Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas! It seems like this year has passed so quickly. This time last year, I was having a problem with a slipped disc which i thought was a pulled muscle in my back. After many trips to the dr. and 3 cortisoine shots, I finally got back to normal but found out I have
arthritus in my right hip which still acts up. Not as bad as the slipped disk though... Its better to see the positive side. lol

Christmas was nice though, my husband & I spent a nice quiet day at home. I got my husband a little remote car in which he had fun playing with our cat Katie with. I should have taken pictures. When Katie got tired of watching the car, she simply flipped it over like she would a bug and then watched its wheels spin uselessly. lol

I am very happy to announce that my younger sister Sheri has joined me in my blog Crochet Mania. Sheri is also hooked on crochet. She learned how to crochet about a year ago and is getting really good. Hopefully between the two of us, there will be more posts.

I hope you had a very nice Christmas and all your dreams for the new year come true.

Christmas Projects & Baby

Its hard to believe that a year has past since I started this blog. I have been terrible about blogging. Hum, maybe add that to my New Year's resolution list...lol I have been crocheting a lot but I can't share any pictures until after Christmas since what I am working on is presents for my family known as Project S. by my younger sister and myself. lol I once shared the link to this blog with my older brother and he bookmarked it, so just in case he looks, he won't find out what he is getting from this page. ;)

However, I will post a picture of my youngest cat, Baby. Ok, actually she doesn't have a name yet. We can't seem to agree on a name for her. However, Baby fits her. Ok maybe a baby tiger...lol She is a good cat though, she is very smart and likes to play tricks on the other cats oh and especially her mother, Cw who is not much bigger than her. Cw is a small cat and it looks like Baby is going to stay small too. Luckily the other cats look after them both.

No time

Once again life interfere with my crochet work and posting in the blog. Also I have become hooked on crazy quilts! I am planning to change my crochet blog to a general craft blog to cover all my interests. I haven't come up with a title yet. Any ideas, let me know. I am desperate for suggestions. lol

The crazy quilt block I am showing is a postcard for a swap I am in. I am also working on 6" blocks. Its very addicting and I keep looking for new color combinations and embellishments for the embroidery work.

Changing Colors

I haven't posted in awhile. Life has a way of getting hectic sometimes. My younger sister asked me how to change colors when you are crocheting. I took some pictures to explain how to change colors in the middle of a row. This techneque can also be used to change colors at the end of a row also.

The pictures show how to change colors when you are working with single crochet but it is done the same way with any stitch you are working on. The first picture shows working the first part of the single crochet with the old color. (insert hook into stitch, draw up a loop,) then attach new color to the yarn of the old color in the back of the work, then yarn over, then pull the new color through the two loops on the hook.

First Hibiscus 

Janie's Valentine Dress & Hat

BarbValDress_kjc
Originally uploaded by kacis_mail.

Today I made a valentine dress and hat for Janie (aka Barbie)Janie is my first Barbie doll as an adult. Lol I redid her make-up and cut her hair. Her hair needs more work though. I changed her eye color from blue to green. I may do more work on the dress later. This one was crocheted with the size 0 steel hook again with fingering weight yarn. The red is embroidry thread. I didn't have any red fingering weight yarn and this made a good subsitution. I'll have to find some red shoes for Janie. I was amazed to find I didn't have any that color. We all know that the Barbie dolls have every color of shoes imaginable. Lol

Angie_kjc

Angie_kjc
Originally uploaded by kacis_mail.

Angie's Crochet Dress

Now you can see why it takes me so long to get anything done. I get distracted. Lol Today I made a dress for Angie who is one of Tutti's friends. Poor Angie has a major problem with her hair. She was once loved too much by some little girl (or maybe her brother?) Angie is missing quite a bit of hair. However, she is still adorable. Someone had put a pink bow in what's left of her hair and thanks to Mattel dying her scalp brown, the baldness isen't too noticeable until you get up close.

Back to the dress--I used a steel crochet hook size 1 with fingering weight yarn. I didn't use a pattern. Its very easy to make simple doll clothes once you know the basics. On this one I made a starting chain to go around the neckline then on the first row I made 2 sc in each chain across. This will make the piece curve with the neckline. Then for the 2nd row, I dc across the row, increasing where needed to fit. The 3rd row was the arm hole row. Dc across the row, then after about 7 dc, chain 3 for the armhole and skip about 3 sts, dc across front of dress, then chain 3 and skip 3 sts then dc across last 7 dcs.

