Two Blogs Instead of One

I decided it was time to separate my two loves:  photography and crochet/crafting.

My photography blog is located at http://acraszman.blogspot.com/ and my crochet/crafting blog is located at http://boomerandbuggy.blogspot.com/.  I'm hoping this will make things easier for me, as well as my followers.  Cheers!

Project Pinterest - Kindle Cover and Dishcloth

I finally found time to join in the fun!

Here's my Kindle Cover I made. (This was actually my second attempt as the first one was too small. However, the instructions are for a Kindle 3, which is bigger than my touch, so I miscalculated.)

I love how the inside fabric is so cheery.  I need that this time of year.

And this dish cloth is so cute and colorful! When I repinned these on Pinterest, 33 more people pinned them after me. I'm working on a few more besides this one.

More cheery colors!

Can't wait to see what everyone else is doing.

Balance

I've been enjoying my time not having to take a picture every day. I set crochet aside for the most part last year but can now be more balanced between the two.

I surprised my good friend, Kerri, with this handbag on Saturday.

She loves it and I love that she does! Being able to create/give things to my friends/family is a great feeling. For Christmas, I made mug cozies for some family members and they seemed to really like them. My brother-in-law, Kevin, even used his shortly after opening the gift, "To try it out." :)

I hope you are enjoying the new year as much as I am!

Lens Cozies

I've been a little distracted from my crochet since diving back into photography.  Okay, a lot distracted.  Oops, sorry about that.

I don't have a camera bag, just a backpack, and wanted to keep my lenses safe.  Crochet is so versatile so I made these.

There's no pattern for these. I started a single crochet circle (6 sc) and when it was big enough, stopped increasing. Then I kept using sc until it was long enough to fit each lens (I actually made them bigger so they wouldn't stretch and have more cushion for my lenses). For the last round I did sc, then a chain stitch (skipping a sc) until the round was complete. Then I threaded some yarn through for pull strings. Simple, the way I like things.

One for me

I had a skein of Lion Brand Homespun yarn, lavender sachet, that I bought at a yard sale this past summer for $1.  Its been waiting for me......   The pattern I used was from the Lion Brand website, Wedding Favor Scarf.  Its thick and warm, just what I need for the last of winter.  The color reminds me that Spring is just around the corner, too.

Skinny Scarf

I made this one for my friend Niki, who collects scarves.

Scarves

I have been doing other things besides photography ;-)

I made a couple scarves, for my daughter and her friend.  They are from the one sitting scarf pattern.
Well, actually, the second one is.  The first one is from my memory of what I thought the pattern was.  Anyway, I like them both and the girls are pleased.  Of course that could also be because I used Caron Simply Soft yarn and they can't stop touching them ;-)

Looks like I need to play catch up

My mom's birthday was in November and I made her this cowl.  The yarn came from a local Alpaca farm.  Its baby alpaca and I wasn't sure how it would work up...  If not for the expense (which my mom is worth) I'd crochet with it all the time!

I finally lined the hobo style bag.  I think it turned out nice. 

I especially love that I made the strap adjustable.  I'm pretty sure its going to stretch when the bag is loaded up.  I love the size of it, too.  I crocheted another one in black, ecru, and cranberry but I ran out of black yarn which made the strap too short.  I'm going to frog it and add more ecru and cranberry.  (Well, sometime over the winter I will.)

I visited a friend a few weeks ago and we made little boxes from greeting cards.  Here's the video tutorial we used.


I made some more that weekend from old Christmas cards.  They are so cute! I did modify how I folded them though.  I used a ruler to draw lines from corner to corner, instead of folding, so the tops and bottoms don't have creases in them.

In one of the boxes are a pair of Christmas ear rings that Noelle made for me. Aren't they sweet?

And I finally got my netbook =D

It even has a crochet cover, with a zipper, that I made for it.

Its taking a little getting use to, size wise, but I love it!

Baby Crochet

Here's an update on the baby cocoon and hat that I made for a friend's little boy.  She posted this picture on Facebook and tagged me so that I could see how little Brock is enjoying it.  Isn't he a cutie?!!

Circle Dance Bag

 http://www.lionbrand.com/patterns/90512AD.html

Okay, finished.

 

 

I really didn't want to make it this big but Noelle did.  She has room for all her dance gear plus much much more, lol.  I did learn a lot from making this pattern though.  I don't really like working with too many colors.  Yes, it looks so pretty.  Weaving in all those ends?  Ugh.  Oh, well.  She's happy and that makes me happy.  Now she wants a matching water bottle carrier.  Yeah, I know.  More ends to weave in, but its a much smaller project :)

Handbags, Baby Crochet, and Sewing

I still haven't finished the lining for my purse design.  With all the remodeling and moving around of things in this house, I can't get to my sewing machine right now. 

I've spent a lot of time crocheting though and have another purse that needs lined.  I've also crocheted a baby hat/sleep sack set for a friend.  I had some TLC Cotton Plus yarn in my stash that was perfect for it!  I got the hat pattern here but looked at how sleep sacks were constructed and came up with my own pattern using half double crochet (the pattern used in the hat).

