Dolls, Dolls, and more Dolls

I've been busy working on dolls for a craft show I'm attending in October.  They've really taken off and I'm starting to get Christmas orders coming in, I'm so excited.

Feel free to stop by my Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/SarahsBitsandPiecesCrochet?ref=hl

Road Trip Scarf

I'm not much of a scarf or hat person.  But when I saw the Road Trip Scarf pattern from Zooty Owl I knew I had to make one.  I truly loveeeeee how this scarf turned out.

I used Red Heart Boutique Unforgettable in the color Candied.  It looks really good with a simple jean jacket.  I can see me making several in the near future.

Shades of Blue Daisy Afghan

My shades of Blue Daisy afghan turned out so well that I decided to keep it.  I normally never do that, but I couldn't let this one go.

It's now on the back of our couch and has added a little brightness and cheer to the living room.  Much needed after this long Winter we've had.

Enjoy your day
As always Happy Crocheting :)

Daisy Baby Afghan.

I recently finished a baby afghan.  It turned out really well and makes me think of Spring.  I love how the border came out as well.  Not bad for just winging it on the border...lol.  The daisies are becoming my favorite pattern.

A Little Bit of Spring

The weather here in Ohio has been terrible.  The worst Winter we've seen in a long time.  It's not really the snow, I don't mind it so much but the bitter cold needs to pack it's bags and take a hike.  Looking at the weather for next week is depressing as 6 days have snow in them.

To help fight the Winter blues I thought I'd make an afghan that has Spring written all over it.

Daisy's with a calming blue.  Makes it feel a little more sunny around here.  I hope to be able to finish it soon, that is if our local Wal~Mart would restock the colors I need :/  It's not the only WIP I have going though so I know I won't get bored waiting on yarn. :)

I hope everyone has a wonderful day and as always Happy Crocheting :)

Some Recently Finished Projects

I finished this Ohio State Buckeye inspired granny ghan for my future son in law for Christmas.

This John Deere inspired afghan was finished awhile ago and is in it's forever home I just keep forgetting to post :)

This was a sibling afghan done in plaid colors.  This one went to my oldest brother and his wife.  Now all of my siblings have an afghan from me.

My 13 year old daughter tried to steal this as soon as it was made.  I made her wait awhile then finally relented and gave it to her...lol

I made this one for my oldest daughter for Christmas.

I hope everyone has a wonderful day and Happy Crocheting.

The colors of Fall

Out of all of the seasons I think Fall would have to be my favorite.  There is just something about the way the air smells and the magnificent colors.  It's always fun to try and capture the colors in crochet.  I finished this one a few days ago and it is already in it's forever home.  I have to say I really really loved the way this afghan turned out.  I plan to make another one in similar colors to keep for myself so I can be surrounded by fall all year long.

Stars and Stripes Corner to Corner afghan

I recently finished a huge corner to corner afghan using the free pattern from RedHeart which can be found here:   http://www.redheart.com/free-patterns/crochet-corner-corner-throw

The stars pattern was a pinterest find and if anyone needs it I'll be happy to hunt it down for you or you can go to my pinterest boards which can be found here:  http://www.pinterest.com/swilson05193/boards/

I call this my stars and stripes corner to corner.  It is big enough to fit a queen size bed.

For the border I did one round of granny and then a scallop round after that.  I wanted to keep it simple as not to take away from the afghan.

My inspiration for this afghan came from a quilt that I found online.  I don't quilt so I did the next best thing and crocheted it :)

Inspiration comes from many places, whether it be nature, or other things in our surroundings.  Do what inspires you make it yours and share so you can inspire others. :)

Afghans

My absolute favorite thing to crochet is afghans.  Granny squares are my favorite, but I'll try almost any pattern.  Recently I've been asked by a couple people to make specific afghans.  I finished one of these over the weekend and now they have ordered another one in different colors.

I'm also working on a granny square afghan that should be finished tomorrow or the next day.  It's turning out really nice and it's going to be one of those I wish I could keep.

I'm also working on a Sunflower afghan for my mom and mother in law for mother's day.  Hopefully I'll be able to get them finished.

 My daughters boyfriend has been asking for an afghan as well, so I'm going to be very busy for awhile.

But most people know that my favorite thing to crochet is afghans so I'm in crochet heaven right now.

That's it for now, as always Have a wonderful day, and Happy Crocheting:)

Polymer Clay Hook Handles

I've been seeing hooks everywhere with handmade polymer clay handles.  I have a lot of hooks laying around the house from losing them and going and buying another and then finding the lost hook, so I decided to try this clay handle phenomenon...lol.  It's not really as hard as you think it might be, and if you crochet, knit, paint, ect. your already creative so give it a try.

I can't wait to get more hooks and clay.  These would make great gifts for crocheters.

