MY YEAR IN CROCHET 2006

SUNBURST LACE SCARF

2006-07-16T15:15:00.000-04:00

I made this scarf while I was testing the pattern for the stole. I think it turned out pretty good. I'll add a link to the pattern later.

PINEAPPLE PRINCESS

2006-07-16T15:07:00.000-04:00

I didn't know where I was going with this halter, but I knew I wanted to start with a tube top. I added the straps and then put the pineapple skirt on it. Gracie absolutely adores this. She says she looks bee-u-tee-full in it. I have to agree with her, she does look great in it.

SUNBURST LACE HAT

2006-07-16T14:59:00.000-04:00

Here's a hat to match the scarf and stole. It turned out a lot smaller than I thought it would, but it sure looks cute on Gracie. I made it again using a larger hook so it fits adults. I haven't typed up the pattern yet, but will soon.

GI JANE

2006-04-30T11:25:00.000-04:00

Gracie saw the army guy and wanted an army girl, only she didn't want camo, she wanted "all the colors" for her shirt and "all the colors" for her hair. I ended up making this using the same clown pattern as the army guy. I added a skirt and long hair down to her behind. She's got on green shorts and orange shoes. I guess she's of the "new" army.
Curly Clown

ARMY GUY

2006-04-30T11:14:00.000-04:00

This guy is made from a really cute clown pattern that I made years ago and just ran across again recently. I was still looking for something the grandsons could wrestle with and this one is big enough for them to really have some fun wollering around on the floor with him. Don't mind his goofy look, I still can't do faces.
Curly Clown

HELLO KITTY

2006-04-30T10:53:00.000-04:00

Hello Kitty is just as cute made up as she is in all the pictures I've ever seen of her. What a fun project I loved the pattern and didn't have any problems with it at all. I did make the arms larger than the pattern called for and like mine better.
Hello Kitty

CAMO CANDY CORN

2006-04-30T10:00:00.000-04:00

OK, so I've got grandsons and they like camouflage, what more can I say. I saw this little candy corn guy and decided to try him as a wrestling partner for the grandsons. Boy did I get a surprise when it turned out to be only about 6" tall. Really cute, but not quite the wrestling fun I had imagined. I sent this one home to the great grandson as a crib toy. It's just the right size and oh so soft!
Candy Corn Pattern

AMIGURUMI FROG

2006-04-30T09:43:00.000-04:00

I finally succumbed to the amigurumi craze and made this little frog. He was fun and easy to do and Gracie snatched him up as soon as I snapped his picture. You'll find this pattern at RoxyCraft.

SPONGE YOUKNOWWHO SQUARE YOUKNOWWHAT

2006-04-07T13:37:00.000-04:00

OK, is this cute, or what?! I love this so much I'm going to make a smaller version for my cell phone, and maybe a larger one for my purse. I put a few starmints in it and left it hanging there for Gracie to find. She loves it.
SPONGE BUDDY

PANDA BEAR

2006-04-07T13:26:00.000-04:00

This is the Giant Panda pattern from the Better Homes and Garden site. I've loved this pattern and wanted to try it since the first time I saw it. I ended up making mine smaller than the 18" the pattern says it makes. Mine is about 14" tall because I used a smaller hook. I got his legs on crooked, so he doesn't sit up straight, but he's still loveable.
GIANT PANDA

FUNKY CHICKEN

2006-04-07T13:17:00.000-04:00

I loved making this chicken and I think of all the toys I've made so far, it's my favorite. Something about it just makes me happy when I look at it and hold it. Gracie busted up laughing when I showed it to her. I'll be making a whole barnyard of these, if for nothing else, to entertain myself.
COOL CHICKEN

LITTLE BUNNY

2006-04-01T16:40:00.000-05:00

This little guy's body, arms and legs are all made in one piece. The ears and cheeks are made separately and then sewn on. He's only about 6" tall, but oh, so cute. I found him when I was surfing just looking for stuffed toys.

