Sabrina Gloves!

Got a custom order today, decided to write a pattern!

Well, more of a recipe...I do those a lot!

Here it is: the Sabrina Fingerless Gloves

Sabrina Glove

This is a very simple, easy, nearly-mindless crochet project. Very little counting, and several rows of repetition.

Start with your favorite yarn, make sure that it is comfortable against the inside of your wrists. Chain until you feel it is long enough from the webbing of your fingers (if you are going to add the individual finger holes) to wherever you want it on your forearm, or from about the first knuckle of your fingers to wherever you want it on your forearm...

I chained 35. It should be an uneven number.

hdc in the 2nd chain from hook, (this first chain counts as your first hdc, now and throughout) *skip a chain, 2 hdc in the next* to end (I messed up on my start chain, I chained 34, should have chained 35.. if you do this, don't worry, you can fudge it, just do 2 hdc in the last oddball chain.) chain 1 turn

repeat last row, until you get to the length you want it before your thumb

OR

Keep going until it wraps around your wrist comfortably. we can create the thumb hole when we stitch it up.

If you have chosen the 1st option, you will 2hdc until you reach where you want your thumb hole, and you will chain 6 and then 2hdc where you would normally 2hdc, continue to end with pattern. chain 1, turn

on the way back, continue pattern, and when you reach the thumb hole chains, do your normal pattern into the 2nd, 4th, and 6th chains. then continue onto the normal location for your hdc's. to end.

continue in pattern until you reach your desired length to go around the wrist.

here you have 2 choices as well.
1) you can whip stitch the gloves up the side, if you have chosen to do your thumb now, then leave out about an inch unstitched and then continue the stitching when you get to the end of your thumb hole.

2) you can single crochet or slip stitch the edges together. if you are doing a thumb in this step, leave about an inch open for your thumb.

if you are doing fingers, sc around the edge closest to your thumb hole. I did 2 rounds before I started my fingers.

This might get confusing, and I am trying my best to explain it, so I am sorry if it's hard to understand.

count how many stitches around the edge. You will divide this number by 10. Then you will take that number and figure that the fingers will be two of that number in the middle, and 3 on the outside edges. sc around to the thumb edge, then sc #, sc across the opening into the corresponding sc. sc # stitch across to coresponding sc, making 4 finger holes total.

Stripe Pattern here: 4 blue, 1 purple

When you get all 4 holes finished, begin sc around 1 finger hole, in each stitch, until you get the length you want, then slst in next stitch, leave about 3 in tail, and cut off. you will weave this tail in later.

Attach your yarn to the next finger hole, and repeat the finger hole process.

weave in ends.

Now, here is the fun part, embellish how you want. Ribbon. Buttons. Beads. Or, leave it plain...

NOTE: If you chose to do stripes, as I have, make sure to a)crochet over your ends to avoid needing to weave in later, or b) weave in VERY well when you are done, Your hands get a lot of beatings, so make sure your ends wont fall out and unravel your hard work!

For an extra finishing touch, you could do a few rows around the back edge in an accenting color. Just make sure that you do not crochet it too tight to fit over your forearm.

 

Hometown Proud, but hometown cold.

Last year, at the time of the census, in my hometown, 24.5% of the population was under 18, of that, 10.5% of all of the population was living UNDER poverty levels. If you figure that is a population of 71,892 People, that is 17,614 children, and 1850 of those children are living under Poverty..... I think we should see what we can do to help these children.

I have asked my friends and family to knit, crochet, sew, or purchase as many kids hats as they can, to donate to the Family Access network in our area.. I can only hope to make their lives a little bit warmer!
 

Warning! Pissed off Rant: Spoiled Teen

The Following post may be found as annoying, offensive, or in some cases, re-assuring...

Check out this blog post: Because You're a Moron: 

Another Example of Spoiled American Teens

Alright, so, to make this a shorter post... read that post, then check my comment:

I am 22, I moved out on my own when I was 17. I graduated high school with honors, while holding a full time job, and taking advanced placement classes. I think I may have dodged a generational bullet. I think this post is spot on! AND I see several of your examples in my friends and families lives... and I just sit back, and in the back of my mind, I think, "give her a year, and then see how bitchy she gets..." When I was a kid, I paid half of my families bills, I made stuff and I sold stuff, I started working when I was 12, I had my own tv, and my own dvd player, that I bought. I was given a PS1 with a car compatible screen as a gift for my b'day when I was accepted into advanced placement high school classes, before I even began high school. When I turned 17, I bought my own car, paid for my own license, and made the repairs on that car when it broke down... it was a 1990 Ford Escort Pony, 2 door, FWD. Held together with duct tape, bungie cords, tin foil, rubber bands and 3 yards of hemp string. I made it through school, started college (all on academic scholarships and loans taken out in my name.) then got married and am graduating college with a degree this next spring, all before having any kids. I may be $70,000 in debt, but it's my debt, not my parents.

