Knitting and crocheting clothes

What else have I been knitting and crocheting over the past 8 months?  Clothes.  One of the many reasons that I finally taught myself how to knit was that knitting creates really, really nice clothing.  Great, stylish crocheted clothing patterns are rare, at least in my experience.  Nothing I've ever crocheted myself has ever made me very happy.  So, in February, as soon as I got a bit of knitting confidence (created by 6 weeks of knitting afghan blocks and dishcloths), I attempted a short-sleeved cardigan for Sonia:

Haimi Cardigan

It turned out okay, but I had chosen some really cheap yarn, and I wasn't wild about how the front curled in on itself.  But I succeeded in my goal-- knitting something wearable!

I decided then that I needed to try creating some smaller clothing.  Plus, Sonia was sick for over a week, and we needed some sort of excitement.  So, Barbie dresses were next!  I was too nervous to try knitting at first, so I crocheted dress # 1:

Barbie's Crochet Dress

I was so confused as to why the dress was turning out much longer than I thought it should.  I ended it right where the pattern was just getting to the waistline.  After I finished off, I looked closer at the pattern and realized it was written in UK crochet terms.  So, I should have been doing a single crochet stitch, not a double crochet stitch.  Whoops!!  You can't tell in the picture, but in real life, the dress is a bit see-through since I used such a large stitch.  Oh well-- Sonia doesn't care!

Then, I took a deep breath, and attempted a knitted dress. It turned out GREAT!

#0099 Short Pink Dress

Sonia chose the yarn... Can you tell?

Then, my crazy friends, Libby and Sallie, managed to talk me into attempting to do a knit-along with them.  They had been planning for months to knit the Hitofude Cardigan, and it looked crazy-complicated.  Gorgeous, but very intricate.  I had done a tiny bit of lacework so far, but as of May, I was not in the position where I was confident in my lace skills.  But they promised me that we would help each other through the project, so I bought a huge hank of yarn from Miss Babs, took a deep breath, and cast on.

Then I frogged it.  Then I cast on again.  Then I frogged it.  Then I cast on again.  This time, it worked!  Why was the casting on so hard?  Well, it was a special provisional cast where you start with a crocheted chain made out of waste yarn.  Sounds like that would be right up my alley, but it just about killed me.  However, I made it work finaly!  The sweater took me six weeks (and a million conversations with Libby and Sallie) to knit, but I got it done.... and I LOVE IT!!!!

Hitofude

I kind of wish it had turned out a little longer, but I was running out of yarn.

This sweater never fails to turn heads when I wear it, and it's not just because I chose such a shocking pink color!  The pattern is ingenious and perfect.  It is made all in one piece.  NO SEAMING.  I don't mind sewing up seams too much, but it was thrilling to make an entire cardigan with one strand of yarn.  Only two ends to weave in.  (Well, I actually had four because a cat chewed through the yarn at one point, but we'll just pretend that didn't happen.)

I usually never like to make the same pattern twice, but I am itching to make another one....  Longer this time, of course.  Maybe Niki needs one for her birthday next summer.

During the knitting of the Hitofude, I took a short break to crochet myself this cute little top:

Summer Road-Trip Top

Unfortunately, I stupidly chose 100% merino wool for it, and I come close to passing out from heat stroke every time I wear it. I should have used cotton.  Boo. I'm thinking of frogging it and making something else with the gorgeous MadTosh yarn.

By the time I finished my Hitofude, I was convinced that I was a sweater-making GENIUS.  So I promptly knitted three more sweaters.  TO BE CONTINUED.....

Hats, cowls, and mittens

Since I haven't been stitching amigurumi right and left like I have in years past, what have I been making?  Stuff to wear.  It really is too bad that I moved to a state where a lot of this clothing isn't seasonally appropriate for more than two months out of the year....

Hats are so fun to make!  Yes, they need to fit correctly, but they are a heck of a lot easier to fit than, say, a sweater.

Anna from Frozen (this is more a hat/wig combo!!)

Yoda

Super Mario (for my Super Mario-loving nephew! What a crazy-awesome pattern.)

Declan's hat (I have done cabling on many knit projects, but this was my first cabled hat!)

November Cabled Hat (I loved the first one so much that I jumped right into another!)

Cowls are also so much fun to knit and crochet.  They are relatively small projects and you don't have to worry as much about fit issues.  For my first cowl attempts, I wanted to give Red Heart Boutique Unforgettable yarn a try....  If you haven't seen the amazingly beautiful color ways offered in this brand of yarn, RUN, don't walk, to your nearest big box craft store to check them out.  GORGOUS!!!  First, I crocheted a cowl:

Turquoise V Stitch Infinity Scarf

And then I knitted one:

A Very Braidy Cowl (This pattern showed off the gorgeous colors so much better, I think! And what a ridiculously cool pattern...)

With these successes under my belt, I asked my sister if she would like a cowl.  She ordered a chunky chocolate brown one, and I decided to make this project with my first ever purchase from a store that is devoted to yarn and yarn only (Holley's Yarn Shop in Dallas).  I think it turned out so beautiful....

Vite Cowl

I think the Vite Cowl might also have been my first attempt at knitting lace.  Once I figured out the whole "yarn over" thing, I was entranced.  There will be more lace to come in future blog posts....

With my knitting confidence climbing, I attempted my first pair of mittens.  How fun are these?!

Frozen Mittens (made by combining two patterns: Basic Cuff-Up Mittens and Warm Mittens)

Unfortunately, I didn't take into account that the mittens twist a bit when you put them on (due to the placement of the thumb on the palm as opposed to the side), so the snowflake stitching is a bit off-center.  Oh well, hopefully Avery doesn't mind!