And now I'm working on the circle dance bag pattern for Noelle.  She started dance classes this year and needs a way to carry all her gear. 

Now if I can just un-bury the sewing machine...

Remodeling and Creativity

I know, I haven't posted in a while. Sorry about that.  We're in the middle of renovating wood floors and repainting and new wood work and the house is a mess and dh is very busy work wise so hasn't gotten much done around here and...........you get the picture ;)

I have been playing around with designing my own handbags.  I took an informal poll of friends online asking them what they liked best in a purse.  Wow, talk about a lot of differences!  My first attempt is at a hobo-style bag with an adjustable shoulder strap.  I need a buckle to finish so I can't post a pic yet.  Oh, and it needs lined, too.  One friend suggested I also make a coordinating cell phone holder (I made myself one and she loved it, wants one of her own). 

Noelle has also been busy crafting.  We just happen to live near train tracks so she's been making flattened penny earrings.  She loves to make jewelry and her friends want a pair.  Some have requested necklaces since their ears aren't pierced.

Her and I are tossing around the idea of renting a table at the local craft fair for Christmas.  You see, I'm still saving for that netbook I mentioned a while back.

Handbag Kick

Here's one I made for my neighbor (its like mine, in between a small and a medium), and the first one I put a liner in.  I definitely need to put liners in these as they hold their shape so much better.  I really like the way it turned out and I know Sue was really happy with it (she picked the great colors, btw).

The liner was stitched on my machine but it had to be hand sewn in.

The next one is for me but it will be my first large one.  I love little handbags but sometimes you just need a bigger one, ya know?

If you haven't checked it out already the pattern can be found at the futuregirl.com blog.  As well as some great tutorials and pictures of other crocheters' designs.  I especially like the sock monkey diaper bag!

Handbags

Starling Handbag from futurgirl.com

This one's mine and is sized between a small and a medium. You know I never leave a pattern alone by now don't you? :)

This one is Noelle's and is a small one with, obviously, a pocket for her mp4 player.

Neither one of these has a liner, btw.

Lately

I see its been a while since I posted...

I've been involved with choreographing an Easter Worship Arts  Celebration for Easter Sunday. Lots of work to be done there. We've been practicing Saturday mornings and Sundays after services. A few Tuesday nights thrown in as well. I'm hoping to have it recorded so I can share it here. We'll see how that goes.

I was in the dollar store a few days ago and got bit by the gardening bug.  I proceeded to check out some organic gardening books from the library and have been learning about composting.  Who knew dirt could be so fascinating?  So, hopefully this weekend I can get my organic seeds and potting soil from Wal-mart to get started on my seedlings.

I've also been kicking around the idea of crocheting some baskets, but baskets with some substance to them.  I saw one example online where clothes line was crocheted over for sturdiness.  I've also thought wire would be an interesting insertion between stitches.  No, not Easter baskets.  Just baskets.

This morning I finally got our all-in-one hooked up to our home network.  It was a little frustrating but I managed to figure it out.  Our Internet Explorer kept freezing/locking up so I did some digging online to fix it.  I declared to my son that I loved the internet but was not terribly fond of the intricacies of computers themselves ;-P

We've had some nice weather the last couple weeks and I've been out walking in it.  Being in the sun has been marvelous!  However, it looks like March this year will be declared in like a lamb, out like a lion.  Oh well, I have a couple good books I can curl up with.

And You Thought I Was Done

Noelle's first pair of slippers wore through so I made her a new pair.

And then I made some for her AG dolls.

Done!

Kirk's slippers

Now everyone has a pair :-)

More Slippers and Tawashi Flowers

Here are the slippers I made for myself.

I want to put a white fur cuff on them but it will have to wait until I'm done making a pair for Kirk.

I also crocheted some of these make-up remover pads for a gift to a friend.  I need to make some for myself as well.

Slippers and our Gingerbread house

Here's the modified version of the slipper pattern for Kyle

I'm planning on combining some red and white yarn to make some for myself, even contemplating some white fluffy yarn for a fur cuff.

We finally got around to finishing our from scratch gingerbread house this past week, just in time for Epiphany (Matthew 2:9-11).  I thought it was fitting anyway ;-)

Projects and the New Year

I finished the wristers a couple weeks before Christmas and they are so warm.  I still have sock yarn left over and am thinking about making "hoods" for my fingers, we'll see.

 

Right now, I'm working on making slippers for the kids.  Noelle wanted hers in pink camo and I'm a little over halfway done.

After making just one I already have ideas to modify the pattern so it will work up quicker, not to mention make them warmer.  Oh, here's the pattern I'm using.

I'm not big on resolutions for the New Year and found this quote and it is exactly how I feel about it.

I made no resolutions for the New Year. The habit of making plans, of criticizing, sanctioning and molding my life, is too much of a daily event for me.

~Anaïs Nin

Whether your into resolutions or not, I wish you a Very Blessed 2010!