A crocheter is only as good as her hooks!

Do you love to crochet but find yourself with pain in your wrists or hands a lot?
I suffered the same problem until my husband bought me a gorgeous Furls crochet hook. Using the ergonomic hooks was a game changer for me.

Since getting the Furls hook I have looked into getting a few other types of ergonomic hooks, and I am in love with handmade polymer clay hooks. I have bought from several Etsy sellers and wanted to share a few here.

One of my favorites is HarperBabyHooks her mermaid hooks are stunning!! All her hooks are custom made by hand, and each one is so unique and beautiful.

I currently have 3 of her ergonomic style hooks and they are my favorites to work with. These two are my amigurumi hooks, Angie bought these tiny hooks and crafted the handles as a special size order for me and I could not be happier with how they turned out!!

Another great hook maker I love is Kelli over at Sick lil' Monkeys she also does polymer clay ergonomic hooks but in a much different style! I think this eclipse hook is my favorite!!

This one even glows in the dark! I love the unique designs of each of Kelli's hooks! So much time goes into each one, they really are one of a kind!

Do you use ergonomic hooks? Or do you prefer the slim style of a classic aluminum hook? 

Check back here next week for a post all about the gorgeous wood hooks sweeping the internet!! 

Crocheted Indoor Snowballs!!!

Ready or not here they are!! My first ever pattern for indoor snowballs!! These were so fun to make! 

The idea behind these is a way for kids to have all the fun of a snowball fight with out the cold noses and snow!! These will make great gifts for kids who live where it never snows and great for indoor recess at school or fun time in a classroom or just another fun family activity!

I got the idea of these from the crocheted water balloons by Left in Knots but these Crocheted Indoor Snowballs are filled with polyfil stuffing. They are soft enough to not hurt even when thrown very hard and they are machine washable and dryable! 

See my last post for game ideas to use with the Crocheted Indoor Snowballs.

And now the pattern! I will be putting a pdf on Ravelry soon for those who want to work offline.

Crocheted Indoor Snowballs

By Um Creations - Melissa Johnston
Or grab a pdf copy on Ravelry HERE

What you need -

Bernat Blanket Yarn

8mm L hook

Polyfil stuffing

Large Eyed Yarn needle

Scissors

Stitches used

Ch - Chain

Sc - single crochet

Sc2tog - single crochet 2 together (decrease)

Slst - slip stitch

Ch 2

Rnd 1 - 8 sc in 2nd ch from hook join with slst to first sc, ch 1 (8sc)

(Ch1 does NOT count as a stitch here or throughout pattern)

Rnd 2 - 2sc in each st around join with slst to first sc, ch 1 (16 sc)

Rnd 3-5 - sc in each st around join with slst to first sc, ch 1 (16 sc)

Rnd 6 - sc2tog around join with a slst to first sc, fasten off leaving a 6 inch tail to close top. (8 sc)

Stuff firmly with polyfil stuffing. Weave tail through last round to close top.

And you’re done!! Enjoy!!

I hope you love making these as much as I did and remember to tag me on instagram with @umcreations and the hashtag #crochetedindoorsnowballs

I would love to see your finished snowballs!!

SNOWBALL FIGHT!!!!

What could be more fun in the winter than a rousing snowball fight??

How about a snowball fight indoors? 

I am planning a Friday enrichment at our school with a fellow teacher and the kids are going to get to have an indoor snowball fight!

My plan is to make about 60 of these little babies!! They are so quick to whip up you'll find yourself unable to stop making them, and the more you make the more fun the fight will be!!

We will have our event in our school multipurpose room, each team will get about 30 snowballs and a large stack of solo cups! We will play "castle down" where they will stack their cups into a castle type structure and then try to knock down each others castles. There will be a game of snowball dodgeball, and a capture the snowballs race. In capture the snowballs each team will have their snowballs on their "base" and they will try to steal snowballs from each other with out getting tagged out, first team to capture all the other teams snowballs wins! 

