new price list

Click to enlarge.

I just felt that I needed a new updated list.
How often do you update your prices?

Owl Eyed!

I had a skein of Vanna's Choice "glimmer" in brown that I had sort of bought by accident, and decided it would make an awesome owl beanie. The hat is a basic beanie with a shell edge- to look like feathers. I made rounds that have a crocodile stitch to put around the eyes to look like the feathers around the owl's eyes, and added ears, and a beak. I am very pleased with the Owl, and I have never seen one like it! The goldish color of the eyes is Bernat "mosaic" Medusa variegated yarn. I can't wait to send this owl off to a home ^__^

This is the handbag made from recycled grocery bags, and acrylic yarn. I used only yarn on the strap because while sturdy, I felt the bags were a bit rough to be against the skin and the strap will come in contact with skin, depending on how much you put in the bag it could become uncomfortable. The bag was a rectangle with one rounded end, and I started the other end with ONLY recycled bags, for a flap that folds over, sewn down as reinforcement- while a pretty bag, and a great statement, being recycled from old bags, it is also meant to be a functional purse. I decided to sell these for $50 each. The material is not the issue- it is a self designed item, and each one is one-of-a-kind without a doubt! I am really proud of how this came out, and I will start a new one when I get my hat orders caught up. Just so you know for those who are curious, my next hats will be a black hat with a skull, an owl hat, and a Chewbacca hat.... I have also just finished some lovely hats made with Lion Brand Tweed Stripes yarn with appliques.

Star Wars Fan Art

The Princess Leia hat was hard- it looked easy enough, a brown beanie with buns. But I redid the buns over and over to get them the right shape, size and consistency so they didn't flop or show stuffing through the brown yarn. the trick with the buns that makes the hat comfy is that I sewed the buns separately as long strips of crochet, then rolled them into tubes, then coiled them and sewed them into buns, and then made a circle for the back to cover the stitches and stabilize the coils. Each one of these has been so fun to design! I started with Yoda hats like the one above- then made Leia and R2D2. i am thinking about a Chewie now, need to look at some more photos and think about it a while! These have been commissions, I would not have thought of the Star Wars Theme on my own but they have been great fun- i will say those buns were a huge challenge to figure out!

Recycled Crochet

Had an idea to add yarn to my recycled crochet, to change up the colors, and make it more interesting for myself. So far I like the result very much! I am making a handbag with a pattern I am developing as I go along- it will be a medium sized purse with a flap at the top and over the shoulder strap. I will be looking for a good sized, funky recycled button for the front so if you have any ideas on that let me know! Another way to use leftover yarn! I think I might have to write a book with all the ways I have found to use up leftover yarn.... hmmmmm... What do you think about that?

Pomp-A-Doodle do!

So when I saw Red Heart's Pomp-a-doodle yarn in the store, I knew I wanted to try and use it- it is so soft, and the colors are pretty and,well let's face it, I like wierd quirky things. This "yarn" is basically a heavy thread with giant pom poms attached at set intervals. The trick to using it is to pick a hook that allows you to crochet between the pom poms. I picked Caron's Dazzleaire yarn (it was discontinued, but it is baaaaack!) to go with it, because I remember the name from my childhood- and the odd lil sparkle seemed like a good choice to go with the odd lil pom poms. I think it works and the brim of this hat IS just as soft as it looks. Sort of toying with adding this as trim to a smaller recycled bag too... Give it a try! What did you make with the pom pom stuff?

More Gir Fan Art

On a 'Gir' kick lately. This iPod cover matches the hat. The tongue wraps under the iPod and secures with a lil Velcro to keep the iPod from falling out.

I will make these on commission, but I am not going to try and make to sell a lot of these because the variation in assorted phones, iPods etc makes it nearly impossible to come up with any sort of standard size.
Olivia had me save the green yarn and pink tongue color for future 'Gir' projects, so i am wondering where he will show up next?

Fan Art in hat form!

I have never seen the tv show "invader Zim" but I was asked to make some fan art! Gir is a bright green, with stitching up the center, giant eyes and a lolling tongue. his ears are thin and stand up fairly straight. His nose is a triangle sort of shape. Apparently I got him right as the hat is liked ^__^. I have made several "fan art" type hats, including Yoda, and Scooby Doo. There is a challenge to interpreting a character in yarn with a function, deciding what is important enough to add without taking away from the functionality of the hat. I like that!

a flock of butterflies!

Remember those butterflies I was making with the pattern from Katy Griffis? Well here they are in a mobile! I made a set of butterflies in purple and white for a birthday party we went to today. The butterflies are FUN and i love watching them float around each other. For the circle, I got the metal ones Michael's sells in the leather working department- I think they are for dream catchers.
These butterflies are good for other things also- I have some made from winter colors to sell as tree ornaments. I was thinking of putting them on big barrettes or hair bands. And of course I put one on a hat too! After I finish the hat I am working on, I will try to make a few bags to sell with recycled bags, and I am toying with adding a butterfly to one of those....

