Christmas Archives - engineeredcreations

January 4, 2019January 4, 2019

Simple Crochet Christmas Ornaments

I love to make homemade gifts for people. With teacher Christmas gift time approaching, I decided to make some simple crochet ornaments (in addition to contributing to class gift cards). Gift cards, while appreciated, feel so generic to me. I like to give at least a little something that is special.

That being noted, I also bit off a little more than I could chew and didn’t finish six of them before Christmas. Better late than never, right? I got a set of three to Zoe’s three teachers before the holidays, but Jack’s teachers just got their today.

I chose a set of three free patterns from 5 Little Monsters that I found on Pinterest. Didn’t they turn out cute?

January 13, 2016

Christmas Themed Felted Soap

I so enjoyed making my own soap and needle felting it, I decided to game homemade felted soap for all the females in my family for Christmas. When my sister and cousin came into town to visit, I recruited their help as well. They turned out absolutely adorable!

November 24, 2015

Clean Mini Pumpkin Pie

I’ve been craving pumpkin pie lately. I really have a thing for pumpkin pie. Before I started eating clean, I picked up the individual servings of pumpkin pie almost every time I went to the grocery store! I tried some of the clean pumpkin pie recipes I found online, but they just weren’t cutting. I played with a recipe this weekend until I got it just the way I wanted. These babies only have 71 calories!

Servings: 16

21 Day Fix Container Equivalents: 1 Yellow (I’m counting these as a yellow treat. They actually have a very small fraction of purple, yellow, blue, red, and tsp. Their container count isn’t clear.)

Ingredients:

3/4 cup old fashioned oats
1/4 cup butter
1 can pumpkin puree
12 oz unsweetened almond milk
1/4 cup + 2 tbsp Baking Truvia Blend
1 tsp salt
1 3/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice
2 eggs
16 pecan halves for garnish

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Prepare 16 muffin cups with silicone liners or spray with cooking spray
Place oats and 1/2 tsp of salt in food processor and pulse until oats become a flour-like consistency
Add butter to food processor and pulse until butter and oats have mixed into a dough
Press approximately 1 tbsp of dough into the bottom of each muffin cup
Mix pumpkin, almond milk, Truvia, pumpkin pie spice, eggs, and remaining salt until well blended
Pour mixture on top of dough
Place a pecan half on top of each mini pie
Bake for 50 minutes or until toothpick inserted in middle of mini pie comes out clean

Nutritional Information: Calories 71, Fat 4.7 g, Cholesterol 34.1 mg, Sodium 192 mg, Potassium 13.9 mg, Carbs 6.2 g, Protein 1.7 g, Vitamin A 3.3%, Vitamin C 0.1%, Calcium 4.8%, Iron 2.1%

If you have any questions about 21 Day Fix, I would love to answer them. Feel free to contact me in the comments below. Check out my story here.

January 12, 2014

Dachshund Koozies

Yesterday I posted that I had made a series of dachshund-related gifts for my friends including this miniature crocheted dachshund. I also knitted some adorable dachshund koozies.

Disclaimer: Feel free to make this pattern for your personal use, for your platypus, for charity, or to sell. The only thing I ask is that you please do not sell it on Etsy. If you are interested in purchasing a koozie from my Etsy store, you may do so here.

Materials:

5 Size US 4 double pointed needles
Vanna’s Choice Yarn in Sapphire (S)
Vanna’s Choice Yarn in Rust (R)
Vanna’s Choice Yarn in Burgundy (B)
Vanna’s Choice Yarn in Black (K)
Stitch Holder or Extra Needle

Stitches Used:

Gauge:

10 stitches and 15 rows = 2″ Stockinette Stitch

Instructions:

Cast on 48 stitches with S. Distribute stitches evenly on four of the double pointed needles.

R1: Knitting in round being careful not to twist the cast on stitches, (kS 2, pS 2) 12 times.

