2011 in pictures

When I went back to look and see what I've made in 2011, it turns out I did quite a bit... mostly baby projects, which comes as no surprise! (These are most definitely not in chronological order, by the way.)

And here are my most recent projects...

Don't even ask me about what I didn't take pictures of. I didn't take a picture of the gingerbread house I made my MIL for Christmas. I didn't take a picture of the sewing kit I made for Penny for our quilt guild's Secret Santa. I also didn't take a picture of a mini I sent to Laura as part of a swap. C'est la vie!

But, in my opinion, my most spectacular creation of 2011 is this little sweetie... and I have plenty of pictures of her!

I hope your 2011 was as wonderful as mine, and I wish you peace and happiness in 2012!

a tour of the nursery

Baby's nursery is ready to go! And just in the nick of time, too. I've always been a procrastinator. :)

Really, the room has been ready for a while, just chaotic and disorganized. It's a small space and Baby has so much stuff to pack in there! We started in March by painting and ordering the furniture. Slowy but surely, I've been finishing projects for the room, like the wreath, the crocheted throw, a mini quilt, and a toy net.

Here's the whole room. I stood outside the door of the room to take this picture! The window is on the south wall; the crib is on the east wall.

Here's the west wall, with the changing table/dresser unit. I have a fun wall hanging planned for the big empty space above it.

This is the mini quilt I made that hangs above the crib.

Baby has already amassed quite the collection of stuffed animals. (Okay, okay, you beat it out of me. They were mostly all mine and have been in storage for years because I couldn't bear to get rid of them.)

Since it's not a good idea to line her crib with animals, I wanted to buy a toy net to hang in the corner of her room. As I was looking around online I realized that I could crochet one very easily and for free with yarn from my stash, rather than shelling out $15 to buy one.

After a brief online hunt for an easy pattern, I dug out some cotton yarn and made a simple triangle. It's super cute and matches the colors already in her room, however it's really small and only holds three stuffed animals! I actually like that it's not huge, but if I did it again I'd definitely make it bigger.

Now, what do I do with the rest of the storage bin of stuffed animals? Turns out, I haven't really solved my problem yet. :)

Big Bunny is snuggled in between the crib and the closet doors.

Today, Hubby helped me organize the room and clean out the closet to make room for more stuff. We're ready to go!

baby hat

I wanted to make a hat to match the Star Booties for Baby to come home in... since we're at the height of a super hot summer, I knew it needed to be lightweight and airy. I found a great pattern from Aesthetic Nest, called the Picot and Lace Baby Cloche. Overall the pattern was really easy to follow and quick to crochet.

The only problem I have is that I always doubt myself when it comes to sizing baby items. I'm hoping it fits Baby's head! It looks soooo small.

By the way, Aesthetic Nest is really worth checking out. Anneliese has some great crochet tutorials for baby, kid, and adult items, as well as party ideas and sewing patterns.

tiny... so tiny

I knew that eventually I'd end up crocheting a baby hat and booties for Baby (who is still in the breech position, by the way. Stubborn girl.). Hubby said a few nights ago that he was surprised that I hadn't done it by now, and I'm kind of surprised at myself, too. After all, there are only about two weeks left until she arrives!

We went to Barnes & Noble last week and I picked up this book because I loved the Star Booties. My first attempt was a teeny tiny booty that was cute but also a bit on the wonky side. It was supposed to measure 3 1/2 inches but barely ended up at 2 inches.

My second attempt was more successful. It's the right size and not wonky. Best of all, the third booty actually matches the second in shape and size!

I'm also doing a hat, but having some issues with it. We'll see how things go.

it's done!

I love this hexagon blanket. I really, REALLY love this blanket!

Don't get me wrong. It was a pain in the rear to count and recount all the hexagons, and to run out of yarn (twice) and it was a giant pain to weave in all the ends, but the end result is worth every minute.

As I was taking pictures of the blanket, I got my green and white striped belly in one of them. Gratuitous belly shot time!

Baby Seaschell is healthy and growing big... she's almost three pounds now, and moving and kicking and gyrating and dancing and jumping every day! I swear, this girl is going to be a gymnast.

hexagons

Somehow I got it into my head that I had to finish the crochet hexagon blanket before finishing or starting any other projects. Not sure why- I've worked on multiple projects at once many times before, but I think in the back of my mind I'm afraid this one could disappear into the Black Hole of Unfinished WiPs and I really don't want that to happen.

As of right now I'm a little more than halfway through with hexagon construction. This doesn't mean the blanket is halfway done because I still need to sew them together, but I'm hoping that won't take as long as making all these hexagons!

butterfly wreath

I've seen yarn-wrapped foam wreaths all over the internets, and wanted to make one for the baby's nursery. You can see variations here and here.

