Taos Slipper Boots by Make and Do Crew

Taos Slipper Boots

Materials Needed

1. Flip Flops to use for soles - I got mine on clearance at our little local Family Dollar Store for .50 I have heard some people by a bit more expensive ones that have thicker soles...I used what was available and totally in budget since these were to be gifts and I needed to make 3 pairs.
2. Worsted weight yarn (just a little for the sc round on the sole.)
3.  Super Bulky weight yarn - The pattern called for Lion Brand Thick and Quick. I used a Bulky weight yarn I ordered through Ice Yarns. It was not as bulky as I had hoped but It still worked up really well. I did not make any pattern changes and they fit the recipients great! 
4. HOOKS - Ok this pattern uses lots of hooks, it seems odd but there is really a reason for it I promise. So you need a small hook pattern called for a 2.25mm However I could not for the life of me get mine to hook and pull the worsted weight yarn through the sole and ended up using my 3 mm hook. You'll also need a K 6.5mm (mine is a 7.0 and worked fine), an L 8mm and an MN 9mm. 
5. A large needle or awl of some type for punching holes in the soles. The pdf of this pattern comes with a printable punching guide. I just eye balled it and punched about every 1/3 inch or maybe a little closer. I did count my punches and made sure each sole in a pair had the same number of punches. 
6. scissors and a yarn needle for weaving in ends.
7. E6000 glue for plugging the holes of the flip flops.
8. Patience. Loads of patience. Silence might help on the first pair too. Don't get me wrong this is an EASY pattern, just pay attention.

This is a great pattern. I love that its done in a bulky yarn, making the finished slippers nice and cozy, and I love the flip flop soles making them great to walk out to grab the mail or stand in the kitchen after kids have tracked in snow (maybe that's just my house). 

The hardest part of this pattern for me really was punching the holes in the soles. I tried to get a good angle and get the hole straight through to make the first round of sc easier. This is the part that requires patience. DON'T RUSH. Take your time so you don't make too shallow of holes and keep them spaced evenly. (That printable guide is probably handy to have) 

READ the pattern. Yes the whole pattern. I know a lot of you will just jump in like I did on the first one and then miss needing switch hooks or maybe not think to glue the holes shut until after you attach the slipper top to the sole....which I do NOT recommend because you might end up getting really goopy hands trying to glue them and not get glue on the inside of the slipper....

SO do the sole work first, or at least before you attach the soles to the slipper tops.

Have a pen handy to mark off the rows as you go. I got lost more than once and had a heck of a time counting rows to figure out where I was. By the 3rd pair my pattern is a mess of marks, 

The slipper bodies work up so fast!! Seriously once you have a handle on when to switch hooks these just FLY off the hook!! I made the 3rd pair in just 2 days, I did the bodies on my lunch break (30 minutes each day so about an hour total) then punched the soles the second evening at home and attached them all together. 

So if you've wondered about trying these, the pattern is really well written, the are pretty low cost, and they are fast to hook up. GO for it. You won't regret it. Go here for the pattern

Now I just need to find time to make me a pair!!! 

Enjoy!

Loves

UM

Terrain Hat

Ok I know I have a ton of patterns to review since October, But I think I am going to work backwards from Christmas day.

On Christmas day I got to use my new Furls Odyssey in Purple and it is just amazing! Since I really wanted to use my new hooks I simply went to my Ravelry library and searched by hook size H and started the first pattern on the list!

I love the plethora of search options on Ravelry! I love that I can search my library of patterns by craft ( I also knit) then sort by yarn weight or hook size, or if I am making for someone specific I can search by gender, and age.
And you can search the entire Ravelry site that way too, plus options of free or paid, yarn yardage, needle or hook size its such an amazing resource!

Ha! But I am getting off track, so the pattern I chose is Terrain by Poise & Envy , it was a perfect pick since my husband gave me the hooks, I will give him the finished hat!

This hat is great for a quick finish project.
Materials needed were

1. An H hook
2. Worsted weight yarn 
3. Scissors
4. A yarn needle for weaving in ends

I think this hat looks amazing in a solid color, but I think it could be fun to use multiple colors too. I chose a simple heathered gray Red Heart Super Saver since it was for my husband who isn't big on fancy colors or stripes. The texture adds interest with out being too busy which makes it great for a mans hat. 