Now don't get me wrong, I love my parents, and I love everything they did for me, but the best thing they could have done for me, was to make me fend for myself, guide me along the way, loan me a few bucks here or there to get me through, and demand that I pay them back. I am tired of the bullshit of kids being handed everything silver platter! Oiy! 

 

Fall Fashionista!

Oh, did you think I was referring to myself as the fashionista? I can hardly be considered a fashionista... Although, all through high school, I would wear my own style of clothes, and then that summer I'd move on, and that fall, never failing, my style from the previous year was "hip"...go figure. Anyways, I am going to try to do it again... Legwarmers were popular before I was even aware of fashion... I am a LATE 80's baby, spring of '89, so I dont think that had ANY bearing on my fashion sense when it comes to Legwarmers...

I have however developed a few specifics when it comes to these lovelies:

Fall Fashionista! by echo-mayernik featuring pink tops

NEVER EVER should they be worn with brightly colored pants, OR with exercise clothes, with the exception of yoga pants... but never with a unitard, I am glad that fad never tried to come back... some people should not be allowed in spandex!

I do NOT like legwarmers that are thigh high, if you need leg warmers that go that high, wear a longer skirt/shorts or find some damn PANTS!

Also, leg warmers that only cover your ankle. What are you doing, trying to protect your joints from localized hypothermia?!?!?!?!?!?

I also hate it when people try wearing them without leggings or stockings, or pants... if you are wearing leg warmers, you should wear SOMETHING that helps keep them up!

My favorite look? a tunic style shirt, skinny jeans or leggings tucked into low heel boots, and a set of legwarmers OVER the boots.

I love legwarmers that reach just below your knee, like a reverse capri cut. I love stripes, but HATE bobbles. I am a sucker for knit, and I love corsetting or buttons.


I am making a set with some super bulky acrylic in a brown tweed.

Since my needles are in use that I need for this project, I shall find my old friend, KK Loom. When they are done, they will look like these:

In Lion Brand Hometown USA Santa Fe Tweed. I will do a strand of green ribbon around eyelets in the top few rows, that will tie above my calf just to keep them in place, I don't like the look of slouchy leg warmers, mostly because the ones I had last year froze to my boots, and got ruined because they slouched too much... I was a sad panda!

Burning Man Hammocks, A Wedding, and My stash busting project

Yesterday, I want to a wedding. The coolest wedding EVER! It was full of street performers, and great music, and lots of alcohol (I don't drink beer, but hubby was happy) and homemade chicken burritos, and a variety show and live bands, and lots of fun stuff.

One of the coolest things, for the time before and after (it was a 4 day campout) was a gazebo set up that was constructed entirely of wood, no bolts, screws, nails, or metal reinforcements... It was well engineered, and the cross bars and frame was held together with 2 in wide 10 in long wooden pegs, driven into the frame pieces. From it was strung 10 hammocks, and a swinging chair. I fell in love with one style of hammock, and I wanted to get myself one. I have been researching buying or making and mounting a hammock in our new house... BTW, we are moving.. again.

I found the style of hammock that I used all afternoon yesterday (Mexican or Mayan)... and realized I do not want to pay that much for one, so I have decided to take their design, and create my own... wish me luck.. I will post pics and pattern when I am done.

Here is where it all comes together. The Gazebo set up is the bride and groom's own burning man camp setup. The groom designed it for the Burning Man event in particular. I fell in love with the hammocks, and decided to make my own using the acrylic and cotton stash I need to use up. See, it all works out!

So far, I have decided on a design concept, and am figuring out how to make it work.. I feel 550 paracord will be involved... and perhaps climbing style carabeners for mounting in my garage, or on my new back porch...


 

Summer catch-up!

It seems that my summer ran away and hid... it got a late start, and now it is nearly over! School starts back up for me in a week and a half!

I have been trying to do EVERYTHING and therefore have gotten NOTHING done! Go figure, right?

I have restored my account on Etsy, and listed a few hats, hoping to get some other stuff on there soon.

And, I received 2 custom orders in the last week!

One is for a pair of Mary Jane style slippers in rainbow stripes (a trade for crafty goodness of Chrissy)

And the other is for 2 custom designed Owl Cowls for a friend from high school. (Shantae)

I am super excited, because with custom orders, I get to communicate with the customer, and get a feel for JUST what they want! And I know that they will be enjoyed, because in this case, I know both of the customers personally.

 

Faith

So, I dont know who knows my faith, or who doesnt, but what you need to know is that I have faith in something.

