Gondor Scarf (WIP)

Since the new year started, I have been able to draw out three new pattern designs. Two of them are blanket designs and one is a scarf. One of the blankets and the scarf are designs inspired by Lord of the Rings. Oh, yes, I'm going fan girl in some of my designs.

I was looking for Lord of the Rings patterns and there aren't very many out there. Most of what is out there, are knitting patterns. Trying to knit and not drop stitches frustrates the cookies out of me. So, I had this grand idea that I would come up with a few crochet designs for Lord of the Rings fans, or those who know someone who loves Tolkien's works.

I finished handwriting the pattern for the Gondor Scarf and now I'm testing it before it moves to a typed and published version. So far, this is where I am, and of course I had to use my Sauron hook for the project. I am hoping to have the scarf and pattern finished by Friday.

Just a heads up, this pattern will not be a free download.

Some people "geek out" over Star Wars, some over Dr. Who. Me? I geek out over Lord of the Rings.

What do you "geek out" over?

Feel free to leave a comment and check out my other posts! I always love hearing from you.

Remember that you are beautiful and well loved.

Sauron's First Project

Hi, my name is, Cassie and I'm a closeted Lord of the Rings geek.

Everyone needs something to completely geek out over and although I love that crocheting can be a part of that...I mean not many people understand the different yarn ply's, hook and stitch names or crochet lingo like "FROG", outside of crocheters and knitters. I have always had a love fore Tolkien's works. I have read most of his books and Lord of The Rings is my favorite series next to Fast and Furious.

I've been looking at the crochet hooks on Etsy, that have been custom made with polymer clay handles. People geek out over Dr. Who, Star Wars and Disney and I have found plenty of custom hooks for those but they aren't me. The more I thought about it, the more I really wanted to get a custom Lord of the Rings, hook set. Eventually I would love to get some Lord of the Rings stitch markers as well, but for now, I'm just geeking out over the hooks.

So, I asked this nice lady, on Etsy who I have seen her hooks and they are all so very wonderful. I asked her if she would ever think about making some Lord of the Rings hooks. We talked more about it and I recieved my very first Lord of the Rings hook a couple of weeks ago. It is a size H, Boye crochet hook.

Of course after recieving it, I had to find a project for it, considering I'm still working on my husband's blanket for Christmas and that takes an I hook.

So, I worked up this elephant parade cowl:

This pattern is $3 USD and it is a great work up. If you enjoy or want to practice colorwork, this designer has great patterns for both knitting and crochet. Most of them are hats but I enjoy her patterns.

Remember that you are Beautiful and well loved.

Smitten by Mittens!

 

It has been a while since I have talked about Raynaud's Syndrome. Honestly, the warmer months don't bother me much, which could go without much explanation. If you are not sure what Raynaud's is, it is a circulatory disorder that is not life-threatening, in mos cases. When people who do not have Raynauds get cold, their veins dilate to allow more blood to flow to their extrimities (your hands, feet...etc). This helps keep your entire body warm. When people who have Raynauds get cold, their veins constrict which allows less blood to flow through the body causing the extremities to feel pain that I can only associate with frostbite.  

In the warmer months, it doesn't affect me as much. My hands hurt in the frozen section of the store, if I stay there too long or open the doors. Getting ice cream out of the freezer and into a bowl is a painful task (which bites because I do love ice cream). Even holding a cold beverage can bring my hand pain if it isn't wrapped or in an insulated cup.

So, when the Christmas presents are finished I am going to be making some mug cozies, and some wraps for water bottles and what not. 

Now that September has finally come and gone, it is getting colder. From walking home or walking to work, in the morning, there have been a couple of times that I wished I had thought about gloves. I did some reading and it is actually recommended that people who have Raynauds wear mittens because the combined body heat from your fingers being together, rather than separated by gloves, can actually help to keep your hands warmer.  Unfortunately, even though I live in a state that has snow, unless you are a child mittens are difficult to find. Even, right now, gloves are a difficult thing to find.

I have tried my hand at fingerless gloves and so far, it hasn't worked out in my favor. There are a couple of people who are making some fingerless gloves for me and I am excited for them to arrive.I am told that I can wear them to work, which is amazing because it does get cold, sometimes. Yesterday, I decided to try my hand at mittens because I cant find any.

I found this free pattern which I do believe that I am in love with! The mittens were so easy to work up and it was only in two parts: the thumb and the rest of the mitten. I have seen some mitten patterns where the cuff is separate from the main section and I think that is where I get lost with the fingerless gloves that I have tried to make. It took me about a total of 4 hours to make the pair of mittens. Which, I'm sure was mainly due to the fact that I had never made mittens before. Again, they were so easy to make and they are warm, which is of course the best part.