R2-R5: (kS 2, pS 2) 12 times

R6-R14: kS 48

R15: kS 30, kR 3, kS 15

R16: kS 21, kR 1, kS 6, kR 2, kK 1, kR 3, kS 14

R17: kS 21, slip next stitch on stitch holder and hold in front of work, kS 1, kR stitch on stitch holder, kS 2, kK 1, kR 9, kS 13

R18: kS 22, kR 1, kS 3, kR 8, kB 1, kS 13

R19: kS 22, kR 1, kS 8, kR 2, slip next stitch on stitch holder and hold behind work, kB 1, kR stitch on stitch holder, kR 13

R20: kR 21, slip next stitch on stitch holder and hold in front of work, kR 1, kS stitch on stitch holder, kS 8, kR 1, slip next stitch on stitch holder and hold behind work, kB 1, kR stitch on stitch holder, kR 14

R21: kR 21, kS 10, slip next stitch on stitch holder and hold behind work, kB 1, kR stitch on stitch holder, kR 15

R22: kR 21, kS 10, kR 17

R23: kR 20, kS 12, kR 16

R24: kR 20, kS 14, kR 2, kS 12

R25: kS 18, kR 2, kS 13, kR 3, kS 12

R26: kS 17, kR 3, kS 24

R27-R32: Continuing with S, k 48

R33: (k2, k2tog) 12 times

R34: (k2, k2tog) 9 times

R35: (k1, k2tog) 9 times

R36: (k2tog) 9 times

To finish, pull a loop through all 6 stitches on needle and pull tight. Work in ends.

Difficulty: Easy

Time Required: 2 Movies

Overall Experience: Excellent

December 26, 2013

Katniss Cowl

You may purchase the cowl from my Etsy shop here.

As the Catching Fire promotional material came out a few months ago, a cowl that Katniss was wearing became quite popular in the knitting community. When my mom texted me that my sister was in love with a sweater thing from the new Hunger Games movie, I knew exactly what she was talking about. I found some patterns online, but they were all missing something from the original. I decided to make up my own.

The overall effect of the cowl turned out stunningly well. The cowl, in a size small, was a little smaller and tighter than the original, but very close. I’ve read that the original garment was woven rather than just knitted. The actual knitting is very simple, but the garment construction is difficult.

Sizes

I made the original garment in a size small, fitting it to myself as I went. I’ve received some requests for other sizes, so I have provided some alternate (untested) sizes. The garment is stretchy and forgiving. Let me how it turns out if you make one of the other sizes! They are based off of the following chest measurements:

Small: 33-34 inches
Medium: 35-36 inches
Large: 37-39 inches
Extra-Large: 40-42 inches

The length/stitch count for the small is shown first outside of parenthesis. The other sizes follow inside of parenthesis, i.e. small (medium, large, extra large). The pattern gets a little long and confusing with the different sizes, so I would suggest printing the pattern and highlighting the size you are making.

Materials

About 6.5 (6.75, 7.00, 7.25) ft of 3/4 in synthetic rope
About 3.5 (3.75, 4.00, 4.00) ft of 3/8 in synthetic rope
5 skeins of Vanna’s Choice in Grey Marble
3 size US 15 knitting needles
Size G crochet hook
5 size US 6 knitting needles (optional: only needed if you choose to knit rather than crochet the caps that go over the ends of the ropes)
Tapestry needle
Grey duck tape
Lighter

Stitches Used

Neck

The neck was definitely the most tedious part of the cowl to make. The method I used looks very much like the real cowl, but it turned out quite stiff. Modified crocheted stitches are used to cover the rope in yarn. The rest of the garment is knitted.

Cut the 3/4 in rope at 34 (35, 37, 38) inches. The rope will likely have three strands. On each end, cut 1 in from one strand, 1/2 in from the second strand, and leave the third strand alone. The end of your rope should look like this:

Find a non-flammable surface outside. Form the piece of rope into a circle and align the ends so that the short piece on one is touching the short piece on the other end. The two mid-sized pieces should be touching. Use the lighter to melt the rope and fuse the piece into a circle. It’s OK if it’s a little lumpy.

