Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Sick Kid

Hi again!  I have been a little blog MIA due to a horrid stomach virus I got over Thanksgiving.  I was out for 2 weeks cold, so it's been tough catching up.  This is the busiest time of year for me at work, I am wedding planning, I am dealing with adopting a new cat, plus I haven't done any holiday shopping!  Anyways, here are some crafty scenes while I work on new projects.

Holiday pedicure by our perfect fake tree!

Jake's hat is starting to fit, but it's not long enough!  Opps!

Ps. Only 10 days left of wearing Christmas socks- take advantage!
Happy holidays!!

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Pink Star Stitch Baby Beanie

Hi Tuesday readers!  Here is a new baby hat I crocheted for a friend of my future MIL.  See pics & detail below.
For the hat, I used Patons Beehive Baby Sport (not sure the name, but some kind of pink) and size F5/3.75MM hook.  I followed this pattern for a star stitch beanie.  After a row or two of star stitch after the increases, I did *7 dc, sk 2, ch 2* around for the ribbon.  Then I did 2 more rows of star stitch, and 1 row of sc.

For the ribbon, I used Lion Brand Micro Spun in French Vanilla and E4/3.5MM hook.  I ch 72, sl st to join, and 2 rows of hdc.  For the bow, I did ch 18 and 4 rows of dc.  The knot part I did ch 20 and 2 rows of sc.

No pattern really, but I hope it helps if you want to make something similar!  I hope it fits a 3 month old... I don't always get baby head sizes right.

Hope you have a great evening!

Thursday, December 8, 2011

Spiral Molly Floves Pattern


I made these floves for my sister Molly.  She asked for them... oh, I don't know... maybe like a year ago?  EEEEEEE!  Anyways, I wanted them to be perfect, and my first pair I didn't like the color or yarn texture, and the 2nd pair I did in rounds instead of turning, and it made the cable look weird. 

Download or print the full pattern here!  Please note this pattern fits small female hands (ring size 4.5-5.5), but will stretch.  Simply adding stitches to each element should help give it a custom fit.

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Tomorrow & Tomorrow & Tomorrow

Posting a new pattern & pics tomorrow!  Until then, say hello to our new addition: Topher!  Here he is interfering with both my pattern and my project.  I am pretty sure cat hair weaved into gloves gives it a coveted soft, mohair feel.  Eh??  Also, if you notice any problems in my pattern tomorrow, I blame the kitten.

Monday, December 5, 2011

MAQs

The other day I was working on some fingerless gloves for my sister, and Marty started asking me questions about my crochet.   Considering how little he knew about my crochet, I am sure my lovely blog followers know even less.  So I thought it might be good to include a little MAQ here (Marty-Asked Questions)!

Me in a TeaBeans original Earwarmer

How did you learn to crochet?
Freshman year of college (2000) a friend showed me how to do a granny square.  My first few projects were blankets that were essentially one giant granny square.  Then I progressed to variations (such as two granny squares sewn together with a string that could sorta be a bag, or chains of granny squares that could sorta be a scarf).  Therefore, I only knew hdc, ch, and could go only in circles.

About 5 years later, my sorority sister Tiffany was staying with me in NYC during her internship.  She was crocheting a blanket for her future husband, and showed me what felt like a Rosetta stone of crochet: turning.  Finally I was not confined to circles!

I have been messing around ever since then, learning all the stitches on my own, with a little help from my friends who were book editors at Sterling and would give me crochet books as gifts.

Do you make up your own patterns?  
Yes!  Nearly every single project I have ever done is original TeaBeans design.  I owe a great debt to a children's crochet book (the name I can't remember!).  It taught me how to make beanie hats, which is the foundation for every hat I design.

I have no interest in copying a pattern.  I would sooner buy ready-made at a store.

Do you sell patterns?
No, sorry.  You can have my patterns for free!   I just don't usually write them down.  Plus, why bother charging, when I figured it all out on my own anyways?

If you have any questions, let me know!

Sunday, December 4, 2011

Reblog!

Girlfriends: In New York you can forget...: Two weekends ago I was in NYC for a trip to see Katie and our other friends Megan, Jeff and Marty. We were getting together to celebrate h...