Hooking on Hump Day – Watermelon Sugar Girl

Hi everyone! It’s Cindy here to tell you about the set of watermelon themed baby items I crocheted for the newest member of our family, Amélia Grace Machado born June 7th. The new mom is my niece, Maggie, and is a big fan of watermelon themed things.

Watermelon themed baby gifts

I knew Maggie liked watermelon motifs, so I searched long and hard to find a blanket that I liked. I finally found a corner-to-corner (C2C) pattern on the Repeat Crafter Me blog.

Watermelon Blanket

Watermelon Blanket Squares

I had never done a C2C project before but found some helpful videos on how to do the colorwork. Each block was worked separately and then sewn together. I appliqued the seeds on both sides of each block before sewing the blanket together, so the blanket is the same front and back.

Blanket corner

Blanket border – close up

I crocheted a border of single crochet stitches using three rounds of white, three rounds of pink, one round of green, and then one more round of green using the reverse single crochet stitch.

Watermelon Booties

Watermelon Booties – back

For the baby booties I used my tried-and-true pattern from the June 2010 Crochet World magazine that I’ve made for all the babies in our family. I only had to modify it using color changes and then I added some embroidered seeds to the toes.

Watermelon hat

The hat was another pattern from Repeat Crafter Me. Instead of using beads for the seeds, which I didn’t think was safe for a baby, I again appliqued some seeds to the hat.

Watermelon Rattle – side view

Watermelon Rattle

The final baby gift was a rattle in the shape of a slice of watermelon. This pattern came from PinkyPinkyBlueAU on Etsy. I used a piece of foam for the filling that I cut a slit in and inserted a small plastic case with some washers inside to make it rattle. 

Watermelon blanket

I enjoyed working on this set of watermelon themed gifts for the newest member of our family. The yarn used for all these items was Caron Simply Soft in Blackberry, Pistachio, White and Black. I love using this yarn for baby items since it is so soft and is easily washable. The new mom and dad were gracious enough to wait to open their gifts until we could do a Zoom meeting so I could “be there” when they opened the gifts. Maggie loved them and Tiago said he thought Maggie would use the blanket more than the baby because she loved it so much.

I hope you enjoyed seeing my work as much as I enjoyed making them.

I’m joining the The Loop Scoop Yarny Link Party (formerly known as Hookin’ on Hump Day). You should stop by to see some of the other projects people have posted.

Read Full Post »

Hooking on Hump Day – Craftvent Days 13-24

Hi everyone! It’s Cindy here to tell you about the second half of my Jimmy Beans Wool Craftvent Calendar advent calendar creations. Let’s see what was in the rest of the boxes.

Madelinetosh Impression Yarn

Striped Scarf

Striped Scarf
Madelinetosh Impression Yarn
Colors: Colors: Antler (white) & Malmo (dark green)

I would have to say that working with the Impression yarn wasn’t my favorite, especially with the darker colors. The pattern didn’t call for the border of dark yarn on the sides of the scarf but since the yarn was carried up the side, I didn’t like the look, so I covered it up with a single crochet around the entire scarf. It was finished off with fringe of alternating both colors of yarn.

Madelinetosh Tosh Merino Light Yarn

Star Hat

Star Hat
Madelinetosh Tosh Merino Light Yarn
Colors: Carousel Horse (pink multi) & Tart (red)

The written pattern for the star hat called for another star applique like the ones for the sweater and mittens I posted about previously. I wasn’t happy with how those looked so I used the chart for the knitted pattern and did my hat in the waistcoat stitch to mimic a knitted stitch. I also used a ribbed brim instead of what the pattern called for. In other words, I winged it!

Madelinetosh Twist Light Yarn

Striped Socks

Striped Socks
Madelinetosh Twist Light Yarn
Colors: Malmo (dark green) & Sorry, Not Sorry (light green)

These socks were crocheted the same as the previous ones except you changed color every two rows. They were very easy to make.

Day 16

100% Aromatic Red Cedar

Day sixteen contained 100% Aromatic Red Cedar that is harvested from renewable forests. It grows quickly and is a reliable and sustainable resource. I will be storing my Craftvent creations with these to deter moths and other pests.

Madelinetosh Impression Yarn

Colorblock Raglan Sweater

Colorblock Raglan Sweater
Madelinetosh Impression Yarn
Colors: Colors: Carousel Horse (pink multi) & Patriarch (bright red)

The design of this sweater was fairly simple to make except that it was done with my least favorite yarn in the box.

