What a week

It's been a crazy week.  Sooo busy at work, and the kids are getting sick again.  Oh, joy.  So I don't know if we'll be attending the Christening we've RSVPd to this weekend, but I think they would appreciate us keeping the germs to ourselves.  So I'll just have to take the gift I had made over there another day when we're feeling better....or just have one of us go with one of the kids, if they are healthy enough, and the others stay home.

But I've joined the Moogly Blog 2015 CAL (crochet along) and I will be getting a new pattern every 2 weeks for 24 weeks, December is for seaming.  So this week was the Tamara's Kismet Square.  I've never done a Jacob's Ladder technique and I had a little snafu in the first round for the sideways ladder, I was 1 'rung' short on each side, so I had to just add in 2 extra DCs to each side as I went along the next row so it would come out proper.  It's not noticeable, I don't think.  But I really do love the effect.  I love how it's rungs...

Then they twist and loop through each other (this is a previous round pic but gives the effect)...

And then my finished product is this!!!

I absolutely love the colors.  Used what I had, 142.3 yards total, which is nice.  It love the braided effect it has.  It's so bright.  And up close it doesn't look like much because I've been working on it.  But it actually does resemble the pattern when I look at it in a picture like this!  Yay for me!  I'm always critical that I'm not doing good enough and it looks nothing like what was put out there by the designer.  But I think I did okay.  No, I did not block it.  I really don't plan on blocking.  I'm not a blocker, in general.  So I am thinking I'm just going to be seaming these squares together as they are at the end, because that's how I roll.  Not that I'm lazy, but I'm not going to kill the acrylic yarn.  It's going to get washed a bajillion times, cause I assume we're going to use it on the couch, which ends up always smelling like dog butt after a couple weeks.....so there's no point, in my mind.  It will be what it will be :)

Besides the heavy workload I have, I have the Slytherin Swaps that have started, and the sign-ups are trickling in.  So far we have 31 people participating.  So I will close those tomorrow night some time and I will then pair everyone up and give out their partner information and watch the chaos happy that ensues from the 'stalking' that people participate in to get an awesome box put together fort their spoilees.  This term's theme is Favorite TV show.  Who has only one?  Really not many people, but it's a generality, I think.  And it seems to be fun watching what people are answering thus far!  Yay for swap time!  Hopefully this time around I don't have any flakers o_O

Hope you are having a great week!

The New Year

I guess I never formally said Happy New Year!!!  So there it is!!

Since this is the craft year for me, I'm doing what I want.  It's not all just for me, but I'm not spending the whole year crafting for Christmas and others like I did.  I have several projects I'm doing that are slotted for other people. of course.  That's how I operate.  But I'm going to just do them as I want to and if I want to.  For instance, Noelle's daughters love these homemade hats that they got that match their coats.  Brianna got a new coat, it's mint colored.  So she wanted a hat to match.  So I whipped one up.  And she loves it.  The hats a tad big, but better bigger than smaller, if you want to put the positive spin on it.  And here it is!

I think it turned out really cute and it matches perfectly with her coat!  So glad she likes it.  Fantastic knit-worthy recipients are the absolute best!  They make your heart sing when someone loves what you make.  I hope she gets a lot of use out of this.

Charity Hats

So along with a friend at work, we made some preemie hats for Little Hats Big Hearts.  I ran out of red yarn, I was only able to make 7, but hey, it's better than none!  It was a free pattern for a 10 minute crochet preemie hat that I used.

The coloring on the 2nd photo didn't turn out so good, but they're the same red as the top picture.  I'm in the midst of my Detention Owl for my HP knit/crochet group on Rav., so I am working on Annie's Socks first.

I have a Toothless I started and stopped making for Jeff.  I have several plans of stuff in the works.  But I am going to make a cute hat for a 8 yo daughter of a co-worker, and it shouldn't take long at all.  Just need to get around 200 yards of mint colored yarn.  I have the accent colors already.  And then maybe I'll put forward the effort of making another ram.  I'm trying to not buy yarn this year, I'm trying to stash bust and have a very restricted budget.  The mint yarn is the only cost of the hat I'm making, just supplies, I wouldn't charge for time.  Maybe if I do the same for the ram?  I don't know yet.

I'm cleaning things out and organizing things, or trying, and trying to just let things flow.  That's my goal I've decided, of course to put forth the effort needed in life, but to also just let things flow.

Here's to hoping you have a good and productive and flowing week!

Ram Pattern

Cam the Ram

I've never done this before, so here goes.  I saw a really cute ram on Pinterest, and I wanted to make it.  She said, 'Sorry, I didn't write the pattern down!' and that was the end of it.  Well, damn it, I'm figuring it out.  I don't think mine is as cute as hers....but it's cute enough.

