FullOfStitches.com blog.A good laugh leaves me in stitches!

My children love to draw. Sometimes, I have to ask what the drawings are, but they’re shown off with pride. LasT night (MisSC’S HELPING ME TYPE), I couldn’t sleep. SO, I thougHT ABOUt how TO add THE hair ON thE DOLl. THEN, I REMemBered A drAWing THAT’S bEEN ON mY DEsk since LAST summer. MissB drew it and when I asked about it, I was told it’s, “B– carrying an egg.” I pulled it out and taped the egg basket back to the body and started cROCHeting.

I came up with this:

With how round the character is, I decided on a ball for the body. Any drawing could easily be rendered in yarn as a flat pillow (make a matching front and back and stitch together) or as a handpuppet! The egg in the bag is an elongated ball, the basket simply chain 5 loops connected with sc. To keep the egg inside, the bag is closed with sc. And, to keep it becoming lost, the basket was held between stitches and is not removable.

It only took about 5 hours in all. T.J. got up this morning and pulled out his computer to draw me something to make him (he emailed it, I’ll have to see for sure, but I think it’s a dragon) while cheering me on to finish. I used the loop stitch for the hair and I think it came out well. I’m thinking of adding it to Ravelry as “Children’s Drawings” under the toys category. If you do one, send me a comment so I can check it out!!

I get sidetracked easily. Especially when I’m under the weather (and I have been since the 1st!), so I’ve been couch directing the children and crocheting. I’ve got an idea stewing for those chess pieces, just have to work and write it out..

Then I came across a doll pattern and have been focused on that to let the other idea stew nicely. She’s cute and cuddly, but I’d like to make a more pocket-sized version, so I’m working her in thread. I started following the pattern for the legs (but didn’t do her jogless stripes this time) and instead of making them smaller at the top, I made them wider. I mean, aren’t yours? Then, I simply joined the legs in the round and started in on the body. I was working on the shorts and thought since I’d joined the legs, I might as well join the arms.. But then I’d need to do the arms first so that I can just decrease with the body for the shoulders.. Then I thought, no, I’ll just start the head and continue on the body, increasing for the shoulders and split it in three for arms and body. That’s when it hit me that I don’t have any eyes this small (unless I want to embroider them), and that I ought to connect the hair, too, before I close off the head.

So, I started looking for hair ideas. I googled, I scanned the listings and came up with a few ideas. Generally, there seems to be the idea that latchhooking the yarn on is okay (though I remember my share of piles of yarn that I’d pulled out of simple knots like that). I read on a Ravelry page that a fellow Ravelrer‘s doll has 8 strands knotted together with 2 strands pulled through at the hairline and 1 strand through the back (so with the knot in the middle, I figure that puts the hair going out a minimum of 8 holes?). NeedleNoodles.com has a page on how to add fringe hair (broomstick lace/chain style) to heads. Owly has an Amigurumi hair tutorial -heavy on the pics for us visual learners! As well as a link to a step-by-step of long hair on flickr! ClipClip has a tutorial on several styles of amigurumi hair. There are some that make wigs just of crochet, and others that teach a basic curling technique. And, that prompted a memory of a bear pattern I’d pulled out of a Family Circle magazine (11/2/93) that used the Loop Stitch to make the fur.

Well, that’s a whole bunch to try out! Maybe I should make a basic doll recipe to try all these out on!?

Loop st: Insert hook into next st, wrap yarn from back to front around left index finger, keeping it in front of work, yo; pull yarn through st; slip loop off finger; adjust size of loop by gently pulling yarn. Hold loop in place with middle finger, wrap yarn around hook; draw yarn through all 3 lps on hook.

I was looking at patterns and came across this utube video of a chess set a lady made for her father. Neat! My husband and son like to play and the pieces aren’t generally toddler friendly. Like that set is, what with the size of the pieces.. So I googled ‘pattern chess set knit crochet’ and came up with one that isn’t available any more. So, I picked up a pawn, a penny, a #5 hook, and some green #10 thread and started stitching.