Wrap the circle in duck tape. This hides whatever neon color your rope is and gives the circle some extra stability.

Tie a knot around your crochet hook. Wrap the yarn around the rope circle and ch. Continue wrapping and chaining until the entire circle is covered in yarn. The chain should be on the bottom of your circle. You may need to periodically push the yarn closer together to make sure no duck tape is showing. Break off and work in ends.

Cut 39 (40, 42, 43) in sections of both the 3/4 in and 3/8 in rope. Cover both sections in duck tape to hide the neon coloring.

The next two ropes will not be circular, so an approximately 2 in cap needs to be made for each end of the two ropes. I already had my crochet hook in my hand, so I crocheted them. I included directions for alternative knitted caps, but they are untested. If some tries it, let me know how it works!

Crocheted Large Cap (Make 2)

R1: Ch 3, sl st into first ch to create ring

R2: Sc 6 in ring, sl st in first sc (6 sc)

R3: Ch 1, sc 2 in each sc, sl st in first sc (12 sc)

R4-R8: Ch 1, sc in each sc, sl st in first sc (12 sc)

Break off and work in ends.

Alternative Knitted Large Caps (Make 2)

Cast on 12 stitches using the double pointed needles. Distribute stitches on four needles evenly.

R1-R6: Knitting in round, k12

R7: K2tog six times

Cut yarn and pull end through all six live stitches. Pull tight and work in ends.

Crocheted Small Cap (Make 2)

R1: Ch 3, sl st into first ch to create ring

R2: Ch 1, sc 6 in ring, sl st in first sc (6 sc)

R3-R8: Ch 1, sc in each sc, sl st in first sc (6 sc)

Break off and work in ends.

Alternative Knitted Small Caps (Make 2)

Cast on 6 stitches using the double pointed needles. Distribute stitches on three needles evenly.

R1-R7: Knitting in round, k6

Cut yarn and pull end through all six live stitches. Pull tight and work in ends.

Neck (Continued)

Place larger caps on the ends of the 3/4 in rope. They should fit snugly. Sl st into cap about 1 in from the end of the rope on “bottom.” Wrap the yarn around the rope and cap and sl st into cap until you reach the end of the cap.
Wrap the yarn around the rope and ch until 4 in of the rope is covered.
Ch 5 bringing the chain along the inside of the rope, sl st into a ch on the circular piece of rope.

Wrap the yarn around the rope and sl st into the next ch on the circular piece of rope. Continue until 3 in of the rope is left uncovered. You may have to wrap the yarn around the rope twice or sl st into the same ch twice to make sure that all of the rope is covered at any time during this process.
Ch 5 bring the chain along the inside of the rope. Wrap the yarn around the rope and ch until you reach the cap.
Wrap the yarn around the rope and sl st into the bottom of the cap. Continue until you are about 1 in from the end of the cap. Break off and work in ends.

Place smaller caps on the ends of the 3/8 in rope. The should fit snugly. Hold the smaller rope directly underneath the 3/4 in non-circular rope. Starting 1 in from the end of the cap, wrap the yarn around the rope and sl st into the larger cap. Continue until you reach the end of the caps.
Wrap the yarn around the rope and sl st into the ch on the non-circular rope until 4 in of rope is covered.
Wrap the yarn around the rope and sl st into the yarn wrapping around larger non-circular rope until 3 in of rope is left uncovered.
Wrap the yarn around the rope and sl st into the ch on the non-circular rope until you are 1 in from the end of the cap. Break off and work in ends.

Torso and Shoulders

The hard part is done. Yay! The torso and shoulder sections are very simply knitted. If you look at the texture of the real garment, it has an effect of being knitted, but each column of stitches is a different size. As mentioned before, the garment was actually woven. Each of the neck sections is likely to come together slightly differently so adjustments may need to be made.

