Stash Bust Challenge 2013-Update Sept 2013

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Stash Bust Challenge 2013, September Update

Textured Halos of Hope Hat, pattern by Yvonne Tate

Textured Halos of Hope Hat, pattern by Yvonne Tate

September was a busy month.  I’ve been working on two blanket designs, both of which I hit a snag in the design and had to work it out.  Because of this, I fell behind in my other projects and only made 1 hat in my Stash Bust Challenge for this month.  But I really like this one.  This design was written by Yvonne Tate, specifically for Halos of Hope.  You can find it on her blog.  I used a thicker yarn than the pattern calls for so I made few adjustments and ended up with a slightly slouchy hat rather than the beanie as the pattern is written.  You can see my notes on my Ravelry project page.  I’m real pleased with the results.  It’s a cute hat pattern.  Thanks Yvonne!

The hat used almost an entire 3.5oz skein of yarn.  I’ve got 3 months left in this challenge and 2 pounds to go.  I gotta get stitchin’!

Total hats made to date: 21

Total yarn used to date: 4 lbs 1 oz

Using Felted Sweaters in Your Crochet Projects

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Felting Old Sweaters and Crochet

Hard to believe but we are already into September.  It’s still hot, really hot, where I live but soon the leaves will start to change and the gift giving season will be upon us.  Homemade gifts are gifts from the heart.  Combining the gift giving season with crochet is something we crafters can look forward to all year.  And if you enjoy repurposing as much as you enjoy crochet then I have a question for you.  What do you get when you combine an old wool sweater, a washing machine and a little imagination?

Answer: Anything!

A few years ago I discovered felting (I believe it is called “fulling” when a wool item is already made and then fluffed up but it’s often referred to as “felting”). I had a beautiful partial wool sweater that I just could not wear. Even with a cotton turtleneck underneath, I was bothered by the itchy wool. But I loved the colors in the sweater so I held onto it. One day I decided I wanted a tea cozy. Rather than purchase one, I felted my sweater in the washer. This created a really nice thick fabric. I cut it to shape, sewed the two pieces together and lined it with an old dish towel on the inside to keep the wool fuzzies from getting in my drinks. Now I have an adorable tea cozy and enjoy my beautiful sweater every day!

Snowflake Ice Scraper Mitt

Snowflake Ice Scraper Mitt

Felting is fun and easy and can repurpose just about any wool fabric into something new. So, what does this have to do with crocheting? Well, you can make a fantastic Ice Scraper Mitt by felting an old sweater, cut two pieces to size, embellish with an adorable crocheted snowflake, sew together and voilà! , you have a beautiful handmade gift.

Pizza! Pizza!

Pizza! Pizza!

Back of pizza

Back of pizza

 

I use felted wool sweaters to back my Pizza! Pizza! hot pads to protect my counter tops from hot items. Crocheted coasters can be backed to add additional protection from condensation. Or cut appliques from the fabric and decorate crochet hats or purses.

Felting isn’t just for old sweaters. You can crocheting anything and then felt it. Follow a pattern using a hook one or two sizes bigger than the pattern calls for (remember, the item will shrink as it felts), then felt it and enjoy the results. Here is an example. I crocheted this adorable Christmas Tree Stocking Decoration in a hook two sizes bigger than the pattern called for and then felted it in the washer. I love the result, what do you think? (Note, I added some white roving and needle felted it on the rim)

before feltingafter felting

Great! How do I do it?

Well, it’s easy. Place your item to be felted in your washer. Turn it on and relax! That is essentially it. It’s best to place the item in a mesh delicates/lingerie bag and wash with your towels, sheets or other items you would normally was in hot. You can also use your cold cycle if you only wash in cold as the agitation of the items in the washer will also felt the fabric. After ten minutes or so, check and see if you have the desired effect. If not, keep it in until you do. Lay your item out to air dry. If you have a front load washer, never fear. Just use the shortest cycle as you will get to a point where you won’t be able to open the door to check on your fabric. You may need to run it through a couple of cycles to get the desired amount of felting.

Felting is fun but remember, once the items has felted (shrunk) you cannot undo it. Take your time, check your item a couple of times during the wash cycle and start with something small that would be OK if it didn’t come out perfect.