Would you like to have your own indoor snowball fight?? Come back here on Friday October 26th for the FREE pattern!! I am working on a pdf which I might post on Ravelry and my upcoming etsy shop for a small fee!! 

Pattern Testing!!!

OH!! It has been way too long since I posted. I do not have a good excuse at all, just haven't taken the time to write a post.
I wonder if anyone even reads these sometimes.

Well I am here today and ready to share with you a really fun way to try new designers, if you are an experienced crocheter. Pattern testing!!
The first pattern I tested was for the fabulous Irene Strange, who creates the most amazing animal patterns. This guys is George the Koala, you can get a copy of his pattern HERE

Now this is not something to take lightly, but it can be a lot of fun. Most of the designers I have tested for recently have a set list of things they want you to watch for and report back on. Some of these things include

1. size you plan to make
2. yarn you'll be using
3. amount of yarn used (in yds or by weight depending on the designer)
4. any typos or errors you find in the pattern
5. any parts of the pattern that just didn't work
6. completing by their deadline

My next test project was this super cute turtle! This pattern can be found 

But don't let the thought of a deadline or specifics scare you, if you are good at following and reading a pattern then you can probably be a tester. I have found several fabulous designers on instagram to test for. To become a tester you need to watch for when designers post asking for pattern testers and then follow their instructions to apply to test for them. If you get chosen you will most likely recieve a message or email from the designer either asking a few questions such as

1. How long you've been crocheting
2. Who else if anyone you have tested for before 
3. Where to look at some of your crochet work (ravelry name, instagram, facebook, where ever you show your work)
4. If you think you can complete the project by the deadline. 

Please don't apply to be a tester if you don't think you can get the project done on time. Its important to designers to have their patterns tested before they can release them so always meet deadlines and do your best work, but don't be afraid to mention a mistake in the pattern. Even something as simple as a typo can really make it hard for others to complete the pattern and can damage a designer's reputation. They want you to tell them if a stitch count is off or if something is spelled wrong. 

Testing can be a great way to boost your crochet confidence and get your self out there in the great big crochet world. 

I will leave you with a few of the other fun patterns I have tested recently and a link to get them for yourself. 

Mickey's Market Bag

Boho Dreams Bralette

Be-you-tiful bottoms

Lulu the Panda

Review of Edward's Crochet Dolls by Kerry Lord

If you read my last post you know how much I loved Kerry Lord's book Edward's Crochet Imaginarium. Well I have recently purchased two of her other books Edward's Crochet Doll Emporium  and Edward's Menagerie. I am so in love with all of Kerry's designs.

I decided to start with making dolls first. The detail of these patterns is just amazing. I am enjoying this doll book so greatly. I love the diversity of characters created for the cover of this book, my favorites are the bearded merman, the wizard and the punk rocker with tattoos! All these different options are in the book so you could make the characters displayed on the cover.

This book is like the Imaginarium book in that it is split into flippable pages with head/hair styles on the top 3rd of the pages and the body/costume on the bottom two thirds of the pages. There are detailed instructions in the back half of the book on making the body and head, including a basic head and an advanced head. There are also two arm versions, one a basic mitt type hand and an advanced arm including the most adorable fingers!! There is just one leg pattern a basic leg and foot. 

The book also includes hook sizes to use for different yarn weights just like the imaginarium book, a section on special stitches and techniques and a great section on all the different hair options! 

I ordered some amazing dk weight yarn from lovecrochet.com to use for making dolls. This yarn had a great price and a great selection of colors for skin tones, hair colors, and jewel tones for outstanding clothing options.

I also ordered myself a brand new hook from Harper Baby Shop on Etsy. Angie makes the most beautiful polymer clay creations. She was so wonderful in finding just the sizes I needed too! which were tiny!! But she found them and I couldn't be more happy with how they turned out and with how amazing they are to work with! They are seriously a dream on my hands.