Holding two strands of yarn together as one, cast 20 stitches on your Size US 15 knitting needles. Knit Pattern 1 until your piece measures 3 in.

Pattern 1

R1: K20

R2: (P1, sl 2, p1, sl 1) four times

Continue using Pattern 2 until the piece measure about 19 (20, 21.5, 23) inches ending on R2. All measurements starting here should be measured on the edge of the fabric AWAY from the neck section. The fabric will be slightly gathered at the neck section. For the first 12 (12.5, 13.5, 14.5) inches, pick up a stitch every 1/2 in. Pick up a stitch every 1/4 in afterwards. The stitches should be picked up starting at the bottom side of the 4 in free end of the 3/8 in covered rope.

Pattern 2

R1: K20, pick up stitch on bottom of 3/8 in covered rope.

R2: P2tog, (sl 2, p1, sl 1, p1) three times, sl 2, p1, sl 1

Ending on R2, leave the live stitches on one of your three needles. Right side facing, pick up 20 (22, 25, 27) stitches holding two strands together as one on the bottom approximately 6 (6.5, 7.5, 8) six inches on the right side of the section you just knitted. Following Pattern 3, knit 12 inches ending on R1.

Pattern 3

R1 (small): (Sl 1, p1, sl 2, p1) four times

R1 (medium): (Sl 1, p1, sl 2, p1) four times, sl 1, p1

R1 (large): (Sl 1, p1, sl 2, p1) five times

R1 ( extra large): (Sl 1, p1, sl 2, p1) five times, sl 1, p1

R2: Sl 1, k19 (k21, k24, k26)

The next step is to work the stitches that are on both needles together and decrease back down from 40 (42, 45, 47) stitches to 20. Continue picking up stitches about every 1/4 in.

Decrease Pattern

R1: Continuing with needle holding the last row from Pattern 3, Sl 1, k19 (k21, k24, k26), continuing with the needle holding last row from Pattern 2, K20, pick up stitch on bottom of 3/8 in covered rope

R2 (small): P2tog, (sl 2, p1, sl 1, p1) three times, sl 2, p1, p2tog, (p1, sl 2, p1, sl 1) three times, p1, sl 2, p1

R2 (medium): P2tog, (sl 2, p1, sl 1, p1) three times, sl 2, p1, p2tog, (p1, sl 2, p1, sl 1) four times, p1

R2 (large): P2tog, (sl 2, p1, sl 1, p1) three times, sl 2, p1, p2tog, (p1, sl 2, p1, sl 1) four times, p1, sl 2, p1

R2 (extra large): P2tog, (sl 2, p1, sl 1, p1) three times, sl 2, p1, p2tog, (p1, sl 2, p1, sl 1) five times, p1

R3: Sl 1, k17 (19, 22, 24), k2tog, k19, pick up stitch

R4 (small): P2tog, (sl 2, p1, sl 1, p1) three times, sl 2, p1, p2tog, sl 1, p1, (sl 1, p1, sl 2, p1) three times

R4 (medium): P2tog, (sl 2, p1, sl 1, p1) three times, sl 2, p1, p2tog, sl 1, p1, (sl 1, p1, sl 2, p1) three times, sl 1, p1

R4 (large): P2tog, (sl 2, p1, sl 1, p1) three times, sl 2, p1, p2tog, sl 1, p1, (sl 1, p1, sl 2, p1) four times

R4 (extra large): P2tog, (sl 2, p1, sl 1, p1) three times, sl 2, p1, p2tog, sl 1, p1, (sl 1, p1, sl 2, p1) four times, sl 1, p1

R5: Sl 1, k15 (17, 20, 22) k2tog, k19, pick up stitch

R6 (small): P2tog, (sl 2, p1, sl 1, p1) three times, sl 2, p1, p2tog, (sl 1, p1, sl 2, p1) three times