HUGGY BEAR

2006-04-01T16:12:00.000-05:00

My first real experience with the loop stitch. Cute isn't he. For his belly and back I was doing the loop stitch wrong, but I kept going and finished the bear stuffing and all. Gracie loved him all night long and the next morning I had to make him another belly and back because the loops had given way and the stuffing was trying to escape. I also got his snout on crooked, but I like his little smirk. I think I saw this on Crochetville, but I'm not sure. I did a google search for "huggy bear crochet" and found the pattern. You can click the picture or the link to take you to Shady Lane, the site offering this pattern free. You will have to sign up but I think it's worth it.

CAMO SNAKE

2006-04-01T16:03:00.000-05:00

So just what DO you make for little boys? "Yarncat's" camo snake, of course. Both of my 9 year old grandsons love theirs and Gracie insisted she needed a green and yellow striped one too. Spike even got in on the action. he kept stealing the camo striped one, so I had to make one for him too. I used cotton for his and medium weight yarn for the others. I enjoyed making these very much. Thank you, Yarncat, for such a cute pattern. Click the picture to get to Yarncat's pattern.

CATERPILLAR

2006-04-01T15:50:00.000-05:00

I fell in love with this little fellow as soon as I saw him on Crochetville. He was very easy and fun to make and Gracie loves him. Click the picture and it will take you to the pattern.

SUNBURST LACE STOLE

2006-03-19T14:22:00.000-05:00

I enjoyed working this pattern. I like the way it lines up in squares, with spokes coming off the center, giving it a sunburst look. The border is just several rounds of sc, but I love the way it sets of the design of the stole.

CHECKERBOARD NECK PILLOW

2006-03-19T14:09:00.000-05:00

The checkerboard is easy to make, it's 5 sc green and 5 sc yellow for 5 rounds. At the end of 5 rounds make sure to work green over yellow and yellow over green. As easy as this was, I kept getting confused on my color changes. The entire pillow is made in single crochet, so it's not a speedy project, but the color changes kept me interested. One end is solid green with a yellow crochet button and the other end is solid yellow with a green button. I used a 2" bone ring to make the buttons.

POM POM NECK PILLOW

2006-03-04T15:59:00.000-05:00

I should have named this twice done neck pillow. It's made with some very dark homespun yarn and stuffed with an aqua color yarn. Bad idea, the aqua color yarn shows through the dark homespun and tries to worm it's way out. My solution...make another pillow cover and stuff everything in it and add pom poms on the end and give it to Gracie. She loves it. This is my design, but no pattern yet.

CHILD'S RIBBED SLIPPERS

2006-02-23T14:00:00.000-05:00

Easy slippers, measure foot from toe to heel, make a chain that long and crochet until you have a square. Gather one end tightly to form the toe, stitch up a few stitches to cover the foot part and then stitch up the opposite end for the heel. Add a couple rounds of sc around the foot opening and sew on pom poms and you're good to go. These are actually green and yellow, but the camera doesn't like green. Click the picture to get to the pattern.

BETH'S LITTLE STAR AFGHAN

2006-02-21T10:46:00.000-05:00

Beth's Little Star Afghan is very easy to do and works up pretty fast. This one is made with Caron Brites in 4 colors. You can stripe it any way you want or make it solid. I actually made this one twice because I had a black row between each stripe that was thicker than the brites used so the blanket puckered badly. I frogged it and started over and like these results so much better. Gracie absolutely loves it and that's what I was aiming for.

MITTENS FOR KNOX AND JARRETT

2006-02-05T12:27:00.000-05:00

These are the mittens I made for Jarrett and Knox. They're visiting this weekend and I had promised them mittens the last time they were here, so I had to hurry up and finish them today. This is a pattern I got on the web. It's a very easy pattern to do, but I changed it and did the mittens all in sc's. Sue's Mittens

LITTLE GADABOUT BAG

2006-02-05T12:21:00.000-05:00

Gracie insisted she needed a bag with black in it. I didn't think I'd like it, but I do. I made this bag by turning at the end of each round. Something I hate doing, but it makes a straight seam and I like that.

I didn't make a closure for this bag because I don't think it needs one. If I carry it, my hand just fits through the handles and keeps the bag closed. I plan to use it as a wrist bag when I make mine. The pattern is posted now, click the picture to get to the pattern.

