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!

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.

Mock Bobbles Cowl

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

2016 Stashdown CAL ... Bootcuffs

Here are the boot cuffs which were our Stashdown February pattern (found HERE).  Not without some difficulties, but they turned out okay.  I omitted the last two rows due to yarn shortage! (No mention of leg shortage needed. :-))

Mini crochet

I started making a pair of crocheted pants... but when they weren't looking that great, this skirt happened...

But her arms looked cold in that matching sweater, so...

Thanks for the chairs, Jean!  How did you know? (Should I make next summer's fairy garden to a different scale? Maybe one of these was a fairy in disguise?)

Rather than weave in ends after dark yesterday (navy and black are best worked in the daylight!), I gave Miss Brown Dress a shrug to keep her arms warm. Here's the back (pardon the hospital gown effect! ...might get back to the sewing machine and velcro in a few days).

Off to weave in ends now...

The crazy doll lady, or second childhood?

I learned that I can make a shoe mold for Bratz dolls by using part of one of the original shoes.  Hopefully I'll find that link again and be able to share it here once I get into that project. 

But it meant another trip to the thrift stores to hunt down a shoe or two.  I thought I might find some shoes in the doll clothing bin, since the dolls to date have all come shoe-less and nekked.  No such luck, though I decided to take some brushes to go with the dolls to their next home. 

I was thinking, too, about the little Bratz baby I left behind the last time... maybe she needed me, too...  So over to the doll bin.  Thankfully, the baby has already found a new home!  And, well, look, I found some shoes! 

I pointed out to hubby that the dolls (and brushes) are only 25 cents each at the churches' thrift store.  Not mentioning the paintbrush(es), the silicone - we had the wrong kind, the yellow duct tape (stay tuned).  But the cost is not what worries him.  I was just reading on a facebook page about another doll rescuer having to take bins of dolls out to the barn, as there was no more room in the house... 

Here are my girls hanging out together, in various states of reform.  At least they are finally all clothed.  :-)
You can see my first attempt at boots that didn't really work - but are acting as stand-ins for now. 
The little girl is a Perfekta doll from my childhood.  She needs some cleaning up, and a little surgery on the compound fracture at her wrist, but I don't plan to give her a face lift.  She's only holding one shoe, because she lost the other a long time ago.  Maybe she will get a new pair of shoes if I can figure that out, but at least she has feet.

I thought this stack of quilting fabric looked like a great thrift store find for doll clothes!  I had a small supply of scraps to use, but now ...!!  (And, yes, I found more yarn, too... because, more doll sweaters!)

You can see above two of the "Charming Dresses" I made with the free pattern from www.dollsforall.com.  "Charming" partly because they can be made from a quilting charm!  I just love that they are reversible!  I still need to add Velcro to the back, but here you can see the other side of the dresses.  I made one a bit longer and added some more flare to the skirt portion - just because there was room in the fabric squares. Should I add some lace or something at the bottom or leave them plain? I'm leaning towards the clean, simple look. But haven't looked in my trims basket yet.

I had a little trouble with zig-zag stitching the elastic (remember, me, sewing machines?), so I made a casing instead. Oh, okay, here's a closer shot of the other side.

I'm curious if Mom or sisters know either of the fabrics on the blonde.  They came from Ohio Street.

We can't go anywhere yet!

Personalities are emerging... 

I was absolutely right that my hand isn't steady enough anymore for even lines, and I was working with old paint... not sure how much that came into it... and yes, I really should have gotten a 00 or a 000 paint brush. I thought the 0 looked plenty small in the store!  I considered picking an out of focus shot to display to soften my "skills"...  but here you have it.  Imperfect, but so are real faces, no? :-)

The dress and sweater are crocheted (no pattern... yet), and the skirt is made from the edge of a pillow case with an elastic waist.

Even though they can see now, their hair is somewhat under control, and they are no longer naked...

They are still waiting for feet!  My first attempt at "oogoo" boots with acrylic/latex/silicone calk was not very successful.  I'll try again with straight silicone calk, hoping what we have is the "right kind" to make boots/shoes like this http://treechangedolls.tumblr.com/post/116433635427/lots-of-little-oogoo-boots-and-shoes-drying-in-the   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bduNyTTIvF4 (DIY video).

Catching up on hats

I just realized I didn't yet share all the hats I made for the Christmas Charity Challenge!  I ended up only completing six by the 6th of January, but I did that in six days, so that was pretty good! (Preemie hats do work up quickly!

Here are the four preemie and baby hats I crocheted.  All patterns linked HERE.

Neon Brown

I needed to make one more, to hopefully fit a seven year old boy coming to Canada soon!  Adapted in smaller form from the pattern HERE, which is the same pattern as the last three, fun and easy, once the special stitches are sorted out.