R6 (medium): P2tog, (sl 2, p1, sl 1, p1) three times, sl 2, p1, p2tog, (sl 1, p1, sl 2, p1) three times, sl 1, p1

R6 (large): P2tog, (sl 2, p1, sl 1, p1) three times, sl 2, p1, p2tog, (sl 1, p1, sl 2, p1) three times, sl 1, p1

R6 (extra large): P2tog, (sl 2, p1, sl 1, p1) three times, sl 2, p1, p2tog, (sl 1, p1, sl 2, p1) three times, sl 1, p1

R7: Sl 1, k13 (15, 18, 20), k2tog, k19, pick up stitch

R8 (small): P2tog, (sl 2, p1, sl 1, p1) three times, sl 2, p1, p2tog, (sl 2, p1, sl 1, p1) two times, sl 2, p1

R8 (medium): P2tog, (sl 2, p1, sl 1, p1) three times, sl 2, p1, p2tog, (sl 2, p1, sl 1, p1) three times

R8 (large): P2tog, (sl 2, p1, sl 1, p1) three times, sl 2, p1, p2tog, (sl 2, p1, sl 1, p1) three times, sl 2, p1

R8 (extra large): P2tog, (sl 2, p1, sl 1, p1) three times, sl 2, p1, p2tog, (sl 2, p1, sl 1, p1) four times

R9: Sl 1, k11 (13, 16, 18), k2tog, k19, pick up stitch

R10 (small): P2tog, (sl 2, p1, sl 1, p1) three times, sl 2, p1, p2tog, (p1, sl 1, p1, sl 2) two times, p1

R10 (medium): P2tog, (sl 2, p1, sl 1, p1) three times, sl 2, p1, p2tog, (p1, sl 1, p1, sl 2) two times, p1, sl 1, p1

R10 (large): P2tog, (sl 2, p1, sl 1, p1) three times, sl 2, p1, p2tog, (p1, sl 1, p1, sl 2) three times, p1

R10 (extra large): P2tog, (sl 2, p1, sl 1, p1) three times, sl 2, p1, p2tog, (p1, sl 1, p1, sl 2) three times, p1, sl 1, p1

R11: Sl 1, k9 (11, 14, 16), k2tog, k19, pick up stitch

R12 (small): P2tog, (sl 2, p1, sl 1, p1) three times, sl 2, p1, p2tog, p1, sl 2, p1, sl 1, p1, sl 2, p1

R12 (medium): P2tog, (sl 2, p1, sl 1, p1) three times, sl 2, p1, p2tog, (p1, sl 2, p1, sl 1) two times, p1

R12 (large): P2tog, (sl 2, p1, sl 1, p1) three times, sl 2, p1, p2tog, (p1, sl 2, p1, sl 1) two times, p1, sl 2, p1

R12 (extra large): P2tog, (sl 2, p1, sl 1, p1) three times, sl 2, p1, p2tog, (p1, sl 2, p1, sl 1) three times, p1

R13: Sl 1, k7 (9, 12, 14), k2tog, k19, pick up stitch

R14 (small): P2tog, (sl 2, p1, sl 1, p1) three times, sl 2, p1, p2tog, sl 1, p1, sl 1, p1, sl 2, p1

R14 (medium): P2tog, (sl 2, p1, sl 1, p1) three times, sl 2, p1, p2tog, sl 1, p1, sl 1, p1, sl 2, p1, sl 1, p1

R14 (large): P2tog, (sl 2, p1, sl 1, p1) three times, sl 2, p1, p2tog, sl 1, p1, (sl 1, p1, sl 2, p1) two times

R14 (extra large): P2tog, (sl 2, p1, sl 1, p1) three times, sl 2, p1, p2tog, sl 1, p1, (sl 1, p1, sl 2, p1) two times, sl 1, p1

R15: Sl 1, k5 (7, 10, 12), k2tog, k19, pick up stitch

R16 (small): P2tog, (sl 2, p1, sl 1, p1) three times, sl 2, p1, p2tog, sl 1, p1, sl 2, p1

