Crocheted baby blanket - DONE!

Very first baby project (besides getting the baby on the way, of course) is finished!

You can find the free pattern for this baby blanket on redheart.com right HERE. The pattern says to embroider a whole bunch of flowers all over the pink parts of the blanket, aaaand that's not going to happen. Mostly because I'm kind of lazy to do all that work, and I'm also not super girly. I felt like all the flowers may be a bit too much. I tend to think it's girly enough just because there's pink on it. :)

I added one of my bunnies to the pictures to up the cuteness factor. She's so tiny on that big ole blanket!

Oh man. So cute.

We are starting the journey of painting baby girl's room. Hubs is really stepping up despite how much he really hates painting. Again - super hero. Hopefully we'll have some good pictures to share with you soon. We also made our first big purchases for baby's room at Ikea. We're very excited about getting the room ready. Very exciting. Also a tiny bit stressful because the fall semester of graduate school is starting. But we'll make it work!

Have you seen any other cute baby crochet or baby DIY projects?? I'm really excited to make some cute things soon!

Today I'm choosing to be thankful.

I'm having a day. One of those days. A particularly moody day. However, this afternoon has been better. So in an effort to completely turn this day around, I'm taking the advice of others and remembering things I'm grateful for. Here are a few things.

Also, I just cleaned out my phone's memory. This post will probably have some old silly pictures just for fun. You're welcome.

I cannot wait to show you that finished crochet project. If you haven't figured it out, it's a doily. Now I know I'm channeling my inner old lady. And I'm fine with that. :)

And I finally got to check out The Hobbit from the library. I'm very excited to read it because I loved The Lord of the Rings so much. And Steve will be excited because then we can finally watch the movies together. Although we still might wait until they are all available.

Yes, I know it's April. But I found this pattern for wrist warmers on Ravelry, and I just thought they looked so fun and cute! So I made them. They actually turned out easier than I expected.

And just for fun, this really terrible phone picture of our Valentine's Day date to our stake dance:

And also this song. It's one of my favorites. And their outfits are super groovy. And the guy wearing the orange shirt is obviously loving life. Clearly, because he keeps swinging that french horn around and making me feel like he's going to drop it!

I hope you have a happy evening! 

What do you do when you choose to be thankful and happy?

Chunky Crochet Basket

Hey friends! As most yarn crafters do, I have an enormous amount of small yarn balls that are left over from previous projects. What to do with these? Where to store them? Why won't they stop rolling all over the place?!

Problem solved with this cute chunky crocheted basket!

I saw this cute chunky yarn basket over at All About Ami. She had seen and used the free pattern at Crochet In Color, created by Liz. I happened to have some extra chunky yarn from a project from probably 3 years ago. There wasn't enough to make a fun scarf, and there were two different colors.

I decided to give this crocheted basket a shot, simply because it looked cute, it would use up some yarn in my stash, and it would be a cute storage spot for some small yarn balls. All kinds of great things in one project! Liz does suggest you use two strands of yarn at the same time. It would make it stiffer so it would keep the shape. As I mentioned, I would not have had enough of these colors to do two at once. Even though I knew it would be a little flimsy, I decided to do it anyway. It would still serve its purpose.

I ran out of the pink (as you can see). When that happened I was glad I decided not to try the two strands at once. Even though it's a little lumpy in spots, I'm enjoying the end result and storing some smaller yarn balls in the basket. I have some other chunky yarn that I'm planning to make a blanket with. But if there's any left over, you know what I'll be making. :)

A Big Announcement

Hey everyone! It's official! The shop is open and ready for business!

Tell your family! Tell your friends!

We are all kinds of excited up in here!
Keep checking back for more items like these and even more!
New items will be added as they're made.

Visit the shop here: www.etsy.com/shop/stitchesandstills
Or click on my Etsy button on the side of my blog ----->>>>

Many thanks to my friends and family that supported me and encouraged me to start this. I am very nervous, but very excited!

It's happening...

Soon.

Sometimes when I look at the things I've created, silly things come to my mind -- like this. I just had to make one. I think I might make another one that's even sillier.

Anyway, check back tomorrow morning for a big announcement.

Here comes the bride...

Ok, so not really a bride. I just made a set of bunnies that are a bride and groom. Ever since I have made these cute spring bunnies, I have envisioned a bride and groom set. Because ... marriage + bunnies? How much more adorable can you get?? Not much, friends.

Here is my little bunny that is quite gentlemanly. With his top hat rolled up and between his ears he looks like he should be on an old BBC show or something. So cute. Maybe I should add a little mustache...?

