Boxing Day CAL 2015 (charity items!)

[sopo]

Cute kitties!!! I miss having cats. 

[darski]

Cute kitties!!! I miss having cats. 

 

Me too.  there is something about cats that dogs just don't do.  

[babypoohsmom]

I do miss the little sweeties but they are a lot of work and really do turn the house upside-down. Waiting until after the super bowl to take any more in. We need a break and so do our cats.

Holly, what pattern do you use for rectangle grannies? I have tried making squares for people before but mine never come out the right size. I crochet very tight (but very consistant) and where most people use an H hook on #4 worsted, I have to use a J.

[krazycrocheter]

Thank you!     It just made sense...I've made blankets for the program in the past and that's where a lot of my scrap yarn came from to begin with!  I've focused on rectangular grannies, because they're easy to make "and" to join together.  I'm just going to keep making them, and later in the year will start joining them together. 

 

Your Welcome!!

[babypoohsmom]

Here, finally, is a better picture of my blue hat. Better with sun, right?

[babypoohsmom]

And here is a hat that I made with two strands and dc. Nothing special, just using up some odds and ends. I haven't made a pom pom in awhile so I went ahead and put one on.

[Bailey4]

Very pretty hats ladies.  Never had a cat, but I can't imagine life without my two Sheltie dogs.

 

I still have to finish up the first of the doll diaper bags.  Have to find the pattern for the rest of the accessories.  Finished the second doll carrier basket, but had to get more yarn to finish up the blanket for the basket, so I started trying to adapt a hooded towel pattern.  Love the pattern stitches, it could make a great doll blanket.  We will see how it works as a hooded towel.  It's always tricky when you are working on these older patterns.  The yarns they worked with no longer exist and the weights don't always match what I use today and the size of the dolls is never quite a match, but when it works the results are always fun.

[darski]

And here is a hat that I made with two strands and dc. Nothing special, just using up some odds and ends. I haven't made a pom pom in awhile so I went ahead and put one on.

image.jpg

 

 

I love that.  bright and cheerful.

[darski]

I am planning to make a bunch (probably 100) of these bunting dolls this year.

 

 

I rather like the (Amish) look of no face but I may change that after a bit.  this is the only one I've finished but I have a couple of heads done.  It is a challenge to find all the face colours I want to use.

 

these are donated to hospitals to give to little ones when they have a nasty procedure to face

[babypoohsmom]

Wow Darski, that is a cute and ambitious project! I'm excited to see what kinds of variations you use.

[cshort]

Nice hats and a cute doll.

[darski]

these work up quickly and are such fun to create.  I admit my technique needs work but kids in pain won't see flaws. I actually rather like the fact that they are all different but still the same.

 

 

only 94 more to go.

 

My idea in choosing to make 100 is that the hospital may not be interested in less than a big bunch.

 

 

 

 

[Bailey4]

Adorable Darski.  Also, fits the Waldorf method popular among a number of homeschoolers.  Their dolls don't have faces either as they think it leads to more creative play I believe.

[babypoohsmom]

Darski, what can I say? I love those dolls. And now we have another wonderful idea for using up our scraps while being charitable at the same time. I like the pink one with the frilly bonnet.

[babypoohsmom]

Yesterday I was home sick with a migraine, so after I slept most of the day, I decided to try another scarf on the Addi. I used some thin yarn and a medium weight yarn. It was so thick and wonderful. When I went to take it off the machine, I noticed that about 6 rows before I stopped, there were 4 skipped stitches. Oh I was so disappointed. I tried to start over and run it back through but it was twisting and the machine was making noises that I didn't like. So I had to give up. Here is what it looked like:

[babypoohsmom]

Went to my quilting club meeting last night but didn't have anything quilt-y to do so I took some yarn and started this hat. When I got home I found a mistake on the crown. Well I was not going to frog it so it got a pom pom. Problem solved.

[darski]

Went to my quilting club meeting last night but didn't have anything quilt-y to do so I took some yarn and started this hat. When I got home I found a mistake on the crown. Well I was not going to frog it so it got a pom pom. Problem solved.

image.jpg

 

A girl after my own heart!!!   It's what I would do fer shure!

[ddc]

Denise, if you don't stop posting cute kittens I will end up with a cat again after I move! I would have taken the one on the top right in a heartbeat. What a sweetie - unless looks lie. I see a cat or cat picture and I really, really want a cat. Then I take a deep breath and go through all the reasons I do not want a cat again, followed by "yes, but it would lovely to have a cat." Sigh. I have a bad feeling about how this is going to ultimately turn out - lol.