R16 (medium): P2tog, (sl 2, p1, sl 1, p1) three times, sl 2, p1, p2tog, sl 1, p1, sl 2, p1, sl 1, p1

R16 (large): P2tog, (sl 2, p1, sl 1, p1) three times, sl 2, p1, p2tog, (sl 1, p1, sl 2, p1) two times

R16 (extra large): P2tog, (sl 2, p1, sl 1, p1) three times, sl 2, p1, p2tog, (sl 1, p1, sl 2, p1) two times, sl 1, p1

R17: Sl 1, k3 (5, 8, 10), k2tog, k19, pick up stitch

R18 (small): P2tog, (sl 2, p1, sl 1, p1) three times, sl 2, p1, p2tog, sl 2, p1

R18 (medium): P2tog, (sl 2, p1, sl 1, p1) three times, sl 2, p1, p2tog, sl 2, p1, sl 1, p1

R18 (large): P2tog, (sl 2, p1, sl 1, p1) three times, sl 2, p1, p2tog, sl 2, p1, sl 1, p1, sl 2, p1

R18 (extra large): P2tog, (sl 2, p1, sl 1, p1) three times, sl 2, p1, p2tog, (sl 2, p1, sl 1, p1) two times

R19: Sl 1, k1 (3, 6, 8), k2tog, k19, pick up stitch

R20 (small): P2tog, (sl 2, p1, sl 1, p1) three times, sl 2, p1, p2tog, p1

R20 (medium): P2tog, (sl 2, p1, sl 1, p1) three times, sl 2, p1, p2tog, p1, sl 1, p1

R20 (large): P2tog, (sl 2, p1, sl 1, p1) three times, sl 2, p1, p2tog, p1, sl 1, p1, sl 2, p1

R20 (extra large): P2tog, (sl 2, p1, sl 1, p1) three times, sl 2, p1, p2tog, p1, sl 1, p1, sl 2, p1, sl 1, p1

R21: sl 0 (1, 1, 1), k0 (1, 4, 6), k2tog, k19, pick up stitch

R22 (small): Not applicable (NA)

R22 (medium): P2tog, (sl 2, p1, sl 1, p1) three times, sl 2, p1, p2tog, p1

R22 (large): P2tog, (sl 2, p1, sl 1, p1) three times, sl 2, p1, p2tog, p1, sl 2, p1

R22 (extra large): P2tog, (sl 2, p1, sl 1, p1) three times, sl 2, p1, p2tog, p1, sl 2, p1, sl 1, p1

R23: (small NA) sl (0, 1, 1), k (0, 2, 4), k2tog, k19, pick up stitch

R24 (small): NA

R24 (medium): NA

R24 (large): P2tog, (sl 2, p1, sl 1, p1) three times, sl 2, p1, p2tog, sl 1, p1

R24 (extra large): P2tog, (sl 2, p1, sl 1, p1) three times, sl 2, p1, p2tog, sl 1, p1, sl 1, p1

R25: (small, medium NA) sl (NA, 1, 1), k (NA, 0, 2), k2tog, k19, pick up stitch

R26 (small): NA

R26 (medium): NA

R26 (large): P2tog, (sl 2, p1, sl 1, p1) three times, sl 2, p1, p2tog

R26 (extra large): P2tog, (sl 2, p1, sl 1, p1) three times, sl 2, p1, p2tog, sl 1, p1

R27 (small): NA

R27 (medium): NA

R27 (large): K20, pick up stitch

R27 (extra large): sl 1, k2tog, k19, pick up stitch

R28 (small): NA

R28 (medium): NA

R28 (large): NA

R28 (extra large): P2tog, (sl 2, p1, sl 1, p1) three times, sl 2, p1, p2tog

R29 (small): NA

R29 (medium): NA

R29 (large): NA

R29 (extra large): K20, pick up stitch

Continue using Pattern 4 for 6 (6.5, 7.25, 8) more inches ending on R1.

