Basket Weaving Coasters?

I recently got a library book this week all about basket weaving. My intentions were to get an idea how to basket weave so that I could apply it to my magazine coasters. Boy was I surprised when they turned out so good!
Here are my new creations using nothing but magazines, creativity and an acrylic seal.These babies are up for grabs in my Etsy Shop. I really liked making these, and with the new knowledge I can't wait to jump up to recycled magazine baskets!
Lesson Learned: Go to the Library often!

Sizes Smizes

So if any of you has tried to make a hat you will realize that it is not as easy as it looks. I have been working on a line of baby hats for my etsy shop... They will be up next week so feel free to take a look. I decided to make my own pattern and I worked one up so fast. Then I gave it to my model... a 3 month old baby boy. It was of course way too small. I did some research online and came up with this chart:

• months.............circumference.............length
• 0-3....................14 inches.......................4.5-5 inches
• 3-6....................14-16 inches.................5-5.5 inches
• 6-12..................16-18 inches..................6-6.5 inches
• 12-24................18-19.5 inches..............6.5-7 inches

Now according to my model the chart is off by 1... her 3 month old has a head circumference of 16 inches... so I made him a 6-12 month hat and it fit great.
Other than that the hats look good, and if I follow the chart the hat comes out correct... with the length substantial for the circumference.

Anybody out there have the same problem I am having? I could use some help figuring these hat sizes out. Do you know of a site that gives correct sizes?

Unfinished

All of you out there with projects just sitting in dust raise your hand. (Hand Raise) I can't count how many projects I have started and pushed aside for the next one. Too many I can tell you that. I decided to look into the darkness and pull out those unfinished projects. Here is my collection:

• 2 out of 4 sewn quilted coasters
• 1 half cut quilt (not even sewn at all!)
• 3 unfinished scarfs (I don't even remember who I started making them for)
• 2 half hats
• 3 partly crocheted baby blankets (I even used the rest of the yarn for other projects)
• 1 barely there rug
  
• 1 attempt at weaving
  
• 2 attempts at spinning (its harder than it looks)
  

My list is big but I am sure more of you out there do this too.
Tell me and others about your unfinished closet of crafts in the comments!

Yarn Yarn Yarn

Ahh... When I think about yarn my heart starts to beat so fast, but as most people out there I buy up more yarn than I can actually use in one project. I find myself with lots and lots of left over bits of yarn that I cannot for the life of me figure out what to do with. Not enough for a scarf... forget a blanket (unless you want it to look like confetti exploded). So I figured I should do some exploring and see what I can use those small, and even smaller bits of yarn for that would actually make me feel good about using up all my leftovers.

I have finnaly come up with a few... some big, some small... projects to help us all with those pesky leftovers:

1. Baby Hats- use little yarn and are perfect for finishing up those leftover balls of yarn, especially if you have some great color combos.
2. Crocheted Flowers- are great for itty bitty bits of yarn just laying around. They also look fantastic attached to hats, scarfs, even blankets.
   
3. Slippers- epecially baby booties are perfect for small amounts of yarn, just make sure you have enough to make 2.
4. Crocheted Toys- great for baby's or pets. Let your leftovers be the inspiration and let your little ones enjoy your hard work. (my tiny turtle pattern is perfect for this)
5. Jewelry- That's right jewelry. Crocheted necklaces and bracelets are all the rage right now.
6. Storage- Make yourself a little bowl to keep your rings in, or a larger one for odds and ends.
7. Drink cozy- save yourself the 2 bucks and make your own drink coozie.
8. Coasters- very little yarn needed here, and you can mix and match colors with the seasons.
   
9. Face scrubbies- These little cotton ball replacers are perfect to get rid of some yarn, and help you save the environment at the same time.
10. Ipod/Phone case- Keep your phone or mp3 player safe with a small case and rid yourself of that last leftover ball of yarn... you know the one that keeps unravelling in your bag.

I am sure there are more ideas out there.. but this should keep us busy for a while and clear out some room so we can go shopping for more yarn!

Sushi Rug

When I first saw the phrase "Sushi Rug" in an etsy.com alchemy request I was thrown back. I knew that sushi was the new thing, but I would have never guessed that it would be decoration. I had done a few rugs in the past and decided to ponder this and give it a shot. I was super excited when I was met with a buyer who was as excited as me to have her dream rug created. I had a few snags here and there as I created this rug. The center was the toughest part, after I figured that part out the rest was just time consuming. All in all I was super thrilled how this came out.

Made of all cotton fabric in a braided style this rug is almost my favorite creation, but if you would have told me a few months ago that I would be making a sushi rug I would have laughed. Now, I think its the best and most unique rug I have ever made.

Wedding Decorations

Ok... So I am getting married in June, and I was having such a hard time finding cheap, but nice decorations for the church and reception site.

Flowers are gorgeous, but cost so much!

