Red Heart Soft yarn Android Hat

I saw this pattern a while back and recently a friend asked me to make this for him. So off I went to the store to buy the yarn. It is Red Heart Soft. And this time I think Red Heart got it right. This yarn is soft. Not the softest ever, but much nicer than their Super Saver yarn.

It is a very easy yarn to work with.

The pattern can be found at http://knitprocro.com/android-hat/#.TnLPyC_kQmh.facebook

by BAGLEYBIKER.

It is a very fast hat to crochet and sew together.

Here it is before the arms get sewed on.

Since I started this one I have gotten a request for another. 

It's a fun project and I recommend it to anyone looking for a neat present to give an android enthusiast this winter.

The pattern was easy to understand and it is a great beginner project.

One thing that would top this off is a matching neck cowl!

Thanks to BagleyBiker and thank you for stopping by

Dee Dee

Universal Yarn - Classic Worsted Tapestry Yarn Review.

I bought this yarn from a specialty yarn store in Minnesota, called "all about YARN" for $8 per skein. 

It is 75% Acrylic and 25% Wool and it is made in Turkey.

It is machine washable and dryable.

The neat thing about this yarn is that when you make socks or mittens, it makes a pattern like some of the socks made in Nordic lands.

I had hoped that since I bought two skeins that both socks would have been more of a match with the  patterns but that was not the case. Another disappointment was finding the yarn was broken in one skein and had a sloppy knot in the second one.

On the positive side, this yarn was incredibly easy to work with and very fun to watch the pattern as it developed in my work. It really made the knitting seem to go faster. I would recommend this yarn especially for beginners. It is easy to unravel or back up stitches as well as to pick up dropped stitches or correct mistakes. This would be a perfect yarn for practicing those skills.

For long socks, these are pretty cute! I made them for my youngest daughter who said while modeling them here, "Hurry up! These are hot!" It was warm here last night, I am just hoping they are nice and toasty cozy in the winter time for her.

Thank you for stopping by.

Dee Dee

Got a Great Deal on Yarn and Picked Up Free Patterns

We just had to go shopping this evening so I picked a location that had a Michael's craft store since their yarn selection is much better than what you would find at stores like Walmart now a days, and nearly equal, if not better,  to what stores like JoAnn Fabrics carries. It does depend on your location thought. Stores far from larger cities can really have some great selections. However, you will find many specialty yarn stores in the bigger cities that have a selection that is very impressive. The problem with many specialty stores is that the people that work there seem as if they are a above everyone that walks into the store.  They really don't seem geared toward customer service. And finally, their prices are MUCH higher to the point of questionable affordability.

As I entered Michael's the first thing I found was a clearance section. I spotted some brown yarn that was marked down from $5.99 per skein to $1.99 per skein. It had some sequins in it. I saw that there was 5 skeins but because I didn't really see a use for it I passed.

They also had some larger knitting needles (sizes 13 and 17) made of plastic that were marked down from $6.99 and $5.99 to $2.49 and $1.49 so I put those in my basket.

Then I went straight back to the yarn section looking for my wool yarn.

As I was back there I was grabbing all of the free patterns that they hang on the yarn racks. I found 14 free patterns that interested me. One of them was by some of the same yarn (different color though) that was in the clearance bin. Looking at the supplies needed made me think again about passing up that discount bin. The needles needed are US 17 and the amount of yarn needed is 5 skeins.

I grabbed the pattern and went back up front to get the yarn, hoping it would still be there, and yes ma'am it was! 

When I got to the register the yarn rang up at $.99 per skein, half of what I had expected and the needles were less as well. I saved $25 on the yarn alone!

Another wonderful thing about the free patterns at Michael's is that they are on a heavier paper than most free patterns, they give you a difficulty level and a completion time so you know about how long your project will take. There is no purchase required for the patterns, which is very generous of them, but after how much I spent there this evening I think they are doing just fine!

When I finish this project I will share the results with you.

I am planning on trying to find local people near me that have animals and spin their own fibers to see what their yarns are like to use, but that will have to be after I use up more of what I have.

Thank you for stopping by!

Dee Dee

One Man's Junk...

Ends Up at My House.