Madelinetosh Twist Light Yarn

Colorblock Hat with Pom Pom

Colorblock Hat
Madelinetosh Twist Light Yarn
Colors: Tern (dark grey) & Tart (red)

This was the simplest hat to make. I switched to the ribbed brim I did on the previous hats and added one of the pom poms that came in the day four box.

Day 19

Craftvent 2022 Tape Measure

Day nineteen contained this cute tape measure. The gnomes are featured on the front of the box too.

Madelinetosh Tosh Merino Light (TML) + Tweed Yarn

Yoke Sweater

Yoke Sweater
Madelinetosh Tosh Merino Light (TML) + Tweed Yarn
Colors: Malmo (dark green) & Antler (white)

This was another color work sweater. It was easy to follow the chart and I love the look of the yoke.

Madelinetosh Twist Light Yarn

Striped Hat with Pom Pom

Striped Hat
Madelinetosh Twist Light Yarn
Colors: Tern (dark grey) & Tart (red)

Another easy hat to make. I switched to the ribbed brim I did on the previous hats and added one of the pom poms that came in the day four box.

20 Coordinating clips, Jute Twine, 10′ length of string lights

Lights on for fun!

The day twenty-two box was another break from crocheting with some accessories to help hang all the creations up and light them up.

Madelinetosh Impression Yarn

Santa Hat

Santa Hat
Madelinetosh Impression Yarn
Colors: Colors: Carousel Horse (pink multi) & Tart (red)

This was the final project of the box and was a bit of a challenge to start. The pattern started at the smallest part and with the fuzzy lace weight yarn it was difficult to see to start. I had to restart because I was having a difficult time seeing the stitches. Since that yarn is so fuzzy you can’t rip it back like most normal yarns, I scrapped it and was able to make it work. I added a self-made pom pom with the pink yarn.

Eucalan Lanolin Enriched Laundry Concentrate and Tapestry Needle

Close up!

The final box contained a sample of Eucalan Lanolin Enriched Laundry Concentrate and a tapestry needle.

Mini Millie and Walter had some fun trying on a few of the creations.

Millie in Colorblock Raglan Sweater & Walter in Yoke Sweater

Millie wears the Striped Scarf while Walter wears the Striped Socks

Millie wears the Star Hat & Walter wears the Colorblock Hat

Millie looks cute in the Santa Hat & Walter wears the Striped Hat

Here is a look at them all hung up on the twine with the fairy lights. I’m not sure how I will display them for next Christmas. They are a bit too big to fit on my tree but there might be another crocheted creation or some other sort of crafty creation to display them.

Jimmy Beans Craftvent 2022

I know that this has been a long post so thank you if you made it this far. It’s been fun working on all these little projects and I hope you’ve enjoyed seeing them.

I’m joining the The Loop Scoop Yarny Link Party (formerly known as Hookin’ on Hump Day). You should stop by to see some of the other projects people have posted.

Read Full Post »

Hooking on Hump Day – Craftvent Days 2-12

Hi everyone! It’s Cindy here to tell you about the first few days of my Craftvent advent calendar. As I showed you in my previous post the first box contained the tools needed to complete the projects. Let’s see what was in some of the next boxes.

Stranded Hat
Madelinetosh Tosh Merino Light (TML) + Tweed Yarn
Colors: Tart (red) & Tern (grey)

The projects started off with one of the more challenging patterns, a colorwork hat. Since I had done colorwork on some previous projects I wasn’t too intimidated by this one. It was worked from the top down and the pattern suggested using the waistcoat stitch that simulates a knit look. I changed the brim of the hat to a ribbed one instead of what the pattern called for.

Color Block Mittens

Color Block Mittens
Madelinetosh Tosh Merino Light Yarn
Colors: Tart (red) & Antler (white)

The next pattern was a simple pair of mittens. I had never made mittens and didn’t know how the thumb was formed, but it was easy to understand the instructions.

Pom Poms and Tiny Buttons

Close up view

The day four box contained a couple of cute pom poms and some tiny gold buttons. The instructions in the box said that there are four hat patterns in this box so we get to decide which ones we might want to put the pom poms on. The buttons are supposed to be a decoration for an upcoming sweater.

Color Block Scarf
Madelinetosh Impression Yarn
Colors: Tart (red) & Carousel Horse (pink multi)

The yarn for day five is a lace-weight yarn that is 70% mohair and 30% silk. It was a bit difficult to work with, but the pattern was a simple scarf and worked up quickly.

Leather Stitch Markers

Close up view

Day six contained a set of stitch markers with leather adornments. I like having ones that have right side (RS) and wrong side (WS) designations. They will come in handy.