This beautiful Furls hook is like silk in my hand, so smooth and the yarn just glides across it like flowing water. It has a great weight and is nicely balanced. It is taking a little getting used to as it is a bit different to hold than my smaller ergonomic hooks, but I think I have found a groove with it, and the hat is already half done.

Ok finished the hat and it turned out great! The pattern was written differently than most I have worked up, this did cause me to mess up a few times and I had to frog some rows back, but I also didn't read the whole pattern before starting like I usually do because it was a hectic Christmas day and I just wanted to get it started so I could use my new hook and unstress a little.
Aside from the way its written I didn't have any troubles with this pattern at all. The "seam" created at by joining rows surprisingly came out nice and straight. I find joined rounds usually almost spiral the seam but this one really didn't which was awesome!
Hubby loved the end product and it really looks great on him! The sizing isn't great on me and since there's only one adult size I am not sure how I would work it to fit me.

Over all I liked this pattern I think it is a great design for guys, as it has great texture yet doesn't look lacy or feminine. 

As for the Furls hook I have to say it is the most comfortable hook I have ever used, I would highly recommend anyone with hand pain while crocheting to try one. I have Fibromyalgia and it was so nice to crochet with, it didn't cause me any hand pain, or numbness, and I was able to crochet faster than I have been able to in a long while.
Thanks for reading and I hope you'll try this pattern for a guy in your life and I hope if you get a Furls hook you love it as much as I love mine!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

My Hubby is the best! I am typing this on my new Acer tablet chromebook! It is beautiful and just what I needed to get this blog going again!
I can't wait to share with you all the great patterns I have worked since October, my laptop died on me so I haven't been able to blog.

I also received 2 beautiful Furls crochet hooks for Christmas! If you haven't seen these hooks you must go check them out  Here! I got a purple size H and a Streamline in size I. Seriously these are just gorgeous!

And now I wish you all a very Merry and a Happy everything!

With love always

UM

Halloween

HALLOWEEN IS COMING!!

I just love Halloween! It is bigger than Christmas around our house! We go all out with decorations and turn our garage into a haunted tunnel of creepiness! There are witches and bats, spiders and clowns, and all manner of spooky things. 

So I am sure it comes as no surprise that I love Halloween crochet patterns! This year there were so many good ones that came out! But I decided I really wanted to make 2 specifically for a Halloween blog post; the Rustic Doily Pumpkin by Meg Made With Love and the Halloween Sampler Headband by Snappy Tots! Both ended up being really great patterns! 

So first I made the Rustic Doily Pumpkin 

Materials needed for this pumpkin are

1. Worsted Weight Yarn 
2. Size I hook
3. Polyfil stuffing

For the Doily

1. Size 9 (1.4mm) hook Meg links to a great beginner set on her blog
2. Cotton Crochet Thread (size 10) I used black sock yarn (fingering weight) because I couldn't find my black size 10 crochet thread, the stash monster must have ate it)

To complete the project

1. Yarn needle
2. Stick or other "Stem" 
3. Hot glue gun
4. Any other decor you want to add (Raffia, Burlap, Ribbon...etc)
5. Sewing pins

So I started right in on the pumpkin....(Yes I know Meg, the pattern said to do the doily first) I felt like I could just finish the pumpkin really quick then tackle the doily....until I got to round 10....where it says to attach the doily before completing the pumpkin!! So then I set the pumpkin aside and started the doily! 

DOILY it can be a scary word for a crocheter, thoughts of intricate pineapples or rosette patterns that take hours and hours...DON'T PANIC!! Meg did an amazing job of writing up a beautiful yet simple doily for this pumpkin! I didn't find it to be difficult at all, every round uses very basic stitches and it actually made up very quickly. I finished mine in just a few hours and I think it would have taken less time if it weren't for my fibromyalgia making my hands hurt worse in the evenings. 

I did mess up in one spot on the doily but by the time I noticed there was NO way I was frogging 6 rows to fix it. I decided it was for me (not an ordered product) so it didn't have to be perfect. I know I can spot the error in pictures of the doily but after I attached it to the pumpkin and did the shaping it is well hidden. 

The pumpkin itself is super easy! Its worked with 2 strands of worsted and turned out really nice! I love how Meg did the shaping and it really is a stand out decor piece now! I hope to make the rest of her rustic pumpkins to create a center piece for my Thanksgiving dinner table. 

HALLOWEEN SAMPLER HEADBAND

I love this pattern! It was so easy! Snappy Tots is one of my favorite designers and always my go to when I need something fun! 