Ben and the children got home and he looked at me sideways like and asks what I’m doing. ‘Crocheting.’ A little while later, he walked by and saw the half form by my hook and sweetly says, “Fou dans la tête.” Sure, but aren’t we all sometimes?

(update: found a knitted chess set)

MissA said to us, “The wind is cold, it’s a good day to stay inside and knit.” As I looked over her Daddy’s work. I smiled and agreed as I continued my crocheting. He worked away, checking on the Yarn Harlot video for speed techniques and picking my brain when he somehow increased nearly threefold in just 3 inches of work. I let him know of the “World’s Fastest Knitter” videos that I’d seen on youtube.

Friday night, I started and was working on a poncho for MissC when Ben got home. I finished it while he watched a couple TV shows. I tried it on her and it fits fine, a little loose, but I can’t find my camera. Again. I haven’t seen it since our Thanksgiving trip.

Today, I started a pattern, but found I was short on yarn (I’m trying to make presents from stash), and started the search again. I came up with the Cute Kid’s Ponchos from Crochet Fantasy (Spring 2005), -the pink one- and have the first 2 repeats done. Just four to go, then the short rectangle and sew two pieces together.

I also started a poncho for me. From Snappy Wraps to Crochet, the one on the front cover. We’ll see when I get that done with needing to make two more children and maybe the man a gift..

My daughters are fighting over this. MissC wants to hug him and squeeze him and call him, “George.” MissB’s favorite color is purple, and, well, the universe revolves around her, therefore Mommy must have made this for her. I was just using up yarn and trying the pattern book. They’re insisting that I make all the dolls. And, TJ wants a mouse for Hep Cat to play with.

Could there be a better name for the pattern for our pastor’s wife? I was going to use white ribbon, but the pink gave it something. I did add buttons, I just forgot to take a picture of it finished.

She’ll be here tomorrow.

I had to look it up, I’m kinda visual.
The Star Stitch is really pretty, though.

My dear friend, Susan, gave me some pink baby yarn a few years ago that had been her grandmother’s. I would love to make Susan something special and pink for her baby(-ies) with it, but it’s wool (thankfully, superwash). She hates finicky laundry. I’m still thinking of making her something for a girl, but I’m not sure how it would go over. And, there’s only so much yarn! I’m sure I could get two or three baby sweaters out of it, but her youngest girl is now over a year old. I’ll really have to dig through my books for a sweater of fingering weight for that size. Hahaha: I just walked over to the bookshelf and the first thing I pulled off was an old Workbasket magazine with a size 2 crochet sweater on the cover in baby pink 3-ply! It calls for 6 1 ounce skeins and these are 1 3/4 ounce skeins, so it should only take like 4!

My pastor and his wife are expecting number five. They have four boys and the scan shows this one as a girl. Can you imagine the excitement? I asked her what her color(s) are and she simply said, “Pink.”

Looks like I’ll have enough to make both, but I’d better get to it. I can only stand So. Much. Pink. for so long.

Wow! Miss B really looks like little Cow, doesn’t she? (That’s baby BB in the photo, her face can be seen on the pattern page)

Finally got around to moving my soaker pattern here! Woolly Britches are available for your crocheting pleasure. My photos aren’t very organized (yes, they’re all digital) so I’m having trouble finding the one that goes in the middle of the page (Ben, help?)

That’s the original WB soaker that I made in 2004. Maybe I should take a new photo and show how well it’s aged. It went through the wash (oops) and shrunk a little, but still works great for Miss C.

I saw this neat bag while blog-hopping. It’s such a fun, simple idea. I’m working on making one myself. Only, I would like it to have a square or rectangular base and be able to hold more, so I’m thinking a button closure or some such. I’ll have the ties just be ribbon or crochet from the base (not sewn to the bag, like I think hers are).. And, maybe button the bag to the base so they come apart for easy washing.

So, last night I began crocheting the base. I finished it about lunchtime today. This afternoon, I’ve been working on the bag. I had just gotten the basic bag together – the lining was just stitched into the bottom – when BB came in and said, “My pockie!”

She snatched that thing so fast and ran off to play with, “My pockie!” I snapped this picture of her having her “lunch” from the bag.