Deb's Crafts

My Readers Projects: Newborn Sweater Set

2009-07-14T20:35:00.011-05:00

I decided it was about time to show everybody some of the great projects made out of my patterns. I asked these ladies if I could use their pictures and if they could tell me a little about themselves and who the sweater set was made for. This is my Newborn Sweater Set pattern which I first put on my blog back in January of 2008. I plan to do this on a regular basis. If you've made one of my patterns, send a picture and a little bit about yourself and who the item was intended for. Send it to debsstuff55 (at) yahoo (dot) com.

My name is Julie im an Aussie, its the first piece of clothing i made, other than scarfs, i made it because it was worded clearly and as a beginner i could understand, Keep in mind i was translating UK terms to US as well.. i gave it to my husbands cousin for her little girl Cooper.

Your sweet sweater set was intended for an unknown baby in the Tulsa area. I sew, knit, and crochet baby items for Newborns In Need, and belong to the easter OK chapter of NIN. All of our items go to area hospitals, medical centers, crisis centers, etc. and a couple local cemetaries that try to provide for the bereaved. The biggest concern for NIN is the vast number of preemies born that require special sizes of caps, booties, gowns, mittens, isolette mattress covers, etc. and unfortunately, also burial layettes. There is also a huge demand for the healthy, but needy newborns - they require receiving blankets, quilts, sweater sets, going-home outfits, diaper bags - and everything that goes in them! Everything we make for NIN is on a volunteer basis and the cost comes out of our pockets - unless we’re lucky enough to get donations! I am always looking for free patterns that will make up quickly, as “quantity” is of the essence - but I don’t want to sacrifice “quality” - and your pattern is just the ticket! On a personal note, I am a 66 yr old gramma of 3; spend my days babysitting all 3, making things for NIN, and creating knitted items for myself and gifts - shawls being my favorite!

My name is Kellie and I was born and bred in the suburbs of New Orleans. Like nearly all true south Louisiana families, my family loves to follow LSU sports!! So, I am always on the lookout for cute patterns that easily incorporate multiple colors for team-themed gifts. When I got my invitation to my cousin's baby shower, I knew she would love a baby girl gift with Tiger flair!! I made this sweater set using the newborn sweater pattern and using Red Heart yarn in amethyst and gold. My only alteration to the pattern was to add "LSU" to the hat by making three scrochet chains and sewing them on to make the letters. It was super quick and easy so I have this pattern tagged in my notes for future use!!

Crocheted Babys' Hexie Hats

2009-07-14T07:15:00.006-05:00

I've seen many baby's hats called roundie hats because their made in round rounds. These hats start with a hexagon so I'm going to call them Hexie Hats. I made a little girl's version and a little boy's version. I'm sure you can figure out which is which. I'm not sure which charity they are going to but I'm sure something will turn up soon. It always seems to when I make something with no specific destination in mind.

Hexie Hats

You will need:

Small amount sports weight baby yarn

I hook

Gauge: The first two rounds should be close to 3" across

Starting V stitch = ch4, dc in same stitch

V stitch= dc, ch1, dc in same stitch

Triple decrease= Do dc but leave last two loops on hook, in next stitch do dc leaving last loop on hook (now 3 loops), dc leaving last loop in next st leaving last loop (now 4 loops) on hook, yo and pull through all 4 loops on hook

V stitch decrease= In last stitch before ch 1 of previous row V stitch, do dc leaving last 2 loops on hook, in first stitch after the ch 1, do dc leaving last loop on hook (now 3 loops), yo and pull through all 3 loops

Directions are for newborn size, size 3-6 months is in (parenthesis)

Rd 1: Ch 4 and form loop, ch3 (counts as first dc here and throughout pattern), 11 dc in loop and join, (12 dc)

Rd 2: Ch 3, dc in same st, 2 dc in each dc and join

Rd 3: Starting V-stitch, *3 dc, V stitch, repeat from * around and join to 3rd ch of starting V-stitch

Rd 4: sl st into space of first V-stitch and do a starting V-stitch, dc in each dc and V-stitch in each V-stitch around and join to 3rd ch of starting V-stitch

(Rd 4A: larger size only, repeat Rd 4)

Rds 5 - 9: sl st into space of first V-stitch and do a starting V-stitch, 2(3) dc, triple decrease, 2(3) dc, V-stitch around, ending with 2(3) dc and join to 3rd ch of starting V-stitch

Rd 10: ch 3 only this one does not count as first stitch, do V-stitch decrease, dc in next 5(7) stitches around and join

(Rd 10A: larger size only, ch 3 dc around evenly spacing 6 decreases around)

Rd11: Ch 2, hdc around

Girls version
Rd 12: Ch 3, 4 dc in each stitch around and join

Boys version
Rd 12 - 13: Ch 2, hdc around and join

Please Join Me on Facebook

2009-07-12T06:40:00.001-05:00

I want to talk to all my readers and friends on facebook. Keep them up to date on what I'm working on and just have fun! Please click on the icon at the top of the right hand side and join me!