Color Block Socks
Madelinetosh Twist Light Yarn
Colors: Malmo (dark green) & Sorry, Not Sorry (light green)

The day seven socks were easy to make and worked up quickly.

Striped Raglan Sweater
Madelinetosh Tosh Merino Light Yarn
Colors: Malmo (dark green) & Antler (white)

The striped raglan sweater was very easy to make. I’m glad I made some raglan style sweaters for myself in the past couple of years.

Birnn Chocolates of Vermont

Day nine was a nice break from hooking with a little chocolate break from Birnn Chocolates of Vermont.

Star Sweater
Madelinetosh Twist Light Yarn
Colors: Carousel Horse (pink multi) & Patriarch (bright red)

There were some missing parts to the instructions for this sweater but after referring to the knit version of the pattern I was able to figure out how to complete it. The star on the front is an applique. I’m just a bit disappointed that the star wasn’t crocheted in like it is in the knit version.

Star Mittens
Madelinetosh Tosh Merino Light (TML) + Tweed Yarn
Colors: Antler (white) & Tart (red)

These mittens were similar to the previous mittens with the added star applique. I also wish this pattern was for the star to be crocheted in and not as an applique. 

della Q Accessories – Scissor Pocket w/ scissors

The day twelve box was another break from crocheting with the della Q Scissor Pocket and a pair of scissors.

Mini Millie and Walter had some fun trying on a few of the creations.

Mini Walter tries on the Stranded Hat while Mini Millie tries on the Color Block Scarf

The mittens and socks are a bit big on the minis.

The sweater colors work well with our furs.

I know that this has been a long post so thank you if you made it this far. It’s been fun working on all these little projects and I hope you’ve enjoyed seeing them.

I’m joining the The Loop Scoop Yarny Link Party (formerly known as Hookin’ on Hump Day). You should stop by to see some of the other projects people have posted.

Read Full Post »

Christmas Crafting – Jimmy Beans Wool Craftvent 2022

Hi everyone! It’s Cindy here. Today I want to show you what has been keeping my crochet hook busy the past few days.

You’ve probably heard of advent calendars where you open a little door or box each day in the month of December to count down the days until Christmas. Usually, the calendars contain candy or if you get one for your pet it might have toys or treats. This calendar from Jimmy Beans Wool is for knitters or crocheters and contains all you need to create cute holiday decorations. The kits were available in three colorways. I chose the “Home for the Holidays” colorway which is mostly greens and reds with some white and grey mixed in. At the time of writing this post there were only a handful of kits available in the “A December to Remember” colorway. 

Let’s take a peek inside.
I see lots of yarn that mom will love.

You aren’t supposed to peek until the proper day of the month, but Mini Millie & Walter couldn’t help themselves.

Look at all this soft yarn.
Mom’s going to like these colors.

The mini pups invited their friends, the boys from South Park to sneak some peaks in the boxes too.

Cartman: I think I smell some candy in here somewhere!
Kyle: So far, I’ve only seen yarn.

Those boys are known for being naughty!

Stan: Look at the yarn we found!
Kyle: You’re not supposed to take out the yarn before the proper day!

Mini Millie & Walter pitched in to help Cartman get to the top with the rest of the boys.

Cartman: Hold that line tight so I can get to the top.

My crocheted characters had fun exploring the Craftvent box. So far, I’ve been able to keep up with the projects since there are a few boxes mixed in that don’t have any yarn that gives you a day off (or a day to catch up).

Day 1: 3.25mm crochet hook and 2.75mm Double Pointed Needles

The first day contained the hook and needles that you need to work on all the projects. There was also a slip of paper with instructions on how to download the patterns.

Later this week, I’ll show you some of the projects I’ve created so far. They are all so cute!

Read Full Post »

Hooking on Hump Day – All Aboard!

The Christmas Gingerbread Train!

Hi everyone! It’s Cindy here to tell you about the adorable, crocheted gingerbread train I created to add to our holiday decorations. 

Christmas Gingerbread Train

The pattern for this detailed amigurumi was created by the designer from Toyfox Store on Etsy. The fifty-eight-page pattern is incredibly detailed with many pictures and even includes a few links to videos you can watch to help you complete this project. The yarn used is Scheepjes Catona (50g) which is great for this type of work. I used two skeins each of Snow White (106) and Caramel (506) and less than a skein each of Scarlet (192), Kiwi (205), and Chocolate (507). Since you can’t tell by the picture how big the train is I will give you some dimensions as we look at each piece. All coupled together the train is about 14 ½ inches (37 cm) long.

