Apr 30: Hippo

Pattern #120: Hippo

This cute lil guy is just screaming to be crocheted. Kristie (who also created yesterday's mouse pattern) says he was a challenge, so we will see what happens when I attempt to make this little guy!

Check out the picture from KristieMN:

Apr 29: Mouse

Pattern #119: Mouse

This is another pattern from Kristie, which she posted at Crochetville. I think the little mice are just too cute. This picture would be more fitting with a crocheted block of cheese, don't you think?



Picture from Kristie:

Apr 28: Snoopy

Pattern #118: Snoopy

I found this pattern awhile back and thought of my Dad -- he is a big Snoopy fan. I am not sure what he would do with a stuffed Snoopy, but I bet someone would appreciate it! haha

Picture from Chibi Ami:

Apr 27: Bear in a Jif

Pattern #117: Bear in a Jif

This is another Lion Brand pattern. Technically it's a Christmas pattern, but if you take off the scarf, it's just a teddy bear. And how cute is he?

Picture from Lion Brand:

Apr 26: Birds of a Feather

Pattern #116: Birds of a Feather

This cute little pattern is another Bittersweet one. I love the bright colors that she used for the birds. These would be perfect in a Springtime home!

Picture from Hannah at Bittersweet:

Apr 25: Tiny Turtle

Pattern #115: Tiny Turtle


I love amigurumi, and a bunch of you requested more of it too. So this week will be amigurumi animals. I love the cute little turtle from Lion Brand. He's adorable!



Picture from Lion Brand:

Apr 24: Banana

Pattern #114: Banana

Today is a crazy day for me. My parents are in town (yay) and I am having a huge housewarming party. So this post will be short and sweet, just like this pattern.

Picture from Amigurumi Paradise:

Apr 23: Lemons & Limes - COMPLETED

Pattern #113: Lemon & Lime

This is another pattern from Beansprout Creations. She is the one who designed the popcorn, awhile back. I love her patterns - and she offers so many for free. It's wonderful! Her patterns for purchase look great too!

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Updated June 28, 2013: These little citrus fruits worked up quickly and were just too much fun. I finished both of these in one sitting!

Do you ever crochet food? Why? I think I like it because food is fun and cute. Weird, I know!

Apr 22: Strawberry

Pattern #112: Easy Peasy Strawberries

This pattern from Inner Child Crochet (remember the Golden Snitch) is super cute & looks pretty easy. She makes it sound easy too. Perfect for a summer garden party centerpiece, I think!

Picture from Melissa / Inner Child Crochet:

Ladybug Hat Pattern

Today I start something new... posting my own patterns!



As you remember, back on March 11, I made a ladybug beanie. I was trying to follow a pattern, but just could not handle it. Something in the way it was written just did not work with my brain. Then I remembered that I have crocheted so many beanies that I do not really need a pattern. I did write it down, so you can use it if you want! This is my first pattern to be posted here. If you try it out, please let me know how it works for you and if it needs any changes! I used cheapo Lion Brand yarn from Big Lots (anyone know what I'm talking about). So it is pretty thin, probably a 3. If you want to sell a finished project from this pattern, please contact me (email in my complete profile).

Abbr:
ss: slip stitch

dc: double crochet

Notes:Unless otherwise noted, join each row with a ss at the end.

Supplies
Hook Size - J
Yarn Needle
Yarn - Red and Black Worsted Weight (less than 1 skein each)

With Black:

R1: 12 dc in magic circle [Check out this tutorial if you don't know what I mean]

R2: ch2, 2dc in each dc (24 dc)

R3: ch2, *1 dc, 2dc in each dc* [rep 12 times] (36 dc)

R4: ch2, *2 dc, 2dc in each dc* [rep 12 times] (48 dc)

Switch to Red:

R5 - R12 : ch2, dc in each dc (48 dc)

R13: ch1, *sk1, 4dc, sk1, ss* [rep from * to * til end], ss into first ch. Fasten Off. (this makes the ripple on the bottom)

Spots:

With Black. 10 dc in magic circle. slip stitch together and fasten off. Leave a tail long enough to sew the circles onto the hat. Make as many as you want, I made 6.

