip stitch in the ch 2 space of the beginning ch 2

If you are making the headband version stop here and go on to round 4.  If you are making the ear warmer, continue onto round 2 and complete all rows. 

When you use the country blend by Naturally Caron it comes out a little fuller looking due to the fact that the yarn is thicker than the spa blend.  I used the same hook for both.

Round 2:

ch 2

turn

hdc around

Join with a slip stitch in the ch 2 space of the beginning ch 2

Round 3:

repeat round 2

Round 4:

ch 1

turn

sc into the ch 1 space

skip 2, 6 dc in the next, skip 2

* sc, skip 2, 6 dc in the next, skip 2*

repeat this pattern all the way around and end with a sc right next to the first sc you did in the ch 1 space

You're finished!! Knot your yarn, weave in your ends and get ready to hear squeals of delight ....that is what happens in our house when I make new things for Victoria or her dolls.  She adores homemade gifts which totally melts my heart. :)

The shawl above is done in a thinner yarn {spa blend by naturally caron} and a 4.00 mm hook

The ear warmer in this photo is turned the other way with the shells in the front instead of in the back like the headband photo.

I wanted to show the difference in how a change of yarn can look...this one with the thinner yarn looks more delicate, vintage, and is a lot more stretchy.

The shawl above is done in a thicker yarn {country blend by naturally caron} and a 4.00 mm hook

Being a thicker yarn, it looks fuller than the shawl in the other photos.  To me, this one has more of a natural feel while the other has more of a fancy feel.  Changing the yarns can change up the whole look of a piece.  I love that about crocheting. :)

I finished a cowl pattern for Victoria tonight and when she tried it on she was already using her imagination with it for pretend play, it was so cute to watch.  I will be doing a post on that soon :)  Its another one of those patterns that works up really quick ....story of my crochet life at the moment. ;)

If you like the shawl pattern, its available in my etsy shop, just click the the etsy widget in my sidebar to visit my shop. :)

The direct link to the shawl pattern is:

http://www.etsy.com/listing/83707918/american-girl-shawl-poncho-pattern

Hope you enjoy the pattern and it brings some joy to a doll lover in your life :)

If you make one, I would love to see the finished product.  You can put  a link to it in the comments section.