Pattern 4

R1: P2tog, (sl 2, p1, sl 1, p1) three times, sl 2, p1, sl 1

R2: K20, pick up stitch

Some additional shaping is required for the left shoulder. Knit the Shoulder Repeat Pattern three times.

Shoulder Increase Pattern

R1: K17

R2: Sl 2, (p1, sl 2, p1, sl 1) three times

R3: K15

R4: Sl 3, p1, sl 1, (p1, sl2, p1, sl 1) two times

R5: K12

R6: Sl 2, (p1, sl 2, p1, sl 1) two times

R7: K10

R8: Sl 3, p1, sl 1, p1, sl 2, p1, sl 1

R9: K7

R10: Sl 2, p1, sl 2, p1, sl 1

R11: K5

R12: Sl 3, p1, sl1

R13: K2

R14: Sl 2

R15: K20, pick up a stitch

R16: P2tog, sl 2, p1, sl 1, (p1, sl 2, p1, sl 1) three times

R17: K20, pick up a stitch

R18: P2tog, sl 2, p1, sl 1, (p1, sl 2, p1, sl 1) three times

After repeating the Shoulder Increase Pattern three times, continue using Pattern 4 until you reach the end of the rope ending on a R2. You may have to bind off differently to make everything fit together right. I bound off 12 of the stitches. I then followed Pattern 5 for three more inches and bound off the remaining stitches.

Pattern 5

R1: Sl 1, p1, sl 1, p1, sl 2, p1, sl 1

R2: K8

Whip stitch the bound off stitches to the left side of where you started knitting along four inch free end of the rope sections as shown below.

Front Triangular Section

The last step is to add a triangular section near where you began decreasing from 40 (42, 45, 47) to 20 stitches. Holding two strands of yarn together as one, pick up 12 stitches pearl-wise along the bottom of the top section starting at the corner where the two sections come together. See the picture below. Follow the triangle pattern below.

Triangle Pattern

R1: K12

R2: P1, sl 2, p1, sl 1, p1, sl 2, p1, sl 1, p1, sl 1

R3: K10, k2tog

R4: Sl2, p1, sl 1, p1, sl 2, p1, sl 1, p1, sl 1

R5: K9 k2tog

R6: Sl 1, p1, sl 1, p1, sl 2, p1, sl 1, p1, sl 1

R7: K8, k2tog

R8: P1, sl 1, p1, sl 2, p1, sl 1, p1, sl 1

R9: K7, k2tog

R10: Sl 1, p1, sl 2, p1, sl 1, p1, sl 1

R11: K6, k2tog

R12: P1, sl 2, p1, sl 1, p1, sl 1

R13: K5, k2tog

R14: Sl 2, p1, sl 1, p1, sl 1

R15: K4, k2tog

R16: Sl 1, p1, sl 1, p1, sl 1

R17: K3, k2tog

R18: P1, sl 1, p1, sl 1

R19: K2, k2tog

R20: Sl 1, p1, sl 1

R21: K1, k2tog

R22: p1, sl 1

R23: K2 tog

Bind off. Whip stitch the bottom of the triangular section to the portion below it as shown in the picture.

December 17, 2013

Celebration 2013

I’ve been absent from blogging the last couple of weeks because I have been heavily involved in my church’s Christmas production. Instead of posting some sort of craft, I wanted to share some of my favorite moments from the show. I love that I got to share Christ with over 20,000 people this weekend through one of my favorite things: DANCE!

My church’s production has three parts: the Spirit, the Songs, and the Story. The Spirit section contains fun skits and dances related to the “spirit” of Christmas. The second section includes some technically difficult choir and orchestra pieces, hence the Songs. The third, and most important, section tells the story of Jesus. Check out thefirstchristmas.org for more information.