Lead Car with Christmas Sweets

I’ve had this project on my hook for almost 9 months with a few breaks for other projects in between. I started with what I determined would be the simplest part, the Lead Car and the Christmas Sweets. This car measures 3 ¾ inches (9.5 cm) long by 2 ¾ inches (7 cm) high by 2 ½ inches (6.4 cm) inches wide. Each of the candies required a slightly different technique for the colorwork. Charlie did his usual handyman job of supplying me with the sticks for the lollipops. The trick to getting those lollipops to stand up in the car is a small piece of florist foam in the bottom of the car.

Cupcake Caboose

The Cupcake Caboose used some more new techniques and stitches to me such as the “split single crochet” (also known as the waistcoat stitch) that was used on the striped lower part of the cupcake. A crocheter can see that this stitch gives you the look of knitting. The spirals of frosting were done by working a single crochet in the front loops of the previous round and then working another single crochet into the back loops of the same base stitches. The first time I made the top of the cupcake I did it wrong and when I realized my mistake, I ripped it out and redid the frosting. This car is 3 ¾ inches (9.5 cm) long by 5 inches (12.7 cm) high (to the top of the cherry) by 2 ½ inches (6.4 cm) inches wide. I just love all the minute details that went into this car.

Gingerbread Train Engine

The pattern is written with each step for each car separately, but I did some of the parts in an assembly line fashion. For instance, all the wheels are identical so instead of doing the first four and then finishing one car I did all of them together, so I didn’t have to remember how to make them each time.

Front view of Engine

To create the various shapes and make them rigid, cardboard was used either in a sandwich of crocheted pieces (the wheels) or in the case of the engine the cardboard is glued to the inside of the walls and roof before it is sewn closed. Other parts of the train were stuffed with polyfil and with the lead car and the cow catcher on the front of the engine, I used stiffener to make them rigid.

Back of the Engine

There are a lot of little parts that went into making the engine, so I left that car for the end. I just love all the little details of the snow-covered roof with icicles hanging off, the candy decorations and the way the stitching makes it look like frosting on the roof, and the cute little door and windows on the sides and back. Not to mention the boiler and all its adornments on the front.

A 360 view of the Engine

This engine is 5 ½ inches (14 cm) long by 5 inches (12.7 cm) high by 2 ½ inches (6.4 cm) inches wide. Overall, I’m very happy with how this train turned out. For displaying it I created a machine embroidered set of train tracks on white polka dot fabric so it looks like it’s flying through the snow.

Christmas Gingerbread Train

If you are a medium to experienced crocheter I would recommend this pattern. The instructions are very detailed with lots of pictures to help you and is extremely easy to follow.

I’m joining the The Loop Scoop Yarny Link Party (formerly known as Hookin’ on Hump Day). You should stop by to see some of the other projects people have posted.

Read Full Post »

Hooking on Hump Day – High Wire Act

Hi everyone! It’s Cindy here to tell you about the crocheted sweater I recently finished. 

High Wire Sweater

The High Wire sweater is a pattern from the inaugural issue of Moorit Magazine which is “…an indie craft magazine that puts crochet front and center.” This pattern was designed by Stephanie Erin and is a classic circular yoke sweater that is worked from the top down.

Neighborhood Fiber Co. Studio Sock in Swoon and Remington

Swoon (left) – Remington (right)

The pattern sample was worked in the same yarn I chose for the main color, Neighborhood Fiber Co. Studio Sock in color “Remington” but I chose a different color from the sample for the color work and went with “Swoon”.

Completed Yoke

I love how the turquoise color makes the yoke look like you are wearing a necklace.

Front

Back

The pattern is worked from the top down so the sweater can be tried on as you go to make sure the fit is good. It has shaping for the bust, waist, and hips and fits me perfectly in the size I chose. 

Yoke Color Work Detail

Color Work on Reverse Side

Sleeve Color Work Detail

This sweater took me about two months to complete. I thought the pattern was written well and easy to follow. The print version of the magazine is no longer available, but you can still get a digital version.

This sweater fits great

Completed Sweater – Front

Completed Sweater – Back

I’m very happy with how the sweater turned out and would recommend this pattern to anyone. In the future I might make a short sleeve version in a summer weight yarn. The pattern is only available by purchasing the digital version of Moorit magazine.

I’m joining the The Loop Scoop Yarny Link Party (formerly known as Hookin’ on Hump Day). You should stop by to see some of the other projects people have posted.

