suddenwhimsies

Happy Mother's Day-A pattern for you!

It's my latest whimsy--a needle case! It combines the best of both worlds, crocheting and recycling! Yes dears, that IS a paper towel tube in there! The really cool thing about this is that if someone rudely steps on your needle case and squishes it, you can just pop the old tube out and insert a new one!

Before I get to the pattern, I have to share my Mother's Day gift!   I, ahem,"received" this wonderful book:

   

Okay, actually, I had to go purchase it for myself after I realized that several of my "bombshell" hints had totally missed the mark. Anyway, Julie is my new hero. She is so incredibly creative! My jaw dropped several inches as I flipped through this book in the bookstore. Really! She takes crochet way beyond the usual and expected. This book will totally change the way you "see" this craft. The projects are absolutely  brilliant! Julie also has a wonderful blog at http://skamama.blogspot.com/. I don't know which to do first--the Patchwork Handbag or the Pacific Coast Basket.....hmmmmm.

Enjoy the pattern! And Happy Mother's Day!

Crocheted Needle Case

Supplies:

• 3 different colors of Crochet Cotton Size 10 or fingering  weight yarn (this is a thinner yarn than the worsted weight stuff)
• crochet hook: size D
• paper towel tube
• small piece of sturdy cardboard
• white sheet of paper (the tube shows through in parts, and white is just prettier than that brownish color)
• yarn needle

Gauge:
1 square should measure approximately 1-3/4" across.

Make the circles (make 2):
Make a slip knot and chain 1.
Round 1:  8 sc in the beginning slip knot. Join with sl st to first sc. Ch 1, do not turn.
Round 2:  2 sc in joining st, and in each st around, 16 sc. Join with sl st to first sc. Ch 1, do not turn.
Round 3:  1 sc in joining st, * 2 sc in next st, 1 sc in next st *. Repeat from * to * all the way around, 24 sc. Join with sl st to first sc. Fasten off. Ch 1 with a new color, do not turn.
Round 4:  1 sc in joining st, 1 sc in next st,  2 sc in next st. *sc in next 2 sts, 2 sc in next st*. Repeat from * to * all the way around, 32 sc. Join with sl st to first sc. Ch 1, do not turn.
Round 5:  1 sc in joining st, 1 sc in next 2 sts,  2 sc in next st. *sc in next 3 sts, 2 sc in next st*. Repeat from * to * all the way around, 40 sc. Join with sl st to first sc. Fasten off.

Yippee! You have finished a circle! Now make another one more for the other end of the tube.

The Circle Square (make 8):----I know it sounds funny, but I didn't know what else to call it.
Make 8 more of the circles described above. The next round will turn your circles into squares.

Round 6: Join and ch 3 with white (or some other color as desired). * Hdc in next 2 sts, 5 sc in the next 5 sts, 2 hdc in the next 2 sts, in the next st make 1 dc, ch 2, 1 dc (this makes a corner) *. Repeat from * to *, 3 more times. On the last repeat, you will end with a 1 dc, ch2, and then sl st into the second chain of the beginning ch 3.

Joining:

1. Stack 2 squares with right sides facing.
2. Sc along one edge through both pieces so that you are joining the two squares together.
3. Repeat this step 3 more times.

Top:

1. Choose one of the sets to be the top. Repeat the "Joining" step on the other side of the squares to make a tube.
2. Turn inside out and whip stitch one of the circles to one end of the tube.

Bottom:

1. Repeat the "Joining" step three more times along the long edges of the joined squares to make a piece that is 2 squares across by 4 squares down.
2. Fold the piece in half long ways and repeat the "Joining" step along the long edge to form a long tube.
3. Turn inside out and whip stitch the other circle to one end of the tube.

Putting it all together:

1. Note: the shorter of the two crocheted tubes will be the "top" and the longer one will be the "bottom".
2. From the sturdy piece of cardboard, cut 2 circles (1-5/8" diameter). Insert these circles into the bottom ends of the two tubes you just crocheted.
3. Cut off a 1-3/4" section of the paper towel tube. Cut a piece of white paper to measure 1-3/4" x 6". Tape this white sheet to the outside of the tube.Insert the tube into the "top" crocheted piece. This may take a bit of stretching but if your piece is crocheted to gauge, it should fit nice and snug. Note: If it absolutely will not fit, don't despair! You can simply cut the length of the tube, remove 1/4" or so and re-tape it.
4. Cut off a 7" section of paper towel tube for the "bottom". Before covering this tube with a piece of white paper ( 6-1/4" x 6-1/4"), make sure to slice the tube along it's length and remove about 1/4". Re-tape the tube and tape on the paper. Making this piece a little narrower than the top piece ensures that the top slides easily over the bottom when closing up your needle case!
5. Insert the tube into the bottom crocheted section. A slight twisting motion helps if it is a little bit snug.The crocheted edge should come up to the edge of the white sheet of paper
6. Fill 'er up crocheters!

