Butterflies and afghans

ok Just wrote and wrote and wrote, and it got eaten. So after I post this if it show up twice, Imma kill my computer and take up golf. I have not been here but I post on facebook weekly (Look for Free Range Fingers) and have been busy on Pinterest which is kinda odd but fun. While on Pinterest, I found a photo only for an afghan with 3 D Butterflies. I am not going to post the photo here cause that is what ate the last attempt. However it was darling. My friend Jo found a pattern for a 3d Butterfly afghan that did not have any photos so I gave the pattern a whirl. While not identical it is darling also! I am going to include her pattern here. I did one square so far, and mine came out larger then the pattern indicated with a size H hook, but I think as long as you keep the same yarn and hook through the afghan it will be fine. Also the pattern did not call for color changes, and I switched from white to purple vari for two reasons- it enabled me to see what I was doing better, and I thought it would make the butterfly show up. I also thought if you were making squares with all different butterflies it would be more festive.

The pattern was easy to follow- even though the author apologizes in one part. The Butterfly appears to be set on top of the afghan but is actually a part of each square and will not be removable.

Materials Used: Worsted Weight Yarn H hook Gauge isn't reallly important, since you can use any hook/yarn combo, but my finished square measures 5" on a side. Start with the Butterfly: Chain 6. Row 1: Sc in 2nd ch from hook & in each additional chain. Ch 3 (counts as first DC in next row & throughout pattern), turn. Row 2: Dc twice in first st. (Ch 3, skip next st, 3 Dc in following st) two times. Dc 3 times in final stitch. Ch 3, turn. Row 3: Dc twice in first st. *Ch 3. In next ch-3 space, work (3dc, ch 3, 3dc). Repeat from * once more. Ch 3, skip next 2 Dc. Dc three times in last Dc. Ch 3, turn. Row 4: Dc 4 times in first st. Sc in next ch-3 space. (Dc 9 times in next ch-3 space. Sc in next ch-3 space) twice. Skip next 2 Dc. Dc 5 times in last DC. Now, this is the part where it's a little confusing, & for that I'm sorry. If anyone has a better way to explain this part, please let me know & I'll update the pattern. Slip stitch in the sides of the rows until you get around to the back of the beginning chain. Slip stitch in the beginning chain til you reach the center (it's obvious when you look at it, trust me). Wrap the yarn tightly four times around the center of the butterfly & cinch it up. This is what gives the butterfly its shape. Slip stitch again after the final wrap (you'll be holding the yarn in your hand just like for any other stitch. Next, you'll form the granny square. Only the first part of it is tricky, after that it's like a normal granny square. Slip stitch around the yarn wrapped around the back part of the butterfly. Chain 2. Slip stitch in the yarn wrap again. Chain two again. Join in the first chain. This will count as your starting ring for the granny square. Round 1: Ch 3. (Counts as DC). DC twice more in first half of starting ring. Ch 3. Dc 3 times in first half of starting ring. Ch 3. Dc 3 times in second half of starting ring. Ch 3. Dc 3 more times in 2nd half of starting ring. Ch 3, join to first DC. Round 2: Sl st in first 2 sts and in first ch-3 space. Chain 3, 2 Dc in ch-3 space. Ch 3, Dc 3 times in same space. Ch 2. *Work corner (3 DC, ch-3, 3 dc) in next ch-3 space. Ch 2. Repeat from * around to beginning. Sl st in first DC. Round 3: Sl st in first 2 sts & in first ch-3 space. Ch 3, 2 Dc, ch 3, 3 dc all in same ch-3 space. Chain 2. *Dc 3 times in next ch 2 space. Ch 2. Work corner in next ch-3 space. Repeat from * around, joining with sl st to first DC. Rounds 4, 5, & 6 are made in the same manner as Round 3. Finish off at the end of round 6, & weave in your ends. I stopped at row 5, was planning that row 6 would be white, and would be part of the joining process for multiple squares- like a Jacob's ladder type stitch. Here is the back- I have not yet woven in the ends. from the back the butterfly is really not visible at all.

If you try this I want to see your finished project! What colors are you going to use? and again, thank you JO for this pattern! I will update a bit more frequently next time (I hope) and add some other new tricks I have to pass on :)

Busy free Range Fingers!

I have been VERY bad about keeping up with this blog. However two things happened that reminded me of my promise to not give up- I started using Pinterest, and I wanted to add some of my own ideas to my boards. Pinterest will not allow a link to facebook pages. I have been pretty good about posting there!
And I have made some awesome new stuff with grocery bag yarn. I am working on two PDF files I will sell as a set- one is how to make the bags into yarn, and one is how to make the yarn into one of these: it is a crochet hook carrier. But you could also use it for drawing pencils, knitting needles or paintbrushes! I took a Pringles can, crocheted the cover- added a top with a handle and a tab to keep it on when walking and voila! no more lost scissors, hooks or needles!
I am now finding out that Pringles makes several other sized containers that would be fun to create with as well.
Then Eilish got an iPad for the holidays and she got a cover but it does not have handles. She wanted handles. So I made this: it is just large enough for the iPad and has handles for a grab and go kind of thing! The color was chosen by Eilish but any scrap yarn and bags would work- another great reason to keep your yarn scraps! Now- what to start next ^_^

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!