Knit Your Bit Scarves for Vets

2009-07-11T06:58:00.003-05:00

The National WWII Museum is collecting knit or crochet scarves for veterans. During World War 2 knitting was a way for Americans on the home front to help the war effort. Socks, vests and other warm clothing were knit to send to our service men over seas. The museum has been collecting scarves and distributing them to veterans in honor of this effort. They are taking gender-nuetral scarves and squares to be joined into blankets.

Knit Your Bit
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Back in the Swing of Things (so to speak)

2009-07-04T18:06:00.003-05:00

Between yesterday and today I've made 6 saltines, 2 yo-yos, finished a wool hat using my Kid's Bumpy Hat pattern I started ages ago and started a new hat, that if it works out will be a new pattern. I't's looking pretty good so far. It's a baby hat made from sport weight yarn so get the yarn out and get ready. It uses an H hook if you want to get that ready, too. Of course it may turn out to be a complete bust and then I'll have to try again. I mean, now that you have the yarn and hook ready I need to come up with something, right?

My Garden and Other Stuff I've Been Doing

2009-07-03T17:30:00.002-05:00

OK, so what have I been doing? Playing on facebook, gardening and working. I just posted about my patio garden on one of my other blogs if you want to take a look. I've also joined face book, I'm going to be posting a "badge" I think they call it and anyone who wants to friend me over there make sure you tell me your coming from my blog. Unfortunatly, you'll probably learn all my deep down secrets there but what the heck, the more the merrier.

I may have to give up my craft room for a little bit. My baby boy, all six feet and 200 pounds of him, may be moving back in for a little while. I have no idea what I'm going to do with all that yarn and fabric! I guess I better get to work doing some serious stash busting.

Wow, It's Been a Long Time

2009-06-30T11:20:00.003-05:00

I really don't know what happened. I just haven't been able to do much crafting lately. I pick it up and try to force myself to do something but it never works. It's not that I'm going to stop altogether, I think I just needed a break. Maybe if I buy myself some fancy new yarn I'll feel more like doing something. So to all my loyal readers, I will return.

Help Me Fight Alzheimer's Disease

2009-05-20T13:44:00.007-05:00

I know I've mentioned it before, but I work for a company called Comfort Keepers out of St. Louis, Mo. We do in-home care for the elderly and many of our clients have Alzheimer's. I have seen first hand how devastating a disease this can be, not only to the patient but for their family and all the people who care for them. I am participating, with Comfort Keepers, in The Memory Walk to help end Alzheimer's Disease. Please consider making a donation through our page. Just follow the link below.

Help End Alzheimer's
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A Quick Note

2009-04-18T11:41:00.002-05:00

Unfortunately my crochet funk is still going on, I did manage to get a couple squares done here and there. I've got projects with deadlines so I have to pull myself out of it.
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The deadline for the current Afghans 4 Afghans campaign is May 15 so I have to get to work on the baby blanket I'm making. I ordered the yarn specifically for this project and I'm almost done, but just can't seem to work on it for more than a few minutes at a time.
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I'm also trying to get some squares done for my All Crafts 4 Charity Yahoo group in baby colors this month. Like I said I've got a couple done but that's all.
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I'm also in the middle of a kids blanket for my local Project Linus.
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All of these projects are in bags in my craft room just waiting for me to get back to work. I've been sick this week and have barely managed to drag myself back and forth to work. I'm just staying home this weekend and (hopefully) crocheting. Or maybe I'll get some sewing done, haven't done much of that lately either.

Winner of Find Me a Pattern Contest

2009-04-02T09:30:00.003-05:00

I called my eight year old grandson and asked him to pick a number and he picked 8! Imagine that. I need to tell him to be more creative. The winner is Rachel and this was her comment

WOW that is really nice shade of blue! Where is a capelet pattern from my blog that I think would look great with the yarn you bought! http://www.crochetspot.com/crochet-pattern-knot-stitch-capelet/I can't wait to see what you decide to make!