Christmas lights are nice, but give off a load of heat, and for a June wedding... not a good idea.

Fabric swags seemed like a way to go, cost is ok, but its been done so much, I wanted something different.

Then I found something that I truely fell in love with. Chinese white paper lanterns. I loved them... they look great, are pretty cheap, and they give a great feel to the room if you hang them right. I only had one problem. Again they are the hit of the season, so everyone is doing them.

I decided to put my own little spin on them. Since it will still be daylight outside during my reception I needed something that caught your attention, but didn't make the room look overwhelming. I started out with trial and error. I tried papper mache (the glue and water kind) with strips of paper trying to make something like this.

That I could spray paint white and hang from the ceiling.

Well of course, I failed at first, just making a ball of paper in the end. So my mind switched to something more string like, Yarn! I said. So I tried with yarn, and this time switching to a flour and water mixture. It worked, but did not spray paint well... So I decided to use some old twine I had left over from a few years ago. Eureka! It looked great! It spray painted wonderously and cost me nothing! Now I just need to make a few (thousand) more.

After I make a few more I will post pictures here, and maybe put a little tutorial up for other DIY Brides out there.

Teeny the Tiny Turtle

This is Teeny the Tiny Turtle. He is my first free pattern, and he is really easy to create.

Materials:

2 differnt colored yarns (I used a light green for his head, and a dark green for his shell)

G Crochet hook (you can use others, but the size will change)

Black yarn and needle to embroider the facial expression

Stuffing (I use fiber fill)

Size:

He is about 4 inches long, and 2 inches tall

Pattern:

This pattern is formed in rounds using a marker to mark your starting stitch, remarking each time you come around. Also uses the magic circle method which can be found on the internet.

Shell:

Round 1: Using magic circle method, sc 6 into circle and pull tight to form a ring. Mark the first stitch. (6 sc)

Round 2: 2 sc in each sc around (12 sc)

Round 3: *2 sc in first sc, sc in next* repeat around (18 sc)

Round 4: sc in each sc around (18 sc)

Round 5: *2 sc in first sc, sc in next 2 sc* repeat around (24 sc)

Round 6: sc in each sc around (24 sc)

Round 7: *3 sc in first sc, sc in next 3 sc* repeat around (30 sc)

Round 8-10: sc in each sc around (30 sc)

Round 11: In Back loops only, *sc2tog in first sc, sc in next 3 sc* repeat around (24 sc)

Round 12: Back to normal, *sc2tog in first sc, sc in next 2 sc* repeat around (18 sc)

Round 13: *sc2tog in first sc, sc in each sc* repeat around (12 sc)

Stuff now

Round 14: sc2tog in each sc around (6 sc)

Fasten off, close the hole in the shell and hide your yarn tail.

Head:

Round 1: Using magic circle, sc 6 in the circle to form a ring. Mark your first stitch. (6 sc)

Round 2: 2 sc in each sc around (12 sc)

Round 3: *2 sc in first sc, sc in next* repeat around (18 sc)

Round 4: *2 sc in first sc, sc in next 2 sc* repeat around (24 sc)

Round 5-7: sc in each sc around (24 sc)

Round 8: *sc2tog in first sc, sc in next 2 sc* repeat around (18 sc)

Round 9: *sc2tog in first sc, sc in next sc* repeat around (12 sc)

Stuff now

Round 10: sc2tog in each sc around (6 sc)

Round 11-13: sc in each sc around (6 sc)

Fasten off and leave long tail for attachment.

Finishing:

Attach the neck of the head to the underneath of the shell and stitch it on so that the head sits properly. (I find that I have to stitch his head to the side of his shell) Embroider the face, and your done!

Enjoy your own Tiny Turtle!

My First Blog

Hello everyone...

This being my first blog ever I thought I would look back on a few firsts in my crafting career. Like my first amigurumi:

This little guy took me about 4 hours to complete and I had to unravel him a few times. I think his tail was the most tricky! He is a free pattern that I found on the web, Chubby fish is what she called him. It suits him well!

My first sale was my recycled magazine coasters.

These coasters are great! You can even see words on them! I tried to find a pattern/tutorial online for them, but all I could find was the circle ones. I am horrible at making circle coasters. They always come out wrinkly. The square ones are straight and perfect! I created my own tutorial and it is on my etsy site melunder8.etsy.com. The coasters are also for sale there if you don't have the time to make them.

Last but not least my favorite first.... my first creation using my own pattern!

This Tiny Turtle is only about 4 inches long and 2 inches tall but isn't he adorable! He was super easy to make and I made him almost purely by accident! I was trying to make a bigger turtle, but kept getting frustrated, so I decided to make him really little instead and just modify the shell pattern. After that I just made him a head and said screw the legs, lol. He is super cute this way and I hope creating patterns in the future is as easy, but I doubt it.