Until next time have a wonderful day and happy crocheting:)

Free Patterns and Pattern Resources

I get asked all the time "where can I find that pattern?".  Free patterns are my favorite although I also like to visit and purchase patterns from many wonderful Indie designers.  I will start listing link to some of my favorite free patterns here.  So check back often and see what's new.  Also if you see something you like and the pattern isn't listed always feel free to ask.  If it's a pattern I've purchased I would be more than happy to share the designer and where you can find the pattern :)

http://zoomyummy.com/2011/12/05/new-pattern-crochet-christmas-owl-ornaments/

http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/hello-kitty-patches-american-eng

http://crochetmaryellen.blogspot.com/2007/06/easy-daisy-granny-square.html

http://attic24.typepad.com/weblog/crochet-bag.html

^^^^^^One of my favs....her use of color is amazing:)

http://www.redheart.com/free-patterns/prairie-star

^^^^^This is the pattern for the Quilt'ghan

There are many pages out there that offer free patterns some of which are:

www.redheart.com

www.bernat.com

http://www.allfreecrochet.com

www.ravelry.com

^^^this one has a lot of free and paid patterns :)

I'll do my best to keep the list updated

Until next time:  Happy Crocheting

Random Stuff

I've been working on quite a few things lately.  I have discovered that I really like Amigurumi.  It's a lot of fun to see all of the little pieces come together into a full project.

Don't laugh....lol.  This little guy was just for practice and I didn't have any safety eyes at the time so I made my own.

This one is a current WIP, I had to stop on it so I could make a couple last minute Christmas gifts.  I now have safety eyes.  My hubby ordered me 40 pair in green, blue, gold, and brown, an early Christmas gift.

I made this little guy for a friend of mine for Christmas along with an amigurumi reindeer named Rudy:)

Here's Rudy:)...He turned out really cute and I wish that I would have had enough time to make a few more. There is always next year:)

This is what I have been working on the past few weeks.  I've made a few other snowman ornaments and am back to work on the doll.
I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas and a Wonderful New Year!!
As Always, Until next time:  Happy Crocheting!!

More WIP's

I probably wouldn't be me if I didn't have a gazillion WIP's going on.  I guess I just get bored easy and need something else to go to as a distraction.  I'm sure most know what I mean.
I'm currently working on my last sibling afghan.  Then my 3 brothers and my sister will all have an afghan from me.

I love the bright colors that's going into this one.  It's another one that's going to be tempting to keep.  But if I kept them all I'd have more afghans than I know what to do with.

I'm also working on another quilt'ghan.  This one is in fall colors.  Not sure where this one is headed yet.  I have a lot of people in mind for it.  I may have to just put names in a hat and draw.  I like giving away at random without the person knowing they are getting it.  

This is the start of the quilt'ghan center piece.  Can't wait to see it finished.

Until next time:  Happy Crocheting:)

Thanksgiving

I hope everyone enjoys their Thanksgiving holiday.  Enjoy spending time with family and don't over stuff yourselves.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!
Until next time:  Happy Crocheting:)

Christmas Orders

I've been busy working on some Christmas orders.  They are coming out so pretty, I even whipped up one for myself.  I haven't put the fabric liners in them yet but couldn't wait to share what I have done so far.

 The two tone brown is the one I made for myself.  I really love how it turned out and can't wait to get the liner put in.

 The two tone pink kitty is a custom order....you can't tell in the picture but the white yarn has sparkle.  I'm not partial to pink but it's too stinkin cute not to like:)

I think this two tone purple is my favorite so far.  I have actually really started loving the caron one pound yarn.  It has a totally different feel than the red heart yarn and it works great for this little totes.
I'm working on another two tone purple with the sparkle white and then my tote orders will be complete.
My daughter who is in Junior High has asked me to make her one in the two tone purples.  She wants it a bit bigger so she can use it for a hipster bag to carry some of her school supplies in, minus the kitty of course:)
Thanks for stopping by and having a look.
Until next time have a Wonderful day and Happy Crocheting:)

Hats, Scarves, and Everything in Between

I've been working on many different things lately.  My 10 year old son hounded me until I finally made him a Mohawk Earflap Hat.

I finished it the day before his birthday.  He's such a ham...lol.  When he wore it to school the principle asked him if I could make one to be raffled off for the Boy's only tailgate party, of course I said yes, it was an honor:)  Then one of my husbands friend saw it and asked if I could make one in Pittsburgh Steeler colors.

I've been asked by two other people to make them in Ohio State Colors.  It's still a little weird for me to have people ask.  I've always just made things and gave them away now I actually have people asking if they can order.

