Chevron Scarf

I was hoping to slip one more crochet project in in my last 24 hours after finishing this last night.  But between sleep, appointments, shopping, tutoring... this is probably my last entry in the 2016 Holiday Stashdown Crochet-a-long, the Chevron Scarf.

The original is scrappy, and I was going to go that way, with a different color for each row, but I fell in love with the first six colors, and adding more colors seemed to take away from how much I liked it.  So I repeated the colors, and voila, here it is.

I think the original was 300 stitches long.  I went with 250.

I wanted to snap the photo in daylight, but being January, we're a little short of that... and, see above re time constraints of the last 24 hours.  But I need to have it posted today to get it in before the deadline, so this is it for now.  I may remember to get a better photo later.

And here's the daylight photo...

Rockskipper Wristers

Another quick project from the 2016 Holiday Stashdown CAL! Here are my Rockskipper Wristers.

There is a matching ear-warmer pattern in the CAL, but I don't think I'll get to that one, myself.

Fall Thicket Coaster

These one-day projects are great for catching up to get more entries in the stashdown CAL before the deadline! Still seven projects left, and seven days... I don't anticipate making them all this year, though, since I'm sure some will take longer than one day! Here is my Fall Thicket Coaster. 

Nice texture in that stitch!

Simplicity Phone Sleeve

Last night's project: Simplicity Phone Sleeve.  Another quick project from the 2016 Holiday Stashdown CAL.

I added the loop - could put a button on the front for a closure, or it can be used to hang on the charging cord or whatever.  Made this one to fit my SE, a few stitches narrower than the pattern.

Barley Star Stitch Cowl

Here is last night's project made for the 2016 Stashdown Crochet-a-long, the Barley Star Stitch Cowl.

The designer says she made hers in one hour!  I did not time myself, but it was several Grey's Anatomy episodes! My hands demand breaks once in a while, too, and then there was the unraveling two rows to crochet more tightly since I ran out of yarn two stitches before the end!

I don't know what this yarn is, it was given to me by a friend. A few adjustments... I used an N hook and my finished size is 11" x 8" lying flat. I was attempting to crochet loosely, since it calls for an M hook, and because it can be difficult to pull through six loops for the star stitch if it is tight, but note above about those last two rows!  It is crocheted flat and stitched into a tube, and I found my side edges uneven.  If I make another, I would ch 3 before the DC rows to open up that end.  And maybe find a better way to begin the star rows - that side ends up bumpy. Thankfully, the bumps are covered when the ends are whip-stitched together.

Fast and Furious... Persephone Beanie

The deadline looms for entering projects in the 2016 Holiday Stashdown CAL!  I won't get them all completed this year, but let's see how many I can do!

I actually completed this last week, just didn't get around to getting it posted.  This is the Persephone Beanie! 

I just love these buttons and was happy to have another project to use them on, making this match my Snowy Marble Infinity Scarf.

Another Mug Cozy!

Here is the second mug cozy from the 2016 Holiday Stashdown Crochet-a-long, the Candy Cane Stripe Mug Cozy.

I had a hard time deciding on a button, so put these two up for a vote on the Holiday Stashdown page. 

  The wooden one was chosen!

I adapted the pattern by reducing a row in each section to allow running the yarn up one side on color changes, and to keep the ridges created by back loop crochet all on the right side. And good thing, because even taking those rows out, the fit is a tad lose on this mug, and can't really be tightened because the only part that fits inside the handle is the button tab.  Need a larger mug! (or finer yarn or to crochet more tightly...)
This was a great scrap-buster as it used up a TINY ball of blue, a TINY ball of green, and two TINY balls of white... and a bit of white from a new skein (always good to have extra white on hand...). Could easily be made with a rainbow of scraps.

Wow That was Fast Cowl - Another CAL pattern

This is the last pattern posted in the 2016 Holiday Stashdown Crochet-a-long, but I have not kept up on all the patterns this year... I could still enter whatever I might finish by January 9 for their draws! 

The directions for the Wow That was Fast Cowl calls for jumbo yarn, making it a VERY fast project, but I used weights 5 and 6, so I had more stitches, more rows, but still completed it in an evening. Quick and easy!

This is some of the yarn I won in the 2015 Stashdown CAL from Red Heart.  They coordinate nicely, and work together in this stitch, even though they are different weights. The "Twilight" has a nice sparkle in it!

Stashdown CAL: Fete Gift Card Holder

A small project, perfect for using up smaller scraps of yarn!  Here is my Fete Gift Card Holder!