To make a doll I found it takes exactly 1 skein of the Schachenmayr Bravo yarn to do the body, advanced head, and all limbs. I had just under one yard of yarn left over. I think if you did the basic body you would need 2 skeins especially if you chose the advanced arms. If you also did the basic arms you might have enough in one skein but I would get two just in case. These are smaller skeins however, just 146 yards per skein. If your dk weight yarn of choice has more yardage one would be plenty.
Remember I used a dk weight yarn so yardage using a worsted or chunky weight yarn would be different.

So for my 2 dolls I used

• dk weight yarn - in  tan, dusty brown, mauve, emerald green, cream, and black (these are not the exact color names, most were in a different language)
• a 3.25mm ergonomic hook
• polyfil stuffing
• 6mm safety eyes (on one doll the other I embroidered her eyes on)
• black embroidery floss
• yarn needle
• embroidery needle
• stitch marker
• stuffing stick (found in most bags of polyfil, you can also use an unsharpened pencil, chopstick, or a pen with the cap on)
• scissors

I made these dolls for sisters so I used the same hair color for both. I chose to do a simple long hair on each and gave one bangs. I do want to try some of the other hair options outlined in the book though, there are so many fun ones! 

There are so many outfit choices in this book, I had lots of fun picking a look for these little ladies. I chose a dress for each because they are going to be Easter gifts. One in a dainty mauve dress and one in an emerald green dress with a pretty cream poncho. 

This book gives you so many choices for creating a beautiful one of a kind doll. If you are new to amigurumi I would still suggest these books, along with a UK to US terms conversion chart, as the books are written in UK terms. 

I hope you will give them a try. I know you won't be disappointed. 

UPDATE!!!
The girls loved their dolls! I am so glad I could make their Easter special!!

Imaginitive Creatures

It started with a book I got for Christmas, Edward's Crochet Imaginarium. This book is just spectacular. If you've ever wanted to jump into amigurumi I would strongly suggest you get one of Kerry Lord's books. They are so well written and they add a level of fun that other books just don't have.

This books pages are split into thirds, heads, arms, and legs. You can flip through and create millions of different creature options. From wild hair to webbed hands and feet. Furry bodies or striped. Polka dots or 6 arms, the ideas are limitless.

I really love this book in particular because it is not classic animals, although I have Kerry's book Edward's Menagerie and it is amazing in its own right, I like the creativeness of this book. It gives the crocheter or the person choosing the ability to express themselves through their choices. No two creatures ever need to be alike unless you choose them to be. I love how different all the creatures I have mad have turned out.

This book is written in UK crochet terms, but as you can see most patterns are done in a UK dc (double crochet) which is a US sc (single crochet) so converting the pattern while working them is super easy!

There are also sections on tails, stuffing and finishing, and a section telling what size hook to use with different weights of yarn. All these first ones I have made have been made with worsted weight Red Heart Yarn. This last one I did however was made using Lionbrand Mandala in the Gnome colorway. Her name is Matilda and my daughter just loves her! How could she not! Just look how cute she is!

She is quite a bit smaller than her big brother, Mr. Topknot. I love how different  a pattern can turn out just by changing yarn weight and hook size. 

My favorite section of this book is the gallery, which give a list of which features were used for ALL the creatures on the cover of the book as well as a little story/personal bio on each creature with their name and where they are from. It is really so cute and add such a fun touch to the book. This section inspired me to give a name and story to each creature I make. I plan on writing a little bio on a tag of any creatures that are order from me in the future. 

These creatures were truly a joy to make, I plan to make many more. If you want to try some amigurumi creatures I highly suggest you get this great book by Kerry Lord. You won't be disappointed I promise!