LITTLE GADABOUT BAG take 2

2006-02-02T19:15:00.000-05:00

I decided to write up a pattern for the Little Gadabout Bag but it didn't turn out the same as the first one. For size reference, a coke can comes up to just where the opening for the handle is, so it's a little larger than the first bag. I tried something different with joining the rounds, trying to figure out how to do away with that dreaded spiraling seam I always get when I do rounds without turning them, but it didn't work out. I'm going to do another one now and turn the rounds to see what that looks like. This is a great little scrap project. No pattern yet, but soon.

LITTLE GADABOUT BAG

2006-01-31T19:17:00.000-05:00

I created this little gadabout bag for Gracie. It was fun to whip up and she enjoyed it very much when I gave it to her. I was going to do it all purple, but ran out of that, so I decided to finish it off in pink, but Gracie insisted I add the verigated yarn in there too. I believe she was right. I like it better with the verigated trim. The coke can is just for size reference. No pattern, just goofing around.

ZIG ZAG SHELLS HAT

2006-01-31T19:05:00.000-05:00

This was a frustrating project for me because I couldn't figure out how to make it small enough and still show off the pattern stitch. This is the third try and it's still a little larger than I like, but I'll live with it. It can be made smaller by using a smaller hook. Overall, I'd rate this an easy pattern to do. Click the picture to get the pattern.

ZIG ZAG SHELLS STOLE

2006-01-24T08:49:00.000-05:00

This was a super easy project to do. I love the way the shells zig zag up the back. I think this would make a great beginner pattern because there's only 2 rows in the whole pattern, and you repeat row 2 until you have the length you want for your stole. This is my pattern, copyright to Dot Matthews. If you'd like the pattern, click the picture and it will take you there.

SCRUMPTIOUS SCRAPS AFGHAN

2006-01-21T16:54:00.000-05:00

Scrap yarn. Piles and piles of scrap yarn. I can't throw it away and I'm convinced it multiplies when left alone in dark places. Every once in awhile I drag it out, put it together with the "russian join" and try to create something useful and beautiful. I've never been disappointed in the way a scrap project has looked, but this one's got to be my favorite.

This is my own creation, made with a wave stitch outlined in black single crochet. Click the picture to get to the pattern.

TAYLOR'S MITTENS

2006-01-16T13:10:00.000-05:00

I made these for my granddaughter, Taylor, when she visited last time. I used Lion Brand's suede and my own design. I think they turned out pretty good. The mittens are worked from the finger tips to the wrist with the thumb added later. By working them this way, you can customize this pattern to fit any individual. Pretty neat, huh? I haven't posted the pattern so there isn't a link.

GRACIE'S SLIPPERS

2006-01-07T08:34:00.000-05:00

My 4 year old granddaughter visited last weekend and asked me to make her some slippers. Blue ones, she said. Awhile later she came back to my room and said, "I want blue one for this foot and yellow one for this foot." pointing to her feet as she tells me this. Here's Gracie's slippers. I hope she still wants them the next time she comes.

The pattern is not one of my own, but it's an easy pattern to do and is written for children through adults. I made both of these last night. Click the picture to get to the pattern.

HATS FOR AN E-PAL

2006-01-07T08:00:00.000-05:00

I made these hats for a lady whose 63 year old, mentally challenged, sister has bone cancer for the 2nd time. D couldn't do it herself because everytime she tried, she burst into tears and couldn't finish the project.

These hats are my own designs, or a variation of the design.

Sassy A; UBW variation; X's and O's; Bubble Eshus; Bobble Beauty; Very Berry; Sarah's Shells. All these patterns can be found on my site, Patterns by Dot

FANCY FANS HAT

2006-01-07T07:56:00.000-05:00

I designed Fancy Fans Hat to match the stole. If you'd like to have the pattern, click the picture and it will take you there.

FANCY FANS STOLE

2006-01-07T07:19:00.000-05:00

FANCY FANS STOLE my first design of the new year. I love making stoles because I get to learn new pattern stitches and create something useful all at the same time.

If you'd like the pattern, click the picture and it will take you there.