Here my is my little bride/fancy princess-looking bunny. And this gave me the idea to do princess bunnies. Good idea, right?!

And here is the happy bunny couple! I have a friend getting married this year that likes bunnies. So I told her I'd make a set for her and she can see how she likes them. We thought they'd be cute centerpieces or cake toppers.

These will definitely be appearing in my store. I've set a date on my calendar to shoot for as far as opening my store. My sister and I will both be selling items. More info on that soon!

Spring Chicken Amigurumi

Since I've been making some of those cute little bunnies, I started thinking about Easter. Then I found a cute little pattern for a little chick with an egg. Cute, right? This pattern was found on Ravelry, but the source is from crochetisforlovers.com.

I thought it was going to be much smaller than it was. But it's still so cute. I might have to make some adjustments and see if I can make a smaller version. I just think it's so cute. And it's perfect timing for Easter.

Now I'm off to start and finish some things that I'm making for friends and the shop. Oh, and I guess I should clean some of my house...

Happy Friday! Peep Peep!

Baby Dragon Amigurumi

Well it's not a Motivation Monday. But it kind of is because seeing my cute little finished crocheted friends motivates me to make more. :)

Here is a little dragon. The free pattern is found at All About Ami. She also created the pattern for the Spring Bunny I have been in love with making in the last couple of weeks. And he's just TOO CUTE.

I know people are going to ask - this little guy will not be in my upcoming shop. So he will be made for gifts for friends and family. This particular one is going to my friend who will be having a surgery soon. He's going to be her hospital/get well buddy.

Happy Monday!

Spring Bunny

You guys!!!! Look at the cutest thing I've ever made! Ok, I guess I'm biased because everything I make is considered the cutest thing I've ever made. Especially right after I make it for the first time.

This is a Spring Bunny from the free pattern over at All About Ami. The stuff she creates is always so cute and so small!

Here is my regular photo - so you can see that it's light blue.

 

And here is my instagram version - just because.

I see many of these being made in my near future - for new babies, for spring decor, and many other possibilities! I'm even envisioning a bride & groom version. Cute, right?!

Crocheted Christmas

Hi friends! I finally finished distributing my crocheted Christmas gifts to friends, family, and neighbors. Here are some of the things I've made. Enjoy!!

Shark hat
Link to pattern on Ravelry

Beard beanie
Link to beard pattern at jjcrochet.com
Link to hat pattern at Red Heart

Stuffed owl
Link to owl pattern at Ravelry

Baby aviator hat
Link to hat pattern at crochet-patterns-free.com

Wavy hat
Link to pattern on Craftsy.com

Scarf/cowl
Link to scarf pattern at juxtapost.com

I also made another scarf that I loved, but I forgot to take pictures. Here is the pattern: Link to fiberflux.blogspot.com


And some more exciting news! In the last month or so, Steve and I have felt that I should start up an Etsy shop. It's something that has intimidated me for quite some time. So keep your eyes open in the next couple of weeks for the announcement and introduction of my new shop. I'm nervous and excited!! If you have any suggestions for things to put in the shop, let me know!

Chrocheted Slytherin scarf

Back when I was making my Harry Potter scarves for Halloween, I also made a Gryffindor scarf for my friend's little boy. Apparently he loved it so much that he also wanted a Slytherin scarf. So here we go! I just used the same simple pattern as the last time - found here from Halloween.

Don't be too jealous that my picture backdrop is our front desk at work. I forgot to take pictures of it before I left this morning.

Crocheted Zig Zag blanket

This post has been a long time comin'. For some reason I forgot I had taken pictures of this project. I was all upset about it because it was so cute. But then as I was going through some pictures, I found a few pictures of the blanket!! Hooray for remembering to take pictures! They aren't great pictures, but I'm still glad I took them.

I made this blanket for my cousin's baby. I saw these colors in the store and I just loved how they looked together.

This pattern was from redheart.com and it's called the Rickrack Rainbow Baby Blanket. It is so cute and I am so glad I got to make it. It was pretty simple once you got the hang of it. And it is just beautiful! Can't wait to make another one!

Counting stitches

Like I said in the last post, since I finished my big test I've been relaxing and counting stitches. I made these four owls for my friend to give to her friend's kids. (That is like a riddle.) I've been looooving making these sweet little owls for Christmas presents.

I love their little wings. They look like they are saying, "fly away!"

Why do you crochet?

