Doughnut Pin Cushion... Yummy, but sharp

When I first saw this pattern I thought it was simply a play food doughnut which the author had used beads as sprinkles. I thought that in itself was pretty cool. Obviously, I did not read the title very well. After realizing that it was a pin cushion, I just had to make one... and I hardly ever sew.

What a brilliant idea. Here is where you can find the pattern http://www.crochetville.org/forum/showthread.php?t=32761.

My Homemade Yarn

Okay, I know you're wondering..."What in the world is that?"... And "What does that have to do with crocheting or yarn?" Okay maybe you already know, but about a couple of years ago that is what I would have wondered.

 "That" is my handy, dandy, home made version of a drop spindle.  To see what a drop spindle is and what it does should be clear after watching this video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7gXTWgMeMgI After I watched this I couldn't wait to start spinning my own yarn, and even though drop spindles are relatively cheep I was able to make my own without having to wait for a package in the mail.

This is the results of my first attempt at using the drop spindle. I started with wool roving I found on ebay. :)  For the most part its pretty even except at the very beginning. I am now knitting it into a little hand bag.

Crochet Slipper Socks

These are one of my favorite pairs of around the house socks. They are great to wear over another pair of socks or just by themselves. Unfortunately, as with many pairs of crochet socks I cannot wear them with my shoes on.

The pattern for them is quite simple and doesn't require the knowledge of very many stitches. These socks were actually one of the very early patterns I tried. For they longest time I was only doing single crochets and chain stitches. In case you are wondering what the pattern is    http://www.crochetandknitting.com/socks.htm. I would also like to make it clear that this is not my own pattern, and I am quite grateful to the author.

Crochet Converse Baby Shoes

   I just absolutely love this pattern, it is very simple and the only stitches you need to know are ch, sc, sl st, hdc and dc. Tutorials for these stitches except the sl st and hdc can be found here.

    Unfortunately, I found the pattern on Ravelry and can't find it elsewhere, so anyone who would like it would have to become a member of Ravelry if they aren't already.

    If you would like the pattern here is the link http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/crochet-baby-converse.

   I would totally recommend this pattern to a advanced beginner (one who has done several patterns). The directions were given with many photographic references so as long as you know the stitches you should have no problem.

Cozy Cozy Wrist Warmers

What keeps your hands warm, allows your fingers to be free, and you can crochet?

Wrist Warmers! They're cozy and give the flexibility that regular bulky gloves wouldn't. What's really cool though is that you can crochet them! Whoo! Yeah!...Big surprise...Okay you probably already knew that and so did I, but what I didn't know was that they were so easy! I made these cozy fingerless gloves eons before I had blog so it took me awhile to find the pattern so, finally here it is: http://homespunjenn.blogspot.com/2006/01/happy-new-year.html

Oh! I forgot to mention you can make them for every occasion! I love to use mine when I'm studying on a cold winter day and want to be able to feel the pages on my finger tips! :)

Almost Waffle Afghan

This is my almost waffle afghan... Why do I call it that?...Well it was originally planned to have the texture of a waffle, unfortunately I screwed up the pattern which was translated to me verbally. By the time I got started I somehow managed to flip the order of two stitches.

This is what the pattern was supposed to be:
Ch a number divisible by 4, and then ch 2
Row 1
Dc 1 in each st
Row 2
Dc 2, *(Dc around the post of the next stitch) repeat once, dc 2, repeat form* til the end of the row.
Row 3
(Dc around the post of the next stitch) repeat once, *dc 2, (Dc around the post of the next stitch) repeat once, Repeat from * til the end of the row.
Row 4-How ever many rows you want
Repeat rows 2 and 3 alternating between the two until project reaches desired length

This is the pattern I did:
Ch a number divisible by 4, and then ch 2
Row 1
Dc 1 in each st
Row 2
Dc 2, *(Dc around the post of the next stitch) repeat once, dc 2, repeat form* til the end of the row.
Row 3-How ever many rows you want
Repeat row 2 until project reaches desired length

This afghan didn't turn out the way it was supposed to but it does look pretty if you ask me. I especially like the ruffle edge and the unusual texture.

More Crocheted Fleece Baby Blankets

This blanket has a simple dc edge but as you may notice, there's crocheting down the middle.
Unfortunately when I purchased this fleece the piece wasn't wide enough for a baby blanket. So when I went to cut the holes I decided to cut the long piece in half and put holes in all sides of both pieces.  I placed the wrong sides together, sc in the piece closest to me (piece a), instead of putting a ch between each sc I sc in the piece farthest from me (piece b). I sc in the next space on piece (a) and then sc in the next space on piece (b) all the way down the seam. Once I reached the end of the seam I did the basic base stitch (see Fleece Baby Blankets) and the dc all the way around as normal.

This jungle fleece blanket is probably one of my top 3 favorite crochet blankets, along with the next blanket shown here. I think this is a perfect example of how your border can make or break your project and not so much style or stitch, but the choice of yarn. I completely fell in love with this jungle print and put off crocheting the edge because I didn't think I had any yarn that would finish it just right. One day when I was going through my yarn stash (see My "Craft Room" Storage) I found this...

Instantly I thought of my jungle fleece, this will be perfect, this will "make" the blanket, this reminds me of the zebra in the print...I CAN'T WAIT TO GET STARTED!!!!! So I just put a very simple double crochet around the edge after doing the base stitch.

This has the simplest edge you could imagine...okay maybe not, but what's so great about this edging is that you only have to go around once, that's right it's just the base stitch! I just used Red Heart Baby Clouds for this one so it matches my Baby Hat and Booties that I've made. (Note: I've also made a blue version of this)

I especially like the multi-colored borders on this one, which is as follows:
Rnd 1
Using purple, Base Stitch all the way around
Rnd 2
Sc all the way around, sl st in the 1st st
Rnd 3
Using pink, *ch 2, (dc, sc) in the next st, sl st, repeat from * all the way around

I hope this is helpful and that you enjoy them as much as I do. Again I would love to see your creations