Here she was last year. Can you believe it? She’s growing up so fast!
putting a dent in that big spool of wool
Believe it or not, I’m still crocheting little vases. In fact, I just received a wholesale order for three sets. I’ve finally worked through most of my tan and navy wool and can’t wait to start using some new color combinations.
Thank goodness it’s football season. If you need me, I’ll be on the couch surrounded by yarn.
last-minute abby cadabby fairy wings
My daughter insisted she was going to wear her Abby Cadabby costume again for Halloween. I was a little worried she might change her mind at the last minute. Yesterday I asked her what she was going to wear underneath the skirt. She told me the pink leggings and silver fairy shoes she wore last year. I reminded her that she no longer fits in those and suggested jeans and her school shoes.
Well, that was not going to work. Abby Cadabby does not wear jeans or regular shoes, she told me. Oh, and she needed fairy wings this year. Last year she didn’t need them because she had a wand, but this year she had to have both.
I tried to go the easy route. Thankfully, Target had silver fairy shoes and pink leggings in her size. The costume area was totally picked over and there were no wings to be found. I came home and dug through my stash for some felt, stuffing and ribbon. Luckily, I wound up with something that could pass as fairy wings. She loves them. I like that they aren’t attached to anything so she can wear them over a sweater or coat if it gets cold.
What on earth would I do without a sewing machine and fabric stash?
my creative space
The kids exchanged treats at my daughter’s preschool party today. Thankfully, the Skittles came in an orange package. Paired with a black ribbon, these little bags turned out cute and easy. Good thing about the easy because I had to make emergency fairy wings last night, too.
reuse and repurpose: I bought glassine bags instead of Halloween bags so I can use the leftovers for other projects. The ribbon is vintage seam binding, which you can usually find in bags of assorted widths and colors at thrift stores and garage sales.
halloween overload
I spent the last few days crocheting up a spooky storm. I think I am finished with Halloween-themed crafts and ready to just sit and eat some candy. Phew!
I stayed up late last night putting the finish touches on these cuties, packaged them up for the mail, and then headed out to the pumpkin patch. It was a beautiful day to be outside with good friends, creepy amusements and funnel cake for lunch.
On the schedule for tomorrow: my daughter’s Halloween party at school in the morning and trick-or-treating at the zoo in the evening. When did Halloween become so darn busy?
pattern info: The ghost and cat are loosely based on the Skeleton Bride and Devil patterns from Creepy Cute Crochet. The candy corn began as a free pattern from Lion Brand with added rows and a rounded bottom to match the others. The spider is over here.
tiny crochet spider pattern
Thank you for the wonder feedback on my little pumpkin pattern. I’ve received the nicest comments and have been flattered by how many people have linked back to it.
When I sat down a few weeks ago to make some little crochet balls, I didn’t intend to whip up a bunch of Halloween-inspired projects, but you go where the inspiration takes you.
This spooky little spider is fast and easy to make. You still have plenty of time to crochet one (or a few) before October 31st. Have fun!
Spider Legs (make eight)
These are just like the pumpkin stem, only longer.
R1: chain 12
R2: sc in second bump from hook, sc in next ten bumps*
Spider Body
Crochet Rows 1-11 of Tiny Crochet Ball with black yarn.
Before stuffing, attach or embroider eyes. Then attach legs, four on each side. Bury ends inside body.
Stuff and finish off with Row 12.
*Go into the bumps on the back of the chain, not the stitches on the front of the chain.
more glue stick collages
Wow. This time last year I was doing the same exact thing: cutting out pictures for my daughter to paste on paper. It must be the official start of the holiday direct mail season.
Last year we put all of the shapes together in a single envelope, which created a lot of mess. She’d dump all of them out just to find one or two that she wanted. This year we are sorting them by category to make it a little easier.
Now that she’s using scissors, this is even more fun for her. Of course, we’ve created a whole different mess of scraps on the floor, but who cares. It keeps her busy and she enjoys it. I just need to remind her that we only cut paper and not hair!
envelopes: My daughter loves writing little notes and was cruising through my stash of envelopes. I started saving the ones that come with all of our junk mail. She’s got a nice supply now and that’s what we used to sort her cutouts.
catalogs: Did you know you can cut down the amount of paper that gets delivered to your mailbox? I’ve had good luck with Catalog Choice. Only problem is when you order something new, you get put on the mailing list again. At least we’re putting the catalogs to good use!
my little bookworm
When I asked Bella if she minded if we stop at the library today, she asked if we could check out Fall Leaves Fall! They’ve been reading it in school.
I helped her look it up in the catalog and find it on the shelf. She borrowed my card and checked it out by herself at the self-checkout machine. Then she read it on the way home.
How long do you think before she asks for her own library card?
my creative space
When I enrolled my daughter in “nature school” I never thought that I would enjoy her mornings there so much. The preschool is on a wildlife sanctuary, and after I drop her off, I’ve been wandering around with my camera.
In the early hours the air is cool and crisp. Only a few hardy flowers have survived the morning frost. (Thankfully, the ragweed hasn’t survived!) On sunny mornings the sun glistens off of prairie grass and the fall leaves sparkle.
I’ve talked a bit before about shifting my creative hours from late night to early morning. I think I finally have found something that will inspire me to get out of bed earlier. That and fresh brewed coffee, of course.
photos: I took all of these with my cell phone, but I tinkered with them a bit in photoshop.
As always, don’t forget to visit kootoyoo for more creative spaces.
holiday gift idea: sweater sleeve socks
Ever since I started knitting socks, I’ve wanted to knit a pair for everyone in my family. There’s something about giving a gift of warmth, especially when it’s handmade, that I really like. I just don’t have time to make it happen, so I started to think of alternatives.
One day I was looking through Linen, Wool, Cotton and saw a pattern for socks using angora wool and I got an idea. I’ve got plenty of wool sweaters in my stash. Why not make a pair of socks out of that?
These are basically a tube with one rounded end. I didn’t felt the wool, but used my serger to enclose the raw edges. The cuff has a casing for elastic to help them stay up. The button is just for decoration.
I see more of these in my future. I’ll be looking for superwash or wool blend sweaters so they can be machine washed. I’m also thinking about stripes, fair isle and cables. The possibilities are endless!
alternatives: If you don’t have a serger, you could felt the sweaters first so the edges don’t unravel or try the zig zag stitch on your machine. Felted socks may be too thick to wear with shoes, but would make great slipper socks for lounging around.