How about a little Pinkie Pie?

A couple dear friends of ours has a one year old daughter.  Well, she'll be one on the 10th.  She's adorable and so far she only really likes My Little Pony. With her birthday approaching and my pockets being filled only with lint, I decided to make the lil doll a Pinkie Pie hat!  I love Pinkie.  I love her energy and positive messages.

I searched high and low until I found a pattern I liked.  Generally, I do not purchase patterns that don't allow me to sell things I make.  I just don't.  Or, if by chance, I do like one and want to buy it, I'll not pay more than a couple of dollars.  I made an exception this time.  Things I will say before I post the link, however... The pattern is $4.25 USD.  You can not sell anything you make from this pattern. Bummer.

It is completely adorable.  I had absolutely no difficulty in reading or doing any of the pattern/stitches.  The only thing I wish she had added was the placement of the eyes, curls, etc.  I did this hat, again, for a one year old so I should have used a smaller hook than an E for the balloons, perhaps even stitched them on.  Otherwise, there was the perfect amount of curls and adorability. ;)

Pinkie Pie Crochet Hat Pattern Here


See, adorable!  

ooo de-la-li

Boy o boy have I been busy!

The last thing I posted was the barefoot sandals.  Those have kept me busy!  I've had orders for women and babies.  I did a white set of those below and I have an order for 6 more in Earth tones but those aren't due to go out for another year.  I did 3 sets of sandals for a newborn and two new hats, an owl and a fox.

Then the big one.  As you can see from my new banner, I also worked on a custom ordered Puu and Koenma from Yu Yu Hakusho.  These little cuties are at DragonCon in Atlanta this week!  They took a considerable amount of time.  Puu was easy peasie as I just redid the pattern for him but Koenma was a tough little cookie.  I chose to find a pattern for dolls similar.  Eventually I decided on Pocoyo Pattern by Upa! Mi Gurrumin, a paid pattern.  The final product measured about a foot tall!  The hat I made wider and though it appears shorter, it's not.  I folded it up and went that way with it to match Koenma.  Arms and legs were loosely tied on and through to the other side so they can be somewhat movable and sit on a shoulder.  I used black crochet thread for the lines, ears and red Caron Simply Soft for the sash.  Though I wish I had a little darker yarn for his flesh color, I think I really like the dark purple and lighter pink.  The hands and feet were adorable!

When everything was ready to be tied off I just fed the yarn down under the skirt and tied it off there to hide the seams!

The only things I would have done differently:

• It never said the face was done in the round and not ended, began again.  I do wish I'd have known that.
• I wish I'd had more time to do his eyes rather than just stitching simple lines.
• mayyyyybe I'd have made the hat bigger as well

All in all I was really proud of how it turned out.

Now I'm working on Shark Booties, also a paid pattern.  I'm not happy.  My hands are killing me from the tiny stitching.  The "mark" and "mark" there are confusing.  When you put it all together it doesn't connect exactly right and there are not enough images to show you how to do the heel.  The toe on mine doesn't go down and around like theirs does.  However, all that being said, it will still turn out to be a super cute set of booties.  If I don't get mad at them and throw them and their hook. :p  

My wonderful sister decided to send me vast amounts of Sashay yarn many moons ago so I'm trying to think up new ways to use them.  Perhaps in a bracelet?

Also I've updated My Shop to sell 2 more Dr Who Necklaces and one KeyRing.  Get them while they're hot. ;)

Barefoot Sandals...Free Pattern

I was looking for some simple barefoot sandals for a friend.  It seems like an easy task.  Moogly, who I ADORE, has tons of free patterns but none were really what I was looking for.  I don't have a lot of experience with barefoot sandals.  The one experience I've had was horrifying but I can't let that distract me from them.  They're beautiful and they sell.  And I like money.  :p

I did purchase the Seahorse Barefoot Sandal Pattern and complete them.  The stitches were hard and I chose to use a sparkly thread which was a disaster as it kept bunching up and twisting or the shiny part would break.  I pulled apart and redid it a dozen times and it took me weeks, not hours.  I can not be defeated by some damned seahorses.

