Colts Pillow Charts

Just so I have a place that these are posted, because people ask for them a lot, here are the charts for the Colts pillows:

Another Sock Monkey!!

I made this bag to go with the sock monkey set:



I got the idea from a bag I saw on the internet, and modified this pattern to make it: Jewel Box Drawstring Bag

If I made another drawstring bag, tho, I would do the drawstrings a different way; to close this one you can't just pull it shut - you have to fiddle with it until it closes... Oh well!

The baby shower was today, so I got to give my sis-in-law the set! She loved it!! :-D

Charity Items

I've been making some things for preemies; there's a woman collecting knit & crochet blankets, hats, & booties for preemies for the March of Dimes - they're for care packages they give to the mothers. Here are a few things I've made so far:

One blankets, some hats, and a couple pairs of booties.



Close-up of one of the hats and the white booties.



I thought that hat pattern was just adorable when I found it online! The first pair of booties I made (the pink ones) I think are too big for preemies; I had to change yarn and hook size to make them small enough. I'm going to be making more; I've started a second blanket (it's granny-square style this time). It's a great use for the massive amount of yarn I have sitting around that I don't know what to do with.

Patterns I Used:

• Baby's Round Ripple Afghan
  
• Loving Hugs Preemie Booties (this link is to a PDF file)
  
• Sweetheart Roses Preemie Cap
  

Sock Monkeys!!

I made the sock monkey set from the Happy Hooker book for my sister-in-law as a baby shower gift. Her and my brother-in-law are obsessed with monkeys :-)



Close-up:






For the matching sweater I used this pattern.

Also, I'm working on re-doing the toy archive website so it's easier for me to update. The new format will also allow you guys to search it!! Not sure how much longer it will be until it's up and running, but wanted to give you all a heads up! :-D

Crocheting Again!

Well I got back into crochet this week!!! I've been crazy bored. A couple of weeks ago we moved to Indy. Donovan started his "real" job, I switched jobs within the transcription company I work for at home, and I'm stuck home all day. I've been trying to find a knitting/crochet group in the area, and found a couple of possibilities that I'm going to check out. I need to meet people!!!

So anyways, I finally finished my dad's Chicago Bears pillow as a late Father's Day present for him!!





The flash kind of washed out the blue, but yeah. I think it turned out pretty nice!! :-D

Oh, and I made myself a new username over at deviantArt just for my craft stuff!! Click HERE to see it. :-)

I am also making the sock monkey inspired baby blanket & hat set from Happy Hooker!!! I also found a baby sweater pattern online and made one to match the set! I'm going to be an AUNT this fall!! My brother & sister-in-law like monkeys, so I thought it would be a perfect present. :-D

Scarf Finished & Other Projects!!

I finished my cabled scarf last week, and I love it! I've been wearing it every day :-)



I was taking quick pictures, so please excuse the sucky focus, but here's a close-up of the cabling:



I've started working on a cabled blanket that is on the cover of the book Cables Untangled:



Who knows how long it will take me to finish it, but I think it's gorgeous :-) I'm doing it in a kind of dusky green color:



I'm also working on the Exchange Bag from the book Happy Hooker:



I pretty much just have to do the handles now! :-)

What do you guys think of my new blog layout? I'm gonna try to put some of the extra info stuff that was on here before up somewhere, but I have to have time to fiddle with it first, lol...

New Pillow Pattern - Fighting Illini!!!

Well I have been overcome by the desire to do crochet, despite my problems with my neck/shoulder. I decided to design a Fighting Illini pillow (like the Packers & Colts pillows I have already made) to make for my father for his birthday (it's his college team). The pattern is now posted at my pattern page:

My Pattern Page



I also have designed graphs for a Chicago Bears pillow, which will be posted once I make it.

Changes to the website!!!

Hey everyone! "Jen's Stuffed Toy Archive" has undergone a change! I have now separated it onto two parts: crochet patterns & knit patterns. I've decided to expand the amount of knit patterns that I include, so anyone who also visits knitting forums, could you let them know it's available? I don't personally knit, but I know many people who do.

There are LOTS of new patterns, especially in the knitting section!!!

Also, don't forget that I have a mailing list so you can be notified whenever I add new patterns!!!

Enjoy everyone!

Oh, and there are now 196 people on the mailing list :)

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So I haven't crocheted in a while now. The last thing that I made was a baby jacket & some booties for a friend (shown in the below picture, along with the other two outfits I bought for her):

I've been cross-stitching instead. Although I probably shouldn't even be doing that, lol... I FINALLY got a diagnosis from a rheumatologist. I have tendonitis. I've been taking an anti-inflammatory, and I've been feeling like it's helping some. When I first started the medicine the pain got worse for about 5 days, but now it seems to be getting better. Lets hope that I can eventually get back to my crochet!!