Materials for this project are definitely easy

1. Worsted weight yarn in a variety of colors
2. Size I Hook
3. 6 Tiny black buttons (I got some black sew on gems from Joann Fabric and I think they look great)
4.  Yarn needle
5. Sewing needle and thread ( to attach buttons) 

This headband was so fast and easy it took about 30 minutes to hook up the base headband, and I could probably do a single colored one in 20 minutes easy! If you need a quick basic headband this pattern is great!! The colors and features that take this from headband to 100% Halloween are so fun!! I loved doing the Bride of Frankenstein's Monster, her hair is just fabulous! I was very concerned when sewing it on that it would feel bulky or lumpy on that side with how it folds over the top, but It really isn't noticeable at all! 

The hardest part to do on this headband was with out a doubt the embroidery of the mouths and spider legs. Embroidery is not a strong skill of mine, that said these elements were simple enough that I think they turned out really nice! 

The buttons were tricky, not to sew on but to find. My local Joann's didn't have any regular buttons small enough, but I really like the sew on gems from Friendly Findings that I ended up getting. 

 Overall this is a very easy pattern. I think it would be a great first character project for a beginning crocheter. It's not overly involved with little pieces to attach, but it really ends up looking adorable!

I hope you enjoyed my little Halloween post! And I hope you'll go visit Meg Made With Love and Snappy Tots and give their patterns a try! I know I will be making Meg's Homebody Sweater and Heidi's Halloween Sampler Scarf Next!!

Jellybun Hat by Snappy Tots!

I love this pattern by Snappy Tots, my 12 year old was begging for a bun hat since she has started wearing high ponytails or a messy bun every day to school. Its getting cool and she wanted the warmth of a hat without having to take down her hair or try to stuff it into one of her slouchy hats.
I was really busy with knight hats and the baby aviator and really just wanted a fast, reliable, free pattern.
Now let me tell you there are A LOT of messy bun hat patterns out there! Search Ravelry for Messy Bun and you get 542 crochet patterns (oh there are knitted patterns too, over 100!) and then narrow it to free and there are still 168!! My mind was boggled!! How do I choose? I don't really want to look at each one and read the comments and project notes to find one that will be fast and well written.....

And then I remembered!! Snappy Tots did a bun hat!! YES!!! Oh I dearly love her patterns, this was the solution I had been needing! So off I ran to snappy-tots.com to find the Jellybun hat!
This was exactly what I needed! And made with very on hand items I jumped right in.

Materials Needed

1. Worsted Weight Yarn
2. Crochet hook size I 
3. A Yarn Needle
4. Scissors 

I love that this is worsted weight, I have tons in my stash! An I hook is a great size for late evening crocheting when my hands are tired and sore due to my fibromyalgia. 

This hat took about an hour! Start to finish! and my daughter loves it and all her friends want one (I learned long ago to just say no to all the friends!!) 

So if you need a fast, reliable bun hat pattern I highly suggest the Jellybun Hat! To add it to your ravelry queue click here. 

I have made quite a few projects in the last month and I am excited to share the patterns with you and let you know how they worked up for me!

First was Little Lindy's Aviator By Salena Baca. It was a free pattern offered by Red Heart Yarns on their site here. It can also be found here on Ravelry.

It worked up really nicely. I like the layout of red heart patterns. I worked the forehead flap in pipsqueak by Bernat, it turned out super super cute! It was a bit difficult to see the stitches in the pipsqueak yarn but totally worth it for how it turned out!

Some things to know about this pattern

1. There really isn't a yardage given. It just says you'll need a skein of the heather gray and one of soft white. I made the largest size, child, and I didn't use even half of the heather gray, which was 236 yds total. The pipsqueak I maybe used a quarter of the skein. It really doesn't take much. I think you could easily get 2 complete hats from the yarn required. 
2. The way the pdf opens in landscape view makes the print very small which can be hard to read if you print the pattern, I chose to save the download on my ipad so I could zoom in to make the print larger. 
3. You may just squeal at the cuteness of this hat! I really can't wait to see this on the baby it was ordered for!! And because it looks silly on my adult foam head.

Over all I really liked this pattern and will definitely use it again. 

Ok this order also included a couple of knight helmet hats! I love how these turned out!! 