Sophie's Bead Bucket

Yay! I finally finished! This one has been a work-in-progress for a really long time. My family has been finding these little crochet squares all over the house. I stitch them up whenever I have a spare minute or two and then I just leave them behind. We will probably be finding these little squares well into summer--kind of like the pine needles from the Christmas tree.
Check out the stitching of the individual squares. They are made entirely of slip stitches! Really!

Lunch Sack

Starting off as a crocheted basket...

 
...and turning into a lunch sack. My projects have a way of morphing into other things as they progress. The fabric was an amazing thrift store find, and the bobbles on the ends of the drawstrings were a "last minute" whimsy.

Jute

I decided to share my first ( and probably only ) attempt at crocheting with jute. I actually finished this up around Christmas time and it's been patiently waiting in my closet for a trip to the beach (i.e. summer). This stuff is very scratchy, and pretty darn rough on the fingertips.

When I showed it to one of my daughters, she said "EEww it's so scratchy!" I told her, "Chill out, it's just a bag. It's not like I'm going to make you a pair of underpants out of it." Hmmmm. An idea was born.This came in handy right before Christmas. Whenever the kids started fighting, I would remind them in a pleasant sing-song voice, "jute underpanties." It usually did the trick. Mainly because these dear children have lived with me long enough to know that "Mom's a little off her nut" and would actually do it.

I will post the instructions for my overnight bag soon. I have some pesky deadlines coming up, but I will post it as soon as I can!

A Sudden Whimsy

I've been thinking real hard about trying to make a crochet box that isn't all floppy. I've been doing some experimenting with jute, but honestly, it's been a bit rough on the fingers. Cotton is my hands down favorite---so I had to get a little creative. The base is one of those 5"x7" wooden plaques you can get at craft stores. I drilled small holes in each of the four corners and then slid a dowel rod into each hole ( they form the inside supports ). Next, I slipped on the crocheted box and topped the dowel rods with wooden balls. The liner is simply two long rectangles that criss-cross the inside bottom of the box. Easy peasy! And it's the perfect size for holding Cd's!

Giving

My daughter's crew team is having a Spaghetti Dinner/Silent Auction this Friday. At last--a way to use up one of those quilt tops stacked up in my basement! I picked this one because everyone liked it the best (not my personal favorite, though!). I have to cater to the crowds since we want to choose the one that will bring in the biggest bucks.

  All pinned up and ready for quiltin'.

Potholders?

I have been wanting to share this for a while. I found the pattern on the internet years ago and I can't seem to find it again! I did find a pattern that was very close. You can check it out here.

Bottle Cap Recycling

I love it when I can combine recycling with crochet! Here's my latest creation. I was recycling pop bottles recently, pulling the caps off before putting them into the machine, thinking to myself--What could I do with all these little caps (apparently they aren't recyclable).

Let me explain. Meijer threw me for a loop. I hardly ever go there preferring my nice close, familiar Kroger instead. But a few days ago I found myself at a Meijer, along with about 7 hefty bags of empty pop bottles. I was mindlessly plopping them in the machine when I noticed the Meijer recycling person standing there with his arms crossed and continually harrumphing in my direction. I must admit that I have been known to elicit this response in people from time to time, but his actions seemed totally unwarranted to me. It was then I noticed the sign over the bottle plopping chute that said "Please remove caps from the bottles before inserting...blah...blah" So I'm thinking to myself:

• Why aren't these things recyclable?
• This is going to make my hands all icky!!! eeeww!
• Why can't they make these things so that they are recyclable?
• Where am I going put all these caps??? (There are no apparent garbage cans around. Remember--7 hefty bags!) At this point I am stuffing them into various coat pockets like some kind of deranged chipmunk.
• What the he** am I supposed to do with all of these bottle caps?!

So, here you go. These little boxes actually use a pop bottle cap for both top and base. The inside liner is crocheted also. I used a fine cotton thread yarn with a 2.55mm crochet hook. Three little stitches in the back hold the top and bottom together like a hinge, and it's topped with a combination of buttons and beads!