Pics!

Okay, so now that Christmas is over I can post pics of things that were Christmas presents :)

I made my brother a stuffed Taz. Let me tell you, he was a PAIN IN THE BUTT to make! But he turned out AWESOME! The pattern came out of a booklet called "Looney Tunes Bugs & Pals To Crochet." If I ever feel ambitious I might make the other three, lol (it has Bugs, Tweety, & Sylvester in it, too).



Remember how I made Lynnea that Spongebob halter top? (If you didn't see it, you should go back to the post here.) Well, I made her a stuffed Patrick to go with! It came from a set of guidelines that I saved to my computer and can no longer find on the internet; I'm pretty sure I found it at Crochetville, but I've tried searching and cannot find it. If anyone knows the link, let me know so I can share. Mine is smaller than the one that person made. He was pretty easy to make!



I also made a bag for Lynnea's mom, Bianca (my husband's cousin). I used the Honeycomb Crochet Purse pattern, and you'd THINK that since it's off of Joann.com that it would be a good pattern, right? WRONG! It is SO confusing, and the pattern omits things that should be repeated, so I had to do a lot of frogging and figuring out of myself... It turned out neat, but GEEZ... You have been forewarned if you try it! I skipped the top button/loop thing. The texture makes it really neat, tho, and it's really thick!



I also made some red & white dishcloths & a strawberry potholder for my grandmother; she says the dishcloths are too nice to use, tho, lol. I don't have pics of those to show, sorry! And I've already shown pics of the heart motif doily coasters I made for my mom, but I'll post that pic again cuz it's been a little while:



I also made a green hat for Scott, Bianca's husband, using this pattern.

I've decided that I'm gonna stick to stuff for me for a little while. I still have to finish my afghan, and I'm still in-progress on a couple of tops I started making. I might not do much for a bit, tho, just because I'm a bit burnt out after all of the rush to get Christmas stuff done!

Pillows!

Sorry it's been a little while. Lots of stuff going on! Now I'll show you some photos.

I made this Green Bay Packers pillow for my brother for his birthday that was last month:



This is a Colts pillow I just finished today. It was a commission by a friend for her boyfriend for Christmas:



And here are some mini Green Bay & Colts pillows:



I have patterns for all of these listed at my Crochet page here:
Jen's Patterns

I also made this fish pillow for my dad:



He has it happily sitting on top of his computer :)

Other than that, I am mainly working on Christmas presents, so I can't disclose any info about them ;)

Website Update and Photos

I updated Jen's Stuffed Toy Archive today, and added a MAILING LIST for anyone who wants to be e-mailed when I add new links to the site.

I finally took some photos of things that I've been making lately, as well as some earlier things that I just never took photos of. The first is a photo of the two doily-coasters that I have made for my mother so far. The pattern can be found here.



This is a purse that I designed; I wrote down the pattern and will eventually post it. Too bad my camera kind of washed it out, lol... Hopefully I'll get a better photo for when I post the pattern.


This is a "baby" hat I made that didn't turn out quite how I thought it would. The pattern was a bit confusing, and for some reason it ended up really big even tho I checked my gauge, and the brim is completely wrong. The pattern is here if anyone wants to try to figure it out and see a pic of what it is SUPPOSED to look like. I didn't even bother to do the white part, since by then it was too messed up...


This ponytail hat didn't turn out quite how I wanted it to, either. It's pattern is here.


I wish this photo wasn't so dark. There is a better picture at the pattern site, here. Mine is dark blue, I swear!


This is a stuffed dolphin that I made this summer and never took photos of; I just kept forgetting! His pattern came from here.



This is an in-progress photo of the dog pillow I am making. I still have to finish putting his "fur" on him. Sorry the photo is so bad; my camera doesn't like to take pictures of dark things... This is a modification of this pattern.


Phew, that was a lot of photos!

I haven't worked on my swap bag since the last post; I've been working on making more things for the sale. It's this Wednesday and Thursday, and I really hope it goes well!

Almost done!

I'm really close to being done with my bag! I just have to weave in some ends and make the strap! :-D

Granny Squares

There is a thread on Crochetville about what to do with Granny squares (here), and I thought that I would talk about the Woman's Day "Granny Squares" special issue (1974) that I had picked up at that flea market. I really want to make this sweater that is in it:



Hopefully I'll find time to make it soon!

Quick Update

Ive been working on the swap purse :) It's coming along nicely. I decided to create my own rather than use a pattern :) I'm trying to make something that she will especially like, going from her interests listed on her blog :) No more info, tho, cuz she could read this ;)

Oh, I don't know if I mentioned this, but I've been seeing a Physical Therapist for my shoulder, and it's been getting better. Hopefully it will be completely better soon!