Important notes:

  •  The more you felt an item the tighter the fabric and the less the individual stitches will show
  •  Very thin fabrics may stick to themselves and they would be best not felted in the washer
  •  Only animal fibers will felt (wool, alpaca, cashmere)
  •  Synthetics and plant-based yarns will not felt (cotton, acrylic, bamboo)
  •  Most feltable fabrics/yarn will shrink 20-30%
  •  Should be at least 70% animal fiber to get a good felted result
  •  Superwash wool has been specially treated to NOT felt.
  •  You CANNOT go backwards, so go slowly!

Stash Bust Challenge Update – June/July 2013 Catch Up

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Stash Bust Challenge 2013 Update – June/July Catch Up

Chirp! Chirp! Tweet! Tweet!

Chirp! Chirp! Tweet! Tweet!

As I mentioned in my last update, I feel behind in my stash busting for June and July.  I made lots of hats for donation, just not with this type of yarn.  So I vowed to make up for it in August-and I did.  The last week of August was busy.  I wrote up a new pattern, had it tested by the fantastic testers in the Happy Hooker group on Ravelry and made 5 myself! Phew!!

You can find this adorable (if I do say so myself) pattern – Chirp! Chirp! Tweet! Tweet! as well as the inspiration behind it, on my new site-Free Crochet Patterns by Darleen  (www.FreeCrochetPatternsByDarleen.blogspot.com).  This is where I’ll be posting, um, if you can guess by the name, free crochet patterns.  Please note, this is a different site from this blog so if you subscribe to this blog and want to receive notification of the new patterns there, you will also need to subscribe to that one.  (The links are posted on the bottom sidebar for RSS feed or email notification)

These 5 cuties will be going out with my next batch to Halos of Hope.  The 5 hats weigh in at 12.5 ounces.

Total Stash Bust Yarn Used To Date: Almost 4 lbs. (3 lbs, 14 ounces)

Total Stash Bust Hats Made To Date: 20

Yarn Stash and the Anti-Hoarder

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Are you a yarn hoarder?

Source unknown

Source unknown

I’m always clearing out. My husband calls me “the anti-hoarder”. I know I drive him and my boys nuts as I’m always trying to get them to get rid of stuff. I feel if you haven’t used it in a long time and have no real future use for it and/or it is taking up space, then get rid of it. I also have this policy where whenever I bring something new into the home, I get rid of its equal, or more. For example, if I buy the kids new shoes I get rid of an old pair or maybe donate some old towels to the animal shelter. This works real well for me to keep the STUFF under control but I wasn’t always this way. I used to buy things I thought were good deals and thought the boys would need in the future. Although I’ve always easily donated items I knew I wouldn’t want anymore, I had a hard time getting rid of many items that were too damaged for the thrift store as I thought they could be used for something (the crafter’s curse) or items that I MAY need at some point in the future. I ended up with a lot of stuff in my attic and my closets.

But this all changed for me when I had to clear out my uncle’s house. He had started compulsive hoarding after my grandma died-about 5 years for him. Although he wasn’t nearly as bad off as some of those poor people you see on TV, who knows what his house would have looked like had he lived another 10 years.

My uncle passed about 4 years ago and his passing has had a huge effect on how I look at STUFF. That STUFF also includes my yarn stash. I have a lot of yarn – 11 paper boxes full. For some, that may seem like a ton, for others, it may not seem like a lot, but for me, it is too much. Like many, I bought random yarn on clearance figuring I’ll use it someday. I bought yarn for projects I never made, you know the deal.

I’ve been working on reducing this stash for a couple of years now. I’m only buying for new designs when I don’t have a current yarn in my stash that will work (I try to only use current yarn in my designs). Most of my non-current yarn stash works great for chemo hats and I make a ton for Halos of Hope.  I’m slowly reducing the quantity as I’m always pulling something out of my stash to make a hat for them. Two years ago I donated some of the non-ideal chemo hat acrylics to the local library when they were doing a local version of Warm Up America.