In my search for a pattern I found DachuksB beautiful Ivory Sandals.  Actually, I found them on AliExpress.  If you've not heard of them, they steal your photos from your Etsy shop, they tell people the pattern belongs to them and they sell it and make the money.  In this case, Dace is from Latvia and the AliExpress says they're made and sold by someone in China.  Even if they do sell only what they make from the pattern they purchased, they still stole photos from the original owner.  As a general rule, just don't buy from AliExpress.  I messaged Dace and let her know and turns out most of her work is on their site. :(

Anyway, her Ivory Sandals gave me an idea for a pair of sandals.  Dual small flowers with a larger flower in the back.  I got to work and after a couple of days came up with this.  You are welcome to sell whatever you make from this.  I'd love for you to point folks back here but it's not necessary.  I don't have to worry about anyone stealing the image, it sucks.  I took it in my bathroom where there was poor lighting but this was the pair I made for my friend.  I hope the pattern makes sense.  If you have problems, comment and I'll get ya fixed up. :)

Color 1 was a white crochet thread
Color 2 was a teal crochet thread
Color 3 was a light minty green crochet thread

D hook

THINGS TO KNOW:

on each flower and the beginning toe loop be sure you leave a long tail to tie together/weave in at the end

picot - chain 3, slip stitch to first chain

Small Flower (color1)

--ch3, loop

--chain 3, sc (5x)

--sl st in 3 ch loop, chain 2, dc, tr, ch1, tr, dc, ch2, sl st in same st

do one for each 3 ch loop.

(two for each foot for a total of 4 small flowers)

sl st and tie off leaving a tail to attach to other flower and chain.

Large Flower (color2)

--chain 3, ml

--chain 1, 10 sc in ring

--ch1, in first st (sc, ch5, sc, ch1), skip next stitch and repeat () 5x

--ch 1, in first st (sc, hdc, 2dc, 2tr, Picot, 2tr, 2dc, hdc, sc), sl st in the next st and repeat () in the next ch 5 spaces

sl st and tie off leaving a tail to attach to other flower and chain.

(you'll need two large flowers)

Using long string of the small flower and your needle, pull the small and large flowers together and either stitch a couple of times to tighten or pull string through and tie flowers together. Put aside.

Toe Loop  (color3)

Chain 26, sl st into a ring

Chain 2, sl st on the reverse side of the flower (anywhere around the center will do, one on the top and bottom of the circle, just to secure it to the chain)

Chain 14, as with the small flower, sl st onto the bottom of the flower combo (do this between two petals so that the top of the flower will be a point of on petal)...stitch from bottom to top of the flower with sl st or cut a long tail and stitch toward the top

Tie off, leave a long string.

Again starting with a long tail on one of the two top side petals,  sl st and then 2sc in 2nd or 3rd stitcch from the end Picot and chain 136 (the long tail you can weave back to the center for tying off with the others and weaving/trimming)

Do the same on the other side

With the sides done you can knot them and leave them alone or you can pull the last loop out, wrap string around your finger and last loop 3+ times then sc around for a fancy ring similar to those on Dace's link above. Leave a tail long enough to weave all the way around the ring and trim off. Wrap once around the ankle and tie in the back like a shoelace.

1Hr ½ or so to make the pair

Newborn Wolf Hat Pattern

I promised this ages ago and only have a small amount of time to get it online so, here goes.

I found a photo online of wolf/fox hats that I really liked.  I wanted just a wolf pattern for boys and wasn't finding anything that was "perfect".  So I decided to pick from here and there and make it what I wanted. :)

Unravel Me has a beautiful Fox hat pattern for $4.99 on Ravelry.  It's gorgeous but I didn't care for the ears.  (Also I'm cheap and $5 for a pattern...well, not for me.  She uses wool and G hook on hers and I prefer not to use either so it just wasn't for me.)

RepeatCrafterMe has an owl hat pattern for free that I've used for years but I also tweak it a bit too.

Would You Like Yarn With That had the perfect triangle I had envisioned for the ears!

I've tested the pattern and it works for me but if you have a problem with it I can help you. :)  I only posted the photos I've taken on the hats I finished myself, not those I've seen online.  I appreciate all the work these other crafters have put into their work.  I am not attempting to steal or make money off of the pattern.  I am not using the images from another person.  Crochet is no different than any other art form.  If you see something beautiful and would like to make that yourself you learn about it and try to create something just as beautiful but in your own way.  I'm linking back to all the amazing crafters that I found inspiration from.  Again, this is not their pattern exactly but slightly modified to what I envisioned for this hat.

For this project you will need an H Hook for the hat and F Hook for the ears.  And of course, yarn.  Please read over the pattern before you begin.  You will need to know DC, HDC and Picot Stitch.  I have included a video tutorial on how to do the Picot Stitch done by Moogly, Tamara Kelly.  If you've not visited the Moogly Blog, DO IT, she's genius.  This project can be done by anyone, even beginners, if you're just willing to give it a try.  Stitching the nose with sl st on the top may be tricky but if you can't get it just chain the number of sl st and work it from there, then stitch it on. :)

Crochet Wolf Pattern

(Begin with Crochet Owl Pattern by RepeatCrafterMe)

H Hook (5.0 mm)
Caron Simply Soft in Heather Grey (color 1)
Caron Simply Soft in White (color 2)

(Depending on how tightly you crochet, to get the right newborn size you may need an I Hook for larger stitches because simply soft is such a thin yarn.  On the lighter wolf I used I Love This Yarn Greymist and White from Hobby Lobby.  Those are much thicker yarns but still very soft.)