I am so proud of my mittens. I think even more proud than the lady bug blanket that I made a few months back. It was a small project but something that I was never able to do. Also, this is only the second thing that I have made for myself. The first being the Ember Shawl.Woohoo!

What is your favorite mitten pattern? What are you working on?

Feel free to leave comments below and check out my other posts!
Remember that you are beautiful and well loved.

Sometimes You Win, Sometimes You Lose

Thank you for the encouraging comments on my last post. I really do appreciate them. I'm not sure why I felt so obsolete but you are absolutely right! Even if she makes gifts and makes more than I can, the gifts that I make for people will always be unique just as the ones my mother makes. I have always felt at ease when I gift things I make because they are unique (and can't be returned). So, thank you for encouraging me when I was in a bit of a funk.

Since the last post, I have been working hard. Yesterday was my first day off in seven days and I worked over 40 hours. Yay! I have been working on some new designs and updating the Country Squares Market Bag.

I love the four square base of the market bag but I'm not happy with how the rest of the bag turned out. It doesn't seem sturdy and even though I wasn't increasing my stitches it seemed as if the sides were expanding. So, although I said the revision would be up this past weekend, it is still a work in progress. I need to figure out the sides of the bag. This pattern will probably end up being seaparate from the Country Squares because I am thinking that only the base will be made with the same pattern. Thankfully, I have my trusty stitch book that my hubby gifted me for my birthday. That should help a bit.

Anyway, here's the base:

Now, I did finally write the pattern for the Strawberry Wine Ear Warmer! This is a free pattern download from Ravelry. The scarf is still being tested but is up for sale. The ear warmer will remain a free pattern.

Because I still have some yarn left over from the scarf and ear warmer set, I am going to try my hand at some fingerless gloves. Before I do that, I need to actually, successfully make a pair of fingerless gloves.

If you know any good patterns for crochet fingerless gloves, feel free to let me know in the comments below!
I always love hearing from you and thank you, again, for your encouragement.

Remember, you are beautiful and well loved.

Strawberry Wine Cable Scarf

I have been wanting so badly to figure out how these cable things work. No thanks to Youtube and google, I managed to figure out (I think) the basics of this kind of design. I couldn't find a pattern for exactly what was in my head, so...I made one. I wanted to make this a bit more intricate and give it a different name with different colors but we see how that worked out.

This pattern is currently being tested, but can be found here for $1.00 USD. You can use this code: 25SAVORS      to take 25% off of the pattern making it only $.75.

I am currently working on three project designs now:
I have promised to expand the Country Squares market bag and I'm hoping to have that finished and updated by this weekend. This week is a little crazy with all the kids coming back to college and me being needed more at the store, but I will find time to get it done.

I am also working on an earwarmer design.

Finally, I am trying to design that, more intricate, cable scarf that I was wanting to do in the first place. It will be in two colors with a nice border and probably some tassel as well. Who doesn't love tassels? Answer: Me when I have a Freddy cat who likes to play with my yarn. But, this new scarf design will have tassels because that is what the picture in my head looks like. First, I will have to sketch out the design which is where I went wrong with this scarf.  But I do love this scarf.

I called it "Strawberry Wine Cable Scarf" because at the time that I was trying to come up with a name I was listening to Country music and the name of the color is "Mixed Berries". One of my favorite Country songs as a kid was, "Strawberry Wine" by Deana Carter.

What inspires some of the titles of your designs/projects?

Remember that you are beautiful and well loved.

Ember Shawl!

I made a shawl, a couple weeks ago, and I forgot that I didn't put it on here. How silly of me!

This one is made from a  free pattern and I chose to color block it. I love the pattern! It  was easy, I could crochet while watching Netflix or amaze people by looking at them, while they talked, while crocheting. Oh, yeah, it is that kind of pattern! The pattern doesn't call for tassels, in fact it comes with a very nice border of it's own.

Here is a shawl I made using the pattern, following all directions:

 I made the shawl for a family friend whose sister has cancer and is undergoing Chemo-therapy. It is something that she can use during her treatments. This is a close up of the border:

 Now, for the Ember shawl, I left off the border and put in tassels (using one string from every color, about 12 inches to make a 6 inch tassel) in every other space (I forget if it was chain one or two).

Here is my Ember Shawl:

This is the first thing that I have actually made for myself. In the three years that I have been crocheting I have made scarves and hats for everyone else but this one is mine. Sorry, guys, I just love it too much.

