Fabio the Flamingo

What do you make a one year old with roots from Florida for her birthday? Why a flamingo of course! I saw the pattern for Fabio the Flamingo on Etsy and knew he was the winner.

Well a month later and some serious engineering and Fabio is complete! The pattern directions were really well laid out. Everything from the actual making to the finishing was very clear. I used safety eyes rather than embroidering them on as my embroidery skills are terrible. I also made some adjustments to the body and wing size.

My only issue was the neck. The pattern called for you to really pack in the stuffing to get the neck to stand up. Easy right? My reality was Fabio looked like he was suffering from a spine removal. My solution? I inserted a bendable wire and packed stuffing around it. His neck is still a bit wobbly, but nothing is perfect.

Fabio left our house looking pretty good. He got to enjoy some sunshine on the balcony before the typhoon rains hit.

I never thought I would be into creating crochet animals. They always seemed too fiddly. However, previous months of quarantine have taught me that a change in mindset can open so many different possibilities.

Until Next Time,

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Amigurumi Friends

It all started with a birthday. My daughter’s friend turned one last month and I decided to make her a cute little elephant. I am not much of a crocheter, but I thought I would give amigurumi another try.

Little did I know this would catapult into a full on thing. I ended up making five more amigurumi friends. I purchased some safety eyes which were a game changer. The eyes of the other animal look way less creepy than the elephants (haha).

https://www.allaboutami.com/elephantpattern/

https://paintitcolorful.blogspot.com

https://paintitcolorful.blogspot.com

https://paintitcolorful.blogspot.com

http://themagicloop.com/index.php/2019/01/24/dexter-dinosaur-updated-crochet-pattern/

In this time of continued chaos, there is something so soothing about creating these little creatures.

What is keeping you grounded these days?

Until Next Time,

Crochet Vegetables

We are slowly approaching 3 months of isolation here in China. Life in the city is beginning to move back to pre- Coronavirus times, but you can sense the trepidation. There is still anxiety out there of contracting the virus. One positive sign is out school just made some of the final decisions to reopen in a few weeks. We will finish out the last six weeks of school on campus. The plans are a little sad for the kids (e.g., They can only play in designated areas with no equipment and at a distance from each other) but I am sure they will adapt.

For the last month, I have really been on a crochet kick. Especially with making toys. One of the fun projects I embarked on is making crochet vegetables for my daughter. Who knew produce could be so fun?

I am attempting to use up my scrap yarn, which has driven a lot of the color/ veggie choices. So far we have a cucumber, mushroom, bell pepper, tomato, and eggplant. Currently in the works is some broccoli and a carrot.

I am not using patterns, nor do I have extensive crochet construction knowledge, so I am just going with the good old intuition method. The hardest one to capture has been the red bell pepper- or capsicum as my Australian friends call it- due to the bumpy contours. With this one I used triple crochet stitches mixed with single crochet stitches to try to get the bumps near the stem just right. Not bad huh?

My mushroom needs a little something I think. Depending on what angle you are looking from, people have confused it with garlic. Maybe it is the color?

I will continue plodding along with this little project as the scraps make themselves available. It is a good filler for those times I am between knitting projects.

Anyone else exploring new crafts?

Until Next Time,

Crochet Blanket

I have a fickle relationship with crochet. I enjoy the intricacy of the stitches and the ease of incorporating color into a piece. However, the creation process is just not as relaxing as knitting for me. Knitting has the advantage because I don’t have to look at my hands all the time. With this being said, I generally have a crochet project languishing in my yarn bins. Case in point this blanket. It has been sitting around for about a year. Every now and then I pick it up and add a few rows and then it gets cast aside once again.

Last week, I decided I had reached a point that this WIP should move to FO status. It is big enough to be a baby blanket or lap blanket if your thighs are cold. I used acrylic based yarns with a size 7.0mm hook. I just made up the stitch design as I went along. I kept the general idea of a granny square while adding some other elements.