I have not posted these anywhere for sale yet, but I do have one mobile for sale, the butterflies are variations made with rainbow colored variegated yarn, with a variegated circle top. I was thinking to offer them for $20 These photos look a lot tinier then I thought. I should probably upload a single butterfly to see also.... This single butterfly is from the first mobile i made, which is a special gift for a special girl ^__^
The yarns in her mobile were given to me by her great-grandma! how cool is that?

Orders and ordering

I have a couple hat orders on the table now. The Princess Leia hat- it took me a while to wrap my head around how I was going to make it, but I think my idea will work. I have even found a nice solid dark brown.
More ILY hats- I gave a hat to the NCSD family fun day as a door prize and several people said they wanted to order those. That was a fun hat to make! I am hoping to make many more.
And a Gir hat- Invader Zim! I love the big eyes and the square tongue, I am looking for the right green to start that one- I would like a sturdy yarn, like Red Heart.
Also a couple of folks have asked how much I would charge for a bag made from recycled bags- and I honestly don't know! the can cozies are not an issue, but larger projects from the recycled bags strain my hands so I will need to come up with a schedule where I switch off from one project to another over the summer.

Also I made a monkey hat and several folks have asked about other children's hats with different animals on them so I will play with bears and frogs and butterflies this summer too.

Plus of course the stained glass afghan will be simmering away in the background!

Monkey hat

This hat, a commission, was a fun one to make! The challange was to find the correct browns to make the body of the hat, and the monkey to that it matched well but still stood out clearly.
Toddler sized hat with earflaps, I added the braided ties for fun effect also. The monkey sits on the child's head, ears sticking out and looking jaunty. As soon as I have some time, I am hoping to make a few other animals- a bear, frog, what else?

Stained Glass Afghan update

I have not finished the afghan yet, but I am pretty excited about my progress. I have used up a ton of variegated yarn (And admit it, when the project is done,sometimes variegated yarns are hard to use up!) I have not finished off the "squares" or joined them yet, but you can get a general idea of the direction I an going in! The nice thing about recycling yarn for this project is that I know what each yarn came from- this one was from Jodie, that one is Patric's hat, that one is a hat I made for Laura, etc etc. So I am collecting memories as well as making a cozy afghan!
I figure I am about a third of the way done, so as my projects unfold, look for me to lean toward variegated yarns, so I can recycle them! ^__^

Washing Up

When I was doing my spring cleaning, I found some cotton yarn I had gotten and decided to make some new washcloths. But I can't decide which pattern for them I like best. At the moment I am leaning toward a roundish one as it seems to fit the hand very well. I also made one in that pattern smaller, for use as a facecloth.
What are your favorite washcloth styles and why? there are gazillion patterns- the really fancy ones I never bother with because they look pretty but uncomfortable to actually USE...

Showing off the Goods

I wanted to talk a little about presentation of crafts. It is VERY important and I was not even aware how much until I made a cute little peach hat with bunny ears. It was a commission and I was so confident that it would look adorable! I wanted to take a photo before I sent it off, in case I did not get to see a photo of the hat on the baby. There are no babies at my house, so I borrowed a baby-doll of similar size and took the top photo which is cute.
And then I saw the photo of the real doll baby wearing the hat! Oh HOW cute is that? I realized on the spot that your model for a craft product does not change the product but it enables you to show off exactly what you had envisioned. I KNEW that hat was adorable but the bottom photo shows everyone what I had in mind when I made it so much better.
So, now I need to figure out where to find models for various sized hats more easily! ^__^

For this hat I used Caron's "Simply Soft" 4 ply acrylic yarn. It is a basic beanie with white picot trim, and small bunny ears, also picot trimmed

I also want to thank Rae LeGrone for allowing me to publish the photo of her darling daughter in my blog.

Still here, still crocheting!

