Barbie's Crocheted basket

My best friend requested that I crochet her a lavender basket for her daughter's Barbie stuff.  If Barbie lives in your home, then you understand what a load of crap she has. I came up with this (which, by the way, can be used for anything, not just Barbie). I am considering making myself one to control the various craft projects that end up in the floor beside my bed.
I started by having my husband cut me a board into a circle with holes drilled around it. He used a 1 inch wood of some type(I have no idea what it was). It was a little funny looking (He makes a much better nurse, than he does a carpenter).
I painted the bottom white and the top purple with cheap apple barrel craft paints. (I love that stuff.)

I cut strips of fabric (approximately one inch) from an old sheet. I threaded them on a yarn needle and whip stitched them threw the drilled holes all the way around the board.

Next, I used a large size N crochet hook and double crocheted all the way around into the stitches I had just made. (this part was not easy, make sure you don't make your stitches to tight or else you can't get your hook under them. Some of mine were to tight so I had to slide the material under with the yarn needle.) I continued to crochet in the round until I had my desired height. 
I added a row of fluffy purple yarn to the top row with just a single crochet around.

This made for a very heavy sturdy basket. Next time I think I will try and use a heavy cardboard base, or perhaps a thinner wood.

Sigma - Sigma - Sigma Rug

I designed this rug as a present for my baby sister. She is no longer a baby, she will be 19 next month (gasp). She is turning into an awesome lady. This fall she starts her second year in college and will be living in a sorority house. Last year she became a proud member of the Sigma Sigma Sigma, or Tri-Sigs as they are called.
So here it is:

I originally thought I would make it all hot pink with purple letters, but I quickly realized that I didn't have enough hot pink material and didn't want to go buy more, so I went with hot pink, light pink, and white.
The entire rug is made up of double crochets. I drew a graph of the sigmas before I started.
It looked like this:

I started at the left side of the graph and worked my way across.  The rug was 36 double crochets across, I started by chaining 38 and double crocheting in 4th chain from the hook. (chain 3 counts as a double crochet. Double crochet across and chain 3 and turn for each row.

 For the first Sigma, I carried some of the colors across, but I realized that didn't look quite as neat as it should. Carrying colors with yarn works out pretty well, but carrying colors with material does not.  So for the next two Sigmas, I changed colors each time. I didn't link all my material into a roll before I started like I usually do, I just worked from a bag of strips, that way I could cut off and link in a new color whenever I needed one, which I realize is a lot of work when you get to the middle and you have to switch after one single stitch, but it looks so much smoother.

 After finishing all 32 rows, my finished rug measured 19 inches across and 27 inches long (not including fringe).
I tied some purple fringe on the ends of mine (per my sister's request), and that really made it adorable.
So since this project worked out so well, I am now wondering what other designs I could crochet into a rug. The possibilities are endless!

Watermelon Rag Rug

Watermelon Rag Rug

Sorry for the terrible picture. My husband got a new camera to take on a mission trip to guatemala, so I thought I would use it. I now know that my phone takes better pictures than that crappy little thing.

While my husband was in Guatemala, setting up and working in a free medical clinic for a week, I took our little girls and went to visit my sister in southern Indiana.  My sister and her husband have 9 beautiful, healthy, happy children (and one on the way).  That is pretty unheard of these days, but it works for them, and we love spending time there.
I have been working on a lot of rag rugs lately, mainly because my mother keeps giving me bags of fabric that she has already cut into strips for me.  She made A TON of little pillow case dresses to send with the group going to Guatemala, and so all of the scraps of fabric she had left over she would send my way.
While in Indiana, I found inspiration everywhere. I came home with so many ideas. The following pattern is the first one I finished.

NOTE: when working with rag strips, sometimes you will need to add or decrease a stitch or two here and there to get your rug to lay flat properly. It all depends on how wide you cut your fabric and what type of fabric you are using. also it may depend on how tight or loose you crochet.

Watermelon Rag Rug

Hook size N/10mm

dc = double crochet
rnd = round
ch = chain
st = stitch
I wrote this pattern in rounds, but since it is only a half circle rug, you will be turning, each (round) as I have referred to them is actually just a half round or row.

with bright pink fabric
chain 4, join with a slip stitch to form a ring
round 1: chain 3, 7 double crochets in the ring
rnd 2: chain 3, turn, (working in front loops only) 2 double crochets in each space (your chain 3 will count as your first double crochet)
rnd 3: chain 3, turn, (working in back loops only) , dc in first st, 2 dc in the next st, 1 dc in next st,
with black fabric 2 dc in next st
with pink 1 dc in st, 2 dc in st, 1 dc in st
with black fabric 2 dc in next st
with pink 1 dc in st, 2 dc in st, 1 dc in st
with black 2 dc in next st
with pink, 1 dc in st, 2 dc in st, 1 dc in st, 1 dc in st
rnd 4: with pink, ch 3, turn, (working in front loops only) *dc in each of first 3 stitches, 2 dc in next st*, repeat from * around
rnd 5: with pink, ch 3, turn (working in back loops only) 1 dc in each of next 3 st
with black 2 dc in next st
with pink 1 dc in each of next 4 st, 2 dc in next st,
with black 1 dc in each of next 2 st
with pink 1 dc in each of next 2 st, 2 dc in next st
with black 1 dc in each of next 2 st
with pink 1 dc in each of next 2 st, 2 dc in next st, 1 dc in each of next 2 st
with black 1 dc in each of next 2 st
with pink 2 dc in each of last 2 spaces
rnd 6: with pink, chain 3, turn (working in front loops only) dc in each st around
rnd 7: with pink, chain 3, turn (working in back loops only) 1 dc in each of next 6 st, 2 dc in next st, 1 dc in next st
with black 1 dc in each of next 2 st
with pink 1 dc in each of next 2 st, 2 dc in next st, 1 dc in each of next 2 st,
with black 1 dc in each of next 2 st
with pink 1 dc in next st, 2 dc in next st, 1 dc in each of next 4 st,
with black 1dc in each of next 2 st
with pink 1dc in same st as last black dc, 1 dc in each of next 5 st, 2 dc in next st, 1 dc in each of last 2 st
rnd 8: with pink chain 3, turn (working in front loops only)
dc in first 7 st, 2 dc in next st, *dc in each of next 6 st, 2 dc in next st* repeat from the * around
rnd 9: with pink chain 3, turn (working in back loops only)
*1 dc in each of 7 st, 2 dc in next st* repeat from * around
rnd 10:with pink chain 3, turn, (working in front loops only)
*1 dc in each of 8 st, 2 dc in next st* repeat from * around
rnd 11: with a lighter shade of pink, ch 3, turn, (working in back loops only)
*1 dc in each of 5 st, 2 dc in next st* repeat from * around
rnd 12: with ligher pink, ch 3, turn (working in front loops only)
* 1dc in each of 6 st, 2 dc in next st * repeat from the * around
rnd 13: with a light green, chain 3, turn (working in back loops only)
*1 dc in each of 7 st, 2 dc in next st* repeat from the * around
rnd 14: with a darker green, ch 3, turn (working in front loops only)
*1 dc in each of 8 st, 2 dc in next st* repeat from the * around
rnd 15: with dark green, ch 3, turn, (working in back loops only)
*1 dc in each of 9 st, 2 dc in next st* repeat from the * around

weave in any loose fabric strips and you are finished!

D's Sunflower Rag Rug

    Twice a month a group of awesome ladies gather at my local Library to crochet, knit, exchange patterns, and most importantly....share stories. I consider this time to be my free therapy.  I love these ladies! We are from all different ages and walks of life, but we all love to create things with yarn.
    Last time we met, I had no choice but to take my little girls with me. Don't get me wrong here, I love my girls and I love my time with them, but Mommy needs her break time!!!
   Usually to begin these very informal meetings, everyone shows off what they have been working on. My friend Delyn had been making Minion hats (based on the movie despicable me.) My girls love that movie, and so Zayda immediately put on a hat and claimed it as her own. Being the generous friend that she is, Delyn insisted that she could have it and wouldn't give me a real answer about how much money she intended to sell them for.  So at about 11:30 PM, while I was laying in bed not sleeping because my brain doesn't want to quit for the night, I decided to make something for Delyn in return. I remembered that she loves sunflowers, and since I have been making so many rag rugs lately, Boom....and Idea.....So here it is!

