Crochet Heart Shawl Made from Alice Merlino's Heart Scarf

So I finished the Crochet Heart Scarf a couple of weeks ago and while I was working on it, I was inspired to create a fun shawl using the same motifs.  So I did!  This is how it came out.

The yarn is absolutely beautiful.  Red Heart Boutique Unforgettable in Petunia.  The color variegation is really nice and it has a cool mohair feel even though it is 100% acrylic.

After talking to Alice Merlino about using her pattern, she agreed that I could make the pattern available for everyone if I refer to her original pattern and do not rewrite her words or use her pictures.  Her words and pictures are awesome so check them out when you make my shawl.  Here's her pattern and here's my shawl pattern:

 

Yarn:  Red Heart Boutique Unforgettable
Hook:  J
Gauge:  not important

Complete foundation row and rows 1-4 of Alice Merlino’s Heart Scarf.  Finish off.

 

Ch 13, sl st into the fourth bump from your hook (makes a chain loop), ch 9, dc in last dc of completed motif, work across top of motif as in row 5, and at of row, complete foundation row again, turn. 

 

Complete rows 1-4 across to make 3 connected motifs.  Finish off. 

 

Work as established until shawl is desired size.

 

Work row 5 across all motifs to finish then cut yarn.  Weave in ends and block. 

 

Enjoy!!

Valentine's Day...The Next Big Knitting Holiday!

Ok, so when I say "knitting," (Note:  I kind of use it as a general term for "knitting" or "crocheting."  I just find "crocheting" to be an awkward kind of word.)  Anyway, I guess I was inspired this year.  Usually Valentine's Day just kind of sneaks up on me then passes without much fanfare.  My birthday was last month.  My husband's birthday was last week.  We just had our anniversary and Christmas.  I think we are usually holidayed out.  But this year is different for some reason, at least on the "Knitting Front."  (See note above).

So here are some of the projects I just finished.  A couple of hats, of course, because it is still cold up here in Montana.  Anyway, these are pretty simple and I finished them in a day or two. Theses are original designs.  I haven't written up the pattern but I will if I have requests.    

 Next was a cute heart scarf.  This is a design by Alice Merlino from Ravelry.  Also really easy and worked up super quick!  I actually had to take some motifs out because it worked up so quickly, that I had more than 8 feet of scarf before I even realized it.

While I was working on this piece, I started thinking about how to make this into a triangle shawl with the heart pattern all over it.  I pictured the back coming down in little squares. So that is what I tried next.


What do you think?!  I really like it.  I got permission from the designer of the scarf to make the pattern available.  It will be on my Ravelry site when I get it done.  The yarn is Red Heart Boutique Unforgettable.  It is 100% acrylic so it is easy care but it looks and feels like a mohair blend.  I love the color variegation.

Schwartzkatzen Sweater

It's finally finished!  My Black Cat Sweater for Lily.  I saw Annette Danielson's pattern on Ravelry and fell in love with the cute little kitties.  But the pattern was only available as a kit and isn't available at all anymore apparently.  I graphed out the kitties and put it away in my idea book for inspiration at a later date.  This last November I pulled it out again and decided to make a raglan cardigan for my niece.  She has a black cat named Riku and is absolutely crazy about anything handmade. I had hoped to have it done by Christmas.  Oh, well.  Better late than never.

It took me more than a week to graph out the raglan in such a way that the cats fit.  Many times the graph of the kitties had to be adjusted.  I have never been so frustrated with a design but finally it worked.  I started on it right away and worked diligently until the week before Christmas.  Then it became pretty clear that I was not going to finish in time.  I put it aside to work on some other items I had intended to give as gifts.  I picked it up again around the second week of January and have worked like mad to finish it today!  The clasp is the perfect finishing touch.  Tell me what you think!

DORK Virus spreading.

I need to get something off my chest.  My husband is a dork.  Not just a "Oh he wears glasses and his hair is always messy" dork but a full-blown, unapologetic, "May the force be with you," "Are we really watching 'In Search of Bigfoot' again" DORK.

