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 ^_^

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!

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.

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.