The pattern is Knight Hat by Adriana Bon which I found on Ravelry. This is a free pattern. Now normally I have a few things I look for when picking a pattern

• What the customer asked for - This may sound simple but really its the first requirement for a pattern, how well it fits what was asked for. Sometimes I will get sent a picture of a cute knitted hat....then I have to find a crochet pattern that is as close to the knitted picture as possible. And that isn't always easy to do!
• The designer - This is a biggie for me, I like to use patterns by designers I know. This makes it easier to work up because then I already know their writing style and what mistakes to watch for (yes even the best designers sometimes make mistakes...it happens...I don't judge too harshly on that) it seems like 4-5 new designers pop up every day so I really try to go with tried and true designers I have worked patterns by before, just to save myself from headaches and repeated frogging.
• Projects made from the pattern - especially when I am looking on Ravelry I look for patterns with at least a few finished projects, or for the pattern photos to be of different projects made from that pattern (this lets me know its been tested) If a pattern has no finished projects and only one set of photos it concerns me that it is not a well tested pattern and may have errors. 
• Cost - I know for a lot of people cost is first priority, but for me I would rather pay for a well tested pattern from a reputable designer than grab the first freebie I find. However I have found some of my very favorite designers by trying one of their free patterns!! 

All these things taken into consideration and I still ended up using 

• a free pattern
• an unknown designer
• with no photos of finished projects
• only one pattern photo (which suggests to me no testing)

But this is not a horror story! Were there some errors? Yes. Were they deal breakers? No!! This pattern is a pretty straight forward beanie pattern with some shaping around the neck. It is offered in 2 styles; using hdc or dc, and offered in a wide range of sizes. 

I chose to use the hdc style and made it in two different sizes as was requested in the order, adult small and adult large.

Some things I liked about this pattern were; It was written out nicely, it had stitch counts at the end of each row, it had clear notes about it not being worked in joined rounds, rather it was worked in a spiral, I really like how the crest is worked and folded in half, making it nice and stiff on top of the hat, and it had a nice drawing of how to rejoin in the right place to do the neck piece. 

However there were a few things that were issues for me. The stitch count for the increases on the adult small were off. It said the last increase round (rnd 9) leaves you with 70 stitches however the math doesn't add up to 70 it only works out to 68. I did finish the hat at the 68 stitches and it still fits nicely.

Also the yardage states 300-400 yards, this hat maybe used 200 yards and that was at the largest size. 

For the crest there is multiple stitch counts given depending on the hat size, I found that the medium length (toddler) was fine for both the adult small and adult large. 

Over all I am very glad I gave this pattern a try! I will let the designer know about the error on the stitch count and let her know how much I enjoyed her pattern! I am always glad to find a free pattern that works out so nicely. 

If you are ever in need of a Knight Hat I highly recommend this pattern!

So the life of a blogger isn't always on topic. Did I crochet this weekend? Yes, of course! Not as much as I would have liked to but I did work a bit on a cute hat order for a good friend in North Dakota, a little aviator hat and 2 knight helmet hats! I will be posting about both these fun patterns as I finish them up!
In order to crochet of course I must buy yarn (ok and sometimes I buy yarn just because its pretty and it needs me) but this last Friday I needed specific yarn which always brings up the question...where to buy, my options

1. Michaels  - Which I think is a pretty common craft store for most.
2. Joann's - Another common (and my favorite) craft and fabric store.
3. Walmart - Our Walmart really has an ok selection of yarn, they seem to always have a sale on some kind of yarn and they have had a good stock of Mandala yarn lately.

So faced with my choices I decided on Joann's because I needed a big cut of fabric as well! I really love that they carry fabric and such a great selection!! I could spend hours shopping the aisles! Which leads to some fun to be had by the bored teens who were in tow with me Friday....

Yes that is craft foam battle gear! The charged me from around the corner and I nearly died laughing!! (NO craft foam was harmed) Thankfully they are good kids and survived a lot more shopping.

Some things I consider before I choose where to shop are

• Yardage needed to complete pattern
• Yarn weight
• Yarn structure - I am not sure if this is the right thing to call it really, but different yarns crochet up differently. If for example I am making a Knight Helmet hat I will want a yarn that will crochet up to hold shape well, not something that will be soft and drapey. 
• recipient - If its for a baby I will want something softer, for a toddler or child I always get machine wash and dryable, for adults I always ask if they want it washable or if they prefer natural fibers like wool or cotton. 
• PRICE! I am sure you all guessed this one! I would love to make every hat or scarf out of a luxury yarn of course, but that really isn't feasible now is it? And I don't think its feasible for most crafters. So I always check online to see who is having sales before I go shopping. 