Yes, that is a Goonies shirt

Sometimes this is endearing.  At other times, I get a little concerned that his dorkness is contagious and may be infecting me along with the other animals in our house.  For example, Abby, our black lab, is now a full-blown, "Daddy, everything you do is wonderful," "please pet my butt while I put my head on your shoe" dork.

"You're going to need the Force to get out of this one."

I am starting to see evidence that this dork virus is spreading into me as well.  For Christmas last year, I scoured the internet for the best deal on a Lego R2-D2.




This year I found a pattern for a Princess Leia baby hat and it instantly jumped to the top of my to-do list.  Here is my cat, Gypsy, modeling it.  Also poor kitty, you didn't really think you would escape the dork virus running rampant in this house did you? 

I'm on a Vest Kick!

I have been loving making vests lately.  They are perfect for baby boys in the spring and cool summer days.  I've been designing my own.  Some are in the local Blooming Bellies, soon to be Little Locals, and some are in my Etsy store.

 My recent favorite is my Little Fishes vest.  This design has been rolling around in my head for a couple of years.  I finally got it out but now I need to get it written down.  That's the not-so-fun part, at least for me.  I prefer to start my next project rather than write down my finished one. 

This one is the same pattern as the orange stripey vest in my last post.  Again I used handmade wooden buttons from my cherry tree.  The yarn is Louisa Harding Amitola, a super yummy wool/silk blend. 

 

Then I have my two little tie vests. This was a new adventure for me. I've never done intarsia in the round before and it took me a several tries and several fails to finally figure out how to make my vision work.

These two are done with Cascade Pima Cotton and Wendy Supreme Cotton DK. Very nice yarn to work with.

Tell me what you think!

 

Big News!

I have completed one of my New Year Resolutions and I can cross it off my list!  I now have some of my products in a local boutique!  Blooming Bellies Boutique in Kalispell, Montana currently has four of my children's shirts.  The patterns are my own and I have actually gotten them written down this time.  I think that is the hardest part of designing after all.  Sometimes I'm not quite sure how to put into understandable language exactly what I did to make something look a certain way.  It's tricky! 

 This one is my favorite. The yarn is Louisa Harding's Amitola in Marmalade.  It is 80% wool and 20% silk.  The buttons are hand-made.  Yes, I actually cut a branch from my cherry tree, dried it, sliced it, sanded it, drilled holes, and varnished them.  A lot of work, but you can't deny the results. 

The flowers on this little tunic turned out so cute. I love the simplicity and the femininity.  This pattern is a combination of crochet and knitting which is actually my favorite type of pattern.  The yarn is Cascade Pima.  It steams beautifully and has a nice finished look to it. 

 This one needs to be touched!  Too bad you all can just look at it.  The yarn is Cascade Pima Tencel and it is just yummy.  Very soft.  When I got it, the colors were limited so I will have to seek out more in the future.  These cute buttons were made from polymer clay to match the yellow stripes perfectly.  I love the two-tone ribbing at the bottom.  This was my first time trying this technique!

Aah, classic argyle.  Have I ever said that I love argyle?  This is again the Cascade Pima.  I struggled a lot with this vest.  I had to look up videos on YouTube and ask friends how to do intarsia in the round.  I think next time I may just go back and forth and seam the sides.  It's more work but will probably be faster in the long run.  The buttons (which you can't see from this pic) are also argyle.  I made a cane in polymer clay to match the design.  Isn't it more fun to make your own buttons? 

Let me know what you think!  I am so excited and I can't wait to do more!

'Tis the Season for Hats!

It's that time again.  Whatever that means...Winter, Holidays, Christmas, College Hoops, Football...Anyway, that means HATS!  As I've said before, I love hats.  They are so fun and easily customizable.  Here are some of the hats in my shop.  As always you can choose your size, color, and it's always free shipping.

Basketball and Football Hats - Share your passion with your little bundle of joy.

Football Hat

Cute Elf Hat - choose your color




Santa hat - baby to adult sizes

Pink Football Hat

Pink Basketball Hat

Now your little girl can cheer for her favorite sport too!