My goal for today was to go thru my yarn and pull out any that cannot be used for chemo hats or future designs. I was able to clear out about a box full of yarn. I had hoped to clear out more but most of it will make great hats for Halos of Hope. So, for now, I’ll keep what I have and continue to Stash Bust for Hope. Some of the cleared out skeins I was able to return to the store-$30 credit!!! Some will be donated to the thrift store in town. I cleared out a box of sheets I had bought with the idea of making a crocheted rag rug. I’ve had those sheets at least 5 years. It’s not happening anytime soon so I’ll donate them back to the thrift store from which I purchased them. I also found a cute project bag to donate-it was a gift and is really nice but I can’t use it as it doesn’t have a zipper closure. I have found I must be smarter than my cat and that means all projects must be zipped closed. After the clear out, my stash is down to 10 boxes that are not over-stuffed; progress, not what I had hoped, but still, some progress.

Stash Bust Challenge Update: Aug. 2013

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WHOooo’s Stash Busting?

P1020887 (750x543)I fell a little behind in my stash busting for June and July.  Although I made a lot of  hats for Halos of Hope, I didn’t use the Bernat CottonTots in my Stash Bust Challenge.  I plan to make up for it this month.  I have a current design I’m working on and a magazine deadline (yeah!) to meet, but I hope to squeeze in a couple more hats this month.  I did spend this weekend working on two cuties.  The design is from Sarah Zimmerman and you can get the pattern here: Crochet Owl Hat.  I made some modifications to the hat design to make it work with my smaller scrap pieces (you can see my notes here).  Overall, I’m real pleased.  It’s a fun, quick hat to make.  Together, they weigh in at 4 1/2 ounces.

Total Stash Bust Yarn Used to Date: Just over 3 pounds!  Officially 1/2 way done!

Total Stash Bust Hats Made to Date: 15

Mid-year Resolutions Check In

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Resolutions Check-In

We are officially over 1/2 way done with 2013, yikes!  I thought I’d better check in on my 2013 Crochet Resolutions and see how I’m holding up to them.

1. Work from yarn stash and only purchase yarn when absolutely necessary for a specific project; don’t buy yarn just because it’s on sale!  I already started this with my Stash Bust 2013 Challenge.

I’ve pretty much stuck to this one.  I recently grabbed up some clearance yarn-one of my favorites-but then found the willpower to “just say no” and gave them back to the cashier at check out.  I’ve bought some yarn, but only for specific patterns and have returned yarn that was purchased for a project and then not needed.

2. Complete the Crochet Guild of America’s Master Crochet Program.

Not there yet. I’m looking to sign up in August.

3. Complete at least 2 hats per month for Halos of Hope.

Yup, I’ve done that and more most months.

4. Self publish at least 8 new patterns.

On track for this.  So far, in 2013, I’ve self-published:

Actually, that’s 8!  Wow, I didn’t realize I did so many the first 6 months of the year-I’ve been busy!  And I re-released Mr. Springy, The Robot Hat too!

5. Learn to crochet with my left hand.  I’ve been “in training” for this by learning to use the mouse with my left hand.

Still in training…

6. Complete that scrap felted throw rug I’ve been wanting to make for a couple of years now!!!

Haven’t started this either.

Eyes, Getting Them Right, Part I-Yarn Stitched

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 “The Eyes are the Mirror of the Soul”

Getting the eyes right on your goofy hat, bib or doll can make or break the cuteness factor of your creation.  Choosing the right eye may depend on the recipient of the item, it’s intended use or what items you have on hand.  I have three favorite easy and inexpensive methods for creating eyes; yarn stitched eyes, button eyes and crocheted eyes.  This series of blog posts will discuss the pros and cons of each method, as well as some overall tips to use and pitfalls to avoid when attaching the eyes.

100_6154Yarn Stitched

Just a little bit of yarn can convey an expression-happy, angry or laughing.  Make your doll asleep or stitch an “X” and turn her into a zombie.  Yarn stitching is a simple form of embroidery.  My Happy Pets hat uses a real simple eye to create happy, smiling eyes.  It’s basically a stretched out tip of an arrow.

Sleeping eyes are a snap with a little contrasting yarn.

Sometimes, with a doll, all you need is a  tiny eye and a French knot would be perfect in this case.  I have a future pattern in mind where I will use this simple knot for the eye.  In the meantime, I found this great resource if you want to give it a try.

Attack eyebrows

Attack eyebrows

You can combine yarn stitching with other forms of eyes to add emotion.  My Attack Sock Monkey combines a button eye with a simple yarn stitched eyebrow slanted downward to show he’s in attack mode.

The hardest part about this method is working in ends so they aren’t noticeable on the outside or bumpy on the inside.  It is a very safe baby option  as there is no choking hazard at all. Do an internet search for “embroidered eyes” and click the “images” button for ideas.  You’ll find some beautiful, amazing, complex options but also some real simple variations that will be easy for you to duplicate with your own projects.

Pros

  • Uses left over yarn.
  • Baby-safe, no choking hazard.
  • Great option for items that will be washed a lot.

Cons

  • Can be tricky to learn the more complicated stitches.
  • Ends need to be worked in securely, invisibly and without bumps on the inside of the hat.
Muno by Michelle Vass

Muno by Michelle Vass

Here are a couple examples of other designer’s patterns (Rattle Monsters by Kristi Tullus and Muno by Michelle Vess) that use simple yarn stitched eyes.  I love the creativity!  Click on the photos to learn more about the pattern.

Rattle Monsters by Kristi Tullus

Rattle Monsters
by
Kristi Tullus

Next, Button Eyes…

Eyes, Getting them Right, Part II-Buttons

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Part II in Eyes, Getting them Right

My last post described yarn stitched or embroidered eyes.    Another super easy method to adding character to your creations is with button eyes.

Buttons

Buttons are easy, inexpensive options for eyes and one of my favorites. You can find projects that use a simple basic black button sewed with black thread to projects that use three different colored buttons stacked one on top of the other and backed with felt.  You know the saying, “Cute as a button”, well, there’s are reason for it!  Buttons are cute and crocheted critters with button eyes are even cuter.

I prefer buttons that have four holes for attaching rather than two.  They are more secure and I find the four holed buttons look better.  Maybe it gives a slight illusion of a pupil, not sure, but it is a preference of mine.

Mr. Springy, The Robot DudeTIPS

Use yarn to sew on the buttons.  If your yarn is worsted weight or thicker it will be too thick to use to attach the button.   A simple option is to split the plies of the yarn and use just one.  Try sewing on the button with a coordinating color.   For example, Mr. Springy has button eyes that are sewed on with the contrasting yarn used for his stripes.

Watch out for the types of buttons that attach at the back only.  If they both aren’t secured tight enough they will hang uneven and ruin the look of a project.  You may want to avoid using this type of button on a hat unless you used very thick yarn to crochet the hat.  It is possible for the back of the button to poke thru and irritate the scalp.

Be careful of your placement of the buttons on a hat.  If the hat is a gift or for donation, try the hat on after you placed the eyes to make sure they lay properly and are positioned in a natural way-not too far out to the sides.  Hats stretch when worn and sometimes what looks good laying flat doesn’t look so great when worn.

100_6208_medium2Have fun with buttons.  I made a Goofy Spider hat-he was purple and I wanted to give him red eyes.  I had two mismatched red buttons in my button bin.  I think they made him perfectly goofy looking.

100_6617 (640x640)Get creative with your button options.  I had a hard time finding the perfect buttons for Blockhead Man.  I want flat shiny black buttons and all I had were ones with ridges.  So I flipped the buttons over, used the wrong side and they worked out perfect!

Pros

  • Cute, cute and more cute.  I love the homey feel button eyes give a project.

Cons

  • #1 Con, buttons are a choking hazard.  Do not use on items that will be given to babies younger than 3 yrs. old.

Next, Crocheted Eyes…

Celebrate my birthday with me!

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You’re HOW OLD??

100_6868I’m starting to get to the point where, although I’m happy to have birthdays (better than the alternative) I’m kinda not liking getting older.   I’ll be 44 in 10 days and I know, that isn’t old.  But it seems like yesterday I was in my early 20’s going to college and seems like just last week I was in pigtails and climbing trees.  It’s all relative, I know, but it’s still odd having sore knees and seeing the grey hairs and not-so-fine wrinkles popping up.  So, to help me celebrate, I’m offering 44% OFF of any pattern purchases greater than $16. (I’ll be 44 on the 16th of May) Valid on Crochet by Darleen Hopkins purchases at Raverly.com only. Use coupon code BirthdayBash2013 to receive the discount. Valid now until midnight May 16, 2013 EST.  You can also access the patterns via my new Patterns page.  Please check it out and let me know what you think (there’s are really cool new Contact form on my About/Contact page).

Happy Crocheting!