One of my coworkers took a few video clips from the front row of the Spirit section. This was opening night and the dances weren’t quite as clean as they were the other nights. Here are my favorites. The first clip is tap dance to Hot Chocolate from Polar Express. The second is a clip of the Rockette Reindeer dance. The third is me (as Rosemary Clooney) and Bing Crosby dancing to White Christmas from White Christmas. The angles are…interesting…but I was still excited to see them!

June 26, 2013

State Plaque

Last year, I found a cute idea on Pinterest. Someone had created this adorable plaque. Unfortunately, the link attached to the pin didn’t lead to directions. I decided to make similar plaques for my parents and my boyfriend’s parents for Christmas. I detailed my improvised process below. Sorry for the lack of pictures!

Materials (and where I bought them):

A Plaque ( Hobby Lobby)
A Box of Small Nails (Home Depot)
A Small Finishing Hammer (Home Depot)
Ball of Cotton Crochet Thread (Hobby Lobby)
Masking Tape
Scissors
Access to a Computer/Printer

Instructions:

Purchase your plaque so you are certain of the size.
Print out a state map and a small heart using your computer and printer. Make sure the sizes are appropriate for your plaque. I copied my state map into PowerPoint so that I could scale it to fit my plaque well. Also in PowerPoint, I superimposed the heart on the map over the cities where my parents and my then boyfriend’s (now fiance’s!) parents live.
Cut out the map and the heart using scissors.
Create small rolls of masking tape and put the tape on the back of the map.
Place the map on the plaque in the orientation desired.
Line the paper map and heart with nails. I would suggest using a spacer so the nails are evenly spaced. I used a crochet hook. A pen would be an appropriate size.
After the paper map and heart are completely lined with nails, carefully remove the map.
Tie the end of the thread to one of the heart nails. Maintaining tension in the thread, wrap the thread around the nails alternating between heart nails and map nails. Wrap thread around each map nail once and each heart nail several times. When all of the nails are wrapped, tie the string to the final nail and cut the string close to the nail.

I was very pleased with the final product and both of our parents loved their gifts!

Difficulty: Easy

Time Requited: 2 Movies

Overall Experience: Excellent

About a month ago, I got an email from Uncommon Goods. They are selling almost the exact same plaques for $85! I wish that I had thought to paint the tips of the nails red for the heart. That was a really cute idea!

June 8, 2013

Hello Kitty Scarf

My 15-year-old sister is OBSESSED with Hello Kitty. When I stumbled upon a crocheted Hello Kitty scarf on Pinterest, I knew that was going to be part of her Christmas present. The pattern was written by Made by K. The pattern is quick, easy, and looks just like Hello Kitty. The only drawback is that it is very long. Karin of Made by K included multiple sets of alternate instructions for different parts of the scarf. I found this fun because I had choices, but others might find this confusing.

The scarf turned out adorable. Below you can find my alterations from the written pattern (although the written pattern is really made for alterations):

Karin made her scarf for a child and included seven regular granny squares (four white center and three grey center). Since my scarf was for a very tall (5’10ish) teenager, I made 11 regular granny squares (6 white center and 5 grey center).
There are several methods for joining the granny squares. I used the join as you go method described in the pattern.
Karin gives easy border and harder border instructions. The connected squares tend to dip in where they are joined (see picture below from Karin’s blog). After completing the first row of the harder border, which is supposed to give a smooth border, my project was still dipping in at these locations. (I wasn’t planning a blog at this point or I would show pictures.) I accounted for this in Row 2 of the border. Row 2 asks the crocheter to single crochet all the way around the scarf. I followed this except I half double crocheted in the double crochet stitches from Row 1 (see picture below).
I added the flower detail to both Hello Kitty squares instead of just one.

Here is my (almost) fiance (at that time) modeling the scarf. It really brings out his…something.

My sister loved the scarf. She modeled it with all of her other Hello Kitty Christmas items.

Difficulty: Easy

The pattern may be a little hard to follow since it is quite long.

Time Required: 2 Movies

Overall Experience: Excellent