Up to my ears...

...not in crochet, but in summer reading plans. I'm still a little crocheted out from the rush job on those two baby afghans. I'm slowly making the squares for another baby afghan. I haven't celebrated National Craft Month as lavishly as I normally do, but this is the first time I've had a full-time job at the same time.



Hope everyone is enjoying the crafty month. Until next time, happy crocheting!

Cat Fridgie: An Orginal Pattern

This pattern grew out of my frustration with finding an easy cat fridgie pattern. The ones I found all had a million pieces. So I made one of my own. The ears are attached to the head. The tail is attached to the body.

The above picture is of the colorful and whimsical cat fridgies I made for Dr. Seuss story time.

Bridget's Cat Fridgie Pattern
Disclaimer: You may use this pattern for your own personal use. You may provide a link to this pattern from your website, but not the pattern itself. Feel free to sell what you make from this pattern, but please give me credit as the designer

Materials: worsted weight yarn, size H crochet hook, yarn needle, magnets, puff paint, wiggle eyes, hot glue gun

Body
Round 1: Ch 4 (ch 3 does NOT count as 1st dc). 12 dc in the 4th ch from hk. Join with a sl st to the 1st dc made (12 dc)
Round 2: Ch 1, 2 hdc in each dc around. Join with a sl st to the 1st hdc made (24 hdc) Do Not finish off.

Tail
Ch 7, sc in 2nd ch from hook and the others. Join with a sl st to next hdc on body. (6 sc) Finish off.

Head
Round 1: Ch 4 (ch 3 does NOT count as 1st dc). 12 dc in the 4th ch from hk. Joing with a sl st to the 1st dc made (12 dc). Do Not Finish off.

Ears
Ch1 in same dc as joining sl st. (sc, hdc, sc) in same st. sl st in next 2 dc. (sl st, ch 1, sc, hdc, sc) in next dc. Sl st in next dc. Finish off.

Finishing:
Run in ends with yarn needle. Sew Head to body. Attach wiggle eyes and magnets with hot glue gun. Use puff paint to make nose and whiskers. You could also use a small pompom for the nose.

Happy National Craft Month!

Hello, folks! It's March and that means one thing for us crafty people...it's National Craft Month. This year, I don't have an official celebration planned. I'm up to my eyeballs in baby afghans. The two for my sister need to be done by 12 noon this Saturday. The good news is that one is already halfway together and I only have one more skein of yarn to work up. They're turning out very pretty. The colors my sister chose are very springy (Light Raspberry, Orchid, Cornmeal, Aruba Sea).

After I finally get those two done, I have another baby afghan that needs to get done this month. The baby shower is set for the 27th. Then there's those 2 others I'm working on. And did I mention, 2 more ladies I know are pregnant???

Hoping to make a few bookworms this month. I'd like to send them to friends for the upcoming holidays. And I still haven't started my new tree decorations. I've changed the color scheme a little. Instead of Lavender, Honeydew, & Light Coral, I'm going to use Lavender, Coral, and Tea Leaf.

I plan to post updates every week along with an original pattern or two and maybe some project pictures this month. So stay tuned!

Until next time, happy crocheting!

Where I've Been...

Well, I can't believe a whole month has almost passed since my last update. My apologies. I was sick for three weeks. First, a cold. Then, a sinus infection and finally, bronchitis. Needless to say, I didn't crochet much when I was sick. The only thing I made was 5 cupcake magnets for story time props. I used this pattern. I tweaked the icing part a bit and didn't make the cherry. I'll post a picture soon.

The three baby afghans are still in the works: Pigeon, baby girl flower garden, and baby boy cowboy. The colorful squares for the baby girl afghan (Marrakesh & Melonberry) are done. I've made a half dozen of the Buff squares and find the color just blah. A baby shower has been scheduled for the baby boy afghan (March 27), so I'll be putting all my energy into it and a new commission.

Luckily (or unfortunately), my sister has given me another project. She has to attend a joint baby shower on March 12 (about 3 weeks from now) and wants me to make afghans for them. They're both having girls. Both afghans will have Light Raspberry and Orchid. One will have Aruba Sea and the other will have Cornmeal. They're going to be very bright colorful afghans.

I have quite a few story time props to make in the next few weeks. Teeth, cats, raindrops, frogs, and flowers. My themes are, if you haven't already guessed, teeth, Dr. Seuss, rain, frogs, and flowers. I'm hoping to be more faithful in my updates in the coming weeks. Next Tuesday marks the 1st day of National Craft Month. I don't have anything special planned. This is a good thing as I have 5 (yes, that says five) baby afghans in various states of completion.

Until next time, happy crocheting!

Three, Count Them, Three Baby Afghans

That's right! Since I last updated I've added a third baby afghan to my list. It's for a friend from grade school. This is her 3rd little girl. I either wasn't around for the 1st two or wasn't making baby afghans. That being said, I'll also be making the 2 big sisters purses. The colors for this one are Marrakesh, Melonberry, and Buff. I'm using what I have, but I think it will turn out quite nice.

All the squares for the Pigeon afghan are done. I didn't have quite enough Seagrass, so I made do with Spa Blue for 4 squares.

I'll be making some bookworms for Valentine's Day soon. I'm working on the cotton dishcloths at work. So far I've made 4.

Until next time, happy crocheting!

Happy Belated New Year!

2011 is well underway and I have not been idle. I was snowed in during the past week and crocheted quite a lot. I've finished my sister's Christmas afghan. Pictures to come. I've also made the pieces for 7 snowman ormanents. I owe a friend 5 as a gift and 2 were ordered.

My plans for crocheting at work (on my lunch hour) include lots of dishcloths. I need 20+ for my 2011 Christmas list. I like to make them when the weather's still cool. The cotton tends to leave a lot of lint on your hands if the temperatures are warmer.

Oh, I also made another sweater for my family's Boston Terrier Chester. The first one was a trial run and didn't turn out so well, if you remember. This one turned out pretty well if I do say so myself. I only need to add the buttons. Weather permitting, I'll get to try it on him this weekend and get some pictures.

I haven't started my new tree decor yet. I've been debating the colors. I still like the coral and lavender, but I think the green (Honeydew) is too light to match the others. I may go with a Sage or Thyme instead.

At home, I'm working on the plans and squares for 2 baby afghans. One will be a Pigeon color scheme (from Mo Willems' picture books). I'm using Seagrass, Cornmeal, & Warm Brown. It's for an either/or baby, as in the parents don't plan on finding out, so it has to work for a boy or a girl. The other afghan has to match a farm/rodeo nursery bedding set. The colors I've picked are Ranch Red, Windsor Blue, and Warm Brown. That's 192 three-round granny squares I'll be making. Whew!

Well, that's all for this update. Until next time, happy crocheting!

Christmas 2010 Project Pictures Take 2

The afghan for my lovely cousin Kyla, the lion ornament for my niece Abby, and the heap of squares that will be my sister's afghan by no later than her birthday (January 20)