Help For Those Impacted By Hurricane Sandy
I have found a few more resources/links to people and places that are trying to connect people desiring to help with people in need.
Hats, gloves, scarves, sweaters,blankets, love and encouragement are all needed at this time. I’ve read where a considerable number will be without power up to, and some even beyond, Thanksgiving.
You can help too by donating and/or passing on the information.
http://www.brettbara.com/knitting/make-it-better-craftalong-for-sandy-relief/?ext=20121106_FBKD_3
http://www.use.salvationarmy.org/gnyd
http://www.voa-gny.org/
http://www.emilyshatsforhopeinitiative.org/home.html
ETA: Another collection point for those wishing to send warm items for those impacted by Sandy is:
Senator Dean Skelos
55 front Street
Rockville Centre, N.Y. 11570
If a Picture Paints a Thousand Words
Then a video paints a thousand times a thousand words. Multiply that number by the number of times needed to watch it in order to gather enough information and what you’ll have is a bridge across a language barrier to an incredibly adorable child’s sweater.
A generous member of YouTube shared how she made a sweater. She has other video tutorials as well. The ones I clicked on were in a language other than English. Below is the video from which I made the latest sweater. I don’t know if it is exactly the same but it is close enough for me.
Child's Sweater Tutorial
Here is my version of her sweater.
8 lbs of Yellow Cotton Yarn
Jiminy Crickets! What was I thinking?
Okay. I was thinking it looked light enough that I could alter items made with it with dyes and probably can just it won’t be as true a color had it been white.
It’s a LOT of yarn and it was an awesome deal on it and I wanted to make some more things from cotton and and and and
One headband is crocheted (pattern by Tina Rodriguez) the other knitted (pattern by Teresa Harmon). They and many others can be found on Ravelry Dot Com
Onto the next yellow item!
Seeing Red!
While taking advantage of some super ebay auctions on yarn I wound up with quite an abundance of red Red Heart yarn. It didn’t seem like such a bad thing until I gathered it all up to continue with my projects. I only thought I was sick of pink. I will happily go back to pink (if I had to) after I’m done with all the red. I was tootlin’ along in my needlework, using various colors but the red, in its’ vast pile, loomed over me like a menacing cloud…the red cloud of doom. I HAD to do something to reduce the amount of it, and soon. I first thought to just hide it but, like any other messes, you still know they’re there and they must be dealt with and the longer you wait, the larger they seem. Well, I have put a dent in it and will now work on something else, coming back to the red periodically. Gosh! It was all still a good deal and I am glad I got it. I reckon I’d feel the same had it been all of any color.
Afghan (actually, a pillowghan) made using Chris Simon’s 12×12 square flower burst pattern
The shawl-collared sweater (2y/o) was made using the pattern shared by Linden Down on Ravelry for the Baby Sophisticate
The large slippers used the crocheted moccasin pattern shared by Umme Yusuf, also on Ravelry.com
Smaller slippers made using Thistles and Tulips Crochet’s Bella Slipper pattern and the hat, one of my favorite crocheted hat patterns, is shared by Sarah Arnold at rheatheylia.com
The Tote Is Done (as done as it’s gonna be)
I completed the crocheted tote that has been taking way to much time to make. I do get off track when things take too long…more than 2 days and I’m looking for something else to do.
It has a double liner…both having rigid interfacing applied, also 2 inner welt pockets…one on each side. The handles were made by making a double strand of sc braided rope with a loop on each end and ran through an eight stitch round, sc tube which was stitched to the top of the loop after being attached to the loops on the purse. The loops on the purse that the handles were attached to were made using a short length of sc braided rope…attached one end, inserted through the handle loop and other end attached a couple of stitches over.
The tote measures approximately 10″ wide(side to side) x 8″ high (bottom to top) x 4 1/2″ deep (front to back). Stitches used were, the single crochet and a bubble/bobble/popcorn stitch (made by making 5 half double crochets in one stitch, removing hook from loop and inserting it from front to back into the first hdc made and pulling loop through, chain one to close).
The lining…
The outside/completed tote
Bead Crochet Rope
I recently completed a small crocheted tote. I wanted to add something different than the regular crocheted handles. So, I tried my hand at bead crochet rope. I love the look of the necklaces and other jewelry made using this technique. Using a fantastic picture tutorial (found here, http://www.beadersshowcase.com/profiles/blogs/2049967:BlogPost:3497 ) shared by Julie A. Harper.
I strung 364 6/0 glass beads (3 cream, 1 dk blue, 1 lavendar, 1 dk blue) onto size 3 crochet thread and used the technique shown in the above tutorial…a slip stitch instead of a single crochet and crocheted rather tightly and worked 6 stitches around using a #7 steel crochet hook. I first tried with size 30 thread and a #10 steel crochet hook. Well, my eyes ain’t what they used to be and I couldn’t see them well enough in the beginning and got aggrevated and switched to the larger, size 3 thread. Now that I’ve got the general idea, I’ll secure me a better light and possible a hands-free magnifier for the first couple of inches at least.
What resulted was a nice length (almost 9 inches) of rope that was usable for my tote. The only problem is…I now have to get more beads in order to make the other one…I’m short on the lavendar ones. So, I’ll save the beaded handles for another project and continue on to completing the tote with regular (tubular) crocheted handles.
Image of the Fuzzy Bunny…Finally
I used the same pattern and hook size for both of these bunnies. The one on the left was made using Caron Simply Soft and the one on the right with Red Heart Fluffy Clouds. 
So far behind
The plan was to finish up outstanding projects but instead, I have started others along the way. Some of the new projects, as well as some of the old (er) projects have been completed. I can’t say that I’m completely satisfied with how they turned out but, I now know how to make those less than ideal items better should I decide to attempt them again. (I tried to make a small bench/box without measurements beforehand. I need to take a photo of that one to share for sure…we all could use a laugh from time to time, right?)
Other Sweets (the inedible kind)
After seeing this beautiful yoke pattern, I decided to give it a try. I had to do a bit of adjusting of the pattern because I was wanting it to fit a 15 month old little girl. For the most part, the part that counts, the stitch pattern, it is the same….just not as big. It wound up being incredibly easy to follow and an insanely fast project…the crocheted yoke, that is. After finishing the yoke, I searched for more yoke patterns and came upon Regina Gees blogspot. She’d successfully, and quite beautifully combined a completed yoke, from the above pattern, to fabric for the perfect Summer dress.
I wound up making a second one. I was so excited about the pattern that I made the first one before getting my grand daughter’s measurements. The first was about 3″ shy of her chest width. I couldnt’ bring myself to unravel it. I think I’ll add something to each end to extend it.
The yoke that is laying on top of the pink fabric is the first one. I took a shot of it so you can see it opened. I wanted it to meet in the middle of the back and attach buttons so it would be easier to get on and off. I think I’ll make a few more in other colors.
Here are my renditions of the yoke and the dress (and a little purse, to hold important stuff, to match):