I've also been working on some Christmas orders for the Kitty tote bags.  The smaller version of the large tote has turned out to be the perfect size for little girls.  Here is one that I did.  I didn't get pics of it after it was totally complete with lining and kitty applique but it turned out better than I thought it would and I actually love it better without the applique.

I'm now finishing up on two in purple tones and another pink.  I'll make sure I post photos.

My daughter is in her senior year of Marching Band and has a highlight concert this Friday, then this Saturday my son has his championship pony league football game.  It's going to be cold so I wanted to make a scarf and put music notes on one side and a football applique and my sons football number on the other side.  This is the first scarf I came up with.  It is a simple half double crochet in back loops only making it have ridges.  When I finished it I really wasn't happy with it because of the length and the blue was a shade to dark.  But it's a nice scarf all the same and has already been claimed by my oldest daughter...lol.

I'm still working on the appliques for the second scarf and will post pics when finished.

Thanks for listening to me ramble on and checking out my projects.

Until next time, Happy Crocheting:)

Amigurumi and a Finally Finished Round Ripple

I'm really excited about trying my first ever Amigurumi <<<I hope I spelled it right projects.  It turned out pretty good and I'm ready to make a couple more, because as we all know once you make one and everyone sees them they request....lol.  I also finished my round ripple WIP which I've been working on for what seems like forever.  

This is my sparkle kitty for Halloween.  Fall and Halloween and all of the spooky that goes with it is probably my most favorite time of the year.  I have since purchased an amigurumi ghost pattern and a pumpkin pattern to go with my kitty.  I did however forget his whiskers....lol

I finally finished my round ripple....this makes me think of a cold evening sipping hot chocolate.
Hope everyone has a wonderful day and as always Happy Crocheting:)

Daisy Afghan

I had to share.  I am almost finished with the Daisy Afghan, I still have ends to weave but it's close to going to it's forever home and I will be soooooo happy to see it go....lol

Above is a close up of the simple Picot border that I used....I think it was a good fit for the afghan.

All those dreaded ends to look forward to but it's almost ready to go.
Until next time, Happy Crocheting :0)

The Cost of Things

I was working on an afghan today that i'm trying to get finished before September 9th and of course it got me to thinking about how many times I've heard people complain and say "why do they charge so much".  I honestly don't think people realize the work that goes into and afghan.  Mind you some are simple to do but others are completely time consuming and tedious to do.  Here is an example:

The afghan that I am currently working on is called Fresh as a Daisy.  I did change up the pattern and do things the way I wanted to do them and I like the end result so much better.  This one is a custom order.  But this is what is involved and stands as a good explanation as to why crafters charge what they do:)
109 circles....become 109 daisy's....which become 109 squares....which then need bordered....after being bordered they get sewn into strips.....then all the strips get sew together to make the afghan....then the afghan gets a nice border all around....and if your like me you have to flip it over and tuck ends....and tuck and tuck and well you get the point.  Yes it's a labor of love.  Afghans are my favorite thing to make because although tedious, it's good therapy, and the end results are amazing.  Not to mention how AWESOME it feels when the person who receives it appreciates all that you put into it.
I'm not trying to go on a rant, just trying to make people understand that when they see the price of a beautiful handmade product....remember it's a lot of work and a lot of love poured into each stitch.

What's Been Going On?

I can't believe how long it's been since I posted on the blog.  I get busy with things and get wrapped up and sometimes forget.  Okay so I always forget...lol.  I've gotten involved with a wonderful group called Wrapped In Love, it is a crochet guild who makes 6x6 crochet squares for family's who have recently lost children.


I've also been trying to get some WIP's completed before my annual family reunion since all the WIP's seem to be for family members.  I made a lot of progress on the daisy afghan today so I see no problem having it finished by the time September rolls around.  I also have another afghan to complete (it's so close) and 2 tote bags (whew!!).


In between all of this I got my first custom ordered Mermaid Tears purse, requested in Fall colors.  It turned out so pretty I wanted to keep it...lol.  But it is all packaged up and ready to go out in the morning.

My friend Lynne and I have also been working away on our community page kicking off our Fall afghan project.  We have decided to take donated 6x6 squares and assemble them into afghans and donate to our local Hospice, Nursing Homes, and Homeless shelters.  It's going to be a very busy time over at With Loving Hearts and Hands Crochet.  We recently delivered a memory'ghan to a local family who lost there son to Mitocondrial disease.  The afghan turned out beautiful and squares were donated from all over the country and a few from other countries.  It's a beautiful thing when folks get together and share not only there love for the craft but also there love for another human being.

That pretty much sums up all the things I've been up to lately.  I'm sure the blog will get neglected more and more and we get closer to assembling our afghans and also working on Christmas gifts ect.  But I'll stop by from time to time to add pictures of completed projects as I finally start getting them done.


Until next time:  Happy Crocheting:)