--Newborn – 3 Months--
Start with Color 1 
Round 1 : Magic Ring, Chain 2, DC 12 inside ring, join to 1 st DC, chain 2
Round 2 : 2 DC in same stitch and in each around, join, chain 2 (24)
Round 3 : DC in the same stitch as Chain 2, DC, DC, 2 DC in next, *DC in next 3, 2 DC in next, repeat from * around, join to 1^st DC, chain 2 (30)
Round 4 : DC in the same stitch as Chain 2, DC, 2 DC in next * DC in next 2, 2 DC in next stitch, repeat from * around, join to 1^st DC, chain 2 (40)
Round 5-7 : Beginning in same stitch as Chain 2, DC around, join to 1^st DC, chain 2 (40)
Change to Color 2
Round 8-9 : In new color, DC around, join to 1^st DC, Chain 2 (40)
Round 10 : SC around, snip and finish

Turn to the front, work 8 SL across the top of the last Color 1 Row (Row 7)
DC 8, ch 1, turn
HDC Dec, HDC 4, HDC Dec, Ch 1, turn
HDC Dec, HDC 2, HDC Dec, Ch 1, turn
HDC Dec 2x

Finish and leave a long tail to stitch button on for the nose and both eyes (alternately you can use whatever color you use for the button)

Triangle Ears
WouldYouLikeYarnWithThat

• F Hook (3.75 mm)

Color 2 Yarn

Ch 3, join w/ a sl st to form a ring.
Round 1: Ch 2 (does not count as a stitch) do 15 dc in ring. Join w/ sl st to first dc.
Round 2: Ch 3 (Beginning chain counts as stitch here and for the rest of the pattern), do 1dc in same stitch, ch 1, do 2 dc in same stitch, do 1dc in each of the next 4 sts, *

2dc, ch1, 2dc

in next stitch, do 1dc in each of the next 4 sts.* Repeat from *to* until you reach the initial ch3. Join with a sl st. Finish.
Color 1 Yarn start at one corner
8 SC around, SL in ch 1, Chain 3, Picot, 9 SC
(leave the bottom open and leave a long tail to stitch to hat)

Join ears on the side from the bottom of Row 3 to the top of Row 6 , curving a bit if necessary

Well, that's it!  I hope you enjoy it and make tons!  

WIP (Work In Progress)

Having crocheted for a while there are a few things I don't usually say or ...well, who what they're talking about.  WIP is one I don't usually use.  (Although, I did think some of the images with yarn and needles/hooks that say Watch me WIP Watch Me Nae Nae are hilarious.)  I've been quite busy since the first of the year.  I did a Crochet Slouchy Beanie by Vickie Howell, a Pusheen Cat for my niece, 4 sets of gloves for my two boys and two of their friends, an owl hat and a wolf hat that is similar to the one Unravel Me does for the fox.

The links above go directly to the places to get patterns for the things I've created.  I do occasionally make my own patterns but not that often.  I see something and I either find their pattern or wing it.  I really stink at writing things down which makes it terribly hard when someone else wants one.  I already have a tried and true pattern for hats similar to the fox/wolf hat so I used mine with the idea of nose and eye button placement from Unravel Me.  I figured out the nose itself and a good triangle for the ears.  Because I put so much into it, however, I will likely be putting this up as a pattern at some point.  I especially love how the ears turned out. I'll need to play with my hook size as it did come out a bit small for a newborn, I think, so it's still a WIP.

I have several more things on my plate coming up.  I want to make many more of these wolf and owl hats, perhaps even some fox, to take to my local maturity shop.  I do love being able to sell things locally.  I will probably make another 4-6 total of those and I have 4 of the doily cardigan sweaters I have to start.  I think I've got enough yarn now to get those started.  I'm using Caron Simply Soft Ombre Grape Purple and Coffee Latte Brown, as was the colors requested.  (Why is it so hard to find good pics of yarn??)  I also received permission from LevelUp Nerd Apparel to make and sell some of the Legend of Zelda inspired gloves.  I have been asked only to allow her to set the price.  It's her pattern, her rules guys.  However, because the gloves go up the arm several inches I do offer a shorter version of the same design for those looking for that.  This is only one of the color sets I've done.  I've done Sage green with yellow triforce, deep purple with yellow, black with deep purple triforce, same red with blue triforce and a spring green with yellow (a la John Deere...which is odd but that's what kiddo wanted to gift his friend...matches favorite shirt or something).

SO busy days ahead and I know I've said it a multitude of times but maybe I'll finally get on here more often to update. :D