You've all seen that I've learned to crochet and I really enjoy it. I love working with my hands and seeing quick results of what I've been working on. I am willing to say that I'm good at it and I like making things for others. My top way to feel loved and show love is through service. Service comes in many forms, so it's a wide array of ways that I can feel loved.

I enjoy making things for others because I spend time thinking about them and making that certain thing. Since I've started crocheting, I have been making small things for loved ones and friends and it has brought me true joy. I love seeing their eyes light up and the smile that stretches across their face when they see their gift that I made! It's one of my ultimate ways to show how much I care about someone.

Because I love crocheting so much, I have quite a few people tell me that I should start an Etsy shop or start selling my creations at boutiques. I thought, "great idea! I can make some extra money!" Well I have sold a few of my things to friends for them to give as gifts. I've enjoyed that. But I decided not to do the Etsy shop or anything formal.

I am one of those people that starts to resent doing something when I realize that I have to fill a quota or do things when I had other things planned. So I knew that if I started taking formal orders from people, I would not enjoy crocheting as much.

This fact helped me realize that I enjoy crocheting as a service. I enjoy making things and giving them to people that are in need of a lift. I have decided to make this the reason I crochet. What better way to use my talents than to serve those around me?? I've discussed this with my husband, and I love his support. He immediately said he agreed that it was a good way to use my talents to show love to those that need it. Even though I'll technically be "losing" money by not selling most of my items, I will be increasing my love and appreciation for others through serving them.

Plus, I get to see people smile and exclaim, "You made this for me?!" Yes, I did!! :)

Harry Potter chevron crocheted scarf

Well I told ya there would be another Harry Potter Gryffindor scarf on the way - and here it is! (And the crowd goes wild!!)

I made this one in a chevron pattern because I wanted it to be something I would want to wear more than just on Halloween.

I actually adapted this pattern from a baby blanket pattern. I got this free pattern from www.redheart.com. It's the Rickrack Rainbow Baby Blanket - which I've made for my cousin's baby and I loved it so much! This is another great beginner crochet project because it's all just single crochets and counting stitches.

I believe I chained 26 to start out with. (I forgot to count it out before I joined the ends, so I'm not 100% positive. If you try this and that's wrong, let me know.) I wanted it to be a bit wider, but knew I probably didn't have enough yarn left. So I just did 26.
Then I just followed the pattern above. Instead of only crocheting the single crochet only in the back loops, I did it through all the loops.
I kept measuring along to way to see how long I wanted it. When I got it to the length I liked, I just joined the two ends together with single crochets.

I don't know if you can tell in the picture, but it does curl a little bit. It doesn't just lay flat. So if that would bug you, you probably don't want to do this project. Since it was made into an infinity scarf, I didn't think it would bug me much at all.

As I mentioned in the last post, the yarn was $2.99 for each color (Burgundy and Gold). So I got two sweet HP scarves for only about $6!! Holler!!

I couldn't wait until Halloween to wear it, so I wore it to work today! I like it because the colors are very Gryffindor, but I would feel comfortable wearing this any time because it's a more "trendy" way of being Harry Potter-ish. So awesome!!

Harry Potter crocheted scarf

Well I'm on my way to more Harry Potter-ness for my Halloween. I have gotten supplies for a few different things, so I'm trying to focus on one thing at a time in order to actually have finished projects by the time Halloween rolls around.

General Conference was this weekend (go here to learn what that is: gc.lds.org ) so I had some time where my hands could be working while my brain was still focused on what was being taught. Today was the perfect day to start my crocheted Gryffindor scarves for our costumes. I actually started the first one last night, and finished it during Conference today.

Here is the first scarf:

I went with the basic single crochet so it would look similar to the scarves in the movies. So if you are a beginning crocheter, this may be a great project for you to do! However, if your stitches aren't very even yet, work on that first so that all your sides will be even, tight, and straight.

First I got the yarn. I chose Burgundy and Gold of the Red Heart Super Saver brand. I like Red Heart because it's a good price, and I've never had a problem with it. I've used it for a majority of my projects. And the yarn was $2.99 each. I haven't bought new yarn in quite a while, so I'm not sure if that was on sale or not. But I figure two scarves for about $6 is a great deal. Woot!

Here is the simple pattern I made up, since it was super easy anyway:

Start with which ever color you want. I switched colors every 20 rows. And I made it so that I ended with the opposite color of what I started with. That was my preference.

Chain 21.
Row 1: Single crochet in second chain from the hook, Single crochet across, Chain 1, turn.
Row 2-end: Repeat Row 1.