Crochet Swap!

I got my crochet swap partners for the Crochetville !!!

I was confused at first, cuz she gave me two names, and I thought that I just traded with one other person, but apparently it's a circle thing. So I'm making a bag for Stephanie :) I'm still kinda trying to figure out what to make, although I have a few possibilities. Her form she filled out says she wants a Tote. Hopefully I can pick something she'll like :)

Christmas Stocking - Finished!

It's done! For the second photo I stuffed it full of plastic sacks to get what it will look like filled with Christmas presents!

I'm really happy with how it turned out :)

If anyone wants the pattern, it is at FreePatterns.com. You have to have an account to see the patterns, but it's free. Just go to the Crochet section, than Special Occasions; I think it's on the 3rd pages of patterns. I made a couple modifications, but it's basically the same.

Stocking Update

An updated view of the stocking:



I wove in all of the ends so far and sewed on the Christmas trees. I also made the little tree that will hang from the top. I am going to e-mail my aunt and ask her about the extra motif before I do any more.

EDIT: I got the OK to do the extra checked motif, so I'll probably be finishing up the stocking tomorrow!

Christmas Stocking - In Progress

So I've gotten really far on the Christmas Stocking. This is how it looks right now: (Sorry the photo quality is kinda bad; I'll get a better photo when it is done, tho; it's kinda angled, too, so the top looks smaller than it should.)



I had some trouble figuring out how to do the name. First I just crocheted it in, but it wasn't very legible. So then I decided to try to crochet over the top of that to make it more legible, and this is what I ended up with:



Ugly, huh? I thought so, lol. So then I decided to try to do just that part of the stocking with Afghan Stitch. The name was perfectly legible, but I stitched it WAY too tight (wish I could show you; I frogged it to save yarn; I can't believe I didn't notice it until I had finished the name...). I didn't have a proper hook for that, which is probably why it got so tight. So then I decided just to crochet the part white and cross-stitch the name over it. This is how the pattern had you originally doing the heart design that was meant to be on the white band. So I'm thoroughly chastised for not trusting and following the pattern, lol... Anyways, here is how it looks now:



Much better, eh? LOL... Teach me to not trust a pattern...

I still have the Christmas Tree to crochet and sew onto the big white part, and the little Christmas Tree that will hang from a string off the top, and the top has a little bit more that the pattern has you add at the end (another row of red, then two rows of white). I've actually been thinking maybe I should do another checked motif above the name, but I've gotta get my Aunt Sue's okay on that first. Then I have to sew the side up and weave in all the ends!

Beginning Commissions

So I began some of the things that I HAVE to do, since I'm going to be paid for them. I am almost done with the dog pillow for Donovan's mom. It's taking a little while longer than the others, since I'm giving it fur by latch-hooking. I started it last night, tho, and am almost finished. Pics when I'm done :)

I also began the X-mas stocking tonight during K&C Club. It's progressing amazingly quickly! I am already halfway down the shaft of the sock (or whatever it's called; that's just how I'll describe that part of the sock).

More flea market finds!

Hubby & I decided to check out a nearby flea market, and I hit the jackpot with crochet magazines/booklets! There were TWO stalls with them, and one had a corner FULL of them. I sat there all happy looking through them for quite a while :) Found some good stuff.

• Coat's & Clark's "Baby Fashions to Knit & Crochet", Book No. 191 (co. 1969) - lots of cute baby patterns


• Woman's Day "Granny Squares" (1974) - this one has a lot of promising patterns in it! :)


• "Smart Crochet: Fashions & Home Decorating" (1955) - more cute baby patterns


• "Modern Needlecraft" (Fall/Winter 1966) - has a cute top and some cute baby things


• "Woman's World Knit & Crochet" (Spring 1973) - has a cute top I want to modify


• "Smart Crochet" (1953) - more cute baby things


• Leisure Arts "Christmas Stockings for the Family", Leaflet 301 (1984)


• Leisure Arts "Crocheted Potholders", Leaflet 281 (1983) - some really cute potholders, including a chicken, a pig, an apple w/ a worm, a rainbow, slice of watermelon, a heart, and a few more

I'm quite thrilled :) Now I just need time and my shoulder to heal! LOL :)

There was another woman who came in and was looking for poncho patterns to make for her grandaughter. She didn't have time to stay and look thru them all like I was, so I told her to ask her daughter to look up patterns on the internet, and told her to have her pull up CrochetPatternCentral.com, and she wrote it down. Hopefully she'll find some things she likes :)