Completion:

I used the black yarn and an embroidery chain stitch to make the straight line down the front of the hat (red part only). Then I sewed (using the tails as thread) the spots onto the red part of the hat. You can look at my picture for reference. For antennae, I chained 8, then slip stitched into the top of the hat (again, see picture for reference point) and then single stitched up the chain until I reached the end. Tie off. Do this again, so you have 2 antennae.


This is what happens when your model does not want to wear the hat anymore! If you remember from the original post. The upper picture is a 1 year old in the hat, the lower picture a 3 month old.




All of the images of the hat being worn are from Fortuna Photography. They are fabulous.

Apr 21: Fruit and Vegetable Basket - COMPLETED

Pattern #111: Fruit & Vegetable Basket
I love this pattern from Coats & Clark. This would keep me occupied for quite some time. And I bet it would not take that much yarn. Well, not that much of each color. But how "healthy" is this play food? Very healthy! A great way to teach kids about the value of fruits and veggies would be to have them as play food too, not just the yummy desserts!

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Updated January 9, 2012: I finished this just the other day for a friend's one year old. This will be perfect for her little shopping cart! I ended up not giving her the olives -- they seem like a choking hazard! I really like how these turned out. I thought it would take forever to finish, but it only took a few weeks of working on it here and there. This project was also great for using up some scrap yarn. It did not take much at all! I just realized that the grapes look rather black -- but they are actually purple. And cute!

Oh yea, and I did not make the basket, because I did not like it. I figured it was unnecessary anyways!

Love how realistic these little fruits and veggies ended up being! Can you tell what each one is?

Ravelry Designers

In honor of fruit week, I am sharing this designer from Ravelry. I can't list her patterns here, because I only list free patterns here. hehe But I have to give her a shoutout. If I ever break down and buy patterns, hers will be up high on the list! (the other is this super cute amigurumi Nativity Scene). Anywho, check out Melbangel and let me know if you would crochet anything from her. And yes, you have to be a Ravelry member to check her out. But here are some pics (all hers) of my favorites:

How cute were those drumsticks? And that Banana Split? Oh goodness they look good enough to eat!

My Ravelry searching also let me to another pattern designer. Sky Magenta. She has some amazing stuff as well. I mean, if you do not have a Ravelry account, get one so that you can see her stuff. Freaking fantastic. Then again, you can always check her out on her own site. I tried to figure out if anyone had actually done her patterns. There were no projects on Ravelry. But there were over 1000 sold on her etsy, so people have to have crocheted these things. I would like you, if you read this, to put your finished project on Ravelry so I can see what those of us humans (aka not super crocheters like her) can do! Here are some pics (again, all hers, from Ravelry):

I also want this book. Matt, if you are reading, I know my birthday is over, but I really want this :) If you have a Ravelry, check out all of the projects made from the book here. So awesome!

Apr 20: Apple Slice Scrubber

Pattern #110: Apple Slice Scrubber

One of my good friends, and a reader, found this cute pattern. Thanks Melanie! I'm not sure if I would use it to scrub dishes, but it is definitely a great idea! And if any of you have a pattern that you want to see here, just shoot me an email (under view my complete profile) and tell me about it! Also, if you make any of these things, send me a picture and I will feature it!

Picture from Lion Brand:

Apr 19: Hawaiian Fruit Set

Pattern #109: Hawaiian Fruit Set

I liked food week so much, that I decided to do it again, but this time a bit healthier. This week is fruit / veggie week! This sweet pattern set was another Ravelry find, from designer Patti Gonsalves. My family loves Hawaii and it's food - so this little set is perfect. I really need to find someone to give all of this play food to! haha

[Sorry but you have to be a Ravelry member to see this pattern. The link page isn't working, so you have to do an auto download on Ravelry. Oh well, it's worth it to join!]

Picture from Patty's Ravelry:

Apr 18: Strawberry Spongecake

Pattern #108: Strawberry Spongecake

This post starts another week of play food here at Crochet Every Day. I thought I would be "healthier" this time and do mostly fruits. This pattern from Cake Sachets is not necessarily healthy, but it does include fruit! haha And yes, I do love her patterns, I have already posted 2 others of hers.

Picture from Cake Sachets:

Apr 17: Everyday Elegance Cardigan

Pattern #107: Everyday Elegance Cardigan

This is another Lion Brand pattern, with Vanna White yarn - and of course she's the model. haha I like the simplicity of this cardigan, but I think it is also very beautiful.