Sunflower Rag Rug Pattern

I used a  crochet hook size N 15/10mm

If you haven't worked with rags to crochet before, see my post about preparing them HERE!

with brown rags, chain 4, slip stitch in 1st chain you made to form a ring.

round 1: chain 3, make 11 double crochets into ring, slip stitch in top of chain 3 to join.
round 2: Chain 3, make 2 double crochets in each space around, working in back loop only, slip stitch in top of chain 3 to join
round3: chain 3, * double crochet in first space, 2 double crochets in next space (all only in back loops)*, repeat from the * all the way around, slip stitch in top chain to join.
round 4: chain 3, *double crochet in first space, double crochet in next space, 2 double crochets in next space (all in back loops only)*, repeat from the * around, slip stitch in top chain to join.
round 5: Switch to yellow rags
chain 3, * one double crochet in each of first three spaces, two double crochets in next space (all in back loop only)* , repeat from * around, slip stitch in top chain to join.
round 6: chain 6, single crochet in first space, * chain 6, skip a space, single crochet in next space*, repeat from * around,  join with a slip stitch to 1st chain.
round 7: slip stitch your way to the top of the 1st chain 6 space, *chain 2, single crochet in the next chain 6 spot* , repeat from the * around, join with slip stitch.
round 8: chain 3, *2 double crochets in chain 2 space, 2 double crochets in single crochet space, 2 double crochets in chain 2 space, 1 double crochet in single crochet space* repeat from the * around, slip stitch to join
round 9: chain 6, single crochet in 1st space, *chain 6, skip a space and single crochet in next space*, repeat from the * around, slip stitch to join.
round 10: slip stitch your way to the top of the chain 6 space, * chain 2, single crochet in the next chain 6 space*, repeat from the * around, slip stitch to join.
round 11: *chain 4, single crochet in the single crochet space*, repeat from the * around, slip stitch to join.
weave in loose ends and you're done!
My finished rug measured about 22 inches across, if you want a bigger rug, just add more rounds.

Kitty approved!

The shirt off his back

My husband loves to shop more than any straight man that I have ever met in my life. This is not a bad thing! We love to go on shopping trips together and if we had more money we would do it a lot more often. As I mentioned before in the famous UNDERWEAR post, He has clothing issues. He can't stand to wear socks, underwear, or t-shirts very many times without buying new. I on the other hand am a bit of a slob. I am currently wearing his sock cast offs, jeans with a hole in the thigh, and a t-shirt sporting the Bible school theme from three summers ago(In my defense, I am just at home with my girls, and they don't judge me based on my clothes).
So, anyway, my mans clothing quirks seem to work out great for my crafts. He is a nurse at our local Emergency Room hospital, so he wears scrubs all the time. He insists on wearing white t-shirts under his scrubs so his manly chest hair doesn't hang out, which is a good thing because nobody wants a nurse who looks like he just came from the 1985 cast of Magnum P.I. Like most of his clothes, he won't wear them very many times before he says they aren't as white as the day he bought them, and therefore clearly unwearable.
I happened to have an idea for a star shaped rag rug, so I cut up some of his white shirts, found some red and blue scrap material from my mother's giant hoard and here is the result:

I started out using a pattern for a star shaped afghanhttp://www.angelfire.com/va3/heartfeltangels/littlestarafghan.html, but that didn't seem to want to lay flat nicely as a rug. I changed it up a bit after a few rounds.

If I would have been thinking clearly (which almost never happens), then I would have written out my own pattern. I am going to try and work one out soon.

Crocheted Volleyball pattern

I made a crocheted volleyball last year for a Volleyball game that our local Middle School was hosting. The game was a fundraiser for cancer (relay for Life, I think, maybe).
All the girls loved it. Unfortunately, like a lot of my projects, I didn't write down how I made it. Mostly I like to just sit down and make something, no pattern, no preparation, Just Do It.
I was doing a lot of experimenting with Tunisian crochet at the time. I remember loving the look, but hating the work it took to get done. So this year, I decided to make a new one and make a pattern. It turned out just a fuzz bigger than an actual volleyball size, but I still love it.

I used a size J hook. I didn't pay to much attention to gauge. If you are wanting to get the exact size of an official volleyball, then you might want to use a size or two smaller hook. 
I used white, navy, and grey yarn. This happens to be the colors of my step-daughter's school (I homeschool my little girls but if I didn't, this would be their school colors too). The middle school volleyball coach happens to be a good friend of mine (and an all-around awesome lady), so this ball is for the South Central Lady Falcons!