So I got my yarn; Red Heart Super Saver for the Knight hats and Red Heart with Love for the baby aviator hat, and 3 skeins of Caron One Pound for an afghan for my sweet Nephew and his new bride!! Oh and I got the fabric I needed; 2 full yards of white cotton 120 inches wide!! 

I know that's a lot of fabric...you might ask "what are you sewing?" but the truth is I didn't sew it. We used it to make a HUGE screen in our back yard!! My husband and I really love UFC and there was a big pay per view fight we had planned to rent and watch with friends, I was able to borrow a projector from work and we turned the whole thing into a big yard party!

I made a quadruple batch of fresh cucumber salsa, a double batch of homemade meatballs and about 4 dozen rolls and a gallon of sun tea!! Our friends and some family came over and we had a blast! Its really hard for me to do so much in one day, see I have Fibromyalgia, so being able to get it all together and still enjoy the night was just wonderful. 

There was a bit of yarn in the evening, when my sister decided to knit and her cake of yarn had a bit of a snag....

Ok it was a big snag and it took 3 of us to sort it out and rewind it!

Next post I will be talking about the yarn brands I use the most and hopefully reviewing the baby aviator hat from Red Heart! Its adorable so far and super easy!!

Hello!! And WELCOME to a Stitch of Mine!! I am so glad to be here!

A little about me; I learned to crochet from my great grandmother 16 years ago when I was just 21 and pregnant with my first child. I grew up watching my granny crochet booties and blankets for all the babies born, and potholders and slippers for Christmas gifts. I am not sure which of us was happier to have me learning from her, it was an amazing experience for me in so many ways.

 She was almost 90 then and just tickled to have her great granddaughter spending hours every evening in her patio swing learning to crochet. While I practiced on a potholder those first few weeks she not only watched and helped me but also managed to hook up 2 pairs of baby booties for my son. Granny passed away about 6 years ago now, but I always say she gave me a gift that I can give away a million times over and never lose. And I do. I taught my husband, sister, daughter and countless friends how to crochet over the last 16 years. 

So I have a crazy love for crochet and to be honest I am a pattern hoarder. I have tried designing a few things of my own, but I much prefer a well written pattern to follow, some of my favorite designers include Snappy Tots, Meg Made With Love, Twinkie Chan and All about Ami. 

So what am I here to blog about if not my own designs? Simply put; I am here to share my experience with the designs of others! Paid patterns, free patterns, established designers and new designers. I hope to help you find great new patterns to try and show you how easy even big projects can be! I hope you follow along this journey with me and let me know what kinds of patterns you want to see! 

I will leave you with a few pictures of some of my most loved recent projects. I will put links to each pattern after the pictures. 

This is the Faded Stripes Slouchy Hat by Whistle and Ivy, it is a free pattern. I really LOVED this pattern. Very simple but has a really nice drape to it. I used red heart super saver in Flamingo and Soft White, RHSS can sometimes work up stiff if the pattern is done in a tight stitch, this pattern alternates single crochet, half double crochet, and double crochet which keeps it from getting the stiff fabric you might get from a pattern done all in single crochet, even using the recommended G 4mm hook it still has a softer drape. The only intermediate stitching would be the back loop only stitches (BLO) used on the brim of the hat, but even these are easy enough for a beginner to tackle!! This pattern does not contain a link to a tutorial for the BLO stitch but there is a good one here Back Loop only tutorial on the Moogly Blog.

This is the Build a Bag by Snappy Tots, this is a paid pattern but TOTALLY worth it! There are numerous different animal options to choose from. My daughter chose the frog and owl, but there is also a monkey, snowman, bat, cow and more!! This pattern was so easy to follow I made this bag in about 3 hours the night before Easter and 2 hours Easter morning! This pattern and all of the Snappy Tots patterns I have purchased (there are some great free ones as well) have come very well written with photo tutorials on some of the trickier parts like the frogs feet, as well as a list of common crochet abbreviations at the end of each pattern and her contact information for any issues or questions you may have. I love the creativity and fun of Snappy Tots and her patterns, she has a range of patterns from bags and hats to slippers and scarves. I have personally purchased most of her current patterns and am excited to share them here with you as I hook them up!

I hope you enjoyed this first post. Leave me a comment and let me know what you think. 

See you next time!! 

Keep Hookin'  

Love, Um.