A Pattern - Crocheted Flower Pillow

I've been asked very nicely for the pattern for these "flower pillows", so here you go! Wouldn't a whole bunch of these in bright colors look so cute on a little girls bed! It would look like a little flower patch!

Please keep in mind that I was winging it throughout the process, adjusting things as I went along. If you're not liking the way yours is turning out, feel free to make any adjustments to the pattern that you like.

For this particular flower I used an H hook with two different colors of Homespun yarn ( I think it's manufactured by Lion Brand ). You will also need a little bit of stuffing for the center of the flower and a yarn needle for closing off the center ball section.

The flower is made in two parts-There's the center ball section and the wildly convoluted outer section that I like to think of as the "petals".

Let's start with the center ball. Here we go:

Chain 2.

Round 1: 8 sc in the second ch fron the hook. Join with sl st to first sc. Ch 1, don't turn. (8 sc).

Round 2: 2 sc in the top of each sc around. Join with sl st to first sc. Ch 1, don't turn. (16 sc)

Round 3: *Sc in first st, 2 sc in next st.* Repeat  from * to * all the way around. Join with sl st to first sc. Ch 1, don't turn. (24 sc)

Round 4: *Sc  first two sts, 2 sc in next st* Repeat from * to * all the way around. Join with sl st to first sc. Ch 1, don't turn. ( 32 sc)

Round 5: *Sc in first 3 sts, 2 sc in next st* Repeat from * to * all the way around. Join with sl st to first sc. Ch 1, don't turn. (40 sc)

Round 6: *Sc in first 4 sts, 2 sc in next st* .* Repeat from * to * all the way around. Join with sl st to first sc. Ch 1, don't turn. (48 sc)

Round 7-8: Sc around. (48 sc). Join with sl st to first sc. Ch 1, don't turn.

Round 9: (Beginning of decreasing rows) *Sc in first 3 sts, decrease one st over the next 2 st* .* Repeat  from * to * all the way around. Join with sl st to first sc. Ch 1, don't turn. (40 sc)

Round 10: *Sc in first 2 sts, decrease one st over the next 2 st* .* Repeat from * to * all the way around. Join with sl st to first sc. Ch 1, don't turn. (32 sc)

Round 11: *Sc in first 1 st, decrease one st over the next 2 st* .* Repeat  from* to * all the way around. Join with sl st to first sc. Ch 1, don't turn. (24 sc)

Round 12: Make 1 decrease over every other stitch all the way around. (12 sc)

Round 13: Repeat round 12. (6 sc). Break off leaving an 18" tail.

Using a yarn needle threaded onto the tail, make a runnuing stitch through the tops of the 6 sc in the last row. Stuff the cavity witha little bit of stuffing, then pull up on the tail to close off the opening. Securely close with a knot. Leave the remaining tail for attatching this section to the Main Flower.

Main Flower:

Note: Change colors as often as you like to get the desired stripe effect.

Chain 2.

Round 1: 8 dc in the second ch fron the hook. Join with sl st to first dc. Ch 1, don't turn. (8 dc).

Round 2: 4 dc in each stitch around. Join with sl st to first dc. Ch 1, don't turn. (32 dc).

Round 3: 2 dc in each stitch around.  Join with sl st to first dc. Ch 1, don't turn. (64 dc).

Round 4: Repeat round 3. (128 dc).

Round 5: Repeat round 3. (256 dc)

Round 6-11: 1 dc in each stitch around. (256 dc)

This is where I fastened off and wove in the loose end. Dig down to the center of this convoluted wad and make room for the center ball. Use that length of yarn you left attatched to it along with the yarn needle to secure the center in place.

You can make your flower larger or smaller to suit your needs. Have fun with it!

Sleep-Over Bag

I'm so excited about this one! When I was a little girl going to sleep-over parties, one of my friends had a duffel bag like this. Hers was made from an old quilt. It had a drawstring on two sides so that when she pulled upon the strings, it formed a nice little bag for carrying all of her sleep-over necessities.

 

When it opened up, it was her blanket. Genius, eh? I remember wanting one just like it, but since nobody in my family really sewed, I had to give up on the idea.

But yesterday, when I was picking my littlest one up from preschool I saw one of these lovely bags over by the cubbies. The owner was happy to let me study it a bit to see how it was made. This is my attempt -- based entirely on memory. I had to estimate sizes and shapes, but it was really incredibly easy, AND just in time for a sleep-over party yesterday evening!