I've sort of developed a bit of a butterfly theme in her room, but don't tell my hubby because he'll think that's WAY too girly. :) At any rate, I decided a butterfly wreath would be very sweet on her wall.

I wrapped a 12 inch foam wreath with white yarn, and set about crocheting butterflies. I had a hard time finding a pattern that I really liked. The first one looked too much like a flower,

and the second one was only okay.

This one came close, but it still wasn't perfect. So I tweaked it, and this is what my version looks like...

... and here is the pattern for my version. This is based on this crochet pattern, but it has some definite differences!

Ch 6, join with sl st in 1st ch to form ring.

Ch 5, tr, ch 1, hdc, ch 1, tr, ch 5, sl st in ring.

*Ch 5, sl st in each ch and into ring. Repeat from * once.

Ch 5, tr, ch 1, hdc, ch 1, tr, ch 5, sl st into ring.

Fasten off and weave in ends.
 
I really like how the wreath turned out!

crocheted hexagons

I've brought my hexagon mania over from sewing and into crochet. I found a quick little pattern for hexies and am cranking them out as quickly as possible.

I decided to use them to make a blanket for my daughter-to-be... (Wow... I'm getting goosebumps typing that!)

What I need now is an invisible way to join them... since each hexagon is a different color, whipstitching them together will show too much. Any ideas?

cupcakes

I have a classroom aide this year, in the afternoons. She does small groups, interventions, and testing. She's a great person, and she does an awesome job. I love her!

Wednesday was her birthday, and I brought in cupcakes for the kids to celebrate her birthday. I also wanted to give her a little something, so I crocheted a cupcake.

Not useful or practical, but oh, so cute! And actually, it can be used as a pin cushion, so it can be practical if she wants!

baby gifts

My friend Nancy just had a baby boy (okay, he was born September 3rd) and he's just too cute! I sent Nancy and Ruffin a package recently and wanted to show you what I made...

I crocheted trim around fleece and added a monkey motif. It's a pretty small blanket, meant to be used in a carseat or stroller.

I made another changing pad using the Bernina pattern. This one was fun because I used my free motion presser foot for the very first time to quilt it! It was pretty cool to be able to make all kinds of wavy lines.

I picked this lovey up at Target to continue the monkey theme of the gift. I read somewhere that if Mom sleeps with the lovey and then gives it to her child, it will hold her scent and comfort Baby. Interesting concept.

No present is complete without something for the new mom! I sent Nancy one of my zippered pouches and a crocheted headband.

I put together a cute little card to tie it all together.

Congratulations on the birth of your beautiful baby boy, Nancy! I hope you liked your package. :)

headbands

Since headbands have become so popular the last few years, I jumped on the bandwagon and crocheted a headband modeled after my daisy chain scarf pattern. I love regular headbands, but they squeeze my  head in all the wrong places and give me a giant headache. This one is nice because it doesn't make me feel like my head is in a vise. (This one is Nancy's, but mine looks the same. Don't worry, Nancy, I didn't send you a used headband, lol!)

When I wore it to work, a friend saw it and asked me to make some for her two elementary school daughters. This is what I came up with...

I decided to get a little fancier than my original headband. The simple one works well for me but I figured the girls needed a little more pizzazz than that.

Sorry about the bad second photo. I still suck at photographing purple.

homeless shelter hat

Every Tuesday night I go to a knit/crochet group  at a local yarn store. A bunch of ladies from all ages and walks of life gather together for a couple of hours to knit, crochet, and talk. I started going in August, right before school started, and I really enjoy it!

One of the women who knits was watching a movie with her boyfriend and he caught sight of a crocheted hat in blue and white... she thinks it's terribly ugly and dubbed it the "homeless shelter hat" but he LOVED it. She wanted to make it for him for Christmas but doesn't crochet.

We decided to do a swap... I'd make the hat and she'll make me a knitted cowl. She decided on blue and gray, and here is the finished hat!

I actually like how it turned out. The color changes on every row meant lots of ends to weave in, but the end resut was worth it.

skinny daisy chain scarf

I am so excited about this... it's my very first tutorial/pattern!

I love scarves in the fall and winter. I'm a scarf-a-holic... my husband is currently researching scarf rehab options for me. He's asked me several times to stop buying/making/otherwise acquiring scarves, but I just can't help myself.

So. Here we go with a scarf pattern, yay!

Skinny Daisy Chain Scarf
This scarf is a great accessory! (totally useless to keep you warm!)

Notes: I used Lion Brand Wool Ease and an H/5mm hook, but you can use any yarn and hook. Gague is not important for this project. I'm assuming you have a basic knowledge of crochet, but if you need help, you can find it here and here.

Ch 4, join to first ch with sl st.