I would love to know what you think, in the comments below! I always love hearing from you. Also, if you have a favorite shawl pattern, feel free to post a link!

You are beautiful and well loved.

New Adventures with Yarn

Alright, I am so super excited to be able to share with you, the finished product of the CAL (Crochet A Long) shawl that we were working on. It was so much fun to work with these beautiful ladies on the same project. They helped me when I had questions and we chatted while waiting for the next clue. I love a good mystery and this project kept me anxious for the day when the next clue would be released.

Here is the finished product:

The border has sweet little butterflies! I tried to capture some in the picture above, but I'm not sure if you can see it. I did not block this (mostly because I don't know how and I don't have the room, right now. This pattern also called for beads, which I did not use because my local craft store didn't have the beads I was looking for and I'm not patient when it comes to creating something for someone. Haha!

I gave this shawl to one of my co-workers who was not having a good week. I hope that it helped to brighten her day. She likes to bow hunt and the colors reminded me of the pink camouflage shoes that we sell, which reminded me of her hunting hobby.

I am excited to start a new CAL! I am looking for one right now, so if you know a good one, let me know in the comments below!

Also, I decided to teach myself how to knit and after 15 minutes of trying to figure out how to cast on, I am getting the hang of it. Here is a scarf that I'm making. I'm not very far.

As always, have a blessed day.
Remember that you are beautiful and well loved.

My first Crochet Along

I would like to think that I am an adventerous lady. I am willing to try almost anything and when it comes to crafts, I'm game.

This past week, I found a group on Ravelry: Make1-designs that is starting to host Crochet Alongs (CALs). What this is (if you don't already know), is a group of people working on the same project at the same time. The pattern is given out in portions. First, the supply list comes out and then the first part of the pattern. Then a week or two later, the second part of the pattern comes out and so on. I joined a Shawl Crochet along and here is what I have so far:

I don't really know what it is going to look like, in the end. But I do love a good mystery. I find that I love the CALs because if I have any questions about the pattern I don't feel shy in asking because if 20 people are where I am, at least one will have the answer. It helps build a sense of community between crocheters and we help each other out.

The picture above is the completed, first part, of the pattern. The second part is supposed to come out today and I am so excited for it! If you haven't already tried a CAL or KAL (Knit  Along), I highly recommend it!

Have you tried something like this before? What did you like most about it? Was there anything you struggled with? Would yo do it again? If you haven't done an -along, yet, is it something that you would like to do?

Feel free to leave comments below, I always love hearing from you!

Remember that you are beautiful  and well loved.

The Aftermath

Many of you may know, or followed, my journey through making several baby items for a friend's shower. Her baby shower was on Sunday. It was very nice. I had never been to a baby shower before and I wasn't sure what to expect. Her family is so creative and it was cool to see some of the things they came up with. Someone handcrafted a giant ruler so that they can measure Emiline as she grows. Nifty! There were games and the cake was decorated so beautifully. I wish I had brought my camera to take pictures.

The couple was so funny, when they opened the presents. She almost cried wen she saw the ladybug blanket. He was wowed by all of the things that he kept pulling out of the basket. My husband nudged me and gave me that "I told you so" look because I didn't think that we had done enough. I mean, afterall, it was just a blanket, two headbands, two pairs of baby booties, a hat and some other little things. They were ALL little things, except the blanket. The new parents seemed to think that I did more than I should have. I still think I could have done more. But, maybe that is just me.

Now that I'm finished with my Ladybug blanket, I have been on a quest to find something new. Something that I have not made before. My new manager came into work, this past week with a kind of wrap around her shoulders. It wasn't a shawl. I didn't know what it was, but I thought that it was super cool/cute/nifty and decided that I wanted to make it.

I found a pattern. Apparently, it is called a "mobius"? I don't know. I just finished one in a light blue.

Don't mind the random string in the background. I was trying it on to make sure it fit before I cut the yarn. I really like this, whatever the true name for it is. It has several uses and I can use it at work. It keeps your upper arms warm and super cozy! Also:

It can be used as a cowl! Which can keep your neck warm while you wear a sweater to keep your arms warm! I love it!

I found this pattern for free. I did not write it but I do love it! It took me about five-ish hours to make.

Now, I need to find something else to make. I think I spend more time trying to figure out what I want to make than I do actually making it.

If you have any ideas, let me know in the comments below. I am taking a short break from baby things before I start on a baby dress for Emiline.

Remember that you are beautiful and well loved!