This week has been a test of that faith, our car broke down during the busiest week of our entire summer.

Today, after being told by my insurance company that I could not get my car towed (even though I pay for towing services) I was frantic. We were told we could try to limp the car home, and hope we didn't get stranded along side the road, or we could be stranded where we were.

I looked down onto my seat to think about the choice, and the things hanging from my mirror created a goddess shadow across my seat. I took it as a sign that I would make it home. We made it home without incident.

 

Mission Stashbust!

So, summer term is almost over, I have the worst sunburn of the season, and I have made the commitment to participate in a holiday show in November. Lots going on.

Here is my plan!

I have a large plastic tote of yarn, 3/4 of it is cheap acrylic that is uncomfy to wear. So I making it into purses, and Christmas stockings.. at least... thats the plan.

After my last final...

And I'll post pics as we go!
 

Tundra: a pattern

I posted about Tundra, Caramel, and Woodland hats.

I promised a pattern for each of those hats... and so here they are!

I will post 1 pattern each day until I have them all up.

Tundra:

Round 1: ch 3 (counts as base, and first dbl) 11 dbl in 3rd chain from hook, slip into top of start chain.
Round 2: chain 2 (counts as first dbl) dbl in base of chain 2, 2 dbl in each stitch around, slip to top of first stitch.
Round 3: chain 2, dbl in base of chain. *dbl in next stitch, 2 dbl in next* to end, slip to top of start chain
Round 4: chain 2, dbl in base of chain, *dbl in next 2 stitches, 2 dbl in next* to end, slip to top of start chain
Round 5-8: repeat previous round, EXCEPT, add another dbl between each 2 dbl for each row.
Round 9-10: chain 2, dbl in each stitch around, slip to top of begin ch.
Round 11: (decrease rounds) ch 2, *dbl in each of the first 6, dbl2tog* to end.
Round 12 - ?: repeat round 11, decreasing the number of stitches between the dbl2tog
Round ?-?: Building your brim, details below

The hat pictured above has a simple, 2 in dbl brim. For this, you dbl in each remaining stitch, sl st to top of chain, dbl around, fasten off, weave in ends.

There is also the option of a more stable brim, from the end of your dec round, you will sc in each stitch around, NOT connecting the end of the row, but continuing the spiral.

OR you can do a sturdy Tunisian style brim, this give stability and fashion. and offers a better base for extras such as buttons or ribbon.

You will finish your decrease round, and sl st to first ch.
chain 4 (5), then start your Tunisian.
insert hook in first loop, yo and pull loop through (2 loops on hook)
insert hook in next loop, yo and pull loop through (3 loops on hook)
insert hook in next loop , yo and pull loop through (4 loops on hook)
If you only chained 4, follow this, if you chained 5, do the last step 1 more time, then move on to this.
insert hook in first stitch of hat base, yo and pull loop through.
yo, pull through 2 loops, yo pull through 2, until only 1 loop remains.
repeat this process using the "bars" you will see forming on the front of the work to build into. This stitch will cause a mild curl to form, but when you are finished, you will not be able to tell.

Do this last step until you reach the last stitch before the hat brim began, fasten off, and cut leaving about 10-12 inch of yarn left. use this to sew up the 2 edges, and add some accent to hide this seam if you'd like.

This pattern can easily be made for a small head, by following the pattern, but only going to to 5 or 6 rounds before starting decreases.

If there is anything that I need to clear up, message me on Ravelry or leave a comment!

Want to track your progress?

Ravelry: Tundra Tam

Also, when in need of a photo prop to hold the hat... and there is no willing child or roommates, I can always rely on my hubby's Nalgene to stand perfectly still.
 

HATS HATS HATS HATS! And a Hair clip or 20!

I have been a hat making maniac the last few days... I took a look around the WWW, and didnt find ANYTHING I liked. So what's a girl to do?

MAKE HER OWN PATTERN!

This is what I came up with:

This is Tundra, crocheted with Lion Brand Tweed Stripes... a super soft, super warm 100% acrylic striped tweed... (go figure read the name) I bought it at Wal-mart for 3.95 a ball or so.

This is Caramel, same details as above, but in the Caramel colorway (discontinued)

This is Woodland, same details as above, slightly different pattern (not by much) and this yarn is also a discontinued colorway.

That's what I have for now, however, I will post the patterns over the next week or so.

I have another pattern all together on the hook now. Still need to try to knit this yarn, just to see how it looks that way.

Tomorrow, you'll see my hairclip madness. I have 4 shops in the local area who want to consign my hair clips, so I am crocheting them up like a crazy woman! I'll have a pattern for the clips, and a tut for the boards I have backed them with in just a day or two.