Crochet Volleyball pattern

Crochet hook size J

With white, chain 27

Double crochet in 3^rd chain from hook, and continue to double crochet in each stitch across.

Row 2:  Chain 2, turn, double crochet in each stitch across

Row 3:  Chain 2, turn, double crochet in each stitch across

Break  yarn and finish off.

Turn strip upside down and slip stitch in bottom beginning chain. Single crochet in each stitch across and break yarn and finish off.

With Gray, slip stitch to join (on either end of the white strip)

Chain 2, double crochet in each stitch across.

Row 2: chain 2, turn, double crochet 2 together, double crochet across the row until you have 2 spaces left, double crochet2 together.

Break  off yarn (be sure to leave a long tail of yarn to stitch with)

Row 3: repeat row 2

With Navy, repeat what you did with the Gray, only on the other side of the white strip.

Make 6 of these sections and then sew them together with a yarn needle.

 Make sure you sew them facing opposite directions like a real volleyball.

I stuffed the ball with some fiberfill before I sewed up the last section. I was afraid that the fiberfill might poke through between the crochets, so I put some quilt batting around the inside (so of lining the ball). It ended up being a nice soft squishy ball. If you want a harder more bouncyish ball, you might try sewing your sections over a cheap kids rubber ball. the only downside to that would be that if your ball looses air or pops, then you are going to have to take the whole thing apart to replace it.
Well, I am off to make another one of these in the opposing teams colors!

 

underwear? under where?

I finished up my bathroom rug this evening. I ended up using 15 pairs of boxer shorts, and that wasn't quite enough. The last row on each side was finished out in some cotton material my mother gave me. It was black with a blue flame (seemed appropriate with the underwear)

 I didn't use a pattern for this rug. I just made a chain until it was as wide as I wanted. Then I double crocheted across in each row(chaining two to turn) until I got my desired length. This rug is fairly small, because I don't have a very large space for it. My bathroom is, well, terrible. It just isn't set up well. I can't wait to remodel it, but for now that is last on my list.

Next up, my lovely husband (I really do love him!), volunteered me to make 300 little cloth purses for a mission trip he is going on with our church this summer. Also, I have an awesome pattern i am working up for a little something I will be donating to a charity in March! Oh, and I promise it will be made from new yarn, and not something I unraveled from my husbands wardrobe!

Maybe you could learn to like me....Hang me in your bathroom

I have always loved the movie Annie, Even before my mother gave birth to my darling little sister who happened to have the exact same hair (although she never has looked good in red).  If you don't know the movie well, Daddy Warbucks refuses a painting, looks at it a second time and says,"Wait a minute, There is something about her. I think I could learn to like her. Hang it in my bathroom."  The painting happens to be the Mona Lisa.  Anne then goes on to say," Maybe you could learn to like me, Hang me in your bathroom."  I love that line.
That line inspired me to crochet my husband's used underwear into a bathroom rug.
Yes....that's right. Let me explain.
I love my husband very much, he is an awesome Christian man, Father, nurse, and all around good guy. Did I mention he is good looking and smells fabulous......Anyway, he has a weird thing about socks and underwear. If he could afford to only wear them once and throw them away, he would. He buys new ones alllllll the time. Whenever I wear his socks, he complains that I stretch them out. I wear a women's size 9 shoe.  He wears a men's size 11 shoe.  Who's on my side with that argument?
Recently we were doing some cleaning out in our bedroom.  He had a pile of boxers he was going to throw in the trash.  I can not tell you enough how these were used boxers, but they were not USED.  He might have worn some of them a couple times. He used to wear boxers and recently decided to switch to boxer briefs. (Yeah, he is going to love it that I announced this to the whole internet).  It makes more sense for him, he is a nurse for goodness sakes.  He wears scrubs. You gotta contain your package somehow in those clothes.
Now that I have probably thoroughly embarrassed my husband I will get back to the rug.  I am CRAZY frugal, and just plain weird about throwing stuff away. I looked at those boxers and it hit me.
Maybe I could learn to like them.....crochet them into a rug for my bathroom!
So, here I go. wish me luck.