See?? Easy, right?? I didn't even have to type that out for you!! ;)
At the end I just had to weave in all the loose ends and I was done.

I have seen people that made the stripes different sizes, like the burgundy 20 rows and the gold 10 rows. And I've seen people that put cool fringes on each end of the scarf. They look awesome! But like I said, I was going for what it looked like in the movie and simplicity. Easy peasy.

The second scarf will be coming soon...because I decided to make it a little differently!

Owl be seeing you

Here a new sweet friend I can add to my crocheted collection. This one was so fun to do because it's easy and quick. Getting everything symmetrical can be a challenge, but it all works out. I made this one specifically for my friend that moved away recently. We have become pretty great friends over the past couple of years at work. I'm sad to see him go, but excited for him and his new journey! Love ya B-rady-Rae!!

He was promptly named Hootz.

So glad he liked his new friend. :)

I ain't lion about these crocheted cuties

Are you kidding me with how stinkin' cute this guy is? No, I ain't lion. :) I feel so clever that I thought of that right when I finished this. 

Sorry for the bad quality pictures - these are all from my phone because I have temporarily misplaced my real camera in all the Trek unpacking mess. Whoops.

We have appropriately named our new friend Aslan.

Got this awesome, free pattern from Amigurumi To Go, in the Little Bigfoot patterns.

It was designed by Sharon Ojala and Melissa Trenado.

Here is a darker version (not racist ;)) of the elephant. This was for my friend who will be visiting a niece soon. I added that cute little bow to make it look a little girlie-er. I call her Ellie.

Once again, I got this free pattern from redheart.com.

Now, here is the story of this next yarn. My cousins recently had a baby girl. They are fans of the Chicago Bears. So when I saw this Bears-colored yarn, I had to get it to try and make something for their new little one. I thought a hat would be really cute for game nights and stuff. So I tried to make this one baby hat that I have made many times before. But with each round, it wasn't looking like a hat ... just a big flat circle. I don't know what is up with that yarn, but it didn't stretch right and it wasn't shaping right.
So I thought maybe a blanket would be cute. Oh wait, I already made a blanket for them. Then I thought about a scarf - but I wanted it to be for the baby. I don't think I've ever seen an infant wearing a scarf.

So that yarn sat in my stash for a long time - hoping I would suddenly see something online or in a store that I could use that yarn for. Well that day finally came! I was looking through one of my favorite crocheting blogs (allaboutami.tumblr.com) and found a cute little bib. She had seen the free bib pattern from another blog (knitlessknitter.blogspot.com). I followed that pattern and it turned out quite lovely. And the two-colored yarn kind of made its own stripes - which was faaaantastic!!!

So here is my Bears-colored bib. Super cute. I just need to add my button and I can send it away to my cousins' new baby girl.

Seen originally on allaboutami.tumblr.com

Free pattern on knitlessknitter.blogspot.com

I love crocheting. It's relaxing, but I can see quick results. Perfect for my down-time, but my need to have a quick project with good end results. Shaweeeeet!!!

So teeny!

I have always been obsessed with baby shoes and socks because they are so cute. And they are mainly cute because they are sooo little!!! So I finally decided to try a crocheted baby bootie pattern. I especially wanted to try it because my friend told me about her friend that needs a big time pick-me-up and is having a baby soon. So I did these and I think they are just too stinkin' cute!

I am going to try some other patterns as the need arises to make some other booties - baby showers, service projects, etc. But I can't wait to make these for our little ones someday. And it's awesome because they are super fast and easy to whip up!

Here is the free pattern I used. I'll post the link, but I do not know that it will work without you having a login to www.ravelry.com .

Baby Got Boots crochet pattern link by Sandi Hagan.

Cute crochet elephant

I have a cute friend that is having a baby soon, and I wanted to try a new type of project for her. I was really thinking of making her a baby blanket, but she has two other children already and other crafty people in her life that I know have already made her blankets.

 

Enter: the baby elephant.

 

I was just browsing through www.redheart.com and saw this sweet little elephant and a few other stuffed animals. I've never done anything like it before so I decided I would give it a try. And I was off on a new crocheting adventure.

 

Well, it turned out great (to my surprise!). I was expecting it to just be ok and I'd make a second one that would be better. But I was so pleased with this one that I called it good. :) I've already got orders for more and for other cute little animals.

 

Elfred the Elephant

I am so grateful for this new talent that I have found. I hope I can keep finding ways to use it for service to others. It is something I love to do and share with others. :)