Picture from Lion Brand:

Apr 16: Light & Lively Tank - COMPLETED

Pattern #106: Light and Lively Tank

Another Lion Brand pattern, this summery top would be perfect for over a bikini. Or over another tank top. I definitely would not wear it alone - too much stomach showing. Does that mean I have officially grown up? haha

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Updated October 15, 2013: Another finished project. I started this last summer and just left it on the backburner for a  long time. I have to confess, I still haven't tried it on! It just doesn't feel right at the moment! It will definitely be a coverup though!

April 15: Latte Cozy - COMPLETED

Pattern #105: Latte Cozy

This is fitting as today is free coffee day at Starbucks. Or you get free coffee if you bring in a reusable cup. While I do not get coffee that often, I always get a sleeve when I do - so this would be really important to have. Or one of those cute sewed ones that are all over the blogosphere. Anywho, this is my bday week so this is another pattern for me!

I finished this up in a day. And I made one for the hubs too. I did not follow the LB pattern completely - as they have you using different colors of yarn for each stripe. But I used their general structure. I don't think hubby really liked his - who would have thought the chapstick holder was what he really wanted? hahah

Here are some pretty poor pictures, but it's what I have for now. And I have not tried it out with a hot drink yet... this must be an excuse to go get some coffee! :)

April 14: Whiter Shade of Pale Car Coat

Pattern #104: A Whiter Shade of Pale Car Coat

That's one long name for a jacket-sweater thingie! haha If you have not yet noticed, I love Lion Brand & their patterns. Thus, most of the patterns for me are from their site. This sweater is just gorgeous, and would be perfect for the office. I need to start on this really soon!

Picture from Lion Brand:

April 13: Cordial Cup w/ Whipped Cream - COMPLETE

Pattern #103: Cordial Cup with Whipped Cream

This pattern is like my very own tiny birthday cake! Someday, I would like to have a mantle decorated for each month, like Katie and my mom do. This would be perfect for the month of a birthday! Or each of us could have our own little birthday cake thingie!

Edited: That pattern is just for the whipped cream, here is the pattern for the cup to attach it to :)

I am not so sure how much I like the whipped cream part. I encountered two problems with that part. First, I think I somehow lost a stitch somewhere, but I'm not sure where that happened. And the last part of the instructions are not the clearest. I may try to make it again, or find a video tutorial for those scrubber thingies. It is still cute, but the "whipped cream" is a bit smaller than the example. For now, I call it - completed!

Apr 12: Eight Pocket Two-Tone Carryall Tote

Pattern #102: Eight Pocket Two-Tone Carryall Tote

This is another Lion Brand pattern (which you will see many of this week) - that they actually got from a book, Hooked Bags. It looks like it would make a perfect laptop case - if it is sturdy enough! I don't like the colors that they used, but I'm not sure what I would use. Maybe a light and dark brown.

Picture from Lion Brand:

April 11: Dinner at 8 Top

Pattern #101: Dinner at Eight Top

Since my birthday is at the end of this week, I decided to focus all of the patterns on me :) These are all things that I am going to make for myself! hahahaha This is a Lion Brand top that I thought was really pretty. Actually making clothing is going to be a huge challenge for me!

Picture from Lion Brand:

Apr 10: Easter Bunnies - COMPLETED

Pattern #100: Easter Bunny

Wow. 100 patterns. That's crazy! And I could not decide which bunny to use for my last Easter pattern, so I am posting 2! I can do that - it's my blog! hahaha  The second bunny is from Very Berry Handmade.

(I will probably make the ears a bit smaller. Those are just too big for me! But wouldn't this be cute as a gift for a new baby??)

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Updated 10/9/2011:  I finished both bunnies this weekend.  The first looks really ugly to me. (I actually ended up taking him apart and salvaging the eyes).  The second, super cute.  Not how I first imagined, right?  Yeah, well.  That's just life!  I had the body and head and arms of the second bunny finished a long time ago.  I finished up the legs and ears and attaching this evening.  It all went together pretty quick.  I am rather disappointed that I put this off from April to October.  No fun.  I really like the second bunny though, it is adorable!  Fits perfectly in the palm of my hand!

#1:

#2: