Brain Slugs!

I stumbled across this pattern by NeedleNoodles in her etsy shop quite by accident. I was looking at crochet food patterns, and I just happened to notice the pattern for these cute little suckers for sale as well! Being new to this whole crochet thing, these seemed like a good place to get started. This is a pretty simple pattern - once you get the hang of the "magic ring" at the beginning (which still takes me a few tries to get it right sometimes!), you're golden. Attempting to crochet with a small child who likes to "help" can be distracting, however. I found a simple way to remind myself of where the circle begins & ends - a safety pin! If you have trouble counting, get distracted easily, or are likely to have to put your project down in the middle of a round, a safety pin is the perfect answer. Stick it in the last stitch of the previous round, and off you go! As long as you know what row you're on, it's all good.

So, back to the brain slugs. I opted to make these in a less vibrant yarn than suggested in the pattern, simply because it's what I happened to have on hand. I think they're cute, but if I were to make them again (and I will!), I will use a brighter palette. I also decided to pass on the button or safety eyes and use black yarn in a french knot instead, as these are a gift for a young child with a sibling due to arrive very shortly. I wanted there to be no choking risk whatsoever with these little dudes!



Yarns used are Red Heart Super Saver Red in Ranch Red and Aran, and Lion Vanna's Choice in Black, Pink, Pea Green, Mustard, Colonial Blue and Antique Rose.

I definitely have to keep these little guys in my queue, I think I need to make a set for Eliza!

Ahhh, Organization! Part I

Those who know me know that I am not exactly the most organized person in the world. I toss things in piles, bags, drawers - anything to just get it out of the way when I'm tidying up. This resulted in a huge, and I mean HUGE mess when it came to my knitting and crocheting. Yarn and needles and hooks every which way! I had no idea what I had, and looking for it became an ordeal. And my husband, being thrifty, forbade me to buy anything remotely knitting- or crocheting-related until I sorted out the mess. He feared (and rightly so) that I would just buy what I already had, because I had no idea what I had already bought. Smart man.

So, I organized. I'm still in the middle of organizing my yarn and patterns - that will be a blog entry for later - but first I wanted to share what I started working on last night, and miraculously finished this morning. I spent the better part of my afternoon yesterday looking at needle & hook storage solutions on ebay, etsy, and several other sites that came up with the help of Google. I found a couple patterns, several pictures, and a truckload of inspiration. So, I went to work, and this is what I finished!



It will hold several pairs of needles, and the bottom pockets are wide enough to store other accessories. I have my crochet hooks in it for now, but I have plans to make another smaller holder specifically for them. That's on my to-do list.

I can't take full credit for it - I did base it mostly on some stuff that I found while googling around, particularly the pocket placement. And it does look an awful lot like the ones I saw for sale on etsy. It's not perfect, either - I made several mistakes (thankfully all not noticeable!) while making it, and made some notes on what I need to do differently to perfect it. All in all, it was a good start, is functional and pretty, and I will surely make more to give as gifts, and possibly even a few to sell.

All Warm & Fuzzy

Hi, my name is Samantha and I am addicted to making cute things for my kid. And my friends' kids. Really, anyone under the age of 12. This is another freebie pattern that I picked up somewhere in my travels, and absolutely count not resist trying. It's super-duper easy, and crochets up in a flash. The only problem I found was that you switch colours every single round, so that's a lot of yarn hanging around on the couch with you that is at eye-level for curious children and cats. Several times I had to fend off sticky fingers and poking paws whilst finishing this up!

So, the details of the pattern. It's a freebie from Bernat, the Cute Kids' Earflap Hat (registration required to view the pattern). This one was done in Bernat Softee Chunky in Hot Pink and Hot Lime. I did it pretty much word-for-word, with the exception of changing up the colours, and doing a two-colour tassel instead of one. The one I made is a size 2/4, and it's not too terribly large on my 10-month-old, but definitely stretchy enough to fit an older child.

One thing I did do was change my single crochet stitch to make it more ribbed/stretchy than a regular plain single crochet stitch. For those of you now wondering "WTF is this crazy lady talking about?!", let me explain. Normally when you crochet, you pass the hook under both strands of the previous single crochet stitch (under the V). To make a ribbed surface, you only pass it under the back strand (into the V). Clear as mud? Great. I found that doing it this way made it a little stretchier, which is great for growing heads. Plus, ribbing just looks cool.

And now, the pictures. First, the finished hat:


Second, the hat being modeled by my darling daughter, Eliza:


The perfect hat to keep little noggins warm!