I STILL have not decided what to make but her pattern is in the running. Thanks to everyone for their suggestions, the patterns are all beautiful. (I'm also leaning towards some fingerless gloves, there were several suggestions for them.)

Find Me a Pattern Contest!!

2009-03-22T09:30:00.008-05:00

OK, here's the story. JoAnn's is having a sale on yarn (it's still going on as I write this). I wanted to buy some wool for a baby blanket for Afghans for Afghans. When I totaled the order up I saw that I only had to buy a little bit more to get the free shipping and actually save money. So I bought two skeins of bamboo silk blend yarn. I thought, wow, I might actually make something for me for a change. So that's the plan but I have no idea what it is that I want to make. Here's the contest:
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Find me a pattern for something I can make myself with two 85 gram balls of bamboo, silk blend yarn. It has to be an Internet pattern that I can get for free. Yes, I know that I could find something myself. Yes I know that there are sites such as Crochet Pattern Central and Bev's Country Cottage. I just thought this would be a fun idea for a contest. The winner will be drawn at random and won't necessarily be the pattern I like the most. I will consider knitting patterns but would prefer crochet.
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To relate this to charity the prize will be a $10 gift certificate to the Crafting 4 A Cause web store. They've added a lot since my last contest so check them out!

Please do not copy and paste the pattern. A link to the pattern is all that's needed. Copying and pasting breaks copy right laws. I just rejected a comment with the pattern copied from another website. If that person would resubmit it with only the link I would appreciate it.

Contest ends March 31st.

Wow, I'm way behind

2009-03-21T09:54:00.002-05:00

I just realized I haven't posted anything for almost two weeks! Sorry about that, but I haven't been doing much either. I've been sidetracked by that insidious addiction of computer games. Yes I will admit it, I am a computer game addict!
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I have gotten something done, in little bits and pieces of time I've managed to make quite a few hair pretties for my Lenten challenge. I think I have over a hundred but I need to make 235 and I don't think I'm on track for that. I also pledged two granny's daughters a day and I'm behind on them, too.
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I'm blowing the stash busting, too. I bought more yarn! This time I bought new stuff. JoAnn's online had a sale on Paton's wool and I thought I'd stock up for a future Afghans for Afghans project. I also bought two skeins of bamboo/silk blend yarn. I love the feel of it. I was going to make something for myself but I'm not sure what yet.
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I took my son and grandson to the World Bird Sanctuary in St Louis last weekend for Eagle Day and it was awesome. We had a lot of fun and the grandson loved it! They deal mainly with raptors but they had other birds there, too. My son took a lot of pictures but hasn't sent them to me yet.

George the Hairy Monster Finger Puppet

2009-03-09T17:53:00.008-05:00

Isn't he a cutie?? You all should know by now that I have a thing for finger puppets. I was experimenting with different yarns and came up with this little monster. The first way I tried it ended up being turned into a kitty toy. Smokey and Sami were happy about that but it just wasn't what I was trying for. So I kept trying. I've named this guy George just because I thought it looked like a George I used to know. He's really easy to make so even the beginner crocheter can do it.

You need:

Small amount Sport weight yarn

Small amount fun fur (or eyelash) yarn

J Hook

2 googly eyes

Holding both yarns together

Ch 4 and join to form loop

Row 1; 8 sc into loop, sl st to first sc

Row 2; ch 1, sc in each sc and join

Repeat row two until you have 10-12 rows or until George is as big as you want

After you finish the last round ch about 7 to form tail

Glue googly eyes on and George is finished!

Now if you have some pink fun fur you can make Georgette

Of course if you want you can stuff it and sew it closed and make a kitty toy. Just don't put the goggly eyes on it.