I think I will throw away the elastic waistbands. I mean who would make stuff out of waistbands!! That would just be NUTS!!

Crocheting with rags

I like to crochet rugs from material.  My mother, grandmother and great-grandmother (and so on I am assuming) were all quilters and liked to sew, therefore, had large material stashes. I am lucky enough to have been blessed with some of it and I have a lot more at my disposal. Since styles and designs change so often, striping out the material and crocheting it into rugs is the best use for some of the crazy stuff. It makes GREAT rugs!
First I cut the material into strips. I like to use strips that are about 3/4 inches wide.
Next you will need to link the strips of material together. Sewing them together with a zigzag stitch makes a nice (lump free) material to work with, however, that can be time consuming.
You can just link the strips together like this:
Hold the two strips together, overlapping by about an inch or so

fold them over together like this

make a small cut in both the strips together (being careful not to cut past the end of the strip)

now take the end of the strip you are attaching and link it through the hole 

pull tight

Continue to do this with strips until you have enough for your project. You will want to roll them up to keep them untangled and neat until you crochet with them. I have wound them into a ball before, but I have trouble with it rolling around on me while I am crocheting from it. For this reason, and the fact that it looks pretty, I like to roll them into a big wheel.

I usually either do a rug from similar colors, such as shades of blue, or I just do random colors and patterns linked together, which makes for a nice look too.
Sometimes I make wheels of similar colors and as I am crocheting, I can change colors just as I would with yarn.
Some of my latest rag wheels that are ready to work with:

Using strips of rags works with most patterns just the same as yarn. You will need to use a large hook. I usually use a size N because I like my rugs to be tight. If you like a looser rug that works up quicker, I would suggest a larger hook such as a P or Q.
Check back soon, I will post an original rug pattern for free!

Little Ladybug ear flap hat

I don't know what has happened to my photography skills. I think I had some at some point, but clearly they have gone out the window. Anyway, here is the Little Ladybug ear flap hat. I will post the pattern in a link that is more printer friendly.

Little Ladybug Ear flap hat

I used a size J hook

with black yarn,start with a magic ring and sc 8 times into the ring, slip stitch to join into a circle.

Rnd 1: ch 1, 2 sc in each stitch around, join with sl st to 1^st sc (16)

Rnd 2: ch 1, (1sc in 1^st st, 2 sc in next st) repeat around, join with sl st. (24)

Rnd 3: ch 1 (sc in each of next 2 st, 2 sc in next st) repeat around, join with sl st (32)

Rnd 4: ch1, (1sc in each of next 3 st, 2 sc in next st) repeat around, join with sl st (40)

Rnd 5: ch 1, sc in each st around join with sl st

Rnd6 &7: repeat rnd 5

Rnd 8: ch2, double crochet in each st around, join with sl st

switch to red yarn

Rnd 9 – 14 repeat rnd8

break yarn

ear flaps (make 2 , one on each side of hat)

with red yarn, sl st to a sc on side, sc in each of next 8 sc, turn

chain1, sc2tog, sc in next 4sc, sc2tog, turn

chain 1, sc across, turn

chain 1, sc2tog, sc in next 2 st, sc2tog, turn

chain 1, sc across, turn,

chain 1, sc2tog, twice, turn

chain 1, sc2tog

chain 20

middle section of ladybug:

with black chain 15, break off, but leave long strand of yarn to sew with.

Spots (make 6)

start with magic loop, make 8 sc inside loop, sl st to join into circle

break off yarn, be sure to leave plenty of yarn to sew with.

Antenna (make 2)

chain 5, slip stitch to form a ring

rnd 1: ch 1, sc in each st around, join with sl st

rnd 2: chain 2, double crochet in each st around, join with sl st

rnd 3-5: repeat rnd 2

break off yarn, leaving plenty to use for sewing.

(2 large pompoms will be end of antenna)

Make 2 large black pompoms and 2 medium ones.

Sew all pieces together according to picture.

Use black yarn and chain 20, sl st to bottom of ear flap, chain 20 more. Break yarn.

Braid the two black chains and one red chain together and attach medium pompom on the end

 I forgot to mention: this is a pretty small hat, I would say newborn or under 1year. If you want to go bigger, than just add more increase rows around the top, or use more single crochets in the original magic loop.