Habitat Cardigan

Habitat Cardigan by Make and Do Crew 

I absolutely fell in love with this pattern as soon as I saw it. It looked so simple and inviting in that beautiful charcoal color. (see the above blog link to see the amazing original) But alas I had no charcoal yarn. Actually I had no worsted weight yarn of any color in the needed amount; I was heartbroken.
However I did have 4 beautiful skeins of Lionbrand Mandala Yarn in Gnome colorway. I decided maybe it could work.
Have you ever tried substituting a yarn in a pattern? If you haven't here is a tip, generally you want to use the same weight as called for in the pattern.So this pattern called for worsted weight, and if you haven't guessed already, the yarn I had was not worsted....its acutally a dk weight.
One might think this was the end of my cardigan sweater journey, but its not, because Jess over at Make and Do Crew is pretty amazing!
I messaged Jess on Instagram and asked if she thought I could make the sweater work with dk. She suggested I just give it a try using a hook that I could match gauge with so that is what I did! And here is what you'll need if you want an awesome rainbow cardigan like mine.

• First go decide what size you want your cardigan Pattern is Here This is the free version of the pattern, for a small fee you can get an ad free pdf, either way its the same great pattern, I worked from the free version, but may buy the pdf if I decide to make another. 

 I wanted the fit of a medium so I chose the size large to make (this is important if you want to use a smaller yarn, pick one size larger or more depending on how loose you want your sweater to fit)

• Ok if you decide to use Mandala yarn I used about 2 1/2 cakes in the Gnome colorway. There are soooo many great colorways to choose from in this type of yarn. Fairy and Griffin are two of my other favorites in the Mandala yarn. 
• I ended up using a  L 7.0mm hook and my rectangle measured the medium size perfectly 
• I also used stitch markers from Joann's when I got to the putting it all together stage.

This is a really simple pattern, its hard to believe this simple rectangle creates such a cute sweater.

If you like the look of this sweater please go try out Jess' pattern at Make and Do Crew, you won't be sorry, I promise. 

Happy Yarn Mail

I decided to sign up for 3 months of Happy Yarn Mail at New Years. I was hoping it would be a bit of fun. I didn't expect a lot for the meager price of $19.99 a month. I mean really we all know how much cost goes into a really great project from yarn to pattern. I was expecting a small project I guess, something cutsie. I really didn't look into past projects just wanting to be surprised.

Well...Ashleigh at Sewrella has an amazing talent for designing, I have loved all her patterns on her blog and knew even if it was just a small project I would probably LOVE it.

When It arived I was just floored!!
First of all the package is sooo cute!!! I mean who wouldn't want to come home to this in their mail box??

I was so excited to open this and get started straight away, however I had a BIG afghan I had been dragging my feet on finishing so I used my Happy Yarn Mail as my incentive to finish it. I have to tell you I finished that afghan in record time!! I couldn't wait to open up that cute sprinkled package and see what was inside!!! And I was NOT disappointed at all!

Yes it's a smallish project or rather 2 smallish projects but they could not be any cuter for Valentines day!! 

It was great for a take along project for my lunch breaks at work, and guys if you are at all nervous about being able to complete these cute projects, do not fear, Sewrella has you covered! Each package comes with...

1. Yarn
2. Pattern
3. Password

Password??? Password for what you might ask? A VIDEO TUTORIAL!!! Seriously guys Ashleigh thought of everything!! 

This project pattern was very easy to read (there was typo which is addressed on the video tutorial page) Ashleigh is really on the ball, and the stitch was a beautiful texture which I am in love with!!! I think it would make a beautiful blanket!! 

So have you tried Happy Yarn Mail? Is it something you would love to try?? Each month's kit goes on sale on the 1st of the month, there is a limited supply so order quick or better yet just subscribe to the monthly program!! They ship out around the 25th of the month and mine was here pretty quickly!!  So I know what you're thinking...."where do I sign up??" thats easy...go HERE !!!