I realized my last post was titled Poopets instead of poppets... not a soul said anything so I am assuming I am blogging to myself at this point, but I fixed it anyway. I am not sure who to invite to view my blog- who crochets?
I do.
Still working on the 6 sided squares- I have 24 done, the afghan calls for about 50 more. Since i have used up most of the variegated yarn in the whole house, I had to start a new project for the leftover yarn- seriously. Eilish wanted handwarmers made from variegated blue, so I am making those now. I also have spring cleaned my craft area on the porch, and collected any stray yarn from out there. This afternoon I have some paperwork to attend to, then I will start working on my library space, and tomorrow it is the bathroom, starting with the CLOSET of DOOM lol.
This morning is just for me, cause I deserve it. I am going to visit a friend, take a walk and enjoy the company with a cup of coffee and some good conversation. Call it a mental health break!
I was thinking that I need to set a schedule for myself- this is the time of year when I should be able to finish all my projects, and get some stock ready for fall- I think I will take the plunge and commit myself-- to trying at least one craft fair. So far all the craft fair sales I have had have been from a friend who puts my stuff on her table, which is WONDERFUL but I suspect that I need to be at the craft fair too, and hear what folks SAY so I can know what directions to careen off into next.
When the handwarmers are done, i have some kids hats to make, and I need to find the Princess Leia yarn, and then I am going to just go to the store and buy yarn in random fun colors to make up some hats for stock- so if you have any hints or suggestions throw em over. Keeping in mind however that I tend to make hats that are not the typical- the Zombie hats are on the table, and Ankh hat, and Moon hat- the poppets and can cozies and butterflies will all be there too. I REALLY enjoyed making the monkey hat, I was thinking of trying a few more, different animals- frog, cow, etc. ALL ideas will be taken in, fed and entertained....

Poppets

Still working on three things at once. The weather here has been lovely and i ended up using the dowels I had purchased for the mobile to make plant stakes. I will go get more soon ^__^
Another project I designed recently are Pocket Poppets. They are little "dolls" that are freestanding with a big pocket. The idea is to write a secret, or a goal, or concern on a paper and then let the poppet carry it for you. You can put it on your desk, windowsill or nightstand, wherever will help you the most, and she will gently remind you of your goal.. These require scraps of yarn and can be made in a variety of colors. I thought she was fun! Anyone want the pattern?
i was also thinking they would be cute as a Tooth Fairy helper, the child could put the tooth in the pocket.

Butterflies

Still working with my awesome vintage yarn. In fact I loved it so much I wrote to Red Heart about the vibrant colors and they sent me back a very nice form letter.
So I have another old old pattern that I am using- I want to get the most from this yarn!
Butterflies don't use hardly any yarn at all, and they rock! I am going to make a mobile with the vintage yarn butterflies as a birthday present for someone special.

You can do them all one color but it looks cool with two.
I didn't write this pattern, it is adapted from a thread pattern I found in the Jan/Feb 1991 issue of Crochet Patterns by Herrschners that Grandma Katy gave me last weekend. The orig pattern called for number ten thread and the butterflies were smaller, but these are still only about 4 inches or so. play with your hook size and yarn weight and see what size you can get!

With Color A, Ch 6, join with sl st to form ring.
Rnd 1: Ch 3, 17 dc in ring, join with sl st to top of beg ch3= 18dc, counting beg Ch-3 as one dc.
Rnd 2: Ch3, 5dc in same st as join, *ch3, sk next 2 dc, 6 dc in next dc, rep from * around, end ch 3, sk last 2 dc, join with sl st tp top of beg ch3, fasten off.
Join color B with sl st to any ch3 sp.
Rnd 3: Ch 3, 9 dc in same Ch3 sp, *sc bet 3rd and 4th dc of next dc6 group, dc 10 in next ch-3 sp, repeat from * around, end bet 3rd and 4th st of last 6dc group sl st in top of beg ch-3 fasten off.

Fold circle in half so you have a butterfly shape. The pattern called for floral wire, but I did not want to use wire. I made a chain out of black yarn long enough to go around as the body and used a square knot as the head, then trimmed the end yarn to resemble antennae. When i have a few of these done i will show you the hanging result- these first ones will be a mobile. HOWEVER- I think they would be cute as appliqué on hats, scarves or bags, as magnets, barrettes, etc.

Made this to donate for Family Fun Day at NCSD. adult sized, 100% Acrylic yarn the hat is in NCSD school colors, blue and white and features a hand signing "I love you" as an appliqué.
What I liked about this project- using the blue heathered yarn- I love the way it looks in a hat. i loved making the "ILY" hand, and sewing it into the symbol- it is always fun to make a new challenge. I made the body of the hat white so that the hand could be blue and show up really well.


this week I hope to go to the store and get the right brown color to make a Princess Leia hat with the cinnamon buns on the sides. I will be making a youth size and an adult size- like the Yoda ears I want the ears to be firm enough to keep their shape, I think have an idea to play with that will enable me to crochet a "scaffold" inside the bun instead of just stuff it- this will make it hold it's shape without being heavy. i hope.

Still working on the butterflies, and granny squares- i am so excited about the new yarns!