If I see free stuff at the end of someone's driveway I am drawn to it like my lips to a wine glass.
Today brought an interesting score!

I found this pure wool sweater which I can not decide on whether I should reuse the yarn for socks or felt it for sewing mittens or boot liners. The sweater would be nice to keep as is but the sleeves are too short so this is a recycling project.
Give me your ideas to consider and I will post on that as it comes together!

Next was this shelf which is real wood. It needs a good cleaning and a few touch ups, maybe a new coat of varnish and it is good to go.

Then we grabbed this chair. I have plans for this one. My husband says it needs to be cleaned up a bit, and oh it will be, but when I looked at it the first thing that came into my mind was 'catcher's mitt'. I would like to get some tan leather and reupholster it and make a little round, white pillow with red stitches to make it look like a baseball.
Can't you just see it?
Batter Up!
...and yes, it is cozy!

Thank you for stopping by!
Dee Dee

Baby Hat from Scrap Yarn

For this I used Lion Brand Yarn, Watercolors.
The color is #344 Water Lily.
It is 65% acrylic and 35% Merino Wool.
It is thick and soft and very nice to work with.

This is a crocheted hat for an infant that I made from left over yarn that I had left over from a neck muffler that I knitted, which some call a cowel. The cowel is a straight knit pattern to the needed length to measure loosely around the neck and then ends joined. Very easy to make and nice beginner project.

I did not follow a pattern for the hat or the flower on it. I just worked it until it was what I wanted. I am sorry I did not write down what I did as I worked so I could give you the pattern. If you are really interested in a pattern for this, leave me a comment and I will figure and count it out and post it.
The little flower, that is much like a flat daffodil, was also something I made up as I went along.
From the neck muffler to the baby hat this yarn was great to work with.
With a wool content I would think that it would be a very warm piece and yet it is soft and not at all scratchy like one finds in most commercial wool yarns.

This hat is a new born to 6 month size. It took a very small amount of yarn and is perfect for that small little scrap ball of left over yarn.

Thank you for stopping by.
Dee Dee

I have been have some technical difficulties with my computer so I haven't been able to post everything that I have been working on. Once I get this corrected I will have much more to post, and I apologize if I do not get back to you soon with a response.

Getting knotty

I had not been much of a fan of Macrame when I was younger until I found this pattern in an old booklet. This will be a hanging table. I had given up on this for a few years because I could not find a piece of round glass for it for cheap. Then, last year, one of my neighbors put out a round glass piece next to the street with a free sign.
You all know that I just love free things so my husband grabbed it. It's a perfect fit and motivation to finish the job!

I had a lot of fun with the first part of this project. The hard part will be getting all the ropes to connect to the bottom circle evenly so I will have a level table. I still have to trim up and melt the loose ropes and untwist and brush out the bottom ropes under the table rim.

Macrame is a great thing to learn. You can make hammocks, hammock chairs, tables, lawn chairs and more. I am going to use this skill to make a new net for my fishing net, which broke. Big fish? Huge! I almost named it Moby Dick, it was that big! And I was just try to net some minnows.

The Little Yarn To Work With

I found cute patterns for making little snowflakes. I know that I am not being very "seasonal" here as the snow has finally just melted for me.

I picked up some Bedspread Weight Cotton Thread (size 10)
and a Steel crochet hook No. 8 (1.25 mm)

The patterns were fairly simple to follow and some were very fast to make. I discovered that my eyes are getting old and I need my reading glasses to work with such a small hook and thin thread. It was however another one of those projects that I would only do for my own home decorating or to give to family or friends as this is no get rich quick thing. The snowflakes are a good practice for beginners using this thread. Once you get used to working with it you can incorporate this work into other pieces like shirt lacing.

After I crocheted them, I put plastic wrap on a piece of cardboard. I mixed water and white glue (50-50) and poured into a zip top baggy. Then I put the flakes in the glue baggy and let them get soaked. I took the wet flakes out and secured them to the cardboard with pins in the shape I wanted. Then I sprinkled some clear glitter on top and lightly tapped it in. When they were dry I unpinned them. You can hang these with an 8 pound fishing line. It's one way to reuse your fishing line when you have to re-line your reel. Last year I caught a five pound bass! Monster of a fish for me since I was only fishing for perch! Okay, that got to be a bit off topic.