Springing Forward

2009-03-08T09:56:00.003-05:00

Wow, it was a great day yesterday here in Missouri.
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The Missouri National Guard troops that were in Kosovo came home. For those of you that have followed my blog for awhile, you know that this means my friend Dave, who was my point of contact for the collection of hats and scarves for the school children in Kosovo, is home. We still have some stuff to send, I just recieved another box of items last week but according to his wife we have a new address to send them , too.
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Dave and his wife Jackie own the St. Louis francise of Comfort Keepers, an in home caregiving company for the elderly. I've worked for them for over five years. I love my job. I used to take care of the clients but since last summer when I broke my wrist, I've been working in the office. I didn't go down to meet him because that is family time, Jackie has been so excited about him coming home!
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The temps were in the seventies and I picked up my boys and took off for Forest Park in St. Louis. Number one son and I went to the Art Museam which had an exibition on the Ming Dynasty. Number two son took off for the zoo. He's studying anthropology and his study subjects this semester are the lemurs and he has to spend an hour or more every week studying them.
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The exhibition was stunning! It's amazing how bright and vibrant most of the colors were. These items were all between four and six hundred years old! They had several items of clothing there, too and these were no exemption. The embroidery was exquisite. It was so beautifully detailed.
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I also stopped at my favorite recycling store, Leftovers, Etc in St. Charles, MO. I did a horrible thing, too. I bought a bagful (I'm talking large brown grocery bag here) of yarn, like I needed more. I'm supposed to be stash busting here. (sigh) I had changed my goal for the year for stash busting to 250 full and partial skeins rather than by the bagful so I could keep better track. So I had to count all the small balls and partial skeins and add it to my stash busting goal. There were sixty of them in that bag so now my goal is 310 for the year!
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When I was driving home I saw all the traffic signs that usually tell you when there's a lane closed or something. They all said Welcome Home Troops!

Homespun Scarf

2009-02-28T17:09:00.004-06:00

I spent awhile today making my grandson a cape so he could go to school as the character from one of his favorite books. Not having any idea who "The Ranger's Apprentice" was so I kind of had to wing it. He had to go home before I got a picture of it. That of course has nothing to do with the scarf pictured above so I guess I'd better give you the pattern.

A lot of people don't like working with Lion Brand Homespun and I understand that. I'm making these scarves for a group called The Woven Lotus who distributes them to victims of sexual abuse and assault. They have to be soft and Homespun certainly fits the bill. I wanted to find a pattern that minimized the hassles of using Homespun and came up with this. Most of the stitches go into spaces and makes it a lot easier to work with. One six ounce skein will make two six foot (including the fringe) scarves.

Homespun Scarf

Lion Brand Homespun or similar yarn

Size N crochet hook

Chain 16

Row 1: Double crochet in 6th ch from hook,* ch1 skip 1 ch, dc in next ch, repeat from * ending with a dc

Row 2: Ch 3 and turn, dc in first sp, *ch 1, dc in next space, repeat from * across, dc in 4th chain of starting turning chain.

Row 3: Ch 4 and turn, double crochet first space,* ch1, dc in next space repeat from * across, dc in last dc
Row 4: Ch 3 and turn, dc in first sp, *ch 1, dc in next space, repeat from * across, dc in 3rd chain of turning chain

Repeat rows 3 and 4 until scarf is about four and a half feet long, ending with a row 3.

You can make it longer if you wish but you might not get 2 scarves out of one skein.

Cut yarn into 16 inch lengths to make fringe.

Noble Retrievers Where are You?

2009-02-27T07:29:00.001-06:00

You won my last contest but didn't give me anyway to contact you. Please email me at debsstuff55 (at) yahoo (dot) com to claim your prize.

Lenten Challenge

2009-02-25T07:26:00.002-06:00

Do you remember the Lenten challenge last year where I pledged to make a preemie hat for every day of Lent? Well I didn't make it because sometimes life just gets in the way. This year however I'm determined to do it. I'll be doing an average of five hair pretties a day for every day of lent. That's a lot of hair pretties. We are doing it in the Bev's Charity Challenge Yahoo group and several others are doing hair pretties, too. Be prepared for lots of pictures of hair pretties and maybe a new pattern or two, we'll see what happens.

Shawls from Granny's Daughters

2009-02-21T13:23:00.012-06:00

I've shown you the Granny's Daughters, also called Saltines, I've made. So with Lynn's permission I'd like to show you the beautiful shawls she makes from them. Aren't these gorgeous?? Lynn and I both belong to the Crafting 4 A Cause Yahoo Group and these awesome shawls are sent to the different charities the group supports. To see more you can visit Lynn's album.
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I love making the Granny's Daughters, which are just the first two rows of the traditional Granny square. They go so quickly and I can use the yarn balls that are too small for anything else. I just sent Lynn a bagful and already have another bagful to send. Most of these were from the contest I had last weekend. I had a lot of fun with that and will be doing something like it again soon.