Ch 3, 11 dc into ring, sl st to top of beginning ch 3.

Ch 1, *[sc, hdc, dc, hdc, sc] in next st

sl st in next st.

repeat from * around to create six "petals".

ch 15, and make the loop on your hook big so that you don't pull out any stitches. Cut a long tail for connecting later.

Make 16 of these daisy and chain combinations, and one daisy without the chain. Use the loop you left to slip stitch them together.

Weave in all ends.
 
I also made a headband using this same method... make the flower and crochet the chain as long as you need to go around your head. Slip stitch back to the other side of the flower and there you go!

If you try this pattern out and find any errors, please let me know so I can correct them. Also, I wrote the pattern so that it makes sense to me but may seem to be complete gibberish to you. Let me know if you need clarification. Thank you!

making an afghan

This is my first crocheted afghan. Um, no it's not! I totally forgot about the baby afghan I made a friend several years ago. I never heard back from her after I sent it :(, but I hope she liked it.

Tangent #1: Doesn't it make you sad when you give a gift- especially a handmade gift- and don't hear from the recipient? I've always wondered how my friend liked that afghan, or even if she got it. I should have asked her.

So, I guess I should say, this is my first crocheted afghan FOR ME! I didn't really have a plan or pattern when I started, I just gathered up as many little yarn scrap balls as I could find and went to work. I'm using a pretty basic no-brainer granny square pattern with double crochet stitches. I chose mostly acrylics, but I think there's a wool-acrylic mix hiding in there.

Tanget #2: I've been working on it during my knit/crochet group on Tuesdays. I'm really enjoying this group every week... it's a bit of a hike for me to get there but I love the opportunity to sit, crochet, and talk with new friends. Such a stress reliever!

I decided to make a 6x6 afghan... six squares by six squares, that is. It's not going to be a full size afghan, more lap sized, to sit on the couch and cover me when I'm cold this winter. I've finished 17 squares.

Tangent #3: When I do get cold, one of my absolute favorite things to do is turn on our fireplace and toast myself in front of it. Makes me so happy!

I think I'm done with tangents now. :)

So after making 17 squares, I got tired of that and started sewing them together. The only thing I know I'll hate about this project is weaving in all the ends.

I've been weaving some in as I go, but there are lots of tails left. Plus, 19 squares to go!

blue striped starling

I finally finished my Starling Handbag! I really love how it turned out.

I took my friends' advice to heart and went with different buttons on the tops of the tree branches.

I unpicked the stupid embroidered bird and went with a sweet little fabric one.

After a snag, I sewed the lining for the bag and then sewed it into the bag.

Sewing the lining into the bag went really smoothly. Sewing the lining itself was problematic... see the seam at the very bottom of the bag? Instead of using one long piece for the lining, I had to cobble pieces together after I realized the measuring tape I used to measure the bag was off, and therefore the pieces I'd already cut were too small for the bag. The measuring part didn't start at the very end of the tape. Weird.

I'm so glad I realized this *before* I sewed the whole lining... I would have been mad. Really. Mad. :)

Of course, there's a pocket, a snap, and my tag. The pocket happens to be a perfect size for my cell... I was pretty stoked when I slid the phone it and the stars aligned and karma was on my side... I guess I could have measured and gotten the same result, but I really wanted to use up a scrap of the fabric, so I just went for it.

I have that weird feeling that you get after finishing a long and involved project... that sort of now what? feeling? Luckily, there's plenty on the project list to keep me occupied!

striped scarf

I've had "crochet a green and blue striped scarf" on my project list forever. It turned out to be a super quick project where I practiced my mad foundation single crochet skillz. :)

I really like how my stripes are not uniform. I used double crochet, half double, and single crochet stitches to do it.

I also ventured into fringe for the first time. Super exciting stuff! I can't contain myself.

Sarcasm aside, it's lovely to mark another project on the list as DONE!

starling embellishment

I finally finished my Starling Handbag! Now I'm working on embellishment and I need your help. I decided to embroider a tree and bird on the front of the bag, because all the shades of blue reminded me of how the sky can be different colors. This first picture really shows how the shades of blue look (not the purply ones you see later. That's just bad lighting. :)

So here are my questions to you:

I love how the tree turned out. I'm debating putting buttons on the top of the branches like this...

but I'm not sure. What do you think?

Also, I'm debating between the embroidered bird or a little fabric bird, pulled from the same blue of the fabric I'm using for the lining. So, you tell me: embroidered bird floating in the sky or fabric bird sitting on the ground?

I'm so glad the crocheting part is done! This bag has been a year in the making and I'm very pleased with how it turned out. I'm glad too that I took the time to fix the wonkiness.

One more photo to show the fabric for the lining: