Thursday, September 24, 2009

Three Day Auction for Granola Chicks

Granola Chicks is a great parenting forum. Its focus is on living naturally and raising children in an AP home, but it's a good place to find support no matter what choices you make for your home and children. Moms need other moms, right? Granola Chicks is in need of the funds to keep up and running. I am donating in the only way I can - through Melanie's Closet. Please share this auction with your friends! If you aren't a member of Granola Chicks, you can join up or you can participate in the auction through email or IM. melanie.niles@gmail.com for email and google chat.

I am offering a special deal right now, all proceeds will go to keeping our beloved GC open. First things first - the items up for auction.

Package #1- The kids will love this one. My kids love play food and I am constantly being requested to make them cookies, candy, dinners, and produce. This package will include 8 pieces of playfood, custom made and they will arrive in their own storage bag.

Package #2- A crocheted purse. You can get a new, unique bag AND help out your fellow GCers. There are a number of patterns avaliable and lining is optional. As a thank you, the bag will be holding a surprise or two when it gets to you.

Package #3- What if you don't need a new bag or toys for a child? This package is for you! You tell me what you want. Perfect for someone on your gift list this year or just to treat yourself. Any reasonable item (not a blanket, adult sweater, car cozy... you get the idea )

Rules, Regs, etc.

* This is a three day auction, starting at 9 am pacific.

* Bidding starts at $5, in increments of no less than 50 cents.

* Simply PM me with your bid and the package number you are bidding on, I'll update the thread with each bid.

* You can bid anonymously if desired.

* Please allow 2 to 3 weeks turnover.

* Unless there is an allergy, yarn fiber content is at my discrection.

PM me with any questions!

Friday, September 18, 2009

baby doll bare


baby doll bare
Originally uploaded by Meroluni

here it is naked, poor thing.

baby doll modeling


baby doll modeling
Originally uploaded by Meroluni

here is the baby clothed

I needed a model

I have some living, breathing models but they're either too big for my stuff or too grown up to model something not masculine enough for their newfound Big Kid attitudes. Sigh.
I had three options~
1) have another child
2) take someone else's child
3) crochet a baby body

Seeing as how I already have a nice collection of kids and I'd like to avoid jail, I went for door #3.
I made the baby about a 3-6 month size for clothes and totally screwed up the legs. The measurements I took were in order of age - and I mistakenly made the legs to fit the newborn measurements. What can I say, it was late and I was tired. So the brand new model is wearing a 3-6m crocheted hat, a 3-6m crocheted jacket, and nb knit socks. Oops. But isn't he/she cute? I'll be performing major surgery later on this week and giving the darling new legs.

Thursday, September 3, 2009

sweet Baby crochet

Part of my To-Do list for crochet is a neutral baby outfit for an RAK. She is expecting soon and does not know the sex so I found a cute Lollipop Romper that I can make in a tan colored cotton. It's a pattern I've used before and loved for it's old fashioned look and easily it can be made boysih/girly with little changes.

The next project is a hat, booties, jacket pattern for my younger sister's expected baby boy. The shower is this weekend so I have to hurry it along. I'll post more pictures later on.

While not a baby item, I am making a cloche hat in a buttercream colored merino/acrylic boucle as one of the game prizes. There is one row left and I need to attach a flower to the side.

The party favors include a crochet element as well. I've made up a recipe of instant coffee drink (coffee crystals, powdered creamer, sugar, and a touch of cinnamon) and put it in a sealed baggy, a plastic spoon dipped in chocolate also in a baggy, and put both of those in a crochet drawstring sachet.

Project: Baby Shower

This weekend my project is a baby shower for my younger sister. She is having her 4th baby, a little boy. Er, not little exactly, he's looking like a big fella, but you know what I mean.

The shower will be a small affair and mostly about Mom-to-be instead of the bundle of joy. 4 of the 7 guests are diabetic, so the refreshments required a little more thought. Green onion roll ups, sugar free coffee and tea, a vegetable platter are on the list, plus a cake that is in no way sugar free. :) Hey, I have to have a cake!
The cake is going to e home baked, devils food and classic white cake marbled together with a home made buttercream frosting and topped with raspberries and mint leaves as well as decorated around the edges with miniature chocolate flowers... you guessed it, I'm making those, too.

The coffee is a recipe similar to the coffee I had at a wedding years ago. It was soooo delicious that I had to ask what was in it. Caramel flavoring, coffee, and cream. i thought, 'that's it!?'
The key was the coffee preparation, it was cold brewed. this is basically putting coarse grounds into a large stainless steel bowl and mixing cold water into them. the recipe I used called for 2 cups water for 1/5 of a pound of coffee. Let it steep for 12 hours and then strain the grounds out. Relax, I know it sound expensive for how little coffee you get, but it makes something of a coffee concentrate that is then mixed with ice, cream, flavors, etc. For $7-$8 you get a full pound of coffee, another $2-$3 and you can buy heavy cream, half and half, or even skim milk for the fat conscious.Add a flavored syrup or simpler still -- get flavored coffee beans.

I'm finishing up all the details today - prepping any food that I can, baking cake, brewing coffee, chopping veggies, and so on. Since he shower site is 3 hours drive away, the food will be installed in a cooler in the back of the van.
I'm also making a shower gift as well as a prize for one of the games. I am right on schedule with all of the details, how did that happen?

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

Handmade RAK from a Ravelry group



I got one of the items on my wish list for August... and I adore it. It's beautiful! i don't knit well enough to make it myself but I kept going back to the pattern so I made it one of my wishlist items.
Isn't it lovely? I put it on before I even read the card that came with it and I didn't want to take it off when I went to bed.
Thank you so much Triega!

I love this pattern!

So I talked about Dot's Little Ditty bag, a crochet pattern for a mini purse. I have made 4 of them now an all of them took me roughly an hour.. a few minutes less once I memorized it. Which, my fellow hookers, is EASY with this particular pattern.

I have been tempted to make so many additions or changes to it because the bag is basic, like a canvas waiting to be painted. I controlled myself. Mostly. The handle was too small for me, I have giant wrists and hands. So I extended the chain for the handle from 30 ch to 45 ch. It was just right. I even tested it out and it fits my full wallet, a bottle of eye drops and a chap stick. I'm sure I could have fit my keys in as well, but I wasn't driving. :)



I've loved this pattern for stash busting, it's a great gift (or gift bag) and it could be even nicer with stripes, an accent edging, a spray of flowers, a cute smiley face, buttons... etc. I could go on forever. Make it taller and it's a great wine bag, make the base circle bigger and then adjust the height to match and it could be a beautiful laptop case, book bag, or beach tote.
See what I mean? I controlled myself.
I also made a rippled cosmetics bag. Not as thrilled with this style but it ended up looking sort of like a flower and I think it would be perfect for one of my nieces to store her pretties.






I made my oldest niece a scarf and soon, a matching hat. Can you believe the gorgeous wool you can find at a thrift shop for $2? i got 4 balls of it, all for that price. Back to the scarf! It's my favorite crochet pattern for scarves and I found it at crochetme.com under the quirky title Zen and the Art of Stash Diving.



It's the most amazing thing I think I've made. No matter what yarn I use, it works. It can be any length or width or color or texture. It's FAST, too. I whipped one up while I was in labor, as a distraction. I think I'll always feel a bond to this pattern :)
Last but surely not least, I made a pair of slippers from a pattern in Simple Crochet for Cherished Babies. It's supposed to have a ribbon through the eyelets on the cuff, but I haven't gotten there yet. Mostly because I hate sealing the edges, that's a pain. But they're worth it, don't you think?