Yarn Arts Club for Kids

The librarian at my daughter's school and I are both yarn arts enthusiasts, and when she suggested that we start a yarn arts club for the kids, I was a bit worried that we wouldn't have many kids show up. Do kids nowadays even know what knitting and crocheting is?  Luckily, there is a whole group of fourth grade girls at school who already know how to crochet, and they have inspired a bunch of their fellow students to pick up hooks, needles, and yarn!

I didn't have a whole lot of experience teaching kids to crochet, but during the past 6 months, I have been working with Sonia (my five-year-old daughter) and my fourth grader neighbor (one of the aforementioned crocheters), so I wasn't completely new to it, either.  Sonia lacks patience and stamina (of course), but she makes up for it in enthusiasm. So, about once a week, she picks up her hooks and needles and gets working.  "Mommy, can you help me crochet? Mommy, can you help me knit?"  Of course, I drop everything and run to her side, deliriously excited that she wants to learn.

The first week of our Yarn Arts Club (we started in January), about 10 kids showed up, and ever since, we have averaged about 20 kids crocheting, knitting, finger-knitting, and sometimes just messing around with yarn.  Some are beginners who are still struggling with slip knots and chaining, and some are experienced stitchers who show off their finished objects with pride.

Just look at this yarn craziness!!

(Note the adorable yarn bag made of owl fabric that Sonia's Auntie Niki sewed for her!)

Every Thursday morning, after the bell rings and the yarn artists all scamper off to class, I feel like a tornado just blew through the library, but BOY is it a fun tornado....

I wrote out an extremely simple crocheted wrist cuff pattern that I passed out this morning to my budding crocheters, and they all got to hooking.  I'll post the pattern soon in a separate blog post so you, too, can make your very own Lakeside Crocheted Wrist Cuff.

The knitting and crocheting club that I recently joined is also inviting kids to learn how to knit and crochet with an event this weekend held at a public library.  Sonia can't wait to go and show off her skills!

Puzzle Balls, a Doll, and an SNL Character (oh, no!)

I received a copy of Dedri Uys's incredible Amamani Puzzle Balls book for Christmas, and I am IN LOVE with these patterns.  They are complicated to make, but Dedri's tutorials are amazing and I think all crocheters should give these a try.  I just can't believe how adorable these amigurumi puzzle balls are!!

Elephant Puzzle Ball:

Dedri designed the pattern so the entire thing is crocheted (NOT WHIP-STITCHED!!) together.  Even the adorable ears and the cute little tail. I don't mind whip-stitching here and there, but like most crocheters, I would much rather use my hook than a sewing needle.

The cute little feet make me smile.

Here is the "puzzle" aspect of the puzzle ball: it comes apart into three pieces!  It's a little complicated to put together, so before I give this to someone as a gift, I think I might make a YouTube video showing how to do it.

Because the entire puzzle ball is crocheted together, as long as you use tough yarn (like 100% acrylic), these puzzle balls can withstand a lot of pulling and smooshing as you disassemble and reassemble them. Amazing!!

Turtle Puzzle Ball:

How handsome is this dude?  I didn't get a great picture of his nose to show the absolutely perfect shaping (there's a slight point at the tip), but trust me when I say that Dedri must have studied the turtle form for a long time while designing this guy.  So stinkin' cute!

One of my mother's life-long friends, Sharon, commissioned me to make another of Nipiti's My Summertime Dolls, and I think it turned out SO adorable. Sharon chose great colors and I really enjoyed watching this little doll take shape.  Nipiti's pattern is so fabulous!  I have a third My Summertime Doll about 75% done and will post pictures of it when it's finished.  It might be the cutest one yet!

Weeeeeeell, this last amigurumi isn't all that recent, but I'm going to mention it anyway.  This past summer, to thank my dad for all the work he did on our new (to us) house, I free-handed an amigurumi of one of his favorite Saturday Night Live characters of all time: Mr. Bill.  The reason that I haven't posted pictures of this little dude yet is that I wrote down the pattern and have big plans to present it for free here on Roonie Ranching, but I haven't yet sat down and typed it up.  I'll get on that soon, I promise.

The last few Christmas crochet projects

I am STILL catching up on blogging about all of my Christmas crochet projects.  I'll stop mentioning Christmas soon, I promise.  One of our neighbors still has her Christmas tree up (with the lights turned on every evening!).... We're in a sort of race to see who can make Christmas last as long as possible.

Two more scalloped potholders (numbers 10 and 11) from my favorite pattern:

I was so in love with these hilarious little Christmas stockings that I made four in various sizes. What a cute pattern!

My cousin, Lauren, commissioned me to make four sets of coasters to give as gifts.  I used my all-time favorite coaster pattern, of course.

I found a chart for a map of the state of Michigan, and I knew I had to try to make something out of it for my Michigan-loving brother-in-law, Corey.  I tried to see if it could be a potholder or dishcloth, but it turned out a wee bit big for either purpose.  I gave it to him anyway, and he decided that it would look nice framed.  Then, he had me add french knots to mark some of his favorite places in the state.

Whoa-- I THINK I might be done talking about Christmas crochet projects.  On to the next major holiday!  I whipped up this cute little Rosy Heart to add to Sonia's teacher's valentine card, and despite a pretty complicated pattern (I fudged a bit on the last two partial rounds), I think it turned out great.  Made with worsted-weight yarn, it turned out to be about two inches across.

You might be wondering if all the area yarn stores were cleaned out after all the Christmas crocheting I did, but I promise that I left a bit of yarn on the shelves for everyone else.