Read Full Post »

Hooking on Hump Day – Mont Blanc Jacket

Hi everyone! It’s Cindy here to tell you about the crocheted jacket I recently finished. This is the second garment I’ve made from designer Tatsiana Kupryianchyk of LillaBjörn’s Crochet World and is called the Mont Blanc Jacket. Tatsiana creates well written patterns and has many videos to help you along the way.

Mont Blank Jacket

For my jacket I chose Scheepjes Stone Washed XL in Deep Amethyst for the body and Scheepjes Furry Tales in Aladdin for the cuffs and collar. It might seem intimidating to work with fuzzy yarn, but Tatsiana produced a method that makes it much easier than you would think. (I won’t give away the secret here but just want you to know it was very easy to do)

This jacket has many design features I like such as pockets in the front and a pleat in the back.

The pockets were easy to do too.

The pleat gives you a little more room in the body of the jacket.

Here is a closer look at the pleat that also was easy to do.

Pleat detail

Back collar and pleat

One thing I did differently from the suggestion in the pattern was I didn’t make the furry cuffs as long as the pattern says to. I think the proportions are better for me this way.

My cuffs are about 5 inches long.

This pattern is worked from the top down, so you can try it on as you crochet. I also made the pockets longer than the pattern suggested and worked the jacket length to where I thought it looked the best. The final addition to the jacket were the buttons that Charlie custom made for me.

Stained wooden buttons made from a dowel

Using a 1 1/4-inch maple dowel, Charlie first drilled the holes then cut slices of about and 1/8 inch thick. He happened to have some purple stain that was a perfect match for the yarn. I love the way the buttons work with the jacket.

When the jacket was completed, I still had quite a bit of yarn of both types left over so I decided to make a matching hat.

Mont Blanc Hat (my pattern)

Mont Blanc Hat

Mont Blanc Hat with the cuff opened.

For the hat I started at the top and worked in rounds. For the first two rounds I just did single crochet and then, starting on the third round, I worked the same stitch pattern that is used for the jacket. It was easy to keep trying it on as I went for a perfect fit. When I was happy with the length of the main yarn, I used a slightly modified technique to attach the furry yarn as the jacket pattern and kept working until I had the size I wanted. I’m happy with how both the jacket and the hat turned out and love the way they look on me.

I love a jacket with pockets

The pleat looks great in the back

Both the jacket and hat are nice and warm

Overall, I’m happy with how the jacket and hat turned out and would recommend this pattern to anyone. You can find the pattern from LillaBjörn Crochet on Ravelry or Etsy.

I’m joining the The Loop Scoop Yarny Link Party (formerly known as Hookin’ on Hump Day). You should stop by to see some of the other projects people have posted.

Read Full Post »

Hooking on Hump Day – Christmas Stockings

Hi everyone! It’s Cindy here to tell you about the Christmas stockings I made. Last year I finished a small quilt that we hung on our fireplace. It’s a bit small for the space so this year I searched online for a Christmas stocking pattern to crochet so we could add them to our display.

The stockings were hung from the quilt with care…

First a little word about how I hung them. Since the stone on the fireplace is so irregular, we couldn’t attach anything to the stone to hang the stockings from. Charlie found a 1/4″ dowl that was already stained and would work perfectly for that spot. To attach it to the quilt I used a matching brown thread and sewed three loops that hang down from the quilt. The dowl slips through the loops and even close up it’s difficult to see.

Now let’s get to the stockings. 

Charlie’s stocking
(Blue yarn is Red Heart Giant in Dark Country Blue – possibly discontinued)

I found the Country Cottage Stocking crochet pattern for free on the Who’s Homemade website. On the pattern page there are also links to paid patterns on Etsy and Ravelry and a video to show you the entire process.

Millie’s stocking
(Red is Caron One Pound in Claret)

The pattern instructions are well written and with the video there is no way to go wrong. I went “shopping” for the yarn from my stash and was happy to find colors that coordinated well with the quilt.

Walter’s stocking
(Green is Caron One Pound in Grass Green)

The only thing I did differently from the pattern was I added four rounds to the main stocking before adding the cuff to make them a bit longer.

Cindy’s stocking
(Purple is Red Heart With Love in Aubergine)

I like how the use of post stitches gives you a more closed fabric for the main body of the stocking. The toe was easy to work and with the help of the video the heal and cuff were no problem either. The white yarn is also Caron One Pound. It’s always nice to be able to work from your stash and create something new that will be a part of our holiday decorations for years to come.

I’m joining the The Loop Scoop Yarny Link Party (formerly known as Hookin’ on Hump Day). You should stop by to see some of the other projects people have posted.

Read Full Post »