Vintage Pattern for Vintage Yarn

I was scanning photos for my mother-in-law and fell in LOVE with the afghan on the couch in the background of several photos. Just LOOK at those colors! Looks like stained glass yes? I wanted to try and recreate it but I thought, what were the chances that Grandma still had the afghan? Well turns out the chances are pretty good!
I took some vari yarn (Red Heart 4 ply) up and a size H hook, and was able to successfully copy one of the six sided blocks- and I plan to make more! I have not yet added the black, figure i will wait until I have more then one finished, and add the black all at once. what a COOL way to use up some yarns! i have tried to write the pattern down, I am new at writing patterns so forgive me if I am not exact.
Ch6, join.
ROW 1 DC 18 in a circle, join.
ROW 2 here you make the 6 sides. Single DC two, then DC twice in one, chain 2. Repeat five more times. You will have 6 groups of 4
ROW 3 Two DC in one, then DC two single posts, then DC two posts in one, Chain 2 and repeat five more times. you will have six groups of 6
ROW 4 Two DC in one, the DC four single posts, then DC two posts in one, CH 2
and repeat 5 more times. you will have six groups of 8.
ROW 5 Two DC in one, the DC six single posts, then DC two posts in one, CH 2
and repeat 5 more times. you will have six groups of 10.
ROW 6 Two DC in one, the DC 8 single posts, then DC two posts in one, CH 2
and repeat 5 more times. you will have six groups of 12.
ROW 7 Two DC in one, the DC 10 single posts, then DC two posts in one, CH 2
and repeat 5 more times. you will have six groups of 14.
ROW 8 (USE edge color)Two DC in one, the DC 12 single posts, then DC two posts in one, CH 2 and repeat 5 more times. you will have six groups of 16.

Save the scraps of yarn for fringe. Join the sides, then add simple DC edge in edge color, and add the scraps as fringe and you have a classic!

When I finish the afghan, I will post the photos. I suspect it will take a while, since I want to recycle various yarns into it.

Thank you to Katy Griffis for use of her photos and blanket, and to her Mother-in-Law for making the orig Stained Glass afghan all those many years ago! I can tell you it was made with Red Heart Wintuk 4 ply yarn because I found the EXACT SAME yarn on it that Jodie gave me from her Maw-Maw Gilda! What a small world!

ok I inherited some vintage yarn. Jodie's Maw-Maw Gilda sent it up to NC and I have it in my hot lil paws... the colors are amazing and as vibrant as they were in the 1970's... I cannot WAIT to get these over my hook! The multi with rust, orange and yellow just BEGS to be put into Granny Squares, esp since the yarn it from Maw-Maw. David's mom has a vintage blanket with six-sided Grannies, and i was looking at it yesterday and wouldn't you know that SAME exact yarn was on her blanket! i am going to borrow the afghan and make a few of the six sided squares, but i am also going to make some traditional granny squares- the center colors require little yarn- and make a sweater or something- I have a sweater pattern from that general era and it is all 'retro' now. i will keep y'all posted on how that is going- I am just SOOOO excited about these colors and yarn! The yarn aisle at AC Moore seems so tame now!

on another note, I think I have figured out how to make the Princess Leia-like hat to match the Yoda- like hats, I just need to find a good dark brown. What I have here at the house is too light or not the right tone. The Buns were a challenge to figure out how to engineer, but then, so were Yoda's ears.

OK then! Get your hooks out!

I have been thinking that the reason i was having keeping up on my blog is that it lacked a central theme so i didn't know what to write about. Well what do I spend most of my time on besides family? Freelance design work, which involves clients, and my crochet art, which is alllll about me so to speak. So i have decided to use this blog to write about where I am going with my art and how it relates to my crochet skills.
Let's see how this goes!


My Son LOVES Zombies. So I have designed a Zombie hat. After the first one, I realized that I was probably going to end up making a few and felt that each one should be unique. They feature greeny skin, eyes, "wounds" with brains, warts, etc. So far one has an innucleated eye and one does not- and the kids seem to prefer the eye out- I was concerned that the rolling eye would be a distraction but apparently not. So far I have made two, but there are more coming, and if anyone wants to order one with certain features, I can do that. The best part for me is that each one is different from the others- I can change eye color, wound placement and all sorts of details to keep it interesting for myself, and more exciting for other people too.

Selling hats and hand warmers

Free Range Fingers is my Etsy Store. I have been making hand warmers for a while, and expanded to scarves, then neck warmers and a few odd stuffed animals, and dish clothes. Then I made some hats for the kids. Eilish wanted ears on her hat and before you could say "Holy hats batman!" Lots of people started to ask for hats. I LOVE making them, each one so different. I think the idea of making something that someone else will enjoy is fun. I also started to experiment with crocheting with recycled grocery store type bags. The best thing i have made with those, I think, has been the can cozies- they really work quite well and I feel good about recycling.
I am looking forward to seeing where this path leads....