elliemoon

IT'S COMING...

december 25th. the queen mother of all crafting deadlines. the pressure is on, and i'm handling it in my usual way, by staying up really late and eating bowls of ice cream while getting absolutely nothing accomplished. my problem, as always, is that i have a monumental list of things i want to make for under the tree. there isn't a chance i'll be able to finish even a tenth of them without starting some kind of sweatshop in the basement. i woke up yesterday and decided to just start something. anything. and preferably not the sweatshop. here it is, something that's not even on the list (surprised? didn't think so)::

in my defense, this is meant to accompany something that's on the list. however, she is coming out a lot larger than i had anticipated. i'm wondering if she will even fit into the plan, literally. to continue and use her as an additional christmas gift or to move on and finish her post holidays, that is the question.

 

 

THE BIRTHDAY GIRL

ellie is officially three! we celebrated shortly before storm preparations began, which seemed only fitting as she was born during a nor'easter. the cake::

and look what resurfaced. i've had it wrapped up for ellie since indy was three. remember? it never sold at that craft show, and i have to admit i was more than a little relieved. i really didn't want to part with it in the end::

it fits her just right and, unlike her sister, she loves it. even though its not pink! sigh of relief. 

 

CROCHETING FOR BEATRICE

i've featured this crocheted baby's blanket a thousand times. it's the hooded baby blanket pattern from lion brand and it's free on their site. i never make the hood and i chain 114 to make the blanket a bit wider. this time around, inspired by a beautiful version my friend meghann recently made, i decided to do the edging according to the pattern. such a nice change from my usual picot edging::

using the pattern stitch to finish really adds a nice flow to the overall construction too. an old favorite, a new way (thanks meg!).

this blanket was for the newest arrival of a good friend and fellow crafty mama. i was very far behind in starting it. the week she told me she was pregnant i purchased all materials. the baby came earlier this month and i had nothing to show for myself. i've got to work on that. i'm very adept at the procuring of all necessary materials for a project (i even procure extra stuff while i'm at it, you know, just in case i finish up early and want to start five additional projects). i've just got to get a better handle on the starting, it's really all about the starting. luckily i finished this up before the new little miss started walking or talking::

and a little something for the big sisters::

welcome to the world beatrice pearl! you are so very tiny and cute, i just love you!

 

 

COOL HAT, BY KAI

i guess this is an extension of my "can kids crochet" post. kai revisited the hook recently and worked up his first hat. he wanted a basic boys hat. i introduced him to ravelry and twenty minutes later he was printing up this great pattern. it is the perfect pattern for kids that are just starting out. very straightforward::

there was some unintentional decreasing, or maybe accidentally skipped increasing, we never really figured it out. no matter, overall it came out great. the irregularities smooth out when he puts it on, so no worries. he was a little put off when he realized the error, but all's well that ends well and it looks super cute on everyone::

he now has a list of people he will be making them for. i hope i'm on it. 

 

 

LITTLE SCRUBBIES

this crochet pattern is quick, pretty, and great for a little pampering. you can find it on judith's blog. if you use an acrylic or coarser fiber, you can make a scrubbie suitable for household cleaning. i went with a soft cotton to achieve a more spa-like effect::

use a variagated yarn and the spiral will really stand out::

i packaged these up with another favorite soap, this time for the teachers. mountain ocean skin trip coconut. it's like a tropical vacation in bar form::

this would pair nicely with a frozen pina colada. a spa with a liquor license, that sounds like a profitable venture. has that already been done? if so, i will need to find the nearest location.

 

 

DISGRUNTLED TOUCAN

otherwise known as, the boomerang bird. this is one of the patterns from the set that i didn't get to before christmas. he's on the top of kai's birthday list, followed by an ipod touch and a complete drum set. 

tucked away for sunday::

one out of three's not too bad. hopefully kai will see it that way. though i'm still trying to pull together my own version of a complete drum set. more to come on that one.

 

MEMORIES OF THE NINETIES

scrunchies. love them, hate them, pretend you never wore them, its all fine. now you can crochet them::

this was a trial scrunchy. super simple. just single crochet around the entire hair elastic. be sure to push the stitches together in order to fit as many as you can or want to. the more stitches, the more it will ripple. then go around a second time and do two single crochets in each stitch around. join with a slip stitch to the first stitch and finish off. that's it. now pass it on to the next generation of impressionable and unknowing girls, so that they too can grow to be embarrassed of their early fashion decisions::

without my even hinting at it, she instinctively did this after pulling it out to investigate:

this is, as i said, only a trial. imagine the endless variety and extravagance you could achieve with more elaborate stitches. now, if i could just crochet up a mini pair of doc martens and an old flannel shirt, she'd be all set.

BETTER GET A MOVE ON

tomorrow it will be june. and that is absolutely crazy. i have just under 10 days to get all things in order for kai's birthday. starting with this::

a special request that really should be far past this starting point by now. oh well. a little coffee and some late night speed crafting and i'll be all set.

BIRDS OF A FEATHER

this would be the reason i ordered the dolls eyes. a cute and relatively quick project i've had bookmarked for a while. once i got to this point here i was sold and knew i would be making a little friend to accompany::

such a cute face, i actually had to wrestle it away from little lu who kept snatching it and smothering it with kisses. the pattern is from that special edition crochet magazine. i altered the colors and the wing texture to give it a more "snow owl" feel::

for the friend i went more traditional::

two little lovebirds for luca, our favorite owl-lover!

happy may everyone! beach days are on the horizon!!

 

WHATS GOING ON

i'm working my way through a great new pattern. slowly and unsurely::

meanwhile, the mother load was delivered to the house yesterday. a 50 count bag of specialty sized doll eyes::

and the fact that i was overjoyed when they arrived pretty much seals the deal on my "crazy old lady" status. grammy ellen would be proud. i try not to focus on such details though, and instead am just happy that this little guy will soon be looking more lifelike and really really cute::

more details when things start looking more impressive! until then, back to work.