Stashdown CAL: Mug Cozy

Here is my Pico Drops Mug Cozy!

It attaches to the mug by simple chain loops over the handle from each direction!

Hadiya, "Gift"

This was my first Moxie rescue. 

Before.

During.  I braided her entire head in tiny braids like these, then poured boiling water over, to set the hair.  I left the front braids, but the rest of the hair is now very wavy. All the frizzy ends were trimmed off.

After.   She needs one more layer of shine on her eyes (varnish) still.

Her face is a combination of acrylic paint and Rembrandt Polycolor coloured pencils. I crocheted her sweater, and her reversible dress (awesome fabric thanks to my quilting friend!) is adapted from a dollsforall.com pattern.

Notice that her feet are not visible!  They are not completed yet!  She will also have a few more accessories added to her wardrobe before she is gifted!

Fall Challenge Doll

I entered a fall challenge with other doll rescuers, motivating me to COMPLETE a doll, including the shoes...  (always my biggest challenge)

Here is "before"

With very glittery lips and eyelids!

"After" The boots won a prize for "best shoe solution"!

A few more pics from her photo shoot.

Her face was a combination of acrylic paint and Rembrandt Polycolor coloured pencils. I crocheted the sweater, made the leggings from a ladies' sock, the purse from a doll skirt, and the boots from a cut-down pair of Bratz boots, built up with Fimo clay, and covered with faux suede fabric from a thrift store jacket, and felt.

Holiday Stashdown CAL: Snowy Marble Infinity Scarf

The original name for the pattern is Berries Jubilee Infinity Scarf, but mine in no way resembles berries.  Instead I named it for the buttons I added.  It can be worn as a single or double loop, or the buttons can be used to pull a single loop more tightly around the neck!

Holiday CAL: Jewels in the Grass

Here is my adapted "Sky and Sunshine" bag, child-sized!  I call it "Jewels in the Grass."

Made to coordinate with the earwarmer from my last post, they will travel together in a shoebox!

Holiday Stashdown CAL: Stronger Together Earwarmer

It's been a long time! Long story short (maybe another blog post) hand surgery kept me from crafting for a while.

I won't be able to complete all the patterns like I did last fall, but here is the first one completed for Fall 2016:a child sized Stronger Together Earwarmer 

 I love the stained glass effect!

  I added a single crochet edging to cover up the color changes which I just carried up the side.

#rescueddolls

Bratz Boy Hair Rescue

 Premature balding?

Asymmetrical attitude?

Here he is with his new face, and hair combed forward pre-haircut.  Now the last time I cut a doll's hair, I was about 12, and it wasn't really pretty.  Cured me for a long time!  But in the mean time I have several years' experience with my own boys... granted, human hair grows out if you mess it up...  But I was ready to tackle this guy.  I had already soaked his head in fabric softener, and rubbed off the remaining flocking so that it wasn't patchy.  

I cut his left side it to be more symmetrical with the right, but without copying it exactly, as I wasn't really enamored with that part of his hair, either. 

 I think he'll be keeping this cap on most of the time...

 Either backwards...

Or forwards...

 It much improves this back view, too! 

Just waiting for his wardrobe to be completed now.  Another doll lady suggested some dolls need T shirts that say, "I cut my own hair!" :-) #rescueddoll

 

Glue head!

I've been hearing about glue head amongst the other doll rescuers (#rescueddolls), and now I have had my first experience.  This Ever After High doll, purchased at our thrift store, came home with very waxy hair.

You can see how it separates at the roots with a very oily look.  It is not wet with water.

What to do?  A regular shampoo and conditioner didn't help.  I've heard of people using Goo Gone, but I didn't happen to have any of that.  Some people cut the hair out and re-root with new hair.  Too much work! YouTube said I could use baby powder, but the closest thing I had was corn starch. 

After the corn starch has been rubbed into the hair and had a chance to absorb the oily/waxy glue residue, it was washed again in cool water...

 ...and hung to dry.

The results?  Better, but not great.

Repeated the treatment.  Better yet, but still slightly oily.  No longer leaves a waxy feel on my fingers, so this might be as good as it gets in my hands. 

No longer separating and looking wet. 

What did I NOT do?  A boil wash.  Rumor has it that only melts the glue in the head and lets more seep out.  All washing was with cool water.

Mock Bobbles Cowl

The March Holiday Stashdown CAL pattern is the Mock Bobbles Cowl, found HERE.  Nice texture!