The next row was for weaving the ribbon through and making a bow. Dc in first dc, chain one, skip one dc then dc in the next dc * repeat this pattern so you have dc, ch 1 skip one dc across row. Later you weave the ribbon through this row starting at the middle front. Then tie ends in a bow.

The next rows are the skirt rows and are all the same. Chain 3 for starting chain, skip the ch 1 and then in the next dc, make 2 dc, chain 2, 2 dc (shell stitch), then skip next chain one and make the shell stitch in next dc. Do this across the row. Slip stitch to the top of the beginning ch 3. For all the other rows, chain 3, make a shell stitch in the ch 2 space of shell stitch below. Hopefully this is easy to understand but if you have any questions, fill free to add a comment and I'll try to help you.

The butterfly was an applique I found at Wal-mart in the sewing dept. They had a lot of cute appliques which I bought one set of each. Oh one more thing, you will either have to make a simple slip to go under the dress or crochet some bloomers. Ok, pattern coming soon. Lol

Toe-up Crochet Sock 

In with the New Year

Happy New Years! This is the time of the year when everyone makes their new year's resolutions. You know, Mine are quite simple: Finish all the crochet projects I started in 2004. ;) Here's the list: *crochet bears for family members-started in July when I was visiting my Dad, 2 baby blankets, a pair of socks (started 2 weeks ago-see picture) and the latest venture is crochet sleeves for a denim vest. The pattern came from Michaels in their Art & Crafts magazine from the Feb. 99 issue. I was going though my closet and ran across the issue this week-end and saw the pattern. I remembered the blue jean vest that was in my closet and the light bulb started flashing. The vest is lined and I always thought it would look better with sleeves, also I'd wear it more if it had sleeves. I can't share the pattern but I'll post a picture when I get more done. The sleeves use different types of yarn with lots of texture. Theirs is in different shades of blue but I am doing mine in burgandy and blues.

The socks are quicker to make. The pattern is called Toe-Up Crocheted Socks which I found at Grafton Fibers website. They are fun to make and leave a lot of room for creativity. The pair I am working on now are a late Christmas present for a friend at work. :} I am almost done with them though. One more sock and Carlee will have some new house socks. She picked out the yarn, it is Caron's Simply Soft. I love crocheting with that yarn. It lives up to its name.

I should add some other need-to-do's to the list like organize my closets or organize my craft room(gasp), however I think I will quit while I am feeling good about myself. Maybe after I compelete my crochet list...

Skipper's dress

I haven't felt like writing the past few days, I pulled a muscle in my hip last week-end. Don't ask me how, it just happened. lol Didn't feel much pain in the hip but the pain shooting down my leg kept getting worse as the week went on. Not too bad until I start walking. Finally went to the dr and he said to stay off it as much as possible. I really am trying, but its hard.

Today I didn't feel like crocheting so I made Skipper a Christmas dress. Sewing on a small scale really is a challenge. I did part by machine and part by hand. I lined the bodice as I figured that would make the armholes and neckline look better. I think I will go back to crocheting doll clothes, much easier. :)

I am proud of the dress though, I made the pattern myself as I don't have any patterns for Skipper. I guess I prefer making my own patterns anyway, I started doing that when I was about 10 years old. I grew up watching my Grandmother make quilts and clothes and knew I wanted to learn how to do both.

Skipper's Christmas dress  

Button Crochet Angel 2

Today turned out to be a beautiful day, the temps were in the high 70es and the sun was shining...one of those days you would like to sit outside and soak up the sun. However, reality is going to work at 7am and getting off at 4pm and missing the experience. Ah well, thats the way it goes.