Oh and as for your other question "wait, what did you finish making??" It was two beautiful Valentine's Day pouches!! I loved them both, my daughter (12) claimed the white one before I even got it finished so it will be filled with goodies for her on Valentine's Day, the other will be mine. I decided this year to show my self some love by filling up a little treat bag for my self. Chocolates, maybe some lotion, a nail file...who knows the possibilities are endless!! I plan to keep something special in it for me all year long. Just to remind myself to be kind to myself. 

Thanks Ashleigh for such a fun project I can't wait to see what next months project is!!

Crocheting all the things!

I feel like lately I have been crocheting so many different things I just don't know where to start blogging. LOL So I have uploaded pics of all the crocheted things and I am just going to go by which ever picture is next! So first up is.....

The Homebody Sweater by Megan Shaimes of Meg made with love!!

This sweater was so EASY! Like a beginner crocheter could definitely make this! And its super comfy too!! Does it get any better than a simple comfortable sweater that you made yourself?? NO!!

Ok so materials needed

• DK (category 3) yarn - The pattern includes yardage needed for a range of sizes (Small-Large) I used a cotton bamboo yarn from Ice Yarns in light pink.
• Size K hook 6.5mm
• Yarn needle
• Sewing pins - I did not pin mine prior to sewing, I did use stitch markers at the neck so my neck hole was even. I also sewed my neck hole a bit smaller than Meg did on hers, but I wanted less slouch to mine so I felt more comfortable wearing it out. I am not as tiny and cute as Meg is. 

Ok so that is it. Short list right? Well I did say it was super easy didn't I! Seriously this sweater only uses half double crochet stitches. 1 stitch....EASY PEASY! 

My gauge was a bit off when I started but Meg was so very helpful. I just ended up dropping down a hook size and worked the pattern as written. I would definitely say do a quick gauge swatch just to make sure you're on gauge. I think part of it  for me was the yarn I was using, it worked up a bit looser than an acrylic in my opinion but it is silky soft and smooth. It made for a heavier sweater but its not overly hot at all. It breathes beautifully. I wore it out to dinner and a hockey game and got lots of compliments, the best part was saying "Thanks I made it myself." 

I want to take a minute and talk about doing a gauge swatch. I NEVER used to do a gauge swatch. and I still don't for the most part on hats, toys, and blankets, but on sweaters, tops, shawls, socks...anything I want to "Fit" well. I do a gauge swatch. It saves so much time in the long run. There is nothing worse than getting a sweater finished only to have it not fit. 

I hear all the time that "a gauge swatch is a waste of yarn!" well I suppose if you finish off on the swatch and cut it loose it could be but here are some things I've done. 

1. DO NOT finish off. DO NOT cut your yarn. When you get to the right stitch and row count for the swatch measure it. If its good frog it and start your garment. If its too big/small try a different hook size, check your yarn weight, double check the pattern and frog it and do it again. (see if you don't cut the yarn you can just use it again and again...) 
2. If you choose to finish off the swatches, save them. Turn them into a blanket. Turn them into a pillow. Turn them into potholders.... Do you see where I am going with this? Some yarns are a pain to frog and reuse; fuzzy yarns like Lionbrand Homespun, fun fur or novelty yarns, natural fibers can tangle a bit and be tough to frog also. 

Ok so back to the Homebody, this is the 2nd pattern of Meg's that I have done and I really really love how her patterns are written and that she is so helpful. Now the bonus info...this is a FREE pattern on her blog!!! Yep you heard me its FREE!! If you like having a pdf to print with out ads Meg's got you covered, for a small fee you can get a pdf from her etsy shop! (there is a link right on the pattern page on her blog) You can find this sweater and several others on her blog as well as some super cute hats, scarves and printable wrap labels and tags!! ALL FREE!!! 

Ok now stop reading, go check your stash for some DK yarn and run over to Meg Made With Love and start your Homebody sweater! You'll have it done and be wearing by the weekend!! 

Loves,

Um.