I need to give this blanket a good wash and blocking and then it will be all set to find a new home. I don’t think I will search for a crochet project anytime soon, but I never know when my hands will get the itch to change it up.

Until Next Time,

Happy Halloween!

I whipped up a couple of quick items for the husband and baby to join the “Spooky Walk” hosted by our co-workers. 👻

The outfit was a gift that was too cute to resist. I made a simple wool crochet headband to top it off.

When my husband saw the cat costume he wanted to be a mouse. So I dove into the stash and whipped up a simple knit beanie with crochet mouse ears. The two of them looked quite cute as we walked around trick or treating.

Until Next Time,

-Whit-

Amigurumi Animal

I keep seeing all of these cute little crochet animals on IG and I wanted to try and make some. Now that I have a child (and know more people with children) I figured these darling animals would make great gifts for birthdays and the holiday season.

I am not a real cat fan, but this one was just irresistible. The pattern I followed was from https://paintitcolorful.blogspot.com and I used Rowan Handknit Cotton with a 3.5mm hook. The modification I made were adding the stripes to the body. I couldn’t quite judge if I would run out of yarn so I added them to give myself a little more yardage with the lilac color. I sewed eyes on the face and added a pink nose to up the cuteness factor. All in all this kitty is quite charming.

Until Next Time, 
 

Learning Tunisian Crochet

Recently, I had a lull between knitting projects. I couldn’t quite decide what to work on next. My Ravelry queue had about 30 choices, but the choices just made me more indecisive. So instead, I decided to investigate the excitement around Tunisian Crochet.

I gathered some scrap yarn and a hook and settled in front of my computer. I figured out the mechanics in about 10 minutes. If you know the basics of crochet, Tunisian Crochet isn’t that far off. The difference is you work the piece from right to left and DON’T turn the work.

I chose to work the Tunisian Knit Stitch, which to an inexperienced eye looks just like knitting. You can notice a slight difference in the back of the swatch. The look and weight of the garment is slightly thicker than knitting.

I ended up really liking the final look of the stitch. However, in order to make anything larger than a swatch I will need to invest in an Afghan hook (super long crochet hook). I don’t know if there will be much Tunisian Crochet in my future, but it was fun to try it out.

Have you tried Tunisian Crochet? What did you think about it?

Until Next Time,

-Whit-

Flower Power

Headbands are a great spring transition accessory. They keep your ears warm on those nippy days and are a fashionable way to hide a bad hair day 😉. Headbands make for great stashbusters as they use around 30-40 grams of yarn.They also are great gifts for kids, teens, and co-workers. 

Flowers are a easy way to adore a basic knitted band. I generally crochet them, but I also like to experiment with I-cords. Here are some of my original headbands listed in my Etsy shop.

Are you a headband fan?

Until Next Time,

-Whit- 

WIP Wednesday

Until I get my knitting mojo back I will be working on two more Scraps Blanket. Like all fiber lovers I have a yarn stash and then a stash full of scraps. Time to put those scraps to use! 

I am making a rectangular one:

 And a circular one :

What are you working on this Wednesday? 

Sock, Sock…Blanket!

Fiber has been flying in the House of Whit. I have 1.5 Anastasia Socks completed. Why only 1.5 you may ask? I ran out of yarn…#rookiemistake. This really annoys me. I recently made a pair of socks with the same yarn and gauge and had more than enough left over.

Guess I will need to buy another skein only to use ~ 1/4 of it.😒 I guess there are bigger problems in the world.

In the mean time, I started another pair socks. I am using up the scraps of my Valley Yarn Huntington in Sea Gull and Bluestone. The toes, heels, and cuffs will  be accented in the Bluestone.
 Last, but not least, I am plugging away at my crochet blanket. I have decided it will be a gift for my grandfather’s birthday.

One in hibernation, one on the needles, and one on the hook. Not a bad line up for the week.

What are you making this Wednesday?