 

I checked in to see what all of you are doing. I still haven't finished up the last lapghan, though I could do it in a couple of hours. I'm deep into cross stitching right now, and I'll probably have to get that out of my system before I can go back to crocheting. I hope to go on and get the current one done this weekend or first of the week, but doubt I will start another for a while.

 

Meanwhile, all of your projects are great. Even if I'm not crocheting, I'll be checking by to see what fun all the rest of you are having.

 

What am I cross stitching? A couple of cats. I should know better. These are funny ones chasing butterflies, not real cats, but still. What I need to cross stitch are things that don't make me want cats. Flowers, seashells, beetles. Not cats.

[babypoohsmom]

Lol Donna. Charlie, the sweetie you are talking about was a lover. He was snuggly and very calm. Buster, the white one was the imp. He was in to everything!

I like a cross stitch patterns by Brittercup designs. She does a lot of cute cat stuff. And they are easy designs. Have you seen them?

[HollyzHobbyz]

I only got six more rectangles for Warm Up America (WUA) done this week, bringing my total to 18.  I have an "abundance" of scrap yarn, so my goal has been to use it up!  If a ball is too small for one of the rectangles, I make granny's daughters that will go into a scrap afghan later.  I am going to make an afghan for WUA to give to this special program here too.  It looks like a great cause!

[ddc]

Denise, I have one of her patterns that I just bought from ebay.uk. I found another listed - it's this one:

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/BRITTERCUP-DESIGNS-HUNTING-BUGS-GREEN-CHART-ONLY-E2-/371237923926?pt=UK_Crafts_CrossStitch_RL&hash=item566f812c56

 

The one I'm doing now is a Margaret Sherry pattern, also from ebay, pulled from a magazine. When I finish it, I'll try to post a pic. 

 

I actually crocheted today for an hour on the boring lapghan I'm having such a hard time finishing. I finished the last row and got a start on weaving ends. Eventually it will be done.

[babypoohsmom]

Hi ya, I realized today that I didn't show you the addi scarf I made that actually worked. I think it is way too short. You can't wrap it around twice. Then I just started making a hat out of the scarf that went bad....and here it it.

Donna, do you have to pay a lot of postage for stuff from the UK. if I recall, when I was on vacation it was something like $1.50 just to mail postcards home.

And Holly, any accomplishment should never be preceded by "only". You made more rectangles. Woo Hoo. Scraps are on their steady mission to warm a child!!

[MissyAnn]

Dropped off 6 cat mats off at our Local Humane Society.  Here are the latest 2 that I made.

[ddc]

Denise, I know the post was for the scarf, but I really like the green hat too.

 

Off topic warning: Postage is wildly variable, depending on the seller, and I factor that in. There are patterns I would love to have, but if the seller uses priority mail, they're out. 14-15 GBP to mail a sheet of paper? No way. The ones I bought were from two sellers. For the hilarious cats I making now, the pattern, in US$, was 2.82, the postage was 3.80. Since most Margaret Sherry patterns are hideously expensive here - I see comparable ones routinely $12-15, I decided it was a steal. It came folded in an envelope, and I have no issue with that at all. For the others, it was a seller that shipped as many patterns as you wanted for a flat fee of 6.30. I liked many of her patterns and they were very reasonably priced. I bought 8 of them - and oh, how i wanted some of the others! - so over the spread, the shipping was good. Sometimes I balk a little at the cost of more expensive patterns, but when I consider I usually have all the materials in stash, unless I need a skein or two of floss, and it will give me many, many, many hours of stitching time, it still seems like a deal. It's definitely a cheaper hobby on a cost per hour basis than crochet. However, just as I have way to much yarn, I have way to many patterns. This binge did nothing to help with the pattern stash. At least they don't take as  much room to store as the yarn 

[babypoohsmom]

Oh Donna, one day I will have to show you my room, my garage storage and my storage unit full of craft stuff so that you will feel like a minimalist. I love cross stitching but have not done it in several years. I have two projects that have been "resting". Waiting for me to get back at them. Oh ps, my mom passed two years ago and so I have all of her crafting supplies to use. I should start taking better care of myself because I have to live a long time.

 

Ok all, I have a problem. I bought this yarn from the Destashing posts late one night. I thought it would make great charity hats. But you cannot make a magic circle with it because it won't pull like that. I have about 20 skeins in two different colors. Does anyone know how to use this??