Coming soon, Working with Knots.

Thank you for stopping by!
Dee Dee

Jiffy Lace Scarf.

This was a new project for me so I used the same yarn as the socks, "natura Advantage".
I have never done "Jiffy Lace" work before so I wanted to do a practice piece.
The pattern came from an old booklet I got from a thrift store. It looks to be from the early 1970s. It takes a 35 knitting needle and a US K hook. It really should not be named "Jiffy" since it really takes some time to learn how to get this going and it needs more attention than other projects as I can almost knit and crochet blindfolded. This is not a pattern for sitting down and working on while watching the telly.

The Yarn.
Not very soft but easy to work with.
The Pattern.
Easy to learn, not very addictive, a little tedious, surprisingly nice to look at and probably not a functional piece as it most likely won't be very warm.

For this you crochet in sets of 5. Then pick up the stitches onto the large knitting needle like you would a gusset. Then work with the crochet hook, 5 loops off the needle and 5 single crochet stitches inside of the five loops, then move to the next 5 loops and repeat. Then repeat with picking up stitches on the knitting needle.
Once you understand it, it is easy but it needs attention.
The yarn again does not make a soft piece and most likely won't be a mid winter item, but is very lovely and fashionable for fall and spring weather. Truly not your typical store bought scarf.

If you would like more help with this pattern please leave a comment and I will try to help you.
Thank you for stopping by.
Dee Dee

Big Disappointment .

I often times receive skeins of yarn from people that they just don't want anymore. This was one. I thought it was a full skein, but I was wrong. It came with a pattern to make a diagonal scarf so that was my goal. The pattern was easy and the yarn I would rank and "good" in ease to work with. Even though it is fairly thin, on a larger needle (size 11 US) it was nice to work with.

This yarn comes from France. The label says, artful yarns, Broadway. 59% acrylic, 28% mohair, 6% polyester, 4% metallic, 3% nylon. Color 05, lot 009.

I was a little skeptical starting this as the yarn did not look that great, but as I progressed I really started liking it more and more. I liked the way the diagonal lines began to form. Then I found I did not have enough yarn to complete the scarf.
I went online and located the store it was purchased at and today we drove 1 hour 10 minutes to get there. What I found was that not only did they no longer have this yarn in stock, but the company in France no longer makes it.

It was an expensive yarn at $11.50 per skein, which I was willing to buy one just to finish this scarf. Instead I found disappointment and a new thing to blog about soon.

I suppose what I can do is reduce the pattern and make a thinner scarf which would be more of a show piece than a functional scarf, however, now I have another easy pattern that I can use should I find a suitable yarn.

I really did not expect it to turn out this nice and when it did it made me wish I could have finished it. It was one of those patterns that I have questioned how it would look because there was no reference picture on the instructions. So the moral is, don't assume that you can't make it or it won't look very good just because you can't see it. Some of these patterns are great!

Thank you for stopping by. Leave a comment or question if you like.
Dee Dee

Fans and Lace Blankets

These blankets were straight knitted on circular needles. I found the pattern in a beginner's guide that I bought for that pattern.

The lavender blanket is a twin sized blanket that I made for my youngest daughter. The yarn I used was Caron's Simply Soft, and it really is! It was a delight to work with this yarn. I made two others, one white and one a dark blue, just like this one for my older daughters.

The white blanket is a crib sized baby blanket and was made with cheap yarn that I bought at a garage sale. The skeins had no labels so telling you that I was not very impressed with this yarn isn't going to help you much. I have not done the blocking or tucked in the tails on this one yet.

The light green blanket with variegated striping is also crib sized and was made with yarn that I bought at a thrift store. It is the first of that pattern I made and I will be saving this for my first grandchild. I took a close-up photo to show detail. This yarn had no labels on the skeins so I can not tell you what it was, but it is fairly soft and good quality and really deserving of note. I also use a smaller gauged needle for this blanket which made it a tighter stitch and more suitable for a baby blanket.

• The next baby blanket like this that I make, I will be using Caron's Dazzle Aire yarn, bought from the local thrift store for 59 cents per skein. It may be awhile before I get working on that as I have many other projects I am currently working on.

•