It has Been One of Those Weeks

My husband and I both got sick this past week so things have been slow. Thankfully, we are both coming out of it and with a long weekend have had more time to recover. There are many things to be done to catch up today and I have not had a chance to blog ahead as I normally do when I am healthy.

I have a couple of crochet projects ready to photograph and a few more almost ready. I broke my promise about buying yarn and I think I found sources for a couple of dolls that match some vintage books I bought and then realized did not fit my target dolls. If the dolls work out, I will post my sources for others who are interested.

I did buy sale baby yarn, sports yarn and some holiday clearance yarn from Joann's and the Knitting Warehouse. I have posted several times about the challenges of finding baby fingering yarn and finding Bernat fingering yarn on-sale was not an opportunity to pass up when I am in a doll clothes mode. I am finding the Red Heart sports yarn skeins do not go as far as I thought when making clothes for even dolls as small as Barbie. I thought I had quite a bit of yarn, but the colors I needed were gone quickly leaving me with a need for some refills. The Bernat Satin I needed for the patterns in PatternsByJeannine SIGNATURE SERIES: All American Girls - 36 Crochet Patterns for 18 inch Dolls was also on-sale so I purchased that as well. I had a free shipping coupon from Joann's so it seemed an ideal time to stock up.

While I was pleased at finding the fingering yarn, I do wish I could find it in larger skeins. When I realize how much I use for a doll's outfit, I do wonder how people make baby items without spending a small fortune.

I hope to get my pictures taken and my blogs uploaded and back on schedule soon.

Pictures may not be used without written permission.

Friday's Crochet Round Up

I cannot believe how fast this fall season is moving. Monday we will be off to King Richard's Faire for our annual visit. That is always the mark for me that the Fall Season is moving towards the holiday rush. I hope to get our Halloween decorations out of the attic this weekend so we can enjoy them.

Trading off on my crochet projects is proving to work out as I planned. I finished the second farm horse I needed yesterday and began work on the triceratops. He needs legs, horns, and a tail. Then he too can join the finished pile. If I can get photographs taken before Monday, I can pass them on to my Aunt for their eventual trip to New Hampshire. Once I have pictures I can start posting them again.

Once the triceratops is completed, I need to finish the goose and the cow for the farm and have several more dinosaurs to finish the set.

I am thinking about experimenting with the Halloween characters to make some Pilgrims for Thanksgiving. As I mentioned in my previous post my first attempts were not successful. However, I was pondering how to combine the patterns to create little Pilgrims that would be a good size and something I have had success creating. The real issue will be creating the clothing as the Halloween characters had very simple outfits. However, half the fun is experimenting. If I have success, you can expect to see the results here.

If you arrived here looking for free toy patterns please see the following pages:

Crochet and Knit Puppets

Crochet Amigurumi Animals and Stuffed Animal Free Patterns

Knit Amigurumi and Stuffed Toys

Crochet and Knit Amigurumi and Other Dolls

Knit and Crochet Toys

Dinosaurs and Dragons

Hello Kitty

Teddy Bear Patterns and Clothes

Knit and Crochet Food Patterns Great for Play Food


Pictures may not be used without permission.

Projects Moving Along

I started the Barn Silo free pattern from Bizzy Crochet and it is almost done. This is going to be a cute addition to the barn bag pictured above. I found after completing the castle that the trick in doing these bags is working the projects in stages and adapting the pieces to my purposes. I am going to use the plastic canvas siding that was in the castle to prop up the farm bag as I think it could use the additional support. I do not see it listed on the pattern, but it seems like a good choice.

I just packed up the two packages that have to be mailed for Halloween and those are off to the post office today. I was happy, but the piano looks sadly empty without all the Halloween creatures covering it. I also gave my Aunt some of the birthday and Christmas items headed to New Hampshire so that also decreased the pile. However, with the holidays coming and my love of decorating it was necessary. It also inspired me to get to work on finishing those holiday projects. Last night I completed most of the horse that needs to head to New Hampshire with that farm. Then I will switch off to the dinosaurs. I am hoping to have the full set of dinosaurs and farm animals done by the end of the month.

Then of course comes Thanksgiving. I started on Pilgrim lady, but she didn't come out as expected. I will have to try again. I also have some holiday themed dishcloths to make. I want to make some for myself and at least one to ship. I have two Barbie Pilgrim outfits to make as well. The plate is full, but I am enjoying it. I am glad I took on the challenge of learning even if knitting has not worked out as well as I hoped.

If you arrived here looking for free toy patterns please see the following pages:

Crochet and Knit Puppets

Crochet Amigurumi Animals and Stuffed Animal Free Patterns

Knit Amigurumi and Stuffed Toys

Crochet and Knit Amigurumi and Other Dolls

Knit and Crochet Toys

Dinosaurs and Dragons

Hello Kitty

Teddy Bear Patterns and Clothes

Knit and Crochet Food Patterns Great for Play Food


Pictures may not be used without permission.

Finishing Projects

I am not a long-term crocheter. I am still hesitant when I take on a project that has a complicated process to assemble. I am never quite sure that I will make it work. Well I finished the castle today. I will post pictures later, but today I just wanted to reflect on how good it felt to finish something that I found the free pattern for months ago, never really thinking I would attempt. However, when I started the finger puppets, I wanted to try the castle.

My husband cut the plastic strips for the inside last night and today I sat down to assemble the project. When I post the project I will discuss it in more detail, but today I am just thrilled I did it.

Pictures may not be posted without permission.