Yarn Shenanigans

A shawl for my mother! Blocking for the first time - the yarn is superwash merino and it just EXPLODED when I dunked it! Was not expecting that! As long as it's still as soft as it was before being dunked, I'll be happy. Will post pictures when it's done!

Pattern is here:

Another recent project!

Gift for my sister for Christmas. Pattern is here:

Mostly done with my first ever glove!! Just need to add some ridges and buttons along the back. There are some goofs here and there, but honestly I'm pretty damn proud of this.

Pattern is here:

A long overdue post about a recent gift. I decided to make my mom a crochet wreath for Mother’s Day, based off of a color base suggested by my sister.

I kept an eye on http://attic24.typepad.com/weblog/2015/03/winter-wreath-ta-dah-1.html for a basic walkthough on how to put this together. I also used the book “100 Flowers to Knit & Crochet” as an outline for the flowers I made.

Before I started this, I used the GIMP program to create a layout for myself to give an idea of how I’d like the layout to work. 

Step 1: The base!

Despite it being a little tight, the base fit around the foam neatly, and I left a tail at the end of each section to be able to sew it together. 

Step 2: Beginning the lilacs

Although I didn’t put in the full detail to make lilacs properly, I found putting them pretty close together helped create the image much better. I chose to pin the flowers to the wreath instead of sewing them, for speed and ease of organization.

Step 3: Adding the other flowers

I used a daisy pattern for the yellow flower, which made securing it just a little more difficult to hide the pin. The rose is just a small rose, which was interesting to sew together because it rolls up.

Step 4: Blueberries & planning ahead

The blueberries are made from a modified grape pattern. I placed some pins to plan ahead where I could start putting on more of the lilacs. 

Step 5: Final product!

I had actually had about twice the flowers planned, to give it a fuller look. The wreath base was a bit smaller than I would have liked it to be, but that saved me some time in making the flowers. It doesn’t look sparse, and I’m actually pretty proud with how it turned out. The pearl pins stand out a bit, and I would have liked using pins of the same color, but the pearl look gives it a sort of fancy look, which is cute to have between the lilacs. They’re mostly invisible in the blueberries and roses, and even some of the lilacs hide them pretty well.

I think for the next wreath I try, I’m going to use some brighter colors - I was trying to use wood colors, but most yarn colors I found didn’t really work for that. They match well enough, but aren’t exactly what I was hoping for. I’m also hoping to find a bit wider of a wreath base, to aid with a fuller look and give more space for further designs.

Here’s a hat I made for my grandmother! I have kind of mixed feelings about it, because the brim is wider than the picture implied, meaning it spills over a little more than I might have wanted. The pattern was simple enough, though, and went pretty quickly.

The yarn is Loops & Threads: Snuggly Wuggly Dip Dye (Purple Haze)

Crocheted myself a Ravenclaw hat! It’s a lil slouchy beanie made with K and G size hooks, which I think made it extra soft. I’m so excited to wear it in future cold weather!

Some of the recent projects I’ve been working on!

The octopus is for a friend, with a little Hufflepuff tie around it. The turtle is named Philip, similarly for a friend, with a Gryffindor tie. The cows are named Guillaume and Marcelline, and they are stuffed with a stone, as a little perk for the person they were made for. 

Making patterns like these are really helpful to teaching me a bit more about how stitches can affect the shape of the object. I was worried the octopus would be a bit shallow, but when the top and bottom were sewn together, they turned out pretty darn round. The patches on the cows taught me about the effects of shaping things in different ways, and how it can be different.

Octopus: http://www.craftsy.com/pattern/crocheting/toy/octopus-amigurumi/20249 

Turtle: http://www.craftsy.com/pattern/crocheting/toy/turtle-turtle/30641 

Welcome to Shenaniyarns, the blog where I post stuff that I’ve made. I’m working on starting to make my own patterns, so I don’t have to worry about feeling like I’m stealing from anyone. If I post a picture of something I’ve made from someone else’s pattern, I’ll cite the pattern in the post so everyone can find the pattern for themselves!