Good news though, Trixie came home! Biddy, her mom took her off last month because she got jealous of the other cats playing with Trixie. There was some other people feeding Trixie but this weekend they went off somewhere and haven't come back so Trixie came home to eat. Trixie is the youngest of our foster cats (that's the cats that we feed but tell ourselves they don't belong to us. Lol After eating, Trixie and her older brother CW had a nice reunion and started playing like they haven't been apart. Trixie was shy with us at first then got over it and I got to hold her. She is such a pretty kitten--she is also the last cat we are going to feed, honest! lol

I made another version of the button angel today. I added beads to the edging of this one. Beads aren't hard to crochet with, two rules--1st, string the beads onto your crochet thread or yarn and the 2nd, add the beads when you are working on the wrong side of the item you are adding them to so they will show up on the right side. I also expermented and used black velveteen for the background when I scanned the angel to see if it showed up better. I also took some pictures of it with my digital camera, but my camera froze when I tried to upload the pictures to my computer and still hasent unfroze. I have no idea how to get it to unfreeze. Oh wait, I can take out the batteries and put them back in. Yeap, that worked. :)

Now its late, and I work tomorrow so I better go to bed. Until next time...keep on crocheting.

Button Angel 2 

Button Crochet Angel

I finished crocheting this angel today, it is very fast to make. I was going through my junk box when I found some buttons I had put there and came up with the idea to make an angel with the button. Its probally been done before, but this one I made up as I went along. It is very easy to make, I'll try to write down the steps and post the pattern soon. I was working on the angel at work during lunch and two women wanted me to make them one. I told them that I didn't know if I'd have time before Christmas. I want to make about 6 more for Christmas ties for some of the Christmas presents I am giving. Um, yes Sheri, you are the first on my list. :) This one is actually yours...sorry I ruined the surprise but I had to add this to my blog.

Update on the Christmas tree--Dh did fix the base and it is standing tall now. I still need to put the garland and beads back in place though. Katie was funny this morning. She sat and stared at the leaning tree like she was thinking, "poor tree" I really do wish cats could talk. Their expressions speak volumes. If there are any cat pyscologists out there, please comment... Meanwhile, back to making angels. I'm planning on making each one a little different.

Crochet Button Angel 

Mishap of the Christmas tree

This week-end I finally decorated the Christmas tree. We decided not to get a real tree because it dies too quickly in this Texas heat and we didn't feel like vacuuming pine needles out of the carpet every day. Actually I was relieved. I love the smell of pine but this year my allergies are acting up. Ok, they act up every winter, with the smell of Christmas potpourri in every store you go into and the dampness in the air.

We still had a perfectly good artificial tree--well except for the slightly broken base from the year Katie (our oldest cat) was a kitten. She couldn't resist climbing up the tree and it fell over a few times...I'll hunt down a picture my husband took. However, the tree will stay standing if we take a strong nylon fishing line and tie the tree to the wall. This was Wednesday when dh brought the tree out of the shed. I came home from work and looked at all the branches waiting to be put on the base and ignored it. I was tired and didn't feel like dealing with it. Thursday, I came home from work and the tree was put together. My husband smiles at me and says, now all it needs is some ornaments. They were sitting inside the back sun room in the boxes. I ignored the hint and started supper. After supper, dh says, "well you can decorate the tree tomorrow after work." lol

Finally on Saturday, my day off I started decorating the tree. When we first got together, my husband would put the lights and garlands on the tree and I'd put on the bulbs and my crochet decorations. Then one year my husband worked late so I did everything. He was impressed and realized that I was better at stringing the lights and garlands and left the tree trimming to me every year.

This year the tree turned out nice. As I was putting on the garland, then the strings of beads, Katie sat behind the tree watching me. Her eyes were glowing and I knew the minute my back was turned, she would be playing with the garland and boxing the Christmas balls. Dh said that after the tree was decorated, he'd fix the tree so it didn't fall. Well the tree wouldn't wait for him to get around to it, it started falling so I grabbed it and wondered how I was going to be able to keep it from toppling over. I found my answer, two crocheted bells joined with a long crochet chain. I quickly tied one end to a branch and the other to the nail on the wall. Problem solved until it could be fixed better. It almost did stay too, however my husband liked my solution and never bothered getting the fishing line out. We were watching tv this evening and my husband was admiring the tree saying how nice it looked when the base cracked some more and the tree went toppling down. lol This may be an interesting Christmas. Dh leaned the tree in the corner until he could fix the poor tree. I can't help but wonder if it will take him 3 days to fix it now? I'll let you know.

Meanwhile, I am crocheting an angel without a pattern using thread, buttons and beads. I want it to be a lapel pin. I'll post a picture when I get done.

Finished Block 

Basketweave start 

Baby blanket so far