I did the body and the ram horns in the colors of the college.  I am planning on doing another in the body and ram horn colors of the St. Louis Rams for a friend at work's boyfriend who's a big Rams fan.  But you can do whatever you want.

Including the horns, he's about 6 inches tall

I used:

3.75 mm hook

Green Yarn

Yellow Yarn

Tan Yarn (about 10 yards only)

White and Black for eyes

Head: work in continuous rounds

Using Green

1 - Make Magic Ring with 6 sc

2 - 2 sc in each sc (12)

3 - *sc, 2 sc in next stich* repeat around (18)

4 - *sc 2, 2 sc in next stitch* repeat around (24)

5 - *sc 3, 2 sc in next stitch* repeat around (30)

6 - Work even - (30)

7 - *sc 4, 2 sc in next stitch* repeat around (36)

8 - *sc 5, 2 sc in next stitch* repeat around (42)

9 to 15 - Work even - (42)

16 - *sc 5, sc2tog* repeat around (36)

17 - *sc 4, sc2tog* repeat around (30)

18 - *sc 3, sc2tog* repeat around (24)

19 - *sc 2, sc2tog* repeat around (18)

20 - Work even - (18)

Fasten off, leaving long tail for sewing, stuff head

Body: work in continuous rounds

Using Green

1 - Make Magic Ring with 6 sc

2 - 2sc in each stitch around (12)

3 - *sc 1, 2sc in next stitch* repeat around (18)

4 - *sc 2, 2sc in next stitch* repeat around (24)

5 - *sc 3, 2sc in next stitch* repeat around (30)

6 - *2sc in next stitch, sc 4* repeat around (36)

7 to 17 - sc around (36)

18 - *sc2tog, sc 4* repeat around (30)

19 to 25 - sc around (30)

26 - *sc2tog, sc 3* repeat around (24)

27 - *sc2tog, sc 2* repeat around (18)

Stuff the body

28 - *sc2tog, sc1* repeat around (12)

29 - *sc2tog* repeat around (6)

Finish off and leave long enough end to sew up the hole.

Front Legs: (make 2)

Start with Yellow

1 - Make Magic Ring with 6sc

2 - 2 sc in each stitch (12)

3 - *sc 1, 2 sc in next stitch* repeat around (18)

4 - sc2tog x2, 14 sc even (16)

finish off yellow and join green at this point

5 - sc2tog x2, 12 sc even (14)

6 - sc2tog x2, 10 sc even (12)

7 to 15 - sc even (12)

Finish off open with extra yarn for sewing, stuff legs

Back Legs: (make 2)

Start with Yellow

1 - Make Magic Ring with 6sc

2 - 2 sc in each stitch (12)

3 - *sc 1, 2 sc in next stitch* repeat around (18)

4 - *sc 2, 2 sc in next stitch* repeat around (24)

finish off yellow and join green at this point

5- sc even (24)

6 - sc2tog x3, 18 sc even (21)

7 - sc2tog x3, 15 sc even (18)

8 - sc even (18)

9 - *sc 1, sc2tog* repeat around (12)

10 to 16- sc even (12)

Finish off open with extra yarn for sewing, stuff legs

Ears: (make 2)

With Green

1 - Make Magic Ring with 4 sc

2 - *2sc in next stitch, sc 1* repeat around (6)

3 - *2sc in next stitch, sc 2* repeat around (8)

4 - *2sc in next stitch, sc 3* repeat around (10)

5 - *2sc in next stitch, sc4* repeat around (12)

Finish off and leave long enough end for sewing to head.  Do not stuff.

Horns: work in continuous rounds

Using Yellow

1 - Make a Magic Ring with 5 sc 

2 - 2sc in stitch, sc4 

3 - sc1, 2sc in stitch, sc4 

4 - sc1, 2sc in stitch.x2, sc2, sc2tog 

5 - sc2, 2sc in stitch, sc5 

6 - sc3, 2sc in stitch.x2, sc3, sc2tog (The decrease will cross the first stitch of the new/next round. No worries, just start the new round after the decrease like nothing happened)

7 - sc3, 2sc in stitch, sc6

8 - sc4, 2sc in stitch.x2, sc4, sc2tog (The decrease will cross the first stitch of the new/next round. No worries, just start the new round after the decrease like nothing happened)

9 - sc4, 2sc in stitch x2, sc7

Can stuff as you go at this point to make it easier on yourself

10 to 15 - sc2tog, sc5, 2sc in stitch x2, sc5, sc2tog

16 to 19 - hdc2tog, hdc5, 2hdc in stitch.x2, hdc5, hdc2tog

20 - Slip stitch every stitch around 

Finish off and leave open with a tail for sewing to the head

Snout: work in continuous rounds

In Tan

1 - Make a Magic Ring with 6sc

2 - 2 sc in each stitch around (12)

3 - *sc 1, 2 sc in next stitch* repeat around (18)

4 - *sc 2, 2 sc in next stitch* repeat around (24)

5 to 6 - sc even (24)

Tail

I just did a chain of 6 and sc in 2nd ch from hook to the end (5)

Then sc back again (5) and attach to the butt

Sew the head and body together, I did the head a little forward angling down a little so that when it sat it looked a little more menacing.  Not sure if that turned out well or not.  But I tried.