Make A Blanket Day

2009-02-21T12:03:00.002-06:00

This is Project Linus' Make A Blanket Day. My Chapter (St Louis) has something going on at a Hancock Fabrics down in the city but I won't be going. Instead I'm staying home and working on squares and a blanket. Are you participating? Please take a minute and leave a comment to tell us about it. Also if you don't feel up to making a blanket, I'm collecting squares to join into blankets. See the post below this one.
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I didn't make this blanket today but I did finish (and about 5 others like it) it by tucking in the ends. They are all just one large never ending blanket square made very large. The yarn I used was Red Heart Baby Clouds. The blanket is sooo soft.

I am also working on another blanket today in peach and white. That one will be made from 9 squares and I'll show it to you after I'm done.

Project Linus

2009-02-19T17:35:00.003-06:00

Do you have a Project Linus near you? If you don't I will gladly accept any blankets to contribute to the St Louis Chapter. Right now I have a bunch of blankets that I need to work in ends, I made many of the blankets over a year ago and put them away when our Chapter coordinator stepped down. We've had a new coodinator for several months now and I have even volunteered to be the drop off point for my county. So I will be making regular trips with blankets to our new coordinators and will be glad to drop yours off, too.
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I have also decided to accept 12" squares to join into blankets for the same cause. Please contact me at debsstuff55 (at) yahoo (dot) com if you are interested in donating.

What I Did This Weekend

2009-02-15T20:52:00.006-06:00

I was able to use up 15 partial skeins and balls and 1 full skein in my crocheting marathon. This is what I was able to make: Twenty four yo-yos and forty five mini squares.

and forty nine saltines or Granny's daughters.

Three 7" squares, thirteen hair pretties, and four finger puppets.

The grand total is 138 which the winner hit right on the head. Noble Retrievers is the winner with her (his?) guess of 138. Contact me at debsstuff55 (at) yahoo (dot) com to find out how to redeem your prize.

My Resistance is so Low

2009-02-15T12:32:00.003-06:00

I had to go to WalMart today to buy some googly eyes for finger puppets. I swore I wasn't going to buy any more yarn. I really did, I don't need anymore yarn, I've been trying to do some serious stash busting. Odds and ends of partial skeins and small balls have literally taken over my craft room, it's getting difficult to walk among all the boxes of yarn in there. Every drawer and shelf is full of yarn and fabric. I have bins and boxes and bags full of supplies. So I really don't need any more, BUT I have this project coming up to make scarves for victims of sexual assault and abuse and needed something really soft for that. I don't really like working with Lion's Brand Homespun but I love how it feels so I just had to buy a skein for that project. I bought a really nice blue and lavender variegated that I think will be perfect. Warmth isn't a factor for this project so I'm looking forward to doing some scarves that are different from what I usually make. If you would like to help the links are below.

Threads of Compassion

Woven Lotus
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Quickie Contest

2009-02-14T10:20:00.005-06:00

The contest is over. The grand total is 138 which the winner hit right on the head. Noble Retrievers is the winner with her (his?) guess of 138. Contact me at debsstuff55 (at) yahoo (dot) com to find out how to redeem your prize.
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I'm going to spend the weekend making small projects such as yo-yo's, granny's daughters, mini-squares and finger puppets and maybe some 7" squares. I might also sew up some little hug pillows. The contest is to guess how many items I will make by Sunday night and leave your guess and a way to contact you as a comment. The person coming the closest will be the winner, in the event of a tie the person who posted their comment first will win. I can't tell you how much time I will have because I don't know myself. Family, cats and work seem to have a way of intruding on my crafting time, but I don't really have anything planned for the whole weekend. The prize will be a $5 gift certificate to the Crafting 4 a Cause webstore. They have added lots of new things since my last contest so check them out. All proceeds go to the Pine Ridge Reservation propane fund so even if you don't win, please consider buying something.

Crafting 4 A Cause Webstore
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Pretty Bird Woman House

2009-02-13T11:42:00.002-06:00

One of the charities that is supported by my Crafting 4 A Cause Yahoo groups is the Pretty Bird Women's Shelter. They have recently posted on their blog, an article that is both interesting and disturbing. It is a long article but you really need to read it all the way through.

Pretty Bird Woman House Blog
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January Stash Busting Part 2

2009-02-01T18:58:00.006-06:00

I took this picture last week and only added a couple more hair pretties. So this and the picture before is the result of my stash busting for January. I have filled up the bag again. (I recieved and bought a bunch of small balls and partial skeins so I added them to the bag) So the bag is full almost to bursting and I get another chance to try to empty it in a month. I wasn't able to do it in January and the bag is actually fuller now so I better get to work.