Sew the arms and legs on where you think they look good.  I tried to do the arms towards the center more so it could sit up on them a little more.  I actually stitched the middle of the back of the arms to the stomach so they would stay straight.

Sew on the snout.  Embroider with a strand of black the nostrils and line down and the mouth.

The ears go more on the side of the head.  Sew the horns to the top of the head and I actually had to stitch them below the ear to the head to get the proper curl.

I just took white and sewed on a triangle and filled it in for the eyes and then just sewed on a little black for a pupil.  You could do felt and glue it on or put in safety eyes before you stuff and close up the head.

Please feel free to let me know if you find any errors!  I'm completely open to feedback!  I was just kind of winging it! Keeping this on here is more of a help for me to do this pattern again and not have to go through all my scrap paper notes.

This is a compilation and modification of 5 free patterns of other amigurumi and they're not copied, but they were used as reference.

But I used a Bear Ornament from Red Heart, Lil' Baby Unicorn from Little Yarn friends, Stuffed Kitten by Mary Walker, Horns by MyGurumi, and Chibi Cow by Marika Allely as my reference points.

So since I gave credit where credit is due, I don't care what you do with this Ram when it's done or if you share it, sell it.  Just don't take credit for the work that I put into putting the pattern together and the modification work that I did to get it to this point.  Thanks!

End of one year....onto the next

Well, 2014 is at a close.  Literally too, tonight!  It's been quite the year.  There's been surgeries and sicknesses galore.  3 weddings, a baby shower and baby in the family.  The death of Mocha, our awesome Chocolate Lab.  The getting/saving of Cookie, our 2 yo pitbull.  Remodelling and unpacking....still.  Lots of fun memories with the kids.  And lots of crafting.

Carl was Christened on May 25th

We had Mosey pass, our lovely girl....on June 3rd

Then the weddings!

First was the only wedding we weren't in!  Lynn and Bill on Sept. 20th!
Caim had so much fun dancing on the floor and playing at their awesome kids table full of tons of games and drawing stuff.
Carl and me danced and swayed and had a great time.  Jeff isn't much in to the dancing :)

Made these for them...

Next was Amanda and Nick on Sept. 27th!
I made the shawl over the summer for her, though it was nice out and she didn't wear it, it was still worth it, no matter what it's for.

And for her bachelorette party I made this lovely....a chapstick coozie

Caim was one of 5 flower girls!!  Carl was just dressed up cute.  I was Matron of Honor, and had a great time.

Then there was John and Kay's wedding on Oct. 3rd!

All 4 of us stood up in this one!  And let me tell you, my hair rocked!!!  A Mohawk braid, and because my hair was down to my butt, it was VERY workable and looked fabulous!!

On October 6th we got Cookie, after all the wedding hoopla was over with...saved her from a pound....

She's so ridiculously sweet, it's amazing.

Then I chopped off the hair I had been growing out for said weddings on Oct. 9th...16 inches for Locks of Love

We saw Santa at the Adventure to Santa at Oakbrook Center Mall

We had a good Christmas and hopefully will have a nice New Year.  Missed Barb at Christmas Eve this year, but she had a good friend's house to go to that she's known since she was little, I understand, she just was missed.  

I am still in the HPKCHC on Ravelry and crafting away.  This year has been the year of crochet for me.  I want to get back to spinning.  I have some looming projects that I have as WIPs that I need to get off my plate, and I am going to be doing a Detention OWL this term to get those done.  It will be the year for me too.  If I want to do stuff for others, I will.  But this year, I'll do what I want, for whom I want, when I want.  And I'll do stuff for me.  Socks, mitts, finish a scarf, make whatever I want to as a tester maybe.  Do a swap this year. Make some stuff for the kids that looks fun.  Whatever my heart desires.

So some of my works this year....

And this month I've done....
Mizzou Tiger...

Colorado Ram....it was several pieces of patterns and modified to be its own thing, so I'll have the pattern in the next post.

I was sorted in Slytherin again in my Rav. group - HPKCHC, I'm a middle of the Anaconda nest, I am the Swap Mistress, heading up the big term swap again and a member of the Slytherin Sunshine Committee. I look forward to sharing much more crafting and other things in general with you!

I hope everyone has a fantastic new year!!!  I sure hope I do!!!